Vv/BJ M968p 1873 ..^.^*!w^#)ifevi i<»i>A»K'W»j<'-«>'>M««"«^HM>^.4s>>H.UM^<.^i.Mi»'i »^«.~ ■'" ;»<|iwiwi»iii.i»r!i.H:.«^ii.wwil.i».. ... iy^Mftlil49.ll)>MI<«IHIU.(.' ..!!.>.... ..... '' ,y«^i)^.^>W>^^w'W'^«>«l>»v:tH»MiM>^<(l..|ii:..uii.i(lli>uiij&ii>>.ut..,,,''>-i.!J:u,.*>,*.u,u.(.,i,.,Hit,i,,i. ^JjC^^£^^>i«/f^l^li^l>ty)YM/M>.MV>...ljl.>M>UkM>k0. '••!Mu"......V,I'«|','|,VI.I,...uiw.+tuM>iij.,J j^>^ii;^ty,rt't&v'i.' ;.V-;.>........<". ..j...... ..■ *.)... ..v...'....-, ;.^><<.wi>«>*f46i>^u>i>Ji^i!ii>'.'.i''Mi>t.i.i>^MMi^V:'t..'i«i i.'-u'w.i'ii.i,...i.i...iijii;muuiii... • wiWM£.i/i>iutiii'.i.H.i',»,'..tiiii...|i... i....>..•■.»..'«*•.■<»i'j. . ..1..^.... .....-., ^IlillUJJilUJl. ■.l|Jl..lllil'.)li.li.i/-..iiiK>»'' , "-" M«IJ''i m'i UllUiillil J.. ... •!,'!.<........ I.»W. ■....... NLM 0D13Tlbb b SURGEON GENERAL'S OFFICE LIBRARY Section__........__................. Ho. .±11112. Form 113c W.D.,S.Q.O. S»ENT PRINTING OFFICE NLM001391666 _____ (v£ Qadon, MUNROE'S HI Philosophy of Cure. Originated at Chelsea, Mass., in the year 1856. S - CAMBRIDGE : PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. 1873. . mm ■'/ WB3 rAOkSp \873 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by WILLIAM HKNRY MUNItOK, In the Onice of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. Cambridge: press of john wilson and bon. TO MY PATIENTS. I have taken the liberty of dedicating this work to all my patients, past and present, knowing, as I do, that none can understand so well and appreciate the practice as those to whom it has been applied. You will find, on perusal of this narrative, that I have given an account of works ; not theories, but actual, well-substantiated facts. In parting, permit me to ask one favor, which is, be as true to the practice as I have been: place it first, not last. It is a unit, perfect, requiring no other aid. Wishing you all health and happiness here, and for the hereafter that peace which passeth understanding, I am respectfully and truly yours, William Henry Muneoe. PREFACE. •I am induced to prepare this little volume for publication, in accordance with the oft- repeated desire of my patients, that I may have a treatise explanatory of my practice, to hand to them or others, desiring informa- tion as to its effects and mode of application. It shall be my endeavor to give a concise narrative of the practice, as [ have had oppor- tunity of applying it in various diseases, from its first conception to the present time, a period of nearly eighteen years. If this work will enable its readers to under- stand and apply its teachings, so as to afford relief in time of need, my labors will not have been in vain. w. H. M. Boston, 19 Milford Street, April 20th, 1873. MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. In the month of May, 1854, I was attacked with violent inflammation of the eyes. The right eye had been blind from childhood: the left now became blind also, on the second day of this attack, and continued so for twenty-three months. I suffered great pain in both eyes, particularly over the right eye and temple. I had used all the ordinary modes of treatment for ophthalmia which had terminated in cataract, but none proved to be of any benefit. About this time, at the end of twenty-three months from the beginning of the attack, an eminent oculist of this city was called in, who pronounced me hopelessly blind. This opinion must be fresh in that gentleman's memory. I have seen him since, with both eyes restored to useful vision. Had MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. I rested satisfied with his opinion, I should now be either blind or dead. As soon as he left my house I commenced the study of my own case, and found that, instead of assisting Nature to effect her work of recuperation, I had used agencies to thwart and preclude the possibility of her doing so. I had used caustic in solution, sulphate of zinc, the cam- phor lotion, also laudanum, and other nar- cotics, all of which had so astringed the nerves that my eyes were like a piece of scar- let cloth in appearance, and intolerant, though blind, of the least ray of light. I spent four- teen months of the twenty-three in perfect torture. The pains would commence regu- larly about three or four p.m., and continue until daybreak of the following morning. 1 would sit up in bed, with my right elbow resting on my right knee, cram my pockets handkerchief into my mouth, and bite it hard, to keep from exclaiming aloud, when the spasms would come on. These were usually worse from ten p.m. to two or three a.m. This state of suffering abated about the fourteenth JfUXROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 9 month. I had become much emaciated and exceedingly nervous, and was sensitive to cold in the summer air, using winter wraps in July and August. The evening air would make me shiver like a person with ague. I have been particular in narrating my case, in order that you may escape my experience by avoiding the means I used to bring me into this miserable plight. I have seen, since my restoration to vision, five similar cases, all made so — that