Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1841-05-07

secret remedy, the chief recommendation
of which is no person knows its compost.
ton, save the proprietor.
Gentlemen, there is another sort OF em>
piricisn, that is more formidable and simply
because it is very fashionable, mean the
quackery of applying any given mode OF
treatment to disease irrespective OF the
varying conditions of the system. There
are now days many of our profes sion
who prescribe for the name instead OF dis
ease itself. leaving their prescription to
subserve the name rather than well mar
ked symptoms that are most always
prominent in the disease. Such course
is dangerous to the patient and at the same
time strikes death blow at the reputation
of the practitioner. Some Of the vcnera-
bic fathers Of our profession have been
accused of slandering the profession when
they would charge them with sort OF mall
practice. There is another sort OF emplr-
| icism that is still more formidable and 1t
is simply the quackery OF administering
brandy pepper tea no. e, and other s'ihu'
lants in all cases, whether inllammatory
or not. Such practitioners are mere ron>
tinisis. They have their brandy, pepper
tea and no. 6 for this case, and their no. u
pepper tea and brandy for that case, and
call them when you will the we'll known
portion is Just at hand and the entire treat
ment of the case can be anticipated with
almost unerring certainty. Ihey look
upon disease as unvarying as the sun or
| .tl,o I
therapeutics make no account OF the lniiu-
ence of season and other controlling cir.
cumstances that so often modify and ag
grava,e disease. Herein, gentlemen, we
see the necessity of a physician being
student so long as he occupies the field OF
practice, for to be intelligent he must
study the changes that are constantly gong
on in the system when morbid action IS
set up in some one or more OF It's various
forms. He must do it because his con-
slant vigilance is demanded to meet the
exigencies that Surround him, and he sho'd
regard all curative efforts as preposterous
that are not based upon these fundamental
principles. with the mere mechanic IN
medicine, who looks upon every shade OF
disease as distinct piece of stauory moul-
del by the chsel he has no sympathy
He processes allegiance TO system that
has sound philosophy for It's basis and
requires the daily exercise of the strongest
minds of our profession. Again, gentle
men, do rot wish you 10 understand me
as identifying empirlcism with the physi-
clan that never sought a distinction OF
degree in medicine and my reason is very
obvious. -Four Of the most fragrant ln>
stances of quackery have ever witnessed
were il. the ranks of medical diploma.ls,s.
while on the other hand have witnessed
an enlightened and highly honorable course
more than once in the physician that never
sought the distinction Of a degree ID medi-
cine, and by way of illustration you all
know the Chief Magistrate has the appoin-
ting power but he cannot give those he may
appoint brains. Thus in like manner |
, may with truth affirm that a school OF med
, icine may confer the docra.e upon the
undeserving and unqualified, but the act
does not infuse into the party either pow
ers of investigation or plain common sense,
5 much less straight forward honesty
There is another class of physicians TO
5 whom | must give the appellaton Of ira
: ders in medicine, and these men are not
/ Quacks in the common acceptatlon OF the
/ term, but actual graduates, legally invested
with the honors Of the doctrate, though
, destitute of the spirit of honorable enter
/ prize. they have toisted themselves upon
T colleges, without any sort of preparation,
ID b.r
a squeezed through the formalties of the
f green box, strangers to the finer feelings
d of our nature. They have taken up the
S practice of medicine just as thinker falls
? upon his avocalons, simply for the pur-
pose of making money in VIVA: appears
10 be the easiest way. These are the
} Shylocks of our profession, WHO want the
pound of flesh, or in other words the shll-
t ling. and they mean to get 1t, and we had
might as we'll try to keep the female race
5 from gossipng as to seek the reform OF
such men by argument. They are utter
t ly incorrigible. The voice of persuasion
: falls upon their ears as powerless as thun'
, der upon the senscless cataract. The
effort is abortive from the very nature of
the case. Well, then, shall we hope &c
resusci,ate the decaying energies of oul
, profession? | answer yes, and how =
, why let each and every one Of our profes-
1 sion come up to the work, and learn tc
value, not only the dignity, but the res
! possibility of our station; and again lie
! us give to as many of the rising genera
f ton as may from time to time be pu
under our tutorage the proper training, ant