A Piece of Coffin for the Cramp

Among the country cures of 1831 were several charms. Some people carried a piece of a coffin in their pockets to keep off the cramp, and stockings were hung crosswise at the foot of the bed with a pin stuck in them to keep off the nightmare. Corns could be cured by stealing a small piece of beef and burying it, for as it rotted the corns would go. Touching a dead body kept you from dreaming about it.