Empathy, Hills and Vinegar

I officially joined the tribe of hobblers after I fell down the stairs on Sunday morning during one of South Africa’s notorious blackouts. Now, six days after the injury, I am aching to go for my morning walk, but I hear fractures can take up to six weeks to heal. I have a newfound respect and empathy for my editor, who, for the duration of our relationship, has walked with a cane and told me she was once an avid walker.

Walking definitely helps me with managing my mental state and releases my creativity. My morning walk is my “me” time, which I have had to give up as now I have to remain in bed to allow my leg to heal. The American Indian Proverb that says “Never criticize a man until you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins,” springs to mind as I gain more insight into the lives of people who have limited mobility, which I could never fully understand until now. We have had to make several adjustments to our home and lifestyle. One of these included my husband putting a plastic chair in the shower, so that I can clean myself in a seated position. In my mind was a stroke of sheer genius, as showering is not only a cleansing activity, but also a source of relaxation for me.

While I don’t go to the gym or play tennis, I am never happy to just lie around and so this sudden shift in mobility is frustrating, to say the least. I have to spend several moments psychologically preparing myself before grabbing the hockey stick, which my son lent me as an alternative to a walking cane. This ritual is to get myself ready for the painstaking journey to the bathroom. I find myself more irritable than usual and I certainly have to put in effort to maintain the upbeat nature that I pride myself on. I have a group of friends who have really been encouraging and one of them suggested I soak a bandage in vinegar to help with the inflammation and pain. The words “vinegar and brown paper” sprung to mind, and I recalled that this treatment featured in an old nursery rhyme.

‘Jack and Jill’ is an 18th-century English nursery rhyme first published in London around 1765. This tale has a bit of an interesting history to it.

Here are the lyrics

Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got
And home did trot,
As fast as he could caper;
Went to bed
To mend his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

There are various stories associated with this song, but some say that “Jack and Jill Hill” in Kilmersdon, Somerset in the United Kingdom, was the inspiration for the nursery rhyme. In the Kilmersdon story, Jack and Jill were an unmarried, expectant couple around 1697. Jill’s beloved tragically died after a rock in the local quarry fell on him. The heartbroken Jill gave birth to her baby, but she too died soon after. According to legend, the villagers of Kilmersdon raised the baby. This community takes this erosion so seriously that they have six stone markers which line the hill, each with one verse from the poem. The journey ends with a plaque dedicated to Jack and Jill, as well as two tombstones.

There are other interpretations of the nursery rhyme, but I find this version quite touching and so it is the only one that I included in this article.

As my fans of my medieval fantasy series know, I am very intrigued by medieval medical practices, so my friend’s advice prompted me to dig a little deeper into this vinegar remedy. Apparently, cider vinegar has been used in medicine for hundreds of years. Vinegar is a word that originates from the French vin aigre, meaning “sour wine,” but you can make it from almost any fermentable carbohydrate source.

Hippocrates (c. 420 BC) used vinegar medicinally to manage wounds. He recommended a vinegar preparation for cleaning ulcerations and to treat sores. Sung Tse, the 10th century creator of forensic medicine, recommended washing your hands with sulfur and vinegar to avoid infection when performing autopsies.

The recipe for treating sprains and bruises is as follows: Six or seven sheets of brown paper were supposed to be soaked in a saucepan with some vinegar. In medieval times, they used cloth. Physicians heated the mixture and allowed it to simmer, making sure the paper did not break up. They then applied the paper or bandage in layers over the affected area. Often secured in place with a cloth or rag. This reduced the swelling and relieved the pain.

Before you dismiss this all as old wives’s tales, it is interesting to know that The National Library of Medicine conducted an intense study into the Medicinal Uses and Anti-glycemic Effects of vinegar. Their study included the use of vinegar for the following:

• Anti-infective Properties
• Cardiovascular Effects
• Antitumor Activity
• Blood Glucose Control

I won’t delve into all the medical jargon about this and encourage you to do all your own research, but there were indeed some fascinating findings.

One old use for vinegar Hippocrates and his contemporaries favoured included oxymel, which was a remedy for persistent coughs. They made this ancient medicine of honey and vinegar. Medieval physicians chronicled its use in:

• The British Pharmacopoeia (1898)
• The German Pharmacopoeia (1872)
• The French Codex (1898),

The medicine was prepared by mixing virgin honey, 4 parts, with white wine vinegar, 1 part, concentrating and clarifying with paper pulp. It comes from the ancient Greek word “oxymeli” which translates as “acid and honey.”This is a natural remedy that is still used today.

This week I encourage you to focus your thoughts on just one person whose circumstances are different to yours and wonder what a day in their life would look like.

Blessings to you.