is, the trouble increased and sealed upon them — by drugging the eyes and system. If treated properly in the first place, they never would have reached the pitiable state in which I found them. Four of these five I have cured in my way of treatment. These eyes were all drug-ruined, and never, unaided, could have recovered from the ef- fects of such treatment. I said, I commenced the study of my own case. I reviewed our mechanical structure for myself, came to my own conclusions, and then commenced the treatment of myself; employing no other agent than was possessed 10 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. in my own person, using the two principles of cure that belong to every one. The first conception of my practice was necessarily imperfectly applied ; but, notwith- standing, by persistence, working almost in- cessantly, I was repaid by restoring vision to my left eye in six days' time. By the eighth day I was out of my room, and able to guide myself. I now soon began my practice on others, though for years my eyes were quite intolerant of light, and gave me much pain, and the improvement in vision was slow. It was four or five years before I began to treat, in earnest, the right eye, the one that had been blind from childhood, and it was fully three years more before vision came to it. Now, however, nearly eighteen years from my first conception of the practice, I feel fully repaid for all the labor I have bestowed on both eyes, for they do me good service ; being able to use them quite freely, and with a great degree of comfort, both by daylight and gas-light. In the first years of this mode of treating MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 11 disease, I had many obstacles to contend with. It was neiv, visionary, Utopian; it was absolute quackery ; and, in fact, it was only a theory, untried, and yet to be proved. However, I cared not for what people said: I felt that I was right, and held on in my way ; and now I call my theory that was, a sound, unalterable, unchangeable philosophy, that will endure to the end of time. The philosophy of the practice is based on the mechanical structure of the human sys- tem, its faculties of movement, and the rela- tion that one part holds to another; also, on antagonism, which is the principle of strength. You perceive that it is purely mechanical, and free from all the isms of the age. The muscles are not the motor-power, but placed so as to give connection to the two nervous systems, the motor and sensitive, while performing the various movements which the Body, in its normal state, is capa- ble of executing. The sensitive nervous sys- tem is so arranged in its construction as to yield and respond, when in a healthy state, 12 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. to all the movements of the motor nerves. The navel is the nervous centre, and the two extremities should move in opposite directions from that centre, with perfect ease and har- mony. We possess in our organization one destroying agent, namely, contraction of the sensitive nerves, which always accompanies fatigue, and disease of every type and name; opposed to which we have two remedial ones, the extensor and transverse or rotary movements of these nerves. I therefore make the nerves of sensation my agents of cure. These form a perfect net-work of fibres, cov- ering the human form from head to foot, and from the surface-skin to the skin that lines the bones. The three capacities of move- ment they possess, which have been referred to, I call functional action. These nerves are, in the normal state, perfectly harmonious in action, giving their support, mechanically, to all other parts of the system, internal as well as external. The mode of treatment is by reversion; adjusting each set of nerves, and restoring the normal relation lost by disease or derangement. MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE 13 We can only make three movements: we contract or shut the hand, open and extend it, and rotate it; we bow the head, raise it, and rotate it from side to side. The whole sys- tem is constructed on this principle : therefore each part must act in mechanical harmony. The true mechanical relations of these three principles of movement preserved, the system will wear long and well. I have employed the sensitive nervous system as a curative means nearly eighteen years, during which time it has not failed to prove its direct relation to the whole system; so that internal affections may and have been successfully treated. Many of you, my pa- tients, remember that you wondered how the treatment was to reach your case, and how surprised and delighted you were, as its workings were unfolded. In reply to your inquiries as to what class of diseases it was particularly adapted, I have said, " It is good for whatever ails you," and so it will prove, if faithfully tested. Patients frequently come to me, who seem 14 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. to think that, unless a cure is effected within a certain time, it cannot be done at all, or who wish me to name a specified