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October 7, 1905.]
CHINESE PHYSICIANS NOT
WITHOUT SKILL. ·
A German medical periodical, the Suddeut- scher Apotheker Zeitung, recently published an interesting article on Chinese doctors and their methods. The Chinese physician, the writer remarks, is not always a quack, although he is generally so regarded in the Western world. There are many practitioners of medicine in China who are expert in the treat- ment of disease. They have become so by study of race-tradition, by close observation, and by practice, rather than by what we should call professional training. The article, as translated by the Literary Digest, proceeds as follows:-
"In China anybody can play the physician. No examination is necessary. As a general thing, doctors are men or education who have failed to pass the official government examina: tion (a tremendously complicated affair; a test rather of memory than of knowledge). A8 educated men, in China, they are supposed to know all things, and be able to do anything and everything, even to healing the sick. If they are in earnest, they will study for a while under some aged and famous teacher, and spend a little while in diving deeper into knowledge, and if they wish to become pharmacists as well as physicians, which is generally the case, they learn how to make pills, etc. Many of these impromptu sons of Esculapius study but a few special diseases.
"Chinese medical literature embraces a host of books, many of which contain much matter several thousand years old (according to the Chinese chronology). Aecording to these the heart is situated where we place the stomach, and the gall-bladder in the corebellum: a man has 12 ribs, while a woman has 14 of them; a man' skull consists of eight, and a woman's of but six pieces. The skeleton contains 22 im- portant and 56 unimportant parts.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Chinese do tors are, however, not content with medicines alone. They are adepts in massage, especially of the head and of the stomach and bowels. When light massage does not work a cure or give relief (in pains of the stomach, for instance), the docter will kneel on the stomach and rub and knead with his knees keep up until the patient is relieved (or says he and hands the painful part, and this he will
is). Another of his remedies is acupuncture or plunging a needle into various parts of the body-a treatment that is said to be very effec tual in many complaints, and is highly regarded.
"One can easily conceive, after all this, that it is not pleasant for a foreigner to get sick in China, especially in the interior part of the country, where one must depend upon treatment by native physicians. No creditors at your
doors and no doctors around the house is
happiness,' says a Chinese proverb."
FOREIGNERS IN CHINESE
DRESS.
249
HONGKONG CRICKET L'AGUE.“
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At the adjourned
-ral meeting of the Hongkong Cricke Legue, held on the 3rd inst. in the Colonial Secretary's office, the secretary, Mr. W. Aeger, reported that the Competition-Craigeugower, Hongkong C.O. following Clubs had entered for the 1905-6 'A', Civil Service, Hongkong Police, Kowloon, Royal Engineers, Army Staff, and Royal Garrison Artillery.
The following alterations and additions to rules were made:
Rule 13. If a definite result be not arrived at, play shall continue till 6 p.m. in October, February and March, 5.45 p.m. in November and January and 5.30 p.m. in December. But if both umpires be agreed that the light is unfit for play, stumps shall be drawn at the time they shall so decide.
Rule 17. No player whose name is in the list drawn up by the Hongkong Cricket Club of players debarred in the H.K.C.C. team playing in the League is eligible to play for any other Club in the League.
Rule 18. The Committee shall have power fromme to time to alter, add to and amend the Rules aud Bye-laws of the League by giving notice to the Secretary who shall notify each member of the Committee of the saine, provided that 14 clear days' notice of any proposed alteration, addition or amendment have been given to the Secretary and each member of the Committee. Ang alteration, addition or amend- ment.made shall be notified at once to the Committee representative of each League Club by the League Secretary.
Rule 19. The decision of the Committee shalls in every case be final. Latest M.C.C. Rules to be observed in all cases.
SHANGHAI BREAD SUPPLY.
AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON. The following letter to the North China Daily News explains itself :-
Sir,-On several occasions my appetite at breakfast has been considerably weakened by seeing a particularly repulsive-looking insect emerge from the loaf of bread after cutting
In a leading article, the Tientsin Times refers to." the extreme undesirability of foreigners or naturalished Chinese posing as Chinese. Our contemporary says:That Chinese dress is of great assistance to missionaries in the far interior besides being cheaper and more con- venient, has been well proved, though there are missionaries in all parts of China who get on very well in their own national costume. But in adopting the dress for utilitarian pur- poses the line should, we think. be drawn at the queue, as not ouly is a peculiar significance attached to this head-dress which is absolutely at variance with the mission aries' life and policy, but it lends colour to the argument of possible mistakes in case of trouble. With short hair the missionary or the Chinese who is a foreign subject would be safe from identification with Chinese. In a few years time the queue will perhaps be dis- appearing, when some other distinction can be devised; but for the present it would serve, and British subjects whether missionary or other- wise have no right, to our thinking, to wear the badge of slavery and allegiance to the Chinese Throne when they are under the protection of, and in time of trouble turn to the pro- tection of their own Government. We know that in the case of missionaries the queus is regarded simply as a detail of the whole dress, and is donned to avoid conspicuousness; but times are changing in China and so long as the Chinese officials remain as ignorant as they are at present, it seems desirable to, as far as possible, limit the channels through which com- plications may arise by every means in our power. Foreigners of all nationalities, and conspicuously Japanese, are beginning to throng into the interior, all wearning the national dress, and all speaking the language with more I cannot name the insect, but it evidently or less fluency, yet all able at a moment's belongs to the family Blattida, and is conse- Chinese physicians of much repute, we are notice to repudiate their responsibility to quently a near relation to our ubiquitous friend told, never visit on foot, but must be carried to any Chinese official and claim the protecthe cockroach, usually bat erroneously known the patient on a horse, or mule, in a carriage. tion of their own authorities. Many of these as blackbeetle. At the patient's residence, the doctor first rests men are of unscrupulous character and a while, and in the meantime is served with are not in the interior for any worthy object, liquors and confectionery, and often with aand it is no longer a matter of only the mis- formal meal. He usually collects no fee, but sionary traveller, so we should not be surprised receives & percentage of the fees of the spothe- to find the missionaries themselves viewing the cary if he does not himself have an apothecary's situation somewhat in the light that we have shop. In all cases of cure. however, he done, and arriving at the decision that a dis- is rewarded with rich presents, whose value
tinctive mark of some kind is due both to the depends on the rapidity and completeness of Chinese and to themselves. the relief. To quote further.
"In early times there must have been in China (as there were in ancient Egypt) special medical schools, but these no longer exist. At the present time every village has its physician and apothecary shop. In every district there is a physician appointed by the Government, but without any salary attached. His duties are to determine the nature of wounds indicted in breaches of the law, death therefrom, when it oceurs, and its nature - a profitable calling to be sure? He must make reports, count the wounds and measure their dimensions, record them, and finally determine which, if any, caused death, or whether the subject died from natural causes. The party, who gives him the largest honorarium, will of course, fare in ordinary fracas, who gives him the best. Beside these district surgeons, there is in Peking a court that has jurisdiction over questions arising as to the qualifications of physicians, and the rules governing these are obeyed throughout the empire. The members of this court physicians to the imperial court."
K
are
Apothecary shops exist in every village of any. size. Prescriptions always, consist of several drugs, as many as twenty ingredients being frequently the case. They are put up in pill shape, or are given in their natural condition, and boiled together by relatives. This mess, usually of very bitter taste (aud whose odour generally horrifies foreigners) is always administered hot, and usually in big cupfuls
A Chinese medicine book, dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) contains no less then 28,739 receipts. Materials of the Materia Medica Sinensis consist of vegetables, minerals, and articles belonging to the animal kingdom, such, for instance as dragon's teeth centipedes, scorpions, Spanish flies, roaches, beetles, tadpoles, etc.
JAPANESE LAND TAX IN "KWANTUNG ".
Marshal Oyama, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army in Manchuria, has issued the following order regarding the imposition of a land-tax in the province of Kwantung:-
"It is hereby notified that a land tax will be imposed. In collecting the tax, the old usage in vogue in the province will be taken into account, and the collection of the tax will be commenced with the amount due for the present fiscal year.
The procedure of collecting the tax will be determined by the Director of the Civil Aministrative Bureau."
64
Kwantung" here mains the territory in Manchuria leased by Russia and now ceded to Japan.
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the latter.
There can be no doubt whatever that this little beast had been baked with the bread, and that like the three individuals mentioned in the book of Daniel had come forth unhurt.
Beyond a passing interest which this may have for scientists, it does not very much concern the ordinary person, but I take it that most of us would prefer that our bread should not serve as host to such unappetising tenants, and I would suggest that our bakeries might very well be inspected as well as our dairies.
20th September..
I am, etc,
GEO. BUTLER,
At the offices of the Public Works Depart- ment on October 2nd the letting of Inland Lot No. 1,744 was put up for sale by public auction. There was only one bidder, Mr. P. Julian, to whom the lot was sold for 81,300, $20 more than the upset price.
"
Ships drawing 12 feet can now get up river to Tientsin with the tide.
"If other cuttings are made,' Bays the China Times, "further improvement may be looked for. The bar is the obstacle. The best tide experienced during August was 11 ft. 6 ins. As showing the enormous growth of the bar in recent years it may be mentioned that in August 1894 no less than 17 ft. 6 ins. was recorded, and the mean tide of that month was 12 ft. 6 ins. work that has been done has greatly improved the river, as everyone now very fully recognises ; but the greater the improvement the keeper the desire for more. What is now required is that the bar be deepened by at least two feet, and that two more cuttings be made in the river channel,”
The
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