HOM(EOPATHY.

BY A DISCIPLE OF THE SYSTEM.

IN this paper it is intended to present a concise view of the principles of Homoeopathy ; a system of medicine which, originally promulgated in Germany, has during the last few years attracted attention in this country. Upon its first announcement it was received by the medical reviewers of the day with an amount of derision almost equal to that which was bestowed upon the discoveries of HARVEY, JENNER, and Gann ; and following the course of these discoveries, it has, in the face of the prejudices thus excited, maintained its onward way. Although the system can now claim In every class of society a large body of unwavering disciples, to the majority of the public, even at the present day, Homoeopathy is known only by name. By many it is still regarded as the dream of a German enthusiast ; and by those who are prone to rely with unsuspecting credulity upon the representations of others rather than to derive their opinions from the results of careful induction, it is mostly considered to be a system that must, from some inherent absurdity, soon sink into- oblivion. It has therefore been greatly laughed at and little studied; /for will this appear a matter of surprise, when we bear in mind that the public must necessarily have gained from the periodical press their first information upon the subject, and that among all the notices of Homompathy and Homoeopathic works which have hitherto appeared, there is scarcely an instance where the principles of the system have been stated with the slightest regard to common fairness.* Whether these misrepresentations have been the result of accident or design, it is not in my province to inquire. The notices in question proceeded, it is probable, in most instances from contributors of established reputation in the medical profession, well acquainted with the necessity for precision in explaining any point of theory or practice, and from whom, therefore, misrepresentations from either of these causes could hardly have been expected. It is enough for me to remark, that by the suppression or misstatement of important facts the system has upon every occasion been converted into a legiti- mate subject for idle satire. That the public should ridicule doctrines which have thus been dressed up and palmed upon them under the name of Hommopathy, cannot, therefore, be a subject of complaint ; but it is right that they should be enlightened wherever the columns of an impartial journal can be made available for the purpose, as to the source whence their amusement is derived. With this view I am de- sirous of laying the following observations before the readers of the Spectator.

The Homceopathie doctrine is one of the plainest kind, and the prin- ciples which it involves may be stated thus-

1. That all medicines, when received into the human organization, respectively possess the power of exciting specific morbid symp- toms.

2. That when the human organization is in a disordered state, the restoration of health can most safely and certainly be effected by the administration of medicines which possess the power of exciting symptoms analogous to those which are exhibited by the patient, and which characterize his disease.

Upon the universal truth of these propositions the system of Hommo- pathy entirely rests. The points which have arisen out of the applica- tion of these principles are, A. That medicines administered in obedience to the foregoing law, (2,) act with greater force and rapidity than when they are ad- ministered upon any other principle. B. That medicinal agents exhibit higher power after they have been subjected to a process of friction, than they are capable of exerting in their original state.

It will be seen that these points are merely points of practice, involving the question as to the quantity of medicine to be administered in any given case, but in no way interfering with the law under which the selection of that medicine is made.

The first statement—viz. that all medicines, when received into the human organization, respectively possess the power of exciting specific morbid symptoms—will call for little explanation. As far as I am aware, no doubt has ever been entertained of the fact; and the reason why the peculiar symptoms which each of our most common medicines is respectively capable of exciting bad not been discovered previously to the discovery of Homoeopathy, must be found in the circumstance that up to that time these medicines had been systematically used only in • The only exception with which I am acquainted occurs in the Spectator of the 15th October 1836, in a review of Dr. SIMPSON'S Practical View of Homoeopathy. The writer of that review abstains from expressing any opinion upon the claims of the system, but states the doctrine with great precision and with perfect honesty.

