n8 BACON 



ceipts: the other salable preparations of the shops being in 

 readiness, rather for general purposes, than accommodated to 

 any particular cures ; for they do not principally regard some 

 one disease, but have a general virtue of opening obstructions, 

 promoting concoction, etc. And hence it chiefly proceeds, that 

 empirics and women are often more successful in their cures 

 than learned physicians, because the former keep strictly and 

 invariably to the use of experienced medicines, without alter- 

 ing their compositions. I remember a famous Jew physician 

 in England would say : " Your European physicians are in- 

 deed men of learning, but they know nothing of particular cures 

 for diseases." And he would sometimes jest a little irrever- 

 ently, and say : " Our physicians were like bishops, that had 

 the keys of binding and loosing, but no more." To be serious ; 

 it might be of great consequence if some physicians, eminent for 

 learning and practice, would compile a work of approved and 

 experienced medicines in particular diseases. For, though one 

 might speciously pretend, that a learned physician should rather 

 suit his medicines occasionally, as the constitution of the pa- 

 tient, his age, customs, the seasons, etc., require, than rest upon 

 any certain prescriptions ; yet this is a fallacious opinion that 

 underrates experience and overrates human judgment. And 

 as those persons in the Roman state were the most serviceable, 

 who being either consuls, favored the people, or tribunes, and 

 inclined to the senate ; so are those the best physicians, who 

 being either learned, duly value the traditions of experience ; 

 or men of eminent practice, that do not despise methods and 

 the general principles of the art. But, if medicines require, at 

 any time, to be qualified, this may rather be done in the vehicles 

 than in the body of the medicine, where nothing should be 

 altered without apparent necessity. Therefore, this part of 

 physic which treats of authentic and positive remedies, we note 

 as deficient ; but the business of supplying it is to be undertaken 

 with great judgment, and as by a committee of physicians, 

 chosen for that purpose. 



And for the preparation of medicines ; it seems strange, espe- 

 cially as mineral ones have been so celebrated by chemists, 

 though safer for external than internal use, that nobody hath 

 hitherto attempted any artificial imitations of natural baths and 

 medicinal springs, whilst it is acknowledged that these receive 

 their virtues from the mineral veins through which they pass ; 



