Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-22

" oRCEs TER
WEDNESDAY. NovnMnrn ~, ls7l


II has been supposed that the thundcrs of
accommodation belong exclusively TO the
church. This, however, is a mistake. The in
apreasable quarrel between Orthodoxy and
"bctcrodoNy" appears in every department Of
human inquiry, Everywhere there are oracles
who assume to declare what is sound and cor
rect. and what should be discreditcd and put
under ban They are found on every path Of
scholarship mot always very far along, it is
truc): they guard those awful mysteries of the
law, of which we sometimes hear; they sit
GLOOMY, grand, and peculiar" in the schools
of medicine; and they are always orthodox, all
ways special keepers Of the temple Of knOwl-
edge, always very terrible to those who look in
forbidden directions and fail 10 keep step TO
whatever music the oracle may or1ain. II is
not very long, not a century, perhaps, since
their system was a hcterodoX innovation wading
through the clouds and Drawing the fires OF or
thodox wrath; but the conservatsms of yester-
dav are usually the radicalisms of to-day This
is a long preface TO news item; therefore we
must postpone the rest Of orr essay until the
next lecture season. In fact, we did not intend
10 write out so much Of it now. Our purpose
was to give some account of what is going on
among the doctors cOngregatcd in Boston.
The councillors OF the Massachusetts Medi-
cal Society" have organized a campaign against
medical heretics and chiefly (f We understand
the NATTER against the hom@opathists. They
began the movement, in June, by passing res
Olution against the hereses TO be dealt with,
and issuing summons to theheretcs connected
with the society, to appear in Boston, November
Dist, yesterday, and answer to charges. Sixty
members of the society, it is stated were thus
summoned to trial before the "BOard,' These
arc all regularly educated physicians, of course,
else they would never have been received into
the society but they are also homeopathists or
something else heretical, and the purpose was
10 expel them from the society, if they would
not repent aud REFORM Accordingly, the
"Board" met, yesterday, and the hereto doctors
were on hand, some of them having gone 10 the
trial like lambs 10 the slaughter, and others, as
ave notice, like lions to battle. The court was
S1TsTy opened, and the first heretics put on trial
were the following Boston physicians: Drs.
Samuel Gregg, George RUSSELL b. II. West,
David Thayer, H. J.. II. HofIendale, l. T.. Talbot,
and VIM. II. Bushnell. We hope it will be very
healthy in Massachusetts until these trials are
over, if they are to continue, for it will require
long time to 90 through the whole list"
DIR. Luther Parks, acting as accuser and
prosecuting officer, opened the case against
these doctors, and explained the charge, which
seems to be that they have sinned against the
society by using the homeopathic system in
their practice. The accused put in documents
denying that the practice Of homeopathy is con
duet unhecoming a member of the society, pro
testing against the trial, and maintaining tina
the "Council' have no authority to try and ex
pei them Meanwhile the fighting lions among
the herelics bestirred themselves and so about
one O'Clock, deputy sheriff appeared and
served an injunction on the board trying the
case. Discussion ensued, proceedings were sus-
pended, and we are unable TO say what will be
done next, excepting that the matter is likely to
go into the supreme court, which may decide
any question touching the legal rights of the
medical society and of its members, but will
hardly undertake 10 fix boundaries between
medical orthodoxy and medical heterodoXy.
Undoubtedly the Massachusetts Medical So
eiety has or should have a right TO fix its terms
of membership, enforce its bylaws, and defend
itself stoutly against medical free thinkers. AT
the same time, those whom it rejects can form
other societies. and organize medical sects to the
extent of their ability. Here, as in religious
matters, too much exercise of "authority" tends
TO multiply dissenters and sects. If we are to
have one all embracing medical church, there
must be great deal of liberation. Very likely
such a church can not be successfully organized,
just now. These proceedings do not show readi-
ness for it. Nevertheless, this case has its anus
ing side. 1t is not easy to be "as sober as
ajudge" when one beholds sixty doctors sum
moned to Boston and put on trial for heresy.