Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-05-04
WRITTEN FOR THE CEDAR PALS GAZETTE.
RATIONAL MEDICINE.
| Its Past and Present; its True Relations 20 the
Partisans Of Exclusive Systems, and to Empires
BY DIR. s. N. PIERCE.


BY DIR. s. N. PIERCE.
I No. 1.
In the few articles that propose to prescn
to the public, through the columns of tn
GAZETTE, l shall attempt
1st-A brief history of the medical science
with more particular reference to the discov
cries and improvements that have been mad
during the last century.
2nd-The consideration of the true position
Of the profession with reference to Empires
3rd-A notice Of some of the different sys
teihs Of Quackery, and more particularly
those systems most popular in America a
the present time.
! AHA plain statement of the reasons VIII,
believe no physician car consistently council
with the followers Of any erclusiee system o
medicine.
! 5M-An inquiry into what constitute tn,
causes Of so much delusion in regard to med
icinc.
Medical History.
1 The early history of medicine is involved
in much obscurity. In ancient mythology
the healing art is represented as special gif
from heaven, and the first practitioners a:
having descended from the gods. During thu
dark ages every disease was supposed to b.
caused by some angry god, and the sufferers
sought relief by ceremonies which were in
tended to appcase the wrath of some imagi
nary demon. 1t is supposed that medicine
received its first CULTURE in Athens and Rome
but its history is so imperfect that we are
obliged to pass over whole centuries without
any reliable information concerning its con-
dition. In looking over the pages of ancient
history, the first reliable name that we find is
that of .Hippocrates, who closed his career
about $50 years before the christian era He
appears to be the first man who discarded the
doctrine of demoniacal influences, and took a
sensible view Of the subject of medicine
Hippocrates openly declared the means he
used to cure disease, and candidly confessed
that Of 81 patients that were intrusted to his
care, only IA recovered, and the remainder
fell prey TO the disease in spite of his skill
He died at the advanced age of 100 years,
being free from all disease Of body and mind.
Hippocrates did all it was possible to do, in
his time, to purge the profession from super
stition and false notions, and establish it upon
rational principles. This was the first at.
tempt that was made to rescue the healing
art from the dominion of fanaticism, and place
it upon the solid basis of truth and reason.
1t was the good fortune of Hippocrates to lay
the corner stone of this mighty edifce, upon
which all the superstructure must forever rest.
Having noticed briefly the origin of the
science, pass over the period intervening
between that and the commencement of the
18th century, and mention the immortal Har-
vey, who made the noble discovery of the true
circulation of the od;-"The rock based
foundation of modern medicine" About the
same time Fabricius, IAN ITALIAN discovered
"valves in the veins" A few years later
Assellus discovered the lacteals, and Rudbeck
the lymphatics: Then halphigi introduced
microscopes to aid in the study of the minute
parts. 1t was about the close Of this century
Ruysch invented injection Of the blood YES
sells. To this age also belonged Sydenham,
called by Hume "The restorer of true physic."
This brings us to the 18th century. In the
early part of this century lived the famous
HALLER, the Father of Physiology. He made
the brilliant discovery Of the inherent irrita-
bility Of animal Qmuscular) fibre. About
this time LAvoIsIER gloried in being the dis
coyercr of Oxygen, and of the true functions
of the Lungs; and WIN. HUNTER had the hon
or of settling the true function of the Lacteals
and the Thoracic duct. Now the philosophy
Of digestion, and the solvent power of the
Gastric juice are boldly unfolded by Spal
lanzani. In the year 1920, the art of Inocu-
lstion was introduced by Lady MONTAGUE,
who caused her own daughter to be first in
oculated, and was booted through the streets
of London for the unnatural act" During
the succeeding year it was introduced into
Boston by Dr. BoYLsroN, who inoculated his
own children. AS is well known, BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN publicly denounced this practice.
Dr. BoYLsroN's house was mobbed, and he
fed for his life. During the latter portion of
this century flourishcd MoRGAN1, called the
Father of Pathology. AT this time, also, the
Ligature was invented by PETIT. In the
year 177S JENSER made the grand discovery
of Vaccination, and this was the crowning
feature in the medical progress of the 18th
century.
l now come to the consideration of the
improvements which have been made in the
Medical Science since the commencement Of
the 10th century but in doing this, sha..!
not attempt catalogue even, of the croud of
laborers who have won to themselves glory
by their devotion to the cause. In no other
period, in the history of medicine, has the
world witnessed a progress at all to be COM
pared with that made during the last fifty
years. I shall notice but a few Of the more
important improvements which have been
made during this period.
1st-I will mention the application of the