medical essays-第69节

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SEUCONE　CROMATA；〃　in　the　place　of　〃Sanconiathon；　Manetho；　Berosus；〃　and　〃Anarchon　ara　kai　ateleutaion　to　pan。〃

One　other　passage　deserves　notice；　as　it　relates　to　the　single　medical　suggestion　which　does　honor　to　Cotton　Mather's　memory。　　It　does　not　appear　that　he　availed　himself　of　the　information　which　he　says；　he　obtained　from　his　slave；　for　such　I　suppose　he　was。

In　his　appendix　to　〃　Variolae　Triumphatae；〃　he　says；

〃There　has　been　a　wonderful　practice　lately　used　in　several　parts　of　the　world；　which　indeed　is　not　yet　become　common　in　our　nation。

〃I　was　first　informed　of　it　by　a　Garamantee　servant　of　my　own；　long　before　I　knew　that　any　Europeans　or　Asiaticks　had　the　least　acquaintance　with　it；　and　some　years　before　I　was　enriched　with　the　communications　of　the　learned　Foreigners；　whose　accounts　I　found　agreeing　with　what　I　received　of　my　servant；　when　he　shewed　me　the　Scar　of　the　Wound　made　for　the　operation；　and　said；　That　no　person　ever　died　of　the　smallpox；　in　their　countrey；　that　had　the　courage　to　use　it。

〃I　have　since　met　with　a　considerable　Number　of　these　Africans；　who　all　agree　in　one　story；　That　in　their　countrey　grandy…many　dy　of　the　small…pox：　But　now　they　learn　this　way：　people　take　juice　of　smallpox　and　cutty…skin　and　put　in　a　Drop；　then　by'nd　by　a　little　sicky；　sicky：　then　very　few　little　things　like　small…pox；　and　nobody　dy　of　it；　and　nobody　have　small…pox　any　more。　　Thus；　in　Africa；　where　the　poor　creatures　dy　of　the　smallpox　like　Rotten　Sheep；　a　merciful　God　has　taught　them　an　Infallible　preservative。　　'T　is　a　common　practice；　and　is　attended　with　a　constant　success。〃

What　has　come　down　to　us　of　the　first　century　of　medical　practice；　in　the　hands　of　Winthrop　and　Oliver；　is　comparatively　simple　and　reasonable。　　I　suspect　that　the　conditions　of　rude；　stern　life；　in　which　the　colonists　found　themselves　in　the　wilderness；　took　the　nonsense　out　of　them；　as　the　exigencies　of　a　campaign　did　out　of　our　physicians　and　surgeons　in　the　late　war。　　Good　food　and　enough　of　it；　pure　air　and　water；　cleanliness；　good　attendance；　an　anaesthetic；　an　opiate；　a　stimulant；　quinine；　and　two　or　three　common　drugs；　proved　to　be　the　marrow　of　medical　treatment；　and　the　fopperies　of　the　pharmacopoeia　went　the　way　of　embroidered　shirts　and　white　kid　gloves　and　malacca　joints；　in　their　time　of　need。　　〃Good　wine　is　the　best　cordiall　for　her；〃　said　Governor　John　Winthrop；　Junior；　to　Samuel　Symonds；　speaking　of　that　gentleman's　wife；just　as　Sydenham；　instead　of　physic；　once　ordered　a　roast　chicken　and　a　pint　of　canary　for　his　patient　in　male　hysterics。

