medical essays-第17章

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nise…seed　and　wine；　which　increased　his　suffering。〃　＇Observ。　et　Curat。　　Med。　lib。　　XXZ　obs。　　xiii。　　Frankfort；　1614。＇　　Now　if　this　was　the　Homoeopathic　remedy；　as　Hahnemann　pretends；　it　might　be　a　fair　question　why　the　young　man　was　not　cured　by　it。　　But　it　is　a　much　graver　question　why　a　man　who　has　shrewdness　and　learning　enough　to　go　so　far　after　his　facts；　should　think　it　right　to　treat　them　with　such　astonishing　negligence　or　such　artful　unfairness。

Even　if　every　word　he　had　pretended　to　take　from　his　old　authorities　were　to　be　found　in　them；　even　if　the　authority　of　every　one　of　these　authors　were　beyond　question；　the　looseness　with　which　they　are　used　to　prove　whatever　Hahnemann　chooses　is　beyond　the　bounds　of　credibility。　　Let　me　give　one　instance　to　illustrate　the　character　of　this　man's　mind。　　Hahnemann　asserts；　in　a　note　annexed　to　the　110th　paragraph　of　the　〃Organon；〃　that　the　smell　of　the　rose　will　cause　certain　persons　to　faint。　　And　he　says　in　the　text　that　substances　which　produce　peculiar　effects　of　this　nature　on　particular　constitutions　cure　the　same　symptoms　in　people　in　general。　　Then　in　another　note　to　the　same　paragraph　he　quotes　the　following　fact　from　one　of　the　last　sources　one　would　have　looked　to　for　medical　information；　the　Byzantine　Historians。

〃It　was　by　these　means〃　（i。e。　Homoeopathically）　that　the　Princess　Eudosia　with　rose…water　restored　a　person　who　had　fainted！〃

Is　it　possible　that　a　man　who　is　guilty　of　such　pedantic　folly　as　this；a　man　who　can　see　a　confirmation　of　his　doctrine　in　such　a　recovery　as　this；a　recovery　which　is　happening　every　day；　from　a　breath　of　air；　a　drop　or　two　of　water；　untying　a　bonnet…string；　loosening　a　stay…lace；　and　which　can　hardly　help　happening；　whatever　is　done；is　it　possible　that　a　man；　of　whose　pages；　not　here　and　there　one；　but　hundreds　upon　hundreds　are　loaded　with　such　trivialities；　is　the　Newton；　the　Columbus；　the　Harvey　of　the　nineteenth　century！

The　whole　process　of　demonstration　he　employs　is　this。　　An　experiment　is　instituted　with　some　drug　upon　one　or　more　healthy　persons。　Everything　that　happens　for　a　number　of　days　or　weeks　is；　as　we　have　seen；　set　down　as　an　effect　of　the　medicine。　　Old　volumes　are　then　ransacked　promiscuously；　and　every　morbid　sensation　or　change　that　anybody　ever　said　was　produced　by　the　drug　in　question　is　added　to　the　list　of　symptoms。　　By　one　or　both　of　these　methods；　each　of　the　sixty…four　substances　enumerated　by　Hahnemann　is　shown　to　produce　a　very　large　number　of　symptoms；　the　lowest　in　his　scale　being　ninety…　seven；　and　the　highest　fourteen　hundred　and　ninety…one。　　And　having　made　out　this　list　respecting　any　drug；　a　catalogue　which；　as　you　may　observe　in　any　Homoeopathic　manual；　contains　various　symptoms　belonging　to　every　organ　of　the　body；　what　can　be　easier　than　to　find　alleged　cures　in　every　medical　author　which　can　at　once　be　attributed　to　the　Homoeopathic　principle；　still　more　if　the　grave　of　extinguished　credulity　is　called　upon　to　give　up　its　dead　bones　as　living　witnesses；　and　worst　of　all；　if　the　monuments　of　the　past　are　to　be　mutilated　in　favor　of　〃the　sole　law　of　Nature　in　therapeutics〃？

There　are　a　few　familiar　facts　of　which　great　use　has　been　made　as　an　entering　wedge　for　the　Homoeopathic　doctrine。　　They　have　been　suffered　to　pass　current　so　long　that　it　is　time　they　should　be　nailed　to　the　counter；　a　little　operation　which　I　undertake；　with　perfect　cheerfulness；　to　perform　for　them。

The　first　is　a　supposed　illustration　of　the　Homoeopathic　law　found　in　the　precept　given　for　the　treatment　of　parts　which　have　been　frozen；　by　friction　with　snow　or　similar　means。　　But　we　deceive　ourselves　by　names；　if　we　suppose　the　frozen　part　to　be　treated　by　cold；　and　not　by　heat。　　The　snow　may　even　be　actually　warmer　than　the　part　to　which　it　is　applied。　　But　even　if　it　were　at　the　same　temperature　when　applied；　it　never　did　and　never　could　do　the　least　good　to　a　frozen　part；　except　as　a　mode　of　regulating　the　application　of　what？　of　heat。　　But　the　heat　must　be　applied　gradually；　just　as　food　must　be　given　a　little　at　a　time　to　those　perishing　with　hunger。　　If　the　patient　were　brought　into　a　warm　room；　heat　would　be　applied　very　rapidly；　were　not　something　interposed　to　prevent　this；　and　allow　its　gradual　admission。　　Snow　or　iced　water　is　exactly　what　is　wanted；　it　is　not　cold　to　the　part；　it　is　very　possibly　warm；　on　the　contrary；　for　these　terms　are　relative；　and　if　it　does　not　melt　and　let　the　heat　in；　or　is　not　taken　away；　the　part　will　remain　frozen　up　until　doomsday。　　Now　the　treatment　of　a　frozen　limb　by　heat；　in　large　or　small　quantities；　is　not　Homoeopathy。

