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OUr Adversaries do much glory and vaunt in their Method of Curing, asserting, that if a man have never so excellent Medi∣cines, if he be ignorant therein, he cannot dis∣charge his duty as he ought. We desire first
to know of these learned Grecians, what (ac∣cording to the Etimon) this word Methodus signifies. Is it, we pray, any more then a short way of healing Maladies? How short ye come of this, the world may easily judge, who keep your Patients in a course of Physick so long, till ye run them quite out of breath, and all under a pretence of Method. Is it worthy of a Physicians Method to dally with his Patient some moneths, even years, and not absolutely satisfie him, whether he be curable or no: or perhaps after he hath ex∣hausted his strength and purse, to send him in∣to the Countrey, to the Wells, or Bath; yea, sometimes into France, that the less notice may be taken of it if he chance to dye (as we have known) by the way? Is not this a rare Method to see a Physician keep a pudder, and make a great noise about a sick mans Diet, pre∣cisely to enjoyn him, upon loss of his Life, not to violate the least punctilio; strictly forbid∣ding those things which (given by the Nurse or standers by, and concealed from the Physici∣an) have cured him? To see a sick wretch in a vehement Feaver, almost parched up for want of moisture, and not a draught of small Beer allowed him to quench his unsatiable thirst, or a little Wine to refresh his drooping spirit,
is enough to make a man afraid of such a Method.
To hear them when a man is in a peracute Feaver, Logically discourse of their Indicati∣ons, General, Subalternate, and Specifick, Profit∣able and Unprofitable, Artificial and Inartificial, Condications and Contraindications; with those they call Consentientia, Correpugnantia, and Per∣mittentia, and be extreamly ignorant of Indi∣cata, or Remedies, proportionable and com∣petent to cure the Feaver; suffering the Pati∣ent either to perish, or to fall into some despe∣rate Chronick Disease, and so to twindle and moulder away at length; whereas if things had been rightly ordered, all this might have been prevented, is sufficient to make a man explode and nauseate their Method.
When we hear how curiously they examine, which of the four Humours, arising from the mixture of the four Elements, (which never had an existence in Nature, as Helmont hath sufficiently proved) abounds in the Body, that thereby they may finde out a convenient Purge; as, Rhubarb for Choller, Agarick for Phlegme, &c. loosening the Body by stool sometimes fifty or sixty times; to the con∣sumption of the strength of the Sick par∣ty, without any ease, the Morbifick mat∣ter
still remaining behinde untouched.
When they learnedly babble concerning Complexions, Temperaments, Constitutions, being grosly ignorant of the Seminal, Formal, and Vital Properties of things; not able to disco∣ver in the least without relation, or to give any plausible reason thereof from their durty Ele∣ments, Humours, and Qualities, that this man naturally abhors Posset-drink, a second Honey, a third an Egg, which if they should take into their Bodies, in some Diseases, were enough to cost them their lives. When they stand so su∣perstitiously upon the Season of the Year, the Climate of the Countrey, the Qualities of the Air, the Time of the Day, that before they can take an opportunity, the Patient is ten times more hard to cure, or perhaps past relief: All this (rightly understood) would justly provoke a man to condemn, abhorre, renounce, and defie their Method.
Who that hath any spark of charity in him, but must needs pitty that distressed wretch, who hath a Physician attending him, that gapes for a Crisis even to the one and twenti∣eth day, doubtful what is like to be the issue then; and in the mean time exhausts the purple Soul of his Patient by frequent Phlebotomy, spending his Spirits by some torturing course,
marring the ferment of the Stomack; and is so far from assisting and furthering Nature, that he becomes a remora, or hinderance to her; so that if strength of Body be not extraordi∣nary, 'tis impossible such an one should escape without a miracle: Certainly a man may not offend to say that this is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Satans device and plot to destroy mankinde. Or we may justly censure this Galenical Me∣thod, as the word Methodus signifies, accord∣ing to another interpretation, Fictio, or Ludi∣ficatio; a meer Imposture or Cheat. Had not a man better either to trust to God and Nature, or, if he can be procured, make use of some honest, plain Physician, who without any de∣ceit or pompous Preludium, shall fall to his work of curing you.
'Tis a sad thing to behold a young man in the flower of his years, in full strength of bo∣dy, abounding with Vital Spirits, sending for a Physician in the beginning of his Disease, to be thus Methodized into his Grave, by them that pretend to be such grave learned Doctors; who, if he had dyed in the Field bravely, ought little in comparison to be lamented. Can any sober, wise man blame any one that knows this to be true, and dares demonstrate it, that he is Satyrical and invective against
these notorious actions? That man question∣less that knows he can prove these things to be so, cannot but damnifie his Soul, if he make not a timely discovery of them for his Coun∣treys good. We invocate the supreme Power, that 'tis not malice to any mans particular per∣son, nor a principal Design to be known in the World to our advantage, that hath excited us to declare our selves thus, to the detriment of any mans individual credit and reputation: Far be it from us, for these things (if it could have consisted with Charity and a good Con∣science) should never have been published; and we hope our future actions will sufficiently demonstrate our sincerity herein; though we expect from our Adversaries nothing but harsh censures, underminings, quick eyes to discover our lapses, calumnies, and reproaches. But 'tis sufficient that we have done our duty, to give the world a fair warning of these Abuses, which if it make not good use thereof, let it be upon their score, sith we have done what we ought.