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Cold bath.---- .5, 6, 7, 19, 73, 74, 75, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361 Warm bath ...---.......................37, 38, 75-78, 357 Hip disease-..........:..............................27-729 Diphtheria....................................30, 359 Bright's disease....................................33, 34 Erysipelas......................................57 Cancer and throat troubles.............................57 Salt water bathing............................... in Flux and diarrhoea...........................113, 114, 116 Indigestion...........................................120 Cholera infantum............................no, nr, 112 Croup..........................................118, 119 Salt ............................................120, 121 A leading physician's chalk and water...............201, 202 Cold water...................................213, 214, 252 Scrofula..........................................228, 229 Our son's child's bruised knee......................254, 255 Boston Globe s reporter's case..................294, 295, 296 Small-pox.........................................2, 3, 82 Dr. Baruch on cold bath.............."..................327 Dr. Smythe...... ............................ 344 My own experience....................................357 A BOLD ARRAIGNMENT —OF THE— Medical Profession, —FOR— The Practice of False Theories, False Pretenses, Fraudulent Claims for a False Science, and for Their Determined Purpose to Oppose THE COLD BATH IN ALL FEVERS, And for Publishing to the People That It is Not Beneficial, but Hurtful, All for the Purpose of Deluding the People Into Employing Them to Treat the Sick With Their Fraud- ulent Science, and to Let Them Die. With the Papers Attached of DRS. SIMON BARUCH AND G. C. SMYTHE, Read Before Their Respective Medical Societies, on the Treat- ment of Typhoid Fever With Cold Water. By ADRIEL S. KINGSLEY, INDIANAPOLIS, IND. K5S&- \fteo .$& \ce*% DUPLICATE PREFACE. While offering these pages to the public, I am aware that it is a hazardous undertaking—to arraign before it for discrimination, as to its right or wrong doing, of the supposed to be so important medical profession. I ask a careful, and may I not say, a prayerful consideration of all I have written. It concerns every living being the same as it concerns me, because the destiny of every one is largely determined by the relationship which community sustains with that profession, which is everywhere present—omnipresent, in influence, if not in person. It is weal or woe to come in contact with it, and, hence, it is of the greatest importance that every person in the community should study and consider the claims it makes, as to its importance to the peo- ple of that community. The seeds of disease are planted in the physical frame of every one that it touches, from the time the child enters into the world—or they are not; and then, to the contrary, it eradicates disease, and infuses into that frame, health and vigor for youth IV PREFACE. and for manhood, and while that manhood would naturally go on to a vigorous and grand old age. It is for that " discriminating public "—that, which the reader will see further along, Dr. Smythe refers to—to weigh the facts, arguments, deductions and conclusions which I have recorded in the following pages, in my arraignment of the medical profession before the bar of that discriminating public's opinion. I have arraigned it for failing to do what it pro- fesses its ability to do—for allowing people to suffer long and die, while all the time claiming to know just what their disease is, and just what medicine is necessary to cure them, for, in spite of that pre- tended knowledge, often mistaking one disease for another ; for experimenting upon its patients with various drugs, while pretending to know just what drug would cure them, and then, in the face of all this pretended knowledge and ability to save, letting them die. I have arraigned those professionals under the charge of deceiving the people by all that pretended medical knowledge, and alluring them into trusting their sick in their hands for the pur- pose of great gain in cash, and to obtain a high social standing in society. I have arraigned them under the charge of re- fusing to treat their sick in the way to cure them the easiest and quickest, determining to let them linger and to die, often, while and for the purpose of PREFACE. V piling up a big fee bill. In a word, practicing their profession for money, regardless of life or health. I have arraigned them for publishing a false state- ment in the public prints, to the effect that cold water is not beneficial but hurtful in scarlet fever, after I had stated in the same papers that I had treaced two of my children successfully with cold pack, and charging them with the intention of preventing the people, in a time of an epidemic of scarlet fever, from believing me, so that they might still continue their dangerous and cruel practice upon children, for the money there was in it. I have charged them with parading their knowledge of anatomy, with their pretended knowledge of the science of medicine, as a guaran- tee that they know just how to apply that pretended science to the people, so as to keep them in health, or restore them to health, while, all the time, it is only a confidence game they play, in order to ex- tort from them exorbitant fees while practicing that pretended healing art upon them. And, while, too, they know that there is no certainty in that science, and which they acknowledge when they resort to experimenting, as they do continually upon their patients. While, also, they know that many of the most profound, but honest, of their number have declared that there is no certainty, but much un- certainty in their "science" theory. VI PREFACE. To that " discriminating public," to which Dr Smythe so emphatically appeals, do I appeal to con- sider well the arraignments and charges which I make against those professionals, and then, as they proceed to read the first and second parts, to also con- sider well the authority I have for making them— my quotations from Drs. Baruch and Smythe, and if my deductions are not warranted by their arraign- ments and charges. I ask that same public to can- didly consider, and then answer whether my lan- guage is stronger or arraignment more emphatic than is Dr. Smythe's when he charges those same professionals, when they refuse to use the same means which I advocate in all these pages, and which I so successfully used to save my children, with "signing the death warrant" of their patients who die under their treatment, and that which I have so earnestly condemned. I wish the discriminating public to consider whether or not Dr. Smythe charges those physicians who, he says, sign the death warrant of their pa- tients, with practicing a confidence game upon them, and for what purpose ? Does he not, virtually, charge them with causing their death ? And, then, for what purpose—what motive inspires them to that deed ? Is it not the meaning of his words that they do it by determining to treat them with their dangerous and long-suffering-producing code, rather PREFACE. vii than by the "certain-cure mode" of cold bath ? He certainly has in his mind their motive for that treatment. Will the public consider well, and in- quire, according to the nature of man in his pursuit of business, what is the Doctor's idea of their motive ? Dr. Smythe is within telephone call of our city physicians, and, too, he read his paper, detailing his treatment with cold bath, before them, in our city, within the last few months, at their State Medical Society meeting, so they are not ignorant of how he saved two hundred, and more, patients by it. Yet, do they accept his advice gladly, when some poor human being is in their hands to be treated, and treat him accordingly ? No, but they treat his advice with "adverse criticism"—scout it, while the patient dies. How many of the "discriminating public" of our city have lost friends in the hands of these adverse criticizers of his saving method ? Is it not a daily occurrence that some dear friend has fallen a victim to their stubbornly persistent treat- ment, with their death-dealing code ? Then, will not that bereaved part of our "dis- criminating public" consider well the reason for that stubborn persistence, that caused those dear one's deaths ? Will they not hold those doctors responsible, as Dr. S. declares that the "public will hold them responsible" ? And his words "can not Vlll PREFACE. be whistled down with a breath of wind." If doctors, in their relations with that " public," as healers of the sick, are to be considered in the same light as traders in horse flesh or produce—striking for the advantage, and most money and largest profits—then must humanity, and human life and blood be considered on a par with horse flesh, pota- toes and oats; and they may then be justifiable in their present long-drawn-out healing relations with, and practices on that humanity—God's creatures. Are not these points made, food for thought by our discriminating public ? Are our sick to be treated by the physician in a way for him to realize the most money out of their sufferings ? Is he to be allowed to say they shall linger on a bed of anguish for weeks, and with a strong probability of their going to their graves, when he can use the simple remedy—cold water—and restore them to health in a day ? And for the only possible reason conceivable, that there is more money in a case of weeks than of a day. I most earnestly ask, in behalf of the suffering and languishing upon sick beds, of our people, the earnest attention of the reader to these queries. Then, another point, strictly germane to all the points made in this preface, I make : While Drs. Baruch and Smythe are so considerate of their professional brethren's feelings, in their appeal to them to use cold bath for fevers, PREFACE. IX can it be doubted that they, in their own minds, allow any other reason than that for a fat fee, which impels the doctor to refuse to use it ? And, while I have, in all these pages, charged them with a desire to realize those fat fees in their lingering treatment for fevers, I have also charged the same doctors with a determination to pursue the same dallying course in their treatment of other diseases, and also to stick to their "theory" of treatment, and refuse to vary from it, notwithstanding their failure to cure by it, and while seeing their patients lingering in terrible suffering. For instance, diphtheria, as they call it; and, undoubtedly, to befog the minds of the people with the idea that it is something terrible, when, in reality, sore throat, or a swelling of the glands of the throat,- would be all the definition necessary ; while, too, instead of their torturing the patient with their useless treatment, would they blister the outside and treat the inside as I have stated that our grandchildren had been treated, and so easily relieved, they would lose no patients. But, then, that dallying course brings them the same fat fee as in the case of fever, while it befogs the minds of the people, leading them to suppose there is great intricacy in the treatment of the disease. Just here are two instances, just reported, for Dr. Smythe's "discriminating public" to consider, and render its judgment upon : " There are several X PREFACE. cases of typhoid fever at Crawfordsville, supposed to be the result of drinking out of a well. Dr. Taylor, of the State Board of Health, advises the discontinuance of the use of the water." Now, I submit to that "public": Were not Dr. Taylor one of Dr. Smythe's adverse criticizers, or contrary in his feelings and practice to his methods of cold bath, would he not advise the use of that well water to cure those cases of typhoid fever ? Suppose they do discontinue its use, will that restore those people to health ? Does locking the stable after the horse is stolen bring him back? But, on the principle that "the hair of the dog will cure his bites," Dr. Smythe would use that water to cure its "bite." Will that public excuse Dr. Taylor, or any other physician there, if they allow their contrary feelings to Dr. S.'s method of saving those patients—feelings inspired by no other possible motive than that prompted by a selfish, sordid desire to make the most cash out of their long sufferings—deter them from resorting to that method, but, rather, should it not "hold them responsible," as Dr. S. will? Should those patients die, he will charge those doctors with "signing their death warrants." " Supposed to be the result of drinking out of a 'well.''1 Well, we have the same right to "suppose" that Dr. Taylor, if he refuses to use that water to save those patients, is a fraud, while our supposition PREFACE. XI is just as correct as his can be—as his conduct, in refusing to use cold bath in those fevers, justifies our supposition. Here is the other instance: "Two Yale stu- dents have died during the last two or three days of typhoid fever. Three others, including Mark Borden, of Chicago, are ill with the same disease." Now, that " discriminating public" are to judge whether those attending physicians are to be charged by Dr. Smythe with signing the death warrant of those students. And can it not very easily decide, since Dr. Baruch shows that, while forty-one per cent, have died in the Xew York City hospitals by their code treatment, every one of 2,150 cases treated by cold bath recovered ? Then, will not the dis- criminating public resolve itself into a "criminating public," and hold those doctors "criminally lespon- sible" for the deaths of those students? If not, why not ? And, then, what is a criminal responsibility ? Or will that same public allow those doctors of "adverse criticisms," contrary to the best welfare of their sick, to still hush them up when they even suggest cold bath instead of their cruel and lingering treatment ? Will they allow them to "whistle down with a breath of wind" Dr. Smythe's and Dr. Baruch's array of figures, that show the beneficent effect of cold bath as against their code treatment ? In a word, will the people resolve to protect them- Xll PREFACE. selves and their families from the fraud perpetrated upon themselves by the most powerful, impudent and arrogant combination of men and women in the world ? They are powerful in number, impu- dent in presenting themselves before the public, and arrogant in their claims of skill, in a pretended science that has not the least foundation of truth to rest upon, as a remedial agency in curing disease. Real science is governed by a law of nature, immu- table as God is unchangable, and such a law applied to disease, over which it reaches, would remove it at once, just as cold water is the real science of nature, the law of nature, to expel fever from the physical frame, or hot water to expel a chill from it. The thousands of cases mentioned in these pages, as verified by those who have proved it, show what the true science of cold water will do, while, at the the same time, they expose the fraud of the pre- tended science practiced by those who repudiate the water, and adhere to their "medical ethics*' treatment. In proportion, as they would fasten their influ- ence upon the people, their arrogance is intensified, in claiming all the knowledge and skill necessary, as conservators of their health and lives ; founding it all upon the truth of that pretended medical science, while their continual failures, in their treat- ment of disease by it, intensifies the falsity of their PREFACE. Xlll pretensions, while also intensifying the evidence of fraudulent intentions ; and, too, while there is no stronger evidence of their fraudulent intentions than they reveal in their persistent opposition to cold bath, as recommended, as well as practiced, by Drs. Baruch, Smythe and others ; and, too, while they are convicted of fraudulent intentions in opposing cold bath, that opposition convicts them of fraudu- lent intentions in all their practices—defrauding for big fees. While it must be admitted that all this is plain language, is it any plainer than that used bv Dr. Smythe toward those who persist in using their old, but, really, no remedies for fevers ? — only such as Dr. Oliver uses to enable the patient to "battle" with them, that they may live long in dying—or living, no difference which, so they get the big fee. They oppose his theory, which he has reduced to the most successful practice—saving all his patients, while theirs die—when he charges them with "sign- ing their death warrant," while the mildest defini- tion of that language possible would be, "agreeing to their death, provided they can not be saved," while they are amassing their large fee bills. His proposition to them to practice his plan, so as to „save all their patients, has been met with adverse criticism from them—"contrary criticism"—which means that they will not follow his advice, even XIV PREFACE. should their patients die in consequence of their refusal to do so. It is a question of life or death with the people's sick—Dr. Smythe's "discriminat- ing public"—while those contrary practitioners rely on the influence they have obtained over that public, by their arrogant claims of medical knowledge and skill, to convince them that they are right; and he, or any one else who may advise his plan, is a fraud, and unsafe to follow. Now, will that public con- tinue under their influence, and lose their sick—see them die—or break away from it, and adopt Dr. Smythe's plan and see them all live—and that, too, while saving themselves from those fat fees? While I appeal to that "discriminating public" — that which Dr. Smythe so emphatically believes will hold those doctors who refuse to treat by his plan, and thereby lose their patients, "responsible" for their deaths—I do it with no other motive than to promote the happiness of all the people, of all that "public," who are to discriminate not only as to who are responsible, and who are not responsible for those deaths, but as to the motive of those who refuse to treat with cold bath, and thus lose their patients. The fact that the cold bath treatment is right, or that it is wrong, must be considered by the reader, , while making up his verdict for or against the doctor who refuses to practice it; and if he finds PREFACE. XV that by its use every patient is cured, and by its non- use one-fifth, or any other number, is not cured, but dies, then he must render the same judgment which Dr. Smythe does, that that doctor is guilty of their death—"signs their death warrant." And if he finds that Dr. Smythe can save all his patients by cold bath, he must find that any or every other doctor can do the same ; and, consequently, there can be no excuse for any one, who fails to save a patient, when not practicing it, but a condemnation for the crime of letting them die. And, while arraigning doctors for that crime, is it not proper to begin at home—right here in our city ? Then let the reader, a part of that " discriminating public," arraign Dr. Oliver, Dr. Fletcher, Professor Hays, Dr. Hervey, Dr. (?) A. W. B., and all those whom '"we'best love," for "singing the death warrant" of those whom they treat with "quinia," "pickled moonshine," or what not—anything to be "contrary" to Dr. Smythe's certain remedy ; and let him, Drs. Baruch, Brand, and company, be called, while I will volunteer my testimony—although the Marion County Medical Society may publish^ that I am unworthy of belief. Then we will convict every one of them of the crime of signing the death warrant of their patients, for big fees—eh ? But will the public, the sufferers from their con- trary treatment, dare to arraign them for public XVI PREFACE. . condemnation—that condemnation which Dr. S. pronounces upon them ? I confess that my greatest fear is that it will not—at least to any very great extent. Yet it remains to be seen how far Dr. Smythe's influence may reach against the innumer- able number of the profession that is arrayed against him. It is said that people love to be humbugged, yet it does seem that they will, when fairly warned of their danger, refuse to be humbugged out of their lives, to say nothing about their money, while the very fact that they refuse to apply a sure and quick remedy, but follow their old and dangerous one, entailing long suffering, and so often death, should condemn them. They will follow that which they claim is "science of health," but do not save their patients by it—can not do it; yet are loud in their adverse criticisms of that which does* save from death, as well as from long suffering. They evidently count on their ability in the future, as they have in the past, to still humbug the people into quiet acceptance of their fraudulent pretentions, as the best they can do. There is no doubt of a suppressed murmuring among the people, and it may be hoped that the noble stand taken by Drs. Smythe, Baruch, Brand, and others, will increase it to thundering tones ; while I humbly trust in a just and beneficent providence to cause these pages to help along those murmurings. PREFACE. XV11 There is this explanation due to the reader: All these pages have been written in my business room, while customers have come and gone, with others to take their place in quick succession, necessitating a continual interruption of not only thought, but often in the completion of a sentence, line, and, even, word. This will explain the often want of form, method and symmetry ; while book writing is foreign to my habits, ability, or literary acquirements. The object has been to get my thoughts, as well as the facts of every-day history, before the public in a way that would insure their understanding my meaning and purpose. It is a culmination of a half century of thought, perfected by experience with the sick, and the management of the sick by the medical profession as I have witnessed it, or, as that every-day history has given it to the world. I have asked God's help, and believe He has smiled upon my effort to place it before the people, for them to see the fact as I see it; and I believe, by His guid- ance, I am enabled to see that the so-called medical science is the greatest curse that ever rested upon the world, physically, financially, as well as mentally. I believe the curse of the science, as largely prac- ticed, permeates every family, every member that it touches, and every neighborhood in the civilized world. Dr. Holmes' words, that, " If the whole materia medica were sunk to the bottom of the sea, xviii PREFACE. it would be all the better for humanity," I believe fully justifies my belief. I would not pretend to deny but that there is some good resulting from an honest practice of the art of .medicine, when the pretended science of it is left out, but from the almost whole aim of the great pretended scientists to aggrandize themselves, both in position in society, as well as in the accumulation of great wealth, it becomes an unmitigated curse, resulting only in good to them who are the recipients of that ag- grandizement, and the emoluments resulting from it. The very fact is, that the beneficence of their pretended scientific treatment is completely destroyed by Dr. Smythe and company's real science of cold bath, from the fact that they save every patient, while those pretentious scientists, by their code treatment, lose one-fifth to nearly one-half of theirs. The reader must acknowledge that I am com- pletely fortified in my position by the actions of those scientists who have thrown away that science for cold bath, after a thorough test of the two methods, while being determined to benefit the public by the safe method, rather than injure it while accumulating the great emoluments in the practice of the fraudulent method. He will see that I was a forerunner, in my practice in my family, of more than thirty years, before learning of those grand men who had already thrown away their PREFACE. XIX clap-trap science for the good of their patients, while urging so earnestly their medical brethren to also adopt the cold bath, and thus save their patients. And, he may imagine, but can not realize, the dilemma in which I felt that I was placed while writing that experience, which he will find in read- ing the first part of this book. I had only read that some of the profession, in foreign countries, had proved the efficacy of cold bath for fevers, but was not aware that one on this side of the ocean had dared to raise his voice in its favor, only in private conversation with me, a case of which I mention, while I also knew that I was an object for con- tempt by the medical fraternity of our city, and, also, now opine that that contempt will not be lessened any after they shall get their eyes on these pages ; though I shall feel consoled, when I realize that I am in the company of good Dr. Smythe, who is also under their adverse criticism. The reader will observe that I have referred to many cases of epidemics, and individual cases of sickness and death, and in all of which the medical fraternity has figured in various ways, as physicians, who had pretended to try to heal the sick, or were idle look- ers-on, and censuring those who were officiating ; or, in various other ways, making themselves con- spicuous in a censorious way; or, as failures to heal—to save life or health. And he will see that XX PREFACE. in meeting all those cases, separately or individually, in a condemnatory or denunciatory manner, I have used much the same language in meeting every case, in my effort to convict the profession, individ- ually or collectively, of false pretenses, and of an utter inability to perform what they profess to be able to perform, in all their various claims as conser- vators of the health of the people, and, by intuition and education, as a really superior class of Gods creation ; insinuating, in their lectures to medical graduates, and in their contributions to the public press, that they are of a class who have "done more good in the world than all the twelve Apostles," or all others, "save Christ" Himself; while engrafting into the minds of those young men that such is to be their own opinion of themselves, and which they, in turn, will endeavor to fasten upon the minds of the people by the various ways practiced by their predecessors. While my language may seem an unnecessary repetition, or prosy, my design is to keep the same charge of incompetency, and a fraudulent intention upon the people by the profes- sion, constantly in the mind of the reader as he proceeds. I wish to present the charge and indict- ments individually in the many cases referred to, that the reader will not lose sight of the fact that I am arraigning that part of the whole profession who adhere to their code of ethics at all hazards, PREFACE. XXI while, at the same time, they are utterly unable to cure the people of the simplest ailments ; but when, would they deviate from that code and try simple methods outside of it, those same ailments would be healed every time ; and that their great object is to collect a big fee, rather than save the patient from suffering and death. Here is a big field open, in which the profession can work on a defense from all those charges and indictments ; and it remains to be seen just how they will proceed in meeting them. Will they place themselves on their high perch of self-adulatoried importance from their medical at- tainments and general importance to the people, and then whistle the charges " down by a breath of wind ? " It is very likely that that will be their line of policy, as far as a " layman " is concerned ; but what will they do when they have to meet Dr. Smythe's charge that they " sign the death war- rant" of one-fifth of their patients, by doing just what I charge them with doing? Meanwhile he says they can not whistle down his arraignment of them " by a breath of wind." After the reader has de- voured the contents of all these pages, and digested them in his mind, he may then be ready to make the inquiry of it: whether the whole medical pro- fession is not one of false pretenses and fraud ? False pretenses—because it does not do what it pro- fesses to be able to do—in saving life and health. XX11 PREFACE. Fraud—because it will not follow safe methods, such as have been proved to be safe, whenever tried, but, instead, will adhere to other methods which have been proved—are proved all the time— to be equally unsafe, and productive of long suffer- ing and death. Do they not virtually say, " We started out to practice by our code, and if that will not save our patients, they must die ; and we will not deviate from our code of ethics to practice any other method, no matter how often it has been proved to be a safe one, in the same diseases in which ours fails." Then, should the reader find that if their general conduct, in their treatment of diseases, or fevers, should show that such is their language, virtually, surely, would he not again query : Does it not all show that their profession is practiced for money, rather than to save health and life—for the biggest fee ? Then, after all these queries and answerings in his mind, the reader may still query once more, this : But is not the writer incurring an im- mense responsibility in thus assuming to arraign, and place upon the defensive, the innumerable mul- titude of the medical profession ? Is he not assum- ing a boldness, a bravery that is not compatible with average human nature, when he arraigns that profession before the bar of a "discriminating pub- lic"—the public that has been accustomed, in all PREFACE. XX111 time, to hold in reverence the profound ability, at- tainments, and self-consequential importance of the personnel of that profession to the physical welfare and general needs of all that public ? Yet, nevertheless, he does take the responsibility for all consequences consequent upon that assump- tion of that bold arraignment of that consequentially consequential, pompously important profession, in its claims of great importance to that general public. He faced the unanimous whisky-drinking world, en- during all manner of ridicule and personal abuse, all at the age of fourteen; but, before he was twenty-one, witnessed such a revolution in public sentiment, that it soon drove three, and all, of the liquor shops— "doggeries"—from the little village of Jacksonville, Switzerland county. And then, in very early man- hood, he espoused the cause of the enslaved negro, which brought upon his head all the abuse possible from the pro-slavery class of his neighbors, being often treated with such language as this : "Go over into Kentucky, and they will hang you, d—nyou!" and, at one time, was pursued by a mob of infuriates, who threatened, could they catch him, to sink him in the Ohio river. Yet, after witnessing and en- during all manner of abuse from that infuriated pro-slavery element for twenty years, he witnessed the birth, from that anti-slavery sentiment and the element which it gathered and cemented together, XXIV PREFACE. in all those years, of the party which was the in- strument, under God, of the negro's emancipation from that slavery. I counted the costs, upon entering into those con- flicts in behalf of suffering humanity, and against those powerful oppressors and destroyers of the people ; and now, upon entering into the conflict against the medical profession, I have also counted the costs, and find that I am able to pay the penalty, for all the boldness or bravery necessary to be dis- played in thus championing the interests of the people, against the impudent tyranny of that fraud- ulent profession. The very breath of that profession seems to be loaded with a stupefying drug, which it is blowing upon the people—has blown upon them until they are no longer able to realize the lethargy that has come upon them, while becoming an easy prey to its alluring pretensions. Dr. Fletcher, and kindred great scientists, can, at any time, get them- selves interviewed by a reporter for the public jour- nals, as to some important discovery, or what not— anything to get a little free advertising for them- selves, as great benefactors of mankind, or for their pretended science, generally, while all the time pa- rading that, and those, which is, and who are, a curse to the health of the people, and while columns are constantly filled with such stuff, and accounts of banquettings of one another, and great meetings of PREFACE. XXV their mutual admiration societies, by the A. W. B.s and company. But, if even a few lines only, of a just criticism of them, and their practices upon the people, with a presentation of the real benefits of a treatment which they ridicule and denounce as "hurtful," can be got into those same papers, they must be couched in very mild language. I have been favored by some of our journals with a pub- lication of mild criticisms, but, at the same time, assured that an antagonism of the profession would not be allowed—a discussion for the best interests of the sick and suffering people would not be al- lowed—while anything that the representatives of that profession would write, to gull the people into being deceived, and against their best interests, is, seemingly, admissable—can always find a place with flaming head-lines. Such is the power that profession wields over mankind, in all relations of life and business, while it is all the time antagon- izing and denouncing all methods for healing man- kind of its ails, that is not included in its code of ethics—such as Drs. Baruch, Smythe and others so strongly recommend, after having proved their efficacy. I have confined my criticisms and denunciations to the doctors—the pretended healers of disease generally, but here is a case which comes under the head of " surgery," though, of course, by a " doctor," XXVI PREFACE. all the same, which illustrates to an iota their pro- pensity for greed in big fees. My uncle, Edward Abbott, an old man, fell upon the icy sidewalk and fractured his hip bone. Dr. Comingor visited him five times, putting a plaster of paris band on the in- jured limb, and then charged him $100. But, upon receiving an intimation that the bill was believed to be extortionate, and that he might not be able to col- lect such a fee by law, he graciously consented to accept $60 in hand ; and I have been informed that he, or some " surgeon," was called to Lebanon in consultation, and after an hour or two's talk de- manded and received $200 before leaving for home. He evidently is not in Dr. Shrady's list of impe- cunious doctors who "obtain a bare subsistence," nor can he be in the list of those lost "medical graduates," who so mysteriously disappear, for he has been heard from, and seen, and felt, while his bank account has, perhaps, of late, been materially increased. SOME MATTERS PERSONAL. In all those years of earnest, unselfish work, try- ing to enlighten the people as to their best interests in the treatment of their sick, and, while my criti- cisms of the medical profession have been mild, I have not escaped its notice in the public prints. At PREFACE. XXV11 one time a doctor, in the absence of a better answer to my advice to use water in fevers, concluded that the reason of my thinking so much of water was that I used it in my business—mixing it with milk, etc., but which is really as strong an argument as they can find against Drs. Baruch's and Smythe's advocacy of its use in fevers, instead of their worth- less code, for which the reader will see their pleas and reasons further along. I trust the reader will appreciate the motive for this allusion to some personal matter. It is a delicate matter for one to present, for public scrutiny, what he has found it his duty to do for the relief of suffering humanity. Yet, when his pen is so prolific writing in behalf of such suffering, and denouncing those who are causing it, or aggravating it, it is reasonable for the reader to query whether his head, heart and hand do work in unison with his pen. During the last eight years, perhaps, I have felt it a duty, as well as a pleasure, to furnish milk, without charge, to the institution managed by "The Little Sisters of the Poor," and during that time have furnished them many thousands of gallons. In four months of the past spring and summer, they received an average of about fifty gallons every week. I did not stop to consider that I might not agree with them in their religious faith, but did consider and believe that they were doing XXV111 PREFACE. a grand work, and in accordance with their and my heavenly Father's will, as taught by His Son to His followers; and believing that these women, who had sacrificed all social relations with family, friends and society, to devote their lives in doing good to their old, infirm fellow-beings, deserved my humble aid in their noble work. Nor did I stop to think that that "home" for old people belonged to either the Republican or Democratic party. And hereof hangs a tale, in which will appear the venom that rests in one doctor's heart, at least, toward me, and for what other reason than that I had criticised the medical profession generally, and possibly the Board of Health, when, perhaps, he was a member of it, does not appear ; and, too, in the face of the fact that I did, one season, furnish the hospital under his control with fourteen gallons of milk per week, gratis, sent for by a wagon separate from the one that came from the Home. The immediate occasion for that venom to be spit out was this : It was an- nounced, two years ago, in the News, that Dr. Bren- nan intended to have all the old men at the Home vote the Democratic ticket at the coming city elec- tion. I protested, for the reason which appears in the accompanying note, which was published in the News, and which he caused to be copied into the New Record, with his venomous comments along with it. Just how much, by my language used, I PREFACE. XXIX deserve the venom spit out in Dr. Brennan's lan- guage, I leave a discriminating public to decide. I was informed at the time, by one who had conferred with the editor, that the Doctor was the author of the article. The sisters came to my house to assure me that they all regretted, very much, its language and spirit. DR. BRENNAN AND THE OLD MEN. The following letter appeared recently in the Evening News : According to the information of the News, Dr. Brennan proposes to attend to the voting of the in- mates of the institution over which the Little Sisters of the Poor preside, and to see that they vote the Democratic ticket. Should the Doctor attempt to control those votes as he proposes, would he not be liable to prosecution under the election laws of the State ? Besides, is that institution a Democratic one, that its inmates can be marched to the polls, like so many cattle, and told to vote as Dr. Brennan di- rects ? If so, have not some of its supporters been * deceived when they supposed that they were con- tributing to a non-partisan, charitable institution ? I am sure that one has contributed several hundred dollars' worth of milk toward the support of those old and helpless people, under the impression that politics had no part in its management; and with a due appreciation of the devotion and self-sacrifice of those women in the choice of their life's work, and which I claim is worthy of imitation and com- mendation by Christians of every name. If it be a fact that those devoted women allow Dr. Brennan to turn their institution into one for increasing Dem- ocratic voters, the sooner Republicans, at least, are XXX PREFACE. convinced of it, the better it will suit, and may cause them to divert their charitable contributions into another channel. A. S. Kingsley. We are not acquainted with Mr. Kingsley, but, notwithstanding his efforts to conceal his bigotry, we judge him to be a member of the canine family, with leanings to the yellow. Dr. Brennan is con- tinually, week in and week out, by the month and year, contributing of his means and his professional time to lighten the burdens of these poor, unfor- tunate people, and because he chooses to use the in- fluence, to which he is well entitled, in the interest of a friend, some unwhipped cur like this Kingsley must use the occasion to cast his bigoted slurs at one of the noblest institutions of charity in the world, simply and solely because that institution bears the mark of Catholicity. This man Kingsley will be afforded every oppor- tunity given Dr. Brennan or any one else for visiting the institution of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and if they can not offset the influence of the Doctor, they would bring less odium upon themselves if they would give him credit for the influence which he has won by honest compassion and generous recognition of these unfortunates, than by casting insinuating slurs upon the good women who are devoting their lives to the relief of suffering hu- manity. * * * A very pleasant incident in my life dates back more than thirty years ; and the joy I felt, in all my effort to save that one man, though one among PREFACE. XXXI many for whom I had worked to save from a drunkard's life, and drunkard's grave, was great in- deed ; while the great result, from its accomplish- ment, was cause