Paedotrophia, or, The art of nursing and rearing children. A poem, in three books / translated from the Latin of Scevole de St. Marthe ; with medical and historical notes; with the life of the author, from the French of Michel and Niceron ... by H.W. Tytler.

Date:
1797
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Paedotrophia, or, The art of nursing and rearing children. A poem, in three books / translated from the Latin of Scevole de St. Marthe ; with medical and historical notes; with the life of the author, from the French of Michel and Niceron ... by H.W. Tytler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Nor fliall it e'er repent me that I ling 500 Thofe ancient fidlions with the truths I bring; For' tis the pro vince of the facred Mufe Diverting tales in ferious themes t' infufe. In Fancy's boundlefs walks to fix her reign^ And o'er the heart her empire to maintain, 90^ Thefe ceived that a remedy, which has but little effeft taken inwardly, Ihould have any at all when hung round the neck of the patient j yet this advice is given by many old phylicians; and, perhaps, the pungent fmell of the roots of this plant, proving a conftant flimulus to the noftrils when applied in this manner, may have as much eiFedt in preventing the paroxyfms as when it is fwal- lowedin fubftance; at any rate, as the epilepfy frequently pro- ceeds from imagination, what the patient may wifli for, how- ever ridiculous to appearance, or contrary to reafon, will fome- times be of fervice in promoting the cure. Before difmifling this fubjed of difeafes, I muft obferve, that, though this poem was written above thirty years after the time of Paracelfus, there is not one chymical remedy advifed in it, from beginning to end; and certainly the feldomer thofe violent and often hurtful medicines can be given to fuch tender fubjedts as fucking infants, always the better j for, fo great is the irritabi- lity of their fyftems, particularly in time of teething, that what will fcarcc affeft the body of an adult may fometimes be attended with very dangerous confequences to them. ^ Ver. 905. Epifcde of Hercules.-] It is faid, in the antient lives of Hercules, that, when this hero was fiift feized with the epilepfy, he confulted the oracle of Delphos with regard to his cure; but, having