But　the　profession　of　medicine　never　could　reach　its　full　development　until　it　became　entirely　separated　from　that　of　divinity。　　The　spiritual　guide；　the　consoler　in　afliction；　the　confessor　who　is　admitted　into　the　secrets　of　our　souls；　has　his　own　noble　sphere　of　duties；　but　the　healer　of　men　must　confine　himself　solely　to　the　revelations　of　God　in　nature；　as　he　sees　their　miracles　with　his　own　eyes。　　No　doctrine　of　prayer　or　special　providence　is　to　be　his　excuse　for　not　looking　straight　at　secondary　causes；　and　acting；　exactly　so　far　as　experience　justifies　him；　as　if　he　were　himself　the　divine　agent　which　antiquity　fabled　him　to　be。　　While　pious　men　were　prayinghumbly；　sincerely；　rightly；　according　to　their　knowledge　over　the　endless　succession　of　little　children　dying　of　spasms　in　the　great　Dublin　Hospital；　a　sagacious　physician　knocked　some　holes　in　the　walls　of　the　ward；　let　God's　blessed　air　in　on　the　little　creatures；　and　so　had　already　saved　in　that　single　hospital；　as　it　was　soberly　calculated　thirty　years　ago；　more　than　sixteen　thousand　lives　of　these　infant　heirs　of　immortality。　＇Collins's　Midwifery；　p。　312。　　Published　by　order　of　the　Massachusetts　Medical　Society。　Boston；　1841。＇

Let　it　be；　if　you　will；　that　the　wise　inspiration　of　the　physician　was　granted　in　virtue　of　the　clergyman's　supplications。　　Still；　the　habit　of　dealing　with　things　seen　generates　another　kind　of　knowledge；　and　another　way　of　thought；　from　that　of　dealing　with　things　unseen；　which　knowledge　and　way　of　thought　are　special　means　granted　by　Providence；　and　to　be　thankfully　accepted。

The　mediaeval　ecclesiastics　expressed　a　great　truth　in　that　saying；　so　often　quoted；　as　carrying　a　reproach　with　it：　〃Ubi　tres　medici；　duo　athei；〃〃Where　there　are　three　physicians；　there　are　two　atheists。〃

It　was　true　then；　it　is　true　to…day；　that　the　physician　very　commonly；　if　not　very　generally；　denies　and　repudiates　the　deity　of　ecclesiastical　commerce。　　The　Being　whom　Ambroise　Pare　meant　when　he　spoke　those　memorable　words；　which　you　may　read　over　the　professor's　chair　in　the　French　School　of　Medicine；　〃Te　le　pensay；　et　Dieu　le　guarit；〃　〃I　dressed　his　wound；　and　God　healed　it；〃is　a　different　being　from　the　God　that　scholastic　theologians　have　projected　from　their　consciousness；　or　shaped　even　from　the　sacred　pages　which　have　proved　so　plastic　in　their　hands。　　He　is　a　God　who　never　leaves　himself　without　witness；　who　repenteth　him　of　the　evil；　who　never　allows　a　disease　or　an　injury；　compatible　with　the　enjoyment　of　life；　to　take　its　course　without　establishing　an　effort；　limited　by　certain　fixed　conditions；　it　is　true；　but　an　effort；　always；　to　restore　the　broken　body　or　the　shattered　mind。　　In　the　perpetual　presence　of　this　great　Healing　Agent；　who　stays　the　bleeding　of　wounds；　who　knits　the　fractured　bone；　who　expels　the　splinter　by　a　gentle　natural　process；　who　walls　in　the　inflammation　that　might　involve　the　vital　organs；　who　draws　a　cordon　to　separate　the　dead　part　from　the　living；　who　sends　his　three　natural　anaesthetics　to　the　over…tasked　frame　in　due　order；　according　to　its　need；sleep；　fainting；　death；　in　this　perpetual　presence；　it　is　doubtless　hard　for　the　physician　to　realize　the　theological　fact　of　a　vast　and　permanent　sphere　of　the　universe；　where　no　organ　finds　itself　in　its　natural　medium；　where　no　wound　heals　kindly；　where　the　executive　has　abrogated　the　pardoning　power；　and　mercy　forgets　its　errand；　where　the　omnipotent　is　unfelt　save　in　malignant　agencies；　and　the　omnipresent　is　unseen　and　unrepresented；　hard　to　accept　the　God　of　Dante's　〃Inferno；〃　and　of　Bunyan's　caged　lunatic。　　If　this　is　atheism；　call　three；　instead　of　two　of　the　trio；　atheists；　and　it　will　probably　come　nearer　the　truth。

