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induced to make trial as a very last resort of the Water-Cure Treatment, which was then in its apparent infancy. It being about seventeen years since.
But, notwithstanding these assertions, and our experience, both as Invalid, and for ten years Practitioner—how can we prove to your minds that our experience is more legitimate and truthful than that of other persons, unless through an exposition of the fallacies, imperfections and precariousness of the "drug-systems," which are so fashionable and prevalent in this community?
However, by referring to their own standards, that is, to the highest "Medical Authority" in the world, we can readily inform ourselves that the most Learned and Experienced Physicians have repeatedly acknowledged the imperfections, aye, the deleterious and destructive effects of their poisonous Materia Medica; and their ignorance upon the subject of the "Nature and Causes" of Disease; and of the "Modus Operandi" of their favorite medicaments!
Indeed, men of the keenest minds, the most thorough explorers in the mysteries of medicine, now freely admit that with all their learning "they know nothing;" and that "medicine has groped its way through the mists of ignorance, halting and blind." Even the great Majendie, himself is among the brilliant lights of modern times, who are willing to destroy the medical records of the past, and start afresh upon investigations and experiments. In fact, we know some of the most honorable and experienced Physicians who have left the profession in abhorrent disgust! And many more would follow their noble footsteps, if they could make a livelihood by any other avocation. But the people are often too selfish and stubborn themselves, to support a man who is honest enough to tell them their faults, and in spite of all that honest Physicians can do, to save mankind from the horrid jaws of drug-stimulation and deterioration, they are determined to take Physic, and stuff themselves with vicious Aliment, even though they are equally as ignorant as inexperienced "quacks" who seek notoriety at the expense of humanity; and who little dream, that drug-medication is one of the greatest causes of the decline of health and normal beauty; and therefore produces lack of true Moral courage, which is requisite to carry out, a truly happy and godly life.
Medicines may change the character of disease, as long as a sufficient amount of vitality exists, to resist their unfriendly and corrosive intrusion upon the citadel of life. They may, often be made to patch the system, by allaying symptoms, obscuring thereby the exciting cause of disease. Even at the best, on an average, Physicians are less successful than ignorant Grannies, who use hot-bricks, hot foot-baths, and simple gruels, as remedial agents.
We take the liberty to state, that we have been educated in the various profound systems of medicine; and we are sorry to assert, that in "years gone by," we used to diagnosticate disease, and treat our patients according to the "Medical Books," and truly they used to die according to the books.
We used to physic and vomit them according to the books, and they used to gag and gripe according to the books. We used to believe in accordance with the books, and our patients used to suffer in proportion and in accordance. But, thank God, we have learned better; and our patients now generally commence to get better from the first, without having authoritative occasion to put them through
