medical essays-第13部分

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！


　year；　and　he　stated　publicly　to　the　Academy　of　Medicine　that　they　never　produced　the　slightest　appearance　of　the　symptoms　attributed　to　them。　　The　results　of　a　man　like　this；　so　extensively　known　as　one　of　the　most　philosophical　and　candid；　as　well　as　brilliant　of　instructors；　and　whose　admirable　abilities　and　signal　liberality　are　generally　conceded；　ought　to　be　of　great　weight　in　deciding　the　question。

M。　Double；　a　well…known　medical　writer　and　a　physician　of　high　standing　in　Paris；　had　occasion　so　long　ago　as　1801；　before　he　had　heard　of　Homoeopathy；　to　make　experiments　upon　Cinchona；　or　Peruvian　bark。　　He　and　several　others　took　the　drug　in　every　kind　of　dose　for　four　months；　and　the　fever　it　is　pretended　by　Hahnemann　to　excite　never　was　produced。

M。　Bonnet；　President　of　the　Royal　Society　of　Medicine　of　Bordeaux；　had　occasion　to　observe　many　soldiers　during　the　Peninsular　War；　who　made　use　of　Cinchona　as　a　preservative　against　different　diseases；　but　he　never　found　it　to　produce　the　pretended　paroxysms。

If　any　objection　were　made　to　evidence　of　this　kind；　I　would　refer　to　the　express　experiments　on　many　of　the　Homoeopathic　substances；　which　were　given　to　healthy　persons　with　every　precaution　as　to　diet　and　regimen；　by　M。　Louis　Fleury；　without　being　followed　by　the　slightest　of　the　pretended　consequences。　　And　let　me　mention　as　a　curious　fact；　that　the　same　quantity　of　arsenic　given　to　one　animal　in　the　common　form　of　the　unprepared　powder；　and　to　another　after　having　been　rubbed　up　into　six　hundred　globules；　offered　no　particular　difference　of　activity　in　the　two　cases。

This　is　a　strange　contradiction　to　the　doctrine　of　the　development　of　what　they　call　dynamic　power；　by　means　of　friction　and　subdivision。

In　1835　a　public　challenge　was　offered　to　the　best　known　Homoeopathic　physician　in　Paris　to　select　any　ten　substances　asserted　to　produce　the　most　striking　effects；　to　prepare　them　himself；　to　choose　one　by　lot　without　knowing　which　of　them　he　had　taken；　and　try　it　upon　himself　or　any　intelligent　and　devoted　Homoeopatbist；　and；　waiting　his　own　time；　to　come　forward　and　tell　what　substance　had　been　employed。　　The　challenge　was　at　first　accepted；　but　the　acceptance　retracted　before　the　time　of　trial　arrived。

》From　all　this　I　think　it　fair　to　conclude　that　the　catalogues　of　symptoms　attributed　in　Homoeopathic　works　to　the　influence　of　various　drugs　upon　healthy　persons　are　not　entitled　to　any　confidence。


2。　　It　is　necessary　to　show；　in　the　next　place；　that　medicinal　substances　are　always　capable　of　curing　diseases　most　like　their　own　symptoms。　　For　facts　relating　to　this　question　we　must　look　to　two　sources；　the　recorded　experience　of　the　medical　profession　in　general；　and　the　results　of　trials　made　according　to　Homoeopathic　principles；　and　capable　of　testing　the　truth　of　the　doctrine。

No　person；　that　I　am　aware　of；　has　ever　denied　that　in　some　cases　there　exists　a　resemblance　between　the　effects　of　a　remedy　and　the　symptoms　of　diseases　in　which　it　is　beneficial。　　This　has　been　recognized；　as　Hahnemann　himself　has　shown；　from　the　time　of　Hippocrates。　　But　according　to　the　records　of　the　medical　profession；　as　they　have　been　hitherto　interpreted；　this　is　true　of　only　a　very　small　proportion　of　useful　remedies。　　Nor　has　it　ever　been　considered　as　an　established　truth　that　the　efficacy　of　even　these　few　remedies　was　in　any　definite　ratio　to　their　power　of　producing　symptoms　more　or　less　like　those　they　cured。

