CHAPTER VII 



FOTHERGILL'S OTHER MEDICAL WRITINGS 



A certis potius et exploratis petendum esse praesidium ; id est, his 

 quae Experientia in ipsis curationibus docuerit ; sicut in ceteris 

 omnibus artibus : nam ne agricolam quidem aut gubernatorem dis- 

 putatione, sed usu fieri. CELSUS. 



This is the reason why the cure of many diseases is unknown to the 

 physicians of Hellas, because they are ignorant of the whole, which 

 ought to be studied also ; for the part can never be well unless the 

 whole is well. PLATO, Charmides (Jowett). 



MOST of Fothergill's medical works consist of short papers 

 embodying observations on diseases met with in the 

 course of his practice. 



Several of these disorders were at that date unrecognised,, 

 and he was the first to point out the group of symptoms by 

 which they were characterised. The papers are eminently 

 practical, laying the chief stress upon treatment. The wording 

 is often faulty, as though they were written, as indeed was 

 the case with most of his writings, in the intervals of his busy 

 labour when his mind was fatigued. But he writes as an 

 observer of nature, taught by experience, and hence his work 

 is but little influenced by false medical theories which were 

 then prevalent. His papers have in consequence a permanent 

 value. They were read before the small Medical Society (of 

 Physicians) of which he was one of the founders, and were 

 published in the five volumes of Medical Observations and 

 Inquiries. In order that his own name might not too fre- 

 quently appear, his modesty dictated that some of the papers 

 should be anonymous. Two early essays will be first men- 

 tioned which were published elsewhere. 



THE USE OF EMETICS 



As has been already stated, Fothergill took the use of 

 emetics as the subject of his inaugural dissertation for the 



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