The climax of credulity in medical practice seems to have 

 been reached in the cure of disease by "transplantation/' a 

 system which originated with Paracelsus and found ready 

 acceptance in Germany, France and England for more than 

 a centur} r . The singular power of the lodestone to attract 

 particles of iron was thought to be magical, that is super-- 

 natural, and analogous occult power was attributed to arti- 

 ficial magnets capable of drawing to themselves diseases and 

 of transplanting them into animals, plants and the soil. 

 These magnets were prepared in several ways usually with 

 most disgusting ingredients, often including some excretion 

 of the patient; they were buried in the earth or given to 

 some animal and thought to transfer the malady. Other 

 simpler methods of magnetic healing were also employed; 

 thus toothache was to be cured by rubbing the gums until 

 they bled, with the root of a certain plant which then was 

 buried again in the earth, thus the blood carried off the cause 

 of the pain and transferred it to the earth. A cucumber laid 

 by the side of the sleeping infant suffering with fever, \vould 

 wither and dry up while the child would recover. 



These cures were said to be accomplished sympathetically 

 and one of the most interesting developments of the theory 

 was the "sympathetic ointment" for curing flesh wounds; 

 this remarkable salve was compounded as follows : 



Take of the moss that had grown 



on the skull of a thief. 2 oz. 



Of man's grease 2 oz. 



Of mummy J /2 oz. 



Of man's blood % oz. 



Of linseed oil 2 dr. 



Of oil of roses 1 dr. 



Of bole-armoniack 1 dr. 



Beat them all together in a mortar until they make 

 a pure and subtil ointment and keep it in a box. 

 104 



