In the eighteenth century, midwives were important people in a community even if there was a doctor who lived in the village or town. People typically consulted a midwife, not a physician, about an illness or ailment. And in more remote parts of North Carolina, a midwife would have been the only medical expert available.
Midwifery was an exclusively female profession, and it was one of the few public roles available to women. One reason why women were the chief practitioners of medicine was that family health was the concern of wives and mothers, and so people thought it was natural that women learn the art of healing. Midwives were paid for their work and were sought after for their knowledge and skills. Although it was often women who called upon the midwife to help a sick child or husband, men would also ask midwives for help.
Midwives also helped women in childbirth. As they do today, midwives gave advice to pregnant women and prepare them to give birth. Midwives were also present at the birth and delivered the baby. A physician or doctor would only be asked to assist the midwife if there were complications that required surgery.
Physicians, who were always men, had different duties from those of a midwife. These men were educated at a university and were called in to set bones and to operate. Physicians would rarely administer medication and people who were sick would see an apothecary (similar to a pharmacist).
Most midwives learned their skills from a female relative such as a mother or aunt. Other women learned medical skills from male relatives who were physicians or apothecaries.
Rachel Allen (1760-1840) was a midwife who lived near Snow Camp, North Carolina in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.We do not know where she learned her medical skills, but we do know that she chose to write down her herbal remedies, which suggests that she most likely passed her knowledge on to her children. Very few diaries or letters of everyday women such as Rachel Allen still survive, and the fact that her recipe book has been preserved shows us how important midwives were to their communities.
Below are excerpts from Rachel Allen's writing that show how residents of the backcountry treated wounds, illness, and disease.
[1]
To Make Green Salve take one pound of bores
Greese one pound of turpentine and melt it
together then take it of the fire take one ounce of Verdigreese [sic: Verdigris]
and pound it and Sift it then
put it in and Simmer it over the fire but not
to boil to be Sure put Something over thy
face while pounding Sifting and Stiring and
Stiring in the Verdigreese to take out proud
flesh and dead flesh from old Sores and Clense them
[2]
To make ointment to Cure a burn or Scald
take of the tops of high RattleSnake [Calathea]
in the Spring of the year and fresh may butter
and pound them well together then make it up in
Balls let it lie about six weeks then put
it in a kettle over the fire let them Simmer
Well then Strain them out keep it for use
[3]
A Cancer wort the Cure
take Blood wort the inner Bark of
Shoemake [sic: sumac] Root pound them together
Mix Sower cream & apply it to
[4]
The yaws or Countray Distemper is very
Bad to Cure perfectly Especially when
grown invitred this is the highest kind
of Scurvy and the Symtoms of it are
Eating, Ulcer in the throat or pallet
and filthy Sores in other parts of
the body having neer Resemblence to
of the pox [syphilis] this unclean Diseas
often yealds to Dr. Paps Remady
or at Least may be Cept under by it:
Take one ounce of the Bark of
Shoemake Root one ounce of the iner
Bark of Spanish oak boil these together
in two quarts of water till the decoction
Bee very Strong, of the Liquor drink a
full pint milk warm and imeadiatelly
after it half a pint quite cold and
it will give thee powerful
vomit the next morning take half a
point of the Same Drink warm and
the Same quantity again in the
Evening and Continue So doing for
Six weeks or two months only the
Vomit must bee Repeated Every
Seventh day, in the meantime gargle
your throat and wash all you Sores
and ulcers with the Same warm
Liquor which aught to be made fresh
Every two days Besides all this you
Must Chew the Shoemake Root very
often and Swallow the healing juice
Every night before you go to Rest
take two pills made of turpentine
and Deers dung in Equel quantitys
of Eating and Drinking
Confine thyself from flesh and from
Strong Drink and bee very carefull
of catching Cold
[5]
A Receit for a Canser
take the bark of the root of Spanish
oak dogwood sassafras persimmon and the
shoemake that bares the berrys take
of these one pound each off the
north side wash them scrape of
the outside bark put them in a
pot cover it close boile it for half
a day then strain the liquer
then put it in a small pot and
bile it to it becomes a save
then put it away for use
[6]
To Make Eye Water
Take half a point of Spring water, the bigness
of two hazelnuts of allom one Spoonfull of
hunney the bigness of a large heazelnut
of verdigreese boile all together and S[tir]
it well Let it Settle and bottle it for use.
