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Show Colonists Used UsedIndian UsedIndian Indian MedicineII Medicine Medicin MedicineSettlers II IISettlers Medical MedicalAssistance MedicalAssistance Settlers , , Lack'ng Lackng Lacl'ng Laclng , ' ' AssIstance , Turned to toFriendly toFriendly FrIendly Natives . WASHINGTONLargely WASHINGTON-Largely WASHINGTON Largely WASHINGTON -Largely Largely - Largely wlthou withou wlthouphys withouphys withouphys phys clans and themselves them-elves them elves - Ignorant ignorantof of the na natural tural history of o ( the coun coup couptry country country try the early wh te to colonists colomsts n nNorth nNorth nNorth North America Amenca turned turncd to thr thr- thrr thi - ' r ne nc gh ghbors ghbors ghbors bors the friendly fnendly Ind ans for medlcmes medicures medi medl ernes cmes cures Some of o ( these thcse were very ef of efCectlve offective fective Cectlve even e.en een . if highly irrat on onal 'II II ' m in mthe inthe inthe the light hght of medical knowledge oftoday of oftoday oftoday today Thus Ind an m d c nes came cameto cameto cameto to have a high repute vh ch hispersisted hs his hspersisted hispersisted , persisted in m some p parts rts of the coun counI country country country I try to thu thIS day and the barker ped peddung peddling I Idlmg char character character character dlmg dung them is a well wcll known acter at cou couily couty , fly f.1 f1 fa ( d . rsInd rsInd rs rsInd Ind ans themselves themselve , still use thclr their thclrown theirown theirown own medicines medlcmes in m many places and andherb andherb andherb herb lore 10re has persisted among them themDr themDr themDr Dr Will am N Fenton ethnologisto ethnologistof ethnologist of ( the Smithson an Institution IS ISconductmg isconducting isconducting conductmg conducting a study of o1 the medlcmal medicinal medlcmalplants medicinalplants medicinalplants plants in m use an ong the thc Senecas of ofcentral ofcentral ofcentral central New York They are one onesurv onesurvng surv surviving survng 'vmg vmg ' branch of the great lro Iro lroqUOIS Iroquors quois quors family whose contacts with withthe withthe withthe the whites h had hd \d d < \ far reaching reachmg results resultson resultson resultson on the lives hves of the early settlers settlersColIechon settlersCollection settlersCollection ColIechon Collection Began in m 1933Doctor 1933Doctor 1933 1933Doctor Doctor Fenton is s.ck sck stck seek ( . ng to as asI assemble assemble assemble I semble as far as possible a com corn cornplete cornplete I Iplete plete botan cil c'll cll cal ' collection accurately accurate accuratey accurately ly ] y class fied fled ot of the plants used b3 b3the b ; ) the Iroquois and to record the p r rposes rposes rposes poses they were bcl bel eved eyed to sen serte serteThe serveThe e eThe The work was started n 1933 unde undegrants undegrants undegrants grants [ from rom the Institute of Hum HumRelat HumRelat HumRelat Relat ons of Yale university an anv.as anwas anwas v.as vas was . continued contmued last yeir yer ye'ir , ' undp undo undpgrants undogrants undcgrants grants [ from rom St La Lawrence wrtnce un Vt ve Vtslty vesity VLsity slty sity the Alleghany school of naturr nature naturrhistory naturehistory ' history and the Ethnobotan cal I Ioratory Ioratory 1oratory oratory of the Un tin versity versfty of M C'1 C1 cn C'1gan cngan engan enganDoctor ' gan ganDoctor Doctor Fenton and his collabura cotlabura collaburators cotlaburators collaburators tors have gathered 180 spac spec es as I Iplants iplants 1plants plants commonly used by the Sen Senecas Senecas Senecas ecas for medic nal purpo purposes es ThC The Thctconst ) ' const lute tute approximately approxmately [ a th rd 0 o oall 0all oall all the spec es listed hsted by botan sts stsfor stsfor stsfor for the southwestern New York re reglon region region regionMedicine glon gion glonIIedlCme gionMedicine \ Medicine I\IedlCme I IedlCme Was Phllo PhilosophicalIroquois Philosophical PhilosophicalIroquois , > ophlCal ophlCalIroquoIs Iroquois medicine medlcme he says was wasessentIally wasessentially wasessentially essentIally ph philosophical osophlcal The value valueof valueof valueof of some plants in m various dlsea diseases diseaseshad diseaseshad es eshad had been determined determrned by actual ex experlence experience expenence perlence perience over generations For ex example example example ample from hemlock needles a tea teacould teacould teacould could be brewed which would cure curescurvy curescurvy curescurvy scurvy and Virg Vlrg nia ma wmterberry winterberry wmterberryacted winterberryacted wmterberryacted acted as a cathartic catharhc But the Iro Iroquols Iroquors Iroquois quols quors medicine medlcme man was not much muchconcerned muchconcerned muchconcerned concerned concernedHth \ with \Hth Hth experimental medl medi medlI medlcme medicine medicme cme cine From his point pomt of v ew nothing noth nothmg nothing I mg ing grew without a purpose This Thispurpose Thispurpose Thispurpose purpose could be determined determmed by byanalogy byanalogy byanalogy I byI analogy from observat ons of its pe peI pec.lhanbes pec peculianties I c.lhanbes clhanbes iliarities c . of gro vth with its shape and andthe andthe andthe the color of its flowers the places places"here placeswhere placeswhere "here here where " it was found etcThus etcThus etc etcThus Thus a plant which grew very veryrapidly veryrapidly veryrapidly rapidly might have been used to topromote topromote topromote promote growth in m a human bemg being bemgthe beingthe beingthe the growth properties supposedly supposedlybemg supposedlybeing supposedlybeing bemg being transmitted by contact Aplant A Aplant Aplant plant with a brill ant red blossom blossommight blossommight blossommight might have been considered a tome tonic tomefor tonicfor tonicfor for consumption with its pallorEven pallorEven pallor pallorEven Even when the specific value of ofan ofan olan an herb was known it would seldom seldombe seldombe seldombe be used ' aloi 1101 ale ' eMed e eMed ! ' Med 'vIed vIed cal knowledge was passed passcd on onIn onin onin In families famlhes The Iroquois doctor doctorin doctorin doctor1D 1D in old times-and times and times - and to some extent extenteven extenteven extenteven even today-had today had today - had an amb guous so socia social social cia cial I status stEitus Medical knO\\ knO knOledge knowledge knowledgeembraced knowledgeembraced \ \ ledge ledgeembraced embraced magic and witchcraft He Hecould Hecould Hacould could either cure or he could kill killHe killHe killHe He carefully guarded his J.nowledge Jnowledge knowledge J.nowledgeImpartmg knowledgeimparting . knowledgeimparting Impartmg imparting it only rarely even to his hisown hisown hisown own descendants and then in his hisI hisold hisold hisold old age when he could no longeractively longer longeractIvely longeractively I actIvely pract ce |