Part of a Letter from Matthew Guthrie, M. D. of Petersburgh, to Dr. Priestley, F. R. S. onthe Antiseptic Regimen of the Natives of RussiaAuthor(s): Matthew GuthrieSource: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Vol. 68 (1778), pp. 622-636Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/106340 .

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XXIX. Part af a Lether from Matthew (;uth-rie, M D. of PererIbtrgh, to Dr. Prieflcley, F. R S. on tfe- ANntifep- M Rgggmen qf tbe Natiqves of RuII*la.

ReadApril3o nEADING the otller day the elegant

oratlorl of Sir JOHN PRING-LEX on the

great ment of Captain coo for which oM Rome would have loaded hxs fhip with citis srosvns, out part of the lea;mad prafdett's difcourfe dr my atttmn in parti- cutars as it regarded tlwis c.ollrwtt; -and touched upon a fubjeEt whiA Ib hxYe long paid attention tot -v2. the an- tifeptic regimen which natute has didtated to the Zaw fitsof this empireg Soting feems-clearsr to me than

tit, if natux had efe peofib habits, and

givea -them a tde which galllopin;g travelterg treat with coxutempt, they muR undoubtedUy have funl; under the fcursry, as they are, for the greatek part of the year, ex- pofed to the influence of thofe pre-difpofing s;auSes to putrid complaints that make the body of the Greenland feaman livid; yet under iI thefe difawdvantages fuch feems to be the efficacy of the regimen they obSerares at putrid difeafes axe krarlgers to thexr huts and the

3 Ruilarl

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Dr. GUTHRIE on the Attifeptic Regimen, kc 6z3 RuIElan boor enioys a Rate of llealth that aoninzes all; illhabitant of a countly here the dreadial contcquences- are fo well knosvll of bad air witllill, exceIIive col(l without, joined- to a rant of frenl vegetalules for a legth of time. I think you will by no means have your relpeEt dimirsinled for the late diScovered antifeptic agent, when I have given in detail the multitude of enemies it has to encounter} in preServing from putrid attacks the bodies of the pwple I am treating of.

The Raffilan boor lives in a wooden houSe, made *vith his own hatchet, his only infirument, in the uSe of lrhich he is nloflc dextrous: it is caulked with mofss fo as to be very ftlug arid clofe. It is ftstniIhed wlth an oven, wlaich wfwers the triple purpofe of heating the houSe, dreElilg the viEtuals, anel fupporting on its flat topthe greafy mat- tris on which i and his wife lie. From over the overl7 which is an one fide of the roomy are laid fome boards reaching ts and filpported by, the oppofite S7vall, raifed a little above the Roves fo as to receive its heated air. 0n thoIE iop e th-ildren and fecondary perfonages of the hut; -fw the wen ttfelf is a luxury referved for the firfl;. Ralrld theroom runs a bench with a table irl the middlet and in the wrner as:a brt o£ capboarel fo;r the reception af faints, before whzn I&all tapers frequently burn or ainp with hemp oil. During the long fevere winter

%eaSon,>

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E4 DZ CHRIE " tbe SweSEc > fuS,-the told prevents the:m from airing. this hab*a tion, fo that you may eaisly cceiVe, that the air eann i very pure, confidenrlg that, five,-or fs zople eat

arKl fleep in tater, and underge, d-unt the intA, a *mo*Pc^ngSpe3cefs^ mp th. e iz knd clnefs oiS thek - ltnatbn ;> m+aecb that -bbet have ti tppearance of beit di in wwterX wand raife a- iteat and fmull ia the

s E\iNel t<vthelltsS 157 Xp"aw

ble to the perfwon whom cftyvW^-XyXleadvthliWr. Wot: ff it--iicdnfi,-etha.thishaeum

ilhere to eX£y tKngi the ns ually to tlve iebp Rins-b-mattAfsti- wbieh- j1leU tlie mis it the Walls, +1ke**;-undl -ith;lt th¢- t;atment"">teRtil ffiorftsths-sesleSt; $<t*e*atdXfe-paple are siisng $Mlly upon fa;lt fi^- trt m, and the *Se e withZt be;repibu ^ fM -1* When ef SrttX;l*Xj, :£he {i>S iti tUndFnt uf -^ is -9rell > I fa« when all -thefe- 6ircumPcanse6 areieri inte I;&d¢ttEd iti

ai Sy aW, xn Uite-;of kil tl

eau-tdsy vast to 3Pt*gdiibatE, i WifFidy JuS et e irits ameFtion} that *e en nat has didt-toffle*-people -is$*mo* lj antiS and it der l)e dosng feNce to maVkindU be ity.

