U.S. Data Repository -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (pages 197-212) Chapter X Remedies and Superstitions Why did you melt your waxen man, Sister Helen? To-day is the third since you began. 覧Rosetti. She blooded him in the vein of the arm And locked him up in the room, And there did he bleed all the livelong day Until the next day at noon. 覧Old Robin Hood Ballad. Perhaps no branch of science has made more rapid progress during the last half-century than has medical science; and when we remember that the early homes in this county were widely scattered, and that doctors, such as they were, were few in number, we can readily understand that many cases of illness did not receive the proper attention and that the rate of mortality was high. Moreover, many of these early physicians were properly termed "quack" doc- tors. Ignorant and superstitious they were, and it is probable that their treatment was often a positive harm to the patient. In a letter we find a wife telling her husband that "Mary has been sick; the doctor was called and he said that her heart was out of place." Primitive Fairmont was permeated with su- perstition. It is said that on one occasion a doctor who had been called to treat a case of croup found the child being rapidly passed to and fro through a horse collar; and the same doctor, at another time, found a child's hair tightly drawn up to the crown of its head and tied in order to draw its palate into place. Sometimes a mother held her babe under the wide, open chimney until it gaped three times to keep the little one from having the thrush; and she flattened a bullet taken from a hog's head, tied it to a string, and placed the amulet around its neck to prevent croup, or, if she pos- sessed a red silk string, she used that, for it was equally efficacious. She knew that she must bite her baby's linger nails to keep it from dying before it was a year old, and that on no account must she cut the nails, because that would predispose it to steal. If her child was delicate, she had the old women of the neigh- borhood measure it. If three times its diameter did not equal its height, they said the child had "decay"; then, to find out whether it would recover or not, they placed an egg in the fire. If the egg roasted without bursting, the child would outgrow the malady, but if the shell cracked, the little one was doomed to certain death. Perhaps the sick child was believed to be bewitched. To break the witch's charm a penny was placed against the side of a tree, and the men tried to hit the mark with their riHes. If they succeeded the witch's power was broken, but if they failed to do so, it was stronger than ever. If the child was under- sized it was placed against a tree and a hole was bored above its head, in which was placed a lock of hair, or a string with which it had been measured, the belief being that as the bark grew over the hole the child would grow to reach it. Some claimed that the lock must be sheared from a negro's head, but others placed a lock of the child's own hair within the tree. The belief that a buckeye or a potato car- ried in the pocket would cure rheumatism was well known, but a remedy which was widely used but is not so well known now was obtained from the Indians. As the story goes, an In- dian asked for food from a settler who willingly supplied his wants, and the red man felt very grateful. Some time later the settler was stricken with inflammatory rheumatism and when the Indian heard of his condition he went to the cabin of the white man and assured him that he would bring him a cure. True to his promise, in a few days the Indian returned with two copper plates, each of which was about six inches long, two inches wide and half an inch thick. These he imbedded in the thick leather of the white man's shoe soles, and then placed the shoes upon the feet of the patient with his own hands. In a short time the cure was effected, and never again was the white man troubled with rheumatism. The follow- ing remedy was likewise believed to be a sure cure for this ailment: Put fishing-worms in a bottle before a hot fire. When the oil has covered them, mix with an equal amount of brandy and apply to the parts affected. This was a cure for snake bites also. Pole- cat grease was often applied to rheumatic joints. Vervain and dandelion roots were other remedies. Shingles could be cured in two ways: In the first, by rubbing the blood of a black cat or a black chicken over the affected parts; in the second, by thinking of the person one liked best. The second "cure" was undoubtedly the one to be preferred. Old shoes were burned near the house to keep snakes away. The farmer often hung a black snake on his fence, or killed a toad (al- though this made his cow give bloody milk) to bring rain for his growing crops. His children sometimes did the same, but with a different purpose in view覧to keep from hoeing corn the next day. To ward off bad luck the superstitious often threw an egg backwards over the head and over the house, or threw a broken horseshoe over the right shoulder. Grandfather's great- grandfather planted his potatoes in the dark of the moon so they would grow large; and grand- mother's great-grandmother clipped her hair in the dark of the moon to make it grow long. When a man died it was necessary to sell the bees he had owned or they would never swarm again. In any event, they had to be notified of the death of the owner. When the boys went fishing and caught a large fish they thought that in order to bring good luck to fishermen on other expeditions they must cut off its head and tail and bury them at midnight near the place where the fishermen got their bait. One of the most interesting customs was that of locating water, because, if it were impossible to locate a house near a natural spring覧as al- most all of the first houses were覧wells had to be dug. A peach tree fork was cut with prongs about four inches long, and these were spread apart to form a line as nearly straight as pos- sible. The "water wizard" held the stick be- tween his thumbs, with the fork projecting up- ward, and when he reached a place under which was water, this fork was supposed to turn over of its own accord. A peach blos- som turned face downard on the