Browse:THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF (Volume 4, entries 5206–8881)/Part 20
THE PHYSICAL HUMAN BODY ITSELF
Volume 4, entries 5206–8881. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 6726
Dat's de way ah heard about a friz- zled chicken. Take a frizzled chicken an' if dere any poison aroun' yore house, if anybody put down any poison fo' yo' an' yo' got a frizzled chicken in dere, he git it up.
Entry 6727
If dere's [a] chicken out in yore yard an' as long as she stays friz- zled, nobody cain't hurt chew, but if she gits necked [naked], someone's tryin' tuh bury somethin' [cunjure] aroun' yo'. An' ah've heard a black hen's good luck around.
The account describes suspected burying around someone, conditional on the chicken's state. The bracketed cunjure is editorial; no completed burial is established.
Entry 6728
Anybody put down any poison fo' yo', a frizzly chicken'll pick it up. An' when dat frizzly chicken picks it up, hit'll [it will] turn red an' shed off evah feathah off an' turn jis' as red as a piece of beef. [The skin of the chicken turns red after the feathers are shed.]
The account names a frizzly chicken as the animal actor. Its reported response remains a belief; bracketed clarification and explanation are editorial.
Entry 6729
If anybody's trying tuh HOODOO an' got anything buried round yore bouse, a frizzly chicken will scratch it up an' yo' kin find it in dat way.
Entry 6730
A frizzly chicken, if anybody bury anything in yore yard dat is not clean, dat frizzly chicken will dig it up an' he become naked; an' if it's too strong, hit'll killl 'im. [Among many examples of frizzly chickens digging up planted objects of cunjure or poison, this is about the only time I ever heard of the chicken being killed.]
[For other examples of frizzly chickens, see pp.59-63.]
Entry 6731
[The following chicken manure beliefs and others I heard several hun- dred times, so often I did not record many of the duplicates. The locus classi- nos for this rite must be - but let me quote myself: the story told by Vander's wife is surely an unsurpassable account for this rite (No.1189, p.428), her story itself in No.888, p.319). These beliefs are also scattered throughout INTERVIEWS and elsewhere.] Well, dey say if someone bite chew an' yo' goes in de henhouse an' yo' use, Yo' know, whut de hen perform, an' yo' rub it all in [the bite] an' yo' bandage it aroun' dere an' weah it aroun' dere till - yo' gotta draw de spit [from the bite] out. Yo' weah it aroun' dere at least - some say 24 hours, aftah yo' git dat paste on dere lak a li'le pad. Den yo' weah dis band aroun' dere 24 hours, until it - it'll graj'ly [gradually] go in dere drawin' de poison out dey teeth bite. An' 'is teeth will rot out. Hit'll take effect on 'is own mouth. De poison'll [come] out of yore flesh intuh 'is [biter's] mouth.
The informant introduces the account with dey say and a conditional bite. The preceding bracketed recording notice is editorial, and the reported treatment effects are not established.
Entry 6732
Well, dey say if a person bit chew, all yo' have tuh do is git some chicken manure an' put it on de sore where dat person bit chew, an' yore teeth will fall out - jes' rot out.
(Any kind of chicken manure?)
Any kind. [I have included this belief here because it states "any kind." The same belief is found everywhere, including Mobile, Ala., (704-706), 969:2; Charleston, S. Car., (511), 517:3; etc.] [Fayetteville, N. Car., (1390), 2491:9.]
Entry 6733
Where dey bite chew, yo' take, yo' know, chicken manure, an' rub on dat place where dey bite yo' an' yore teeth [biter's] will rot out.
(What kind of chicken manure do they use?)
Black chicken.
The informant answers Black chicken when asked about the manure. The question is interviewer speech; the reported bodily effects are not established.
Entry 6734
Well, be sure it's a black hen. Watch 'er where she goin' an', yo' know [her] mess, yo' take dat an' rub it ovah dat bite. Tell me dat'll split de person [biter's] teeth.
(Do what?)
Dat'll rot dere teeth. [Usually these chicken manure rites mean a hen, chicken almost always being a synonym for hen. At the moment I do not recall manure from a black rooster.]
