John Smith - Traité des vertus médicinales de l'eau commune - 1726

John Smith. Treatise on the medicinal virtues of common water. Paris, Guillaume Cavelier, 1726, xciii-340 pp.

A volume in-12 (165x100 mm), full calf, ornately ribbed spine, morocco title piece, red edges (binding of the period). Worn and rubbed boards and spine, headcaps trimmed. Interior fresh, no foxing.

Second edition

In this work, the English physician John Smith defends the therapeutic properties of common water and seeks to show that it can prevent and cure many diseases. Relying on observations accumulated over forty years, he presents water as a simple, accessible and effective remedy, whose use should be accompanied by rules of hygiene and a life regimen.

The author describes the various ailments in which water could be useful and emphasizes its role in maintaining the body’s balance. The work is part of the eighteenth-century movement that valued natural remedies and simple treatments based on experience.

This edition also includes the Grand Febrifuge of Dr. Hancock, as well as texts by Philippe Hecquet and Étienne-François Geoffroy devoted to the medical uses of water.