[Lewis:]
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 has 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 tried 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
Sinneca snake root used in stead of the mint which was now
employed for the want of the other which is not to be found
in this country.
[16]
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 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 3
d. 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 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 [a] 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.
[17]
this day has proved warmer than
any of the preceeding since we have arrived here.
