OCR Text |
Show THE CHINESE DOCTOR. lie Killed the Snake In the I'atltmt' lloilr Willi a Tin. "When I was acting American consul at Amoy, China," said Dr. W. E. Falcs, "one of my employes foil sick with a severe attack of rheumatism. Ho stood tho pnln hravcly for three days, refusing refus-ing nil 'foreign devil medicine,' nnd on the fourth sent for n native physician, The latter duly nrrlved nnd began preparations prep-arations for treatment of tho malady, which he announced to be due to the prcsonco of a 'darting snake' In tho sufferer's body. Inccnso sticks were lighted and placed just outside the door, and also In the room. A pack of firecrackers fire-crackers was sot of nnd a taltsmanlc paper pasted to tho wall. This was done to drive away evil spirits and attract at-tract good ones. Tho doctor next wrote a lot of characters on a thick pleco ot paper with a vormllllon pencil and sot firo to It. It burned into a black ash, which was broken Into a cup of water and drunk by tho patient. A great bowl of herb tea was made, of which a cup an hour was the allotted dose. Tho son of Esculaplus roxt bared tho body of my servant and drovo docp Into It at nine points a long needle mole-toned mole-toned with peppermint. He did It with such skill In avoiding large blood vessels ves-sels that tho hemmorrhngo was insignificant. insig-nificant. He then covered each acupuncture acu-puncture with a brownish paste, and this, in turn, with a piece of dark papor. Ho then collected his fee, GO cents, and. departed. Tho sufferer soon foil Into a sloop, and tho next day announced that his pains had departed. Ho remained re-mained In his bunk two more days, laughing, chatting, smoking clgnrottei and once or twice using tho opium plpo, and then reported as being well. II, left tho paste and paper in piano until thoy fell oft. Tho skin 'was smooth and tho scar hardly perceptible. Ho took his recovery ns a 'matter of course; ills only comment being thnt the darting snako was thoroughly dead." Ner York Rocprdor. |