Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-08-04


A singular instance of the medical in
fuence upon an insane man, of a suit of
clothes is mentioned by the writer in the
| Quarterly ReUiew. A refractory patient at
| at Colneyhatch was in the habit OF tearing
/ his clothes into shreds Mr.. Tyerman, one OF
the medical officers, ordered him to be dressed
in bran new suit. The poor man, tailor
| by trade, either from a professional app ecia-
| ton of the value of his new habliments, or
| from being touched by this mark Of attention,
respected their integrity, and from that mo-
ment rapidly recovered. Before leaving the
asylum, he stated that he owed his cure To
the good effect produced upon his mind by
being entrusted TO this new suit Of clothes
remarkable case truly.
DR.. Binn is known as the author of an in
genious medico- philosophic essay on the
"Anatomy OF Sleep" He SAYS that the great
point to be gained in order to secure sleep,
is escape from thought-especially from that
clinging, tenacious, imperious thought which,
III most cases of waketulness, has possession
of the mind. This. the doctor says, he al
ways effects by the following simple process
| turn my eye balls as far to the right or
the left, or upward or downward, as l can
without pain, and then commence rolling
them slowly, with that divergence from di-
rect line of vision, around III their sockets,
and continue doing this until fall asleep,
which occurs within three minutes, and al
ways within five at the most. The immediate
effect of this procedure differs from that of
any other which have ever heard, to procure
sleep. 1t not merely diverts thought into
new channel, but actually suspendsit. Since
became aware of this, l have endeavored
innumerahle times, while thus rolling my
eyes, to think on a particular subject, and
even upon that which before kept me awake,
but could not As lorg as they were NOV
ing round, my mind was blank. If any one
doubts this, let him try the experiment hlm-
self.
India rubber is coming into extensive use
as base for artificial teeth. 1t seems that
when the gum is prepared after the Goodyear
process, moulds are made of plaster of paris,
In which the porcelain teeth are set, and the
gum, or rubber, is packed in around the
teeth in soft state the whole is then sub
jected, for several hours, to a steam heat of
three or four hundred degrees within steam
chest. This hardens the material so as to
change its character entirely. 1t is no longer
common rubber, the taste and smell of which
are disagreeable-b0t is free from these Pc
cullarltes' and is thoroughly imperyious to
all kinds OF fluids, and perfectly non -electri-
cal-no galyanic action occurring.
Sir James Clark, of England, has assailed,
with considerable force, the doctrine that
change of climate is beneficial to persons sui.
tering with consumption; and French ply
sican, Nj. Carrere, has written forcibly
against it. DR.. Burgess, an eminent Scotch
physician, also contends that climate has little
or nothing to do with the cure of consump-
ton; and that, if it had the curative effects
would be produced through the skin and not
the lungs. That warm climate is not in it
self beneficial, he shows from the fact that
the disease exists in all latitudes. In India
and Africa, tropical climates, it is as frequent
as in Europe and North America. At Malta,
right in the heart of the genial Mediterranean,
the army reports of England show that one
third OF tile deaths among the soldiers are by
consumption. AT Nice, a favorate resort of
English invalids, especially those affected with
lung complaints, there are more native born
persons die of consumption than in any Eng
llsh town of equal population. In Geneva
thus disease is almost equally prevalent. In
Florence, pneumonies is said TO be marked by
suHecating character, and by a rapid pro-
gress towards lis last stage. Naples, whose
climate is the theme of so much praise by
travellers, shows in her hospitals a mortality
by consumption equal to one in two and one
third, whereas Paris, whose climate is so Of
ten pronounced villainous, the proportion is
only one in three and one.quarter. In Ma
derla, no local disease is more common than
| consumption.
| curious case of human petrefaction re-
Gently came to light near Eaton, Ohio, where
the body Of a woman, n being removed Tor
Refinement, was found to have changed into
solid limestone, preserving a remarkable full
ness and plumpness as of life. The weight
nf tho hOdr 4 -.
De Bows mortality statistics show that the
people oil the United states are the healthiest
on the globe. The deaths are three hundred
and twenty thousand per year. or one and
o-ie-third per cent of the population. In
England the ratio is over two per cent. and in
France nearly three per cent Virginia and
North Carolina are the healthest of the states,
and have six hundred and thirty -eightinhab-
ltants over one hundred years of age.
The Journal of Medicine states that those
persons who make much use of phosphorus
In their daily wOrk-as the operatives in luci-
Ter match factories-are subject to distressing
affection of the bones, especially of the laws.
The affection is at first supposed to be sim
pie tooth ache; but if not checked in the
outset, it results in the death Of the bone, and
long train of the most painful symptoms.
1t is pretty well established that the fumes of
phosphorus, to produce their peculiar mis-
chief, must come in immediate contact with
the bone or its periosteum. Hence, in some
OF the match factories, no workman is allow
ed to return to has labor for week after the
extraction of tooth and the government
OF England has prescribed by law that no
person having decayed teeth shall be allowed
to work in lucifer match factories.
NJ. Laudolpi, surgeon in chief of the Nea-
poltlan army, is asserted to have seemingly
cured cancers by the topical application of
the chloride of bromine, in combination with
several other chlorides, according to the fol-
lowing formula: chloride of bromine, three
parts; chloride anthony, one part; chloride
gold, one part powdered liz uorice sufficient
TO make paste; the surrounding parts are
protected by an ointment of one drachm of
chloroiorm to an ounce of lard. The efficacy
OF this mode of treatment is susceptible of
easy proof -.
BILLIARDS. One day last week there an.
peared at one of our billiard saloons, man
whoseemed anxious to play little for exer-
clse. He engaged gentleman who is well
known as the most skilltul player in the CITY,
and sot beaten fifty points in a game Of two
hundred. Apparently not cast down BY his
defeat, he offered to give his opponent fifteen
points and discount, if he would play at Hart.
tore, where he was more used to the tables for
the best six in eleven games. The stranger
was supposed to be Brown, Smith, THOMSON.
or some other amateur from the rnrat die