The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-30
DRIED BUGS AND RATS
Chinese Doctors Give Their
Patients Terrible Doses.
PRESCRIPTION OF 4 CELESTIAL
Worthy of the Witches Cauldron Is the
Concoction of Dried Lizards. Elk sineus
Bugs, Ground Bones "f Elephants, De-
,iccated Rats, Dried Cats. and Powdered
Deer's Horns-store and How Prescrip-
tIops Are Compounded-Insult TO Doctor.

tions Are Compounded-Insul TO Doctor.
Prom the SsH Francisco Call.
II is appointed unto all men to die once.
but even the stolid Chinsman Is not III
any hurry. One Of the Chinese converts
a girl who had been rescued. educated,
and married TO laundryman. was taken
ilI. She had no idea OF burning punk or
even OF preparing a sweet smelling feast
for the gods. but she did want to go TO a
Chinese doctor White man him he read
book: no learn cure in book"
So All Suey determined 10 go 10 real
sure enough 1octor who would give her
medicine as strong as her illness.
She did not think il quite au fait TO go
on the street by herself, so she asked me
to come long in the pretty Chinese
way.
DR.. Wang VI Fat, or translated, DR.. All
Healing Light. has an Office on Chinese
street, as they call Sacramento street.
1t the foot OF TIE stairs big brass sign
announced in Chinese that the doctor in
his exclusive longevity half' could pre-
scribe 600 medicines truly imported from
the "Anter." and knew how TO cure 40
different oiseases.
Friends were told TO walk in. but others
must ring the bell and wait. The doctor
quickly opened the door and bowling low
asked us 10 enter.
The room was like my companion-a
mixture of Chinese and American.
We were shown into a tiny consulting
room by young American woman. All
Suey sOlemnly sat down before the more
solemn doctor. Neither spoke as she
placed her barred arm on a small satin
cushion.
This is the first step in Chinese dag
nosis and has been in use in the Flowery.
Kingdom for the last 5000 years. Even
the manner ef turning the hand twice be-
fore placing the fingers on the pulse is all
laid down in tradition by the man who
for thirty days drank the dew from bam-
boo trees TO call the genie. who appeared
and gave him on the spot a perfect
knowledge Of all diseases
DR.. vi placed his four fingers on Suey's
pulse and moved them as in playing a
flute. Five minutes of this finger manip-
ulation was devoted 10 her arms. the doc
tor all the time gazing thoughtfully at
the point Of his embroidered shoe, while
Suey kept her eyes fixed solemnly on
space.
DiagDosiag the Case.
At length lie broke the silence. .You,
most notle and illustrious disease pro-
ceeds from a disturbance of the euuilib
rium of the vital spirits. The igneous
principle, too long fed by the excessive
heat, has ended by exceeding beyond all
measure the proper bounds assigned 10 IL.
A fire has been kindIed in the sublime
organization of your body If you have
not offended d god the medicine | pre-
scribe will cure you. If you have offended
a god, no medicine will be able to take
effect
He turned to his desk and covered a
sheet of paper the size of one legal cap
with hierOglyphics and handed il 10 Suey.
Both rose 10 their fet and bowed low
Then Suey looked at her prescription and
pointing to one of the ingredients with a
finger Of scorn. said:
Too much money-take il out"
The doctor replied: But most glorious,
most beautiful Cne, your sublime organ
ization is unbalanced; you may go TO the
home of the illustrious, industrious an
cestors"
Must some time co. answered Suey.
Maybe now, maybe then. No waste NOR
ey. cut II out"
DR.. vi sighed and shook his head MANY
times, but cut out the item Suey pointed
out Then she read it over and one other
item was cut out by the reluctant doctor
He told her that his father and his broth
ers and his ancestors back for 500 years
had cured and nealea. Did she think he
could mistake"
You all light. No spend so much
money"
Tho la.r,a5 doo+or .o,s - -
mother and his grandmother had been
doctors and had prescribed for MANY
women and children in China.
Even when he showed her his mothers
picture in her flowing robes Suey would
All at once Suey put out her little brown
hand. saying: Sing Sing" and DR., vi
took It in his with the most graceful bow,
He likewise said Sing Sing
Then he took off the basket "cosey" of
his teapot and we each had little green
cup OF tea, and everything was lovely.
Insulted the Doctor.
When We were going out turned TO the
doctor, and wanting to be polite, l said:
May your business prosper" Putting
both OF his hands ever his stomach he
bowed TO a right angle and replied in Chi
nese. May you never come again.
When We were at the foot of the stairs
that / insulted the doctor most outrage
ously by wishing his business to prosper
for it is equivalent to telling him he is an
evil one. for only an evil one would want
doctors or druggists or an under
takers business to prosper
The old man was but kind when he
wished i might never come again. and OF
course he knew l knew he did not mean il.
The Chinese druggists shop. where We
went TO have the medicine prepared was
one OF the best In town. The druggist is
man Of much prominence in his district
he knew Suey. and We had a cup of tea
before We began business. He said most
politely II was great pleasure for him
10 be able TO speak with me, that he was
much honored- The druggist said il was
a tonic that DR.. vi had ordered for Suey,
but il was pity she had refused to have
the "fng- -poo-you-y-tan" put in II is the
supernatural treasure for all desires IN
English, and true panacea for all ills.
according 10 the dose and the manner of
taking.
The medicine consisted OF tiny red pills
with a strong odor OF musk. They are
made by one family in China, who alone
possess the secret of their composition
Their manufacture has made the family
famous and rich for hundreds OF years
hut no blasphemous analytical chemist
has ever attempted TO solve the mystery
u
affronting TO the god who first gave the
secret TO its possessor's ancestor. But
the little red pills are expensive, and
Suey, who says she has to die some time,
anyhow. would not waste any precious
gold on them, for they arc one Of a num-
Der of medicines which must be paid for
by an equal weight in gold The medicine
is put in one scale and the pure gold must
balance the weight Of the pills; so they
are literally worth their weight In gold.
Putting Up the Prescription.
The druggist laid the prescription on the
counter. and with a long wooden block
ran ran over the items and laid a large
square of paper on the counter in which
TO place the ingredients. Two other men
were making prescriptions for customers.
taking the herbs from the drawers which
lined the wall back of the counter Thers
were ninety drawers I'm one square. and
over and below were thirty more, all un-
Ia abeled. but the mixers of medicine never
hesitated as TO which drawer they
wanted.
There were plenty OF customers. and
two men were busy cutting up the roots
and what seemed Ike dried vegetables
into thin. attractive waters