1S89.] 343 rii « 



' [IIofTman. 



The following formula was practiced by specialists in Northern Lehigh 

 county : 



Gott hot al'les drshaffa, und al'ks war gut; 

 Als da al'lc'^' shlang, hUht ferflucht' , 

 Fcrfluchi' solM du sat" und dai"- gi/l. 



t t t 



Tiding, tsing, tsiiig. 



Which means : 



God created everything, and it was good ; except thou alone, snake, 



art cursed, cursed shalt thou be and thy poison. 



t Tsing, f tsing, f tsing. 



The operator recites the above phrase and then, with the extended 

 index finger, makes tiie sign of the cross three tinies over the wound, each 

 lime pronouncing llie word tslTij. This word is probably meaningless ; 

 though it is possible that it may be a contraction of tsung—iongne, or 

 tsing''la, as the rapid movement of a snake's tongue is termed, 



A poultice of the bruised roots of the black snakeroot ( Cimicifuga race- 

 mosa Ell.) is also applied to the wound, and a decoction of the same parts 

 of the plant is administered internally, it is generally believed that the 

 blacksuake, when bitten by a rattlesnake, eats of this plant which causes 

 the venom to become inert. 



Sore Breasts. 



Warm cow dung is applied as a poultice to sore or gatlicred breasts. 

 This appears to be used in only one locality, and it is believed that the 

 remedy was suggested by an Irishwoman who was a very energetic advo- 

 cate thereof. The same substance is used, also, in the south of Hamp- 

 shire, as an application to open wounds.* 



Sprains. 



Apply a poultice made of yellow clay and vinegar, renewing the ai)pli- 

 cation as socn as it gets dry. This is resorted to in Fayette county. 



In nearly every district the ordinary application consists of hot vinegar, 

 in which a cloth is dipped, then wrung out, the cloth being used in°the 

 form of a bandage. 



Stings op Insects. 



"Bind three kinds of weeds upon the spot stung by a bee." Tiie cor- 

 respondent who furnishes this, as still practiced in Fayette county, fnils to 

 name the plants; but it appears to partake rather "of a charm than a 

 remedy, on account of the use of the number three, which occurs in nu- 

 merous otlier instances also. 



A silver coin applied to a bee sting is believed to not only remove the 

 pain but to extract the sting, 



* Folk-medicine, William George Black, Load., 1SS3, p. 161. 



