A course of fifteen lectures, on medical botany : denominated Thomson's theory of medical practice; in which the various theories that have preceded it, are reviewed and compared; delivered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Robinson, Samuel
- Date:
- 1829
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A course of fifteen lectures, on medical botany : denominated Thomson's theory of medical practice; in which the various theories that have preceded it, are reviewed and compared; delivered in Cincinnati, Ohio. 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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![LECTURE V. MEDICINE, AS IT IS TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOLS. We must purvey the whole extent of a science, in order fo understand the value and relation of its integral parts. When we know the extent of an evil, we are more resigned to our lot, than while the subject remains doubtful. The mind winds up her powers to the contest or the endurance, and displays an extent of energy and resolution, which the man, before, never even dreamt that he possessed. And so it is with science; when we have surveyed its outline and mighty range, we are then prepared to meet its most threatening aspect, and grapple with its formidable strength. There is a fortitude of soul, distinct from that physical for- titude which braced the Nemean Lion's nerve; and I am persuaded that it is from lack of the former, that many men are deterred from encountering the difficulties of science, and facing that imposing front, that would soften into a placid smile before the energy of perseverance. I have known a boy to weep, and abandon school forever, because he could not solve a single problem; though formerly he had been considered one of the smartest in his class. I shall now hasten to give you a brief view of the several parts of medical science, as it is taught in the schools, and embraced by the literati of that profession. The Institutes of Medicine are divided into physiology, pa- thology, and therapeutics. 1st, Physiology comprehends the laws and functions of the human body, in its healthy state. 2d, Pathology describes the remote, predisposing, exciting* and proximate causes of disease. [6*]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21150746_0067.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
