/ THEORY AND PRACTICE OF / ~ i:p HOMOEO ATHY. JFRST PART, CONTAINING A THEORY:OF IIOMOEOPATHY, WITH DIETETIC RULES, ETC. BY I. G. ROSENSTIFN, M. D. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Wir muessen der ungeheuren, alles ueberwiegenden kraefte der impondeiabilien, des magnetismusý der electricitaet, des lichts, und der waerme gedenkbn, um die grobsinningen yorstellungen aufzugeben, und die arithmetischen groessen der koerper nicht zum mass-stabe8der kraefte zunehlien. R&aU. We need but consider the immense, all-surpassing powers of imponderables, as electricity, magnetism, light, heat, etc', to renounce the gross error of reckoning every thing by scale power according to the arithmetical quantity of hodiea RAUt LOUISVILLE: IENKLE & LOGAN, PRINTERBS 1840. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Set District of Kentucky, S BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the first day of July, anno domini 1840, I. G. Rosenstein, of the said district, deposited in this office the title of a book, the title of which is in the following words, to wit: "Theory and Practice of Homoeopathy, first part, containing a Theory of Homoeopathy, with Dietetic Rules, etc., by I. G. Rosenstein, M. D. 'Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.'" The right whereof he claims as author and proprietor, in conformity with an act of Congress, entitled, "An act to amend the several acts respecting copy rights." A copy. Teste: JNO. H. HANNA, Clerk, of the District of Kentucky. By S. R. SAMUEL, D. C. C-; CONT ENTS. Preface. Three letters of physicians in the city of Louisville. Introductory. Opinions of allopathic physicians on materia medica and: therapeutics. Dr. Hunter. Dr. Paris. ' Professor Harrison. Remarks of the reviewer of Dr. Dunglison's work on therapeutics. Remarks of Dr. John Mason Good. Professor Samuel Jackson's introductory lecture. Dr. Channing. Dr. James Rush. Hahnemann's life, with the origin of homoeopathy,, Coincident opinions of old authors to the principle of homoeopathy. " The homoeopathic materia medica. Mode of experimient to determine the powers of medicines. Conclusions,drawn from these experiments. Various methods of medical treatment. Hahnemann's division of medical methods. 1. The allopathic. S,. The antipathic. i i CONTENTS. 3- The homoeopathic. Investigation of the disease, On infinitesimal doses. Mode of preparation. Principle of their operation. The action of these doses on the nevous system. The objections to infinitesimal doses answered. Dr. Bellanaye's views on emanations. Repetitions of medicaments. Regimen. The aliments derived from the vegetable kingdom, Thosederived from the animal kingdom. Spices " The air, and atmospheric influences. Exercises. Walking. Dancing. Riding on horse-back. Ladies on horse-back. Gymnastic exercises. Drugs, and their abuses. Purgatives.. Emetics. Tonics. Vegetable Pills. Calomel. Opium. Dr. Simondi's remarks on the abuses of drugs, Bleeding. CONPTENTS. Leechies;.,~r Blisters,.Setons, Cauteries.. Ointments< Progress of homoroppathy in Europe. Opinions of eminent allopathists on. the practice of homoeopathy such as Hufeland, in Germany;. Broussais, in France; Brera, in Italy; I. G. ]V~illingen,. in England; Valentine Mott and James McNaughton, in America. Allopathists converted to homnoe~opathia. Reputation of -homoeopathists and homoeopathy. Professorship of honoeopathia.Homoeopathic hospitals. Ipfirmaries and societies. Dr. Crosserio's opinion about the progress of homoeopathia in the United States. Instructions to p~atients at a distance, afflicted with chronic maladies- the manner in which to communicate their cases to a homoeopathic physician. PREFACE. In publishing a work like the present, the usual preface in the form of apologies would but too justly be considered a species of mock modesty entirely superfluous, and out of keeping with the nature and design of the following pages, of the undeniable truths which they contain, and the importance of their being forthwith promulgated to the world. Ishall therefore offer no apologies to any man, or body of men, for doing my duty to my God, and to my fellow-beings. I have written what I clearly and conscientiously believe to be facts, and have laid open to the eyes of the multitude what they, in justice, should know, and in language divested of all sophisticated mystery, and with the scalpel of truth, (guided only by the hand of experience and common sense,) have laid bare what can never again be concealed by the mystic garb of false philosophy. And while I would, (in common courtesy) "pray all the forms," am well aware, on the one hand, of the discomfiture which this work will cause in the medical camp, and of the cavalcade which will be raised to cut their way through, and trample under foot the doctrine of "homoeopathia." But it is vain,-it has already too many votaries of the highest standing in medical science, who have conscientiously left the ranks of the old school,* and laid down their most dangerous weapons at the feet of that shrine which has lighted up their enquiring minds with those glorious rays which has wrought "*1 can produce letters, says the enlightened Dr. RAU, of eminent physicians who have candidly declared, that since they became convinced of the truth of homoeopathy, they think it to be against their conscience to practice any longer according to. the principles of the old school. Viii PREFACE. a conviction as clear as the sun-beam; and their influence upon other stars in the medical profession are swelling the tide of human investigation to a vast torrent of public opinion, which will at length roll back upon, and bury in oblivion, the hydramonsters of mercurials, and all the rest of the vampires which have been let loose to a most alarming extent upon a gullible world. But thank God there are,* and always have been, (even in the darkest ages) some among the great mass of the learned, who, being dissatisfied with hypothetical perplexities and antiquated theories, will read these pages with an awakened determination, investigate and watch with a diligent eye the result of homoeopathic practice, and whose candid mind will suffer no formal prejudices from adopting the only true and successful science in the practice of medicine. * Homoeopathy makes rapid progress in.New York, Philadelphia, Boston, etc. The whole west and south, however, is still a barren field. NOTE. In order to strengthen my own arguments, as well as to embellish and enhance the value of this little work, I have drawn copiously from the springs of great minded men who have thrown out much clear and lucid truth in the practice of medicine. I would but mention Drs. CURRIE, RAU, BELLIxAYz, TOURTELLE, TICKNOR, etc. S. Louisville, April 19th, 1840. To Doctor I. G. ROSENSTEIN: DEAR SIR-My knowledge of homoeopathy has been derived principally from extracts from the works of Hahnemann, that I have met with in burlesques on his pathology and therapeutics. But the glimmerings from those very meagre sources have impressed upon my mind the conception of a mental power and a profundity of thought in the foufder of homoeopathia, that better merited to )e studied than to be ridiculed. The pathological and therapeutical principles of Hahnemann seen to me to be -very analogous to those of Hunter. His therapeutical notions, so far as relates to- the selection, and the mpdus operandi of counter irritants, I consider to be an improvement thereon. His'subdivision of therapeutical agents into doses so very minute, has, to me, seemed ludicrous; although I,.as a maxim, hold no man to be either competent or. justifiable to ridicule any thing that he does not understand; but more especially an emanation from such a mind as Hahn emann's. With due humility, we shou-ld ever stand rebuked by the recollection, that the Gsspel was "to the Greeks-foolishness." The indolent and the self-conceited of every calling, are generally contented' with the most restricted limits of the science which'is connected with their pursuits: and all innovations, whether advances of.improvements or not, they look upon only as the imposition of additional labours. My acquaintance with you has been sufficient to induce th e pelief, that you possess the science and the ability to furnish, X RECOMMENDATIONS. in a candid treatise, a fair exposition of homoeopathy;-an exposition which will at least suffice to indicate to the profession whether a translation of Hahnemann's ponderous quartos would be worth the trouble: And I hope, sir, that you will be duly encouraged to prosecute your design to that effect. Your ob't sery't, WM. A. McDOWELL, M. D. Truth is a unit, evidently of divine origin, and entitled, therefore, to the fair, full, and candid investigation of every man whose object is the well-doing of his fellow-man in this life, and his ultimate well-heing in the life to come. The subject of homoeopathic medicine, until lately, with me, has been a foolish phantom, entitled to no respect whatever. Since Dr. Rosenstein's introduction into our city, I have cultivated habits of unrestrained intimacy with him, because I believe him an amiablegentleman, as well as a refined and learned'physician. In this way; I have been thrown into contact with a great amount of homoeopathic practice, and have endeavored to make myself acquainted with the general-principles of his system, so far as verbal intercourse could instruct me. I am, at length, prepared to say, -without hesitatidn, although I do not comprehend the modus operandi of his remedies, that his surprising success,- in many cases apparently hopeless,!ias astonished me tosuch an extent as to induce me to pause and wonder. I am, therefore, constrained to say, finally, in'relation to Dr. Rosenstein's contemplated publication, that Imostcordially give him, and his lau'dable enterprize, my best wishes, believing, that if his system is. false, it will be only,"as a tale that was told," and readily pass under the "wave of oblivion;" but, if true, it will be onward in its career, even amidst the moral cut-throats, who may maliciously array RECOMMENDATIONS. xi themselves against it, for the same reasons that influenced Demetrius in denouncing the, redeeming doctrines which Saul, of Tarsus, preached on the subject of Christianity. W. N. MERIWETHER,- M. D. Louisville," April 15th, 1840. TO THE PUBLIC. Some seven years since I first heard of the system of Hahnemann, but have hitherto been unable to pursue the homoeopathic system of'medicine, not khowving the German language; but I am happy to learn-, through Doctor.Rosenstein, that he has 6ommenced tlb writing a work upon the subject of homoeopathy, in the English language,.which,I hope the profession in, this country will be liberal enough to read: for eulogies passed upon the systemwere useless, when it-is recollected that the illustrious Hahnemann spent forty years in investigating the subject-before he published the result of his investigations. SANFORD BELL, M. D. Louisville, Ky., July 6th, 1840.. " 0^=jPersons wishing, to consult me professionally, will direct their letters to I. G. Roseastein, Louisville, Kentudky, post paid.. THEORY AND PRACTICE HOM(EOPATHY. 'THE historical and philosophical contemplation of the various discoveries which the human mind has made, demonstrates the fact that they have, without exception, been subject to progressive -development. ALL have had their infancy; all have grown up into well defined forms in proportion to the lapse of years; and centuries have added new facts, or discovered new relations-not one has sprung from the mind in a perfect state. The advances which are every day made in Geology, Mechanics, Chemistry, and other sciences and arts, prove, indeed, that none of them have yet attained their zenith. In Mechanics, for instance, the discovery of new principles, or of new combinations, or the application of principles already known, enable us to produce machines more and more perfect-the last always surpassing in ingenuity the supposed perfection of the first. Even mathematics-a science which, above all others, had, in "'early age of the world, attained a high degree of per 2 THEORY AND PRACTICE fection, does not cease to make progress; for, if the axioms cannot vary, yet new applications of them are continually being made. The age in which we live is most emphatically and truly an age of improvement. When we look at the world, as it is in the present day, and contrast it with its previous history, we shall have the most perfect demonstration that the onward progress in the arts and sciences, as well as the more immediately useful inventions in mechanics has been vastly greater since the commencement of the nineteenth century, than during a much longer space of time at any other previous period in the history of man. The perfection that has been given to the steam "engine and its various applications, which, in its turn, is in a fair way to be eclipsed by the discoveries in electro-galvanism, has wrought most miraculous changes on our planet. It has, in a measure, superseded manual labor, and has so approximated distant regions, and opposite climates, that time and space are nearly annihilated. Stepping a little into the last century, we shall find that political revolutions, such as the world never before witnessed, caused by the growth and diffusion of liberal sentiments and information, have changed the aspect of states and nations, and disseminated light and knowledge where they had not before existed. In fact, all the changes and improvements of the present day are owing to the diffusion of knowledge. They are but the legiti OF HOBMIEOPATHY. 3 mate effects of a powerful cause-a lever which moves the world. The preceding remarks are applicable, in every respect, to the medical art. In the early ages of the world, before science had unveiled to man the secrets of many of nature's operations, he could have had little knowledge of his own organization. Of his physical constitution, the functions of his different organs, and the causes of his maladies, as well as the maladies themselves, he must have been completely ignorant; and, being so, he must also have been extremely ignorant of the art of medicine. How astonishing is the difference betwixt the ignorance of those dark times and the present advanced state of that art. How widely separated the point from which we started, and that at which we have arrived. Such is the feeling excited in our mind when we look back to the early history of the medical art, and compare it with its present condition. Whilst struck, however, with admiration at the immense progress which has been made in modern times, we must not forget what is due to the patient labors of the early physicians, to whose researches. during many centuries, we are indebted for a rich accumulation ofj facts and observations. Nor ought we to forget how much more laborious and difficult are the first steps in science, than those that follow them-; nay, how utterly impossible the latter without the former. In all arts, rude inventions become the fruitful sources of more perfect works; and in medicine particularly, many of the 4 THEORY AND PRACTICE' discoveries by which the present age is illustrated, fiave been derived from, or suggested by, the labors of the first fathers of the art. Far, therefore, fiom dcesiring to undervalue the importance of the medical authors whor havo preceded Hahnemarmn we offer them the tribute of our gratitude and admiration, and gladly avail ourselves of their assistance in making other steps in the progress, of the science towards perfection. In our present task, it is impossible to review the history of medicine in all ifs details, and to follow it step by step in its advance; but, in order that the importance of the improvement which Hahnemann has introduced may, in its turn, be understood and appreciated, it is necessary to tako a brief view of the present state of medical science. The unwearied labors of anatomists, from the age of' Hippocrates down to the present time, have successfully thown light on the human' organization. We will not assert that anatomy may not still maker much progress in minute details, and especially in the nervous system; but we may safely say, as a science it now holds an exalted rank; and that, by means of it we have become intimately acquainted with the human structure. PHYSIOLOGY, or the study of the functions of the human body, in a state of health, is indeed much less advanced; still, physiologists, confrrming the- discoveries of each other, by labors performed without coneert or communication, have ascertained the use of eaeh organ., the influ OF HOMCEOPATHY. 5 once of each upon the other, and upon the whole organization. It is from them that we know, for instance, that the digestive organs elaborate the aliments, and that we are acquainted with the forms which these assume by the process of digestion, as well as the means by which the chyle is thrown into the circulation, and made to repair the constant waste to which the body is subject. It is to them that we are indebted for our knowledge of the circulation of the blood. It is from them, also, that we are learning the functions of the nervous system. In addition to an exact knowledge of the organs, and of the functions they perform in a healthy condition, the physician also must know the changes which impair their action when under the influence of disease. The researches necessary to acquire this knowledge have been steadily pursued, and we owe, in a great measure, to the labors of the last two centuries, an entirely new branch of the medical science; one which has already advanced far towards perfection, and to which the name of morbid anatomy, or pathological anatomy has been given. Such are the anthropological sciences, which may be deemed the basis of medicine. Practical medicine consists, chiefly, of three others: 1.. PATHOLOGY,- which considers diseases. 2. MATERIA MEDICA, or the means of curing them. 3. THrERAPEUTIcs-the art of employing the latter. PATHOLOGY, or the study of diseases, has, since the time of Hippocrates,, attained a precision truly admirable. 6 THEORY AND PRACTICE Not only have medical men observed, with increasing accuracy, all the phenomena which constitute disease, but they have attained to such a degree of skill that they can determine precisely the seat of organic derangement. Thus, by means of auscultation and percussion, the alterations in the organs of the chest can be exactly ascertained. By the aid of the stethoscope, indeed, skilful physicians can detect, with certainty, not merely the situation, but even the nature of organic disorder. The investigation of the occasional causes of disease is not the least remarkable among the improvements which have been introduced, and etiology is now, in many points, one of the most advanced branches of the science. Even the materia medica, that part of the study of physic which relates to the properties of medicaments, presents a great number of precious facts. The physical and chemical properties of bodies have been thoroughly considered, and their odor, their emetic, drastic, or sudorific qualities, clearly described; nevertheless, before the researches of Hahnemann, this division of the art was the least matured of dny; and it could hardly be otherwise; for, until he applied the only true principle to the discovery of the properties of medicines, that of studying their effects upon the healthy subject, all enquiries and researches were necessarily imperfect. THERAPEUTICS is one of the most important branches of medical science, for it is by its means that the phy. sician attains his object, which is to cure. Although, OF HOMICEOPATHY. 7 however, he studies all other branches of medicine, with a view of arriving at this point, yet, as already stated, it has been less known than any of the others. To establish this fact, it is only necessary to observe the conduct of the physician in the sick chamber. He would naturally be ashamed to appear ignorant, and he may not be ignorant of the evil which he is called to arrest; he may describe and analyse it with the utmost accuracy; he may particularize not only the diseased organ, but the part of the organ which is affected. For example, if the chest is the seat of the disease, he may indicate which lobe of the lurigs is affected, and the derangements which have taken place in its functions; and in cases of dropsy of the chest, he may point out on which side the water is accumulated. In a case of paralysis or apoplexy, he may exactly explain how the brain is affected, or in what part the extravasation of the blood has taken place. In short, he may accurately classify all other maladies which may be presented to him under the head of typhus, cholera, dyspepsia, asthma, gout, or any other recognized name. But when it is necessary to decide on the remedies proper to subdue these maladies, then it is that a conscientious practitioner feels all the difficulty of his art, and deficiency of the means at his command. It is then that he hesitates to decide which of the different remedies recommended by medical authorities is most applicable, because he has no law of certain and universal application to 8 THEORY AND PRACTICE guide his decision. The greater the number of physicians consulted, the greater is this uncertainty; for if they should agree on the name of the disorder, they find themselves fearfully at variance on the question of a remedy fitted to oppose it. It must be admitted, then, by every enlightened and conscientious member of the profession, that materia medica, and the therapeutic branch, is, in our time, very far behind all the other departments of the medical art. Its importance is, however, so great, that if it be impossible to establish it upon certain and fixed basis, all the other branches of the art, however near they may approximate to perfection, would be, as regards the good they might render, as if they had never beeh. What avails it to humanity that the physician knows how to describe the nature of the disease, if he is unacquainted with the proper means of curing it. But, lest we be thought to exaggerate in our representation- of the absolute deficiency of that science, without which medicine can never be other than a conjectural art, we must appeal to testimony not to be controverted. And first, let us listen to one whose name is. a monument of genius and practical research, the immortal JoHN HIUNTER. Referring to the virtues of medical substances, and their application.to the counteraction of disease, he says: "Of these. virtues we know nothing definitely: all we know is, that. some are capable of altering the mode of OF HOMEOPATHY. 9 actions, others stimulating, many counter-stimulating; some even irritating, and others quieting, so as to produce either a healthy disposition, and action in a diseased part, or to change the disease to that action which accords with the medicine, or to quiet where there is too much action, and our reasoning goes no farther than to make a proper application with these virtues. The difficulty is to ascertain the connection of substance and virtue, and to apply this in restraining or altering any diseased action; and as that cannot be demonstrated a priori, it reduces the practice of medicine to experiment, and this not built upon well determined data, but upon experience, resulting from probable data. This is not equally the case through the whole practice, for in many cases we are much more certain of a cure than in others; but still even in this, the certainty does not arise from reasoning upon any more fixed data than in others, where the certainty of cure is less; but it arises from a greater experince alone. It is still no more than inferring that, in what is now to be tried, there is probable effect or good to arise in the experiment from what has been found serviceable in similar cases. Diseases, however, of the same specific nature, not only vary in their visible symptoms, but in many of those that are invisible, arising probably from peculiarities of constitution, and causes which will make the effects of applications very probably almost in the same proportion; and as those varieties may not be known so as either to adapt the specific medicine to theo, or to auit 10 THEORY AND PRACTICE the disease to the medicine, it will then be only given upon a general principle, which, of course, may not correspond to the peculiarities. Even in well marked specific diseases, we find that there are often peculiarities which counteract the simple specific medicine." Such is the testimony of Hunter; and upon this alone we might rest our case. But the position which we would maintain, that therapeutics, until the rise of homoeopathic doctrine, had never met the first requisitions, and was consequently unworthy the name of a science--is too important to be left to the testimony of a single witness. In a lecture, delivered before the Royal College of Physicians, London, by Dr. Paris, from the Chair of materia medica, we find the following concessions. This learned professor, adverting to "the extraordinary vicissitudes so eminently characteristic," as he remarks, of the history of materia medica, makes use of this language: "That such fluctuations in opinion, and versatility in practice, should have produced, even in the most candid and learned observers, an unfavorable impression with regard to the general efficacy of medicines, can hardly excite our astonishment, much less our indignation; nor can we be surprised, that another portion of mankind has at once arraigned physic as a fallacious art, or derided it as a composition of error and fraud. They ask, and it must be confessed that they ask with reason, what pledge can be afforded them, that the boasted remedies of the present day will not, like their predecessors, fall into disrepute, OF HOM(EOPATHY. 11 and, in their turn, serve only as humiliating memorials of the credulity and infatuation of the physicians who commended and prescribed them." Again, while attempting to account for these fluctuations in opinion, and versatility in practice, connected with the materia medica, he alledges that its advancement has been continually arrested, and often entirely subverted, by the caprices, prejudices, and knavery of mankind, and that, unlike the other branches of science, it is incapable of successful generalization. And he adds the significant question, "In the progress of the history of remedies, when are we able to produce a discovery or improvement which has been the result of that happy combination of observation, analogy, and experiment, which has so eminently rewarded the labors of modern science?" Admitting this question to have been unanswerable, as it evidently was, how happens it that it did not occur to this able professor, that, amid the infinity of fictions with which the materia medica notoriously abounds, even the best established facts, which are avowedly incapable of successful generalization, can have no pretensions whatever to the rank of a science. Professor Harrison says-(see his medical essays.) It was the remark of a celebrated teacher of medicine, that there are, in our science, more false facts than false theories. Paradoxical as this may seem, its truth is established by the most comprehensive and accurate obse rvations which can be made on the wide field of practical 12 THEORY AND PRACTICE medicine. Wherever we turn our eyes-whatever part of the field we may contemplate, there rises before us a thick cloud of false facts. There is no department of our art so overrun with the fruits of false experience, as the materia medica. The best and most approved authorities of that branch of medicine have made this statement. Whence originates this lamentable state of things? Why is it that this valuable department of our science should abound in such uncertainties? The Eeau medicenale d'Husson, not many years since, was implicitly relied on for the cure of gout, and the case of Sir Joseph Banks was quoted in its favor. What now is the just opinion attached to that nostrum, by the most learned men of our profession? The doctrinbs of signatures in the choice of remedies, sprung from the same sourco,-an excessive credulity. Fox's lungs were given to cure the asthma, because the animal was capable of running long before he became exhausted. Turmerick, from its yellow color, was administered as a sure cure for jaundice. Credulity delights in going in constant search of anomalies and novelties. When a new remedy is suggested for some incurable malady, such as Prussic acid for tubercular consumptions, or scrutillaria for hydrophobia, the credulous minded physician does neither hesitate nor suspend his judgement, but rushes to a precipitate conclusion, and, upon some very inaccurately observed, isolated case, proclaims his unlimited confidence in the article. OF HOMIEOPATHY. 13 t is in the rank soil of credulity that quackery flourishes and sends forth its luxuriant branches. It were a task of immense labor to advert, by special enumeration, to all the numerous cases of such fallacy, arising from extravagant views of the medical properties of the various agents, which, from age to age, and from year to year, have received the unspairing and undistinguishing eulogies of physicians. And not contented to expatiate on the virtues of medicines which tho ingenuous dealer in drugs kept appropriately labelled in his shop, the most accomplished physicians have, at times, departed from the employment of the remedies known to the profession or recommended by men of scientific candor, and too enthusiastically attached themselves, to the use, and too eagerly recommended remedial agents, whose composition was a secret, and the authors and venders of which knew nothing of the just principles of medical science. The splendor which, at one time, surrounded the reputation of Swaim's Panacea, was derived from the dazzling brilliancy of that light which several of the luminaries of our American medicine threw around it. With precipitate and onward haste, some of our most enlightened physicians were found swelling the loud chorus of praise, which was sounding forth the many virtues and transcendent excellencies of this nostrum. Certificates, signed by several of the most eminent medical men of the country, quickly found their way into the newspapers, B 14 THEORY AND PRACTICE and were by them rapidly disseminated through the Union. A regular graduate of our oldest medical school, became agent for Swaim, and went on a mission to England, to vend the nostrum to our transatlantic brethren. But John Bull was not quite so gullible as brother Jonathan in this matter, and the mission proved abortive, Prof. Chapman acknowledges having overrated the value of Swaim's Panacea. Prof. Gibson says it did not answer his purpose in scrophula. Prof. Dewees does not state the evidence on which he gave his certificate to Swaim, but it is believed that not even half of the few favorable results had then come under his own personal observation. Remarks of the Reviewer, in the American Journal oj Medical Science, August, 1837, on Prof. Dunglison's work, General Therapeutics, or Principles of Medical Practice.* The successful compilation of an elementary work, on an extensive and constantly progressive science, is always a very difficult task. There are some reasons why a correct and comprehensive elementary treatise on the materia medica and therapeutics, should be more difficult of execution than a similar work on most of the other branches of medicine. The improvement of the materia medica, and of therapeutics, has not kept pace with that *Robely Dunglison, M. D., Professor of therapeutics, materia medica, bygiene, and medical jurisprudence, in the University of Maryland. OF HOMIEOPATHY. 15 of the other branches. They have been comparatively neglected. There has been less of rigorous, systematic observation devoted to them, than to other portions of our science. The leading minds in our profession, during the present century, have been directed more particularly to pathology, physiology, etc., and to certain limited portions of therapeutics and materia medica, connected with certain symptoms of pathology and practice. It is vastly more difficult than has generally been supposed, or than most of us are even now willing to admit or believe, to ascertain the actual and precise value of any given article, or course of treatment, even in any one given disease; and the evidence upon which this value rests, is, in very many important instances, exceedingly slight and doubtful. There is less positive knowledge on this subject, than on most others in medicine, for these reasons, and for others whith might easily be given. We repeat, that a satisfactory execution of a work such as we are now speaking of, must be a very difficult matter. That a work of this character was much needed amongst us before the publication of the book the title of which stands at the head of this article, we are well aware. We think it as much needed at present as it over was. It is difficult to say whether medicine has suffered most from a partial and one-sided observation, or from premature and hypothetical generalizing--.from false facts, or from false reasoning. The latter is the legitimate off THEORY AND PRACTICE spring of the former; and although each may very wecl exist without the aid and presence of the other, they are very commonly found together. We deceive ourselves when we boast, as we are so much in the habit of doing, of our disciploship to the Baconian philosophy-of our faithfulness to the rules of cautious, impartial observation, and to the strict principles of an upright, a rigorous, and a single-hearted logic. Before our science can take its proper place by the side of the other sciences, and confer that benefit on humanity which it was intended, and which it is able to confer, it must endeavor to become, in truth, what it has, indeed, long possessed and claimed to be, a demonstrative science. Its cultivators must begin to practice what they have so long been preaching. The standard writers of the present day, on materia medica and; therapeutics, are constantly indulging in what they may deem very philosophical, but in what seems to us very fanciful explanations, of the intimate and peculiar actions of medicines on the living tissues with which they come in contact, or which they may effect more remotely. Moro pages are often taken up with elaborate disquisitions on the hidden, mysterious, and utterly unascertainable method of operation of a remedy, or a class of remedies, than are given to the therapeutical properties and uses themselves, of the article or the class. Dr. Dunglison's book, like nearly all others upon the same subject, is overburdened with those attempts to explain this precise and intimate method of operation of medicine. The OP HOMIEOPATHY. 17 action, and operation, and effect of every article, must be accounted for pathologically, physiologically, rationally. It is astonishing to witness the pertinacity, activity, and ingenuity of this " detestable mania for explanation," as a French author on materia medica calls it. It is not enough that any given medicine or mode of treatment cures. This knowledge would be mere empiricism, unworthy altogether of the scientific physician. We must know how it cures, and why it cures; and unless these things are made out, we are bound to believe that it does not cure at all-that we have been mistaken, and that the two circumstances of the use of the remedy and the cure, which simple observation had taught us, sustained to each other the relation of cause and effect, must have been only accidentally so connected. If any one circumstance exhibits more strikingly than another, the folly and absurdity of this passion, it is that of multifarious and contradictory explanations that are continually and successfully invented and maintained. There is hardly a page of Dr. Dunglison's book which does not contain more or less paper spoiled, and worse than spoiled, by magisterial and confident statements of the hows, and whys, and wherefores of pathology and therapeutics. Does any one doubt this? Then, let him study the book for the purpose of settling this particular point; and when he comes upon an explanation, let him inquire whether it is any thing more than a conjecture. If fanciful and speculative men choose to amuse B2 18 THEORY AND PRACTICE themselves, or the rest of the world, with their conjecture"^ and explanations, surely we have no objection. They may find the occupation as pleasant and as profitable as: any other species of air-castle building; but let them not dignify this guess-work with the misnom3r of inductive philosophy; and let them cease to think that they are doing any thing to advance the utility of medicine as ail, part; the object of which is the mitigation of human' suffering, and the lengthening out. of the term of human life:. Cursory remarks on the state of Practical Medicine since the commencement of the present century. See John Mason Good's work on the study of medicine, chap. XIIL As the historian of medicine approaches nearer to his own times, he finds his' path encumbered with almost insurmountable difficulties. The subject on which he has to treat, differs, perhaps, from every other branch of' science in this circumstance,--that our actual informa-e tion does not increase, in any degree, in proportion to our experience. Hence, it follows, that the accumulation of materials frequently rather retards than promotes its progross. In other sciences, although truth is not to be; attained without a certain degree of laborious research-, yet to those who are willing to bestow on it the requisite attention, it is, for the most part, attainable; or, if it still eludes our grasp, we are at least sensible of the deficiency, and generally ascertain the precise nature of the obstacles which impede our progress. In other sciences, when we 0P IIHOMCEOPATHY. 19 enter upon an inquiry, or propose to ourselves any definitei object for experiment or observatidn,: we are able to say whether'the result of our inquiry has been satisfactory, and whether the object in viewv has or hras not beenaccomplished. But this is, unfortunatety, not the case in medicine. In our. experirments, we are seldom able to, ascertain, with accuracy, the -previous state of the body on which we operate; and, in our observations, we are seldom able to ascertain what is the exact cause of the effect which we witness. The history of medicine, in alT its parts, and especially that of the materia medica, affords ample testimony to the truth of these remarks. InJ modern times, and more remarkably in Great Britain, no one thinks of proposing a new mode of practice without supporting it by the results of practical experience. The disease exists, the remedy is prescribed, and the disease is removed: we have no reason to doubt the veracity or the ability of the narrator: his favorable report induces his contemporarics to pursue the same means of cure,--the same favorable result is obtained; and it appoars impossible for any fact to be supported by indre decisive testimony. Yet, in the space of a few short years, the boasted.remedy has lost its value: the disease no longer yields to its power, while its place is supplied by.some new remedy, which, like its predecessors, runs through the same career of expectation, success, and disappointment. Let us apply these remarks, to the case of fever,-the disease which has been styled the touch-stone of medical so THEORY AND PRACTICE theory, and which may be pronounced to be ite opprobrium. At the termination of the last century, while the doctrine of Cullen was generaly embraced, typhus fever was called a disease of debility, and was, of course, to be cured by tonics and stimulants. No sooner was it ascertained to exist,, than bark and wine were administered in as large doses as the patient could be induced, or was found able to take. No doubt was entertained of this power over the disease. The only question that caused any doubt in the mind of the practitioner was, whether. the patient could bear the quantity that would be necessary for the cure. To this treatment succeeded that of cold effusion. The high character and literary reputation of the individual who proposed this remedy; its simplicity and easy application; the candid spirit which was manifested, and the strong testimonials which were adduced by his contemporaries, bore down all opposition: and we flattered ourselves that we- had at length subdued. the formidable monster. But we were doomed to experience the ordinary process of disappointment. The practice, as. usual, was found inefficient or injurious, and was, after a short time, supplanted, by the use of the lancet. But this practice was even more short-lived than either of its predecessors; and thus, in a space of less. than forty years, we have gone through three revolutions of opinions with respect to our treatment of a disease of very frequent occurrence, and of the most decisive and urgent symptoms. HFow many controversies have occupied the mind for OF HOM(EOPATHY. 21 ages, and have filled almost innumerable volumes, which have essentially turned upon the definition of a word? How frequently has an article of the materia medica been employed, not from an experience of its actual effect, but from some nominal property assigned to it by an imperfect analogy or imaginary quality? The means that have been proposed to check these observations, to rectify errors, and to reduce medical science to its appropriate and correct limits, are, indeed, few and simple, and of no difficult application; but there is one essential requisite without which they can be of no avail,-a mind disposed to the reception of truth, determined to follow it wherever it may lead the inquirer, united to a high sense of moral obligation, which may induce the medical practitioner to bear in mind, that his profession is a deposite, placed in his hands for the benefit of mankind, and that he incurs ah awful degree of moral responsibility who abuses this sacred trust, or diverts it to a base or selfish purpose. Professor Samuel Jackson's introductory lecture to the medical students of the University of Pennsylvania. "Can this reform be much longer postponed? I believe not. The interests of the profession-the immediate pecuniary interests of practitioners are too deeply implicated to admit that things should long continue in their present state. It cannot be concealed, that public confidence in the knowledge and intelligence of the profession has been shaken-has been most materially 22 THEORY AND PRACTICE impaired in some sections of the country. Every where does empiricism abound. In many districts it is warmly patronized and encouraged, not by the vulgar and ignorant only, but by the respected and intelligent; and in one state even legalized by statute. The ancient Galenical empiricism, long supposed at an end, is in part resuscitated, if not with all of its olden frivolities, with those not less extravagant of modern date. Whence arises this state of things? Is it not, from the observation, too apparent to the public, of the inferior grade of medical instruction? Do they perceive that wide difference in the acquirements of the regularly educated practitioner and the empirical pretender which should always distinguish them? In the regular practice, has not the treatment (of disease too much degenerated into a blind routine, pursued in nearly overy disease, however dissimilar in nature? Can it be denied but that the only difference between the regular practice and empirical practice, is a merely routine practice of merely different remedies, and not always to the disadvantage of tho empirical method? In an arithmetical estimate, I apprehend, in the long run, the calculation of chances by eithor plan may appear equal, and then the difference in cost will decide the preference. "ic There is but one mode of rescuing our profession from so degrading a rivalry, and that is, to raise the medical instruction of our country to a level with the philosophic character belonging to our science. Let medicine be, what in reality it is, a science of calculation, of combinea of HOMCOPAtHrt. 23 tion, of inidution, the elements of which are deduced from the phenomena of otganized beings, and the relations of exterior agents with them, and you rise so infinitely above the crude, and correct, and incorrect proceedings of empirical art, that the intelligent and observant can never be deceived by its vain boastings or illusory pretensions." In further corroboration of our position, the distinguished Gertanner says: "Our materia medica is a mere collection of fallacious observations, and to the same efect is the remark of the illustrious Hojfmann. Perpauca sint remedia quorum virtutes et operationes certae plumira vero infida, suspecta, fallacia,ficta." -It were easy to multiply authorities, says Dr. CHANNING, to prove what the conscientious and reflecting of the profession, have often publicly lamented. We feel that the fact we are urging can hardly engage our thoughts too seriously. Indeed, we would that the attention of the whole profession were concentrated upon it, until they realize that here the citadel of medicine is asailable, and that humanity will never cease to reproach us with dereliction of duty as long as we leave it thus open to attack. But for this one unprotected point, had our fortress been stormed, the heroism of its veterans defied, and its best and bravest compelled to succumb before that dread pestilence, which but yesterday traversed the civilized globe, devastating hamlets, and cities, and kingdoms, almost unimpeded in its march. But for this indefensible condition of our 24 THEORY AND PRACTICE ramparts, had we so often been compelled tamely to acquiesce in the taunts and the jeers of our enemies? Or, when some fearless associate, more actively vigilant, if not more sagacious than the rest, hoping to arouse us to a sense of our danger, has shouted in our ears the past delinquencies of our art, what but the received doctrine that the powers of the materia medica are "incapable of successful generalization," has deterred us from rushing to the rescue? But for this paralyzing conviction so prevalent in our ranks, had we not long since rallied, with one consent, to the one standard of medical doctrine which Nature has set up? But for this, had the plea of Brutus ever been heard in our forums from spirits who, "not loving Caesar less but Rome more," have been compelled to forswear their allegiance, and strike a blow for human emancipation from worse than Cesar's bondage? Who of us did not feel his blood curdle in his veins; whose pulse did not stand still with grief and humiliation, when, but a brief period since, an eloquent pen, well known in the cause of medical philosophy, held up for our contemplation the following appalling delineation qf theoretical and practical medicine. "It seems to be one of the rules of faith in our art, that every truth must be helped into belief by some persuasive fiction of the school. And I here owe it to the general reader to confess, that as far as I know, the medical profession can scarcely produce a single volume, in its practical department, from the works of Hypocrates . OF HOMcEOPATHY. 25 down to the last made text-book, which, by the requisitions of an exact philosophy, will not be found to contain nearly as much fiction as truth. This may seem so severe a charge against both the pride and logic of our art, that I crave a moment'of digression upon it. There are tests for all things. Now, a dangerous epidemic always shows the difference between the strong and the weak, the candid and the crafty, among 1physicians. It is equally true, that the same occasion displays, even to the common observer, the real condition of the art, 'whether its precepts are exact or indefinite, and its practice consistent or contradictory. Upon these points, and bearing in mind that we have now, in medicine, the recorded science and practice of more than two thousand years, let the reader refer to the proceedings of the so called "Asiatic cholera," and he will see their history every where exhibiting an extraordinary picture of prefatory panic, vulgar wonder, doubt, ignorance, obtrusive vanity, plans for profit and popularity, fatal blunders, distracting contradictions, and egregious empiricism-of twenty confounding doctors celled in consultation to mar the sagaci6us activity of one-of ten thousand books upon the subject, with still an. unsatisfied call for nmore-of experience fairly frightened out of all its former convictions, and of costly missions after moonshine, 'returning only with- clouds." "'Now, I do assert, that no art which has a sufficiency of truth, and the least logical precision, can ever wear a C 26 THEORY AND PRACTICE face so- mournfully grotesque as this. In most of the transactions of men, there is something like mutual understanding and collective agreement, on some point at least; but the history of the cholera summoned up from the four quarters of the earth, presents only one tumultuous Babel of opinion, and one unavailable farrago of practice. This, even the populace learned fiom the daily gazettes; and they hooted at us accordingly. But it is equally true, that if the inquisitive fears of the community were to bring the real state of professional medicine to the bar of public discussion, and thus array the vanity and iiterests of physicians in the contest of opinion, we should find the folly and confusion scarcely less remarkable on nearly all the other topics of our art." "Whence comes all this? Not from exact observation, which assimilates our minds to one consenting usefulness; but from fiction, which individualizes each one of us to our own solitary conceit, or herds us into sects for idle or mischievous contention with each other; which leads to continual imposition on the public, inasmuch as fictions, for a time, always draw more listeners than truth; which so generally gives to the mediocrity of men, and sometimes even to the palpably, weak, a leading influence in our profession, and which helps the impostures of the advertising quack, who, being an unavoidable product of the pretending theories of the schools, may be called a physician with the requisite amtunt of fictions, but without re pectability." / OF HOMEOPATHY. 27 Such is the mortifying, the melancholy picture from the easel of no loss an artist than the atthor of "The Philosophy of the Human Voice,"* ]t needs no key to explain its graphic features; and it needs no sage to perceive that its original had never existed, but that the arci of the medical science was-in want of its key-stone; and it was to supply this desideratum, to give to. this structure a, consistency, a strength, and a beauty, which, for the first time, established medicine amongthe positive sciences that Homoeopathy has been vouchsafed to man. - Hahnemann's life, iwith the origin of Homweopathy. St Samuel Hahnemann was born at Meissen, in Upper Saxony, on the 10th of April, 1755. As- his father's circumstances were too straitened to admit of his being sent to a public school, his early education was confinedto what his parents were competent to teach him; and when he had attained a proper age, it was resolved that he should learn a trade. Thus humble was the origin of Hahnomann. But he whom nature stamps with her nobility, knows how to rise above the accidents of birth, and all the titles which these may worthlessly bestow. T-he master of Hahnemann having quickly remarked in him traces of that genius *James Rush, M. D. tEcrire la vie d'uu homme celebre, c'est en memo temps honnorer sa memoire, et rendre service a la societe,: car en rappelant les triomphes de celul dont chaque pas fut marque parrunecouronqe on e inseigne ail hommes qui veulent imiter par quels.chemins oniarrive a la gloire, et de qgjel prix est dans la vie une reputation jiUtement acquise.-OLMvaER. [No French points to be procured; -;We had to leave them out.] THEORY AND PRACTICE which was, at a future period, to illustrate his name, remonstrated against sacrificing him to the pursuits of a common trade. In consequence of this, the head master of the academy at Meissen was consulted, and that individual generously procured for him a free admission to its advantages. There his progress was so rapid, that in a short time he became one of the assistant teachers He early, moreover, evinced a passion for natural history, but more especially for the botanical department of itIn prosecution of his favorite pursuit, he was in the habit of quitting his youthful companions, to explore the woods' and climb the mountains, and the plants which he there> collected, he carefully and systematically arranged is his herbarium. When Hahnemann had finished his classical ecducatiorn, and had reached that period at which the choice of a profession is usually made, he unhesitatingly decided in favor of medicine; and as his choice met the approbation of the head master, that kind friend aided him in the arrangements necessary for his admission into the Leipzig University, to which he accordingly went, in 1775. There while following his studies, he supported himself principally by translating English and French works into his native tongue. Having passed two years at Leipzig, Hahnemann proceeded to Vienna, in order to complete his studies, and to acquire a practical knowledge of medicine. There OF HOM(EOPATHY. by his assiduity, and talens, he succeeded in gaining the favorable opinion of Prof. Quarin, physician to the Emperor of Austria. The Governor of Hermanstadt having afterwards offered him the situation of medical attendant to his household, he was in that situation able to economize a sufficient sum to enable him to return to Leipzig, where he took his degree of M. D., the 10th August, 1779. In the latter part of the last century, SAMUEL HAHNEMANN, while engaged in the fruitless attempt to give to the discordant theories of the various writers on materia medica, of quite modern times, some semblance or sound order-some rational test for practical application, struck out a new path in the great wilderness of fdcts, which environed the art of healing. No general principle 'of durable moment existed. Each writer had his own darling art of disentangling the rIddle of every day's experience. Each invented, from his own ideality, a mode of operation for each drug given to the sick: alid every doctor had a number of these fond dreams for each and every drug, accordingly as they might be administered to males or females, old or young, strong or weak, fat or lean; of applied against fevers or palsies, activity or inactivity or the various organs, etc. etc. To speak technically, each medical man (of any leatrning or talents) had his modus vperadwli for the drigs he gave; albeit he might frequently take the views of professors ard metropolitan writers in respect to the method of healing. o2 30 THEORY AND PRACTICE The primary steps of Hahnemann's new researches arose from an attentive consideration of Cullen's hypothesis concerning Peruvian bark, or Jesuit's bark. He saw the presumptuous nature of the great master's views, and Was very naturally led to ask, what do we- actually know of the power or qualities by which this drug cures certain forms of fever and ague? The accidental discovery of the fact that it will so cure, by no means proved the explanations of its mode of effecting such cure,. devised by medical authors. Dissatified with Cullen's hypothesis on this subject, Hahnemann proposed to inquire what are the peculiar properties of the bark, by trying it in the healthy human system, wisely thinking that the diseases against which it has been applied, modified to a great degree, the effects it might naturally be capable of producing. He therefore took the bark himself, being in perfect health. The effects produced by this drug opened the way of his researches and discoveries. He found himself, while under the influence of bark, in a state very closely resembling fever and ague, and especially that form of the malady which the drug most perfectly remove. This result gave rise to the suspicion that this very great similarity between the efect of drugs upon the healthy human body and the symptoms of diseases prodiced from other causes, might be found to exist in every case of undeniable cure: and this led to the patient and laborious research into the medical writings of all languages and times, (for which Hahnemann will forever OF HOXMCEOPATHY. 