Transactions of the Eclectic Medical Society of the State of New York, for the year 1867 : transmitted to the legislature January 17, 1868.

  • Eclectic Medical Society of the State of New York.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Transactions of the Eclectic Medical Society of the State of New York, for the year 1867 : transmitted to the legislature January 17, 1868. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    But we tell him no—he uses calomel, which we do not believe in at all, and bleeds people sometimes, or used to, if he does not now. “Oh, no,” he responds, “I do not use calomel very often; people are becoming very much afraid of it, and if I do give it I otten am obliged to deceive them and not let them know they are taking it, for most of them utterly refuse if they are told what it is, and I find many times I can use other and safer remedies where I once thought I could only use that, so I don’t use but very little now ; aud as to blood-letting, why I scarcely ever bleed, not on an average two patients in a year ; so now you see I am almost as much of an Eclectic as }tou are.” We can but congratulate him for the change so far, and hope it may continue, and we believe it will till he becomes not only almost, but quite as good an Eclectic as any that can be found, which position we believe all will eventu- ally occupy who practice the art of medicine. But let us look at the premises a little. He says he is becoming an Eclectic. Now, which has changed, he or ourselves ? We were always opposed to the use of calomel, he is becoming so. We have always objected to the use of bleeding. He now almost entirely discards it, resorts to it very rarely indeed. Who have changed their views in relation to the matters of difference ? Is he coming over to our views, or are we going to embrace his ? The answer is appa- rent, it need not be expressed. For the sake of suffering humanity and in behalf of mankind, we are glad that it is so, Ave are anxious to have all embrace the truth, and should rejoice if they were willing also to recognize and acknowledge the agencies by which these truths were intro- duced to the profession. It might be pertinent here to refer to the influences that some of these agencies have had upon the health of the present and cai’lier generations. It is probably Avithin the knowledge of many of you that people have suffered with terrible ulcers, resulting from the use of calomel. Can Ave enumerate the number that have been sent to premature graves by its use, or those Avho are uoav dragging out a miserable existence, in consequence of its presence in their muscles and tissues, giving rise to constant annoyance and pain ? How many have had it administered for a disordered liver, being told that nothing else could produce an action in that organ, and Avhen the violent excitement caused by it had passed aAvay, the exhausted viscus Avas left in a more torpid condition than before ? When action Avas again required, a larger dose than