828 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



I'oaiing' for some time back. I think it is 

 more apt to occur when I catch cold. 



Let m.e suggest in closing that a thorough 

 cleansing and washing of the whole body 

 evei'y day is certainlj' a good investment of 

 time — much better tlian depending on drugs 

 of any kind. Let me say again that I give 

 my whole body a thorough washing every 

 day of my life, and this includes eyes, ears, 

 throat, teeth, and eveiything else; and in 

 washing my liead I devote extra time to 

 massaging with my fingers all around my 

 ears and throat in order to stir up to activ- 

 ity as much as possible these useful and 

 important adjuncts to the enjoyment of 

 life. After being thoroughly washed and 

 rubbed, while free from clothing or other 

 obstructions, I swing my arms and go 

 through Avith my physical exercises I have 

 before mentioned, so as to get up an appe- 

 tite for breakfast; and after I get dressed 

 up I feel in excellent trim to go out and hoe 

 in the garden until Mrs. Root pounds on the 

 window. About that time I am in good 

 shape for breakfast, you may be sure. 



THE PATEXT-MEDICINE BUSINESS AJ^D 

 QUACKERY. 



I hold in my hand a 24-page pamphlet 

 sent out by tlie American Medical Associa- 

 tion, of Chicago, entitled, " At the Bar of 

 Public Opinion." This pamphlet quotes 

 from thirty to forty leading periodicals in 

 regard to the patent-medicine business. 

 Among them are Collier's WeeJdi/, Harper's 

 Weekly, Neiv York Tribune, Burlinrjton 

 Hav'keye. Chicago Daily Tribune, Labor 

 World, Cleveland News, and the Rural 

 New-Yorker We quote from the latter : 



When all publishers realize, as all will be forcna 

 to realize, some day, that they cannot retain the 

 respect of their readers and print sermons on one 

 page and advertisements' of fake medical nostrums 

 on another, there will be less need of government 

 supervision over journalistic enterprise. The very 

 fact that " a sick man will try anything to get well" 

 places an obligation upon publishers which they can 

 no longer afford to ignore. 



It seems the whole wide world is waking 

 up to the waste of money and damage to 

 health tliat comes from the drug habit or 

 from answering some newspaper advertise- 

 ment instead of consulting a family doctor 

 or some educated physician who has the 

 reputation of being a good honest man. 

 The editor of the Rural New-Yorker made 

 use of this expression in a private letter 

 received a few days ago : 



The idea of doctorinf; a man by mail, never hav- 

 ing a chance to see him or examine hini personally, 

 has always struck me as a fool proposition. 



Of course the quacks and patent-medi- 

 cine venders say the doctors are against 

 them because it injures their business; but 



1 Ihink this is a mistake. Much of the 

 business, especially the serious and difficult 

 business that our doctors have to meet, is 

 the patient who is seemingly beyond recov- 

 ery from the use of stimulating or habit- 

 forming drugs. I know something about 

 the matter, for a near and dear relative 

 found she could not go oii with her work 

 in the ofhce without the use of headache 

 powders; and she kept on using them until 

 she was suddenly stricken down ; and in 

 spite of all the aid a competent physician 

 could gi^'e she died in just a few hours. 

 Why, I am ashamed to confess that, years 

 ago, we kept headache powders in our 

 store, so (hat any of our help in any of the 

 different depai'tments could go on with his 

 .vork by using headache powders when 

 otherwise he would have to go home and 

 take a rest. 



This same pamphlet I have mentioned 

 contains a list of leaflets exposing and ex- 

 plaining the various medical fakes such as 

 cancer fakes, consumption-cure fakes, epi- 

 leptic-euro fakes, medical institutes, miner- 

 al waters, oxydonor and similar fakes, san- 

 atogen, cure for drinking, smoking, etc. 



Just a word about cancer and consump- 

 tion. I believe that the general opinion of 

 those who are best able to judge is that 

 every medicine advertised to cure cancer 

 and consumption is a fake. Of course all 

 Ihese diseases may often be cured, btit the 

 cure does not come from the stuff that you 

 get out of a bottle. Consumption is cured 

 by getting in the open air, getting interest- 

 ed in something that not only occupies the 

 mind but the body as well — every muscle of 

 it if possible. A few years ago a man Avho 

 was pronounced incurable by the doctors on 

 account of consumption took it into his 

 head that he could go to California on foot. 

 When he started out he could walk only a 

 short distance without resting. But he had 

 pluck enough and faith enough to keep on ; 

 and lie soon discovered that he could walk 

 .T little further every day than he had done 

 the day before. Tn this way he got well 

 and strong. 



Down in Floi'ida you can find almost any 

 number of people who got Avell after the 

 doctors had given them up by going down 

 there and keeping chickens, bees, or making 

 garden. They simply got bu.sy and happy 

 with something that kept them outdoors 

 under's God's blue sky every hour of the 

 day. Some of them not only worked out- 

 doors but slept outdoors and ate their meals 

 outdoors. When the world wakes up to the 

 fact that this is the only way to get well, 

 the venders of stuff put ujo in bottles will 

 be driven to some other method of making 

 a living. 



