medical essays-第68节

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e　Rev。　Samuel　Willard's　fifteen　alarming　pages　about　an　unfortunate　young　woman　suffering　with　hysteria。　　Or　go　a　little　deeper　into　tragedy；　and　see　poor　Dorothy　Talby；　mad　as　Ophelia；　first　admonished；　then　whipped；　at　last；　taking　her　own　little　daughter's　life；　put　on　trial；　and　standing　mute；　threatened　to　be　pressed　to　death；　confessing；　sentenced；　praying　to　be　beheaded；　and　none　the　less　pitilessly　swung　from　the　fatal　ladder。

The　cooper's　crazy　wifecrazy　in　the　belief　that　she　has　committed　the　unpardonable　sintries　to　drown　her　child；　to　save　it　from　misery；　and　the　poor　lunatic；　who　would　be　tenderly　cared　for　to…day　in　a　quiet　asylum；　is　judged　to　be　acting　under　the　instigation　of　Satan　himself。〃　　Yet；　after　all；　what　can　we　say；　who　put　Bunyan's　〃Pilgrim's　Progress；〃　full　of　nightmare　dreams　of　horror；　into　all　our　children's　hands；　a　story　in　which　the　awful　image　of　the　man　in　the　cage　might　well　turn　the　nursery　where　it　is　read　into　a　madhouse？

The　miserable　delusion　of　witchcraft　illustrates；　in　a　still　more　impressive　way；　the　false　ideas　which　governed　the　supposed　relation　of　men　with　the　spiritual　world。　　I　have　no　doubt　many　physicians　shared　in　these　superstitions。　　Mr。　Upham　says　theythat　is；　some　of　themwere　in　the　habit　of　attributing　their　want　of　success　to　the　fact；　that　an　〃evil　hand〃　was　on　their　patient。　　The　temptation　was　strong；　no　doubt；　when　magistrates　and　ministers　and　all　that　followed　their　lead　were　contented　with　such　an　explanation。　　But　how　was　it　in　Salem；　according　to　Mr。　Upham's　own　statement？　　Dr。　John　Swinnerton　was；　he　says；　for　many　years　the　principal　physician　of　Salem。　　And　he　says；　also；　〃The　Swinnerton　family　were　all　along　opposed　to　Mr。　Parris；　and　kept　remarkably　clear　from　the　witchcraft　delusion。〃　　　Dr。　John　Swinnertonthe　same；　by　the　way；　whose　memory　is　illuminated　by　a　ray　from　the　genius　of　Hawthornedied　the　very　year　before　the　great　witchcraft　explosion　took　place。　　But　who　can　doubt　that　it　was　from　him　that　the　family　had　learned　to　despise　and　to　resist　the　base　superstition；　or　that　Bridget　Bishop；　whose　house　he　rented；　as　Mr。　Upham　tells　me；　the　first　person　hanged　in　the　time　of　the　delusion；　would　have　found　an　efficient　protector　in　her　tenant；　had　he　been　living；　to　head　the　opposition　of　his　family　to　the　misguided　clergymen　and　magistrates？

I　cannot　doubt　that　our　early　physicians　brought　with　them　many　Old…　World　medical　superstitions；　and　I　have　no　question　that　they　were　more　or　less　involved　in　the　prevailing　errors　of　the　community　in　which　they　lived。　　But；　on　the　whole；　their　record　is　a　clean　one；　so　far　as　we　can　get　at　it；　and　where　it　is　questionable　we　must　remember　that　there　must　have　been　many　little…educated　persons　among　them；　and　that　all　must　have　felt；　to　some　extent；　the　influence　of　those　sincere　and　devoted　but　unsafe　men；　the　physic…practising　clergymen；　who　often　used　spiritual　means　as　a　substitute　for　temporal　ones；　who　looked　upon　a　hysteric　patient　as　possessed　by　the　devil；　and　treated　a　fractured　skull　by　prayers　and　plasters；　following　the　advice　of　a　ruling　elder　in　opposition　to　the　unanimous　opinion　of　seven　surgeons。〃

