Part 9

I shall not attempt to account for the Advantages of this Practice, because that has been done already so copiously by Sir _John Floyer_ and Dr. _Baynard_, and the World has already begun to experience the good Effects of it, and there are Examples enough, every where known, to justifie the recourse to it, in the Cases to which I apply it; and ’tis to be hop’d now, that Men will begin to consider the Folly and Mischief of the too warm Regimen, which in health does often prepare ’em for Sickness, and in Sickness does often increase the Disease, and hasten Death, a Regimen which would be much more proper, for one that is to have a sudden passage into a warm Country, than for us who are to prepare our selves for the bearing of the Cold; a thing which we cannot fly from, and therefore ought to resist it; and which is not so formidable or dangerous, as for a great while has been thought. The Inhabitants of this Nation formerly went Naked, and were more Healthy than we are now; and the People of _Canada_, and all the Cold Continent behind _Newfoundland_, go much after the same manner, without any Inconvenience from it, but are rather fortifi’d against the Accidents they would be subject to, if their Pores were too much open’d and relax’d by too much warmth; and we may very well distinguish the Rational, from the Savage Part, by as thin a Habit as Decency will permit. It is a strange thing, that People should be fond of suppling their Skins, and keeping their Pores too open; as if a Man did not as really perspire, when there is no sensible Moisture upon the Skin, tho’ not so much, as when he is all bedew’d with Exhalations, which should not be sent out in so great Quantity, but upon brisk Exercise. If Men knew how much Sweat impairs the Skin, and inclines it to wrinkle, as _Sanctorius_ tells us in one of his _Aphorisms_, they would be fully perswaded, that Nature can make her Discharges by finer and better ways, than those which are so perceptible, and that Flannel is scarce necessary or convenient on this side Old Age. The nervous parts of the Skin have certainly a very great Elasticity, and are capable of being strengthned by good and suitable Management, even to a Habit, as well as those of other Parts; and we see, that when the Glands of the Skin do throw out a very sensible quantity of Sweat in some particular Parts, these Parts grow accustom’d to the Air, or other Moisture, and receive little or no hinderance in their discharges from it; as we see the Palms of the Hands shall sweat copiously, notwithstanding the External Air immediately striking upon ’em; and none are more Strong and Healthy, than those who are wont to have their Feet wet without changing their Shooes and Stockings for it. The Stomach plac’d in the midst of the Body, and consequently exquisitely warm, is so adapted, as to bear large Draughts of the Coldest Liquor, without the least Damage, unless the Body has been extremely heated; and tho’ its Office seems to require great and continual Heat, yet it is not obstructed in it, by the admission of Cold things, nor are its Glands benumn’d or constring’d, so as to hinder the Secretion of digesting Juices; and can we suppose the Fabrick of the Skin less perfect, and exquisite, when by its position it is to be immediately subject to the effects of the External Air? Can we think its Vessels are not endu’d with a strength sufficient to answer the Force and Weight of the incumbent Air? And its Glands of such a make, as that the Particles they strain shall be of so fine a Texture as to pass the Skin, when it seems to us to be too close to permit any transition? We make but indifferent use of a very good Theory, that _Sanctorius_ has furnish’d us with, if we give way to these Thoughts, and encourage too frequently the promoting of Sensible Perspirations; which, be they in never so small a degree, are the effect of some Violence upon Nature, and consequently not to be compar’d with the other more Even and Regular Secretion.

