medical essays-第56章

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pise　and　to　resist　the　base　superstition；　or　that　Bridget　Bishop；　whose　house　he　rented；　as　Mr。　Upham　tells　me；　the　first　person　hanged　in　the　time　of　the　delusion；　would　have　found　an　efficient　protector　in　her　tenant；　had　he　been　living；　to　head　the　opposition　of　his　family　to　the　misguided　clergymen　and　magistrates？

I　cannot　doubt　that　our　early　physicians　brought　with　them　many　Old…　World　medical　superstitions；　and　I　have　no　question　that　they　were　more　or　less　involved　in　the　prevailing　errors　of　the　community　in　which　they　lived。　　But；　on　the　whole；　their　record　is　a　clean　one；　so　far　as　we　can　get　at　it；　and　where　it　is　questionable　we　must　remember　that　there　must　have　been　many　little…educated　persons　among　them；　and　that　all　must　have　felt；　to　some　extent；　the　influence　of　those　sincere　and　devoted　but　unsafe　men；　the　physic…practising　clergymen；　who　often　used　spiritual　means　as　a　substitute　for　temporal　ones；　who　looked　upon　a　hysteric　patient　as　possessed　by　the　devil；　and　treated　a　fractured　skull　by　prayers　and　plasters；　following　the　advice　of　a　ruling　elder　in　opposition　to　the　unanimous　opinion　of　seven　surgeons。〃

To　what　results　the　union　of　the　two　professions　was　liable　to　lead；　may　be　seen　by　the　example　of　a　learned　and　famous　person；　who　has　left　on　record　the　product　of　his　labors　in　the　double　capacity　of　clergyman　and　physician。

I　have　had　the　privilege　of　examining　a　manuscript　of　Cotton　Mather's　relating　to　medicine；　by　the　kindness　of　the　librarian　of　the　American　Antiquarian　Society；　to　which　society　it　belongs。　　A　brief　notice　of　this　curious　document　may　prove　not　uninteresting。

It　is　entitled　〃The　Angel　of　Bethesda：　an　Essay　upon　the　Common　Maladies　of　Mankind；　offering；　first；　the　sentiments　of　Piety；〃　etc。；　etc。；　and　〃a　collection　of　plain　but　potent　and　Approved　REMEDIES　for　the　Maladies。〃　　There　are　sixty…six　〃Capsula's；〃　as　he　calls　them；　or　chapters；　in　his　table　of　contents；　of　which；　fivefrom　the　fifteenth　to　the　nineteenth；　inclusiveare　missing。　　This　is　a　most　unfortunate　loss；　as　the　eighteenth　capsula　treated　of　agues；　and　we　could　have　learned　from　it　something　of　their　degree　of　frequency　in　this　part　of　New　England。　　There　is　no　date　to　the　manuscript；　which；　however；　refers　to　a　case　observed　Nov。　14；　1724。

The　divine　takes　precedence　of　the　physician　in　this　extraordinary　production。　　He　begins　by　preaching　a　sermon　at　his　unfortunate　patient。　　Having　thrown　him　into　a　cold　sweat　by　his　spiritual　sudorific；　he　attacks　him　with　his　material　remedies；　which　are　often　quite　as　unpalatable。　　The　simple　and　cleanly　practice　of　Sydenham；　with　whose　works　he　was　acquainted；　seems　to　have　been　thrown　away　upon　him。　　Everything　he　could　find　mentioned　in　the　seventy　or　eighty　authors　he　cites；　all　that　the　old　women　of　both　sexes　had　ever　told　him　of；　gets　into　his　text；　or　squeezes　itself　into　his　margin。

Evolving　disease　out　of　sin；　he　hates　it；　one　would　say；　as　he　hates　its　cause；　and　would　drive　it　out　of　the　body　with　all　noisome　appliances。　　〃Sickness　is　in　Fact　Flagellum　Dei　pro　peccatis　mundi。〃　So　saying；　he　encourages　the　young　mother　whose　babe　is　wasting　away　upon　her　breast　with　these　reflections：

〃Think；　oh　the　grievous　Effects　of　Sin！　　This　wretched　Infant　has　not　arrived　unto　years　of　sense　enough；　to　sin　after　the　similitude　of　the　transgression　committed　by　Adam。　　Nevertheless　the　Transgression　of　Adam；　who　had　all　mankind　Foederally；　yea；　Naturally；　in　him；　has　involved　this　Infant　in　the　guilt　of　it。　　And　the　poison　of　the　old　serpent；　which　infected　Adam　when　he　fell　into　his　Transgression；　by　hearkening　to　the　Tempter；　has　corrupted　all　mankind；　and　is　a　seed　unto　such　diseases　as　this　Infant　is　now　laboring　under。　　Lord；　what　are　we；　and　what　are　our　children；　but　a　Generation　of　Vipers？〃

