NOTESTOTHEADDRESSONCURRENTSANDCOUNTER
CURRENTSINMEDICALSCIENCE。
SomepassagescontainedintheoriginalmanuscriptoftheAddress，andomittedinthedeliveryonaccountofitslength，arerestoredinthetextorincorporatedwiththeseNotes。
NOTEA——
Thereisgoodreasontodoubtwhetherthenitrateofsilverhasanyrealefficacyinepilepsy。Ithasseemedtocuremanycases，butepilepsyisaveryuncertaindisease，andthereishardlyanythingwhichhasnotbeensupposedtocureit。Dr。Coplandcitesmanyauthoritiesinitsfavor，mostespeciallyLombard’scases。ButDelaBergeandMonneretComp。deMed。Paris，1839，analyzethesesamecases，eleveninnumber，andcanonlydrawtheinferenceofaveryquestionablevalueinthesupposedremedy。Dr。JamesJacksonsaysthatreliefofepilepsyisnottobeattainedbyanymedicinewithwhichheisacquainted，butbydiet。LetterstoaYoungPhysician，p。67。GuyPatin，DeanoftheFacultyofParis，ProfessorattheRoyalCollege，AuthoroftheAntimonialMartyrology，awitandamanofsenseandlearning，whodiedalmosttwohundredyearsago，hadcometothesameconclusion，thoughthechemistsofhistimeboastedoftheirremedies。“Did，youeverseeacaseofepilepsycuredbynitrateofsilver？“Isaidtooneoftheoldestandmostexperiencedsurgeonsinthiscountry。“Never，“washisinstantreply。Dr。
Twitchell’sexperiencewasverysimilar。How，then，didnitrateofsilvercometobegivenforepilepsy？Because，asDr。Martinhassowellremindedus，lunaticswereconsideredformerlytobeunderthespecialinfluenceofLuna，themoonwhichEsquirol，beitobserved，utterlydenies，andlunarcaustic，ornitrateofsilver，isasaltofthatmetalwhichwascalledlunafromitswhiteness，andofcoursemustbeintheclosestrelationswiththemoon。Itfollowsbeyondallreasonablequestionthatthemoon’smetal，silver，anditspreparations，mustbethespecificremedyformoonblastedmaniacsandepileptics！
Yetthepractitionerwhoprescribesthenitrateofsilversupposesheisguidedbythesolemnexperienceofthepast，insteadofbyitsidlefancies。Helaughsatthoseoldphysicianswhoplacedsuchconfidenceintherighthindhoofofanelkasaremedyforthesamedisease，andleavestherecordofhisownbeliefinatreatmentquiteasfancifulandfarmoreobjectionable，writteninindelibleinkuponalivingtabletwherehewhorunsmayreaditforawholegeneration，ifnaturespareshiswalkingadvertisementsolong。
NOTEB——
Thepresumptionthatamanisinnocentuntilheisprovedguilty，doesnotmeanthattherearenorogues，butlaystheonusprobandionthepartytowhichitproperlybelongs。Sowiththisproposition。
Anoxiousagentshouldneverbeemployedinsicknessunlessthereisampleevidenceintheparticularcasetoovercomethegeneralpresumptionagainstallsuchagents，andtheevidenceisveryapttobedefective。
ThemiserabledelusionofHomoeopathybuildsitselfuponanaxiomdirectlytheoppositeofthis；namely，thatthesickaretobecuredbypoisons。Similiasimilibuscuranturmeansexactlythis。Itissimplyatheoryofuniversalpoisoning，nullifiedinpracticebytheinfinitesimalcontrivance。Theonlywaytokillitandallsimilarfancies，andtothroweveryquacknostrumintodiscredit，istorootoutcompletelythesuckersoftheoldrottensuperstitionthatwhateverisodiousornoxiousislikelytobegoodfordisease。Thecurrentofsoundpracticewithourselvesis，Ibelieve，settingfastinthedirectionIhaveindicatedintheaboveproposition。Toupholdtheexhibitionofnoxiousagentsindisease，astherule，insteadofadmittingthemcautiouslyandreluctantlyastheexception，is，asIthink，aneddyofopinioninthedirectionofthebarbarismoutofwhichwebelieveourartisescaping。ItisonlythroughtheenlightenedsentimentandactionoftheMedicalProfessionthatthecommunitycanbebroughttoacknowledgethatdrugsshouldalwaysberegardedasevils。
Itistruethatsomesuppose，andourscientificandthoughtfulassociate，Dr。Gould，hashalfcountenancedtheopinion，thattheremayyetbediscoveredaspecificforeverydisease。Letusnotdespairofthefuture，butletusbemoderateinourexpectations。
Whenanoilisdiscoveredthatwillmakeabadwatchkeepgoodtime；
whenarecipeisgivenwhichwillturnanacephalousfoetusintoapromisingchild；whenamancanenterthesecondtimeintohismother’swombandgiveherbacktheinfirmitieswhichtwentygenerationshavestirredintoherblood，andinfusedintohisownthroughhers，wemaybepreparedtoenlargetheNationalPharmacopoeiawithalistofspecifiesforeverythingbutoldage，——andpossiblyforthatalso。
