Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London during the Eighteenth Century; Vol. 1 (of 2): Including the Charities, Depravities, Dresses, and Amusements etc.Malcolm, James Peller
History
Anecdotes of the Manners and Customs of London during the Eighteenth Century; Vol. 1 (of 2): Including the Charities, Depravities, Dresses, and Amusements etc.
Malcolm, James Peller
London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 18th century
A writer in the Weekly Miscellany for August 7, 1736, pertinently
observed, that "the attention of the good people of England is very
frequently ingrossed by the bold pretensions of persons starting up
from time to time in several sciences, but more particularly in those
of Divinity and Physick; and with the more reason of hoping to succeed
in their views, as the soul, in which the one is concerned, and the
body, in which the other, are the two grand subjects which engage
the human mind; and each of these pretenders respectively becomes in
vogue for a certain period, and then generally dies away in a silence
proportioned to the noise they once made. The Stroking Doctor in the
reign of Charles II.; the French Prophets in the reign of Queen Anne;
the Quicksilver lunacy lately; the itinerant preaching Quakeress
since; and Mr. Ward's pill and drop, not yet quite gone off from its
vogue--are signal instances of the truth of our observation. So it may
be observed, that the Quicksilver fashion seems to have been beat out
of doors by the pill and drop; and now the vogue of the pill and drop,
which seem to owe their success to their violent operation in desperate
cases, appears in a fair way of subsiding to a new object of the
public attention, which really seems (beyond all that we have named)
to deserve it, as it is attended with plain and unartificial fact, as
it is neither violent or dangerous in the operation, and carries in
every act the clearest demonstration along with it.--What we mean is
the famous female Bone-setter of Epsom, who must be allowed as much
to excel the others, as certainty does imagination, as simplicity does
artifice, and as seeing and feeling do the other senses.
"This person, we are told, is daughter of one Wallin, a bone-setter
of Hindon, Wilts, and sister of that Polly Peachem whom a gentleman
of fortune married. Upon some family quarrel she left her father, and
wandered up and down the country in a very miserable manner, calling
herself _Crazy Sally_; and often, as it is presumed for grief, giving
way to a practice that made her appear to have too good a title to
the name. Arriving at last at Epsom, she has performed such wonderful
cures, that we are told the people thereabout intend a subscription for
300_l._ a year to keep her among them."
Many of those cures are then described, which seem well attested, and
are really surprising. "In fine, the concourse of people to Epsom
on this occasion is incredible; and it is supposed she gets near 20
guineas a day, as she executes what she does in a very quick manner.
She has strength enough to put in any mans shoulder without assistance;
and this her strength makes the following story, which may be depended
upon, the more credible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account