Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-21
WHAT A DOCTOR SAYS.
Patent Medicines, and Quaekery In
General

that viii cure anything. The taking OF medl-
be to order or pres:sibs medicine a. a remedy
which does not keep time. Amy disorder of
chsnicsl, physical, or chemical case, or q COM
binati0n Of these; and it Is not until the cause
or causes are modified removed, that the
body can ever recover, no matter what expert
ments, or medicines, or manipulation may be
employed. The following may serve as an Illus
tJatiOn:
One of the most common disorders of the
human body in America, is constipation. II
may originate from three causes: 4. A me-
chanical obstruction In or about the intestinal
canal; ?. deficiency of or effectively con-
stituted bile, occasiOned by an improper or
abusive diet, or by real organic disorder of
the liver, or other important vscers and their
secretions; ;. By paralysis of the nerves gov
eTniDg the muscles Of the intestines. No
other cause is possible Now. every fool can
comprehend that an obstruction of the intes-
tines, such IS hernia, tnmOrs, adhesive scars,
or swallowed nsh-hooks, ETC., cannot be re-
moved by medicine As soon a. the nature OF
the obstruction Is known, the remedy is found
OF itself. The second cause lies in, or is charge
able to, the diet, which is Of such a character
a to leave out an important part necessary
for the formation of bile, or otherwise taken
III form uDfsvorsble for the absorption by the
intestinss-
tor properly constituted bile. III sulphur Is in
IL, either constipation or excessive diarrh9s,
with desomPosed f@csi matter, is the conse-
prehend that nothing but organic combinations
Of sulphur, properly introduced, is the remedy.
The eating of mustard, horse-radish, well-pre-
served raw meat, gluten, OF any digestive food
which contains sulphur, is here the unfsiling
remedy. Common table salt Is another impor-
tant constituent OF bile. Some parents not
only use too little salt themselves, bat prevent
their children from eating enough. The con-
sequence Is constipation at first, and afterwards
bring salt into the body? Here salt, and abso-
lutely nothing else, Is, or can be, the remedy.
srn1s, mere mere .snn ina, ina q, person VINO eats
tastes and natural inclination, can never expe-
rierce constipation of this kind. But If there
l. a large tumor-in the liver or in the pancreas
OF a cancer in between the intsstines q cure Is
at once impossible, and it Is folly to try it. In
such cases artificial DELEGATION is indicated and
allowable. IL the constipation depends upon
want Of nervous power, then it il necessary to
know whether il Is the consequence of q def
cieney OF init atIon arising from the nature OF
the contents Of the intestlnes, or is owing to a
spinal, or cerebral, nervous arrangement. 1t
II not difficult Tor any one to comprehend that
person has paralysis in some part of the
body, the intestines are blameless, or without
fault, relative TO constipation. In the first in
stance stimulating influences should be en-
Pioyed, and in the second proper medical treat.
ment for paralysi is indicated. The most com
mon cause OF Paralytic conditions of the intes-
tInal nerves Is an ignorant use, or abuse, of
medicines, especially Of strong or drastic pur-
Eatives; and so very great is this abuse in this
country, that We venture to say that fifty per
cent, or one-half of all disorders have their
origin ia this abOmiRsble practice.
Ii is well known fact that, upon tickling
part of the body for some time, the nerves
thereby acted upon lose their sensibility, or
s-nstivepess; and this is exactly what occurs
in the intestines BE- tickling (irritatingl them
too much or too frequently, by irritating medi-
ciues of any kind. They lose their senSiaye-
ness and cease 10 show any reaction.
The above comprises all that is necessary for
person to know about constipation to under
stand it, nature and treatment. But, saws Mr..
A, il am troubled with constipation, / 1 AXE
few blue, or other pills. and they cure me; l
have do 50 for twenty years. Nothing Is more
a N try a maffv in
the easiest and quickest manner possible, a diff
heulty 20 apparently easy to manage as consti
patton. But we should like to ask this question:
Has constipation increased or decreased in the
community during the last twenty i've years?
And have all the quack pills disappeared, or are
they sold by millions instead of thousands? The
fact II, admitting that a person remedies or re-
heves the immediate symptoms Of constipation
by purgaiiyes, that ninety-fve from every one
hundred will experience the necessity of repea at
ing their pills again and again, and gen orally
In increased number and strength. until finally
.hey come down with some disorder that obliges
them to resort TO reasonable treatment, or they
finger along fer years, neither sick enough to
die, nor well enough to live. We sometimes
hear the remark, 81 have done So nd-so for
twenty years with IMMUNITY" which reminds us
OF an acquaintance OF ours who used to Jump
OF and on the horse-cars while in full motion,
until he had his leg crushed and fearfully mutt
lated, of which injury he finally died. As an
excuse he made the above foolish remark. We
should think that IL person had been foolish
for twenty years with IMMUNITY, it was about
time for him to stop sucn absurd foolish prac-
tice. The purgstive pills, however, are not
blamed, but the climate, or too close contine-
more INDIGENOUS nonsense must account for their
trouble. When people have sick children, any,
.nlng ana everything ", or may be, the cause,
quackery which the mother or nurse are con-
ttantly using, and OF course it could not, under
any circumstances, be admitted that these had
anything to do with the sickness in question.
And so with the patients; they will attribute
their troubles to almost anything, but we have
doctored myself sick
The fact about medicines and their proper use
does not lie in their curative properties or pow
frs, but in certain absolute conditions and
changes which they effect with rapidity For
example, morphine cures nothing, but puts GER
tain nerves to rest and sleep. Dlgtalis cures
nothing, but parslyzes portion of nerves to a
certain extent. Belladonna cures nothing, bat
paralyZes another portion of nerves for a time
05 , ssrss nothing but prevents ssns
ing, but only irrtate the OF the intestines
TO abnormal motion; and the same is true of ali
other purgatives. Arsenic cures nothing but i
useful in conditions where a decided and tmme-
date saline effects are indicated Iron cures
nothing, but Is useful as an sntidote and an as
sesses an inf aence on the blood formation NOT
as yet exactly known, but hurtful to the BODY
by continued use: Cundurango cures no thing
but empty pockets on the one hand, and pleth-
ortc ones on the other. Any man who speaks
OF curing anything, or with anything, does 40
IRON Ignorance or because he IL a quack. When
ton, another adjoining, Of similar soil &c. Is
not, the reason may be found in their manage.
mentj and the same reason will apply, with
equal prepriety and force, as 70 why one % AN ia
always well, where another Is always sick To
speak or curing man with medicines, Is inst as
foolish AZ 70 say the same of q farm unless a
man calls work and replenishnent of absorbed
materials, medicine.
HE PrineIpa reasons why Quack medicines
and quaekeTy flourish, and will doubtless con.
tinue 70 flourish, are: L. The Chez pness of the
articles or treatment recommended. Q The
cunning stupidity OF the victim which permits
the charlatan To appeal to the wisdom f?l OF the
patient or OF some friends, generally called Gre
dnlity. 8. The fact that patients apply TO nm
qualified physicians, and thus often search in
vain Tor help, passing from one into the hands
OF another, being constantly doctored without
result until they become absolutely Disguised
with what they call the medical profession A.
a ne IAait or the United States university, with
Responsible and competent teachers, and severe
ADJ thoiough examinations.
fIussiS u, az present, the model state in this
regard Every one ts free to doctor himself or
any one else without hindrance, bat no one ex-
cept the graduates OF the state are allowed IN
carry the title doctor Of Medicine. - The lat
ter were formerly limited In their chargss Nv
the government, but now regulate Their own