In 1973 Jim Shames, a young doctor questioning life in a country divided by the Vietnam War, learned of a counterculture community in Southern Oregon interested in establishing its own medical clinic. A recent graduate from medical school, with limited hands-on experience as a doctor, Jim found the promise and opportunity of a community in the woods, far from the turmoil of the times, appealing. In a leap of faith, he joined the back-to-the-earth movement and became a country doctor. 

In the impoverished Illinois River Valley of Southern Oregon, Shames moved to Takilma and the Mystic Mountain commune. There Shames found a home, family, and fulfilling work at the Takilma People’s Clinic. It was a different world, offering an alternative journey and self-reflection. Surrounded by uninhibited friendliness, joy, and music, Doctor Jim cared for the patients of the community. Collectively the clinic treated rattlesnake bites, gunshot wounds, obstetrical complications, meningitis, cancer, and more for the residents of Southern Oregon.

Doctor Jim offers a window into communal life and the challenges of healthcare in rural Oregon. Shames highlights the struggles and rewards to be found in simple daily activities with like-minded souls sharing emotional and physical work. In reflecting on his unique medical career, Shames teaches that healing is about the intimate interaction between the patient and the doctor rather than medications or procedures. What started as an experiment evolved into a medical practice caring for a broader community beyond its counterculture brethren.

Jim Shames, MD, is a retired family practice physician who helped found the Takilma People’s Clinic in rural Southern Oregon. After raising a young family on the communal farm in Takilma, he and his wife, Heidi, moved to Ashland, Oregon, where he became the medical director for the Jackson County Health Department.