Browse:Bathing Downward (Volume 1, entries 975–977)
Bathing Downward
Volume 1, entries 975–977. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → FOLK MEDICINE (1) PRINCIPLES OF HEALING. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
1 listed entry is unavailable here.
Entries
Entry 975
I get out of bed. I broke down so blue over the condition. I said tuh him to git away from the house. I had sent the children away with de jar in case he might have raised sand and [have become] superstitious [suspicious] that I had it. So I said to him, "Ah'm goin' tuh the drug store, I'm so sick, an' git me some medicine. Ah'm going on Clay Street and git me some whiskey." Had no idea or I had no intention of getting it, but that was to get away from the house. So ah went to where I had told the children to go. I get a top and put on the jar and come on back home and locked it in the chifforobe of the front room. The next morning ah went about mah work, didn't show him any superstitious[ness = suspicion = any indication I had the iarl, and around one 'clock ah left home with the jar and ah taken it off and ah went to a woman's house, 商 and ah said to her, ah said, "Please tell me what is this and what is it fo?" She took the jar gracefully in her hands and she shook it this way [demonstrates]. She laid it on de floor [demonstrates]. She pick it up agin an' she shook it and she looked through it this way [demonstrates]. She laid it back on de floor [demonstrates]. She gits up from me and she goes into a extra bedroom.
(Her extra bedroom.)
[The doctor is putting on one of many possible acts. The case is so difficult she must read for it - consult the spirits. Information in fortune-telling comes from spirits.] She came back with a deck of cards and she begin to shuffle the cards jis' holding her hand - the cards was holded in her hands. She said tuh me -
(She held a handful of cards.)
He held her hands fulla cards this way [demonstrates].
(Two hands of cards.)
She had the cards in both of her hands an' she said to me, she said, "It's a man that's doing this." [This is one of a fortune-teller's stock statements for a woman client or patient.] She says, "How could a man have such a mean heart to do his wife like he's doing." She says, "That's your husband that's doing these mean things to you." She says, '"Yo're sick, too," she says, "the-son-of-a-bitch ought to be dead in hell fer taking such advantage of his wife when she has put forth every effort to make him happy." She taken the deck of cards down and holding them into two hands an' she held 'em in one hand, an' she went an' she got a bottle - this bottle.
(That bottle you have in your hand.)
This bottle that I've got in my hand. She filled it with a liquid oil and the color was nut-brown. She says to me, she say, "Ah want chew tuh go home this afternoon." Mah eyes were so they seemed to have a skin over them that ah couldn't see - they were very sore. When I went to look around ah had to turn all around - ah couldn't roll mah eyes because they hurt so bad and mah face ache and I couldn't close my hands. I washed an' ironed and I got to the place where I couldn't hold mah irons in my hand. She says to me, she says, "In this bottle" - when she came back to me after getting up with the cards and going into another room - she says, "You take this and you.see my hand?" I says, "Yes." She say, "Tonight when you go home, git chew a teacup of warm water - let it be real hot boiling water." She say, "Yo' po' that much of it [oil - demonstrates] in the: cup of boilin' water and then po' it into a wash basin." She says, "Take any ord'nary clean rag and, '' she says, '''noint chure face." She says, "Start this Way with the rag, with your hand open, jis' with the rag you know, to help your [almost closed] hand." She says, "Let it come gracefully over your shoulders [demonstrates]."
(Now wait, you come down the left side first?)
Yes, from the left side first. (With your open hand - with the rag on your open hand - over your face, down over your left shoulder and down your left arm.) Right on out to the end of mah fingers. Taken mah left hand and did the same way, going out mah right hand. (You take your right hand and go down your left arm - then you take your left hand and go down your right arm out to the fingertips.) That's right. After doing that, she says, take the remains.
(Do you do that just once?)
Jis' once. After doing that take the remains of the water, start beyond mah knee - mah knees were swole up - one swole up about like that [demonstrates].
(Huge.)
Then ah'd taken it from just above mah knee and squeeze the water and then put de bottom of mah feet in the remains of it. (I don't quite understand - after you finished with your hands, then you do what?) Pull mah dress up and put mah feet in de basin and taken de same rag an', yo' know, run mah hand into de basin, pulls it up and jes' squeeze the water with mah hand and let it run down mah laigs.
(Which leg do you begin with?)
Mah left laig - mah left laig first like I did with mah left arm.
(Up your leg to your knee?)
No, ah went down - start from ovah mah kneecap and go down. [She had already implied this but I wanted her definite statement, "Ah went down."]
(Then what do you do?)
Then after I did that -
(You squeeze that water out you say?)
