831. Toothache may be cured by conjurers, who apply the finger to the aching tooth, while muttering a charm, or tie a number of knots in a fishing line.
Newfoundland.
832. Toothache may be cured by a written charm, sealed up and worn around the neck of the afflicted person. The following is a copy of the charm:—
I’ve seen it written a feller was sitten
On a marvel stone, and our Lord came by,
And He said to him, “What’s the matter with thee, my man?”
And he said, “Got the toothache, Marster,”
And he said, “Follow me and thee shall have no more toothache.”
Newfoundland.
833. For toothache take an eyelash, an eyebrow, trimmings of the finger-nails, and toe-nails of the patient, bore a hole in a beech-tree, and put them in. The sufferer must not see the tree, and it must not be cut down or burned.
Cape Breton.
834. Treat biliousness by boring three holes in a tree and walking three times around it, saying, “Go away, bilious.”
Eastern Shore of Maryland.
835. The most powerful charm is a piece of printed paper called “the letter of Jesus Christ.” This, in addition to the well-known letter of Lentulus to the Senate, contains many absurd superstitions, such as the promise of safe delivery in child-bed, and freedom from bodily hurt to those who may possess a copy of it.