Does GHAA have any examples of early folk remedies used when the first pioneers of Strawberry Point (later Gustavus) became injured or ill?

www.GustavusHistory.org

Q. Does GHAA have any examples of early folk remedies used when the first pioneers of Strawberry Point (later Gustavus) became injured or ill?

A. In the words of Abraham Lincoln Parker, "Well, I should say!" That was his resounding "Yes"! And it’s ours as well. Hours of entertainment can be had browsing through Abraham’s The People’s Common Sense Medical Advisor in Plain English, Copyright 1918. It is chock full of wonderful advice for injured or sick invalids. Names like "the spirit vapor-bath", "beef tea", "Doctor Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets" (to regulate the bowels), tonics and remedial agents of every name and description abound. Early "resuscitation techniques" would more than likely, unfortunately, leave one breathless. As the local "medical expert" A. L. Parker consulted the book and practiced his craft to the best of his abilities. There are similar reference books for cattle, horses, and just about every living, ailing creature.

GHAA also has a May (Parker) White "guide" for the dietary needs of the sick—copyright 1887. If variations of gruel, porridges, slippery-elm, cathartics, linaments, powders and poultices aren’t your "cup of tea", you’d probably want to pass.

The biggest medical news of all, however, has to be the banishment of the common cold—a cure established right here in Gustavus, Alaska by Charles Lincoln Parker (and quite by accident!). It all started in 1936 when an old Spanish-American War Veteran Mr. John Shirokey built a leaky, makeshift shack on the beach just south of Charles Parker’s homestead. His winter "stove" was a 5-gallon can with a 1-½ inch pipe. Worried about the health and welfare of the old gentleman, Charles would take him food and provisions—most of which was refused. How did he keep from becoming ill everyone wondered? It was no mystery to Mr. Shirokey who had the answer all along right under his bed! A length of creosote log, cut from piling and emitting fumes that killed all the germs he might otherwise encounter.

Charles Parker found this completely illogical—until tired of his own winter colds, he split a big chunk of creosote log of his own. For good measure, he placed it behind his heater so that the fumes would be even more potent. "This worked first-class", he said, "As I could smell the creosote in the room at all times." His colds disappeared, and thinking of his frequent travels, Charles "invented" a traveling version of his cure so that he would never be without his recommended (concentrated) dose!

For 30 years this creosote cure for the common cold worked for Charles Lincoln Parker. In his later years, living along the railroad, Mile 274 ½, Anchorage, Alaska, and willing to share his discovery with the entire world, a complete story (there’s lots more in it!) could be had for $1 by mail. Click on How I Banished The Common Cold For The Past 30 Years by Uncle Charlie (as he’s fondly known in the family) to read the original copy. It will make you smile.

Does GHAA have any examples of early folk remedies used when the first pioneers of Strawberry Point (later Gustavus) became injured or ill?

www.GustavusHistory.org

Q. Does GHAA have any examples of early folk remedies used when the first pioneers of Strawberry Point (later Gustavus) became injured or ill?

A. In the words of Abraham Lincoln Parker, "Well, I should say!" That was his resounding "Yes"! And it’s ours as well. Hours of entertainment can be had browsing through Abraham’s The People’s Common Sense Medical Advisor in Plain English, Copyright 1918. It is chock full of wonderful advice for injured or sick invalids. Names like "the spirit vapor-bath", "beef tea", "Doctor Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets" (to regulate the bowels), tonics and remedial agents of every name and description abound. Early "resuscitation techniques" would more than likely, unfortunately, leave one breathless. As the local "medical expert" A. L. Parker consulted the book and practiced his craft to the best of his abilities. There are similar reference books for cattle, horses, and just about every living, ailing creature.

GHAA also has a May (Parker) White "guide" for the dietary needs of the sick—copyright 1887. If variations of gruel, porridges, slippery-elm, cathartics, linaments, powders and poultices aren’t your "cup of tea", you’d probably want to pass.

The biggest medical news of all, however, has to be the banishment of the common cold—a cure established right here in Gustavus, Alaska by Charles Lincoln Parker (and quite by accident!). It all started in 1936 when an old Spanish-American War Veteran Mr. John Shirokey built a leaky, makeshift shack on the beach just south of Charles Parker’s homestead. His winter "stove" was a 5-gallon can with a 1-½ inch pipe. Worried about the health and welfare of the old gentleman, Charles would take him food and provisions—most of which was refused. How did he keep from becoming ill everyone wondered? It was no mystery to Mr. Shirokey who had the answer all along right under his bed! A length of creosote log, cut from piling and emitting fumes that killed all the germs he might otherwise encounter.

Charles Parker found this completely illogical—until tired of his own winter colds, he split a big chunk of creosote log of his own. For good measure, he placed it behind his heater so that the fumes would be even more potent. "This worked first-class", he said, "As I could smell the creosote in the room at all times." His colds disappeared, and thinking of his frequent travels, Charles "invented" a traveling version of his cure so that he would never be without his recommended (concentrated) dose!

For 30 years this creosote cure for the common cold worked for Charles Lincoln Parker. In his later years, living along the railroad, Mile 274 ½, Anchorage, Alaska, and willing to share his discovery with the entire world, a complete story (there’s lots more in it!) could be had for $1 by mail. Click on How I Banished The Common Cold For The Past 30 Years by Uncle Charlie (as he’s fondly known in the family) to read the original copy. It will make you smile.