The Unlikely Remedy for the Smallpox Outbreak

Saltpetre was accidentally discovered to be a specific for this loathsome disease. A middle-aged lady, the mother of six children, had often sought relief from a pain in the back by taking saltpetre and brandy. When smallpox was prevailing in the city, she was exposed to it and contracted the disease. Symptoms were violent: fever was high, and pain was excruciating. A physician was called, but in doubt of the nature of the disease, he made no prescription. As her pain increased, she begged her husband to prepare the old remedy. The brandy was not to be had, so he crushed a piece of nitre as large as a white bean. She took it in a tablespoonful of cold water. Feeling better, the dose was once or twice repeated. Pain subsided, and she slept well. When the doctor returned, he was astonished to see her superintending her household duties. She had sixty well-defined pustules on her face, but they were not painful. In due time, all her children and her husband were similarly affected, received the same treatment, and saw the same results. These facts come to us at first hand. Physicians and cautious nurses would do well to give nitre a fair and full trial.