The rejected cases; with a letter to Thomas Wakley on the scientific character of homepathy / by John Epps.

  • John Epps
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The rejected cases; with a letter to Thomas Wakley on the scientific character of homepathy / by John Epps. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    It is true, the language of medical men lias of late j^ears improved. The student, when asked what he would do in such or such a disease, is directed to reply. It would depend upon circumstances. This is good, because such a modification is a recognition of the individuality. But this is of little use in resisting quackery, because he cannot tell the circumstances, and what he would do under the circumstances. Thus, a student is told by his teacher, that if quinine does not cure the ague, to try arsenic. But could not any empiric obey this advice, as well as the cleverest student in the kingdom ? Certainly; and it will be so, until the medical student obtains a knowledge, to be gained only by hard labour, and quick perception, and sobered judgment, of what are the circumstances which render quinine certainly curative of ague, and those which render arsenic certainly curative of ague. But you CANNOT give him this knowledge; and if you cannot, can you expect quackery to become extinct ? Your only rule is, give arsenic, if quinine does not cure. Is not this empi- ricism of the lowest kind? and yet you complain of quackery. But the homoeopathist can tell, by the cer- tainty which his principle affords, which is the ague that bark will and arsenic will not cure, and also which is the ague that arsenic will and bark will not cure. He detects the individuality of the disease; he seeks for a remedy
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