Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The New England Medical Gazette, 1871, Vol. 6: A Monthly Journal of Homoeopathic Medicine, Surgery, and the Collateral Sciences
Although these cravings ofttimes appear morbid, and may make us tremble a little with apprehension of sad results in yielding to them, yet I am convinced from experience that we can safely gratify them much more frequently than we are in the habit of doing. What craving, for instance, can compare with the intense desire, the imperative necessity, for' cold water in most acute diseases And yet not many years have elapsed since physicians, by the rules of a practice as cruel as it was false, denied the piteous entreaties of fever-stricken patients, whose sole cry, day and night, like that of Dives in torment, was for a drink of cold water. We have learned the wisdom and mercy of giving not only cold water, but even ice, ad libitum, in such cases; why not carry out the principle and yield as freely to the cravings of hunger, as indicative of as real a want? These cravings are at times almost as strong and decided, and ought, in almost, if not quite, every case, to be gratified. And even if the craving be more of the mind than of the body, we ought not absolutely to deny it; for the patient is at least pleased and soothed, and, if there be no real physical demand, will not partake of enough food to do him harm; while, if there be a real want of it, the calls of nature will be met, and the sufi'erer benefited. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
