New Guide to Health, Or Botanic Family Physician. [Followed By] a Narrative of the Life and Medical Discoveries of Samuel Thomson

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1849 edition. Excerpt: ...whole, eighteen, of the most shocking convulsive fits that had ever been seen by any M 2 If one present. The spasms were so violent as to jar the whole house. After the fits had left her, she was entirely senseless, and was raving distracted for three days; and then hecame perfectly stupid, qpd lay in that situation for three days; she then laughed three days, and then cried three days; after which she seemed to awake like a person from sleep, and had no knowledge of what had passed, or that she had heen sick, or had a child. These two doctors continued to attend her, and used all the means in their power to strengthen the nervous system. She gained very slowly, and it was a long time hefore she got about; but she never got entirely over it. This sickness put me back in my business very much, and the expense was above two hundred dollars. In about a month after my wife had recovered from her sickness, she was attacked with the cholic, which required all my attention, and that of the two doctors who attended her before; but; all our exertions appeared to be in vain, for the disease had its regular course for several days, and then left her. These attacks continued once a month, or oftener, and it was so much trouble to go for the doctor so often, as I had to go during these turns, that I let a young man, who studied with Dr. Watts, have a house on my farm, so as to have him handy; but I soon found that by having a doctor so near, there was plenty of business for him; for there was not a month in the year but what I had somebody sick in my family. If a child was attacked with any trifling complaint, the doctor was sent for, and they were sure to have a long sickness; so he paid his rent and keeping very easy. This doctor lived on my farm...