1890 Buchanan and Delaware Counties History pgs. 353-357

H. A. DITTMER, M. D., homeopathic physician and surgeon of Manchester, Delaware county, is a native of Iowa, having been born in Clayton county, March 5, 1858. He is the third of a family of nine children born to Ernest J. and Mary (Reddingshaffer) Dittmer, natives of Germany, the father immigrating to this country in 1849, and settling in Clayton county, this state, in 1850. The mother came to the United States in 1848. The parents were married April 19, 1852. They subsequently moved to this county, taking up their residence in Colony township, where the mother died in February, 1877, and where the father continues to live. Their children are all grown and most of them have selected their callings and are settled off in life.

The two eldest, John and George, are farmers and reside in Colony township, this county. The only daughter. Mary, is the wife of Dr. J. P. VonBerg, of Albert Lea, Minn. The next, Martin, is a physician, residing at Sioux Falls, Dak. Charles is preparing himself for a pharmacist, being now in the college at Chicago. Edward is at home with his father. Ernest is principal of the public schools at Hartford, Dak., and the youngest, Benjamin, is deceased.

The subject of his notice was reared in Clayton and Delaware counties, growing upon his father's farm and receiving an ordinary common school training. He finished his education at the German-English college at Galena, Ill., graduating in 1881. Having selected medicine as a profession he began at once to read under Dr. E. Walther at St. Paul, Minn. When prepared for lectures he took one course at the Missouri Homeopathic Medical College at St. Louis and a second course in the Hahnemann Homeopathic Medical College of Chicago, graduating from the latter institution in the spring of 1884. The same spring and immediately after graduating he married, located at Manchester and began the practice where he has since continued. Like all young physicians entering upon their professional career, his start was made in a modest way and it was not unaccompanied by some difficulties and embarrassments. But he brought to the discharge of his professional duties as thorough preparation as the schools could give, a large capacity for labor and a strong desire to succeed; and these have borne their natural fruits. Each year has witnessed an extension of his patronage and a gradual rise in his fortunes. It is doing no violence to truth nor offering a suggestion of discourtesy to
others to say that there is not a young man of the medical fraternity in Delaware county who has made more rapid progress since entering upon the practice than he has, nor whose career gives promise of greater usefulness and distinction than his does. He is blessed with strong physical and mental vigor and he has the will to do. He is enamored of his profession and pursues it with enthusiasm. He is a thorough student and keeps fully abreast of the best thought of the day. He realizes that in the science of his profession, as in all progressive sciences, there are but few axioms, the perfection of the known and the discovery of the unknown being the constant ends in view; and he feels, as but few young men of his profession do, that in the application of the infinite variety of means to these ends the realm of materia medica unfolds and discovers to the eye of the student and practitioner an ever widening field of research and labor, so that he who has selected this line of endeavor for his life-work is not privileged to rest his knowledge on the teachings of the curriculum and the dicta of the books; but must read, investigate and think for himself, failing in which he commits a crime against his race and one which will soon or late return to plague him in his professional career. Dr. Dittmer is endowed with a large share of that subtle sympathy which makes the whole world akin and this of itself makes his presence in the sick room a benefit. Cautious in the steps by which he proceeds his first efforts are directed to the task of securing the confidence of his patient, then an understanding of the ailments and an application of the resources of his art to the trouble in hand. With such methods reinforced by a rare natural and professional acumen, he does not often fail of a cure when called in time, and where from neglect of proper precautions at the outset, or from a dissolution of the forces of nature, restoration to health and vigor is beyond the reach of his skill; with a frank acknowledgement of this to himself and a discreet intimation of the fact to the friends and relations of his patient, he plies his utmost care to lengthening the feeble span of life for his unhappy sufferer and to robbing the deathbed of at least its physical agonies.

As stated above, Dr. Dittmer married in the spring of 1884. The lady whom he selected to bear him companionship was Miss Maggie L. Holbert, a native of Colesburg, this county, and a daughter of one of the first settlers of the county, Joseph Holbert, now residing at Hopkinton.

Dr. and Mrs. Dittmer have one of the handsomest residences and most pleasant homes in the town of Manchester, an elegant place situated on south Main street, with spacious and tastily kept grounds and complete in its appointments inside and out, a home from which they dispense a generous hospitality to their nearer friends and acquaintances and one where the stranger meets with a kind and gracious welcome.

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