"■' * iSCftictl,............................' No..ji../...fr.//..^. AN INTRODUCTORY LECTURE ON MEDICAL EDUCATION; DELIVERED AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE ANNUAL COURSE 0* LECTURES ON BOTANY AND THE MATERIA MEDIC A. PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF THE STVDEXTS OF MEDICINE. V. By DAVID HOSACK, M. D. Professor of Botany and the Materia Mcdica in Columbia College. Qui earn vult discere scientiam, debet bonam sequi methodum, bonos legere authores, qui viam dant ad hanc scientiam acquirendam, nihil admittere debet, quod non faciat ad illam, et nihil omittere quod ncces- sarium est, ut acquiratur ilia scientia. Boerhaave, Methodus. Discendi Mcdicinam. NEW-YORK: Printed by T. and J. Swords, Printers to the Faculty of Physic of Columbia College, No. 99 Pearl-street. I80I. ERRATA. In page 10, line 16, for « D'Azvz" read D'Azyr. 13, *5> " purefa « opinions" read operations. 40, a, " minerals" read animals. f LECTURE, &c. JVlANKIND, in the early ages of society^ when their diet, dress, and modes of life, were simple, and their wants were those of nature, instead of the artificial appetites which are suggested by fashion and caprice, were subject to but few diseases, except such as proceeded from external accidents. Con- sequently, medicine was in so little demand,' that it was not of sufficient importance to be constituted the object of aseparate profession; and the remedies which were employed in the cure of diseases were few and simple. Hence we learn that this branch of know- ledge was, at first, chiefly confined to the fa- thers or heads of families.* But society ad- vancing in arts, also advanced in luxuries; the catalogue of diseases became enlarged; * See l'Origine des Loix, des Arts, et des Sciences, torn. II. lib. iii. p. 9. Les peres avoient soin d'enseigner a leurs enfans ce qu'ils pouvoient eir •cavoir. Cest ceque nous apprennent les plus anciennes traditions.*— Diod. lib. i. p. 30. 4 new observations were made, and remedies proportionably increased in number. This kind of knowledge, at length, not only prov- ed too burthensome to those who were occu- pied with concerns of a different nature, but also involved those duties which such as were pursuing the ordinary avocations of life could not discharge. Accordingly, the art of healing was after- wards transferred to their priests and philoso- phers, as being more nearly allied, in its na- ture, to the subjects of their professions. The priests took upon themselves the cure of diseases, from the consideration that they were punishments inflicted upon mankind for their crimes, and that many of them were only to be relieved by their axts and in- vocations.* Medicine, also, claimed some notice as a part of the study of nature,^ and thus fell to the attention of their wise men, or philosophers. In proof of this, it is re- lated of that'celebrated philosopher of anti- quity, Pythagoras, that he travelled from place to place, not so much to teacli the pe- culiar doctrines of his philosophy as to prac- * Morbos vero ad iram Deorum immortalium telttos ct ab iisdem ppcm posci aoliturn. See Celsus, lib. i. in prxf. -j- Ita ut morriorum curatio et rerum neturf (onttxtfUtit, sub iistlsm jvutonbus nata ait. Celsus, lib. i. in prsf. 5 iice physic. Such was the Unsettled state of medicine, until Hippocrates separated it from the religion, the philosophy and spe- culative learning of his time; and, by en- riching it with his own extensive and valua- ble observations upon the nature and cure of diseases, gave it the form and stability of a dis- tinct science, and worthy to be pursued as the exclusive business of a man's lite. Thus con- stituted a separate and liberal profession, it has deservedly ever been respected and cul- tivated as among the most important of hu- man inquiries. Such of you, Gentlemen, as are now pre- paring yourselves as candidates for the prac- tice of this profession, are, no doubt, fully apprised of its important nature—having for its objects the preservation of health, and the cure of diseases. You are also unquestionably impressed with a sense of the duties you are necessarily to take upon yourselves, when you may enter upon the administration of me- dicines, in the treatment of the numerous and complicated diseases to which the hu- man frame is exposed. Under this impression of duty, I am per- suaded you will not willingly forego any op- portunity by which you can either add to the 6 general cultivation of your minds, or render yourselves better qualified for this important undertaking. But, from a want of proper guidance and instruction, I have observed some among you betrayed into habits of in- attention, which, if they do not lead to the loss of reputation, will never qualify you be- yond the mere mechanical exercise of your profession. Others I have seen seduced, by the natural bias of the imagination, into a fondness for the more amusing branches of medical study, to the exclusion of those which are more essentially important.—Hav- ing frequently witnessed this sacrifice both of time and talents, I have thought it might be useful to submit to your consideration a few remarks upon the different objects of your attention as students of medicine, and the order in which they should be pursued. I presume the greater part of you have entered upon the study of physic, prepared with the knowledge of the usual prelimi- nary branches of classical education; that you are acquainted with those Languages which are employed as the common vehicles of learning at the present time—the Greek, the Latin, French and German languages; that you are acquainted with Belks-Lctlres> 7 'Geography, the elements of Mathematics, and Natural Philosophy, together with an outline of the faculties of the mind, and of the history of human society. But to those of you who have not yet had opportunities of a regular course of collegiate education, and, from your time of life, are still desirous of enter- ing immediately upon medical study, I must recommend, so to divide your time that you may appropriate a portion of it to the several subjects I have enumerated, under the direction either of private teachers or of the professors of the college, as far as your circumstances and several situations will ad- mit. Curiosity as well as duty will lead you to subjects of this nature, by which you may not only become better acquainted with your profession, by which you may not only learn the numerous improvements medicine has received, and is daily receiving, in dif- ferent parts of the world—but by which you will also add to the natural strength of your understandings, and thus furnish your minds with resources to meet the numerous difficul- ties you are to expect in the practice of phy- sic; and, be assured, that in the prosecution of those subjects, whether you are engaged in the study of language, the demoiibtra- 8 tioiis of geometry, or in examining the