Comfortable Discovery.—"Laugh and grow fat" was the grand ancient specific for long life—"every sigh and groan drove a nail into our coffins," whilst a contrary excitation of the risible organs drew one out.—Truly every generation groweth wiser, and we may live to witness ocular proofs that pain is merely an alleviator of indigestion, and the repudiation of a limb, under the doctor's saw, a pleasant and exhilarating morning exercise; in short, what may we not expect after reading the following:
A French surgeon has published a long dissertation on the beneficial influence of groaning and crying on the nervous system. He contends that groaning and crying are the two grand operations by which nature allays anguish; and that he has uniformly observed, that those patients who give way to their natural feelings, more speedily recover from accidents and operations, than those who suppose that it is unworthy a man to betray such symptoms of cowardice as either to groan or to cry. He is always pleased by the crying and violent roaring of a patient during the time he is undergoing a surgical operation, because he is satisfied that he will thereby so sooth his nervous system, as to prevent fever and ensure a favourable termination.—From the benefit hysterical and other nervous patients derive from crying or groaning, he supposes that "by these processes of nature," the superabundant nervous power is exhausted, and that the system is in consequence rendered calm, and even the circulation of the blood diminished. He relates a case of a man, who, by means of crying and bawling, reduced his pulse from 120 to 60 in the course of two hours. That some patients often have a great satisfaction in groaning, and that hysterical patients often experience great relief from crying, are facts which no person will deny.
As to the restless hypochondriacal subjects, or those who are never happy but when they are under some course of medical or dietetic treatment, the French surgeon assures them that they cannot do better than groan all night and cry all day. By following this rule, and observing an abstemious diet, a person will effectually escape disease, and may prolong life to an incredible extent.
Oats 1000 years old.—In the highest point of a field, a mile south from Forfar, Scotland, there was a druids' place of worship, consisting of a circle of large stones, with one (the largest) in the middle. The field was fallowed last year, and this temple trenched, from which a very great quantity of stones were turned up. Nothing particular, however, appeared, except a few bones that went to dust. The field this year was sown with barley, and this trenched part with the rest: so far as this trench extended, there are considerable quantities of oats, of various kinds, sprung up among the barley, the seeds of which must have remained there more than 1000 years. Without the trenched ground there is not a head of oats to be seen. Orders have been given to preserve these oat plants.
State of the Rain Guage in Philadelphia.
| January, | 1 inch | 401⁄100 |
| February, | 2 inch | 68 |
| March, | 5 inch | 70 |
Longevity.—In the parish of Acton, Middlesex, still exist the lineal posterity of the famous Bishop Cranmer, who was burnt at the stake by order of Queen Mary, nearly 300 years ago. One of them, an old lady, named Whytell, has completed her 112th year, and retains her intellectual and bodily faculties to a surprising extent.