Browne — Ethnography of the Mullet, Inishkea, ^ Portacloy. 635 



seems to be the transferrence of the malady to some inanimate 

 object, which, if found, may transmit the disease to the finder. 



Charms, Sfc. — For "the E,ose" (erysipelas) the following is 

 sometimes made use of, but to be efficacious it is thought that it must 

 always be applied by a person of the opposite sex to the patient : — 



The operator rubs salt butter into the part affected, and prays 

 oyer it, this process being repeated twice a week. (Communicated 

 by a friend, who has seen it employed.) 



For the same — the old woman who performs this takes ten 

 pebbles from a well or brook, one she throws back into the water, 

 the other nine she takes to the patient, and having muttered some 

 prayers over them she puts each down on its upper side (i.e. the side 

 prayed over, and taking them up one by one, she rubs them on the 

 aflPected part in the name of the Trinity, and of the JTing of the Hose. 

 She then takes the stones to a stream and throws them in, praying 

 that so and so (naming the patient) may never have " the rose " so long 

 as the stones remain there. 



The following is employed for a mote or piece of barley beard in 

 the eye. The woman who practises this takes a clean bowl and a 

 jug or cup full of clear water, she rinses her mouth with the water 

 until it ceases to be sullied, when she takes a fresh quantity in her 

 mouth and holds it there until she has repeated, or is supposed to 

 repeat, some prayer or charm. She then empties her mouth into the 

 clean vessel, and shows the mote floating in it.^ "Written charms for 

 the toothache are sometimes worn about the person. 



For a headache "head measuring" is employed; several old 

 woman practise it. The cause of the pain is believed to be the open- 

 ing of the head by separation of the bones. To cure this state of affairs, 

 the woman takes a cord which she passes round the head, and marks 

 the length ; this done she mutters a charm or prayer and measures 

 again, showing the patient that the circumference is now less and 

 that the head is closed, a kerchief is usually kept bound around the 

 brows for some time afterwards to prevent recurrence of the pain. 

 There is great faith in the efficacy of the touch of a seventh son, 

 especially in "evil" and ringworm. An Inishkea fisherman stated 

 that on the islands it is believed that toothache may be completely 

 removed and will never return if the tooth be rubbed with a dead 

 man's finger. 



II am indebted to the kiadness of the Rev. H. Hewson, P.P., Belmullet, for 

 the description of these two charms both of which he has seen performed. 



