Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-11-05
OF NATIVE MEDICINES.
ms tances in Which Barbarous Peopi
Have Added to Our knowledge.

Vt NATIVE MEDlNlNES.
ms tances in Which Barbarous Peopl
Have Added to Our knowledge.
We have almost forgotten the herb
medicines of our ancestors. A very
few of their ingredients have been al.
mittted into the pharmacopaia OF
science; in some old gardens, dimin-
ishing every year, the ancient herb
bed still produces unknown .'worts'
which divert the children by eccentric
fav9rs. But the use of them has
passed out of memory.
I To distrust familiar and easy RENE
dies appears to be instructive with
mankind. Another development OF
the same feeling, no doubt assisted
witches and wizards of old in making
their cures. 1t also led to the employ
ment of powdered mummy flesh, croco-
dies gall, BeZoar stones, and so
forth, or by doctors to the pretence
thereof
But the witches were certainly &C
quainted with secrets unknown to the
professors of their time-that is not
saying much, indeed. Some of these
( We been accepted, and are still in
aally use, but others are lost NJ
Mlchelet looked into this sub ect for
his famous work la Sorciere " and
proved that the virtues of the Solan-
aceas or tubers, that most powerful
and most dangerous family of Euro
pean herbs, were discovered by the
witches; hitherto their mischievous
effects only had been understood.
Every observant traveller in savage
realms probably, says the Saturday
Evening Post. inquiries with interest
whether Caucasian science has looked
into native medicines-and, if not why
notP In such deadly countries as the
West Coast of Africa, he remarks that
Did women use preparations, scarcely
10 be called secret, which, as residents,
declare will save a man in the last
hgonies OF dysentary, or even in that
hopeless stage OF fever when the VIC
tim has become comatose.
Elsewhere in the East there are
Glasses. and even tribes, which devote
themselves to medicine or to surgery
with results well worth attention.
Everyone has heard of the Khangars,
who from time immemorial have prac-
ticed the art Of restoring and improv~
Ing the human nose. Their inventions
have been gladly accepted throughout
the world.
Palgrave tells Of Bedouin tribe.
the Solibah doctors to man, who
traverse Arabia, performing the most
wonderful cures. In surgery also they
practice 'lithotomy, paracutisis, and
still more difficult operations. and
seldom fail. Palgrave was as little
inclined to credulity as man could be-
but the evidence of his own eyes con-
WINGED him that the secrets of the So
Hbah are well worth investigation.
The ''Bezoar stone'' plays great
part in the native doctoring through
out those countries where it is found.
In Europe it was highly esteemed
during the middle ages-that is,
some substance is so often mentioned
under that name that most people
recognize the word. We may safely
assume that the Bezoar of our remote
loT0idtuofS WAS uOG us Uj1dG WHICH
Oriental practitioners are so fond OF
administering, but it was probably
akin to it-an internal deposit of
some animal. The true variety es-
teemed in these days is found, SO far
as we know. in Borneo alone. where
the collection and export CT it is a
valuable business with the Jungle
tribes as will be understood when a
single stone may fetch 5000 to $500.
Ordinary Bezoar is extracted from
monkeys, but from what part of the
body does not yet seem assured. Some
natives allege that they find it only in
the stomach, others in the intestines.
Mr.. Hart Everett was told that it
grows in the head and also in the
hands, while many say that they ex-
pect in any part of the body. This
seems most probable under the cir
cumstances, though somewhat OPP
posed to our notions The stones vary
much in size. the largest commonly
reaching the dimensions of a flbert;
but vastly bigger specimens have been
found. The surface. though contorted.
"a smooth and shining of a pale olive
green color.