The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-11-13
ANCIENT FISH CURES
MEDICINAL VIRTUES THAT USED TO
DECK THE FlNNY TREE
Perch Was Valued In Ger nsanr For
Its Curative Properties. md Carp
was HcTal In High Estse-s In Ola
E~nEland-TAe Physician a. fishes

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and writings of Izaak Watson opens
! I'D points 81 interest which are unique.
not tiua least interesting age Tie con
| slant references of the early Writers TO
the medicinal virtues Of fish. OF course
many OF the salt and fresh water fish
es mentioned by The old writers are
not recognized In tie waters OF to-day,
bur the fresh water perch. clEp, tench
and eel are yet recognized. and il is in
/ connection with these fish ,hat some
Of the quaintest IDEAS as TO their me-
dicinai virtues have prevailed
The Gerlnaus have q comparative
proverb which says, More wholesome
than u perch sc the Rhine" and it is
certain That from the earliest times
his familiar fish has been esteemed as
OH. of tie best ~gastronomic produc
tioIs of fresh water. 1t has also beer
. ascrlbcd medicinal virtues Gesner avs
tina physicians value b perch sc
much thai they recommend it to be
freely eaten by wounded men. women
in childbcd and these suffering from
dangerous fevers. ~Aldrovandus praises
it and mentions that the two otooEthS
Ground bonc>') found in the head Of
the perch are maryelously good for
stone in the bladder.
That the carp was esteemed in olden
times in England is certain. Dame
Berners, writing III her quaint Urea
tysee of Eysshynge Myth an Angle.
published in 1896, says. The carpe be
a deynt0us fish. but there ben few in
EngIonge." Being "deyntous"-i. e.
.~dainty'-it must have been a good fish
at tina time TO eat. It las certainly
lost its character since then.
In the art of healing the c..EFt plays Il
respectable pare. One old VIZ speaks
of the fat of the carp rs beng Of mi
raclsous power for the Alteration OF
hot rieumattSIn." The manner of its
application Was by frequent rubbing
on The painful part. and the Eject was
said TO be cnlinently notifying and
salutary. The triangular bones in the
throat OF the carp on being ground 10
powder and applied 10 a wound or
bleeding nose were said 10 act as styp-
tic. The gall was also said TO have
been used for sore eyes. and above
the eyes says an old 4.sculapius,
two little bones exist. Semicircular i'll
shape. which are diligently preserved
by noble females against the IunaticaI
disease
In the Haven of Health" arp ar"
also comprised in the ten sortes OF
fiscle which are reckoned as principal
in the preservation Of health" and,
adds the quaint old writer, this fish
is Of great wh~olesomenesS and great
value, and its tongue is very pleasant
to carping ladies'
4 kind Of first cousin of the carp is
what is known as the barbel Such
ancients as Juvenal. Albcrtus and 9TH
ers Of that ilk evidence that it a
known and esteemed by the Roman
gourmet. Piutarch mentions Il curious
fact in its natural history. Dr. Bad
BAN in his Prose Haleutics" trans
Iates this passage as follows: The roe
Of the parbcl Is very poisonous. Anto-
MO GaZiuS took two DoluseS and thus
describes his sensations: AT first l fel.
40 inconvenience. but some hours hay
ing elapsed I began TO be .disagreeably
affected, and as my stomach swelled
dIN Soulb tlSl ~ DlouSHl " II ny
anise and carminatives ! was soon in a
state Of great depression and Distress
1t appears that his countenance was
pallid, like a man in a swooD. Deadly
GOODNESS ensued, and violent cholera
and vomiting came Oh. The barbel
(Barbus ~vulgaris) of today has survived
such poisonous qualities. Its flesh has
the taste of stewed white blotting pa
| per, and its roe is as inLocuous as
bread pills.
All the same, good Julyant Berners
shared the bad opinion of the earlier
writer's. She says: The barbyll is a
swete fish, but it is quasly mete
and perylous for ann bodye. For
Comynly he myth an introduction to
We febris feyer), and if We be eten
tawe he may of mannys dethe
Thych hath often beene scene"
The tench which has been introduced
into some parts of this country is an
olive greenish carr which has been for
long time termed in England the ply
sician of fishes According to 4 score
or more of authorities, ancient and
modern, the thick slime with which ii
is covered exerts healing effect on all
wounds or diseases in which it can
come in contact on or in other fishes.
Whence this belief originated is not
known. but one instance of exact Oh
%seryatiou is well worthy Of credence.
Mr.. Wright in his book on Fishes and
Fishing tells how a nno acciden-
tally hooked i'll the water of an aqua
rum in which it was swimming, on
breaking loose, Immediately descended
three parts of the way down the wa
ter and swiftly approached its nose to
the side of the tench which was its
companion in the aquarium. 1t rub
ped its nose fer a few seconds against
The tench and then again swan about
as lively rs before. To his testinlo-
ny Mr. Mlimht adlS. ..NNa my friand