Life in a Thousand WorldsHarris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Science
Life in a Thousand Worlds
Harris, W. S. (William Shuler)
Utopias
"Ashes of wolf's skull, stag's horn, the heads of mice, the eyes of
crabs, owl's brains, liver of frogs, viper's fat, grasshoppers, bats,
etc., these supplied the alkalis which were prescribed. Physicians were
accustomed to order doses of the gall of wild swine. It is presumed the
tame hog was not sufficiently efficacious. There were other choice
prescriptions such as horse's foam, woman's milk, laying a serpent on
the afflicted part, urine of cows, bear fat, still recommended as a hair
restorative, juice of boiled buck horn, etc. For colic, powdered horse's
teeth, dung of swine, asses' kidneys, mice excretion made into a
plaster, and other equally vile and unsavory compounds. Colds in the
head were cured by kissing the nose of a mule. For sore throat, snail
slime was a favorite prescription, and mouse flesh was considered
excellent for disease of the lungs. Boiled snails and powdered bats were
prescribed for intestinal disorders."
When we read such a list of remedies we can scarcely believe that they
were ever popular, but according to the history of Dore-lyn the time
will come when many of our present medicines will be out of date, and
only mentioned in the old medical works.
The people of Dore-lyn have suffered in past ages innumerable woes on
account of intemperance. Alcohol is unknown to them, but they have had a
two-thousand year's battle against three liquids that affect them as
opium affects us. Strange to say that these terrible liquids were the
bases of many of their medicines just like the anodyne medicines of our
present day. Thus in Dore-lyn the old kinds of medicines created many
drunkards. Since the dawn of the brighter age, a strict law prevails
regarding the use of all narcotics in medicines. Then came gradually
into use the many methods of treating disease without medicine, except
the materials used to sustain life regularly.
Being interested in these things, I examined more closely into their
past medical history, and saw more clearly the present folly of a
certain part of our medicinal practice. How we are struggling with
alcohol, especially as found in so many of our patent medicines, and how
helpless we are in trying to abolish the sale of these medicines by
reason of our unbounded liberty! In our world, a man may concoct any
alcoholic medicine and sell it without liquor license, for people
become verily mad for the bottled stuff. Our nation may some day become
wise enough to keep its own hand on the business that is determining the
health and happiness of millions of its inhabitants.
But let me cease this digression and get back once more to Dore-lyn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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