medical essays-第13章

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　be　given　a　little　at　a　time　to　those　perishing　with　hunger。　　If　the　patient　were　brought　into　a　warm　room；　heat　would　be　applied　very　rapidly；　were　not　something　interposed　to　prevent　this；　and　allow　its　gradual　admission。　　Snow　or　iced　water　is　exactly　what　is　wanted；　it　is　not　cold　to　the　part；　it　is　very　possibly　warm；　on　the　contrary；　for　these　terms　are　relative；　and　if　it　does　not　melt　and　let　the　heat　in；　or　is　not　taken　away；　the　part　will　remain　frozen　up　until　doomsday。　　Now　the　treatment　of　a　frozen　limb　by　heat；　in　large　or　small　quantities；　is　not　Homoeopathy。

The　next　supposed　illustration　of　the　Homoeopathic　law　is　the　alleged　successful　management　of　burns；　by　holding　them　to　the　fire。　　This　is　a　popular　mode　of　treating　those　burns　which　are　of　too　little　consequence　to　require　any　more　efficacious　remedy；　and　would　inevitably　get　well　of　themselves；　without　any　trouble　being　bestowed　upon　them。　　It　produces　a　most　acute　pain　in　the　part；　which　is　followed　by　some　loss　of　sensibility；　as　happens　with　the　eye　after　exposure　to　strong　light；　and　the　ear　after　being　subjected　to　very　intense　sounds。　　This　is　all　it　is　capable　of　doing；　and　all　further　notions　of　its　efficacy　must　be　attributed　merely　to　the　vulgar　love　of　paradox。　　If　this　example　affords　any　comfort　to　the　Homoeopathist；　it　seems　as　cruel　to　deprive　him　of　it　as　it　would　be　to　convince　the　mistress　of　the　smoke…jack　or　the　flatiron　that　the　fire　does　not　literally　〃draw　the　fire　out；〃　which　is　her　hypothesis。

But　if　it　were　true　that　frost…bites　were　cured　by　cold　and　burns　by　heat；　it　would　be　subversive；　so　far　as　it　went；　of　the　great　principle　of　Homoeopathy。

For　you　will　remember　that　this　principle　is　that　Like　cures　Like；　and　not　that　Same　cures　Same；　that　there　is　resemblance　and　not　identity　between　the　symptoms　of　the　disease　and　those　produced　by　the　drug　which　cures　it；　and　none　have　been　readier　to　insist　upon　this　distinction　than　the　Homoeopathists　themselves。　　For　if　Same　cures　Same；　then　every　poison　must　be　its　own　antidote；which　is　neither　a　part　of　their　theory　nor　their　so…called　experience。　　They　have　been　asked　often　enough；　why　it　was　that　arsenic　could　not　cure　the　mischief　which　arsenic　had　caused；　and　why　the　infectious　cause　of　small…pox　did　not　remedy　the　disease　it　had　produced；　and　then　the；　were　ready　enough　to　see　the　distinction　I　have　pointed　out。　　O　no！　　it　was　not　the　hair　of　the　same　dog；　but　only　of　one　very　much　like　him！

A　third　instance　in　proof　of　the　Homoeopathic　law　is　sought　for　in　the　acknowledged　efficacy　of　vaccination。　　And　how　does　the　law　apply　to　this？　　It　is　granted　by　the　advocates　of　Homoeopathy　that　there　is　a　resemblance　between　the　effects　of　the　vaccine　virus　on　a　person　in　health　and　the　symptoms　of　small…pox。　　Therefore；　according　to　the　rule；　the　vaccine　virus　will　cure　the　small…pox；　which；　as　everybody　knows；　is　entirely　untrue。　　But　it　prevents　small…pox；　say　the　Homoeopathists。　　Yes；　and　so　does　small…pox　prevent　itself　from　ever　happening　again；　and　we　know　just　as　much　of　the　principle　involved　in　the　one　case　as　in　the　other。　　For　this　is　only　one　of　a　series　of　facts　which　we　are　wholly　unable　to　explain。　　Small…pox；　measles；　scarlet…fever；　hooping…cough；　protect　those　who　have　them　once　from　future　attacks；　but　nettle…rash　and　catarrh　and　lung　fever；　each　of　which　is　just　as　Homoeopathic　to　itself　as　any　one　of　the　others；　have　no　such　preservative　power。　　We　are　obliged　to　accept　the　fact；　unexplained；　and　we　can　do　no　more　for　vaccination　than　for　the　rest。


