New guide to health, or, Botanic family physician : containing a complete system of practice, on a plan entirely new : with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them, to cure disease : to which is prefixed, A narrative of the life and medical discoveries of the author / by Samuel Thomson.

  • Thomson, Samuel, 1769-1843.
Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New guide to health, or, Botanic family physician : containing a complete system of practice, on a plan entirely new : with a description of the vegetables made use of, and directions for preparing and administering them, to cure disease : to which is prefixed, A narrative of the life and medical discoveries of the author / by Samuel Thomson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    and having a retentive memory, I have always recollect- ed the taste and use of all that were ever shown me by others, and likewise of all that I discovered myself. This practice of tasting of herbs and roots has been of great advantage to me, as I have always been able to ascertain what is useful for any particular disease, by that means. I was often told that I should poison my- self by tasting every thing I saw; but I thought I ought to have as much knowledge as a beast, for they possess an instinct to discover what is good for food, and what is necessary for medicine. I had but very little knowledge of disease at this time; but had a great inclination to learn whatever I had an opportunity; and my own expe- rience, which is the best school, had often called my at- tention to the subject. The herb which I had discovered when four years old, I had often met with; but it had never occurred to me that it was of any value as medicine, until about this time, when mowing in the field with a number of men, one day, I cut a sprig of it, and gave to the man next to me, who ate it; when we had got to the end of the piece, which was about six rods, he said that he believ- ed what I had given him would kill him, for he never felt so in his life. I looked at him and saw that he was in a most profuse perspiration, being as wet all over as he could be; he trembled very much, and there was no more color in him than a corpse. I told him to go to the spring and drink some water; he attempted to go, and got as far as the wall, but was unable to get over it, and laid down on the ground and vomited several times. He said he thought he threw off his stomach two quarts. I then helped him into the house, and in about two hours he ate a very hearty dinner, and in the afternoon was able to do a good half day's labor. He afterwards told me that he never had any thing do him so much g^>od in his life; his appetite was remarkably good, and he felt better than he had for a long time. This circumstance gave me the first idea of the medical virtues of this valu- able plant, which I have since found by forty years ex- perience, in which time I have made use of it in every disease I have met with, to great advantage, that it is a discovery of the greatest importance.