Diseases > Domestic medicine

DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 393
but little either of the nature or cure of this disease,
and where reason or medicines fail, superstition al¬
ways comes in their place. Hence it is that in dis¬
eases which are the most difficult to understand, we
generally hear of the greatest number of miraculous
cures being performed. Here, however, the decep¬
tion is easily accounted for. The scrophula, at a
certain period of life, often cures of itself; and if the
patient happens to be touched about this time, the
cure is impute A to the touch, and not to Nature, who
is really the physician. In the same way the insig¬
nificant nostrums of quacks and old women often
gain applause when they deserve none.
There is nothing more pernicious than the custom
of plying children in the scrophula with strong purga¬
tive medicines. People imagine it proceeds from
humours which must be purged off, without consi¬
dering that these purgatives increase the debility and
aggravate the disease. It has indeed been found,
that keeping the body gently open for some time,
especially with sea water, has a good effect; but this
should only be given in gross habits, and in such
quantities as to procure one, or at most two stools
every day.
Bathing in the salt water has likewise a very good
effect, especially in the warm season. I have often
known a course of bathing in salt water, and drinking
it in such quanties as to keep the body gently open,
cure a scrophula, after many other medicines had
been tried in vain. When salt water cannot be ob¬
tained, the patient may be bathed in fresh water, and
his body kept open by a small quantity of salt and
water, or some other mild purgative.
Next to cold bathing, and drinking the salt water,
we would recommend the Peruvian bark. The cold
bath may be used in summer, and the bark in winter.