S This

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of the Natieves of lluEla. 625 This I hall endeavoul to do and t will probably give pleafure to thoSe gentlemen, who have prefcribed the ner regimen to the 13ritiffi navy with fo much fuccefs, to have the evidence of fome milliorss to prove, that they have adtually hit upon the very fecret by which nature defends her creatures, in thofe countries where it is ne ceSary, fFom the very difeafe whiclu has been the fcourge of the nobleflc naval eitabliihment that ever the world faw. Nay, one would thirsk that the diet thefe peo- ple uSe had beerl didcated by modern philofo.phy, or ra- ther that your Prefident, your AMACBRIDE'S, &c. had Iludied at this fchool; for almoPc every thing they uSe Seems to be of that kind which the fortunate attention to the antifeptic qvlalities of fixed air has recommended tor rsuedical uSe. Plere the exl3erimental philofopher may be indu-lged in a triumph; and I really think your lords of the admiralty ought in gratitude to treXt- Ratues to the induPcrious and ftlccefsful proSecutors of that noble and uSefill Pct-dy.

Tlle only part of the food of otlr Northern people, that does not conze uruder the defcription given, is falt meat and finl; the latter they eat during their faks where fFenz finl cannot be procured, at leafc llor upon terms that fuit their circum{lances; and there are alfo fome places wllere the fcarcenefs-of fodder eluring tlle

VOL. LXVIII. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 4 H wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww sinter

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626 t)r. GUTHR1E Ot /DC Ant.ifeptic Re,t,isnn

wituter c)bliges tlwen:l 0 live 1MLICI1 Ul)O1R f.llt rntat; yet in t11 thele c,lfe>; tltsy nl.l]age to lorreEt the adtioll of this a(l- (1itiOn(11 I2AVC11 ()f 1)11tT i(litY l)Y nli xttlrc wit-ll tlweir l)repared ve,gc:tal)les ill s *1t11 a Inalsller as to t1t1(1e its batlefill clleds} vllitll filrni1hes nle xvith alzotllel corroljolatillg Ieroof of the po^rcrfl alltifeXrtic qtlalitits of this laotle of larela- ratioll, vllich I 11wa11 l)artictllarly clefcrile, an(l wlwWat in f;XEt is the lzlain I)llllsole of this paper, ill hopes thereby to th ro:r folzle a(I( Ii tioli al light uizoll vlue nesr alztiScor_ I)utic fyizcem rilit;h canilot be too 5vell unclerfiood, ar(l in hopes that lonuc of tlse marly ditlles I ih.lil elefclibe ot a filnilar nature vith your four cabbage now ilu 1;11e irt the BritiSll liarry, may be thought 5rorth a )l;ce in your 1lzalille antiScolloutic lill of fare; antl if I anl fo happy as to c-ontriltite to tlse l refervation of the Iives of the g:sl- lant corps of men that enal)les us to plant our cabbages in f.lfety at llome, I ihall think my trouble well re- :rarded

One of their principal articles of food, and rhat enters illtO tlle compfition of moR of the RuIElan fowlI^ls, is their four cabbage, which yon are already fc) well ac- (ltlaillteel vith, both as to the preparation and qualities QF

it, tllat it becomes unneceffiary to do tnore than itlit give it tlle firI} }?lace in (letailing tlleir antiScorblltic diilles, xvllicll it certainly tnerits.

'91t 6

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of tbe NaZives of Rufl la. 6z7

The fecond capita-l article is- calle(3 qv1afis, a liqtlor xthich not only ferves them for dlilak, but alfo as f.luce to a number of dinles} ei:pecialTy to fach as have a ten- dency to bring oll tlle diSeaSe hich thei-r Iituation -threatens, and is tlle balis of the farroulite cold foup of the North, which is made by a(leling cold tneat cut irt pis neth cucvlmbers (prepared after a manrler to be defcribed in the fequel) or svith onionsy or garlick, to a bowl of thisf ftlb-acid liquor. This feems to be a good method of qualifying and eatin,g falt meat to tllofe that are fond of the acid taRe, and Il:lould make the proceiSs in the fromach very different from hat we muR fllp- pofe is the cafe when IAlt beef is eaten off a 4iScuit, ac- comwnied urith IlQthing but what ferves for a plate, or the fuet pudtlirlg of the navy, judging from fome expF riments I have maule- in the Rile of Dr. MACBRIDES aB- mentary mixtures.

te manner of -preparx'ng the common Rv0s qg4as.

