The Sunday telegram. [volume], May 09, 1915, Image 28

About The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927

Image provided by: West Virginia University

                
4
Medical Research Shows
That We Can Take a Good
Lesson In Nerve Laxity, Poise ;
and Grace From the Cool '
and Collected Inhabitants of I
Our Aquariums?Watching
These Graceful Creatures
Is An Antidote For
the Brain-Fagged
Man or Woman.
Someone has .said iha; when a
man starts 10 ride a hobby he
should at once equip himself with an
emergency brake, implying, as it
were, that unless h<- makes provi
sion for an emergency brake he is
headed straight for Matieawan or
some Kindred institution.
But of recent date science lias
risen to dispute ihis theory.
Take, for instance, the hobby or
fad of collecting various varieties or
fish suitable for home aquarium
purposes. It is surprising 10 note,
?ay scientists, the latent qualities
that will come to the surface and
unconsciously be developed In one's
disposition.
Also
Instead of encouraging mental ab
normality. the high-strung, nervous
business man can get what he needs
as a "let-down" or relaxation from
tension and worry wliitt he eocs
home in the evening and spends an
hour or *0 with liis pets.
The I'rince of Monaco is a firm
believer in this feature of 1 hf home
aquarium. and such eminent scien
tists and educators is Or. David
Starr Jordan, president >f Iceland
Stanford University: Dr. R. \V. Shu
feldr. head of the science bureau in
Washington: Dr. Frank R. Lillie.
professor of zoology. University of
Chicago, point, out it*, advantage as
well from the standpoint of an in
teresting. artistic study.
OKT THK
, 1IOBBV.
"There is nothing to balance the
mind better than a hobby." said Dr.
Lillie. "and no better hobby rhau an
aquarium. No fancier was ncr suc
cessful without acquiring .lie habit
of close observation which discloses
an unlimited amount of detail in 1 he
housing, feeding and caring" for his
?ubjccts.
?The business man whose nerves
are all a-tingle from "x strenuous
day in the office?a day made up of
numerous iili phone alls. dictation
of letters, and worrv over matters
financial?can get relief and relaxa
tion in the evening if he has a hob
by of rearing fish. It isn't neces
sary that, he be inclined to be prod
igal in equipping his aquarium. A
very satisfactory collection of both
goldfish and tropical varieties can
be brought together for a modest
sum.
"Mental equilibrium will be the
result. The interest one will take
In fish culture will be the active
agent. The whole family can onter
Into and enjoy the cultivation of fish
as a hobby. Let the business man
build his own tank. He will point
it oiit to his guests and say. "I made
it." illustrating that trait or qualifi
cation in his disposition i hat indi
cates a well-balanced mind that
of producing something with his
ow n bauds."
G. B. Sclienk of the Milwaukee
Aquarium Society, one of the best
'*nown authorities on fish cultiva
tion in this country. tells you how
to equip your acquarlnru:
n.ATMxt:
jQlip.n k>t.
"To cquij) an aquarium vrr require
sand and plants. Coarse sand is
best for Ihe plants. If the sand is
tine and packs tight small pebbles
may be mixed with it. Stones,
shells and ornaments should l?i- left
out by ihe begiuner. Kood or drad
snails eollcet in the crevices and
decay, causing trouble if not prompt
ly removed. The cleaner the bot
tom of" the tank the less chance for
sickness among your fishes.
"Put in a bottom of two or three
inches of sand. Two inches ar the
front f ill be sufficient, hut this
depth may be increased to three at
tile back, where most of the plants
will be placed.
"The object of the plants, aside
from adding beauty to ihe aquari
um. is to provide oxygen for the
tishes. Water plants when in a
healthy growing condition throw off
oxygen which the fishes must
have to live: the fislics ;hrow
off a gas which ihe plants ' ab
sorb. Therefore, if yon have suffi
cient plants :o provide the fish with
ihe necessary oxygen you have a *
sclf-susfaining aquarium, .lie water
in which need never be changed.
