American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1858-02-19
Seisetedfo The Union tromth e ". Y. Tribune.
HOMEOPATHY KS. aLL0PATnY.

Not
The question Of giving to the Howoo.
pathic practitioners of this city one
half Of the. wards Of Bellevue Hospital
to test the value of the homeopathic
treatment, as evidenced by its results
as compared with the result of the Al
lopathic treatment, has been agitated
for some years among the medical men
of the new school in this city, but the
Proposition has been, met with discour-
agcmcnt by those who have had con-
control of the matter. Duringl last
year, however, (, the following resolution
was offered before the Board of Ten
Governors: = '"''l'' ''.'."' .'.s
'sResoyye9, That it be referred to a
Select Committee to report upon the
propriety Of so amending the law or.
ganizing the Bellevue Hospital, Med
ical departments sas to provide that one
half of such institution shall be set "a
part for the practice of Homeopathy,
under the care of u medical Board,
nominated by the Homeopathic Soci-
city of this city, and that each case ad.
mitted in said hospital shall be trans
ferrcd to the case Of the Allopaths and
Homeopaths alternately" a-a
The resolution was adopted, and
Governors Benjamin T. Pinckney, p.
G.. Moloncy and Washington Smith
were appointed committee to report
upon the subject, The Committee we're
divided upon the subject, the majority
-Messrs. Moloney and Smith--oppoS,
ing, and Mr.fPinckney favoring the tri-
al of Homeopathy. Their respective
reports are now before the Board, and
will probably be acted on at an early
day. Appended is the substance of
the two documents.
Tho Majority Committee states
! the fact, that until ten years since,
when the Bellevue. Hospital was en-
irely,reorganized, there was great
want Of good management, giving rise
TO an alarming mortality among the
inmates. That in the new organiza-
ton it was placed under the control Of
a Board Of medical gentlemen, among
them the most eminent Of tho city,
and that the change did not aisappoint
the anticipations Of the authorities Of
the Department, and its mortality had
fallen off from twenty to nine per cent,
and itsinternal arrangements had been
perfected, and every department char
acterizcd by the most rigid and saluta-
ry discipline. So great were the ad.
vantages afforded for the practical
study Of medicine, that for the LAST
few years medical students had been
q allowed to accompany the physicians
and surgeons on their routes of duty,
and to witness the nature and progress
Of disease, and the results of the treat
mcnt; and the high standing of the
Medical Board had also given to Belle
Vuo national reputation in the mcdi-
cal profession, and had rendered it an
object of Enquiry and complaint abroad.
The Committee asked what necessi-
ty there was for change Of it's medi-
cal government. Had this Board lost
rconfdence in the professional ability
OF Valentine Mott, John w. Francis,
Alexander III. Stevens, Willard Par
kcr, James r. Wood, John 7. Metcalf,
Alonzo CLARK, and the other gentle.
men connected with that hospital men,
who to-day, enjoy the full confidence
OF this community, both in their pro-
laSsional capacity aud as citizens? Af-
ter ten years generous devotion to the
] public interests of that institution, and
ofgratuitous service in the care of its
lnmates-was it right--nay, was it po-
lite for this Board to supplant these
d gentlemen, and to place that hospital
Or any portion Of it in the charge of
4 persons having no experience in the
economic or medical affairs of the hos.
d. pital? But from whom did the petit
ton for the change omanatc? From
the inmates of the hospital who were
70 De the subjects of the experiment?
Dld the sick themselves complain of
the incompetcncy of the medical Off
cersY Did these petitions then eman-
ate from the honest laboring classes
OF our city, whom vicissitudes of life
and the misfortunes of poverty might,
~ any time, remove to the wards of
Bellevue for relief to their bodily ills?
The Committee then proceed to
examine into the system Of 1fomeo-
pathy. They pronosnce it to be a
Wild, tfanscendcntal theory, which
i lleascs the fancy Of its advocates, and