Every Man His Own Doctor

Originally published anonymously in 1734, "Every Man His Own Doctor: or, The Poor Planters Physician" by John Tennent was the first American domestic medicine manual and immensely popular in the Colonies. William Parks printed editions in Williamsburg in 1734 and 1736, as did Benjamin Franklin in Philidelphia in 1734, 1736, and 1737. Tennent never intended his treatise as a subsitiute for "..such as are in the Condition to Purchase more learned Advice," but instead it was "...design'd for those who can't afford to dye by the Hand of a Doctor." Tennent's aim was to create an aid "...to lead the Poorer sort onto the pleasant Paths of Health; and when they have the Misfortune to be sick, to shew them the cheapest and easiest Ways of getting well again."

To that end Tennent used a format that he describes saying, "Before I mention the Cure, I shall endeavor to describe the Symptoms of each Distemper, in so plain a Manner, that any Person may be Master of his own Case, if he will but attend carefully to what he feels; otherwise he might mistake his Illness, and apply an improper Remedy. I shall also recommend the Diet fittest to be used in each Case; which often contributes more to the Patient's Recovery, than his Physick (doctor): At the same Time, he shall have my best Advice to prevent every particular Ailment; which will be happier for him, than to know how to cure it." Tennent shows a distinctly modern bent by understanding the relationship of diet to health and that "An ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of Cure."

Here then are the opening entries in John Tennent's "Every Man His Own Doctor."

Cough I shall begin with a Cough, which is the Foundation of many bad Distempers, and therefore should be taken care of as soon as possible. It may be cured in the Beginning with riding moderately on Horseback every Day, and taking only a little Ground Ivy Tea sweeten'd with Syrrup of Horehound, at Night when you go to Bed. But in Case it be violent, it will be proper to bleed Eight Ounces, and be constant in the Use of the other Remedies. In the mean while, you must use a spare and cooling Diet. without either Flesh or strong Drink. Nor should you stove yourself up in a warm Room, but breathe as much as possible in the open Air. And to prevent this Mischief, don't make your self tender, but wash every Day in cold Water, and very often your Feet.

Whooping
Cough The Whooping Cough, (often fatal to Children,) is attended with a stronger Convulsion than ordinary, which causes the Whooping.

For this, boil Hysop and Elicampane, a Handful of each, in 2 Quarts of water, strain it off, and adding 1 Pound of clean Muscovado Sugar, boil it again, amd give the Patient 2 Spoonfuls every 3 hours.

This same Remedy is good for a shortness of Breath and Hoarseness, only in those Cases, Linseed Tea sweeten'd with Honey, should be a constant Drink, and a spare and cooling Diet punctually observ'd.

Pleurisy A Common Consequence of a violent Cough is a Pleurisy; which discovers it self by a brisk Fever, and sharp Pain, pretty low in one of the Sides, shooting now and then into the Breast, and sometimes quite back into the Shoulder-Blades: It is uneasy every Time the Patient draws his Breath, and more so when he coughs; which is generally the Case in this Disease.

The Moment any Person finds these Tokens upon him, he must, without Loss of Time, take away 10 Ounces of Blood, and repeat the same 3 or 4 Days successively, if the Pain go not away before. On the Third Day, he may vomit with 80 Grains of Indian Physick (Virginian Ipecoacanna,) and every Night, drink 7 Spoonfuls of Pennyroyal Water, or the Decoction of it, moderately sweeten'd. In the mean Time, let him, every Three Hours, take Half a Spoonful of Honey and Linseed Oyl mixt together. He should also strew Indian Pepper, upon Pennyroyal Plaister, and apply it very hot to the Place where the Pain lies, and be sure to keep himself warm, and abstain from cold Water: Tho' if the Distemper should prove obstinate, you must apply a Blister to his Neck, and one to each Arm, on the fleshy Part above the Elbow.

The Patient's Diet should be light, and cooling; and his constant Drink, either Linseed, or Balm Tea, a little sweeten'd.

The best Way to prevent this Distemper, will be, to bleed in the Beginning of any great Hoarseness, or Cough, and also to forebear swilling great Quantities of Water, or Small Beer, in ordinary Life.

Tennent, in keeping with the medical thinking of his day, believed the human body held 20 quarts of blood rather than the five quarts it does contain. And it was by the removal of blood that a diseases power over its host could be lessened. As late as the 1790s physicians would often prescribe the taking of up to 60 ounces of blood at a time. This for me is the single most salient factor in my never saying, "Gee, I wish I'd been born then." As annoying as my HMO is they never try to bleed me to make me feel better.

Tennent went on to lasting fame both here and in England not only for "Every Man His Own Doctor" but also for his discovery of "Rattlesnake Root," a preparation of the dried root of the St. Andrews Cross plant (Hypericum hypericoides--Ed.) taken internally. But let us allow Dr. Tennent to describe the treatment himself.

Bite of a Rattle
Snake If any One should have the Misfortune to be bit by a Rattlesnake, let him kill the Viper immediately, and apply its Fat to the Wound. This will sheath the Poison, and give Time for other Remedies, to expel it out of the Blood. The readiest Cure I know, is, St. Andrew's Cross, which grows providentially all over the Woods, during the whole Season that the Snakes are mischievous.

