Evening Star Newspaper, March 16, 1895, Page 19

— THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, ‘MARCH 16, 1895-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. A GREAT LIBRARY The Largest Collection of Medical Works in the World. AT THE ARMY MEDICAL MOSEUM Treasures of Learning Available for Practical Use. —_—_—_+—__—_-_ BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS HE LARGEST AND most complete med- {cal library in the world is the colec- tion of medical works located in the Army Medical Mu- seum In this city, un- der the care of the surjseon general's of- fice of the War De- partment and the im- mediate supervision of Dr. John S. Bil- lings, U. S. A. It may also be sald that the card index system of medical publications used by the brary is the mos: thorough and practical index of medical works in the world. The library now includes about 112,000 bound volumes and about 150,000 pam- phiets. It is estimated that this collection comprises three-fourths of the medical lit- erature of the world and at least nine- tenths of the medical literature which has been published within the past ten years. Everbody knows the location of the Army Medical Museum, the big brick structure in the southeast corner of the Smithsonian grounds, and it is in this building that the library is located. One entire wing of the building 1s devoted to the storage of these books, the room being absolutely fireproof and well lighted and ventilated. The yolumes are stacked upon iron frames extending almost to the ceil- ing and reached by galleries and stair- cases. ‘The value of this collection to the med- ical profession of the entire country, as well as to the medical and surgical depart- ment of the army,is almost beyond estimate. It affords a means of reference and research in every branch of the profession, and places at the disposal of seekers ‘after knowledge the wisdom of the world and of its greatest savants collected for geaera- tions past. Not only are the most modern works upon medicine and surgery to be found here, reporting the progress of the world up to date in each line of» the pro- fession, but here also are preserved thé writings of the an- cients, so that one can trace either in manuscript or printed page the progress of the science of heal- ing from the days of superstition when it was but a feeble spark in a universe of darkness to the present’ time. Dr. J. S. Billings. Every year thousands of people visit the library, doctors coming from all over the country to make researches in their par- ticular line or specialty, or some matter in which they are interested and upon which they desire to prepare a paper. Tables and chairs are furnished, and polite attendants get the books which the visitors desire, every facility being provided for the pa- trons of this great free library. The growth of this library Is a matter of recent years. For many years there was a small collection of medical books and jour- nals in the office of the surgeon general, which was probably commenced by Sur- geon General Lovell about 1830. At the commencement of the late war this col- lection consisted of about 350 volumes, mostly medical text books and journals. In 1862 and 1863, while Dr. Hammond was surgeon general, about 360 volumes were added, being chiefly works relating to mili- tary medicine and surgery. A catalogue published in the fall of 1865 shows that the library then contained about 1,800 volumes. The catalogue of 1872 placed the number of volumes at 13,000, which chiefly related to military hygiene, medicine and surgery, to public hygiene and medical statist! in 1874 there were 25,000 volumes and 15,000 single pamphlets catalogued, and since that date the growth has and prog: sive. The Profession Interested. In the preface of the catalogue of 1872 the need of the United States for a large medical library was stated to be shown by the fact that were all the public medical libraries of the United States put together it would not be possibie to verify from the original authorities the references given by standard English or German authorities. No complete collection of American medical literature was in existence, and the most complete was In private hands and not then accessible to the public. Upon the issue of this catalogue the medi- cal profession of the country began to take an active interest in the subject and the library began to grow by accessions from gifts. These donations were made by the members of the medical profession, who realized that it is to their advantage to have a_ well-stocked medical library, where all the books and special articles in periodicals and pamphlets have their ap- propriate reference in the index catalogue. It is to such special libraries that physicians give their books and pamphlets, and the rapid growth of the library is largely due to this cause. There is pour- ing into it a constant stream of literature, not only from this country, but from abroad. The result is that this library not only contains more literature than the Library of the British Museum or the Na- tional Library of France, but it covers a wider field, represents btter the medical literature, and is decidedly a better practi- cal reference and working collection for medical purposes than either of the great libraries referred to. The library also gets a great many books through the medium of exchange with other medical libraries in this and foreign countries. Congress fur- nishes a small sum each year for the pur- chase of books, but it is not adequate, by any means. Periodical Publications, One feature of the library is the collec- tion of medical journals, periodical publi- cations issued in every language of the civilized world. Over 1,000 of these jour- nals are on the subscription list of the library, and they come in each month. Of course, the value of these publications lies in the original papers published by fa- mous physicians of all lands, giving the results of their observations and experi- ences in actual practice or in the labora- tory. As each periodical comes in it ts exam- ined by Dr. Billings, and the papers which are desired to be preserved for reference are marked. The volume is then turned over to a clerk, who indexes the contents