Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1908-07-09
HERBS AS MEDICINE.
Traditions Regarding Their Pc.
tency In Diseases.
Country Rraetitionsrs Who Were -
psrssnssd In the Use Of Hssurs's Rem
odtes for Human Ills - eome
Extraordinary P0tiona.


-
Baring-Gould has contributed to the
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 med
iciues 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 coun-
try peoples confidence in the village
herbalist, in Mr.. Gould's opinion, alto
gether misplaced The old race Of these
irregular practitioners were, he be-
lieves, endowed with very considerable
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 rs specifics
for certain complaints.
Mr.. Gould gives a remarkable &C.
count Of one of the last remaining
wise women" who has long been
known to him. Judging from certain
indications. she belongs to the west
country. Her recipe for sprain will
| hardly, we fear, receive respectful con-
sideration. II is AS follows: Two
ounces oil Of turpentine, two ditto
suillowes, two ditto earthworms, two
ditto nerve, two ditto oppidillidock, two
| ditto Spanish feas." Mr.. Gould opines
that the turpentine, the opodeldoc and
| the Spanish flies mot feas) are the
valuable part of this remarkable pre-
scription. ''Suillowes" is supposed 70
stand for squills, which is not Of much
use as an external application.
OF the potency of "earthworms" It Y
more difficult to judge, but Mr.. Gould
assures us that 1t is precisely this de-
coction Of wriggling worms which inn
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.. Goulds chill
dren had the whooping cough his
coachman's wife entreated Mrs. Gould
to let her doctor them. She brought
III a. l. tad nd n
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 THE 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
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 to be cured by wearing a silver
ring, manufactured from coins which
have come out OF seven parishes.
Gold, IL appears, is not efficacious. Mr.,
Gould knows a parish in which the
parish clerk draws-or did till lately
q revenue for the cure of children with
, Ats 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.. Goult
has not learned. Profitable trade We
crets are apt to be jealously guarded
but he knows that for these mysteriou
! practices the parish clerk receives ~
| hOuorarium