CHAPTER XVIII 



MISBELIEFS ABOUT THE ELK 



Among many ancient misbeliefs concerning the 

 elk the most widespread, and generally the most 

 remarkable, was that in which he was associated 

 with epilepsy, both as a victim of the disease and 

 as furnishing the means for its cure in human 

 patients. 



Peasant and scholar alike, the humble woods- 

 man and the professor at the university, were 

 convinced that the elk was often afflicted with the 

 falling sickness, and the belief that he could cure 

 himself when attacked by opening a vein in the 

 ear by the hoof of one of his hind feet was for 

 centuries unquestioned. The belief in this self- 

 cure easily led to a theory that the hoof which 

 could cure an elk could cure a man suffering from a 

 similar ailment. Hence many treatments in which 

 the elk hoof was employed were recommended by 

 the regular practitioners of medicine of the olden 



time for human patients suffering from epilepsy. 



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