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Title: Allopathy and HomoeopathyBefore the Judgement of CommonSense!
Author: Frederick Hiller
Release Date: February 8, 2010 [eBook#31230]
Language: English
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***START OF THE PROJECTGUTENBERG EBOOK ALLOPATHYAND HOMOEOPATHY BEFORE THEJUDGEMENT OF COMMONSENSE!***
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Transcriber's Note:
Hyphenation and
spelling have beenretained as in theoriginal. Both"household" and"house-hold" wereused in the original;unusually spelledwords include:practitoners, peurile,unwaranted, brigtherand recieved.
ALLOPATHYAND
HOMOEOPATHY
Before theJudgment
OF
Common Sense!BY
F. Hiller, M.D.
SAN FRANCISCO:
Bruce's Job Printing House, 535Sacramento Street,
1872
It is difficult to carry the Torch-Light of Truth through the masses,without stepping occasionallyupon a toe or burning a wig or ahead-dress.
To
WILLIAM SHARON, Esq.,ISAAC L. REQUA, Esq.,A. K. P. HARMON, Esq.,
SAMUEL G. THELLER, Esq.
GENTLEMEN:
I have taken the liberty to dedicate thisoffering to you, as a token of respectand esteem. This, together with agrateful remembrance of the courtesiesextended to me, and the support whichI have derived from your friendship,will be, I hope, a sufficient excuse forthe liberty I have taken.
Very truly, yours, etc.
F. HILLER, M.D.
San Francisco, 1872.
TO THE
MEMORY
OF
SAMUEL HAHNEMANN
THE DISCOVERER OF
The True Law of CureBorn April 10th, 1775;—Died June
4th, 1843.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
It is a remarkable and at the same timea terrible and most lamentable fact,that the practice of medicine—an art ofdaily necessity and application, mostnearly affecting the dearest interestsand well being of mankind, and to theimprovement of which we areencouraged and impelled by the
strongest motives of interest andhumanity, of love for our neighbor andemulous zeal for professional skill andsuperiority therein—should, after aprobation of so long a period, andrecorded experience of at least twothousand years, still remain, as itconfessedly does in most respects, solittle understood and generally of suchdoubtful and uncertain application.
The present age, unlike any that haspreceded it, is peculiarly one of rigid,radical and fundamental examination.Everything in the Heavens above, or inthe Earth beneath, is tested andretested; analyzed, synthetized andsubmitted to the crucible of stern
reason, and the logical conclusion ofexperience; even to the extreme ofpossibility. This is true not only of thematerial universe, but of all mental andmoral conditions, of social, politicaland even religious institutions.Nothing, in this day, and especially inthis country of free thought and libertyof speech, is taken for granted merelybecause it can lay claim to the honorsof a great antiquity, or can numberthousands or millions of adherents.Vast differences are to be observed ingovernments, churches, creeds andsocial practices; and all, howeveropposite and apparently antagonistic,are working out a solution to theproblem—
"What is Truth?"Conservatism is fast dying out, hiddenand smothered by the ever-flowingtidal-waves of progression. Radicalismceases to become radical, by the dailyand hourly recurrence of startlingdiscoveries, and new, unheard-of, andunexpected adaptations of old laws.The mistakes of to-day will be found tobe mistakes, and will be rectified.Whenever and wherever freedom holdsher sway, evil must work out its owndestruction, and good enthrone itself inthe hearts of those benefitted by itsbenign influence. In this spirit, and
with such views, let us look at theprogress of Medical Science that wemay learn from the experience of thepast to correctly estimate thedevelopments of the present and aidwisely in the working for a moreglorious future.
Medicine has been—not inaptly styled—"The daughter of dreams." From thetime of Hippocrates until now, thegreat body of the profession has beenswayed by conflicting theories,founded upon either the whollyunsupported fancies and conjectures oftheir authors, or unwarrantably builtupon isolated facts, often accidental intheir occurence, partial in their
observation, and improperlyunderstood in their inherent nature andtheoretical significance, pointing to alaw of action widely different from theone in support of which they had beenadduced. All branches of medicinehave been involved in these crudeabsurdities; nor has the nomenclatureof any department of science, even inour day, been entirely purged from theerrors and misleadings with which thepast so fruitfully abounds.
To mark the improvement andadvancement in the various branches ofmedical science; to compare thepresent with the past; to observe theunfolding growth, maturity, and decay
of medical creeds; to discern the powerof those master-minds, that, far beyondthe ages in which they lived fore-shadowed the forth-coming discoveriesthat were to make other men immortal;to sigh over the incredulity of wholeraces, whose blind and dogmaticaladherence to the theories of someprominent physiologist or anatomist—was at once silenced by the light of anew truth, suddenly and clearlypromulgated by a single mind. To doall these things, was the labor of awhole life; volumes could be written insuch investigation, and still thousandsof facts be left untouched andforgotten, forever buried in the chaosof medical creeds, medical truths and
medical fictions.
Old Physic has for several centuriespast drifted in the wrong direction,striking occasionally upon a rock, butfinds itself to day further off fromshore than ever before.
Medicine, the oldest and mostimportant of all branches of science,has not kept up with developments inother departments, but the rays of lighthave already deeply penetrated into thedarkness of the past, fast underminingthe building of the so-called "RationalMedicine" with all its hypothesis andtraditions.
It was near the end of the last century,that the idea occurred to a single man,that the reason he had failed in practicemust be that the medical professionwas entirely on the wrong path. Hemade the effort to cure diseases on theprinciple directly opposite to those onwhich he had been educated to act, andhe was successful. He thought areformation of medicine needful anddesirable, and proper to be attempted.He set about it, hoping, if he shouldsucceed in pointing out a more safe,certain and pleasant road to the life-giving and life-renewing fountain ofhealth, that it would be a blessing tosuffering humanity. That man was
Samuel Hahnemann.Had the reform inaugurated by himbeen of an insignificant character, itmight have been accepted by themedical world without controversy.Had the new path into which he invitedthe profession been only a littlesmoother than the old one and lyingright alongside of it, like that which ledthe pilgrims from the main high-wayinto the domains of the giant,physicians might have been easilylured into it. But the revolution was aradical one. It contemplated a counter-march such as the teachers and
practitoners of the healing art hadnever been called upon to make. Itcalled upon the chiefs of the professionto reverse the wheels of the ponderousengine, and seek for the long-soughtshore in the opposite direction.
The new doctrine came forth embodiedin only three simple words: "SimiliaSimilibus Curantur."
