By: Peggy L Henderson
On my recent vacation, it was fun to buy a few potential
research books that might come in handy for future historical western romances.
From famous mountain men, to Indians, and Prostitution and women in medicine in
the 1800’s, these books make for some interesting reading, regardless if I use
any of the information contained within or not.
One such book was filled with “granny medicines,” or
medicine used during the time. Among the many chores women were charged with on
the wagon trains, they were also responsible for the overall health of their
family members. Their supplies contained not only ingredients for cooking
supper, but also herbs and journals handed down through the generations with
home remedies. Items such as juniper berries, garlic, and bitter root were used
to treat anything from nausea to typhoid. These remedies were usually a
combination of advice passed down through the generations, to superstition, to
religious beliefs.
Advise such as “rinse your mouth each morning with urine to
preserve your teeth and prevent mouth odor,” or “mold scraped from cheese will
heal open sores,” to “wrap a piece of bacon sprinkled in black pepper around
your neck to cure a sore throat,” was common.
Some medicines, such as poultices or teas might have brought
some relief, but most often they were of no use, and at worst, did more harm
than good.
The Missouri State Historical Society has compiled a list of
frontier medicines, which shows that the 1800’s were truly the “golden age of
quackery.” Here is a short sample:
-
The hot blood of chickens cures shingles
-
Carry a horse chestnut to ward of rheumatism
-
To remove warts, rub them with green walnuts,
bacon rind, or chicken feet
-
Owl broth cures whooping cough
-
Warm brains of a freshly killed rabbit applied
to a teething child’s gums will relieve the pain
-
Carry an onion in your pocket to prevent
smallpox
-
Brandy and red pepper will cure cholera
-
Mashed snails and earthworms in water are good
for dyptheria.
The list goes on, but you get the idea.
Peggy L
Henderson
Western
Historical and Time Travel Romance
“Where Adventure Awaits and Love is Timeless”
Author of:
Yellowstone Romance
Series
Teton Romance Trilogy
Second Chances Time
Travel Romance Series
Blemished Brides
Western Historical Romance Series
Ugh, those are disgusting. I hope no one actually followed that advice, but I'm sure they did.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many "quack" remedies I sometimes wonder if that killed more people than anything else. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMakes me so glad I don't live back then! Some of the "cures" are just awful.
ReplyDelete