THE STAB OF THE NORTH.
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VOLUME 7.
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(ggTCDHOIB ggMMfSyST,
VCR CHILDHOOD
BY GEO. D. PRENTICE.
'Tis sad—yet sweet to listen
To the soft wind's gentle swell,
And think we hear the music
Our childhood loved so well;
To gaze out on the even
And the boundless fields of air,
And feel again our boyish wish,
To roam like augels there!
There are many dreams of gladness,
That cling around tho past—
And from the tomb of feeling
Old thoughts aro throbbing fast
The forms we loved so dearly,
In the happy days now gone,
Tho beautiful and lovely,
So fair to look upon.
Those bright and lovely maidens
Who seemed so formed for bliss,
T>io glorious and too heavenly
For such a world as this!
Whose soft dark eyes seemed swimming
In a sea of liquid light,
And whose locks of gold were streaming
O'er brows so Bunny bright.
Whose smiles were like the sunshine
In the spring time of the year—
Like the changeful gleams of April,
They followed every tear!
They have passed—like hope—away—
All their loveliness has fled—
Oh many a heart is mourning
That they are with the dead.
And yet—the thought is saddening
To muse on such as they—
And feel that all the beautiful
Ate passing fast away I
That the lair ones whom we love,
Grow to each lowing breast,
Like the tendrils of the clinging vino
Then perish where they rest.
And can we but think of those
In soft and gentlo Spring,
r When the trees are waving o'er us,
And the flowers are blossoming;
Fo: we know that winter'e coming
With his cold and atormy sky—
And the glorious beauty round us,
Is blooming but to die!
Judge Wilkins against the ('Jug Law."
The veteran statesman, William Wilkins,
the Democratic nominee for the State Senate
in the Allegheny district, is out in a long and
able letter against the so-called "Jug Law,"
of the last Legislature, and in favor cf its re
peal. We extract from it the following par
agraphs :
lam not an example of reformation. I
have been throughout my long days, and in :
the course of many vicissitudes, a rigidly ■
temperate man. I have never, in the midst
of the revel and frolics of others, been iniox- j
icated. I have never drank malt liquor, j
wins or spirits in the many and varied scenes '
of diversified society in which 1 have been
thrown at home and abroad. ] atn sincere
ly, tho advocate of Temperance,and my soul
yearns for the wholesnmo reform which
would expel from our community habits of f
over indulgence and the imprudent use of
drinks so ruinous to our advancement and
happiness in life.
But, the great and deeply interesting ques
liot is—flow is this reform to bo brought
about.' 1 answer ; by example, reason and
moral suasion ; by the training of our youth
and bv editoation ; by tho teaching of your
neighbor, the sohollmaslers, and the Minis
ters of the Church, and by models, brightly
seiving for illustration, placed before us by
■our enthusiastic legislators themselves This
great social and absorbing object cannot be
obtained by persecution, nor by wild and ex
travagant enthusiasm ; nor by the imprtsiiion
of heavy fines and imprisonment, making
the poor poorer, and ruinous to the unoffend
ing family of the delinquent. Nor by laws
so novel and penal as to bo almost impossi
' ble to be carried into execution, and, certainly
so repulsive to the good sense of the com
munity that nothing but the penalty of for
feiture would excite and bring out the infor
mer and extort the odious accusation before
the magistrate. Nor could any good.whole
efficacy be found in the enactment
somffoi , abjured and condemned
of ■ statute, aire*.., u -.. , . . • t „
at ite birth place, the " M.' ne ' ' ' '
passed by the people ol a State d'.' 10 " 9 *' •
nor flows as plentifully as their own rivet ?
Penobscot 1 would as soon think of reviving
in Pennsylvania some of the laws of those
eastern fellow citizens against witchcraft
and sorcery, as to follow their modern exam
ple, manifesting how gifted they are in the
office of intolerance.
With my views as to the proper mode ol
reform, and in my hostility to over severe
penalties, and the imposition of dißpropor
tioned fines and imprisonment,! should have
voted, fcad I been a member of the Legisla
ture, against the present " License Law,"
(meaning the "Jug Law") and am of opin
ion it should not remain on out statute book
It was not celled for by the public voice, and
waa in positive disregard of tbe vole of the
people of the State. It was in mockery of
the solemn judgment of the freemen of the
Commonwealth, called for by the Legisla
ture itself.
BLOOMSBURG* COLUMBIA COUNTY, PA.* THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1855.
LITTLENESS OF THE CHEAT.
It is somstimes instructive, and at ail times
interesting, to learn something of the eccen
tricities, failings and foibles of remarkable
persons.
