My Grandfather Williams was absolutely convinced he could cure burns, because he had never seen his father (family black sheep and drunk who disappeared without a trace. Great-Gram managed to get him declared legally dead in short order; how we'll never know).

Great-Gram was from Glasgow; I've always thought it must have been a Scottish superstition, since her Welsh first hsband wasn't around. (Taliesin Rhys Williams. Managed to get himself kicked out of the Union Army. Funny how the Black Sheep are the interesting ones.)

My Gram Williams had a thing about stepping over a fallen broomstick. She was a West Virginia Dixiecrat, so I've always assumed that was a Southern thing.

-- MA