THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEYAS A PEDIATRICIAN

Abstract

John Wesley (1703-1791), the English theologian, evangelist, and founder of Methodism, did not confine his attention entirely to preaching; he also practiced medicine on his own authority. He did so because of the inadequate number of regular practitioners and the inability of the poor to afford medical treatment even if they could obtain it. To meet this real need Wesley published in 1747 an immensely popular and practical book entitled Primitive Physic on the practice of domestic medicine. No less than seven editions were published in America between 1764 and 1840. Wesley's therapeutic regimens for a few common pediatric conditions that many American parents of that period would have followed are given below. Convulsions in Children. Scrape piony [sic] roots fresh digged. Apply what you have scraped off to the soles of the feet. It helps immediately. Jaundice in Children. Take half an ounce of fine rhubarb, powdered, mix with it thoroughly, by long beating, two handsful of good well cleansed currants. Of this give a tea-spoonful every morning. A Rupture in Children. Boil a spoonful of egg-shells dried in an oven, and powdered, in three quarts of a pint of milk. Feed the child constantly with bread boiled in this milk. Thrush. Mix juice of calendine with honey to the thickness of cream. Infuse a little powdered saffon, let this simmer a while and scum it; apply it where needed with a feather. Or, take an ounce of clarified honey, having scummed off all the dross from it, put in a drachm of roche-alum finely powedered, and stir them well together.