Health

Winged pests

Black fly

Aside from wind and rain, mosquitoes were among the irritations that voyageurs suffered en route. Buzzing clouds of voracious and single-minded flies harassed the men day and night.

Injury, disease and other hazards

Mosquito statue, Komarno, Manitoba They're enormous in Canada!

Sometimes the voyageurs experienced more serious problems. Common injuries included sprains and hernia, while respiratory illnesses were not unusual. Voyageurs often suffered from frostbite and exposure in the winter months. With scarce food, some risked starvation. Accidents could happen while traveling: a voyageur could be injured on a portage, or even drown in rapids.

Cross-cultural medicine

Cree woman treating an injured voyageur, by Robert Freynet

Europeans and Aboriginal peoples at first had widely differing medical practises. In fur trade communities, they blended over time. While Natives obtained medicine from trading posts, voyageurs also adopted Native ways of healing. Two types of medicine came to be practised side by side, each drawing on the strengths of the other

European medicine

Europeans commonly practised blood-letting and used an assortment of medicinal remedies such as Turlington's Balsam, salts, castor oil, and various elixirs based on the tree resin benzoin.

The main posts of the NWC and the HBC were relatively well stocked in medicine and medical instruments. Apart from Fort William, there were no doctors at NWC posts. At smaller posts and en route, voyageurs often had to call upon company clerks or companions for first aid, and could obtain rudimentary treatment only.

Aboriginal medicine

Native peoples used the plants in their environment to treat illnesses, therefore remedies differed from one region to another. For example, they used hemlock to treat paralysis, catmint root for typhus, and cow parsnip (hogweed) for fever. The inner side of the larch tree's bark was useful as a poultice for wounds and sores, a method Europeans later borrowed. Wish-a-cappuca tea, also popular with Hudson's Bay employees, was useful for treating rheumatism, strengthening the stomach and easing headaches.

Ojibwa shaman

The sweat lodge was a vital element in Native medicine. They used it in spiritual practises as well as to treat illnesses such as rheumatism. Some voyageurs adopted this practise.

The final journey

Crosses mark spots where voyageurs died en route, by Robert Freynet

With medical care often scarce or unsuccessful, voyageurs sometimes died en route. Their companions buried them and placed crosses on their graves. Some areas along the trade routes contained up to 30 crosses. Whenever voyageurs spotted these crosses, tradition dictated that they remove their caps and say a prayer.

Did you know?

To protect themselves from mosquitoes, most voyageurs grew their hair long and covered themselves in bear grease. At night, they rolled themselves in wool blankets and lit a fire to keep the bugs away.

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