To Panama and Back: The Record of an Experience

A physician embarks on a journey into the almost unknown, traveling from Chicago to Panama in the early 1900s to attend the Pan-American Medical Congress. There are no guidebooks for Panama. No reliable maps. No TripAdvisor reviews to consult. Byford relies on his wit, his medical training, and an explorer's willingness to be surprised. The narrative follows his passage through New Orleans and onto a ship bound for Central America, where he encounters a world of vivid contrasts: Northern customs yield to Southern hospitality, and American sensibilities meet foreign climates and cultures head-on. Byford records it all with a sharp, often humorous eye, sketching the colorful characters he meets and reflecting on the peculiar challenges of cross-cultural travel in an era before tourism became standardized. His observations about food, medicine, and social norms reveal as much about early 20th-century America as they do about Panama. This is travel writing before the genre existed as we know it: uncertain, personal, and oddly brave.