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<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>THE CHARACTER OF A <HI>Compleat Phy&s;ician,</HI> Or <HI>NAT&V;RALIST.</HI></HEAD>
<P>DR. <HI>Hackwel</HI> in his Apology very aptly calls Anatomy, and the Knowledge of Simples, the two Legs of Phy&s;ic. And that the Compleat Phy&s;ician may have both his Legs, I &s;hall follow his foot&s;teps.</P>
<P><HI>Anatomy</HI> is of greate&s;t fame and repute, tho not of much real u&s;e to the curing Mankind. The u&s;e of Simple doth the mo&s;t part to the only end of this Art, Man's Health, which is the Difference in its Definition. The former re&s;pects Contemplation, the latter the Practice; and therefore call'd by us Phy&s;ic. The former is performed at home in a Hou&s;e, with little expence of time, labor, or pains taking; the latter requires all the&s;e in a high mea&s;ure.</P>
<P>The Compleat Phy&s;ician (&s;uppo&s;ing in him Univer&s;ity Learn|ing) mu&s;t begin with Anatomy, the Subject of his Art: He mu&s;t know all Parts, and their Sub-divi&s;ions, whether &s;imilar or orga|nical, chiefly the Ve&s;&s;els and all Pa&s;&s;ages of the Body, the u&s;e of Parts, their Situation, Connexion, Figure, Structure, Propor|tions, Complements, Defects, Communi|ties, Differences, com|pounding Elements, Faculties, Actions, and U&s;es, which are per|formed by Artificial Di&s;&s;ections, Mea&s;urings, Ligatures, Infla|tions, Injections, and other u&s;eful Operations. He is to be well ver&s;ed al&s;o in Comparative Anatomy, in all &s;orts of Animals what&s;oever; By which means he will di&s;cover the &s;eat of Di&s;ea&s;es,
<PB N="2" REF="2">and Symptoms, their Cau&s;es, and Effects, Sympathies, and Anti|pathies; which way the matter of Di&s;ea&s;es pa&s;&s;eth from part to part, and al&s;o of all the fluids in our Bodies. 'Tis helpful al&s;o very much in the Progno&s;ticks, as well as in the Diagno&s;ticks.</P>
<P>In the Practical it teacheth what Veins or Arteries are fitte&s;t to be opened, where Fontanels to be made, where Cupping-gla&s;&s;es, Plai&s;ters, Oyntments, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> are to be applyed, where and how In|ci&s;ions to be made.</P>
<P>This part of Nature hath bin very well cultivated by many learned Hands, both abroad and at home, by the Two Glories of our Nation the Immortal <HI>Harvey,</HI> my honoured Friend and Pa|tron, and Dr. <HI>Gli&s;&s;on,</HI> and &s;ome others; tho now much neglected where it ought to be mo&s;t cultivated.</P>
<P>One part &s;eems to be wholly neglected (from which the greate&s;t Practical Skill is to be attained) that is by feeding, or &s;uddain killing Animals with Poi&s;ons, Volatil, or Lixivial Salts, or with any of the &s;tronger Simples, and after opening them,, to find out the effects upon the Blood, and Humours of the Body. Who&s;oever hath rightly con&s;idered and dige&s;ted the Phy&s;ical qualities (which is a great defect in Medicine) will attain very clearly the true Nature of things, as appliable to Man's Body, and di&s;cover plainly the infinite Errors in Practice, and may demon&s;trate his Practice by rea&s;oning from Effect to Cau&s;e, and from Cau&s;e to Effect; and then by comparing one to another, and tho&s;e to the Tribes here|after mentioned.</P>
<P>The other Leg of Phy&s;ick is, The knowledge of Natural things, in the Latitude after expre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>'Tis not the bu&s;ine&s;s of this Paper to &s;et forth the great and large extent of Phy&s;ic, that is of all Tangible Bodies of the Uni|ver&s;e. This hath bin frequently perform'd in many Orations, and Harangues at the College of Phy&s;icians, e&s;pecially in that incom|parable Speech of Sir <HI>Thomas Millington,</HI> both for Matter and Lan|guage, <HI>Anno</HI> 1679.</P>
