Page:Merret - A short view of the frauds and abuses committed by apothecaries.pdf/20

 to prevent their calling in, or to shuffle them out.

Now this good Apothecaries Physician, they describe by his frequent though needless visits, but especially by the multitude of his Bills, by his visiting twice a day, or oftner (a very careful and painful Doctor) and by still writing new Medicines, when half the former, or perhaps none of them have been taken, making an Apothecaries Shop in the Patients House, planting the Cupboards and Windows with Glasses and Gally-Pots, and not a quarter of the whole made use of. He prescribes a Medicine for every slight complaint, and never goes away from the Patient, or the Patient from him, without a Bill, for fear of the Apothecaries grumbling.

And from this burdening the sick with multiplicity of Medicines, too often contrary to, and destructive one of another, it proceeds that in the Small Pox, and Measles, many are afraid to use Physicians, and commit the care of the sick to Nurses, and Old Women, and perhaps sometimes not without cause, for by continual multiplication of Medicines, the humours of the body may be made, or kept in too great a state of fluidity, whence the Flox followeth. Whereas a Medicine or two duly administered, may suffice to bring them well forth, and then there needs no more but good ordering, unless perhaps some accident arise, which may require further care. And here as well as in other Cases, the Patient is to be rectified, who requires the Physicians Visits, and yet dismisseth him without a reward, unless he writes a Bill, whereas it might have been better if nothing at all had been Rh