Beale Memorial
This memorial is dedicated to Dr. Samuel M. Beale Jr. who was Sandwich's only doctor for much of the 1900s. He also was admired for his work with respect to cancer treatment when oncology was still very new. The land on which the memorial sits is named Beale Park. Many people drive past it every day and have no idea about the man or his mark on town history.
Dr. Beale operated his practice from 1909 until his death in 1965 at the age of 89. His home office was on the corner of Main and School Streets and has since been turned into a bed and breakfast called The Quince Tree. Stories about Dr. Beale recount that he drove people to the hospital, gave medicines to those who couldn’t afford them, and accepted payments in goods for his services. His daughter, Elizabeth, said there was one man who paid her father in lobsters each time he delivered a baby. Dr. Beale became one of the first staff members at Cape Cod Hospital when it was founded in 1920 and oversaw Cape Cod doctors.
Dr. Beale's work in the field of cancer treatment was also notable. He treated a diabetic patient with an infected ingrown toenail with insulin, surmising that in addition to treating the diabetes, the insulin would help increase blood circulation. The toe healed so he thought that if insulin worked on an infection, then perhaps it could be used to improve blood circulation when treating cancerous tumors. He then began testing the effect of insulin on mice with cancer and his work attracted the interest of medical experts across the country.
To read about his son, Dr. S. James Beale, click HERE. Like his father, Dr. Beale also had a unique medical career and died in May 2016 at the age of 100.
To log this geocache on opencaching.us, the password is Cape Cod Hospital.
Dr. Beale operated his practice from 1909 until his death in 1965 at the age of 89. His home office was on the corner of Main and School Streets and has since been turned into a bed and breakfast called The Quince Tree. Stories about Dr. Beale recount that he drove people to the hospital, gave medicines to those who couldn’t afford them, and accepted payments in goods for his services. His daughter, Elizabeth, said there was one man who paid her father in lobsters each time he delivered a baby. Dr. Beale became one of the first staff members at Cape Cod Hospital when it was founded in 1920 and oversaw Cape Cod doctors.
Dr. Beale's work in the field of cancer treatment was also notable. He treated a diabetic patient with an infected ingrown toenail with insulin, surmising that in addition to treating the diabetes, the insulin would help increase blood circulation. The toe healed so he thought that if insulin worked on an infection, then perhaps it could be used to improve blood circulation when treating cancerous tumors. He then began testing the effect of insulin on mice with cancer and his work attracted the interest of medical experts across the country.
To read about his son, Dr. S. James Beale, click HERE. Like his father, Dr. Beale also had a unique medical career and died in May 2016 at the age of 100.
To log this geocache on opencaching.us, the password is Cape Cod Hospital.