The account names the bite as the place of application. Editorial insertions and the interviewer question remain separate; the reported bodily effects are not established.
Entry 6735
Take black chicken manure an' put on it, on de bite. An' jes' lak if anybody bite chew, jes' go an' git some black chicken manure an' put it on dere, an' all yore teeth rotten out. [Sumter, S. Car., (1368), 2426:4.] [The same belief from: Richmond, Va., (404), 353:7; and Norfolk, Va., (about 464), 454:6.]
Entry 6736
Rub the black part of chicken manure [black chicken's manure not speci- fied] on bit and biter's teeth will rot out.
The source prints bit in an account mentioning the biter. That wording is preserved; the manure clarification is editorial and the reported tooth effect is not established.
Entry 6737
If a black-gummed person bites you, put black hen manure on the bite and the biter's teeth will decay and drop out.
Entry 6738
Put black hen manure on bite, heals bite and rots biter's teeth. [The healing of the bite is understood in all these rites; the biter's teeth dropping out is a revenge rite.]
Entry 6739
Ah've heard people say that if anybody bite chew, yo' could take brown chicken manure an' use it on it as a salve, an' it would rot dere teeth out.
Entry 6740
If a person bites yo', yo' kin go an' git black hen's manure an' rub it on dere, an' dere [the biter's] teeth will turn black, too.
Entry 6741
To make teeth fall out, place chicken dung on [victim's] teeth while he is asleep or drunk.
Entry 6742
Soak black manure from a hen about three days in whiskey; give to per- son to make loose teeth.
Entry 6746
Yo' take some black peppah an' salt an' sulphur an' a piece of homel spun; put a piece of homespun around it. Take black peppah, salt an' sulphur an~ put it on dat [package] an' as it burns tell it whut chew want it tuh do an' dey won't come back any mo'. Take a piece of new homespun an' cut it nice [demonstrates]. (Cut it round like a cir- cle.) Yes, yo' have tuh cut it out lak a circle. Den as yo' take sulphur, take a pinch of sulphur - sulphur an' salt [and black pepper] an' put it tuhgethah an say, In de Name of de Fathah, Name of de Son, an' Name of de Holy Ghost, whut chew want it tuh do.
(That will make them stay away.)
Entry 6747
If someone is tryin' to harm yo', yo' take yore undahsuit an' turn it grongside out an' yo' weah it [that way]. An' yo' take some parsley, an' put it in each shoe. An' dey can't harm yo'.
Entry 6748
Yo' take a fellah or a woman or any age dat suffahs wit rheumatism. Put one piece of coppah in end of one shoe, one piece of galvanized iron in de othah, an' regardless of whethah he is walkin' in de street, tuhday he don't need no stick. Dat's providin' he takes de rubbah off de heel of de shoe. Gravity draws de pain right on out.
Entry 6749
Yo' git some corn shucks an' yo' boil 'em an' yo' make a tea. An' don' let 'er drink no watah, no cold watah or othah kinda watah, excep' dat. An' dat'll drive it out an' dry it up [measles].
Entry 6750
Fo' spells [this is], if somebody put spells on a person. An' dey ases dat [manure] tuh make dat, if yo' wanta make a tea or anything fo' fits. Ah calls dem fits. Git dat [manure] - but chew know yo' boils it - from a bull cow or a bull calf. Dey use de he one. (The manure.) Yes, but chew ketch it whilst it's hot, an' den yo' boils dt. An' den aftah yo' boil it, yo' kin make a poultice of it. Dat fur as ah rgu of dat. He weahs it [the poultice]. Dat - why yo' jes' put it tuh de pr- sop. Dat's fo' fits or any kinda spell a person put on yo'.
Entry 6751
If yo' got a boil - jes' lak a boil grow on yo' - take dat cow manure an' warm it an' tie it dere. Dey say bt will bring it tuh a head.
Entry 6752
Dey tell me dat chew git a po'tion [por- tion not potion] of rat- tlesnake dust, red peppah, gunpowdah in yore shoes, dat'll cuz [cause] yo' tuh have achin' an' swellin' j'ints an' stuff. Dat'll put a spell on yo'.
