Porter, and two or three glasses of wine.
"He _Supped_ at eleven, on a cold fowl. He ate such vegetables as were
in season; and the quantity of Animal food he took daily, was from five
to six pounds."--See _Pedestrianism_, p. 6.
"_His style of Walking is_ to bend forward the body, and to throw its
weight on the knees. His step is short, and his feet are raised only a
few inches from the ground. Any person who will try this plan, will find
that his pace will be quickened, at the same time he will walk with more
ease to himself, and be better able to endure the fatigue of a long
journey, than by walking in a posture perfectly erect, which throws too
much of the weight of the body on the ankle-joints. He always uses
thick-soled shoes, and lamb's wool stockings. It is a good rule to shift
the stockings frequently during the performance of a long distance; but
it is indispensably requisite to have shoes with thick soles, and so
large, that all unnecessary pressure on the feet may be avoided."--p.
208.
[9] "According to the force of the Chylopoetic Organs, a larger or less
quantity of Chyle may be abstracted from the same quantity of
Food."--ARBUTHNOT _on Aliment_, p. 24.
[10] "Nothing comes to perfection under a stated period of growth; and
till it attains this, it will, of course, afford inferior nutriment.
Beef and Mutton are much easier of digestion, and more nutritious, than
Veal or Lamb. If the flesh of Mutton and Lamb, Beef and Veal, are
compared, they will be found of a different texture, the two young meats
of a more stringy indivisible nature than the others, which makes them
harder of digestion."--_Domestic Management_, 12mo. 1813. p. 151.
[11] "_A 40 Winks Nap_," in an Horizontal posture, is the most reviving
preparative for any great exertion of either the Mind or the Body;--to
which it is as proper an _Overture_ as it is a _Finale_.--See _Siesta_,
Index.
[12] "Few persons, even in the best health, can, without disgust, bear
to be confined to a peculiar food, or way of living, for any length of
time, (which is a strong argument that variety of food is natural to
mankind); and if so,--the debilitated stomachs of Valetudinarians cannot
be expected to be less fastidious."--FALCONER _on Diet_, p. 8.
[13] "It appears from my experiments, that _boiled_, and _roasted_, and
even _putrid_ meat, is easier of digestion than _raw_."--See J. HUNTER
_on the Animal Economy_, p. 220.
[14] "Newmarket affords abundant proofs, how much may be done by
training; Jockies sometimes reduce themselves a Stone and a half in a
week."--WADD _on Corpulency_, 8vo. 1816.--p. 35.
[15] "A Dog was fed on the _Richest Broth_, yet could not be kept alive;
while another, which had only the _Meat boiled to a Chip_, (and water),
throve very well. This shows the folly of attempting to nourish Men by
concentrated Soups, Jellies, &c."--SINCLAIR'S _Code of Health_.
If this experiment be accurate--what becomes of the theoretic visions of
those who have written about Strengthening Jellies, Nourishing Broths,
&c.?
[16] "The excesses of our Youth, are drafts upon our old Age, payable
with interest, about twenty years after date."--COLTON'S _Lacon_. 5th
Edition, 1820. p. 51.
[17]
The Teeth are renewed at the 7th year.
Puberty arrives at twice seven 14.
Full stature at three times seven 21.
The vigour of growth at four times seven 28.
The greatest vigour of Body and Mind at five times seven 35.
The commencement of decay at six times seven 42.
General Decay, and decrease of energy, at seven times seven 49.
Old Age at eight times seven 56.
And the grand climacteric of the Ancients at nine times seven 63.
Dr. JAMESON _on the Changes of the Human Body_, p. 31.
[18] "Cornaro found that as the powers of his stomach declined with the
powers of Life in general, that it was necessary that he should diminish
the quantity of his food; and by so doing, he retained to the last the
feelings of Health."--ABERNETHY'S _Surg. Obs._ p. 71.
[19] And for Culinary Operators from 25 to 40. Before the former, they
can hardly accumulate sufficient experience; and after the latter, they
every day lose a portion of their "_bon goût_" and activity.
[20] See his sensible Essay on the Changes of the Human Body at
different Ages. 8vo. 1811.--p. 89.
[21]
"The Pulse in the new-born Infant, while
placidly sleeping, is about 140 in a minute.
Towards the end of the first Year 124
Towards the end of the second Year 110
Towards the end of the third and fourth Years 96
When the first Teeth drop out 86
At Puberty 80
At Manhood 75
At Sixty, about 60"
BLUMENBACH'S _Physiology_, p. 40.
The expectations of Life are thus calculated by De Moivre--Subtract the
age of the person from 86, half the remainder will be the expectation of
that Life.
