can be thoroughly and permanently eradicated. These latter are objects seldom aimed at, seldom even thought of, and, if thought of, exceedingly difficult of accomplishment under the present mode of administering medical aid to all classes of the people except those in wealthy circumstances.

When any one is attacked by a slight illness the expense of consulting a medical man upon it is sufficient to deter him from doing so until it has assumed a serious aspect. But then it may have become difficult to cure; whereas, if properly treated at first, it might have been easily overcome. Or a slight illness may sometimes be indicative of some constitutional derangement or weakness, which ought to be subdued by a proper course of treatment; but this circumstance being unthought of by one personally ignorant of physiology, he deterred by the expense of medical advice, the novelty of the undertaking, and the apparent slightness of the ailment, from consulting a physician, takes some of the usual aperients or purgatives; Epsom salts it may be, or rhubarb, or magnesia, or castor oil, which he has found always to remove the diseased condition for the time; but he takes no means to get rid of the tendency to such illness, the great object at which he ought to aim. Perhaps a man may be habitually subject to slight illness, almost never perfectly well, but he thinks it too slight to consult a doctor about it; then, as it lasts a long time, he says to himself "really I must see a doctor about it." But he is not personally acquainted with any, he has never consulted one before, and to a person in his state, to consult a physician, especially a strange one, is a most formidable undertaking. At last the disease assumes a violent or acute shape and he is driven to the physician. But the physician does not know all the circumstances of his former illness. He is not acquainted with his constitution, and consequently not so able, as he otherwise would be, to treat his malady.

This requires a remedy. We hear of eminent physicians, and of great individual cures which they effect; and such things are gratifying. But the medical profession should aim at something better. The army is valued because it guards the

whole community from invasion, and not because some individual valorous soldier knocks down so many individual enemies in the act of presenting a musket at the heads of such and such noble lords, or rich and distinguished commoners. This should be the aim of the medical army, to drive disease from the community in general. And, in aiming at this, they will secure well earned gratitude and admiration, the certain rewards of noble efforts.

The first step, it appears to me, in any such movements, would be to persuade EVERY MAN to have a doctor. When a man is really in bad health he has not sufficient energy to put himself at once under a doctor's care. Obstacles assume double

importance in his eyes. All kinds of difficulties present themselves, and then when he does consult the physician he cannot describe thoroughly the nature and the progress of his malady. Now, we should choose our doctor when we are well and get acquainted with him then, so that to consult him in illness may be a mere matter of course. Then we should pay our doctor whether we are WELL or ILL. So that all the extra expense may not come upon us exactly when we are least able to bear it, and often stand in the way, as it does, and prevent us from consulting one, when it is really

necessary.

It is an expression, (whether correct or not is not the inquiry) common in the established church, that the parish minister has the "cure of souls." Thinking of a man with the "cure of souls" doing his duty, we picture him to ourselves visiting the people of his charge, making himself acquainted with them, and ready at all times with advice and instruction on moral and spiritual subjects. The ministers of dissenting congregations do the same with their people. Now, whatever may be right with regard to souls, it appears to me very desirable that some such arrangement should be made for the "cure of bodies." Why should not physicians have their congregations, all the members paying a certain annual subscription according to their means, say from five or ten shillings to ten pounds or more, which the rich at all events, and those in ordinary circumstances, would doubtless

greatly increase in case of severe illness and much trouble to the doctor. By this annual subscription all would become acquainted with their medical adviser, and feel no delicacy in consulting him at any time.

The idea may be difficult to put in practice, but surely it is not altogether absurd. It might be attempted by some of the friends of homœopathy. They are not absolutely bound down to what is customary, nor are their minds closed against a proposition simply because it is new. It might be made use of in the propagation of homœopathy.

Suppose for instance yourself, or any other of your friends, establishes a congregation. We will say it numbers a thousand bodies. His business is to keep these bodies, as far as possible, in good health. In furtherance of this object he might open a hall and lecture to them on homoeopathy, physiology, and other kindred subjects. He would become acquainted with them and be to them a minister of health, and might, by means of his influence and exertions among them, add greatly to their enjoyment of life; and much improve the physical state of themselves, and their families. This would confer a dignified and pleasing status, especially as, (the health of the body depending in a great measure on mental and moral causes), the proper discharge of his functions would necessarily make him an agent of moral as well as physical amelioration.-I am, Sir, your monthly reader,

K. D.

TESTIMONIES TO THE VALUE OF THE LABOURS OF HAHNEMANN BY MEDICAL WRITERS, BELONGING TO THE ALLOPATHIC OR OLD SYSTEM SCHOOL.

