[farming pharmer]

He lived and died a painful death b/c scar tissue had formed on a procedure....and back then there was nothing to help him.

Laudanum (Tincture of Opium) has been around since the 16th century.

[Liz]

Read the book.

[Responsibility2nd]

Yep. There would have been mostly (entirely) illegal and dangerous ways to ease the pain. Ways that might have led to a debilitating addiction. And certainly a poor pathetic quality of life.

It sounds like the poor guy did what he could though.