Phisick: Medical Remedies from 1710

The other night, I watched another episode of The Crimson Field, a new PBS series about a British military field hospital located in France during the first World War. So very interesting. Last night one part of the story revolved around an experimental procedure for saving a soldier's leg from amputation. It was real quite hideous to watch, very graphic, with the soldier writhing in pain. The doctor finally admits that it is an experiment with an outside-chance effort to save the leg. The soldier, after much anger and consideration, decides to give it a try.

Experimentation in medical practice is nothing new, and oft times leads to a correct answer, and to medical advancement.

In the 18th century, much earlier however, some "cures" seem downright barbaric, ridiculous and cruel, but sometimes had their positive effect, even if for the wrong reason. Giving someone a dose of a poisonous substance, could in turn purge the body of an unknown toxin, and by chance, result in a cure. A lot of it was trial and error.

In 1710, a book of remedies was published, called A Book of phisick, 1710-1725. It includes a collection of medical cures and remedies written in English, of 217 pages. It is even said to contain even a "receipt for a person to make her husband love her". Now, that's quite a prescription! (if it works). haha

Most of the remedies involve the use of plants and minerals to cure everything from bad breath to cancer. Some of these treatments are still found today in non-Western areas, but used extremely carefully.

Here's a quirky one:

A remedy for breast cancer - "ingredients like sage, bay leaves, chamomile, and red roses, all left to mature in a dunghill for precisely eight days". I guess then it was topically applied. Good luck!

Here's another for "The Gripe" (upset stomach):

"The recipe required a gallon of brandy and as many mature poppy leaves--which would have been heavy with opium--as could be stuffed into a container. The concoction was left to steep for a few days, strained, and then mixed with some nice liquors to make it more palatable;--3 or 4 spoonfuls at a time is enough. And for children, just two, with a little water. It was probably incredibly effective--unconscious people are seldom bothered by stomach upset."

So there you have it, "modern medicine"! I guess we shouldn't be too critical. After all, what good does some of our current trends do, i.e. snail slime facial treatments! As a matter of fact, when I was recently in London, while I was in a Boots Chemist store (an all-purpose drug store), I came upon a shelf teaming with snail slime products. I was horrified! I took a picture of it, too! See below. I almost feel sorry for the poor snails who have given their lives for science of this type!

Under the Influence

Well, I took the plunge once again, and got my flu shot. I continue to do this, though sometimes I have to question myself. Last Winter, I got extremely sick, out of work for a week, which is quite unlike me. I guess the shot can only cover so many strains.

Well, here I sit at my desk, "aware" of my left arm. It kind of aches, but not really. Kind of hot, but not so much. But, I know something is going on.

The flu, or influenza as it is formally know, comes from the Italian, meaning "influence", referring to the cause of the disease. The Italians felt the illness came on by unfavorable astrological influences. Later they amended the cause to unfavorable influences of the cold (cold weather), influenze del freddo.The word influenza was first used in English in 1703 by J. Hugger, at the University of Edinburgh, as he referred to the disease we know it as today. His thesis "De Catarrho Epidemio, vel Influenza, prout in India occidental sese ostendit" includes descriptions of symptoms, and a history of symptoms from other "flus" which were probably respiratory conditions. 

During the 1700's, at least three pandemics occurred (from 1729-1730; 1732-1733 and 1781-1782). In 1753 the well-known cookbook, "The Compleat Housewife or, Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion", methods for a cure are discussed, including making cold tablets. You can still get a copy of this book through the official site of Colonial Williamsburg. By the way, Here's a recipe for you!

Take pearls, crab’s-eyes, red coral, white amber, burnt hartshorn, and oriental bezoar, of each half an ounce; the black tips of crabs-claws three ounces; make all into a paste, with a jelly of vipers, and roll it into little balls, which dry and keep for use.

Sounds like something out of Harry Potter's Potions class to me!

The Plague!

It's October, and you know what that means. Time to think about the macabre, watch horror flicks, read Gothic tales, embrace the suspenseful, ponder the scary, all in preparation of the climax of Halloween!