cases where the organization of the persons to whom they were ad- ministered was in a disordered state. It is obvious, that in order to im- part value to a series of observations made with the view of establishing any given phienomena, it is necessary that the conditions shall be pre- cisely similar under which in each case the experiment is performed; and it must therefore be quite vain to endeavour to discover from medicinal experiments made upon organizations variously disordered, any manifestation of a power which shall exhibit an invariable character. But as the power which a medicine has once exhibited will undoubtedly be again exhibited when it is administered under precisely similar cir- cumstances, the observations which are made of its effects upon persons of average constitution, and who are in perfect or at least in fair average health, may be expected to be productive of results pretty nearly in- variable in their character. Accordingly, in experimenting upon per- sons in this condition, it will be found that the effects which a medicine produces in one case will without any very important exceptions be produced in all ; and by multiplying these experiments to a sufficient extent, the symptoms which each medicine possesses the power of pro- ducing may come to be regarded as established, and may be made the subject of scientific classification. Until the time of HAHNEMANN, the founder of Homoeopathy, this mode of investigation had never been adopted : by that discoverer and his disciples it has been rigidly pursued, and by their efforts the inherent properties of no fewer than two hundred different medicines have now been ascertained.

The important uses of this accumulated experience will be seen when I enter upon my second proposition,—viz. that when the human organi- zation is in a disordered state, the restoration of health can most safely and certainly be effected by the administration of medicines which possess the power of exciting symptoms analogous to those which are exhibited by the patient, and which characterize his disease.

From the existence of this law the term " Hommopathy" is derived. Its discovery, like that of gravitation, was based upon the observation of an isolated fact, which led to a train of experiments that resulted in establishing the universality of its application. Upon these experiments, fully and carefully recorded as they have been, the Homoeopathist rests his claim. To those who deny the truth of the proposition, and who are unwilling to give credence to the reports of men who speak upon the authority of personal observation, the course of experiment is open ; and this course, in order to justify their denial, they are bound to pursue, and also to furnish a rigid record of their means and modes of investiga- tion, and of the results at which they may arrive. Unless they are willing to adopt this plan, they can have no title to the attention of rational or conscientious minds. The advocate for Hommopathy states a clear proposition ; he supports it by an appeal to facts ; and not only cites the result of a series of experiments performed by himself, but also of a vast number performed by other investigators. His opponent, in denying the truth of an argument thus supported, must do so upon one or other of the following grounds,—either that he does not consider that reliance can be placed upon the character of the persons by whom the experiments are alleged to have been performed ; that, believing in the genuineness of the experiments, he does not consider that the per- sons by whom they were conducted possess the qualifications necessary to carry on a series of scientific observations, and that if he or others were to perform experiments of a similar nature they could observe their results with greater precision, and show that they warrant a dif- ferent conclusion from that which it is attempted to draw from them ; or that the proposition is inconsistent with some already established truth, and that as one truth cannot contradict another, it should at once upon this ground be rejected. Having rested his objections upon any one of these points, it becomes his duty either to show that he has suf- ficient warrant to impugn the honesty of those whom he opposes ; that he is prepared, by the publication of a series of experiments, to demon- strate the erroneousness of their inductions ; or that he can designate some recognized law of nature with the existence of which the new doctrine is inconsistent. If he refuse to take one of these steps, he must be held to exhibit a recklessness of assertion sufficient to disqualify him from any claim to attention ; and we must regard him as possessing a mind little further advanced than that of the child who refuses to be- lieve that the people at the Antipodes stand towards him in an inverted position, and who rejects the lessons of his instructors upon the subject, merely because his mind is unable by any intuitive process to corro- borate the assertion.

