School: An Clochar, Dún Mánmhaí (roll number 5636)

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1. Cures

   

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   There is in every man of culture a certain eagerness to know how his forefathers lived, and to learn their various customs and beliefs. The belief of our fore-fathers in cures for remedying different diseases was a firm one, as in those times doctors did not exist. For nearly every disease practically they had some cure or other which when applied always gave ease.
   For instance if a person suffered from bronchitis, the cure was to boil the dandelion, and drink the water.
   For rheumatism, a person used to put two potatoes into his vest pocket and leave them there for about six weeks, after which time his rheumatism would leave him.
   For the whooping cough, there was a special old cure. A black donkey was procured and a person placed on either side of him. Then the body who was suffering from the disease was passed from one person to the other under and over the donkey. This performance was carried out several times at the end of which the disease was supposed to be cured. Another cure for whopping cough was to get an insect and place it in a bottle. If the insect died, the disease was cured, but if the insect lived, the disease remained. A

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. medical practice
         1. folk medicine (~11,815)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Nell Mc Carthy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Dunmanway, Co. Cork