according to the subject matter, after which the volume is stacked upon a shelf. By this means the medical profession is enabled to keep up with the most ad- vanced thought and Progress in all na- tions, and important Papers by famous physicians upon the other side of the globe are made avail- able to the humblest practitioner in this country. In connec- tion with this branch of the library is a history of the medical journals of the world, giving an account of the life and growth of all such periodical publications, bee uninterrupted Miscellaneous reports and anonymous documents are also preserved and cata- logu The reports of state and municipal boards of health are received and filed away with the annual reports of the bu- reaux of medicine and surgery of the army and of the navy. The same thorough sys- tem of indexing applies to these, as well as the other treasures of the library. A unique feature in connection with the library is the preservation of the graduat- ing theses and essays of the graduates of all the principal uni- versities of the world. Let some un- known youth gradu- ate from a German institution of medi- cal learning and his essay, the pride of his heart and the re- sult of long hours of study and prepara- tion, is printed for the university. A copy is sent to the medical brary in this city and pre- served for future generations. It is said that these works are usually-rich in bibliography, and are preserved mainly on that account. : The bound volumes in the main lbrary are indexed under two heads, so that the reader may find 4 work by its subject or through the name of the author. The in- dexes are kept upon cards until they find their proper place in the current volumes of the index catalogue.. The work of index- ing is a tedious and arduous undertaking, and keeps a small force of clerks constantly busy. The results, however, are known to more than justify all of the labor, and it is only by keeping constantly at it that the value of the index can be preserved. Seme Rare Volumes. ‘The books in the main library are print- ed in every language, including Japanese and Chinese. Many of the volumes are of priceless value-on account of their antiqui- ty. Probably. the oldest medical book on record is a fac simile cory of an Egyptian papyrus, prepared somewhere about 2,000 Cerin <> peerterniineton ev SOL OUT greg aR LAD BP bit prim rata om i} sano fata al ecg un eau} Wt A CED) iraiaanh< = miata oS MLA Li fi ~ anu a Raa ‘3 TAP ET} sutra tried Bai a So | a Tg Oa eum Wad unis Yau) eae F maria Wt | - | UBS years before the Christian era. The papy- tus has not been very extensively de- ciphered, but is thought to be a kind of family medicine book, and among the recipes described is one for making a hair aye. There are several copies of the works of the great Hippocrates, who flourished about 460 years B. C. Coming down to later dates, there is a manuscript written in 1266 by the worthy Master Gilio of Por- tugal. The manuscript is yellow with age, but the writing is still legible, and would doubtless be as plain as day to any one who could understand the Etruscan Italian language of that day. There fs a rare old volume on surgery by Articelll, dated 1498, It is illuminated, and the capitals at the heads of subjects are composed ot ham- mered gold. There are numbers of books of the six- teenth and seventeenth centuries, written in Latin and German, end some of the typographical work of the books of those days would put to shame a modern printer. It is said that these works abcund in super- stitions and miraculous cures and all savor of the mysteries of the alchemist and the astrologer. ———__+6-+___ LIFE AND LUCK, Circumstances Which Have Led to Humiliation and Disaster. From Harper's Magazine. Prince Bismarck, in the course of some remarks which he made at a reception given him at Jena in the summer of 1892, is reported to have used these words: “It has been often said that I have had extraordinary luck in politics. That is true, and I can only pray that the em- pire may always have chancellors and ministers who shall -have- fuck. — Every one does not have it.. My predecessors did not have it. I hope my successor will some day be received by you as you have received me, who am no more anything.” It seems very modest in the prince to ascribe his eminence in the world to luck or fortune, and the world in general will be disposed to agree with him that if born at a different period of German his- tery his might never have proved the name to conjure with that it has been. But in what sense can any one event of our lives be more a matter of fortune or luck or chance than another, every event being but a link in the chain of causes reaching up to the Causa Causans, and every cause being necessarily proportion- ed, and precisely proportioned, to the event? If it was luck that made the prince a prominent instrument in the unification of Germany, and which clothed him with the robes of a chancellor of the empire, what but the same blind goddess has made him, in his own language, “no more any- thing?’ The triumph of the German arms at Sedan had no more to do with cover- ing him with tife imperial honors than with stripping him of them. Historians have dwelt upon the first Napoleon’s good fortune in coming to maturity at a moment when France had been distracted by revolution; but, when a young officer of twenty-seven years, he persuaded his barefooted legion to follow him over the Alps by telling them that there was an abundance of shoes in Italy, was he not just as definitely on his way to St. Helena as to Austerlitz or to Jodi? His nephew mo doubt thought himself a child of Fortune when he felt the impe- rial crown settling on his head. Would he have taken the same view had he fore- seen Sedan and Wilhelmshohe, and the place reserved for his name in history? Bacon was thought most lucky by his contemporaries in being elevated to the highest honors to which a British subject can aspire. Did they think so when the circumstances under which he was de- prived of them transpired? In each of these cases what -seemed luck upon Prince Bismarck’s theory led to humiliation and disaster. Any bio- graphical dictionary swarms with simi- lar cases, the explanation of