31 be remembered with gratitude and admiration,) to ascertain whether traces of the supposed law had not, from time to time, been developed. The first step in this new field of inquiry being made, he next directed his awakened mind to the investigation of other medical substances, and after laborious, painful, and protracted experiments, satisfied himself that he had discovered a curative process more simple, certain, and complete, than any previously known, and at the same time less injurious to health. Thus convinced, Hahnemann pursued his researches to the doses usually administered; and taking experiment as his guide in this case, as he had done before to ascertain the properties of medicine, he found the effects required were produced by much smaller than the usual quantities. Another discovery of Hahnemann, of no less conse. quence, is the knowledge which he was the first to teach, "tho developement of immaterial dynamic virtues of medi. cal substances, to a degree previously unheard of, by means of a peculiar and hitherto untried process. By this process it is, that'they become penetrating, operative, and remedial,- even those that in a natural or crude state betrayed not the least medicinal powers upon the human system. Although the immortal founder of. Homceopathy was prompt to observe, he was not rash to promulgate. It was not until 1796, six years after the discovery, that he considered his experiments sufficienty matured to be sub 3 -3 tHEORY ANbi PRAcTicE mnitted to the public; and even then a small part of his system was explained in one of the medical periodicals of the day. In 1805, his first work was published, in two volumes, entitled, " Fragmenta de viribus medicamentorum positivis sive obviis in corpore humano." It contained the result of experiments made upon himself, his family, and some of his friends, with twenty-seven different medicines. The following year he published his treatise, 'Medicine founded on experience," forming the basis of his Organon of the healing art, which appeared in 1810. In 1811, the first edition of a part of the materia medica pura issued from the press; but this most important work was not completed until 1821. Since that time, several new remedies. have been tried,, and their physiological and pathological' effbct thoroughly investigated. After his establishment in Leipzig, in 1812, Hahnemann delivered a course of lectures on his system. His students, though few in number, were inspired with an enthusiastic zeal to follow up the discovery of their master; and it was by the experiments on their own persons, that the world is indebted for much of the information which fills the pages of the materia modica. Hahnemann, however, had not been long resident in Leipzig before the opponents, ruled by petty interests, influenced the government to take measures for preventing Hahnemann from practicing homceopathy in their neighborhood; and as he regarded their intrigues with indifference, they at last succeeded in obtaining an order OF HOM(EOPATHY. 33 from the Saxon gdvernment for the enforcement of an obsolete or dormant law, which prohibits a physician from preparing or dispensing medicines himself. This scandalous affair occurred in 1820;-a most hideous action, which stains the pages of medical history. Hahnemann now saw himself compelled either to give up his practice as a physician, or to forego his superintendence of the preparation of his medicaments; and as it was upon the purity of the latter, and the care with which they were prepared, that the successful application of his discovery, and his own reputation depended,- and he did what every honest man would do, who dislikes to act against his conscience,-he publicly announced his resolution to relinquish his practice. Thus he was deprived, in his advanced age, of the means of sustaining himself and family. The disinterestedness of Hahnemann's conduct procured for him, from the Duke of Anhalt-cothen, who liberally offered him an asylum, of which he availed himself; and in 1821 he received a further mark of the Duke's favor, by being appointed one of his counsellors. In that Duchy he continued to reside until 1835, devoting himself exclusively to those labors which were necessary to develop and perfect his system. It was whilst in Anhalt-cothen, in 1828, that Hanhemann published his celebrated work, in four volumes, on chronic maladies. Into every new edition of that, and of his other works, he, of course, sub 34 THEORY AND PRACTICE sequently introduced the remarks which his own observations, and the investigation of his disciples suggested. In 1835, Hahnemann went to Paris, his system making rapid progress in France. There surrounded by his disciples, he continued his labor with a zeal and vigor rarely witnessed in an individual at such an advanced period of life: and he has, at this day, the satisfaction to observe, that his system is daily making converts, and is adopted by numerous physicians in almost every country in the world. This much I deem it necessary to say, about the person of a man, to whom the sciense of medicine undoubtedly owes a great deal. Coincident opinions of old authors to the pripciple of Homeopathy. Previous to his annunciation of homcepathy as a system of medicine, Hahnemann satisfied himself that several eminent authorities had imperfectly alluded to its principle. Thus Basil Valentine, in writings ascribed to Hippocrates, makes the observation that "similar effects must by similar creating causes be treated, and not by opposite agencies." Detharding found that an infusion of senna would cure a kind of cholic, in consequence of its power of creating a similar malady in healthy individuals. Bertholet states that electricity is capable of extinguishing pains of disease precisely similar to those it has been known to excite in healthy individuals. Bouldoc attributes the same power to rheubarb in its action on diarrhoeas. OF HOM(EOPATHY. Stoerk conjectures, with some timidity, that the stramonium, in consequence of the various forms of mental hallucination and derangement it had been observed to produce on persons in health, might -besuccessfully used in the treatment of maniacs, by creating new trains of thought. StaM, the celebrated Danish physician, has been quoted by our founder as having expressed himself most explicitly on this idea, as follows: "' The received method in medicine, of curing diseases bjr opposite remediesthat is to say, by medicines which are opposed to the effects they produce, (contr&dria contrarius) is completely false and absurd. I am convinced, on the contrary, that diseases are produced by agents which produce a similar affection similia similibus, burns by the heat of fire, to which the parts are exposed; the fr6ot-bite by snow or icecold water, and. inflamation and contusions by spirituous applicatioins. It is by these means I have succeeded in curing a disposition to acidity of the stomach, by using very small doses of sulphuric acid in cases where a multitude of absorbing powders had- been administered to no purpose." Paracelsus, who also believed in applying specifics to.diseases, in the course of his writings, observes: "It is a perverted method taught by Galen, to -givo remedies which produce the contrary of the disease: remedies ought to be -administered which act similar to it." Hieronymus Cardanus also manifested some doubts as to the Galenian method, in consequence of observing that diarrceas were frequently cured by. evacuants. 86 THEORY AND PRACTICE Thomas Erasmus coincided with Cardamus and Paracelsus in their suspicions. These gentlemen did not carry out the conception of their experience, but it was received as singular, "passing strange;" and they were honored f6r their acuto observation. Hahnemann elaborated this principle by tedious and life-enduring trials; but as his results were found to strike at the vitality of discordant usages, ho was denounced and persecuted as a casuist, a knave or a fool. The homoeopathic materia medica-the pathogenetic power of medicines its sole basis. Many substances in nature possess the property of disturbing the vital actions during health. This Hahnemann calls their pathogenetic, or disease producing power. Distinct from this power, no substance is endowed with any virtue for the restoration of health. It is only when the pathogenetic power is rightly applied to disease, that it becomes curative, and constitutes the healing power. Thus this two properties are fundamentally one and the same, and theydiffer only as applied to health or disease. SHence, it is evident, that to know the therapeutic or healing power of any substance, we must first know its pathogenetic or disease producing power. Our present knowledge of drugs is mostly the result of customary use, or empirical trials in disease. As, howevor, it would be impossible to try every remedy against 3F HOMEOPAcHY.r 37 &sach disease, it is equally impossible thereby to deterinifie their specification. Nor if such trials in disease were possible, could they have any more instructive effect than it would have to try the odors or sapid qualities of bodies by applying them to' the organs of smell or taste, when similarly deranged. Moreover, 'by trying medicines in disease, not only is the immediate susceptibility, but the consequent sympathy of the organs infinitely varied, even in relation to the same substance. Accordingly, says Hahnemann, the re-action of the diseased frame generally induces such complicated phenomena, that it is almost impossible to unravel them, for either there is no change, or there follows deteriorationi, variation, improvement, recovery or death, without the greatest pradtical genius being able to discover the precise part which the disease,or the remedy may" hayve had in the result. If to this, too, is added the incongru-,ous and often conflicting nature of the ingredients of Nwhich remedies are generally comrposed, the difficulty would appear altogether insurmountable. There is, he says, no othe infallible or natural way of 'discovering the proper effects of medicaments on the human constitution, than trying them on healthy persons, and observing what changes result from these experiments in the state of the body and mind, or what artificial disease the medicainents are capable of producing. D 38 THEORY AND PRACTICE Mode of experiment to determine these powers. Hahnemann, accordingly, and his friends, Stapf, Harti mann, Gross, Hornburg, Wahle, Muller, etc., submitted themselves to a course of experiments, continued during above twenty years; and this method, with little alteration, may here be given, as at once showing the great care they bestowed, and serving as an example for all who are resolved experimentally to determine the truths of homceopathy. In such experiments, as the action of each and every substance varies according to sex, age, and constitution, it is expedient to experiment on as many persons as possible, and to try each substance in various doses, and under various conditions. The essential conditions of these experiments are, that the experimentors be in perfect health; that they scrupulously adhere to diet which is merely nutritious, and no way pathogenetic; that they carefully avoid the use of fermented liquors, wine, spirits, spices of every kind, coffee, strong tea, acids, fruits, and all vegetables possessing medicinal qualities, except those of a farinaceous and mild description; that they shun all fatigue, bodily and mental, all excess and even excitement; and that they previously note every habitual symptom by which they are affected. As to medicines, those only must be used which are genuine, pure, and of well marked action. Each must be given in a perfectly simple form: nor during the experiment must any thing else of a medical kind be used. OF HOMQEOPATHY. 39 It must be borne in mind, that some medicines act powerfully, even in small doses, and others only in large ones; as well as that the torpidity and dullness, or the delicacy and susceptibility of the constitution of the person experimented upon (both, generally, and as to the particular medicines,) must be duly considered in estimating the result in relation to medical practice. As, however, it is impossible previous to experiment, to know the susceptibility or torpidity of the person experimented upon, it is right always to begin with a small dose. This may be taken every night, three hours after the last meal, or every morning, three hours before the first meal, and gradually.increased till its action is determined. To increase such action, the dose must be more rapidly increased. All this being done, overy modification of health may fairly be noted down as resulting from the pathogenetic action of the drug employed. It.is necessary to note the time of taking the drug, upon what texture or organ it acts, at what hour the symptom shows itself, what altercations it induces, what modifications its action suffers from waking, sleeping, moving, resting, eating, drinking, moral emotions, intelleclual aetivity, confined or open air, atmospheric changes, the different times of day, and the changes of seasons, what influence sex, temperament, moral and intellectual character, age, and constitution has over it, and how long it lasts. Thoroughly to know the medicine, it should be tried 40 THEORY AND PRAUTICE) both in large and small doses; the degree of re-action i causes in each should be noticed; the relation which subsists between the action of various substances, should be observed; and their consequent power of diminishing or. neutralizing each other should be investigated.. If, before the termination of any experiment, there occurs any circumstance modifying the result, it must be broke off, and begun anew. It. will easily be-understood, that, in making experiments on a healthy person, there are limits which cannot be passed without endangering life. The value of a materia medica thus constructed, is evident. Conclusions drawn from these experiments., The conclusions have been, 1. That all medicinal substances,, administered in ade-- quate doses to healthy individualsr disturb the functionsý more or less, in proportion to their power. 2. That this action produces two series of symptomsprimary or direct, appearing soon after taking the substance, and secondary or indirect.. In the primary symptoms,, each group, modified by idiosyncrasy, forms a peculiar medicinal disease. Among these symptoms, some are peculiarly characteristic of the medicament.. Their duration depends, qm O0P HOM(EOPATHY, 41 (e latter; and, in employing them, care is to be taken that they correspond to the characteristic of the disease,: To the primary or direct action of the medicine, the secondary indirect action succeeds, or when the former has been strong or feeble, the latter corresponds. 3. The consequence of the direct action of some other substances, is an alternation, of symptoms of opposite character,, apparently indicating; oscillatory movements, between the, primarye direct, or pathogenetic, and the secondary, indirect, or. curative effects; and this oscillation is, perhaps, only less apparent in some cases than in others. 4. Substances differ as to the time of producing symptoms-in-the morning, in the evening, or at nightt. 5. In proportion. to the similarity of organization; is the similarity of pathogenetic, and consequently of the curative effects of similar doses. 6. Those effects are accidental which are not found to be constant in the greater number of persons: those are certain which are few, and nearly the same in all; and to determine this, an analysis of many cases is necessary. 7. Medicaments, in their pathogenetic effects, follow fixed and eternal laws, produce certain and positive symptoms, and when well applied, afford infallible remedial means. Consistently with all this, Hahnemann says each medicament changes health, in a particular manner; and we are not permitted: to.confound-one with the. other. For that D2 THEORY -AND klrACTrc reason, medicinal equivalents'. orsubstitutes, are in no way" admissible in practices; and every medical man ougku itodistinguish, as- exactly as possible, the different medicaments, lbothk as causes of disease and as means of cure. Of all the pure experiments relative to- the changes which simple medicines produce', anrd the morbid symptoms they excited in healthy persons, those are alwayo the best which a physician, enjoying.a good state of health, free from prejudice, and able- to Analyse his sensationsmakes on his own personr, observing, at the same time:, the precautions that has just been prescribed. A thing is never more certain than when it is tried on ourselvesThe experiments that are-made on our own persons have one advantage above all others. In the first place, they furnish a conviction of this great truth, that the curative virtues of med-icines- depend solely on the power they possess in creating changes- in. the physical economy of man. In the second place, they teach us to understand our own sensations, mind, and disposition, which is- the source of all true wisdom, and exercise oar power of ob-e servation, an indispensable talent in a physician. All observations on others are by no, means so interesting as* those made on ourselves. Do not suppose that the slight inconveniencies which every one subjects in trying, on his own person, can be detrimental to his health. On the contrary, experiencei has shown us that they render the body more apt to repet all natural and artificial mobifie causes, and harden it 6P 1OM(6EV3ATMfft 46 against their influence, Theasarie experience alsoteadh-s that the health becomes more -firm,: and the body morg robust. The matoriia medica of IHahnetmant is free frtom all conjecture, fiction, or gratuitous assertion, It contains nothing but the pure language of natureA--the results of a careful and faithful research, Various methods of medical treatfiient. Every remedy must act-in one of the two ways-either indirectly or directly-either upon a different organ from that which is diseased, or upon the diseased organ itself This is the first and greatest distinctions The second and subordinate one is, that, in acting directly upon the diseased organ itself, the effects of theremedy must either be contrary or similar to those of the disease. Hence, the action of medicines may be cone sidered under three different heads; and- on an examination of all our medical doctrines, it will be found that thb 4 different- systems which are followed in the art of curing, may be arranged into three classes ' 1. The method which employs such means as actupon a different organ from -that which is diseased, and which may be named revulsive, antagonistic, or derivative. 2. The method, which acts directly upon the diseased organ, but produces effects contrary to those of thedisoase, 44 THEORY AND PRACTICE being expressed by the axiom, contraria contrariis cW rantur. 3. The method which both acts directly upon the diseased organ, and produces effects similar to those of the disease, being founded on the law of nature-similia similibus curantur. These three methods are respectfully denominated, according to Hahnemann's divison, 1. The Allopathic. 2. The Antipathic. 3. The Homceopathic. The- first method, which we have called revulsive or derivative, and in which the medicines prescribed affects directly, and, in reality, produces a new derangement in a different part from that which is suffering, _is founded upon the sympathy of remote parts, and upon their antagonistic re-action. To ensure the success of this method, the new derangement which is created must be stronger than the old one.* The stronger irritation subdues the weaker. Duobus doloribus, etc. The main object is, to produce a powerful counter-irritation. It accordingly embraces all the means which.Une irritation forte en fait toujours cesser une plus faible. Toute la medication revulsive, repose sur cette -loi; Produire une irritation artificielle sur un tissu,donc l'intention cst de detruire l'irritation, qui en occupe un autre.c'est essayer une revulsion. La pean, la membrane muqueuse des voies digestives, tous les organes secreteurs et principalement les reins, sont les parties sur lea quelles on opere les revulsions. Celte medication est dune emploi presque general, mais elle peut avoir des effets funeste' lorsquelles n'est pas appliquee par uno main excercee. - BROUSSAs. OFBOMCEOPATHY. 45 are capable of turning the course of the blood, and the humors formed from it, and affecting the vitality of the parts subject to the malady. The means employed are medicines which operate on. the alimentary canal, emetics, drastics, sudorifics, bleeding, blisters, cautories, moxas. Tartar emetic ointment is-used for the same purpose. In this way, some endeavor to relieve diseases of one symptom by that of another. Thus a disease is temporarily transferred- from the nervous to the, vital system, when mania is relieved by exciting a violent action in the intestinal tube. When irritation of the lungs is relieved by excitement of the skin, or when determination of blood to the head is relieved by synapisms, blisters to the legs and feet. The use of hot iron in coxalgia, and the application of the moxa at the paralysed spine, are equally antagonistical. The revulsive method does not attack the disease diroctly, but only-transfers it to a less important organ, and by so doing, enables the vital power to re-establish its equilibrium. We cannot doubt the success of this method, in very acute cases, when it becomes sometimes necessary to remove the danger by means of revulsions from a principal organ to a less important one. But in a great majority of cases, as it attacks the very source of lifo, by reducing the quantity of the blood and humors, and as the loss cannot always be repaired, the patient roceives not unfrcquently a fatal blow, 46 THEORY AND PRACTICE In chronic maladies, the revulsive method very seldom effects a permanent relief. A great injury is often done to the system, arising from the excessive irritation which the daily use of powerful medicines heep up in the system, and the extreme debility occasioned by the profuse excretion induced by them. The ingenious Brodie says (Lancet, vol. 2) that the protracted application of issues, blisters, antimony ointment, never benefits pulmonary diseases, or even retards the progress of the malady, While constitutional affection of the lungs is suppressed in one place, it will break out again in another. That a like argument is applicable to many other cases, cannot be denied by the impartial observer. 2. The second method is the antipathic or enantiopathic, founded on tho axiom, contraria contrariis. Extremes neutralize each other. According to this method, diseases aro cured by roemdies which produce opposite symptoms; and its useful application has been recognized from the most remote period. To carry into effect this principle, heat is opposed to cold, warmth to congelation, narcotics to wakefulness, exciting medicines to enfeebling diseases. In this way we see inflammatory affections cured by blood letting, or by purgatives, sudorifics, etc.; and indeed the successful treatment of disease has hitherto been supposed to be very frequently effected upon this principle. OP HO1R4oOPATHir. 47 To this there are many unanswerable objections, though these means at first sight appear conformable to reason, and sometimes produce a very prompt effect. It is evident, in the first place, that, in order to employ this method, the proximate cause of the disease should be contrary; and it happens that we have no positive knowledge of the proximate causes of the greater number of diseases. The greater number of diseases have no contraries that the routine practitioner.is capable of pointing out. In the second place, a close examination shows that the relief given by such means is only momentary. They simply palliate, and that not unfrequenly at the expense of health and life; because the indirect effect of large doses is generally the reverse of their direct effect. The organism reacts against every foreign influence, and opposes to it an opposite state. As, indeed, each dose only excites new re-action, the disease becomes aggravated, or returns with- redoubled strength. An inactive state of the digestive organs is momentarily. relieved by purgatives or tonics, but their constant use aggravates only the disease. Stimulating remedies produce an agreeable excitement of the system; but in order to produce even the same effect, stronger and stronger doses, and more frequent repetitions of them, are necessary, till, at length, insusceptibility, or a sort of paralysia of natural function is induced. 48 THEORY AND PRACTICE Wine produces an unnatural gaiety, but corresponding depression ensues; and to re-produce the gaiety, wine is not only taken again, but incieased in greater and greater quantities, until the constitution is undermined. This is the general way to make a man a drunkard. Remedies applied according to the law of contraries, have often the disadvantage, that, in exciting one organ, the other parts (as a secondary effect) become more paralyzed in their action. (It is a common saying, what we gain on one side we lose on the other.) Most of the bitter extracts increase (primary) the muscular power of the intestines, lessen however, the muscular activity generally. Their protracted use untunes tho mind, and makes the system feel dull and heavy. The equilibrium between the nervous and muscular system is, as it were, suspended. Cremor tartari, and all other salts, increase the activity of the kidneys, and the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, but weaken its muscular power. Sulphuric acid excites the intense activity of the arterial, end weakens, antagonistically, the nervous system. This action has too often been overlooked. Hemorrhages are often checked by this acid; but [when used too freely, nervous debility is the consequence. Peruvian bark is considered to bo (but unjustly) an excellent tonic; having made, the observation, that it increases irritability: but in doing so, it lessens the activity of the veins and absorbent vessels, and causes therefore, OF Ho0iOiC: PAfTHY.,abstractions, swellings. The abus& of this drug, also quinine, in inteikmi'tbnt' ffevei, prod&ce~ sWelling of the -feet.t Ibpatitis cheonica, icteuis, etc. Finally, amengst the effect of eery rribedicine, it hds justly be6n observBd, that there are some altogether irreldvant to the nature of the disease for which it is oehibited, but whi6h, ii the laýge - doses necessary when adthinistercd' aitip at-hically, generally forin new complications with the original disease, so as after to distbrt its principal fea-tures; and to -obviate this inconveaience, remedies are added to lessen their --primary effect. They are called correctors" corrsigentia, which again have the sahme effect; and, by the addition of new syniptoms, add to the criffision. 3. The third method. The specific, or homeopathic -method-which teaches the trith, that diseases are cured by remodieb which prdduce similar symptoms on healthy persons to those of the disease. Agents, medicindlly administered, are curative of those suferings of the sick, which, pathogenetically administered, they generate in the healthy, which is chosen in conformity with the well known principle, "similia similibus curantur" -like cures like. The word homceopathy is derived from the Greek woids omoios, like, and paithos, affection. E 50 THEORY AND PRACTICE THE HOM(EOPATHIC LAW. Enunciation and explanation of the law. An opinion has very generally prevailed, that the art of medicine is purely conjectural, and that it is not in the nature of things that it can ever be placed in the rank of positive sciences. This opinion receives support, indeed, from past experience; for until now, no system has been based upon any such fixed and invariable principles as those which form the foundation of the sciences called positives, and therefore the multitude of doctrines which have succeeded and destroyed each other, may be regarded as the inevitable consequences of their hypothetic origin. The fixed laws, or axioms, of mathematics and natural philosophy, have not however, any more than those of medicine, been always known. It is not yet a great many years since Newton gave to astronomy the laws which govern the movements of the planets in their revolutions; and Hahnemann, the founder of homoeopathy, established also, to his perfect conviction, his great principle, similia similibus curantur. He created an entirely new science, the science of pathogenetics, which, based ona multiplied experiments upon divers ages, sexes, temperaments, and constitutions, should teach what are the sufferings which each agent, singly administered, has power to generate in the healthy. Fortified in their determination by the opinions of such men as Van Helmont, Stahl, Hoffman, and, Haller, and animated by a devotion which nothing but the- fullest conviction of the truth and impor OF HOMrEOPATRY. 51 iance of their cause could have kindled, a devotion unparalled in the history of medicine. Hahnemann and his followers, in less than fifty years, have carried this science to an extent or precision perfectly incredible to those unacquainted with its details. Suffice it, however, to say, that through its instrumentality there have been, at length, accumulated upon record, thousands of well attested cases, besides the multitude unrecorded, demonstrating, that agents, proved in the healthy organism specifically adverse to the functions or forces yielding in the sick, if employed within conservative limits, invigorate the re-active energy of these forces in opposition to the progress of disease. Availing ourselves of these innumerable facts, into the details of which our limits forbid us to enter, we now confidently appeal to them in obvious support of both the universal laws of life. Contraria contrariis corroborantur and its inevitable corollory, the fundamental doctrine of the homreopathic school, "sinilia similibus curantur;" and we cannot but feel, in view of the wide extension -of our introduction, the argument demonstrative of these great principles, has acquired a force which absolute scepticism alone can resist. Observation, reflection, and experience, have convinced me that the best and true method of cure is founded on the principle similia similibus curhntur. To cure in a mild, prompt, safe, and durable manner, it is requisite to em THEORY AND PRACTICE ploy in each case a medicine which possesses the qualiy ti genferate a similar afection in the healthy system. In illustration of my principle, I would but select a few remedies, (many of which are in daily use) whose invariable effect, in many striking cases, does not depend on any particularity, but acts only in accordance to the similarity, Ihomeopathically. Mercury, in large doses, produces ulcers in the throat, similar to those of the syphilitic, in consequence of whichit affects this disease specifically. Atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade, causes morbid symptoms similar to hydrophobia, in which disease that remedy proves to be very beneficial. Dryness of the throat and difficulty in swallowing are the most prominentsymptoms occasened by this remedy, which are alsocharacteristic in hydrophobia. Tho dryness of the throat is not a constant symptom. It is often, howovor, very distinct. It occurr d, for example, in 150 soldiers, who were poisoned near Dresden, as related by M. Gauttier de Claubry;* and in six soldiers, whoso cases have been described by Mr. Brumwell.4 The former had not only dryness of that throat, but likewise difficulty in swallowing. *Sedillot's Journal de Med., Dec. 1813, 364. fLondon Med. Obs. and Inquirer, vi. 523, orF HQrE0oP4T.. 55 lungs and air passages-almost always shortness of breath. In many instances too, the urinary passages are affected, the patient being harassed with frequent painful and difficult micturition, sometimes total suppression of urine. -When the symptoms of irritation of the alimentary canal have subsisted a few hours, convulsive motions often occur in a greater or less degree. They are seldom violent, and generally consist of nothing else than tremors and twitches. Another affection, and a very distressing one, is cramps of the legs and arms. This symptom may be a concomitant of every kind of diarrhoea; but in that caused by arsenic, it is peculiarly severe and frequent. The general system always sympathises acutely with the local derangement. The pulse commonly becomes very small, feeble, and rapid, soon after the vomiting sets in; and in no long time it is even imperceptible. This state of the pulse is naturally attended with great coldness, clammy sweats, and even lividity of the feet and hands. The countenance is commonly collapsed from an early period, and almost always expressive of great torture and extreme anxiety. Death, in general, comes on calmly, but is sometimes preceded by a paroxysm of convulsions. Various exceptions have at times been observed, resembling peteckia or measles, or red miliaria, another external affection which may be noticed, is general swellings of the body. THEORY AND PRACTIC0E The poisonous effects produced by arsenic bears the strongest resemblance to that dreadful malady called Cholera Asiatica, for which striking resemblance, many homoeopathic physicians called the cholera morbus arsenicalis. The most marked symptoms of the cholera, we are well aware, are purging, vomiting, burning pain in the stomach, incessant desire for water, cramps of arms and legs, coldness of the surface, pulse imperceptible, hoarseness, the skin discolored. Arsenic and veratrum, which latter remedy produces similar symptoms on healthy bodies, as the former were, in minute doses, (the decillion part of a grain) the most effectual means by which the homoeopathic practitions rescued thousand and thousand lives from that torturing malady. Aqua Calcis produces an excessive discharge of urine; and the same remedy lessens, also, the too abundant secretion of urine in diabetes. Helleborus Albus, known already to the ancients as an active remedy in mental aberrations, effects in similar way when taken by healthy individuals. Datura Stramonium,- Thorn Apple. The symptoms produced by a poisonous dose in man are variable. The leading features are maniacal delirium, convulsions, incessant unconnected talk like that of demency. Its heal OP HO~MoEOPATHY. 58 Rhleubarb, which is a purgative, given in a large dose, checks looseness of the bowels in a very small quantity. Opium, which possesses the peculiar quality to stop Sdiarrhcea, is, according to Wirthensohn, Bell, Heister, a most excellent remedy in obstructions, in consequence of ileus and hernia incarcerata. Opium, administered in very small quantities, acts like a charm in nervous fevers, accompanied with a state called coma somnolentum, a. kind of sleep with short remissions, or intervals of imperfect waking, sensation, and sleep. A strong infusion of tea effects some persons very strongly, and causes palpitation of the heart, anxiety, which is often a very good remedy to relieve those distressing symptoms. Pulsatilla pratensis nigricans,-the wind flower.This remedy, tried on healthy persons, effects dimness of sight, and proves to be very beneficial in some species of amaurosis. Copper-Ammonium, which produces violent spasms, ac cording to the observation of Pfaendel and Burdach, was 54 - THEORY ANDY PRACTICE already used by Aretaeus successfully in epilepsia. Modern physicians have made the experiment, and concur in opinion that it subdues spasmodic affections. Hyoscyamus, -Blackenbane. The effects of this remedy on men is very poisonous:- marked symptoms are agitations, convulsions, risus sardonius, extravagant delirium, etc. Homeopathiic physicians have used it with success in nervous fevers, in which there was that singular union of delirium and coma termed usually typhomaniae Arsenic. Soon after the remedy is taken, sickness begins, or about the same time the region of the stomach feels painful. The pain being commonly of a burning kind, (very characteristic) violent fits of vomiting and retching then speedily ensue, especially when drink is taken. There is often, also, a sense of dryness, heat, and tightness in the throat, creating an incessant desire for drink; and this affection of the throat often precedes the vomiting. Occasionally it is altogether wanting, at other times it is so severe as to be attended with fits of suffocation and convulsive vomiting at the sight of fluids.Hoarsoness and difficulty of speech (vox cholerica) are commonly combined with it. In no long time after the first illness, diarrceha generally makes its appearance. The patient is often tormented by frequent and ineffectual calls. There are likewise present signs of irritation of the OF HOM(EOPATHY. 57 ing qualities in mental maladies we find on record in the medical histories of Stork, Schmalz, Barton. Ipecacuan, known as a vomitive, produces a very calming effect in many species of Ileus. Nux Vomica causes headache, dizziness, stupor, delirium, confused language, agitation, anxiety, convulsions, vomiting, ~diarrhoea. The medical virtues of this remedy, in similar affections, are noticed by many ancient and modern physicians. Arnica Montana; excites headache, anxiousness, dizziness, cold extremities, palpitation of the heart, pain in the chest, dispnoe, dry cough, blood spitting. Cures therefore similar cases induced by some other circumstance. Radix Pimpinella increases the secretion of mucous in the throat, and proves to be a very beneficial reme. dy in angina serosa. The leaves of the sabina tree are used often, with the intention of procuring abortus, and also checks some species of methorragia, given in very mintte doses. Large doses of Bark, cort. Peruvian, causes headache, dizziness, cardialgy, now obstructions, then diarrhoea, , THEORY AND PRACTICE anxiety, fainting, coufusion of mind, profuse perspiration, jaundice, dropsie, extreme debility, etc. This remedy, administered in homceopathic doses, removes similar affections. Acdium Sulphuricum is a most efficacious remedy against acidity, heart burning. Acidum Nitricum, and Acidum Muriaticum, corrode the gums, cause salivation. We use them therefore, successfully in scorbut, aphtae, and angina gangrenosa. Burns may. be soothed momentarily by cooling applications, yet a better effect is derived by enveloping the parts in raw cotton, which itself engenders heat. Experience has taught us, that a frozen limb, in order to re-animate life, has to be rubbed with ice or snow. Why not with warm water? Probably this experiment -has been made; and not having succeeded, the homcaopathic treatment was suggested, and lo! it was good. The homoeopathic principle is, in this respect, universal. Its power is shown not only in directing us to the means of restoring the healthy equilibrium of the body, but also to those which are applicable to cases of mental affliction. It is not by mirth and pleasure that grief is to be assuaged. The feelings of those who are a prey to mental affliction, would be outraged even by the suggeso tion of such a remedy. OV. HOM1CEOP0ATHff An opposite course must be pursued. It is by mirglfng our tears with theirs;, by associating other images of sorrow with those which press upon them, by adopting the language of the poet, "0 let me join Grief to thy grief and echo sighs to thine." The immortal Shakspeare shows great art in the funeral oration pronounced by Antony over the mangled body of Caesar. He first endeavors (proceeding according to the law of similarity) to excite grief in the hearers by dwelling upon the deplorable loss of so great a man. This passion interesting them in Cmesar's fate, could not fail to produce a lively sense of the treachery and cruelty of the conspirator, -an infallible method to inflame the resentment of the people beyond all bounds. Had Antony endeavored to excite his audience to vengeance without paving the way by raising their grief, his speech would not have made the same impression. It is unnecessary that we should enter at greater length into illustrations of the applicability of this law to-the ordinary occurences of life, and to the exploration of remedies which are popular, although their application have not risen from scientific inductions. We may now set down as an axiom, that One irritation may be subdued by another; but to hava i30 THEORY AN"D PRACTICE this efect, it must be proportioned to the strength. of tke system. The system in diseases, possesses a quick susceptibility of homogeneous irritation; that is to say, when the system is affected in a particular way, it is exceedingly easy to be more affected by remedies that would produce a similar effect on healthy persons. Experienced men have always observed, that a disease is quicker affected by one remedy than it is by another. Such remedies have been called specifics, possessing a wonderful efficacy, and noted for certuries for the cure of certain diseases. It has always been difficult to explain the cause of this peculiar action. Hahnemann first lifted the veil, and proved, by experiment, that even those few specifics which chance has brought to light, are governed by the law of resemblance, and owe their celebrity thereto. The maxim is, similia similibus, like cures like. Bark or quininb in intermittent fevers; mercury, in syphilis; sulphur, in cutaneous diseases, are of this kind. The greater the afinity or relation a remedy bears to a disease, the smaller the quantity is that must be administered. Daily experience ratifies the truth of this maxim, whilst a small quantity of bark or quinine might be effectual in suppressing the fever paroxysm: a very large quantity would do injury, producing often (what the homoeopathic physician calls China symptoms) swelling of the legs, "-; CEOPATHY. 61 e&Wghseats, diarrhoea, extreme debility, cardialgy, etc.* In like manner, mercury, in small quantities, cures,iphylis, but in large quantities aggravates the disease, leaving in the rear a mercurial disease. Sulphur, in minute doses, is a specific in many cutaneous diseases, bbut generally increases the malady when taken in large quantities. We now proceed to the consideration of another of the axioms in reference to the effects of medicines, which is as follows: Every substance acting upon the human economy, "every medicine, produces a change, more or less notable, on the vital principle; and for a period of either a longer or shorter duration, creates a modification of health. This change is called the primitive effect. The greatest share of this primitive effect must be ascribed to the action of the medicine: but there is a tendency in our system to oppose, energetically, this foreign influence or impression. The results of this opposition, exercised by our natural habits, and the automatic force of the body, bears the name of secondary effect, or reaction, during the positive *On my arrival in the city of Louisville, a gentleman intrusted himself to my care, labouring utnder* nightsweats, diarrhoea, extreme debility, dyspepsie emaciation. I told him his disease proceeded from the abuse of quinine. He appeared to be doubtful. However, a few antidotes, counteractiig..these China symptoms, cured him tn about ten -days. As zoon qs the third day, diarrhoea and nightsweats ceased. 62, THEORY AND PRACTICE action of the medicine manifesting itself by a visible primary effect. The sanative principle remains passive; but seemingly revolting against the aggravating influence of the remedy, pioduces a reaction, perceptible by a change of disposition totally opposite to the former, and in a degree proportionate to its own power and the action of the medicine. The value and importance of this law, discovered as it has been by the exorcise of unexampled zeal and perseverance in making experiments upon every medicinal substance, is unquestionable; and we think it is not impossible to afford such an explanation of it as will reconcile it to reason. There is a property or power in the human organism by which, whenever it is modified or injured by the introduction or contact of a foreign substance, an action is exerted of a kind diametrically opposed to the primary action, or first effect produced by the foreign agent. This is called vital reaction-the reaction of the organism. A very imperfect illustration of this reaction of the organism against external influence, may be derived from mechanics. When a steel spring is fixed at one end, forced into a curve by the pressure at the other end, and then suddenly released, the free extremity of the spring will not merely recover its former place, in opposition to the force which acted upon it, but will be thrown beyond it. According to this law of reaction, it is evidently im OF HOMCEOPATHY. 63 possible that any medicament should cure any disease by its primitive effect, since this is always followed by an opposite effect; the final result of every medicine being directly opposed to its primitive action. The cure, consequently, can be produced only by the secondary action, or' more strictly speaking, by the vital reaction already described. We may here cite one or two examples in explanation of this property: When any part of the body, but more particularly an extremity, is immersed for some time in extremely cold water, the skin gradually becomes paled, sensibility diminishes, circulation languishes, scarcely any blood vessels are perceptible on the surface, and the temperature is considerably lowered. Such is the primitive effect of the immersion. When the limb is withdrawn from the water, and carefully wiped, effects diametrically opposite will be shortly observed. The skin slowly assumes a greater degree of redness than it usually exhibits; it becomes warmed; numerous blood vessels re-appear on the surface; and extremo sensitiveness, and often sharp pricking pain is experienced. In proportion to the coldness of the water, will be the degree of heat which the returning circulation developes. In this second action, life exerts all its strength to overcome the external agency which had depressed its natural action. The primitive or secondary phenomena, or in other words, the action of the external foreign power or agent, and the reaction of the organism, are invariably re-pro. duced as often as a foreign agent is brought to act upon - 64 THEORY AND PRACTICE the human frame, unless, indeed, the agent be so viorentas to destroy life. The reaction consequent upon the primitive effect of a remedy is not always perceptible; for, according to this rule, the use of sudorifics ought to producc dryness of the skin. Emetics should leave the bowels relaxed; and mercurial salivation should be followed up by a dissimilar secrotion of saliva, which is not alwaysthe case. The abuse of sudorifics causes a habitual tendency to sweatings: and those who have been frequently salivated, suffer often man-y months after, from an increased secretion of saliva. This arises principally from the too powerful primitive effect of doses immoderately repeated, or of immoderate quantities, and by which the sensibility of tho organs and the energy of the body become exhausted and paralysed, and many persons have thrown themselves, by this injurious practice, into an almost helpless condition. The only means left for the present, is to set aside all kind of drugs, and re-animate their bodily energy by a most simple diet, and proceed, after, on a more proper plan. The primary and secondary cffict of every medicine, are opposed in their appearances and in contrary degrees, that if the primary effect be but slight, and imperceptible, the secondary is the more vehement, and vice versa. The action of opium* furnishes us with another instance *VWillis says-(Pharm., chap. I., sect. 7, p. 193) Opiata dolores atrocissimos plerumque sedant atque indolentiam.... pro curant, eamque...aliquamdit. et pro stato quodam tempore continuant, quo spatio elapso, dolores mox recru OF HOMO~OPATHY. 65 of thse ipihenomera. Its direct action deadens sensibility, tranquilizes pain, and induces sleep. When these effects have passed away, the reaction of the system infallibly occasions an increase of sensibility, pain, and sleeplessness. Individuals who have recourse to this drug to alleviate pain or to procure sleep, are forced gradually to augment the doses, not as they believe because they habituate themselves to the medicine, but, really, because the reaction more and more increasing the disease, they are compelled to oppose the increased pain and sleeplessness by doses of increased strength, in order to obtain the desired result. Wines and spirituous liquors, when taken too copiously, develop an increased action in all the functions, both mental and corporeal; but this excitement is speedily followed by a corresponding degree of lassitude, or the reaction of the organism. Coffee also communicates\ increased vivacity to the mental and corporeal functions; but these phenomena, which are the consequence of the primitive action, are succeeded by othei's, especially with nervous persons, of descunt et brevi ad solitbm ferociam augentur; and, p. 295: Exactis opii viribus illico redeunt tormina, nee atrocitatem suam remittuni, nisi duml ab eodem pharmaco rursus incantantur. I. Hunter (in his treatise on the Verieral Disease, p. 13,) says, that wine Increases the energy of persons'who are weak, without bestowing on them any real vigor; and that tie vital powers sink afterwards in the same proportion ast they have been, so that the patient gains nothing by it, but, on the contrary, looses the greater part of his strength. F2 _al 66 THEORY AND PRACTICE" quite an opposite character, such as mental depressioin;. torpidity, etc. If an improper remedy be prescribed, which stands in no relation to the -disease, it will produce a second disease, which will go. on its separate course, -without interfering with the otiher. If a remedy produces symptoms contrary to those exhibited by the sick organs, it will, for a short time, suppress some of the natural symptoms; it will act as a paliative. If the primary effect of a medicine be to produce in the' 4iseased organs an affection simila-r to the complaint, itsapplication will, for the moment, aggravate the latter, which is called the homoeopathic aggravation; but the reaction of the organs, supported by the consequent opposite secondary effect of the remedy, then removes the disease, In a word,- whenever a medicine is administered, of which the primitive or direct effect resembles the symptoms. of the complaint itself, that medicine will excite the curative reaction of the organism. Under favorable circumstances, the tone of the organs is often sufficient, by its natural tendency to reaction, tly restore the state of, health. Under unfavorable circumstances, it is often insufficient, and so enfeebled as either to offer no resistanco, or to make only, an ineffective strug f' 1HOMd-OPA'fHY. W Cf gle, and yield to its morbid assailant, when the action of medicine is necessary to excite reaction, or to support the sanative powers of nature. - In conformity with what has been mentioned, the following foundation of law may be regarded as natural:The afectability of the living organism by natural mor; b:fic causes, is ineomparatively feebler than its afectability by medicaments, According to this law, perpetually acting morbificcauses have no power to destroy health, except under peculiar circumstances; but every simple medicament, under all circumstances; and at all times, exercises-its-peculiar action, and effects the organism in-its peculiar- manner. Morbific causes have only an occasional and conditionarl power to disturb the organism;-medicinal powers have' an absolute 6ne. This dogma can be admitted only in avery limited sense. The- human body- is not unconditionally disposed to be easier affected by medicaments than by other inimical impressions. Reference need only be had to the frequent abortive attempts to prevent the spreading of, and the difficulty of curing many contagiousmaladies: how often are large quantities of medicinez taken, without any change of the disease. The easier. affectability of the organism to medicine than to othermorbific causes, refers, principally, to the homoeopathic remedies, homogeneous powers, (similia) which bears a greatreolation or affinity to the organs -diseased. - The more violent a disease, the less is the susceptibiliy of 6 1 THEORY AND PRACTICE the system, for heterogeneous, and the greater is it for homogeneous influences. A man disposed to anger, becomes', most passionately affected by some unpleasant circumstance, while it requires some viery agreeable occurrence to excite his feelings. When in a state of fever heat, a great deal of fluid is. wanting to satisfy the thirst, which becomes enormous by the use of little more than ordinary seasoned food.. The hardy Russian, -when drooping with the sweat of vapour bath, has a bucket of the coldest water thrown upon him without experiencing any deleterious effect. He will continue to sweat, notwithstanding the'quick impression of the cold water; which is owing to the great excitation of the skin; but a slight damp will throw a shivering person into fever chills. I observed that a lady, not accustomed to' wines, or spirituous liquors, on her reconvalescerce fiom a lingering fever, exhibited an uncommon desire for wine, of which, for some time, she used daily, two bottles of a strong quality. As she' progressed' in health, tho desire, fbr wine gradually diminished; and when completely recovered, she could not take a single glass of wine without feeling greatly excited. It is well known, that what are commonly called: hard: drinkers, become quickly intoxicated by a small 01' o10VIZOPATHY. quantity of wine, when they are in a passion, (which, of Sitself, is a kind of intoxication.) Habitual tobacco smokers, when attacked by a fever, will be most violently affected of giddiness by the use of the least quantity of that article. Of two similar afections, the stronger invariably extinguishes the weaker. Thus a complication of diseases may exist at the same time; or of two diseases which are dissimilar, the more violeht may merely suspend the weaker; but when two diseases affect the body similarly, the organism being unable to support both, the weaker naturally disappears. This proposition is evidently the basis of the homceopathic doctrine. Hahnemann has not been idlein reporting a number of instances by which the truth of this dogma might be-proved. Much controversial writing has been occasioned by thi-i difference, on the subject of the resei- - blance and dissimilarity of diseases. From the opportuni ties of carefully observing diseases, during the numerous' years of my own practice, says Dr. Rau, I can boldly, and without fear of self deception, assert, that it is only in their fundamental dynamic features, that similar diseases neutralize and destroy each other. To agree upon this point, is, indeed, not very easy. Misunderstandings have been occasioned by Hlhnemann himself, in his too violent zeal against the investigation of the proximate cause of the disease, (considering it in most cases, a fruit "10 THEORY AND PRACTICE less attempt, which leads the practitioner often ad absurdum. And yet respect must be paid to such an investigation, to which the author of the Organon was obliged to refer himself in stating the similarity of diseases. Hereto belongs, for instance, the case cited from Klein, where a blindness, of two years' standing, originating froma suppression of scaldhead, was removed by the smallpox. Blindness is not a constant symptom of the smallpox, but only sometimes a consecutive one, and appertains to it as little as the sometimes succeeding arthrocace. But the blindness arising from the suppression of the eruption, has, in its origin, a similarity with the smallpox, and to remove it antagonistically, it required such a simiiar- cutaneous eruption. A woman, in her thirtieth year, was affected with a rash, which left a cutaneous disease, showing itself at the slightest cold, or even during a mere change of temperature. Her whole face, neck, and arms, were covered with it, and she continued to suffer on that complaint for nearly six years. At the close of that time, she was attacked with the measles, which, after her recovery, removed effectually her old complaint. A boy, from childhood, was subject to violent headache, eaused by congestions of the blood to the brain. In his fourteeath year he was attacked with typhus fever, which MUF -HOMMOPATHY. 