I dwell upon these points, because up to the present time no work, no pamphlet—not even a magazine paper—has been issued by the op- ponents of Hommopathy with the view of controverting the existence of the law upon which that system rests. The result of laborious experiment, its refutation has been attempted by no counter-experiment : involving in its speedy confirmation or overthrow the future comfort of thousands, the opposition to its progress has been carried on without even the assumption of decent gravity. Ridicule, born of misrepre- sentation, and therefore cold and pointless, has hitherto been the all- sufficing weapon to obstruct its course. But, in addition to the strength which the Homoeopathists derive from resting their doctrine upon the results of pure induction, they have that which arises from being enabled to point to the every-day experience of others. The action of all the unquestioned remedies in familiar use will be found to be in strict harmony with the Hommopathic law. It is thus that when suffering from extreme heat we find relief in the moderate use of a warm drink, while a draught of cold water would be productive of the most injurious effect ; that in the case of burns we resort to the application of hot oil of turpentine, which applied to the skin in its normal state would excite pain and inflammation ' • and that we use snow or iced water as the common remedy for a frost-bitten limb. In the moral world it is also thus that we alleviate distress ; not by a display of wit and humour, but by the expression of a full appre- ciation of the afflictions of the sufferer ; and that we quell a paroxysm of passion by sympathizing with the emotions of the excited person and admitting the wrongs which he has received, whereas a cool denial that he had any ground of complaint would certainly lead to a more furious ebullition.

And not only does vulgar experience furnish thus on every hand proofs of the universality of the Homoeopathic law, but in the use of those medicinal agents of which the remedial effects are found in par- ticular disorders to manifest themselves with almost invariable success, and which have thus come to be regarded as specifics, its operation is clearly traceable. Thus, sulphur, the universal remedy for cutaneous eruptions, is well known to possess the property of exciting in healthy persons symptoms of an analogous kind. In like manner, mercury produces symptoms exactly resembling those of the disorder for which it is an acknowledged remedy. Quinquina cures ague, and produces an intermittent fever that presents its semblance; and the vaccine virus exerts its curative properties in obedience to the selfsame law.

These illustrations may be multiplied to any extent. When, there- fore, to the results of the innumerable experiments performed and care- fully recorded by Homwopathists, together with the confirmation af- forded by vulgar experience and by the observation of all medical autho- rities in the administration of remedies approaching to the character of specifics, we add the testimonies to the truth of the Hommopathic law which are to be found not only in ancient authors but in the works of modern physicians,* we shall be prepared to admit that it merits the strictest investigation ; and that the conduct of those who deny its truth and ridicule its disciples, without attempting to impeach it by the pro- duction of well-authenticated facts, must be held to give evidence of a deficiency of that cautious and unpresuming spirit of observation which can alone impart value to the opinions of any one upon a subject of scientific inquiry.

Having stated the principles upon which Homoeopathy rests, I pro- ceed to a consideration of those points of the system which have grown out of the experience derived from the practical application of them. The first of these—viz. that medicines administered in obedience to the Homeopathic law act with greater force and rapidity than when they are administered upon any other principle—is corroborated by universal ex- perience. Thus, to use the words of Dr. SIMPSON—" In the heat of an inflammatory fever, the thirst is scarcely mitigated by the most copious diluents, whilst the smallest quantity of salt food will increase it to an insupportable degree. In asphyxia, actual cautery and the most power- ful caustics introduced into the nostrils often fail to excite even a mo- mentary reaction, but an hysterical individual may be thrown into con- vulsions by the sting of a bee or the smell of a rose. So also in ileus, the most powerful purgatives are often unavailing, but an individual suffering under catarrhal colic will be seized with violent purging upon eating an apple or drinking a glass of butter-milk. A Russian peasant under the excitement of the vapour-bath will roll himself in snow and expose himself to a shower of ice-cold water with impunity, whilst a few drops on the bare neck of a chilly individual will suffice to give him a shivering-fit. It is a well-known fact, that the habitual drinker becomes intoxicated by a few glasses of wine when taken in a passion ; and the most practised smoker, when suffering under simple fever with affection of the head, cannot smoke half a pipe without becoming ver- tiginous and stupid."

