P OP ULAR S UPERSTITIONS. 



97 



root," commonly known as the sanicle, or Sanicula maryJandica. 

 The roots of the plant are crushed, one part being made into a 

 poultice and applied to the wound, while the remainder is boiled 

 in milk, which is freely administered internally. 



The following procedure was formerly practiced in northern 

 Lehigh County, and obtains even at this day in Cumberland 

 County. The operator recites the following words : 



Gott hott alles arshaffa, und alles war gut; 

 Als du alle', shlaiig, bisht ferfiucht, 

 Ferflucht solsht du sal" und dai gift. 



God created everything, and it was good, 

 Except thou alone, snake, art cursed; 

 Cursed shalt thou be and thy poison. 



The speaker then with the extended index finger makes the 

 sign of the cross three times over the wound, each time pronounc- 

 ing the word ising. 



In connection with the extraction of serpent venom may be 

 mentioned the use of the snake stone or mad stone, the latter 

 without doubt having originally been employed in snake bites. 



The earliest notice of stones used in extracting or expelling 

 poisons occurs about the middle of the thirteenth century, though 

 the knowledge of them and their use by the superstitions of Asia 

 Minor appears to antedate that period. They are called bezoar 

 stones, from the Persian pad-zahr, signifying to expel poison. 

 This substance is a calculus or concretion found in the intestines 

 of the wild goat of northern India known as the pazan. Various 

 other ruminants also possess similar concretions, but the Oriental 

 variety seems always to have been the more highly prized and en- 

 tered largely into various therapeutic remedies two centuries ago. 



In addition to the fact that the fable of poison-extracting 

 stones may be traced back to the middle ages, and that they had 

 been used long anterior to that time in Asia Minor, it is more 

 than xjrobable that a knowledge of their reputed properties and 

 possibly specimens were brought back to Europe by crusaders on 

 their return from the Holy Land. 



Several objects found in 18G3 at Florence, on the site of the 

 old church of the Templars, dedicated to St. Paul, may be briefly 

 noticed. One of these was a vase and another a medal. Among 

 other figures upon the vase is one of St. Paul bitten by a serpent, 

 and the Latin inscription signifying, " In the name of St. Paul, 

 and by this stone, thou shalt drive out poison." On the other 

 side is engraved in relief the cross of the temple between a sword 

 and a serpent. On the medal is represented a dragon with an 

 Italian -legend signify iDg, "The grace of St. Paul is proof against 

 any poison." 



VOL. L. 10 



