History of the expulsion of Drs. R.S. Newton and Z. Freeman from the Eclectic Medical Institute : with the causes which rendered it necessary, and an exposition of the slanderous and factious course which has been pursued by the off-casts from the Institute / by W. Sherwood.

  • Sherwood, Wm. (William)
Date:
[1856?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: History of the expulsion of Drs. R.S. Newton and Z. Freeman from the Eclectic Medical Institute : with the causes which rendered it necessary, and an exposition of the slanderous and factious course which has been pursued by the off-casts from the Institute / by W. Sherwood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    CAUSES OF DR. NEWTON'S EXPULSION. and his associates, who are so thoroughly des- perate that they have lost sight of all ordinary prudence, and take no pains to keep their falsehoods within the limits of credibility, but fabricate the most notorious untruths, statements known to be false by the students of the Institute, as if, despair- ing of receiving any support from the intelligent and honest, they hoped merely to impose upon young men from a distance, who know nothing of the history of the Institute, or character of its Faculty. It has been a matter of great doubt whether such falsehoods deserve any notice at all. With those who know that ''^Veic/on'n Express has no reputa- tion at present, among the respectable newspnpers of Cincinnati, that its editor has been publicly de- nounced for his venality and dishonesty; its statements have no influence. When Dr. Newton was a member of the Faculty, a resolution of cen- sure against his newspaper was prevented from being adopted, only by his assurance that nothing should appear in its columns calculated to convey, in any manner, the idea that his Express had any connection with the Eclectic Medical Institute. If there are any who have allowed the falsehoods of that scurrilous sheet to have an influence upon their minds, I would call their attention to the evidences which are to be offered, that the sources of its calumnies, Drs. Newton and L. E. Jones, are both notorious calumniators, and both destitute of veracity; that although they now co-operate in re- venge, each knows and has proclaimed the other to be a liar, utterly unprincipled, as regard* the circu- lation of slander, and what is more emphatic still, this accusation of each has been fully sustained by proof. I propose, as briefly as possible, to show that nothing which they say is entitled to any credit, when they have any strong motive to violate the truth. I propose also, to show the degradation and quackery in which the Eclectic Medical Insti- tute was involved by the presence of Dr. R. S. Newton, and the consequent necessity for his re- moval, and finally, to exhibit, by their own admis- sions and publications, the true character of the spurious faculty, now combined with him to destroy the old organization of tlje Institute. CAUSES OF DR. NEWTON'S EXPULSION. 1. Illiteracy.—That a professor should have been so long tolerated (for five years), who was so imperfectly ac- quainted with the principles and practice of grammar, rhetoric, or even orthography, was certainly a remarkable fact. Dr. Newton was not chosen on account of his scien- tific attainments, but it was not known how defective he was. He was supposed to he a good surgeon, as he had pushed himself into notoriety, and supposed, also, to be a very successful practitioner, and to be capable of learning to spell correctly, and cultivating his mind up to the standard of what would be respectable mediocrity, but all these suppositions fell short of being realized, and the Faculty had the mortification of hearing some of their most intelligent students express themselves as being ashamed to have students from other Colleges visit their Hall while Dr. Newton was lecturing. Confused in his ideas and in his modes of expression, the student often failed to find any interest or profit in his lecture. One of the most intelligent graduates of the Institute remarked, that, during his first course of lectures he derived benefit from all the other professors, but supposed that his in- ability to be instructed by Dr. Newton was owing to his own gn</rance; during the second session, however, (hav- ing more confidence in himself J he came to the conclusion that the difficulty was owing to the ignorance of the Pro- fessor himself. The difficulty was partly overcome by reading bis lectures from books. When lecturing on Surgery he read from Hill, and when lecturing on