When you think of the Old West, Hollywood movies come to mind: strong men riding horses and conquering lawless lands. But perhaps things were a little less beautiful and romantic than the movies show us. In reality, life in the Old West was complicated. It was a life full of obstacles, diseases and health problems. In those distant times, the United States was not yet the great power it is today, nor had the world developed satisfactorily. To satisfy your curiosity, in this article you will learn what life was really like for the inhabitants of the Wild West, not the beautiful version from the movies. Enjoy your reading!
What the bathhouses looked like
What the bathhouses looked like
When we think of the Old West, the first thing we consider is the hygiene aspect. What did bathrooms look like in those days? Were they as hygienic as modern bathrooms?
Not really: in order to bathe, one had to face unfavorable conditions. The baths were very small and outdoors, so there was no comfort or privacy. You had to watch out for spiders and other dangerous insects.
Eating habits
Times were different and people were not in the habit of using tables during meals. Cutlery was also not used when eating: the hands did all the work. However, these habits were not very hygienic.
Eating habits
In addition, residents of the Old West did not have sufficient resources or conditions to wash the dishes and other utensils they used for meals. This resulted in diseases associated with a lack of hygiene and care while eating.
Cleaning the mustache
The problems didn’t end at dinner, however. When people in the Old West were thirsty, they went to bars for beer. So far, so good, because we still do it regularly.
Cleaning the mustache
But in those days, pubs offered a rather dubious alternative for customers to clean their mustaches of beer foam: a white towel was available for this purpose. Now you can imagine how germs and viruses circulated.
Dentists: blacksmiths and barbers
Visits to the dentist have always been a nightmare in people’s lives. But dental procedures in the Old West were far more dramatic and dangerous than they are today.
Dentists, blacksmiths and barbers
According to Joan Bourke, a British historian, people “consulted” barbers and blacksmiths on matters related to dental health. There were no dental experts in the Old West yet, as the dental profession did not develop until later.
Lice and flea infestations
Today we sleep very comfortably in our beds. But in the Old West, the situation was very different. Since the mattresses we know today had not yet been developed, people used hay and straw.
Infestations of lice and fleas
It was a rustic type of mattress that served its purpose, even if it was not the most hygienic option. The problem was that this type of material attracted insects and caused lice and flea infestations among people.
Flies and mosquitoes
It was very common to hear flies buzzing around food. Since there were no refrigerators in the Old West, food could not be stored properly, so everything was exposed.
Flies and mosquitoes
This meant that mosquitoes and other insects were always contaminating food consumed by humans. As a result, there were more diseases associated with eating contaminated food. There were also no adequate treatments for these problems, and repellents were not yet in use.
Breaking teeth
At the time, the pharmaceutical industry had not yet developed to the point of having effective drugs. We are talking about the Old West, between the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
Breaking teeth
One of the most dangerous drugs was calomelan, which caused excessive saliva production. This was due to its high concentration of mercury. It was used for intestinal problems and as a laxative, but was fatal to teeth, which could even break.
The dirtiness of water
Since ancient times, water has been the main requirement for human survival in a region. That’s why ancient civilizations such as the Mayans and Incas developed sophisticated irrigation systems.
Water Dirt
But in the Wild West, water came from open rivers and streams, which were often contaminated with animal feces and generated many diseases. Rainwater, collected with dirty buckets, was also unreliable.
Water and hygiene
Given the difficulties of obtaining water, the people of the Old West did not waste it. It was difficult to get good drinking water, so people tried to conserve as much as possible.
Water and hygiene
Water was not used to wash clothes or kitchen items such as dishes and glasses. Dirty clothes and dishes exposed residents of the Old West to serious health consequences, such as skin irritation and stomach problems.
Saving water
Also to conserve water, residents of the Old West avoided bathing. Unlike today, when we bathe daily, in those days bathing was a luxury.
Saving water
It was not always possible to enjoy a good shower, as water was occasionally in short supply. Hot water was also not readily available: it had to be heated over a fire. For this reason, it was very common not to bathe for weeks.
