Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-05-02
TRIAL or THE DOCTORS.

Those who take up the Boston papers
in these days cannot fail to notice that
there is some sort of IL trial going on in
that city among the doctors of medicine.
The reports of the case are extended, so
that though the most of people will be Gu
rious to know what is the difficulty among
the doctors they will scarcely take the
pains to read the long accounts of tho tri-
al. An editorial in the Boston Advertiser
briefly states the matter as follows;
The Massachusetts Medical Society is hold
ing court at its rooms in Temple place for
the trial OF its members who believe in and
practice hom@opathy,-a committee of five
members in good standing acting as board
Of tIial. The doctors summoned for trial.
deny the right of the board to try them at all
and also enter a broad and comprehensive de.
NAL Of the charges and specifications in de-
tail. AS this novel court is sitting with clos
ed doors, the record Is not as complete as we
could wish but it is full enough to show the
drift of the proceedings
The society claims, as we understand it,
that homeopathy has no place 10 medical sci.
ence; that those who practice homeopathy
are in no true sense physicians that The for
nation OF State society in tine interest of
homeopathy tends to disorganize the parent
society, and is an act Of disloyal,y SO far as
the members of the one participate in the
other; and that the practice of Homeopathy
is itself conduct unbecoming and unworthy
an honorable physician, in word, quack-
cry. Some Of the members of the society
were hom9opathists at the time of their ad-
mission; others have become such in the
course of their practice. When the govern
ment of the society recently committed itself
to this view Of its constitution. the majority
were forced to choose between continuing to
associate with men whom they were in the
habit of denouncing as charlstans, or putting
them on trial for heresy and high treason
1t was an awkward dilemma, but the society
put bold face on the difficulty, and the in
QUESTION is now in progress.
1t is certainly no business of ours to discuss
the merits of conflicting schools OF medical
practice. Ordinary people, who have no time
or disposition TO look into the causes Of
things, are apt to judge in such matters very
much according TO their understanding of re-
suits. In this way very respectable por-
ton of the community, whose means of OBJ
servation have been fav orable, have become
attached to homeopathy and to physicians
who have had the good fortune to succeed
with it. Men educated in good medical
schools, who have practiced according to the
traditional orthodoxy of the profession have.
in not few eases, been led by actual expert
ence to modify their practice or to change it |
altogether. New schools have been founded |
and intelligent, skillful and humane physi- |
cians have come from Them to minister in |
their way TO suffering humanity. If the large
professions put forth by them are justified by |
their fruits, they will establish themselves in |
spite OF all opposition. II they fail. no onno. |
sition will be needed to destroy them. The |
common sense and Intelligence of the nm.
scientific public will settle that more prompt. |
iy and more certainly than any inquisition.
Unpleasant as these facts may be, they are
facts none the less; and they will remain un-
Society should tarnish its most honorable