The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-12-04
Taking Something.

One spring day when, in common
! with about nine-tenths of my race, l
was suffering from a cold, / entered .
country store and met a rough but we'll
| meaning man whom / had always
known. As soon as I had responded to
his greetings he exclaimed, loudly
| enough to be heard by the half dozen
loungers about the store: why. yer
| got q cold, tool What do yer take for
it?" / told him nothing, and after
| some remark of establishment at such a
state of affairs. lie joined the group
around the fire. But / suppose he
heard me cough. for o few moments
later, ii passing ont, he panaed . mo-
| ment in my vicinity. and with the stam-
mering mans ii iispensable oath,
blurted out louder than ever: "IerN
have ter take sometLin' or yerU die"
The incident amused me, and | often
think his eager and ignorant faith ID
taking sumsllin'" is possessed by
many more intelligent and cultured
than he. Long ago, when an extremely
lniammable combustible known az
"fuid" began to outshine the honest old
candle and to blow people ont Of exist
ence, | knew OF q man suffering from
rheumatism in the limbs who had it
recommended to him as a cure. IL was
to be applied freely to the affected
pats, and then set on fire. His father
undertook to treat the case, and,
though skilled in the use OF pillow and
scythe, he blundered at this task and
burned his patient so badly that for
some time I guess he quite forgot his
old trouble. Again, / know of q man
troubled with some affection Of the
throat, who was advised by a friend to
take q tablespoonful OF kerosene oil
three times Ter day for two weeks. He
acted upon this advice and injured the
tissue OF his stomach SO that, in spite Of
the best Of medical care, he suffered
greatly for years.
There is something rather ludicrous
in such blind and jealous self-trsat-
ment, but when it applies and its
effects fall nlon children il becomes
very pathetic and one wishes for a so
ciety for the prevention of cruelty t.
to infants" Turpentine seems to be
II Of the most common instruments OF
torture, and worms tie excuse for lis
application. I heard a man say once
that they rubbed it on the throat Of his
little boy until the child lost the power
OF speech fer emit days; and yet this
experience did not save the next child,
:or theF applied it to her throat until
t1s4e red sweiiings appeared and
~4.neG thsll TO ,lesist.
.s4otler T.ctim / know had som.
strong 81 I'll forced dowa her by fond
parents who fantiedsom slight trouble
was caused ~ worms. The medicine,
however, failed to find any. and feeling
called upon to do something, vented its
powers upoa her kidneys. and so weak
enc those organs that, t .ough now
quit 0 large child, she continues to
su er from it.
Iao rot wish to condemn the use OF
those time-honored remedies, catnip,
sage, s~martweea, onions, etc, but would
urge the householders to give severe
remedies only il severe cases, and then
always under the care of Q physician.
enc vino 1T least ought to understand
something of their nature and effect.
As Tor the amateur medical treatment.
let that always be OF such a kind 50
will do no harm il it fails OF doing good
~. Ell j., IN Michigan Farmer.