462 – Print – Cunning Man

Physical description:

Hand-coloured mid-19th century print, showing an Irish cunning man being consulted by a woman with a baby. Titled 'The Fairy Doctor'. By E. Fitzpatrick.

Museum classification:

Images of Witchcraft

Size:

230 x 280

Information:

Text by Cecil Williamson: 'The social services today have long sounded the knell of the green doctor - gone are such scenes as this. But the wisdom of the centuries regarding the use of nature's living green world of plants is now safe in the hands of the modern country witch who, not now with a wave of a wand, but with a touch of her finger can call up on micro file the ancient wonders of nature waiting in the hedgerows.The gypsy charmers or green doctors as they are called in the south west. A local village woman with her sick infant seeks the help of the green doctor. The whole action revolves around the charmer's cauldron with its gently stewing herb broth.'
This picture was originally a black and white illustration in The Illustrated London News, 31st December 1859.
The most prominent herb lying on the floor appears to be foxglove, whose active ingredient, glycoside digitoxin, is still used in modern medicine as a treatment for heart failure. It was introduced into conventional medicine in the late 18th century by William Withering, who discovered it after an encounter in Shropshire with a woman with heart failure who he considered incurable. He later discovered that she had recovered after being given a potion containing around twenty herbs by a local wise woman, Mrs Hutton. William Withering studied the potion's ingredients and deduced that foxglove was the one responsible for its beneficial effects.

Resource:

Picture

Materials:

Paper

Copyright ownership:

Copyright to The Museum of Witchcraft Ltd.

Text by Cecil Williamson: 'The social services today have long sounded the knell of the green doctor - gone are such scenes as this. But the wisdom of the centuries regarding the use of nature's living green world of plants is now safe in the hands of the modern country witch who, not now with a wave of a wand, but with a touch of her finger can call up on micro file the ancient wonders of nature waiting in the hedgerows.The gypsy charmers or green doctors as they are called in the south west. A local village woman with her sick infant seeks the help of the green doctor. The whole action revolves around the charmer's cauldron with its gently stewing herb broth.'
This picture was originally a black and white illustration in The Illustrated London News, 31st December 1859.
The most prominent herb lying on the floor appears to be foxglove, whose active ingredient, glycoside digitoxin, is still used in modern medicine as a treatment for heart failure. It was introduced into conventional medicine in the late 18th century by William Withering, who discovered it after an encounter in Shropshire with a woman with heart failure who he considered incurable. He later discovered that she had recovered after being given a potion containing around twenty herbs by a local wise woman, Mrs Hutton. William Withering studied the potion's ingredients and deduced that foxglove was the one responsible for its beneficial effects.