Lewis: May 24, 1806
At camp near the Nez Perce, the captains tended to several patients. Sacagawea's child remained feverish with a swollen jaw and neck, treated with cream of tartar and an onion poultice. Hunters were sent toward the quamash fields. To treat William Bratton's persistent weakness, John Shields built a steam sweat lodge in a pit; after the treatment Bratton reported feeling nearly free of pain. A paralyzed Nez Perce chief arrived seeking help and was given laudanum and soup. Four men traded homemade awls for roots and bread. The day was the warmest yet.
Saturday May 24th 1806. The child was very wrestless last night; it’s jaw
and the back of it’s neck are much more swolen than they were yesterday
tho his fever has abated considerably. we gave it a doze of creem of
tartar and applyed a fresh poltice of onions. we ordered some of the
hunters out this morning and directed them to pass Collins’s creek if
possible and hunt towards the quawmash feilds. William Bratton still
continues very unwell; he eats heartily digests his food well, and his
recovered his flesh almost perfectly yet is so weak in the loins that he
is scarcely able to walk nor can he set upwright but with the greatest
pain. we have tryed every remidy which our engenuity could devise, or with
which our stock of medicines furnished us, without effect. John Sheilds
observed that he had seen men in a similar situation restored by violent
sweats. Bratton requested that he might be sweated in the manner proposed
by Sheilds to which we consented. Sheilds sunk a circular hole of 3 feet
diamiter and four feet deep in the earth. he kindled a large fire in the
hole and heated well, after which the fire was taken out a seat placed in
the center of the hole for the patient with a board at bottom for his feet
to rest on; some hoops of willow poles were bent in an arch crossing each
other over the hole, on these several blankets were thrown forming a
secure and thick orning of about 3 feet high. the patient being striped
naked was seated under this orning in the hole and the blankets well
secured on every side. the patient was furnished with a vessell of water
which he sprinkles on the bottom and sides of the hole and by that means
creates as much steam or vapor as he could possibly bear, in this
situation he was kept about 20 minutes after which he was taken out and
suddonly plunged in cold water twise and was then immediately returned to
the sweat hole where he was continued three quarters of an hour longer
then taken out covered up in several blankets and suffered to cool
gradually. during the time of his being in the sweat hole, he drank
copious draughts of a strong tea of horse mint. Sheilds says that he had
previously seen the tea of Sinnecca snake root used in stead of the mint
which was now employed for the want of the other which is not be found in
this country.this experiment was made yesterday; Bratton feels
himself much better and is walking about today and says he is nearly free
from pain.at 11 A.M. a canoe arrived with 3 of the natives one of
them the sick man of whom I have before made mentions as having lost the
power of his limbs. he is a cheif of considerable note among them and they
seem extreemly anxious for his recovery. as he complains of no pain in any
particular part we conceive it cannot be the rheumatism, nor do we suppose
that it can be a parelitic attack or his limbs would have been more
deminished. we have supposed that it was some disorder which owed it’s
origine to a diet of particular roots perhaps and such as we have never
before witnessed. while at the village of the broken arm we had
recommended a diet of fish or flesh for this man and the cold bath every
morning. we had also given him a few dozes of creem of tarter and flour of
sulpher to be repeated every 3rd day. this poor wretch thinks that he
feels himself of somewhat better but to me there appears to be no visible
alteration. we are at a loss what to do for this unfortunate man. we gave
him a few drops of Laudanum and a little portable soup. 4 of our party
pased the river and visited the lodge of the broken Arm for the purpose of
traiding some awls which they had made of the links of small chain
belonging to one of their steel traps, for some roots. they returned in
the evening having been very successfull, they had obtained a good supply
of roots and bread of cows.this day has proved warmer than any of
the preceeding since we have arrived here.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Saturday May 24th 1806. The child was very restless last night; its jaw and the back of its neck are much more swollen than they were yesterday, though his fever has abated considerably. We gave it a dose of cream of tartar and applied a fresh poultice of onions. We ordered some of the hunters out this morning and directed them to pass Collins's Creek if possible and hunt towards the quamash fields. William Bratton still continues very unwell; he eats heartily, digests his food well, and has recovered his flesh almost perfectly, yet is so weak in the loins that he is scarcely able to walk, nor can he sit upright but with the greatest pain. We have tried every remedy which our ingenuity could devise, or with which our stock of medicines furnished us, without effect. John Shields observed that he had seen men in a similar situation restored by violent sweats. Bratton requested that he might be sweated in the manner proposed by Shields, to which we consented.
Shields sunk a circular hole of 3 feet diameter and four feet deep in the earth. He kindled a large fire in the hole and heated it well, after which the fire was taken out and a seat placed in the center of the hole for the patient, with a board at bottom for his feet to rest on. Some hoops of willow poles were bent in an arch crossing each other over the hole, and on these several blankets were thrown, forming a secure and thick awning of about 3 feet high. The patient, being stripped naked, was seated under this awning in the hole and the blankets well secured on every side. The patient was furnished with a vessel of water which he sprinkled on the bottom and sides of the hole, and by that means created as much steam or vapor as he could possibly bear. In this situation he was kept about 20 minutes, after which he was taken out and suddenly plunged in cold water twice, and was then immediately returned to the sweat hole, where he was continued three quarters of an hour longer, then taken out, covered up in several blankets, and suffered to cool gradually. During the time of his being in the sweat hole, he drank copious draughts of a strong tea of horse mint. Shields says that he had previously seen the tea of Seneca snake root used instead of the mint, which was now employed for want of the other, which is not to be found in this country. This experiment was made yesterday; Bratton feels himself much better and is walking about today, and says he is nearly free from pain.
At 11 A.M. a canoe arrived with 3 of the natives, one of them the sick man of whom I have before made mention as having lost the power of his limbs. He is a chief of considerable note among them, and they seem extremely anxious for his recovery. As he complains of no pain in any particular part, we conceive it cannot be the rheumatism, nor do we suppose that it can be a paralytic attack, or his limbs would have been more diminished. We have supposed that it was some disorder which owed its origin to a diet of particular roots perhaps, and such as we have never before witnessed. While at the village of the Broken Arm, we had recommended a diet of fish or flesh for this man and the cold bath every morning. We had also given him a few doses of cream of tartar and flour of sulphur to be repeated every 3rd day. This poor wretch thinks that he feels himself somewhat better, but to me there appears to be no visible alteration. We are at a loss what to do for this unfortunate man. We gave him a few drops of laudanum and a little portable soup.
4 of our party passed the river and visited the lodge of the Broken Arm for the purpose of trading some awls which they had made of the links of small chain belonging to one of their steel traps, for some roots. They returned in the evening having been very successful; they had obtained a good supply of roots and bread of cows. This day has proved warmer than any of the preceding since we have arrived here.
This modernization is AI-generated for accessibility. The original above is the authoritative version.
Entities mentioned in this entry
Auto-extracted from the entry text. Hover any entity for context.
