A LETTER TO THE PATENTEE, CONCERNING THE MEDICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FLEECY HOSIERY. BY WILLIAM BUCHAN, M.D. AUTHOR OF DOMESTIC MEDECINE. Rigid Winter's Ice no more shall wound The only naked Animal; but Man With the soft Fleece shall every where be clothed. DYER’S FLEECE THE SIXTH EDITION, WITH ADDITIONAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS, BY THE EDITOR. LONDON: PRINTED BY W. BLACKADER, No. 10, TOOK’S COURT, CASTLE STREET, HOLBORN MDCCXCVIII. ADVERTISEMENT. Dr. Buchan, with his usual liberality, not only complied with the request of the Patentees, to allow his Letter to be made public, but has im- proved this Edition by several new articles and observations, which have occurred since its first publication, tending further to illustrate the me- dical uses of the Fleecy Hosiery. The Pa- tentees have also to acknowledge their obligations to many Friends, for Letters containing accounts of the benefits they have received from this manu- facture. From these Letters the Editor has selected a few cures, which are inserted as Notes in this Edition, together with some Extracts from a Trea- tise on Tropical Disease, written by the judicious Dr. Moseley, whose ideas, founded on extensive practice and observation, entirely coincide with those of Dr. Buchan, concerning the benefits of woollen garments worn next the skin, which Dr. Moseley found to be no less necessary in the hottest than they are in the coldest climates. Con- CONTENTS. PAGE PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS-5 Sir Benjamin Thomson’s experiments on wool, &c.-9 Dr. Hussland on the prejudicial nature of furs-13 The superiority of Fleecy Hosiery to flannel-14 Diseases in which Fleecy Hosiery will be found useful-15 Colds and coughs-16 Catarrhal affections-ib. Consumptions-17 Fevers-ib. Inflammatory affections-18 Diarrhœa-ib. Dysentery-19 Hypochondriacal affections-20 Inflammation of the throat-ib. Gout-ib. Rheumatism-22 Aches and pains-23 Piles-ib. Dropsy-24 Asthma-ib. Apoplexy-2S Palsy-ib. Deafness-26 Shin diseases-27 Ague-28 Fleecy Hosiery, in various situations, the best preserva- tive of health-ib. Postscript-34 A list of articles manufactured by Holland, Waistell, and Horton-37 Directions for washing Fleecy Hosiery-39 TO TO MR. G. HOLLAND, F.S.A. MANUFACTURER OF FLEECY HOSIERY TO THEIR MAJESTIES AND THE ROYAL FAMILY, No. 99, HIGH HOLBORN. SIR, I am favoured with yours of January 30th, 1789, inclosing some specimens of your Fleecy Hosiery, and requesting my opinion concerning its medical properties, and the diseases in which I think it is most likely to prove beneficial to man- kind. As you assure me that the first hint of the medical utility of your manufacture was taken from my Domestic Medicine, and that the favourable opinion which I expressed of the small sample you shewed me some time ago, had induced you to take out a Royal Patent for making it, I find my- self called upon to support my opinion; and I comply with your request the more readily, as I am convinced that your discovery will prove of essential service to many of my fellow-creatures, labouring under the most obstinate maladies. Every (6) Every one who is at all conversant in these mat- ters knows, that, in this country, the most fruitful source of disease is obstructed perspiration. While the secretion from the skin goes duly and uni- formly on, few diseases affect even the weak and delicate; but where this is obstructed the most ro- bust cannot long enjoy health. The celebrated Sanctorius says, the insensible perspiration alone discharges more than all the sen- sible evacuations together; and that the proportion of this to all the other evacuations, is as five to three; though this proportion varies in different ages, cli- mates, and constitutions, yet it is of such import- ance in all, that where it is in any considerable de- gree deficient, a diseased state of the body will ensue. Our insular situation renders the atmosphere of this country liable to great and frequent changes, and as these changes are often very sudden, every one ought, as far as lies in his power, to guard against their influence, by adapting his clothing to the season of the year, and the state of the weather. In doing this he only imitates Nature, who never fails to fortify those animals which are left to her care against the inclemency of the seasons, in those countries where they are produced. Thus we find the foxes, bears, and other animals, in cold climates, covered with a thick coat of fur, which keeps con- tinually varying with the seasons, and gradually becoming longer and thicker, as the cold increases. What Nature does for the brute creation, art en- ables man to do for himself, and he seldom errs in copying (7) copying her. Care is no doubt necessary in mak- ing these changes; but even here Nature has not left us without a guide: she effects this purpose by slow gradations, and never starts from one extreme to another. Though man cannot copy her exactly in this respect, yet it is in his power to avoid all great and sudden transitions*. Those who heap on loads of clothes on the approach of winter, and are so imprudent as to throw them off at once, on the first appearance of spring, have only themselves to blame, if the consequences prove hurtful. There is indeed a great source of deception in our seasons; sometimes the winter sets in with all its rigour before it is expected; at other times it continues mild throughout, and there is occasion for little additional clothing, even to the delicate. But the most irregular season, in this country, is spring. We have often in March, or April, a few days so warm, as to make us believe that summer is arri- ved, when all of a sudden it becomes more intense- ly cold than in the middle of winter. Indeed De- cember is sometimes mild throughout, while every day of June is cold and wet. This irregularity of our seasons, renders it very difficult to lay down particular rules for regulating the clothing of invalids. It is their business, there- fore, to watch the changes of the weather; and, as far as they conveniently can, to counteract their *Having dresses fleeced of different thicknesses, the clothing may