tf& m &t: A,~tr'?i?-y $ ^/1V kavasn wnoiivn snidiosw do Aavaan r\ NLM DDlD?bMt1 3 NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICI' 3NIDIQ3W JO AHVaan WNOIIVN 3NIDIQ3W dO AMVaflll WNOIiVN 3NIOIQ3W dO Aavaan NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE 2 "-ftSHXX Q \/'y0" 5 a. 3NIDIQ3W do Aavaan wnoiivn snidiqsw do Aavaan wnoiivn snidicisw do Aavaan wnoi 1 / NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICir 3NiDia3w do Aavaan wnoiivn snioicisw do Aavaan wnoiivn snidicisw do Aavaan wnoii.t. 0 NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE 3NIDIQ3W do Aava8ii wnoiivn 3NIDIQ3W do Aavaan wnoiivn 3Nma3w do Aavaan ivnc ) NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL IIRRARY OF MFDITINI NLM001076463 3NIDIQ3W do Aavaan wnoiivn 3Ni3iaaV\o AlvlaTi'wfibfTvtf n "aR,5\J3.o»o Aav mi-DICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY 3N,Dia3w do Aavaan wnoiivn u aN.D.aaw do Aavaan wnoiivn ^ 3N,D,Q3w jo a^ HEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRAR WNOIIVN 3NIDIQ3W dO Aavaan WNOIIVN 3NID.Q3W dO Aavaan WNOIIVN _ 3NIDIQ3W dO Aa MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRA_RY OF MEDICINE ■s wnoiivn 3NiDia3w do Aavaan wnoiivn 3NOIQ3W do Aavaan WNOIIVN 3NIDia3W dO Aj ?> F MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRA 1 wnoiivn aNniasw do Aavaan wnoiivn gNniasw do Aavaan wnoiivn 3nidiq3W do a \ I ^ MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE NATIONAL LIBR/ -V- ' > )f 213th Edition Revised, 1885. GIVING LATER REMEDIES AND HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS FOR EXIGENCIES AND HEALTH. GTJNN'S NEWEST FAMILY PHYSICIAN; OR, HOME-BOOK OF HEALTH: AN APPROVED HOUSEHOLD GUIDE, l\» AVOIDING DISEASE AND PROLONGING LIFE, GIVING CLEAR DIRECTIONS IN CASES OF DROWNING, POISONING, WOUWM AND OTHER EMERGENCIES, WITH PLAIN INSTRUCTIONS FOR MANAGING THE SIOK-ROOM AND NURSING THE SICK; AND POINTING OUT THE BEST METHODS FOR SECURING guxc gtfr, ^uxt WVnttx, mxA ^xo\)tx $xmtxn$t VO* DWtiLINaa AND PREMISES, AND FAMILIARLY INDICATING THE CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS AND THE REQUUUTJ1 TREATMENT FOR THE CURE OF THE DISEASES INCIDENT TO MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, WTTH THE SIMPLEST AND BEST REMEDIES; MORE ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM THE VEGETABLE MATERIA UEDIOA ACCURATE DESCRIPTIONS ARE GIVEN OF THE FORMS, PROPERTIES AND USES OF HUNDREDS OF WELL-KNOWB MEDICINAL PLANTS. ALSO, SEPARATE TREATISES ON ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND HYGIENE. ON DOMESTIC AND SANITARY ECONOMY. AND ILLUSTRATED LESSONS FOR ffjpual Ijematimt in lummmufl, ^whtja, |jWw^ $Wjiiita, ]fti\, WITH AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING SOME 400 TESTED PRACTICAL RECIPES, AND REMEDIES FOR DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. By JOHN C. OTTNN, M. D., AUTHOR OF "GIJHN'S P'lMtSTl' VEIWINK," ASSISTED RY JOHNSON H. JORDAN, M. D., AND SEVERAL SCIENTIFIC WRITERS OF THF HIGHEST EMINENCE. CHICAGO: WM. H. MOORE & CO., PUBLISHERS, PHILADELPHIA: 124 NORTH SEVENTH STREET. NEW YORK: J. S. OGILVIE 4 CO. 1885. SOLD TO SUBSCRIBERS ONT.Y. G37tH «8 Copyright, 1885, by JOHNSON H. JORDAN, M. D. Copyright, 1883, by WM. H. MOORE and A. J. MOORE. Chicago: WM. H. MOORE & CO., Publishers. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by WM. H. MCORE and A. J. MOORE, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by WM. H. MOORE and A. J. MOORE, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1885, renewal by Wm H. Moore and Johnson II. Jordan M.D.; in the year 1859, by Moore, Wilstacli, Keys & Co., and Middleton, Strobridge & Co.; in the year If 63 by Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co., and Elijah C. Middleton, and in the year 1864, by William H. Moore, Charles F. Wilstach, and Frank II. Baldwin, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Bouthern District of Ohio. /©" See the two pages following this. DR. "GUNN'S [First] DOMESTIC PHYSICIAN-' AND "HOME BOOK OF HEALTH." WAS COMPLETELY COPYRIGHTED ORIGINALLY ON THE SAME DAY WITH THE 4'Anatomy, Physiology and Laws of Health;" By J. H. JORDAN, M. D. Physician to the Cincinnati Cholera Hospital in 1840. THE TWO WERE PUBLISHED TOGETHER, AND WITHIN TWO MONTHS FOLLOWING THE COPYRIGHT ON "ADDITIONAL DISEASES," BY THE LATTER AUTHOR, WAS ISSUED, BOTH HAVE FORMED A PART OF THE "HOME BOOK OF HEALTH" CONTINUOUSLY, AND UNDER THE RENEWED COPYRIGHT ARE TO RE- MAIN A PORTION OF THE FREQUENTLY IMPROVED "GUNN'S NEWEST FAMILY PHYSICIAN." m>^x lossy! SEE PREVIOUS TITLE PAGE. Copyright 1885, by Wm. H. Moore.—Chicago, Wm. H. Moore & Co. Dr. Gunn's work was first issued as " Gunn's New Domestic Physician, or Home Book of Health," the title was originated and written by the person whose name is given at the head of this page ; upon the same date was also copyrighted complete, and published at Cincinnati, in the same volume, an appendix, under the title, "ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND THE LAWS OK HEALTH. By J. H. JORDAN, M. D. PHYSICIAN TO THE CINCINNATI CHOLERA HOSPITAL IN 1849." From its publication, originally, until the present time, this has formed a part of the volume which has become so popular and widely known as Gunn's Family Physician and Home Book of Health, and com- plying with the copyright statute governing the case, it has been re-entered by its author for renewal of copyright. Copyright 1885, by Johnson H. Jordan, M. D. In connection with the above, there was published a Supplement to what Dr. Gunn had written for the same volume, the same being entered for copyright soon after, with the title "Additional Diseases described and treated. By J. H. JORDAN, M. D. PHYSICIAN TO THE CINCINNATI CHOLERA HOSPITAL IN 1849." This filled very nearly one hundred of the octavo pages, not counting the index matter, and covered some seventy to eighty important items^ continuously published in the volume until now, when it has become necessary for the author to renew the copyright. Copyright 1885, by Johnson H. Jordan, M. D. PREFACE to GTJKN'S EEYISED "KEWEST." IN the present revision of " Gunn's Newest Family Physician," special attention has been given to improving the portions which treat of the Diseases of the Human System. In its earlier revisions, " The Home Book of Health " received many interesting contributions from various well known Medical Professors, who readily consented to supply needed articles to per- fect the volume; these met the approval of Dr. Gunn, and at the same time he expressed his obligations " to the public for the very kind and liberal patronage bestowed on my (his) New Domestic Physician, or Home Book of Health," and commended the work, "in its enlarged and greatly im- proved form, to the attention and patronage of a discriminating public." Dr. Gunn had printed in the first edition of his "New Domestic Physician" the opinions of a number of eminent medical teachers,—as to the merits of his book,—who were Professors at Cincinnati, Louisville, and St. Louis, viz., such men as Doctors John N. McDowell, C. W. Short, William Cochran, G. E. Pendergrast, and J. Cobb, who said, among other things, that his volume could "not fail to be of great service;" that it had "in it many things calculated to make it useful; " that " it is truly suited to the plainest understanding, and well calculated to be instrumental in relieving the suffer- ings of thousands; " " that it appears to be a highly useful and popular Com- pend of the Modern Practice of Physic; " and that, " having examined it, I find it a plain work valuable for families in many cases of emergency," etc. The later stereotyped editions of this "book of health " were more method- ically arranged, and were enlarged in the departments, not strictly medical, but rather in those devoted to Hygiene and to Physical and Sanitary Sci- ence, and also to some other points of Domestic interest. These varied features have made the volume a valuable one for ready reference, and it can be found in the hands of all classes of intelligent Medical Practitioners, and among the People scattered over the broad Continent of America and beyond. Wherever the English language is spoken it is used, and is im- mensely acceptable and popular with people of all conditions and convictions, as to forms of Medical Practice. It has been translated and is published in German, under the title, " Gunn's Neuer Hausarzt, Oder Hand-buch der Gesundheit,"—In royal octavo. The publishers have disposed of some 30,000 copies in that language. iii iv PEEFACE. In January, 1883, the Chicago Inter-Ocean, by its literary editor, Dr 0. W. Nixon, Surgeon of the 39th 0. Y. I. during the war, gave the follow- ing view of " Gunn's Newest," as then before the public: "Dr. Gunn has taught hundreds of thousands in American households the value of the simplest information in regard to Nursing the Sick and observing the varying symp- toms of a disease, by knowing of which the careful physician is helped in his treatment, and the weary and sick one is better served in his hours of weakness. It is seldom that a writer has, like Dr. Gunn, maintained his hold on several generations of readers with equal firmness. The ease with which he conveys the intricacies of medical knowledge to the ordinary reader will account for much of his popularity, but his fulness of infor- mation for the emergencies likely to arise in every family, and with regard to the laws of life on which health, depends, for much also. This volume is the last perfected of a series of stereotyped editions. The treatise on < Domestic and Sanitary Economy' ia from the pen of one of the most distinguished of living American scientists." During the present year this, the fourth fully stereotyped edition of " Home Book of Health " and the Newest Family Physician, of Dr. Gunn, has been carefully revised, and contributions of more modern methods of treatment of diseased conditions of the human organism are given, covering about ninety different subjects, amending and enriching the volume with essential additions, largely in medical treatment, and to a smaller extent in other portions—in the Sanitary Instructions, in Minor Surgery, in sundry suggestions for the better preservation of health, and in exigencies and on points of danger, etc., wherein the people and practitioners need to be guarded and helped in the conservation of the great interests involving individual health and life, and the well-being of whole communities. Chicago, October, 1883. PUBLISHERS' NOTICE. " The Newest Family Physician " is offered to the public printed from entirely new type, and materially improved in typographical execution upon former editions. It has been carefully amended in minor details throughout, and essentially improved and enlarged. One department is presented in a new and more practical form, and four wholly new sections are embodied, adapting the work more precisely and completely to the frequently expressed wants of the public These additions and changes—made in the light of past experience, under the same eye which has supervised all former improvements in the work— are given with confident anticipations, based upon past success, of wide-spread approval. The expense has been very large, but the volume is likewise large; it contains more than double the matter published in the issues of the first two years, under the title of " Gunn's New Domestic Physician." (" Gunn's Domestic Medicine" is his old work, first issued in 1830, at Knoxville, Tenn., now printed nearly as then published.) This work, unlike that, has been kept abreast of advancing science. Originally, this was wholly another and larger work, giving the fruits of nearly thirty years' later prac- tice and the maturer experience of the author; the more recent labors of his assistant appear in the work, greatly to its improvement, and with his cordial approval. July, 1875. PREFACE. IN presenting the Family Physician, it has been the object of our humble labors to condense into a cheap, convenient form, a useful Family Book, in plain language, as free as possi- ble from medical terms. At the same time, not to confine our efforts to medicine alone, we have endeavored to present a por- tion of that useful knowledge which leads to eternal life, and soothes the human spirit amid its worldly afflictions. The general lack of knowledge respecting medicine and the laws of life, health, and disease, renders people capable of being made the easy prey of the villainous quack; therefore, a general spread of suitable knowledge among the people upon these sub- jects, is the only possible and sure means of effectually remov- ing from society this wide-spread evil. The honest fears of some that the physician should alone prescribe, is a mistake. There is not that strangeness and mar- velousness about medicine which many suppose; the administra- tion is to be guided by good judgment and common sense, necessary qualities, which all physicians, and young practitioners generally, do not always possess. No knowledge is worth any thing unless founded on truth and experience; and a long practice in my profession has fully convinced me that more favorable results take place from simple remedies, and good nursing, than from eminent physicians who quarrel with each other for pre- eminence in fame, instead of endeavoring to enlighten and ad- vance the happiness of the human family. How many disgrace their profession by sustaining the dark shadows of ancient superstitions, instead of advocating the improvements of modern times. The chief object of their works is the rehearsal of former errors. Let me, then, in plain language, tell you that vi PREFACE. the science of medicine is the only one so largely characterized by uncertainty. It appears to me but fair to enlighten the people, as far as I can, on this important subject; for every one is interested in the prolongation of life and health, and should fbe, in a country like ours, allowed the privilege of thinking for himself, if he does not choose to act. It is natural enough for the Public to look to the medical profession for advice, and their services at times are very desirable, if they are well informed in their business. But that they should have exclu- sive control, I can not admit. I respect the Faculty, and I hope that I justly appreciate their important labors, and their kind- ness in recommending my former work — " Gunn's Domestic Medicine" first published in 1830—but I must honestly say, that private individuals have often contributed information for the preservation of health and life of the most valuable character, solely derived from unstudied, or, at least, from unprofessional experience. And from the consideration that it is, through the blessing of God, my duty to afford to the sick and afflicted such seasonable advice as I can, I have completed this Family Book. I am not attached to monopolies of any kind, and less than any to that which confines to a particular order that information which teaches how to relieve sickness and pain. Having indulged these prefatory remarks, I would mention, that in preparing this work, I have examined with great care a large number of late medical books, and given nearly every new remedy of any value in the simplest language, adapted expressly to the use of families. This examination, together with my own experience, during a long series of years, in the active duties of my profession, enables me to offer a book to be relied upon, and which I am confident will not disappoint the expectations of my old friends and patrons. . The former large demand for my old book, and the many favorable notices from the press, in all parts of the country, cheered me in my past labors, and encouraged me to enter upon this new work with increased zeal and energy THE AUTHOR. G-uiN-nsrs FAMILY PHYSICIAN. INTRODUCTION. DISEASE is not unfrequently the means of leading to the path of Virtue; it has a salutary operation on our moral constitution, and prepares us for the rewards of obedience. Death is a departure from the present scene; and we have good reason to conclude that with respect to those who have acted virtuously here, it is a transition to a more exalted state of being. No virtuous person, then, has reason to complain; the vicious ought to direct their murmurs and complaints not against the Author of their existence and their enjoyments, but against their own follies and perversity, in often disobeying the dic- tates of reason and conscience, and so forfeiting that happiness and health which the bountiful Creator has placed within their reach. "When the sun of prosperity beams upon us, and our cup of enjoyment is full, we are too much disposed to forget the fountain from whence all our blessings flow. Hence God chastens us in mercy, to wean our affections from the world, to awaken us to some neglected duty, to make us look to himself, become partakers of His holiness, and meet for a happy immortality. "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and if we endure chastening, God dealeth with us as with sons and daughters." Often have the subjects of God's moral government had cause to say, " It is good for us that we have been afflicted." We can not always avoid trials; but we may always apply them to wise pur- poses as instruments of spiritual education, and means of preparing us for future glory. Pride and insensibility may affect to disregard afflictions j it is the province of wisdom to improve them. rii viii GUNN'S FAMILY PHYSICIAN. They are inflicted by our Heavenly Father for a gracious and wise purpose, and that purpose it should be our constant aim to promote. The excellence of the end to be attained may reconcile us to the means employed to bring it about. The weary pilgrim travels cheerfully through a thorny path, when he knows it is short, and will soon con- duct him to the object of all his desires and all his hopes ; and shall not the Christian bear with steady fortitude and pious resignation the transitory ills of life, seeing that they are the steps by which he is ascending to the mansions in our Father's house? Our light afflic- tions, be they what they may, which are but for a moment, work for us "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Let man regard this world merely as a preparatory stage to a future and an eternal state of existence. Let him consider his misfortunes, suffer- ings, and miseries, as intended to prepare him the better for a world of undying glory and happiness; and let him persevere in a course of virtue and usefulness, in contempt of the malignity of his enemies and the storms of adversity that beat around