Many　of　his　remedies　are　at　least　harmless；　but　his　pedantry　and　utter　want　of　judgment　betray　themselves　everywhere。　　He　piles　his　prescriptions　one　upon　another；　without　the　least　discrimination。　　He　is　run　away　with　by　all　sorts　of　fancies　and　superstitions。　　He　prescribes　euphrasia；　eye…bright；　for　disease　of　the　eyes；　appealing　confidently　to　the　strange　old　doctrine　of　signatures；　which　inferred　its　use　from　the　resemblance　of　its　flower　to　the　organ　of　vision。　For　the　scattering　of　wens；　　the　efficacy　of　a　Dead　Hand　has　been　out　of　measure　wonderful。　　But　when　he　once　comes　to　the　odious　class　of　remedies；　he　revels　in　them　like　a　scarabeus。　　This　allusion　will　bring　us　quite　near　enough　to　the　inconceivable　abominations　with　which　he　proposed　to　outrage　the　sinful　stomachs　of　the　unhappy　confederates　and　accomplices　of　Adam。

It　is　well　that　the　treatise　was　never　printed；　yet　there　are　passages　in　it　worth　preserving。　　He　speaks　of　some　remedies　which　have　since　become　more　universally　known：

〃Among　the　plants　of　our　soyl；　Sir　William　Temple　singles　out　Five　＇Six＇　as　being　of　the　greatest　virtue　and　most　friendly　to　health：　and　his　favorite　plants；　Sage；　Rue；　Saffron；　Alehoof；　Garlick；　and　Elder。〃

〃But　these　Five　＇Six＇　plants　may　admitt　of　some　competitors。　　The　QUINQUINAHow　celebrated：　Immoderately；　Hyperbolically　celebrated！〃

Of　Ipecacuanha；　he　says；　〃This　is　now　in　its　reign；　the　most　fashionable　vomit。〃

〃I　am　not　sorry　that　antimonial　emetics　begin　to　be　disused。〃

He　quotes　〃Mr。　Lock〃　as　recommending　red　poppy…water　and　abstinence　from　flesh　as　often　useful　in　children's　diseases。

One　of　his　〃Capsula's〃　is　devoted　to　the　animalcular　origin　of　diseases；　at　the　end　of　which　he　says；　speaking　of　remedies　for　this　supposed　source　of　our　distempers：

〃Mercury　we　know　thee：　But　we　are　afraid　thou　wilt　kill　us　too；　if　we　employ　thee　to　kill　them　that　kill　us。

〃And　yett；　for　the　cleansing　of　the　small　Blood　Vessels；　and　making　way　for　the　free　circulation　of　the　Blood　and　Lymphthere　is　nothing　like　Mercurial　Deobstruents。〃

》From　this　we　learn　that　mercury　was　already　in　common　use；　and　the　subject　of　the　same　popular　prejudice　as　in　our　own　time。

His　poetical　turn　shows　itself　here　and　there　：

〃O　Nightingale；　with　a　Thorn　at　thy　Breast；　Under　the　trouble　of　a　Cough；　what　can　be　more　proper　than　such　thoughts　as　these？〃。。。

If　there　is　pathos　in　this；　there　is　bathos　in　his　apostrophe　to　the　millipede；　beginning　〃Poor　sowbug！〃　and　eulogizing　the　healing　virtues　of　that　odious　little　beast；　of　which　he　tells　us　to　take　〃half　a　pound；　putt　'em　alive　into　a　quart　or　two　of　wine；〃　with　saffron　and　other　drugs；　and　take　two　ounces　twice　a　day。

The　〃Capsula　〃　entitled　〃Nishmath　Chajim　〃　was　printed　in　1722；　at　New　London；　and　is　in　the　possession　of　our　own　Society。　　He　means；　by　these　words；　something　like　the　Archxus　of　Van　Helmont；　of　which　he　discourses　in　a　style　wonderfully　resembling　that　of　Mr。　Jenkinson　in　the　〃Vicar　of　Wakefield。〃　　〃Many　of　the　Ancients　thought　there　was　much　of　a　Real　History　in　the　Parable；　and　their　Opinion　was　that　there　is；　DIAPHORA　KATA　TAS　MORPHAS；　A　Distinction　（and　so　a　Resemblance）　of　men　as　to　their　Shapes　after　Death。〃　　And　so　on；　with　Ireaeus；　Tertullian；　Thespesius；　and　〃the　TA　TONE　PSEUCONE　CROMATA；〃　in　the　place　of　〃Sanconiathon；　Manetho；　Berosus；〃　and　〃Anarchon　ara　kai　ateleutaion　to　pan。〃

One　other　passage　deserves　notice；　as　it　relates　to　the　single　medical　suggestion　which　does　honor　to　Cotton　Mather's　memory。　　It　does　not　appear　that　he　availed　himself　of　the　information　which　he　says；　he　obtained　from　his　slave；　for　such　I　suppose　he　was。

