Bloodstopping was used in areas of North American where modern medicine was not reachable. Many of these communities had one or two bloodstoppers in their community. Since they were able to help when doctors were unavailable they became very popular in their community and were well respected. Bloodstopping was used mostly in the Ozarks, in the states Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. Each bloodstopper used their own technique to fix wounds. The person performing the bloodstopping must have been given the power to do so. The gift was mostly passed down through family (older to younger). It can only be passed down to the opposite sex. It can only be told to three people, with the third person gaining the power. The person performing it does not need to believe in it fully or be sinless since the blood verse is so powerful. Throughout Europe Christianity was becoming the main religion. However those who lived in rural areas were not as quick to convert. They were more fond of polytheistic religions since they had been used to it for so many years. German settlers who ended up in the Appalachians had many folk beliefs about magic. At first they used stars to determine planting cycles and to predict weather. When medical treatment became scarce they turned to other forms of medicine. This is when bloodstopping became a practice. Empedrado, Chile  Empedrado () is a town and commune in the Talca Province of Chile's Maule Region. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Empedrado spans an area of and has 4,225 inhabitants (2,222 men and 2,003 women). Of these, 2,499 (59.1%) lived in urban areas and 1,726 (40.9%) in rural areas. The population fell by 7.2% (329 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. As a commune, Empedrado is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Gonzalo Tejos Perez. Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Empedrado is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Pablo Lorenzini (PDC) and Pedro Pablo Alvarez-Salamanca (UDI) as part of the 38th electoral district, (together with Curepto, Constitución, Pencahue, Maule, San Clemente, Pelarco, Río Claro and San Rafael).