34 'FOTHERGILL AS A PHYSICIAN CHAP 



more rational methods, and Fothergill carried forward 

 the change that was in progress, using his own thought, 

 making experiment, and varying his practice with the 

 result. It is true that he did sometimes prescribe both 

 Venice treacle and Mithridate, but it was with a half 

 apology : "Be the mixture of Conf. Cardiac, [compounded 

 of strong spices, aromatics, crabs' claws, etc.] never so 

 absurd," he writes, " I give it as a simple medicine." 

 His compositions contained a few well-selected drugs, 

 suitably blended; and as his practice extended, his 

 mode of prescribing was imitated by others and largely 

 adopted. Lettsom hazards the assertion that Fothergill 

 principally contributed to bring about the revolution 

 which replaced multifarious and discordant compounds 

 by such as were elegant and compatible. This claim 

 may be too large, but at any rate he was one of the 

 best prescribers of his century in English medicine, and 

 did much to develop the art on reasonable and natural 

 principles. Some of his formulae continued to be used 

 after his time. 



Fothergill was at home in the vast armoury of vegetable 

 remedies then in use, for he knew them not only in the 

 forms they present in pharmacy, but in many cases also 

 in their natural state, as herbs and trees. In the early 

 years of his practice, whilst he still had time on his hands, 

 he occupied himself with studies in the Materia Medica ; 

 frequenting the druggists' shops, he explored the crude 

 drugs from which remedies were prepared, and consulted 

 books of travel and sea-captains, even writing to corre- 

 spondents in distant lands to obtain fuller knowledge. 

 By comparing specimens, and subjecting them to experi- 

 ment and analysis at his own house, he was able to 

 establish the true nature and source of some ill-known 

 drugs. He wrote many letters to Professor Alston, his 

 old teacher in Edinburgh, on these topics. 1 London at 

 that time possessed few facilities for medical or indeed 

 for any other academic study : the historian must stand 



1 MSS. Alston, see Appendix D. Besides the drugs mentioned in the text. 

 Senega, Opobalsamum, Labdanum, and Camphor were particularly noticed. 



