The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-05
ITEMS OF INTERBsT

1HE CHLORIDE OF GOLD CURE LOT lneOrldJeB ud5
recalled various suggestions which have been
made from time to time with the same end in
view, says the Pittsburg Dispatch. DR.. Charles
Lloyd Tuckey maintains that hypnotism is one
of the best known means Of etfecting q radical
cure of alcoholism. By way of showing the i'm
mense power welded by hypnotism he quotes
the case of the manager of an important COM
pany who was about to be discharged from his
post In consequence of his absolute habits,
when he TOOK medical advice DR.. Tuckey hyp-
Noticed him and found him an excellent sub
ject. The patient was told while in the hyp-
motto state that alcohol was poison TO him and
that the taste Of it would in future
make him violently ill. To test
the efficacy OF this suggestion a small glass of
beer was given to him during the hypnotic sleep,
and another about half an hour after his awak-
ening. On both occasions the dose instantly
brought on an attack of sickness, though the
patient had no consciousness of the suggestions
he had received. He returned to his home and
business after about two months and has had
no relapse. Not long ago he turned quite sick
at a cricket match, and, as he complained of
violent pain and faintness, we'll meaning
friend made him take the usual rough and
ready remedy-a glass of whisky. He had
hardly swallowed the spirits when he again re-
1ected it, thus affording proof of the continued
action OF suggestion after the lapse of three
months. Alcoholism Is by no means the only
disease in which hypnotism can be advantage
ously resorted to; morphinsm, for example,
and the tobacco habit have also their vict-
inns, and the suggestive treatment has prove d
T HE wonderful stories that have been told of
the life-giviug properties of the celebrated
kola nut of Western and Southern Africa are
even more than confirmed by a eulogstic letter
written by the British consul at Bahia to Lord
Salisbury. The West African carriers at that
port continually use the kola, which they carry
about carefully wrapped In pieces OF banana
peel. These human beasts of burden are not,
physically speaking, superior to the Brazilian
negro; yet this African, with she additional
nerve force impaired by the kola nut, can en-
dure from ten to hundred hours of fatigue,
the half of which would kill the laborer fool
hardy enough to attempt it without using
the invigorating little nut. Where it takes
eight Brazilian negroes to carry a load with
difficulty, four African porters carry 10 cheer
fully along, singing "as if each muscular OK
ertion was exhilaratng joy" Where kola-
eaters are employed In unloading vessels they
are always given twice the pay received by
their competitors who do not use the nut.
There are thousands Of this latter class, the
majority of whom refuse to eat 10 because OF q
belief that the devil originated the nut for the
special use OF those he desired to have as la
borers in his vineyard. At Lagos. which is the
great export center for the kola nut trade the
tree is called the devil bush," and the
nuts by name which signifies hell seed."
Although the people of Lagos earn all their
ready money by cutivating and shipping the
kola nut to BaIia and other places, no true
native of the province would put one Of them
in mis- mouth for a thousand worlds. The trees
are only cultivated at certain time, and the
the full moon, in fact, the growers of kola nuts
hold their devil bush" and its hell seed in
holy horror. Scientific experts sent out by the
British government to inquire into the facts
concerning the tree and its curious fruit declare
that 'the nut is not injurious, is Intoxicating
qnenches thirst, acts as q nutritive, but Is not
strictly q stimulanu." tits curious and inter
estlng botanical product, however, as may be
judged from the above account Of IT'S properties
and the native superstitions concerning h.
A FOWLS GIzzARD, where so many lost artt-
cles turn up, is a curious trap as well as a
necessary vital organ of the fowl, says the
Hartford Times. Diamonds. pearls. buttons
tacks, orange peel, and about everything else
save dynamite, have been found in the giEzards
of fowls study of the organ is interesting.
Experiments have demonstrated that what may
be called the gastric juice in fowls have not
sufficient power to dissolve their food without
the aid of the grinding action OF the gizzard.
Before the food is prepared for digestion there
fore, the grains must be subjected to a triturat.
ing process; and such as are not sufficiently
bruised IN this manner, before passing into ths
gizzard, are therefore reduced to the
proper state by its natural action.
The action of the gizZard is in this respect,
mechanical, this organ serving as mill TO
grind the feed TO pieces, and then, by means of
its powerful muscles. pressing it gradually into
the intestines. in the form of pulp The power
of this organ is said to be sufficient 20 pulverize
hollow globuleS OF glass in a very short time.
and solid masses Of the same substance in a few
weeks. The rapidity of this process seems to be
prOportionate generally to the size OF the bird.
A chicken, for example, breaks up such sub
stances as are received into its stomach less
rapidly than the capon, while goose performs
the same operation sooner than either. Needles
and even lancets given turkeys have been broken
in pieces aud voded without any apparent in =
jury to the stomach. The reason undoubtedly
is that the larger species of birds have thicker
and more powerful organs of digestion. IL has
long been the general opinion that from some
deficiency in the digestive apparatus, fowls are
Obliged to resort to the use of stones and gravel
in order to enable them 20 dispose
of the food which they consume
Some have supposed that the use of stones is
TO sheathe the gizsard In order to At It to break
into smaller fragments the hard angular sub
stances which might be swallowed. They have
also been considered to have a medicinal effect.
Others have imagined that they acted as alb
sorbents for undue quantities of acid in the
stomach, or as stimulsnts to digestion, while it
has even been gravely asserted that they con-
tribute directly to nutrition Repeated expert
ments however, have esta abolished that pebbles
are not at all necessary to the trituration OF the
hardest kinds of substances which can be intro
duced into their stonachs; and, of course the
usual food of fowls can be bruised without their
aid They do, however serve a useful suxil.
iary purpose When put ia motion by the
muscles they are capable Of producing some
effects upon the contents of the stomach; thus
assisting to grind down the grain, and sep
sratng its parts, so that the digestive fluid, or
gastric juice, comes more readily in contact
with II