medical essays-第3章

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The　first　two　illustrate　the　ease　with　which　numerous　facts　are　accumulated　to　prove　the　most　fanciful　and　senseless　extravagances。

The　third　exhibits　the　entire　insufficiency　of　exalted　wisdom；　immaculate　honesty；　and　vast　general　acquirements　to　make　a　good　physician　of　a　great　bishop。

The　fourth　shows　us　the　intimate　machinery　of　an　extinct　delusion；　which　flourished　only　forty　years　ago；　drawn　in　all　its　details；　as　being　a　rich　and　comparatively　recent　illustration　of　the　pretensions；　the　arguments；　the　patronage；　by　means　of　which　windy　errors　have　long　been；　and　will　long　continue　to　be；　swollen　into　transient　consequence。　　All　display　in　superfluous　abundance　the　boundless　credulity　and　excitability　of　mankind　upon　subjects　connected　with　medicine。

》From　the　time　of　Edward　the　Confessor　to　Queen　Anne；　the　monarchs　of　England　were　in　the　habit　of　touching　those　who　were　brought　to　them　suffering　with　the　scrofula；　for　the　cure　of　that　distemper。　　William　the　Third　had　good　sense　enough　to　discontinue　the　practice；　but　Anne　resumed　it；　and；　among　her　other　patients；　performed　the　royal　operation　upon　a　child；　who；　in　spite　of　his；　disease；　grew　up　at　last　into　Samuel　Johnson。　　After　laying　his　hand　upon　the　sufferers；　it　was　customary　for　the　monarch　to　hang　a　gold　piece　around　the　neck　of　each　patient。　　Very　strict　precautions　were　adopted　to　prevent　those　who　thought　more　of　the　golden　angel　hung　round　the　neck　by　a　white　ribbon；　than　of　relief　of　their　bodily　infirmities；　from　making　too　many　calls；　as　they　sometimes　attempted　to　do。　　According　to　the　statement　of　the　advocates　and　contemporaries　of　this　remedy；　none　ever　failed　of　receiving　benefit　unless　their　little　faith　and　credulity　starved　their　merits。　　Some　are　said　to　have　been　cured　immediately　on　the　very　touch；　others　did　not　so　easily　get　rid　of　their　swellings；　until　they　were　touched　a　second　time。　　Several　cases　are　related；　of　persons　who　had　been　blind　for　several　weeks；　and　months；　and　obliged　even　to　be　led　to　Whitehall；　yet　recovered　their　sight　immediately　upon　being　touched；　so　as　to　walk　away　without　any　guide。〃　　So　widely；　at　one　period；　was　the　belief　diffused；　that；　in　the　course　of　twelve　years；　nearly　a　hundred　thousand　persons　were　touched　by　Charles　the　Second。　　Catholic　divines；　in　disputes　upon　the　orthodoxy　of　their　church；　did　not　deny　that　the　power　had　descended　to　protestant　princes；Dr。　Harpsfield；　in　his　〃　Ecclesiastical　History　of　England；〃　admitted　it；　and　in　Wiseman's　words；　〃when　Bishop　Tooker　would　make　use　of　this　Argument　to　prove　the　Truth　of　our　Church；　Smitheus　doth　not　thereupon　go　about　to　deny　the　Matter　of　fact；　nay；　both　he　and　Cope　acknowledge　it。〃　　〃I　myself；〃　says　Wiseman；　the　best　English　surgical　writer　of　his　day；＇Edinburgh　Medical　and　Surgical　Journal；　vol。　iii。　p。　103。＇　〃I　my　self　have　been　a　frequent　Eye…witness　of　many　hundred　of　Cures　performed　by　his　Majesties　Touch　alone；　without　any　assistance　of　Chirurgery；　and　those；　many　of　them　such　as　had　tired　out　the　endeavours　of　able　Chirurgeons　before　they　came　hither。　　It　were　endless　to　recite　what　I　myself　have　seen；　and　what　I　have　received　acknowledgments　of　by　Letter；　not　only　from　the　severall　parts　of　this　Nation；　but　also　from　Ireland；　Scotland；　Jersey；　Garnsey。　　It　is　needless　also　to　remember　what　Miracles　of　this　nature　were　performed　by　the　very　Bloud　of　his　late　Majesty　of　Blessed　memory；　after　whose　decollation　by　the　inhuman　Barbarity　of　the　Regicides；　the　reliques　of　that　were　gathered　on　Chips　and　in　Handkerchieffs　by　the　pious　Devotes；　who　could　not　but　think　so　great　a　suffering　in　so　honourable　and　pious　a　Cause；　would　be　attended　by　an　extraordinary　assistance　of　God；　and　some　more　then　ordinary　a　miracle：　nor　did　their　Faith　deceive　them　in　this　there　point；　being　so　many　hundred　that　found　the　benefit　of　it。〃　＇Severall　Chirurgicall　Treatises。　London。1676。　　p。　　246。＇