time within which they can be cured. The time, with a certain amount of skilful treatment, is de- pendent entirely upon the condition of the patient, and the recuperative power of the system. Therefore it is impossible to name a specified time with much certainty, in chronic cases more especially; and it is a question I do not like to have asked, for in answering it as well as I could, I have some- times disappointed the patient; and, again, the result has exceeded my most sanguine expectations. There are many things to be considered, which are not always apparent on the first examination. The full effect of former treatment received; the influences, hereditary and otherwise, that have been brought to bear on the condition of the pa- tient ; the habits of life, — all these are not known to me, and have their influence on the readiness of the system to yield to treat- ment. MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 15 The question to be considered, is, Can the cure be effected ? That is more easily an- swered. If there is any recuperative power in the system, with diligence on my part, and patient perseverance on the part of the one to be cured, relief will surely come. It cannot fail to come, for the treatment is based on the mechanical relations of the human structure, and every application of it tends to restore the harmony of those relations. The class of diseases brought to me is al- most always of the hardest type, — chronic forms, that have been made so by treatment received, and after years and a great deal of money have been spent in the effort for restoration. And yet, if a marvellous change is not effected by me in a short time, the patient, or his friends, become disgusted, and think that nothing can be done, or that it will take too long. They do not realize the amount of work that often has to be done towards breaking up the old condition, to render the system susceptible to treatment, or rather to render it such that the effect of 16 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. the treatment is apparent to the patient. If I can accomplish in months, or years even, what cannot be accomplished at all in other practices, why should the time be considered long, or patients give up in discouragement ? If by this practice I can, as I have often done, reach cases where the disease is of the hardest chronic type, cases given up in other practices, how like mere play is it when taken in its beginnings, in its simple forms! Then the practice shines; but it is the hard, plodding cases, which it is so often my for- tune to deal with, that are so seldom fully appreciated. Many of you, my patients, are using the practice in your families, administering to your friends; and its shadow is spreading over this and other continents, but its bodily presence is comparatively little known. It bears no real resemblance to any other mode of cure, either in principle or practice; there- fore you will not wonder that I have so jeal- ously refused to have it misunderstood and beclouded by others. Stand firmly by its MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 17 principles and its name, — the Nervous Adjust- ment Cure, — and endeavor to know how to apply it in diseases incident to yourselves and friends. You will thus prevent the recurrence of the malady from which you have relieved them, and render the system less susceptible of contracting others. In applying the practice, I have found it best to avoid all drugs. Their effect on the system is so apparent to me that I have fre- quently surprised patients by telling them just what medicines they have been using. The general effect of all drugs is destructive to the nervous system : temporary relief may be obtained, but it is at an expense that sooner or later will make itself felt. Narcotics or anodynes are especially injurious: they stul- tify, stupefy; blunting sensibility, searing and drying the tissues and membranes; preparing thereby for infirmity and debility. Let us look at the definition of narcotic: " A medi- cine which in medicinal doses allays morbid sensibility, relieves pain, and produces sleep; but which in poisonous (or, in other words, 2 18 • MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. larger) doses, produces stupor, coma, convul- sions ; and, when given in sufficient quantity, causes death." This is the definition found in Webster. The effect of the smaller doses in allaying morbid sensibility, relieving pain, and causing sleep, is accomplished by deaden- ing the action of the sensitive nerves in their already deranged state ; which seals that de- rangement upon them. What the nerves want is not less action, but healthy action. Disentangle those fibres that are knit together, disturbing circulation, which is impeded in its flow, causing suffusion in some parts, with a lack in others, and the cause of the nervous irritation will be removed, nervous harmony will be restored, the blood will flow freely and equally, and sleep and relief from pain will come as if by magic. Present relief is top often the only thing considered: the after effect of these