for still greater joy, as it effected the return to him of his family, who had been re- duced to want and suffering, and then taken by the wife's father to his home in New London, Conn. I was at that time a stranger in the city, but had already become known as a friend of the drunkard. The late John E. Foudrey, at that time Sheriff, came with him to my house, and introduced to me "Mr. David A. Redfield," and said: "He has been on a spree and wishes to sober up. I wish you to take care of him for one week, at my expense." I found him to be in a very nervous and prostrated condition, but he gradually rallied, and by the end of the week I became much interested in him, and, with a keen desire to see him reform, I offered him a home with me, and induced him to allow me to propose him for membership in our Division of Sons of Temper- ance. But at the time he was to be initiated, he was again in liquor, nor could I find him sober enough on any night of our meeting, for six months, to be initiated. Yet I determined that he should be initiated, so, when I was ready to start, I said to a young man who was going with me: "I am de- termined to have Mr. Redfield go to the Division to be initiated, drunk or sober, and I want you to take xxxn PREFACE. him by one arm, while I take the other, and we'll make him go." He was standing out in front of the door; we walked out, took him by the arms, and I said: "Come, Redfield, you've got to go to the Division to-night." "O no,. Mr. Kingsley," he said, "let me wait until next night, and I will sober up, and then go with you." "No, I'll not wait; come along." We pulled, pushed and coaxed until we got him to the Division room—the present News editorial rooms—when I said to the brethren that I had a drunken man in the ante-room, to be initi- ated. They laughed, but knowing that I meant business, prepared to initiate him. which we did, and by the time we were through with him he was sober. We gave him an office, which he filled to perfect satisfaction. This was November, and in the following spring he, with the young man who had helped me to get him to the Division, rented a field over the river to raise a crop of broom-corn. He began corresponding with his son soon after his reformation, when, finally, his family and friends became so anxious to know just his exact condition, that they sent a gentleman, an old acquaintance of his, to ascertain the facts. He came to Little's Hotel, Redfield's old home, where he was directed to me, with the information that I knew more about him than any other person. After learning all he could from me, he procured a carriage and we went out to PREFACE. XXX111 his temporary home—a shanty in his field. Their great gratification at meeting was mutual, and Mr. Benjamin was so favorably impressed, from Mr. Redfield's talk and from what he had heard about him, that he went home to make such a favorable report to his family and friends, that their final con- clusion was to return to him, which they did the following year. Eleven months after Mr. R. was initiated, and soon after Mr. B.'s visit to him, he relapsed from his pledge, and dissipated one week before I learned of it. During the State fair, he met some old cronies, whose persuasion to take one drink with them was stronger than his resolution to keep his pledge." An old friend of his, who knew of my efforts to reform him, came to my house with the infor- mation, and said he thought I would find him at Tom Dunn's saloon. I started immediately to find him, and after coming in sight of the saloon, being fearful that, should the keeper see me coming, he would secrete him, I sent a young man whom I met, and could trust, to reconnoitre and report to me, while I remained out of sight. He reported that Redfield was sitting In the back part of the sa- loon, reading a paper, and that if I would go into the alley to a side door I would find him. I did so, stepping into the door and right up to him, when he dropped the paper, and looking at me, said: XXXiv PREFACE. "Well, I suppose you will scold me for this?" "No," I said, "I want to save you. Come along With me." "No, I'll not go home with you." I pulled him out and led him toward my house, while he was all the time resisting, and until we reached the door, when he said : " I'll go in with you if you will let me have a little whisky to sober up on." I answered, " I will not give you any whisky, but I will have Dr. Abbett come and see you, and what- ever he says, I will do." The Doctor had taken much interest in his reformation, and was much grieved at his back-set. He prescribed ginger- water, which he drank for a whole week, without leaving his room, and was so nervous that he could not carry more than a half-glassful to his mouth without spilling the water. After that, he remained at my house the most of the time until his family came; was reinstated in the Division, and was active in the work for a long time. Soon after his second reformation he was employed to manage the direc- tory business of G. W. Hawes, where he did much valuable work for several years. His wife's father was so well pleased with the prospects of a happy reunion of the family, th'at he bought and pre- sented to her a good house for a home, in which they lived comfortably and pleasantly for about seven years, when he again tampered with his deadly enemy—strong drink ; then went deeper PREFACE. XXXV and deeper into degradation, became idle and de- pendent upon his family for support, when his wife and family again determined to return to friends in the East. He followed them, but soon returned, and soon drifted into the Poor House, where death ended his miserable life. Yet old friends stuck to his body, and gave it a respectable burial, and since then his Eastern friends have removed his bones to his early home. All this sad ending, after so much work of friends to get him to reform ; and while that did seem to be accomplished, the fond hopes and joys of his family, and other dear friends, that the reunion would be a happy one, and life-long joy to all. Occasionally, during his stay with me, he would get a little money, which he would share with me; but, had I presented a bill for board, at the end of his stay with me, his indebtedness to me would have exceeded $150; yet that, with me, was not a consideration. My object was to save him. While I had much brotherly affection for him, it was ac- companied by the sad thought that he was a scoffer in religious matters ; which feeling, I think, had much to do with his final downfall from that which he apparently never possessed—a conscienciously- religious, moral character. About the same time of my experience with Redfield, I had many boarders, in all grades of XXXVI PREFACE. hard drink—stone cutters, who cut and laid the stone in our post office building. My kind and indulgent manner with them, while all the time trying to induce them to quit drinking, brought others, until their presence, and often repulsive conduct, drove the other boarders from my house— to my great loss financially. While trying to re- form them, I was also indulgent with respect to their board money, so that I lost much, and, too, while my paying boarders had left on their ac- count. This, too, while all my worldly means were my receipts from my boarders ; and the result of it all was that, in less than two years, I was com- pelled to quit business, with less than $50 worth of all I possessed. I again rallied, and become pos- sessed of considerable property, but, by my over- generous nature in trying to aid people, or too much confidence in them, lost all again. In the last dozen years I have been engaged in my pres- ent business, and, while my profits have been liberal, the most of the time I have shared them with such needy people as have come to my knowledge, or were presented to me by those who are devoting their time in relieving suffering, while I have hunted out and furnished milk and cream to invalids, or needy poor, and have also contributed aid to the noble efforts of the ladies of the Flower Mission, for which I have received their written ac- PREFACE. XXXvii knowledgment and thanks for that aid. Among others whom I have gladly aided, was a poor in- valid war widow, who had struggled for fifteen years to provide for four daughters in their child- hood ; and while furnishing her several hundred dollars' worth of that which she needed to keep from suffering, also aided her in obtaining a pen- sion, from which she is now enjoying a comfort- able and pleasant home. All this time, while extending an open hand to the needy and suffering, I have not closed my hand on riches, but all the time, until to-day, had not, nor have I now, as much of this world's goods as the law would exempt from execution, nor do I expect to increase my present possessions. But should I fail, from advancing years, to be any longer able to provide for myself, I have faith thaj: He who said : "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," will bless me with a home and sustenance for a living, until He calls me hence. Those dear " Little Sisters of the Poor," in their profusion of thanks to me, have said, when I said to them that I might want to live with them some day, "We hope not, but if you do, you will be welcome." With that, also, I have their assurance that, " We pray for you every day," and whose prayers, I doubt not, are heard at the mercy seat. I had a father and mother who knew what it was to suffer, and also to XXXV111 PREFACE. receive aid from kind hearts and hands ; and then, after God had blessed them with a sufficiency to enable them to extend the same helping hands, they reached out freely to the aid of others, needy and suffering, while they taught me,- by precept as well as example, to extend the same aid to my suffering , fellow-beings. And when I see those same fellow- beings suffering from various causes, I am led to investigate those sufferings, to see how they can be averted. I was led, at the age of fourteen, to see the terrible suffering, as well as the sins, from strong drink. Our home, at that time, was almost within sight of the home of ten years before, when we depended upon kind neighbors to keep us from starving, while father and mother were unable to rise from a sick bed, and we children sick, and a dead one in his coffin. I have a vivid recollection of that scene, although too young to realize our suffering and want. The names of those kind neighbors were instilled into my memory by my grateful parents. The Schoonovers, Peabodys, Wil- sons, Stows, Lesters, Jacksons, Dugans, with others, were engrafted into their memories and hearts in the grandest love and veneration, in all their life- time ; while they were, ever after, ready to extend the same help to others, as had been extended to them. In those ten years, by dint of a hard strug- gle, my father was able to live in a cabin on a lease PREFACE. xxxix of ground, with enough to eat, and an extra bed in the garret, when he felt it his duty to take into our house a yonng man addicted to strong drink, with the vain hope—as it proved to be—of reforming him ; the same as it was with me when I followed his example, in Redfield's case, thirty years later. That young man had come to our village—Jack- sonville, Switzerland county—a few years before, religiously inclined and esteemed by all ; but, by the treachery of his employer, who was also a member with him in the church, in cheating him of his just dues, he was driven to drink again—as it was then ascertained that he had been a hard drinker before he came to our place, but had re- formed and joined the church. Before his un- happy downfall, he was only known to all the people as a worthy member of the church, but after that he became a wandering outcast, with no home or friends, only to cast a sorrowing look at him, with the remark, perhaps, that " he is going to the dogs," or worse. While a member of our fam- ily, and in his intoxicated spells, he would attempt to make love to my mother's sister, but she spurned him, and often entreated my father to send him away, and threatened to leave herself unless he did. But father would plead that if he sent him away there would be no hope for him ; and, while my father was a perfectly sober man and a pro- xl PREFACE. fessed Christian, his mode of reforming that young man was to threaten to send him away if he did not quit getting drunk ; and then, at breakfast time, give him a drink of whisky, along with the rest of the family. That was the custom of nine-tenths of the people then. Finally, after my aunt had began to receive the attention of the young man whom she married, he went to her room, where she was weaving, and picking up a knife threatened to kill her unless she would promise, then and there, to marry him. He had set down on the end of her seat, so that she could not get away ; but, with a re- markable presence of mind, she reached over her lathe, and, under pretense of fixing the woof, broke some threads of the warp, which fell to the floor, and then, pointing to them, asked him to let her out to mend them, which he did ; when she ran out and toward the house. I saw her running, and called my mother, who came out on the porch, just as Mary reached it and fell unconscious at mother's feet. After she had returned to consciousness she told how Hood had threatened her life. Yet he, while she was running, stood in the door, calling her to come back, that he was only in fun, and that he would not hurt her. The tragic end of young Hood may be written in a few words : After that assault upon my aunt, he never darkened our door, but, by father's request, PREFACE. Xli he was given a home by our neighbor. The fol- lowing year, 1833, he was employed by various farmers in harvesting, where he got all the whisky he wanted in the field, until he came to Deacon Chamberlin's, who had progressed so far toward abolishing it as to confine his hands to one dram at each meal time. This was too much of a sudden abstinence for him who had literally lived on it through the hot weather; and, in the excessive strain required of a man so replete with it, to make a hand in the field, he was inevitably bound to fail, without that stimulus to keep him up. After he left our house, and especially when in liquor, he would prate about his love for my aunt, and that he could not live after she was married to another. Her wedding occurred on the 23d of July, which was a very hot day. The ceremony was performed at 2 o'clock, at which time Hood was breathing his last, with his head on a sheaf of oats, under a shade tree in the field. After going out from dinner, he com- plained of feeling badly, when he was advised to lay down under that tree. The other men worked around, and came back just in time to see him breathe his last. Whatever his premonitions were, such was his fate. The news came to the wedding guests just as they were in their greatest enjoy- ment; but then all hilarity ceased, while "Poor Hood " was on every lip, and many eyes in tears. xlii PREFACE. After seeing my aunt run for her life from that young man, whom I had learned to love as an elder brother, the conviction that I should stop, instantly, the drinking of that which was the cause of that threatened assault upon her, and the fact which was so well fastened into every one's mind, that it was destroying that hitherto religious and much respected young man, was fastened into my mind and heart so emphatically that I could not, nor did I try, to resist it. The first thought was of his condition, and the cause of it, while the next was my own future condition should I contiuue to use that which was the cause of his awful condition, and that mur- derous attempt. Then came the silent, secret reso- tion known only to my God, that I would drink no more of it. I did not stop to count the cost of such a resolution in the face of almost every one in the neighborhood ; and, very especially, of my own mates. It was not necessary for me to declare my purpose to not drink, for my refusal to do so, when the bottle was passed around at a gathering on any occasion, was enough for a beginning of deviltry toward me that lasted for years ; while the boys were backed by the men of all grades, from drunk- ard to church deacon. Thus was my life's work begun—first for my own safety, but which educated my mind to reach after the safety and best interests of others; while PREFACE. xliir that education of mind in the interest of others' hap- piness caused me to engage enthusiastically in the cause of anti-slavery, just as soon as it had begun to be discussed by those who saw the evil of slavery. All this education of my mind in the interest of hu- manity caused it to sympathize with suffering, from whatever cause, and led me, often, to the bedside of the sick. And then, once there, it naturally led me to scrutinize the treatment they were receiving from their doctors, and, also, often led me to suggest a change of doctors, even were the change against my best friends among them. I must confess that I was more friendly toward the general profession then than I am now, while the reason for my change is, that I began to study their method, and the effect it had upon the sick, and the more I studied, the more convinced was I that they were doing much harm, until I have become convinced that the prac- tice is doing vastly more harm to the people than good—destroying more lives than it is saving. During all those years of investigation and study we lost three children, under the treatment of these same professionals, while I was scrutinizing their methods, and all the time doubting them as being the best, but with too little courage to attempt to do without them in case of sickness. Yet the time came when I became courageous enough to discard their aid, and try the remedies which they de- xliv PREFACE. nounced, and do now denounce, as unsafe and dan- gerous, but with which I have since repeatedly cured my children of the same diseases which they could not cure with their treatment. Then, what more natural than for me, after investigating and finding their practice unsafe and dangerous, as it proved to be in my own family, to turn my mind toward my neighbors, and warn them of their dan- ger while trusting to that same profession which had so utterly failed in saving our children, and to advise them to adopt my treatment, and save their children, family or friends ? With a mind educated as mine was in my youth, to look after and try to ameliorate or relieve suffer- ings in others, from whatever cause, is it not proper, and the duty I owe to my God, to do all the good I can to His creatures, my fellow-beings, by warning them of the danger that is lurking around them in the pretended medical profession, which so utterly failed in my family, and, moreover, which is so utterly failing all the time, and every day, to save the people from suffering and death ? It is not only failing in its own methods, but crying out against the methods which saved my family, pub- lishing to the people that they are not safe, but dangerous. And, too, while I, an insignificant person compared to this learned profession, am not alone, but am backed by those of the same profes- PREFACE. xlv sion who have resolved to do the best for suffering humanity, regardless of their vaunted code, and are thus practicing my own methods and recommend- ing them to the profession as the only safe methods, and fortifying their position by statistics and figures, showing that, in the same diseases with which those who are refusing to practice their methods are los- ing one-fifth of their patients, besides entailing long suffering upon all, they are curing every one, and, too, immediately and without suffering. PREFACE. xlvi Here are a few words of encouragement for me, in my work of arraignrrrent: of the medical profes- sion for its imbecility and fraudulent practice upon the people, from a lady of Vincennes: "Mr. A. S. Kingsley—I have noticed several communications in the Indianapolis News from your pen, on the subject of disease. I like the articles very much, and think they are very, timely, for I really believe God is dishonoring our school of physicians. They are godless, as a class, and resort to inhuman methods; are covetous, and dollars and cents they put in the balance with human life. I honor you for your bravery, and: believe you are agitating a subject which God would have you agitate. May He bless you, and give, you courage to write the thoughts and impressions He gives you. Last win- ter I was called to see- one of my Sabbath-school class, who was dying of pneumonia. She was a little girl, ten years old. : Her father and mother and little brothers were standing around weeping. I read a chapter and prayed with them. She could not talk. I asked them if they would care to put an onion poultice on her lungs, and her mother said: *Oh, no! The doctor has said, let her die in peace, that he had tried every remedy to open the passage to the lung, that all had failed. She had been poulticed and blistered, and nothing more could be done.' But.I begged them to try this one remedy, as I had never known it to fail in pneumo- nia. The father sided* with me; they fried the onions in bacon grease, and put them on hot over the lungs. It was not long until she could breathe freer, and could speak- A. The next day the doctor pronounced her better, and in a few days she was out of danger. And now,, when I see her on the street, she runs to me,, as^ though I had saved her from death. I believe God will bless you for your fearless course." Here, I think the reader will xlvii PREFACE. agree, with me, is a clear case where "Christian science" succeeded in saving a life that medical science failed in doing—after the same vaunted medical doctor had said that : all has been done for her that can be done, and let her die in peace. Then, one of the " weaker vessels," of God's crea- tures prayed for her—not preyed on her, as the doc- tor had done—and placed an onion poultice—only think, such a semblance of quackery—over her lungs, when she soon recovered. Here are some extracts from another letter from the same lady. "I I was very much surprised when I received your letter, but glad to hear from you, as I have thought of you and prayed for you so often. God has so much work to be done in this world, and He sends, His holy spirit to suggest to us the lines of work He would have us do. I realize yours is a wonderful undertaking, (this book), but I believe there is a great reform needed now, and I believe the people are ready for it if there is one brave enough to sound the alarm. O, how I shall pray to God to lead you by His holy spirit, and direct you in every word you write. I shall try to enlist others in your favor, have spoken to several, and they seemed to rejoice that there was one brave enough to expose the cold-hearted, avaricious tendency of the medical profession. God bless you, brother. How my heart so goes out to one divinely appointed to lead in a needed reform." I have noted the Philadelphia Record's account of Dr. Baruch's pamphlet on cold bath for typhoid fever: Now this bit of history: John H. Holliday, proprietor of the News, allowed me to publish in its columns, many years ago, during an epidemic of scarlet fever, my first statement as to how I treated our little girl, with that fever, with cold pack. Now, this little episode fits right here: A few days after that embryotic effort of my " medical PREFACE. xlviii mind" (?) (shades of Rumford, take notice) to enlighten the people as to how to save their chil- dren from suffering and death, I met John at his office door, when he exclaimed: "Mr. Kingsley, about twenty doctors,"—more or less, of course— "rushed here to answer that little article of yours." Now, the noise that just one of the Fletcher and company kind of medical minds, in an intensely medical mind, gutteral way, would make, con- nected with the rattling noise of the lower extremi- ties, when trembling in his boots while viewing the propect of losing a good fee bill in a wet sheet, altogether would very likely cause a young man, just assuming the responsibilities of setting on the editorial tripod, to think that at least a half dozen impecunious disciples of Rumford and company were breaking into his sanctum. But, as that young editor has, since, grown liberally—physically, men- tally, and most grandly News-y—there can be no reason to suppose that that scare, occasioned by the "busting" of that medically-minded bubble, was more than temporary. In mentioning the receipt of his pamphlet, I said it seemed as though it came by an order from heaven, as a justification for me in my theory and practice. I.was struggling in my mind, and trying to write for the public eye a vindication of my theory as confirmed by my own, and long practice in my family. The struggle of mind and heart that it had cost me, is not in the power of type to ex- press. Nor, can they express the joy of a con- scious heart, as my eyes devoured the contents of that little clipping, while it was more than intensi- fied in the perusal of his pamphlet, written in Dr Baruch's earnest and impressive language, so com- pletely vindicating me in all those years of strug- gling, and anguish of soul, for the right. In calling Mr. Holliday's attention to Dr. Ba- Xlvix PREFACE. ruch's pamphlet, he voluntarily said: "It is a com- plete vindication for you." Then, a few weeks later, while sitting at my desk, struggling with redoubled vigor from the in- spiration received from the grandly good Baruch, Dr. Smythe's pamphlet was thrown down before me by the postal carrier. The same which he had so recently read before the State Medical Society. And then, after casting my eye over the pages, and seeing the same sentiment, clothed in impressive, earnest language, and eloquent appeals in behalf of cold bath, as he had proved its efficacy in hundreds of cases, in his practice, all around and among those doctors, to whom he was making his appeal for its use, in their practice, how could I otherwise than have my faith confirmed, as in Dr. Baruch's pamphlet, and reconfirmed in the same faith that that one, also, came by behest of Him who com- manded that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us?—and who also promised a blessing upon the merciful. I was not aware that our State was blessed by the presence of so grand a man as Dr. Smythe shows himself to be—grand in all that goes to make a benefactor of his race. Yet that grand mind is radiating and shedding its light from within forty miles of our city, and, too, while in our same city we are cursed by minds the exact opposite of his in all that goes to confer bles- sings upon the sick. The reader will notice that the seemingly harsh terms or epithets used in these pages, against the medical profession, is simply a repetition of the same terms and epithets used by that profession against others in the same profession—those of another school. Yet, also, often against those of the same school, with whom they have come in conflict, in striving for precedence in the treatment of some par- ticular case, where notoriety, or a big fee would be PREFACE. 1 the objective, culminating point. For instance : Dr. Jordan's address, which I have reviewed, and in which he was pleased to, so very liberally, unload those offensive terms and epithets from a righteous soul (?) and sunken heart, upon others of his same profession, whom he is pleased to term " ignorants, quacks, fools and frauds," etc., which, while every word fitted his own, he intended for those of other schools—the Kendrick, for instance. No other school equals his own dear allopathic, in its effort and success, in parading the people to be gazed at by the young doctors ; the same as the butcher gazes upon the brute—to see how much money he may realize from his carcass. Put human life in the balance with money. I have stated that Part First of this book was written before I was aware of the existence of Dr. Baruch ; nor, while I was writing the Second Part, with that grand man's paper on cold bath for a text, did I know of such a grand man, right within tele- phone call, as is Dr. Smythe ; with his earnest and bold language, in behalf of the same method to save suffering humanity. Then, will not the candid reader, after a careful reading, with an unprejudiced mind, admit that, in all my arguments and theories in favor of cold baths, and denunciations of the doctors for refusing to use it, as well as for their constant de- termination in denying its utility, and for discouage- ing the people from listening to me, in my advice to them to use it, I am justified by their appeals, in those papers, to the doctors, for its general use? Then, as those doctors' papers are a conclusive proof that the doctors, who refuse to use cold baths, are practicing a fraud upon the people, are not my points and claims, made against the profession, generally, in all that First Part, as well as in the other parts-that their object is to allure the people into trusting them, that they may "treat" them, not m xlvxi PREFACE. for disease, but for money; regardless of life or suffering—fully sustained by that proof, adduced in those papers?—so ably written, and earnestly pre- sented to all those doctors, for their consideration, with appeal to adopt it. While entirely ignorant of their theory, and practice, how could I have adopted it more thoroughly than I did, for thirty years; and placed it more energetically before the people, for their adoption, than I have, in the First Part? And, how could I have done less, while doing a painful duty, than I did, in those same pages, in de- nouncing the doctors for dishonest and fraudulent intentions, and practices upon the people?—for the money they get from them, in that fraudulent practice. And, how could I, more truly than I did, describe the imbecility of the profession, in its real knowledge of diseased humanity, and dishonesty, by prescribing for such; than that which was demonstrated in their pretended knowledge of it, in that Boston Globe reporter's anatomy, and prescriptions for a dozen different diseases, by as many doctors? Each one pretending to a discovery of disease, yet each did see a different one, and, prescribing accordingly. Does not that all prove a justification, in all those charges, which I had so often made?—before any such corroborating testimony was presented before my eyes. All those charges are self-evident facts in the minds of very many people; yet, they only murmur a protest, and then allow that practice to go on—always resulting in long suffering, and often death. Here, parenthetically: As I have elsewhere stated, I believe there are some who are honest in their effort to heal the sick, yet are afraid to deviate from their code, to try outside remedies, for fear of social and professional ostracism. And, which fact shows the strength of the bond that binds that fraudulent brotherhood together. Those who * PREFACE. xlvxii would be honest doctors are the "Poor Trays," of the profession—caught in bad company. Here are some extracts from a late letter from my Vincennes lady correspondent:. "I do ad- mire the living heroes of this world. The spirit of the world is to oppress and afflict suffering humanity. I shall be very glad to receive a copy of your book, for I know how brave a man must be to write such a book. I send you a message from God. I opened my Bible and asked God to direct me to a passage to send to you, and these are the words my eyes turned to: 'The living—the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known thy truth.' I do be- lieve God is using you to make known His truth to a younger generation. God bless you." I have felt, in all that I have written, in this book, that I was writing God's will: that it shall benefit the present, old and young, as well as all future generations, alike. I quote this as the senti- ment and experience of my own heart. "One of the sweetest joys in life is to feel that we are doing something for some one other than ourselves." PART FIRST. CHAPTER I. Health is the great desire of the whole human family ; and the pretentious claims of the medical scientists that they understand all needs of physical man, in case any disease attacks him, lead the people to trust them, implicitly, to cure them of any sickness, and save them from death. Do they do it ? My object will be to show in the following pages, from the:r own admissions, as well as from every-day history, that they are powerless to save the people from disease and death, while all the time parading their knowledge of medical science, which, they claim, is the secret of their ability to cure disease. And while I shall use the facts of every-day history to show that they fail to perform cures, even in the simplest and mildest cases of disease, by their med- ical science treatment, I shall also present the same facts in history—that the simplest modes of treat- ment outside of their so-called scientific treatment, have accomplished cures of the same desperate diseases in which they so signally failed. I have said "outside treatment," but should say, also, that some doctors, while they may have profound ideas of the importance of so-called medical science, have 2 PART FIRST. so far deviated from its exclusive use in their treat- ment as to resort to that outside treatment, and with complete success, while all the time their scientific treatment had been as completely a failure. From time immemorial it has been the practice of the professional doctor to ignore salt, in all forms, in case of small-pox, until, perhaps, a score of years ago, only to have it announced, by those of the pro- fession, too, that in France they had discovered that a salt bath was a sure remedy for small-pox, or any other cutaneous disease. Yet, has that become the treatment for that disease here, in this city, or any where else on this side of the Atlantic? It is not in the materia medica, of course, but those physicians over the water, while they may have all due respect for that medica, undoubtedly felt that, as it was a great failure in saving patients with that disease, some outside remedy should be tried, and then, while having a general knowledge of the curative powers of salt in diseases of the skin and blood, concluded to experiment with it in small-pox—the same as the most intense scientist experiments with medicine in all diseases that he tries to cure—and found it to be such a complete success that, in the goodness of their hearts, they determined to make it known to all the world. And then, later, and only a few years ago, Providence, seemingly to confirm the truth- fulness of those French doctors, allowed the watery elements to prove it by the upsetting of a boat in San Francisco bay, containing fifteen small-pox pa- tients, who, after being rescued, all immediately recovered ; and, too, in spite of the prediction of CHAPTER I. 3 the San Francisco doctors that they would all die. Those doctors there, are, perhaps, equally as faith- less in Providence as in salt. Then, again, it remains for French physicians to make another important discovery—nothing less than the fact that the cold bath will cure cases of typhoid fever. Sixty to ninety per cent, of the number that was fatal under the common treat- ment—treated according to the code of medical ethics, by the scientific doctor—were cured. That was the result of experiment, in their own hos- pitals, where cold bath was, and is, outside of professedly scientific treatment ; for, should the doctor, clothed with that scientific knowledge, con- descend to resort to water, it would be only with a sponge ; as Dr. Oliver said, in describing the treat- ment of typhoid in the city hospital, "The patients are often cooled by sponging." Dr. Fletcher said he "would sponge them often." Dr. Oliver said, "We do not recognize typhoid as a fever that can be broken up or headed off, like malaria;" and " High fevers are controlled by quinine and anti- pyrine; but, on the whole, little medicine is given." Dr. Fletcher, in a lecture to the college class at the hospital, said he " did not think there was any more typhoid in the city than common;" and "typhoid was a disease of adults—at least very rare in child- ren, and the doctors who had fifteen to thirty cases in all ages, from embryos to adolescence, do not recognize or know true typhoid." He did not think the drought had anything to do with the fever, and thought the water from the surface 4 PART FIRST. wells just as good as any to use. He would give little medicine, as the kinds he had tried had as little effect as pickled moonshine in typhoid. While Dr. Oliver says: " It takes its time, and all our care is, by proper treatment, to support the patient in his battle with it." All this is twattle, by men who claim that they have the healing art, and that the people should trust them—twattle about typhoid not being a fever to be broken up, all the medicine they have tried being worthless. Of course, when the facetious Fletcher compared it to no better than pickled moonshine, he meant that all medicine is worthless; and those guardians of the public health, and the public's life, will stand by the bedside and see the patient " battle " and die, before they will apply the remedy of those French doctors who break it up by the cold bath, and save thereby six to nine-tenths of the number who died, and do die, of it, under the treatment of the Olivers and Fletchers ; while they know, down in the recesses of their hearts, that those French physicians are right, which they vir- tually admit when they cool their patients by spong- ing. In those French hospitals their patient's " bat- tle " with it would last a few hours, while in our hospitals the patients battle on any time from three to six weeks, and then, as likely as any other way, find themselves hors de combat in the arms of " Old Death." The one is common sense treatment, out- side of professional practice, which cures in a few hours ; while the other treatment—inside, profes- sional—means long suffering and often death. Is CHAPTER I. 5 this not true as regards the treatment of typhoid, or any other fever, by the physicians of our city, as well as the country over ? By their own confession they allow the patient to linger while he is battling with it, only making an effort to keep him com- fortable while in that " battle." Now, in view of the fact that other physicians, not so bound to the "code," have found that typhoid can be broken up by the cold bath, while Dr. Oliver and his fellow professionals are not trying to do that, but are letting the patient linger for weeks, or months, is not this query admissible ? : "Is it not a mattter of fee ? A fee proportionately greater for weeks than for a few hours attendance. Would they risk their patients' lives, hoping their physical natures would outlive that fever, while they are accumulating that fee ?" I will here mention one case which seems to justify the answer " Yes : " Mr. Charles E. Kregelo, the undertaker, said to me : " I had typhoid fever, and after the doctor had exhausted his effort to save me by his treat- ment, he said the only chance for my life was to put me in a cold bath. They then put me in a tub of cold water, and I began to feel better right away. And while I was in the water, the stench was so offensive that my attendants could not stay in the room." Did not that doctor, while knowing the efficacy of the cold bath in typhoid, willingly risk his patient's life all that time, for the fee, while first exhausting his skill with Dr. Fletcher's pickled moonshine ? And do not the Fletchers, Olivers, Jamesons, Hayses, Herveys, etc., knowingly, will- 6 PART FIRST. ingly risk their patients' lives while twaddling about their scientific knowledge of what can't be done with typhoid, when they know that the cold bath is all-saving ? The reader can form his own con- clusions, and answer in his heart. It is only a few.years ago since it was published that a woman in Louisville, who was given up to die by by her doctors, was saved by a cold bath. Thirty-four years ago last summer, while scarlet fever was prevailing in Aurora, a Mrs. Williams, now of Seymour, saved her adopted daughter by a cold bath, while the doctors' patients were dying all around her. Then, about four years later, in this city, during the prevalence of that disease, W. C. Lupton's children were treated by Drs. Thompson and Woodburn, and one or two died, while another —or others—lingered in great suffering. I had the account of their sufferings and death from Mrs. Gause, Mr. L's sister, who was boarding with me, and who visited them daily. Then, a few months later, our ten-year old daughter had an attack of scarlet fever, about midnight. She was suffering intensely when I was called to her bedside by an older daughter. Fifteen years before that, our first- born, a four-year-old girl, died of the same fever, after a week's intense suffering, while under the treatment of our family physician, as well as a very personal friend. She was treated, undoubtedly, by the "code," but gradually sunk, without one favor- able symptom, until she drew her last breath. After witnessing that dear child's suffering, and, in those later years, knowing and hearing of so many other CHAPTER I. 7 