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Reprinted from The .V-w York McdUal Journal for September 13, I9i3- h'rtnnl.-d from tl,.- .V.tr T.-rt- M.-dhal .lour,H,i for Seflcmhi-r i_;. I'ti.l THE botanic; lAMlLY PHYSICIAN. By William Renwick Riddf.ll, LL.D.. F. B. (Edin.). Etc.. Toronto, Ontario, JuMuc. Appillaic Div.sior. -f the lli«h I >un lit Oiita' .1 18^2 there was published at Hamilton Lpi-er Ca Ua a little vohtme which had cuns.derable vo\ue in ?ts day ; but it is now rarely trnet w,th. and hat passed into the limoo of forgetfulness. At^that time, with a few exceptions, "o one could practise medicine-"phys.c-; it ^^s called-or sur- eerv in Upper Canada without a license from the Srnor, after an examination before a med.ca board appointed for that purpose And this was no merely a prohibition on paper. tanadian> have al wavs had an awkward way of insisting upon obedience to the • statutes: and in those days the> were N^nt to hang hor.se thieves and burglars and banish, flog, and pillory o'-d'"^^^^ ^^leves and th guiltv of less heinous crimes. So violators of the Medical Act did not escape. I have before me the oroceedings in court in Aprd. 183 , at York (nou Conto\ when, before Chief Justice Robins^" and a iury lackson Harrington was found guilty of a ^demeanor for '"practising physic without a lirense. There was nothing, however, to prevent anyone practising on himself and hi^ own family, or ad- ?isine neighbors about their health so long as he did not prictise for reward. Accordingly, the little book I have mentioned made its way mto many a home and was the vade mecunt of many a man xvho was charitablv interested m the health of the com- munitv. The New Guide to Health or Botamc Famiix Physician, Containing a Complete System of Pr'actice' upon a Plan Entirely Neu; &c., &c.. b> (,.,.>vi«ht. .g.,1, by .\- R- K<1'"" l'"''li-.lm.K IVnipany. \ Kiddill: liolunu I'imify Physician. Samuel Thomson. Hamilton. Printed bv Smith & Hackstaff, MDCCCXXXTI." is the title.' .\Fv cpy was once the property of the Rev. Hcnrv Wilkin- son, a well known Methodist minister and once president of the conference. Samuel Thomson is claimed as a son bv both Massachusetts and New Hamf)shire. He was born m 17Q, in territory now within the latter State; but at that tmie and till si.x years later the Prn\ ince> were under the same governor. Tiie cointrv was. as he tells us, "almost an howling wilderness." <o that his "advantages for an ed- ■'ticn .vere very small." His mind. then, was ' , mckied bv the visionary -ones and opinions .f others."' and was entirei; free to follow his incIir.,tions by en- quiring into the meaning of the great varietv of objects around" him. He found man to be com- posed of the four elements- -earth, water, air. and hre. The earth and water were the solids, the air and fire were the fluids ; the two fir^t the component parts, the last two kept him in motion; and fire prodiicmg heat, Thomson came to the concln.ion that heat is life and cold, death. The theory upon which he based his practice of medicine is that the inside of the bodv should u-'c ample heat, more heat than the outside. If the i- side be allowed to become cold, "canker" is formed which IS the occasion and cause of disease He no- where defines "canker." but from manv hints throughout the volume, he seems to have regarded It as a coating deleterious in its effects, whi-h forms on the inside of the stomach and intestines when the mside is allowed to get coId°r than the outside, the "fountain lower than the stream " -Heat is life and its extinction death, a diminu- tion of the vital flame in every instance constitutes ( isease and is an approximation to death All t'len, that medicine can do in the expulsion of dis- order IS to kindle up the decaying spark and restore Its energy. Accordingly, if a medicine is good in any case, it must be absolutely so in all • if' its ad- KiddcU: HoUinic lamily PhysUian. ministration can produce the required eftect m one case, it mtist in all. and "it is evidently immaterial what is the name or color of the diMase. whether bilious, yellow, scarlet, or sprite.!, whether it is simple or complicated, or whether nature has one encmv or more." Extensive study and great erudi- tion arc not necessary to form the eminent phy- sician. Knowledge of the origin of a ma ady and its antidote make the rci -line physician; all without it i> real c|u.nckcrv. In the "Preface written by a Friend." Thomson is made to repudiate the deriomi^ nation "quack." but to accept i at of ' empiric, one who =s governed in hi^ j^rac'ice h- his own ex- perimental knowledge. ' .omst^n says he studied nature, made eN|)crim<' s for tl ty vr and now can OMifidcntly re .mmend h;.s sysie is sal i- tarv ;i-id efficaciou- . i,- . 