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The calorick from the stupes was communicated to the corpuscles of the fibres to the recovery of their vibratory motion, while the caustic destroyed the part poisoned, and tonics and cordials in the stomach as alexipharmics sustained the system in its effort to cast off the dead part. His paralytic patient was a Rev. clergyman.

Dr. Danforth assumed that palsy was a check of the vibratory motion of the fibre from the diminished electrical atmospheres of its corpuscles, and that the repeated communication of the electricity restored to the fibres the electrical atmospheres of their corpuscles to the recovery of the patient. of the patient. During this shock the learned patient lost all consciousness and on recovery was compelled to learn anew even the alphabet. While Dr. Danforth was careful to note the modified action of surrounding matter by contact on an ever varying sensibility, he gave profound attention to the sympathies of the stomach. When summoned to the sick bed he investigated the case with extraordinary

acuteness.

Was the stomach the seat of the disease. Ipecacuanha was the agent to rouse its healthy action. Was the alimentary canal below the stomach, or the glands which empty into it, the seat of disturbance, then calomel was his remedy to cure the disease. Bark was his tonic, accompanied by generous food and exercise, and friction and cold bathing. The increased or diminished action on the surface of the body he effected by the addition or subtraction, of caloric. Air, water, elec

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tricity, and cantharides, variously modified to his pose were his agents. If disease had assailed the nervous system, the abstraction of light, of sound and of conversation, and abstinence, and opium to procure sleep, were his weapons. He proscribed the lancet. Depletion by cathartics, and emetics, and sudorifics, and vesication, and increased secretion and excretion and abstinence he altogether preferred to the sanguinary practice of blood-letting. He illustrated his preference by the figurative expression, "it were better to moderate the fire under the overboiling skillet, than to dip out the overflowing liquor." Beyond the circle of his own family-practice, the cases oftenest presented to his attention were either among malignant epidemic diseases, which alarmed the caution, or chronic diseases which had baffled the skill of the attendant physician. By nature and education an aristocrat, by unceasing toil and undeviating integrity elevated to the front rank of his profession, his clear and unequivocal prescription, founded on the application of his own theory, was received as law. His patients worshipped him as the Magnus Apollo; they feared departure from his instructions, almost as they feared the judgment to come. His noble form raised to the stature of six feet, his erect attitude and majestic gait, his high forehead and moveable ocipito-frontalis, which excited to contraction, accompanied a perceptible motion of his ear and arched eyebrow, his penetrant, full, blue eye, aquiline nose and sharp chin, and manly intonation, and his Casisus-like figure, all conspired to add emphasis to his words, as

the responses of an oracle. Shakespeare has not put into the mouth of Hamlet the description of a more perfect man, than Stuart has spread on canvass in the person of Dr. Danforth as seen in his portrait. His countenance seems beaming with all the dignified complacency with which it was clothed on beholding his patient rise from a sick bed. A more stubborn spirit of independence was never seen than was exhibited in the person and life of Danforth. When the Revolutionary war was in embryo, that martyr to his country's liberties, Dr. Joseph Warren, and Dr. Samuel Danforth were associated as physicians to the Boston Poor-house. The associates separated. Their association had been effected by a compromise between the aristocracy and democracy of the country. The loyalists agreed to admit a patriot to the emoluments of office, on conditions he be accompanied by one of their own order. While the active courage of the one led to a glorious death, the passive courage of the other was tried by the threat of tar and feathers and various contumely. Danforth, during many months, went armed with pocket pistols, prepared to repel assault or revenge insult. None who have not hearts of steel can see unmoved the trampling tyranny of the enraged multitude. It must however be confessed, that Dr. Danforth was protected by the spirit of that troop of Amazons, in those days vulgarly called the mob of "North-end" women who delivered of its coffee the warehouse of Mr. Thomas Boylston, and carted their booty to Fort-Hill for distribution. These fair veterans were

alike determined on possessing their Doctor, and their social cups of coffee, tea at this time being out of the question. This inflexible temper of personal independence came to Dr. Danforth very honestly. His ancestor, who came first to this country, deserted a fine estate, and fled to the wilderness to enjoy his liberty, as the tyranny of a tax for an order of knighthood without his consent, had been imposed by Charles I. The apparent discrepancy between the course pursued by the high-minded ancestor and his proud descendants becomes reconciled from the fact, that the latter had eaten the bread of their king.

The Hon. Samuel Danforth, father to the Doctor, was Judge of Probate for the County of Middlesex, when the revolutionary war commenced. During this stormy period, Dr. Danforth committed to the flames all his notes of cases, and medical writings, which otherwise might have been embodied into a system of medicine, as splendid as that of any of his contemporaries. Ever afterwards he spurned at the drudgery of recalling what had been voluntarily sacrificed, although at the time, expatriation seemed almost unavoidable. It was a familiar expression with Dr. Danforth, when an individual had insulted or injured him, that he would 'twig' him; he generally redeemed his promise.

The little pitiful practice of cheapening skill, was exercised towards him by the disbursing officer, who settled his account for attention to the town's paupers. In those days king stood for commonwealth. The

sage auditor decided that the charge must be, not for skill, but for medicine, by measure, or weight. The next annual account, Dr. Danforth drew according to the approved rule of the apothecary's weight and liquid measure. The open cauldron had received the sarsaparilla and lignumvita-dust, of course the account was properly vouched. The consequence was, the triumphant physician groaned under the weight of the precious metals on his return from the royal treasury, after settling his next account on the new principle. To a yielding adversary, Dr. Danforth was magnanimous and forgiving. A carman had unluckily demolished the ornamental fence to the front yard of his dwelling house, reparation for the injury was promptly demanded, full acknowledgment of the wrong and unqualified promise of indemnity on the part of the offender was followed by forgiveness of the trespass, and the highminded landlord repaired the damage at his own cost. In his domestic establishment, Dr. Danforth exhibited the simplicity of a philosopher, and the urbanity of a gentleman. Avarice formed no part of his character, still he could keep money. Some twenty years ago, when a rage for speculation had created a difference of two or three per cent. between Boston and country bank-notes, Dr. Danforth had accumulated a few thousands in depreciated bills. A financial friend advised to a deposit with a broker the foreign bills, and drawing out in due time the specie. Dr. Danforth learned from the broker that a deposit of the foreign money ten days, should entitle to a payment in specie.

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