Domestic Medicine

PART I.. Of the General Causes of Diseases.

Of the general Causes of Diseases.

CHAP. I. Of Children Page 1 — Diseased Parents 7 — Clothing of Children 9 — Food of ditto 15 — Exercise of ditto 21 — Bad Effects of unwholesome Air upon ditto 30 — Nurses 33

CHAP. II. Of the Laborious, &c. 37 — the Sedentary 47 — the Studious 54

CHAP. III. Of Aliment 62

CHAP. IV. Of Air 75

CHAP. V. Of Exercise 81

CHAP. VI. Of Sleep 87 — Clothing 89

CHAP. VII. Of Intemperance 94

CHAP. VIII. Of Cleanliness 100

CHAP. IX. Of Infection 106

CHAP. X. Of the Passions 111 — Anger 112 — Fear ib. — Grief 116 — Love 119 — Religious Melancholy 120

CHAP. XI. Of the Common Evacuations 121 — Stool ib. — Urine 123 — Perspiration 125 — being affected by Changes in the Atmosphere 126 — Wet Clothes 127 — Wet Feet ib. — Night Air 128 — Damp Beds ib. — Damp Houses 130 — Sudden Transitions from Heat to Cold 131

PART II.. Of Diseases.

Of Diseases.

CHAP. XII. Of the Knowledge and Cure of Diseases 135

CHAP. XIII. Fevers in general 140

CHAP. XIV. Of intermitting Fevers or Agues 147

CHAP. XV. Of an Acute Continual Fever 157

CHAP. XVI. Of the Pleurisy 163 —— Bastard ditto 169 —— Paraphrenitis 170

CHAP. XVII. Inflammation of the Lungs 171

CHAP. XVIII. Of Consumptions 174

CHAP. XIX. Of the Slow or Nervous Fever 188

CHAP. XX. Malignant, Putrid, or Spotted Fever 195

CHAP. XXI. Miliary Fever 205

CHAP. XXII. Remitting Fever 210

CHAP. XXIII. The Small-pox 214 Inoculation 227

CHAP. XXIV. The Measles 240 — Scarlet Fever 245 — Bilious Fever 247

CHAP. XXV. St. Anthony’s Fire 248

CHAP. XXVI. Inflammation of the Brain 254

CHAP. XXVII. Inflammation of the Eyes 258

CHAP. XXVIII. The Quinsey 264 — Malignant ditto 271

CHAP. XXIX. Colds and Coughs 276 A Common Cough 280 Hooping-Cough 284

CHAP. XXX. Inflammation of the Stomach 289 —— of the Intestines 291 Of the Colic 295 Inflammation of the Kidnies 301 —— of the Bladder 304 —— of the Liver 305

CHAP. XXXI. Of the Cholera Morbus, and other excessive Discharges from the Stomach and Bowels 309 — a Diarrhœa, or Looseness 312 — Vomiting 315

CHAP. XXXII. Disorders of the Kidnies and Bladder 319 Of the Diabetes, or excessive Discharge of Urine ib. — Suppression of ditto 322 — the Gravel and Stone 324

CHAP. XXXIII. Involuntary Discharges of Blood 328 Bleeding at the Nose 331 Bleeding and Blind Piles 334 Spitting of Blood 337 Vomiting of ditto 341 Bloody Urine 342 —— Flux 345 Cœliac Passion 351

CHAP. XXXIV. Of the Head-ach 352 —— Tooth-ach 357 —— Ear-ach 360 Pain of the Stomach, &c. 362

CHAP. XXXV. Of Worms 365

CHAP. XXXVI. Of the Jaundice 370

CHAP. XXXVII. Of the Dropsy 374

CHAP. XXXVIII. Of the Gout 380 —— Rheumatism 388

CHAP. XXXIX. Of the Scurvy 393 —— Scrophula 398 —— Itch 403

CHAP. XL. Of the Asthma 406

CHAP. XLI. Of the Apoplexy 410

CHAP. XLII. Of Costiveness 414 — Want of Appetite 416 — Heart-burn 418

CHAP. XLIII. Of Nervous Diseases 420 — Melancholy 426 — the Palsy 430 — the Epilepsy, or Falling Sickness 432 — the Hiccup 436 — Cramp of the Stomach 438 — the Night-mare 439 — Swoonings 440 — Flatulencies, or Wind 443 — Low Spirits 446 — Hysteric Affections 447 — Hypochondriac Affections 451

CHAP. XLIV. Disorders of the Senses 456 —— of the Eye ib. A Gutta Serena 458 A Cataract 458 Short Sightedness 459 Seeing only at too great a Distance ib. Squinting ib. Spots or Specks ib. Bloodshot Eye ib. Watery or Weeping Eye 460 Of the Ear ib. —— Taste and Smell 463 —— Touch 465