him, (for all have their trials and disappointments,) and he will infalliby attain to that perfection and happiness hereafter, which should constitute the only true end and aim of all human exertion and pursuit. We should reflect for what purposes we were born, and through the whole of life look at its end. Consider, when sickness and affliction come, in what we will put our trust. Not in medicine, for that often disappoints us; not in the physician, for however able and skillful he may be, he is only the instrument in the hands of an overruling Providence, and often fails; not in the bubble of worldly vanity — it will be broken; not in worldly pleasures — they will be gone; not in great connections — they can not save you in death ; not in wealth—you can not carry it with you; not in rank — in the grave there is no distinction ; not in the recollection of a life spent in a giddy conformity to the silly fashions of a thought- less and wicked world, but in that of a life spent soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Disappointed hopes, failure of all worldly calculations, constitute the history of mankind. We can not violate the will, expressed or understood, of Heaven, and be happy. We can not sinfully indulge a single passion or pleasure and not be disappointed. The spiritual and moral laws which regulate our lives are as constant and invariable as any to be found in matter. How many would have at this time been living had they not enlisted every hope, thought, and energy in aiming at power, position and wealth, and in indulging the pleasures of vice and immorality, the failure of which involved them and destroyed their health! " The spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us." All that we bargain for at the outset of life, Providence frequently INTRODUCTION. is grants us, and that often for an instant before we quit \t. Riches, honors, and the desires of the heart are often obtained, and the dream of happiness apparently realized with lands and increasing possessions. Money comes in abundance; the mansion of splendor is built; child after child promises to secure that which the founder toiled for, in the hope of dignity, and a proud aristocracy, and a name. Then come, as if to complete the fabric and to insure the victory, honors, titles, and a retinue of admiring and false friends, who smile in prosperity, but know you not in adversity. All is gained — nothing is wanting. " Soul, take thy ease " — and yet nothing is acquired. The gift melts in the grasp — the joy passes away in the possession, with the foot on the topmost step of the ladder. Ambition is satisfied, but Providence is revenged. All that the man could ask is given ; but to show how vain, how foolish are human aspirations, how less than childish our misdirected aims, how many thousands live to see their property squan- dered, their houses and lands in the hands of strangers, their children, one by one, removed by death, or cast upon the world wanderers and penniless. Is there no lesson here ? These facts may be illustrated in every age and in every clime. The daring and profligate ambition of Napoleon is but a more dazzling example of the same success, and the like terrible defeat and disappointment. Where are the kings whom a breath set up and kept in power ? Where is the empire which conquered Europe and defied the world ? The narrowest grave of the most distant island received the body of the man who found the earth not large enough for his desires. Bonaparte made known to the world how much a man may accomplish, if he will. God in him exhibited how little all that the godless can accomplish is worth, even when all is obtained. But happiness is the chief object for which man labors, and yet how seldom does he pause in the pursuit to consider wherein it consists, and how he may best obtain it. The drunkard, and the glutton, and the degraded libertine, look for happiness in these sensual indulgences, and while gratifying them, quail beneath the open gaze of virtue, and acknowledge often, when too late, that those pleasures are of short duration, and cloy by repetition. Behold the ambitious man who tramples on the blood of thousands, through every rule of justice, to gain a world! What streams of blood have been shed to gratify his insatiate ambition ! How many thousands and millions have fallen beneath the mighty sword of the warrior, andbeen left lying in dreamless sleep upon the field of battle, merely to gain for him the evanescent wreath of fame, and to entomb him in a slendid sepulchre, though unconscious of its beauty and its grandeur I The poor beggar finds a grave as well as the great man. They are both destined to be X gunn's family physician. food for loathsome worms; and the plow-boy, as he passes by their graves, will whistle the requiem to the reposing ashes of their great- ness. While the living conqueror turns miserable from his conquest, because he finds not that for which he toiled, how many look for happiness in wealth, and when it is obtained, the golden vision of their hopes passes like a sunbeam ; gray hairs and the winter of old age steal quickly upon them, and they look with tearful eyes and sorrowing heart, because they feel that death will soon break the chain which binds them to life. This insane and insatiable passion for accumulation, ever ready, when circumstances favor it, to seize upon the mind, is that "love of money which is the root of all evil," that " covetousness which is idolatry." It springs from an undue and idolatrous estimate of the value of property. Many think that nothing will do for them, or for their children, but wealth ; not a good character, not well-trained and well-exerted facul- ties, not virtue, not the hope of Heaven — nothing but wealth. It is their god, and the god of their families. Their sons are growing up to the same worship of it, and to an equally baneful reliance upon it for the future ; they are rushing into expenses which the divided property of their father's house will not enable them to sustain ; and they are preparing to be, in turn and from necessity, slaves to the same idol. How truly is it written that " they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition! " There is no need that they should be rich ; but they will be rich. All the noblest functions of life may be discharged without wealth; all its highest honors obtained, all its purest pleasures enjoyed ; yet this is not enough. Disappoint a man of wealth, and he mourns as if the highest end of life was defeated. Strip him of this — and this gone, all is gone! And I shall point to no unheard-of experience when I say, he had rather die than live. Many who are enjoying the blessings of health are dissatisfied — many from disappointed love some from ungrateful friends; others from unkind relations, or the rich man's arrogance, become weary of such society, and, broken in spirit, seek among strangers a home and a resting-place, and spend £he remnant of life, with melancholy hearts, toiling from day to day for a miserable support, and not unfrequently without a shelter in hours of sickness or affliction. See the poor Indian, who turns from the busy scenes of the white man, and looks for happiness in the wilderness, amid his native hills seeking a precarious pittance in the labors of the chase. He lives the constant victim of some groundless superstition; he is startled at the rustling of a leaf, and hears the voice of the Great Spirit in every INTRODUCTION. zi whistling wind. And even the man who aims at moral improvement, finds the powers he would dedicate to God, alloyed by the temptations and trials of a sinful world. Then let him who would secure that portion of happiness which still remains to mortals, lean on super- human power; supplicate the aid of Him who said," I will not break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax "—bearing the ills of life with manly fortitude, grateful for what is given him by God, who knows best what we need, and watching the approach of death as the signal which calls him from a troubled conflict! How many countless thousands submit to the foul thraldom of the fiend intemperance! Bound in his chains, many of the mightiest of the sons of men have fallen; many on whom the heart has rested with idolizing fondness, and whom we have loved with all their fail- ings, and to whom we have clung to the last, have wandered from the sure and upright path of sober moderation. How many haggard looks do we behold in those we have known in better or more pros- perous days, whose looks betray the struggling pride that scorns to solicit; whose poor and ragged children speak, in language not to be mistaken, their withered hopes ! There are many circumstances connected with intemperance that should be known. The shock the brain often receives from the use of spirituous liquors, produces the most horrible consequences; sud- den death, or apoplexy, takes place. The brain is a complex machine, and it is impossible for the most distinguished physician to say where eccentricity ends, and where insanity begins. A man may mingle with his fellow-men, pursue the routine of ordinary cares and duties, so as to escape observation or remark — and yet may not be a per- fectly sane man. Some delicate string of the mazy instrument may be shattered — and you have the strange response of monomania. Though no one string has snapped, each string may have been strained beyond its proper tension; and the whole instrument yields to the soul's action, fitful, irregular, discordant music — though not so strikingly varied from the ordinary sounds occasion brings forth, when temporary passion or some sudden impulse lends its aid — it shows to an experienced observer the dire and latent cause. Reason teaches us that such may be — experience, the record of man's frail- ties, and close observation teach us that such has been the fact. And it requires no sophistical argument, to prove that which is the result of every day's observation, that thousands put into their mouths an • enemy to steal away their brains. The internal changes, and the deterioration of the functions of the animal economy in the habitual drinker of ardent spirits, is not confined to the brain, but changes take place in the stomach, liver, heart, lungs, and the functions of xii gunn's family physician. each respectively. And yet, deplorable infatuation! the misguided creature often alleges as an excuse for his tippling or daily use of ardent spirits that he suffers in some one of those organs, and gets momentary relief in this way. But what a relief! A pleasurable moment, to be repaid by hours, and days, and weeks of disease! These remarks will show you that if you desire to arrive at old age, in the enjoyment of health, it can only be done by a rigid course of abstinence. We shall find, by looking over the biographies of the great men of every age, that those who have possessed the clearest and most powerful minds, neither drank spirits, nor indulged in the pleasures of the table. Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, Dr. Franklin, John Wesley, Sir William Jones, John Fletcher, and President Ed- wards, furnish striking illustrations of this truth. The mind of man is like the fluctuating sea. It is never at rest. View the nature of man, and the objects by which he is surrounded; his immortal capacity forever seeking, yet forever refusing to be filled from earthly sources. Amid this tumult of the mind, this con- stant restlessness, this fever of disappointment, we shall frequently point out to our readers in this work the potent influence which bodily infirmity exerts over the disposition and intellect, and the necessity and importance of the tranquillity of the mind, and a proper regulation of all the passions, for the preservation of health. The faculties with which our Creator has endowed us, both physical and intellectual, are so dependent upon exercise for their proper develop- ment, that action and industry must be regarded as among the pri- mary duties of accountable man. Exertion is connected with success and renown. Such is our constitution, that according to our usual train of thinking, where there is no exertion, there can be neither honor nor reward. Progress in moral and intellectual excellence is our duty, our honor, and our interest. We come into the world feeble in body and in mind, but with the seeds of improvement in both; and these seeds grow according to the cultivation they receive from exercise. The body grows in stature and in strength, and the mind gradually expands. But exercise is requisite to the development both of our corporeal and mental capacities. In the course of years, indeed, the body grows — but without exercise it becomes corpulent, feeble, and inactive ; and the mind, wholly undisciplined, remains in a weak and infantile state. That exercise which is requisite in order to bodily health and vigor, and to the evolution of our intellectual and moral powers, is not only the chief means of our improvement but also the main source of our happiness. Without exercise of body and mind, there can be no happiness or health. There is nothing like business, for enabling us to get through our weary existence. The introduction. xiii intellect can not sustain its sunshine flight long; the flagging winga drop to the earth. Pleasure palls, and idleness gathers rags. But business gets over the hours without counting them. We may be very tired at the end, still it has brought the day to a close sooner than any thing else. Never be idle; exercise improves the health, and employs the mind. Our years are but few, and every minute of indo- lence, by taking a grain from the heap, shortens our span. If we knew but a day remained for us to live, and we had some great work which we could just finish in that period, with what industry would we labor to complete it! We would strain every nerve, and grudge every sec- ond, watching the sun's decline with trembling and fear. Yet life is but a day, and we all have more than enough work to perform. If we would finish our task, we should lose not a momeut. The river of time rolls without ceasing; and on its bosom we are hastening to the great ocean of eternity ! It will not wait for us, when repenting of our idleness. We may desire to labor, but from its cold waters will remorselessly come a voice, saying, "It is too late." Ay! it will soon be too late — "for the night cometh when no man can work." Idleness will render you petulant, and disappointment ruffles the smoothest temper. If we would eradicate the thorns that grow in the path of life, we should guard, with unremitting vigilance, the passions — controlled, they are the genial heat that warms us along the way of life; ungoverned, they are consuming fires. But the most important truth can not be too early learned — the great essential to our happiness is, the resolution to perform our duty to God, as well as we are able ; and when this resolution is deeply fixed, every action and every pursuit brings satisfaction to the mind. Then, if the pros- pects in this life are so precarious — if the pleasures of this life are so transient — if from mutability human things are void of substance, and no confidence can be reposed in them, to what resource must we apply to become possessed of some secure dependence, to support and buoy us up in the hour of sorrow and affliction ? To whom shall we fly for comfort in the hour of trouble ? Nature and reason reveal the healing consolation ; it is a pure, invaluable gem, which shines bright- est in adversity. It is the gem Religion ! that beacon which lights us to another and a better world; it serves as a consolation when man- kind desert us, and the cheerless hand of sorrow is placed upon our brow. It is a friendly attribute — a glorious yet modest flower, the seed of which should be engrafted, nourished, and protected in the infant's breast, that in later years it may prove a rich and glorious harvest, serving in declining days as a comfort and support. How often have I witnessed in the youthful breast the valuable shoot xiv gunn's family physician. begin to expand, but for want of care and necessary attention, or some wicked example and depravity of mind, the tender plant was blasted, and there was left a vacancy to be usurped by depravity and vice! Perhaps, gentle reader, before getting thus far with me, you have more than once sighed at the sorrows and trials that man has to encounter. I have, however, endeavored to embody some important thoughts for your consideration, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when you shall say, " I have no pleasure in them." And now, before I close this subject, let me point you to Religion, that pure, bright, sacred gift of God, whose joys you must experience to understand its magic influence. It calms the ruffled scenes of life, and makes them glide peacefully away. It soothes the mind in its last hours, and gives that sweet tranquillity and assurance of the passport of the soul to an endless life of happiness and bliss. REMAKES. HEAVEN gave every man time for some useful purpose, and a man's life must have been badly spent, if there are no green spots in the wilderness of the past, to which he can look back with consolation and pleasure. How many live in this world as useless as if they had the right to pass through life as a mere cipher, and leave the world without performing a single action of kindness to their fellow-crea- tures, or leaving a single trace by which their memories may be perpetuated to posterity, either for their usefulness, their virtues, or their charities! How many deliberate or think what they will do, and reach the close of their earthly pilgrimage, without coming to any determination, either of profit to themselves or to others. Miserable must the reflec- tion be when such a man, in the decline of life, considers how unprofit- able he has been to himself, to his fellow-creatures, and above all to his Creator. "Thou unfaithful steward" — no sweet thoughts to soothe the troubled spirit amid the busy scenes of life, or the pleas- ures of the world ; forgotten are the important lessons of Truth, that life is but the preparatory state of an endless existence, and that we are to render an account for our stewardship here. That wisdom which does not enter the heart, is but of little value, for the real use of knowledge is to make us better, not to make us greater. Who- soever learns much without becoming more pious and humble, makes bad use of his learning; and we should bear in mind, that, where there is no piety, either in man or woman, there is no security for virtue, and