prin- ciples of philosophy, either of mind or mat- ter, you cannot spend an useless hour. The mind, capable of observation and improve- ment, will find in these preparatory branches of learning, not only subjects of gratifica- tion, but of real use. With this ground-work of classical learn- ing you are prepared to enter upon the study of the several branches of medical education necessary to the practice of medicine. The first of these is Anatomy, or the struc- ture of the human body, as unfolded by the artificial separature or dissection of its com- ponent parts. This is the foundation of all true knowledge in medicine, and is indispen- sibly necessary both to the physician and the surgeon. By the study of anatomy you will learn the figure, structure, connection, relative situation, and uses of all the different parts of the human frame: you will learn the various contents of the head, chest and belly, and their relative situations; which is of the first im- portance to the physician, in ascertaining the seat and nature of the numerous diseases to which those parts of the .body are exposed. You will learn, by dissection, the course of the blood-vessels, and the distribution of 9 those which are most essential to life. This knowledge is especially necessary to the sur- geon, both as his guide in the treatment of wounds, and to direct his knife in the several operations he may have occasion to perform. Without this direction, his patient may fall a victim to his rashness and his ig- norance. Anatomy also teaches the source, direc- tion and situation of the several nerves—their connection with one another, and with the different parts of the body upon which they are severally distributed. This knowledge will unfold many other- wise mysterious circumstances in the history of diseases: for, by the connection and com- munication which take place between nerves of distant parts of the body, we learn to ac- count for symptoms attending some of its dis- eases, which, without this clew, would mislead us in our inquiries for the source of the evil, and thus would unavoidably lead to errors of practice destructive in their consequences. The study of this part of anatomy, and of the laws which more immediately govern the nervous system, should claim your especial notice. I must add, that this part of the hu- man body, as connected with the symptoms B 10 and cure of diseases, is, at present, too much neglected, and has been so since the days of the learned Dr. Whytt, whose works deserve a distinguished place in your libraries. The works best calculated to instruct you in the anatomy of the human body, are those of Keil, Heister, Cheselden, Simmons, Winslow, Douglas, the Monros, the Edinburgh System of Anatomy, the Pralec- tiones of Leber, the Anatomical Writings of John Bell, the Anatomical Dissections by Charles Bell, and a Compendium of Ana- tomy, lately published at Edinburgh, by Mr. Fyfe; to which we may add, the Engrav- ings of Albinus, and the coloured Plates of M. Jadelot and Vicq. D'Azyz. The next subject of your attention, when you have acquired the necessary knowledge of the structure and composition of the body, is Physiology; by which you are to under- stand that branch of medical science which teaches the operation or office of its several component parts, and their relative import- ance in the preservation of life and health.__ In this view it comprises, 1. An inquiry into the operation and in- fluence of the brain and nervous system; their influence as the medium of communication 11 between mind and body, with their mutual operations upon each other; their influence as the medium of communication with the several objects with which we are surrounded; their influence upon muscular motion—upon the digestion and absorption of our food; its conversion into blood, together with its circu- lation and distribution through the different parts of our system, for the great purpose of nutrition; their influence upon the secretion and separation of such parts of the fluids as are redundant, or which, if retained, would prove injurious to the body; and, lastly, their influence upon the process of respiration, and those organs by which the species is conti- nued . This inquiry, you perceive, is of consi- derable extent, and constitutes an important part of the knowledge preparatory to the study of the nature of diseases, and the prin- ciples to be pursued in their prevention and cure. Upon this subject you will do well to con- sult the Elementa Physiologic of Haller-, Whytt on the Nerves, Dr. Monro's work upon the Nervous System, his late Treatises upon the Brain, Eye and Ear, Creighton on Mental Derangement (in which the laws 12 of the nervous system are detailed in a very perspicuous and instructive manner), the in- troductory chapters of the Elementa Medi- cine of Dr. Brown, the works of Girtan- ner and Thornton. And in the Zoonomia of Dr. Darwin, you will find a large col- lection of facts illustrative of the operations of the nervous system: but you will recollect, when I recommend to you the works of Brown, Darwin, Girtanner and Thorn- ton, it is for the express purpose of acquiring a knowledge of the most important facts re- lative to the principles of life, and the general influence or operation of the brain and ner- vous system upon the different parts of the human body. I do not recommend them to your attention for the inferences their au- thors have deduced from those facts, and the application they have made of them to the practice of physic. Upon this subject I must entreat you to suspend all attachment to any particular theo- ry, doctrine or system, until you shall have stored your minds with an accurate know- ledge of the obvious causes, symptoms, and cure of diseases, as they are detailed in the best practical writers. 2. Physiology comprises an inquiry into 13 the phenomena attendant on the digestion of food. It brings to view the different agents or powers concerned in that process, and the general principles upon which they operate; it examines the qualities of the several fluids of the stomach and intestines, as manifested by their sensible properties—as unfolded by a che- mical analysis—and as ascertained by a series of well directed experiments upon their solvent powers; it also examines the powers of the stomach as a muscular organ acting mechani- cally upon its contents, and directs our atten- tion to the general laws of fermentation and tnixture, as occurring in the several changes which take place in the purefactive process of animal and vegetable matters out of the body, and, by the joint influence of these agents, unfolds the principle of digestion.— This knowledge becomes of great importance in the treatment of diseases, and, therefore, will claim your attention in a course of me- dical study. For this purpose I must recom- mend to your patient and attentive perusal, Barry on Digestion, the Dissertations of Spal- lanzani, Stevens onDigestion, John Hun- ter's observations upon this subject, and a Treatise on Food, lately published by Dr. Fordyce. 