Domestic medicine : or, a treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases by regimen and simple medicines. With an appendix, containing a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners. ... To which are now added, some important observations concerning sea-bathing, and the use of the mineral waters; with many other additions / by William Buchan.

Buchan William, 1729-1805.

Date:: 1803

Credit: Domestic medicine : or, a treatise on the prevention and cure of diseases by regimen and simple medicines. With an appendix, containing a dispensatory for the use of private practitioners. ... To which are now added, some important observations concerning sea-bathing, and the use of the mineral waters; with many other additions / by William Buchan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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It is not likely that any great imprefTion can be made on fuch chara6ters by the force of ridicule, elfe I fnould compliment them on their extreme modefty in taking out of the hands of an author, whom they profefled to admire, the right of improving his own works. They wifhed, no doubt, to relieve him from the trouble. Their generofity went ftill farther, and made them affix his name to their curious refearches, and to the novel beauties of their ftyle, which adorn and illuflrate every page. He may, indeed, think them too civil hy half^ in placing their- miftakes to the fame account, and in- ducing the public to rely on every thing fuppofed to come from him, though pregnant with the greateft danger. I fliouldalfo pay due praife to the legal flirewdnefs of thofe gentlemen, in laying hold of the moft im- perfect editions of my book, and leaving out all the fubfequent remarks, rather than violate the laws of their country. As to the infringement of property, or the injury which the reputation of the Author might fuftain from his being made refponfible for their blunders, the old ftatute they confulted, being filent on thefe points, led them to conceive that they had a right to publifh, under the fanCiion of his name, the injudicious com- pilations of any unfortunate hireling. It is not very eafy to put me out of humour. I am much more inclined to amufe myfclf and the reader with laughable ftriClures on fuch frauds and follies. At fome future period, however, I may perhaps take up the fub- jeCt of copy-right in a more ferious manner, and fliew h,ow inconfilknc it is with common fenfe and common juflicc,

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