Page 146 - My FlipBook

126 Curative Treatment of Caries.
teeth, as well as to employ a dentist, and at a very trifling
expense."

appointment, that there was no physician of that name, nor ever had
been in the memory of any person there. The gentleman returned,
vowing eternal hostility to the peace of Sydenham ; and on his arrival
at home, instantly expressed his indignation at having been sent on a
journey of so many hundred miles lor no purpose. ' Well, 1 replies
Sydenham, ' are you better in health ?'— Yes, 1 am quite well, but no
'
thanks to you,'— 'IS'o,' says Sydenham, ' but you may thank Dr. Robin-
son for curing you. I wished to send you a journey with some object of
interest in view ; 1 knew it would be of service to you ; in going you had
Dr. Robinson and his wonderful cures in contemplation ; and in return-
ing, you were equally engaged in thinking of scolding me.' "
To show the effects of diet in the cure of a disease of very frequent oc-
currence in our city, hamoptysis cr Heeding at the Imps, we leg
leave to mention a case, the subject of which was ourself : a desire that
it may prove of use to others similarly affected, is our apology and only
reason for relating it.
In the autumn of 1833, 1 caught a severe cold from exposure, the effects
of which, I took little eare to remove; depending on the soundness of
my constitution, 1 left it to nature. On the first of January following, I
had a violent attack of hamoptysis. Knowing the danger of further
delay, I took some medicir.es and put myself on a low diet, (bread and
milk; adietthat I am fond of,) and continued it till the middle of March,
when, feeling myself much better at the lungs, I returned to my old
regimen. About the first of May, the bleeding from the lunge returned
with redoubled vigor; so much so that I fainted: it continued at intervals
for a fortnight, and reduced me very much. I again took to the bread
and milk diet and continued it, occasionally changing it for a vegetable
diet, upwards of a year, (during this time 1 ate no animal food,) when,
finding: every symptom of my old complaint subdued, I gradually re-
turned to a " rational mode of living." Since this tune, though living
on " the fat of the land," I feel my lungs as sound ss ever they were.
The low diet subdued, or assisted nature very materially in subduing the
chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane, lining the air tubes,
which was the proximate cause of the disease.
I have recommended the above mode of living to two of my acquaint-
ances, affected with hemoptysis, who have followed it, and derived great
benefit thereby.
The milk of the ass has long been celebrated for the cure of consump-
tion. It is the diet and charm of novelty that have been beneficial—not
that the milk of the ass is more efficacious than that of the cow, though
it is richer; nor is it that milk possesses any medicinal quality. It
is the diet; and any low diet, well managed, would prove equally effi-
cacious.
Physicians are beginning to treat chronic diseases on a new method.
Instead of feeding the slow flame with a stimulating diet, they starve
it out ; or subdue the chronic inflammation, by keeping the ratiem on a
very low diet. There is no danger of persons dying from debility, in-
duced by this diet. Nature is very provident ; give her much, and she
will endeavor to throw it off at waste gates ; give her little, and she