e
eastern Mediterranean region will not permit a woman in her courses to
salt or pickle; whatever she might prepare would not keep. This belief
survives among the folk to-day in America, and was evidently brought
early in the history of the country, for it is common among pioneer
stock.

There are very similar taboos among the savage races. Among the Tshi
peoples of West Africa women are not allowed to remain even in the town
but retire at the period to huts erected for the purpose in the
neighbouring bush, because they are supposed to be offensive to the
tribal deities at that time.[14] The Karoks of California have a
superstition like that of the Israelites. Every month the woman is
banished without the village to live in a booth by herself. She is not
permitted to partake of any meat, including fish. If a woman at this
time touches or even approaches any medicine which is about to be given
to a sick man, it will cause his death.[15] Amongst other Indian tribes
of North America women at menstruation are forbidden to touch men's
utensils, which would be so defiled by their touch that their subsequent
use would be attended by certain misfortune. The Canadian Denes believe
that the very sight of a woman in this condition is dangerous to
society, so that she wears a special skin bonnet to hide her from the
public gaze.[16] In western Victoria a menstruous woman may not take
anyone's food or drink, and no one will touch food that has been touched
by her.[17] Amongst the Maoris, if a man ate food cooked by a menstrous
woman, he would be "tapu an inch thick."[18] Frazer quotes the case of
an Australian blackfellow who discovered that his wife had lain on his
blanket at her menstrual period, and who killed her and died of terror
himself within a fortnight.[19] Australian women at this time are
forbidden on pain of death to touch anything that men use or even to
walk on a path that men frequent.[20] Among the Baganda tribes a
menstruous woman is not permitted to come near her husband, cook his
food, touch any of his weapons, or sit on his mats, bed, or seat.[21]

By some twist in the primitive way of thinking, some "false association
by similarity and contiguity," the function of childbirth, unlike that
of pregnancy, where the emphasis seems to have been placed in most cases
on the mana principle, was held to be unclean and contaminating, and was
followed by elaborate rites of purification. It may be that the pains of
delive