The American physician, and family assistant / by Elias Smith.

  • Smith, Elias, 1769-1846.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The American physician, and family assistant / by Elias Smith. 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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    Notwithstanding all this, my small knowledge of medicines, and various properties needful for this purpose ; I hired a shop in Hanover street, and began with my small stock, worth about fifty dollars—advertised t myself as a physician and apothexaiy, put up the same on my sign ; and in- vited the sick and lame to apply for vegetable medicines without any kind of poison. This was like a grain of mustard seed, the least of all seed. 1 then supposed this was the only apothecary shop where only vegetable medicines were kept for the sick. In six months from the commencement, my friends advised me to contiuue, which has been done to this day [1837] and there is yet an in- creasing demand for such preparations as are here described. Vegetable medicines are coming into use in every State in the Union, and I have calls for medicines, which are carried to Europe, Asia, and Africa, to South America, and the Sandwich Islands. The former editions of the American Physician &,c. have been sold and gone with the medicines. The number of Botanic Physicians is continu- ally on the increase in almost every part of the United States. Young men and old are engaging in the business of collecting and preparing vege- tables and administering them to the sick and dis- tressed. Some may think me too severe on the mineral doctors, and that too much is said in the fourth part on poisons of various kinds. Were people as well acquainted with the awful consequences of these minerals, as I am, when given to the sick they would be surprised to think any one could know their deadly effects, and not warn the com- munity more.