The National tribune., 1889-09-05
BEALTH HINTS
For Old and Young.
ny FELIX L. OSWALD, NJ. H.,
Author of Physical Education; Household
Remedies; THE Bible of Nature" etc.
CHAPTER XXI.


the human organism will sooner or later reap
pear with essentially indentical symptoms"
The disorders Of the human mind, known rs
epidemic decisions, seem Liable to similar re-
yivals Even mathematical demonstration is
no absolute guarantee against the FISK OF such
resurrectons. The absurdity OF such philo-
sophical day-dreams as the squaring of the
circle and the construction of perpetuum mo-
bile has been proved to the satisfaction of all
rational investigators; yet the Washington
Patent Office still continues to receive yearly
average of 16 perpetual motion models, and spec
ulative jOurneyman carpenters continue to try
their squares at the ime-dishOnored problem.
But the most irrepressbe of all scientific jack
a-Lanterns would seem to be tho belief in the
possibility of counteracting the debilities of old
age and the consequences of unsanitary habits,
by means of miraculous chemical specifics. The
Elixir of Life" deusiOn, in fact, is as old as
disease itself. More than 1000 years ago the
Gnostic philosophers of Hindustan speculated
on the possibility of arrestng the progress of
decrepitude by mystic compounds, and from
Pope Sylvester to Nostradamus hundreds of
medieval alchemists tried their luck with the
problem of achieving physical immortality by
means of drugs The astrological fancies OF
the mystic brotherhood were repudiated by the
philosophers of subsequent age, but the
Elixir superstition survived the dawn OF
rationalism, and Robert Burtons list of Eter-
II
of the astonishing aggregate--as remarkable In
its variety as in the extravagant absurdity OF
some of its prescriptions. One medical WISE
acre proposes to relieve the sleeplessness of old
age by an Continent of dormouse fat and ear
wax Of dog; another recommends "vipers
wine" mixed with "spirits of loadstone," to re-
vivo the energy of wornout debauchees Pota-
BILE gold. ambergris mandrake roots, VOLTS
liver, agnus castus, century plants, borage, and
black helcbore were prescribed for similar pur-
poses Michel Rhenanus, Dutch chemist,
attributed his good health to his habit of swat
lowing purgatives on the night before the irst
day Of each new moon. The medical philoso-
pher Cardan proposes TO cure the torpor OF de-
crepitude by rubbing tho skin of old people
with horse.nettles In the foot.racing grounds
of Roman palaestra the Emperor Augustus
saw n centenarian running like buck, and
bandying Jokes with the young athletes 10
what do you ascribe your hale old.age2" asked
the Emperor. 'Inter mulso, forum oleo," was
the reply" drafts Of honey-water and ONT
ments of OIL" The Arabian astrologers had
great faith In the influence Of favorable con-
iunctions- l. G., certain periods of the planets
that had TO be utilized in administering their
mysterious drugs Raymond Lullius was firm
believer in the existence of a youth-restoring
fountain--a fancy which actually tempted
Ponce de Leon to his memorable wild-goOse
chase in the swamps of the Fi0rida-e0ast rivers.
the possession of an extract that would pro-
long life indefinitely, and possibly obViate
death altogether and Paracesus exulted in the
hope of having undiscovered that remarkable
fluid when he contrived to distil three.quart
bottle of alcohol. Every dram of his elixir, he
assured his pupils had made him year younger;
but his hopes of absolute immortality were not
destined to be realized on this imperfect planet.
Wishing to be a boy again without further loss
OF time he swallowed an overdose OF the re-
freshing LIQUID aud broke his neck in an at
tempt TO leap from three-stOry window.
DIR. Brown. Sequard's confidence in the effects
Of his "sheep extract" let us hope. may not
lead 20 similar catastrophe but the collapse
of his hypothesis is only question OF time
aud Of short time--in this age OF bubble prick
ing experiments
In order to realize the extravagant absurdity
Of the Elixir of Life F." deidsion in its present
phase, we must premise few words on the
legitimate uses of "transfusions" and "subcu-
taneOus injections"
l. As an dntidoie the use OF medicinal agents,
by Mrect introduction into the circulation, has
been employed with satisfactory results in the
case OF blood poisoning. DIR. Halford, of Mel
bourne, Australia, has managed TO counter
act the venom of certain serpentS by injecting
into the veins n fluid consisting OF one part
of aqua ammonia mixed with two parts OF dis
titled water.
9. As a temporary stimHldnt. fluid tonics have
been used successfully in the case of a sudden
collapse Of vital energy. Saline solutions have
been thus employed to rouse the system from
the deiiquinBl or utter exhaustion often follow
ing a severe attack OF cholera and other iebrile
disorders. DR.. Little in the London Medical
Times and Gdxette, reports five recoveres out of
90 desperate eases treated in that way but adds
that the tonic effect of the process, though mo-
mentarily very remarkable, is never long sus-
In, foil lar aff he a. FHR
tions 1.-THE normal action of the heart from
certain narcotic poisons, chloroforni, hydro
| cyanic acid. etc, chemical antidotes have IN
| few cases been administered simultaneously
| with beneficial results.
3. As n nufrineRt aud re-iHrigordnt, healthy
| blood has in certain cases been successfully IN
ieeted into the circulation by means of syringes
| or comprcssible rubber tubes. The results OF
that always-risky experiment seems to depend
| chiefly upon the homogenetty, or similitnde, OF
| the injected fluid to that of the circulating
| blood. In cases where life is put in imminent
| danger by desperate hemorrhage las from
wounds scvering q main artery or In certain
| lung diseases) TRANSMISSION, for instance, has
without doubt often prevented death from
exhaustion, but it has been found that any
material change in the constituent parts OF the
| injected blood is apt to lead to fatal consequent
| ces The red globules being the vivifying con-
/ stituents of animal blood, some physicians pro-
| posed to separate them from the hbrin; but
| from statistics collected by Prof. Gcsellus die
| TRANSMISSION DIES Bltttes, ST. Petersburg, 1883 it
| appears that of lis cases in which "detibrin-
| ated" blood was used, 10 or more than Us per
cent. proved fatal.
similar result, no doubt would follow the
| injection of large quantum of the Wanted
sheep elixir; aud the apparent benefit derived
| from the infusion of a smaller dose is excu-
sivcy due to the temporary influence OF an
| irritating Stimuldnt. For an hour or two the
| system, even of an old and decrepit man. works
with fevorish activity to rid itself OF the uncon-
| genial nostrum, Just ms IL would react against
| dose of opium or tonic" brandy. And ex-
actly rs the victim of DIR. Quack's Liver Bitt0rs
mscomprehends the real significance of his
poison fever, the dupe of the Sheep-Panacea
| mistakes process of irritation for process OF
inauguration. His system no doubt, hc% been
reused from its torpor-to meet the abnormal
demands of the present emergoncy-but only
energies of the organism, and at the
risk of an ultimate more complete and more
hopeless collapse If tho fatuous experiment
| should be too often repeated. For minute oil
| two wornout horse may be thrashed into sem
bance of renewed vigor, and even on steep up
hill road his "torpid system" might be reused
by such TONES rs n Mexican carraXo pole IA
long stick terminating in daggcr-like point
but, in the long run, nutritious food and more
liberal intervals of rest would prove n wiser
plaza fact illustrated by the eventual break.
| down of the tonic tortured quadruped at the
moment when the repetitons of the stimulant
process have exhausted the last veslige of re-