Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-07-04
MEDICAL SUPERSTITJONS.
vagaries Which Obtained in France I'm
Medieval Days.

A French writer named Challamel
has recently issued q book entitled
"a Bird s-Eye View of France in the
Middle Ages" in which he relates a
number of medical superstitions cur
rent in France in the middle ages,
most of which are said to prevail at
the present time also. In those DAYS,
says the Anlertcdll AnalySt the French
seem to have had unlimited faith in
| preseryatiYes against diseases and the
infallible means of cure, and it NAV
be added that they were not alone in
their trustfulness.
The following are some of the super
stitious practices mentioned: To cure
fever they abstained from both flesh
and eggs on easter and on other high
festivals; they caused cabbage stolen
/ tor the purpose from a neighboring
garden to be dried on a pot-hook
they wore one of the dead mans bones
| as an amulet; they inclosed a green
frog in bag and hung it to the sick
, persons neck; they ate the first easter
daisy they found, and they received the
! benediction in three different parishes
/ on the same Sunday. While telling
their beads, they searched for null
lein-stalk and threw it to the winds;
they passed through the cleft of a
tree they caused horse to drink a
bucketful of water, and then drank
! after him; they crossed a procession
/ between the cross and the banner; they
drank holy water on easter eve or on
the eve of pentecost; they twined the
/ hens of a shrOud about their arms or
neck, and they drank three times of a
mixture of water from three wells in
new pot.
The people of Province had their
fisheries blessed on a certain saints
day. On assumption day the people
of Perigord went before sunrise. walk
T., ing backward, to gather nine sprigs of
centaury, which they fastened to a
feverish PERSONS neck, after which
they gave him an infusion of the herb
to drink. A toad choked to death on
the eve of st. Johns day had the same
virtue. 1t was common for a feverish
patient to rise early in the morning
and walk backward in a meadow,
plucking handful of herbs without
turning or looking at them, then throw
, them behind him and keep on his
course without turning back; the re-
suit of this was that the fever attacked
, the devil.
Another practice was for the fevered
person to drop a piece of money in
a public place, with some mummery;
whoever picked up the coin took the
fever. The waters of several fountains
cured fevers, and in particular the
fountains de Krignac triumphed over
tertians. To overcome fear, one had
only to stick pins in dead mans shoe,
carry VOLTS tooth or eye about, or
ride boar. To Danish rheumatism
the sick person caused miller or his
wife to strike three blows with the
hammer, saying: In nOmine PATHS,
etc. Bathing the painful parts will
the water of the fountain of Monies
caused the pain to cease. In Landes
rheumatics and paraiytics were cured
of their Ills by getting into certain
openings, called etrines. in the pillars
of a church. In Brittany child was
protected against all diseases by hav-
ing its shirt put on damp. The peO-
pie of Perigord carefully preserved the
ashes and embers of the yule log,
which cured the maladies of both man
and beast. In some districts the butter
made in May was kept as a vulnerary.
Among the peasants of the Montague
MORE a white-handled knife was an
infallible remedy for collie. Epilepsy
was cured by attaching crucitix nail
to the patients arm, or by causing
him to wear a silver ring or medal
bearing the names of Gaspar, Mel
choir, and Balthasar. For warts there
was a very simple specfc-rubbing
them with wad of hair or of broom
and wrapping chick-peas or pebbles
in a rag, which the person was to
throw behind rim on road. Who
ever had toothache touched the aching
tooth with Il dead PERSONS tooth.