Soap made from fat
Do you think it is possible to bathe properly without using soap? This product, which is common in our daily lives today, was a luxury artifact in the Old West.
Liquid soap
Generally speaking, only a minority of wealthier people used soap for bathing, as the product was quite expensive. The alternative was soap made from vegetable or animal fat, which caused serious skin irritation for its users – but was somewhat more hygienic.
Lack of information
In addition to the difficulty of obtaining clean water and the high price of soap, another factor contributed to people not bathing.
No information
Interestingly, there was a strange belief in the Old West that bathing was a negative thing and could cause health problems. People were misinformed and thought that bacteria “enter” the body when bathing because the skin is open to receive them.
A terrible habit
Now get ready, because what we are about to reveal may disgust you. Spitting is an ancient and sometimes necessary habit that has gained incredible cultural significance in the Old West.
A terrible custom
In bars, brothels, hotels and even banks, spittoons for customers were quite common. Generally speaking, the custom was widespread among adult men, who chewed tobacco and then spat the mucus into the spittoons. Yes, it was horrible and caused illness.
Sawdust on the floor
For modern readers, this is an unimaginable situation: that you can sleep on sawdust. This material was used in the Wild West to cover the ground and create a layer on which to tread.
Sawdust on the ground
Since cowboys were in the habit of chewing tobacco from spit, it was common for sawdust to get dirty after several weeks of use. This also contributed to the spread of harmful bacteria.
Another shampoo
One of the drinks most commonly consumed by Old Westers was undoubtedly whiskey. They liked its intense flavor and strength, which surpassed beer.
A different kind of shampoo
But whiskey consumption was not limited to bar-goers, but also when bathing. Mixed with castor oil and lavender, whiskey was used as a shampoo – a devastating blow to lice.
Cold baths
We have already mentioned that baths were rare in the Old West. Not only was there a shortage of water for everyone, but there was also a shortage of clean water. In a sense, it was better to avoid water and the bacteria associated with it.
Cold toilets
What’s more, hot baths were a luxury for only a few: heating water required equipment that not everyone had. Cowboys spent months without a hot bath, and had to contend with the cold in winter.
The smell of cowboys
Our image of the Old West resembles what we know from Clint Eastwood movies. The truth, however, is that things looked very different from what the movies show.
The smell of cowboys
Cowboys did not resemble Hollywood actors, galloping on their beautiful horses and seducing passionate young women. Since these men spent a lot of time on horseback, they were also accompanied by an intense horse smell and a swarm of insects.
What the beds looked like
It is true that there were hotels in the Old West. But the quality of these places was nowhere near what we know today.
What the beds looked like
If one traveled and needed a place to sleep, one often stayed in dirty and unorganized rooms. In general, these were bars that offered some of their space to travelers, so one could not expect much comfort or hygiene in the rooms and beds.
Beards and bacteria
Beards have never gone out of fashion: they have been an undisputed trend among men since the Old West. But as you can imagine, beards caused some problems.
Beards and bacteria
As in many other examples, in this case hygiene is a fundamental aspect. Due to the lack of good grooming and personal habits in the Old West, cowboys’ beards were left dirty and became real harbors for bacteria.
Other diseases
Life for cowboys was not easy. There were other diseases, caused by the spread of fungi. These were serious diseases that killed many people in the Old West.
Other diseases
Fungi often appeared due to high summer temperatures and caused infections. These infections were debilitating and were aggravated by heat and sweat. A well-known example is Coccidioides, the fungus responsible for causing valley fever or coccidioidomycosis.
Self-healing with sulfur
Self-healing is an issue that has always been present in our lives. Evidence of this can be found as early as in the context of the Wild West, where people consumed an interesting drug….
Self-healing with sulfur
In the belief that the unpleasant taste of sulfur could cure the most complicated diseases, the people of the Old West consumed it. Today we know that sulfur is dangerous and highly toxic to humans. Moreover, its odor is repulsive.
