This post was written by Ashley Fielder, the Science Section’s librarian for medicine and life sciences.
This blog post and the selected historical health home manuals are provided for educational purposes only and do not constitute professional medical advice. Those seeking medical advice should consult with their healthcare provider.
Today, when we get sick, we have doctors’ offices, hospitals, and urgent care centers at our immediate disposal, but our predecessors were far more limited in the medical services available to them. In most cases they relied on the determination of those willing to help and the knowledge contained within the pages of their home health manuals. These manuals gained popularity in the United States during the 19th century and played an important role in medical care up until the early 20th century.
Historically, most people resorted to home health manuals for basic medical care, as it was often difficult to reach a doctor or hospital with conventional transportation, and personal treatment was too expensive for the average person. When a family member showed a rash or had a bad cough, the women of the house would pull out their home health manual and see what they could do to ease their loved ones’ suffering. Doctors, either individually or in groups, would write these manuals, which would cover a broad range of topics, like illnesses, first aid, anatomy, herbal remedies, and medical recipes.
Illnesses
Home health manuals would typically begin with sections on illnesses that the average person might encounter, ranging from the flu to cholera. Each illness was covered in depth, explaining not just the range of symptoms that could appear and in what order, but also treatment options, like hot compresses or fresh air. The manual would also include a brief history of the disease, including past outbreaks, and make a recommendation on whether quarantine was needed to protect the household. Lastly, it would include lists and recipes for remedies, both homemade and those likely to be available at local shops. Many of these remedies, such as infusions of charcoal and sulfur for cholera, or powdered opium mixed with brandy for every ache and pain, would seem unlikely options, to those familiar with the remedies found at our local drugstores today.
First Aid
Families often needed emergency care instructions for treating a wide range of daily injuries, such as how to apply salves and change dressings for burns, or how to make compression splints for injured ankles. First aid sections in home manuals often provided step by step diagrams and materials lists that would enable an individual to care for the injured and prevent further injury or infection.
Anatomy
Many of manuals would contain basic drawings of human anatomy, from bone structure and circulatory infrastructure to organ location. The reader could turn to a specific part of the book, such as a page on the lower back, and use the information provided to make an educated guess at what may have been the cause of any pain. They could then determine if they could try to help the person at home or if they needed to seek out a medical professional.
Herbal Remedies
Many families had herb gardens growing along with their vegetables, not only to flavor their food but for use in the brewing of restorative teas and the making of poultices for wounds. Manuals would often recommend these home-grown items in for use in treatments, but they also listed many common ingredients that could be readily found in nature. People would often forage for wild plants, roots, and bark that they could use when making medicines at home.
Medical Recipes
Most health manuals contained a medical recipe section with instructions for brewing common cures, as well as new creations by the authors of the books themselves. Some of these old remedies, such as peppermint tea for an upset stomach, are still viable treatments even today; however, in modern times many of these recipes have been proven not to work. In fact, some could even worsen symptoms or create secondary issues that made people far sicker than they originally were.
The Library has numerous examples of 19th and early 20th centuries home health manuals, and some of these works are available digitally. The list below provides a sampling of titles with a link to a digital copies.
- Beard, George Miller. Our Home Physician: a New and Popular Guide to the Art of Preserving Health and Treating Disease…(E.B. Treat & Co., New York, 1869)
- Gleason, C. W. Everybody’s Own Physician (H. N. McKinney & Co., Philadelphia, PA, c1875)
- Goodenough, Josephus, ed. The Favorite Medical Receipt Book and Home Doctor (F.B. Dickerson, Detroit, MI, 1904)
- Gunn, John C. Gunn’s New Domestic Physician, or, Home Book of Health… (Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co., Cincinnati, OH,1863). Digital copy of the 1861 edition is accessible via HathiTrust digital library
- Helme, W. C. The American Farrier, and Family Medical Companion. (Press of Smead and Cowles, Cleveland, OH, 1852)
- Weaver, Benjamin Franklin. Physical Chart of Pains, Aches and Tender Spots. An Up-to-date Family Doctor Book. (Northern Ohio Publishing, Bucyrus, OH, 1907)
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