Literary notes about Prophylactic (AI summary)
In literary discourse, "prophylactic" is employed both in its literal sense—to denote measures taken to avert disease or infection—and in a more figurative manner to imply preemptive actions against various ills. Medical writings frequently detail its use as a treatment or preventative measure, whether referring to avoiding raw meat to prevent illness [1] or administering vaccines and specific drugs to counter diseases like cholera and scurvy [2, 3, 4]. At the same time, the term is adapted to symbolize broader strategies aimed at deterring negative influences, such as measures to counter radicalism or even the enchanting power of superstition [5, 6]. This multifaceted application highlights the word's versatility, shifting effortlessly from the realm of clinical precision to metaphorical commentary on the prevention of harm.
- “The prophylactic treatment consists simply in the avoidance of uncooked meat.
— from Parasites: A Treatise on the Entozoa of Man and Animals Including Some Account of the Ectozoa by T. Spencer (Thomas Spencer) Cobbold - —Failure of yeast as a prophylactic; latent scurvy promptly yielding to orange juice.
— from Scurvy, Past and Present by Alfred F. Hess - Quinine: as prophylactic to abort fit and to prevent recurrence: its action is aided by purgatives, emetics and aromatics.
— from Merck's 1899 Manual of the Materia Medica by Merck & Co. - When I joined the Navy, lime-juice, the prophylactic, was served out under the regulation; but in the mercantile marine scurvy was still prevalent.
— from The Memoirs of Admiral Lord Beresford by Beresford, Charles William De la Poer Beresford, Baron - Hence its use as a magical prophylactic appliance.
— from Shinto (the Way of the Gods) by W. G. (William George) Aston - “I’m afraid the fast-cure wouldn’t be a prophylactic for radicalism, Aunt Sarah.”
— from The Guardsman by Homer Greene