CHAP. XLV. Of a Scirrhus and Cancer 466

CHAP. XLVI. Of Poisons 472 — Mineral Poisons 474 — Vegetable ditto 475 Bites of poisonous Animals 477 —— of the Mad Dog ib. —— of the Viper 485 —— of poisonous Infects 486 —— of the Rattle-Snake 488

CHAP. XLVII. Of the Venereal Disease 489 —— Virulent Gonorrhœa 490 — Gleets 500 — Swelled Testicle 503 — Buboes 504 — Chancres 506 — A Confirmed Lues or Pox 510 General Observations 515

CHAP. XLVIII. Diseases of Women 521 Of the Menstrual Discharge 522 — Pregnancy 530 — Childbirth 533 — Barrenness 542

CHAP. XLIX. Diseases of Children 544 Of the Meconium 546 — the Apthæ or Thrush 547 — Acidities 548 — Galling and Excoriation 550 — Stoppage of the Nose ib. — Vomiting 551 — a Looseness 552 — Eruptions 554 — the Croup 557 — Teething 559 — the Rickets 562 — Convulsions 565 — Water in the Head 567

CHAP. L. Of Surgery 569 — Bleeding 570 — Inflammations and Abscesses 573 — Wounds 575 — Burns 580 — Bruises 582 Ulcers 583

CHAP. LI. Of Dislocations 586 Dislocation of the Jaw 588 —— of the Neck 589 —— of the Ribs 590 —— of the Shoulder ib. —— of the Elbow 591 —— of the Wrist and Fingers 592 —— of the Thigh ib. —— of the Knees ib. —— of the Ancles ib. —— of the Toes ib.

CHAP. LII. Of broken Bones, &c. 593 — Strains 597 — Ruptures 598

CHAP. LIII. Of Casualties 600 — Substances stopt between the Mouth and Stomach 602 — Drowned Persons 608 — Noxious Vapours 613 Effects of Extreme Cold 616 —— Heat 618

CHAP. LIV. Of Fainting Fits, and other Cases which require immediate Assistance 618 — Intoxication 623 — Suffocation and Strangling 626 — Persons who expire in Convulsion Fits 629

CHAP. LV. Cautions concerning Cold Bathing, and drinking the Mineral Waters 633

CONTENTS of the APPENDIX.

Introduction Page 649 List of Simples 654

Medical Preparations. Balsams 657 Boluses 658 Cataplasms and Sinapisms 659 Clysters 660 Collyria, or Eye-waters 662 Confections 663 Conserves and Preserves 664 Decoctions 665 Draughts 668 Electuaries 669 Emulsions 672 Extracts 673 Fomentations ib. Gargles 674 Infusions 676 Juleps 678 Mixtures 680 Ointments, Liniments, and Cerates 681 Pills 684 Plasters 688 Powders 690 Syrups 694 Tinctures, Elixirs, &c. ib. Vinegars 699 Waters by Infusion, &c. 701 Simple distilled Waters 703 Spirituous distilled Waters 704 Wheys ib. Wines 705

A GLOSSARY 708 INDEX 713

PART I.. Of the

OF THE GENERAL CAUSES OF DISEASES.

CHAP. I. OF CHILDREN.

The better to trace diseases from their original causes, we shall take a view of the common treatment of mankind in the state of infancy. In this period of our lives, the foundations of a good or bad constitution are generally laid; it is therefore of importance, that parents be well acquainted with the various causes which may injure the health of their offspring.

It appears from the annual registers of the dead, that almost one half of the children born in Great Britain die under twelve years of age. To many, indeed, this may appear a natural evil; but, on due examination, it will be found to be one of our own creating. Were the death of infants a natural evil, other animals would be as liable to die young as man; but this we find is by no means the case.

It may seem strange that man, notwithstanding his superior reason, should fall so far short of other animals in the management of his young: But our surprise will soon cease, if we consider that brutes, guided by instinct, never err in this respect; while man, trusting solely to art, is seldom right. Were a catalogue of those infants who perish annually by art alone exhibited to public view, it would astonish most people.

If parents are above taking care of their children, others must be employed for that purpose: these will always endeavour to recommend themselves by the appearance of extraordinary skill and address. By this means such a number of unnecessary and destructive articles have been introduced into the diet, clothing, &c. of infants, that it is no wonder so many of them perish.

Nothing can be more preposterous than a mother who thinks it below her to take care of her own child, or who is so ignorant as not to know what is proper to be done for it. If we search Nature throughout, we cannot find a parallel to this. Every other animal is the nurse of its own offspring, and they thrive accordingly. Were the brutes to bring up their young by proxy, they would share the same fate with those of the human species.

We mean not, however, to impose it as a task upon every mother to suckle her own child. This, whatever speculative writers may allege, is in some cases impracticable, and would inevitably prove destructive both to the mother and child. Women of delicate constitutions, subject to hysteric fits, or other nervous affections, make very bad nurses: and these complaints are now so common, that it is rare to find a woman of fashion free from them; such women, therefore, supposing them willing, are often unable to suckle their own children.

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