The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-05-09
The Medical World-Quack Medicincs-The


IS not surprising. Where is the science which has
such claims the attention OF mankind Does
not It's interest come home 10 the bosom and busi-
ness OF every member Of the community But the
great misfortune has been that the science OF medi-
cine has been too often prosituted to the mercenary
ends of impudent charlatanry. The profession has
thus been degraded and into disrepute, and the
minimizing and ignorant have come at last to look
upon the science ofmedicine altogether an mpos-
ture.
This country has heretofore been the great harvest
field OF successful quackery. individuals utterly
unacquainted with medical science, altogether gno-
rant even of pharmacy, have accumulated large
fortunes by the sale OF nosrums not only OF the most
useless, but in too many instances Of the most lnIu
rious tendency The public need not to be referred
TO particular nstances-every paper contains ample
evidence of the gullibility of the community, and
the of these ignorant and vulgar charlatans.
What would be thought OF the man who would UNI
deake TO supply the public with excellent ale, when
1t was known that he was utterly ignorant of the
process of brewing and was not even aware OF the
materials from which the beverage was made Yet
these vendors of quack medicines and patent nos
trums for the of every malady, guilty of no
lesser imposition. Surely there must be sound phi.
loSophlc truth IN the adage-
The pleasure 10 great
In being cheated as to cheat"
such barefaced impostors would not thus succeed
in plundering the pockets and destroying the health
and lives of their dupes
There can be no doubt, however, that much Of
the success of quackery in this country has been
owing TO the deficient attanments of the great
of regular practitioners. Tho system of medical
education adopted by our colleges has been
miserably defective. Young men have gone to
these establishments and after running breathlessly
the round of hafa-dozen classes for three or four
to practice-and in many instances it has been
practising with vengeance! The people lost conf
dence in these physicians matter of course, and
fled To the quacks as dersicr resort But there are
encouraging tokens Of great and happy change.
New life and vigor seems to be generally nfusing
themselves into the medical profession Many of
the colleges awaking to the consciousness of the
necessity of reform in their modes of education,
and making praisaworthy efforts to promote the
best interests of their students. Witness for ex-
ample the recent conduct of the New York College
of Physicians and Surgeons. This institution has
been making extraordinary efforts of late, and as
matter of course its halls will be crowded next ses
ally the place which offers the greatest ad
vantages for the requirement of professional
knowledge. Throughout the country the same i'm
petus appears TO be communicated to many of the
medical schools.
Many OF the oldest and most respectable men,
bers of the profession attribute this revolution to
the establishment of that independent and now
widely circulating journal-the Lancet. And we
are inclined to think this opinion correct. The
Lancet presents regular record of the progress of
the science, to whose advancement it is devoted, in
Europe, and faithfully assists every movement here,
that the profession aroused and stimulated to
active exeron in the great work of reform and ad-
vancement. There has never before been in this
country n Medical Journal which addressed the
whole profession, from Maine to Florida The
Lancet is universally read, simply because as one of
the Oldest and mos, distinguished physicians in this
city said to us the other day, t is such journal as
every medical man must have
Such an agent of reform and such "a vehicle OF
useful and practical knowledge, must, continues
to be properly conducted effect great revolu-
ton And will not only elevate the character of
the profession ITSELF by increasing the knowledge of
its members, but it will indirectly gain for them
more respectable position in society, by opening the
eyes of the non-proessional portion of the commu.
nifty to their merits and the imposition and ignorance
of the quacks.
The last number OF the Lanca is particularly in
tcresting and will be perused with much interest by
all classes of readers. 1t contains an able erpose
of the Homeopathic humbug with the usual amount
of practical matter all subjects connected with
medical science