no power to resist and overcome those evil passions and propensities which destroy our peace, and our health, and are constantly, more or less, the great sources of disease, both mentally and physically. You will at once perceive how essential and important to health is tranquillity of mind, and a proper regulation of all the passions, for they are properly considered the moral thermometer, that regu- late the system, and hold the most powerful influence over the gen- eral health. And I may as well tell you here, as anywhere else, for it is the truth, that much medicine is taken, and many ineffectual attempts made, to cure diseases which have their origin in a dis- 16 gunn's family physician. ordered mind. And I have no doubt that thousands are killed by dosing and drugging every year, instead of assisting nature, by exercise, proper diet, change of climate, and rest of mind. These sanitary changes afford relaxation from the cares of business; the mind requires rest, as well as the body, and without it, it is impos- sible to enjoy health. I have often regretted that physicians did not attend more strictly to this matter, and thereby save patients by timely advice, from a broken constitution, and, not unfrequently, a lingering and miserable existence. Unfortunately, however, physiciains are paid more for their visits and medicines, than for their advice. That the mind has a powerful influence on health, is well known to medical men, and in fact to all persons of observation ; and this is the reason why physicians encourage their patients. Not unfre- quently, mental emotions, such as fear, grief, or any great anxiety of mind, have turned the hair gray, in a single night. Man is more or less the creature of passion, prejudice, habit, and education. The heart, alas! despite of the stern philosophy which justice bids us exercise, invariably warps the understanding; even when most disposed to place reliance on the impartiality of our discriminating faculties, the sympathies and prejudices of our nature still triumph; and in leaning to what we esteem justice and equity, we only follow the leadings of modes of thought and reasoning, that have been instilled into us through early training and education. This shows the importance of proper moral instruction, and the necessity of cor- rect early habits. We are often, too, misled by the force of imagination. A cele- brated French physician of Paris, author of many excellent works on the force of imagination, being desirous to add experimental to his theoretical knowledge, made application to the minister of justice, to be allowed an opportunity of proving what he asserted, by an experiment on a criminal condemned to death. The minister, by order of the emperor, delivered over to him an assassin, who had been born of distinguished parents. The surgeon visited the prison and told the unfortunate man that several distinguished persons had taken an interest in his family, and had obtained permission of the minister that he should suffer death in some less disgraceful way than on the public scaffold, thereby saving the feelings of his family, and that the easiest death would be by blood-letting. The criminal gladly agreed to the proposal. At the time appointed the physicians repaired to the prison, and the criminal being extended on a table, his eyes were securely bound, and he was slightly pricked, near the principal veins of the legs and arms, with the point of a pin. At REMARKS. 17 the corners of the table were placed four little fountains or basins, filled with warm water, from which poured several streams, falling into tubs placed on the floor to receive the water. The poor crimi- nal, thinking it was his blood that trickled down his arms and legs into the tubs, became weaker and fainter by degrees. The remarks of the medical gentlemen present, in reference to the pretended quality and appearance of the blood, increased the delusion, and he spoke more and more faintly, until his voice was at length scarcely heard. The profound silence in the apartment, and the constant dripping of the water, had so extraordinary an effect on the brain of the patient, that all his vital energies were soon gone, although a very strong man, weighing one hundred and ninety-five pounds, and he was dead in one hour and forty minutes, without having lost a single drop of blood. I will give you a curious incident, which will show you how fancy will put life into young limbs. A gentleman having led a company of young children beyond their usual journey, they began to be weary, and cried to him to carry them ; which, from their number, he could not do, but he told them he would provide them with horses to ride on. Then cutting little sticks, he gave one to each, and providing a larger one for himself, he bestrode it; whereupon they straddled each their stick and rode home without the least complaint. The religious fanatic and the martyr to political excitement have exhibited resistance to physical agents to a degree of inflexibility almost incredible. The Shakers believe that, in their trances and visions, their souls visit the heavenly world. In this state, the lancet has been applied to them, and their flesh scarified without producing a particle of blood. This will plainly show you the power the mind exercises over the physical system, or in other words, over the body, and its great influence in producing a cure in many diseases. Some persons sutler much more from pain than others; it is well known that all do not bear surgical operations equally well. This is, doubtless, greatly dependent upon their organization, although it may be modified by habits of endurance, or on the contrary, in particular diseases, depending on the condition of the nervous system at the time, which should be particularly and strictly attended to, for it is remarkably susceptible of impressions. The slightest motion of the muscles, the slightest breath of air, will often induce the most excru- ciating torment, where the person is morbidly impressed ; the opera- tion of medicine is interfered with, and regular physiological action must be importantly modified. For example, we see this in the cases 2 IS gunn's family physician. of many females at the time of child-birth: labor-pains may be pro- ceeding in the most gradual and favorable manner — but if any thing should keep the expected physician from attending, and a stranger v* called in, and particularly if the female has a want of confidence, or prejudice against the man, her pains will at once subside, and her delivery be greatly retarded; but should the physician or midwife, in whom she has confidence, attend her, the delivery of the child will be much speedier, and no doubt much easier. Dr. A. T. Thompson, of London, an eminent man in his profession, related many highly interesting cases of this nature. " I give you a case," said the doctor, " as an illustration of the control of the mind over the operations of medicine, where the whole effects must have been induced through the nervous agency, modifying the functions of the organs concerned. A lady was laboring under an affection of the bowels, attended with severe pain and the most obstinate eostiveness. She was bled, the warm bath used, and fomentations frequently resorted to, and purgative medicines freely administered, with injections and anodynes, but without the least effect upon the bowels, and without affording any relief from pain. At length the physician in attendance was informed that she had expressed her conviction that if her usual medical attendant, who was then in the country, and alone understood her constitution, could be called, she would be relieved. "This physician was accordingly sent for, and on his arrival, although no change either of measures or medicines was resorted to, her bowels were quickly moved, sleep and entire relief of pain fol- lowed, and in a few days she was perfectly well." Medical faith is a matter of very great importance in the cure of diseases, and in my practice I wish I may never have a patient who has not implicit confidence in me as a physician, for when faith is wanting, little success is to be expected. The influence of Hope is also necessary to procure relief, and the alleviation or removal of dis- ease is, in a great measure, dependent upon the condition of the mind. The agreement between the mind and body is constant. The administration of new medicines, without possessing anything par- ticularly novel or powerful, will frequently induce an amendment of the disease, and this is often the reason why medicine prescribed by , physicians of celebrity, or professors, has been known to succeed better in their hands than in those of other persons. It is greatly the confidence and hope of the patient that works the cure. Disease is well known to depress the powers of the understanding as well as the vigor of the muscular system, and will also deprave the REMARKS. 19 judgment as well as the digestion. A sick person, in particular, is extremely credulous about the object of his hopes and fears. Whoso- ever promises him health, generally obtains his confidence ; and this is the reason why so many become the dupes of quacks and patent medicines. And I again repeat it, medical faith is a matter of very great importance in the cure of all diseases, and where the physician has not the confidence of his patient, he had better surrender hira into other hands. " Hippocrates admitted, that that physician performed the most cures, in whom the patient placed the greatest reliance; how im- ?.ortant, then, a great name ! Dr. James has related a case commu- nicated to him by the late Professor Coleridge, which strikingly illustrates the power of the imagination in relieving diseases. As soon as the powers of nitrous oxyd were discovered, Dr. Beddoes, of the London Hospital, at once concluded that it must necessarily be a specific for paralysis or palsy. A patient was selected for the trial, and the management was intrusted to Sir Humphrey Davy. Previous to the administration of the gas, he inserted or placed a small pocket thermometer under the tongue of the patient, as he was accustomed to do on such occasions, to ascertain the degree of animal temperature with a view to future comparison. " The paralytic man, wholly ignorant of the nature of the process to which he was about to be submitted, but deeply impressed with the representation of Dr. Beddoes as to the certainty of success, no sooner felt the thermometer under his tongue than he concluded that the gas was in full operation, and in a burst of enthusiasm, declared that he already experienced the effect of its benign influence through- out his whole body. The opportunity was too tempting to be lost. Davy cast an intelligent look at Coleridge, and desired the patient to 3all again on the following day. The man again called at the ap- pointed time, when the same ceremony was performed, and repeated every succeeding day for a fortnight; the patient gradually improving during that period, when he was dismissed as cured, no other appli- cation having been used. "Prof. Woodhouse, in a letter to Dr. Mitchell, of New York, has given a recital, which also tends to show what singular effects can be caused if the imagination be previously and duly prepared for the production of wonders. At the time that the nitrous oxyd excited almost universal attention, several persons were exceedingly anxious to breathe gas, and the professor administered to them ten gallons of atmospheric air, in doses of from four to six quarts. Impressed with the belief that they were inhaling the nitrous oxyd, quickness of the pulse, dizziness, vertigo, difficulty of breathing, great anxiety about 20 gunn's family physician. the breast, a sensation similar to that of swinging, faintness, restless- ness of the knees, and nausea, or sickness of the stomach, which lasted from six to eight hours, were produced" — symptoms entirely caused by the breathing of nothing but common air under the influence of an excited imagination. The force of imagination, the power of fear, exercised on the animal economy, are admitted by every medical observer, and indeed by every one of common sense; and the limits to which their opera- tions are to be assigned, no one can designate. This subject is of great importance to the medical man, if he wishes to practice suc- cessfully ; and how very much is it to be regretted that so little attention is paid to this important subject, the influence of the mind upon the vital functions. Research in such a field of inquiry, I doubt not, would display many phenomena, which, in ancient times, were attributed to super- natural causes, and latterly to magnetic and other causes, which might be satisfactorily referred to the operations of the nervous sys- tem alone, without the supervention of other agencies. The modus operandi is not understood, and the opinions entertained by distin- guished physiologists are various. The operations of the moral feelings and emotions in the produc tion of corporeal diseases are far from being understood, and I have no doubt hundreds have died from fear during the prevalence of cholera, who would have been living at this time had they possessed moral courage. At the commencement of the present century, a quack, by the name of Perkins, asserted that certain diseases could be cured by merely drawing over the parts affected two metallic pieces. The extraordinary effects reported of their operation, were, by some, attempted to be accounted for by a supposed galvanic, electric or magnetic influence exerted over the disease by the peculiar composi- tion of the metals of which the tractors consisted; but it is not always found practicable, either in physic or physiology, to discover the cause or effect of certain conditions. A distinguished physician, of the General Hospital at Bath in England, who had no confidence in the virtues of the metallic tractors, except through the means of the imagination, in effectino- a cure, resolved upon testing, by experiment, their virtues and com- municated his intentions to his friend, Dr. Falconer. They selected five patients from the hospital. The diseases under which they labored were various and of a chronic character, such as gout, rheumatism, palsy, debility, pains in various parts of the bodv Many of them had been ill for several months, and not benefited by REMARKS. 21 the various and usual remedies used in these complaints. The false tractors were made of wood, and not of metal, and painted so as to resemble the metallic ones in color and appearance. Upon the afflicted parts being stroked in the lightest manner by the pieces of wood, the patients all declared themselves relieved ; three of them were particularly benefited, and one immediately improved so much in his walking that he took great pleasure in exhibiting proofs of the benefit he had received. One said he felt a tingling sensation for two hours after the operation. At the Bristol Infirmary similar experiments were made, and extraordinary cures performed, so that more patients craved relief than could be attended to. Many that were unable to lift up their legs, or their arms, were, after the application of the supposed metallic tractors, immediately able to carry heavy weights and attend to their various occupations with perfect ease. These cases are so remarkable, being also publicly done, and that, too, in the presence of the most respectable witnesses of unimpeacha- ble veracity, although a perfect deception, established fully the extra- ordinary virtues of this empirical or quack remedy. This thing called "Faith " works miracles. A doctor being asked the question, why he could not cure his mother-in-law, as well as his father, wittily replied, that his mother-in-law had not the same con- fidence in him that his father had, otherwise the cure would have been effected. The most singular instance of the power of the will over the func- tions of the body, and taken altogether, perhaps, the most remarkable case on record, being supported by the most unquestionable testimony, is related by Dr. Cheyne, in his English Malady, -pages 308 and 310. The case is that of Hon. Cornel Townshend, who for many years had Buffered from an organic disease of the kidneys, from which he was greatly emaciated. He was attended by Dr. Cheyne, Dr. Baynard, and the distinguished surgeon, Dr. Skine, three of the most eminent men in England. These gentlemen were sent for, in great haste, early one morning, to witness a singular phenomenon, or strange case. He told them he had for some time observed an odd sensation, by which, if he composed himself, he could die or expire when he pleased, and by an effort come to life again. The medical gentlemen were opposed, in his weak state, to witness the experiment, but he insisted upon it, and the following is Dr. Cheyne's account: We all three felt his pulse first; it was distinct, though small and thready, and his heart had its usual beating. He composed himself on his back, and lay in a still posture some time; while I held his nght hand, Dr. Baynard laid his hand upon his heart, and Dr. Skine 22 gunn's family physician. held a clean looking-glass to his mouth. I found his pulse sink grad- ually until, at last, I could not feel any by the most exact and nice touch. Dr. Baynard could not feel the least emotion in his heart, nor Dr. Skine see the least soil of breath on the looking-glass. We then each of us held to his lips the glass several times, examined his pulse, 'heart and breath, and could not by the closest scrutiny discover the least symptom of life in him. We reasoned a long time on this strange, odd appearance, as well as we could, and all of us confessec it unaccountable, and beyond our power to explain so strange and inexplicable a case. He still continued in that condition, and we con- cluded that he had indeed carried the experiment too far, and at last being quite satisfied he was dead, we were about to leave him. He had continued in this situation about half an hour, it being then nine o'clock in the morning, in autumn, when, just as we were leaving, we observed some motion about the body; and upon further examina- tion, found his pulse and the motion of his heart gradually returning; he then began to breathe gently and speak softly. We were all aston- ished, to the last degree, at this unexpected change in a man we con- fidently believed to be dead, and after some further conversation with him among ourselves, went away fully satisfied as to all the particu- lars of this astonishing case, but confounded and puzzled, and unable to form any rational scheme, by which to account for it. He afterward, several months subsequent to this event, tired and worn out by his mental and bodily sufferings, sent for his attorney, made his will, settled legacies on various servants, received the sacra- ment, and calmly and composedly expired in one of these extraor dinary and powerful influences of the mind over the physical system. His body was examined, and all the viscera, with the exception of the right kidney, which was greatly diseased, were found perfectly healthy and natural. This power of the will, manifested at pleasure, is perhaps one of the most remarkable phenomena connected with the natural history of the human body. The distinguished Dr. Benton in his works alludes tc cases of the same kind, and reports that the celebrated Carden Hagged could separate himself from his senses when he pleased. - Celsus makes reference to a priest who possessed the same extra- ordinary power. While I was in London attending the lectures, a lunatic was admit- ted into the asylum, who imagined that she was laboring under a com- plaint that required the use of mercury ; but the attending physician, Sir William Ellis, on examination of the case, finding her disease to be entirely in the mind, yet considering that flattering the opinion of the poor lunatic to a certain degree would be favorable to the recovery remarks. 