which can- not be found in any of the attributes cf Prince Bismarck’s Goddess of Fortune. ——__+e+—_____ No Such Foot in Stock. From the Boston Advertiser. : A lady, well dressed, and apparently. in- telligent, entered a plaster caster’s shop on Province Court the other day, and in- quired earnestly: “You make casts, don’t you? Have you a cast of Trilby’s foot?” The good-looking young man in attend- ance blushed and stammered out that he had an impression that Trilby was a myth. “Well,” said the would-be customer, “I was told that you would have it, if any- body; but if you haven’t it I must look elsewhere.” And she glared at the young man and flounced out. ——_+e+_____ A Kindly Warning. Chicago Record’s Washington Letter. A little girl in this city, in saying her prayers the other night, was told to pray fer her father and mother, who are both very itl, and for one of the servants who had lost her husband. She did as instruct- ed, and concluded her petition with these words: “And now, O, God, take good care of yourself, because if anything should happen to you we would all go to pieces. me: —_——_+e+_____ True Enough. From Truth. Chimmie de bootblack’s cum- “Whist! min’!"’ “Well, what do I keer fur him; he’s only | proof against their own venom. That this de fvot-man,” VENOM OF SNAKES Strychnine is Found to Be an Ef- fective Antidote. NATIONAL MUSEUM INVESTIGATION Inoculation Renders Human Beings and Animals Immune. A RATHER CURIOUS CASE Written for The Evening Star. SURE AN'}IDOTE for snake poison has been found. The dis- covery will mark an epoch in the history of medicine. For thousands of years the secret has been sought in vain. It was Prince Lucien Bonaparte who, in in 1833, first made a chemical analysis of the viper, separating its active principle, which he called “viperine.” A similar prin- ciple has been separated from the poison of the rattlesnake by Dr. Weir Mitchell, which he has termed “‘crotaline.” But until now no knowledge has been obtained of any- thing antagonistic to this toxic agent, though alleged “cures” for snake-bite have been plentiful enough. The remedy so long looked for has been found at last in strych- nine. The deadly fluid secreted by certain spe- cies of snakes was made a subject of study from a very early date, but the old-time in- vestigators kn-w not how to solve the in- tricate problems of organic chemistry. All that they accomplished was to create a pro- digious number of antidotes, so-called, most of which in their turn were declared in- fallible. Not one of them was worth a penny. The most notable work in this line within recent years has been performed by Dr. Weir Mitchell of Philadelphia, who, for the sake of obtaining sufficient quanti- ties of the poiscn, has sometimes kept a many as one hundred serpents in his lab- oratory. His method of securing the venom for examination was to seize the snake by the neck with tongs, forcing a saucer between the jaws. The enraged animal would then bite into the saucer, on which the poison emitted was left. The substance thus obtained is a yellow- ish, transparent, sticky fluid, without smell or taste, easily dissolved in water. When dried it will re its toxle properties for any length of time, apparently, looking j like a gum or varnish, and it has been pre- served for twenty-two years without alter- ing in the least. On this ground it is ad- visable to handle with caution even the dried fangs of snakes long dead. Boiling, unless continued for a long time, does not render the fluid harmless. Poison in Saliva. It is a fact sufficiently well known that poisoning and even death sometimes re- sults from the bites of rats, dogs, cats, horses, cows and even man himself. Re- cent investigations have proved that in aa) cases the consequences are due to the prefence in the saliva of minute organisms. These bacteria find their way into the wound, and, rapidly multiplying, cause blood poisoning. Not so very long ago it was imagined that some sori of bacterium in snake poison might be accountable for its effects. Drs. Wolfenden and Williams tried to grow cobra venom upon gelatine, proceeding on this theory. If it had been “correct, they would have been able to pro- duce any quantity of the toxic agent by artifice; but they were entirely unsuccess- ful. It is now established beyond question that serpent venom is a specific poison, having nothing to do with bacteria. It paralyzes the heart and the nervous centers. Alcohol has long held the first place in popular esteem as an antidote for snake poison. In truth it is not such at all, theugh useful to sustain the vitality of the person bitien against the attack made upen it by the toxic agent. It stimulates the nerve centers and the actioa of the heart, if taken i small doses. But the mistake ordinarliy made is to pour into th patient large quantities of whisky, the ef- t of which is exactly the opposite of that required. In such great doses alcohol depresses instead of stimulating the vital functions. Intoxication, far from helping the cure, aids the poison. And, by the way, people have often died from snake-bite who were bitten when dead drunk. With the newly discovered antidote the case is exactly opposite. Danger is far more likely to result from hesitation in using it liberally than from an over dose. Strychnine—itself a poison scarce® les: terrible than snake venom—acts directly upon the nerves, stimulating and turning on their batteries, which the snake poison seeks to depress and turn off. Acting with the unerring certainty of a chemical test it neutralizes the effects of the serpe venom. But it must be administered in ex traordinary quantities, even to the point of producing spasmodic twitchings of the muscles. Use of the Drug. In fact, the ordinary doses must be greatly exceeded, and the administration of the strychnine must be continued, even if the total quantity injected within an hour or two amounts to what, in the ab- sence of snake poison, would be a danger- ous, if not a fatal, dose. The few failures among the numerous successes with the drug thus far recorded have nearly all been traceable to an insufficiency of the antidote. In urgent cases as much as twenty to twenty-five minims should be given to any person over fifteen