Medicine in the 1600s

         Dear reader,

You would not believe the things they did in the 17th century. They thought that walnut meats were thought to be a natural cure for headaches. How weird is that! If I had a headache the last thing I would want to do is put a walnut meat on my head.

Some of the medicial brews were very unpleasent to drink. Yuk! Sometimes the doctors remidies were  so painful, that the patients thought they were worse than the illness. Colonists made thier own medicine from tree bark. Medicines from tree bark,that dosn't sound right. If you went to the doctor would you exspect a violent scrub down? I know I sure wouldn't,but in the 17th century you would either get that or an ice cold bath(maybe even a burning hot bath).

In 1639 up until 1662 the Virginia assembly passed a series of laws to make their doctors practice medicine with more  resposility. Also, medical apprentice made up the doctors medicines. Aren't we happy that our doctors today are more certified. Many doctors became interested in plants with their medicial uses. Bleeding the patient was one way to treat the illness. Wow, sometimes a local craftsmen act as surgeons. Now my uncle is a doctor, not a surgeon, but if he was a craftsmen and he did surgery on me, I would  freak out. If you were sick in the 17th century with a deadly disease all your belongings would be BURNT, and I mean everything!  I hope you had a good time,but I have to go now.


          Molly


         Thanks To:

        Leonardo Everett Fisher. The Doctors, New York: Benchmark Books, 1997.


        Go check out some of my friends and their cool information on other centuries of medicine.

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