be varied by imperceptible degrees, from the thickest and warmest to the thinest, coolest, and lightest; clothing of all others. C.W. influence (8) influence, by suiting their clothing to the tempera- ture of the air. The hardy and robust have indeed less to fear from the changes of weather; but there is no person so strong as to be wholly superior to their influence, and the fool-hardy often lose their lives by despising it. The most proper clothing for counteracting the inclemency of our atmosphere, is certainly that which affords the greatest warmth with the least weight. There has not been hitherto, in the arti- cle of clothing, any thing invented, where these properties have been so happily combined, as in your Patent Hosiery. I am informed that a single blanket can be made equal, in point of warmth, to fix of the common fort, while it does not much exceed the weight of one*. This difference, in respect of weight, is of great importance to the invalid. Hardly able to support his own weight, he can still less bear a load of cloth- ing; and even to those who are able to bear a load of clothes they prove hurtful, they compress the ves- sels, and impede the free circulation of the fluids, on * Sir W. Petty in his Political Anatomy of Ireland observes with regret—“That the art of making the excellent, thick spungy warm coverlets seems to be lost.” Fleecy Coverlets or Blan- kets, possess all the good qualities which Sir W. Petty speaks of, and are, moreover, recommended by their peculiar lightness. The judicious Dr. Moseley, in his Treatise on Tropical Dis- eases, the 2d edition, observes, “That the clothing our troops were furnished with the last war, in the West Indies, was too heavy for the climate;” and he represents it as absolutely necessary for officers and soldiers, on actual service in hot climates, to have clothing possessing “warmth without incumbrance.” C.W. which (9) which not only health, but even life itself depends; besides they encumber the body, and render it less fit for active exertions. The manner in which your Fleecy Hosiery is made, gives it a degree of elasticity not possessed by cloth of any kind; from which many advantages are derived. Thus it adapts itself more readily to the figure of the body, or of any part to which it is applied; and, by acting like a perpetual spring, the friction is increased, by which means the discharge from the skin is promoted, and at the same time carried off by the conducting power of the wool. In point of cleanliness, its preference to fur must be obvious to every one. It is not only free from the unpleasant smell which accompanies skins of all kinds; but it can, at any time, be washed with the greatest ease, and without any considerable expence, or diminution of its properties; besides, it is cer- tainly less apt to harbour vermin, or communicate infection, than the skins of animals, which, though no way superior, are much more expensive. But the most decided superiority of the Fleecy Hosiery consists in the powers which wool is found to possess, over all other articles of clothing, in ab- sorbing and conducting moisture. This appears from the experiments read before the Royal Society by Sir Benjamin Thomson, which were made with a view to ascertain the powers of different substances, in absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. These experiments were made with sheeps wool, beavers fur, eider down, cotton wool, linen, and B silk; (10) silk; and the result was, that wool possessed a great- er power of absorbing moisture than any of the others, and was likewise better calculated for con- ducting or carrying off the superfluous moisture from the body*. Sir Benjamin’s experiments are made with accuracy, and the conclusions drawn from them tend so fully to establish the superiority of your manufacture over every other species of clothing, that I shall take the liberty of inserting the inge- nious author’s inductions in his own words. “I was totally mistaken,” says this candid wri- ter “in my conjectures relative to the results of the experiments with the other substances. As li- nen is known to attract water with so much avidity, and as, on the contrary, wool, hair, feathers, and other like animal substances, are made wet with so much difficulty, I had little doubt but that linen would be found to attract moisture from the atmo- sphere with much greater force than any of these substances, and that, under similar circumstances, it would be found to contain far more water; and was much confirmed in this opinion, on recollecting the great difference in the apparent dampness of linen and woollen clothes, when they were both exposed to the same atmosphere. But these expe- riments have convinced me, that all my specula- tions were founded on erroneous principles. * And of course these experiments prove in particular, among other things, the superiority of Fleecy Coverlets to cider down quilts in point of wholesomeness. C.W. "It (11) «It should seem those bodies which are the most easily wetted, or which receive water, in its une- lastic form, with the greatest ease, are not those which in all cases attract the watery vapour dis- solved in the air with the greatest force. «Perhaps the apparent dampness of linen, to the touch, arises more from the ease with which that substance parts with the water it contains, than from the quantity of the water it actually holds; in the same manner as a body appears hot to the touch, in consequence of its parting freely with its hear, while another body, which is actually at the same temperature, but which holds its heat with greater obstinacy, affects the sense of feeling much less violently. “It is well known that woollen clothes, such as flannels, &c. worn next the skin, greatly promote in- sensible perspiration. May not this arise principally from the strong attraction which subsists between wool and the watery vapour which is continually issuing from the human body? That it does, not depend entirely upon the warmth of that covering is clear; for the degree of warmth produced by wearing more clothing of a different kind, does not produce the same effect. "The perspiration of the human body being absorbed by a covering