[22] See the history of a case of Spectacles, &c. in page 61 of Dr.
KITCHINER'S _Practical Observations on Telescopes, Opera Glasses,
&c._--Third Edition.
[23] "In proportion as the powers of the Stomach are weak, so ought we
to diminish the quantity of our food, and take care that it be as
nutritive, and as easy of digestion as possible."--ABERNETHY'S _Surgical
Observations_, p. 67.
[24] "Nothing is a greater Enemy to feeble life, than laying aside old
habits--or leaving a climate, or place, to which one has been long
accustomed: the irritation occasioned by such changes is highly
prejudicial.
"Even pernicious habits, insalubrious air, &c. must be abandoned with
great caution--or we shall thereby hasten the end of our
Patient."--STRUVE'S _Asthenology_, p. 398.
[25] "Those who have lived longest, have been persons without either
Avarice or Ambition, enjoying that tranquillity of Soul, which is the
source of the happiness and health of our early days--and strangers to
those torments of mind which usually accompany more advanced years, and
by which the Body is wasted and consumed."--_Code of Health_, vol. i. p.
60-63, &c.
"In the return made by Dr. ROBERTSON, (and published by Sir JOHN
SINCLAIR, in the 164th page of the second volume of the Appendix to his
Code of Health,) from Greenwich Hospital, of 2410 In-Pensioners,
ninety-six--_i. e._ about one-twenty-fifth are beyond eighty--thirteen
beyond ninety--and one beyond one hundred. They almost all used
_Tobacco_--and most of them acknowledged the habit of _Drinking_ freely.
Some of them had _no teeth_ for twenty years--and fourteen only had good
ones--one who was one hundred and thirteen years old, had lost all his
Teeth upwards of thirty years.
"The organ of _Vision_ was impaired in about one-half--that of _Hearing_
in only one-fifth: this may be accounted for--the _Eye_ is a more
delicate organ than the _Ear_--and the least deterioration of its action
is more immediately observed.--Of the _ninety-six_ they almost all had
been married, and _four_ of them after eighty years of age--only nine
were Batchelors--this is a strong argument in favour of Matrimony.
"_The Best Ages for Marriage_, all other circumstances being favourable,
are between the eighteenth and twenty-fifth year for Females, and
between the twenty-fifth and thirty-sixth for Males. The body is then in
the most complete state to propagate a healthy Offspring--the Ages when
the prolific powers begin to cease in both sexes will nearly
correspond--and the probable expectation of Life will be sufficiently
long, for parents to provide for their children."--JAMESON _on the Human
Body_, p. 336.
[26] "Regular and sufficient Sleep, serves on the one hand, for
repairing the lost powers, and on the other, for lessening consumption,
by lessening vital activity. Hence the lives of people who are exposed
to the most debilitating fatigue, are prolonged to a considerable age,
when they enjoy Sleep in its fullest extent."--STRUVE'S _Asthenology_,
8vo. 1801, p. 199.
[27] "It is a perfect barbarism to awake any one, when Sleep, that "balm
of hurt minds," is exerting its benign influence, and the worn body is
receiving its most cheering restorative."--_Hints for the Preservation
of Health_, 12mo.
[28] In high Health seven or eight hours will complete this refreshment,
and hence arises the false inference drawn from an observation probably
just, that long-lived persons are always early risers: not that early
rising makes them long-lived, but that people in the highest vigour of
Health are naturally early risers--- because they sleep more soundly,
and all that repose can do for them, is done in less time, than with
those who sleep less soundly. A disposition to lie in Bed beyond the
usual hour, generally arises from some derangement of the Digestive
Organs.--_Hints for the Preservation of Health_, p. 32.
[29] The best Fire-feeder is a pair of Steak Tongs.
[30] The method taken to tame unruly Colts, &c. is to walk them about
the whole of the night previous to attempting to break them:--want of
Sleep speedily subdues the spirit of the wildest, and the strength of
the strongest creatures, and renders savage animals tame and tractable.
[31] In Vienna, Berlin, Paris, and London, the twentieth or twenty-third
person dies annually; while, in the Country around them, the proportion
is only one in thirty or forty; in remote country villages, from one in
forty to one in fifty--the smallest degree of human mortality on record
is one in sixty.
[32]
"When warm with Hope, in Life's aspiring morn,
The Tints of Fancy every scene adorn,
The glowing landscape charms the poet's view,
And Youth believes the fairy prospect true.
But soon, Experience proves his Eye betray'd,
And all the picture darkens into shade."
FITZGERALD.
