Morning journal and courier., 1889-06-29
pr. woo.1's Missionary Eaort.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER: Dr. Wood of Pennsylvania in his recent missionary effort in this city made a very startling allusion to the effect of the homeo- | pathic practice of medicine. According to his statement and belief, all the horrors of the Conemaugh disaster have been eclipsed over and over again by a condition, for which homeopathy and the ignorance by which it is fostered, are in part responsible had not the pleasure of listening to his expose of Hahnemannian theories, but pre- sume that it consisted of the old, old story of the drop of medicine in the Atlantic Ocean, etc., etc.
 It is no part of my purpose to defend or explain any of the inconsistencies which may have arisen in connection with this, or any other branch of science in which experience has been our only teacher, and our only method of verifying theories, nor will ask any of our opponents to defend any of their predecessors, whose armament consisted of the vial of calomel and the pocket lance.
 The homeopathy of today requires no de- fence or explanation and makes no apology to anyone.
 The theory of similia similibus curanter. that small doses of @ remedy will control
 
 or toxic doses of the same, was advanced by Hahneman some eighty years ago. And I will venture to say that not day has passed since but that experience has proved this theory to be correct; and that, too, the ex- perience of men who are just as capable of learning by experience as any man who has ever opposed it.
 The use of aconite in levers, and of bella dona in cerebral congestion and headache, is as familiar even to the laity as is the use of small doses of ipecac in emesis, or of the diff ferent mscurial preparations in dysenteric conditions to the modern alopath.
 After years of successful practice, ,presorib- ing many times every day, governed by these indications, it is not to be wondered at that man of ordinary intelligence should believe that the results are not entirely coincident And in the fact that we believe this system of prescribing to contain something more than falacy and fraud. can see no legiti- mate reason why we should not avail our- selves of, and give our patients the benefit of any other means of relief from suffering which may be possible.
 The mechanical effects of emetics, cathar tics, astringents, notification, antidotes and the use of hypnotics and anaesthetics, when prevailing conditions require, are not in any way inconsistant with strictly homeopathic practice. All these form just as essential a part of the curriculum of homeopathic school as of any other And no one can
 
 homeopath who may choose to use them.
 Dr. Woods statement in regard to the number of homeopathic practitioners in Europe is, 1 presume, correct, and I have not a doubt that homeopathy prevails most where the general level of education is the lowest" and if DF. Wood will go with any homeopath of this city to the homes where he is called and meet the class of people who patronize homeopathy, think 1t will do him good to see how very low their general level of education" may be.
 It will be we'll for Dr. Wood to erase from the diploma with which Yale University has so recently honored him; all the signatures of the men who are willing to trust the lives of their wives and children to homeopathy, for certainly the general level of their edu- cation is too low" to be of any use to him.
 It is only too true that many valuable lives have been offered up on the altar of profes- sional ignorance, but when the time shall come for all secrets to be known, if all the fallacies, all the frauds and all the failures of the homeopathic practice, from it's conception to the present time, shall be published and compared with the results of the indiscrimi- nate salvation, purging and phlebotomy which characterized the course of the so call ed regular practice for a similar period. truly hope that my name may appear on the side with homeopathy. W. 0. 8.