I'm stunned by the 'old wives' remedies Sunderland people used to cure illness years ago. They were brutal!
What an eye-opening look back in to Sunderland’s history this story is! Especially if you wondered how people dealt with illnesses in the days before the NHS.
As we enter the period when more of us come down with colds and flu, here’s a look back at a time when old wives remedies were used to treat all sorts of ailments - and some of them were brutal.
Philip Curtis, from Sunderland Antiquarian Society, told us more.
Constipation was a common complaint and the nicest remedy was syrup of figs, but failing that castor oil or senna pod tea was recommended.
A smelly sock to cure a sore throat
If none of these gentle remedies worked then cascara was prescribed and, in the unlikely event of a failure with this, there was an unfailing, but devastating, remedy often used – No. 9.
Its correct name was jalap but it was commonly called jollop. It would move anything and strong men quaked when it was mentioned.
A greater degree of gentleness was used with a sore throat. There was quite a choice of remedies with probably the most popular being the slow sucking of a sugar lump soaked in vinegar.
The ointment which got rid of your colds - and your friends
A thick woollen sock was also recommended but not for wearing on your foot. It seems that for best effect, the sock used had to have been recently worn and sweaty.
It was then tied around the neck and kept there for about twelve hours. Very often people declared they were cured just to get rid of the smelly sock.
If you had a cold then your chest and back was rubbed with camphorated oil, the smell of which got rid of your cold and friends at the same time.
A beer heated with a red hot poker
Another popular cure among adults was a glass of beer into which a red-hot poker had been plunged. A dose of sulphur mixed in black treacle was advised for clearing of the blood and preventing boils.
If that did not work, then a glass bottle was heated in the oven and the bottle mouth placed over the boil. Apparently as the bottle cooled the growth was drawn into it and burst.
A spelk that couldn’t be removed would often fester. If this occurred, then a poultice of equal parts of soap and sugar was applied over the punctured skin and bandaged. Within a few hours both spelk and puss would be expelled from the wound.
Rubbing a wart with a radish
There was a lot of cures for warts. Frequently used remedies included rubbing the top of the wart with a radish whilst another was touching the wart with the sap from a dandelion stem.
Headaches were supposed to be relieved by soaking brown vinegar in paper and tying it around the head as a poultice (remember Jack and Jill?).
A stye on an eyelid was often dispersed with the aid of constant application of boracic powder dissolved in warm water.
Find out more at a ‘treasure trove’ heritage centre
A more ridiculous approach was a prayer being said whilst the offending stye was rubbed with a golden wedding ring.
A sprained muscle was relieved by applying a pad covered with a mixture of turps, flour and the yolk of an egg.
I wonder which ones actually ever worked. Then again perhaps they all do.
Our thanks go to Philip. The story of the grandmothers remedies features in the latest monthly newsletter which is circulated to members of the Antiquarian Society.
The society, which was founded in 1900, holds extensive archives which were amassed and donated by the people of Sunderland.
To find out more about the Antiquarian Society, visit its Facebook page or its website which is at http://www.sunderland-antiquarians.org
To apply to become a member, email [email protected]
To share your own memories of Sunderland over the years, email [email protected]