<P>That which is intended in this Paper is, to &s;et out a Compleat Phy&s;ician, and thereby to guide people in their choice, when they have occa&s;ion to u&s;e one; wherein men are exceedingly mi&s;taken, to the lo&s;s of Health, Life, and Money.</P>
<P>I begin with the Name, which is in our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Tongue the mo&s;t proper of any Language what&s;oever. The word Phy&s;ician, derived from the Greek <GAP DESC="foreign">, is plainly and fully rendred by the
<PB N="3" REF="2">word <HI>Naturali&s;t,</HI> (that is) one well vers'd in the full extent of Nature, and Natural things; hereunto add the due, and skilful preparation and application of them to Mens Bodies, in order to their Health, and prolongation of Life, and you have a compre|hen&s;ive Definition of a Phy&s;ician. 'Tis not then a particular Knowledge or Art of one or a few things, but in general of all Bodies, whether Elements, inanimate, or living.</P>
<P>Now this Knowledge implies not only a bare vi&s;ible skill of their Names, and Parts only; but a &s;trict and &s;erious examination of them by diligent experiments, and tryals of them by all the Sen&s;es, by all wayes, and compari&s;ons among&s;t them&s;elves, to inve&s;tigate their Natures relating to men principally, and all other u&s;es they may be applyed to. I &s;hall &s;peak briefly to each, and fir&s;t of Plants.</P>
<P><HI>Vegetables</HI> being the large&s;t Genus in Nature, comprehendeth the greate&s;t part by far of <HI>Materia Medica,</HI> or things u&s;ed for Phy&s;ic. The&s;e are to be known in all their Parts, by Name, as al&s;o as dige&s;ted into Tribes, and Families as they are rea&s;onably well done by both the <HI>Baubins,</HI> and better by Dr. <HI>Mori&s;on,</HI> tho not &s;o &s;uitable to the de&s;ign of teaching others, as 'tis to be wi&s;hed they had. But of his Work and a better Method, &s;omething &s;hall be &s;hewed in due time.</P>
<P>By a right Method may be more than conjectured the pro|perties of Simples by the bare fir&s;t &s;ight of them, and fully known by the other &s;en&s;es, as every one mu&s;t confe&s;s, who hath &s;eri|ou&s;ly reflected on this Matter. Nay, hereby al&s;o may well nigh be known (I had almo&s;t &s;aid) perfectly, what they will afford, what Waters, Chymical Oils, Spirits, Salts, and in what quan|tity. This, I do not &s;ay of all the Tribes, but of mo&s;t of them in a ju&s;t Method delivered. But if you apply them to the other Sen&s;es, e&s;pecially ta&s;t and &s;mell, and other tryals may be found out their full Nature. But then there is required &s;ome exerci&s;es of the Sen&s;es, and exactne&s;s in them, and al&s;o the skill of words adapted to each &s;en&s;e. As for Ta&s;ts the Vintners have added &s;ome, and where defect is, more are to be invented. The want of words appliable to our Sen&s;es, is the greate&s;t impediment to the improvement of this mo&s;t divine and u&s;eful Art.</P>
<P>The next thing is, to range into a good Method what Proper|ties are &s;utable to what Di&s;ea&s;es, and what parts in particular, (let the in&s;tance be bitter) as al&s;o in what hurtful. And by this
<PB N="4" REF="3">way, you may in a few &s;heets of Paper compri&s;e all Di&s;ea&s;es well defined, and their Remedies by Simples (generally the be&s;t way of Practice) more fully, more &s;cientifically, and better retained, than in many and huge Volumes of Herbals, Pharmacopaea's, and Practical Writers.</P>
