medical essays-第7章

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　for　instance；　was　the　estimable　man　to　whom　I　have　repeatedly　referred　as　a　warm　defender　of　tractoration；　and　a　bitter　assailant　of　its　enemies。　　The　story　tells　itself　in　the　biographical　preface　to　his　poem。　　He　went　to　London　with　the　view　of　introducing　a　hydraulic　machine；　which　he　and　his　Vermont　friends　regarded　as　a　very　important　invention。　　He　found；　however；　that　the　machine　was　already　in　common　use　in　that　metropolis。　　A　brother　Yankee；　then　in　London；　had　started　the　project　of　a　mill；　which　was　to　be　carried　by　the　water　of　the　Thames。　　He　was　sanguine　enough　to　purchase　one　fifth　of　this　concern；　which　also　proved　a　failure。　　At　about　the　same　period　he　wrote　the　work　which　proved　the　great　excitement　of　his　mind　upon　the　subject　of　the　transient　folly　then　before　the　public。　　Originally　a　lawyer；　he　was　in　succession　a　mechanician；　a　poet；　and　an　editor；　meeting　with　far　less　success　in　each　of　these　departments　than　usually　attends　men　of　less　varied　gifts；　but　of　more　tranquil　and　phlegmatic　composition。　　But　who　is　ignorant　that　there　is　a　class　of　minds　characterized　by　qualities　like　those　I　have　mentioned；　minds　with　many　bright　and　even　beautiful　traits；　but　aimless　and　fickle　as　the　butterfly；　that　settle　upon　every　gayly…　colored　illusion　as　it　opens　into　flower；　and　flutter　away　to　another　when　the　first　has　dropped　its　leaves；　and　stands　naked　in　the　icy　air　of　truth！

Let　us　now　look　at　the　general　tenor　of　the　arguments　addressed　by　believers　to　sceptics　and　opponents。　　Foremost　of　all；　emblazoned　at　the　head　of　every　column；　loudest　shouted　by　every　triumphant　disputant；　held　up　as　paramount　to　all　other　considerations；　stretched　like　an　impenetrable　shield　to　protect　the　weakest　advocate　of　the　great　cause　against　the　weapons　of　the　adversary；　was　that　omnipotent　monosyllable　which　has　been　the　patrimony　of　cheats　and　the　currency　of　dupes　from　time　immemorial；Facts！　Facts　！　Facts！　First　came　the　published　cases　of　the　American　clergymen；　brigadier…　generals；　almshouse　governors；　representatives；　attorneys；　and　esquires。　　Then　came　the　published　cases　of　the　surgeons　of　Copenhagen。　　Then　followed　reports　of　about　one　hundred　and　fifty　cases　published　in　England；　〃demonstrating　the　efficacy　of　the　metallic　practice　in　a　variety　of　complaints　both　upon　the　human　body　and　on　horses；　etc。〃　　But　the　progress　of　facts　in　Great　Britain　did　not　stop　here。　　Let　those　who　rely　upon　the　numbers　of　their　testimonials；　as　being　alone　sufficient　to　prove　the　soundness　and　stability　of　a　medical　novelty；　digest　the　following　from　the　report　of　the　Perkinistic　Committee。　　〃The　cases　published　＇in　Great　Britain＇　amounted；　in　March　last；　the　date　of　Mr。　Perkins's　last　publication；　to　about　five　thousand。　　Supposing　that　not　more　than　one　cure　in　three　hundred　which　the　Tractors　have　performed　has　been　published；　and　the　proportion　is　probably　much　greater；　it　will　be　seen　that　the　number；　to　March　last；　will　have　exceeded　one　million　five　hundred　thousand！〃

Next　in　order　after　the　appeal　to　what　were　called　facts；　came　a　series　of　arguments；　which　have　been　so　long　bruised　and　battered

round　in　the　cause　of　every　doctrine　or　pretension；　new；　monstrous；　or　deliriously　impossible；　that　each　of　them　is　as　odiously　familiar　to　the　scientific　scholar　as　the　faces　of　so　many　old　acquaintances；　among　the　less　reputable　classes；　to　the　officers　of　police。

