Six discourses on the functions of the lungs : and causes, prevention, and cure of pulmonary consumption, asthma, and diseases of the heart : on the laws of life, and on the mode of preserving male and female health to a hundred years / by Samuel Sheldon Fitch.

  • Fitch, Samuel Sheldon, 1801-1876.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Six discourses on the functions of the lungs : and causes, prevention, and cure of pulmonary consumption, asthma, and diseases of the heart : on the laws of life, and on the mode of preserving male and female health to a hundred years / by Samuel Sheldon Fitch. 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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    physician has a vast advantage over the ignorant in his position and acquirements as far as lie goes, but it is equally necessary for him, and infinitely more his duty, to apply himself most humbly and most se- dulously to getting a complete knowledge of the art of healing in all its completeness and all its resources; keep your eyes and ears open; get successful experience from any one that can give it. Never deny that a person has got well when he says he has and all his friends say so, but if there is a cure, acknowledge it, and honor the instrument and the agent by which it was accomplished, and immediately learn to do so yourself. You will soon find that the resources of the healing art are complete, quite sufficient. None ever need die unless by accident or old age, if the resources of the healing art are completely, judiciously and timely applied. It is ignorance of tbe art of healing, and the true and- proper remedies which do abundantly exist, that causes such a cry against regular physicians, and such a terrible loss of confidence in then skill or prescriptions. From an experience exceeded by few living men, either in its ex- tent, its comprehensiveness, or its success, I am forced to say that, in my opinion, no man, however intelligent he may be, can become a true adept in the art of healing, unless he passes a full apprenticeship to preparing his own medicines, administering them himself, and noticing their effects until he is thoroughly prepared to treat any dis- ease successfully. A grateful and intelligent public will find you out and reward you in the fullest manner. In the treatment of consump- tion, the scientific physician who does not prepare his own medicine in usefulness is thrown usually behind all competition. Not one in fifty can prepare a good cough medicine, or in fact lend any useful aid to the consumptive; because not preparing their own medicines, they are ignorant of the proper remedies. Exceptions may be found, but this is usually true. This is the real cause of irregular practice of medicine. The scientific physician will not stoop to preparing medi- cine for the sick, therefore their necessities are attempted to be sup- plied, however imperfectly, by irregular physicians. If the regular scientific physician did justice to the art of healing, there would be neither quacks, nor quack medicines, nor quack practices. This singu- lar and disastrous state of things in the condion of the medical pro-