Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-09-15

~ LARGEST DAILY. TR1-wEEKLY, AND WEEKLY
CIRCULATION, OF ANY PAPER IN WHEELING.
TnEEE was recently published; in Edinburg,
book bearing the rather extraordinary title Of
"1he Healing art the Right Hand of the
Church; or, Practical Medicine an Essential
Element in the Christian System" The author
(under the assumed name of Therapeutics la.
bors to prove that Christ's command to "Heal
ce SICK" is just as binding upon his church as
the command, "Preach the Gospel" In other
words, the injunction, Heal the Sick" is to be
taken, in its literal sense, as perpetual, stand
ind statute, to be held in just the same obser-
vance by the church on earth, as the other
command referred to.
It's natural we may observe, for all men,
and especially for members Of the various
learned professions, to consider their respective
calings to be of the highest Importance The
lawyer, considering his common law to be "the
perfection of reason" looks upon his profession
RB dealing with the most important interests of
man, whether as mere human being OF as
civilized member of society, and hence that it
is of the very chiefest importance. The farmer
likes to contemplate his labors as forming the
very root and basis Of human existence itself.
So with the medical professor; in his eyes, no
other profession or business ought to claim SO
much consideration at the hands of the world as
that Of medicine It is the profession Of be>
novolence and charity and mercy itself; 1t is the
science which striks at the very foundation of
human suffering; it is the science of preserving
life itself, and to living man. what is SO import
ant rs life?
Very true; but the author Of the volume, ii.
tied As above, in his jealous admiration of the
medical profession, has run quite beyond the
limits Of proper appreciation of Galcns art.
1t can scarcely be called anything better than
enthusiastic folly, to claim, as this author does,
that the work of healing is "a function Of tho
C6nrch! !" To feed the hungry, to clothe the
naked, to relievethc afflicted, and to heal the
sick, are all duties incumbent on all good chris>
tians But that the church. as an organized
body or system, should assume any one of these
duties as peculiar church function, would be
to pervcrt the true ends and objects Of the or.
dained church of Christ.
At the very same time that Christ command
ed the Twelve to go forth and preach, aud to
"heal the sick" he also commanded them to
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out dew
lis" Hence, by the very same argument, that
it is attempted to be proved that the art of
healing is one Of the Functions of the church"
itmay be proved, that it is one OF tho churches
distinctive Offices, to "raise the dead" The
aosurdity of such an argument thus becomes
apparent
Nor can we see how the dignity of the med-
cal profession is to be helped by considering it
in such light If the practice Of medicine is
one of the Offices of the church, then the
church should possess the sole power for its
regulation. She must then have the appoint.
ment of her own ministers to perform this
function" just as she has the appointment of
her own ministers aud deacons, or otherwise
she must abolish the confinement of the prac-
tce to the few and refer it to the entire body of
the church-thus doing away with the PRO
fession" altogether. But we anticipate but few
converts to the new opinions of Therapeutics
His arguments and reasonings are lost upon the
world. His book will amuse the curious, but it
will never convince the wise.
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