The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1826-03-15
From the Berkshire American.

tai abode.
From the Berkshire Americana
The folly Of dahbllng in Med, cine is very pleas.
antly hit off in the following humorous
piece. Pope's famous maxim Of
. A little fearning's dangerous thing"
i 10 where so completely verified as on the,
subject of Medicine Let a person ia good
health, but unacquainted with the study,
take up medical book and he will be apt
TO imagine, as lie reads. that he certainly
has some one or all Of the diseases there
described. Tor is this all; these inlGginG-
ry complaints are in the next place to be
cured. If they could be removed by imag-
mary remedies, no great injury would be
likely to ensue. But the worst OF it is,
those who are suffering under these inidgn-.
arg diseases, undertake to cure them with
real northumberland, like Don Quixote, in
his attack upon the aeind nails, are OVER
thrown for their folly.
DOCTORS BILLS.
About fonr years ago, was happily
married to a very prudent lady, aud,
being of the same disposition as myself,
we made very prudent couple. Some
time after our marriage, my wife told
me, that Doctors bills were very high,
and that, as we could not always expect
TO be free from disease, she thought it
best 10 purchase some Doctors books,
and thus, said she, with smile, we
can steal their trade at once.o This
agreed TO, and made il my particula.
business to attend all auctions of Books,
in order to buy medical books al the
lowest rate. In fine, 10 less than twelve
months, had bought couple pf Disc
pensatories, Buchan's Family Physician,
two or three treatises on the art Of pre-.
serving health, by different authors
seven treaties on the diseases of chil-
dren, and divers others of the greatest
note. Ny wife spent all the time she
could spare from the economy of her
household, in studying them, aud as
soon as my store was shut ny 10 the
evening, edited myself with few
receipts from my .Ne0O London Dispense.
tory.
As soon as spring arrived, my dear
wife infosned me, that she found it pos
lively enjoined by some of our writer's,
that we must all be purged with cream
of tartar and birthstone, 10 be taken ey-.
cry evening for three weeks, in molass.
SEES; this the whole family had to coms
ply with, first, | myself, who being The
head of the family reckon first, my
wife, my brother Dick, who lives with
me, my son and my daughter, my me-
gro boy, and the servant maid. This
cure we all went through to the entire
satisfaction of my wife, who had the
pleasure to find her medicine. had the
desired effect.
Soon after this, the contagion OF.
reading medical books spread through
all my family, and scarce day passed,
but some Of them made use of soma
medicine or other. My poor brotheE
Dick, after he had permission to read
my books, had acquired detected
countenance, the cause Of which | could
not conceive. AT last he broke silence--
" Brother" said he, (supposiug had
read more than himself 7" feel my pulss
think have too much blood; had |
not better get hled you know that is
too much blood gets into the head It
produces opople1y the symptoms Of
lis appearance, says Bachan, is re-
markable redness in the face, and you
see that is exactly the case with mel
could not but laugh at him; he was in
deed red in the face, but such rednesa
as indicated the offspring Of health.
Our maid, from an education at couns
try school, had learned to read she
earnestly requested her mistress to lend
her Doctor book to read on a Sunday
afternoon. This reasonable request
was granted but poor creature being
not Of the fairest complexion ia The
world, che in n little time became quits
low spirited, and finding my wife and
me alone one evening, she came 10, and
ventured to express herself thus:
I" La! mistress I am concarncd, ane
afraid shall get the yeiloSo jandlers, % 4
begi,. to look Scry yeitovU an ths free"
Decency prevented my laughter for
while, but when she had left the room,
| / could not but enjoy a comfortable