Wild plants used to cure common illnesses by Lasowians (based on research by Franciszek Kotula)

Medical first aid is needed at any time, in any community of people. This is may be difficult for groups isolated because of their place of residence. The ethnographic group of Lasowians, once inhabiting the region of the Sandomierz Primeval Forest, was extremely interesting because of its origins and daily occupations. This area was comprehensively explored by participants of the so-called research camps, organised by the Regional Museum in Rzeszów during the years 1960–1970. The research was mainly initiated by the historian and specialist in regional studies Franciszek Kotula (1900–1983). Those observing the daily life of the Lasowian villages, interviewed individuals who, being of middle age, could remember the realities and various aspects of their ancestors’ daily life. The various domains investigated included treatment of common illnesses with the use of wild or cultivated plants. The related findings, in a form of research reports, today are in the holdings of the Ethnographic Museum in Rzeszów. Analysis of these research reports, by reference to a Polish herbarium, as well as The Book of Herbs by Simon Syrenius, and contemporary literature discussing medicinal plants, shows that the use of plants in rural medicine changed little over the centuries. It is also interesting to consider the origins of medical knowledge presented by those providing premedical care, the question being whether the expertise was based on their own experience and long-standing practice, or perhaps the knowledge was transferred from written sources, present in the manor houses of the nobility, commonly employing rural women. In the 1930s, the areas inhabited by Lasowians were incorporated into the newly established Central Industrial Region, which radically changed the everyday living conditions of this ethnographic group. Its traditions are cultivated by amateur folk ensembles whereas the unique artefacts of Lasowian heritage are collected in the Ethnographic Park established in Kolbuszowa.

Medical first aid is needed at any time, in any community of people. This is may be difficult for groups isolated because of their place of residence. The ethnographic group of Lasowians, once inhabiting the region of the Sandomierz Primeval Forest, was extremely interesting because of its origins and daily occupations. This area was comprehensively explored by participants of the so-called research camps, organised by the Regional Museum in Rzeszów during the years 1960–1970. The research was mainly initiated by the historian and specialist in regional studies Franciszek Kotula (1900–1983). Those observing the daily life of the Lasowian villages, interviewed individuals who, being of middle age, could remember the realities and various aspects of their ancestors’ daily life. The various domains investigated included treatment of common illnesses with the use of wild or cultivated plants. The related findings, in a form of research reports, today are in the holdings of the Ethnographic Museum in Rzeszów. Analysis of these research reports, by reference to a Polish herbarium, as well as The Book of Herbs by Simon Syrenius, and contemporary literature discussing medicinal plants, shows that the use of plants in rural medicine changed little over the centuries. It is also interesting to consider the origins of medical knowledge presented by those providing premedical care, the question being whether the expertise was based on their own experience and long-standing practice, or perhaps the knowledge was transferred from written sources, present in the manor houses of the nobility, commonly employing rural women. In the 1930s, the areas inhabited by Lasowians were incorporated into the newly established Central Industrial Region, which radically changed the everyday living conditions of this ethnographic group. Its traditions are cultivated by amateur folk ensembles whereas the unique artefacts of Lasowian heritage are collected in the Ethnographic Park established in Kolbuszowa.