Thursday, October 09, 2014
Benjamin's Book
Well, the book has arrived! I purchased this from the Jones family, who came to it by way of their aunt, Julia Jones. Dr. Julia Jones was a famous doctor in her own right, as is evidenced by this article about her here.
The contents of this book have already amazed me, and so I am started a separate blog called "Benjamin's Book" where I will chronicle and share it's contents. Please feel free to follow that offshoot for all things Benjamin Moses Mordecai AKA Chief Whitecloud. I will also share updates from time to time on this blog, as well! 
Monday, September 22, 2014
A Page from Benjamin's Book
Linda sent me a scan of one of the pages of the book. She said the pages are quite brittle, and the cover is deteriorating. But I may be looking at my ggggrandfather's own handwriting! I cannot wait to read the rest of it! Maybe there are more clues within!
Of great interest to me was the section about young cabbage leaves. I looked up such a remedy, and found that one paragraph of the above manuscript is written - verbatim -- from many other texts. I assume they were all copied, at least in part, from other books. Benjamin's book goes in a different direction after this portion, perhaps because he had different opinions on some of the other remedy suggestions he found in the original text. His bio states he is not a fan of calomel medicine and mercurial remedies.
"LEAVES of various plants might likewise be applied to the patient's side with advantage. I have often seen great benefit from young cabbage-leaves applied warm to the side in a pleurisy. These not only relax the parts, but likewise draw off a little moisture."
FOUND HERE:
http://www.americanrevolution.org/medicine/med16.html
Of great interest to me was the section about young cabbage leaves. I looked up such a remedy, and found that one paragraph of the above manuscript is written - verbatim -- from many other texts. I assume they were all copied, at least in part, from other books. Benjamin's book goes in a different direction after this portion, perhaps because he had different opinions on some of the other remedy suggestions he found in the original text. His bio states he is not a fan of calomel medicine and mercurial remedies.
"LEAVES of various plants might likewise be applied to the patient's side with advantage. I have often seen great benefit from young cabbage-leaves applied warm to the side in a pleurisy. These not only relax the parts, but likewise draw off a little moisture."
FOUND HERE:
http://www.americanrevolution.org/medicine/med16.html
Friday, September 19, 2014
New info on Chief Whitecloud / Benjamin Moses Mordecai
I received an email today from a woman named Linda who has a book of Indian Remedies reportedly written by Benjamin Moses Mordecai. Her husband's aunt was a doctor in NY and, when she the aunt died in 1972, the book came to the husband and has been sitting in their closet. Linda herself is a nurse, and is transcribing the book as we speak!
Here is Linda's transcription of the book intro, which is a quick bio of the author:
"A Sketch of the Author’s Life
I was born in the Cherokee Nation, March 20th in 1800. My grandfather was a chief of the Cherokee Nation his name was Doublehead, my grandmother was a white woman her name was Patsy Doublehead. My father was a Dutch Jew, his name was Abram Moses Mordeceai, he came to the Nation in 1793, where he married my mother. They had nine children of which I was the oldest. In the year of 1812 the war broke out and we were obliged to fly to Georgia for protection from the hostile Creek Indians. After the war ended, we returned to the Nation. After we returned, I went to school to the missionaries where I learned to read and write. After I left the missionaries I went to Mobile to school.
When I returned to the Nation I was employed by a Catabawa Indian, whose name was Walking Bear. I dug roots for this Indian two years, he was a very successful man in his practice. All the knowledge he had was gained by experience. It was a curious fact that a man without any guide but his own experience to effect such cures. He cured nearly every one that was brought to him. While I resided with him, he went to the city of Washington after his return I became his student, I staid with him three years.
In the year 1823, I again returned to Mobile, where I staid with a doctor by the name of Shuffield nine months. This man served me many mean tricks, while was curing his patients he was pocketing the money. I advise all patients to beware of a Yankee. After being duped by this Yankee, I returned to my own Nation. After this I studied under a Cherokee Indian Doctor for two years, when he was murdered by the white men, this man was very kind and skillful, I hardly thought before this time that the whites were capable of such barbarities. After the death of my old friend I again returned to Georgia and commenced practicing.
