HEC
TAGLIABUE.
François Tagliabue, né en 1822, lazariste français, était arrivé en Chine en 1854, Après avoir évangélisé la Mongolie, et rempli les fonctions de procureur de sa mission à Chang-haiï, il fut nommé le 25 Septembre 1868, évèque titulaire de Pompeiopolis et vicaire apostolique du Pe Tche-li occidental. A la mort de Mgr. Delaplace, il fut transféré, le 5 août 1884, à Peking, au Pe Tche-li septentrional. On a appris sa mort par un télégramme arrivé de Peking le 13 mars. Mgr. T. a donné un certain nombre de lettres aux Annales de la Congrégation de la Mission. C’est pendant son épiscopat que des négociations importantes eurent lieu entre la Chine et le Vatican, et que la cathédrale de Pe-tang a été déplacée.
HG:
Nous donnerons dans le prochain numéro une notice sur le Marquis Tseng.
BULLETIN CRITIQUE
Chinesische Studien von Fried- | rich Hirth (München und Leipzig, | celain during the middle-ages; on
G. Hirth's Verlag 1890, Erster |
Band).
Mr. F. Hirth, Deputy commissioner Kowloon Customs in Hongkong, has collected in this volume a series of several very interesting articles on Chinese subjects, formerly read before and published by different scientific societies, as the «Oesterreichische Monatsschrift für den Orient», the «Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde», the «Anthropologische Gesellschaft» at Berlin, the «Greographische Gesellschaft» at Leipzig, Herrig’s Archiv etc. The present volume contains articles on the ancient oriental trade, on
oriental trade during the middle-
ages; Chinese fabrication of por-
the history of glass in China; the Chinese annals as a source for the history of asiatic races; on the commercial productions of Kwaugtung; on the trade of China; on Chinese sources for the geography of Kwang-tung with special reference to the peninsula Lei-chow; on Chinese officials; on the administration of the Chinese maritime customs; on the Chinese press; on foreign words from the Chinese; on the Meander and Triquetrum in Chinese and Japanese ornaments; on eyebrows and the paint for blackening them; on the imvention of paper in China (first published
in number 1 of the 7‘oung-pao);
| on Chinese metallic mirrors. Ass
shown by this summary a great
BULLETIN
variety of subjects relating to Chi- |
na and the Orient in general are
treated of, and ably and succinctly
dwelt upon by the learned author.
Le premier établissement des Néerlandais à Maurice par le Prince Roland Bonaparte (Paris, imprimé pour l’auteur, 1890), in 4.
Le prince Roland Bonaparte, déjà bien connu pour ses travaux sur l’ethnographie et la géographie des colonies Néerlandaises, vient de publier un nouvel ouvrage relatif à l’histoire de ces courageux explorateurs et voyageurs Néerlandais du 16° et 17° siècle. L'ile de Maurice fut découverte, à ce qu'il paraît, par le pilote portugais
Diego Fernandez Pereira vers le
9 Février 1507. L'île reçut alors le |
nom de /%ego Rodrigos. Elle fut
visitée en 1598 par le vice-amiral |
Wybrand van Warwick, qui lui donna le nom de Mauritius en l'honneur du prince Maurice de
Nassau. Depuis, l’on relâcha con-
tinuellement dans cette île, propice, |
à ce qu'il paraît, pour aller y cher-
CRITIQUE
cher des vivres frais, prendre l'eau et réparer les navires. Cette habitude continuait jusqu'en 1652, quand [.-A. van Riebeck s'installa au cap de Bonne-Espérance, beaucoup mieux situé pour les navires venant d'Europe que l’île de Mau- Les Hollandais se fixaient
définitement dans l’île vers 1638.
rice.
