Browse:FOLK MEDICINE (Volume 4, entries 6524–7262)/Part 6
FOLK MEDICINE
Volume 4, entries 6524–7262. Source context: THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6924
Takes a dime an' put a hole through it, an' yo' kin weah it roun' yuh ankle or roun' yuh arm or roun' yuh neck. Dat's in case if a person wants tuh try tuh poison yo'. Dey claims dat dat poison goes in dat silvah in place of in yuh system.
Entry 6925
Fo' pertectin' yo'self if yo' thought dat dey wus goin' tuh put any- thin' down, lotta people goes tuh work an' take a silvah dime an' put it roun' dem laigs an' weah dat. Dey say de silvah dime will ketch de poison.
Entry 6926
Make a hole in de dime an' put a string through de hole an' tie it aroun' yuh ankle, an' dey say it yuh hurt any way, dat dime will turn black.
Entry 6927
Take a dime an' weah it roun' yore ankle an' if anybody's done anything tuh yo', DAT DIME WILL TURN GREEN, if anybody's tryin' tuh do anythin' tuh yo'.
Entry 6928
Well, dey say if yo' are hurt, yo' kin put a dime in yuh mouth, a sil- vah dime, an' de dime will burn black. Dat's de way yo' kin tell if yo're hurt.
Entry 6929
Tuh see whethah a person's poisoned or not. Dey take dat silvah dime an' dey put it in yuh mouth an' put it undah yuh tongue, an' keep it undah dere ten minutes; an' if yo' take de dime out an' de dime black, why dey say yo're poisoned.
Entry 6930
Take a dime, ah think, or somepin othah, whut it is, an' boil it. Boil it good an' let 'im drink de watah off it. Take silvah an' let 'im drink de watah off it. Boil it an' let it git as strong as yo' kin, an' den drink de watah from dat. If dey drinks de watah from dat, dat will cuz some confusion down in dere [stomach] an' den dey'll vomit it up. At least dat's whut ah heard.
Entry 6931
Yo' take a silvah dime, yo' file dis silvah dime in- tuh a pint of milk, yo' bile dat milk, yo' drank it, an' dat milk's gon'a bring whutsomevah poison in yuh. It's gon'a bring it out.
Entry 6932
An' if yo're hurt yo' kin take a dime, a silvah dime, an' file it up. Jis' take a new file an' file it, an' put it intuh some sweet milk, an' swallah it, an' dey say dat will kill it.
Entry 6933
Well, yo' kin tell by takin' somepin. Here's whut yo' take if yo' have a mine [mind] dat dere is someone got de best of yo'. Yo' git a silvah dime. Yo' grit [grate] it wit a pocketknife. Yo' grit some pieces offa it an' git 'em on a piece-a papah or piece-a rag, yo' undahstan', an' put dat intuh bot- tles wit one quart of sweet milk. An' drink dat an' den yo' pass dis. An' yo' put it somewhere dey kin see de bucket of slop. An' IF YO' "TRICKED" INSIDE, YUH PASSAGE IS BOUND TUH BE AS BLACK AS DAT SUIT YO GOT ON. NEW OrlEanS, LA.
(815), 1150:3.]
Entry 6934
(How do you do that, now?) Take a dime, one thin dime, an' file it in sweet milk an' drink it, an' take fresh lard an' drink down, an' dat poison-a come up. Pull dat poison up.
Entry 6935
[If they get it] inside yuh body, lak worms an' diff'ren' things lak dat, yo' take some gunpowdah an' cow's milk, warm cow's milk an' take a silvah dime an' grate it. Yo' undahstand? Grate dat silvah dime intuh dis gunpowdah an' milk, an' drink it fer, say ten or fifteen days, an' yo'll pass it all outa yuh. Yer passin'll be as black as smoke.
Entry 6936
If anybody wuz poisoned an' lak if anybody wuz goin' do anythin' fo' dem, an' dey jis' really knows dis one thing an' jis' make up an' do fo' dem. Well, if dey wuz poisoned in a way dat chewed wanta do sompin fo' 'em, why yo' would take whiskey, a dime drink of whiskey, an' nine drops of turpentine an' puts it in dis whiskey. An' [if] dis whiskey don' make 'em drunk an' de tur- pentine won't bothah 'em, well dey drinks it down. Well, dey drinks it down. Well, tuh make it shore, yo' takes a ten-cent [piece] an' file it off wit a file. Well, yo' puts it in sweet milk an' give it tuh dem tuh drink evah day, jis' lak yo' do a meal.
