SCUTELLARIA 307 



given by Mr. Daniel Lewis, to whom he taught the use 

 of the drug, and by his son, Dr. Henry Van Derveer, 

 fully relieves Dr. Van Derveer from the charge of drug 

 secrecy. 



Next comes the statement that Dr. Van Derveer 

 treated over four hundred persons, but two dying. For 

 one of these Dr. Van Derveer disclaimed responsibility: 



"Dr. Van Derveer was called to visit a young woman 

 living near Rahway in New Jersey, who had been at- 

 tended by another physician, and in whom hydrophobic 

 symptoms had so far advanced before Dr. Van Derveer 

 saw her, as in his opinion to preclude all human aid. 

 She took the Scutellaria, but it did not cure the disease. 

 She died rabid. The doctor was of opinion that several 

 persons for whom he prescribed his remedy in the early 

 part of his practice had some of the symptoms of hydro- 

 phobia, and that they were removed by a free use of 

 the plant." 



That Thacher accepted the estimate of Dr. Van Der- 

 veer, is shown by the fact that in his Dispensatory he 

 states that out of four hundred treated, but one died. 



Comes now the ever suggestive question, whether the 

 scutellaria effected the cure, or whether the animals 

 and people treated would have recovered without it. 

 This problem is disposed of somewhat after the phys- 

 iological methods of today to determine a drug's cura- 

 tive value, excepting that, instead of injecting animals 

 in health to obtain a standard in disease expression, 

 Dr. Van Derveer's process was to medicate afflicted 

 creatures, and contrast them with the results noted in a 

 similar number of animals not medicated. 



For example: The physiological prover of today inoc- 

 ulates an animal in health with a given remedy, to de- 