Ils durent l’évaquer deux fois, en 1644 et en 1654, pour l’abandonner définitivement en 1710. L'ouvrage est illustré de cinq planches reproduites d’après les gravures des anciennes descriptions de voyage, ainsi que d’un plan du fort Frederik Hendrik construit en 1638. Une de ces planches (N°. IIT), tirée du Voyage de l'amiral van Neck, représentant les différentes occupations des Néerlandais à Maurice, est devenue célèbre parce qu'on y trouve le dessin du fameux oiseau éteint, appelé Dronte ou Walghvoghel, sur lequel les ornitholoœues se sont disputés longtemps pour déterminer la place qu'il doit
occuper dans l’ordre des oiseaux.
| La plupart des ornithologues l'ont
classé parmi les colombes, mais
| mon père a toujours soutenu qu'on
168 BULLETIN
devait le classer parmi les autruches. L'ouvrage est terminé par plusieurs lettres et pièces justificatives. Nous sommes reconnaissants envers M. le prince Bonaparte d'avoir bien voulu résumer dans
une brochure compendieuse les ré-
CRITIQUE
sultats de ses recherches sur les points obscurs de l’histoire de l’établissement des Néerlandais à Maurice ainsi que pour la reproduction des anciennes planches, devenues
fort rares.
4. People often wonder why the Jesuits in China latinized the names Of Kung Fu-tsze and Meng-tsze into Confucius and Mencius, and, generally, ascribe it to the then prevailing mania of latinizing or hellenizing all the names of savants. But this is not necessary in the abovementioned case, because Mencius seems to have been a name common in Germany in the 17th century. We found, at least, some time ago, in an antiquarian catalogue, the following entry:
B. MENCIUS, Itinera sex a diversis Saxoniae ducibus et elector. in Jtaliam, tria etiam in Palaestinam facta. Witeb. 1612.
May it not be, that one of the german Jesuits in Peking, seduced by the existing german name Mencius and its resemblance to the name of the Chinese philosopher Meng-tsze, has substituted the to him familiar name of Mencius to that of Meng-tsze. Of course, this once done, it was natural to change also the name of Kung Fu-tsze into that of Confucius. 5.
5. Il est drôle de voir Marco Polo à la scène: on écrit au Temps (n° du Mardi 8 Avril 1890) «de Madagascar, que, dans ces derniers temps, a eu lieu en présence de la reine, du premier ministre, des princesses Ramasindrazona et Rasendranoro, et de toute
la cour, une représentation théâtrale donnée par quelques artistes;
le résident général de France et son personnel, le vice-consul d'Angleterre avaient été invités.
La pièce intitulée: la Gloire de Madagascar montrée au théâtre, est une glorification de la grande île sous forme de récits et de chants mis en action d'une façon naïve.
On peut la résumer aimsi:
Au début, nous voyons Marco Polo, un des premiers voyageurs qui aient parlé de Madagascar, écrivant en Chine l’histoire de la grande île et la narrant à ses enfants. Il s'anime tellement qu'il meurt soudain frappé d’un coup de sang. La famille éplorée lui fait des funérailles magnifiques. Tout à coup un ange apparaît près du tombeau de Marco Polo, ordonne à l'âme de celui-ci d’aller en Portugal faire connaître aux étrangers les beautés de Madagascar pour les engager à y venir et disparait sous la forme d'une blanche colombe.
L'âme obéit et, de la sorte, inspire à deux Portugais, les frères d'Abren, l'idée d'un voyage à la grande île qu’ils s'empressent de mettre à exécution.
Les hasards de la navigation les mènent tout d'abord sur la côte d'Afrique, à Angola, qu'ils quittent après quelques aventures pour aborder enfin à la côte ouest de Madagascar.
Là, ils rencontrent une bande de Sakalaves disposés à leur faire un mauvais parti; mais avec quelques présents tout s'arrange. Les indigènes offrent aux deux voyageurs des produits du pays, des poissons pêchés devant eux, des fruits superbes, du miel qu'apporte une babakoto, et tous ensemble se rendent chez le gouverneur malgache, qui accueille très cordialement les deux étrangers. Hospitalité somptueuse, diners, fêtes, etc., rien n'y manque; bref, les deux vazaha sont enchantés et ne tarissent pas d’éloges sur tout ce
qu'ils voient.
Cette vie de plaisir et de bonne chère succédant aux fatigues de la route les fait engraisser à vue d'œil. Tout plaisir a une fin, et, à leur grand regret, il leur faut songer au retour.
Pour leur malheur, après avoir quitté Madagascar, ils s'arrêtent sur le territoire de la république de Libéria, où des brigands les font prisonniers et, finalement, les voyant gras et dodus, les tuent pour les manger.
