Maech 25, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



399 



(skin- water), completes this remarkably 

 simple materia medica. These nostrums 

 affect beneficially different organs and parts 

 of the body ; ' Scrofoloso No. 5 ' is prescribed 

 for diseases of the skin, the muscles and 

 the spinal marrow ; ' Canceroso l^o. 2 ' is 

 particularly good for subcutaneous cellular 

 tissue ; 'Angioitico ISTo. 1 ' aiJects the heart, 

 the blood vessels and the arterial circula- 

 tion generally. ISTearly all the medica- 

 ments are used internally and externally 

 with equal success; moreover, when ad- 

 ministered internally, the nature of their 

 action depends on the size of the dose, even 

 contrary resalts being obtained by varying 

 the quantity prescribed. This property 

 compensates for the small number of medi- 

 cines; and the more ill the patient the 

 smaller the dose of the required article. 



The five vegetable electricities ' level the 

 differences of tension of the polarities in the 

 nervous system ; ' the blue electricity acts 

 on the arterial system, the green on the 

 veinous system, and the white is neutral 

 and can be used indifferently. The yellow 

 electricity can be given safely to hysterical 

 persons. 



As might be expected, this method of 

 treatment has been applied to the domestic 

 animals, and the literature of the subject 

 contains a ' Veterinary Guide ' (Bologna, 

 1893). 



The fame of Mattel's cures attracted to 

 Bologna pilgrims from far and wide, to the 

 great dissatisfaction of the regular physi- 

 cians. In 1869 Pope Pius IX. gave him part 

 of the hospital at Santa Theresa, where he 

 accomplished such marvellous cures that 

 the crowds had to be controlled by soldiers. 

 In the same year the first publications 

 appeared, of which the most noteworthy 

 is that by Dr. C. F. Zimpel, entitled: 

 ' Therapeutics of Vegetable Electricity.' 

 For many years Mattel treated all patients 

 gratuitously, but when be saw conscience- 

 less speculators reaping a harvest by the 



misuse of his system he organized in his 

 palace a commercial company for the man- 

 ufacture of medicines and the protection of 

 the public. 



Meanwhile the Count devoted his tireless 

 energies to other matters ; he improved the 

 neighboring roads, built bridges and looked 

 after the material and spiritual welfare of 

 those living on his domain. At present the 

 palace of Mattel is almost entirely given up 

 to the industrial enterprise ; the official or- 

 gan, Moniteur de I'Electro-Homeopathie, is 

 edited there, and the Bolognese mansion 

 is the center of benign influence. Mattel 

 lived in simple luxury ; he never married, 

 but devoted himself to the philanthropic 

 work of diminishing the sum of human 

 misery and the accumulation of personal 

 wealth. 



He died April 3, 1896, and was buried in 

 a sepulchre of his own construction at his 

 castle of Eocchetta ; the business of manu- 

 facturing vegetable electricity of all colors 

 being now carried on by his adopted son, 

 Mario Venturoli-Mattei. 



Verily the limbics fatuorwn needs to be 

 most spacious ! 



The disciples of Count Mattel allege that 

 he possessed occult knowledge of nature de- 

 rived from the iatro- chemical school founded 

 by Paracelsus, though some claim for it still 

 greater antiquity. " Passing by Plato, Moses 

 and St. John," writes Saturnus^'^ " the his- 

 tory of spagyrical philosophy begins with 

 Albertus Magnus, Eaymund Lully and Roger 

 Bacon, of the thirteenth century, but reached 

 its highest development under Paracelsus." 

 One of its brightest luminaries was Hahne- 

 mann. Mattel, however, is said to have 

 found the kernel of his philosophy in the 

 writings of John Baptist van Helmont, who 

 died in 1644. Since that time the knowl- 

 edge of secret medicines has been preserved 



* latro-chimie et Electro-Hom(5opathie. Traduit de 

 V Allemand. Paris, 1897. 18mo. Portraits of 

 Paracelsus and Count Mattei. 



