Reference Sources
Ania's use of herbs would have been very common in the early 1800's. Traditional medicine at that time also used herbs, but in addition, used other treatments, such as bloodletting, which are now know to be counterproductive. Doctors would have been few and far between in both West Florida and Spanish California. Ania's training as a curandera would have been more closely related to folk remedies than to the traditional medicine. This type of training was common on plantations in the American South for
many years after this time period, and was especially important for the poor and working classes. If you would like more information on the use of herbal medicine, the following books might be of interest to you:
1) The Magic of Herbs, by David Conway, 1972, E.P. Dutton & Company, Inc.,
New York, N.Y.
2) American Indian Medicine, by Virgil J. Vogel, 1970, University of Oklahoma Press, Publishing Division of the University, U.S.A.
For information related specifically to injuries that caused heavy blood loss, I talked personally to a friend of mine who is my son's doctor. I do not have permission to give his name here, but am able to list some of the things he told me.
Signs of Heavy Blood Loss
Thready, fast pulse
Shallow, rapid respiration
Extreme pallor
Cool skin
Mental confusion (more severe with higher blood loss)
Hard or impossible to arouse with severe loss until body has had time to
replace a significant portion of blood lost
Victim feels chilled
Patient experiences a "sense of doom"
In my research, I did not come across exactly when the use of pressure to control bleeding began to be used. I was told that it was definitely not commonly known during Zorro's time period. However, the doctor speculated that some healers may have stumbled upon the method if they were not hidebound in their treatment methods. Based on their determination to do "whatever it takes", I think that Ania, and Luisa before her, would probably have been more likely than some healers to have stumbled upon this method.
Depending on the skill and luck of the healer, only 20%, or less, of persons with serious blood loss probably survived their injuries during this time period.
Anvil Introduction
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