Heureusement, le bon ange de Madagascar veille sur eux; il apparaît pour la seconde fois et ressuscite les deux d’Abren, afin qu'ils puissent raconter à leurs compatriotes les merveilles qu'ils ont vues.
C'est ce que s’empressent de faire les deux voyageurs, et la représentation finit sur la réunion de toute la famille dans un grand banquet suivi de danses et de chants en l'honneur de la grande ile
et de son gouvernement.
Le sujet prêtait à la représentation de scènes curieuses de la vie indigène. C’est ce qui est arrivé en effet: les danses et les chants
malgaches ont été, nous dit notre correspondant, d'un très joli effet».
Cine 902 0Vart 1h of the Kk à À Pi are mentioned a number of weapons, not commonly used by the people, but of which use can be made to commit murder or manslaughter.
In none of the existing native or European dictionaries definitions or translations of these weapons are to be found. Will any of the readers of the T‘oung-pao in China favour us with a short description, a drawing, or an exact european equivalent for the names of these weapons? They are: :1N ER DTA Æ (according to Douglas, Dict. o. t. Amoy vernacular, the 7 Æ F£ hü-sing t'ui
consists of a ball fastened to a chain, used in ancient warfare);
6 ZE. 2 RE JE I. A6 fn. 6 5 EC Æ 6 He AE.
7. Can any of the readers of the 7‘oung-pao tell us what is the exact meaning of the terms 22 JAI and pa Tél in the following passage concerning the making of tea found im the $ £k and cited in the Chin. Encycl. #4 #4 £# JK, Chapt. XXI, p. 11: RP, BZ, MEM. D, 2%, DU 6 Hi JK with the note 2 UN =È A Æ el pi I .
If we take little tea and much water the «<Cloudlegs» will disperse; if we take little water and much tea, the «Congeesurface» will collect. (The Fuhkienese call it <Cloudlegs» and <Congeesurface »). Douglas (Amoy-dictionary) does not mention the terms hün ka and tsiok bin.
TRATASTER.
BY
À. G. VORDERMAN,
Physician of the town of Batavia 1), corresponding member of the Royal Academy of sciences in Amsterdam. Ernst & Co., Batavia and Noordwijk 1890. Translated from the Dutch, with the authors permission, by G. SCHLEGEL.
Diphtherical imflammation of the throat is a contagious infection very common in ./ava.
The disease must have been formerly unknown, according to the statement of old practitioners, which is confirmed by the fact that Dr. Waiïtz does not mention this disease in his work on tropical infantile complaints published at Samarang in 1844.
In Butavia, sporadical cases of diphtheritis oceur, and their number increases generally to such an extent during the rainy season, that it attracts public attention; but epidemies of diphtheritis, as they occur now and then in european cities, have never been observed here, most surely as a consequence of the different way of living of the population.
Yet sometimes several members in one family are simultaneously or consecutively infected with diphtheritis, so that it may be
called a house-epidemic.
1) Now Inspector of the civil medical service in Java and Madura,
174 A. G. VORDERMAN.
This disease is not the sole one in Batavia occurring in this
way. Throughout the whole year isolated cases of angina follicu- | laris, pertussis, parotitis, roseola, morbilli, varicellae and variolae are observed; whilst only now and then, under favorable circumstances, the number of cases of one of these complaints increases to such an extent, that it may be called an epidemical spreading.
Though the occurence of diphtheritis in this place is constant, I think, however, to have observed that the children of natives are rarely affected by it, though they live generally in unfavorable hygienic cireumstances, whilsé the children of pur-sang Europeans, Creoles and halfcaste catch it readily. The native Chinese children, ‘who are nearly all of mixed Chinese and Malay blood, are frequently affected by it.
According to the statement of Chinese physicians, diphtherical inflammation of the throat belongs to the frequent diseases in the thickly populated cities of China, and this has been the case since centuries.
Now the results which the Chinese physicians have obtained by the treatment of this disease, which treatment contrasts very favorably with that of other diseases, appear to have He known long ago in this place, as there exists a decided inclination with the Indo-european population, to put themselves under treatment of a Chinaman when suffering from diphtheritis.
This Chinese methodus medendi has gradually come into fashion, and it is not at all uncommon that the Europeans residing in the place first ask for the advice of their familydoctor in cases of throat complaints, and put themselves immediately under the treatment of a Chinese doctor in case of diphtheritis.
