he worked herself into a frenzy,
and cried until the power of sight was gone. The victims of tubercular
disease, the scourge of North China, never fail to appear, some
evidently having fallen a prey to that form known as the "hundred days'
illness" which will carry off an apparently healthy subject in three
months.

At stated periods, children may be brought for vaccination. The method
of inoculation for the prevention of smallpox is said to have been
introduced into China by a philosopher of Szechwan, and has been
practised since the year 1014. Vaccination is now freely practised by
the Chinese doctors whose fees are generally 50 per cent. higher for
boys than for girls, the lives of the former being of so much greater
value.

The extraction of teeth is a popular diversion, and the tooth is
carefully preserved by the patient, in order that with the other earthly
remains it may be laid in the coffin on the day of her death.

Amongst the number are some whose diseases are hard to find, as in the
case of one family whose several members persistently reappeared with
such infinitesimal ailments that we felt compelled to tell them that no
further treatment was necessary. The answer we received was, that the
head of the house having become interested in Christianity had signified
to his wife his desire that she should be under treatment for a whole
year, in order that she might receive continued instruction in the
Scriptures. They thought the dispensary would serve as the best
face-saving subterfuge, therefore she said: "If there be nothing more
serious, will you wash my ears!"

Broadly speaking, the patients only recognise two categories of
illness--one described as "fire," and the other as "chill." Their chief
desire is for a diagnosis which shall clearly state under which heading
their particular ailment should be classified, and we often receive a
message to the effect that "inward fire" is causing trouble, and the
sufferer would like medicine such as was given to her on the tenth day
of the third moon, three years previously, which had wonderful
fire-extinguishing properties.

Having been accustomed to the Chinese doctor and his methods, our
patients, begging that the best may be done for them, assure the
helpers that merit will be accumulated by those who work towards this
end. All are surprised to find that a uniform fee is charged and that
there is no opportunity for bargaining, as the regular physician writes