medical essays-第8章

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　　　　〃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　interest　aimed　or　spite；　　　　　　Like　the　great　Pattern　of　Benevolence；　　　　　　Hygeia's　blessings　to　the　poor　dispense；　　　　　　And　though　opposed　by　folly's　servile　brood；　　　　　　ENJOY　THE　LUXURY　OF　DOING　GOOD。〃

Having　thus　sketched　the　history　of　Perkinism　in　its　days　of　prosperity；　having　seen　how　it　sprung　into　being；　and　by　what　means　it　maintained　its　influence；　it　only　remains　to　tell　the　brief　story　of　its　discomfiture　and　final　downfall。　　The　vast　majority　of　the　sensible　part　of　the　medical　profession　were　contented；　so　far　as　we　can　judge；　to　let　it　die　out　of　itself。　　It　was　in　vain　that　the　advocates　of　this　invaluable　discovery　exclaimed　over　their　perverse　and　interested　obstinacy；in　vain　that　they　called　up　the　injured　ghosts　of　Harvey；　Galileo；　and　Copernicus　to　shame　that　unbelieving　generation；　the　Baillies　and　the　Heberdens；men　whose　names　have　come　down　to　us　as　synonymous　with　honor　and　wisdom；bore　their　reproaches　in　meek　silence；　and　left　them　unanswered　to　their　fate。　There　were　some　others；　however；　who；　believing　the　public　to　labor　under　a　delusion；　thought　it　worth　while　to　see　whether　the　charm　would　be　broken　by　an　open　trial　of　its　virtue；　as　compared　with　that　of　some　less　hallowed　formula。　　It　must　be　remembered　that　a　peculiar　value　was　attached　to　the　Metallic　Tractors；　as　made　and　patented　by　Mr。　Perkins。　　Dr。　Haygarth；　of　Bath；　performed　various　experiments　upon　patients　afflicted　with　different　complaints；the　patients　supposing　that　the　real　five…guinea　Tractors　were　employed。　　Strange　to　relate；　he　obtained　equally　wonderful　effects　with　Tractors　of　lead　and　of　wood；　with　nails；　pieces　of　bone；　slate　pencil；　and　tobacco…pipe。　　Dr。　Alderson　employed　sham　Tractors　made　of　wood；　and　produced　such　effects　upon　five　patients　that　they　returned　solemn　thanks　in　church　for　their　cures。　　A　single　specimen　of　these　cases　may　stand　for　all　of　them。　　Ann　Hill　had　suffered　for　some　months　from　pain　in　the　right　arm　and　shoulder。　　The　Tractors　（wooden　ones）　were　applied；　and　in　the　space　of　five　minutes　she　expressed　herself　relieved　in　the　following　apostrophe：　〃Bless　me！　why；　who　could　have　thought　it；　that　them　little　things　could　pull　the　pain　from　one。　Well；　to　be　sure；　the　longer　one　lives；　the　more　one　sees；　ah；　dear！〃

These　experiments　did　not　result　in　the　immediate　extinction　of　Perkinism。　　Doubtless　they　were　a　great　comfort　to　many　obstinate　unbelievers；　and　helped　to　settle　some　sceptical　minds；　but　for　the　real　Perkinistic　enthusiasts；　it　may　be　questioned　whether　they　would　at　that　time　have　changed　their　opinion　though　one　had　risen　from　the　dead　to　assure　them　that　it　was　an　error。　　It　perished　without　violence；　by　an　easy　and　natural　process。　　Like　the　famous　toy　of　Mongolfier；　it　rose　by　means　of　heated　air；the　fevered　breath　of　enthusiastic　ignorance；and　when　this　grew　cool；　as　it　always　does　in　a　little　while；　it　collapsed　and　fell。

And　now；　on　reviewing　the　whole　subject；　how　shall　we　account　for　the　extraordinary　prevalence　of　the　belief　in　Perkinism　among　a　portion　of　what　is　supposed　to　be　the　thinking　part　of　the　community？

Could　the　cures　have　been　real　ones；　produced　by　the　principle　of　ANIMAL　MAGNETISM？　　To　this　it　may　be　answered　that　the　Perkinists　ridiculed　the　idea　of　approximating　Mesmer　and　the　founder　of　their　own　doctrine；　that　nothing　like　the　somnambulic　condition　seems　to　have　followed　the　use　of　the　Tractors；　and　that　neither　the　exertion　of　the　will　nor　the　powers　of　the　individual　who　operated　seem　to　have　been　considered　of　any　consequence。　　Besides；　the　absolute　neglect　into　which　the　Tractors　soon　declined　is　good　evidence　that　they　were　incapable　of　affording　any　considerable　and　permanent　relief　in　the　complaints　for　the　cure　of　which　they　were　applied。