palm of the hand was supposed to turn over in the same way. This method of locating water was be- lieved in so firmly that often a house was built in a very undesirable place because the peach fork or blossom had indicated that there water might be obtained. It has been very difficult to obtain some of the charms used because some profess to work cures by their aid in this day. One that re- quired some strategy to secure, loses its healing power when written down. It "must not be told by man to man, nor by woman to woman; but man may tell woman and woman may tell man; and man may work the charm on woman and woman may work the charm on man; but on no ac- count may the charm be transmitted from one to the other except by word of mouth." This charm, which is used to drive away toothache, is a queer mixture of superstition and faith. The one who performs the cure places his finger on the jaw over the tooth, and rubbing it around three times, repeats the name of the afflicted person three times. The middle name must not be omitted under any circumstances. Then he says: Christ died in pain. Tooth, remain. and repeats, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" three times, adding "Amen." A charm for the cure of nosebleed is like- wise forbidden to be told to others of the same sex, or to be written down. This charm is said on the fingers, and the mind must be on it and nothing else: Under me, dot-spot-dash, 5-4-3-2-1覧 (Name repeated in full). Blood be stopped. This must be repeated two or three times. A verse from the Bible is often repeated instead of the charm. Various cures for nosebleed were used in addition to the charm given above. "Let nine drops of blood fall under a rock," "Put a grain of corn under the tongue," "Drop a door key down the spine," are some of the more familiar ones. A woman who had never seen her father was endowed with the power to take fire out of burns by repeating: Bread never hungers, Water never thirsts, God's love never dies. and blowing on the burn three times. More potent in effect is this, secured through much persuasion: Peter, the greatest saint among all Christians, who healed by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, O Lord, I ask to heal this mortal wound of the flesh, which we feel is the forewarning of a sinful death. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. Blow three times while rubbing the wound three times toward the lower part of the wound. Possibly the fact that warts appeared and disappeared so suddenly accounts for the fact that the remedies for them are more numerous than for any other affliction. Perhaps the best- known "cure" is that connected with the dish- cloth覧a superstition which entailed the break- ing of the eighth commandment. Stealthily leaving the house with the stolen article and walking straight ahead without turning or look- ing back, the afflicted person hung the dishcloth on a tree or buried it underneath a stone. If one could find a purchaser for the warts at a penny apiece they were sure to disappear; but they were more often forced upon unwilling persons by rubbing copper coins, beans, or coffee grains over them and then throwing the contaminated articles away, after doing them up in a neat package. The one who opened the package received the warts. If one had an abundance of patience he might be willing to search in the open fields for a bone and, after carefully noting its position, rub it over the excrescence three times and then restore it to its original position. This was an abso- lutely sure cure, and the removal of the pro- tuberance was accelerated if the afflicted one walked away without looking back, and promptly forgot about the bone. Chickens were sometimes summoned to aid in the amelio- ration of this unsightly condition of the skin, being fed bread crumbs saturated with blood from the warts, or grains of corn that had been rubbed over them. Sometimes the chicken was forced to be a martyr to the cause by having his head severed from his body in order that the blood from his neck might be used as a lotion. Often a cow was given salt from a piece of elm bark that previously had been con- taminated by being rubbed over the warts. Onions and potatoes were excellent remedies, although some believed that the pieces of po- tato should be placed in the ground to grow after they had been used, and some thought that they must be pared to keep them from sprouting. The pieces of onion might be de- posited in various places, a favorite receptacle being a drain-pipe. In every case, however, the vegetables must be carefully quartered. It was an easy matter to cut notches in an alder bush and, after pronouncing a charm, leave the branch to heal over; or to bury a bit of bark that had been cut with a knife that had pre- viously been rubbed over the wart. In each case the warts were supposed to vanish as the wound in the bush or the tree healed. Again, a yarn string tied in as many knots as there were warts was buried where the water falling from the roof of the house would strike it. As the string rotted, the warts would leave. It is a striking fact that charms generally prescribed something to be hidden or buried. Some of the remedies would make the least fastidious among us feel squeamish, particularly those com- pounded of dead black cats and snails. It was quite an easy matter to rid one's self of a sty. Indeed, the cures for this particular affliction are almost as numerous as those for warts. One of the most simple was to repeat, in passing another person: Sty, sty, leave my eye. Catch the one who is passing by. The one who worked this charm certainly did not follow the precept of the Golden Rule. Witches were a constant source of trouble in those days. Men turned their pockets inside out or wore their socks wrong side out to keep them away. Perhaps the only difference between many of the remedies used in the pioneer home and the home of to-day is that the barks, roots and leaves of the same plants which now are used in the form of powder and tablets were then used in their crude state as teas and poultices. Pennyroyal tea, mixed with sugar and salt, was given for fever, colds, rheumatism and head- aches. Camomile and feverfew were adminis- tered to those suffering from