Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1837-06-29

in favor of life. n, rs they also declare, ''its
operation is unequivocnl," that is. uniformly
the same, on the same person, at different
times, and on different persons at the same
time, then "its action is" not like that of the
remedies of which DR.. Abcrcrombie speaks,
"frnught with the highest degree of uncrr-
tninly." Indeed, that It's action is s"unequivo-
cal" ! have the best reason To believe. ]
have heard Thomsonian Practitioner say to
his patients, that they should be detained on
ly so many hours ond minutes, or vomit only
so many times, "with confidence bordering
on that with which we calculate that the
phenomena ofnature will continue to observe
the same order" and his predictions have
been fulfilled with surprising accuracy. In
one instance, I.%Dew him to guess within two
minutes Of the time in which an emetic would
complete lis operations, and he rarely varies
more than half an hour. | am informed TINT
his judgment, in these matters, is founded
principally on his confidence in the certainty
of its medical action, combined with his
knowledge of the peculiar temperament Of
his patient and the degree Of disease present. "
"Dr. Barton, from whose work you have
derived your description Of its poisonous
qualities, informs MS, in his sketch Of the
Lobela is preceded by "convnlsion fits and
loss of reason."-See, also. U. s. DISPENSE
tory, page 30J. where the same doctrine is
taught, upon the same authority, viz: that Of
DR.. Tha,chcr, who, in this instance, has it,
lustrated the provcrb that zone sinner de.
stroyeth much good" DR.. Thatcher publish
ed, upon the authority of the malicious re-
ports that were then, and are still busily cir.
,lu nr hp
base libel on Lobelia, that il is a dangerous
article, capable Of destroying life in few
hours. And the whole tribe of learned Dis
peisntory and Phsrmacopi makers from that
tny to this, have copied the SANDER, and en-
dorsed il, with al! the security that cabalistlc
sheepshn can confer. Still, ! would rather
my infant child would drink a pint Of the
strongest Lobclia tea. than take three grains
of calomel. The learned authors Of the
"Physiciars' Pocket Synopsis" however. do
not "follow suit" in charging Lobelia Infatn
with any deleterious quality. They agree
with DR.. Thomson in describing il as "enietic,
dniispnsmOdic. and diaphoretic."
TO conclude, what could have been your
object in dragging into your article the Lobe
lia Long flora, ] am at n loss to determine
II yon mean to Argue that, because these
plants belong 10 the same gems, l.obella In
flata must be ns poisonous as Lobelia Longl-l
flora, the same evidence will prove that the
Irish potato, the sweet potato, the egg plant,
and the delicious tomato, are as poisonous MS
the Jerusalem cherry or the deadly night
shade; for they all belong to the genus
.Solanunl. You certainly did not intend to,
insinuate that Thonsonians send to the West
Indies after their Lobcia for yon are aware
OF their inccssant boast, in the words OF their
leader, that "their food and medicines grow
in tho same field, and ought to be procured
and administered by the same hand" Sure
ly, my dear sir, your assertions in this last
can be accounted for only upon
The principles laid down in the introduction
10 this letter.
"As Physicians differ in their accounts of,
The nature and effects Of this pIant,and as the
l'I,o,nsonians nll ogree in their statements,
which they are ever ready to verify. by ex-
periDents upon themselves, that it is power
fil only against disease, "uneqnivocally act
ing in harmony with life think that, for the
present, we must give up the point that they
know more about it than the members Of the
Regular Faculty. And, unless we can bring
more than here and there a stray case Of
leath under their practce to connterbalancc
he hundreds that they have completely re-
stored after all hope was lost Of their recove-
y, through the instrnmen,ality Of the Reeu-
ar Faculty, we had better let them alone.
IL know one Thon,sonian who has practls.
ID two years, and never lost n single patient
where he was the first and only practitioner
u the case. know another who cured fifty
:ix cases of Scarlet Fcvcr.and never lost one!
W hen men will fight against the combined
opposition and approbrium Of large portion
II refined and influential society, to do deeds
If benevolence like these let you and me.
NY dear sir, if we cannot lend them hand,
At least "let the IN alone"
"rhat lobelia is poisonous, is what no re-
spectacle physician in this vicinity dares to
assert. 1t is too late for intelligent men to
say that Lobclla is poisonous. | gave, the
day before ycstcrd y, nearly the eighth Of a.
pound Il neither measure or weigh NJ to five
different individuals. Two"f them took near
ly half an ounce piece. 1t did them no 9TH
er harm than to enable them to eat heartily,
and to leave their sick rooms. saw none of
hose "convusions, rot which you have 'heard,
md Drs. Barton, Thatcher, and their adhs-
ents have "supposed' 80 much"
Having but little more to say at this time,
IL respects Lobelia. do now offer a chal-
cnge to any or all the faculty, to compara-
i've trial of the medical properties of Lobe
ia with the deadly poisons which they so u
,iversally prescribe. it has been asserted by
IN NJ. ID, That Lobela mas double the strength
II that pernicious poison, tartar enetic. Now
will agree to take 10 grams of Lobelia pow.
icr for every e ain of tartar emetic that an
NJ. ID. will take,-by this means we may test
he effects cf the two emetics. l have no
fear Of the result on my own part. ] have
taken Lobclia, and administered it to others,
too MANY times not to know its entire HARM