Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-05-07
,r1,1,, ,,e,., ,,oyt;eulr request

.t,,,o delivered bu U0cf0r !" e"s""'
hee1 n1a,,,Ies before the Bioomlngfon
1 Il; rary Society,", pon Empi"c's" or
txua ,,s.,,9,, The task before me Is
- hat have been but little accus'omeu
CIV uerform, and as ! arrogate 10 mysel,
10 p 'sor words. uterance or force OF speech
nei'l, ,ore.t 7 shall throw myself upon your
TO 'n'e' ,b;s occasion, while at least
Ien 1ssror TO do Justice TO subject OF so
en l"sh Importance. believe II is a SUB
' ao, which you all should ieel a ueep
!ee' a WIN, !, as it is practiced among you
lh'e'e s,a ~ Considerable extent. 1t is my de-
10 son'e . v Of the different workers in
sly" W ,;rr;.ol trade, their mode OF working
snJ the means believe best calculated 10
alu , their effects. In poriraymg
.po Characters of the different workers in
,hs empirical trade, il is not my design TO
IlS 10 personalities. out shall give my
,;ews freely upon the subject. have Sc
,ected empriclsm for several reasons
noo ;s because | believe it is as proliflc
o.rco If mischief as any other that per-
.oIes the science of medicine. Another
= because | believe none are more incll-
I'D n tolerate it III some one of It's many
f,ld forms, than the physicians OF this Ter,
r;,orv. and how shall we account for 1t /!
Shall we say it is the force OF precept, or
r,,ber tendency inherent in our nature
70 initiate rather than originate The
torn empricism has been restricted by
some 10 the use Of avowed noslrums, ana
this. dare say, is part of the evil. But
in nv Judgment all random practice, such
as the exhibition of remedial agents wilh>
ont rational why or wherefore. prescri>
biuc for the names of disease rather than
well marked symptoms, and other devices
resorted to by the practitioner TO save the
trouble of thinking, may be properly Pla-
ced 10 the account of emplrlcism. | 90
not wish YOU to un.els stand me to say that
every man is an empire that fuses popn-
lar remedy, provided he knows Its compo-
sition, and applies it judiciousiy, watching
its operations, and noticing lis effects
Under such circumstances it is right to
resort to any remedy, aud give it a fair
trial, if its action appears wholesome.
such practice was common to many OF
the fathers of our profession, in regard to
every new article that presented itself as
proper for medical uses. They made a
cautions trial of the remedy in order 10
ascertain its effects, and perseycred in lis
exhibition until satisfied, and if we pro-
coed upon such grounds, we connot so far
astrav.
As every remedy whether it be called a
nos.rum or by some other name is new 10
the physician who has never employed 1t,
he must pursue the same plan that our
fathers in the profession did, or give the
article because his neighbor does, or else
reject it in toto. Bat the case is different
if without an acquaintance with the con-
s,iucnts of peculiar remedy, he condo
scends 10 administer it upon the testmo~
nv of the press, or to crafty the whlms
of supersttious patient. say guilty
conduct like this cannot be defended
against the charge of empirlclsm. How
often are we Intercepted as we move
around, concerning the value of Sapplng
tons pills and other patent medicines tina
are blazoned in the newspapers of The dry
as sovereign remedies for all the ache:
and pains of life, and the good natured IN
quirer, almost believing those puhs. /:
sometimes disPleased if we refuse to give
an opinion although we are coniessetIy ;
stranger to It's composition. TO eXpec
us thus to commit ourselves, if discreet
is as unwise and equally ridiculous as tt
consult us concerning the treatment OF ;
sick man 1000 miles off, concerning
whose case we have no information more
than he sckened or 8 years ago, the sol
of Tom, Dick or somebody else. Who o
US could refrain from smiling if consulte'
on such grounds and how many of u
would treat the affair as a mere hoax
and yet there are many wei! meaning per
sons seem TO think physician quite lib
eral and narrow minded if he refuses tt
give his appreciation to these popular rem
edys that has been of such signal benei
to their friends.
Gentlemen - Ny objections to nostrum:
IN part is this, believe the proprietor:
are nine times III ten, monomonlacs, a
least so far as their favorlte specifics are
involved; and as an evidence of the fact
they have the presumption to solicit lht
contenance OF medical men, and they ex
pect the sanction too, of the profession
while they refuse to conlide to them tht
secret OF their composition, and true tt
tell, some medical men have so far lait
aside their dignity, as to crafty the impu
dent request. believe that physician
should neither prescribe or patronize r
any way, any medicine, the ingredients o
which is unknown EXCEPT 10 the pronric