a mortal antipathy-第36章

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I　have　restrained　the　rage　of　the　dog…star；　and　mitigated　the　fervors

of　the　crab。　　The　winds　alone；　of　all　the　elemental　powers；　have

hitherto　eluded　my　authority；　and　multitudes　have　perished　by

equinoctial　tempests；　which　I　found　myself　unable　to　prohibit　or

restrain。'



〃The　reader　naturally　wishes　to　know　how　the　astronomer；　a　sincere；

devoted；　and　most　benevolent　man；　for　forty　years　a　student　of　the

heavens；　came　to　the　strange　belief　that　he　possessed　these

miraculous　powers。　　This　is　his　account：



〃'One　day；　as　I　was　looking　on　the　fields　withering　with　heat；　I　felt

in　my　mind　a　sudden　wish　that　I　could　send　rain　on　the　southern

mountains；　and　raise　the　Nile　to　an　inundation。　　In　the　hurry　of　my

imagination　I　commanded　rain　to　fall；　and　by　comparing　the　time　of　my

command　with　that　of　the　inundation　I　found　that　the　clouds　had

listened　to　my　lips。'



〃'Might　not　some　other　cause；'　said　I；　'produce　this　concurrence？

The　Nile　does　not　always　rise　on　the　same　day。'



〃'Do　not　believe；'　said　he；　with　impatience；　I　that　such　objections

could　escape　me：　I　reasoned　long　against　my　own　conviction；　and

labored　against　truth　with　the　utmost　obstinacy。　　I　sometimes

suspected　myself　of　madness；　and　should　not　have　dared　to　impart　this

secret　but　to　a　man　like　you；　capable　of　distinguishing　the　wonderful

from　the　impossible　and　the　incredible　from　the　false。'



〃The　good　old　astronomer　gives　his　parting　directions　to　Imlac；　whom

he　has　adopted　as　his　successor　in　the　government　of　the　elements　and

the　seasons；　in　these　impressive　words：



〃Do　not；　in　the　administration　of　the　year；　indulge　thy　pride　by

innovation；　do　not　please　thyself　with　thinking　that　thou　canst　make

thyself　renowned　to　all　future　ages　by　disordering　the　seasons。　　The

memory　of　mischief　is　no　desirable　fame。　　Much　less　will　it　become

thee　to　let　kindness　or　interest　prevail。　　Never　rob　other　countries

of　rain　to　pour　it　on　thine　own。　　For　us　the　Nile　is　sufficient。'



