Dysentery Dissertations - Let's Play (And Learn About!) Oregon Trail 5

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Dysentery Dissertations - Let's Play (And Learn About!) Oregon Trail 5

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Kind of belated, but Indpendence Rock was called Independence Rock because trail talk said you had to by July 4th if you wanted to get through the mountains before the snows.

# ¿ May 20, 2019 01:44

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 17:30

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Poil posted:

But that might lure them into believing settlers are in any way trustworthy.

As was pointed out, at this period of time along the trail, most settler-native interactions were positive. It was mostly migrant families passing through who were willing to trade and weren't particularly threatening. It wasnt until you started to see widespread settlement on native lands or areas adjacent to native lands that there started to be tensions, and even then, especially early on, most interactions were positive.

# ¿ May 20, 2019 17:23

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Vavrek posted:

What's Saleratus?

It's another name for potassium bicarbonate, which was used until people switched to sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda, in other words.

# ¿ May 24, 2019 11:32

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Wyatt Earp, of OK Corral fame, spent his last years as a consultant in Hollywood on Western movies, and trying to get a movie of his life made.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, of Little House fame, lived long enough to watch Elvis Presley on Ed Sullivan. Her daughter lived long enough to write pro-Vietnam war articles.

John Tyler, President of the US who was born in 1790, has two living grandsons.

The past isn't always as long ago as you think.

# ¿ May 24, 2019 22:08

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Cutoff!. Nothing could go wrong.

# ¿ May 27, 2019 22:43

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

I mean, laudanum is just basically opium mixed with booze, so it would make him tired, which would be bad, because if I know anything about medicine, and I don't, I've always heard you don't want to let somebody with a concussion fall asleep. Keep him very active.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2019 04:55

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Good news. I've found Gunn's New Domestic Physician, a home medical book from 1859, so a little anachronistic, but let's see.

quote:

Concussion of the Brain. In Concussion of the Brain, caused by blows to the head or falling with the head upon a hard surface, causing stupor, insensitivity and perhaps vomiting, bleeding of the nose, etc., give active cathartic and purgative injections with cooling applications to the head, bathe the feet in warm water and then apply mustard to them, the shoulders, and the stomach. Do not bleed the patient.

So there you go. Btw, Gunn appears to have been really a fan of soaking ones feet.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2019 05:26

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Immobilize the joint Then bathe his feet in warm water.

But lets see what Dr. Gunn says:

quote:

Sprains. � A sprain, technically called subluxation or partial dislocation, is an injury of a joint � most commonly that of the wrist or ankle. Though not really a dislocation, it is often more painful and troublesome, requiring longer time to recover from, than a dislocation or fracture. A sprain is caused by a severe twist or straining of the joint in any direction farther than its natural range of motion, thus stretching and sometimes tearing or bruising the ligaments, and the surrounding soft parts, or muscles, and in bad cases, of the capsular ligament itself.

Treatment : The first indication is to allay inflammation. If there is much swelling, frequent applications of warm water should be made, with bandages, or the hot fomentation of bitter herbs. A warm poultice of wheat-bran and hops, with a little vinegar, is very good. After thus reducing the inflammation and swelling somewhat, an excellent application is the leaves of wormwood and hops simmered in vinegar, with say a tablespoonful of salt to a pint of the liquid, and applied, warm or cold, by means of flannel bandages. Follow this treatment with the application of any good stimulating and relaxing liniment, such as the Rheumatic Liniment, California Liniment, or Eclectic or Arnica Liniment, as mentioned in the Recipe Department of this work.

Also, the section on Cholera is about 12 pages, so I'm not copying it, but basically, for treatment, he says there are a number of treatments that can work sometimes. The main danger, he points out is diarrhea, and he has a number of potential treatments. A mixture with gum arabic can work. So can ground red pepper and salt in water. A Dutch doctor recommends sulphur. A mixture of spirits of camphor, spirits of turpentine and laudanum can work. Some recommend chloroform. Others, lead acetate. An army doctor recommends a gruel made from corn meal, along with a lot of water and ice. Ultimately, though, there's no one established treatment. Just try to keep them warm, hydrated, and treat the diarrhea, and they'll either die or recover.

