DR. DICK'S DIET AND REGIMEN.
ALTHOUGH occasionally feeble in judgment, when its author 'wanders from his professional path into the regions of morals and literature, this work is sensible and able in its medical views, with thoughts, in its other parts, which if not good, contain the germ rd. goodness. The object of the Doctor is net to attempt superseding medical advice, or even to lay down rules for application to indi- vidual cases, but to give the reader a notion of the functions which our system is called upon to perform at different periods of its ex- istence, and to possess him with dietary and regimenal prin- ciples for general guidance. A sound rule ; for " what agrees 'with you." is in the main the best regimen.
Dr. Dicx's book is divided into three parts. The first, after describing and discussing our several stages of life, from infancy to old age, considers the properties and effects upon the animal economy of the various kinds of victuals and drink, and the best times for our meals. The next part is devoted to the subject of exercise; involving an examination of different employments that may be deemed to influence health, with clothing, ablution, and bathing, as well as the influences of day and night, the seasons, the skyey influences, and a country life. The thirdipart involves the regulation of our intellectual and moral natures, with an ample disquisition on Love, Madness, and Music.
So many works have been written upon these subjects within the last twenty years, that absolute originality is impossible, and novelty very difficult. This, in the common acceptation of the term, Dr. Dicx has not aimed at ; but we cannot altogether agree with him " that the principal and not least important parts are ci iginal." The most useful character of the book appears to us to be the extent and comprehension of the design, which presents at once to the reader many points that are separately treated of in other volumes, and the plain and practical views of the author, leaving much to circumstancea and individual experience, where many writers are apt to dogmatize. These observations of course
apply generally : as we said before, there are many good and new thoughts to be met with.
As a fair specimen of his style arid manner, we may take some if his remarks on Thirst which will not only be found curious, but may possibly be useful to sume of our readers, should they ever, from the accidents of life, be temporarily doomed to undergo that terrible suffering. We say temporarily, because we suspect that all palliatives are limited by Dr. DICK'S first proposition ; and that where the thirst arises from want of fluid in the system, all palliatives will very seen lose their effect.
We have stated that thirst is a peinful sensatiun, indicative of want of fluid in the economy. Its seat is in the back and upper part off the gullet. It seems to be, however, sometimes lowal wily, awl capeble of being removed without adding to the exieting fluide of the bud y; simply by sucking any sapid substance, ant! thuvirhuy iuducing a How of saliva front the salivary glands of the mouth and When the water is coild, it extinguishes thirst much better than when it is of the same temperature with our bodies ; showirig that, besides its mere moisten- ing effects, it acts in some peculiar manner by altering the animal fleet and the nervous conolitions. Hence a Leos quantity of cold than of warm water equally or better stanches thirst.
When the body is very lieeed, by great exercise or atmoepheric tearrntli, and trenspiration by the skin is taking place, a oh aught of cold water strikes a sud- den chi :I through us anol arrests that transpiration. In this case, the transpire. tion, which was tendirg rapidly to the stit i.let!, is t11111W11 on the walls of the chest awl foully ; and Iwnee the hitt emmatot y effeete which often ensue frotn this C.L11.1.. In such a ease, water very cold, but in mintre opientil ice, taken into the mouth and slowly swallowed, effectieilly yet safely extingui hiee thirst, in consequence of the great difference between its temperatule mei that of the body. There exist roomy liquide which quench thlret better thin water ; as, for ex- ample, acioltdoue liqoune, ettell as the juice of aciduloue notits, water acioltdated with vinegar, with tartaric, oxalic, citric, and carbonic acid,. So aloe) the elms- aromatic waters of mint, the waters of root!, orangediewers, lemons, rue, zee. tie well as the at:Wahine and the white wines ; also perry, cider, beer ; also water mixed with a little red wine or alcohod. 'file juices of the natural botanic order elfeeeeifeeo:e, to which the cucumber, melon, pumpkin belong, also 411,:edi1y awl effectually quench alliret. Is it from a narcotic property that these eo let?
The liquids just noticed, independent of their particular effects on the sto- mach, have also the advantage of quietening thirst in smell quantity. Further, they opieneh thirst durably, which liquids either too strong tor too eddy nun i- tione and engery do not ; tim former of these destro■n n, hue the heat which they immediately excite, the etfect which they pa oluce at the moment of being swab
lowed ; the latter scarcely optenelling it at ell. It is owing to this circumstance that wines sweet and sugary, arometic. very epirituotte, atal charged with much
extractive matter—in other needs, wines body, do not perfectly or tluraloly quench thirst. Strong ale is open to the same objection. In the phleg metic allol cold colostitatiens of Northern countries they, indeed, answer the purpose better. But i ru warm countries and in s inguilielous habits, they accele- rate the c:reelation, produce nightly agitatinn, which soon destroy their thirst- slalting effeete, and reproduce the evil more strongly than Ito:fere. II owever, these stow Iiijnriuls, whiell, when taken into the stomach, produce dieadvantegenue effects and operate dangetetedy, may be made effectually and safely to oitoeuelt thirst, if taken in such a manlier as to act only ion the mucous membrane of the mouth auol salivary organs, as by rinsing, without their being pet mitted to pass down Mite the stomach. Alcohol little concentrateol, ordinary bratitly, genetoter wines, some .tronnatie liquids, as distilled miut water, pastilles, some salts, as nitre, the roots of the umbelliferous or aromatic ;dente, all Inv be employed ia this way ; but, itt perticuler, it is alcohol which acts hest in this maneer, tied which, without being swallowed, cures thirst most effectually and for the longest time. MAN AND swocr.
!nay here take occasion to observe, that there is in retntrkable simile-4y of COo•titOtion between matt and the sow. Scrofula, which word is derived from the Lain moue of the saw, " serof," is peculiar to man and swine. These last are also subject to apeplexy : a friend of mine lust sever-el by this disease. They are elle liable to softening of the brain ; a disease rare, if at all to Ire met with aiming odwr Inure+, but commou in the human subject. They are also liable to tubercles in the lungs and liver, to diseases of the heart, to ruptures of blood- vessels, accidents almost peculiar to mankind with them. And, more remark- able still, they are subject to a species of madness quite different from the hy- drophobia of dogs atoll other brutes, but bearing an exact resemblence to human insanity. This resemblance 1)5'tween man and swine I notice that Juvenal re- presents the Jews as being in purl aware of.
" Nec tlistare putact, (that is, the .Telts,) lititnaaa came, suillam." —Sqtire xi,. line 93.
JUVENAL does not, however, allude to any knewn physiologi- cal resemblance, but to their superstitious avoidance of the flesh of' pigs as if it were human.
Previous page
