Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, 19 April 1890Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 98, 19 April 1890
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
ON the last occasion of the Meeting of the above Society a most
interesting paper was read by Professor JAMES JAMBES, F.R.Z.S.,
describing a series of experiments to which, in the cause of Science, he
had recently submitted himself. Commencing by comparatively small
quantities of alcoholic stimulant, he gradually increased the doses
until he reached a maximum of three bottles of Brandy and one of Green
Chartreuse _per diem_, abandoning all other work during the period
embraced by the experiments. After a fortnight of patient research he
was rewarded by the discovery in his immediate neighbourhood of an
abundance of blackbeetles, which he was unable to refer to any known
species of _Orthoptera_. These were succeeded by reptiles and beasts of
various kinds and colours, specimens of which, owing to their
evasiveness, he much regretted to have been unsuccessful in securing.
After increasing the dose to two bottles daily, he was able to detect
the presence of rodents in large quantities. Subsequently these
creatures assumed the most surprising shapes, while their colouring was
frequently gorgeous in the extreme. He had made some brandy-and-water
sketches of the most remarkable--though he had to apologise for the
drawing being less accurate and clear than he could have wished, as the
conditions were generally unfavourable for scientific observation.
Still, they afforded a very fair idea of the principal phenomena which
he had met. (_Cheers._) The Professor, in concluding, remarked that he
himself had never been a Materialist, and that, after the experiences
that attended the addition of the third bottle of brandy and the Green
Chartreuse to his diurnal allowance, he could only confess that, in the
words of the Poet, there were more--many more--things in heaven and
earth than had been dreamed of in _his_ philosophy. Some of the imps,
for instance, that he had noticed on the foot of his bed, he should
never forget. He must ask indulgence for any short-comings both in the
manner and matter of his contribution, on the ground that he was still
suffering from severe indisposition, in consequence of the ardour with
which his researches had been pursued. He felt that he was still only on
the threshold, but he was fascinated by the glimpses he had already
obtained of the strange and wonderful things with which the study of
Advanced Inebriety would make the humblest of us increasingly familiar.
(_Great cheering._)
The reading of the paper was followed by a discussion, in which Dr.
LOSCHEN said, that he was in a position from his own experience to
corroborate most of the statements in the very interesting account to
which they had just listened. He thought the learned Professor had, if
anything, rather underrated the dimensions of some of the snakes. He
could see a particularly fine specimen at that moment under the
Chairman's table, and would postpone any further remarks he was about to
make.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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