doses is not thought of. The partial death, the paralysis that too often comes from repeated, and not unfrequently from single doses, is not considered, and, when it does come, is looked upon as inevitable. The MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 19 increasing tendency to paralysis in the present age, among both young and old, with chil- dren even, is an alarming fact that it would be well for us all to consider, and the causes of which are very evident to me. The cold, wet blanket of professional preju- dice and arrogance has been thrown over me and my practice for years; and the time has come when its merits, from good and reliable data, should be presented to the public, and let that tribunal decide the question. The more rough handling the practice gets, the brighter it will shine ; like oil thrown upon water, it will float on the surface. In sound and unchangeable principles the practice will stand all tests of investigation by any man, or body of men, let their attainments be ever so high. The practice is frequently misrepresented, by not giving its proper name, which explains it,__the Nervous Adjustment Cure. I invaria- bly put down all misnomers of it, such as rubbing, pinching, and manipulation. It is neither the one, nor any of these. Many are 20 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. deterred from having the benefit of the prac- tice from want of proper explanation. I failed to be called to a case of neuralgia, of which the patient died, by the assumption of a perfect knowledge of my practice by the attending physician, who said, when spoken to of me and my practice, that he knew all about it; that I only rubbed the muscles on the bones, and that would never do for her. I cured the brother-in-law of the lady re- ferred to of a fistula, and he recommended his brother to have me see his wife, when this very sage speech was made. I have since seen the physician alluded to, in the house of a sufferer, and the skill I there saw displayed I should be loath to assume. I have frequently been called in at the last moment, when all else had been tried and failed, and have re- ceived as much gratitude for relief afforded as when I have recovered and restored a patient of my own to health. I shall now give a few important cures effected during the first five years of my prac- tice, whilst bearing about in my own person MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 21 sufficient pain to call for a large share of en- durance. I had, besides, to bear the lot of one who strikes out from the beaten path by himself. The shrug of doubt, the sneer of the self-sufficient, the wisdom that is too wise to be taught, or to admit an idea that has not passed through the filter of its own individual capacity, these, and many such flints, served to elicit sparks from the steel, and stimulate me to continued exertion to establish the prin- ciples which I knew to be sound and incon- trovertible. Feeling this in every fibre of my organization, do not wonder if I felt and acted the autocrat, when and where the practice was concerned. My lessons have been taken from the living, moving, talking, human body, not from the inanimate form; and I claim to have acquired a fair share of skill in detecting disease and infirmity ; to which fact many of you can bear testimony. In the study of the human body, if you desire proficiency, you must be able to detect every fibre that is out of harmony, as quickly as the ear of a mu- sician can detect a discordant note. 22 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. Case 1. My first patients were six of vario- loid, and two of small-pox, one case of which was of the confluent type. The first six were discharged within the week, one case of small-pox in fourteen days, and the last on the eighteenth day. The disinfectants used were oakum and resin. There were no drugs given, but plenty of roast beef, pudding, bread and butter, tea and coffee. These two men, one by trade a shoemaker, the other a driver of an ice-cart, were discharged without a single pockmark. When I attended these patients I had just escaped from my blindness in part. I could not see one feature of their faces, and their forms seemed as vague as if seen a long way off. I had small-pox when at school in Scotland, in the natural way,- as it was then styled, not having been vaccinated; but came through without being marked, thanks to my good nurses, the Rosses of Ayrshire, Scotland. They watched and cared for me as if I had been a brother. A few days' illness, when attending these cases in Chelsea, made me conclude that I had taken MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 23 the disease in a milder form, recognizing my old enemy of days long gone by. Case 2. My next case was a little girl on crutches, by the name of E. S. Irish, indeed, and no mistake. I was, or was not, as the case may be, so fortunate as to relieve her of these said two supporters within the first hour ; so she appeared with a stick only, the crutches being cut up and committed to the flames. I treated her a few times more, entirely