The Midwest pioneer, his ills, cures, & doctors - University Library ...

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the emetic lobelia, which in later years was the basic element
of the Thomsonian materia medica.
Formal education, except for one month, he lacked, for
the rigors of living in uncleared New Hampshire during
this early period left little time for more than the struggle
for existence. Although at sixteen he offered himself to
study under a root doctor, he was turned down as deficient
in education. In 1796 when the doctors had practically
given up as hopeless the case of his daughter who was ill of
scarlet fever, Thomson tried his first steam cure and was
convinced that it saved the child. As his growing family
required frequent medical service, he applied his selftaught
vegetable treatments. His successes and a general
distrust of the contemporary medical practices and ethics,
combined with "a very strong aversion to working on a
farm," led Thomson in 1805 to adopt the healing profession
as his own. It remained merely "to fix upon some
the treat-
system, or plan for my future government in
ment of disease."
With Nature (and probably earlier herbals) as his guide
and experience as his instructor he conceived and brought
forth "the only correct theory" of treatment: all disease
is the effect of one general cause, and may be removed by
one general remedy. All animal bodies are formed of four
elements: earth and water, air, and fire (or heat), the
cause of life and motion. In a state of health a definite
balance is maintained among these elements, but a change
in any one of them naturally upsets the equilibrium. Cold,
or lessening of the power of heat by the obstruction of
perspiration, causes all diseases, for it is simple knowledge
that no person ever dies of heat; he always gets cold first.
Posi hoc— to prevent death one has merely to prevent the
departure of the heat; to restore health one has to return
heat to its natural extent. When this has been done, it is
necessary for the system to be cleared of all obstructions
and to have restored a natural perspiration. The stomach
can then digest the food taken into it, and as a result the
whole body becomes nourished and invigorated and its heat