158 
POPULAE SCIEI^CE WEWQ. 
[October, 1891. 
a consequence of the monogamic customs of the 
Indo-European sub-species due to the greater 
esteem in which women are held. But on this 
point we can only speculate. 
In any case the Venus of Milo has the form of a 
very mature woman of her race, and many mod- 
erns can boast of far more graceful figures than 
she. And these figures are not the result of arti- 
ficial compression of the clothing, but are the 
product of a natural evolution of form. It is 
true, however, that all women of the white race 
have not attained this stage, and not a few retain 
the figure of lower races. It is not, however, 
proven that the women possessing this figure are 
any better child-bearers than those of modern 
type. Occasionally we meet women who to a 
robust waist add a narrow pelvis — an unfortunate 
structure, and one not likely to be extensively 
reproduced, owing to the difficult parturition 
which is indicated. 
The women who are not satisfied with the fig- 
ures which Nature has given them, and who en- 
deavor to reduce a naturally robust waist to the 
proportions which characterize their more favored 
sisters, by artificial means, deserve all the repro- 
bation which the above-mentioned reformers be- 
stow so undiscriminatingly on all alike. Excess 
of slenderness is not beautiful, and artificial com- 
pression forces the viscera into positions which 
produce a deformity of the abdominal wall more 
repulsive than a stout waist. 
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSC^ VOLI- 
TANTES. 
People are often frightened almost out of their 
wits by the sudden appearance of flying specks 
before their eyes ; sometimes they are only one or 
two, but often thousands of them can be seen, 
particularly when a person looks toward a white 
surface, as white clouds, white houses, white 
pavements, or towards water surface. These fly- 
ing specks are mostly small points, connected one 
with another by fine lines, and the points often 
presented a beaded appearance. At first, persons 
are likely to try to knock them away, thinking it 
is something before their eyes. They come usu- 
ally in both eyes at the same time. They may 
diminish or increase in number at times, but rarely 
ever disappear entirely. They usually have a 
fixed position in the field, but occasionally they 
move or float about to a limited extent. They 
never interfere with vision by settling over objects 
looked at. They are invisible with the ophthal- 
moscope. Their nature is not well understood. 
The explanation usually given is that they are 
opaque points in the vitreous humor, which throw 
shadows upon the retina and thus become visible. 
Badly focused eyes are most likely to be troubled 
with muscaj volitantes. They signify nothing 
serious so long as they are mere points, connected 
by fine lines, and do not interfere with the acute- 
ness of vision. Treatment is more than useless. 
If the eyes are out of focus, proper glasses should 
be selected. It is important that the patient 
should ignore their presence entirely; should 
avoid seeing them as much as possible and let 
them alone. Large floating masses before the 
eyes, which swim around and often obscure vis- 
ion, are the result of serious disease and should be 
promptly looked after. — A. D. Williams, M. D., 
in St. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal. 
patients, clad in his suit of sober brown or claret 
color, with great shining buttons made of silver 
coins. The full-skirted coats had great pockets 
and flaps, as did the long waistcoat that reached 
well over his hips. Rather short were the sleeves 
of the coat, to show the white ruffles or frills at 
the wrist ; but the forearm was well protected in 
cold weather by the long gauntlets of his riding- 
gloves and by muffetees. Full knee-breeches 
dressed his shapely legs, while fine silk stockings 
and buckled shoes displayed his well-turned calves 
and ankles. But in muddy weather high leather 
boots took the place of fine hose and shoes, and 
his handsome breeches were covered with long 
tow overalls, or ' tongs ' as they were called. On 
his head the doctor wore a cocked hat and wig. 
He owned and wore in turn wigs of diflerent 
sizes and dignity — ties, bags, periwigs, and bobs." 
THE OLD NEW ENGLAND DOCTOR. 
A WRITER in the Atlantic on "The Old New 
England Doctors " says : "I like to think of the 
rich and pompous old doctor riding out to see his 
MEDICAL MISCELLANY. 
A Soda Spree. — Two men drank twenty-nine 
glasses of soda in Milford, Mass., recently, in set- 
tlement of a wager. A great crowd of people 
watched the contest. The winner was taken home 
in a carriage, but his contestant walked home in 
no way troubled by the seven quarts of liquid he 
had imbibed. 
Freaks' Jubilee. — At the Registrar's office in 
South Shields, England, on April 26, a girl only 
32 inches high was married to Professor Hedley, 6 
feet 1 inch high. Humbert, the man without 
arms, gave the bride away, signing the certificate 
by holding the pen between his teeth. The 
bridesmaid was Miss Nina, the iVmerican giantess, 
who weighs 616 pounds. The best man was Capt. 
Dallis, 7 feet 10 inches in height. Gen. Metiloue, 
29 inches high, was one of the wedding party. 
All were connected with a travelling circus going 
through the country. 
