THE " BEE CURE."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 769, 18 March 1910, Page 2

THE " BEE CURE."

A REMEDY FOR RHEUMATISM.

EIGHT STINGS A DAY,

There is at least'one gentleman in Wellington 'who can speak in unqualified terms of .- the : value of the be© sting as a cure for rheumatism. The bee cure, as it is commonly referred to, is simply a "course" of bee stings, which the par tient must take daily as.lie would any other description of medicine. It involves a battle of the acids in'the blood —the acid of the poison contained in the bee's sting operating against the urifl acid in the blood. As in the case of all new "cures" that break fresh ground, the bee cure was held up to ridicule as. a fad some years ago, but a number of cures are now reported, and it is now being praotised in all parts of the world where bees are available.

Some months-ago a well-known middleaged business, man was attacked with rheumatism, and so bad did he become' that he had to give up his work, and in an incapacitated state went to Rofcorua to see if a course of baths would do him any good. He tried every, man-, ner of bath that Ebtorua boasts, inoludirng the lriud baths, and the Lobster Bath at Ohinemutu, all without the slightest beneficial effect... In despair he returned to Wellington, and'was very bad for another couple of months.' : DuV ing that time the bee cure was brought under his notice, and finally was recommended by two members of the medical faculty in Wellington. The sufferer,, who was only too ready to tackle anything that promised re--bef, however remotely, at length decided to try the.cure, and a supply n{ bees was obtained, for the purpose. - ■ -He submitted to be stung once a day, the directions.(to replace the customary one tablespoonful in a wine-glassful of water) being eight, stings. a day. :'■ Tho bees were brought in a box, and allowed to crawl out on .to .the patient's .arm, into which they, without any compuno, tion, drove their tiny poisoned si>oar. : The sting of a bee is rather a maddening thing under ordinary, conditions,' but to one who, has suffered severely.' from rheumatism the pain of the sting was of little moment,-and. the treatment was such that he got quite used to it. With monotonous regularity a corps of eight bees., were paraded for stinging exercise/ in which they proved highlv proficient! -It is interesting' to note that the patient obtained immediate relief from tha treatment, and improved; daily, until af. ter, a ."course" of six. week's; stinging h« confessed,.himself quite cured,., befoio which time he was again, able to attend to his business. ~lt was mentioned that" two members '■ of. the' medical.- fraternity suggested ■ the bee treatment,'" but neither came, near him during the treatment. t Perhaps .they 'considered it. infrjI dig. professionally to. do' so,. or was ii. that they thought the case l demanded an, apiarist rather than a surgeon? ■The "bee, cure" is rough- oh the bees," A. bee only stings once in its life, and' having lost his sting he loses.caste with the other inmates of the hive, 'who finally kill him off. It would'seem thai they have, however, the satisfying knowledge that though they suffer loss of dignity, and in' most cases life, by ejecting their poison- when- asked--to. do so, they may give untold relief to suffering humanity. 3 -■■ ■ \