Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-21
MEDICAL ETHICS.
The Old Question of Consultation with
EOmcOPathists Discussed Again.

EOmeOPathfsts Discussed Again.
EScE IN PRACTICE, BUT DIFFERENCE d
MODES OF THOUGHT.
From the Philadelphia Times
The old question of consultation with uirreg-
ulars" has again disturbed the American Medical
Association at its meeting at st. Paul. The
New York State Medical Society has lately
adopted rule allowing its members to meet in
consultation any illegally qualified practitioners
of medicine" This rule is pretty broad, for the
illegal" qualifications, unfortunately, need not
be either scientific, intellectual or moral; but
IL was probably assumed that written code OF
ethics would not be Of much use to physician
whose personal and professional dignity could
Of unfit associates. Practically, the question
really concerns the recognition of homeopa-
thists and 1t was on this ground, though not in
80 many words, that the right Of admission of
the New York delegates was denied. In this
old dispute the sympathies of the public are
naturally with the homeopathists, as they are
with anybody who appears to be the object of
narrow prejudice and illiberality. The average
laynan knows nothing about what he calls the
rival schools he has no clear idea Of what hon.
eopathy means or why it Is opposed; he only
knows that many homeopathic physicians of his
acquaintance are intelligent and educated gen.
tlemen and successful practitioners, whom it is
impossible to condemn as quacks. Therefore,
he concludes that the ''old school, doctors are
bigoted set, and he cannot see why they should
not meet the homeopathists on equal ground
and agree to disagree. There must be some
thing more than prejudice involved, however,
Tor physicians as a rule are not a narrow-minded
set, and it may be worth while to try and find
out what it is.
1t will simplify matters to bear in mind. in
20 of inf NJ
doses, which is all that most people know about
homeopathy, has nothing to do with the dis
cussion. Few among homeopathists them
selves now pay much attention to the miracu-
as respectable faith as many therapeutic. nov
elites. The code of ethics of the American Med
cal Association prescribes that: mo one can
De considered as regular practitioner or fit
associate In consultation whose practice is based
ON an exclusive dogma, to the rejection of the
accumulated experience Of the profession and
OF the aids actually furnished by anatomy,
physiology, pathology and organic chemistry
The soundness of this is obvious. But modern
homeopathic practitioners say that it does not
apply to them. They say that they do not reject
these aids. 1t is true that the founder of their
school was ignorant of modern medical science.
but so were all the physicians of his day; his
followers avail themselves of all the experience
and knowledge they can obtain and therefore
they ought not to be treated with cOntumely.
not homeopathists and your assumption Of a
special designation az a trade insignia can be
only piece of quacktryt to impose upon the ig-
nCrant.
THE ORIGIN OF HOMEOPATHY
This is apparently the logical dilemma of mod
ern homeopathy. It has no rational excuse for
continued separate existence except what is
given it by the species of persecution under
which it thrives. When Hahnemann PROFOUND
ed his astonishing theories, modern medical
science had virtually no existence Men knew
almost nothing of the condition of the tissues in
disease, or of the causes or nature of diseased
action. For that matter they knew little about
the functions of the body in health. It was only
the other day that we recorded the death of one
OF the very first men who pointed out the value
OF the sounds OF the chest as aids to diagnosis;
before his time an affection Of thcl ungs or heart
was only guessed at. The modern science of
pathology was unknown; even physiology and
chemistry had scarcely begun to be studied sci
entiiicaly. Diseases were classified by their ex-
ternal symptoms alone and treated upon all sorts
of fanciful theories. It was at this stage
OF human knOwledge-or human ignorance
that this Industrious German physician adj
vanced the idea, among others, of treating
any group of symptoms by administering
those drugs that had been found to produce
similar symptoms in the healthy body the theory
being that the artificial disease would overcome
subsequently, he prOpounded his idea that the
potency OF drugs was multiplied by their dilu-
ton and trfturatiOn, with some other theories
that never attained vitality. AS doctors in that
day were in the habit Of giving such doses that
we wonder now how any of their patients sur
vived, it is probable that Hahnemann at least
gave nature a better chance than she had had
before, and thus helped the success of his sys-
TEN; but this doctrine of ''similia smilibus cur
antur' is the distinguishing doctrine of homeo-
pathy. the exclusive dogma" aimed at in the
code of ethics.
1t was q practice based wholly on external
symptoms. Suppose the patient had hot skin
We will give him something that will make his
skin cool. This was ''allopathy." treatment by
eontrarles No, says homeopathy, we will treat
him Dy SimiarS Here is something that tried
on myself and found that it made my skin hot;
we will give him that. One of them knew lust
as much about it as the other, and between
them the patient had the better chance with the
one who gave the smaller dose.
RATIONAL MEDICINE.
But by and by the physician who was not tied
to his theories began to perceive that the best
way to treat hot skin was to find out why it
was hot and try to remove the cause In other
words, medicine partook of that awakening of
all branches of natural science that has been
Characteristic of the present century, aud
physicians looked beneath the external symp-
changes which they indicated. ''Disease"
ceased to be regarded as distinct entity, like
an evil spirit that had taken possession OF the
man, and was recognized as simply a departure
from health, disturbance or perversion of
the normal functions, which was to be treated
by such rational means as would promote a
return to healthy action The various means
of physical exploration now employed by
PHYSICIANS, the use Of the microscope and of
chemical analysis, and thousand things be-
side have revOlutionZed the practice of mcd-
cine as completely as astronomy has been revo-
lutionized since the time of Ptolemy. Observed
facts have broken downlOng cherished theories,
and science has supplanted empiricism. Exter-
nal symptoms are still observed. but only as one
among many aids to correct understanding OF
what is amiss within, an understanding that
clearly must precede any hopeful application of
remedies. Along with this progress has arisen
the study of preventive medicine and public
hygiene, to say nothing of the improvements in
surgery and other collateral branches, all of
which are the growth Of the past half century
Though medicine is still far from an exact
science, its advance in this period has been as
rapid as that of any other branch OF knowledge.
and to carry On a theoretical discussion now
upon the basis Of 1876 is as rational as to treat
OF "the electric fluid" upon the theories of
Franklin fO rayivQ tho OF orujoal djccuc I'll