Written by Blanche H. Landrum 2-27-97
This madstone was in a small tin box that O.J. Landrum received in his possession after his father, Albert Sydney Landrum, passed away. I, Blanche, remember Mr. Sydney Landrum telling me that this madstone belonged to his "Ma", being Maletha Jane Hagins Landrum, wife of Reuben Samuel Landrum.
As I remember, I think he said a pan of "sweet" milk was placed on the stove and the madstone was placed in that, and after the milk came to a boil it was removed and – I guess cooled some – then placed on the wound and left for a while to draw out the poison.
I have always heard these stones were formed in the stomach of deer and were very rare. Occasionally, one could or would be found in the forest or woods and now are very valuable. B.H.L.
And another reference....
This info is from Kentucky Explorer, Vol. II, no. 1. 5-1996 by Gordon Wilson, dated 1957, Copied by B. H. L. 2-1997….
"A hard substance often forms in the stomachs of deer and cattle. This is popularly known as a "madstone." If it is applied to the place where a person has been bitten by a snake or mad dog, it will cling until every particle of the poison is removed from the wound. The stone then is cleaned by soaking it in sweet milk. I never saw such a stone, but I have heard about several. I wish I had been present when one was in use."
And yet another article from someone on ancestry.com....
Use of the madstone was a widely practiced procedure traced back to at least the 1700's in America and Europe. The madstone is a stony concretion(as a hairball) taken from the stomach of a deer. They have been described as round or oval in shape with a porous surface texture measuring about 3 to 4 inches in size and very light weight. They have a brownish-green color with a highly polished surface. The purpose of the madstone was to cure rabies, hence the name.
The madstone is an object that has several grades of curative power. All stones are not created equal. A stone from a brown deer will work in a bind if another cannot be found. A better grade of madstone comes from a white or spotted deer. The very best madstone comes from an albino or "witch deer" that is pure white with pink eyes. It not only cures rabies, but also rattlesnake and spider bites.
There is a very strict set of rules associated with the use and care of a madstone. First, it can never be bought or sold. It must never be changed in shape. The patient must go to the person with the madstone; the madstone must never be brought to the patient. There can never be a charge for the use of a madstone. The stone was usually passed down from father to son. Anyone who owns a madstone can use the stone as long as they follow a strict set of procedures.
The procedure for curing the infected patient is as follows. When the person with the bite arrives at the place where the stone is kept, the stone is boiled in sweet milk (regular milk to the younger generations). The milk neutralizes the poison from the bite. The stone must be boiled in the milk until the milk turns green. That is how you can tell when all the rabies is out of the stone.
After boiling the stone in milk, it is applied directly to the wound. The wound must be bleeding. If it is no longer bleeding, it must be scraped until it is bleeding. The madstone will stick to the wound if there is rabies infection in the wound. It does not need to be tied. When the stone falls off the wound. it is boiled again in milk to remove the poison from the stone. The stone is then reapplied to the wound. If it sticks, there is still rabies in the wound. When the stone fails to stick to the wound, the rabies poison is all gone and the patient will not get rabies.
Have you ever wondered where the term "dog days of summer" came from? They were originally called the "mad dog days". These are the hot summer days of August and September when rabies infection among dogs and animals was at it's highest.
The author further states, "As for me, if I was bitten by an animal with rabies, the only way they would ever stick a madstone on me was if I was laying on the hospital emergency room table getting shots in the stomach. I am sure that a lot of the curative powers of the madstone had to do with the belief in the stone, if it had any at all."
And now you know the rest of the story....
