Views of homoeopathy : with reasons for examining and admitting it as a principle in medical science / by Daniel Holt.

  • Holt, Daniel M., approximately 1819-1868.
Date:
1845
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Views of homoeopathy : with reasons for examining and admitting it as a principle in medical science / by Daniel Holt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    28 what is evidence and what is not, what is truth and what is error. 1 hold that it is as much evidence of faulty judgment, of a want of discrimination to disbelieve what is true as to believe what is erroneous. It is very important in the in- vestigation of new and difficult subjects to admit that, and that only, which really is evidence ; and upon this subjecl we should take the same ground as upon any other, giving prom- inence first, to real facts which we have seen, and sec- ondly to the testimony of other men. It is sometimes said upon this subject that we must take nothing upon trust; now the testimony of others is sometimes more conclusive than our own. I may witness the effect of a certain medicine a thousand times, which being uniform would be sufficient to convince me, but still there might be a defect in my senses. Now if I had seen the same thing but one hundred times, and ten others, who were capable and honest, had done the same, and their testimony all tended to confirm my own, the evi- dence would be more conclusive. In this way, and in this only, are we to depend on the testimony of others. The conclu- sions to which I have arrived in the investigation of this subject, I contend is substantiated by proof, and that upon the above principle. No mere human reasoning will convince a man that medicine will operate on the Homoeopathic prin- ciple, in the Homoeopathic dose, in any case,—nor will we ever know the effect of any medicine upon the system, but from experience in the first place ; in this way all our real knowledge is derived. But there is a difficulty in the minds of medical men, and which is greater than in the minds of the public who care little for explanations, if they can only feel better when they are sick. It is so different from the long established principles and practice, that if you begin by stating, that medicine operates thus and so, they will reply that it is a very fine theory, but there are no facts to sustain it. If you begin with the facts, and no matter how they accumulate, they reply, they cannot believe them ; medicine cannot operate in this manner. The Homoeopathic school care little for theory; and there is a point on all subjects where our explanations must cease, facts are the main thing ; they are the basis of all true science ; and an explanation of these facts so far as can be done, is the only true theory ; all other is mere hypothesis which amounts to nothing. But it will be claimed, I presume, that no one is desirous of retarding the progress of true science, or of creating any barrier to real improvements in medicine ; but admitting the truth of the doctrines of the Homoeopathic school, when fully carried out, it is said will at least lead to a form of medical radicalism, for it would conflict with long established truths