Trappers from ca. 1800-1810

PART II of TRAPPERS AND FUR TRADERS: 1790-1850

.

MEDICINES NOTED BY THE EARLIEST TRAPPERS AND FUR TRADERS: 1800-1810

.

Introduction

The following results fill in an important gap in the history of trapping and medicine.  Several items related to the 1800 to 1810 period in trapping were published in 1889-1890.  These items provide us with insights at a time when cultural interaction had effects that could be found in the observations recorded and published by these explorers and trappers.  As you read through these notes, it become apparent that this provides very helpful information to individual trying to understand the life of a trapper in its entirety, from the late Colonial era in North American history to the mid-19th century.   The science of medicine changed greatly during this time.  The philosophy of Indian medicine underwent some changes as well.

In regular medicine, the transition in disease theory brought the philosophy from the notion of “Solidism”, as medical historians like to call it, which states that there are concrete parts of the body or tissues and organs that are somehow related to disease development.  This philosophy was very popular in American medical settings due to its definition and promotion by William Thacher, support for which was continued into the next generation of early American medicine by James Thacher.  Countering Thacher’s philosophy was John Brown’s Brunonianism theory, which stated that there was this energy-like component of the body that was produced by the various organs, tissues, parts, that travelled about the body, resulting in balances and imbalances, in turn either promoting good health or leading to disease. (Very much akin to this philosophy is the observations of “Brownian movement” of a substance, which occurs when that item vibrates and as a result migrates across the microscope slide.)   William Thacher was very much in arguments about this philosophy, which he details in his books at the time, an argument promoted with the republication of these books into the early 1800s, up until about 1810/1815.

Another philosophy of disease countering this American belief was a philosophy of disease that was focused on climate and health, and topography and health.   The physicians serving in the military during the Revolutionary War strongly believed in this ideology and probably argued it with those working at the field hospitals who were strongly devoted to the local Thacher solidists’ tradition.   Based on books published during this time, the Germans were most supporting of the climate-topography theory for disease, and apparently won out in this argument of philosophies starting soo after the Revolutionary War ended.  The first American physician and instructor to strongly promote this ideology, with an important place in local politics enabling him to successfully promote this philosophy, which won out over the teachings of his new and upcoming competitor Benjamin Rush, was Samuel Mitchell.  As noted in several writings elsewhere in my work, the belief that climate and topography were the cause for disease, due to the new Lamarckian philosophy being taught by science, is what led to this strong movement towards reviewing diseases as the result of adaptation and acclimation related response sof the human body to the new environment surrounding it.   The enabled some old theories like the 1720 philosophy of miasma of Lancisi that was promoted to be reconstructed into a climate-topography version, which Mitchell used the term effluvium to refer to the miasma with. 

Meanwhile, the notion of animalcules and disease was also developing as a part of medicine.  The fact that animalcules could easily be found in the wilderness made it easy for mountainmen to udnerstand how and why small organisms like worms could also be the culprits of certain diseases.  The 1790s work by scientists associated some animalcules to certain livestock diseases (i.e. trichinosis in pigs) brought this theory into the mainstream by 1810.  Between 1795 and 1805, in Hudson Valley history, the entire field of livestock raising changed during this time due to these discoveries.  The first livestock “school” was formed, just to study the requirements for developing more successful farms, with healthier animals, producing more of their products, without endangering people’s health.  

In the early 1800s, the trapper may not have been aware of the philosophies linked to animalcules and health, but they would have been aware of the medical topography and medical climatology teachings.  The old belief that higher elevations were good for the consumption helped greatly in the promotion of this belief.  This was in fact due to the impacts of climate and upper elevations on the organism responsible for consumption or tuberculosis–a fungal organism mycobacillus that was sensitive to environment temperature and humidity changes.  But neither the trapper nor the doctor knew much about this organism at the time, so climate and topography were attributed to the better health that people with consumption experienced by moving into the wilderness, to places of higher elevation.  (Much later, tuberculosis camps were established to take advantage of this natural curing or climate induced-remission process for people with tuberculosis.)

SOURCE

The following items reviewed are published together as Les Bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest, by L.R. Masson, first published from 1889-1890, and republished by Antique Press, Ltd., New York, 1960  [The Reed College library is in possession of these.]  This work is a two volume set.  The pages of Masson’s text from which these notes were taken are noted in brackets as author (trapper or trader), year, volume number, and page number (the volume and page numbers as they appeared in Masson’s two volume set).

