medical essays-第20节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



I　am；　etc。；　etc。；

〃G。　BRESCHET；

〃Professor　in　the　Faculty　of　Medicine；　Member　of　the　Institute；　Surgeon　of　Hotel　Dieu；　and　Consulting　Surgeon　to　the　King；　etc。

I　first　saw　M。　　Breschet's　name　mentioned　in　that　Journal

Concerning　Amussat；　my　correspondent　writes；　that　he　was　informed　by　Madame　Hahnemann；　who　converses　in　French　more　readily　than　her　husband；　and　therefore　often　speaks　for　him；　that　〃he　was　not　a　physician；　neither　Homoeopathist　nor　Allopathist；　but　that　he　was　the　surgeon　of　their　own　establishment；　that　is；　performed　as　a　surgeon　all　the　operations　they　had　occasion　for　in　their　practice。〃

I　regret　not　having　made　any　inquiries　as　to　Marjolin；　who；　I　doubt　not；　would　strike　his　ponderous　snuff…box　until　it　resounded　like　the　Grecian　horse；　at　hearing　such　a　doctrine　associated　with　his　respectable　name。　　I　was　not　aware；　when　writing　to　Paris；　that　this　worthy　Professor；　whose　lectures　I　long　attended；　was　included　in　these　audacious　claims；　but　after　the　specimens　I　have　given　of　the　accuracy　of　the　foreign　correspondence　of　the　〃Homoeopathic　Examiner；〃　any　further　information　I　might　obtain　would　seem　so　superfluous　as　hardly　to　be　worth　the　postage。

Homoeopathy　may　be　said；　then；　to　be　in　a　sufficiently　miserable　condition　in　Paris。　　Yet　there　lives；　and　there　has　lived　for　years；　the　illustrious　Samuel　Hahnemann；　who　himself　assured　my　correspondent　that　no　place　offered　the　advantages　of　Paris　in　its　investigation；　by　reason　of　the　attention　there　paid　to　it。

In　England；　it　appears　by　the　statement　of　Dr。　Curie　in　October；　1839；　about　eight　years　after　its　introduction　into　the　country；　that　there　were　eighteen　Homoeopathic　physicians　in　the　United　Kingdom；　of　whom　only　three　were　to　be　found　out　of　London；　and　that　many　of　these　practised　Homoeopathy　in　secret。

It　will　be　seen；　therefore；　that；　according　to　the　recent　statement　of　one　of　its　leading　English　advocates；　Homoeopathy　had　obtained　not　quite　half　as　many　practical　disciples　in　England　as　Perkinism　could　show　for　itself　in　a　somewhat　less　period　from　the　time　of　its　first　promulgation　in　that　country。

Dr。　Curie's　letter；　dated　London；　October　30；　1839；　says　there　is　〃one　in　Dublin；　Dr。　Luther；　at　Glasgow；　Dr。　Scott。〃　　The　〃distinguished〃　Chrysaora　writes　from　Paris；　dating　October　20；　1839；　〃On　the　other　hand；　Homoeopathy　is　commencing　to　make　an　inroad　into　England　by　the　way　of　Ireland。　　At　Dublin；　distinguished　physicians　have　already　embraced　the　new　system；　and　a　great　part　of　the　nobility　and　gentry　of　that　city　have　emancipated　themselves　from　the　English　fashion　and　professional　authority。〃

But　the　Marquis　of　Anglesea　and　Sir　Edward　Lytton　Bulwer　patronize　Homoeopathy；　the　Queen　Dowager　Adelaide　has　been　treated　by　a　Homoeopathic　physician。　　〃Jarley　is　the　delight　of　the　nobility　and　gentry。〃　　〃The　Royal　Family　are　the　patrons　of　Jarley。〃

Let　me　ask　if　a　Marquis　and　a　Knight　are　better　than　two　Lords；　and　if　the　Dowager　of　Royalty　is　better　than　Royalty　itself；　all　of　which　illustrious　dignities　were　claimed　in　behalf　of　Benjamin　Douglass　Perkins？

But　if　the　balance　is　thought　too　evenly　suspended　in　this　case；　another　instance　can　be　given　in　which　the　evidence　of　British　noblemen　and　their　ladies　is　shown　to　be　as　valuable　in　establishing　the　character　of　a　medical　man　or　doctrine；　as　would　be　the　testimony　of　the　Marquis　of　Waterford　concerning　the　present　condition　and　prospects　of　missionary　enterprise。　　I　have　before　me　an　octavo　volume　of　more　than　four　hundred　pages；　in　which；　among　much　similar　matter；　I　find　highly　commendatory　letters　from　the　Marchioness　of　Ormond；　Lady　Harriet　Kavanagh；　the　Countess　of　Buckinghamshire；　the　Right　Hon。　Viscount　Ingestre；　M。　P。；　and　the　Most　Noble；　the　Marquis　of　Sligo；all　addressed　to　〃John　St。　John　Long；　Esq；〃　a　wretched　charlatan；　twice　tried　for；　and　once　convicted　of；　manslaughter　at　the　Old　Bailey。

