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
which may exceed all the Passive Enjoyments of Sloth and Indolence. I
have insisted the more on the Pleasure as well as the Benefit of this
Exercise, because there are some Constitutions of so fine a Make, or else
so impair’d by some Hereditary Stain, that it must be slow and gentle
means that can Act upon ’em to any purpose, and the taking Pleasure in
those Means must greatly contribute to the Relief they are intended to
give.
Tho’ what I have said, may I hope carry weight enough with if, to
convince any that will give themselves leave to enquire into the Causes
of things; yet because Examples have so great a sway with some I shall
add a few instances of the Effects of this Exercise, and I shall first
relate the History of the Cure of Dr. _Seth Ward_, then Bishop of
_Salisbury_, which I have Translated from Dr. _Sydenham_.
_Nostrorum quidem in Sacris Antistes, Vir Prudentia, &c._ “One of our
Prelates, a Man Eminent for Wisdom and Learning, after that he had for a
long time given himself intemperately to his Studies, and with the whole
Stress of his Mind, which in him is very great, apply’d himself too much
to close Thinking; he fell at length into the Hypochondriacal Distemper,
which continuing a good while, all the Ferments of his Body were
vitiated, and all the Digestions quite subverted. He had more than once
gone thro’ the Chalybeate Course, He had try’d almost all the Mineral
Waters, with Purgings often repeated; as likewise Antiscorbuticks of all
kinds, and Testaceous Powders, in order to the Sweetning of his Blood.
Thus what with the Disease, and what with the Cure, continu’d for so many
Years together, being just not quite destroy’d, he was seiz’d with the
Colliquative _Diarrhœa_, which in the Consumption, and other Chronical
Distempers, when all the Digestions are quite spoil’d, is wont to be
the Forerunner of Death: When he at length consulted me, I presently
consider’d, that there was no more place left for Medicines, since he had
taken so many, and those so efficacious to so little purpose; I advis’d
him therefore for the Reasons above-mention’d, to commit himself wholly
to Riding for a Cure, beginning first with small Stages, such as were
most suitable with so weak a Condition; in so much, that if he had not
been of a piercing Judgment, that could discern the Reason of things,
he would not have been induc’d, to try that sort of Exercise. I desir’d
him to persist daily in that Practice, till in his own Opinion he was
well, encreasing his Stages gradually every day, till he could come to
Ride as many Miles in a Day, as the more Prudent and Moderate Travellers
usually do in one day, when upon the account of their Affairs, they set
out on a long Journey; that he should not be sollicitous as to what he
Eat or Drank, or have any regard to the Weather; but that he should like
a Traveller, take up with whatsoever he met with. To be short, he set
upon this Course gradually, Augmenting the Distance of his Ridings, till
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