Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-06-22

the poisons therein, some of the
members of the profession practiced on
the principle OF using opposites, yet for many
centuries physicians have been emancipated
from the Galenic dogmas, and for more than
two centuries there have been no savants in
the profession, who have taught allopathic
doctrines. The truth is, Hahneman set up
man OF straw, that he might have the glory OF
knocking him down, to the admiration of his
| followers and disciples There need be no
better evidence of this, than the persistence
with which the batteries of Similia shout their
battle cry of .sdown with allopathy," while
they know, if well informed, as some of them
undoubtedly are, that there is not, and has not
| been an allOpathic school in the profession for
centuries. But it isso easy to ight foe long
| since dead.
This is the move to be deplored by educated
| physicians of the homeopathic faith, because
| there is enough of real merit in their ranks
and doctrines, to make such clap-trap sham
battles unnecessary. Much of this controver-
sial bitterness has no doubt been provoked by
unjust and ungenerOus attacks on the part of
over Jealous regular practitioners, and it is to
be hoped.that such controversies, as useless as
they are unealled for, will grad
ually cease. 1t is very true
that in many instances agents that
produce symptoms similar to those produced
by disease when given in broken doses give re-
lief, but it is not universally true, nor is
there sufficient quantity of truth in it to
justify any one in making it the basis of an
entire new departure in the practice of a pro-
fession that has been struggling after truth
for more than two Thousand years. There is
no school in the regular profession, and long
ago the professOrships of theory were aboi-
ished in all regular medical colleges. The pro
fessiOn is entirely philosophically empirical
and refuses to adhere to the teachings of any
memo set of men, beyond the point of certain
and impartial demonstration. There is not a
solitary proposition brought forward that is
not subjected to the severest analysis by the
whole profession, and there is not now, nor
ever has been in the world, set of men so
thoroughly independent in their Judgment of
testimony as those constituting the great body
of the medical profession to-day. It needed
renovation, and Halnemanism is giving it
wholesale lesson in more ways than one, as
we shall see anon.
At and long before the advent of Hahneman-
ism the profession to great extent entertained
belief in the entity of disease; that it sees
an enemy that had obtained a lodgment in the
system, and was to be driven out by heroic
treatment, and immense doses OF remedies
were administered to expel "vi etannis."
Any dose that could be borne, short of
actual poisoning, was administered, and, on
the principle of cutting offsupplies, blood was
withdrawn in killing quantities, and the pa
tlent put on starvation diet to lessen the resist
ance of the vital forces. In this condition of
things, Hahnenlan, in his days of dotage, i'm
proved on his s'simila" by the adoption of
infinitesimal triturations and dilutions lard for
the first time in the history of our art we had
the opportunity of witnessing the progress of
disease, uninterrupted by attempts at cure, for
the infinitesimal doses of Hahneman simply
amounted to letting nature severely alone,
while the disease ran its natural course and
showed itself seIf-limitcd. 1t is no longer
necessary to discuss the folly of infiritesimal-
Ism, for there are now quite number of edu-
Gated men in the ranks of the Hahnemanists,
and they are emancipating themselves from the
thraldrom of the founders dogma. and claim,
that while they still give small doses
frequently repeated, the doses are decidedly
apptieabl c, and in this very many of the men,
bers of the regular profession initiate them
with very satifactory results, and the improve
mcnts made in the forms of administering the
active principles of medicines by the manufac-
turing chemists, renders their administration
available without disgusting the patient with
nauseous doses
There is manifest disposition on the part
of the Hahnemanists to return to a rational
practice, and the better educated amongst
them use anasthetics and the hypodemic
syringe, and declare that they have as much
right to use all the later improved methods in
trOduced of the regular profession as the men,
bers OF the new profession have, and in this
they are perfectly right, and show some glim-
merings OF that common sense, which in all
time past has-bfought back men practing dog
matically to common scientific basis, found
ed on those enternal principles that underlie
all improvement in the art of healing
The better informed use the text books of
the regular profession on all branches but that
of bcr a,,1 l,o:,, IL
works of Ringer q Phillip are text books
in Therapeutics. 1t may then be taken for
granted that the grand distinctive doctrines of
Hahnemanism are undergoing revision
amongst his followers, and if they are met in
kindly spirit by the profession, an ultimate
relegation of whatever truth remains, will be
absorbed by scientific medicine, and the pro-
fession benefited to that extent, while all that
remains of pure dogma, will be abandoned by
all reasonable men, and retained only by a
poorly educated and superstitious remnant.
Meanwhile, the grand old profession will
move on, its banners inscribed with roster of
the names of its great lights, and the enumer-
alton of its discoveries and inventions for the
amelioration of human suffering, its efforts to
teach the nations the laws of health, whereby
great epidemics will no longer depopulate and
lay waste whole provinces, destroying ma
tion in night, leaving lamentation and wall
ing the mournful heritage of survivors. No
longer bound in the fetters of pure dogma, it
moves along mighty republic of intellect,
"Seizing upon truth wherever found
On Christian or on heathen ground"
Every member priest unto himself, and for
himself, ministering at the altar of science,
with no iron bound confession of faith to fet-
ter free thought and paralyZe experiment, and
yet all uniting IN one common cause, exclalm-
ing that in the domain of truth
'No pent up Utica confines our powers;
The whole boundless universe is ours.''
And saying to every member
Work while it is day, ere the night cometh;
And SO live that when thy summons comes to
join
The innumerable caravan that moves to the
pale realms of shade,
Where each shall take his chamber in the
silent halls of death,
Those 60 not like the quarry slave at night,
scourged to his dungeon,
But sustained and soothed by an unfaltering
trust approach the grave
Like one who folds the drapery of his couch
around him
And lies down to pleasant dreams.
Routine Proceedings
DR.. Abbott, from the executive committee,
made verbal report of the years business.
MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCE.
DIR. Boardman read paper on medical juris-
prudence, sent him by DIR. Hewitt, the subject
being expert testimony in courts, in trials for
malpractice. 1t alluded to the frequency of
prosecutions for malpractice, most of
them evidently inspired by malice or
the hope of pecuniary advantage, and urged
that the association take some means to rem
edy the evil by appealing to the legislature to
enact law on the subject. It was pro-
posed that medical experts be regularly organ
lied in all the courts, subject to being called
upon to give evidence in all cases involving
questions of medical practice.
Dr.. Boardman then explained that before
knowing that Dr. Hewitt had intended to treat
OF this subject he had himself written paper