parents' heartaches, in loss of children by the same disease, and all under the treatment of the same code, by the Thompsons, Woodburns, Bullards, Mears, etc., then I fully determined that none of them should treat another child of mine in that fever, and so said to my wife. Then, after we had placed that other dear little sufferer in her bed, and while we were meditating in solemn silence, with aching hearts, and, too, as our minds flew back over those long years, to the bedside of that other little one, my wife broke that silence in a sad and beseeching voice by inquiring, "What will you do ?" My mind had not been idle, and was ready to answer, "We will put her in a cold, wet sheet." Then she again, beseechingly and mournfully, in- quired, "Won't you be afraid to?" I answered, "It will be only death, and it will be that if we trust her in a doctor's hands. You get me a sheet, and I will go to the well and wet it, while you pre- pare the bed." She did so, by doubling a comfort, laying it on the bed, then a blanket, doubled, laid on that. The sheet, also doubled, and, all dripping, was laid on that, while the child was divested of all her clothes, laid on the sheet, and quickly wrapped with sheet, blanket and comfort, all but her head. She struggled a moment, and then was quiet, and in less than a half-hour was in an easy slumber. She remained so for several hours, while her whole person was enveloped in a sheet of water, issuing from every pore, and the skin a deep scarlet. Then, after several hours of sweet sleep, she awoke. She was free from all pain, though quite s PART FIRST. weak after the sudden reaction from a burning fever to such a flow of perspiration. She was too weak to leave the bed the first day, but enjoyed her doll and other playthings ; but the second day she sat up in the rocking chair, and on the third was playing around as usual. About nine hours after we put her in the sheet I called my then, and now, old friend, Dr. L. Abbett, to see her, telling him that she had scarlet fever ; but did not say anything about our treatment of her. He examined her closely—body, pulse and mouth. Then, looking up to me, said : " Why, she is convalescent. How long since she was taken ? " " About midnight," I answered, when he exclaimed : " Is it possible ? Why, what have you done for her?" I then detailed our treatment, and its effect upon her, when he again exclaimed : " Is it possible !" saying, " Well, you have done all that is necessary." He left some powders in case she should complain of her mouth, but there was not a particle of irritation of mouth or throat. I have been particular in detailing this case, that the reader may fully understand the efficacy of the treatment, and with the hope, and firm belief, that should parents determine to break away from the spell the medical profession has surrounded them with, to try it, they will save their loved little ones from much suffering, and often, very often, from the death that awaits them in the hands of that profes- sional practice. Since that successful treatment of our little girl by that wet sheet process, hundreds of dear little CHAPTER I. 9 children in this city alone, as well as untold thous- ands all over the country, have suffered and died from that disease—all, all under the treatment of that class of professional men and women who arrogate to themselves all the knowledge of disease, and their ability to cure it, while all the time treating with scorn those persons who have questioned that vaunted knowledge, and demonstrating their utter inability to do so, and seeing their patients suffer and sink into their graves. Five years later we cured another child of scarlet fever by the same "cold pack," while repeatedly, during the prevalence of scarlet fever, by the kind- ness of the Daily Journal and News, I published the acconnt of my treatment of our child, and until, perhaps, the doctors began to realize that I was having some influence with the people. Then they thought best to consider the matter in their society meetings, when, and after which, they pub- lished in the same daily papers that "cold water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in scarlet fever," un- doubtedly presuming that the influence and contro which they have over the minds of the same people would forestall anything which I, or any other person under the same circumstances, would say. Then, can it be at all strange that that one sentence, promulgated by that medical society of doctors, that " cold water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in scarlet fever," should have more influence to determine the people to still allow them to treat a case of scarlet fever in their family, than the actual fact that that same cold water did cure my child ? IO PART FIRST. I have no hesitation in believing, that should ten parents witness the quick and complete cure of a case of scarlet fever—just as I cured our little girl — nine of that ten, should their children be attacked by it, would prefer to risk the doctor than the cold pack. But how would it do for those doctors who elevate the spinal column of their pro- fessional dignity, and arise to assert that water is hurtful in scarlet fever, to also let the same suffering people know just what it is that is so "hurtful" in their treatment of that fever, which allows so much suffering and so many deaths ? And, also, let them say, which I have no doubt is the sentiment of their hearts, that they would rather see them die, by their treatment, than to have them saved by cold water. Perhaps., though, they did only mean that it was hurtful to their " feelin's," when feeling in their pockets for the fee which was not there. It had been lost in that " water." Besides, was it the fee, that which they had sp often realized after treating the little children—even to their death—and which they still hoped to realize, if such sufferings in fu- ture cases were to continue, that induced them to publish to the world that statement which was so void of truth ? They are not impregnable to the charge of working for a fee. The Journal, of our city, says, in quoting the remarks of a Floridian : " He adds, significantly, that the doctors of Jacksonville get $12.00 from the LTnited States Government for every case of yellow fever they attend, and that, curiously enough, they can not find a patient who CHAPTER I. is suffering from any other disease than that fever," and then adds : " Doctors are human, and with a fee in sight, it is not impossible that they may de- tect the fatal yellow in the face of a man who would, under other circumstances, be given a dose of qui- nine and sent about his business." Then, this from the New York Graphic : " It would appear from reports gathered by Surgeon General Harrison, that the power of fear and utter panic which ac- companies an outbreak of yellow fever are the most fatal elements in the disease. It is the opinion of most experienced physicians, that if the outbreak of the disease could be met coolly and the authori- ties were in a position to afford the best known means to counteract its spread, its death rates could be reduced to one-tenth its present proportions." It was conceded by all who were cognizant of the ravages of cholera fifty-six years ago in Eastern cities, that a large portion of the fatal cases were those who succumbed through fear, while many such were buried alive. Then, is it not pertinent to query : "How much did those physicians of Jack- sonville, Fla., contribute toward the death of those nine-tenths that might have been saved there, could the outbreak of the yellow fever have been met coolly?" Or, in other words, had they not contributed to that "utter panic which accom- panies an outbreak of yellow fever," in that mag- nifying of the outbreak, by calling every case of every ailment in sight, yellow fever—so as to in- sure that $12 fee from the government? But we do not need to go away from home to learn of 12 PART FIRST. greed for fame and fees by the average physician. " Dr. Metcalf, of the State Board of Health, does not regard reports of diphtheria and scarlet fever from this city"—(note "this city," our own im- maculate physicians, the same who saw the hurt- fulness of cold water in scarlet fever)—"and other Indiana cities as entirely reliable. When the developments of a few days disprove their judgments, they do not find it necessary to ex- plain their mistake, especially since their credit for curing so dangerous a disease so quickly, is much greater than it would be were the truth known." And, he might have added, "and more certain of another fee in the near future." He adds : " It is much the same with scarlet fever." And farther: "When it came to establishing quarantine, and shutting up schools and making minutely detailed reports of cases, the physicians found they were not dealing with scarlet fever at all, but some simpler and non-fatal disease." O, how cruel for Dr. Metcalf to thus expose his fellow humbugs ! But, all the same, they would pose before the people as experts in the knowledge of disease, creating a " panic," that they may profit thereby—in fame and fees. Just now a report came from Springfield, Mass., where "the city is excited over a diphtheria epi- demic," and in which report is illustrated the dis- agreement of the doctors as to its cause, Dr. Rice attributing it to the " unnaturalness of the weather." He refuses to be convinced that the danger lies in the unclean sewers and garbage piles, while "Agent CHAPTER I. l3 Kimball, of the Board of Health, says the sewerage of the city is wretched, but says his voice is too feeble to be raised against the other members of the Board." As bad sewerage and garbage are, generally, charged with being the cause of that and other diseases, will it be in order to intimate that that Board of Health sees in that bad sewerage and garbage a chance for fat fees, even should a Dr. Metcalf, or any other secretary of the State Board of Health, find that there was little else in it but a chance for them to obtain " credit for curing so dangerous a disease," when, in fact, there was nothing "but some simpler and non-fatal disease." At all the various times when yellow fever has scouraged the Southern cities, bad sewerage, filthy streets and alleys, were the alleged cause, as well as in all the cities of our country, have they been con- sidered dangerous, and liable to breed pestilences in all their varied forms ; yet, it remains for a bright luminary of the medical profession to charge an epidemic of diphtheria to the "unnaturalness of the weather ; " but just what that kind of weather is, he does not inform a waiting public. He should, so as to give our bright, but impecunious, luminaries a chance to raise .the alarm here, before they are brought to suffer for want of bread and butter. They now seem to be lost for a pretense, since our Dr. Metcalf has been throwing cold water upon them. He seems to be reckless with cold water, since it is so "hurtful" to our doctors' feelings. These disagreeing doctors illustrate the unrelia- bility of their medical science pretentions, in any *4 PART FIRST. opinion or information they may think proper to give to the public; for, while arrogating to them- selves all knowledge as to what we should eat or drink, or do to preserve or regain health, no two of them agree, only in one thing—to hoodwink the people ; then to quarrel again while practicing their confidence game upon them. Nor need we go to Springfield, or any other foreign field, to find men profoundly learned in that profession who agree to disagree on all and the many theories advanced, individually or collectively, by them. About a twelve months ago the readers of the Journal were treated to a very learned opinion, in the garb of an interview with the learned Dr. Collett, in regard to the water we drink, and the sum of it all was, that it must be boiled before drunk, or the direst calamity would come upon us. After recov- ering from the shock of that thunderbolt, as it were, the simple and confiding part of the readers—those whom the doctors had hoodwinked the worst— began to cogitate how to escape the impending calamity, while the profane and unbelieving—in their wickedness, perhaps—conceived the thought, and too, while they had never attempted to pene- trate into the bowels of the earth themselves, that the doctor had been down there after gas, and while not successful in finding that which would be nec- essary to boil his water, did succeed, immensely, in obtaining the kind which did flow from his pen, and which he so learnedly spread out in the col- umns of the Journal. But, then, and in keeping with all the history of the past, and while his— CHAPTER I. l5 " dupes" shall I call them ? No, no—" thunder- struck victims" were still trembling, in view of their expected fate, the Doctor's envious compeers, in all that science, came forward to cast a shadow o'er the sunshine of all his glory, Doctors Hurty, Jameson, Fletcher, etc., intimating that his theory is all moonshine, so to speak—even no more reliable than Dr. Fletcher's kind, while here is the result, the natural effect of all that wild theory, as told by Dr. Hadley to a Journal reporter : " The statement in the newspapers, a few weeks ago, that all surface wells are prolific sources of typhoid and other fevers frightened many people unnecessarily, and caused them to go to great expense in making connections with the water company's mains, or in sinking deep driven wells. During the past month I have had fifteen or twenty cases under my care, and of these fully one-half were in families that used either hy- drant water, or were supplied from deep wells. My own opinion is that there is more sickness in the street dust we breathe, than there is in the water we drink." In addition to Dr. H.'s state- ment, I can say that I was informed by a well driver, that he had had considerable work in driv- ing and deepening wells in consequence of Dr. Collett's infamous effort to ventilate his pretended knowledge of something which he really did not know anything about, only that he did know that he wanted a little cheap fame, and was willing to strike for it, even should it be at the expense of the people's time, money and happiness. Right here, again, in regard to Dr. Hadley's i6 PART FIRST. opinion about "the dust we breathe:" A few years ago there was published in the Journal an interview with a Dr. Compton—"ex-president of the State Board of Health," I believe it was an- nounced—in which he labored hard to show that the streets should not be sprinkled ; that, should they be, the sun would warm the disease germs into life, and an epidemic would surely follow. But the dust should be allowed to " blow away to some distant place." As a matter of course he was brim full of science, and must ventilate it out upon the people, if they did have to swallow the dust while he was blowing it away. And he, too, was probably one of those doctors who resolved that cold water is hurtful in scarlet fever. At all events, he needed a little cheap fame, too, and he got it.. CHAPTER II. The medical scientist is able and prolific in dis- covering disease, and the cause of it, and they pre tend to be equally able to understand just what will cure it. Yet, in the application of those remedies that appear so liberally in their materia medica, they fail, by making a serious case out of a trivial one, by the neglect of proper remedies—not found in their code, such as a cold bath in fevers—by us- ing drugs that are pernicious under any circum- stances, until the patient becomes hoplessly ill and dies. Dies, because they shut their eyes and hearts CHAPTER II. *7 against the proper remedies; because they had sworn fealty to that code. Then, with a falsehood on the tongue, they turn to the bereaved friends, to declare that the case was beyond the reach of med- icine, or the skill of the most eminent physicians. Just so. Such is the fact in nine-tenths of all the deaths throughout the civilized world. Then the sympathetic (?) doctor, after charging up fees for his visits and prescriptions in the round sums of twenties, fifties, or into the hundreds of dollars, turns, with solemn countenance and feigned feel- ings of sorrow, to those bereaved friends, and an- nounces to them : "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh." But fails to say, "And the doctor killeth." Yet, in all those cases, had the doctor thrown his code to the dogs, and used the cold bath in those fevers—it makes no difference what they call the fever—all those patients would have recovered, and cause no bereaved friends to mourn the loss of loved ones. To refer again to the New York Graphic's most experienced physician's opinion, that " Had the outbreak of the yellow fever been met coolly, and were the authorities in a position to afford the best known relief, etc., the death rate could have been reduced to one-tenth the present proportions." So is it with all, and every disease, of every grade. They are not "met coolly," at all by people, for the doctor has learned them to be alarmed at the approach of every feeling of indisposition, and that their only safety is in a drug, which they can obtain at the drug store upon his prescription, but which i8 PART FIRST. will take from their pocket, probably, from one dollar to many. While under such influences the patient can not take it coolly, though, while the doctor may be taking it very coolly in counting the cash receipts, he affects to feel much concern about \ the outcome of his patient's case, which further and constantly demoralizes the patient's feelings, and renders him incompetent to take it " coolly." But the regrets which the Graphic's best physi- cians manifesied were unnecessary, for the authori- ties, as well as the people generally, were in a position to afford the best known means of coun- teracting the spread of yellow fever, and the death rate would have been reduced to one-tenth of what it was, had it not been for the determination of the Graphics best physicians, with all others in the country, including the very wise ones of Indian- apolis, who resoluted that water is hurtful in scarlet fever. The Jacksonville doctors were afforded the very best means of counteracting its spread, in the water in common use by its citizens. Those French physicians, in the hospitals of France, found that water was the very best means for counteracting the spaead of typhoid, and it did reduce the death rate to one-tenth in some of the hospitals; but the trouble with them, perhaps, was that they did not have " science " and " fee " on the brain as badly as our doctors have, which materially interferes with the use of water as a remedial agent in the treat- ment of fevers by them. One instance may be mentioned of the efficacy of cold bath in yellow fever : During the last epi- CHAPTER II. ig demic of that fever in Memphis, Tenn., a few years ago, the Journal published the letter of a man who detailed how he cured himself of that fever, at a previous time, when it raged in that city before the rebellion. He stated that the particular friend who offered to treat him was Dr. Ward, who, as he stated, was afterward Surgeon General in the rebel army. The substance of his statement was that he felt the disease coming upon him, and so informed Dr. Ward, who said to him that he would com- mence to treat him whenever he wished, and finally, when he felt that the disease was upon him, he so informed the doctor, but when he proffered his services, said to him, "No, I will treat myself." Then, by the aid of his servant, he placed himself in cold, wet blankets. He was soon enveloped in a profuse perspiration—the same as our daughter was in, while laying in the wet sheets, after the at- tack of scarlet fever—and while still in that per- spiration, his servant called his attention to the blankets, in these words: "Lawsy-massa, see how yaller the blankets is." His recovery was rapid, but, as his business required him to go up the river before becoming entirely well, he had a relapse, when, by the same treatment, he was re- stored to perfect health. His statement was made perhaps 25 years after that event, but he was so im- pressed with the importance of it to those then suf- fering from the same fever—his old neighbors, per- haps—that he felt impelled, from a sense of duty, to make it public. But does anyone suppose that even one doctor then treating those people in Mem- 20 PART FIRST. phis came down from his high position—in his own estimation, of course—to try its efficacy on even one sufferer ? Dr. Ward must have known that those wet blankets cured his friend, but if he tried their effi- cacy on one single patient, that friend did not men- tion it, which he would have been likely to do, had it been a fact. At the same time that this man's statement was published, a doctor in St. Louis ad- vised the same treatment, but if it was followed, it was not made public, which would undoubtedly have been the case had one silly doctor attempted it and failed. But, more than likely, the doctor who ad- vised that treatment was ostracised and relegated into obscurity by his professional brethren. Now, suppose the reader should query in his mind something like this : Suppose the doctors in charge of those yellow fever patients in Memphis, Jacksonville, and other places where that dread epi- demic has raged so often, had tried those French doctors' plan of "cold bath in typhoid," and Dr. Ward's friend's plan, as well as mine in our little girl's case, and later, our little boy's case, what would have been the natural result, taking those successful cases to judge by ? What could be ex- pected, reasoning from natural cause to effect ? How much suffering, and how many thousand lives would have been saved ? But, as those treatments have been universally ignored, and frowned upon— the doctors publicly denouncing it, as in the case of our little girl—by the profession everywhere, does not this fact prove, beyond a doubt, that that same CHAPTER II. 21 profession do not honestly treat their patients with an eye single to saving them the quickest way pos- sible, but as a matter of business merely—to make the most money possible by that profession's medical practice ? And had those doctors really desired to relieve as much suffering as possible, would they not, when they found that their remedies so signally failed, as a last resort have tried the treatment which Dr. Ward's friend so successfully tried upon him- self? And just as Charley Kregelo's doctor did upon him, which, he said, was the last resort to save his life ; and which relieved our children so quickly ? No, but very likely, had that friend pub- lished in the papers that it cured him, Dr. Ward and his fellow doctors would have resolved, at their very next society meeting, and had it published, that "Cold water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in yel- low fever." CHAPTER III. I have already shown that the doctors of our city differ, materially, in regard to Dr. Collett's pronunciamento on our water supply ; also as to the diagnosis of diseases so common in our midst. And while such differences of opinion—all among the same class of medical scientists, and who know all about the cause and cure of disease, all having learned it from the same book—result in treating the same disease, by different doctors, with different medicines, and exactly opposite to each other while 22 PART FIRST. treating that same disease, the reader will please note that I am describing the same class of medical practitioners who have learned all about that prac- tice—know it all, and know it right. That is, ac- cording to their own pretentious claims. Here is one case in point, which illustrates their preten- tious claims in any way but in an enviable light: It was published, a few years ago, of Congressman Haskell, of Kansas, after his death, that he was treated by three sets of physicians, and by each one for a different disease, thus illustrating, in his case, the utter fallacy of the pretentious claims of those doctors, as well as the great folly of the peo- ple in trusting their health and lives to persons of such fallacious claims. One other case of which I was cognizant, as I visited him almost daily, while for those visits, and the little attentions I gave him, he expressed great thankfulness, often taking my hand in those expressions of gratitude, until, and while life was fast ebbing away, when he signified a wish to again take it, and, in the fullness of his heart and his last mutterings of gratitude, he con- tinued to hold it, until, in the last throes of death, it fell from his grasp. John Loyd was his name. Less than three years ago, Dr. Sharp began to treat him for a lame knee. He had been treated by several doctors in Ripley county before he came to this city. Dr. S. began to treat him with electricity, and assured him that he would have him at work in six weeks. He required $25 in advance for a month's treatment. And when the first month was past, and he much worse, yet insisted upon another CHAPTER III. 23 $25, still repeating the declaration : " I know I can cure you." Then, upon his friends insisting that he should cure him before exacting more money, he quickly answered : " I am not running an in- surance office." The doctor got his money, and continued his visits until into the next month, but did not demand more money, and finally said to the family that he should not take it amiss if they should prefer to call another doctor. Mr. Loyd was at first able to go to the doctor's office to receive the electric treatment, but gradually failed under the medical treatment, which consisted of sixteen doses of seven kinds of medicines in each twenty-four hours, besides a liberal rowelling and stabbing of the knee joint. The stabbing, as Mr. L. described it to me, was this : He was braced up in bed with a chair behind him, when the doc- tor, who was examining the knee, said to him that he was fatigued and had better be laid back in his bed ; and then, while Mrs. L. was removing the chair and Mr. L.'s attention drawn from him, the doctor stabbed his knee with a sharp instrument, causing the patient to scream, and to inquire : " Why, what did you do that for ? " with the an- swer : " I thought it was necessary." The hole in that poor man's knee was there, while he suffered on, but just what relief it ever gave him was not apparent. Another doctor was called, but he could not, or did not, give him any relief. I met Dr. Sharp at Mr. Loyd's bed-side several times, and took occasion to scan his face while talking to the patient and his wife, and I was sure, for he showed 24 PART FIRST. it unmistakably in his countenance, that he was completely at sea as to what to do or say. My con- clusions were then, and are now, that he had all the time been practicing a game of intense quackery on Mr. Loyd, who had often intimated to me that such was his own feelings, as well as the fears of the family. Mr. L. repeatedly said to me, in effect, " He is doing me no good, but is killing me." The doctor got his $50 under the positive promise that he would have his patient able to go to work in six weeks, but at the end of that time he was on his back in his bed, and only able to be lifted from it. Now, is it unfair to ask : Did not that man know that he was imposing upon those people's confi- dence ? He had first published to the world that he could cure disease ; then reaffirmed his declaration to them, and took their money under that solemn affirmation, and repeated, that he would have him able to work in six weeks. Not all cases of medical treatment may appear, at first thought, as aggravated as that one ; yet a very large proportion of failures to cure are equally so in fact. Nine-tenths of all cases of fevers that prove fatal, become so in consequence of the doc- tor's refusal to lay aside his code—the code of the profession—for the common-sense one, the real sci- ence of meeting the fever with its opposite—cold water. The physical frame is on fire. Impure air, or impure matter, coming in contact with the vitals, creates that fire, which must be put out, and can only be put out by enveloping that frame in water, which opens the pores of the skin, while the perspiration CHAPTER III. 25 that immediately follows that application brings out the poison which creates that fire—fever—such as that which was found by the servant on those blan- kets which enveloped his master. In his case, the " yaller," as the servant called it, but in the case of our little girl, the extreme scarlet, indicated the char- acter of the disease which the flood of perspiration from their bodies had brought out. The medical fra- ternity might as well attempt to deny the laws of nature that send the electric blaze from the cloud, as to deny the same laws of nature which bring out, by the aid of the cold bath, that poison which pro- duces the fever, of whatever manner, in the human body. But how do they attempt to nullify those laws in their operation upon the human family, or to prevent their operation ? Why, by sending forth from their associated capacity, as though they had just been in communication with the father of liars, a message through the public prints to the people, and while suffering from those fevers—that "water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in scarlet fevers"— and they would have included typhoid, had Charley Kregelo published that he was saved by a cold bath, and included yellow, had that man in Memphis also so published, at that time, that the same cold bath saved him from death by that fever. The reader may think I use harsh language ; but let me reason with him. Suppose one of those medical pretend- ers should tell me that I am endangering my child's life' by putting it into a cold bath to break a fever, while I know by experience that it is a perfectly safe way, and while I also know that his object is 26 PART FIRST. to treat my child for the money which he would naturally expect to collect from me for his services ; and while I knew that he knew he was losing pa- tients all the time, whom he was treating according to his code, and the code of all others like him, and who would and do join with him in declaring my treatment unsafe—believing his whole object to be to blind my eyes, and the people's eyes, so that he could make the more money, and keep himself up socially, far above the common people whom he has duped, and seeks to dupe, in making them believe, or trying to make them believe, that my theory and practice is unsafe for them to follow. Would I not, under such circumstances, be justified in saying to him : " You lie, when you tell me or the people that water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in scarlet fever or any other fever ? You lie, for the gain there is in your practice; nor do you care if your patients do die, so you can succeed in discrediting me, so as to make all the more money out of your health and life-destroying business ? " I am pained to be impelled, from a sense of duty to the public, to thus write of a class of my fellow beings, and of a class, too, who are held in high estimation by a very large class of the people. But of that class it can be well said, that it has not allowed itself to investigate into the merits of their claim upon the confidence of the people; that it has accepted as true all of their professional claims of being the conservators of the health of allthe people, and as also true, that when patients die under their treatment they could not be saved under CHAPTER III. 27 any other ; that they were beyond the reach of medicine and medical skill. I say a very large portion of our people are thus blinded by the false pretenses of the medical pretenders, nor will they allow their eyes to be opened. CHAPTER IV. Mr. Loyd's case suggests a similar one in my own family, twenty-four years ago. During that summer, my whole family were having chills, while two doctors, first, and then patent nostrums, were called into requisition to cure them—all for about three months. Then, disgusted and discouraged by such a signal failure, I determined to try the virtue of a hot bath. By its application to each one, as the chill came on, in one week's time every one was well, save our boy Charley, about six years of age. He lingered in a feeble and prostrate condi- tion for about six weeks, when inflammation of the hip joint developed. Then came another struggle in my mind, in my disgust at the failure of medical treatment in the case of our chills, as well as a gen- eral disgust that had been growing in my mind for years, on account of its failure in other cases of sickness, not only in my own family, but, under my observation, in others. So particularly had I noticed so many persons permanently crippled by hip dis- ease, that I felt to place him under medical treat- ment was only to make him a cripple for life. Long before coal oil was used for an illuminator, it 28 PART FIRST. was represented on the druggist's shelf as " Petro- leum, or Rock Oil," while its virtue as a liniment was claimed to be very great. This fact presented itself to my mind so strongly, that I at once deter- mined to try its efficacy on my boy's hip. He was suffering intense pain, so much so that he could not be moved only in a sheet. I applied the simple oil, such as we were then burning, persistently for about four weeks, and at the end of that time he was so far relieved as to be able to set up in a chair. Then, while so sitting, and while the family were all out of the room, a hired woman advised him to slip out of the chair and try to walk, which he did, but the instant his foot touched the floor he fell, and on his lame hip. She had placed him on the bed before any one returned to the room, while he was screaming from pain. It was then evident that all the treatment must be repeated, as all his former sufferings were, more intensely, upon him. The next day, perhaps, and by the earnest advice of my mother, I called Dr. J. T. Boyd to see him, who advised a particular plaster which he would prepare. I had detailed to him my treatment with the coal-oil, and expressed a dispo- sition to follow it up ; but, on his assurance that it would require but a few days at most, to prove whether the plaster would have the desired effect, I assented to his wishes. The time expired in which he wanted to prove its efficacy, and then, upon re- moving it, there was nothing but small pimples, where he claimed there would be abcesses from the hip joint. I then expressed my determination to CHAPTER IV. 29 return to the oil, and he proposed to add a little croton oil, claiming that it would make the treat- ment still more effective, to which I readily assented, and again began its application. The dear boy was suffering intense pain, and if we would even go toward him, would scream and beg us not to touch him. In a few days lumps like boils appeared on his leg, from the hip to the knee. while under the front of the knee a very large swelling appeared. The doctor continued his visits, and expressed himself pleased as to the effect of the treatment ; and when the swelling was ripe, lanced it, a large amount of matter running from it. After that the boy improved rapidly ; also before, as the swellings ripened, the pain in the hip became correspondingly less. Then again, in about four weeks after the fall, he was able to sit in a chair, and with care and help he was soon able to walk, his hip being perfectly restored to its natural con- dition. Now, I present a parallel case to my boy's : A few weeks before he was taken, M. S. Huey's bo}*, about the same age, began to suffer from the same disease. Dr. Boyd was treating him, and perhaps in the usual way that results in a permanent crip- ple, but after seeing the good effect of my treatment of our boy—or, "our treatment," as I give him the credit so far as the croton oil is concerned, for while the coal oil had all the desired effect possible before the boy's fall, and while I have no doubt that it would have had the same effect after that, I am willing to believe that the croton oil was a valuable 3° PART FIRST. addition—he adopted the same for Mr. Huey's boy. This information I have had from the Doctor s:nce that event. But the parents soon became dissatisfied with the treatment, and consulted Drs. Thompson and Woodburn, who condemed it as unsafe and in- sufficient, and then took charge of the case them- selves. They, in turn, failed to give satisfaction and were discharged, when the parents applied to the surgical institute, but they suggested such a cruel treatment that the mother revolted from it. Then an " Indian doctor " was consulted and tried, and the parents thought he did the boy more good than all the rest. But where that good was—only, per- haps, in relieving pain—is not perceivable, as the young man now walks with a cane, and a brace under his foot, while my son's hip is as perfect as the other, though it was five or six years before it was free from pain from a sudden jar or an unusual move of the joint, which, I think, was in conse- quence of not following up the treatment longer with the liniment. Now, in all this, is there not food for thought ? While the first thought that occurs to me is in ref- erence to a little item in the Journal the day after Thanksgiving, headed: " The" Dreaded Diph- theria," and reporting these remarks of Dr. Hodges: "Not all the people could give themselves up to pleasure yesterday. I visited the most grief-stricken family this afternoon I ever saw. The man's name is John Basse, and he resides in a little house on Dakota street, near the Starch Works. He and his wife, a week ago, had three beautiful little children. CHAPTER IV. 31 Since then two have died, and when I stopped last evening the third one was dying. Diphtheria is the cause." This item caused me to publish in the Journal, as I had in the News, how two of my grand-children, in my house, had been cured of that disease by blistering the throat and neck with that same liniment of coal oil and croton oil, with the addition of gum camphor, and which was so satis- factory to Dr. Boyd, as to its curative qualities, as to induce him to try it on the hip of that Huey boy. In addition to that application, the inside of the mouth and throat was kept wet with salt water, alternated with diluted camphorated alcohol. All of which prompted this notice from Dr. Boyd : "In to-day's paper there is a communication from Mr. A. S. Kingsley on the treatment of diphtheria. The fact is, the cases he mentions were not diphtheria, but tonsilitis, or some simple inflammatory condi- tion of the throat. This is the conclusion forced upon us by his own description of the cases." Well, the Doctor may be honest in his "conclusion," but, judging from the chronic habit doctors have of dis- agreeing with each other, his next door neighbor would be just as likely to pronounce those cases diphtheria as tonsilitis. Witness Dr. Metcalf's criti- cisms of those physicians of our city—possibly Dr. Boyd was one of them—and other cities, for diag- nosing cases " scarlet fever," " diphtheria," or other 'therias, according to the depth that that medical science had penetrated into their craniums. Again he says: "Physicians, as a rule, never give prescriptions to the papers ; nor do they ever 32 PART FIRST. try prescriptions found there, as they know they are almost invariably made by unprofessional per- sons." Well, now, didn't the Doctor fall in with my treatment—prescription—of my boy, by trying it on the other boy ? And has he not since been commending it, and recommending it for trial to others ? Besides, as he got it for nothing, would he not give it to the newspapers, hoping it would do the most good possible, even though it did come from a non-professional — a "scab," a "rat"? Would it not be just as professional to try it, if found in a paper ? But that is "professional" dig- nity—professional " rot," and the more the profes- sion has of it the more rotten they are. The result of that professional rot was illustrated when Dr. Thompson & Co. set their ban on that prescription which Dr. Boyd tried, and which came from me— an "unprofessional"—the papers, as it were. If not, where did it come from ? It did not come from the profession ; it was tabooed by it. Suppose Dr. Hodges had taken my prescription, as it was published in the News, as to the treatment of my grand-children, and applied it to those "three beautiful children " of Mr. Basse, would it have been any worse for them than that which he did give them? And had it been only "tonsilitis," then he might admit that it would have saved them. But he is a "professional," and took his prescription from the code, and hence the result— too much profession, and too little common sense ; too much desire for the fee and fame, and too little care for the life of the patient. So, after all, it may CHAPTER IV. 33 be that they died of too much professional dignity. About the time that "diphtheria" was discovered by the profession, a doctor—note, a "doctor"—pub- lished in the papers that he cured his patients by blowing flour of sulphur through a goose quill into their throats. But did the profession ever take to that treatment ? Not much ; and, very likely, be- cause it not only came through the papers, but it might be a too speedy cure for the best interests of their pocket-books. That would only be human nature, and their over-confident patients, and cus- tomers generally, find that they have an eye to the fee, when pay day comes along, just the same as the butcher or liquor seller. It will be remembered that General Schenck while minister to England, was reported to be dying of Bright's disease. Then later it was also published that he had been cured by dieting on milk and crackers ; and later it was in the papers— note, the papers—over his own signature, that that diet had made him well and hearty. Also, very lately, the News has this : "Value of a Skim-Milk Diet.