years of age. If, at the end’of twenty minutes, the symptoms show no abatement, a second injection of the same strength should be made promptly, and, unless tnen a de- cided improvement is perceptible, a third one after a like interval. The action of the drug when applied as an antidote is net cumulative. The tendency to relapses is always great where much venom has_ been absorbed. Apparently yielding to the strychnine for a time, the insidious poison, after an inter- val, during which it seems to have been conquered, all at once reasserts its pre: ence, and has to be met by fresh injec- tions, regardless of the quantity previously administered. With children the amount of the remedy to be given must not be judged by the age of the child, but by the amount of venom to be counteracted, the degree of danger chiefly depending upon the size of the snake. The bigger the reptile, of course, the more poison it has. Furthermore, it is to be remembered that of all American serpents the rattlesnake is the most dangerous, the copperhead less so, and the water moccasin least. Until the Doctor Comes. In case of snake bite the first thing to be done is to tie a string or a handkerchief as tightly as possible between the wound and the heart, whenever practicable. Next cut deeply into the punctures made by the fangs, so as to cause .the blood to ficw freely; suck the blood from the wound —a proceeding perfectly harmless, inas- much as the poison does no harm when taken internally. Then carefully loosen the ligature so as to admit a small quan- tity of fresh blood to the member, in order that mortification may not ensue. Small doses of whisky may now be given at fre- quent intervals. If the patient has to wait for the arrival of a doctor this is the time to try all means to produce profuse per- spiration. The physician will administer extract of jaborandi, for a sudorific and diuretic, and hypodermic injections of tif- teen to twenty minims of liquid strychnia, repeated every twenty minutes until slight spasms appear. It has been ascertained that human be- ings and other animals are rendered com- paratively immune against snake poison by repeated small doses of the venom. @ This suggests the idea of preventive in- oculation, which, though not worth while in the United States, might be decidedly £0 in such serpent-cursed countries as India and Australia, or for travelers in regions where snakes are plentiful and dangerous. It is a fact that the poisonous snakes are is true has been demonstrated repeatedly by inoculating such serpents with the pois- enous secretion from-their salivary glands. It is believed teat there exists inthe blood of the venomous snake some agent similar to the poison itself, and that the presence of this toxic principle is accountable for the immunity exhibited. All of these facts and suggestions are summed up in a paper about to be publish- ed by the National Museum in its annual report. It is from the pen of the famous cphidian expert, Dr. Leonhard Stejneger. The author states, incidentally, that the poisonous snakes of this country are de- creasing rapidly in numbers. This is pleas- ant news certainly. The main cause of the decrease is the growing cultivation of land. In parts of the country it may be traced directly to the killing of serpents by hogs. Thesp?animals are by no means proof against the venom if it enters their veins, but their bodies are protected by a layer of fat, which is thick tnough ordi- narily to prevent the fangs of the reptile from penetrating through it. Bite of 2 Coral Snake. The Smithsonian Institution is frequently asked to decide bets as to whether the ccmmon “coral” or “harlequin” snakes of Florida and Georgia are poisoncus or not. The fact is that these pretty and gaily col- ored ophidians are decidedly venomous, being very nearly related to the deadly cobra, the scourge of India. On the other hand, they are usually of. such a very gentle disposition as to use their weapons only in extreme cases. One reason for the dispute as to their venomous qualities is found in the circumstance that certain other quite harmless serpents look much like them. In 1882 Mr. Zeno Shindler, an artist attached to the National Museum, was bitten by a coral snake, whose portrait he was making in colors. He suffered con- siderably, but recovered. Since then, how- ever, similar symptoms have annually re- curred. Each summer, a few days before the anniversary of the bite, the finger that was wounded has begun to pain. A sore is formed and soon breaks cpea, and the nail invariably comes off. Nevertheless, two years ago the recur- rence was prevented by a remedy common- ly used in Brazil forssnake bite and brought to Mr. Shindler from that country by a friend. It consists of the leaves and stem of a vine, known botanicaily as ‘“micania guacho,” an infusion of which ?s taken in- ternally. Thanks to this antidote, in 1892, 1893 and 1893 no eruption took place, though the pains arrived on time. It seems strange to note the statement, in view of the facts already mentioned, that the bite of the coral snake is more fatal in pro- portion to the number of cases reported | than that of any other serpent in the United States. The wounded person usual- ly does not know his danger, and fails to take the proper measures respecting a puncture, which, 60n the surface, looks trifling. As the action of the venom otf the “harlequin” js both enick ard violent when it gets into the circulation, the reme- dies when finally applied do little good. The food of this serpent consists chieny of other snakes and reptiles. CAUSES OF INDIGESTION, A Discussion of Varicties of Food and : Their Uses. From Modern Medicine, During the half or three-quarters of an hour which intervenes between the swal- lowing of the fgod’and the production of a degree of acidity sufficient to prevent the action upon the starch through the ap- pearance of free hydrochloric acid, very active conversion of starch is taking place. If the food has been thoroughly mas cated, so that it dseereken up into fine particles, cna insuring an admixture of an abundgnt quantity of saliva, the great share of the, starch elements of the food will be réftered“Soluble by conversion into dextrin, even if not completely