I　am　not　disposed　to　deny　the　occasional　injurious　effect　of　the　materializing　influences　to　which　the　physician　is　subjected。　A　spiritual　guild　is　absolutely　necessary　to　keep　him；　to　keep　us　all；　from　becoming　the　〃fingering　slaves〃　that　Wordsworth　treats　with　such　shrivelling　scorn。　　But　it　is　well　that　the　two　callings　have　been　separated；　and　it　is　fitting　that　they　remain　apart。　　In　settling　the　affairs　of　the　late　concern；　I　am　afraid　our　good　friends　remain　a　little　in　our　debt。　　We　lent　them　our　physician　Michael　Servetus　in　fair　condition；　and　they　returned　him　so　damaged　by　fire　as　to　be　quite　useless　for　our　purposes。　　Their　Reverend　Samuel　Willard　wrote　us　a　not　over…wise　report　of　a　case　of　hysteria；　and　our　Jean　Astruc　gave　them　（if　we　may　trust　Dr。　Smith's　Dictionary　of　the　Bible）　the　first　discerning　criticism　on　the　authorship　of　the　Pentateuch。　　Our　John　Locke　enlightened　them　with　his　letters　concerning　toleration；　and　their　Cotton　Mather　obscured　our　twilight　with　his　〃Nishmath　Chajim。〃

Yet　we　must　remember　that　the　name　of　Basil　Valentine；　the　monk；　is　associated　with　whatever　good　and　harm　we　can　ascribe　to　antimony；　and　that　the　most　remarkable　of　our　specifics　long　bore　the　name　of　〃Jesuit's　Bark；〃　from　an　old　legend　connected　with　its　introduction。　〃Frere　Jacques；〃　who　taught　the　lithotomists　of　Paris；　owes　his　ecclesiastical　title　to　courtesy；　as　he　did　not　belong　to　a　religious　order。

Medical　science；　and　especially　the　study　of　mental　disease；　is　destined；　I　believe；　to　react　to　much　greater　advantage　on　the　theology　of　the　future　than　theology　has　acted　on　medicine　in　the　past。　　The　liberal　spirit　very　generally　prevailing　in　both　professions；　and　the　good　understanding　between　their　most　enlightened　members；　promise　well　for　the　future　of　both　in　a　community　which　holds　every　point　of　human　belief；　every　institution　in　human　hands；　and　every　word　written　in　a　human　dialect；　open　to　free　discussion　today；　to…morrow；　and　to　the　end　of　time。　　Whether　the　world　at　large　will　ever　be　cured　of　trusting　to　specifics　as　a　substitute　for　observing　the　laws　of　health；　and　to　mechanical　or　intellectual　formula　as　a　substitute　for　character；　may　admit　of　question。　　Quackery　and　idolatry　are　all　but　immortal。

We　can　find　most　of　the　old　beliefs　alive　amongst　us　to…day；　only　having　changed　their　dresses　and　the　social　spheres　in　which　they　thrive。　　We　think　the　quarrels　of　Galenists　and　chemists　belong　to　the　past；　forgetting　that　Thomsonism　has　its　numerous　apostles　in　our　community；　that　it　is　common　to　see　remedies　vaunted　as　purely　vegetable；　and　that　the　prejudice　against　〃mineral　poisons；〃　especially　mercury；　is　as　strong　in　many　quarters　now　as　it　was　at　the　beginning　of　the　seventeenth　century。　　Names　are　only　air；　and　blow　away　with　a　change　of　wind；　but　beliefs　are　rooted　in　human　wants　and　weakness；　and　die　hard。　　The　oaks　of　Dodona　are　prostrate；　and　the　shr