The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-02-27
N MEDICINES.
some Astonishing Things Which Are
Used M Curas for nfsauxa~

some Astonishing Things Which Are
Used as Cures for Diseases.
Wondrous are the remedies used by
The Chinese in their pharmacop9ia.
The sovereign of all medicines is the
najoon, composed of pearls and other
precious stones ground to a powder.
Next TO majoon m spotted rhinocer-
IS horn. 1t appears that the ordinary
variety is of little value, but the spot
ed horn is a wonderful cure for intes-
.inal troubles. This horn, or the ami
nal to which it pertains, is found
chiefly in the Philippine Islands, and
ut Singapore a single specimen will
BRING as high as $50. Horns of many
kinds are held in great esteem by the
Chinese. Deer horns in the velvet are
lsed in extreme cases, but they must be
Of an exact shade of color, and when
IF that shade will bring from $50 to
5000 a pair in the wholesale market.
Old deer horns are boiled down to
make the medicinal glue which binds
he forty or sixty ingredients compos-
ne the average Chinese pill.
Equal in medicinal efficacy to the
above are three high-grade tiger RENE
lies-the eyeball, liver and blood. AS
may be imagined, tiger eyeball, i. e.
he genuine article, can be prescribed
for only the exceedingly wealthy Chi
lese, their Morgans, Astors and Van
lerbilts. Similarly the liver when dried
and reduced to a powder is worth its
weight in gold all aver the Orient.
lriger blood when evaporated to a sed-
iment at a temperature of ITO degrees
md taken in the form of powder is be-
lieved by all Asiatics to make a re-
ioubtable warrior out of the most crav-
an hearted.
OF recent years the United States
las come to supply the Chinese with a
great part of one of their most highly
DriZed medicines, ginseng root. Ordi-
nary cultivated ginseng may be pur-
chased for SO an ounce, but the wild
root may run up to a thousand times
its weight in silver, or somewhere in
The neighborhood of $500 an ounce. The
latter variety wrapped in silk and en-
cased in several metal-lined boxes to
protect it from moisture, is often ex-
changed among wealthy Chinese as a
present. Such specimens of ginseng
must not be handled or eyen breathed
upon for fear of detracting from their
virtue.
As liniments the Chinese physicians
pin their faith briefly to the fats and
oils of serpents. Apparently the more
deadly the serpent the greater is the
benefit to be derived from its extract.
Thus in cases of chronic rheumatism
the Chinese doctor can do no better
than recommend cobra tail oil imported
from India.
In connection with Chinese medicine
it may occur to many people that they
have never seen a Chinaman bereft of
an arm, leg or other member Of his
body. The reason for this is that all
Orientals maintain a profound objec-
ton to surgical operations. Indeed,
they much prefer to die rather than to
be deprived of a member, because as it
is undeniable that they came into the
world with two arms, two legs, eight
fingers, two thumbs, etc, they must
of necessity go out of it with the same
number. Otherwise nee on the other
side they might be sent to hunt for a
missing member and spend the greater
part of eternity in finding it. Perhaps
the nearest approach to internal sur
gerry that a Chinese doctor will attempt
is to stand ON the patients body and
with his bare feet move about on the
part afflicted. In dentistry the Chinese
have reached the discovery that the
nerve is a. worm, and the best method
to treat an aching tooth is to loosen it
by driving in wedges in order that the
worm may escape.