[7]
To Make Hunney physick
Take flower of sulphar one ounce Creame of tarter one ounce, powder of Jallep [sic: jollop]
Quarter of an ounce mix them in
Clarified honey to the Consistance of an
Electury and take thereof Every morning
fasting as much as will ly on the point
of a Case knife to cure Bad Blood.
[8]
For the consumption take angillico [sic: Angelica] horseradish
allcom pain Each one Large handful put them
into an earthen pot with two gallons of Spring
Water cover it cloce Set it on the coles and
Stew it half away then Strain it and ad
thereto half a pound of fresh butter half a
pound of treacle then Stew it 5 hours take in
the morning and at night half a point
milk warm.
[9]
A Diet Drink to be Wrought in Beer
2 handfulls of Water Cresses 2 handfulls
of Sassafras roots 2 handfull of Nettles 2
handfuls of Sasborelle [sic: Sarsaparilla]
2 pounds of Lignumeity [Lignum Vitae] 2 hanfulls of Burdock roots 2 handfulls of Sweet Bryers
rots all this infuse in 3 or 4 gallons of
Malt Beer - for the consumption
[10]
for the consumption take white turpentine
hunney and fresh Butter mix them all
together take the Bigness of a Chestnut
in the Morning
[11]
Clense the Blood take Vervine [sic: Vervain] Dittony
Sweet goldin rod of each alike ----(ripped)
and Sweeten it with honey & Drink
[12]
for deafness & busing in ye head peel a
Clove of garlick dip it in honey & peel
it in ye Eare at lying down
ye Eare Ach from worms drop in warm
Milk Brings them out or Juse of
Wormwood> which kils them
Nurse in the Eare drop in Juse of onions.
[13]
for Weak Eyes Wel the Eye lids Morning
& Evening with Campfire
to restore Strength after Rhematism [arthritis]
Walk in a Strong Broth Made of Cow heels.
[14]
to clean the teeth Rub them With
ye ashes of Burnt Bread
for an Ulser in Bladder or kidneys
take decotion of agrimony 3 times a day
or decotion powder or syrup of horse tail.
[15]
for an old sore leg take
parsnips pounded boil in water
til soft thicken it with
Wheat Bran make a poltis & apply it
[16]
Inflamation of ye Bladder a pain
in the Bottom of ye Belly a desire to make
water often & with difficulty the diet
light and thin ye drink cooling
Bleeding good [bloodletting]--- ye Lower part
of ye Belly with warm water and
Emalient Clysters [enema] frequently
Eating Small broths gruels or mild herbs
[17]
In a Raging fit of [kidney] Stones beat
onions into a pulp & apply them as
a poultis part to the Back & part to
Each Groin it gives Speedy ease in
the most Raching pain.
[18]
To ease or Cure ye Stone take decoction
or agrimony Morning & Night
or of Camomile
or boil half a pound of parsnips in
a Quart of Water drink a glass Morning
& night & no other drink all day for
6 weeks
or take Morning & Night a teaspoon full of onions caleind into White
ashes in White wine an ounce
will often dissolve ye Stone.
[19]
a Drink for any Inward Weakness
take Grounding and Yarrow White plantain
and Silverwort agrimony Bittersweets
Hartstongue [sic: Hartstone] Maidenhair Cinquefoylde [sic: cinquefoil]
Strawberry Leaves and Cattsfoot leaves
take a Small hadfull of Each
and cut them Small and Boil in
three Quarts of Water Until it Comes
to two then take one pill Night and
Morning Milk Warm or more if
Necessary if the Cant all Be got
Such as can if Circum Stance
Should render it Difficult or unsafe to take
any of the yerbs on any account they
May be omitted polpadom is
Sometimes put in with Them.
[20]
take Linseed 2 Spoonfulls Liquorice half an
ounce Stew them for Some houres then Strain
it take in difficulty of Making Water and
coughs and Compalints of y Brest
Emollient mucilagient [Mucilage] Liquor
[21]
for the Quinsey take Stalions
dung fresh Stewed in Sweet wort
or new Milk and thickened with
Wheat Bran Make a poltis &
apply it to the throat.
[22]
dissolve 2 drams of gum arabeck and 2 drams of Liquorice ball in ten
ounces of boiling water when cool add 150 drops of anlimonial [sic: Antimony] wine and
one ounce Paregoric take a table spoon full three tiem a day Shake the bottle before pouring out the drops.
