Ifrit

“ She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Ifrit Dahnash heard the poesy which Maymunah spake in praise of her beloved, he shook for exceeding joy and said, "Thou hast celebrated thy beloved in song and thou hast indeed done well in praise of him whom thou lovest! And there is no help for it but that I also in my turn do my best to enfame my mistress, and recite somewhat in her honour." Then the Ifrit went up to the Lady Budur ”

“ Then continued the Ifrit Dahnash, addressing the Ifritah Maymunah, "And I, O my lady go to her every night and take my fill of feeding my sight on her face and I kiss her between the eyes: yet, of my love to her, I do her no hurt neither mount her, for that her youth is fair and her grace surpassing: every one who seeth her jealouseth himself for her. I conjure thee, therefore, O my lady, to go back with me and look on her beauty and loveliness and stature and perfection of proportion; and after, if thou wilt, chastise me or enslave me ”

“ Then my eyes filled with tears to overflowing and I cast the sword from my hand saying, "O mighty Ifrit and hero, if a woman lacking wits and faith deem it unlawful to strike off my head, how can it be lawful for me, a man, to smite her neck whom I never saw in my whole life. I cannot do such misdeed though thou cause me drink the cup of death and perdition." Then said the Ifrit, "Ye twain show the good understanding between you ”

“ When I saw this, I swore that I would deny my last favours to no man whatsoever, and these rings thou seest are after the tale of the men who have had me; for after coition I took from each a seal ring and laid it in this kerchief.” Then she added, “And now go thy ways, that I may look for another than thyself, for the Ifrit will not awake yet awhile.” ”

“ Then he whistled a loud whistle and there came forth to him an Ifrit with four wings, to whom he said, “Take up this damsel and carry her to the city of Julnar the Sea-born and her mother Faráshah [346] for they twain are the most powerful magicians on face of earth.” And he said to the damsel, “When thou comest thither, tell them that King Badr Basim is Queen Lab’s captive.” Then the Ifrit took up his load and, flying off with her, in a little while set her down upon the terrace roof of Queen Julnar’s palace. ”

“ What mishap hath betided thee?" "No mishap hath befallen me" she answered, "save that my breast was straitened [FN#210] and my heart heavy with sadness! so I drank a little wine to broaden it and to hearten myself; then I rose to obey a call of Nature, but the wine had gotten into my head and I fell against the alcove." "Thou liest, like the whore thou art!" shrieked the Ifrit; and he looked around the hall right and left till he caught sight of my axe and sandals and said to her, "What be these but the belongings of some mortal who hath been in thy society?" ”

“ How cometh it thou art pleased to send for me and show me to strange men?" "O Sitt al-Husn," said he, "no man is here save this little foot page and the Eunuch who reared thee and I, thy father. From whom, then, dost thou veil thy face?" She answered, "This whom thou deemest an ape is a young man, a clever and polite, a wise and learned and the son of a King; but he is ensorcelled and the Ifrit Jirjaris, who is of the seed of Iblis, cast a spell upon him, after putting to death his own wife the daughter of King Ifitamus lord of the Islands of Abnus." ”

“ By Allah, thou hast brought ruin upon me; but fly for thy life and go up by the way thou camest down!" So I fled up the staircase; but, in the excess of my fear, I forgot sandals and hatchet. And when I had mounted two steps I turned to look for them, and lo! I saw the earth cleave asunder, and there arose from it an Ifrit, a monster of hideousness, who said to the damsel "What trouble and pother be this wherewith thou disturbest me? ”

“ How would it be if thou were to sight my beloved? Verily, this night I have seen a young man, whom if thou saw though but in a dream, thou wouldst be palsied with admiration and spittle would flow from thy mouth." Asked the Ifrit, "And who and what is this youth?"; and she answered, "Know, O Dahnash, that there hath befallen the young man the like of what thou tellest me befel thy mistress ”