〃Do　you　wonder；　my　friends；　why　I　have　chosen　these　passages；　in

which　the　delusions　of　an　insane　astronomer　are　related　with　all　the

pomp　of　the　Johnsonian　vocabulary；　as　the　first　lesson　for　the　young

person　about　to　enter　on　the　study　of　the　science　and　art　of　healing？

Listen　to　me　while　I　show　you　the　parallel　of　the　story　of　the

astronomer　in　the　history　of　medicine。



〃This　history　is　luminous　with　intelligence；　radiant　with

benevolence；　but　all　its　wisdom　and　all　its　virtue　have　had　to

struggle　with　the　ever…rising　mists　of　delusion。　　The　agencies　which

waste　and　destroy　the　race　of　mankind　are　vast　and　resistless　as　the

elemental　forces　of　nature；　nay；　they　are　themselves　elemental

forces。　　They　may　be　to　some　extent　avoided；　to　some　extent　diverted

from　their　aim；　to　some　extent　resisted。　　So　may　the　changes　of　the

seasons；　from　cold　that　freezes　to　heats　that　strike　with　sudden

death；　be　guarded　against。　　So　may　the　tides　be　in　some　small　measure

restrained　in　their　inroads。　　So　may　the　storms　be　breasted　by　walls

they　cannot　shake　from　their　foundations。　　But　the　seasons　and　the

tides　and　the　tempests　work　their　will　on　the　great　scale　upon

whatever　stands　in　their　way；　they　feed　or　starve　the　tillers　of　the

soil；　they　spare　or　drown　the　dwellers　by　the　shore；　they　waft　the

seaman　to　his　harbor　or　bury　him　in　the　angry　billows。



〃The　art　of　the　physician　can　do　much　to　remove　its　subjects　from

deadly　and　dangerous　influences；　and　something　to　control　or　arrest

the　effects　of　these　influences。　　But　look　at　the　records　of　the

life…insurance　offices；　and　see　how　uniform　is　the　action　of　nature's

destroying　agencies。　　Look　at　the　annual　reports　of　the　deaths　in　any

of　our　great　cities；　and　see　how　their　regularity　approaches　the

uniformity　of　the　tides；　and　their　variations　keep　pace　with　those　of

the　seasons。　　The　inundations　of　the　Nile　are　not　more　certainly　to

be　predicted　than　the　vast　wave　of　infantile　disease　which　flows　in

upon　all　our　great　cities　with　the　growing　heats　of　July；than　the

fevers　and　dysenteries　which　visit　our　rural　districts　in　the　months

of　the　falling　leaf。



〃The　physician　watches　these　changes　as　the　astronomer　watched　the

rise　of　the　great　river。　　He　longs　to　rescue　individuals；　to　protect

communities　from　the　inroads　of　these　destroying　agencies。　　He　uses

all　the　means　which　experience　has　approved；　tries　every　rational

method　which　ingenuity　can　suggest。　　Some　fortunate　recovery　leads

him　to　believe　he　has　hit　upon　a　preventive　or　a　cure　for　a　malady

which　had　resisted　all　known　remedies。　　His　rescued　patient　sounds

his　praises；　and　a　wide　circle　of　his　patient's　friends　joins　in　a

chorus　of　eulogies。　　Self…love　applauds　him　for　his　sagacity。　　Self…

interest　congratulates　him　on　his　having　found　the　road　to　fortune；

the　sense　of　having　proved　a　benefactor　of　his　race　smooths　the

pillow　on　which　he　lays　his　head　to　dream　of　the　brilliant　future

opening　before　him。　　If　a　single　coincidence　may　lead　a　person　of

sanguine　disposition　to　believe　that　he　has　mastered　a　disease　which

had　baffled　all　who　were　before　his　time；　and　on　which　his

contemporaries　looked　in　hopeless　impotence；　what　must　be　the　effect

of　a　series　of　such　coincidences　even　on　a　mind　of　calmer　temper！

Such　series　of　coincidences　will　happen；　and　they　may　well　deceive

the　very　elect。　　Think　of　Dr。　Rush；you　know　what　a　famous　man　he

was；　the　very　head　and　front　of　American　medical　science　in　his　day；

and　remember　how　he　spoke　about　yellow　fever；　which　he　thought　he

had　mastered！



〃Thus　the　physician　is　entangled　in　the　meshes　of　a　wide　conspiracy；

in　which　he　and　his　patient　and　their　friends；　and…Nature　herself；

are　involved。　　What　wonder　that　the　history　of　Medicine　should　be　to

so　great　an　extent　a　record　of　self…delusion！



〃If　this　seems　a　dangerous　concession　to　the　enemies　of　the　true

science　and　art　of　healing；　I　will　remind　you　that　it　is　all　implied

in　the　first　aphorism　of　Hippocrates；　the　Father　of　Medicine。　　Do　not

draw　a　wrong　inference　from　the　frank　statement　of　the　difficulties

which　beset　the　medical　practitioner。　　Think　rather；　if　truth　is　so

hard　of　attainment；　how　precious　are　the　results　which　the　consent　of

the　wisest　and　most　experienced　among　the　healers　of　men　agrees　in

accepting。　　Think　what　folly　it　is　to　cast　them　aside　in　favor　of

palpable　impositions　stolen　from　the　records　of　forgotten

charlatanism；　or　of　fantastic　speculations　spun　from　the　squinting

brains　of　theorists　as　wild　as　the　Egyptian　astronomer。



〃Begin　your　medical　studies；　then；　by　reading　the　fortieth　and　the

following　four　chapters　of　'Rasselas。'　Your　first　lesson　will　teach

you　modesty　and　caution　in　the　pursuit　of　the　most　deceptive　of　all

practical　branches　of　knowledge。　　Faith　will　come　later；　when　you

learn　how　much　medical　science　and　art　have　actually　achieved　for　the

relief　of　mankind；　and　how　great　are　the　promises　it　holds　out　of

still　larger　triumphs　over　the　enemies　of　human　health　and

happiness。〃



After　the　reading　of　this　paper　there　was　a　lively　discussion；　which

we　have　no　room　to　report　here；　and　the　Society　adjourned。









XIV



MISS　VINCENT'S　STARTLING　DISCOVERY。



The　sober…minded；　sensible；　well…instructed　Dr。　Butts　was　not　a

little　exercised　in　mind　by　the　demands　made　upon　his　knowledge　by

his　young　friend；　and　for　the　time　being　his　pupil；　Miss　Lurida

Vincent。



〃I　don't　wonder　they　called　her　The　Terror；〃　he　said　to　himself。

〃She　is　enough　to　frighten　anybody。　　She　has　taken　down　old　books

from　my　shelves　that　I　had　almost　forgotten　the　backs　of；　and　as　to

the　medical　journals；　I　believe　the　girl　could　index　them　from

memory。　　She　is　in　pursuit　of　some　special　point　of　knowledge；　I　feel

sure；　and　I　cannot　doubt　what　direction　she　is　working　in；　but　her

wonderful　way　of　dealing　with　books　amazes　me。〃



What　marvels　those　〃first　scholars〃　in　the　classes　of　our　grea