Past Talks
Can onions cure earache? Medical advice from the 1700s
Date: 20th March 2023
Speaker: Melanie King
Melanie King gave us a picture of
life and health issues in eight
eenth century Britain. This was
not a healthy time to be alive
when, without the benefits of
modern medical science, many aliments
would have killed you.
In 1769 Dr William Buchan (1729-1805)
published a medical volume for the home,
called Domestic Medicine: or, a Treatise
on the Prevention and Cure of Diseases by
Regimen and Simple Medicines, containing
advice on how to stay healthy and the reme
dies available.
Out of a UK population of 7-8 million at
that time, many endured poor living con
ditions, contending with fleas and gutters
running with human and animal waste.
Bad diet was common as was the excessive
consumption of alcohol. One in five children
died before their fifth birthday and the aver
age life expectancy for a man was 44 years.
The use of open fires for heating and cook
ing, and candles for lighting were the cause
of numerous accidents. The Gentleman’s
Magazine of 12th January 1792 outlined a
catastrophic fire in Birmingham and a fur
ther edition of 12th August 1815 described
the consequences of an overturned coach.
Dr Buchan advised various approaches to
such accidents, for example, where the
skin was unbroken, he advocated holding
the limb to the fire and rubbing in salt, or,
where blisters had formed, he favoured the
application of calamine lotion (Turner’s
cerate). Surviving broken bones was not
always preferable, as amputation, without
the benefit of anaesthetic, was sometimes
necessary.
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Medical care was based on the Four
Humours – choler, blood, bile, phlegm. It
was believed that these should be in bal
ance to avoid disease. Blood-letting, vom
iting, purging, drinking mineral water and
consuming herbs were all thought to aid
the balance of the humours, although these
treatments were not always effective.
Herbal remedies, found in the country
side, were available to those who could not
afford to consult an apothecary. ‘Taking the
waters’ became popular towards the end
of the eighteenth century; important spas
were established at Harrogate, Bath and
Tunbridge Wells.
Illnesses prevalent in the eighteenth cen
tury included: TB, typhus, smallpox, whoop
ing cough, cholera, plague, dysentery and
gripe (flu).
Dr Buchan advised a regime of preven
tion. For example, he considered that a sore
throat was caused by singing, not covering
one’s throat, wearing wet clothes or having
wet feet. He favoured blackcurrant jelly or a
sage tea gargle with vinegar and honey.
Cold symptoms could be alleviated by
eating less, reducing meat/fish consump
tion, eating chicken broth or bread and milk,
and lying in bed. Dr Buchan believed that a
Dr William Buchan
(1729-1805)
Can Onions Cure Earache Talk | 61
cold could be a forerunner to TB (not true)
and recommended jelly of roses or breast
milk.
Other cures for coughs and colds includ
ed gum ammoniac, squills (first cultivated at
the Oxford Botanic Garden), Burgundy pitch,
which was applied between the shoulders
for 3-4 days, wild poppy, marshmallow roots
and colt’s foot flower.
Substances that we now know to be
dangerous, such as lead or mercury, were
commonly used.
Mithridatium was considered something
of a wonder drug. It had been known since
Roman times and was used in the plague in
1665. It contained up to sixty-five ingredients
and took forty days to prepare. It was taken
with wine or water, or spread on the skin.
It became known as Venetian or London
Treacle and was sold as late as the 1790s,
although by 1745 it was widely criticised.
Melanie King concluded her talk by assur
ing us that, despite some unusual remedies,
Dr Buchan was a fully qualified doctor,
having completed his studies at Edinburgh
University in 1758. His advice to restrict the
consumption of meat and alcohol; to get
sufficient sleep and undertake exercise,
such as gardening, strikes a modern note.