On May 2, 1803, Napoleon's Minister of Finance, Marquis Francois de Barbe-Marbois, and the U.S. envoys, Robert Livingston and James Monroe, signed the Louisiana Purchase Agreement in Paris. For $15 million, the United States had purchased 830,000 square miles-and had doubled in size.
President Thomas Jefferson immediately arranged an expedition to explore this vast new area to the west. On May 14, 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set sail up the Missouri River. Six months later, after barely avoiding a fatal battle with the Sioux, winter forced them to halt in what is now North Dakota. Next spring, they pushed on into the uncharted wilderness, and narrowly escaped death from an attacking bear, a capsized boat, and a charging bear. Then they rescued one of their number nearly fallen over a precipice, and climbed, what one of them later described as "the most terrible mountains I ever beheld."
Following the Snake and Columbia Rivers, they finally reached the Pacific Coast on November 1805-and then barely escaped drowning in the Pacific On March 23, 1806, the explorers turned their faces homeward. Back east, President Jefferson had heard rumors that they had been shot, tomahawked, or worse. Meanwhile, as Jefferson conferred with his advisors about this, Lewis and Clark and their expedition were portaging the waterfalls of the Columbia, and encountering a wild Indian in the Northwest who was bent on killing some of them. On April 27 the voyagers reached the land of the Wallawalla Indians, and then headed into the Nez Perce country of Idaho. By that time William Bratton, one of the men in the party, was experiencing such intense pelvic pain that he could go no farther.
Captain Clark was a physician, but none of his medicines seemed to help. Then Pvt. John Shields, told them what to do: While the party pitched camp, Shields dug a hole in the ground. It was three feet across and four feet deep. Lining it with rocks, he kindled a fire in the bottom to heat the stones. As soon as they were hot, the fire was extinguished, and Bratton, naked, was carefully lowered into a seat they had suspended in the hole.
Over him, the men quickly arched willow poles, covering them with blankets to hold in the heat. Then Bratton poured water onto the stones. Clouds of steam billowed around him. After twenty minutes of this treatment, Bratton was taken out and "suddenly plunged in cold water twise [twice] and was then immediately returned to the sweat hole." - from the Journal of Captain Lewis, May 1806. There the man stayed for another forty-five minutes, drinking copious amounts of mint tea throughout his time in the hole.
Finally he was "taken out covered up in several blankets and suffered to cool gradually." What the medicines could not do, the water therapy had accomplished. The next day Bratton was walking about, nearly free of pain, well on his way to recovery. The water treatment had worked so well that Lewis and Clark decided to try it on a nearby Nez Perce chief who had been unable to move either his arms or his legs for three years. The men heated the rocks again, lowered him into the hole, and gave him the hot-and-cold, hot-and-cold treatment. Again, the simple therapy did its work - and did it well. After three treatments the invalid chief could move his legs and wiggle his toes and use his arms and hands. On May 29, Lewis wrote, "He washed his face himself today, which [he] has been unable to do."
And then the next day: "... We gave the sick Chief a severe sweat today, shortly after which he could move one of his legs and thyes [thighs] and work his toes pretty well, the other leg he can move a little; his fingers and arms seem to be almost entirely restored."-From the journal of Captain Meriwether Lewis, May 30, 1806, near Kamiah, Idaho.
It took men to conquer the great wilderness, but simple water treatments helped them do it. History has many such incidents.
The hot vapor quickened the blood circulation and brought it in fresh, healing quantities to where
it was needed. The brief cold water caused a powerful reaction that deepened the initial effects. Repeated several times, the beneficial results became still more evident. In addition, the sweating was decidedly helpful also.
God has placed in the simple things of nature-such things as water, non-poisonous herbs, rest, nourishing food, sunlight, fresh air, and moderate exercise, - the elements needed to bring health to our human bodies. Let us thank Him for these simple methods and use them carefully and wisely. Let us dedicate our lives to Him and ever obey His laws of health, for He has given us these blessings because He loves us. - Vance Ferrell
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