The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-12-15
QUEER REMEDIES.
Remarkable Things a Druggist
Must Keep in Stock.
Dried Pigs Liver as a Sure
Cure For Mysteries.

stflIc OF HE Dy spending few hours
i'll drug store, where lie has friend
IN the shape of prescription clerk.
In the intervals of applications for
scidli'z powders, epson salts, court
plaster, patent medicines and such
other exciting episodes as diversity
the existence of poor pilgarlicks, lie
commenced TO divert himself by an
investigation of the stock of the store.
lie began by being curious only, and
ended by becoming interested.
1t should be remarked right here, III
order TO explain certain things which
he discovered that this special simple
dispcnsary is located in a neighbour
hood largely populated by persons of
foreign birth, meagre education and
hard working lvcs-the class, in
short, most prone TO superstitions and
to adherence to old ideas.
One of the first oddities of the stock
which drew the reporters attention
was rattlesnake oil. 1t came from
Pennsylvania and Connecticut princi-
pally, said his friend, the expert, and
was called for US a lubricant in cases
of rheumatism. So was skunk-grease,
which was another item in stock.
Most ot it was furnished by man out
West, who kept skunk farm and
killed his stock to sell their skins and
grease, Opossum fat was another
rheumatic remedy, which could be had
to order, and alligator grease was kept
OH hand rs remedial agent against
fits, much in favor with our colorcd
population. Peanut oil and cotton
seed oil were kept as substitutes for
olivo oil, and, said the expert, were
infinitely superior to the common
quality Of that oil sold to tho ordinary
domestic trade here. Many eating
houses used nothing else.
Lanolin was grease extracted from
the wool Of sheep. 1t had the pro-
perty of mixing with water, and was
a fayorie basis for certain salves, as
it did not grow rancid. Dog fat was
another specific, and goose grease still
W
many to be a sure cure for the Group.
Among the vegetable and herb medi-
cines, tho assortment of simplcs was
simply amazing. Nearly every root,
plant and flower known had been con-
vcrted into curative service. Wayside
weeds were converted TO medical use,
and pretty garden flowers made TO
answer similar purposes. There were
tinctures and extracts of all sorts of
things, from cow-itch to poison-ivy,
which under portentous Latin titles,
figured in prescriptions, said tho ex-
pert. CoW-itch was a remedy for
worms. Considering its general quail
ties, perhaps it really does operate on
the principal description by the medi-
cal student in Albert Smiths once
famous sketch, by tickling the worms
to death.
Two centuries ago the list of con-
cocions or creations supposed to be of
utility in restoring human health in
cluded some of the most wonderful
humbugs superstition could by any
possibility induce man to swallow.
Dried crabs eyes, powdered pearls,
ground oyster shells. moss from dead
mems skulls, tho fa; of human
cogpses and blind puppies mashed
up in a mortar were but few of
them.
To this day in tropical countries
people bitten by scorpions kill one.
mash it up and drink the juice in alco-
ho as an antidotc; barbaric version
of the remedy for being ont 100 late
of night, known as a "hair of the
dog that bit YOU 1t only goes to
illustrate what grip blind belief has
OH the human mind that, i'll this en-
lighiened age, an intelligent pharma-
cist must keep up Il stock OF empirical
and useless material. because there
is a demand for it which he must sup
ply.
"The fact is" said the prescription
clerk TO the reporter, 'Ghat good
half of the drugs in this s'orc arc SUI
pcltluous. No druggist can prosper
who carries Il complete stock. If he
makes living lie is lucky. Most of
them wor.l like dogs and die about as
poor. But what Gun Il man do? Some
doctors put whole row of ipgredi-