New guide to health, or, Botanic family physician. Containing a complete system of practice upon a plan entirely new; with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them to cure disease. To which is added a description of several cases of disease attended by the author, with the mode of treatment and cure.

  • Thomson, Samuel, 1769-1843.
Date:
1827
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New guide to health, or, Botanic family physician. Containing a complete system of practice upon a plan entirely new; with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them to cure disease. To which is added a description of several cases of disease attended by the author, with the mode of treatment and cure. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    gg $IW GUI©r: TO HHAliTH, ervafiectto behove the same thing; but this is founded altogetiig upon conjecture for they cannot produce a single instance of its having been employed as a medicine till I made use of it. The feci is it is a new article, wholly unknown to the medical faculty tilll introduced it into use, and the best evidence of this is, that they are now ignorant of its powers; and ail the knowledge they have of it has been obtained from my practice. It would be folly for me to undertake to say but that it may have been used try the natives of this country; but one thing I am certain of. that I never had any knowledge of their using it, nor received any information concerning it from them or any one else. The Emetic Herb may be found in the first stages of i1s growth at all times through the summer, from ihe bigness of a six cent piece to that of a dollar and larger, lying flat on the ground, in a round form, like a rose pressed ilat, in order to heap the weight of snow which lays on it during the winter, and is ■subject to be winter-killed like wheal. In the spring it looks yellow and pale, like other things suffering from wet and cold; >,ut when the returning sun spreads forth its enlivening rays upon it, lifts up its leaves and shoots fortli a stalk to the height of from twelve to fifteen inches, with a number of branches, car- rying up its leaves with ils growth. In July it puts forth small pointed pale blue blossoms, which is followed by small podB about the size of a white bean, containing numerous very small .sends. This pod is an exact resemblance of the human stomach, having an inlet and outlet higher than the middle; from the inlet it receives nourishment and by the outlet discharges the seeds. It comes to maturity about the first of September, when the leaves and pods turn a little yellow; this is the best time to gather it. It is what is called by botanists a biennial plant, cr pf only two years existence. This plant is common in all parts of this country. Wherever the land is fertile enough to yield support for its inhabitants it m:>y be found. It is confined to no soil which is fit for cultiva- tion, from the highest mountains to the lowest volleys. In hot and wet seasons it is most plenty on dry and warm landf— in hot and dry seasons on clayey and heavy lands. When the season is cold, either wet or dry, it rarely makes its appearance; and if the summer and fall is very dry the seed does not come up, and of course there will be very little to be found the next season. I have been in senreh of this herb from Boston to Canada, and was not ?hle to collet' mere than two pounds; and :n .ssare FBupejrs I have net bejen able to collect any. I rnentipn