The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1864-03-08 00:00:00

Sonirrottshirt.

DR. SKELTON'S LECTURES AT YEOVIL

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Dr. Skelton, of London, has during the past week
rl a livered a course of taro lectures at the Townhall- -
"
that on Monday night was on the present and
fu we of medicine; how to improve and apply it
for the benefit af the profession and people." The
ball was but thinly attended. The chair was taken
by Mr. Coggin. The Itcturee, in commencing his
subject, said that in the beginning of all groat works
it could not be otherwise than that few could under.
wand them. The first step in the law of life was
germination; that was, by planting the seed. It
was his misfortune for many years to labour, almost
alone, in that great work which he "toga before
them that evening to advocate. The genetic's before
them was an important one. Up to the present time
the majority of society had considered it to be the
• exclusive right and property of • certain clan; and
yet it was one of importance and interest to every
person, for it was a qiiestion which might be at any
moment • matter of life and death. Such being
the CAW, there was no subject to which all could
better devote their attention. They knew not :
when they might be stricken down by disease; and
without health, life was comparatively speaking of
no value, man in such • state being incapable of
fulfilling the duties of life as be ought. Could
• man, like Job, count his cattle on • thousand
hills, hie riches would be of no use to him
unless he had health to enjoy it. If this,
then. WOMI IN VII it not their duty to reek
teernderstand the laws of health that they might be
emibled to enjoy the life which God hail given them.
And were the necessity of this properly understood
.by the inhabitant, of Yeovil that room would have
been well filled that evening. The success of
England depended upon the health of its population.
Health was necessary to them to enable theni to
possess that stamina which was requisite for fulfilling
their several avocations. He had no intention that
evening to dilate on medical sectarianism, but on
the science and theory of medicine in its various
aspects. And first be would notice it. requirement'
as requisite to the necessities of home. Medicine
had not yet come op to the requirements of society.
This was • fact witnessed and experienced in every-
day life. Everything was known by its results A
tree WOD known by it, fruits. lien did not gather
grapes off thorns, nor figs off thistles. If, then, the
results were not up to what science ought to bring them,
there was something at the bottom radically wrong,
something necessary to be removed. Members of the
profession, therefore, were interested in this matter
as well • themselves. Let them then look at the
subject theoretically and practically. Theory was
arronymous with speculation or philosophy, and
'when IDell theories they speculate. Skey, the
:President of the Royal College of Surgeons, and
'Senior Surgeon of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, once
" medicine is an uncertain science. When be
(Dr. Shelton) read that, it was the first time in his
dire lb* he had heard of uncertainty in a science.
?Why wienoe in anything WOO the basis upon which
ithaeuperstrocture was raised ; and if the foundation
wee rotten the building could not stand. Sir J.
Paul designated medicine "a 000ecturid art."
Byron, not a medical man, called it "the destructive
art of healing." Hannhemann gave up the practice,
as he could not hear to continue to murder his fellow
beings—it being the greet principle that destroyed
life. He hoped there were prevent that evening
some legally qualified members of the profession.
England rve a fair stage which showed no favour.
They eou d discuss face to face, and leave society to
judge who was right and who was wrong. The
quotations which he had made some might consider
as grand subjects for argument, They might just
as soon expect darkness to take the place of light as
to endeavour to convince contrary to engendered
ideas. It was necessary to dive into the bottom of
a science, and not until society discovered the
necessity of making such inquiries would they see
any motive to emerge out of the darkness in which the
science of medicare was now involved. Man was ever
perfect in his own 'etiolation. He would give one
quotation from Mr. Skey, who had written on the
subject. He quoted from his works because be was
a living man, and one of the most eminent in the
profession. It was far better to quote the remarks
of a living man than it was of &dead one. Speaking
of his labours in St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and of
the method of treating diseased', he spike of one
form of inflammatory disease. He said :—"For
many years I noticed the revolts of the treatment
of peritonitis by depletiono sad it is remarkable bow
few were saved ; and so universal were the results,
that for some years ~.ursost every case was, in say
judgment, eounigr.ad to the grave as soon as the
nowt to fewe'acre WOO the practice adopted."
It was 20 'years since the question was first
agitated, and 20 years ago he (the lecturer)
deffeere.s a lecture, and he took up the question as
the ',abject of his discourse. At that time if a
Pe*.lose met with a fell he was bled; if he was
Attacked with inflammation be was bled; in fact, in
alsoost every cam of illness bleeding was the
great resource; it was the universal remedy. He
said that was then the personal belief of everyone,
but DOW not one (believed bleeding to be essential.