Sometimes this is done without previous medical advice; but when this happens with the consent of the European practitioner,
he generally draws back, because it is impossible for him to take
the responsability of a case treated by a to him unknown method, preferred by his patients above his method.
It happens, however, sometimes that the family invites their housedoctor, for better security, to continue the observation of the patients whilst using Chinese medicines.
This happened to me shortly after I had settled down here. It was in the case of a creole boy of nine years of age, whom I found suffering of diphtherical inflammation of the throat. The local symptoms consisted especially in a greyish-white and brownish exsudation on the tonsils, the anterior palatial roof and the uvula, which was distended to about thrice its normal size. The lymphatic glands of the lower jaw and the neck were swollen, and, besides, salivation and a fetid smell of the mouth was observed.
Albumine was found in the urine, and the temperature of the body was 40°,2.
Partly from curiosity, | eonsented to follow the course of the Chinese treatment.
The result was that the fever disappeared after two days, the swelling of the glands diminished gradually, the exsuded matter was gradually expelled; whilst the uvula diminished in size, and only an intense redness of the affected spots continued for a long while. À fortnight after the exsudation had disappeared, the urine still contained albumine, but no paralitic symptoms followed in thé wake.
I was so struck by this gradual and complete recovery of à case for which each experienced practitioner would at the utmost have established à dubious prognosis, that Î commenced to make researches into the nature of the used medicines, and made more observations upon the results of the Chinese treatment in accident-
al cases.
I can do nothing but declare in all conscience, that they have
176 A. G VORDERMAN.
fully satisfied me, and that [ began to apply the Chinese method in cases of diphtheritis very shortly afterwards.
I do not think myself guilty of exaggeration when stating that I had in my practice at least 10 cases of diphtheritis per annum; and when asserting that Î never used another method than the Chinese during the last 9 years, and that only in two cases death ensued, my predilection for this mode of treatment will be explained, and I feel bound to publish all I know of it.
As was stated above, only in two cases observed by me, death ensued.
The first case was that of a native girl, 16 years old, which had been already under treatment of a Chinese Sin-se (SE Æ ). The whole region of the lower jaw and the neck were inflamed by a pasty swelling, whilst the mouth and nose emitted a fetid stench, the whole cavity of the throat being covered by a diphtherical film.
À high temperature of the body, 40°,9 was coupled with a benumbed sensorium. The parents, who had first put their daughter under treatment of a Sin-se (Chinese doetor), becoming afraid of a fatal issue, called in the assistance of a european physician. The girl, however, died already the next day. Though I had not applied in this case myself the Chinese method, I mark this case as lethal, because it had been applied in the beginning.
The other case was that of a 6 years old halfcaste boy, whose brother I treated for diphtheritis of the tonsils, the pharynx und the uvula. As soon as the diphtheritis had been detected by me, I advised the father to remove the other children temporarily out of the house, which advice, however, was not followed by him. He only communicated to me this omission, when my assistance was called in for this boy, who, according to this person, was
suffering from the mumps.
By examination, the mumps proved to consist in a swelling of the glands of the lower jaw and the neck, occasioned by a violent diphtherical process in the gullet, not noticed before. Exactly as with his brother, the affected spots were bleeding. The brother was effectually cured by the chinese medicines, whilst the younger one, who came later under treatment, died after a few days. Though thus the foreign method is not infallible, these cases are no proof against its excellency; but it is always of the highest consequence to apply it immediately after the detection of the complaint.
I have often observed that the local process was spreading notwithstanding; but, according to my opinion, the results may safely vie with those obtained till now by the european methods. Paralytic symptoms after diphtheritis, treated according to the Chinese method, occur too, but they are comparatively rare.
TI am not alone in my observation of the favorable results of the Chinese method. Dr. Hymans van Anrooy, military surgeon in Poerworedjo, lately published in the »Geneeskundig tydschrift van Ned. Indië” (Medical Journal of Netherlands-India) a communication on this subject, in which its effets were clearly demonstrated; and many of my colleagues in this place will have had the occasion
to observe now and then similar cases.
Before passing to the description of this medication, I think it is interesting to say a few words about Chiuese medicines.
