Posted by Lesley on August 23, 1997 at 01:13:13:
In reply to A woman's worth posted by Elissa on August 22, 1997 at 17:01:05
Elissa, about a year ago I wrote a paper about medicinal plants. One of the things that I learned was how old the tradition of "doctor mom" actually was. In most houses, there was a "still room" where plants were dried and made into tinctures(with alcohol) and ointments (with fat)and syrups or simply stored in their dried state until they were needed. The Lady of the house was responsible for seeing that the plants were collected and stored in the proper manner. This tradition of the still room extends back until at least the medieval era when castles and other great houses were small self suficient communities. If the woman's husband were a great lord, most of his minions were dependent on her medical care. I've always wondered about that scene when Lizzy and Jane are wrapping up dried plants and Jane says, "Stop it, Lizzy". Were they in the still room?
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