The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-10
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COUNTRY DOCTOR cur EsS.
Bcrgamot and BaIm-A Balm Sweat
Breaks Up Obstinate Agues.

Breaks Up Obstinate ASues.
"You don't see them in modern gar
dens-bergamot and balm" the old doc
tor said. "Mores the pity-very much
mores the pity. Not that they were high
ly ornamentaI-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
are the source of malaria would have
had hard row to hoe, back where 1 be-
gan practice. Whole districts shook there
without a mosquito to the square mile
further, 1 have known people stricken
with no reason for 1t whatever, and other
people go scot-free, in spite of the most
reckless exposure. No, ! have no maia-
ria theory. l don't know what Il is
and nobody else Is, in my judgment
much wiser. But / do know that when
1t came TO curing II, in the obstinate cases
that had developed ague-cake, a balm
sweat was mighty useful.
80 useful, indeed the way balm grew,
appeared TO many of as as special
providence. IT took at least half bushel
OF the fresh herb for sweat you see
fore the fire. The balnJ dropped into boil
ing water, was wrung out I'm big hand
fuls. and packed all around and over him.
and especially thick i'm the region Of the
ague-cake. Then he was swathed TO the
chin in heavy blankets, a cold bandage
put round his head, and cod water given
HIM to drink alternately with piping hot
balm tea. After an hour or 20 of steam
ing and stewing. he had a sponge bath
bed for a long s,eep. After that he had
to take b!tters of lockwood bark, dande-
lion and snake-root three times a day. II
the first sweat did not wholly break up
ague, the second was pretty sure to do the
work
People who were ailing generally with
out any very special discomfort swore
by balm tea, brewed from the tender
leaves picked from the stalk and died very
quickly in the shade. II was mildly Bit
ter. and unquestionably touic-nOt more so
perhaps, actually, than sassafras-root tea,
but, then, as now, faith counted in cures.
A bowl of balm tea over night made
many peaked woman relish her break
fast better. But there was no need Of
faith to help along the ointment made by
stewing fresh bergamot and balm ia thick
sweet cream for a matter Of twelve hours
"a little sHDpery-elm bark went in also
possibly you do not know that slippery
elm has the property Of preventing ran
cidity of every sort Of grease. The stew
ing was very carefully done I'm an earthen
vessel set inside another fun of boiling
water Only tender leaves went In, thus
the ointment wns soft ana free OF strings
1t cured all manner OF obstinate skin
troubles chaps letter, ringworm and
many more.
IF the skin disease was malignant. ar
ter six hours OF stewing tender leaves OF
wood-sorrel were stirred in plentifully.
For green wounds yarrow was added. YER
row, by che way, is so much a spc .ihc
for cuts the Freuch coil It the herb Of
the carpenter Possibly II IS from that
il gets one OF its common names-nose-
bleed II required. however, TO be used
with discretion. 20 only the very wise Wo-
men put Il into their stewings.
"Once Il was we'll established. you neg
lected your bergamot clump at your peril
Unless weakened by constant pluckings,
IL simply took the whole border. some
times the runners were twelve feet long
II had. further. the most astounding VIZ
tallty. Wherever biz of root was flung
down f. could ind moist earth 20 went
oheerfully TO growing OAen the cofnors