Having gathered together a number of per
sonal anecdotes, we proposo to pass away a
gossiping, and not wholly an unprofitable
half hour in relating them to our readers.
It is painful to reflect upon the inordinate I
vanity which characterizes many illustrious
lives. When Ctcsar became bald, he con- |
stantly wore the laurel yrcatli with which '
we see him represented on medals, in the
hope ol concealing the defect; and Cicero's
egotism was so great, that he even compos
ed a Latin hexameter in his own praise:
Oh fortunalum natam me Consule Uoman,
(Oh fortunate Rome when I was born tier
Consul!) a line which elicited the just sar
casms of Juvenal. Queen Elizabeth left 3,-
000 difforont dresses in her wardrobe when
she died ; and during many years or the lat
ter part of her life, would not suffer a look
ing-glass in her presence, for fear she should
perceive the ravages of time upon her coun
tenance. Maecenas, the most egregious of
classic exquisites, is said to have "wielded
the Roman empire with rings on his fingers."
Sir Waller Raleigh was perhaps the greatest
beau on record. His shoos on court-days,
were so gorgeously adorned with precious
stones, as to have exceeded 6,000 guineas in
value; and ho had a suit of armor of solid
silver, with jeweled sword and bell, the
worth of which was almost incalculable.—
The great Deßcartes was very particular
about his wigs, and always kept four in his
dressing-closet; a piece of vanity wherein
he was imitated by Sit Richard Steele, who
never expended less than forty guineas upon
one of his peri-wigs. Mozart, whose hair
was of a fine quality, wore it very long and
flowing down between his shoulders, with a j
tie of colored ribbon, confining it at the neck,
four Goldsmith's innocent dandyisms, and
the story of his peach blossom coat, are al
most proverbial. Pope's self-love was so
great, that, according to Johnson, ho " had
been flattered till he thought himself one ol
the moving powers in the system of life."—
Allan Ramsay's egotism was excessive. On
one occasion, he modestly took precedence
01 Peter the Graat, in estimating t'neir com
parative importance with the public : " But
baud (hold) proud Czar," he says, I wadna
nifier (exchange) lame!" Napoleon was
vain of his small hand. Salvator Rosa was
heard to compare with Raphael and Michael
Angelo, calling the former dry, and the lat
ter coarse; and Raphoal, again, was jealous
of the fame and skill of Michael Angelo.—
Hogarth's historical paintings—which were
bad —equalled in his own opinion, ihoso of
the old masters. Sir Peter Loly's vanity was
so well known, that a mischievous wit re
solving to try what amount of flattery he
would believe, told bim one (lay that if the
author of mankind could have had the ben
efit of his (Lely's) opinions upon beauty, we
should have been materially benefited in
point of personal appearance! to which the
painter emphatically replied t " Fore Gotl,
sure, 1 believe you're right!" Bojaido, the
Italian poet, ascribed so high an importance
to his poetry, that when he invented a suit
able name for one ol his heroes, he set the
bells ringing in the village. Koizebuo was
so vain and envious, that he could endure
nothing celebrated to be near bim, though it
were but a picture or statue; and oven Lara
artine, the loftiest attid finest of the French
poets, robs his charming pages of half their |
beauty by the inordinate self-praise of their
commentaries. Rousseau has been called
the "self-torturing egotist ;"and Lord Byron's
life was one long piece of ogotism from be
ginning to end. He was vain of his genins,
his rank, his misanthrophy, and even of his
vices; and he was particularly proud of his
! gootl riding and of his handsome hands.
I Penuriousness, unhappily, has boon too
commonly associated with learning and
fame. Cato, the censor, on his return Irom
i Spain, was so parsimonious that ho sold his
field-horse, to save the expenses of convey
ing the ntii.Tial by sea to Italy. Attilius Reg
ulus, at tbo period of his greatest glory in Af
rica, entreated porm ission to return home to
the management of his estate, which con
sisted but of seven acres, alleging that his
servants had been defrauding bim of severa I
agricultural implements, and that ho wag
anxious to look after his affairs. Lord Ba
con is a melancholy instance of the dominion
obtained by avarico over a great mind.—
Swift, in his old age, was avaricious, and
had absolute terror of his visitors. " When
his friends of either sex came to him,in expec
tation of a dinner, his custom was to give
evory one a shilling, that they might please
themselves withtheir provision." Of the great
Duke of Marlborough, it is said by Ma
cfß'lay, that'his splendid qualities were min
gled' willi a''oy of 'be most sordid kind."