71 commenced with severe headache. The disease having been cured, all traces of this habitual malady disappeared. I treated a case of typhus, from which remained a paralysis of one arm. Four years afterwards, the same patient was, for the second time, attacked with typhus, in which she again acquired the use of her arm. Robert Whytt relates the case of a woman who was subject to hysteric fits: and she had experienced no inconvenience from this complaint, when one of her children was dangerously diseased. Boerhave notices a particular case, of a child, in the orphan asylum of Harlam, who was cured of epilepsy by some frightful accident. The malady having probably originated from some psychical cause, was again psychically removed. It is remarkable, that during the critical movements of a disease towards health, generally an increased action in the suffering parts takes place. A struggle of nature, as it were, to eradicate the disease at once, by a " powerful counter spasm. We see that maladies having been seated in the system for months, will often disappear instantaneously by a more violent paroxysm. THEORY AN{D PRACTIcE When old indurated swellings become painful, a dissolution of the tumor may be expected. Medicinal diseases are thrown off more easily than natural ones. Thus the homceopathic medicament can make a successful diversion in favor of health; for the artificial disease being easily removed by the patient ceasing to take medicine, the organism, after being long oppressed, acquires an accumulated power to react. Thus, medicines have no direct healing power, (which misunderstanding is the cause of many grievous errors) but merely the producers of morbid symptoms, surpassing, in intensity, those of the disease, against which they are employed. The original disease then yields, because it is overpowered by the artificial disease caused by the remedies: and this, onthe discontinuance of the medicines, is, in its turn, speedily overcome by the powers of the constitution, In short, the morbific disease being destroyed by the medicinal one, and the medicinal one by the reaction of the organism, the patient is restored to health. The practice of medicine, then, has acquired, by the application of the principle similia similibus curantur, a great degree of certainty, and a great uniformity of procedure. To the practice of medicine, the knowledge of these drug diseases is the most important. They form the armory of the practitioner. Without a clear and definite knowledge of the relation of medicines to the organs, its primary and secondary effect, no sure step can be taken t~F H0~4~OPy-'7 73 tiear-the.sc -bed. -Hahnemanri's-di.4overy oPf~the relaCon, of iaergaiteognc bpdies.sOnef the - deepest;thoughts),:andýof~yita-morc tothe- m.edical. science. Ivetki~ t~ i N the, -duease. -In ýentering on the studypof -rDy disease, it is obvious -that ih e firat step to be, tken.. by the physician is, to -acýjuire a 1perfect -knowledge -of every- symptom by -which that -particular, maladIy maybhe, distinguished. Not only is thisrzessential 'in homceqpathiz practice, but it is also indispensable. to learn -under -what -,cir.-umstances, and at what particular periods., the-sympto ',rxie- manifested, -and inost st~rongily::felt. It is tieoyeiý,highly important to ascertain,* if priaqt' "4:the _dus *Ahich may have in-,duced the m~alady andis-1atl, whzthe'r. -there exist any inherent virus 'in the c9.nstitution of the -patienti. These.conditins.-ate indispnsahier- fox 4-he -successful treatment - of, m'aladies. -. - A,thprotiigh--7,,iuo-wledge,,of all the functional -derangepoet~~xci~cue of disease, and moral peculiarities 6f, th 71 ptiett, being, the only sure guide to the choice of an- _;we urate renmedy, it is essential that the physician should carefully record the--most minute and most -ample detailai, I$s, therefore, the object of this chapter, to point out a' -methodical and effective mode of obtaining the equired information. He must first, desire the patient to G 74 THEORY AND PRACTICE relate his case, and by allowing him to describe his sensations and sufferings in his own words and manner. The physician may depend upon receiving a more accurate and faithful statement of the characteristic symptoms of his complaint than can be obtained by interrogatories. The patient should be directed to express his sensation with as much perspicuity and correctness as he is able. This may be accomplished, after a few attempts, and by the aid of reflection. The physician need not, however, prescribe a methodical arrangement in doing so, nor should the patient be interrupted whilst making his statement, lest he should digress from the subject to speak on matters not connected with the complaint. The physician having elicited all that the patient may have to communicate, the narration thus given will prove the most faithful image of his malady. In certain cases, the friends of the patient should be questioned upon the observation they may have made, of what he may have complained, and how he may have acted. In short, nothing should be omitted that might throw light upon a complicated and dangerous case, inasmuch as many circumstances, seemingly unimportant in themselves, are valuable to the homceopathic physician. The length and minuteness of these details, with the indispensible necessity of reverting to them during the treatment, exhibit the propriety of transferring the entire statement to paper. This should be done at the moment of its dictation by OF HOMOEOPATHY* 75 the patient, and as nearly as: possible in his own words; and each distinct symptom should occupy a separate paragraph. The advantage of this soon manifests itself in practice; for a patient, in his first statement, will readily disclose all his ailments. Various circumstances may render the first explanation vague and insomplete; but his communication becoming gradually more unreserved and minute, the physician -is enabled not only to supply whatever may have been deficient, but to arrange each particular under its proper head. Hitherto, the practitioner has strictly confined himself to listening to, and writing down, the patient's statement, and, at the same time, attentively observing his appearance, as well as any changes that rmay take place. At this period, however, he begins to take a more active part, requiring the exercise of all his discretion and skill. He now enters upon the interrogation of the patient, with a view to complete the particulars already noted down, (as regards each symptom.) He then, for the purpose of more minute enquiry, reads over consecutively, all the details. His mode of examination, however, must be very guarded, and his questions must be so framed as never to suggest the reply; for if, by the listlessness of the patient on the one hand, it may be difficult to obtain an accurate view of his malady, there may be danger, on the other 76 THEORY AND' PRACTICE. hand, of calling 'forth an erroneous statement, inevitably tending to mislead the physician iin selecting the remedy. Not unfrequently, however, both the patient and his friends may be unable to give so full an account of his sufferings as may be desirable. In such caseas the practitioner mustbe satisfied with the amount of information elicited. This, assisted by the observation which he is himself enabled to make, will direct him to a suitable remedy. As a general rule, it is desirable that-the physician should learn whether the patient has been,under previous& medical treatment,, that. he may ascertain whether any of the symptoms are the result of that treatment, or whether they were felt previous to the exhibition of medicine. Having satisfied himself upon this point, he will enquire whether the pains are intermitting or permanent, and under what cireumstances-they increase or subside. His investigation will next be directed, to the particular, seat of pain, and also to its precise character; whether aching, shooting, throbbing, pricking; the period at which the pain is principally felt; whether in the morning or in. the evening, during the day, or in the night; and even thehour of its access, as well as.its duration, should be noted. Enquiry should also be made whether any, and what. influence, may be induced by the position of the body. I must repeat, however, that if these queries be.so directedas to lead the patient to give an incorrect definition of his sufferings, their character will necessarily be incorrectý and the physician will be led into- eoroi OF HOM(EOPATHY. 77 It is essential to ascertain, with minuteness, the inclina tions and aversion of the patient; his desire for particular kinds of food or beverage, his degree of appetite, and whether he suffer from thirst, and experience any particular taste in the mouth; if so, at what period of the day it is noticed, and- whether before, during, or after a meal. Eructations, and rising of the food, must also be enquired into, and the patient must 'explain when these inconveniencies principally affect him, and the taste with which they are accompanied. Similar enquiry applies to matters ejected from the stomach, their usual appearance, consistency, taste, smell, and frequency. The state of the bowels next demands consideration; whether relaxed, constipated, or healthy, with the color and consistency of the alvine evacuation, and whether attended with pain. As regards the urine, when the patient has related its peculiarities as to color, density, smell, and intervals of discharge, the physician must ascertain its appearance at the time of deposit, and subsequently the color and character of the sediment. The next subject of enquiry, the condition of the sexual functions, is one of paramount importance, and requires 4he utmost delicacy and tact on the part of the physician, the more especially as it is in females that these functional derangements are the most frequent and serious, forming the basis of many other ailments. A clear and definite G2 THEORY ANID PRACTeIC exposition of irregularities and morbid appearances in' these functions, is indispensible; but as the details wilt suggest themselves to every enlightened practitioner, it is not requisite for me to point them out in this place. Suffice it to say, that sterility and impotence are usually founded upon these derangements, and afbfrd valuable data for selecting, a remedy. Particulars relative to sleep must be gathered with similar care; and the position of the patient when in bed must be noticed:- whether he lie on his back or on his. side, and on which side he is more at ease, or whether he prefer much or slender covering. Each distinct affection produces its characteristic variety in sleep, as regards its duration and soundness. In some maladies, the patient is disturbed by the slightestnoise, or by the most trifling cause; in others, the sleep isprofound, and he is with difficulty aroused. In some cases he talks in his sleep, cries out, groans, or complains; in others, he snores, starts up suddenly, or walks. about. These peculiarities should be noted down; neither should the appearance on awakening, if unusual, be permitted to pass unnoticed. Should the patient be laboring under a febrile attack, the physician must not content himself with ascertaining the staterof the pulse, tongue, secretion and type of the fever, but must extend his enquiries to the minutest symptoms. He must first learn whether the patient has only a sensation of chillness, or be really cold, and what or HOrEROPATHY. portion of the body be principally affected: he may complain of cold, either internally or externally, and yet his skin may be warm at the time. The exiact period at which the cold was felt, and its continuance, should be ascertained, and whether accompanied with shivering; for all these circumstances are important) and should not escape the observation of the practitioner. The investigation of the hot parpxismn, in febrile diseases, demands a similarly rigid examination of symptoms, The symptoms produced by, and consequent upon, the hot fit, demand the same scrupulous investigation as those of the cold. It must be ascertained whether the patient feel a sensa. tion of internal heat whilst the surface of the body is cold; whether the heat be equally diffused, or confined to particular parts; and whether the face be pale or flushed. The duration of the paroxysm should also be enquire d into, as well as its alternation with the cold fit, and whether it precede or follow it. The sweating fit, which constitutes the third stage, must be equally well attended to. The physician must ascertain the period of its access, and its connection with heat; the degree and quality of the perspiration.; whether it be lot or cold, viscid or watery; if it possess-any peculiar odour, and if one-portion of the body be more under itsinfluence than another. In addition to these facts, the physician, should also learn if any,. and. what external circumstances. have had 80 THEORY AND PRACTICE an influence upon the patient; such as noise, air, heat, cold: nor must his appearance escape observation. Thirst is a symptom entitled to peculiar consideration; and the practitioner should learn whether it were felt during the cold or hot stage, or during both. Its intensity and continuance should be inquired into, as should also the diluents which the patient may prefer or dislike. These minute details are indispensible in homoeopathic treatment, inasmuch as they furnish the means of discriminating the various shades of pathological disturbance in different constitutions, and consequently enable the physician to select a medicine in accordance with each individual characteristic. The healthy or morbid condition of the organs of sense and vitality must all be successfully enquired into. The state of the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, as well as the whole abdominal viscera; the heart, and circulating system, must be carefully registered. The respiratory organs; their changes as regards the function of respiration itself, or their secretions; the sensations incident to breathing; and the indications supplied by percussion, the stethoscope, should be accurately noted down. In examining the eyes, their general expression should be noticed: the appearance of the pupils, and how influenced by daylight and candlelight. The brain and nervous system require serious attention; and if morbid symptoms should have been manifested, the OF H0MCEP'ATHY. 81 practitioner will have recourse to the like method of investigating their character: nor must he omit to note down the appearance, gestures, and complexion of the patient. The last, though not the least important in these inquiries, is to ascertain the intellectual and moral affections. The physician should learn whether he be irritable, passionate, violent or mild, patient and enduring; whether lively or melanchbly, anxious or indifferent; whether there exist a disposition to shed tears, or a desire to commit suicide. Each of these morbid tendencies will denote a peculiarity in the patient, which calls for minute attention, and which forms an important subject for consideration in determining on a remedy. Thus, these remarks will embrace the general tenor of the invalid during the interview: his moral indications, such as fear, sorrow, bursts of passion, mildness, hope, despondency. He will remark the effect produced on- the morbid phenomena by position; such as sitting, lying, standing, or moving about, either within doors, or in the open air. He must observe the influence of food: whether the patient be principally affected in the morning before eating, after breakfast, after dinner, or only at night, and whether during or immediately subsequent to repast. In short, the organs of the economy must be considered generally, and each examined in reference to sensation and change-.whether organic or functional. THEORY AND PRACTICE On Infinitesimal Doses. The question of the doses has been the subject of much discussion. It is quite independent, however, of the still greater features of Hahnemann's doctrine, -the principle similia similibus curantur. It owes its origin to Hahnemann's having observed that, by strong doses, the more regular symptoms of doses were aggravated, and that many less regular, and very distressing symptoms, were excited. He, therefore, gradually diminished his doses, until he no longer observed any of the, primary symptoms of the medicament, or any unnecessary aggravation. By this cautious and prudent procedure, he found that diseases were still cured, and that both more easily and speedily. Mode of preparation. These considerations naturally bring us to the mode of preparing the medicines, and it is to be observed, that homaeopathists rather prefer to prepare their remedies themselves than to entrust this to any other person. With all mineral substances, then, the process commences with trituration, by which they are reduced to a fine powder. Ono grain of this powder is put into a small porcelain mortar with thirty-three grains sugar of milk, and after being mixed with a bone spatula, the mixture is pounded far a few minutes. Six is the number used by Hahnemann, and for the sake of uniformity that nhmber is generally adopted, after which it is detached from the bottom and 6P IMCi96PATW. 8.83 sides of the mortar, and again pounded for six minutee more. Thirty-three grains of the sugar of milk are then added, and the process is repeated as in the first instance, after: which another quantity of thirty-three grains of sugar of mIilk is again added, and the same course pursued, thus making the attenuation of 1, 100. The medicine thus obtained is preserved in a phial, securely stopped, and labelled with the name and the degree of attenuation. In this manner the attenuation is carried to the onemillionth part of a grain; and when a greater attenuation is required, the powders are dissolved in a mixture of alcohol and water. Vegetable juices, or extracts, are reduced to the state of a concentrated alcoholic tincture, of which a drop is mixed with ninety-nine of alcohol, and the medical properties developed by shaking. One drop of this delution being then shaken, is mixed with ninety-nine drops alcohol, and again shaken, and the same process is repeated until the required degree of dilution is obtained. In general, the dilution is carried to the decillionth part of a grain. When the tincture is diluted to the proper state, generally the thirtieth dilution, small globules of sugar of milk, or of common sugar and starch, are made to absorb it, and from forty to sixty of these are requisite for:the absorption of ~ne drop., A few of these make a coiiimon dose, buf the' iý ble'ing m tha~..but the size being sdsma. that they might be lost, they are generally inilosed'inýi a little powder of sugar of milk. 84A THEORY AND -PRACTICE Effects of Attenuation and Dilution. The means used by the homoeopathic physician in preparing his medicine,-the attenuations and dilutions by triturations and shaking,--devolop their properties in an extraordinary manner, giving to all of them a more penetrating action, and to some which before exhibited very little medical power, this communicates important properties. It is also an interesting fact, that the third trituration of any substance is always found to be soluble in diluted alcohol, and hence, it appears, that the power of action in medicaments, is developed in proportion as their cohesion is overcome. Charcoal, lycopodium, silex, and graphites, are amongst the substances which were considered almost inert, and which, as usually prepared, have certainly very little influence on the human organization, but: they become active agents in the manner just pointed out, and show powers which they were not previously supposed to possess. Nor does the objection receive the slightest support from physical and chemical facts; on the contrary, these sciences afford striking support to the doctrine of infinitesimal doses. Triturations may certainly be supposed to develop medicinal properties, even in substances which before seemed inert and powerless, when we know 4hat by friction alone the properties of certain bodies are brought into action, which else had remained latent and dormant. OF HOM(EOPATHY. 85 taloric and electricity furnish familiar illustrations of the effect of this; and we might prov4, by mathematical demoiistrations, that however far the attenuations may be carried, some portion of the medicinal substances must still be present. We might appeal tohoe recognized and well known fact, of the power of electricity and caloric, both imponderable substances in modifying such bodies as are submitted to their action. -There is nothing unreasonable in supposing, that long continued trituration in a mortai', or shakings in'a phial, may so modify the substances thus treated, as to develop in them a power over the human economy which was before inert or latent. From these considerations arose the doctrine of Hahnemann, that the brute matter of medicines thus lecome spiritualized, or the doctrine of the development of -the dynamic power of medicinal substances by friction. and concussion. Hence, tvo or three globules imbibed with thedilution which contains only the decillionth parit-of a" grain, will make the patient feel very sensibly the effect of the medicine, provided it is properly chosen. That jk provided the symptoms which it is capable of producing in a healthy subject are similar to those of the disease with which the patient is.aflicted. Principle of their ope ation. When any part of thedbody is affected by disease, that H 86 THEORY AND PRACTICE part becomes extremely sensible to the action of the most minute quantity of medicine, if that medicine be adapted to act upon., However powerful and robust may be the individual who is laboring under either chronic or acute disease, he speedily feels the impression produced by it, whatever part or organ may be affected by the malady. The effect of the smallest homceopathic dose would, indeed, be more felt by an adult under these circumstances, than by an infant exempt from them, and in perfect health, because it then affects the seat of the complaint almost exclusively; and that, being in a state of irritation, is predisposed to be strongly affected by any substance having the property of producing a like irritation. Thus it is well known, that when the eye is in a state of inflamation, light produces the most powerful effect upon it, and that a person into ill humor will be.thrown in absolute rage by some trifling additional annoyance, which, at another time, he would not have condescended to notice. And here it is important to observe, that in the ill humored person thus easily irritated by the slightest occurrence of a similar kind, no dissimilar event -nothing of a joyful kind, however powerful, will appease his anger. Such precisely is the difference, and it is an irreconcilable one, between the practice of the hommopathic and the a llopathic method with regard to the doses of medicine a difference which depends on the aptitude or inaptitude for the impression which the organism, in a state of discase, manifests for its similar or dissimilar irritant: and it OF HOM(EOPATHY. 87 is thus that the homceopathic law involves the principle of specific action. Finally, it must be remembered, that the diet which homceopathy prescribes, by rejecting the use of all substances which could exert any medicinal action, leaves to its minute doses, already so well calculated to act on an unerring principle, all the power which they, by their mode of preparation, possess. The action of these doses on the nervous system. The nervous system is the means by which all parts of the body are brought into communication with each other, in order to form one harmonious whole: and this system is evidently the means of transmitting, the effects of the medicines which are administered in homoeopathy. It is well known that it has been, and still is, the practice of the old school, to exhibit large doses of medicine, and either (antipathically-) to confide to the stomach the care of conveying them, by the slow process of digestion, absorption, and circulation, directly to that part of the body which is attacked by disease, or (allopathically) by disordering healthy parts to attack the disease indirectly. But by the homceopathic method, those medicaments, for which the system has the highest aptitude, are brought into contact with the papillm of the tongue, which is found to be sufficient, in all cases, to produce the desired effect; and, in some, smelling alone is enough, They thus todch, THEORY AND PRACTICE directly, the sentient root of the nervous tree, through which their power is conveyed to the whole system. Mr. Walker, the author of an elaborate work on the nervous system, is of opinion that the homceopathic doses cannot act either on the nerves of taste, or those of common sensation in the tongue, (the lingual branches of the trifacial, and of the glosso-pharyngeal nerves), because it is the general characteristic of nerves of sensation passing toward the brain, to be accompanied by consciousness, and to terminate in perception, which is not the common effect of homoeopathic doses. He nevertheless thinks, that our want of consciousness, and perception of the action of these doses, is still no argument against their acting on the nervous system, because it is' much more probable that they adt on the nervous system of life, than on that of the mind, namely: on the branches of the great sympathetic. It is certain that this system, which has its centres in the trunk of the body, sends branches out of it, which accompany all the great vessels, and which may be easily seen on the external iliac arteries, where they become femoral. The necessity for such accompaniment, he observes, is rendered remarkably evident, by branches of the nerve ascending from the trunk even to the brain, from which it is obvious, that if a cerebral nerve would have answered the purpose, it could have been far more easily supplied, But it is evident that the sympathetic and its branches, are everywhere the nerves of life, having their centres in Ot8 HOMmcOPATH6 89 the trunk, as those of mind have them in the head; that these branches, as they accompany the great trunks of the arteries accompany also the minutest capillary arteries, to every surface of the body; and that it is upon their extremities that the homoeopathic doses make those impressions of which, like all the acts of the vital system, we are necessarily unconscious. Be this as it may, the proofs of the facts which I advance are furnished by observation and experience. By this alone can be demonstrated the form in which medicine is most efficient in conquering diseases. These alone can prove the action of medicaments;--these alone can prove the mode in which they should be administered. The powerful effect of small doses, then, is a demonstrable fact, and their curative effect is also a fact which every one is at liberty to observe and verify. Whether this fact be singular and surprising, or whether it be in conformity or in contradiction to received medical doctrines, is not the question. New facts, new discoveries, overturn or modify hypotheses previously admitted, and harmonize with facts already known. Experience alone can be appealed to, to decide in such cases, and to experience we appeal for proof of the power of infinitesimal doses. As connected with this portion of the homoeopathic doctrine, which regards the nervous system, I should hero observe, that all who are acquainted with tlie history of the different schools of medicine, are aware that they form two great classes or systems, which have been named the n2 THE1MY AND PRACICE vital and the organic. The diseiples of the former startrnig: from the principle of the unity of life, and feeling deeply the importance of that unity as the great regulator of the functions of the human organism, pay little attention to the local changes which it undergoes: the followers of the latter, on the contrary, devoting their exclusive attention to the distinct function of each particular organ, think too little of the unity of life. Hahnemann's doctrine embraces both of these views of the human economy. None of the physicians who have preceded him, have held the principle of life in higher estimation than he has done. He unceasingly reminds us of the singleness and complete unity of that vivifying principle; but at the same time he displays the most persevering anxiety that every change which takes place in each particular organ, should be carefully studied. The physician is thus in possession of that which effects the patient generally, and of that which affects the organ in particular; and his remedies, prescribed as I have indicated, reach, specifically, the whole organic system. and each particulaT organ. The objections to infinitesimal doses answered. The extreme exiguity of our doses, for which no better term than infinitesimal, or atomic, has hitherto been found, has encountered much incredulity. Those who could invent nothing to oppose the doctrine that like cures like, 0P RHO1:COrATY. 91 have made this second discovery of Hiahnemann a subject of ridicule. But are we to consider all things of which we have hitherto been ignorant, as a parodox or an absurdity? Is the activity of medicinal substances, or the doses which homoeopathy prescribes, more repugnant to reason than the velocity with which light traverses spaceo* The remedies ate merely stripped of their bodies, of their matter, that the spirit may be employed, and that they may be rendered palatable. Are we not equally ignorant of the cause of the development of seeds committed to the earth; and do we, therefore, refuse to profit by the result? Certainly. An ob. jection against the possibility of such doses being efficient, has been raised upon the influence of imagination, by those who pefer talking or writing about what they do not know, to that of experiment, which always confers the surest knowledge. But these arguers, in the warmth of their zeal, overlook or are ign6tant of the:fact, that these doses are peculiarly effective with children, and even with domestic animals. It has, in the same spirit, and in the face of all facts, been asserted, that it is utterly impossible that medicaments so divided should produce any effect *By a calculation of the velocity of light, Syrius is supposed to be at least 54,224,000,000,000 niles from the earth. That which appears only like a thin and silve ry cloud streaking the heavens, is, in effect, composed of innumerable clusters of suns, each sliining with its own light, and illuminating numbers of planiets that revblve around them. Millions and millions of suns are ranged around us, all attended by innumierable worlds, yet calm, regular, and harmonlous, all leeping the paths of immutable necessity. W TIfOILY AND PRACTICE whatever. The objectors forget, that although the medica* ments are attenuated to a point which makes it impossible to recognise their color, taste, or smell, yet it does by no moans follow, that their qualities should be diminished in the same proportion. On the contrary, they are so much developed and augmented by the process already spoken of, that it is unnecessary, and it would, in some cases, be dangerous to administer them in larger quantities. I would ask those who thus refuse to admit the efficacy of such medicaments, because they are not visible to the eye or palpable to the touch, whether they can see, touch, or in any manner recognise the miasm or cause of cholera, of the smallpox, of scarlet fever, or of the plague? The answer must be in the negative; and yet it cannot be doubted that these fearful scourges are produced by some cause. Who, then, will deny the immense power of invisible and imperceptible causes? Why should our scepticism be reserved for the doctrine of the effects which palpable bodies (much attenuated, it is true, but of which a portion, however attenuated, still remains in our preparation,) are capable of manifesting upon the human organism.* *To what extent a body may be divided before we arrive at Its simple elementary atoms, we shall probably never be able to conjecture. If a piece of marble, or any other substance, be reduced to its finest powders, its original particles, or atoms, Will not be bruised or affected: and if the powder be examined by a microscope, each grain will be found a solid stone, similar in appearance to the block from which it is broken. A single grain of blue vitriol,.iulphate of copper, will communicate color to five gallons of water, in which ease the copper must be divided several millions of times, and yet each drop of the liquid may contain as many colored particles. OF HOMItEOPATHY. 93 Not only must the force of invisible causes be admitted, but also the effects of very minute applications. The physician has constantly before his eyes the effects of such applications. He knows the power of the smallest atom of the serpent's venom, and of the virus of the mad dog, of the wasp, and of many insects. He knows that the odour of musk, though almost imperceptible, will powerfully effect persons of a nervous constitution; that the slightest touch of prussic acids produce instant death; and that a particle of cowpox matter can preventan awful disease, which had, for ages, been the scourge of the human race. We would here insert the interesting remarks on emanations, by Dr. BELLANAYE, as it tends to illustrate and throw light upon our present subject.* Under the impression of friction, heat, clectricity, moisture, etc., numberless bodies have the property of throwing off odours more or less rapidly. Considering these as molecules of their substance with which they part, philosophers have justly given odoriferous bodies as Miracles may well be ascribed to men, who find, in a bushel of our commonest combustible coal, virtue to raise seventy millions of pounds weight a foot high; and who, by twenty-eight grains of powder, can rend a bar of iron which could have resisted the strain of forty thousand pounds. Whilst Nature (says Bellanaye) is seen to mould every form ofmatter from a iimited number of primary elements, and the decomposition of- one body seems but the preparatory process to the formation of another, human igno rance always lavishly wastes our resources. *The Sources of Health and Disease in Communities, or Elementary Views of Hygiene, illustrating its importance to legislators, heads of families, etc. by Henry Bellanaye, Esq., surgeon extraordinary to her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Kent. 94 THEORY AND PRACTICE examples of extreme divisibility of master; a grain of musk being supposed capable of throwing off perfume for a much greater period than is given to the most favored man to live. We shall lay the more stress on the latter circumstance, to show how much we should be on our guard against such of those bodies as are pernicious, since such is their diffusibility. By investigating the least important of emanations, and showing the influence which even that may possess over the vital functions, an idea may be conveyed of the im. portance of exhalations in a more extended view. One advantage which extra professional people may immediately derive from lucubrations like the present, is the being aroused by them to reflections on the character of the noervous system. Nervous is an epithet in general very vaguely applied. With most persons, it means every thing and nothing, while others, who think themselves better informed, fancy a nervous disease to be one in which there is, and must be, a palpable disorganization of a nervous fibrile or centre. Nervous affections, however, must, in every degroe, be positive, and in relation with some source of influence, although mostly to be ascertained by coincidence of the presence of a cause with the production of the effect; for often there is not any perceptible physical change discovered in the organization of the nerves themselves, where it would be expected.* A sudsThe brains of persons who have died of madness, often present no perceptible disorganization, or only such as in other persons produces no effect. OF HOMCEOPATHY. 95 den and violent moral affection may cause immediate death,* and is only a more violent agitation of the nervous system than that which produces the blush of ingenuous youth. A concentrated morbid emanation produces, in some cases, sudden death,t and powerful odors may act in the same manner. It is not more astonishing that a strong perfume should occasion synope, than that a small particle of v6aroora, being introduced into the wound in the leg of a rabbit, the animal should lie insensible beneath the knife of the physiologist;or, that a few drops, of poison being introduced on a man's tongue, or into his stomach, he should, in one instance, be violently purged, etc.,T-in the other, killed: in either case.with no greater interval of time than is necessary (if we may so express ourselves) for the nervous system to communicate *It is Well known that Philip the Fifth, of Spain, died suddenly on learning the disastrous defeat of the army near Plaisance. Zimmermann states, that oh opening the body, the heart was found burst. The minutest capillary tube, through which the vital current flows, is under the influence of mental perturbation. Shame will crimson the cheek:-- let the emotion be changed to fear, and the lily usurps the seat of the rose-the face is blanched and bloodless. Anger can rouse the vital organs into such preternatural activity, as to overcome, for a time, habitual decrepitude. Thus Muley Moloc, though lying on the bed of death, worn out by an incurable disease, and not expected to live an hour, started from his litter during the important crisis of a battle between his troops and the Portuguese, rallied his army, led them to victory, and immediately expired 1 These, and a thousand instances that might be cited may enable us to form some idea of the wide range of physical effects resulting from the almost unlimited play of the passions. A medical author, not wanting in learning and talent, has even endeavored to prove that fear is the cause of epidemicsa tThe reader has probably heard of an instance of a tailor being suddenly killed by the cholera in an epidemy whilst in the act of mending a garment. tWhen I practised allopathically, I once rubbed three drops croton oil in the pit of the stomach of a child, and it purged him at least a dozen times: 96 THEORY AND PRACTICE to the frame in general an indication of the presence of the poison. The phenomena of the nervous system have the greatest resemblance to those of electricity, from the rapid passage of the gentlest aura, to the transmission of electric fluid, which occasions the most violent shock.* In the time of Brerhave, marvellous attributes were assigned to the odoriferous principle; but human opinion, lever vibrating like a pendulum between two extremes, now either underrates or totally overlooks the influence of odours. The numerous experiments made on them by philosophers, are forgotten, or remain unapplied; and the organ of smell is considered only as it contributes to the comeliness of the countenance, or to the communication of pleasant or unpleasant sensations. Nature, however, has not been less elaborate in this than in other portions of the human body. The internal parts of the organs of smell, greatly convoluted-and sinuous, are thus contrived to expose a larger surface to the action of odours, the membrane upon which they act being near the brain, and communicating with it by peculiar and important nerves, etc. *The multiplicity of actions in living bodies, the immense variety of motions, the amazingly rapid progression of some of the smaller animals, the easy and graceful action of the dancer, the sweet smile of satisfaction, the laugh of merriment, the quivering lip of fear, the sarcastic sneer of scorn, the beating action of the heart, the ever labouring motions of breathing, etc, depend upon the agency of an electric fluid of the nervous system. Prof. Ure, Dr. Wilson Philip, and Mr. Brodie, have given, by experiments, decided proofs that thenerves are pervaded by some subtle principle, wbish hey infer to be identical with electricity. OF HOMCEOPATHY. 97 On the other hand, we possess abundant evidence of the ready and extensive diffusion of odours. The scent of some spicy and flowery lands is perceived at the distance of forty miles from their coasts; " 'And many a league, Cheer'd with the grateful smell, old Ocean smiles." So minutely subdivided are odoriferous substances, that in some, as in those that arise from asafoetida, each parti. cle has been calculated to be of a volume of only the 481,000,000,000,000,000,000th part of a cubic inch. Still, as Nature has given to our nervous system the power of appreciating so rare an emanation, and as some odours impart as much disgust as others afford pleasure, perfume cannot be merely an unimportant accessory part of bodies, bestowed on matter as elegance of form is, to flatter the sense; nor is it only to serve as a guide; for some of the most agreeable odours perniciously intoxicate the senses; and some foetid smells, as from a sewer, etc., though unwholesome, are less so than the baleful, though scarcely perceptible scent, arising from some marshy grounds. We might be led to suspect the importance of odour, from seeing how generally it pervades all created matter. Not alone does the vegetable world, but metals, and stones, also, emit odours: but that which is most familiar to us, is the scent evolved from all animals-that by which the predatory beast discovers his prey:-the bloodhound tracks his victim, and the sagacious dogof St. Bernards discovers the traveller buried beneath the snow. I 98 THEORY AND PRACTICE The exhalations of men, of the several quarters of the globe, are also different in smell. The traveller has unpleasant reminiscenses, of those peculiar to the negro, the Indian, and the Esquimaux. In youth, the odour exhaled by the human body is positively agreeable; but it is too often succeeded, of a later period, by one unpleasant and noxious, and demanding the continual remedies derived from our refined habits. This again is found to increase suddenly into fetidity, by agitation of the darker passions, as anger and fear, and still more infallibly from the first decline of health to the last stage of disease. An inherent odour appears to have been given to the higher order of animals, to excite them to sexual intercourse. Man, besides this stimulant, is excited to sexual passions by odours foreign to his system. This is, then, also, one of the numerous characteristics which we have in common with the creature of mere -instinct; circumstances not degrading man, but tending to the perfection of his physico-intellectual nature, and sometimes adding to those passions which constitute his moral probation. The luxurious and unmeasured use of odours has not ceased with the pagan era, or in the paphian temples; neither is it confined to the Zenana of the Eastern Odalisk: it is as much in vague among ourselves, and in this country; and we therefore shall give a few out of numberless examples of its pernicious, and sometimes fatal consequences. Our observations have already proved, that perfumes are worse than needless auxiliaries to youth and OF iOMIEOPATHY. 99 beauty, and that they may add to the effervescence of early passion in those who are but little aware of the nature of the exotic charm,--a charm the false prophet has not forgotten to place in his sensual paradise, and poets in the bowers of Circe and Armida. -If smoking stramonium relieves asthma, and reclining on a pillow of hops produces sleep, on the other hand also, the occasionally pernicious effects of odoriferous bodies cannot be doubted. In-a slighter degree it is seen in the fainting and headache produced by strongly perfumed flowers in close rooms. The unconscious apprentice of the chemist, when first pounding rhubarb and hellebore, learns, by experience, the properties of these drugs; their volatilized aroma purging as effectually as if he had swallowed a portion of their substance. Snuff takers, whose olfactory organs are rendered less sensitive by the constant use of a pungent plant, are frequently distressed by nausea if some new perfume be added to their snuff. We may conceive the effect that pungent odours must have on the susceptible nerves of the refined and sensitive, when we see the fury they produce in brute animals. It has happened sometimes in cattlefairs, that mischievous persons have scattered into the air pungent powders, by which the animals collected for sale were made so furious that they have broken downtiil barriers and eseaped, -after overthrowing, in their mad career, men and women, tents and booths. The read'r has no doubt heard of the existence of a fever called-iay 100 THEORY AND PRACTICE fever attacking delicate persons during the harvest of that fodder. Herodotus informs us that the Scythians became intoxicated by inhaling the vapour from the seeds of a kind of flax; and modern medicine has observed, that the odour alone of hyoscyamus, (henbane) particularly when its power is hightened by the action of heat, produces, in those who inhale it, a disposition to anger and quarrelling.* The Dictionaire de Medicine de L'Encyclopedie Methodique, (Tome 7, article Jusquiamme,) cites three examples in proof of it. The most remarkable, is that of a married couple, who, perfectly harmonious and affectionate everywhere else, could not pass a few hours together in a room where they worked, without engaging in the most bloody strife. The room was thought to be enhanted or bewitched. At length it was discovered that the whole blame of these terrible disputes was attributable to a large packet of the seeds of hyosciamus placed near a stove; and their removal caused a perfect restoration of peace. Two persons, sleeping in a granary containing the "seeds of hyosciamus, were attacked by stupor and violent "headache; and two others, in Saxony, are reported to " have become mad after breathing the smoke produced by *This remedy, tried on healthy persons produces the following mental aberrations: JMelanclwly, avoiding company, distrust, fleeing from home at night, fear of being sold or poisoned, inclination to laugh about every thing, loquacity, jealousy,furor with flinging, and inclination to murder: awkardness-ia eyery thing. OS H AOflH. 101 burning the same seed..Very 4g smells hae been occasionally supposed to produoe epil'psy.- The malva moschata causes, it is said,-.hysterici, attacks and the flowers of the - nerium oleander, and the.lily, have been fatal in more instances than one, after they had been long confined in a room: To "die of a rose in arbmatic. pain," is an idea that looses some of its facetiousness, when. we really find some young women (for example, the daighter of Nicholas I., Count of Salin, and of a Polish Bishop,.etc.,) dying immediately after respiring the perfume of heaps of those flowers, or of viole'ts Th6 joorns in which flowers are most diligently arthassed by our ladies of fashion, are generally the smallest: it is in.th- elegant penetralia of the boudoir that they. shbut them up. The heat there is favorable to the rapic[ eicitafion of odour from the dying plant: the atmospbher is-scarcely disturbed by a current, and seldom r'enewed,.whilst, in.their natural situation, the cooled-air moderates the -vaporation, and its undulation wa..s towards us a! diluted fragrance. ' There is no.occasion, perhaps, for farther illustration of the offects of.vegt.ab'e. perfume. Our readers must be acquainted,.by report, with that tree of Indian climes, whosb deoIley ch.aractQrhas become the theme of many a. touching tale, and beneath whose poisonous shade the "weary-ftraoeller sleeps, to rise no more. Nor are there.r.any whose historical recollections will not furnish them with"instances of death among great personages, caused 12 102 THEORY AND PRACTICE by perfumed articles of apparel. The German Emperoi Henry the Sixth; the wife of Henry the Fourth, of France; a.Prince of Savoy'; a king of Naples, ect.; are stated, in the history of the times, to have been killed by perfumed gloves, handkerchiefs, etc. Without vouching for the truth of statements which may appear too equivocal, they prove the popular opinion of mankind for centuries:-and if we reproach past ages with an excess of credulity, the times from which we have just emerged, were not less marked by an universal scepticism. The pure truths of philosophy are to be found in either extreme; and those who are really earnest in their search, must begin by discarding every preconceived prejudice. Whether produced by the working of the volcanos, whose subterranean communications extend under a great part of the globe, or from other causes, the earth itself, in many places, spontaneously throws out vapours and gases, the carbonic and sulphurous being the principal and most destructive to human lifo. The "Solfatara,'7 the " Grotto del Cane," have furnished a hackneyed story to each successive traveller in Italy; but a more fearful exemplification appears to have been lately found in an island in the Indian seas. Travellers have there come to a boundary of hills overshadowing a valley, within whose limits it appears impossible to live. The bones of men and animals, bleaching, as far as the eye can reach, in the sun, give fearful testimony of the character of this real Golgotha. All who have ventured there, soon un OP tOMXEOPATHY. 108 able to advance or retreat, have expiated their rashness or ignorance by immediate death. The curious and powera ful effect of gases on the human economy, is well worthy of study. This palpable influence is early felt, since at one time we see the most robust persons, when exposed to a particular emanation, thrown into a fatal lethargy others, of the most serious character, when they have breathed another gas, thrown into convulsions of laughter, and performing the most grotesque antics. But emana. tions are often acting as invisible enemies upon our health and spirits when we are least awareof them or their influence; and if we have not discrimination to discover, and knowledge to enable us to remove the cause, vainly shall we resort to every other remedy for our distress. We shall not expatiate on several other emanations, comparatively unimportant, but no less curious, and, in some instances, of beneficial operation on the human frame; such as those arising from fresh meat, and other articles of food to which our butchers and victuallers are supposed to be partly indebted for their portliness and good lookssingular instances, if well founded, of the control exercised on our bodies by surrounding medial The atmosphere of spots inhabited by living beings is, says Fodeere, if we may be allowed the expression, but a confused assemblage of all that has passed from the solid to the fluid, or to the soluble state, through the agency of heat--of effluvia exhaled incessantly from the bodies which the air surrounds, penetrates, dissolves odoriferous 104 T1Htonr A-ND PnAcTlic matter, consisting of numberless molecules,.emanated frotn perfumed bodies; water vaporised, or in a state of suspena sion; elastic fluids, constantly produced by new combinaa. tion; smoke arising from the burning of so many different combustible bodies; of dust thrown into the bosom of the atmosphere by so many arts of necessity, and by friction; all of which carried away to some distant spots, are desd tined to become the nuclei of new bodies. Nature's great powers are concentrated in atoms. Repetition of the medicament, with some other remarks essential for the homoeopathic practitioner. In the routine ofallooopathic practice, whethor the patient submit to the law of contraries, and therefore have recourse to narcotics or sanguine emissions, or whether he adopt the perturbativo or revulsive method, and consequently employ emetics, purgatives, blisters; the difficulty of applying them, and the proper time for their repetition) have always been considered by medical men, as among the most difficult and critical points in the art. Now, in homceopathy, although we have no longer to dread the porplexities respecting the method of treatment, still the young practitioner has many difficulties to overcome before he will- be versed in choosing properly his remedy, the time of repeating it, and the application of a higher or lower dilution..',,., OF HOMCEOPATHY. 