BILL of HEALTH.

"A MAN," ſays Celſus, "who is bleſ⯑ſed with good health, ſhould con⯑fine himſelf to no particular rules, either with reſpect to regimen or medicine. He ought frequently to diverſify his manner of living; to be ſometimes in town, ſome⯑times in the country; to hunt, ſail, indulge himſelf in reſt, but more frequently to uſe exerciſe. He ought to refuſe no kind of food that is commonly uſed, but ſometimes to eat more, and ſometimes leſs; ſome⯑times to make one at an entertainment, and ſometimes to forbear it; to make ra⯑ther two meals than one, and always to eat heartily, provided he can digeſt it. He ought neither too eagerly to purſue, nor too ſcrupulouſly to avoid intercourſe with the fair ſex: Pleaſures of this kind, rarely indulged, render the body alert and active, but, when too frequently repeated, weak and languid. He ſhould be careful, in time of health, not to deſtroy, by exceſſes of any kind, that vigour of conſtitution which ſhould ſupport him under ſickneſs."

Keep conſtant to a plain diet. Thoſe enjoy moſt health, and live longeſt, that avoid curioſity and variety of meats and drinks. Aged and decrepid perſons ought to eat often, and but little at a time, of moiſt and liquid food, as ſuch food nou⯑riſhes ſooneſt, and digeſts eaſieſt. The leſs a ſick perſon eats, the ſooner he will recover; for it is a true ſaying, The more you fill foul bodies the more you hurt them.

The moſt unhealthy are found among thoſe who feed high upon the moſt delicious dainties, and drink ſtrong and ſpiritous li⯑quors; whereas others, who want ſuch de⯑licate fare, are ſeldom ſick, unleſs they have ſuch unſatiable appetites as to eat too much. Experience teaches men, that, af⯑ter they have indulged their appetites to exceſs, they find themſelves heavy and dull, and often ſleepy, which ſufficiently ſhews that thoſe meals are prejudicial to the wel⯑fare of the body; whereas, in the morning before they have eaten, they are light and pleaſantly eaſy. To ſup ſparingly is moſt healthful, becauſe the ſtomach being not over burthened, the ſleep is more pleaſant; and from ſparing-ſuppers, the breeding of thoſe humours is prevented, which cauſe [3]defluxions, rheumatiſms, gouts, dropſies, giddineſs, and corruption in the mouth from the ſcurvy. From faſting, or a very ſpare diet, many indiſpoſitions may be cu⯑red. And to preſerve health, one meal ſhould not be eaten till the former has paſ⯑ſed clean out of the ſtomach (which is known when hunger calls for another ſup⯑ply) by means of which conſtant practice, the food will be converted to good chyle, and from good chyle, which is a milk-like ſubſtance, good blood will be bred, and from good blood generous ſpirits will be produced, on which a healthy conſtitution and liberal mind will enſue; but on the contrary, when too great a quantity of food is taken (for the pleaſure of taſte) which the ſtomach cannot well digeſt, the chyle will become raw and corrupt, foul the blood, effect the paſſions, and render the body diſordered and unhealthy. Miſers, who eat and drink but little, live long. Two meals a day are ſaid to be ſufficient for weak people, and all perſons after fifty years of age, as the omitting of ſuppers conduceth much to their health.

Every intention in the cure of diſorders may be anſwered by diet alone; but the [4]food muſt be wholeſome, and taken regu⯑lar, or the conſequences will be bad. The poor are generally the firſt who ſuffer by unwholeſome food, which often cauſes in⯑fection, and reaches people in every ſta⯑tion. There are many ways by which proviſions may be rendered unwholeſome. Acts of Providence we muſt ſubmit to. Bad ſeaſons may either prevent the ripen⯑ing of grain, or damage it afterwards; but no puniſhment can be too ſevere for thoſe who ſuffer proviſions to ſpoil, by hoard⯑ing them, in order to raiſe the price. All animal ſubſtances have a conſtant tendency to putrefaction; and the ſoundeſt grain, if kept too long, becomes unfit for uſe. No animal can be wholeſome which does not take ſufficient exerciſe. Moſt of our ſtalled cattle, ſwine, &c. are crammed with groſs food, but not allowed exerciſe nor free air, by which means they indeed grow fat, but their humours, not being properly prepared, remain crude, and oc⯑caſion indigeſtions, groſs humours, and oppreſſion of the ſpirits, in thoſe who feed upon them.

