medical essays-第7章

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tracted　attention。　　The　Danish　physicians　published　an　account　of　their　cases；　containing　numerous　instances　of　alleged　success；　in　a　respectable　octavo　volume。　　In　the　year　1804　an　establishment；　honored　with　the　name　of　the　Perkinean　Institution；　was　founded　in　London。　　The　transactions　of　this　institution　were　published　in　pamphlets；　the　Perkinean　Society　had　public　dinners　at　the　Crown　and　Anchor；　and　a　poet　celebrated　their　medical　triumph　in　strains　like　these　：

　　　　〃See；　pointed　metals；　blest　with　power　t'　appease　　　　　　The　ruthless　rage　of　merciless　disease；　　　　　　O'er　the　frail　part　a　subtle　fluid　pour；　　　　　　Drenched　with　invisible　Galvanic　shower；　　　　　　Till　the　arthritic　staff　and　crutch　forego；　　　　　　And　leap　exulting　like　the　bounding　roe！〃

While　all　these　things　were　going　on；　Mr。　Benjamin　Douglass　Perkins　was　calmly　pocketing　money；　so　that　after　some　half　a　dozen　years　he　left　the　country　with　more　than　ten　thousand　pounds；　which　had　been　paid　him　by　the　believers　in　Great　Britain。　　But　in　spite　of　all　this　success；　and　the　number　of　those　interested　and　committed　in　its　behalf；　Perkinism　soon　began　to　decline；　and　in　1811　the　Tractors　are　spoken　of　by　an　intelligent　writer　as　being　almost　forgotten。　　Such　was　the　origin　and　duration　of　this　doctrine　and　practice；　into　the　history　of　which　we　will　now　look　a　little　more　narrowly。

Let　us　see；　then；　by　whose　agency　this　delusion　was　established　and　kept　up；　whether　it　was　principally　by　those　who　were　accustomed　to　medical　pursuits；　or　those　whose　habits　and　modes　of　reasoning　were　different；　whether　it　was　with　the　approbation　of　those　learned　bodies　usually　supposed　to　take　an　interest　in　scientific　discoveries；　or　only　of　individuals　whose　claims　to　distinction　were　founded　upon　their　position　in　society；　or　political　station；　or　literary　eminence；　whether　the　judicious　or　excitable　classes　entered　most　deeply　into　it；　whether；　in　short；　the　scientific　men　of　that　time　were　deceived；　or　only　intruded　upon；　and　shouted　down　for　the　moment　by　persons　who　had　no　particular　call　to　invade　their　precincts。

Not　much；　perhaps；　was　to　be　expected　of　the　Medical　Profession　in　the　way　of　encouragement。　　One　Dr。　Fuller；　who　wrote　in　England；　himself　a　Perkinist；　thus　expressed　his　opinion：　〃It　must　be　an　extraordinary　exertion　of　virtue　and　humanity　for　a　medical　man；　whose　livelihood　depends　either　on　the　sale　of　drugs；　or　on　receiving　a　guinea　for　writing　a　prescription；　which　must　relate　to　those　drugs；　to　say　to　his　patient；　'You　had　better　purchase　a　set　of　Tractors　to　keep　in　your　family；　they　will　cure　you　without　the　expense　of　my　attendance；　or　the　danger　of　the　common　medical　practice。'　　For　very　obvious　reasons　medical　men　must　never　be　expected　to　recommend　the　use　of　Perkinism。　　The　Tractors　must　trust　for　their　patronage　to　the　enlightened　and　philanthropic　out　of　the　profession；　or　to　medical　men　retired　from　practice；　and　who　know　of　no　other　interest　than　the　luxury　of　relieving　the　distressed。　　And　I　do　not　despair　of　seeing　the　day　when　but　very　few　of　this　description　as　well　as　private　families　will　be　without　them。〃

Whether　the　motives　assigned　by　this　medical　man　to　his　professional　brethren　existed　or　not；　it　is　true　that　Dr。　Perkins　did　not　gain　a　great　deal　at　their　hands。　　The　Connecticut　Medical　Society　expelled　him　in　1797　for　violating　their　law　against　the　use　of　nostrums；　or　secret　remedies。　　The　leading　English　physicians　appear　to　have　looked　on　with　singular　apathy　or　contempt　at　the　miracles　which　it　was　pretended　were　enacting　in　the　hands　of　the　apostles　of　the　new　practice。　　In　looking　over　the　reviews　of　the　time；　I　have　found　little　beyond　brief　occasional　notices　of　their　pretensions；　the　columns　of　these　journals　being　occupied　with　subjects　of　more　permanent　interest。　　The　state　of　things　in　London　is　best　learned；　however；　from　the　satirical　poem　to　which　I　have　already　alluded　as　having　been　written　at　the　period　referred　to。　　This　was　entitled；　〃Terrible　Tractoration！！　　A　Poetical　Petition　against　Galvanizing　Trumpery　and　the　Perkinistic　Institution。　　Most　respectfully　addressed　to　the　Royal　College　of　Physicians；　by　Christopher　Caustic；　M。　D。；　LL。　D。；　A。　S。　S。；　Fellow　of　the　Royal　College　of　Physicians；　Aberdeen；　and　Honorary　Member　of　no　less　than　nineteen　very　learned　Societies。〃　　Two　editions　of　this　work　were　published　in　London　in　the　years　1803　and　1804；　and　one　or　two　have　been　published　in　this　country。