105 "-In the early dawn of this practice, the immortal founder of homceopathy recommended to his pupils to allow the action of one dose of a homceopathic remedy become completely,exhausted before another or a second remedy be exhibited. He made the observation that one large dose, or several smaller ones, given at short intervals,-did not allow the vital power to react in a proper degree, for the disturbance occasioned to the constitution by large doses, *or repeated small ones, of the best selected medicament, becomes in a manner permanent, or is renewed each time *that the vital strength recovers its tone, and reacts so as to render it impossible to obtain a happy result. These reasons induced Hahnemann to recommend caution with the repetitions, and also with the applications of lower dilutions, or triturations of homoeopathic remedies.Whilst he, on the contrary, assured us that the highest dilutions such as thirty, would quite answer our purpose. I must'observe, however, that though it should appear in practice, that in some slight cases of sickness, one of these small doses is enough to produce almost all the effects expected from the medicament, especially in the, case of very young children, or of older persons of very sensitive and irritable constitutions, yet it is equally certain, that in many cases, and indeed in most cases, whether in serious, acute, or in chronic diseases, which have lasted for a long time, and the very nature of which has been subverted by improper medicines, one dose does not suffice, but requires 106 THEORY AND PRACTICE several doses to raise the vital reaction to its requisite power. Dr. AEgidi was the first who recommended repetition of the remedy in order to accelerate and establish a cure. Prof. Wolf concurred in his opinion, considering the repetition of doses essential in most all acute and chronic maladies. This drew the attention of the physicians to the subject. -Hartmann was the first who cites a chronic malady which he treated successfully by repeating the.same dose seven times. Finally, the cholera provided us with valuable data regarding the repetition of the doses, and it was in consequence of the experience -gained by the treatment of this scourge, that the venerable founder of homoeopathy was led to modify some of his former prin. ciples. In acute diseases, the proper time for repetition may be determined by the greater or less degree of the malady in proportion to the urgency of the case. The remedy may be repeated in the 24, 18, 12, 4, or 2 hours, until a decided change has taken place. In dangerous maladies like cholera, typhus, yellow fever, the remedy might be repeated as often as every five or ten minutes. Intermittent diseases which prevail either in a sporadic or in an epidemic manner. The attack, or paroxysm of the disease, is equally composed of two alternate hani OQFHEO3FATHY.0 107 contra'y states, cold and heat, or heat and cold, and most frequently of three states, cold, heat, and perspiration, The best time for the application would be immediately, or at least very soon after the paroxysm. It would be a gross mistake to give the remedy before the fever paroxysm, because it excites the system to a too active, reaction. In many dangerous fevers) which may endanger life in the first paroxysm, the attack has to be prevented, such are the febres comitatae'stipdtae, apoplecticae, febres cephalalgice comatosae. Febres intermittentes, whose -apyrexy is very short, the homoeopathic -remedy has to be- exhibited as soon as the sweating, or otheir symptoms indicating the termination of the attack, begin to decline. From the first. year of my homoeopathic practice, I had been so strongly impressed with the law of similarity, that I do not consider it only as the best guide for the choice 'of a proper remedy, but as the surest way to become acquainted with the rules of its application. This proposition requires some-explanation t6 be clearly understood., We have said, that -the remedy ought to excite in a healthy pei'son, phenomena analagous to the disease it intends to cure. "But to fulfil this condition, it will be necessary that the'reimedy be adapted, to each individual, as well with respect to the symptoms as with respect to. the strength of the dose, and its repetition. 108 THEORY AND PRACTICE Each case mustbe studied by itself, each must be treated distinctly, and the nature of each must lead to the discovery of the remedy, the dose, and-the repetition. It is thus that the physician must display his most enduring attention, andgive proof of his practical talent. There is, amonghomoeopathic physicians, differience in opinion in relation to the selection of a higher or lower dilutioi of a remedy; but the truth is, that cures may be effected with all kinds of dilutions, with decillionths as well as with drops not diluted. The main point is, that the dose be adjusted to the excitability of the patient, In this nice point it is, that' the talent of the physician -reveals itself,-a talent which can neither be imparted or reduced to any final rule, but which must be acquired by experience and observation. In chronic affections, the symptoms are often confused, obscure, and difficult to appreciate,,and require the minutest attention. The enquiry must be most iigidly conducted, and the minutest details must be entered into. In these maladies, the patientshave become so habituated to their condition, that they attach little or no importance to slight symptoms. These, however, not unfrequently characterize the complaint, and necessarily assist to determine the remedy. -It would be superfluous to point out the difficulties incidental to this minute, exact:, and severe system prescribed by Hahnemann, and confirmed by experie.ae as essential to sticcess. 'OF HOMOEOPATHY. 109:Practice alone can convince the physician how acute inust be his observation in tracing the countless varieties and shades of difference in diseases which afflict our species. This mode -of investigation,.the outlines of which we have just proclaimed, is, in some measure, adopted by every close observer, but by none so fully as Hahnemann. lHe it was, who first indicated the propriety of noting the distinct and peculiar characteristic of each casa; and thereby conferred upon each an individuality. This method, then, being at once the most precise, as well as the most complete, must be put in force. The practitioner, however, while studying the rules laid down by Hahnemann, will not be able, at all times, to follow, undeviatingly, the order prescribed, but will occasionally be induced to invert this methodical sequence. He will, therefore, vary his measures according to circumstances; and by his tact determine the particular form which the enquiry should assume. It is important, however, that he be guided by the spirit of the method, and he will invariably achieve his aim, provided he bear in mind, that it is comprised under the "three following heads: 1. The information furnished by the patient and his friends. 2. Their replies to the questions of the physician. 3. The changes which the physician himself will be enabled to detect. J 110 THEORY AND PRACTICE Although the aggregate of symptoms constitutes our guide in the treatment of diseases, it does not follow, when those symptoms have been collected the investigation is at an end. To form a correct diagnosis, it is not alone sufficient to obseirve a confused mass of symptoms: we must study their connection and combination-their natural influence--relative worth. In studying disease, experience teaches that morbid symptoms are far from possessing uniform importance. Their relative value must, therefore, be weighed by the physician, and each arranged under a distinct catagory. Certain symptoms are inherent or fundamental: others incidental and dependent upon the former. Fundamental symptoms are those which, correctly speaking, constitute the disease itself, indicating the organ, apparatus, or organic system first and principally attacked, in which the affection, though general, may have more particularly taken its stand, and from which it pervades the frame. The symptoms which are not permanent, and which are termed incidental, are numerous, and occupy the next station in the enquiry. They are developed in consequence of other more important lesions. They are indicative of organs not deeply affected, but suffering sympathetically: they appear, disappear, and return: they assume other forms; and frequently, in dissimilar ailments, they exhibi 1 the same phenomena. Notwithstanding the versatility of these sy mptoms, the OF HOMEOPATHY. 111 practitioner must not leave sight of them, if at times they avail little in detecting the actual malady. At other times, by their sympathetic relations, the physician is enabled to individualize the case; and they prove serviceable in exhibiting the constitutional tendencies of the patient, and in determining the choice of a remedy. As it is an acknowledged truth, that the discovery of the cause of the disease is the first step towards the cure, the physician will naturally apply himself to that object; and if successful, will endeavor to remove it. Notwithstanding the importance of an enquiry into the cause of a disease, we must guard against the conclusions derived from this branch of medical study. The exciting causes, in many instances, are unknown; and we have but little or no acquaintance with the origin of epidemics, of measles, -scarlet fever, smallpox, cholera, etc.* *Among those, says Dr. Ticknor, who have been contending for victory and notoriety in the'profession, there have occasionally been seen some honest laborers after truth; - those whose primary object it was to clear away the'rubbish of former theories, and amid their wreck, to seek whatever material there might be fit for a more durable edifice, and lay its foundation upon a wider, firmer, and more permanent basis. The theories that have been framed to account for the proximate cause of typhus fever, and the consequent treatment of the disease, may be adduced as the fate of all or nearly all fabrics of a kindred character. The humoral doctrine of Boerhaave (which erroneous, most disgusting practice, alluding to purgatives, keeps its sway even in the present time.) was succeeded by. the nervous doctrine of Cullen, whose splendid reign was, in its turn, terminated by the appearance of the cerebral doctrine of-Clutterbuck, wyJich was, againdestroyed by the omnipresence of the gastroenterie doctrine of Broussais, whose glory is suffering a partial eclipse by the dothinentericdoctrine of Brettoneap, Boullaud, Andral, Louis, and others of the:French masters. The contrariety of practice consequent upon such disorepent theories,-the, antiseptics and antacids of one school, the antispasmodics and diaphoretics by another, the cordials and stimulants by a third, whilst the whole of these remedies are condemed by a fourth class of physicians, 112 THEORY AND PRACTICE The doctrine of Hahnemann happily provides thae means of resisting the dreadful effects occasionally resuiting from unknown causes. For this we are indebted to the great fundamental and guiding law, similia simili,bus. Of late years, physicians have entered upon a new branch of medical science to perfect their knowledge of disease. I allude to pathological anatomy. Pathological anatomy exhibits# after death, the most striking and remarkable results of disease, and the changes which the affected organ has undergone. It enables us to compare the abnormal tissues with the healthy ones) and by a scientific estimate of those changes, it may, by induction, and by a comparison of those lesions with the symptoms during life, lead us to determine how those organs are affected, and will become a safe guide in simi. lar cases. In a majority of instances, pathological anatomy can accomplish nothing beyond this, for it frequently happens that an autopsie yields but very imperfect information.This is especially the case in nervous- affections, whose chief remedy and sole hope consists in leeches to- the head, or some part of the abdomen, etc.,-is but a fair specimen of the uncertainty and fluctuation that has ever attended the practice of the healing art. Such air aspect of affairs may well excite the attention of a philosophic mind, and' raise the trite but important query, ''Who shall decide when doctors disagree." It is needless, in this place, to take a more extended view of the multitude of theories that have prevailed since medicine became a science. They have all shared the same fate; and, like other remnants of antiquity -like the Indian mounds in the distant west of our country, or the crumbling walls and moss grown ruins of other lands,-serve as mementoes of past ages. OP HOM1EOPATHY 113 In most instances, pathological anatomy becomes supplementary, leading its aid in the diagnosis. The assemblage of symptoms, the circumstances under which they appear and disappear, are aggravated or relieved: and the causes producing disease constitute what the homceopathic physician denominates tho nature of the affection; and no other method can exemplify it so completely, and with so much fidelity. In this system nothing is left undetermined-nothing left unoxplained; neither is there any useless hypothesis, rigid observation being the basis upon which the judgment is established. Having proceeded thus far in his research, the physician can determine whether the affection is general, or merely local; wheth3r acute or chronic; or whether participating in both these characteristics. Those diseases may be considered acute which are, for the most part, sudden in their appearance, and brief in their duration; and which are referable to atmospheric phenomena, ingesta, and moral impression. Over those diseases, the vital energies alone will frequently triumph. Occasionally, however, from their intensity, the vital powers are overpowered, and, in default of prompt assistance, life would be destroyed. Chronic maladies require great skill to eradicate the cause of the malady. The symptoms produced by these diseases change their seat and character not only in different individuals, but in the same person at different periods of life. j2 114 THEORY AND PRACTICE The third class is but a complicated disease, and comprises, as the name explains, a combination of acute with chronic affection, and therefore requires no farther explanation. In this classification, the physician, invariably guided by observation, lays down for himself new divisions and subdivisions. Thus an acute disease may be either sporadic, infecting but few individuals at a time, or it may be endemic, confining itself to a particular locality, or epidemic, spreading its contagion over large districts, whether the exciting cause be apparent or concealed: moreover, it may be produced by the abuse of certain medicines, or by the voluntary or involuntary exhibition of poisons. From what has been stated, it will be seen that the system of Hahnemann does not exclude classification of diseases, so far as it is subservient to the choice of a remedy: but in this the predominant symptoms and necessary circumstances, rather than the existing nosological classification, must be the guide to the homreopathic practitioner. It is possible that homceopathy will, at some future period, cease to be limited to the classification it has already adopted, and will possess a systematised nosology suitable to its advanced position in medical science. Hahnemann, however, acted judiciously in rejecting the minuter classifications of the present day, as their tendency is to mislead the student, by teaching him to rely more on names given to certain groups of morbid or HOMCOPAorH. 11 115 symptoms, than to the actual character and individuality of each malady; and moreover, diverts his views from the perceptible manifestations of disease for the vain search after its nature or essence, (causa proiimna.) It must here be. stated, that neither Hahnemann nor his disciples have ever denied that there are certain groups of symptoms denoting such diseases of nosologists as pleurisies, pneumonia, diabetes, etc., but only that these denominations are too vague and too general, and therefore insufficient to mark the individuality which ought to distinguish each case, and consequently are inadequate to direct the homoeopathic practitioner to the choice of the.specific remedy. It must not, however, be inferred, that we presumptuously and absurdly reject, as useless, the important' discoveries of our predecessors in pathological investigation. On the contrary, the valuable store of facts which they have accumulated, are as fully appreciated by us, and are as essential to the homoeopathic physician, as to any other school of medicine. We dissent from their nosological nomenclature, wherein particular groups of Symptoms receive names which suggest erroneous ideas, and consequently lead to the blind administration of remedies. Homoeopathy requires a well digested and methodical symptomatology, of which a brief and imperfect sketch has been attempted in the preceding pages, but which, nevertheless, serves to show that each case of a complicated disease is marked by its own 116 THEORY AND PRAO'flCd peculiarities, and therefore requires medicinal treatment in accordance with its particular diagnosis. It is manifest, that by the rigid investigation which is here enforced, the homoeopathic practitioner will not only escape the errors incidental to the allaopathic school, but will, moreover, obtain a faithful image of the malady, however complicated or deeply seated it may be; the cause, if attainable; and the symptoms, with their infinite variety and shades; the circumstances which influence them; the idiosyncrasy of the patient, are all tributary to this object. It is only by subscribing to these rules that the practitioner can arrive at the successful application of the grand law of nature, similia similibus curantur. In reviewing what has just been stated, as regards the invalid, it will be seen that the different symptoms may be classed under three important heads, viz: 1. The symptoms affecting his moral tendencies. 2. Those influencing the intellectual faculties. 3. Those connected with his organic economy. It is impossible to institute a careful examination of the patient without admitting this three-fold tendency of his symptoms. These receive endless modifications from the disease. It is for this reason that we observe a man of the mildost temperament become irritable, haughty, passionate and implacable when under the influence of ill health. What are the data by which the physician ought to be governed in the application of his remedies? OF HOMcEOPATHY. 11-r In this pursuit, the physicians ought, above all things, to feel, that in dispensing homoeopathic medicaments, it is. intended to aid the healing power of nature, as evidenced in the symptoms, in order that this may subdue the evil which is oppressing life, and consequently restore the equilibrium of the functions. It is evident, therefore, according to this reasoning, that the remedy must be prescribed in a dose sufficiently strong to lend this aid, and that we ought to avoid, as much as possible, the giving more of the remedy than may be required,for doses too strong and too frequent carry the vital reaction to too high a pitch, and produce a dangerous commotion in our functions. Thus, by experiments repeated a thousand times, we know that minute doses are best adapted to assist vital reaction; and is, therefore, among this number, that the physician will have to select his dose. Clinical experience teaching us every day the respective activity of each and every remedy, this datum also comes to our aid in fixing the dose. Finally, we possess the data furnished by the patient himself, from whom we learn, that he is endowed with a lively sensibility, and great susceptibility to impression, or else that he is almost insensible to the action of medicinal, and other agents, which might principally proteed from the abuse of drugs. According to the sum of all these various data, we have to settle the power of the dose, which can never be absolute, 118 THEORY AND PRACTICE but constantly variable, according to the nature of the complaint, the activity of the remedy, and the age, sex, and constitution of the patient. Dispense, therefore, homceopathic remedies, by beginning at the highest attenuations, in order to learn the susceptibility of the patient. 'Choose, accordingly, the 30, 24, 16, or lower dilutions. Experience will inform you whether the doses ought to be kept up at the same dilutions, or whether you will have to replace them by stronger or weaker ones. In the repetition of the doses, the primitive action of the remedy, and the. vital reaction, will serve for our guides. As to the sequel of your procedure, I cannot do better than to quote some views of Dr. JEgidi. After the taking of the medicament, one of these two cases must ensue: A. No alteration in the state of the patient. B. An alteration in the state of the patient. The situation of the state of the patient comprehends three cases: 1. Alteration in the group of the symptoms afecting the patient. 2. Improvement. 3. Aggravation. Sometimes it is seen that, in spite of the best selected medicaments, and the most proper doses, the state of the patient evinces no change which might induce the belief that the system is devoid of all susceptibility to homoeopathic agents. In this case, we must repeat the dose at OF HONIEEOPATH. 119 greater or less intervals, according to the suseeptibility of the patient to the medicament, until we, have produced a sensible homoeopathic aggravation, which will be followed by a marked improvement. There are maladies in which a frequent repetition of the remedy is absolutely necessary. Such are complaints which show a paucity of symptoms, as barrenness, chillblains, wens, certain chronic exanthemata;-in all local maladies, which manifest themselves by one striking symptom. In want of reaction by a proper application of homoeopathic remedies, many practitioners recommend, electricity, after which the system becomes more fit for the impression of homoeopathic remedies. B 1. In the first case, the change in the group of symptoms is a proof that the medicament has not been well selected. It must, therefore, be speedily replaced by a better. 2. In the second case, the medicament is seen to act in a salutary manner; and it would be very unwise not to wait for the term of this improvement without giving another dose. The slow progress of the improvement would not be a reason for giving any thing new, for we should only obtain an injurious effect from the first result. It not unfrequently happens, that the first dose of a well selected medicament produces a complete cure. This will take place when the disorder is not very serious, and especially when the patient has not been subjected already 120 THEORY AND PRACTICE to the baneful influence of patent medicinal mixtures. So long, then, as the first action of the remedy is visibly manifest without being too strong, 'do not interrupt it: so long as the vital reaction, the specific result of the remedy, is favorable, and strongly marked, let this repairing power work out its good effects, and do not disturb its salutary action. 3. In the third case, the state of the patient is apparently worse. The characteristic symptoms have become more intense, without changing their form. This is called homoeopathic aggravation. It must not, however, from the use of the word aggravation, be supposed that the disease has received an accession of intensity: it is the symptoms that are aggravated, not the disease. Patients, after having taken a homoeopathic medicine, frequently observe that the organs where the disease is lodged, and even other parts which before appeared in perfect health, betray symptoms of visible alteration or functional disorder. These symptoms are the result of the power of the medicine, and show that it.has begun to act on the diseased parts, and on other parts of the constitution, in order to ensure the curative reaction. This medicinal action is, therefore, very different from an aggravation of the disease. To effect the removal of the latter would require the assistance of an appropriate remedy, whilst the former, from inducing such necessity, terminates in the relief ~ e I~F ROHMCEOPAT71 1S21 aafjhe,..a 4eati.nt h, medicinalqac tiOh operates -inpro' portion to the strengh:of the a e -the patient, and his susceptibility. Hence, the strohger the dose is made-, the more this action will be, seen; and if the pa1iert be youthful, and open to impressions, the. mnre iemarkable it will xppear 2 ' Tlhe qctipn neqd not lbe very,percetibla to be salatary; consequently we shaould alwvay- endeavor -to produce it in as, mild a 4pree as wecan; and it frequently- happens that byijargely, diluting medicines, br by mixing them -vith water, this homopa.tbic aggi'avtion isnotfelt at all. From what, Ihave just said, it will be foreseen, that, in casp acute, dTease, the medicinal action, honweopathic aggravation must be very speedy in showing itself, and equally prompt to disappear. Often; indeed, in a few minutes after the ingestion of the remedy, the patient begins to feel its effects, but soon afterwards, especially when pain has caused suffering, a light and peaceful sleep declares th6 curative action of the remedy; and the patient, especially if a child, awakes in a state of improvement which.promises an early recovery In chronic maladies, the action of the. medicine is much slower. It often takes several days to enable' you to perceive that the remedy is acting;, and, in general, it is only by the same slow degree that the salutary effects of reaction of the medicine-is made apparent. Enough has now- been said to explain that which is called homceopathic aggravation. It is merely an aggravaK 122 THEORY AND PRACTICE tion of symptoms, and-by no means of the disease itself, a material point to be -rightly understood, that the physician may not confound the actual disease with the action of the curative agent. This action, though too great, may be left to die away, unless it be too violent, or too continuous; and in the latter case, the proper antidote pointed out in the. materia medica must be given. By following this course, the physician will have the pleasure to bring about the cure of his patient in a much shorter time, more certainty, and more effectually, than it was possible to effect at the commencement of homceopathic practice, in which it very frequently happens, that the physician, bewildered by doubts, had not the experience and the rules since acquired, to point the way. OF HOM(EOPATHY. 123 REGIMEN. Though I look old, yet I am strong and 7usty; For in my youth I never did apply Hot and rebellious liquors in my blood: Nor did not, with unbashful fore/ead, woo The means of weakizess, and debility. Therefore my age is as a lusty winter-- Frosty, but kindly. "By being old when I was young; I find myself young now I am old," As youlLike it, act II., scene 3. The 'object of the physician in subjecting a patient to a certain regimen, is. not to cure his disease, but merely to dispose his system to receive the salutary influence of an appropriate remedy. Before prescribing for a patient any mode of living, the physician should, therefore, reflect what circumstances of this kind there are, which may favour the use of intended medicaments, and iiwhat medicaments may obstruct their effects. The patient's regimen must be considered in two distinct relations:. 1st, the things which the physician ought to advise; and, 2d, those which he ought to prohibit. In order to diiect his choice, and enable him to enter those in two corresponding lists, he must, as a general rule, recommend only such things 124 THEORY AND PRACTICE as are nutritive, and not medicinal-those which promote the most natural distribution of the vital power- and he must prohibit those which would throw it into disorder. By having his mind impressed with these simple rules, the physician will be enabled to prescribe a good system of regimen for his patients; and it is under their guidance that we shall now consider this portion of our art. We shall accordingly have to examine, 1. The' aliments derived from the vegetable kingdom, 2. Those derived from the animal kingdom. 3. Drinks.. 4. Spices; 5. The air, Sand atmospheric influences. 6. Exercises, walking, daicing, carriage riding, riding on horseback, gymnastic exercises.: Vegetable Food-. The basis of most people's nourishment is, undoubtedly, borrowed from the vegetable kingdom. We have every reason for believing that the fruits of the earth constituted, originally, the only food of man. And even at the present day, we know that the Hiridoo lives almost exclusively on rice and water.* In Ireland, a great proportion of the poor subsist on potatoes, with a small addition of oaten bread, while the labouring classes, in many districts of Scotland, nourish their robust frames on oat-meal, with * The inhabitants of the isles of Pagues, those of New'Spain, and the: Dalearlians, according to Sporrrnan, live solely upon vegetables. OP 10M1EOPATHY. 125 Occasionally. the addition of milk. Corn affords a species of food in, universal use. Wheaten bread is the most perfeet of all,alimentary substances, and therefore the most putritious and wholesome food. This is evinced by the feeling of strength and comfort which succeeds its use; and some degree of the same feeling is produced by every substance really, nutritious which is apt to be assimilated with our frames, and which is free from noxious and medicinal properties. It is- by contrary symptoms that we detect/those substances, espegially if taken too copiously, which are ioft simply nuti'itious. Macarroni, vermicelli,.sago, salep, arrowroot,- French $eans, peas, lentiles, when well prepared are excellent aliments. Very ripe melons, but in small quaotities, may be allowed to patients whose digestion is sound; but in case of 'weakness of the digpstive organs, it ought to be prohibited. Strawberries and gooseberries, when'perfectly ripe, or reduced to- a jelly; rasberries, apricots, peaches, grapes, cherries, pears, apples in short, all fruits of a good quality not sour.and gerfetly ripe, in some cases, baked or dressed with sugar, t.re very.proper. -. Animal Food. SMan is, omnivorous; that s tosay, he j. destinedby nature to live uDon v egetablo and animal subs tances, and not entirely upon the former. The natural appotite which x2 126 THEORY AND PRACTICE all persons have for meat, would alone be sufficient tg establish the truth of this assertion; but it is also proved by the structure of the digestive organs, and by the real inconveniencies that arise from the entire use of either vegetables or viands. Beef is, of all butchers' meat, the one generally found best adapted to the health of man. It, perhaps, best assimilates with our organs; and, as almost every nation pefers it, its consumption is greater than that of any other moat. We are less apt to grow fired by beef. All other kinds of meat, in spite of their natural relish and thd flavour they acquire in skilful hands, soon cloy the app& tite and disgust the stomach, probably because they do not possess the same affinity with our organization. If we are under the necessity of continuing to eat them, disgust is soon followed by disorder of the function. All other flesh requires to be much more frequently varied and-intermingled with other substances. Mutton may almost ber ranked along with beef, as it apparently assimilates readily with our organs. Ham, -in consequence of the preparation it undergoes, is more easy of digestion, by a vigorous stomach, than other kinds of pork, and' on that account, it may sometimes be allowed' to the patient able to digest it; but it should even then be sparingly used. The flesh of the hare and roebuck may very properly be admitted into homceopathic regime. Being highly animalized, it is in every respect suitable. The various kinds of poultry may be allowed during treatment; but as their flesh is 6P oMOPAio HtHY. 121 lo't sufficiently animalized, and too mucilagenous, they must be used with moderation. The woodcock, partrige, pheasant, wild duck, ard wild goose, are infinitely better than the birds of the poultry yard. Both sea and river fish fiurnish wholesome food very easy of digestion, and they are properly given to patientsg provided they are not too often used. DRINKS. Water. Health can as little be supported without pure water ai Without pure air. When either of those fluids deteriofated by admixture with foreign tatter, dsease will be a common, if not a constant resident. The ancients were well aware of this fact, when they went to such expense in procuring good water from great distances. Common water, says the celebrated Hufeland, possesses powers which we but little know to appreciate. It appears io be the character of man to love and cherish any thing artificial, and to ufidervalue and disregard simpie means, because they are simple. Pure water is certainly a great remedy fror a number of maladies. Tournefort mentions a Venetian Consul who resided at Smyrna, that lived to the age ef 118 years. This gentleman never drank any thing but water. The lattbr is said also to have been the universal and only drink of the New Zealanders, 'PAW 28 THEORY AND PRACTICE who enjoyed' the most perfect and uninterrupted health, Not a single individual was- seen by Capt. Cook, that had' any bodily complaint, nor one upon whose skin any eruption was visible, or the least sore which indicated that any had formerly existed. It may also here be noticed, asl an inducement to drink water, that two of the most athletic individuals of antiquity as well as a modern hero, whose intrepidity was long the admiration of all Europe, were among the practical advocates of this wholesome beverage. That water is not an incentive to vice like spirituous or even vinous drinks, and that its votaries are invariably exempt from the danger of ebriety, has been observed by Shakspeare. '"Honest. water," says the bard of nature, "is too weak to be a sinner; it never left man in the mire," whereas, ' wine," Solomon assures us, "is a mocker; strong drink is raging; and. whoever is, deceived thereby is not wise.".- Who hath sorrow? "-They," says the wise king, "that tarry long at the wine." Since the first dawn of the healing art, the efficacy of this simple remedy, in a number of diseases, acute as well as chronic, has been extolled by ancient as well as modern physicians. When all- other. remedies failed to cure the disease, wafer alone would often do wonders. I have myself made ample use of this excellent remedy in the cholera, in Rotterdam, in 1833, '34 and '35, and the successful result, in many cases apparently hopeless, was beyond my expectation. Perhaps it may not be considered superfluous by medi OP HOMCEOPATHY. 12 i2o cal men, if I were to give afew extracts of anciont authors on th6 application of cold water in diseases, in order to,show what good mayr be done with simple means. Fridirich Hoffmann says, si medicarientum, iii universa rerumn natura datu~r (invenitur) quod -universale meretur, (mereatur,) certe-illud non aliud, nostro, quidem, judicio-, est q uam Iaqua communis. H4uius -tam communis tamque necessai~ius est USUS, ut sine ea nec vivum, nec integruni corpu-s -nostrum manere possit: quin et Ioninis generis 2nzrbus greet, corpus stinum tuetu~r, illudque ab omni cor-ruptio'nb qune vitaer inimicissima est defnid'it. Preeterea usus aquae bmnibus in curan-do in'dic-ationibus sat'is-facit,adeo,-Iit- sine'hac, -nulla passio sive acuta sive chronica. felie idsriap'oss'et profligari'. Disc'iteo quarn parvo liceat p~rocedere vitain E t ''q u a ht Um natura pe~tat, non eriglit negros..Nobil-is ig~n'ato' Liffastus consuc -1Bacehus; Non auro, murrhaque6 bibu'nt,' sed gurgite puro Vita redit; satis. Ost pop'ulis- fluviusqu'e ceresque. Luc. Phars. IV., 317, 381. -Sequitur horror et concusistizs totr'us corpo'A's a frigidis.. si-me aqua applicata'. -Postea or-itur calor', rubor "pulsus fortio r et celer-ior *s'ique lectum p'etat ho'mo,' post im'ersionemr in aqujgm frigid'am, -sole~t plerumq~u'eseq'ui inagnus sudor. -Haec de Paralysi. - -Swieten 1II., 1069. int'r simplicissim~a que mobsicr6dibilem, ferre 130 THEORY AND PRACTICE solent opem, remedia praestantissimurn est aqua simiplew% naturali frigiditate largius hausta: qua sola atrocissimas convulsiones profligatas vidi. Ea namque levitate ac fluiditate sua miinc corp~oris nostri vascula penetrat cruorem sanguinenz magis jiuxilein reddit partcs roborat, humores atque vwnpores acres involvit (?) ac le niorem excitando sudorom secum e cdrpore duxit. J-Ioffrnann Med. Rat. syst. tom.. IV., Pars. III., p. 69. Si ardens febris extorret, nulla medicamenti danda potio est, sed in ipsis accessionibus aqua refrigerendus est (aeger.) Etiam amplo conclavi tenendus est, quo multum *et purum aerem trahere possit, neque multis vestimentis strangulendus sed admodum levibus tantum velandus est. Possunt etiam super stomachum imponi folia vitis in aqu.a frigida tincta. Quum vero in summo incremento morbo est, frigida aqua copiose praestanda est, ut bibat etiam ultra satietatem, et quum jam venter et praecordia ultra modum replota satisque refrigerata sunt, vonere debet. Quidam nc vomnitum quideni exigunt (I) sed ipse aqua frigida tantum ad satietatem pro madicamanto utuntur. Fereque post longam sitim et 'vigiliam, post multum satietaten-, post infractum calorem plenus somnus venit, per quem ingens sudor effunditur: idque praestantissimun auxiliur est. Febris ardens, Celsus III., 7, p. 134-35. De his, quibus caput infirmum est, caput aqua frigida perfundendum. Cels.-I., 4, p.34, 35. De his quibus lippitudine gravedine, destillatione, tonsil OF' HOMCE0PATRY6 3 131 lisque laborant, non caput, tantum aqua frigida quotidie perfudendum,, sod os q'uoquo multa aqula'frigida fovondurn., Celsus I., 5.,'pag, 36. Qu-ao agenda'dint storiiacho 1aborantibius? qui tairdo conconquunt,"duos tros V9 cyathos aquao frigidae bibanlt omnes potionos aqua frigida includant. -Cui, alvus constitorit, frigida* potione potissimuni utatur. Cels. J1., 8., pag. 38, 39.. Quid obsorvandum sit doloro nervorium laborantibus? AqUa frigida, praetor'quam capiti otiam stomacho prodost, idem articulis.' Cels. 1.,9 9., p. 39. Cixratio-lentairum' fobrium: sw.pe ox aqua frigida corpus pertractandum ost. Aqua 'frigidapotui danda et ingoronda. Cots. I111, 7, pag. 136, 138. Do insaniac, cu rati-ono. Prod est aqua frigida super, caput infusa de'missumque corpys in-aqu CosII,18, pag..155. Do lothargia.' Excitat validissinie aqua fri~gida repontosuporinfus~a-Tribus aut qnatuor amphoris per totum ca ut perfuindondum oste. Qel's. [IL,7 20, -pag. 158,.159. De, stomachi morbis. Potui, golidtt aqua praestanda. Prodost profundi frigida atque in eadetn n~ataro,- canalibus ejusdorn subjicero storn achuim, consistoro bin frigidis fontibus.,i.,-Cols. IV., 4, p. 205, 209. 132 THEORY AND PRACTrICE De tormintbus.. Aquae'- bone frigidae, potio ulcora ad. stringit, et initium secundao valetudinis facit. Cels. IV., 15, pag. ý224, 225. Do levitate intestinorum, prosunt frigidae alvi perfusiones. Cels. lV., 18, pag. 226., De te'nesmo intestinorum morbo. AlI'tern is dieb 'us aqua,, alternis vinum bibendum-potioesse do bat egelida et 'frigidae pro'pior. Cels. IV., '18,p. 28 De ventrisfluxu. Frigi'da' assidue potio osse debet, ot quidom quam frigidissiMa. Cols. IV., 19, pag. 229, 230.. Curatio erysipelaturn. Lenteolum frigida. aqua madens super -imponendum. Curatic adversusrabiosi-canis mors~um. Unicumrnrmedium est, necopinantern in piscinam projicere, ut invitus aqua satietur. Sic -sitis et aquae metus tollitu-r. V. 27, pag. 307, 3081. Lippitudfine laborabat Horditi~us Poeta Ye~nusinus, c ui cum diu. frustra Th'ermas Bajanas adhibuisset - Antonius Musa, Imperator~is Augusti Medicus, Balneis Clusii Gabi - orumque frigidas media hieme adhibonda cornmendavit, quod poeta ipso his verbis narrat: --ham mihi Bajas Musa super vacuas Antonius et tamen ilis Me facit invisurn, gelida quum perluor unda Per medium' frigus. Sane myrtela relinqui Dictaque cessantem, nervis elidere morbu m VT 0IICE0PATITY. J.3; ~Sulphuru contemni, vivus gemit, invidus aegris %qui -caput et s.tomAachuým 'U~pponere fontilbus audent Clu;Sinis Gabiosgu ptnt et frgidrra Antonius Musa aegritudine, Augusti- artem, suam- HlueItravit. Nam -,quum dolore -ar-thriticQ laboraret* et, ad ýPq~mma~m maciem ~perductus esSsat, curan~te (actoro) Ca-,melis- medic~o, qui cum ade cldis ut teetum cubicu~i ejius velleribus muniret (?) hie 1(Ant. Musa) postea in contru rn vess 9nibus, non solum pcr~fusionibuefirigidi.:e'd etiam gartgarismis c erninac aquae, -quae est atellae- in dorno, Caesaris, et,potionibtps usus est, ita. ut, intra breve Atemipus. eum curairet. GOb quam causam, ab Augusto usque ad sertertium quadriigenties (20,000 florentes) ex senatus consulte accepit. ~?flperator M-axilimiarnus I. -febre, q4*deriti correptus ex-.cruciatusque calidis reniedfis, quam grfavitder decurnberet, incus, medicis quosum -opera -nihil ýprofecerat famulum, ad fontemn abire jussit ut arcoam plenum, aqua, frigid'a adferret. lade quumn bibisset sensirn reperatus conyaluit. -Pom Pon ius. A ttizus, -the. friend of.Cicero, to whom so m, ny. works--and letters- of the -latter- are addressed, whilst laboring -under.-th~tt -uncomIfortable. gate,of the m ind proiduced by disease of the stomach, becanae -disgusted with Aife,._&nd re~oblyed -to destro~y j.hirnef He f.le tgt,his relations- and f-riends,- to commu~nicate. to,,thena his design, and 'to -ýcontsult- with,thom, i upon, the species of *Ezl Swetbniii quide'm serdentli ei't~ hepatik, seun alio` eratfbi ar4~nB et Inflanmtk intoatinorumn. Fabri?iI ABjbl. Gr. XIII1., 66. L 134 THEORY AND PRACTICE death he should make choice of. Agrippa, his son-in-law, not daring openly to oppose his resolution, persuaded him to destroy himself by famine, advising him, however, to make use of a little water to alleviate the suffering which would at first result from entire abstinence. Atticus commenced this regimen, whilst he conversed with his family, philosophised with his intimate friends, and passed many days in thus preparing himself for death. This, however, did not occur. On the contrary, by restricting himself solely to water as his only nourishment, the pains of the stomach and bowels, by which he had been previously tormented, ceased; and he speedily felt himself improved in health, and more tranquil in mind. Agrippa now attempted to convince him, as the disease under which he had labored was happily removed, he ought to renounce his design of putting a period to his existence. Atticus confessed, at length, the justness of his son-in-law's argument, and accordingly followed his advice, and lived until a very advanced age. We would advise those who intend to go (what they call) through a course of medicne, to pass first through a course of cold water. They will then, perhaps, like Atticus, make the same confession. Those who have been for years accustomed to wine, elderly people especially, cannot sometimes, without inconvenience, entirely relinquish it. Such people therefore, may be indulged with a small quantity of good wine, largely diluted with water-as inthe proportion of one-fifth to one UP 61 OM1EOPiTHYb 135 tehth tof wine. But it is only to those to whom wine has become an habitual drink, that it is thus to be permitted. Wine, however, inay also be prescribed, to prevent certain diseases, and to assist in remedying certain bodily states: thus, when a man has to endure great and unusual exercise, as a forced and fatiguing march, when he is heated with severe bodily labour. The use of wine will always, at some cost of another kind, dispel his weariness, because the excitement of the vascular system, produced by exercise, will be opposed by the vascular excitembnt of wine. If, in such circumstances, the same person were to take a glass of cold water, he would obtain a contrary result, by virtue of the law which I have already explained. This law is, consequently, of great importance, even in regimen, and should be well known, in order that no wrong.employment of it mayoccur.. Tea is less prejudicial than coffee, and for that reason, when not too strong, it may be permitted in a moderate quantity to those accustomed to its use; but the immoderate use so common with many, should not be sanctioned. The ingenious Professor Tourtelle says:* The English and'Hollanders make a very great use of it. Perhaps it is advantageous to them, in consequence of the great quantity of viands they eat half cooked,however, although the power *The Principles of Health, or Elements of Health, or a Treatise on the influence of Physical arid Moral Causes on Man, by Prof. Etienne Tourtelle, trans. lated from the Freich, with addition of notes, by G. Williamson, L. M. C. F. M., published in 1819: a most excellent work, which onght to be in the library of every well educated man. 186 THEORY AND PrEACTICE of habit be capable of rendering null the action of themost energetic stimulus), they are very subject to diseases!, of the nerves. Tea is only suitable inr cases of indigestion.(?) It alsoproduces gaiety, (palpitation of the heart) as all the other narcotics- do; but its immoderate or habitnal use weakens the organs of digestion, irritates the nervousa system, and occasions a tremor of the nerves. The te& called bohea is more narcotic, and-. consequantly more inh jurious than green. Dr. Williamson remarks, that Professor Rush used to recommend those of his class who- were designed for country practice, and: likely to be fatigued, to. substitute tea for spirits. While I practised in the country, I followed theadvice of this worthy mans and derived, much- benefit from, his prescripiton. Indeed, there is no stimulus that I can: take has so happy an effect on my system (even the best. wine,) as tea. I always prefeir it to& any other, whenr about to perf6orm a surgical operation, or' on any other occasion when I think a. stimulus requisite.* If Coffee be allowed during homceopathic treament, it must be in great moderation, and its toleration should. be in favour only of those who have long been used to it. In most cases, coffee is prohibited during homoeopathic *In the Netherlands, the country practitioner being constantly exposed teo the dampness of the climate, isoften tempted by the Dutch peasantry,to accept a (glaasja jenever met suiker) Dutch gin with sugar, a. very favorite liquor amongst them. And I have: known many, Who had-not the moral courage tl resist the offer, to become, after a little time, regular drunkar4., ''-pJ;; OP flo0iAorMOA rH 137 tIatment, being an antidote to a great number of homceopathic. remedies, and destroys, therefore, -its effect. Prof. Tourtelle correctly observes* that moderately used, it is proper for studious men, corpuleht persons, for pituitous cbnstittitions, for persons affeoted with humid asth a, in all cases of.:elaxation and atqny, as well asin intoxication, which it dissipates. It is injurious to young persons; to sanguine temperaments; to the bilious, and atrabilious; as well as to meagre persons, (particularly so) and those whose fibre is hard and iriitable: to women of a delicat6 temperament. It enlivens and irritates the nervous'aystem,- and augments its mobility. There are eoven individtials whom the use of coffed affects so as to produce -' trembr of the mefnibers. Some have been rendered paralytic by its immediate use; and there are others in whom it has occasionedari erysipelas and ari efflorescerice of the skin. ' Some physibians think that the grbater part of apoplexies and soporific affectiozis; which are more frequent than they formerly were, is, in a great moeas oin g-tog the use of coffee, which has become generdl. 16.wevei-this may be, it is certain thal. its immoderate use is pernjcipus. Its bitte and aromatic oil, by strongly irritating the gastric fibes, tiially destroys. their tonD. Mil oi.creaqi, which.is mixed with th eoffqsion of coffeo, d4minsihes, ii a small degree', its irritative quality, but does not destroy it. If we believe bne. of the eminent- physicians of this centur, vcoffee, witi crpaif mid rimiilk, isvery injurious to wpmen; and, since the most of them have made us3 of it, L2 1ý8 138 THEORY ANb'PRAC'rILa a great number of female complaints have become mere prevalent than they were iin th-6 preceding centuries, ua doubt bbeause it eiherva'tes the stomach, anda ffiecls, sy mpaef thetically, all'dt-her organs."' Cocoa may be advanta-geously taken as a -6ubstituti both for, tea and-'coffee at breakfast. It is a nuflcitive beverage and very agreeablQ when properly prepar'ed. Chocolate, though),ess 'to bie approved. than cocoa, may very safely be recmmh-iended, if fre e- from'vanilla, and allaromatic ingredients'. It gives a seinsation of heaviiibsa, on the first time of' using -it, or recurri~ng to its use; but this always disappears'-on the-~second-or third time' of emaFdOD PROH IBITED." - eetable Food. During. ho nmýp401ý treatmenit, asyqgragus sfiould'g~enral epros cribe4,11as being evidently a medic~inal pla'n'C 1 will not say thatfthe patient would 'not- recoii~er, when iUsed-1 but' possessing redic'inal powers, it is betteiK'not t& take it. Sorrel, radish1es,. hors r dislh, celer-y, --are~ p)rohiie It is the sam~o With on' o-fs, garl'ick, echa1ý.6t+*-:schulli*o', ther.Mushrooms are vegetdbles of ant ahim'al ntature,- Wh-ichy,though very, nourighing, an'd vety"-&reieiable -to the -taMPe? it. Or afi% fleverthoe~es.,to-be feared4 Some aire unihealt1hy, otherv prod~uce-death, 'aria all ar'e difficu'lt to digest. The masieis' -of the seclewce of the palate, to make use -of' the 6x pre~si on -of Mon ta igne,) upp'ose they tan distiqlguishj tor craitgood mushroomis frcim bad. The g~oo, in their opinion, -are- those that "acquIi3iethpir growth 'in- dno night, whi'ch- 'are of a mniddle 'size, -about a0 large as a chesnut, flesh y, ricli, White aboyelpand. reddi'shl unidernelaith i of a-fiirm co'nsistence, so ftish-interi'dr'ly-, aiid of an ~agredable ta~te and sA6ll. -The pernicious, are 'those of contrary u-qualities, or which,,hatVing remajined long upon the gfround, hanve b-ecome lilue, red, 6r. blac~kish4 But those.general marks a~re' very u'ncertaini, and- not sufficieht to 'in6ui6 thenm; and we may say, from experience, that, in gfeneial1 all inu shro'orn a~e to- be reare6d, if. we e'xcep.t the -mot~illd6 (phalluý escul'e'ntus Linnlj which "is not dangierbus unless it has beeon injured by insec'ts, and.the mushroom 'in the foriri of a mitr-e (ev1 miti~a,.).The others aregi~ne'w rally poisonbus. *It is pretended that thiere -ar~e edetain' species' of' therri the od'r- of ývhich prodjuces, in s6rne p -eisons, epileps or.insaoiity, -and miany ar~e 'poi'soned-fr~om eatinig them., The poisonouis-effects o-f rjaushronms. are ordioaf ily slow,, Sometimes- their ac'tiori does 'not deivelope i tech' until after' twelve 'and ev~en tWent'y`fouir hbuiir'e. It is- manifeste~d %by a vioen colra or- opprossinblod urine, a tension f the:. stom~ach and 'belly, cardialgia, gri~ping pains'-in the bow'els, a burning-Thirst,.delirium, swelling *of th6 hypoe TffoRWY AN1) i RACT-1 shondriac regions, anxiety, and an inexpressible agony; protraction of strength, syncope, hiccoup, cold extremities, cold sweat, an universal tremor, gangrene: in a word, all the symptoms of approaching death. However, all these dreadful phenomena do not take place at the same time, nor to the same degree of violence in every person; which depends on the greater or less sensibility of the stomach. Vomiting is,the best remedy in the first in, stance, to be used. But we have not less to fear in the end; and such affections as are occasioned by other poisons, are afterwaids almost always manifested: such as.cramps, contraction of the members, paralytic affections, and a state of weakness and languor, when the patient is not timely' relieved. Truffle, or swine beard, (tuber; lycoperdon tuber Linn,) is of the mushroom, family, and grows under ground, without roots, stalks, or leaves.,It has an insipid odoiur nearly similar to the semen masculinum. Itv as used by the ancient Romans. It grows ingreat abundance in the departments of Dordogne. Previously to cating,, it is pealed. The truffle of Italy, or the southern departments of France, has a muchstronger taste and perfume thanq that of other countries. Although the truffle is very nourishing, it is, nevertheless, a very unhealthy alinhent. It is prudent not to use them, or only to eat them in small quantities. OF HOMMEOPATHY. 141 SAnimal Food. Veal is far from being so salutary a's beef, owing to its want of maturity, and its not having acquired the degree of animalization necessary for easy assimilation. This meat is. said to predispose the lymphatic system to obstructions, but it is 'more especially the organs charged' with the functions of digestion, which receive inj ury from it. Persons in whom these o'igans are feeble, or deranged, will generally find their ailments increase by its use. For this reason, veal ought to be prohibited in such cases; and sedentary people ougjt seldom to partake. of it. Duicks and geese are indigestible, and oppressive to delicate stomachs. If we do not entirely prohibit the white and mucilaginous fles:h, such as lamb, chicken, etc., we ought to allow them in small quantities.. Drink. Every stimulating drink, and. every beverage of medicinal property, ought to be excluded from homceopathic regimen, as far as it is possible to dispense with them. Wine is a tonic and a stimulating drink, and is, on that account, proscribed by homceopathy from the regimen of the sick. It excites the. vital action in a special manner, and; may, consequeifly, counteract the effect of the reniedy. In many other respects', the use of wine is good, and it is too useful to man to be generally condemned. We will not agree, therefore, to the general averment, that its use ought to be entirely forbidden. Exclusiveness and 142 THEORY AND PRACTIdVi ultraism, says Dr. Ticknor, seem to be the order of the day. But there is one thing which exclusives 'would do well to remember, that a good thing may be urged so far as to render its rejection certain. Like the principle of temperance, which is right in theory and practice, as far as it is necessary for health and comfort, or expedient for morals,.it may be led to include every article, either of food or drink, whose abuse in the hands of the unprincipled or unthinking can, by any possibility, do harm. As to the abuses of wines, and other spirits, and the immense evils it has wrought in the world, we can, on this occasion have nothing to say. The principle of condemning any thing of marked and extensive utility merely because it has been abused, and perverted to work of misery and death, is erroneous. Shall the life of one man be saerificed because another sees fit to commit suicide; or some persons allowed to die for the want of it, because some others die from its excessive use? If this principle be-a true one, it must hold good in relation to other things as well as to this; and we shall then find our greatest blessings wrested from us, because they have been perverted and abused by the blind zeal of a band of fanatics. What has caused a greater sacrifice of life; what' more bloody wars; more deadly hate and bitter persecutions; what greater horrors, and more fearful calamities, than the Christian religion:-not the Christian religion--we would not be so blasphemous: but such results have sprung from its perversion and abuse; and where shall the OF HOMcEOPATHY. 