The Portland daily press., 1889-09-21
ARSENIC As A MEDICINE.
ELEANOR KiRK,s LETTER.

7S6 Lafayette-ave. Brooklyn, June %, 1889.
Among the questions Just received Is the follow
ing from new correspondent: You inyelgn so
the lady writes, "that am anxious to know what
you think Of 1t as medicine In the hands OF a
Arsenic is no doubt very valuable remedy in
exceptional cases, as Is also strychnlne, and l
have no call 70 critielse the work Of "scientinc
physician" but have seen more mischief result
from the use OF arsenic than could tell If wrote
a week. Does 1t stand to reason that the use OF
in mind now, yea, verify. a case right under my
eyes and very dear TO my heart, which is certainly
ent's question practically. A stubborn cough.
that rested not by night or day, the most pr0flse
and alarming expectoration, and a general break
ing down OF he whole SyStem-certainly cOndk
ti0n alarming in every respect. The best physi.
clans had been tried In vain. But job had his adj
yisers. $50 and see my DOCTOR" they said. HE
build you right up" SO the poor patient dragged
himself to the last one recommended. ana re-
turned with four prescriptions, one containing ar-t
senic, and one strychuine, besides various other
drugs that would kill the strongest animal that
inst wbat nav II ,vnd the inabiIitv ., ta
stomach to retain food. This cut of the last
hope, for II the poor, weak body could not pc
made TO the rapid decay of the tissues the outlook
was certainly not cheering. AT last, however, the
consumer OF these poisons realized his danger and
had utterly failed TO benefit this case, and my ad-
vice was TO stop every kline Of medicine and build
", IL
stances had made me daily visitor at one OF our
finest hospitals for some months, and the contrast
between the treatment Of majority OF these pa
tients and the patients Of private physicians was
most remarkable. l had seen patients brought
from the operating rooms after most serious work,
and in some cases put On full diet, without
drop of medicine. Liquid Food was
administered with common diet three or four
times day. This Is an extract Of beef mutton
and fruits, containing blood corpuScles, soluble
albumen, and Is perfectly free from drugs, miner
ais, acids and salts. Do rot forget that in the
most of these cases no medicine was given. 1t
may have been an illogical and an unjust inter-
ence, but could not help the thought that these
hospital patients must be got rid Of TO make room
for others who were waiting. and that as medi-
cine would retard their recovery, they were given
no medicine, but were Just simply and naturally
nursed acs to health. do, however, sincerely
bellies that my inference Is correct one. Well as
everything else had been tried. and the -tient
was about so far on the down grade as IL was pas
sible for him to go without funeral, suggested
the hospital treatment, May 20, and II was adopt
ed with results that were little less than magical.
In less than two weeks there was a decided
change IN the condition and appearance OF the pa-
TENT Every bad symptom was modified. The
gain continued, with now and then a slight re-
lapse OF course system reduced TO such ex-
tremitles conld not be expected to rally without
an occasional protest-but that was not discour-
aging. When the patient commenced to gain In
weight. then L knew that common sense had
triumphed. Now, knew from my hospital ex-
perence, and this remarkable experiences Of one
months use in my own family, that Murdoek's
Food Will build up the tissue, enrich the blood
and strengthen the muscles and nerves. AS
SAID before, in desperate cases, arsenic may be
and women take medicine because they are too
lazy or too ignorant to take proper food. When
the situation becomes alarming, then the friends
OF the patient lose Their heads and forget that
drugs will not answer for food and that the nu-
tritiye supply must be equal 70 the demand
aus MW&Stf