The Chinese are known to be a nation which had reached already at a very early period a high degree of civilisation, even so that they were in many respects in advance of us Western people. But they have remained stationary at this stage during the last centuries, as well in their medical science, as in the other scientific branches.
According to our present western views, their theoretical me-
dical knowledge is not eminent; and though I have recommanded
178 A. G VORDERMAN.
in this essay their treatment of diphtheritis, by reason of experience, I should not like to subscribe to their theoretical speculations thereon.
It is, however, highly probable that in future further efficient therapeutic methods will be discovered in their materies medica; but, a priori, their medical praxis, as a science, inspires little confidence.
Much has already been published about their materies medica, but the effects which they attribute to their medicines are very often based on illogical deductions, and, sometimes, seem to be totally chimerical !).
Just as with many native races in this archipelago, it would seem that also with the Chinese the belief obtains that effective or imaginary properties of a medicine are transferred to the body of the taker of them. E. g. the wellknown root of the Panax quinquefolium, the Ginseng, which is called here Som *), is according to their ideas considered to possess an eminent virtue, not only as à roborant, but also as an aphrodisiacum, possessing, when taken internally, the virtue of producing a feeund coïition. The root which was shown to me here as the genuine one, was carefully enclosed in a tin box, out of which it was cautiously taken out with a pair of pincers, whilst it was evaluated at 120 rupees.
Now, by strain of imagination, a resemblence between this root
and à homunculus can be found. The head, body, arms and legs
1) Two centuries ago the most renowned European physicians were even less advanced than the present Chinese ones. The principal ingredient of the receipt against gout of Sir Theodore Mayerne (+ 15 March 1655) were parings of an unburnt human skull. His batunguent against hypochondria consisted of vipers, bats, young mammals, earth-worms, suet, marrow of deers and the thigh-bone of an ox. About the same time Sir Kenelm Digby said in a session of the Royal Society, that powder of roasted toads, placed in a bag on the stomach of a plaguestricken man, would cure him, when the remedy was repeatedly
applied. G. S.
2) Properly «Jin som 4 R in the Tsiang-tsiu-dialect.
were pointed at with a mysterious air, and in this resemblance the secret virtue of the attributed property resides. Mr. W. P. Groeneveldt, honorary counseller for Chinese affairs in this place, told me how a Chinese doctor had once explained to him the, be it said, totally imaginary virtue of the scales of the anteater. Those anteaters, Manis aurita in China and Manis javanica in Java, dig holes, and are said by the Chinese to be able to perforate a mountain. According to their philosophical speculations, these animals possess a perforating power »vis perforans”, which not only pervades the whole animal, but even, after its death, some parts of its body.
On the strength of this belief, a Chinese doctor will, in a case of coprostasis, when other remedies have failed, prescribe the pulverized scales of the Manis to be taken internally.
By applying this, he fancies that a perforation will be effected through the accumulated fecal matter in the intestinal canal, whereby the elimination will be accelerated.
However, the Chinese materies medica possesses, also, a treasure of efficacious medicaments, of which I will mention here only à
few, also in order to show their identity with our own.
As such [I mention: — musk — a species of cantharides — aconit — aloes — angelica — asa foetida — belladonna — eamphor — borneol — cassia — catechu — cicuta — datura — gelsemium — euphorbia — Indian anise — liquiritia — ginger — coptis — nux vomica — rheum — smilax — opium — storax — valerian — veratrum — menthol — calomel — einnabar — borax — arsenic — salpetre — salmiac — sulphate of iron and copper.
As is well known, the disposition of a Chinese apothecary’s shop is, generally speaking, similar to our own. The stock of medicines is preserved in jars or wrapped in paper; and, generally, stored
away in à contiguous apartment.
180 A. G. VORDERMAN.
As the reader will get acquainted, in this paper, with some Chinese prescriptions, I think I may as well say here a few words about the making out of medical prescriptions.
The prescription of the Chinese doctor is of course written with Chinese ink on Chinese paper. We miss in it the western preposition »Recipe”. The nomenclature of the prescribed medicines begins at the right topside of the paper.
Under the name of each ingredient is mentioned its measured quantity; the order of the ingredients is arranged from the top to the bottom. :
When the column is filled up, and the prescription not yet finished, it is continued in the next column to the left of the first.