Right now, one of the most scary things we can imagine is the outbreak of the Ebola virus. It started out as a small outbreak, building slowly, then more rapidly and farther reaching. And, now it has reached our shores here in the US. It is something, even with our contemporary precautions and haz-mat suits, to be taken very seriously. In our quest to combat illness, we have perhaps distributed way too many antibiotics, and we now have resistant strains! These germs are more powerful and take more effort to eradicate!

The plague, or bubonic plague, is a deadly infectious disease caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia Pestis, named for French biologist Alexandre Yersin. Previously known as the Black Death, the word plague comes from the Latin meaning PLAGA or "blow or wound". I guess all the black, bleeding sores would seem like blows or strikes to the body.

I think back to the Black Plague in the 15th Century in England, and how, without benefit of our medical knowledge now, it wiped out hundreds of thousands of people.

For our purposes herein, I looked into the 18th Century, and their were plagues, indeed! At the beginning of the 1700's, plague was prevalent in Constantinople and along the Danube. By 1703 it caused great destruction in eastern Europe, spreading westward to parts of Germany and even as far as Scandinavia. Along the way more than 283,000 people died. In Sweden, more than 40,000!

In 1713, it spread through Austria and Bohemia, but then disappeared in Europe after a great hurricane in February 1714. Back again in France from 1720-22, with a contagion coming with a ship to port in Marseilles. Over the course, eventually 89,000 died, causing England, neighbors across the channel, to institute the idea of enforced quarantines and published pamphlets on the disease and what to watch for.

Finally, in 1743 in Sicily a famous plague outbreak is known not only for fatalities, but for the theory of contagion. Sicily was free of plague from 1624, and they were proud of their efforts to arrest the disease with quarantines. Then, in 1743, a ship arrived from Corfu, with some suspicious deaths. They burned the ship and its cargo, but soon after, a suspicious form of the disease was noticed in the hospital in the poorest part of town. The plague's tool was close to 50,000 lives, and then became extinct! Here, perhaps, was the first indication that dirty and flea-infested conditions might promote disease!

The famed Venetian carnival mask with its long beaked nose is the "Il Doctore", coming from the mask that was worn by doctors coming to visit the sick. Along with a long leather coat, the physician wore the mask which contained herbs in its nose. Breathing the herbs created a filter, it was thought, for the doctor against the germs emanating from the patient and the room!

An Ounce of Prevention

The past couple days have been hell for me. The winds and pollen are up in the desert this time of year, and they can really wreck havoc on those prone to allergies. Basically, I don't like to take medicine, generally leaning to natural remedies if possible.

It got me to thinking about what people did in the 18th Century to cure colds, allergies, "maladies" as they are often referred to.  At that time, women of the household were in charge of making and dispensing remedies for common complaints, these being for the most part, herbal. Part of a young girl's education included learning recipes for these concoctions. Sometimes a remedy was just the drinking of hot wine made from elderberries, but often cures called for the making of a syrup, or an herbal tea, or lozenges produced then hardened into a candy. There is an interesting book called the Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion, written in 1753, a cookbook by Eliza Smith, published in London, that records many of these homeopathic recipes.

Taken from "The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy", here is a interesting recipe: "Take pearls, crab’s-eyes, red coral, white amber, burnt hartshorn, and oriental bezoar, of each half an ounce; the black tips of crabs-claws three ounces; make all into a paste, with a jelly of vipers, and roll it into little balls, which dry and keep for use."

By the way, "homeopathy" comes from the Greek, "homios" meaning "similar", and "pathos" meaning "suffering". Homeopathic remedies can be harmful if one doesn't take care. Herbs are not always easy on the system, though they can purge and thereby rid the body of toxins. The homeopathic cure was evolved by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, in the late 18th Century. He was appalled at medical practices of the times, and sought a better and safer way.  Basically the homeopathic way allows the body to heal itself.

