The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-20
HYDROPHOBIA.
Cure for It May Perhaps Be Found in
 Strychnine.

Fleet Surgeon V. G. Thorpe in the Lon
 don Lancet
 Some time ago I was told of a. remedy for hydrophobia which was used bv the natives in this part of China. It was said to be secret in the sole possession of one family whose ancestral home is in Tungehowfu, in the province of Shang- tung, and had been passed down from mother to daughter for the last 400 years. The last possessor of the secret had no daughters and revealed it to her youngest son. who now lives in Weihaiwei The remedy was said to consist of a powder made from certain hard nut grown in the province, which was softened by boil ing in an earthenware pot. no kind of metal being allowed to touch 1t. then grated on the outside of the basin and reduced to a pulp. which was dried and put up in packets for future use or at once administered to the sufferer, who, if necessary was tied down and the remedy forced down his throat. The patient was said to fall into a deep sleep, in which he sweatted profusely and awoke cured No money WIS taken in payment, the possessor of the secret trusting to gain merit ir the next world after death.
 l was assured that cures were authen- tic My informant. Scotch lady who had lived many years in China. had a Chinese servant who was bitten by mad dog and was treated and recovered A woman bitten at the same time. not treat ed, died with all the symptoms of hydro phobia. My friend. at my request, very kindly managed to procure me an inter- view with the owner of the secret, who brought me his Lasin and three powders and three nuts. l was astonished to find that they were a species of strychnos, probably strychnos nux vomica. The coarsey ground fibrous powders gave the tests as faras was able to carry them out, for strychnine. Each nuts was about five-eighths of an inch across and weigh ed nineteen grains. The powders weighed fourteen, fifteen and sixteen grains respectively. It would be interesting to know what the exact dose of the alkaloid in each powder is.
 I can find no account of the treatment of hydrophobia by strychnine In the books at my disposal unless we except curara. which was at one time used as remedy in this terrible disease. A species of strychnos IS said to be a potent ele- ment in its composition. The narcotic and sudorific properties spoken of above seem also to be unknown at the present time; yet. cautiously enough, the writer of the article "Nox Vomica" in Cham Ders Syclopdeuld ol the year liSb, me four volumes of which l possess, lays greater stress on these than he does on it's poisonous properties. He states that they are of a strong narcotic quality, so as to be ranked in the number of poisons." I have consulted several au- thorities in China, and. though the drug certainly finds place among native medicines, l can find no reference to it's use In this disease or that it Is at all used by native practitioners. at least in this part of China Some of the symp- toms Of hydrophobia bear certain re- semblance to those of poisoning by strychnine. and 1t would therefore al- most appear as though the principle of similia similibus curantur has been appli- ed by the Chinese In this case. There is no doubt that .n regard to other reme- dies they have a firm belief in this doc fripa