Wayne Bethard

I read this for the sake of writing research. I found it to be somewhat useful yet disappointing. This book really seeks to fill a big void: medicine practices in the American pioneer. It's easy to find books on modern medicines and poisons, but there's a lot less on the period of the famed snake oil salesmen and curative mineral springs. The book's strongest section is the "Folk Medica Materia," where it alphabetically lists medicines and herbs (including things like dirt and cow manure, as they were utilized as well). It makes for fascinating reading. The color section in the middle is great and I love the use of period newspaper ads throughout.

However, a big chunk of the book is unfocused. Bethard has the voice of a storyteller--which is fine--but he goes off on tangents that are far too modern to be useful. Many of the remedies mentioned in the first section are not elaborated on in the Medica Materia or the index. If I didn't jot down notes as I read, I would have to skim the full book to find the data again. Overall it felt like the book needed stronger editing. It's not overflowing with typos but I did notice that "moot" was spelled "mute" twice.

Another major point is that the book is not marketed quite right. Its subtitle is "Frontier Medicine in the American West." In truth, it's mostly about Texas. The local history and plants mentioned also emphasize Texas. Bethard is speaking of his home, and he's obviously knowledgeable about it, but I was left frustrated. I bought the book because I wanted information on the full west, especially California. It didn't deliver.

I will keep this on my shelf because it does have some useful data, but I'll continue to look for a more complete resource.… (mais)

While reading "Lotions, Potions, and Deadly Elixirs" by Wayne Bethard, I got a good feel for what it must have been like in the old days of the American West; even Bethard's sometimes "down-home" language enhanced that. Sure, sometimes I rolled my eyes at his jokes (such as his double-meaning for "cowpoke") but the book might have been too dry otherwise. The various photos of medicine, advertisements, and equipment were interesting.

I learned some things that were new to me -- such as borate deposits being mined in Death Valley (starting in 1872), using twenty-mule team wagons to haul out the product -- thus the best-know brand name for Borax. It was used for medicinal purposes, not just laundry.

Don't expect this book to be a high-brow reference book; instead expect to learn some things while being entertained in the process (in spite of it being overall rough around the edges).… (mais)

A history of western frontier medicine that includes the uses of multiple chemicals, plants and herbs. It also covers their methods of preparation and administration. The section titled Frontier and Pioneer Drugs: A Folk Materica Medica is an alphabetical listing of the medical properties of plants that would be a good reference for anyone interested in herbal medicine. As a nurse I was particularly interested in the way medications were formed into tablets and suppositories during frontier times. Also, I like when a book teaches me something I probably wouldn't have learned anywhere else. For instance, the process of making turpentine.
The book is good but a little disorganized and the use of hokey old-boy humor is distracting.… (mais)