2^24 On Chronic Debility 



perienced by others. They hesitate not to determine, 

 that the great bulk of dyspeptic persons are a poor, spir- 

 itless, moping race of beings, the subjects of unceasing 

 mistakes, nearly bereft of their reason, and fitter for bed- 

 lam than for the company of persons so cheerful, know- 

 ing, and elevated above whims, and fears, and prejudi- 

 dices as themselves. It is easy to say, " We are the 

 people, and wisdom shall die with us" — and equally easy 

 when pressed in an argument to shout aloud, " I have 

 gained the victory ;" but it i^ a very difficult thing, when 

 no proof is presented, to convince those who have thor- 

 oughly investigated any subject under discussion, of 

 the truth of these assertions. An ignorant and prejudi- 

 ced man will often rest immoveably satisfied that he needs 

 no additional light to discover any truth. If a person is 

 laid prostrate w^ith the Yellow Fever, or the Pleurisy, it 

 will be readily admitted that he is really sick ; but he who 

 labors under Chronic Debility of the Stomach, will meet 

 with no compassion. 



It is by no means my intention to say every thing that 

 might be said, relative to the disease under considera- 

 tion. For this purpose a volume would be necessary. 

 I propose only to mention such things as have fallen 

 Avithin my own experience and observation, and such re- 

 flections as have grown out of them. The cases, which 

 will be cited in proof of various opinions to be brought 

 forward in the sequel, are partly such as occurred to me 

 during about twenty months, while I was employed as a 

 medical practitioner, viz. from July 1803 to March 1805. 

 Some of them have fallen under my observation since 

 that time. I mention this as an apology, for the want of 

 particularity, which may be observed in the descriptions 

 of some of them. The facts are all stated from recollec- 

 tion, none of them having been committed to writing at 

 the time. I shall mention nothing, however, of which I 

 have not a distinct remembrance. 4 



The Seat of the disease has by some persons been 

 confined to the nerves of the stomach, and by others to 

 the muscular fibres. It appears to me that both are not 

 a little affected, and also that the blood vessels, and their 

 appendages, viz. the vessels which secrete the mucus 



