Iredell County NcArchives News.....History in Iredell County May 1, 1900
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Twylla Turner Teer TwyllaTeer@comcast.net January 27, 2009, 2:34 pm

The Landmark (Statesville, North Carolina) May 1, 1900
... Dr. Murchison, a "steam" or Thomsonian doctor, lived on "I.L." Creek, a 
short distance south of Third Creek. He was held in a sort of professional 
contempt by the regular doctors, but nevertheless, his simple remedies 
acquired for him a considerable practice in his locality. He was now and then 
called into the old neighborhood. I recollect that at one time my 
grandmother's negro man, John, was taken down and confined a long time to his 
bed with a severe and painful attack of rheumatism. He could hardly move and 
yelled with pain at every attempt. Some of the other phyisicans had been tried 
but failed to give John  relief. Finally my grandfather determed to call in 
Dr. Murchison, not withstanding the prevailing prejudiced against his school 
of medicine. I remember well the doctor's treatment. He managed to get John up 
in a chair, covered him with heavy blankets fastened closely around his neck 
and reaching the floor. He then had ovens or pots of hot water shoved under 
the blankets to create steam. The water was kept hot as long as he wanted, if 
I remember right, by stones heated in the fire. The perspiration from John, 
together with the steam, would drop from him and run into great streams across 
the floor. When the doctor had thus steamed the patient until he was weak, he 
would gradually remove the blankets and run the patients briskly with some 
pepperish liquid to prevent his taking cold, put him back in bed, cover him 
up, leave him some simple remedies, and go on his way. The result of several 
successive treatments of this kind effected a cure. So far as I can recollect, 
though John was exposed afterwards as much as before to conditions supposed to 
porduce the disease, and though he lived to be quite an old man, he never 
again had a touch of rheumatism. This cure gave Dr. Murchison a big reputation 
in the neighborhood.




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