"Kvaporation will take place, and
occasionally you will have to Oil
jour lank. But let me repeat: When
*ou have sufficient plants in yo?r
aquarium to provide the fishes with
the required amount of oxygen you
need never change the water.
"This makes it obvious tha. the
more fishes you have the more
plants you will need. A better way
to put it is: The less plants you
hav- the fewer fishes you can suc
cessfully keep, for naturally ;here
is a limit to (he number of plants
you can place in your tank. Suffi
cient room must he left for the
fishes to swim around comfortably.
"There arc many varieties of
plants that can be grown in 111
:iqi:arium. Vallisneria and Sagit
taria are the hest of all. They are
easily grown and -trc good oxygena
tors. t'ahomba is a good summer
plain and Anaeharis 3 good winter
grower There are many other va
ncfes that add much to the beauty
of the aquarium.
"Place the aquarium where the
sunlight will strike it. Plants need
sunshine. In midsummer, if tht sun
is stroug, the tank can be prolcct
<*i5 by means of green tissue paper
fastened to a light wooden frame.
This can be placed behind ihe
aquarium when the sunlight is too
strong. Too much sunlight will
burn I ho plants. A litile observa
tion will determine this. Usually
there isj not enough sunlight except
in midsummer.
HOW MAW
-OR. FISHES**!
"The question which frequently
arises is. "How many fishes can 1
keep in mv aquarium?' This ques
tion cannot be answered satisfac
torily offhand. The besi way for
the beninr.er is to commence * itli
two or three fifties. When ?tie plants
' have roofed and hesun .o grow more
ran be added. a few at 1 time, uotiV
von have reached the limit of your
lank. Tliis can best be judged by
the action of ihe fishes. When .hey
suck air at the tou either the water
is foul or there is a lack of oxygen,
if you are satisfied thai the water
is |>i:re you have too many fishes or
too few plants. The condition
should be adjusted.
"I-aicr. when you desire to keep
more fishes in your tank, or tanks,
for many of us have a number you
will have to aerate the number by
means of a pump. Allow me to
again caution against putting shell*,
corals, sharp stones or omameut*
the standpoint of good .aste. but
in the tank. It is questionable from
more important is the danger of
your fishes tearing their fins ot the
sharp edges."
Though the fish as a cure for jad
ded nerves is a new discovery, a
medical significance seams to have
been attached to it as early as .n
the days of Aesculapius. At least
so says the Host on Medical and Sur
gical Journal. In medieitic the fish
has =ivcn its Greek name to ichthy
osis. that uncanny scaling affection
of the skin, which the Germans
knew by the deiightful term of flsch
schuppcnauschlag. But in materia
medica terms of piscine derivation
arc much ruorc often to be met than
in pathology.
First of all. there is ichth.vol. a
iransparetu vellow-brown oil. of
sea-sreen flourescence. the ammo
nia salt of t sulphouic acid, prepar
ed by distillation from a bituminous
shale found m the Cambrian strata
of ;hc Tyrol and containing the re
mains. of many fossil fishes. Tbis
\alitab!e dru? was first, introduced
into dctnatologic practice bv Unna In
1SS2.
Next there is ichtbyocolla. or fish
slue. the isinglass of commerce, a
gelatinous substance prepared from
the dried swimming bladders of sev
eral species of sturgeon. By phar
mac-hists it is dissolved in a mixture
of water, alcohol and glycerin, and
when painted on taffeta constitutes
court plaster, an agent once much
in"re commonly ctuplojed by ?ur
Scons than nowadays.
Of Latin derivation is pise id la. '<h?*
Jamaica dogwood, whose loaves,
swigs and bark are used by the na
tives to poison or stupify ftsh. und
thereby facilitate their capture. The
root bark is recommended especial
ly in neuralgia, insomnia and
whooping cough.
