Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-06-27
POTENCY OF HERBS.
Traditions Regarding Their Proper.
ties in the Treatment of Diseases.

Traditions Regarding Their Proper.
ties in the Treatment of Diseases.
Barring Gould has contributed to thu
Sunday Magazine curious paper en-.
titled Country Remedies" from which
we learn that in spite Of the revolution
which has taken place in the materIa
medica of the British pharmacopeia in
modern times In favor Of mineral
medicines and other more powerful
drugs, village "wise men" and women
still "cull simples'' here and there, and
even continue to inspire neighbors with
faith In their power of healing by divers
superstitious practices. Nor Is the
country peoples condolences in the
village herbalist, in Mr.. Gould's opin.
ion, altogether misplaced. The old race
Of these irregular practitioners were, he
believes, endowed with very consider
able and wholesome experience, and
they were the repositories Of traditions
regarding the properties Of certain
herbs in the treatment Of certain NAL
aides which were sometimes fur from
being mere fanciful. 1t is noteworthy
that to this day many Of our field and
wood plants derive their names from
the popular belief in their virtues as
specifics for certain complaints.
Mr.. Gould gives a remarkable account
of one of the last remaining wise
women" who has long been known to
him. Judging from certain indications,
recipe for sprain will hardly we fear,
receive respectful consideration. 1t Is
as follows: 1.-TWO ounces oil of turpen-
tine. two ditto suillowes, two ditto
earthworms, two ditto nerve, two ditto
oppidillidock. two ditto Spanish fleas"
Mr. Gould opines that the turpentine,
the opodeldoc and the Spanish flies mot
fieas) are the valuable part of this re-
markable prescription. "Suillowes" Is
supposed to stand for squills, which Is
not of much use as an external applica-
ton.
OF the potency of ''earthworms" it
is more difficult to judge. but Mr.. Gould
assures us 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 "oil 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 coach
mans wife entreated Mrs. Gould to let
her doctor them. She bought little
silk bags to be tied round the sufferers
necks, each containing some hair cut
from the cross on donkey's back
This she had learned to believe was
sovereign against whooping cough.
For remedies Of this class Mr. Gould
has no apology to offer; nor has he any
thing to say for the charms" and
cabalistic formula which are still in
some favor In the cOuntry--some sam
pies Of which he cites certainly do not
say much for enlightenment in the west
Of England. Fits, when they are ''terri-
Bile bad" are, in the belief of some
only to be cured by wearing a silver
ring, manufactured from coins which
have come out of seven parishes. Gold,
1t appears, is not efficacious. Mr. Gould
knows a parish in which the parish
clerk draws-or did till lately--a rev.
enue for the cure Of children with fits.
This is what he does, or did: He takes
the little sufferer up to the church
tower, holds it out at each of the angle
pinnacles and pronounces certain
words. What the words are Mr.. Gould
has not learned. Profitable trade Sc
crets are apt to be jealousy guarded,
but he knows that for these mysterious
practices the parish clerk receives az
honorarium.