530 



GLEANINGS IN BEK CI LTl KK 



Aug. 15 



hand, with the longer flush with ihe closed 

 end of the saw-kerf. The staple is then 

 driven (with a light hammer) until almost 

 flush with the block. Others may use this 

 method; but if they do they do not so ex- 

 press themselves in words or illustrations. 

 See Mr. Scholl's illustration, page 872, .Tune 

 15, for instance. Where the staple is put in 

 first, one has something solid to hammer 

 on. and the frame is not weakened, as is 

 bound to be the case to a greater or less ex- 

 tent with the other method. 



WHO PAYS THE COST OF HONEY-CANS? 



As to "who pays the cost of the cans?" 

 June 15, page 392, why, the consumer, of 

 course, just as he does when buying cofTee, 

 lard, or any other product that is sold in 

 cans. We either charge enough extra per 

 pound for the honey to cover the cost of the 

 vessel, or sell the full weight of honey and 

 \essel. selling both at the same price per 

 pound, or collect a similar vessel in the place 

 of it and knock off a pound of the total 

 weight. We get the price of the vessel or 

 its equivalent in any case. 



Eola, Texas. 



BEE-STINGS AND RHEUMATISM. 



Wiiat is Rheumatism? Are All of the Reported 

 Cures Permanent ? 



BY DR. A. F. BONNEY. 



As Editor Root says, "Dr. A. F. Bonney 

 * * * has stood almost alone in his conten- 

 tions that bee-stings will not cure rheuma- 

 tism." Among bee-men, yes; but possibly 

 not among doctors, although I have had a 

 deal of trouble to get evidence against even 

 my own side of the argument. For the edi- 

 fication of Mr. Root and others, who per- 

 sistently write about different kinds of 

 rheumatism, I wish to call their attention 

 to the following definition: 



•"It (rheumatism) is to be separated as of 

 distinct (possibly of bacterial) origin, from 

 joint affections caused by gout, plumbism, 

 scarlatina, gonorrhea, septisemia, tubercu- 

 losis, or syphilis." 



The definition further says: "The word 

 (rheumatism) is used with a certain and 

 unfortunate freedom in application to joint 

 pains of various origins and anatomical 

 forms." 



This definition is from the Century Dic- 

 tionary, and alludes to muscular and gon- 

 orrheal rheumatism as other forms. The 

 muscular type of pains are not rheumatism, 

 but myalgia, "a morbid state of the mus- 

 cles, characterized by pain and tenderness. 

 Its pathology is obscure." Which means 

 that we call it "rlieumatism," but we do 

 not know what it is. The other form, the 

 gonorrheal, is called gonorrheal rheuma- 

 tism because the swelling of the joints in 

 those afflicted looks like the swelling caused 

 by rheumatism. 



I-,eaving out these two forms, if for no 

 other reason than that the bee-sting treat- 



ment is recommended for the inflammatory 

 type alone, there remains but one tyjie of 

 disease known as rheumatism, according 

 to the Century Dictionary and the medical 

 lexicons, and that is articular rheumatism, 

 variously rheumatic fever and inflamma- 

 tory rheumatism. A continuation of the 

 disease i)roduces forms called chronic artic- 

 ular rheumatism and ])rogressive chronic 

 articular rheumatism; but as these are but 

 a continuation of the original causation 

 they can not be called any thing different. 

 A summary of the above will read: There 

 is but one disease known to science which 

 is called rheumatism, and that is what is 

 variously called articular rheumatism and 

 inflammatory rheumatism. Muscular rheu- 

 matism may be of the same origin. Gon- 

 orrheal rheumatism is of so rare an occur- 

 rence that I never saw a case and never 

 expect to; and it is not rheumatism — at 

 least as we are discussing it. Now we shall 

 go a step further, and show you a case of the 

 disease. Listen to a world-wide authority: 



Acute articular rheumatism, an acute febrile dis- 

 ease, with pain and inflammation of the joints as 

 prominent symptoms. * * * * it often begins sud- 

 denly, a number of joints are usually attacked, one 

 after the other; the fever Is irregular; there is apt 

 to be profuse sweating; endocarditis, pericarditis, 

 pleuritis, sudamina, erythema nodosum, hyper- 

 pyrexia, and delirium, are more or le.ss frequent 

 features of the case. Its duration is from one to six 

 weeks or more. 



I doubt if any layman ever got opportu- 

 nity to apply bee-stings, or any other treat- 

 ment, to an acute case of rheumatism. 



I now append a letter from the Doctors 

 Wright, Coon & Hoenes, which really needs 

 no comment. However, I might call atten- 

 tion to the fact that hundreds of persons 

 are wearing iron rings which, they assert, 

 relieve rheumatic pains ; others carry pota- 

 toes and horsechestnuts with equally good 

 results. 



Dr. A. F. Bonney: — We received yours of the 9th. 

 and read the clippings. Neither Dr. Hoenes nor 

 myself has had any experience with the bee-stlng 

 cure. It does not look reasonable, and yet the only 

 proof either for or against must be in actually test- 

 ing it in a large number of cases. The advocates 

 seem to have a little the best of the argument, 

 because they claim favorable results from trial, 

 while, so far as I have seen, the opponents do not 

 point to any test they have made. I am not im- 

 pressed with the statements of the advocates of 

 bee-stings, because I have so often seen other 

 "cures" recommended, and very highly prai<ed by 

 unscientific parties, when a careful test showed 

 there was nothing to it. Talk by the average man 

 or woman about so-called cures is likely to be very 

 unreliable. The main comment that occurs to me 

 is that it looks to me quite risky to allow the sting 

 or any other part of an insect to penetrate the skin. 

 There is no way of protecting from poisons in addi- 

 tion to the ordinary sting poison. 



Denlson, Iowa, .luly 13. W. T. Wright. 



I have written to almost every case 

 reported to have been cured which I could 

 get track of. Mr. Land is claims still to be 

 free from disease ; but I could not get to 

 hear from Dr. Buck (?), the man who 

 advised him to try the remedy. Some do 

 not reply; but a letter from Mrs. Mary Rut- 

 tembeck concludes: "May be you can tell 

 me a good remedy that will benefit me; 

 should be glad to know of any thing." I 

 shall state briefly that the lady was not 