Obstinate　and　incredulous　men；　as　he　tells　us；　accounted　for　these　cures　in　three　ways：　by　the　journey　and　change　of　air　the　patients　obtained　in　coming　to　London；　by　the　influence　of　imagination；　and　the　wearing　of　gold。

To　these　objections　he　answers；　1st。　　That　many　of　those　cured　were　inhabitants　of　the　city。　　2d。　　That　the　subjects　of　treatment　were　frequently　infants。　　3d。　　That　sometimes　silver　was　given；　and　sometimes　nothing；　yet　the　patients　were　cured。

A　superstition　resembling　this　probably　exists　at　the　present　time　in　some　ignorant　districts　of　England　and　this　country。　　A　writer　in　a　Medical　Journal　in　the　year　1807；　speaks　of　a　farmer　in　Devonshire；　who；　being　a　ninth　son　of　a　ninth　son；　is　thought　endowed　with　healing　powers　like　those　of　ancient　royalty；　and　who　is　accustomed　one　day　in　every　week　to　strike　for　the　evil。

I　remember　that　one　of　my　schoolmates　told　me；　when　a　boy；　of　a　seventh　son　of　a　seventh　son；　somewhere　in　Essex　County；　who　touched　for　the　scrofula；　and　who　used　to　hang　a　silver　fourpence　halfpenny　about　the　neck　of　those　who　came　to　him；　which　fourpence　halfpenny　it　was　solemnly　affirmed　became　of　a　remarkably　black　color　after　having　been　some　time　worn；　and　that　his　own　brother　had　been　subjected　to　this　extraordinary　treatment；　but　I　must　add　that　my　schoolmate　drew　a　bow　of　remarkable　length；　strength；　and　toughness　for　his　tender　years。

One　of　the　most　curious　examples　of　the　fallacy　of　popular　belief　and　the　uncertainty　of　asserted　facts　in　medical　experience　is　to　be　found　in　the　history　of　the　UNGUENTUM　ARMARIUM；　or　WEAPON　OINTMENT。

Fabricius　Hildanus；　whose　name　is　familiar　to　every　surgical　scholar；　and　Lord　Bacon；　who　frequently　dipped　a　little　into　medicine；　are　my　principal　authorities　for　the　few　circumstances　I　shall　mention　regarding　it。　　The　Weapon　Ointment　was　a　preparation　used　for　the　healing　of　wounds；　but　instead　of　its　being　applied　to　them；　the　injured　part　was　washed　and　bandaged；　and　the　weapon　with　which　the　wound　was　inflicted　was　carefully　anointed　with　the　unguent。　　Empirics；　ignorant　barbers；　and　men　of　that　sort；　are　said　to　have　especially　employed　it。　　Still　there　were　not　wanting　some　among　the　more　respectable　members　of　the　medical　profession　who　supported　its　claims。　　The　composition　of　this　ointment　was　complicated；　in　the　different　formulae　given　by　different　authorities；　but　some　substances　addressed　to　the　imagination；　rather　than　the　wound　or　weapon；　entered　into　all。　　Such　were　portions　of　mummy；　of　human　blood；　and　of　moss　from　the　skull　of　a　thief　hung　in　chains。

Hildanus　was　a　wise　and　learned　man；　one　of　the　best　surgeons　of　his　time。　　He　was　fully　aware　that　a　part　of　the　real　secret　of　the　Unguentum　Armarium　consisted　in　the　washing　and　bandaging　the　wound　and　then　letting　it　alone。　　But　he　could　not　resist　the　solemn　assertions　respecting　its　efficacy；　he　gave　way　before　the　outcry　of　facts；　and　therefore；　instead　of　denying　all　their　pretensions；　he　admitted　and　tried　to　account　for　them　upon　supernatural　grounds。　　As　the　virtue　of　those　applications；　he　says；　which　are　made　to　the　weapon　cannot　reach　the　wound；　and　as　they　can　produce　no　effect　without　contact；　it　follows；　of　necessity；　that　the　Devil　must　have　a　hand　in　the　business；　and　as　he　is　by　far　the　most　long　headed　and　experienced　of　practitioners；　he　cannot　find　this　a　matter　of　any　great　difficulty。　　Hildanus　himself　reports；　in　detail；　the　case　of　a　lady　who　had　received　a　moderate　wound；　for　which　the　Unguentum　Armarium　was　employed　without　the　slightest　use。　　Yet　instead　of　receiving　this　flat　case　of　failure　as　any　evidence　against　the　remedy；　he　accounts　for　its　not　succeeding　by　the　devout　character　of　the　lady；　and　her　freedom　from　that　superstitious　and　over…　imaginative　tendency　which　the　Devil　requires　in　those　who　are　to　be　benefited　by　his　devices。