Of　course　a　large　number　of　apparent　cures　were　due　solely　to　nature；　which　is　true　under　every　form　of　treatment；　orthodox　or　empirical。　Of　course　many　persons　experienced　at　least　temporary　relief　from　the　strong　impression　made　upon　their　minds　by　this　novel　and　marvellous　method　of　treatment。

Many；　again；　influenced　by　the　sanguine　hopes　of　those　about　them；　like　dying　people；　who　often　say　sincerely；　from　day　to　day；　that　they　are　getting　better；　cheated　themselves　into　a　false　and　short…　lived　belief　that　they　were　cured；　and　as　happens　in　such　cases；　the　public　never　knew　more　than　the　first　half　of　the　story。

When　it　was　said　to　the　Perkinists；　that　whatever　effects　they　produced　were　merely　through　the　imagination；　they　declared　（like　the　advocates　of　the　ROYAL　TOUCH　and　the　UNGUENTUM　ARMARIUM　that　this　explanation　was　sufficiently　disproved　by　the　fact　of　numerous　and　successful　cures　which　had　been　witnessed　in　infants　and　brute　animals。　　Dr。　Haygarth　replied　to　this；　that　〃in　these　cases　it　is　not　the　Patient；　but　the　Observer；　who　is　deceived　by　his　own　imagination；〃　and　that　such　may　be　the　fact；　we　have　seen　in　the　case　of　the　good　lady　who　thought　she　had　conjured　away　the　spot　from　her　friend's　countenance；　when　it　remained　just　as　before。

As　to　the　motives　of　the　inventor　and　vender　of　the　Tractors；　the　facts　must　be　allowed　to　speak　for　themselves。　　But　when　two　little　bits　of　brass　and　iron　are　patented；　as　an　invention；　as　the　result　of　numerous　experiments；　when　people　are　led；　or　even　allowed；　to　infer　that　they　are　a　peculiar　compound；　when　they　are　artfully　associated　with　a　new　and　brilliant　discovery　（which　then　happened　to　be　Galvanism）；　when　they　are　sold　at　many　hundred　times　their　value；　and　the　seller　prints　his　opinion　that　a　Hospital　will　suffer　inconvenience；　〃unless　it　possesses　many　sets　of　the　Tractors；　and　these　placed　in　the　hands　of　the　patients　to　practise　on　each　other；〃　one　cannot　but　suspect　that　they　were　contrived　in　the　neighborhood　of　a　wooden　nutmeg　factory；　that　legs　of　ham　in　that　region　are　not　made　of　the　best　mahogany；　and　that　such　as　buy　their　cucumber　seed　in　that　vicinity　have　to　wait　for　the　fruit　as　long　as　the　Indians　for　their　crop　of　gunpowder。


　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　…

The　succeeding　lecture　will　be　devoted　to　an　examination　of　the　doctrines　of　Samuel　Hahnemann　and　his　disciples；　doctrines　which　some　consider　new　and　others　old；　the　common　title　of　which　is　variously　known　as　Ho…moeopathy；　Homoe…op…athy；　Homoeo…paith…y；　or　Hom'pathy；　and　the　claims　of　which　are　considered　by　some　as　infinitely　important；　and　by　many　as　immeasurably　ridiculous。

I　wish　to　state；　for　the　sake　of　any　who　may　be　interested　in　the　subject；　that　I　shall　treat　it；　not　by　ridicule；　but　by　argument；　perhaps　with　great　freedom；　but　with　good　temper　and　in　peaceable　language；　with　very　little　hope　of　reclaiming　converts；　with　no　desire　of　making　enemies；　but　with　a　firm　belief　that　its　pretensions　and　assertions　cannot　stand　before　a　single　hour　of　calm　investigation。




II。

It　may　be　thought　that　a　direct　attack　upon　the　pretensions　of　HOMOEOPATHY　is　an　uncalled…for　aggression　upon　an　unoffending　doctrine　and　its　peaceful　advocates。

