Evening star., 1939-03-13
BY ROBERT A. ERWIN.

BY ROBERT A. ERWIN.
Clever people, these Chinese. And
their doctors are clever, too.
This is the verdict of DR.. Joseph
A. Mendelson, retired Army medical
officer, home again in Washington
after almost 10 years in Tientsin,
China.
Fascinated by the Orient and its
people, DR.. Mendelson developed an
unusual hobby-the study of Chinese
medicine, Chinese doctors and the
collection of Chinese drugs. In fact,
he has become an authority on them.
His collection has assumed the
proportions of a magicianS para
phernalia. One by one. in jars and
boxes, DR.. Mendelson produced his
exhibits.
For example, there are two very
dry. very dead frogs, and believe it
or not, Chinese doctors use them
in the treatment of heart trouble
DR.. Mendelson, displaying his
frogs. said their use did not consti-
tute quackery. The Chinese doctors
scrape their backs-the backs of the
dead frogs-and from them comes
a fluid which is administered in
ternally to heart sufferers.
THAT excresence," recounted the
doctor, has an effect on the heart
similar to that of our own digitalis.
1t Is stimulant"
From heart Chinese-Dr
Mendelson went to thyroid Chinese.
He recalled how Chinese boy
with thyroid trouble was given iodine
by foreign doctor in TientSin. The
treatment did no good
Native Treatment Works.
The boy went to Chinese doctor.
The native physician administered
mixture of deer horn, fossilized
bone and sea horse. Dr. Mendelson
has all three ingredients in his
Chinese medical and drug kit
This mixture cured the Chinese
boys thyroid trouble From this
deer horn Dr. Mendelson said,
the Chinese doctor obtained pow
dered organic bone. From the fos-
silized bone, he derived calcium,
and from the sea horse. a small,
fossilized, dragon shaped fish. there
came iodine and calcium. That's
why the treatment worked"
Don't get the impression from
these stories that DR.. Mendelson
believes altogether in Chinese doc
tors. He knows them too we'll. He
recognizes they have been more than
1000 years ahead of their Western
world colleagues in development and
use of drugs. He also knows the
old Chinese medical profession is
full of superstition, tradition and
unintentional quackery.
These clever Chinese doctors rely
lot on pulse reading, sometimes
entirely. In some cases, they will
not enter the room OF woman
patient, but they can still read her
pulse.
DR.. Mendelson drew from a box
several strands of fancy, colored
thread. Strings of this thread are
tied to each wrist of the patient
by member of the family and then
passed out the window to the doctor,
who is standing outside.
Prescribing BY Model.
"I've seen old Chinese doctors
hold these strands of thread
tightly and seriously" said DR.. Men,
delson. "They would shake their
heads, nod and assume other poses.
And after reading the patients pulse
with the thread, they would pre-
scribe. And the patient, well, either
she'd get we'll or she wouldn't"
There is still another way for a
Chinese doctor to treat q woman
patient without seeing her. He car
ries small native ornament, the
model of woman's body. This or
nament is sent to the woman's sick
bed. With a pencil or crayon she
marks on the charm the spot where,
on her own body, she is ailing. And
the doctor prescribes accordingly.
How does Chinese doctor get to
be doctor? DR.. Mendelson, allow
ing for modern members of the
profession who have attended rec
ognized medical schools, answered
by way Of illustration.
There was one old man." he re-
called, "who laid his qualifications
to practice medicine to the fact that
he had poured water over the hands
of the great Mackenzie, a Scotch
medical missionary"
From his photograph album DR..
Mendelson drew his own snapshot
of the interior of q Chinese temple
where natives with eye trouble, in
cluding those wearing eyeglasses. 60
in an effort to cure their Affections
of sight.
Then from his Chinese kit the
doctor pulled out another charm
two small bags, each painted with
an eye, connected by string.
Returned Month Ago.
"You put this charm around your
neck when you go into the temple"
he said. Inside, the priests are
burning joss sticks. In front OF the
Buddha there is shiny brass plate.
Those seeking the cure rub their
hands on the plate CDR. Mendelson
had the plate. too) and then cover
the eyes With their hands. This =