Reply to Dr. Simpson's pamphlet on homœopathy, and, Second edition of the letter to the President of the Medico-Chirurgical Society : with a postscript / by William Henderson.

Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reply to Dr. Simpson's pamphlet on homœopathy, and, Second edition of the letter to the President of the Medico-Chirurgical Society : with a postscript / by William Henderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    3G maintains that to meet with those who do so is to counten- ance the system. That such meetings on Mr. Syme’s part (if they occurred) were a countenancing of Homoeopathy is an allegation of his own, as contained in his motion in the College of Surgeons. That they did occur I repeat, and Mr. Symo admits that they did, although he endeavours to explain away one of them as if it was not entitled to be regarded as a consultation at all. I sincerely regret that I am under the necessity of saying that Mr. Syme’s version of that meeting, in particular, is most inaccurate. His printed statement is as follows:—“ The first of these (cases) he would mention was that of a young man from Dundee, whom he had been requested, by Dr. Nimmo of that place, to take under his charge. Finding that he was attended by Dr. Henderson, lie had requested a meeting with him, for the purpose, not of consultation, but of arranging for the medical treatment of the patient by the respected Secretary of the Society, Dr. John Taylor, with whom Mr. Syme might co-operate, as he could not do so with Dr. Henderson/’ Now, Sir, if such was Mr. Syme’s purpose, he never com- municated it to me; and I feel, as others no doubt will do, that there was something very marvellous in the manner in which I, all unconsciously, carried Mr. Syme’s purpose into effect. Mr. Syme called at my house, and after stating that he had been requested to see this patient of mine by one of his friends in the country, an hour for our meeting was agreed on, as I then knew nothing of Mr. Syme to prevent my meeting with him. We met accordingly, saw the patient together, retired to converse about the case, and then found that we differed both as to the seat of the disease and the suitable treatment. I informed Mr. Syme that I could not superintend the execu- tion of the j)lans he recommended ! I suggested that Dr. John Taylor should take charge of the case instead of myself! I