Thrown into Nature by Milen Ruskov

Author:Milen Ruskov
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Open Letter
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Before the wine of sunny Rhine, or even Madam Clicquot’s,

Let all men praise, with loud hurras, this panacea of Nicot’s.

The debt confess, though none the less they love the grape and barley,

Which Frenchmen owe to good Nicot, and Englishmen to Raleigh.”

The hall burst into laughter. Without a doubt, the learned doctor had managed to lift the oppressive atmosphere that had reigned until that moment. I would say that with the abilities that he had demonstrated so far, he could easily don a barrister’s toga. A most remarkable señor!

“To be absolutely faithful to the historical truth,” he went on, “which in time will be commemorated, since it marks the beginning of a new era for our country, or at least for English medicine—something which most people today may not realize—let us clarify, gentlemen, that Sir Walter himself was initiated into the art of smoking by his assistant Thomas Hariot, whom he, paraphrasing our Holy Book in jest, called his ‘Faithful Thomas.’ Thomas Hariot was sent by Sir Walter to study which plants grow in the newly discovered pristine lands of Virginia and after he returned from there, he published his findings in a slim quarto from 1588, which some of you have likely seen, under that title ‘A briefe and true report of the new found land of Virginia’ and so on—I cannot cite the entire title for you, gentlemen, since it consists of precisely 150 words. It was namely from this work that we understood for the first time—at least we here in England, I mean—that when tobacco leaves are dried and ground into powder, the Indians take in the smoke or fumes, by sucking them in through a pipe made of clay into their stomach and head: from whence it purges superfluous phlegm and other gross humors, opens all the pores and passages of the body: by which means the use thereof, not only preserves the body from obstructions: but if also any be, so that they have not been of too long continuance, in short time breaks them: whereby their bodies are notably preserved in health, and know not many grievous diseases wherewithal we in England are oftentimes afflicted. Here with us, gentlemen,” the learned doctor continued, “is a prominent Scottish physician, whose name is perhaps unknown to most of you, namely Dr. William Barclay.” Dr. Cheynell gestured towards one place in the hall where an intelligent-looking, middle-aged man with a very white face, reddish beard, and straw-colored hair stood up, with his hand on his heart. Some of the audience applauded as he stood up, and even the king waved to him in greeting. “Mr. Barclay, who, by the way, is a fellow countryman of our enlightened king, recently published a book in Edinburgh, which I heartily recommend to you, under the title, ‘Nepenthes or the Vertues of Tobacco.’ What a wonderful title, gentlemen! Because yes, just like the magical nepenthes of the ancient Greeks, tobacco drives sorrow and the painful spirit of taedium vitae far from us.

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