54. An essay upon Purpura Miliaris. 1821.

55. Upon the most certain method of preventing the extension of Homœopathia. 1825.

56. Chronic Diseases. Dresden, 1828. 4 vols. 8vo. A second edition was called for in 1830, and a third, in 1835. It was translated into French in 1832, by Dr. Jourdan; and a second French edition was edited by Dr. Bigel.

57. An essay on Allopathia. Leipzig, 1831. 1 vol. 8vo. 58. A treatise on Cholera. 1831. 1 vol. 8vo. A second edition was published at Coethen in 1831 ; a third at Leipzig during the same year; a fourth at Berlin, in 1831, edited by Counsellor Stüler; end a fifth, at Nuremberg, in 1832.

Who can read this statement of labours without perceiving that the mind of Hahnemann must have gone through, in translating or in writing these works, one of the best. mental trainings? The direction of his mind to that department of the medical art, his success in which will confer immortality on him, is strikingly apparent from the perusal of this list. Thus he translated Cullen's Materia Medica, which was the standard work of the time; a work indeed, considering the period at which it was published, of great merit: he translated also the Materia Medica of Monro. He translated another standard work on Materia Medica, that by Haller. He thus must have attained a perfect knowledge of all that was known on the virtues of medicines previous to his time: this knowledge helped him, by showing what was known and how little that was, to feel the miserable imperfection of the knowledge of the virtues of medicines.

The still more intimate investigation by him of these subjects is exhibited in the fact, that he translated "The Falsification of Medicines."

it

In fact, the more the matter is examined the more clear does appear, that Hahnemann had all the mental conditions of a great discoverer: and is it wonderful that he should have discovered? Truth is ever ready to be embraced; only he, who attempts to embrace her, must prepare himself. "The kingdom of heaven is taken by violence" is a dogma,

taught elsewhere; and the kingdom of natural truth is to be taken in the same way. Truth requires mighty effort to persuade her to give up one of her virgin purities to human embrace she requires any one, who attempts to gain such a glorious object in mental marriage, to go through a course of mental purification and mental drilling, which few have the courage to adhere to.

Hahnemann had all the will to submit to the terms imposed; and he gained the immortality, resulting from marrying his name to a truth.

"Go and do thou likewise," may be with propriety said to the contemners of Hahnemann. Contemners indeed: men, who would think themselves quite fit to be niched in Fame's temple, if they had produced any two works equal to the most inconsiderable of those produced by the man whom they

contemn.

HOMEOPATHY IN PLYMOUTH.

The following extract from a letter, dated Nov. 23, 1847, of a patient in a village near Plymouth, to her physician in London, testifies to the spread of homœopathy, to the satisfaction which that spread imparts, and to the horror with which the allopathic practice is viewed by those, who have experienced the innocuousness to the constitution, but the efficacy in relation to disease, of the homœopathic treatment.

"We have a homœopathic surgeon in Plymouth; also a homœopathic chemist. I rejoice to see it has spread as far as that, for it was more than I expected in this part just yet. Homœopathy has indeed been wanted in the village below us: there has been a fever, which has swept away several. The medical men seem to know nothing that will cure the disease, some patients have been TORTURED dreadfully. I should not like to fall within the range of their mercies."

A young lady has just informed us that her cousin, a country gentleman, and fond of sporting, is so convinced of the value of homeopathy, that he has named one of his favourite dogs, Homoeopathy; another, Aconite; and he proposes to name a third, Arnica.

THE

Journal of Health and Disease.

JANUARY, 1848.

STATE OF STOMACH IN HEALTH AND DISEASE.-DIET, ITS IMPORTANCE IN DISEASE.-INSUFFICIENCY AND WANT OF SCIENCE IN THE INFORMATION POSSESSED ON THIS SUBJECT BY MANY MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS, BOTH OF THE ALLOPATHIC AND HOMEOPATHIC SCHOOLS.

In health and when free from food, the stomach is usually entirely empty, and contracted upon itself.

The inner coat of the stomach, in its natural and healthy state, is of a light or pale pink colour, varying in its hues according to its full or empty state. It is of a velvet-like appearance, and is constantly covered with a very thin, transparent, viscid mucus, lining the whole interior of the organ. This coat (membrane) presenting the first appearance, is called the villous, or velvety membrane; also, from being covered with mucus, the mucous coat.