Charlatan doctors
As we have already mentioned, in the Old West, dentists were blacksmiths and barbers.c There were still no experts in fields such as dentistry and medicine. Similarly, it was impossible to verify whether doctors were actually trained physicians.
Charlatan doctors
Anyone could simply claim to be a professional in the field and no one would ever know. Perhaps because of ignorance, people didn’t think to check the qualifications of supposed doctors operating in the Old West.
Questionable practices
It is important to remember that we are talking about the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. At that time, the Old West was a region in its infancy. Because of this, there was still no consensus on the best treatments and medical practices.
Questionable practices
Even today, there are many questionable practices, even though we have more research and knowledge about medicine. However, in the Old West, questionable practices such as bleeding and removal of human body parts were still used.
Strong purification
In addition to the methods we have already mentioned, there were other interesting practices. Doctors of the Wild West understood that diseases were things that should literally get out of our bodies.
Strong cleansing
As a result, the use of strong laxatives to treat various health complications has been widespread. In some cases, the prescription of laxatives has even resulted in the death of patients who sought medical attention.
Absurd treatment methods
There is more interesting information about medical practices in the Old West. As we know, many of these practitioners were not medical graduates. This resulted in the most absurd prescriptions.
Absurd treatment
An amusing example was a prescription for treating malaria: the patient was stripped naked so that his body would “cool down.” To speed up the process, cold water was used. It was believed that shivering was useful in treating patients with malaria.
Unscientific medical devices
We don’t need to explain why the Wild West context gave place to many quacks. People offering health services and claiming to be doctors were a reality in those days. And what kinds of things did they do? What instruments did they use?
Predictive medical devices
One of the most interesting devices was the pulse meter, a glass instrument used to measure pulse. The bubbles inside the pulsometer indicated the condition of patients.
Treatment with wine
Continuing with the absurd therapies of the Old West, we have drinking as part of one of them. But we’re not talking about taking medicine, are we? Let’s be clear.
He treats with wine
In the Old West, a method of bleeding was used. When a sick person ingested a leech, it was recommended to drink a glass of wine every 15 minutes to kill the animal in the human body. If this didn’t cure, at least it made the patient drunk.
Dead dogs as treatment
There were no drugs. The alternative was to seek other treatments. In the old days of the Wild West, what we today call the pharmaceutical industry was not yet developed. So what did you do to cure disease?
Dead dogs as treatment
One of the strangest treatments in the Old West was the use of dead dogs to treat gouty arthritis and rheumatism. The entrails of the dog were removed, other ingredients were added, and then the animal was roasted and eaten.
Lemon for scurvy
Although there was little evidence of its effectiveness, people in the Old West used natural cures. One of these was the use of lemon juice to treat scurvy.
Lemon for scurvy
A disease that has always been associated with the reality of sailors, in some cases it was fatal. Many of these sailors suffered from scurvy and had to suck on lemon as their only option to consume vitamin C.
Lack of toilet paper
Toilet paper was one of the first inventions in the personal hygiene sector. There is evidence that its use began to spread in China, around the 6th century AD, but toilet paper was not used in the Old West.
There was no toilet paper
Instead, people wiped themselves with anything else, such as grass or corn cobs. While it is really an essential product today, in those days commercial toilet paper did not exist.
Lots of people present at operations
Have you ever been annoyed that someone is watching what you are doing? Well, it could be even worse if you were undergoing an operation or procedure in the Wild West.
The crowd present during surgery
It was a common practice: all the people could gather to observe the medical operation. American Heritage magazine published an interesting article about a famous case of tumor removal. On this occasion, the crowd was present to witness the dramatic operation.
Whisky for cleansing
As mentioned earlier, whiskey was used for other purposes in the Old West. The distilled beverage was imported from Scotland and Ireland by Christian monks. Americans knew how to discover its uses.
Whisky for cleansing
Whisky was not only a popular drink for getting drunk, but was also used as a disinfectant. Doctors used whiskey to clean instruments and utensils before surgery so that the alcohol would kill germs.