Good tea, taken in moderation, not too ſtrong nor too hot, nor drunk upon an [5]empty ſtomach, will ſeldom do harm; but if it be bad, or ſubſtituted in place of ſolid food, it muſt be prejudicial.

All high-ſeaſoning, pickles, &c. are only incentives to luxury, and never fail to hurt the ſtomach. Plain roaſting or boiling is all that the ſtomach requires. Were fer⯑mented liquors faithfully prepared, kept to a proper age, and uſed in moderation, they would prove real bleſſings; but while they are ill prepared, and various ways adultered, ſince preparing and vending of them have become the moſt coveted and lucrative branches of buſineſs, their quality ſhould be ſtrictly examined. Families ought to brew and bake for their own uſe; as the grand object of the venders is to render the liquors intoxicating, and the bread to pleaſe the eye, rather than to conſult the health of the conſumers.

Diet ought to be ſuited to the man⯑ner of life. A ſedentary or ſtudious per⯑ſon ſhould live more ſparingly than one who labours hard without doors. Many kinds of food will nouriſh a peaſant very well, which would be almoſt indigeſtible to a citizen; and the latter will live upon a diet on which the former would ſtarve.

It is the opinion of an eminent Phyſi⯑cian that faſting, reſt, and drinking water, will cure moſt diſeaſes; for faſting gives time to the ſtomach to unload itſelf of the cauſe of diſtempers, the cauſe of all diſeaſes being begun in that bowel only; to the cleanſing of which, drinking plentifully of water will much contribute.

With the aſſiſtance of freſh air, and the above means, the following caſe was ef⯑fected: "A neighbour of mine became very feveriſh, and his wife perſuaded him to go to bed. I heard of it ſoon after, and gave him a viſit, where I found the win⯑dows cloſe ſhut, the curtains of the bed drawn, and the room very hot, for it was in the month of July: he was burning hot, and complained for want of breath. I drew open the curtains, covered him warm, and then opened the windows, and the wind blew into the room; upon which he ſoon told me his ſhortneſs of breath had left him. I perſuaded him to drink ſome water, which he found did much refreſh him; and, after I had taken my leave of him, he called for more water; and, while he had the cup in his hand, the apothecary came in, whom his wife had ſent for, who, [7]finding him about to drink the water, told him if he did do it he was a dead man; but, inſtead of forbearing, he drank it up in his preſence: upon which the apothe⯑cary took his leave, and told him he would ſay no more to him. However, before night, the perſon got up, went abroad, and was cured of his fever.

That there is a poſſibility of curing diſ⯑eaſes by a diet only that is temperate and cooling, ſuch as milk, and the roots and ſeeds of vegetables, viz. potatoes, turnips, wheat, rice, barley, oatmeal, and full-ripe fruit, let the following remarkable inſtance, teſtified by Dr. Cheyne, evince: A phyſi⯑cian that lived at Croyden, who had long been afflicted with the falling-evil, by ſlow obſervation, found, that the lighter his meals were, the lighter were his fits. At laſt he alſo caſt off all liquids but water, and found his fits weaker, and the intervals longer; and finding his diſeaſe mend, as its fewel was withdrawn, he took to vegetable food, and water only, which put an entire period to his fits, without any relapſe; but find⯑ing that food windy to him, he took to milk, of which he eat a pint for a breakfaſt, a quart at dinner, and a pint for ſupper, [8]without fiſh, fleſh, bread, or any ſtrong or ſpiritous liquor, or any drink but water, with which he lived afterwards for a num⯑ber of years, without the leaſt interruption in his health, ſtrength, or vigour.

Temperance or ſpare diet, void of dain⯑ties, never was injurious to the ſtrongeſt conſtitution, and, without it, ſuch as are weak and ſickly, cannot long exiſt; for the more ſuch perſons eat and drink, the more weak and diſordered they will ſtill find themſelves to be. It is cuſtom only that makes men hanker after gluttony and drunkenneſs, and a contrary cuſtom will make men abhor it as much.

Temperance will enable the rich to live more at eaſe, and enjoy their wealth the longer, being the ſureſt way to prolong life, though it hath not the power to make thoſe young who are aged; but it will make the aged more free from decrepid⯑neſs, and die with more caſe, if the death⯑bed hath been well prepared for by a good life.