In 1831, Prudence Smith authored a household guide titled Modern American Cookery, with a List of Family Medical Receipts and a Valuable Miscellany. As the title suggests it was primarily a book of recipes, followed by a short chapter containing homespun medical treatments and preventatives.

Many of these were herbal treatments and concoctions typical for their time. Some were more unusual and drew on frontier remedies. For example, for a bed-wetting child, Miss Smith recommends:

“..regular serves [of] rat legs, fried until crisp, served hot or cold.”

And to strength the teeth and gums of a baby or infant, rub them with:

“..the rattle taken whole from a rattlesnake [or] the fresh brains of a rabbit.”

Source: Miss Prudence Smith, Modern American Cookery &c., 1831. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.