Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-10-17
THE eLuE-cLAss CRAZE.

THE BLUE-GLASS CRAZE.
Brown.seqrard's Elixir Recalls One of
the Funniest Medical Excitements.
In 1876 General Pleasanton published
q work fully explaining his theory as
to the infallibility of blue glass for in-
vigorating and retaining or restoring
health. In d subsequent edition he
added list of testimonials from CRATE
full patients who professed to have de-
rived immense benefits from the treat
ment, and also the full text of tho
specification for his patients His
book was entitled '.Blue Ray of the
Sunlight and of the Blue Color of the
Sky in Developing Animal and Vege-
table Life. in Arresting Disease, and
in. Restoring Health in Acute and
Chronic Diseases in Human and Domes-
tic Animals" The General adorned
the frontispiece with rather unfort-
innate quotations: If this theory be
true it upsets all other theories" The
converse seems to have been very
satisfactorily established. A full
record of the Generals military ex-
perience is also given, apparently as
somewhat of a guaranty of good faith.
The authors first experiments were
on grape vines. In his greenhouse ho
substituted blue for white glass in
every eighth row and succeeded in
producing grapes so fine that all others
were rendered insignificant beside
them. In 1869 he treated some hogs
to a similar dose and some little pigs
grew and thrived SO well that a royal
road to fortune in hog-raising seemed
to have been found. Next he tried the
effect of blue glass on an Attorney
bull calf, which grew six inches almost
as by a miracle and became veritable
Saul among the little calves on the
estate. From hogs and cattle the de-
scent to poultry was short and easy.
and chicken-house was fitted with
just the right proportion of blue glass.
The result was as fOreordained. The
young chicks were ready for the
boiler almost as soon as they emerged
from the shell, and those that escaped
the usual and proper spring-chicken
route to oblivion grew into splendidly
developed and plumaged birds.
1t needed not implicit belief in OAR
winism to induce the General to ap-
ply his experiments to men and
women. Architects would be required
to so arrange buildings as to insure
the introduction of the elixir-like rays
so that the owners and occupiers
might enjoy the marvellous advantages.
and ''mankind will then not only be
able to live fast, but can live long and
also live WELL"
Judged by the fact that the blue
glass craze, general as it was during
the years 1876 and part of 1877, died
out quietly and has long since been
decently inferred, some of the testi-
monials as to its efficacy form very
funny reading. They show that if all
the writer's meant what they wrote
General Pleasanton invented an
elixir to cure not only every
ailment but to supersede sur
gerry and obstetrics. In fact it must
have been omnipotent A man with
varicose veins was able to throw away
his silk stockings after sleeping in a
room few nights with blue glass in
the windows. Typhoid patients. after
day or two, arose like giants re-
freshed and dismissed their ply
sicians. A bald-headed lady was de-
lighted to discover an embryo crop Of
hair after seven days treatment,
while anothe. grateful recipient en-
larged on the marvellous effects of blue
glass on his ancient mule. This once
gay and festive quadruped had been
deaf for ten years, its limbs were
stiff, and it was in very bad way;
but after blue glass was inserted in
the stable window Jack braced up,
could hear the word "oats" if only
whispered. could kick its owner across
the yard, and generally acted like a
vivacious three-year-old.
Excitement ran high and the craze
Travelled north, south, east and west
The widest stories of cures were cir
culated. Men heard of objects Of pub
lie sympathy getting cured almost
without money and without price and
entirely without trouble, for never
was there so passive a treatment
recommended, nor one less hampered
with directions as to what should and
should not be eaten and what habits or
vices should be abandoned. The de-
mand for blue glass was such as the
most ardent enthusiast never antici-
pated. 1t gradually and finally
dawned upon the credulous public that
they had made themselves ridicl-
lous. blue glass became drug Il
the market, and the people who
were sick or wanted to grow
young again looked elsewhere for
remedies and elixirs St Louis Globe
Democrat.
The Value Of Skeletons.