By current definition, this title conjures up images of scientists in a laboratory experimenting with reactive materials. Dictionaries of the period, however, list chemist as synonymous with apothecary, druggist, pharmacist, dispenser of prescribed medicines and even alchemist, which has less positive connotations.
Today those terms bring to mind someone counting pills and providing patients with substances according to doctors' orders. By contrast, a chemist in the 1850's not only dispensed medication, but in many cases diagnosed ailments and prescribed treatment. Traditionally, one learned the trade by apprenticeship, making it logical that John was his father's apprentice.
It is interesting to note that although there were private pharmacy programs of study as early at 1821, the first pharmacy program in a public institution in the United States originated in the late 1860's, after Henry and John's arrival.
Popular pharmaceuticals of the day were unregulated and were advertised widely with amazing claims:
Since the McCracken's settled near Mendon, Utah, for a time, the following list of pharmaceuticals available at Hughes Apothecary in Mendon gives us a good glimpse of the remedies familiar to Henry and John and those most commonly used by the average family:
- Aloes: Tea made from leaves was taken in small doses as a laxative and remedy for hemorrhoids.
- Beets: Juice was drunk as a cure for kidney stones.
- Camphor and Olive Oil: To relieve croup, a child's chest was rubbed with a mixture of these ingredients and then the salve covered with a square of flannel.
- Carrots: A poultice was applied to boils to draw out the infection.
- Catnip: Tea was given to babies with colic or colds.
- Clover Blossoms: Tea enriched the blood.
- Dogwood or Boxwood: Tea made from the bark was drunk as a tonic and stimulant.
- Elm Bark: Combined with yeast, crushed elm bark was used as an antiseptic and a poultice for ulcers, especially when there was danger of gangrene.
- Flaxseed: Tea steeped from flaxseed was drunk for colds. If the patient was suffering from pneumonia, flaxseed could be made into a poultice and applied to the chest.
- Ginger: A half teaspoonful in warm water was given to relieve colds or stomach pains.
- Hope: This herb was mixed with whiskey and stuffed into a small, cloth bag, which was then placed under a patient's pillow to induce sleep.
- Horehound: Tea was drunk to relieve the symptoms of a cold.
- Lobelia: This was used to induce vomiting. When mixed with egg, vinegar, and sugar, the concoction could be given to a child as an expectorant.
- Marshmallow Weed: A poultice made of this weed was heated before applying it to skin infections. A tea steeped from marshmallow weed was drunk for urinary complaints.
- Mustard: One or two teaspoons of powdered mustard mixed in a glass of warm water was used as an emetic in case of poisoning.
- Olive Oil: This was applied to poison-ivy rash or bee stings.
- Onions: Chopped onions placed in a sick room prevented smallpox or other contagious disease from spreading to other members of the household.
- Peach Tree Leaves: Tea was used as a sedative, thus controlling nausea and vomiting.
- Peppermint: Tea was given to babies with colic or colds.
- Rabbit Brush or Tea Weed: A tea made of this herb was drunk to relieve the pain of rheumatism.
- Rhubarb: Stewed and sweetened, rhubarb was eaten to relieve constipation.
- Sage: Tea was used to relieve an upset stomach. It could also be mashed in a tea- spoonful of olive oil and swallowed as a cure for intestinal worms.
- Sagebrush: With a bit of whisky added as a preservative, tea made of wild sagebrush was drunk as a tonic. Made into hot packs, it was applied to bruises and abrasions.
- Salt: One-fourth to one-half a teaspoon of salt was dissolved in a cup of water. This mixture was to be taken in the morning, before breakfast, to eliminate intestinal worms.
- Sulfur: A salve made of sulfur mixed with lard or butter was used for "the itch" or ringworm.
- Sulfur and Molasses: This mixture was taken as a spring tonic.
- Tansy: Tea was drunk by women with irregular menstruation.
- Verbine: Tea was used to cause the patient to perspire.
- Wormwood: The wormwood was steeped in a large amount of water, then simmered for an extended period of time. A small amount of brandy was added to a cup of this tea before giving it to the patient as a treatment for mountain fever.
- Yarrow: Tea was a remedy for colds.
