Scarce First Edition of Buchan's Popular Household Medical Manual

William Buchan. DOMESTIC MEDICINE; OR, THE FAMILY PHYSICIAN: BEING AN ATTEMPT TO RENDER THE MEDICAL ART MORE GENERALLY USEFUL, BY SHEWING PEOPLE WHAT IS IN THEIR OWN POWER BOTH WITH RESPECT TO THE PREVENTION AND CURE OF DISEASES. CHIEFLY CALCULATED TO RECOMMEND A PROPER ATTENTION TO REGIMEN AND SIMPLE MEDICINES. Edinburgh: Printed by Balfour, Auld, and Smellie, 1769. First edition. Handsomely rebound in full leather, gilt-lettered spine with raised bands, with fresh endpapers. 8vo; xv, [1], [1]-624pp. ESTC T116615.

8 3/8 x 5 3/8 in.

Private North Carolina Collection

Buchan's manual, first published in 1769, was incredibly popular with numerous subsequent editions published in different countries over the next century. The text offered families straightforward information about treating and preventing diseases. It offers separate sections on women and children, and addresses a long list of common ailments and concerns from fevers and coughs to headaches and heartburn. In the first section on prevention, Buchan takes into consideration aspects of daily life such as food, exercise, and air quality, noting for example that, "Of all the causes which conspire to render the lives of children short and miserable, none has greater influence than the want of proper exercise." (p. 29). His section on treatment addresses causes of various afflictions and how to manage them at home, such as his statement on nightmares which he claims are caused by indigestion (p. 552).

Sturdy boards with light wear; interior with toning, scattered foxing (mostly at endpapers), a few leaves with negligible insect damage, one leaf with a small taped corner repair, and scattered handling wear throughout such as grime, small stains, expected corner and edge wear, and damp staining in the margins. A well-used copy but overall very good considering its age and purpose.