We will now turd to the errors of self in
dulgence. Socrates, l'nJo, Agathon, Arista
plianes, and others of the mo! CBiffbtaled
Greoks, drank witio to a surprising oxtput; j
and Flato says, in his Symposium, that Socra
tes kept sober longer than any. Tiberius j
was so much addicted to his vice, that he
had trequently to be carried from theSenalo
house. Cato was fond of the bottle. Ben
Johnson delighted in copious draughts of
i Canary wine, and even contrived to have a
pipe of that liquor added to his yearly pen
sion as poet iaureato. The fine intellect of
Coleridge was clouded over by his unhappy
propensity. Montaigne indulged in Sherry
The otherwise unexceptionable morality of
Addison was stained by this ono orror. Sir
Richard Steele, Fielding and Sterne, shared
the prevailing taste for hard drinking. Mo
zart was no exception to tbe rule. Churchill
waa a very intemperate man ; and Hogarth
gave a ludicrous immortality to the satar- j
ist's love of porter, by representing him in
the character of a bear with a mug of that
liquor in its paw. Tasso aggravated his
mental irritability by tho use of wines, des
pite (lie entreaties of his physicians. Du
ring his long impiisonment, he speaks grate
fully in Ilia letters of some sweetmeats with
which he had been supplied, and after hia
release, he relates with delight the good
things that were provided for him by his
patron, lite Duke of Mantua—"the bread
and fruit, tbe flesh and fish, the wines, sharp
and brisk, and the confections." Pope, who
was somewhat of an epicure, when slaying
at the house of his friend, Lord Bolingbroke,
would lie in bed for days together, uuless
ho heard there were to be strewed lampreys
for dinner, when he would forthwith arise,
and mako his appearance at the tablo. Dr.
Johnson had a voracious liking for a lug of
mutton "At my Aunt Ford's," he said,
" I ate so much of a leg of mutton, that she I
used to talk of it." A gentleman once treat- !
ed hint to a dish of lew honey and clouted i
ctoam, of which he partook so enormously
that bis entertainer was alarmed.
Quin, the famous actor, has boon known
to travel ftom London to Bath, for the mere
sake of dining upon a John Dorey. Dr. Barr,
in a private letter, confesses to his passionate
love of hot boiled lobsters, with a profusion ,
of shrimp-sauce. Shelly was for many years I
a vegetarian; and in the notos to his earliest i
edition of Queon Mab, speaks with enlhusi- j
asm of a dinner of "greens, potatoes and tur- I
nips. He ale fast, and of whatever was near- j
est to him ; often beginning with the broad |
upon tbo table before the other dishes came, i
Being visited one day by a stranger, ho do- j
voured all the dinner that was provided for j
both ; and when afterward censured for his j
impoliteness, only observed that "the gen
tleman should have taken care of himself."
Handel ate enormously ; and Dr. Kirchner j
relates of him, that whenever he dined at a
tavern, he ordered dinner for three. On be- 1
ing told thai all was ready as soon as the
company should arrive, he would exclaim :
Due pring up de dinner prestissimo—l AM BE j
COMPANY." Lord Bryon's favorite dish was
eggs ami bacon; and though lie could never j
eat it without suffering from an attack of in- •
digestion, he bad not always sufficient firm
ness to resist the temptation. Lalando, the
great French astronomer, would eat spiders
as a relish. Linnrcus delighted in chocolate,
and it was ho that bestowed upon it its gen
eric name of Thcobroma, or " food for the
gods." Fqntonelle deemed strawberries tho
most delicious eating in the world, and du
ring his last illness, used to exclaim constant
ly: •' If 1 can but reach the season of straw
berries !"
The amusements of remarkable persona ;
have been various and often eccentric. The
great Baylo would frequently wrap himsell '
in bis cloak and hasten to places where
mountebanks resorted : and this was his chief
relaxation from the intensity of study. Spi
noza delighted to sol spiders fighting, and
would laugh immoderately at beholding their
insect warfare. Cardinal Richelieu used to ■
seek amusement in violcn' exorcise, and was ;
found by Da Gammot jumping with his ser- ;
vant, to sen which could jump the highest.
The great logician, Samuel Clarke, was equal- !
ly fond of such saltatory interludes to his
hours of meditation, and has been discovered
leaping over tables and chairs Once, obser- I
ving the approach of a pedant, he said : 'Now
wo must leave off, lor a fool is coming in !'
The learned I'etavius used to twirl his chair
round and round five minutes, at Vim end of
j every two hours, Tycho llraltediverted liitn
| Belf in polishing glasses for spectacles. Pa
lev, tho author of Natural Theology, was so
I much eiveu to angling, (hat he had his per- 1
| trait painted with a rod and lino in his hand.
