The whole works of that excellent practical physician Dr. Thomas Sydenham wherein not only the history and cures of acute diseases are treated of, after a new and accurate method; but also the shortest and safest way of curing most chronical diseases / [Thomas Sydenham].

  • Sydenham, Thomas, 1624-1689.
Date:
1740
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The whole works of that excellent practical physician Dr. Thomas Sydenham wherein not only the history and cures of acute diseases are treated of, after a new and accurate method; but also the shortest and safest way of curing most chronical diseases / [Thomas Sydenham]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/472
    The other Method whereby, in my opinion, the Art of Healing may be farther promoted, confif s of a fix'd and per^ feet Method of Healing y. fuch a one, I mean, which has-been fufficiently ftrengthened by a great number of Experiments, and has been found able to cure this or that Difeafe: for I do not think that it is enough to publifh particular Succeffes either of a Method or. Remedy, if neither one nor the other bas been found io attain univer fally the End in all, at leaft the Gircumflances being fo.and fo, For I declare, that we eugbt as certainly to know that this or that Difeafe may be cured, if we anfwer this or that Intention; as we . eertainly know that this or that Remedy will anfwer this or fwers our Defires: fo we purge with Senna, and caufe Sleep with Poppies. | But*I do not deny that the Phyfician ought to mind carefully the particular Events both of Me- ibod and Remedy which he ufes im the Cure of Difeafess and to lay them up for Ufe both to eafe bis Memory, and to render bim more skilful, fo that at length he may efta- blifh a Method, from which he need not recede a whit in the Cure of this or that Difeafe. But the publifbing of par- ticular Obfervations is not, in my opinion, fo beneficial; for tf the Obfervator defigns only to acquaint us, that this Dif- eafe was once, or oftener cured by this Remedy, what advan- tage, I pray, will it be, that one unknown Medicine ts ad- ded to the almoft infinite heap of celebrated Medicines? But if I, laying afide all other Forms of Medicines, wholly adict myfelf to this, ought not the Virtue of it to be approv'd by a great many Experiments ? dnd are not a great many Cir- cumflauces to be weigh’d ref{pecting the Sick and the Method, before we can gain any Fruit by a folitary Obfervation. If the Medicine always fucceed with the Obfervator why does he take up with Particulars, unlefs he diftrufts binifelf, or thinks he may eafier impofe upon the World by piece-meal ? But how eafy it 15 to write large Volumes of this kind, every ene that 1s but little converfant in Prattice knows y. and on the contrary, how difficult it is to eftablifh a perfect Method treated but of one Difeafe in this manner, the Art of Heal- ing, which ts the Phyfician’s Province, had come toas great Perfection many years ago, as. our mortal Condition would have allew'd. But, which is our great mifery, we long ago Sorfook our antient and skilful.Guide, Hippocrates, and the aqiient ^