_Beautifully Set to Music by_ SHIELD,
_and printed in his Cento._
[33] "Above all,--it is of essential importance to Health, to preserve
the tranquillity of the mind,--and not to sink under the disappointments
of life, to which all, but particularly the old, are frequently
exposed.--Nothing ought to disturb the mind of an individual who is
conscious of having done all the good in his power."--SINCLAIR'S _Code
of Health_, p. 459.
"Nothing hurts more the nervous System, and particularly the concoctive
powers, than fear, grief, or anxiety."--WHYTT on _Nerves_, p. 349.
"I shall add to my list, as _the eighth deadly sin_, that of ANXIETY OF
MIND; and resolve not to be pining and miserable, when I ought to be
grateful and happy."--Sir THOMAS BARNARD, Bt. _on the Comforts of Old
Age_, p. 135.
"Anguish of mind has driven thousands to suicide; anguish of body, none.
"This proves that the health of the Mind, is of far more consequence to
our happiness than the health of the Body;--both are deserving of much
more attention than either of them receive."--COULTON'S _Lacon_. 1820,
p. 240.
[34] "Sleep is _sound_--_sweet_--and _refreshing_, according as the
alimentary organs are _easy_, _quiet_, and _clean_."--CHEYNE _on Long
Life_, p. 79.
[35] "The _Grog_ on board a ship is generally one Spirit and three
waters--this is too strong."--See the Hon. JOHN COCHRANE'S _Seaman's
Guide_, 8vo. 1797, p. 37.
[36] If they are not extremely well made, by a superior workman--and of
seasoned Wood,--they are of little or no use.
[37] "_Cold_ Drink is an enemy to Concoction, and the parent of
Crudities."--_Essay on Warm Beer_, 8vo. p. 15.
[38] To make BEEF TEA.--Cut a pound of lean gravy Meat into thin
slices,--put it into a quart and half a pint of cold water, set it over
a gentle fire where it will become gradually warm--when the scum rises
catch it, cover the saucepan close, and let it continue boiling for
about two hours,--skim the fat off, strain it through a sieve or napkin,
skim it again--let it stand ten minutes to settle, and then pour off the
clear Tea.
To make half a pint of _Beef Tea_ in five minutes for three halfpence,
see (No. 252),--and to make good _Mutton Broth_ for nothing, (No. 490),
of _the third Edition_ of the "COOK'S ORACLE."
N.B. An Onion, and a few grains of Black Pepper, are sometimes added. If
the meat is boiled till it is thoroughly tender, mince it, and pound it
as directed in (No. 503) OF THE COOK'S ORACLE, and you may have a dish
of _Potted Beef_ for the trouble of making it.
[39] Brandy and _Liqueur_ Merchant, No. 2, Colonnade, Pall Mall.
[40] Thermometers intended to give the temperature of Rooms, should be
so placed as to be equally removed from the radiant heat of the
Fire--and from currents of Air from the Door.
Out of Doors they should be in a northern situation, sheltered from
Sunshine, or reflected Heat, &c.
[41] The following _Observations_ on Clothing, are copied from the life
of John Stewart, the Traveller, printed for Egerton, 1813, p. 9.--"I
clothed myself at all times very warm, and by buttoning and unbuttoning
I could accommodate to the sudden change of climate and season, and
preserved thereby that equilibre of the secretions and excrements on
which Health and Life depends; for clothing forms a factitious heat, as
a substitute to the muscular heat, declining with age or sickness; on
which action of heat vitality and all the other functions of vital
organism depend."
[42] THE BEST SLIPPERS are a pair of old shoes--_the worst_, those of
plaited cloth--which make the feet tender--and are a hotter covering for
them in the House--than you give them when you go out.
[43] "Only Fools and Beggars suffer from Cold, the latter not being able
to procure sufficient clothes, the former not having the sense to wear
them."--BOERHAAVE.
[44] "Narrow sleeves are a very great check on the muscular exercise of
the Arms--the Waistcoat, in its present fashionable form, may be very
properly termed a strait one. The Waistcoat should be long enough to
cover the breeches two or three inches all round. The wrists and knees,
but more particularly the latter, are braced with ligatures, or tight
buttoning; and the Legs, which require the utmost freedom of motion, are
secured into leathern cases or Boots--though the wearer perhaps is never
mounted on Horseback.
"To complete the whole, as the _Head_ is confined by a tight Hat, but
rarely suited to its natural shape, so in regard to shoes the shape of
the foot and the easy expansion of the Toes are never consulted--but the
shape regulated by the fashion of the Day, however tight and
uncomfortable."--SINCLAIR'S _Code of Health_, 4th Edit. p. 357.
