The sun., 1873-10-08
HUMAN LIFE PROLoNGE
Women md Priests the Early Physiciaus-
The Facuity's Innovations.

DR.. Alexander Wilder delivered the adj
dress at tho opening Of tho fall session OF the
Eclectic Medical College Of New York In the
college lecture room yesterday. or the early
history OF medicine, he said, but little was
known. The healing nrt was practised by only
the priests and they kept lts science carefully
within their own order. In the Mosaic times all
afflicted with contagious Diseases were required
% bc examined and cared Tor by tho pricet
and King Asa was especially blamed because
he sought not to the Lord but to physicians"
with the Greeks the healer A,sculltila was the
son Of Apollo, thus cSidcucin, his pricsty char
nctcr. llippocratcs, Gaen, and CELSIUS In their
umo we're outsiders. In Persia the nagans
uractlscd medicine. Thors were no physicians
~ such, probably, In most Of those countries.
Medicine wis purely a religious function, and
After the Christian era and the barbarging ~
Europe by the Northern nations, the Saraccns
were the rcstorers of art and science; and
civilization WIS In "A gr'at degree circum 'Crbel
to tnat holt extending from tho Euphrates to
wcstcrnwost spain. Medicine was specially en-
Couraged ly them, HAVING been learned rom
the Jcws. They allowed only women physicians
to prcsct he for women.
MANY centuries ago a college w1s established
/ In Salcrnh Italy, whore cllsses were instructed
and graduated In me .icine. Among the stu
! dents were women. The exclusion ~ women
/ from medical colleges aud the medical profess
| sion was an innovation; tho original custom
There was n, Irregular rr1ct'rc," "a Il 's now
/ Known, until a conn ptfutiNrlA re- nj Oi". Nor
/ hat 1t mu.h e. boast Of. The iruatmcnt oi
tnatles II. - ENGLAND, "a ctbed by VA iul'y,
was = fair illustration a. what medical practice
thch was. IL had taken now 9haprs every CEN
/ tury, but bad no especial clJim for honor.
The l.. tie practice wa born OF protest.
/ It. phone r. we're styled ignorant, prctcutiuus,
/ c'ucoit"d, and, perhaps, rshtfuly 40. liut
they had shaken the old school to IL ccntrc.
/ Samuel Thomson had b rnc evangelical tt.tt.
/ mouy against drugciug and bleeding, aud incul-
/ mount Importance Of sustaining the strength "
] Nll tFftltl "a
witness IN the OlI World, dlscerdinc the lancet
aud reNuluti i1nl1iug the mode OF administering
/ ttins II tWo-cithcr that small doses contained
3 all ialt Was really of benefit In remcdi g. or
/ eisc that no medicine at all was generally the
since Eclecticlsm hal taken the ncld the Ma
/ terra Mcdira practice OF medicine has been TO
/ great dearee reyolutionized. 1he lancet is OBJ
! soletc, and the Old pharmacopgia is following.
/ The remedies introduced bv the Eclectic are
| noT adopted hy the other schools ui medicine,
! superscding their own. We have tho ideas uf
| 81 J., \. simpson yet to realize To Simplify the
| Ing operative surgery almost TO a nunentity
! enough fur all our EFFORT.
! Notwith standing the sncers 60 frequently be-
| slowed upon the medical prutes lion, no other
| calling produced greater evidence of usefune,s
| ard philauthropy. Five hundred years ago tho
/ plague rAy1s"d Europe three times every cen-
/ tIfy. Now 10 never appears on THAI continent.
/ Human lie averaged only about seventeen
/ Eurupe died before attaining to twenty years Of
/ age. Now the duration Of life aVcrE, i over
! lulflA we httrN. NtrlAu diseases nave uttu eA-
] tirpatol. This NAV be credited 20 the learning
and labor uf physicians. Drainage. street paw
/ ing. and ventilation have been taught by them,
! end hero were tho fruits. War -ttl di--riccs
] our civilization; but ON every battle field, before
. the slaughter L. over, thithcr hasten from every
! actt -siuie point o. 'Fsclaus t. minister 90 the
/ wounded and arrc-t tie work Of death. 40 prl-
I T. ,-lnu suruAss,s theirs iu It's cht-itc..i H rks
~ meioV, its srlf a. ne gallon. Cnl5 .c War INT ;
/ ~ H. a pr.retuool, Toe uJol,st, thc Oute.u, OF
] all tHr pUe-fAuuds.
| Dr. Wiacr concluded with protest 81. ..nst
. the system Nf frffrft u a. IHf
&c, he said, va public schools, and .t udEht uIt 60
7 No cfuf Logged IN cduca'iug lhNrl' an4. u Wa7 as
T n.ce Sssrv TO digest and a~-iuIlate ideas a. lt
. Na- to Oh he memory with them. Then they
became = part Of the selfuoud of the individual /;
] iu the other way thl- i- net possible lie would
haNc stud. - instruct. 100 reform colleges, be-
p cause there the oct. modes arc Taught OF
I tr,liiu- o.. ei,k. To be -.re they would nos oc
/ "T,-.ll-," bat tLis word r,-4l..r ls ou., thc
mark Dl Ilc egsf and ttir number = il- uID.'
thcy would "a" what w4- urtt' q. encourage pr'-
.rl s- lu .tt art pt healing, Aud siren. uen cI
. othtr iu tie gu. d Wr =.