anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第122部分

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y　do　the　Latins　abstain　strictly　from　the　flesh　of　the　woodpecker？'　In　order　to　answer　Plutarch's　question　correctly　it　is　necessary　to　have　some　idea　of　the　peculiar　custom　and　belief　called　'totemism。'　There　is　a　stage　of　society　in　which　people　claim　descent　from　and　kinship　with　beasts；　birds；　vegetables；　and　other　objects。　This　object；　which　is　a　'totem；'　or　family　mark；　they　religiously　abstain　from　eating。　The　members　of　the　tribe　are　divided　into　clans　or　stocks；　each　of　which　takes　the　name　of　some　animal；　plant；　or　object；　as　the　bear；　the　buffalo；　the　woodpecker；　the　asparagus；　and　so　forth。　No　member　of　the　bear　family　would　dare　to　eat　bear…meat；　but　he　has　no　objection　to　eating　buffalo　steak。　Even　the　marriage　law　is　based　on　this　belief；　and　no　man　whose　family　name　is　Wolf　may　marry　a　woman　whose　family　name　is　also　Wolf。

〃In　a　general　way　it　may　be　said　that　almost　all　our　food　prohibitions　spring　from　the　extraordinary　custom　generally　called　totemism。　Mr。　Swan；　who　was　missionary　for　many　years　in　the　Congo　Free　State；　thus　describes　the　custom：　'If　I　were　to　ask　the　Yeke　people　why　they　do　not　eat　zebra　flesh；　they　would　reply；　'Chijila；'　i。e。；　'It　is　a　thing　to　which　we　have　an　antipathy；'　or　better；　'It　is　one　of　the　things　which　our　fathers　taught　us　not　to　eat。'　So　it　seems　the　word　'Bashilang'　means　'the　people　who　have　an　antipathy　to　the　leopard；'　the　'Bashilamba；'　'those　who　have　an　antipathy　to　the　dog；'　and　the　'Bashilanzefu；'　'those　who　have　an　antipathy　to　the　elephant。'　In　other　words；　the　members　of　these　stocks　refuse　to　eat　their　totems；　the　zebra；　the　leopard；　or　the　elephant；　from　which　they　take　their　names。

〃The　survival　of　antipathy　to　certain　foods　was　found　among　people　as　highly　civilized　as　the　Egyptians；　the　Greeks；　and　the　Romans。　Quite　a　list　of　animals　whose　flesh　was　forbidden　might　be　drawn　up。　For　example；　in　Old　Egypt　the　sheep　could　not　be　eaten　in　Thebes；　nor　the　goat　in　Mendes；　nor　the　cat　in　Bubastis；　nor　the　crocodile　at　Ombos；　nor　the　rat；　which　was　sacred　to　Ra；　the　sun…god。　However；　the　people　of　one　place　had　no　scruples　about　eating　the　forbidden　food　of　another　place。　And　this　often　led　to　religious　disputes。

〃Among　the　vegetables　avoided　as　food　by　the　Egyptians　may　be　mentioned　the　onion；　the　garlic；　and　the　leek。　Lucian　says　that　the　inhabitants　of　Pelusium　adored　the　onion。　According　to　Pliny　the　Egyptians　relished　the　leek　and　the　onion。　Juvenal　exclaims：　'Surely　a　very　religious　nation；　and　a　blessed　place；　where　every　garden　is　overrun　with　gods！'　The　survivals　of　totemism　among　the　ancient　Greeks　are　very　interesting。　Families　named　after　animals　and　plants　were　not　uncommon。　One　Athenian　gens；　the　Ioxidae；　had　for　its　ancestral　plant　the　asparagus。　One　Roman　gens；　the　Piceni；　took　a　woodpecker　for　its　totem；　and　every　member　of　this　family　refused；　of　course；　to　eat　the　flesh　of　the　woodpecker。　In　the　same　way　as　the　nations　of　the　Congo　Free　State；　the　Latins　had　an　antipathy　to　certain　kinds　of　food。　However；　an　animal　or　plant　forbidden　in　one　place　was　eaten　without　any　compunction　in　another　place。　'These　local　rites　in　Roman　times；'　says　Mr。　Lang；　'caused　civil　brawls；　for　the　customs　of　one　town　naturally　seemed　blasphemous　to　neighbors　with　a　different　sacred　animal。　Thus　when　the　people　of　dog…town　were　feeding　on　the　fish　called　oxyrrhyncus；　the　citizens　of　the　town　which　revered　the　oxyrrhyncus　began　to　eat　dogs。　Hence　arose　a　riot。'　The　antipathy　of　the　Jews　to　pork　has　given　rise　to　quite　different　explanations。　The　custom　is　probably　a　relic　of　totemistic　belief。　That　the　unclean　animalsanimals　not　to　be　eatensuch　as　the　pig；　the　mouse；　and　the　weasel；　were　originally　totems　of　the　children　of　Israel；　Professor　Robertson　Smith　believes　is　shown　by　various　passages　in　the　Old　Testament。