Last, and by far the most irapor
laat. is the honest English deriva
tive. cod liver oil. a familiar and val
uably domestic remedy, used by The
Bshorfolk of the North Sea long be
fore its in: reduction into medicine
early in the nineteenth ccntury. Ir
It is a pale. thin, ycllovv, fixed oil.
with a unique flavor, extracted trom
the fresh livers of Gadus tnorrlitis
and seTsral other species of cod. Ir
contains traces of iodine, bromine,
phosphorus and cholesterin: but its
undoubted therapeutic efficacy Is
probably due not to ther.e but to its
character as an easily assimilable
animal fat.
.15 ENJOTABLF.
PASTIME.
There are pastimes more
pleasurable or profitable to a physi
cian than the cultivation and study
nf fishes, adds the Boston Medical
and Surgical Journal. \\'bciliex in
I.earn to Mad; the F?sb in an Aquarinui and Vr?oirr ,!<Wf4 Mental IVtee.
a lank indoors or in a pond afield,
one can to much advantage observe
their form, movements and babi's
of feeding. This is instructive :md
good irs'ninF as well. For what av
erage man. or physician, for <hai
matier. can tell offhand how many
fins a fish has. or how they are dis
posed and used?
One may well keep fishes a six
month before noticing that when
they swim they spread the segments
of their forked tail as a human
swimmer doc? his leg*: or that their
eyes not only have no lid.?. but are
even devoid of the nictitating morr.
brane with which birds are provid
ed.
But only when one thus half en
ters the fish's world, and regard*
him from the imaginative stand
point of a common denizen of the
same medium, does one appreciate
fully the felicity of Donne's descrip
tion of i
"The deep.
where harmless fish monastic ?i
lenee keep."
Happiness to Cone.
The new vicar was being shown
around the parish by? his warden.
"The natives are * hardy lot. sir."
tic b&Ul; "but J?u ha\en"t seen Pet
er Sparks?hp's the quaintest char
acter in these parts."
This individual turned out Jo be
the sexton, and he was discovered
ringing the church hell.
"Ts not this bellringing almost
too much for vou. my friend?" asketl
the vicar, sympathetically noting
the bent figure of the oid man.
"You must be a great ag?*7"
"Ycssir. yessir." mumbled the old
fellow. '0?' many yars I've tol
led the bell I can't tell ye. but it's
beginning to tell on me. 'Owso
ever. I've tolled the bell Tor five
vicars."
"Dear me!" ejaculated the clergy
man uncomfortably.
"And." continued the sexton. "I'll
be happy when I've made up the
"alf dozen. I think I 11 retire then!"
" Mw> Epr n?wr at TS.
Albert pankopf. 78 years old. of
St. Paul, bent and white-haired,
danced blindfolded among cishtcen
eggs, laid in two rooms at intervals
of a foot, tor several minutes with
out breaking a shell. For more than
fifty years Professor Pankopf lis*
been performing this feat, but at
the annual Sehlachfest of the Sax
onia and General German Benevo
lent association he danced as never
before. The ? years dropped fro?
him as be danced. Whfa the muste
stopped the old nun fell into tb?
arms of a spectator. "Weak heart."
he jtasped. He soon ree?fcered him
self and tw-ed in response to the
cheers.
The Re-uH.
"Failed?" ask? the author 'of
"Hot- to Succeed in Life," and
simitar books. "Failed? After read
ing m> instructions?"
"Yes. failed." replied the com
plaining. pupil.
"But surely you did not follow
my advice."
"Didn't yo*i say to put #11 my
eggs in one basket and then watch
the basket?"
"To be sure. And that is the only
sensible "
"Huh! Well. I did that. I put
Vm all in one basket and watched
the basket and the dummed eags
spoiled."
One of the ministers lb ink?
churches ought to bars press
agents, the sane as theaters have.
Bat would it be proper for a church
press agent to-be as imaginative as
the theatric*! press agent so of tea
becomes I