"Dr. Hahnemann's classic example was when he took cinchona bark, he became ill and his symptoms mimicked that of malaria. This means that the bark of the cinchona tree which can cure malaria when prescribed to a person inflicted with malaria can actually produced malaria symptoms when given to a healthy person. He continued to experiment and he eventually established the fundamental principles of the science and art of homeopathic cure - "let likes be treated by likes" and he treated the sick based on this principle."

Below see a list of remedies by category:

An infusion: A liquid made by soaking an herb – usually its dried leaves or flowers – in liquid. An herbal tea is really an infusion.
A decoction: A liquid made by boiling an herb.
A poultice: A soft, moist mass of bread, meal, herbs, etc. applied to the body.
A plaister: A solid or semi solid remedy, spread on cloth or leather and applied to the body.
An electuary: Powder dried herb and mix with three times as much honey.
An oil: Fresh or dried herb is soaked in oil to extract the essences of the herb. Usually applied externally.
An ointment: Fresh or dried herb is soaked in lard to extract the essences of the herb, then mixed with beeswax and turpentine. Applied externally.

Lord Nelson - A Health Report

After blogging about Kennedy and Washington's health, I decided to look into another historical favorite of mine,  1st Viscount Lord Horatio Nelson, Admiral of the British Royal Naval Fleet during the Napoleonic Wars.

Here again was someone that though a great hero, suffered from poor health all his life. He was considered puny and of slight stature when he was a boy. His uncle stated that he couldn't understand why anyone would suggest Horatio for naval service.

At sixteen he was a midshipman in the HMS

Seahorse in the East Indies, and contracted malaria. He suffered recurring bouts of the disease. The climate was conducive, and he was seriously debilitated. Not too much later, about 1786, he is thought to have gotten cholera, but symptoms suggested typhoid. Here again, he suffered miserably. Doctors prescribed a strict dietary treatment along with therapeutic baths at Bath, drinking of the waters there. Though he rallied once again, these illnesses left lasting damage. By 1790 it is said he suffered from gout.

Of course he also suffered many wounds from battle, and their resulting pains and on-going difficulties. In 1794 he lost his eye to gun shot that sent splinters into his face. Later at the Battle at Teneriffe in 1797, he lost his arm. Amputation procedures of the times were rather crude. His face held many bruises and scarring from cuts, and he began suffering angina at age 38.  Several concussions left him in what condition we would now consider a pre-mature senility or dementia. Think of the recent reports of NFL stars; the recognition of the high price to be paid for repeated head injury.

Of course, eventually Horatio lost his life at the famed Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805. He is England's greatest hero, stopping Napoleon's advance and ending the war. Throughout his life, he battled on, never giving up. He is the stuff of legend!

Nelson once wrote of himself, later in life,  "Wounds received by Lord Nelson: His eye in Corsica, His belly off Cape St. Vincent, His arm at Teneriffe, His head in Egypt....Tolerable for one war!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

 

 

 

To be or not to be HEALTHY!

Last night I watched the PBS American Experience special, JFK. Of course, John Kennedy is immortalized, or rather frozen in time, as one of the great presidents of the 20th Century. The times were much different than today, when all, and I mean ALL, is revealed by social media.

There was great mention made in the TV special, that Kennedy was never truly a healthy individual, beginning from childhood. He was considered rather puny, suffered infections, bouts of sickness. And then, he was diagnosed with Addison's Disease, an endocrine disorder. The medication he was given had terrible side effects including destroying his bones, which led to his chronic back problems as a adult. In fact, when he met with Nikita Khrushchev at the famous Vienna Summit, Kennedy was shot up with amphetamines and various pain killers in order to make the appointment! No one knew too much about this side of his life. These things were kept mostly hidden, and he, when he ran for office, made the great effort to appear young, strong and vigorous. I wonder if he would have gotten elected at all if these problems were truly made known at the time.

It got me to thinking about our first president, George Washington, and what I may find out about his health. Granted, more people suffered various diseases and illnesses more commonly as there were no real medications to work with. It was just a fact of life that people lived with maladies. But, I did find an interesting chart that shows Washington's age and corresponding illness and year. He is shown to have recurring bouts with malaria, tuberculosis and dysentery. We all know he suffered from rotting teeth, eventually having to use dentures. As they say, bad teeth can be a sign of bad health.