Thus the year 1790 gave birth to thecelebrated system of Hahnemann,which has received from him a Greektitle, expressive of its peculiarities—Homœopathy, and in opposition to"Contraria Contraries Curantur."—Allopathy.
It is not my purpose to entertain youwith a detailed history of medicine, noreven to notice the successive andconflicting theories that have arisenfrom time to time; but simply to showthat the old, or Allopathic system ofmedicine as practiced till this day isunworthy of our confidence; that itstheory of therapeutics is irrational andworthless; that there is an absence ofany reliable principle to guide thephysicians in the treatment of diseases;and that the sick are far better off whenleft to nature, than when subject to thepernicious system of dosing, while agrowing want of confidence in thissystem, both in the public mind and themedical profession, loudly calls for
something more rational in its theoryand more successful in its practice.
I shall not ask you to accept myindividual opinions in support of theseviews, but shall place upon the witness-stand, and give you the declarations ofmen who have spent their lives in thepractice of this system—most of themauthors and teachers, men living indifferent countries, and from thehighest ranks of the profession, andwho, if any, should be able topronounce a eulogy upon this system ofpractice.
I introduce to you first BOERHAVE, a manjustly illustrious in the history of
medicine, he lived a century beforeHAHNEMANN, and was for over fortyyears Professor at the University atLeiden.
Hear him! He says:
"If we compare the good which ahalf dozen true disciples ofÆsculapius have done since theirart began, with the evil which theimmense number of doctors haveinflicted upon mankind, we mustbe satisfied that it would havebeen infinitely better for mankindif medical men had never existed."
The celebrated BICHAT of Paris, thusspeaks of the therapeutic system of his
day:
"It is an incoherent assemblage ofincoherent opinions; it is perhaps,of all the physiological sciencesthat which best shows the capriceof the human mind. What do Isay?—It is not a science for amethodical mind; it is a shapelessassemblage of inexact ideas, ofobservations often peurile, ofdeceptive remedies and of formulaas fastidiously and fantasticallyconceived, as they are tediouslyarranged."
Then we find the equally celebratedFrench physician, MAJENDIE, saying:
"I hesitate not to declare, nomatter how sorely I shall woundour vanity, that so gross is ourignorance of the physiologicaldisorders called diseases, that itwould perhaps be better to donothing, and resign the complaintwe are called upon to treat to theresources of Nature, than to act aswe frequently do, withoutknowing the why and thewherefore of our conduct, and atthe obvious risk of hastening theend of our patient."
DR. GOOD, the great nosologist, assertsthat
"The science of medicine is abarbarous jargon, and the effectsof our medicines on the humansystem are in the highest degreeuncertain; except, indeed, thatthey have already destroyed morelives than war, pestilence andfamine combined."
SIR ASTLEY COOPER, England's greatestsurgeon says:
"The science of medicine isfounded on conjecture andimproved by murder."
But, it may be said, these men lived inthe past, and since their time thescience of medicine has improved and
its practice has become more rationaland safe.
Let us then come down to a laterperiod, and listen to DR. CHRISTISON, thepresent eminent Professor of MateriaMedica at the University of Edinburgh.He says:
"Of all medical sciences,therapeutics is the mostunsatisfactory in its present state,and the least advanced in progress,and surrounded by the mostdeceitful sources of fallacy."
SIR JOHN FORBES, Fellow of the RoyalCollege of Physicians: Physician to the
Queen's Household, late editor of the"British and Foreign Medical Review,"after a frank admission of theimperfections of Allopathic medicine,says:
"FIRST. That in a large proportionof the cases treated by Allopathicphysicians, the disease is cured byNature and not by them."
"SECOND. That in a lesser, but stillnot a small proportion, the diseaseis cured in spite of them; in otherwords, their interference opposinginstead of assisting the cure."
"THIRD. That, consequently in aconsiderable proportion of
diseases, it would be as well, orbetter with patients, in the actualcondition of the medical art, asmore generally practiced, if allremedies, at least active remediesespecially drugs were abandoned."And finally adds, "Things havearrived at such a pitch that theycannot be worse. They must mendor end."
But, I may be asked, what are the viewsof the Professors and writers in ourown country. Have they no moreconfidence in the healing art than theirbrethren in the old world? Let us see:
DR. RUSH, one of the lights of the
profession in his day, remarks:
"The healing art is an unroofedtemple, uncovered at the top andcracked at the foundation."
And again:
"Our want of success results fromthe following causes: FIRST.—Ignorance of the law governingdisease. SECOND.—Our ignoranceof a suitable remedy THIRD.—Wantof efficacy in the remedy; andfinally we have assisted inmultiplying disease; nay, we havedone more: we have increasedtheir mortality."
Professor CHAPMAN, who stood at thehead of the profession in Philadelphia,in an address to the medical society,after speaking of the pernicious effectsof calomel, adds:
"Gentlemen, it is a disgracefulreproach to the profession ofmedicine; it is quackery, horridunwaranted murderous quackery.*** But I will ask anotherquestion, who is it that can stopthe career of mercury at will, afterit has taken the reins into its owndestructive and ungovernablehands? He, who for an ordinarycause resigns the fate of hispatient to mercury is a vile enemy
to the sick; and if he is tolerablypopular, will, in one successfulseason, have paved the way for thebusiness of life, for he has enoughto do ever afterwards to stop themercurial breach of theconstitutions of his dilapidatedpatients."
And yet, this article of the MateriaMedica in some of its various forms, isstill more frequently prescribed thanany other by the allopathic physicians.A writer in the June number, 1868, ofthe "London Chemist," havingsubmitted to a careful examination onethousand prescriptions, taken seriatimfrom the files of a druggist, states,
among other curious facts, thatmercury takes the lead, and standsprominently at the head of the list.Mercury, the very name of whichstrikes terror into the minds of nervousand timid patients, is still the foremostremedial agent employed by themedical profession.
Professor DRAPER, in one of hisintroductory lectures, before theUniversity College of New York,makes the following statement:
"Even those of us who have mostcarefully upheld our oldprofessional theories, and havetried to keep in reverence the old
opinions, and the old times, findthat under the advance of the exactsciences our position is becominguntenable. The ground is slippingaway from beneath our feet. Weare on the brink of a greatrevolution. Go where you will,among intelligent physicians youwill find a deep, though it may bean indistinct perception, that agreat change is imminent."