(Sort of swell up your feet or make your joints ache?)
Yeah, yore j'ints ache, an' swell yore j'ints up, too.
(Well, is there any way you can cure that, I wonder?)
Yessir, yo' go tuh a cow stall an' yo' git dat dung, dat rakin' of de cow stall where de cow trample.
(The cow manure?)
Yeah. Yo' take dat an' yo' boil dat an' yo' bathe yore feets in dere. Yo' dilute dat an' put a li'le salt in it. Bathe yore feets in dere wit dat. An' yo' take dat an' yo' THROW DAT SUNDOWN SIDE. DAT MEANS FO' DE MISERY TUH GO DOWN, de sweat of it goes down an' de mis'ry [misery] tuh go out. Yo' throw dat sundown side.
Entry 6756
A dew-poison sore, caused by walking in the grass and getting scratched by a briar, cured by poultice of fresh cow manure.
Entry 6757
If poisoned, take fresh cow manure, saltpeter, make tea, drink 3 times a day.
Entry 6758
[The following medical rite I marked doubtful years ago and was about to throw it out with the discards. Years later on taking a second look I saw something unseen previously. Why did I keep it? Suppose we take a look:] (Cow manure? What do you do with that?) Yo' kin take cow manure, vinegah, dirt daubah nest an' black peppah an' if a person is got a disease, yo' kin keep dat disease on 'em wit dat cow manure, an' dirt daubah nest an' vinegah an' black peppah. [An excellent opening statement!] Yo' weah a bandage on yuh laig, on yuh lef' laig jis' evah mawnin', jis' put a fresh bandage on. An' jis' as long as dat bandage is applied tuh yo', dat disease will be applied tuh dat person.
(The person has the disease to begin with, you mean?)
Yes, sir.
(I see. Well, how do I know which person to apply it to?)
Well, it's jis' lak if somebody would come tuh yo' an' tell yo' an' say, "So- an'-so-an'-so is got a case of shankles or a case of pox or somepin, an' DEY BEEN WASTIN' TIME WIT MAH DAUGHTAH" or somepin. An' dey say, "If dere's any way dat ah kin keep it on 'em, ah wanta tuh do so." Well, den yo' [the author] know whut tuh tell 'em tuh do [when they come to you]. (Get this person's name and put the bandage on [PUT THE PERSON'S NAME ON THE BANDAGE!]. I see.) [My seeing at the time was not very good!] [Here we have a remarkable folk-medicine rite, one of the finest beliefs in Hoodoo, and yet I missed it! Perhaps I was tired, often interviewing for hours at a time. An experienced folklorist will immediately recognize: (1) the 4 in- gredients put in the bandage are about the commonest in folk medicine, cow manure a well-known ointment; and (2) that some doctors claim the power of being able to absorb a disease (see No.1007, p.387). For another example of the latter, some wart doctors pretend to, or are said to, catch all the warts they remove. In the present case however, we do not have an absorbtion rite, but a substitution rite; the absorbtion being only a pretense like the birth pangs of the husband in the couvade! The father in our present rite by pretending to have the venereal dis- ease of his daughter's paramour, keeps it upon the man permanently! Surely there must have been a time limit for the father's acting!]
Entry 6759
Cure for blindness caused by spell. Bathe eyes every mawnin' with fresh cow milk and beaten-up egg. Do for seven [consecutive] mawnin's.
Entry 6760
Person with snakes [in them] gets down on knees over milk [hold open mouth over the milk], snakes will come out.
The printed statement names a posture on the knees. The bracketed additions are editorial, and the reported outcome is not established.
Entry 6762
You mean poison, hoodoo-like?
(Yes.)
Yo' git a teacup fulla sweet milk, halfa teacup of grease, piece of salt- petah about big as a red bean. [Magic of diminishing size.] (A red bean.) Piece of saltpetah about as big as a red bean. Yo' take all dat an' mix dat tuhgethah an' give it tuh yo' an' let yo' drink it. An' yo' vomit it up or eithah it'll kill it [the poison], kill it on de inside of yo'.
