Hoffman's Treatife on the Regimen, &c. exercife; to thefe it adds life and fpirits; on which account it is likewife ferviceable to hypochondriacs, and all afflicted with like cold diforders *. § XXI. As the facred fcriptures allow and recommend the moderate ufe of wine, fo they particularly forbid us to drink it to excefs: wherefore drunkennefs is ftrictly prohibited in various places of the New Teftament by the apostles, as begetting and nurfing every fpecies of vice, and feducing from the road to falvation. The wife king Solomon gives a lively picture of the inconveniences flowing from it, both to the mind and body, in Prov. xxiii. 29, and the following verfes: Who hath woe? Who hath forrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without caufe? Who hath redness of eyes? They who tarry long at the wine; they who go to feek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine, when it is red, when it giveth it's colour in the cup, when it moveth itfelf aright. At the laft it biteth like a ferpent, and fringeth like an adder. Thine eyes fhall behold Arange women, and thine heart fhall utter perverfe things. Yea, thou shalt be as he who lieth down in the midst of the fea, or as he who lieth upon the top of a mafi. Ecclefiafticus fays of it, that it feduces the prudent; and in ch. xxxi. 25. Shew not thy valiantness in wine, for wine has deftroyed many; and in ver. 30. Drunkenness increafeth the rage of a fool till he offend; it diminisheth firength, and maketh rounds. No one in fact is ignorant what difeafes are produced in the body by wine; more particularly if too fweet, acid, or strong; or if containing a vapourous fulphur. Sweet wines increase the humours, and give frength to diforders arifing therefrom. Thofe which are acid afford nourifhment to four and viscous diftempers, and promote the generation of the ftone, hyfteric, and hypochondriac complaints, and the gout, in conftitutions difpofed for them. Strong wines, whilft they greatly disturb the blood, and the other fluids, increase the heat in young perfons, and men of a warm conftitution; engender choler, and are productive of hemorrhages, burning VOL. III. fevers, cramps, gouty diforders, and fometimes convulfions. Such as have a vaporous fulphur proceeding from them are prejudicial to the nerves and head; whence we derive complaints in the head, fuch as heavineffes, head-achs, palfies, and epilepfies. It will not be from the purpose to infert here Valeriola's opinion of wine; to be found in the fecond book Enarrationum Medicinalium, Enarr. iv. "Wine introduces "a multitude of difeafes into the human fabric by it's nature, age, ftrength, and quantity drank. When "drank immoderately, it overturns "the brain, fills the nerves, caufes "fluxes, injures the understanding, "diminishes the strength: weak wine " is not nourishing if fweet, it stops up the pores; when thick and black, "it does not pafs readily, but remains 66 66 a long time in the belly: if old, it is "too heating; when new, it produces a fwimming in the ftomach; acid "wines bring the cholic, and are hurt"ful to the nerves. If we would be in poffeffion of health, we must avoid all exceffive ufe of this fo dangerous a drink, and refufe all that has either fweetness, acidity, or any other of it's qualities in a great degree. § XXII. Having fpoken of the regimen to be obferved in diet, I fhall now enumerate the various advantages accruing to man from exercife. That fort of exercise which is ftyled labour, is fpoke of in the facred writings, and recommended, as we may read in Ecclef. xxxi. The words of the text are, Be diligent in all thy undertakings, and no misfortunes fhall attend thee. Paul, in the fecond epistle to the Theffal. ch. iii. v. 10. advifes, that those who will not labour, fhould not reap the benefit of labour: He who will not work, neither let him eat. Great are the praifes given to exercife by experienced phyficians of every age, whether by labour or other methods. From thefe we shall felect the opinions of Hippocrates and Sanctorius: the firft of whom, in his lib. de Diætâ, § 1, fays, "That a per"fon who eats cannot be well if he "does not exercife. These two have contrary cffects; both together con"duce to health." "If men, fays See Dr. Shaw's Treatife on the juice of the grape. B "Sanc "Sanctorius, in Medicinâ Staticâ, ex"ercised themselves at proper feafons, "they would require neither phyfi"cians nor phyfic." Nothing is fitter to promote the circulation of the blood, and free the fluids from impurities than the external motion of the mufcles: for when the mufcles, which are the real inftruments of motion, are contracted (according to an act of the will) by the affiftance of the fubtile elaftic blood, and the quick expanfion of a nervous fluid, this contraction not only straitens the veiny veffels, and thus gives a more brifk progreffion to the blood, but alfo by the attrition attenuates and divides the