Domestic medicine, or, A treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases by regimen and simple medicines : with an appendix, containing a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners / by William Buchan, M.D. fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edingburgh.

  • William Buchan
Date:
1790
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 an appendix, containing a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners / by William Buchan, M.D. fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edingburgh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

    19/792 page 15
    the moft ufeful part of his fubject. People in acute difeafes may fometimes be their own phyficians; but in the chronic, the cure muft ever depend chiefly upon the patient's own endeavours. The Dodlor has alfo puffed over the Prophylaxis, or pre- ventive part of Medicine, very flightly, though it is certainly of the greateft importance in fuch a work. He had no doubt his reafons for fo doino-, and I am fo far from finding fault with him, that I think his performance does great honour both to his head and to his heart. Several other foreign phyficians of eminence Have written on nearly the fame plan with Tiflbr, as the Baron Van Swieten, phyfician to their Imperial Majefties, M. Rofen, firft phyfician of the king- dom of Sweden, &c.; but thefe gentlemen's pro- ductions have never come to .my hand. I cannot help wifhing, however, that fome of our diftin- guifhed countrymen would follow their example. There ftill remains much to be done on this fubjecl:] and it does not appear to me how any man could better employ his time or talents, than in eradicating hurtful prejudices, and diffufing ufeful knowledge among the people. ° I know fome of the Faculty difapprove of every attempt of this nature, imagining that it muft totally deftroy their influence. But this notion appears to me to be as abfurd as it is illiberal. People in dif- trefs will always apply for relief to men of fupe- nor abilities, when they have it in their power - and they will do this with far greater confidence and readinefs when they believe that Medicine is a ra- tional fcience, than when they take it to be onlv a matter of mere conjecture. Though I have endeavoured to render this Trea t.fe plain and ufeful, yet 1 found , it impoffible to avoid fome terms of art; but thofe are in general either explained, or are fuch as molt people under- fland,
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3