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About this book
Patients and their purses are at the centre of this anonymous attack on medical practice, printed in London in 1721. The writer accuses physicians, apothecaries and unqualified practitioners of profiting from confusion and ineffective remedies. Satire becomes a tool for reform: by making professional abuses look ridiculous, the author hopes to help ordinary people distinguish useful treatment from costly pretence.
Alongside this criticism come an essay on health and a response to contemporary writings about the plague. The discussion of bezoar stones and pearls shows the book's method, setting claims for expensive ingredients against the observations of named medical authorities. Its sharp comments on bills, fashion and public credulity give readers a view of disputes over medical trust and commerce in the early eighteenth century. It is a historical source for those debates and the language used to conduct them.
Contents
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