The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-07-29
(For the Gazette.)
TuESCIENCE MEDICINE.
"Selze upon truth wherever found,
On Christian or on heather ground !;


, On Christian or on heather ground;
! Among your friends, among your foes,
II The plants divine where'er il grows"
The practice Of medicine is as old as the
pains Of man. From that date till the
} present, there has been al order Of men
set apart from other pursuits Of life and de.
voted to tho study and practice Of this 90
cient art: to the investigation Of the causes
Of disease, The best means for the removal
Of it, and the best modes Of their applica.
tion. This venerable and noble order
has continued, uniaterruptedly from its
birth down to the present moment; COM
mencing with a single fact, poorer in
knowledge than the yeriest quack, simple
as the attainments ofan infant, it recorded
that, and by slow degrees acquired others,
continuing, MS it passed down the stream Of
time, TO add fact to fact, ill now it appears
as the Aost learned and scientific profess
sion Of the age. In its march through cen
luries, it lost none ofi,s wisdom, but great.
| " added thereto. Every succeeding gen
Grafton Inherited all that preceded it; and
hus will it ever continue accumula,ing
knowledge till the end Of time.
The scope and spirit Of medicine, lead
her devotees into all the fields OF science,
and hence the final achievements Of this
re- nowned order--the cultivators of the di-
vine ar,-will be full exploration Of The
science Of man, and Of all nature. Not
only will il become thoroughly acquainted
with hydra headed disease, but it will ere
long reveal TO delighted world, that long
wished-for but mysterious scence--,be
science Of henlth--as clearly and perfectly
as is now that Of chemistry.
Knowing that this is the inevitable des-
tiny Of the profession Of medicine-ihis
The heavenly mission of the student of man
who will not encourage the perpetuation
fthis order; who SO low as not give to the
devoted student his cheering countenance
md cordial aid? For one moment realize
the ocean of talent that is spending all its
energies in the cultivation and practice oil
medicine. Mind is most rapidly multiply
ing; he two continents are dotted all over
sith medical investigators; each man has
become Rush, and, certainly as reward
awaits the lahorer, will the profession solve
the problems Of disease, Of life, Of health, OF
intelligence and ofhappness. Its present
amour, Of wisdom has lighted up the very
nooks, corners and holes of earth; render
ing The human body transparent; has lii q
limp in every pit, Granny and cell in the
living man. Its pile Of facts reaches high
er than Olympus and their united stories,
when accurately heard and weighed. will
be, and are, Of more value TO msn than the
wisdom Of Jove and his Senate.
l Heretofore, the grea: object Of the pro.
fession has been TO transfer the dying man
and woman from all their pain and agony
TO all the pleasures Of life, the blessings Of
society and the happiness Of friends; but a
greater object is now cngrossing its a,,en-
,ion, viz, 20 furnish all men with the
means by which they can preserve health
in all it's sweetness and enjoyments.-
These are the objects Of our order. Are
they praisswostby and do they command
respect? But the bystander, looking out
upon the profession. says they are not its
objects. 1t is all split up by intestinal
euds; it is wrangling and devouring itself
Each sect is an enemy to the balance; and,
instead Of cultiyating medicine and the
science Of life, the whole is being destroy
ed by its parts, and civil war is devastating
its fair fields. Alopathy, venerable with
age and renowned for learning, is with its
herculean power, strangling Ph,sopa.
thy, Hydropatly and Homeopathy; and
they ia turn are more anxious to devour
each other than to enrich and ornament
the science Of life. Men Of sense! is this
true?
Indignantly rcpudiae such slander !.
l'Tis calumny upon the devoted cultiva,
tors Of the profession, found 10 all the
schools. The observer, as he stands BY
the medical stream, sees only the drift
wood that is continually sgi,ated by the
backward currents, occasioned by the irreg
nlari,ies ofthe shore; while if he would ele
va,e and extend his vision, he would behold
The great mas Of water flowing on with q
Mississippi strength TO the goal Of human
elevation and redemption. Still medical
men disagree on vital sub;ect--all is no,
peace No, and blessings innummerable
resul, 10 the race and medicine f.om our
disagreement on speculative subjects
The world of demonstration is a unit
there oil is quiet and agreement. Blu, in
,he world OF speculation is opposition,
strife and schsms-nnd so may il be to the
end OF time. knowledge brings concord
and war BETTER hy far that We have