CHAPTER XIX.

State of Medicine in remote Ages--Animals Teachers of Medicine--Gymnastic Medicine--Cato’s Cure for a Fracture--Dearness of ancient Medicines and Medical Books--Absurdity of the ancient Materia Medica: Gold, Bezoar, Mummy--Prescription for a Quartan--Amulets--Virtues of Gems--Corals--Charms--Charm for sore Eyes--Medicine connected with Astrology--Cure by Sympathy--Sir Kenelm Digby--The real Cause of the Cure--The Vulnerary Powder, &c.--The Royal Touch--Evelyn’s Description of the Ceremony--Valentine Greatrakes--Morley’s Cure for Scrofula--Inoculation--Vaccination--Dr. Jenner--Animal Magnetism--M. Loewe’s Account of it--Mesmer, and his Feats--Manner of Magnetizing--Report of a Commission on the Subject--Metallic Tractors--Baron Silfverkielm and the Souls in White Robes--Mr. Loutherbourg--Empirics--Uroscopy--Mayersbach--Le Febre--Remedies for the Stone--The Anodyne Necklace--The Universal Medicine 250

CONCLUDING CHAPTER.

Superstition of the Hindoos--The Malays--Asiatic Superstitions--The Chinese--Miracle of the Blessed Virgin--Stratagem of an Architect--Michael Angelo’s Cupid--Statue of Charles I.--Ever-burning Sepulchral Lamps--Lamp in the Tomb of Pallas--The art of Mimicry--Superiority of the Ancients--Fable of Proteus--Personation of the insane Ajax--Archimimes at funerals--Demetrius the cynic converted--Acting portraits and historical pictures--War dances of the American Indians--The South Sea Bubble--Gay the poet--Law’s Mississippi Scheme--Numerous Bubbles--Speculations in 1825 274

SKETCHES

OF

IMPOSTURE, DECEPTION,

AND

CREDULITY.