Among the faculty / [W. Pitt Byrne].

  • Julia Clara Byrne
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Among the faculty / [W. Pitt Byrne]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    the hand, heartily welcomed him, when suddenly he became aware of a chilly sensation which seemed to horrify him ; for, flying to the bell which he rang violently, he exclaimed, “ Good God !—why !—have the servants gone mad ? An open window ! ” and when the servant appeared, he addressed him with a vehemence which would not be appeased, and left no opening for an explanation. But it was a mania of Haydon’s to live with open win- dows, and he is said to have behaved in a similar way at Lord Yarmouth’s. His lordship, however, took it differently, for he simply closed the window, and entered into con- versation. The friend, through whom I knew Elliotson, used to tell of a cure he had effected on her maid, by the simplest means, and without medicine : the young woman was continually subject to a complaint, not uncommon among “ pampered menials ” —indigestion. Dr. Elliotson’s remedy was the enforcing of a very simple rule : he probably knew what are the habits of the class to which she belonged, and desired her to abstain from liquids, before, or while, eating, allowing her one draught (if necessary) in the middle of dinner (the coup du milieu of Brillat-Savarin) and one more at the end, alleging that nature supplies the right sort and the right amount of moisture during mastication, and resists the interference of any extraneous assistance. This was an ancient rule observed in the nursery and schoolroom of the last genera- tion, when the beverage of children was good, plain, whole- some toast and water.—I don’t believe a modern child knows the taste of it !—and the allowance was limited to two draughts during the meal. I have heard a French physician say that the sip of sherry or Madeira after soup, called by Brillat-Savarin the “ coup du mcdecin,” was, in his opinion, so useful it might be considered a “ coup de pied au medecin but it was only to be a “ sip.” * * A “ sip ” is a somewhat vague and arbitrary measure. On certain grand oc- . •casions, the Temple dinners terminate with the passing round of the loving-cup 1
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