Lord　Bacon　speaks　of　the　Weapon　Ointment；　in　his　Natural　History；　as　having　in　its　favor　the　testimony　of　men　of　credit；　though；　in　his　own　language；　he　himself　〃as　yet　is　not　fully　inclined　to　believe　it。〃　　His　remarks　upon　the　asserted　facts　respecting　it　show　a　mixture　of　wise　suspicion　and　partial　belief。　　He　does　not　like　the　precise　directions　given　as　to　the　circumstances　under　which　the　animals　from　which　some　of　the　materials　were　obtained　were　to　be　killed；　for　he　thought　it　looked　like　a　provision　for　an　excuse　in　case　of　failure；　by　laying　the　fault　to　the　omission　of　some　of　these　circumstances。　　But　he　likes　well　that　〃they　do　not　observe　the　confecting　of　the　Ointment　under　any　certain　constellation；　which　is　commonly　the　excuse　of　magical　medicines；　when　they　fail；　that　they　were　not　made　under　a　fit　figure　of　heaven。〃　＇This　was　a　mistake；　however；　since　the　two　recipes　given　by　Hildanus　are　both　very　explicit　as　to　the　aspect　of　the　heavens　required　for　different　stages　of　the　process。＇　　〃It　was　pretended　that　if　the　offending　weapon　could　not　be　had；　it　would　serve　the　purpose　to　anoint　a　wooden　one　made　like　it。　　〃This；〃　says　Bacon；　〃I　should　doubt　to　be　a　device　to　keep　this　strange　form　of　cure　in　request　and　use；　because　many　times　you　cannot　come　by　the　weapon　itself。〃　　And　in　closing　his　remarks　on　the　statements　of　the　advocates　of　the　ointment；　he　says；　〃Lastly；　it　will　cure　a　beast　as　well　as　a　man；　which　I　like　best　of　all　the　rest；　because　it　subjecteth　the　matter　to　an　easy　trial。〃　　It　is　worth　remembering；　that　more　than　two　hundred　years　ago；　when　an　absurd　and　fantastic　remedy　was　asserted　to　possess　wonderful　power；　and　when　sensible　persons　ascribed　its　pretended　influence　to　imagination；　it　was　boldly　answered　that　the　cure　took　place　when　the　wounded　party　did　not　know　of　the　application　made　to　the　weapon；　and　even　when　a　brute　animal　was　the　subject　of　the　experiment；　and　that　this　assertion；　he　as　we　all　know　it　was；　came　in　such　a　shape　as　to　shake　the　incredulity　of　the　keenest　thinker　of　his　time。　　The　very　same　assertion　has　been　since　repeated　in　favor　of　Perkinism；　and；　since　that；　of　Homoeopathy。

The　same　essential　idea　as　that　of　the　Weapon　Ointment　reproduced　itself　in　the　still　more　famous　SYMPATHETIC　POWDER。　　This　Powder　was　said　to　have　the　faculty；　if　applied　to　the　blood…stained　garments　of　a　wounded　person；　to　cure　his　injuries；　even　though　he　were　at　a　great　distance　at　the　time。　　A　friar；　returning　from　the　East；　brought　the　recipe　to　Europe　somewhat　before　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　century。　　The　Grand　Duke　of　Florence；　in　which　city　the　friar　was　residing；　heard　of　his　cures；　and　tried；　but　without　success；　to　obtain　his　secret。　　Sir　Kenehn　Digby；　an　Englishman　well　known　to　fame；　was　fortunate　enough　to　do　him　a　favor；　which　wrought　upon　his　feelings　and　induced　him　to　impart　to　his　benefactor　the　composition　of　his　extraordinary　Powder。　　This　English　knight　was　at　different　periods　of　his　life　an　admiral；　a　theologian；　a　critic；　a　metaphysician；　a　politician；　and　a　disciple　of　Alchemy。　　As　is　not　unfrequent　with　versatile　and　inflammable　people；　he　caught　fire　at　the　first　spark　of　a　new　medical　discovery；　and　no　sooner　got　home　to　England　than　he　began　to　spread　the　conflagration。

An　opportunity　soon　offered　itself　to　try　the　powers　of　the　famous　powder。　　Mr。　J。　Howell；　having　been　wounded　in　endeavoring　to　part　two　of　his　friends　who　were　fighting　a　duel；　submitted　himself　to　a