Such　was　the　state　of　opinion　when　Hahnemann　came　forward　with　the　proposition　that　all　the　cases　of　successful　treatment　found　in　the　works　of　all　preceding　medical　writers　were　to　be　ascribed　solely　to　the　operation　of　the　Homoeopathic　principle；　which　had　effected　the　cure；　although　without　the　physician's　knowledge　that　this　was　the　real　secret。　　And　strange　as　it　may　seem；　he　was　enabled　to　give　such　a　degree　of　plausibility　to　this　assertion；　that　any　person　not　acquainted　somewhat　with　medical　literature；　not　quite　familiar；　I　should　rather　say；　with　the　relative　value　of　medical　evidence；　according　to　the　sources　whence　it　is　derived；　would　be　almost　frightened　into　the　belief；　at　seeing　the　pages　upon　pages　of　Latin　names　he　has　summoned　as　his　witnesses。

It　has　hitherto　been　customary；　when　examining　the　writings　of　authors　of　preceding　ages；　upon　subjects　as　to　which　they　were　less　enlightened　than　ourselves；　and　which　they　were　very　liable　to　misrepresent；　to　exercise　some　little　discretion；　to　discriminate；　in　some　measure；　between　writers　deserving　confidence　and　those　not　entitled　to　it。　　But　there　is　not　the　least　appearance　of　any　such　delicacy　on　the　part　of　Hahnemann。　　A　large　majority　of　the　names　of　old　authors　he　cites　are　wholly　unknown　to　science。　　With　some　of　them　I　have　been　long　acquainted；　and　I　know　that　their　accounts　of　diseases　are　no　more　to　be　trusted　than　their　contemporary　Ambroise　Pare's　stories　of　mermen；　and　similar　absurdities。　　But　if　my　judgment　is　rejected；　as　being　a　prejudiced　one；　I　can　refer　to　Cullen；　who　mentioned　three　of　Hahnemann's　authors　in　one　sentence；　as　being　〃not　necessarily　bad　authorities；　but　certainly　such　when　they　delivered　very　improbable　events；〃　and　as　this　was　said　more　than　half　a　century　ago；　it　could　not　have　had　any　reference　to　Hahnemann。　　But　although　not　the　slightest　sign　of　discrimination　is　visible　in　his　quotations；although　for　him　a　handful　of　chaff　from　Schenck　is　all　the　same　thing　as　a　measure　of　wheat　from　Morgagni；　there　is　a　formidable　display　of　authorities；　and　an　abundant　proof　of　ingenious　researches　to　be　found　in　each　of　the　great　works　of　Hahnemann　with　which　I　am　familiar。〃＇Some　painful　surmises　might　arise　as　to　the　erudition　of　Hahnemann's　English　Translator；　who　makes　two　individuals　of　〃Zacutus；　Lucitanus；〃　as　well　as　respecting　that　of　the　conductors　of　an　American　Homoeopathic　periodical；　who　suffer　the　name　of　the　world…renowned　Cardanus　to　be　spelt　Cardamus　in　at　least　three　places；　were　not　this　gross　ignorance　of　course　attributable　only　to　the　printer。＇

It　is　stated　by　Dr。　Leo…Wolf；　that　Professor　Joerg；　of　Leipsic；　has　proved　many　of　Hahnemann's　quotations　from　old　authors　to　be　adulterate　and　false。　　What　particular　instances　he　has　pointed　out　I　have　no　means　of　learning。　　And　it　is　probably　wholly　impossible　on　this　side　of　the　Atlantic；　and　even　in　most　of　the　public　libraries　of　Europe；　to　find　anything　more　than　a　small　fraction　of　the　innumerable　obscure　publications　which　the　neglect　of　grocers　and　trunkmakers　has　spared　to　be　ransacked　by　the　all…devouring　genius　of　Homoeopathy。　　I　have　endeavored　to　verify　such　passages　as　my　own　library　afforded　me　the　means　of　doing。　　For　some　I　have　looked　in　vain；　for　want；　as　I　am　willing　to　believe；　of　more　exact　references。　But　this　I　am　able　to　affirm；　that；　out　of　the　very　small　number　which　I　have　been　able；　to　trace　back　to　their　original　authors；　I　have　found　two　to　be　wrongly　quoted；　one　of　them　being　a　gross　misrepresentation。

