The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-03-17

em.tor good or evil This point was illustrated by
varors anecdotes. Therefore il was the duty of
the physician to study the opet ations andinueDces
Oh these various feelings and emotions AMI human
nature IN ail Its phases As instance of the i'm,
materiality of emotion and its effect upon the ma
teria body, the speaker alluded to two warriors of
o'den time, who meeting n the fl Id of battle and
engaged IN bloody conflict One knight proved
the victor, and upon STOPPING TO unloose fhe hel
met OF his stricken antagonist he discovered that
II was a brother, and he maniac In all ,hese
diseases OF the mind then there was to be distinc.
ton made from those of the BODY Debility and
sickness produced by immateral causes the affec-
tons or the feelings, must be cured by 'mnaterial
remedies
Medicine could not cure the diseased mind. This
was proven in lunatc asylums. Perverted
pssslons and xcess of violent emotions tenanted
those asylums-and how were those diseases of
the mind to be remediedf Their cure was to be
eHected only upon thorough knowledge of the
operations and emotions of the mind carried out
witE klndness, faithfulness and perseverance,
mrs. Frye's conciliatory and soothing course OF
treatment connected with her knowledge of h.i-
Elan nature gave her wonderful power over the
depraved and diseased of mind An instance was
siso given of Mise Dix, in our own land who en-.
tered the room of raving and fierce Tuaniac read
tne SCRIPTURES in his silent and attentive hearing
ana wno when che was about to depart. prayed her
10 remain, for she had been to him en- angel from
Heaven,
The speaker next referred to the power which
this knowledge of human nature gave, not only to
tne regular physician, but also to the quack Many
oi this latter class studied thoroughly the phos3
ply OF the human mind, and thus they could effect
cures and exercise anihfiuence where the thorough
bred physician could not who had not go studied
man. Dr. Rush, in early life, was acquainted with
young female, and to .ether they were in the habit
OF often repairing in childhood. to an eagles nest
While practicing in Philadelphia, he was called
upon to visit her, and found her sinking fast and
medicine OF no avail He bethought him Of trying
0ther -emedtes; SO, upon entering her room one
DAY, ne cried out in cheerful voice. the eagles
nest She replied exultingly, the eagles nest :"
hPr n1'nd going back to earlier, happier hours and
bringing into review the pleasant OF the past
ana from that moment her system hitherto imps.
nous to all medical remedies, began to recuberate
and she recovered. Such was the effect of an i'm,
material medicine of thought The good doctor in
eSpiainlng the phenomena, said Mr. G left out one
chief peculiar1ty, and that that they went both
together IN their younger days to the eagles nest
From what ne (Mr g. could un iefstand, there was
the coolng OF doves well the hunting of eagl. s.
In these expeditions, and the revival of the old ten
ger sympathles between them, aided in her c0nva
iescence without question. (Applause) The point
o. the whole matter was, that while she was lying
IN state OF languor and stupor. he spoke OF the
eagles nest, which was an appeal to the imagina-
ton, that appeal brought conception. and conceL.
ton brought before her minds eye the cheering
scenes of earlier days, which, together with his
presence, impaired living realty to the concep.
uon, ana exercised a most whole= ome influence on
her physical system. The conception would not
have been as strongif he had not been present, in
the same manner that conception of the classic
lands of lta and Greece were more iaint and less
active when read OF, than whtn actually visited
Thisintuence of the imagination gave to the physi-
clan great power and he practised on it every day
without fully comprehending the reason.
He would take, tor instance one of bis fair
dience, and he trusted, f,r the sake of Virginia chi
vaiy, that each of the class had one. (Greatla laugh
ter aud applause) That fair lady might imagine
herself unwell and the alamnus, with all his medi-
cal authority, might endeavor to Convince her she
was mistaken, but without success. She must have
SOME paipabie object around which to gather her
conceptions Of the recovery of health Take, per-
haps, small portion of common food and roll it
into 81 here and administer it in drops of simula-
ted water, and she would soon recover. And this
preparatory harmless III Its character, proved a
remedy because the conception of the recovery Of
her health had become embodied around some pal
pabe administration of matter. This was the
whole secret OF quackery. And without this knowi
edge OF the philosophy OF the mind the great pro
bability that some of the class before him
would yet be out-e eneralled by some quack.
quack was medical demagogue,-and like q po-
ntical demagosue, he studied human nature-he
studied the passions prejldices and mental pheno
mena CT the community in which he hved-vari
Gus were his modes OF action. Often shrewd H.
genous man, devoid of education, he yet possessed
good knowledge of mankind. He never appeared at
church, or if he did ii when, before hand, he
had arranged with some kind friend to be called
out to attend an urgent case. daughter and ap-
plause) With piethoric saddlehaes he always rode
in public VIE as if for life He sought to essblish
in the minds of his patients belief in his infalib
,y; ard he knew that ninetenths of the patients
would get well without his assistance (great ap-
plause) he prescribes some quiet and harmless po-
ticn, and then when the patient has recovered,
spreads far and wide the trinmphs of his cure. He
| would magnify the danger of his disease with vi
sage grave as that of the bird of Minerva, AMI mo
! tions most ominous-thus making the recovery of
| the patient more wonderful. 1t this power
| over the mind that gave quacks their power This
| knowledge, rightly used united with correct
knowledge of medicine, wouli give success to the
| regular physician; and certainly if he would i.
umph over the medical demagoeue he must study
the phi osopLy of the motives and EN- JiioRs, by
which the heart of man moulded and int1u
| enced.
| MIR G. then proceeded to consider, in conclusion,
| the relations which existed between the study of
| mans mental nature and the very highest depart
ments of medical science; coptending that 1t was
absolutely necessary that the skiiful physiologst
should be an eminent philosopher The proper
2s position and functions of the ierent portions
of the human frame, and their susceptibility 10 the
emotions and action of the mind were all to be stu
died in connection We have given but feeble
outline of Mr. G. address, which occupifd d over
an hour in delivery, the Inconvenience attending
note taking in a crowded assembly and the limited
extent of our columns being, we trust q Sufficient
excuse for the condensation. The address was
rather dituse in its character but contained many
strong practical ideas strikirgly illustra ed and
impressvely deliverei Music followed after which
DIR. Gibson delivered an able address upon the POSI-
ton, influence and duties Of the physician. We
shall present an abstract of this eloquent produc
ton tomorrow The exercises of the commence.
me3t closed with music from the band
s44 FOR BREMEN.-The fast sailing ANA