14 3. Physiology, in like manner, makes us acquainted with the principles connected with the absorption of our food when digested, and the circumstances necessary to the healthy action of those vessels whose particular func- tion it is to convey it from the intestinal canal into the blood-vessels, and to convert it into that bland and healthy fluid the blood, upon which the nourishment, life and growth of the different parts of the body depend. As these organs are not unfrequently the seat of dangerous diseases, it becomes necessary that you acquire a knowledge of the circum- stances which are indicative of their healthy condition, that you may afterwards be ena- bled to know the changes which they un- dergo by disease, the causes producing the evil, and the principles upon which the re- medy is to be prescribed. But you will also extend your researches to the absorbent sys- tem in general, as.it is distributed over the several surfaces of the body, internally as well as externally. You will learn the several of- fices the absorbents are calculated to perform; the general laws or principles which govern their operation; and thence will be led to form correct notions of the diseases which 15 are induced by any deviation from their healthy action. Upon this subject, the works of Monro, Hunter, Hewson, Sheldon, and Cruik- shank, will furnish you with much useful information. 4. Physiology will also instruct you in the nature of the circulation of the blood; the com- ponent parts of that fluid, both as to qua- lity and quantity; the powers upon which its circulation depends, as derived from the state of the brain and nerVes—as dependant upon the qualities and temperature of the air we breathe—and as connected with the other functions of the system. The circulation of the blood is one of the first functions which manifests itself in the living body, and it is one of those which is of primary importance as necessary to its existence. It is also intimately connected with health, inasmuch as no one part of the constitution can be severely in- jured or affected without producing a cor- responding derangement of the circulation of the blood; nor can this function be in the smallest degree deranged, without producing a general disorder in almost every other part of the animal economy. An acquaintance, therefore, with the laws 16 of the circulation of the blood is inseparably connected with the nature and cure of dis- eases. The writings upon this subject are so nu- merous, that I shall only direct your atten- tion more particularly to the first lings of Hal- ler, Hunter on the Blood, John Bell's work upon the Heart and Blood-vessels, Hew- son oh the Blood, the System of Physiology by Blumenbach, Robinson on theAnimal'Eco- nomy, and a late work by Dr. Falconar, entitled, Observations on the Pulse, Kc. 5. A fifth important branch of Physiology is Respiration.—In your inquiries upon this subject, you will learn the nature of the prin- ciples we imbibe from the atmosphere by in- spiration, and the noxious qualities of those which escape from the blood in expiration. You will become acquainted with the agents concerned in this function; the circumstances! which are necessary to their vigorous and healthy action; the connection between re- spiration and the circulation of the blood; its mechanical influence upon the process of digestion, and its connection with the other functions of the system. Seeing, then, that respiration is insepara- bly connected with life, and that the several 17 crgans employed in that process are the sub- jects of disease, which, from their seat, must necessarily be dangerous to the constitution, you will perceive this inquiry to be an im- portant part of medical education. Those works which will be most instructive to you upon this subject are, the Physiology of Hal- ler, Crawford on Animal Heat, Good- win's Dissertation on Respiration, an Essay, by Dr. Menzies, and a late tract by Dr. Thornton, with coloured plates, to illus- trate the changes produced upon the blood by respiration. You will also find it amply treated of in many of the elementary writ- ings of modern chemists, especially those of Lavoisier, Fourcroy, Chaptal and Priestley. 6. Another object of your attention, in the study of the animal economy, is the separa- tion or secretion from the blood of such fluids as are calculated for different offices in the hu- man body connected with lite and health, and the excretion of such as are to be rejected from the constitution, as superfluous and of noxi- ous qualities: thus the saliva, gastric juice, the bile, the pancreatic fluid, and mucus of the intes- tinal canal, are all separated from the blood, for the purpose of digestion; and the several or- c IS gans. concerned in this process are all moisten- ed with a mild, soft fluid, that they may readily move upon one another, without injury. The heart is surrounded with a liquor, which enables it to perform its constant duty in the circulation of the blood. The lungs, in like manner, are supplied with a fluid for the purpose of facilitating iheir motions in respiration. The tears are prepared as neces- sary to remove extraneous substances from the eyes, and as subservient to distinct vi- sion. The ear is supplied with wax, to de- fend the tender organ of hearing. The joints are furnished with an oily fluid, that the hones may move freely upon one another. To these we may add the semen, which is secreted for the purpose of generation;—the liquor amniiy or that fluid with which the womb is supplied for the preservation of the tender foetus ;<—and the milk, secreted for its nourishment after birth. As the organs concerned in the secretion of the several fluids we have enumerated arc" subjects of disease, and, consequently, attend- ed either with a depraved condition of those fluids, a total interruption to their secretion, or a morbid accumulation of them; the na- ture of those diseases, the investigation of l& their causes, their mode of treatment, all demand an acquaintance not only with the structure of those organs, but also with the1 general principles or laws which are connect- ed with the secretion of fluids. As connected with the practice of physic, you will find it no less necessary to inform yourselves of the nature of the excretions as well as the secretions. They are the urine, faces,, and perspiration. You will learn their several properties and characters, and the circumstances in which they are connected with life and health:— From this knowledge you will deduce some important inferences which admit of general application, not only in the treatment of dis* eases immediately connected with the excre- tory organs, but in the treatment of the greater part of the diseases to which the body is liable. For information