The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1891-11-07
OF NATIVE MEDICINES.
TnItances In Which Barbarous Peopi
Have Added {, Our Know. edge.


We have almost iorg often the herb
medicines OF our ancestors. A very
few of their ingredients have been ad-
mittted into the pharmacop,c OF
science; in some old gardens dimin-
ishing every year the ancient herb
bed still produces unknown 'worts"
which divert the children by eccentric
flavors. But the use of them has
passed out Of memory.
To distrust familiar and easy reme-
dies appears to be instructive with
mankind. Another development OF
the same feel ng. no doubt assisted
witches and wi ards Of old in making
their cures. IL also led to the employ
ment OF powdered mummy flesh, croco-
dies gall, BeGoar stones and so
forth, or b. doctors. to the protence
thereof.
But the witches were certainly ac-
quainted with secrets unknown to the
professors OF their time-that Is not
saying much, indeed. Some OF these
have been accepted. and are still in
daily use but others are lost nj.
Michelct looked into this sub ect for
his famous work La Sorciere and
proved that the virtues OF the Solan-
aceI. 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. IL not why
1ot? In such deadly countries as tho
Vest Coast OF Africa he remarks that
Did women use preparations. scarcely
70 be called secret which. as residents
declare will save man in the last
agonies OF dysentary. or even in that
hopeless stage of fever when the vic-
tim has become comatose.
Elsewhere iu the East there are
classes. and even tribes, which devote
themselves to medicine or 70 surgery
with results well worth attention.
Everyone has heard of the Khangara
who from time immemorial have prac-
ticed the art OF restoring and improv-
ing the human nose. Their inventions
have been gladly accepted throughout
TIE world.
Palgrave tells OF Bedouin tribe
the Solibah, doctors TO a man, who
traverse Arabia, performing the most
wonderful cures. In surgery also they
practice "lithotomy, paracutisis, and
still moro difficult operations, and
seldom fail. Palgrave was as little
Inclined TO credulity rs man could be.
but the evidence Of his own eyes con-
vinced him that the secrets OF the So
Ebah 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 nnme that most people
recognize the word. We may safely
assume that the Bezoar OF our remote
forefathers was not as that 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-
teenod in these days is found. so far
as we know. in Borneo alone, where
the collection and export Cf it is a
valuable business with the Jungle
tribes; as will tie understood when o
single stone may fetch $500 to 800.
Ordinary Bezoar is extracted from
monkeys. but from what part of the
body does not yet seem assured. Some
naAees allege that they find it only in
y Aomach. others in the intestines.
TART Everett was told that IL
in the head and also in the
while many say that they ex-
n any part OF the body. This
most probable under the cir
esxfstances, though somewhat op-
posed TO our notions. The stones vary
much in size the largest commonly
reaching the dimensions OF n flbert;
but vastl% bigger specimens have been
found. The sur ace. though contorted,
Is smooth ana shining, OF u pale olive
green color.