The Indianapolis daily herald., 1865-12-16

LETrEE 40. I.

iEI TEE No I.
The alarming pret als-n~e AM faf..lity 81 that
disease popularlv knovn - De-
chine or Consumption. and tn failure u all the
usual method, Il treatment employed for H.
preA ention anu csre. iI.llsee ne 10 believe that
series 81 plain practical EstferS on the causes
by which II i produced. and the heSf means Of
arresting il progress and efiecting it, re,n,,s.h
viii b. appreciated ly all CLASSES
fcr me past hftccn years \ havc dcruted
myself exclusively % the calculation and
treatment II Pulmonary Complaints. and can
therefore speak with confidence on the success
OF the method II medication I recommend.
Every addition 70 the stock a. medical expe-
ence i beneficial 10 mankind. and especially
% with reference 20 the causes which produce,
the precautions which will prevent and the
remedial means which viii cure, so great 4
sc0urge as Consumption. which Is constantly
selecting It's victims from the most talented.
interesting and useful members 81 society. and
in this country yearly hurriss upward of sew
eniy thousand Ia am untimely grave; and in
Treat Britain and Ireland il annually shrOuds
in mourning more than hundred thousand
families Taking the published bills Of NOR
tally o. a guide, may safely affirm that fully
one-fOurth Of the people of this country are
prematurely cut OF by consumption and its
cognatcs.
These facts established. not only the deep in
terest which all classes have in the sabject Of
tnt>f Itltti>- bAl al>n point OUT the liliptTd-
tive necessity for some change in the treat
ment employed. 30 long a. the same course Of
medication is continued, which has hitherto
resulted in disastrous failure. substantial
good can result from the ministratiOns Of the
physician. Indeed, the question Of prevention
and cure is one in which fully six millions of
the present people Of the United States have
the interest Of life itself
Consumption is not only the most common
and most fatal disease known TO our race. but
is also probably the one least understood BY
the public. Notwithstanding all the learned
treatises which have appeared. even the best
informed people are still ignorant Of the con-
dition Of the system in which il takes its rise,
and OF the early symptoms by which its
approach may be known. To instruct the
people in these matters has long been the duty
Of the profession, bat not hitherto its policy
The public news journals may contain speech
Is. sermons, and extracts from moral, religious
and scientific bOOks-articleS ON government,
commerce, and the laws Of trade--but not a
word on The laws Of health. This negatiy q
policy may have added TO the social status and
dignity of the profession itself but II undOubt-
eddy has proved most fatal To mankind. Thou
sands each year lose not only health. but life
itself, through the want of knowing these pre-
mOnitOry symptoms which 20 before and indi-
cate the inception Of disease. Particularly is
this true of tonsumption-a disease which,
though marked by distinctive signs, is vet IN
convenience which would induce a patient TO
seek the advice Of physician.
These considerations have induced me to
prepare this series Of Letters on Catarrh, Bron-
chi!is, Consumption and Asthma; and, in do
ng so to divest my language Of technical
terms. that they may the more effeetuaily reach
those they are intended TO benefit. Whatever
Is true and useful can not be too widely CT rcu-
lated. The greatest circulation possible a book
may attain will still fall far short Of reaching
all the victims of this desolating disease.
But however this may he viewed by the non-
progressive of my professional brethren, pro-
pose to resume the good work, by contributing
every thing which deem valuable TO the pe0-
pie in that important class of diseases to which
my practice is exclusively confined. leaving 10
others the duty of following my example with
reference Ia other nalalies. | am strength
ened and sustained in this resolution to write
for the Information of the people by the exam
pie OF one Of the highest and brightest orna-
ments OF my profession. whose words i take
great pleasure in quoting. Dr. James Clark,
Physician in Ordinary TO the Queen Of Eng
land. in the preface of his valuable work on
=, Consumption and Scrofula.'' observes. =. The
total inefhciency OF all means hitherto adopted
for diminishing the frequency or reducing the
mortality OF this class of diseases i of itself
sufficient incentive TO us to seek for some other
method of rcmedying the eyil.'
What shall that other means be. On this
point it's not improbable that great difference
of opinion will arise; but there can not be any
on the necessity for a change, if we would ac-
complish the cure Of the disease. | am not
vain enough to anticipate universal assent
TO the views | am about to advance; on the
contrary. | am prepared to expect opposition
from preconceiyed ideas and prejudices, and to
make great allowance for the influence Of au-
thority, ever fruitful source of bias and error
i'm medicine. In all the pursuits of life-n
business, politics and religi0n-in appreciation
Of objects and estimate of iuties-minds equal
ly honest are found irreconcilably opposed.
and il is not probable that medical men will
in this instance present an exception to the
common rule. But however this NAV be, all
wise and good men must sincerely desire the
discovery of n remedy for the existing evil.
They have seen enough TO convince them of the
fallacy Of basing any hope on the common rou-
tine; the experience of the past must have led
them seriously 10 doubt the soundness of the
old theories; and il i not therefore, too much
to hope that they will bring to the perusa Of
these Letters 4 willingness, at least, to be con-
WINGED. and disposition to give fair trial to
the practice recommended.
JAMES HUNTER. VI. II.
No. $50. West Fourth street. Cincinnati, ..
NOTE.-Within the last year many of the
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and other Cincinnati journals. They have
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other matter of an equally interesting and in
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