Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-07
OLD FAITH CURISTS.
PAHAcELsus AND HIS WONDERFUL
HEALING OINTMENT.
Virtues In Moss from the Skull OF One VINO
Had Been Hanged-Ciose Of the
Folklore.

schemes OF the modern faith-curistS were
in vogue several centuries ego.
In the dark days of the Middle Ages
there were different ways OF curing
/ toothache. One way was to rub the
| gums of the afflicted person until they
bled with a certain root possessing sup
posedly magical qualities. This having
been accomplished, the root was buried
in the ground with the blood on it. The
burial of the root with the blood upon it
was believed to afford immunity from a
second attack. of toothache. Another
method was frequently employed in
dealing with this ailment. The gum
was pricked, until it bled, with black
thorn or willow splint, which latter was
then grated on the parent bush or tree.
PARACEIsUs,
There fiourished in the sixteenth GEN.
fury wonderful quack named Parcel
sus, whose fame as curer was world
wide. He pretended to be able to cure
/ every disease under the sun, and his
chief medicine was called by him a
Sympathetic Ointment. 1t was COM
/ posed as follows:
Moss from the skull or bones of n
skeleton that had lain for some time in
the open air.
Mans grease.
Mummy's blood.
Mans blood.
Linseed oil.
Oil OF roses.
BOle armoniack.
These cheerful ingredients were to he
mixed in u mortar. in the proportion of
three drachms of each, and, after being
compounded into a "pure and subtle "
ointment, were to be enclosed in box
and set away, like jar OF preserves, for
future use. Whenever a person came
to Paracelsus afflicted with grievous
cut or other injury the learned quaclt
would gravely jab stick into the blood
of the patient. As soon as the blood
was dry on the stick Paracelsus would
thrust the stick into his Sympathetic
Ointment. This proceeding caused the
wound or injury to speedily and perma-
nently heal.
Like all great men, Paracelsus had a
horde of followers, and when their leader
departed this life some of his imitators
introduced new ingredient into the
| Sympathetic Ointment, or. rather. they
substituted an ingredient. Whereas,
formerly it had been deemed sufficient
to take moss from any skull or skeleton
exposed for time to the air. the second
generation Of quacks gave it out that m
ordinary skeleton had no virtue. Only
moss, they declared, that had come from
the skull of one who had been hanged
WIS efiicacious, their reason for this
being that hanging produced strangu-
lation and strangulation drove the "yltal
spirits" of the victims body up into
his skull, where they remained for a
period of six years, so that moss of this
description maintained its mysterious
remedial properties for six years.
QUAINT ACCOUNTS.
From rare chronicles Of those days
Mr.. Cox read number OF quaint ac-
counts of cures of wounds by the use OF
the ointment and the strange "Sympa-
thet;o Powder" that came into use
later. There was a laborer in Kent
who cut his ankle with an axe. The
axe, with the blood on it, was carried
post haste to q "faith-curer," who
dressed the implement with tho ONT
ment, whereupon, by universal testi-
mony, the wound on the ankle began to
heal. But the curer, accidentally scraping
the ointment from the axe with his
sword, straightway there came man
running from the patients house to say
that the wound was worse. The axe
was bathed once more in ointment, and
tho wound instantly healed and the man
was soon able 10 be up and about.
On another occasion q gentleman had
his wrist severely cut in a duel. He went
to faith-curer. who put his "Sympa-
thetic Powder on tho enssnguined rag
that had been bound around the wrist.
Nothing was done to the wrist itself, but
the application OF the powder to the rag
cured the wound in few days. These
and other veracious tales culled from OBJ
scure sources served to illustrate the
prevalence of faith-cure practices in Eu-
rope long time ago.
KING CHARLES III.
The most conspicuous faith-curist of
his time was King Charles III. of Eng
land, who performed his so-called cures
amid solemn pomp and ritualistic pa
geant. From 1860 10 1852 the King
"laid his hands on 10 lees than 2,l07
Of his subjects afflicted with kings evil,
rheumatism, and every variety of disease
and ailment. In addition to the laying
on of hands the royal doctor hung anu
lets OF gold strung on silk ribbons
around the necks of those brought into
his august presence. Many who were
carried to the palace sprang up and
walked away cured. and great was the
fame of the King. His courtiers pro-
claimed that the cures we're evidence of
their rulers divine right to his throne.
Albert Leighton Rawson stated that
faith-cure WAS prevalent among the an
cient Egyptians.
Other papers were read by Thomas
Wilson on "The Amulet Collection of
Professor Belucci, Perugia, Italy, and
How it Came to be Made" by the Rev.
J. Owen Dorsey on "Siouan Cults, "
showing that the Sioux were never mo-
notheists and describing the intricate
symbols of their religious and other OBJ
servances by John Walter Fewkes on
1.-THE Sacred Dances of the Zuni In
dians," describing certain dramatic re-
presentations Incorporated therein by
DR.. Frederick Starr on "The Folklore
of Stone Implements, and by DIR. Ed
wards, of Worcester, Mass, on "Baha-
ma Folklore" illustrated by several
dialect stories OF the negroes on Green
Turtle Bay Island.
The convention adjourned after pass
ing resolutions OF thanks to the retiring
president, to the trustees OF Columbia
College, and to the New York Academy
OF Sciences.
WasIt q New Game?
Detroit Free Press.
=. A.