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
Having, then consider’d these Medicines, I will suppose it granted
me, that they are proper in this Case; I won’t say that they shall be
Sufficient to Cure of themselves, (tho’ I don’t doubt but they may in
some Constitutions do the Work themselves) but I will only suppose,
that they do greatly dispose towards it, which _Postulatum_ will, I
conceive, be readily granted me; I will suppose likewise, that Riding
(the Exercise I propose in this Case) does likewise dispose towards a
Cure, which _Postulatum_ will be granted too; I will suppose farther,
that these two Courses are Compatible, and may be us’d together; as the
Medicines help the Fluids, the Exercise helps both the Fluids and Solids;
which _Postulatum_ cannot be deny’d me neither; what then naturally
Results from this, but that they be both us’d in Conjunction? And is it
not more than probable, that these two Methods joyn’d, shall effect that
which neither of ’em can singly? Do not we see enough of this every Day
in Natural Occurrences, where one, two or three things, indifferent in
themselves, shall, when blended together, produce a valuable Effect,
which none of ’em could alone? And shall these things be observ’d in
lesser Arts, and be slighted when a Man’s Health is at Stake? Seeing we
abound so in Compound Medicines, why may we not for once take up with
a Compound Method of Cure, (if I may so speak) that is, if we cannot
obtain Health by one sort of means alone, why may we not expect it from a
Complication?
Thus I have run up these Arguments to a Head; I have shewn that the
Medicines appropriated to this Case, ought to be very Mild and Temperate,
upon the account of that less prevalent quality, there may be Hazard,
lest they should not always prove equally effectual; and therefore to
supply any such Defect, I substitute a most easie Natural Gymnastick
Course, as a common Aid to the weakness of the Medicines, and an
assistance to that part of the Oeconomy, which those Medicines can’t
reach. Whether this is not most suitable to, and consistent with the even
Tenour of Nature, tho’ it may not relish so much of the Magnificence
of Art, I must submit to those who are best Judges; to me it seems to
promise enough, and carry more Healing with it, than some things that are
dignifi’d with the great Titles of _Gilead_ and _Peru_.
If after all there are any People who will think, I have taken too much
upon me, in venturing to attack the _Balsamick_ Method, if they cannot
think slightly of Medicines, which will give such present mitigation of a
Cough, and which are so Fragrant and Costly, let ’em enjoy their Opinion,
and persist in the use of them; and if they find ’em at any time not
so effectual as they could desire, let ’em but superadd the Power of
Exercise, and they will doubtless find ’em much improv’d; and if they
come by that Means to succeed, I shall not envy their good Effects.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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