Human Physiology. 383 



where; and he may prescribe and rigidly insist upon the 

 regimen the case requires. 



The history of medicine shows us that it is not well to be 

 the bigot of any system. Divine authority and its necessary 

 infallibility, or demonstrated truth, can alone claim implicit 

 faith and absolute obedience. No medical system has any 

 such claim. The blind obedience given to the most absurd 

 requirements of doctors who have no agreement among them- 

 selves, either in theory or practice, is doing a world of mischief. 

 People who are democrats in politics, and free-thinkers in 

 matters of religion, are blind slaves in medicine, where there is, 

 in the variety of conflicting theories, opinions, and practice, no 

 possible claim to authority. In the memory of our generation 

 medicine has murdered millions with the lancet, with opium, 

 with mercury, with brandy, with the bad things it has done, 

 with the good things it has failed of doing with its absurd 

 quackeries or its neglect of sanitary reform. The time is 

 coming when the intelligence of the whole public in matters 

 of health will abolish nine-tenths of the medical profession, and 

 compel the remainder to less interested and more enlightened 

 modes of teaching and practice. In the mean time every 

 honest physician will do all he can to promote the general 

 health of the community and that of his patients, to prevent 

 as well as cure disease, and will, without regard to any system, 

 choose the best methods of cure. Allopathic counter irritants 

 certainly give relief in many cases, and anaesthetics save the 

 suffering and exhaustion of pain, though they are not without 

 cost to the system, and are in some cases dangerous to life. 

 There is abundant testimony to the efficacy of some, at least, 

 of the homceopathic preparations. A conscientious physician 

 will not allow any prejudice to hinder him from using any 

 remedy that he believes will benefit his patient. 



And the wise and good physician can bring to the sick com- 

 fort, hope, courage, moral support; he can relieve want, remove 



