Surgical aspects of digestive disorders / by James G. Mumford, in association with Arthur K. Stone.

  • Mumford, James Gregory, 1863-1914.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Surgical aspects of digestive disorders / by James G. Mumford, in association with Arthur K. Stone. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    of Leviticus gives us the keynote to the regulated lives of the Jews, whose practices did not differ greatly from those of their Egyptian associates. Their frequent ablutions, their abstinence, their dietary, their activity, and their scrupulous relations with women all tended to the upbuilding and preserving of clean and vigorous bodies. Among the Persians, too, when at their best, before they were enervated with success and debauchery, the sound body was most to be desired, and, if we can believe what is written of them, their capacity for working and fighting with undiminished vigor on scanty rations and little sleep was amazing. The Greeks of the Hippocratic era seem to have regarded permanent physical ills as not deserving the attention of serious philosophic minds. To such an extent did they carry this thought that, in the schools of the Asclepiadse, chronic diseases are merely referred to, some are not even named, and very few are described. For chronic affections were regarded as inconveniences not meriting the attention of physi- cians.1 The important business of those old practitioners was the care of their men wounded in battle. Trau- matic surgery came first, then the preservation of women in childbirth, and then the study and conduct of acute diseases. Of course there were cases of acute digestive disorders, but the treatment was not intricate. Dietetics werem of most importance, then emetics were given to clear the stomach, and drastic cathartics completed the simple scheme. Vomiting 1 P. V. Renouard, History of Medicine.