Research Guides: History of Science and Nature materials in Haverford Special Collections (HC): Medicine

Guides to Health and Wellness

Advice to the people in general: with regard to their health.
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This publication offers early medical advice and was written by S.A.D. Tissot in 1765.
Cautions against the use of violent medicines in fevers, and instances of the virtue of petasite root
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This book by John Hill is bound with a collection of rare and valuable pieces relating to the last plague in the year 1665.
The English physician: enlarged with three hundred and sixty-nine medicines, made of English herbs, that were not in any impression until this.
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This work by Nicholas Culpeper contains an index of various medicinal plants and outlines some therapeutic remedies utilized in the years before 1800.
Illness: its cause and cure: an appendix to Simple questions and sanitary facts
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This 1867 book on medical remedies was published by J. Burns and has a preface signed by "an Irishwoman."
Maladies, remedies and physicians of colonial days in Burlington County, and other kindred topics...
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This work was read before the Historical Society of Burlington County and contains references to several Quaker physicians.
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Full title: Maladies, remedies and physicians of colonial days in Burlington County, and other kindred topics.: Read before the Historical society of Burlington county, Dec. 11th, 1908
Mrs. J. Morse's celebrated vegetable extract, for rickets, weakness, debility, dropsy, dysentary [sic], diarrhœa, ulcers....
Published in 1838.
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Full title: Mrs. J. Morse's celebrated vegetable extract, for rickets, weakness, debility, dropsy, dysentary [sic], diarrhœa, ulcers in the head, internal inflamation [sic], cutaneous erruptions caused by impurity of the blood, &c
Panacea, or, The universal medicine: being a discovery of the wonderfull vertues of tobacco taken in a pipe...
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This book includes some of the perceived health benefits of smoking proposed by Giles Everard in 1659.
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Full title: Panacea, or, The universal medicine: being a discovery of the wonderfull vertues of tobacco taken in a pipe: with its operation and use both in physick and chyrurgery
Primitive Physick: or, An easy and natural method of curing most diseases
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This book provides an early account of medical practices by John Wesley in 1747.
The virtues of honey in preventing many of the worst disorders...
Written by John Hill in 1759.
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Full title: The virtues of honey in preventing many of the worst disorders: and in the certain cure of several others: particularly the gravel, asthmas, coughs, hoarseness, and a tough morning phlegm.
Means of preserving health and preventing diseases
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Porter's health almanac for 1832
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"Calculated generally for all parts of the United States"
The family companion for health
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"or, Plain, easy, and certain rules, which being punctually observ'd and follow'd, will keep families free from diseases, and procure them a long life"
The immortal mentor
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"or, Man's unerring guide to a healthy, wealthy, and happy life. In three parts."
Via recta ad vitam longam
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"Or, A plain philosophicall demonstration of the nature, faculties, and effects of all such things as by way of nourishments make for the preservation of health."
The laws of health in relation to the human form
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Waring family papers
Within the collection of Thomas Waring papers are numerous letters relating to his position as the Superintendent at Cooper Hospital, and about the Swoboda system of physiological exercise

Medicine Manuscripts

Cope-Collins-Morris Family papers, 1825-1880
These papers include correspondence from William Collins to Eliza that discuss various different topics, including the cholera epidemic in Philadelphia.
Hartshorne family papers
Includes medical notes, articles,and correspondence, 1819-1845, of Joseph Hartshorne, M.D, of interest for his innovations in surgery as well as his detailed descriptions of treatments for various ailments; and correspondence, medical papers, literary works, etc., of Joseph's son Henry Hartshorne, M.D.

Medical Texts

A treatise on the physical and medical treatment of children
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By William Dewees, who was an obstetrician at the University of Pennsylvania who became prominent for a series of books on child rearing. The first section of this book covers information about pregnancy, birth, and the early years of childhood, while the second half discusses childhood diseases.
A practice of physic: comprising most of the diseases not treated of in "Diseases of females," and "Diseases of children."
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William Dewees was an obstetrician at the University of Pennsylvania who became prominent for a series of books on child rearing. This work deals with treatment of fevers, chest pains, and the eyes and focuses on describing the symptoms of the various ailments.
The old man's guide to health and longer life
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By John Hill, who was a doctor and member of the imperial academy. This work lays out rules for diet and exercise meant to prevent disease in old men, which he defines as those older than 58.
A treatise on the synochus icteroides, or yellow fever: as it lately appeared in the city of Philadelphia...
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This treatise by William Currie was published 1794 and details the spread, symptoms, treatment, and prevention of yellow fever in Philadelphia based on reports by the College of Physicians.
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Full title:A treatise on the synochus icteroides, or yellow fever: as it lately appeared in the city of Philadelphia; exhibiting a concise view of its rise, progress and symptoms, together with the method of treatment found most successful; also remarks on the nature of its contagion, and directions for preventing the introduction of the same malady, in future
Common Sense in the Nursery
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A 19th century work on the care and health of infants.
De secretis mulierum libellus, scholiis auctus, & amendis repurgatus
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By Albertus Magnus. This medical text about "women's secrets" relates to human birth and generation.
The anatomy of melancholy, vvhat it is
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By Robert Burton, 1621. "VVith all the kindes, cavses, symptomes, prognostickes, and severall cvres of it. In three maine partitions with their seuerall sections, members, and svbsections. : Philosophically, medicinally, historically, opened and cvt vp"
Opera Omni
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By Marcello Malpighi. The complete works of this Italian physician and anatomist.
The miraculous conformist
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By Henry Stubbe. "An account of severall marvailous cures performed by the stroaking of the hands of Mr Valentine Greatarick: with a physicall discourse thereupon, in a letter to the Honourable Robert Boyle esq."
Ioannis Tagaultii ambiani Vimaci, parisiensis medici, De chirurgica institutione libri quinque
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By Jean Tagault, Parisian anatomist.