A philosophical and medical sketch of the natural history of the human body and mind ; to which is subjoined, an essay On the difficulties of attaining medical knowledge, intended for the information and amusement of those who are, or are not, of the medical profession : published for the benefit of the General Hospital at Bath / by James Makittrick Adair, M. D. member of the Royal Medical Society, and fellow of the College of Physicians, at Edinburgh.

  • Adair, James Makittrick, 1728-1802.
Date:
1787
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A philosophical and medical sketch of the natural history of the human body and mind ; to which is subjoined, an essay On the difficulties of attaining medical knowledge, intended for the information and amusement of those who are, or are not, of the medical profession : published for the benefit of the General Hospital at Bath / by James Makittrick Adair, M. D. member of the Royal Medical Society, and fellow of the College of Physicians, at Edinburgh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    difgraceful to humanity, of the confequences of irritation in the extreme. Thofe flimuli which excite either fimple fenfation, or that which is pofitively grateful or pleafurable, act probably in the fame way as thofe which pro- duce the various degrees of difagreeable or painful feelings} and the fenfation of tickling affords a proof, that the difference between pleafure and pain is only in degree. It may be proper to remark here, that in all thefe nervous afFe6lions, the fault may be either in the origin of the nerves, in the nerves during their courfe, or after they have entered into the organ which they animate and move3 or, without any previous fault of the nerve, it may be owing to a morbid caufe a61?ing upon them: this I fhall explain By fome examples. Some perfons of delicate temperaments have naturally very irritable nerves, and are therefore eafily difturbed by a very flight caufe: hence hyfteric faintings, and con- vulfions, from furprife, &c. Such difeafes are peculiarly termed nervous, to diftinguifh them from other difeafes which proceed rather from flrong irritation than weak nerves. Were