Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-10-20
Written ier The Belmont Chronicle.
ThompsOnianism and Homeopathy

The Eclectic or reformed system of med:
cine, has suffered mich by being erroneou
ly classed or identified with The above name.
systems. AS it has little or no sympalh,
with either Of them, it is but just that ihei
sntagonism be pointed out. Ia this age o
research and reform, the minds of the peo
pie should be dissbused.ef error, snd as ths
appliances for eiffusing Eight and trutf
abound. they should be employed in develop
ing knowledge. and dIffnsing intelligence
And while the conflict between truth aEt
error goes on. the people, though moi identi
fed nominaliy in the contest. should not bt
Indifferent spectators of its progress; bu
claim their share of the booty by applying
correct principles evolved in the bottle o
opinion and experience 10 their own enlight
enment & happiness. But We have proposed
10 show an antagonism between the re-
formed system of Medicine and those named
in the caption of this article; and we hope
that the old interrogatory "who shall de-
eide when d ctors disagreed" will not pre-
vent an abandonment, at least, of an er
roneous idea, when we shall have known il
TO be erroneous,
First, as to Misrepresentation. Eclectic.
deprecate guackery. Ssmuel Thompson wal
undoubtedly Dkcxdes," in the received a.;
ceptation of the term. He is represented
as having been an il literate, concei:ed, ar.
bitrary and selfish Individual, who obtained
a patent for curing all diseases by the use
of certain articles, comprised in six mum.
bers. His writings would be sufficient PROOF
OF this, if there we're no other testimony
His practice consisted in administering Lo.
belize emetics, steaming and clysters. (Per.
hs?s he wished to heed Shakspeare's advice
and "throw physic to the dogs" but hi:
compliance was only partial while he re.
tanned Lobela emetics, in his new tangled
materia medicaD These remedies weede
not by any means denounce or ridisuIe;
they are all good in their place; but tc
think, and then to proclaim. that he had
found IN them a pan a cea for 'all the ills to
which flesh is heir" is the height of en-
piricism and qpackery. Neary all who
ever adoptsa1Ahpson theory were iguor.
ant and bign,sds ana took hold of j, because
in its practice they could be regarded BY
some as "Doe;os,n when their attanm en'=
would effectuslty debar them from admis
sion to the fffaatetnit5. and from the conf.
dence of a scrutinizing public. Those who
were better qualified, by education and IA
tural abilities. soon discovered the inutility
and folly OF his. professed system. and either
abandoned it altogether or declared them.
selves "Tndepehdent Thomsonians," and
widened the area OF their theurapeu tic cnl
views and enlarged their materia med ca :
Many of such have since adopted the Eclectic
system. There is still a class, scattered
throughout the country, growing small by
degrees. and beautifully less. who adhere to
Thompson's original theory. But the
number and prestige of that class is i'm.
potent to do much mischief from reasons
already assigned in connection with tie
founder and progenitor of their system"
Second. with regard to Homeopathy
This is no, -hr american practice-it is
foreign in birth, and foreign in its adopta.
| tion 10 the diseases OF this country. SAM
Hahnemann, its founder. was BY birth q
Saxon, or German. 1t was in attempting
TO ascertain how Cinchona cured Aeue OF
Intermittent, fever, that he made his alleged
discovery. Whilst experimenting upon
himself with the bark. an intermittent fever
Ell sued, and he came to the conclusion tina,
the drug must cure intermittent fever, solely
BY its power, as he asserted of producing
like symptoms in a well person. 1t has
been proven, however not 10 be true. that
intermittent symptoms are, by any means
invariably produced as asserted by Hahne-
mann; and, not only SO, but It has been
shown that such an occurrance is very rare,
and quite unexpected. Hahnemann lacked
not ingenuity to sustain, by plausible argu-
ment, his new ideas, and seconded his no.
| lion by the Hippocratean doctrine of watch
ing and assisting nature, and as he extend
ed it. anticipating her sction. Joined to
this he taught that the Ee.ves are the seat
of all diseasesg and this portion of the hu-
man frame. being the most susceptible, he
came to the conclusion that the remedies
he recommended should be administered in
doses enthusiastically small. Like most
other theories, his system has not been
without its use. In some maladies, of a
chronic character, the. former part of his
theory may be beneicially employed-hi
error consisting in applying it in both its
parts, to all diseases. Any practical physi-
clan knows that in acute and infamatar
csses-in those diseases which so suddenly
attack. and so speedily and fatally termi-
nate--such practice would be worse than
id.e; for even the most active remedies, end
the most prompt in their operation, are
sometimes, yea. very often inefficient.
Homeopathic theory is that whateuer ,ril
create disease in health ,piR cure il ,phen it
arises spontaneously In worklby Hahne-
mann, entitled "Organon," at page 2O7. the
following directions are given for admins
tering the medicine:-"The best mode of
administering is to make use of small
elobules of sugar, the size o: mustard
seed. One Of these globules, having i'm
bibed the medicine, and being introduced
into the vehicle, forms a dose, containing
about the 'bree-hundredth part OF drop,
for three hundred of such gobules will i'm
bibe one drop Of alcohol. Ry placing one
o. these on the tongue, and not drinking
anything afterit. the dose is considerably
diminished. But il the patient is very sem
s:iive. and it is necessary to employ the
smallest dose possibly and obtain, at the
sstno limo tho pnoet oooaJy ras,,l, ;t' LII -