Browse:Dirt Dauber (Volume 1, entries 1210–1220)
Dirt Dauber
Volume 1, entries 1210–1220. Source context: THE DOCTORS AT WORK: REPORTS FROM LAYMEN → FOLK MEDICINE → CURE AND PROTECTION. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 1210
(They do what with the dirt dauber's nest?)
Make a tea out of it an' strain the tea an' give it to 'em to drink. Dey give it to 'em tuh drink. Dey give de girls in de home - young girls in de home an it will make dere periods start on 'em if dey have nevah start an' dey won't have any pains. Dat's de onlies' [only-est] thing dat ah heard dat wus good fo'.
Entry 1211
When a person is in labor with a baby an' dey don't have de baby, an' it seem dey can't have it, de ole lady dey had dey take de dirt dauber an' jes' throw de nest - de whole business in right hot boilin' watah an' den took it off an' let it steep. An' den give it to de woman an' dat makes de lil' one come right out. Dat's whut ah heard about dirt dauber.
Entry 1212
If a woman's in birth an' pain, it seems to be slow, well yo' kin git dat dirt dauber nest - git dem lil' daubers out of it. [Whole nest is not used as in preceding remedy.] Go an' git dat little trash out of it an' put it in a cup of hot water an' let it steep. Strain it an' put chew in a - jes' 'cordin' to how much yo' got. If yo' got a half of a half a pint of it, well yo' put a half of a half a pint of whiskey into half a pint of it an' give her a teacup of dat. An' in ten minutes aftah she drink it de pains rise on her - de pains will rise. An' when de pains rise den de watah first will bust - de watah bag, dat'll bust. When dat'll bust den de baby will come out.
Entry 1213
De dirt dauber nest - if a chile teethin' or anythin' lak dat, take de dirt dauber nest an' rub its gum all kind [ways] lak dat yo' know. It's one de best teethin' medicines yo' kin git in de country. Yo' can't git nuthin out de drug store to beat dat.
Entry 1214
I've seen 'em take a dirt dauber's nest and they cook it - see, it's nothing but - look like mud - that's all it is, but it's good though, you know. I've seen 'em take and cook a dirt dauber's nest. But they've taken it and they cooked it and they cook it with what they call this here linseed oil. Well, linseed oil is good for rubbing of any kind, but they taken this and they cooked this dirt dauber's nest with that linseed oil. See. Now when they've cooked it, it comes into a paste - after they done cooked it. You see, they left all that oil out of it - as the oil was cooking out of it, it 'vaporated or something of that sort. Well, anyhow, it came into a paste and it made just about a little box of stuff [demonstrates] - just about that big around, must have been about that deep. Well, anyway, it was a boxful, but it come into a salve. Now, there was a baby that was born with it's navel - it was stuck out about that big [demonstrates]. Well, they cleaned the baby up - I can show you that very baby, too - it's navel is out now - it's about like that [demonstrates].
(It was born with it's navel sticking out like that?)
But now, it's sticking out about that much now.
(About an inch?)
Yeah. [That baby is] right down here a couple of blocks. Well, they say that baby was crossed. Well, that's what they was told to do and how to do it. They taken and they boiled that - they cooked this dirt dauber's nest in this linseed oil. When they first rubbed the baby - her navel was sticking like this - they crossed that navel.
(How do you mean they crossed it?)
They'd taken and they took the stuff, you see, and they made a plaster out of it, you see, and they come thataway with it and they come this way - made a cross on it. And they made that cross and then they rubbed all around it, you see. Like the navel sets right here and it was sticking out like about like that, see. They crossed it and then they rubbed all around that place there, you see. Then they rubbed that navel - they pulled and they shoved it - they pulled and they shoved the navel like that - and they did that for about nine days, greasing that every day three times a day until the baby's navel went back. And they said that if they wouldn't of used that, that baby s navel would a been out today. That's the only thing I ever know 'em to use it for - the dirt dauber's nest for - to do good.
Entry 1215
Yo' kin take dirt daubers an' make a tea out of it an' cure de measles, whoopin' cough of a chile - boil it. Dat's de onlys thing mah mothah have did with it.
Entry 1216
Ah wus throw'd aftah once an' mah mouth wus round dataway an' de nose wus dataway [demonstrates].
(Just twisted to one side.)
Twisted to one side - jes' layin' heah, right heah. Well, ah went tuh Dr. Halpin, a medical doctor, an' he gived me some little white, large pills yo' see. Well, de pills seems tuh do me some little good but didn't do me much. One man [root doctor] come tuh me, says, "Yo' git chew some dirt dauber nest." Well, ah got dat dirt dauber nest wit de young ones. It's mighty nasty, all right 'nuff - an' ah mashed it up - dat dirt dauber nest - got me some saltpeter an' ah mixed it up good - stirred it yo' know, de stuff. An' ah took dat dirt dauber nest every night an' mawnin' an' rubbed de side of mah face. Ah wus fixed thataway. Jes' lak mah nose wus turned, why [demonstrates] it druv it from dis side dis way, keep arubbing that thing thataway.
Entry 1217
Heard dat chew kin take a dirt dauber nest an' if a person bleeding to death, an' kin cure 'em with it. Yo'll powder it up an', an' bandage 'em up wit it. I cure whut othah things ah don't know.
Entry 1218
If anybody's tryin' tuh harm yo' - 'specially if it's round yore neighborhood roun' dere - jes' git some of de graveyard dirt an' fix it up, an' fix de dauber nest an' de graveyard dirt an' de cookin' salt an' de sulphur undah de steps - or take a aig -
(What are you doing that for now?)
Put it up undah de step an' run dem away - keep dem from harmin' yo'. [For dirt dauber protection and health, see Tomb of the Babe of Bethlehem in Interview section.]
Entry 1219
Now a thing dat brings luck - something fo' bringing luck that's good, yo' kin protect a person from being witchcrafted - something dat goes high an' low [high and low covers all contingencies - a dirt dauber flies high and low]. He kin take that dirt dauber nest an' he take sweet spices - jes' a whole grain spice an' he beat up de dirt dauber nes' an' de spices an' he sprinkles or throw it up in de air an' dat brings luck an' also keep away the evil spirits from dat person's premises or wheresomevah they are dwelling.
Entry 1220
Git dirt dauber nest an' use it as a help to keep a person from harmin' or gittin' up to yo', doin' anything to yo'. If a man taken a sock or somethin' [of yours] an' harmin' yo' that way, a dirt dauber nest kin be wo'n about yo' in yore pocket or eithah in yore shoe an' dey cain't harm yo' in no way.