Let him take 60 Grains of the Root reduced to a Powder, or a strong Decoction of the Leaves and tender Branches, and if One Dose should not finish the Cure, he must take a Second. There are other Plants growing in this Country that will answer the same Intention, such as the Fern-Rattlesnake Root, Ginger-Snakeroot, and the smaller Assa Rebecca, Oak of Jerusalem and and Dittainy; but St. Andrew's Cross is as powerful as any, and much easier procur'd, being Growth of every Soil, that hath not been clear'd, thro' the whole Colony. Nor is there an Indian Trader, but can bear Witness to its Vertue in this Particular.

---Excerpted from Every Man His Own Doctor, by John Tennent, 1734

Tennent's last line, probably intended as a testimonial to the efficacy of his "newly discovered" cure for snake bite, shows it more than likely that he heard of an effective Native American remedy and was merely the first to describe it.
This is in no way intended as a slight on Dr. Tennent's efforts, especially his production of Every Man His Own Doctor. It was a landmark work, combining current medical thought with advice on diet and exercise as a means to a healthy lifestyle. It also brought to the forefront the idea that Americans were the best people qualified to take care of Americans with it's reliance on native flora and other readily obtainable remedies to treat sometmes uniquely American ailments.

Tennent, in closing, says it best. "The remedies I have prescrib'd, are almost all of our own Growth, there being no more thna 5 or 6 foreign Medicines; and they so very cheap, that if I happen to cure my Patient, I am sure that I shan't ruin him. And surely, no Man can say, he dies unfairly, when there is so little to pay, either to the Doctor, or to the Apothecary. Besides, I have another thing to recommend me, that I don't cram my Patients with too much Physick. My Prescriptions are generally single, and not compounded, like a Spanish Oleo, of all Sorts of Ingredients, which must certainly confound and defeat the Vertues of each other. Neither do I ransack the Universe for outlandish Drugs, which must waste and decay in a long Voyage; nor import the Sweepings of the Shops, which I am sure are decay'd; but am content to do all my Execution with the Weapons of our own Country."

Armory Hill will, from time to time, reprint sections from Every Man His Own Doctor. They will always appear in the format above and will simply be placed here and there, wherever space is wanting.

We do not intend any of these "cures" to be taken as medical advice (duh) but are solely for your enlightenment and amusement. It cannot but help us understand the danger these early Americans faced at home as well as abroad in the wilderness and that a visit from the Doctor could often be more hazardous than the ailment which necessitated his call.

So read and enjoy these infrequent additions to our Web site but remember, if you decide to re-enact an 18th century medical treatment as part of your committment to complete historical accuracy, you're on your own. And don't say we didn't warn you.

The old saw states, An apple a Day keeps the Doctor away. We perhaps never realized what sound advice it is.---JBW

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*Cough*	I shall begin with a Cough, which is the Foundation of many bad Distempers, and therefore should be taken care of as soon as possible. It may be cured in the Beginning with riding moderately on Horseback every Day, and taking only a little Ground Ivy Tea sweeten'd with Syrrup of Horehound, at Night when you go to Bed. But in Case it be violent, it will be proper to bleed Eight Ounces, and be constant in the Use of the other Remedies. In the mean while, you must use a spare and cooling Diet. without either Flesh or strong Drink. Nor should you stove yourself up in a warm Room, but breathe as much as possible in the open Air. And to prevent this Mischief, don't make your self tender, but wash every Day in cold Water, and very often your Feet.
Whooping Cough	The Whooping Cough, (often fatal to Children,) is attended with a stronger Convulsion than ordinary, which causes the Whooping. For this, boil Hysop and Elicampane, a Handful of each, in 2 Quarts of water, strain it off, and adding 1 Pound of clean Muscovado Sugar, boil it again, amd give the Patient 2 Spoonfuls every 3 hours. This same Remedy is good for a shortness of Breath and Hoarseness, only in those Cases, Linseed Tea sweeten'd with Honey, should be a constant Drink, and a spare and cooling Diet punctually observ'd.
*Pleurisy*	A Common Consequence of a violent Cough is a Pleurisy; which discovers it self by a brisk Fever, and sharp Pain, pretty low in one of the Sides, shooting now and then into the Breast, and sometimes quite back into the Shoulder-Blades: It is uneasy every Time the Patient draws his Breath, and more so when he coughs; which is generally the Case in this Disease. The Moment any Person finds these Tokens upon him, he must, without Loss of Time, take away 10 Ounces of Blood, and repeat the same 3 or 4 Days successively, if the Pain go not away before. On the Third Day, he may vomit with 80 Grains of Indian Physick (Virginian Ipecoacanna,) and every Night, drink 7 Spoonfuls of Pennyroyal Water, or the Decoction of it, moderately sweeten'd. In the mean Time, let him, every Three Hours, take Half a Spoonful of Honey and Linseed Oyl mixt together. He should also strew Indian Pepper, upon Pennyroyal Plaister, and apply it very hot to the Place where the Pain lies, and be sure to keep himself warm, and abstain from cold Water: Tho' if the Distemper should prove obstinate, you must apply a Blister to his Neck, and one to each Arm, on the fleshy Part above the Elbow. The Patient's Diet should be light, and cooling; and his constant Drink, either Linseed, or Balm Tea, a little sweeten'd. The best Way to prevent this Distemper, will be, to bleed in the Beginning of any great Hoarseness, or Cough, and also to forebear swilling great Quantities of Water, or Small Beer, in ordinary Life.