143 blame be laid. Or shall the Bible, and Christianity itself, be utterly rejected and abolished? Man, and all that pertains to him in this world since Adam's transgression, have been marked with frailty and imperfection; and it has been wisely ordained that the abuse of every good thing shall invariably be followed by an unpleasant result. To reject one blessing because it may be perverted into a curse, argues weakness, the greatest indiscretion, and a lack of philosophy; for by -the same reasoning, nothing could escape the same condemnation. Wine should be used moderately by children, young people, women. The sanguine, bilious, and atrabilious, ought. to drink but little of it, as well, as those whose nervous system is very sensible 'and very irritable. In general, strong liquors, taken habitually in too. large a quantity, consume the vital energies,.and bring on premature old age. They support in the system an habitual fever, which exhausts, inflames, and disposes to serious diseases. It may be given in larger quantities to men who are much fatigued, to old persons, to the pituitous, and the infirm, during damp weather, and in wet and marshy places. Taken moderately, it nourishes, increases the energies, augments the force of the vital principle, accelerates the progressive motion of the blood and humors, determines the action from the centre to the circumference, and produces transpiration. In a word, wine possesses all the qualities proper to maintain health, and to prevent many diseases.s. 144 THEORY AND PRACTICE The body is not alone the object of the salutary virtues of wine. The mind also experiences its vivifying influence. Homer sometimes animated his immortal song by the use of this precious liquor. Eschylus never put off the buskin except when he was warmed with wine, and Lampridices never showed more genius than when he had drank of this enlivening juice. Finally, Ennius, Cato, Rabelais, and a great number of others, found in this drink that gaiety and that brilliancy which smoothes the forehead of wisdom, and electrifies the imagination. We should, then, only interdict the abuse, and not the use of wine: we should permit it to be drank, but not to intoxication. In addition to the physical evils that drunkenness produces, this gross and brutal vice also extends its fatal effects to the mind, and deprives it of its vigor and energy. It is an infraction upon the laws of nature which forbids man to alienate his reason. In warm countries, the excess of wine renders any one furious, and in cold ones occasions stupidity. The celebrated Benjamin Rush classifies admirably, the symptoms which liquors produce on the human system. This odious disease, he says, (for by that name itshould be called) appears with more or less of the followingsymptoms, and most commonly in the order in which I shall enumerate them: 1. Unusual garrulity. 2. Unusual silence. W HOM(EOPATHYr. 145 3. Captiousness, and a disposition to quarrel. 4. Uncommon good humor, and an insipid simpering,?or laugh..5. Profane swearing and cursing. 6. A disclosure of thei-.own, or other peoplo's secrets. 7. A rude disposition to tell those persons in company, whom they know, their faults. 8. Unmodest actions..9. A clipping.of words. 10. Fighting. A black eye or a -swelled nose, often anarks this grade of drunkenness. 11. Certain extravagant acts, which indicate a tempofrary fit of madness. These are singing, hallowing, roar-,ing, imitating the noises of brute animals, jumping, tearing of clothes, breaking glasses and China. After a while, the paroxysm of drunkenness is completely formed. The face now becomes flushed, the eyes project, and are.somewhat watery; winking is less frequent than is natural;,the under lip is protruded; the head inclines a little to one shoulder; tho jaw falls; belching and hiccup take place; the limbs totter; the whole body staggers. The unfortunate subject of this history next falls on his soat. Ho looks around him with a vacant countenance, and mutters inarticulate sounds to himself;-he attempts to rise and walk. In this attempt he falls upon his side, from which he gradually turns upon his back. He now closes his eyes, and falls into a profound sleep, frequently attended M 146 THEORY AND PRACTICL with snoring', and profuse sweats. In this condition, he often lies from ten, twelve, and twenty-four hours, to two, three, four, and five days, an object of pity and disgust to, his family and friends. His recovery from that fit of intoxication is marked with several peculiar appearances. He opens his eyes and closes them again; he gapes and stretches his limbs; he then coughs and pukes; his voice is hoarse; he rises with difficulty, and staggers to a chair; his eyes resemble balls of fire; his hands tremble; he loathes the sight of food; he calls for a glass of spirits to compose his stomach; now and then he emits a deep-fetched sigh, or groan, from a transient twinge of conscience;'but he more frequently scolds, and curses every thing around him. In this state of languor and stupidity he remains for two or three days, before he is able to resume his former habits, business, and conversation. Pythagoras, we are told, mentioned, that the souls of men, after death, expiated the crimes committed by them in this world, by animating certain brute animals; and that the souls of those animals, in their turns, entered into men, and carried with them all their peculiar qualities and vices. This doctrine of one of the wisest and best of the Greek philosophers, was probably intended only to convey a lively idea of the changes which are induced in the body and mind of man by a fit of drunkenness. In folly, it causes him to resemble a calf; in stupidity, an ass; in roaring, a mad bull; in quarrelling and fighting, a dog; in cruelty, a tiger; in filthiness, a hog. OP HOMCEOPATHY. 147 Shakspeare delineates admirably, drunkenness in the following piece - "C assio. Reputation, reputation, reputation! 0 I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part, sir! of myself, and what remains is bestial. lago. As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some bodily wound. There is more offence in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving. You have lost no reputation at all, unless you repute yourself such a loser. What, man, there are ways to recover the general again: you are but now cast in his mood, a punishment more in policy than in malice, even so as one would beat his offenseless dog, to affright ana imperious lion, sue to himn again and he is yours. Cass. I will rather sue to be despised, than to deceive so good a commander with so slight, so drunken, and so indiscreet an officer. Drunk? and speak parrot? and sqabble? swagger? swear? and disdourse fustian with ones own shadow? 0, thou invisible spirit of wine, thou hast no ndmer to be known by: let us call thee-- devil! Iago. What- as he that you followed with your sword? what has he done to you? Cass. I know not, lago. Is it possible? Cas. I remember a mass of things, but nothing distinctly; a quarrel, but nothing wherefore. 0 that men 148 THEORY ~AND PRACTICE should put an enemy,ir their-mouths to steal away thefi brains! that we should with joy, revel, pleasure, and applause, transform ourselves into beasts. lago. Why, but you are now well enough: How came you thus recovered? Cass. It has pleased the devil drunkenness- to giveway to the devil wrath: one unperfectness shows- me' another, to make me frankly despise myself.. Iago. Come, you are too severe a moraler, as the time,. the place, and the condition-of this country stands. I could. hardly wish this had not befallen; but since it is as it is, mend it for your own good. Cass. I will ask him. for my place-again;. he shall tolL me I am a drunkard. Had I as many mouths as a Hydra,, such an answer would stop them all, To be now a sensibleman, by and by a fool, and presently a beast! 0 strange t Every inordinate cup is unblessed, and the ingredient is a devil. Iaga. Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used; exclaim no more against it. And good Lieutenant, I think, you think I love you. Cass. I have well approved it, sir! I drank." I wish that every drunkard would make such a coafession. ,5 HoMaoPArTHS. 149 ON SEASONINGS. Man, coming from the hands of Nature, had only a simple and pure taste. Surrounded by the productions of the earth, of which he was master, he only selected the natural and healthy aliments which it profusely furnished him; and he knew no other seasoning than an appetite. But human societies having become numerous, the necessity of providing himself with seasonings, and of preserving animal meat, made him have recourse to condiments. And condiments have excited glutony, and introduced insensibility, that flattering and pernicious art of altering aliments, and changing their nature, by mixing the most irritating and heating substances with them which a corrupt luxury seeks in the most remote aliments, and which are an inexhaustible source of diseases. (See Tourtelle's work.) Seasonings generally belong to aromatic substances known under the head of spices, These seasonings are very stimulating and irritating. Their see -must. be, as much as possible, rejected -during homi:eopat.hic 'iea t; ment; and they must be.employed only as a curativefor diseases. Salt and butter are, indeed, quite enough for dressing all meats; and it is owing to a factitious taste that we use pepper, mustard, nutmeg, saffron, cloves, etc., -.-M2 150 THEORY AND PRACTICE' BATHS, Baths and lotions are proper in every age and. in all countries, were it but to preserve cleanliness, so useful to health; for they cleanse the skin, and preserve its activity and pliancy. The skin is the seat of the most universal sense; -the touch, which establishes a great number of relations between man and the things by which he is surrounded. It is also one of the most powerful antagonists of the epigastrium, ahd it is the principal organ by which the crisis of a disease is formed. I doubt not but hypocondriasis, melcancholy, embarrassments of the digestive organs, so common in our age, are all owing to our having neglected the means which the ancients employed to preserve the tonic force and flexibility of the skin. These means consisted principally inbaths, lotions, frictions, and unctions. If delicate constitutions would pay more attention to the skinomit the use of spices, coffee, tea, etc., and live altogether more, simple, they would certainly enjoy better health.' - Lotions and sponging the system cannot be too much reconimended, for they possess a number of advantages. The water, or tie bath employed as the means of cleansing, must gradually'be used colder and colder. The OF HOMTEOPATHY.' body, like the face, might be exposed by degrees to the atmosphere, AIR,, AND BODILY EXERCISES. "'Of birth or blood we do not boast, Nor gentry does our club afford; But ploughmen and mechanics' we, In nature's simple dress record."-Burns' Life, Every one knows the. immense influence of exercise upon health, when taken in the open air. By means of exercise,it is, that we preserve the equilibrium of the whole system; and it is this which preserves us, especially from the effects of a too plentiful table. As that offers to us daily enjoyments, it is difficult for us not to comrpit some deviations from strict 'regimen. Al our social habits favor the probability of too substantial a mode of living; and there can be no doubt that most affluent people eat an' drink more than is nocessory. It is, therefore, necessary to counteract,, by exercise, the injury of too much indulgence at our boards; and it is ony; by activity that the equilibrium 'of the body can be nmintained. "- He who thinks to procure himself health by living in a state of inaction, is as foolish," says Plutarch, with reason, "as hepb 1owould condemn himself to silence to improve his voice." 152 TH9ORY AND PRACTICEo *Celsus has said, "Inaction debilitates the body, and labour fortifies it; the first brings on a premature old age, and the other prolongs adolescence." "Exercises," says Walker,t "insure, in particular, the developement of all the locomotive organs; and they prevent or correct all the deformities to which these organs are liable. They are best calculated to produce strength and activity, and to bestow invariable health. They at the same time confer beauty of form; and they contribute to impart an elegant air and graceful manner. They, moreover, inspire confidence in difficult situations, and suggest resources in danger. -Their consequent influeuce on the moral conduct of man is such, that by a courage which is well founded, because it springs from a perfect knowledge of his own powers, he is often enabled to render the most important services to others." An idle life not only produces diseases, but also render man useless to society, and gives birth to every species f vice. 'Indolence is the fatal source of a great part of the calamities which afflict the human species; such as nervous diseases, weak eyes, dyspepsy, sick-headache, etc. It is an indubitable fact, as the history of nations proves, that luxury, by enervating the body and corrupting the manners, has produced the decline and downfall of em*Ignavia corpus hebetat, labor firmat, illa maturam senectutem, hic longam adolescentiam facit. tBritish manly exercises, as walking, running, leaping, vaulting, balancing, skating, climbing, swimming, bozing, training, etc., by Ronald Walker, Philadelphia, 1837; a very interesting little book. Buy it. 6 ~oi~McOPAidT. 153 pires. These are the two causes which have produced the revolutions, and caused the degeneration of the human species; and it is only by premonishing the future generations against our vices, by reforming our bad habits, and by establishing in infancy the foundation of a good constitution, that we can form strong and virtuous citizens, and cause the republic to flourish and prosper. Experience has proved to what degree the power of education may be extended; for the worst constitution may be corrected, and even entirely changed, by the effect of a hard and austere life, began in infancy. This kind of life renders the body but little sensible to the impressions of the atmosphere and the vicissitudes of the seasons. Weak and delicate children, who have been accustomed, from their first year, to use simple and gross aliments, to exercise in the open air, and to support the extremes of heat and cold, become strong, robust, and capable of resisting the action of the most powerful causes of disease. We succeed in renovating the constitution in the same manner that we do in improving the mind and the heart; and a useful direction given to the passions by wise institutions, properly conducted. By this means, vicious inclinations of the most powerful nature have been changed, and the person possessing them inspired with a love of virtue and the laws of morality. The ancients in particular, acknowledged the great utility of bodily exercise. They made it the basis of edu 15'4 TIEORY AND PRACTICE cation. It is astonishing with what anxiety Plato ingra fs in the mind of his pupils the necessity of bodily exercise. It was to the institutions of Lycurgus that the Lacedemonians owed their virtue and courage. All his laws had the tendency to form robust constitutions. Groece formed orators, painters, and musicians, but the Lacedemonians produced legislators, magistrates, and emperors. The Romans were either cultivators of the field, or soldiors; and when luxury and wealth changed the simplicity of their manners, gymnastic exercises were still encouraged. Hence, the gymnastic games may be considered as the ancient military school. To a very great degree, they constituted, also, a school for health. During the middle ages, throughout nearly the whole of Europe the strength and activity demanded in the field of battle, were, in like manner, obtained and promoted by the manly sports and martial exercises to which every class above that of the serf and bondman was ardently attached; and which, in England in particular, were considered so iriportant in their effects, that acts of Parliament and royal proclamations were, at different periods, issued for their regulation and encouragemrent. Youth is the best time to develop their power by exeicise. Neque ulli aetati (says Frid. Hoffinann) magis' eks conveniens motus quam ipsi puerili, dum: haec a'etas propter nimiam edendi voracitatem;, valde obnoxia esse OF HOMIEOPATRtY. 0 155 8olet Infarotibus viscerani, et exin~de prqnmanantibus, lentis, tabidist -bectigis febribus. Labor *corpus- validu~m efficit, (Hippocrates..) Labor eallurn obdacit dolori.- Cicero Tuscul. Endurcissoz.'--l a ]a suour et au froid, au vent au soleil f~t aux )hasards. qui'l faut mneprisex~ otef Jui.toute molesse au votir et au coucher, au manger et au boire; accoutumqz le, a. tout;, que co no soit pas un beau garcon et da~meret, mais un garnon vort et -vigoureux. Enfent, ho~mme, vie-il, *J'ai toujours cru ot juge 'de morne;-ce nWest pas aasez do lui roidir F'ame, ii faut aussi lui roidir los muscles. Montaigne, Voulez vous donc cultiver l'intelligonce de votro clove cultivez los forces, qu'olle doit gouvornor. Exercez con. tinnuellement son corps; rendez lo robust ot sain pour le rendre sage et raisonable, qui'l agisse, quil coure, quil crie, qui'l soit toujours on mouvomont; quil soit homme par la vigour, et bientot ii Jo sera par la raison. Rousseau. Los exercises dui corps on plem -air rappr6chont l'hornme do sa. constitution primitive, et don-nent moins~de prise aux causes, qui tendent a lui croer cette incommode sensibilite, more commune do toutes los-novroses. Broussais. Quli corpore robustus, is otiam a.fimo fortis et alacris 156 THEORY AND PRACTICE est, nee facile morbis et affectibus' animi fit obnoxiis nee facile a rebus externis laeditur. Frid. Hofmann. That mankind, (says the author of the Journal of Health,) generally speaking, are, at the present day, inferior in bodily strength to their ancestors of a few centuries back, is, we believe, an undisputed fact. Though, doubtless, rum, tobacco, tea, coffee, and other poisons of modern invention, have had their part in weakening the stamina of the human constitution; yet we must attribute much of the present inferiority of size, strength, and vigour, to the disuse of those active exercises to which mankind, in former ages, were obliged to devote so large a portion of their time, whilo in their places have been substituted diversions of a sedentary life, which not only throw the body in a state of muscular inactivity, but require almost as intense an application of the mind as in study or business, and at the same time generally excite those passions most inimical te health. Luxury and effeminacy (says Dr. Williamson) are the spoile children of opulence, and the authors of indolence and weariness, the parents of all our enemies. The only labor of many men, says an English author, is to vary the attitudes of indolence; their nights scarcely differ from their days, except by changing from a bed to a sofa; they live in a peaceable stupidity; they forget, and are forgotten. When they pay the tribute due to nature, we should not say of them that they are dead, but that they 'OF HOWMEOPATrH. 157 cease to breathe. But laziness is silent and peaceable; it <does'not excite any envy by its ostentations-no hatred by its competition. Consequently no person is engaged in censuring or exhibiting it. Let us not be surptised, then, if this apathy, which is transmitted from age to age from parents to children, urnites to the depravation of the manners, an obvious production of the degeneracy- of human nature. We not only meet with fewer old men than formerly, but men are not near so strong or robust. This degeneration was peiceived as long ago as the period in which Seneca lived; and it appears.that it has increased since so much, that we are very inferior to the contemporaries of that philosopher. We read, in the Journal of Chartreuse, of Grenoble, printed in 1686, that the bones of men recently 'dead, compared with those of persons buried a long time previously in that house, resembled bones of adolescents. A similar observation has been made in respect to the bones *of-the ancient Bourginens, dead upon the field of battle at Morat. History mentions a num'ber of illustrious men who conlquered their natural debility by active exercise. Ccesar was slenderly built, and could stand but little fatigue, when young; but through the special care and attention of his masters, especially by gymnastic exercise, he acquired vigour and strength which enabled him, afterwards, when placed at the head of the Roman Empire, to encounter so many dangers and difficulties. 158 THEORY AND PRACTICE John Albert, according to tradition, had lost several children by too singular precautions, and too much indulgence. He consulted his physician in respect to the education of his youngest son, Henri, who advised him to send him to a farmer in the neighborhood of Pau. This man nursed and dressed him suitably to his present condition, making him perform his daily task like his fellow-laborers, by which means he acquired energy and strength, and at length became a healthy and active person. Plutarch, in his classical work, the Lives of Illustrious Persons, relates many similar authentic facts. We will but mention an extraordinary case, an extract from a modern work. It tends to direct the public mind to the study of the laws of life, and to eradicate erroneous views and prejudices on medical points, which, but to the injury of community, prevail in society. In Berne, Switzerland, a child, three years old, could scarcely stand upon his legs. At five years, he could walk, with the assistance of a leading string: and it was not before he was seven years old that he commenced to walk without aid. He would, however, frequently fall, and could not rise without exertion. At seventeen, his, strength was so feeble that his limbs could scarcely bear the weight of the upper part of his body. He felt great weakness in his arms: his shoulders were drawn forward; his breast narrow; breathing short; and his mental capacities not much developed. In 1815, this unfortunate being was sent to the gymnastic OF HOMEOPATHY. 159 school of Mr. Clias, in Berne. Having measured his strength by the pressure of his hands applied to the dynamometer, it was calculated to be: equal to that of a child of seven years of age. The powers of traction, ascension, running, were null. In one minute and two seconds he could scarcely walk the distance of a hundred steps: and when he reached the end of his little journey, he felt exhausted, and was obliged to sit down and rest himself. The weight of fifteen pounds put into his hands made him stagger; and a child of seven years could easily throw him down. Five months later, through gymnastic exercise, and a suitable diet, his powers increased to double the sum. He could, by means of his arms, raise himself three inches from the ground, and remain three seconds in that position. He could jamp a distance of three feet, run a hundred and sixty-thrbe steps in a minute, carrying along with him, on the shoulders, thirty-five pounds weight. In 1817, in the presence of thousands of spectators, he could climb up a rope twenty feet high, and repeat the same manoeuvre on a climbing pole, jump a distance of six feet, and run five hundred steps in two and a half minutes. In i818, he could1 walk five miles without the least fatigue. And this same person, who at twenty years of age could scarcely carry himself erect, became, through this healthful exercise, a strong and -vigorous man, and could, in combat, put most ihen at defiance. If the Amiricans would establish as many gymnastic ,160 THEORY. AND PMACrti schools as they are blessed witlh apothecary: shops, %tp y would not shoot, amiss. Gymnastis versus Hypo.--Extract from the Journal of Health. "In the following.lively, article, from a correspondent, which we have somewhat pruned,. our readers will find a repetition of advice, which we. have more than onceurged them. to adopt, and to which their hope will now be forcibly recalledWhat friction is to iron, exercise.is to the boedy and the mind. As the former will become rusty and decay withoutuse, so the latter will become diseased without exercise.How many pains, and dollars,- and disappointments,, might have been saved, if patients, instead of goingto Dy. Bolus. and Dr. Pill, had only taken, three. times a day,. half an. ounce of common-sense with quantum sufficient of gymnasr tics. Before I relate the confessions, of one who was. pretty far gone with the hypa, let me attempt a definition of the term exercise. In our attempt to induce indolent mortals to make a trial of this most valuable recipe, common sense and gymnastics secundum artem, a difficulty has been experienced in the patient not understanding, properly between exercise, and, labour carried to fatigue. Avoiding ull tiresome disquisitions, our idea of exercise. may be illustrated by the simple motion of opening and shutting the hand. Give to the several muscles of thebody a lively pleasant action, similar to that of the muscles. OP HOMPEOPATIY. 1 161 or the arm in the action of opening and shutting the hand, and you then have exercise; but if the icti6n of the whole frame is too violent, or is continued too long, it becomes labour, and ends -in fatigue..A man may labour and become fatigued at many employments, and yet not be exercised, as ind the case of the tailor and - the blacksmith. But to the case of the hypocondriac. This individual, from a variety of causes, became exceedingly depressed in mind; his vigour, mental and phygical, gave place to libtlessnesa and lassitude-a very ennui:-he sought repose late at night, and found it not, and he tarried long on his couch in the morning, and rose with fatigue i he spent the day in sauntering from place to place in search of desultory amusement, and returned with languor; he tried. to read, b'ut found nothing interesting but lying, puffs, and equiially affidavits in favoui' of mznedicines, panawcegsife-prolongng, anti-bilious, I i (anti-dvy iii 113:ls in a word, he lost his coiinon'se, ad' found a niorbid quackish sense; he took certaichJuite fa;9ý the incipieti:stage of dyspepsy, and found hiri? tF7fe tid with-alas! ai host of symptoms of all sort*thl~fbikdeAY he went to slebp to dream of Elysium, arn&M visions of Pandemoniu:i.; he was, on a cloudy dy'rbeset with demons black and bliue; visited by spirits bir'rn, wvihte, and gray;---- ll these combined filled him "ii h rese t fears, ind w-ith -imagindtions of fut'ore edi4s still worse, N2 162 THEORY AND PRACTICET from which he sometimes found relief in a flood of-tearsf -(inactivity lowers a man downm to, an idiot.) It was in this state- that he was met by a friend whosympathised with him, and soothed his mind into a tranquil state. This person, informed him that he had, two. years before, been in a very similar condition, and advised him to throw aside all drugs, and try a quantity of com-- mon-sense and gymnastics two or three times every day. By administering a portion of kind words, with a spice of flattery, and a goodly proportion of reasonable and sympathetic-counsel, he was induced to make a trial of the remedy. Hebegan with a good. resolution, and very soonr experienced much benefit: so much, that in a fortnight he was like a man in another world.. Action and exercisemade him well.. One thing however, it is proper to observe; he began with too violent a degree of exertion; so much so, that the muscles of the breast and arms were "asore;,for, a weodk,as if they had been beaten with sticks: he, however, persevi-ed, and acquired strength of body,animation of"Pnipd, courage, and mental vigour, While in his forrier state, he complained of confusedness in hishead, and found his memory very seriously affected. Nowthe difference is very great: his memory is restored, and even stronger than before; his mind is active; his temper more uniform and cheerful. O! Messrs. Editors, if you; could persuade, a goodly number'of our citizens, young; nd old, rich and poor, male arinfemale, to put in practice' this simple prescription, tiire would be less need of going Or MOAMEOPATfI. tfothe'springs, or to the Falls of Niagara for the-bonefit of their health. Health, sirsý is the twin sister of contentment, and you need not travel far to find them both. If they will not come and dwell within your own bosom, you may as well save your travelling expenses to provide for your funeral rites. It may not be unprofitable to observe, that the converted hypocondriac now really enjoys life, and has done so for -many months, and some long years. In a word, he has adopted, both for the health of the body and of the mind, the laconic answer of Demosthenes, as to the three essentials to oratory--action! action! action! Only be cautious to observe an equilibrium of action between the body and mind, and all' will. be well from the crown of the head even to the sole of the foot. With this, as a leading principle,- he rises early in the morning, even before the sun has had a chance to peep into his bed-chamber; applies- then to every part of his -surface rs good. stiff brush, with a quick motion; next sets about 'h ablution, dealing the water liberally, even to the furth4m ost parts of the body; and, finally, goes to his brickbat operation': that is, he takes a brick in each hand, stretches his arms to the full, in a horizontal position, and throws them back as far as he can. This motion opens his chest, allows a- full supply of air to enter every cell in the.lungs, promotes his appetite for breakfast, and it may be added as a consequence, prevents thatfashionable complaint, dyspepsy. These methods and motions are put in operation during the day, as often as occasion may 164 THEORY AND PRACTICE require, or any approach of that soul fiend ennui may render it necessary; though it is seldom, except on a very hot day, that he needs more than twice: at any rate, three times a day will be sufficient for the sedentary. By the above process, this hypocondriac is now a uniformly cheerful, good natured, healthy middle aged man." We would here remark, for the benefit of the publice that there should be established at least four gymnastic schools in all large cities, two for males and two for females. It should be the principal care of parents and physicians, to bestow particular care on such constitutions, who are of a scrophulous or a consumptive habit. These constitututions have naturally a reluctance to bodily exertion, which is owing to the imperfect development of their organs. They would rather sit, lie and devour whatever food is placed before them. Parents do not foresee the danger. They indulge and pampor their unnatfrgl gluttony, and what is the consequence? The scrophulous, th consuniptive, if they pass safely the time of bvolution aof the teeth most of them succumb without proper ineaiures before they reach their twentieth year. No piarogoric, coughdrops, setons, cauteries, blisters, tartar emetic ointment, strengthening plasters! (quack name) can save them from an early grave. Watch! and work! as long as their is time; to-morrow perhaps it will be too late. Constitutions of a consumptive habit ought to be sent early to the gymnastic schools, that their functions be, regulated, and muscular power developed. This alone is 6~ HIOMfEOPATHrI9 the means; and there is no other way by which the mortality of the consumptive could be lessened. We feel convinced that consumption, spitting of blood, bowel complaints, dyspepsy, and a great number of other chronic maladies would be much modified, if not entirely eradicated by activity. Mental exertion, (says Dr. Sweetser,) when severe and long continued, tends to disturb the just equilibrium of the nervous power, to impair the bodily vigour, and especially if united with a close confinement in a close atmosphere, imay often aid in calling into action a consumptive predisposition. Overstrained application in childhood, and youth particularly, is fraught with the greatest danger to the welfare of the physical constitution, and is, at the same time, at war with the dictates of nature, which may be read in the instinctive propensities of all young animals. Will not the young of. most kinds) if left to their own inclinations, eir place of confinement, and go forth into the pure green fields; there, by their innocent and.pleasing gambols, to educate their various muscles, and to invigorate all their living powers? Such, in truth, is the propensity to. action,, in childhood, that one of the most cruel punishments inflicted upon it, is restraint from motion.. What a picture of gaiety and happiness is exhibited by young children just freed from the confinement of a school room! All their gambols and, boisterous mirth, and all. the intensity of pleasure derived from the contraction of; THEORY ANDV PRACTICE their muscles, but serve to display nature's design in relation to them at this period of their existence. I mean not to be understood that the higher powers-are to be neglected, but only that they should not be forced, while their physical education, upon which so much of the health and happiness of future life depends, is disregarded. The intellectual powers can only be unfolded by degrees,. and in correpondence with the development of the physical organization. The brain of childhood is soft and delicate, and its capabilities must not be expected to equal those of mature life. Whenever it is overworked and forced into unnatural precocity, it must be at the expense of the other fuctions of the living economy, and. an early death is too frequently the mournful catastrophe. The pride of parents too often excites- them to. force- the minds of their offspring, to, the neglect of their physical, improvement. If a child can but be made a prodigy in intellect, no mattor how puny and feeble he becomes! If he can but recite well his Latin and Greek, no matter though he cannot run, and jump, and frolic, and digest his food like ordinary boys;-these are vulgar endowments! There is such a thing, however, as educating a child to death. As tuberculous children not unfrequently display a precocity of mind, proud hopes of their intellectual distinction are awakened, to which all other considerations yield. Their physical health is, consequently, but little regarded, and tho melancholy result is, that the high.wrought expectations are all buried in a premature grave. How many OE HOM(EOPATHY. gifite, mindfaall victims, either during their college life, or, what is far more frequent, when the flattering promises of their, youth are becoming realized in the- intellectual splendour of manhood, to the unconquerable. disease, consumption,--which sad. conclusion is often, referrable to neglect of early physical education. A very common and erroneous: practice has existed, of putting weakly children to sedentary occupations. They cannot bear hard labour! and so, forsooth, are often shut up from morning till night in a close atmosphere,'poring over their books, or perhaps with their legs crossed on a tailor's bench. If a parent can afford to bring up to learning but one boy out of the family, the most delicate is generally selected. This, however, is not as it should be. Though a feeble scrophulous child may not be adequate to hard labor, yet he should be brought up to such occupations as are associated with bodily exercise, and much exposure to the open air: for example, agriculture, or!pa-fairing life, which, by imparting new, energy to thed system, may enable it to resist the development of disease. Females, during the period of their education, are, unquestionably, too often overworked. They must learn too much in too short a time; for, inaddition to the numerous studies of their schools, fashion has rendered necessary to them a multiplicity of accomplishments. Physical exercise is thus too apt to be neglected, and the soundness and vigour of their bodies, so essential to their own happiness, THEORY AND PRACTICE to that of their husbands', and to the well being of their offspring, sacrificed. School girls, who are much confined, and take but little exercise, often grow up pale and sallow; their skins rough; their faces pimpled; also feeble and nervous; subject to headache, pain in the side, indigestion, etc. Such appearances are more particularly apt to be manifested at the age of fourteen or fifteen years: and when a disposition to tubercles is suspected, measures which tend to prevent their development should forthwith be pursued,-as frequent exercise in the open air, by walking, riding on horseback, etc.; repeated washing, and dry friction of the surface. Multitudes of the most promising young men, says the Rev. John Todd,* have, within the last few years, found an early grave: not because they studied too intensely, but because they paid no attention to the body. The beautiful lament which was sung over the gifted Kirk White, might be repeated 'every year, and be equally applicable to many who were of equal promise, though their names are unknown to song: ' Oh! what a noble heart was here undone When science' self destroyed her favorite son-' Yes, she too much indulged thy fond pursuit; Sihe sowed the seeds, but death has reaped the fruit. 'Twas thine own genius gave the final blow, *The Student's Manual, by Rev. John Todd, Pastor of the Edwards Church, Northampton; 7int/i edition; a neat, interesting little book. "F HOMXEOPATHY. 169 And helped to plant the wound that laid the low. So the struck eagle, stretched upon the plain, No more through clouds to soar again, Viewed his own feathers ~on the fatal dart, And winged the shaft that quivered in his heart. Keen were his pangs.; but keener far to feel He nursed the pinion which impelled the steel; While the same plumage that had warmed his nest, Drank the last life-drop of his bleeding breast." It iay, no doubt, be true, that the man who sits down "tto study, and gives his whole soul to-it without much, if any regard to health, may, for a time, improve fast, and nmature with great rapidity. He may pass'over the ground fast, and appear a prodigy of genius; but it is almost.certain that such a one is soon to reach the limits of his attainments: and if he does not speedily find his grave, he -will soon be too feeble to do any thing but drag out a discouraging existence. For one, I do not feel that it is so very desirable -to mature the mind as early as some strive to do: and perhaps we labour under a great mistake on this point in this country. Our country is a youth, and -nothing but what is elastic and youthful is in fashion. Our legislators and professional men must be young to be popular. The stars are to be looked at only while they are rising. A man of fifty is considered almost superannuated with us. Such is the fashion. It is not so in other countries. Even Lafayette would not have been considered fit to stand at the head of a great national army, da times of revolution, in this country, after he was eighty. 0 170 THEORY AND PRACTICE In England, the throne is usually surrounded by a galaxy of talent, which is the admiration of the world. Are they men who matured in boyhood, and whose education was completed at twenty-five? Far from it. They are usually old men, whose minds have been slow in becoming mature, whose judgments have been made sound by reading, by thought, by observation, and by years. I make these remarks, because I would have our young men feel that the business of study is for life; and that, instead of trying to do all that can be done in a very short time, they should lay their plans, and make their calculations to live long, and for many years be improving and ripening for usefulness. It is impossible for any man to be a student without endangering the health. Man was made to be active. The hunter, who roams through the forest, or climbs the rocks of the Alps, is the man who is hardy, and in the most perfect health. The sailor who has been wrecked by a thousand storms, and who labours day and night, is a hardy man, unless dissipation has broken his constitution. Many illustrious men have alternately followed the plough, harrangued in the forum, commanded armies, and bent over their books. The patriarchs, and the distinguished son of Jesse, were shepherds, as were Moses, and some of the prophets. Paul, no mean scholar, was a tent maker. Cleanthes was a gardener's labourer, and used to draw water and spread it on his garden in the night,.that he might have time to study during the day. He it OF HOMcOPATHY. 171 was the successor of Zeno. Esop,- and Terence, whose names will live while language lives, were slaves. Caesar, as every student knows, studied in the camp: swam rivers, holding-his writings out of the water, while his clothing was spun by his sisters. Charlemagne, great in war and greater in peace, filled his palace with learned men, founded schools and academies through his dominions, and yet was so illustrious that he could frame laws even to the selling of eggs. Of Gustavus Vasa, a Sweedish king, it is said a better labourer never'struck steel. It is by no means certain that all these men would ever have been as distinguished for their mental excellence had they not endured all these fatigues of the body. Permit me to say, in a word, that no student is doing j ustice to himself, to his friends, or to the world, without being in the habit of a uniform system of exorcise; and that for the following reasons: 1. Your life will probably be forfeited by it. It is little less than suicide to neglect to do that without the doing of which you are almost sure to shorten your days. The Creator has not so formed the body that it can endure to be confined without exercise, while the mind burns and wears upon its energies and powers every moment. 2. You will enjoy more with than without exercise. This remark is to be applied to those who exercise daily; and lo such it does apply with great force. Every one who is in this habit, will bear ample and most decided testimo. ny to this point. THEORY AND PRACTICE 3. You add to the enjoyment of others. 4. Your mind will be- strengthened by exercise. Were you wishing to cultivate a morbid, sickly tasti;. vwhich will now and then breathe out some poetical image or thought, like the spirit of some most refined essence, toor dolicate to be handled or used in this matter-of-fact world,. and too ethereal to be enjoyed, except by those of like palate, you should shut yourself up in your room for a few years,till your nerves only continue to act, and the world floats before you as a dream. But if you wish for a mind that can fearlessly dive into what is deep, soar to what is high, grasp and hold what is strong, and move and act among minds, conscious of its strength, firm, resolved, manly inits aims and purposes, be sure to be regular in taking., daily exercise. We consist of two parts,-of two very different parts: the one inert, passive; utterly incapable of directing itself; barely ministerial to the other; moved, animated by it. When our body has its full health and strength, the mind is so far assisted thereby, that it can bear a closer and. longer application: our apprehension is readier; our imagination is livelier; we can better enlarge our compass of thought; we can examine our perceptions more strictly, and compare them more exactly, by which means we are enabled to form a truer judgment of things; to remove more effectually the mistakes into which we have been led by a wrong education, by passion, inattention, custom, example; to have a clearer view of what is best for us; of OF HtDhXCEd'AITHYP 173 What is most for our interest; and thence determine ourselves more readily to its pursuit, and persist therein with greater resolution and steadiness. The first physicians by debauch were made: Excess began, and sloth. sustains the trade. By chase our long-lived fathers earned their food; Toil strung the nerves, and purified the blood; But we, their sons, a pampered race of men, Are dwindled down to three score and ten. Better to hunt in field for health unibought, Than feed the doctor for a nauseous draught. The wise for ease on exercise depend: God never made his work for man to mend. General directions for Exercise. pS^ ig. to Walker. The best time for exercises is wlhiei6 isicbopl,--as even in summer it is, early in the morning,or-afte the sun has declined,-and they should never' immrdi4t.v -follow a meal...The.best place for these elementairy oxerqie, ial smooth grass plat, or; a firm sandy sea-beacA~ a,$ngmp,.stones,.and.stakes, are always dangerous.. At the commencement of such exercise, the coat,. aid all unnecessary,clothes should be laid aside; and all hayd or- s.harp things should be taken from the pockets of4le remaining diess. A very light covering on the head, as,a stxsawhat is best; the shirtcollar should be open; the breast.houldi be either exposed, or thinly covered; all bandages 02, '174 THEORY ANiPRACTICE should bo loosely fixed, and the boots and shoes should have no iron about them. As sudden transitions are always bad, exercise should begin gently, and should terminate in the same manner. As the left hand and arm are commonly weaker than the right, they should be exercised- till they become as strong. The being cooled too quickly is injurious. Therefore, drinking, when very hot, or lying down on the cold ground, should be carefully avoided. No exertion should be carried to excess, as that only exhausts the body. Therefore, whenever the gymnast feels tired, or falls behind his usual mark, he should resume his clothesand walk home.. - ':. Walking. Of all exer jos, valking is the most simple and easy The -weightof:the body rests on one foot, while the 6ther is advancid; it is then thrown upon the advanced foot, while the other is bro'ught forward, and so0on in succession. In, this mode of progression, the slown'ess and equal distribution of motion is such, that manyjd;fiu~cles are employed, in a greater or less degree. Each- adts'iin unison with the rest and the whole remains comp*it and united. Hence, the time of its movement maylbe'.quicker or;slower, without deranging the union of ithe parts, or the equ1ilibrium of the whole. It is owing to'these circumstances that walking displays so much the character of-the walker,-that it is light and gay in women and children; steady and grave OF ROM(EOPATHYr 175 in men,-and elderly persons; irregular in the nervous and irritable; measured in the affected and formal; briek in the sanguine; heavy in the phlegmatic; and proud or humble, bold or timid, etc., in strict correspondence with individual character. The utility of walking exceeds that of all other modes of progression. While the able pedestrian is independent of stage coaches and hired horses, he alone fully enjoys the scenes through which he passes, and is free to dispose of his time as he pleases. To. counterbalance these advantages, greater -fatigue is, doubtless, attendant on walking; but this fatigue is, really, the result of previous inactivity; for daily exercise gradually increased, by rendering walking more easy and agreeable, and inducing its more frequent practice, diminiaQes fatigue to such a degree, that very great distances may be accomplished with pleasure instead of painful exertion. In relation to health, walking accelerates respiration and circulation, increases the temperature and cutaneous exhalation, and excites appetite, and sends healthful nutrition. Hence, as an.:anonymous writer observes, the true pedestrian, after a walk of twenty miles, c.mes in to bieakfast with freshness on-his countenance, healthy blood coursing %n every vein, and vigour in every limb, while the indolent aind inactive man, hayving painfully crept over a mile or, two, returns to a dinir which his stomach cannot digest. A firm, yet easy;:nd graceful walk, howevef, is by no 176 17 TtHORY ANt) PRAC-ICfV. means common. For farther information on that subjegt, see Walker's Manly Exercises. Dancing. Dancing, this attractive play, with all its lively, rapidf and waving motion, serves to give energy and agility to the members. It was practised amongst all nations, Which is not astonishing, for man has a natural inclination to impart the affections and sentiments which he feels, not only by the means of an articulate language, but also by motions of the body. Dancing is the expression of nature; a dumb poetry, as Simonides calls it. Of all exercises, the dance is that which is the most congeneal to the fair sex. Honour, peace, safety, always hover round her: Feed her with plenty: let her eyes never see* A sight of sorrow, nor her heart know mourning. Crown'd be her days with joy. La Danse est un amusement propre a la jeunesse et done on ne doit pas la priver c'est de plus un exercise qui joint aux avantages communs celui de donner de la grace au corps et d'initier le joune homme aux manieres usitees dans'la sociote ou il dolt un jour entrer.--Le Dr. Simon. Skating. l Skating is a very healthy exercise, which is practised to a great extent on the continent of Europe, especially in tho Netherlands. OF HOMaEOPATHY. 177 The Duttc are very skilful skaters. I have often seen in 'Friesland and Groningen, two hundred persons, ladies and gentlemen, linked together, and skating away with a quickness that the eye can scarcely perceive it- In a few seconds they are out of sight. To skate twenty miles in an hour is not unfrequent among the Netherlanders. In 1821, a Lincolnshire man, for a wager of a hundred guineas, skated one mile within two seconds of three minutes. It is certainly far better to warm the blood in the winter by active exercise, than to be wrapt up, andlinger the whole day near the fireside, and complain of a bad cold. Breathe the good cold of the free air, which will prevent you getting a bad cold.' The English have a proverb, to avoid cold., We have to expose ourselves to it. There is nothing more dangerous than those deceiving complaints, colds-a consumption in embryo. Keep it away-learn to be a child of nature. You will not only prolong your life, but the future generation, your offspring, -the emblem of yourselves,-will bless you for your sagacity. Those parents, says Dr. Combe, act most erroneously, who, in their apprehensive anxiety for the protection of their delicate children, scrupulously prohibit them from every kind'of exercise which requires the least effort, and shut them-.up from the open air during wintei-, with the false hope of thereby warding off colds, and protecting their 178 THEORY AND PRACTICE lungs. I have seen the greatest delicacy of constitution thus engendred. Such a conduct is found to be as ill adapted as possible to the end in view, and utterly at variance with the laws of animal economy. EQUITATION.- Horse-back Riding Horse-back exercise is an exercise most salutary and agreeable, innocent and useful. Its effects on the system depends on the gait of the horse. Pacing makes but a slight impression: it is somewhat sti'onger when riding on a gallop. Trotting is the most active, but very fatiguing, on account of excessive concussion, and successive flexion and extension of thetrunk. Even the brain becomes sensitive to its commotions, which manifests itself by headache. In the course of time, and through habit, no inconvenience is felt; and it will contribute greatly to the improvement of health. It is proper for convalescents, for weak persons, valetudinarians, or cachectic people, etc. We do not consider it a suitable exercise for the consumptive, for which it has been generally recommended. Ladies on Horse-back. The nearest approach to manliness that is allowable for a female to make conformably with the preservation of her feminine character for grace and delicacy, is when riding on horse-back. She sits with an air of dignity, with an occasional inclination forward; and the easy curve of the bridle arm, contrasting with the pendant position OF HOMPIEOPATHY* of the whip arm, prevents her from appearing stiff or constrained. And then her hat and feathers-her worked collar, and braided coat studded with small buttons, gives an air of out-door adventure, made wonderfully interesting by her- sparkling eye, and the rich carnation of her cheek, while her falling ringlets shade the deep suffusion of her temples. Let us suppose a fair companion thus mounted and equipped, adding to the charm-of appearance the additional fascination of a ready smile and playful remark, and who shall resist her power? No drawing-room belle, in. all the decorations of lace and gauze, pearl and diamonds, can look half so lively or enchanting. The beneficial effects to females of riding on horseback, are of a very decided character. In all those ailments indicated by the vague epithets of nervousness, without pain or much fever, where there is palpitation, tremors, paleness of complexion, sick-headache, deficient or irregular appetite, and the many disturbances associated with indigestion, this kind of exercise will do more good than all the drugs. But there is one condition of indispensible performance for the accomplishment of the desired end: it is, that the rider shall not be so tied or buckled up as at all to impede the free expansion of her chest, and movement in every direction of her arm. She is not expected, nay, she is expressly forbidden to sit on her horse unyielding and unbending as when in a drawing-room or at the dinner 081 THEORY ~AND PRACTICE table. Such a position is as ungraceful as it is adverse to the healthful enjoyment of equestrian exercise. Riding in a carriage is a kind of exercise which is par. ticularly adapted to feeble persons, and to those of an advanced age. o HOMOEOPATHY. 181 "IDRUGS, AND THEIR ABUSES. "It becomes fashionable, in our days, to hear, occasion-?allt a sombre. harangue delivered on diet. Lecturers have arisen who have perambulated the country, proclaiming, without reason, their dogmas to multitudes of greedy listeners, prescribing to them rules of eating and drinking, and setting to them limits, beyond which theyare forbidden to pass. Books (on eatable-philosophy,) have. been "witten, fraught with precepts'of abstinence, (a starvation Sm,) and urging upon the robust and healthy a regimen ly for a community of starved ghosts. Many, yea, a vastly greater number than would at once be believed, have had their heath,-their constitutions undermined; and from bein'g hale and hearty, -have become pale faced, weak, and emaciated. I have met with a good many of these priests of starvation, Grahamites, in the state of New York. Beans, roots, potatoes, and bran bread, is al they want. ' Man wants but little hero below; and indeed they look as if they would not want it long." I think it makes very little difference what a man eats or drinks. Appetite is the best guide in matters of diet Nature has given to man a discriminating taste-a relisd for lier bounties, of which there is an ample supply A^ P 182 THEORY AND PRACTICE its gratification. And if Nature has given an appetite, and supplied the most ample means for its indulgence, it has also fixed the limits beyond which that indulgence is incompatible with the well being of the system. While no inconvenience, or any greater ill effects result from the gratification of the appetite for food, there can be no impropriety in obeying its commands; but every man is blessed with reason sufficient to convince him of errors in this respect, and with will sufficient to restrain his desires. What seems to me to. be of more importance than the hackneyed subject of diet, is to point out to the people the detrimental consequences which arise from the inconsiderate use of drugs. There is, perhaps, no country in which all kinds of drugs are used in such quantities, and in quick succession as in the United States, especially in the south and west. And what may be the cause of this injudicious, most lamentable way of proceeding? Ist. The absolute ignorance of most people of the structure of the human organs, their functions, and diseases, and the imperfect knowledge of the powers of medicine. Were it otherwise,-had people but a superficial coneeption of these sciences, we doubt much if they would be as eager to accept all kinds of compounds offered to them. If a man sits down at the table, he considers well what is set before him before he partakes of it. Why not pursue at least the same course with drugs? It is the prevailing opinion that medicine possesses a OF HOMsEOPATHY. 