The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-09-26
Trial ofDr. Howe of Pitts ED

Trial of DIR. Howe of PiffsfieId.
AT the last annual meeting of the Maine
Medical Association held in the city of Port
land on the 18th, 18th and 18th of June, 1877
charges were preferred against W. s. Howe
M. D., of Pittsfeld in the following terms:
"We the undersigned, members of the
Maine Medical Association and regular prac-
tlcing physicians in the county of Somerset,
respectfully represent to the Maine Medical
Association that one of its members, W. s.
Howe, M. D., of Pittsfeld, has during the past
year been advocating the theory of hom1op
atby and prescribing homeopathic medicines
regardless of his obligation to the State Asso
citation, of which he is a member; concerning
which we respectfully ask that some action be
taken. F. HERsEY.
j. G. MANSON
HARRIS PUSHOR."
Accordingly the Censors of the Association
appointed Sept. 10th, 1877, as the day of trial.
DR.. Howe appeared in the city of Portland at
the Preble House before the board of censors at
the appointed time. None of his accusers were
present, and the only evidence against him
was letters from the men who preferred the
charges, and p1sillanimous letters from two Of
Mansions students. After hearing DR.. Howe s
defense, which was a., follows, the censors de-
clared that the evidence was not sufficient to
expel him from the Association.
DIR. HowE's DEFENSE.
Gentlemen of the Board Of CenSorS:
1 am here to answer to the charges preferred
against me by +. q. Hersey, j. 9. Manson and
Harris Pushor. Two charges, and two only,
have been preferred against me. The first
charge accuses me of advocating the theory of
homeopathy" This charge, gentlemen, pro-
nounce false in every particular. have never
advocated any theory in medicine and defy my
accusers to prove to the contrary. According
to Webster the verb advocate" signifies ito
plead in favor of or defend by argument before
a tribunal or the public Now accepting
Websters definition of the word, as we must,
let my accusers prove that am guilty of lad
vocating the theory of homeopathy" Homoe-
opathy moreover is not a theory, and if my
accusers had been men of better information
they would have worded their charges in
different manner. Homeopathy is based upon
a general principle In medicine. Physicians
who claim the title of allopath, regular or old
school, oppose the idea that they practice &C.
ing to theory, if homeopathy is theory.
can prove allopathy a theory Dy the same
method of reasoning by which you prove
homeopathy a theory. But for the
sake of argument let homeopathy be termed
a theory. Now were l to state that L
1 was hom@opath, then, according to the
strict definition of the word, should not be
guilty of advocating homeopathy. So say
again, that the charge is false, and l plead
mot guilty." The second charge accuses me
Of prescribing homeopathic medicines" To
en- aconite, belladonna and nux vomica as well
as other homeopathic medicines. That is,
suppose they are homeopathic medicines, since
the homeopathic use them as much, if not
more than they do any other medicines. say
have always prescribed these medicines.
was taught to prescribe them by my Preceptor,
The late lamented DR.. Lincoln of Brunswick,
and by the Faculty in the Medical School of
Maine. L give them in smaller doses than l
used to- but that does not make them hom9o-
pathic since all the world know that homnop-
athy does not consist in small doses. The size
Of the dose does not come into consideration at
all. A small dose is not necessarily hom@O-
pathic dose, neither is large dose necessarily
an allopathic dose. am not accused of prac-
ticing medicine according to the law of "Sinail
ia Sin,ilibus cordntor." The accusation is that
have or do prescribe homeopathic medicines.
This charge, say, is true, and am safe when
say it is true also of nine tenths OF all ply
slcians who have been regularly educated in
American medical schools. You, gentlemen,
have prescribed aconite, belladonna, nux vom-
lea and conium, and many other drugs used
every day by homeopathic physicians As l
to do with the matter L am not accused,
say, of giving medicines according to the law
,in,aliG sinaii6us cura1atr, only accused of "pre
,cribing homeopathic medicines'-a charge
which applies to you as well as to me. Thus
both charges fall to the ground. The first
charge is false. The second charge applies to
a majority of the members of this association.
If am guilty they cannot be innocent The
medicines named prescribe and always shall
as long as L practice medicine. I frequently
prescribe medicines hOmpopathically. l get
a marked curative effect from small doses of
aconite in fever, ipecac in vomiting, mercury in
diarrheea, belladonna in headache, &c. Opt
um produces obstinate constipation, yet by re-
lieying pain and spasm, and relaxing the mus
cles, constipation is often overcome by doses of
opium. But am not here to extol hom9opa-
thy or any particular method OF practice, am
every physician belonging to the Maine Medi-
cal Association, that | prescribe that drug or
remedy which consider the best thing for my
patient, be that drug or remedy allopathic,
homeopathic or eclectic. The diplomas
hanging upon the walls of my office
vue Hospital Medical College, testify that
understand the allopathic method of practice
[ am proud of them, but should be prouder to
find some better method of practice. When
believe particular drug is indicated, do not
hesitate to give it whether the drug is allopath-
ic or homeopathic 1 would give morphia if in
Dictated or Bryonia If indicated. consult no
interests of my patients. When l have pa
tient in Pittsfeld, who is to Judge what reme-
dy ought to be given? Every patient that
1 have who is very sick, must run over
to that little medical association at Skowhe-
gan, or up here to Portland to see what med-
cine shall prescribe? or if l can give this or
that drug, and still stand well in the Associa-
ton? contend that physician has a right to
use every means, and adopt every measure
placed in his grasp by God and Nature to COM
bat disease, and no man or body OF men have
right to adopt code of laws to abridge that
or method of practice choose. There is scarce
" anything fixed or permanent in medicine.
What to-day seems to be true, tomorrow has
to be set aside. Although medicine is two
years old, Prof. FL. G. Wood says:
Scarcely anything has been established be-
rest an intermittent: that salts will purge and
op ium quiet pain and lull to sieep." Ralph
Waldo Emerson says: take out opium, take
out few specifics and if all the drugs in the
na0terto Daedico were cast into the sea it would
be all the better for mankind, and all the worse
for the fshes.'' Medicine is yet in its infancy,
just coming from the darkness of ignorance
and the clouds of superstition. Allopaths style
themselves Irregular" and cold school," and de-
clare with wise and mysterious looks that theirs
is the legitimate domain of medicine" and
yet only few years ago they bled and bis
tered and cauterized for everything from apo
plexy to original sin. In your code of ethics,
yon state that medicine is a liberal profess
sion." Truly, man who holds life and death
in his hands ought to be liberal and not bound
by narrow views or petty school boy rules. L do
not come before you to ask that may be re-
tanned in this association. l come before you
to answer to the charges made against me- and
to tell you the truth concerning my case. The
three physicians who have preferred these
charges against me have always opposed me
for pecuniary purposes, living as they do, all
three of them, in my vicinity. Medical ethics
have not been observed or gentlemanly con-
duct respected in their efforts to injure my
practice and reputation. They do not care
what medicine l give my patients. They are
not anxions that l should be- rigid allopath
They are not anxious to keep the old school
pure and indebted. They rather my practice
would be attended with failure than success,
and it is the desire they have to injure me that
prompted them to prefer charges Failing in
all their previous efforts to put me down, they
confidently hope that if they can persuade this
association to exIel me, that they will at last
have made point. These facts are disclosed
your verdict. but only that you might fully un-
be affected in the least by your verdict While
you are at liberty to commend or condemn.
W. S. HOWE.
THE CATTLE BUG The much dreaded cat
tie bug which has created much terror at the