Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1871 — What is Medicine? [ARTICLE]

What is Medicine?

Medicine is properly that which is designed to cure disease. There are many systems of medicine, all of which have their advocates, and all are claimed as “most successful.’’ Among them are the Regular, Botanic, Eclectic, Chromo-Thermal, Homeopathic, &c. All are crowned with interesting and significant names; but the Eclectic is the most captivating of all, as it extracts the good from every system and rejects the bad. But every good physician of every school would claim to do this. It is true that some persons die under the treatment of all schools and sopie get well, and which is proven most successful depends very much upon the preference and prejudice of the witness. Physicians often get much credit where none is deserved, and they are often blamed where they ha® done tHeir duty according to their best authorities. The Doctor is called to treat a cade of typhoid foyer. The lingers for six or |

eight weeks and recovers. The Doctor gets a boat-load of glory for bringing tills skeleton up from the grave. It is said to be a wonderful cure when in fact it might be a wonderful escape. It is no doubt true that men often get well in spite of the disease and the doctoring too. The great question Do Medicines Cure Disease? would be differently answered at tho present day. Many of the most intelligent teachers would answer, No. Some blustering, sage-looking gasbags would say “Nature has provided a remedy for every disense," nnd that they, by long years of study and large experience, have iotffid it out. Of course these are the men that the world would be after. Honesty and science will be appreciated by some, but the mass of the people will be humbugged. Nine times out of ten, perhaps, the impostor and knave will ride down the honest and intelligent physician. The people look at results. They want to be cured when sick. The man who confidently promises relief will be the one employed, and the consequent confidence of the patient has much to do with the cure. Hope and confidence arc stimulants. Doubt and fear are depressing agents. It a person must be doctored, by all means let him have the physician in whom he has the most confidence. If two persons in the same family die of the same disease under the treatment of the same doctor and another member of the family is taken in the same way, better call in another physician, anti, better still, perhaps, one ; of another school. The death of one person often, do doubt, has much to do with the death of another. The people really know but little of diseases or of their treatment. They are more likely to be alarmed at some trifling case of hysterics than at the most grave and dangerous case of fever. Indeed they are often more alarmed at the cure than at the disease itself. How could they be expected to know, when the doctors themselves don’t know the half of it? In another article I will speak of the vis Medicatrijc Natures and the Office of Medicines. S.