Antall József – Buzinkay Géza szerk.: Népi gyógyítás Magyarországon / Orvostörténeti Közlemények – Supplementum 7-8. (Budapest, 1975)

Hoppál Mihály—Törő László: Népi gyógyítás Magyarországon (magyar és angol nyelven)

92 Comm. Hist. Artis Med. Suppl. 7—8. (1975) Snakebite would heal, according to another source, by bandaging the affected area with the crushed snakehead.

7 In addition to these predominantly magical-superstitious medical beliefs, folk medicine utilized animal materials on the basis of analogicalhomeopathical ideas. According to Zsigmond Szeñdreÿ "the magic power of animals was related to their physical and natural powers". He recommended the use of mole flesh and ashes against epilepsy, cystitis and hernia.

8 This line of thought is illustrated for example by another medication : the heart of the mole in powdered form, taken with milk or water, would heal trembling, fear (i.e. a heart malady).

9 Another case was the custom of placing small bags with the feet of the mole around the neck of children to stimulate growth of teeth.

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0 Obviously the analogy referred to the impact of the sharp claws of the mole on the growth of teeth. Other popular customs concerned the use of mole blood on warts

11 and of mole liver against epilepsy.

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2 We know of frequent uses of the cock and hen, since they symbolized fertility. Of these the following are noteworthy: the gizzard of black hen was recommended against jaundice,

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3 intestinal catarrh would be cured by leaning over steamed hen feathers,

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4 and eye maladies were treated by prepared medication of cock gall and liver.

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5 These examples illustrate, as mentioned earlier, specific symbolic associations between the characteristics of animals land their utilization in folk medicine. Furthermore, they show also that folk medicine interpreted the medical significance of specific animal body parts according to a definite pattern of belief. Thus each of these parts was believed to be suitable for specific types of medical use.

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6 Certain materials of animal origin are known generally as treatments for identical uses. An example is the use of the spider web for wounds and boils. Equally noteworthy is the use of the Spanish fly (Cantharis) against rabies, known incidentally in all sections of Hungary.

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7 Similarly well known was the use of "colt-spleen" (in fact the remains of the placenta), used generally against fear. There is also the so-called "crab's eyes" (rákszem or rákörvény) which in popular belief removes all foreign objects from eye (as the crab walks "backwardns"). In reality it is the fossilized remains of a shell-fish. 7 Juhász 1768. 72. Collection of L. Törő. 8 Szeñdreÿ 1937/a 159. 9 Juhász, 1768. 43. 1

0 Wlislockiné 1893. 221. 1

1 Greszné 1944. 18. 1

2 Varjas, 1943. 37. 1

3 Bosnyák, 1973. 295. 1

4 Greszné 1944. 13. 1

5 Varjas, 1943. 94, 95. 1

0 Grÿñaeųs, 1965. 385. 1

7 Greszné 1944. 14—15.; Vajkai, 1937/B. 147—148.; Grÿñaeųs, 1965. 424.