Louis XVI of sad memory, amused himsell
with lock making. Salvutor Rosa used to
perforin in extempore comedies, and take the
character of a mountebank in the stree's of
Rome. Anthony Magliabecchi, tho famous
librarian to ibe Duke of Tuscany, look a
great interest in the spiders that thronged his
apartments; and while silting among his
\ mountains of books, would caution his visi-
I tors "not to hurt the spiders!" Moses Men-
I delssohn, surnamml the Jewish Socrates,
| would sometimes seek relief from too much
thought in standing at his window and count,
ing the titles upon his neighbor's roof.—
Thomas Wharton, the poetical antiquarian,
used to associate with the schoolboys, while
visiting his brother, Dr. J. Wharton. Camp
bell eays : •' When engaged with them in
some culinary occupation, and when alarmed
by the su'lden approach of the master, he has
been known to hide himself in a dark corner
of tho kitchen, and has been dragged from
| thence by the doctor, who has taken him for
some great boy. Cowper kept bares, and
made bird cages. Dr. Johnson was so fond
of his cat, that he would even go out himself
to buy oysters for puss, because hia sorvant
was to proud to do so. Geothe kept a tame
snake, but hated dogs. Ariosto delighted in
gardening; but lie destroyed all he planted
hy turning up the mould io see if the seeds
wore germinating. Thomson had hisgatden
at Richmond, respecting which the old story
of how he ate poaches of the trees with his
hands in his pocket is telated. Gibbon was
a lazy man. Coleridge was content to oil
from morning till night threading tho dreamy
mazes of his own mind. Gray said he wish
ed to be always I) ing on sofas, reading eter
nal new novols of Crebitlion and Mativaux.
Fenion, the eminent scholar, died from sheer
inactivity; he rote late, and when he had ris
en, sat down to his books and papers A
woman who had waitod upon him in hts
lodging said, that "ha would lie a-bed and
be fed with a spoon." Contrary examples to
that of Sir Walter Scott, who wrote all bis fi
nest works before breakfast!
To return to the recreations of celebrated
persons. Oliver Cromwell is said to have
sometimes cast aside his puritan gravity and
played at blindntan'a buff With his daughters
ar.d attendants. Henri Quartre delighted to
go about in disguise among the peasantry.—■
Charles II' most innocent amusement con
sisted in feeding tho ducks in St. James'
Park, and ir. rearing numbers of those boau
tilul spaniels that still bear his name. Bee
thoven would snlush in eold water stall times
of the day, till his chamber was swamped,
and the water oozed through the flooring to
the rooms beneath ; he would also walk out
into the dowy.fields at nightor morning with
out shoes or stockings Shelly look an un
accountable delight in floating little paper
boats on any piece of water he chanced to
be noar. Thore is a pond on Hampstead
heath which has often borne his tiny fleets;
and there is an anecdote related of him—
rather ioo good, we fear to bo true —which
says, that being one day beside llio Serpen
tine, and having no othor paper in his pock
et wherewith to indulge his passion for ship
building, lie actually folded a bank-bill of fif
ty pounds in the desired shape; launched
the little craft upon its voyage ; watched ita
steady progress with paternal anxiety ; and
filthily went over and received it at the oppo
site aid*.
This piper might bo extended almost in
definitely : but there must ho limits even to
an essay, and certainly to tho good nature of
our readers.
••
Jleuutirul Extract.
Water is an instructive emblem of'lff"
immortality. Observe it well, and it tuny
throw light upon, or at least, give interest
ing suggestions regarding these mysteries.
From the great reservoir of ocean this flu-'
id rises invisibly, and dispenses life to every !
thing that blooms and breathes Not a nook,j
however hidden, escapes its visitation ; noi-1
thcr root nor fibre is neglected. Where the
thin-soiled mountain needs most its aid. it
kindly doubles its attention. Besides, it
finds its way into overy pore of the inner
rocks, working continual changes there, and
by a perfect system of pipes and reservoirs 1
it. cunningly distributes a cooling draught to
all the children of men How it is supplied
with the intelligence that is exhibited in all
these complex workings we know not. Pure
as tbe infant at birth it ■•nines upon the land
a little rain drop, and soon it finds itself
thrown into society with other drops, and it 1
becomes a compulsory worker in a common '
plan. According us its pilgrimage is long or
short, it becomes, as a matter of course more
or less tainted of earth, and anon, each drop '
its appointed task performed, finds itself
gathered back to the great source whence it
came. One may say to tho othor " thou art
more soiled than I."' But soon the dross of
earth, precipitates itself alike from all, and
the pure spirit is ready to be born again to a
ttcw life and another round of usefulness, to
•be repealed thus forever and ever Behold
the emblem of immoriuli'y! The rain drop
departs from the land ! It dies, but lives 1
again !
