FAILURE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE. 67 



an antiseptic to preserve the drug from fermentation— 

 in other words, to destroy or keep away fungi and mi- 

 crobes. This is of the utmost importance, since a drug 

 that is in the process of fermentation is no medicine. It 

 has no curative properties. The more of it that passes 

 into the stomach the more fermentation goes on in the 

 system, and disease is rather increased than diminished. 

 But if you can find a preparation that does not ferment, 

 and which you can take into the stomach in large quan- 

 tities and continuously for weeks and months, so that 

 the blood and the whole system become saturated with 

 it, then you have a good medicine and one in which you 

 may place full confidence. But, as I said before, you 

 may go over the whole Pharmacopoeia, and examine the 

 catalogues of drugs that are in use or for sale, and you 

 will not find one that fills these requirements. 



My inquiries into Nature's processes, and into the 

 remedies in use for treatment of disease in both plants 

 and animals, have not been superficial. I have gone into 

 them deeply. My studies have not been restricted, and 

 I have exercised my thoughts carefully, so that I feel 

 that I can enter into Nature's mysteries understandingly 

 and to some practical purpose. 



It is acknowledged by its disciples that medical science 

 has made great progress during the past half -century, 

 and that it is still advancing year by year. This shows 

 at least that it is not an exact science, that is, not per- 

 fect, but that new discoveries can be made, changes can 

 be effected, and, possibly, what is now considered ex- 

 cellent may ere long be discarded in practice for some- 

 thing that is at present unknown, or at any rate unac- 

 cepted. It follows, therefore, that, if the door for 

 improvement be open, nobody should be precluded from 

 entering because he happens not to be a graduate of a 

 medical college. 



No day passes but illustrations occur everywhere of the 

 fact that medicine fails to cure, and that, too, where 

 failure should be impossible. The reason of this is what 

 I propose to elucidate, and, in order to do it, it is of 