I　come　now　to　the　most　directly　practical　point　connected　with　the　subject；　namely；

What　is　the　state　of　the　evidence　as　to　the　efficacy　of　the　proper　Homoeopathic　treatment　in　the　cure　of　diseases。

As　the　treatment　adopted　by　the　Homoeopathists　has　been　almost　universally　by　means　of　the　infinitesimal　doses；　the　question　of　their　efficacy　is　thrown　open；　in　common　with　that　of　the　truth　of　their　fundamental　axiom；　as　both　are　tested　in　practice。

We　must　look　for　facts　as　to　the　actual　working　of　Homoeopathy　to　three　sources。

1。　　The　statements　of　the　unprofessional　public。

2。　　The　assertions　of　Homoeopathic　practitioners。

3。　　The　results　of　trials　by　competent　and　honest　physicians；　not　pledged　to　the　system。

I　think；　after　what　we　have　seen　of　medical　facts；　as　they　are　represented　by　incompetent　persons；　we　are　disposed　to　attribute　little　value　to　all　statements　of　wonderful　cures；　coming　from　those　who　have　never　been　accustomed　to　watch　the　caprices　of　disease；　and　have　not　cooled　down　their　young　enthusiasm　by　the　habit　of　tranquil　observation。　　Those　who　know　nothing　of　the　natural　progress　of　a　malady；　of　its　ordinary　duration；　of　its　various　modes　of　terminating；　of　its　liability　to　accidental　complications；　of　the　signs　which　mark　its　insignificance　or　severity；　of　what　is　to　be　expected　of　it　when　left　to　itself；　of　how　much　or　how　little　is　to　be　anticipated　from　remedies；　those　who　know　nothing　or　next　to　nothing　of　all　these　things；　and　who　are　in　a　great　state　of　excitement　from　benevolence；　sympathy；　or　zeal　for　a　new　medical　discovery；　can　hardly　be　expected　to　be　sound　judges　of　facts　which　have　misled　so　many　sagacious　men；　who　have　spent　their　lives　in　the　daily　study　and　observation　of　them。　　I　believe　that；　after　having　drawn　the　portrait　of　defunct　Perkinism；　with　its　five　thousand　printed　cures；　and　its　million　and　a　half　computed　ones；　its　miracles　blazoned　about　through　America；　Denmark；　and　England；　after　relating　that　forty　years　ago　women　carried　the　Tractors　about　in　their　pockets；　and　workmen　could　not　make　them　fast　enough　for　the　public　demand；　and　then　showing　you；　as　a　curiosity；　a　single　one　of　these　instruments；　an　odd　one　of　a　pair；　which　I　obtained　only　by　a　lucky　accident；　so　utterly　lost　is　the　memory　of　all　their　wonderful　achievements；　I　believe；　after　all　this；　I　need　not　waste　time　in　showing　that　medical　accuracy　is　not　to　be　looked　for　in　the　florid　reports　of　benevolent　associations；　the　assertions　of　illustrious　patrons；　the　lax　effusions　of　daily　journals；　or　the　effervescent　gossip　of　the　tea…table。

Dr。　Hering；　whose　name　is　somewhat　familiar　to　the　champions　of　Homoeopathy；　has　said　that　〃the　new　healing　art　is　not　to　be　judged　by　its　success　in　isolated　cases　only；　but　according　to　its　success　in　general；　its　innate　truth；　and　the　incontrovertible　nature　of　its　innate　principles。〃

We　have　seen　something　of　〃the　incontrovertible　nature　of　its　innate　principles；〃　and　it　seems　probable；　on　the　whole；　that　its　success　in　general　must　be　made　up　of　its　success　in　isolated　cases。　　Some　attempts　have　been　made；　however；　to　finish　the　whole　matter　by　sweeping　statistical　documents；　which　are　intended　to　prove　its　triumphant　success　over　the　common　practice。