WOMAN.
A pretty woman is ono of the 'institutions'.
of this country—an angel in dry good* and ]
glory. Rho makes sunshine, fourth of July ■
ar.d happiness wherever s'io goes. Her path '
is one of delicious roses, purlume and tinau- I
ty. She is a sweet poem written in rare curls, I
choice calico and good principles. Men
stand up before her, as so many admiration
points, to melt into cream and then bullor.—
Her words float around the ear like music, or
tho ehimes of Sabbath bells Without her,
society would lose its truest attraction, the
church its firmest reliance, and young men
the yery host of comforts and company. Her
influence and generosity restrain the vicious,
slrengihen the weak, raise the lowly, flannel
shirt the heathen, and strengthen die faint
hearted. Wherever you find the virtuous
wumaii, you also find pleasant firesides, bo
qnets, clean cloths, order, good living, gemle
hearts, piety, musio, light, and model ins'itu
lions generally. She is the flower of hu
manity, a very Venus in dimity, and her in
spiration is the breath of heaven.
A FAIR OFFER.
Dr. Franklin made llio following offer to a
ynimg man "Mako,' said he, "a full esti-*
mato of ai! you owe, and of all that ia ow
ing to you Reduce the same to a note. As
fast as yon can collect, renew your note ev
ery year, arid get the best secntity you can
Go to business diligently, and be inditatrious;
Waste no idle moments ; be very economical
in all things; discard all pride ;be taitldul in
your duty to God, by regular and hearty
prayer morning and night; attond church and
meeting regularly every Sunday; and do un
to all men as yen would they should do un
to you. If you are too needy in circumstan-
I ces to give to the poor, do whstevor else in
| your power for them cheerfully, but if you
can, always help the poor end unfortunate
Pursue this course diligently and sincerely
for seven years, and if yon aro not happy,
comfortable, and independent in your cir
! cumstances, come to me, and I will pay your
debts." Young people, try it.
! OT Tho seventeenth Annual course of
j Lectures in the Southern Botanieo-Mcdical
College, at Macon, Ca., commences on
I first Monday of November
From the Medical Reformer.
A Few Objections to Leeches.
DY C. IT. ROSE, M. D.
1 propose occupying a few pages of the
Reformor in considering some of tho more
important ocjections to tho therapeutical
application of Leeches. Less than half a
century ago, vcnesoction was considered by
tho members of tho allopathic profession as
the only reliable remedy for inflammatory
disease, and was frequently resorted to by
the more heroic practitioners in controling
aflections of an asthenic or debilitating cha
racter. But the almost incredible advance
ment of tho Reformed systom of Mcdieino,
and its infinitely superior success in the
treatmont of all the maladies to which hu
man flesh is heir, have changed the tenor
of public opinion, and compelled the advo
cates of the lancet to abandon a remedial a
gent so totally at variance with all the laws
of the human economy. Tho experience
and knowledge of nearly three thousand
regularly educated physicians in this coun
try, have proved to every unbiassed and in
telligent mind that bloodletting is an unnec
essary, unscientific and barbarous measure
—gcnorally injurious to the patient and of
ten fatal to life. I will not, therefore, fill the
pages of the Reformer with an instructive
dissertation upon the irrationality of gener
al bloodletting, but confino my objections
almost exclusively to the detrimental effects
of Leeches in the treatment of disease.
Since phlebotomy has become unfashion
able, the Old School physicians of the pres
ent day resort to leeches and cups, to pro
duco those remedial results which their re
j strictnd medical education renders it impos
| sible for them to attain by the more inno
, cent, natural and effectual resources of tbo
j New School.
Topical bloodletting, by leeches and cup
ping-glassos, cannot be regarded as capable
of producing as injurious effects upon the
(•ojislitution as general bloodletting—but
tho ultimate and inevitable result of the
loss of hlo'nd upon the system is debility
The condition df lb" patient, or tiie concom
itant circumstances of the case, may in ma
ny instances materially alter the effects.
