Litchfield enquirer., 1858-02-04
P.lTE.S"T .NEDECLVsE.S.
 General Debility

General Debility
 DISEASE concerning which the most errone
 GUS ideas are existing-a disease that is regard ed and talked about as being of peculiar nature, where physical and mental vigur is depressed, and tine wlioie system in a akened eiervated exhaust ed and woIn out con.iition-a dsease which, to cessiuliy Ct mtat recourse must necess,y te had to the so-calletl strengthening" or tonic prepar;. tons such as bark, iron, bism,l;h, alchuholic li- quois :; strengthening itters.' &c, &c-a class of remedies that at least twothirds of the females If America have most intimate actiuaintauce with and ts a good portion uf whom their effects will pro'e the curse and 'ane of their existence class of remedies that have ruined and broken down more constitutions than any other class f remedies in the Materia Medical and have swept greater num- hers from the face of creation than either the pest fence or the swOrd-a class of remedies very sel- dom 1t ever, of the slightest utility and have no le gitlmate right to the title of curative agents and never should have been allowed place among them "a class of remedies in great favor with old wo- men. quacAs and medical prstenders whose b aims are perfectly huge with everything but .. ideas
 These are, am aware, bold assertions but they are uas that will obtain footing in the opinion of every physician with we'll 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 d state ot system where the physical and mental pow. CTS are dcpr- -ssed, and where weakness enervation and exhaustion prominent symptons but this
 
 or external infsmmatory action, broken head or shins, a disordered stomach. inflammation of the bowels lungs, liver, some other disease pruduc- ing the above mentioned condition of system " Debility or that state of system receiving that name, is the result of inlammatoIy action in some one or mere organs of the body. action which q presses the healthy functions of the rest of the hpdy. There is no acute disease but that will pro- dhte more or less of the symptoms Of debility" In inflammation Of the bowels is there not physical and mpntli deDreSSi0p weak ti,,l, and total prostration of all the powers of the system and for this weakness. and this pr. stration &c., shall we use iron lark, &c. {? No; for would ex- asperate the disease and produce still greater de- biiity than was present before. <tead of these remedies we would make of positively louering remedies. such hot Concentrations, blood letting &c.. under jutiici"us of which the debility yanishes, Here is d case of ' debility that is ex asrerated by the of tonies'' and ' strength ening'' medicines and positively cured by lowering ana depicting remedies. In ulce'ation of the sto- mach, IS there not the same physical and mental depression, and the whole train of symptoms ef
 deblity''? Certainly and shall we treat the case with the sn-caed tonic preparations? Yes, if We wonid kill the patient as dead a., herring
 There is such tiserse as debility" and no earthly fer such remedies ron btlk, bism nth, tonic bitters.' &c, &c. ;. strengtheners." for in nine cut of ten,-yes i,l nine h,l, dred and ninetynine cases out of q thousand. ld.--nstead of strengt gtheaing. they will drsate by cxaspcr.tng n- Gammatory action which is the cause and the only cause ef that state of system termed debility"
 = Deb lity' signifies an inlammatory action in some more parts of the boly-it alcays sieni fies tbis-and the exhibition of :. toncs' is the height of empyricism and charlatanism, and the physit ian who uses them. not cnly prescrihes for name and not condition Of body. but tampers with not only the e th but the life of the patient placed under his care. The particular object hal in view in selecting the subject of = debility for this weeks adv rtise- nient. to sreak of that state condition of system ,In"ng females known and cal'ed general debility here are tens of thousands of these suffering females scattered throughout the tnted States, and presume more or less 0f them are talk ing regular daily doses of some of the presentations of iron. or bark, tonic bttcr> " lsmuih. .sr some other nf the tonic predarations. iattering themselves with the false, deu*ive hope. that ere long they will be restored to health But how truly will they he disappoirsed so long they con- tnue to take them they will not only experience no good, but positive inj ny. they will, oner or later, discover by the appearance # other diseased symptoms strh as plpitstion of the heart difficult ireahing &c., &c, Cau>ei by the exhibit n If stimulating remedies 10 organs already laborng un- der over-eXcited action The disease called debility as | have already stated, atsrdys signifies iiflammatiy ton s, me- where and in ninety nine out of a hunlret!, that point of infammatory action iS in the mucils mem br,ne of the stomach b'wels and the exhi biton of ''tonic preparations. instead pf benefit ting always exasperates the disease. The idea of
 
 blane of the stomach bowels with such pre-, .rss- tions as iron, bi>muth tonic bitterS. &c.-medicnes that produce by conaa with the coats of the st,i- mach even in health. great deal of irritation. is truly most ridiculous.
 But stop" says medical friend. .' Y l not making fair exhibit f the state condition of the system in which we exhibit these preparations of iron, hsmuth, Sc" Yes. I am making cxhibi- tien of exac ly the state and condition of the system in which you prescribe these preparations. Yonpe- scribe them for debility :; and what is tiebili ty'! condition of system implying alsrays an iri- fammat'ry action in some more orglns If the bdy, and in very great majority of that in- fiammatOry action Is in tn stomach bowels and you nor no nrher live man puin to acase f q d. hHty, bat that it's origin Can ie tracesi to intin matory action somewhere as it's esnse.- Show a case of de'iiity,' and Pll show you that infam matory action of either the stomach or bowels, 1T both are the most prominent symptoms. .' But. says my friend '' if there was inflsnm.tory a tion of the mucus membrane of the stoaci pressure eyer the stomach would produce piin." Pslaw !! the very worst cases nf inflammation and neersitinE of the stomach may he present while at the same time not the smallest m.unt of anmtl sensation is pre- sent or can bc eicitcd by pressure the stomach This fact Is worthy nf note-that inflann aton and even ulcera ion of the stomach may dxfst and with out the slightest animal sensation h,ing present. either by pressure otherwise The idea that pain is always present be elicted by pressure 'ser an inf1amed stomach. is an erruHenhs one and the ss,rer such an ea is got ril of the better it will be for suffering humanity. How often has the brain been allowed te bscone disssssd sesopdarY through