Correspondence relative to the introduction of homœopathy into the hospital.

Date:
[1868]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Correspondence relative to the introduction of homœopathy into the hospital. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/16 (page 6)
    II. 39, Union Place, 6th October, 1868. Dear Sirs, I have carefully considered your letter of this date. It will greatly facilitate my reply if you will kindly state on what grounds you object to Homoeopathic Medicines and small doses of officinal preparations. I am, Dear Sirs, Yours faithfully, (Signed) ARCHD. REITH. Drs. Harvey and Smith. III. Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, 9th October, 3868. Dear Dr. Reith, It was only yesterday afternoon that we received your note of 6th inst. We are surprised to see that in it you ask us to state our objections u to Homoeopathic Medicines and small doses of officinal preparations,” as if we were singular in our disapproval of them ! We have already referred you to the British Pharmacopoeia of 1867 and its authors. And you cannot but be aware of the judgment which our profession has pronounced on the negative and inert system of Homoeopathy. The pretensions of Homoeopathy to be considered either a rational, or a sound system of treatment, have been so often and so ably refuted, that we decline to re-open the discussion, as you seem to wish us to do. Our object in the letter we addressed to you was this : you have for some time been prescribing systematically to your patients in this Institution doses of officinal preparations which we regard as virtually homoeopathic. Still further, you have more recently introduced into the Infirmary a stock of drugs avowedly homoeopathic, and these you have been giving day by day. We were bound to hope (however faint the hope might be), that on a friendly remonstrance from us, you might be induced as far as the Infirmary is concerned, to forego the practice of Homoeopathy. In this event there would be an end of the matter. But if not, then and in that case, we felt that it would be incumbent on us, as your more immediate colleagues, to bring the matter under the notice of the Managers, as the proper guardians of the Institution. And this we shall do in the event supposed. If the Managers shall sanction your