To　what　results　the　union　of　the　two　professions　was　liable　to　lead；　may　be　seen　by　the　example　of　a　learned　and　famous　person；　who　has　left　on　record　the　product　of　his　labors　in　the　double　capacity　of　clergyman　and　physician。

I　have　had　the　privilege　of　examining　a　manuscript　of　Cotton　Mather's　relating　to　medicine；　by　the　kindness　of　the　librarian　of　the　American　Antiquarian　Society；　to　which　society　it　belongs。　　A　brief　notice　of　this　curious　document　may　prove　not　uninteresting。

It　is　entitled　〃The　Angel　of　Bethesda：　an　Essay　upon　the　Common　Maladies　of　Mankind；　offering；　first；　the　sentiments　of　Piety；〃　etc。；　etc。；　and　〃a　collection　of　plain　but　potent　and　Approved　REMEDIES　for　the　Maladies。〃　　There　are　sixty…six　〃Capsula's；〃　as　he　calls　them；　or　chapters；　in　his　table　of　contents；　of　which；　fivefrom　the　fifteenth　to　the　nineteenth；　inclusiveare　missing。　　This　is　a　most　unfortunate　loss；　as　the　eighteenth　capsula　treated　of　agues；　and　we　could　have　learned　from　it　something　of　their　degree　of　frequency　in　this　part　of　New　England。　　There　is　no　date　to　the　manuscript；　which；　however；　refers　to　a　case　observed　Nov。　14；　1724。

The　divine　takes　precedence　of　the　physician　in　this　extraordinary　production。　　He　begins　by　preaching　a　sermon　at　his　unfortunate　patient。　　Having　thrown　him　into　a　cold　sweat　by　his　spiritual　sudorific；　he　attacks　him　with　his　material　remedies；　which　are　often　quite　as　unpalatable。　　The　simple　and　cleanly　practice　of　Sydenham；　with　whose　works　he　was　acquainted；　seems　to　have　been　thrown　away　upon　him。　　Everything　he　could　find　mentioned　in　the　seventy　or　eighty　authors　he　cites；　all　that　the　old　women　of　both　sexes　had　ever　told　him　of；　gets　into　his　text；　or　squeezes　itself　into　his　margin。

Evolving　disease　out　of　sin；　he　hates　it；　one　would　say；　as　he　hates　its　cause；　and　would　drive　it　out　of　the　body　with　all　noisome　appliances。　　〃Sickness　is　in　Fact　Flagellum　Dei　pro　peccatis　mundi。〃　So　saying；　he　encourages　the　young　mother　whose　babe　is　wasting　away　upon　her　breast　with　these　reflections：

〃Think；　oh　the　grievous　Effects　of　Sin！　　This　wretched　Infant　has　not　arrived　unto　years　of　sense　enough；　to　sin　after　the　similitude　of　the　transgression　committed　by　Adam。　　Nevertheless　the　Transgression　of　Adam；　who　had　all　mankind　Foederally；　yea；　Naturally；　in　him；　has　involved　this　Infant　in　the　guilt　of　it。　　And　the　poison　of　the　old　serpent；　which　infected　Adam　when　he　fell　into　his　Transgression；　by　hearkening　to　the　Tempter；　has　corrupted　all　mankind；　and　is　a　seed　unto　such　diseases　as　this　Infant　is　now　laboring　under。　　Lord；　what　are　we；　and　what　are　our　children；　but　a　Generation　of　Vipers？〃

Many　of　his　remedies　are　at　least　harmless；　but　his　pedantry　and　utter　want　of　judgment　betray　themselves　everywhere。　　He　piles　his　prescriptions　one　upon　another；　without　the　least　discrimination。　　He　is　run　away　with　by　all　sorts　of　fancies　and　superstitions。　　He　prescribes　euphrasia；　eye…bright；　for　disease　of　the　eyes；　appealing　confidently　to　the　strange　old　doctrine　of　signatures；　which　inferred　its　use　from　the　resemblance　of　its　flower　to　the　organ　of　vision。　For　the　scattering　of　wens；　　the　efficacy　of　a　Dead　Hand　has　been　out　of　measure　wonderful。　　But　when　he　once　comes　to　the　odious　class　of　remedies；　he　revels　in　them　like　a　scarabeus。　　This　allusion　will　bring　us　quite　near　enough　to　the　inconceivable　abominations　with　which　he　proposed　to　outrage　the　sinful　stomachs　of　the　unhappy　confederates　and　accomplices　of　Adam。

