Advice to the people in general, with regard to their health

by S. A. D. Tissot

Whatever, therefore, be the Situation of the Patient, and however naturally robust, that Bleeding, which is unnecessary, is noxious. Repeated, re-iterated Bleedings, weaken and enervate, hasten old Age, diminish the Force of the Circulation, thence fatten and puff up the Body; and next by weakening, and lastly by destroying, the Digestions, they lead to a fatal Dropsy. They disorder the Perspiration by the Skin, and leave the Patient liable to Colds and Defluxions: They weaken the nervous System, and render them subject to Vapours, to the hypochondriac Disorders, and to all nervous Maladies.

The ill Consequence of a single, though erroneous Bleeding is not immediately discernible: on the contrary, when it was not performed in such a Quantity, as to weaken the Patient perceivably, it appears to have been rather beneficial. Yet I still here insist upon it, that it is not the less true that, when unnecessary, it is prejudicial; and that People should never bleed, as sometimes has been done, for meer Whim, or, as it were, for Diversion. It avails nothing to affirm, that within a few Days after it, they have got more Blood than they had before it, that is, that they weigh more than at first, whence they infer the Loss of Blood very speedily repaired. The Fact of their augmented Weight is admitted; but this very Fact testifies against the real Benefit of that Bleeding; hence it is a Proof, that the natural Evacuations of the Body are less compleatly made; and that Humours, which ought to be expelled, are retained in it. There remains the same Quantity of Blood, and perhaps a little more; but it is not a Blood so well made, so perfectly elaborated; and this is so very true, that if the thing were otherwise; if some Days after the Bleeding they had a greater Quantity of the same Kind of Blood, it would amount to a Demonstration, that more re-iterated Bleedings must necessarily have brought on an inflammatory Disease, in a Man of a robust Habit of Body.

§ 543. The Quantity of Blood, which a grown Man may Part with, by Way of Precaution, is about ten Ounces.

§ 544. Persons so constituted as to breed much Blood, should carefully avoid all those Causes which tend to augment it, (See [§ 540], Nº. 1) and when they are sensible of the Quantity augmented, they should confine themselves to a light frugal Diet, on Pulse, Fruits, Bread and Water; they should often bathe their Feet in warm Water, taking Night and Morning the Powder [Nº. 20]; drink of the Ptisan [Nº. 1]; sleep but very moderately, and take much Exercise. By using these Precautions they may either prevent any Occasion for Bleeding, or should they really be obliged to admit of it, they would increase and prolong its good Effects. These are also the very Means, which may remove all the Danger that might ensue from a Person's omitting to bleed, at the usual Season or Interval, when the Habit, the Fashion of Bleeding had been inveterately established in him.

§ 545. We learn with Horror and Astonishment, that some have been bled eighteen, twenty and even twenty-four times in two Days; and some others, some [¹¹²] hundred times, in the Course of some Months. Such Instances irrefragably demonstrate the continual Ignorance of their Physician or Surgeon; and should the Patient escape, we ought to admire the inexhaustible Resources of Nature, that survived so many murderous Incisions.

§ 546. The People entertain a common Notion, which is, that the first Time of bleeding certainly saves the Life of the Patient; but to convince them of the Falsity of this silly Notion, they need only open their Eyes, and see the very contrary Fact to this occur but too unhappily every Day; many People dying soon after their first Bleeding. Were their Opinion right, it would be impossible that any Person should die of the first Disease that seized him, which yet daily happens. Now the Extirpation of this absurd Opinion is really become important, as the Continuance of it is attended with some unhappy Consequences: their Faith in, their great Dependance on, the extraordinary Virtue of this first Bleeding makes them willing to omit it, that is, to treasure it up against a Distemper, from which they shall be in the greatest Danger; and thus it is deferred as long as the Patient is not extremely bad, in Hopes that if they can do without it then, they shall keep it for another and more pressing Occasion. Their present Disease in the mean time rises to a violent Height; and then they bleed, but when it is too late, and I have seen Instances of many Patients, who were permitted to die, that the first Bleeding might be reserved for a more important Occasion. The only Difference between the first Bleeding, and any subsequent one is, that the first commonly gives the Patient an Emotion, that is rather hurtful than salutary.

Of Purges.

§ 547. The Stomach and Bowels are emptied either by Vomiting, or by Stools, the latter Discharge being much more natural than the first, which is not effected without a violent Motion, and one indeed to which Nature is repugnant. Nevertheless, there are some Cases, which really require this artificial Vomiting; but these excepted (some of which I have already pointed out) we should rather prefer those Remedies, which empty the Belly by Stool.

§ 548. The Signs, which indicate a Necessity for Purging, are, 1, a disagreeable Tast or Savour of the Mouth in a Morning, and especially a bitter Tast; a foul, furred Tongue and Teeth, disagreable Eructations or Belchings, Windiness and Distension.

2, A Want of Appetite which increases very gradually, without any Fever, which degenerates into a Disgust or total Aversion to Food; and sometimes communicates a bad Tast to the very little such Persons do eat.