Browse:Knots Again (Volume 1, entries 1367–1373)
Knots Again
Volume 1, entries 1367–1373. 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 1367
[A few knots were given in Nos. 1016-1025, pp.389-391.] Fo' cramps, or say if yo' havin' chills an' fever, tie one [string] roun' her waist an' put three knots in dere an' wear it. Do dat, dat'll counteract that.
(Just tie these three knots into a string?)
Yes.
The eligible wording is the interviewer clarification, followed by Yes; the earlier bracketed string remains a separate editorial insertion.
Entry 1368
If you be having chills, you see, [you] kin take a piece of cord string and just as many chills as you done have, you just tie a knot in there and dip it in some turpentine and tie it back round yo' waist; if you done have five chills, you put five knots in that string there and tie it round yo' waist. That's going to stop them chills.
Entry 1369
That's another thing in chills that you kin do. You kin take a cord string and fit it around your waist, that is, leave it long enough to tie. And if you having any chills or anything like that, you put it down in turpentine and pull it out - dip it down with your finger and tie it around your waist. It's a sure cure for chills and fever. It'll re'lly break 'em up that will, too. Put nine knots in it - see, nine knots and if you do it, you ain't goin' to have no more chills. You might have one more but after it you won't have no more. Wear it nine days around your waist and after that you kin take it off and burn it up. Them chills is gone. [Cf. No. 1019, p.390.]
Entry 1370
For backache you take a cord string and you tie nine knots in it and get you a bottle of turpentine and wet that string good in that turpentine and wear that around your waist. And that turpentine will kill the pains in your back.
Entry 1371
Git chew a string an' tie nine knots into that string an' dip it in de turpentine an' tie it roun' dey haid an' dat a good cure fo' headache. Ah've tried that, yes. [Cf. No.1024, p.391.]
Entry 1372
If yo' have de headache, ah've heard dat one. Jes' lak yo' have de headache an' can't git rid of de headache - headache's worryin' yo' all de time. Every time yo' turn roun' de headache worryin' yo', yo' go ahead an' take yo' a thread string an' tie nine knots in it - take it to de back of yore haid an' tie nine in de back. Jes' take it aftah yo' tie nine heah - tie nine heah at de back of it but tie nine heah, too. Nine on de fo'head an' nine on dat rope [string] behin', see. Jes' tie nine back dere an' dat'll stop de headache.
Entry 1373
If it's a fever dat chew have nevah been cured of befo' - that is if it's a fever dat yo' wus goin' round wit - if it wus malary fever - that yo' could take an' tie nine knots in a piece of string an' take an' tie it round yore waist an' sleep wit it at night, an' git up in de mawnin' time an' go an' tie it round a tree - jes' any kinda tree an' leave it wit'out lookin' back.
(That would cure you?)
Yes sir, dat would cure yo' because ah've done dat.