The medical side of Benjamin Franklin / by William Pepper.

  • William Pepper
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The medical side of Benjamin Franklin / by William Pepper. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    165/202 page 99
    have done a good deed in contributing to promote science among us, by your liberal donation of books to Carlisle College. Thanks for your good wishes in favour of our country, and of your friend and servant. B. Franklin. In 1801 the Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital wishing to have an engraving of the Hospital for use on the certificates given the students, who had attended the practice of the house, sent a drawing to Dr. Lettsom with the request that he have a plate engraved. This Lettsom did, employing an artist named Cooke, after consultation with Benjamin West. An older engraving of a similar certificate is shown in Fig. 4. Franklin's celebrated letter on the Causes and Cure of Smoky Chim¬ neys which was published in the Transactions of the American Philo¬ sophical Society was addressed to a great friend of his, a celebrated physician of Vienna. A small portion of this letter refers to Franklin's hobby—fresh air. At Sea, August 28, 1785. To Jan Ingenhousz. . . . For many Years past, I have rarely met with a Case of a Smoky Chimney, which has not been solvable on these Principles, and cur’d by these Remedies, where People have been willing to apply them; which is indeed not always the Case; for many have Prejudices in favour of the Nostrums of pretending Chimney Doctors and Fumists, and some have Conceits and Fancies of their own, which they rather chuse to try, than to lengthen a Funnel, alter the Size of an Opening, or admit Air into a Room, however necessary; for some are as much afraid of fresh Air as persons in the Hydrophobia are of fresh Water. I myself had formerly this Prejudice, this Aerophobia, as I now account it; and, dreading the suppos’d dangerous Effects of cool Air, I consider’d it as an Enemy, and clos’d with extreme care every crevice in the Rooms I inhabited. Experience has convinced me of my Error. I now look upon fresh Air as a Friend; I even sleep with an open Window. I am persuaded, that no common Air from without is so unwholesome, as the Air within a close Room, that has been often breath’d and not changed. Moist Air, too, which formerly I though pernicious, gives me now no apprehensions; for, considering that no Dampness of Air apply’d to the Outside of
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