Cold season – an 18th century view
The common cold is something which has been affecting people
for centuries. Thomas Hayes writing in Dublin in 1786 stated that, “It is unnecessary to
inform the public that great numbers of persons of both sexes are afflicted
every winter with the most dreadful colds, coughs and consumptive complaints in
this great metropolis, and in every large town in this kingdom, from neglecting
slight colds in their early state.” Hayes attributes colds to cold or moist air
being applied to the body or the lungs “from going too thinly clad, or exposing
the body to cold air after having been heated by exercise, or when the pores
are opened from drinking warm liquors.”
For those that suffer the dreaded man-flu, perhaps some of
Hayes’ cures could be of use. Firstly, “bathing the feet in luke warm water, or
bran and water a little hotter than milk just taken
from a cow, going to bed is an excellent simple mode of producing a regular
circulation, and gentle perspiration.”
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| Camomile |
Another cure is to boil camomile flowers or elder, or rosemary
and inhale the steam of the warm water, just be sure to prevent cold air from
creeping into the lungs.
Hayes discourages those that are afflicted by a cold from
eating animal meat, rich sauces or drinking wines and spirits. Food should
consist of “suppings moderately warm, especially at night, such as small
broths, water, gruel, and the like, solids should be rice, fago light puddings,
fruit and vegetables.” He goes on to specify the fruit and vegetables naming
boiled turnips, roasted apples, asparagus, salsafy, scorzenera (a plant from
the daisy family), lettuces, cauliflowers and broccoli. Currant jelly and some
of the soft marmalades are also recommended to quiet a cold.
Other remedies include rhubarb in a fine powder and cream of
tartar, and then there are the really extreme measures which include
concoctions that would be at home in the pages of George’s Marvellous Medicine,
opiates from the syrup of white poppies, bleeding the patient, and purging.
To prevent getting the cold in the first place Hayes feels
that adults should strengthen themselves by bathing in cold water or swimming
in the sea, and extols the virtues of washing children in cold water every
morning to “strengthen their tender limbs and keep them from rickets and the
habit of taking a cold.” They were also counselled (far more sensibly) to wear
warm, dry clothing and avoid damp clothes or beds. Unfortunately, living in
suitably warm and dry conditions and purchasing adequate clothing may not have
been a possibility for quite a few members of society in Hayes’ time.
In the 1700s we must remember that colds could very well
lead to much worse illnesses and exacerbate other conditions. This was a very different time when medicine
was not as advanced as it is today and people lived very differently. Nowadays,
while doctors are discouraging people from using antibiotics for common colds, there
are plenty of useful remedies, and for most people, including the man-flu
sufferers (though they might have you believe differently), it is highly
unlikely that a cold will turn into something more serious.
If you would like to read more about colds in the 18th century, Hayes' book A serious address on the dangerous consequences of neglecting common coughs and colds; with successful directions how to prevent and cure consumptions is available in Dun's Library along with other volumes on the subject. Click here to browse the catalogue.
By Sarah Kennedy
Library Intern