Age Year Disease --- ---- -------  ?? ???? diphtheria 18  17 1749 malaria  19 1751 smallpox  19 1751 tuberculosis  30 1752 malaria  33 1755 dysentery (+)  35 1757 dysentery (*)  35 1757 tuberculosis (*)  39 1761 malaria (**)  39 1761 dysentery (**)    Age Year Disease --- ---- -------  47 1779 quinsy  52 1784 malaria  57 1789 carbuncle  58 1790 pneumonia  59 1791 carbuncle  66 1798 malaria  67 1799 epiglottitis[?] + = multiple episodes * = simultaneous illnesses * * = simultaneous illnesses It was lucky for us that Washington's health was comparatively good during the Revolutionary War (1776-1783)!

A Matter of Life and Death

I've been watching Ripper Street lately, a crime drama set in the Whitechapel area of east London, set post Jack-the-Ripper days, around the late 1800's. Great costuming, great set design, and extremely interesting, rather complex stories of what goes on in the underground, the seedy area of this neighborhood, where people are suspicious and scared of the Ripper's return while trying to make their daily way. The first episode dealt with a copy-cat killer of sorts, but then moved on to other noteworthy plots of intrigue and suspense. I just love it, and the character of Homer Jackson, an American, a Pinkerton, with a mysterious, shady past (below, left). He is the surgeon and forensic pathologist for the precinct who has bodies brought to his "dead" room for analysis.

This stuff is so interesting, so I decided to look further into forensics in the 18th Century. The word itself is derived from the Latin word "forensis" meaning "before the forum". These scientific methods of examination were gathered in order to solve questions, thereby helping the legal system to find the truth.

Though forensics go back to ancient China, the 18th Century saw much progress in Europe. In 1775, a German, Karl Wilhelm Scheele, discovered he could change arsenious oxide into arsenious acid, which in contact with zinc reveals arsine. This played a great part in the forensic detection of arsenic poisoning.

One of the first recorded applications of forensics came with a legal case in 1784 in England, when a torn piece of paper recovered from a bullet wound in a victim's head matched another piece of paper from John Tom's pocket. Tom was the assailant, found and later convicted!

In 1800, Thomas Bewick, English naturalist, used engravings of his own finger prints to identify books he published.

Of course, the interest in all of this scientific evidence gathering was done without benefit of the germ-free, hermetically-sealed environment in which they take place today. But, all in all, the beginnings of this very important science made great strides in the 1700's. Imagine if there had been the technology to apprehend the Ripper?

And by the way, though we have these technologies toady, we still sometimes are looking for a needle in the haystack. Just as we endured another terrorist attack (or so it seems) yesterday in Boston, it will not be an easy task to find the perpetrators. The police are even asking the public this day for their photos, videos, etc in order to check out the surrounds. Amazing!


 

A Difficult Time, but a Time to be Hopeful and Grateful, too.

I have been away for awhile, and for good reason. My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (PD) in 1990. He has lived with, and managed pretty well for 20 years, with the care of his doctors, and most importantly, the concern and nurturing of my Mother, his wife for over 60 years.

Unfortunately, and we all knew this day would come (though we had that fact tucked way, way back in our minds), he is now very ill, truly struck down with the advanced stages of the disease. It is a heart-break and as  a family, we feel helpless, but to be there for him as we can, pray for him and for guidance from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My Dad was admitted to a hospital last Monday for a particular episode, and then transferred to a rehab facility on Tuesday, where he remains to this day. Our family is all taking turns visiting him, but it is exhausting and we can only take one day at a time.

Interestingly enough, the disease has been recorded from ancient times, not as Parkinson's, but accounting particular symptoms that today we would acknowledge as PD. Even an Egyptian papyrus describes resembling symptoms!  Though there were treatises written in the 17th Century, it was not until 1817 that English doctor James Parkinson (at left) published his definitive essay on particular six cases. His "Essay on the Shaking Palsy" described the tremor, abnormal posture and gait, diminished muscle strength and the way the disease progresses over time. The disease was named in his honor.

