The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-03

practice IS the least settled ana UNIFORM
They follow the varied fancies of their
own imaEinntions, and end their career
without adding TO their knowledge. or
deriving benefit from their experience.
The science of medicine is progress
ing. More has been learned of medi-
cine in the last century than in the six
thousand years before. ... .f. ass.
Since the days of Bacon, and the
adoption of his principles of reasoning,
u great amount of material, of facts,
have been collected. Many valuable
general principles have been deduced
from them, and the practice of. medicine
vastly improved.
Aside from the committees in the diff
ferenG departments In medicine, L
should like to see every member of this
society regard himself u special COM
miItee of one to collect, from whatever
source he can, facts of practical Interest
to the profession. Facts must first be
collected, for from them our general
principles of practice must be derived;
and upon them all our improvements
must be founded. ...
We look to the profession mostly for
facts in regard ts the cause, pathology
and symptoms of disease, but we are
glad to receive them from any source.
Many facts in reference To medicine
are discovered by accident. Many REM
edies are discovered by persons in no
thE pEOIcdalOn-
Indians. old women, persons in the
common n walks of life, all grades and
classes OF irregular practitioners, in
their efforts to relieve suffering, some
times stumble upon valuable remedies,
as we'll as good practical modes of ap-
plying them.
We are glad to receive facts useful to
the profession from any source-we
care not from where or from whom
they come-if they come well substan-
uHted, and in a shape to be relied upon.
II the old Indian woman comes for
ward with her Sdrdceilin PIupuTed, and
can prove that its use will so neutralize
or destroy the virus of small poX, AS to
render that frightfnl disease harmless,
came from some learned professor.
II the Hydropalh will come forward
and prove that sick patients can be
cured and made new, by some compile
Gated application of Water,-if the
Chronothermal can prove that electrici-
ty and regulation of temperature are
the great remedies needed in the cure of
disease;-if the Thomsonian can prove
that heat is life and cold is death, and
that lobelia, red pepper and steam are
the great remedical agents necessary to
cure disease, and insure the preserva-
ton OF health;-if our neighbors, who
practice on the beautiful little theory,
0tNtttttt G0kHllAOua SNfGlgLGJ.
which,. zone would think, originated
in the days of the Greeks and ChaI-
deans, wnen theories were made first,
and the facts to prove them were collect
ed up afterwards; il they can prove that
lodide of Potassium will produce, as
we'll as cure, intinmmatory nodes on
the bones; If they can prove that Qui-
nine will produce, as well as cure chills
and lever; iT they can prove that Sui
phur Will produce. as well as cure the
Itch; II they can prove that CamphOr
will both produce and cure cholera; If
they can prove that the various dilu-
tiuns and pills, which contain nothing,
will produce, as well as cure, the most
formidable and veXatious diseases
they are the very things, the very kind
of facts We most wish TO know. For it
is thrown up to the profession at every
corner, by the unchAritable and I'M
friendly, that II can't cure consump-
ton, that cancer kills people the same
as it did three thousand years ago, that
gout, dyspepsia and palsy, still follow
those who eat, drink, sleep and use to-
grow old and die, and the women grow
ugly, which is worse than death, and
the doctors can't do anything to pre-
vent it. Now these complaints
and accusations are in meas
ure true, and the profession is
duAAOll6 70 be hDla 10 trent,
satisfactorily, all these hitherto uncon-
trOlled diseases, ailments and misfOr-
tunes oil frail humanity. And any per-
son, or persons, either in or out of the
profession. who will furnish remedies
which will cure them-or information
that will enable the profession, il they
cannot avert fatal Termination, to mil
igate the sutferinRs in these and many
other terrible maladies that atfiict the
human family-will be met with the
warmest feelings of gratitude, not only
by the profession, but by the many
sufferers under its care, for whom il
feels the greatest anxiety, as well as the
warmest interest. 8aaa.I lar. .r..I- 4
There is a sect of physicia Jams called
Eclectics. Eclectic is word OF Greek
origin, and two Thousand years ago the
term designated class of physicians
who selected opinions and medicines
from other physiciHns, and practiced
on those opinions. and used the medi-
ciues selected, as though they weretheir
own. ..r H.. !
They followed in the wake OF the dis
ciples of Hippocrates aud GaIeu, who
were in those days, and on To the mid
die of the seventeenth century, the rep
and acknowledged heads
of the regular profession throughout
the world. HuHl .a.E-,..- faHEaIi |
At the present time the Eclectics COM
prise ClhSs Ol pnySlclhnS uaue up
largely of Botanic doctors, with occa-
sional stragglers from the regular pro-
fession, and the odds and ends from all
the irregular schools OF practice. They
call themselves Eclectics because they
select their remedies from those used
by the regular profession; and they
take great credit to themselves for
being able to pick out and select from
the multitude OF remedies before them,
such as will answer their purposes.-
They boast largely OF their skill, Of
their wonderful cures, and of their
great superiority over the regular pro-
fession. They use iu their Journals Of
medicine the epithets, "Oid Physic, Old
School, Old Fogy," and all the slang
phrases OF low-nfnded and ilIiteraIe
quacks, '.H57 4Hia1
But they are Eclectics only in a
small and insignificant way; for any
man, il little practiced and aided, can
select n valuable autmal from u drove,
a good Hpple from an orchard, or y
choice medicine from a general drug
store. But to bny the drove, grow the
orchard, or to study out and gather to-
gether the multitude OF medicines IN IA
drug store, are not things 50 easily ac-
The regular profession are The great,
the true Eclectics. They do not give
out that they will use no mineral, no
animal, or no vegetable medicine. Iney
use medicines from every source, from
every part of Gods domain, which
they find valuable in the treatment of
disease. sfrIz 4Hg ria.I Il
They call on the three great king
doms OF nature for their contribution of
medicines They procure remedial
agents from the bowels of the, earth,
from the depths OF the sea, from
the mountains, the plains and the val
leys. -sl.r.-.-s. 81 --s.-. ........ .-...-.z
They make use OF light, heat, cleo
tricity, and OF the air we breathe. =