Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-03-22
CONGRATULATIONS,


Fer the Gazettel
Mr. Editor-In the last issue of the Gazette
| notice an article from Physician" in
which, from illogical reasoning, he misrepre.
sents or arrays me against myself. | certain
iy wish to inculcate certain principles in the
minds of the people. relative to the treatment
OF Scariatina and many other forms Of dis
ease, had | the privilege of occupying sufH-
clent space in the Gazette. | do accuse ply
sicians Of laboring under false ideas in regard
to disease, and more particularly do | accuse
" A Physician" of laboring under a most
sgregious error concerning the fundamentals
principles of The healing art. do ignore
the idea thaf disease is an entity, nor do I
contradict MYSELF when | say, Their bodies
get obstructed, and their blood infammatory
from bad food, bad air, &c" because | did
not admit that obstruction by Impurities con-
stituted disease. =" 4 Physician" having q
different standpoint, intcrprets my language
accordingly, and wishes to make it appear
that | contradict myself, while his argumeaS
amounts to an admission that disease is an
entity-=ss something in the human body that
must be combated as a foe.
He takes it for granted that the distractions
constitute disease. j stated plainly that dis
ease was remedial effort. Now who cannot
see the difference between an obstruction and
the effort to get rid Of said obstruction. We
define disease to be remedial Gctj0R-an effort
of nature to expel impurities from the system
vital action in relation te things abnormal
Hence we repudiate the Administrations OF;
such substances that are chemically and phyG-
iologically incompatible with the human tis-
sues-drugs, medicines.
Suppose = thief 90 be in year heaSe, yea rec.
ognize him as sucA, and that you make an eff
fort TO eject said thief now is there not II
marked difference between the thief and your
efforts to get him out. Certainly. So it is
in disease impurities accumulate and the vital
machinery makes an effort To ezpel these iGl-
purities, and this action, on the part Of the
system, constitutes disease not tie thing to
be acted upon. And this action is Scarlati-
ma, or any other disease, Just according to the
direction Or manifestation Of the remedial es
fort
We know full we'll that these unpEiysiuloai-
cal conditions must be rectfed before the pa
tient viii get well, but it is neither philosophy
nor common sense TO administer other Oh
structiuns--p poisons-ia the shape Of drugs,
to cure ScaTlatina, or any other form Of dis
ease. But to be consistent with the princi-
pies taught in the medical colleges, and in
the standard text books, physicians must give
drugs, to cure all forms of disease, or in 9th
er words they know of no other way Of cur
ing than by substituting ncw diseases to
cure ~ the existing morbid conditions.
The principle of counter-irrtation is moth
ing less than the substitution Of one disease
for another, and it can be plainly seen that
the counter irritation must be greater than
the existing difficulty, or else the new impress
sion will be of no effect. Hence we see that
those who are cured Of different fevers, have
some form of chronic disease which is worse
than that of which they were cured Feyers
are scientifically (?( cured by substituting ul-
GERS, dyspepsia, consumption, rheumatism
and the whole catalogue Of maladies. [ did
not say that physicians killed more than they
cured. but if | would wish to prove that they
did, ! would not make assertions on nay own
responsibility, but | would go to the highest
acknowledged authority of the profession,
and consult the facts and confessions of those
who speak from long experience and authorl-
ty. would quote from Prof NJ Payne who
saws, "The most violent poisons are among
our best remedies" . In the treatment of
disease we but substitute one morbid action
for another" Prof Alonzo Clark, NJ. d.,
saws physicians have learned wisdom. They
have learned that more harm thuH good has.
been done by the use Of drugs in the treat
nlent Of measles, scaratina and other self
lllllleu uIsedsCS. III scarlet lever. you
have nothing to rely on but the Wis medicatrix
natura."
"a Physician" attempts to hoodwink the
people by saying that am of the
opinion, when | look at the list of drugs
which the DR.. mentions over, that he knows
nothing about drug medication" think
only know too much about it, and if there is
any lameness in the list OF drugs mentioned,
it is because I did bot complete the catalogue
Of remedies that are used in the treatment of
scarlatina. If any unprofessional persons
wish to find out which Of as tells the truth,
refer them to the standard works on medicine,
and to the latest medical journals of the day.
1t is not for me to ask whether any physician
acishes the vital action to leave the surface and
settle on the internal organs. 1t is enough
for me to know that such is the result
A. L. HAMILTON, NJ. D.