Page:Here and there in Yucatan - miscellanies (IA herethereinyucat00lepl 0).djvu/29

 "Cook the head of a rattlesnake in a new vessel containing a pint of vinegar, then take from the head the little thorn-like fangs. One of these applied to an aching tooth, will make it fall out without any pain; but take care not to touch any other tooth, for as many as you touch will fall out."

Those who have a poor memory are advised to use mustard as snuff: "a very little of it and you will understand more in one hour than those who do not know the secret will in a day."

"Every human body consists of four humors: phlegm, blood, anger, and melancholy, to which correspond four elements: heat, cold, moisture, and dryness."

And this book was published several years ago as a learned work on medicine!

At the south end of the island, on a narrow promontory, there is an ancient shrine, built of well-hewn stone, abandoned since the time of the conquest. To it, in ages gone by, pilgrims repaired from far and near to deposit offerings on the altar. These chiefly consisted of clay figures representing the human body or parts of it; fragments of them are found in the sand all around. We were fortunate enough to unearth a very perfect face, that of a woman, and a pair of feet with sandals.