I have always had a fascination with the forms of medicine practiced in history, and have often written alternate medical therapies into my books. Among all the various methods I’ve touched on, the water cure was relatively innocuous and its emphasis on pure water bathing and a simple diet may have even promoted healing. In 1867, there were four individuals offering the water cure in San Francisco, but by the 1880s the fad had died out in the city. By the 1890s, it had faded away in the rest of the country as well.
In this series, I have also occasionally alluded to the fallout from the Civil War, not just as it affects Nick. The September 1867 state elections saw unexpected losses for Lincoln’s Republican party in several races, not just California’s. The fight to ratify the 14th Amendment, which would provide citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., had stirred animosity among Americans who felt threatened by the prospect of former slaves becoming equals. Californians dreaded the possibility that Chinese people born in America might also become citizens, and folks rallied to vote and show their opposition. Despite their success in 1867, the 14th Amendment would be passed in 1868 and the national election for president would see Republican U. S. Grant elected that same year. In 1870, the 15th Amendment would grant every citizen the right to vote, including former slaves. But not women. That right would be another fifty years in the making.