The late Professor MUTTER ofPhiladelphia, in an introductory lecturea few years ago, says:
"We have in truth, restedcontented in ideal knowledge. We
have received as perfect, theoriesas idle as day dreams. We haveblindly accepted the follies of thepast; and the foundation of our artmust crumble to the earth unlesswe learn more discretion andbetter judgment in the selection ofthe material of which they are tobe constructed."
I might continue these quotationsindefinitely; but I will not weary youby citing more, and surely, sufficientevidence has already been produced tosustain the allegation that the oldsystem of medicine is unworthy of ourconfidence; that, with no law uponwhich to base its principles of
treatment, its practice rests upon achaotic mass of empirical experiences,groundless theories, and ever-changingfancies; that those best acquainted withits principles, and the results of itspractice, have the least faith in itsusefulness; and that the interests of thesuffering, imperiously demand arevolution in the method of treatingdisease, and call for a system more inharmony with Nature, more reliable inits application, and more successful inits results.
This degraded state of the medicalpractice was deeply felt by HAHNEMANN,and in 1778 he retired from the practiceof medicine in disgust at its
uncertainties, after having acquiredfame as a scientific scholar and highstanding in his profession, breakingaway from the past and opening a newfield of glory to his activities, as wellas a new era of progress in the medicalart.
SAMUEL HAHNEMANN was a great man; thediscoverer of the true law of cure, inaccordance with the principles andlaws of Nature.
I need not tell you, that we maintainthat this much-desired and long-looked-for law of cure, which is to be alamp to the feet of the physician,making plain his path, and giving him
an unfailing guide in the application ofremedies to the removal of disease, notonly exists, but has been proclaimed tothe world by the immortal Hahnemannin his well-known formula: SimiliaSimilibus Curantur! But who wasSamuel Hahnemann? When I say thatthis great Reformer of Medicine was aregularly educated physician of greatlearning and unusual general cultureand literary attainments, I speak butfeeble praise compared with thelanguage of Sir John Forbes,Hahnemann's most learned critic,where he says:
"No candid reader of his writingscan hesitate for a moment to
admit that he was a veryextraordinary man; one, whosename will descend to posterity asthe exclusive excogitator andfounder of an original system ofmedicine, as ingenious as manythat preceded it, and destined to bethe remote, if not the immediatecause of more fundamentalchanges in the practice of thehealing art, than have resultedfrom any promulgated since thedays of GALEN himself."
And he adds:
"He was undoubtedly a man ofgenius and a scholar, a man of
indefatigable industry and ofdauntless energy."
The great HALLER, says of him:
"He is a doublehead of philosophyand wisdom."
And HUFELAND, the father of orthodoxmedicine, speaks of him as one of themost distinguished physicians inGermany, while the late DR. MOTT ofNew York, after having visitedHAHNEMANN in Paris, speaks in thehighest terms of his candor, learningand genius.
It has often been stated by closeobservers of the working of Divine
Providence, that "The darkest hour isjust before day," and also, that "TheCreator ever wisely and well providesagents perfectly adapted to carry outHis beneficient designs in the crisis ofhuman affairs." History, both sacredand profane, gives unwavering andvery numerous evidences of the justiceand verity of these propositions. Inmatters theological as well as politicalthis is equally the case. When therecould scarcely be greater gloom orgreater danger, the wise Arbiter ofhuman destinies has educated, nerved,inspired and protected some master-spirit, who has caused light to shine outof darkness, and peace and order totake the place of chaos and destruction.
Never were these propositions morefully illustrated than in medicalmatters towards the close of the pastcentury. All the arts and sciences hadreceived the impetus of newdiscoveries. The inductive method ofinvestigation had brought out clearly toview first principles, on which it waseasy for succeeding generations tobuild solid, stable and beautifultemples of truth.
Astronomy, chemistry, botany andevery branch in Natural Philosophy,instead of continuing mere matters ofspeculative theory, as they were before,became sciences. The sons ofÆsculapius alone were enshrouded in
an Egyptian darkness, wandering aboutwithout guide and compass, rushingwildly to and fro with instruments ofdeadly power in their hands; whomthey wished to heal, they slew; andtortured those whom they fondly hopedmight find timely relief fromsufferings and woes through theirministrations.
The hearts of the benevolent weredeeply pained, and the conscientiouswavered in their work when theygathered statistics of the results of theirlabor. A cry ascended heaven-wardsfrom the practitioners of medicine, thelonging for better days, seemedseconded by a phalanx of ghostly
beings, who had untimely passed awayby means of fearful treatment, and bythe living miseries of multitudes ofshapeless deformed ones, who everstood unpleasant and incontrovertiblewitnesses of the cruelties andbarbarities of the healing art.
With increasing civilization, new andfatal epidemics appeared, reaping arich harvest for the grim monster—Death—and adding yearly to the per-centage of the ever-increasing bills ofmortality. Many an honest practitionerthrew away lancet and saddle-bags indespair, while quacks and medicalcharlatans, profiting by the wranglingsof the regulars, and the weariness of
the people, drove a reckless but well-paying trade, with nostrums of everycharacter, from the deadliest poison tothe simplest house-hold herb.
But a brigther daywas about to dawn.
In the picturesque town of Meissen, inthe district of Cur Saxony, lived anhonest and worthy man, ChristianGottfried Hahnemann, an intelligent,patriotic and highly esteemed, thoughunassuming and unambitious memberof that community, by trade a painterupon porcelain, known under the nameof Dresden-China.
On the 10th day of April, 1755, he wasmade happy by the birth of a son,
whom he named Samuel ChristianFrederick. Amidst all the fond hopesthe parents cherished for their new-born babe, little did they imagine towhat a destiny the great Creator hadappointed him. Of the mother of thischild not very much is known, save thatshe was modest, industrious, intenselyattached to her family, full ofsympathy with her children'saspirations, and ever-ready to aid themin their schemes of pleasure oradvancement. The infantile years oflittle Hahnemann were spent amidstscenery so strikingly beautiful, as toimpress his young buoyant heart, evenin those tender years, with anadmiration of Nature's handiwork, and
so instill into him a love of the worksof God, which ever increased as hegrew older. He was not sent to schoolvery young, not until he was eightyears old; this will perhaps partlyaccount for the fact that when he didgo, he manifested an ardent thirst forknowledge, which was never slackedduring his long life-time. But he didnot spend his first eight years of lifeentirely in play. Those health-securing,physical-exhilarating and developingexercises were occasionally relieved bylessons from his father, and sometimesfrom his mother, in reading andwriting, and by frequent conversationsof a religious and moral character.