The rag - an' let de water run down mah laig. Then ah'd taken that feet out of the basin and taken mah left hand and did the same thing on mah right feet. Ah didn't dry them - jes' sit by de fire. Then she says, "Take - (Now wait a minute - you take the right hand and you put it down in the water and fill the rag full of water. Then you squeeze that water over your left knee and let it run down into the pan.) That's right. (Then you put your right foot into the pan and take your left hand and you dip that down and wet the rag and then you squeeze it out over your knee and let the Water run down your right leg.) That's correct. After doin' that, she says, "Yo' take the remains of that water and go to your front do' - go through your front [room] - keep [walking] right out of the middle room - ah was in de middle room, and go through to your front part [yard outside] of the house and throw it over your front gate," she said, "an' Tuesday morning, ' that was Monday night, she say, "Tuesday morning you git up very early and git chew tin tub and git chew enough water" - she didn't measure it - says, "Jes' git chew enough water that chew kin start from yo' back steps" - and says, "Po' the remains of that liquid," that she gave, that brown-nut liquid, "in the Water. Don't put any soap or anything in it." She says, "Start at chure back steps and go through yore house, scrubbing de floors and keep on out through de front porch - on down the front steps - and what remains left of de water, she said tuh, "Throw it on de gate and let it run out," she says, "an' go around de house and come in," She says, "Wednesday night."
(You go round the house and come in the back door.)
Come in the back door. She says, "Wednesday night," she says, "have a ten-cent box of saltpeter" - says, "git chure bath water ready an' don't use any soap and git in thare and git a bath all ovah from your neck down, and let de water stand befo' de fire or behin' the stove-heater."
(You mean, you bathe from the neck down.)
No, ah bathe mah left side first.
(Oh, you bathe with this the way you did the other thing.)
Jes' all over agin - den ah taken mah hand an' squirted it over mah back this way - the same hand. Then ah'd take this hand and squeeze it over mah back and let it go down mah back that way.
(Well now - after you had washed your arms or after you had washed your legs?)
Ah mean that was after ah had did all the mopping and all the washing of the legs - this come along de last bath dat ah had. When ah had the last bath, it Was Wednesday night, coming up from Monday. Ah'd taken the water after ah had bathed and stood befo' de fire an' got dry. Ah put mah clothes on and ah po'd the water out of the tub into a smaller basin - that's so that ah could carry it through the house. An' ah throwed it ovah. An' she said to me, "Make de remarks when yo' po' it over de gate, 'Let me have peace, success and luck - mah sickness and disease all pass away. I did that. After ah had did that - the next following morning I got up - I felt well as ever - ah didn't have any of the trouble - mah eyes Was not sore - ah didn't cry that day - I use'lly would cry, jes' cry, jes' wash down in tears and hold mah head down. She says to me, she says, "Yo'll find a new spot - a spot on your floor that had a lot of new nails drove in de flo'." She say, "When you wash the house," as I have first related of the mopping, she says, "that will take the dressing off of those nails" - said, "that was to make yo' hold your head down and not look up to be happy when you were home." She says, "Your husband has one of your stockings and that he'd taken it to someone and they had dressed it fo' him - that was to keep you down in yo' laig and vo' feet." Said, "He has a piece of yore underclothes which was one of yore sanitary guards." That was to cause me to have the trouble ah had in the lower part of mah stomach, and ah would have a very bad sick headache, an' mah eyes would begin tuh hurt.... Now that ends that story. (Well, I just want to get something absolutely certain. I want you to 'tell me about the other bath - that last bath you had.) That last bath. Well, de last bath ah took, ah'd taken it on a Wednesday night. I had a teakettle, an old fashioned kittle - that's what I used to warm mah water in to keep on the stove. I po'ed the kittle of hot water in the tub. I had taken de whole dime box of saltpeter and po'ed it in de tub. Then, I mixed it around with a rag to absorb de saltpeter. I gits in de tub of hot water. I'd taken mah right hand and begin bathing mah left side first [demonstrates].
(From your shoulder down to your.)
From mah shoulder down to mah feet. (This time all the way down to your feet. All de way down to my feet.
(That was your left side.)
All de way down to mah feet ah'd taken mah left hand and I began from heah bathing mahself all de way down to mah feets.- on mah right side. Then when ah got through with that ah'd taken mah right hand an' begin putting the rag ovah mah back this way.
(Qver your left shoulder.)
Ovah mah left shoulder - that the water would go down the back. An' ah did de same thing with mah left hand over mah right shoulder - that the Water would go over mah back.
(So the water would go down your back.)
Yes.
(Then after you got that down over your back, then what did you do?)
I got out of the tub - stepped out of the tub and stood before the fire and let the water - turned around, yo' know, that the water would dry on me without taken a towel and wipin' it off. When ah become dry ah put mah nightclothes on to git ready fo' bed. Then ah taken the water out of the tub and po'd it into a bucket - that was to carry it through the house instead of carryin' the tub - and ah po'd the water ovah the front gate this way - ovah the top of the gate to let it run down.
(Let it run down the gate.) [This is the magic rite of.transference.]
