The services of men of their profession rarely reached this valley in
former times. At Goshen was one or more regular physicians in the time
of the war, and in the State of New Jersey, about 20 miles distant from
this neighborhood, was another. The latter sometimes attended Peter
Gumaer, my grandfather, who was stricken with palsy near the time the
war commenced, and he and Doctor Sweezy, from Goshen, attended to heal
the wounds which Cornelius Swartwout received when the Indians invaded
this neighborhood.
In the latter part of the war, and for some years after it ended, there
lived an old man by the name of Bennet, on the east side of Shawangunk
mountain in the present town of Mount Hope, who in his youth had
studied medicine, but abandoned it before he became qualified to
practice. He, however, was sometimes called on to attend the sick. He
was poor and kept no drugs or medicines, but when called on would go
and see what the ailment of the sick person was, and then go out and
collect such roots and herbs as he judged best to cure the disease,
which he used according to the dictates of his judgment. After people
in our neighborhood began to be afflicted with diseases, and when it
was considered necessary to have the attendance of a physician, this
Doctor Bennet was employed; and he generally was quite successful in
his practice. He several times cured a young man of colic, to which he
was subject. This he performed by giving him an emetic, and after it
had operated he gave him a physic.
It appears that the constitutions of people become adapted to the
climate in which they reside, and to such habits of life as they from
generation to generation continue to pursue, and a change of these will
affect persons more or less. This is evident from what is known in
relation to the different races of mankind, some of whom live very
different from others, and the exchange of some, whose food differs
very widely, would be mortal to many of one or both of those races who
should make the exchange.
Eight of us, all descendants of the four families, now all residents
of the lower neighborhood, excepting myself, remain yet travelers on
the last part of life's journey towards that change which all flesh has
to undergo to answer the purposes of the Creator.
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