History of the expulsion of Drs. R.S. Newton and Z. Freeman from the Eclectic Medical Institute : with the causes which rendered it necessary, and an exposition of the slanderous and factious course which has been pursued by the off-casts from the Institute / by W. Sherwood.
- William Hall Sherwood
- Date:
- [1856?]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: History of the expulsion of Drs. R.S. Newton and Z. Freeman from the Eclectic Medical Institute : with the causes which rendered it necessary, and an exposition of the slanderous and factious course which has been pursued by the off-casts from the Institute / by W. Sherwood. 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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![beneath the level of humanity, in his filth and mala- ria. It is no tax upon Dr. Newton's conscience to shift his ground or break his pledges from week to week, ac- eording to convenience. It brings no blush to his face. for he counts largely, very largely, on human gullibility, and fully believes that, eveu when convicted of a total disregard of truth and honor, he can sustain himself by clamorous abuse, and by raising fictitious charges against those who may expose his tergiversations. In short, he regards the medical profession as a gullible mass, easily caught, and controlled by the shallowest Uicks of the demagogue. He firmly believes that a lie well stuck to is as good as the truth, for as fast as one lie wears out it can be replaced by another. When his oath, charging the Faculty and Trustees with violating the injunction of the Superior Court (which he gave out would procure their imprisonment), was proved in court, by his own cross-examination, to be a falsehood, it was no matter, another fiction was ready; he could swear to enough to suspend the whole action of the corporation, by injunction, and his half a dozen followers were exulting in the pros- pect; but the allegations upon which he based his hopes were again proved false in court, and the injunction dis- missed or dissolved. No matter, another falsehood will answer the purpose. He forthwith proclaims that the court has ordered the cancellation of the last issue of stock, and this new falsehood will answer for hundreds, who see no contradiction- until they hear the result of the trial. And to help the matter along, he proclaims at ihe same time, that the Faculty, alarmed at the decision of the court, have taken their departure for Texas and various other regions, and he is quite confident that all who MM this monstrous fabrication will be convinced that Dr. Newton is triumphant, and that the Faculty have aban- doned th»-Institute, and left Cincinnati in despair. And probably a number, who do not know the infamous char- acter of Newton's Express, are really of the opinion that Buch is the fact, although it is a pure fabrication, without the semblance of a fact upon which to base it. The Fac- ulty have all been at home, engaged in their usual avoca- tions. By circulating large editions of the Express, the impression may thus be made, that the Faculty of the In- stitute are extinct, and that Newton, Jones & Co. are the only representatives of Eclecticism in Cincinnati. Under that impression he expects to enlist a considerable number in his support, and he feels entirely sure that this mam-, moth lie will answer his purpose until the Faculty an- nouncement has been sent throughout the country; but still hopes that his widely disseminated lie will nourish in some out of the way places, for a year or two, and yield him a harvest of gulls, with all the patronage they can give. If these falsehoods wear out by the first of Octolier, they are only a small part of his stock in trade; he has fifty others sown broad-cast at the same time, the majority of which, on account of their contemptible nature, will never be noticed. In addition to these he has malignant epithets, in which is conveyed a large amount ot concm- ceniratcd falsehood. The regular issue of stock by the proper authorities, in accordance with all the forms ot law, is .ailed a forgery and a fraud. As fast as these fabrications wear out and become unfit for use, a fresher and livelier batch of falsehoods and coarse epithets will be ready ; and he expects, so dull is his own moral sense, that the community generally, will forget his exploded fictions in the interest created by his latest labncations. It rests with the intelligence of the public to say whether the man who habitually sows falsehood and slander broad- cast, shall reap any thing therefrom but a harvest of m- Hill' last and most scandalous attack upon myself, by mis-stating the treatment of a case of poisoning, so per- fectly exhibits the character of the man, ami the course which he generally pursues in his controversies, that 1 will introduce it here, as a specimen of the Newtonian svstem of calumny. It is the common policy of unprincipled men to cover up their own misdeeds by raising false charges against others. Hence Dr. Newton, after his turbulent seizure of the College edifice, with guns, pistols, knives, Ac, charged the Faculty with endeavoring to break the peace! whichi in reality they prevented being done. Having made a false and fraudulent report as Treasurer and b»£>££PP£ the truth in bis affidavit, by