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Incompetence of Proofs for and against Homœopathy. 657

expectation. Pulse 88, throbbing of carotids, inclination to sleep, pains in the bones, the limbs, and the whole body, as if broken on the wheel. In bed yawning and stretching; pain of the affected eye, whose lids were swelled, red, and turned up. All these symptoms were present at the commencement of the disease, to which Silica shows the greatest similarity; so, after marking the limit of the spreading oedema, Silica zo was repeated at 8.35 a.m. From the moment the medicine was given the oedema ceased to extend, and the throbbing in the carotids soon left off; the spirits improved; there was general amelioration. Towards evening coldness in the body, followed by perspiration. At night increase of the temperature of the body. After midnight sleep, and the following morning the patient woke feeling well; the swelling of the forehead diminished visibly, that is to say, it fell back to the distance of a centimeter from the line drawn on the forehead.

"Since that time the medicine was continued uninterruptedly; the amelioration went on rapidly, and in five or six weeks the cure was complete. A year afterwards the cured patient was shown by me to Drs. Brutzer and Brauser, homoeopathic practitioners in Riga. In their presence he attempted to read large print in a book with the cured eye, because an ulceration of the cornea which had remained prevented him seeing clearly and reading small print."

Mr. Gruzewski displays a remarkable amount of naïveté in imagining that the homœopathic controversy which has hitherto kept alive, notwithstanding the bushels of cases and the acres of statistics that have been employed in it, will be finally settled by these two cases, or by a whole cartload of such cases. We have translated Mr. Gruzewski's cases as faithfully and as literally as possible in order that we may not incur the charge of distorting them in any way; but we are perfectly sure that no scientific practitioner of whatever school could attach the slightest value to these cases as proving the utility or futility of the medicines employed. It is impossible from the descriptions to realise what was the precise character of the diseases treated. In the first case was the bone or were the bones denuded of their periosteum or not? What was the cause of the VOL. XXXII, NO. CXXX.-UCTOBER, 1874.

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denudation of the bone? All that we hear is that the bones were denuded, and that some one had recommended amputation. All that we learn of the cure is that cicatrisation took place-whether with or without exfoliation of necrosed bone the author does not state; but with ankylosis, so that perhaps the patient would have done better to follow the advice given him to have the finger amputated; for surely no finger at all is better than one that is always sticking out when the other fingers are closed, or which remains firmly flexed when the other fingers are extended. "Better a finger aff as aye waggin',' as the Scotch proverb has it. If our opponents persist in saying that a recovery after the administration of our doses is a mere coincidence, what is to hinder them from saying that a relapse after leaving off our medicines is also a mere coincidence?

The second case is even worse than the first for any lesson it can teach. What was the disease? Blaterrose the author calls it, which ought to be translated "vesicular erysipelas ;" but who ever heard of vesicular erysipelas lasting from nine to ten weeks? Then what became of the inflammation of the ear, the prodromata of meningitis, and the ascites, that are mentioned at first but never afterwards alluded to? In truth, we can make nothing of the case, and as for its proving anything respecting the virtues of Silica 200, that we are quite unable to perceive. If we were asked to say what it proved, we should reply that it proves how enormously long the case was protracted under Mr. Gruzewski's treatment. Not a fragment of a hint is given in either of the two cases as to what other remedial means are employed, whether local, general, dietetic, or hygienic; and yet we will not suppose that the author neglected these points, and of course they must have had their influence on the disease.

Then there is in the second case that mysterious ulceration of the cornea which prevented the patient seeing distinctly when did that arise, and how could the patient's eye be said to be completely cured when there was still ulceration of the cornea ? The case is stated to have been shown

Incompetence of Proofs for and against Homœopathy. 659

to Drs. Brutzer and Brauser, but we are not informed what impression this wonderful cure produced on these gentlemen when they found that the cured patient could not see distinctly on account of ulceration of the cornea. In short,

both cases are so unscientifically reported that no one can make either head or tail of them. If Mr. Gruzewski expects that any amount of cases reported in this slipshod manner will have the slightest effect in settling the homœopathic controversy " he is wofully mistaken.