An Ounce of Prevention. — Peojile are willing 
and eager to speak in warmest praise of the phy- 
sician who has brought them safely through some 
awful crisis of disease; and rightly. But how 
seldom do they recognize or appreciate that greater 
skill which detects disease in its early stages, and 
so promptly and wisely treats it that the patient 
does not go down into the shadow of death, says 
the Healthy Home. The greatest skill is habitually 
displayed in treating the every-day ailments, so 
commonly- regarded as trivial and unimportant; 
and almost every physician of large experience 
will tell you that much of his best work passes 
unrecognized and unthought of. Indeed, his 
greatest — many times his only — reward comes 
from the consciousness of a good work well done. 
From an Amusing Paper on "Our Predeces- 
sors, the Barber Surgeons," read by Dr. Embleton 
before the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries, .and 
reported in the Hospital Gazette, we learn that the 
barbers were fined for trimming their customers 
on the Sabbath day, and fines were also imposed 
when members used "ill words" to each other. 
For "giving" members the "lie" fines respect- 
ively of from three to six pence had been made. 
Were these excellent rules in force nowadays, and 
if the proceeds were put into a medical poor-box, 
instituted ad hoc, we should have the nucleus of a 
very useful charity to assist those left destitute 
by our less fortunate fellows. A rough calcula- 
tion, based on the number of infractions com- 
mitted during the last few weelis, shows that 
several "most jjotent, grave, and reverend seig- 
niors " would be mulcted in very substantial sums, 
and one can only regret that no machinery exists 
for levying this tribute. 
The Popular Science News 
AND 
Boston Journal of Chemistry. 
A Monthly Journal devoted to the popular 
presentation of all the branches of 
Physical and Natural Science, and 
THE results OF THE LATEST DIS- 
COVERIES AND INVESTIGATIONS. 
Popular Science News Company, 
PUBLISHERS, 
5 Somerset Street, Boston. 
SETH C. BASSETT, - Manager. 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES. 
One Dollar per year, post paid. One Dollar and Twenty- 
five Cents to foreign countries in Postal Union. 
ADVERTISING RATES 
For any amount of space or time furnished on application. 
Liberal discounts on yearly contracts. 
No advertisements of doubtful nature inserted at any price. 
^tibli§h)ep§' ©elumn. 
It will well repay our readers to read the sixth page of 
advertisements. 
Me. Bkadlee Whidden publishes some rare books for 
(lembers of the A. A. and others. See his advertisement. 
M'HEN carrying an umbrella a short man holds it at an 
angle of 75 degrees. An Esterbrook Pen should be held 
when writing at an angle of 55 degrees. 
Dixon's American Graphite Pencils are made in ten 
degrees of hardness, and are used in more schools and col- 
leges than any other pencils. Ask for Dixon's and take no 
other. 
" I REGARD Colden's LIQUID Beef TONIC as C-Xtremcly 
useful in cases of debility and general depression, and as 
an article of food containing tonic properties it is highly 
useful."— A. Jackson, M.D.',. Professor Laval University, 
Quebec. 
The ice crop may be a failure this coming winter, as it 
was in the winter of 1889-90. Take time by the forelock and 
order one of David Botle's Artificial Ice Machines, 
which make a superior quality of ice at about the same cost 
as that of cutting and storing the natural product. 
Thatee's Tri-Ferment COMr. is a remarkably ellicient 
preparation of pepsin and other agents which aid in the 
processes of digestion and assimilation of food. It is 
claimed to be of much greater strength than any other 
similar preparation on the market, and is worthy a trial by 
physicians. Free samples may be -obtained of the manu- 
facturers. 
"Electricity Simplified" is the title of a work just 
publii'hed that will 1111 a long-felt want. Everybody wants 
to know what is electricity, and this work explains the sub- 
ject in a popular manner, and sirapllfleB it so that it can be 
readily understood. The autlior, T. O'Conor Sloane, is one 
of the editors of tlie Scientific American, and is an authori- 
tative writer on the subject. It sells for *1.00, and is pub- 
lished by Norman W. Henlet & Co., 150 Nassau street, 
New York. 
Dk. L. Waite, Pittsneld, Mass., says: "It gives me 
much pleasure to express the satisfaction I have derived 
from the administration of Horsford's Acid Phosphate. 
It has been found to be particularly efllcacious in chronic 
dyspepsia, as -(veli as in those conditions of the system 
where there is loss of nerve power. From its use for a 
period of about eight weeks, to the exclusion of all other 
remedies, I attributed the restoration to health of a patient 
who was emaciated to the last degree in consequence of 
nervous prostration and dyspepsia. This patient's stomach 
was in such an irritable condition tliat he could not bear 
either liquid or solid food. An accomplished physician of 
many years' experience, whom I called in consultation, 
pronounced his case an incurable one. At this stage I 
decided to use Horsford's Acid rnosPHATE, which re- 
sulted as above nigntioncd." 