— It will be interesting to those suffering from Bright's disease, which is thought to be in- curable, that H. M. Robinson, of Fairmount, who is now visiting relatives at 78 Ash street, this city, eight years ago began a systematic skim-milk diet, which he persistently followed until nearly all traces of the disease disappeared, although he was afflicted in a virulent form, and he reports that he never felt better than he does at the present time." Very likely Mr. Robinson had read, about that time, of 34 PART FIRST. General Schenck's cure, and was foolish enough to try it, although he got the prescription from the pa- pers, which Dr. Boyd's physicians, "as a rule, never try," but which he persistently followed until all traces of the disease disappeared. We are reading almost daily of men dying, or terribly suffering on their way to death, while in the hands of those same physicians, who have "a rule" not to try that same prescription which saved General Schenck and Mr. Robinson. Why should they ? Would it not be beneath their professional dignity to try, or even recommend, that milk diet ? Besides, it would cut short their bank account, even should it save the lives of their patients ; which does seem to be a secondary object with them, judging by their dalli- ance with the disease, and their bull-headedness in refusing to consider any treatment outside of their code, however well the efficacy of it has been veri- fied, in saving life and preventing suffering—while that code is equally verified a failure. Here is one case of a thousand every year : Two or three years ago, a young minister of Vevay, Switzerland county, was afflicted with Bright's dis- ease, so-called. Nearly every doctor in the place treated him, but, failing to do him any good, he then went to Cincinnati, where he was treated by some of the best physicians there, but they also failed to relieve him, while undoubtedly helping him on his way to death. Then he went to his home in Kentucky, to be treated by the home phy- sician, but only to die. Now, may we not ask whether any of those, doctors had heard of General CHAPTER IV. Schenck's case? Some of them were almost within call of Dayton, his home. Of course they had, but were too stiff, too consequential in their own esti- mation of their professional selves, with their won- derful code, to condescend to come down to milk and crackers, as General Schenck did, to become a healthy man. For, had he not done that, he would have preceded Rev. Kirtley to the " dark valley." Suppose all those doctors had unbended themselves in that young preacher's case, and recommended a milk and cracker diet, would he not, for all that disease, be living and performing his duties before those people whom he loved, and was honored and loved by them in return ? And the dear girl to whom he had plighted his love, and received her's in return, with the mutual pledge to travel life's ways together, would she not have been saved those heart bleedings, and anguish of soul, while hovering o'er the memory of her lost loved one ? But what was his worth to that church, to the world, and the happiness of that girl, compared to the importance of those immaculate professionals tabooing milk and crackers, so that they shall not come into their list of remedies for Bright's disease ? Dr. Bright invented the disease, and no doubt the patient whom he worked upon while inventing it, fell a victim to the Doctor's desire to become an in- ventor ; and right well have those doctors, whose name is legion, imitated him in working on his model. What success they made in that preacher's case ! I quote Dr. Boyd again : "There is another objection to those newspaper modes of treatment"— 36 PART FIRST. those that are almost invariably made by unpro- fessional persons—" and a serious objection, too. It leads the people to try them in serious cases." For instance, such unprofessionals as he who cured himself of yellow fever with the cold pack, and, too, right in the face of Dr. Ward, one of the physicians who have a "rule" to not use that cold pack, even if death does follow, as it did all around that man while he was curing himself in that cold pack. And those, too, of the Robinson stripe, who try those newspaper modes of treatment for Bright's disease, right in the face of those physicians who have a "rule" to not try that newspaper prescrip- tion, with another "rule" to adhere to the profes- sion's prescriptions, if it does hand his patient down to his grave, as in the case of Rev. Kirtley. And did not that rule lead Dr. Hodges to try those professional's prescription on Basse's children, while that same rule prevented him from trying my pre- scription found in the newspaper, and which saved our grand-children when afflicted with the same disease—Dr. Boyd's tonsilitis, perhaps—while the Basse children died under the operation of that "rule?" "Serious cases," says Dr. B. Such, for instance, as my boy's hip, and Huey's boy's hip. Dr. Thomp- son objected to that "unprofessional^ prescription" which I applied to my boy's hip, and which, too, Dr.—O, yes, Dr. Boyd made no "objection" to it; but may we not suppose that he was dressed in "sackcloth and ashes" when he carded the Journal about a "rule" the physicians have ? CHAPTER V. 37 CHAPTER V. Some months ago I gave this item to the News : Twenty-one years ago I was stopping at a public house in Plainfield. In the morning a citizen came in and said: "Mr.------," naming a man, "come near dying last night in a sinking chill." I said, "They should have put him in a warm bath," when he answered, "That is just what they did do, and it saved his life." The occasion of my giving this item to the News was, that it was published that a Mrs. O'Connell had died of a sinking chill. Warm water is the hydropathic treatment for chills. I had repeatedly published how I had treated my family successfully, for chills, with the warm bath, while it is presumed that not even the dumbest doctor in the city is unacquainted with this remedy for chills. Yet that woman's doctor did not try unprofessional^ prescriptions, and, too, according to "rule," did not "fritter away precious time" with "newspaper medication," but did " decide on the most success- ful plan of treatment," which physicians, "after lorig years of experience," had decided upon, and which, as usual, allowed her to sink to her grave. Another grave filled, but professional "dignity" vindicated. "Physicians, as a rule," of course, "are not prejudiced against simple means in the cure or prevention of disease, but they think that after long years of experience in the different meth- ods of treatment of this disease," diphtheria, " they are better qualified on the most successful plan of 38 PART FIRST. treatment than any person who has not made the science of medicine a study." Just so! Well, then, if Dr. Hodges, Dr. Boyd, and all the other doctors of our city, "after long years of study," are better qualified to cure diphtheria, scarlet fever, chills, or what not, than I, or any other man who has not made the science of medicine a study, why don't they cure all those patients, afflicted with those dis- eases, for which they treat, instead of letting them die ? As they do not, then why sneer at one who, while in profound ignorance of that " science of medicine," cures his family of those dreaded dis- eases, by "simple means?" Why didn't they cure Mrs. O'Connell of a sudden attack of chill, and C. F. Holliday of pneumonia, following a chill, and which came upon a man of previous good health ? Did they not, in " those long years of study," learn anything that would cure those simple ailments ? Did not that nestor of " medical science," Dr. Thompson, learn how to cure Mr. Hendricks of a sudden chill, which came upon a healthy man ? And, too, Huey's boy ? He must have missed the lessons on chills and hip diseases. But they did all learn, in one general lesson, that cold water is hurt- ful in scarlet fever ; also, that it is equally hurtful in typhoid, yellow, or any other fever, pneumonia included, because they betray as much fear at the sight of water as does a canine animal suffering with "rabies." As professional jealousy is a chronic disease among all well regulated disciples of Esculapius, they consequently turn their back to Dr. Collett's CHAPTER V. 39 theory of the awful condition of water, but secretly agree when a case of scarlet fever is in sight; and while he has dipped deep toward the warm region —softly called "Sheol"—to bring up diseases that they may dawdle with, his contemporaries in the learned profession have turned their optical re- search toward the heavens, in search of Dr. Fletcher's " pickled moonshine," and, judging from their success in curing all the ills human flesh is heir to, they must have found it. It does seem they would cut the red tape of their own profession to cure one of their own members ; but, not so, as their own families, as well as themselves, die under their own treatment. Just now it is published that "Dr. Ingalls, a prominent young physician of Elkhart, died of diphtheria, communicated by a patient." Was it not possible that one physician could be found, who, "after those long years of experience in the different methods of treatment of that disease," could save that man? It appears not. Then sup- pose he had himself, or had his physician, sus- pended that "rule" of not trying the prescriptions found in the papers, long enough to try my "plan," would he any more than died, while possibly, like Charley Kregelo—who, as a last resort by his physicians, was put in a tub of cold water—he might have been saved. The same inquiry may be made in regard to many persons of our city, and elsewhere, who have died under the treatment of those same doctors of "long experience." With all that experience, why 4o PART FIRST. did they not save Geo. B. Loomis, Governor Baker, John Fishback, and other distinguished citizens, to- gether with many less distinguished in public life, but equally dear to friends left behind ? While posing on their great medical knowledge and pro- fessional dignity, and sitting down on the great " indignity" offered their professional selves by those who venture to suggest the " cold pack" as a safer remedy to those same diseases, which they were not able to cure, and while resolving against water as " hurtful in scarlet" and other fevers of course, those patients died. Though while failing to perform those cures, they did not fail to perform one other part of the program—to make the proper charges in the day-book for " services rendered"—which does seem to be the most im- portant part of their professional work, to them- selves at least, and which, sooner or later, shows up in large piles of brick and mortar, corner lots, bank-stock, etc. CHAPTER VI. Some years ago, a writer in the Herald, of this city—" Dr. Critic," of course—wrote : " Mr. Kings- ley admits a violent prejudice against the doctors." I will quote the points in his article, and reply as I quote. He says, in regard to my treatment of my child for scarlet fever: " The successful treatment of a single case means nothing." Well, then, what does CHAPTER VI. 41 the unsuccessful treatment of one case, another, and others, and thousands of others, mean ? All in the hands of those who claim to be adepts in medical science, and under the influence of "the accumulated medical research of the medical profession for ages.' But with all their vaunted knowledge, their patients die ; and then, what benefit is that knowledge if, with it all, they do not save their patients' lives ? " When he intimates that the accumulated research is worth nothing, and that a layman, who never studied medicine, has more sense than the doctors, he talks dangerous folly." But if he saves his pa- tients, while they do not save theirs, where would Dr. Critic place that "dangerous folly?" More sense or not, his patients are saved, while theirs die. What is it, to the people, how much sense the doctors have, when with it all they do not save the suffering or lives of their patients ? And what is it, to the same people, how little sense a " layman " has, if he only saves the lives of those whom he puts in a cold pack ? " How does he come by his knowledge of the proper mode of treating scarlet fever?" Why, by his own, and "old women's," experiments with the cold pack, just as the doctors, with more sense " from the accumulated research of ages," experiment with their drugs—but with poor success, while a layman's is a perfect success. " By intuition ?" Yes, the intuition of common sense, which teaches that to cure a fever, he must meet it with its opposite—cold water—just as he would put out the fire in his burning house with water. "If he claims to be inspired, perhaps it 42 PART FIRST. would be worth while to examine his claims." Yes, " he claims to be inspired" with an earnest desire, and works with an eye single, to have the people's lives saved—not for the money the doctors work for, in the practice of that medical science, so- called—and which inspiration is a "valuable secret," that seems to have escaped the " research " of those men of "earnest, honest, able minds, willing to sac- rifice their very lives in the cause of truth and for the benefit of humanity." While they may be will- ing to sacrifice their lives, it is not necessary, but they should not sacrifice their patients' lives. Sup- pose they are all that—willing to sacrifice their lives, etc.—have not those doctors of ''accumulated medi- cal research" lost hundreds of children, all these years, in this city, whom they treated for scarlet fever, by their medical process, after that accumula- tion of knowledge by that "research for ages"? Do they save their patients here, there and everywhere, and all the time, and to whom they profess to apply all that medical skill ? Were the three sets of doc- tors who treated Haskell for three different diseases) " inspired " ? Were the diagnoses of his case, by each differently, all directed by inspiration ? If so, why was he not saved? And why was he not saved any how, after treatment by such an array of medi- cal skill ? Or, may be, medical " damphoolery." Why did not one or more of those doctors give " their lives " to save him, as they are so ready " to sacrifice their lives for humanity " ? I am sure the world would be all the better for the loss of all those doctors, while we had no more Congressmen than CHAPTER VI. 43 the law allowed. He was not saved. He was hum- bugged by a pretended and great array of medical knowledge of disease, just as the people are every- where being humbugged. " A Layman " has not failed to cure, in every instance, members of his family, with a hot bath or cold bath, as the case required, and yet, because he recommends that treatment to others, he is charged with talking " dangerous folly." Is there not " crim- inal folly " in Dr. Critic, or any other humbug doc- tor, standing over his sick patients while practicing his humbug theory upon them, only to see them sink to their grave ? There is not a day passes that such is not the case, right in this city, by some of those humbugging confidence men, posing as medical scientists ; while using all their influence, as such, in preventing the people from using a simple and safe means of cure, which is within the reach of all, at any time. A writer on General Grant's case said : " Pro- fessional treatment, being purely experimental, is just as likely to be wrong as right." Yet the masses of the people will pay their money for that kind of treatment, and many of them lose their health or lives in consequence of it. It is often asked, "Why do men engage in the practice of medicine, if there be no virtue in it ? " It may be answered, that while there is undoubtedly merit in the practice, to a very limited extent—certainly, though, not ten cases in one hundred—it is practiced for a very different purpose, by a very large portion of those pretended scientists—for money, and a position in 44 PART FIRST. society not accorded to any other secular calling, while the very fact of that position is a temptation to men who are ambitious to obtain it, with no other motive in view—but, with the plausible pretext of aiding suffering humanity. Is it any wonder, then, that there are so many of that unscrupulous class of men—and women, alike—who are found practicing that " medical science " with so very little benefit to that humanity ? And, too, the unbounded influence this position and profession gives them over the minds of the people, does it not enable them to draw largely from the small means, in a large per cent, of cases, of those by whom they are employed in that professional capacity ? Dr. Agnew was said to have an income of $75,000 a year from his patients, and for that reason it was claimed that his demand for $25,000 for his attendance upon Presi- dent Garfield was not unreasonable—the other doc- tors making substantially the same claim. And they, too, were all of that philanthropic class, who are willing to sacrifice their very " lives for the benefit of humanity." Let us reflect: That on all the suffering between health and death, one man thrives, fattens, to the extent of $75,000 a year ; while those sufferings are largely in the families of the poor, the day laborer at one, two or more dollars a day, upon which his family must subsist, and, when he is the sick one, that income must stop while he lays upon the sick bed, to be treated by a Dr. Agnew medical science process, at a rate, to him, of $200 a day income. Dr. Agnew's income may have been an exceptionally large one, yet there CHAPTER VI. 45 are all grades, down to the $10,000 size. Female cograduates with Mrs. Edison, who also figured in the Garfield case, are said to have incomes ranging from $10,000 to $15,000 a year—$30 to $45 a day, twenty times as much as the ordinary day laborer receives. Yet those doctors—and their name is legion—collect those enormous fees for their ser- vices largely from those laborers, who often be- come impoverished, and in innumerable cases are compelled to become recipients of public charity, pinched by want and suffering, while those profes- sional manipulators of their cases revel in luxurious wealth and palatial homes. These are no idle fancies, for the characters, representing both classes, are seen in every com- munity the world over. Here in our own city, while we see the most abject suffering of one class, we may also behold the other, in all their luxurious grandeur. The medical scientist has so magnified his pretended calling, and so large a class of the people are so easily impressed by his pretentious and high sounding professions, that they have thrown themselves right into his arms, believing that their only hope for life and health is in being continually dosed with his nostrums. I claim that I am not doing injustice to human nature when I declare that those professionals have a disposition to industriously labor with those peo- ple, to impress upon their minds the importance of guarding against sickness, by investing in their drugs, and paying them for having an oversight over them and their families—of having a "family 46 PART FIRST. doctor." Does not the same human nature, resting in them, that rests in the bosom of the grocer, butcher, milkman, or in him in any other business, create in them a desire to thrive ? And with that desire—ever present with them in their professional relations with the people—are they not prompted to make the most money possible out of that same ever-confiding and deluded people ? And knowing the power they have over the mind of average hu- manity, above any other business calling, do they not use that power to draw from such humanity, largely, more than they gi^e value received for ? Witness those $75,000, $15,000 or $10,000 incomes ; while for a proof of a disposition to rob the people outright, witness the Garfield doctors—as they knew it must come from the people. Had they had the sense that their envious professional breth- ren, who were watching and looking on from a dis- tance, said they lacked, and saved that precious patient, then the people would gladly have given them a million of gratitude, with their claimed fee. Thirty-five years ago I posted the books of Dr. Sutton, of Aurora. That was before the time of high prices, and his fees, then, were not more than about half what doctor's fees are now. Yet his charges ranged from about $15 to $35 a day, which, doubled would make about the fees of those women, as well as many men, doctors of to-day, thus taking but two or three days to accumulate as much money as the average working man gets for a month's wages. While those extortionate demands are the natural tendency of the profession, it can not be de- CHAPTER VI. 47 nied that there are many members of it who are earnest, philanthropic workers for the benefit of their patients, but who are led by their prejudices for their " code" to ignore outside remedies, often to the injury of their patients, by prolonging their sufferings, and, too often, ending in death. That a large portion of the cases that the doctors have pro- fessional names for, and profess much scientific knowledge in treating, are made dangerous, or ma- terially aggravated, by their drugs, is the belief of many reflecting minds, and who believe that it can not be disproved by the profession. HalVs Jour- nal of Health once published that " Nine-tenths of the cases of sickness that afflict the people would disappear by the patient resting quietly on the bed, without any medical treatment." I was once told by a sister of old Dr. Stallo, of Cincinnati, that she had heard him say that much the largest portion of medicine given to the sick was of no benefit, and much of it actually hurtful. Diseases are largely the result of violations of the laws of nature—over- taxing the mental, physical or digestive organs— hence a rest of any one of them affected, will restore it to health again. But this information is not in the interests of medical scientists—many, at least— and they would keep it from the people, for the same reason that induces them to publish, when "A Layman" publishes that it had been demonstrated, by repeated trials, that the cold bath will cure scarlet fever and other fevers, that he "talks dangerous folly." Here I quote thus: "And the same time there 48 PART FIRST. arose no small stir." And the language of one an- cient Demetrius: "Sirs, know ye by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover, ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all of Asia, this Paul," a layman, "hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that there be no gods which are made with hands, so that this, our craft, is in danger to be set at naught," but also that the temple of the great "medical science," and its magnificence, which all the people and the world worshippeth, shall be despised and belittled by this man "Layman." A year or so ago, at a meeting of the medical society, the members discussed the use of quinine in typhoid fever, and agreed that not more than twenty grains a day should be given to reduce the temperature; that it was the best agent for the pur- pose, etc. Then "Dr. Woollen announced that he was going to New York, and would do errands for his medical friends in the way of books or instru- ments, when Dr. Waterman suggested that he bring back a few new ideas." Facetious, wasn't he? But was there not a world of meaning in that sugges- tion of "new ideas?" They had been talking about the treatment of typhoid fever, and as Dr. Woollen had had a sad experience in a case of that fever in his own family, a few years before—his brother— which terminated fatally, the thought might have struck him that had he got those "new ideas" in time, that brother could have been saved to the em- brace of his young and grief-stricken wife. Quinine did not save him, but had he got a " new idea " from CHAPTER VI. 49 Charley Kregelo's doctor, who, rather than let him die, determined to throw away his quinine and lay aside his " code," and put him in a tub of cold water, then he might have saved that brother for the con- solation of an aged mother and beloved wife. O, sad the thought that so many mothers', fath- ers', wives', husbands' and children's hearts are brought to mourning and deep sorrow, in the un- timely loss of loved ones, all in consequence of the determined policy of that profession to cling to the same old line of treatment, while so impotent to save all those loved ones ; but, letting them con- stantly fall iuto their graves—while their whole treatment is one of experiments, as that writer on General Grant's case said. Yet their experiments are confined within their code, ignoring any other sug- gestions, of any other treatment than such as is con- tained in that. An illustration of that obstinacy, while claiming that all are fools who suggest any other mode of treatment, may be found in the fol- lowing incident in congressional life : After Professor Morse had experimented and found that electricity could be used, just as it is now used in telegraphing, and, while he was in Wash- ington asking aid of Congressmen in perfecting his plans, a Dr. Espy was there asking the same aid in perfecting his experiments, in drawing water from the heavens at pleasure. They were seen walking along the streets together by a bevy of Congress- men and others, when one of the smart Congress- men—just like our smart doctors—who knew them and their business, said: "There go two fools." 5° PART FIRST. Being asked to explain, he said: "One of them thinks he can talk by lightning, and the other, that he can make it rain when he pleases." Considering now the utility of that " fool" Morse's experiments, and while it may be safely assumed that all the fools were not outside of Congress, may it not also be assumed that some of like fools are inside the med- ical profession? A little practice on the experi- ments tried outside of that profession for the cure of diseases might prove them safe remedies—as many now know them to be—to be applied to the afflicted people, to save them, where those inside remedies so often fail. CHAPTER VII. Notwithstanding the high and lofty, and "I am holier than thou" feeling of the medical profession toward those who criticise their course, in relation to all outside remedies, they display an evident fear that they would not be able to vindicate their prac- tice, by experimenting to test the worth of those outside remedies, as compared to their own. Rid- icule, sneer and contemptuous language is their only forte. My Herald critic, while criticising my state- ment about curing my little girl, refers to me as one of the "amateur doctors" who is disclosing infor- mation about the treatment of scarlet fever patients, and sums it all up by suspecting that I have an in- terest in a coffin factory. And which might suggest this query for his consideration : If the successful CHAPTER VII. 51 treatment of one case of scarlet fever entitles me to an interest in a coffin factory, how many such fac- tories and grave yards are the medical profession entitled to, in fee simple, who lose about as many cases as they cure ? The fool who would suggest my interest in a coffin factory under such circum- stances should be able to answer this query. The adage that " Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other," is clearly verified in my case. Dr. "Critic" may be able to make the application. Our experience is this : Forty-four years ago we lost a dear little girl, four years old, our first born, by scarlet fever. She was treated by the code, by our "family physician," a man whom I always loved as a brother, and to this clay have the same kindly feelings toward him ; yet I would not let him treat another case of scarlet fever, for the simple reason that I have found a bet- ter and intensely safer way—cold bath. I have practiced it twenty-four years—including my little girl's case, thirty years—and, in all that time, I have had serious cases of chills—for which I used warm bath—and fevers, including what was termed by the doctors " spotted" fever, at a time when our nearest neighbor, Mrs. Goas, died of it, while she was being treated by Drs. Thompson and Wood- burn. During its prevalence there were twelve deaths out of fifteen cases, all in sight of our house, and all under doctors' care, while my family passed through all those years without a dose of medicine, and I escaped the luxury of a doctor's bill all that time. 52 PART FIRST. I moved into the neighborhood of all those ter- rible malaria-breeding places, that the city fathers and medicine men were exercised about so long, twenty-four years ago last July, and when we went there all our family were suffering from a stubborn attack of chills—stubborn, I mean, while in the hands of the doctors. We had been all summer treated by at least two doctors, with no prospect of relief, until my patience had become exhausted. I then said to my wife, "This medicine business shall stop, and I will try the virtue of water." Then, when the chill came on, the child was placed in a tub of warm water, while the older ones were packed in hot sheets, and in a few days we were all well, excepting the boy, whose case terminated in the hip disease which I have already mentioned. We lived in one house for twelve years, always enjoying good health, because when we had symp- toms of chills or fever, the water remedy was always at hand. Three of our children had died, years be- fore, while under the doctors' care. Thus our experience of about forty-four years has been this : First twenty-four years our family was doctored according to the "code," and we lost three children, The last twenty years we have "doctored" ourselves with water, taken no medi- cine and lost no children. Thus it can be seen that experience was a dear school to us, and if, in all those years, we were " fools " while learning to let medicine and the doctors severely alone, how many fools are there in this city, and the country o'er, in that same "fool" predicament now ? CHAPTER VII. S3 To refer again to my Dr. Critic's query, " Does he claim to be inspired ?" I answer again, "Yes." After forty-four years of experience I am inspired to pronounce the medical science, as it appears on the lips of its devotees, a humbug, to gull the peo- ple into trusting them to cure them of disease, while they are powerless to do it. The most stu- pendous fraud ever practiced upon the world—im- potent to aid the people, but powerful and prolific in their quarrels for rivalship as to who shall gull those confiding people first, and last, and most. In regard to their latest quarrel in this city, over. the Board of Health management, the Journal has this to say: "According to the statement of Dr. Hurty himself, the fight is made against Dr. Earp by the other physicians, not because they have per- sonal objection, but because he is a ' rival,' and therefore they can not co-operate with him." And further says : " It is the same old medical quarrel, in another form, that was so long and so shamelessly waged over the city hospital. Hurty's acknowl- edgment, over the nature of his support—by rival physicians of Dr. Earp's—is sufficient to condemn his candidacy in the public mind." And it should have added, " And also to condemn the pretentious claims of all such physicians, as benefactors of the people"—"ready to sacrifice their lives for the bene- fit of humanity." Again : "The Journal has not the slightest objection to the medical code of ethics of itself, nor have the people generally. For all this paper and the people care, that remarkable system might be copper-plated and riveted, as well 54 PART FIRST. as brass bound." And then, dear Journal, cast into the sea ? There is where Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it should be cast, for the best interests of the people. "It is only when its workings in- terfere with the general welfare, as in the Board of Health case, that the smallest interest is felt in it outside of the profession." And it is a very small part of the time, " when its workings do not inter- fere with the general welfare." Its workings are for the benefit of that "remarkable system" alone, and is but seldom for the general welfare, but more .generally against it. The News has this: "Outside of matters per- taining to their profession, no class of men are more broad-minded than physicians." Just so. They are then the peers of journalists, lawyers, merchants, butchers, liquor sellers, peanut venders, milk-men, and what not. "This fact makes their professional narrowness more remarkable." Not at all, dear News. They conceive, and have so far succeeded in convincing all the world, that they are essential to its salvation, in that professional "big- ness," which the News mistakes for " narrowness." In that they are only striving to see who shall die first, and last, while they are "sacrificing their lives for the benefit of humanity." But that benefit seems to be of the reacting kind, wherein that humanity seems to die oftener than the professional kind. "The wonder is that men so intelligent are not ashamed to indulge in such a petty exhibition of iealousy." No. That intelligence prevents any shame in them, because it consists in their knowl- CHAPTER VII. 55 edge of the fact that they have got the public, who are "ashamed for them," so completely within their control, in consequence of their pretentious claims of medical knowledge, that were it to feel ashamed for them for one moment, it would upon the first symptom of a little "bellyache" run to them for a little of Dr. Fletcher's pickled moonshine. The quarrel is hardly out of the memory of the disgusted people of our city, nor the ink hardly dry on the type, rehashing it for hungry gossip, un- til that scandal of the city hospital affair was again presented to the readers of the city papers, and in it was involved, not only the professional and moral standing of doctors, but the moral character of women also. Years ago a woman was on trial for poisoning her husband. The doctor in attendance on him detected arsenic in the food the wife had prepared for him, but two physicians, of another school of medicine, were found who testified to the effect that he was not competent to distinguish ar- senic from—chalk, perhaps, or any other white sub- stance. Thus they were willing that a murderer should go unpunished, if they could thereby get a good fee, and punish a doctor for the crime of be- longing to another school of medicine, though he had always borne as good a reputation as a physi- cian as themselves. Now, I submit to candid minds : Can not a criticism upon such practices of that profession be made without being obnoxious to the charge of pre- judging ? I have written nothing but what has been thoroughly fixed in my mind by more than forty 56 PART FIRST. years of observation and experience—by the bed- side of sick neighbors and my own family, and from the opinions of others whose experiences are largely akin to my own. The fact is evident that "Dr. Critic," who claimed that I admitted a violent prejudice against doctors, had no other defense to make for their faults and failures, and many short- comings as a pretentious "highflyer" profession, only to assume, as a fact, what was not warranted by my statements. As a humane man, could I do less than point the way for those afflicted parents to follow, to escape the loss of dear children ? And if the medical profession fail to cure by their theory and practice, are they not open to censure by one who believes their failure is the result of that prac- tice, without his being justly liable to the charge of prejudice? Shall their pretentious claims to superior knowledge, education, high standing in society, to being Christian men and women, make them impreg- nable to assault by public opinion, should they fail to make their pretentions good, by curing their pa- tients, or when they refuse to come down from their high standing and education, to go outside of that medical theory to save such patients by the suc- cessful treatment of one who makes no pretentions to •such medical knowledge? Then, is it all prejudice when public or private opinion revolts against such practice, and seeks and finds a common sense way, by the application of nature's laws, to save our children; to proclaim it, and censure the doctors for their failures ? I am sure there are doctors and others who have known my sacrifices in aiding suf- CHAPTER VII. 57 fering humanity, who will not attribute to me im- proper feelings or motives in pleading for those whom I believe are sufferers, even from a failure of their own profession. One case I will mention as pertinent to the mat- ter of "high-toned" doctors: It will be remem- bered that Dr. Dio Lewis was one of the medical writers who treated on hygiene, physical develop- ment, nervous, enfeebled bodies, sanitary and social science, etc., but could not save himself from death when his disease was nothing more than accidental erysipelas in the knee, of two or three days' dura- tion. His top-lofty way of presenting his reforms, cures and theories did not reach down to a plain case of erysipelas, and so he fell a victim to it. Had he included in his manifold theories and practices "chloride of sodium," according to their very scien- tific language, but vulgarly called "salt," as a cure for his fatal disease, his obituary would not then, very likely, have been written. I can present an exactly similar case to his : A few years ago I fell on the icy sidewalk, my whole weight on the palm of my right hand, straining the wrist and thumb joint so that I have only a partial use of my hand, though still able to write up the encomiums (?) of the medical profession, while that fact may explain to that profession why it is so lamely done—as they will undoubtedly think it is. From the first I feared erysipelas, owing to my age, and in a few days it was plainly developed around the wrist. I first applied the usual remedy, cran- berry poultice, but it did not relieve it. I then 58 PART FIRST. bathed it in strong salt water, and kept a flannel cloth, saturated with the salt water, wrapped around it, covering it with a dry cloth. After two days of this treatment, all appearance of the disease was gone. Can it not be readily seen that, had that great theorist come down to earth, as it were, and em- ployed "A Layman" to treat his erysipelased knee, he might, for all that little hurt, be still theorizing ? Then another case, exactly as General Grant's was, as described by his doctors, and published in the papers, and called cancer: The disease lin- gered for months, while I was trying the usual remedies—chlorate of potash, camphor, etc.