Sentence:  He learned medicine and surgery "from executioners, bathkeepers, gypsies, midwives, and fortune tellers and incidentally acquired an unusual knowledge of <WSD>folk-medicine</WSD> and a permanent taste for low company." 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Traditional medical practices developed and used by nonphysicians, typically involving customary homespun techniques and medicinal remedies derived from native plants.