Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1909-02-26
OLD SCHOOL DOCTORS
Ignorance OF Physicians of the
Eighteenth Century.
TORTURE FOR THE PATIENTS.
Every Ailnens Beyond Diagnosis Was
clssssd as a Fever, and Pills, PIss-
tors. Burning ard Bleedins Were the
Regulation Remedies.

of@s DNtffNH -ffd 0f1NAiHt 'f~fN ~
Regulation Remedies.
The provcrb 1.-THE remedy is wors'
than the disease must have been coin
"a IN the eighteenth century, wher
physicians treated their patients Will
violence that bordered on assault
and battery. II was held that sickness
was some kind ~ q demon that must
te overcome by pills, plasters, bleeding
snd barnlng and II the patient Incl
3cninily got tho fun effects Of fhe tor
lnre aud died. 10 much the worse for
him. Air and water were considered
the most dangerous things for a sick
person 90 have. and his misguided de-
,innd Tor them WIS interpreted as
flan that lie should have sim less.
The windows were shut and the cur
falus 81 the four poster tightly drawn
around the rccumbcnt unfortunate
rnsping FOR breath n he burned with
fever the blankets were piled on him.
a desire FOR water meant that he could
have none while a lack Of appetite
proved that he ought 70 be stuffed
with food A bath was positively I'M
ghinkable
The deadly results OF breathing
"nlght air. were accenfuated by med
teal writers. says S. q. 1allcntyre In
the Cornhll Magazine All air was
bad, but the night quality often prov
90 fatal 10 "yonng ladies' OF beauty.
fortune and great merit and 90 young
gentlemen Of parts and breeding" One Z
bold med.co recommended that bed .
chamber should lac ventilated IN the
daytime Another dared 10 suggest
that conmmptives might benefit from
sleeping 10 a pure atmosphere, The
rnie for abutions was hands often.
feet seldom head never" but n pbysi-
elan Tar IA advance Of his age sur
missed that invallds might battle their
feet Ia warm water once a week aud
under extraordinary circumstances
take warm bath once a month.
Oycreating ana drinking caused
many Of the diseases OF the upper
eiasses Montesqulcu said that dinner
killed one half OF the Parislans and
supper the other hair. Everywhere Il
was the custom 10 pile the table with .
roast beef. mutton. capons boars' ,
heads, pasiies crenms stunings and ,
miacemeats. 4 fearful repast OF twelve
indlgestlble courses was brought on all n
together, 30 that tho diners knew what J
was expected 81 them. A large break
i'ast OF small beer and meats preceded +,
the gigantic midday meal, when people
enjoyed Garganmnn gorge for three a
hours and spent two more IN FalStan-
ian potatlons. After this the gentle =
men Joined the women Tor a dish OF -
tea III the drawing room. ana II was !
not long before the whole party Of hui n
mnn anacondas returned to the dining a
room Tor supper on the cold rem n
nauts of the dinner. Amid this orgy \
Of slultony Waipole and Voltalre were n
sar an abstinence that
prolonged their lives,
Heavy drinking was universal and
rarely reprimanded by medical men. n,
as by lar 1runchln one Dr Cheyne 4,
advised women not to take whole !,
hottie a day Another authority wrote -,
n popular treatise la which the best ~
means ~ attaining longevity was a,
stated 60 be- a bottle of wine at dinncr ~
and three glasses after. Those who fol- :.
lowed such edvlce were IA danger Of ~
being dubbed temperance cranks A =,
story is told 81 the celebrated and con ,a
vhlal Dr. Garth. who was tipping ~
bumpers az the kit-Kat club when re. "a
minded that his patients needed at n,
iention. "''iis no matter" said Garth. ~,
ilready hair seas over. N see them =,
ir not Nine have such bad c0nstltu- ~
ious that al the doctors IN the world r
ant save them. aud the other six -
AVE such good that all The doctors IA
he world can't klll them" gu
physician named Brown became
he pei % fashionable women by al
Vays prescribing pleasant remedies.
a glass of wine In the forenoon from
Inc 20 time" several glasses OF port fei
+ punch after dinner TN some emily 'or
ling effect i perceived from them" spe
ogether With inordinute quantities OF euo
luor ard food. Dr. Brown recon- not
ended 20 his male patients the COM iler
my Of delightful young women Cha
ne Of the natural consequences OF Hol
lch an agreeable regimen was the hsN
ut for which eighteenth century fir
XII liyers took seas OF liquid medi- did
nes mountains of pills and bins OF ska
lwders On
Any disease beyond diagnosis was 'he
It down az "a fever" Whether ~. pref
ius or typhoid. scarlet or gastric. uon-
ntagious or violently nfectious. any
Ing wbieh caused rise IN lempera. y
r. was sufficiently described BY the a u
ma fever, smallpox ~arvy. spotted y
4 Jail fever were maiadies distinctive IL
the axe. DESTRUCTION and nrst aid Cd
natures we're never dreamed Of Was
iiie the patient ws~ dosed with hor. iugt'
'ie drafts aud nauseaiing compounds man
d bled On every possible occasion. star
nis XIV was bisd nine times for
,rlst fever. kle~iing killed the
'cbs-s % Tr~mouills aud her bas-
nj. WHOM = moi attacked the Duke ''a'
hedford's house 10 i765 the doctors Try
aesiied The outrage by bleeding the ses'.i
eb.-es next morning A Young man ~