622 
JACOB HELMER. 
by side with the boasted cures of Christian Science, I place the 
boasted cures of homeopathy and refer both these systems to 
nature, the only healer. But what benefit can these systems 
hope to achieve in treating patients that can exercise neither 
faith nor imagination ? But the homeopathic physician of to¬ 
day is instructed in anatomy, physiology, pathology and allied 
sciences. He tells you that under the privilege of expedients he 
may employ by any means a remedy or a dose in order to effect 
a cure. But here the law of similict similibus curantur practi¬ 
cally ends. Only in a very limited sphere is the great thera¬ 
peutic law subservient, and in that sphere mind cure and homeo- 
, ' I. * ' • * r • 
pathy meet. 
In order to correct a wrong impression and one apparently 
shared by some physicians, let me state here that there is no 
Allopathic School. Hahnemann coined the word allopath and 
applied it to those opposed to his principles. To be an allopa- 
thist would mean to be a member of an exclusive school. The 
principles underlying our school have been already mentioned. 
Again we are spoken of as the “ Old School,” in contrast with 
the “New School,” meaning homeopathy. If by this is meant 
that ours is a school of antiquated and non-progressive ideas the 
name does not fit us. What valuable discoveries have been 
made in medicine that were not made by the regular school ? 
No one will assert that homeopathy has placed a stone in the 
edifice of pathology or added any fact of value to medicine. The 
great therapeutic law of homeopathy was not original with 
Hahnemann. Paracelsus had announced it 300 years before 
Hahnemann had his practice and begun to experiment upon the 
action of drugs upon persons. The results obtained he called 
provings. To-day provings yet constitute the mass of homeo¬ 
pathic literature. By careful provings it is shown that drugs 
may produce almost an endless number of symptoms ; from 
2000 to 3000 having been recorded of some drugs. Dunham 
says it is scarcely possible to analyze the actions of belladonna 
upon the human system. But a comparison of these provings 
shows that many drugs of opposite nature will give the same 
