Modern scepticism in medicine : introductory address delivered at the opening of the Winter Session in St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, October 1, 1863 / by W. O. Markham.

  • Markham, William Orlando.
Date:
1863
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Modern scepticism in medicine : introductory address delivered at the opening of the Winter Session in St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, October 1, 1863 / by W. O. Markham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    this unfortunate custom of ours, and to this habit of the patient, may, I believe, be in great part traced the spread of many quackeries and delusions, and especially of that most remarkable of all quackeries and delusions—I mean homoeopathy. And, con- versely, I am led to think that there is no better means of waging successful combat with these quackeries than the simple one of giving drugs in those cases only in which, in our opinion, drugs are actually required ; and of educating our patients to a better understanding of the uses of our art, and its power. Our patients have been educated, or, at all events, have grown up, in the belief that the drugs they take are in all cases not merely elements, but the essential elements, of their treatment; and this, too, sometimes, even though the physic be as mild as coloured water, or as innocent as a bread pill; and the result is evident, and, as I think, most hurt- ful to our profession's reputation. If the patient re- cover not, he blames the drug and him who gave it, and at length loses his faith in the practice of legi- timate medicine, or in the taking of drugs, which are to him convertible terms, and so rushes into the arms of the homceopathists, or of some other of the Bashi- Bazouks of medicine. I venture to think that, at this time of day, we should come to a better un- derstanding with our patients. It surely cannot be worthy of the medicine of this day to play in any way down to the weaknesses and false imagination of the patient. And if it be indeed true, that our profession. originally created the delusion in his mind, still more forcibly is the duty pressed home to us of removing the scales from his eyes. But pray, gentlemen, do not misunderstand me. Do not suppose that I want to inculcate the idea that the cold shade of scepticism hangs over the en-
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