<P>This being done, then the Phy&s;ician is to find out by Tryals, Sympathies, and Antipathies, as to Mixture of them one with another, Preparation of them by Powdering, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and by Di&s;til|lation; whereby may be known, what is fit for Di&s;tillation, what for Decoctions. 'Tis a &s;hame to &s;ee the Pharmacopaea's &s;tufft with &s;uch a multitude of di&s;till'd Water and not one in ten good for any thing, nay offen&s;ive both to ta&s;t, &s;mell, and &s;tomach. Nay, there are few of the more generous Spirits, but have Ingredients which afford nothing beneficial, but rather pre|judicial to tho&s;e Compound Waters: Whereby the Apotheca|ries Shops are &s;urcharged to their great trouble, and hurt to the Patient, by &s;uch nau&s;eous and offen&s;ive Waters, whereof more may be &s;aid on occa&s;ion, and &s;ome may be added, wholly unknown, tho very common, and written of by Authors, and no Vertues annexed to them.</P>
<P>Then let him ob&s;erve what Sea&s;ons (not A&s;trological Confi|gurations) are be&s;t to gather Herbs; for 'tis certain, &s;ome Plants &s;hall at &s;ome Sea&s;ons yield well, at other little, or no|thing good.</P>
<P>This Phy&s;ician al&s;o is to have &s;ome skill in Chymi&s;try, to de|tect Cheats, improve Philo&s;ophy, and &s;ome Medicines which may be u&s;eful.</P>
<P>He may attain to the Knowledge of Emperics Medicines, being generally le&s;s compounded than in the Shops; and there|by &s;hall find out &s;ome u&s;eful Medicines by a skilful Analy&s;is of them; but more e&s;pecially by experimenting them with o|ther Bodies.</P>
<P>He is acquainted with the Philo&s;ophical Trades, e&s;pecially the Refiners and Dyers, for he that is ver&s;ed in the latter, chiefly of the Silk and Linnen Dyer may without much difficulty di&s;co|ver, the compounds of Medicinal Waters, which hath hitherto puzled all the World. Add hereto that no Manufacture but affords &s;ome light in Phy&s;ics.</P>
<P>As for Minerals, di&s;&s;olved in their proper Men&s;trua, he &s;hall have the mo&s;t dry and a&s;trictive Ta&s;t and Nature of
<PB N="5" REF="3">Gold, the mo&s;t bitter of Silver, the mo&s;t nau&s;eous rough and contracting ta&s;t of Copper, the &s;weeti&s;h of Lead and Tyn, the rough and a&s;tringent of Iron.</P>
<P>As for Animals they mo&s;tly &s;erve for food, and yield much volatil Salt, &s;ome Water, Spirit, and Lixivial Salt, little dif|fering each from other, all which the Phy&s;ician ought to know, which and what parts of them are be&s;t and u&s;eful, and where|in. Two Books I recommend for Birds, Mr. <HI>Willoughby</HI> Pub|li&s;hed by the excellent Mr. <HI>Ray;</HI> The other of Shells, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> done by Mr. <HI>Ly&s;ter</HI> of <HI>York,</HI> both which are Treated in a mo&s;t &s;in|gular Method.</P>
<P>And for In&s;ects, <HI>Mu&s;&s;et</HI> and <HI>John&s;on</HI> are be&s;t.</P>
<P>As for Fi&s;hes, they are yet very confu&s;edly dige&s;ted. The&s;e with the other Natural things are Methodized in an ea&s;ie way, and may come abroad.</P>
<P>Earths, Their Natures are ea&s;ily di&s;covered by the Sen&s;es, and ready Experiments, and pretty well known.</P>
<P>Stones many have written of, but their Qualities fal&s;ly deli|vered for gain only, and are not of much u&s;e; yet &s;ome our Countrey affords, much &s;urpa&s;&s;ing Pearl and Coral in de&s;troying Acids, their principal, if not &s;ole u&s;e.</P>
<P>This Phy&s;ician can di&s;cern betwixt true and Counterfeit Me|dicins, what Remedies either Simple, or Compound; as for Stran|gers brought from foreign Parts, he can di&s;cover their U&s;es and Qualities, and whereof compounded, and perhaps exalt their Vertues by imitating them, and ea&s;ily find the Cheats in them.</P>