They take a large potfill of rold water, oand put into it as much rye-flour as will make a thin dough. they thera place it irl an own, moderately heated for three hours, at which time they taRke it out, and throXY it into

a tub of sc)ld water: this mixture they work until it + H 2 frothe

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628 Dr. GUTHRIE on tbe Sntileptic Regimen froths with a nlachine refembling the fiaffof a chocolate pot, but larger. To this liquor, thus preparecl, is added a couple of llop-l)afons full of the grc)un(ls of old quafis, leaven,or,ifthefe are not to lJe procured, shich can fcarce lsappen in RtllTia, they nfe as a ferment a piece of tlltir fi)vlr brea(l, aLlxl cover the tub with a cloth to keep out tlle dtlfc, vIntil the liqwlor has acquirec} a fouritll taRe, xvhicll marks its being ready for uSe. How ever, this de- cllds uE)on the tetnperature of the veather, ag it ac-

(ltliles the neceAlary aci(lity fooner or later, according to tlle Seafoll or degrees of artificial heat that is employed. Tllis liquor the poorellc of the people drink as they draw it from the tub or cailS vllele it ss kept for ufe; but t}zere is a fuperior kin(l of qvlaEs, whicll the better fort of peo)le make and bottle fol tlleir com-mon uSe; indeed people of the highefc rank los e and uSe it conRantly.

ivhe tetter J"ort of 2,aaJ^sX or KeeiIa Stchee.

tRlley take one pood (thirty-fis pounds EngliSh) of rye, ffollr, or meal, and half that quarltity of ground Inalt, and put them into a tub made for the purpofe mth a clofe cover, pouring a kettle-full of fcalding water, ltirring with a Ilick as they pour, and then cover it clofe vIp for an hour; at the expiration of which time they add

boiling

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of tbe htatiscs of Ruflia. 6fl9 boiling srater ill the fame manner as before, until it be- ¢omes as thiIl as frzallleerw The tub is then placed in a cool fituatioll for Scome hotlrs, the cover being kept half open with a izcick; then the liquor is paXe(l throtlgh a

fieve snto a caIk, and two bafons full of old quafs, or the fubfcitutes mentioned in the laIt receipt, are added, and the veXel placed in a cellar or cool fituation fbr five or fis days, ulltil it acqvlires thc f lbscid taRe, xrhen it is fit for bcattling.

Here feems to be an elegant improvement of Drv MACe BRIDE'S infuf1on of nlalt, for the acidulous taRe makes it highly palatable and refreIking, and probably there may be a virtue in this fpecies of acielity, which is perhaps tlle ollly thing that the fFteet infurlorl ̂ rants to giere it all the alltiScolobutic qualities of your four krout, &c. as it alfo abounds in the antifeptic fluid fixed air which re- commends the other for medical purpofes, and particuz larly as arl antiScorbutic; at the fame tifme that the fer-- mentation is permitted to run on until it acquires the acid talle which I obServe every one of tlle cfflcacious vegetable preparations uSed in the North i5 poXefl:ed ofb alld what nearly feems to be the fecret alone hy svhich theSe people preServe them for a length of tinle, and put them UpOIl an equality with freXh vegetablesfi as olle

wowlld be led to thirsk by their Idlutary effeEts. The 4

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6 sa Dr. GUTHRIE DX the Atifgpric Regimel The very bread tllat our people make uSe of llas alfo

acquired this aci(lit-y before it is jl:lslged wholefome, and a(lapte(l to their conRitutions,

ivhe manner of making the llutlslan rye bread.

