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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    outward heat is high enough ; put a little cold water on the face or breast, which will restore the strength, then rub them in a cloth wet with vinegar, spirit or cold water, put on clean clothes, and put them in bed, or let them set up as their strength will permit. This is safe in all cases of cold and obstructed perspiration. It ought al- ways to be borne strong in mind to give a child drink often, when under the operation of medicine, or while steaming ; if this is not done they ■will suffer much, as they cannot ask for it. In all cases of falls or bruises, steaming is almost in- falable : and is much better than bleeding, as is the com- mon practice, which only tends to destroy life instead of promoting it. If the person is not able to stand over the steam, it must be done in bed, as has been described. Give the hottest medicine inside that you .have, and keep the perspiration free till the pain and soreness abates, and the strength will soon be restored. If the advantages of this mode of treatment was generally known, bleeding in such cases, or any other to remove disease, would ne- ver be resorted to by the wise and prudent. The use of steaming is to apply heat to the body where it is deficient, and clear off obstructions caused by cold, which the operation of the medicine will not raise heat enough to do ; for as the natural heat of the body becomes thereby lower than the natural state of health, it must by art be raised as much above as it has been below ; and this must be repeated until the digestive powers are res- tored, sufficient to hold the heat by digesting the food, then the health of the patient will be restored by eating and drinking such things as the appetite shall require. In this way the medicine removes disease, and food, by beino- properly digested, supports nature and continues that heat on which life depends. Some who practice according to my system boast of carrying their patients through in a shorter time without the trouble of steaming ; this is easily accounted for ; steam- ing is the most laborious parts of the practice for those who attend upon the sick, and the most useful to the pa-