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M E D

58 )

M E· D

as extremes; in which fenfe it is oppofed to immedi–

:ne.

MEDI CAGO, in botan'y, a genlls of the diadelphia de–

cilndria elaCs . The pod is compreffed; and

th~

cui·

na of the coroll. decline, from the vexillum. T aere

M E

EDICINE

generall y deG ned tO be, T he art of

preferviog heahh when prefect, and of ren.,ring it

wben 10Cl.

~1en

would never think of any

panicular

regimen or

mode of living. in order to pref<rve health, before they

felt the pain, whieh aeeompany the \Vant it. The firll

paioful fenfation muCl neeelfarily have produeed a d<Gre

for relief. But 'in a puiod when

phyfiei.ns

and medio

cines were equally unknown, how was that reJief to be

obtairied! or what f)'Clem of .eonduél

wo~mao

in this

fimatioD

naturally follow? Whoever

CdO anfwer

theCe

queClions, wi!l unfold the genuine principies of the medi–

cal art, and give an inf.!lible flanda rd for judgi ng

'v.ha<

prpgref!

s beco made in tbe

improvement

it,

what

particular circumChnces

have

contributed

obarua

forward th. knowledge and cure of difeafes.

M edieioe being thus founded on a powerful inClin(l in

human

natuTe,

exifience in fome form

mua

have beeo

eoev.1 with the firCl difeafe that app<ared .mong mankind.

Moa

ares requiTe

the

experience of ages

befare they

can

arrive at a high degree of perfeétion. Medicine is un–

queClionably one of the moCl aneient; and eonfequeDdy,

the improvement of

might be expeéled to bear fome

proportion to its 31ltiquity.

BUl,

whilIl: philofophy,

aH its branches, hí\S beeo cultivated and improved

great exrent; medicine, notwithllanding (he collateral ad·

vantages ir has of late derived (rom

3natomy

and other

feienees, Clill eODtinuts to be buried in rubbifl, and obfeu–

rit)'.

~1any

c::luCes have contributcd to

retud

our progrc(s

the knowledge of the caufes and cure of difeafes. In the

carly ages. prefcriptions were either the reCull of tradi·

t iOD

founded upon uncertain faé'ts, or mere random tríals

witbout any ralional view of fuccefs: Accordingly, when

any unCommon edfe occurred, [he patienls \Vere placed in

crofs.ways, and cther public places,

receive

lhe

advice

of p.lfengers who might ehanee to know the direafe or an

efficacious remedy. In this '.I.'ay valuable medicines might

beaccident¡¡)Jydircovered. BUl memory, and, in

remar

2ble cures, engravings

pillan or the walls of temples,

were poor infirumems for recording the fymptoms of dif–

eafes, and the ingredienls of prercriptions.

After the kno\Vledge of medicine began to be Cludied

2nd pra(lifed as a liberal profcllion, a jealoufy of reputa·

tion, joined to a lhirf1: for money and ignorance vf phi–

lofophy, laid • folid (oundation for medieal difputation.

On. party of phyr.eiaos, kno\Vn by the name of Empy .

rícs, exc1udcd aB reafoning, and lrurled fol ely to experi.

(ncc. Anuther pany, caBed D ogmatifls, maintained, that

m¡n ought tO pre[eribe, without bcing able tO

give

are ntoe fpectcs , tour of them natives of Britaio,

vlt:.

The f.dcat.l, or ydlow !TI(!dic ; the:: raliva, or lucern ; lhe

lupulina. or meltlot trcfoil¡ and lhe arabica, or he¿rt–

t r<foll.

theory bOlh of the difeafe and of the nature and aélion of

the medicine. Tltis dirpute cootlnued for ages, and , like

othcr dirputcG of a fimilar o.tture, remaios Hill in fome

meafure undccided.

Tite

principies of both theCe p:uties

are unquellionably good . But the phyr.cian who exclud..

either-of lhem, wdl make bUI liule progreCs io rhe know–

ledge of his profellion .

judieious mixtu re of the tWO

is indifpeofably nececruy. Jodeed it is diffieult tO deter–

mine whether tOO e,rc:at an attacbmeot to empyrici(m or

dogmatifm h.s eontributed mo(l tO obClru(l the improve–

ment of phyr.e.

But there is one caufe which has operated more power–

flllJy .i.g, prevenring the improvement of medici ne than e·

ven a combinatioo of all the other caufes. Moll branches

of philofophy are princip.lly eultiva:ed by people who ex–

pe8 thei r reward in repur3tion. not io money. The prac·

tice of phyfic is become as literaJly a trade as any branch

of bufinefs whatever. Young meo are [aught phy(jc with

no other view rhan that of gitining their bread . When·

ever a phyfician gets ioto extenfive prattice. he may

buClle and

m.ke

a noire; but, even fuppoGng his abili.ties

to be great, he can never fiad leifure la thiok, or digefl.

his obfervations.

Another eaufe of the imperfell na.. of medicine .rif.o

from rhe varicties in conrlitutions, and the co:npléx na–

ture of direafes.. Jt is even extremely difficult, after

él

direare has been cured, tO determine with certaioty, whe–

lher the cure was performed by the operadon of nature,

or by any particular virtue in the medicine. T'his di/ficul–

ty is gre..¡ tly increarc:d by the variety of difFercnt medicines,

and different iogredients in lhe Carne medicine, ,which are

commonly adminillred during the courre of a di(eare ..

Of lare feveral attempts have beco made to reduce me–

dicine ioto lhe form of a regula.r

(cience,

by diUributi9g

dífe<tfes into c1afTes, orders, genera, and (pecies. Sau–

vage was lhe firll, and indeed the ooly per(on who ever at–

tempted to complete this grcat wOlk. Others. as Lin–

o:cus. Vogel, D r Cullcn,

Oc.

have unce endeavcured

improve S.tuvage's method of cl.lffing; but [hey have coo–

tented themrelves with ao enumeratíon of the charaéters

and arrangement of the difFerent

genera~

withoul enter·

ing

jotO

their hillory or cure. S.lUvage eOumerates

315.

genera, Linn",us

325.

Vogel

560,

and Dr Cullenhas re–

dueed lhem tO

132,

The bare infpe(lion of thefe num–

bers rhews, th:u phyricians are far from being agrecd with

r'cg;nd to what conflitutes the geocric or fpecific charac·

tels of a difl.!afe. l odc:ed, we may venture tO affirm, lhat

tJ\ey

never will agree upon this pOlnt: T he diagnollic

fytnl'toms of difeafes are not fo eafily difeovered as the Cla–

miDa

or pctlls in a Iluwer, or lhe Dumber of teeth or toes