In　his　appendix　to　〃　Variolae　Triumphatae；〃　he　says；

〃There　has　been　a　wonderful　practice　lately　used　in　several　parts　of　the　world；　which　indeed　is　not　yet　become　common　in　our　nation。

〃I　was　first　informed　of　it　by　a　Garamantee　servant　of　my　own；　long　before　I　knew　that　any　Europeans　or　Asiaticks　had　the　least　acquaintance　with　it；　and　some　years　before　I　was　enriched　with　the　communications　of　the　learned　Foreigners；　whose　accounts　I　found　agreeing　with　what　I　received　of　my　servant；　when　he　shewed　me　the　Scar　of　the　Wound　made　for　the　operation；　and　said；　That　no　person　ever　died　of　the　smallpox；　in　their　countrey；　that　had　the　courage　to　use　it。

〃I　have　since　met　with　a　considerable　Number　of　these　Africans；　who　all　agree　in　one　story；　That　in　their　countrey　grandy…many　dy　of　the　small…pox：　But　now　they　learn　this　way：　people　take　juice　of　smallpox　and　cutty…skin　and　put　in　a　Drop；　then　by'nd　by　a　little　sicky；　sicky：　then　very　few　little　things　like　small…pox；　and　nobody　dy　of　it；　and　nobody　have　small…pox　any　more。　　Thus；　in　Africa；　where　the　poor　creatures　dy　of　the　smallpox　like　Rotten　Sheep；　a　merciful　God　has　taught　them　an　Infallible　preservative。　　'T　is　a　common　practice；　and　is　attended　with　a　constant　success。〃

What　has　come　down　to　us　of　the　first　century　of　medical　practice；　in　the　hands　of　Winthrop　and　Oliver；　is　comparatively　simple　and　reasonable。　　I　suspect　that　the　conditions　of　rude；　stern　life；　in　which　the　colonists　found　themselves　in　the　wilderness；　took　the　nonsense　out　of　them；　as　the　exigencies　of　a　campaign　did　out　of　our　physicians　and　surgeons　in　the　late　war。　　Good　food　and　enough　of　it；　pure　air　and　water；　cleanliness；　good　attendance；　an　anaesthetic；　an　opiate；　a　stimulant；　quinine；　and　two　or　three　common　drugs；　proved　to　be　the　marrow　of　medical　treatment；　and　the　fopperies　of　the　pharmacopoeia　went　the　way　of　embroidered　shirts　and　white　kid　gloves　and　malacca　joints；　in　their　time　of　need。　　〃Good　wine　is　the　best　cordiall　for　her；〃　said　Governor　John　Winthrop；　Junior；　to　Samuel　Symonds；　speaking　of　that　gentleman's　wife；just　as　Sydenham；　instead　of　physic；　once　ordered　a　roast　chicken　and　a　pint　of　canary　for　his　patient　in　male　hysterics。

But　the　profession　of　medicine　never　could　reach　its　full　development　until　it　became　entirely　separated　from　that　of　divinity。　　The　spiritual　guide；　the　consoler　in　afliction；　the　confessor　who　is　admitted　into　the　secrets　of　our　souls；　has　his　own　noble　sphere　of　duties；　but　the　healer　of　men　must　confine　himself　solely　to　the　revelations　of　God　in　nature；　as　he　sees　their　miracles　with　his　own　eyes。　　No　doctrine　of　prayer　or　special　providence　is　to　be　his　excuse　for　not　looking　straight　at　secondary　causes；　and　acting；　exactly　so　far　as　experience　justifies　him；　as　if　he　were　himself　the　divine　agent　which　antiquity　fabled　him　to　be。　　While　pious　men　were　prayinghumbly；　sincerely；　rightly；　according　to　their　knowledge　over　the　endless　succession　of　little　children　dying　of　spasms　in　the　great　Dublin　Hospital；　a　sagacious　physician　knocked　some　holes　in　the　walls　of　the　ward；　let　God's　blessed　air　in　on　the　little　creatures；　and　so　had　already　saved　in　that　single　hospital；　as　it　was　soberly　calculated　thirty　years　ago；　more　than　sixteen　thousand　lives　of　these　infant　heirs　of　immortality。　＇Collins's　Midwifery；　p。　312。　　Published　by　order　of　the　Massachusetts　Medical　Society。　Boston；　1841。＇

Let　it　be；　if　you　will；　that　the　wise　inspiration　of　the　physician　was　granted　in　virtue　of　the　clergyman's　supplications。　　Still；　the　habit　of　dealing　with　things　seen　generates　another　kind　of　knowledge；　and　another　way　of　thought；　from　that　of　dealing　with　things　unseen；　which　knowledge　and　way　of　thought　are　special　means　granted　by　Providence；　and　to　be　thankfully