Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-10-31
Popular Errors in Medicine-Ey all Edinbureh
Physician.


Physician.
II very common practice in eating such
fruit as cherries is to swallow the stones.
with the vague notion that these promote
digestion. No error can be more fatally
absurd. Many eases have occurred where
such practices have been the cause of
death, and that of most excruciating ma
ture. One instance is on record of lady
who died in great agony after years of suf-
tering, and the cause was found to be sew
eral large balls found in the intestines, ac-
cumulated around clusters of cherry
stones.
The husks of gooseberries are often
swallowed with the idea that they preyen,
any bad effects from the fruit. On the
contrary, they are the most indge>tble
substance that can be swallowed, and pass
the stomach without any change, although
they cause irritation, and not unfrequentIy
inflammation of the bowels.
Many people put great faith in the
wholesomeness Of eating on ly of one dish
at dinner. They suppose that the mix
ture Of substances prevents easy Digestion
They would not eat fish and flesh, fowl
and beef, animal food and vegetable. This
seems plausible notion, but daily prac-
tice shows its utter absurdity. What din
ner sits easier on the stomach than slice
Of roast or boiled mutton, and carrots or
turnips, and the indispensable potatoe p
What man ever felt the worse of a cut Of
cod or turbot followed by beef-steak, or
a slice of roast beef and pudding? In
short, variety of wholesome food does
not seem incompatible at meals, if one do
not eat TOO much here the error lies.
1t is a common practice with bathers,
after having walked on hot day to the
seaside, to sit on the cold damp rocks till
they cool before. going into the water
This is quite erroneus. Never 60 into
the water if over-fatigue, and after profuse
and long continued perspiration, bu: al
ways prefer plunging in while warm,
strong and vigorous, and with the first
drops of persplration on your brow
There is no fear of sudden transition from
heat to cold being fatal. Many na,ions
run from the hot bath, and plunge naked
into the snow. What is to be feared, is
sudden cold after exhaustion of the body,
and while the animal powers are not suf-
ficieut to produce a reaction or recovery
of the animal heat.
There is iavori,e fancy Of rendering
infants and farther advanced children har-
| dy and strong, by plungng them into cold
water. This will certainly not prevent
strong infants from growing stronger, but
it will and often does kill three children
out Of every five. Infants always thrive
! best with moderate warmth aud milk
warm bath. The same rule applies TO the
] clothing of infants ard children No child
! should have clothing as 10 --srrzAa ii fool
! the effects of colh-warsn materials, loose
and wide made clothing, and exercise are
all indispensable for the little ones. But
above all things, their heads should be
kept cool, and generally uncovered.
Many people SO land early rising as
would lead one to suppose that sleep was
one of those lazy, sluggish, and bad prac'
tees, that the sooner the custom was aboi-
ished the better. Sleep is as necessary
to man as foot:, and as some do with one
third of the food that others abs solutely re
quire, 50 five hours sleep is amply sui,
iicient for one, while another requires sew
en- or eight hours. Some 1nen cannot b,
any possibility sleep more than four o.
five hours III the twenty-lour; and, there
fore. true to the Inherent seliishness o
human nature, they abuse all who slee]
longer. No man should be tainted 10
sleeping eight hours if he can.
Many people do not eat salt with thei
food, and the fair sex have " notion thJ
this substance darkeus the omplexion. -
Salt seems essential for the health of eve
| ry human being, more especially in mois
climates such as ours. Without salt, tn
body becomes infected with intestine
t worms. The case of lady is mentione
3 !. in medical journal, who had a nature
an,ipathy to salt, and never used it wit
; her lood the consequence was, she be
5 came dreadfully infested with these an
mails. a punishment once existed in iIo
, land, by which criminals We're denied tn
use Of salt; the same consequences follow
ed with these wretched beings. We ratl
e er think prejudice exists with some (
giving little or no salt to children. n
, practice can be more cruel or absurd.
A LApY's JEsr.-While we wei
sitting at dinner the other day, with
dozen of pleasant people of both sexe
4 the conversation turned upon Saratos
: and its fashions and frivolites. A matre
present remarked that letter writer
e the New York Herald had lately throw
a bomb-shell into the parlors of the ult
: iashionbles, by giving minute description
of several darling bellies, whose style
dressing approached rather too near Il
n society custume of Mother Eve. "Ah
said the speaker exultingly, "did'nt
: take off the low -necked dresses?' "Tu
,, tut,' said witty lady who sat near u
"that would DC but a poor way to mel
y the matter - At least one half of Il
) company didn't see the force Of the COZ
$ ment, but it was a very jus! one for
y, :, that Boston Post.
r The Daily News states, that negoti
. tions are now on foot with governme
for the establishment of a submarine tel
r. graph over the sixty miles Of sea frc
J.. Hollyhead to Kingston, and OH to eth
l. Cork or Galway, to be thence connect
l., ~t,,,~ .l;,, ,.,,tb fb, p.,..x