23 of her reason, gave her pills made of bread, and called them mercurial. After a few days using them, she was, to the great astonishment of the doctor, nurses, and students, actually salivated, and the pills were discontinued. On again ordering them, after the salivation had sub- Bided, she was again affected by them in the same manner, and this happened on a recurrence to the use of the pills a third time. By thus indulging her request, she at last recovered her reason, and was discharged, perfectly satisfied, in fine spirits and good health. The London Medical Times relates a curious experiment, tried in Russia, upon some murderers, showing the force of imagination. They were placed, without knowing it, in four beds where four per- sons had died of cholera. They did not take the disease. They were then told they were to sleep in beds where some persons had died of malignant cholera, but the beds were in fact new, and had not been used at all. Nevertheless, three of them died of the disease within four hours. The influence of a mother's imagination on the unborn child, although strange, is in many instances very powerful, producing through life peculiar traits of character, as well as disease or bodily deformity. In a number of the Scalpel, a monthly medical work published in New York, by Dr. Dixon, is related the following interesting case of the influence of a mother's imagination upon the unborn child. Mr. A., of a northern part of the State, married, some forty years since, a lady of an adjoining State. Pecuniary circumstances (or in other words, poverty), at the time of the marriage, rendered offspring unde- sirable, and he often expressed a wish to have no children until their circumstances became better. Within a year, however, it became evident that she was in the family way; on expressing her fears to her husband, she was greatly distressed at the dissatisfaction he appeared to feel on receiving this information. Taking his hat shortly after- ward, he left the house, and was absent for near an hour. He was, however, greatly distressed on his return to find his wife in tears. He assured her immediately (for they were devotedly attached), that he was rejoiced to learn the probable realization of her announcement; that he was now satisfied with the prospect of bettering his condition in life, and that his affairs were so much improved that he would be glad to have children, and sought by every means in his power to comfort her. The poor wife dried her tears, but soon expressed her conviction that, in some way, her expected offspring would suffer from her agitation. The husband endeavored to remove her apprehensions by gentle and affectionate ridicule. But her fears continued at inter- vals during her early months, and gradually increased as gestation or pregnancy advanced. The relief of the parties was great at the birth 24 gunn's family physician. of a healthy and well-formed boy. No peculiarity of conduct in th« child was observed, till several months had elapsed, and then their fears were renewed by its extreme unwillingness to approach the father This gradually increased, until its dissatisfaction was manifested by loud and continued screaming when brought near him. As age advanced, the most persevering effort was made to overcome this repugnance; the utmost degree of persuasiveness and kindness toward it, gifts and sports, and every ingenuity were tried in vain. The child never could bear the sight of its father, and this utter disgust and dislike increased as it grew up, and so continued. The son, now an active and rising member of the bar, had never been able to speak to his father, though the most painful efforts were made. The feelings of the father may be judged by parents, for he was, and is, an exceed- ingly affectionate man. We give this case, knowing it to be true, for Dr. Dixon, a medical gentleman with an unusual degree of ability and practical knowledge, has a personal acquaintance with the parties, and of the whole matter that has been productive of so much distress. Many cases occur showing the peculiarity of patients as to partic- ular medicines, and the effect produced by them on various constitu- tions, and not unfrequently on some preconceived opinion or prejudice respecting their action, etc. During a long practice I have had to overcome many such cases. A lady, a patient, informed me that opium administered in any way, caused great restlessness, violent headache, and vomiting. Having of necessity to use it in her case, I prescribed it under the usual medical name, Tinctura Opii. The following day I found that her account of its effects were correct, as she had passed a very restless night, with violent headache and vomiting. From her husband, I learned that she was in the habit of reading and commenting upon all the prescrip- tions of the different physicians who had previously attended her. After a few days I had recourse to the same remedy under a new name {Tinctura Thebaica). Now, under this new term, I gave her opium for a length of time without producing the smallest inordinate action, and without the least symptoms of headache or vomiting, but on the contrary, she slept soundly and improved in health. She also spoke in the highest terms of this new remedy, so that under a new name I removed all disagreeable effects. How often in my practice have I removed similar prejudices as to a particular medicine, by conferring on it a new name ? How often do we see medicines produce entirely opposite effects to those which they usually exert over the system, owing to some peculiarities of the patient ? I know a lady who could not take powdered rhubarb with- out its producing a disease of the skin (like nettle-rash), and that in a remarks. 25 few moments after she had swallowed it, and yet she could take it in the form of an infusion without producing this effect. Dr. Dunglison, professor in the University of Maryland, says: " I know a gentleman whom opium purges, yet this drug is usually administered to check inordinate action in the intestinal tube, or, in other words, to check purging." The doctor says that there are very few functions of the body that are entirely free from these peculiarities. Many persons can not be present where ipecacuanha, or tartar emetic, is exposed, without a disposition to vomit; others profess a singular abhorrence at the sight of calomel. The smell of various articles to many persons is so disagreeable as to be almost intolerable. Pope Pius VI. had such an aversion to the smell of musk, that on one occasion of presentation, an individual of the company having been scented with it, His Holi- ness was obliged to dismiss the party almost instantaneously. The Emperor Napoleon, though a great connoisseur of snuff, could not for a moment bear the smoke of a cigar, and the Emperor Alexander expressly prohibited the use of cigars in his presence. Many persons have an aversion to peppermint, others to cinnamon, some to camphor, and many to opium, in any shape in which it may be prescribed, pro- ducing vomiting, headache, great nervous irritability, and producing no anodyne effect whatever. Dr. Thomas states the case of a lady who was always attacked with syncope (or faintness), when she took the smallest dose of calomel. Peculiarities of this kind could be more fully referred to, but I think I have said enough on this subject to show the importance of attend- ing to these peculiarities, and I am compelled to say (for truth is my object), that many physicians entirely overlook these important tem- peraments, and I have been thus particular, because, by observation and strict attendance to such cases, I have been taught this valuable lesson, " that many men may be given to profound thought, and pos- sess extensive knowledge, united with sterling honesty, being by nature endowed with the highest order of talent, and yet be wanting in good common sense," or, in other words, " showing the importance of a sound judgment, with close observation of men and things, which constitute the chief corner-stone or paramount foundation in the suc- cessful practice of medicine, or, in fact, anything else." Men may theorize finely, but at the bedside practice unsuccessfully: in prefer- ence to such persons, give me a good old woman, with her teas and simples, and I will trust the rest to nature. The skillful physician, and one who has had experience in his profession, although he uses medicine, can hardly be said to use it as a curative, but rather to remove obstructions, or to arrest the progress of diseased action. For cure, he looks to the strength of the constitution which remains; to 26 gunn's family physician. the powers of nature to rally; to diet, drinks, sleep, exercise, change of air, hope, cheerfulness, etc.; but the reverse is the case with igno- rance, or those who have had no experience. Medicine is entirely looked to as means to effect a cure, and in proportion to their ^igno- rance will be their confidence in drugs, and an utter want of faith in the use of simples, good nursing, the influence of the mind, and above all, the restorative power of nature. This clearly explains why it is that the most distinguished physicians feel the deepest conviction of the uncertainty of medicine. At every step they find it necessary to exercise great caution, as, notwithstanding the experience of three hundred years, the medical profession are still doubtful whether the remedies daily used act in unison and harmony with the laws of ani- mal life. This, with many other mysteries not yet clearly explained, has been deplored by the best and wisest men that have adorned the profession of medicine, and as an evidence of this fact, however mor- tifying it may be to acknowledge it, all the metallic preparations are uncertain, and it depends on the state of the stomach whether they have any action at all, they not unfrequently operating with danger- ous violence. I will refer you to the work of Dr. Chapman, professor in the Medical School of Philadelphia, which says: " Taking drugs habitually conduces to destroy the stomach. Every ache or discom- fort, real or imaginary, must be relieved by a recurrence to some sup- posed remedy, till finally the powers of the stomach are worn out, and derangements, functional or structural, take place." It would be Balutary were such people constantly to bear in mind the epitaph of the Italian count, who fell a victim to his bad habits: "I was well — Wished to be better, Took physic and died." Nor can the profession escape the imputation of lending its contri- bution to this mischief. When called to a case of such obscurity, that no distinct idea can be formed of it, how often do we go on groping in the dark, pouring down drugs empirically, till the stomach gives way, and its derangements are added to the pre-existing affection, by which the case is made of greater complexity'and enhanced difficulty of cure! "It is not easy," says the doctor, "always to avoid this course, from the ignorance or prejudice of mankind." The predominant estimate of the profession, even among the most enlightened people, leads to the delusive supposition that the Materia Medica has a remedy for every disease, and that the want of success under any given circumstances, is owing to the poverty of resource of the practitioner in attendance. Confidence is soon withdrawn should REMARKS. 27 he intermit his exertions, which perceiving, he too often multiplies bis administrations to avoid a dismissal, or the bringing in of some other doctor, who, it is expected, will bring forth a fresh supply of physic. The consultation ended, the new doctor brings forth his new- prescriptions of more drugs, etc. With this new armory of deadly weapons he enters the field ; an exasperation of the case follows. Not satisfied, however, further trials of new physicians are still made, and these are a repetition of the same proceeding; the catastrophe is com- plete, for the patient dies. This, which might by some be suspected as a sketch of fancy, says Dr. Chapman, " I have frequently seen and deplored, convinced he was falling a victim to these very practices." The Emperor Adrian deliberately prepared the following as an in- scription for his tomb: " It was the multitude of physicians that killed the emperor." And now let me say to you, from experience and a desire to incul- cate lessons of truth, which you will find useful, avoid as much as you can dosing and drugging, and depend upon what I say to you, that thousands are killed by physic and the daily and constant use of remedies by which the stomach is worn out. Then let me, for the last time, implore you, in the language of soberness and truth, to depend more on diet, exercise, traveling, change of climate, amusements, or on the presentation of new objects, by temporary absence from the cares of business; in other words, give the mind rest, for many persons are not aware of the serious ills inflicted by confining themselves to counting-houses, stores, and offices, with scarcely any exercise given the body during the day, and no rest of mind. They should change their thoughts to some agree- able and useful amusement calculated to cheer and keep up the healthy action of the system, otherwise they will bring upon them- selves very severe forms of ill-health, and that perhaps for life. Hence the reason why so many sickly and pale faces pass along our crowded cities, and so much dyspepsia, saying nothing of many other well-known diseases. Forgetting that exercise is necessary for health, all seem to be imbued with the single idea of accumulating wealth, and not health. What is money worth to us if we lose our health r How many do we see who toil from day to day, like slaves, for the purpose of securing a large sum of money for their children, and when they have succeeded in doing so, they die without perhaps attaining their fortieth year ? How many thousands yearly are sent to their long account by the constant use or abuse of medicines; for it seems to be the order of things, at the present day, that cures are to be effected, not by the recuperative powers of nature, but by the 28 gunn's family physician. quantity of drugs or medicines swallowed. Every slight disease they imagine must be followed up by some active poison —for medi- cines are poisons—instead of using such simple remedies as teas, cold bathing, etc., etc.; these properly used may assist nature to perform the cure completely. Poor human nature ! How fearfully does it deceive itself when it flies to drugs to relieve every disease! Look into our large com- mercial cities, where more work is done with the head than with the hands ; where every kind of food for the passions is not only super- abundant in quantity, but of the most stimulating quality, and where thousands, who never labor at all, are found who, through the unnat- ural degree of excitement kept up in the brain and nervous system, and the full play of the passions, bring very great injury to their health. An attentive examination of every class of society will convince us, that in proportion as the intellect is highly cultivated, improved, and strongly excited, the body suffers, till a period at length arrives when the corporeal deterioration begins to act on the mental powers, and the proud man finds that the elasticity even of the immortal mind may be impaired by pressure too long continued, and that, like springs of baser metal, the body requires occasional relaxation and rest, instead of dosing and drugging. I do not know that this dis- ease has ever been described before by any medical writer. I allude to that wear and tear, or state of body and mind, intermediate between that of sickness and health, but nearer the former than the latter, to which I am unable to give a satisfactory name, although it is hourly felt by tens of thousands in the world. It is not curable by physic, although it makes much work for the doctors, and in the end, by dosing and drugging, a profitable business for the grave-digger. It is that wear and tear of the living machine, mental and corporeal, which results from over-strenuous labor, or exertion of the intellectual faculties, or rather corporeal powers—for rest assured that vivid excite- ment, and tempestuous mental emotion, can not last long without destroying the physical fabric; the animal and the intellectual, or, in other words, the material .and spiritual portions of our being are distinct essences, and the latter will survive the former in another and a better existence; but on the earth they are linked in the strictest bonds of reciprocity, and are perpetually influenced one by the other. See that pale cheek, that eye that has lost its luster, that care-worn countenance, that languid step, that flaccid muscle, with great weak- ness, and the indisposition to exertion, and you will behold the results of a mind worn down by the cares and disappointments of life, and a body exhibiting a faithful picture of its influence upon it. To discover truth in science, the most learned will admit, is very often difficult • remarks. 