Fighting Tootache with Hammer and Nails

Years ago, when there was no television or radio, people on the Scottish Isle of Islay, as elsewhere, spent their evenings in an entirely different way. The older people would tell tales, while the younger ones listened, often breathless and sometimes scared to death.

Those were the days when superstition and folktales played an important role in people's daily lives. Many of these old stories have survived into the present day, thanks to those who made the effort to write them down. And being separated from the mainland, Islay naturally has its own fair share of tales and legends.

Many of them have been preserved in a wee booklet by Peggy Earl, which can be found at C&E Roy in Bowmore. It's a lovely little collection and well worth a read if you're interested in the island's history and folklore.

Calling the Doctor

One of the stories in the booklet caught my attention. It was about how people decided whether or not to call the doctor.

Before proper roads were built, there were mostly tracks, and people often lived in rather isolated places. A doctor was not always within easy reach, and calling for one could be quite an undertaking.

So, if someone in the house fell ill and it wasn't clear whether the doctor should be called, a rather unusual test was carried out.

Someone would go outside, find a large stone and turn it over. If there was a living creature underneath, it was considered a sign of hope for the patient, and the doctor should be called. But if there was nothing at all beneath the stone, there was supposedly no hope, and the patient would die anyway. In that case, there was no need to send for the doctor.

A rather grim way of making such an important decision, wouldn't you say?

The Tooth Stone

This little tale reminded me of something Jeremy Hastings showed me during a trip to Islay.

He took me to a rather remarkable stone just outside Port Charlotte, known as the Tooth Stone, or sometimes the Toothache Stone.

And, as you might have guessed, this little rock has quite a tale to tell.

Toothache has often been described as the 'hell of all diseases', and nowadays the surest way to get rid of a troublesome tooth is to visit the dentist. But the people of Port Charlotte apparently had a different idea.

Whenever they felt the first signs of toothache coming on, they would head for the Tooth Stone in the glen just outside the village. Armed with a hammer and a handful of nails, they would hammer the nails into the stone, hoping that by the time they had finished their hard labour, their toothache would have disappeared.

Looking at the number of nails still embedded in the stone, and how deeply some of them were driven into the rock, one can only imagine just how much pain people must have suffered back then.

Where to Find the Tooth Stone

If you're ever in Port Charlotte and feel like discovering a little piece of Islay's folklore for yourself, it's not difficult to find.

Take the road towards Kilchiaran from Port Charlotte. Just after passing the water station on your right, have a good look into the glen on the right-hand side. The Tooth Stone lies about 200 metres from the road, and almost every crack in the rock seems to be filled with old nails.

It's quite a sight, and a fascinating reminder of how people once tried to deal with everyday ailments using the traditions and beliefs passed down through generations.

Anyway, if you happen to develop a bit of trouble with your teeth while visiting Islay, my advice would be to try the local dentist first.

Leave the hammer at home, and just hope for a good sedation! 😀