Evening star., 1901-02-09
COUNTRY DOCTOR CURES
MALARIA OVERCOME BY BERGAMO1
AND BALM.
Hours of Steaming Within and With.
out Helped AlOnG-Other Uses
for the Herbs.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
You don't see them in modern gardens
bergamot and balm'' the old doctor said
"More's the pity-very much more's the
pity. Not that they were highly ornamental
saving herbs rarely are ornamental. But
they were patterns of lusty thrift.
Fever and ague was the plague of the
people southwest Those wise men who are
trying to prove that mosquitoes are the
source of malaria would have had a hard
row to hoe back where l began practice.
Whole districts shook there without mos
quito to the square mile-further, have
known people stricken with no reason for 1t
wha tever, and other people go scot free. In
spite of the most reckless exposure. No,
have no malaria theory. l don't know what
it is-and nobody else Is, in my judgment,
much wiser. But l do know that when 1t
came to curing it, in the obstinate cases
that had developed ague-cake, a balm sweat
was mighty useful.
$50 useful, indeed, the way balm grew
appeared to many of US as special provi-
dence. 1t took at least half bushei of the
fresh herb for a sweat, you see Ihe pa
tient was laid upon straw bed before the
fire. The balm dropped into boiling water,
was wrung out in big handfus and packed
all around and over him, and especially
thick in the region of the ague-cake. Then
he was swathed to the chin in heavy
head, and cold water given him to drink
alternately with piping hot balm tea. After
an hour or so of steaminS and steWlng ne
had sponge bath with warm whisky and
was hustled to bed for long sleep. After
that he had to take bitters of dogwood bark,
dandelion and snakeroot three times a day.
If the first sweat did not wholly break up
the ague the second was pretty sure to do
the work.
People who were aiing generally with
out any very special discomfort swore by
ba.m tea, brewed from the tender leaves
picked from the stalk and dried very
quickly in the shade. 1t was mildly bitter,
and unquest tionabiy tonic-not more so, per-
haps, actually, than sassafras-root tea, but
then, as now, faith counted in cures.
bowl of balm tea over night made many
peaked woman relish her breakfast better.
But there was no need of faith to help
along the ointment made by stewing fresh
bergamot and balm in thick, sweet cream
for matter of twelve hours-a little slip
perry elm bark went in a.so-possibly you
do not know that slippery elm has the
property of preventing rancidity in every
sort of grease. The stewing was very care
fully done in an earthen vessel set inside
another full of boiling water. Only tender
leaves went in. thus the ointment was soft
and free of strings. 1t cured all manner OF
obstinate skin troubles-chaps, letter. ring
worm and many more.
"If the skin disease was malignant, after
six hours of stewing tender leaves Of wood
sorrel were stirred in plentifully. For
green wounds yarrow was added. Yarrow,
| by the way, is so much specific for cuts
the French call 1t the herb of the carpen-
| ter Possibly it is from that it gets one of
| its common names-nose bleed. 1t requir-
| ed however, to be used with discretion, so
| only the very wise women put it into their
| stewings.
"Once 1t was we'll established, you
i neglected your bergamot c,ump at your
peril Unless weakened by constant pluck
/ ngs 1t simply took the whole border. Some
/ times the runners were twelve feet long.
1t had, further the most astounding vital
| ity. Wherever bit of root was flung
| down. If II could find moist earth, it went
cheerfulls to growing Often the corners
( of a garden fence were SO overrun with II
| that even the most enterprising weeds could
| not grow. Nothing ate it-not even hungry
! hogs, nor marauding cattle. So 1t Is not
| astonishing that the scent of it. dry, ban.
| ished moths. Careful housekeepers dried
| 1t by armfu,s and packed away carpets and
| woolens with serene content, sticking
wisp of bergamot stalks wherever 1t would
| go"