183 healing power. This may be true to a certain extent, yet medicine is but another name for poison, when improperly applied, or used in great quantities: and what is worse than all, is the too frequent repetition of them. We need but examine the countenance of a person who is in the habit of taking medicine, and we'll soon notice that it is sicklied o'er with distress, the energies of the body exhausted, and almost brought to the brink of the grave by tha' most perverted plan of taking medicine like food. Indeed, many happy beings, in their idiotic ignorance, think that food could be spared when medicine is used, because this alone feeds sufficiently. In a country like ours, where every one is not only his own judge in politics and religion, but also in medicine, it would be well to teach the principal branches of medicine, especially Toxicology, at the seminaries. It is, assuredly, the interest of every one, to know at least as much of medicine as shall enable him to form a genera estimate of the treatment to which he subjects himself and those who are dearest to him, as well as to form some notion of the ability of the practitioner who applies and administers it. 2. What may have further contributed to the abuse of drugs, is the incorrect classification of remedies in stimulating, corroborating, or tonics; antispastic, purgatives, emetics, alternatives, etc. Healing powers have been assigned to them which they do not possess,, drawn from an imperfect analogy, which originated from an 184 THEORY AND PRACTICE imperfect physiological and pathological knowledge of past ages. Emetics and purgatives were brought into notice through the erroneous doctrine ofhumoral pathology, Stimulating remedies, and tonics, were brought:into fashion through the false conclusions of Cullen and Brown, etc. "& It were a task of immense labour to advert, by special enumeration, to all the numerous cases of such fallacy, a rising from extravagant views of the medicinal propertiesof the various agents, which,. from age to age, and froim year to year, have received the unspairing and undistinguished eulogies of physicians." " General classification (says the reviewer of Dr. Dunglison's book) is unfriendly, so far as it goes, to a close discriminating study of the peculiar properties of the separate articles of the materia medica; and that the great objectof our therapeutical researches on this particular point ought to be, to ascertain the exact individual specific value of these separate articles. (I wish it wore so.) Tartarized antimony and ipecacuanha, are, both of them,. emetics; but it will hardly be pretended that their operation on the stomach,- and through this organ, on the entire system, is identical in its nature, differing only in activity. Each has its peculiar action. Similar remarks may be made in regard to the other important articles of the materia medica, and any generalization, the tendency of which is to merge these peculiar properties into some common family character, is unfriendly to the progress and certainty of therapeutical science. This siirit ot i85 OV HOrMCE0PATHYb 8 gonratlizhig, "Which we a're endeavoring to combat, is objectionable not merdly oh the grouinds of its abstract or 3cintijfi6 falsity, if we may 'so' speak. If this were all, we' c~uld easily let-it p,.as's Iunnoticed. But this is not all. The err'oris fuillofp'ia'ctical dange-'. It influences, directly and iih-vdidably, our 'whole method and conduct in tim appliicatkn anid s'election of remedies."' ~ve" freq uently no*ticed, in -different sections of this country, the great havoc made under the general terms of Ionics, stimulants, alteirnative~s,.cleca'nsing -or purgative medicin&e'otc. etd". A main-, for instance, is laboring under indigestion which may have proceeded from some cause or -ohler,-think-sit owing to debility. Tonics (his mater'ia' medica tells him) is an excellent remedy for a weak stomach;,conse~juontiy he' buys;i- I' botile of a b'itter mixture," and~ afte'r having taken it a fe'w days finds himself wor-se,,he is incliffinf more and morde' to listlessness and languor, his,counttenhaiic6 is' bocoming more sallo'w, the tonliýis coated; all '(ac~c6rd~i-n t6 'on6inon doctrfiines), the'' exacr in iceatiorl of the t6i"pd action 't the live I and he now thinks he has rnistaken'thib di~eahse: and beiiig told'that he needs "calt e~rnaltives?! wbicr) miea'ns taking m~ercury in small doses -in the shap& of "bldeo pillS;", wbic~h'is to''be' ta' enat nighi, ana~ then bring up a reinforcement in the' mo-rning, in: tbp is thrwi mtTedi~ited cas'tle* to'tperate' as a -oN GREVE RommTr. And -in this& Way t& falneast4.j fal in.1. 186 THEORY AND PRACTICE played upon until the constitution can resist no longer,, and yields to the unconquerable enemy. How far the doctrine of humoral pathology is consistent with the present physiological and pathological knowledge; -on what grounds even the leading members of the profession can teach and propagate such erroneous principles we are at a loss how to explain. There can be no doubt that most gastric affections, acute as well as chronic, depend on a morbid norvosity, or subinflamation of the mucous membrane of the intestinal canal. The American physician should break off this bad habit of using such quantities of mercurials and most irritating cathartics in. derangements of the intestinal canal. If cleansing remedies are indicated, (and I am sure in. most cases a suitable plan in diet would answer the purposebetter,) let them be of a mild character, such as tamarind, manna, salts, etc. They have at least the advantage, that *they don't injure the intestines, which this mischievous calomel and purgative practice certainly do, producing, in the course of time, disorganizations and organic affections, such as prolapsus ani" hamorrhoides fluentes et coeae. Prolapsut uteri, diseased secretions of all characters, ulcers of the intestines, etc. We do not wish to be captious, yet our feelings are so much excited at this detestible mania of purging, that we must call it. a.onoatrouscpractice.. r. To keep "principally' in view (says Boisseau,) the OF HOM(EOPATHY. 1is irritation of the stomach, the intestines, and the liver, and to distinguish the cases, few in number, in which recouise must be had to evacuants, is the fundamental principle which should, at the present day, guide the practitioner in the treatment of gastric affection. If, instead of employing himself in invectives, against the partisans of antimony, Gui Paten had collected, with.care, conclusive facts, the causehe advocated would have triumphed, and humanity have been spared many a groan. It is not, says the inimitable Molieres, who was unspairing in his appropriate philippics against the profession, and the public of his day,-it is not, after all, that your daughter may not die; but at all events you will have the consolation that she died according to form. Ce n'est pas, qu'avec tout cela votre fille ne puisse mourir mais au moins vous aurez fait quelque chose, et vous aurez la consolation qu'elle sera morte.dans la forme. L'amour Medecin, Act I., Scene 5. We do riot say (says De Ticknor) that cathartic remedies always produce injurious results; but as there are many of the diseases of the digestive organs that are aggravated by irritating their lining membrane, it follows, therefore, that purgatives being irritants, are, in all such cases, decidedly improper. This is more particularly the case with regard to those chronic, troublesome affections, known by the name of dyspepsy, indigestion, bilious complaints, and other terms equally vague and unmeaning. Maladies of this class are characterized by an almost iS8 THEORY AND PRACIICV numberless train of distressing symptoms; and so unhappy and perfectly wretched do they render their victims, that they eagerly seize upon any means that afford the most distant prospect of relief, and that without calculating the chances, or ever dreaming of a possibility of being made worse. In a large proportion, if not in a majority of the diseases to which the digestive organs are subject, the mucous lining membrane will be found to be the seat of the malady; and the disease itself is found, by examinations after death, to consist in a greater or less degree of inflammation. Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach is characterized, in most cases, by tenderness directly at the bottom of the-breast bone, extending over the space about equal the size of a dollar. The degree of pain caused by pressure in this region, is in proportion to the degree of inflammation. Sometimes an individual thus affected is compelled to wear the dress inordinately loose; and when gentle pressure is made with the points of the fingers, he experiences the most acute pain. Whoever is thus afflicted may rest assured that his disease will be aggravated by a frequent repetition of aetive purgatives. It is an unquestionable fact, that cathartic remedies'produce their effect in two ways only. First, by an increase of the secretions, or the natural fluids that are found in the cavity of the alimentaary canal. These' secrtions, like those of all other organs; are supplied by'the blood; CO HOIf(EOPATHY. 189 and whenever they are increased in quantity, the supply of blood to the part is increased in an equal ratio. Thus the supply is constantly proportioned to the demand occasioned by an active irritating purgative. If, then, the mucous membrane be inflamed, purgatives add only to the flame already existing. The.lining of the stomach and bowels in this case, is in a state resembling, exactly, an inflamad eye, where there is more or less pain and an increased secretion of tears. Any person of the least observation would perceive at once the injury likely to result from the application of an acrid, irritating substance, for the sake of incrdasing still farther the secretion of tears; and so any man, who knows the effect of remedies, would see in prospect-the mischief" likely to result from repeated purging. The bad effects of active cathartics do not end here; nor do the ill effects of improper remedies to an inflamed eye cease with the flow of tears. In the latter case the eye is not unfrequently disorganized, and the sight lost fbrever. In the former, change of structure is also the result, with sometimes ulceration, that ends in a perforation of the intestines, causing immediate death, There is one important fact that should be borne in mind by the lovers of "powerful physic!" and that is, that oftentimes each successive dose must be greater than the one preceding; so that after a long course of purging, five or ten times as much medicine is required as was necessary at first. It is unnecessary to explain why there shall, from too -frquent. repetition of the physic in one 190 THEORY AND PRACTICE case, follow obstinate constipation, in another, diarrhoea chronica, asthma, etc. It is sufficient for our present purpose, to know, that these results, and many others, do ensue. Purging is many times continued till a sub-acute enteritis is induced or aggravated, and the abdomen becomes painful and distended, under an erroneous impression that a new disease had occuried to remove the very symptoms it has caused. Thus the patient is finally purged out of existence, without the doctor once suspecting a possibility that he may be wrong, or that something else, or some other treatment would be advisable. Emetics. No article can produce vomiting but such as causes an irritation of the stomach; and most substances that do so, like the active cathartics, possess acrid and stimulating properties. In gastric affections, where. digestion is deranged, there is often experienced a sensation of distension, or of a load at the pit of the stomach; and most substances that do so, like the active cathartics, possess acrid stimulating properties. In gastric affection, where digestion is deranged, there is often experienced a sensation of distension, or of a load at the pit of the stomach; and an attempt is made to remove this load, as it is called, by an emetic. To the surprise, however, of the suffering party, nothing is vomitod but a small quantity of mucous, watery fluid, quite inadequate to account for the previous ,OF HOMCEOPATHY. 191 symptoms, and accordingly another emetic is administered, but with no better effect. The relief afforded in such cases, if there be any, is merely temporary; and there is soon the same necessity for a repetiton of the medicine as there was at first. The sensation of a load in the stomach at such times is not caused by ady quantity of matter, but is the sole result of the diseased membrane lining its internal cavity, giving a sensation which is purely deceptive: and when relief is afforded by an emetic, it is because the diseased action is temporarily changed or superseded. But even a temporary remission is not always procured, the disease being immediately, and permanently, and often incurably aggravated. An individual, after unusual fatigue, or exposure to wet or cold, night air, or any other cause sufficient to derange the health, complains of lassitude, more or less headache and chilliness, loss of appetite, tenderness at the pit of the stomach on pressure, pain in the back and loins, and other symptoms that generally usher in a febrile attack: an emetic is now administered, without affording the anticipated relief, but is followed by an obvious aggravation of all the preceding symptoms; the remedy is perhaps repeated, with a still more decidedly, bad, and unhappy result. The ultimate effect in this case is inflamation of the stomach. When bile is vomited with violent retching towards the last part of the operation of an emetic, it is con.QidM '. 192 THEORY AND PRACTICE as proof positive, equivalent to actual demonstration, that the remedy Was the very thing needful. The previous unpleasant symptoms are then attributed to the presence of bile in the stomach; and when they recur, as they often do, the medicine is repeated. The theory and practice in such cases are equally erroneous, and are followed by disagreeable consequences; but the truth may be explained in few words, and most easily comprehended. The lower orifice of the stomach, that which opens into the upper portion of the- intestine, and the orifice of the duct, which conveys the bile into the same portion of intestine, are but a few inches distant from each other. In vomiting, the peristaltic action of the stomach is inverted, the motion being from below upward: and sometimes this inverted order of action is communicated to the whole length of the alimentary canal. In less severe cases, however, this action is only communicated to that part of the intestine more immediately connected with the stomachthat part into which the biliary duct enters and deposites its contents. When, therefore, this portion of the bowel acts in sympathy with the stomach, whatever quantity of bile is poured in it must be evacuated upward instead of downward. And further, the action of vomitiig, if it does not actually increase the secretion of bile, nevertheless assists in discharging it from the liver and gall-bladder. And thus its flow is, temporarily, greatly augmented; and being evacuated by the mouth, confirms the previous bICloYPTHY. 193 ireitiohs of those who knew no better, that 'ile had -accumulated 'iti he stomach whfich it was necessary to dislodge. In persons of plethoric, or 'full habit, thele is great danger'in the administration of emetics. Individuals of this description are generally of the sanguine temperament, prone to hemorrhages and inflammatory diseases; and as the violent spasmodic actions in the efforts to vomit cause a determinatioh of blood to some organ, the rupture of a 'blood vessel' may be produced, or the engorgement may continue after the vomiting has ceased, and terminate in a znore-or less active inflammation. Apoplexy is thus caused, blood being effused into the substance of the brain by the rupture of a vessel; and from this cause have occurred alarming bleedings from the lungs, stomach, and other of the viscera, Besides the vomiting caused by articles of -ihis 'class, thero is yet another effect 'upon the 'bowels, and -that is, their operation as cathartics. And when there is a pre-disposition of the bowels to be easily affected, there is dfte-n induced a diarrhcea and diseased condition of the intestines that is not easily subdued. Di'. Crichton and Mayor observed an extraordinary effect of tartar emetic in a girl, aged fourteen, who had taken ten grains within a fortnight.* Some days after this remedy had been discontinued, a pustular eruption.British Ann. Med., from Medico Pract. Abhand. B. I. Q 194 THEORY AND PRACTICE appeared,' exceedingly like the exanthem breaking out after the external application of tartarized antimony. In three individuals who, during their complaints, had had a strong tartar emetic ointment rubbed on the abdomen, small pock-like pustles were found on the internal surface of the peritonaeum after death. Tonics. To this class belong all the multitudinous forms of "~t bitter," "bracing medicines," " stomach bitters," tonic pills, " strengthening medicines," life elixir, elixir vitce, and a great many more of gentle names, which are palmed upon the community as cures for dispepsy, and other ailments. Tonics, when they produce their legitimate effect, cause a tendency to an inflammatory diathesis, or in other words, they induce that state of the system in which inflammation is excited with more than ordinary facility. And in those habits where the inflammatory diathesis already prevails, or where there is some local chronic affection, tonics cannot be administered to any extent with impunity. Therefore, in diseases of the digestive organs, and in all cases of stomach affections where this inflammatory tendency exists, medicines of this class are decidedly injurious; and coming directly in contact with the mucous membrane when the stomach is diseased, the mischief is thus decidedly increased. Unlike active stimulants, which may only temporarily aggravate the disease, OF HOMCEOPATHY. 195 tonics fasten it more firmly where it is already seated, and are followed by a long sequel of suffering. Mercury. There seems to be a universal disposition of many to decry and most foully slander all medicines obtained from minerals, while they labour under the erroneous impression that medicine obtained from herbs is less injurious. I have heard people say, I take the vegetable pill! With the word vegetable, says Dr. Ticknor, are associated many delicious articles of food; and when we are told of a vegetable pill, the idea, perhaps, insensibly oetcrs, that it is something eatable:-vegetables are nutritious-they are wholesome articles of food: every body eats them -we eat them every day -these are vegetable pills-no mineral here, no poison-they can't hurt you!(?) because they are vegetable. This is the language and logic of empiricism; and with those who are not at the trouble of thinking for themselves--who close their eyes and swallow whatever is thrust into their mouth,-it is believed with the greatest sincerity. Let the pill be what it may, whether it be the most active acrid, irritating poison, so it only be called "vegetable!" no further questions are asked, and nothing more is desired. We will, however, state here, for general information, that nothing of the mineral kingdom possesses any thing of the activity or power that vegetables do-that while minerals require hours, or perhaps days, to produce fatal effects, vegetables 196, 191HEORI AND FRACTIMC will cause the same result in a far less space of time;, or even in a few minutes. Every mineral possesses great medicinal powers, if properly prepared, and; used in minute doses: such asarsenic, mercury, copper,* tin, lead, iron, gold, silver; etc. It is not the fault of the. remedy, that it injure;.but the error consists in the application, When a small dose of an active drug may be beneficial,. a large quantity may, under certain, circumstances act as a poison., Mercury, with a large class of the- public, has-faller-into disrepute.: They wouldk rather, intrust themselves into-the hands of quacks, with the delusive hope that they. useno mercury. But this- is a gross mistake., Mercury is an excellent remedy.. I should not like to-be a physician without it. Who- has not experienced. its beneficial ef-- fects in. glandular swelliags, inflammation, of the brain,mesestoritis, etc. - "Itf medicines ha-ve, been misapplied, it would be the dictates of true wisdom to learn a lesson from, error, and profit from misfortune rather than condem t thething for a fault which justly belongs to the hand that administered, or the head that prescribed it. The abuse of mercury is well marked- by distinguished men, which may here find a place. *On my arrival in the city of Louisville, a negro woman subject to fittwenty-five years, was entrusted to-my care- I succeeded in curing her in: about six weeks, principally by two homoeopathic remedies, copper and belardonna,,of eaoh a milliontii part of-a grain. t H#OMiEOPATHY. 197 Calomel, It is much to be regretted, says Dr. Graham, that there is a fashion in medicine as well as in the other affairs of life. A few years ago, the majority of ordinary complaints were said to be on the nerves; now 'they all depend upon, nrd centre in the liver. On this subject a modern writer ýhas well observed. The Princess, afterwards Queen Anne, was subject to hypocondriacal attacks, which her physicians pronounced to be spleen, vapours, or hypo, and recommended Rawieigh's confection and pearl cordial for its cure. This circumstance was sufficient to render the disease and temedy fashionable; and no other complaint was ever heard of in the precincts of the court but that of the vapours. Some years afterwards, ini consequence of Dr. Whytt's publication on nervous diseases, a lady of fashibn was pronounced to be nervous. The term became generil, and the disease fashionable; and spleen, vapoumrs, and chypo, were consigned tooblivion. The reign of nervous diseases, however, did not long continue, for a popular w-ork appeared on biliary concretions, and all the world became bilious. It is an unhappy circumstance that the world still continues in this state, and that both the disease aind its remedy have taken so deep a root in the professional mind, that there is yet no appearance of a change to another ideal, fashionable malady, whose favourite remedy, we might hope, would be a medicine more like the pearl cordial of Rawleigh's confection thari calomel, and thereq2 As THEORY AND PRACTrft fore more cougenial to the human constitution, and whichfi if it were not attended with any sensible benefit, would possess at least the advantage of being innocent. The- term "liver complaint" is now in the mouth of every one: and it is well known that mercury, in- some form, generally the most injudicious, is. the universal medicine for all kinds and degrees of disorder in the digestive organls. A patient, suffering from such disorder, which is usually denoted by oppression at the stomach after eatig, want of appetite, weakness, depression- of spirits, caii at this time hardly consult his physician with out being told he has a liver complaint; and as a necessary consoeuence, being soon loaded with calomel or blue pill. Inddod, it is a fact, of which I am convinced from ample expehience, that even the' slighter forms of derangements in the assitilative viscera are often designated by the above faihioa&ble term, and treated accordingly. In the United States, (says the American Editor of Dr. Gra - ham's book on indigestion,) and especially in those states situated toward the south and west, a physician often rises in celebrity in proportion to the magnitude of the doses of calomel which he ordinarily prescribes. Notwithstanding the temerity of such a practice, the patients often recover from the disease with which they were attacked, and the calomel so skilfully administered,.-gets the credit of the cure. Shauld thh pitient sub*turently suffer the horrors of a mercurial fever, and aalivation, which causes the palate and guim to slough, and the teeth to become loose, O Ho 19EOATHY Of even drop out, the chance is, that the physician will get more praise than censure, since it will be inferred that, in all probability, death would have ensued but for the salivation. To be sick is, of itself, misfottune enough: but, in our days, diseases multiply through abuse of strong remedies, whose powerful operations have abbreviated many valuable lives, and undermined many precious constitutions. Dr. Blackhall, of Exeter, expresses himself very strongly on this subject. Parents have something -to regret, who are so perpetually giving calomel to their children, without any distinction or care, as a common domestic remedy. And it is difficult to conceive on what view of the subject even practitioners proceed, who indulge in its use with less scruple than ever with less attention as to dose-- with less caution as to management,-- whilst they are observing and lamenting the daily increasing ravages of hereditary scrophulous, and other disorders. Indeed, the powerful and depressing effects of calomel on the whole nervous and vascular systems unequivocally proves its poisonous qualities, and raise indisputable objections to its frequent employment. That so powerful an article; taken or administered by all descriptions of persons, without care or discrimination as to the dose or disease, must be attended with the most lamentable consequences, no' one, with truth,, can deny; for this medicine is not onily a poison in excessive doses, but even int ordinary doses of two and t.hree grains, it is 200 THEORY ANb PRACldfI an active stimulaht to the organs of digestion, and to the whole constitution. There is not another article in the materia medica, in common use, which so immediately and permanently, and to so great a degree, debilitates the stomach and bowels, as calomel; yet this is the medicine which is sent for and prescribed on every occasion, the most trifling as well as the most urgent! Its action on the nervous system is demonstrative of its being an article in its nature inimical to the human constitution, since what medicine, besides its frequent use, will excite feelings so horrible and indescribable as calomel, and other preparations of mercury. An excessively peevish, irritable, and despondent state of mind, is a well known consequence of a single dose of this substance. Dr. Falkoner, of Bath, in a paper, where he forcibly animadverts on its abuse, observes, Among other ill efects, it tends to produce tremor, palpitation, inclina. tion to nightsweating, paralysis, and not unfrequently incurable mania. I have myself seen, repeatedly, from this cause, a kind of approximation to these maladies that embittered life to such a degree, with a shocking depression of spirits and other nervous agitation with which it was accompanied, as to make it more than commonly probable that many of the suicides which disgrace our country, were occasioned by the intolerable feelings that result from such a state of the nervous system.* *Transactions of the Medical Society of London, vol. 1, page 110. Of' IfM&OrATH-k. 0 201 To set the poisonous qualities of mercury in a still clearer light, I would here insert an extract from Dr. Hamilton's work on the abuse of mercury, and also ýom Dr. Alley's observation on hydrargyria, an eruptive disease which is sometimes produced by this mineral: "In a lady, whom'the author attended some years ago, along with his intelligent friend, Dr. Fargharson, wLor had had such small doses of blue pill, combined with opium, for three nights successively, that the whole quantity amounted to no more than five grains of the mass. Salivation began on the fifth day; and notwithstanding every attention, the tongue and gums beodame swelled to nn enormous degree; bleedinig, ulcers of the mouth, and fauces took place, and such an excessive irritability and debility followed, that for nearly a whole month her life was in the utmost jeopardy." Dr. Alloy observes, page 40, that he has seen the mercurial eruption appear over the entire body of a boy about seven years old, for whom but three grains of calomel had been prescribed, ineffectually, as a purgative. Some may think-that these instances prove only idiosyncrasy in the individuals affected, rendering them in an iextraordinary degree obnoxious to ther pernicious effects df this single substance-; that the conclusions here drawn touching the deleterious properties of mercury, are inconclusive. -But this cannot be consistently affirmed, because the above instances of the-poisonous operation, of mercury are not of irare occurrence; on the contrary, they are. 202 THEORY AND PRACTICE common, and are only two out of a vast number (not all equally bad) that have been, and are still daily witnessed, many of which are on record. Dr. Hamilton, jun., observes,-In several cases, the author has decidedly ascertained, that alterations of the villous coat of the intestines of infants and young children have been induced by the frequent use of doses of calomel.* Does not this fact call upon the mother to abandon its use altogether; and does it not demand more care or attention on our part in prescribing this oxide than has been of late observed? Mercury affects the human constitution in a peculiar manner, taking, so to speak, an iron grasp of all its systems, and penetrating even to the bones, by which they not only change the healthy action of its vessels, and general structure, but greatly impair and destroy its energies, so that their abuse is very rarely overcome. When the tone of the stomach, intestines, or nervous system generally, has been once injured by this mineral, according to my experience, and I have paid considerable attention to the subject, it could afterwards seldom be restored. I have seen many persons, to whom it has been largely given for the removal of different complaints, who, before they took it, knew what indigestion and nervous depression meant only by the description of others; but since they have become experimentally acquainted with both, for *Bowel complaints of children in the city of Louisville are very frequent, principally caused by the abuse of purgatives and calomel. OF HOMEEOPATHY. 203 they now constantly complain of weakness: and irritability of the digestive organs, of frequent lowness of spirits and impaired strength, of all which it appears to me they will ever be sensible, Instances of this description abound. Many of the victims to the practice are aware of this origin of their, permanent indisposition, and many more, who are at present unconscious of it, might here find, upon investigation, a sufficient cause for their sleepless nights and miserable days. The celebrated Prof. Marshall Hall,* makes the following remarks on mercury, which I desire that every practitioner will take into consideration: The primary effects of mercury consists in the well known phenomena of ptyalism and salivation. The secondary effect, when injudiciously continued for an improper time, or in undue quantity, is that designated by Mr. Pearson, to whom we owe its detection. The erethismus mercurialis- mercurial excitement. To this affection the late Dr. Bateman, the friend of Mr. Pearson, fell a victim, and that from the want of a prompt diagnosis. The first symptoms of this terrible affection occurred on the ninth day of the mercurial inunction; this was, nevertheless, continued to the thirteenth. Dr. Bateman observes, in the detail of his own case, given in the ninth volume of the medico-Chirurgical Transactions: It is evident that the features of the malady are not sufficiently known, even *See his work, Principles of the Theory and Practice of Medicine; republished Boston, 1839. 204 THEORY AND PRACTICE to the most enlightened members of the profession; for the failure on the part of the medical advisers, in the instance about to be related, to recognise its first symptoms, and the consequent repetition of the dose of the poison, after its first commencement, had nearly proved fatal. The detail itself is full of interest: and not the least affecting part of the story is, that eventually the disease did carry off this able physician. Mr. Pearson observes:-In the course of two or three years after my appointment to the care of the Lock Hospital, I observed that, in almost every year, one and sometimes two instances of sudden death occurred among the patients, admitted to that institution: that these accidents could not be traced to any evident cause: and that the subjects were commonly men who had nearly, and sometimes entirely, completed their mercurial course. I consulted Mr. Bromfield and Mr. Williams upon this interesting subject, but they acknowledged themselves unable to communicate any satisfactory information: they had carefully examined the bodies of'many who had died thus unexpectedly, without being able to discover any morbid appearances; and they confessed that they were equally ignorant of the cause, the mode of prevention, or the method of treating that state of the system which immediately preceded the fatal termination. As the object of my inquiry was of considerable importance, I gave a constant and minute attention of the operation of mercury on the constitution in general, as rF HOMCEOPATHY. 205 'well as to its effects on the disease for which it was administered; and after some time had elapsed, I ascertained that these sinister events are to be ascribed to mercury acting as a poison on the system, quite unconnected with its agency as a remedy; and that its deleterious quantities were neither in proportion to the inflammation of the mouth, nor to the actual quantity of the mineral absorbed into the body. The erethismus mercurialis may come at any period of the use-of mercurial remedies. In Dr. Bateman, the first symptoms occurred on the ninth day of mercurial inunction with languor, fever; and, on the next morning, with vio-, lent and irregular beating of the heart. Mr. Pearson observes,-Tho gradual approach of this diseased state is commonly indicated by paleness of the countenance, a state of general inquietude, and frequentsighing; the. respiration becomes more frequent, sometimes accompanied with a sense of constriction across the.thorax, the pulse is small, frequent, and often intermitting, and there is a sense of fluttering about the praccordia. And further, the erethismus is characterized by great depression of strength, a sense of anxiety about the praecordiu, irregular action of the heart, frequent sighingi trembling, partial or universal; small;quick, and somotimes intermitting pulse; occasional voqliih'ag ale contracted countenance; a sense of coldness. WhenitHise, or a greater pai~t of these symptotsis a' paipresent,' a idden.and violent exertion of the animal power will sometimes R 206 THEORY AND PRACTICE prove fatal; for instance, walking hastily across the ward, rising up suddenly in the bed to take food and drink, or slightly struggling with their fellow-patients, are among the circumstances which have commonly preceded the sudden death of those afflicted with the, mercurial erethismus. In Dr. Bateman's case, it was remarked, that the action of the heart and arteries, which was extremely feeble as well as irregular while awake, was so much more enfeebled during sleep as to be, in fact, almost suspended, anid thus to occasion alarming faintings and sinkings, so that it became necessary, notwithstanding the extreme drowsiness which had succeeded the long continued watchfulnes, to interrupt the sleep at the expiration of two minutes, by which time, or even sooner, the sinking of the pulse and countenance indicated the approaching languor. The following is a similar case to that of Dr. Bateman's, also described by Marshall Hall: Mr. - Surgeon and a West-Indian called upon me to hold some conversation on his own case. He attributed his unhappy condition to a malignant fever, with erysipolas, during which there had been exhibited a great deal of calomel,-as much as thirty grains at one dose,* which *I am informed here, by several persons, that even delicate females have taken as much as a hundred grains ofcalomel I for a dose, and a thousand grains in the course of a week. I may well assert that a fourth part of lingering maladies in the United States may be ascribed to the abuse of mercury. A modern author has pointed out a number of diseases which originate from the abuse of mercury. In the hope that the western and southern physicians of this OF HOM(]EOPATHY. 207 cured him; but he thought it left him subject to a gastric affection, with a chronic inflammation. However that may be, this is his present condition. On falling asleep, just at the moment when volition and sensibility cease, the involuntary motions also stop, with a sensation of death under which he awakes generally convulsed. His medical friends have sat by him and watched him, and they have found, when sleep is overpowering him, the breathing becomes slower and weaker; the heart and pulse also fall low, and cease to beat as sleep comes on; and after a short time he awakes in tremor. There is a great similarity between the erethismus mercurialis and the effects of loss of blood, the extreme degree of clorosis, and disease of the heart itself: in all the.peculiar effect of sleep, and the proneness to sudden' dissolution, are the same. country may somewhat relent in their mercurial rage, we will put it down for general information. Rheumatismus mercurialis, arthritis mercurialis, angina mercurialis, Erytema mercurialis, etc. Ec-zema mercurialis, miliaria 7mercurialis, symphoresis faucium mercurialis, symphoresis periostei mercurialis,.Adenophyma inguinale mercuriale, adeno. phyma mezeraicum mercuriale. Hepatophyma mercuriale, psydracia mercurialis. Impetigo mercurialis. Ulcus membranae mucosae mercuriale, ulcus membranae fibrosae mercuriale. Neuralgia mercurialis, Asthma mercuriale. Tremor mercurialis. Psellimus metallicus. Paralysis mercurialis. Amaurosis mercurialis. Apoplexia mercurialis. Hypochondria mercurialis. Cachexia mercurialis. I am informed that in Missouri aind Mississippi, calomel is taken by table. spoons full. 0 tempora! 0 mores! A large woik on mercurial diseases weA i4neia o. plbfl.in the course of this, or next year. if time will permit. 208 THEORY AND PRACTICe' The erethismus described by Mr. Pearson is not the only morbid effect of mercury. This remedy, instead of producing a kindly effect on the systemn and on the disease, sometimes induces a quickened pulse, with feverishnessand general inquietude; a furred tongue;. a harsh and intolerable feeling about the stomach and bowels; perhaps: with sickness; perhaps with diarrhBea, etc. It is to be lamented that in our day, in severe cases whether of disordered function or actual disease, which resist the usual prescribed remedies, salivation is frequently resorted to, from some vague notion of its exerting an admirable, though inexplicable effect, when previous expedients fail; and thus we have often every benevolent feeling of the mind called into painful exercise upon viewing patients already exhausted by protracted illness, and whose only chance of recovery depended upon great care, and a soothing diet, groaning under the accumulated miseries of an active course of mercury, and by this for ever deorived of perfect restoration. A barbarous practice, the inconsistency, folly, and injury of which no words can sufficiently describe. I will venture to affirm, that the man who undergoes strong salivation in a chronic complaint, is never the same person as to strength and bodily feelings after it, as he was before. Opium-" me hercle non sedat!" The Brownian system, which has still its secret votaries, OF HOM(EOPATHY. 209 in oiur modern age knew of no more effective remedy than opium: and whoever submitted to it had to use quantities sufficient to satisfy the utmost cravings of a Turk. During ten years, these licensed poisonings were the order of the day in England, Italy, and Germany. Fifty years ago, an experienced physician, after much hesitation and deliberation, prescribed or administered one grain of that drug, and now it is the non plus ultra -t7.e conditio sine qua non. Perhaps in three parts of human maladies, a gireat deal of injury is done with this remedy in pulmonary diseases. "A violent cough may be readily appeased by an anodyne!-so that a person who has been afflicted and tormented for many days and nights in succession, may, by a single dose, be relieved, and obtain many hours of quiet and refreshing sleep. This is all very good, and greatly to be desired. But another effect of narcotics is to suspend secretion from the lungs, by which the cough is relieved, and thereby to increase the congestion that already exists. The cough may be allayed by the continued use of some article of this sort, and the invalid may thus be lulled into a belief that his disease is about to be cured-that he is on the high road to eertain recovery. Comforting himself with these fond, yet delusive hopes, he, is, at length, and perhaps in a very short time, convinced that his strength is gradually faili-; 'i tjiis other symptoms are not mitigated; that nn fact,,in. no better but in a worse condition. eraded to his' troubles, there may be constipation of the bowels,' diminution cf 210 THEQRY AND PRACTlCET the appetite, headache, and all the peculiar results that are consequent- upon the use of narcotic drugs. All nostrums under the name of drops, syrups, cordials, etc., recommended for the cure of "coughs," "colds," "asthmas," etc., and other affections of the lungs, heart, contain opium. The same remedy,_ for its calming character, is greatly abused in diseases of children, especially at the time of dentition, which may produce (what many overlook) diseases of the brain, mental derangement, atrophy, slow consumption, etc. *It appears, says Dr. Christison, that very young children fare often peculiarly sensible to the poisonous action of opium, so that it is scarcely possible to- use the most:insignificant doses with saf6ty. Sundelin states, in general terms, that extremely small doses are very dangerous to infants, on account of the rapidity of absorption. This opinion, which I have heard stated by various practitioners, is amply supported by the following cases: An infant three days old, got by mistake, about the fourth part of a mixture containing ten drops of laudanum.. No medical man was called for eleven hours. At that time there was great somnolency and feebleness, but the child could be roused. Breathing being very slow, artificial respiration was resorted to, but without advantage.. The child died in twenty-four hours, the character of the symptoms remaining unchanged till the last. *A Treatise on Poisons, by Robert Christison, M. D. OF HOM(EOPATHY. 211 At the inspection of the body, which I witnessed, no morbid appearances were found. Similar to this was a case, communicated to me by Dr. Simson, of this city, where the administration of three drops of laudanum in a chalk mixture for diarrhoea to a stout child, fourteen months old, was followed by coma, convulsions, and death, in about six hours. Dr. Simson satisfied himself as far as that was possible, that the apothecary who made up the mixture did not commit any mistake. My colleague, Dr. Alison, tells me he has met with a case where an infant, a few weeks old, die4d with all the symptoms of poisoning with opium, after receiving.four drops of laudanum; and that he has repeatedly seen unpleasantly deep sleep induced by only two drops. These remarks being kept in view, it will, I suspect, be difficult to go along with an opinion against poisoning expressed by a German medico-legal physician, in the following circumstances: A child's maid, pursuant to a common but dangerous custom among nurses, (in common not only among nurses, but also among mothers,) gave a healthy infant, four weeks old, "an anodyne draught to quiet its screams. The infant soon fell fast asleep, but died comatose in twelve hours. There was not any appearance of note in the dead body, and the child was therefore universally thought to have been killed by the draught. But:the inspecting physician declared this to be impossible,:as the draught contained only (only).an eighth,f a g"ai jiff p, ard as.much THEORY AND PRACTICE hyoscyamus.* But the facts stated above throw doubt on its accuracy, and rather show that the dose was sufficient in the circumstances to occasion death. It has fallen to my lot to witness, in Europe, some alarming symptoms produced by other narcotics. Prussic acid, in pulmonary diseases; nux vomica in paralysis, hemiplagia, etc. We doubt that the American physician ever carried the use of these remedies to a great extent. Prof. F. Liebert says - The American is an independent being; his government is founded upon an appeal to reason of every individual; and there is nothing ih human life-no principle of action-no disposition or custom which forms an isolated part of his being, but must necessarily send its ramifications in every direction through his whole character, so also this spirit of independence, although productive of much good in many respects, induces the American to act for himself in circumstances where he cannot have sufficient knowledge or experience to guide him. And this is, perhaps, in few cases, more apparent than in those in which medical knowledge is required to act with safety. Every American is,a quack; and remedies, which on the European continent are considered by the people with a kind of awe, are adninistered in American families with a boldness which -surprises every foreigner. A mother will give to her child calomel *Pil's Repertorium fier die gerichtliche Arzney-wissenschaft IIf, 145. tThe Stranger in America, or Letters to a Gentleman in Germany, page 324. Prof. Lieber is the well known author of the Encyclopedia Americana. OF HROMCOPAlT. or laudanum as if they were the most innocent remedies that could be employed. If an American is sick, he first quacks for a long time himself, or which, in most cases, is not much better, allows an apothecary to quack him. Generally, therefore, serious-and already neglected cases come under the eye of the physician; and to this cause, perhaps, is partly owing the bold character of American medical practice in general. In no other country, I believe, are the great mass of the people so ready to use quack medicines, as in England and the United States. In Prance there seems to me to be less of this abuse, but nowhere so little as in Germany. Calomel and laudanum, the two trunnions of the gun from which American country medicine shoots its grapeshot, (often supported and seconded by the lancet,) are also used unspairingly in families, without special advice of the physician. I have been startled at finding with wvL,,n, Wumerny tme latter, especially, is administered by parents to children, both.in the cities, and in still greater degree in the couniry. To such an extent is this abuse carried, that laudanum is called simply drops. If a child is a little restless, and disturbs those around it, laudanum is immediately given. I know a farmer's family in which every child receives regularly some "drops" before going to bed. That there are many children killed by laudanum, paragoric, and other preparations, I have not the slightest doubt. I need not to say how injurious this prac. tice must eventually be to the whole nervous system, 6214 THEORY AND PRACTICE which it reduces to a state of morbid irritability. While, on the other hand, this unwarrantable use of opium creates, at a latter period, that immense craving for strong liquor, which with many ends in habitual drunkenness, but with an incalculably greater number in habitual drinking not manifested by any excesses, but manifesting its melancholy consequences by fatal diseases, whose true cause remains perhaps unknown to the sufferer himself. Temperance societies ought to turn their attention to this calamitous mal-practice and systematic preparation of children for a future abuse of strong liquors. The following interesting remarks, by Dr. Simondi, on tho subject of Pharmaco-mania, I have extracted from the Medico-Chirurgical Review, London, re-printed in New York, April, 1840. I hope the American people will profit by it: "That which is commonly called a most innocent medicine may be the source of the utmost harm, if it be taken at an improper moment, or under unfavorable circumstances. Thus magnesia has been productive of fatal consequences, from the ignorance with which it has been administered, or the perseverance in taking it, when it has failed in its expected influence. Masses unchanged have been found after death closely collected together, or patches of the powder adhering with the utmost pertinacity to the intestines, because there had been none of the acid with which it should combine to be properly efficacious. Some very curious instances of this kind are upon record, OF HOM(EOPATHY. 215 and some of the cases have been from the apparently suspicious circumstances, made-subjects of legal investigation; for even death from arsenic has been supposed to have taken place, when examination has shown that magnesia has been its cause. Manna, so useful a laxative for children, is not to be used incautiously, notwithstanding its usual harmlessness. When much vegetable food has been taken, more especially in young children, if this remedy be given, dyspepsia of a most aggravated character occur; the quantity of flatulence produced has been fearful, and the consequences have been alarming. Castor oil, one of the favourite popular remedies, if given under improper circumstances, will not only occasion excruciating tormina, but will be the cause of the expulsion of the mucous which lubricates and defends the passages from injury, and what has been supposed to be exfoliations have taken place, leaving behind a surface so irritable that months have elapsed before a normal state has prevailed. The neutral salts, those of Epsom, etc., are not to be trifled with; and many individuals who have recourse to them without proper advice, have to regret that folly. Diarhcea, dysentery, and sometimes dropsy, supervene upon their injudicious use. Gamboge, which has lately crept into fashion as a purgative, is of all others the most uncertain, and oftentimes the most pernicious; its influence is principally exerted upon the muscular fibre, and hence peristaltic action is increased; and as there are many who from want of proper attention have costiveness 216 THEORY AND PRACTrCi dependent upon a slugglishness of action, they find benefit from pills in which this forms a principal ingredient. Its power, when it is properly exerted, is very striking, and it becomes, in the hands of the well informed man, a very valuable adjunct; (?) but it is a most energetic engine of mischief. It has been known to produce intosusceptio, having, from the vigour of its action, caused an inverted motion, such are its stimulating power upon the muscles; and in some of those instances which have come before the public of death produced by violent action of pills upon the intestininal canal, this drug has decidedly been the means employed. The good sense of the public has taught it to give up the constant employment of aloes, (?) once the basis of every pill that was to act on the bowels; and gamboge, which is infinitely more mischievous, has unfortunately been substituted; but, of the two evils, hmmorrhoides produced by aloes are infinitely preferable to the diseases and to the results consequent upon the other purgative. Even Senna, the valuable ingredient of the black draught, and which certainly comes nearer to a harmless domestic remedy than any other, (?) is not so alone; it will disorder the smaller intestines for a great length of ime; it is not only a momentary cause of griping and of inconvenience, but it leaves behind a very great tendency to those uncomfortable sensations, and more particularly if the liver have not been previously called into son;e slightly increased action, by which the bile is poured forth, and thus the general action of the intestinal canal XF 0DOP4THY. ~ 7 be d-uly and- properly augmented. - Theseý eircumnstances d~emanid the very greatest attention and -caution...Indeed-, d catalogue of sorrawIP,, ocpa~iortod by the ind~iscrin~inate and foolish use -of purgatives,. migh be- d-rawn up,; bu~ such is Ithe' h~eads~trong tendency- sofiena have- to doctor thqmselves, that it'iwoulId be `rabe'r~a cu'riou6s tha*n* a useful task to u-ndartak-e- it. It has been very sa~gac-ieusly observed, that the- public are naturally v~ery fond -of the doctrine of hurnoral pat~hologists3 aid that they, areo most willing to believe that by. purging; 'the-ze is carried off ai gtea-t deal of- pois~onous matter, which would- enter into the -systezt', anc1 gradua~lly overpower it. When a medical man- -is called in, wvho' is an advocate for tho pan-rging system, patients. generally. soon fall into his way, of thinking: they have a sort of gratiý'cation- in d'ischarging, a' large qua ntity of nasfty:. looking greenish, or hiack stuff;adithexctonb attonded with..any, marked -fwtk~d. odour, -they (eel "a sort of self-complacency; they fqncy -they have, disdharged a mass of corruption, and'they are, vey -far from being indispo~ed~to~the advi-ce of the learijed doctor, who recoin-) mens 4erpanother dosQ of blue pjll, and a draught: they say they aro quito roady f~r it, and are quite pleased at the idea of another- disgoi-gpennt, pid. cannot -resist the gratificatijfl-Q~f xxmAkipg _anopther attack, who -they fancy must very- speoedily collect his fo rces,. They vo. i1"Laciously. swallow~the. d~octoir's-stuff, atid as they say, find themselves ligrhter, u~nd their appetite improves. T hey 1 0 S V 218 THEORY AND PRACTICE are very much pleased with what has been done for them; they fancy they have discovered the means of -attaining lasting health: they therefore give way to the pleasures of the table,' quite satisfied with. the idea'that they know how- to get rid of any accumulation that may-occur, and think they are-perfectly capable of taking care of-therhsolves; then, probably once or twice in the course of theweek, they swallow some drastic purgative, eithei quite ignorant of what they are-employing, or from having found, under the hands of the doctor, such relief from calomel or blue- pill, they take a fixed dose of one or other of these. Sometimes after dinner a friend recommends his own pill, from a prescription he had from Abernethy'or Baillie, or" the- fashionable - dyspectic doctor- of the day, which he declares he has used twice a week for the, last five years, and never known- an ache or paih since: the greedy auditor swallows the tale, and afterwards thephysic, whose composition may be completely opplosed to his state; he goes on with it week after week, disordering his bowels,- expelling'the natural mucous, and urging on the canal to increased action, till at last his stomach, and -the whole digestive apparatus, become really impaired. He then goes from physician to physician all over London: each giyes him a,presceiption for a tonic, a stimulant, or a bitter: at length a permanent irritation is kept up, the whole system sympathises with the state of the alimentary canal, the mind is feverish- ard irritable, 0F\,-H0MCE0PATHYS 1 219 the v-iscera become deranged,- and. at -ast the -poor suffere~r 'falls a victim -to the-,a-uso -Of. medicine.. - - The-unnatural coloiur,'qnd. the fcetid odour of the- stools are quite as oftein pi~oduced by the ijedicine that, has been exhibited -as~hy any other cause; for often does cailornel give -rise to the very odour- __w-h.Ich some- persons think is a pko'of t'hat'- medicinie -is to' be' contiinued: The ilirny stools bf 'childrenD, which are often the- cause 6f- purginigbeing carried 'on to a very,great-.exteat, are, in many instan'ces, the consequences of, what hns8 'been' given. Miftute doses -of -merciiry frequently rep6atod, have -met with the~ir wairm advocates both -in -chronic -and acute disea ses; a-nd when Abornfthy's- -mode of- admi-nist'cring blue phbaq 'been un-succes'ful,, the- plah of diminishing -the dosie, and' increasingz the frbqubney_,. has ben. inculcated.' From half a grain to thei eighthi3s of' a grain has been propsed a 7 'hasbhenr considered beheficial, given at Vitnervals of from 'six to. eigbt, hourts. h ~ave seen g'reat irritation ofthe -,ystepm kbptu yti ramn in -which this plan -has beea -follow~ed. zn -affections--whch a viti'ated stat-eo~f th-e bile -wa's, predominant, a deg~ee of ne.rvoius excitqxpn 'iet,-has bee ofA~n-pr,9ducd upon the third or fburth, day, whiah has -called for a'dis~oontinuanae of the remedy. N.Qtwi~thst4Dnding -4:rigid attention, to.