upon these subjects I must refer you to the physiological works already enumerated; to which must be added the writings of Sanctorius, De Gorter, Dr. Hales, Mr. Cruikshank, a late work upon the Nature and Properties of the Perspirable Matter by Mr. Abernethy, Wilson's Ex- perimental Treatise on the Gravel, Austin on 20 the Stone, and a work lately published under the title of a Treatise upon the Gravel and Gout. These last productions contain much useful and practical information relative to the secretions and excretions. Such are the leading objects of your attention in the study of Anatomy and Physiology. But as the human body, in its structure and functions, bears some resemblance to other animals, and is governed by the gene- ral laws which pervade the animated parts of nature, the study of Zoology and Natural History, as connected with this subject, must be particularly instructive and interesting, and cannot but reflect much light upon the more abstruse parts of the human physiology. With this view permit me to direct your attention to the Philosophy of Natural His- tory, by Smellie; the Comparative Ana- tomy and Physiology, by Vicq. D'Azyz, of which you will find a large abstract in the Encyclopaedia; Dr. Monro's Comparative Anatomy, with his celebrated work on Fishes; Dr. Tyson's Anatomy of the Orang Outang; and White on Gradation. Another remark occurs to me as worthy of your notice—that, in your inquiries into the laws which govern the human body, '21 you will also derive much advantage from a knowledge of the principles which influ- ence the inanimate as well as the animated parts of nature, as unfolded by the sciences of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy. Chemistry, whose express object it is to illustrate the nature and component princi- ples of bodies, will be found of great use in your inquiries into the nature and functions of the human body. The numerous com- binations which take place in the conversion of the various kinds of food into blood; the changes which are wrought upon that fluid by the action of the air, in its passage through the lungs, during the process of re- spiration; the changes which it afterwards undergoes in its circulation through the body; the production of animal heat; the new combinations which are produced by the processes of nutrition and secretion—are all, exclusively, the subjects of chemical investi- gation, and will, accordingly, demand a por- tion of your attention. Natural Philosophy, in its various branches, will be no less useful in unfolding the laws of the other parts of the animal economy. Mechanics, Hydraulics, Optics, Acoustics and 22 Pneumatics, are all necessary, and admit of ex- tensive application in explaining the pheno- mena of muscular motion, the circulation of our fluids, the senses of vision and hearing, together with the influence of the atmosphere upon our bodies, especially as it regards its sensible properties of gravity, heat and moisture. To this end it is, with me, a constant rule to advise every student of medicine under my immediate direction, who has not had the advantages of classical education, to attend one or more courses of lectures on Natural Philosophy, as taught in our College. It will occupy but a small portion of your time, and will, undoubtedly, compensate you with one of the most interesting subjects of hu- man learning. When you have become thus acquainted with the structure of the human frame— with the uses of its various component parts —their operation, as subservient to life and the healthy condition of the body—you are prepared for the study of the more imme- diate objects of your profession, the History qf Diseases, comprehending their symptoms —the various causes which produce them, and the general principles upon which to 25 proceed in their prevention and cure, and a knowledge of the means by which they are accomplished. Under this head I embrace the Theory and Practice of Physic, Surgery, Midwifery and the Materia Mtdica, including Botany and Pharmacy. By the theory of medicine is understood, an explanation of the various phenomena which the body exhibits in a state of disease, and the deduction of those principles upon which the prevention and cure of diseases are to be conducted, which constitute the practice of physic. Seeing the intimate connection that exists between these two departments of medicine, it will become a question of the greatest im- portance, in your first entrance upon diis sub- ject—How far does our art supply such a theory, or system of general principles, cal- culated to direct the practice of physic ? When we inquire into the success which has attended the investigation of the various other branches of science, we shall, in some degree, be enabled to judge, a priori, what may be expected in the science of medicine, which has always deservedly held a distin- guished place as a branch of human learn- 24 ing. But when we are told that, excepting the mathematics and mechanics, all the other departments of philosophy rest upon hypo- thesis; when we are informed that metaphy- sics, chemistry, the physiology of animals and XKgetables, are still vibrating between the dif- ferent hypotheses which have been invented to unfold the great principles by which they are governed; and when we are told that even the system of gravitation, which was supposed to be established upon a basis firm as the earth itself, at this time has its op- - ponents; and that many of the supposed principles of hydraulics and pneumatics are yet unsettled, we ought not to be surprised that the laws which influence the no less complex machinery of the human body in a state of health, should be but imperfectly understood; and, consequently, that, in a state of disease, its operations should be equally mysterious. A cursory view of the various systems of medicine, as they are improperly denomi- nated, which have appeared at different pe- riods of the world, to explain the nature of disease, and to direct the practice of physic, cannot fail to impress your minds with just ideas of their instability, and, in some in- 25 stances, their fatal tendency, in as far as they are founded in conjecture, and thereby incul- cate an uncertain mode of practice. This review will also serve to caution you against that undue attachment to particular opinions and doctrines which is so natural to the mind, especially in youth, when the imagination is' most susceptible of impressions, and the judgment has the least influence in controul- ing its opinions. I should not have ventured thus freely to have expressed myself upon this subject, if you were engaged in the study of medicine merely as a subject of curiosity and specu- lative learning; but I consider you as can- didates for the practice of a profession which necessarily involves many sacred duties. I therefore must advise you to distrust the va- rious doctrines you are to meet with in the