〃When　animals　and　plants　ceased　to　be　held　sacred　they　were　endowed　with　sundry　magical　or　mystic　properties。　The　apple　has　been　supposed　to　possess　peculiar　virtues；　especially　in　the　way　of　health。　'The　relation　of　the　apple　to　health；'　says　Mr。　Conway；　'is　traceable　to　Arabia。　Sometimes　it　is　regarded　as　a　bane。　In　Hessia　it　is　said　an　apple　must　not　be　eaten　on　New　Year's　Day；　as　it　will　produce　an　abscess。　But　generally　it　is　curative。　In　Pomerania　it　is　eaten　on　Easter　morning　against　fevers；　in　Westphalia　（mixed　with　saffron）　against　jaundice；　while　in　Silesia　an　apple　is　scraped　from　top　to　stalk　to　cure　diarrhea；　and　upward　to　cure　costiveness。'　According　to　an　old　English　fancy；　if　any　one　who　is　suffering　from　a　wound　in　the　head　should　eat　strawberries　it　will　lead　to　fatal　results。　In　the　South　of　England　the　folk　say　that　the　devil　puts　his　cloven　foot　upon　the　blackberries　on　Michaelmas　Day；　and　hence　none　should　be　gathered　or　eaten　after　that　day。　On　the　other　hand；　in　Scotland　the　peasants　say　that　the　devil　throws　his　cloak　over　the　blackberries　and　makes　them　unwholesome　after　that　day；　while　in　Ireland　he　is　said　to　stamp　on　the　berries。　Even　that　humble　plant；　the　cabbage；　has　been　invested　with　some　mystery。　It　was　said　that　the　fairies　were　fond　of　its　leaves；　and　rode　to　their　midnight　dances　on　cabbage…stalks。　The　German　women　used　to　say　that　'Babies　come　out　of　the　cabbage…heads。'　The　Irish　peasant　ties　a　cabbage…leaf　around　the　neck　for　sore　throat。　According　to　Gerarde；　the　Spartans　ate　watercress　with　their　bread；　firmly　believing　that　it　increased　their　wit　and　wisdom。　The　old　proverb　is；　'Eat　cress　to　learn　more　wit。'

〃There　is　another　phase　to　food…superstitions；　and　that　is　the　theory　that　the　qualities　of　the　eaten　pass　into　the　eater。　Mr。　Tylor　refers　to　the　habit　of　the　Dyak　young　men　in　abstaining　from　deer…meat　lest　it　should　make　them　timid；　while　the　warriors　of　some　South　American　tribes　eat　the　meat　of　tigers；　stags；　and　boars　for　courage　and　speed。　He　mentions　the　story　of　an　English　gentleman　at　Shanghai　who　at　the　time　of　the　Taeping　attack　met　his　Chinese　servant　carrying　home　the　heart　of　a　rebel；　which　he　intended　to　eat　to　make　him　brave。　There　is　a　certain　amount　of　truth　in　the　theory　that　the　quality　of　food　does　affect　the　mind　and　body。　Buckle　in　his　'History　of　Civilization'　took　this　view；　and　tried　to　prove　that　the　character　of　a　people　depends　on　their　diet。〃

