Lecture, introductory to the course on the practice of medicine, to the class of the N.E. Female Medical College : delivered Feb. 17th, 1852 / by Abrm. Livezey.

  • Livezey, Abraham, 1821-1896.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lecture, introductory to the course on the practice of medicine, to the class of the N.E. Female Medical College : delivered Feb. 17th, 1852 / by Abrm. Livezey. 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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    course, together with a very brief explanatory comment of some of the terms which we shall he constantly employing, which will open the way for the succeeding inquiries, hut which will have to he reviewed in a few prefatory lectures, as time will not admit of this lengthened investigation in an Introductory. The. subject, as you are well aware, that must engage your patient study, for the succeeding four months, is that wonderful being — the genus homo, — the human body — that intricate but perfect work —' its sufferings — its derangements — its decay. The aid of Anatomy and Physiology will enable you to understand the construction, mechanism, and action of this animated machine, — gifted, as it is, with intelligence and reason, passion and will, that distinguish its possessor from the thousand grades of animal exist- ence that creep beneath it, and make it in the quaint and nervous language of Bobcrt Burton, the most excellent and noble creature of the world, — the principal and mighty work of God, — audacis naturce miraculum, the wonder of presumptuous nature, as Zoroaster calls it; the marvail of marvails, as Plato; the abridgement and epitome of the world, as defined by Pliny; the sovereign lord of the earth, viceroy of the world, and sole commander of all the creatures init But in order to alleviate the sufferings to which man is heir, cor- rect the derangement of the functions of his various organs, and pre- vent untimely decay, or obviate the tendency to death, we draw our resources from the skill of the medical chemist, and the investigations of the rational therapeutist. The latter has enlarged and improved the Materia Medica, by the addition of many articles hitherto un- known, which have been found, by careful experiment, to contain active and valuable properties ; while the former has come to our aid, bearing many new salts of value from his laboratory, which were previously hid in darkness, but which he has illumined with the brightness of day. Two of my able colleagues will lead you in the way to investigate diligently the beautiful science of life, and to understand the functions of the system in health, and render you capable of appreciating the changes which occur in disease, and to furnish you every facility that a knowledge of the structure can supply in relation to the means of cure. But while they speak to you of structure and function — the nature and use of both — we must go beyond, yet not above, but one step nearer these noble ends. For throughout the course, our theme must be of health and dis- ease ; of health, so far only that we may understand disease properly, — of the diseased economy, that we may, under the smiles of Provi- dence, restore health. It ,is within the province of this chair to instruct you how to preserve the one ; to prevent, remove, or mitigate the other. In this study, which affects the properly constituted mind with the profouudest contemplation of the great I am, some of you have