(What will that do?)
Well, dat will draw de poison from 'em.
Entry 6937
One thing you can do to keep anybody in the world from doing anything to you, you get a silver dime, grate it, put it in water and drink it. Put a dime in each shoe. I guarantee you that you'll never be hurt. That silver dust will stick to the lining of your stomach and remain there indefinitely, and if it is not right, it will come right straight back up.
[Fredericksburg, Va., by Ediphone.]
Entry 6938
Put sulphur an' a dime in yore shoe an' weah it in dere, an' dey couldn't hurt chew.
(If you walk over anything, it wouldn't hurt you?)
Yes.
Entry 6939
They claim that if you put a ten-cent piece under your tongue while you're having sexual relation wit a woman, you won't catch any diseases from the woman. [This belief should have pre- ceded No.3258, p.2373, but it was under CURES and missed. This original tran- scription of mine in pencil was never typed. See ILLUSTRATIONS for original.]
Entry 6940
(If I had these things, live things in me, now what would they give me to get rid of these - to get them out?) Dey'd [they would] give yo' vinegah fer one thing, 'twill run 'em out; an' use tobacco fer anothah. An' den de medicine dat yo' take, dat's whut dey give yo' fer tuh rub wit; but de medicine whut yo' take an' whut supposed tuh be some silvah money in it, some time might be a dime or quartah or somepin lak dat. But anyway, it supposed tuh be a big piece, so yo' could take a file or somepin-lak an' file it an' git - prob'bly git dust offa it or somepin, an' put it in some medicine an' let it set, an' drink it. Well, aftah yo' drinkin' dat, why dat supposed tuh run 'em outa yo', fix yo' so yo' kin git 'em out, if yo' are stopped up.
(What did they do with this vinegar and tobacco?)
Well, dey use dat fer tuh bathe dere body in.
(Do they use that alone or do they mix something with it?)
No, sir, mix it wit red peppah.
Entry 6941
Ah think yo' take - ah think it's three dime an' boil 'em an' dreen [drain] de watah offa dem three dimes.
(What will that do then?) Dat will bring dem live things outa yo' if anybody got dem in yore body.
Entry 6942
Folkes 'ave dose roun' dere neck, an' on dere laig, fo' tuh keep somebody comin' dere tuh do anythin' tuh 'em. When anybody do anythin' tuh 'em, den dat silvah turn black. (You say they wear one around the neck, one around each wrist and one around the ankles? They use fifty cents altogether - five dimes?) Yessuh.
Entry 6943
[Silver will] run it outa yo'. Ah'll run it outa yo'. Ah'll git me a dime or quartah - so it's silvah money - take me a file an' ah'll file dat stuff, dat quartah, yo' see, an' git de dust, git it plumb dusty. All right, ah'll git me some vinegah, some salt. See, ah'll put it in dere. Ah'll put me fif- teen drops of turpentine in dere wit it. Ah'll git me a box of Epsom salts. Ah'll give yo' dat Epsom salts three times a day. Dat's tuh keep yore bowels open. Dat vinegah an' dat, whut ah got made up. Yo' drink it fo' times a day until it take a act on yo'. Well, now, it - in drinkin' dat, why it'll stir dat up in yo', yo' see, stir dat poison up. An' dat Epsom salt [is] tuh keep yuh bowels open, yo' see, an' pass it on through.
Entry 6944
Well, dey say yo's hurt if it turns black, if somebody's hurt chew or tricked yo' some way, it turns black. Said yo' kin put it in yore mouth an' it will turn black, dat dime, or yo' kin weah it. Eithah a fifty cent piece or a quartah, an' it will turn black if somebody has hurt chew.
Entry 6945
Well, yo' take it an' yo' boil it an' yo' drink it, an' dey say dat will kill de poison. If anybody done anythin' tuh yo', hit would kill it.
(How do you mean? Poison you how?)
If anybody fix a dose fo' yo'. (You mean if they have live things in it or some- thing of that sort?) Yassuh, if yo' drink dis watah, yo' boil three quartahs an' drink it, three quartahs.
(You said three quarters or forty cents. What do you mean by forty cents?)
