92 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



that a little of the Good Friday loaf grated into a proper proportion of water 

 is an infallible remedy for this complaint. 



Joubert says : 



Des amellittes avec toile d'araigne contre le mal de ventre qu'ont les enfants. 



Another article of diet which the loose-boweled were advised to eat 

 was the first rib of salted roast beef. A more vulgar procedure was to 

 sleep with puppies for several nights until cured of this ailment. 



In children, or for that matter in adults, incontinence of water was 

 treated rather quaintly. It was the custom to give to a child who suf- 

 fered with this defect three roasted mice. 



The mouse, being roasted is good to be given to children ... in their bed; 

 to help them furder, it will dry up the fome and spattle in their mouthes. 31 



Numberless as are the aches that afflict the human being so numer- 

 ous are the remedies which purport to cure these ailments. For the 

 general aches and pains of muscles, "the laying under your pillow for 

 nine nights a crooked six-pence that has belonged to three young men 

 of the name of John " 32 will cause relief. Sweating was good for the 

 usual muscular aches : 33 



For I do sweat already, and I'll sweat more; 

 "lis good they say to cure the aches. 



For the household toothache, it was the custom in Shropshire to 

 apply the amputated foot of a live mole (oont). For intestinal worms, 

 a live trout was laid on the stomach of the patient, and the water in 

 which earthworms had been boiled was taken internally as a broth. 



Boils and abscesses were poulticed for three days and nights, and the 

 bandages were then deposited in the coffin of one awaiting for burial. 34 

 These patients were also advised "to creep under a bramble that had 

 taken second root at the branch end, moving on the hands and knees." 

 Another procedure which Diaxe speaks about is "walking around six, 

 and crawling three times across the grave of one of the opposite sex on 

 a dark night following the interment " — a rather shivery experience ! 

 For a carbuncle : 



On advertit ceux qui ont earboncle de ne passer I'eau, sur pont ou sur 

 bateau, ne en sorte que ce soit. 35 



A special amulet worn by nursing women to protect them against 

 sore breasts was a heart-shaped medal made of the lead cut off the quar- 

 rels of a church window at midnight. Bleeding of the nose was pre- 

 vented, so was it thought, by wearing a red ribbon around the neck, or 

 by suspending from the neck a dead dried toad, or a large key. A lace 



31 Bullein, "Bulwarke of Defence," 1562, p. 84. 

 32 Mrs. Hannah More, ' ' Tawny Eachel. ' ' 

 83 Webster, "Cure for a Cuckold." 



34 T. Diaxe, ' ' Bibliotheca Scholastica Instuctissima, ' ' 1633. 



35 L. Joubert, loc. cit. 



