Dr. James T. Callow publications
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The James T. Callow Folklore Archive
Your search for P754 returned 414 results.
For a sore throat, take a strip of raw bacon or salt pork, put
a little bit of pepper on it, put it on a handkerchief, and wrap
our throat with it. This would cure a sore throat.
James Callow comment: See Hand, NC, nos. 2188, 2190.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00001910s
For headaches, grate a potato, put a lot of pepper on it, put
that on a handkerchief and tie it around your head. The potato
will turn black as the headache fades away.
James Callow comment: See Puckett, Ohio, no. 9897 - 9898.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): TRANSFER
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00001910s
For a sore throat, take a teaspoon on sugar and put a drop or
two of turpentine on it and swallow it.
James Callow comment: See Hand, North Carolina, no. 2204
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Mineral |
Date learned: 00001910s
Brewed chamomile tea taken orally will purify your blood and
cure boils.
Submitter comment:
My twin sister was given this folk cure after having repeated
boils.
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1958
Home Remedy for Swelling
To stop swelling in the extremities soak brown paper bag in
vinegar and wrap around the swollen part of the injury. This
will take the swelling down.
Submitter comment:
The informant did this during the summer when she experienced
swelling in both of her feet.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1951
Cure for High Blood Pressure
Squeeze a lemon, place the pulp and seeds in a glass of
water. Let all the lemon settle to the bottom of the glass and
then begin the sip. Garlic may be substituted for the lemon.
Submitter comment:
During the time of her late husband's funeral she was given a
glass of water with lemon in it and it helped reduce her blood
pressure.
James Callow comment:
For the use of garlic to prevent or cure hypertension see
Puckett, Ohio, nos. 10158-10161.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 08-00-1990
For helping a baby with colic, take a teaspoon of baby
formula or milk and blow cigarette smoke on the teaspoon of milk
and give it to the baby.
James Callow comment:
Cf. Puckett, Ohio, no. 2476: "To cure a breast-fed baby with
the colic, put some breast milk on a spoon, blow smoke from a
pipe on it, and feed it to the baby (M.M., F, 36, pract. nurse,
Negro, Cleveland, 1960); ... blow tobacco smoke on a teaspoonful
of mother's milk, etc. (Mrs. M.R., F, 74, farmw., Negro, New
Vienna, 1956)."
For other applications of tobacco smoke in the cure of
colic, see Puckett, Ohio, nos. 2477-2480, and Wayland Hand, North
Carolina, nos. 293-294, 1175. A powder of home-cured tobacco,
when made into a pill, has also been recommended for colic; see
Hand, idem,
Where learned: DETROIT
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1951
Cure for worms in children
Take a sugar cube and place 9 drops of turpentine on the cube
and give it to the child.
James Callow comment:
Puckett, Ohio, no. 12743: "For worms, take a drop or two of
turpentine on some sugar (M.F., F, 70, store mgr., Welsh-Ir.-
Ger., Summit, 1956."
Vance Randolph, "Ozark Superstitions" (1947), p. 120:
"Physicians in the Ozark towns have remarked upon the practice of
giving turpentine as a worm medicine. Turpentine is still
administered by many yarb doctors and granny-women, large doses
being given to small children. The stuff may eliminate the
worms, but it seems to be bad for the children's kidneys. A lot
of little children in the Ozarks die of nephritis, and the M.D.'s
say that neph
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | 686 Ninths / Nine Favorites BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Mineral |
Date learned: 00-00-1951
Remedy for fever from a cold
In order to get the cold or flu from the body, take ginger
root, boil it and make a tea and sip on it for relief of fever.
Submitter comment:
I was working with the nurse for only one day. I had a bad
cold and she told me about this remedy. I have no data on her as
I only worked with her one day, but she did tell me she was from
Jamaica.
Where learned: DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1985
Remedy for cold or flu
Place camphorated oil in the fontella (soft spot on baby's
head) and on the bottom of the feet of the baby to get rid of any
fever in the body.
Where learned: DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): Fontanel
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Head, physiognomy, face BELIEF -- Body part Senses Feet, toes, toenails BELIEF -- Plant |
Remedy
When stepping on a nail or any metal object, tape any of the
following to the foot: a penny, a slice of potato, or a piece of
salt poor, to draw out any infection that may set up in the
foot.
Where learned: DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): Salt pork
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Mineral |
Home remedy
Place peachtree leaves in a cloth bag and place the bag up
against the body where fever is located to draw the fever out.
James Callow comment:
Cf. Puckett, Ohio, no. 9518: "To cure fever, bind peach
leaves tightly to the forehead."
Where learned: Camben ; Arkansas
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1945
Home Remedy
Take peppermint and dry it out, crush the leaves with the
hands and boil it for tea. This will help sour and upset
stomach.
Where learned: DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
When having a toothache or a tooth extracted place a tea bag
at the swelling to draw out the tenderness. But it must contain
"black tea" to be effective.
Where learned: DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 03-00-1992
Rub tomatoes on the bottom of the feet of small children to
cure sore throat.
Where learned: DETROIT
James Callow Keyword(s): HIDDEN CONNECTION
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Body part Senses Feet, toes, toenails BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1970
Cure All
An apple a day, helps keep the doctor away.
Submitter comment: To prevent sickness.
Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Means of Causing or Avoiding Illness BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 00-00-1975
Medicine
This homemade medicine was used for external use only. When
people had a fever someone would boil vinegar and add corn-shucks
and brown paper bags. Then wrap the bags and corn-shucks around
the person's entire body.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; SOUTHFIELD
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Method of Curing |
Date learned: 02-07-1992
Medicine
This homemade medicine was given to the informant when she
was a little girl and she gave it to her seven children and they
are giving it to their children. Her mother would combine
garlic, lemon, rum, honey and boiling water. She said, it always
works for the worst of colds.
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; SOUTHFIELD
| Subject headings: | BELIEF -- Animal BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Mineral |
Date learned: 02-07-1992
If you have asthma, measure your height to a tree and mark
it. As the tree grows you will grow out of the asthma.
James Callow comment:
Puckett, Ohio, no. 2325: "If a child has asthma, take him
into the woods and find a young tree. Measure the child up to
the tree and mark his height by putting a nail into the tree. As
the tree grows the child will outgrow his asthma."
Where learned: HOME ; MICHIGAN ; SOUTHFIELD
James Callow Keyword(s): MEASURING
| Subject headings: | Favorites BELIEF -- Plant BELIEF -- Measure of space: distance, height, depth BELIEF -- Plant |
Date learned: 02-07-1992