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Did Lewis and Clark bring their medicine or did the Native Americans give them it?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
After consulting with Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia, a leading physician of the day, one of the chief medicines were purgative or cleansing tablets known as Dr. Rush's patented pills or "Thunderclappers." The Voyage of Discovery took along 600 of these tablets. Stephen Ambrose wrote in his book "Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the West" that "Dr. Rush thought these pills would cure any number of ills." They were made with calomel (six parts Mercury to one part chlorine) and jalap (think jalapeno pepper, used as a purgative).
The medical supplies, bought in St. Louis, totaled $90.69.
They included: lancets, forceps, tourniquets, clysters (enema) syringes, gonorrhea syringes, Peruvian bark (quinine), calomel, jalap, laudanum/opium, Glauber salts (sodium sulfide, a mild laxative), niter (potassium nitrate/saltpeter, a diuretic), tartar emetic (produces vomiting) and mercurial ointment (mercury/fat to soothe irritations).
The list suggests gastro-intestinal complaints were common and expected. The poor flow of bile was believed to cause many infirmities, including constipation and headaches. Dr. Rush's tablets were anti-bilous tablets.
In addition to pains from the hard labor, the explorers suffered wounds from gunshot, snakebite, scalded feet, dysentery, and other injuries and ailments. Besides internal treatment, they used saltpeter for wounds, using bark to make a poultice. Dr. Rush's advice was often prevantative in scope, advising to wash their feet with cold water, to purge the body, to wear flannel next to the skin and other theories. While the medicines and techniques may sound primitive by today's standards (not to mention ignorant about concerns of mercury poisoning), only one man died on the journey.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoAmong the supplies, Lewis made a concise list of the medicine that was brought along.
Medicine15 lbs. of Best powder's bark
10 lbs. Epsom or Glauber Salts
4 oz. Calomel
12 oz. Opium
1.5 oz. Tartar emetic
8 oz. Borax
4 oz. Powdered Ipecacuana
8 oz. Powder Jalap
8 oz. Powdered Rhubarb
6 Best lancets
2 oz. White vitriol
4 oz. Lacteaum Saturni
4 Pewter Penis syringes
1 Flour of Sulphur
3 Clyster pipes
4 oz. Turlingtons Balsam
2 lbs. Yellow Bascilium
2 Sticks of Symple Diachylon
1 lb. Blistering Ointments
2 lbs. Nitre
2 lbs. Coperas
However, medicine would run out and as they traveled it got harder and harder to find and purchase. In the instance of Sacajawea giving birth to her son, Jean-Baptiste, the medicine that Clark offered wasn't working and it was feared that she would die if the baby did not come out soon. A native then offered a mixture of drink with the tail of a rattle snake, the effectiveness of which Lewis highly doubted, but it proved immediately successful and saved Sacajawea's life.
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How did Native Americans react to Lewis and Clark?
Every tribe but the souix treated them nicley
Were the Native American tribes nice to the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Which Indian tribe their were several. The shoshone were nice because their current chief was Sacagawea's Brother.
Did Jefferson ans Lewis believe that Indians could participate fully and equally in American society If so how If not why not?
what were the native americans consistent with Lewis and clark observations about the shoshone
What two explorers traveled across the Louisiana purchase?
The adventures of Lewis and Clark and, The Dunbar and Hunter Expetition
Where did Lewis and Clark split up?
They split at the mouth of the Medicine River
Why were Lewis and Clark attacked by the Native Americans?
the native americans wanted their guns
What did Lewis and clark learn about the west?
Lewis and Clark learned that not all native Americans are not mean.
What native Americans guide exsplored with Lewis and clark?
Sacagawea
How many Native Americans did Lewis and Clark see?
24
How did Lewis and Clark meet the Native Americans?
Some way
How did the Native Americans help Lewis and Clark?
The Native Americans helped Lewis and Clark by welcoming them, giving them horses, supplies guides and advice on how to travel over the Rocky Mountains on Ancient trails. The Native Americans also gave them food and shelter.
What problems did Lewis and Clark have when meeting the native Americans?
they did not speak there languages
Did Lewis and Clark communicate with the Native Americans?
Yes, Lewis and Clark communicated with many Native American tribes during their expedition. They traded goods, shared information about the land, and sometimes relied on Native American guides to navigate unfamiliar territories. Their interactions were crucial for the success of their expedition.
Who hellped Lewis and clark?
Lewis and Clark were helped on their expedition by a diverse group of individuals, including Native American tribes who provided guidance, assistance, and resources, such as Sacagawea who acted as a translator and guide. Additionally, they had the support of other explorers, hunters, and traders along their journey. They also received guidance from President Thomas Jefferson, who initiated and supported the expedition.
Which group of Native Americans did Lewis and Clark give stuff to?
the nez perce
Information of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Merriwether Lewis and William Clark gained a lot of information on their journey including: - an all water route across the continent is nonexistent. - created a friendship with the native Americans. - discovered that plants could be used as medicine.
Did Lewis and Clark meet any new people on their journey?
Yes, Lewis and Clark encountered several Native American tribes during their journey, such as the Mandan, Shoshone, Nez Perce, and Chinook. They also came into contact with various indigenous peoples who had not previously encountered European Americans.