con- verted into sugar, thus setting free the nitrogenous elements, which may be acted upon by the gaStric fee in their turn. . It must not be forgotten, also, that the saliva is a most active peptogen; that is, the presence of the saliva in the stomach, in connection Avith the food, stimulates glandular actiyity, on the part of the stomach whereby @n active and abundant supply of gastric juice is produced. Another cause of salivary indigestion which we shoyld mention is the ebundant use of sw In order that. the saliva shall exer ‘properties efficiently, it is necessary that it should act in a suit- able medium. A temperature of 100 de-¢ grees and an alkaline or neutral reaction are necessary for prompt and vigorous action on the part of the saliva upon the farinaceous elements of food. A low tem- perature hinders this action, and acidity stops it altogether. The presence of a large amount of sugar also hinders he action of the saliva. It is thus evident that the copious drink- ing of cold water, or the taking of icee foods in connection with meals, is a means of producing salivary indigestion. The free use of strong a such as vinegar, in connection with cereal foods, Is equally objectionable. Nothing could be more ab= surd than the combination of strong acids with vegetable elemenis, as in pickles. This is probably the reason why ma’ persons find themselves unable to use without fermentation. The acidity ufficient to neutralize the action on the starch. Evidently it is not only physiologica absurd to add sugar to farinaceous foo. since the starch, which composes one-hs the weight of these foods, Is all converted into sugar in the process of digestion, but the practice is also highly injurious, since it prevents the normal action of the saliva up- en the starch. In this way sugar, preserves, sweet sauces, confectionery, ice cream, cakes and other sweets, are in the highest degree conducive to salivary indigestion. * * * The consequences of salivary indi- gestion are: Acid fermentations, heart- burn, stomach and intestinal colic, dila- tation of the stomach, catarrh of the stomach and many evil effects arising from these conditions. The remedy for salivary indigestion con- sists in prohibiting sweets, ices and soft foods, and requiring patients to masticate thoroughly every particle of food swal- lowed. In many cases it is well to aid the Process of salivary digestion by exposing the cereal food substances to the prolonged action of heat, thereby converting the starch into dextrin, rendering it more readily soluble, and hence more readily acted upon by the sallva.-Granola and zwieback are invaluable articles of food for use in cases of this sort. The malt prep- arations are useful as palilatives in some cases, but it should be remembered that it is wrong to become dependent upon any artificial digestive agent. Ss A Belginn Love Market. A singular and ancient custom takes place the first Thursday in December every year in the little Belgian city of Arton. This is the celebrated St. Nicholas festival, and its counterpart is probably impossible to find in any country. Peasants, male and female, enter the city in the early morning, all dressed in their holidayrdress afd all bent on being married. Thej young men and women march up ang down pn the market place, and as soon 48 a young peasant sees the girl for whom''he ha8 a liking he invites her to one of the miny cabarets or cafes that surround: the market, and here the agreement an@: conditions for the marriage are talked over. The young_peasanteis always attended by an important personage, called “the spokesman.” "This ran enjoys the confi- dence of both partieg;, he knows the quali- fications of every young peasant and how much of a ritdrriagé portion each girl is provided with.;:It is He who does the talk- ing for both parties, and if an agreement is entered into,and a swedding is the result he receives a;eertain;part of the wedding portion, a new high hat and a pair of boots. = As soon as.alcouplé are engaged, which must be done before the festival is over, the custom is for a beau to purchase some oranges and candy for his girl, and she presents her intended with a pipe and a package of tobacco. The origin of this marriage festival is lost in obscurity, but it is faithfully ob- served by the people of this province year after year. 0+ What Was Lacking. From the Chicago Record. Madge—‘“It took me two hours to select the right material for the corsage of my new ball room gown. Madge’s Father. (who is averse to decol- lete styles)—‘What's the matter? Didn’t you have a microscope?” ————eee. New Sleeves Instead. From the Chicago Inter-Ocean. “What has Mrs. De Style done with the money her uncle left her?” “She did intend to build a house, but-I see she has come out with new sleeves in two dresses instead,” READS LIKE ROMANCE How Worth, the Dressmaker, Made His Millions. A Single Cloak of His Worth $3,000— He Kept 1,200 Dress- makers Busy. From the Philadelphia Telegraph. = Born in England in 1825 Worth, the dress- maker, who recently died, went to Paris at twenty-six and began at Gagelin’s, where he remained twelve years. This firm was noted for silks, which were woven by workmen in their own homes. There was at this time no house in Paris which sold material and made it up as well, and this combining of the two branches struck M..Worth as a good idea, and he obtained permission from his principals to try it. This he did, beginning with cloaks, and a train that he designed gained a medal in 185: The firm refused to take him into part- nership, although he had been the means of introducing a profitable and novel fea- ture into the business, so he determined to start for himself. This he did at No. 7 Rue de La Paix, in 1858. He began by em- ploying fifty hands. At the present time his establishment employs about 1,200 per- sons, and turns out between 6,000 and 7,000 dresses and between 3,000 and 4,000 cloaks a year. At the time Worth began business for himself the second empire Was in the height of its prosperity. The Empress Eugenie, then in the prime of Womanhood and the full protection of her incomparable beauty, was delighted with dres: invented for her by the brilliant Englishman, who knew so well how ine