Dr. Herbert Cannon

Dr. Herbert Cannon was an important voice in medical matters in St. Tammany Parish in the 1970's, when he ran the parish health unit. 

Those who remembered him tell how he would set a broken arm for three dollars, or in trade for eggs, live chickens and meat from the freezer in return for services rendered. He was widely recognized as "the community's doctor," willing to visit people in their homes in cases of emergency. 

Over in a Facebook post, Mike Pittman said, "In the 1950’s, intestinal worm infestation was common in children in St. Tammany Parish. Through the school system, tin containers were distributed to all children for stool samples. For several years, my father and Dr Cannon worked, through the state health system, to eradicate the problem. The program, and education of the causes, was a success in eliminating this disease process."

He was so popular that one of the health clinic workers wrote a poem dedicated to him.