These conversations laid deep thefoundation of that undeviatingintegrity, fixedness of purpose,unwavering conscientiousness andunaffected reverence for the DivineBeing, which ever characterized thisMedical Reformer in after life. Theinfluence of this paternalconversational instruction and moraltraining made him what he was, as aschool-boy, as a college-student, as anauthor, a chemist and a physician.Untiring industry, conscientiousness,and a reliance upon Divine blessing,will in any sphere in life securesuccess, and Samuel Hahnemann wasno exception to the general rule. Inwriting on this subject, he says: "My
father had the soundest ideas on whatwas to be considered good and worthyin man, and had arrived at them by hisown independent thought. He sought toplant them in me, and impressed on memore by actions than by words, thegreat lesson of life, to act and to be, notmerely to seem! When a good workwas going forward, there, oftenunobserved, he was sure to be helping,hand to heart; shall I not do likewise?In the finest distinctions between thenoble and the base, he decided by hisactions with a justness that did honor tothe nicety of his sense of right andwrong. In this, too, he was mymonitor."
Such sterling qualities, rooted in theboy's heart, and early budding out inhis life, made him beloved by all whocame in contact with him. Play-mates,school-fellows and instructors not onlytreated him with kindness, but withardent affection.
This school-boy life did not pass,however, without trials, the greatest ofwhich was the disinclination of hisfather for him to continue his studies.It is a little strange that the good man,who himself possessed a keen power ofobservation, did not once suspect thefuture greatness of his child: but hewas very poor, had several otherchildren to support, and doubtless
feared that a thorough classical andscientific education would give to hisson aspirations that would be doomedto bitter disappointment. His teacher,however, pleaded on his behalf,offering to remit the usual school-fees,and he was permitted to continue hisstudies until he was twenty years ofage. A proof of the poverty of hisparents at this time, is illustrated by thecircumstance, that his fathercomplained of the great consumptionof oil during young Hahnemann'spreparation of his lessons, and wouldnot permit him to use the family lampafter the other members of thehousehold had retired: but Samuel, whowas never daunted by difficulties, or
frustrated in a purpose, when he hadconcluded that it was legitimate,manufactured a lamp out of a lump ofclay, and successfully coaxed hismother to supply him with oil.
At the close of his high school term,young Hahnemann wrote, as was usualwith those just finishing their course, atreatise. He had for some timemanifested a deep interest in naturalscience, and particularly in thebranches of chemistry and physiology.He wrote his thesis in Latin, choosingas his subject, "The wisdom of God informing the Human Hand." This wasfor his age, a work of great merit, andeven his father seemed to have become
proud of his abilities, and gave his freeconsent for the studious boy to go toLeipzig that he might attend thelectures at the University, andpresented him with all the money hepossibly could spare, amounting tonearly fifteen dollars in our currency."This," says Hahnemann, "was the lastmoney I received from my father." Heleft his home for Leipzig on Easter,1775.
He was at first somewhat puzzled bythat troublesome subject, "the ways andmeans," but fortunately becomingacquainted with two rich Princes ofGreece, who were anxious to beinstructed in the English and French
languages. Hahnemann entered into alucrative engagement with them asinstructor, and also obtainedemployment as a translator of medicaland philosophical works. Theremuneration he received for privateteaching and translating, not onlyenabled him to supply all his moderatewants and purchase of books, but hesaved a considerable amount besides.In order to save so much, and at thesame time attend faithfully upon all hisclasses, he denied himself sleep everyother night. In 1777, we find himattending the hospitals of Vienna wherehis excellence of character, and extentof medical information, completelywon him the friendship and confidence
of the celebrated Doctor von Quarin,who perceiving the noble qualities andpromising abilities of the young man,adopted him as a special protégé.Hahnemann says of him, "To him I owemy claims to be reckoned as aphysician. I had his love andfriendship." After this, he visited theUniversity of Erlangen, where hegraduated, receiving the degree ofDoctor of Medicine on the 10th ofAugust, 1779. At this time, an earnestlonging for the air of Saxony and thescenery of his native district seems tohave taken possession of him. Afterhaving occupied several prominentpositions, the government offered himthe office of District Physician in
Gommern, which he accepted in 1782.
After three years residence inGommern, during which time he hadmarried, he became tired ofprofessional idleness—as he expresseshimself—and we find him removing toDresden. For about a year he occupiedthe position as superintendent of thepublic hospitals of that city. Hisconscience however, began to be muchtroubled by the conviction thatmedicine as then practiced provedworse than useless to the majority ofpatients. He retired from the practice ofmedicine in disgust at its uncertainties,occupying himself solely withchemistry and literary labor.
The humanity and integrity ofHahnemann is plainly portrayed in aletter to the venerable Hufeland, wherehe gives his own account of the reasonswhich induced him at this time to retirefrom practice. He writes:
"It was painful for me to grope inthe dark, guided only by our booksin the treatment of the sick—toprescribe according to this or thatfanciful view of the nature ofdiseases, substances that onlyowed to mere opinion their placein the Materia Medica. I hadconscientious scruples abouttreating unknown morbid states in
my suffering fellow-creatureswith these unknown medicines;which, being powerful substances,might, if they were not exactlysuitable, (and how could thephysician know whether they weresuitable or not, seeing that theirpeculiar special actions were notyet elucidated?), easily change lifeinto death, or produce newaffections or chronic ailments,which are often much moredifficult to remove than theoriginal disease. To become inthis way a murderer, or anaggravator of the sufferings ofmankind, was to me a fearfulthought. So fearful and distressing
was it, that shortly after mymarriage I abandoned the practice,and scarcely treated any one forfear of doing him harm."
In 1789, he settled in Leipzig, andnumerous writings and translations,which have been often quoted by thebest writers ever since, came from hispen during that period. We come nowto the year 1790, in which the firstthought of Homœopathy issued fromthe brain of the great father andfounder of the new school of medicine.It has already been hinted thatHahnemann had felt an intense desireto obtain some clear, safe andphilosophical guide to the therapeutic
action of drugs.
He was called upon to translate"Cullen's Materia Medica," and as heprogressed in the description of onemedical substance after another, hecould not but feel a renewal of theearnest longing he had so oftencherished, to clear medical sciencefrom the clouds of mist and uncertaintyin which it had continued from the timeof Hippocrates.
