Homoeopathy not 'the law of healing' / by John Spurgin.

  • Spurgin, John, 1797-1866.
Date:
[1862]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Homoeopathy not 'the law of healing' / by John Spurgin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    nOMCEOPATHY NOT “THE LAW OF HEALING.” By John Spuhoin, M.D. Reprinted frmn tlie “London Medical Keview.” I had the honour of receiving the following note from Sir Benjamin Brodie, a short time ago, in reference to my paper, which appeared in a late number of the London Medical Review, touching Homoeopathy. April 22nd, 1862. “ My dear Sir, “ I thank you for your letter, and for the opportunity of read- ing your paper. I agree with you in all that you have said ; at the same time I confess that it seems to me that the surest way of exposing the real nature of homoeopathy is to refer to the treatises on the subject. “ Yours very truly, “ Dr. SpiJEQiN.” “B.O. Brodie. Adopting the above reference, and encouraged by the above approval of my paper, which emanated from my views regarding homoeopathy, and the treatises upon it, as a system springing from a false principle, proceeding in a wrong direction, and ending in erroneous conclusions, it remains for me to explain to Dr. Sharp that, like himself and William Harvey, I “ claim that liberty, wHch I willingly yield to others, to put forward as true such things as appear to be probable, until proved to be manifestly falseand this without the qualification of a permission in sub- jects of difiiculty,” as ascribed to the great Harvey. For myself, I feel no difficulty whatever in perceiving the fallacy of the principles—^homoeopathic, it beiug as easy to do so, as it is to perceive (usmg Dr. Sharp’s own words) that “ two and two make four,” despite aU the persuasion that their disciples would exercise to infiuence my judgment in common with that of the multitude. Dr. Sha^ asks, “Is there a law of healing?” and makes the question the subject of an article, which appeared in tffis journal last month. In this article Dr. Shai-p has several times introduced passages from my paper, above adverted to, replying to his observations on homoeopathy, in a way that de- mands my notice and comment. The way in which he has intro- duced such passages will appear in the course of the following- comment^ upon his question and manner of dealing with it.