A woman representing truth sits in a chemical laboratory and points at the source of a ray of light, representing philosophy. Engraving by Crabb, 1817, after G.M. Brighty.

"This work is at once a body of experimental knowledge:- how to sustain the appetite in an elegant manner, and how to relieve the body under its various accidental afflictions. It contains also invaluable receipts for rendering the arts and sciences subservient to domestic purposes."--preface by Hughson, op. cit.