29 but in no science is it more difficult than in that of medicine. Inde. pendent of the common defects of medical evidence, our self-interest, our self-esteem, prejudices, and not unfrequently our ignorance, will hide the truth from our view, and we ascribe all to art, and but little to the operations of nature. The mass of testimony is always on the side of art, and although we believe we are right in our reasoning, we only pursue the old course that has been instilled into our minds through training and education. Observe the young physician of the present day, who goes forth from the medical college, with his diploma in his pocket, with rather more pride than common sense, having passed through his studies with the rapidity of a locomotive, believing if he does not cure every disease, it is his own fault; but time and experience will show him differently, when his cheeks are wrinkled with the cares and troubles which a professional life always confer, then he will have learned by sad experience, that disease is controlled by nature alone—that her laws must be consulted if he expects to practice successfully. Thousands of persons would have no doubt been now living, had their cases been treated with more simple remedies — for a long experience has fully convinced me that the healing art depends on the preservation of the restorative power, and if this once be lost, the healing office is at an end. I have before told you, in my Domestic Medicine, that health is to be restored by assisting nature, instead of retarding her operations. All the physician can do is merely to regulate the vis medicatrix naturm, (the self-preserving energy,) from being excited when languid, restrained when vehement, by changing morbid action or obviating pain or irritation, when they oppose its salutary courses ; " in simplici salus," or in other words, there is safety in simples. I am not fond of introducing Latin phrases, but when I follow it with the translation, I trust my reader will pardon me. In my writings for the people, I wish to be plain and comprehensive, at the same time to expose all quackery and concealment, for we live in an age when every branch of human knowledge is being reduced to prin- ciples of common sense, and when the more important sciences are no longer clothed in mystery, when all the sources of information are open to every one who wishes to read and think for himself. The present age is favorable to every species of improvement; darkness, superstition and ignorance are passing away, and we live when there is a general dawn of light upon the human mind. Every day wit- nesses new discoveries made in nearly all the sciences. The healing art is likewise improving, and we are abandoning the active remedies which have been used to too great an extent by fanatics, and begin to turn our attention to the great volume of Nature, which, upon diligent 30 gunn's family physician. research, will amply repay us with restoratives which may bring the blessings of health. The time has arrived when the people of this country begin to read and think for themselves, to learn things and not words, to exercise their judgments in matters which concern their welfare and that of their families, instead of paying other people to think for them. All men and women who possess good common sense,»ehould exer- cise their judgments in matters that concern their health, and that of their families. They do know, or they should know, their own constitutions best, and study the economy of health, not depending on dosing and drugging to the exclusion of exercise, diet, and change of air. Innocent amusements were intended by the Deity for our happiness, and the young should be permitted and taught to indulge in them in a moderate and sensible way. Old and young need periods of recreation. Instead of using medicines daily, which destroy the constitution and leave the whole body worn out, a living thermometer to every change, be your own guide, only be guided by reason and common sense. Thousands die annually, from a wild and infatuated course of swal- lowing medicines daily, without reflecting that they are taking poison. Unfortunately for mankind, yet most fortunately for physicians, the people can not ascertain how many valuable lives are yearly destroyed by constant dosing and drugging. I have known many persons who so habituated themselves to the use of medicines that they could not have an operation without taking some purgative. It is said of the celebrated Dr. Radcliffe, that he was not in the habit of paying his debts without much following and importunity, nor then, if any chance appeared of wearing out the patience of his creditors. A poor man who had been doing some paving for the doctor, after frequent and tedious calling, at last met him getting out of his carriage near his own door, at Bloomsbury Square, London, and dunned him for his bill. " Why, you rascal," said the doctor, " do you intend to be paid for such a piece of work as this ? Why, you have spoiled my pavement and then covered it with earth to hide the poor work." " Doctor," said the poor man, " mine is not the only piece of bad work that the earth hides." "Well," said the doctor, " there is much truth in what you have said," and at once paid the bill. Dr. Shippen, one of the most distinguished medical gentlemen of Philadelphia, and a teacher of medicine in the old medical college of that city for more than forty years, says, " If you find it necessary to have recourse to medicine, there are three kinds which you may make use of with safety, viz.: a tranquil mind, exercise, and a tem- perate diet. These," said that venerable and most experienced of physicians, " are the best remedies I have ever prescribed." REMARKS. 31 The celebrated French physician, Dumoulin, on his death-bed when surrounded by three of the most distinguished medical men of Paris, who were regretting the loss which the profession would sustain in his death, said: " My friends, I leave behind me three physicians much greater than myself." Being much pressed to name them (each of the doctors supposing himself to be one of them), he answered, " water, exercise, and diet." The practice of every expe- rienced and judicious physician becomes more and more simple the longer he lives. An old physician who administers much medicine is the worst kind of a quack, for his experience ought to have taught him that there are thousands of prescriptions, yet but few remedies. The distinguished Dr. Radcliffe said, that " the whole mystery of physic might be written on half a sheet of paper." The opinions of some of the greatest medical men who have ever lived, are sufficient to convince us that one of Burns' " Twa Dogs " was right, when he said: "But human bodies are sic fools For all their colleges and schools." The late Professor of Materia Medica in Brown University, after half a century of professional labor, says, " What a farrago of drugs has been and is daily used by many physicians ! I have really seen," said the professor, " in public, as well as in private practice, such a jumble of things thrown together, and so much medicine adminis- tered unnecessarily, that it would have puzzled Apollo himself to know what it was designed for." A certain practitioner said, that the quantity, or rather the com- plexity, of the medicines which he gave his patients, was always increased in a ratio with the obscurity of the case. " If," said he, " I fire a great portion of shot, it will be very extraordinary if some do not hit the mark." A patient in the hands of such a man is certainly no better situated than the Chinese mandarin, who, upon being attacked with any disorder, calls in twelve or more doctors; after wrhich he swallows, at one dose, their several prescriptions. Instead of such wild theories, it would be better to tread the path pointed out by a strict observance of nature, simple prescriptions, ind simple remedies; for it seems that the human constitution, or corporeal frame, was not thus intricately and wonderfully formed, to require, in repairing, what some physicians term the broad-axe, or, in other words, the most active and powerful remedies. It is well known that some of our active remedies, when used to t jo great an extent, produce disease more difficult to cure than that which the* were designed to obviate. 32 gunn's family physiciaw. So, always avoid, as much as possible, dosing and drugging. When I was a young man commencing the practice of medicine, I was sure of curing every disease by active remedies and administering a great deal of physic, but in a few years I found, by experience, that I was in a thousand instances mistaken. I lost half my confidence in many remedies, and this must be the conclusion of every rational and experienced practitioner; for as he grows old in his profession, he becomes the more convinced of the uncertainty of medicines. A wealthy city merchant, who resided in London and lately retired from business, called upon Sir Astley Cooper, to consult with him upon the state of his health. The patient was not only fond of the good things of this world, but indulged in high living to a great excess. This was soon perceived by this eminent man, who thus addressed him: "You are a merchant, sir, and possess an entire knowledge of trade, but did you ever know of an instance in which the imports exceeded the exports, that there was not a glut in the market? That is the way with you, sir. Take more exercise and eat less, drink no wines or spirituous liquors of any kind." The gentleman took the hint, and has since declared the doctor's knowl- edge of the " first principles of commerce, and his mode of giving advice, rendering it so clear to the most humble capacity, has not only enabled him to enjoy good health, but prolonged his life for many years." It was the opinion of Dr. Rush, " that if the same amount of care had been taken to instruct and improve the human species, that has been bestowed upon domestic animals during the last century, there would have been but little need or use for medicines." Man has not been sufficiently considered as an animal. If we paid as much attention to our children as we do to our horses, they would be more healthy, their intellectual powers be in a greater state of preser- vation, and cultivated at a later period in life. It is highly necessary that man should be attentive to the regulation of his animal appe- tites. Education commences in the cradle and terminates only in the grave. I am convinced that the mind of man might, like the sun, grow larger at its setting, and shed a more beautiful light at the period of its decline. Remarkable instances are afforded in the celebrated Jeremy Bentham and John Howard, whose lives were devoted to acts of charity and deeds of benevolence, and furnish examples of the efficacy of controlling the animal appetites in pro- longing life. The possession of a sound mind in a sound and symmetrical body, was esteemed by the ancients to be the greatest blessing which man could enjoy. This truth being proclaimed so long ago, renders it very strange that mankind have not profited by it and endeavored REMARKS. 33 by every means in their power, to secure a healthy body; for the powers of mind, the evenness of the temper, the kindness of the dis- position, all depend upon the state of our physical frames. Providence puts into our hands the means of preserving health, and this gift involves a solemn responsibility. Health will be counted among those talents for the use of which we are to answer to our Creator; and it is our duty to become acquainted with those laws which regulate and govern it. This is properly termed physical edu- cation, and it should be so instilled into our minds, as to render the Bubject perfectly familiar to us all; for there is but little doubt that we bring most of our diseases upon ourselves by imprudence and the want of a proper knowledge how to ward them off; and if not the effect of our own neglect, they are traceable to ignorance or a want of proper management by our parents or the guardians of our youth, and not unfrequently entailed upon us by them. Then be assured that nature will, sooner or later, call us to an account for a violation of her laws. It is true, for a time we may escape, but the debt and its interest are both accumulating, and must at last be paid. How many charge nature with that which has accumulated through neglect of the economy of health ; by attention many evils might be obviated, life prolonged to a good old age, and a large amount of physical suf- fering diminished! Young persons should be taught the value of health and the means of preserving it, by the subjugation of every immoderate desire, appetite, and passion, thus they may prolong life, and, with proper precaution, live almost uninterruptedly in a perfect state of health. A knowledge of the circumstances upon which health depends, is one of the most important parts of the moral and intellectual education of youth. We should open the fountains of knowledge to the young on these subjects, so that they may have in store useful information, be well equipped for the voyage of life, prepared to ward off disease, and prepared to strengthen, if necessary, a weakly constitution. Well informed in these matters, they may be useful, in cases of sudden emergency, to the afflicted. The five ordinary secrets of health are, temperance in avoiding all intoxicating liquors, exercise, personal cleanliness, regular hours, and rising from the table with the stomach unoppressed. The use of mustard, pepper, or anything to stimulate the appetite, should generally be avoided. There may be slight indisposition in spite of the observance of these rules, but you will find all diseases much milder. By observing them you have an assurance almost, that you will escape disease altogether. Most of the ancient philosophers may be named as patterns of health, temperance, and long life. Pythagoras restricted himself to vegeta bio ■d 34 gunn's family physician. diet altogether — his dinner being bread, honey, and water. He lived upward of eighty years. His followers adopted the same diet, and with results equally striking. It is well known that the early Christians, also, were remarkable for temperance, and longevity, too, when not removed by persecution. Matthew, for example, according to Clement, lived upon vegetable diet. The eastern Christians, that retired from persecution into the deserts of Egypt and Arabia, allowed themselves but twelve ounces of bread per day as their only solid food, with water alone for drink, yet they lived long and happy. St. Anthony lived one hundred and five years ; Simon Stylites, one hundred and nine ; James the Hermit, one hundred and four; St. Jerome, one hundred; Epaphanus, one hundred and fifteen; Romauldus and Arsenius, each, one hundred and twenty years. And I now give you my opinion, founded on long observation and reflection, that if there was not a single physician, surgeon, apothecary, chemist, or druggist, on the face of the earth, there would be less sickness and less mortality than now takes place; we would depend more on the simples of nature than the dosing and drugging system, which has occasioned, more than any one thing, so much degeneracy of the human body and of the present race; thousands daily die victims to medicine who might have lived to a good old age, had they but trusted to nature and simple remedies. By a proper course of temperance in all things, no matter under what circumstances or climate we may be placed, our health will be comparatively secure, our longevity will be increased, and our happiness established; for where there is no temperance, there is no moral virtue, nor any security against crime; where spirituous \iquors are used, the mind is under a state of animal excitement, the judgment is marred by false and imperfect reasoning, and the conse- quences thereof are habits which, morally and physically, destroy health. Then taste not, handle not, the unclean thing. When it is used, the passions become wild as the winds and raging as the waves. Without it the mind is calm and tranquil, seeing all things in their proper light. In a word, happiness can not exist where temperance is not; and let me assure you that most of our diseases and interrup- tions to health are the effects of intemperance — and I have no doubt that by proper caution in avoiding stimulating drinks, we may live, in a great measure, uninterruptedly free from disease, notwithstanding the constitution may be reduced in strength and vigor from being born of unhealthy or intemperate parents, which inherited misfortunes may be entirely overcome by diet, exercise, change of climate, and a perfect system of temperance in avoiding all spirituous liquors. These laws should be strictly observed through life, for there are very few REMARKS. 