Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1843-03-02

promises, endeavots to obtain that confl-
dence. to which neither education, mer-
IT, nor experience enti,le him.
There has always existed. in the hn-
man mind, an innate love OF the mystic
rlous; and mankind have, ever since the
creation of the world, delighted in de-
ception, thinking with the poet. that,
sWhere ignorance is bliss, its folly to be wise
A visit to quaek produces pleasu-
rable excitement. There is something
piquant in the disIain for prudence with
which We deliver ourselves up to that IL
legitimate sportsman of human lives. who
kills US without qualification. There
is delicious Utilization in large demand
upon our creduiity; we like to expect
miracles in our own proper person. and
we 60 to the ii!iterate practitioner Of
medicine, for the same reasons which in.
duced our poor ancestors to SO to WIZ
ards.
How true it is that
"Frst man creates, and then he fears the elf;
Thus others cheat him not, but he himself;
He loathes the substance, and he loves the
show;
He hates realities, and hugs the cheat,
ind still tie only pleasures the deceit
[Phys;c and Physicians
Walpole says that acute and sensible
people are often the most easily deceived
by quacks. A deceit. of which it may
be said-"it is impossible for any one to
dare it," always succeeds.
ifthe imposture required any ingenui-
ty to detect it, there might be some hope
for mankind; but it actually lies conceal
ell in it's rery o5oioasness. At the same
time it must be owned, that, in some ca
ses, no little degree of firmness is rcqui-
red TO resist the Importantly with which
nostrum is recommended. Il ser-
ously Declare" says Sir a. B. Fauk-
ner, ''that was myself pressed with no
little earnestness. by person not other
wise above par i'll eredultv, trying to
persuade me of the infalIible powers-of
what?-Ye shades Of Hipprocrates anu
Esculap what? -actualig and seri.
ousl Y, decoction of flint stones!!. =
The prescription is brave and methodi-
cal. The nints were to be boiled. and
the suPernatent liquor poured off for use
The lady who advised the precious phys
ic, would do so on the best authority:
aud not of one, bat of many persons Of
her acquaintance, upon whose word she
could place tie most implicit reliance"
The charm is in the mystery, in all
these cases. '.NGnus credunf CUR od
suam sa1uies pertinent, 81 Intelligent"
says Pliny. Credulity is indigenous in
no particular climate. ''In Chill. - says
Zimmerman. ''the physicians blow "a
round the beds of their patients. to drive
away diseases; and. as the people in that
country believe that physic consists Who'll
ly in their wind their doctors would take
it very i'll Of any person who should at
difficult" They think they know e.
nough when they know how to blow:
which. translated into common language
means ''ralsins the Wind
Lord Bacon says, .t'Fhat the impostor
frequently trIumphs at the bedside of
the sick, when true merit is afronted
and dishonored; the people have always
considered quack, or an old woman. as
the rivals of true physicians. Hence it
is that every physician, who has not great
ness ofsou enough not to forget himself,
feels no difficulty in saying with Solo
mon. 'ifit is NTH me as Nth HE madmGn,
a0ty shoull l a0ish TO appear agissr than
he as?' -
'sThe world is generally averse
To all the truths it sees and hears;
But swallows nonsense and lie,
With greediness and guttony,'
BurLRR.
Pdy5ic and Physicians.