<P>He can give proper Names and Definitions to all Natural things brought to him.</P>
<P>He knows what things are of great Charge, but of little U&s;e, and the various degrees of their Natures. He can invent more grateful, plain, and effectual Medicines than are commonly in u&s;e, except to &s;uch Per&s;ons to whom nothing that is Phy&s;ic is grateful.</P>
<P>From Ignorance of the&s;e things, proceeds (that great Im|pediment of Improvement in this Art) the Doctrine of Oc|cult Qualities. The un&s;teddine&s;s of Phy&s;icians in their choice of and adhering to good Medicines, (not knowing they are &s;o) for in this &s;ence <HI>Hipp.</HI> Aphor. <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Experience is De|ceitful,</HI>) is mo&s;t true. Hence Receipts get Credit, Medicines
<PB N="6" REF="4">&s;o often altered, and new ones gap't after; whereof as yet there is no end.</P>
<P>This Phy&s;ician rightly con&s;idering finds, The Herbals make &s;ome Plants as well as the Chymi&s;ts make almo&s;t all their Me|dicines to be Univer&s;al, &s;o leading people into many, and &s;ometimes dangerous Errors.</P>
<P>He is able to advi&s;e fitting Diet, and Remedies, at all times and places, where&s;oever he comes, which cannot be done with|out the fore&s;aid Knowledge.</P>
<P>But the Reader will ask whether there be any &s;uch Phy&s;ician in the World, or ever was, or may be. An&s;wer yea, and that 'tis not difficult where a good Method and &s;tubborn Labour go together.</P>
<P>He is furni&s;hed with a good Library, of &s;uch Authors as Treat on tho&s;e Arguments. 'Tis a great reproach that &s;ome Phy&s;i|cians of great Fame and Practice, gotten by ill and ungenerous wayes, know very little or nothing in any thing above&s;aid, and have &s;carce a Book towards any of tho&s;e ends, unle&s;s of Ana|tomy.</P>
<P>This Phy&s;ician doth truly maintain the honour of his Profe&s;&s;ion, avoids the due reproaches, of &s;uch as are Subordinate to him, can with &s;en&s;ible Arguments confute the ob&s;treperous fal&s;hoods of the Adver&s;aries of his Faculty, and his own, can judge clearly of the fal&s;hoods and deceits of Phy&s;ic-mongers.</P>
<P>He takes that way that one of the great Ma&s;ters of his Art, <HI>Galen</HI> did, &s;pares no Pains, Travail, or Charge to inve&s;tigate new and better Materials for his Art. <HI>Galen</HI> and many other have Travailed into far Countries to this very purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, He takes nothing upon tru&s;t, but con&s;ults his own Sen&s;es, and other &s;trict tryals, and becomes a Compleat Natu|rali&s;t or Phy&s;ician.</P>
<P>But tho my task here ends, yet his Religion and Morality are to be con&s;idered. As for the former he hath woven into his Pra|ctice the <HI>Religio Medici</HI> of that famous Per&s;on, and Honor too of this Art, Sir <HI>Thomas Brown</HI> of <HI>Norwich,</HI> to whom I recommend the Reader.</P>
<P>His Morality is &s;ober, grave, continent, pitiful to, and care|ful of his Patients; Writing his Receipts &s;olely for their good, and not for the gain of others his Subordinates. He is continent wi&s;e and prudent, mild and mode&s;t, hath veracity and clearne&s;s
<PB N="7" REF="4">in all his Sayings. In his Progno&s;ticks exceeds not the boundaries of his Art, and Nature, his proper Sphere; abominates the common way of conforming his Religion to his Intere&s;t, and the u&s;ual frauds of A&s;trology and Uromantie.</P>