This　poor　creature；　too；　like　all　of　his　tribe；　speaks　of　the　medical　profession　as　a　great　confederation　of　bigoted　monopolists。　　He；　too；　says　that　〃If　an　innovator　should　appear；　holding　out　hope　to　those　in　despair；　and　curing　disorders　which　the　faculty　have　recorded　as　irremediable；　he　is　at　once；　and　without　inquiry；　denounced　as　an　empiric　and　an　impostor。〃　　He；　too；　cites　the　inevitable　names　of　Galileo　and　Harvey；　and　refers　to　the　feelings　excited　by　the　great　discovery　of　Jenner。　　From　the　treatment　of　the　great　astronomer　who　was　visited　with　the　punishment　of　other　heretics　by　the　ecclesiastical　authorities　of　a　Catholic　country　some　centuries　since；　there　is　no　very　direct　inference　to　be　drawn　to　the　medical　profession　of　the　present　time。　　His　name　should　be　babbled　no　longer；　after　having　been　placarded　for　the　hundredth　time　in　the　pages　of　St。　John　Long。　　But　if　we　are　doomed　to　see　constant　reference　to　the　names　of　Harvey　and　Jenner　in　every　worthless　pamphlet　containing　the　prospectus　of　some　new　trick　upon　the　public；　let　us；　once　for　all；　stare　the　facts　in　the　face；　and　see　how　the　discoveries　of　these　great　men　were　actually　received　by　the　medical　profession。

In　1628；　Harvey　published　his　first　work　upon　the　circulation。　　His　doctrines　were　a　complete　revolution　of　the　prevailing　opinions　of　all　antiquity。　　They　immediately　found　both　champions　and　opponents；　of　which　last；　one　only；　Riolanus；　seemed　to　Harvey　worthy　of　an　answer；　on　account　of　his　〃rank；　fame；　and　learning。〃　　Controversy　in　science；　as　in　religion；　was　not；　in　those　days；　carried　on　with　all　the　courtesy　which　our　present　habits　demand；　and　it　is　possible　that　some　hard　words　may　have　been　applied　to　Harvey；　as　it　is　very　certain　that　he　used　the　most　contemptuous　expressions　towards　others。

Harvey　declares　in　his　second　letter　to　Riolanus；　〃Since　the　first　discovery　of　the　circulation；　hardly　a　day；　or　a　moment；　has　passed　without　my　hearing　it　both　well　and　ill　spoken　of；　some　attack　it　with　great　hostility；　others　defend　it　with　high　encomiums；　one　party　believe　that　I　have　abundantly　proved　the　truth　of　the　doctrine　against　all　the　weight　of　opposing　arguments；　by　experiments；　observations；　and　dissections；　others　think　it　not　yet　sufficiently　cleared　up；　and　free　from　objections。〃　　Two　really　eminent　Professors；　Plempius　of　Louvain；　and　Walaeus　of　Leyden；　were　among　its　early　advocates。

The　opinions　sanctioned　by　the　authority　of　long　ages；　and　the　names　of　Hippocrates　and　Galen；　dissolved　away；　gradually；　but　certainly；　before　the　demonstrations　of　Harvey。　　Twenty…four　years　after　the　publication　of　his　first　work；　and　six　years　before　his　death；　his　bust　in　marble　was　placed　in　the　Hall　of　the　College　of　Physicians；　with　a　suitable　inscription　recording　his　discoveries。

Two　years　after　this　he　was　unanimously　invited　to　accept　the　Presidency　of　that　body；　and　he　lived　to　see　his　doctrine　established；　and　all　reputable　opposition　withdrawn。

There　were　many　circumstances　connected　with　the　discovery　of　Dr。　Jenner　which　were　of　a　nature　to　excite　repugnance　and　opposition。　The　practice　of　inoculation　for　the　small…pox　had　already　disarmed　that　disease　of　many　of　its　terrors。　　The　introduction　of　a　contagious　disease　from　a　brute　creature　into　the　human　system　naturally　struck　the　public　mind　with　a　sensation　of　disgust　and　apprehension；　and　a　part　of　the　medical　public　may　have　shared　these　feelings。　　I　find　that　Jenner's　discovery　of　vaccination　was　made　public　in　June；　1798。　　In　July　of　the　same　year　the　celebrated　surgeon；　Mr。　Cline；　vaccinated　a　child　with　virus　received　from　Dr。　Jenner；　and　in　communicating　the　success　of　this　experiment；　he　mentions　that　Dr。　Lister；　formerly　of　the　Small…Pox　Hospital；　and　himself；　are　convinced　of　the　efficacy　of　the　cow…pox。　　In　November　of　the　same　year；　Dr。　Pearson　published　his　〃Inquiry；〃　containing　the　testimony　of　numerous　practitioners　in　different　parts　of　the　kingdom；　to　the　efficacy　of　the　practice。　　Dr。　HAYGARTH；　who　was　so　conspicuous　in　exposing　the　follies　of　Perkinism；　was　among　the　very　earliest　to　express　his　opinion　in　favor　of　vaccination。　　In　1801；　Dr。　Lettsom　mentions　the　circumstance　〃as　being　to　the　honor　of　the　medical　professors；　that　they　have　very　generally　encouraged　this　salutary　practice；　although　it　is　certainly　calculated　to　lessen　their　pecuniary　advantages　by　its　tendency　to　extirpate　a　fertile　source　of　professional　practice。〃

In　the　same　year　the　Medical　Committee　of　Paris　spoke　of　vaccination　in　a　public　letter；　as　〃the　most　brilliant　and　most　important　discovery　of　the　eighteenth　century。〃　　The　Directors　of　a　Society　for　the　Extermination　of　the　Small…Pox；　in　a　Report　dated　October　1st；　1807；　〃congratulate　the　public　on　the　very　favorable　opinion　which　the　Royal　College　of　Physicians　of　London；　after　a　most　minute　and　laborious　investigation　made　by　the　command　of　his　Majesty；　have　a　second　time　expressed　on　the　subject　of　vaccination；　in　their　Report　laid　before　the　House　of　Commons；　in　the　last　session　of　Parliament；　in　consequence　of　which　the　sum　of　twenty　thousand　pounds　was　voted　to　Dr。　Jenner；　as　a　remuneration　for　his　discovery；　in　addition　to　ten　thousand　pounds　before　granted。〃　　（In　June；　1802。）

These　and　similar　accusations；　so　often　brought　up　against　the　M