The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-05-08
Carolina Woman Doctors.
From the INcm York ,Suu.

nurses at their nome III "cSl -1sl
street. There were dozen or more
of them ut home that night, and the
Southern girl had not been there very
long they were demanding to be told
told about those 'fcmalc doctors down
South.
Chow many of you are NJ. D.'s?
Hold up your hands, said the South
crn girl.
Several hands went up.
''NNerc any Of you ever in Ashevllle,
y. c. q
Three or four affirmative answers
were given.
"Good Then you know where the
Piedmont section of North Carolina
is, about eight miles from Ashcville.
Well, these women doctors I'm going
to tell you about fourishcd there long
ago, even before any woman in this
State ever studied medicine, | guess.
"You see, it was this way: They
had to take up the practice of lnedi-
cine from sheer necessity. In the
early days of the century regular ply
sicians we're scarce in rural districts,
and this was particularly true OF upper
Carolina. The only physician in a
county lived at The Court House, as
the county seat was called. Consc-
quently the people living in remote
parts Of the county would have to ride
twenty or twenty-five miles for the
doctor. When his office was reached
he might then be on the opposite side
of the county. This scarcity of ply
sicians and the long distance to be
travelled caused the people to rely
more on simple remedies. The wo-
man who was wisest in administering
these soon became the neighborhood
doctor. Her knowledge of herbs and
roots and their various uses was OF
great value to the afflicted. Usually
She added the practice of midwifery
to the art of poulticing and blistcring.
This, too, grew out of the necessities
of the people living miles away from
the doctor.
'Thesc granny women, as they
were called, were a sturdy, self-reliant
set and most useful in their neighbor-
hoods. Often they would ride ten or
twelve miles to attend patient.
Some of them were kept so busy that
they found a good saddle horse a
necessity, and they were just 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 nurse.
"Did they use any medicine :" ask
ed one of the nurses.
''Thcy used store medicine very
cautiously" answered the Southern
girl, "and their collection Of drugs
did not go beyond 'calomy,' 'lauda-
my 'camfrc, sjollop' and tartar
emetic. You learned female doctors
and trained nurses may recognize these
drugs.
"Of these granny women two were
especially prominent down to the civil
war, and they continued to practice
afterward as long as they were able to
go. One of these was Granny Nc
Keon and the other Granny McCraw.
They were as highly esteemed for their
excellence of character and skill in the
sick room as the regular male gradu-
ates, and many families preferred
these women, with their herb teas,
poulticcs and sympathetic ways, to the
young graduates who seemed to know
everything. The old doctors were
always glad to have them on hand,
especially in severe cases. If these
women had been born later they might
have gone to g. medical college and
have been leaders in the profession, or
they might have done the very work
that you all are doing,
81 wonder what the modern gradu-
ate, male, of course, would do, she
went on, Gin case he was called in
suddenly to attend patient, without
his medicine case. l believe he would
feel like an idiot searching around for
rue or tansy or ground ivy to relieve
pain. Now, these granny women
couldn't even spell the word botany.
but they knew all about plants, and
we're self reliant enough to use their
knowledge.
"Can't you tell us some of the rem
edics they used 2"
Cob, yes A poultice of catnip
was used for any sort of swelling or
rising, and a tea Of the same was
used for 'innard' fcyers.
"And, pray, what were innard few
ers % some one interrupted.
Onward fever was low, continued
fever that never ran very high, an
swcrcd the Southern girl. "Balm tea
was also used to cure fevers, and poul-
ticcs of tansy and confrey were sooth-
ing and healing in cases of sprains
and swollen joints Children afflicted
with hives were made to drink tea
made of yarrow and ground ivy. For
pains and aches of any kind, such as
toothache, neuralgia, muscular rheu-
matism and the like, the ctficacious
remedies were poulticcs made of cat
nip, feathcrfew and king-cure.all.
Horseradish was administered for a
cough, and lavender tea was given to
| stop nausea. hOScHaTy lca MAS cou
sidercd sure cure for hoarsencss, and
a tea made of thyme was given for
dyscntery. Children that were rest
less at night, awaking in great fright,
were benefited and soothcd by tea
made of sage and mullen, and elecam-
pane was thought to be the very thing
for cough.
"Thcsc arc a few of the remedies
used by your forcrunncrs. They pos,
sibly were not very cflicacious in heal
ing, but they did no harm, and, while
they soothed and inspired hope, nature
would work out her cure. In the old
days nearly every Southern garden
contained beds of all these herbs, and
the places on the little streams where
ground ivy, yellow root and other such
remedies abounded were well known
by every family.
"'If l didn't sec the maid standing
there with that plum cake and tea / d
put on my coat and hat and get out on
the stoop before telling you all that
the rate of mortality was not greater
under the regime of the granny wo-
men than it is now with all of our drug