Advantages of medical association. An address read to the Harveian Society at the opening of its 14th session / [Edward William Murphy].

  • Murphy, Edward W. (Edward William), 1802-1877.
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Advantages of medical association. An address read to the Harveian Society at the opening of its 14th session / [Edward William Murphy]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    established, the source perhaps of much controversy: it is possible that the theory may be levelled against some principle, moral or otherwise, which is generally admitted, and which should not be dis¬ turbed, or perhaps the doctrine, if true, may be capable of some dangerous or immoral application. There is consequently no little prejudice and feeling mixed up in the discussion of it. But the fact al¬ leged, being as it were unfortunately found in bad company, does not receive fair play. The objections raised against it are not as to its truth or falsehood, the accuracy or inaccuracy of the report which has been given of it, but are entirely directed against the conclusion which it seems to establish; every effort is made to prove a u non sequitur.,” and in a debate carried on with a zeal almost polemical, the fact itself is totally lost sight of. The auditors of such a discussion leave it in no little perplexity. They are quite satisfied of the danger or even false¬ hood of the doctrine which the fact was advanced to support, but they are not at all so clear about the fact itself. Its truth evidently had not been dis¬ proved, simply because it was not properly tested. As a fact strong in itself, and apparently giving a powerful support to the theory which has been so zealously attacked, it is sufficient to outweigh all the arguments against the theory, and there is con¬ sequently a danger that the discussion may give more strength to the error, and produce an effect pre¬ cisely the opposite to that which was intended. There are cases, therefore, where discussion may confuse a subject, if logical discrimination be not exercised in the treatment of it, and there are some