[Informant had said forty cents before recording began and I want a repetition and explanation.] Dat means fo' dimes. (You do the same thing with the-four dimes that you did with the three quart- ers?) Yessuh, yo' kin boil 'em an' den drink de watah.
Entry 6946
Say, fer instant [instance] if somebody wus poisoned or sompin, sompin intuh 'em. Take a silvah dollah an' scrape it an' put it in a pot or kittle
[kettle] an' boil dat scrapin' an' give de individual watah. Dat's all. Dat will make dem bring dat poison back up.
Entry 6947
Jes' lak she runnin' out on yo' an' doin' bad things an' yo' know it. She comin' in an' she kinda drinkin' a little. If she don't come in too high [drunk or intoxicated] an' don' let 'er be [something]. Yo' take a basin of watah an' take an' put 'er ban' in it, an' ast 'er a question while she's sleepin'. She'll talk wit chew jes' lak she wide awake an' tell yo' ever'thin', where she been an' whut she done an' all.
Entry 6948
Yo' could take de shoe an' take it an' lie it undah de baid, bottosl side upwards, an' lie dere han' in a pan of watah an' make 'em tell whut de'
[dey = they] done aftah night. Tell evahthin'.
Entry 6949
Take a snail an' jes' lak if yo' have corns or Warts an' things on yo', yo' kin take a snail an' rub 'im on dere an' hit will carry dem away.
Entry 6950
(Rub this snail on the corn?)
Yessuh, until that slime gits on there.
(That takes the corn off?)
Yessuh.
Entry 6951
Dey take a snail an' if she gits chure clothes, why she'll take a snail an' put it wit 'er starch an' she'll put warts all ovah yo'. Dat's whut dat's used fo', de warts.
(She puts the snail in the water that she washes the clothes with?)
In de starch when she starch yore clothes. She'll put one or two snails in dat starch, an' dat juice of dat snail will put warts all ovah yo', anywhere it tetch yo'. [Another informant from Wilson says the rubbing must be done when de moon's a shrinkin' (No.1563, p.494).]
Entry 6952
(How would they do that?)
Take an' mash it up. [What? See later.] Yo' use dat an' make a tea out of it fo' whooping cough. Dries it up an' use it as a powder [for making a tea]. [A penciled note of mine identifies the thing mashed up as a snakeshed. Two other notes of mine say do not use unless a parallel; infor- mant is fair. The INDEX (vol.5) may give us another example, but meanwhile Hoo- doo has a similar cure in which snakeshed powder cures bad nerves (No.1564, P.494). Also suggestive is another rite of mine collected years ago: A person sill lose his shingles [[or herpes]], if he kills a snake and wraps it about them. Sometimes the snake is skinned so that the inside of the skin may be applied
(FACI, 2nd ed., No.5400, p.240).]
Entry 6953
Spidahs are good fo' fevah. Say yo' take de spidahs an' yo' boils 'em an' bath [not bathe] patient's body in de watah, an' dey'll recovah from fevah.
Entry 6954
Ah seen mah mother-in-law have used sulphur in her house. She sprinkled de sulphur down. An' if any- body comes dere dat don't lak yo', dey won't stay long. Dey go away.
Entry 6955
If yo' think dat yo' goin' be tricked or wuz tricked, well ah tell yo 'bout de luckiest thing dat ah know tuh he'p yo'self. Jes' use sulphur. Jes' put sulphur in each cornah of yore house an' burn de sulphur at night. No roots. It's umpossible tuh work ovah sulphur.
Entry 6956
If someone wuz tryin' tuh move yo' outa de house an' yo' wanted tuh stay dere, yo' would git chew some sulphuh an' go roun' [circumambulate] de house. An' each cornah of de house - yo' wouldn't have tuh tell 'em, yo' wouldn't let nobody know about dis - yo' would ies sprinkle a li'le sulphur in each cornah. An' yo' would jes' rake back jes' enough dirt - if yo' put it right smart - tuh keep anybody from noticin' it. All de way roun' de house. An' de person who wuz tryin' tuh - who wuz comin' in tuh move yo' out of dis house or have yo' move, why dey couldn't come in. An' yo' would stay dere an' dey couldn't put chew out.
Entry 6957
Tuh kill it an' tuh move it from yo', yo' would use sulphur, cream of tartar an' salt - Epsom salts. Dat will remove it outa yo' becuz it will kill it.