-the ruiles, which, have, baenr, lajid down in the manoapgernent of.,small dos6s, -'T. ha ve -had occasion,-,-,to observe failures where benefit., was- exIPected. to. be derived. I have uniformly fo~nd w~her bepill 'a~~~~in noedose,- that' it 220O THfORY AND PRACTICE was equally so-in another; and I have rarely found the minute quantity better borne, than the lnrger if repeated." Plures remediorum usus necat, quamr vis et impetus morbi. - (Stoll.) Bleeding. We will not take it upon us to decide the qqucstio., whether or not, where symptoms of inflammation ar a prevalent, the lancet should be instituted. The many acute cases treated strictly antiphlogistically, which-but too often end fatally, makes it doubtful whether the theory of inflammation, and its therapeutical rules, are not, tQo a certain,extent, founded upon incorrect principles. Modern physiologists have shown, by experiment, that the due performance of the vital function of every organ is controlled and regulated through the agency of the nervous system, denominated nervous power.. *The nerves, that infifence the expression take their rise almost entirely from.one comrmon quarter, the medulla oblongata, or the lower portion of the brain, from which the spinal marrow immediately issues; and cas-all their chief ramifications assimilate in the acttof respiration, we can readily see why the lungs, the heart, and the chest, in general, should so strikingly participate in all the changes of expression, and work up, alternately, sighs, crying, laughter, convulsions, suffocation', etc.-(Mason Good.) This subject has been, of late, perspicuously and admirably pursued, by Mr, Bell, in a series of communi-. OF HOMOCEPATHY. - 221 - We.'aie therefore justified to draw the inference, thatmost maladies, acute as well as chronic, must be imputed to. an aberration of vitality in the nervous system, for which purpose we consideri the usual means applied.not only improper, but having altogether an injurious -endency, cations to the Philosophical Transactions, and especially in the volume for 1822, p. 284, who closes his remarks as follows: - To -those I address, it is: unnecessary to go further than to indicate that the nerves treated of in these papers are THE INSTRUMENTS OF EXPRESSION from the smile upon the infant's cheek to the last agony of life. It is when the strong man is. subdued, by this mysterious influence Iofsoul and body, and when.the passion may be truly said TO 'TEAR THE BREAST, that we have the most afflicting picture of human frailty, and the most unequivocal proof that it is in the order of functions which we- have been considering, that is then affected. In the first struggles of the infant to draw breath, in the man recovering from a state of suffocation, and in the-agony of passion, when the breast labours from the influencei of the heart, the same system of parts is affected,-the sameO'erves, the same muscles: and the symptoms or characters have a strict resemblance. These are not the organs of breathing merely, but of nature, and 'articulte language also, and,adapted to the expression of senitiment in The workings of the countenance and of the breast; that is, by sighs as well as by words. s2 222 THEORY AND PRACTICn because we can easily perceive that diseases are, in most cases, but indirectly attacked, leaving its focus untouched. Copeland says, the; morbid state of the vascular system, and of the fluid circulatjig.through it, must be imputed, in a large proportion of cases, to changes produced primarily on the organic nervous system, which is, anatomically, most intimately connected, not only with the circulating system,, but also with the organs essentially vital. This connection subsisting by ramifications pro. ceeding to them both directly and obviously, either from the great central ganglion, or from appropriate subordinate ganglia, as well as indirectly, and less appropriately through the medium of the blood vessels, on. which the organic nervous system is every where profusely distributed, the' one accompanying the other throughout the frame. Thus intimately interwoven, they experience reciprocative changes, and. generate a common influence. The vital organs, as well as their subordinate parts, in the more perfect animals, being applied by both these systems,the most rudimental type and essential requisites of organization,-and actuated by their common influence, are thereby enabled to perform their destined functions, the superpfdded or peculiar organization of each organ being the instrument which, thus actuated, performs spe-, cific affairs in the economy. It results from this.:--1st, that we are not justified in considering changes in the states of vascular action, or in the relation subsisting between the vessels and the quantity O61bHOMCEOPATHY. 223 - or.iuality of the fluids circulating in them, apart from the condition of the organic nervous system,- which is thus intimately connected by structure an-d function, both.with them and all vital organs. 2d, that changesin- the vascular.. system are very often induced by impressions. made primarily upon the organic nervous system. And 3d, that,. "upon tracing the -procession'of morbid phenomena, the fiist impression made by the exciting ca.use, and earliest change from the healthy state, wilfbe found in the functions of this system of nerves,, in perhaps the larger proportion of cases, etc., and thn secreting and assimilating functions being very soon. afterwards-disordered.Within a few years past, says Dr. Pancost.* the in. fallible existence of either-acute or chronic inflammation in nearly all derangements of the systemp, has become more problematic, and the attention of physicians has been much turned toward~ the part which the nerves play in "the production of diseases. The -respective publications of Messrs. Teule and -'Tate, with which the public has Slately been favoured, have produced much good (?) by exemplifying, in the strongest rhanner, the visceral disorders which may be maintained by focal irritation, or inflammatidr in the different masses of the nervous system,. and, especially in the spinal marrow.. Having now before us the results of multiplied.experiments on the nervous system, which, as none can doubt, *A treatise on the structure, functions, and diseases of the human sympathetic nerve, by Lobstein, translated from the Latin, with notes, by Joseph Pancost, M. D, 224 THEQRY. AND PRACTICE must be regarded as- the -main spring of health and- disease. It is surprising that even- the most enlightened of the profession still'persist to hold forth error as truth, trotting along like merchants of Bristol*-a dangerous road, when a better way is opened before them., Most of our eminent men confess-that medicine, as it is, is buta: mass of crude amorphous materials. "Medicine," says Dr,. Cowan, the author-of Dr. Louis' numerical system, (!) "for many evident reasons, has been, and continues to be, the victim of varied and contradictory hypotheses., Abercrombie says: A. considerable number of medical, doctrines will.come out, on examination, in rather an unsatisfactory manner, and yet even those very men (so strong is habit) slide on slippery ways which they wish. others to-avoid, and -commit the same error they pointed out, - - It is not so very far out of the way, when a-modern writer says, "that man is but a b:idle of-habits." Bleeding, impartiality constrains me -to say, cannot always be dispensed with, especially- in inflammations of the lungs and heart; but in most cases we fear that nervous irritation is-mistaken for inflammation, in which bleeding and purging very often destroys life. * Formerly the merchants of Bristol had no place for meeting but the street, open to every variety of weather. An exchange was erected for them, with convenient piazzas, but so rivetted wefe they to their accustomed place, that, in order to dislodge them, the magistrates wereforced to-break-up the.pavement, and to render the place a heap of rough stone - qE HOM(EOPATHY. f2f2; The,morbid effects of large depletions has been well illustrated by the experiments -f Dr. Seeds, Dr. M. Hall, and. Mr. Piorry. Copeland says - There are two important considerations which should not be overlooked in piractice, viz: that in many diseases appareritly attended with exci'tementy, we shall meet with cases in which the actuAl quantity of blood in the body is much less than iisual; and in various others, blood letting 'vill often not be borne, although seemingly indicated, aand although the quantity, of'blood in the frame be not lessened.; In 'illustration of the former, of-t-hese, I majr state, that.many years ago, I htd an opportunity of remarking -minutely the appearances -on- dissection of a man of middle age, and;somewhatý fitt, -Wio had complained of an acute and ppitnfll 'diseas'e; -obvibusly functional, for which he) had been blooded only twice on successive days, and on neither Occasion to above 'thirty ounces; and yet the symptoms of excessive loss of blood appeared, from which he died in twenty-four hours after the second depletionu. The most careful examination could detect no organic change, excepting the remarkably bloodless arid pale state of the viseera. Even the brain was less vascular than. usual. --That 'in various diseased unattended by diminution of the cirdulating flaid,. depletion will produce -marked symptoms of'd.pjession -and sinking, owing to the state of 41'recollect the case of a lady of about forty-five years of age,-on the continent of Eurqpe, who was bled for shortness of breathing, when scarcely ten ounds 6f bloodT haddeen taken, she fainted and' expired. Such cases are of rare occurrence, still they may happen: they should teach us to be cautious. 226 226THEORY A.D- I~AOTLOE the vital powers, being insufficiept- to. -accommodate. -the vessels, by their tonic -or vital contraction to the roduce~d bulk of the blood, is wQll, known -e. g. Adynamic feers, erysipelas, and pz~erp-eral fevers,, i-n which, as welas in puerperal mania, and, various- other acute diseases, large vascular dopl'otion. is-,often nmost injuriousi The morbid effects- of large depletions will ne~ccssarily vary- with the na~ture-of the disea-se in W~hich thq'y are em-. ployed. When carried too far, in ca~ses,.of -excitement, whore the nervous or vital' power is not depressed, and the blood itseW rich-or healthy,, reaction generally followvs each la~rge.depletioný and thus ofteti exacorbates or bringsback the, disease for whiich it -wos Iemployed, _and which had been relie ved by the primary effects of the~eva'cuotion. This is more remarkably,,the. case in acu-te.in-flamnmations - of the internal.,Viscera, particularly of -the brain., or its Mnembranes, Thus, evty oberin ~prciner -must ofte3n have notic~ed, that a large-depletion, Whencarried to deliquium, will have,entirely -romoved the, symptoms pf acute inflammation whew- the. patient has. recoyered c'on - sciousnoss; anid that he expresses the -utmost relief. But it gnerally. happens, that the inordinate depvession-the very full Syncope thýa is thougthtjess~enitial -to tbie. securing of atdvantage from the ~depletion,-i~s folfo~wed. by- an equally ecssive dyece egree-.of vascular reaction wvith~ whi~ch. *No orgaif bears blood Jetting better than the lungit olers, 49 that of the btiaia, itomnack inztestines. I have oftý,n~noticed the p~tieAt faflje "Asoe of sinkinig or collapse, w~hen but~a Brnall qjia ity of blood wes t~&-~t 6F-HOMAEOPATHY. 5~27 all1-the, pymptomts:.of inflawmmation return;:and the'genaral reaction. is-ascribed Gnti~rely, but-erroneously, to the return of, the in;fla-xn~naiion., insidad.of the kitter being imputed to' thfe-former, which has re.-ki-ndled or- exasperated it, when beginnaing-to subside., The consequence is, that another depletionj is -again -p~rescribed-for- it-s __r6moval; 'and thep'pa.tiedit, recollecting the relief it temporarily a-fforded him, readily con~ents, Blood- is takem- to full s.yncope-,-again relief~ is- felt-again. reaction:repturfs',--and. again the locaksyimpto'rný a-re -re-p.r`oduced-: and thus, large depletion, fuill synuope, -reaction, and the supervention on -t'he origin&L -malady of -some or -ail'of the- phenamnenaý,des cribed abo~ as he onseuene of excessive -loss, bf.- blood, r 'brough't -before thep practitibuner, -tnd he i~i astonished at the obstinacy, cpourse,`and, t6-r-mi'ation of the.disease'- which, Linder such" 'circumstances,_ generally ends. in d-fopsical _ffaisieh- In thb',cavity iii which the affected 'organ~j 'lodged,- or' in.IconVUl,9ions, -.or in.--deliriurn.-running into coma-, cpr in -death eitber.- from exhaustion or from one of the -foregoi;!g states; o'r mote- frequently, ifipnn'tial subsideuce of IM original malady, and protiacted convalescence-, S~uc~h are the consequences which but too often rdsultwhich I ha-ve, se'en. ohi nu-merbous cases.to -.result, when iAood- lettting has. been loolked to as the only or chief means 'of cdre ~- the.; sheet, cuin-hor" ý.of--Vreatment, as it too frequerttl'y has beetY 'called and..conaideredl during `thean4st t~wenty yeatso 0 228 THEORY AND-PRACTICE The next remarks devoted to bleeding, we shall. do oui-. selves the pleasure, our author the justice, and our readers the profit of quoting some of Prof. Dr. Dunglison's observations, of a practical nature. They are sensible and judicious: The extent to which blood letting should be carried, in cases of violent internal inflammation, is often a master of great difficulty with the discriminating, but of no difficulty whatever with the reckless and uninformed. In this stalte of blissful ignorance, the latter continues to bleed,and consoles himself, when the fatal result has been hastened-perhaps mainly induced-by hisagency, that the sufferer has fallen a victim to an incurable malady. Many have laid down a rule, before- referred to, that when we have pushed the blood letting to such an extent, and so often, that we are in doubt whether the operation should *be repeated, the decision should be in the affirmative. But with the disposition which prevails so generally - and which prevailed a few years-ago to a much.greater extent than it does even at-present, to- bled without due, conl sideration, such. a doubt will tarely be felt, without good ground at the same time existing for staying the hand. The argument commonly-urged for the further abstraction. of blood is,.that the inflammatioin manifestly persists, and that it nlust- inevitably destroy, if not arrested; that blodd letting is more -likely to subdue it than any other therapeutical agent; and that if it should not, the physician will have the consolation of knowing, that he has done AOP HOMc~EOPATHY. every thing in his power to.avert the melancholy termination. Were the abstraction of blood, in all cases, and to any extent, devoid of danger,.this method of viewing thL subject might be logical; but mischiefs result from bleeding in these and similar cases, which are fairly referable,to the operation, and are equally serious in their results with the disease for which it may have been employed. The satisfaction often felt at the exhibition of energy on the part of the practitioner, is.well exemplified by an anecdote which an illustrious native of this country- -io - no.more- who had filled the highest office in the gift of, free people, was in the habit -of recounting. Travelling from Virginia -toward the north, he rested for the night at a tavern on the road; soon after his arrival at which, the hostess came in from a neighboring house with the females of her family,-all exhibiting marks of deep distress. He was informed that they had been witnessing the parting scene of a young friend, who had died of some acute affection. "But thank God!" observed the contented matron, "every thing was done for him that was possible, for-he was bled seven and twenty times." A most unfortunate circumstance of a similar character took place in Germany, a few years ago, which produced great excitement in the medical world. Professor Grossi, of- middle age, well known in the literary world in Germany, happened to become diseased with a severe inflammation of the lungs. He was bled nine T 230 THEORY AND PRACTICE times, without any mitigation of pain, or any alleviation in the difficulty of breathing. He died,-and to the astonishrment of all, the post mortem examination did not show, in the least, traces of irritation: all the organs were found perfectly sound and healthy. The inveterate theoretical bleeder, says Dr. Ticknor, will bleed in the most opposite states of the system; he will bleed to check the circulation when it is too rapid, and to subdue febrile excitement-when the circulation is depressed, he will bleed to restore it, and to increase the heat of the body, when it is below a healthy standard-he draws blood to subdue reaction, and to excite it-he calls bleeding a sedative, and again he says it is a stimulant-with such a man, bleeding is a sine qua non -it is almost food and drink, and is about equivalent to vomiting and purging - it is refrigerant in summer, and calefacient in winter - a hobby which he rides, either rough or smooth shod. The following case, related by Prof. Magendie, specifies particularly the consequences of frequent blood letting, and merits to be noticed: One of our principal men, well known in the literary world, was subject to frequent attacks of inflammation of the lungs. On an examination, I discovered that severe inflammatory engorgement of the lungs still existed, though large quantities of blood had been taken. It could not possibly be supposed, that the frequent return of the malady proceeded from exposing himself too OF HOMIEOPATHY. 231 much, to cold. None used, in this respect, more caution than himself. The cause, it appears to me, must be ascribed to bleeding only, which brought the system into that sickly habit, through debilitating the arterial system, and diminishing the vitality of the blood.* Leeches. Leeches are not so extensively used in the United States as on the continent of Europe,-especially in France,which may partly be attributed either to the difference of medical doctrines, or to the peculiarities of a national character. There, most maladies are conquered with leeches and diet. Here, according to the prevailing principles, the treatment, in most cases, commences and ends with calomel and jalappa, aloes, rhubarb, scammoneum, tartar emetic, ipec., etc. Those who are favorable to the theory of irritation of Broussais, (erroneously called medicine physiologique,) consider leeches indispensible in medical practice: it may be so, to a certain extent, to the practitioner of *L'un de nos savants les plus celebres fut attaque, il y a quelque tems, de plusieurs pneumonies successives, qui furent combattues par de large saignees; je fus appete pres de lui et je constatai que le poumon etait encore le siege d' un engorgement inflammatoire des plus intenses, malgre les abondants emissions sanguines auquelles on avait eu recours. Et qu'on ne dise pas que le froid dans cette circonstance pduvait avoir quelqu' influence sur ces nombreuses recidives; le malade savait trop combien 1 lui importait d' eloigner le moindre courant d'air, le plus leger abaissement on accroissement de temperature- N'est -il pas plutot naturel de supposer que cette tenacite des phenomenes morbides, se liait a une alteration de sang produite par les saignees multipliees? 232 THEORY AND PRACTICE the old school. What other means has he to conquer acute maladies with. Seize upon the lancet, leeches, and calomel, and his main sources are cut off. Thank God, Homceopathy has traced a safer road. I will not enter into minutias. Suffice it to say, that Broussais's leech practice has bled thousands into the grave. How great the authority of Broussais once was, is well known. It is now on the wane. Local bleeding, I am well aware, is much recommended in inflammatory diseases of children. ' It is generally understood that the great irritability of childrenr inclines them to those maladies which make the application of leeches essential. I:im not favorably disposed to the theory of irritation, and thereforo am neither friendly to the lancet nor to the leeches. It has fallen to my lot, says Professor Dunglison, to witness some alarming cases of exhaustion, especially in children, where leeches have been applied. In two *The following statistic table will confirm the assertion of the diminished success of the Broussaisian doctrines. In 1823, France still,exported leeches to the number of more than a million. After this, she exhaiusted not only her own supply, but also that of England, Germany, and Hungary, and has even drawn them from Moldavia and Wallachias Import. E.zport, 1820...............................................,157,920 1823......................320,000................1,188,855 1827....................33,634,494...................196,950 1833............;.....41,654,300...................868,650, 1834..*................21,885,465..................868,650 I should like to see a calculation of the pills used in-the United States for one year only. OF HOM(EOPATHY. 233 cases, indeed, the result was fatal. In both cases. dl-- _ -..Lon of blood was lost before the cause of the sinking was discovered; and in one of them every attempt to arrest tho flow of blood failed. These cases are rare, but they constitute objections to the use of leeches, which do not apply to cupping (?) (we doubt that cupping can fill up the place of leeching) the flow from the wounds made by the scarificator being readily arrested. When leeches are applied to soft parts,-for example, to the abdomen, it is truly astonishing (!) how much blood sometimes is detracted; praticularly when a poultice is applied over the bites, and the patient is kept warm in bed. This is more likely to occur in chji-dren than in adults. On this account, leeches should riaver: be applied late at night on children. (The advice is a good one; but in cases of uigency, neglect will kill the little patient, and the allopathic physician has no better means at hand than leeches.) Blis'ers, Setois, Cauteries; Ointments. The great eotent of the tegumentary membrani, the manifold functions which it performs, render it an important consideration in relation to health, an'd in disease. Studied und&r the two-fold point of viewi of conformation and structure, the.tegumentary membranes, of. the oMMifdt ifhW, - iff 6f ti i'iir hi g6s of the b6dfU3, h0'e characters which are common almost in their whole extent. T2 234 THiEORY AND PRACTICE The greater number of the exanthemous inflammation, measles, scIrlat..O'to... ye. -^^-rJ-^'s-u. divisions of t the tgumentary membranes simultaneously. The runnings of the eyes, the nasal, laryngeal and tracheal catharrhal affection of measles corresponds to the exanthema of the skin, which characterizes the diseases on the general surface, and the matter secreted by the bronchi presents a peculiar character in relation with the species of inflammation which is going on. In scarlatina, the mucous of the mouth and pharynx, almost always,-and that of the stomach and intestines, occasionally, presents a dotted redness altogether analogous to that which is observed upon the surface of the skin. The eruption in this disease is followed by desquammaEtion of the cuticle, and the mucous. membranes, furnished with an epithelium, cast this pellicle off in a precisely similar manner. The observation of Heberardt have'shown that the skin may become changed into a mucous membrane, and this, in its turn, into external integument, under certain circumstances. In fact, when any portion of the outer surface of the body is, Cor a long time, subtracted from the influence of the atmosphere, as during the treatment of certain fractures, when the leg is kept for many weeks bent upon the thigh, and, the intugements of the femoral and crural portion in the region of the twist of the knee are I* reatise on the DUieases of the Skin, by P. Rayer, AM. D. tHeberard, mcmoire sur L'anatogie qui existe entre lee systemee nmuquenx et dermoide. OF HOtCEOPATHlY. 23& maintained in contact; and in the folds of the skin of very I-inant.w... wa-, that the cutioule softens and disappears, and that the surface of the skin ends by secreting mucous exactly like a mucous membrane. On the other hand, we know that in old cases of prolapsus of the uterus, and of the anus, the mucous membranes of the intestines become thickened and dry, and by degrees acquire every appearance of the skin. From this hasty sketch of the internal and external integuments of the body, it is easy to perceive that they bear a great analogy to one another. Observation has taught us, (says Beclard"), that a healthy state of the skin coincides with that of the mucous membrane. Persons of a delicate whitish skin are very apt to suffer under morbid secretions of the skin and mucous membranes, and on many other diseases which affect both membranes at the same time. Even Hippocrates knew that an increased secretion of the mucous membranes proceeds from a diminished cutaneous secretion. Every one knows that a checked perspiration, or other morbid impression on the surface of the body, will lead to diseases of the lungs, stomach, intestines, kidneys, bladder, etc. Females ought to be particularly careful, being more liable to inveterate maladies through improper treatment of the skin. *Wemiean d'anatom'e geherale, par A. P. Beolard. 236 THEORY AND PRACTICE Theintimate connection, sympathetic relation, or contact between external and intei-nal parts.. ThIagreatsnAnQh;1ity and susceptibility of the skin to inimical impressions, it seems to me has never been duly appreciated by the practitioners of the old school. Were it otherwise, it could not have escaped their notice, that this hodge podge business of plastering, blistering, cauterisation, removing or repelling itch, or other citaneous maladies, by irritating ointment, can have no other but an injurious tendency to the system. In the fullest conviction of the truth of this assertion, I will quote the following examples. The inflammation of the skin, (says Prof. Dunglison,) caused by vesicants, is occasionally attended with fatal consequences. It is of the erysipelatous kind, and under particular circumstances-as regards age, condition of the system, etc.,--the inflammation eventuates in gangrene and death. In very young children, great irritation is apt to be induced by blisters; and if the child be labouring under any eruption of the skit,--such, for instance, as is present in measles or scarlet,--- the inflammation may terminatd unhappily. We can hardly imagine an occurrence more disagreeable to the philanthropist, than that of a patient dying in doitsequence of the application of an agent from which he expects a cure,.or at least a mitigationi of thb symptoms. Great caution is therefore necessary in the use of these agents in very early life, especially in the OF HOMOCEPATHY. 237 diseases referred to. I have known three or' four cases of death' manifestly occurring from the use of blisters under such ci.cumstances. - There- is a-nothei" great inconvenience attendant upon the employment of vesicants composed of cantharides. This is, the aBls6rption of the cantharidine wlich entersthe circulation and proceeds to the urinary* organs, giving rise to sti'angurie, and at times to intense vesical irritation. In relation to,the application of. Setons cautferics in chronic- maladies, I consider them decidedly injurious; I have often used, myself, (when 1 practised allopathically,) foi. months, those torturing means, in diseases of the lungs and brain; but I could never perceive fhat the patient had deri'ved any benefit Trom them. I attended here, a lady laboairing for several years under blindness on one eye: (ulcus corneae;) and she wore, for about one year, (according to the advice of her doctor) a Seton in her neck; the bowels were kept loose by purgatives: local application, as far as I understand, she could not bear. Occasionally she would suffer under the most excruciating'pain in the brain. No wonder! the seton has done the mischief! (which it generally does.) 'I removed it. In about thlieo'months time of my treatment, the ulcer was absorbed f the acute pain in the brain ceased. She is well knowini.'''' The fimno is passed when - judicious pi-actitioner can ever think of such a thing as doing any good by a prolonged suppuration. THEORY AND PRACTICE In irritable, sensitive, or spare persons,, with a thinskin~ issues, or any other form of external discharge, will not. prove of much use, (says Dr. James Clark.*) The irritation and distress which they occasion, more than counterbalance any good effects derived from them. Indeed, counter-irritants of all kinds must be employed with considerable restrictions. Better do away with it entirely. If a counter-irritative should be employed in acute cases, a mustard-plaster answers the purpose just as well. Ointments, or wash-waters, if they are used with the tendency of curing itch, or other eruptions, are generally composed of the most irritating metallic oxides, such as arsenic, lead, corrosive sublimate of mercury, etc. A skilful physician scarcely ever makes use of external remedies, because he fears the consequences; but there are others who would do any thing for the sake of a little filthy lucre. Dr. Ticknor's remarks on this subject merit to be noticed: Anatomy teaches us that the skin, and lining membranes of the digestive and respiratory organs are similar in structure; and physiology teaches us that they are also analogous in function. We learn, also, from the observations of our predecessors, for ages past, as well as from the facts we daily witness, that a disease commencing in a part of any tissue, is easily propagated throughout its whole *A treatise on pulmonary consumption, by James Clark, OF HOM(EOPATHY..239 extent. And therefore, an irritation commencing in the mucous membrane of the stomach or bowels, lungs, or any other of the internal organs, may, as it often does, by this facility of transmission, show itself upon the skin. Again, affections that primarily make their appearance upon the skin are, by the same law, transferred to internal organs; and by a rapid and sudden retrocession, in a short time prove fatal, What mother, or what nurse, has not seen children suddenly die from an affection of- the lungs, or of the brain, caused by the sudden suppression of some seemingly trifling cutaneous eruption?* Many, if not a large majority of the diseases-of the skin owe their origin to some derangement of the digestive organs; and while this cause continues to operate, the disease is absolutely invincible, by any safe medical treatment. Those who know nothing fear nothing. Most of the remedies that are empirically employed in eruptive disease, are such as remove rather than cure; "-repel rather than eradicate; or, in common parlance, they "strike the complaint in." Such a result is most easily obtained; and from the similarity of structure of the internal mucous membranes to that of the skin, eruptive diseases have almost as great an affinity for the one as the other. When diseases arie repelled from the surface of the body, *What nature sometimes effectuates for man's benefit, the ignorant look upon only as an evil. This is particularly the case with eruptions, so peculiarly adapted to keep the children healthy in the first years of evolution. The mass of people treat their skin as if it were a piece of leather. - Edit N 240 THEORY AND PRACTICE there is no certainty what part they may choose for-their location; but one thing is certain, that on the skin they are comparatively free. from danger; and that, after they have attacked an internal organ, life is in jeopardy. The ill effects of a sudden disappearance of disease from the skin show themselves, at different times, from a few minutes to days or weeks. Such variations depend much on the organ which the disease has attacked. If, for instance, it be the lungs, there will be, at first, but a a slight -cough, gradually increasing till it terminates in consumption; or, it may speedily produce a bleeding from the lungs,* and run its course much sooner. Again, it may attack the stomach or bowels, producing derangement of digestion, diarrhcea, and the various forms of disease to which those organs are liable, or it may seize upon the brain, producing various shades of insanity, or doing its work much more speedily by terminating in apoplexy. Any physician of no n~ore than prdinary practice, must have seen many cases of obstinate and severe diseases consequent upon repelled eruption: and he who has experienced it knows full well how to appreciate the difficulty *Ramazzini, Testd, and several others, tell us they have seen hematuria, affections of the heart, and several other serious diseases follow retrocession of the itch. I have attended, myself, a gentleman in New-York, labouring under spitting of blood and general emaciation. By careful examination, I discovered that the disease existed in consequence of -a suppressed itch, through an ointment. By means of homoeopathic remedies, I succeeded to bring the itch back to its former place, and he recovered perfectly.-Edit. OF HOmiIPA&THrY. 4. 241,of recalling these affections to their original location. And, indeed, theei is no hazard in saying,1that the danger and obstinacy of a disease, consequent upon a retrocession of a cutaneous affection, is increased many fold. (I--venture to say, that most chronic maladies, in the United States, proceed teither from mercurial abuses, or ill treatment of cutaneous diseases.) An interesting child of eighteen months old, had an -eruption on the face and behind the ears, as is very conm mon among children of that age; its mother had importuned her physician to cure it, and he, very. wisely, advised her to be patient, telling her. that the change from the hot to the cold season, would probably accomplish what she desired. The mother, however, became impatient-she thought the:child's appearance was rendered.unpleasant, and less interesting, although its health continued perfectly unimpaired. Contrary to the advice of the physician, and being fully warned of the danger, she procured an ointment, with which she succeeded, to her entire satisfaction, in healing the sores. Scarcely a single day had boon allowed her for self-congratulation, before the child was seized with convulsions, which proved fatal, in a few hours. A man, somewihat advanced in life, had been, for many years, troubled with an eruption on one of his lower limbs; he made no c6mplain' of this, only, that it took foo much of hi"time to scratch; and this, in fact, ought not to have been -regarded as much of an evil, since he was in U 242 THEORY AND PRACTICE independent circumstances, and could well afford the time. He was advised not to suppress the eruption-that, in one of his age, apoplexy would be likely to ensue. Remonstrances were lost upon him-the remedy was used-and all went on well for a time. But the train was laid -the match had been applied--and an explosion was soon to follow. Numbness, and a pricking sensation, were first experienced in the foot of one side- then a weakness and loss of control over the foot when walking; and subsequently voluntary motion was lost-the one half of the body became paralytic; and the unfortunate man, on the fourth day of being unwell, died of apoplexy.* Mercurial Ointment. The external application of mercury in the form of ointment appears to affect the system much quicker than its internal use. Daniel Cruger reports a case of twins, six months old, having been but once rubbed with mercurial salve. One of the little sufferers died on the same, the other the next day, in epileptic convulsions. Reisel reports the case of a young man, who, on account of an eruption, rubbed himself with mercury. The *The homoeopathic practice is decidedly more successful in eradicating inveterate cutaneous, diseases than the old practice. I can produce, in this city, the most authentic testimonies from gentlemen who tried all means in vain, and have been radically cured with homoeopathic remedies. A gentleman, from New-Orleans, with an eruption on his face of fifteen years' standing, now under my care, is almost cured, having taken homoeopathic remedies scarcely three weeks. OF HOMCEOPATHY. 243 next morning he felt himself indisposed; his arms and feet swelled; his breathing became difficult towards evening. He died under the greatest agonies. Particularly remarkable is a case told by W. Fordyce. A person labouring under spasm of the stomach, wore a belt containing mercury. He experienced no difficulty until the third day. Then he complained of oppression in the region of the stomach. To these were added cold sweats, nausea, and headache. These symptoms increased in the night, in which he vomited several pounds of blood (Haematemesis mercurialis) he escaped the danger with difficulty. Before closing this little volume, I would fain express a candid sentiment, which I trust will be received by the patient reader as a sufficient apology for the earnest zeal and enthusiasm that has, in a great measure, directed my pen. Convinced as I am, from the test of experience, that I have been alike actuated by a firm consciousness of the importance of the cause in which I am labouring, as well as the results of the doctrine of "Homnoeopathy" in relieving the sufferings and in prolonging the lives of thousands of my fellow-beings; for e all know, that the short period allotted for human life is, at best, fraught with sufficient perplexities, from coming into contact with the storms and blasts of the external world, without dragging out a life of misery, with a broken-down constitution, the results of taking active remedies in considerable quantities in early life, which, although it may permit a temporary 244 THEORY AND PRACTICE' bloom of health, for a season, leaves a canker worm at the root, which is contiaually corroding, unseen,-and rendering the once robust frame an easy prey to the first outward attack; and it yields, under the hand of the fell destroyer, to decomposition. God deliver me from the wrecking torture of a convictedconscience, with-fact upon fact, and glaring truths, which convinced me that, I should be an object, in this work, of destruction, year after year, without distinction or mercy. If my boldness' of expression at- times, would seem toindicate, that I suffered my feelings to be roused to-a higher tone than might be considered in that correct keeping with the smooth current of free discussion, it will, I trust, be attributed to a laudable enthusiasm, by the tranquil and reflecting reader, and that they originated in no malignant party prejudices of any- sort whatever The promulgation of truths, without regard to favour or party, has been my only aim.k OF HOMEOPATHY. 245 PROGRESS OF HOMCIEOPATI1Y IN EýUROPE. Opinions of" eminent Allopathists of the pres~ent age, on the practice of Homceopathy. D r. G. HULL, from Now York, who lately returned from Euirope, gives the following statement of the progress of Homceopathy in that country Germanyý' Hufeland, the @venerable patriarbh of German allopathia, has conceded, the existence of merit to the syster,. of Hahnemnann whose first OS-k -1i~n pathy was,-pub~ished in his medical journal, aihdarZ hn isho has- acknowledged the highest per~ona1 'respect,.,,:Tj e, success of a hommeopathist, Dr. Stapf,',in curing Egyptian,.. ophtalmia, (inflarnination, of the eye) among, the soldiy of the garrison of the R~hine, attracted the, attention of the, Russian ininister of war, who selected him to visit Berlin,~ to take cha.rge of its military hospitals, Lazareth and Lacharite. Lip acpppted the invitation, and. offiiated to the*Dr. G;. Hull, from New Yrork, late], returned from Euirope,has written thc abot~e article, wh~ich 'I have coppied from a newspaper. it will at lcbast sh6 w-thaihoinceopoathy mnakes rapid ý06gIr'e'ss on the continent of Buid pe, amd, nOt, as many erroneously qssatt, loosiRnýog n there.-Edit. J2~ 246' TIIEORY AND PRACTICE entire satisfaction of the minister. Hufeland, who intr6oV duced Stapf to the assembled company of Lacharite, then paid him a deserved personal compliment, and at the same time expressed these impartial views respecting the homoeopathic, system:--"Homaeopathy seems to me particularly viluable, in tw6 points of view: first, because it promises to lead the art of healing back to the only quiet path of quiet observation and experience, and gives new life to the too much neglected worth of symptomatology; and secondly, because it furnishes simplicity in the treatment of disease. The maan whom I have the honor to present to you, is not a blind worahipper of his system. He is, as I have learned with joy, as well acquainted with the entire science of medicine, and as classically educated as he is well informed in theo riw science. I have discovered in-him an amplitude of knowledge, clearness of mindandi a spirit of tolerance; which last is the more worthy of notice in him, as it is not to be found in all ihe horfieopathists. France.'c BkOUSSAIS is tho founder and champion of the celebrated "doctrine physiologique" that has produced such a marked revolution iii the practice of medicine, advised, in his public lectures, delivered in the Ecole de Medicine, at Paris, that impartial trials should be made before homceopathy was judged or condemned, concluding his address with words that are honorable to his candour and philanthropy. "Many distinguished persons are occu OF HOMOEOPATHY. 247 pied with it; we cannot reject it without a hearing; we must investigate the truth it contains." He proved the sincerity of his advice, by instituting a series of experiments on his own person and in general practices which were only interrupted by his lamented demise. Italy. BRERA, who holds a distinguished rank among the allopathists of Italy, has uttered opinions of homceopathy with fearless liberality, which demand a careful perusal In his Anthologia Medica he thus writes:Homoeopathy is decried by some as useless, and by others as strange, and though it appears to the great majority as ridiculous and extraordinary, it can nevertheless not be denied, that it has taken its stand in the scientific world: like every other doctrine, it has its books, its journals, its chairs, its hospitals, clinical lectures, and most respectable communities to hear and to appreciate. Nolens volens, even its enemies must receive it in the history of medicine, for its present situation requires it. Having attained this rank, it deserves by no means contempt, but on the contrary, a cool and impartial investigation, like all other systems of modern date: homeopathy is the more to be respected as it propagates no directly noxious errors: if homoeopathy proclaims facts and theories which cannot be reconciled with our present knowledge, this is no sufficient cause as yet, to despise it, and to rank it among absolute falsities. Wo to the physician who believes that he cannot learn to-morrow what he does 248 THEORY AND PRACTICE not know to-day. Do we not hear, daily, complaints of the insufficiency of the healing art? And are not those physicians, who honestly suspect the solidity of their knowledge the most learned, and in their practice the most successful? Such sentiments have, undoubtedly, induced most of the German physicians to study homoeopathy, and to conquer their aversion to the new doctrine. Let us always recollect, the greatest discoveries have given origin to the most violent controversies. Witness the example of Galileo, Harvey, Newton, Descartes.* *D' ISRAELI, in his interesting work, " Curiosities of Literature," gives an article under the title, " The Persecuted Learned." As it bears upon our sub. ject we will copy it for our readers: "Those who have laboured most zealously to instruct mankind, have been those who have suffered most from ignorance; and the discoveries of new arts and sciences have hardly ever lived to see them accepted by the world. With a noble perception of his own genius, Lord Bacon. in his prophetic will, thus expresses himself: For my name and memory, I leave it to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations, and the next ages. Before the times of Galileo and Harvey, the world believed in the stagnation of the blood, and in the diurnal immovability.of the earth; and for denying these the one was persecuted and the other ridiculed. The intelligence and the virtue of Socrates were punished with death. Anaxagoras, when he attempted to propagate a just notion of the Supreme Being, was dragged to prison. Aristotle, after a long series of persecution, swallowed poison. The great geometricians and chemists, as Gerbert, Roger Bacon and others, were abhorred as magicians, Popr Gerbert, as Bishop Otto gravely relates, obtained the pontificate by having 4given himself up entirely to the devil: others suspected him too, of holding an intercourse with demons; but this was, indeed, a devilish age. Virgilius, Bishop of Salzburg, having asserted that there existed antipodes, the Archbishop of Metz declared him a heretic, and consigned him to the flames; and the Abbot Trithemius, who was fond of improving stenography, or the art of secret writing, having published several curious works on this subject, they were condemned as works full of diabolical mysteries; and Frederic II., Elector Palatine, ordered Trithenius's original work, which was in his library, to be publicly burnt. Galileo was condemned at Rome, publicly to disavow sentiments, the truth of which must have been to him abundantly manifest. Are these, then. my judges? he exclaimed, in retiring from the inquisitors. who s ignorance astonished him. He was imprisoned, and visited by Milton, O0 HOROlEOPATHY. 249 England. Dr. J. G. MILLINGEN, surgeon to the British forces, and an allopathic physician of distinction, has offered the following comments on homoeopathia, in his " Curiosities of Medical Experience." The mere hopes of being ablo to relieve society from the curse of constant drugging, should lead us to hail, with gratitude, the homocopathists' investigations. who tells us he was then poor and old. The confessor of his widow, taking advantage of her piety, perused the manuscript of this great philosopher, and destroyed such as, in his judgement, were not fit to be known to the world. Ga'briel Naude, in his apology for those great men who have been accused of magic, has recorded a melancholy number of the most eminent scholars, who have found, that to have been successful in their studies, was a success which harassed them with continued persecution, a prison, or a grave. Cornelius Agrippa was compelled to fly his country and the enjoyment of a large income, merely for having displayed a few philosophical experiments which now every schoolboy can perform; but particularly, having attacked the then prevailing opinion that St. Anne had three husbands, he was so violently persecuted that he was obliged to fly from place to place. The people beheld him as an object of horror; and not-unfrequently when he walked, he found the streets empty at his approach, He died in a hospital. In these times, it was a common opinion to suspect every great man of an intercourse with some familiar spirits The favourite black dog of Agrippa wassupposed to be a demon. When Urban Grandier, another victim to the age, was ted to the stake; a lasge fly settled on his head: a monk, who had heard that Belzebub signifies, in Hebrew, the God of flies, reported that he saw this spirit come to take possession of him. Mr. De Langear,'a French minister, who employed many spies, was frequently accused of diabolical communication. Sextus the Fifth, Mareschal Faber, Roger Bacon, Ctesar Borgia, his son Alexander, and others, like Socrates, had their diabolical attendant. Cordan was believed to be a magician. The fact is, he was, for his time; a very able naturalist; and he who happened to know something of the arcana of nature, was immediately suspected of magic. Even the learned, themselves, who had not applied to natural philosophy, seem to have acted with the same feelings as the most ignorant; for when Albert, usually called the Great, an epithet he owed to his.name, De Groot, constructed a curious piece of mechanism, which sept forth distinct vocal sounds..Thomas Aquinas was so terrified at it, that he struck it with his staff, and to the mortification of Albert, annihilated the curious labour of thirty years I Descartes was horribly persecuted, in Holland, when he first published his opinions. Vcetius, a bigot of great influence at Utrecht, accused him of atheism, and had even projected, in his mind, to have this philosopher burned at 250 THEORY AND PRACTICE That many physicians, but especially apothecaries, who live by overwhelming their patients with useless, and too frequently pernicious medicines, will warmly, nay, furiously inveigh against any innovation of this kind, must be expected, as the natural result of interested apprehension; and any man that aims at simplicity in practice will be denounced as guilty of medical heresy. Have we not seen inoculation and vaccination branded with the most opprobrious epithets, merely because their intervention tended to diminish medical lucre? But the facts I am about recording--facts which induced me, from baving been one of the warmest opponents of this system, to investigate, carefully and dispassionately, its practical points,-will effectually counteract all these assertions Utrecht in an extraordinary fire, which, kindled on an eminence, might be observed by the seven provinces. Mr. Hallam has observed, that the ordeal of fire was the great purifier of books, or men. This persecution of science and genius lasted till the close of the seventeenth century. If the metaphysician stood a chance of being burned as a heretic, the natural philosopher was not in less jeopardy as a magician, is an observation of the same writer, which sums up the whole. The persecution of the practitioners of homseopathy in Germany, at the commencement of its discovery, is not less remarkable. The venerable discoverer of this great truth, was driven from Leipzig, and deprived of his subsis. stance. He owed it to the Duke of Anhalt-Cacthen, to be sheltered in his territories. The practitioners of homonopathy were compelled to send their prescription to the apothecary. This could not be done, as the apothecary does not understand homoeopathy. The argument could not avail. Those who would not obey were dragged to the court-house, and forced to pay heavy penalties; and, in case of poverty, imprisoned I This fury is now beginning somewhat to abate. Now, tlathomceopathy cannot be considered any longer a novelty, as it has been practised for the last thirty years, by thousands and thousands of enlightened physicians in the different parts of Europe, We think it strange that it is so little known in.merica, our happy adopted country. Indeed, it is barbarous to use car-loads of drugs, when a, discovery has been made by which diseases can be cured with atoms of medicine. OF HOMIEOPATHY. 251 regarding the inefficacy of the homoeopathic doses, the influence of diet, or the agency of the mind; for in the following cases, in no one instance could such influences be brought into action. They were (with scarcely any exception,) experiments made without the patients' knowledge, and where no time was allowed for any particular regimen. They may, moreover, be conscientiously relied upon, since they were made with a view to prove the fallacy of the homoeopathic practice. This result fully convinced me that the introduction of fractional doses will soon banish that farrago of nostrums that are now exhibited, to the manifest prejudice both of the health and the purse of the sufferer. At the conclusion of his experiments, Dr. Millingen adds: I could record many instances of similar results, but they would, of course, be foreign to the nature of this work. I trust that the few cases I have related will aford a convincing proof of the injustice, if not injustifiable obstinacy of those practitioners who, refusing to submit the homoeopathic system to a fair trial, condemn it without investigation. Homceopathy is a science on which numerous voluminous works have been written by enlightened practitioners, whose situation in life placed them far above the necessities of speculation. Their publications are not sealed volumes, and any practitioner can also obtain the preparations they recommend. It is possible, nay, more than probable, that 252 THEORY AND PRACTICE physicians cannot find time to cohmence a new course of studies, for such this investigation must prove. If this is the case, let them frankly avow their utter ignorance of the doctrine, and not denounce, with merciless tyranny, a practice of which they do not possess the slightest knowledge. America. VALENTINE MOTT, justly the pride of American surgery, imbued with the becoming liberality of an unprejudiced and noble mind, visited Hahnemann during his first sojourn in Europe. Instead of denouncing this venerable philosopher as a conceptionist of a puerile and useless theory, he has had the moral courage to speak of the master spirit of modern medical history in the following language: Hahnemann is one of the most scientific and accomplished " physicians of the present age. Professor James McNaughton, of the Western Medical College of the University of the State of New York, and late president of the New York State Medical Society, in his annual address before the society, made an avowal of sentiments that were inspired by the pure spirit of philosophy. To these, the attention of the physicians he alludes to is emphatically directed. "Generally speaking, they have at once pronounced the whole subject absurd-a delusion-or a gross imposition upon public credulity. Now, is this the proper mode of CEOPXTHYG!M. %'reating it. "it- "s~ial'o' any, thhng absurd, prbfessifig to-be fouabde 6n: A!erv' 6~n t")imn If it be. -s fit st-horidfdbe6 proved -to''be ioby showipg that facs d no wai~nt thý pren-rises, or 'the deduct-ions~d'awn fro M t h emr. '*It isp;ossi-bla that th'e hom~eo -athic re -boni may be -e -rroneou-s.