The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-10-04
THE FALLIBLE PHYSICIAN.

Under the title of the "fallible physi-
cian' Trowbridge Larned in a recent
article made a good deal of fun of the
physicians of the present day, as many
an author, notably Moliere and La Sage
made fun of those of the past. The
physician is at a disadvantage in that
his is not an exact science, indeed it is
extremely doubtful if his knowledge
and his lack of it, can be classed as
science at all, seeing that his work is
mainly experimental. The surgeon does
know what he is about. His is an exact
science. Hi" .'f
That the profession of medicine is a
noble one, no one can deny, and that the
men who adorn it. are men of noble
aims, is true, that they are kindly,
sympathetic and self sacrificing is con-
stantly being shown, but after all has
been said the physician may, through
the study of physiology, know pretty
well how the human machine works,
but he has yet to learn how to repair
it. Holmes, a physician himself says;
THE disgrace of medicine has been that
colossal system of self deception. in
obedience to which mines have been
emptied of their cankering minerals, the
vegetable kingdom robbed of all it's no
Kious growth, the entrails of animals
taxed for their impurities, the poison
bags of reptiles drained of their venom,
and all the inconceivable denominations
thus obtained thrust down the threats
of human beings suffering from some
ID.
vital stimulation" ..'
This is a heavy indictment against
the profession, but it is, one fears, not
very far from the truth. We laugh
at the nostrums of the Chinese physi
clans, but if one searches. our own ma
terra medica there are many things
still retained in it which come perilous-
ly near the nostrums of the oriental,
while if we go back a hundred years or
so we will find the most horrible COM
binations thrust down the outlets of our
unfortunate ancestors.
But if Holmes could so arraign medi-
cine the wits of every age and every
nation have had their full fling at their
physician. Many of these Mr.. Larned
has collected and they are worth CLAN
cling at. Menander wrote: I'm a dead
man, for have too many doctors"
Voltaire got off as a definition of a
physician, "A man who pours drugs,
of which he knows but little, into a
body of which he knows less" Another
Frenchman says 1.-The Doctor is often
more to be feared than the disease;"
yet another gibes Mature is fighting
with disease; blind man armed with a
club--that is the physician-comes to
settle the difference. He first tries to
make peace; when he cannot accom-
plish this he strikes at random. If he
strikes the disease, he kills the disease;
if he strikes Nature he kills the pa
tent"
The Germans have their fun. Two
proverbs run "A new doctor, a new
grave digger" and "a young physician
should have three grave yards" The
Italians say God is the restorer of
health and the physician puts the fee
in his pocket" A Jewish saying is mo
good doctor ever takes physic" which
has been emphasized by DIR, Wood of
Santiago fame, who testified before an
army board that he never took medi-
cine. Finally even the pdnderous Lon
don Punch had fling in"Patiepts and
a pill-box become brougham."
Once more returning TO Holmes he
puts the drug question very terHely.
Throw our opium" says he, "a few
;Isei6cs, wine and the vapors that pro-
duce ahaesthesia. and | FIRMLY helieye
that if the whole Inateria medica, as
now used this was forty years ago.
could be sunk to the bottom of the sea,
1t would be all the better for mankind
and all the worse for the fishes" Poor
Holmesl after uttering such heterodox
ideas his brother professionals set to
work to denounce him as vituperatiVely
as Mrs. Camp denounced Betsy Prig
for not believing in Mrs, Harris.
ahlaa6Sull-aia.1tlal1Esasa