A Bit of the Truth.
fhe molt pertinent and startling ip&afctea evor asked ia this :-— " Wtfiit is mm* . - A Roman Governor propounded it: QAfft, under oitoumstimce- which greatly Wtrfed and perplexed his official jmind. MCbewrt not the first man joi? the l^t— ittot by myriads. So far; as I kaow there has been no satisfactory answer. Some people (radicals and oome outers ot various sorts) fancy that in this, the tail end'of a rather braggart and oonceited century, they have flushed a fair-sized oonvey of truths by firing speculative shotguns into every wayside bush and bog. But have they done it ? No, gentle reader, no. They have put up crows and sparrows, the same crows, that pioked the bones of the cave dwellers, and the same sparrows that sold two for a farthing in the time of Pilate. There were plenty of fools of old, and there are plenty now. The ancient doctors, indeed, prescribed some horrible stuffs as medicine : — They ÜBed electuaries of viper's flesh and recommended pomegranate seeds for toothache because those seeds resemble human teeth. Very shallow and silly, to be sure, this sounds to us. But if you wanted to find things that come very nearly matching them in modern practice, I could show you where to look. On my table I have a list of about 300 new " remedies " introduced to a suffering world within the past twelvemonth. " Must be some good ones among tbem," do you say ? Possibly. Time wiil tell. Meanwhile let us stick to whatever we are sure 01. " We learn how to cure diseases," said Celsus, " by experience, not by reasonmg. " Some of the greatest truths in medicine," said a learned Scotch doctor, " came by the humblest means ; not by synthesis or venesection, but by the observations of peasants and the experimet^a of motherly women." Concerning a medicine discovered byone such woman, thousands of stories have been told ani letters writteu Here is ao example : — " For many years I have suffered from indigestion and weakness. I seemed to h*ve no energy for anything. I had a poor appetite, and what little food I ate caused me violent pains at the chest and between the shoulders. Frequently I had attacks of giddiness, and when I stooped I suffered from an unnatural rush of blood to the head. The pain which I was called upon to bear was often very severe ; it affected all parts of my body, and at night I "got little proper and refreshing sleep on account of it. "A3 time went on and the complaint grew fixed upon me, I came to be exceedingly weak ; and now and again wa^ obliged to take to my bed. [ lost flesh aud became quite thin, living, as I did, only on milk, beef tea, and other kinds of liquid food. It will oe understood, of course, that I had medicai care, besiJes attending the South Loudon Dispensary. Yet I received n» benefit, from what was done for me. " It happened tbat in January, 1889, a friend, Mr Pullen, told me he had suffered in a similiar manner and been cured by a remedy called Mother Seigel's Syrup. Acting oa his suggestion I got a bottle, and after having taken it I found great relief. Presently my appetite returned and food no longer distressed me. Convinced chat Mother Seigel's Syrup was adapted to my ailmeot I continued the use of it until it was no longer needed. My health and strength were reestablished, and I have since been well. This medicine had done what no others had been able to do. My husband, who suffered from biliousness, used it with the same rosult. Tou have my free consent to publish this brief statement if you desire to do so."— (Signed) Mrs Julia Massey, 133, Lorrimore, Road, Kenninston, London, 5.8., January 2(hh, 1898. There is no royal road to tbe discovery of truth or knowledge. Anybody may fiud it anywhere. It is not always he who seeks that finds. Valuable discoveries are usually made by what, for lack of a better word, we call accident. The medicine that cures is the medicine we want, no matter whether ifc it old as tbe earth or was picked up yesterday in the fields by a child. Thae Mother Seigel's Syrup cures is proved by a cloud of witnesses. It is a bit of the truth. Therefore it will not die out, and nothing can take its place.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BH18991003.2.31
Bibliographic details
Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3104, 3 October 1899, Page 8
Word Count
741A Bit of the Truth. Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3104, 3 October 1899, Page 8
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