TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: Deaths from medicine mishaps must have been frequent in the past according to these epitaphs

Epitaph of a miser:

Here lies one who for medicine would not give

A little gold, and so his life he lost:

I fancy now he’d wish again to live

Could he but guess how much his funeral cost.

——–

From Childwald Churchyard, England:

Here lies me and my three daughters,

Brought here by using seidlitz waters.

If we had stuck to epsom salts,

We wouldn’t have been here in thse vaults.

——–

Here lies the body of Mary Ann Lowder,

Who died while drinking a seidlitz powder,

Called from earth to her hevenly rest,

She should have waited till it effervesced.

Note from Wikipedia: Seidlitz powders have a digestive effect, they should not be confused with ‘Sedlitz water’ (also named for Sedlec), a well-known bitter mineral water which has been used since the 16th century as a digestion regulator and laxative.

Vinegar of the Four Thieves was a recipe that was known for its antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic and antifungal properties for years. It was even used to cure the Bubonic Plague. See Thomas Jefferson’s recipe in VINEGAR OF THE FOUR THIEVES: Recipes & curious tips from the past

About Donna R Causey

Donna R. Causey, resident of Alabama, was a teacher in the public school system for twenty years. When she retired, Donna found time to focus on her lifetime passion for historical writing. She developed the websites www.alabamapioneers and www.daysgoneby.me All her books can be purchased at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. She has authored numerous genealogy books. RIBBON OF LOVE: A Novel Of Colonial America (TAPESTRY OF LOVE) is her first novel in the Tapestry of Love about her family where she uses actual characters, facts, dates and places to create a story about life as it might have happened in colonial Virginia. Faith and Courage: Tapestry of Love (Volume 2) is the second book and the third FreeHearts: A Novel of Colonial America (Book 3 in the Tapestry of Love Series) Discordance: The Cottinghams (Volume 1) is the continuation of the story. . For a complete list of books, visit Donna R Causey