Mole's foot amulet, Norfolk, England, 1890-1910
The growing influence of biomedicine in the 1800s did not necessarily replace established forms of treatment based on belief and superstition. What could be referred to as folk medicine – customs that often went back generations – continued to be practised. For example, carrying a mole’s forefoot in a pocket as an amulet to prevent cramp is a medical tradition specific to the East Anglia region of England. The feet were either hacked off a mole or bought from a shop. As an amulet against toothache, moles’ feet have a much longer and wider tradition, being recommended by the Roman writer Pliny in the first century CE. The mole foot was purchased in 1930 from Edward Lovett’s (1852-1933) collection of British amulets and charms. it is shown here with a similar example (A79964).
Object number:
A79966
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: mole foot
No description.
Glossary: toothache
Pain in a tooth or in the teeth
Glossary: cramp
No description.
Glossary: amulet
Small object or piece of jewellery worn as a protecting charm to ward off ill health and bad luck.
Glossary: biomedicine
The name given to the medical practice that is based on the sciences of the body, such as physiology (the functioning of the body).