Dr. Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689): his life and original writings / [edited by] Kenneth Dewhurst.

  • Thomas Sydenham
Date:
1966
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Dr. Thomas Sydenham (1624-1689): his life and original writings / [edited by] Kenneth Dewhurst. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the receivd principles, has at last but confined and narrowed mens thoughts, amused their understanding with fine but uselesse speculations, and diverted their enquirys from the true and advantageous knowledg of things. The notions that have been raised into mens heads by remote speculative principles though true are like the curious imagery men sometimes see in the clouds which they are pleased to call the heavens, which though they are for the most part phantasticall and at best but the accidentali contexture of a mist yet doe really hinder the sight and shorten the prospect. And though these painted aparitions are raisd by the sun and seeme the genuin ofspring of the great fountain of light, yet they are really noething but darknesse and a cloud, and whosoever shall travell with his eye fixed on these 'tis ten to one goes out of his way. He that in Physick shall lay downe fundamentall maximes and from thence drawing consequence and raising dispute shall reduce it into the regular forme of a science has indeed done something to enlarge the art of talkeing and perhaps laid a foundation for endless disputes. But if he hopes to bring men by such a system to the knowledg of the infirmities of mens bodys, the constitution nature signes changes and history of diseases with the safe and direct way of their cure, [he] takes much what a like course with him that should walke up and downe in a thick wood overgrowne with briers and thornes with a designe to take a view and draw a map of the country. These speculative theorems doe as little advantage the physick as food of men. And he that thinks he came to be skild in diseases by studying the doctrine of the humors, that the notions of obstructions and putrefaction assists him in the cure of feavers, or that by the acquaintance he has with sulphur and mercury he was lead into this useful discovery, that what medecines and regimen as certainely kill in the latter end of some feavers as they cure in others, may as rationaly beleive that his Cooke owes his skill in rosting and boyling to his study of the elements and that his speculations about fire and water have taught him that the same seething liquors that boiles the egg hard makes the hen tender. The begining and improvement of useful arts, and the assistances of human life, have all sprung from industry and observation; true knowledg grew first in the world by experience and rationall operations; and had this method beene continued and all mens thoughts beene imploid to adde their own tryalls to the observation of others noe question physick, as well as many other arts, had been in a far better condition then now it is. But proud man, not content with that knowledg he was capable of and was useful to him, would needs penetrate into the hidden causes of things, lay downe principles and establish maximes to him self about the operations of nature, and then