Part 8 (2/2)

The quarrel in the papers was stopped at once; not a line was published more; no one attempted to contradict me or to show that I had lost patients also; all was dead silence; and of the one hundred and fifty physicians of the city, _one_ called, and, not finding me at home, never returned. And the patients? Well, the patients were treated and killed--after the occurrence I thought I had the right to use the word--as before, and the practice was continued in every epidemy afterwards.

Perhaps my communications would have had a better result in America, where physicians, though much less learned upon an average, are more accessible to new ideas?--

130. I have tried, several years ago, to have an article on the subject inserted in one or two of the New-York papers, which have the largest circulation in the country, but, although there were at the time 150 deaths of scarlet-fever per week in the city, they had so much to say about slavery and temperance that there was no room for my article, and when I published it in the Water-Cure Journal, it was, of course, scarcely noticed.--Scarlet-patients have continued to be treated and to die as before, and when I published a couple of months ago an extract from this pamphlet in the Boston Medical World, there were thirty cases of death per week from scarlatina in that city.

These are facts, upon which you may make your own comments. But the following are facts also:

131. MORE FACTS!

I have been treating several hundred cases of eruptive fevers during twenty-one years, and except the one mentioned above (111.) never lost a patient. I have known similar results, in the practice of other hydriatic physicians who employed a similar method. I scarcely remember a bad result of hydriatic treatment undertaken by the parents and relations of the patient, without the a.s.sistance of any physician at all. I know of several cases of death, in scarlatina, where physicians attempted to employ Currie's method, without packing;[38] and I have frequently seen the learning of regular physicians interfere with our simple practice and produce different results, whilst people without medical knowledge, by strictly adhering to my prescriptions, would always be successful. I have been so successful, and am so confident in the treatment, as described, that I have not only neglected to vaccinate my children (till last year, when it was done by a friend in my absence), but that I have sent them to a scarlet-patient to take the disease, in order that I might be able to treat them myself, and know them to be protected in future.

132. CONCLUSION: HELP YOURSELVES, IF YOUR PHYSICIANS WILL NOT HELP YOU!

And I am none of your water-enthusiasts, who pretend to cure everything and any thing with water. My confidence in the hydriatic treatment of eruptive fevers, however, is almost unlimited, because it is founded on an experience of many years of happy results with scarcely any exception, and on the fact that no other method can show a similar result.

I have always been considered an honest man, dear reader, and always anxious to serve my fellow-men; and what selfish view could I have in thus attempting to persuade you to save your children's lives by adopting my method of treatment? I shall neither make friends with the members of the profession by thus exciting you to rebel against the old routine, nor shall I augment the number of the patients of my establishment; for we cannot very well carry patients with scarlet-fever and small-pox to a distant inst.i.tution. Believe me, I have no other object in publis.h.i.+ng this pamphlet, than that of saving the life and health of as many human beings as possible, which otherwise would perish. In publis.h.i.+ng this pamphlet, I intend to perform a sacred duty, without any regard to making a pleasant or unpleasant impression upon my brother physicians, and consequently without any regard to my own interest.

The fact that I exposed my own youngest children, the pleasure, and the support _in spe_, of my declining age, to the contagion of scarlatina, during an epidemic which had rather a malignant character, proves more than any thing my honest confidence in my own remedy. Ask your physician, if he is adverse to the hydriatic method, whether he knows a remedy in which he has so much confidence as to be willing to imitate my example. There is no such remedy in the apothecary's shop, and there is no physician who would expose his own children to the contagion of scarlatina from the confidence he has in the curative or protective powers _of any drug_.

I hope, my brother-physicians will believe me, when I a.s.sure them, that I do not mean any disrespect to the profession, in thus introducing a new sound method for the weak old routine. Perhaps, my exposition of the principles of my practice, and the attempt at a systematic arrangement of the materials at my disposal, may gain a few converts. If I am not mistaken, this pamphlet is the first that treats the subject systematically and to some extent. I am aware that it might be better written and more perfect. But, I trust that it will do some good, and hope it will pave the way for a better production, based on a more extensive practice and enriched with new discoveries on the part of American physicians, whose genius and activity are not inferior to those of any other nation.

When the Hydriatic System becomes more and more a part of the practice of educated and enlightened pract.i.tioners, it will become a much greater benefit to the human race, not only with regard to the cure of eruptive fevers, but of that of all diseases to which it can be adapted, beside the happy reform it will a.s.sist in bringing about in our effeminate and luxurious way of living, which, at all times, has been a source of ruin for individuals, families and nations.

But as long as the profession continues in its old routine, I can give you no other advice than that of following my prescriptions and of helping yourselves:--

”Aide-toi, et le ciel t'aidera!”

FOOTNOTES:

[37] I speak here of the true erysipelas, of course, and not of the chronic eruption of the face, &c., erroneously called erysipelas by many.

[38] I think of the obstinacy of a medical friend, who refused to take a lesson from Priessnitz, and constantly looked for advice, in cases of need, in works written by learned pract.i.tioners. He lost three patients in one family from scarlatina anginosa, which would certainly have been cured by the packs. In two other cases I was called to his a.s.sistance, when he insisted upon putting ice upon the head of the patients to remove the affection of the brain (the reaction was sthenic! See 50). I told him that in the cases before us, repeated packing was the only safe application, and we had a few unpleasant words, when I yielded, promising him that he would come round to my opinion within a few hours.

And so it was; the patients grew worse and worse, with their heads shaved and ice upon them, till my good friend requested me to take the rudder in my own hand, with the promise not to interfere any more. By packing, the patients improved visibly and were out of danger within two days.

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