517 ADDRESS AT CLOSE OF SESSION 1873-4. By Dr. BAYES, Vice-President. (Read before the British Homœopathic Society.) TO-NIGHT, in concluding the session of 1873-4, we celebrate the termination of the thirtieth year of the existence of the British Homœopathic Society. During these thirty years how many changes may be marked, not only in the fortunes of our Society but in the world of medicine ! It is worthy of remark that in the year of its foundation (1844) four members' names only were enrolled; of these original members two alone remain among us. -Dr. QUIN, our venerated founder and our President, and Mr. CAMERON, who has more than once filled the office (which I vacate to-night) of VICE-PRESIDENT; but in our present list of members we see that, from the small beginning in 1844, our Society has increased until our fellows, members and inceptive members reach a total of considerably over 100. In point of numbers, then, there is great cause for congratulation on the part of those who take interest in the progress of our method of therapeutics, and especially must it be a moment of proud satisfaction to our accomplished president and founder, and to our ever courteous and much respected friend Mr. Cameron, to see the fruition of the small seed which they planted in the year 1844 now grown into a strong and vigorous tree under whose shadows those who have been ostracised by the older and narrower medical societies can meet and discuss all the recent developments of clinical and therapeutical advancements, untrammelled by the fear of offending jealous rivalries and uncontrolled by narrow prejudices. Gentlemen, it may seem a bold thing to state, but it is none the less true, that this and its kindred homœopathic societies in the provinces are the only medical societies in Great Britain in which physicians and surgeons can openly meet and discuss medical and surgical science and art, on all their sides, in all their relations to therapeutics, and in all their bearings to adjunctive means and to clinical experience. We are not, as our opponents would fain represent us, sectarians; we do not claim that there is but one single truth in medicine, and that homœopathy is that sole truth; but we claim that homoeopathy is a great truth, that it enables us to cure a vast amount of human suffering, and to alleviate a vast amount of human misery which could never be cured or alleviated were it not for Hahnemann's great discovery; and we claim, therefore, that homœopathy shall hold its place in the realm of medicine, and that it shall not be banished and outcast from the profession by mere clamour and prejudice. For the purpose of defending and spreading the knowledge of an unfairly proscribed medical and scientific truth this Society was formed, and nobly has it fulfilled its purpose. Strong as has been and as still is the combination against our system (and degrading to the scientific status of the medical profession as have been the arts used against those noble inquirers who, after careful examination, have dared to assert their freedom and liberty of action to follow out their honest convictions, by adopting the homœopathic method into their practice), this countercombination has effectually withstood all the machinations of the members of the older medical societies, and has given us a place and a means of demonstrating to our fellow practitioners of liberal views, that we are not to be put down nor intimidated by threats nor by penalties. That much good serviceable work has been done by our Society is shown by the record contained in our Annals and Transactions, in which have been published many valuable monographs and essays, as well as clinical reports and discussions. These Annals and Transactions have already completed their sixth volume, and let those who accuse us of medical sectarianism read in their pages a clear refutation of this slander, and let them judge whether or no we are not striving to our uttermost to give practical meaning to the noble words of our master in the first proposition of the Organon―" The physician's high and only mission is to restore the sick to health, to cure, as it is termed." 