The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1849-12-24

ical laws. in the investigation Of vital pheDom- |
ena, or in the remedies which govern them,
is Of the first importance; and that conseqent-
ly part of your time should be devoted to
this acquisition. Every change going on in
the system, whether normal or not, involves a
law Of this science: the action of medicine
upon every fluid, upon every organ Of the
body, altering or modifying their compositions
and functions, comes directly under the cog
nisance ofchemical science; and althoughyou
will be necessitated to learn of others their
therapeutic uses, the methods of their admin
istration &c, still you will find in chemistry
the true explanation of the causes of their ac-
tons.
The necessity of knowledge of chemical
science, is strikingIy exemplifed in those ply
sicians who have not studied it. They are
of course ignorant of the composition Of their
most familiar remedies, and are not capable
of Judging an aduterated medicine from a
pure one. The whole of their practice is a
series of guesses, for when person does not
know the rationale of the action Of the medi-
cine he administers, he is at least buta mere
guesser-an impiric.
A knowledge of Pharmacyis also essen
TALLY necessary to the Physician; and the
proof of the high stand this science takes in
a medical education in Europe, is in the fact
that no physician is allowed to practice his
profession there till he shall have spent sew
eral years in the practical study of Pharma-
cy. Unless you devote considerable atten-
ton to this science, you will be incapable Of
Judging whether preparation be half made
lup or not The articles of Morphia or Out
mime, Or Hydriodate of Potassa, or Ether
&C.. may be greatly adulterated or imperfect
: lily prepared and may thus pass out Of your
hands. In this case, their effects upon the
, system will not result as you anticipate, and
you are disappointed; or death may ensue
: from it, which will be attributed to your want
: of knowledge or skill. Every physician
/ should be fully competent to Manufacture all
: of his preparations, for it not unfrequently
5 happens that he is located where those are
/ not to be obtained; or if so, IN such state Of
: admixture,by passing throughs so many hands,
: as to be almost totally unfit for use. The
: adulteration of medicinal preparations is SO
: universally resorted to at the present day.
S that to obtain one in a state of purity is al
most impossible. What fearful responsible
: ties does the physician incur through this
S cause alone! As it is invariably the prac-
: tice to adulterate drugs before Chey reach
: our market, how is the physician to rely up
on those ne administers He may prescribe
matt
J its being pure, while there may not really
exist in that half gram more than one quar-
ter or one-eighth Of its weight of pure Nor
! phia. How can he know whether this. or his
y other preparations are pure 1t is impossi-
d BILE for him to know unless he possess a suf-
: fcint knowledge of Pharmacy to enable him
|, to discriminate purity from sophistcation
Could the Physician prepare his own med
u lcines-and it requires no complicated nor ex-
;. pensive apparatus to accomplish this-he
i would always have them by him in a state of
purity. Their effects upon The system would
d ensure an uniformity OF action which might
be wholly relied upon.
Many lecturers upon Chemistry devote a
great portion of their course to the consde-
ration of Inorganic Chemistry, and to the
lmponderabes. The latter really belong
more to Natural Philosophy than to our sci
ence, and therefore several of the ablest
chemists Foremost OF whom is Professor Gre
CORY Of Edinburgh have differed with them
substantiating in their place the more impor-
tant branch of Chemistry as related to veget-
able and animal organization, and particular
| ly the latter in its application to Pathology.
shall, SO far as possible, adopt this course,
as that which is best calculated to benefit the
Medical student, by imparting to him such
Information as comes directly within the
compass of his profession.
Within few years past some of the pro-
fessors have introduced as an adjunct to their
course, short one upon the use of the Mi
i croscope in anatomical Investigations. This
is of the greatest Importance, both as
source Of useful knowledge in Natural His
tory, and as a powerful assistant in certain
studies pertaining to diseased organs and
fluids. By this means the minute structure of
animal membranes and tissues is seen, and by
); their notifications from their normal struc-
: ture much light is gained in some of the most
iohccrra r,bauoraana in b1-r,.,r -,,bv,sioIoor,~