concealing the fact 0>atlhe nad received $775 Of diploma fees he charged Dr. Buc- hanan with disguising the facts, and holding conccacd the C^lle'e funds, when Dr. I!, had made n public exhibit In dl f. As the Faculty had requested Dr. Buchanan last fol o take charge of the book, and not allow £-Nevrton U> collect the funds.be now asserts in his Express, that Ine Faculty nave refused to permit Dr. Buchanan to col- lect the funds of this session, which he knows is false, as Dr. Buchanan declared in Court last spring that he merely took charge of the collections at the request of the Fac- ulty, because of their unwillingness to leave the matter with Dr. Newton—and that, as the office of Treasurer was now suitably occupied, he would leave the collections en- tirely in the hands of that officer. Dr. Buchanan gave up the business as soon as he could, because he never desired to perform it at all. Dr. Newton gave it up very reluct- antly, liecause the books were taken from him. On the same priuciple we must explain Dr. Newton's attack upon my own professional reputation. His own professional blunders and mal-practice probably suggested the idea. He is now under prosecution (damages $5,001) for mal-practice in a case of fracture of the arm, an I Mr. . who is now lame from an injury of the thigh, mal-treated by Dr. Newton, is a limping illustration of his surgical ignorance. If it becomes necessary to tell the whole truth, I shall show up his mal-practice and surgical quackery. The facts as they actually occurred in the poisoning case were as follows: The patient (a;t. 26) under feelings of mental depression, took 3]/2 grains of .strychnine, dissolved in water acidulated with acetic acid, and about half an hour later I fouud him in convulsions. I was the first one called to the patient; administered Tincl. Lob. and Cap. Com., as slated in my report, stepped across the street to procure some lard oil, but failed to get it, returned within three or four minutes, called for soma sweet oil. and on approaching the patient, found Dr. 0. K. Newton offering him a glass of sweet oil. 1 at once en- treated the patient to take it, which he did. At this time Dr. H. S. N. came in aud found me officiating, but neither of them spoke to me. A special friend of the patient took me aside and re- quested me to do all in my power in connection with the others to save the man. 1 replied that they did not seem disposed to speak to me, and [proposed to retire and leave the case in their hands He insisted that 1 should remain, and at his request 1 spoke to them, proposing to carry out my original design of removing the first draught of oil with lach pump. They strenuously objected, but after considerable argument, Dr. U. 8. X. consented. I pro- duced my pump, removed the oil from the stomach, and injected a do.-e of lard oil, which had now been procured at my request. The Alcoholic Tine of Camphor was intro- duced into the second dose of oil by Dr. .V. himtetf, while I held and used the pump. About one o'clock he had another spasmodic attack, at which time 1 gave him a fluid drachm of tiuct. camphor with half a pint of strong coffee. After 1 o'clock, when the second spasmodic attack had passed off, Dr. H. 8. N. came in. I told him what had been done; he nodded and left the house. I did not meet either of the Newt us afterward, though I continued te visit the case until I considered all danger past. The prescription of Oleo res. Xauihoxyluui, etc., was made, if at all, by Dr. N. in the absence of any emergency, aud without consultation, and 1 lievel knew the fact till I saw the statement in print. My wwn brother-in-law stayed with the patient all night, and no such powder* were given while he was there. In bis hot haste for slander, Dr. Newton, before my re- port had been issued) published the following mis-state- ments. I had carefully avoided any reference to the NeW- tons—to their unscientific course in objecting to the use of the stomach pump I had not mentioned their names for I disliked to engage in such petly contests. Dr. Newton specified in his report the administration of sweet oil and lard oil by himself and brother—entirely omitted all reference to the most important measure in tht case, the use of the stomach pump—and made no statement Of uiv own agency in the case, except to say, we then learned that Dr. Sherwood had been there and had ad- ministered alcoholic tinctures and left the patient; and again, before 1 arrived there Dr. Sherwood bail volun- teered a prescription of camphor water,' lie adds: We leave the profession to form their own opiuion of the effect Of introducing alcoholic tinctures into an empty stomach (as In this i ase) a ntainiug A]/, -rains of strych- nine. Is it soluble in this medium ; and would it not by this means be diffused more rapidly through the system? 1 think it was well that he got the oil before it bad much time to act on the poison. B -S- X.' Could there have been a baser falsification than the ahovef—my own treatment was by oil, Timt. tot. Cap. Otmp., the stomach pump, and camphor in coffee at the time of the second attack; Dr. Newton's wis by oil camphor and xanthoxylum without the stomach pump—](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2115370x_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