1 tc entirely disapproved of ••blt-eduH- itKi blister ing and administering mercury, arsenic. '"♦■ monv. opium. &c." But he also wain^ vegetable poisons which grow comm country, garden hemlock, nightshade, poppv.' henbane, poke root, gargei i parsnip, indigo weed, ivy, dogwfM^d, tube. laurel. . Six, and onlv six, medicines he has m hi'- of practice— "the first three are used to rem- ease, and the others as restoratives." "\o I. To cleanse the stomach, overpuwc cold and promote a free perspiration— en. herb." i. e. Lobelia Inflata of Linuc^us. llns take. bv the mouth is to "puke the patient," and ma . prepared for use in three different ways: li powdered leaves and pods, a tincture made o the green herb, and the seeds powdered. Thom- son does not -ly verv much in the lKK)k about the US'- of lob-lia as an enema. I have more than once heard mv old preceptor. Dr. Richard Hare Clarke, of Cobourg, Ontario, one of the most sue cessful of eclectics, describe the marvelous etfect- of an enema of hot lobelia seeds ; but even he gave nnti- inst ,i> ' u, VI Id and =cni lis- HiddfU: Bntanic Family Physician, up its use as early as the sixties. I'homj.on savs No. I "not only acts as an emetic and throws off the stomach everything that nature dcs tint rciuire for support of the system, but extends its effects to all parts of the body. It is searchinjf. enlivenini;. quickeiiinfr, and has cfreat power in removiiijj all obstructions." But it is not a complete cure in it- self, "it soon exhausts itself, and if not follnwe.l bv some other medicine to hold the vital luat till nafire is able to support itself by dijjestinsj the food. It will not be sufficient to remove a disease that has become seated." What he means bv • seated > r "settled" he explains in another place. » remismp by sayinj,' that fever is not a disease, but tlu- effect of disease, the struggle of nature to thmw off disease, he goes on : "Support the fever and it will turn mside, the cold which is the cause nf dis- ease will be driven out. and health will be restored, in ail ca.ses called fever the cause is the same in a greater or less degree, and may be relieved by one .general remedy. The cold causes canker and he- tore the canker is seated the strife will take place between cold and heat, and while the hot flashes and cold chills remain, it is evidence that the canker IS not settled, but as the contest ceases and the heat IS steady on the outside, then canker assumes the power on the inside : this is railed a settled fever." \fter many experiments, he discovered "the best and only medictie" so to hold the vital heat; and this he calls "No. 2. To retain the internal vital heat of the system and cause a free perspiration " This is made of cayenne. He had tried ginger, mustard, horseradish, peppermint, butternut bark, and many other hot things, but settled down finallv on cayenne povvdered and administered, half to a teasnoonful in hot water. He adds "a teaspoonful of Cayenne may be ta.,.., in a tumbler of Cider and is much better than ardent spirits." (Of cour>e. de ^ustihus no>, est d,spuUmdiim.) If cayenne cannot be ob- tained, red peppers, ginger, or even black pepper, may be employed as a substitute. Hiddrll n.'tami- / <">"'.v I'hysuian. TV,, next is "No V To scour the Stomach and The next is i^"- .v * , .• • ,. "(..r reniov- Si'f bv'cold; and .her. >ull be mo,.; ..j >« "^t in all casts or distaJ«^ [°I'' T. ..^niach ..n.l nnd drv it is brd and .hould be av^o<ded The root o Vhe bavberrv or candleberry the root of the vhltc pond liiy. the inner bark or^-^^^f^- '^, rr,„t of the marsh ros^eniary the eaves o n •'witihha/ei;' of the red raspberry, both root an i tf n o the cnunv weed, are all recommended, but -,;?rttJ?S4u^rn?...^f;^du.n.s --^r-tftt:riti.^r^^^^ dizziness in anotlier sense of the word ^oou. Thi>; fact Thomson docs not mention. ^ "Xo 4 Bitters to cr rect the Bile and restore Di-esdon" Thomson arns us agamst suppo^ns Sat the bile or ,all is an enemy in case of s.cknes^. There is no such thine: as too much gall. The ifficultv i. caused by the stomach bevng cold an iZ. so that the food i. not Prop^'-'y d.ge ed and the bile, not being appropriated to .ts "J ^^ "2; is diflfused throuRh the pores of the ^kin, wniui becomes of a vellow color . . .. the only way to effecTa cure is to promote persp ration, cleanse the Stomach and restore the digestive powers; which wmcause the bile to be used for the purpose nature SenS '• He recommends bitter herb or balmony, po7ar hark (either of the white or the stinking K Riddcll: Botanic Family Physician stones are almost as id- and ?"?^ ^"1 ^^f^" ani one'which'frnot'vet' ^""TT'^ Preparations. "No. 6. Kumatfc nrnnJ"''" forgotten, was his mortificatio!;rTnd'pr?Srrn\ra7ht^?"^^^^^^ of light wines^one Do»nT°/ ^''"^>'' ^'^ ^"^ kind fine. Sne ounce of «ve„n.^T' '"•>""''^ P^""^^^ and boil f or ^ 7 *^^y^?"«; put them in a stone jug leaving !hf^„^ „':;i„S"!?' ■•'?„; S' f "f ?eSaKESS3£r^ of common size mav h^ aff^ ! j • . '*^" ^ family time." is thus tabul'ied ''''^ "^''^ ^"""^ that I pound of ginger tJJ!"""' °^ **" rheumatic drops (No. 6) Thomson strongly approved of steaming, indeed. Kiddell: Botanic Family Physician. even his "system would in many cases without it be insufficient to effect a cure." His method was to take two or three stones and put them m the tire till red hot, then put them into a pan or kettle of hot water; the patient, undressed, with a blanket around him. is placed over the steam, preferably on an "open worked chair." 