Generally the directions for use are written in larger characters to the left side of the prescription.
Some doctors give prescriptions on which their name is stamped in red characters, and a very few put the date to it; but, in general, the prescription has neither signature nor date; the patient’s name is never mentioned.
When such a prescription has been handed over for preparation to the apothecary, he returns it, together with the delivered medicines, to the patient.
Files of medical recipes are therefore unknown in Chinese apothecary’s shops. The prescribed medicines are weighed on larger
or smaller steelyards, whereby the following weights are used:
The niu (ffj) or thael = 10 tsi (&È) = 0.038601 Kg. » (si (&*) = 10 hun (4j) = 0.003860 »
> hun (4%) or mata = 10 li (JH) = 0.000386 »
» li (JH) = 0.000038 »
These weights are copied from the Governments almanach of
Netherlands-India and approach nearest those made use of in Chi-
nese apothecary's shops. [In the list of measures al weights, given in the above mentioned official document, other sorts of thael are mentioned, weighing 54.09 — 50 — 40 — 47.174 -- 35.714 — and 55.585 gram, but the Chinese medical weight comes nearest to the firstmentioned.
In order to convince myself of this, [I have examined this
weight in several Chinese apothecary’s shops, with the following result:
Gram.
At Chun Sim-tong in Pintu besar 1 thael weighed 38.1 » Ban Hok-tong >» Toko tiga » » » 38.6 » Chi An-tong » Djilaking » » » 37.6 » Yong Pit-hap » Pintu kichil » » » 38.0 » Loa Hian-hiao >» Tongkongan » » » 38.1 » Liok Ho-kee >» Kali besar >» » » 38.0 » Ui poi » Penen 2 00 » 35.0 » O A-nji » Penen 2e > » 37.6 » Ho Sin-long » Pasar baru » » » 37.6 » Tio A-kam » Tanahbang >» » » 36.6
These differences are remarkable, as there seems to be a total want of uniformity in the medical weight with the Chinese in Batavia. So that, in this case too, the total absence of control by the local authorities on the Chinese apothecary’s shops, is painfully evident. For our purpose, i. e. the composition and preparation of the hereafter to be mentioned laringial powders, these differences are of secondary importance, because the relative proportion of the ingredients of a prescription remains the same, so that only the total quantity of the medicament will be unequal with different apothecaries; but still it is important to know these differences. Sometimes too steelyards for medical weights, offering slight differences with each other, are found in one and the same shops, as [ have ascertained
myself.
182 A. G. VORDERMAN.
For liquids the Chinese take as unity of measure a Chinese bowl called oa (ff), containing a quarter of a litre. This is again
subdivided in 10 parts.
The remedies prescribed against diphtheritis of the throat were, originally, not secret. Already in the well-known Chinese materies medica Pén-ts'au Kang-muh, published for the first time more than 300 years ago, prescriptions against diphtheritis are mentioned; but the demand by the interested Europeans in Batavia, and the good results obtained by the Chinese treatment of this disease of the throat, have determined most of the Chinese doctors to keep part of their medical treatment a secret. After continued researches during several years, Î succeeded in obtaining some prescriptions against diphtheritis.
Their publication, with the necessary elucidation for the western
medical reader, forms the principal bulk of this paper.
The Chinese method of euring angina diphtherica consists in
11 A local treatment by blowing a compounded powder into the throat.
21Y A ceneral treatment by administering internally two kind of decocta, one during the spreading of the diphtherical film, and the other when this has been arrested, and
8lY The regulation of the diet.
In PBatavia resides an old Fuhkien Chinese, who has the best local reputation for euring diphtheritis. His name is Si Ma-in and he lives in Gang torong near the Glodok. He is the person with whom I became acquainted in the first mentioned case, and of whose treatment I saw the best results. I, also, saw good results
from the method of treatment of another Fuhkien Chinese in Passar
baru; but, for briefness’ sake, I will restrict myself, in this paper, to the method of Si Ma-in. He is himself not a Sin seh (€ HE), but the recipes of the medicaments he uses, are kept since several generations in his family, and are transmitted from father to son. For that reason he keeps one of them secret, vwiz. the composition of his sufflating powder. The man is in the possession of an enormous quantity of certificates of cured patients; but in judging of them, it must not be forgotten, that they have been given by laymen, and that not every case cured by him as diphtheritis could boast of that name. E. g. angina follicularis is very speedily cured by the simple application of the laringial powder.
