The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-05-06
[For the Lite
BrOmClnitiS.

Bronchitis.
The article on Bronchitis,',, in the
last No. of the Echo, suggested the fol-
lowing quotation from work on Medical
Delusions, by Worthington Hooker,
M. d.
QUrDAM SocIUs SocIErArIs MEDlcK.
Fashion is far from confning her
self to shaping the vestments of beauty,
and regulating the modes in which she
shall display her charms. She even
goes SO far as to prescribe the disease
under which she shall sigh and languish,
and point to the remedies. which shall
restore to her the blooming hues of
health. And her sway over diseases
and their remedies is not limited to the
softer sex. But men, who despise the
morbid fancies of the invalid as effemin-
ate, and consider nerves as womanish
things-wise and grave men, who rea-
son profoundly about their own ailments
and those Of their friends and neighbors.
submit themselves without hesitation TO
her sway. Even the man who casts
contempt upon her authority in regard
to modes aud customs and garments.
bows to her supremacy in medicine
even he, if he becomes an invalid, is apt
to have the disease, use the remedy.
and apply to the doctor, which are lust
then in fashion And clergymen.
though they warn their hearers very
properly, that & the fashion of this world
passeth away and teach them to dis
obey her edicts, and generally practice
what they preach, are yet, many of them,
exceedingly fashionable in their diseases
and remedies and doctors. A few years
ago dyspepsia was the fashionable malady
Of the clergy. Now there is almost
none Of it, but all the disease has gone
into their throats. The fashion Of dys-
pepsia has passed away, according to the
Scripture, and that of bronchitis, SO call
ed, has taken its place.
"Now it cannot be that this apparent
change is a real one-tbat all the inva-
lids among the clergy had diseased stom-
achs then, and that now their stomachs
are well, and their throats are taking
thcr turn. How is it them The an
swer to this question Is an easy one.
"In the man who has become worn
down by study and care and anxiety,
there is general state Of disease in the
system--an incalM condition, as it may
be termed. Growing out Of this gener-
al condition there will be some local
complaints Of these, that one to which
the attention of the patient is most di-
rected will be apt to be the worst, and
will appear 10 him to be tk disease un-
der which he is laboring, and therefore
the point at which the artillery Of medi-
cine must be aimed. DR.. Holland even
goes so far rs to say, that if persons
are always supposing that they are IL
able to certain distemper, the nerves
will so act upon the part that it is very
likely to come upon them.' Though
DR. Holland may be thought to speak
too strongly, it is certain that directing
the attention unduly to the sensations Of
Il part will aggrevate the ailimem in
that part, even if it be not competent to
create it there.
In relation to the ease Of The Hfsa.
lid clergyman, will suppose that he
has disease both in his throat and in his
stomach. If now he were in the first
quarter Of this century, when dyspepsia
was all the fashion, his stomach would
occupy all his att ntion and his throat
would hardly be thought of, for bronchi-
tis as it is called, was an unknown malady
then But If be were in the second
quarter of this century the disease in
his throat would be the subject of his
daily and nightly meditation, and he
would not think of his stomach, for
dyspepsia is almost forgotten disease
now. In either case he recovers Al
length, and his recovery he attributes 10
dyspeptic pills, if he thought chiefly OF
his stomach, and to swab, Ing with nj.
trate of silver, and cutting off the pal.
ate, &C., if he thought chiefly of his
throat. Let me be understood. Nj
tratc of silver is sometimes applicable to
diseases of the throat, and dyspcptic
pills to diseases of the stomach. Still.
the ertem of their application has been
much overrated, and relaxation, and
change Of air and scene, and diversion
of mind, have had the chief agency i'm
curing the majority of cases Of throat
diseases and dyspepsia, becsuse they
have remedied the general eondition Of |
susfenn from which fhaao la~.l