The science of medicine reduced to its simplest form : important philanthropic discovery of M. Louis Deschamps ; by means of which every one can be his own physician and druggist ; remarks on the cultivation of a plant which will be of essential service to humanity ; also, on the dangers arising from the use of fire-arms, resulting from the precautions generally used to prevent accidents.

  • Deschamps, Louis, active 1850.
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The science of medicine reduced to its simplest form : important philanthropic discovery of M. Louis Deschamps ; by means of which every one can be his own physician and druggist ; remarks on the cultivation of a plant which will be of essential service to humanity ; also, on the dangers arising from the use of fire-arms, resulting from the precautions generally used to prevent accidents. 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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    but nature alone has the power of working miracles like these. I could cite many examples of what she has been able to effect in such cases, when her operations have been judiciously seconded. God helps those who help themselves. Let us confide in her, and she will save us, without departing from those immutable laws by which her proceed- ings are governed, and which operate so effectually when left to them- selves. That hereditary malady, which in many families causes the lungs to be attacked sooner than any other part of the system, could easily be checked in its origin, if its first indications were carefully watched and attended to. A cold, in such cases, should never be neglected, how trifling soever it may appear; an active life should be pursued, or if that is impossible, recourse should be had to gymnastic exercises, which are very various in their nature, and some of which can be performed almost without a change of position. Nature demands a life of ac- tivity for the animal machine, for it is in this condition that the chemi- cal laboratory best performs its functions. The perfection of its elabo- rations evinces a strong and robust condition of health. My remedy can be employed in the case of children, even of the tenderest years, and the happiest results will be promptly obtained by its proper and timely use. Thus, a weak constitution, which proceeds from a disor- dered condition of the body, frequently inherited from the parents, might be converted into a healthy and robust one. Perhaps if an en- tirely different physical education were pursued, our race might regain its original vigor, and arrive at its full development. One of the great advantages of my discovery is, that it dispenses with the necessity of pre-occupying the attention by inquiries concerning the nature of the complaint with which the patient has been affected. All that is necessary to know, is that the patient is sick, and then to take immediate measures to check the evil. The complaint will usually be cured in less time than the physicians would have taken to ascertain the diagnosis of the disease—a profound branch of medical science, in which the disorders of our machine, often at such a point as to be irre- parable, are allowed to augment. If when they pretend to put their finger on the seat of the disease, they could arrest its progress, the evil would be so much the less, regarded as a question of time. But too often the contrary is the case. On the morrow, or some days after- wards, you are informed that there is a complication of disorders which it is very difficult to cure without aggravating others, and then it too frequently follows that death is the result. Poor nature is abused, and physicians alone are regarded as possessing the gift of healing! What, I ask, should we say to a bootmaker to whom we had sent our boots to be mended, or to a watchmaker to whom we had sent our watch to be repaired, if these artificers, after having severally examined these objects, should say respectively, Your boot can be mended, I know whfU it wants,— Your watch has a spring out of order, I will return it to you in as good condition as ever,—and yet, a few days afterwards, should bring back your property to you in shreds and frag- ments, averring that the more they labored—the more their efforts were directed to the accomplishment of a certain end, the further they seemed to recede from it; that the result of their efforts, was merely to return the work in such a condition that it could be of no possible service to you We should say, I think, to these good people,,: You don't know your business or your business is a fraud. We should at least feel relieved from the necessity of paying them for their pains, if indeed we refrained from demanding damages of them. But with the physician the case is dif-