Nature, in medical language, as opposed to Art, means trust in the
reactions of the living system against, ordinary normal impressions.
Art, in the same language, as opposed to Nature, means an intentional
resort to extraordinary abnormal impressions for the relief of disease.
The reaction of the living system is the essence of both. Food is
nothing, if there is no digestive act to respond to it. We cannot raise
a blister on a dead man, or hope that a carminative forced between his
lips will produce its ordinary happy effect.
Disease, dis-ease,--disturbed quiet, uncomfortableness,--means imperfect
or abnormal reaction of the living system, and its more or less permanent
results.
Food, in its largest sense, is whatever helps to build up the normal
structures, or to maintain their natural actions.
Medicine, in distinction from food, is every unnatural or noxious agent
applied for the relief of disease.
Physic means properly the Natural art, and Physician is only the Greek
synonyme of Naturalist.
With these few explanations I proceed to unfold the propositions I have
mentioned.
Disease and death, if we may judge by the records of creation, are
inherently and essentially necessary in the present order of things. A
perfect intelligence, trained by a perfect education, could do no more
than keep the laws of the physical and spiritual universe.
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