Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-06-11
GENERAL DEBILITY .


ors, 'strengthening bitters," &c., &c. &c.-s
class of remedies that at least twothirds of the fe
males of America have most intimate acquain.
tance with, and to good portion of whom, their
effects will prove the curse and bsne Of their exis-
tence-a class of remedies that have ruined
and broken down more constitutions than any
other class of remedies in the Materia Medica,
and have swept greater numbers from the face Of
creation than either the pestilence or the sword
q class Of remedies yery seldom, if ever, Of the
slightest utility, and have no legitimate right to
the title Of curative agents, and never should have
been allowed place among them-a class Of re-
medies in great favor with ''old women," quacks,
and medical pretenders. whose brains are perfect
ly huge with everything but 'ideas."
These are, ON aware, bold assertions, but they
truths that will obtain footing in the opinion
of every physician with well balanced head, if
he will examine the subject in sober thought
There is no such thing as debility" the name
or term means nothing. There is, will admit, 9
state Of system where the physical and mental
vation, and exhaustion, are prominent symptoms,
but this is not debility" they are symptoms Of
internal or external inRammatory action, a broken
head or shins, a disordered stomach, Inflammation
of the bowels, lungs, liver, or some other disease
producing the above mentioned condition of sys.
tenn. Debility" or that state Of system receiv-
ing chat name, is the result Of inAammatory 40.
tion in some one or more organs Of the body, an
action which oppresses the healthy functions Of
the rest of the body. There is no acute disesease
but that will produce more or less of the symp-
toms Of debility" In Inflammation Of the bow
els, is there not physical and mental depression,
weakness, enervation, and q total prostration Of
all the powers Of the system and for this weak
ness, and this prostraton. &c., shall we use iron,
bark, &C.. No; for we would exasperate the dis.
ease, and produce still greater debility than was
present before: Instead Of these remedies, We
would make use of positively lowering remedies,
such as hot lamentations, blood letting &c., un-
der judicious Of which the debility" vanishes.
Here is case of debility" that is e1asperated by
the use of "tonics" and Strengthening medicines,
and cured by positively lowering and depicting
remedies. In liberation Of the stomach, is there
not the same physical and mental depression, and
the whole train of symptoms Of "debility?" Ger
tainly; and shall we treat the case with the So
called tonic preparations? Yes, if we would kill
the patient as dead as herring
There is no such disease as debility" and no
earthly use for such remedies as iron, bark, bis
muth, "tonc bitters." &c., &c., as "strengthen-
ers," for in nine cases out Of ten,-yes, in nine
hundred and ninety-nine cases out of thousand
instead Of Strengthening, they will debilitate by
exaspering ilaammatory action, which is the
cause and the only cause, of that state of system
termed debility"
Debility" signifies an infammatory action in
one or more parts Of the body-it alOays signifies
this,-and the exhibition of 'toncs" is the height
Of empyricism and charlatanism, and the physi-
clan who uses them, not only prescribesfor name
and not condition of body, but tampers with not
IL. A. 60 IL, ~.
under his care.
The particular object had in view in select
ing the subject of debility for this weeks adver-
tisememt, was to speak of the state or condition
of system among females, known and called 'gen-
eral debility" There are tens Of thousands Of
these suffering females scattered throughout the
United States, and presume more or less of them
are taking regular doses Of some of the prepara-
tops of iron, or bark, or tonic "btters, or bis
muth, or some other Of the tonic preparations,
lattering themselves with the false, delusve hope
that ere long they will be restored to health. But
how truly will they be disappointed, for so long as
they continue to take them they will not only ex-
perience no good, but positive injury of, as they
will sooner or later, discover, by the appearance
of other diseased symptsuas, ,-sueh 90 pefpit1rtun
of the heart, difficult breathing, &c., Co., caused
by the exhibition Of stimulating remedies to or
gans already aboring under over-e1cited action.
The disease called debility" as have already
stated, al,cays signifies infammatory action some
where, and in ninety nine cases out of O hundred,
that point of infammatory action is in the mucus
membrane of the stomach or bowels, and the exhi-
biton of "tonnic" preparations, instead of benefit
ing, alwas exasperates the disease. The idea Of
treating infammatory action Of the mucus mem
brane of the stomach or bowels with such prepa-
rations as iron, bsmuth, tonic bitters, &c.-medi-
cines that produce by contact with the coats Of the
stomach, eveu in health, great deal of irritation,
is truly most ridiculous.
.'But STOP" says medical friend, "you are
not making fair exhibit of the state or condition
of system in which we exhibit these preparations
of iron, bismuth &c." Yes, I am making an ex-
hbt of exactly the state and condition of the sys.
tenn in. which you prescribe these preparations.
You prescribe them for debility" and what is
''dehiityo" condition Of system implying Arrays
an infammatory action in some one or more or
gans of the body, and in o very great majority of
cases thatinhammatory action is in the stomach or
bowels and you nor no other live man can point
to case of debility" but that its origin can be
traced to infammatory action somewhere rs it's
cause. Show me q case Of debility" and I'll
show you that infamatory action of either the
stomach or bowels, or both, are the most promi-
ncnt symptoms. "But," says my friend, 'if there
was infammstory action Of the mucus membrane
of the stomach, pressure over the stomach would
produce pain" Pshaw the very worst cases of
inflammation and liberation, of the stomach, may
be present while at the same time not the smallest
amount of animal sensation is present or can be
elected by the pressure over the stomach. This
fact is worthy of note-that Inflammation, and E.
ven liberation of the stomach may exist and with.
out the slightest animal sensation being present,
either by pressure or otherwise. The idea that
pain is always present, or can be ELECTED by pres.
sure over an in1amed stomach. is an erroneous
one, and the' sooner such an idea is got rid Of the
better it will be for suffering humanity. How Of.
ten has the brain been allowed to become diseas.
ed secondarily through diseased digestive organs,
from the simple reason that medical men would
pronounce most positively that there was no irri.
hation or Inflammation of digestive organs, simply
because pressure by the hand over the diseased or
gan, elected no pain; and too, at the very time
when the poor patient was tottering over the brink
! of the grave, from the surging the blood to the
head producing an apopletic fulness Of the blood
vessels of the brain, and from this same extension
of irritation from the stomach. How often hat
the heart become organcally diseased through this
same irritation of the stomach, and the mischief
totally unsuspectcd, simply because pressure oue'
the stomach produced no pain. How often have
tubercles been allowed to form in the lungs, the
same being produced by irritation of the stomach
when the diseased condition might have beer
easily remedied, had not the medical adviser beer
under the false impression that pressure over 6
diseased stomach always elicits pain. Palsy Of
limb from partial pressure of the brain, insanity
and death, have again and again taken place from
congestion of the brain, this latter being produced
by Irritation or inhammatory action Of the stom
aah, while at the same time not the smallest
mount of pain was present, or could be elected by
pressuse over the stomach.