Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-03
TRAPS FOR TAPEwoRMs.

oeaQ paDY on eXnlDltlon.
TRAPS FOR TAPEwoRMs.
One Of the most ridiculous medical patents
was referred to in a recent speech in Con-
gress. 1t is a tapeworm trap, and its in
ventor is a man named Mvres, who claims
he has had great success in catching tape
worms with it 1t consists of little gold
capsule about half an inch long and as big
round as lead pencil. At the end of this
capsule there is little ring, and to this a
silk thread is to be tied. By pulling the
capsule apart you set a spring good deal
like that of the old-fashioned steel-toothed
rattrap, and this spring has teeth just like
the rattrap. You bait it with little bit of
cheese, starve yourself for two or three
days and then swallow the trap, maintain
ing all the while careful hold of the thread
attached to it. Your tapeworm, which bv
this time is very hungry, makes greedy
dash for the cheese, and presto, the jaws of
the capsule spring together on his head, and
and you draw him out hand over hand, and
set your trap for the next worm. Another
trap for worms is the little silver hook
which one swallows, and which catches the
warns as we catch fish.
The inventions for smokers are so many
that division of the Patent Office has to be
given up to them. There are dozens of de-
vices by which man can carry his cigars
around in his hat, and the pipes are legion.
One of the most curious of pipe inventions
is a rest, or brace, by which the weight of
the pipe is taken off the teeth and rested on
the chin. This is said to be a very good
pipe for sore teeth, but it is doubtful
whether it would be of much use to the
ordinary smoker.
A PREACHER ELEVATED.
In agricultural patents the human brain
has gone wild. The old cannon plough has
been often referred to by which the farmer
takes his horses out of the furrow and shoots
at the Indians. The lovers gate, however,
is new and this consists of gate which will
swing both ways, and which can be lowered
and raised to suit the size of the lovers. On
the same principle is the adjustable pulpit
which will tit all kinds of preachers. The
pulpit runs up and down on a pillar by a
spring, and by pressing a button the
preacher can raise it to his height or lower
it to suit. It is said that this invention
was in use in one of the Western congrega-
tions, and that short preacher had been In
vited to discourse, but had not been told of
the peculiar arrangement upon which the
Bible was placed in front of him. He was
a very active little man and be had a way of
pounding his pulpit and leaning over and
shaking his finger at the congregation.
During one OF MS widest moments, while
in this position. he kicked the button with
his knee, and the pulpit, which had been
set at three feet straightway sprung up to
six carrying the preacher kicking along
with it.
There is patent machine here for forcing
hens to lay eggs, and there is one branch Of
the patent office known as that of cowtaIl
holders. The festive COW is apt to fiirt her
tail while she is being MIXED, and as the
tail is not always of the cleanest this is
offensive to the pretty milkmaid. Many of
these cowtail holders strap the tail to the
hind leg of the COW, others fasten it to a
beam over her head, and still others weight
the tail in such way that if the weights
were attached to a strong-tailed COW she
might blow out the brains of the milker.
ADJUSTABLE HORSE TAILS.
There are patents for horses tails as well
as cows tails, and the science of making q
horses tail extend out from the body at lust
the proper angle. is one which has bothered
the intellects of many patentees. The most
curious among them, however, is the patent
of Yankee who has invented an adjust
able False Tail for Horses" He claims In
his specifications that this tail will puzzle