BTW, disclaimer from me, even though I think everybody is smart enough to know this. Don't try the treatments in this book. See a real doctor. Especially don't eat lead acetate or drink turpentine or camphor. They will kill you. You want to drink a mixture of salt and red pepper in water, though, knock yourself out. It probably won't do much for your cholera.

Epicurius fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Jun 7, 2019

# ¿ Jun 7, 2019 04:50

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Kind of late, but lets see what Dr. Gunn recommends to treat pneumonia. (It includes more foot soaking, and also a bunch of vomiting)

quote:

Treatment. � The treatment in all cases of inflammation of the lungs, should consist mainly in emetics, diaphoretics, (or sweating medicines), expectorants, with external means for aiding perspira tion and the equal distribution of the blood ; and in case the tongue becomes coated, dark, brown, or yellow, cathartics that act on the liver. I lay down the following as a proper course to be pursued in a bad case ; which can be varied according to circumstances.

First, you may commence by letting the patient sit for half an hour, with his feet and legs in warm water, and drink some warm sweating teas, as the Composition powder, with a little powdered Blood root added, or Pennyroyal and Sage. In the mean time, boil in a large pot or kettle, a quantity of bitter herbs, as Hoarhound, Tansy, Hops, Boneset, Smartweed, Horsemint, and Peach leaves, a handful of each, or of as many as you can get. Then take the vessel from the fire, strip the patient, and seat him over it, with a blanket thrown round his shoulders, and allowed to fall to the floor around him, and outside of the chair, so as to confine the steam arising from the herbs and hot water in the vessel, and at the same time allow it to come in contact with his body as high as his neck. Continue this for half an hour, occasionally throwing into the vessel a hot brick or rock, to raise the steam ; wet the face and head with cold water, if the patient feels faint, and let him continue supping a little of the warm teas.

Next wipe him off quick and put him in bed, and give immediately a thorough emetic, composed of equal parts powdered Lobelia seed, Blood root and Ipecac. Take a large tablespoonful of the compound, and pour on it a pint of hot water, stir, and let stand fifteen minutes, and then commence giving it in half a teacupful every five to ten minutes, until the patient has vomited thoroughly, three or four times. During the intervals between vomiting, let him drink freely of Pennyroyal, Sage, Composition, or Boneset tea.

After the emetic is through with, place hot bricks, or boiled corn in the cars, about the patient in bed, keep him well covered, continue the warm tea occasionally, with, a very little of the emetic infusion dded, so as to keep the stomach slightly nauseated, and let him sweat. After continuing this for three hours, and the patient has sweat pretty well, he may be wiped dry and furnished with dry linen, and allowed to rest or sleep.

A large mustard draft may then be placed over the chest and region of the lungs, and kept on as long as the patient can bear it � an hour if possible ; and he should commence taking in broken doses, some suitable expectorant and diaphoretic. You can probably find nothing better than the same emetic infusion which I have recommended given in from a half to a tablespoonful, according to the strength of it. Or the same articles may be given in powder, in doses of live to eight, or ten grains, repeated every hour. Or the tinctures of Lobelia and Blood root, and wine of Ipecac, equal parts, may be given in teaspoonful doses, once an hour. Or the Expectorant Tincture, made of pulverized Lobelia seed, and Blood root, each one oz. ; Ipecac two
oz.; Cayenne one half oz. ; Whisky or dilute alcohol, one quart,� digest one or two weeks; of this, a teaspoonful every hour.

The emetics are to be repeated once in twenty-four hours ; and it may be well to repeat the steaming over bitter herbs as often, or employ the common vapor or steam bath.

