The Washington herald., 1917-01-21
DOG, LAMB OR FOUNT,
ALL PERPETUAL life
Ponce de Leon Was Cheated by
Shouting Monopoly. Says Scientist.

Ponce de Leon went the wrong diree-
t'on when he sought his fountain of
perpetual youth in America. He should
nave gone to the East instead of the
West = -
Randolph l. Geare, chief of the diyi-
sion or correspondence, National Museum,
living at 1872 Chaplin street northwest,
could nave given the early explorer
some valuable pointers.
he could have told Senior Ponce tha:
In oriental countries there is a 'scythian
lamb" known in China as the golden
haired dog" actually nothing more that
tne woolly root of a plant called
kouchi,' which even up to this day is
sun regarded by many as super
natural means Of renewing youth.
Mr.. Geare. who has made a study of
magic and mummery practiced by the
medicine men" of many savage and
semi-savage races. as well as of races
advanced in civilization, has contributed
an interesting article on this subject in
American medicine.
He makes category of "prac-
TONERS and fakirs, enumersting the
beliefs OF their dupes and describes some
of the preposterous deceptions practiceo
upon their ailing clientele. Mr.. Geare
writes In part:
There are the worst kind of fakirs
among savage and semi-savsge tribes.
For instance, their medicine men pre-
tend to suck poison from a patient 5
body or cough up an arrow point or
small pieces of stone or bone. which
they make believe have been transferred
from the patients to them by the evil
spirit of another sorcerer.
The Eskimo medicine men pretend to
be able to prolong life indefinitely and
excuse their own mortality on the
ground that when members of their
class die II is because they have been
overcome by some stronger medicine
men. They profess to be able to change
, themselves into stone or wood, to walk
on the water or to fly, but they cum
ningly make the proviso that no one
may be allowed to see them do 1t!
AN Eskimo healer rubs the seat OF
his patients disease, blows on it and
then pretends to withdraw his hand with
the greatest difficulty, as though he
were extracting a heavy load of pain.
AT the same time he looks upward.
rolls his eyes and groans
Then he throws the disease violently
away and. breathing again more freely,
demands immediate payment of an ex-
orbitant fee.
Perhaps it is not so very astounding
after all, that ignorant people OF all
races should have been easily led from
tlmc lmmemorlal TO oelleNe In the cura-
tive powers of magic healers and in the
efficacious properties of certain natural
objects prepared by them. All they had
to do was believe and their faith cured
them, Stones, such as the turquoise,
have for ages been endowed with divine
attributes, and by their means men,
birds, beasts, fishes and plants were
made to grow and bear fruit
I'm some parts of Japan the mere skin
of snake is still supposed to be SOW
ereign cure for pains in the abdomen.
Turtles are regarded with great awe in
China and elsewhere, and so too are
tigers bones and carbonized monkeys,
skulls, which latter are prepared by put
ting them into clay vessels exposed to
heat until the crania' are thoroughly
calcined. Birds, too. are carbonized for
medicinal purposes, while the nests of
certain swallows, made out of the gela-
tinous substances OF seaweeds partly
digested and disgorged. form a most in
vigorating tonic for the sick"
Mr.. Geare has been on sick leave for
the past nine months, ailing from a gem
eral breakdown.