Entry 6763
Milk from a black cow could kill disease, rash, or any kinda disease dat children has. [Black cow milk is fairly common in Hoodoo, see Doctor Lind- say, MY FIRST DOCTOR in Hoodoo, v.2, p.938,6 lines from bottom of page.]
Entry 6764
If a person got a wen on dere arm or anywhere about 'em, 20 wanted tuh git rid of dat wen, when a person dies, yo' kin go dere an' jis take dat wen an' wipe it on 'em jis' 'fore dey git cold, or eithah wash it down. Jis' take it an' wipe it on 'em. An' when dey bury dat person, in three day's time dat com- sence tuh wizen [wither or shrivel] away an' it'll go. [The verb to wizen, from the Anglo-Saxon, is obsolete, though it lingers on as dialect.] [Sumter, S. Car.,
(1368), 2422:2.] [Bone from dead cures warts, No.8027, p.3409.]
Entry 6765
If yo' is sick, if somebody put a bad spell on yo', why yo'll have funy feelin's. Dat spell will stay on yo', dat funny feelin' will stay in yo' all de time. If yo' sick [have an ordinary sickness], dat pain will go an' come. But if somebody put a spell on yo', dat spell keep aworkin' on yo', keep aworkin' on yo' all de time, till yo' goes tuh somebody tuh take dat spell offa yo'. [Diagnosis to determine obether the patient has an ordinary illness or has been hurt or witchcrafted, is an important matter in the practice of hoodoo curing. See v.l, pp.165-217 for examples.]
Entry 6766
Ah've see 'em take dis li'le bit of wasp or dirt daubahs, yo' know de're white. Ah've seen 'em [doctor] take dem [dirt daubers] an' go cah places dat people were poisoned. Dat is some ways tuh beat 'em out dere roney. [These people] thought dey were poisoned. An' [these doctors] have 'em in dere han' an' claim dey would cure 'em an' take out dose things in 'em. Dey gotta take out dose things, but dey didn't take 'em out.
(How did they do it then?)
Dey [doctors] carried 'em [dirt daubers] dere wit 'em. [Informant is skepti- cal about a doctor removing dirt daubers (usually if not always dead ones) from a person. He believes the doctor brought the insects with him and used a little sleight of hand.]
Entry 6767
If a man give yo' some poison - yo' git de poison in yo'. Den yo' make a tea out de dirt daubah nest an' drink it, an' dat'll kill it.
Entry 6768
Yes, sir, she eats that herself. Well, she eats that for to do away with children. She eats that, fourteen of them [the insects] to destroy her kids, if she is more than two months gone. If she is less than two months, she takes less than that - less dirt dauber - to destroy her kid.
Entry 6769
(The dirt dauber's nest. What do you do with that?)
Well, that will make her have a baby quick. If she's lingerin', yo' kin take some dirt dauber's nest an' make some tea, an' she'll soon come.
Entry 6770
Dirt dauber nest, make tea, give it to woman in labor, it'll he'p [help] 'er tuh come 'cross. [Informant, a former midwife, called it three- fingah dirt daubah.]
Entry 6772
Use dirt daubah's nest fo' delivahin' babies. Dey makes a tea of dat. Weah it in yore clothes an' bring yo' good luck. Put dirt daubah whah yore sweetheart is an' he'll give yo' money an' be good tuh yo'.
Entry 6773
Dey use dat fo' 'medicine. Yo' kin take dirt daubah nest an' make medi- cine outa it an' if a baby has measles or anything lak dat, de trash [thrush], yo' kin make a tea outa it an' wash dat baby's mouth, or bathe it when it got de thrash an' it done good. Now ah have made teas outa dirt daubah nest.
Entry 6774
If yo' thought somebody wuz HOODOOIN' yo' or if yo' had any pain an' yo' thought it came from somebody's work dat had anything on yo', dat chew kin use a plastahs on dat part wit dirt daub- ah, wit de eithah pound dat up or let it dissolve in vinegah an' use dat applica- tion. It will give relief.
Entry 6775
Well, yo' kin take a dirt daubah nest an' vinegah an' make a poultice tuh carry away a sprain.
Entry 6776
If yo' sprain yo' arm or yo' foot, yo' leg, mix it up wit vinegah an' tie it roun' dere, bandage a cloth aroun' dat. Dat's all ah know fo' dirt daubah nests.
