The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-05-24

| or Typhus, Intermittant, or Continued fe'
yer, in Acute or Chronic Rheumatism, il
Lung fever or a common Cold and Catarrh
it matters not, the treatment is all the same
in every case.
In profession then, thus simplified sc
that the wayfaring man, though fool, may
understand, it is not surprising that we find
every Thompsonian without an exception
an illiterate and ignorant pretender in the
healing art
Show the man who has laid the founda.
ton of his profession in thorough knowl,
edge of Anatomy, Physiology, and PatholO.
condemn the Thompsonian system, as false
and dangerous. There cannot man a.
mong them be found, who has based his
profession in knowledge of these, and
much less in Chemistry and Botany. How
then does the Thompsonian's fiimsy theo.
ry appear? AS naked as the skeleton oil
which he knows nothing. Can such MAN
be qualified to take upon himself the re-
sponsibility that the sick man would throw
upon him? How dare ne do it, when ev.
cry step he takes, is a step taken in the
dark without the slightest knowledge of the
dangerous road that lies before him, yet he
does take that step, not wilfully perhaps,
but ignorantly. We are disposed to be
charitable, therefore we do not believe any
man among us, so depraved as wilfully TO
pursue course which after little candid
consideration would not be abandoned !;
consequently our conclusion must be, that
the Thompsonians pursue course being
ignorant of what they do. But does the
truth rest here Are not the laws of Yer
mont favorable TO this system,and well cal
culated TO increase their numbers? They
have the power given them to collect their
fees for services by them rendered. This
is door opened through which many are
entering, and claiming by single step, the
title of Doctors of Medicine, but on whom
the law of most of the other States has re-
fused to confer such title, alleging that
honorary titles were designed only as marks
of professional attainment.
1t must be obvious then, that those who
embrace this system, have done so because
it is so accessible, and not because they
believe it good and safe one. They have
consulted. more their own ease than the
good of mankind. knowledge requires la
Dor, if we would obtain it but to this Class
of professors it is foolishness. A few pa
ges from father Thompson's manuscript, or
few numbers of the Seoul, is all that is
necessary for any man who wishes to be-
come Thompsonian NJ. d. in Vermont.
We have felt called upon to notice this
subject because we every day see more and
more of the dangerous and fatal tendency
of the Thompsonian theory, and the course
pursued in practice. Cases close around us,
have occurred in this village where the
immediate effect produced by their reme-
dies was in our view fatal to the recovery
of health. Who ever heard of Lobclia,
Cayenne or Hot drops used in Gastritis,
En- teritis, Peritonites, or any other of the
infammatory diseases till it was heard of,
and known TO be used in these complaints
by the Thompsonian or Botanic Doctors
as they are called. There is no authority
under Heaven for such a course, yet these
remedies, as they would term them, are
persisted in day after day without the least
change in the treatment, or alienation OF
suffering, and if the poor sufferer RECEIVERS
at all, it must be by his strength of consti-
tuition. The disease in one case particu.
larry, which We feel called upon to notice,
was of that character, in which it seems as
though the common sense of any individu-
al must have condemned the use of heating
remedies, and in short the whole course
pursued in the case. Cayenne and Hot
drops may sometimes do well in Tonsllitis
or simple sore throat, but where the whole
alimentary canal is implicated, it would be
dangerous to rely upon these, but they were
relied upon with the addition of an occa-
sional emetic dose of Lobelia. 1t is enough
to say, the man died, and the Botanic Doc
tor is doubtless ready to ascribe his i'll sue
cess to the rirulence of the disease, which,
however, the day previous TO the patients
taking Lobelia, was not the case.
Another individual who was found labor
ing under subacute Inflammation Of the
stomach, had for several days been under
the care Of Botanic. who pursued the
same course of treatment in this as in the
former case, till all the symptoms became
aggravated, when he was dismissed.
These cases are not mentioned for the
sake of prosecuting the Thompsonians as
they would allege, but for the purpose Of
undeceiving, and inducing the people tc
examine for themselves, the claims thl:
system has upon their credulity.
From the following will be seen the es
timation in which the Thompsonian sys
tenn is held by committee appointed to In
vestigate its claims, in the Legislature o.
South Carolina:
"Your committee would respectfully sug
gest, that the Thompsonian practice o
physic is not founded in knowledge o
the Anatomy of the human body, nor o
the laws which govern its different func
tons, either in health or disease. And tina
any system ofpractice resting upon any
other basis than that of thorough knowl
edge of Anatomy and Pathology, can new
er be productive of any great good to com
munrty. We therefore. are ofopinion tina
a system of medical practice which dispen
ses with this all important preliminary in
| efr,cfiop must stand fnravor copdam nor