The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-06-22
HERBS AS MEDICINE.


Barring Gould has contributed 20 tho
Sunday Magazine curious pape9 en-
titled Country Rsansdiea," " hom whieh
we learn that In spite Of tho revolution
which has taken place In tho materia
medica of the British phatmacopeis IN
modern times In favor of nainef1 med
icines and other moro powerful drugs,
village ..wise men" and women still
sscull simples" here and there, and even
continue to inspire nei9hbors with faith
in their power Of healing BY divers
superstitious practices. Nor Is the couh-
try peoples confidence In the village
herbalist, in Mr.. Goulds ofinion, alto
Rether misplaced. The old race Of these
irregular practitioners were, he be-
lieves, endowed with very consadera BILE
and wholesome experience, and they
were the depositories Of traditions re-
garding the properties OF certain herbs
in the treatment Of certain maladies
which were sometimes far from being
mere fanciful It is noteworthy that to
this day many of our field and wood
plants derive their names from the pop
ular belief in their virtues - specifics
for certain complaints.
Mr.. Gould gives . remarkable ae-
count Of one Of the last remaining
.wise women" who has long been
known to him. Judging from certain
indications, she belongss to the west
country. Her recipe for sprain VII
hardly, we fear, receive respectful con-
alteration. It il as follows: "Two
ounces oil Of turpentine, two ditto
suillowes, two ditto earthworms, two
ditto nerve, two ditto oppidilli two
ditto Spanish fleas." Mr.. Gould opines
that the turpentine, the opodeldoc and
the Spanish flies mot deas) are the
valuable part Of this remarkable pre-
scription. 'sSufllowes" Is supposed 70
stand for squills, which is not OF much
use a. m external application.
OF the potency of ''earthworms" It y
more difficult to Judge, but Mr.. Gould
assures MS that it Is precisely this de-
coction of wriggling worms which I'M
presses the west country rustic into
the conviction that the remedy must be
something very wonderful, and the oil
of nerves strikes him as reasonable.
His nerves are suffering; therefore he
must decoct the nerves Of bullocks to
supply what he lacks. The rationale
of the thing seems not unlike that OF
the .soil of crowbars" which Mr..
Punch's hairdresser recommended to
the customer whose hair was getting
rather weak When Mr.. Gould's chill
dren had the whooping cough his
coschman's wife entreated Mrs- Gould
to let her doctor them. She brought
little silk bags to be tied round the
sufferers' necl<s, each containing some
hair cut from the cross on donkeys
back. This she had learned to believe
was sovereign against whooping cough.
For remedies Of Tho class Mr.. Gould.
has no apology 10 offer: nor has he any
thing to say for the "charms" and
cabalistic formula which are still In
some favor In the eoantry
samples which he cites certainly do not
say much for ,enliR Rhtenmeuti n the wees
of England. Fits, when they are ter
rible bad aee, in the belief Of some.
only to be cured by wearing Z silver
ring, manufactured from coins which
have come out of seven parishes.
Gold, it appears, Is not emcacioua Mr..
Gould knows = parish In which the
parish clerk draws-oe did till lately
4 revenue tor the cure Of children with
fits. This is Whist he does, Or did: He
takes the little sufferer up 10 the church
tower, holds it out at each 0f the ang1e
pinnacles and pronounccs certain
words. What the words are Ar. 0ould
has not learned Profitable trade se-
crets are apt to be jealously guarded.
but he knows that for these mysterious
practices the parish clerk receives an