The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-07-22
SOME ECCENTRIC CURES.
Peculiar Treatments for Epilepsy. Melan-
cholia and Colds.

Peculiar Treatments for Epilepsy. Melan-
cholia and Colds.
1t is characteristic of the end of the
century that it has not only given
birth to new diseases, but has in
vented many startling cures for old
ones, says Tid-Bits. DR.. Michea is re-
sponsible for n of the most ingenious
cures for hysteria, melancholia, cpl
lepsy and kindred diseases of the
nervous system. His method is the
simple if original one of frightening
his patients into sound health. 1t has
been observed that rheumatic and
nervous patients who have been in
any severe accident or have received
any violent shock, have begun to re-
cover from the very moment of the
shock; and this observation suggested
to DR.. Michea the idea of curing by
fright. His methods of producing the
shock var with the different cases,
but a favorite plan is to send anony-
nous letters to his patients, full of
virulent abuse or threats Of injury. The
fear and indignation thus caused rouse
patients as nothing else could; they
forget their ailments and thus take a
very important step toward a cure. DR..
Michea says that the results of his sys-
tenn have been most encouraging. DR..
Raoul Pictet claims to have made some
remarkable cures by his system of
"f~rigopathic" or freezing in obdurate
cases of nervous exhaustion, consump-
ton and dyspepsia. The process con-
sists in subjecting the patient to a
more than arctic temperature. For
this purpose he has designed a freez-
ing bath, a tank of metal lined with
furs, five feet deep and four and a
half feet square. This tank is in
serted in an outer well, the interven-
ing space being filled with a freezing
mixture Of carbonic and sulphurio
acids, which keeps the temperature OF
the well from 100 degrees to ITO de-
grees below the freezing point. The
patient Is lowered into this arctic tenn
perature and kept there from ten min
utes to a quarter of an hour; the proc
ess being repeated at intervals of a
few days. The effect of the freezing Is
said to be almost magical. The dys-
peptic subject, who for years posi-
bly, has never known the luxury of a
good appetite, energies from his bath
ravenous with hunger, and the nerv-
Gus patient finds his nerves strength
ened and his whole body filled with
new life and energy. The most chronic
cases yield to a treatment Of a month
or two. OF all human ailments, rheu-
matism can boast the most varied and
startling remedies. In Malta the
rheumatic patient invites bees to settle
on him and sting him, the POISON OF
the stings neutralizing the acids OF
rheumatism, and allaying if not cur
ing it. In Australia a still more re-
markable remedy is in fashion. The
patients frequent a hotel in the neigh
borhood of the whaling grounds. When
a whale is caught and towed ashore lit
tie pits or graves are dug in his car
cass and in these beds of decomposed
blubber the patient lies for an hour OF
two, repeating the process as long as
the whale or his rheumatism lasts.
Another daring method of treating
~ " AAeNS tHS paIiOAt
walk b%arefooted on dewy grass every
morning and evening; while a more
agreeable cure Is that of sun bathing,
in which the victims spends a certain
time each day basking or exercising in
the sun in a state familiar to Adam.
One Of the latest and most effective
methods of curing a cold is the home
opathic n of applying ice to the
spinal column, a striking variation OF
the more ordinary plan Of roasting
your cold" before a hot fire. A sue
cessful method of relieving bad or
chronic headache is to cut the pa
tents hair. BY cutting the ends OF
the hair so many thousand natural
vents are opened to relieve the con-
gestion in the head.