born Celestial. Elongation of the spine is, at any rate, common enough
for Dr Wang to treat it as a disease and specify the remedy, which
consists in tying a piece of medicated thread tightly round it, and
tightening the thread from time to time until the tail drops off. In
order, however, to guard against its growing again, a course of
medicine has to be taken, whereby any little irregularities of the
_yin_ or female principle[*] may be corrected, and the unpleasant
tendency at once and for ever checked.

[*] The symbol of the _yin_ and the _yang_, or male and female
principles, has been used in the beading of the cover to this
volume. The dark half is the _yin_, the other the _yang_.

We then come to elaborate directions for the extirpation of all kinds
of parasites, white ants, mosquitoes, &c.; but judging from the
plentiful supply of such pests in every part of China, we can only
conclude that the natives are apathetic as regards these trifles, and
do not suffer the same inconvenience therefrom as the more
delicately-nurtured barbarian. The next heading would somewhat
astonish us, accustomed as we are to the vagaries of Chinese
book-makers, were it not that the section upon which we are engaged is
supposed to contain "miscellaneous" prescriptions, which may include
anything, though it is a somewhat abrupt transition for a grave
medical work to pass from the destruction of insects to a remedy
against _fires_!

"Take three fowl's-eggs, and write at the big end of each the word
_warm_, at the small end the word _beautiful_. Then throw them singly
to the spot where the fire is burning brightest, uttering all the time
'fooshefahrun, fooshefahrun.' The fire will then go out." There are