Every Springtime children were dosed with a spoonful of Brimstone and Treacle - for a general clean out, it is said.
A small bag containing a little block of camphor was worn around children's necks all winter. This was to ward off colds which could easily turn to pleurisy which could be fatal. Syrup of Figs was often a Friday night dose.
Three cures for warts :-
1. Dandelion stalk milk squeezed onto the wart
2. Dab the wart with mustard
3. Rub the wart with a piece of beef then bury the meat. As the meat rotted away so would the wart.
A spider's web on a cut was used to stop bleeding.
To cure a sore throat wrap an old sock round the neck.
For a really bad cold a boiled onion placed in a sock and worn on the feet would chase the cold away. Boiled onions at bedtime was also a cure. Making syrup from elderberries with some peppermint was grand for bringing down a fever.
Cumfrey leaves from the hedgerow were very good for wrapping over sprains.
Broken limbs were just fastened up with wooden splints as plaster casts had not then been devised. This meant that patients suffering a broken limb were often immobile. Cumfrey leaves were used in easing strains and sprains.