New guide to health, or Botanic family physician : containing a complete system of practice, upon a plan entirely new : with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them to cure disease ; to which is added a description of several cases of disease attended by the author, with the mode of treatment and cure / by Samuel Thomson.

  • Thomson, Samuel, 1769-1843.
Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New guide to health, or Botanic family physician : containing a complete system of practice, upon a plan entirely new : with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them to cure disease ; to which is added a description of several cases of disease attended by the author, with the mode of treatment and cure / by Samuel Thomson. 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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    INTRODUCTION. There are three things which have in a greater or less degree, called the attention of men, viz: Religion, Government, and Medicine. In ages past, these things were thought by millions to be- long to three classes of men, Priests, Lawyers, and Physicians. The Priests held the things of reli- gion in their own hands, and brought the people to their terms: kept the Scriptures in the dead languages, so that the common people could not read them.—Those days of darkness are done away; the Scriptures are translated into our own lan- guage, and each one is taught to read for himself. Government was once considered as belonging to a few, who thought themselves born only to rule. The common people have now become acquainted with the great secret of government; and know that all men are born free and equal, and that magistrates are put in authority, or out, by the voice of the people, who chose them for their pub- lic servants. While these and many other things are brought where common people can understand them: the knowledge and use of medicine, is in a great measure concealed in a dead language, and a sick man is often obliged to risk his life where he would not risk a dollar; and should the apothecary or his apprentice make a mistake, the sick man can- not correct it, and thus is exposed to receive an instrument of death, instead of that which would restore him to health, had he known good medicine. It may be alleged, (said Dr. Buchan,) that laying medicine more open to mankind, would lessen their faith in it. This indeed would be the case with regard to some; but it would have quite