medical essays-第12节

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　works；　and　especially　in　his　Materia　Medica；　repose　the　foundations　of　Homoeopathy　as　a　practical　system。

So　far　as　I　can　learn　from　the　conflicting　statements　made　upon　the　subject；　the　following　is　the　present　condition　of　belief。

1。　　All　of　any　note　agree　that　the　law　Similia　similibus　is　the　only　fundamental　principle　in　medicine。　　Of　course　if　any　man　does　not　agree　to　this　the　name　Homoeopathist　can　no　longer　be　applied　to　him　with　propriety。

2。　　The　belief　in　and　employment　of　the　infinitesimal　doses　is　general；　and　in　some　places　universal；　among　the　advocates　of　Homoeopathy；　but　a　distinct　movement　has　been　made　in　Germany　to　get　rid　of　any　restriction　to　the　use　of　these　doses；　and　to　employ　medicines　with　the　same　license　as　other　practitioners。

3。　　The　doctrine　of　the　origin　of　most　chronic　diseases　in　Psora；　notwithstanding　Hahnemann　says　it　cost　him　twelve　years　of　study　and　research　to　establish　the　fact　and　its　practical　consequences；　has　met　with　great　neglect　and　even　opposition　from　very　many　of　his　own　disciples。

It　is　true；　notwithstanding；　that；　throughout　most　of　their　writings　which　I　have　seen；　there　runs　a　prevailing　tone　of　great　deference　to　Hahnemann's　opinions；　a　constant　reference　to　his　authority；　a　general　agreement　with　the　minor　points　of　his　belief；　and　a　pretence　of　harmonious　union　in　a　common　faith。　＇Those　who　will　take　the　trouble　to　look　over　Hull's　Translation　of　Jahr's　Manual　may　observe　how　little　comparative　space　is　given　to　remedies　resting　upon　any　other　authority　than　that　of　Hahnemann。＇

Many　persons；　and　most　physicians　and　scientific　men；　would　be　satisfied　with　the　statement　of　these　doctrines；　and　examine　them　no　further。　　They　would　consider　it　vastly　more　probable　that　any　observer　in　so　fallacious　and　difficult　a　field　of　inquiry　as　medicine　had　been　led　into　error；　or　walked　into　it　of　his　own　accord；　than　that　such　numerous　and　extraordinary　facts　had　really　just　come　to　light。　　They　would　feel　a　right　to　exercise　the　same　obduracy　towards　them　as　the　French　Institute　is　in　the　habit　of　displaying　when　memoirs　or　models　are　offered　to　it　relating　to　the　squaring　of　the　circle　or　perpetual　motion；　which　it　is　the　rule　to　pass　over　without　notice。　　They　would　feel　as　astronomers　and　natural　philosophers　must　have　felt　when；　some　half　a　dozen　years　ago；　an　unknown　man　came　forward；　and　asked　for　an　opportunity　to　demonstrate　to　Arago　and　his　colleagues　that　the　moon　and　planets　were　at　a　distance　of　a　little　more　than　a　hundred　miles　from　the　earth。　　And　so　they　would　not　even　look　into　Homoeopathy；　though　all　its　advocates　should　exclaim　in　the　words　of　Mr。　Benjamin　Douglass　Perkins；　vender　of　the　Metallic　Tractors；　that　〃On　all　discoveries　there　are　persons　who；　without　descending　to　any　inquiry　into　the　truth；　pretend　to　know；　as　it　were　by　intuition；　that　newly　asserted　facts　are　founded　in　the　grossest　errors。〃　　And　they　would　lay　their　heads　upon　their　pillows　with　a　perfectly　clear　conscience；　although　they　were　assured　that　they　were　behaving　in　the　same　way　that　people　of　old　did　towards　Harvey；　Galileo；　and　Copernicus；　the　identical　great　names　which　were　invoked　by　Mr。　Benjamin　Douglass　Perkins。

But　experience　has　shown　that　the　character　of　these　assertions　is　not　sufficient　to　deter　many；　from　examining　their　claims　to　belief。　I　therefore　lean　but　very　slightly　on　the　extravagance　and　extreme　apparent　singularity　of　their　pretensions。　　I　might　have　omitted　them；　but　on　the　whole　it　seemed　more　just　to　the　claims　of　my　argument　to　suggest　the　vast　complication　of　improbabilities　involved　in　the　statements　enumerated。　　Every　one　must　of　course　judge　for　himself　as　to　the　weight　of　these　objections；　which　are　by　no　means　brought　forward　as　a　proof　of　the　extravagance　of　Homoeopathy；　but　simply　as　entitled　to　a　brief　consideration　before　the　facts　of　the　case　are　submitted　to　our　scrutiny。

The　three　great　asserted　discoveries　of　Hahnemann　are　entirely　unconnected　with　and　independent　of　each　other。　　Were　there　any　natural　relation　between　them　it　would　seem　probable　enough　that　the　discovery　of　the　first　would　have　led　to　that　of　the　others。　　But　assuming　it　to　be　a　fact　that　diseases　are　cured　by　remedies　capable　of　producing　symptoms　like　their　own；　no　manifest　relation　exists　between　this　fact　and　the　next　assertion；　namely；　the　power　of　the　infinitesimal　doses。　　And　allowing　both　these　to　be　true；　neither　has　the　remotest　affinity　to　the　third　new　doctrine；　that　which　declares　seven　eighths　of　all　chronic　diseases　to　be　owing　to　Psora。

