248 THE SUPDT. OF ETHNOGRAPHY, BENGAL, ON THE USE OP AMULETS, ETC. 



square is painted on the wall with turmeric and amlaki {Phyllanthus Emblica), and 

 cowries are fixed round it. Within it figures of Chati and S'asthi are depicted, and are 

 worshipped by the mother. Children are sometimes dedicated to S'asthi, Paftca or Panci 

 by being named after them in the hope that their lives may be spared. This is especially 

 common in cases in which the woman believes that her misfortunes have been cured by 

 exorcism. 



It is not unusual to see one of the pillars at the corner or at the gate of a Dargah 

 or Muhammadan tomb smeared with oil and vermilion. This is done by persons of low 

 caste for the worship of Parica Panci and Madar — the latter a Pir — to whom vows are 

 made by mothers, to be fulfilled if their children should reach a certain age. These 

 godlings are also worshipped under certain old trees in every village. The Sebait of 

 Madar provides amulets to ward off evil spirits from mother and child. 



Enlargement of the spleen in children is cured by extracting a live snail from its 

 shell, which is then filled with medicinal roots and parings from 

 each of the child's finger and toe-nails and buried beside the kit- 

 chen cula (stove). When the sufferer is an adult, similar parings are placed in the mouth 

 of a taki fish, which is then suspended, mouth upwards, over the stove. An alternative 

 treatment in the latter case is to stick 108 date-thorns into a plantain and hang it from 

 the verandah roof in front of the door. 



Fever is usually cured by means of amulets, which may contain saffron, cow's bile, 

 gar at, (Qleislanthus collinus) apang {Achyranthes atterni folia), a piece of the root of a 

 pipal growing above the ground, or the roots of cknad {Cissampclos pereira), a castor-oil 

 plant growing on a house-top, circira, durbba grass, betel-pepper, or tuki. Among the 

 Santals small pieces of the bones of the Pteropus cdwaidsi or bear's hair mixed with cer- 

 tain roots are used. 



Tejara fever (which occurs every third day) is treated as a case of possession. A 

 fire is burned before the patient and he is soundly beaten with an old shoe. 



It is sometimes believed that when anyone is attacked by illness it is a sign that 

 Kali has come to disturb the family in search of food and lodging, and huts are accord- 

 ingly erected and goats sacrificed at a distance from the village. 



In addition to the superstitious remedies referred to above, illness is met by propitiation 

 of the gods by prayer and worship (S'anti and Svastyayana), or by penance (Candrayana), 

 such as shaving of the head or almsgiving, for the sins committed in a previous ex- 

 istence, to which the visitation is attributed. There is, however, little doubt that the 

 masses place far greater reliance on the more fantastic observances, some of which have 

 been described, and the extent of their faith would seem to be indicated by the results, 

 which often exceed anything that could be expected from the means employed. 