“ Thou hast made a vow to me and hast sworn an oath not to play me false lest Allah play thee false, for verily he is a jealous God who respiteth the sinner, but letteth him not escape. I say to thee as said the Sage Duban to King Yunan, "Spare me so Allah may spare thee!" The Ifrit burst into laughter and stalked away, saying to the Fisherman, "Follow me;" ”

“ The groom made no answer but a grunt, thinking it was the Afrit who spoke to him. But the Vizier cried out at him, saying, “Speak, or I will cut off thy head with this sword.” Then said the hunchback, “By Allah, O Chief of the Afrits, I have not lifted my head since thou didst set me here; so, God on thee, have mercy on me!” “What is this thou sayest?” quoth the Vizier. “I am no Afrit; I am the father of the bride.” “It is enough that though hast already gone nigh to make me lose my life,” replied the hunchback, “go thy ways ere he come upon thee who served me thus. ”

“ Apis is the universal remedy in intermittent fevers, for which every homœopathic physician has been longing, and which pure experiments, conducted according to the rules of homœopathy, have revealed to us;—another shining light on the sublime path of the healing artist!
The beneficent action of Apis, in intermittent fever, is still increased by the fact that it prevents the supervention of typhus, disorganizations of the spleen, dropsy, china-cachexia. ”

“ The more frequently we make use of Apis in the treatment of these very common forms of angina, and of the inflammation of the salivary glands, which are so closely connected with the other parts of the throat, the more we become convinced by the most striking success, that this drug is by far the speediest, safest and easiest remedy which we possess for the treatment of these exceedingly common and yet so very distressing affections. ”

“ If, after using the Aconite, the eruption breaks out and the fever abates, no further medication is necessary. If fever and eruption should require further aid, Apis is to be given, one or two globules of thirtieth potency in seven dessert-spoonfuls of water, well shaken, a dessert-spoonful morning and evening; or, if the disease is very acute, every three hours, which treatment is to be continued until an improvement sets in, after which the natural reaction of the organism will terminate the cure. ”

“ In comparing the symptoms of Apis with those of any other known drug, there is no medicine that bears as close an affinity to fever and ague as Apis. Howsoever useful other remedies may have proved, in the treatment of fever and ague, they are only homœopathic to isolated conditions, in comparison with Apis. In practice, it was often found very difficult, even for the most experienced physician, to decide in which of these exceptional cases the specifically homœopathic agent should have been employed. ”

“ If there is much fever, this result is best accomplished by means of alternate doses of Aconite and Apis, a few drops of the third potency, shaken together with twelve tablespoonfuls of water, each drug by itself, the dose to be repeated every hour; and if the temperature is rather depressed, by giving Apis without the Aconite, a tablespoonful every hour or two hours. In favorable cases the fever becomes more remittent within one to three days; a moderate and pleasant perspiration breaks out all over the skin; the sleep becomes calm and natural, and the typhoid symptoms abate. ”

“ A different climate, different regimen, and different habit of body or exercise, may surely so far alter the operation of a drug as to make it have a different effect in Africa from what it has in Europe. Be that as it may, still I say bark is a purgative when it is successful in this fever; but bleeding, at no stage of this distemper, is of any service; and, indeed, if attempted the second day, the lancet is seldom followed by blood. Ipecacuanha both fatigues the patient and heightens the fever, and so conducts the patient more speedily to his end. ”

“ Hence we may with propriety give Apis in these affections. Practical experience has abundantly confirmed these conclusions. For the last four years, I have cured readily, safely and easily all forms of erysipelas which have come under my notice—œdematous, smooth, vesicular, light or dark colored, seated or wandering, phlegmonous, recent or habitually recurring, of a light or inveterate character, repelled, among individuals of every disposition and age. I have never seen all kinds of pain yield more readily; I have never seen the accompanying fever abate more speedily ”

