ABSTRACT
The cure for this condition involved the recitation of incantations imploring the blood to stop its flow and the use of sand to surround the vessels and to inhibit the blood-loss. At P 1.94.4 (see 216, below) the healer is directed to sprinkle or to spread the sand on to the spot from which the blood is streaming. In this way, the sand acted as a kind of coagulant allowing the blood to clot and the bleeding to stop. If, however, we consider that the charm may have originally been used in a rite to stop excessive menstrual discharge, the reference to "the solid bow-like bank of sand" which was to have surrounded the vessels and to have brought about the cessation of the blood-flow, may point to an early kind of sanitary napkin. 2 In both explanations a more empirical attitude toward medical treatment is implied.
