School: Ballintotas (roll number 15165)
- Location:
- Ballintotis, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Tadhg Ó Coileáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0395, Page 323
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- I saw this cure being applied by Mr. Jas. Collins, Carhuvouler[?], Rossmore, Ballineen, Co. Cork. He is a man of 73 and when I saw him apply the cure to a cow affected with 'timber-tongue' was in July 1925."Timber-tongue" is a disease in cattle, more especially in milch cows, which affects the tongue principally and sometimes the lower jaw is weighed down with a remarkable swelling, The cow's tongue and lower jaw become so inflamed and stiff that it cannot sometimes eat nor drink. Mr. Collins cut some branches of blackthorn bushes, selected the most bulky, and cut them into lengths of about 4 inches. He put about two pounds of these blackthorn stumps into a pot and put sufficient water in to cover them. He then put it to boil and simmer over the fire for about two hours. Then he dosed the animal with the liquid in the pot, and placed the pot under the animals head - seemingly that it should inhale the vapour from the boiled blackthorn. The dose was administered at 6 o'clock in the evening and the following morning the cow was chewing the cud and able to eat and drink.