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We may be perfectly satisfied in our own minds of the curative action of a drug in a particular case, but it is almost impossible so to relate that case that it shall convince others that the medicine given was the efficient cause of the cure. Hahnemann was right in setting a low estimate on the record of cures as a means for convincing practitioners of the truth of his doctrines. "Macht's nach!" was his constant advice. "Repeat the experiment for yourselves, but repeat it carefully and exactly, and I have no fear but that you will come to share my convictions!" And after all has been said that can be said for and against statistics and figures and records of cases, there is nought so convincing as careful trials made by ourselves with the single desire to come at the truth. This is the way we have all become convinced of the truth of homoeopathy, and this is how our present opponents must be convinced. It is quite right to record the cures that brought conviction to our own minds, but we shall err grievously if we think they will be equally convincing to others. The result we can hope from them is that they will lead others to make trials for themselves, and if they do this "genau und sorgfältig "-" exactly and "—"exactly carefully "we need have no fear of the result. Careful trial is the real "conditio sine quâ non " for settling the homœopathic controversy, as far as the individual practitioner is concerned, and there is no other method conceivable by which the homoeopathic controversy can be settled except by the conversion of individual practitioners.

We are glad to notice that careful trials of single homœopathic remedies are daily being made by the most

intelligent of the old-school practitioners, and we notice with pleasure that our remedies are constantly being adopted into their treatment, and the whole practice of the old school is undergoing a change in the homœopathic direction.

A System of Surgery.

By Wм. TOD HELMUTH, M.D.

New York: Caste and Grener, 1873.

DR. HELMUTH, Professor of Surgery in the New York Homœopathic Medical College, has brought out a new edition of a work on surgery published by him in 1855.

The present work is far more complete, and the aim of the author has apparently been to make this edition rank as a first class text-book on surgery, and to show the unprejudiced practitioner the great advantage surgery possesses when combined with treatment based on homœopathic principles.

In the preface he mentions that he will not discuss the subjects of ophthalmology, otology, or odontology, as these have now become specialities, and it would only be adding bulk to the volume without increasing its intrinsic value.

Dr. Helmuth is to be congratulated on his resolution, because in putting forth a work on surgery there is a great temptation to make it appear as complete as possible, and to show a familiarity with every department of the surgical art.

To compensate for the omission of these subjects, he introduces a chapter on the microscope, new in surgical works, and chapters on electricity, disinfectants, and anesthesia.

He commences in Chapter II an enumeration of the instruments required for surgical practice, such as probes, directors, knives, exploring trocar, &c., mentioning the

articles required for dressing, also recommending Marine lint as a good antiseptic dressing, and giving several excellent rules laid down by Dr. Smith to be observed by the young practitioner in order to dress parts with elegance and dexterity.

He refers also to paper as a surgical dressing, giving Dr. Hewson's experience, and mentioning that his own results with waxed paper had been most satisfactory

Whether paper will ever attain high repute as a dressing is in the highest degree doubtful.

A practical hint is given as to the use of the hypodermic injection, viz., that at least half the stomachic dose should be employed, and it is preferable, if the substances are soluble in water, to use that as a vehicle, as it is less irritating to the skin.

He next mentions two different kinds of thermometers, Seguin's and Casella's, which are excellent instruments, and also refers to several diseases in which noting the varieties of temperature would be of great advantage to the

surgeon.

This chapter is meagre, but the next on electricity is more complete and of deep interest in a practical point of view. He tells us that it is indispensable that batteries furnishing the continuous galvanic current should generate a large quantity of electricity, and that in administering this form of electricity we should be careful not to overdose the patient. No doubt the reason we often hear that electricity is useless as a remedial agent is that enthusiasts carry it beyond reasonable limits, and having themselves failed, are blinded to its merits and embrace every opportunity of bringing it into ridicule, and stamping it as a foolish piece of quackery. What would they say to employing it at one time not longer than ten minutes, which Dr. Helmuth thinks sufficient for one application?

A most excellent battery is that manufactured by the Galvano-Faradic Company of New York, and we trust that every practitioner who is in favour of electricity will give it a fair trial, and if he then fails, he may be sure that in his hands at least electricity will never succeed,

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