The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-02
SOME CURIOUS CURES.
Corn PInSters on Wooden Legs and
POuItices on swords

corn isE>ueEH on " ODuem Legs anu
POuItices on swords
The sea captain who finding that his
medicine chest lacked a supply Of the
particular mixture referred TO in his book
Of directions as No Is, made up a dose
for a sick sailor by equal portions OF
No. Z and No 5. adopted a method Of
curing which, in comparison with many
an accepted popular action, ranks as an
example Of sOUrd scientific reasoning.
Few medical students complete their
course Of training in the hospitals with
out hearing patients explain how much
relief they have experienced from the ap-
plicatIOu Of the clinical Thermometers
under their tongues or their armpits
while al the same time they condemn the
medicine given them as worse than use
less The rational person. viewing hui
mainly from his own Individual stand
point. proudly asserts that the days OF
the amulet. the talisman, the charm. and
the mystical potion are gone forever be-
fore the spread Of education and the con-
syquent decay Of medieval superstition
but the rational person would receive
rude shock were he able To see into the
secret recessts Of different mems minds
IL IS not necessary To turn TO the records
of the olden times for instances OF quaint
sUperstitions In the matter of cures. al
belt "a brief research ~Iu reveal some
curiosiues OF belief that are as humorous
as one could wish The story of the man
with the wooden legs who maintained
that his corns gave him incessaut trou-
bic until he applied corn pIasters 10 the
end OF his timber toes may. after all
not be So far~fetChed as al first sight
appears, for ina gination goes "a long way
IN many "a case Of physical III as well as
iu the cure
But what can be SAID Of a man who.
receiving a hurt from a weapon. pouI-
tices the weapon and leaves his wound 90
cure iJs,lf2 Stupidity can scarcely go
further. and Yet in the seventeenth cen
fury The sympathetic powder" was an
sreat demand as a sure cure for injury
received from a weapon The method of
treatment was very simple. The wound
had 20 DE closed up and left 70 itself.
while the weapon which inflicted the hurt
was copious-y pouIticed with the powder
until the wounded person recovered. For
many years the cure held the field against
all corners. until some careless apurheearv
bound mp The wound Of an injured man.
but forget Co poulJicr the weapon. with
The result. astounding al the time. that
-'L'N't oH Ii-
nay -o'-' ii,'u 1"5 sword ".aoe
20 "-'-i'- III o-.-'aa1s anu
- 80 cue 1919. nv -'--i,-Llce
50 az 1-'@s-y Si---' '1l 'o 'S
- 90 '-'--'' ''''- VI tLe
- . ti'ol-lIg--l. anu lAe
'-- - a. ''lo p'"ue1 l1url
-'~' 0S III l-''eI" ia. -
- - - ~ "a CT ~ o'---e o- 4,'IN4
-. ''''.l '-'i'l 81 'Sso"y "aysr
- "a NV sl--''l'" Oh lAlS pow
'~, 81 P-,'Cg- 10 pre-
o-I 'o'"' lake no
- -, ''7''' "1ll1tS- ueal IL
80 ---'' ,'''' 9l-' IL 'i'vuHN
Nm ,-l S'" enters Leo
- - -'' "a, ma, va '''e sun 10y Gay anu
''' MOI 'el'oS Ne'Ns ma!
oN NDLe 'y IT,
A more modern method of eNtrau,lus
sppIf,trgou of ures-rfrrf.r- Is -rs- 49,
'-'.'- GA
-'-N,' ~ many " seeker ailvE outdoor
relief Here lS the prescriptions rub il
ou his chest" said disDeussr,- doctor -,