Evening star., 1935-03-29
They are closely related to other
forms of elementary life which dc
cause serious human disorders.

They are closely related to other
forms Of elementary life which do
cause serious human disorders.
It Is true enough that infuSi0nS for
the purpose Of feeding baby fishes are
made differently than infusions of
herbs for human consumption.
The former are created as the re-
suit OF several days working, composed
| OF bacterial action, first to create the
food for the infusorians and then the
bringing into being of the latter, in
another Of those magical happenings
Of Nature which the microscope has
revealed to mankind. The entire proc
ess takes several days and the tenn
perature of the water is usually
around 70 degrees for best results.
Infusion of herbs is different. It is
done with boiling water and the parts
OF the, plant used soaked in this until
cool, then strained of.
1t will be realized at once that this
process probably would not result in
the creation of infusorians any more
than does the familiar brewing of
tea or coffee.
And yet such a curious thing is the
mind OF man that many a person &C.
quainted with the two processes de-
scribed will steadfastly refuse to drink
even the old-fashioned sassafras tea
of youth any more.
This Is Thickness" undoubtedly,
yet 1t Is just this spirit of care which
has resulted in so much gain in the
| modern world in the elimination Of
many oldfashioned diseases. For
there are old-fashioned diseases Just
as there are old-fashioned remedies
for them, and many a strict modern
will pause to believe now and then
that many old-fashioned ills might
not have got such a hold on mankind
| il so much credence had not been put
in such old-fashioned remedies.
D + X II
Perusal Of any reasonably complete
herbal will reveal that much of this
lore Is empiric to degree.
Empiricism, Of course, simply means
resting on observation and experiment,
rather than theory. The secondary
meaning Of the word is ''quack," !"
which is the term often flung at the
unorthodox in any line by those who
believe completely In prevailing au-
thority.
The Pipsissewa, or ground holly,
once was used by plain people as a
diuretic, and no doubt scores might
yet be found right in the heart Of
| any large city who still use it.
The various Sempervivums have be-
come popular in recent days as rock
garden plants, but long ago they had
vast reputation, particularly the
Live for Ever, or Aaron's Rod, as a
wart remedy. The leaves were sliced
in two, and the inner surface applied.
Practically all of the wildfiowers,
now enjoying the vogue given to all
old things in q sophisticated age
when already we are tiring Of the
new, have their uses in herbal lore
There is scarcely familiar wilding
which some one or other, in the
past or even now. has not used to
cure one or more Of the hundreds ills
to which flesh is heir.
| II this old knowledge Is used with
discretion, with some proper guidance,
who is there to say it nay?
Surely 1t has a certain intrigue
about it, going back to the very roots
Of the race. There Is something high
ly picturesque in the use Of the chill
dren Of the fields as remedial agents
1t means that one depends upon him.
self. and his own brain. First he
must be sure, however, that he has q
| good one.