Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders: Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged PhysicianAlcott, William A. (William Andrus)
Science
Forty Years in the Wilderness of Pills and Powders: Cogitations and Confessions of an Aged Physician
Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)
Medicine -- Anecdotes
"We have continued the same course of diet as at your house;
in short, have carried out your views perfectly as possible.
Notwithstanding all this, he (Samuel) has lost flesh and
strength; and, for the last few weeks, has fallen off
greatly, in mental and physical vigor. He has run down in
flesh to eighty pounds, is pale as this paper, coughs
considerably, especially at night, yet does not expectorate
very much. He had a spell of spitting blood, some five or
six weeks ago, raised perhaps a gill. I do not think that it
debilitated him very much at the time."
Not far from this time Samuel was taken from the farm, and subjected to
various changes in his habits, which were unauthorized, and which
probably proved injurious. He took a large amount of cream,--an article
which had not before been allowed him,--also a little fresh meat at his
dinners. Instead of going without his breakfast, as before, he now
appears to have taken breakfast; and in some instances, at least, to
have used not only large quantities of cream at this early hour, but
animal food likewise. There was a strong and increasing belief among his
friends, that his food was not sufficiently nutritious, and that he was
suffering for want of materials for blood; whereas the error lay in the
other direction. His stomach and other digestive organs were overloaded
and depressed by the large amount of nutriment he had for some time
received. But more on this hereafter.
He now appeared to be falling into what is called a galloping
consumption, of which he died a few weeks afterward. There should have
been a post mortem examination; but, from various causes, it was not
attended to. At the time of his death he was about eighteen years of
age.
The treatment of this young man on the farm, was by no means what had
been intended. The experiment of having him eat alone was hazardous, and
I sternly protested against it. But the hours at which he chose to take
his two meals, especially the first, were such as to preclude,
practically, a better arrangement. There was no one that wished to eat
at ten in the forenoon, but himself; and it was not customary for the
family to convene for eating in the afternoon, till six. Now, although,
abstractly considered, he selected the best hours for his meals, yet,
taking society as it is, and human nature as _his_ was, it would have
been much better, in the result, had he eaten with the family at twelve
and six. He would have eaten less, and yet would probably have been
better nourished and better satisfied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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