New guide to health, or, Botanic family physician : containing a complete system of practice upon a plan entirely new : with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them to cure disease : to which is added a description of several cases of disease attended by the author, with the mode of treatment and cure / by Samuel Thomson.

  • Thomson, Samuel, 1769-1843.
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New guide to health, or, Botanic family physician : containing a complete system of practice upon a plan entirely new : with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them to cure disease : to which is added a description of several cases of disease attended by the author, with the mode of treatment and cure / by Samuel Thomson. 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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    dicine more open to mankind, would lessen their faith in it. This indeed would be the case with regard to some ; but it would have a quite contrary effect upon others. I know many people who have the utmost dread and horror of every thing prescribed by a physician, who will never- theless very readily take a medicine which they know, and whose qualities they are in some measure acquainted with. c: Nothing ever can, or will inspire mankind with an absolute confidence in physicians but by their being open, frank and undisguised in their behaviour. The most effectual way to destroy quackery in any art or science, is to diffuse the knowledge of it among mankind. Did physicians write their prescriptions in the Common language of the country, and explain their inten- tions to the patient, as far as he could understand them, it would enable them to know when the medicine had the desired effect, would inspire him with absolute confidence in the physician; and would make him dread and detest every man who pretended to cram a secret medicine or poi- son down his throat. It is true that much of what is at this day called medi- cine, is deadly poison ; and were people to know what is offered them of this kind, they would absolutely refuse ever to receive it as a medicine. This I have long seen and known to be. true ; and have laboured hard for many years to convince them of the evils that attend such a mode ot procedure with the sick ; and have turned my attention ' fo those medicines that grow in our own country, which the God of nature has prepared for the benefit of mankind. Long has a general medicine been sought for, and I am confident I have found such as are universally applicable in all cases of disease, and which may be used with safety and success, in the hands of the people. After thirty years study and repeated successful trials of the medicinal vegetables of our own country, in all the diseases incident to our climate ; I can with well grounded assurance, recommend my system of practice and medi- cines to the public, as salutary and efficacious. Great discoveries and improvements have been made in