150 FLORA HOMCOPATHICA. 
medicine in the world can be proper for all diseases; that each 
one has its circle of benefit strictly defined, beyond which every 
powerful medicine, like Chamomilla, must of course exercise 
injurious action, in proportion to its energy; and, therefore, to 
avoid quackery, the physician ought to know previously when 
Chamomilla may be useful and when prejudicial, as also how to 
proportion the doses, that they may be neither too powerful nor 
too weak. 
“If we did not know, by a thousand other proofs, how 
inconceivably blind the science of medicine called practical has 
been for centuries, and how it has emulated the public in being 
unreasonable, it would be sufficient to examine impartially how 
it has acted with reference to so powerful an agent as Chamo- 
milla. 
** In fact, no medicine, however polychrest it may be, can be 
useful and salutary in a tenth part of the existing diseases ; 
neither can this prerogative belong to Chamomilla. But, 
admitting what is impossible, let us suppose that it can cure a 
tenth part of the diseases of which mankind is susceptible, is it 
not clear that, if it is employed universally, it must be injurious 
to the other nine-tenths? Is it right to purchase success in one 
case, to the injury of the other nine? What do you mean by 
injurious effects? says the common practitioner; I see none that 
depend upon Chamomilla. Certainly, I reply; so long as you 
are ignorant of the effects so powerful a medicine is capable of 
producing in a healthy person, you cannot perceive it to be the 
source of the mischiefs that are caused by the manner in which 
you employ it. These evils you consider to belong to the com- 
plaint itself, and attribute them to the malignity of that com- 
plaint; and thus you deceive yourself, while you are doing 
harm to your poor patients. But cast your eyes upon the glass 
I hold up to you; read the catalogue of symptoms belonging to 
Chamomilla; and then, if you fall back into your daily sin, if 
you put no limit to your habitual use of this plant, see how 
many among the apparent symptoms will be attributable to 