Practice he rend from Dr. Powell's manuscript, until the book was published, and then from the book itself. Very few hooks are fit to be read as lectures, even if read by a good reader, and Dr. Newton's bad reading, with his clumsy comments, made his department the feeblest in the Institute. Yet, his colleagues were not disposed to be critical, or inquire into his lectures, so long as be kept the class pacified by his affability ; and several sessions elapsed before all fully understood'what kind of instruction was given by him in. the department of Practice, how imperfectly their grad- uates were taught, as regards that department, and how unscientific the character of the course. The illiterate character <>f Dr. Newton was carefully concealed from the public bv every possible stratagem, lie requested Dr. Buchanan (confessing his own Ignorance and inexperience) to take the entire management of the Eclectic Journal, that his editorials might be made suitable for the public eye. lie procured from Dr. King, Dr. Powell and others, essays, which he adopted and published as his own, or as the productions of his learned brother, and, thus, always appearing before the public in this borrowed plumage, and before the class with borrowed lectures, he was supposed by many to be really a literary and well ed- ucated physician. This was carried to such a disgusting extent, and for such Obviously deceptive purposes, that Dr. Buchanan and Dr. King declined to aid him any longer in what at length appeand to be designed for systematic deception of the public. Dr. Clcavcland was then applied to and liberal pecuniary promises made to secure his lite- rary assistance, but Dr. C. refused to allow his own edito- rials to pass under the name of Dr. Newton. A desperate effort was also made by Dr. Newton to pro- cure for his name a position on the title-page of King's Dispensatory, but Dr. King refused to permit him to have any connection with the book. The following memorandum, which has been furnisheu by Prof. King, from his private diary, exhibits the method by Which the Newtons have made an exhibition of profes- sional intelligence before the public. 1 take the liberty of publishing it, because it exhibits what the public ought to know. Articles written for Dr. Newton, bt Dr. J. Kino for a liberal pecuniary compensation, which was promised, but not realized. June 11, 1849, Communication for Cincinnati Gazette, signed R. ,S. Newton, M. D. Let Dr. Newton have an essay on Cancer, intended for Dr. King's own use, and which Dr. N. has continued to publish as his own. Wrote communication, headed Treatment of Mortifi- cation, by R. S. Newton, M. D., and published in Eclectic Medical Journal, May, 1849. Wrote communication in reference to Dr. J. C. Ken- nedy, published in the Cincinnati Di-monthly, Sept. 15, 1851- Wrote communication, headed Prof. L. M. Lawson vs. Eclecticism, by R. S. Newton, M. D., published in the Eclectic Medical Journal, March, 1851. Revised, and corrected the grammatical errors, and read proof of Our Salutation, in Ec. Med. Journal, April, 1851. Wrote Editorial, signtd N., concerning . Hairpin, also, Notice to Eclectic Practitioners, in Ec. Med. Journal, April, 1851. Wrote Cases in Practice, in Ec. Med. Jour., May, 1851. Wrote editorial, signed N., Errors in Diagnosis, in Ec. Med. Journal, May, 1851. Wrote editorial, concerning the Chemical Department of the Institute, and Dr. Sanders, in Ec. Med. Journal. May. 1851. Wrote editorial, headed Medical Progress, in Ec. Med. Journal, May, 1851. Wrote Editorial, signed N„ relative to an article on blue cohosh, in Ec. Med. Journal, August, 1851. Wrote editorial in reply to Medicus, in Ec. Medical Journal, 1851. Wrote editorial on page 527, Ec. Med. Journal, Nov. 1851. Wrote editorial on page 5^3, Ec. Med. Journal, Dec. 1851. Wrote editorial on the Beauties of Drugging in Ec Med. Journal. Sept. 185-'. Revised and corrected the grammar of communication relative to Dr. J. Fowlkes, and Farmers' and Merchants' Bank of Memphis, for Cin'li Bi-monthly, March, 15, 1852. Wrote editorial, signed N. on •• Treatment of Cholera, and, also, read the proof of the article, published in Ec Med. Journal. July, 1852. Revised and corrected the grammar of Editorial headed Error in Diagnosis of two of our old school physician') &<•., in Ec. Med. Journal. July, I Wrote editorial beaded '• Chloroform, in Cincinnati Bi- monthly, Bept. 5. 1852. Wrote editorial, signed N.. headed Bad Surgery in Ec. Med. Journal, October, 1862. AVrote editorial in relation to •• Dr. Jessup, in Ec Med. Journal, April, 1853.