Entry 6958
If anyone wanta try tuh put a spell on yo' - whut chew take an' weah it fo', tuh keep dem from doin' dat - is weah a li'le sulphur in yore pocket evah day an' eat a pinch evah now an' den. See, an' dat will keep dem from puttin' de spell on yo'.
Entry 6959
One of de greatest things fo' any disastah, it have been said, dat if anythin' happens tuh yo' by evil people, dat's tuh jis' eat plenty sulphur. Jis' lay right tuh dat sulphur an' it will kill it out.
(That's if there is anything inside of you?)
Dat's de idea. Eat dat sulphur.
Entry 6960
If anybody been poisoned, yo' kin git some sweet milk an' a package of sulphur an' throw dis intuh dis sweet milk. An' stir it up an' carry it an' give it tuh dis person, an' if dey poisoned terribly bad, 'nuff tuh kill 'em, [they'll get well].
Entry 6961
Jes' lak anyway dey had git it in somepin tuh eat, or sompin othah lak dat, well, sweet milk an' sulphur, dey take dat. If dey git dat in time, take it 'fo' [before] it git on too fur, why dat'll cure 'em. Sweet milk an' sulphur. (That will kill this stuff that they have been tricked with.)
Entry 6962
Take a fresh laid egg an' mix de - mix sulphur in it an' fresh milk. Jis' make a li'le crack in dere an' take a straw an' put it dere an' drink it. (What will that do?) Dat'll stop anybody doin' yo' eny harm. See, den yo' kin drink wit yo' frien's. Yo' kin take a - jis' lak somebody would wanta give yo' tuh drink a glass of wine an' dey don' lak yuh, an' dey fix it fo' yuh, say, "All right boys, let's go." Dey jis' take one [drink] an' set it dere, an' dis one [drink] an' set it dere, an' this one [drink], an' set 'em dere [you can safely drink any of them].
Entry 6963
An' dey tells me if yo' wanta be lucky - sho' 'nuff lucky an' nobody can't do yo' nuthin - buy yo' a bran'-new pocketbook. An' pack it wit sulphur an' tote it in yore right-han' pocket, an' yo'll be lucky an' nobody can't do yo' nuthin.
Entry 6964
Put a li'le saltpetah in yore shoe. Weah it in yore shoe an' sulphur in yore shoe. Dat'll keep de poison from gwine [going (into your body)], tetch- in' [touching yo'. See.
Entry 6965
It's also good fo' dose evil thin's. Yo' take de silvah, any kinda silvah or steel. Yo' scrape de - yo' file it, chew know, an' yo' take dat dust an' yo' eat a li'lepincha [pinch of] it in yuh foods. Dat'll always project [eject] de evil, whutsomevah dey've did fo' yo' - tuh yo'.
Entry 6966
If yo' wan' anybody tuh tell sompin an' dey talk in dere sleep, yo' could git a knife, a pocketknife an' dey call yo'. Yo' walk tuh dere baid an' take dis pocketknife an' open it an' lay in de pa'u [palm] of dey han' lak dis [demonstrates]. Shet it up in dere han' lak dat [demonstrates] an' dey'll tell yo' evah'thin' dey evah did in dere life.
Entry 6967
She'll take a cold pan of watah an' put 'is han's in it whilst he sleepin' an' den ask 'im diff'ren' questions. An' when she ask 'im dem ques- tions, den he answah dem. Do dat tuh a woman or a man, it don' make no diff'rence. Jis' put 'is han' in dis watah. Why she kin say, "Bob, yo' went sech a place las' night, didn't chah?" An' ah'll [he'll] answah de qoestion.
Entry 6968
Git a pan of watah. Jis' git a pan of watah yo' see, an' put dere han' in dat watah. When yo' git dere han' in dat watah dey'll wake up, an' wit de ban' in dat watah dey goin' talk. Dey'll talk.
(They'll talk in their sleep.)
Entry 6970
Take gall from loggahhaid turtle, mix wit watah, use as eye drop tuh remove catahrak [cataract].
The wording eye drop names a preparation form here. The bracketed cataract expansion is editorial, and no therapeutic effect is established.