[45] "Those who do not take a sufficient quantity of EXERCISE--soon
suffer from a number of Disorders,--want of Appetite--want of
Sleep--flatulence, &c. &c. Obstruction--relaxation of the Bowels--and
all the diversified symptoms of Nervous Complaints. Men of Letters
suffer much, and from neglecting to take Exercise, are often the most
unhealthy of human beings--even that Temperance by which many of them
are distinguished, is no effectual remedy against the mischiefs of a
sedentary life, which can only be counteracted by a proper quantity of
Exercise and Air."
[46] "Stays and stiff Jackets are most pernicious; they disfigure the
beautiful and upright shape of a Woman, and injure the Breast and
Bowels; obstruct the breathing and digestion; hurt the breast and
nipples so much that many Mothers have been prevented by their use from
suckling their Children; many hence get Cancers, and at last lose both
Health and Life--for they render the delivery of Women very difficult
and dangerous both to Mother and Child."--_From_ DR. FAUST'S _Catechism
of Health_, 12mo. p. 39. Edinburgh, 1797.
[47] "Stagnant air becomes corrupted in the same manner as stagnant
water,--opening windows and making currents of air, are the best means
of purifying it."--STRUVE'S _Asthenology_, p. 348.
[48] "The natural heat of the Human Body is 98 of Fahrenheit's
Thermometer--any temperature applied to it lower than 98, gives a
sensation of Cold, but if the temperature applied is not below 62, the
sensation of cold will not continue long, but be soon changed to a
sensation of heat, and in this climate, Air, &c. applied to the living
man, does not diminish the temperature of his Body, unless the
temperature of it be below 62; if it is above that, it increases
it."--CULLEN'S _First Lines_, vol. i. p. 130.
[49] "The Cordials, Volatiles, Bracers, Strengtheners, &c. given by
common practitioners, may keep up an increased circulation for a few
hours, but their action soon subsides.
_"The Circulation of the Blood can only be properly carried on through
the medium of Exercise or labour._--See page 38.
"Art cannot come up to Nature in this most salutary of all her
operations. That sprightly Vigour, and alacrity of Health, which we
enjoy in an active course of Life--that Zest in appetite, and
refreshment after eating, which sated Luxury seeks in vain from art, is
owing wholly to new blood made every day from fresh food, prepared and
distributed by the joint action of all the parts of the Body."--CADOGAN
_on Gout_, p. 34.
[50] "There is no rule more essential to those who are advanced in Life,
than never to give way to a remission of Exercise. By degrees the demand
for exercise may shrink, in extreme old age, to little more than a bare
quit-rent; but that quit-rent must be paid, since life is held by the
tenure.
"Whoever examines the accounts handed down to us of the Longest Livers,
will generally find, that to the very last they used some exercise, as
walking a certain distance every day, &c. This is mentioned as something
surprising in them, considering their great age; whereas the truth is,
that their living to such an age, without some such exercise, would have
been the wonder. Exercise keeps off obstructions, which are the
principal sources of diseases, and ultimately of death. Motion then is
the tenure of life; and old people who humour or indulge an inclination
to sloth and inactivity, (which is too apt to grow upon them on the
least encouragement), act as unwisely as the poor traveller, who,
bewildered in trackless snow, and surprised by a chilling frost, instead
of resisting the temptation to sleep, suffers it to steal upon him,
though he knows, that, by its fatal blandishments, he can never expect
to wake again, but must inevitably perish."--_Institutes of Health_, p.
24.
[51] "The most ignorant person knows, that proper care of the skin is
indispensably necessary for the well-being of horses, &c.
"The Groom often denies himself rest, that he may dress and curry his
horses sufficiently; it is, therefore, wonderful, that the enlightened
people of these days should neglect the care of their own skin so much,
that I think I may, without exaggeration, assert, that _among the
greater part of men,--the Pores of the Skin are half closed and unfit
for use_."--From p. 235 of HUFFELAND'S _Art of Prolonging Life_,--which
persons of all ages may peruse with much advantage.
[52] A _thick Crust_ is not always the consequence of the Wine having
been very long time in the Bottle--but is rather a sign that it was too
little time in the Cask, or has been kept in a very cold cellar.
[53] "Had the man that first filled the _Heidelburgh Tun_, been placed
as sentinel to see that no other Wine was put into it, I believe that he
would have found it much better at 25 or 30 years old, than at 100 or
150, had he lived so long--retained his senses, and been permitted now
and then to taste it--a privilege with which the natives are seldom
indulged.
