Arizona republican., 1901-08-24
TO TEST A MAIDSTONE.
A Chicago Hospital Surgeon Will Give
 It a Scientific Trial.

Cnlcago-Ihe virtues of maidstone are to be given thorough test by
 medical authorities of this city Dr.
 R. NJ Tafel. house surgeon of the E!iz- abeth Emergency hospital at Chicago
 Heights, has recently se;ursd possess
 sion of the famous "Sautnr maidstone"
 which has been celebrati!d for forty
 years as a sure cure for hydrophobia.
 Mors than 2,GO0 persons who have been
 bitten by dogs afflicted with the rabies
 have made the pilgrimage to the home of the Sauters in ChicagO Heights to
 have the mysterious power of the stone applied to the wounds. If tes-
 timony of the laity is worth anything,
 the merits of the little black pebble are well established. The Sauter fam
 fly has kept a record of the applica-
 tions of the stone. which shows that
 arly 1000 persons have been cured of
 lncipient or threatened rabies since it has been in their possession.
 Grandfather Sauter, the aged head
 of the family bought the stone forty years ago from a.Frsnch physician, who brought it from Franca and c,aimed to have effected wonderful NUltS NltD It. TIC Ddlu HlUV III hbiu TUT 1t. The stone is oblong in shape,
 smooth and black. It is about an inch and half long and an irch wide. Dr. Tafel and other prominent physicians expect that many hydrophobia victims will seek the aid of the stone because of the adyeI tisement that it has re- ceived and believe that they will be
 able to arrive at a scientific explana- tion of it's strange powers. if the re-
 suits claimed for 1t by n-professional witnesses follow it's application.
 There are not more than three such stones in the United Spatss." said Dr. Tafel yesterday. We medical men ad-
 init that we do not knew why it ad-
 heres to the wounds made by mad dogs. We do not admit, nor deny. that it sucks tirs virus from such wounds. We know nothing about it for the req sen that We have never had an oppor- tunity to experiment. with it. We are not in a receptive state of mind and
 now for the first time there Is a chance to make scientific observation of the efficacy of the maidstone. and l for one propose to learn what I can and tell the world what merit 1t possess. There is no lack of inaxpert, professional testimony as to its greai merits. Thou
 sands have come from every part of the United States to try it, and in every instance the patients have gone away cured. l hope to Dc able to test 1t in several genuine casss of rabies. and who knows but that the result of
 the Investigation may be the discovery
 of new and certain cure for this most
 dreadful disease"
 According to scientific tradition. which Is secuted by scil.ntifc men. the genuine maidstone is found in the stomach of the deer, and the French
 physician who sold this stone to the
 Sauter family is said to have givsn it
 thhs origin. There is no question about
 the stons's adhering to wounds made l by rabid dogs. In treating the bites
 the stone is placed in warm water for
 few minutes and then applied to the wound. If 1t fails to adhere, the dog,
 though giving every eviasnce of suffer- inS from hydrophobia was free from
 the disease. or failed to transmit any of the poison to the victims system.
 In large number of the cases the Sau-
 ter stone failed to adhere to the wound
 and in none of these cases did symp- toms of the hydIophobia afterward de- vtlop Where the diseass really exists, | however 1t takes hold of the lacera
 ton at once, and adheres sometime for hours. finally falling away as If sat
 urated with poison. The stone is then placed in hot water, which brings to It's surface a greenish-whits scum. which is easily removed. The pebble
 can then be reapplied to the wound. If 1t cllngs some of the virus is supposed to remain, and if it fails to stick the
 poison is all gone.
 Residents of Cook county. near Chi
 caSo Heights, are unanimous in their faith in tha Sauter stone. pr. Tafel
 says he will give worldwide promi-
 nence to the results of his scientific in-
 vestigation with it. Washington ! Evening Star.