The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

FOLK CURE AND REMEDY

MIX DRY MUSTARD AND FAT TOGETHER. PUT IT ON A CLOTH. PUT THE
CLOTH ON YOUR CHEST TO CURE PNEUMONIA OF NEW KIDNEYS.

Submitter comment: THE INFORMANT FIRST LEARNED OF THIS FOLK REMEDY AROUND 1910 IN
POLAND. THIS SEEMS TO HAVE BOTH NEW AND OLD ELEMENTS.
PNEUMONIA HAS BEEN AROUND FOR AGES, BUT NEW KIDNEYS ARE A RELATIVELY
NEW DEVELOPMENT. THE CLOTH IS PUT CLOSE TO THE AREA INVOLVED.
THIS MIGHT INDICATE THAT THE MIXTURE "SEEPS" IN.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Date learned: 10-00-1980 ; CA00001910