This　want　of　any　obvious　relation　between　Hahnemann's　three　cardinal　doctrines　appears　to　be　self…evident　upon　inspection。　　But　if；　as　is　often　true　with　his　disciples；　they　prefer　the　authority　of　one　of　their　own　number；　I　will　refer　them　to　Dr。　Trinks's　paper　on　the　present　state　of　Homoeopathy　in　Europe；　with　which；　of　course；　they　are　familiar；　as　his　name　is　mentioned　as　one　of　the　most　prominent　champions　of　their　faith；　in　their　American　official　organ。　　It　would　be　a　fact　without　a　parallel　in　the　history；　not　merely　of　medicine；　but　of　science；　that　three　such　unconnected　and　astonishing　discoveries；　each　of　them　a　complete　revolution　of　all　that　ages　of　the　most　varied　experience　had　been　taught　to　believe；　should　spring　full　formed　from　the　brain　of　a　single　individual。

Let　us　look　a　moment　at　the　first　of　his　doctrines。　　Improbable　though　it　may　seem　to　some；　there　is　no　essential　absurdity　involved　in　the　proposition　that　diseases　yield　to　remedies　capable　of　producing　like　symptoms。　　There　are；　on　the　other　hand；　some　analogies　which　lend　a　degree　of　plausibility　to　the　statement。　There　are　well…ascertained　facts；　known　from　the　earliest　periods　of　medicine；　showing　that；　under　certain　circumstances；　the　very　medicine　which；　from　its　known　effects；　one　would　expect　to　aggravate　the　disease；　may　contribute　to　its　relief。　　I　may　be　permitted　to　allude；　in　the　most　general　way；　to　the　case　in　which　the　spontaneous　efforts　of　an　overtasked　stomach　are　quieted　by　the　agency　of　a　drug　which　that　organ　refuses　to　entertain　upon　any　terms。　　But　that　every　cure　ever　performed　by　medicine　should　have　been　founded　upon　this　principle；　although　without　the　knowledge　of　a　physician；　that　the　Homoeopathic　axiom　is；　as　Hahnemann　asserts；　〃the　sole　law　of　nature　in　therapeutics；〃　a　law　of　which　nothing　more　than　a　transient　glimpse　ever　presented　itself　to　the　innumerable　host　of　medical　observers；　is　a　dogma　of　such　sweeping　extent；　and　pregnant　novelty；　that　it　demands　a　corresponding　breadth　and　depth　of　unquestionable　facts　to　cover　its　vast　pretensions。

So　much　ridicule　has　been　thrown　upon　the　pretended　powers　of　the　minute　doses　that　I　shall　only　touch　upon　this　point　for　the　purpose　of　conveying；　by　illustrations；　some　shadow　of　ideas　far　transcending　the　powers　of　the　imagination　to　realize。　　It　must　be　remembered　that　these　comparisons　are　not　matters　susceptible　of　dispute；　being　founded　on　simple　arithmetical　computations；　level　to　the　capacity　of　any　intelligent　schoolboy。　　A　person　who　once　wrote　a　very　small　pamphlet　made　some　show　of　objecting　to　calculations　of　thus　kind；　on　the　ground　that　the　highest　dilutions　could　easily　be　made　with　a　few　ounces　of　alcohol。　　But　he　should　have　remembered　that　at　every　successive　dilution　he　lays　aside　or　throws　away　ninety…nine　hundredths　of　the　fluid　on　which　he　is　operating；　and　that；　although　he　begins　with　a　drop；　he　only　prepares　a　millionth；　billionth；　trillionth；　and　similar　fractions　of　it；　all　of　which；　added　together；　would　constitute　but　a　vastly　minute　portion　of　the　drop　with　which　he　began。　　But　now　let　us　suppose　we　take　one　single　drop　of　the　Tincture　of　Camomile；　and　that　the　whole　of　this　were　to　be　carried　through　the　common　series　of　dilutions。

A　calculation　nearly　like　the　following　was　made　by　Dr。　Panvini；　and　may　be　readily　followed　in　its　essential　particulars　by　any　one　who　chooses。

For　the　first　dilution　it　would　take　100　drops　of　alcohol。

For　the　second　dilution　it　would　take　10；000　drops；　or　about　a　pint。

For　the　third　dilution　it　would　take　100　pints。

For　the　fourth　dilution　it　would　take　10；000　pints；　or　more　than　1；000　gallons；　and　so　on　to　the　ninth　dilution；　which　would　take　ten　billion　gallons；　which　he　computed　would　fill　the　basin　of　Lake　Agnano；　a　body　of　water　two　miles　in　circumference。　　The　twelfth　dilution　would　of　course　fill　a　million　such　lakes。　　By　the　time　the　seventeenth　degree　of　dilution　should　be　reached；　the　alcohol　required　would　equal　in　quantity　the　waters　of　ten　thousand　Adriatic　seas。　　Trifling　errors　must　be　expected；　but　they　are　as　likely　to　be　on　one　side　as　the　other；　and　any　little　matter　like　Lake　Superior　or　the　Caspian　would　be　but　a　drop　in　the　bucket。

Swallowers　of　globules；　one　of　your　little　pellets；　moistened　in　the　mingled　waves　of　one　million　lakes　of　alcohol；　each　two　miles　in　circumference；　with　which　had　been　blended　that　one　drop　of　Tincture　of　Camomile；　would　be　of　precisely　the　strength　recommended　for　that　medicine　in　your　favorite　Jahr's　Manual；　against　the　most　sudden；　frightful；　and　fatal　diseases！〃　＇In　the　French　edition　of　1834；　the　proper　doses　of　the