perfect taste with striking orig- to com inality. The Famous Cloak. Worth speedily became the dressmaker par excellence to the imperial court. Its reigning belles, the Princesse de Metter- nich, the Princesse Anna de Murat, the Comtesse de Drigode, and countless oth- ers, became his patrons, and sought not only his creations in the way of gowns and wraps, but his counsel as well in all mat- ters connected with the toilet. It was at one time the custom for the great ladies of the day to drive to his establishment full-dressed for a dinner party or a ball and to submit the fit and flow of their cos- tumes to hin for a final supervision. At the iirst universal exhibition in Paris, that ef i Worth appeared for the first and y time as an exhibiter. His contribu- a court mantle in white silk, entirely red with elaborate embroidery in goid thread, the artistic pattern of which was sned by himself, carried off the first ze almost without contestation. Since then he kas cared nothing for such easily won triumphs, This splendid mantle, even in those days of comparatively low prices, Was valued at $. ”. It is still in existence amorgst the treasures of the house. At that perlod Worth originated a num- ber of styles that were destized to revo- lutionize the world of feminine dress. Among these was the short-skirted walking with jacket and skirt composed same material, a fashion which specdily became uriversal. The first dress ef this style was made for the Empress Eugenie, and was in gray silk, trimmed black velvet ribbon. He thus sup- preseed the trailing skirt for street wear— a fashion at once unclean and inconven- ient, and which unfortunately threatens to once more make its appearance. He was not responsible for the introduction of crin- oline, that having originated with the Em- press Eugenie. But the wide expanse of ladies’ skirts afforded him great oppor- tunity for the exercise of his talent in draping fine laces and rich silks and vel- vets, and, above all, in grouping and ar- ranging garnitures of artificial flowers, and he ut!lized these opportunities to the ut- most. Worth made dresses not only for the royal ladles of Europe, but for the queens of soctety both in Europe ard the United States, and for the queens of the footlights as well, His first royal customer was Donna Maria da Glori: then queen of Portugal. For years thereafter there was married in all Europe. of the imperial fami- ly of Ger! whose principles forbid them from ever ordering anything to be made in Paris—that did not have a group of Worth toilets included in her trousseau. ‘The Dowager Empress of Russia and the queens of Italy and of Portugal became his constant customers. A Theater to Show Dresses. One of the rooms in his beautiful home at Suresnes has been fitted up as a small theater, with a tiny stage, and there Mes- dames Favart and Croizette and o of the great actresses of France came to go through before him the new roles that they were about to create, so that he might de- sign for them dresses sulted to the attl- tudes and the gestures required by the characters they were to impersonate. The first to consult him in this way was the great Rachel when she was preparing to appear in the only modern society play in which she ever acted, Lady ‘Tartuffe. sarcely a princ outside of the lad: establishment of the republic in France ght no change in the prosperity of Worth’s house. There are always courts to be adorned and queens and princesses to be dressed throughoui the rest of Hu rope. Poor Madame Grevy, who carried her peasant tastes into the E , maver dreamed of such an extra’ ce as a Worth toilet in all her iife, but the wives of all the cther presidents of France— Mmes. Thiers, Macmahon, Carnot and Cas- imtr-Perier, and, doubtless, Mme. Faure also—have all been numbersd among Worth’s patrons, or clients, as it became the fashion to style his customers. Worth was not only the head of the vast establishment in the Rue de la Paix, but its soul and brain and sinews as well. He created the pattern dresses, ordered ma- terials and trimmings to be manufactured, very often from his own designs, and s' perintended in person all the delicate fn- ishing details of a toilet, such as the shap- ing and trimming of a corsage, the tying of scarfs or of ribbons and the placing of artificial flowers on the skirt. He excelled in combining colors, sweeping aside piece after piece of silk till the exact union of hues that was at once the most effective and the most artistic had been reached. He studied the portraits of beauties and cele- brated female personages of by-gone ages to glean ideas for new styles, as he ob- served the blending of coiors in the plum- age of birds, or the petals of flowers, or the accidental combination of the pale green of young grass in the spring with the warm red of the earth in a freshiy ploughed field. This last named union of tints furnished him with an idea for a strikingly effective toilet. Description of Some Costumes. A few years ago he gave to the corre- spondent of an American paper the follow- ing account of some of the notable cos- tumes which he had created: “The celebrated dress in which the Com- tesse de Castiglione, on one occasion, ap- peared at a fancy ball, and which was said to be so extremely indelicate, would scarce- ly cause a remark if worn at the present day. It was a robe in black and scarlet plush, and was made without sleeves and with only a narrow gold band passing over each shoulder, a style that is universally adopted now, but which, in the days when evening dresses were all made with short lace-trimmed sleeves reaching half way to the elbow, had a rather startling effect. This, of course, was enhanced by the beau- ty of the wearer, who was formed as per- fectly as a statue. “I supplied the empress with several fancy costumes. One was that of Juno and another the splendid dress of a Dogaressa, or wife of the Doge of Venice. For this last-named toilet she caused to be fashion- ed the necklace in diamond network, with a great imitation pear-shaped pearl sus- pended in each interstice of the network, which was sold among the crown jewels, and the fact of the pearls not being real created a good deal of talk at the time of the sale. She never wore