The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-06-26

and dried, by way of of garters. He
showed much distress when they were
removed by the nurse, being firmly
convinced that they would cure his
rheumatism in time.
The laugh OF science to the contrary
Notwithstanding medical delusions in
surprising number still survive from the
ages Of faith. Amy physician who
practises among the poor and ignorant
can testify to this, and 1t Is in particu-
lar the staff and students of an institp-
ton like the POSTGRADUATE Medical
School and Hospital, which receives its
patients largely from the lower East
Side, quarter teeming with variety
who are made to appreciate most fully
the extent of superstition regarding re-
NEEDLES for diesase.
italian immigrants are peculiarly in
teresting in this respect. They fire.
quietly attribute stomach trouble to
cats hairs supposed to have been
swallowed, and persist in eating egg
shells to cure 1t. They also eat snails
as remedy for consumption, though
here they are supported by highly
respectable authority-that Of THE
Accomplished Physician" published in
1856, which declares that snail water.
lowing to the cool, clan1my and glutin-
Gus substance of the snail" is partieu-
larly grateful to the consumptive.
These Italians use castor oil whenever
their feelings become at all excitel,
81 ~, Nv 3axy -, -or,oVy 1,,,r,, rn1ie -
waxed paper in their ears to cure the
earache, and willingly go through the
even more heroic treatment Of lighting
fires on their bare stomachs when they
have dyspepsis.
The trouble with these people is
merely that they have not advanced
with the times, but are still holding re-
liefs which are held by the most intelli-
gent and best educated men Of few
centuries ago. An apothecary's shop in
Queen Elizabeth's time was stocked
| with things that strike modern as sin
gular enough, considered as medicine.
These were crabs claws foxes lung,
stays hearts, boars' tusks seahorses'
teeth, elks hoofs precious stones in
! powder, flying fish tortoises, alligators,
dried toads, scorpions ana even human
mummies. These were quite popular
as a remedy for epilepsy vertigo and
palsy, besides being supposed to heal
wounds and Notifications. Mummy
cost IS. I'D. a pound, or 81 Is in our
money, and was a recognized staple OF
commerce. But being so expensive, an
| artificial was invented which is de.
! scrloed by Crollius in his Royal
| Chemist" as calling for "the carcass OF
a young man, some say red-headed
not dying of disease but killed" 1t is
probable that this CHASTITY recipe was
| responsible for many of the mysterious
| disappearances common in those thrill
! ing days. Human skulls sold for as
| much as eleven shillings apiece, and
were given in the form Of a powder
mixed with a little oil.
| The most highly esteemed prescrip-
lions of the clatime apothecary were
those which cost the most. and which
must needs, therefore, include powdered
4 precious stones. "Gascon's powder
was one of the most costly Of these
| indictments being prescribed by the
4 great physicians for their more import
| tant patients. 1t cost forty shilling
| ($96O) an ounce, and was made in equal
parts of crabs eyes, pearls white am
Der, Oriental bezoar and the black tips
Of crabs claws.
Precious stones, too were thought tc
have much efficacy when worn as anu
let's. The ruby protected its wearel
from plague and pestiience; the amethys
kept a man steady and sober; blood
stones stopped bleeding; the onyx pre-
vented epilepsy; the topaz cured in
! flammation; the opal strengthened
weak eyes; and the emerald prevented
foolishness and aided the memory
Concerning the emerald, an old writer
further testifes: 1T takes vain and
| foolish fears as Of devils and hobgo-
blins, folly and anger, and causeth good
conditions; If 1t do so worn about one
reason will tell him that being beaten
! into powder and taken inwardly, 1t will
do much more.
The use of herbs and plants as medi-
cines Of course, agrees with modern
practice; but the old physicians made
the mistake OF considering them as
possessing serni-magical properties. II
was believed that they were the dwell
ing places of good and vii spirits which
Il