Excursions to the principal mineral waters of England, in pursuit of health and information / by James Johnson.

  • Johnson, James, 1777-1845.
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Excursions to the principal mineral waters of England, in pursuit of health and information / by James Johnson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    Itiver, at Pentonville, to secure the inhabitants of the metropolis against the dreaded scarlatina !! Another example of Homoeopa- thy may be amusing. It is well known that the Sprudel empties its superfluous and potent waters into the little stream of the Tefle, at Carlsbad—that the Teple discharges itself into the Elb, near Teplitz—and that the Elb, ultimately, flows into the German Ocean, at Hamburgh. Now the Homceopathists have proposed to employ the waters of the Elb, at the last-mentioned city, when farther diluted by spring water, as infinitely superior to the Sprudel itself, at Carlsbad, whose waters, they aver, are so powerfully allo- pathic, that they would poison a horse or an elephant, and that they produce ten thousand times more diseases than they cure! The apologists for Homoeopathy tell us of the dangers of the allopathic, or large dose practice, which often destroys instead of saving life—they aver, in short, that the millionth part of a grain of chamomile can never do injury, even if given in the delirium of a brain fever, or the last stage of consumption. This is true, to a certain extent. But there are errors—nay sins, of omission, as well as commission, in this world, and especially in the treatment of diseases. The billionth or trillionth part of a grain of aniseed, which would amuse a nervous dowager or a vapourish malade imaginaire, could not injure the most intense inflammation of brain, heart, or lungs—but such transcendental humbug would allow those precious moments to elapse, during which the malady might be arrested, and the life of the patient saved by proper means. Now, the man who sees a fellow-creature mount the parapet of Waterloo Bridge and prepare to spring into the river, without using the least effort to prevent suicide, is little less cul- pable than if he had pushed the wretched individual off the range- wall into the stream below. But it is doubly culpable in the phy- sician who takes charge of his patient's health, in acute diseases, and yet lets slip the opportunity of effectually assisting the powers of Nature, in her unequal combat with overwhelming maladies. The Homceopathists, indeed, deny the inefficacy of their infinites- simal doses of arnica or other medicinal substances, and appeal to the testimony of their patients on this point. But what miracle or impossibility ever lacked testimonials on such occasions ? Were