These facts would lead at once to the general presumption that medi- cines administered in accordance with the symptoms of the patient should be administered in smaller doses than those which are resorted to in the opposite practice. Under this view, doses are successfully exhibited in Homoeopathic treatment of a nature too minute to be pro- ductive under different circumstances of any perceptible effect. The analogies of nature point on every side to the propriety of this course, to which the results of daily experience bring universal confirmation. We now pass to the assertion that medicinal agents exhibit higher power after they have been subjected to a process of friction than they are capable of exerting in their original state. The fact that the development of the inherent power of medicines may be promoted to an extraordinary extent by subjecting them to the process of trituration, was discovered by HAHNEMANN subsequently to his announcement of the Hommopathic law. To such an extent is this increase of power exhibited, that under the Hommopathic practice, a globule containing only the one-millionth part of a grain of medicine so prepared is found in many cases of disorder to produce an action upon the organization sufficient to advance to the desired extent the curative opera- tions which Nature has herself commenced. It may appear to unscientific persons, that the idea that the one-millionth part of a grain of medicine can, under any circumstances, produce a palpable effect, is one of the most ridiculous kind ; but a moment's reflection will show that there is no inherent absurdity in the matter. If it were asserted that the one- millionth part of a grain of medicine in its ordinary state would be com- monly sufficient to produce a well-marked functional disturbance, such an assertion would doubtless be fairly a subject for incredulity; because, in the majority of instances, we know that a much larger quantity of any medicine may be taken by a person in any state of disease without its yielding an observable effect ; and as, other things being equal, the force with which a medicine acts must depend upon the quantity administered, it would be illogical to suppose that the lesser could pro- duce a greater effect than the larger quantity. But the Homoeopathist, so far from asserting, as has sometimes been ingeniously represented, that the effect of medicines becomes greater in proportion to the reduc- tion of the quantity, confines himself to the common sense statement, that in proportion to the amount of the dose will be the amount of its action. He merely affirms, in addition to this, a fact which has never yet been disproved, and for the truth of which he appeals, as in all his propositions, to experiment alone,—viz. that the application of friction will increase the power of these doses to an extraordinary extent, and thus render a quantity exceedingly minute capable of producing the effect which he desires. In this there is nothing that is in opposition to experience ; because until liaxweauster adopted the practice of tritura- tion in the preparation of medicines, the effect of friction upon these substances had never been correctly ascertained. That this process should be sufficient to impart to them new or increased powers of action, is not more wonderful than that the application of friction by rubbing two pieces of wood together should produce flame, or that the application of an electric spark to a square inch of gun-

• In some of the writings ascribed to HIPPOCRATES, a passage occurs which says—" medicines cure diseases similar to those which they produce." PARA- CELSOS also more than once observes, that "it is a perverted method taught by GALEN, to give remedies which produce the contrary of the disease : reme- dies ought to be administered which act similarly to it lilEllOblrmus CAE- DAXUS and THOMAS ERASTUS at the same time expressed their approval of this law of cure. About the middle of last century, a Danish physician very explicitly pronounces that the supreme law of cure is not contrarsa caldron% but shestia similibus.

powder should cause it to explode and to exert a pressure of 2,000 pounds in every direction. What the effects would be of apply- ing friction to medicinal substances, could not be foretold prior to experiment, any more than the effect which would arise from any ordinary chemical combination could be predicted before the elements of which it is composed had ever been brought into juxta- position. All circumstances of this kind appear when observed for the first time to be singular and astonishing. When, however, the experiment has been repeated over and over again, we become habi- tuated to the recurrence of the phtenomenon; and, so far from seeing in its recurrence any thing to excite our wonder, we experience a sensa- tion of the greatest astonishment if in any instance it fails to occur. Now, those who carelessly assert that the one-millionth part of a grain of medicine which has been subjected to friction can have no effect upon a disordered organization, are guilty of offering a positive asser- tion upon a matter which can only be tested by experiment, and upon which, prior to experiment, they are therefore totally incompetent to furnish an opinion. The Pope and seven Cardinals asserted, in the face of Gmaitzo's observations, that it was impossible that the world could turn round. They refused to make observations and to test the calculations of their teacher, but decided the matter in full reliance upon their own intuitive judgment. This example is followed to no in- considerable extent at the present day by the opponents of all disco- veries ; and as the astronomer, relying upon the accuracy of his oft- repeated experiments, is said to have called to his departing gaolers through the keyhole of his cell, " The world turns round still," so the disciple of Homoeopathy, amid all the taunts of his dogmatizing oppo- nents, must content himself by exclaiming, as, in the same confident spirit, he points to his experiments, " The law by which friction deve- lops the power of medicinal agents still remains in force."

In the hasty notice which I have now given of the chief points of the Homoeopathic system, I trust that I have shown that, whether it be true or false, it is one that can be confirmed or refuted only by an appeal to facts ; and that the attempt to dispose of the subject by ridicule must have one or other of the following effects,—that it will, if the system be true, retard the diffusion of its benefits ; or that it will, if the system be false, indispose persons to give it that serious consideration which would lead to the performance and publication of those experi- ments by which alone it can be overturned. In the one case, the ad- vantages of the system are prevented from becoming known ; in the other, the injuries which its practitioners may cause by inducing diseased persons to delay having recourse to more efficient treatment are suffered to remain without being promptly checked, since ridicule can but partially and gradually lead to its decay, while the publication of an able and distinct refutation of the alleged existence of an Homoeo- pathic law would at once extinguish the pretensions of its supporters.

Thus much with regard to the principles and practice of Homoeo- pathy. It will be conceded, that in giving to the world a fair statement of the nature of his observations, the discoverer of Homoeopathy fulfilled all that could be required of him ; and that, in the event of those observa- tions proving to have been correctly made, he entitled himself to the immortal honour of having promulgated one of the most important physical truths that ever dawned upon the human race. The only question that can legitimately be raised upon its announcement is, " Are the alleged facts capable of proof? "—not "How do these facts harmo- nize with-onr ideas of what ought to be expected to take place ?"

They may appear contrary to all our received notions, just as the action of the mariner's compass or the generation of hydrogen gas may have ap- peared to former generations ; but if experiment confirms the Hommo- pathic pha3nomena as it has confirmed these, we must not pursue the nnphilosophical course of refusing to credit them because their dis- coverer is unable to propound any satisfactory theory regarding the causes by which they are produced. With regard, however, to the theories which have been advanced to account for the facts observed by Homo3opathists, I am not aware, although some of them have been of a conflicting kind, that any opposition has been made to their recep- tion; the opposition which has arisen, loud and persevering as it is, having up to the present time, as I have previously stated, been con- fined to a general ridicule of the facts themselves. In stating these facts, and appealing to observation and experience for the confirmation of them, I have done what I chiefly contemplated in the present article ; which has been written and addressed to the Spectator with the view of setting the propositions of Homoeopathy distinctly and fairly before a class of readers less likely perhaps than any other to join, prior to ex- periment, in the outcry which has been raised against it. I may, how- ever, in conclusion, be allowed to state concisely what appears to me to be the theory to the adoption of which they naturally lead.

