Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 3, 1802).djvu/292

270]  the incision with a furrowed probe. The apertures must next be dressed, and keprt of a proper size, by introducing dossils of lint, which ought to be frequently changed.

As the delicate membrane which lines the nostrils, is the common integument of the mouth, and other interior vessels, it will be readily conceived, that its exposure to sudden changes of temperature, must be productive of injurious consequences. Hence the necessity of guarding against cold, when hastily leaving the fire-side for encountering the frosty air of winter, or returning from the latter to a heated room. Although the frequent colds and catarrhs are generally considered as trivial, and too often neglected, yet we are persuaded, that by far the greater number of consumptive and asthmatic sufferers date the period of their declining health from such inattention. We therefore recommend to those who are yet susceptible of advice, previously to exposing themselves to a damp, cold, or sharp air, to spend a few minutes in a cool, temperate room, or to apply a handkerchief to the mouth, when suddenly coming in contact with the external air, till they become gradually accustomed to its stimulus. Thus, we doubt not, many complaints of serious consequences, might be easily prevented.  NOSTRUM, denotes any medicine the composition of which is supposed to be secret, and confined to the knowledge of one, or a few individuals.

The natural desire of health and longevity, has in all ages afforded a pretext to designing men, to invent medicines, with the absurd view of curing every disorder. It is true, that the confidence in panaceas, or universal remedies, is gradually declining, among the higher as well as the lower classes of society; but innumerable elixirs, drops, pills, &c. for particular complaints, are daily imposed upon the public by pretenders, whose chemical and medical knowledge is so confined, that they are generally obliged to borrow the recipes for such preparations from printed books. To aggravate the evil, their pernicious compounds for the most part contain opium, hemlock, or other narcotic drugs, which are rendered still more deleterious by the addition of stimulating gums and aromatic substances.

The duration and extent of such base practices, it is difficult to determine; though we conceive that, so long as the thoughtless and dissipated indulge in sensual pleasure of every description, the audacity of pretenders to the healing art will continue to increase. Experience has too often evinced, how little efficacy medicines possess in a variety of cases, without a strict adherence to a proper regimen; and much less may be expected from any nostrum, however strongly recommended by the dignitaries of church and state. Nay, the excellence and dignity of medical science can neither be supported, nor depreciated, by the illusion of great names.—If a due regard were more generally had to the laws of temperance and sobriety; if the cool dictates of reason were more frequently consulted, there would be fewer diseases, and those who enrich themselves at the expence of a credulous public, would  dily