Entry 6777
If yo' swole, got a whole lotta swellin' in yo', go git chew a dirt daubah nest an' jis' knock de dirt daubah nest down. An' take some vinegah an' try tuh ketch de dirt daubah if yo' kin. If yo' don't it's all right. An' make yo' a poultice an' put it dere, an' dat take DE SWELLIN' WHERE YO' THINK YO'RE CUNJURED.
Entry 6778
[I know] evahthin' about it. Yo' take yo' some vinegah an' dirt daub- ah, yo' see, an' yo' mix it up jis' lak a salve-lak, yo' see, an' lay it on yore face wit a rag, yo' see. Plastah it on yore face. Dat bring dat swellin' down.
Entry 6779
Mud daubah nest is only good for fevahs an' diff'ren' things lak dat. Yo' break dat up an' put it in vinegah.
Entry 6780
[That [dirt dauber] is good for sprain, vinegar and soda. Dampen it and put it on a sprain?)
[I am repeating what was said while recording machine turned off.]
Dampen it.
Entry 6781
Makes up a salve wit it, wit some dirt daubah nest, saltpetah, chewin' tobacca an' yo' make a salve. Now yo' kin put it in a li'le - ah dunnō [don't know] how much yo' goin' make up, but put chew a li'le vine- gah in it an' it's jis' lak a mustard, yo' know, jis' lak prepared mustard. Make a li'le of dat an' put it on de place an' see whut it will do fo' yo' [recording machine stopped, see later].
(What will that cure for example?)
Well, jis' lak a lotta people - yo' know yo' got a misery in yore ankle, cain't stand up on yore ankle. Dey [person working spell against you] got chew down in yore knees. (You said before [while machine turned off] that it kills off a lot of hoodoo ousiness.) Hoodoo business.
Entry 6782
If bitten by a dog, catch the dog, cut hair off end of his tail, bury under the steps. Keeps you from bein' poisoned. [This is an unusual version of 'the hair of the dog that bit you." Poison here does not mean hoodoo poison but rabies. Even so, persons could have been found who would have said some evil- ainded person sent a mad dog to bite the victim, thus making it a hoodoo poison affair.]
Entry 6783
Yo' take - jis' lak if a person has azmē, a dog dat 'is passage be turnin' white. Yo' git holt of it. Yo' take dat an' yo' burn dat an' put it intuh 'bacca an' let 'im [patient] smoke it, an' it's good fo' de azmē.
Entry 6784
Take dogwood tree an' give it fo' neuralgee.
(How do you do that?)
Yo' take de no'th side of a dogwood tree an' boil it. Skin off de top part of de bark, dat will cure neuralgee. (What do you do with that?) Yo' take about dat much [demonstrates] in yore han', 'bout dat much in yore han', an' yo' put it IN A QUART OF WATAH AN' BOIL IT DOWN TO A PINT. [This is the Mgic rite of diminishing amount, which like the magic of increasing amount is fairly common in Hoodoo.] Dey tole me it cures neuralgee. Jis' boil it an' Strain it an' drink de tea.
Entry 6785
Jis' lak yo' git hurt or anythin', somebody done fixed yo', well yo' lin [get] dat [dogwood] an' bathe in it. Yo' put bluestone, yo' take de bark off de dogwood tree, take de bark offa de east side an' de west side an' kinda boil it yo' know down. Yo' drinks dat. Well, dat'll bring dat stuff on back oh yo'.
(If anybody has put any stuff [hoodoo] in you?)
Yeah.
Entry 6786
Yo' scrub yuh steps wherevah yo' may be, yo' know, down wit de nine buckets of hydrant watah; [I mean] eight buckets down, yo' know, an' de las' bucket throw it up. An' smoke yo'self in dragon's blood an' wash yo'self down wit linseed oil. (What will that do?) Dat'll keep 'em from harmin' yah. An' keep yuh salt throwed aroun' yah steps, wit chamber lye - yah know, yahurine. [There are many scrubbing rites in Hoodoo, most of them from New Orleans, some of them complicated. For a few of these beliefs see margin titles WATER and WATER THROWN (pp.740-743) and SCRUBBING in INDEX (vol.5). The present 9 buckets of hy- drant water - considered running water and therefore of magic power - are for rinsing what has been scrubbed. Eight buckets are dashed down; the ninth bucket is tossed up into the air, either all at one time or a particular number of times.]