I did not use any mercurial preparations in my practice and the consequence was I met with opposition on every hand from the old school or calomel doctors. I advise all to beware of mercurial and mineral medicines. These poisons, instead of removing the disorder, for to relief of which they are administered, only tend to confirm the disease more strongly, dooming the victim to slow but certain death. The great God of heaven, in his vegetable kingdom, has provided remedies for the treatment of all manner of diseases, to which the afrail constitution of man is subject. I speak this not from my own alone, but from the experiences of hundreds of others who have been snatched, as it were, from the grave by the use of vegetable medicines.
But I have regressed from my subject.
After staying in Georgia about one year, I then returned to Mobile where I found a medicine college had been organized during my absence, there physicians were followers of the celebrate Doctor Thomson. I immediately took a course of lectures which lasted nine months. It may not be amiss to state, that I was very much respected by all classes always be under obligation to Doctors Everett and Clark who took a great deal of trouble to instruct me, both in language and physics. The Indians who come to this college for instruction were allowed to hear the lectures and verbal instruction free of charge.
After finishing my course of lectures at this college, I went to the Creek Nation, where I practiced under a Creek doctor for six months, here I learned a great deal of valuable and interesting knowledge. Ever since that time I have lived among the whites. I have cured many of all kinds of diseases, and I hope, by the grace of God, to cure many more, the remedies mentioned in the following work, are not conclusions drawn merely from theory, but the result of successful practice of many years. The more a person studies the products of the vegetable kingdom, the more he finds remaining to be learned.
- Benjamin Moses Mordeceai "
Here is Linda's transcription of the book intro, which is a quick bio of the author:
"A Sketch of the Author’s Life
I was born in the Cherokee Nation, March 20th in 1800. My grandfather was a chief of the Cherokee Nation his name was Doublehead, my grandmother was a white woman her name was Patsy Doublehead. My father was a Dutch Jew, his name was Abram Moses Mordeceai, he came to the Nation in 1793, where he married my mother. They had nine children of which I was the oldest. In the year of 1812 the war broke out and we were obliged to fly to Georgia for protection from the hostile Creek Indians. After the war ended, we returned to the Nation. After we returned, I went to school to the missionaries where I learned to read and write. After I left the missionaries I went to Mobile to school.
When I returned to the Nation I was employed by a Catabawa Indian, whose name was Walking Bear. I dug roots for this Indian two years, he was a very successful man in his practice. All the knowledge he had was gained by experience. It was a curious fact that a man without any guide but his own experience to effect such cures. He cured nearly every one that was brought to him. While I resided with him, he went to the city of Washington after his return I became his student, I staid with him three years.
In the year 1823, I again returned to Mobile, where I staid with a doctor by the name of Shuffield nine months. This man served me many mean tricks, while was curing his patients he was pocketing the money. I advise all patients to beware of a Yankee. After being duped by this Yankee, I returned to my own Nation. After this I studied under a Cherokee Indian Doctor for two years, when he was murdered by the white men, this man was very kind and skillful, I hardly thought before this time that the whites were capable of such barbarities. After the death of my old friend I again returned to Georgia and commenced practicing.
I did not use any mercurial preparations in my practice and the consequence was I met with opposition on every hand from the old school or calomel doctors. I advise all to beware of mercurial and mineral medicines. These poisons, instead of removing the disorder, for to relief of which they are administered, only tend to confirm the disease more strongly, dooming the victim to slow but certain death. The great God of heaven, in his vegetable kingdom, has provided remedies for the treatment of all manner of diseases, to which the afrail constitution of man is subject. I speak this not from my own alone, but from the experiences of hundreds of others who have been snatched, as it were, from the grave by the use of vegetable medicines.
But I have regressed from my subject.
After staying in Georgia about one year, I then returned to Mobile where I found a medicine college had been organized during my absence, there physicians were followers of the celebrate Doctor Thomson. I immediately took a course of lectures which lasted nine months. It may not be amiss to state, that I was very much respected by all classes always be under obligation to Doctors Everett and Clark who took a great deal of trouble to instruct me, both in language and physics. The Indians who come to this college for instruction were allowed to hear the lectures and verbal instruction free of charge.
After finishing my course of lectures at this college, I went to the Creek Nation, where I practiced under a Creek doctor for six months, here I learned a great deal of valuable and interesting knowledge. Ever since that time I have lived among the whites. I have cured many of all kinds of diseases, and I hope, by the grace of God, to cure many more, the remedies mentioned in the following work, are not conclusions drawn merely from theory, but the result of successful practice of many years. The more a person studies the products of the vegetable kingdom, the more he finds remaining to be learned.
- Benjamin Moses Mordeceai "
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