THE LATE DISCOURSE UPON HEALTHS

John Floyer Believed Fervently In The Benefits Of Cold Baths

Back in England, right around the time of Cotton Mather's death, the issue of drinking healths was being addressed as well. On July 24, 1728, influential physician John Floyer (who popularized the practice of taking pulses as well as being an early advocate for the merits of cold baths) published an open letter on the subject entitled, "A Letter to a Reverend Gentleman in Oxford, on the Subject of drinking Healths." From the introduction of that letter:

The late discourse upon Healths, which you are pleased to mention with so much approbation, being in the hands of few persons about you; and some of those not having leisure or inclination to afford it a ferious and attentive perusal: and because, as you farther intimate, there is no end of disputing upon this subject in common conversation; I have therefore contracted the substance of a longer reasoning into two short questions, with some remarks upon them. These you may make use of upon occasion, and communicate to such of your acquaintance as are in any disposition to be convinced of how great consequence it is to sink a pernicious custom; which is not only evil in the nature of the thing, but hath been subservient to the vileft purposes, no less than the safe and ready venting and encouraging a great variety of abominable wickedness under colour and disguise.

So John Floyer has given the matter a "ferious" and "attentive" perusal and has very much come to the conclusion that it is a destructive custom that encourages "abominable wickedness", despite the ongoing debate about the matter in common discourse. Further, he intends to present his arguments as to why he believes this in two separate questions along with remarks upon them which can then be used as arguments against those that would dispute the ill nature of the practice. We will consider these arguments in separate future posts.