Books reviewed

Recits de Voyages Lettres et Rapports Ineditis relatifs au Nord-Ouest Canadien. Volume II.

Mr. Duncan Cameron.  The Nipigon County, 1804. with extracts from his Journal.  [II, 229-265].

Mr. Duncan Cameron.  Extracts from the Journal of D. Cameron, Esq. North-West Company while in the Nipigon Department, 1804-1805. [II, 267-300]

Mr. Simon Fraser. Journal of a Voyage from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast. 1808. [I, 155-221]

Fraser provides insight into the Canadees, Metis, Voyageur, Courier and Montagnard lifestyle.  He notes much about their choice and selection of foods, both plant and animal, and of their way of choosing remedies to heal whatever illness so afflicted them.  Relatively to Indian Doctor Medicine history, these notes represent the thinking taking place by Canadees when this new thinking was still unknown by Anglicans and those loyal to the French philosophy and the attached healing faiths. 

Mr. Peter Grant.  The Sauteux Indians about 1804. [II, 303-366]

Grant’s writing consists of a fair amount of information on medicine and spiritualism.  He briefly noted child-birthing (p. 322), dreams and divination (“Asiniboiness,” p. 334) and Kijai Manitou and Matchi Manitou [p. 353].

Mr. George Keith.  Letters to Mr. Roderic McKenzie. 1807-1817. [II, 61-132]

Mr. Charles Mackenzie.  The Mississouri (sic) Indians. A Narrative of Four Trading Expeditions to the Mississouri, 1804-1805-1806, for the North-West Company. [I, 315-393]

MacKenzie was an apprenticed clerk. Four Voyageurs travelled with him.

Mr. James McKenzie.  Extracts from his Journal. 1799-1800. [II, 369-399]

Most of James McKenzie’s notes are under a separate listing.  [Given as separate notes entered at end of this writing.]  His strong prejudice against the Native American healing traditions makes his writings of limited use, and leads one to to suspect he made use of pronounced exaggerations in some cases when describing these events.  McKenzie adds some interesting intercultural comparisons and slang to his strongly worded opinions.  The title to his one writings defines this aspect of McKenzie’s attitudes:  The King’s Posts and Journal of a Canoe Jaunt through the King’s Domains 1808.  The Saguenay and the Labrador Coast.

M. Francois-Victor Malhiot.  Journal du Fort Kamanaitiquoya a la Riviere Montreal. 1804-1805. [I, 222-263]

Mr. John McDowell.  Some Account of the Red River About 1797.  With extracts from his Journal. 1793-1795. [I, 265-295]

Mr. W.F. Wentzel.  Letters to the Honorable Roderic McKenzie, 1807-1824. [I, 67-153]

Of Norwegian background, Willard-Ferdinald Wentzel joined the North-West Company as an apprentice to the clerk.  He worked in the Athabasca and MacKenzie regions, accompanied by four voyageurs.  He soon after married a Montagnais woman from the Great Bear Lake region, and settled down at the Lake Manitoba Mission.  His “Letter No. 1.” gives the information referred to in this section (see page 80), it was addressed to Rod McKenzie, Esq., and was written at Forts MacKenzie River on March 27th, 1807.  See “Trees and Plants [Wentzel, 1807]” entry for overview on this.

.

Listing of Foods, Medicines, and Healing Rituals Covered:

  • Alcoholic Beverages
  • Bearberry
  • Berries–see Foods, Trees and Plants
  • Beverages–see Alcoholic Beverages
  • Bleeding/Blood-Letting–see “Object or Spirit Intrusion/ Extrusion”
  • Borax–see Water–Mineral Springs
  • Botanicals–see Trees and Plants
  • Child-Bed/Child-birth–see Midwifery
  • Conjuring–see Jongleur, Medicine Bag, and “Object or Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion”
  • Doctors–see Jongleurs
  • Dogs
  • Fish
  • Foods
  • Fruit–see Foods
  • Fungus
  • Great Spirit
  • Jongleurs
  • Jugglers–see Jongleurs
  • L’herbe-a-la-puce [Apocynum sp.?]
  • Liquor–see Alcoholic Beverages
  • Lozenges
  • Laudanum
  • Medicine Bag
  • Medicine Man/Medicine Men
  • Medicine Piece
  • Midwifery
  • Moss
  • Object or Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion
  • Oils/Seed Oils
  • Opium
  • Pine Roots
  • Plants–see Trees and Plants
  • Rhum
  • Roots
  • Rhubarb–see Fungus
  • Scurvy–see Turlington Balsam and Laudanum entries.
  • Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion–see Object or Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion
  • Survival Food–see Moss.
  • Sunflower
  • Tobacco
  • Toothache Remedy–see Opium and Rhum
  • Trees and Plants [P. Grant, 1804]   (entry made as a list)
  • Trees and Plants [G. Keith, 1807-17]  (a list)
  • Trees and Plants [Wentzel, 1807] (a list)
  • Turlington’s Balsam
  • Watap–see Pine Roots
  • Water–Mineral Springs
  • Wild Onion

