Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-04-17
Published by request.)
Popular Medical Delusions.
Onf Won imnosknra

the Course was delivered last Tuesday
evening BY Doctor jerks S Sprague upoi
Popular Medical Decisions
The art of healing is the mos. impor
taat, responsible ani honorable Of The learn,
ed professions. No other profession re-
quires SO much scientific knowledge and
common sense to render the prac i Toner
qualified and reliable, as does the medical
practitioner; and none other is rs arduous
self-sacrificing and thankl.ss as that whicr
administers soothingly and cura lively t.
the pllns and diseases which flesh is he'll
TO. All professions have their charlaans
protenti,ns qu.cks and isnoran prac ION
ers but Ill the me .iical, the numbcris legion
and In no Other do quacks AMI empires
prac ice 50 pervalinsly and disas aousiy
upon the creIulliy and superstition of Tie
public.
Doctor Sprague is thoroughly educa-
ted nun in his profession, has devo.ed him.
self assiluously for many ycars--is f,mil-
iar with all moiern Improvements and dis.
coverles III the healing art, AM his lecture
was SO eminently practical and useful. as
we'll as scicn iflc AMI professional, that
notice OF IL, more ex -enl.l than is our Gus
tom. cannot f.l to be acceptable to oul
readers.
TIE Lecturer commenced by an interest.
ing reference to the orr lin and early his,o-
ry of the healing art Man, originally Gre
ated an imperishabe being. yiel TED TO the
tempter AMI ate of the fruis of that forbi l.
den tree, whose NOR al taste brou sht deati
and all Our ac0e' The Poet SAYS that
The first physicians by debluch were m lde;
Excess begun, and Sloth su .ta Us the trade
But the lee -urer sail that the origin OF
medical remedies was coevIl with the fall
OF inan-at all even ;. no country or peo-
pie, however i5lortn. o. bIrb ,rous, has
ever been known EN- irely des j ute Of me J.
Ici.lal resources. The first remedies were
simple-moliications of heat an cold,
moisture AMI drvness--then relief was
sou 5ht In charms, anauIetS and in untattons.
Six hundred years before The Chris.i,n era
green jasper, in the form Of dragon aaC
worn about the neck, was prescription
Tor Strengthening ,he stomach and organs
Of il5es ioa. The earrings which Jacob
bu.iei under the oak a: Shecim, are sup
poseI To have been amuletS Josephus tells
ne, that So-omon discovered plant, olfiea-
eious IN the cure ofepiepsy. anI tina: he
USED spell or charm 20 assiS: its virtues.
For many yes, the ChalIeans and Bah
yloalaas carried ,heir sick 10 the the mar
kets I'D thoroughf.res, that they might
obtain remedies. bu; his informa ion was
only preserve! and transmit el o ally. AS
civiiizt I'm advanced. tie remedial proper
ties of plants AMI natural substances became
accidentally revealed and discovered, and
IN the Temple of Esculapius, in Greece,
medical Information was is. recorded /, and
upon durable tablets of marble. The priests
OF le Temple. prepared the remedies and
directed the application. and thus com
menced, 49, years before Chlist; the med
zeal Profession.
The Ancient Greek physicians used the
rus. of iron, hellvborc, opiums and squiIls
as remedies; aud Nes-er applied cata-
plaSm Of cheese, onion, meal and wine to
the wounds Of the disabled at the siege of
Troy.
The Hebrews confined their practice to
simple remedies careful at;en ion TO di-
OF, frequent abluions Of the body and the
combus ION of infected garments We are
told, however, that music was the remedial
agent to cure SAUL, who WAS afflicted wi h
al e0lZ spir2-that poultice of frs was
applied 10 King Hezekilh, and cured him
OF afs-al disease-thai the good Samari AN
applied OIL and nine to the wounds Of the
man who fell among thieves. and that He
rod was let down Into bath OfoI to cure
him OF an inveterate disease Among the
Chinese. Ginseng was for ages, the pana-
eea, and IS Sill most popular remedy
But to the Greeks belongs he honor offirst
'nstItusiny SCHOOLS or MEDICINE, and of ell.
evatinS the healing art. bya course of study
and Prac Ice, to tho di5ni.y of learned
profession.
Inc science OF medicine is now predica-
te upon the discoveries CT a series of ex-
pcrlmen,s and careful observations, durinp
a perioi + twenty centuries; the theory Of
hte Is better understood; the principle Of vi
tally Is better appreciated. and science en-
abeS the prac .itioner to demonstrate its
minutes. organs of Development, and to
comprehend the philosophy Of those vital
forces which play so i'm porlant a part in is
uncea5ilg movements.
The science Of medicine al houyh ma
turei and eleva.el, makes no vain pretcn
tons to perfec.ibili y; il is not claimed TO
be an eroct science. but it claims 10 have
learned the location, the structure and func-
tons of all the organs Of the animal frame,
AMI To have become f,miliar with the ope.
IA ions and ELECTS Of remedial agents; and
there Is enough Of reasonable Ger ainty in
general principles. as prac iced by well ed
ucaaed physicians. to commend it to the
conf lence Of all intelligent and cultivated
minis.
Unfortunately, however, there are are. in
all communities. many individuals who
have an inate procliviy to doubt demon
s:ratei truths. and give full credencA to
that which IS mysterious and marvellous
Such persons usually advocate and patron.
lie patent medicines, nostrums AMI other
popular 'humbugs' of the day, they discarl
all Improvements and discoveries in mol
ern science. and while they have no conf
dence In men we'll educated and long train
ed to the noble art Of healing. they place i'm
al II Il