Medicina Gymnastica: or, A treatise concerning the power of exercise, with respect to the animal oeconomy; and the great necessity of it in the cure of several distempers — John Shaqi
Medicina Gymnastica: or, A treatise concerning the power of exercise, with respect to the animal oeconomy; and the great necessity of it in the cure of several distempersFuller, Francis
Science
Medicina Gymnastica: or, A treatise concerning the power of exercise, with respect to the animal oeconomy; and the great necessity of it in the cure of several distempers
Fuller, Francis
Exercise therapy -- Early works to 1800
These are Instances of several Methods, widely differing from one
another, and yet of absolute Necessity in their particular Cases, which
shews us, that we ought not to be so eager after Courses of Pharmacy in
all Cases, without distinguishing where other ways are most rational. It
is one thing to dispose Nature to collect her own Strength, and throw
off her Enemy; and it is another to assist her by the ~Corpuscula~, the
Minute parts of a Medicine given inwardly; the first way has Regard to
the whole Animal Oeconomy; the second reflects the Blood and Juices
chiefly; the first may succeed, where the second cannot, because here the
Laws of Motion, and the Rules of the Oeconomy are enforc’d, and brought
to be assisting to a Recovery of Health, which in some few Cases can’t be
effected by a private and simple Attempt upon the Blood only._
_These are Notices which don’t lie so far out of the reach of any Man,
that will give himself leave to animadvert upon the Misfortunes of
his Neighbours, but that they may discern’d; and if they were duly
considered, there could be no room for Empiricism, for that is founded
on the Folly, or Negligence of Mankind; and if Men will give themselves
up to Expectation, and resolve to be always alike Passive, in Hopes the
Miracle will be wrought upon ’em, without any Concurrence on their part,
it is but just they should suffer something from the Pedantry, the little
things of the Profession, which they are so dispos’d to receive._
_As for the Exercise of the Body, which is the Subject of this ensuing
Discourse, if People would not think so superficially of it, if they
would but abstract the Benefit got by it, from the Means by which it is
got, they would set a great Value upon it; if some of the Advantages
accruing from Exercise, were to be procur’d by any one Medicine, nothing
in the World would be in more Esteem, than that Medicine would be; but
as those Advantages are to be obtain’d another way, and by taking some
Pains, Mens Heads are turn’d to overlook and slight ’em. The habitual
increasing of the Natural Heat of the Body, as I took Notice above, is
not to be despis’d; but if we consider that it is done without charging
Nature with any subsequent Load, it ought to be more valuable, for I may
by some generous Medicine, or a Glass of Wine, raise Nature to a great
Pitch for a time, but then when these Ingredients come to be digested and
resolv’d into their Principles, Nature may be more oppress’d with the
Remains of the Medicine, than she was at first reliev’d by it: Therefore
if any Drug could cause such an Effect, as the Motion of the Bodies
does, in this Respect, it would be of singular Use, in some tender Cases
upon this very Account; but then add to this the great Strength, which
the Muscular and Nervous parts acquire by Exercises, if that could be
adequately obtain’d likewise by the same Internal Means, what a Value,
what an extravagant Esteem, would Mankind have for that Remedy, which
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