When I now look back into my childhood and consider my reactions to it, I find my overall impression is one of happiness despite being poor. I can see that we took what the days had to offer and enjoyed the blessing of general good health despite having lost a sister to rheumatic fever.

Other families in the village grieved for children who had from other major diseases of the time - diphtheria, scarlet fever, poliomyelitis or tuberculosis. There were no miracle drugs available because they had yet to be discovered. Treatment consisted of nourishing food, good nursing, hygiene, fresh air and warmth. Doctors' services were expensive, not because their fees were exorbitant but because their patients had little money.

Minor, run of the mill complaints were dealt with at home using simple remedies passed from one generation to the next. There were some families who knew a lot about herbs, lotions and creams made from plants and I can remember an ointment being made from small, round green leaves for cuts and small wounds. The leaves are easy to find in the countryside where they grow on rocks in damp places, but I don't remember the recipe for the ointment.

The following are home remedies that were used by most people:

A mixture of soap and sugar kneaded into a soft ball, applied to a festering wound to draw out the pus and any foreign body.

An infusion of wormwood used to treat nausea and acidity in the stomach.

A mixture of sulphur and treacle given once a week to children to clean the blood and the system of any impurities.

Iodine dabbed on cuts and small wounds as a disinfectant.

A piece of greaseproof paper with butter was applied to stop bleeding from small cuts.

Asafoetida swallowed for worms.

Onions, raw or cooked for constipation.

Blackberries were used for constipation in children.

A piece of brown paper with a dash of vinegar and scattered with pepper was held to the cheek to alleviate toothache.

Goose grease, melted and softened during the cooking process then solidifying after cooling, was used to cure a sore throat, it was applied to the neck and covered with a strip of woollen material - an old sock or blanket, the strip being reduced bit by bit as treatment became successful.

Tincture of rhubarb and spirit nitre for bad colds and feverishness or hot milk and lemon with a teaspoonful of whisky or brandy.

Gargling with salty water for sore throat.

Aspirin, of course, for aches and pains.

Buttermilk for sunburn.

Soft green soap for shampooing hair and a dash of vinegar or lemon juice in the rinsing water for shine.

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