Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-12-04

say that there is disease known generally
here as "fall poison" which very greatly
resembles "miIk Sickness" ard people
think it is the sar'a disease. It is often
contracted by cat >m eating grass that
was allowed to ataL- III the meadows until
tho frosts foil upon it, and that it is oc-
casionally produced by eating oats or rye
that lay upon the ground too long and
become damp. This "fali poison" ! have
no doubt is Identical with milk sickness.
The symptoms described are exactly the
same. These are the various opinions, and
you can see how uncertain are the sources
OF this mysterious disease. II is merely
conjecture as yet what produces it.
THE REMEDIES.
This is the most pleasant part of tho
subject under discussion. Brandy and
honey mixed and used 10 large doses is the
universal remedy, and il said to be o speci-
fic when administered in the early stages of
the disease. The revenue officers have
made tho remedy so scarce and costly that
many die now who might otherwise be
restored. The Wricklers were too poor to
procure the remedy. 1t is said that
woman suffering from milk poison can
drink quart Of apple brandy without be,
coming intoxicated. Brandy operates in
this disease like it does on snake poison.
Apropos to this heard ono gentleman say
that ne knew two cases cured by quack
doctor, who administered to his patients the
broth from boiled rattlesnaks.
1t is related Of two professedly pious
persons in this region that they concluded
they had "milk Sickness" and to tost it
sent off for some brandy and honey and
began to use tho remedy, Watching the
effect of tho dose as test of the presence
of the disease. It was palatable and they
repeated often and were couversing in fine
hunor when Shanghai rooster belonging
to one of the parties came stalking into the
house, whereupon milksick man No. 2
offered his ncighbor forty dollars for his
game cook, but the ueighbor replied he was
not to be fooled out OF his property.-that
nothing short of fifty dollars would take
that rooster. An observant old lady
present called out, "Boys, no milk siok
here; that brandy is making drunk oome."
found that in Haywood and other
Western counties thoy rely much on quick
and powerful purgative, using doses of
oalomel, custor oil and occasionally croton oil.
This remedy is said to be effective also.
Persons who have once been poisoned of,on,
suffer for life from it and have returns Of
the symptoms when they undergo exortion
or excitement and the nervous system is
often debilitated for years by it. The
disease is not near so fatal as it was some
years ago. Moro than two-thirds Of the
patients recover now and those who do die
are generally those who do not use remedies
in time,
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST IT.
Every neighborhood knows the spots
where this myste, ious poison turks, though
no one knows what it is. They can tell
you the very area, to an acre, where it
exists. 1t is generally deep, damp covcs of
the mountains, on the North sides. TO escape
the poison, every farmer who lives iu tho
vicinity of on infected spot keeps up his
milk cattle in pasture aud never uses the
meat of cattle that have been running in
that range. They are generally more
afraid Of the disease than strangers who
have not witnessed its terrible effects, and
you peed not fear to use the butter and
milk from their table. Hotel persons too
are very careful from whom they purchase
these things, though occasionally cases
have occurred from butter in which thcy
have been deceived. l knew one instance
Of this, where the hostess herself was pois-
oncd but recovered.
neglected to say that horses arc as liable
to become poisoned us cattle, and often die
when driven off to market, the driving
developing the disease. I hopo this may
not bo entirely devoid of interest 70 many
who have but general idea of this curious
poison.
Boone, N. c., November 7, 1870.