Reply to Dr. J. Dickson Smith's pamphlet on "Lobeliaism" / by M.S. Thomson.

  • Thomson, M. S.
Date:
1860
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reply to Dr. J. Dickson Smith's pamphlet on "Lobeliaism" / by M.S. Thomson. 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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    w TS REPLY TO THE CHAEGES MADE BY J. DICCS0H SMITH, M. D. IN HIS ft* CENT PAMPHLET ON LOBELIAISM. BY M. S. THOMSON, M. D., Prof, of Obstetrics, Diseases of Women and Children, Therapeutics and Materia Medica in t/te Reform Medical College of Georgia. When J. Dickson Smith, M. D., of Macon, Georgia, undertook the correction of abuses and the eradication of errors as wolfish in- truders trom his own borders, we wished him God speed, and, after correcting his statement with regard to ns, tried to help him, because we considered that much good might be done by discuss- ing before the public in a fair spirit the doctrines upon which Al- lopathy is founded, as well as some of the practices to which a belief in those doctrines gives rise, and which it seemed to be the the doctor's object to expose. In this labor of love on his part it seems he did not wish as- sistance, so, no sooner did we interfere, than like the wife who was scratching her husband's face, he turned on us, and has done his best to leave the marks of his talons on our countenance, and it must be said that the effort has assumed not a few of the fem- inine characteristics that are usually exhibited in such a contest. The boasted ventilation of Thomsonism was a tremendous effort to destroy our comeliness, and but for the readiness with which it was in our power to turn aside the uplifted and outstretched claios, might have resulted in rendering us hard featured for life. Having satisfied ourself, however, with merely parrying the wifely attack, while planting a few well directed and vigorous blows upon the frontispiece of the spouse, we left them to make up their differences as best they could, and awaited with placidity the conjoint result of further cogitations—and here we have it, womanish to the last. Another pamphlet has appeared, in which the original Controversy is abandoned, and all the positions so vauntingly assumed, are surrendered at discretion, for hard knocks don't suit some stomachs—because they produce nausea—and hence nothing is now attempted by force of argument, every thing by length of tongue. Strength of argument gives way to strength of expression, and invective takes the place of cogency of reason- ing; hence we have been well scolded, and called almost every thing but a gentleman, in the last pamphlet of Dr. Smith, so that it almost seems that it requires for the proper Vindication of his articles an extraordinary proportion of vindictiveness. The tem- per and the tears, the stamping of the foot and the spitefulness of expression are all present, and the impotence that can think of