Howdy from Samantha !!
When I started writing my novels, I never thought I'd end up writing as so many different people. In my newest book, Rachel’s Ransom, I had to write as a cowboy, soldier, nurse, sheriff and doctor. In just ONE book!
I learn something new with every book.
With western novels there is all kinds of research, especially if you have your characters doing more than just sitting around looking at each other. When I’m writing, I come up with all kinds of questions. Nothing can be simple. One of my characters is always getting beaten up or shot and in need of a doctor. After all, writing about a doctor in the 1800's, what trouble could that bring about?
In Rachel's Ransom, of course, I needed a doctor. And, when you're writing the book, you have to know all of those fancy medical terms. When Max, from Rachel's Ransom, ends up getting hurt and is at Doc's office, then came the fun of figuring out how to make him better.
I won't tell you what happened as I don't want to ruin the enjoyment of reading the book. My initial thought was that he needed some antibiotics. I rubbed my chin and wondered … did they have antibiotics in 1870? Much to my dismay, they didn't, so that sent me on a wild goose chase. I had to find something that could help Max get well faster.
Amazon Link for Rachels Ransom
Being a good western buff, the first thing that came to mind was, ‘ask the Indians.’ After all, that's what Jane Seymour, who played "Medicine Woman" in the 1990's television show, would have done. If you don't remember the show, you must not have ever seen Sully. My cousin wanted me to remind you that he was the star of the show for us ladies. :)
My character, Rachel, was from South Carolina. So, I started looking for an Indian tribe from that area, and sure enough, I found one. Rachel was a nurse during the Civil War, and the Catawba Indians played a small role in the war. I figured they would be a good fit. If you want to read more about the tribe, check them out here on Wikipedia and Here.
On with the story. Rachel, using her knowledge that she learned from the Catawba tribe, began to look for two things that would help Max with the pain and fever. The first was called Willow. Willow can be used as an anti-inflammatory pain reliever for aches and pains. So, she had to go looking for a willow tree, and of course, she found several.
In 1763, there was a report detailing 5 years of experiments on the use of dried, powdered willow bark in lowering fevers. By 1828, Joseph Buchner, at Munich University in Germany, was extracting the active ingredient from willow creating a bitter tasting yellow crystal that he called salicin. I decided to go with a tea made out of the bark to help Max with his fever. You can read a lot more about the uses of Willow in general at this site. Here.
The next item on the list was something for pain. I'm sure once the fever was gone, and the willow was helping to fight down the infection, that some of the pain would leave. But, we needed something to work a little faster so I found the echinacea flower. It's very pretty, as you can see below, and thankfully, one of the places it grows is Missouri. Again, no spoilers here, but Max and Rachel do spend some time in a couple of towns in Missouri.
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