Domestic medicine. Or, a treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases : by regimen and simple medicines: with observations on sea-bathing, and the use of the mineral waters. To which is annexed, a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners / By William Buchan, M.D. From the 22d English ed., with considerable additions, and notes.

  • Buchan, William, 1729-1805.
Date:
1836
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 observations on sea-bathing, and the use of the mineral waters. To which is annexed, a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners / By William Buchan, M.D. From the 22d English ed., with considerable additions, and notes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    rules that I know, but such as are perfectly consistent with the true enjoyment of life, and every way conducive to the real happiness of mankind. We are sorry indeed to observe, that Medicine has hitherto hardly been considered as a popular science, but as a branch of knowledge solely confined to a particular set of men, while all the despise it. It will however appear, upon a more strict examina- tion, that no science better deserves their attention, or is more ca- pable of being rendered generally useful. People are told, that if they dip the least into medical know]l- > be the case with sensible people; and suppose it were, they must soon be undeceived. A short time will show them their error, and a little more reading will infallibly correct it. A single instance will show the absurdity of this notion. <A sensible lady, rather management of her children, generally leaves them entirely to the care and conduct of the most ignorant, credulous, and superstitious part of the human species. No part of Medicine is of more general importance than that which relates to the nursing and management of children. Yet few parents pay a proper attention to it. They leave the sole care of their tender offspring, at the very time when care and attention are most necessary, to hirelings, who are either too negligent to do their duty or too ignorant to know it. We will venture to affirm, that more human lives are lost by the carelessness and inattention of parents and nurses, than are saved by the Faculty; and that the joint and well-conducted endeavours, both of private persons and the public, for the preservation of infant lives, would be of more ‘advantage to society than the whole art of Medicine, upon its pres- ent footing. The benefits of Medicine, as a trade, will ever be ees apa to those who are able to pay for them; and of course, the far greater part of mankind will be everywhere deprived of them. Physicians, like other people, must live by their employment, and the poor -worse than none. ‘There are not, however, anywhere wanting well-disposed people, of better sense, who. are willing to supply the defect of medical advice to the poor, did not their fear of doing 1!1 often suppress their inclination to do good. Such people are often deterred from the most noble and praise-worthy actions, by the their own importance, magnify the difficulties cf doing ood, find fault with what is truly commendable, and fleer at every attempt to relieve the sick which is not conducted by the precise rules of Med- icine. These gentlemen must, however, excuse me for saying, that that their practice, which is generally the result of good sense and observation, assisted by a little medical reading, is frequently more both reason and observation, that he may go wrong by rule; and & .