Then I comes back up the steps an' comes on back in the house. That was Wednesday night. Thursday morning when ah got up - all the trouble, mah swelling from mah knees and my defect from mah eyes [were gone]. [Mobile, Ala., (693), 929:1.] [So complicated is this bathing rite, I will illustrate and support it with the following quotation:] [(No.976 mistakenly put before this bracket is now omitted.) The rite which I now quote from Adams County, Illinois, used among white people can be even made more complicated than the preceding rite from Mobile, Alabama:]
Entry 977
" [Several years ago [1936?] my sister and I [[Harry Middleton Hyatt, the author]] while in the country heard of an erysipelas cure that had been worked with an Indian arrowhead by an old woman formerly well known as a healer. Our informant, who was related to the healer's family, did not know any details, but said two of the old woman's sons, elderly men, were still alive - the one, a nearby farmer, professionally engaged in the healing tradition of the family; the other, a business man, the owner of a hardware store in the small town a few miles away. I decided to visit the business man first. The purchase of a dipper, which I actually wanted, served as an excuse. After the usual talk about things in general - the weather (it was about ninety-five in the shade), people on relief, business conditions, prospects from the approaching harvest - I told the man who I was, explained my work, and offered what credentials I could muster. Fortunately, he knew a boyhood friend of mine who at that time lived on a farm in the neighborhood, and he had also known my father. He became quite friendly. Our conversation ended something like this: "So you're going over to see my brother about that old cure of my mother's." He seemed amused. "Wait a minute." He went over to his desk, opened a drower, took out two implements, held them up and asked, "what do you think of them?" One of the objects was an Indian arrowhead; the other was a piece of steel shaped like this - u-shaped - two prongs sticking out from a handle. "Wonderful! May I hold them?" "Sure." "Your mother's?" "No, mine. Fact is, I've done that cure for years. Not so much recently. Just do it as a favor. Only cure I know. But that's good for any kind of skin trouble; not only erysipelas." "Why is the steel in a shape like this?" "No reason. I had it made like that years ago by a blacksmith. Easier to hold. See, I put my hand through here and let these two prongs stick out. Just like a handle. Those prongs are like a guard. No danger of skinning your hand." "Must you use an arrowhead?" "No, any kind of flint will do. But my mother used an arrowhead. I found this one myself." "Have you ever told anyone how you use these?" "No." "Could you?" "Yes, but I couldn't tell you. Have to tell a woman. And I have to tell a woman younger than myself. And she could only tell a man, and he would have to be younger than her. If you don't, you'll lose your power." "Suppose you gave this secret to a woman younger than yourself and she abused your trust, say, by telling it to another woman or to a man older than herself?" "That wouldn't hurt me. She would lose her power, I wouldn't." "Would you be willing to give the secret to a woman younger than yourself?" "I might." "How old are you?" "I'm x. years old." "See that automobile out in front? see that woman in it? that's my sister. She's younger than you and older than I. Suppose I go out, send her in, and you explain everything to her?" After some hesitation he agreed to the plan. So I went out, explained the hocus pocus to my sister, and she went into the store while I stayed in the car. In about a half hour my sister came out. We had the cure. Wrote down the details immediately. Here they are. You must hold a piece of steel in your right hand and strike dowmwards on a flint held by your left hand - our informant called this striking fire - as you go through the following four actions of the complete rite: (1) Start at the top of the patient's head, in the center, begin to strike down on the flint, making sparks; then, come down, slowly, continuing the sparks, over the right ear, shoulder and arm, to the finger tips; and, while striking these sparks from the top of the head down to the finger tips of the right hand, you must repeat three times: "While fire flies away; Tame fire devours you." This whole act must be done three times; hence, the incantation is repeated nine times. (2) Start at the top of the patient's head, in the center, and strike sparks down to the left finger tips while repeating the incantation three times. This whole act must be done three times. (3) Start at the top of the patient's head, in the center, and strike sparks down over the face, nose, mouth, center of the body as far as there is pain or the disease can be seen, even if it extends to the toes. The incantation must be said three times and the whole act repeated three times. (4) Start at the top of the patient's head, in the center, and strike sparks down the back of the head, down the middle of the back, and as far as the pain or disease extends, even to the heels if necessary. Repeat the incantation three times and the whole act three times. The complete rite - containing the four separate acts, each of which, as already stated, is repeated three times - must be performed after sunset or before sunrise, and it must be repeated on three different occasions as follows: if you commence after sunset, perform the complete rite at that time, then again just before the following sunrise, and then again after the next sunset; if you comnence before sunrise, perform the complete rite at that time, then again just after the following sunset, and then again just before the next sunrise. Now, if the complete rite performed on three separate occasions fails to cure the patient, wait awhile, three days or a muiltiple of three, and perform the rite again; then wait once more, and perform the rite for the third time. Therefore, in this extreme case, the complete rite is performed 9 times and each of the 4 acts 27 times - which means going down the body 128 times and repeating the incantation 324 times. And if this fails to cure the patient, I do not know what happens. Probably the healer will need a healer for himself. This remedy, which has been worked in the community since about 1850, was brought over from Germany by the informant's grandmother. With our arrowhead cure safely bestowed, and with high hopes, we next went out to see the other brother, the professional healer. He refused to tell us anything. It was another of the hundreds of disappointments and failures one meets while collecting foZklore.] [From FACI,2ed., No. 5826, Pp.264-265 - see comment at end of No.975, p.372.]