48 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 



[March, 1888. 



A CHINESE MEDICINE ADVERTISEMENT. 



The North China Herald givos the following as a 

 translation of an advertisement in a native paper, 

 commending the "Fairy Receipt for Lengthening 

 Life Pills." " The receipt for these," declares the 

 advertiser, " has come down to us from the physician 

 HsU Ch'un-fu in the time of (he Ming dynasty. A 

 salt controller, Ch'6n-ta-jen, was journeying on the 

 Ch'ing-ch'eng Hill, when he saw a woman passing 

 southwards over the mountain-tops as though fly- 

 ing. Her age was about thhty; and in her hand 

 was a stick, and she was pursuing an old fellow of 

 a hundred years. The salt controller asked the 

 woman, ' Why do you beat that old man ? ' She 

 answered, ' He is my grandson, for I am five 

 hundred years old, and he a hundred and eleven. 

 He will not purify himself or take his medicine, 

 and so I am beating him.' The salt controller 

 alighted from his horse, and knelt down and did 

 obeisance to her, saying, ' Give me, I pray, this 

 drug, that I may hand it down to posterity for the 

 salvation of mankind.' Hence it got its name. It 

 will cure all affections of the three intestines, and 

 derangements of the seven emotions, constitutional 

 debility, feebleness in moving about, dimness of 

 vision, rheumatic pains in the loins and knees, and 

 cramp in the feet. A dose is two mace. Take it 

 for five days, and the body will feel light; take it 

 for ten days, and your spirits will become brisk ; for 

 twenty days, and the voice will be strong and clear, 

 and your hands and feet supple; for one year, and 

 white hairs become black again, and you move 

 as though flying. Take it constantly, and the 

 hundred ills will vanish, and you will pass a long 

 life without growing old. Price per bottle, $1." 



MEDICAL MEMORANDA. 



It is not an uncommon thing to have the tem- 

 perature of a typhoid-fever patient rise as much as 

 two degrees when a storm is approaching, and 

 then revert again when the storm is settled or over. 



Wash to Perfume the Breath. — Cloves 

 bruised in a mortar, three teaspoonf uls ; boiling 

 water, one pint. Infuse for an hour in a covered 

 vessel, exactly as in making tea; when cold, de- 

 cant or filter through coarse muslin. Wash the 

 mouth with it as often as may seem necessary. 



A New Local Anj-:sthetic. — Professor Wil- 

 helm Jllehne of Breslau has discovered that the 

 union of tropin, a moLicule derived from atropia, 

 with benzoic acid, produces a substance which he 

 names benzoyltropin. He states that it produces an 

 "exquisite local ana;slhetic effect." It has also 

 mydriatic power, paralyzing the accommodation. 

 Filehne states that it is the benzoyl molecule in 

 cocaine which is the active agent. Benzoyltropin 

 is the nearest approach to cocaine. It is much 

 higher in price, and Kas greater mydriatic power. 



A New Military IIation. — All the garrisons 

 within the limit of the Seventh German Army 

 Corps have now been provided with larger samples 

 of the new article of food which is in future to form 

 the so-called "iron ration" of the men in the 

 field. It is a peculiar kind of bread, in the shape 

 of small cubes the size of a chocolate drop, made 

 of fine wheat bread, strongly spiced, and calculated 

 to keep for a long time. When taken into the 

 mouth it quickly softens, and is both palatable 

 and nutritious. It is chiefly intended for forced 

 marches, when there is no time for camping and 

 cooking. 



Very Old Age. — 1 he death is reported from 

 Constantinople of a man named Dimitrios Antippa 

 at the extraordinary age of one hundred and fifteen 

 years. The deceased was born at Cephalonia in 

 1772 ; and, though in his later years he settled down 

 as a merchant in the Turkish capital, he bad passed 



his earlier days in Paris during the Reign of Ter- 

 ror, having had among his personal friends Marat, 

 Danton, and Robespierre. To the last, M. Antippa 

 retained his clearness of intellect. 



Toilet Vinegar. — Oils of lavender, rosemary, 

 juniper, peppermint, cinnamon, of each four ounces ; 

 oil of lemon, oil of cloves, of each eight minims; 

 alcohol, three fluid ounces; pure acetic acid, four 

 fluid ounces; water, q. s., to make sixteen fluid 

 ounces. Dissolve the oils in the alcohol, add the 

 acetic acid, and then enough water to make sixteen 

 fluid ounces in all. Set the turbid mixture aside 

 for a few days, occasionally shaking it up, and 

 afterwards filter through good filter-paper. 



Alcohol in Wine. — It may be laid down as a 

 rule that wine containing more than 13 per cent 

 of alcohol is fortified, especially if, as in sherries, 

 the alcohol is from 15 to 20 per cent, and in the 

 case of port is from 17 to 21 per cent. The aver- 

 age amount of alcohol in the French red wines is 

 10.44 per cent, and in white, such as champagnes, 

 about 11 per cent; in hocks and Moselles, about 

 10 per cent ; in Spanish wines, about 17 per cent; 

 in ports, 17 or 18 per cent; in Madeira, 16 or 16.1 

 or 16.2 per cent. 