"To give a great price for Wine, and keep it till it begins to perish,
is a great pity." I cannot believe that very aged Wine, when bordering
on Acid, is wholesome, though some Wine-drinkers seem to prefer it in
that state. "Respecting _Port Wine_, there is a great fuss made by some
about its _age_, and the _crust_ on the bottle; as if the age and crust
on the bottle constituted the quality of the Wine." "Such _crusty_
gentlemen shall not select Wine for me."--YOUNG'S _Epicure_, 8vo. 1815,
p. 23, 28, &c.
[54] "Wines bottled in good order, may be fit to drink in six months,
(especially if bottled in October), but they are not in perfection
before twelve. From that to two years they may continue so; but it would
be improper to keep them longer."--_Edinburgh Encyclop. Britan._ vol.
xviii. p. 72, Article _Wine_.
[55] "Cork the bottles very closely with good Cork, and lay them on
their sides, that the Cork may not dry and facilitate the access of the
air. For the greater safety, the Cork may be covered with a coating of
cerement applied by means of a Brush, or the neck of the bottle may be
immersed in a mixture of melted wax, rosin, or pitch."--ACCUM _on making
Wine_, 1820, p. 40.
[56] A PUNCHEON OF BRANDY containing 130 Gallons, after remaining in
Cask in a Merchant's Cellar for three years, lost two Gallons in
measure, and ten Gallons in strength. The stronger the Spirit, the
sooner it evaporates.
The London Dock Company are not answerable for any decrease of quantity
in a PIPE OF WINE left under their care, provided it does not exceed one
Gallon for each year--which it is supposed to waste in that time.
[57] CORNARO complains that _old_ Wine was very disagreeable to his
Stomach, and _new_ wine very grateful; his dose was fourteen ounces,
(_i. e._ seven wine-glasses) per day.
[58] "Fermented liquors furnish very different proportions of
Alcohol--and it has been sometimes supposed that it does not pre-exist
to the amount in which it is obtained by distillation; but some
experiments I made upon the subject in 1811 and 1813, and which are
printed in the _Phil. Trans._ for three years, tend to show that it is a
real educt, and not formed by the action of heat upon the elements
existing in the fermented liquor. The following table exhibits the
proportion of Alcohol by measure, existing in one hundred pints of
Wine."--BRANDE'S _Manual of Chemistry_, 8vo. 1819, p. 400.
Hock 14
Claret 15
Sherry 19
Port 20
Madeira 24 per cent Alcohol.
[59] "It would save many lives if Gin, &c. was not allowed to be sold
until reduced to one third the strength of Proof Spirit. People do not
at first drink from any liking or desire, but being cold, or faint with
hunger or fatigue, they find immediate comfort and refreshment from the
use of Spirits--and as they can purchase a dram with less money than
they can cover their back, or fill their belly, so they gratify the
strongest and least expensive appetite--and insensibly become
drunkards."
"Ardent Spirits are not only eminently destructive to the Body, but are
the most powerful incentives to Vice of every kind; Drunkenness
engenders all other Crimes. Does the Robber pause in his Trade? Does the
Murderer hesitate?--they are presently wound up at the Gin shop. Has the
Seducer tried his arts in vain? The Brothel is more indebted to this
source, than to all the other lures to Seduction."--From _Hints for the
Preservation of Health_.--CALLOW, 1813, 12mo. p. 2.
"There are _Three sorts of Drinkers_: one drinks to satisfy Nature, and
to support his Body, and requires it as necessary to his Being.
"Another drinks a _degree_ beyond this, and takes a larger dose to
exhilarate and cheer his mind, and help him to sleep--these two are
lawful drinkers.
"A third drinks neither for the good of the Body or the Mind, but to
stupify and drown both."--MAYNWARINGE _on Health, &c._ 12mo. 1683, p.
123.
[60] JOHNSON'S WITTE CURAÇOA takes precedence of all the _Liqueurs_ we
have ever tasted.
[61] "The _Blood_ of the _Grape_ appeareth to be Blood, in it is Life,
it is from the _Vine_, and that the Plant of life; and that the
difference between this Plant, and the Tree of Life in Paradise, were
but _magis_ and _minus_, is not so improbable as to be rejected by any,
for they will be both granted Plants of Life, and they very much respond
in their nature as well as Appellation. What the fruit was that sprang
from that in Paradise, is not as yet known, or not so perfectly
understood as that of the Vine, the nature of which is so lively as that
_Galen_ will affirm it to augment radical heat, which is the way to live
for ever."--See Dr. WHITAKER _on the Blood of the Grape_, 16mo. 1654, p.
3 and 31.