(You do all these things together?)
Yo' mix dat [salt and urine] but yo' smoke yuhself in a new can by itself wit dragon's blood; or insant [incense], dat's good. [This is a protection rite against hoodoo of any kind.]
Entry 6787
If yo' in trouble wit high pains an' yo' been in trouble wit high pains, yo'll go an' git chew a young duck, an' regardless of where dat pain is, jis' cut dat duck open 'live an' lie it ontuh 'is nachel [natural] skin, an' when- evah dat duck is daid, an' dat duck git cold, why dat pain is 'sposed [supposed] tuh be gone.
(Be gone?)
Dat be gone. It draws out, it be gone, don' chew undahstan'.
Entry 6788
Dey tie it roun' yo', anywhah dat chew have cramps. Some time dey git 'em an' go on all down 'em, some kinda cramp. Say yo' gits a cramp.
(That eelskin.)
Entry 6790
If a person bites yo' wit blue gums, yo' kin take a li'le of yore action, yore action an' put it on dere an' rub it in dere roun' good. (Rub it into the bite?) Yeah, an' go git chew some sulphuh an' burn it an' put it on dere, an' slip tuh 'is house. When yo' git dere, an' jis' lak yo' wanta a drink of watah, say, "Git me a glass of watah - git me some watah." An' carry a li'le dat burnt sulphuh wit chew an' - now, lak yo' wan' some watah. Rub it roun' intuh dat glass an' blow yore breath in it three times an' set it down nice, an' tell 'em tuh 'ave a drink of watah. He'll take a drink of watah an' he'll start tuh sufferin' wit de pyorrhea, los' [lostl de teeth outa his haid. (That burnt sulphur that you use in putting on your arm, that is out of the same batch of stuff?) Yes.
Entry 6791
Yo' kin take de fig tree roots an' destroy babies. Dat's de only thing ah know 'bout a fig tree. Well, yo' take de root, yo' know, an' yo' boil it an' make a tea of it. Dat'll make yo' miscarry a baby, dey tell me. (You just drink that tea?) Yes, yo' jis' drink dat.
Entry 6792
Know dey taken fish fo' a person dat dey win' [wind] is short [luag trouble]. Take a fish whut got dose bladdahs in 'em whut holds win'. Yo' diy dat, an' aftah dryin' dat, if a person is short-winded, yo' take an' bust it an' swallah [swallow] dat air, an' dat gives yore lungs fresh air.
Entry 6793
Put a salted fish on bottom of foot to draw out poison. This can be ordinary poison, if it exists in hoodoo, or hoodoo poison.]
Entry 6794
(How do you do that?)
[Something will] cuz warts on yo' haid or on yo' body, yo' know. Well, if it's on yo' haid, yo' kin git de - kill a dove, yo' know. (Kill a dove?) Git 'is heart out an' scrap de bottom of 'er feet; yo' know, husk scuff, scrub off where yo' feet [have become rough]. An' yo' puts dat in watah an' yo' boils it an' an'ints wit it three times a day. Ah mean three times a night: befo' night at six o'clock, twelve at night, an' six o'clock in de mawnin' [this is the well-known FORMULA 6-12-6, No.2885, p.830 and elsewhere]. But yo' always an'int wit dat at night, not durin' de day- tine.
(THAT'LL TAKE AWAY THESE PAINS THAT PEOPLE PUT ON YOU?)