In the mornillg they mix as much rye flour witl warm milk, water, and a bafon full of grounds of quaEs, or leaven, as vill make a thin dough, and beat it up for half an hour with the chocolate Itaff before defcribed; this they fet in a warm place till night, then they add tnore meal by degrees, working it up at the fame tlme with the I'caff, until the dough becomes fciff. They then retllrn it to its warm fituation until morning, at which -time they throsr in a proper qllantity of falt, and work it *vith the hand into a proper confifcence for bread (they think the lorlger this lafc operatiors is contirlued the better) then they place it before the fire urlti} it rifes, wlien it is cut into loaves, alld returneel once more into the warln 1alace where it before Rood, and kept there tor an hour before the laIzc part of the procefs, the baking, ^rhich compleats it.

For fea prostirlon they cut the fame four dough into l)iScuits or rufk and dry them in the oven. This, I am tol(l by very intelligent fea officersX makes a moIt uSefut

and

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tf thw Nas. of Ru.fia*. 63 1 and wholeforne article of food, ever at hand-to qvlalify the £eaEwen's-falt provsfilsX whsch they coErlEnonly eat in form of brothin the RuiElan navy, svith the additioll of this Wead^.which: ss put in as we do the white laread in our foups: o£ that -naxne, o1 they take oE: the faltueft of their fea- beef by maki;xlg it into foup xvith their pre- pared vegetab}es; :but never fuffier their failors to -eat it

y: u l!hey -call it, beirg oftoptnlon that it prornotes tshe Xrt-y xn vl;}e fIeet.

This r alfo t ly anXers the comm pUl'pOit

of-breS, ba when thrown i}to warm nvater produces tt favourste liquar qu7ffiSf with or wAhout the addidon

. .

dt malt** and I am lskewife told, that they put t-hxs hil' a-icle - into; the four- dougl, with which they eWe a; Sort of- rgSk- for the parpoSe -of quafs alone..

Tbere ar-e prepared ctlcumbers-which are e-aten with meat in- this countryX and the people are remarkably- Sidtof them ltey re:caIled falted cucumbers, as falt wo the wacipalg ingredsent ulEd in the prq?antlor; btlt wthey have the faxne fovir.i}ita:flie fo often mentloned, and -*@tD to have their {hart alSo !sn the. rnsrit afated to the tegxmen at large.

Mbt

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632 Dr GUTHRIE on the Snt0epric Reimen

TDe tnczxner of preparing the Ruffilan fiaRed cgcumber*

They ptlt ally qllalltity of cucumbers into a caIk, and as much cold water as covers tllem with four or fi+re hanclfuls of Ialt, fome oak arl(l black currant leaves, fome dill alld gallick. They then Set the caIk into a cool })lace for about forty-eight hours, until the liquor taRes- fouriSh, wthen they pour it off from the cucumbers into a pan, and adel to it four or five llalldfllls of falt, then bvil it for about fifteen millutes, and when cold returtl it into the cailt to cover the cucumber, 5rhich they noxr bvlng up for llfe, and place irl the cellar, where they be- come criEp alld fit to be eaten in three or four days, alld are counte(l a luxury by their admirers, amorlgIt rhich number I carlnot reckon myfelf; hourever,- this is a mat- ter of palate.

To conclude this fubjeCt, there are:Rill a few other lithes to le mentione(l tllat Ieenz to have the fame ten- lency as thefe alreacly defcribed: tniz. what is called fc)oins in Scotland, and much uSeel by the common peo ple tllere. It is an infufion of oatflmeal bran in warm srater, left to ferment until it acquire the fouriSll taIte alld then IErained and boiled to a confiRence. Another of their diIhes is comIvoSed of rye-mesal, ground malt,

and

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of tbe NatiqneUsXof Rufl la. 633 and water, as thick as creamX which is placed aI1 nigh.t in the oven, previouIly heated to a- moderate degree and in -the morning a piece.of four rye bread is added to effiCEt tllegr favourite end, antl the mefs eaten when cold.

Horfe-radith theyEdry ;in the oven an(l keep all win ter, whlch they powder, wvhen-warlteia:l, and ms with inegar-to eat;{w.ith faltf Stl.

Turnips they preferve durillg the svinter in dry fan(l (as they likew-ife do the large virhite radiw); thefe they pllt intoS an earthell pot- with :a clefe cover and Resr them in- the ovew, with their owtz jtlice alone, till- perfeEtly foft, and then eat them with quafs. -When fugar is adtled inkead oSquaEs, they makg an elegant diIh, and pr.oper n:coughsRard pe4oral diforders.

