People have been eating a lot at Christmas dinner for a very long time, it would seem. In 1824 a book called The Oracle of Health published its version of a remedy for the overstuffed stomach, called Christmas Cleanser for the Stomach, a cure for "Holyday Fevers" in which ...the young patient feels hot and uneasy; the head aching and bad; the mouth parched, clammy, or having a bad taste; and the stomach and bowels all wrong and restless. As all this arises from a mass of pies and puddings, beef and sweet cakes, lying undigested in the stomach and bowels, and producing irritation of the liver and nerves, our first prescription will be a Christmas cleanser for the stomach.
This cleanser consisted of "one scruple of ipecacuan powder" [a very strong emetic] and "one grain of tartarized antimony"* mixed and divided into three doses, to be taken mixed with warm water. If you were not a "young patient," but an adult, you could take all the doses at once, washed down with camomile tea. Then you were to get up and walk around and drink ginger beer, too.
The morning after, you were to follow the Cleanser up with a "Laxative Drought for disordered Stomach," consisting of Epsom salts [a laxative], senna [a purgative or laxative], sugar, lemon peel and ginger, mixed in warm water.
The Oracle stated that all this would "in all probability, remove the undigested pudding, and leave the youth at leisure to prepare for another attack." It would certainly be unpleasant enough to take, to discourage you from overeating ever again!
It was recommended that this part of the Oracle be read aloud to everyone over the family Christmas breakfast, as doing so would save a great deal of time and trouble.
Link to The Oracle of Health is here. The Christmas remedies are on pp 171-2.
*Antimony is the poison that killed Charles Bravo, whose wife Florence was tried for his murder in a famous and sensational English trial, in 1876. See James Ruddick's excellent Death at the Priory (2002) for a detailed treatment of this fascinating case.
Antimony was often taken in pill form in the 19th century, both as a purgative and to alleviate trouble in the bowels. They were called "everlasting pills" because they were taken, passed through the body, and were cleaned and reused.
The Victorian illustration of the Ghost of Christmas Present and Scrooge found at fictionfood.
8 comments:
It was recommended that this part of the Oracle be read aloud to everyone over the family Christmas breakfast, as doing so would save a great deal of time and trouble.
I should think. Took my appetite away, and I haven't eaten all day.
This is a case where the expression 'the cure is worse than the disease' comes to mind. Ugh!
vanilla - Yes, indeed.
Hairball - It would put anyone off, wouldn't it?
Good grief, I read the word "antimony" and was horrified.
Then I read your footnote on it.
And now I'm more horrified than I've ever been before!
Richard - The book will increase your horror, I promise.
The first thing that came to my mind was the Roman practice of having a vomitorium in the house so the feasting could continue all day. *shudders*
This was fascinating. I'd never heard of antimony - and now I have another book to read!
Gargantua - That's an excellent point, hadn't thought of it but that's exactly what this is like.
A Valdese Blogger - If you like historic true crime you will love this book, it is wonderfully written and researched - and what a story!
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