Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-14
ABOUT THE ELIXIR.
What Local Physicians Think OF the
Brown-seQuard Discovery.
a Great Deal OF Admiration for the Msn but
Not Much Confidence in Ills Discovery.
New Workers Views.

Since the announcement that Dr..
Brown Sequard, the eminent physiolo-
gist, had discovered the elixir of life,
by whose potent charm old age, with its
weakness, its wrinkles and its gray hairs,
can be banished and youth, with its
strength and beauty, recalled, the ques-
ton of the possibility or probability of the
truth of the statement has been discussed
far and near. The medical journals have
been filed with learned treatises on the
subject, and the daily papeES have con-
tanned flowing headlines describing it
alleged wonderful effeetA In the social
circle, about the haunfssof trade, wher7
ever people congregate5Sit has been the
theme of cOnYersationS
With view of finding ont what is
thought of the matter hy some Of the
| home physicians, men&# ho1f THE SO
ZETTE readers know, a REPORTER accosted
number of the promine en- saedieal s.anen
of the city yesterday, and ssSked oEpAeh
! the question: ses
doctor, what do youSf hiHk of Dr.
Brown-Sequard IS elixir otEfe?
DR.. Beall-''T am mucES interested in
it and am studying very N1essf every
thing that is being written about it. AZ
present have no faith in it. 1t upsets
some well-established principles of the
! science of physiology, principals which
| am 10th to regard as wrong until l am
| convinced by something better authenti-
Gated than this Brown-Sequard theory
! DR.. Brown Sequard is one of the most
eminent psychologists of his time, and
we or the medical profession have high
regard for him, but he is very old, and [
regard this new idea as the offspring of
his dotage. [ shall watch the result of
| all experiments with great interest,
though l do not anticipate making any
myself. -
DR.. W. A. Adams-''I think it is the.
| invention of a superannuated miHd.
We all reverence DR.. Brown-SeqHard
as one of the leading psychologists OF the
day, and it is the greatness of the man
that has given prevalence to tfte9dea.
The elixir may be a stimulant, possibly
it is, but have no confidence in its5being
better or more powerful than a n1fnber
of other stimulants. The medical writer's
are discussing if at great length and they
are against it almost universally
DR.. West-''The best medical journals
in the country say it is impracticable and
unsafe. However, that has frequently
been the case with the most valuable dis
coveries. Jenner was denounced when
he sought to introduce vaccination, and
Pasteur met with great opposition in in
PRODUCING his theory for the cure of hydro
phobia. Both of these proved successful
and so may the Brown-Sequard elixir.
1t is probably stlmulant, and if it leaves
no depression when its effect dies away,
may prove a good thing. Brown Sequard
is one of the greatest medical men ever
produced in this country, and anything
coming from him is given great consider
alton -
Dr. Duringer-t'I have no more conf
dence in it than L have IN alcohol or any
other stimulant.
DR.. Burts-''I don't believe in it. 1t
will require a great deal of experiment.
ing to know what, if anything, it is good
for. l don't think it will amount to
anything.
DR.. Irion-''I am not prepared
to say much about it. Have been
studying it all could in the
medical journals, which have been de-
voting great deal of space to its discus
sion. DR.. own-Sequard is such an
eminent authority that anything coming
from him carries great weight and this
idea will not be passed by lightly by the
medical profession. I expect to try some
experiments with it o-morrow, after
which I will be able to tell you much
more about it.
Other physicians were seen who were
not prepared to give any opinion for pub
licat:on, but the opinion seems to pre-
vail almost universally among them that
the so-called elixir is only a stimuli ant,
and as such is probably no better or more
powerful than number of other stimu-
Iants.
AS the elixir would, il it proves to De
as claimed on limited payment assur-
ance have a decided effect on life
insurance, the scribe also sought for an
opinion among experts in that line.
Mr.. H. a Green, general agent of the
Equitable lite assurance society, when
asked how this new remedy for old age
and general debility would affect life as
surance, replied: "Favorably. -
1.-the Equitable's tontine plan - he
continued, s'is q compromise between
ordinary life and endowment assurance,
combining the most desirable features Of
the two. and this combination, which
gives assurers the best results at the
lowest possible premium rates, is already
the most popular assurance in the world.
Add to its present popularity by further
reducing the premium rate, which
can be done If the elixer is q success,
and the most enthusiastic worker would
be surprised at the result.
DR.. NJ A. Pallen of New York has
written a letter to the World of that city,
from which the following is an extract:
The question arises if any fluid COM
pounded by human ingenuity or human
rashness can be made of dead and inert
matter to be amalgamated with the blood
currents of any human being and to pos
seSs the specific activities of
cellular change and cellu-
lar structure. Certainly not!
Life in study beyond such investiga-
tions, as we simply know it abides in and
governs physical encasement which en-
dures just so long as that material con-
struction is sufficiently strong to maintain
the vital essence-the vital spark known
as life. When life leaves that matter
having encased it then that matter I'M
dergoes very rapid decay and decompo-
sition, too rapid for calculation. An
elixir to facilitate life, to renew it with
youtb-to ward off the decrepitudes of
age-wlll never be found, and it is barely