Page 12 - Pharmacy History 31 Mar 2007

Treatment at the change of life
Denis Worthen
At first, sufficient blood should be taken from a plethoric [containing excessive blood] woman to make a decided impression on the system... In such cases it would be judicious to bleed before the accustomed monthly occurrence... When prejudice interferes with bleeding, a few leeches behind each ear, or cupping at the nape of the neck or between the shoulders may be resorted to.
In the mid-1800s, menopausal women faced a different medical system and materia medica than those of today. Menopause was often thought of as a disease or condition that needed to be treated rather than as a healthy progression of aging. Many symptoms of menopause
were thought to be caused by the accumulation of body fluids that were no longer being expelled and that should somehow be removed by means of bleeding and purgatives.
Treatments for female
complaints
In addition to bleeding, treatments for menopausal symptoms included the use of steam baths, acidulated
and effervescing drinks, and small doses of nitre (saltpeter) and borax. A treatment for hot cheeks included a steam douche used two or three times a day or the application of a flush powder with a powder puff. Nitre and borax, which were classified as refrigerants, were reputed to lower the force of blood circulation and thereby reduce body heat. In addition,
borax was used as an emmenagogue, a treatment thought to promote menstrual discharge. Emmenagogues were widely used as an antihysteric treatment for hypochondriasis in women suffering from the vapors or melancholy.
The Eclectics and other American practitioners of botanicomedical movements were opposed to the heroic methods of bloodletting and the use of chemical purgatives such as mercury. Instead, they focused on the use of botanicals that were thought to be gentler medications but just as effective as more harsh remedies.
One of the early botanicals used to treat the diseases of women was black cohosh (Cimicifuga rarcemosa). This native American plant had a growing range that extended over much
of the area east of the Mississippi River. In 1801, Benjamin Smith Barton mentioned its medical use
by American natives who also called it squawroot and used it to treat women’s diseases. Dr John King,
a Cincinnati eclectic physician, is credited with promoting the use
of black cohosh to the medical profession when few were aware of its therapeutic effects.’
By the late 1800s, indications for
the use of black cohosh were many and varied. It was recognised as
an astringent, was useful in the treatment of rheumatism, and continued to be a popular treatment for female problems. It was used to treat almost all uterine afflictions
such as amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea because it was thought to restore suppressed menses.
It could also be substituted for ergot to accelerate parturition because it caused normal, intermittent uterine contractions.
A number of pharmaceutical preparations of black cohosh were used, from simple decoctions that could be prepared at home to more complex tinctures and extracts King himself preferred the concentrated resin of black cohosh and used
it liberally to treat “intermittent fever, periodic diseases, leucorrhea [sic], menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, sterility, rheumatism, scrofula, and prolapsus uteri not accompanied with an inflammatory condition of that organ or its ligaments. It has also been used with success in gleet, gonorrhea, etc.
The movement of self-care for the 19th- Century woman
Pour the boiling water over black cohosh root that has been powdered or bruised and let the mixture digest for two hours. When it has cooled, transfer the mixture to the storage bottle and add the alcohol. Let the mixture stand for three days, shake it frequently, and then filter it for use. In the last half of the 19th century, many women chose to take their health care into their own hands.
A number of proprietary formulas could be purchased from a druggist, a general merchant, or a manufacturer of medications. Such proprietary products offered less heroic options than bleedings.
12 ■ Pharmacy History Australia
volume 3 ■ no 31 ■ MARCH 2007