1 he stone^ are renewed when cool. . . . The medicines are not to be given ir.discnminate- ly. "A regular course of medicine" is as follows: "First give Xos. 2 and 3, or composition, adding a teaspoonful of No. 6. then steam, and when in bed repeat it; adding No. i, which will clean the stomach . . . when this has done operating, give an injection made with the same articles . . . m violent cases where immediate relief is needed Nos. I, 2, 3, and 6 may be given together." No. 4 and No. 5 are for special cases. Although these six medicines are all that are needed, Thomson gives the qualities of a large number of native plants— valerian, a nerve powder, spearmint to stop vomiting, peppermint and penny- roval to promote perspiration, summersavory for toothache, hoarhound and elecampane for coughs, mavweed for a cold, tanzy and featherfew for hvs'terics. chamomile for bowel complaints, bitter- sweet, mullein, and burdock for plasters, skunk cabbage for asthma, wakerobin for colic, slippery elm bark for sore throat, ginseng for nervous affection, chivers, snakeroot, mustard, &c., &c., &c. Many of these are still popular remedies. Not all his science is to be found in this hand- book; he had a system of midwifery and surgery. But all who wished to understand these "must pur- chase the right" which sometimes, at least, cost "twenty silver dollars," and "all who purchase the right may receive the necessary verbal instruction to enable'them to do all that is required in the prac- tice of midwifery, as well as to be able to become their own physician and surgeon at a trifling ex- pense." That some in Upper Canada purchased Riddell: Botanic Family Physida,.. tain. .Vor is °Ls rE''';^^^'^^''"" '= ''?;> «- taking five mTam oft. T^ "'"'"' " fc" d'vs. "?hi'i.r" 'r'=' ^"'' !•- """arte'"" ''"' tend Ezra LoveU Jr". ^' ^f ''Z ^^"^^ *« at- come to that town ^h" ^'^^f-'^'^y- Mass. He had said had tch^Zt^'d tK"fs ofT= ^"h*^ '^ ■^ which he called hv <=„ 'u " " °* """"edicmes. "coffee," -^vel mvlri S''^^'"''^'"^''^' "^"^^^ ^^ doses within half an hn. 1^""^ ^^^"^t, all three drinking copS;"o'7he '"c'oSe '"^ T'r'''' proved to be an infusion n^f u ' which was with bayberrv Lrk • e VoT Th'"''"'"'"^ '"'"^^'^ next he was' dosed with tuL ^' ^^ "^'^^ ^»y and on the followine da2 2 ^^^ '^"^^ medicines, and two davs the doftor id noT'/n '^'"V"^- '^^' "^^^ 'owing da, he ad:n"[n;^;:.;?^r;;n^d"kr i^i^ Riddcll: Botanic Family riiysician. and also the next day. The patient was now in great distress, and when the doctor asked hini how far down the medicine had got, and he replied down to the breast, the doctor assured hini that it would soon get down and unscrew his navel. Ihe following day the natient became delirious and vio- lent, but the doctor got one or two doses of lobelin down his throat, telling the patient s tather that h.s son had got the "hvps like the devil, but that his medicines would fetch him down. The next morn- ing the regular phvsicians were called in, b"t cou d do nothing for the unfortunate who died shortly afterward. Thomson was indicted tor murder and tried on December 20 at Boston, before Lhiet Justice Parsons and Justices Sewall and Parker, and a jury. It was proved that the death was due to the treatment which Lov.-tt had received, and the prosecuting counsel stated that the prisoner had administered like medicines to others who had died in his hands. The onlv witness, however, who ap- peared, swore that he had taken the emetic niedi- cines as the prisoner's patient several time- in two or three days, and was relieved permanentlv of lu^ complaint, "an oppression at his stomach : ami there was no evidence that in the course of his very novel practice the pri-oner had experienced any fatal accident among his patients. He was accord- in'^lv acciuitted. The curious will find a tairly full account of the case in No. 6. Massachusetts Re- ports, p 1 S4- The followers of Thomson boast that he was acquitted without being called on for his defence. The fact, however, i^^ that he owed his safety to the charge of the chief justice, that if the medicine was administered with an honest intention to cure, however ignorant the prisoner might be of medical science, he should not be found guilty. Thomson continued to practise in Massachusetts for many years, and died in 1843. I cannot find ihat he ever came in person to Canada. There is no trace in this volume of some extra- ordinary views attributed to him by some medical RiddeU: Botanic Family Physician. e^'r^f Sivef af^eH- '^'"''^'^ ''^^ ^" the earth ,„ up and awav from the ear'fh!^-^? P'*"*^ ^^ow vegetable kingdom must ?.?' '"*^*^'^'n^s from the keep him from th^ ^rave. "^ ^^^ P^^^^"^ a"^' OsGooDE Hall.