The workings of his mind, and thecharacter of the man, at this time willbe best understood by a quotation fromthe letter he wrote to Hufeland, wherehe says:
"Having briefly reviewed, the sadexperience of the systems ofSydenham and Hoffmann, ofBoerhave and Glaubius, of Stahl,Cullen and de Hean," hecontinues,
"But it is, perhaps, the very natureof this art, as great men haveasserted that it is incapable ofattaining any greater certainty.Shameful, blasphemous thought!What! shall it be said that theinfinite wisdom of the EternalSpirit, that animates the universe,could not produce remedies toallay the sufferings of the diseasesHe allows to arise? The all-loving
paternal goodness of Him, whomno name worthily designates, whorichly supplies all wants, even thescarcely conceivable wants of theinsect in the dust, imperceptibleby reason of its minuteness to thekeenest human eye, and whodespenses throughout creation,life and happiness in richabundance, shall it be said that Heis capable of the tyranny of notpermitting that man, made in hisimage, should by the efforts of hispenetrating mind, that has beenbreathed into him from above,find out the way to discoverremedies in the stupendouskingdom of creation, which should
be able to deliver mankind fromtheir sufferings, worse than deathitself? Shall He, the Father of all,behold with indifference themartyrdom of his best-belovedcreatures by disease, and yetrender it impossible to the geniusof man, to whom all else ispossible, to find any method, anyeasy, sure, trust-worthy method,whereby they may see diseasesfrom their proper point of view,and whereby they may interrogatemedicines as to their special uses,as to what they are really, surelyand positively serviceable for?Well, thought I, as there must be asure and trust-worthy method of
treatment, as certainly as God isthe wisest and most beneficient ofBeings, I shall seek it no longer inthe thorny thicket of ontologicalexplanations, *** nor in theauthoritative declarations ofcelebrated men. No; let me seek itwhere it lies nearest at hand, andwhere it has hitherto been passedover by all, because it did notseem sufficiently recondite, norsufficiently learned, and was nothung with laurels for those whodisplayed most talent forconstructing systems, forscholastic speculation, andtranscendental abstractions."
With these high and noble feelings, hismind was fully awake to anysuggestion that might be derived fromthe material before him.
For forty years he carried on a series ofwell-planned and well-calculatedexperiments to ascertain the disease-producing power of drugs, whenadministered to persons in health.Friends, medical and lay, were broughtinto requisition, and all possible meanstaken to secure the greatest accuracy;for Hahnemann already began to feelthat he was God's agent of mercy,through whose happy discovery andlabors future generations would begreatly blessed.
He found but little opportunity to testhis newly-discovered law of cure whilehe remained in Leipzig, and povertycompelled him to labor with his penmost indefatigably, as was evidencedby the large number of essays andtranslations published at that time.
Providence, however, interfered in hisbehalf; the reigning Duke of SaxeGotha offered him the position ofPhysician to the Asylum for the Insanein Georgenthal, in the ThuringenForest. He entered upon his duties in1792. While at the head of thisestablishment, he succeeded inaffecting a cure which created somesensation, because the party concerned
was the Hanoverian Minister,Klockenbring, who was renderedinsane by a lampoon written byKotzebue. He also introduced a mildand humane treatment for the insane,removing the chains and tight-jacket,heretofore in use.
In 1810, he published his greatestwork, "The Organon," which ranthrough five editions, and wastranslated into most all the livinglanguages. From 1810 to 1821, we findhim again in Leipzig, publishing hisMateria Medica, and lecturing twice aweek in the University, at the sametime attending to a multitude ofpatients.
In 1821, Hahnemann was induced bythe reigning Duke of Anhalt-Coethen,who was his warm friend and admirer,to change his place of residence, andappointed him his Physician. Heaccepted the position. He soon began towork as earnestly as before in provingmedicines and prescribing for hispatients, who came from all parts ofEurope.
On one occasion, during his residencein Coethen, he recieved a visitor whohad heard a great deal of Hahnemannand his garden, and who had imaginedthe garden to be as large as its ownerwas great. When he was ushered intothe presence of the Prophet of
Medicine and found him seated at atable in a summer-house, only a fewyards from the dwelling, he exclaimed:"But where is the garden?" To whichHahnemann replied, "This is thegarden." "Surely," rejoined the visitor,"Not this narrow patch of ground?""True, it is very narrow and very short,but observe its infinite height," said theSage, pointing upwards to the blue skyoverhead.
The tenth of August, 1829, was a joyfulday for the venerable old man, beingthe fifteenth anniversary of hisobtaining the degree of M. D.Gratifying and memorable in morethan one respect was this day for him.
I refrain from giving you a fulldescription of this impressivecelebration, lest I should be consideredtedious, yet I cannot thus pass overhistorical facts, without dwelling upona few of the principal features of thisgratifying and memorable festivity.
The early morning found assembled alarge number of the friends ofHahnemann, his disciples; deputationsfrom various cities; also deputationsfrom the Universities of Leipzig,Vienna and Erlangen, which presentedhim with the Diploma of Honor. TheKing of Saxony, the Duke of SaxeGotha and many others had sent costlypresents from far and near. His
dwelling having been appropriatelyprepared for the celebration, and on atable, resembling an altar, adorned withflowers and entwined with oak leaves,was placed a well executed bust ofHahnemann.
After Hahnemann was introduced, hisbust was crowned with laurels, amidappropriate addresses andcongratulations. With deep emotion,the venerable old man in heartfelt andaffecting words, gave thanks to theSupreme Being that he had beenpermitted to make so great a discovery,and was so favored with a long life, fullof bodily and mental vigor.
A year after this important occurrence,the Asiatic Cholera came marchingfrom the East, for the first time. Thisaroused the medical profession ingeneral. Physicians were helpless, andnone of them had ever seen a case ofthis fearful disease. But Hahnemann,after learning the symptoms of thedisease, advised the mode of treatmentby which the mortality of that terriblescourge was threefold reduced, andnumerous testimonials were published,showing the immense success of hismode of treatment. In 1831, he lost hispartner in life, having been marriedforty-nine years and a few months.
About four years after the death of his
wife, a most interesting, intelligent andestimable lady, applied to Hahnemannfor advice for lung and heart disease. Ithas been humorously stated that thoughthe lung disease was effectually cured,the trouble of the heart must haveassumed a chronic form, for thefascinating Parisienne seemed deeplyenamored with the great doctor. Shewas 35 years of age, the daughter ofLouis Jerome Cohier, formerlyMinister of Justice and President andDirector of the French Republic, hername was Marie Melanie d'HervilleCohier. This lady of position andwealth offered her hand to theoctogenarian, which he accepted, andafter having divided his considerable
fortune among his children, uponwhich his young wife insisted, he wasinduced by her to pass the rest of hislife in Paris, where he enjoyed a greatreputation till his death, which tookplace July 2nd, 1843. On the centenaryof his birthday in 1855, a statute waserected to his memory at Leipzig.
