The funny side of physic : or, The mysteries of medicine, presenting the humorous and serious sides of medical practice An exposé of medical humbugs, quacks, and charlatans in all ages and all countries . -ear 1705, one Roger Grant rose into publicnotice in London, by his publication of his own marvellouscures. This fellow was no fool, though a great knave. Hewas formerly a travelling tinker, subsequently a cobbler, andAnabaptist preacher. From tinkering of pots, he became THE QUEENS OCULIST. 103 mender of soles of mens boots and shoes; thence saver ofsouls from perdition, a tinkerer of sore
The funny side of physic : or, The mysteries of medicine, presenting the humorous and serious sides of medical practice An exposé of medical humbugs, quacks, and charlatans in all ages and all countries . -ear 1705, one Roger Grant rose into publicnotice in London, by his publication of his own marvellouscures. This fellow was no fool, though a great knave. Hewas formerly a travelling tinker, subsequently a cobbler, andAnabaptist preacher. From tinkering of pots, he became THE QUEENS OCULIST. 103 mender of soles of mens boots and shoes; thence saver ofsouls from perdition, a tinkerer of sore eyes, and lightenerof the body. The following bit of poetry was written in170S for his benefit, the picture being one which Grant,who was a very vain man, had gotten up from a copperplate. THE EYE DOCTOR. likeness of himself, to distribute among his friends. Thepicture was found posted up conspicuously with the lines:— A tinker first, his scene of life began;That failing, he set up for a cunning man;But, wanting luck, puts on a new disguise,And now pretends that he can cure jour this expect, that, like a tinker true,Where he repairs one eye, he puts out two. He worked himself into notoriety by the publication, inpamphlet form, of his cures, — a mixture of truth stronglyspiced with falsehood,— and scattering it over the plan was to get hold of some poor, ignorant person, ofimperfect vision, and, after treating him with medicine and7 104 SIR HUMPHRY DAVY. half-crowns for a few weeks, induce him to sign a testimo-nial, which he probably had never read, that he was bornblind, and by the providential intervention of Dr. Grant, hehad been entirely restored. To this certificate the clergy-man and church-wardens of the parish, in which the patientha
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectmedicine, bookyear187
