Sea-sickness and how to prevent it : an explanation of its nature and successful treatment, through the agency of the nervous system, by means of the spinal ice-bag : with an introduction on the general principles of neuro-therapeutics / by John Chapman.

  • Chapman, John, 1821-1894.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sea-sickness and how to prevent it : an explanation of its nature and successful treatment, through the agency of the nervous system, by means of the spinal ice-bag : with an introduction on the general principles of neuro-therapeutics / by John Chapman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    M0rhs in ifjc siintc Jiittljor. Functional Diseases of Women: Cases Illustrative of a New Method of treating them through the agency of the Nervous System, by means of cold and heat. Also, an APPENDIX, containing Cases Illustrative of a New Method of treating Epilcpsi-, Infantile Convulsions, Paralysis, and Diabetes. 8vo, price 2s. 6d. Diarrhoea and Cholera: their Nature, Origin, and Treatment through the agency of the Nervous System. Second edition, enlarged, 8vo, cloth, price 7s. Od. Neuralgia, Headache, and Kindred Disorders: their Nature, Causes, and Treatment. With Illustrative Cases. [Treparingforpuhlkalion. Chloroform and other Anaesthetics: their History and Use during Childbirth. 8vo, price Is. Medical Patents: A Letter on the Patenting of Inventions in connexion with Medicine. 8vo, price 6d. The following passages are extracted from this ‘ Letter— “A right appreciation of the claims of me^ioal science and a due regard for the public welfare have conjointly necessitated professional repudiation of men who deal in se- cretly compounded or quack-medicines, as well as earnest rexrrobatlon of the custom, so long as it was continued, of protecting such medicines by royal letters-patent. . . . But the same cannot be said of the grant of an excusivo privilege, for a term of years, of making and vending a surgical instrument, or any mechanical apparatus for a medical purpose. This privilege involves no secrecy : any one can make medical or surgical apparatuses for accomplishing the same purposes as those for which the ]iatented articles are designed ; the mode of their construction is not and cannot be concealed ; and all the privilege the patent confers is that of an exclusive right for a term of years of making the patented article .... And I am constrained to atlirm that in so far us the policy, the expediency, the morality, the dignity, in short, the principles generally approved by the profession,’ condemn the ‘ patenting of [mechanical] inventions in connexion with medicine,’ pre- cisely so far do they condemn the holding of copyrights in medical and surgical books, and in the titles of medical journals—that of The British Medical Journal [which, after publicly condemning me, refused to publish my justificatory reply] not excepted. All jirofessional jiroprietors of such books and journals can only be at once logical and consistent either by cordially recognising the right of their professional brethren to patent any apiparatus devised by them for surgical or medical purposes, or by surrendering their coj^yrights pro bono publico. If within the pale of the profession there should be a third party the members of which are so very ‘ jiure ’ as surgeons or ijhysidans that they regard the Copyright Law as a ‘ stumbling-block,’ and those who avail themselves of it as an ‘ oflence,’ I beg humbly to suggest to such jisrsous that they ought to give their advice gratis to all who ask it. For what is the meaning of a jiatent or a copyright ? Obviously no other than to secure to each man a right of property in the product of his own brains. Is he wrong in availing himself of this right ? If so, then the ‘ pure ’ physicians and ‘ pure ’ surgeons are equally wrong in refusing to allow the public to profit freely of their advice without payingforit. I believe, however, that these dignitaries of the profession, who, according to its avowed ‘principles’ rigorously iuterpreted, ought to practise their calling without seeking for fee or reward, do indee.l exact the largest fees demanded by any member of the medical body 1”—(Fages fi, 10, and 11.) “Dr. CHArji.i.N is at war with the faculty on a point of etiquette, or, as those who consider the question a grave one would say, a point of ethics. ... Of course the traditions of the faculty, tlie spirit of conservatism, and so lorth, all tend to oppose the xiatenting of medical instruments; but beyond these motives of prejudice we see no logical objection to the practice. . . . It cer- tainly appears hard and unfair that the fruit of a man’s brains should full info the hands of a trader —as in the case of Dr. Bichaedson’s HMpatented Spray-producer—and that the original inventor should only bo rewarded with barren honour. It seems to us, therefore, that Dr. Cuahman’s argu- ments arc in the main perfectly reasonable ; and we canuot but think that the medical journals have displayed a feeling quite cut of accordance with the true spirit of the press in refusing insertion to Dr. Chapman’s letttr.’’—Zondon Review, Nov. 2nd, 1807