To complete the picture of this greatman, I have to cite from a letter writtenby Dr. Jahr in Paris on the fourth ofJuly 1843, where he says:
"Hahnemann is dead! In fact, dearfriends, our venerable father hadfinished his career. A pulmonary
paralysis had set him free, after anillness of six weeks, finallyliberating the great soul from itsearthly tenement. To the lastmoment, he was in the possessionof his mental faculties. *** In thecommencement of that illness heannounced that it would be hislast, as his body was worn out. Atfirst he prescribed for himself, andnearly to the period of his deathdelivered his opinion of theremedies offered him by his wifeand Dr. Chartran. *** When hiswife, on account of a fit ofsuffocation, said to him,'Providence ought to exempt youfrom these sufferings, as you have
relieved so many, and enduredsuch numerous persecutions,' hereplied, 'Me: why me? Every oneworks according to the abilitiesand powers which Providence hasbestowed upon him. Superiority orinferiority exists only before thetribunal of men, not before that ofProvidence. Providence owesnothing to me, but I am indebtedto Providence for all.'"
I leave these memorable words, forevery one to deduce from them thenatural conclusion, and especially astruly illustrative of the character ofHahnemann. The grand old man, at 80years of age, launched himself upon a
new career in the capital of France. Inthree years we find him making anincome of 200,000 francs a year fromhis professional exertions, and givinggratuitous advice to crowds of the poor.
Year after year his wonderful successesbrought him a rapid increase to eventhis large income. In his 89th year hedied and left a fortune of 4,000,000francs, nearly a million of dollars.
Seldom has a man ended his days in soglorious a sunset, or in a surer hope forthe future.
The merit of Hahnemann, and that forwhich we ought to bless his name andcherish his memory, is his rejection of
theory and the establishment of thecurative art upon the solid foundationof science. All that was merelyspeculative he rejected as unsafe, andsought by pure experiment andobjective observation, to find outNature's law of cure. Taking nothingfor truth that could not be proved byexperiment, he, by careful and untiringobservation, obtained from Nature theanswer that Similia Similibus Curanturwas the law of cure, the only scientificlaw to heal disease.
This science is not wafted to and fro bythe winds of opinion and supposition. Itis through its organic unity, as firm andunchanging as Nature itself. In it all
medical men must agree, because thereign of supposition has been replacedby that of facts, and all animated by thespirit of progress will work activelyand earnestly in promoting science andthe art of healing for their own benefit,and that of suffering humanity ingeneral. To get such a sciencerecognized and spread over the world,is undoubtedly a noble problem of theage. Hahnemann also discovered byexperiment and pure objectiveobservation, that disease renders theorganization wonderfully sensitive totheir specific remedies, so that themere smell of the specific drug can, inmany cases effect a cure; and that in allcases, a very small dose of the true
remedy is all that is required; so smallas to have no effect whatever on theorganism in a state of health; andfurther, that large doses, even of theproper remedy, are not only useless,but hurtful, being calculated toaggravate the disease and endangervitality.
Time will not permit me to attempthere an elucidation of the principlesand doctrines promulgated byHahnemann; yet I wish to noticebriefly some of the results followingthe introduction of Homœopathy intothe medical world. It is now aboutseventy-five years since Hahnemannmade public, and taught this new
system of medicine. The bold reformerand his disciples were persecuted,ridiculed and scorned in every mannerby the so-called orthodox doctors, whodeclared their principles so ridiculousand nonsensical, that it would be belowthe dignity of a scientific man to makehimself acquainted with the laws andpractice of Homœopathy. ButHomœopathy in the theoretical andpractical proofs of its universalimportance, deserves to be rankedamong the most important discoveriesof the age, and as one of the mostbeneficial discoveries that humanityhas ever been blessed with.
Men of the highest standing in the
profession have given their unqualifiedindorsement of its foundation as anindisputable law of Nature, and of itsright to be considered high in the orderof science.
The truth of its principles has beenpractically proven by its success, notonly in isolated cases, but in greatepidemics, as those of dysentery,cholera, yellow fever, typhus,smallpox, scarlet fever, measles,diptheria, etc.; and this, too, in soconspicuous a manner, that year afteryear, it has forced its way into largerand higher circles, and is now practicedin all countries by a large number ofscientific and intelligent physicians,
who, after having studied and practicedfor a longer or shorter length of timethe murderous system of Allopathy, areacquainted with both, and have giventhe preference to Homœopathy, onlyafter mature reflection, investigationand numerous comparisons of theresult of both systems in their practice.
The great majority of Old-Schoolphysicians, only know Homœopathy byhearsay, and look upon it through thedim glasses of the prejudices of thepast. None of those who have abusedHomœopathy have previouslyexamined and studied the matterthoroughly, because all those who haveconscientiously done this, have soon
been converted to the truth of thesystem and have adopted its practice.
In the ranks of the practitioners andbelievers in Homœopathy, we seephysicians whose writings prove, andto whom nobody can deny an extendedand profound medical knowledge, aswell as judgment. Homœopathy canboast of a rich and scientific literature,and a great number of profoundwritings in all the languages of thecivilized world.
Homœopathy is a vast and steadilygrowing power in the medical andscientific world, demanding earnestlythe attention of every intelligent man.
Its real merit may be partiallymeasured by the strength of obstacles ithas had to overcome.
Homœopathy is a reform in the centraland main field of medical practice, areform effected by the discovery of agreat and true therapeutic law, and bythe construction of a new MateriaMedica, which reveals to us thedisease-producing properties of drugs.It has rendered pathology the highestservice by making that great branch ofmedical science truly practical; for, anexact parallel functional and organiclaw between the phenomena of diseasesand drugs is necessary to the scientificselection of homœopathic medicines.
By its great therapeutic law, it hasintroduced new light, order, beauty andefficiency into the theory and practiceof medicine. It has cured thousands ofcases of chronic disease, beyond thereach of allopathic art, and has treatedall acute diseases with admirable easeand success. In great epidemics, itproved always superior to the oldsystem. I was converted byexperiencing the wonderful effects ofhomœopathic medicine on myself, butparticularly by witnessing the triumphsof Homœopathy in the treatment of theAsiatic cholera, in the terribleepidemic of 1849-'50 and '51.
Allopathic mortality was 56 c.
Homœopathic mortality was 12 c.