—but with no perceptible benefit. Then 1 determined to try the virtue of salt alone, and filled my mouth with it, dry, from time to time, and kept it there until the moisture in my mouth would dissolve it, while the affected parts of the mouth and throat would re- ceive it as it dissolved. The salt was thus used several times a day and night, until it effected a perfect cure. That "experiment" was tried just at the time when General Grant's doctors were pub- lishing bulletins in the papers about the dangerous condition of his throat, and, owing to the condition of my throat, and its obstancy in yielding to those common remedies, caused me some alarm. In my case that remedy was a success, while I have no doubt that had General Grant never seen a doctor, and used that remedy instead, he would be living now, for all that throat trouble. I am liable to those throat troubles, and last Oc- tober had another attack—the same disease, no CHAPTER VII. 59 doubt, that killed General Grant and Emperor Fred- erick, by the aid of their doctors. While the disease was devoloping, I did nothing until I was no longer able to swallow solid food. As soon as I found myself in that condition, I realized that I must check its further progress at once. I then, upon retiring, took dry salt into my mouth, but the pain and sick- ening sensation caused by it prevented my getting any rest until 2 o'clock, while in the meantime, the salt caused me to vomit, and to throw up a large quantity of cancerous matter. I continued the salt, alternating with diluted camphorated alcohol and chlorate of potash for three days, all the time work- ing on a diet of milk, cream and honey, and con- tinuing that diet exclusively for five days, after which I soon recovered. Now, suppose, I had placed myself under medical treatment, is it supposable that I would have been on my feet all the time, hard at work ? Or, rather, would I not have been on my back, on the bed ? And lucky that I did not find my winding sheet in that fifty per cent, of death from diphtheria, as was then reported to be the case in the city. To recur to the cases of those two distinguished men : Suppose General Grant's doctors had not had so much of that learned science, which mystified their minds as how to cure him—but which did con- vince them that he must die—but enough to suggest to them to try " chloride of sodium," not the vulgar " salt." They certainly did know that it had virtue in skin and ulcerous diseases ; then might they not have saved him ? It will be remembered that a Dr. 6o PART FIRST. " Specialist" offered to treat him, and thought, from the success he had had in his treatment, that he could cure him. But, no. Those wiseacres did not pro- pose to allow any other one to have the credit, which they were sure they could not claim, of curing him. Right here : At the time those doctors were sending out their bulletins about the hopelessness of his case, a doctor of fifty years' practice wrote me, in substance, this: "Grant's doctors have said that he has cancer, and must die. Of course, then, he will die, because they have said so ; and he must die, to show that they are not mistaken. Their word must be made good." He was not the only doctor who criticised their course. But then, they all will do that, especially if a fee is involved, and they are likely to " get left." So it was in the case of President Garfield. The doctors outside, without any hope of getting that $25,000 fee, put in their time most industriously, saying all kinds of naughty things of Bliss & Co. To show how disinterestedly those doctors worked to save the President, without thought of reward in the shape of a fee, it is only necessary to take a glimpse of their professional conduct since that sad event. It is only necessary to remember the great cundurango craze, a few years before, which Dr. Bliss was so much interested in—in behalf of the people, you know. Then, since Dr Hamilton's sac- rificing his life—almost—to save the President, it will be remembered that the plumbing in New York City was discovered to be very defective, and a little later, it was published that Dr. Hamilton—presuma- CHAPTER VIII. 6l bly the same—had been "seen" by the plumbers be- fore discovering—" scientifically,"you know—that that plumbing was very dangerous to the health of the citizens. And very recently it has been published that he is now putting in his time, very industri- ously, in recommending the use of tobacco, as not hurtful, but beneficial, which leads the wicked op- ponent to its use to wonder, and also to wickedly suspect, that he has also been "seen" by the naughty tobacconist—in the shape of a liberal " fee." What have we witnessed in the last few months, in the matter of Emperor Frederick's sickness and death, and the quarrel over him by his doctors of both nationalities ? What have they betrayed but a virulent feeling toward each other, not only profes- sionally, among his own subjects, but also on account of national jealousies ? Yet those jealousies were secondary to the main cause of those animosities and consequent actions, the first undoubtedly being the fee consideration. And those men represent the same class and profession the world over. Our Health Board quarrel, compared to them, is as a drop of water to a bucketful. And all for money and fame, while the best interests of the people are as insignificant, in those quarrels, as that drop of water is to to the bucketful. Yet these men, who are continually bickering and contending for pre- cedence and preferment, one over the other, scan- dalizing each other, belittling each other's profes- sional ability and honesty, while grasping for those monster fees, so often claimed and obtained, claim to be lineal descendants, professionally, of men who are 62 PART FIRST. represented by the astute of the profession to have done more good in the world than the twelve Apos- tles ; or are next to Christ Himself. Dr. Fletcher, in addressing a class of graduating medical students, referred to one of their prede- cessors—" Count Rumford "—as having done more good in the world than "even the twelve Apostles." Yet, originally, the "Count" was plain Ben. Thomp- son, a renegade Yankee, who had fled his country at the time of his country's need ; went to England and joined himself to his country's enemies ; then drifted around until he found himself in a Dutch- man's dominion, who dubbed him "Count Rum- ford." Then in our city we have an enthusiastic disciple of Hahnemann, the discoverer of "homeo- pathy"—Wm. B. Clarke, who writes: "Of whom it may be said that no man, save Christ, has ever conferred upon his fellows such blessings as he." Why should not Drs. Fletcher and Clarke come to an understanding, and equalize the virtue of their respective deities, before presenting them for ad- miration to their dupes? Such adulation of doctors, by doctors, for the ears of young doctors, is calcu- lated to inflate their minds with the idea that the medical profession places them in a position entirely above oidinary humanity, while what they say or do is not to be criticised by that ordinary humanity, who, they have been led to believe, is far beneath them in all matters of judgment in treating the sick. Hence the person who prefers to use an outside. remedy in a case of sickness, instead of consulting their own professional selves, however well that CHAPTER VII. 63 remedy may succeed in the cure of that patient, and who should see fit to publish its success, is treated with scornful contempt, his remedy ridiculed, and he charged with uttering."dangerous folly." CHAPTER VIII. The adulatory language the profession is accus- tomed to use toward each other—that is, when they are not quarrelling about treating some distinguished patient for fame and fee—is plainly illustrated in Dr. Fletcher's lecture to that class of medical off- springs, when, in reviewing all the advantages in the ameliorating condition of mankind, from 2,000 years before Christ down to the wonderful Yankee renegade "Rumford," he is pleased to attribute it all to the "medical mind;" and, while placing him before the Apostles, the only wonder is that he had uot placed their Master, Christ, second to Hyppo- crates or Aristotle, Galen or Celsus. All of which adulation and self-praise—self, because while he is praising all those medical minds, he is, as a matter of course, estimating his own as one of them, which those sprigs of the profession understood, and.also as in the line of direct hereditary, that the same old mantle of all those ancient "medical minds" will, in time, fall upon their shoulders, just as it now is rest- ing upon our Board of Health and "would be mem- bers" of it, always not excepting the discoverer of "pickled moonshine" as not a remedial agent in typhoid fever. 64 PART FIRST. " It has been to rid mankind of the causes of disease that physicians have delved in the most noxious matters, breathed death-dealing fumes, ex- perimented on their own bodies, and sacrificed their lives by thousands," says the Doctor. For instance, Dr. Compton's blowing away, in theory, the dust of our city "to some distant place" before it should be "sprinkled," so as to prevent the "disease germs," which would infest it, should it become wet; and the sun, should it warm them into life, would be one of the causes of that disease, which the physicians have "delved," etc., to prevent. The Doctor must have taken his life into his own hands, as it were, when he conceived the idea of blowing that dust away from his neighbor, whom he desired to save from the epidemic which he saw in the sprinkler's wagon, and the rays of " Old Sol," should they come in contact with that dust, which he was so anxious to " blow away to some distant place." Yet, with all his anxiety to save our dear city from that epi- demic, he did not seem to take into consideration the sad fate of the citizens of that "distant place." Slightly selfish in him, but, perhaps, quite praise- worthy. Then, who knows but that dust did " blow away" to Plymouth, Penn., where the citizens so recklessly disregarded our doctor's theory as to turn the sprinkler loose into their streets, bringing that terrible epidemic, which raged there so fiercely, but which the doctors there could do nothing with ; nor, while wringing their hands in anguish, did they even dream that it was the result of our Dr. Compton's delving into our dust to save us from that terrible CHAPTER VIII. 65 epidemic which came down to them, in a mixture of "Old Sol" and street sprinkler. En passant: Those Plymouth doctors must have been away from home at the time that Dr. Fletcher's "Rumford's cloak" was falling around about their burg. "The medical mind has not crowned monuments or emoluments for its labor," says our doctor his- torian. Why yes, Doctor. Are not their monu- ments in those Plymouth ones, or some other thoughtless city's monuments, that were raised to commemorate the memories of those victims who lost their lives from the effect of that mixture which our doctor was so anxious to save us from ? And. while saving us, blew it away, in theory, " to some distant place." Are they not, also, monuments to his wonderful "medical mind"? And, too, are not the monuments in Plymouth Cemetery, which were raised to the memory of those who died of that epi- demic, also monuments to those medical minds there who could not save those people ? Monuments to their folly in assuming to do what they failed in doing in the very time of need ? Besides, what are all those monuments in Crown Hill, and every cem- etery in the world, but monuments to the failures of "medical minds" to save the people from disease and death, after making those great pretentions, leading the same people to trust them to do it— securing their trust by false pretenses ? " Or emoluments for its labor." Why, Doctor ! Doctor! No emoluments in those $75,000 annual incomes of the Agnews, Blisses, Hamiltons, Sir McKenzies, or in those $25,000, $15,000 or even 66 PART FIRST. $10,000 of those lesser ones of the "weaker vessels" of humanity ? Besides, what about those piles of brick and mortar, bank stock, palatial residences and corner lots, all taxed to those eminent medical minds of our city and State ? Our distinguished historian, in climbing down from 2,000 years before Christ, gets down to 1795, when he says : "Jenner discovered vaccination as a prevention of small-pox. This alone has saved the lives of untold thousands, and is recognized through the civilized world as the greatest life- saving discovery of this or any other age." But, dear doctor, you forget to mention the great life- saving discovery of those French physicians—the salt bath—that will save small-pox patients en masse, the truth of which discovery was verified by the salt-watery element of San Francisco bay. Yet one would scarcely think our historian cares about remembering that very little bit of history. There does not seem to be any way to adulation, for the medical mind, in the work of that watery ele- ment—salt bath—on those fifteen small-pox patients. More need of your commiseration, Doctor, for the evident "vacuity" manifested in the cranium of those doctors, in San Francisco, who prophesied instant death to those patients as a consequence of that salt water bath. The average medical mind of to-day is afraid of that curative element, because it destroys the theory of Jenner and his disciples, that salt is dangerous in that disease; and it is such a simple and easy cure that it destroys all the mystery they have always thrown around it; and, worse CHAPTER VIII. 67 than all that, it materially cuts short that emolument which the doctor is so sure the " model" medical mind does not get, for all " its labor." He also says: "Among chemicals and medic- inal agents, we have quinine, morphia, iodides, bromides," etc. But, then, while Dr. Oliver may use quinine, antipyrine, etc., in typhoid fever, does Dr. Fletcher ? If so, is it not in the same category with his pickled moonshine? And then, why don't the doctor invent something that is good for it ? Say water ? Though he might give it such a very scientific name that neither old Adam, nor any of his progeny, would recognize the "old original Adam's ale"—"blown in the bottle" or not. Surely the medical mind of our historian, with all the ad- vantage of his acquaintance with all those ancient, as well as modern minds, ought to be equal to the occasion, while he might vie with the great "Rum- ford," or even with Dr. Clarke's No. 2 Christ. Besides, the doctor has forgotten, or possibly has not read—as " physicians do not take prescriptions from the papers"—that French physicians have also discovered that the cold bath is a certain cure for typhoid fever. But possibly he has exhausted his energies in the line of searching after medical minds, since discovering Jenner and Count Rum- ford. Truly it must have been an exhaustive effort— that reaching after pickled moonshine. Besides, it would destroy Dr. Oliver's theory, that there is no remedy for typhoid, only to keep up the patient's strength, while the doctor " makes a good thing " out of the quinine and antipyrine, all the time that 68 PART FIRST. the patient is wearing out the fever—always pro- vided that the fever does not first wear out the patient. To follow up our historian : " In the progress of medical science, and all allied to it, we have evidence that the uniform tendency has been to ameliorate the condition of mankind." This, from a medical standpoint, from a representative of those whose business it is to practice that pretended science on a confiding people, who are allured by those practitioners to think that their medical nostrums are necessary to their health, and to pro- tect them from disease ; who prate their all-time theme that disease is always insidiously stealing upon them, and that they should always have their remedies to use, at the very faintest warning of its presence. " An ounce of preventive is worth a pound of cure," is their watchword. And with the swarms of those impecunious young sprigs of the profession, those whom the Fletchers, and Fan- farons—I borrow this name from Dr. J. W. Her- vey, and he is responsible for it, whomsoever it represents—have inflated and freighted with the ideas of their wonderful—superhuman, as it were— knowledge, and parading it before the people until, alarmed and deluded, they seek those wonderful embodiments of knowledge for relief from danger of disease and death ; then with the cure-all in their pocket, hasten home to swallow it, or to administer it to some one or more of the family, who are al- ready trembling with alarm at the terrible symptoms already felt of coming danger. CHAPTER VIII. 69 Such is a picture of e/ery-day life. It is no fancied picture. Every city, every community the country over, is filled with such a class of medical practitioners, whose necessities for even a bare liv- ing compels them to industriously present their claims for public patronage. The medical colleges are continually pouring out troops of young men— and women, too—to thus prey upon the unsuspect- ing, deluded people, while disease, imaginary or real, according to the power of the so-called doctor over the mind of the patient, is doing its deadly work. My estimate of that.class of impecunious medical pretenders is not without backing. Dr. Shrady, one of General Grant's doctors, has this to say : "There is more doctors, or persons hold- ing the degree of M. D., than make a decent living. The country, in fact the world, is over-stocked with them. The sober facts show that the medical pro- fession in the market is crowded to overflowing ; that the supply far exceeds the demand. While the increase of population is less than two per cent., the increase of doctors is more than five and one- half per cent., and there is little room left, to a con- siderable per cent, of physicians, to gain the bare necessities of life." Three and one-half per cent., while that per cent, is all the time increasing, added to the number of doctors every year, more than there is to the people ; and the medical colleges in our city, under the special care of the Fletchers, Woodburns, Herveys, Jamisons, Hurtys, and the host whose name is legion, emptying upon the people every year legions of those young sprigs 70 PART FIRST. of the vaunted medical minds, so successfully un- earthed by that orator, on the late occasion of in- vesting those eighty-one fledglings with wind, and assurance to go out to prey upon the same deluded people, by playing their confidence games upon them, to fleece them to the extent, at least, of giv- ing them "the bare necessities of life." The people could well afford to donate to them those "bare necessities" were that all. But it is not. It is merely a drop in the bucketful of their loss. With their money, go health and life ; and while this preying upon health and life is going on, poverty, in its varied forms and degrees, is making its inroads upon them ; while the rich in the emolu- ments of life are equally sure of sickness, sufferings and death, at the hands of that wholesale quackery that is practiced upon them by those confidence men and women, in pursuit of the "bare necessities of life." And, while it is remarkable, considering the supposed intelligence of those people, in higher life, educated in all, or many, of the theories of life and living, that they should be so easily led and snared by the deceptions of those confidence med- icine-mongers. Those medical minds are prolific in their pretentious knowledge, for all pretended dis- eases, until their patients are brought to the verge of the grave by their treatment. Then that same med- cal mind is powerless, in all his freighted and in- flated condition, with the medical knowledge filled into him in those colleges, and blown into him by those orators on graduation days, to save them. They did not save C. F. Holliday in his brief attack CHAPTER VIII. /I of chill, and the fever following it. No. But their treatment intensified the disease, and hurried it on, to hasten the death of the patient. Nor did they save Vice-President Hendricks. No, indeed. But the same lack of proper and simple treatment hur- ried him to his end. Did the same pretentious med- ical minds save Chief Justice Waite ? No. And he, too, while two of those minds were quarrelling over their treatment of him, went to his grave; while two hours of a simple warm bath, adminis- tered without any parade of medical science, so called, would have saved him. So with General Grant and Emperor Frederick. The great cry of incurable cancer, in their cases, was all false, but necessary with those eminently medical minds, to cover up the utter impotency of their profession, with all "their mumblings in unknown tongues," as the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette has it, to save them. Congressman Haskell had three "incurable" dis- eases, according to the trio of those medical minds, who treated him. Neither Count Rumford's nor Hahnemann's mantles fell upon that trio, nor, surely, did Dr. Fletcher blow upon them at their graduation, else why such a failure? The sprigs of those Christ- like Hahnemanns and Apostle-excelling Rumfords, have terribly degenerated in our day and genera- tion—dwindled down to merely "yaller suckers" of the life-blood of the people. Here is the case of a family bereavement, which is duplicated in our city and country a thousand times a year, and occurring daily all over the land, 72 PART FIRST. and which illustrates not only the imbecility, but inhumanity, of the vaunted medical profession. I unhesitatingly say "inhumanity," because they let their patients die, rather than deviate from their code to cure them : "George L. Phillips, President of the Central Union and Chicago Telephone Com- pany, died of typhoid fever at his home in Edgewa- ter, late yesterday afternoon. His death is rendered particularly sad by the fact that his second daughter, whom he took to school in New York, on January 6, died of typhoid fever in that city last Wednesday. Mrs. Phillips was summoned to New York, and arrived there just in time to see her daughter die. She returned to Chicago, but found her husband so ill that the doctors would not allow her to see him> and he passed away in ignorance of her return or his daughter's death." Think of that bereavement in that family, while in the hands of that great self-adulatoried profession, which would not have come upon it, had it not been for the inhumanity of the profession in refusing to use the cold bath for that father and daughter, by which they would have saved them ; and the great sorrow that now rests upon the remnant of that family. They are self-convicted of the great crime of not trying to break that fever by a cold bath. Dr. Oliver said : " We do not recognize typhoid as a fever that can be broken up or headed off, like malaria." That is the professional's way and talk, the object of which is to draw from the people all their available cash ; then, rather than let a patient die, some of them will save him by the cold bath CHAPTER VIII. 73 process. And some of them are candid enough to admit, in private conversation, that water will break the fever at once. For instance, some years ago, I was contending with Dr.—I omit his name, as it was a private con- versation—who is now practicing in the city, for the cold bath in fever, wh'o admitted its utility, and related his treatment of a case of typhoid with it, iri substantially these words : "I was called to see a railroad superintendent, who had a severe attack of typhoid fever. He said to me: 'Doctor, I want you to get me out of this in three days,' when I answered: 'If you get out in three Weeks, you may think yourself lucky.' 'But Doctor,' said he, £I must be out to attend to my business.' Then I said to him, ' If you can stand the expense, I will try and see what I can do.' He answered that he cared nothing for the expense, ' It is the time I want.' I then put him through a regular water treatment, and in three days lie was out attending to his business. I charged him $30." What do the Dr. Olivers think of this admission of one of their number ? Does any one think that man did be- grudge his $30 ? Would not his bill have been more than that, besides the loss of three week's time, with all the suffering he had endured ? I am sure that some of my own experiences are worth considering : I milked cows and drove milk wagon, from 1867 to 1874, and some of the time my work was very wearing on me, so that I was at " times very much prostrated. One morning, while feeling very badly, I started with my wagon, and 74 PART FIRST. before half-way round I felt that a chill was coming upon me, and before reaching home was shaking severely. I then sat down by the stove and put my feet into the hot oven, while all the time shak- ing as though my joints would come apart, and while so shaking drank three quarts of cold water. I now think that warm water would have hastened, more readily, the stopping of the chill. I sat there until the chill was off. Then came an equally vio- lent fever, when I had a bath tub filled with water from the well, stripped myself and laid down it in, being all submerged but my head, and had a com- fort thrown over the tub. I laid there until perspi- ration came freely, on my head and face, and the fever entirely gone. I was then rubbed dry, laid down in bed, covered up so as to be warm, when I sweat freely for some time; after which I arose, again rubbed dry, and put on a sufficiency of clothes to protect my person from a possibility of any cold sensation, remaining in doors until time to go to the stable to milk ; then milked sixteen cows. That was the last of my chill and fever. Now, suppose I had called C . F. Holliday's doctor, would I have went out to the stable that evening to milk ? That was the difference between a treat- ment to cure, and one the main object of which was to collect a fee. Another time : I was up at 3 o'clock every morning, to feed and milk sixteen cows, and go out with the milk twice a day. I felt that it was more strain on my strength than it would bear, the result of which was, a slow fever came on me from CHAPTER VIII. 75 day to day. Finally, after retiring, I was fully im- pressed that I must break that fever or I should not be able to go to the stable in the morning. Then, arising, I had water brought from the well, washed myself all over thoroughly with it, and again retired, but not to sleep, for the fever was still there. Then I again arose, gave myself another washing, and again retired, but yet not to sleep, as a remnant of the fever remained. Then I again arose and washed, and then retired to sleep, which I did, sweetly, until 3 o'clock, when I awoke, after a better night's rest than I had had for some time, and had fully recovered my usual strength. And now, again, suppose I had resorted to Dr. Oliver's quackery, with quinine and antipyrine, or Dr. Fletcher's pickled moonshine, or any of the "Dr. Quacks'" treatment, would I have went out to that stable next morning ? Any fool who is re- sorting to their treatment for fever, will answer in his heart, "no." Yet they will go to the next med- ical society and resolute that "cold water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in fever" of any kind. I have already stated that I lived for twelve years in one of the most malaria-breeding districts about the city—between the Canal, Fall Creek, mill race and ice ponds—and much of that time our boys were exposed to that malarial atmosphere, herding cows on the creek bottoms, and, like other boys, much more in the water than was healthy, which often caused them to be attacked with "chills." Then, in that event, we had recourse to the hot bath. One chill was generally all they had 76 PART FIRST. at one attack, while our neighbors lingered for months under the care of the doctors, just as we did in the summer of 1864. In all those years, when we were breaking chills with a warm bath, we could see doctors' buggies standing at the gates of our neighbors, often for months at a time, while we knew that some one or more of those families were suffering from chills, and were being treated by the doctors. Those doctors knew that they could cure those patients with the same hot bath with which we cured our children, but business was what they were after, to obtain, perhaps, "a bare subsistence," and as they had so successfully convinced those people that they needed their treatment, they were afraid to cut loose from them, although many of them were aware of our success in our treatment. Besides a little quinia, their medicines did not amount to much more than a pill of dough or chalk, but as the patient did finally recover under that treatment, and as, in his imagination, it had acted as a charm on him, he was ready to believe that "that doctor" was the very one for him all the time. Then he extols his skill to his next-door neighbor, while it passes on to the next, and next, until he becomes famous all at once, and all in con- sequence of the duplicity practiced upon a confid- ing people, who have been educated from infancy to think he is necessary to keep them in health. But should one of those deceived people be actually sick and in need of a remedy, he is utterly unable to render that service, for, should he recover under that treatment, it would be simply because his physi- CHAPTER VIII. 77 cal strength was able to withstand both disease and medicine. Here are the words of a medical wiseacre : "Mr. Kingsley can not get ahead of us in his ad- miration of cold water. But, like all enthusiasts, he expects too much of his hobby. Cold water is sometimes useful in the treatment of scarlet fever, but it will not cure the disease. Nothing will." Now, this "will not," "nothing will," is false ; and to make the assumption of the average doctor, who asserts that the same treatment will not answer in two like cases of fever, true, he enters into a "non- sensical mumbling of unknown tongues," in showing that there are so many hair-splitting differences in diseases of the same general name, that each split in the hair requires a different treatment. All to blind people's eyes, so that they will all the more willingly submit to his treatment. Hence he says that cold water will not cure scarlet fever, while that asser- tion is made simply to draw their attention from a cheap and sure remedy for it, which is within their reach, without his aid. There is just where the shoe hurts his corns. He wants to render that aid, amid all his mumblings, for the fee, that he may obtain "a mere subsistence," as Dr. Shrady says. It is not true that those hair-split- tings make a different treatment necessary. The cause of fever, of all kinds, is in the blood, which immediately, or gradually, poisons the whole physi- cal frame, and which is first felt in and around the vitals—digestive, respiratory, and heart, the blood destributing organ—which has the effect of closing 78 PART FIRST. the natural evacuators of the whole physical frame— the pores of the skin. Hence that poison, which should be discharged through those evacuators in perspiration, is not so discharged, in consequence of those pores being closed, which consequently causes the rotting or dying process which is going on in the vitals, and which will be sure death to the patient, if that dying process is not stopped. The common sense way is to open the pores in the quickest way possible, that a perspiration may bring that poison away from the vitals, which stops that process of decay. Then here is at once revealed the utility and necessity of cold water, which, when applied to the heated skin, causes a steam, which has the ef- fect to open the pores, when the poison is brought away in a flow of perspiration. That poison showed itself in those blankets wrapped around that man with "yaller" fever, as the servant called it. A chill is generally the first stage of a disease culminating in fever, very often so slight as not to be noticed, but when it is noticed, a thorough footbath may be sufficient, but if not, the hot pack should be used, same as cold pack in fever. The foot-bath should be taken in a deep vessel, so as to bring the water as near to the knees as possible, and the patient well covered with comfort or quilt, tub and all, and should remain there until in a complete perspira- tion, when he should be placed in bed and covered up, warm, so as to continue the perspiration a reasonable length of time, when he can be rubbed dry and dressed, but he should remain out of any CHAPTER VIII. 79 cold draughts, or continue in bed, if he wishes. After either a hot or cold bath, the patient should be clothed well, so as to be perfectly warm, and keep perfectly quiet until completely restored to his usual health and strength. If fever should follow, after the chill is broken, then the cold bath, in tub or pack, should follow at once. Generally those two applications is the end of an ordinary case ; but sometimes the day following, or the next, may develop symptoms which may require a repetition. We never had more than the second attack, which was always much lighter than the first. Again says the wiseacre : " Mr. Kingsley is un- reasonable when he reproaches the doctors in being unable to 'cure' diseases." But that is what they profess to the people to be able to do, and with that understanding they are employed by them ; and they could do it, in nine cases out of ten, if tbey would employ nature's remedies, instead of their drugs. I "reproach" the doctors for deceiving their patients, in a way to make the most money out of them, regardless of the best way to "cure" them. Curing seems to be a secondary object with them. While they may hope in their hearts that their patient may recover, yet money is their great object. After some facetious language which Dr. Wise- acre, no doubt, thought was smart, he says : " Mr. Kingsley must disabuse his mind of the erroneous idea that there is any 'sure cure' for anything, and then he will be prepared to admit that experience is better than theory." That is just what I am claim- 8o PART FIRST. ing: That my experience is, with a thousand others before me, that the use of the cold pack has been a sure cure in every trial I have made with it in the last thirty years; and therefore I claim that I have no "erroneous idea" in claiming that it is better than the "theory" of the Drs. Wiseacres, Humbugs and Quack-olivers, who said that my "experience" was worth nothing, while theirs was reliable, though all the time losing as many patients as they cure, and those only saved after long suffering, while my patients are saved in a few hours, with compara- tively no suffering. The claim of the pretentious doctor that the experience of "A Layman" is worth nothing, though a complete success injuring dis- ease for more than a quarter of a century, is made upon the assumption that the doctors have the ex- clusive control of the ear of the public, and that it will listen to them, while it will turn away from anything that I may say in vindication of my ex- perience. I confess, with sorrow, that that claim is well laid, too often for the good of the public. Hence it is with faint hope that I make the attempt in these pages to reach that public's ear, although with gratuitious information as to their best interests in regard to life and health; while that profession is continually levying a burdensome tax upon them, besides endangering life and health with their "the- ory," while the people's " experience" with that theory, mixed with their practice, is sickness, suf- fering and death. CHAPTER IX. 8l CHAPTER IX. The contempt the average doctor feels toward a person who may call in question the utility of their pretended knowledge of so-called medical science, as a curative element for disease, may be demon- strated in the reply of Dr. J. W. Hervey to an" article of mine in regard to a paper which he read before the Marion County Medical Society, on " Utility and Progress in Medicine," in which he reviewed its advancement in the last fifty years, I queried : " Really, what are those advancements ? Do they relieve people of sickness and suffering from what they endured then? Is typhoid any less fatal now than was typhus then? Is cholera any less fatal to-day in Spain than it was in New York, Philadelphia or elsewhere then ? Is smallpox any less fatal in Montreal now, than it was, anywhere, then ? Was not yellow fever in the last few years as fatal as ever before, in those localities it has scourged ? Was the epidemic which prevailed last year in Plymouth, Pa., any less terrible than any that ever preceded it, anywhere, in the coun- try? The doctors there could do nothing but stand around and wring their hands, but finally concluded that it was a violent type of typhoid fever, caused by bad drainage. But had they consulted Dr. Rice, of Springfield, Mass., he would have attributed it to the 'unnaturalness of the weather.' Those doctors were, undoubtedly, lineal descendants of Dr. Fletch- er's ancient prodigies in the medical mind world, S2 PART FIRST. but who had evidently forgot their lessons on the 'unnaturalness of the weather;' and, too, the doc- tor forgot to discover Dr. Rice, and his wonderful theory." Then again I queried : " Is disease, or the dan- ger of it, aside from the cause being removed by cleaning and drainage of the land, any less now in our city, than fifty years ago ? If so, why the necessity of such an army of doctors—and which is being increased four times as fast, according to their number, as the citizens increase—if the 'changes, new remedies, appliances and contrivances,' have been successful in investigating and curing disease ? But, as well as the change in ' the diathesis of dis- ease " did not the influence of Samuel Thompson, about sixty years ago, begin to be so felt against the 'barbarous' practice of blood-letting and drastic medication, such influence being continued by the eclectics, that the ' regulars' were induced to let those practices drop out ? Besides, are not those practices in France, where they have learned by ex- periment that the salt water bath is a sure remedy for small-pox, and, later, that cold bath in typhoid saves sixty to ninety per cent, of the number that before died under the old treatment, in the hospitals there, the real advancements in the knowledge as how to treat disease ?" Yet, all those facts have been, and are ignored by the average physician of to-day. But in the Doctor's pretended advancement, and change, is it not oftener in the interests of the physician, and, too painfully often, not to be of interest to "the peo- CHAPTER IX. 83 pie who support them," who are already "heavily taxed," as the Journal has it in reference to the quarrel between druggists and physicians in St. Louis, where a physician, who had given a $12 prescription which had been filled by a druggist for $1, and who claimed that the physician did not divide that amount with him, as had been agreed upon, and, which, was the custom ? That was bus- iness, but how would that quarrel affect the average patient, between paroxysms of chill and fever, puk- ing and purging, should it be revealed to him, that those who had robbed him were quarreling over their booty ? The Journal prophesies that "a new hobby will come to magnify the services, and needs of the pill and powder, and their administrators." Why cer- tainly, dear Journal. Has it not, already, come ? What is Dr. Hervey's " Utility and Progress in Medicine," if not that "hobby?" Such papers being constantly read and discussed at their society meetings, portraying the marvelous achievements of medical science, magnifying its importance, flaunting in the face of those who are " heavily taxed," that they must buy and continue to buy those pills and powders ; that to refuse, is at the risk of health and life ? All this is calculated to deceive those who "support them"—who continue to pay tribute to those administrators of pill and powder. Nor, in all this, as well as in the thou- sands of patent nostrums, which the people are in- duced to buy, as "cures for all the ills that flesh is heir to," can the administrator alone, be at fault. 84 PART FIRST. The people are willing to be gulled, and become willing sacrifices upon the altar of pretended medi- cal science ; while the wages of their folly is loss of money, health and life. What can be the amount, annually, of "tax" assessed upon the people of Indi- anapolis by the half thousand administrators of "pill and powder"—$12 prescriptions, and $1 for the drugs, or even a less and more popular price to the masses for prescriptions? Would a half million pay the bill, not taking into the account time spent upon the sick couch, and nursing? Verily a million would come nearer the solid fact. It may be all true as the Journal says : physi- cians are important members of community—"to the people who support them," to those "already heavily taxed," but to substract their importance, as tax gatherers only, from the general interests of those people, the remainder might dwindle down to very small proportions, compared to the original proposition. The Journal, not long since, quoted an article from the Milwaukee Sentinel, in which occurs this sentence: " Physicians profess faith in medicine, but really have very little." That un- doubtedly places them in their true light; and which Dr. Fletcher verified when he compared the value of all kinds which he had tried for ty- phoid fever to "pickled moonshine." And were it not for the interest their pockets have in their prac- tice of it, on the deluded people, all physicians would say so, to those people. I here refer to the general practice, but do not deny that there are in- stances when medicine may be administered with- CHAPTER IX. 85 out harm, and in very rare cases, with good results. But, where there is one good one there are nine bad ones. It has been published that Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that, " If the whole materia medica were sunk to the bottom of the sea it would be all the better for mankind." These two lines confirm every sentiment I have uttered between the covers of this book ; and however much my Dr. Critic may emphasize, that to utter them is " dangerous folly," the people should weigh well these words of Dr. Holmes, as well as all they read in this book. A doctor, and an old friend, was a guest at my house, and has often been such. One morning I found him suffering—his hands and arms pressing on his stomach and groaning: " O, my stomach!" After expressing my sympathy for him, I said : " Well, doctor, will you have some medi- cine?" "No-0-0, I don't take medicine when I'm sick," was the ready answer. Afterward I rallied him about his "rule" to not take medicine when sick, and queried : Do you tell your patients that they do not need medicine ? " No. The fools would not believe me if I did," was the answer. I once stepped into a doctor's office in this city, and in passing the "howdy," he put his hand on his forehead, leaned back in his chair and groaned out, "O, I'm sick." I looked right in his eyes and said, with emphasis, " Well, you are the doctor;" and which brought forth this reply .