On the application of aliment, the action of the vessels is increased, the colour brightened, and the vermicular motions excited.

On viewing the interior of the stomach, the peculiar formation of the inner coats is distinctly exhibited. When the stomach is empty the folds or rugo appear irregularly folded upon each other, almost in a quiescent state, of, as already stated, a pale pink colour, with the surface merely lubricated with mucus.

"The gastric juice does not begin to accumulate in the cavity of the stomach, until alimentary matters are received, and excite its vessels to discharge their contents, for the immediate purpose of digestion. It is then seen to exude from its proper vessels, and increases in proportion to the quantity of aliment naturally required, and received. A definite proportion of aliment, only, can be perfectly digested in

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a given quantity of the fluid. From experiments on artificial digestion, it appears that the proportion of juice to the ingestæ, is greater than is generally supposed. Its action on food is indicative of its chemical character. Like other chemical agents, it decomposes or dissolves, and after combining with a fixed and definite quantity of matter, its action ceases. When the juice becomes saturated, it refuses to dissolve more; and, if an excess of food have been taken, the residue remains in the stomach, or passes into the bowels in a crude state, and frequently becomes a source of nervous irritation, pain, and disease, for a long time; or until the vis medicatrix naturæ restores the vessels of this viscus to their natural and healthy actions-either with or without the aid of medicine."

Such are the conditions of the stomach in the state of health.

Its conditions in a state of disease are now to be noticed. "In febrile diathesis, or predisposition, from whatever cause-obstructed perspiration, undue excitement by stimulating liquors, overloading the stomach with food-fear, anger, or whatever depresses or disturbs the nervous system -the villous coat becomes sometimes red and dry, at other times, pale and moist, and loses its smooth and healthy appearance; the secretions become vitiated, greatly diminished, or entirely suppressed; the mucous coat scarcely perceptible; the follicles flat and flaccid, with secretions insufficient to protect the vascular and nervous papillæ from irritation.

"There are sometimes found, on the internal coat of the stomach, eruptions or deep red pimples, not numerous, but distributed here and there upon the villous membrane, rising above the surface of the mucous coat. These are at first sharp-pointed and red, but frequently become filled with white purulent matter. At other times, irregular, circumscribed red patches, varying in size or extent from half an inch to an inch and a half in circumference, are found on the internal coat. These appear to be the effect of congestion in the minute blood-vessels of the stomach. There are, also, seen at times small aphthous crusts in connection with these red

patches. Abrasion of the lining membrane, like the rolling up of the mucous coat into small shreds or strings, leaving the papillæ bare for an indefinite space, is not an uncommon appearance.

"These diseased appearances, when very slight, do not always affect essentially the gastric apparatus. When considerable, and particularly when there are corresponding symptoms of disease, as dryness of the mouth, thirst, accelerated pulse, &c., no gastric juice can be extracted, not even on the application of alimentary stimulus. Drinks received are immediately absorbed, or otherwise disposed of, none remaining in the stomach ten minutes after being swallowed. Food taken in this condition of the stomach, remains UNDIGESTED for twenty-four or forty-eight hours or more, increasing the derangement of the whole alimentary canal, and aggravating the general symptoms of disease."

Dr. Combe remarks on these statements of Dr. Beaumont : "These appearances of the villous coat and the non-secretion of the gastric juice in feverish states of the system, are very important in a practical point of view, and show how injurious and contrary to nature it is to insist on giving food in such circumstances by way of supporting the strength. Drinks are useful, because they are not digested but absorbed, and thus refresh the body; but solid food taken into the stomach, can act only as an irritant where there is no gastric juice to digest it."

For this valuable, this exact information, the world is indebted to the talent and the tact of Dr. Beaumont, surgeon in the United States army.

This gentleman happening to have under his care, a patient, named Alexis St. Martin, who had been wounded by the discharge of a loaded gun; which, besides inflicting many injuries upon his lungs and ribs, made a wound into his stomach, by which everything he swallowed escaped.

That wonderful restorative power, which exists in the healthy living frame, at length by causing a portion of the inner lining of the stomach to project at the aperture, produced such an arrangement of the parts as to form a valve, which completely closed the aperture, but which admitted of being pushed aside, so as to allow the interior of the stomach and the changes going on within to be observed.