Oats tthey -prwarp and griHd in the manner sf malt, and malre a fort of flummery of tllis mealy which they eat with quafs, their favollrite fauce § and -fometimes milk fup}?lies its place for thefie OEtS of diffies.

I believe I hav*f-now made; rnextion of tthe greatePr part of their food- and itSn pr-eparation; and I will take thze- liberty -to Ay, that it is a regimea- fo confiflcerlt and unibrmly calculMod- to ward o£ the difeafe thawt their fltuation threatens (even when viewed by the tefic of mo- derh- opinion faSl experience) iat the- mic ealightened pl;lyfioiaa of our dxy could 1ot have ribed a better,

YOL LXVIII. 4 I arid

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634 lDr. GUTHRIE on the Antiggptic Rggimen

and perhaps you may think writh me, th'at there are fome articles in it whichn from their cheapllefs and antiScor- l)utic qualities, might be permittecR to accompany, for trial their old Notthern companiola fotlr cabbage, who has, I ftl}pefe, beerl met with fcraggling in Germanv where he was flngly able to mallQe head agailwil all the (langers that their clitnate threatened; although itl 0t11'

more frigid realms it requires his whole united phalanx to keep t1S in faS^ety.

Elowever, after faying every thing of and for the food ma(le ufe of by tlle people inhabiting the Northern parts of this extended etnpire, I nluIt not ornit tc) give the Chare of metit that I think is due to fome cufl:oms that I llinted at ila tlle l)eginning, arld which I)robal)ly have their nzare in efEeEting the great end treated of in this ]etter. Theie are their cloathing, baths, and manner of Reeping.

Ill the firIl place they go very warmly cloathe(l when out of doors, altllough they rear nothing lout a Illirt and a pair of linen drawers when witlwin, the legs and feet in particular are remarkably guarded againIt the cold by many plies of coarfe flannel with a pair of boors over a11> at th*e fame time that their boelies feel all the warmth of llzecplkin coats, and nothing is left open to the adrion of the air but the face and neckX w}<ich

laR

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of tbe Nazises af RuEla. 635 laflc although never cofirered, yet coughs arad fore throats are feldom heard of: nay, they are diforders that we ihould almoPt forget to treat,- if foreigners di(l ncat- keep

* us ln uie. Their religion hapl)ily confpires witls tlle unavo(lable

boelily dirtinefs attached to their flttlation to fend thetn to their vapour baths once or twice a weel: here tlley waDl away with aqueous vapour, an(l afterssTards witi lYater in its condenfezl fcate, the dirt that by obItrtlAing the pores is fo well knon to promote putrid difeafes, at the fame tilue that they moflc effiCEtually open t};we cuti- lllar emundtories, an(l throw off any obfil ud?ced perfpi- ration that might have otherwifc ad:ed as afomes to begirl the feptic procefs ill the body; and laEcly, they undergo nightly, as I mentioned irl the irltroduEtion, a degree of perfpiration that enables our coach-men, for example, to fit the whole day and fevere winter evening on the box, or at leaI} out of doors, without once dreaming of swhat ve call catching cold as they throw offevery llight what may have been retained in the day, alld, to uSe a vulgar lhraSe, may be faid to clear out as they go; but keep them from the nodturrlal luxury of their oven, arl(l you liill them in a ̂ reek.

I mufi here obServe, tllat, excepting the judicious fea- man Capt;,in COOK, I have not in xsy reading met with

4I 2 any

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636 Dr. GUTEIRIE on the Antiyeptic ReWimen, &c.

any perfon that l-las paid the indifpenfallle attention to warrtz cloathing of failors in cosd climates, which, sve are taught by experience in thoSe countries, is a rnoflc raecef- fary precautiorl to preferve health: however, as to enter upon this fubjed at prefent vvould fwell my letter to a fcill more prodigious fize, I will rather make it the fub- jeA of folne; future one, as the effeEts of our winter at- mofphere will merit particular attention, efpecially when the opinionated obflcinacy of new arrived foreigners brave its fury tn a more Southern drefs, inItead of taking a hint, like lefs fyItematic men, frorn the experience that a fucceIElon of ages has taught the natieres.

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