In the summers, William Beekman’s son, Cornelius, used to love to walk the five miles that ran between the farm and center village.

But there was a problem.  On those long, hot summer walks, his feet would swell.  Shoes being the rather rudimentary foot coverings they were in the early 1800s, blisters were often the souvenirs from his trip into town.

The all-knowing mom, Joanna Beekman knew exactly what to do.

She would thread a needle and then hold it over the flame of a candle to sterilize it. She would deftly pass the needle through the blister.  Once the string was protruding from both sides, she’d snip the needle off leaving the string in place.

Genius!

The micro-opening around the thread allowed the blister to drain continuously.  Because fluid never built up under the blister, it never ruptured.  Because it is a the rupture of a blister and the exposure of the raw skin that causes so much pain, little Cornelius never missed a step.

Some wise marathon runners and triathletes still use this same trick.