Introduction %5 



of syphilis, is not given upon any but the practical 

 basis of overwhelming the spirochetes, and not as 

 proposed in accordance with some theory of dosage. 

 The very large hypodermatic doses of quinine given 

 in the congestive chill of pernicious intermittent 

 fever are given to overwhelm the malarial plas- 

 modia, and not to fit in with some theory. The 

 immense doses of alkalies given in the intoxication 

 of acute acidosis are given to neutralize acid, not 

 on the basis of some theory of dosage. 



On the other hand, the minute dose of arsenite 

 of copper given in diarrhea is minute because the 

 drug is very poisonous and the minute dose is enough 

 to serve the purpose. Bryonia is given in very small 

 doses in sore throat and pleurisy because its irritant 

 and hydrogogue effects in large doses is toned down 

 to merely opposing inflammatory dryness of the 

 membranes in the small dose. Colocynth, which is 

 a violent hydrogogue cathartic in large doses, is 

 given in small doses in intestinal colic because tem- 

 porary neuralgic pain enteralgia, gastralgia, tenes- 

 mus is relieved by the relaxing effect of the small 

 dose. Thus the disagreeable symptoms are relieved; 

 but small doses of colocynth have no specific effect 

 upon diarrhea. In fact, nothing has a specific effect 

 unless it removes the cause, like emetine in amebic 

 dysentery. 



Small-dose therapy, so far as it is effective at all, 

 must be explained upon physiological grounds, as 

 is done in the work of Dr. G. Hardy Clark, before 

 referred to, and in my own works on materia medica, 

 long out of print. 



It may interest the reader to quote Dr. Clark, 

 who says: "Whatever may be the reasoning ap- 



