Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-07-05
HERBS AS MEDICINE.
Traditions Regarding Their Pc.
tency in Diseases.
Country Practitioners Who Were IL.
perienced In ;hc ise of Natures Rem
ediCs for Human Ills Some
Extraordinary Potions.

Barring, could has contributed To the
Sunday Magazine a curious paper en-
titled Country Remedies from which
we learn that in spite of the revolution
which has taken place in the matcria
medica of tine British pharnacopeia in
modern times IN favor of mineral med
icincs and other more powerful drugs,
! village wise men ana women still
"cull simplcs' here and there. and even
continue 10 inspire neighbors with faith
in their power of healing 10y divers
superstitious practices Nor is the coun-
try peoples confidence in the village
herbalist in Mr.. Gould's opinion. alto
gcthcr misplaced. The old race Of these
irregular practitioners were, he be-
ievcs. endowed with very considera bile
and wholesome experience, and they
were the repositories of traditions re-
garding the properties of certain herbs
in the treatment of certain maladies
which were sometimes far from being
mere fanciful 1t is noteworthy that TO
this day many of our field and wood
plants derive their names from the pop
ular belief in their virtues as specifics
for certain complaints.
Mr.. Gould gives a remarkable ac-
count of one of the last remaining
wise women" who has long been
known TO him Judging from certain
indications. She belongs 10 the west
country. Her recipe for sprain viii
hardly, we fear. receive respectful con-
sideration. II is as follows: Two
n e *
suillowes, two ditto carthworms, two
ditto nerve two dittooppidillidock. two
ditto Spanish fleas." Mr. Gould opncs
that the turpcntine, the opodeldoc and
the Spanish flies mot tleas) are the
valua ble part Of this remarkable pre-
scription. "Suillowes' is supposed TO
stand for squills, which is not of much
use as an external application
OF the potency of 'earthworms" it is
more difficult to Judge but Mr.. Gould
assures US that il 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 10
supply what he lacks The rationale
of the thing seems not unlike that of
the "oil of crow bars" 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
coachman's wife entreated Mrs. Gould
10 let her doctor them. She brought
little silk bags 10 be tied round the
sufferers necIs, each containing some
hair cut from the cross on donkey's
back This She had learned 10 believe
was sovereign against whooping cough.
For remedies of THE class Mr.. could
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
samples which he cites certainly do not
say much for enlightenment in the west
of England. Fits, when they are ter
rible bad" are, in the belief of some.
only 10 be cured by wearing silver
ring manufactured from coins which
have come out of seven parishes.
Gold, it appears. is not eflicacious. Mr.
Gould knows parish in which the
parish clerk draws-or did till lately
a revenue 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 il 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 an
hOnorarium.