Extract: The Voyage of the Beagle

October 3 & 4 1832, on these days 174 years ago Charles Darwin wrote (read to the end it's worth it): "I was confined to my bed by a headach (sic). A good natured old woman who attended me wished me to try many odd remedies. A common practice is to bind an orange leaf or a bit of black plaster to each temple: and a still more general plan is to split a bean into halves, moisten them and place one on each temple where they will readily adhere. It is not thought proper ever to remove the beans or plaster but to allow them to drop off; and sometimes if a man with patches on his head is asked what is the matter? he will answer, "I had a headach the day before yesterday." Many of the remedies used by the people of this country are ludicrously strange, but too disgusting to be mentioned.'

'One of the least nasty is to kill and cut open two puppies and bind them on each side of a broken limb. Little hairless dogs are in great request to sleep at the feet of invalids.'