of flannel, is immediately distributed through the whole thickness of that substance, and by that means exposed to a very large surface to be carried off by the atmosphere; and the loss of this watery vapour which the flan- B2 nel (12) nel sustains, on the one side, by evaporation, being immediately restored from the other, in conse- quence of the strong attraction between the flannel and the vapour, the pores of the skin are disencum- bered, and they are continually surrounded by a dry, warm, and salubrious atmosphere. “I am astonished that the custom of wearing flannel next the skin, should not have prevailed more universally. It would prevent a multitude of diseases; and I know of no greater luxury than the comfortable sensation which arises from wear- ing it, especially after one is a little accustomed to it. "It is a mistaken notion, that this clothing is too warm for summer. I have worn it in the hottest climates, and in all seasons of the year, and never found the least inconveniency from it. It is the warm bath of a perspiration, confined by a linen shirt wet with sweat, which renders the summer heats ot southern climates so insupportable; but flannel promotes perspiration, and favours its eva- poration, and it is well known that evaporation produces positive cold. “I first began to wear flannel, not from any knowledge that I had of its properties, but merely on the recommendation of an able physician; and when I began my experiments, I little thought of discovering the physical cause of the good effects which I had experienced from it, nor had I the most distant idea of mentioning the circumstance. I shall be happy, however, if what I have said or done (13) done upon the subject, should induce others to make a trial of what I have so long experienced with the greatest advantage, and which I am con- sident they will find to contribute greatly to health, and consequently to all the other comforts and enjoyments of life.” Had Sir Benjamin known how far your manufac- ture exceeds flannel, both in agreeableness and use, he would have been still more lavish in praise of it. Indeed it is hardly possible to say too much in fa- vour of a medicament of such extensive powers, and which is so pleasant in the application. Many people, who cannot bear the harsh feel of flannel, find the Fleecy Hosiery extremely agreeable; and indeed the finest down cannot be more delicate- ly soft than fine wool spread on the surface of a texture similar to that of your manufacture. That it is infinitely more pleasant to the wearer than flannel, I can attest from my own experience. The celebrated Dr. Huffland, in his Art of prolonging Life, observes, “That people should wear clothing which does not tend to weaken the skin, and may readily suffer the perspiring matter to pass through it. In this respect,” he says, “I know nothing more prejudicial than to wear fur, which, by its great warmth, weakens the skin very much; does not promote evaporation, but sweat; and, on account of the thickness of the leather. does not suffer the perspiring particles to fly off. The consequence is, that a continual vapour-bath is formed between the fur and the skin; and that a great (14) a great part of the impure matter is again thrown back on the body, and imbibed by it. Far better is English flannel, which has the advantage of fur, without the disadvantage of attracting dirt, and occasioning too much heat.” But there is no substitute for fur equal to the Fleecy Hosiery. It is not only more pleasant to the skin than flannel, but may be made so as to exceed the thickest fur in warmth, while it is free from all its inconveniences. People from either of the Indies ought to wear Fleecy Hosiery, at least, till they become inured to the European climates. It will also be of infinite service to those who are obliged to go abroad, in all weathers, while they are under a course of medicine. For want of this precaution the effect of medicine is often lost, and the patient sports with his own life. On a review of those diseases in which flannel is known to act, either as a preventive or remedy, they will be found more numerous than all that are cured by any one article of the Materia Medica; yet the powers of flannel, even in its most improved state, fall greatly short of those possessed by the Fleecy Hosiery. It is not only of a superior fabric, but its warmth can be encreased to almost any degree, which cannot be done with flannel without ren- dering it too heavy for use. Your invention is still in its infancy; but, from what has already been done, we may venture to fore- tell, that it will become one of the most extensive branches (15) branches of manufacture*, as well as one of the most useful remedies; and that it will be of great- er service to the afflicted than all the boasted nos- trums of the age, while it is entirely free from their dangerous qualities. I shall now proceed to point out some of those diseases in which your Fleecy Hosiery will be found the best application, not merely as a pre- ventive but as a remedy; and here I must study brevity, as the subject is by far too extensive to be fully discussed in the compass of a letter. The Fleecy Hosiery will, in general, be found an excellent medicine, both for the prevention and cure of all diseases arising from obstructed perspira- tion. These in our climate include a great variety of disorders; as colds and coughs, catarrhal affec- tions, consumptions, fevers, fluxes, aches and pains, piles, rheums, inflammations, &c. To treat of all the diseases arising from this cause would require a volume, I shall therefore only touch on such as oc- * As a branch of manufacture, applying the staple produce of Britain to many new uses, Fleecy Hosiery claims the atten- tion of land-owners of every description.