The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-09-08
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
BIZ One acho kme,c 1t.

| By One 1Ch0 EneU 1T.
The American Medical Gazette for june
gives remarkably interesting letter from
an American Medical student at Paris
This writer says that he once heard Mag
endie, the celebrated French physician and
Psychologist, open lecture somewhat il
| the following words:
Gentlemen: Medicine is great humbug
/ know it is called science-science, la.
deed It is nothing like science. Doc
tors are mere impirics, when they are not
charlatans. Who knows anything in the
world about medicine? Gentlemen, you
have done me the honor to come here to
attend my lectures, and l must tell you
frankly now in the beginning, know moth
ing in the world about medicine, and I don't
know anybody who does know anything
about it. Don't think for a moment that
have not read the bills advertising the
course of lectures at the Medical School;
know that this man teaches anatomy, that
man teaches pathology, another man physi-
ology, such a one therapeutics, such anoth-
er meteria medica- Eth bien ! ct 1pres ?
What's known about all that?
Why, gentlemen, at the school of Mont
in its day y they discarded the study of
anatomy, and taught nothing but the dis
pensary; and the doctors educated there
knew just as much and were quite as sue
cessful as any others. l repeat it, nobody
knows anything about medicine. True
enough we are gathering facts every day.
We can produce typhus fever, for example,
by injecting a certain substance into the
veins of a dog-that's something; we can
alleviate diabetes, and, see distinctly, we
are fast approaching the day when phthisis
can be cured as easily as any disease.
We are collecting facts in the right spirit
and l dare say that in a century or so the
accumulation of facts may enable our sue
cessors to form a medical science; but
repeat to you. there is no such thing now
as a medical science. Who can tell how
to cure the headache or the gout or dis
ease of the heart! Nobody. Oh you tell
me doctors cure people. grant you peo-
pie are cured. But how are they cured ?
Gentlemen, nature does great deal. I'm
agination does a great deal. Doctors do
50 devilish little = = when they don't
do harm. Let me tell you, gentlemen, what
l did when was head physician at Hotel
Dieu. Some three or four thousand pa
tients passed through my hands every
year.
divided the patients into two classes;
with one, I followed the dispensary, and
gave them the usual medicines without
having the least idea why or wherefore; to
the other, l gave bread pills and colored
water, without, of course, letting them
know anything about it . and occasion
ally, gentlemen, would create third divi-
sion, to whom. 1 gave nothing whatever.
These last would fret good deal. they
would feel they were neglected, (sick peO-
pie always feel they are neglected, unless
they are well drugged les imbecites y
and they would irritate themselves until
they got really sick, but nature invariably
came to the rescue, and all the persons in
the third class got well. There was little
mortality among those who received but
bread pills and colored water, and the NOR
tality was greatest among those who were
carefully drugged according to the dispen-
sary.
This is pretty plain speaking for a doctor.