HipPocrates

by

Fifth Estate # 53, May 1-15, 1968

photo, Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld speaking at Community Arts Auditorium, May 28, 1969
Dr. Eugene Schoenfeld speaking at Community Arts Auditorium, May 28, 1969 at a benefit for Open City. Photo: Alan Gotkin.

QUESTION: Our last kilo contained hundreds of chips of crushed moth balls. We have heard tell of grass cured in moth balls, but had never seen any before. The grass had a peculiar medicinal odor and a metallic taste, but it did stone us better than average. Could there be any possible harm in smoking or swallowing chips too small to see?

ANSWER: Your friendly dealer may lose a lot of customers. Moth balls usually contain 100q, naphthalene. Naphthalene is fatal in quantities of 2 grams for children and 5 to 15 grams for adults when ingested at one sitting.. The drug is also quite toxic when inhaled.

Some of the symptoms of naphthalene intoxication are headache, confusion, excitement, nausea, and sometimes sweating and vomiting. Death occurs when the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys damaged by the cellular material released by the destroyed red cells.

Those suspecting they have ingested or inhaled naphthalene should see a physician in order to have a complete blood count.

QUESTION: I have heard explanations ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous—perhaps you could shed some light on the origin of the term “pot”.

ANSWER: Max Scherr, the sublime editor of the Barb, informs me that the term originated in the “beat” era when marijuana was referred to as “pod.” “Pod” is apparently a reference to a part of the marijuana plant. Are there any readers with other ideas?

QUESTION: I often read ads in the underground press for people wanting “French” love. Could you please tell me what this is?

ANSWER: “French love” or “French culture” refers to oral-genital relations. The French may call this “Italian love”.

QUESTION: A friend of mine has been forbidden by his doctor to indulge in intercourse until a nasty bit of the clap is entirely cleared up. If any of his girlfriends should decide to employ digital manipulation of his primary sex organ to achieve orgasm and release on his part, would this result in a case of the “hand-clap?”

ANSWER: I applaud the concern you have for your friend and his friends. Gonorrhea of the hand is unknown because the gonococci bacteria favor a warm, moist, airless environment. Gonorrhea of the mouth is possible but seen rarely. Most physicians believe all sexual activity should be avoided while treatment for gonorrhea is underway.

(Note: The symptoms of gonorrhea in the male are itching, burning and pain on urination and a discharge from the urethra. Symptoms in the female may include the above but are usually less severe or absent in the early stages. Females may later develop pain in the lower abdomen and a low-grade fever resulting from spread of the infection to the uterus, tubes and ovaries.)

Here is another letter from the turned-on mother who reported she enjoyed full sexual relations during pregnancy until labor began (her baby has a “fine sense of rhythm”).

“My tiny bosom throbbed with sympathy for the flat-chested girl who wrote to you. Her problem is more cultural and psychological than physical. Although the Jig boob is publicly adored, some men like small-busted women.

I used to feel inferior about my small breasts. Then I had babies and was suddenly well-endowed.

So I nursed a long time and wore sweaters. The funny thing is, now that I’ve weaned and am tiny again, I don’t feel bad any more because I know I can be big. I don’t even like padded bras.

I would advise “slim” to watch the classified ads for small-breast enthusiasts, marry one of them, have kids and breastfeed a long time.”

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