—Smith, in his Memoirs of wool, &c. observes, “That wool is an eminent part of the landed interest, and constitutes a share of that part of the English wealth which belongs to the Nobility, Gentry, and Clergy of this Kingdom." Sir Josiah Child in his Treatise on Wool, and the Woollen Manufacture, has this observation—“That wool is eminently the foundation of the English riches.” And Davenant, in his Treatise on the Balance of Trade, says, “That among the national cala- mities incident to England, this is reckoned one,”-for wool to sink in its price. C.W. cur (16) cur the most frequently, and in which I think your manufacture the most likely to prove useful. COLDS AND COUGHS. The physician who said that colds killed more than plagues, told a serious truth. Had he taught us how to avoid them, he had been one of the great- est benefactors to the human race that ever ap- peared. Though your manufacture may not ab- solutely effect this great purpose; yet the proper life of it will go a greater length, both in the pre- vention and cure of colds, than the application of any medicine with which l am acquainted. Most people place confidence in drugs when they have caught a cold, which only destroy their appetite, while the complaint might with ease and safety be removed by a proper addition to their clothing; but it is in the nature of man to despise things that are plain and obvious, and to hunt after secret me- dicines; he neglects what is in his own power, while he has implicit faith in the boasted nostrum, merely because he is ignorant of what it consists. CATARRHAL AFFECTIONS. Catarrhal affections are of the nature of colds, and arise from the same cause, viz. an obstructed perspiration. An increased secretion from the glands of the nose, fauces and throat, accompa- nied with some degree of fever, mark this disease, which, in cold and moist states of the atmosphere, proves (17) proves often so common as to constitute a true epi- demic in this country. The only method of avoid- ing such complaints is to counteract the influence of the weather, as far as lies in our power. Your happy discovery has enabled us to do this more effectually than any thing heretofore invented; without loading the body with clothes, it may now be kept sufficiently warm, and the perspiration pretty uniformly supported, even in the most un- favourable states of the atmosphere. CONSUMPTIONS. Sudden transitions from heat to cold, change of apparel, or whatever greatly lessens the perspira- tion, often proves the remote cause of consumptions. To avoid a malady which proves so fatal to the in- habitants of this island, we must endeavour to keep that discharge as uniform as possible, by adapting our clothing to the state of the atmosphere. Nor are the benefits of the fleecy clothing confined solely to the prevention of consumptions. In the incipient phthisis, which is generally attended with a short hicking cough, the prudent use of this warm clothing will be found perfectly consistent with the soundest medical practice. When the pa- tient’s strength is exhausted with colliquative sweats, the Fleecy clothing will be improper. FEVERS. That the simple inflammatory fever is generally occasioned by an obstructed perspiration, admits c of (18) of no doubt. The effect of cold is to augment the tone of the system, by which means the action of the heart and arteries is increased, and what is called the inflammatory diathesis induced. In- deed every symptom of this disease shews a ple- thora, or too great fulness of the vessels, which is the well-known effect of an obstructed perspira- tion. The way to prevent this fever, of course, is to keep up a regular perspiration, and to restore it when diminished, is the best method of cure. INFLAMMATORY AFFECTIONS. Local affections of the inflammatory kind, as Saint Anthony’s fire, the acute rheumatism, in- flammation of the breast, bowels, &c. are like- wise the genuine offspring of obstructed perspira- tion. In countries where the perspiration goes on uniformly, these diseases are hardly known, but every one knows their frequency, and multitudes feel their direful effects in this country. They are still, however, more dreadful in colder climates, where, as we learn from Boyle’s History of Cold, the inhabitants often die of affections of the bowels, accompanied with the most excruciating torment. There can be no doubt but a proper application of your manufacture might be of great use in pre- venting these maladies. DIARRHOEA. The diarrhoea, and other affections of the bowels, are often occasioned by obstructed perspiration, nor can (19) can any thing relieve these complaints more effec- tually than restoring this necessary evacuation. I have often known an obstinate looseness cured by the patient’s wearing flannel next his skin, but whatever can be done by flannel, more is surely to be expected from the use of your manufacture; and I would advise all persons who have tender bowels, to keep up a due perspiration, by wearing it of a proper thickness. This will be found more agreeable, and likewise more safe than the use of astringent medicines. DYSENTERY. A modern medical author, in his Treatise on Tropical Diseases, “considers the dysentery, or bloody flux, as a fever of the intestines; and adds, "that the cause is obstructed perspiration, and that the cure consists in turning back the circulation to the surface of the body, and increasing the perspi- ration by the most active sudorifics*." Now it is evident that no kind of medicine can promote per- spiration so speedily and to that degree which a shirt or dress of Fleecy Hosiery is capable of, when made of a sufficient thickness. By this the perspiration may also be continued for any length of time, without that inconvenience to patients, which must unavoidably be occasioned by repeat- ing internal medicines, and by hot rooms and a heavy load of bedding. * Dr. Moseley c2 HYPO- (20) HYPOCHONDRIACAL AFFTIONS. All people of delicate nerves have tender bowels, and though they should not wear it any where else, they would do well to keep the stomach and bowels covered with a piece of your comfortable clothing, of a sufficient thickness. Even this partial use of it will, in many cases, be of singular service. Those who have weak lungs, will reap equal benefit from wearing a piece of it over the breast. INFLAMMATION OF THE THROAT. Those who are subject to the common angina, or inflammation of the throat, will find a piece of your Fleecy Hosiery, worn about the neck, the best preventive, nor is it by any means an indif- ferent remedy. It is more efficacious, and much more