Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-04
DISEASE FOLK LORE.
CURIOUS MEDICINAL SUPERSTITlONS,
ANCIENT AND MODERN.

the Chinese Eradicate Disease-Eng-
lish SuperstitIOns-Cures for Warts.
In the early days, before mankind had
arrived at a perception of the causes of
disease, of whatever description, says the
Washington Star, were believed to be occa-
stoned by supernatural agencies. For
such Affections evil spirits were held to be
chiefly responsible. In Ceylon the great
demon of disease is associated with Pc
culiar legend. His father was q king who,
believing his queen to be faithless, or
dered her to be cut in two. Before the
sentence was carried out she said: g II
this charge DC false may my child be born
demon and destroy the whole of this
city" When she had been executed
wonder happened: The severed parts re-
united and child was born, who repaired
to the burying place and fattened on the
corpses, whereupon he proceeded to infiict
mortal diseases upon the town and nearly
depopulated it. This demon has eighteen
attendants, the first OF which is the Ffend
of Madness. The ancient Assyrians be-
lieved that the world swarmed with noxious
spirits, which might be swallowed in food
or drink and so cause disease.
The Zulus of Africa believe that persons
who die sudden or violent deaths have
been killed by the rainbow. All individuals
among them who lose their lives by falls,
drowning Or wild boasts perish because the
rainbow has devoured their lSa-la, or spirit.
In the New Hebrides there is, or was, a
colony of professional disease makers, who
| live by collecting such rubbish as tie skin
of u banana which man has eaten. The
| banana skin is rolled up and slowly burned,
| the result being that as it burns the con-
sumner of the fruit becomes more and more
| sick until he makes up his mind to pro-
pitate the wizards by presents. Bat even
| the wizards are nOtSa :Lro again st Slca in
Il a dis
cover that somebody is b IrninS their rub
| bish and so are driven toapp nj for mercy.
| The custom of ringing the "plSsing bell"
| took its Use from 10 notion that its sound
| would drive IYay the evil spirits that stood
| waiting at the D, of IL sick MIN for his
| soul. AbysSiniLa s)rcer4r5 attach to the
image Of IL parson wi)n they wish to tor
ture b, iti ting mi Iries upon his like
| ness the n:i::l, of the victim, and to pre-
| vent this tNA poop'e conceal their baptis-
| NAL names.
Tho belief that diseases are caused by the
dead is % great antiquity. 1t was applied
| in the clS of vampires, which were sup
posed in tAe :nl lie ages to be the spirits
of deceased individuals, which left their
graves at night and sucked the blood of the
living. The most horrible part OF the
fancy, which set all Europe panic stricken
a few centuries ago, was the theory that
the victims were obliged themselves to
Il
this thousands Of suspected corpses were
dug up in order that their hearts might be
transfiNed with stakes to prevent the fiends
from going abroad. In 1875 the body of a
woman in Chicago who had died OF con-
sumption was exhumed and her lungs
burned, under the persuasion that she was
drawing others after her into the grave.
Passing over hidden grave is thought in
some parts of England to produce rash,
while in New Jersey the same cause brings
about incurable cramps in the foot. In
| China and Scotland also people are reluc-
tant to save a drow ling man for fear that
the latter, if his liz" is preserved, will do
some dreadful injury to his savior. The
Scotch believe that the spirit of the last
person buried has to keep watch in the
. churchyard until another is emtombed
there, to whom he delivers his charges.
The duty of the latest inferred to stand
sentry at the graveyard gate every night
until relieved often gives much uneaSineSs
to the deceased's surviving friends in
thinly inhabited parts of the cSuntry.
The various interesting superstitions re-
, late to the cure of diseases by transferring
them to puppies, duck or other animals
To inhale the cold breath Of duck Is still
recommended in England. In Devonshire
!, when a child has whooping cough, a hair
|, is taken from it's head, put between two
, slices of bread and butter and given to 6
=
. ailment will be transferred. An old RENE
, dy for toothache was for the patient tc
: spit in a frogs mouth and request him tC
make off with the trouble. In Pennsylvania
, and elsewhere in this country it is mag
! ined that child may be cured of whoop
: ing cough, by holding the head Of a live
fish In its mouth for minute or two. Al
old Rnd-guaranteed remedy for warts is Il
touch each wart with a pebble and put thu
pebble in bag, which should be lost OF
, the way to church; whoever finds the bag
, and opens 1t gets as many warts as Their
l are stones in it. A curious mode of get
{ ting rid of disease is by taking the hant
: of a corpse ald requesting the dead bod.
s to carry tho complaint with him. Warts
8 may also be cured by touching them witt
: pins and burying the latter In new-mad
: grave. In China the figure Of q man, Gu
: out OF paper, Is carried out into the stree
}. and is supposed to convey the disease will
9 it. In folk tales there are traces of chill
: dren being put to death as cure for lep
i rosy in others, and the ancient authorit,
: Xenokratos speaks with confidence of tn
: good effects to be obtained from eating
u human brains and flesh.
|. In parts of England it is believed tina
r. fits may be cured by fetching handful O
: earth from the grave most recently mad
" in a church-yard when the clock is strik
?. ing twelve midnight. Church-yard gras
a antidotc to mad dog poison. In Scotlan
u the powder from mans skull, burned,
q esteemed a remedy for epilepsy. For nos
% bleed there Is nothing SO good as drie
u moss found growing upon human skull
An Irish love charm is made from a piec
of skin taken with a black-handled knit
from male corpse that has been min
days buried. Those who steal the bones
D. people who have been burned to death 70
l! the purpose of compromising medicines ar
"a looked upon with such horror in Chin
d that it is said that when they are Dor
y again they will have no ears, eyes, hands
Is feet, mouth or nose. In the same countr!
le after an execution, large balls of pith al
le stepped in the blood of the criminal an
Ii sold to the people as cure for consumI
IS ton, under the name of blood bread
TX The touch of dead person has been widel
81 believed to possess healing powers, and a
N Northampton formerly number of sufferer
u used to congregate around the gallov
'r after an execution to receive what is calle
ID the dead stroke by applying the han
y of the corpse to the part afflicted. Fees d
tod Fbo