Dat's SO. SuPPOSed tuh be Wit ANY KINDA PAIN DAT IS PUT ON YO' DAT YO' WASN'T BORN WIT. (Well, would that take off a pain that.someone put a spell on you? With that Lind of pain?) Dat's right. Dat's so [true] too. (You have to do that at six in evening, at twelve at midnight, and then at six o'clock in the morning?) In de mawnin'. (I see. You boil this dove heart and the scraping from the bottom of your feet.) [This rite presupposes the patient's walking barefoot much of the year, pick- ing up all sorts of bad smells and tastes odious to the disease-or-pain spirit captured by the spellcaster. The latter, called witch and many names, dislikes: Spitting, obscenity, animal manure, human excrement and urine (see FACI, 2nd ed., Bos.16481-16499, Pp.903-908). Our present rite is a hair-of-the-dog-that-bit you oae. Since the victim picked up his witchcraft or cunjure pains through his feet, he will rid himself of them the same way. Rites sending pain, even live things fn you, out through your feet, often through the big toe, are fairly common in Boodoo. Killing the dove is double or back-up insurance.]
Entry 6795
Yo' kin go tuh de fo'ks of de road, dat's if yo' got a sty on yore eye, an' throw a sty off yo' eye. Yo' kin go tuh de fo'ks of de road an' turn yore back tuh de point where [demonstrates] one road's runnin' dis way an' one goin' dataway, see. An' take yore han' an' wipe yore eye lak dat [demonstrates] an' say, "Sty, sty, go off mah eye." Turns yo'- self an' come back. An' it'll sho' [sure] go off. Ah know dat fo' mahself experience.
The account names the eye and a sty. Demonstration notes are editorial; its reported removal and personal experience remain source claims.
Entry 6796
People sometimes claim that when you go out to a road like that [cross- road or forks of road] they've been hurt. They say they go to a tree, the tree after the crossroad, a birch tree. They're off from the forks of the road because most of the time the roads go dead off from a birch. And they get a certain bark off of that tree, and take it back home and keep it four or five days, and take it to a river of running water and throw it over their left shoulder. And they claim they will come all right again.
Entry 6797
When ah wuz small, a small girl, ah had lots of warts on mah han'. Mah han' wuz jes' fullah warts, an' ah went tuh a ole colored man an' he looked at mah han' an' he says, '"Yo' got lotsa warts on yo' han'." An' he says, "Ah'll tell yo' whut chew do, '' says, "yo' take dis needle an' pick dem, den take a knife an' kinda pull 'em out." Well, dey pull out lak li'le seeds. An' so he says, "Yo' take dese an' pick 'em an' pull 'em lak dat, an' when yo' git enough of 'em off, evah one yo' pick, " he says, "yo' take an' put 'em in a envelope an' go tuh de fo'ks of a road an' don't look back. Jes' drop dis lettah down an' don' look back, an' don' go right by [that place again]." An' he says, "Dat'll take de warts off yore han'." An' ah ain't got a wart on mah han'.
The opening recollection locates warts on the informant's hand. The man's later quoted advice is separate, and no treatment result is independently established.
Entry 6798
Some things is purtty good. Now a person, if he is EAT POISONED, yo' kin take a toadfrog - yo' know dese toadfrogs whut hop a li'le short hop. Yo' kin take one of dem an' split 'im open an' bind 'im on 'is side or on 'is laig an' yo' know, evah bit of dat poison will come outen it. Evah bit of it will come outen it.
Entry 6799
Dey taken toadfrog fo' poison. If anybody poison yo' or sompin, yo' could take a live toadfrog an' put 'im tuh yo', or somepin lak dat, an' it would draw de poison from yo'.
Entry 6800
At de fiahplace [fireplace], dere anyone dressed at. Ah've seen dat done, anybody dressed or deals at chore house. Yore han's - yore han' will com- mence risin' an' swellin' an' goin' on up, an' yo' cain't do anything. Yo' take a toadfrog an' cut 'im wide open, an' plastah 'im aroun' de sore place an' weah 'im dere. Den he cured. [The preceding word deals (deals a trick?) as a synonym for dressed is rare; in fact, this may be the only example in Hoodoo.l
Entry 6801
If yore leg is swollen through poison, split open a live frog and tie on.
Entry 6802
Yo' kin split a live frog open an' put it on dat place where yo' snake bitten at an' de poison will come intuh de frog.
Entry 6804
For sunstroke or brain stroke, put live frog in your cap an' keep on head until frog dies.
Entry 6805
To break chill, wrap live frog in piece of paper, breathe into his mouth. He takes the chill.