agreeable, than the common practice of ap- plying a dirty stocking round the neck. When the disease does not yield to this, it will be ne- cessary to rub the throat with a liniment made of equal parts of olive oil and spirits of harrshorn, to apply the hosiery over it, of a considerable thickness. GOUT. Among the foremost in the list of those diseases, where the Fleecy Hosiery is proper, stands the gout. Persons subject to this disorder ought to keep up the perspiration at ail times, especially in the (21) the extremities. This will be found one of the safest and best preventives, and also the most agreeable that can be employed. To keep the part easy, soft, and uniformly warm, is almost all we can do du- ing a paroxysm or fit of the gout. For this pur- pose there is not any thing better calculated than the Fleecy Hosiery. I have recommended wool in the gout, for above thirty years, and have never found cause to change my opinion of it*. Your manufacture, however, is in many respects preferable to wool, as it possesses all its properties without the inconveniences attending the applica- tion of it. The gout has in all ages been reckoned the Re- proach of Medicine, and the wisest among the faculty, have ever been the most cautious in their treatment of it. Notwithstanding the boasted nostrums of ignorant quacks and pretenders to medicine, we are not at this day in possession of a remedy for this painful disorder. All that the physician can do is to recommend a proper regi- men, during the intervals of the disease, and to give directions for the treatment of the patient while under the fit or paroxysm. The former consists chiefly in temperance and exercise, and the latter in keeping the parts affected easy and uni- formly warm as recommended above. Patients who follow this plan may live many years, not- withstanding their having regular fits of the gout; * See Domestic Medicine, under the Article Gout. while (22) while those who disturb the progress of this ca- pricious malady, by medical applications, will be found to sport with their own lives, and will often have cause to repent their impatience and teme- rity*. RHEUMATISM. The rheumatism is not only a more common, but also a more obstinate disorder than the gout. That it admits of no remedy, save patience and flannel, is an old adage. We can now, however, boast of a remedy far superior to the best flannel. The ad- vantages of the Fleecy Hosiery over flannel will appear on the slightest inspection; but on trial it is still more obvious. I have often recommended it in rheumatic affections, and have never been disappointed in my expectations from it. In the chronic rheumatism, indeed, it requires time; yet even here it will be found to perform a cure sooner than any other remedy. In this species of rheu- matism the patient is often put to much trouble and expence in attending the mineral waters, and warm baths; but many cannot afford to do so; and we are inclined to think, that the necessity of repairing to those fashionable places of resort might * Doctor Rowley, in his Essay on the Gout, just published, says, “The feet and legs of persons subject to the gout, as like- wise the whole body, should be kept warm; for this purpose nothing can be more useful than the fleecy hosiery.—I have known both the gout and rheumatism greatly relieved by an attention to warm clothing." Page 93 and 94. often (23) often be superseded, by using the Fleecy clothing for a sufficient length of time. It has this advan- tage over warm water, that its operation is conti- nual, whereas the other can only be applied for a very limited time. ACHES AND PAINS. In every part of this island, where I have been, the old people universally complain of what they call pains in their limbs. This is evidently a species of the rheumatism, and is peculiarly incident to women who live on poor diet, are thinly clothed, and inhabit cold damp houses. It does not ap- pear to me, that any thing could be so beneficial to these people as to have their limbs clothed in your comfortable woollen manufacture. This would certainly prove the best preservative against those pains, which not only render these poor people very miserable, but often a burden to society. They cannot indeed always purchase it themselves, but the benevolent could not employ their charity bet- ter than in supplying them with an article so ne- cessary for health; and even those who have the care of the poor ought, on principles of econo- my, to supply them with this kind of clothing, to prevent their becoming totally unfit for labour, and consequently a greater burden to the public. PILES. This painful disorder is often occasioned by cold. I have known it induced by sitting on the damp (24) damp ground, throwing off a flannel petticoat, or wearing a thinner pair of breeches than usual. Per- sons subject to the piles, ought carefully to avoid every thing that may excite a disease so disagreeable in itself, and which often ends in obstinate sores or fistulous ulcers. It does not appear to me, that any thing would prove more efficacious, in warding off this painful malady, than the proper application of the Fleecy clothing, particularly towards the feat of the disorder; nor will it be found less useful as a remedy, when the disease has actually taken place. DROPSY. There is no disease the cure of which depends more on promoting perspiration than the dropsy. In all patients labouring under this malady the secretion from the skin is defective, and ought by all means to be promoted. This cannot be done so effectually, as by wearing your manufacture of a sufficient thickness. I am credibly informed that the dropsy has been cured by the patient’s wearing your Fleecy Hosiery, after the most powerful medicines, accompanied with the use of flannel, had proved totally ineffectual. ASTHMA. People afflicted with the asthma are always in danger, and often lose their lives from a sudden check of perspiration. They ought carefully to watch the changes of the weather, and to fortify them- (25) themselves against them by adapting their clothing to the temperature of the atmosphere. I would advise asthmatic patients to beware of the cold, raw, easterly winds, which prevail