— ♦ — 



HUMORS. 



"Why, Pat! for Heaven's sake, -what is the 

 matter? " ■ — " Well, son-, I swallied a pertater-bug; 

 and although, sorr, I took some parrus-green widin 

 five minutes after, ter kill th' baste, shtill he's just 

 raisin' th' devil inside o' me, sorr." 



An Exchange says: "They all call it 'mind- 

 cure ' in Boston and ' voudooism ' on the Southern 

 plantations ; but about the only difference is in the 

 name and in the fact that the voudoo charges less. 



Desperate. — Physician (to patient): Your case 

 is a very serious one, sir, and I think a con- 

 sultation had better be lield. 



Patient (too sick to care for any thing): Very 

 well, doctor: have as many accomplices as you 

 like. 



A Miser, troubled with heart-disease, finally 

 decided to call a physician. After the preliminary 

 examination, the patient asked: "Doctor, how 

 much is it going to cost?" — "Not a sou." — 

 " Thanks ; but you're too kind. I ought not to " 

 — " Oh don't you trouble yourself. Your heirs 

 will see that I am paid." 



Elderly Man (staring at immigrant who has 

 just landed): What a singular-looking person! 

 His face is all covered with little depressions. Was 

 he born that way, do you think? or was he captured 

 by savages, and mutilated? 



Bystander: Captured, nothing! That man once 

 had the small-pox, that's all. Didn't you ever see 

 a man pitted like that before? 



Elderly Man: Small-pox? Ah, that is some- 

 thing like cholera, is it not? 



Bystander (impatiently): Jumpin' Jerusalem, 

 man ! where have you lived all your life ? 



Elderly Man (with dignity) : Sir, I am a mem- 

 ber of the New York City Board of Health. 



A Prominent Physician tells the following 

 good story of his early struggles in his profession : 

 " I insinuated to my reverend friend how ad- 

 vantageous it would be to me if he would notice 

 my being called occasionally out of church, and he 

 did. Dr. Grosgrain, my chief competitor, wanted 

 some too, and he also insisted on receiving clerical 

 attention. Tlie next Sunday an office-boy came 

 running into the building, and whispered to my 

 opponent, who immediately left. The pastor, who 

 was about to begin his sermon, hesitated, and then 

 said: ' Brethren, let us pray for a sick man who is 

 in great danger : Dr. Grosgrain has been called to 

 see him.' This settled the doctor, and left the 

 field to me." 



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Dr. W. a. M. Culbert, Newburgh, N.Y., writes : 

 " Colden's Liquid BeefTonio is an excellent article 

 for the purposes for which it is offered. I recall 

 patients by whom it was taken with eagerness and 

 great benefit after domestic beef teas and other beef 

 preparations had become repulsive." 

 ♦ 



McArthub's H YP0PH0SPHITE3. — McArthur's hypo- 

 phosphites is made only for physicians. The size of 

 the bottle has been increased from nine to nearly 

 twelve ounces by measure. If you wish to test this 

 valuable compound, the Company will send a sample 

 bottle free, except express charges. 



The Jackson Ventilating Gkate combines the 

 ventilation and clieertul appearance of an open fire- 

 place with the heating power of a furnace. The waste 

 of heat which occurs in an ordinary iireplace is pre- 

 vented, and, if desired, two rooms may be thoroughly 

 warmed by the same fire. In the chilly days of 

 spring and early summer this grate can be used in 

 place of the winter heating arrangements, with a great 



saving of fuel. 



— »-^ 



Mr. David Boyle of Chicago has lately contracted 

 to build the following ice-making machines: — 



30 tons daily for Knoxville, Tenn., Ice Co. 



45 " " " Atlanta, Ga., City Brewing Co. 



15 " " " Greenville, Miss., Ice & Coal Co. 

 5 " " " Kissimmee Ice Factory Co., Fla. 



Every one of these purchasers have had many j'ears' 

 experience with these machines already, thus furnish- 

 ing strongest proof of the superiority of the Boyle 

 machines. 



Dk. L. Waite, Pittsfield, Mass., says : " It gives 

 me much pleasure to express the satisfaction I have 

 derived from tlie administration of Horsford's Acid 

 Phosphate. It has been found to be particularly effi- 

 cacious in chronic dyspepsia as well as in those condi- 

 tions of the system where there is loss of nerve-power. 

 From its use for a period of about eight weelss, to the 

 exclusion of all otlier remedies, I attributed the resto- 

 ration of 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 that he could not bear either liquid 

 or solid food. An accomplished physician of many 

 years' e.vperieuce, whom I called in consultation, pro- 

 nounced liis case an incurable one. At this stage I 

 decided to use Horsford's Acid Phosphate, which re- 

 sulted as above mentioned." 



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young women. BuildingB uiiBurpassed. Twcnty-flve 

 acres — twelve in crove; Take for rowing and skating. 

 ClBBpicai and genenil course of study ; also preparatory and 

 optional. For circulara and adniisaion. apply to Mi88 

 A. £. JOHNSON, Principal, Bradford, Mass. 



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