The abstraction of a small qil.wtity of blood
from a person labouring under ail asthenic
disease, or from one possessing an anemic
habit, will generally prove more disastrous
than the removal of a much larger quantity
from a person of opposite condition or con
stitution. Again, local bloodletting cannot
be considered as dangerous as venesection,
because there is no direct shock produced
upon the system by the former mode, and
the removal taking place more gradually,
sufficient time is allowed for tho vessels of
the part to contract their calihor to the quan
tity of blood remaining in them: Arteriot
otny or phlebotomy is very seldom resorted
to in diseases of children, because a more
available substitute can be had in leeches.
Watson in iiis Practice says: (page 153) "It
is seldom necessary, for in children we can
always get as much blood by topical bleed
ing as will be equivalent to a general blood
letting." From this admission it is very
evident that leeches arc more frequently ap
plied to children than to adults, and taking
into consideration the immense number an
nually imported into this country, amount
ing as lias been supposed to several mil
lions, and a large majority of them consum
ed in sucking from the infantile portion of
the community that vital and all pervading
fluid which is essential to earthly health
and existence, can we not then refer a large
part of the astonishing mortality among
children to the therapeutical application of
those delectable animals ? I think wc can.
'The iccch is now considered the most valu
able remedy of the Allopathic Materia Med
ica for relieving extravasations or conges
tions of blood, or for discussing local inflam
mations, and is also regarded as an excel
lent substitute in cases where the use of the !
scarificator would be impossible or unad- '
visablc.
A very prevalent opinion exists among a
I'irgc portion of the community, that leeches 1
are very effectual agents in reducing a sub-!
cutanoous extravasation of blood—in com-!
mon parlance—leeches arc always nacos
sary to relieve a part of an accumulation ]
of btuisod blood, resulting from an injury,
etc. But such an opinion is totally errone
ous. Several respectable "leechers" of this
city have admitted that leeches will not suck
stagnated blood from a part of tho body. I
have known "leechers" to refuse to apply
leeches to a "blacken eye," although or
dered to do so by popular physicians, and
on tho plea that the effects would prove
more injurious than beneficial, and possibly
dostroy the organ. Again, if you attempt
to remove blood from a bruise by leeches, it
must be done prior to lire inflammation sot
ting in, or after it has subsided, otherwise
the lencli bites will incrcaso tho inflamma
tion, and prove more serious than the origi
nal difficulty. But there will be no neces
sity of extracting the blood after inflamma
tion has disappeared, the recuporativo pow
ers of nature will restore the blood to its
proper vessels and produce restoration.
The cautions rocommondod in the books
to be regarded, as well as the dangers re
sulting from tho application of loechcs, are
arguments sufficiently strong to convince
any intelligent and liberal, medical man
that leeching is an unnecessary and injuri
ous measure.
Hastings in his practice of Surgery, says,
(page 42) that—
"Leeches should npt be applied to females
where llio cicatrix would bo unsightly. In
children large superficial wins should bo
avoided. Nor should they be placed on
tho eye lids, since in this situation they are
apt to cause odoma and ecchymosis in tho
part; no* where cutaneous nerves abound.
as erysipelas is apt to follow. They should
not be applied directly to the inflamod part,
for thb reason that the stimulus ot their bites
adds to the existing inflammation; nor should
they bo applied near an acutn ulcer, for
their bites are apt to degenerate in this case
into ulcers: if the ulcor be of a specific char
acter, tho bites become inoculated, and
thus extend, instead of decreasing tho ulcer
ated surlaco. Neither should they be placed
whero bandages are of paramount impor
tance as in fractures, for in such cases the
bites are apt to inflame ami ulcerate.' and thus
cause the removal of the apparatus at a crit
ical period."
Prof. Bigelow, of Boston, says—
'T have known children to be killed by
the bites of foreign leeches: caution should
be observed in their application, as it is ex
tremely difficult to stop tho bleeding."
fn tho London Practice of Midwifery wc
find the statement that "an infant lias been
known to die under the operation of a single
leech."
Boisseau on Fever, says—
"Wc are bound in conscience hero to note
the fact, that leeches are capable ot destroy
ing iilo In addition to sufficient evidence
! to be drawn from books, the writer ol this
I article lias himsell been a witness, in tnore
| than a single instance, to the fact."
j But in tlio face of all this evidence, com
| piled from the most celebrated Allopathic
authorities, leeches aro still used indiscrim
inately by all old school practitioners of this
country. The bright, smiling and lovely
babe, whose sweet and merry voice was
often heard by all the household, who was
once the idol of a mother's heart and the
joy of a father's affection, now lies moulder
ing in tho cold and silent tomb only one of
, the innumerable victims to the use ol Iccch- !
