Frontier Doctorin'

Of all the problems facing the pioneers on the frontier, illness and disease were the most dangerous.  Smallpox, cholera, typhoid, malaria, diphtheria, infections, and even the flu posed serious health risks.  In the Dakota Territory in 1880, 220 people died from diphtheria alone.  Epidemics of malaria (they called ague) and pneumonia were common. 

Along with the actual illness and disease came the superstition.  Germs were not discovered yet and most illness were believed to be caused by nature - the night air, the morning fog, the humidity even the change of seasons.  Living in sod houses on the Prairie was dangerous as well with dirt floors and sod roofs, always full of bugs like bed bugs, mosquitos, and flies.  There was no FDA to regulate food or water, so food was often contaminated and water tainted.  Diets were heavy on the grease and scurvy was common in some parts.

Pioneer doctoring was primitive at best.  Patient lived a good distance away, even on horseback, and doctors were a last resort.  The 50 cent a mile fee, plus the consultation and the cost of medicine could be a real sacrifice for families with just a few dollars.  Most people believed that doctoring was no better than their own remedies anyway...and often times it wasn't.

Mrs. Edith Wheeler of Texas reported that "Old Man Rufe Harper sprouted a skin cancer that the doctor swore would spread till it ate up his face.  Uncle Rufe came to me.  I remembered how my mother use to take warts off with an ointment made from the crushed leaves of sheep sorrel...I mixed in some gunpowder to make it extra strong and smeared it on his face fresh every day.  Rufe said it burned like hell but after five days that cancer slid off his face like a dried scab!" 

Not sure how Uncle Rufe's face looked after that,  but it didn't kill him. :)  And no, do not try this at home!

Next time...Home Remedies and Cures
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On October 1, 1890,  an act of Congress creates Yosemite National Park, home of such natural wonders as Half Dome and the giant sequoia trees. Environmental trailblazer John Muir (1838-1914) and his colleagues campaigned for the congressional action, which was signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison and paved the way for generations of hikers, campers and nature lovers, along with countless “Don’t Feed the Bears” signs.