On slight ailments, and on treating disease / by Lionel S. Beale.

  • Lionel Smith Beale
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On slight ailments, and on treating disease / by Lionel S. Beale. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    maladies after the most distinguished members of the profession had completely failed, taken and acted upon without a shadow of doubt or misgiving. It is quite extraordinary what large practices have been made in a short time by the puffing of influential people, not one of whom has perhaps taken the trouble to ascertain whether the fortunate practitioner is really deserving or not of the high praise and recom- mendation he has had the good luck to enjoy. A bone setter, who has never known the anatomy of bones, ligaments, or muscles, has been encouraged to twist and torture delicate joints without let or -hindrance, perhaps after a distinguished surgeon had strongly advised that they should be kept perfectly still for a considerable time. Sometimes it would appear that a certain extreme confidence of manner, backed by an approach to vulgarity on the part of the fortunate pretender, had been set down as indicating originality of mind, experi- ence, and even genius. On the other hand, the art of looking wise and saying nothing seems to be the secret of success in some instances. Not unfrequently fluency in small talk, and a bustling manner, indicative of overwhelming business, ensures quick success; while, occasionally peculiarity or perfection of dress appears to have won the respect and confidence of patients, and secured to the elegant doctor a considerable income. You will not, however, feel astonished at all this if you consider how very ignorant of all subjects bearing in any way upon physiology and medicine are the generality even of so-called well- informed people. Among politicians, the intellectual classes, the leaders of thought, among classical people and mathematicians, lawyers, public speakers and writers, are many who do not take the slightest interest in any department of natural knowledge, and are so incapable of entering into scientific modes of thought and work, that they can be deceived and cheated by the most commonplace pretender. The ignorance and prejudice fostered by the teaching and advice of persons wholly ignorant of science, and by nature strongly opposed to the scientific method, as well as to all attempts to inquire into the nature of things, have constituted the chief obstacles to improvement, and have en- couraged the maintenance of conditions adverse to health and favour- able to the perpetuation of diseases still annually destroying thousands, but which ought long ago to have become unknown in England. It is easy for those who make light of the facts of medical and sani- tary science, and who profess to believe in the virtue of decillionths of a grain to retort by accusing scientific men of attempting to constitute themselves into a sort of trade union, condemning all who do not fall in with their views. The writers in our public journals, however, ought to be able to see through such false charges and commonplace cries, and expose them. To condemn as a trade union a body of men engaged in the furtherance of the greatest of all blessings, the c Hi