,'es. And why do such cases occur? Sim- ;
ply bocauso parents remain ignorant of an 1
innocuous system of medicine and allow ;
themselves to be carried away by prejudice
I and upon the wings of popularity.
I have already stated that pernicious and I
deleterious effects often arise from the ap- 1
| plication of leeches directly over important
arteries and veins. A case of this character j
occurred here not long since. An Allopath- i
ic physician ordered several leeches to be '
placed on tho nock of a child, about four
years of age, which was immediately done j
as directed. One or two filled very rapidly 1
and were taken off, when it was ascertained :
that an important blond vessel had been j
wounded. Here, any compression of the j
neck might seriously affect the cerebral cir- 1
dilation, and the skill of the doctor to sup- ;
press tho hemorrhage proved futile, until
an extravagant effusion of blood had taken j
place and left its debilitating effects upon a j
previously weak and delicate child.
There is always more or less hemorrhage ,
from the bites after, tho leeches have been '
taken off, which often continues for a long ;
time especially from those parts of tho body 1
where compression is impossible and styp- j
tics must be depended on, and also among |
those poisons who possess a hemorrhagic
diathesis, the bleeding is iri all cases inev
itably and dangerously profuse. But the ;
most forcible objection to the use of leeches ;
is ono which iias not received from thp
medical profession that consideration which 1
its importance demands, viz: the tfalismis- j
sioti of diseases from ono person to another !
by tlicm. And is it not evident to every in
vestigating mind that a morbid condition ;
may be transmitted from one body to anoth
er by the application of the same leeches to ;
persons laboring under different diseases.— I
May not variola, sypliylis and other conta- J
gious aflections be propagated in this man- ;
ncr? And may not a leech applied to a
scrofnlus tumor and afterwards to a healthy !
person incorporate the constitutional con
tamination ot the former into the latter ? I
answer without qualification thai such trans
mission can take place just as effectually as
small pox can be produced by inoculation, I
or that syphylis can result from the matter
coming in contact with a mucus surface.—
In support of this assertion. 1 will present
to the readers of your widely circulated
Journal a few well authenticated cases, cor
roborating tho fact that morbid conditions
have been transmitted from one body to an
other by leeches.
Case First.—A colored servant woman of
Mr. W was attacked with inflammatory
Rheumatism. An Allopath was called to
her relief and recommended the application
of several leeches to the inflamed joints.—
The leeches were applied as directed* and
in the course of two or three days the pre
monitory symptoms of variola presented
themselves, followed by the eruption which
passed through its different stages with reg
ularity. Upon inquiry it was ascertained
that the same leochos had been previously
applied to a person confined with the small
pox.
Case Second. —A physician of this city or
dored a German man to lie leeched for some
indisposition. A German pretender of the
cupping and leeching profession performed
the duly as directed In a short time after,
the patient was surprised to find himself af
fected with syphylitic disease, and future
investigation into tho cause ot the disorder
conclusively proved that tho leechos had
previously drawn blood troni the scrotum of
a man laboring under Syphylis!
Case Third.— Dr. , a popular physician
of Washington, D. C., lost his reputation
and practice on account of producing a scrof
ulous affection of a lady's face, by tho ap
plication of a leech which had been placed j
upon a scrofulous tumor.
Having now impartially but irq perfectly j
considered some of tho tnoro '"nporlnnt ob
jections to the absurd practice of leeohing
for tho purpose of eon'toling abnormal ae-
I tion of tho human organism. I will think
| myself amply repaid it the proceeding opin
ions and rob actions will in slightest degree
aid in abolishing local bloodletting as a torn
odial agent; firmly and conscientiously be
lieving that the attainment of such an end,
would to an infinite extent shorten disease,
diminish human suffering, prolong life, ancl
at tho sarno time advance and disseminate
tho Reformed System ot Medicine through
out the world
NUMBER 37.
From the Meditnl Reformer
Domestic Treatment ot Dysentery.
Dns. Joint & PRETTVMAN —Gentlemen, —
May I presume to offer a few remarks upon
■ that common and troublesome complaint the
Dysentery'? I havo seen and nutsed a good
many cases, and suffered several attacks
mysoll, and as 1 always observe, compare,
. reason, and deduce, as I go through life, t
j would like to lay my observations &c. uport
this particular subject beforo you, and the
public. And first, I havo observed that
dysentery is frequently the consequence of
excessive mental, or physical exertion; ex
; posure to great heat; or sudden changes of
i temperature. I have never been able to
(trace a case of dysentery to any thing which
the patient had eaten, though Cholera mor
bus, and diarrhoea arc often thus occasioned.