No　doubt　many　of　my　hearers　will　recognize；　in　the　following　passages；　arguments　they　may　have　heard　brought　forward　with　triumphant　confidence　in　behalf　of　some　doctrine　not　yet　extinct。　　No　doubt　some　may　have　honestly　thought　they　proved　something；　may　have　used　them　with　the　purpose　of　convincing　their　friends；　or　of　silencing　the　opponents　of　their　favorite　doctrine；　whatever　that　might　be。　　But　any　train　of　arguments　which　was　contrived　for　Perkinism；　which　was　just　as　applicable　to　it　as　to　any　other　new　doctrine　in　the　same　branch　of　science；　and　which　was　fully　employed　against　its　adversaries　forty　years　since；　might；　in　common　charity；　be　suffered　to　slumber　in　the　grave　of　Perkinism。　　Whether　or　not　the　following　sentences；　taken　literally　from　the　work　of　Mr。　Perkins；　were　the　originals　of　some　of　the　idle　propositions　we　hear　bandied　about　from　time　to　time；　let　those　who　listen　judge。

The　following　is　the　test　assumed　for　the　new　practice　：　〃If　diseases　are　really　removed；　as　those　persons　who　have　practised　extensively　with　the　Tractors　declare；　it　should　seem　there　would　be　but　little　doubt　of　their　being　generally　adopted；　but　if　the　numerous　reports　of　their　efficacy　which　have　been　published　are　forgeries；　or　are　unfounded；　the　practice　ought　to　be　crushed。〃　　To　this　I　merely　add；　it　has　been　crushed。

The　following　sentence　applies　to　that　a　priori　judging　and　uncandid　class　of　individuals　who　buy　their　dinners　without　tasting　all　the　food　there　is　in　the　market。　　〃On　all　discoveries　there　are　persons　who；　without　descending　to　any　inquiry　into　the　truth；　pretend　to　know；　as　it　were　by　intuition；　that　newly　asserted　facts　are　founded　in　the　grossest　errors。　　These　were　those　who　knew　that　Harvey's　report　of　the　circulation　of　the　blood　was　a　preposterous　and　ridiculous　suggestion；　and　in　latter　later　days　there　were　others　who　knew　that　Franklin　deserved　reproach　for　declaring　that　points　were　preferable　to　balls　for　protecting　buildings　from　lightning。〃

Again：　〃This　unwarrantable　mode　of　offering　assertion　for　proof；　so　unauthorized　and　even　unprecedented　except　in　the　condemnation　of　a　Galileo；　the　persecution　of　a　Copernicus；　and　a　few　other　acts　of　inquisitorial　authority；　in　the　times　of　ignorance　and　superstition；　affords　but　a　lamentable　instance　of　one　of　his　remarks；　that　this　is　far　from　being　the　Age　of　Reason。〃

〃The　most　valuable　medicines　in　the　Materia　Medica　act　on　principles　of　which　we　are　totally　ignorant。　　None　have　ever　yet　been　able　to　explain　how　opium　produces　sleep；　or　how　bark　cures　intermittent　fevers；　and　yet　few；　it　is　hoped；　will　be　so　absurd　as　to　desist　from　the　use　of　these　important　articles　because　they　know　nothing　of　the　principle　of　their　operations。〃　　Or　if　the　argument　is　preferred；　in　the　eloquent　language　of　the　Perkinistic　poet：

　　　　〃What　though　the　CAUSES　may　not　be　explained；　　　　　　Since　these　EFFECTS　are　duly　ascertained；　　　　　　Let　not　self…interest；　prejudice；　or　pride；　　　　　　Induce　mankind　to　set　the　means　aside；　　　　　　Means　which；　though　simple；　are　by　　　　　　Heaven　designed　to　alleviate　the　woes　of　human　kind。〃

This　course　of　argument　is　so　often　employed；　that　it　deserves　to　be　expanded　a　little；　so　that　its　length　and　breadth　may　be　fairly　seen。　A　series　of　what　are　called　facts　is　brought　forward　to　prove　some　very　improbable　doctrine。　　It　is　objected　by　judicious　people；　or　such　as　have　devoted　themselves　to　analogous　subjects；　that　these　assumed　facts　are　in　direct　opposition　to　all　that　is　known　of　the　course　of　nature；　that　the　universal　experience　of　the　past　affords　a　powerful　presumption　against　their　truth；　and　that　in　proportion　to　the　gravity　of　these　objections；　should　be　the　number　and　competence　of　the　witnesses。　　The　answer　is　a　ready　one。　　What　do　we　know　of　the　mysteries　of　Nature？　　Do　we　understand　the　intricate　machinery　of　the　Universe？　　When　to　this　is　added　the　never…failing　quotation；