Today, the campaign for information, awareness and a cure for Parkinson's has a TULIP symbol as a logo. Why?  In 1980, a Dutch horticulturalist, who had Parkinson’s, developed a new cultivar of tulip and named it after Dr. James Parkinson, the English doctor who originally described the condition.

I am greatly saddened by the events of the past week, but it is December, and it is a time, according to my Christian Orthodoxy, to be hopeful and grateful. I am hopeful that God will be merciful to my Dad and our family, and I am grateful to see how we, as a family have pulled together, risen to the occasion, kept our heads, looked to be proactive. I am also grateful to friends who have reached out to be supportive, to keep us in their prayers. If I am missing in action for awhile, now you will know why.

A Pox on You!

Yesterday I spoke about the surgeons at sea, their training and their pharmacuticals. I was on-line later and saw an interesting article about a English woman in the 18th Century who can be credited with helping with the eradication of small pox through vaccination!

Her name is lady Mary Wortley Montagu, who lived from 1689-1762. She was a beauty for her time, daughter of the Duke of Kingston, she was a writer, a "feminist", and a socialite. She was to be married to another, but eloped and married Lord Edward Wortley Montagu in 1712,  and had a son in 1713.
She and the child accompanied her husband to Constantinople,Turkey where he was appointed ambassador.
In December of 1715, she contracted small pox, and it ruined her good looks, leaving her without eyelashes, and a deeply pitted skin.

In Turkey, she learned Turkish, and made friends, and learned the customs. She witnessed the practice of inoculation, which she called "engrafting", the use of live smallpox virus taken from a smallpox blister from a mild case of the disease, scratched onto a well person. She had her own son inoculated with the process. Back home, in London, though she was enthusiastic about the procedure, she encountered resistance from the medical establishment because she was a woman, and because of where the procedure was being performed.

Mary was able to get some prisoners to undergo the procedure, and they lived.In 1722, King George I allowed a doctor she knew to inoculated two of his grandchildren! They lived as well. Later on, cow pox was used, but she was indeed a pioneer, and we can thank her for her effort! Shown below, in her Turkish style, which was very avant garde.

Ah-chou!

Today the winds are up in the desert, and I am suffering a terrible headache, as Spring has brought blooms of all sorts to our area, and the March winds are stirring the pot!I just took some sinus-relieving medication, and am waiting for a change to the knitted brow that has taken over my face. It has gotten me to thinking about 18th Century medications. There was no aspirin, or antibiotics. Even colds were considered quite serious, and were cause for alarm.

Medical science was not as advanced as today, and the body and its functions were still a mystery. Doctors had their own simplistic versions of the ills of the human body, and though those ills were due to maladjustments of the body systems. They based their diagnosis of illness of ancient beliefs of "humors", or body "tension". The practice of "bleeding" with leeches, or cutting the patient and just draining off blood into a bowl (at left) were to relieve the body of ill humors. This often did more harm than good, as doctors did not wash their hands, nor sterilize instruments. Ouch!

There was also the mixing and making of drugs from odd herbs, minerals, metals, oils, etc. In Europe, everything was tried, where in America, a more common-sense approach was implemented. Most American medicines of the times were "botanical", and documented in charts as to their use. We know the benefit of these today, and the ones to avoid, but back in the day, alot of this was trial and error. Many plants are poisonous, or can produce extremely harsh effects when overdosed.

Mark Catesby was persuaded by eminent English physicians to document many therapeutic plants during his travels from 1710-1719. He researched may apple, snakeroot, ginseng and witch-hazel. He wrote about them in his "Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahamas Islands".

The use of vaccinations began in the 18th Century, with the hope of eliminating small pox, a disfiguring and often fatal disease. Scurvy, that plagued sailors, was also researched with the finding that the use of fruits, expecially citrus, improved health.