Though he is able, by an experience of a series of years, to distinguish pretty well diphtheritis from other affections of the throat, he is in the habit, perhaps for more security, to follow the same treatment in other, less serious cases of throat-complaints, when he is called for by nervous patients. Probably the want of constancy in the composition of his sufflating powder !) may be attributed to the cireumstance, that, infatuated as he is by a preparation of this powder during a long series of years, he permits himself to make no longer use of weights when compounding. his ingredients, but that he mixes the subtle ingredients at sight. It is also delivered without previous weighing. He only mentions one ingredient to the publie concerned, viz. pulverized pearls, in order to explain the exorbitant price he asks for his remedy.
He makes no secret of the herbs he employs for his decoctum for internal use, and he writes prescriptions for his patients, which can be prepared in every Chinese apothecary's shop. These prescriptions, two in number, are, according to a special examination
made by me, always identical.
1) The color is sometimes reddish brown, and has sometimes again the color of Chocolade.
184 A. G. VORDERMAN.
The regimen to be observed during the treatment can, of course,
not be a secret.
There are living in PBatavia some other Chinese doctors, who keep secret the composition of the sufflating powders used by them; but most of them dont do this, at least not for their Chinese friends. If one wishes to get such a recipe, containing the ingredients of such a powder, it is necessary to call in the assistance of an influential Chinaman who has obligations to you for some reason, and who is unconnected with the medical cireles, because perhaps the Sin-seh’s, by nature suspicious, will give a false recipe
to the European physician or pharmacopolist.
The prescriptions for the sufflating powders, as well as for the decocta, vary much. Each Chinese doctor has so to say his own recipes; but though they are different, the ingredients agree in the main. The same may be said of the Javanese doekoens (doctors)
and their recipes of obat srijawan.
It behoves here to mention in a few words what has been published by former inquirers about Chinese inflating powders.
The first who called the attention upon the chemical composition of this remedy, was Mr. J. van der Wiel, at that time private apothecary in this place. He communicated the results of a chemical analysis of Si Mu-in's powder in the Medical Journal of. Netherlands India, Vol. XXI p. 301 seg., and published for the same purpose a Chinese recipe, accompanied by an explanation.
I do not wish to criticise the whole of this paper, but feel, however, obliged to state the following remarks.
UY Mr. v. d. Wiel is of opinion that the recipe published by him contains the prescription of the powder against diphtheritis
generally used in China. This opinion is erroneous.
CHINESE TREATMEN!I OF DIPHTHERITIS. 185
As I have said already above, there is a legion of recipes of such powders, who nearly all differ, but in which some ingredients constantly recur.
21Y His method of determining the specific ingredients of the recipe is based on too slender informations, as the only source he had for interpreting it, consisted in the opuscule of Dr. L. SouBErRAN and DarBy DE Taigrsanr »La matière médicale chez les Chinois”.
Now it is necessary to know that no Chinese characters occur in this opuscule, and that the pronunciation of the Chinese words is partially given in french and has been partially compiled out of an English work, which makes the identification of the medicaments with help of this book and a Chinese pharmacopolist if not impossible, yet very difficult. Moreover, a competent judge, Dr. BRersCHNEIDER, physician to the russian legation in Peking, expresses himself in the following way about »La matière médicale chez les Chinois” in his Botanicon Sinicum !);
» Although professing to be an original work, it is nothing »but a compilation from P. Smirx and DeBeaux, made without cri- »ticism and without the Chinese characters of the native names. »The best portion of the book is the able preface by Prof. GUBLER”.
Brerscanioer’s friend Dan. HanBury also gives an unfavorable judgment of this opuscule.
For this reason the diagnoses given by van per WieL of the Chinese medicines contained in the powder are in some places erroneous. With the exception of these faults resulting from the want of the necessary literature, I am obliged to confess that the idea which he gives of a laringial powder agrees better with the reality than the results obtained by the chemical analysis made by
Prof. Wegrers Burrinrk and the apothecary Douwes.
