School: Achadh Conaire (roll number 4487)
- Location:
- Achonry, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: T. Mac Giolla Cadhain
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0172, Page 118
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- XML “Local Cures”
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- Local cures
Long ago in the time of our greatgrandfathers and our greatgrandmothers medical science was not as far advanced as it is today. Many diseases that are quite common nowadays and well known to both doctors and people were unheard of, and the doctors were quite ignorant as to their treatment.
Pneumonia for instance. Its treatment was unknown and when a case occurred it meant death. Doctors and hospitals were not so commonly known as they are today and the people had not very much confidence in them. They believed in the home cures and they never approached a doctor until their own cures failed.
For instance if a man caught a cold the cure was to take a certain amount of blood from his arm. This applied also to pneumonia and consumption. If a man needed a dose such as salts, he was given a dose of melted soap. All the weeds that we see growing in the fields were made use of as medicine for some particular disease in both people and cattle. They made up bottles from the boiled roots which they mixed with different ingredients and used them as cures. They had private cures for cancer, bite of mad dogs, jaundice etc. the secret of which was held by certain families, and unknown to other people.
Nora Gormanly.
- Collector
- Nora Gormanly
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Drinaun, Co. Sligo
