Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1837-06-29
CAPT WISE DIR. TURNER'S STATE
.ME.NT-.MEDICAL PROPERTIES


al nv hnnds;-ul-o, with his own oplnion.and
that Of others, quoted, touching the medical
/ prnpertns of Lobttid FrR0id The evidence
!, had dsu5mitted-backed by unimpeachab'c
wltncsses-in regard TO the condition OF Capt.
Wise Ut the time he came under my treat
mcn.. and at the time OF his death, had sllenc-
ed all cnvilling except that on pnrt OF few
individuals. No counter statement can for
moment be sustuinrd-.but n thrust is now
made at Lobclia. 1t is an ignob" stroke,
made in ignorance, If nothing worse. hut pow
crless in any lasting effect; for il has not the
basis of truth to ret upon. II depends on
the same baselcss authority that was made
some thirty years ago, and has served The
purpose ot ignorant and wicked men from
that day to this. The tact is the assertions
of these dispensatory book-makers, touching
the medical qualities Of Lobcla are utterly
wanting in evidence TO support them They
have quoted each other without knowledge
of the plant of which they trent, and their
learned pupils OF the present day rest on the
same authorized stupidity without being able
to produce o single fact that Eobeiia Ilf'0fa
IL n ,.oison.o or that il ever acts otherwise than
IN strict harmony with nature aud life.
| will here cite ~ high authority as this
country can produce B. Watcrh"usc,M. ID.
Professor of theory and practice Of physic,
and Lecturer on Natural History in the Uni.
vrrsity al Cambridge, Mass. !.e says:-
"Dr Thatcher, under the head Of H. bella. has
said suilicen, to nure the character OF amy nedi-
cal man Of eq0i,ocal reputation.
at does not appear that the compiler of the
Di'pen.H,"ry had any experience i" the article y
"We seriously advise that worthy gentleman 10
n revision Of the article Of ohea, and that he
have recoarse to experienced ph, sieians rnt er
than learned Divines on articles Of the MArERIA
MEDICA.'
"We would frin know If any man can be NAM
ed in these uni,.d States who has enriched
our Maerd Med,ca with u'anv valuable
articles as Samuel Thomeon, The single article
Of Lobeiia. whose valuable qualities be- was the
first TO discover md bring into entities him to
the thanks Of his fellow men, notwithstanding It
has been denounced as poison IN American DIS
pcnsatores, in American Elementary books Of
Botany. and even from the bench Of the Judicial
ry, aud is still echoed from every ignorant block
head claiming the privilege Of NJ. ID. yet 1t is be-
yond all doubt with those who have used II, the
most eiicacious emetic hitherto discovered aud
made public and is IA safe as eifectual and II
ought to hear q name Of Thomson instead Of
he has been honored bv the name Of il. Nor lid
linnmus speak of its virtues, nor any one else bo
fore Samuel Thomson, to whom the honor entire
" belongs"
| could quote much more 10 the same pur
pose from DIR. Warehouse, but want Of room
prevents me at this time. At future day,
however, ! shall endeavor to publish more at
large from the excellent writings Of this &C.
nerous man. He is in himself n host sutfic-
ent To annlhlate the whole fabric of diploma
tizcG Quackery which would blind the people .
and turn them from those harmless plants IN
which health has been found to reside. The
truth is the craft is in danger. Every person
by purchasing l'homsonS Family Right msy
be his own and .fanly's Physician, and then
farewell to Doctor craft for yer. (
DR.. Thomson n speaking OF Lobclia Infa-
Ia. says:-
"W nv il hes had the name Of Indian Tobacco
given il. ! know not there is plant that Is ra'-
led by that name, which grows in this country.
hut entirely different from Lobela lniiata, both
in appearance and medical virtues"
Dir. A,a Curtis, of Richmond, Va, in an
swcr TO n person who had ienoran,ly or wick
edly. brought the charge Of poison against
Lobela, savs:-
"ln the course ofthcse obscrvations,l have
seen this very same Lobelia given in doses
of from 30 To 300 grains Of the powdered
seeds, with the most salutary effect upon the
patient, producing far less debility than the
same patient had often experienced after the
exhibition of ten grains of calomel. Your
surprise at this declaration may be dispelled,
when yOu are assured that the Thomson,an
uses other means, which sustain his patient
under the relaxing iiects of Lobelia.
"But sir. you very properly have not relied
on your own practical knowledge, IN deciding
on the properties aud effects Of L"bella.-,
You have copied n sentence or two from Pro-
fessor VIM. p. &. Bartor's Medical Botany;
and what do you find there that goes 10 prone
the plant poisonous? DR.. Barton, as you will
perceive, II you read the whole article made
many experiments with it. lie used 1t for
asthma, whoopng cough, Sc. and quotes its
use by DR.. Drury for asthma; DIR. Thatcher,
for Group, whooplng cough, and hydrophobla;
DR.. Eberle, for Group and hernia; and he re-
con,mends it himself, instead Of the antlmo-
mails, in Group, on account OF its more certain
action. IN every case in which these Doc
tors used it themselves, they declare that 1t
produced the desired effect. Their only OBJ
lection to it, drawn from their own expert
ense, was, rs speedy, violent and pros'rating
effects. II is tue, DR.. Thatcher says, (and
DR.. Barton endorses it.) "if the medicine does
not'puke or evacuate powerfully, 1t frequent
! ly destroys the patient, and sometimes IN i've
or six hours" But this assertion il from
iheorsay, and no better sustained by facts
than DR.. Barton's that "horscs aud cattle are
supposed to have been killed by it.' Such
evidence. may answer for ,hosc who believe,
without examination. every thing they hear
or read; but we must not expect II to convince
the Thomsonians, vino are, constantly giving
and taking the article without weight or
measure, that over. doses, /. G. doses Of more