Besides, we may argue from the Effects of too much Heat, and from the Distempers of Hot Countries, to instance but in one Disease (which when it seizes any one among us, their chiefest Care is to be secur’d from the Cold,) and that is the Colick, which is the Epidemical Distemper of Hot Countries, not of Cold, and so common at _Surat_, that about Noon the whole Town shall smell of _Assa Fœtida_, which they mix in most of their Dishes, to preserve ’em from that Tormenting Distemper, which the Heat of the Air does not exempt ’em from, but exposes ’em to it, by rarefying the Blood and Humours, and opening their Pores; by which Method I don’t doubt but many a one among us has brought an Accidental Colick to be habitual; for being scar’d by the first Fit, they have endeavour’d to secure themselves from another, by these very Means which prove most likely to bring it on. If any one thinks this strange, let ’em remember what hapned when Muffs were worn universally, some Men were wont to let ’em hang upon their Bellies for the most part; and I have heard a Healthy Man complain, that upon leaving off his Muff for a day or two after such a Custom, he has been grip’d; from which any one in the World will infer, that the keeping the Part too warm, prepar’d it for the Ill Effect of the Air, and that the same may happen in any part of the whole Body; so that it is a Folly for People, in most Cases where the Lungs are not concern’d, to nurse up a Distemper, which was at first perhaps in great part owing to a tender way of living, and by continuing that Course of Life, must be rather encreas’d than perfectly rooted out. A great deal more might be urg’d, if my Scope would permit me, to induce People to believe the good effects that will follow upon the Exercising themselves in bearing _Cold_.

I shall proceed next to shew, what was the Opinion of the Antients, concerning Exercise in the Cure of several Distempers, and shall collect their Sentiments as briefly as possible; that as in a Sketch they may appear at one View.

_The PRACTICE of the ANCIENTS._

We find then that much about the time of _Hippocrates_, the _Gymnastick_ Method began to be introduc’d into the Art of Physick; whether it was brought up by the School of the _Cnidians_, or any other Society of Physicians, or whether _Herodicus_ first joyn’d it to the Dietetick, and so brought it into Request, I shall not undertake to determine; but we find by _Hippocrates_, in his _third_ Book, _de Dietâ_, _Sect. 12._ That with some sort of Glory he assumes to himself the Honour of bringing that Method to a Perfection, so as to be able to distinguish Πότερον τὸ σιτίον κρατέει τοὺς πόνους, ἤ ὁι πόνοι τὰ σιτία, ἢ μετρίως ἔχει πρὸς ἄλληλα. _Utrum cibus superat labores, aut labores cibos, aut moderatè inter se habeant_; as he expresses it. Pursuant to this, we find him in several places of his Works, recommending several Sorts of Exercises upon proper Occasions; as _first_, Friction or _Chafing_, the Effects of which he explains in his _Second_ Book, _de Diæta_, _Sect. 42._ And tells us, that as in some Cases it will bring down the Bloatedness of the Solid Parts, in other Cases it will incarn and cause an Increase of Flesh, and make the part Thrive; for, says he, _Carnes Calefactæ ac siccatæ alimentum in seipsas per venas trahunt, deinde augescunt_. He advises Walking, of which they had two Sorts, their round and streight Courses. He gives his Opinion of the Ἀνακίνηματα or Preparatory Exercises, which serv’d to warm and fit the Wrestlers for the more vehement ones. In some Cases he advises, the Παλὴ, or common Wrestling, and the Ἀκροκείρησις, or Wrestling by the Hands only, without coming close. The Κωρυχμαχία, or the Exercise of the _Corycus_, or the hanging Ball. The Χειρονομίη, a Sort of dextrous and regular Motion of the Hands, and upper parts of the Body, something after a Military manner. The Ἀλίνδησις, or rowling in Sand; and once we find mention’d with some Approbation the Ἤπειροι Ἵπποι, _Equi Indefiniti_, by which I suppose he means Galloping, long Courses in the open Field. These various Exercises are more amply describ’d by several Authors, and _Mercurialis_ has Collected a very good account of ’em; they may seem strange to those who don’t consider what great Expences the Ancients were at in Building Academies, or Places every way convenient for these purposes; and as odd as some of these may be thought by us now, they were as commonly practis’d in those days, as Cupping is now in our _Bagnio’s_. And tho’ _Hippocrates_ gives his Direction concerning these things, after his usual manner, in short Terms, yet ’tis plain he depended much on ’em, because he so frequently inculcates the Distinction of this or that sort of Exercise, to such and such a Distemper; and the People of those Times might find greater Benefit from those Exercises, than we do now from some of ours, which I doubt not are altogether as good; because they apply’d the Exercise to such or such a Medicine as the Physician thought fit, which gave it a greater Energy; and after its Operation had recourse to another milder Method, to take off the Heat or Disorder which might have been caus’d by the Medicine. In these Practices they were so dexterous and successful, that tho’ their Ætiology strictly taken, was wrong, yet if a Man diligently attends to their Reasoning from Effects, he may be satisfi’d, that they were able by these Methods to do some wonderful Cures; and indeed they sometimes had such surprizing Success, that the abovemention’d _Herodicus_, an Eminent Master of Exercises, thought he could Cure all Distempers by those Means, and went Empirically to work upon the Bodies of those who put themselves under his Care, and was so extravagant, as to attempt to Cure Fevers by such Methods, for which he is ridicul’d by _Hippocrates_, in the _Sixth Book_ of his _Epidemicks_, and the _Third Section_.

