Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-08-26
miscellaneous
From the lIcms Journal, August S.
OUTDOORS AT IDLEWILD;
OR, COUNTRY LIFE WITHIN CITY REACH.


ny y. +. Will >.

from one who was n stranger to me, il was written
IN q spirit Vt Christian Kindness that inspired inn
mediate confleAcc; while the ability, good sense,
dircctncss and novelty withal of the medical advice
was like the sound Of II trumpet to the army of
despairing ~consumptivcs. Letters requesting to
know the name and address, Of the writer have
poured upon me from n con, nuous multitude Of
those wishing personal consultation, while the
newspapers of the country have so generally
copied the theory and its brief directions, that
the knowledge of it, at least, must be almost uni
versal. | have heard of very numerous cases of
experiment without further counsel than the peru
cal of it.
To my grateful expression of thanks for this kind
physicians interest, | received a second truly add
mirable letter, accompanied with the requisite in
ternal medicines and directions more minute. AS
-ay homeopathic aids to convalcscencc, had, for
some little time, seemed to have weakened or chan
gcd in their action upon my system, and my friends
warned me that [ was loosing ground, | was the
more willing to try the new remcdy-misciving,
however. that, IN n certain passage Of the doctors
letter, where he mistrusts the wisdom of "prcscrib-
ing for n patient with a pulse at ldlcwild and las
fingers at Boston" there was a difficulty | should
first remove by going to him. And that m~i>givins
was my good angel, to whose still, small voice
] gave too little heed. s. skillful 4 physician
would have said, probably, at once, on seeing me,
that his prescription was basel upon very different
phases of disease and lis 10 inspire Il much need
cl caution on tbs point, that ffare note resumed the
sa!jsR. laval l. are 50 apt to clutch, as thus |
did, att rcm6ly, without first making certain that
it is their form Of disease to which it is suited.
With my unconquerablc night coughs and hem
orhagcs for the groundwork Of his theory, the doc
tor, it will be remembered, says:
"In all cases like yours the skin does not per-
form its Office. & y The system is surcharged,
o~yeraowing with dci8ty." = q Admit these
facts, and what is the conclusion of the whole mat
ter? 1t is this: Take a warm alkaline bath, say
twice a week" = = Next, but not second in
Importance, night and day surround the chest with
a s)1pjucket, made Of flannel and spread with the
darkest brown soap, being strongest with the
altali,) melted to the cousisteuce Qt thick paste
with a little boiling water. 4 : 2 Use L siut-
pie, pure alkahi, internally. to ueu;ralile the acldlry
already there
1t was the latter par; of My. and the very warm
weather was already commencing when entered
upon the alkaline treatment. The "soapjacket, p
Of course, could not be worn without a second fam
mel yhirt ever it, to keep in its paste and moisture,
and here was my first trouble. So excessive was
the persperation, night and day, with the imper-
meable closeness of the covering, that | was sensi-
bly, weakened and distressed for breath. while ex-
crcise was nearly impossible, and every puff Of air
seemed to give me 4 cold. My voice weakened, by
the third day, so that | could scarcely articulate
my head seemed crammed with an hourly increas.
ing catarrh, | felt IL return of some old rheumatic
symptoms, the muscles of my face and eyes showed
rapid exhaustion, and my family much alarmed,
insisted on the stoppage of the treatment. |
thought ID best to make a fair trial Of it, however,
and strictly followed the directions till the eighth
day-When the internal alKlll nal so completely
deadencd the coats ofmY stomach and destroyed the
tone, that | feared | should be unable to take nour-
ishment necessary for life. | had the sensation Of
being tanned ~inwardly to-sole-leather, scarce able
to taste the differences in food and drinks, aud
palpably burthening nature with every morsel |
Swallowed. Aud, as, in all my previous illness, l
had never before failed to have an appetite pro-
portionate to exercise, and had known no feel
ing of discomfor inwardly except from the con-
yulsion of cough, | was sure that the int rnal effect,
st least, was injurious. My hemorrhages, mean
time, grew more ~profuse, and, as | persisted in
my rides, the least motion of the horse beyond a
walk brought the blood to my mouth abundantly.
With the giving up of the alkalis on the eighth
day, l found myself more ill than | had ever pre-
viously been. There was no sign that the antago-
mist acids had been encountered, or that anything
but poor weakened nature herself had received the
deadly ammunition of the alkalis. With the re-
suminG Of my former unmedicrnal system, however,
| began to use crash-toweis before and after cold
baths in the morning, a more generous diet, and q
free horse, brought me gradually up; and, now,
latter seven weeks l am once more where the
alkalis began with me. Another patient, who
made the same experiment, Ia distinguished officer
of the array, who had brought consumption home
from his cam paigns in Mexico,) but whose first
result from the alkalis, unlike mine, was a relief,
has since died under the treatment. With the
publicity which | have unexpectedly given to the
"alkali cure" and a confidence thus indirectly ex-
pressed in it, it is bat just, perhaps, that | should
declare my own belief that it is likely to be wholly
misapplied, and in any case, dangerous without the
best of medical counsel and supervision.
Of the unusual professional frankness Of the
writer of the letter, and Of his high morol and in
telcctual tone of study, sympathy and duty, no one
could doubt who has read it. The proof is in the
universal confidence it inspired, and in the num-
bers who have since sought him out with great
eagerness for advice. With personal knowledge OF
a patient, the danger Of his theory, | doubt not,
would be obviated by his conscientious making
first certain of its fitness to the case. 1t is not
wonderful that all manner of sick people do not
get the full attention of the ~overworked best doc
tors, and this same making first certain is somewhat
rare. 1t is for this resaon that a physician as an
inmate friend is yaluablc-one who will make al
untiring enthusiasm of your cure-while one whC
gives you ten minutes and one or two looks ant
touches, and a little uninterested listening, at
professional hour, is a risk, at least. Fortunately
nine out of ten of the medicines for every diseas,
are prescribed by nature-frcsh air, exercise, con
troll of habits and appetite. etc.-but it is not too
much 10 add, chat nine points out of ten of medi
cal advice also, are given by nature. The uttel
faith with which th1 sick receive and follow thu
hasty opinion of II doctor. and the utter inattentIor
TO the com plainings and promptings of their OWL
pa,n-taught and truth-telling nerves, organs ant
senses, is q giving up of the whole business to ;
tenth committeeman who, by rights, should only
be one in a consultation. 1T has surprised mt
more than anything else" says a very sensible
man, writing of his experience in consumption
ito find how different opinions | have received, il
regard to the seat OF my disease, from physicians
Of high standing" In fact the ive-minutes omnis
cicnce that is expected Of doctors is too much. |
would be much wiser to go first to a careful lawyer
who will cit down AMI cr0ss-examinc you, pa
your symptoms into condensed and comprehensive
language, reconcile your contradictions, sift OF
your reiuctances and superhuities, and take tn,
side-evidenee of your friends and attendants; an,
from this, prepare a digest Of what yea y0ursel
know of your case, which the physician can rea,
while he looks at you and feels your pulse for tn
professional corroborations Ia no shorter way,
am inclined 10 think, will any common patient ge
the best advice from a physician with ertensiy
nrarfi-cD