course of your reading, as unsatisfactory at the bed-side, and not unfrequently calculate ed to mislead you into an uncertain and dangerous mode of practice. Remember that period of superstition, in which it was supposed that diseases were in- flicted by evil spirits, and were only to be cured by charms and incantations. Remem- ber the fate which befel the elements, ihecer D 2ff 'iesti'al causes, the attractions and antipathies of Hippocrates. Bear in mind the Peripatetic doctrines of Galen, which were the guide of physicians until the beginning of the six- teenth century; the Corpuscularian doctrines of Asclepiades, and as revived by Gas- sendi; the chemical reveries of Paracel- sus and Van Helmont, which succeeded; the concoctions and ebullitions of Syden- ham; the mathematical calculations of Pit- cairn and Keil; the mechanico~chemkal doctrines of Willis^ Baglivy and Hoff- man; the jtnima medica of Stahl, of Ger- many—Perrault, in France-^-GAUBiusr in Holland-^-PoRTERFiELD and Simson, in Scotland—and Nichols and Mead, in Eng- land; the humoral pathology of Boerhaave; the magnetism of Messmer; the electrical system of Shaw. They are all forgotten.-— In like manner, the doctrines of Cullen; the excitement of Brown; the irritability ot Girtanner; the absorbent system of Dr. Darwin; and the present revived Paracel- siannotions of Thornton, To wnshend and Beddoes, may possibly, in a short time, be also consigned to oblivion. At the same time that I thus endeavour to impress your minds with the danger of being 27 misled by those doctrines which have been enumerated, I also wish to annex to them their true value. Each of them I consider as true to a certain extent; but their authors, pleased with the success of the first appli- cation of them in unfolding some of the phe- nomena of disease, like parents amused with the first essays of their offspring, very soon became blind even to their faults. Hence the enthusiasm and zeal manifest in the writ- ings of every inventor of a new system. By recollecting the strong propensity of the hu- man mind to be enamoured of itself and its productions, they are to be forgiven; but let us profit from their faults; and although Pa- racelsus ordered the works of his predeces- sors to be publicly burned, with great solem* nity, let us preserve even Ms reveries from the funeral pile, for the sake of the small portion of truth which they may contain.— However fanciful and enthusiastic the various systems in physic may appear in many of those writers I have enumerated, they will be found the best guides in leading you to a knowledge of the fundamental principles which must govern you in practice, when, by your discernment, you may separate their fancies from their facts. 23 The faithful history and description of dis* eases, the enumeration of the causes which produce them, and the most successful modes of treatment, as they are detailed in the Writ- ings of Hippocrates, Galen, Sydenham, Baglivy, Hoffman, Boerhaave, Cullen and Darwin, you will find mdispensibly necessary for your, knowledge of those sub- jects; and remember, in the course of your reading upon the practice of physic, to add to this catalogue the valuable writings of Whytt, Pringle, Blane, Huxham, the tWO LlNDS, FOTHERGILL, LETTSOM, DuN- can, the Gregorys, Cleghorn, Saun- ders, Jackson, Grant, Chisholm, and our countryman, Dr. Rush. Upon this part of our subject, suffer me * to call your attention to the necessity of pe- rusing the works of the anciait writers in medicine, as well as the more fashionable productions of modern times. Within a few years they have not held the same place which they formerly occupied in the estima- tion of medical men. This I can readily ascribe to the boasted philosophy lately in- troduced into the theory and practice of physic: for remember there is a sort of fa- shion in medicine as well as in' dress, and 29 many valuable works are at present thrown aside, as not suiting the prevailing opinions of the time; but, like many garments of an- cient date, although their manner may not be adapted to the fashion of the day, they are frequently made up of materials infi- nitely more valuable than die tinsel of mo- dern discovery. But in this country, I trust, another reason may be given for this inatten- tion to the works of antiquity—that our li- braries do not supply the pupil with the means of obtaining an acquaintance with them. I rejoice to inform you, that in this city, this last difficulty has been, in some de- gree, removed by the late accession to die Medical Library of the New-York Hospital, and that the original works of Hippocrates, Galen, Celsus, Vesalius, Eustachius, Vieussen, Riverius, Bqnetus, Albinus, Baglivy, Hoffman, and many others, are now to be found in that valuable repository of medical learning. I cannot pass by this cir- cumstance without bearing testimony to the liberality of the gentlemen who.compose die Board of Governors of that institution. Enter- taining a due sense of the importance of that establishment, as a place of instruction to die student of medicine, diey have not only em- 30 braced every opportunity, but they have ea- gerly sought for occasions by which they could render it most profitable to the pupils who attend the practice of the house, as well as a comfortable asylum to the sick who are the objects of its charity. Actuated by this principle, in the year 1797 they founded the present Medical Library, to which the Faculty of Physic of Columbia College also liberally contributed, not only by their atten- tion in the management and regulation of it, but by pecuniary aid, and the contribution of 6uch volumes as they could spare from their own private libraries. Within a few months* an addition has been made, by the Go- vernors, of some hundred volumes, consist- ing of many of the most respectable writings, both of ancient and modern times. Ano- ther contributor tp this valuable collection must be remembered with grateful acknow- ledgments,—Dr. Lettsom, of London— whose benevolence and learning entitle him to the esteem and respect of every friend to virtue and science. Remember, at the same time that you are perusing the works which have been enumerated, that, however celebrated their authors, whether ancient or modern, they 31 are but copies taken from the original, wkh which you should also become acquainted. The sick-room is an indispensibly neces- sary place of study for the medical pupil. The infinite number of changes which the body undergoes, by the numerous varieties of disease, can only be acquired by a close and watchful observance at the bed-side of the sick. In addition, therefore, to books, let me recommend to you a punctual and con- stant attention to this source of practical, knowledge. In the New-York Hospital you have an ample opportunity of becoming ac- quainted with a great variety of diseases, espe- cially those which most frequently occur in this