groffer particles. By this means the inteftine motion grows greater; the fluidity, fpirit, and heat increases, and the perfpiration and evaporation of fuperfluous humours is perfected with greater eafe to the body. Hence laborious perfons are robuft, healthy, and commonly long-lived; feldom troubled with the ftone, gout, hypochondriac diftempers, cachexies, fcurvies, or dropfies. Such, on the other hand, who weaken themselves by idleness, or are addicted to a fedentary life, always are expofed to thefe diftempers, efpecially if they indulge themfelves, and live in plenty. By this the blood coagulates in the veffels, and becaufe of the flow perfpiration, impurities are contracted by it; it grows thick, ftagnates in the bowels, filling, and obftructing the paffages of their very fmall veffels, and confequently brings fome one complaint or other in the above-mentioned catalogue. Health is their particular portion, who, according to the Almighty, in Gen. iii. eat their bread by the fweat of their brow. XXIII, But as moderation in all things is most agreeable to our conftitution and structure, fo exercise fhould be neither exceffive nor continual, but moderate, and alleviated by reft. Too much, or too little motion is prejudicial and weakening; the first increasing, and the latter diminishing, the excretions beyond the due mean. Wherefore, fince health is the mark we all aim at, we should take reft and exercise alternately. Among other reafons, moving the Deity to inftitute a feventh day, on which men ceafe from the la bours of the preceding fix, this confi deration was, probably, not the weakeft. § XXIV. With respect to fleeping and waking: these no lefs require a careful regimen than the other articles mentioned in the foregoing fections. The weary are advised to recover their vigour by fleep, in Ecclef. v. 12. Sweet and ferviceable is the fleep of the la bourer. Sleep, indeed, is immediately requifite to the prefervation of health; no one can fubfift long without it. It reftores ftrength to the fatigued limbs, rendering them capable to fuftain their wonted labours; and what is furprifing, it enlivens the foul, and gives her alertnefs and readiness in performing her functions. XXV. Nor is it lefs effectual in diminishing the corporeal and mental faculties, when carried beyond the bounds of moderation, than it is ferviceable to both, when used with reafon; for it then caufes a giddiness and torpor in the head; gives a languor to the members; too much impeding the influx of the fubtle, brifk fluid, which is the cause of motion, into the nerves and folid parts; whence the fluids derive a grofsnefs, and the body becomes obnoxious to chronical distempers: Solomon diffuades us from intemperance in this respect, Prov. vi. 4. Ĝize not fleep to thine eyes, nor flumber to thine eye-lids. By which words he does not mean to encourage entire abftine..ce from it; fince, moderately used, it has nothing culpable, but is rather neceffary to the health of man. XXVI. The converfe of what was faid in the laft fection is, that immo derate and long-protracted wakefulness is highly prejudicial to the conftitution; for by it the digeftion is injured, the face made pallid, the body thin, and the eyes hollow. What is faid by Ecclefiafticus of the avaritious man comes in with propriety here: Watching for riches confumeth the flesh, ch. xxxi. 1. From what I have faid of thefe two particulars, fleep and wakefulness, this rule of regimen may be taken: to be healthy is to be, in the use of neither, exceffive or neglectful. § XXVII. What I had to fay concerning thofe neceffary actions being now finished, I thall fubjoin a few words Hoffman's Treatise on the Regimen, &c. Words refpecting concubinage. This, conftitutions are found to differ much though when legitimate, and mode- the fame things being rarely ferviceable rately ufed, it is not to be decried, to a variety. Celfus, indeed, fays, and fince inftituted by the providence of experience repeats it, that to the God, to the end that mankind fhould healthy all things are healthful: but be preferved and multiplied; yet, when fince there is a great diverfity of naexceffive, is the caule of diforders, tures, and fome much more robust than nay, even of death, as evidently ap- others, the wholefomeness of aliments appears from many paffages in the is not to be gathered from their geneBible. Solomon paints the deceitful- ral effects, but from the particular nefs of an harlot in very lively colours, ftrength of that body which they are and goes on, in Prov. vii. 29. to dif- then to nourish. Perfons of a stout fuade thofe who feek after wisdom from conftitution are not easily affected by listening to her inticing expreffions: any thing, and may eat abundantly, Becaufe, fays he, her house is the way to nay, even immoderately, without a hell, going down to the chamber of death. great deal of danger; their ftomach Befides that fuch actions are