Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1849-08-02
Published every Thursday
Science VS.. Quackery.

III oitO REQUESTS US III copy W iOliONl0g eAtTdCt,
from the said proceedings, as recorded on pages 9
and 10. He regards tie matter as not only of public
interest. but as of especial interest to c~lergymsn and
their families, who are charged with extraordinary
readiness to +" countenance ~quackery and patent medi-
cines, both by signature and influence"
"Dr. Parry, in the absence Of the chairman, from the
committee on resolutions, reported a preamble and a series
of resolutions, which elected considerable discussion, and
we've unanimously adopted, as follows:
WHEREAS, The science Of Medicine has always stood
prominent amongst the learned professions, being the most
responsible, so should it be one OF the most honorable and
elevated, and it is our duty. by every means in our power,
not only 10 sustain but to advance its dignity. Therefore,
ResOtred, That il is our duty to discourage young men
frum the study Of Medicine who have not the ability, and
who are not determined TO puIsue it regularly or thoroughly
until they may acquire a degIee.
RESOLVED, That ii $ our duty to discourage, by every means
in our power, the extension Of empiricism in any and every
with any irregular practitioner Of medicine-such as Home
opsihists, Hydlopsthists, Thomsonians, CT Eclectics-or lend
them any aid in the management OF a patient under their
charge.
WHEREAS. The Medical profession in general have been
accustomed heretofore to bestow professional services upon
clergymen, and their families, cautiously, and have consid-
cred it a pleasure so to do; AND WHEREAS, There is no
class Of our fellow citizens, with The same influence at COM
mand, who so readily cOunienance quackery and patent med
icines, both by signature and influence therefore,
ReSsfred, That we will hereafter demand remuneration
from all %elergymeO, as from other patients, who, in any
manner, are known to lend their influence TO irregular
practitioners, or to the dissemination of nosirums."
IL III" - u hA'N SbiPAOAhB ~ SOihC1 hH0h OOa
Druggists and Apothecaries were not included in the
same category. If it be just, right, benevolent, rea-
sonable and christianlike, to refuse TO wait upon cler-
gymen and their families, because they may have
ignorantly encouraged quackory and quack medicines,
certainly druggists and apothecaries deserve severe
punishment, for they do more than any other class,
in the same line, and will sometimes ''quack I" it a
little on their 50 own hook" Just look at the flaming
show-bills. with which they all ornament their estab-
%lishments; and just read the puffs which they publish
in the papers. But all this is in the way of trade,
you say! Yes, and so is grog selling. But then
again, if the doctors A" could do what they profess
to be able to do, we should have no market for quack
medicine, and no one could sell it! All, yesl There's
the rub But they do fail, once in n great while, by
accident, of course; and once in a while also, one
among them gets discouraged with his own " science"
like old DR.. Coe, whose head grew gray in the allo-
pathic practice; or old DR.. Mupsell, the best mathe-
matician in the State; or old DR.. Richmond, who
confessed that he had taken too much of his own
drugs and then ''clergymen and their families get
discouraged, as well as some others of the unenlight-
ened community, and thus lose their faith in the
6 exact science ~ of ~nllopathy!
1t is well that some measures should be taken to
cue 1T ldItH vi III cuCu HtTeliCS. his - HOb
to be done by any attempt at improvement, because
all the knowledge that is come-at-able, is confined
to a certain favored few, and nothing is left for dis
covery by any one else. 1t is not TO be accomplished
by any personal efforts on the part of the favored to
ercel in their own profession. That is out of the
question entirely; for it so happens that there is this
very striking popularity about the ~allopathic " sci
ence,'' and in which it differs from all other branches
of human knowledge the veriest tyro, the moment
he has read q single theoretical treatise of the right
kind, is miraculously imbued with a knowledge as
wonderful, and oftener much more certain, than after
he has pored over a thousand treatises, and practiced
~clinically fifty years! No other science does so much
for its yotaries. A man might read many books on
architecture, and yet not know how to use q jack
plane, unless he had taken a /" degree in some car
penter's shop. So one might read books on horology,
and yet know nothing practically of m%ending a watch.
But there is a kind of magic about n medical book of
the right school, which at once opens the whole arcana
of medical science to those of the 60 true faith"
The time was, and not many years ago, that the
people were better satisfied of the truth of all this,
than they are at present. At that time, in no less
than eighteen of the States, there were prohi5itoru
statutes against quacks and q~uackery. which 'sthe
doctors" had got enacted solely for the public good
Such has been the progress of heresy, however, that
probably at this day not one of those salutary statutes
; is in force, nor can they be re-enacted. That being
the condition Of things, nothing Of course remains
but !" moral suasion." IF the people, and especially
clergymen. t1H be so ~skeptical; if they will think
that all knowledge is not confined to a certain class
or school, but that there is some good in all, as the
; Eclectics do if they will prefer the simple remedies
} of tire Thomsonian to the deadly poisons of the chem
list if they viii choose the cold water of the Hydro
pathist to the fiery iinctures of t" the shops - if they
will prefer the little doses of the Homoepathists to
the big ones of the AH-opaihists; and. after all, il
they don't get cured, why, let EN- die, for aught we
. care, and not only die, but be -
I "Does Col. Benton, in his speeches in Missouri
say that he is in favor of the Wilmot Proviso!"
The Journal addresses to US the above query. Per