oiBRECHTs] THE SWIMMER MANUSCRIPT 199 



EXPLANATION 



A prescription against an aggravated form of hoarseness. The 

 patient drinks a decoction of the inner bark of the five trees named, 

 the decoction being intended to make him vomit the phlegm which 

 clogs the throat passages and impedes utterance. Some of the liquid 

 is also rubbed on his throat and neck. There is no formula to be 

 recited in this case, nor any ceremony to be performed. The bark, 

 as usual, is from the east side of the tree. 



This prescription was written in two places in the manuscript. 



The barks used are those of t'a"ya', Prunus virginiana L., choke- 

 cherry; Gule'' tsi;nstt*'Ga, Quercus folcata Michx., Spanish oak (also 

 Quercus imbricaria Michx.); kVng'stHa, Cornus florida. L., flowering 

 dogwood (a]so Cornus stricta Lam., stiff cornel); SQ'n^t'a unt'yo°.sti, 

 Malus mains (L.) Mill., apple; Dfh'Gali'ski e'owo", Salix alba L., 

 white willow. 



22 



Jt"a~N!5°' ung^'Di ts-a-'ndfk'o'!a° uGg'wutli' | 



this, and milk it which they urinate for the purpose 



Ga'ne't't'ski I tsi;'"ska' | tsu-'t'tno" | k'uViyu'sti 



water-birch post oak water beech sycamore 



a'yo"u''t}i | na.ski' ii"ndt"t'a'sti' | Ga"kt'9'°D9 no'"'ki' 



crippled this here they must drink it restricted four 



fDtle^ki a'uia' i'nQ"'°Di 



l^eat salt milk. 



And This (is) for the Purpose (of Treating Them) When They 

 Urinate (Like) Milk 



FREE TRANSLATION 



They must drink (in) this (case) water birch, post oak, water beech, 

 crippled sycamore. Restricted (are during) four (days) hot (food), 

 salt (and) milk. 



explanation 



This prescription is intended for use in aggravated cases of the 

 trouble spoken of in No. 6, page 178. 



The symptoms are milky urine and pains in the hips and the lower 

 part of the back. The medicine man prepares a strong decoction 

 of the inner barks of the four trees named and the patient drinks 

 this in small quantities, at frequent intervals, for four days. The 

 sufferer abstains in the meantime from hot and salt food, whereas 

 he has to go without milk "for a considerable period," i. e., for about 

 a year. 



The sacred four appears here in the number of ingredients and 

 in the taboo. 