In yellow fever, its success was equallysurprising. Drs. Davis and Holcombetreated over a thousand cases atNatchez in 1853 and '55, with amortality of 7 per cent. Allopathy losttwo-thirds of its patients. On accountof this great victory, they were electedphysicians and surgeons of theMississippi State Hospital, which wastill then under allopathic government.The reports from that Institution aretriumphs to Homœopathy up to thepresent day, and confirmatory of thesuperiority of this system of medical
treatment.
Homœopathy has saved thousands ofcases from surgical operations, and hasintroduced safety into the lying-in-room of woman. It has been a blessingto children, and to mothersincalculably beneficial. It has beenfound equally useful in the diseases ofanimals, and many veterinaryinstitutions have been established forits practice.
Finally, it has shortened the averageduration of disease, diminished theexpense of treatment enormously,economized the vital resources of thepatient, and delivered its friends from
the frequently baneful and long-lastingeffects of enormous doses of medicine.
In conclusion, I will give a fewstatistics, from different and reliableauthorities; but first, the testimony ofDr. Routh, an eminent Allopathicphysician of London, given undercircumstances which make itsignificant and interesting.
In 1852, Dr. Routh published inLondon a book which he entitled the"Fallacies of Homœopathy," which hesays he was constrained to do, because
"This system of medical practicehas of late unfortunately made,and continues to make, such
progress in this country, and themetropolis in particular, and isdaily extending its influence evenamong the most learned, and thosewhose high positions in societygives them no little moral powerover the opinions of the multitude,that our profession is, I think,bound to make it the subject ofinquiry and investigation."
To that end, he collected statistics ofdifferent hospitals, to the number ofthirty-two thousand six hundred andfifty cases, treated in homœopathichospitals, and compared them with anequal number of cases from old-schoolhospitals. He was astonished to find
that the average mortality under
allopathic treatment was 10.5 c.;while under homœopathic treatment it
was only 4.4 c. Still he was honestenough to publish the results. Hefurther states that, proportionally to thenumber of beds, in homœopathichospitals there are twice as manypatients admitted and cured, as inallopathic hospitals.
He also states that the mean duration oftreatment in pneumonia was
Homœopathic, 11-2/3 days.Allopathic, 29 days.
After visiting Vienna, Dr. Routh gives
the following statistics of cases ofinflammation of the lungs, treatedrespectively in the Homœopathic andAllopathic Hospitals of that city.
Allopathic mortality 23 c.
Homœopathic mortality 5 c.
Here, then, is allopathic testimony, themost conclusive; that, in this fataldisease, the old system involves a
mortality of 23 c., while that of
Homœopathy is only 5 c.—justabout one-fifth!
I have in my possession, and couldadduce here, numerous equally
valuable statistics, but as I havealready trespassed upon your time, Iwill sum up the whole in a carefullyprepared table of several life insurancecompanies which have investigated theinfluence of medical treatment asaffecting human life, and from whichthey feel authorized in offering an
annual reduction of 15 c. topractical homœopathists. We find the"Atlantic Mutual" making thefollowing deductions:
First. "That practicalHomœopathists enjoy more robusthealth."
Second. "That they are less
frequently attacked by disease."
Third. "When attacked, theyrecover more rapidly than thosetreated by any other system."
Fourth. "That the mortality in themore fatal forms of disease issmall compared with that underAllopathic treatment."
Fifth. "That many diseases, whichare incurable under any othersystem, are curable underHomœopathic treatment."
This statement is followed by a generalsummary from carefully preparedtables, comprising a large mass of
statistics, collected from all parts ofthe world, and embracing the recordsof the treatment of some 300,000 casesof disease. We find that the ratio ofmortality between Homœopathic andAllopathic treatment, omitting thefractions, to be,—
In General diseases as 4 to 13" Cholera, as 16 to 49" Typhus fever, as 8 to 33" Yellow fever, as 5 to 43" Pneumonia, as 5 to 31
The general average of all diseasesbeing as 8 to 34, while the averagelength of sickness under the twosystems, is as 2 to 3, a clear gain of
over fifty c. is shown in favor ofHomœopathy.
The inquiry will here naturally arise:—Why is it that, if the Homœopathicsystem presents such superior results,that it has not been adopted by theprofession generally? While itsadherents may with pride refer to itsrapid growth in this country, itspractitioners having increased from 6in 1830 to over 6,000 in 1871; yet, ifthe system is all that its adherentsclaim, why should it still meet with themost bitter opposition of the oldschool, instead of that heartyacceptance which its merits wouldseem to demand?
Before answering this question, let ussee how the medical profession, andprofessors of other branches of sciencehave received the several greatdiscoveries of the last four hundredyears.
Copernicus, who taught that the sun isstationary; that the planets revolvearound the sun, and that the apparentrevolution of the heavens is caused bythe rotation of the earth on its axis,—asystem now generally received andacknowledged, was persecuted nearlyto death. I found, only twenty yearsago, a sect of people in Wisconsin, whostill disbelieved this great fact, that theearth moves around the sun.
Gallileo, after being converted to theCopernican theory of the revolution ofthe earth around the sun, and afterhaving improved the telescope ofCopernicus, invited his fellow-professors to make these observationswith him. They absolutely refused toeven look through Gallileo's telescope,and after he had demonstrated to themby actual experiment, that the triflingdifference in the falling of two unequalweights is owing only to the resistanceof the air, and after making theexperiment twice before the eyes of hisopposers in dropping two unequalweights from the tower of Pisa, theydid not believe it. He also waspersecuted through life.
Franklin's electric experiments werereceived in like manner. After they hadbeen read before the Royal Society,they were considered worthless, and heearned nothing but ridicule and abuse.
So it was with Fulton, when he wasmoving upon the Hudson River withhis imperfect steamcraft before theeyes of the people; they said it wasimpossible, and could not be done. Yes,they denied the fact, and declared himinsane after he had done it.
Harvey, who discovered and taught thatthere is an arterial circulation of bloodthrough the human system, waspersecuted through life, his
professional enemies styling him the"Circulator," a word, in its originalLatin, synifying vagabond or quack.
In the light of these facts, it was notsurprising that Hahnemann, after thepromulgation of his doctrine, meets thesame fate, and from that day to thepresent, the most bitter denunciationshave been poured by the Old School,not only upon him, but on all who haveadopted, or have investigated hismethod.