It　is　well　known　to　those　who　have　had　the　good　fortune　to　see　the　〃Homoeopathic　Examiner；〃　that　this　journal　led　off；　in　its　first　number；　with　a　grand　display　of　everything　the　newly　imported　doctrine　had　to　show　for　itself。　　It　is　well　remarked；　on　the　twenty…　third　page　of　this　article；　that　〃the　comparison　of　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。〃　　In　confirmation　of　which；　the　author　proceeds　upon　the　twenty…fifth　page　to　prove　the　superiority　of　the　Homoeopathic　treatment　of　cholera；　by　precisely　these　very　bills　of　mortality。　　Now；　every　intelligent　physician　is　aware　that　the　poison　of　cholera　differed　so　much　in　its　activity　at　different　times　and；　places；　that　it　was　next　to　impossible　to　form　any　opinion　as　to　the　results　of　treatment；　unless　every　precaution　was　taken　to　secure　the　most　perfectly　corresponding　conditions　in　the　patients　treated；　and　hardly　even　then。　　Of　course；　then；　a　Russian　Admiral；　by　the　name　of　Mordvinov；　backed　by　a　number　of　so…called　physicians　practising　in　Russian　villages；　is　singularly　competent　to　the　task　of　settling　the　whole　question　of　the　utility　of　this　or　that　kind　of　treatment；　to　prove　that；　if　not　more　than　eight　and　a　half　per　cent。　of　those　attacked　with　the　disease　perished；　the　rest　owed　their　immunity　to　Hahnemann。　　I　can　remember　when　more　than　a　hundred　patients　in　a　public　institution　were　attacked　with　what；　I　doubt　not；　many　Homoeopathic　physicians　（to　say　nothing　of　Homoeopathic　admirals）　would　have　called　cholera；　and　not　one　of　them　died；　though　treated　in　the　common　way；　and　it　is　my　firm　belief　that；　if　such　a　result　had　followed　the　administration　of　the　omnipotent　globules；　it　would　have　been　in　the　mouth　of　every　adept　in　Europe；　from　Quin　of　London　to　Spohr　of　Gandersheim。　　No　longer　ago　than　yesterday；　in　one　of　the　most　widely　circulated　papers　of　this　city；　there　was　published　an　assertion　that　the　mortality　in　several　Homoeopathic　Hospitals　was　not　quite　five　in　a　hundred；　whereas；　in　what　are　called　by　the　writer　Allopathic　Hospitals；　it　is　said　to　be　eleven　in　a　hundred。　An　honest　man　should　be　ashamed　of　such　an　argumentum　ad　ignorantiam。　The　mortality　of　a　hospital　depends　not　merely　on　the　treatment　of　the　patients；　but　on　the　class　of　diseases　it　is　in　the　habit　of　receiving；　on　the　place　where　it　is；　on　the　season；　and　many　other　circumstances。　　For　instance；　there　are　many　hospitals　in　the　great　cities　of　Europe　that　receive　few　diseases　of　a　nature　to　endanger　life；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　there　are　others　where　dangerous　diseases　are　accumulated　out　of　the　common　proportion。　　Thus；　in　the　wards　of　Louis；　at　the　Hospital　of　La　Pitie；　a　vast　number　of　patients　in　the　last　stages　of　consumption　were　constantly　entering；　to　swell　the　mortality　of　that　hospital。　　It　was　because　he　was　known　to　pay　particular　attention　to　the　diseases　of　the　chest　that　patients　laboring　under　those　fatal　affections　to　an　incurable　extent　were　so　constantly　coming　in　upon　him。　　It　is　always　a　miserable　appeal　to　the　thoughtlessness　of　the　vulgar；　to　allege　the　naked　fact　of　the　less　comparative　mortality　in　the　practice　of　one　hospital　or　of　one　physician　than　another；　as　an　evidence　of　the　superiority　of　their　treatment。　　Other　things　being　equal；　it　must　always　be　expected　that　those　institutions　and　individuals　enjoying　to　the　highest　degree　the　confidence　of　the　community　will　lose　the　largest　proportion　of　their　patients；　for　the　simple　reason　that　they　will　naturally　be　looked　to　by　those　suffering　from　the　gravest　class　of　diseases；　that　many；　who　know　that　they　are　affected　with　mortal　disease；　will　choose　to　die　under　their　care　or　shelter；　while　the　subjects　of　trifling　maladies；　and　merely　troublesome　symptoms；　amuse　themselves　to　any　extent　among　the　fancy　practitioners。　　When；　therefore；　Dr。　Mublenbein；　as　stated　in　the　〃Homoeopathic　Examiner；〃　and　quoted　in　yesterday's　〃Daily　Advertiser；〃　asserts　that　the　mortality　among　his　patients　is　only　one　per　cent。　since　he　has　practised　Homoeopathy；　whereas　it　was　six　per　cent。　when　he　employed　the　common　mode　of　practice；　I　am　convinced　by　this；　his　own　statement；　that　the　citizens　of　Brunswick；　whenever　they　are　seriously　sick；　take　good　care　not　to　send　for　Dr。　Muhlenbein！

It　is　evidently　impossible　that　I　should　attempt；　within　the　compass　of