in our spring, and towards the setting-in of winter, and to avail themselves of your happy discovery for counter- acting their influence. APOPLEXY. The apoplexy is now so frequent as to become truly alarming. It seldom, however, attacks people till the decline of life, when the perspiration be- comes defective, and the skin grows dry and rigid. When the discharge from the skin is obstructed to such a degree, that the superfluous moisture of the body cannot be carried off by the other emunctorics. or common outlets, a plethora, or too great fulness of the vessels, must ensue. This will induce a predisposition to apoplexy. To ward off the dreadful blow as long as possible, the perspiration must be kept up; and I know not any thing more proper for this purpose than your Fleecy Ho- siery, prudently applied, and accompanied with a sufficient degree of bodily exercise. PALSY. The apoplexy and palsy make their attack about the same time of life, and often accompany each other, which renders it probable that, in some mea- sure, they depend on the same cause. That your D manufac- (26) manufacture is calculated to prevent the palsy, I will not take upon me to say; but I am certain that, in many cases, it will be found a very proper remedy*. The torpor of a paralytic limb renders some warm and stimulating application necessary; and this intention is more likely to be answered by your hosiery than flannel, as it not only possesses a greater degree of warmth, but is, from its tex- ture, better adapted to act as a stimulus to the skin. DEAFNESS. Few things prove more troblesome to persons in the decline of life than deafness. This is generally occasioned by cold in the head, I have often known deafness cured by a warm night cap; and would recommend it to all who are afflicted with this ma- lady, to wear caps of your manufacture. These caps will not only remove deafness, but will be found likewise to obviate many other complaints, as the tooth-ach, head-ach, pains of the face, &c. In all cases where the head is wet, either by bath- ing or violent exercise, these caps will be found of the greatest service. This I am told has been frequently experienced by sportsmen who, by using them when heated in the chace, have never caught * A paralytic stroke left a lameness and perpetual pain in the knee of a gentleman advanced in years, for which he consulted the most eminent of the Faculty, but obtained no relief for three years; at last he had recourse to Fleecy Hosiery, which wholly removed the pain, and gradually restored the strength of the knee. C. W. cold (27) cold. There are no people so careless as the inha- bitants of this country, with regard to the cover- ing of their heads daring the night; and this ne- glect is the source of many disorders, besides those mentioned above*. SKIN DISEASES. Cleanliness and warm clothing are the great pre- ventives of skin diseases. Where the skin is not sufficiently defended against the inclemency of the weather, it becomes rigid, and consequently unfit pore transmitting the perspirable matter through its pores. The internal disorders, arising from this cause, have already been taken notice of. The ex- ternal are, scabby and scaly eruptions, foul blotches, defedation of the skin, chilblains, and such like. These are always found to prevail, most among the poor, who go dirty, and are ill clothed. The chilblains, indeed, affect young people of all ranks; yet this complaint might generally be prevented by keeping the feet and legs dry, and sufficiently warm. For this purpose I know of no applica- tion equal to your foot-socks and fleecy hose†. * A deafness, of several years continuance, that had with- stood every medical application, was totally removed in a short time, by wearing a Fleecy night-cap. C. W. † Several persons, who had tried various medicines for the scurvy, without relief, had recourse to shirts and drawers of Fleecy Hosiery; and, after wearing them a short time, the disorder came off in scales, and left their skins perfectly clear. C.W. AGUE. (28) AGUE. In countries where agues prevail, and the pallid inhabitants are shook, like the aspine-leaf, for at least one half the year, there is reason to believe, that a species of clothing so perfectly adapted to defend the body against the moisture of the at- mosphere, and keep up an uniform degree of warmth, would be found superior, both in safety and efficacy, to any internal medicine whatever. Indeed the internal medicines made use of for this purpose, are generally of such a nature that, if they keep off one disease, they induce others, which prove equally, if not more fatal. FLEECY HOSIERY, IN VARIOUS SITUA- TIONS, THE BEST PRESERVATIVE OF HEALTH. How pernicious that kind of clothing must be, which retains the moisture, and keeps it in conti- nual contact with the body, to men who work in damp situations, will appear from Sir Benjamin Thomson’s experiments; and the advantage of the Fleecy Hosiery, in conducting it off, will be no less obvious. Spalden, the celebrated diver, told me that he could not live under water in any dress but flannel. In other clothing he was chil- led with cold, but with a sufficient quantity of flannel, he found himself pretty comfortable*. Had * Dr. Moskley relates, that "Dr. Irving, with a small party of men lay in the woods, on the Musquito shore, for four- teen (29) Had he known the superior advantages of your manufacture, he would no doubt have been still more so. To travellers, in cold countries, your manufac- ture must be of the greatest use, particularly the Fleecy gloves, pantaloons, foot-baskets, and great coats. The extremities always suffer most from cold, and are in the greatest danger of mortifica- tion. I shall not be surprised if your manufac- ture become the common clothing of the northern nations. Where the inhabitants are obliged to have recourse to furs in winter, the Fleecy cloth- ing will, I am convinced, be found to answer their purpose much better, and will likewise prove far more agreeable to the wearer. It will not, however, so readily occur, that the Fleecy Hosiery is the most proper clothing for the inhabitants of the hot climates; yet this is ac- knowledged to be the case by all who