The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-22

Lecture % Professsr Gar nochan on The
Science and Practice OF Medicine,
On Wednesday evening, Professor Carnochan delivered
very interesting lecture TO highly audi ncs
Of both sexes the Medical College, Fast Thirteenth
street. preliminary 10 the opening OF the session. 1t
embl the whole range of the theory practice and
philosophy Of the medical and surgical arts After q
pray by Rev Mr. AcAuey the Professor proceeded A.
follows -
The word medicine is derived from Latin word which
signifies cure taking this stymology basis med
cine long defined to be the art Of curing disease but
this definition indicates only very small part the OBJ
shch c rG giving an exact idea
univsrsaty OF human knowledge, and thus constitutes
encyclopedia in isek.
In the early ages when medicine still in it's in
fancy seemed to consist merely in the relation existing
between disease and the reputed to be apt for its
wss nc" !. @ It to be the s O.
milton has ceased to be satisfactory Enlightened
rejects it and demands lofer language philoso
the word medicine may be defined to be the science all
the facts which should be known 10 order to apply with
sk those resources ey means 81 which In concert
disease, at least in mitigating its intensity In word
medicine is both the science Of health and the art Of
preserving it. and the science of disease and the Of
treating and curing it.
Explained by masters Of the art, medicine has fixed
method resting upon the triple basis observation
perience and information Its object is the knowledge
OF the living body whether diseased healthy; but
life sustained only by the fundamentally Of external
agents. it results that medicine has also for its object tho
knowledge OF those agents and their reatonsthat is
say the knowledge Of organic and inorganic nature
aim than the Of Diseases aims at enlargng
physical and moral existence at improving and
conducting it to the term Of its natural duration 1t
not the mad pretenson Of suspending the will of Him
who everywhere has death by the side Of le but
only Of secondng nature in her Efforts and
Of regulating the equilibrium of her actions to
tain from lite all that it give and make long
the universal law will permit
Such is the true and solemn aim of medicine; and he
who It in this light already knows what constitutes
the function the physician. He knows that the
ghened physician should always be the minister Of
tpre aimee only by following her example and her
laws that he render real service to humanity her
three fold aspect, physical, moral and Intellectual
Medicine has for its subject all that lives and especially
man-that many. parted being composed Of matter mind
and spirtthat aggregate OF solids and liquids viv6sd
by an active cause which maintains the harmony of the
whole.
Az medicine has for its object the knowledge of living
beings and Of their relations Its field of observation is
known to the true physician. All the sciences and all
branches of human knowledge are his tributaries.
Medicine is ncontestiby autonomous and autocratie
other sciences did not 1t has its fundamental prn
cples dogmas and genius-s special ratocnation Ian
nvokes the aid of other sciences subjects them to Its
discipline never permitting them to usurp share its
natural and privileged domain
Medicine is composed of two distinct parts-a dogmatc
part and technical part The former constt ates the
science properly called The constitutes the art
practice and is the application of the science Whether
viewed science art it is divided and sub-d
yided into numerous branches, some OF which are pnc
pal branches Others accessory.
General pathology is the science which treats Of disease
and the gencraes of medicine. In the latter respect
it il In manner the key Of medical science for it defines
words and TERMS establishes the different divisions and
divisions Of the scSnce explains and jusiaes them
In word in its highest and widest scope 1t is medical
philosophy ITSELF
By medical physics is understood the mechanics of
organized bodies 1t takes cognizance of the mechanical
action OF the different parts Of the animal mechanism
and Of the physical laws which govern the organism In
the living body there to be found mechanism of mar
vellous completely and adaptation There vaults,
basins, levers, pulies and other instruments in
to investigate and explain their powers BY this branch
of science explained the vibrations of the
ear the emotion Of light through the different chambers
of the eye the formation of the voice in the arynx the
play of the nuseous levers the elasticity of the organs
the circulation o liquids through the Migratory passages
the word the statistics and dynamics Of
The subject of medical chemistry is to demonstrate the
composition Of the organic elements of the human body
that to say the elementary principles of the Solids
liquids and gases which enter into its composition 1t
makes known the intimate action of those elements.
the beings and of all the bodies existing in nature It
studies their forms, their external characteristics
and internal structure whether they exist in the air
In the water on the surface of the earth in the depths
Of its bowels.
Mneralogy of the divisions of natural history
having for its object the description and classification OF
inorganic bodies shows nature everywhere mpa
to act and soctous to create her Mt work. vary
ing at peasure-there the number or extent Of planes
the nfnitude of angles-here the elegance Of forms
or the brilancy OF colora. What spectacle for the
philosopher is that living laboratory, where the eemen
tay atoms seeking and avoiding each other in obedience
to fixed laws necessarily operating the prodges OF
material aggregation And for the physician, what field
gush those medicinal bodies whose sautary virtues have
been tested in the of health in the
disease from the adopted by the ignorance of
the early observers. and still preserved and multi
piled, curative preventive nostrums in the deceit
full and delusive therapeutics Of modern quackery
on S @ @ s .uS
Of the solid and liquid parts the plastic assemblage Of
which constitutes organized being 1t demonstrates the
direction connections and relations of all the parts of the
organization Hun anatomy has for its special object
ration Of all the parts of the human body and also the
manner in which those parts enter into action and &C.
eompsh the functions devolvng upon them by general
laws Anatomy does rot stand alone and insulated The
sublime mechanism 1t reveals must be studied while at
work in the performance Of its wonderful functions In
word, anatomy is inseparabls from physiology Ply
yy and exercising, with regularity the movements Of
fe it the science of the phenomena and acts which
the expression and consequences of the laws Of vitality
the history Of life in action. Anatomy would be mean
ngless If physiology did not enghten upon the
and of the various parts Of the structures and
reciprocaly physiology would be without credit If
manned ignorant Of the living organism which is the fun
damenta basis Of its demonstrations. without ply
sioogy anatomy mute and without anatomy physiology
into concerted action, light circuates with them Inform
ing and stimulating the Intelligence.
This Professor them after defining physiology materia
medca, etiology, symptomatoogy, semeology general
therapeutics and posoogy proceeded to treat surgery
at very great length He saidAccording TO the strict
sense Of its etymology-che hand egon work-surgery
art which nstrucs the hand and directs in the employ
Of the mechanical required in the treatment
Of certain affections 1t is however, impossible to
tabh the Fixed characters by which surgical affections
dstinguishabls from medical aections their quali
raftp IL md avA1c
upon ndisputabe scientific principles It is Indispensable
that the surgeon should possess profound knowledge Of
anatomy.
Surgery demands more services from physiology than is
commonly supposed General pathology is indispensable
to the surgeon The knowledge Of medical internal
thoogy is obligatory the surgeon As for external
pathology it is the light of surgery Beside the general
division OF the practical art into surgery and medicine
there are and there must be- other divisions which haye
for their object the limitation of thorough and complete
Investigations within determined category of facts
that they shall not be out of proportion with the powers
Of the human mind the duration Of human life. No
man can aa'ter himself with possessing complete know
ledge Of all that is recorded in the annals of the healing
art useful and true still less he hope that the