Domestic medicine. Or, a treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases, by regimen and simple medicines : With an appendix containing a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners. To which is now first added the following new treatises: sea-bathing, etc / By J. Baker.

  • William Buchan
Date:
1809
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Domestic medicine. Or, a treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases, by regimen and simple medicines : With an appendix containing a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners. To which is now first added the following new treatises: sea-bathing, etc / By J. Baker. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In mofl parts of Britain, the praftice of rolling chil- dren with lo many bandages, is now, in Tome meafure laid afide ; but it would ftill S)e a difficult talk to perfuade the generality of mankind, that the fliape of an infant does not entirely depend on the care of the midwife. So far, however, are all her endeavours to mend thefha]>e from being fuccefkful, that they conftantly operate the contrary way, and mankind become deformed juft in proportion,to the means ufed to prevent it. How little d- fijrmity of body is to be found among uncivilized na- ti'Uis ! So little: indeed,’that it is vulgarly believed they put all their deformed children to death. The truth is they hardly know fnch a thing as a deformed child. • Neither flioukl we if we followed their example. Savage nations never tniiik of manacling their children. They- allow them tlie full ufe of every organ, carry them' abroad in the open air, wafla their bodies daily in cold : water, &c. By this management their children become - fo ftrong and hardy, that by the time our puny infants' get out of the nurfe’s arms, theirs are able to fhift for * themfelves . [ Among brute animals, no art is neceffary to procure | a fine fliape. Though many of them are extremely ! delicate w'hen they come into the world, yet we never! find them grow crooked for want of fwaddling bands, j Is Nature lefs generous to the human kind ! No ; but i we take the bufinefs out of Nature’s hands. Not only the analogy of other animals, but the very ^ feelings of infants tell us, they ought to be kept eafy and free from all pr ffiire. They cannot indeed tell their complaints ; but they can fhew figns of pain ; and this they never fail to do, by crying when hurt by their clothes. No fooner are.they freed trom their bracings, than they feem pleafed and happy ; yet, ftrange infa- r ^ A friend of mine, who was several years on (he coast of Africa, ? , tells me, that the natives neither put any clothes upon their children'! nor apply to their bodies bandages of any kind, but lay them on a i pallet, and suffer them to tumble about at pleasure j vet they are al/ !■ straight'and seldom have any disease, * ' 1^