have made the trial. It can certainly be made more light than any other kind of clothing, and with so thin a sprinkling of wool as to act more as a cooler than a heater of the body, while it conducts off the teen days and night, during the rainy season of 1780, without taking off his clothes, while he was exploring a passage to the Spanish settlements up Blue-Fields River. He escaped without the least injury to his health, having blankets with him, and being clothed in a shirt, short jacket, breeches, and stockings, all made of flannel. The others, not using the same clothing, suffered se- verely, without exposing themselves to the same fatigue and danger.” moisture (30) moisture from the skin much faster than any other kind of clothing. There is no set of men to whom the Fleecy Hosiery is more likely to prove beneficial, than those who have lived in hot climates; they univer- sally complain, that, even with the warmed flannel and thickest clothing, they are not able to support the inclemency of our winters. Those, however, to whom I have had an opportunity of recommend- ing your manufacture, have all told me, that, by wearing it next their skin, they have found them- selves sussiciently warm and comfortable, even in the coldest season. All persons who fit to read, write, or work, espe- cially in cold rooms, such as many of the public offices are, ought to have their feet and legs clothed in your Fleecy Hosiery. The circulation in the limbs is obstructed by much fitting, and a chilly torpor brought on the feet and legs, which paves the way to edematous swellings, paralytic af- fections, and the like. Most women may be rank- ed among the sedentary, and many of them are afflicted with various maladies arising from this cause. It is impossible to say too much in favour of your manufacture, worn as under-garments by the ladies in a climate so variable as ours, where more than half the diseases which afflict the sex will be found to arise from cold. In cases of suspended animation, as it is called, where a person is to all appearance dead, and where the great object is to recal the latent principle of life, by restoring the geninal warmth, and exciting the (31) the action of the system, it will be readily allowed, that few things are likely to have a more happy effect than wrapping the body in some of the thick- est of your Fleecy Hosiery, made as hot as pos- sible. This will not only receive a much greater degree of heat than a common blanket, but, re- taining the heat longer, will be found a much more suitable application than the other, while it is sooner and more easily prepared than a warm bath. I can imagine many situations where your manu- facture would be of singular service, both to sailors and soldiers. The former are often obliged to keep on their wet clothes for several days together, and the latter to continue in camp during cold and wet seasons, or in a low damp country. I have been told by several of the officers who lay in camp on New- castle Moor, in winter 1745, that half the army must have perished by cold, had it not been for the flannel waistcoats given to the soldiers by the good people called Quakers. No one who has seen it needs to he told that your manufacture would prove more beneficial than flannel to men in such situations. That warm clothing would greatly contribute to- wards the preservation of the military, in hot as well as in cold climates, is evident from Dr. Moseley’s Treatise on Tropical Diseases. In almost every page of this useful work, the Doctor shews the necessity of flannel, or some other warm clothing, for pre- serving the health of men exposed to the excessive rains and chilly dews of tropical climates. Of the good effects of this he gives many instances. Nor were (32) were its benefits confined to the preservation of health: in the cure of all complaints arising from obstructed perspiration, which even between the tropics are very numerous, the most successful practice was to restore that necessary evacuation as soon as possible. How well the fleecy clothing is calculated to effect this important purpose must be obvious to all*. In point of oeconomy, few things will be found to equal your invention. It will not only supersede the use of furs, but, in many cases, even of fuel; which, to the inhabitants of cold countries, proves very ex- pensive. Nor does the evil end here. Persons who fit roasting themselves near a great fire injure their health. They breathe a burnt unwholsome air, and, after all, are but half warmed. A person cloth- ed in a sufficient thickness of your manufacture will hardly find occasion for fire in any situation; and he will feel himself much more comforable than by the fire-side, where he is burnt on the one side, and frozen on the other. In one word, your in- vention may truly be said to unite oeconomy, plea- * The plan of wearing flannel is by no means inconsistent with that of rendering the body hardy. For if our bodies are to be covered, it ought not to be with a substance which has the qua- ty of chilling us as often as we take excercise. The coverings of animals bestowed upon them by nature, have not this injurious quality; their furs, wool, and feathers are smeared with oil, which throws off moisture. Essay on the Materia Medica, &c. by Mr. JAMES MOORE, Member of the Surgeons Company. sure, (33) sure, and usefulness; which is more than most of our modern discoveries can boast of. I shall conclude this Letter, already too long, by recommending to you the most active perseverance in the prosecution of your plan. You have not only made a great improvement in the woollen manu- facture, but also in medicine. Your Fleecy Ho- siery, judiciously applied, will not only in many cases preserve health, but prove more beneficial to the afflicted than any thing that has been discovered in the medical art for these many years; like other useful discoveries, however, it will meet with oppo- sition; but patience and perseverance will over- come it all, and you will find, beside the brave defender of Gibraltar*, many who will step for- ward to do justice to your useful invention. Wishing you all that success to which your merit is so justly entitled. I am, SIR, Your