• " O, well, Kings- ley, you are right. This doctoring is all a humbug. I wish I had never begun it, but the people are such 86 PART FIRST. fools that they will have medicine, and I may as well give it to them as any one, just so I don't give them anything that will hurt them." And he is still at it, "at the old stand," and when his eyes strike this, he will see that I am kind enough to withhold his name for old friendship's sake. But I have a very sorrowful feeling for what little conscience he has left. The reader will note the points I made in my queries as to the " Utility and Progress of Medi- cine," according to Dr. Hervey. I here present his answers, as appeared in the Journal: "Your clever correspondent Kingsley concludes that we are mistaken badly as to there having been any progress in medicine in the last half century. The mere negative of this question seems not wide enough for him. He pushes his researches beyond the bounds of generosity, and comes to the conclu- sion that the Marion County Medical Society is a den of howling fanfarons, where the medical men of the city meet to gas themselves into notoriety, and to inflate the public mind with the magnitude of their own importance ; that they then go out as a gang of hungry tax gatherers to fleece the dupes they have made, then leave them with the under- taker, or with empty pockets and broken constitu- tions." Again: "If my good friend thinks that the medical profession has accomplished nothing because people get sick and die, let him so believe, and induce all others to join if he can. If he thinks the medical profession useless, and even detrimental to the welfare of the people, although this is quite a CHAPTER IX. 87 calamity, we will try and struggle through the dis- astrous consequences. If he can live without doctor, pill and powder, in the name of common sense let him jog on doctorless, pilless and powderless to the end. And if he had a case of bad cold in his family, and pronounced it scarlatina or meningitis, and cured it while nine cases"—twelve out of fifteen died, I wrote—"of the disease died under the treatment of the best physicians in the city, we hope he will not refuse to be consulted when the next epidemic comes along." Then: "We would not speak so ironically of this gentleman if 'we' did not think that he does not write just what he thinks and believes." "And too"—he should have continued—"if 'we' could an- swer his queries in any other way;" while also, "we" wish to show "our" contempt for any "lay- man" who dares to question "our" superior skill, in "our" wonderful medical knowledge, over his "quackery"—water treatment for chills and fever. "We believe that 'we' have the ear of the people so effectually that he can have no influence with them against 'our' practicing 'our' humbuggery upon them." Soon after the Doctor's ironical reply to my queries, it was announced in the papers that the Marion County Medical Society "is getting down to solid work and paying more attention to practice than theory." That is to say that they had been theorizing more than practicing, and which seems to confirm the Doctor's conclusions about my con- clusions, that that society "is a den of howling fan- farons"—whatever that may be, while the name does 88 PART FIRST. indicate that they must be "just awful." Well, I could not have expressed my opinion about " them fanfarons" as well as he does for me, and I do sup- pose that it is because he is better acquainted with them in their "society" work than I am. After that announcement—that the society was getting down to solid work—I published this : "Now, to enable them to be more successful, in treating fevers, than they have been, I will be most happy to give them' the benefit of my experience—according to the wish of my distinguished friend Dr. Hervey, as recently expressed in reference to my very successful treat- ment of scarlet fever : 'We hope he will not refuse to be consulted when the next epidemic comes along.' I will gladly—without money and without price—give them all the assistance possible in the application of the cold bath, which has been so suc- cessful with me. And then I trust they will be able, and equally willing, to reverse their verdict, so unan- imously rendered at a former meeting, that 'cold bath is injurious in scarlet fever.'" To confirm the doctor in his opinion that I "do not write just what I think and believe," I will con- fess that I do think, and believe, that the medical profession is more detrimental to the best interests of the masses than I have dared to write. But, knowing the bent of the minds of those masses in favor of that profession, my object is to so touch their mind as to lead it to reflect upon the points I have made; and believing that such reflection will, eventually, induce at least a part of those masses, to fortify themselves against the impositions of the pro- CHAPTER IX. So fession. That there is a latency of sentiment with a very large class of the people, fully agreeing with me in all I have written in regard to the impositions practiced upon them, I have no doubt, from the ex- pressions of many to me, and who approve my bold and open course in denouncing it—all its power and influence, notwithstanding. It is so common, as to almost admit of the term universal, for a pa- tient, who has recovered from a long siege of sick- ness, to say that he did not believe his doctor knew what ailed him, or what to do for him, and that his medicine did not do any good ; that he would have got along better without him ; that he recovered in spite of his medicine, etc. The feeling is justified in all cases, because it is a fact that no doctor knows how, by his code, to treat a case of ordinary fever of any kind, but begins a series of experiments, and keeps it up to the end, whether it be life or death. Under the pretence that the changes in the features of the disease requires a constant change in the medicine, that change is kept up, while the result is the same as was Dr. Fletcher's " experiment"" with typhoid fever. They "try" as he "tried," and with the same result—"no better than pickled moon- shine." While the doctor, no doubt, intended to be quite facetious in thus expressing himself to those medi- cal students, he did, all the same, personate the whole fraternity of doctors, the world over, and to their shame, if not their discomfiture. What more disgraceful in Dr. Fletcher, than in thus expressing himself as to how he had treated those patients en- 0,0 PART FIRST. trusted to his care and skill. He who affects to know so much of the "medical mind'' and its utility. He who had sat under the droppings of the sanctu- aries, filled with the Hippocrates, the Galens, the Celsuses, and at the feet of the Rumfords, confess- ing that he has been unable to find anything, in all the combined wisdom of those vaunted minds, but what he was compelled to compare to pickled moon- shine—no better than that for typhoid fever. I inquire this of the very astute Dr. Hervey : If for twenty years, I and my family can "jog on doc- torless, pilless and powderless," why "in the name of common sense" can not others do the same ? Would they not, were it not for the imposition of the doctors, who, after getting their confidence— but not mine—palm their pills and powders upon them ? Those deluded ones are all the time being told, or are reading, that the " howling fanfarons," who, in " gassing themselves into notoriety," have proclaimed to the public that my " cures," and which saves me and my family from doctors, pills, powders, the sick couch and winding sheet, is hurt- ful in the many fevers which they are impotent to cure. Hundreds to-day are in sick beds in our city, while scores are every week going to their graves, after having had a surfeit of doctor's- pills and powders ; and after having been experimented on by the " wonderful" medical mind, all the remedies in the materia medica, and with the same suc- cess as had the erudite discoverer of that ' mind"— " no better than pickled moonshine." Has not that CHAPTER IX. 91 •' utility and progress " of medicine yet reached the medical minds of those who are not saving their diphtheria patients, their scarlatina patients, their typhoid fever patients, their pneumonia or cancer patients ? Why did not that gray-haired and erudite Hervey, of long experience, profound acquirements, and in communication with the spirits of the Rum- fords, Hahnemanns, Galens, Celsuses ; also, with the flesh of the Colletts, Comptons, Fletchers, Quack-olivers, etc., learn that lesson of progress to Dr. Hodges that he could have saved the Basse children ? And to all other doctors, who are letting their patients die with diphtheria, scarlatina, or any other 'tina. Die, every day, notwithstanding that bright luminary in the knowledge of utility and progress of medicine is shining with a mid-day ef- fulgence, right in their midst ? Why did not that same effulgent light in all its instructive glory, con- vey itself to the benighted minds of those doctors who couldn't save General Sheridan, General Grant, Chief-Justice Waite, General Logan, Emperor Will- iam, and a host of other giants in the political world? Why couldn't he teach that lesson of pro- gress to those doctors in Vevay and Cincinnati, so thai they could have saved that young and beloved minister to those church people, and that heart- stricken and beloved girl ? And, those doctors in Chicago, that they might have saved Phillips and daughter, to that soul-stricken family ? Then, when we see those habiliments, emblematic of bereave- ment, upon persons riding in the hack slowly fol- lowing the hearse, laden with the loved one, whom 9- PART FIRST. they are about to consign to his last resting place on earth ; as well as those same emblems carried by mourning souls on our street, do not our souls go out in sorrow for them, while in our hearts we ex- claim : Why, O, why could not those eminently- learned men in medicine and medical progress save to those bereaved souls their now lost friends ? Go when or where we will, we meet those emblems of mourning for lost friends. Lost by the inability of those who profess to know disease, and how to treat it, but fail in the hour of need—a broken reed upon which the patient leaned, but which let him fall into his grave. And all the time that this dying and sorrowing is going on, those same imbeciles, impotent to save their patients themselves, are cry- ing out against the very treatment that could and would save them ; belching forth from their " dens of howling fanfarons," that water is not beneficial, but hurtful, in scarlet fever—and all other fevers- alike. How many mothers in this city are now mourning the loss of loved ones ? O ! how many hearts are bleeding : just as the Basse's hearts are bleeding for the loss of those three beautiful chil- dren ? How many wives' hearts are bleeding for the loss of husbands, and husband's for the loss of wives ? And what about those motherless, father- less children, babes, left to the cold charities of a— too often—heartless world ? Nine-tenths of all this loss, this suffering and grief in consequence of the false pretenses of the idiotic—idiotic so far as anv real knowledge of the real healing art is concerned— but professedly "know-every things," as to saving CHAPTER IX. 93 all that suffering, and those loved ones to a long life together, in this world, and until physical nature shall succumb to its allotted time of three score and ten. Just now, as I am writing these lines, that historic procession is passing, following a beloved daughter, just 'blooming into womanhood, in that same historic hearse, to her silent home in Crown Hill. Is not the bleeding hearts of those parents, and other loved ones left, enough to melt the heart of that "doctor" who essayed to save her life, but failed, notwithstanding all his vaunted knowledge in "utility and progress in medicine," and to cause him to cry out: " O, that mine head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears, and that I might weep for that daughter lost by my impotency in medical skill"? Where was that discoverer in that utility of medicine, so that his effulgent light were shed upon that disciple of that school of medical progress, that he could have saved that girl to those now bereaved hearts ? In that wiseacre's astute answer to my queries,. he sums it all up in this facetious language : " If he had a case of bad cold in his family, and pro- nounced it scarlatina or meningitis, and cured it while nine cases died under the treatment of the best physicians in the city," etc. The reader will notice that he sneeringly insinuates that our little girl's case of scarlet fever was, simply, a "bad cold," and by which he evidently intends to bring me down into the same low plain of medical knowl- edge in which Dr. Metcalf places some of our city doctors — very likely Dr. Hervey included — who 94 PART FIRST. have made so many mistakes in diagnosing cases scarlet fever and diphtheria, that were not, but when the developments of a few days disproved their judgment, they did " not find it necessary to explain their mistake, especially since their credit for curing so dangerous a disease so quickly is much greater than it would be were the truth known." "Legitimate wiseacres" as Dr. Metcalf would— modestly, of course—insinuate they are. But with this difference in my favor : I do not claim money for my "quackery" say—to please Dr. Hervey— while I, also, saved all of mine, while many of those quacks' patients died, and are dying all the time. What was it but a bad cold that young Hol- liday and Mrs. O'Connell had, while in a few hours' time, under the treatment of those same "quacks"— evidently—they died. The same with Vice-Presi- dent Hendricks, and, too, under the treatment of that aged and venerable quack, he died ; while in other cities of our State, according to Dr. Metcalf, the same quackery is also going on. To quote again that language of the facetious Dr. Hervey : " We hope he will not refuse to be consulted when the next epidemic comes along." Well, why didn't they consult me in those cases just named ? He tactly admits that I cured those "colds" in my family ; then, as his medical light in his—and theirs, of course—progressive state, could not cure those " colds," why didn't they consult one that had done it, and could again ? I fancy I can answer for them. I think they had rather risk those patients' lives in their own treatment, rather than have them CHAPTER IX. 95 saved outside their "code"—by a cold or hot bath. That statement from their medical society, so void of truth, in opposition to my statement that cold bath cured my child of scarlet fever, was made to forestall any influence I might obtain upon the pub- lic mind ; while knowing that their monopoly over that same mind was so complete, that only that con- tradiction was necessary to destroy any influence I had obtained. Why this attempt, by discrediting my statement, to keep the people from trying my remedies, and to induce them to still trust theirs ? Is it not for the all-mighty dollar, which they would lose, in proportion as the people should follow my advice? And is it not also evident that they are fearful that, should the experiment with my treat- ment be tried, it would be so complete a success that it would place all those who should try it in the same independence of doctor, pill and powder, that I have enjoyed these twenty years ? And this exclusiveness of theirs, adhering to their code, and contemptuous treatment of every person who expresses a doubt of its entire utility and safety, and too, all the time losing patients ; is it not the great cause of that latent sentiment, in the minds of many people, against the "unselfish- ness" of their immaculate pretentions of purity of purpose? While the same latent sentiment imputes to them a sordid mind, and selfish purpose ; dia- metrically opposed to the public good, and, which latent sentiment, so often crops out, in terse lan- guage, in the public prints. Here is an instance of that latent sentiment breaking out, in the expression 96 PART FIRST. of a prominent minister of the gospel of our city. An article of mine had appeared in the News, de- nouncing, in strong terms, some pretentious claim of the doctors of our city. The next day, perhaps, while walking up the street opposite the postoffice, I heard my named called, and looking, saw that minister crossing the street and motioning me to stop. Then, coming up to me and giving his hand, said : "You gave the doctors a pretty hard blow." Well, did they deserve it ? "Yes, every word of it. You certainly gave them a hard hit right between the eyes; and they deserve every word of it for their pretentious claims, and failing to make them good." Such voluntary approval has often been ex- tended to me by many first-class citizens of our city. The doctor holds a large portion of the people spell-bound to his claim, that they need his medi- cine, and who constantly visit his office to obtain it, and which he gives to them in exchange for their money. Just as the liquor seller expects his victims to exchange with him their money for his drinks, all the time holding them spell-bound by his allur- ing temptations, constantly held out to them, and which they are powerless to withstand—and only this difference between them and the doctors spell- bound victims : He holds them spell-bound, by impressing them with the great importance of buy- ing an "ounce of preventive," to save buying a "pound of cure;" while the other's victim's appetite holds him spell-bound to his cups. All the same, each one gets his victim's money, giving no value received in return, but, instead, that which destroys CHAPTER IX. 97 soul and body of the liquor seller's victims, while the doctor's victim's body is often destroyed—the soul may be saved—but the same poverty often comes upon him and his family, as upon the other victim, And, while all these sufferings are going on, I firmly believe that, the pretended medical science is destroying more lives, causing more pov- erty, sorrowing, suffering and death throughout all the land than the liquor traffic. It may be assumed without a successful contradiction that where one death occurs from the use of strong drink, scores of deaths occur, under all the diseases, enumerable, in the hands of the "doctor," while not one in a score of them would be fatal without his aid. I assume this from my standpoint, that nine-tenths of all the deaths are chargable to medical treatment. If it be a fact as Dr. Holmes says : " If the whole materia medica were sunk to the bottom of the sea, it would be all the better for mankind ;" and if it be a fact as Hall's Journal of Health says, that most of the cases of sickness would recover if the patient should rest quietly upon the bed, with- out any medicine whatever; and if it be a fact that physicians profess faith in medicine, but really have ver}r little ; and if it be a fact as old Dr. Stallo said, that very much of the medicine that is given does no good, while much of it is hurtful; and if it be a fact as the physicians in the hospitals of France say, that cold bath will cure nine-tenths of cases of typhoid, and which would be the same here were it tried ; and if it be a fact that salt bath will cure smallpox, as it did in those fifteen patients cast into 98 PART FIRST. San Francisco bay ; and if it be a fact—and which it is—that I have not failed in all my cases to cure scarlet and other fevers with the cold pack, and which others have done also, then what is all this array of facts but so many indictments against that medical science, for causing the largest portion of all the sufferings, losses, sorrowings and deaths in all this city, and throughout all the land ? And then, what is all this practice for, excepting the gratification of the sordid, grasping mind of mar. for gain ? And then, why should it not be classed with the already condemned liquor traffic, as so productive of evil, and injurious to all the best in- terests of mankind ? And yet the medical colleges all over the country are pouring out hordes of young doctors, whose only hope can be to prey upon tins deluded people—Dr. Hervey's "dupes"—in order to obtain a bare subsistence. What can the managers of those colleges mean, as they must see, and do see, that it means only robbery of the already duped people ? It means destruction of health and life, impoverishing the people, and reducing them tc want, while in thousands of cases to absolute beg- gery, dependent upon the charities of the people. CHAPTER X. Here is a world of meaning in this facetious lan- guage of my "Dr. Critic": "We should have a pretty kettle of fish if the people discarded the doc- tors and employed Mr. Kingsley. How would we CHAPTER X. 99 then get rid of the surplus population? The earth would then become uncomfortably crowded." That may all be true, but then I would not begin with parents, to add to the already many orphans; nor with children, to make one less seat at the table, or one less loved babe in the hearts of parents, nor to break into the group of those loved little ones, with prattling tongues, that give joy to the parents. But should I think it necessary to relieve the earth of some of its cumbersome population, I should cer- tainly begin with those whom I believed were the cause of all that mourning, that sadness and sorrow, the evidence of which is those black habiliments— mourning apparel—and those granite and marble columns in Crown Hill. The doctor, liquor seller and tobacconist are the great trio whose business is productive of more sorrow and misery in the world than all other causes combined. While of these three great evils in the land, I would to-day place the doctor evil as decidedly the greater, so my erudite critic may easily understand to whom I would first direct " Old Death," with his scythe and sickle. Such making light of the legitimate effects of their business among the people is no uncommon pastime, while, besides meeting together in their mutual-admiration societies to discuss each other's crop of brain effusions, and how to best get up the next epidemic scare, general-jollification banquets are often gotten up to jollify over their success or unsuccess in promoting that scare, and then failing to relieve the people of anything but their surplus. ICO PART FIRST. or everyday needy cash, as the case may be, no matter how many patients they may have left behind in all degrees of suffering, or how near to death's door, those banquets, that light, facetious talk over the results of their business, must, and do, go on, even while Old Death is banquetting over a fresh victim of the imbecility of their mind— inflated medical science. Then, how often it is the case that after a few cases of diphtheria, scarlatina, typhoid or small-pox, the alarm is sounded that an epidemic is imminent, while the legitimate result of it all is, that a large portion of the people rush, pell- mell, to the doctor's office to lay in the " ounce of prevention " to ward off their impending danger. Right here I inquire of Dr. Hervey this : Do those " howling fanfarons " meet in their " dens " to com- pare their needs for a "bare sustenance" before going out as " a gang of hungry tax-gatherers to fleece the dupes they have made ?" But that scare is not of long duration, for the people lose no time in gathering in that " ounce," and distributing cash in proportion, when it is announced that the Board of Health has taken all precautions against any further spread of the disease, whatever it may • be, as provisions for a " bare sustenance" have been provided for. So much for those scares, and often, are they duplicated in case of any disease ; while, as soon as the doctors reap the benefit of them, all is right again. But should the doctors apply themselves in a way to cure the patient at once, there could be no chance for a scare and the people would save their money ; yet while that CHAPTER X. IOI army of impecunious doctors is quartered upon us, that scare seems necessary. At the funeral of our little girl, and while an- other child had the same fever, women were in the house with children ; yet no one took the disease ; and when our little girl had the same fever in this •city, we had a house full of boarders, with quite a number of children ; yet no one contracted the fever. And all of which goes to show conclusively that all of those alarms are more beneficial to the doctors' pockets than fatal to the people. For instance : Those Florida doctors who called every case in sight yellow fever, so as to claim $12 fee from the Government. Dr. Metcalf's explanations as to why certain physicians of our city judge mild and insignificant cases as dangerous, and difficult to be treated, show the value of the average doctor- expert's opinion in regard to the nature of certain fevers, or other diseases, when a fee is in sight, or the necessity for a " bare subsistence" is encoun- tered. The reason is palpably plain for our city doctors' giving the alarm of a coming epidemic. All this diagnosis of disease, and great anxiety for the people to be ready for the impending epidemic, is easily accounted for, by the light weight in the doctor's pocket, or light table supplies, or else from a desire to add another pile of brick and mortar, or corner lot, to their already liberal accumulation, in that direction. Here is a little history of the profound ability of one of those historical "experts" to look into a man or woman's mind, to ascertain whether it is 102 PART FIRST. straight, bent, or badly "broke;" and with that expert's experience in the case of Guiteau, it may be surmised by a " wicked layman" that after the Gov- ernment's failure to "plank down" the cash, after he was " dragged to Washington," to testify to that crank's sanity, or insanity, he readily saw, by look- ing into his mind, that he was terribly crazy. Of course, had the Government understood the motive- power that moves the average medical expert's mind, it would not have " dragged " him there, and then allowed him to "got nothing." But when he came to testify for Mrs. Rawson, who was on trial for attempting to kill her husband's lawyer, who was prosecuting a divorce case against her, it was different. He was not dragged there, for sure, but " toled," by a big fee in sight, from her naughty husband's millions. Then he saw no insanity there •, no "broke" or, even, bent mind, but a mind as "straight as a shingle." That "fee" changed the perceptive powers of that medical mind's faculties amazingly. A little more history was made of that sanitary expert in Chicago recently, the title of which was: "An Expert Trapped." Mrs. Rawson's lawyer, Seth Crews, had asked the witness if he did not testify at the Guiteau trial that the assassin was in- sane. He said he did. "Still," said the lawyer, "Guiteau was hanged." "Yes, but the experts who swore that he was insane, perjured themselves. Those so-called doctors"—note, one doctor calling another "so called doctor"—"medical politicians, who testified for the prosecution in that case, were CHAPTER X. IO3 paid by the Government, while the experts for the defense were dragged to Washington by the Gov- ernment and got nothing." Then comes the trap- ping of that Dr. J. G. Kiernan, the expert that "got nothing." After this outbreak on the Guiteau case, Mr. Crews picked up a book, which, he said, was ""Ray's Medical Jurisprudence." "Now, Doctor," he said, in a bland way, " I want to read to you two cases which I read to the other experts who testi- fied before you. They are as follows: 'H. K,a woman aged forty years ; cause of attack, great do- mestic trouble. She was a woman of quick, active, strong mind, and known among that class as strong- minded. The physician in charge of that hospital was asked how a woman of such a mind could be- come insane, and he replied that she could not bend, hence she broke. A. G., a woman of very active, strong mind, and of a high nervous and excitable temperament. This case, like the previous one, was the result of domestic difficulties of a trying char- acter, which had mortified her greatly. She had shown suicidal tendencies, but her friends had sup- posed they were overcome. She had shown great excitement at times, followed by great prostration. Excitement was aroused on the mention of the name of a woman she supposed her husband to have been intimate with. She became incurably insane.'" Dr Kiernan thought the lawyer was reading from the book, but those who were setting behind Mr. Crews saw that he had two sheets of manuscript, closely written inside the volume. "That first case you read," said the expert witness, 104 PART FIRST. " I remember well. I have read it, but that was a case of hysterical insanity." " Look here, Doctor," safd Crews, taking the two sheets of paper out of the book, and handing them to the witness, " these cases are not in the book, nor in any book. I made them up myself." The Doctor's face became very red when he saw what a trap he had walked into, "They are very similar, Mr. Crews, to those in the books in general use." Mr. Crews said he based his fictitious cases on Mrs. Rawson's history and experience. The Doctor was allowed to depart, while Mrs. Rawson laid back in her chair and laughed until the tears rolled down her cheeks. Yet Dr. Kiernan is a lineal descendant of those wonderful medical minds which Dr. Fletcher dis- covered ; even descended from Count Rumford. This case is presented to the reader that he may understand the real animus of the medical scientist, while it is only a parallel to thousands of cases, every day. Every doctor is an expert in every case he treats, while the motive power that moves him is gain and personal preferment, and, had they a phi- lanthropic object in view, they would be superior to average humanity ; yet they do claim that superi- ority—say they would " sacrifice their very lives for the benefit of humanity." Dr. Fletcher says, by thousands. Admitting, as a fact in history, that physicians do, sometimes, lose their lives, while in pursuit of their business, is that any evidence of an offer of their lives ; or, rather, is it not evidence of an accident resulting in the loss of life while in pur- suit of gain ? Mankind is given to risk life for CHAPTER X. I05 gain. The highwayman, the burglar, often does that, and loses it—sacrifices it for boodle. Only a few years ago a noted burglar " sacrificed " his life in Dr. Walker's house, in this city, while in pursuit of gain—his professional business—by coming in contact with the Doctor's son's shooting-iron, just as his brothers of the medical-mind variety do some- times lose their lives by robbing the people of health and life while in pursuit of gain, aggrandizement, mutual admiration and glorificatipn, at the next society meeting; then, again, to go out to dazzle the eyes and befog the minds of the people, that they may be all the better prepared to " go out as a gang of hungry tax-gatherers to fleece the dupes they have made," as the facetious Dr. Hervey has it. The young man who starts out in pursuit of med- ical science is, first, perhaps, too lazy too work with his hands for a "mere subsistence ;" and seeing the high social position of the doctor, aspires to that position, though all the the time, no doubt, thinking of the long ledger account he is liable to own; while his human nature is no better than that of the young man who makes his ingress into the business world behind a saloon counter, gathering in the cash from "the dupes he has made," the same as Dr. Hervey's " howling fanfarons " do from the " dupes they have made," with this difference, however, in favor of the dispenser of beer and whiskey—he does not assume to be a benefactor of mankind ; only wants to gather in the "fools' pence ;" while the dispensers of pills and powder do assume to be the especial benefactors of our race, even to a will- Io6 PART FIRST. ingness to die for us ; but only all the time caring in their hearts for that same cash—their " fools' pence," and which they are very sure to gather from those " fool" dupes they have made by their preten- tious assumptions. Legitimate business between man and man is intended to be a mutual benefit to each ; but in the medicine, as in the liquor business, the gain is surely on the side of those goods. Besides, the other side is not only not benefitted, but injured, every time, in the latter, and nine times out of ten, in the former ; not only in the cash expended, but in loss of life and health. It will be remembered that the blockade of the Southern ports prevented the Confederates from ob- taining medicines for the use of their army sur- geons. The result of that failure was said to be highly beneficial to the soldiers, as to health and life, while at the same time it was talked about, written about, and believed by many observant persons, and those acquainted with the practices of our army surgeons, that quinine killed more of our soldiers than the rebel bullets did. Also, the desire of a brutal surgeon to have as little trouble with a wounded soldier as possible, caused him often to sever a limb rather than to try to save it by splintering and bandaging, thus filling the coun- try with men minus one or more limbs, besides causing many deaths from amputation, and neglect afterward, or before. All of which go to show that the medically inclined man is just as likely to sacra- fice his patient's life, as to give himself any trouble to save it; very especially, when he is in a position CHAPTER X. 107 to exercise supreme control over that unfortunate soldier—brute force, as it were—as he had in our hospitals and camps. This criticism may not apply to all army surgeons, but it did, too often, for the credit of the medical profession—or humanity, even. CHAPTER XI. The reader has undoubtedly observed that a most emphatic denunciation has been indulged in, in these pages, of the medical profession in, pre- sumably, all its bearings and relations to the people, and which necessitates a qualification here. There are requirements in some particular cases necessita- ting the attention of a physician—so-called, but more appropriately a surgeon—and so far as these necessities exist, it must be understood that the lan- guage and sentiments in these pages do not apply. There is one class of practice followed by male doc- tors, which should be confined, exclusively, to the female. Not the least in this kind of practice is the general ailments of children, as well as of females in general. Public sentiment, if not law, should pre- vent males from practicing in female cases, while the practice of women in cases of children should be in the nature of advice, and instruction to parents, how to care for children, to the entire exclusion of drugs. Every parent, mother, perhaps, I should say, but, as it is a fact that many fathers are more competent to care for their children than their moth- ers are, I include them. io8 PART FIRST. It is a father's interest, as well as desire, to have a child well cared for, the same as its mother's. The parents should learn, and will learn, if they set themselves about it, that a child does not need med- icine under any circumstance, unless it be an anti- dote for accidental poisoning. The first mistake that parents make is in allowing the child to sleep in the bed with them. From every point of view, that is wrong, because the child should not inhale into its lungs the breath from the parents' lungs, nor the effluvium or breath from the body, or the pores of the skin—the lungs of the. body—the same as the respiratory organs are those of the inner man ; nor can the child receive the circulating air in the room, when lying beside the mother, or between both parents ; because, under those cir- cumstances it has not the chance that it should have to start in life with a healthy lung and body. This very first mistake is the greatest cause of a feeble- ness in the child, that soon crops out into diseases., for which doctors have a multitude of names, and when they begin to treat those diseases, they simply start the child to certain death, or an enfeebled life- The child should have a crib or cradle to sleep in, standing beside the bed, and sufficiently covered, excepting the face. This should apply to children in their wagons on the street. Mothers often smother their children in those wagons. A moth- er's mind will be on her child, so that she will hear the first noise it will make. The so-common rest- lessness of children is caused by their half smoth- ered condition in the bed. If mother will have the CHAPTER XI. IO9 child in bed with her, then, whenever the child manifests a restlessness, and cannot sleep, she should arise at once, and bathe it in tepid water ; or if feverish, in slightly cold water, rub it well, and then return to bed with it ; no soothing syrup, para- goric, or any other nostrum, should be given. After my wife adopted the plan of bathing the child, it would then go quietly to sleep in bed. I read a little item in the News: " Don'ts for Mothers ;" which needs changing to " Don't, Mothers." "Don't give soothing syrups or any other medicines, except on a physician's order." Of course, not; because he wants to sell you a pre- scription, or furnish the medicine himself. I say, don't give it with or without his orders. " Don't neglect to call the doctor as soon as the baby shows symptoms of sickness ; $2 spent at this time may save fifty." Of course, he wants the two dollars, but if you will call him to give him that " two," it will, as likely as any way, cause you to pay fifty for funeral expenses ; because, judging from the loss of three children ourselves, while under the doctor's care, besides what we see every day in this city, in the funerals of children, I am warranted in saying that the doctor is more likely to* kill the child with his medicine, or let it die for want of proper care, by the mother, or other friends, than to save it with his pretended remedies. That doctor is, very likely, one of Dr. Shrady's, who needs something to eat ; and he would be able to get it with that two dol- lars, while he would also be likely to find nine other " fools " in the same fix before he would get round, I IO PART FIRST. making calls, which would give him $20—enough for several meals, and enough left to help get up the next "doctors' banquet." This is, simply and truly, a pen picture of every-day life among doctors and the people they dupe. That doctor, if he cares more for his word than his fee, will acknowledge in his heart, that there is no certainty in the beneficial effect of his medicine on that child, and that it is just as likely to recover without, as with it. But, like my doctor friend, whom I have already men- tioned, he says in his heart, as he did to me, that ' 'the people are such fools they will have medicine, and I may as well give it to them as any other doc- tor," while my advice to those people is to let the doctors severely alone ; as those who doctor least, have the best health. The warm season of the year is the time when so-called "cholera infantum" is most prevalent among children. The first cause leading to it, is the smothering sensation children experience while in bed with the parents, which causes restlessness, when the first thought of the mother is to quiet it by letting it nurse, but which fails, when the same is repeated until the stomach has become so loaded as to block digestion, which is soon shown by a bloating of the stomach and bowels, and a frothy discharge ; all of which keeps up the fretfulness of the child during the day, the mother resorting to the nursing remedy, but which makes' the child all the worse, until, at last, the doctor is called, when he commences that drugging, which so often sends the child to the grave. The constant nursing given the CHAPTER XI. HI child to stop that restlessness, should stop. Let the child cry for lack of food, rather than give it so much as to stop digestion. A weak solution of salt and soda water should be given to the child. The salt to strengthen the digestive organs of the stomach, and the soda to neutralize the acid in the stomach and bowels. This treatment will soon pre- pare the stomach for a healthy discharge from the bowels. But the great important point is to keep up the strength of the child until the stomach can be restored to a healty condition. That can not be done by drugs, but it can be by a salt water bathing of the whole body. The temperature of the water should be determined by the temperature of the body ; if that is hot, or feverish, the water should be moderately cold, while if the child be chilly it should be warm, and the room be as warm, possi- bly, as the water, and the child should be hurried into warm blankets and bed. A linen or flannel cloth, wet in salt water, should all the time be kept on the stomach and bowels, and covered with a dry one, changed every hour or two with a clean cloth, and which is necessary in consequence of the cloth absorbing the poison coming through the, pores of the skin by the action of the salt water, drawing that poison from the diseased stomach and bowels. If the child is out of bed, it should be kept clothed in flannel underwear, with woollen stockings, also shoes, if necessary to keep