p. 140; see also Scoffern,
Science and Folk Lore, p. 76.

Still another method evolved by this theological pseudoscience was that
of disgusting the demon with the body which he tormented--hence the
patient was made to swallow or apply to himself various unspeakable
ordures, with such medicines as the livers of toads, the blood of frogs
and rats, fibres of the hangman's rope, and ointment made from the
body of gibbeted criminals. Many of these were survivals of heathen
superstitions, but theologic reasoning wrought into them an orthodox
significance. As an example of this mixture of heathen with Christian
magic, we may cite the following from a medieval medical book as a
salve against "nocturnal goblin visitors": "Take hop plant, wormwood,
bishopwort, lupine, ash-throat, henbane, harewort, viper's bugloss,
heathberry plant, cropleek, garlic, grains of hedgerife, githrife, and
fennel. Put these worts into a vessel, set them under the altar, sing
over them nine masses, boil them in butter and sheep's grease, add much
holy salt, strain through a cloth, throw the worts into running water.
If any ill tempting occur to a man, or an elf or goblin night visitors
come, smear his body with this salve, and put it on his eyes, and cense
him with incense, and sign him frequently with the sign of the cross.
His condition will soon be better."(309)

(309) For a list of unmentionable ordures used in Germany near the end
of the seventeenth century, see Lammert, Volksmedizin und medizinischer
Aberglaube in Bayern, Wurzburg, 1869, p. 34, note. For the English
prescription given, see Cockayne, Leechdoms, Wort-cunning, and
Star-craft of Early England, in the Master of the Rolls' series,
London, 1865, vol. ii, pp. 345 and following. Still another of these
prescriptions given by Cockayne covers three or four octavo pages. For
very full details of this sort of sacred pseudo-science in Germany, with
accounts of survivals of it at the present time, see Wuttke, Prof. der
Theologie in Halle, Der Deutsche Volksaberglaube der Gegenwart, Berlin,
1869, passim. For France, see Rambaud, Histoire de la Civilisation
francaise, pp. 371 et seq.

As to surgery, this same amalgamation of theology with survivals of
pagan beliefs continued to check the evolution of medical science down
to the modern epoch. The nominal hostility of the Church to the shedding
of blood withdrew, as we have seen, from surgical practice the great
body of her educated m