    • 

Analysis

Solely or Almost Solely of Native Influence and Practice

  • Bleeding/Blood-Letting–see “Object or Spirit Intrusion/ Extrusion”
  • Borax–see Water–Mineral Springs
  • Conjuring–see Jongleur, Medicine Bag, and “Object or Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion”
  • Fungus
  • Great Spirit
  • Jongleurs
  • Jugglers–see Jongleurs
  • Medicine Bag
  • Medicine Man/Medicine Men
  • Medicine Piece
  • Oils/Seed Oils
  • Object or Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion
  • Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion–see Object or Spirit Intrusion/Extrusion
  • Sunflower
  • Survival Food–see Moss.
  • Watap–see Pine Roots
  • Water–Mineral Springs

Of Canadee/Metis/Native Use and Influence

  • Bearberry
  • Berries–see Foods, Trees and Plants
  • Child-Bed/Child-birth–see Midwifery
  • Dogs
  • L’herbe-a-la-puce [Apocynum sp.?]
  • Midwifery (Accouchers)
  • Moss
  • Pine Roots
  • Rhum
  • Roots
  • Wild Onion

Of English/European Influence

  • Bleeding/Blood-Letting–see “Object or Spirit Intrusion/ Extrusion”
  • Borax–see Water–Mineral Springs
  • Liquor–see Alcoholic Beverages
  • Laudanum
  • Opium
  • Scurvy–see Turlington Balsam and Laudanum entries.
  • Turlington’s Balsam

.

Special Note from Mr. James McKenzie’s writings, 1799-1808.

Mr. James McKenzie’s writings, 1799-1808, provide us with an excellent example of English ethnocentricity.  His work is therefore given the priviledge of being covered separately. 

These notes were taken from the following two items which appeared in in Recits de Voyages Lettres et Rapports Ineditis relatifs au Nord-Ouest Canadien. Volume II:

1. Mr. James McKenzie.  Extracts from his Journal. 1799-1800. [II, 369-399]

2. Mr. James McKenzie. The King’s Posts and Journal of a Canoe Jaunt through the King’s Domains, 1808, The Saguenay and the Labrador Coast.  [II, 401-454]

  • In his 1799-1800 writings in the Athabasca District [Fort Chippewean]:
    • McKenzie notes “the effect of the juice of the grape on their brains” p. 378.
    • the baptism of a dying lady, p. 385, Jan 11th, a common practice of religious faith conversion, is noted.
    • McKenzie provides his readers with his insights into explaining the French character–“need for a full belly for them to perform,” the effects of fish on the stomach and kidneys of a Mr. Piche, with “Mollygripes” and the use of eighteen pounds of grease and meat to treat this malady; pp. 395-6.

In his 1808 writings, McKenzie makes comments on spiritual healing traditions:

  • Naskapi Religion and Great Spirit notes, p. 414
  • Conjurors, singing. blowing and sucking behaviors of the Montagners, or Shore Indians: p. 414-5
    • “Their organs are so construed as to absorb every pestilential disease floating in the air.”  McKenzie uses this logic to explain the spread of small pox in 1802 and measles in 1810.  V.D. and Fever are common.  p. 426
    • “The Diseases occasioned by their own filthy and exposed modes of living are colds, jaundice, rheumatisms, consumption, ulcers, and a loathsome disorder which swells them up like bladders and causes nauseous eruptions to grow on the skin, which makes them look scaly…”  See p. 426
    • “When they have a sore throat they fancy a fish in the course of it, and, to get rid of it, they fasten a strip of net round their necks…”  (Example of the invasion of Animal Spirit healing concept, p. 427).