βHow to cure a coldβ was written in response to a serious cold followed by bronchitis that Twain suffered through the summer of 1863 β during the American Civil War, in fact, though you wouldnβt really know it from the story. He wrote several letters and reports detailing his experiences to newspaper editors in Virginia City (Nevada) and San Francisco, but didnβt write this dedicated piece until he arrived in San Francisco in September of that year.