The superior liberality of Continental Medical Writers, to that of the Periodical Medical Press of this Country.

In the Medicinische Jahrbücher des K. K. Oesterreichischen Staates, for 1845, a medical journal of great reputation in the South of Germany, is a paper entitled "On the obsolete Medicines in the Vegetable Kingdom, along with some Observations on those recently introduced," by Professor

Maly, of Gratz. He is remarking on Monkshood, Aconitum Napellus.-" Dr. Kindervater says of it, that, according to the prevailing ideas, it is contra-indicated in inflammatory febrile affections, but that he cannot agree in this opinion, as he had found its utility in various acute diseases. In regard to this observation, while we recommend it to the notice of every physician, who has at heart the good of suffering humanity and the advancement of the art of medicine, we feel ourselves compelled to observe, first, that he did not always employ aconite quite pure (that is, uncombined;) second, that he omits all mention of that man to whom we owe the true knowledge and right use of this medicine. It was Hahnemann who first recommended the use of aconite in pure inflammatory fevers, with or without eruption, as well as in inflammatory diseases generally, in obedience to his principle similia similibus, by which the effusion of blood, except in certain exceptional cases, is wholly obviated. Even were we under no other obligation to Hahnemann, by this single discovery he would, like Jenner, deserve to be ranked among the greatest benefactors of suffering humanity."

In reference to the value of black Hellebore, (Helleborus Niger,) as a remedy in dropsy, after scarlet fever and measles, the Professor remarks :— "What this medicine will accomplish in other forms of dropsy, as well as in other diseases, a careful study of the works of the older authors will prove as well as a cautious clinical experience, and Hahnemann's proving of the medicine upon those in health will be found the best guide to this knowledge."

And when treating of Pulsatilla, the following remarks occur:-" The healing power of this medicine in rheumatic complaints, acute as well as chronic diseases of the eye, and the various affections complicated with derangement of menstruation, &c., is taught in the experience collected to so large an amount in the homeopathic writings."

He further, when treating of the Chelidonium Majus, recommends the writings of Hahnemann as the best source to derive information regarding its powers.

In the same Journal, but in November, 1844, a paper by

Dr. Popper, of Winterberg, on the use of Belladonna in inflammation of the throat, appeared, in which were the following remarks:-"The numerous indisputable testimonies of many intelligent and experienced homeopathic physicians, regarding the treatment of inflammation of the throat, induced me, many years ago, to make use of a remedy much recommended by them in that disease-I mean belladonna. I cannot conclude without observing, that belladonna contains a store of healing virtues such as few drugs possess. At any rate, a more frequent use of it in many diseases is to be recommended to the use of impartial physicians; and the best sources of information upon its virtues are the Materia Medica of Hahnemann and the writings of liberal homoopathists."

It is well known that the source of all the great discoveries of the curative powers of medicines, by Hahnemann, consisted in this, that he recognized this truth, that, to discover the virtues of medicines they must be tried upon persons in health.

This truth is beginning to be recognized, and, as a striking evidence of the diffusion of the influence of homoeopathy, the following resolution, passed at the Medical Section of the Scientific Congress, held at Strasburg in 1842, is worthy of particular notice:

"The Medical Section is unanimously of opinion, that experiments with medicines on healthy individuals are, in the present state of medical science, of urgent necessity for physiology and therapeutics, and that it is desirable that all known facts should be methodically and scrupulously collected, and with prudence, caution, and scientific exactness arranged, written out, and published."

And in Drs. Canstatt's and Eisenmann's Annual Report of the Progress of Medicine for 1843, Dr. Siebert, who takes up the department of therapeutics, thus remarks:-" To outward appearances, homœopathy stands as much opposed to the old regime as ever; but I do not believe it does so in reality. Under the impulse given by this doctrine, medical science continues to direct more attention to the effects of medicines upon the healthy animal frame; while, on the other hand,