It appears to have been decreed by the Creator, that all infringements of the natural laws which he has instituted for the government of the world should be productive of pain to the individuals by whom they are committed, and that this pain should be the price by which alone we purchase a cure of the evils which would otherwise await us. The moment that an infringement of a moral or physical law takes place, an effort is made by the system to induce a return to the healthy state of obedience ; and the pain which is ever attendant upon this effort is the only intimation that is afforded to us of the existence of derangement. It seems, moreover, to bear an exact proportion to the extent of the disorder; so that the further we transgress, the greater is the suffering that must inevitably be borne before our restoration can be effected. Thus, in the case of a moral disorder, we observe in the disquietude and anxiety of the offender the true indications of an erring state, and of the efforts of nature to warn him of its effects. In like manner, when an individual is suffering from bodily disease, nature immediately sets up certain efforts to remove it, which are indicated by the sensations of pain which they occasion, and which immediately warn him of the danger in which he is placed. Sometimes (as in the case of vomiting after the use of unwholesome food) these efforts are sufficient of them- selves to annul the morbid condition, and the patient at once recovers; but in many cases the organization is found not to possess sufficient power to throw off the morbid state, although it makes an immediate attempt to do so. Its efforts, however, do not cease with this failure ; they are constantly repeated, becoming in most cases weaker and weaker, owing, as it were, to gradual exhaustion, until at last they are totally powerless even to retard the disease, and the system succumbs before it. If, however, the statements of the Homceopathists prove to be correct, it will be seen, that upon the administration of a medicine (after the first efforts of nature have failed) capable of exciting addi- tional symptoms similar to those which the organization has already set up, the remedial effort may be increased or prolonged so as to occa- sion the removal of the disease. The theory, then, at which we may arrive, is simply this, that the symptoms of pain Which we experience under disease are merely indications of the instinctive efforts of the organization to throw off some morbid cause and to return to its normal state ; and that when these efforts prove of themselves ineffectual, the desired end may usually be attained by the administration of medicines which possess the power of stimulating the system to a performance of similar operations, and of thus adding to the amount of force which the unaided organization is capable of exerting. In conclusion, it is necessary to request particular attention to the circumstance that the Homoeopathic medicines are administered with the view of exciting by new means the symptoms originally developed by the disordered organization, because many of the opponents of the system are apt to propagate the idea that, according to the new doctrine, in order to cure a disorder we must enforce the administration of the same thing that produces it. This leads to the witticism that " If a man makes himself ill by drinking a bottle of brandy, he can only hope to relieve himself by immediately taking a teaspoonful of the same.' It is proper, therefore, distinctly to impress upon my readers the fact, that nothing of the sort is to be found in the Homoeopathic doctrine,—that doctrine simply being, that in order to cure a disorder, we must con- trive to produce symptoms similar to those which arise from it, but by a different cause from that by which they were originally produced. This may be shortly illustrated. Let us suppose the case of an indi- vidual who takes a glass of ardent spirits. These spirits act imme- diately on the nerves, and an effort is set up, manifested by great ex- citement of the brain, to throw off, as it were, the influence of the dis- turbing agent and restore the organization to its natural state. We will suppose, however, that the effort proves insufficient, and that the individual under the influence of the poison sinks into a state of torpor. To relieve this, another glass is taken : the same effort is set up as be- fore, but, owing to the failing strength of the system, with less effect than at first: the feeling of depression returns, and the palliative glass is repeated, each time with the production of less effect, until it ceases to excite the system to any effort whatever, and the individual entirely succumbs to the effect of the poison which he has imbibed. But if be- fore this takes place we present a new cause capable of producing symptoms of a similar kind,- and of thus adding to those already in force, we may at once succeed in suppressing the influence of the dele- terious potion. Let a stimulus be conveyed to the brain of the intoxi- cated person by some sudden fright—a narrow escape, the supposed appearance of a spectre, or any other cause—and the efforts which Na- ture had previously struggled in vain to accomplish are at once com- pleted. The action of the brain is then found to be sufficient to throw off the undue amount of circulation which had been conveyed to it, and the sufferer is immediately sobered and restored to his original state. S. P.S.—It is proper to mention that in addition to the ordinary means of observation, ample facilities flit- testing the Homoeopathic practice are presented to all inquirers. A Dispensary, established by Mr. LEAF in 1837, at Ely Place, under the direction of Dr. CURIE, is open at all times to medical practitioners, and to the public every Saturday. The number of patients is stated to amount at present to nearly 600. A similar Dispensary, under Dr. DIENSFORD, is open in Newman Street ; and a third is said to be in course of formation at the West end of the town, under the auspices of Dr. Quin.