The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-05-06
DOCTORS AND THEIR PRESCRIPTIONS.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER,

We have steadfastly adhered to the old school /,
probably from our naturally conservative bias
New-fangled notions we have always had our
own opinion Of We have stuck therefore to the
good old paths of medicine, and refused to re-
move Observation-Disclosures, lancet pill, bolus
lotion, potion, all are yet objects of respectful
reverence. We have grave moral doubts as to
this insidiOus, mysterious, tasteless Homeopa-
thy. 1t seems not unlikely to be part of a
general tendency to effeminacy which is creep
ing in with wealth and refinement There is
a strong aroma of Incidence about it. Il re-
quires no exertion no sclfdenial. Taking medi
cine, once manly and heroic achievement, has
become mere sugar-plum affair.
Once doctors sat down around a sick man
like a fleet of ships about Gibraltar. They bonn
barded disease, front and rear, with balls and
boluses; they pierced it, or scarifed it, or hung
upon its course with cataplasm and blister, at
such n rate, that any man with half an eye
could see that one or the other must give out
speedily-the disease or the patient But now
our Homeopathic Chesterfield regards disease
as a good natured intruder that can be winked
and bowed and smiled out. Diseases are mere
callers ready to stop ut the door and leave their
card. or to sit five minutes and be off--a very
different set from the old, surly, obstinate ten
ants, who held our bones and organs upon in
definite leases. A sniff, pellet, which it re-
aures an eye of faith to see, mere medical hint,
as it were, is enough to do what once ounces,
pounds, and quarts, could scarcely effect. This
| is iugrlery, We fear or worse. No man, on re-
covery, can look back with an applauding con-
science upon his own sincere endeavors, as once
he could. to sit up in bed, when from hair to
heels you are but one prolonged nausea with
swimmngeyes to descry your nurse approaching
with lukewarm SIENNA; to calculate with stom
ach-heaving arithmetic how many gulps Will
be required; and then, with every resource Of
your being at burning martyr-point to thrust
the unutterable abomnation down, and with
even fiercer fight TO keep it down-wbo, rs he
fell back upon his newly beaten-up pillow, ha'
not felt that no disease with one particle OF
self-respect would long stand in company with
such hideous medicine! One is proud OF hi,
Anglo-Saxon capacity of his sacrifices and sui
ferings for health and when health returns, N
feels that he has earned il, and paid, by pair
and potion, every farthing which the VIOLATED
laws of health exacted. To get well was evl
dence that man was made OF the sternes'
stuff
But, bah We are ashamed to think hov
these efemnate doctors who carry whole
apothecary snopn pOcketDook no p'sSc' WV"
your hand, walk in, put three drops OF some
thing into two half tumblers Of water givini
you a teaspoonful, utterly tasteless, hour b.
hour; or put upon your tongue three or lou
white specks of mlk-sugar, and that he call
medicine Our Anglo-Saxon forefathers woul'
have scorned to get well upon such dalnt
practice, and would die like men upon substan
tial medicine, rather than sneak back to LIT
upon such eHeminacy.
To be sure, almost every relative that W
have, paternal, fratenal, seroral, but not uxo
rial has yielded to the insidous temptation ant
gone into these bye and forbidden paths. w
feel like Abiiel, faithful found among tho faith
less and we do not mean soon to desert tn
friends that have stood by us in so man.
chills and feyers, 80 many bilious fevers an
measles, and chickenpox, and infuenzas, &c.
We are daily exhorted to apostacy. Exam
pie and cyclopedias of advice are lavished upol
our obduracy. Our friends are against us on
parishiopers not few, are against us book
have been sent u.s. Oh, the cures that have bee
recounted! We are duly impressed from tim
to time with the fact that our departed neigh
Dor would have been alive now IL he had tak ~
his friends advice and sent for Homeopathy
l this child had gone down in the car Of Allop