〃Terrible　Tractoration〃　is　supposed；　by　those　who　never　read　it；　to　be　a　satire　upon　the　follies　of　Perkins　and　his　followers。　　It　is；　on　the　contrary；　a　most　zealous　defence　of　Perkinism；　and　a　fierce　attack　upon　its　opponents；　most　especially　upon　such　of　the　medical　profession　as　treated　the　subject　with　neglect　or　ridicule。　　The　Royal　College　of　Physicians　was　the　more　peculiar　object　of　the　attack；　but　with　this　body；　the　editors　of　some　of　the　leading　periodicals；　and　several　physicians　distinguished　at　that　time；　and　even　now　remembered　for　their　services　to　science　and　humanity；　were　involved　in　unsparing　denunciations。　　The　work　is　by　no　means　of　the　simply　humorous　character　it　might　be　supposed；　but　is　overloaded　with　notes　of　the　most　seriously　polemical　nature。　　Much　of　the　history　of　the　subject；　indeed；　is　to　be　looked　for　in　this　volume。

It　appears　from　this　work　that　the　principal　members　of　the　medical　profession；　so　far　from　hailing　Mr。　Benjamin　Douglass　Perkins　as　another　Harvey　or　Jenner；　looked　very　coldly　upon　him　and　his　Tractors；　and　it　is　now　evident　that；　though　they　were　much　abused　for　so　doing；　they　knew　very　well　what　they　had　to　deal　with；　and　were　altogether　in　the　right。　　The　delusion　at　last　attracted　such　an　amount　of　attention　as　to　induce　Dr。　Haygarth　and　some　others　of　respectable　standing　to　institute　some　experiments　which　I　shall　mention　in　their　proper　place；　the　result　of　which　might　have　seemed　sufficient　to　show　the　emptiness　of　the　whole　contrivance。

The　Royal　Society；　that　learned　body　which　for　ages　has　constituted　the　best　tribunal　to　which　Britain　can　appeal　in　questions　of　science；　accepted　Mr。　Perkins's　Tractors　and　the　book　written　about　them；　passed　the　customary　vote　of　thanks；　and　never　thought　of　troubling　itself　further　in　the　investigation　of　pretensions　of　such　an　aspect。　　It　is　not　to　be　denied　that　a　considerable　number　of　physicians　did　avow　themselves　advocates　of　the　new　practice；　but　out　of　the　whole　catalogue　of　those　who　were　publicly　proclaimed　as　such；　no　one　has　ever　been　known；　so　far　as　I　am　aware；　to　the　scientific　world；　except　in　connection　with　the　short…lived　notoriety　of　Perkinism。　　Who　were　the　people；　then；　to　whose　activity；　influence；　or　standing　with　the　community　was　owing　all　the　temporary　excitement　produced　by　the　Metallic　Tractors？

First；　those　persons　who　had　been　induced　to　purchase　a　pair　of　Tractors。　　These　little　bits　of　brass　and　iron；　the　intrinsic　value　of　which　might；　perhaps；　amount　to　ninepence；　were　sold　at　five　guineas　a　pair！　　A　man　who　has　paid　twenty…five　dollars　for　his　whistle　is　apt　to　blow　it　louder　and　longer　than　other　people。　　So　it　appeared　that　when　the　〃Perkinean　Society〃　applied　to　the　possessors　of　Tractors　in　the　metropolis　to　concur　in　the　establishment　of　a　public　institution　for　the　use　of　these　instruments　upon　the　poor；　〃it　was　found　that　only　five　out　of　above　a　hundred　objected　to　subscribe；　on　account　of　their　want　of　confidence　in　the　efficacy　of　the　practice；　and　these；〃　the　committee　observes；　〃there　is　reason　to　believe；　never　gave　them　a　fair　trial；　probably　never　used　them　in　more　than　one　case；　and　that　perhaps　a　case　in　which　the　Tractors　had　never　been　recommended　as　serviceable。〃　　〃Purchasers　of　the　Tractors；〃　said　one　of　their　ardent　advocates；　〃would　be　among　the　last　to　approve　of　them　if　they　had　reason　to　suppose　themselves　defrauded　of　five　guineas。〃　　He　forgot　poor　Moses；　with　his　〃gross　of　green　spectacles；　with　silver　rims　and　shagreen　cases。〃　　〃Dear　mother；〃　cried　the　boy；　〃why　won't　you　listen　to　reason？　　I　had　them　a　dead　bargain；　or　I　should　not　have　bought　them。　　The　silver　rims　alone　will　sell　for　double　the　money。〃

But　it　is　an　undeniable　fact；　that