Hemlock, Pine Tar and Brandy
Submitted by Kathryn on
The kids are back to school, a chill is in the air, and yes, there is a tickle in your throat. Now that the fall season is fully upon us, I can't help but notice there is more coughing and sneezing going around. This week I stumbled across this great recipe from 1931 for a "stomach cough" that relies heavily on hemlock. While poisonous, hemlock has been and can still be used to treat whooping cough, bronchitis or other breathing conditions. When I was young, I could not stomach the taste of cough syrup, so much so that my poor mother would watch me take hours to psych myself up to downing the detestable spoonful. I suspect that my squeamishness would not have gone over well 80 years ago! I decided to explore the Innisfil Historical Society's collection for more insight into how medicine and illness were treated in Innisfil's past. Click the pictures to find out more information about each item.
There were a variety of drug stores around Innisfil and what is currently the South Simcoe area. And most were a focal point of activity in each of their communities. Two examples shared here are Dawson's Drug Store in Cookstown circa 1927 and the W.L. Campbell Drug Store of Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Doctor's visits (with prescriptions) cost $2.00 in 1902. And, importantly, sometimes family members make the best nurses as illustrated by the meticulous notes taken by the Cowan family in the 1920s.
Nurses were and are people to be celebrated. From the recently graduated, to the ones that fix the broken arms and black eyes, some things never change. In order from left to right, Jean Wallace graduated from Toronto General in 1900. Mrs. Elma Neilly was a teacher and nurse in Belle Ewart in 1917. Agnes Allan graduated from Barrie's Royal Victoria Hospital in 1919.
If you've got a really strong cough and can get your hands on some pine tar, here's another recipe for you. Or you can try out Sandy McMillan's family recipe that she talks about in Innisfil Historical Society's publication: Skunks and Scholars (page 13).
We had most of the childhood diseases but the worst of all was a 'croupy' cough. Then for sure you got a mustard poultice and goose grease on your chest. When there wasn't enough mustard you got a fried onion poultice (my older brother won't eat fried onions to this day).