I am
a physician: at the report of thy indisposition, I flew to thy
castle, and have now brought thee a basilisk, stewed in rose water.
But, my lord, the basilisk is not to be eaten; all its virtue must
enter through thy pores. I have enclosed it in a little ball, blown
up and covered with a fine skin. Thou must strike this ball, with all
thy might, and I must strike it back for a considerable time: and by
observing this regimen for a few days, thou wilt see the effects of
my art." The first day Ogul was out of breath, and thought he should
have died with fatigue; the second he was less fatigued, and slept
better. In eight days he recovered all the strength, all the health,
all the agility and cheerfulness of his most agreeable years. Zadig
then said unto him, "there is no such thing in nature as a basilisk;
but thou hast taken exercise, and been temperate, and hast recovered
thy health." In the same manner I say, that temperance and exercise
are the two great preservers of health, and restorers of it when it
is lost; and that the art of reconciling intemperance and health is
as chimerical, as washing the Ethiopian white.

It will easily be perceived that the system of animal life which I
have investigated, may be applied to all other general diseases, as
well as the gout and those called nervous: I have merely given a view
of these by way of specimen of its application.

Should these lectures contribute in any degree to lessen the future
sufferings of my hearers, or any of their friends, I shall not have
delivered them in vain. To be assured of this, would be the greatest
pleasure that I could receive.

THE END.

From the Press of the Royal Institution of Great Britain,
Albemarle Street, London: W. Savage, Printer.

INDEX.

A.
_Air_, its properties--its components
_Animals_, specific temperature of
_Appetite_, artificial
_Arteries_, their structure and office
_Assimilation_, from the blood
_Attention_, fixed on new objects

B.
_Banks, Sir Joseph_, his almost fatal experience of cold
_Beddoes, Dr._ his remarks on temperature,
_Bile_, its properties
_Blood_, difference between arterial and venous
contains iron
changes produced on, by the different gases
assimilation from
_Bones_, mechanism of
structure of
_Brown, Dr. John_, his example followed
declines a definition of excitability
denies the existence of sedatives
his cure of diseases of exhaustion objected to
his theory will