this authentic and picturesque but cumbersome ornament, She tried it_on several times, but it al- ways marred the effect of her costume. It was sold for $1,000, a price far beyond its intrinsic value. “Another fancy costume which I made for her was an exact reproduction of the dress of Marie de Medicis from a contem- perary portrait. When she tried it on for the emperor’s approval, he found it too somber, and to replace it we furnished, at twenty-four hours’ notice, a copy of the toilet worn by Marie Antoinette in the well-known portrait of Mme. Lebrun. “Once I made a dress in whose construc- tion 100 yards of sitk were employed. It was in light glace tuffetas in three shades The G&RQUNE Johann Hoffs Maur Aas the Signature 19 Extract QW AECH 4aset EISNER &. MENDELSON CO. SoueAcents. WEWYOR of purple, from delicate lilac to deep vio- let; the whole skirt was covered with close and full ruchings in the three shades, and when completed the dress looked like a huge bouquet of violets. “It has occasionally been stated in the newspapers that I have given* up all ac- tive participation in my business, only re- maining an hour or two daily at the es- tablishment in the Rue de la Paix. That statement is incorrect. I arrive there early in the morning and do not go home till 6 or 7 o’clock in the evening. And every toilet furnished by the house receives my personal supervision, from the fashioning of the model to the placing of the final trimming.” Worth was a stout, genial, pleasant-look- ing gentleman, with a peculiarly low-toned voice and very quiet manners. He was never known to lose his patience with even the most exacting and unreasonable of customers. ——_—_<ao—___ HOUSEHOLD HINTS. Somebody said, once upon a time, that “peace at a dinner table assists digestion. Angry words stir up bile.” That some- body was a philosopher of the first water. One of the surest ways of inviting indi- gestion is to eat when angry, or to get into heated discussions at the table. Good conversation of a eheerful sort is to be reeommended, but to have to sit and listen to a tale of woe half an hour in length, cr to have one's wife storm and rant over household difficulties, or the head of the family come home mad about something that has happened down in the city ond vent his spite on his unoffending family ell through the meal, is to be deplored. A sour face at meal time will throw a shadow over the spirits of all, so if you have any- thing disagreeable to impart, keep it till after the meal is disposed of, and get it out of your own mind if possible till you have strengthened yourself with well-cook- ed food. You will often find that the color of the world is quite different when you ccme to look at it after dinner. The trou- bled housewife will find, too, that she is much more likely to get sympathetle at- tention from the head of the house after he has been fed than she could get when he was tired and hungry. ss 8 ee The other day a woman who ought to have had more sense put mustard on a chicken salad. Mustard improves a lob- ster, but ruins a chicken. Remember that. oe ee Some women who are economical of strength only take up their carpets once a year to shake them, because “there is no dirt in them.” A great fallacy. A thick carpet catches and holds a vast amount of dust, which will rise in a cloud when you sweep and then settle back on the carpet again, where it lies cutting out your pretty car- pet throughout the whole year. For sani- tary reasons carpets should be taken up at least twice a year, and for economical rea- sons, as often as possible. The fine parti- cles of dust and sand cut and rot a car- pet very rapidly. ee © # « If the steak for breakfast was so tough that but little of it was eaten, fix !t up for lunch this way: Put it over the fire in enough cold water to cover it, and let it simmer gently. for an hour or more. Just about an hour before lunch line a deep pie dish with biscuit dough that has been made very short and rolled to quarter of an inch thick. Into this dish put small pieces of the meat dipped from the gravy in which it was cooked, and freed from ail gristle and the bone. Slice one small po- iato very thin over the meat, put in some chunks of sweet butter, season as you like best, put on all the gravy in which the meat was cooked, sprinkle a little flour on top, and put the cover of nice thick crust over the dish and set in the oven to bake fer half an hour. Good, hot or cold. se ee e Fruit of some kind, fresh, and eaten on rising, is a splendid tonic for most people. Very many cases of periodical sick head- ache have been relieved by taking a glass of freshly made lemonade on rising. A severe attack of indigestion can be relieved in an hour by eating two or three juicy apples. People generally do not _under- stand the sanitary uses of fruit. By con- stant use it will correct, nearly all typhoid bilious tendencies @if it is perfectly fresh and in no way tainted with rotten spec Oranges are generally cheap In this latitude, and they are considered among the best of fruits for helping diges- tion. One in the morning and one in the pecuing will help a torpid liver wonder- uily. es 8 e e To make your clothes-pins last a long time without splitting, and to clean them as well, scrub them in strong soapsuds and then put them in the boilsuds and boil them a few moments. Rope clothes lines will be the better for a treatment of this kind once in a while also. * * © 68 «@ If your ¢hild is left-handed let it remain so, but teach it to use its right and left hand alike. To be sure, a left-handed per- son looks awkward at work, but it is a blessed good thing to be able to use both hands alike, when accident disables the one that you favor most. se 8 8 When potatoes begin to get old and strong they have to be treated in some way to make them palatable. Try this: Peel and slice rather thin and put in layers in a deep dish, sprinkling with salt. After the dish is filled pour in full of nice sweet milk, and over the top put bits of butter. Put in the oven and bake till done. The milk should just cover them. se 8 8 e Lenten dishes are in order, and here is a delicious one for a breakfast: Pick a pint of codfish to shreds and soak it over night in a quart of cold