The　next　supposed　illustration　of　the　Homoeopathic　law　is　the　alleged　successful　management　of　burns；　by　holding　them　to　the　fire。　　This　is　a　popular　mode　of　treating　those　burns　which　are　of　too　little　consequence　to　require　any　more　efficacious　remedy；　and　would　inevitably　get　well　of　themselves；　without　any　trouble　being　bestowed　upon　them。　　It　produces　a　most　acute　pain　in　the　part；　which　is　followed　by　some　loss　of　sensibility；　as　happens　with　the　eye　after　exposure　to　strong　light；　and　the　ear　after　being　subjected　to　very　intense　sounds。　　This　is　all　it　is　capable　of　doing；　and　all　further　notions　of　its　efficacy　must　be　attributed　merely　to　the　vulgar　love　of　paradox。　　If　this　example　affords　any　comfort　to　the　Homoeopathist；　it　seems　as　cruel　to　deprive　him　of　it　as　it　would　be　to　convince　the　mistress　of　the　smoke…jack　or　the　flatiron　that　the　fire　does　not　literally　〃draw　the　fire　out；〃　which　is　her　hypothesis。

But　if　it　were　true　that　frost…bites　were　cured　by　cold　and　burns　by　heat；　it　would　be　subversive；　so　far　as　it　went；　of　the　great　principle　of　Homoeopathy。

For　you　will　remember　that　this　principle　is　that　Like　cures　Like；　and　not　that　Same　cures　Same；　that　there　is　resemblance　and　not　identity　between　the　symptoms　of　the　disease　and　those　produced　by　the　drug　which　cures　it；　and　none　have　been　readier　to　insist　upon　this　distinction　than　the　Homoeopathists　themselves。　　For　if　Same　cures　Same；　then　every　poison　must　be　its　own　antidote；which　is　neither　a　part　of　their　theory　nor　their　so…called　experience。　　They　have　been　asked　often　enough；　why　it　was　that　arsenic　could　not　cure　the　mischief　which　arsenic　had　caused；　and　why　the　infectious　cause　of　small…pox　did　not　remedy　the　disease　it　had　produced；　and　then　the；　were　ready　enough　to　see　the　distinction　I　have　pointed　out。　　O　no！　　it　was　not　the　hair　of　the　same　dog；　but　only　of　one　very　much　like　him！

A　third　instance　in　proof　of　the　Homoeopathic　law　is　sought　for　in　the　acknowledged　efficacy　of　vaccination。　　And　how　does　the　law　apply　to　this？　　It　is　granted　by　the　advocates　of　Homoeopathy　that　there　is　a　resemblance　between　the　effects　of　the　vaccine　virus　on　a　person　in　health　and　the　symptoms　of　small…pox。　　Therefore；　according　to　the　rule；　the　vaccine　virus　will　cure　the　small…pox；　which；　as　everybody　knows；　is　entirely　untrue。　　But　it　prevents　small…pox；　say　the　Homoeopathists。　　Yes；　and　so　does　small…pox　prevent　itself　from　ever　happening　again；　and　we　know　just　as　much　of　the　principle　involved　in　the　one　case　as　in　the　other。　　For　this　is　only　one　of　a　series　of　facts　which　we　are　wholly　unable　to　explain。　　Small…pox；　measles；　scarlet…fever；　hooping…cough；　protect　those　who　have　them　once　from　future　attacks；　but　nettle…rash　and　catarrh　and　lung　fever；　each　of　which　is　just　as　Homoeopathic　to　itself　as　any　one　of　the　others；　have　no　such　preservative　power。　　We　are　obliged　to　accept　the　fact；　unexplained；　and　we　can　do　no　more　for　vaccination　than　for　the　rest。


I　come　now　to　the　most　directly　practical　point　connected　with　the　subject；　namely；

What　is　the　state　of　the　evidence　as　to　the　efficacy　of　the　proper　Homoeopathic　treatment　in　the　cure　of　diseases。

As　the　treatment　adopted　by　the　Homoeopathists　has　been　almost　universally　by　means　of　the　infinitesimal　doses；　the　question　of　their　efficacy　is　thrown　open；　in　common　with　that　of　the　truth　of　their　fundamental　axiom；　as　both　are　tested　in　practice。

We　must　look　for　facts　as　to　the　actual　working　of　Homoeopathy　to　three　sources。

1。　　The　statements　of　the　unprofessional　public。

2。　　T