Folk Remedies in the Old South

By Elton Camp

Country folks in the early 20th Century suffered from a variety of ailments. Some
of them were related to diet. Food was high in saturated fats, cholesterol, and salt and
might lack essential elements. Other problems, such as diphtheria, influenza, cholera,
and scarlet fever were infectious, caused by microorganisms. Other medical problems
resulted from injury due to accidents.

North Alabama lay in what was called the “goiter belt.” Rural people ate almost
entirely what was produced on the farm. This resulted in numerous cases of goiter,
especially in older people. A lump in the lower neck on one or both sides represented an
enlarged thyroid gland. Its hormone is partly composed of iodine. Without adequate
amounts of that necessary component of a healthy diet, it can’t produce its hormone
adequately. This lack causes the body to stimulate the thyroid, but the only result is its
enlargement. One can’t make chocolate cake without chocolate. In the same way, a
person can’t make thyroid hormone without iodine.

Goiter

A solution to the problem was available– to add iodine to the diet. The vehicle
chosen by public health authorities was ordinary table salt. It was inexpensive and
universally used. There was, however, a problem.

“Thet iodized salt has pizen ’n hit,” insisted a good number of uninformed
persons. “Don’t never use hit.” Those who made the statement had no idea what iodine
was. It was a warning they’d heard by word-of-mouth and passed on blindly.

“I heered hit wuz a plot by Jews to kill good Christian folks,” an old man asserted
at a local store. He shook his head and assumed a grim look to impress his listeners.

No amount of reasoning or distribution of information on the need for iodine had

any effect on those who “knew better.” It was the same mindset that caused so much
opposition in later years to fluoridation of public water supplies to prevent dental cavities.
Goiter continued to be a problem for years to come.

“Them city folks can’t fool me,” a woman in her fifties insisted. “Goiter’s jest a
part o’ growin’ old. My maw had one. I never heered o’ hit killin’ nobody.”
 Even as she spoke, a lump was slowly developing in her lower neck. When the
enlargement became noticeable, it would only verify her mistaken view.

The spread of contagious disease was promoted by the well-intentioned practice

of going to homes of stricken people to care for them. That one might catch the disease
and bring it home to family wasn’t considered.

When a person in the community died of an infectious condition, the procedure of

preparing them for burial carried serious risk. It was customary to wash the body with
lye soap and water. When the person was laid out for viewing, neighbors washed the
face and hands with vinegar to slow discoloration. The existence of bacteria and viruses,
and their role in disease, were either unknown or ignored.

Doctors were consulted only as a last resort, except in cases of broken bones.
Home remedies were widely known in the community or were perpetuated by word-of-
mouth in individual families.

Accident could have serious consequences. Howard was standing on a rock near
the Jolly Mill Pond when one of his pals sneaked up behind and gave him a shove. He
fell with a thud after a drop of several feet. The other boys laughed and walked away as
he lay stunned. After several minutes, he struggled to rise to his feet, but a sharp pain in
his ankle made it impossible for him to stand or walk. In his early teens, he was strong,
but it was only with intense effort that he was able to crawl the considerable distance to
his house.

“Paw, I’m hurt,” he called out as he neared the porch.

Milas came into the yard to survey the situation. A cursory examination showed
no evidence of a broken bone and he saw no bleeding.

“Git a rag ’n’ keep thet ankl’ rubbed wif kerosene,” he advised. “Yore gonna b’
up ’n’ ‘bout ’n a few days.”

Kerosene was regarded as a universal cure and so used for a variety of problems.
Some even dabbed it on inflamed tonsils. It was readily available and inexpensive.

Nothing more was done even though Howard suffered intense pain and was
unable to walk for three weeks. It was the customary country way. Milas never
considered taking him to a doctor. He could live or die on his own.

“Y’u kin lay ’round th’ house ’till y’u mend,” Milas conceded.

That was the only advantage the youth got–exemption from work until he
improved enough to hobble about. He was in his twenties and on his own before his first
visit to a physician.
 Of the many home remedies, some helped, most did nothing, but a few worsened
the situation. Even as is true today, most conditions are self-limiting. Problems
generally get better, with or without treatment, by the natural healing process or the
action of the immune system. If folk medicine was used, it was given credit for the cure.
If the person died, it was held to be “God’s will.” In such a case, nothing could have
changed the outcome. Who could overcome the will of the Deity?

(Watch for several more stories on this subject to be posted.)