A treatise on the physical and medical treatment of children / by William P. Dewees.

  • Dewees, William P. (William Potts), 1768-1841.
Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the physical and medical treatment of children / by William P. Dewees. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    bacon skin boiling in the soap kettle; she had it taken out imme- diately, and she ate it with great avidity. 51. Each of the cases above stated, with the exception of the first, was related to us by the lady herself; in this, we witness- ed ourselves the eagerness with which the eels were eaten; and received the history of this lady's aversion to them when not pregnant, from her own mouth. Of the truth of the others, we have not the slightest doubt, as the ladies were of undoubted veracity. It is true, these are extreme cases; but they go to establish the existence of this peculiar appetite, and its indiscri- minate, and we may add, of the two last, filthy selections. In- stances of minor enormity are familiar to every body. 52. In stating our belief of this peculiar and indomitable crav- ing of the stomach, we admit nothing in favour of the popular opinion, that a disappointment in procuring the article desired, would be attended with any more serious consequence, than would follow a disappointment of any other kind, at a period when the woman was not pregnant—it might indeed, nay it very often does, occasion sickness at stomach, a temporary loss of appetite, and sometimes vomiting; but here the evil ceases, so far as we have observed. 53. Nor do we believe in the influence of the ** imagination upon either the form, colour, or future destiny of the child, how- ever powerfully this faculty may have been exerted during ges- tation—we entirely reject all the reasoning, as well as the appeals to facts, supposed to be illustrative of this wonderful influence. We have, ever since our commencement in business, been atten- tive to this subject; and we can most conscientiously declare, we have never in a single instance had reason to believe the imagi- nation had exerted the slightest control, though contrary to our early belief upon this subject. 54. As we feel this to be a subject of high interest to the fe- male, we trust we shall be excused for occupying a few minutes upon its consideration; and the more especially, as we believe, that when the mind is so tenaciously occupied upon the object of its aversion, (as we always find it is,) when an apprehension has been once excited, it may do mischief to the foetus, by im- pairing its pabulum during gestation, through the medium of the [4]