It　is　well　that　the　treatise　was　never　printed；　yet　there　are　passages　in　it　worth　preserving。　　He　speaks　of　some　remedies　which　have　since　become　more　universally　known：

〃Among　the　plants　of　our　soyl；　Sir　William　Temple　singles　out　Five　＇Six＇　as　being　of　the　greatest　virtue　and　most　friendly　to　health：　and　his　favorite　plants；　Sage；　Rue；　Saffron；　Alehoof；　Garlick；　and　Elder。〃

〃But　these　Five　＇Six＇　plants　may　admitt　of　some　competitors。　　The　QUINQUINAHow　celebrated：　Immoderately；　Hyperbolically　celebrated！〃

Of　Ipecacuanha；　he　says；　〃This　is　now　in　its　reign；　the　most　fashionable　vomit。〃

〃I　am　not　sorry　that　antimonial　emetics　begin　to　be　disused。〃

He　quotes　〃Mr。　Lock〃　as　recommending　red　poppy…water　and　abstinence　from　flesh　as　often　useful　in　children's　diseases。

One　of　his　〃Capsula's〃　is　devoted　to　the　animalcular　origin　of　diseases；　at　the　end　of　which　he　says；　speaking　of　remedies　for　this　supposed　source　of　our　distempers：

〃Mercury　we　know　thee：　But　we　are　afraid　thou　wilt　kill　us　too；　if　we　employ　thee　to　kill　them　that　kill　us。

〃And　yett；　for　the　cleansing　of　the　small　Blood　Vessels；　and　making　way　for　the　free　circulation　of　the　Blood　and　Lymphthere　is　nothing　like　Mercurial　Deobstruents。〃

》From　this　we　learn　that　mercury　was　already　in　common　use；　and　the　subject　of　the　same　popular　prejudice　as　in　our　own　time。

His　poetical　turn　shows　itself　here　and　there　：

〃O　Nightingale；　with　a　Thorn　at　thy　Breast；　Under　the　trouble　of　a　Cough；　what　can　be　more　proper　than　such　thoughts　as　these？〃。。。

If　there　is　pathos　in　this；　there　is　bathos　in　his　apostrophe　to　the　millipede；　beginning　〃Poor　sowbug！〃　and　eulogizing　the　healing　virtues　of　that　odious　little　beast；　of　which　he　tells　us　to　take　〃half　a　pound；　putt　'em　alive　into　a　quart　or　two　of　wine；〃　with　saffron　and　other　drugs；　and　take　two　ounces　twice　a　day。

The　〃Capsula　〃　entitled　〃Nishmath　Chajim　〃　was　printed　in　1722；　at　New　London；　and　is　in　the　possession　of　our　own　Society。　　He　means；　by　these　words；　something　like　the　Archxus　of　Van　Helmont；　of　which　he　discourses　in　a　style　wonderfully　resembling　that　of　Mr。　Jenkinson　in　the　〃Vicar　of　Wakefield。〃　　〃Many　of　the　Ancients　thought　there　was　much　of　a　Real　History　in　the　Parable；　and　their　Opinion　was　that　there　is；　DIAPHORA　KATA　TAS　MORPHAS；　A　Distinction　（and　so　a　Resemblance）　of　men　as　to　their　Shapes　after　Death。〃　　And　so　on；　with　Ireaeus；　Tertullian；　Thespesius；　and　〃the　TA　TONE　PSEUCONE　CROMATA；〃　in　the　place　of　〃Sanconiathon；　Manetho；　Berosus；〃　and　〃Anarchon　ara　kai　ateleutaio