The improved American family physician, or, Sick man's guide to health : containing a complete theory of the botanic practice of medicine, on the Thomsonian and hygeian system, with alterations and improvements : to which is appended a concise formula for compounding medicines for the cure of every complaint incident to human nature : also, a complete digest of midwifery, so that the old proverb may be verified, that every man may be his own physician.

  • Day, L. Meeker.
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The improved American family physician, or, Sick man's guide to health : containing a complete theory of the botanic practice of medicine, on the Thomsonian and hygeian system, with alterations and improvements : to which is appended a concise formula for compounding medicines for the cure of every complaint incident to human nature : also, a complete digest of midwifery, so that the old proverb may be verified, that every man may be his own physician. 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.)

    8/126
    IT PREFACE- t that is. to be steamed, put to bed, and made sick by taking an emetic; then to take an injection, and be steamed again for a pain in the toe, head, stomach, &c. My opinion is, that nature will not misguide the physi- cian, if he follows close to her symptoms, (to wit,) when a person is sick at the stomach, it indicates that there is something offensive to health lodged there, which it is desirous of discharging; in such cuse, an emetic given as directed in this work, would be proper. Again, if a person taking a cold, and the pores of the skin, and other evacuants, become stopped, which is known by fever, or an increased and disturbed state of the natural heat of the body, which produces shivering of a hot day, or pains in the joints, bones, &c. these symptoms indi- cate diaphoretics, such as the emetic, and afterwards fever powders, as directed in this work, until the patient sweats freely, which now may be used with or without the steam, according to the exigency of the case. But in all chronic cases, where the patient has been under the effects of mercurial and other poisons, a regular course of medicine should not be dispensed with ; in- deed, in all complaints of long standing, a regular course is very necessary to lay the foundation for a radical cure, and should be repeated once or twice a week, until well. In Uterine Hemorrhoidsj.Dr. Thomson's medicines are not as good as the other medicines prescribed in this work, although a lobelia -emetic has a very good effect in restraining this bloody flow, yet the other medicines which are given in a regular course, are too stimulating in my opinion, and will but increase the discharge. Again, there are persons in full and plethoric habits, in which case the aromatic powder taken once or twice a week for a short time, (at the same time take the wine bitters,) will remove the cause of severe fits of sickness, and often the cause of death ; but in complaints of chil- dren, and persons of a weak and lax habit, and feeble constitution who have taken too much physic already, the injections or clysters are always to be used, and in all cases of inflammation in the bowels, injections made of one table spoonful of calcined charcoal in flaxseed, or slippery elm tea, sweetened with molasses should be