At first the tongue will be coated with a white fur; but if it changes to dark brown or yellowish, a cathartic must be given, such as will act on the liver and secretions. The Anti-bilious Physic and powdered Mandrake will be suitable, or three or four pills made of extract Mandrake root, and powdered Blood root and Cayenne. This is one of the best liver and anti-bilious pills in the world, and good wherever an efficient and speedy cathartic is needed. Give three or four of these pills, and repeat in six hours, if they do not operateThe bowels should br kept in a lax state by giving one of these pills or a small quantity of the powder of Mandrake and Blood root every night or morning, so as to gently act on the liver. The Podophyllin may be used instead of the Mandrake.

Continue the expectorants all the while, night and day, if the case is a bad one.

Should the disease assume any thing of a periodical nature, be intermittent, like the ague, or intermittent fever, quinine should be given. You may combine it with the expectorant, or give it in any other way, so as to give during one day about twelve grains, after which omit it, for several days, or entirely, if not indicated any more.

It may be well occasionally to apply a fomentation of herbs, on the chest and lungs, as warm as can be borne, such as Hoarhound Catnip, Tansy, and the like ; and also repeat the mustard draft ones a day. But rely mainly upon emetics, nauseating expectorants, and sweating. The Skunk Cabbage (root) is also a good expectorant in this disease, and may be combined with the other articles, in either powder, tincture, or infusion.

I've come to the conclusion that Dr. Gunn's medical philosophy is, "If the patient can survive the treatment, he'll survive pretty much anything."

# ¿ Jun 14, 2019 05:00

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

lofi posted:

I don't get how you get from 'lungs are hosed up' to 'make them vom constantly'. Like, he knows lungs and stomach are seperate things, right?

He knows that pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs. I think, from the other times he's talking about emetics is that he figures that the mechanism of vomiting has the secondary effect of loosening up mucus. Talking about treatment of tuberculosis, he says, "The mucus membrane, lining the bronchial surfaces, is the primary seat of tuberculous deposits, and this is the reason why emetics are of great benefit in removing them." He also recommends it for asthma, croup, and whooping cough, so it's clear that he thinks emetics have a positive value in treating diseases of the lung.

# ¿ Jun 14, 2019 11:45

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Wait about 8 years. Eventually, you'll come across a guy named James Brown and his really big family...13 wives, 28 kids. They'll settle down and build a farm. Eventually, a bunch of other people will settle nearby, and they'll name the community Brownsville, but then they'll change the name to Ogden. Now you have a choice to make. If you're ok settling down in Utah with the Mormons, then you're all set.

Otherwise, if you're committed to getting to Oregon, you have to wait longer, another 11 years. At that point, the transcontinental railroad will be built, and good news, it'll stop in Ogden. That'll get you to San Francisco. At this point, your best bet is probably a boat from San Francisco to Astoria, and congratulations, you're in Oregon.

Otherwise, take a 3 day break, and if river conditions haven't gotten worse, ford the river

# ¿ Jun 20, 2019 04:29

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

I'm pretty sure "see who's around" is a free action and doeant take up time. The people you talk to just tell you something about your location, their loves, or day to day stuff about taking the trail.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2019 22:17

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Regarding the story of Captain Jed and the Montgomery children, and a little piece of history the game doesn't talk about and that Oregon isn't particularly proud of anymore, to quote the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...m=.74152bf0eb85

quote:

In 1848, the territorial government passed a law making it illegal for any �Negro or Mullatto� to live in Oregon Country. In 1850, under the Oregon Donation Land Act, �whites and half breed Indians� were granted 650 acres of land from the government. But any other person of color was excluded from claiming land in Oregon. In 1851, Jacob Vanderpool, the black owner of a saloon, restaurant and boarding home, was actually expelled from Oregon territory.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2019 03:50

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# ¿ May 14, 2024 17:30

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Wait, your friends in the 80s didn't believe the United States had automobiles?

# ¿ Jun 30, 2019 02:16

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Dysentery Dissertations - Let's Play (And Learn About!) Oregon Trail 5