But this illiberal treatment of the Faculty is not the only thing of which the Author has cause to complain. By some of them his Book has been served up mangled and mutilated, and its title, type, size, &c. so closely imitated, that purchasers are misled, and frequently buy these spurious productions instead of the real one. That a needy Author, incapable himself of producing an original work, should prey upon another, and that a mercenary Bookseller should vend such productions, knowing them to be stolen, are things not at all to be wondered at: but that all this can be done with impunity, shews that the laws of this country respecting literary property, are still in a very imperfect state, and stand much in need of amendment.
London,
Dec. 10, 1789.
PREFACE.
When I first signified my intention of publishing the following sheets, I was told by my friends it would draw on me the resentment of the whole Faculty. As I never could entertain such an unfavourable idea, I was resolved to make the experiment, which indeed came out pretty much as might have been expected. Many whose learning and liberality of sentiments do honour to medicine received the book in a manner which at once shewed their indulgence, and the falsity of the opinion that every physician wishes to conceal his art; while the more selfish and narrow-minded, generally the most numerous in every profession, have not failed to persecute both the book and its author.
The reception, however, which this work has met with from the Public merits my most grateful acknowledgments. As the best way of expressing these, I have endeavoured to render it more generally useful, by enlarging the prophylaxis, or that part which treats of preventing diseases; and by adding many articles which had been entirely omitted in the former impressions. It is needless to enumerate these additions; I shall only say, that I hope they will be found real improvements.
The observations relative to Nursing and the Management of Children, were chiefly suggested by an extensive practice among infants, in a large branch of the Foundling Hospital, where I had an opportunity not only of treating the diseases incident to childhood, but likewise of trying different plans of nursing, and observing their effects. Whenever I had it in my power to place the children under the care of proper nurses, to instruct these nurses in their duty, and to be satisfied that they performed it, very few of them died; but when, from distance of place, and other unavoidable circumstances, the children were left to the sole care of mercenary nurses, without any person to instruct or superintend them, scarce any of them lived.
This was so apparent, as with me to amount to a proof of the following melancholy fact: That almost one half of the human species perish in infancy, by improper management or neglect. This reflection has made me often wish to be the happy instrument of alleviating the miseries of those suffering innocents, or of rescuing them from an untimely grave. No one, who has not had an opportunity of observing them, can imagine what absurd and ridiculous practices still prevail in the nursing and management of infants, and what numbers of lives are by that means lost to society. As these practices are chiefly owing to ignorance, it is to be hoped, that when nurses are better informed, their conduct will be more proper.
The application of medicine to the various occupations of life has been in general the result of observation. An extensive practice for several years, in one of the largest manufacturing towns in England, afforded me sufficient opportunities of observing the injuries which those useful people sustain from their particular employments, and likewise of trying various methods of obviating such injuries. The success which attended these trials was sufficient to encourage this attempt, which I hope will be of use to those who are under the necessity of earning their bread by such employments as are unfavourable to health.
I do not mean to intimidate men, far less to insinuate that even those arts, the practice of which is attended with some degree of danger, should not be carried on; but to guard the less cautious and unwary against those dangers which they have it in their power to avoid, and which they often, through mere ignorance, incur. As every occupation in life disposes those who follow it to some particular diseases more than to others, it is certainly of importance to know these, in order that people may be upon their guard against them. It is always better to be warned of the approach of an enemy, than to be surprised by him, especially where there is a possibility of avoiding the danger.