tales-of-Fogo-Island

There were also special remedies for boils or infections at the surface of theskin. Mrs. Audrey Nippard recalls how her grandmother used a specialpoultice for curing boils.Grandmother had a recipe for curing boils. She would use about 1/8 of abar of sunlight soap, mixed with two tablespoons of molasses and twotablespoons of flour. She would put this mixture on a piece of gauze andapply it to the boil. Sometimes a couple of poultices were needed.Another popular remedy for boils was the 'hot bottle'. A bottle would be filledwith boiling water and then emptied. Then the mouth of the bottle would beplaced over the boil. As the bottle cooled the core of the boil was drawn out.Mrs. Mora Osmond recalls that a whole nutmeg would be worn around theneck as a cure for boils. Mr. Arthur Ludlow remembers how the old peoplewould steep out the blackberry trees to make blackberry tea. Most peoplebelieved that boils were caused by 'dirty blood'.Headaches were also treated many different ways. Sometimes a headachesufferer would wear a white bandana around their head. Sometimes theywould also have a sniff of 'Minard's Liniment'. Some people grew 'vinegarplants'. The leaves of this plant would be collected and placed on a person'shead. Wrapping the head in vinegar and brown paper was also a favoriteremedy.Several remedies were used to treat a sore throat. A spoonful of Friar'sBalsam mixed with a half teaspoon of sugar was considered the ideal answer.This was a gritty syrup that 'hit the spot'. Some people believed that relief froma sore throat could be found by wearing a sock around the neck. However,there was a catch to this cure - the sock had to be from the left foot and it hadto be worn recently.Coughs due to colds were often treated with goose grease. The people wouldcollect the fat from a cooked goose. This would be drained and kept forrubbing onto the chest. If young children and babies had a cough, they wouldbe rubbed with this grease or camphorated oil. Then, a red flannel cloth wouldbe placed on their chest.A mixture of boiled kerosene, molasses and sugar was also a popular homeremedy for coughs. The patient would take several teaspoons of this mixture,two or three times each day. Some people mixed kerosene and cod or oliveoil.