1) Botanicon Sinicum: Notes on Chinese botany from native and western sources, by E, Bretschneider, M. D. London, Trübner & Co. 1882.
186 A. G VORDERMAN.
In fact, he was placed for this in better circumstances, because he could lay hold of many organic substances, and because the foresaid chenusts, placed before a to them unknown mixtum compositum, were eventually compelled to confine themselves to the determination of the anorganic ingredients.
Van per WieL's essay was some time ago discussed by Prof. Wzgrkrs Berrink in the »Nieuw Tiydschrift voor de Pharmacie in
Nederland” 1888, pag. 20.
The second, who published the results of the chemical analysis of Si Ma-In's powder, is the abovenamed professor (Wsrers Barrinx). In the abovementioned pharmaceutical journal for the year 1887 we find an essay by his hand, superseribed: »Obat orang sakit leher” (Medicine for sorethroat people). Probably this Malay name of the Chinese medicine, was copied by him from the label which the chemist pastes upon the paper wrapper in which the medicine is delivered. He does this because the Chinese name of the powder na au san would be unintelligible for the general Indian publie.
Besides the chemical analysis of the anorganic ingredients contained in this laringial powder, Prof. Werers mentions also the physical properties of this powder, and its aspect under the microscope.
This powder was esteemed, by the results of the analysis, to
be composed of:
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Vermilion ."-0i70t
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and Powdered charcoal. . 3.5 »
He remarks further rightly that the quantity of cerystalline water
contained in the borax could not be determined, so that the cypher obtained for the percentage of this remedy ought to be considered as approximate only.
If Prof. Werers had been aware of the fact that the borax found in the Chinese laringial powders is annealed by the Chinese method and therefore freed for the greater part of the crystalline water it contains, the cyphers for this remedy would have been considerably modified.
The third who made an analysis of the laringial powder of Si Ma-In, is the military apothecary of the Indian army Douwes. The results are published in the »Geneeskundig Tydschrift voor Ned.-Indiëé”. Vol. XXVII, p. 232 seg.
Four different specimens of the laringial powder were examined, whereby it was discovered that the composition was not constant; but it does not appear from his report that the four powders were all procured from Si Ma-In.
He further found that Borax and Vermilion occurred as principal ingredients of the anorganic parts Mr. Douwes was equally unaware of the fact that the Borax used had been previously annealed before it was used in the composition of the powder.
In general, his results accord with those obtained by Prof. Wzrers Berrink. Till then the chemical analysis was only applied to the powder of Si Ma-In, which, as we will show further on, differs from other Chinese sufflating powders.
Now what is the real composition of such an sufflating powder?
As I have said above, it differs according to the prescription given by the doctor. I will, therefore, give some Chinese prescriptions, giving an idea of it, and then pass to the discussion of the secret powder of Si Ma-In.
I feel obliged, in treating of them, to make use of Chinese
characters, of which I have added, in each prescription, the trans-
188 A. G VORDERMAN. CHINESE TREATMENT OF DIPHTHERITIS.
cription in latin characters, having been enabled to do so by the valuable cooperation and assistance of Mr. W. P. GRoENEvELDT.
This gentleman, who has constantly aided me in this work, has published in the XXVtE Vol. of the Pharmaceutical Journal of Netherlands-India, an article, which [ wish to cite here !).
This article was provoked by the uncritical way in which Dr. C. L. van per Bure had mutilated or confounded several Chinese names of plants or medicines in the third Volume of his work »De geneesheer in Nederlandsch-Indië”.
By the remarks made by Mr. GroëNeveLDT it appears that a person, not having made a special study of the Chinese language, is not able to pronounce correctly even a very accurate transcription of Chinese sounds. By reading such names before a Chinese apothecary, he will not be able to make himself understood.
Therefore the addition of the Chinese characters is necessary in a paper like this. In simply showing it to a Chinese apothecary, one may feel certain that he will understand which medicine is
meant.
1) Opmerkingen over het teruggeven van Chineesche namen op natuurhistorisch en pharmacologisch gebied door W. P. GRroëNeveLpT. Geneesk. Tijds. v. Ned.-Indië, DI, XXV, pag. 281.
(to be continued).
