Medicine In The Mountains

Medicine In The Mountains

Even something as tragic as a flu epidemic has its humorous side. . Pauline Bruce’s memories still bring a 4 smile to herface. Her entire family was down with the sickness. As in so many times of disasters, neighbors and friends extended a helping hand. “People were so afraid of the flu that they wouldn’t come in. They’d bring food and leave it on the porch. Going through one basket, my brother and I found what we thought were the biggest oranges we’d ever seen. We peeled one and took a bite. It was so sour, we threw it away, thinking it was bad. We tried another one and it was bad too. We kept looking for a good one.” She laughed. “It was our introduction to grapefruit!”

The flu epidemic marked a milestone in the life of Mattie Ball Fletcher. “Jim Bill (her son, Sperryville attorney James W. Fletcher) was bom in the middle of it. I was going to the hospital but all the beds were full so I stayed at home. I remember that we all thought everybody was going to die.”

Mrs. Fletcher’s family was one of the lucky ones in the county. They escaped from the epidemic unscathed. “We all wore asaphedita, little bags of smelly stuff, around our necks. Everytime my husband coughed, he’d take a whiff of his asaphedita. I don t know what modern medical doctors would say about it,” she added, chuckling. “But it must have done some good because we didn’t get sick.”

The flu epidemic had its angels of mercy. Lyle Rector remembers Conrad Owens, a black man who lived in nearby Orlean. “Everybody was down. They couldn’t take care of themselves. Conrad went from house to house, bringing food, chopping wood, feeding stock, hauling water and tending the sick. He would put a thin slice of onion on his tongue before he’d go in anywhere folks had the flu. He never did catch it,” Mr. Rector said, shaking his head in amazement.

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