REVIEW— MANUAL OF VETERINARY IIOM(EOPATIIY. 655 
from the normal state was, from its possession of some innate 
connexion, the very cause of restoring the organs and tissues to 
their healthy condition/’ 
That which Hahnneman discovered, with regard to bark, ex- 
isted, according to him, in every therapeutic agent; and, with 
much laudable zeal, he thought that he would put this fairly to 
the test. In fact, he subjected himself to privations of every 
kind, and to sufferings of every degree, in his experiments, not 
only on simple medicines, but on the most virulent poisons. 
There was, however, one error, which existed from the very com- 
mencement of his labours, and which soon constituted the pecu- 
liar feature of his philosophy and his practice. He cared little 
about the seat or the cause of disease, but his whole attention 
was directed to the symptoms ; and in consequence of this, in- 
stead of applying remedies to the malady, he sought for a medi- 
cine which bore some analogy to the prominent appearances that 
presented themselves ; and that he administered, and on that 
alone he depended. 
In the pursuance of this plan, he soon began to find that the 
effect of his new medicine, united with the previous diseased 
action, sometimes acquired a most formidable degree of power, 
and the patient was in danger of being hurried off before his 
time. Then came a new inquiry, — in how minute a dose might 
the artificial agent be exhibited, so as to produce the desired 
effect. He first had recourse to doses somewhat smaller in 
quantity than those which he was accustomed to exhibit. Still 
the effect was too powerful; and the dose was farther diminished, 
until it was carried to a degree of minuteness of which he had 
no previous conception, and the power of which is a matter of 
doubt and ridicule to all but his immediate followers. He began 
the diminution by portions of grains or minims. He dissolved a 
grain or a drop of the therapeutic on which he was experimenting 
in ninety-nine parts of alcohol. Then, every drop of this mix- 
ture contained T ^th part of a grain of the original drug. One of 
these drops being mingled with 100 of alcohol, the division was car- 
ried on to the T o Jtfffth P art °f a c ^ r0 P > an( l this was often increased, 
according to the nature of the case or the whim of the medical 
man, until the minuteness of the quantity of the agent could 
scarcely be expressed by figures. It was often carried to the 
thirtieth dilution : still it was supposed to be sufficiently potent 
to combat and to conquer many diseases. 
Pulverizable medicines are prepared as readily as the fluids, 
being mingled with minute globules of sugar and starch ; and in 
this form the attenuation is carried on to the millionth part of a 
grain. They are said to retain their efficacy eighteen or twenty 