The　first　is　from　the　ancient　Roman　author；　Caelius　Aurelianus；　the　second　from　the　venerable　folio　of　Forestus。　　Hahnemann　uses　the　following　expressions；if　he　is　not　misrepresented　in　the　English　Translation　of　the　〃Organon　〃：　〃Asclepiades　on　one　occasion　cured　an　inflammation　of　the　brain　by　administering　a　small　quantity　of　wine。〃　After　correcting　the　erroneous　reference　of　the　Translator；　I　can　find　no　such　case　alluded　to　in　the　chapter。　　But　Caelius　Aurelianus　mentions　two　modes　of　treatment　employed　by　Asclepiades；　into　both　of　which　the　use　of　wine　entered；　as　being　in　the　highest　degree　irrational　and　dangerous。〃　＇Caelius　Aurel。　　De　Morb。　　Acut。　　et　Chron。　　lib。　　I。　　cap。　　xv。　　not　xvi。　　Amsterdam。　　Wetstein；　1755。＇

In　speaking　of　the　oil　of　anise…seed；　Hahnemann　says　that　Forestus　observed　violent　colic　caused　by　its　administration。　　But；　as　the　author　tells　the　story；　a　young　man　took；　by　the　counsel　of　a　surgeon；　an　acrid　and　virulent　medicine；　the　name　of　which　is　not　given；　which　brought　on　a　most　cruel　fit　of　the　gripes　and　colic。　After　this　another　surgeon　was　called；　who　gave　him　oil　of　anise…seed　and　wine；　which　increased　his　suffering。〃　＇Observ。　et　Curat。　　Med。　lib。　　XXZ　obs。　　xiii。　　Frankfort；　1614。＇　　Now　if　this　was　the　Homoeopathic　remedy；　as　Hahnemann　pretends；　it　might　be　a　fair　question　why　the　young　man　was　not　cured　by　it。　　But　it　is　a　much　graver　question　why　a　man　who　has　shrewdness　and　learning　enough　to　go　so　far　after　his　facts；　should　think　it　right　to　treat　them　with　such　astonishing　negligence　or　such　artful　unfairness。

Even　if　every　word　he　had　pretended　to　take　from　his　old　authorities　were　to　be　found　in　them；　even　if　the　authority　of　every　one　of　these　authors　were　beyond　question；　the　looseness　with　which　they　are　used　to　prove　whatever　Hahnemann　chooses　is　beyond　the　bounds　of　credibility。　　Let　me　give　one　instance　to　illustrate　the　character　of　this　man's　mind。　　Hahnemann　asserts；　in　a　note　annexed　to　the　110th　paragraph　of　the　〃Organon；〃　that　the　smell　of　the　rose　will　cause　certain　persons　to　faint。　　And　he　says　in　the　text　that　substances　which　produce　peculiar　effects　of　this　nature　on　particular　constitutions　cure　the　same　symptoms　in　people　in　general。　　Then　in　another　note　to　the　same　paragraph　he　quotes　the　following　fact　from　one　of　the　last　sources　one　would　have　looked　to　for　medical　information；　the　Byzantine　Historians。

〃It　was　by　these　means〃　（i。e。　Homoeopathically）　that　the　Princess　Eudosia　with　rose…water　restored　a　person　who　had　fainted！〃

Is　it　possible　that　a　man　who　is　guilty　of　such　pedantic　folly　as　this；a　man　who　can　see　a　confirmation　of　his　doctrine　in　such　a　recovery　as　this；a　recovery　which　is　happening　every　day；　from　a　breath　of　air；　a　drop　or　two　of　water；　untying　a　bonnet…string；　loosening　a　stay…lace；　and　which　can　hardly　help　happening；　whatever　is　done；is　it　possible　that　a　man；　of　whose　pages；　not　here　and　there　one；　but　hundreds　upon　hundreds　are　loaded　with　such　trivialities；　is　the　Newton；　the　Columbus；　the　Harvey　of　the　nineteenth　century！

The　whole　process　of　demonstration　he　employs　is　this。　　An　experiment　is　instituted　with　some　drug　upon　one　or　more　healthy　persons。　Everything　that　happens　for　a　number　of　days　or　we