'Then, if • man died of bleeding, it was thought nothing
of, and passed off as • common occurrence. In such
• hospital as St. Bartholomew's, wherein thousands:
entered annually, it was the universal practice.
Doctors bled because it was fashionable, hut they bad
now abandoned the principle because it was un•
fashionable. I t was not that the science of medicine was
now better understood by the majority of practitioners,
but because it sae now the practice. But they
might say those evils "pekoe of does not exist
now. Granted, but they were merely removed by
the creation of more enlightened ideas in the minds
of people, and they would continue logo on in accord-
ance as enlightened ideas among the people increased.
The number of licensed professors of medicine in
the United Kingdom was 20,000, and druggists
30,000. The population of the realm was 30,000,000
of people, daily engaged in works of science and
art inestimable to the human mos. The majority
of them however did not live to • mature age, but
died pow , and of unnatural deaths. And why
was thisl of the exclusiveness; of the pro-
fession How were medical men raised up? %Vas
it because they had genius? No! but they were
money made, and the science would not improve
unless the people demanded it, on amount
of the monopoly. The great question was,
" can • man pay for a medical education at
or.:1111 if not, be must stay out, and be esti-
• " quack" That morning be had
taken a walk around the town of Yeovil, and on
looking Mica dragnet's window observed • window
full of decayed teeth, he said to himself, "Can it
be poseible that =oh • state of things exist here
too?" Those teeth had decayed from taking certain
medicines. Look at the mummies in our museums; ,
they would find their teeth complete in their bodies;
in skulls which had been buried for 300 or 400 years
the teeth might be found perfect in the head.
Mercury WY DOW used universally, and believed to be
efficacious, the same as bleeding was yaws ago. Her.
eery was made from quicksilver, and was one of the
moot subtle and deetrootive poisons which could be
taken into the human body. How was it so many
children died? They wore literally drugged to
death, by using preparations each as "Mother's
Quieting Stuff, " Goelfrey's Cordial"" Helms mid
Balsams," and sock like. Mother administered
each drugs to endeavour to quiet and relieve their
ohiklren, but little considered their results. With
Id. or 2d. they obtained that abomination which
literally destroyed the live, of children. Opium
was a universal remedy, and • slow poison. This
was an age of poisons, and men lived by it, and until
people knew better they would continue to use them.
But the igooranoe and cupidity of the people were
never more strikingly displayed than they were in the
present day. In one town one hundred gallons of
laudanum was sold annually, half of which was ad-
mini•ered to ohildrea. Medical moo ought to be
the legitimate guardians of the public health. As a
isedical masa it was his highest duty, not only to
stand and expose errors with regard to medical idea",
but to enlighten them on the science of medicine.
If they looked back at the draggles of the put they
could see what such labours were. They might mil
him quack if they pleased, because he told them the
truth, but that did not daunt him. John Bunyan
was incarcerated within the walls of Bedford gaol for
II years, because be believed that by God's help
he would be enabled to do something to nave the
souls of his fellow-men. John Bunyan in Bedford
gaol, Creamer at the stake, and Christ on the or.ies,
had been deemed fit subjects for Men to reil at ; but
now who dare my the truths they taught, and the
example they set, were wrong? And m in the pre-
sent day, the truth, he taught would germinate, and
society would be bensfitted. In the nest plea let
them look at the subject practically. Let them
look it their medical colleges and schools.