climate and country. Do not, therefore, forego so valuable a source of practical in- formation. Make frequent visits to the sick: record their age, their sex, their occupation, their temperament, their general external ap- pearances: patiently listen to the history of their complaints: trace their commencement, their progress, and the changes they may have undergone previous to their admission into the hospital, as well as their conditions at the time of your visit: inquire into the state of their various functions as influenced by the disease: remark the season of the year, 32 the prevailing diseases, and the state of the weather. These inquiries satisfied, record the medicines, the diet, and the regimen which may be prescribed by the physician, and, when you have returned to your closet,, con- sult the best practical writers upon those dis- eases which you may have witnessed. By comparing their opinions and prescriptions, you will acquire not only a knowledge of the most successful modes and principles o£ practice, but also a facility in distinguishing diseases, which, by the careless observer, are frequently confounded. The next subject of your attention is Sur- gery. Such is the present state of society in this country, the profession of physic has not hit therto called for, nor does it admit of, those distinctions that have been made in the more populous and wealthy cities of Europe-^ Hence the Practice of Physic, Surgery, and the Obstetric Art, are frequently united in the same person: accordingly, you will find it necessary to devote a portion, of your time and attention to those last-mentioned branches of medicine. By surgery is generally understood the me- chanical application of remedies to wounds,; 33 and other accidents or diseases incident to the human body; or, as Celsus defines it, medicina pars est qua manu curat. But this definition conveys but a very imperfect idea of the importance and extent of this branch of the healing art. The mechanical opera- tions of surgery, the dressing of wounds, the reduction of fractures and dislocations, in my opinion, constitute the smallest part of sur- gery, and would be executed with more ad- dress and skill by the mechanic, than by many of those who call themselves operators. Such is the constitution of the human frame, that when one part of the body be- comes the seat of disease, the whole system partakes of the affection, and, in its turn, re-acts upon the part diseased, producing changes corresponding with the general con- dition of the body at the time of the acci- dent, or as induced by the first operation of the disease itself. Hence, in every accident or disorder which falls within the province of surgery, it is the business of the surgeon to notice the changes produced upon the general health of the system, and the subse- quent effect of those changes upon the seat and origin of the disease. It is, therefore, no less necessary to feel the pulse of the pa- E 3* ticnt in the treatment of a fractured limb, (Joan it is in the management of a violent and dangerous fever. You will then readily perceive the connection between the practice of physic and surgery, and the necessity of attending to the former as subservient to the latter. In a word, every surgeon must be first a physician. These remarks will suggest to you some hints relative to the prosecution of this part of your medical studies. They point out to you the importance of an accurate know- ledge of the structure of the body, and an intimate acquaintance with the laws which govern and influence its various functions*, as preparatory to the more immediate objects of surgery. They will also serve to impress your minds with the necessity of attending not only to the detail of the various steps of an operation, and a description of the instru- ments with which it is to be conducted, but also to the nature and extent of the disease; the circumstances which are to determine whether an operation be required for the re- moval of it; the general condition of the pa- tient; the season in which it can be done witii the greatest prospect of benefit; and the, preparatory measures to be pursued to 35 give it all possible advantage. Such are the objects of your inquiries, when engaged in this branch of medical education. The writings upon surgery, which yon will peruse with most advantage, are, a Treatise on Surgery, by Mr. Kirkland; the works of Mr. Pott; the System of Sur- gery, by Benjamin Bell; John Bell's Treatise on Wounds; the Dissections ofCh arles Bell, which contain many valuable observa* tions relative to the practice of surgery;' O'Halloran on the Diseases of the Head; Earle on the Stone, Hydrocele, and Curvature qf the Spine; Shelden on the Fracture of the Patella; Russel's Treatise on Necrosis; the works of Mr. Abernethy; the Chirurgkal Transactions, lately published in London; the surgkal writings of Professor Richter, of Gottingen, and Bohn, of Amsterdam. Nor must we forget, in this catalogue, the many valuable tracts contained in the Transactions of the Academy of Surgery at Paris, and the Ghimrgical Journal of Dessault. The last branch of practice which will call for your attention is Midwifery. - This department of medical knowledge has for its objects not only the delivery of wo- men in child-bed, and the diseases moreim- 36 mediately attendant upon parturition; but also those disorders which are peculiar to pregnancy, those which succeed to delivery, and are connected with the puerperal state, and the diseases of early infancy. Before you proceed to these subjects, you will find i necessary to make yourselves well acquainted with the anatomy of the female pelvis, of the gravis uterus, and other parts which are concerned in the process of par- turition, or which become the seat of disease. You will be enabled to understand the influ- ence of those organs upon the constitution, the changes which are wrought by preg- nancy, and the diseases peculiar to that con- dition. Your next object in this inquiry will be the process of parturition—its effects upon the system, and die diseases which it occa- sionally produces—the circumstances which distinguish natural labour, which is to be left to the operations of nature, from that which is preternatural, and requires the interference of art. You will next learn the various kinds of preternatural labour, the characteristic cir- cumstances of each, and the peculiar treat- ment which each demands. 