the feet warm. I here mention the case of two children who were cured by their mothers treating them with this salt bathing process, by my advice. In their cases I 12 PART FIRST. the outward application was all that was used. Probably eighteen years ago, while selling milk from my wagon to Mrs, Quinn, now living at 336 West Washington street, I had noticed, for quite a number of days, when she came to the window with her child in her arms to receive the milk, that it showed unmistakable signs of suffering from the doctor's " cholera infantum," and while the mother showed by her face an increasing concern for her babe in its condition. The child showing such evidence of failing, and the sadness portrayed in the mother's face, finally caused this conversation : "Your child lo©ks badly." "O yes, Mr. Kingsley, and I fear it is going to die. It is so bad now that it can't keep anything on its stomach any more." "You are doctoring it, I suppose ?" "O yes, but it is not doing it any good." " No, but the medicine is killing it." "I believe it." I then said : "I will tell you what to do. You first throw away the medicine; then wash your child in strong salt water often. Keep a cloth wet in the salt water on his stomach and bowels, covered with a dry cloth ; dress him in flannel, with shoes and stockings on his feet, and then you may possibly save him." Her response was: "I will do it, Mr. Kingsley." When I drove up to the window next day, and, be- fore I could speak to her, she exclaimed : " O, Mr. Kingsley, my child is so much better. I did just as you told me, and now he don't throw anything off his stomach, rie is so much, better." He immedi- ately recovered, while the dear mother lost no time in impressing on the boy's young mind that I was CHAPTER XI. II3 the means of saving his life ; of which teaching he recently informed me, while he is old enough now to manifest truly grateful feelings. Now, would it be hard for the reader to solve in his own mind, which of the two—the doctor, who was killing that child with his drugs, or the "quack" who informed her how to save his life—has the warmest place in that mother and son's heart to-day? Another woman, not more than a half square farther along, had a child in the same dying condition, and to whom I gave the same advice, which she followed with the same, like happy effect. CHAPTER XII. FLUX AND OTHER BOWEL TROUBLES. Fifty-eight years ago the late Dr. William Arm- ington, of Greensburg, gave my father this direction for curing the flux. He had for years been sub ject to flux, about the end of harvest. He applied to the Doctor, who was then a young man just beginning to practice at Mt. Sterling, Switzerland county, for treatment. He said to him: "You don't need medicine, but you take soda and vine- gar, mix them, and drink while foaming." My father did so and was cured, and always after, when he was aitacked, that was his remedy. If the first dose did not cure, the second never failed. I Temember once that, after taking the second dose, his bowels did not move for forty-eight hours. Fifteen years after that I was staying over night 114 PART FIRST. with the Doctor in Greensburg, when, in the night, I heard him called. In the morning he said: "Did you hear those men after me last night ? They wanted me to go eighteen miles to see a man who had flux. I would not go, but told them to give him soda and vinegar. You remember, I prescribed that to your father, and it cured him ? I know it will cure the worst case, and without fail." The proper dose is, about one-half tea-cup, or one gill, of cider vinegar, with a usual-steed teaspoon half full of soda—such as is used for bread purposes. The soda should be bought at a drug store, to get it unadulterated. I have proved this remedy, many times, to be a sure cure for all derangements of the bowels and stomach ; have recommended it to oth- ers, who have, assured me it cured them immedi- ately. Three years ago I had diarrhea, which I allowed to run for several days, when, at midnight, I became much worse, and for three hours suffered terribly, and, finally, while attempting to arise from bed, was siezed with such cramping as to cause me to scream, and arouse my wife, who, at once, upon seeing my condition, began to rub my legs, and, finally, succeeeded in getting them straightened ; but, then, at the least attempt to move even a toe, the cramp would again sieze me. I could not move a muscle while she was lifting me off the bed. Upon returning to bed, I directed her to mix a tea- spoonful of salt and soda—about two-thirds salt— in a glass of water, which I drank. The cramp still threatened me when I attempted to move, until, CHAPTER XII. [ 1< in about a half hour, I repeated the dose, and then was so much easier, that I soon went to sleep, nor did I get off the bed, or scarcely awaken, until 9 o'clock. I then arose and dressed, as well as ever, only quite weak from the terrible ordeal which I had passed through. We had no vinegar in the room, nor could get any without going out-door and down into our kitchen. For that reason, I used the salt with the soda, which proved just as good. I had before, and Have since, used the same remedy for the same trouble, and always found it a perfect remedy. And why it is so sure a remedy, is easily explained : The digestive organs were very much weakened, and not able to digest the food I had wrongfully taken into my stomach after the trouble began, as well as before, and which caused acid to develop so thoroughly as to cause such a continual discharge from the bowels, that cramping was the unavoidable result. The salt caused an instant mov- ing of the blood, which had become clogged by the inaction of the digestive organs, or, vice versa, the digestive organs had become clogged by the inaction of the blood. The very "medical mind" theorist can take his choice between these two theories of a "layman." The soda, also, instantly neutralized the acid, and which, immediately, quieted the lower stomach, while the healthy action of the upper stom- ache was going on, from the effect of the salt; and which soon gave a perfect rest to the whole machin- ery, from stomach to bowels, and which allowed me to rest and sleep five hours, immediately after such severe and dangerous sufferings. n6 PART FIRST. A few months after that I drove to Crown Hill, in an open carriage, on a very hot day. I had a slight derangement of the stomach, in consequence of the heat, before leaving home, and, while return- ing, felt very much prostrated, and took to bed upon reaching home, when vomiting and purging came on. Then I immediately commenced the vinegar and soda treatment, with an occasional drink of a half-pint of salt water—a tea-spoon of salt. This treatment, by next morning, had checked the trou- ble, which was very obstinate in consequence of the effect of the extreme heat of the sun. During all that time, until next morning, I drank fully one gallon of ice-cold skim milk, which was most deli- cious to my taste and stomach, while, I have no doubt it had a very important effect in regulating my stomach and bowels, with the salt water stimu- lating my physical frame, while the severe strain upon them was going on. My experience in these two cases shows, clearly, how readily a common- sense remedy—which is always in every house— checked what a doctor, had I called one, would have pronounced a very dangerous case of cholera morbus, or some other "morbus," the knowledge of which is only stored in the brains of Dn Fletcher's wonderful "medical minds ;" such, for instance, as the physicians of our city, and other cities, who magnify very unimportant cases into dangerous ones, etc., so as to manufacture capital, with which to gull the people when they get up the next scare. Suppose I had employed one of those wiseacres in one of my cases, would I be likely to be here now, CHAPTER XII. 117 writing this ? Had I escaped, my luck would have been better than Mr. Holliday's, Mrs. O'Connell's, Mr. Loomis', those Basse children, or the multitude who are succumbing, every day, to the army of medical imbeciles, who are preying upon the people. Here is a report from Wabash, of a disease which the medical minds are not able to cope with: "The infant mortality, in this city, during the last few weeks, has been appalling ! Within a remark- able space of time there have been forty-eight deaths, all from diphtheria, or membrane croup. The epidemic has been confined, almost exclusively, to Wabash, although a few fatal cases were reported near the city. The victims of the malady are chil- dren whose ages range from 18 months to 9 years. Local physicians admit their inability to check the epidemic, and have called to their assistance some of the most eminent practitioners in the State, but to no purpose. Every case has proved fatal, and the most that physicians can do is to prolong life a few hours, and alleviate the sufferings of the vic- tims. When the plague first made its appearance it was diagnosed as common croup, but, later, the symptoms changed, assuming a diphtheria phase. In every case death follows in a few hours." Now, here is what would seem to be a remedy ? and which those "medical minds" could have used in that "plague" had the fates only delayed it a few days : " The medical college of Indiana closed its term of lectures for the full course yesterday at noon. The closing address was delivered by Prof. F. W. Il8 PART FIRST. Hays, who spoke on 'Medical Ethics,' enjoining the candidates for graduation to strict observance of them against any semblance of quackery, if they would secure high professional success." Evi- dently, those local physicians of Wabash, and those "most eminent practitioners of the State," whom they called to their aid, have not secured " high professional success," whether they had enjoyed Professor Hays' instruction, or some other profes- sor's, on "strict observance" of those "ethics." At all events, their "high professional success" there is not visible, only in its failure. It was a success in that, as it is with others, who make it a point of strict observance of the same medical ethics. Right here : Did Professor Hays obtain a high professional success in his treatment of Mr. Hayes, a journalist of this city, a few years ago? Accord- ing to his definition of success he probably did, by ignoring all "semblance of quackery," and, accord- ing to common " professional success," his was a success in that case by consigning him to his wind- ing sheet, while, had he done a little "quackery" by breaking his fever with cold-water, his success would have consisted in saving his life. But then, that would have been a " high ^^professional suc- cess." Now, I will suggest how, by a little "quackery," those Wabash physicians could have saved every one of those children. Their first diagnosis was, undoubtedly, correct, and inflammation, accompany- ing the croup, caused the phlegm to harden so quickly as to cause the child's death by strangula- CHAPTER XII. II9 tion. Croup is almost always fatal, unless a remedy is applied before the hardening of the phlegm ; but the remedy is always within reach, even if a doctor is not, while he knows that the only safety for the child is to cause it to vomit, to throw the phlegm off the membrane's approach to the lungs. We always used the remedy without a failure, and, too, it was suggested by a physician who had more care for the children than for "high professional success," without " success ; " and also recognizing, that often it was not possible for one to reach a child until it was past relief. [After writing this, an impressive feeling pervaded my mind that I should leave it out, as it might be repulsive to some minds, and, per- haps, be sneered at by the very-medical-mind doc- tor ; though, who administers any amount of stuff as nauseating to a tender mind as that, or any other remedy, conceiveable, could be. I also consulted a friend, who agreed with my impression, but since, I have reasoned in my mind, that any parent would prefer to use such a remedy, than risk losing a child, and which is so common, in case of croup, when no other remedy is at hand. Many years ago I wit- nessed the death of one child in its mother's arms, after the doctor had come, but who said there was no hope for it, as the phlegm had so hardened that no remedy could move it. Would not that mother been likely to have used that remedy rather than see her child die ?] The remedy is chamber lye and lard, sweetened, warmed together and given to the child in broken doses, as any other emetic is given—a teaspoonful to a tablespoonful, according 120 PART FIRST. to the size of the child, ten to fifteen minutes apart, given until the child vomits, which it is sure to do, when all the phlegm will come up. Anyone who- tries this remedy, will be surprised to see what an amount of phlegm will come out of the child's stomach. I know whereof I write, and I write it that parents may know how to save their children from the very appearance of danger. In the case of those Wabash children, that would have saved them from immediate death, but, then, blistering the outside of the throat with coal oil, croton oil and gum camphor, was a necessity to finish the cure. I here give some items in my own experience, and observation for many years, in the utility of salt for stomach and bowels, in cases of indigestionr which produces dyspepsia, diarrhea, flux, cholera morbus, headache, etc. For indigestion, which pro- duces all these ailments of the stomach and bowels, salt, in quantity from a half-teaspoonful to a whole one, dissolved in a pint of water, more or less, ac- cording to the choice of the person—it should be warm, especially in cold weather—taken one-half hour before eating, is a certain remedy ; but should the stomach be bloated, indicated by a fullness of feeling, soda should be taken with the salt, or can be taken alone, one-third or half teaspoonful. The soda has a momentary effect in neutralizing the gas which causes the feeling of fullness. In case of a person who has taken a large amount of food, or some indigestible substance, into the stomach before retiring, or any other time, and, conse- CHAPTER XII 121 quently, causing unrest, a teaspoonful of salt, with water, or even more, will produce an immediate relief, and quiet sleep I know this to be a fact, after repeated trials for many years. It was, many- years ago, published of a doctor, who was addicted to his cups, that he was sent for, late in the even- ing, to visit a woman who was suffering from eating the meat of nuts. The messenger found him in a. stupor, and only able to mutter something which he did not understand ; then he returned, only to see her die. In the morning the doctor remembering that he had been sent for, hastened to visit her, and finding her dead, eagerly inquired: " Did you give her salt?" And being answered in the negative, said: "Why, I told him to give her salt. The nut meat is all in a ball in her stomach ; and if you will allow me to open the stomach, I will show you." He did so, and taking the ball into his hand,. said: "Now, bring me some salt, and I will show you the effect it will have on this ball." He sprinkled the salt on it, when it immediately fell to pieces; and, then, he said: "Had you given her the salt, it would have had the same effect, the meat passing out of her stomach, and her life been saved." In the case of diarrhea—a result of indi- gestion—where there is no evidence of acid in the stomach, salt taken in the same way, will effect a cure. But if there be acid, which is easily detected by a rising of the food into the throat and mouth, soda should be taken as directed above. Also, the same remedy of salt and soda, in case of a cholera morbus proper, and which is only an aggravated 122 PART FIRST. case of diarrhea, is effective, as in my own case, mentioned before. A Dr. Dunbar wrote, many years ago, that " The sick should have abundance of salt, and, if enough can not be given them in their "cod, it should be given to them clear. I have no doubt it will save patients, when, without it, they would die," and that " many have died for the want of it." That doctor, evidently, cared less for a " strict observation of medical ethics" than he did for •' ^professional success," by prescribing simple salt—too simple to be found in those ethics—for the -ick, indiscriminately, too, without reference to the particular kind of sickness, as his object was, evi- dently, to keep up the patient's strength, and a healthy digestion. "SCIENCE AT FAULT." Here is a sample of the worth of the scientific knowledge of the Fletcher "medical-mind" vari- ety : Some of the boys at the Soldiers' Orphans' School, of McAUisterville, Pa., so successfully affected insanity, that the doctors diagnosed them "terribly insane," and assigned, as a cause, "bad food, poor clothing, and bad treatment." But when Inspector Greer, of the school, investigated the case, he found that the boys had affected it all. The boys confessed that it was shammed, " to have fun and have their meals carried to them." Their con- fession was "much to the confusion of wise and snowy-haired doctors who diagnosed their cases." While the learned doctors, with so much ability, had looked into the mental and physical condition of the CHAPTER XII. ,23 boys, and then assigned their insanity to those causes, preachers, judges and other reliable citizens, " expressed words of praise, both for the school and the appearance of the children." The report of Senator Greer proves that the school has been unjustly abused ; all in consequence of those " sci- entists " being able to " diagnose" those boys "crazy," and, then, tell just what made them so. And, too, they are the descendants of the Rumfords and Hahnemanns ; brothers of the Hayses, who enjoin on the young suckers of the same science, "a strict observance of the medical ethics, and against any semblance of quackery, if they would secure high professional success." Of course, those McAllisterville Hayses have secured that success ; those " crazy " boys, they discovered, prove it. The same success that Dr. Kiernan displayed at the trial of Mrs. Rawson, in Chicago. PART SECOND. CHAPTER I. The reader has seen, as he perused the first part' that I have pleaded earnestly against the genera 1 practice of the physicians, as not only almost use- less, in cases of sickness, but injurious in most cases. He, also, sees how earnestly I have pleaded the cause of the cold bath, or pack, for fevers, while, also, denouncing the doctor for adhering to his code, and so letting his patients die, when he could so easily save them by the cold bath, for fever, or hot bath, for chills. Since the first part of this book was written, I have received a pamphlet from the author, entitled, "The Treatment of Typhoid Fever; by Simon Baruch, M. D., New York." It does, really, seem as though it came by an order from Heaven, for a confirmation of my theory, and practice, as well as a justification of my course, in denouncing the medical profession for adhering to their old code in the treatment of cases that the cold bath would, sc easily and quickly and certainly, cure. The pamph- let appears in the last pages, in bold type—that all can read, and should read, and learn how easy it is to cure typhoid, or any other fever. He treats of typhoid alone, but does not intimate that the same remedy will not have an equally good effect in other fevers. The reader will observe, in the table of statistics, entitled, "Average Mortality Under Van- CHAPTER I. I25 ous Methods of Treatment in Typhoid Fever," from the two bottom lines, that, where 2,150 cases were treated with cold bath within five days, every one recovered ; while, including those not treated within five days, there were only 1.7 per cent, of deaths in 2,198 cases. Dr. Baruch compiles his statistics from Dr. Brand's history of cases treated in Germany, and which was published twenty-eight years ago; while, of those statistics, he thus speaks: " The above figures astounded me, when I sought them out, and I trust they will impress the lesson they teach indelibly upon your minds." Then, again, he says : " The experience in cold bathing in England and America, where it has never found favor, has been too small to afford a proper estimate of its value. Dr. Bristowe, of St. Thomas' Hos- pital, opposes it. He says: 'My experience in this treatment is not extensive, and for some years I have rarely, if ever, resorted to it. I have, undoubtedly, seen patients apparently benefitted, and making a good recovery ; but I have never felt satisfied thajt the benefit was real.' " I here make the inquiry : Why is the experi- ence, here in America, so small, if it is not because cold bathing has not found favor ? And, why has it not found favor, unless it is, because it is too cheap, or, rather, too quick a method to cure the patient ? And, which method the people would soon learn to use, without the aid of the doctor, should they see how he uses it. Dr. Bristowe, or other American doctors, do not have to be worse than ordinary mortals, should they wish to make the most out of a good job of doctoring ; nor, not- withstanding their holy contempt for "quacks and frauds," are they so good that they would not let a case of typhoid fever run for weeks, could they, by so doing, make a daily two-dollar visit to their patient. I appreciate Dr. Baruch's tender way of 126 PART SECOND. talking to his medical brethren, who have no faith (?) in his figures. But, undoubtedly, he feels in his heart, that the all-mighty dollar is in the way of any faith materializing in that direction. Is it not a sad comment on civilized human nature, to believe that any part of that humanity will traffic in human health and life, for that dollar ? But, so long as they oppose, and try to discredit cold baths, in fever, are they not open to that charge, and can they disprove it ? Dr. Baruch quotes one physician as saying : "Notwithstanding the high praise bestowed on the cold-bath treatment, in Germany, it has never become popular." As to why it has never become popular there, may not the same reason, that it has not become popular here, be assigned ? The sor- did, selfish disposition of physicians, who care more for money than for the health and lives of the people ! The reader will see that Dr. B. finds that "the mortality of typhoid fever has not been reduced by the antipyretic method of treatment"— the treatment which Dr. Oliver gives his patients at our City Hospital, while, with his finger in his mouth, he whines out that, " we do not recognize that typhoid is a fever that can be broken up or headed off like malaria." Then Dr. B. proceeds— and I call Dr. O.'s especial attention to it: "I ask you to follow me carefully, in a fair, conscientious, and exhaustive, yet brief, review of the results of the various methods in vogue during the past twenty-five years, and to compare it, as I have done for myself, with your own experience. You will, then, I opine, agree with me, that we stand to-day upon the threshold of a great epoch in the treatment of typhoid fever." Now, I, in turn, ask the reader to study well all these lines of Dr. Baruch's; read, and re-read, them, and weigh them in his mind, and compare them with what he has read in the first part—what CHAPTER I. 127 I have written as to how I have so often treated my family with the cold bath, for fevers, as well as the hot bath, for chills ; how I cured my little girl, and, again, little boy, of scarlet fever, with the cold bath, all in a few hours. And, also, compare it with the published fact that the doctors of our city, in their medical society, discussed the treatment of scarlet fever with cold water, and then published that it is " not beneficial, but hurtful." He will then understand why I have used such denunciatory language against the medical profession, for thus misleading and deluding the people, and which I have charged them with doing, for the money which they are able to draw, in exhorbitant fees, from those same people. That they are not satis- fied with liberal wages, like other people—the people whom they delude—but claim ten, twenty, forty, and, even, two hundred dollars, a day for their daily rounds of visitations among the sick. Their incomes of $10,000, and upward to even $75,000, per year, have been published. And, too, those words and figures will fortify me in his mind in the significant fact, that I am, while those same doctors are sneering at me, pleading for the people, against their practice ; at the same time, instructing them how to cure themselves with the cold bath, so as to save their money, their health and lives. He does, also, see how I have exposed their frauds, false pretenses, and imbecilities—letting their pa- tients die, rather than use cold bath, or hot bath, as the case had required. And were it not for these ringing words, now in his mind, he would, very likely, think that I was harsh, and used too strong language, often, in denouncing their impositions upon an unsuspecting and confiding people. All this might seem to be the case, were it not for those ringing words of Dr. Baruch. I have known, and seen, and do know, that the 128 PART SECOND. influence of the medical profession is greater on the public mind than all other influences combined, and that it is so confident of that fact, that it laughs to scorn, all, or anyone, who may feel it his duty to warn the people that they are being deluded, while being induced to trust their sick in his hands. In such warning, and braving the contempt of those grasping, pretentious healers of the sick, but who fail to heal, and while standing almost alone, appar- ently, I am conscious of the secret sympathy and approval of many citizens of reflecting minds, and humane feelings. I have, time after time, through the city papers, called the attention of the suffering people to the fallacious claims of those pretenders, and to the injury they were doing to the community, in not only not curing them of sickness, but pro- moting it, increasing it, and causing not only in- creased suffering, but death after death—and death, continnually. While, at the same time, and all the time, have presented to them a safe and sure cure for fevers of all kinds and grades—the cold bath ; and which could be administered by themselves, at any time, or at all times, without the aid of those pre- tentious healers. This has been my position, year after year, for many years, while, all the time, real- izing the great odds against me, in my unselfish labors, by the seeming unappreciation of my efforts. All this time hardly daring to hope for vidication, only in individual cases, and which cases have been common, from time immemorial; but only, and surely, to be cast from the public mind, and into oblivion, by the all-pervading influence of the pro- fession. And, too, not only individual cases, in all our own country, but, collectively, in other, far-off, countries, have the same cases come to our eyes through the public prints, to prove the all-healing virtue of the cold bath in all fevers. When I began to prepare the preceding pages CHAPTER I. I29 ibr publication, it was with a faint heart, and great -olicitude, as to the outcome ; feeling, as I have so fully expressed, and so often, that public sentiment, superciliously induced by that profession, was against me, and it was not, and is not, prepared to listen to my arguments, and appeals to that senti- ment, of the masses, in behalf of their own inter- ests. The reader may, or may not, realize in his own imagination, my feelings in all those years of -olicitude ; earnest anxiety as to that outcome, and whether I must go down under the contempt of the ^ame profession that was overriding the people, and sapping the very foundation of their lives, for their own selfish ends ; or whether I would arise triumphantly above it all, But, with the grand "paper" of Dr. Baruch, detailing those grand suc- cesses in Dr. Brand's treatment of typhoid fever with the cold bath, he can verily, and easily, imagine the reverse of all those feelings, just described, as they are now throbbing in my bosom, with a con- sciousness of that complete and grand vindication, which is above and beyond all controversy, and which places the vaunted medical scientists of our city, and everywhere, in a complete and humiliat- ing defeat, and, too, by one of their own number— demolished in the house of their fiiend ; out of their own mouths, as it were, condemned. I am not any longer alone in presenting this truth—the ^reat truth, that cold bath has cured, and will cure, fever. There are the statistics of Dr. Baruch, that Dr. Brand treated a score of thousands of cases, while every one who was treated as I have advised they should be treated, when first attacked, was «aved—« all recovered." What a useful teacher he ;vould be for our own Dr. Oliver, who has yet to learn that " typhoid can be broken up," at all, and 0 Brand..... Delafield Brand r Tripier, | Various sources..... New York Hospital, 1878-83. Various sources ___ Red Cross Hospital, Lyons: 1866-77........... Expectant........... Mixed expectant — All kinds of cold baths. Expectant........... Internrediate........ exclusive cold baths in severe cases. 8trict cold bathing . Without water, ex-pectant (?) Intermediate, with water. Baths and antipy-retics. Strict cold baths..... Strict cold baths... Increasing baths and abolition of anti-pyretics. Graduated cold baths and antipy-retics. Stiict cold baths. .. Strict cold baths___ Strict cold baths..... 11,124 1,305 19,017 229 C29 376 139 5,484 2,841 702 428 141 144 2,000 145 2,198 2,150 21.7 24.68 7.8 26.2 Bouveret •{ 1873-81............ 16 5 and Teissier | 1887............... 6.9 5.0 Vogl....... Military Hospital, Munich: 1841-68.......... 1868-81 ........... 20.7 12.2 1875-81 (Second Division) 1880.............. 1882-87 ........... 7.6 2.7 3.5 Ziemssen .. Naunyn . . Brand . Brand . 1882-87 (Second Division). Tibingen Univers-ity, Clinic for 1877-87. Konigsberg Univer-sity Clinic. Collected from var-ious sources. Same cases, omitting those not treated before the fifth day. 4.1 9.6 6.9 1.7 0.0 The preceding table, which I have gathered with care to exclude all unreliable statistics, presents at a glance the comparative merits of the various methods of treatment. The above figures astounded me when I sought 334 PART FOURTH. them out, and I trust they will impress the lesson they teach indelibly upon your minds. But I do not ask you to accept this statistical evidence alone, although you will doubtless concede, that never in the history of medicine have statistics of such magnitude, from such reliable and diversi- fied sources, been brought to bear upon a question of therapeutics. Let us divest ourselves of the empirical influence of mere figures, which, it has been said, may be marshalled in any cause to prove anything, and study the reason why the cold-bath treatment of typhoid fever is superior to the antipyretic expectant plan. In the first place, the idea that high temperature is the chief determining cause of fatality in typhoid fever must be abandoned. The sooner we cut loose from this bugbear the better for suffering humanity. I am glad that Dr. Burt has taken strong ground on this subject. Rather than enter upon an elaborate discussion of the present status of the question, I will refer you to the clear and sagacious review of the pathology of fever by Professor Welch, of John Hopkins University, in his Cartright Lectures last spring. Study these lectures carefully, and you will find a cautious, painstaking weighing of all the evi- dence bearing upon the lethal influence of heat ele- vation in fever, sustained by experimental and clin- ical data that must be convincing to any unbiased mind. He says, in summing up ( The Medical Re- cord, April 28, 1888): "We find that animals may be kept at high febrile temperature for at least three weeks without manifesting any serious symptoms. The only func- tional disturbances which could be attributed directly to the influence of the elevated temperature were in- creased frequency of the respiration and quickened pulse. No definite relation could be established be- tween the variations of arterial tension which BARUCH ON COLD BATH. 335 occur in fever and the height of the temperature. Although the experiments narrated showed that prolonged high temperature is an element in the causation of fatty degeneration of the heart, they also indicated that other factors, such as infectidn, are concerned in the production of the lesion. Moreover, experimental evidence was found in sup- port of clinical facts, showing that this alteration may exist without serious interference with the functions of the heart, so that the conclusion seems justifiable that failure of the heart's power, in fever, is less an effect of high temperature than of other concomitant conditions. The lessened perspiration, the renal disorders, and the digestive disturbances (with the possible exception of constipation), are referable also chiefly to other causes than the in- creased temperature. Both experimental and clin- ical observations strongly support the view, now widely accepted, that the disturbances of the senso- rium, which constitute so prominent a part of the group of so-called typhoid symptoms, are dependent in a far higher degree upon infection or intoxica- tion than upon the heightened temperature. Al- though no attempt was made to analyze in detail the clinical evidence relating to the effects of high tem- perature, attention was called to the fact that the absence of all serious symptoms in many cases of relapsing fever, and in the so-called asceptic fever, in spite of prolonged high temperature, strongly support the conclusions derived from the experi- mental study of the effects of heat upon man and animals. Even in fevers, such as typhoid fever and pneumonia, where the height of the temperature is undoubtedly a most important index of the severity of the disease, there exists no such parallelism be- tween the temperature and the nature and severity of other symptoms as we should expect if the symp- toms were caused by the increased heat of the body." 336 PART FOURTH. I might offer you many clinical observations on this point, but two of these, from men whom you all know and honor, will suffice. In the discussion of a paper on antipyretics which I had the honor to re"ad before the Section on Practice of the New York Academy of Medicine, the lamented Dr. Wesley Carpenter said that: "With regard to heart failure and degeneration of the muscular fibres of the heart, I had an oppor- tunity, in connection with the pathological depart- ment of Belle view Hospital, to examine microscop- ically the cardiac muscle in a sufficient number of cases to make it quite evident that it did not occur with the frequency one might be led to expect from reading the writings of the German observers." Dr. A. L. Loomis said on the same occasion: "He was not certain, for he had been in the line of observations similar to Dr. Carpenter, that failure of the heart is due to parenchymatous degeneration, of which we have at times heard so much, and it had seemed to him to be due to failure in nervous supply as much as to muscular changes." This is clear evidence from two pathologists and clinicians, which I might corroborate by other na- tive and foreign testimony. Since it may now be regarded as an established fact that high temperature, minus infection, does not produce those serious degenerations formerly ascribed to it, we must seek in the infective process, and the ptomaine-intoxication resulting from it, those deleterious effects upon the vital organs which undermine the system and eventually cause death in typhoid fever. The cold-bath treatment yields the most triumph- ant results in combating these very effects of the in- fective and toxic agencies, with whose true entity we have not yet been brought face to face. It has been clearly demonstrated by numerous trustworthy BARUCH ON COLD BATH. 337 observers that the reflex stimulus aroused by the shock to the extensive peripheral nerve-endings so energizes the nerve-centers which furnish innerva- tion for circulation, respiration, digestion, tissue- formation, and excretion, that the system is enabled to tide over the dangers which would ensue from failure of these functions. This is the effect of cold bathing in a nutshell; the simple cooling effect on the blood occupies a secondary, though not unim- portant, office. The fact, as shown by Winternitz, Quinquand, and others, is that cold-baths actually increase oxida- tion in health, and that while the skin is cooled and the blood vessels contracted, the deeper structures are slightly increased in temperature and their vessels dilated. As the opposite condition, viz., dilatation of the arteries and superficial vessels, evidenced by the dicrotic pulse and loss of elasticity and contraction of the vessels, with diminution of the blood-pressure in the inner structures, are mani- festations of the fever, the effect of the cold bath appears primarily to be directed against these mani- festations, as has been demonstrated by Winternitz's sphygmographic investigations. The vivifying ef- fect upon the nerve-centres referred to produces a vigorous cardiac action, which is evinced by the slower and more regular pulse and an improved tension of the vessels; it improves the appetite and digestion, enabling us to enforce a more perfect nutrition; it deepens and slows the respiration, pre- venting stasis of bronchial secretions, and obviating pulmonary complications; all the secretions are en- hanced; the patient is refreshed and invigorated, and fights the battle for life with all chances in his favor. How different is the aspect of the case under the expect treatment, and how different is the effect of pure antipyretic medication! The temperature may indeed be reduced, but the stimulating effect 338 PART FOURTH. upon the nerve-centres and secretion, except on the perspiration, is absent. Vinay {Lyon Medical, 1888), who has made some creditable investigations on the subject, tells us that antipyrine does not re- lieve the delirium, which is in accordance with my own observation; it does not, like the cold bath, in- crease the flow of urine, by which noxious elements are eliminated. Vinay has confirmed Vogl's obser- vation, that there was a rapid gain of weight after cold baths have reduced the fever. Kairin, resorcin and antipyrine diminish the ex- cretion of urea and nitrogen; hence they diminish the excretion of the materies morbi through the kidneys, while baths increase it. The liver, in patients dying after treatment by antipyrine, is from 6 to 12.50 grammes heavier than those dying after cold baths. Indeed, there is an entire absence of effect upon the circulation after antipyrine, an effect which is marked after the cold bath. Briefly stated, cold baths are antifebrile remedies, while antipyretics are simply antithermic. Hence the superiority of the former over treatment by antipyretic medication. A mixed treatment is advo- cated by Liebermeister and Ziemssen. The latter, who is one of the staunchest defenders of the cold bath (not, however, as an antipyretic alone), regards the gradually lowered bath as better adapted to the exigencies of private and civil practice, while he concedes that the results of Vogt and others, in military practice, leave nothing to be desired. Liebermeister insists on the cold bath as an antipy- retic to produce remissions, and orders quinine to render these more enduring. Naunyn, on the other hand, uses a modified and more temperate bathing, rejecting all antipyretic medication. The statistics of these different methods have been presented to you, and I have now added as briefly as possible the reasons why the results are BARUCH ON COLD BATH. 339 more favorable in the cold bath treatment first sug- gested by Brand in 1961. The latter is thus demon- strated to be the ideal treatment for typhoid fever, and that, whenever a diviation is made from it, Jurgensen's opinion, given at the Congress in London, is sustained, that "whenever he has at- tempted to deviate from the rigorous cold water treatment, he was compelled to return to it in order to obtain the best results." This, then, is the standard for our guidance. It is to be carried out as follows: Whenever the temperature reaches over 103 degrees F. in the rectum, the patient is placed in a bath of 65 degrees F. A half bath of this temperature, with affusions three or five degrees lower, is sometimes used. This is to be repeated every three hours, so long as the temperature is not reduced below 103 degrees F.; and the patient is to remain fifteen minutes each time. Patient should be gently rubbed while in the bath; when he is re- moved from it, he should be wrapped in a course linen sheet, the extremities dried and wrapped in a blanket, and a stimulant may be administered. In extreme cases of muttering delirium, or when there is decided adynamia, a stimulating bath should be administered, even if the temperature is below 103 degrees F. This consists of a half bath in warm water with cold affusion. A wet compress should be kept over the abdomen constantly when the patient is in bed. Judgment must be exercised to adapt the baths to the condition of the patient and stage of the disease. The Ziemssen bath, which may be used when the patient, his friends, or the- doctor is timid, consists of submerging the patient into a partial bath, about 9 or 10 degrees F. below his temperature, whenever the latter reaches 103 degrees F. in the rectum. While two assistants gently play water over him and rub him, cold water is added gradually near the feet, until the tempera- 34° PART FOURTH. ture is lowered to 68 degrees F. He remains altogether twenty or thirty minutes, or until there is decided chilliness and chattering of the teeth. (Simple paller of the skin and smallness of the pulse do not indicate removal.) He is now re- moved and wrapped in a dry sheet. The bath is re- peated as often as the temperature reaches 103 de- grees F. This bath also requires judgment, as does every valuable remedial measure. The clinical picture as a case of typhoid fever treated by the cold bath, as given by Brand and Ziemssen, and as I have personally observed, indicated that the whole aspect of the case is changed; the patient is bright, cheerful, eats well, sleeps well, all his functions are properly performed, and, what is most important, complications are prevented. Even disease of the intestinal glands does not go beyond infiltration; ac- cording to Brand, if the case be treated early. Ziemssen and Vogl furnish from personal ex- perience a description of the beneficial effect of cold baths upon themselves when they suffered from typhoid fever. We must not be deterred by timidity from rigorously executing the plan of three-hourly bath- ing so long as the temperature is 103 degrees in the rectum, or when .the sensorium is deeply depressed with a lower temperature. Even sleep should not prevent resort to the thermometer and bath, if needed. The object of this treatment, it must be understood, is not to subdue the temperature, but to vivify and energize the vital organs, and thus insure a vigorous resistance to the toxic influences arising from the infective processes. This is the great aim to be kept steadily before us. In presenting this apparently heroic treatment to the reconsideration of the profession, I am aware that there are serious objections to its general adoption, which seem almost insurmountable. The BARUCH ON COLD. BATH. 341 profession must first be educated to abandon the policy of expectancy, whose aim it is to allow the fever to pursue its own course: i. The annoyance to the patient is not in ac- cordance with the expectant plan, whose object it is to avoid all disturbance of the patient for remedial purposes. So long as we had only an inefficient, if not injurious, medical treatment, it was wise to avoid disturbing sleep. But in a severe case of typhoid fever it is as important to disturb sleep when the rise of temperature indicates the necessity, as it is in opium-poisoning when stupor supervenes. Indeed, the treatment is somewhat analogous, inasmach as the object is to arouse the nerve centres, and keep them aroused (though not continnously as in the latter) until the toxaemia has passed away. 2. The nurses and friends of the patient will be reluctant to adopt so active a measure. If the physician is convinced that he is right, he must in- sist upon his directions being followed. 