<P>He is decent in his Habit, courteous in Behaviour, neither mo|ro&s;e, nor talkative, able and ready to &s;atisfie any of his Patients in hearing the Sick man's Complaint, and rationally to &s;atisfie him in his Scruples. Determines nothing till he hath a full and clear Idaea of the Di&s;ea&s;e, Symptoms, and their Cau&s;es, and not till then; &s;quares his Intentions and Medicaments to each of them.</P>
<P>He &s;miles at the common Vogue of the World in choo&s;ing their Phy&s;icians, and envies not tho&s;e empty ones who gain great E&s;tates and Glory, by outward &s;hews, and by ungentile, and &s;ome by &s;ordid and debauched wayes. Such as have only a modi&s;h Habit, a neat and well-furni&s;hed Hou&s;e, a Coach and Hor&s;es, a Velvet Coat, a fine Periwig, a curiou&s;ly-headed Cane, a &s;mooth and &s;tarched Behaviour, flattering Language, commending all, en&s;laving his Judgment to the hearer's Opinion, officious needle&s;s, and frequent Vi&s;its. He laughs out-right at tho&s;e who &s;pend their precious time in hearing and hunting after News, and car|rying it from Hou&s;e to Hou&s;e, and tho&s;e who read Lectures on Chairs, Beds, Rooms and Hangings, or on <HI>Don Quixot.</HI> He thinks the u&s;ual aucupium of Entertainments; telling of Shews mi&s;pent time, and judgeth not the&s;e any part of his Profe&s;&s;ion. But in all the&s;e little Arts, which &s;erve only to gain, he u&s;eth commendable Prudence. And at all &s;pare times you &s;hall find him in his Study, where I leave him.</P>
<P>But perhaps the con&s;idering, inferring, and knowing Reader doth expect a Character al&s;o of tho&s;e who are call'd Mountebanks, and Empiricks; becau&s;e contraries illu&s;trate each others. To whom this an&s;wer may be given. The fir&s;t is, He that may be call'd &s;o, without any Action at Law, as being not lawfully permitted to Practice by the Laws of <HI>England.</HI> But this &s;en&s;e reacheth not the meaning of the word. <HI>Empiric</HI> is a Greek word coming from <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Experience,</HI> and &s;ignifies no more than an Experimentor; that is, one that pretends only Experience for his Practice, (which <HI>Hipp. Aph.</HI> 1. calls <HI>Deceitful</HI>), without ability of giving a rational ac|count of the Di&s;ea&s;e, Cau&s;e, Symptoms, and Medicines he pre|&s;cribes; &s;o that an unlawful Practi&s;er, (if able) may not be call'd
<PB N="8" REF="5">in this true and genuine &s;en&s;e an Empiric; Nor he (though a Li|cenciate to Practice) be untruly &s;aid to be an Empiric, tho in the highe&s;t order of Licenciats. I conclude by &s;aying, That he who hath the fewe&s;t of the above&s;aid requi&s;ites of a Compleat Phy&s;ician, according to the degrees of his rece&s;s therefrom, may de&s;erve this ignominious Title.</P>
<P>Mountebanks are properly &amp; only &s;uch, who upon Stages and in open places proclaim (commonly with the addition of Antic tricks as good as tho&s;e forementioned, di&s;claimed by the Compleat Phy|&s;ician, tho done in retail, and in private, and therefore le&s;s ob|&s;erved) the great Experience of his mo&s;t &s;ingular Remedies, &s;uita|ble to all Per&s;ons, Ages, and Sexes.</P>
<P>To fill up this empty Page, take a part of an Elegant Fable of <HI>Phaedrus,</HI> of a Cobler turn'd Phy&s;ician.</P>
<Q LANG="lat"><L>Non artis ulla Medicum &s;e prudentia,</L>
<L>Verum &s;tupore vulgi factum nobilem,</L>
<L>Rex, advocata concione, haec addidit,</L>
<L>Quantae putatis e&s;&s;e vos dementiae,</L>
<L>Qui capita vestra non dubitatis credere,</L>
<L>Cui calceandos nemo commi&s;erit pedes.</L>
<L>Hoc pertinere ver&egrave; ad illos dixerim,</L>
<L>Quorum &s;tultitiae quae&s;tus impudentia e&s;t.</L></Q>
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<P><HI>London</HI> Printed for <HI>E. H.</HI></P>
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