-ifis pos'sible that' the medicine maynot act 'as.specifics, like-Ahtl e vaccindi ýiris, 'and that the mode- of action may be'altbgetherl,`neiplicable in Oire pre-& sent state of oiar- knowledge. We 're thdrefo'ke more inter~ite in deemi 9n th orec~tness of the alleged -facts than in 'the' the'ory, 6fFered "to 'explain -then'-i.- Mapy. of these' facts are of 'such 'a kind as- admiiit ofe6r xamination-,and can be readily proved. and i'ef~ted,. Whether Iiqmoeopathy is true orjnot, it is en-titlt-d to ha've-its cl&Ia iims 'fai Irly invOstigate`d. _The.,object' -f -the 'profession is to asceftain', ihe' truth: 'a'nd if it- should- 'turn. Qut, that in any dissee Th Po~opti ared e 'aemor'e- effic~aQi&lt tha~n thosb*\knowVOnto" theb oidinary system, '.hey- ought un-h,questionably to be~nsed. It- will -not' d6'-for' ihe.' rilembe rs of t'h& -pro'fessions,.to'ar a ay, heisel Ives - up in- thei r dignity-, and 16o call1 the niew systo~iiabsurd- Wvith6ut, further inquiry". The, history 6f the ýpr'ofess~ion p~resents m~any 'lam'ntatle ins'faih'es'of th'e obstinacy W-ith4'i which eriors have be~ clung.`6o and'impa o-vements resisted & I -- V 254 THEORY AND PRACTICE Allopathists converted to Homcoopathia. The renunciation of old and the adoption of new views on the part of a few individuals alone, ought -not and do not entitle their advocates to the confidence of the community. But if scores on scores, hundreds on hundreds, and thousands on thousands,, start forward with fixedness of purpose for resolute action, to maintain and defend the revealed evidences of a reform, jests, ridicule, and satire, will prove but puny obstacles to their advance; and unless apparently equal forces are arrayed in antagonism, such reform will spread with irresistible influence throughout the world in proportion to the amount of testimony upon which it may be based, and to the sum of benefits it does and, can confer. Homoeopathia professes to be such a reform; and instead of being sustained and propagated by-a few foolish or knavish zealots, it is publicly advocated by more than two thousand physicians, who have relinquished allopathia to become its adherents. It numbers thousands and tens of thousands among its laymen; and besides its extension in different parts of the world, includes one-half of the entire population in Germany among the recipients of its practice. Of the great number of physicians converted to homoeopathy, the following examples will afford an impression: T. T. QUI, M. D,, in London, recently physician to Leopold, King of the Belgians. COUNT DES GuID, doctor in medicine and sciences, officer of the University of France, late professor of mathematics, member of the Royal OF HOMOCEPATHY. S255 Academy of Naples, Turin, etc. A. G. JY0rRDAN, M. D., of Paris, member of the Institute of France, and,many celebrated societies, has been long recogize-d as the associate of the pro6nminent medical literati of France. DE CHEVALIER DON COSMO DE HORATIIS, M. D., President of the Academy of Medicine, and physician-to the Military _Hospital, in Naples. QUTADRI, M. D., Professor of the University, physician-to the Ophtalmic Hospital, in Rome. BtGELIUs, M. D., physician to the late Emperor of Russia. Dr. TRINIus, the distinguished Russian botanist; and Counsellor, of State. Dr. STEGEMAN,, also Counsellor of State, at St. Petersburg; and G. L. RAU, M. D., physician to the Duke of Hesse Darmstadt. For other distinguished.medical converts besides Muhlenbeinand Schuler, we refer the inquirer to the next section, which will contain the names and title of men who, with few exceptions, were a long-time adherents of the old school, before their adoption of homoeopathy. - Rqputation of Homopathists and Homneopathia. This important link in our chain of evidences, indicating the present.arik 6f homoeopathia, is respectfully and egpeciclly submitted to the consid6ration of those who, either wilfuTly, or igiiorantly have circulated tha silly: report ofr:'thd dowifall o6fhdmoeopathy in Europe." DR. QUIN, whom we have enumerated among the converted allo-.. 256 THEORY AND RACcTICE pathists, is distinguished as the first homoeopathic physician in Englknd.. Besides, the compliment of being selected an attending physician to the King of Belgium, he commands, an extensively lucrative practice among the noble and intelligent of Great Britain. In the circle of his -patients, the Marquis of Anglesea, represents, the former,. Sir Edward Litton Buliwer the latter. The names and reputation of other emineent converts to the new doctrine-having just passed under review, their repetition here would be superfluousK -Professorst The following doctors of medicine, who hold professor-- ships of medicine, chemistry,.or philosophy, in different uni. versities on the continent, are recognized and respected as prominent advocates-of Homnoeopath.Professors Quadri, Guaranta, Arnold, Wahlepburg,. Mabit, Leupoldt, Fleischmann, Roth, Werber, Succow, Prepu, Martin, of the University at Naples, Heidelberg, Upsalia, Bordeaux, Erlangen, Munich, Carlsruhe, Jena, Grenoble.. Counsellors. The distinction of counsellors of state and. counsellors in medicipe, is conferred by the sovereigns of Europeupon such physicians aloue as are distinguished for their acquisitions in general science, and medipinhe, a4d' is esteemed as a, cbmplimenit of t4 fhighest eQr. Hormoeo Or~ NXOMO0PATHY.o 257 pathy has* of Such adherents, twenty-three state o btflseliors, -and- nine mridiica1 couhspellors'., Many physicians' and~surg~dong- in Eii.rope,, whfose suez ce-ss inl the practice, of the healin~g art', through theagency -of homoieopathy ' has b5een, undeniable,-havre beehn rewaikdod by places of honoui Which allopathi&,pra~ctitioners- have alwayas sfruggled, tp 'secui~e. From such 'we.a rey ena b~d i' record,1) -..iEgidi, appointed physician to the 'Princesg-Fre'derica, of Pitssia. Dr. Muhie~nbe~in, 'phys~ici'an to0-the Duke#of; B runsx,(itRJ Dr,..Kurtz, physician to ihb T~td6hs'6of-Anhal1t D@sau. Dr., Cramer, physi~eian -to--the Grand Ddke- Charles, of Carlsruh6e. Dr. Rornapi, -physiciaui to -th]e -Que eii."f 'Naplos.,Dr. 'Neckcr, p~hysician' to the Duk''of Luques. Dr_. Luebert, physici'an to Count Holberg and.Hohentlial Konj~ngsb rook.Dr. Grie'sse'ich; --,urgeon to the--A-i~i"dIIuke -of Bad~n. Dr. Attmiller, 'co~urt surgeon at Ca'ssel. -Dr. I-orat-iis, President O'f. the- Academ'y of Medicine, was selecterd physician to Francis LI, latQA(Ing of Nhiples. 'Dr, Svapr wads called to a'ttend- theý dow~ei~t' Qiiee of England bu h igh'position he holdi in Getnia~ny' comnpelled him to& ie tile. hono 'Buogioanni- ýs physicia~n to 'the' Ho'spital df-'iialids of, Baldi is sm gpon in ch'iefL to- the Neapplitari arm~y,. v2. 2i1 TREORY AND PRAO'rICr' La Ra'a-is physician' tothe Military Hospital of Cotronne, Sanniocola. is,chief director f' the civil and military lhospital of-the kingdom of Naples.COLLATERAt rESTIMoNy derived frorh sources-not horneo-- pathic. We offer it As it is: it needs no - omment. Le Moniteur, the official organ oT th-e French govarnq moient, thus refers to the distinction conferred on Dr. Mabet in consequence of hi' successful bhomodopathic t reatment -of cholera at Bordeaux,-xnd also, fr'having founded'a *homoeopathic hospital, the r.eqilts of -which Were sufficiently striking to command the attention 'of the -French Sovereign. Dr. M-abet'.has -been created Knight of the legion of Honbr; a rec~ompense- rendered to-his devotion aind eier-- tions on the appearanpe of the Asiatic 'cholera, as we-ll as to his steadfast zeal and continued researches for the interest of humaanity, and progress of medicine. WILImAI LEoWG-.9'.LF rM. D., an allopathic -pl~ysiciani -who.has publishe ai la-ge- 'volume entitled "'Ren'arks on the Abracadabra pf the Nineteenth Cerntury; or on Dr. JL Hahnemann's homoeopathic "Medicine comp6sed in the most rabid and virulent temper aghinst Hahnemanii and his syster, admits thus as to the coxiditlonb 6fhoinoeopathia in Ger.. many: "The-last accounts frbm thence state, that the'chhm-m her of deputies of Baden have iesol~ved almost-un'ani ousily to- have a special ciiair of hoMOEýOjpathy in the Heidelberg University; the same, we are -told, was resolved by the Ba-- varian government for the Uiiiversi y of Muniih." And 01' HOM(EOPHY. 269 q59 ~g~i ~' e aie -tld, 16o by in-n-Ai~P~ff whose V~erhcity We~n~6y' ha h6w 'triaIs- of "homo~avthia;--are contem- p-1ited in somaie.6ther c~ap'ital's of Gernffia'ny,1 in consequence of' thewýi's~heW5'-xpr'esse'd by *aftiefydi~tinguished -individuals in, the- d? nies -ahd'in official ista~tionis, wh haesaid -they w*er-e cure-d-dby -hohmce,-opatthitst- af~ter theyv haA bben long and Yn~uc~ssfil~ tretd-by o6ther physicianos: -perhaps als'o, because Dr. Kb~p.,1nown41the'leakned iand eixperb. shced Physician, ýid'auth'r'Qflle'gal&n-d piractic-al medicif'le, -htt-s~ebmriingly joinorf1d the homho"opathic- ranks.." In-he o~rialDc lWedicin'e-Practiq"ue de- Borda-ux, (an allopathic ICjour"nal1),:the -subjoined ciohfdgssion, from an allopathic crres~po6ridhhtt it ditois rec ed "In nIY ie6efit c6inm~unfic~atibn Ao you, i'n wi-ýich i_-I 4stated- that the hew 'Gerrtiýan'rdoctribe -has -mra'de 'butslight progress at Borideouiix',' utter'ed' the -tr'iithb;--but,WvhaLtta--differen-ce has been accoimplishedlin~i6-emofith! 'Ma~ny of' our- most dis. t~huihe ctjeisto'Iffhe aftonishibbent'of the- envious, have dis9ý4iay6d 'the ci~st'ab~olui6e cofidenceb in teml and &g~re'eable' rtis 'of hobmce6pathi; `andý men -of' seriou's reflection, -learned and illusti~ot8isý--.rhen in -every respect -exbimptfr 6rn the blinjd' credihlt of the',vulga'r, have -.-not disdain~d to- diepend upon it's 'iguhiar therapeoutics." Prof tsorhip of thernsitthing ft& "to D~uring the past year,.a n fte itnso tied~o Hesse -Darmsta-dt, the.subject of honicnopathia was publicly. discdssed.- Wo61r, coufleellor of state,. thus remarked: 260 THEDORY AND- PRACT-IC "'FactG speak louder than words; and, as colleague Glau"-rich has justly obseived, ope single fact is worth more than a ship-load of proofs, a priori, hypotheses, etc. On this account, I have confined myself exclusiyely to facts. I state further, as afact, that about fifteen universities aid academies allow lectures on homceopathy; and of these professorsship, eight or ten of the most celebrated are recognized in Germany." According to.this recent communication of counsellor Wolff, five foreign and- two German professorsship, whose names we have not yet obtained, have been established withinthe past three years, besides 1. At Heidelberg, a professorship has been created, and Dr. Arnold has been chosen professor. 2. The government of Hanover has decreed the forma. tion of a professorship at the University of Gottingen. 3& At Erlangen, professor Leupoldt occupies the chair of homooopathia with flattering success. 4. At the University of Munich, the professorship of homoeopathia has been conferred upon Dr.,Roth. 5. At the University Jena, the homoeopathy professorship is held by N. Martin. 6. A professorship has been created at.Leippig. 7. Another at Freiburg. 8. A professorship has been recently formed ih the Duchy of Darmstadt, to whichWDr. Rau will probably be, called.. OF xoN~CE0BATIIY.21 261 Ilomcepathic Literature.. Th'e litterature -of honioeopathia has been- as little. known, and has_ encou'ntered as. much misrepresenta~tion as. a-ny onle of -its departments. It. "can, be scarcely credited eifen a-mong._ th~e friends of H-ompeopathia, exce~i by its phy. sicjans, thait 'bout seven 4undred volumes have been issued - from the press dov'eloppin~g the peculiarities of the system. Twenty- periodicals of the system have been established in, different, parts 'of the wvorld. The most prominent of which are ArchiV fuer die, Iomceopathishej&eilliunst; Ageeine Hnopatldsche Zeitung, Ilygea,. by a socityo homceoathic physicians-, at Baden; Bibliotheque Homenopat hique, editeý_by Dr. Pesehier at Ge~ne'va; and Archives de Za Medicine- Homceopathique, published, by Dr. Simon.and Dr. Lieber,,of Paris". IlOMCeppathic,Hoskjtats, infiirnaries, and. Societie. Leipzig., This ceity ~has the -honor of estttblish ing the, firstliomoeopathic ~hospital inEurope.. It has- had a suecessful, existen1ce of six -yeaiks up to the, present time, de'rivi.ng itssuppprt' from voluntary, cont'ibutions,. and an d nnual g-rant. from the. $axo4,governun-ent, wh~se warm A'ppxval it lias Obtained.,:-Mlu~nich.' A,1isital, hasý beenor 4odin this, city, ýp~tia nt ofBvri,.qharles, Prince.,of C~ttingen,.an'd Wallenstei ~ ~ f the ablest, 262' T'HERY AND PRACTICE advocates of homoeopathia in Europe, presented the subject of its institution to the Bavarian Chamber of Deputies, which unanimously voted an annual contribution of four thousand florins towards its support. An extensive and suitable edifice has been granted, and "homodopathia," as counsellor Widnmann remarks, " has become a national concernr in Bavaria." Paris. In consequence of the extension of homoeopathy in France, an application was made to the French government for the establishment of a national homoeopathic hospital. The government refeired the matter to the Royal Acaidemy of Medicine, \vhich, with thieexception of Jourdan, was composed entirely of allopathists, who most vehemently opposed, and reported against its organization, and successfully, for the present. A private hospital was erected, the dispensations of whose signal benefits, with the powerful influence that is daily accumulating, must, before long, accomplish the desired grant. Gaspari, Guizot. and Duchatel, members of the French ministry, are ardent homoeopathists, and will contribute their aid. Bordeaux. The great eclat that attended the successful issue of homoeopathia against the ravages of cholera in this place,. very naturally led to the establishment of a general hospital. This institution is now open under the able management of Dr. Mabit, who is assisted by several associates. The hospital contains a huanded and fifty beds, and several thousand patients have experienced its benefits since its organization. t, EQe I;DJ$,E;OlbTfl_P..263, Zqgeary A hospirl wsa formed in the town, of Guns, abut fiv.e ypxs. sipqe1 uader thW guidance of Dr. Michael Blitz, arod h"s fully sustainfd the reputation of the, 4pmqpqpathic practice. Londox. "The London, Hognoeopathic Dispensary" was established several years since, by Dr. Curie, and has materially aided in extending the knowledge of hormoeopathia among the citizens of Low9o4. Its prospective value has been very much enhanced of late, by the liberality of a Londonr baiker, Mr. Leaf, 'who has proffered pecuniary aid to any extent that will render its dispensation useful. The dispensary being sqarcely organized as to permanency, Dr. Curie has recently-prermulgated the desire of the friends ofthe German doctrin-e to -have its merits publicly canvassed apd. adjudged, as' stated in- his circular: " to enable the subscribers and the public to form an opinion of the value of this institution, it is intended monthly to publish a faithful repgrt -.of the caseQ treated ir it; and while the names will,be carefully exclyded, a reference will bel kept in each case, whereby the truth of the report may be ascertained." Oxford. Mr. Langston, another worthy patron of homoeopathia in England, has founded a hospital in the vicinify 6f Oxford; the superintendence of which has been conferred upon Dr. Mottal. The provision6- made for its extended ýutility. are of such a manifest character, that the prospects of- homoeopathia in Great Britain are of the mxpt gratifying promise. 264 THE'OIRY-.AND PRACTICE Glasgow. We have been informed in a late'commia nication fronm Dr. Ctirie, that a dispenisary is also about being instituted in this town, under the management of Dr. Scott. Palermo. Dr. Mure opened a dispensary in this city in 1838, il, which, at first, about twenty-five patients were treated daily. In 1839, the number had increased to two hundred daily, requiring the attention of six homoeopathic physicians. The inbrease of patients in the homoeopathic infirmary, advanced in the ratio of their decline in the allopathic hospitals, and so palpably, that the attention,of -the Abbe Baudsere, M. D., was called to the investigation of the system, which he has finally adopted. The Abbe, who is physician in chief to the Hospital des Ferres de St. Jean de Dieu, introduced the homoeopathic treatment at once into this 'hspital, which may now be considered an institution of the Hahnemannean method. Montreal, Pietraperzia, and Mistrella. Each of these towns had allopathic hospitals in 1838. The conversions at Palermo, extending throughout Sicily, embraced their physicians, including the chiefs of their hospitals. These hospitals are, at the present time, homoeopathic. Besides ihese establishmenis for the sick, in the powns enumerated, there thro' any forms of infirmaries organized in many of the pri6minent town's oi,'the continent, in all of which neaily'similar results of treatrient are ob. tained. - Homoeopathic societies have grbwi wiih the groth' of I HOMCEOPATHY. 2 265 the system, and according to the information acquired by counsellor Wolff, there are, at present, forty associations in Europe, composed of physicians and laymen of eminence, Public Trials of Homceopathia in Hospitals. Much brave talk has arisen on all sides of homoeopathia about the i'esflts of its adoption in public hospitals by order of several governments, for the avowed purpose of testing its merits as a system. The staunch adherents of both sides have taken steps which should have been avoided. The opponents of the new mode, evidently feeling that the honor of Hippocrates reposed on their prowess, have uniformly striven t6 furnish their distant colleagues with the means of asserting, that it has suffered a signal defeat, while the over zealous followers of Hahnemahn, spurred on equally by an esprit propre, have not failed to affirm a triumphant success. Both parties have forgotten for the time, that, the contest might not end with them-nor be confined to their country--nor await, in tr6ubled humility, the decision of court ephemera, but that it may last to another age, be tested by other pedple and that its decision, maugre the will of princed and cabinet ministers, depends alone, on the dispassionate decrees of that catholic tribunal, calm, sound philosophy! 'whose ultimate and irreversible dieta are seldom pironounced, till the'witniidsed W 266 THEORY AND PRACTICE and noisy assailants have left her halls for ever. It is easy to make assertions on medical experience, which, though not founded upon real testimony, thousands will believe, merely because they have been asserted; but it is also very difficult-often impossible,-to demonstrate at once, the fallacy of such illegitimate assertions. This is, perhaps, more true of medicine than of theology, though the history of both the sciences is full to overflowing, of devious heresies and marvellous relations, which have seldom, if ever, quite died away in the age that gave them birth. And it certainly will not hasten the slow advances of truth, to get angry at the perverse habits of the race to believe mere words, or to attempt, by wholesale counter assertions, to mark out the path which she is destined to occupy. Enough of this old-fashioned folly has been committed, as we have said, on both sides of the present contest in medicine; and perhaps no department of the conflict has been more fruitful in these respects than the reports, debates, and conclusions, which have grown out of the hospital trials of the new mode within the last ten years. So far as we have been able to learn, one party has gained as much as the other; neither has been victor or vanquished; and, of course, both have been loud in their claims for the palm of the victory. With respect to the public at large, we have no doubt of the new party having gained by each 6f these quasi tests of their theory. There have been six public and formal trials of homoeo OF HORCEOPATHX. 267 pathic practice undertaken by order of' the continental government, viz: 1. At Vienna, in 1828, conducted by Dr. Maronzeller. 2. At Tulzyn, Russia, in 1827. 3. At St. Petersburgh,in 1829-'30, conducted by Dr. Herrmann. 4. At Munich,. (Bavaria,) in 1830-'1, by Dr. Attomyr. 5. At Paris, in 1834, by Dr. Andral, jun.; and, 6., at Naples, in 1835, by several physicians. The Austrian government received the report of commissioners appointed to oversee the. trial at Vienna, consisting wholly of allopathists, aid, upon its recommendation, interdicted homoeopathia by an imperial decree. This edict was, not long after, entirely repealed. The Russian commissions,.consisting in both cases of allopathists, reported that the trials were not decisive, and the government took n6 step at the time, either in favor or against the new practice. The commission went so far in relation to the St. Petersburgh trial, (which appears to have been conducted with more care and patience than the others,) as to report that -" the results were not unfavorable to hommopathia. In 1833, the government issued an imperial Ukase, recognizing the new school, and establishing throughout the vast domain, depots of drugs prepared according to Hahnemann's rules anfd practice. The results of Munich are not within our immediate reach, but it is probable they were quite satisfactory, since the king added.a professorship of this practice to the University of Munich, which still exists; and recently he has caused a homoeopathic hospital to he established on a very liberal plan. 268 THEORY AND PRAC'IOE The trial in Paris was conducted by an eminent and very, enlightened allopathist, without the assistance of any person acquainted with the method. Judging from his tabular report, which we do not doubt, is frank and faithful, it is pretty evident that he did not know enough of the method to select the remedies with any- tolerable precision. Nevertheless, his reports were considered,. by many doctors of medicine in England and America, as quite conclusive against the system of Hahnemann, and great pains were taken, in these countries, by aid of non-professional reviews, and common newspapers, to deal a death-blow at it with the javelin forged by Andral, though.he never made use of it himself. It certainly was no test of the method. The symptoms were not recorded; the drugs were not selected by comparing such records with the materia medica; and the doses of the drugs adopted were not re-. peated scientifically, if at all. The operator applied dubious allopathic names to the maladies, and prescribed against such names, drugs homoeopathical only, to determine sufferings, between which and these fanciful names, Mr. Andral supposed some essential relationship to exist. This test consisted in applying homoeopathic preparations upon allopathic [principles-than. -which no proceeding can possibly be more absurd-and we by no means wonder at Mr. Andral having observed a profound silence as to, his general conclusions. We are not quite certain whether Andral undertook these experiments by order of the minister of public health, or merely with his conset. At OF HOM(OPA. tY. it regards the influence of Andral's experiments uipon the state of the system in France, it cannot fori a motient be pretended, that they regarded its progress ir any sensible degree. The number of converts among physicians and savans is certainly on the increase. There are severli provincial soc ieties, and one general association for all France, 'called "Gallican." At Bordeaux there is a flourishing infirmary, under the charge of Dr. Malabit, who received the decorations of the legion of honour as before stated, on account of his alleged brilliant success in the homoeopathic- treatment of cholera in that city. In a letter quite recently received from the celebrated Dr. Peschier,* we are informed that at the great medical school at Montpellier, the new d6ctrine has-many adherents and teachers. Dr. Peschier thinks that ihat school will very soon publicly avow it's attachinent t6 the homoeop'athic method. In 1825, the King of Naples ordered a trial of h'oroeopathia to be made, unidr the stipe'rvision of a mixed commission, in La Trinite, at Naples. Th6 royal programme for' this' trial directed, that each dy's jouridal should be attested by 11' tithe members of the co'h`rninssioj. As the trial progressed there arose difficulties among the members of the commissioi: t'mtltumotL disturbances, eccording to publibhedstat tei'nefits. The allopathic rierhnbers" ieglietedtfo attend ahd attest the diary, and inade a separate *Dr. Pepchier, edior of the Biblioqheqpe HomoeopathiqUe,is the formerly Oler &td llopathic phl n-Vi Iaiwh'o ptdpised tHe 'addiln'ati6an of large' doseqQft:,!.;pqe unartagem i n in the place of th4Lecapcet whicl wa4 generally, even by.D. Laennee, approved of. w. 2: 270 270THEORY AND, P.CTICE secret raprtr~, W.the( minister- of- health, during the abksence of the king-aý4 his~ physicians Dr. I-J~atiis, (ope Qf the, cqwinsqin- homoeopaýhist), About the fqrtieth day of the trial, the0 government Brres9ted its "6becanqe," to use its own languatge,,the insfructionis contain~4p inthe p/cjrogrqrnme Wa no been fo~loievx faith~fully." The decree closing thiA,pblic trial concludeý lysaying that it is not decisive, tho king reserving tq bimel te 'ihý 9f openi ~ rph9 Whenever priyato, practice shall produce. a 'suff~iOirty impression tqpo~i th'Qpublic opiniou- in, favor of th. n ysg m Thepqm wer hut two deathq during thet fprty-five dayp whjch. thisi trial lasted; althougl4 quite other statements have been, made. Thieimprfe9 t~a1 semsto~have ha~d little or no infliepqceuron the state of ho9noe~pathi4 ini Italy- certainly nPne of an unfavourable character. At the pye~en~t tim~ej,'there areo probably aý grae nubro derents, to, this system ini the Roman states, Naples, a-nd Sicily, in proportion~ to the nuinber Iof mediccal, n~in, than elsewhere out of Saxonyvý in tile world., At Palermq there appears to. layeý'b~ee a mnuch more gnep9l adopti a of tho new nmod( than ir,, any other single city, in Europe. It *is to. be~ regretted ýýa the foregoipg trials, were ne9 undert~aken with~ a very Apecifc, Obje~t, instead of the too general. one of ascertainitýg- the trut~h of Hanrani p as a system- assumed. to-be-complete in-all-its- par-ts.. Hadfo eainplý,~whetIher the -Ciuple of-homo~eopathia,namilia OI? 0QMCEOPATHY.2 271 simzilibu; cantu, be true, in the first instance, and if foind4 to be true, next to ascertain, as nearly as possible, the minimum dose of -ach drug with reference to the due qxecution of this law, we aAre persuaded actual results wpApldhave been pbtained. This was the process in Hahnemann's own course, and has qniformly been that of every conversion from the old methods toa homoeopathia. No medical man of sound education can, we think, attempt the dilutions, till upon trial with very small allopathic doses, he is qquite satisfied of the truth of the main law of the new plan. It is far from being a just or necessary conclusion, that if the 30th dilution fail in a given instance, the lower dilations will also fail. The trials should have been ordered, for some.tangible specific purpose, to ascertain the truth of some one or two important propositions. The comparison of the bills of mortality among an equal number of sick, treated by divers methods, is a most poor and lame way to get at conclusions touching principles of the healing art. Supposing the climate, season of the year, local advantages, etc., to be as nearly the, same. as, possible, in a trial between the, two modes of treatment, the diversities in regard to the dispages, treated, would certainly forestall any just conclusions. But suffering (an impossibility) the disaseto be one and the same in both hospitals, and admitting the age and sex of all the patiwut8to be the same, who could "ng~el tb atWo eA imparativelyi necesary for diQrait ies in the vigour and power of endurance, and the morale of 272 27HE2 6ra ANID PRACTICE the patients! Beside admitting (another impossibility) constitutional vigour and moral state to be the same in all the sick, by what scale are we to graduate the disease with respect to intensity, and therefore danger, so as to make sound and available conclusions from the bills of mortality. The attempt must for ever prove as unsatisfactory as it is absurd-philosophical. We close this subject, for the present, at least, with a recapitulation, showing the actual history and popular results of the several misnamed public tests ofhomoeopathia. RECAPITULATION. Austria. 1828.- The allopasthic commission reported& against homoeopathia after the trial at Vienna, although they stated that ' the system is not inefficacious." The'government therefore interdicted its practice. 1839.- The interdict has been removed; medical mert of eminence have acknowledged their belief in homoeo-- pathia; and partof the imperial household is at present under homoeopathic treatment. Russia. 1827. The experiments were'-not sufficiently esitidfac-: OF HOMIEOPATHY. 273 tory to obtain the establishment of homoeopathic hospitals under government patronage. 1839. -Homceppathia is now recognized by the government, and homoeopathic institutions are organized for the better regulation of the practice throughout the empire, France. 1834.-Trials were made by Andral without a knowledge of the system, and he did not succeed. 1839.- The system has widely extended throughout the kingdom, with the prospect of the school of Montpelier in its favour.. Italy. 1835.- A public trial, undertaken by order of the King of Naples, was closed, before it was complete, because the allopathic commission would not obey tho instructions contained in the royal order. 1839.- The extension of homoeopathia in Italy exceeds that in any other part of Europe, excepting Saxony. Physicians, priests, and literati have embraced its doctrines. Hospitals and infirmaries are being organized,and many that were allopathic have been appropriated to the use of the hbmcoopathists, "274 THEORY AND PRACTICE' Statistics of Homoeopathic Treament. The treatment of cholera and its results produced the first strong popular impression in Europe, as to the efficacy of homeoopathia. Summary made by Dr. Peschier of the results of the homoeopathic treatment of cholera in Europe up to 1832. In Russia (documents of admiral Mordinoff, observations of Drs. Seidlor and Peterson,) there were 1557 patients treated, 1394 cured, and 163 died. In Austria (documents of Dr. Roth; observations of Drs. Schreter, Hanschuh, and Quin,) there were 1406 patients treated, 1314 cured, and 95 died. At Berlin (observations of Drs. Stuller and Haynel,) there were 32 patients treated, 26 cured, and 6 died. At Paris (observations of Dr. Quin,) there were 19 patients treated, and 19 cured. Total, 3017 patients treated, 2753 cured, and 264 died. Leipsic Hospital. We have already alluded to the successful continuation of this hospital under the Saxon government. Abstract from tho official and published reports of the in-door patients of this institution. During the year 1833, 118 patients were treated, of which number 4 died; 1834, 120, of which 5 died; 1837, 107, of which 8 died. Total, 548 patients, of which 33 died;-deaths at a rate of about six per cent. Abstract from the out-door patients attended by the physicians of the Leipzig Hospital. -During the year 1833, 1086 patients were treated, of which number 17 OF MHOCEOPATHY. 275 d3ied; 1834, 463, of which 7 died; 1835, 283, of which 9 died;. 1836, 261, of which 5 died; 1837, 332, of which 10 died. Total, 2425 patients, of which 48 dieds Conclusion. In the face of such developments,--as the opinions of eminent allopathic physicians, the accidental concurrent testimony of celebrated practitioners, the conversion of allopathists to the new doctrine, the growth of its literature, and the records of the result of treatment,--to denounce Hahnemann as a charlatan, to assail his disciples as visionaries or knaves, and to scoff at homoeopathia as a humbug, is it not puerile, undignified, and presumptuous? The promptings of personal malevolence may guide some trembling pecuniary interests, may exasperate others, and unbending bigotry may, in a few instances, frown off the semblance of recognition, but the number of these, fortunately, has been too limited to arrest the onward and ceaseless advances of the now mode. The intelligence of the.people in different parts of the worldhas been awakened to the investigation and knowledge of its peculiarities, so that the charge of its being an obscure and 'contemned German mysticism, is no'longer tenable. Almost every real reform has been retarded by its friends- zealous enthusiasts, who refine all;peculiarities into transcendental exedllencies; who clog kimpleessenitial 6 THEORY AND PRACTICE dectrines with cumbrous and foreign trappings, tending to deter the sincere lovers of truth from their investigationt Homoeopathia too palpably has these obstacles to contend with, in its present condition, but the vigorous promise of its early and maturing manhood, offers every encouragement for its ultimate distinction and utility; the more prominently, because of the talent and philanthropy that have recently embarked in its support and defence. These reflections lead us at once to a matter of grave and serious moment, to which we call the attention of those who are opposed to us in opinion. The allopathic systems of practice are now three thousand years old; they have been enriched by the brilliant hypotheses of myriads of able thinkers and writers; they have had hospitals and dispensaries in limitless numbers; and countless millions of their beds of(disease have bedn the subjects of the various and contradictory modes: and yeti with the advantages of centuries of experience, and with all the important aid of the new and valuable sciences closely allied to the healing art, those old methods still fluctuate between the dreamers and ingenious conceptionists of this as of all former ages -making very little if indeed any progress towards the general goal-an exact and satisfactory system. In the statistic reports of the hospitals and infirmaries still under allopathic government, no striking amendment in the proportion of cures can be detected; and if the undeniable improvements in surgery be taken into the examination of the subject, it is fairly questionable whether any balance ý6F HOMcEOPATHY. Wvill be found in favour of modern allopathia against any of the older times. The justice of these observations is 'supported by the fact, that medical men of this as of all former ages, are constantly shifting from one allopathic mode to another, and the older they grow the less and less confidence the express in any and all methods. The further important fact, too, that many allopathists have forsaken their old books and masters entirely, and adopted the homceopathic rules of practice, is, in our judgment, a serious confirmation of this view of the subject. And scarcely less important is the painful truth, that thousands and tens of thousands, who have essayed the skill -of the first professors of allopathic medicine in vain, have finally abandoned this- presumed science in utter helplessness and hopelessness, to seek for possible relief in the dernier resources of pills, panaceas, and other temptations 'of quackery. If, then, this young and vigorous scion be already acknowledged as a formidable rival to the old, and without claiming the superior advantages alleged in its favour by its friends, it be supported as merely equal to allopathia, what may not be expected from IhQmoeopathia when its application in practice shall have been combined fully with the courses of instruction in the schools o6' mediciriewhen it shall have found its proper rank and influened as a necessary part of a physician's education-- when it shall be taught in connection With the elementary acquisitions of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and collateral sciences3 X 278 THEORY AND PRACTICE all of which are essential to the intrinsic value and stability of thp system. Impelled by the inspirations of truth, and urged by an ardent desire to confer the blessings of a true san'etary law upon the world at large, we claim from all the benevolent and honest, as they regard such emanations from heaven as truth, and value such of its creations as human lives, that they advance firmly, investigate searchingly, and experiment faithfully; and we feel sush confidence in the soundness of our cause that we fearlessly predict an ultimate unison with us in the belief that homoeopathy is the only veritable basis of medical science. Hos rogo, ut cogitent, quod hodie non credibile videatur, post aliquot annos tritum et pervulgatum haberi. SOPHOCLES AJAX. DR. CRoSSERIo, president of the homceopathic institution at Paris, in a letter directed to an eminent homeoopathic physician, DR. CHARLES NEIDHARD, at Philadelphia cherishes the hope that the advancement of the new doctrine in the United States, once thoroughly known and appreciated, will be more rapid than in any other country. Here is his own words: "The reports you give me on the progress of homoeopathy in the United States, have confirmed me in my old opinion, that English medical practice may be, and must be reformed, by the Americans. "In a country like yours, dear sir, where the press is free, and the heads open, and the hearts warm for every improvement, and the purses full, everything,may be OF HOMEOPATHY. 279 accomplished by those, who follow a noble design. You have by far better ground there than we have herie. I read but yesterday an article on the institutions, founded or supported in the United States, by the free gifts of the citizens. Heavens, that is quite a different world from ours! I venture to assert, that in all Europe individual generosity has not done as much for beneficial and common purposes, as it has done in the United States during the last twenty-five years. The people of the, United States have only to know the great benefit of homoeopathy, and they will bestow hundreds of thousands on ho. moeopathic institutions. And have you attempted, dear sir, to inform your temperance societies of the powerful support their cause may derive from homceopathy?* An have you informed the slaveholders of the south how many lives will be saved, and how quickly health is restored by our treatment? Aye even slavery will support your cause. Now let me suppose, you can muster "*This remark of the author is in my opinion a very just and happy one. The temper ance societies and homoeopathy are indeed sisters, and it is to be wondered at, that the former have not yet observed, how powerfully they might be supported by the latter. This can be only ascribed to the circumstance,,that in those countries where temperance societies have taken a footing, homoeopathy has not yet done so, and vice versa. Homoeopathy indeed prohibits the use of all spices and drugs, and more rigorously of all liquors containing alcohol, and permits only light beer and wine, diluted with a great deal of water, in chronic diseases. It also teaches, that homoeopathic remedies, in time of sickness, will be a great deal more efficacious with those who, in time of health, abstain altogether from the use of strong liquors. The translator can certify,. that'he has himself, more than once, made the observation, that in countries where homoeopathy is generally adopted, temperance has made a very sensible progress in all classes of society, though temperanee societies have been entirely unknewn. (Note of the Translator.)" 280O THEORY AND PRACTICE' only five hundred homoeopathic readers in your country: then you will be able to translate every homoeopathic work of any importance into the English language; then of every such publication you may send some hundred copies for sale to England, Scotland, and Ireland, for they, who are so. very backward, cannot publish them themselves; then they will depend on your productions, and you will have the great triumph, not only to reform England medically, but also to make her dependant on American medical literature, for a long time to come. "iWhatever can be done from our part, to support your exertions, you may confidently rely, shall be done. Whilst writing the present letter, I conceive the idea, that it might be useful, if we, on the part of our society, were to address the people of the United States, as well as the governments. I shall reflect more on the matter, and what can be done in this way, shall be done. It is possible that the society of Leipzig will join us, "I am much inclined to believe, that a medical reform in the United States of America, if once commenced on a, large scale, (that is to say, after a sufficient number of buyers of homoeopathic works has been formed, which is the principal requisite of all scientific progress on a national scale,) will be much more rapid and thorough going, than in any European country, Germany not excepted. For I im giae that ignorance of the lower classes, and fashion. of i higher ones, the strong holds of the old creed, are tlidi's rcely to be found in such a degree, as to be able to codihteract the power of actual experienpe."' OF HOMCEOPATHY. 281 INSTRUCTIONS By which patients at a distance, aflicted with chronic diseases, may communicate their cases to a homaoopathic physician by letter. The patient should first describe his complaints in his own way, as though these instructions were not before him, viz: their commencement, progress, and presumptive causes. The age and sex of the patient and whether he be married or single, should of course be communicated to the physician, if these circumstances be not already known. It would. be well to mention whether the patient is of a large or diminutive frame of body, meagre or stout, feeble or robust. Whether he is easy to take cold, and very susceptible to other external impressions. Is the complexionflorid, or pale, or dark? What is the colour and conditidh of the hair, and the colour of the eyes? Concomitant bodily infirmaties, as hernia or ruptuidcurataure of the spine, lairieness, &c., should be made'l 'iw.. Is.;tlhe-dib position of the patient mild and placable, or boisterous and violent? firm okr yielding, lively and communicativ.e, or reserved and taciturn; anxious, apprehensive, or timorious.s or irritable, &c.?:Are his mental emotions of-long con-. tinuance, or are they very transient? - " The. patibnt is next required to give an accurate and particular description of the incidents or symptoms of his. disease, 'sudh: as pains, and other mdrbid sensations. He should describe precisily the region or part, and on which X; 282 THEORY AND PRACTICE side of the' body they are seated, and how large is the space they occupy. Whether the pains are obtuse, and may be denominated dull or pressing, or whether they are striking or piercing, rending, throbbing, perforating, pulling or drawing, pinching, snatching, gnawing, cutting, griping, burning, obtusely prickling or crawling, itching, tickling, numb, or as if the part were asleap, as if from a sprain or contusion, or whether they consist of several of these sensations combined, or may be more accurately represented by other terms. Are the symptomn continued, or do they remit or vary in intensity from time to time? Do they recur. at particular times of the day, or at certain intervals of one or more days? Is their recurrence, aggravation, diminution, or cessation connected with the exercise of- any bodily function? Do they arise or disappear, are they increased or diminished by exercise, or during rest, by laying down, or sitting, by stretching out, or bending up the body, by walking, by standing, by warmth or cold, in the open air or within doors, by light, by noises, by talking, by eating, by drinking or swallowing, soon aftei' eating. by the motion of the af-.. fected part -orby touching or pressing it, by mental emo-, tion--fright, anger, during, bodily or mental exercise, reading, &c. &c. Are the symptoms associated with anxiety greater or less, do they impair the powers of thought or recollection, or the due exercise of the senses.?, (seeing, hearing, &c.) Are the motions or functions of the affected part in any way impaired or disabled? or is the local disease associated,with complaints in other parto, and with what? does. it alternate with Qther complaints? Is the affected part red or swollen?:.Is-the swelling hard Qr soft, or painful to the touch, and does it, leave an. inp. dentation after pressure with the finger? OF HOMrEOPATHY. 283 During the suffering of individual parts or functions of the body, (even when these sufferings are not the principal ones) further information is to be given respecting the state of the patient's mind; whether he suffers patiently, or is inclined to weep, to be morose, passionate, despairing, greatly anxious or fearful, etc., or whether the mind is remarkably affected in these respects by the disease. Are the intellectual functions, power of thought, memory, or desire or ability for mental or bodily exercise weakened? Aberrations of mind, morbid affections of the moral and intellectual faculties are to be described by the narrators strictly as they are manifested by the patient's words or conduct. Is there dizziness, or " a dull, heavy sensation" of the head.-Disorders of sight. Does the patient see objects indistinctly as through a veil or mist? Does he see dark specks floating before the eyes, or sparks, or false colours? Do objects appear double or quivering? Is the patient short or long-sighted? Is the pupil contracted, dilated, or very changeable? Are the eyes watery, red, inflamed, averse to the light? Do the eye-lids frequently adhere together? Do they open and close properly? Are they affected by convulsive motions or twitchings, or beset with sties? Are there specks upon the cornea? Disorders of hearing: Is there a roaring, whizzing, or ringing noise in the ears? Is the ear-wax dry or fluid, oozing from the ears, or fcetid? Are the nostrils obstructed? Is there a cold in the head with or without a discharge from the nose?- Sneezing.. Sense of smell. Soreness and rawness of the nostrils, or a bad smell from them? Bleeding at the nose. Are the teeth incrusted with tartar, loose, decayed, and. have any fallen out or been extracted? Are the gums 284 THEORY AND PRACTICE pale or red, hard or soft, spongy, swollen, apt to bleed, or retracted from the neck of the teeth? Is there a dryness of the mouth? Or excessive flow of saliva? Is the saliva viscid, slimy, fcetid, bloody? Is the surface of the tongue, tonsils, uvula, palate, fauces or lips affected with blisters, swellings, or ulcers, or covered with mucus? Is the tongue dry or moist, acutely sensible, chapt, sore or raw, clean or covered with fur (white or yellow?) Are the functions of speech, chewing or motion of the tougue unembarrassed? Is swallowing performed without difficulty? (Is the swallowing of fluids or solids, or of the spittle attended by no inconvenience?) Has the patient a bad breath? Is the taste natural or absent, slimy, salt, bitter, sour, foul? Have the different articles of food their proper taste, or are they insipid, slimy, bitter, sour, salt, etc.? How is the appetite and thirst? What articles of food or drink are preferred? What complaints arise after eating or drinking? Is the patient troubled with frequent belching of wind, with or without taste, or does it taste of the food just eaten, or of what Is there vomiting of water, saliva, or mucous, of an acrimonious, acid or bitter taste, or of a putrid taste and smell, or of a yellow, green, or bloody aspect? Does the patient vomit coagulated blood, or food? Is there sickness or nausea? Is the abdomen tense, full, hard, or empty and retracted? In the case of pains or other complaints in the abdomen, the particular region in which they are seated should be accurately defined (for example: pit of the stomach, region of the navel, immediately below the ribs, in which side, etc.) Is the patient troubled with flatulency? Is there frequent rolling and rumbling in the bowels? Does the wind readily escape, or is it retained, and what are the complaints which it seems to give rise to? Are the evacua OF HOMIEOPATHY. tions from the bowels effected with ease or difficulty - How frequent are they? what is their colour? Are there any complaints immediately preceding, during, or following a stool? Are any large or small worms discharged? Are there abrasions or sore places, warts, or piles in the rectum or anus, and do the latter sometimes protrude or bleed? What complaints arise before,,or during, or after the urinary discharge And is the discharge sparing, or copious? What is the aspect of the urine? (is it clear, high coloured, or turbid?) Does it soon change after evacuation and deposit mucus or sand, or a white, or red sediment? Does it contain blood, pus, or gravel? Is the breathing short, or otherwise oppressed? Can the patient ascend a hight? Is the breathing asthmatic, wheezing, or rattling? Does the patient make any complaint on drawing a deep breath? How is the voice, rough, hoarse, hollow, etc.? Is there a cough? is it slight and short, or hard and difficult 1 does it seem to come deep from the breast? do the paroxysms of coughing last long, and are they attended by swelling of the face and loss of breath? How does the cough sound? Is it dry, or followed by expectoration? Is expectoration easy or difficult, sparing, or copious, purulent, resembling saliva, bloody, (interspersed, or tinged with blood, and of a bright, or dark colour, or is it pure blood 1) white, yellow, green, ash coloured, etc.? Does it taste salt, sweet, bitter, or what taste has it? Is there a superabundance of mucus in the larynx or trachea, or does it seem to lie deep in the breast? In whatpartofthe organs of respiration is seated the irritation to cough? and from whence proceeds the matter expectorated? Is there palpitation of the heart? or throbbing in other parts of the body? Does the patient suffer from transient flushes of heot? He can perhaps describe thg.aondition-of the pulse. Are the, 286 THEORY AMfi D PRACTtIOE glands under the ear, under thejaw; in the arm-pits, on the head, in the groins, swollen or suppurated? Is the patient afflicted with goitre, or an enlargement of the gland over the wind pipe?.Are there swellings of the bones or joints; are there tubercles or swellings, or swollen, or knotted veins? Is there lameness of one or more of.the limbsr Are there cramps or spasms, tremor, twitching or starting, stupor or falling asleep, or other morbid sensations in any of the limbs? Is the skin pallid, yellow, etc.? Is it dry or inclined to sweat, or otherwise in an unhealthy condition? Is there itching of the skin (tickling, slight prickling, or a sensation of biting, burning, crawling, sticking? is it relieved by scratching, or is the sensation thereby only changed for another? The presence in the skin of wheals, swellings, chilblains, and corns, is to be mentioned, and the attendant sens2tions described. Also, cutaneous eruptions, as miliary eruptions or rashes, spots, pimples, vesicles, and pustules are to be described, viz: their seat, colour, abundance, size; whether filled with water or pus, whether covered with scabs or crusts, and their duration. Also, tetter,scaliness, scald, brown and blue spots, moles, freckles, cracks or fissures of the skin, blisters with ichorous discharges, ulceration at the angles of the mouth, warts, swellings of the bones, chafing of the skin, malformation of the nails, falling out of the hair, scales or scabs on the head. When there are ulcers, whether they are inflamed, or over. grown with what is called proud flesh, whether their margins are elevated, whether they easily bleed, or their bottom looks red, black, or as if containing a fatty substance; whether the matter issuing from them is copious, thin, thick, bloody, white yellow, black, acrimonious, fcetid. Is there chilliness, or a feeling of heat - Chilliness, heat, SOF 11OMCEOPATHY. 287 or sweat of particular parts? Sweating of the feet, whether warm, cold, or foetid? When the patient has fever, does the paroxysm consist of a cold, hot, and sweating stage? Do they, alternate with or succeed each other?'! What is the order of their succession? With what intensity, and how long does each continue? Are they general, or do they affect particular parts only? with or without thirst, with paleness or redness of the face and skin? are there other symptoms accompanying the paroxysm of fever, (cold, hot, and sweating stage?) Particular paroxysms of disease, as swooning, cramps, epilepsy, spasms of the stomach, asthma, etc., are to be accurately described in their commencement, course, and termination. Whether they are changed, aggravated or relieved at certain hours of the day, during the performance of any bodily function, or by certain postures of the body. Does the patient sleep long, or is he restlessand is the sleep interrupted by frequent waking or startings? Does he talk or moan in his sleep, or has he the nightmare? Is the sleep disturbed by anxious dreams, and of what character? In what posture does the patient lie during sleep? Is he accustomed to sleep with his mouth open? How is his strength? Is he obliged to lie down, or can he remain up? Does he feel languid, weary, sluggish, etc.? Is he emaciated? The patient should relate his previous diseases,-particularly cutaneous diseases-itch, eruptions of the head, tetter, erysipelas, small-pox, measles, pimples on the face, or any itching eruption of the skin. Also, whether he has'had scrofula (glandular swellings) rickets, gout, rheumatism, piles, difficult dentition, worms, cramps, epilepsy (convulsions,) whooping-cough, inflammation of the lungs, or other inflammations, intermittent or remittent fever, jaundice, heemorrhages, diseases of the teeth, apoplexy and 1288 TIHEORY AND PRACTICE palsy, sweating of the feet, ulcers, or other diseases. He relates how long he laboured under either of these affections, how long he was under treatment for them, what were the remedies employed, and what he has used for the existing disease. Has he resorted to medicated baths, herb teas of any kind, blood-letting, emetics or cathartics, teas "for purifying the blood," valerian tea, "strengthening medicines," Peruvian bark, etc. And is he accustomed to the use of either of these remedies? Is he in the habitual use of distilled or fermented liquors, coffee, tea, much fat victuals, acid, or high seasoned food? Does he partake of much food, and what? His manner of living should be described, and whether he is accustomed to the use of wollen clothing, and whether his habitation is in a wholesome condition. When passions or emotions of the mind retard recovery, or have caused and sustained the disease, he should not coneeal these circumstances from the physician; for example: disappointed love, blighted hopes, grief, domestic unhappiness, want. Neither should he conceal the fact of former habits of licentiousness, if any such have existed, and which may have contributed to his disease. If he has always been a weakly frame of body, probably his disease is hereditary; and if when an infant, he did not receive his nourishment at the breast, but was brought up " by hand," he should inform his physician of the fact. Females should relate particularly all their peculiar feelings. =was FA 576238 1 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 3 9015 02011 9478 -af e4A Yo-?"Fit -1 KIM. 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