A Case of Impure Ice Poison.  -- such was notably the case in an epidemic of intestinal disorder which occurred at the watering place of Rye Beach N. H.  from the account of Dr. Nichols, who attended most of the patients, it seems that, early in the season, a mild form of disturbance of the stomach and bowels made its appearance among the guests of a particular hotel at his favorite summer resort.  The symptoms were in general penis, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and severe abdominal pain, accompanied by fever, loss of appetite and mental depression.  The well and drainage system of the establishment, which had recently been put in complete water, was found almost faultless, and the milk supply of unquestionable purity; but on the attention of the physician being directed to the stock of ice provided for the guests, conclusive proof of its dangers quality was promptly obtained.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• Mineral Springs
  
  

  Mineral Springs. — mineral springs, notwithstanding they are much used for drinking, are properly medicinal agents. They comprise all those waters which contain sufficient quantities of dissolved matters, such for example, as iron or sulfur, as to produce thereby a positive effect upon the systems of persons for taking of them. The mineral springs of this country are frequently valuable remedial agents and some chronic diseases.

   

  In this section they do kind of tell you something about the category and that this type of water has minerals or other matter that is dissolved in the water. It doesn’t happen to mention how those minerals may have a come to be there, such as those that are mingled with water by the Earth itself as opposed to water that is polluted by a person. In some regards I believe the author has at this point, deemed the actual term of mineral springs, to be a term that would be widely recognized by people and the author thereby hopes that the categorization of this type of water will take place in the readers mind such that the author or editor does not actually have to spell out why something is in a category at all. It’s a little backwards but almost like a person might expect that a living creature wearing baby clothes should be a baby as opposed to a dog dressed up in baby clothes. The assumption is that the object associated with something that is commonly known should lead the reader to accept categorization automatically. Again this is not terribly scientific and creates the imperative for an assumption, which might lead us to assume, that the author has not learned the lesson of making an ass out of you and me.

• River-Water
  
  

  River-Water. — River-water is, to a certain extent, similar to Spring-water, but is much more apt to be contaminated with sand and clay, organic material from decomposing vegetable or animal remains, the refuse of manufacturers, and especially with the sewage of cities and towns, which it is probable events amounts of sickness and death are annually due in all civilized countries. Unfortunately, River-water is that which is chiefly supplied to towns and cities, and therefore find its way into the systems of vast numbers of our fellow-beings.

   

  In past sections, I have marveled at the excessive use of punctuation, but I’ve never seen the excessive use of “hyphens”. This particular section on water is absolutely rife with the excessive use of hyphens, and it is wreaking havoc on my attempt at editing. It’s almost like the author falls in love with a certain type of punctuation has a brief affair with it for a chapter or two before turning to a new punctuation.  This particular affair is driving me nuts, and I can’t wait for it to be over. If it doesn’t end soon I will probably single-handedly increase NC health insurance rates by myself.

• Improving Your Health through Yoga – A Great Introductory DVD
  
  

  Years ago when I was a teenager, I started practicing Yoga.  Back then it was just something to do to improve my breathing and increase my flexibility for karate.  After leaving high school I joined the military and the Yoga training, flexibility and especially the breathing paid off significantly.  It helped me with physical training and it also helped me to stay focused mentally.

  After leaving the military, I got caught up in a more normal routine and the necessity of practicing Yoga on a regular basis slowly slipped from my priorities.

  Since then I have tried Tai Chi and several other forms of exercise, meditation and stretching, but none have worked as well for me as Yoga.  I also do not do well in group classes.  Following a Yoga instructor in a class just does not fit in with my routine or lifestyle.

  I recently came across a great re-introduction into Yoga with a yoga dvd from RealBodyWork.com.  There are several things about the Vinyasa flow yoga dvd that make it very good not only for beginners, but also for people that are experienced with Yoga.

  1. It provides an excellent series of in depth explanations of poses and stances.  When I formerly practiced Yoga, I sometimes got the stances correct and sometimes I was not quite sure.  Some stances had alternative positions as well.  I could not always tell if I was doing the routine correctly or if I was possibly engaging in an alternative movement that might do more harm than good.  As I walked through the Gentle Vinyasa Flow dvd it has a video demonstration and tutorial on each of the positions, so you can not only find the positions that are best for you, but know that you are doing them correctly enough to benefit from them.
  2. The DVD is not just one program or yoga sessions, but includes 6 routines that range from about 25 minutes to almost an hour each. 
  3. The DVD includes over 23 poses and a great deal of variability.  I generally prefer a lot of variability in all of my exercise routines.  If the routine starts to feel ‘routine’ then I get bored and I’m more likely to fall out of practice.

   

  Now, as we get further into the exploration of the Book of Medicine, you will find something rather amazing.  This type of exercise was by no means foreign to Western medicine 100 years ago.  In fact it is described within the book itself with pictorial guides on practicing older forms of yoga and martial arts as well.