Smyrna times., 1873-11-05
.MISceIIUWe 10 e o us.
Imaginative Medicine.

About a century ago d London emplrlc opened
a Temple of Health" in Pail Mall, where he
gave lectures on health at the extravagant
charge of two guiness for admission, whlchfee
many wealthy simpletOns were willing to pay
Among other attractions he enlisted the SER
vices Of beautiful woman, said to have been
that equivocal person who afterward became
Lady Hamilton. Many kinds of mountebank
fraud were exhibited at this place, the last OF
which was earth. bathing. He and the God
dess of Health immersed themselves to the
chin in warm earth, he with his hair full dress
ed and powdered, she with the fashionable
coiffure. How many dupes honestly believed
in their own cure by such means history has
not recorded; but the admission to the " Tenn
ple' gradually fell from two guineas to one
shilling and then the earth-bath died out-nOt,
however, before the LADY" had run much
chance of running her health by this peculiar
kind of bathing.
The toad has had its day of importance in
the minds of those who look for specifics
against diseases aud so has the toadstone,
which was described by Joanna Baie in let,
ter to Sir Walter Scott as "a celebrated anu
let, which was never lent to any one unless
upon bond for thousand marks for its be-
ing safely restored. 1t was sovereign for pro-
tecting newborn children and their mothers
from the power of the fairies and has been
purpose" This amulet was described as be-
ing convex circular stone, rather less than
three.ouarters of an inch in diameter, semi
transparent, dark gray, and apparently siliciOus
composition it was set in a massive silver
thumb-ring Besides its virtues as a charm
for keeping off wicked fairies, this tombstone
was believed TO be specific against diseases OF
the kidneys it was immersed in cup Of
water, and the water then quaffed off.
Fish charms have been met with among
many nations. The fish called the bul-head is
used by some of the Russian peasants as
charm against fever. Again, if suspended
horizontally, and carefully balanced by a single
thread, while allowed some freedom of motion,
the fish is credited with the power of indica-
ting by the direction of the head the point of
the compass from which the wind will blow.
Many kinds of fish have two hard bones just
within the sides of the head and one species,
the maigre, has these bones larger in proper
ton than most others. These two bones, call
ed collie stones, are in some countries regarded
to possess medicinal virtues; mounted in gold
and hung round the neck, they are specific
for the collie. But this popularity attaches to
them they must have been received as gift :;
| if purchased, they do not possess the magic
virtue.
Medicinal rings we're at one time very serious
| ly believed in. Physicians we're wont to wear
| fnger-rings, in which stones were set and these
stones were credited with the possession of
many virtues. Sometimes the patient was simp-
ly touched with the rings sometimes he put it
on his finger for while. Many patient has
worn such a ring to stop hemOrrhage which
sedatives, absorbents, and sstringents alike
| failed to alay; If the desired result followed,
the ring was unreservedly regarded as the
healing agent; If the cure diG not follow, we
are told nothing about it; for in these mat
| ters
"What is hit is history,
| But what is mi. sed is mystery ~
A winecolOred amethyst, set in ring, was
specific against intoxication and it's conseQun-
ces q hyacinth stone, similarly set, acted as a
charm TO produce sleep; an agate had wonder
full power in curing amaurosis and other disea-
ses of the eye; a jasper showed its value in
cases of dropsy and fever; while a coral was
an antidote against nervousness and cauSeless
fears. That many imaginative cures have been
wrought by such means, who Can deny2 Even
if the patient only gets little better, and at
tributes the healing influence to the stone in
the ring, he may be right so far as this-that
the influence exerts itself through the imagi-
nation.
Charms, amulets, tailsmans, and phylacter-
les all belong to the list OF articles which pro-
: duce imaginative cures, seeing that the per-
sons who trust to them believe in some good
obtanable from them in purse or in person,
in health or in welfare; and if the good comes,
most assuredly the imagination is the channel
through which it approaches. Two OF three
years ago, at a town in Worcestershire, Eng
, land, after the inquest on the body of a mar
drowned in the Severn, a woman applied tC
the chief constable for permission to draw the
hand of her son, boy of eight or nine years
. of age, nine times across the dead mans throat
in order to bring about the removal of a wer
, from the boys neck In another instance, il
: the same country, this was actually done, witt
fatal results: for the man had died of typhoiC
d fever, which was in this way communicated t.
J., several living persons. A ring made of th,
' hinge of coffin, and q rusty old sword hum
: by the bedside, are lin some districts) charm
against the cramp headache is removed by th,
! ! halter that has hung criminal and also by
d snuff made from moss that has grown on a hu
!, man skull in q graveyard. A dead man
;. hand. and especially abe hand of man wh
1 had been cut down while hanging, dispels tu
!. mors Wharts may be removed by rubbinI
them with bit OF stolen beef; abe chips of
: galows, worn in ltile bag round she neck
u will cure the ague :. q stone with hole in il
10 suspended at the bed head, will prevent night
d mare. Many verses are kuown, which, il rs
p peated aloud, are credited with curing cYamp
: burns and other bodily troubles. When you
q have the whooping-cough, apply for remedy
) TO the first person you meet with riding on
d piebald horse-a ceremony that DIR. Lettsom
q the physician, was fated more than once 10 be
% come acquainted with. Amulets hung in
= little bag around the neck are very widel
: credited with the power of warding off disease
q the list of such substances is an ample one, bu
9 need not be given here. The anodyne neck
" lace, which was profitable affair for one DR.
?, Turner in the early part of the present century
q consisted OF beads made of white bryony root
4 twas believed to assist in cutting the teeth
y Infants around whose neck it was hung. On
Of peculiar kind of amulet is the phylactery,
= Bit Of parchment on which few sacred word
have been written; if worn on the person il
4 safeguard against disease and calamity. Th
4 jews in the East used to carry such an amule
written with o Hebrew verse from the Bible
B, and some Of the Mohammedans with sen
tence from the Koran. .-.5ag a.ai