The newly arrived doctor began her practice immediately. She traveled by horseback and occasionally by dogsled or cutter. Pneumonia was common in the area, but much of her work was from accidents including gunshot wounds, falls and axe wounds. There were also many childbirths, though the births that Mary attended were often "the kind that would turn you grey" — most of the men in the area expecting their wives to deliver their baby without the assistance of a doctor. A typical week's caseload might include several fractured limbs or a broken back; a birth; cases of dysentery, pneumonia, smallpox, scarlet fever or tuberculosis; as well as the other illnesses expected in a family practice; and perhaps some tooth extractions, as there were no dentists in the area. Many of the cases she saw really needed the attention of a specialist, but as she later said, "Some of the stuff I did I was out of my depth really, but I was the only one there."