ANoVJe°mbeM89™'}  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  .555 
practicable  in  carrying  out  the  various  processes  of  distillation,  etc.,  were  then 
given,  with  the  statement  that  it  is  impossible  to  formulate  a  fixed  scheme 
whereby  all  analyses  of  essential  oils  can  be  conducted.  An  appendix  of  the 
paper  contained  an  index  of  the  more  important  components  of  essential  oils, 
together  with  the  melting  and  boiling  points  of  such  of  their  derivatives  as  are 
serviceable  for  their  identification. 
In  answer  to  a  question  by  Professor  Remington,  as  to  the  variability  in  spe- 
cific gravity  of  essential  oils  collected  at  different  times  of  the  year,  Dr.  Kleber 
said  that  there  is  a  difference  in  this  respect,  but  that,  owing  to  their  greater 
yield  at  certain  seasons,  not  much  attention  had  been  paid  to  this 
question. 
Prof.  John  Uri  Lloyd,  of  Cincinnati,  whose  versatility  as  a  writer  and  thinker 
on  both  scientific  and  philosophical  questions  is  so  well  known,  was  present 
and  made  a  short  address  on  the  early  history  of  medicine  in  America,  with 
special  reference  to  the  origin  of  eclecticism. 
After  some  rather  happy  preliminary  remarks  incident  to  the  occasion,  Pro- 
fessor Lloyd  proceeded  to  give  the  early  record  of  schools  of  medicine  in 
America,  beginning  with  the  year  1798.  He  said  that  perhaps  the  first  man  to 
study  our  native  materia  medica  was  a  talented  old  German  named  Schepf,  who 
came  as  a  Hessian  soldier  to  serve  in  the  army  of  Cornwallis.  He  afterwards  went 
through  the  country  collecting  medicines,  and  when  he  went  back  to  Europe 
published  the  results  of  his  labors  in  the  Latin  language.  The  first  English 
work  on  materia  medica  in  this  country  was  that  published  by  B.  S.  Barton,  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  1798.  In  1801  a  second  edition  appeared, 
and  in  1804  a  second  part  to  the  work  was  published.  Following  Barton  came 
a  man  belonging  to  the  irregular  school  of  medicine — Samuel  Thomson.  He 
was  stern,  dogmatic  and  irregular  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  He  was  opposed 
to  the  colleges  and  believed  in  setting  aside  the  old  teachings.  His  great  pre- 
cept was  that  heat  is  life  and  cold  is  death.  His  medicines  were  numbered 
from  1  to  12,  his  "  No.  6  "  being  the  compound  tincture  of  myrrh.  He  believed 
in  lobelia  and  capsicum,  and  a  course  with  Thomson  meant  sweating,  vomit, 
ing,  etc.  That  he  was  earnest  and  honest  may  be  believed  from  the  fact  that 
he  died  under  his  own  treatment.  He  was  much  persecuted  and  was  put  in  jail  in 
Massachusetts  for  giving  lobelia  to  a  patient  who  died  subsequent  to  the  treat- 
ment. He  afterwards  made  a  tour  of  Ohio  and  granted  patents  to  practice 
medicine  in  accord  with  his  system  of  medication,  providing  the  party  would 
buy  his  book  and  pay  the  price,  which  was  $25. 
Thus  it  was  that  the  present  patent  system  originated.  Though  we  may 
criticise  his  methods,  he  was  kinder  than  the  regular  physicians  at  that  time,  who 
practised  bleeding  and  other  similar  harsh  treatment.  Thomson  came  as  a  re- 
former in  opposition  to  them,  and  suffered  much  persecution  by  reason  of  his 
aggressiveness. 
Then  came  Beach,  who  proposed  even  to  reform  Thomson.  His  methods  were 
kindlier,  and  very  soon  the  followers  of  these  two  were  antagonistic,  and  they 
in  turn  were  opposed  by  the  regulars.  But  the  new  system  developed,  and  as 
an  outcome  an  Eclectic  School  of  Medicine  was  established  at  Worthington, 
O.,  which  was  the  first  attempt  to  teach  systematic  medicine  in  central  Ohio. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  was  a  difference  between  Thomsonian- 
isni  and  eclecticism.    At  this  point  Professor  Lloyd  called  attention  to  a  very 