37 I do not know, in the whole course of me- dical practice, any situation in which your talents and professional knowledge are more required, or in which your sensibility is more excited, than in the treatment of the various accidents and difficulties which at- tend the practice of midwifery. Remem- ber, in many instances, both the lives of the mother and child depend upon your know- ledge of this subject, and an error of judg- ment, or ignorance of the mode of treating the particular circumstances of the case be- fore you, may prove not only fatal to them, but also destructive to your reputation as a practitioner. Your responsibility, therefore, in situations thus interesting, must necessa- rily call for your attention to this subject in proportion to its importance. The regimen, or management of women in child-bed, as preventive of the diseases inci- dent to that state, as well as the peculiar treatment of the diseases to which they are then exposed, will also become subjects of your especial notice and inquiry. For your information upon those subjects, I must refer you to the works of Mauri- ceau, LaMotte, Gifford, Smellie, Per- fect, Spence, White, Leake, Dr. W:l- 38 liam Hunter, Plenck, Clark*, Den- man, the Hamiltons, Bland and Rigby, as the best writers upon midwifery. Upon the diseases of children you will do well to consult the writings of Sparman, Moss, Harris, Smith and Underwood, which are expressly upon that subject. But the best writings upon midwifery are insufficient to instruct you in this art. They are essentially necessary to make you ac- quainted with the principles of it; but obr servation at the bed-side can alone convey to you just ideas of the practical application of those principles. The Lying-in Hospital of this city, which originated in the benevolent subscription of the citizens of New-York, and was esta- blished in 1798, will afford to the diligent and attentive student of midwifery, abundant opportunities of practical instruction upon this subject. The remaining subject of inquiry, to qua«» lify you for the Practice of Physic, is the Materia Medica. The Materia Medica, taking the term in its fullest latitude, embraces for its objects all those matters which enter into the medi- cal treatment or cure of diseases; or, in other words, it treats of medicines, diet and regi- men. As the greater part of the articles employed in the practice of physic are derived from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, you will find it necessary to know the place they severally hold in the systems of Zoologyt Botany, and Mineralogy: but as these sub- jects are included under that of Natural His- tory, already recommended to your atten- tion, I shall only, in this place, take occasion to remark, that you will find the science of Botany, including the philosophy of vegetation, particularly useful, as connected with the general principles of physiology, and as subservient to a knowledge of the properties of those plants which are em- ployed as articles of the materia medica: for between the botanical characters of plants, and their medicinal virtues, there is frequently an intimate connection, with which the phy- sician should become acquainted. To those who wish to acquire a knowledge of the profession of physic as a branch of philosophy, as well as the doses of medicine, or the formula of prescriptions, the study of the vegetable kingdom must prove a source of much useful information. The anatomi- 40 cal structure of plants, the nature of the rela- tion they bear to minerals, in their origin, life, growth, manner of receiving nourishment; their different kinds of food, propagation of their species, diseases, natural decomposition; their elementary principles, as afforded by a chemical analysis, and the different changes they produce upon our atmosphere, are cer- tainly subjects of great value and importance to the physician as well as to the philosopher. As they are subjects calculated to illustrate the general principles of physiology, and as connected with health and the cure of dis- eases, they cannot be thrown aside as mere matter of speculative inquiry. Considered in this view, as they have been by a Hales, an Ingenhouz, and a Priestley, we can- not pass them by as objects either useless or indifferent. If, then, the structure and phy- siology of vegetables be of importance to a physician, in enabling him to become bet- ter acquainted with the structure and phy- siology of the human body, a knowledge of which is the only true guide of his practice in alleviating and curing its diseases, and which forms a line of distinction between the enlightened physician and the empiric, it is certainly of. no less importance, that he 41 should have a knowledge of those plants which are employed in the practice of phy- sic, more especially if it be his lot to reside in the country, where many of them are the spontaneous produce of his own neighbour- hood. But it is more especially necessary for him to become familiarly acquainted with those plants that are of a poisonous nature, which, though comparatively few in number, are scattered wild over our fields and pastures, and oftentimes mix with the culinary produce of our gardens. How degrading, then, must it be to the Physician not to know his food from his poison* and can mistake a Hemlock for a Parsley, or the leaves of Foxglove for those of Mullein ! As it is, therefore, one of the great objects of Botany to teach us the natural history of those vegetables which are employed in the cure of diseases; and as the virtues of medi- cines are, in many instances, connected with their botanical characters; it has been thought expedient to unite these two branches of me- dical learning in the same professorship. But there are several other arguments which may be adduced for the cultivation of botanical science, especially in the United States. The only works which supply any useful F 42 information relative to the native vegetable productions of this vast country* as far as has fallen to my observation, are those of Shoeft^j Wangenheim, Kalm, Catesby* Clay- ton, Jefferson, Marshall, Muhlen- berg, Bartram, Colden, Cutler, and Belknap; to which may be added the ac-i cidental observations of travellers. And it is to be observed that those works, except the travels of Professor Kalm, the writings of Wangenheim, and the. Arbustrum Ame^ ricanum of Marshall, only relate to the productions of some particular States, espe-» cially the Carolinae, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New-York and Massachusetts. Many of those, again, contain but the description ol the plants of particular districts or townships in those States. Much, then, remains to be done in this western part of the globe. Many accessions are still necessary, from the im- mense treasures of America, to complete the voftime of botanical science. And for those wfeose taste and circumstances may lead to this extensive arid important inquiry in the natural history of our country, great reputa- tion is reserved to reward their labours. The Peruvian Bark, the Ipecacuanha, the Seneka and Virginia Snake-root, the Carolina 43 Pink-root, the Sassafras, the Dogwood, the Butternut, the Chamomile, the Foxglove, the Thoroughwort, the jPofoi the Stramonium, and the Toxicodendron, are but q small part of the medicinal productions of America: and when we consider the fertility and diversity of our soils, the great variety of our climate, and especially when we recollect that Ame- rica has already furnished the world with many of the most valuable articles, both of fbod and medicine, there can be no hesita- tion to believe that we may here meet with almost every vegetable production of the earth, whether for food, for medicine, or as useful'in the arts and manufactures. The works best calculated to instruct you in this interesting branch o£ medicine, are those of Tournefort, Linn^us, Smith, Wood- ville, Curtis, Dickson, Martyn, Wi* thering, Lightfoot, Hudson, Murray, Gilibert, Lamarck, L'Heritier, Bulli- ard, Jussieit, Milne, Lee, and Hull.