The reason why: domestic science : affording intelligible reasons for the various duties which a housewife has to perform / by the author of Enquire within upon everything ... [etc.].

  • Philp, Robert Kemp, 1819-1882.
Date:
[1869]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The reason why: domestic science : affording intelligible reasons for the various duties which a housewife has to perform / by the author of Enquire within upon everything ... [etc.]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    and cheerfully performed because the Housewife knows the REASON WHY. Upon the subjects of health and the management of children very ample chapters are given, but there has been no attempt made to induce the parent to affect a know- ledge of medicine, or to undertake the cure of disease. The principle which has been recognised by the author of this Work is that which has been admirably expressed by Dr. Underwood. He says :—“ I am disposed to estimate at a high value the co-operation of the watchful and intelligent parent in the observation and treatment of the diseases of infants and children. The parent should not be her infant’s physician, but she should be its watchful nurse. She should not pretend to understand diseases, which would imply a knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology, which she cannot be supposed to possess ; but she should be as one who carefully prepares a brief for counsel, collecting the evidence, but leaving the inferences and the decision to him.” In Van Oven’s work upon uTlie Decline of Life in Health and Disease,” he quotes the remark of the celebrated Heberden, that “ the life of a physician should be like that of a Vestal virgin, which was divided into three periods, in the first of which she learned her profession, in the second she practised it, and in the third she taught it to others.” Such should be the plan of life of every mother. Keep- ing this principle in view, we have sought to enable the Housewife to learn, to practise, and to teach many of those essential things upon which the happiness of life depends. The present edition of this Work has been carefully revised, and contains about one hundred and fifty addi- tional Questions and Answers. London, March, 1 SCO.