But Time ever rectifies the mistakes ofmankind. The value of the discoveriesof all these great men has long sincebeen acknowledged by the world; and
the day will and must surely arrive,when the little acorn of Truth, plantedby Hahnemann, which has alreadytaken deep root, and is lifting high itsvigorous stem, shall tower far above allother giants of the medical forest, andits wide-spreading branches cast theirbeneficent shadows over the wholeearth.
F. HILLER, M. D.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 10th, 1872.
"Homœopathy andRegular Medicine."
The editor of the Buffalo Medical andSurgical Journal (old school) had asudden spasm of good sense—acondition none too frequent with ourAllopathic brethren, and during theattack, allowed the followingcommunication to appear in the pagesof his journal.
To the Editor of the Buffalo Medicaland Surgical Journal:
It will be to the advantage of theregular medical profession to gocarefully over their treatment ofthe class of physicians who haveseen fit to denominate themselveshomœopathic, and to observe theeffect such treatment has had uponthe profession itself, upon thepublic and upon homœopathy.
That the accumulated experienceof faithful observers, who, for thelast four thousand years havegiven their lives to the study andtreatment of diseases, is, webelieve, of almost invaluableimportance to one who wishes tobecome a physician, and certainly
is of infinite importance whencompared with a hypotheticaldogma, and yet, with all themachinery of our hospitals anddispensaries, the control of everymedical appointment in the gift ofgovernments or corporations, withour medical schools perfectlyequipped with professors for everyseparate department of medicine,and an entire monopoly of theadvantages of clinicalobservations, with all theseadvantages and precedents, whatheadway have we made inconvincing the public andindividuals of our superior abilityto manage disease, or of our
peculiar fitness for becoming thesanitary officers of households orcommunities?
The line of treatment which theregular profession saw fit to adoptin the earliest days ofhomœopathy, and which they arestill following, is generallybigoted, and universally intolerantopposition. What is the effect ofthis opposition? It is to arouse inthe public mind that generousAmerican sentiment which everasserts itself to see fair playbetween a big boy and a little one.There is scarcely an instance inwhich the regular profession, with
all its accumulated prestige, hasarrayed itself againsthomœopathy, where the weakerparty have not prevailed. And to-day, in the sight of the law, and inthe confidence of the people,homœopathy is the peer of regularmedicine.
It becomes us to go over this case,and, if possible, discover why, weso strong in numbers, and in allthe facilities and appliances forillustrating and inforcing ourtenets, are so repeatedly beaten?Why is it that individuals andcorporations are becomingconvinced that their interests
require them to employhomœopathic in preference toregular physicians? For myself, inspite of the logic of events, I stillbelieve, and my belief is foundedupon a thorough investigation ofthe principles of homœopathy, andobservations upon the practice ofmany of its most distinguisheddisciples, that in no way can aman so efficiently equip himselffor the responsibility of themanagement of disease, and thecustody of health as in the studyof regular medicine.
If we take it for granted that thepast experience and observations
of physicians are of service tophysicians at present, and I do notthink we will be charged withassumption for considering this anaxiom; then why is it that a sectwhich disregards all traditions ofmedicine, and found their systemupon a dogma which contradictsall that we have held as truth, whyis it that they are flourishing andwe are going to the wall?
The answer to this questionpresents itself to my mind undertwo heads, which may beformularized as follows:Homœopathy lives upon thedisgrace brought upon the
profession of medicine by the lowstandard of medical education,and flourishes upon the intolerantopposition it has received at thehands of regular physicians.
It is with the second, the lesser ofthe two evils I propose to deal atthis time.
The treatment of homœopathy bythe regular profession in pastyears is so well known as torequire no mention, therefore letus turn our attention to thepresent, and by reading its signs inthe light of the past, endeavor todo something for our future.
The position of the regularprofession in regard tohomœopathy may be expressed ina few words. We are not aware oftheir existence. They have noprofessional rights which we arebound to respect, and when forcedby some laymen to speak upon thesubject, or give an opinion uponhomœopathy, the opinion is that itis a "humbug." This line oftreatment was bad enough whenhomœopathy was young, but nowwhen we stand on equal footingbefore the law, and nearly equalbefore the public, it is suicidal.
It may be well to explain what I
mean by equal rights before thelaw. All the rights which membersof the regular profession of thisState enjoy are granted them byActs of Legislature, the first ofwhich was passed April 10th,1813, this and the Act of 1827,contain the "Regulationsconcerning the Practice of Physicand Surgery in this State." Theyprovide for the establishment ofCounty Medical Societies, "theonly organization existing underlaw for the purpose of diffusingtrue science and knowledge of thehealing art," and otherwise pointout and fix the duties,responsibilities and immunities of
physicians and surgeons.
On April 13th, 1857, theLegislature of this State admittedthe homœopathic profession to allthe rights and privileges enjoyedby members of the regularprofession under the abovementioned Acts. This provided forthe present, and in the Actsincorporating their colleges,exactly the same power is grantedto them as had been granted to ourmedical schools, which providesfor the future. I doubt not there aremembers of our profession whohave hitherto failed to realize thechange wrought in the
homœopathic profession by theActs of 1857. As before stated, theAct admitted the homœopathicprofession to all the rights andprivileges as physicians andsurgeons under the Acts of 1813and 1827, and all Acts amendatorythereof, thus they became "legallyauthorized practicing physiciansand surgeons," and as such, areentitled to membership of ourCounty Medical Societies. Thisright is positive, and no CountySociety has the power to adopt aby-law which will keep them outif they should make applicationfor admission. The right of legallyauthorizing physicians to
membership of County MedicalSocieties has been most definitelysettled by our courts, and theproceedings to obtain such rightsare well understood by many ofour members.
In view of these facts what shouldthe regular profession do in thematter? Shall we continue to callourselves "the profession," andneither by public act or privateword allow that there is any other?Shall we continue a line oftreatment condemned by law andby experience, treatment whichonly makes homœopathynotorious and ourselves
disgraceful; or shall we submitgracefully to the laws of the State,and public opinion, and proffer tothe homœopathic profession thoseamenities which should existbetween professional equals?Invite them to the rights in ourCounty Medical Societies, whencalled by their patrons, attend withthem in consultation; when wishedby our patients ask them to attendin consultation with us? If theyhave any superior knowledge inthe management of the disease orthe protection of health, our dutyto our patrons requires us to availourselves of that knowledge. If wepossess the greater professional
ability, they and their patrons willfind it out. If we hold back fromthis, we may reasonably becharged with having littleconfidence in our doctrines. If wego into it, I rest my faith upon "thesurvival of the fittest."
Buffalo, August, 1871.H. R. HOPKINS, M. D.
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