abo- being fufficiently ftrong to get the betminable in the fight of God, and de- ter of it, and, by the brisk motion of ferving everlasting punishment, they their blood, every thing fuperfluous are likewife highly prejudicial to the being voided. But fuch as are weakly, body, decreafing the ftrength and brifk- muft neceffarily be injured in their nefs of the blood; and the dewy, fpi- health by an immoderate quantity of rituous ferum, of which the femen food; for their ftomach is unable to confifts, being gone, which should con- digeft and diffolve it's contents, nor is tribute to the elaftic force of the folid the circulation of their blood quick parts, it is a natural confequence that enough to evacuate fuperfluities. This the vigour fhould decay. There are affertion then is uncontrovertibly true, ftill greater evils attending fornication, that neither aliments nor medicines can as we read in Ecclef. xix. 2. He who abfolutely, and of themselves, be decleaveth to harlots will become impudent; nominated hurtful or not; nor are moths and worms fhall have him to he- able to bring about any effect accordritage. In these words clearly defcrib- ing to any power or virtue in theming the nature of the venereal difeafe; felves; it depending on the body whewhich is a putre scene of the fluids and thether they find it is difpofed to reconfumption of the members. We ceive them or no, with respect to the will not carry this matter farther. He condition of the folid and fluid Parts. who would defy the darts of difeafe, This being the cafe, it will be prumuft liften to the admonition of the fon dent in him, who wishes his own health, of Sirach: To keep the flower of his age accurately to enquire into, and dilifound, and give not his frength to gently to obferve, the particular nafrangers. ture and difpofition of his body, fo as to judge what things are serviceable, what prejudicial to it. If, in confequence of fuch inquiries, he adopts the former, and rejects the latter, he may enjoy a conftant and uninterrupted health. In fact, were men to be cautious and wary in their mode of life, they would, in very few matters, if any, ftand in need of a physician to affist them. § XXVIII. There remains yet a diatetic rule of great importance given us in Ecclef. xxxvii. 27. My fon, prove thy foul in thy life, and fee what is evil for it, and give not that unto it. For all things are not profitable unto all men. In thefe words the wife fon of Sirach would admonish us carefully to confider our conftitution, and what is proper or otherwife for that in particular; fince T On the Art of Medicine. NE first foundation of the art of Medicine was entirely owing to mere chance, unforeseen events, and natural inftinct. There were at the beginning no public Profeffors of this moft ufeful branch of learning: but fick perfons were expofed in crofs ways, and other public places to receive the advice of paffengers, who had skill fufficient to direct them to an efficacious remedy fuitable to their diforder. The better to preferve the memory of any remarkable cure, the difeafe, the remedy, and the fuccefs, were engraved on pillars, or written on the walls of the temples, that patients in the like cafes might have recourfe thereto for inftruction and relief. Nay, a certain bird is faid to have directed, by his long bill, the ready way of one evacuation, viz. down wards, as the fenfible dog, for uncafinefs at ftomach, by fwallowing rough blades of grafs, for an emetic, teaches us the other way of discharging upward. Whence it appears that the rife of our useful art was originally owing to trials, obfervation, and long experience, which by degrees gave an infight into the nature and virtues of herbs, and plants, metals and minerals, and in what difeafes they were attended with fuccefs. The skill of the first Physicians was therefore termed Eμrupa, Experience; and they themselves Epixo, Empiricks; words which, however mifapplied at prefent to quacks, and illiterate pretenders, will ever point out the true method of medical improvements : And had as much time been spent in making cautious experiments, and writing accurate hiftories of diseases, as we have (God be thanked) now at laft mot happily got into the right method of, as was idly loft in inventing whimsical theories, and intermingling falfe Philofophy with true Phyfical Knowledge, this noble art of Healing would have appeared in its true light, and genuine lustre, long Physicians fhould be ftudious, affable, fenfible, and charitable; void of pride, covetoufnefs, and prejudice; abound with candour, embrace real improvements with eagernefs, and practise to all with integrity; never to multiply needlefs prefcriptions, nor order a jumble of ingredients to diflurb a tender ftomach, and thereby make both his patient's pocket and perfon pay dearly for the diforderly impofition. In good confcience then let the operofe jumble of farreginous compofitions, wherewith