As for _Galen_, he follows _Hippocrates_ in this, as close as in other things, and declares his Opinion of the Benefit of Exercises in several places; his _Second_ Book, _de Sanitate Tuendâ_, is wholly upon the Use of the _Strigil_, or the Advantage of Regular _Chafing_; he has wrote a little Tract, _de Parvâ Pilâ_, wherein he recommends an Exercise, by which the Body and Mind are both at the same time affected. In his Discourse to _Thrasibulus_, which is a Dispute, whether the Preservation of the Health properly belongs to the Art of Physick, or to the Gymnastick Art, he inveighs against the _Athletick_, and other violent Practices of the _Gymnasium_, but approves of the more moderate Exercises, as subservient to the Ends of a Physician, and consequently part of that Art.

The other _Greek_ Writers speak much the same thing, and the Sense of most of ’em in this matter is contracted in _Oribasius_’s Collections. I shall only take Notice that they rely’d much on Exercise in the Cure of the _Dropsie_, wherein we almost totally neglect it; _Porrò motus, si quid aliud_ (says _Trallian_, one of the latest of ’em) _Hydropicis conducit, præcipuè qui fit per Mare, Equum, & Lecticam iis autem qui viribus constant, etiam Itio est utilissima_; which is no more than what _Hippocrates_ has advis’d before, in his _de internis Affection_. _Sect. 28._ He orders for one that has a Dropsie ταλαιπωρεέτω περιόδοισι πολλισι δι’ ἡμήρης, _Laboret circuitus multos de die._ And he makes use of the same Word in his Epidemicks, and almost always when he speaks of the Regimen of a Dropical Person, implying that tho’ it be a labour for such People to move, yet they must undergo it; and this is so much the Sense of _Hippocrates_, that Mons. _Spon_ has Collected it into one of the New _Aphorisms_, which he has drawn out of his Works. _Celsus_ says of this Case, _Concutiendum multâ Gestatione Corpus est_; and in another place, _Facilius in Servis quàm in Liberis tollitur, quia cum desideret famem, sitim, mille alia tædia, longamq; patientiam, promptius his succurritur, qui facilè coguntur, quam quibus inutilis libertas est_. I have made choice of these Citations, that I may not be thought to have apply’d the Use of Exercise to the Cure of the Dropsie, without Precedent; and if the Ancients in their Practice found the good Effects of it, we have much more reason to expect greater Advantage from such Measures, since we have a Medicine we use in this Case, which seems particularly to demand it; I mean the Chalybeate, of which I have already spoke elsewhere.

