The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-29
Medical Notes.
Written for the Globe.

Written for the Globe
Many people believe that a physician
writes his prescriptions in Latin to rnvs-
tlfy and perhaps take advantage of kis
patients The true reason, however, for
the use of Latin in such cases is chiefly
that it is dead language and is. there
fore, not subject to change, while the
words are concise, and definite with no
ambiguous meaning. Many drugs are
botanical and the scientific names which
are usually in Latin are universal. Some
of these drugs, in fact. have no Englie h
name and must therefore be written in
Latin. Ii prescription is written in
English an unedueated patient who reads
1t may think that he remembers 1t and
has 1t filled second time, guided alone
by his memory; suppose In such a case
The original prescription called for iodide
ct potash and he should confuse It with
cyanide of potash, q deadly form Of rrus-
sic acid, one grain of which would cause
death, while the dose of the iodide might
be as large as 15 grains. On the other
hand, g. prescription written in Latin Is
uninteiligible to the laity and if the medi-
cine Is wanted a second time the original
written prescription must be used. An
other argument is the uniycrsality of the
Latin language among scientific men, so
that a prescription written in Latin can
he filed in any drug store in any country
An enterprising proof Of this is a case
which recently happened In New York in
which a prescription was filed in a New
York drug store which had stamped upon
1t the seals Of druggists in London, Paris.
Berlin. Constantinople. Cairo and Calcut-
Ia.
M. lie Gendre, Of Paris, believes there
Is danger to children in athletic sports.
In certain cases he refers to the fever of
fiTNT1 rff,l<R
prostration. feeling of fatigue, pain,
dyspepsia. and loss Of appetite, palpita-
ton, fainting, fits, etc. These symptoms
often occur after violent games Of football
or competitive athletic struggles and IL
the use of the bicycle. He claims that
children are peculiarly susceptible to GER
tain diseases and that violent exercise
causes such tendencies to become real
tiles. He believes that 1t Is of the great
est Importance that children should be
examined physically before indulging III
certain sports, and If there is any trouble
of the circulatory, locomotor, digestive, or
nervous system, violent sports should he
forbidden, but he insists upon progressive
and gradual increase of exercise, yet
while he encourages athletics and gym
nasGics. he is opposed to competition in
these sports.
In cases of fever, especially in typhoid,
a patient will often be benefited by rich
beef extract diluted with an infusion cf
q good quality of green or black tea. A
soft boiled egg is often relished by fever
patients and has real value. To proper
ly boil it the fresh egg should be put in
large tea cup and boiling water poured
over it, IL which it must stand covered
for from to minutes. The yo1k and
white will be sufficiently cooked and yet
be soft and semi-fiuid. 1t should be sea-
soned tc taste and if the patient likes IL
a little onion juice viii Even the flavor
Some patients will take the whole as
meal, but if they desire only part, the
rest should not be forced upon them.
The value and necessity of sufficient
water should not be overlooked and tie
patient She uld be given water during tie
day. not waiting till 1t is called for. but
even forcing 1t on him, for at least half
wine glassful often repeated Is certainly
good in such cases.
In the matter of dress, all c3nstsic.ing
bands are injurious, this applying to the
collar as well as to Wristbands. belts,
corsets and garters. Anything, III fac.
that congresses the blood vessels, inter-
feres with the free circulation of the
blood. and not only causes discomfort. but
is actually injurious. The re5ul 8 may nos
be realized at first, but, once developed,
they are. as a rule. incurable. Very tight
collars, or chokers, as they are aptly
termed, favor and cause headache, chron-
ic congestion of the brain, and may lead
to apoplexy. Constructions of the waist
lead to displaeementsa or congestion and
Inflammation Of various organs, and in err
fere with their normal function. Tight
y