164 ADVANCED EXT OF LSARNlKa. [uCOli IW 



the general intentions of cures, yet tliey have no particular 

 medicines, which, by a specific property regard particular 

 diseases ; for they lose the benefit of traditions and approved 

 experience by their authoritative procedure in adding, taking 

 away, and changing the ingredients of their receipts at 

 pleasure, after the manner of apothecaries substituting one 

 thing for another, and thus haughtily commanding medicine, 

 so that medicine can no longer command the disease. For 

 except Venice treacle, mithridate, diascordium, the confection 

 of alkermes, and a few more, they commonly tie themselves 

 strictly to no certain receipts : the other saleable 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, &c. 

 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 altering their compositions. 

 I remember a famous Jew physician in England would say, 

 " Your European physicians are indeed men of learning, but 

 they know nothing of particular cures for diseases." And he 

 ■would sometimes jest a little irreverently, 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 

 patient, his age, customs, the seasons, &c. 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 cither consuls, favoured the 

 j)eople, 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 requu'e, at any time, to be qualified, this 

 may mther be done in the vehicles than in the body of the 