35 individuals totally exempt from some predisposition to a particulai disease which may trouble them while life lasts. All physical peculiarities in the parent are hereditary; even the age is hereditary, and we may trace in the unconscious infant even the lines of that care which is ushering the decrepit parent into the grave. I am fully convinced, from a long experience and strict attention to this matter, that much idiocy, as well as predisposition to madness, with very much nervous disease, is transmitted by the parents to their children, imparted through sympathy as well as by other means, which delicacy forbids me to explain, and which will be more fully communicated under the head of private diseases. Many diseases are hereditary, and it is well worthy the attention of those who feel the interest natural to parents in the happy establishment of their children, as well as the advisers of those whose interest and happiness may be secured by a proper precaution in their selection of compan- ions for the marriage state. I will mention some of the most prom- inent diseases, viz.: madness, consumption, epilepsy, scrofula, cancer, nervous affections, and also diseases which have been handed down to posterity, by imprudence—or, in other words, diseases of a private nature, which have never been eradicated from the system, which * facts are well authenticated and deserve strict attention. In the admin- istering of medicines, to be successful in your practice, always look well to these peculiarities of constitution; in a word, if you wish to place human happiness on a surer basis, you must look more to temperance than to medicine. That certain diseases are hereditary, or entailed by parents upon their offspring, I have before mentioned. But that this taint is often aroused in early life, by their discipline, is equally true. The influence of laws, institutions, and habits upon the vigor and health of man, is more powerful than most of those, who have never studied the subject, imagine. Civilization and its attending consequences not only bring with them many pleasures, but they also produce corresponding evils. As society is restrained and compli- cated, as the luxuries of life increase, and as indolence and a want of proper muscular action prevail, the constitution becomes enfeebled, and bodily and mental development retarded. Many, and indeed most, of our diseases were unknown to our aboriginal inhabitants. The stately Indian roamed the forest, ascended the mountain height, and leaped over the precipice in pursuit of game, or lay upon the earth during heat and cold, summer and winter, almost destitute of clothing; still consumption, dyspepsia, and gout, with many of the common diseases of civilized life, were unknown to him. The shepherd, too, in his pastoral life, guarded his flock and sung his wild notes without stricture of the breast, or pain in the lungs. It is, therefore, a matter 36 gunn's family physician. of the utmost importance, in the education of youth, to teach him how far the luxuries and habits of civilized life, and its dissipations, tend to shorten, or render us miserable, in order that he may correct his ways, and thus avoid premature suffering or early death. No nation can be powerful whose inhabitants are either mentally, morally, or physically enfeebled. It is true that the habits of the people of the United States have made but few inroads upon their bodily develop- ments, but still we have no evideuce that this state of things will continue. Already they are beginning to depart from the simplicity of their forefathers, and as the population becomes more dense from the immense immigration to this country, as wealth accumulates in the hands of the few, and the many are shut up in manufactories, and as the opportunities of intemperance of thousands worn to death by the toils necessary to procure subsistence, increase, the frame must continue to lose tone and elasticity through succeeding generations. It is already a common observation in our country, that men of talent and persevering industry in the professions, or among statesmen, or among merchants, spring from those who are accustomed to a country life, where the various luxuries and dissipations of cities are com- paratively unknown. In order to guard, with any degree of certainty, against those dis- t eases, we should have a knowledge of the laws which govern the animal economy. Without it, we shall be groping our way in the dark; anxious, no doubt, to discover the right passage, but afraid that we are departing further from it. That is the case with men and women who do not possess that most important of all commodities, common sense. Now, every man who has ever reflected upon this subject, for one moment, must know that there are certain kinds of constitutions, or forms, in which certain maladies are extremely liable to be implanted, or, in other words, entailed upon the offspring, by the parent. Now, if this constitution, or make, be kept from under the influence of such causes as excite the diseases to which it is predisposed, into action, it may pass on through a long life, without exhibiting any of the marks of the disorder which destroyed those that immediately preceded it; and the truth is, it may even become so changed by proper exercise and habits, and even a union with a healthy person, that no common exciting cause can produce the disease to which it was previously exposed. To illustrate my meaning on this subject more clearly, many of our most talented youth of both sexes die, at an early period, of consump- tion. This disease is hereditary in many families, that is, the same kind of structure descends from the parent to the child, who not only resembles the father or mother, in shape and countenance, but the REMARKS. 37 structure of the lungs is almost precisely the same. If exposed to sudden vicissitudes of temperature, or kept for six or eight hours in a hot, ill-ventilated room, breathing the impure air, which has already passed several times through the lungs of others, he will probably fall a victim to the disease of his parent. The structure of the lungs was like his or hers, the most delicate portion of the system, and hence these organs were the most liable to disease. Now we often see that exercise in the open air, change of climate, nutritious diet, proper rai- ment, and avoiding all causes which predispose to these diseases, pro- duce good health ; we know, or ought to know, that proper exercise expands the chest, promotes the easy circulation of the blood, and develops the muscular growth, without exhausting the system. Hereditary descent of mental talent is likewise evident from a number of facts — a few of which are selected for the purpose of illus- tration, and it will appear remarkably striking, that such an inherit- ance is more generally derived from the maternal than paternal side. In the examples to be adduced, a selection has been made with a view to the different varieties of mental superiority, and the following comprehends poets, historians, and orators : Lord Bacon: his mother was daughter to Sir Anthony Cook; she was skilled in many languages, and translated and wrote several works, which displayed learning, acuteness, and taste. Hume, the historian, mentions his mother, daughter of Sir D. Falconet, president of the college of justice, as a woman of singular merit, and who, al- though in the prime of life, devoted herself entirely to his education. R. B. Sheridan: Mrs. Frances Sheridan was a woman of considerable abilities; it was writing a pamphlet in his defence that first intro- duced her to Mr. Sheridan, afterward her husband; she also wrote a novel highly praised by Johnson. Schiller, the German poet: his mother was an amiable woman ; she had a great relish for the beau- ties of nature, and was passionately fond of music and poetry ; Schiller was her favorite child. Goethe thus speaks of his parents : " I inher- ited from my father a certain sort of eloquence, calculated to enforce my doctrines to my auditors; from my mother, I inherited the faculty of representing all that the imagination can conceive, with energy and vivacity." Lord Erskine's mother was a woman of superior talent and discernment; by her advice her son betook himself to the bar. Thompson, the poet: Mrs. Thompson was a woman of uncommon natural endowments, possessed of every social and domestic virtue, with a warmth and vivacity of imagination scarcely inferior to her son. Boerhaave's mother acquired a knowledge of medicine not often found in females. Sir Walter Scott: his mother, Elizabeth, daughter of D. Rutherford, was a woman of great accomplishments and virtue, 38 gunn's family physician. and had a good taste for and wrote poetry, which appeared in print in 1789. We might further mention the mother of Marmontel, of Bonaparte, Sir William Jones, and a host of others; but among others the mother of George Washington should not be forgotten, who, according to the writings of that distinguished man, was the "origin of all his greatness, and implanted firmly in his bosom all those virtues for which he was so much admired. You will perceive that I desire to point out to you the importance of a strict attention to the peculiarities of the constitution, for I honestly believe that two-thirds of the diseases to which the human family are subject, can be removed by simple remedies and proper training; in other words, a correct course of exercise, diet, temper- ance, and change of climate before it is too late; particularly a sea voyage, which generally gives a freshness and transparency to the skin, resembling the freshness of youth. The great misfortune is that thousands of persons who are diseased, put off these remedies until it is too late, or after medicine has done its fatal work, and the doctor, by way of getting rid of his responsibility, advises a sea voy- age or change of climate. I shall now conclude my Remarks with these solemn admonitions, that health and happiness can never exist where temperance is not, and where piety is not a constant visitor. There is no solace or balm against the cares, disappointments, and vicissitudes of life. All that is bright in the hope of youth, all that is calm and blissful in the meridian of life, all that is soothing in the vale of years, are derived from temperance and religion. The first wards off disease ; the sec- ond calms and tranquilizes the mind under every affliction. This friendly visitor of the Cross soothes the mind, and throws around the bed of sickness the arms of Divine mercy. Solitary indeed is that couch where the emaciated, strengthless form is stretched, unaccom- panied by these dawnings of eternal day. No starlight brightness, no cherub wings are hovering around the dying pillow. In vain are the arms of friendship extended, or the bosom of love opened ; the rays of hope may gleam for a brief moment in the horizon of the mind —but, alas! they are cold and cheerless; no vivifying influence passes over the feverish brain ; no holy gust of ecstatic joy sublimates the mind, and in quick succession, the past, the present, and the future pass before the mind, presenting at a glance the false colorings of the world. The trembling soul dreads the future. No uplifted arm makes strong the soul, nor points with unerring truth the bright way to the mansions of eternal bliss. So that often the cry is heard u How hard it is to die ! All is lost! " OF THE PASSIONS. 110 subdue the passions of creatures who are all passion, is impos- - sible; to regulate them, appears to be absolutely necessary. And what are these passions which make such havoc, causing striking differences, exciting and depressing the spirits, leading to ecstatic enjoyment, or plunging us in the severest afflictions ? What are they more than the development of our sensibilities ? Life is shortened by indulgence in anger, ill-will, anxiety, envy, grief sorrow, and excessive care. Therefore it is the province of wisdom to exercise a proper control over the passions. If you permit them to govern you instead of governing them, you destroy the vital powers, you destroy digestion and impair the whole nervous system. To attempt to regulate the actions and functions of the body without paying any attention to those of the mind, is like sitting down con- tented upon escaping one evil, while another of equal importance is still impending. A wise man governs his passions, but a fool permits his passions to govern him. INFLUENCE OF THE MIND UPON THE BODY. THE passions are modifications of self-love. The preservation of man is the centre toward which all his affections and all his actions converge; he inclines strongly toward pleasure, which main- tains or augments the quantity of life that he possesses, and he avoids every thing that can injure him. Pleasure and pain are the genera- tive elements of all the passions, which may be reduced to two, love and hatred. Pleasure is only momentary ; we judge of it by its intensity. Its duration establishes happiness. The greater the pleasure a person experiences, the greater is the apprehension which he has of being deprived of it. This is the origin of fear, which is ordinarily accom- panied with hope, because these two affections have a common source, the probability of good and evil. Fear gives way to sadness when hope is destroyed; but if we only see in time to come a series of 40 gunn's family physician. endless misery, then our sadness is changed to despair, and existence becomes a burden. It is the inherent principle of self-love which makes a man pursue objects that increase happiness. Naturally inconstant, he wishes to vary his agreeable sensations, and his curiosity once satisfied by a new pleasure, he experiences for it a sentiment of admiration. This sentiment belongs alone to great souls. It is not, however, the same with weaker minds; they envy in others the blessings which they do not possess themselves. This passion, envy, is the greatest pest of social order. I will pursue no further the subject of self-love. It will be noticed in its proper place. It is sufficient for me to have explained the manner in which the passions are formed. Some cold moralists have improperly condemned the passions, and have wished to make man a dispassionate being, an automaton, in order to conduct him to perfection. Why we are so differently constituted will be unfolded at that great day, when the wisdom, the power, the mercy, and the goodness of the Almighty shall be made manifest. It is as impossible for man to live without passions as to exist without thought. They are necessary to life The heart of man has a horror for the state of vacuity. It is only the abuse of the passions which is to be condemned. The functions of the body can exercise themselves in a proper manner only as the epigastrium receives and sends back freely the action; hence the affections of the mind prevent the concentration of the energies and promote their free circulation, and in this respect, they are absolutely necessary to life. I am, here, only to be understood as speaking of the moderate affections, and not of extreme passions, which are very dangerous, and which, carried to excess, may occasion fatal consequences. The difference between one man and another is, that one governs his passions and another is governed by them. A man who permits his passions to govern him, can never be happy ; he will be discontented, irritable, and quarrelsome, and throw a tem- pestuous atmosphere around him, which makes him move in the regions of storms — he employs sure means to shorten and embitter life, whatever may be his external circumstances. He becomes the architect of his temper, and misery must be the result of his labor. The passion for present and posthumous fame is a deep and abiding principle in the human heart. To be remembered after one is gone__ to leave a name that shall" wake the echoes of eternity," and survive the wreck of mortality — is an object dear to the human heart and to its dreams of ambition. Yet, how vain is the hope, how preposterous the desire! How frail is even the strongest bark upon which man relies to float his fame to future generations! What, indeed, is earthly Immortality but a mere name, a delusive halo, devised to counteract. influence of the mind upon the body. 41 in some measure, that instinctive dread of death so natural to the bosom of man! The mind is immortal, full of undying thoughts and sublime con- ceptions. It can lighten through all ages, it can resist the progress and the power of time, and bid defiance to the dominion of decay. It can dart through space, span" the universe, and scatter around it, in living and breathing creations, the ample evidences of its divinity. It can throw its richness into the colors of the canvas till rapture shall stand still to gaze upon it. It can embody in marble all the fervor and intensity of passion, and all the sublimity of its emotion. It can infuse into language an eloquence that shall move, melt, and charm the heart of a world. Yet what avails all this, while the materials with which it works are changing, fragile, and perishable? Thought, genius, fancy, may be immortal, while language, marble, and canvas, all must fail. But the man who governs his passions — who is humble, cheerful, contented, and subdues his temper — will endure disease, and be much more easily relieved of bodily ills, and, amid all the privations, difficulties, and disappointments to which we are more or less subject, will find himself able to maintain an unruffled serenity. The stream descending slowly, with gentle murmur, from the mountain, and rippling through the plain, adorns and enriches the scene ; but when it rushes down in a roaring and impetuous torrent, overflowing its banks, it carries devastation in its course ; so the pas- sions, appetites, and desires, kept under due restraint, are useful, and fulfill the intentions of a wise and overruling Providence; but, when allowed to rage with unbridled fury, they commit fearful ravages on the character they were fitted to adorn and exalt. If we wish the stream of life to be pure, we must preserve its source unpolluted ; and to enjoy health and long life, the passions should be kept under due control. They may be considered the moral thermometer that regu- late the system and hold'the most powerful influence over the general health. In a temperate exercise of all the physical, intellectual and moral faculties, we enjoy that peace of mind which essentially con- tributes to a long life, and soothes the spirit to repose amid the trials of this world. In the exercise of benevolence, friendship, love, and a good conscience, with tender, refined, and elevated thoughts of the goodness of God, and our duty to our fellow-creatures, we may be happy. These are never-failing sources of delight, and promotive of health; whereas pride, envy, jealousy, covetousness, anger, and all the passions, habitually indulged to excess, not only embitter our happiness, and that of all around us, but sap the foundations of health, and shorten tho period of existence. Guard against them 42 gunn's family physician. with unremitting vigilance. Our passions when controlled are the genial warmth that cheers us along the way of life; ungoverned, they are consuming fires. The highest and most profitable learning is the knowledge of ourselves. All men are frail; no self-government is perfect without religion. If thou art better than another, it is not to be ascribed to thyself, but to the goodness of God. Thou canst not tell how long thou wilt be able to continue in the narrow path of virtue. The great Boerhaave, so distinguished for the attainment of the most serene self-command, was so profoundly humble, that when he heard of any criminal condemned to execution, he would exclaim, "Who can tell whether this man is not better than I?" Then, let us rely for aid on our Heavenly Father, who hath said, " If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of me, who giveth liberally and upbraideth not." Let us rest our self-control on the belief that he is able to do all things ; that he will do all things well; that even evil will work for the good of those who love him; that nothing can divide us from his love, and that even death can not hurt those who have a passport to a heavenly immortality. INFLUENCE OF LOVE. LOYE is the divine essence of our being; it flows from God intc our souls, and is our life. As the sun of the natural world warms the flower into life and beauty, so does the spirit of man receive the warmth of will, which animates it into life and action, from the great fountain of Divine