3. The idea that the reduction of temperature is the leading object of the cold bath, and the much greater facility of accomplishing this object by antipyrine and antifebrin, may deter many from adopting the former. The fallacy of this course has been demonstrated. 4. Timid persons may be alarmed by the patient's pallor, small pulse, and complaints of chilli- ness while in the cold bath. But if properly ad- ministered, with chafing of the body and limbs, these effects will be counteracted to some extent. Reaction after removal will soon reassure the attendant, and embolden him to order a regular repetition. 5. A slovenly application of the bath, or the substitution of some other method—packing, spong- ing, sprinkling, etc.—will fail and cause discourage- ment. It must be remembered this is not cold bath- 342 PART FOURTH. ing. A small experience, personal or from hearsay. which may have been unfavorable in one, two, or several cases, will deter some from adopting the energetic cold bathing. An intelligent hospital physician told me yesterday that he was discouraged from the cold bath treatment by witnessing, while an interne in one of our hospitals, the death of a patient after being placed on a Kibbe cot, wrapped in a sheet, and sprinkled with ice-water for a considerable time. This method is not recom- mended by any author whom I have quoted, nor is it even to be compared to Currie's cold affusion, in which the stimulus of impingement of a large mass of cold water upon the surface favors rapid reaction. with its resultant stimulating effect on the nerve- centers. The only modification of the general cold bath admissible is the stimulating affusion advised by Brand in cases threatening heart failure and delirium. This is a warm half-bath, with cold affusions over the head, chest and back. (One important point is that the tub should always be brought to the bed- side, to avoid unnecessary disturbance of the patient.) 6. The experience with cold bathing in Eng- land and America, where it has never found favor, has been too small to afford a proper estimate of its value. Dr. Bristowe, of St. Thomas's Hospital, opposes it; he says: "My personal experience in this treatment is not extensive, and for some years I have rarely, if ever, resorted to it. I have undoubtedly seen patients apparently benefited and making a good recovery. But I have never felt satisfied that the benefit was real." Dr. Austin Flint published, in 1882, a lecture which exercised a potent influence in the country. He treated seventeen cases in Bellevue Hospital. "In a few cases the cold bath of 80 degrees F., BARUCH ON COLD BATH. 343 gradually reduced to 65 degrees, was employed, but was discontinued on account of the inconvenience." His conclusion was that the antipyretic treatment neither increased nor diminished the mortality, which was four out of these seventeen cases. Compare these statistics with those offered by Brand, and their utter insignificance for purposes of deduction is apparent. The prejudice existing against the cold-bath treatment is illustrated by a passage in Strumpell's Practice, a translation of which is now used as a text-book in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York. Strumpell says, with his usual fairness: "There is at present no other single method of treating typhoid fever which has so numerous and evident advantages for the patient. We regard it as the duty of every physician who undertakes to treat a severe case of typhoid fever to try his best to have the bath employed." The editor and translator (a noted hospital physician) endeavors to neutralize this recommen- dation by stating that, "notwithstanding the high praise bestowed on the cold-bath treatment in Germany, it has never become popular," and quotes Senator's statistics in support of his position. This is a serious mistatement, because Senator distinctly says {Berl. klin. Wochensch., 1885, p. 758): "If my essay has made the impression that I oppose cold baths, I must have expressed myself very badly." 7. One objection to the strict execution of Brand's method is doubtless the difficulty, if not im- possibility, of treating patients before the fifth day. Indeed, this can only be done in military hospitals or in epidemics. Every suspicious case should be subjected to the bath. At any rate, the more nearly we approach the high standard of strict bathing, the more nearly we will approach the low mortality. Hence the earlier-the baths are resorted to, the more 344 PART FOURTH. strictly in accordance with the directions regarding their temperature and frequency, the more com- pletely will the toxic process be controlled and the more mortality be reduced. In conclusion, let me urge upon you to weigh carefully the evidence I have so imperfectly pre- sented, and to seek in the literature of the past two years further information ere you decide to reject it and to continue the present fatal expectant-anti- pyretic course of treatment. As I have elsewhere eaid: The history of medicine does not present a parrallel to the application of statistics for the eluci- dation of a question of therapeutics which Brand has presented and which I have amplified. The evidence is before us, clear and incontrovertible. Upon our conscientious, unbiassed, and fearless judgment and action rests the weal or woe of those who commit their lives into our keeping. The Hydro-Therapeutic Treatment of Typhoid Fever. BY G. C. SMYTHE, A. M., M. D., GREENCASTLE, IND. In 1870 I began the treatment of typhoid fever by a systematic application of cold baths and the ad- ministration of antipyretic doses of quinine after the German method, keeping a careful record of my cases, and the result was communicated to the pro- fession in a paper read in December, 1878, before the District Medical Society of Western Indiana, which paper was published in the American Prac- titioner in January, 1879. This paper was the first one published in the United States giving a detailed SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 345 account of this treatment in any considerable num- ber of cases, and it met with a great deal of adverse criticism. In 1883, before the Mississippi Valley Medical Society, at its session in this city, I read a supple-- mental paper upon the same subject, in which I gave my observations up to that time, and tabulated one hundred and fifty-seven cases treated upon this plan.; by myself and two or three professional friends, with three deaths—a mortality of 1.9 per cent. This paper was published in the Cincinnati Lancet and Clinic. This plan of treatment has never been popular with the profession in this country or England. It has not been regarded with that degree of favor or received the attention which its importance de- mands. The apparent neglect or indifference with which the brilliant results of this treatment have been received by the profession, together with the severe and unjust criticisms which it has received by those opposed to it, is my apology—if any were needed—for bringing it before the society. I ex- pect to be able in this diseussion to convince the most skeptical, by an array of facts and figures from sources, the correctness and trustworthiness of which can not be questioned, that the hydro-thera- peutic treatment of typhoid fever is the most ra- tional, as well as the most successful, of any that has ever been proposed. All preconceived opinions and prejudices should be laid aside in scientific investi- gations. We should seek the truth and the truth only; and when we once strike its trail it should be scrupulously and honestly followed, even if it plunges us over the falls of Niagara. Brand, although not the originator of this plan of treatment, is certainly entitled to the honor of its re- vival. After the publication of his marvelous suc- cesses, in 1861, he found many imitators; and sev- 346 PART FOURTH. eral theories were advanced in explanation of its modus operandi. Brand never claimed for this treat- ment that it owed its beneficial results to the ab- straction of heat exclusively, but that it derived its benefits from the powerful and healthy reaction which followed the cold bath; that the overburdened aud stupefied nervous system was simulated into action, and that by lowering the temperature and re- storing the secretions, the broken-down products caused by the oxidation of the tissues were elimin- ated from the system, and parenchymatous and fatty degenerations—which are known to be so fatal in this disease—were prevented, Leibermeister advanced the plausible theory, based upon the success of Brand in the treatment of ty- phoid fever by the abstraction of the heat, that the secondary lesions of this fever, which consist of congestions, inflammations and degenerations of im- portant organs, were caused by the persistent eleva- tion of temperature, which is a characteristic of this fever. This view of the matter advocated by Lieb- ermeister has resulted disastrously in the extreme, and has been the cause of many deaths from this disease. Nervous and timid doctors have abandoned the cold bath and resorted to antipyretic medicines, which, although they will lower the temperature, lack the essential element of exciting a booming re- action, and the patient is lost. Yet even this is bet- ter than the purely expectant plan. The statistics gathered from the health office of New York City by Dr. Baruch show a mortality of 41.28 per cent. in 7,712 cases, while Delafield's reports, gathered from the New York City hospitals, under a mixed expectant and antipyretic treatment by antipyretic medicines, show a reduction of 24.66 in the mortal- ity—a gain of over 15 per cent. Liebermeister's theory had excited considerable controversy among the experimental pathologists, SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 347 which has added something to our knowledge of this subject, although their work has not been alto- gether free from partisanship. These experiments were performed upon rabbits, dogs, and guinea-pigs, by subjecting them to artificial heat, applied extern- ally, in hot boxes constructed for that purpose. In Dr. Welch's experiments, as detailed in his Cart- wright lectures, he kept two black rabbits in a hot box for three weeks, with an average temperature in the rectum, in one case, of 106.6 degrees, Fahren- heit, and in the other case of 107.3 degrees. At the end of the experiment, the rabbit whose tempera- ture had reached 106.6 degrees was killed, and a well-marked fatty degeneration of the heart, liver, and kidneys was found. In other experiments he found fatty degeneration at the end of a week in rabbits whose temperature had been kept at 106 de- grees. Wickham, Legg and Litten found fatty and parenchymatous degeneration in all of their experi- ments in from thirty-six to forty-eight hours. The opponents of Liebermeister's theory, that persistent elevation of temperature was the cause of death in typhoid fever, took great comfort from the result of Dr. Welch's experiments, and claimed that they were unanswerable; but a careful examination and analysis of these experiments produces a confirma- tion as strong as Holy Writ that Liebermeister's ex- „ planation is the correct one, at least so far as any ex- periment upon the lower animals can be applied to explanations of physiological and pathological pro- cesses in man. The normal temperature of a rabbit is about 103 degrees, Fahrenheit. The normal tem- perature of a man is about 98 5 degrees. An eleva- tion to 106 degrees in the rabbit is equal to 101.5 de- grees in man, while 107 degrees in the rabbit would equal 102.5 in man. No advocate of antipyrexia claims any particular danger in a temperature of 102.5 degrees. In fact the treatment is not recom- 34S PART FOURTH. mended for a temperature of less than 103 degrees. Dr. Welch did not fail to find degeneration in from five to ten days, with an elevation of three to four degrees above the normal, by heat applied extern- ally, while Litten found it by the second or third day, none of his animals living longer than five or six days. There is a vast difference between the effect of an elevation of temperature from external sources and the intense internal chemical fire kindled by infection when the blood and tissues are loaded with the debris of oxidized tissue and the poisonous ptomaines caused by the propagation and growth of millions of bacteria. However valuable experiments upon lower animals may be in determining the prob- lems of the nervous system, the circulation, diges- tion, secretion and the pathology of inflammatory diseases, little or nothing can be learned by them in studying the pathology or therapeutics of fever. In man, the heat-eliminating apparatus is arranged upon an entirely different and much superior plan from what it is in the hairy animals. Seventy-seven and one-half per cent, of his heat i? dissipated by the skin, and 224- per cent, by the other organs. In the animals subjected to these experiments these pro- portions are reversed; and candor compels me to concede that the application of an external heat sufficient to cause degeneration of the organs and death in a rabbit would have little or no deleterious effect upon a healthy human being. Man is the only truly cosmopolitan animal which nature has ever produced. With his splendid heat-regulating machinery, he can accommodate himself to forty, fifty or sixty degrees below zero in the Arctic re- gions, and can exist with comparative comfort upon the sandy deserts of the Tropics, with a tempera- ture of two hundred degrees in the sunshine and one hundred and twenty-five in the shade. More than a century ago, Doctors Fordyce and Blagden demon- SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 349 strated their ability to withstand with impunity the heat in a furnace the temperature of which was two hundred and sixty degrees, Fahrenheit. It is per- fectly plain to my mind that no valuable corollaries can be drawn from experiments with hirsute animals confined in hot boxes that will enlighten us upon the effects of long-continued elevation of temperature which is'caused by fires kindled by infection in the human species. Neither can much information be gained by experimenting with drugs upon these ani- mals. Less than one-twentieth of a grain of strych- nine will kill a good-sized dog, while it requires six grains of morphine to kill a rabbit which weighs less than two pounds. I have fed with my own hand to a goat 1.75 pounds of fine-cut tobacco, and his appetite for the pernicious weed was unsatisfied at the end of the seance, while a small pig, in one of my experiments, enjoyed excellent health for months after concealing somewhere about his anatomy suffi- cient quantity of arsenic to kill twenty men. Theories come and go, and I regret to say that our knowledge of the real pathology of fever is still unsatisfactory. The ancients believed that fever was a conservative process, and ought to be encouraged, and hence their treatment consisted of a process called coction, which was supposed to favor a crisis by which the morbid material was to be eliminated. The pendulum is again swinging in that direction, and Dr. Welch suggests, in his Cartwright lectures, that fever may be an effort of the system to destroy the bacteria with which the body is infected. Na- ture will remove a splinter from the cornea, but the process of suppuration by which it is accomplished destroys vision. So will a sufficient elevation of temperature kill bacteria, but it is certain death to the individual whose body is used for the bake-oven, in which it is done. One well-established fact is worth a thousand theories, however plausible they 35° PART FOURTH. may appear. The normal temperature of man under varying circumstances is about 98.5, while the tem- perature of birds in their normal condition, in some species, is as high as 112 degrees. So it will be seen that a temperature which is normal for some forms of life would be certainly and quickly fatal to others. Any confiderable elevation of temperature which is more than transient demands the attention of the physician. The condition known as fever may be present and caused by an excess of heat production with an increased heat elimination, or an excess of heat production with a diminished elimination, or a diminished heat elimination without any increase in heat production. Practically it matters not how this disturbance is brought about. We have to deal with a condition, and not a theory. It may be caused by the disturbance of a heat center in the brain, by which the correlation existing between heat production and heat elimination is disturbed, or it may be caused by the oxidation of the tissues, arising from the propa- gation and growth of the infecting bacteria, with the poisonous ptomaines thereby engendered: and the disturbance in the nervous system may be of secondary importance. Time forbids the discussion of the pathology and symptomology of typhoid fever in this paper any further than is absolutely necessary to explain the rationale of the treatment. The specific, or primary lesions of typhoid fever, consist of the hyperemia of the mucous membrane of the small intestine, to- gether with the infiltration, and sloughing of the solitary and agminated glands, with their subsequent ulceration. These and some changes of minor im- portance which take place in the mesenteric glanda, spleen, etc., are as characteristic of typhoid fever and are as necessary to the existence of a typical case as are the eruptions in the exanthematic or specific lesions which take place in any of the acute infec- SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 351 tious diseases. Death may take place from these lesions. The necrobiotic process in Peyer's patches may open blood vessels sufficiently large to cause death from hemorrhage, or perforation may result, followed by a fatal peritonitis. Only a small per- centage of the mortality in this disease, however, is caused by the specific lesions. I find in examining a large number of statistics that less than 6 per cent. have hemorrhage, and about 38 per cent, of these die, and about 1 per cent, of the totality of cases have perforation of the bowel, and a small portion of these recover, so that the entire mortality of this disease arising from the specific lesions is not over 3 per cent. It is plain, then, that we must look to the group of secondary lesions, or those caused by the general disease, for the cause of the heavy mortality in typhoid fever. These structural changes consist of congestions, inflammations, and fatty and paren- chymatous degenerations of important organs, and may affect any organ or tissue in the body. They are"found present in post mortems where death oc- curred from any of the acute infectious diseases which are caused by persistent hyperpyrexia. These changes depend either upon the long-continued ele- vation of temperature which is present in this fever, or are due to the infection, or, what is more proba- ble, to both. The argument that these secondary lesions are the result of persistent elevation of tem- perature is a strong one. Statistics show that with a purely expectant plan of treatment, where the tem- perature did not reach 104 degrees, Fahrenheit, the mortality was about 9 per cent.; where it passed 104 degrees but did not reach 105 degrees, the mortality was 29 per cent.; where it passed 105 degrees but did not reach 106 degrees, the mortality exceeded 50 per cent, and when it passed 107 degrees, recovery was rare. The brain is one of the first organs to suffer from this fever. In cases running a mild 352 PART FOURTH. course, where the elevation of temperature is not sufficiently high to cause delirum, the mortality is about 3 our 4 per cent. Slight delirium, with ex- citement of a low grade lasting but a short time or appearing only at night, results in a death rate of 20 per cent. Well marked delirium gives a mortality of about 50 per cent. Where profound stupor or coma is present, over 70 per cent. die. The mortality in typhoid fever varies greatly in different epidemics and in different countries. It is a difficult matter to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion in regard to the exact death rate. In the French Army from 1875 to 1880 inclusive, in 26,090 cases, the death rate was 36 per cent. German statistics, under the expectant plan of treatment which was used prior to 1871, gave a mortality of about 28 per cent. In the Italian Army the mortality was 28.6 per cent., in the Austrian Army 24 7 per cent, and in the English Army, about 24 per cent. The death rate, taken from the reports of our health boards in this country, is still more alarming, New York City alone showing from 1876 to 1885, m 7>712 cases, a mortality of 41.28 per cent, while in the New York City hospitals, in 1,305 cases, under a mixed treat- ment, 24.66 per cent, was the death rate. In com- parison with this heavy mortality, I wish to quote some statistics, the authenticity and correctness of which can not be questioned or doubted, coming as they do from official sources, hospital records, army surgeons, and university clinics, and being the result of the observations of men whose skill and ability will permit no doubt of the correctness of the diag- noses. The analysis of the statistics of the German Army are valuable and convincing. From 1820 to 1844 the death rate exceeded 25 per cent. From 1868 to 1874, under a partial and imperfect antipy- retic treatment, the mortality was reduced to 15 per cent From 1874 to 1880 this treatment was more SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 353 general, and the death rate was further reduced to 8 per cent. In the Second Army Corps, where the plan was more vigorously pushed, the mortality fell to 5 per cent. Still more striking is the confirma- tion afforded by the five general hospitals of this corps, which were under the immediate and personal supervision of Dr. Abel, who is a strenuous up- holder of this plan of treatment. In i860 the mor- tality was 25 per cent. By 1877 it was lowered to 7 per cent., and during the five years immediately following the coming of Dr. Abel it fell to 14 deaths in 764 cases, or 1.8 per cent. In the Red Cross Hospital, at Lyons, France, under a purely expect- ant treatment, the death rate was 26.2 per cent. In- termediate treatment gave a death rate of 16.5 per cent. Strictly cold baths reduced this mortality to 5 per cent. Ziemssen's statistics at Tubingen Uni- versity Clinic, treated with the graduated cold bath, with anitpyretic medicines, in 2,000 cases, gives a mortality of 9.6 per cent. The Konigsberg Clinic, under strictly cold baths, gives a mortality of 6.9 per cent. Brand has recently published statistics which are more convincing still. He tabulates 19,017 cases which have been treated, many of them in a very imperfect manner, in which he shows that by this treatment, even thus imperfectly enforced, the mor- tality has been reduced from 22 per cent, to 7.8 per cent He goes still further, and publishes a series of cases obtained from French and German sources, which have not been questioned, of 5,573 cases, in which the treatment was more rigidly enforced, with a still further reduction in the death rate of 3.9 per cent. Still, many of the cases were treated im- perfectly. Eliminating these, and taking 1,223 cases treated by himself partly in private practice, and partly by Juergeson, at Tubingen and Vogel, at Munich, and the military hospitals at Stralsend and Stettin, the number of deaths was 12, less than 1 354 PART FOURTH. per cent. But still further, taking 2,150 cases, where the treatment was strictly enforced and where it was begun before the fifth day, not a single death oc- curred. These statistics, coming from the sources which they do, claim our serious and careful consideration. No one has any right to oppose this treatment upon purely theoretical grounds. He who does so, and refuses to adopt it, signs the death warrant of twenty individuals out of every hundred with this disease which he treats, and a discriminating public will held him responsible. This plan of treatment is not an idle tale, to be whistled down by a breath of wind. It is a genuine Banquo's ghost, which will not down at anybody's bidding. The "antipyretic craze," as it is called, has come to stay. This treat- ment prevents death from hyperpyrexia by a sudden failure of the heart's action or paralysis of the brain, including the respiratory centers. It prevents death from the secondary lesions, from whatever cause they may arise—thus reducing and confining the fatal cases to those caused by the specific lesions, which statistics show to be less than 3 per cent. But even this small per cent, may be further reduced, for Brand has shown conclusively that the lesion in the bowel does not proceed farther than the infiltra- tion, when this treatment is begun early. All ob- servers are agreed that to get the best results from this treatment it must be begun early, before the secondary lesions have been developed or the pri- mary lesions have progressed farther than infiltra- tion. After the group of symptoms known as the typhoid condition has appeared—which is contem- poraneous with the secondary lesions—it is too late for the treatment to achieve the brilliant results which follow its early administration. It matters not how the modus operandi of this treatment is explained, whether its benefits are derived from the abstraction SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 355 of heat or from the reaction which follows the shock of the bath, the fact remains the same, that it is the most successful treatment which has ever been pro- posed for typhoid fever and is equally successful in all forms of fever. Dr. Currie demonstrated clearly, over one hundred years ago, that typhus fever could be absorbed by it, that smallpox and scarlet fever were rendered mild and tractable diseases by its early adoption. His method of using cold water was by effusion. Five or six gallons of cold water (44 degrees) were dashed upon the body of the pa- tient, while seated in a bath tub. Brand, Lieber- meister and others immerse the patient in cold water the temperature of which is not less than sixty-five degrees, Farenheit, repeating it as often as the tem- perature reaches 103 degrees. Ziemssen uses water the temperature of which is at first about ten de- grees lower than the temperature of the patient's body, cold water added until it is gradually cooled to the required degree. This does not shock the pa- tient, as does the strictly cold bath. But Ziemssen's statistics are not so favorable as Brand's, he having lost 9.6 per cent, in 2,000 cases. It has been customary to supplement the cold bath treatment, in recent years, with antipyretic medicines, consisting of quinine, antipyrine, etc., under the supposition that the benefits derived from the treatment are due to abstraction of heat, and gradually the attempt has been made to substitute the antipyretic medicine for the baths. Brand opposes the use of this class of medicines, and claims that they reduce the mortality but little lrom the ex- pectant plan. Quinine stands at the head of the list of antipyretic medicines, but neither quinine, antipyrine, antifebrin, or any other medicine should be used to the exclusion of the bath. For, while they can be used as supplemental to bathing, having the effect of prolonging the intermission produced 356 PART FOURTH. thereby, they can not be used successfully alone. All cases coming under treatment early—say before the close of the first week—should have two or three cathartic doses of calomel administered, con- sisting of eight or ten grains each, and if perfect re- sults are to be expected from cold baths they must be begun at once. As soon as the temperature reaches 103 degrees, water should be applied, either by immersion in the cold bath of 65 or 70 degrees, or the graduated bath of Ziemssen, or by Currie's method of affusion, I have used Kibbie's cot with good results. The application must be repeated as often as the temperature rises to 103 degrees, until all danger is passed. Quinine administered in doses of from 25 to 45 grains, in the evening, will prolong the remission so that few baths will be required on the succeeding day. Antipyrine and antifebrin lower the temperature more rapidly than quinine, but the remission is much shorter, and they certainly have no influence in shortening the disease. Be- sides, they are not free from danger, for by their long-continued use they are said to destroy the red corpuscles of the blood. No deleterious effect, however, can be charged to the use of the quinine. Unpleasant cinchonism is not produced as often by large doses as is common in smaller doses, where it is continued from day to day. It should not be ad- ministered in antipyretic doses oftener than each alternate day. This plan of treatment has been so successful in my hands that I shall continue its use at least until something better is offered. Let us hope that some specioc germicide may be discovered soon. Since publishing my last report I have treated 51 additional cases,, with two deaths, which added to the 157 already reported, with three deaths, give a total of 208 cases, with five deaths. Of the two deaths re- ported in this series, both were treated by antipyretic SMYTHE ON COLD BATH. 357 medicines and no baths. In every case where the bathing was energetically used, the patient re- covered. Various Ways of Using Cold Water in Fevers, and Hot Water in Chills, as I Have Used it for More Than Thirty Years. For Cold or Hot Pack.—Double a comfort, lay it on the bed or cot; then double a blanket or quilt, lay- it on that; then double a blanket or sheet, dip it in cold water—the higher the fever the colder the water, temperature of 50 to 60 does very well. Then the patient (naked) should be laid on that. when it should be drawn over him from feet to neck, tucked down tight; then the blanket and com- fort the same way. It will be disagreeable to the patient for a moment, then it will be pleasant, while the painful sensation from the fever will gradually cease, until he comes into a perspiration, which will be very copious, sometimes; and when that is the case the cause of the fever is entirely removed. After the patient remains in the sheet two or three hours, or until he awakens—as he is very likely to fall into a sweet slumber while in that copious sweat —he should be well rubbed off with a coarse linen towel, and placed in a warm bed, to remain until he feels like arising and dressing; but should keep very quiet and from any cold air, or draughts of air, until entirely recovered. His feeling, and the judgment of the well ones of the family, should dictate just how long he should remain indoors, and quiet. The length of time required will depend upon the usual 358 PART FOURTH. health of the patient, as well as the violence of the attack. Every family should have a bath tub, which is much handier than a pack, while it may also be bet- ter where the fever is stubborn, when it may re- quire additions to the water until the fever is gone. I have used both ways to perfect satisfaction—never had a failure in applying both hot and cold baths, in pack or tub. We generally used a wash tub for children with chill; set them in a full tub, so the water would come up to the neck, putting a heavy comfort doubled over the tub, leaving the head un- covered, and having the water as hot as the child would bear it. Any father or mother can apply the pack or bath without the aid of a doctor. A doctor should never be trusted to apply cold or hot water, in any way, unless he is in full sympathy with it. If he is not, he would be more than likely to apply it in such a way, or do something else, as to cause the patient's death. Any one who would allow a patient to linger in their code treatment, and die, rather than use the cold bath, would so use that, or do something else to cause the patient to die, for a warning to people to let it alone, and trust him. I would trust my life to a highwayman just as soon as I would in such a doctor's hands. The reader will note where I laid down in a bath tub full of water from a thirty-foot well, while in a high fever, after a severe chill, and in three hours after went to the stable and milked sixteen cows. Here is a verification of the saving effect of a cold bath for fever: The particulars of the case were re- lated to me a few years ago by my then venerable, but since deceased, Aunt Dean, widow of Ephraim Dean, of Milan, Ripley County: In December, 1818, my father and Grandfather Abbot, with their families, including her and her husband, Noah Knapp, who was sick with a fever at the time, were APPLYING THE BATH. 359 floating down the river from Pittsburg, on a raft The river was so full of ice as to prevent their touch- ing shore until they reached Limestone, where they were able to touch shore, when my father and grand- father attempted to lead the sick man, on a walk- plank to shore, and up into town to a doctor, but the ice caused the raft to move, and the plank to drop, throwing them into the water—the sick man up to his neck. They were rescued, he returned to bed, and the doctor came down to see him; when he assured them, against their fears that the wetting in the ice water would cause his death, that that "cold bath" was the very best that could have happened him. "And," she said, with emphasis, "he did get well right away." Here is a little clipping that vindicates my theory and practice in sore throat, or so-called diphtheria: "Kerosene poured on red flannel and bound on the throat will greatly ease a sore throat." Then would it not be still better to rub it on the throat, and, too, in severe cases, as it has proved with me, still better with camphor gum mixed with it, and still better yet with croton oil enough with it to create an irrita- tion, and which draws the inflammation to the sur- face? This application will cure any case of " diph- theria," which causes the doctors to so shake in their boots, in their futile effort to cure it. In using a hot pack it is sometimes necessary, before the chill is off, to apply a second blanket or sheet, dipped in hot water; in that case the dry cov- ering should be removed and the hot one laid on the other, well tucked up to the patient. In case of a chill, or general achings of the limbs, a foot bath is often sufficient to remove all such ails. It should be taken before retiring, or, whenever taken, the person should go right into a warm bed—if the bed clothes are not warm they should be warmed. The vessel should be so deep as, possibly, to come up to the 360 PART FOURTH. knees, and filled with water as warm as can be borne, and made strong with salt, and soft with lye or soda, the patient well wrapped in thick covering, and vessel also covered. I have taken such a foot bath three times since the terrible—the doctor's " la grippe"—has been causing such a panic among the people, and filling the very disinterested doctors' pockets so full, while all the time manifesting so much alarm for their dear dupes. I took them be- fore retiring, and then had a good night's rest, feel- ing also very much better the next day. The first day, after taking the first bath, I walked three miles without any fatigue, when before, for several days, I could only walk a short distance, and with much pain in my limbs, all the time. From what I had read of the symptoms of the approaching grippe, I was satisfied that, should I mention my feelings to a doctor, he would pronounce it grippe, with the announcement that " You should be treated at once." And, of course, had I allowed him to treat me, I should have fared the same fate that so many of their patients did share—in long suffering, and many going to their graves. All that suffering and all of those deaths would not have occurred had the peo- ple taken the matter as coolly as I did, and had done as I did. This opinion of mine agrees exactly with the opinion of some " of the most eminent physicians of New York," as published in the New York Graphic. "That had the epidemic of yellow fever in Jackson- ville, Fla., been met coolly by the people," and doc- tors alike, of course, "the suffering and death would have been reduced nine-tenths." But, like the doc- tors there, who called every ail of the people yellow fever, so as to get the $12 from the Government, so with the doctors everywhere, who, in hopes of a good harvest of fees, raised the alarm about the "coming" la grippe, and kept it up, after it had APPLYING THE BATH. 361 come, thereby making the "epidemic" (?) nine- tenths greater than it would have been had the peo- ple taken it " coolly," and treated the doctors as I do, and advise them to do—let them most severely alone. Many times, when I have suggested to people to put their fevered patients into cold water, they would shake themselves and exclaim: "O, I would be afraid to do that; he might catch cold." And while, also, doctors encourage just such a feeling, yet the thousands of cases which Dr. Baruch mentions, and also of Dr. Smythe's cases, every one recovered. There can be no danger, but all the danger comes from omitting it, in a case of fever of any kind, or in allowing a pretended faithless doctor to apply it. But great care should be taken in having a patient, who has been in either a hot or cold bath, put into a warm bed, or warm clothing, and entirely free from cold draughts of air coming upon him, until he is perfectly free from perspiration, and returned to his usual healthy condition, and also should abstain from hearty eating, until that is reached gradually, and his strength justifies it. Abstinence from hearty food has much to do in restoring to health. o \^N | ^\/ o Welfare, Public *> Heollh Service <*■ Belhesdo, Md *> U.S. Deporlmenl of « Health, Education, *> and Welfare. Public o X J&ArmA - (W&Sk X o a 0 x/^\ 5 ^\/ and Welfare Public » Heollh Service * Belhesdo. Md *> U S Department of °t Health, Educoiion. '*> ond Welfare. Public >