66 We Gentlemen, I feel sure that all around us to-night reecho and cordially endorse these noble words. It is not our position nor our wish to support this system or that system of medicine; we do not seek to glorify one system nor to vilify or underestimate another; but we desire to restore the sick to health," and in order that we may do so faithfully, and in as perfect a manner as it is possible to do, it is our duty to uphold and to defend our right to investigate any and every new means or old means which enables us to improve our power of healing. assert our right to practise and to discuss the homœopathic treatment of disease, just as we also preserve to ourselves the right to use every other means which, in any individual case, appears to us to be best adapted for its cure. And this Society enables us to meet and compare our experiences with those of other labourers in the great field of cure-work. Let us ever remember, with honest pride, that this British Homœopathic Society is the only medical society in London where all modes of medical and surgical treatment can be practically discussed without let and hindrance. This consideration, gentlemen, should attach us all firmly to our Society and should warm our affection for and increase our loyalty to it. Our members should rally round its standard, there to fight against allopathic blindness and prejudice and hardness of heart, not in bitterness but in the pure light of love for science and in furtherance of our "high and only mission," so that we may not only "heal the sick" ourselves, but may become active missionaries in spreading among those, who at present oppose us, a knowledge of the improved healing means with which Hahnemann's method has supplied us. A brief review of the labours of the session just passed will show that it has been by no means unfruitful in this direction. Cases illustrative of the homoeopathic action of medicinal drugs have been laid before us in papers read by several of our colleagues; nor have pathology, surgery, prophylaxis, or pure therapeutics been neglected in the past series of papers read within these walls. The following is a list of the papers read and discussed during the past session : 1. "Cases from my Note Book," by Dr. HOLLAND. Two cases of diseases of the bladder: one of colic (with opisthotonos), simulating lead poisoning, cured with Plumb. acet. Two cases of chronic dyspepsia illustrating the curative power of Nitrate of Silver. 2. "Notes on Re-vaccination," by C. H. BLACKLEY, Esq. 3. "On Certain Pathological Points of Interest," by E. T. BLAKE, M.D. I. Sublingual ulceration in hooping-cough. III. Etiology of sun-stroke and hay-fever. 4. "Some Diseases of the Genito-Urinary Organs, with Cases," by HENRY HARRIS, Esq. Cases. Tubercular disease of prostate. Hæmorrhage from urethra and expulsion of fibrinous cast. Warts on penis, treatment by differing dilutions of Thuja and Nitric acid. 5. "Specific Medication in relation to Surgery," by Dr. W. SIMPSON CRAIG. "On the extremely satisfactory results of Surgery supplemented by Homœopathic Treatment." Diseases of the rectum, with cases. Scirrhus of the breast, with cases. Ovarian cyst, with cases. 6. "On some points in the Therapeutics of Apomorphia and Chloral," by Dr. DYCE BROWN. 7. "On some varieties of Hæmoptysis," by Dr. HERBERT NANKIVELL. 8. 1st, "On a Form for taking Cases," by Dr. MACKECHNIE. * 2nd, "On Lupus and its Treatment," illustrated by photographs, by Dr. EDWARD BLAKE. These essays either have appeared or will appear in the British Journal of Homœopathy, and afterwards have been or will be published in a separate form in the volume of Annals and Transactions, and our Society thus places it within the power of any inquiring medical practitioner or student to examine into the testimony yearly accumulating as to the exact value of the homœopathic system of medicine. It is by these legitimate means that we slowly but surely are advancing the cause of true liberty and liberalism in medicine, and sooner or later by this policy of honest work and its careful recording we shall revolutionise medicine and place the healing art on a secure foundation and on a truly scientific basis. It is only by association and by the checking of the possible errors of our own individual experience by that of our fellow practitioners that we can hope to progress ourselves, and to convince others of our medical right doing. There still remains much to be done before we can perfect our art or can establish the claim of our system to rank among the true sciences. A wide field lies open to our practitioners for the more exact and practical classification of diseased states, such as shall indicate the group of symptoms to be treated. In the early days of homoeopathy the homœopath was a medical Iconoclast, often properly and righteously so, since he cast down and destroyed many false images of a fanciful pathology, but in actual practice images of diseased states must be set up and classifications must be used, otherwise the labour of active practice would be so immense that few minds could stand the wear and tear it would involve. In his more advanced career Hahnemann himself felt this necessity, as is shown by his recognition of psora, syphilis, and sycosis as constitutional diseases, and of scarlatina, measles, hooping-cough, &c., as specific dis eases. |
