The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1881-06-02
A CURE FOR HYDRoPHoBIA.
Jane Grey swissheIm In the Role of n Medi-
eaI nteiIigenecr.

Mrs. Jane Grey Swisshelm writes as follows to
the Pittsburg Commercial: A lady met this
morning saying: ibid you see that receipt for
curing hydrophobia in yesterdays Commercial p
/ had not it. WELL she continued, sit is
inst the cure / wanted You to write about two or
three years ago the old Chester Valley cure. 1t
never was known to fail, and was used in hun
dreds of cases in the eastern part of the State. |
remember hearing of it as long rs ! can
her anything. l have told people, aud told and
talked, and no would mind me. l tried to
get you to write a letter about il, and now you
mast write, for people will not believe. They will
read and forget all about it,"
| remember perfectly her anxiety that should
write to the public and proclaim that elecampane
and fresh milk are the specific for hydrophobia,
and my purpose 10 repeat the account she gave
me of it, but do not remember why did not do
so. That may atone for my negligence, now
repeat what she SO long..aso told me, and what
she now urges me to make public possible.
In her old home in Chester County, Pa, lived
n German named Jacob Emery, who used to be
sent for, far and wide, when any one had been
bitten by rabid animal. He went to his patient,
carrying something understood to be a root,
which he himself dug in the woods. He MIXED
a pint of milk fresh from the COW, put his root
into it, boiled it, gave it to the patient, fasting
made him fast after taking it; gavea second and
third dose on alternate days, and never failed in
eifecting cure. In some way, which she has
forgotten, his secret transpred, and the root was
known to he clecampane. The story, current in
the country, was that an old German made the
discovery in the days of Penn, and applied To
the Pennsylvania Legislature for grant of $500
for making his secret public. His offer was
treated with contempt, aud he resolved that his
knowledge should die with him but drunken
son knew it, wrote out the receipt, making n
number of copies, and tried to sell them at dol
lar each. One of them was offered TO my in
formant's grandfather, who laughed ut this VEN
der of important medicinal knowledge. He only
succeeded in selling two, one of these to the man
who made such effective of il. So well did
he establish the local reputation of his specific,
that in his neighborhood folks were not afraid of
mad dogs. His reputation was parallel to that
of DIR. Marchant, of Grcensburg, TO whom every
in his part Of the country used to go send
when bitten by n mad dog.
The intelligence and integrity Of my infor-
mant are beyond question, and regret that her
love eff privacy should prevent her giving the
weight Of her name to her conviction that you
have published an unfailing specific for hydro
phobia. The people Of Chester Valley are not Of
a class likely TO be misled by superstition and
she is confident it was general or universal be-
lief that Jacob Emery never failed to prevent or
cure hydrophObia. In one case the spasns had
begun before the first dose given, and the
patient recovered. She is anxious You should
publish the receipt again and again, keep it
standing, and call attention to it until every
cuts ont and preserves \ copy, and is impressed
with the importance of using the remedy at
once in case Of danger. The medical properties
of elacanpane are very powerful Mix itself is
n specific for many poisions, and while the medi-
cal faculty know for this terrible disease,
should open every avenue Of light into the
dark subject. II the disease is one of the imag-
ination, we want specific to give confidence
and cure by the Imagination but this looks like
a real cnre of a yertable disease