water, which pour off in the morning, and put on it another quart of cold water; then set on the stove to cook. Into a heaping tablespoonful of butter put a heaping tablespoonful of flour, and rub till smooth. Pour the water off the fish and put over it a pint of sweet milk or cream and let it come to the boil- ing point. If the milk is a bit old it will gurdle. Toast half a dozen slices of bread, stir the butter and flour in the fish and let it cook five minutes, then turn it over the toast, arranged on a hot platter. Another nice dish made the same way is to line a deep dish with a layer of toast and a layer of the fish, having the fish on top, then put little shreds of butter on the top, and set in the oven to brown. se © 8 If you can’t have anything but bread and butter, baked apples and coffee for dinner, set the table as carefully with clean linen and bright cutlery and glassware as though you had a twelve-course menu. A dainty table will make up for many short- comings in variety. And then, you can’t expect that children will be neat and dainty in their table manners when you are at no gains to make the table neat and dainty for them. Having got your table nicely set, fix yourself up for the meal. Don't sit down to it with your hair tow- sled and your sleeves rolled up. A woman who has to do much of her own work ought to be well supplied with cotton gowns that are simply made, and that can be laundered. She can have one ready to slip on at an instant’s notice, and always be neatly and becomingly clad for all sud- den company, which always upsets woman because she is not “fit to be seen. With. cottons at 4 and 5 cents a yard, a calico gown for work would not cost above 60 cents. ——— What Constitutes Succe: From the Chicago Post. 1t 1s becoming more apparent every day that the succeasful bank rcibver ta the one who éraws a saiary fron. the iustitution,” DIED OF BROKEN HEART. Some Singular Cases of the Effect of Sudden Emotio: From the New York Press. In the oid days, when the practice of med- icine was according to a lot of ‘logical em- pirical notions,*“brokén heart” was often set down as causing.death, Later, in the youth of medieal science, it was declared that there was no such’thing as heartbreak, and it is not so-many.yearg-even now since the doctors found out that excessive emo- tion does, sometimes, actually cause rupture of the marvelous muscle that, strongest and at the same time most delicate of the human body, sends the life blood coursing and pul- sating through every artery of the entire system. It seems to be agreed by doctors that Mrs. Agnes Wolfe of Brooklyn died of broken heart the other day, for the certifi- cate of death gave “heart failure and exces- Sive grief” as the cause. Mrs. Wolfe's grief ‘Was on account of the death of her mother. It was in June that relief came to the older woman, who had suffered from a painful illness for months, and the younger was never herself again. After her death her funeral was delayed several days, in order to enable the doctors to definitely decide upon the cause of her death. It is not often that heartbreak operates so slowly. Usually it causes death in a few hours, if not in- stantly. One of the saddest deaths that might properly be spoken of as dus to a broken heart occurred on September 1, ten years ago, in Cadiz, Ohio. The victim was Miss Alice McCiba, a young and exceedingly in- telligent girl of a rather nervous tempera- ment. She was engaged to marry James Nash, a young man who was given to jok- ing. On the Saturday evening prior to his sweetheart’s death young Nash called upon her, according to his weekly custom. Dur- ing the entire evening he allowed his rather clumsy wit full play. When he was ready to go, after kissing the girl good night, he turned suddenly and said: “Well, <9 I — I won't eome to see You again. We'ye had a good time playing engaged, haven't we? We'll be friends all our lives now, but that’s all” Alice looked searchingly in his face and then sank to the floor in 4 spasm, dying in thirty-six hours. ———-—-+ee-______ Written for The Evening Star. The Sunbeam. A beautifal beam came into my cell, Fresh from the eye of Jchovah to tell ‘That bolts and bars cannot keep out the light Of truth and justice, of mercy and right. It checkered the flags through the iron door, And danced in the shadows that Kissed the floor, And loitered about in a friendly way Until beckoned back at the close of day! When out of the window it flew on high And hastened back to its home in the sky I followed the bemutifal beam to rest © To a sea of light in the golden west; It dropped to sleep on the dark blue sea And left me the sweetest memory. I turned to my soul for sure rellef, Balm to iny wound, a check to my grief, Whea vistons of glory shone from above Where the light Is God and God is love! —JOHN A. JOYCE ——_—>—__ Her Share in Economy. From Harper's Bazar. “My dear,” said Mr. Darley to his wife, “wwe shall have to economize.” “Very well, love,” replied Mrs. Darley cheerfully. ‘Suppose you resign from you club, give up smoking and shave yourself. “That's a pretty program, I must say. And what will you do as your share of our economy?” “I will cut your hair.” HEAL RUNNING SORES CURES tHe SERPENT’S STING ulcers yield to its It re- moves the poison and bi up the system In_ all its stages completely eradicat- edbyS.S.S. Obsti- nate sores and SHOSHOSO SS OSS eeserereeeenes Animal Extracts? Ps Prepared according to the formula of DR. WM. A. HAMMOND, In bis laboratory at Washington, D.O. ‘The most wonderful therapeutic discovery. since the days of Jenner. REBRINE............-From the Brain, For Diseases of the Brain-and Nervous System. MEDULLINE -From the Spinal Cord, llepsy; Locomotor Atuxia, ete. 4 :-.From the Heart. 4 For Diseases of the Heart. 4 TESTINE......... -From the Testes. For the Testes. OVARINE. From the Ovaries, For Diseases of Women. Dosé, 5 drops. Price, two drachins, $1.00. For Sale by all Druggists. THE COLUMBIA CHEMICAL CO., Washington, D. ©. Send for book. Bt-cot SESISSOSCSSSOSSSOSISOOSSS9O® THOSE WHO HAVE EXAMINED GOFF OOOOOO: Pronounce it the perfection of mechanical skill. It can- not be beaten. PRICE, $100. Now on Exhibition. Fitted with Palmer Tires. M. A. TAPPAN, 1013 PA. AVE. it