Entry 6971
Said if yo' had a woman an' she wuzn't treatin' yo' right or sompin lak dat, gits yo' a li'le vial, an' git some of [her] urinate an' stop it up, an' carry it. Git some of 'er chamber lye an' stop it up in a li'le vial an' carry it in yore pocket always wit chew, an' dat'll stop de woman runnin' aroun'. [Runnin' aroun' includes after other men. This belief should have been put under chastity-belt rites in margin title URINE - BOTTLED, v.3, p.2383-2384.]
Entry 6972
Ah've hear'd dat if yo's [you is] tricked [in] any way, yo' could take yuh chamber lye an' put it in yuh - take some table salt an' some alum an' [urine and] mix it up tuh- gethah, an' sprinkle it all at each fo' cornahs of de house, an' dat'll kill it.
(If somebody has planted something for you?)
Yes sir.
conditional target of an alleged planted trick and reported countermeasure. Ah've hear'd and if retain both hearsay and conditionality; being tricked is not established as an actual diagnosis. These are attributed source occurrences; outcomes remain unverified.
Entry 6973
Now if somebody put a spell on yo' or sompin lak dat, Wanta kill yuh - Well, yo' know, serious - sompin gonna knock yo' out right away, see. Well, ah tell yah how tuh git rid of dat. Yo' git some bluestone, yo' know, out de drug store an' make watah. Make yer own watah, jis' lak yo' nurinate, an' put it in a bottle. An' put dat bluestone in dere an' let it stay in dere a while. An' take it an' po' [pour] in a toi- let an' it'll sink an' let it go on out. Pull de chain [old-fash- ioned device] an' let it go on out. An' de same thin' which yo' [spellcaster] wanta happen tuh me will happen tuh yo'.
[This is called returning the spell.]
(That is if somebody has hurt you, put a spell on you.)
Entry 6974
Put sulphur an' bluestone an' brimstone, tie all dat up tuhgethah an' put it in chamber lye an' throw it roun' yore house, an' nobody kin put down any cunjure fo' yo'.
Entry 6975
Say yo' kin use nails, dat's when yo' a subject of gas. If yo' a subject of gas an' yo' use nine nails in a bottle of vinegah, yo' be shuh [sure] yo' drink.a tea- spoonful fo' nine mawnin's an' dat will take care of de gas.
Entry 6977
Well, now, yo' kin take lard an' vinegah an' sugah an' kill any poison in de worl'. Yo' undahstan' me, if yo' use it right away. Yo' undahstan' me, yo' kin take lard an' sugar an' mix it tuhgethah, yo' undah- stan' me, in a quart bottle. Lard, vinegar an' sugah. An' mix it in a quart bottle. If it's right den, yo' undahstan', an' take a tablespoonfulla it three time a day. An' dat'll stop any poison in de worl'.
(That's what you do [use] when people come to you?)
Sure.
Entry 6978
Ah hear'd tell of wahps [hornet] nest - dat yo' take an' git a wahps nest on somepin, if yo' tooth ache, dat chew kin take an' smoke dat an' dat will cure it.
Entry 6979
Whut dey put on 'em, ah don' know, but ah've known of socks bein' gotten out of a mattress. Den put it in runnin watah. Dat'll take de bad luck on off, if dey have it.
Entry 6980
[The following rite I reduced to a note because I say do not use, have similar example and recheck before using. I wanted to transcribe the story later for the term hoodoo man:] Yo' kin turn it back on the person by throwing the thing into running Water.
Hyatt marks this reduced note 'do not use' and calls for rechecking before use; the following running-water instruction is not a verified outcome.
Entry 6981
If you have a [social] disease and have a running, they claim if you take some of that and go backward to a stream of running water and throw it over your left shoulder, it will cause that running to stop. [That word social within bracket, originally a parenthesis, is mine. What it replaces I no longer remember. Above it I have a note copy myself! Back in 1936 when this belief was collected, everything about a venereal disease was taboo. A final note of mine reads My original [[pencil]] copy never typed, dated H. M. H. note Aug. 1971.]
Entry 6982
Ah've had de claps so bad until ah didn't do nuthin but a solid stream of blood evah time ah made watah. An' ah went tuh Dr. O'Leary here an' he vashed mah bladdah out an' he tole me, he said, "Yo' got a sore on de end of yo' bladdah. Yo' been havin' dat - yo' been ovahstrainin' so long until it's worked back up intuh yo' stomic." (This doctor, was he a medical doctor?) Yes, an' he nevah did do me no good. So finely, ah one day, ah wuz workin' at de shop down dere, ah ovaheerded someone, a fellah, talkin'. An' ah says, "Well, ah'm goin' tuh use dat remedy. Ah went right on home an' tried it. He says get a pint of, a bottle, an' fill it half-fulla meal.