Idiosyncrasies　to　Drugs。In　the　absorption　and　the　assimilation　of　drugs　idiosyncrasies　are　often　noted；　in　fact；　they　are　so　common　that　we　can　almost　say　that　no　one　drug　acts　in　the　same　degree　or　manner　on　different　individuals。　In　some　instances　the　untoward　action　assumes　such　a　serious　aspect　as　to　render　extreme　caution　necessary　in　the　administration　of　the　most　inert　substances。　A　medicine　ordinarily　so　bland　as　cod…liver　oil　may　give　rise　to　disagreeable　eruptions。　Christison　speaks　of　a　boy　ten　years　old　who　was　said　to　have　been　killed　by　the　ingestion　of　two　ounces　of　Epsom　salts　without　inducing　purgation；　yet　this　common　purge　is　universally　used　without　the　slightest　fear　or　caution。　On　the　other　hand；　the　extreme　tolerance　exhibited　by　certain　individuals　to　certain　drugs　offers　a　new　phase　of　this　subject。　There　are　well…authenticated　cases　on　record　in　which　death　has　been　caused　in　children　by　the　ingestion　of　a　small　fraction　of　a　grain　of　opium。　While　exhibiting　especial　tolerance　from　peculiar　disposition　and　long　habit；　Thomas　De　Quincey；　the　celebrated　English　litterateur；　makes　a　statement　in　his　〃Confessions〃　that　with　impunity　he　took　as　much　as　320　grains　of　opium　a　day；　and　was　accustomed　at　one　period　of　his　life　to　call　every　day　for　〃a　glass　of　laudanum　negus；　warm；　and　without　sugar；〃　to　use　his　own　expression；　after　the　manner　a　toper　would　call　for　a　〃hot…Scotch。〃

The　individuality　noted　in　the　assimilation　and　the　ingestion　of　drugs　is　functional　as　well　as　anatomic。　Numerous　cases　have　been　seen　by　all　physicians。　The　severe　toxic　symptoms　from　a　whiff　of　cocain…spray；　the　acute　distress　from　the　tenth　of　a　grain　of　morphin；　the　gastric　crises　and　profuse　urticarial　eruptions　following　a　single　dose　of　quinin；all　are　proofs　of　it。　The　〃personal　equation〃　is　one　of　the　most　important　factors　in　therapeutics；　reminding　us　of　the　old　rule；　〃Treat　the　patient；　not　the　disease。〃

The　idiosyncrasy　may　be　either　temporary　or　permanent；　and　there　are　many　conditions　that　influence　it。　The　time　and　place　of　administration；　the　degree　of　pathologic　lesion　in　the　subject；　the　difference　in　the　physiologic　capability　of　individual　organs　of　similar　nature　in　the　same　body；　the　degree　of　human　vitality　influencing　absorption　and　resistance；　the　peculiar　epochs　of　life；　the　element　of　habituation；　and　the　grade　and　strength　of　the　drug；　influencing　its　virtue；all　have　an　important　bearing　on　untoward　action　and　tolerance　of　poisons。

It　is　not　in　the　province　of　this　work　to　discuss　at　length　the　explanations　offered　for　these　individual　idiosyncrasies。　Many　authors　have　done　so；　and　Lewin　has　devoted　a　whole　volume　to　this　subject；　of　which；　fortunately；　an　English　translation　has　been　made　by　Mulheron；　and　to　these　the　interested　reader　is　referred　for　further　information。　In　the　following　lines　examples　of　idiosyncrasy　to　the　most　common　remedial　substances　will　be　cited；　taking　the　drugs　up　alphabetically。

Acids。Ordinarily　speaking；　the　effect　of　boric　acid　in　medicinal　doses　on　the　human　system　is　nil；　an　exceptionally　large　quantity　causing　diuresis。　Binswanger；　according　to　Lewin；　took　eight　gm。　in　two　doses　within　an　hour；　which　was　followed　by　nausea；　vomiting；　and　a　feeling　of　pressure　and　fulness　of　the　stomach　which　continued　several　hours。　Molodenkow　mentions　two　fatal　cases　from　the　external　employment　of　boric　acid　as　an　antiseptic。　In　one　case　the　pleural　cavity　was　washed　out　with　a　five　per　cent　solution　of　boric　acid　and　was　followed　by　distressing　symptoms；　vomiting；　weak　pulse；　erythema；　and　death　on　the　third　day。　In　the　second　case；　in　a　youth　of　sixteen；　death　occurred　after　washing　out　a　deep　abscess　of　the　nates　with　the　same　solution。　The　autopsy　revealed　no　change　or　signs　indicative　of　the　cause　of　death。　Hogner　mentions　two　instances　of　death　from　the　employment　of　2　1/2　per　cent　solution　of　boric　acid　in　washing　out　a　dilated　stomach　The　symptoms　were　quite　similar　to　those　ment