The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1837-06-14
HENRY ROwEv. SER,
From the Ih0ms9niaa Recordcr.


The following extract is from letter la
r ted Liberty Hi, Kershaw District, SouI
Carolina, February H., 1882. II is from
the pen of The talented, patriotic stateslnei
aud physician, DR.. Robert ID. Montgomery
II was originally addressed to the Rev
William Carlisle. The contents of the let
ter have been forwarded to Us by X. FERRIS
Esq. of Widsborough, enclosed in n com.
munication bearing date October l9th, IS
81
Mr.. Carlisle prefaccs the letter by the
following remarks: "The circumstance,
that gave rise to the pnbhc,tip of the fol-
lowing letter, were these: DIR. Montgomery
applied TO me for Thomsonian Family
Right, he pledged himself to report his o.
pInion of the system rs soon Hs he should
have na opportunity fairly testing IT. A re-
quest being sent to him by the Thoms0nian
for that purpose, the following letter is his
repIy," after an Interesting de;ail of his
patriotism aud public services, in concln-
sion he adds "sutlice it to say, that Dr..
Mongomery's opinion of any system is of
more importance than the opinion of II
thousand self-inlerested physicians, whose
object is To keep the people in ignorance of
the nature Of disease, aud consequently Of
the mode and manner of performing cures"
The toIloming is The Letter referred.
GeNrLEMEN,-I received your letter on
The 10Th uIl. aud on the evening it came To
hand, was severely attacked with the cho-
lera inorbns, which prevented "A more early
answer. Iou request my opinion OH the
! Thomsonan practice of medicine, and in
quirc something concerning my medical
studies, previous to my adopting the h0lan-
ic practice. will with pleasure endeayor
to satisfy your inquiries, IN as brief man
ner as am able. 1t will perhaps be the
most satisfactory course To give short his
tory of my medical life, that my reasons for
adapting the new practice may appear in Il
more convincing light. After had fin
ished my colleglnte education, IN the years
1906 aud 96, proceeded to The study
of medicine in Columbia, South CarOliun,
under the tuition of Doctors Montgomery |
and lIenricks, hotl, students of the Rush |
can school After this, attended the med !
ical lectures in philadelphia, given by Doc
tors Shopper, Rush, Wocdhonsc and Bar
ton. Having attended the regular course
of lectures under these professors, they adj
Judged me entitled to dplema, for my
medical knowledge, yet II was contrary to
the rules or the Institution to give me one,
unless went through another course my
inances would not admit ot it ut that time,
lnd | never obtained diploma. After my
eturn from Philadelphia, fell Immediately
y into practice, bat quickly found, that the
heorv, however beautiful it might appear,
would by no means agree with the practice. 4
entered the practice with all the ardor
hat it is possible for any young physician
o possess. Every leisure moment was
mployed in reriecling my knowledge of $
he science of Medicine and flattered !.
myself that | was as successful in my prac-
ice as my cotemporaries my prospects a
'ere fllrerin., and my practice lucrative, lt
Or fourteen or fifteen years. then be- Z"
ame wearied of the practice, and during
he latter part of my time, have given 1t b
yer, unless constrained by the cntreates
{ a friend. could do no better than To -
ilv their distress. You would here inquire a,
hat il was that could induce me Ia relln-
uisb a ganful practice, and adopt sys- Ct
I'm of yes,erday-to leave the old, beaten :
NNNi i'' WV hN"'N 't''N'' "'S"N'' "
ecause the marks To point the way To pro-
eed, in the old practice, were fallacious &C
nd not to be depended on when life was p p
t stake. II ere would candiily ask the r
nndid physician, if he has not often been
ecciyed, in the symptoms, ol disease, when
altering himself with the prospect of the 70
peedy recovery of his patient, when he leli
i'm, perhaps mt evening-the next visit, III
erhaps the next morning, found him
-ealhing his last You behed him sur d
,undcd by weeping friends, because they =
ewed him departing to his long home. In i
ich circumstances, humanity sickens and to
nxiously inquiries, d" l. there no relief from ca
sease aud premature death ;" The an-
yer is to he found in the botanic practice.
u,, is this practice infallible : Does it =
ever fail Yes, it may fail, has failed, 81
nd will fail, IN a .number of cases. IL has FL
nj will Gail, Of course, when the vital spark
nearly extinct, when the powers of lie n
&C destroyed by disease, or when the con- y
ion of the patient is such that there is not on or'
ny thing remaining for the medicine tn