(What kind of meal?)
Half-fulla cornmeal.
(Half-full of cornmeal.)
An' put nine drops of turpentine in dere. Den git chew some rain watah an' fill dat bottle up. An' den shake it up right good 'till it all resolve [dis- solve] an' yo' know - when it resolve [dissolve] down de meal, dat brings it down about dat low [demonstrates]. Den yo' see it sinks down in dat watah. Yo' shake it up an' take a good swallah outa dat three times a day, an' dat cleah yo' out. Ah don' care whut's de mattah wit chew. Well, ah had it so bad dat ah couldn't hardly walk, it burned me tuh walk. [I fixed] dat jah [jar] mahself, yo' know. An' ah say, "Ah'm goin' home an' try dat." Now, dis, dis is by ex- perience. Ah've done it twice. Evah time ah have it an' I've tole othah men about it. Ah know a frien' dat done dat. Ah fixed 'im a bottle of it an' it Cured 'im. Ah carried - ah goes home an' ah gits me a pint bottle, an' ah fills it half fulla meal, an' ah gits dis rain watah. [Here, thinking that informant was merely repeating, I stopped recording to save cylinder space; but immediately realizing that he was adding something new, I restarted machine to ask what he did with the cork.]
(What did you do with that cork?)
Put a trench in dat stoppah so de air will jis' sour dat meal, sour it where de air kin git out an' it won' blow de cork out or eithah bus' de bottle.
(I see.)
Or put chew a papah stoppah or somepin, so dat it won't be so tight. Well, in about three days dat will be good an' sour, an' it have a good taste from dat tarpentine. An' dat'll rid yo' - ease yo' an' cure yo' up.
Entry 6983
[Rain water, water from heaven as one informant called it, is the sub- stance of my following transcription note: Sprain, pouring water on it from Becond-story window! I remember the occasion slightly because a younger man being interviewed at the same time laughed. This much I re- member. My informant said years ago he knew the man who did this amnd cured his sprain, despite the absence of a second story to his house. He leaned a ladder against his one-story shack, had his wife with a bucket of water climb the ladder, while he flattened himself beneath. Naturally a considerable ount of water missed the.ankle but not the entire man. This is actually a Sort of rain-making rite! Could it or something similar have come from the Amer- ican Indian? Is it the remnant of a humorous folk tale? Has anyone collected a parallel? Those were two great days of my life I spent of Deal Island in the home of the Whites, who happened to be Blacks - see two pictures of this home and us in ILLUSTRATIONS at end of Hoodoo, volume 2.]
Entry 6984
[Here is a remarkable survival, perhaps my only example of the belief. This rite has survived not only time but also my notation doubtful, made only a few months after its collection out in the field!] Dey say if anybody wan'a try tuh poison yuh or anythin', or dey eithah try tuh run yuh crazy or anythin', dey say go tuh de runnin' spring [of water], an' git choo a stran' of [your] hair, an' turn yuh back to it [spring] an' t'row in de watah, an' nevah look at it, an' dey say dat'll kill dat [witch- craft]. [This is a substitution rite. The intended victim substitutes a strand of his hair, a part of his life, for the whole of his life. To earlier man, and even into the Middle Ages many springs or wells were considered holy, each well guarded by its own spirit. The Christian Church renamed these famous wells for saints. I lived for some months on a narrow winding street called Holywell, in Oxford, England. Further, the Old Testament tells us that songs were sung to wells and springs: Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it, " in Numbers 21:17.]
Entry 6985
[The following rite, a MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE of sexual impotence (pp. 2341-2391), should have followed margin title WATER RUNNING, p.2389:] De willah tree, de weepin' willah. Dey tell me dey kin take de roots of dat an' make a tea or eithah dry it an' sprinkle it on a man an' yo'll stay wit 'im. He'll nevah have no connection wit no one. If he start, he'll fall. (Well, who would do that?) De woman, his wife, anybody, if he's bad fo' runnin' aftah othah wimmins. Or if she's de same way, a man git dat, he can't stay, he'll leave. He'll git mad wit de woman an' leave her. It's eithah way [you can stop a man or woman].