“ When a fissure is of long duration, the constitution becomes greatly impaired as a result of the constant pain, the constipation, and the frequent resort to narcotics, and the patient is liable to fall into a state of melancholy and extreme nervous irritability; the countenance, expressive of pain, grows care-worn and sallow; the appetite is poor; and there is more or less emaciation, associated with the general appearance of a person suffering from serious organic disease. ”

“ A bit of cotton wool applied to the fundament to receive the matter, and renewed twice a day for a week or two, should always be used before examination with the probe. The probe of an unskilful empyric sometimes does more harm in the loose cellular membrane of these parts than the original ulcer, by making a fistula he did not find. The cure of a fistula in ano of those, who have been much addicted to drinking spirituous liquor, or who have a tendency to pulmonary consumption, is frequently of dangerous consequence, and is succeeded by ulcers of the lungs, and death. ”

“ Fissure, although so simple in extent and character and so readily curable, exercises a most potent influence in undermining the patient's health and strength, the constant pain and irritation to the nervous system being more than the majority of persons can endure.
Definition.—We may define a fissure, or irritable ulcer of the rectum, as a superficial breach of the mucous membrane in the anal region, of a highly sensitive nature, giving rise to spasmodic contraction and paroxysmal pain of a peculiar character. ”

“ The original diphtheria serum employed was not concentrated; so when a sufficient amount of antitoxic units to neutralize the toxins of the disease under treatment was employed, a large quantity of serum had to be injected. Experience shows that the injection of any foreign blood serum into an animal is followed by a certain amount of haemolysis, or blood destruction, and by {347} certain cutaneous manifestations, such as urticaria, erythemata, the familiar hives-like eruption and red itchy spots, which prove a great source of annoyance. ”

“ This important point is known by the fact, that the improvement which had already commenced, seems to remain stationary; the patient experiences a distressing urging to stool, a burning diarrhœa sets in, and a disproportionate feeling of malaise develops itself. Under these circumstances, a globule of Apis 30 will quiet the patient, and the action of the drug will achieve the cure without any further difficulty, and without much loss of time, unless psora, sycosis, syphilis, or vaccine-virus prevail in the organism, or sulphur, iodine or mercury had been previously given in large doses. ”

“ When all is ready, a priest prays to Old Mother Khön-ma that she would be pleased to accept these dainty offerings and to close the open doors of the earth, in order that the demons may not come forth to infest and injure the household.
Again, effigies are often employed as a means of preventing or curing sickness; the demons of disease either mistake the effigies for living people or are persuaded or compelled to enter them, leaving the real men and women well and whole. ”

“ Matthieu Joseph Bonaventura Orfila must be considered the father of modern toxicology. His great work, Traité de Toxicologie, was first published in 1814, and went through many editions. Orfila’s chief merit was the discovery that poisons were absorbed and accumulated in certain tissues—a discovery which bore immediate fruit, and greatly extended the means of seeking poisons. Before the time of Orfila, a chemist not finding anything in the stomach would not have troubled to examine the liver, the kidney, the brain, or the blood. ”

“ Orfila farther found that it produces intense spreading inflammation when applied to a recent wound, and in this way may occasion death as quickly and with as great certainty as when administered internally. ”

“ The discharge is not of itself sufficient to be a source of great exhaustion, and does not interfere with ordinary occupations, so that many patients have had fistula for a considerable length of time without being conscious of any serious ailment. The escape of flatus and mucus from the bowel in complete fistula will often prove a source of annoyance, as will also the passage of feculent matter which will be expelled through the sinus should the fistulous channel be very free. ”

“ The nature of the continual fevers of the ancients is fully explained in the Commentary on the twenty-seventh section of the Second Book of Paulus Ægineta. Galen, in his Commentary on this passage, marks their nature very distinctly in few words. He says that such fevers as have an exacerbation of fever ending in complete apyrexia are called intermittents, whereas such as do not end in a complete remission of the fever are called continual. ”