Bob: this is neither an obituary or a paid political announcement!
To the rest of you; let me introduce Bob Karolevitz who lives in the Yankton suburb of Mission Hill. To my knowledge the three claims to fame of which Mission Hill can boast are: 1) Just down the road from the hay capital of the world (Gayville, South Dakota), 2) A real bigger than life statue of Abraham Lincoln, and 3) Phyllis's husband, Bob Karolevitz.
Bob is such a gentle soul that I doubt that he has ever stepped on an ant. (Well maybe done in a few maurading coons, but that's ok in my book), In his many newspaper articles, I can't think of one where he hasn't been more than fair in pointing out the good points of politicians, scamsters and nere-do-wells in general. He leaves it up to the audience to judge their other shortcomings.
His writings cover just about everything that one encounters or steps in in a walk in the park (or country). Since my interest lie in debuking the mysteries of science and medicine, I particularily like his of-hand remarks on same. He gives a taste of yesterday's medicines "in Grandma's days" , when he mentions the following maladies and treatments:
Skin ointment --- sheep sorrel
anti-inflammation poutice --- burdock leaves
insect repellent (ants) --- tansy
hysteria treatment --- orach (said to look a lot like pigweed)
stimulant to keep one awake --- stinging nettle leaves (Quileute Indians are given credit for this one)
From Tears in My Horseradish, pp 13.
As one tries to put into perspective the maltreatment of illnesses in history, it is well to keep in mind that a desperate public will try anything. Look at latrile for cancer or more recently, the grasping for any new treatments for AIDS. Then to carry the argument a step further, consider the daily bombardment of near-medical advise (like so called near-beer, it is but it aint), which promotes treatments for damn near everything (I said treatments, not cures. Everyone should take a course in marketing). This drivel even comes from the major pharmaceutical houses who while tempting the public, sign off with "consult your doctor".
What we need to do is get more of Karolevitz's books into airport bookstores. His tales have more than enough sex, violence and mahem to please the most jaded appetite. They may be suprised to discover that his ideas of the above differ from theirs! Travelers need to have a good dose of South Dakota humor and wisdom(?). If they had the opportunity to discover (as Bob, Phillis and two daughters did), the joys of escaping to the country from city life, this country would be more understanding of the cozy relationship of farm animals and their masters (?).
On another note, Karolevitz is at his best when he writes about our beloved Government agencies.
May I recommend:
Every thing's green but my thumb
Tears in my Horseradish
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Wouldn't it be nice if the University of South Dakota recognized Karolevitz????
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ABOUTJoe Wortham
Young. Dr. Harvey Young's views on quacks and quackery
And, JOE WORTHAM'S HOME PAGE Which calls attention to Dr. A. W. Chase's book on how to treat most every human and animal ailment.