Chapter Four: Alternative Medicine.
I don't think we were ever subjected to it, but I can remember them saying how horse manure poultices were a great remedy for chest colds. They'd put fresh horse manure in very hot water, then put it in an old cloth, lay it on your chest, then cover you with blankets. They used that on sprains too.
Another chest cold remedy was antiphlogistine poultices. That was prescribed by doctors. Antiphlogistine was very similar to putty. You'd heat that up and flatten it out and put it on your chest to bring the cold out, or around your neck for sore throats.
For cuts and scratches, plain mutton fat was very popular to keep the wound soft and clean, and then nature would do the rest. The treatment for earache was a sock full of hot salt. You'd hold it against your ear or lie on it. For toothache... chewing mint leaves, which I always thought was a failure.
Every Monday morning we'd line up for a dose of castor oil, which was supposed to keep your system clean. It was horrible stuff, and the only way we could be persuaded to take it was with a big spoonful of jam to follow.
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
22 October 2009
21 October 2009
A tough life for mothers
Chapter Three: A tough life for mothers.
It was obvious from the stories my father told that things were easier for us than for the previous generation. But we weren't getting it all that easy either. It was pretty harsh - especially for Mum. Kids can make do. They can play with anything, and they seem to have a way of occupying their time; but it was the women - the mothers - who must have found it very tough going.
The thing that worried Mum most was sickness... family, especially babies, getting sick. Before motor vehicles, it took them forty-eight hours to get to town, and there was always that fear that something would happen. But it very seldom did. I think the fact that they were so isolated probably helped them to stay healthy because there weren't the bugs flying around and they didn't pick up many germs. None of us ever had chickenpox, mumps or measles until we went away to boarding school. Then we got the lot!
There was always that fear of accident, but we were pretty well drilled to look after ourselves to avoid injury... about the danger in different things we did... to watch out for snakes, and to wear shoes whenever we went chasing things - butterflies and the like - in the bush.
There weren't as many hazards as there are now... like cars and motorbikes. There were falls from horses, but you'd have a better chance of getting away with just bruises if you had a fall from a horse.
It was obvious from the stories my father told that things were easier for us than for the previous generation. But we weren't getting it all that easy either. It was pretty harsh - especially for Mum. Kids can make do. They can play with anything, and they seem to have a way of occupying their time; but it was the women - the mothers - who must have found it very tough going.
The thing that worried Mum most was sickness... family, especially babies, getting sick. Before motor vehicles, it took them forty-eight hours to get to town, and there was always that fear that something would happen. But it very seldom did. I think the fact that they were so isolated probably helped them to stay healthy because there weren't the bugs flying around and they didn't pick up many germs. None of us ever had chickenpox, mumps or measles until we went away to boarding school. Then we got the lot!
There was always that fear of accident, but we were pretty well drilled to look after ourselves to avoid injury... about the danger in different things we did... to watch out for snakes, and to wear shoes whenever we went chasing things - butterflies and the like - in the bush.
There weren't as many hazards as there are now... like cars and motorbikes. There were falls from horses, but you'd have a better chance of getting away with just bruises if you had a fall from a horse.
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