404 
THIS CONCLUSION OF 
as to the variety of the disease. It is not sufficient to ascertain 
where a disease is situated, and what it is, but you must ascer¬ 
tain what particular form and variety it has assumed ; for the 
very r same disease will sometimes be attended by inflammation 
and with strength, and sometimes there will be no inflammation, 
and it will be attended by weakness. After the general diagnosis 
as to the kind of disease, you have to make a very minute one re¬ 
specting’ its variety, and all the accidental circumstances con¬ 
nected with it. You cannot take too much pains on these points. 
I have often been laughed at for spending so much time in inquir¬ 
ing into a case that I cannot cure after all. Well, supposed cannot 
—suppose that the accuracy of the diagnosis will only lead me to 
know that the patient has an incurable affection,—still it is some¬ 
thing to know that you cannot cure a complaint; it saves the 
patient a great deal of useless torment, and yourself a great 
deal of trouble in making useless attempts. As I said before, the 
more accurate we are in establishing diagnosis, the easier will 
it be for posterity to treat diseases successfully. 
“ But in the treatment of disease, and the employment of re¬ 
medies, there are tw o things which I am very anxious to impress 
upon you. After you have ascertained the nature of the disease, 
and the indication of treatment, the next thing is to use the 
means properly which are indicated. Now, I believe that in 
acute diseases our great fault is, want of activity; and in 
chronic diseases our great fault is, want of perseverance . When 
we are quite sure of the treatment that ought to be adopted 
in an acute disease, w 7 e may fail from not having courage to put 
it properly into effect. I am quite satisfied that there are far 
more patients lost in acute diseases from the want of activity 
than the excess of it. You find persons who are willing to slur 
over their business say they do not do this, that, or the other, 
lest they should do harm; but the fact is, they will not take the 
trouble to use, or suffer the anxiety of using, vigorous means 
where the employment of them is justified. It does not follow 
that, because a man is energetic he is to be rash. It does not 
follow that, because you ought to bleed a patient freely, you are 
to bleed him till you kill him; it does not follow that, because 