most obedient servant. March 10, 1790. W. BUCHAN. *The Right Honourable Lord Heathfield wrote a letter to the Patentee, setting forth the benefits he had received from the Fleecy Hosiery, and promising to recommend it to his friends both at home and abroad. E (34) POSTSCRIPT. IF the sentiments contained in this Letter wanted the sanction of authority, it would be easy to adduce a number of eminent authors, both ancient and modern, who have entertained the same ideas. The celebrated Boerhaave used to say, that nobody suffered from cold, except beg- gars and fools: the former not being able to pur- chase clothes, and the latter not having sense to use them. This certainly shews, that, in the learn- ed Doctor’s opinion, the effects of cold might be obviated by a proper attention to clothing. It is said of the celebrated Mr. Boyle, whose delicacy of constitution rendered it necessary for him to adapt the warmth of his clothing to the state of the weather, that he had a vesture suited to every season of the year; and it is much in fa- vour of his plan, that although a valetudinarian, he died at an advanced age. But the author whose sentiments are most in point is the learned Sanctorius, Professor of Physic at Padua, who first established the doctrine of in- sensible perspiration, on undeniable grounds, and shewed its importance in the animal economy, and its influence on health. Though the Doctor lived in (35) in a more temperate climate than ours, yet the following aphorisms, which are selected from a great number will shew how much he thought health depended on the insensible perspiration be- ing duly and regularly kept up. APH. XL. SECT. 1. “Whensoever nature is disturbed in the busi- ness of perspiration, she soon begins to be defec- tive in many more of the animal functions. APH. LXVII. “The external causes which are wont to hinder perspiration are, the cold air, and that which is damp and foggy; swimming in cold water, &c. APH. LXXXVI. “Old age may truly be reckoned a distemper, but it may be long protracted if the body perspires well. APH. LXXXVIII. “The humours of gouty people, even the most thick, are carried off only by perspiration. APH. XCII “A looseness may be removed by increasing the quantity which is to be perspired as often happens in warm bathing. APH. CII. “Hypochondriacal persons are cured by pro- moting perspiration. APH. CXV. “In autumn the weight of the body increases, owing to the diminished perspiration, which if it E2 be (36) be beyond a healthful standard, will produce ter- tians and putrid fevers. APH. XIV. SECT. ll. “Swimming in cold water, after voilent exer- cise, is very delightful, but fatal; for nothing is more destructive than extremes. APH. XXI. “A cool wind always hinders perspiration, and is hurtful. “Any draught of air has the same effect. APH. XLVI. “There is no danger of the autumnal disterm- pers, if the body be well guarded against the in- creasing cold by warm garments. APH. XLVII. “To be well covered with clothes, assists per- spiration, and lightens the body. APH. L. “They who, in spring throw off their winter garments too hastily, and are too backward input- ing them on again in the fall, in the summer are subject to fevers, and in the winter to defluxions.” A LIST OF ARTICLES MANUFACTURED BY HOLLAND, WAISTELL, and HORTON, PATENTEES OF THE FLEECY HOSIERY, No. 99, HIGH HOLBORN. Fleecy hosiery is made of various thicknesses, or degrees of warmth. Scales of thickness are graduated from No. 1, to No. 6.—No. 1 is lined with a thin sprinkling of the finest wool and No. 6 is an inch thick. For persons in health, and for the prevention of dis- orders, articles are fleeced to the thickness of No. I for summer wear, and to the thickness of No. 2 for winter; but for the rheumatism, gout, and other complaints, to the thickness of No. 3, and upwards, to No. 6, as the case may require. UNDER CLOTHING for GENTLEMEN. Shirts or under-waistcoats, with or without sleeves, Ditto of cotton or worsted, not fleeced. Drawers and pantaloons. Ditto of cotton or worsted, not fleeced Gause hose. Socks, ankle-socks, and mussatees. Breast-plates or bosom-friends. UNDER- (38) UNDER-CLOTHING for LADIES. Under-waistcoats, with or without sleeves. Petticoats, drawers, or sliders. Gauze hose. Socks and ankle-socks. Breast-plates, or bosom-friends. Night-caps. OUTER CLOTHING. Great coats, or wrapping gowns. Pieces for Breeches. Pantaloons. Hose fleeced all through, or in the feet only. Travelling stockings soaled and calashed. Stirrup-hose and bootikins. Travelling-caps, superior to fur. Night-caps. Gloves fleeced, with outsides of cotton or worsted. Silk gloves fleeced with Vigonia wool. MISCELLANEOUS, Blankets and cradle blankets. Denman’s caps for new-born infants. Feet baskets and coach carpeting. Muff-linings. Collars for sore throats. Pieces for under-waistcoats, drawers and petticoats, from half-yard wide to three quarters. Flannel of every kind. Plain silk, cotton, and worsted hose of the best qualities. For (39) For the GOUT, RHEUMATISM, &c. Large hose, thick fleeced, and very elastic, Ankle-socks and knee-caps, ditto. Night-caps and breast-plates, ditto. Gloves and mittens, ditto. Shirts and drawers, ditto. Shoes and bootikins, ditto. We have the pleasure to inform the Public, that all the above ar- ticles are now manufactured in a much superior manner to what they were on the first establishment of the business. The improve- ment of every article we manufacture has had, and will continue, to have our unremitting attention. DIRECTIONS for WASHING FLEECY HOSIERY. First of all turn the stockings, and other arti- cles, the wool side outwards; then wash Fleecy Hosiery, as all woollen articles ought to be washed, that is, in a clean, strong, and moderately hot lather of soap; dipping it into the lather, and drawing it through the hand. This mode we recommend, in preference to rubbing it between the hands. When washed, shake it to raise the fleece. Rub no soap upon it, and by no means boil it; neither wash it in a cold lather, nor in water wherein any thing else has been washed. A necessary caution respecting all clothing is to see that it be well aired, and free from damp, the time it is put on. FINIS