Fraisenkette (convulsion chaine)

Museo alemán de epilepsia en Kork

Various amulets (relics, letters guaranteeing one's safety, seeds, roots, stones, coins) were attached to these chains, which were then hung onto a baby's cradle in order to protect it from convulsions.

Other chains were made of the vertebrae of adders or grass snakes. (Snakes were believed to help prevent epileptic seizures because of the writhing movements they make.)

Museo alemán de epilepsia en Kork
www.epilepsiemuseum.de