Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-24

morning at the creighton Medical coileBe.
All the meetings will be public. There will
be a brief business session first thing.
SESSION ON MATERIA MEDICA.
Conference Discusses the Subject
Prior to the General Meeting.
Preliminary to the general assembling Of
the American Institute of Homeopathy a
materia-medica conference was held at the
Creighton Medical college yesterday after
noon, which attracted a large number OF
delegates who had arrived early. There
were a number Of women among them.
1t was the first gathering of the homeop-
athy visitors and the conference proved to
be one of deep interest to all present. The
participation in the discussion was general
and q lively debate resulted over the inn
portant question in the profession as to a
revision of the rules of materia-medica
Summing up the results of the conference,
which will be detailed later, they decided
that a revision of the organon was needed,
that parts of it possessed imperfections and,
lastly, DR.. H. C. Allen of Chicago got
! through this resolution:
That the chairman appoint a
to bring in a resolution establishing a bu-
reau of study of the institute of medicine
and that it be made a part of the materia
medica section of this institute.
Materia medica as it stands at the present
time found many criticisers, and as one
of the speakers, DR.. H. P."Holmes, pointed
out, only two men in the meeting defended
the scientific correctness of the first work
given to them by the masters and followers
of the School of Homeopathy.
The questions submitted to the confer
ence covered these eleven points:
First-Can the law of similars ever dem
o%nstrate its full therapeutic powers with a
materia medica constructed on the lines
heretofore followed?
Second-What have been the chief errors
in the mode of constructing the present
materia medica?
Third-In what particulars has the prov
ing of drugs deviated from the rules laid
down by Hahnemann in the Organon?
Fourth-In what particulars do Hahne-
mann's rules and directions for proving
drugs differ from or fall short of those
required by the methods and precautions of
modern scientific research?
Ffth-In the proving of any drug is
the preliminary experiment suggested in
section 100 of the Organon essential to the
correctness or completeness of the work?
Sixth-Wha evidences should be de-
manded as necessary to establish the genu-
ineness of a drug symptom or the symptoms
obtained by an individual power?
Seventh-Is clinical testimony to the
genuineness of an alleged drug symptom
ever admissible as a substitute for patho-
genetic evidence, and If SO under what
iti'o ~ llob
Eighth-Does a limited susceptibility to
the pathogenetic action OF a drug indicate
a corresponding limit to its therapeutic
action in the same person? If so. should
not symptoms obtained from but few prov
/ ers be distinguished from those obtained
1 from the many?
Z Ninth-What therapeutic reasons are
j there for distinguishing the direct effects
2 from the counter effects of drugs?
| Tenth-Should not the medical profess
I sion adopt measures to guard the purity
Of one recognized materia medica against
the unauthorized introduction of unrelia-
BILE material by irresponsible persons?
: Eleventh-Unti these and other questions
have been thoroughly considered and if
g possible solved. is it expedient that the
c profession should undertake the radical i'm
S provement or reconstruction of the materia
e p1edica?
= Doctors Give Testimony.
! y. Timothy Allen of New York, who is
n presi, Mt Of this sectional conference, had
not arr ed and the meeting was called to
order by Dr. w. A. Dewey of Ann Arbor,
e Mich, who announced the purpose of the
gathering, informally made the visitors well
come and thepSealled DR.. Pemberton bud
ley of Philadelphia to the chair. DR.
Dudley conducts, the debate in al
ablee manner and Occasionally added much
to the interest of the psoceedings by telling
in OF his own experience.
&C ~ -. ~. IldllCHtllt VI AulCdRO leu Oh
lie the. discussion with a brief address on thu
advisability of a revision CT the materlt
ie medica. DR.. G. E. Fisher of tho same place
,b declared that the subject had been talked
over before with no results hay .ng beer
reached and that 1t was useless to gather
@, year after year in conference and distenC
TO themselves with theories. Continuing h,
a spoke of the results of a few individual ef
he forts in drug proving. He was applaude,
nd for his vigorous statements to the effect il
reference to the institute which had don
IN nothing for materia medica.
~ While DR.. T. C. Duncan of Chicago was OF
ia the floor a series of questions were fired a
I'd him by DR.. Allen and others. DR.. Duncal
ct asked how many had tried drug proving
he About q dozen hands answered. To the ques
% ton as to how many had tried and trie,
a. again for absolutely correct tests not nearl
b ha so many hands responded.
an George b. Peck of Providence, R. l., spok
w on symptom revision. He said that he ha
ed generally regarded Aliens encyclopedia a
Ike a pure record; also a correct record of symp
a. toms observed. The book, he said, SCENE
~ to combine all that they wanted. But h
had seen 1t stated by the editor himself tina
av there are errors in the edito
v rial preparation of the work, due to haste
in and that to undertake a revision of tina
book at that time of life was impossible
n DR.. Leonard of Minneapolis stated he ha
u been teaching materia medica. AS
.. student he swallowed the book as 1t was
ed Out of college he found that experienc
ce taught II needed proving.
m DR.. Allen. the chairman, DR.. Dudley, ID
We George Ryan and DR.. II. p. Holmes fol
ca lowed, and led in the animated discussio
ny of the different phases OF the subject. ID
~ Holmes jibed his brethren about IT. II
said they dared to c~riticise the work. bl
nd had undertaken no advancement themselvei
fit They had questioned the scientific correct
"a ness of 1t, but the book had enabled thei
IL all to make a living by II.
u II have read everything from the bibl
IL generally, down TO Quo Yadis, " he sail
1 land | have never yet found a volume whiC
st ought not to have had one OF its passag,
re- expunged."
After general talk the meeting adjourne
after voting on DR.. Aliens resolution.
- The delegates found a series OF interestir
ne exhibits arranged in the rooms ON the SCI