71 



PRIESTLEY, JOSEPH. 



PBIE8TLEY, JOSKl'H. 



Qrilsnbcrg, in Austrian Silesia, where bli father was a farmer. Ha 

 rsoivd only a (mall amount of ordinary education at the town-school 

 of FVriwaldau ; for his elder brother having died, and his father 

 become blind, he was obliged at an early age to assist hi* mother in 

 jnginp and working the farm. He continued in this employment 

 ertral years ; fht one day, when be was taking some sacks of barley 

 to the fields for sowing, the horse became restire, seized Priessnitx 

 with its teeth, threw him down, and dragging tb loaded cart over 

 him, broke two of his ribs. A medical man, alter examining him, 

 expressed an opinion that the injuries sustained wire so great that, 

 ren if he recovered, he would be a cripple for life. Prieasnitz how- 

 ever, by placing his body in a certain position, which allowed him to 

 expand his chest to the utmost extent, replaced his ribs, and by the 

 free use of cold water kept down inflammation ; so that in a short 

 time he was enabled to return to his work. The process of cure by 

 cold water, which had been so beneficial in. his own case, was success- 

 fully us. d in other oases of inflammatory disorder. His reputation 

 gradually extended ; he studied medical books, formed a sort of sys- 

 tem of medical treatment, established cold-water baths at Qriifenberg, 

 and about the year 1826 patients began to resort to him from distant 

 parts of Gerumny. In 1829 his system may be said to have b. en in 

 full operation, and from the 1st of January of that year till the 1st of 

 January 1844 the number of his patients had amounted to 8973. The 

 total number of his patients in 1843 was 1050, and the number of 

 both sexes and all ages generally present at Grafenberg was about 360. 

 No particle of medicine, vegetable or miners), no tonic, no stimulant, 

 no emetic, no purgative, was ever administered in any form whatever. 

 No bleeding, blistering, or leeching was employed. Water variously 

 applied, externally as well as internally, the process of sweating, fresh 

 air, out-door exercise, plain diet, regulated clothing, early hours, and 

 cheerful society, constituted the only remedies. This system con- 

 tinued in successful operation till the death of Priessuitz, which 

 occurred on the 28th of November 1881, at Oriifenberg. The disease 

 of which he died is stated to have been dropsy on the chest. Hydro- 

 pathic establishments are now in operation in various places on the 

 continent of Europe, in the United King.iom of Great Britain and 

 Ireland, and on the continent of America. 



Priesenitz did not write any medical work himself, but accounts of 

 his system have been published in German and English. Captain 

 B. T. Claridgc in 1849 published ' The Water-Cure, or Hydropathy, as 

 practised by Vincent Priessnitz, at Grsefenberg, Silesin, Austria,' 8vo, 

 London; and 'Every Man his own Doctor: the Cold Water, Tepid 

 Water, and Friction Cures, as applicable to every Disease to which the 

 Human Frame is subject, and also to the Cure of Diseases in Horses 

 and Cattle,' 8vo, London. 



( Ytncenz Prieunitz, eine Ltben$bttchreibttng, von Dr. J. E. M. Seliuger, 

 12mo, Vienna, 1852.) 



PRIESTLEY, JOSEPH, the son of Jonas Priestley, a cloth-dresser 

 at BiraUl-Fieldhead, near Leeds, was born at FicMhead, on the 13th 

 of March 1733, old style. His mother dying when he was six years of 

 age, he was adopted by a paternal aunt, Mrs. Keighley, by whom he 

 was sent to a free grammar-school in the neighbourhood, where he 

 was taught the Latin language and the elements of the Greek. His 

 vacations were devoted to the study of Hebrew under a dissenting 

 minister ; and when he had acquired some proficiency in this language 

 be commenced and made considerable progress in the Chaldee, Syriac, 

 and Arabic. In the mathematics he received some instruction from 

 Mr. Hagcentone, who had been educated under Maclanrin. From his 

 habits of application and attachment to theological inquiries, his aunt 

 early entertained hopes of bis becoming a minister. Ill health how- 

 ever led him to abandon for awhile his classical studies and apply 

 himself to mercantile pursuits. We liaru from his own statement 

 that his constitution, always far from robust, had been injured by a 

 " consumptive tendency, or rather an ulcer in the lungs, the conse- 

 quence of improper conduct when at school, being often violently 

 heated with exercise, and as often imprudently chilled by bathing, 

 Ac." Without the aid of a master, ho acquired some knowledge- of 

 the French, Italian, and Qerman. With the return of health bis 

 earlier occupations were resumed, and at tho age of nineteen (1752) 

 be entered the Dissenting academy at Daventry (afterwards Cownrd 

 College, and now incorporated with New College, London), conducted 

 by Mr. (afterwards Dr.) Ashworth, the successor vt Dr. Doddridge. 

 His parents were both of the Calvinistio persuasion, as also was his 

 aunt, whp had omitted no opportunity of inculcating the importance 

 of tho Calvinistio doctrine. As however differences of opinion on 

 doctrinal points were not with her sufficient ground for rejecting the 

 society of those whom the believed to bo virtuous and enlightened, 

 her house became the resort of many ministers and clergymen whose 

 views were more or less opposed to those of Calvin. In their dia- 

 cnasions young Priestley took considerable interest, and they may be 

 supposed to nave had considerable influence in leading him to a 

 systematic examination of the grounds upon which he had rested bis 

 own belief. Before the aga of nineteen he styles himself rather a 

 believer in the doctrines of Arniiniu*. though ho add*, " I had by no 

 means rejected the doctrine of the Trinity or that of the Atonement.'' 

