Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-02-19
oLD-TIME FAITH cuRlsTs.

Paracelsus and His Wonderful Healing
ointment-Royal Laying On of Hands.
Some marvellous faith-cure recipes of
the middle ages were recently read be-
fore the American Folklore society at
Hamilton Hall, Columbia college. The
title of the paper was Faith Healing
in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Cent
uries," and the author showed that the
laying on of hands, the curing of the
absent, and other of the schemes of the
modern faith curists were in vogue sew
eral centuries ago.
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 the
gum bled with a certain root possessing
supposedly magical qualities. This
having been accomplished the root was
to be buried in the ground with the
blood on it. The burial of the root
with the blood upon it was be-
heved to afford immunity from a
second attack of toothache. Another
method was frequently employed in
dealing with this ailment. The gum
was priclzed until it bled with a black
thorn or willow splint, which latter
was then grated on the parent bush or
tree.
There fourished in the sixteenth cent
ury wonderful quack named Paracel-
sus, whose fame as a 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 a
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 be
mixed in a mortar, in the proportion of
three drachms of each, and, after being
compounded into pure and SUBTLE
ointment, were to be inclosed in a
box and set away, like a jar of
preserves, for future use. Whenever
person came to Paracelsus af
ficted with grievous cut or other in
jury the learned quack 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 permanently heal.
Like all great men Paracelsus had a
horde of followers, and when thei1
leader departed his life some of his
imitators introduced a 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 a time to the
OH. 1A IS -,
gave it out that an ordinary skeleton
had no virtue. Only moss, they de-
clared, that had come from the skull OF
one who had been hanged was effica-
cious, their reason for this being that
hanging produced strangulation and
strangulation drove the vital spirit OF
the victims body up into his skull,
where they remained for period OF
six years, so that moss of this descrip.
ton maintained its mysterious remedial
properties for six years.
From rare chronicles of those days
was read a number of quaint accounts
of cures of wounds by the use of the
ointment and the strange sympathetic
| power that came into use later. There
was laborer in Kent who cut his ankle
with an axe. The axe, with the blood
on it, was carried post haste to a faith
curer," who dressed the implement
with the ointment, Vhereupon, by uni
versal testimony, the wound on the an.
kle began to heal. But the curer, ac
cidentally scraping the ointment from
| the axe with his sword, straightw ay
| there came a man running from the
patients house to say that the wound
was worse The axe was bathed once
more in ointment and the wound in
stantly healed and the man was soor
able to be up and about.
On another occasion a gentleman had
his wrist severely cut in duel. He
went to a faith curer, who put his sym
pathetic powder on the ensaAguinec
rag that had been bound around the
wrist. Nothing was done to the wrist
itself, but the application of the pow
der to the rag cured the wound in a few
days. These and other veracious tale.
culled from obscure sources served tt
illustrate the prevalence of faith cure
practices in Europe a long time ago.
The most conspicuous faith curist o,
his time was Charles II. of England
| who performed his so-called cures annie
solemn pomp and ritualistic pageant
From 1860 to 1852 the King laid 'Ehi!
hands, on no less than 90, LOT of his sub
jects afflicted with kings evil, rheuma
tism and every variety of disease ant
ailment. In addition to the laying OF
of hands the royal doctor hung amulet
of gold strung on silk ribbons arounC
the necks of those brought into his au
gust presence. Many who were car
ried to the palace sprang up and walked
awav cI1red and great was the fame a
the King. His courtiers proclaimed
that the cures were evidence of thei
rulers Divine right to the throne.-N
Y. Times.
! Easily Answered.
st is 80 76-100 miles from Philadel
phia to New York" said the teacher