Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-09-27
TALES OF THE TEETH.
TRADITIONS, OMENS AND ADAGES
AMONG THE UNEDUCATED.

All Sorts of Superstitions Concerniog the
Teeth-Charms and Other Remedies for
Toothache-English and Irish Recipes.
The Prayer Cure.
The teeth and the aches to which they
give rise have been subjects of many
strange ideas among uneducated people
Teeth have even been worshiped. and are
still venerated as relics in some Catholic
shrines. Buddha's tooth is preserved in
temple IN India. and Ceylonese worshiped
the tooth of a monkey. while an elephants
tooth and sharks tooth served similar
purpose among the Malabar Islanders and
the Tonga Islanders respectively Siam
ese valued a monkeys tooth so highly
that they are reported to have offered the
Portuguese 10000 crowns for it.
There was q tradition that. from the
time Chosroes. the Persian, carried off
piece of the true cross from Constantine
pie. the number of teeth in the mouths Of
men were reduced from thirty two to
twenty three 1t is needless to say that
we still have thirty-two Teeth have
often been worn as amulets Sharks
teeth serve this purpose in Samoa 1t
was formerly thought that VOLTS tooth,
worn in a bag about the neck. would
chase fear away from the possessor. The
back tooth of horse. found by chance
will. say the Irish. keep you supplied with
money
OMENs AND ADAGEs
There are many omens connected with
infants teeth, as we'll as those of adults
If child teethe early. it is thought in
England to predict more children. Soon
teeth, soon toes" is the adage, both in
that nv nd IN Svu.Ior
comes first in the upper jaw it Is. on the
contrary. an omen of early death, as the
child cannot survive so potent disaster.
An old work. published in 1888. tells US
that to loose tooth or an eye is also to
lose some friend or kinsman, or is, at
least, attended by Bome IL luck He who
has his teeth wide apart is there said to
he attended by good luck Breton mothers
will not touch infants gums, lest the
teeth grow crooked To dream of teeth
was a warning of some disaster, unless
you dreamed they fell out.
The period of teething being an anxious
one in childhood. it is extremely impor-
tant to have it over with. In Sussex.
England. a necklace of beads made from
peony root was placed on the child's neck
to assist this operation. and one Of amber
beads was also thought powerful 1t was
also said that first teeth must not be
thrown away when they fall out, for II
any animal got such trophy the next
tooth would be like that of the animal
finding the old one. In Nova Scotia, and
in some parts of the United States, chill
dren are told that the new tooth will be q
gold one if the tongue is kept out of the
old cavity
Folk lore is full of odd notions about
the toothache. and many queer remedies
are current for it 1t was once thought 70
be caused by worm.
One OF the most potent remedies WAS
thought to be charm of some kind or
other In England this charm is z. rhyme
or prayer written on piece Of paper.
Verses for this purpose are current in Ger
many to this day St. Appollinus was
especially invoked for this malady in the
Thirteenth century.
work published in 1895 prescribes the
following remedy: The patient was to in
hale the smoke from a vessel in which
dried herbs were mixed with live Goals
He must then breathe over a cup holding
water mixed with wax and serum, when
it was said that worm. the cause of the
trouble. would appear in tie cup.
ANOTHER GTRANGE REMEDY
Nearly century later we find another
strange remedy: with an iron nail raise
and cut the gum from about the teeth
until it bleed, and that some Of the blood
spill upon the nail Then drive it into
wooden beam up to the head After this
Is done you never shall have the tooth
ache in all your ife."
Another old writer of the same period,
Aubrey, gives popular remedies for the
toothache A splinter of wood from
yibbet was thought efficacious in the
north of England, while in Devonshire it
was thought best to bite tooth from
skull in grave yard, and carry it in the
pocket as charm. In another part Of
England. an equally CHASTITY amulet was
;ooth drawn from the mouth of corpse,
;arried in the pocket. The paw of q live
mole or double nut were also prescribed
Is preventive charms To dress the left
DOT and leg before the right is equally
Effective
Some of the Irish cures for the tooth
che were fully as ghastly as those cited
Ibove. One of these empirical recipes
lids you go to grave. kneel upon it, say
hree paters and three aves for the soul of
he dead. then chew a handful of grass
AIKEN from tho grave. splitting it out
The toothache will never after trouble
on.
Another remedy is to VOW never to comb
our hair on Friday, invoking the Creator,
he Virgin and the new moon You may
forwards neglect the two first. but must
neel and say FIVE prayers on first behold
ng the new moon. The two jaw bones.
haddock have been powerful in al
aging the toothache ever since the mir
Gle of the loaves and fishes. If you wish
, avoid the soothache, say the sons Of
rim. never shave on Sunday.-Globe-
'emocrat.