The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-21
SOUTHERN GRANNY WOMEN.
They Kept the Mortality as Low as
Regular Doctors Do.
From tho New York Sun.


The southern girl went around to spend
an evening with the trained nurses at
their home so1s We st Fwssh tsS-dfst STREET.
There were a dozen or more of them
at home that night. and the southern
girl had not been there very dong before
they were demanding to be told about
those female doctors down south"
How may of you are NJ. DIS? Hold
up your hands" said the southern girl.
Several hands went up.
Were any of you ever in Asheville. N.
CT"
Three or four affirmative answers were
given.
Good! Then yor know where the Pied
mont section of South Carolina is. about
eighty miles from Ashevllle. Wen, these
women doctors I'm going to tell you
about flourished there long ago, even
before any woman in this state ever
studied medicine, / guess
you see II was this way: They had 10
take up the practice of medicine from
sheer necessity. In the early DAYS of the
century regular physicians were scarce
In rural districts, and this was particular
~ true of upper Carolina. The only phy-
sician in county Lived at the court
house. as the county seat was called
Consequently the people living in remote
parts of the county would have 10 ride
twenty or twenty-five miles for the doc
tor When his office was reached. he
Hllght lhen be on the opposite side of
the county. This scarcity of physicians
and the long distance to be Travelled
caused the people to rely more on simple
remedies. The woman who was wisest in
administering these coon became the
neighborhood doctor. Her knowledge of
herbs and roots and their various uses
was of great value to the afflicted Usu-
ally she adde the practice of midwifery
to the art of poulticing and blistering.
This, too, grew out of the necessities
Of the people living miles away from the
These granny women, ss they were
called, were a sturdy, self-reliant set
and most useful in their neigh borhoods
Often would they ride ten or twenty rnilae
kept so busy that they found a good sad
die horse a necessity, and they were inst
as ready TO attend the calls OF the sick.
day or night, as a genuine man doctor
In cases of childbirth they would often
remain with the patient several days.
acting as nurses.
did they use any medicine?" asked
one of the nurses.
They used store medicine very can
Tously," answered the southern girl:
and their collection Of drugs did not 90
beyond calomy,' laudamy.' 'canoire
Jollop' and tartar emetic. You learned
female doctors and trained nurses NAV
recognize these drugs
"Of these granny women two were es
peclally prominent down to the civil war.
and they continued to practice afterward
as long as they were able to do so one
OF these was Granny McKeown and the
other Granny McCraw. They were 40
highly esteemd for their excellence on
character and skill In the sick room as
the regular male graduates, and many
families preferred theSe women with
their herb teas, poultices and symDa-
thetic ways, to the young graduates, who
yeemed to know everything The old
doctors were always glad to have them
on hand, especially in severe cases II
these women had been born later thcv
might have gone to a medical college and
have been leaders in the profession. or
you all are doing.
wonder what the modern graduate
male, of course, would do" she went an
in case he was called suddenly 10 see y
patient, without his medicine case / he
lieve he would feel like an idiot searching
relieve pain. Now, these canny' women
couldn't even spell the word botany but
they knew all about plants. and were self
reliant enough to use their knowledge
Cant you tell US some of the remedies
they used2"
"Oh, yes! A poultice Of catnip was used
for any sort Of swelling or rising and
tea Of the same was used for annard'
feVers
And pray what were innard fevers?"
some one interrupted.
Inward fever was a low, continuous
fever that never ran very high" answered
the southern girl Balm tea was alao
used 10 cure feyers and pouitices Of taney
and cOmfrey were soothing and healing
IN cases Of EDrains and swollen FONTS
Children afflicted with hives were made
10 drink a tea made OF yarrow and ground
ivy. For pains and aches Of any Kind
such as foofhache neuralgia muscular
rhepnauem and the Ike. the efncacious