The native American., 1838-07-14
on TIE UNCERTAINTY OF rHYslC.

The art of medicine has long been the supJec'
Of the humorist's gbes and the sarlsts sarcasii,s'
l''Physic," says one, lis the art OF amusing me
patient while nature cures the disease. Aihios'
llle only resource of medicine" says another rs
the art Of coniecturing." And, as Al The Jeefs o'
the world were not sufficient, her own sons urn
against her. ssAn eminent physician, says
ID'Alembert, ssrenounced practice which he lad
exercised for thirty years, saying 4 am tired oil
! guessing.
These yibes may have been well merted at a
time when BOYLE could recommend the powdered
1hioh bone of an executed criminal powerful
! remedy in dysentery; when ointment was hppli-
ed to the weapon for the purpose OF healing the
wound; and when live toads roasted were ad-
minisered for the asthma, and the hairs oil 4 mad
dog for hydrophobia; when physicians placed con-
f,ence in amulets and ply ylacterles, and had re-
card to black and white days, and to planetary
influences. But it would be as unfair 10 contound
medicine as it is now, with medicine as It was
them as it would be TO confound astronomy with
astrology, or chemistry with alchemy. Ever
glorious names appeared and dispelled many
of the clouds which obscured the glory OF our
art, and the smoke Of the dark ages frightened
into fame.
Physicians have promised, at times, more than
physic can perform and the people have required
more than they could reasonably expect. When a
beloved wife, child, husband, or parent is sick,
grief, in its unreasoning paroAisms, asks why the
physican's arm is not omnipotent! forgetting that
| il is not for mortal 10 confer Immortality.
/ Let us temper the enthusiasm OF the physician,
moderate the acquisitions of the patient, and try
to point out in what the certainty of physic con-
Isists.
The physician cannot set aside the laws OF
nature and thus prevent the natural evil conse-
quences which result from constitutional weak
ness or improper regimen; else would men always
be well whatever might be their habits. When
disease has supervened, the physician cannot
always restore health, neither can he regenerate
| the old, else would men who could procure his
services DEFY death and become sempiernal
Tile perfection Of physic does not consist, then
either in being always able to prevent disease, OF
in always being able to prevent death ensuing in
consequence Of disease. TO make its perfection
consist Of these things would be to require i'm
possibilities. TO us the perfection Of tln healing
art appears to consist in this: A knoacledge ofht
most rRicien, ready, and least painful mode 9,
restoring health, aehen restoration is possible
and ofHe Test possible means Of proiongins
| life and soothing pain achen restoration is i'm.
possible.
Viewed in this light, physic may yet rank as
one Of the exact sciences, and even now il will
be found that uncertainty is not SO much in phy.
sic as in physicians. The resources of the ar
are immense, the misfortune is, that so small .
|poron Of those resources are known to the
generality Of medical men.
| 1t is Of the utmost importance to mans well
being and the honor Of our profession, that the
student of medicine should have the most ample
means of becoming acquainted with these re-
sources, and be stimulated to the acquisition by
the most powerful motives. Of the mode in
which the means of this city may be most eff
ciertly applied, and the motives to study be rem
dered more ample. we shall hereafter treat.
[N. 7. Star.