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.
1500's 1700's 1800's 1900's 2000's
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