Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1918-12-05

repeat itself, and next year new SCI
4 of material remedies will replace wha
e will then be this years failures.
a Now, the history of various dr. q
and remedial agents is practically iien
> tical. On the first appearance of Il
drug it seems to accomplish maryels
because the belief in its ability to cure
is limited to a small number who have
enthusiastic belief in its efficacy. But
as the remedy becomes more generally
used, and by those who have less faith
IN its virtue, its administration is not
always followed by healing, and sooner
or later the failures far outnumber the
success, and it is discarded for some
new medical marvel which is destined
to 90 through exactly the same prece-
dure.
Some years ago a new and supposed
ly wonderful remedy was advocated For
the treatment of pneumonia, and the
medical journals were full of the re.
cords of the almost instantaneous
cures which had come about through |
its use AS a practicing physician / |
prescribed this remedy, but with no re-
suit. | have since come to see that the
remedy worked just so long as it had
some enthusiastic optimists believing in
its efficacy. But failed to work as soon
as it became generally used by a gen
orally pessimistic profession; profess
sion grown pessimistic through its con
tinual history of drug failure. This
drug in spite of the marvellous cures
accredited to it for several years, has
long since gone the way of dismal fail
are of those that preceded it.
Surgical and other material forms
IF treatment are constantly in this same
process of change. The methods of
ew years ago have in some cases been
-bsoluteiy reversed. Before the war the
medical profession was positive that
Wounds must be kept free from con
animation of auv kind. Now the be
EFF has changed and in the absence Of
clean dressing the wound is to be 4
lastered full OF mud Or NV moist =
overing that may be at hand. 1t has =
OF been so many years since it was A
lought that piercing the ears cured "
IRE eyes. Of course we would consi-
er such treatment very foolish at this q
me, yet today the surgical world is NJ
lsting out the tonsils and pulling out IN
c teeth IN an effort to cure rheuma-
SIN. H
In making these statements of the A
lure Of drugs and other material M
cans to continue to cure, l am not III
-tieizing the doctor. We have in our VI
physicians of high charac- 8
who are earnestly doing all that "a
sy can to alleviate sickness. and suf- NJ
ing.
am not criticizing the doctor, be- a
use he does the best he can with the IA
'r weapons which have been given III
q. am simply pointing out that it
not the drug or the material method
ieh aecomplishes anything, but the 4
ief which is entertained about "
m. !" E
iere, truly, is a ccndid confession A
smarkably candid confession in view
the admission that the NJ. D. pro n
non has "grown pessimistic through
continual history of drug failure. ,, NJ
S admission is from within the ranks
one who may be presumed to know
reof he speaks and whose state.
t Is corroborated on occasion bv "A
n M. d. physicians moved by an VI
'st impulse to tell the truth.
nd considering that the futility of
8 is commonly understood among
profession committed to their use III
not. astonishing how persistently
cling to a method of procedure
sssedly a failure. And is il NOT IA
bic how determined the profes-
at large seems to be to resist and
We the life-giving turth of ost.o.