Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-03-27

D0ct0ring In the Far East.

The Burman is an excitable parsonage
and requires his medicine to be as speedy
IN obvious results as possible Conses
quently his doctors in self-defense have
to make their prescriptions as nasty as
they possibly can--as gripping as rat
trap, as strong as polecat, and as i'm
mediate in action as poker applied
red-hot. A Bengal apothecary once
made great reputation by giving all
his patients Unfortunately table
spoonful of Gregory's powder to swat
low dry. This made quite beau ideal
dose for Burman. 1t was not only
exceedingly nasty from the very begin
ming, but it lasted for long time and
did not get any more pleasant in the
interval. On the other hand. CASTOR
oil is dismal failure from this point of
view. Most Burmans would drink a
quart and smack their lips after it,
They would, however, be gravely dis
pleased if such a pleasant beverage
We're offered them when they were un-
we'll and longed for something disagree
able. While the robust Burman thus
refuses to be cured by anything which
does not come up to the traditional
idea OF medicine in the way of making
him feel very uncomfortable, the effem-
mate Siamese, Camboians and Anna
mese require of their doctors that the
prescriptions shall be as little unpleas-
ant as possible. The demand creates a
supply, and it is singular bow, with
their limited experience, the local med.
icos are able to produce drugs which
are ordinarily far from being disagree
able. IL is true that among their
remedies figure crushed spiders, pieces
of reptiles, ground serpents, bones,
scraplngs of the horns of wild goats.
stays and rhinoceroses, and the scales
of fishes and insects, which are not al
together charming to Western notions.
Orientals are, however, net so fastidi-
Gus, and, Judging from the other medi-
cines in their pharmacop9ia, these
cannot be so repulsive as imagination
figures them. The Annamese practi-
TONERS refer all sickness to disturb
ance of the equilibrium in the human
economy caused by an excess either of
heat or cold. This greatly implifies
matters for the doctor, whatever may
be the result for the patient. In one
case, sedatives, such as opium or Indian
hemp, are used; in the other, stimu-
lants OF the most extraordinary variety.
Saffron and cinnamon-bark play great
part, and species of cardamon which
grows in Upper Camboia is regarded
as sovereign remedy. When the sick
man is irritable it is considered well to
bring him to proper frame of mind by
administering spoonful of warm in
fusion of the leaves of the Datura
stramonium. This at once renders him
tractable. In doubtful cases the gen.
orally accepted rnle seems to be to give
the patient the advantage of a hotch-
potch of all the contents of the medi-
cine chest. This always has definite
result. If the man is going to get bet
ter there is sure to be something in the
mixture which will help him on. II
not, he succumbs Immediately and
gives no further trouble. Relatives
are satisfied that he was fated to die,
tor If dose of every known medicine
would not set him on his legs again his
case must indeed have been hopeless.
OF such character was the celebrated
nostrum exhibited to an astonished
English doctor of the Bengal medical
service. This was a green powder con-
tanning no less than 100 different in
gradients II was of very great value
in critical ases.-Lond0n SaturdGs
ReUielC.