cramps. Hore- hound, a garden herb, was valuable for colds and coughs, as was also wild cherry bark, and both are used to-day. Mountain tea was given to the children for whooping cough. Sage served a double purpose in that it relieved night sweats and fevers and was used for flavoring foods. Mullein was smoked for catarrh, and yellow root was made into a lotion for the sore throat, while an infusion of wild cherry bark was used as a tonic. Sarsaparilla was known to be a good blood cleanser. Plantain was used for sore mouths, and snakeroot for snake bites. Poulticing was a favorite mode of treat- ment, elm bark being much used, while an onion poultice with salt was invaluable for frosted hands and feet. Boneset, an herb growing wild in the swamps, was gathered when in bloom in the fall of the year and hung up to dry. It was valuable as an emetic in the treatment of fever, boiling water being poured upon the plant and the bitter solution served to the typhoid patient. The pods of the lobelia were gathered and the small seeds inclosed steeped in boiling water, and this tea, which tasted very much like to- bacco, was used as an emetic also. Here is a cure for vomiting: For diet, use thin sage gruel, wine whey, clear broth, salt meat, salt fish and good cheese, when the patient will take them. The doctor used blue mass and rhubarb for practically all ills. He dosed his patients with camomile, giving eight or ten grains in one dose. He often resorted to bleeding his fever patients, and, in a bad case of measles, considered bleeding absolutely necessary. Bleeding for in- flammation of the eyes was not uncommon, and after this treatment leeches were applied to the temples or under the eyes with supposedly good effect. Afterward the eyes were bathed with water and brandy. Spotted fever was thought to be caused by grief, fear, anxiety, intense thought, want of sleep, foul air, a poor watery diet, unripe fruit, cucumbers, and melons. If, in the course of the fever, a person became delirious, he was blistered on the head or neck with plasters, or tincture of lobelia and was given ipecac. Water was strictly forbidden. Sometimes onion or fish were bound on the feet to cure a typhoid patient. The following is a remedy prescribed for blood poisoning: Wash a number of live earth worms until not a particle of soil remains on them. Then bind them alive on the parts affected and leave for three days. The worms will draw out all the poison. A remarkable remedy of the same nature for tuberculosis was given by an Indian woman to a white man who was supposedly cured by the application. In this instance the fangs were re- moved from a live snake, which was then wrapped around the man's waist next to the skin. It was supposed that in the course of a few weeks the snake would absorb the poison from the man's system. Deaths from ivy poison were not infrequent because the people believed that it "took poison to kill poison," and not realizing that they were applying, not an antidote, but more poison of the same kind, rubbed ivy leaves on the sores. The following remedies, which all could pro- cure, were used at a late date: 1. Mash nightshade leaves and mix with cream lo form a thick paste. Apply to the poisoned parts. Do not use internally. 2. Bruise all the tender part of wild touch-me-not and apply juice to affected parts as welts begin to form. 3. Mix cream and gunpowder until a thick paste is formed. May be used in the mouth if affected. 4. Rub poisoned parts with well-moistened tobacco leaves. 5. Place copperas, which may be obtained from coal banks, in a vessel and cover with water. When dissolved, apply liquid to affected parts. To relieve toothache, leeches were applied to the gums, or a toasted fig was held between the part affected and the cheeks. Blistering plasters applied between the shoulders were also used to relieve toothache. In an old almanac, dated 1836, we find a number of old remedies: For Toothache覧Pulverized alum, two drains; sweet spirits of nitre, seven drams. Mix and apply to the tooth. Washing behind the ears with this mixture has a tendency to prevent toothache. For Mortification覧Make a decoction of sassafras, thicken it with finely powdered charcoal and apply it as a poultice. For a Cough覧One ounce of elecampane root, one ounce wild cherry bark, one ounce comfrey root, one ounce horehound herb, well boiled in two quarts of water; add one pint of wine or old cider. Take half a glass three times a day. For Cramps覧Persons subject to cramps in the stomach should drink ginger tea once a day. For King's Evil覧King's evil has been cured by poulticing with boiled carrots. For Tetter覧Bloodroot sliced into vinegar will cure the tetter and the worst eruptions on the skin by often washing the parts affected with the mentioned solution. Young girls in the olden days were just as desirous of having beautiful complexions as those of to-day, but their means of obtaining results were different from those the modern girls employ. Grandmother's great-grandmother went to nature for her complexion; her grand- daughter's great-granddaughter goes to the drug store for hers. On the first three mornings in May grandmother's great-grandmother arose be- fore the sun was up and went to the wheat field where she washed her face in the dew, or found water in partly decayed tree stumps to bleach her face and hands. For a chapped skin she used cream, or a part of the tallow her parents kept to make candles. Buttermilk and tansy mixed removed the freckles and tan which often marred her beauty. She sometimes used flour or, in the later periods, prepared chalk for powder, but more often she did not powder. To flush her cheeks, instead of "Blush of Roses" on her dressing table might have been seen a beet which she sliced anew each day until by use or by evaporation the juice disappeared; when out to the garden she went to select another. Grandmother's great-grand- mother said she pierced her ears to make her eyes strong. She viewed with anxiety the com- ing of the first gray hair, even as her twenti- eth century descendant does; and in order that her locks might retain their natural vigor she gathered the sap from grape vines in the early spring to use as a tonic for her scalp. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -