The times., 1901-05-05

| nature they were used in decoctions as
a hair wash to prevent the breaking ol
as lotion to be ribbed on the limbs Of
baIl-piayers and to tougher the sinews.
| The Cherokee Indians had a theory fol
| the cause of intermittent fever which
| from the most recent step in the develop
ment of modern medical science, was not
very far from the truth. They believed
| that intermittent fever was q disease -oi
| the blood, caused by n colonization OF
| malicious insects or worms, which some
now got under the skin. In their treat
ment they took the bark of the wild cher
| ~, infused 1t in water, into which were
| dropped seven live Goals of fire The pa
! tient was placed with his face to the ris-
| ing sun, while the Medicine Man stood In
| front of him. With the medicine cup in
| his hand the doctor invoked In succession
| the spirits OF the air, the mountain, the
/ Iorest, and the water. After each invoca-
ton he took mouthful of the liquid and
| pew IT over the patients head, right
| shoulder, left shoulder, and breast. This
was repeated for four days, when the pa
tient was supposed to be freed from the
| visitation of malevolent spirits
| Inc Cherokees called jaundice the
| Diack yeIoWneSS. They believed the
disease was due to the spirit of a revenge
| ful turtle which had crept into it's vic
| tim. The medicine man first sang an in
cantation and then plunged his hands into
solution OF wild cherry and vigorously
| rubbed the breast and abdomen of the pa
tlent, calling meantime on the two lit
| tie men to come and take the vicious
turtle back to the lake from which he
came.
Another signature" idea was enter
| tanned by the Cherokees in their medical
| therapeutics which is of amusing inter
est There is a weed known as ''beggar's s
nee which has a very sticky burr The
INDIANS used to make decoction from
| this burr and took it internally to aid the
memory. In other words the idea they
wished to remember would. from their
point OF view, stick in their memory if
ha s4stxt .ine. ..f
the burr of this weed.
The Indian medicine man had. as part
OF ms professional paraphernalia, hol-
low bone tube, with which he sucked the
poison from his patient This act was al
ways accompanied by the beating of
drums shaking of ratties, and chanting
of incantations. In this ceremony the rat
tie played star part. A common form
of rattle is the raven rattle. 1t is made
of hollow piece of wood in the form of
raven containing some hard pieces of
stone or other substance. This is supplied
with a handle which is the ravens tail
On the back of the hollow bulb at the
end of the handle is carved the figure of
a man lying on his back, with the beak
OF another raven brewing the materialiZ-
ed spirit of the disease from the mans s
mouth.
The American Indian medicine is magic
medicine of pure type. Disease to them,
is the evidence of the entrance into the
body of evil spirits, especially reYengeful
spirits of slain animals, and witchcraft.
The medicine man exercised the malig-
nant spirits by intimidation or ca jOlery,
or by invoking the intercession of friend
ly spirits more powerful than the male
VIOLENT one annoying his patient. Drugs
are regarded by them as nearly adjuncts
TO exorcism. They are looked upon as
fetiches; that is, the material form or
dwelling place of spirits capable of assist
ing or expelling. the spirit of disease.
The walnut presents in its entire struc-
ture an excellent illustration of sigma
ture.' The nut when it leaves the tree is
surrounded by shuck or shellbark which
is hairy and fibrous. Then comes the shell
resembles the human head, and its struc-
tural arrangements to a striking degree,
and so impressed the medical man of ear
ly dayS. The bark or Shuck, with its
hairy structure, was selected as a remedy
for scalp and hair diseases purely from it's
resemblance to that portion of the head.
\ decoction was made from the walnut
Shuck ana preserved in spirits of wine,
and administered as lotion on the head
to prevent the breaking and falling out
of the hair and for the cure of scalp dis
eases. "A slight examination of the kernel
will show its remarkable resemblance to
the brain structure. with it's longitudinal
ffssure and convointions. This was taken
internally for insanity and all other brain
diseases. CroSsius speaks of the nut s Vir-
tue in the following quaint terms:
'Walnuts have an entire signature of
the head The exterior rhinde or herby
encompa Ssment of the pericraniun. where
salt of this rhinde. is good for wounds of
the scalp. The shell is the signature of
the Uranium. The thin skin encompass
ing the kernel resembleth the membranes
OF the brain. The kernel itself when TAX
en- with the spirits of wine, wonderfully
comforteth the brain"
host of charms or amulets were worn
by the ancients, principally as prevent
ives of disease and evil influences. Among
these is the rabbits foot to ward off
rheuma tism, the peony root carried In the
pocket as a defence against insanity, con-
N~yrIc afNA satNtIa A t.AN
used for the toothache. The aching gum
was scarified by the nail, which was aft
erward driven to the head into piece of
woor or tree. This latter was to prevent
the ache from coming back.
Magic still has its hold on people. 1t
is not generally known, bu; is neverthe-
less well-ascertained fact, that since
the invention of the electric arc light a
new magic-medicine thought has cropped
out among many of our otherwise up-to-
date citizens. Perhaps there has nothing
Vention which has so worked upon the i'm
agination of Americans as the recent de-
velopments in electricity. Especially is
this true of electric lighting. The mar
velous always appeals to the ina gination.
and many people still look upon electricity
as something almost supernatural They
see its manifestations and Its fearful pow
er without being able to see the thing it
self. This, in some. appeals irresistibly 10
n latent Superstitious taint which has been
inherited from our remote ancestry. and
WnIcD ciVlllZdtlOn mas not Yet entirely
eradicated. The electric arc light. there
fore, has been the means of calling into
action this erstwhile dormant relic of our
former barbarous estate. Many modern
business men and women carry in their
pockets or concealed about their persons
caSt-off fragments of the carbon pencils
used in the arc lamps. Medical property is
in the minds of these people, given 10
these fragments by the passage of the
electric current over the carbon pencils,
and has dynamicised the pencils with a
curative property which, when worn on
the person VIII cure existing diseased con-
ditions or so vitalize the system as to en-
able the organism to resist the encroach-
ments of disease clements Such things
seem ineXplicable when viewed In the light
of modern knowledge, and yet they do ex-
list TO an extent that is astonishing.
Superstitious ideas are not confined to
the ignorant, however for it frequently
happens that well-educated people are alb
solutely controlled by such ideas. There
is living in Washington today a woman
who is richly endowed mentally. Not
only is she well educated but she has that
rarer charm, understanding; which al
times rises TO positive brilliancy. Yet that
woman is slave to a number of super
stitions which control her so completely
as to nspire-pity and concern in her
many friends. She was one of a party
of four which went to the theatre one
night some weeks ago and when passing
the Ebbitt House on Fourteenth Street.
one of the party passed on the outside of
the trees in front of the hotel, which grow
in the centre OF the sidewalk The rest
of the party started to pass son the in
side of the trees. This superstitious wom-
an became instantly greatly alarmed and
springing forward, seized them by the
arms and appealed to them to return and
pass on the outside of the trees, alleging
unknown misfOrtunes to their friendships
and fortunes. if they did not acquiesce
She was considerably excited by this time
and out of consideration for her feelings
her wishes were respected. There was a
ladder leaning against the sheds around