But to return to my former Design; not only the _Greeks_ but the _Latin_ Writers also, are full of these Methods. The _Romans_ rather exceeded, than came short of the _Greeks_, in the Prosecution of _Gymnastick_ Courses; and _Asclepiades_, who liv’d in the Time of _Pompey_ the Great, was the Man who brought them into the most Universal Request. He call’d Exercises _the common Aids of Physick_, and wrote a Treatise, _de Frictione, & Gestatione_, which is mention’d by _Celsus_, in his Chapter _de Frictione_, but the Book is lost. He carry’d these Notions so far, that he invented the _Lecti Pensiles_, or Hanging Beds, that the Sick might be rock’d to sleep; which took so much at that time, that they came afterwards to make these Beds of Silver, and they were a great part of the Luxury of that People; he had so many particular ways to make Physick agreeable, understood so well the Τὸ Βέλπον of his Profession, was so exquisite in the invention of Exercises to supply the Place of much Physick, that perhaps no Man in any Age ever had the happiness to obtain so general an Applause; and _Pliny_ says, he by these means made himself the Delight of Mankind.

About his Time the _Roman_ Physicians sent their Consumptive Patients to _Alexandria_ in _Ægypt_, and with very good Success, as we find by both the _Pliny’s_; this was done partly for the Change of Air, but chiefly for the Sake of the Exercise by the Motion of the Ship, and therefore _Celsus_ says, _Si vera a Phthisis est, opus est longâ Navigatione_; and a little after he makes _Vehiculum & Navis_ to be two of the chiefest Remedies; and I am apt to believe they were the more inclin’d to make use of the Sea-Carriage, as an Exercise, for the sake of the Vomiting, which happens at the Beginning of it, that they might thereby supply their Want of gentle Emeticks, which at times are so beneficial in that Distemper, in which scarce any of the Emeticks which they then knew, can be us’d with Safety, and it was a great part of their Industry and Sagacity to make good what they wanted in Pharmacy by other Means. As for the other more common Exercises, that were daily practis’d, as it is very manifest from _Celsus_, _Cælius Aurelianus_, _Theodorus Priscianus_, and the rest of the _Latin_ Physicians. And we don’t want Instances of the Cures wrought by these means. _Suetonius_ tells us, that _Germanicus_ was Cur’d of a _Crurum Gracilitas_, as he expresses it, I suppose he means an _Atrophy_, by Riding; and _Plutarch_ in the Life of _Tully_ gives us an account of his Infirmness, and that he recovered a great Measure of Health by Travelling, and excessive Diligence in Rubbing and _Chafing_ his Body; and he himself in his _Brutus, seu de claris Oratioribus_, relates his Case, That he was so weak, that his Friends and Physicians advis’d him to leave off Pleading, which struck him so, that he thought he would undergo any Fatigue, rather than lose the Glory of his Profession, and so betook himself to Travelling, which with other regular Courses brought him to his Health again. _Pliny_, _lib. 31. Cap. 6._ tells us _Annæas Gallio_, who had been Consul, was Cured of a Consumption by a Sea Voyage; and _Galen_ gives us such Accounts of the good Effects of particular Exercises, and all People so unanimously apply’d themselves with Patience and Resolution to these Practices, that it cannot be suppos’d, but they must have been able to produce great and good Effects.

If any one should ask me how it comes to pass that Riding, which I have substituted as equivalent to any or all the Exercises of the Ancients, in the Case of Sickness, was so little regarded by their Physicians, but other less valuable Exercises insisted on; it may be reply’d, that the Ancients could not recommend Riding to weak People, because of their manner of Riding; they had not the same convenience, as we have; for in those days they rode without Stirrups, which must needs be tiresome to weak Persons. We find by comparing of Medals, that the Stirrup was an Invention of a much later date, than any of the Authors I have quoted, I think by about Seven Hundred Years; so that Riding was only an Exercise for Healthy and strong Men; besides Horses were not so common in the _Levant_, or in _Italy_, as they are with us; they were reserv’d for Military Men, or at least for Men of Plentiful Fortunes, and the Ass and the Mule serv’d for common Carriage; the Horse was a formidable Creature to People that were not accustom’d to him, and especially to weak Persons. We see such a Jolly Fellow as _Martial_, could advise his Friend _Priscus_, to have a Care how he hunted, _Lib. 12. Epig. 14._

