Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-06-11
Strychnine for Hydrophobia

Some time ago | was told of a remedy
For hydrophobia which was used by the
natives in this part of China. 1t was
said TO be secret in the sole possession
OF one family whose ancestral home is in
Tnngt how Flu, in the province of Shan
lung, and had been passed town from
mother to daughter for the last 400 years
The last poSsessor of the secret had no
daughters and revealed il To her young
est son, who now lives in Wei Hal Wei
The remedy was said to consist of q DOW
der made from 4 certain hard nut grown
IN the province, which was softened by
boiling in an earthenware not. no kind
of metal being allowed to touch it. then
grated on the outside Of the basin and re-
duced To pulp, which was dried and
put up IN packets for future use or Mt
once administered TO the sufferer, who. if
necessary, was tied down and the RENE
dy forced down his throat Tile patient
was said 10 fall into IL deep sleep. in
which he sweated profisely and awoke
cured. No money was taken in pay-
ment, the possessor Of the secret trusting
TO gain merit in the next world after
deMh.
was assured that cures were anthem
tic. My informant. Il Scotch lady who
had lived many years in China, had a
Chinese servant who was bitten by Il
mad dog and was treated and recovered:
a woman bitten at the same time. not
sreated, died with all the symptoms of
hydrophohia. My friend, at my request.
veT$ kindly managed to procure me an
interview with the owner of the secret.
who brought me his basin and three pow
tlers and three nuts. | was astoniShed
60 find that they were the seeds of Il Spe-
cieS of strychnoS probably StrychnoS nux
vomiea. The coarsely ground fibrous
powders gave the tests. as far as | was
able Ia carry them out. for Strychnine.
Each nut was about hye-eighths of an
inch across and weighed IL grains The
powders weight IL, Is and 10 grains re-
Speetively. 1t would be interesting TO
know what the exact dose of the alkaloid
in each powder is.
| can find no account Of the treatment
of hydrophohia by Strychnine in the
books III my disposal. unless we except
curara. which was ut one time used as Il
remedy in this terrible disease: a SnecieS
Of strychnos is said TO he a potent Gle
ment in its composition. The narcotic
and sudoritc properties spoken of above
seem also u he unknown ut the present
time, yet curiouSiy enough. the writer
of the article NIX Nomica' in Cham
hers Encyclopaedia of the year 1856.
the four volumes of which | possess.
lays greater stress ON these than h. does
ON its poisonous properties. He states
that they are of strong narcotic quail
~ So as 20 be ranged in the number of
poisonS." | have consulted several au-
thorities on China, and, though the drug
certainly finds a place among native med
leines, | can find no reference tn its use
in this disease nor that il is at all used
by native practitioners, at least in this
part Of China. Some of the symptoms of
hydrophohia bear u certain resemblance
to those Of poisoning by Strychnine. and
il would therefore almuSt appear as
though the principle of Similia Simitibus
carantur has been applied by the Chinese
in this case. There is no doubt that in
regard to other remedies they have firm
belief in this doctrine
FLEET ST RECON 4. q. THORPE.
Wei Hal Wei,
The Lancet.