Rational medicine and Thomsonianism : an essay on rational vs. routine and book practice of medicine, reviewed by Dr. M.S. Thomson and vindicated by J. Dickson Smith of Macon, Ga.

  • Smith, J. Dickson.
Date:
1859
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Rational medicine and Thomsonianism : an essay on rational vs. routine and book practice of medicine, reviewed by Dr. M.S. Thomson and vindicated by J. Dickson Smith of Macon, Ga. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    see evidences of its being powerfully narcotic and poisonous? What means that paralysis of muscular power that prevents the patient from moving or speaking ? What means that long and loud, most laborious and jerking respiration ? What means that anxious—distressed manner ; that jactitation, incohe- rent speech and that raving insanity ? Do they not bespeak a narcotic impression on the brain \ Are they not precisely the ef- fects of a narcotic poison? So terrible are the effects of Lobelia, as given by the Thomsonians that the practitioners themselves become alarmed,'' says Samuel Thomson, and consternation seizes the minds of the relatives and friends of the patient. Well, I should think so, and should not wonder if they became exceed- ingly alarmed. But Thomsonians do not give poisons ! but re- ly upon innocent remedies !! They eschew mineral poisons, but pour in the emetic herb, till they get sick of it, and find them- selves in a moribund condition. Now, can the reader reconcile Tliomsonian professions with Thomsoman practice? They tell us they give no poison, and yet we see that Lobeliais the hobby—the pet remedy—the mul- turn injyarvo of Tliomsonian practice ; and we have the testimo- ny of the immortal Thomson himself, that the emetic herb is a violent narcotic poison. He experimented and tried it thorough- ly, and records it as the result of his experience that ut7iree doses will produce the very alarming effects that he has above descri- bed ; and which are amply sufficient to satisfy the most scrupu- lous medical jurist that it is a poison. Do they not give evidence against themselves ? Why not acknowledge to the truth of their own demonstrations—that the emetic herb is poisonous, in over quantities, and give the necessary caution to their practitioners to be careful in its use as a remedy, in order that mischief and devastation may not result—as has been popularly reported in a great many cases in Georgia, since steam medicine was intro- duced ? Does not humanity, and every principle of conservatism demand this at their hands? In contrast with this mystic and reserve policy of the Thomso- nians, the Allopathic system is free to confess that it embraces ar- ticles which, if used abusively, in over doses, or to a repetition ad infinitum, may be made to produce deleterious effects. We do use articles—both from the mineral and vegetable kingdoms, with which we could produce death, if we choose to give them as poisons instead of as curative remedies. But knowing them to be active agents, we use them only in medicinal doses, incorporating