　　　　〃There　are　more　things　in　heaven　and　earth；　Horatio；　　　　　　Than　are　dreamt　of　in　your　philosophy；〃

the　question　is　thought　to　be　finally　disposed　of。

Take　the　case　of　astrology　as　an　example。　　It　is　in　itself　strange　and　incredible　that　the　relations　of　the　heavenly　bodies　to　each　other　at　a　given　moment　of　time；　perhaps　half　a　century　ago；　should　have　anything　to　do　with　my　success　or　misfortune　in　any　undertaking　of　to…day。　　But　what　right　have　I　to　say　it　cannot　be　so？　　Can　I　bind　the　sweet　influences　of　Pleiades；　or　loose　the　bands　of　Orion？　　I　do　not　know　by　what　mighty　magic　the　planets　roll　in　their　fluid　paths；　confined　to　circles　as　unchanging　as　if　they　were　rings　of　steel；　nor　why　the　great　wave　of　ocean　follows　in　a　sleepless　round　upon　the　skirts　of　moonlight；　nor　cam　I　say　from　any　certain　knowledge　that　the　phases　of　the　heavenly　bodies；　or　even　the　falling　of　the　leaves　of　the　forest；　or　the　manner　in　which　the　sands　lie　upon　the　sea…　shore；　may　not　be　knit　up　by　invisible　threads　with　the　web　of　human　destiny。　　There　is　a　class　of　minds　much　more　ready　to　believe　that　which　is　at　first　sight　incredible；　and　because　it　is　incredible；　than　what　is　generally　thought　reasonable。　　Credo　quia　impossibile　est；〃I　believe；　because　it　is　impossible；〃is　an　old　paradoxical　expression　which　might　be　literally　applied　to　this　tribe　of　persons。　And　they　always　succeed　in　finding　something　marvellous；　to　call　out　the　exercise　of　their　robust　faith。　　The　old　Cabalistic　teachers　maintained　that　there　was　not　a　verse；　line；　word；　or　even　letter　in　the　Bible　which　had　not　a　special　efficacy　either　to　defend　the　person　who　rightly　employed　it；　or　to　injure　his　enemies；　always　provided　the　original　Hebrew　was　made　use　of。　　In　the　hands　of　modern　Cabalists　every　substance；　no　matter　how　inert；　acquires　wonderful　medicinal　virtues；　provided　it　be　used　in　a　proper　state　of　purity　and　subdivision。

I　have　already　mentioned　the　motives　attributed　by　the　Perkinists　to　the　Medical　Profession；　as　preventing　its　members　from　receiving　the　new　but　unwelcome　truths。　　This　accusation　is　repeated　in　different　forms　and　places；　as；　for　instance；　in　the　following　passage：　〃Will　the　medical　man　who　has　spent　much　money　and　labor　in　the　pursuit　of　the　arcana　of　Physic；　and　on　the　exercise　of　which　depends　his　support　in　life；　proclaim　the　inefficacy　of　his　art；　and　recommend　a　remedy　to　his　patient　which　the　most　unlettered　in　society　can　employ　as　advantageously　as　himself？　and　a　remedy；　too；　which；　unlike　the　drops；　the　pills；　the　powders；　etc。；　of　the　Materia　Medica；　is　inconsumable；　and　ever　in　readiness　to　be　employed　in　successive　diseases？〃

As　usual　with　these　people；　much　indignation　was　expressed　at　any　parallel　between　their　particular　doctrine　and　practice　and　those　of　their　exploded　predecessors。　　〃The　motives；〃　says　the　disinterested　Mr。　Perkins；　〃which　must　have　impelled　to　this　attempt　at　classing　the　METALLIC　PRACTICE　with　the　most　paltry　of　empyrical　projects；　are　but　too　thinly　veiled　to　escape　detection。〃

To　all　these　arguments　was　added；　as　a　matter　of　course；　an　appeal　to　the　feelings　of　the　benevolent　in　behalf　of　suffering　humanity；　in　the　shape　of　a　notice　that　the　poor　would　be　treated　gratis。　　It　is　pretty　well　understood　that　this　gratuitous　treatment　of　the　poor　does　not　necessarily　imply　an　excess　of　benevolence；　any　more　than　the　gratuitous　distribution　of　a　trader's　shop…bills　is　an　evidence　of　remarkable　generosity；　in　short；　that　it　is　one　of　those　things　which　honest　men　often　do　from　the　best　motives；　but　which　rogues　and　impostors　never　fail　to　announce　as　one　of　their　special　recommendations。　　It　is　astonishing　to　see　how　these　things　brighten　up　at　the　touch　of　Mr。　Perkins's　poet：

　　　　〃Ye　worthy；　honored；　philanthropic　few；　　　　　　The　muse　shall　weave　her　brightest　wreaths　for　you；　　　　　　Who　in　Humanity's　bland　cause　unite；　　　　　　Nor　heed　the　shaft　by　intere