* But, gentlemen, it must naturally occur to you, that an abstract account of die prin- ciples of this science, even though illustrated by figures, however elegantly coloured, or * For a more Cull account of fhe most esteemed botanical wprlts, 9e« my Syllabus of botanical Ledures, published in 170J. u by dried plants, however carefully they may be preserved, must be necessarily very imper- fect, when compared with the examination of living plants, growing in their proper soifc,- with the advantages of culture. I sin- cerely regret, both on your account and the reputation of our college, that the want of a Botanic Garden renders this part of our sys- tem of medical education incomplete. But such an establishment is not to be accom- plished by the exertions of the individual. It calls for the countenance and attention of our Legislature. It is in this way so much has been accomplished in exploring the different countries of Europe. It is to public establish- ments, and endowments, of this sort, they are indebted for the rapid progress they have made in the knowledge of natural history, in the principles of agriculture, and, I may add, as connected with these, the general dif- fusion of philosophical learning, and its prac- tical application to the different purposes of human life. But such has been the munifi- cence of the Legislature of New-York, in the patronage of our Hospital and Colleges— such has been their liberality in the support of the other departments of medical learning in Columbia College, we have every reason to 45 expect that the establishment of a Botanic Garden, as far as shall be subservient to the great purposes of medicine and agriculture, will also, in a short time, meet with their general design of protecting useful know- ledge, and those arts which are most essenti- ally connected with human happiness. There are also many articles of the Materia Medica which are derived from the fossil kingdom, and which undergo many artificial changes before they become the subjects of medical prescription. Such are those known under the title of chemical medicines. An- other important science here presents itself to your view, as necessary to the Physician. Chemistry has already been noticed, as an art highly useful in unfolding many of the phenomena and functions of the human body. But it is of no less importance in en- abling you to understand the nature of many of the medicines you will have occasion to prescribe, and the pharmaceutical changes they have undergone in acquiring their medi- cal properties. The writings of Black, La- voisier, Chaptal,Fourcroy, Cavendish, Berthollet, Gren, Jacquin, Priestley, Nicholson, and those of our learned Pro- fessor of Chemistry, Dr. Mitchill, will sup- ply you with a knowledge of this subject. 45 When ydU have thus acquired a knowledge of the natural history of the medicines which Compose the Materia Medica, and the artifi* cial changes they undergo to render them fit for use, you will be prepared to investigate their virtues, and mode of operation in the cure of diseases. I shall Conclude this discourse with a pros- pectus of the plan I propose to observe in the ensuing course of Lectures; which will, at the same time, convey to you some idea of the extent and value of this branch of me- dical education. As this subject divides itself under the three great heads of Medicine, Diet, and Re- gimen, I propose, 1st. To distribute all the articles of medi* cine into a certain number of classes, accord- ing to their effects or operation upon the hu* man body: and, as our knowledge of me- dicines is only useful as it directs us in the cure of diseases, I shall, as far as is practi- cable, preserve a connection between the classes of medicine and the general nature of the diseases in which they are chiefly to be employed. I am aware that this is not always to be accomplished, as the same me- dicine is frequently exhibited in diseases of a very opposite nature. 47 2d. I shall endeavour to explain the gene^ ral principles upon which those classes of medicines operate upon the system in pro- ducing their effects, laying before you the different theories which have been adopted by different writers in accounting for their manner of operation. 3d. It will be my intention to point out the diseases, and particular circumstances, in which they are severally to be exhibited. 4th. I shall proceed to describe the parti* cular medicines belonging to each class; their natural history; the changes or artificial processes they undergo to render them fit for use; the doses or quantities of each to be ad* ministered; and other circumstances which may govern their exhibition. Under die head of Diet I shall offer you some general observations upon the different kinds of food; their effects upon the system in health and disease; with some general rules to be observed in the diet of the sick, according to the nature of their diseases. The third division of our subject takes in a view of the circumstances necessary to be attended to in the treatment of the sick, which are not enumerated under the two former heads. These are, Climate, Air, Ex- 48 crcise, Sleep, and Cloathing, constituting what practical writers have denominated Regimen. For the most part, writers upon the Materia Medica confine themselves to the consider- ation of medicines and diet only, excluding regimen, which, in many instances, espe- cially in the treatment of chronic diseases, appears to be as necessary an object of the Physician's notice and prescription as either medicine or diet. I have, therefore, thought proper to introduce it as a part of our course, not only as it strictly belongs to the Materia Medica, but especially with a view to call your attention to a subject which is too much neglected, both by the pupil and the practi- tioner of medicine. In prosecuting this branch of your medi- cal studies, I must recommend to you a care- ful perusal of the second volume of the Con- spectus Medicine of Dr. Gregory, the Ap- paratus Medicaminum of Professor Murray, Dr. Cullen's System of the Materia Medica, the Therapeutics of Dr. Duncan, and the valuable Lectures upon Diet and Regimen lately published by Dr. Willich. the end, 'fr~,. * +J V I h^^ I -dfc^ A - f.-ti ', H "}?. %+$ #?>,