love. " If love, then, is one of the essential principles of our being, and through us is to fashion other forms receptive of life, how all-import- ant that we should understand its nature and quality ! "In the brute creation, this influx of love from God is a mere external sensation. Man, too, partakes of animal love ; but with him there is also an inner love, which is spiritual and holy, as much above animal sensation, as the soul of man is above brute instinct. And if this inner faculty be not cultivated and developed, man remains an animal, only exercising a rather superior understanding to other animals — dead to all the higher ends of his existence but unfortunately too much alive to all low passions and propensities; for it is an immutable law of our creation, that we must love__there being no life without love — and when we close our souls to the Divine love we become receptive of infernal love — for the lost spirits of the infernal regions love; but what do they love? all sin, and wickedness INFLUENCE OF LOVE. 43 and uncleanliness. It behooves us, therefore, t) search out and try our loves, whether they be divine or infernal. And as all sin comes from love of self, we should seek, above all things, the antidote to that which enslaves us to lust, to pride, to worldliness, and all unchar- itableness. This antidote, God, in his divine providence, has provided for us; first in our love for him, and secondly, in that beautiful love which links the soul of man to woman. These awaken the soul truly to God, and sanctify love with so heavenly an end, that in our inmost spirit we must feel and acknowledge its holiness. But how is love an antidote to selfishness ? I speak not of mere sensual love, but of that which is spiritual and true. When God gave woman to man, it was with a definite and divine purpose, that man in her might love himself, and thus be lifted out of his self-love. Through his senses, which join him to the visible material world, man begins to love. How often do we see this outward love glancing from the spirit-speaking eye of the young, when, in the spring-time and full joy of life, soul seeks soul, as the warbling bird doth its mate, and trills forth a love tone, and often thinks it hears its echo, when it has but struck upon a false sounding-board, that dull and heavy sound which comes to the aching heart full of disappointment. But if the true note of harmony has been trilled, how beautiful it is when man awakens from his dream of passion, and discovers that all the pride of his understanding is reflected in a softened, chastened, and more divine light in the love of the gentle being at his side ; he finds his taste, his opinions, the thoughts and feelings of his own soul, appro- priated by her; that all unconsciously, while he slept the deep sleep of love, from his own breast, a wife has been created " a helpmeet for him." How peculiarly she is his own ! She is something wonderful to him; he no longer loves himself, or thinks of himself — in her centers all thought and all feeling. Then how beautifully turns that trusting, loving eye upon him—he is her wisdom, her glory, her hap- piness — she should learn of God through him — he may love God through her. But, alas ! how rare is the beautiful, truly spiritual union ? How often the waning moon of an external love finds paired souls sun- dered, who are bound, the living to the dead, for this mortal life — vailing behind outward conventionalities their internal disunion, and that burdensome yoke that perhaps binds some almost angel to an ox ! The dull beast of earth plods on, all unconscious and uncaring for that dear one who has been a refuge to him from the tempestuous and bereaving storms of life. Love is the weapon which Omnipotence reserved to conquer rebe* 44 gunn's family physician. men when all the rest had failed ; reason, he parries ; fear, he answers blow to blow; future interest, he meets with present pleasure: but love, that sun against whose melting beams winter can not stand ; that soft, subduing slumber which brings down the giant; there is not one- human creature in a million, not a thousand men in all earth's domain, whose earthly hearts are hardened against love. " There needs no other proof that happiness is the most wholesome moral atmosphere, and that in which the morality of men is destined ultimately to thrive, that the elevation of soul, the religious aspiration which attends the first assurance, the first sober certainty of true love." There is much of this religious aspiration amid all warmth of virtuous affections. There is latent love of God in the child that rests its cheek against the cheek of its mother, and clasps its arms about her neck. God is thanked, perhaps unconsciously, for the brightness of his earth, on a summer evening, when a brother and sister, who have long been sep- arated, pour out their hearts to each other, and feel their course of thought brightening as they run. When the aged parent hears of the honors his children have won, or looks around on their innocent faces in the glory of his decline, his mind reverts to him who in them prescribed the purpose of his life, and bestowed his grace. But relig- ious as is the mood of every affection, none is so devotional as that of love, especially so called. The soul is the very temple of adoration, of faith, of holy purity, of heroism^ of charity. At such a moment, the human creature shoots up into the angel, strengthened, sustained, vivified, by that most mysterious power, union with another spirit, it feels itself on the way to victory over evil — sent out "conquering and to conquer." There is no other such crisis in human life. The philosopher may experience uncontrollable agitation in verifying his balancing system of worlds, feeling, perhaps, as if he actually saw the creative hand in the act of sending the planets forth on their everlasting way. But this philosopher, solitary seraph as he may be regarded amid a myriad of men, knows, at such a moment, no emo- tions so divine as that of the spirit becoming conscious that it is beloved, be it the poorest creature in his humble cottage, or the daugh- ter of affluence in her luxury, or the poor mechanic who toils for his daily bread, or the man of letters musing by his fireside. The war- rior about to strike his decisive blow for the liberties of a nation however impressed with the solemnities of the hour, is not in a state of such lofty resolution, as those who by joining hearts are layino- their joint hands on the wide realm of futurity for their own. The statesman, who, in the moment of success, feels that he has annihi- lated an ertire class of social sins and woes, is not conscious of so holy INFLUENCE OF LOVE. 45 and so intimate a thankfulness as they who ascribe their redemption to a new and sovereign affection. And these are many; they are in the corners of every land. " The statesman is the leader of a nation ; the warrior is the grace of an age ; the philosopher is the birth of a thousand years; but the lover, where is he not ? " Wherever parents look around upon their children there he has been ; wherever there are roofs under which men dwell; wher- ever there is an atmosphere vibrating with human voices, there is the lover, and there is his lofty worship going on, unspeakable, but revealed in the brightness of the eye, the majesty of the presence, and the high temper of the discourse. Men have been ungrateful and perverse; they have done what they could to counteract, to debase this most heavenly influence of their lives, but the laws of their Maker are too strong, the benignity of their Father is too patent and fervent for their opposition to withstand, and true love continues and will continue to send up its homage, amid the meditations of every eventide, the busy hum of noon, and the songs of the morning stars. There is something soothing and delightful in the recollection of a pure-minded woman's affection; it is an oasis in the desert of a worldly man's life, to which his feelings turn for refreshment, when wearied with the unhallowed passions of this world; it is that heaven-born passion that binds us in prosperity, and links us more closely under adversity ; it is a tenderness unutterable, which banishes every unhal- lowed thought, and leads us back to our primeval innocence. They know but little of this passion who deem it the offspring of sighs and protestations. These are but the husbandry which calls forth the common produce of common soils, the needful aliment of that great principle of nature, which alike peoples our cities, and our plains, our rivers, and the air we breathe. In many a heart, where it has never been awakened, lies the subtle essence, which, when touched by a kindred essence, starts at once into giant life. And how manifold are the channels through which that kindred essence works itself a pas- sage to the sleeping mischief! A word, a look, a tone of the voice, one pressure of the hand, though a hundred have preceded it, a sim- ple '" good night," or a parting " God bless you ! " from lips that have pronounced the words for months, shall, in a predestined moment, be like the spark that falls upon the nitrous heap, followed by instant combustion. And then what a revolution is effected! The eye sees not, the ear hears not, the mind perceives not, as it has been wont; a new being is created ; the past is obliterated ; nothing seems to re- main of what was, and the very identity of the object by whom this delirium of all the faculties has been produced, is destroyed. We strive in vain to recall the mere man or woman we have known, in 46 gunn's family physician. the lover or mistress we now adore. Spell-bound in the fascination, inthralled in the idolatry of suddenly awakened passions, we discover wisdom, wit, beauty, eloquence, grace, charms, benignity, and love- liness, where hitherto we at most had dim and visionary glimpses of their possible existence. All is transformed, and in a moment the heart creates its idol; all is sunshine. The graceful form flits before the imagination, and love, with its genial warmth, pours her incense upon the heart. Love, that cordial drop of bliss, that sovereign balm for every woe, as it is of the first enjoyment, so it is frequently the origin of our deepest distress. If it is placed upon an unworthy object, and the discovery is made too late, the heart can never know peace. Every hour increases the torments of reflection; and hope, that soothes the severest ills, is here turned into deep despair. Two souls that are sufficient to each other in sentiments, affections, pas- sions, thoughts, all blending in love's harmony, are earth's most perfect reflection of heaven. Through them the angels come and go continually, on missions of love, to all the lower forms of creation. It is the halo of heavenly visitors that vails the earth in such a golden glory, and makes every little flower smile its blessings upon lovers. Nothing in life is so pure and devoted as woman's love. It is an unquenchable flame, the same constant and immaculate glow of feel- ing, whose undeniable touchstone is trial; her faithful heart is more devoted than the idolators of Mecca, and more priceless than the gems of Golconda. The world may put forth its anathemas; fortune may shower down its adversities, but in vain; still the unutterable ecstasies of this heaven-born passion are the idol of the human heart. With man, love is never a passion of such intensity and sincerity as with woman. She is a creature of sensibility, existing only in the outpourings and sympathies of her emotions. Every earthly blessing, nay, every heavenly hope, will be sacrificed for her affections. She will leave the sunny home of her childhood, the protecting roof of her kindred, forget the counsels of her aged father, the admonishing voice of that mother on whose bosom her head has been pillowed, forsake all she has clung to in her years of girlish simplicity, do all that woman can do consistently with honor, and throw herself into the arms of the man she idolizes. Unrequited love with man is to him never a cause of perpetual misery. Other dreams will flow upon his imagination. The attrac- tions of business, the meteors of ambition, or the pursuit of wealth, will win him away from his early infatuation. It is not thus with woman; although the scene may change, and years, long, withering and lingering years, steal away the rose from the cheek of beauty ; the ruins of a broken heart can not be reanimated; the memories of INFLUENCE OF LOVE. 47 that idol vision can not be obliterated from the soul. She pines away again until her gentle spirit bids adieu to the treacheries of earth, and flits away into the bosom of her God. There is this difference between a woman's love and a man's: his passion may lead him, in the first instance, to act in opposition to opinion, but its influence is soon sus- pended, and a sneer or a censure will wound his pride and weaken his love. A woman's heart, on the contrary, reposes more on itself, and a fault found in the object of her attachment is resented as an injury — she is angered, not altered. There is such a thing as love at first sight, deny it who may; and it is not necessarily a light or transitory feeling because it is sudden. Impressions are often made as indelibly by a glance, as some that grow from imperceptible beginnings, till they become incorporated with our nature. Is not the fixed law of the universe, as illustrated by the magnetic needle, a guarantee for the existence of attraction? And who will say it is not of Divine origin ? The passion of love is similar, when of a genuine kind. Reason and appreciation of char- acter may on longer acquaintance deepen the impressions, " as streams their channels deeper wear," but the seal is set by a higher power than human will, and gives the stamp of happiness or misery to a whole life. I can not but add, how truly deplorable it is that a passion which constitutes the most noble trait in human nature, should now every- where be trampled upon by avarice. I trust I shall not witness, as our country advances, such instances of legal prostitution as have occurred in some other parts of the world. I distinguish four seasons of love: first comes love before betrothal, or spring; then comes the summer, more ardent and fierce, which lasts from the betrothal to the altar ; the third, the richly-laden, soft and dreamy autumn—the honey-moon, and after it the winter, bright, clear winter, when you take shelter by your fireside, from the cold • world without, and find every pleasure there. And then there is that love " which passeth all understanding," which emanates from God himself, filling us with exceeding joy, that shall never wear away; like a tender flower, planted in the fertile soil of the heart, it grows, expanding its foliage and imparting its fragrance to all around, till transplanted, it is set to bloom in per- petual love and unfading brightness in the paradise of God. Follow the Star of Bethlehem, the bright and the morning star — the guide to him who in his love gave his dear life for us — it will light you through every labyrinth in the wilderness of life, gild the gloom that will gather around you in a dying hour, and bring you safe over the tempestuous Jordan of death, into the haven of promised and settled rest, to enjoy that love which shall abide forever. £ gunn's family physician. RELIGION. RELIGION is a most cheerful and happy thing to practice,but a most Bad and melancholy thing to neglect. The government of God in the soul is a government which regulates, but does not enslave. If we seriously consider what religion is, we shall find the saying of the wise King Solomon to be unexceptionably true: " Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." The idea that religion is a kind of slavery, to which none can submit without sacrificing the natural enjoyments of life, has ever been the greatest hindrance to its advancement among mankind. How much wiser and better should we be if we could carry along with us, from infancy to old age, the full conviction that happiness is the substantial cultivation and exer- cise of the Christian virtues, and that piety is the firmest basis of morality, securing first God's claims, and by so doing securing our own ! For, without the belief and hope offered by Divine revelation, the circumstances of man are extremely forlorn. He finds himself placed here as a stranger in a vast universe, where the powers and operations of nature are very imperfectly known; where both the beginnings and the issues of things are involved in mysterious dark- ness ; where he is unable to discover with any certainty whence he sprung, or for what purpose he was brought into this state of existence ; whether he be subjected to the government of a mild or a wrathful ruler; what construction he is to put on many of the dispensations of his providence; and what his fate is to be when he departs hence. What a disconsolate situation to a serious, inquiring mind! The greater the degree of virtue it possesses, the more its sensibility is likely to be oppressed by this burden of laboring thought, even though it were in one's power to banish all uneasy thought and fill up the hours of life with perpetual amusement; life so filled up, would, upon reflection, appear poor and trivial. But these are far . from being the terms upon which man was brought into the world. He is conscious that his being is frail and feeble ; he sees himself beset with various dangers, and is exposed to many a melancholy apprehen- sion from the evils which he may have to encounter. To reveal to him such discoveries of the Supreme Being as the Christian religion affords, is to reveal to him a father and a friend, and to let in a'ray of the most cheering light upon the darkness of his mind. He who was before a destitute wanderer in the inhospitable desert, has now gained a shelter from the bitter and inclement blast. He has found a heavenly father to whom he can pray, and in whom to trust, where to unbosom his sorrows, and from what hand to look for relief. It is certain that when the heart bleeds from some wound of recent RELIGION. 