NOTEC——
Thetermspecificisusedhereinitsordinarysense，withoutraisingthequestionoftheproprietyofitsapplicationtotheseorotherremedies。
ThecreditofintroducingCinchonarestsbetweentheJesuits，theCountessofChinchon，theCardinaldeLugo，andSirRobertTalbor，whoemployeditasasecretremedy。Pereira。Mercuryasaninternalspecificremedywasbroughtintousebythatimpudentandpresumptuousquack，ashewasconsidered，Paracelsus。Encyc。Brit。
art。“Paracelsus。“ArsenicwasintroducedintoEnglandasaremedyforintermittentsbyDr。Fowler，inconsequenceofthesuccessofapatentmedicine，theTastelessAgueDrops，whichweresupposed，“probablywithreason，“tobeapreparationofthatmineral。Rees’sCyc。art。“Arsenic。“Colchicumcameintonoticeinasimilarway，fromthesuccessoftheEauMedicinaleofM。Husson，aFrenchmilitaryofficer。Pereira。Iodinewasdiscoveredbyasaltpetremanufacturer，butappliedbyaphysicianinplaceoftheoldremedy，burntsponge，whichseemstooweitsefficacytoit。Dunglison，NewRemedies。AsforSulphur，“thecommonpeoplehavelonguseditasanointment“forscabies。Rees’sCyc。art。“Scabies。“ThemoderncantiscorbuticregimeniscreditedtoCaptainCook。“Tohissagacityweareindebtedforthefirstimpulsetothoseregulationsbywhichscorbutusissosuccessfullypreventedinournavy。“Lond。Cyc。
Prac。Med。art。“Scorbutus。“Ironandvarioussaltswhichenterintothenormalcompositionofthehumanbodydonotbelongtothemateriamedicabyourdefinition，buttothemateriaalimentaria。
Forthefirstintroductionofironasaremedy，seePereira，whogivesaverycuriousoldstory。
Thestatementinthetextconcerningaportionofthemateriamedicastandsexactlyasdelivered，andismeantexactlyasitstands。Nodenunciationofdrugs，assparinglyemployedbyawisephysician，wasorisintended。If，however，asDr。Gouldstatedinhis“valuableandpracticaldiscourse“towhichtheMassachusettsMedicalSociety“listenedwithprofitaswellasinterest，““Drugs，inthemselvesconsidered，mayalwaysberegardedasevils，“——anyonewhochoosesmayquestionwhethertheevilsfromtheirabuseare，onthewhole，greaterorlessthantheundoubtedbenefitsobtainedfromtheirproperuse。Thelargeexceptionofopium，wine，specifics，andanaesthetics，madeinthetext，takesoffenoughfromtheusefulside，asIfullybelieve，toturnthebalance；sothatavesselcontainingnoneofthese，butloadedwithantimony，strychnine，acetateoflead，aloes，aconite，lobelia，lapisinfernalis，stercusdiaboli，tormentilla，andotherapproved，and，inskilfulhands，reallyusefulremedies，brings，onthewhole，moreharmthangoodtotheportitenters。
Itisaverynarrowandunjustviewofthepracticeofmedicine，tosupposeittoconsistaltogetherintheuseofpowerfuldrugs，orofdrugsofanykind。Farfromit。“Thephysicianmaydoverymuchforthewelfareofthesick，morethanotherscando，althoughhedoesnot，eveninthemajorpartofcases，undertaketocontrolandovercomethediseasebyart。ItwaswiththeseviewsthatIneverreportedanypatientcuredatourhospital。Thosewhorecoveredtheirhealthwerereportedaswell；notimplyingthattheyweremadesobytheactivetreatmenttheyhadreceivedthere。Butitwastobeunderstoodthatallpatientsreceivedinthathouseweretobecured，thatis，takencareof。“LetterstoaYoungPhysician，byJamesJackson，M。D。，Boston，1855。
“Hygienicrules，properlyenforced，freshair，changeofair，travel，attentiontodiet，goodandappropriatefoodjudiciouslyregulated，togetherwiththeadministrationofourtonics，porter，ale，wine，iron，etc。，supplythediseasedorimpoverishedsystemwithwhatMr。
Gull，ofSt。Bartholomew’sHospital，aptlycallsthe’rawmaterialoftheblood；’andwebelievethatifanyrealimprovementhastakenplaceinmedicalpractice，independentlyofthosetrulyvaluablecontributionswehavebeforedescribed，itisinthesubstitutionoftonics，stimulants，andgeneralmanagement，fordrasticcathartics，forbleeding，depressingagents，includingmercury，tartaremetics，etc。，somuchinvogueduringtheearlypartevenofthiscentury。“
F。P。Porcher，inCharlestonMed。JournalandReviewforJanuary，1860。
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