(Well, then when he came home, he couldn't do anything with his wife either?)
Oh, he be all right when he git home - jes' stay home all de time.
(Oh, he wouldn't be all right with other women?)
No, not fo' nobody else, jes' dat woman.
Entry 6986
Den cnothah thing, yo' kin git witch hazel, olive oil, saltpetah an' a pinch of bluestone, an' make it up intuh a lickrish [liquid]. Take a teaspoon- ful three time a day. Dat runs de devilment outa yo'. [Devilment is occasionally used as a synonym for cunjure, roots, or witch- craft. Considering its name, witch hazel is rarely used in hoodoo.]
Entry 6987
Go tuh de no't side of a willah tree an' scrape de bahk [bark] off - yo' know, jis' scrape - jis' cut de top bahk off an' den scrape off some of dat white bahk offen [off] a willah tree. An' it wus good fo' neu- asmee.
[Neuasmee appears to be a combination of neuralgia and asthma.]
(How would they use that?)
Well, yo' take it an' make a tea outa it, an' drink de tea. Good for de neu- asmee.
Entry 6989
Ah heard dat if yo' kin git tuh a tree where de lightnin' struck an' if yo suffah wit toothache, well yo' take an' git one of dose splintahs outa dere an' pick yore tooth till it bleed an' it will cure de toothache.
Entry 6990
De use dat fo' toothaches an' thin' [things] is all ah evah know'd dat tuh be used fo'.
(This lightning-struck tree.) [Brunswick, Ga., (1189), 2009:6.]
[This is the third subsection of section FOLK MEDICINE. Back in the days when I collected general folklore, cures for the drunkard, like remedies for venereal diseases, were not quite proper procedure; consequently many fruitless healing methods have probably been lost. Alcoholism is a legitimate part of hoodoo be- cause it can be the result of a spell cast - See DRINKING SPELL, P.33.]
Entry 6991
Well, yo' git chew nine of dose large antses. Dat's whut chew speakin' about. Call dem bull antses.
(What color are they?)
Red. Yassuh, git nine of 'em an' yo' call yore husban' or yore cousin or who- somevah. Yo' call dere name evahtime yo' drop one a [one of] dem antses in dere [a bottle of whiskey]. Yo' call dere name an' stop dat up. An den yo' git dat - jis' po' it [whiskey] off aftah yo' let 'em [ants] in dere, an' de whiskey will kill 'em all, see. Well, yo' strain 'em off yo' know, an' jis' give 'em [victim] a drink of dat. Dey won't drink no mo' whiskey, cuz it goin' make 'em sick. Make 'em sick as a dog.
(You put these ants in the whiskey and strain it off and give it to them.)
Yes.
Entry 6992
Yo' go tuh a person dat is very sick an' make 'em hold a apple in dere hand. An' bring dat apple back home an' leave her eat dat apple, an' dat'll stop 'er from drinkin'. (You have to do this with someone that is very, very sick. Put the apple in that hand and then you bring that apple back home and make her eat that apple.) Yes, dat'll stop 'er from drinkin'. [I believe my informant, marked excellent, has given me an incomplete trans- ference-of-disease rite so common in getting rid of a wart or sty - see many examples in FACI, 2nd ed. Surely, after our alcoholic has eaten the apple, the core should be returned and placed again in the hand of the very sick person. The latter on dying will carry away the disease or spell afflicting our patient.l
Entry 6993
If yo' have a frien' dat drinks likkah an' yo' wants tuh stop 'im from it, yo' take - yo' cut 'is own shirt right undah de arm where he sweats at [de- monstrates]. (Under the left arn.) Uh-hmm. An' yo' boil it in a li'l watah. Den yo' take an' strain it an' po' it intuh some moonshine or whiskey - yhutevah he drinks - an' put it where he kin git it 'isself. When he drink dat, he'll nevah drink anothah drop.
(Take a piece from his own shirt, his undershirt.)
Entry 6994
A fellah dat is a bad likkah drinkah - spent all yore money, let chure wife go necked [naked], let chureself to necked - dey tell me if yo'll take, while he's drunk, if yo'll take asperin an' put it intuh 'is likkah, an' when he wakes up tuh take a li'le drinka dis likkah an' put asperin in it, dey tell me dat'll kill de taste of likkah.
