The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1837-10-04

ii u y
Self-Jefence has been justly termed the
first law of Iature. No one is so callous to
The common feelings Of humanity, as to sub
init quietly to the lash of injustice, or slum-
ber in security while the tongue Of slander
is undermining his reputation. No; con-
scious integrity may sit calm and unruffled
under the lash Of privete invective, but pub
lie calumny must rouse the most yrtuous to
resistance. As an attack upon my charac-
ter and mode of practice has reached the
public ear through the medium Of the pub
lie papers of this place, Justice demands
that my defence should be carried before
the same tribunal, through the same chan
mel. | shall therefote submit the following !:
Reply to communication from Dr's Paul
Spooner, Alexander Read, William C..
Whiridge, Julius s. Mayhev, Samuel
West, and Lyman Bartlett, Physicians
of Ncw Bedford" relative to the death OF
Mrs. Eliza l.. Uopland !; dated Sept g,
1887:
Had the medical gentlemen above men,
toned confined their attention to "a plain
statement Of facts, reply would not have
been necessary. But when men have rack
ed their invention, and exhausted their rhet-
orical powers in misrepresenting and giving
n false coloring To what would otherwise
have appeared innocent to the most scru-
iinous observer, and this too for the mean
and selfish purpose of subscribing their own
interest, It seea,s requisite that the pub
lie should be undeceived. would here re-
mark, that the ffD facts which are stated in
the medical gentlemen's communication nre
not so much calculated to mislead the pub
lie as the language they have used, and the
want of other facts equally important. A,
it Low stands, the whole is a specious i'm.
position on the public. But divested of lis
gaudy trappings, it would excite no oihe
feeling than the common every day ropor
ofa physician. Without disputing the pan
of scurrility with the learned Doctors, bu
leaving them to the qniet enjoyment of that
title of which they seem so ambitious
shall lay before the public few solitary
fncIs.-ln the first place, then, would
promise that, although the Medical Faculty
generally know but little about the Thorn
sonian practice, and are totally ignorant Of
the medical properties of some of its most
efficient remedial agents; yet wherever it
has been introduced, and they have found
that people have been benefited by il, and
that some Of their abandoned patients have
thereby been rescued from an untimely
grave, they have raised flood Of opposit-
tion to il, have endeavored to excite the
public mind against it, by the stale cry of
"poison,"" murder" &C., and whenever an
opportunity has presented, favorable to their
base design, have even made public state
ments equally as ridiculous and absurd as
they nre destitute of truth and veracity, a,
may readily be seen in the communication
above alluded to.
On Tuesday morning, the Doth ul,. at a
bout s of the clock, was called to Mr..
Rowland, and found her sick in bed, wit
avery great prostration Of tho vital powers
pulse low, general and sudden failure o
strength, and n very considerable degree o
excitement in the nervous system. | wa
informed that she was just coming out o
what she called one Of her " distressed
spells" On further inquiry, ! learned thai
she had been taken the day before with az
unusual degree of GOODNESS, particularly o.
her hands and feet, and Ito use her owr
words)" a sinking deathy distress at the
pit of the stomach" which would, by spells
70 all over her, producing general distress
with " indescribable, horrid sensations,
which became alarming to both patient aud
friends. She could obtain relief only by
taking warm medicines, and making warm
applications externally. I prepared an en-
en,a, or injection, had it administered, or
dered her to be got into perspiration, and
to be kept 80 till afternoon, when | attended
again, and, with the entire appreciation OF
both patient aud friends, administered full
1homsonidn course of medicine. This So
far relieved the paiieut and checked the
progress of disease, that, by following the
warm medicines strictly, with the OCCASION
nj use of injections, and n warm stone q,
her feet, (when necessary in order to keep
her in moist state,) she remained comfort
able until Thursday morning, when, by rea-
son of her watchers having fallen asleep
the latter part of the night, and consequent
ly her having been neglected, and the medi-
cines not given for several hours, she be-
came dry, (ni.ht have taken some cold,
and had return of one Of her DISTRESSED
spells" She was again partially relieved
by getting her into n moisture, and contin.
ued so till about 4 o'clock p. nj. when hel
distress again returned. From this tim.
we were unable to afford relief by the sam,
course of treatment, which had, in ever,
other similar case, proved availing. A sec
ond course of medicine was now proposed
Her husband, and his brother, who wa,
present, and who had been once cured b,
the ThomsonIan practice, were both in ia
vor o: its being administered, aud believ,
advised her to that effect. Her mother de'
clIned giving her advice on the subject, n.
she said she was not well enough acquaint
ed with the practice to know how to advise
but had no objection to lis being administer
ed, fher daughter wished it. The daughtc