The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-03-20
LAKE CHARLES CALCAsEU PARISH LOUISIANA SATURDAY
The Maidstone.
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Captain Byrne, and intelligent
Cherokee, who is in Washington on
tribunal business, is prompted to tell
something about hydrophobia and the
maidstone, as the information came to
him from hunters and Indians:
Gas far back as 1885, Captain
Byrne says, "the maidstone was used
for the cure of poisonous snake bites
and mad-dog bites. 4 Ii never failed if
applied within ten hours after the
bite. The maidstone was used by
simply laying it upon the place bilten.
1t would adhere to the wound as soon
as applied and remain fast until filled
with the poison, when the stone would
drop off. 1t was the custom to have
ready a basin of water warmed to
about blood heat. The maidstone was
dropped into the water, and in a
minute or so would be relieved of the
poison it contained. Then it was ap-
piled to the wound again. This OPP
Grafton was kept up until the stone
refused TO adhere any longer.
"This maidstone" continued Cap
tain Byrne, twas discovered about the
spurs Of the south end of the Blue
Ridge Mountains, think about ninety
years ago, by old hunters, In those
days deer were very numerous. The
discovery came about through the
hunters dogs eating the entrails of
the deer toward the end of winter.
The dogs were poisoned and died.
This led to an examination of the
stomachs of the deer. 1t was found
that the animal had browsed freely on
the poisonous ivy which grew in
great abundance in the spurs of the
Blue Ridge. How the deer escaped
any bad consequences from this kind
of food was mystery until further
search of the NAV OF stomach revealed
what was called the maidstone. This
substance was usually about the size
of horse-ehestnut. The hunters had
various theories to account for the
presence of the stone in the stomach,
but they were agreed that it took up
the poison from the ivy. Curiosity
prompted the trial of the stone to
various poisons, and the discovery
that it would absorb them was made.
In this way the stone came to be used
for rattlesnake bites and mocasin
bites, and afterwards for mad-dog
bites" ...
"This," said Captain ByFne, SIS the
tradition of the discovery of the mad
stone. The hunters and Indians had |
a preventative for hydrophobia which |
went back TO the Paris doctors inoe
culation. You will find on the under
side of q dogs tongue, back at the
root, a small worm, about an inch
long. The shape and size is plain.
When the pupils three or four months
old take a sharp knife and split the
thin skin which contains the worm,
and with an awl pick out the worm.
That dog will be forever proof against
hydrophobia. This in the Indians
and hunters preventative, remember
its application fifty years ago. Some
old hunters in the Blue Ridge country
still practice it. If there is doubt
about its value the experiment can be
made without much trouble. Take
three or four pups and extract the
worm. Then wait for the next case Of
mad dog and let the pups be bitten.
I'll stake my belief that the pups will
not have hydrophobia.
"Dogs go mad" concluded the
Cherokee, "without being bitten by
mad dog. The irritation Of the by.
drophobia worm under the tongue
does it, There is in Western Texas a
small black-and-white polccat Which
might be called . natural hydrophobia
animal. Any living thing bitten by
this nolecat at any time goes mad y