49 misfortune, nothing is of equal efficacy with religious comfort. Blessed be God for that religion that has power to enlighten the darkest hour of life, and to assuage the severest woes, and to afford the hope of a blessed immortality. As the silent dews of night fall upon the flowers, and revive their drooping leaves, so does religion, in hours of affliction, revive the spirits and solace the wounded heart — that blessed assurance that gives us strength for all our trials, that takes from misery its bitter- ness, and strips affliction of its sting. Vain and unprofitable, then, are all earthly advantages. " There is but one thing necessary." The love of God in the heart; it is the fountain from which three streams of virtue will not fail to issue — devotion, self-government, and benevo- lence. Religion is the soul of love — it is an intuitive light and evidence of what is not to be proved, but which cannot deceive — a light which lights us through a thorny path on earth, and at the close of life lights us to heaven. The beauty of a religious life is one of its greatest recommendations. " What does it profess ? Peace to all mankind." It teaches us those ways which will render us beloved and respected, which will contribute to our present comfort as well as our future happiness. Its greatest ornament is charity — it inculcates nothing but love and simplicity of affection ; it breathes nothing but the purest delight; it is that pure, invaluable gem which shines brightest in adversity; it is the possession of this sterling jewel that, imparts a stimulating impulse to the heart of man; it is the gentle spirit that leads us to another and a better world ; it serves as a conso- lation when mankind desert us, and the cheerless hand of sorrow is placed upon our brow ; its magic influence calms the ruffled scenes of life, and makes them glide peacefully away; it soothes the mind in its last hours, removes the sting of death, and gives assurance of the passport of the soul to an endless life of happiness and bliss. The power of religious consolation is sensibly felt upon the approach of death, and blessed be God, for his affording me an opportunity, in a thousand instances, of witnessing the manifestations of His love in this trying hour, when the last words uttered were, " Glory ! glory! glory ! " and without a sigh, or a struggle, they fell asleep in Jesus. It is in moments like these that religion appears in the most striking light, exhibiting the high value of the disclosures made by the gos- pel ; not only life and immortality revealed, but a mediator with God discovered, mercy proclaimed through Him to the frailties of the penitent and humble, and His presence promised them when they are passing through the valley of the shadow of death, in order to bring them safe into unseen habitations of rest and joy. Here is ground for their leaving the world with comfort and peace. 4 50 GUNN'S FAMILY PHYSICIAN. But in this severe and trying period, this laboring hour of nature; how shall the unhappy man support himself, who knows not, or believes not, the truths of religion ? His conscience tells him that he has not acted his part as he ought to have done ; his sins arise before him in sad remembrance. He wishes to exist after death, and yet dreads that existence. God is unknown. He cannot see whether every endeavor to obtain His mercy may not be in vain. AH is dark and mysterious before him, and not a ray of light shines upon his benighted mind; in the midst of endless doubts the trembling, reluctant soul is forced away to the presence of its Judge. As the misfortunes of life must, to such a man, have been most oppressive, so its end is bitter ; his sun sets in a dark cloud, and the night of death closes over his head full of misery. When man temporarily forgets the concerns of the world, and yields the reins of a fervid imagina- tion into the guidance of an unknown power, the past scenes of his visionary life flit across his mind as a dream. The first mental inquiry that presents itself is, whether the prospects of this world are so pre- carious ; whether the pleasures of this life are so transient; whether the mutability of human events causes us to feel that no confidence can be reposed in them, to what resource shall we apply, to become possessed of some secure dependence to support and buoy us up in the hour of trouble? Nature and reason reveal the healing consola- tion of that blessed religion, light of the world, sole hope of a ruined race, the renovating principle, which restores life and beauty where all was corruption and deformity. The mind of man, like the fluctuating sea, is never at rest. There is a perpetual tendency, which cannot be curbed by perpetual disap- pointment, to send out the desires after some object beyond our present reach. But we are never satisfied by the attainment of any present desires. The law of the natural world, by which objects diminish according to their distance from us, is not observed in the moral. The objects of our wishes are magnified in proportion to the distance at which we view them. As we approach, the charm is broken, the illusion vanishes; they prove to be but bubbles, which, as soon as touched, dissolve into airy vapor. Still we do not rest. At every fresh disappointment we put forth new desires and new efforts for the attainment of some object yet more remote. Even success the most unbounded does not satisfy us; we weep for more worlds to conquer. Amid this tumult of the mind, this everlasting restlessness of the soul, Religion, benign visitor, heavenly monitor, descends to man. She conies in radiant and alluring form, and addresses him in accents of winning tenderness: Receive me, and I will say to the swelling surges of passion, peace! be still. I will quell the fever of disappoint RELIGION. 51 ment by leading you to the fountain of living waters. I will point you to the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Receive me, oh ! '.hou on whom the Son of God looked with tenderness, and I will direct you to an object of pursuit worthy your heavenly origin, worthy of your nature—but little lower than that of angels—worthy the inward springs of which you are proudly yet painfully conscious. You love pursuit; the object to which I will direct you is infinite, therefore your pursuit will be endless. You delight in progress ; here your progress will be commensurate with eternity. Your desires are boundless ; you shall be satisfied when you awake in the likeness of God. Verily, you shall be frequently filled in this house of your pilgrimage with pre-libations of pure blessedness. Receive me, and you shall never fear what your nature so revolts at: a cessation of hope, expectation, and effort; for your capacity shall be forever increasing, and forever filling with all the fullness of God ; through- out the immortality of her existence, your soul shall be continually expanding her views, strengthening her energies, and drinking deeper and deeper of the river of pleasure, which flows at the right hand of the Most High. Such are the boundless offers of Religion ; all that man can desire, all that his nature can receive, more than his utmost powers of appre- hension can reach. This is the most important subject that can interest the attention of man ; infinitely more so than the great questions of human policy, which awaken the energies of the statesman, and arouse the wisdom of a nation ; for the effects of religion are felt in this world amid all the vicissitudes of fortune, and they extend, beside, into the grave, into the very depths of eternity ; that which interests the immortal Bpirit, which will decide its destiny during eternity, is so far above the petty considerations which agitate the world, that no comparison can be drawn between them. Christianity enters the hut of the poor man and sits down with him and his children ; it makes them contented in the midst of privations, and leaves behind an everlasting blessing. It walks through cities, and amid all their pomp and splendor, their towering pride and their unutterable misery, is a purifying, ennobling, and redeeming angel. It is alike the beautiful companion of childhood, and the comforting assurance of age. It adds dignity to the noble, gives wisdom to the wise, and new grace to the lovely. The patriot, the minister, the poet, and the eloquent man, all derive their sublime power from its influence. It can not be that earth is man's abiding place. It can not be that our lives are cast up by the ocean of eternity, to float a moment upon its waves and sink into 52 GUNN'S FAMILY PHYSICIAN. nothingness. Else why is it that the high and glorious aspirations which leap like angels from the temples of our hearts, are forever wandering about dissatisfied ? Why is it that the rainbow and cloud come over us with a beauty not of earth, and then pass off and leave us to muse upon their faded loveliness ? Why is it the stars that hold their festival around the midnight throne are set above the grasp of our limited faculties, forever mocking us with their unapproachable glory ? And finally, why is it that brighter forms of human beauty are presented to our view and taken away from us, leaving the thou- sand streams of our affection to flow back in Alpine torrents upon our hearts ? We are born for a higher destiny than that of earth ! There is a realm where the rainbow never fades, where the stars will spread out before us like islands that slumber on the ocean ; and where the beautiful beings, which here pass before us like shadows, will stay in our presence forever. " In Heaven there is rest! " It is a truth deeply impressed on the mind of every man, and familiar even to the most thoughtless, that in this life there is to be found but little rest; there is always something to disturb, excite, perplex, disappoint, weary us. The rosy-cheeked infant, the curly-headed boy, the blooming beauty, the man of business, and they of threescore and ten, all appear rest- less and dissatisfied. Some are unhappy for the want or the loss of friends or relations, of health or pleasure, of riches or employment; thousands of others suffer from a guilty conscience, the result of crime, and from the fears of a future judgment. But though the Christian may feel the effects of sin and suffer from sickness and bereavement, yet the assurance of rest in Heaven cheers and comforts him amid all the sorrows and afflictions of time. " In Heaven there is rest." There will be rest from sin, from sor- row, and from sickness; rest from troubles, and trials, and temptations; there will be no false or treacherous friends, no deceitful associates, no unkind relations, no bitter enemies. There the mind shall be no longer oppressed by cares and anxieties, nor overburdened with diffi- culties. There will be no sleepless nights, no wearisome days, no secret sighs, no bitter groans, no scalding tears, no unrequited love, no suudering of tender ties, no parting with those we love, no fear of disease, no suffering from pain, no dread of death, no dark and gloomy grave ; but all will be sweet and undisturbed repose — all will be peace, happiness, and love. Like the leaves of the forest, we come forth in beauty, pass on with the summer, and then sink to the earth. A few days only and the rose fades from the cheek, the limbs are palsied, and our forms mingle with the dust. " I envy no quality of the mind or intellect in others, be it genius, power, wit, or fancy ; but if I could choose what would be most RELIGION. 53 delightful, and I believe most useful to me, I shoull prefer a firm religious belief to every other blessing ; for it makes life a discipline of goodness, creates new hopes, when all earthly ones vanish, and throws over the ending of earthly existence the most gorgeous of all lights, awakens life even in death; from corruption and decay calls up beauty and divinity, makes an instrument of torture and shame the ladder of ascent to paradise ; and far above all combinations of earthly hopes, calls up the most delightful visions of palms and amaranths, the gardens of the blest, the security of everlasting joys, where the sensualist and the skeptic view only gloom, decay, annihilation, and despair." Religion ! It is not an abstraction. It is not ideal; living only in the brain, and leaving the heart untouched. It does not consist in peculiar frames of mind, in the excitements of animal feeling, or the overflow of these sensibilities, in the kindling of the fancy, or the heating of the imagination. It lives, not merely in visible manifes- tations of devotion, in the bowing of the knee, the lifting of the hands, in long prayers, in long drawn sighs, or in long cadaverous faces. All these may be without religion, and religion may exist without them. Religion shows itself in benevolent action, flow- ing forth from holy motives. It is that charity which " hopeth all things, believeth all things," yet contents not itself with a " be ye warmed, be ye clothed," but performs the good which it desires. It is that love which embraces all human kind, loving its neighbor as itself. It is that benevolence, which, like a river of good, gush- ing from a pure fountain, flows freely forth to all, spreading beauty and blessedness around, causing the desolate places of the earth to rejoice, and making the wilderness to bud and blossom as the rose. It knows not the lust of power. It seeks not its own preferment. Its kingdom is not of this world. It is too high to envy the proudest, too meek to despise the humblest. It hath no fellowship with bigotry. It despiseth not its brother because he differeth in opinion. Its creed is, "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before God." Its sect is, " The pure in heart." Its temple of worship is the universe. It is a transcript of Him who spent his life in doing good. It is the spirit of God living in the human heart. He is the Christian for us, who is always ready to take out his purse and assist the needy; who visits the widow and the fatherless, and keeps " himself unspotted from the world ;" who is never at a loss to speak in their affliction, when pleasant words are more valuable than gold. God honors such a soul — angels hover about his path, and devils tremble before him. Such a man is worth to humanity and 54 gunn's family physician. religion fourscore of those long-faced, whining hypocrites, who tel.. what they would do, but are never ready to obey the dictates of com- mon humanity. Give us an army of the truly kind-hearted and benev- olent Christians, and we will pledge ourselves to march through the world, conquering and subduing, and bring about that day when wars 'and bickerings shall cease, and earth resemble heaven. "Charity covereth a multitude of sins." But there are more ways than one of showing kindness to the unfortunate. No doubt the giving of money and other helps are often of very great moment; but there is another kind of charity which is cheaper, and of which we should not be for- getful, lest we should exclaim, " Thank God, I am not as other men." Do not turn the man off, who, in the hour of temptation, yielded to a first fault; bear with him yet a little longer; give him another trial; while you condemn his mis-step, encourage him to good deeds for the future. If you cast him off forever, he may reel blindly and continue to fall until ruin shall have fixed her seal permanently upon him. Be charitable — make due allowance for the weakness of poor human- ity. A gentle word, a kind look, an encouraging smile, may save a human being from the abyss of despair. How sweet is the remem- brance of a kind act; as we rest on our pillows, or rise in the morning, it gives us delight; we have performed a good deed to a poor man; we have made the widow's heart to rejoice; we have dried the orphan's tears — sweet, oh! how sweet the thought! There is a luxury in remembering the kind act. A storm careers above our heads : all is black as midnight — but the sunshine is in our bosom, the warmth is felt there. The kind act rejoiceth the heart, and giveth delight inexpressible. Who will not be kind? Who will not do good ? Who will not visit those who are afflicted in bodj and mind? Blessed be God for that Religion which supports us amid the distresses of life, and sustains us in the hour of death. How dark this world would be, if, when deceived and wounded here, we could not fly to our Heavenly Father, who is always ready to dry the mourner's tears, and still the troubled heart! Here it incontestably triumphs, and its happy effects, in this respect, furnish a strong inducement to every benevolent mind, to aid in having its influence diffused throughout the world. On such hopes the mind expatiates with joy, and when bereaved of its earthly friends, solaces itself with thoughts of a friend who will never forsake it. Refined reasonings concerning the nature of the human condition, and the improvements which philosophy teaches us to make of every event, may entertain the mind when it is at ease; may, perhaps, contribute to soothe it when slightly touched with sorrow ; but when RELIGION. 55 it is torn with any sore distress, they are cold and feeble, compared with a direct promise from the word of God. ^" This is an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast," This has given consolation and refuge to many a virtuous heart, at a time when the most cogent reasonings would have proved utterly unavailing. Then consult your own conscience: what does she say is the great end of life ? Listen to her voice in the chambers of your own heart She tells you that there is only one stream that is pure, and that stream flows from the throne of God ; but one aim is noble and worthy of an immortal spirit, and that is to become the friend of God, so that the soul may wing her way over the grave without fear, without dismay, without condemnation. There is only one path passing over the earth which is safe, which is right, which is honorable. It is that which Jesus Christ has marked out in His word, and which leads to glory. Let conscience speak when you are tempted to waste a day or an hour, or to commit any known sin, to neglect any known duty, and she will urge you, by all the high and holy motives of eternity, to live for God, to give your power to him, to seek his honor in all that you do. We pity the man who has no religion in his heart; no high and irresistible yearning after a better and a holier existence; who is contented with the sensuality and grossness of earth ; whose spirit never revolts at the darkness of its prison-house, nor exults at the thoughts of its final emancipation. We pity him, for he affords no evidence of his high origin, no manifestation of that intellectual prerogative, which renders him the delegated lord of the visible creation. He can rank no higher than the animal; the spiritual nature could never stoop so low. To seek for beastly excitements — to minister with a bountiful hand to depraved and strong appetites—are attributes of the animal alone. To limit our hopes and aspirations to this world, is like remaining forever in the place of our birth