_Parcius utaris, moneo, rapiente Veredo_ _Prisce, nec in Lepores tam violen ter eas._

And in the Close of the Epigram,

_Quid te fræna juvant temararia! Sæpius illis,_ _Prisce, datum est equitem rumpere, quam Leporem._

And that this Humour still remains in those Countries, tho’ we have a better way of Riding, is evident from Dr. _Baglivi_, who tells us in the _Corollaries_ of the _8th_ Chapter of his _first_ Book, _de Fib. Motrice_, That he Cur’d two Hypochondriacal Persons, _Hominem Nobilem ac alium Divitem_, a Gentleman and another rich Man, that he says were desperately Ill, by Riding on Asses in the Country Air; and I believe all will agree to think they were desperately Ill, who could despense with the Ass-trot, when their Circumstances would have afforded them the Carriage of a better Creature. The _Italians_ plainly discover likewise, how little they are addicted to Horsemanship, in that Proverb of theirs which says, _That a Galloping Horse is an open Sepulchre_; and according to this Opinion, they manage their Horse-Races at _Florence_, for they make their Horses run without Riders upon ’em, something after the manner of a Paddock-Course; and to make ’em run the faster, they clap a Saddle upon ’em, cover’d with a Sort of Tinsey Stuff, that may make a fluttering with the Motion of the Horse, and fright him that he may run the faster; and instead of Stirrups, there hangs down Straps from the Saddle, at the end of which, there are Balls full of sharp Spikes, which leap up and down, and prick the Horse as he runs. This ridiculous way of Running their Horses, shews how great is the Prevalence of that habitual Timorousness, which keeps ’em from the Enjoyment of the best and most useful sort of Riding, as the Ancients could distinguish very well, as we find by _Oribasius_, in his Chapter _de Equitatione_, who after he has said, that Riding slowly was tiresome, (which was for want of Stirrups) he goes on to tell you, _Si vehementer impellatur_ (viz. Equus) _quamvis totum corpus laboriosè concutiat, tamen aliquid utilitatis affert, siquidem magis quam omnes aliæ Exercitationes, Corpus et præsertim Stomachum firmat, et sensuum instrumenta purgat, eaque reddit acutiora_. This is a sufficient _Encomium_ of Riding, coming from the Mouth of one of the Ancients, who relied so much upon other Exercises, tho’ we in these Northern Parts want no Recommendation from them, of a thing so much experienc’d by our selves; only we slight and neglect this Advantage, as we do many others, because it is common.

I have now with sufficient Brevity, consider’d how much the Ancients depended on the Assistance of Exercises in their Practice; and I leave it to any one, that is not prejudic’d, to judge whether this may not pass for one Reason, why they cur’d so well with so bad a Theory, and such indifferent Materials; when we, with our Circulation and Splendid Pharmacy, are not perhaps able to outdo ’em proportionably to our larger Acquisition of Knowledge; I say, I think this may be one Reason, for I know there is another may be alledg’d likewise, and I think I speak without any undue Aggravation.

The Power of Exercises us’d at proper Seasons, and with great and exact Patience, must needs be very great; and if it be true, that in the _Roman_ Common Wealth there was no profess’d Physician for the first Five Hundred Years, there is no way to account for it but by their incredible Temperance, and Variety of Exercises; the few Chronical Distempers they had among ’em, were in all likelyhood, for the most part subsequent to Acute Distempers, which no Temperance can always prevent, and the little vegetable Physick, which they could not but know, with their resolute and indefatigable Application to some of their Exercises, might suffice to help ’em to get clear of ’em. This may perhaps by some be thought rather a Gloss than an Argument, who do no duly consider their wonderful Patience in this respect; the _Pletherismus_, and _Pitylismus_, two odd uncouth Exercises mention’d by _Galen_, are sufficient to convince any Man, that they that would heartily drudge at them in the middle of the _Stadium_, would do any thing that was possible to recover their Health, and might expect the very utmost Benefit that could be obtain’d from the various Motion of the whole, or any part of the Body.