Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-03-28
From the Evening Mirror
Homeopathy, Aiiopathy and Young Physic.
trsl Va t..e, (C0ncluded.) i5ibf,t.


ded BY Dr.. Scott, in the Philosophical Trans.
actions for l778. The patient was the wife Of
an apothecary, and became subject to regular
attacks Of asthma after her marriage For
some years no particular cause was suspected;
but il was at length discovered that the parox.
ysm invariably came on when ipecacuanha was
powdered in the shop. This practice was ac-
cordingly discontinued, apd che continued well
eight or ten years, until one day, when her hus.
band again brought home some powdered ipe.
cacuanha, and opened the packet in order to put
the drug into bottle, "his wife not being fat
off at the time, and in perfect health" This
occasioned q most violent fit Of asthma, which
lasted eight days, becoming better during the
day, and much worse at night"
How much 1pecacuanha did this druggist's
wife inhule what was its weight! what would
il look like, if put on, the end Of penknife
Shame on such material doctrine. .ts
DR.. Forbes notices the report OF Fleischmau,
physician to the Hospital Of the Sisters Of Char.
ty in Vienna, during a period Of eight years,
| from the beginning of 1885 10 the end of 1S43.
The number of patients, al Of whom are treated
llomDopa thicaly, was 655l, of whom 407 died.
| being one in 16, or a fraction over 6 per cent
Doctor Forbes Sims up his opinion of the result
Of the treatment, in the following words:
| "No candid physician, looking at the original
| report, or at the small part Of it which we have
extracted, will hesitate to acknowledge that the
results set forth would have bern considered BY
him as satisfactory, il they had occurred in his
own practice. .., s.s,ist. .,sys. 4 .syy
But the results presented to US in the several
| internal infama.ions, are certainly not such as
most practical physicians would have expected
to be obtained under the exclusive adminstr-
| ton of thonsandth or milionth, or billcnth
part Of phosphorons, every two, three or 'our
hours. 1t would, be very unreasonable TO be-
lieve that, out Of 300 cases Of pleurisy. and l05
cases of peritonits. Tin all 62o cases. spread o.
yer period Of eight years, all the cases, except
the fatal ones, (27 in number) were slight, and
such as would have seemed to US hardly requ-
\ ring treatment of any kind. In fact, accord.
ing to all experience, such could not be the
case But, independently of this a priori ar.
gument, we have sufficient evidence to prove
that many Of the cases of pneumonia, at least,
were indeed severe cases. A few of these ca
ses were reported in detail by Dr.. Fleischman
himself, and we have ourselves had the state
ment corroborated by the private testimony of a
physician (not a homooputhiest) who attended
DR.. Fs-wsrds for three months This gentle.
| man watched the course of several cases Of
pneumonia and traced their progress by the ply
scal signs, through the different stages Of con.
ges'ion, hepatization, and resolution, up to q
perfect cure, within period of time which
would have appeared short under tile most en-.
ergetic treatment ofallopathy. a' na' On 30
DR.. Forbes also notices Professor Henderson's
cases, and observes in regard TO them that they
would have been regarded as very satisfactory
under any mode Of Allopathic treatment that
many were successful, and some of them trin7n.
phant (, Indeed he bestows so muchpraise on
Professor Henderson, that the thought seems to
occur TO him that he is overstepping the limits
Of orthodox Allopathy, and thus spologises for
his WARMTH sl rii 7@t'H ~
"I'ut many of our readers, we expect, will
be of opinion that, in admitting what we have
done, we are beirayng the cause of legitimate
medicine, and lending our aid TO extend the he
resy of Homeopathy. IT such should be the
result Of our admissions, we cannot help it
we have said only what we believe TO be true,
and ifwhat we believe, is in reality the truth,
the promugation OF il cannot lead toevls-Truth
is good lfthe art of medicine, as we profess
and practice it, cannot bear investigation, and
shrnks before the light o! truth, from whatso.
ever quarter it may come, il is high time that
it should cease TO be sanctioned and upheld
by philosophers and honest men, o'iR an
The same idea seems to have occurred to Dr.
Forbes; Tor he says, on subsequent page
"But while we are thus exalting the power
Of nature at the expense OF Homeopathy, are
we not, at the same time, laying bare the ma.
kedness Of our own cherished Allopalhyl III,
is nature that cures in Homeopathy, and if fo
moeopatby Gas we have ADMITTEDLY does thus
cure. in certain cases, as well as Allopathy, dc
we not, BY this admission, inevitably expose
ourselves, defenceless, TO the shock Of the tre
mendous inference-that the treatment Of ma
ny diseases on the ordinary plan must, at the
very best. be useless; while It inficts on ou'
patients some serious evils, that Homeopathy