﻿INDIAN 
  MEDICAL 
  EX 
  II 
  II'. 
  IT 
  \V 
  1 
  1 
  [TEBREAD 
  

  

  17 
  

  

  Signatures. 
  — 
  Sonic 
  outward 
  sign 
  appearing 
  upon 
  plants 
  and 
  other 
  

   objects 
  believed 
  to 
  indicate 
  their 
  medicinal 
  use. 
  The 
  belief 
  in 
  

   European 
  countries 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  Creator 
  in 
  providing 
  herbs 
  for 
  the 
  

   service 
  of 
  man 
  had 
  stamped 
  on 
  them, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  many 
  instances. 
  

   an 
  unmistakable 
  sign 
  of 
  their 
  special 
  remedial 
  value. 
  In 
  most 
  

   cases 
  the 
  Indians 
  selected 
  the 
  remedy 
  by 
  some 
  imaginary 
  relation 
  

   between 
  the 
  physical 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  drug 
  and 
  the 
  symptoms 
  of 
  the 
  

   disease. 
  For 
  a 
  disease 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  rabbit 
  the 
  antidote 
  must 
  be 
  

   a 
  plant 
  called 
  rabbit's 
  foot, 
  rabbit's 
  ear. 
  or 
  rabbit's 
  tail: 
  for 
  snake 
  

   dreams 
  the 
  plant 
  used 
  is 
  snake's 
  tooth 
  : 
  for 
  worms 
  ;i 
  plant 
  resembling 
  

   a 
  worm 
  in 
  appearance, 
  and 
  for 
  inflamed 
  eves 
  a 
  flower 
  having 
  the 
  

   appearance 
  and 
  name 
  of 
  deer's 
  eye. 
  

  

  Maidenhair 
  fern 
  (Adiantum 
  pedatum) 
  . 
  — 
  Used 
  cither 
  in 
  decoction 
  or 
  poultice 
  

   for 
  rheumatism, 
  generally 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  some 
  other 
  fern. 
  The 
  doctors 
  

   explain 
  thai 
  the 
  fronds 
  of 
  ferns 
  are 
  curled 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  plant 
  but 
  unroll 
  

   and 
  straighten 
  out 
  as 
  it 
  grows, 
  consequently 
  a 
  decoction 
  of 
  ferns 
  causes 
  the 
  

   contracted 
  muscles 
  of 
  the 
  rheumatic 
  patient 
  to 
  unbend 
  and 
  straighten 
  out 
  in 
  

   like 
  manner 
  (fig. 
  13). 
  Cat. 
  No. 
  143490, 
  U.S.N.M. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  12. 
  — 
  Boxe 
  tube 
  

  

  Evil 
  eye. 
  — 
  The 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  some 
  persons 
  to 
  bring 
  mis- 
  

   fortune, 
  sickness, 
  and 
  even 
  death 
  to 
  men 
  or 
  animals 
  by 
  gazing 
  at 
  

   them 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  ancient, 
  widespread, 
  and 
  persistent 
  of 
  human 
  

   superstitions. 
  This 
  belief 
  was 
  universal 
  among 
  savage 
  and 
  partly 
  

   civilized 
  people 
  everywhere. 
  .V 
  belief 
  prevailed 
  among 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   that 
  the 
  medicine 
  man 
  possessed 
  powers 
  of 
  conjuration 
  and 
  a 
  god- 
  

   like 
  power 
  of 
  killing 
  those 
  against 
  whom 
  he 
  might 
  hurl 
  his 
  direful 
  

   charms 
  or 
  glances. 
  The 
  Indians 
  would 
  hide 
  or 
  avert 
  their 
  heads 
  in 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  medicine 
  men 
  to 
  escape 
  their 
  glances. 
  

  

  Horns. 
  — 
  Horns, 
  in 
  one 
  form 
  or 
  another, 
  were 
  of 
  all 
  objects 
  the 
  must 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  defense 
  against 
  the 
  evil 
  eye. 
  The 
  North 
  American 
  Indians 
  were 
  horns 
  

   to 
  ward 
  i>iT 
  that 
  awful, 
  universal, 
  unescapable, 
  mystic 
  glance 
  that 
  has 
  con- 
  

   tinually 
  harassed 
  man 
  in 
  all 
  quarters 
  of 
  the 
  globe 
  (fig. 
  17). 
  Cat. 
  No. 
  143503 
  

   U.S.N.M. 
  

  

  PHARMACOLOGICAL 
  MEDICINE 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  practiced 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  domestic 
  or 
  empirical 
  medicine 
  in 
  

   which 
  drugs 
  were 
  the 
  principal 
  agents. 
  But 
  even 
  in 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  

   treatment 
  the 
  selection 
  of 
  the 
  remedy 
  was 
  more 
  often 
  determined 
  

  

  