Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-07-11
MEDICAL SUGGESTIONS.
Vagsrles Which Obtained In France I'm
Medieval Days.

Fagaries Which Obtained In France I'm
Medieval Days.
A French writer named Challamel
has recently issued a 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 american AnalySt the French
seem to have had unlimited faith in
personalities against diseases and the
infallibe means Of cure, and it may
be added that they We're not alone in
their truslfuluess.
The following are some of the super
sttiouS practices mentioned: To cure
fever they abs.aiued from both flesh
and eggs on easter and on other high
festivals; they caused a cabbage stolen
for the purpose from a neighbOring
garden to be dried on pot-hook ;
they wore one of the dead mans bones
as an amulet; they iuclosed 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 peutecost; they twined the
hens of a snroud about their arms or
neck, and they drank three times of
mixture of water from three wells in a
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
ing backward, to gather nine sprgs of
centaury, which they fastened to a
feyerish 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 meadow,
piucking a 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 fcyerauacked
the devil.
Another practice was for the feyered
person to drop a piece of money in
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 a VOLTS tooth or eve about, or
ride boar. To Danish rheumatism
the sick person caused miller or hiss
wife TO strike three blows with the
hammer, saving: In nomine patris,
etc. Bathing the painful parts Wit
the water of the fountain of Monies
caused the pain TO cease, In Landes
rheumatics and paralytics were cured
of their ills by getting into certain
openings, called etrines in the pillars
of "A church. In Brittany a child was
protected against all diseases by hav-
ing its shirt put on damp The peo-
pile 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 yuuerary.
Among the peasants of the Montague
Moire a white-handled knife was an
infaIlible remedy for collie. Epilepsy
was cured by attaching a cruciliX nail
to the patients arm, on by causing
him to wear silver ring or medal
bearing the names of Gaspar Mel
choir, and BaIthasar. For warts there
was very simple specitic-rubbing
them with wad of hair or of broom
and wrapping chick-peas on pebbles
in rag, which the person was to
throw behind him on a road. Who
ever had toothache touched the aching
tooth with a dead persons tooth.