MAGICAL MEDICAL PRACTISE 171 



then Sinthgunt charmed it, 

 and Sunna her sister; 

 then Frua charmed it, 

 and Volla her sister; 

 then Woden charmed it, 

 as he well could, 

 as well the bone-wrench, 

 as the joint-wrench, 

 as the blood-wrench; 

 bone to bone, 

 blood to blood, 

 joint to joint, 

 as if they were glued together. 



Christianized Version. 



Our Lord rade, 



His foal's foot slade; 



Down he lighted, 



His foal's foot righted; 



Bone to bone, 



Sinew to sinew, 



Flesh to flesh. 

 Heal, in the name of the Father, 

 the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



Examples of similar formulas might be multiplied indefinitely from 

 all parts of the world, and from the remotest times to the present, but 

 this is unnecessary. It is enough to note the curious fact that if the 

 practise of the Carolina ' users ' of the present day could be witnessed 

 by Egyptian physicians of four thousand years ago, by Druid priests 

 from the Gaul described by Csesar, and by American Indian medicine 

 men from the time of Columbus, it would appear to all of them a per- 

 fectly natural and philosophical method of treatment, however unin- 

 telligible the language of the formulas might be. 



Besides the superstitions already cited, there exists in this region a 

 number of other magical healing practises. These, however, unlike 

 ' using/ can not be said to belong exclusively to that part of the popula- 

 tion which is descended from the early German settlers. Africa is 

 certainly the native land of some of them. The others form a part of 

 that vast body of popular lore, of mixed and uncertain origin, which 

 is the common property of the people of northern and western Europe 

 and their descendants. 



A prescription for rheumatism is closely allied to some of the 

 ' using ' practises, although no words are to be repeated over the patient. 

 It is compounded of a teacupful of sweet cream, thickened with salt, 

 seven buds of brier, nine of rosemary and eleven grains of black pepper. 

 When these have been allowed to simmer together the mixture is to be 

 skimmed, and with the remaining ointment the rheumatic parts are to 

 be rubbed ' downward and outward on three Fridays in the dark of the 

 moon/ Simpler remedies for rheumatism are rattle-snake oil; grease 

 fried from toads; and a sharp knife or razor taken to bed with the 

 patient to ' cut the pains.' 



