Papers on Health | Page 2

reach of all classes.
It is most gratifying to know through letters received from almost all
parts of the world, that many are benefitted very greatly by the
treatments described. We have constant evidence coming before us
from our own experience with patients of the powerful effect they have
in healing the sick, and even saving life. We send out this new edition

in the hope that it may spread still more widely, the knowledge of such
simple and yet effective means of cure.
EDWARD BRUCE KIRK
E. U. Manse, Barrhead, Scotland. July, 1904.

INTRODUCTION.
In this book we set forth a series of simple remedies and preventives of
many common troubles. They are all well tried and have been proved
by long experience to be effective and safe.
We give, as far as we know, the reasons why they are likely to do good,
but we acknowledge that there are things which we cannot fully explain.
For instance, we do not know why a well aired lather of M'Clinton's
Soap should have the soothing effect it undoubtedly possesses, or why
spreading handfuls of this lather over the stomach of a person suffering
from retching or indigestion should give such relief, we only know that
it does!
Some may sneer at the remedy and say it is a case of faith healing and
assert that any other application, if put on with equal credulity, would
have the same effect. But take a case that lately came under our notice.
Indigestion and colic had rendered a baby a few weeks old restless and
miserable from the day of its birth. The nurse was kept nursing it all
night long, trying to soothe it; at last the mother who had frequently
tried the soap lather for occasional attacks of indigestion, and always
with good effect, determined to try it on the baby. It worked like a
charm, the little one was at once soothed and slept all night, only
waking once for its food. This was repeated for several nights, for until
the lather was applied the child would not settle to sleep. In a few days
the child was quite well, the habit of sleeping was established and the
application was discontinued. Now it cannot be said that faith in the
remedy had anything to do with the result in this case. We only wish
every mother would have faith enough to give this simple treatment a

fair trial, making up the lather as described in this book and not, as
many do, "improving" on our method by rubbing the soap on the wet
skin and making a sort of lather with the hand.
We may say that the soap used for making this lather is not M'Clinton's
shaving soap. The latter is specially made to give a thick durable lather;
for curative purposes use the lather from M'Clinton's toilet or
household soap.
Again, why should the use of the linen underwear we recommend have
such a beneficial effect on sufferers from rheumatism and various skin
troubles? We have suggested possible explanations, and if these seem
inadequate we can only say we know that it has these effects no matter
how they are produced.
There are many things in nature that we cannot explain, and since the
discovery of X Rays, Radium, etc., scientists are much less dogmatic in
declaring anything impossible.
The diet we recommend for health and disease is as simple and cheap
as our other treatment. That plain fare is good for both mind and body
was proved by the four youths at the Babylonian Court over 2,000
years ago, but alas people squander that priceless boon, health, by
letting appetite rule their lives.
We only ask for our treatment a fair trial on our lines. We claim that
ours are common sense methods. Anyone can see that if a head is hot
and fevered the application of a cold towel is likely to lower that heat
and reduce the fever. But it is no use putting a little bit of wet rag on
and then saying our treatment has failed. Large towels repeatedly
changed for an hour or more may be needed, and this will give more
trouble than administering some dose from the chemist's shop, but the
results are well worth the additional work.
The day is hastening on when men and women will see what fools they
have been, not because they had no sense, but certainly because they
had failed to use the abundance which God has given to all.

Not one of the remedies we have recommended can hurt any one, as
they are only those which we have for years seen used successfully by
ordinary persons who were willing to do their best to cure the suffering.
If we can secure one night of