Entry 6995
See, jis' lak dis bed is, yo' take a fellah - ah don' care how he dressed, where he comin' from - de easies' thin' is a church. (Church?) [My transcriber could not understand this word - see later.] Yeah, an' den invite him, whahevah he be at, if he's a fellah love tuh drink an' - it jis' as easy - jis' swipe [swish] dat in dere an' put it in 'is likkah. An' he'll nevah regret seein' likkah no more.
(That's a bedbug, isn't it?)
Yeah, a bedbug. [The preceding word church should be chinch, a legitimate word for bedbug (Cimex lectularius). Several times I also heard about a different bug, the chinch bug (Blissus leucopterus) destructive of grass and grain in the U. S. A. during dry seasons.]
Alcohol is the retrieval label for likkah in the reported drinking context; no chemical composition is established.
Entry 6996
(What do you call them?)
Kints.
(Kints?)
[Here we have the same trouble as in the preceding rite.]
Yes, sir, dat's whut we call 'em here.
(What do you do with that, then?)
Yo' gits dis blood - jis' lak yo'd come in drunk, well yo' have dis likkah all ready dere an' yo' take dis chinches an' yo' squeeze dis blood outa dere in dat, an' yo' give it tuh 'im, "Do yo' wan'a drink?" Well, yo' po's it out an' yo' give it tuh 'im. Aftah dat he ain't goin' tuh git drunk, 'cuz ah did dat mahself.
(That will stop you from drinking?)
Yes, sir, indeed it would.
Entry 6997
She kin take some beef blood an' put it in some whiskey yo' know, an' give dat tuh 'im. Yo' jis' put nine drops in dere at de time, yo' know, an' let 'im drink dat. An' dat'll make 'im sick an' dat'll turn 'im against it.
Entry 6998
Dey says yo' kin take a beef gall an' give him de beef gall in coffee an' dat'll stop 'im from drinkin' likkah.
Entry 6999
[They]tell me yo' take beef gall an' yo' put 9 drops intuh a bottle of whiskey. See if he don't stop drinkin'.
Entry 7000
[One of these catfish-blood rites to make a person stop drinking whis- key tells us: de female catfish min'strates lak a woman evah munt - see p.1869, lines 11-20, v.3.] Well, yo' kin take a man dat drinkin' whiskey all de time, why yo' kin ketch a live catfish any time, an' yo' jis' cut 'im right 'crost 'is tail or somepin-lak or anythin'. An' den let de blood drop right down in a bottle an' puh [pour] de whiskey in it, an' shake it up an' give it tuh 'im, an' let 'im drink an' he'll vomit. If yo' keeps dat up fo' a while, an' evah time he drinks it'll make him sick an' prob'ly break 'im off from drinkin'. Evah time yo' do dat, it'll make him sick.
(I see.)
Entry 7001
[The rite under the present number and the rite to follow under a sep- arate number are almost identical, yet each comes from a different person and trip to Memphis. For a similar situation, see my introductory note on p.1872 to interVieW EUREKA HOTEL WHERE I INTERVIEWED IN MEMPHIS BUILT BY THE DEAD.1 Git a catfish whilst he's live an' stick 'im in de tail, an' ketch dat blood an' put it intuh - make it up firs' 'fore yo' put it in dere cuz de whiskey'll cook it an' make it lumpy. But chew make it up in jis' a li'le watah an' den yo' put it intuh dis whiskey an' shake it up. An' give it tuh dat man an' he won' want no mo' whiskey.
Entry 7002
Take a catfish an' git 'is blood. Stick de fish in 'is tail - he have tuh be 'live - stick 'im in 'is tail an' ketch dat blood an' mix it up in watah first, becuz de whiskey will cook de blood. Mix it up in watah an' den put it in whiskey an' shake it up an' give it tuh 'em. Dat'll prevent 'im from drink- in'.
Entry 7003
Well, she go tuh a market where she kin buy a catfish, a small-size cat. Bring 'im home an' wash 'im off nice an' clean. Split 'im on both sides of 'is tail about a inch an' a half down tuh de end of 'is tail. Hol' a saucah, a white saucah undah dere an' let de blood drip in dere. Git 'im a half a pinta whiskey an' put dat in de whiskey an' put it where he kin drink it. An' he'll nevah tech no mo' as long as he live, an' ah'll guarantee he won't.