658 Quackery Practice, and St. John Long. DEC. 



strangers to the principles of the science with no confidence in any 

 knowledge of their own they are never sure that the empiric may not, 

 after all, be the wise man ; and it is better to err on what seems to Tbe 

 the safe side. Some confounded blunder, on the part of the quack, 

 removes the prejudice, and he is laughed out of the world ; but the dupe 

 is as liable as ever to fall into fresh delusions. 



People are calling out, on this occasion, for more law. More law, 

 however, is not really wanted there is already more than can be en- 

 forced. It will be the fate of new laws, if new ones are enacted. The 

 public might be all but secured against excessive ignorance and gross 

 incompetency, if the licensing system were suffered to go fairly into 

 execution, coupled with a power of carrying cases of misconduct into 

 criminal courts, without distinction, licensed or unlicensed. But plainly, 

 this will never be borne with ; the general feeling is a desire to be left 

 at liberty. It is the suggestion doubtless of great ignorance and greater 

 presumption, but it exists, and it is in vain to pull against it. Let us 

 choose for ourselves, is the cry. We if any body are to be the suf- 

 ferers ; we have confidence in Mr. New-man, and none in Dr. Old-fast. 

 In a matter so individually and exclusively concerning ourselves, why 

 should we not be left to ourselves, and trusted with our dearest interests ? 

 Why protect us in spite of our wishes? Besides, in every thing else, 

 all the world agree there is nothing like free competition the public 

 are always thus best served. Why should it not be the same in medicine ? 

 The best energies will thus be called into action ; the best workmen 

 the best practitioners will thus be found, and we shall all reap the 

 benefit. Privileged physicians and surgeons quickly become, like close 

 corporations, susceptible of all corruptions the spur to activity is 

 withdrawn the spring relaxes the vigour flags the public are drugged 

 secundum morem, and the science of physic sinks into the art of phy- 

 sicking. 



But though freedom of action be the demand of the day freedom of 

 profession on the one hand, and liberty of choice on the other ; though 

 hostility be general to any bold and effective enforcement of law for 

 the exclusion of impudent and perilous quackery, the public do not 

 desire to be mere anvils for any to hammer upon the mere subjects of 

 experiment the dull dupes of pretension no, their sole quest is that 

 of talent and power ; for once convinced they are imposed upon, they 

 will quickly recoil and spurn the impostor from them. It is this 

 readiness to turn to the right-about the detected pretender to superiority, 

 which presents the chance and means of finally remedying the evils of 

 quackery. That remedy is mainly, un,der existing circumstances, 

 exposure ; and to this remedy we shall lend a helping hand by glancing 

 first at Mr. Long's book, which will, we think, establish the man's 

 consummate ignorance, and next, at the evidence of his friends, which 

 will go far to prove their incompetence ; and together will shew the 

 imbecility of the principle, the profligacy of the man, and the peril of 

 the process. 



Within the last half century quacks have swarmed. Not to mention 

 multitudes of minor twinklers, those stars of greater magnitude, Mesmer, 

 Graham, and Perkins, must have been heard of by all. Perkins and his 

 tractors are within the personal recollection of numbers. The princi- 

 ple upon which Perkins built his system is essentially the same as that 

 of Mr. Long, but his practice was sheer mummery, and simply harmless. 



