Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-09-11
TIE VILLAGE DOCTOR.
"REMINISCENCES or THE TIME WHEN
EVERYBODY PsAcTIcED MEDICINE.


EVERYBODY PRAcTIcED MEDICINE.
N Former Days There Wa. . Psneity
Of Illnesses = "CaIomeI and sAiap.s'
Sweating Ia Out Patients Warned
Against Cold Water.
II one could disentangle himself from the
telegraph wires Of today. get the Shrek Of
the locomotive out Of his ears and then take
backward leap into old plantation times be
would he nightly amused Among the OBJ
tects Of interest would be the pantry Of tho
great house, where tho housewife kept her
stores II he peered curiousIy about be
would ~ certain rather retired shelf on
which would be punches Of herbs and roots,
also bottles Of decoctions made thereof
These were the household remedies, formula
copyrighted by tradition, proprietary TO the
family. In the country, where the doctors
bajliwick was Of extended ares and where
drug stores were Eon-cxistent, everybody
was to large extent his own doctor As q
consequence he wanted To be everybody eI5es
doctor. while everybody else yearned to be
hiA
PAucIrY oR ALNEyTs
Alasi Our repertoire of illnesses was linn
fted i,,d..ed f.f,,n,,a 81 nth t<<yav Th.rs
va a oaucity ~ sraii.hie d,sssses mar
could rf,t n,ssiIlv he vs csrshrr, sr,;naI r,ar,-
in0itis. q was not n ~ bad n - had I
main IN bis chest M ono scotbed ria anguish
by telling him be had pneumonia The word
| pieurisy was remorseleasiy flung at him
Dipbtberia was uncomatable; putrid sore
throat filed that vacuum In the list. II a
man was wheezy and had trouble with his
breathing the rr,ggad word rttb;sic s.,
,aiIsd y, him, ~, s,,., ,,,.d ~ t.-r,nr;t;s
| pr,gh,,s d;s..sa h.1 ~. tr i,va,,,at =, ,.,-
800, "a ,,,,a,s haar,s ,,.var trr,,,t,,s,s
| tbef, sava uha, in I've Hsnca IA t;ma
o.,,,,I.. wbsn thew can,s 20 AZ hsd con.
tr,at.-; ,ist ri a;l,,s,,s f-o,,, vhicb 10 cborsa
and tbev died as ,rev lived rlsin and unro'
n,.,,,c
Whsn Tho ars,err do.ctor. - t,s corr,nr.
,,,v dasire.3 assi.,a,c. ,ha,, tho vilIaga doc.
tor was called in ami he ~ ,fined himself IN
| ,uv., ,a,,,.,;sa -ca,o,na, and adr,;ni..
,ar..d ~ TIA shoveIfu, Th.rs nn.t bave
ten fsll in the nr;cs ~ thess arug. when
~. ,asr ~ ,hasa d,..,ors d,.d IF. mar
snrained hi. anEle was hit,en Nv a mad dog
or had : sicx ha.dacbe h., Vas told ~ taks
calomel or ALAN. n he Refused and died i,
| served hi, rich, ~ he took them and died
| Il was evidence that NO human power could
save Rim castor iii and r,areooric sn~e-
times anreared hint tbev we're dwarfs con.
nar,.d 10 caIomel and iaian The ouiy rem
edIes feared we're the private remedies of the
reon,a Tho momant an old wonan though,
cine c,a,Ia make a valuable medicine ont Of
GYMS. herh or berbs she burned to administer
!, n, some sutferiuy neiyhnor
The good Samaritan Mrs Perkins. often
w.IEad miias ~ ,,rga thu use az snake roo,
~. il, ,b. n,ea.,es r, b,in, tn. disease ra.,idly
Ia the snrface An old negro. Aunt Kitty
,,ada a sslve for sore, that was very famous
H. nr;n,i,r,I constituent was ducks fat bu,
tha fowl mus, he sillei at a certain phase OF
,na u,oo, and the fat melted over a fire
t,ndls.4 witt certain sorts of wood As thi,
salve ,vas ss,d IN WORT miraculous cures. /,
may ta a loss Il, humanity that the astro-
non,,cat and botanical secrets o,f its mann
facture were no, perpetuated.
SWEATING; OFT DISEASE
! Tbere was muitiplic;ty of remedies for
colds and thew generally were based or
sv,ot;ng 1,,,, the disease Roneset tea tea a,
,;,d ,h'rrv bark onions stexed with smear
.nd v;rse,a, and ,noIasses all had their waru
aII,,.,n,.s t,,, a bi,blv eS+eamed raua,, Z
- Tha,,,.,,,;.r r,iyt,,ra taar;,y the ra.bs,
lipde6nita mama of SO imposition y Thers
80 ,o,h;n. n,dsf;nad about III tssta n,
afFao, howsyar II was of an ardent i'm
n,ls,va natDre n burned the tongre wher
t,rst ,ss+ad theu IL cbarre,, the vxindn;ne anc
lIrar a. II went down and finished Inv mar
i,o;l,ne, the soles of the feet It's forte WA,
lcars;ne, a svxeatin, and il did its duty To IN,
letter II broupht the cold ont. and /
bro,ybt the ORIGINAL sin ont and the heart
sa,.,.a,s on, No,bin, thar couId h.a poves
-, ,.a,s..b the cnticnls after a comrosi
30, sa.nca
Ono OLD idea of the doctors has ereatl,
ohanc,aa-,ha oh;ac,ion m their natiant,
Idrintino water No matter how mucb tn,
irr,I;d c,avaa i. ba was told that even
moderate ;nsuIgsnea would he fatal and tn
ar,andop,a we're sole,unIv warned tn turn
80 cor n, his ant,aaties At the tender ap
- ,a, ,.sars aimad the first hloyS a. RI
ant; .y.a,.,r regime and IL han,ened in tbi
,,,a,,,ar. was visiting on a Manhattan an,
~, n,a,tsr,s father man of advance,
800 vas at dasth,s door owing To a nrn
ola man draxv Nearer To the grave and tn
family awaited the coming of the destroye
with sad hearts The one desire of the OWN.
man WAS draucbt of cold water from one O
the sparkllnr springs which abounded on tn
farm No traveller. sand blinded and thirs
/ .....-s ..xll 49, .....-.