In an age where we have come to expect quick and efficient access to medical facilities and professionals, it must be remembered that in less than five generations preceding us, this was a luxury that few ever enjoyed.
In Raleigh, many people were responsible for their own health and, more importantly, attaining the means with which to heal themselves when afflicted with an illness or a disease.
One such person, who was known for her abilities to heal, was one Harriet Lane.
Her grandfather was Joel Lane, who is know as the father of both Wake Co. and the city of Raleigh itself, and her father was Henry Lane, who was the first owner of Raleigh Mordecai (pronouced Mor-di-key) House.
The then humble two and a half room sized home, and the entire plantation and the slaves who worked it, relied on her to help maintain their health and welfare.
An excellent nurse, she excelled in sewing and dressing wounds, mixing conserves, salves, and other concoctions to help someone return to work in the field, which may or may not had been a blessing for the slave in question.
Harriet was one of many people in Raleigh, who served as a middle man doctor, for those who needed immediate treatment and there was not a doctor nearby to help them.
Other members of the populace even kept journals of recipes, or tomes of information to help in their efforts to remain in good health, when even childhood illnesses could strike down a fully grown adult.
Source:
Murray, Elizabeth Reid, “Wake: Capital County of North Carolina”, Vol. 1, (Capital County Publishing Company, Raleigh, NC) 1983, pg. 440-441
Comments