Depletion In 1800s

During the 19th century, many diseases were spread through the South. Diseases in the South included tuberculosis, diphtheria, yellow fever, malaria, cholera, childbirth, and much more. Slaves and slaveowners each had access to various medical remedies on their plantations. In the kitchen, slaves were able to cook herbal remedies to treat illnesses, or plantation owners could go to a nearby shop in order to purchase necessary medicine. Most treatments occurred on the plantation, so the same methods were used on slaves as well as slave owners. The most common method of treating an illness was depletion. Depletion allowed caretakers to drain the body of harmful substances that they believed were the disease or illness inside of the patient (Sullivan 3). Bleeding, sweating, blistering, purging, and vomiting were all methods of depletion that were commonly used yet not always effective. …show more content…
The 1800s were a “period of unreliable and often painful medical treatment” (Johnson) while led to slaveowners and slaves to be wary of their assistance unless necessary. To avoid consulting doctors who charged high fees, “medical care was usually provided by fellow slaves or by slaveholders” (“Treatment of slaves in the United States”), and plantation owners “only rarely [contacted] physicians” (“Treatment of slaves in the United States”). On plantations, slaves prepared and used homemade remedies consisting of “plants, herbs, roots, and non herbal substances” (Sullivan 13) to care for other slaves and their master’s family. If slaves were in need of serious medical care due to illness or disease, large plantations had sick houses in order to treat them. These houses were directed by the plantation’s mistress and female slaves assisted her (Sullivan