the counter is loaded, be for ever expunged our difpenfatories and fhops, and fuffer our ancient falutary art again to resume the native fplendor of its original fimplicity. For all my patients I always prefer the moft fimple prefcriptions, as thinking nothing more deftructive to found Practice than an inconfiftent farrago, which renders it impoffible ever to determine the virtue of any medicine, or to know to what their fuccefsful, or pernicious effects are owing. Upon this plan I take proper tinctures to be the beft form of medicines for weak, puny ftomachs, as being the leaft difagreeable; the most ealy to get down; and the moft efficacious to cure, (provided their ufe be perfifted in for a due feafon) as any preparations in practice, and that the tinctures of Gum Lac, Amber, and Myrrh, of which I have already wrote in general in the public papers, and for which I have been fince often applied to, will, even taken alone, work wonders. Not to dwell here upon the many cures ordinary medicines cannot accomplish, that tinctures of Antimony, Cantharides, and others, exhibited with judgment, might happily effect. But as I prepare no fuch medicines myself, I can recommend them to an honeft chemift of credit and probity, who from my directons neatly extracts them all three for the good of the Public, and by my ftrict orders fells them at fo low a rate too, that the Poor may receive benent therefrom, Concerning Bishops in America, &c. as well as the Rich, with plain printed directions drawn up by myfelf, of their feveral excellent virtues; the various difeafes they are peculiarly proper for, and of the best method of taking them; to be had at Mr. John Jacobs, druggift and chemift, overagainst the Monument, and Mr. Dilly, book feller in the Poultry,London,where thefe Effences are, by a particular chemical procefs, properly prepared., The tincture, or folution rather, of Gum Lac, (fuch as fealing-wax is made of) is a grand fpecific to cure the fcurvy, and which it certainly can do, if poffible in nature, taken only 30 or 40 drops daily for a time in any liquid you like. V That of Amber is excellent for relaxed habits, and weak nerves; and that of Myrrh is the fame, to cleanfe and heal all kinds of internal ulcers (venereal efpecially) both to be taken the fame way as the first. V Now the fuperior advantages of medicines taken under this neat and light form are feveral: 1. By this chemical folution, thefe compact and otherways indigeftable gums are rendered potable. 2. Are reduced into a fmall volume. 3. Sit eafy on the ftomach, without putting the digef tive powers to any uneafy efforts. 4. Thus the effence of the gum paffes, with its full efficacy, to mix with the arterial fluid, the first feat of moft difeafes, without being ftript of its virtue by the way; and needs only a conftant repetition daily, till the whole mafs of blood is faturated therewith, a tak not hard to undergo, the neglect of which is too often the caufe why the Patient receives no more benefit from his Doctor. Yours, &c. JOHN COOK, London, July 4, 1769. Obfervations on a Letter written by Dr. THOMAS SECKER, when Bishop of Oxford, to the Right Hon. HORATIO WALPOLE, when Firft Lord Commiffioner for Trade and Plantations, concerning Bishops in America; and now published in Obedience to an Order left with it under the faid Dr. SECKER's own Hand, that it fhould be printed after his Death. * THE thing propofed is, that two or three perfons fhould be ordained Bifhops, and fent" into the "American Colonies, to adminifter "confirmation, and give Deacons and "Priefts Orders to proper candi"dates, and to exercife fuch jurif"diction over the Clergy of the "Church of England in thofe parts, "as the late Bishop of London's "commiffaries did, or fuch as it might be thought proper that any "future commiffaries fhould, if this defign were not to take place."The firft queftion he puts upon this propofal, is, Is it reafonable in itfelf? I take the liberty of anfwering, No, because there is no neceffity for it: one pleaded, but what has a forbidding afpect or complexion.-There is no need of futh Bishops, as appears upon the face of the rropofal; becaufe they are to exercife fuch jurifdiction only, and perform fuch offices as the commiffaries of a late Bifhop of London had done, or fuch as it might be thought proper that any future commiffaries fhould. There is, therefore, no fort of need of fuch Bifhops, for this reafon, that the commiffaries of the bifhop of London can perform the fame offices that Eifhops can perform. Again, the plea for fuch Bishops is fuch as has a very forbidding aspect or complexion; fince Bifhops are to exercife a jurifdiction over the clergy. When among the Apostles there was no pre-eminence permitted, and they were all to behave towards one another as brethren-no Chriftian man may call another mafter or father. Printed for J. and F. Rivington in St. Paul's Church-Yard. But |