 Before leaving home be expressed a desire to be admitted a com- 

 municant in the Calvinlstic congregation which be had been in the 

 habit of attending with his aunt; but the minister having elicited 



Tom his replies that he entertained doubts relative to the doctrines of 

 original sin and the eternity of punishment, his admission was 

 refused. 



On reaching the academy he found the professors and student* 

 about equally divided upon most questions which were deemed of 

 much importance, such as liberty and necessity, the sleep of the soul, 

 kc., and all the articles of theological orthodoxy and heresy, which 

 thus became topics of animated and frequent discussion. The spirit 

 of controversy thus excited was in some messure fostered by the plan 

 Tor regulating their studies, drawn up by Dr. Dmldri'V ,-, which 

 led certain works on both sides of every question which thf students 

 were required to peruse and form an abridgement of for thrir future 

 use. Before the lapse of many months he conceived himself called 

 upon to renounce the greater number of the theological and meta- 

 physical opinions which he had imbibed in early youth, and thu, lie 

 himself observes, "I came to embrace what is generally call 



heterodox side of the question : but notwithstanding the 



great freedom of our debates, tho extreme of heresy among us was 

 Arianism, and all of us, I believe, left the academy with a belief, 

 more or less qualified, of the doctrine of the Atonement." During 

 bis residence at the academy be composed the first part of his ' 

 tutes of Natural and Revealed Religion,' published in 1772; the 

 remaining three parts appeared in 177'!-" 1. 



Oil quitting the academy in 1755 he became minister to a small 

 congregation at Needham-Market in Suffolk, at an average salary of 

 SO/, per annum. To increase his income, he circulated proposals for 

 teaching the classics, mathematics, Ac., for half-a-gninea a quarter, and 

 to board his pupils for 12 guineas a year. Finding these produced co 

 effect, and that his congregation, ou becoming acquainted with his 

 opinions, were gradually forsaking him, which however mny be in 

 some measure ascribed to an increasing impediment in his speech, he 

 quitted Needbam in 1758, for a similar but temporary engagement at 

 Nantwich in Cheshire. Hero he was more successful os a school- 

 master, and by means of the strictest economy was able to purchase 

 some philosophical apparatus, including an air-pump and electrical- 

 machine, and also to keep out of debt, which through life he nlv. a_v 

 made a point of doing. While at Needham he informs us that a 

 careful examination of the Old and New Testaments convinced hi: i 

 that " the doctrine of the Atonement, even in its most qualified sense, 

 had no countenance either from Scripture or reason," and induced him 

 to compose his work entitled 'The Scripture Doctrine of Remission, 

 which shows that the Death of Christ is no proper Sacrifice nor Satis- 

 faction for Sin ; but that Pardon is dispensed solely on account of 

 a Personal Repentance of the Sinner,' which was published in 1761, 

 the year in which he removed from Nantwich, to succeed Mr. (after- 

 wards Dr.) Aikin, as tutor in tho languages and belles luttnu at 

 Warrington Academy. Here he married the daughter of Mr. Wilkin- 

 son, an ironmaster of Wales, a lady of great amiability and strength 

 of mind, by whom he had several children. Here also he composed 

 several work', among which are his lectures on ' The Theory of 

 Language and Universal Grammar,' 1762 ; on ' Oratory and Criticism,' 

 1777; on 'History and General Policy,' 1788; on ' Tho Laws anil 

 Constitution of England,' 1772 ; an ' Essay on a Course of Liberal 

 Education for Civil aad Active Life," 1765; 'Chart of Biography,' 

 1765; 'Chart of History,' 1769, Ac. A visit to the metropolis was 

 the occasion of his introduction to Dr. Frtmklin, Dr. Price, and others. 

 To the first of these be communicated his idea of writing a historical 

 account of electrical discoveries, if provided with the requisite books. 

 These Dr. Franklin undertook to procure, and before the end of tho 

 year in which Priestley submitted to him the plan of the work ho 

 sent him a copy of it in print, though five hours of every day had 

 been occupied in public or private teaching, besides which he had kept 

 up an active philosophical correspondence'. The title of this work is 

 ' Tho History and Present State of Electricity, with Original Experi- 

 ments,' 1767 (third edition, 1775). His 'Original ]'. 

 though numerous and interesting, did not give rise to any discovery of 

 importance, and tho entire work is described by Dr. Thomson as 

 " carelessly vntten," which may readily be attributed to the rapidity 

 with which it was executed. Shortly before (17(36) its publi< 

 he was elected a member of the Royal Society, and about the came 

 time the honorary title of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon him 

 by the University of Edinburgh. The approbation bestowed on his 

 ' History of Electricity ' induced him some time after to ootupoHo In.-, 

 ' History and Present State of Discoveries relating to Vision, Light, 

 and Colours,' 2 vols. 4 to, which ho intended should be succeeded by a 

 similar account of the other branches of experimental science ; but 

 the sale of this work not answering his expectations, the design was 

 abandoned, and, we believe, the work itself did not evince any very 

 intimate knowledge of the subject. 



A disagreement between the trustees and professors of the academy 

 led to his relinquishing his appointment at Warrington in 1707. Ilia 

 next engagement was at Mill-Hill chapel, Leeds, where his theological 

 inquiries were resumed, and several works of the kind composed, 

 chiefly of a controversial character. The vicinity of his dwelling to 

 a public brewery was tho occasion of his attention being directed to 

 pneumatic chemistry, the consideration of which he commenced in 

 1768, and subsequently prosecuted with great success. Hi* Brut pub 

 licatiou on this subject was a pamphlet on ' Impregnating Water with 