But　a　little　inquiry　will　show　that　it　has　long　assumed　so　hostile　a　position　with　respect　to　the　Medical　Profession；　that　any　trouble　I；　or　any　other　member　of　that　profession；　may　choose　to　bestow　upon　it　may　be　considered　merely　as　a　matter　of　self…defence。　　It　began　with　an　attempt　to　show　the　insignificance　of　all　existing　medical　knowledge。　　It　not　only　laid　claim　to　wonderful　powers　of　its　own；　but　it　declared　the　common　practice　to　be　attended　with　the　most　positively　injurious　effects；　that　by　it　acute　diseases　are　aggravated；　and　chronic　diseases　rendered　incurable。　　It　has　at　various　times　brought　forward　collections　of　figures　having　the　air　of　statistical　documents；　pretending　to　show　a　great　proportional　mortality　among　the　patients　of　the　Medical　Profession；　as　compared　with　those　treated　according　to　its　own　rules。　　Not　contented　with　choosing　a　name　of　classical　origin　for　itself；　it　invented　one　for　the　whole　community　of　innocent　physicians；　assuring　them；　to　their　great　surprise；　that　they　were　all　ALLOPATHISTS；　whether　they　knew　it　or　not；　and　including　all　the　illustrious　masters　of　the　past；　from　Hippocrates　down　to　Hunter；　under　the　same　gratuitous　title。　　The　line；　then；　has　been　drawn　by　the　champions　of　the　new　doctrine；　they　have　lifted　the　lance；　they　have　sounded　the　charge；　and　are　responsible　for　any　little　skirmishing　which　may　happen。

But；　independently　of　any　such　grounds　of　active　resistance；　the　subject　involves　interests　so　disproportioned　to　its　intrinsic　claims；　that　it　is　no　more　than　an　act　of　humanity　to　give　it　a　public　examination。　　If　the　new　doctrine　is　not　truth；　it　is　a　dangerous；　a　deadly　error。　　If　it　is　a　mere　illusion；　and　acquires　the　same　degree　of　influence　that　we　have　often　seen　obtained　by　other　illusions；　there　is　not　one　of　my　audience　who　may　not　have　occasion　to　deplore　the　fatal　credulity　which　listened　to　its　promises。

I　shall　therefore　undertake　a　sober　examination　of　its　principles；　its　facts；　and　some　points　of　its　history。　　The　limited　time　at　my　disposal　requires　me　to　condense　as　much　as　possible　what　I　have　to　say；　but　I　shall　endeavor　to　be　plain　and　direct　in　expressing　it。　Not　one　statement　shall　be　made　which　cannot　be　supported　by　unimpeachable　reference：　not　one　word　shall　be　uttered　which　I　am　not　as　willing　to　print　as　to　speak。　　I　have　no　quibbles　to　utter；　and　I　shall　stoop　to　answer　none；　but；　with　full　faith　in　the　sufficiency　of　a　plain　statement　of　facts　and　reasons；　I　submit　the　subject　to　the　discernment　of　my　audience。


The　question　may　be　asked　in　the　outset；Have　you　submitted　the　doctrines　you　are　professing　to　examine　to　the　test　of　long…repeated　and　careful　experiment；　have　you　tried　to　see　whether　they　were　true　or　not？　　To　this　I　answer；　that　it　is　abundantly　evident；　from　what　has　often　happened；　that　it　would　be　of　no　manner　of　use　for　me　to　allege　the　results　of　any　experiments　I　might　have　instituted。　　Again　and　again　have　the　most　explicit　statements　been　made　by　the　most　competent　persons　of　the　utter　failure　of　all　their　trials；　and　there　were　the　same　abundant　explanations　offered　as　used　to　be　for　the　Unguentum　Armarium　arid　the　Metallic　Tractors。　　I　could　by　no　possibility　perform　any　experiments　the　result　of　which　could　not　be　easily　explained　away　so　as　to　be　of　no　conclusive　significance。　Besides；　as　arguments　in　favor　of　Homoeopathy　are　constantly　addressed　to　the　public　in　journals；　pamphlets；　and　even　lectures；　by　inexperienced　dilettanti；　the　same　channel　must　be　open　to　all　its　opponents。

It　is　necessary；　for　the　sake　of　those　to　whom　the　whole　subject　may　be　new；　to　give　in　the　smallest　possible　compass　the　substance　of　the　Homoeopathic　Doctrine。　　Samuel　Hahnemann；　its　founder；　is　a　German　physician；　now　living　in　Paris；〃　＇Hahnemann　died　in　1843。＇　at　the　age　of　eighty…seven　years。　　In　1796　he　published　the　first　paper　containing　his　peculiar　notions；　in　1805　his　first　work　on　the　subject；　in　1810　his　somewhat　famous　〃Organon　of　the　Healing　Art；〃　the　next　year　what　he　called　the　〃Pure　Materia　Medica；〃　and　in　1828　his　last　work；　the　〃