On the injurious effects of mineral poisons in the practice of medicine : comprising an epitome and commentary on the system of Luigi Cornaro for attaining old age, and on the new system of medicine of F.V. Raspail (Every man his own physician), to which the Montyon Prize of 10,000 f. was lately adjudged at Paris, embracing all the details necessary for person to give this system a trial &c. &c. / by Horatio Prater.

  • Prater, Horatio.
Date:
1846
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the injurious effects of mineral poisons in the practice of medicine : comprising an epitome and commentary on the system of Luigi Cornaro for attaining old age, and on the new system of medicine of F.V. Raspail (Every man his own physician), to which the Montyon Prize of 10,000 f. was lately adjudged at Paris, embracing all the details necessary for person to give this system a trial &c. &c. / by Horatio Prater. 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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    While metallic poisons are permitted to remain in the Pharmacopoeia, no doubt medical examina- tions cannot be too severe, lest immediate death should follow their administration; but why do they remain there ? Why make a mystery where there is none, and fill a volume where a few sheets of paper would suffice ? The quackery of physic, which Adam Smith properly considered existed also among regular practitioners themselves, consists in the attempt to make a science where there is none, and in the assumption of superior knowledge over the public at large on a point where nature permits not such superiority; for where all is chance, or next to it, surely the chances of all to hit on a remedy must be tolerably equal. I repeat, gen- tlemen of the Colleges of Physicians, it is you that make examinations imperative, not the necessity of the case. Nature ever works in a simple way, and will generally recover herself by abstinence, rest, a purgative, and change of air; but certainly not so easily after mineral poisons have been used, however skilfully applied. I urge no objections to examina- tions in surgery, for here we have something osten- sible and tangible to deal with, and we can see or ascertain by manual examination the injury or the disorder. But in medicine, numbers of inscrutable causes—such as peculiarity of constitution, tempo- rary peculiarity of condition of the alimentary canal from nervous influence, or from the remains of solids or fluids not wholly assimilated, &c.—constantly oppose our efforts at correct induction, and prevent