HOW TO DISPEL THE GLOOM


Dr. Potter has just given you warning of what is coming. The allopath says that the Gowanda asylum is not needed, that Western New York is well taken care of by the Buffalo institutions. Now, this is simply a forewarning, and unless you place none but Americans on guard the doors of that asylum will be closed, or its halls will be filled with allopathic doctors.


To the Editor of the HOMOEOPATHIC RECORDER.

In the December number of the RECORDER, On page 563, is an editorial, A Very Gloomy Outlook, and on page 534 and address by Dr. Stevens, Medicine Has Become Mere Politics, that corresponds with my ideas so thoroughly and corroborates my remarks that I made at the New York State Homoeopathic Medical Society, held at Buffalo, last October, that I cannot resist the inclination to send you a copy of my remarks.

The subject before the society was: “Can a Homoeopathic Prescription be Learned at an Allopathic College?” Before the chairman closed the discussion on the subject he requested someone to speak in favor of the proposition, which called forth the in closed remarks.

As you say it is a very gloomy outlook to the medical profession, our State legislators do not seem to comprehend that they are throttling off all the different medical practices but one, and making them the bigoted rulers of the universe, and making slaves of all the people, themselves included. Every compulsory law placed upon our statue books, pertaining to medicine, is a nail in the coffin of progress. All school not only be discountenanced, but should be prohibited and all State medical examining boards should abolished, their existence is entirely uncalled for and only for

The power of the health boards should be limited to taking care of contagious diseases, and when I say contagious diseases I mean those that are such, and not consumption, typhoid, pneumonia, boils, corns and the like.

This world got along finely without all of those laws, and advanced every way. In every instance where men are given power to control the acts of their fellow-man they use such power tyrannically, and the less of such offices exist in the United States the better it will be for this Government. Hoping for a change for the better soon,

I am yours, etc.,

Tonawanda, N. Y. DR. J. R. SIMSON.

Address.

DR. J. R. SIMSON: Mr. Chairman, I might say just a few words on the opposite side. As you say there is more than one side to this question to be considered in sending our students to an allopathic college.

I have a son that I contemplate sending to college. I do not known what I shall do with him: whether it would be better to send him to a homoeopathic, or an allopathic college.

Of course, I much prefer to send him to a homoeopathic college, for one reason, that I do not believe a student can be properly taught to make a good homoeopathic prescription in an allopathic college. They know no more about homoeopathic prescribing than one question that arises in deciding as to what is the best for a young man.

To-day one starting out into the world as a homoeopathic physician is heavily handicapped. He cannot expect to receive any patronage, or recognition, excepting from the general public, and even that is being usurped by the allopaths, in our army and navy, eleemosynaries,schools, and clinics, from where it is carried into the homes of our families.

Our whole country is running into State medicine, and as the allopaths have a monopoly of the whole medical affairs of the nations, State and municipal, as a natural consequence everything in the medical line is running into allopathic treatment and prescribing.

They examine, our patients in the public schools, and send trained nurses to their homes to see that their suggestion are carried out.

Occasionally, you will come across a doctor holding one of the insignificant offices, who professes to be homoeopathy, but let me tell you that you will invariably find that he advocates the use of typhoid serum, anti-toxin and the like which is not Homoeopathy. In fact, we are compelled, for self-protection,to use them ourselves, against our better judgment. Dr. Rankin, Secretary of North Carolina State Board of Health, Says he will swear before a court that a doctor treating a case of diphtheria, without anti-toxin, is criminally liable. And if the Owens bill should become a law, it will be but a short time that giving a homoeopathic prescription for any condition will be a criminal act.

This may appear overdrawn, but if they can do so in one, they can do so in all.

The boards of health, and examining boards, are assuming more authority than the State that put them into existence. The State will give an institution a charter, giving it the right to teach medicine, and grant certificates to practice the same, with all the rights and immunities pertaining thereto. But these boards will tyrannically annul such certificates. They will not even stop here, but will place a ban upon this State chartered institution and close its doors and will take over into their own hands our eleemosynaries and asylums.

Dr. Potter has just given you warning of what is coming. The allopath says that the Gowanda asylum is not needed, that Western New York is well taken care of by the Buffalo institutions. Now, this is simply a forewarning, and unless you place none but Americans on guard the doors of that asylum will be closed, or its halls will be filled with allopathic doctors.

They have placed their ban upon our colleges to such an extent to-day that it may be taken as a fact that those colleges that are not under such ban are teaching more allopathy than Homoeopathy and advocated the serums, anti-toxins and vaccines.

A professor of one of our colleges admitted that a great amount of time was occupied in teaching the students a lot stuff that was of no use to them as homoeopaths, but that they had to have it to pass the State Medical Boards. And, as one doctor puts, it, that its takes five years to become an M. D., and five more to get rid of the rubbish taught.

Our colleges, to make them efficient, should have more freedom, that they would not have to teach a lot of rubbish not essential to make good homoeopathic prescriptions. And after one has passed through a State chartered institution, should not be called upon to undergo any further inconveniences, examination or expense. He has certainly earned his certificate by his years of hard study, loss of time, in the best years of his life, and thousand of dollars expense, but should be allowed to practice wherever the American flag flies for the balance of his life, and should be protected in that practice by force of arms, if necessary.

The present laws are a great injustice to our students and often place them at the mercy of tyrannical, unjust men.

Patrick Henrys statement is as true to-day as when he made it. Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chances of their rulers being good men without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed with absolute certainly every such mad attempt.

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, after due consideration of the disadvantages that one labors under, graduating from a homoeopathic college, that he always will be, as the oldest of us are, flouted by the veriest tyro from the allopathic colleges, as being inferior in ability and knowledge, that he has to learn allopathy whether he attends a homoeopathic college or elsewhere. One cannot criticise a parent, if he sends his son to an allopathic college to get his education and license from first source and teaches him the homoeopathic prescription at home by the bedside, as one of the speaker has just told his experience in learning the homoeopathic prescription.

What we homoeopathic must to do is to rouse up from our lethargy, stop apeing the old school, get the spirit of our forefathers of 76, place none but homoeopaths on guard, demand our equal recognition before the public, stop the trespassing, and usurping of our patients, by their school and other examinations, and give our colleges full and independent control of their students, so that when one passes out from their doors with his diploma in his hand he can look the world in the face like an independent American citizen. Then, and not until then, will they get all of the homoeopathic students.

E.P. Anshutz
Edward Pollock Anshutz – 1846-1918. Editor - Homeopathic Recorder and author of New Old and Forgotten Remedies. Held an Hon. Doctor of Medicine from Hering Medical College.