THE DECREASE OF GOLD. 503 



would be, without the approval of the physician in attendance. You 

 may otherwise most disastrously conflict with his plan of treatment. 



The patient himself should have no responsibility about the taking 

 of medicine, the preparation of food, or anything else which can be 

 spared him. In all small matters, relieve him entirely of the onus of 

 decision. If there is any doubt in your own mind as to the expedi- 

 ency of this or that measure, do not let him share it. Let him feel 

 that you know, and can be relied upon to do, what is best for him, 

 without any necessity for thought on his part. 



Perfect freedom from anxiety and cheerful surroundings are as 

 essential for his mental, as are free ventilation, absolute cleanliness, 

 and nourishing food for his physical, well-being. These are the ele- 

 ments of good nursing, and surely they are within the reach of all. Se- 

 cure these, and you will have given the sick person under your care 

 the best possible chance for recovery ; at least you will ameliorate 

 his sufferings, and relieve him from many an unnecessary aggravation. 



THE DECREASE OF GOLD. 



By F. von BKIESEN. 



WHEN, in the beginning of 1850, California and Australia sent 

 annually about one hundred and eighty million dollars of gold 

 into the world, national economists became frightened, and Michel 

 Chevalier and Cobden expressed the fear that the world would be com- 

 pletely inundated with a flood of gold. But when, after the year 1867, 

 this production decreased with alarming rapidity, the opposite fears 

 were expressed. As early as 1869, the London " Economist," when 

 reviewing the year past, said that it would be a great blessing if new 

 sources of gold could be discovered, since the production of thirty 

 thousand pounds sterling per year was barely sufficient to cover the 

 necessities of a flourishing commerce, more especially since America 

 consumed a great part of the gold for itself, thus withdrawing it from 

 the European market. Notable statesmen saw in it the cause of the 

 periodically recurring commercial crises ; and Professor Suss, of Vi- 

 enna, demonstrated in his pamphlet, "The Future of Gold," that the 

 present sources of gold are being exhausted, and that the territory 

 in which new deposits might be found is gradually diminishing in 

 extent. 



It is not our purpose, however, to dissuss the national, economical 

 side of the question, but merely to consider it in its scientific bearing. 



Gold and silver are the so-called precious metals, for the simple 

 reason that they are rare. But, if we ask why gold is so scarce, 

 Dr. Siiss answers that its scarcity is caused by its specific gravity. 



