The history of Cape Cod medicine is littered with many discarded remedies. Anyone who has dug up old bottles in the area can attest to the number of folk cures sold for everything from rashes and “piles” to consumption.
One of the most respected citizens of each and every town and village on Cape Cod has always been the local doctor. Most were young men who received an education in the city and then returned to their home town to practice their craft.
Dr. Thomas B. Pulsifer with his family, was a beloved Yarmouth doctor in the latter half of the 1800s.
Despite their efforts there were often times when professionally trained doctors were too far away, out of town, or unable to be reached. Or perhaps the family didn’t have anything to pay the doctor with. Because of this, most Cape Codders relied on their own wits to keep their bodies healthy and had to be their own physicians when sickness or injury presented itself. Most home gardens pre-1900 contained an assortment of herbs and such that were used only for medical purposes.
A great many herbs that were used have been proven to work and many of them have even been clinically tested by today's pharmaceutical companies. But that's not to say that a lot of the ideas that were used weren't extremely odd, far fetched, or in some cases just plain quackery. Most folk remedies were passed down by family members from one generation to another so a lot of them are lost to us forever. But many old-timers and doctors kept records, so documentation is available that allows us to examine the ingredients used in many of these remedies. Let’s look at several of the more interesting treatments of yesteryear.
In a commonly used "cure" for lockjaw, one was supposed to make a tea with ground up insects and other bugs, cockroaches were preferred, and then drink it. It is not mentioned whether the cure was contained in the drink or in the body ́s need to forcefully expel the concoction. Either way, the poor soul forgot about his lockjaw for at least a few moments.
Eating an onion roasted in ashes was a favored way to treat a child with a cold and boiling pine needles to make a strong tea was another favorite remedy used for hundreds of years. Taking a hot pepper, such as cayenne, and making a tea of the pepper, then adding honey and moonshine also worked well for treating the common cold. I’d be remiss if I didn't mention that while I was researching for this article I noticed that whiskey and rum, particularly moonshine whiskey, appears to be a common ingredient in many old-time remedies....go figure. It may not cure you but you’re feel better - temporarily.
Dried blueberries and blueberry root has been used as a folk remedy for diarrhea for a very long time. Which makes sense since scientists of today know that blueberries contain antioxidants as well as antibacterial properties. Modern medicine has taught us that garlic has an antibiotic effect, and early settlers knew that it worked very well for ear aches. They would take garlic cloves and crush them, saving the juice, which would then be warmed by putting it in a spoon and holding it close to a stove burner or over a candle flame. Once the juice was warm, a few drops were put into the ear.
Because of the continual use of fire in everyday life, a treatment for burns was needed. For a minor burn milk was used, either by soaking the burned area in a bowl of milk or applying a cloth soaked with it. Apple cider vinegar, which seems to have been the cure all of the day, was often used on burns too. It would stop the pain and even help keep the burn from blistering and scarring.
Sugar was considered a valued part of the medicine chest. A wound that wouldn't heal was often packed with sugar until more standard or professional care could be administered. Boiled watermelon seeds provided a tea that was used to cure kidney problems and mashing an onion into a pulp, adding a little water until you have onion juice, then gargling with it was used as a treatment for a sore throat. Despite the success of this last treatment a common side effect was that it surely made the person less desirable to be around.
Some Cape Codders even developed "cures" that have managed to stand the test of time. During the mid-nineteenth century a Cape Cod doctor named Samuel Pitcher invented a stimulant laxative he called "Pitcher's Castoria." Used "to soothe the stomach" its slogan was short, sweet, and to the point -"Children cry for it." He made it in a barn behind his house in West Main Street in Barnstable, then known as 'Poverty Row.' In 1869 Dr. Pitcher became a wealthy man by selling the secret formula, reportedly made of 17 percent alcohol and sassafras, to a New York firm known as Charles Fletcher Brothers for $10,000. For years it was a staple of most drug stores, but now it is becoming harder to find. It is now known as "Fletcher's Laxative for Kids".
With very little research it is quite easy to see that not all old time remedies were on the level by today's standards. Old issues of The Yarmouth Register are filled with ads for useless potions that were concocted by enterprising individual of the time who were looking to make a quick buck. Judging be the number of ads the old adage "Tell the people what they want to hear and they will buy anything" and "There's a sucker born every minute" might not be too far off.
Between 1898 and 1910, Bayer advertised heroin as a cure for headaches and general malaise, and it was sold in cough syrup for children. It was even given to babies to help them sleep.
Many substances that are illegal today because they were later found to contain addictive or life-threatening ingredients were commonly used to treat everyday ailments. One company sold heroin tablets to relieve asthma symptoms and cocaine drops came on the market for the treatment of toothaches after doctors discovered its pain-relieving qualities. One Belgian company even promoted cocaine throat lozenges as "indispensable for singers, teachers and orators."
One cure-all Yarmouth was well known for was skunk grease. John Silver, who lived on Willow Street near the railroad tracks in the late 1800s and early 1900s, would kill skunks, try out the fat, and sell the oil to locals who believed it cured croup, rheumatism, coughs and more. It could be rubbed on the skin or taken by the spoonful and supposedly did not have an odorl.
John Silver’s Skunk Oil shop, which is no longer standing.
The world of medicine transformed quickly in the late 19th century due mostly to advances in chemistry, laboratory technique and medical equipment. The golden age of home remedies ended in the early 1900s when the federal government began to crack down on "quackery" with new legislation to prohibit adulteration or misbranding of foods and drugs, as well as false advertising.
It's easy to make observations about the past when we can review the information of today. The early Cape Codder could only use what was available. So as we recall these treatments of the past with some smugness and bewilderment perhaps it's wise to avoid being too judgmental.....history has a way of repeating itself.
**** Warning: the medical treatments listed in this article are listed strictly for historical purposes and should by all means NOT be practiced. The misuse of certain herbs can be a serious health threat. All health concerns should always be discussed with a licensed physician.
Recipe for baldness
1 pint of whiskey, half a pint of water, six cents worth of ammonia, 1 teaspoon salt.
Researched and written by Dan Pierce, with additions by Nancy Mumford