HERB - colds and flu - terminology

[Gaylin Walli]

Suzanna sez:

>I wonder if some of the "plague"s that were not the
>Black Death might have been flu epidemics.

I've actually wondered this myself and was unable to find any evidence
to support it in the research materials I'd found on the black death, to
be honest. But just because I didn't find anything, doesn't mean it isn't
a good theory we have. :)

>Comsumption is considered to
>be TB, but again the term was used in a more general sense for a chronic
>lung condition, and might apply to any long-lasting respiratory problem.

True. In looking more, just to prove to myself that I couldn't find the
word "cold" or "flu" I did come across OOP references to it in Fettiplace.

>If you can find a copy of Gerard's Greate Herball (which Dover reprints,
>though it is expensive) he has an index by disease in the back.

This would be a good place to start, I think, but again we run into
the problem that Thomas Johnson added to and expanded the book
in 1633. I'm thinking about posting the reasons in a separate e-mail
because I think it would help people figure some stuff out about
using Gerard as a reference for A&S and the pitfalls that might
trip them up.

>Because Gerard
>talks about different kinds of ague and has different treatments for some
>of them.  So to some extent I disagree slightly with jasmine's earlier
>comment.

YEAH! You know, this is the kind of thing I enjoy. Someone who's willing
to disagree for a decent reason. Thanks! You've made my day!

>But on the whole, I agree that the approach would have been
>more symptomatic treatment (still what we do today for colds...)

Okay, so did anyone save the period chicken soup reference for
treating the sick? I know we have it in the archives somewhere....

Iasmin

Iasmin de Cordoba, iasmin at home.com
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