Doctoring in Appalachia
“I mentioned in this blog a long time ago that my Appalachian elders doctored everything with moonshine and turpentine! I…
Mercury Dimes and Teething
“As babies we all wore a Mercury Dime around our neck on a string so we wouldn’t have teething pain….
Thinking of the 1918 Flu Pandemic
Brasstown felt the effects of COVID-19 in a huge way last week. Thankfully, no one has the virus, but due…
Thrush Doctors
thrush noun A variant forms thraish, thrash. 1942 Hall Phonetics 23 thraish, thrash B A fungal infection, esp one of…
Medicine Before Aspirin
“And when my husband was just starting out as a doctor, he was trying to get practice. They used to…
Fall Sores and Dew Poisoning
PinnacleCreek left this comment on yesterday’s post about dog days: “Caught you late, and had to post since you are…
Sulfur and Molasses
spring tonic noun A home medicine taken in early spring and purported to purge the system and thicken the blood….
Freckle Recipes
“Being fair-skinned and blond, I freckled easily in the summer sun. I tried everything that was purported to be a…
Being Sick Can Make You See Things
I’ve probably written about sickness and accidents this week because the flu and other maladies are still making their way…
Remedies from Blind Pig and The Acorn Readers
Dolores: I always wondered about the old ways of curing things. My dad used a combination of soft brown soap and…
Talking Fire Out
Have you ever heard about people who could talk the fire out of a burn? I’ve heard about the phenomenon…
Epizootic and Palpeetus of the Punk
Have you ever heard folks use nonsense words to describe their sickness? I’ve heard folks in my area of Appalachia…