Dr. James H. Miller's "Thompsonalgia" report to the trustees of the Baltimore County Alms House, with comments : preceded by a few introductory remarks relating to the same / by the Committee of Correspondence of the Thomsonian Friendly Botanic Society of Maryland.

  • Miller, J. H. (James Henry), 1788-1853.
Date:
[1836?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. James H. Miller's "Thompsonalgia" report to the trustees of the Baltimore County Alms House, with comments : preceded by a few introductory remarks relating to the same / by the Committee of Correspondence of the Thomsonian Friendly Botanic Society of Maryland. 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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    Here then,we have the astounding fact acknowledged by a member of the regu- lar faculty, that a cold and selfish heartlessness predominates in our public insti- tutions, upon which the people's money has been lavishly squandered—that the patients are leeched of their blood and their money—and when the latter is exhausted, they are sent to humanity's commons; that is, turned out to die like brutes. Is nothing done for them after the portals of oblivion are open for them ? This is shockingly revolting to humanity and appears almost incredible. If however, Dr. Miller speaks the plain unvarnished truth, why does he not also fearlessly expose to public reprobation, the aiders and abettors of such cruelty and flagrant injustice ? Why is it that the Dr. passes over such reprehensible conduct on the part of the conductors of cur public institutions, without exhibit-* ing the indignation and warmth of feeling manifested against the Thomsonians. The latter he acknowledges may be misguided ; but such a term is in no case, they will say, applicable to regular physicians—men of scientific attainments. There must then be either quackery or incompetence among a portion of the regulars, or there could be no mal-jrraciice. It is hot our province to decide whether Dr. Miller, in this instance speaks the truth, or bears false witness against his brethren; but we are fully justified in remarking that, if the coiner of a counterfeit term against the friends of the Botanic system, has. spoken the truth, it is passing strange how kindly and gently he has dealt with his regular associates, after charging them indirectly with dishonorable conduct. In fact it does appear as if jealousy and ambition, justified the college dignitary in exposing the bad work of some of his colleagues, by way of accumulating fu- ture grist for his own mill—whilst all unite in the cry of heresy against those who cannot exhibit the sheep-skin. In the mean time the credulous are duped and 'quacked of their money and their health. And this state of things will continue so long as the people are too indolent to inquire and judge for theuiselvesi] 3. Many other causes might he advanced, as tributary to the amount and severity of the Cases we have treated; such as the hitherto unexperienced inclemency of the seasons ; the re- moteness of the public works from which a large portion of our inmates are sent, rendering the cases chronic by the delays necessarily attendant upon distance ; for the most of these remain under such poor accommodations as their situation afford, until their condition becomes desper- ate, and they are hurried off with scarce a hope of reaching their destination alive. [The Dr. speaks of uchronic cases caused by delays necessarily attendant upon distance. Let the faculty abandon the exhibition of their bone rotting calomel and the murderous use of the lancet, and we shall seldom if ever have our ears assailed with the term chronic.] 4. But the most prolific source is the too prevalent vulgar practice of over stimulation, by the steam and scalding portions of a now popular impyricism. The bare mention of this latter cause may to some seem invidious, but I trust I shall be shielded from all such imputations by you, and those who know me, and are acquainted with the sphere of private practice in which I move ; a society far elevated above the influence of vulgar infatuation, both by intelligence and moral worth; yet in addressing you, the guardians of the class which requires protection from the arts of designing or misguided imposters, acting upon their native or acquired imbecility, I feel officially bound to render the outlines of the reasoning and facts upon which my declaration is founded. [The most prolific source, saj s Dr. Miller, as tributary to the amount and severi- ty of the cases we have treated is the vulgar practice of over stimulation, by the steam and scalding portion of the Thomsonians—yet this most prolific source has furnished according to his own tabular statement, but 11 cases out 2,571 treated at the Alms House, which are alphabetically arrayed in all the gorgeous splendour of the learned technical jargon of the faculty. But we deny the correct- ness of Dr. Miller's judgment for reasons to be found more at large in our com- ments on paragraph 6. Whatever skill and judgment may have been impuj| Dr. Miller, we fearlessly declare that any physician who is incapable of dTfetin- guishing a case of well defined small pox from a common eruption, and thus jeopardises the lives of the inmates of the establishment over which he presides by exposing them to the consequences of so foul and loathsome a disease',