There were now 20 colleges legally qualified to
grant diplomas, and inside their walls only could
doctors be legally =seam:Waved. Some MUM-
factored M.D.'s to attend general diseases; and
others surgeons, to operate on bones, and out off
lags and arms, or heeds, if needs be • others as
dispensers, to mix op and peepers medicines. In
this way was manufactured all the leftailrqualified
doctors of the United Kingdom. They must not
presume that he offered any objection whatever to
medical education; not so, but be wished to se, it
an open, and not an exclusive profession. By
this mode of making doctors they did not get the
genius of England. Medical men generally lived
In fine houses, kept their vehicles, and were highly
honoured. All that was quite right, but he wanted
to me it what it ought to be, and not what it
.now
was. He bad been to college himself; and if he
bed nob learnt more before he went there, than he
did while thiere,his store of medical kaowledge would
have been very limited andooolined. The majority of
inedidsl win DOW DI OnlDlOOll were merely surgeons,
who had never bele Impaled in medical knowledge
Mall. They had bseemamised in rargery,aod surgery
cooly. In them days the moonwas not who did I
the meet good, bet who the greatest num-
bow of diplomas's. It pat hila in 'Mod of an old
fanner in Elluntehirs. A young maa 0/1•14 home
from college, and attended a vestry mewing wee day
is the pariah, where he awed some remarks not
very phasing, to which an old Imam replied. The
young aim immediately teak* RP sad sad, "Yes

ear, making seine odd remarks to me, do you know
who I am? I have obtained two degrees!" The nbl
farmer thereupon replied, "I know nought 'bout
degrees, I got a calf home what sucks two isms, and
the more he sucks the bigger calf he gets." The
monopoly of the colleges and schools was highly
detrimental to the public and to the profession
generally. Any our there present might think it an
undoubted right to teach an apprentice his trade,
and must likely skate' doctors could also teach an
apprentice ; why not? but they had no right what-
ever to do so. There was a certain routine through
which the medical profcriion were required to lass,
and until they had passed through it they were of no
U,., as only the colleges were licensed to manufac-
ture and legally qualify them. In the present age
there was • great deal of medical dissent, and much
was laid about "quackery." What was the meaning
of the word 'quackery?" There was nothing like
finding out the root or origin of a word. 300 years
ago mercury was first need as medicine by a German,
and was afterwards introduced into England. Mer-
cury is made frem quicksilver, and the German name
of quicksilver was " quacksalver." Those who used
it were therefore called " quacksalvers," until,
in course of time, it wag introduced all over the
country. Previous to that period medical botany
was the prevailing system. All the old medical
works treated of the herbal system of medicines.
The word 'quack," therefore, originated from in-
troducing into the practice quicksilver or mercury
as medicine, and those who used it were, therefore,
really and truly, according to the original significa-
tion of the word, "the real quacks. But there
was really nothing in the word, nor ought they to
look at it, but to find what is lying beneath it, and
endeavour to make the science of medicine better
than it was Speaking of great and little "quacks,"
he held in his hand The Lancet the great organ
of the profession, and be should like to know what
constituted • "quack." Was it advertising! Other
businesses !men advertised, and why should not
medical men. Every week, in The Lancet might be
observed MOM* glaring announcement issued by on*
of the great professors, but placed under • mirror.
If those usually-styled "quacks" issued hand-bills,
saying how they had cured pertain people, down
! came the whole of the legitimate profesnon upon
them. Each profession advertised, but the diffe-
rence between the two was, one was a "quack" on
a large scale, and the others on • small one. Many of
the greet men had medical advertisements as well as
the little quacks. Earl Stanhope once said, "I
know that the great Creator made nothing in vain,
nothing useless or superfluous, and many things are
intended as food, and many as medicine. Every•
thing is destined to be of some good, and many of
' Nature's productions are used by the poor as medi-
cine, who cannot afford to purchases higher price
ones. They are also of great boon to our naval and
military hospitals." Speaking of the evils of the
legitimate medical profession, the same writer much
declaimed calomel, and deplored that it was so
lushly and so ignorantly employed, for by its UM to
the human frame the infirmaries became intolerable.
The infirmaries bad become intolerable • but the
people were now seeking to emancipate themselves.
It showed the grandeur of science. A great many
had escaped from that bondage under which they
had ignorantly suffered. Many poor mothers and
fathers, having a knowledge of plants, had saved the
lives of their children by adopting Nature,e remedies,
whilst so many had died by other means. Take •
glance at the improvements which were being made
in medical science; but observe how many diseases
arose in making those improvements. Nature had
made a provision for all diseases and sufferings.
When God created the earth. He also created all
around for man's benefit, and everything requisite
for the beast, of the field. It showed how perfect
Nature was. It had not altered, but was the same as
it ever was. Had the Creator made no'provision for
man's suffering, all creation would have been imper-
fect, and had not man • oomprebeading mind to
understand those thins they would be of no use.
The mind of man was so formed as to adopt for per-
m-ration the gifts of God, and, by study, to bring
their component parts to bear for efficacious results.
The science of medicine was waiting for man, and he
need only open his eyes and take it in its entirety.
The lecturer, in concluding, begged his audience to
delve into the science of medicine, to enable them-
selves to ascertain what it really was, and to adopt
those means for the preservation of health which
Empties could not frustrate, and which was the
demon of nature, of reason, and of God. A vote of
thanks, at the suggestion of the chairman, was
accorded to the lecturer, and the meeting termi-
veted [l'he second lecture will appear in our next.]