Home Surgery: Desperation on the Prairie

Originally Aired: June 23, 1957 In Gunsmoke #272, “Home Surgery,” Marshal Matt Dillon and Chester come across a desperate teenage girl named Tara Hortree whose father lies dying from blood poisoning after a horse accident. With no doctor for miles and the only man who promised help suspiciously missing, Dillon is forced to attempt a brutal, risky operation himself—amputating the man’s infected leg. As the truth about Ben Walling’s betrayal comes to light, the stakes rise, and justice takes on a deeply personal meaning. A harrowing tale of courage, isolation, and frontier justice. Cast: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear Tags: Western, frontiermedicine, survival, suspense, WilliamConrad, ParleyBaer, GeorgiaEllis, HowardMcNear, homesurgery, justice, betrayal, bloodpoisoning, isolation, oldtimeradio, 1950sradio, classicwestern, drama, mattdillon