The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-04-01
Hydrophohia Traditions.

o'Pt"ih ny Ihc. au lntelllScnJ CllerO-
,Ee", who is in Washington on tribal
business, is prompted to tell something
about hydrophobia and the maidstone,
as the information came 70 him from
hunters and Indians:
LAS far back as 1925" Captain Byrno
says, "the maidstone was used fo, the
cure of poisonous snake bites and mad
dog bites. 1t never failed # applied
within ten hours after the bite. The
maidstone was used by simply LAYING il
upon the place bitten. 1t would adhere
to the wound as soon as applied and re-
main fast until filed with the poison.
when the stone would drop of. 1t was
the custom to have ready basin Of wa
ter warmed to about blood heat. Tho
maidstone was dropped into the~ water,
and IN minute or SO would be relieved
of the poison it contained Then it was
applied to the wound again. This ope-
ration was kept up until the stone re-
fused to adhere any longer:
"lhls madstone,' continued Captain
Byrnc, twas discovered about the spurs
of the south end of the Bluo Ridge
Mountains, think about thirty years
ago, by old hunters. In those DAYS
deer were very numerous. The discov-
cry came about through the hunters
dogs eating the cntrails of deer toward
the end of winter. The dogs were pois-
oncd and died. This led to an exami-
nation of the stomachs of the deer. 1t
was found that the animal had browscd
freely on the poisoned ivy which grew
in green 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 or stomach revealed
what was called the maidstone. This
substance was about the size of n horse
chestnut 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 poSons, and the
discovery that it would absorb them was
made. In this way the stone came to
be used for rattlcsnakc bites and moe
casn bites, and aftcrward for mad doc
bites.
This" said Captain Byrne, ''is the
tradition Of the discovery of the mad
stone. The hunters and Indians had a
preventive for hydrophobia which went
back of the Paris doctors incubation.
You will find on the under side of a
dogs tongue, back at the root, q small
worm. about an inch long. The shape
and size is plain. When the pup is
three or four months old take II sharp
knife and split the thin skin that con-
tains the worm, and with an awl pick
out the worm. That dog will be for
ever proof against hydrophobia. This
is the Indians and hunters preventive.
l remember its application fifty Years
ago. Some old hunters in tie Blue
kld! sc country still practice it. If there
Is doubt about its value the experiment
can be made without much trouble
lake three or four pups and extract tn,
worm. Then wait for the next case O.
mad dog and let the pups be bitten. II
stake m. belief that the pups will no
have hydrophoba.
Dogs go mad," concluded the Chero
kcc' without being bitter by mad
! dog. The irritation of the hydrophobia
worm under the tongue does it. There
is in Western Texas small black-and.
white polccat which might be called Il
natural hydrophobia animal. ANY liv-
ing thing bitten by this polccat at any
time goes mad. y Washington Dispatch.