The stomach seems to take no part in
! dysenteric disturbance, except as it may be
| sympathetically affected In all my obser
j vations, an attack of dysentery is preceded
a heaviness or dizziness of the head ;
great weakness in the small of the back, and
' lower limbs, as if the tendons were so relax
ed, and the joints so loosened, that the mem
bers were 110 longer obedient to the will.—
This condition is distantly related to paraly
-1 sis. Consequently its scat is the brain, and
a certain set of nerves are deranged. I have
j known these symptoms to result in an ex
j ccstiive (low of urine, of a pale whitish col
• or, and disagreeable odor. In these cases
the bowels were undisturbed, or most fre
quency rather constipated. 11' dysentery re
l suited, the urino was always scanty, and
j tlark colored. And in every case the pa
\ ticnt is teased by an irregular and capicious
1 fever, occasioning restlessness, and great
I uneasiness. This indicates derangement of
the nerves, which is farther proven by their
• morbid excitability, and violent expulsive
: action, whenever there is a downward move
, inent, in the bowol: while the small intea
: tines seem unnaturally torpid, from the fact,
I that they do not discharge their contents in-
Ito the lower portion of the canal. Hence
; I conclude that the cquilebriutn of the ner
i vous system is temporarily destroyed, and
j the excessive nervous action, or may I say,
the excess of the norvous or magnetio fluid,
; in the parls affected, disorganizes the blood,
j and thus produces the peculiar phenomena
!of dysenteric disease. Titus dysentery as
| sunics the character of a low form of typhoid
congestion.
I have kept house about thirty years, havo
raised several children of my own, and oth
er people's, and havo never onco had occa
sion to call a doctor for a case of dysentery
or other bowel complaint. Every attack,
having thus far, yielded to domestic treat
ment. My first aim is to equalize the cir
culation, by warm bathing, drafts to the feet,
and diaphoretic drinks, of which a tea of
the mingled blossoms of white elder and
catnip is the most efficient. An application
of camphorated oil, oil tinctured with spir
its of turpentine, or oil and hartshorn, to the
small of the back, and sides,by nibbing
with the hand, is aisrj serviceable. By these
means a frok perspiration, and copious (low
of urine are induced, and an inclination to
quiet sleep. A light and loosening diet,
plenty ol warm catnip, camomile, or slip
pery elm tea, or cold water, in which is mix
ed a tittle raw wheat flour, abate the dysen
teric symptoms in the discharges, and then
tea of strawberry leaves, briar root or any
other mild astringent with occasionally a
now laid egg beat Well with sugar, and
eaten raw; with quiet and repose, complete
the euro. In violent attacks, and desperate
cases, when the nervous system Is so much
disturbed as to produce vomiting, spasms,
and general disarrangement, 1 have deemed
it expedient to administer an opiate strong
enough to control the nervous action, until
a proper treatment, may induco them to take
on a natural action.
Having great faith in the instinctive de
mands of nature for her own benefit, 1 nev
er withhold from a patient any thing which
they ardently desire to cat, or dfink, except
spirituous liquors from such as may be sup
posed to feel an inebriate's desire for them
I havo known such food as scicnco would
pronounoo it madness to sutler a patient to
swallow, have the effect of groatly allevia
ting the disease by acting as a stimulant,
sedative, or palliative, as the oaso might to- *
quire.
I do not expect that doctors will sanction
my views or adopt my regimen in these
premises; but if they condemn them 1 can
only say that 1 have had the happiness of
seeing every ease that has occurred in my
family yield 10 my treatment spocdily, per
manently, and perfectly. Therefore—if a
successful practice is a right practice, and if
a right practice must bo founded On a right
theory, I am right, whoever may be
wrong.
LYDIA JANE PIERSON.
AbTiluilllY,
Engage the people by their affections—
convince their roason— and they will be loy
al from die only principle that cen make
loyalty sincore, vigorous, or rutlonat—a con
viction that it is their trnost interest, andjthat
their goyetnment is for theit good. Con
s'laint U thq natural parent of resistance, and
! a ptngnanl proof that reason is not on the
I side of those who use it. You must all re
| member I-ucian's pleasant story Jupiter
i and a countryman were walking together,
conversing with great freedom and familiar
ity on the subject of heaven and earth- The
i countryman listened with attention and ac*
j quiescence while Jupitot strove only to con
' vinco him; but happening to bint a doubt,
1 Jupiter turned hastily around and tbreatenad
1 him with his thunder. "Ah 1 ah !" said tba
' countryman, ''now, Jupiter, I know that yeu
I are always wrong when you appesUh jrout
' thunder.—Er^kioc.