Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby

Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby, born Anna Pierce (1812–1873), was a midwife, herbologist, and frontier doctor in southern Illinois.^[1] She discovered that white snakeroot, (Ageratina altissima) contains a toxin. When cattle consume the plant, their meat and milk become contaminated and cause the sometimes fatal condition milk sickness. One of the most notable and tragic cases of the "milk sickness," was that of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, the mother of Abraham Lincoln, who died at 34 years old in 1818.

Early life

Anna was the daughter of farmers, who had moved from Philadelphia and settled in Southeastern Illinois, close to the what would become the village of Rock Creek. After finishing school, Anna travelled to Philadelphia to train in midwifery and dentistry, but on her return to Illinois she became the only physician in her county, and consequently, a general practitioner for her community. Others claimed, she was a midwife, from Tennessee, married to her first husband, Isaac Hobbs.

Research on milk sickness

She became much interested in the milk sickness, which was causing a good deal of fatality among both people and calves, including Anna's mother and sister.^[2] Noting the seasonal nature of the disease, and the fact that sheep and goat milk were not affected she reasoned that the cause must be a poisonous herb. However, she was unable to determine the precise cause until she was shown the White Snakeroot by a medicine woman of the Shawnee tribe.

Experiments on a calf confirmed the toxic effect of Snakeroot. However despite her efforts it was not until 1928 (55 years after her death) that research confirming her discovery was published. Her position as a frontier doctor and a woman would have made it hard for her to gain respect from the medical profession of the time.

Eson Bixby and his criminal activities

After Isaac Hobbs died, Anna Pierce married her second husband, Eson Bixby, who turned out to be a notorious outlaw, around the region of Cave-In-Rock, on the Ohio River.

Anna Bixby treasure

According to local legend, Anna Bixby left a treasure trove concealed in a cave, named after her. The treasure is supposedly, buried in Rock Creek, Hardin County, Illinois and has never been found.

Anna Bixby Women's Center

Anna Bixby Women's Center in Harrisburg, Illinois was dedicated to her and gives shelter and services to abused women and children, in the area.

References

Further Reading

• Hall, Elihu Nicholas. Anna's War Against River Pirates and Cave Bandits of John A. Murrell's Northern Dive. Unpublished manuscripts in Southern Illinois University Rare Book Collections. Revised and published as Ballads From the Bluffs. 1948.

External links

Anna Bixby: The Mysterious Southern Illinois Healer & Her Lost Treasure Cave