relieving her of her lameness, which had been caused two years previous, by sit- ting on a damp door-step ; the cold then taken contracting the limb so that she was obliged to use crutches. When I called, a few months after, for some compensation, the mother, in her own style, referred me to a certain hot quarter, saying that God Almighty had cured her child, and me not at all at all. There the matter rests since 1856. Case 3. About this time I was called to a case of acute rheumatism, — a German woman who had been confined to her bed for six weeks. The house and her clothes were 24 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. odorous with drugs with which she had been drenched. I commenced her attendance at seven o'clock p.m., and before nine o'clock, less than two hours, she was in her kitchen pre- paring beans for Sunday. Case 4. Soon after the case above narrated, I was called to attend a Mr. Drummond, who worked at putting side-lights into ships, which subjected him to severe colds, which termi- nated in rheumatism. I found him beside his kitchen stove, well heated, sitting with his great coat, cap, and heavy boots on, to keep himself warm. He was suffering pain in the back and arms; so much so that he had to be helped into his clothes. I gave him the usual treatment for such affections, occupying an hour or a little more, when he expressed him- self entirely relieved. He walked down street with me and went to work next morning. Case 5. My next case worthy of note was that of a lady blind of one eye for four years ; the other eye nearly blind, or so much af- fected as to be of little use for ordinary pur- poses. The tears flowed in streams from MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 25 both eyes so that she would wet some half dozen handkerchiefs a day. The first attend- ance restored vision to the blind eye, with which she saw the houses on the opposite side of the street (Broadway, in Chelsea); the second attendance stanched the tears entirely from overflowing, and the seventh attendance restored her to perfect use of her eyes in reading or sewing. Now mark the case, and follow the example of this patient. From the first to the last, she never used, nor could be persuaded to use any of the numer- ous sovereign remedies for such cases. Had she done so, as often advised, I could not have treated her case so successfully and in so short a time. This patient was from Fitch- burg, introduced by a friend residing in Chelsea. Case 6. Mr. H., of Truro, Cape Cod, came to me with a lameness of the foot, from which he had suffered some eight years; telling the oft-repeated tale of having consulted men of great skill, but who failed to cure his lame- ness. His frame had become reduced from 26 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. beinsr a stout one to a mere shadow of its former self, and his wrallet to a state of col- lapse. My fingers tingle to " out" with the whole story of this blunder, but I must be mute; for the skilful and well-known man of the profession, under whose care he was so long, has gone to his account. But I must not forget to tell the case, as I am about to do. In less than one half hour Mr. H. left my house, leaving his crutch and carrying his cane, without using it for support. On leav- ing Chelsea, he went to Lowell, where he had a son in a store of some kind. On Sab- bath, the day after being with me, he walked out two miles from Lowell and back, took the train for Boston, Monday morning came to Chelsea and told me what I have told you. His visit to me was to ask if I thought his foot would " stay put." I have not seen him since, some twelve years; but he has sent me patients, by whom I have heard of his being very well, with no return of the lameness, and fleshing up both in body and wallet. Case 7. I was asked by a friend to visit a MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 27 lady, who, he said, was very low, and no hopes were entertained of her recovery. Her name is well known to many in this city. I found in the case complete exhaustion of functional action of the system. I treated her on this occasion, returned the next day and gave a second attendance. When I got through, Miss C, the patient, asked me what I thought of her case. I asked her to wait till I had seen her again. After giving my third treatment, I said, " Now, Miss C, I will tell you what I think of your case. In three weeks from now, you will be able to visit your friends down town." This opinion was fully established by her doing what I had told her she could do, within the time named. On visiting her former physician, he was much pleased to see her looking so well, but regretted that one important function of her system was dormant, and would remain so for the remainder of her life. Within three months, she informed him by letter that she was all right. This case shows how internal organs can be restored to healthy action with- out the usual aids for such purpose. 28 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. Case 8. In the autumn of 1860, I had as a patient Mr. S. F. Stevens, then of Brent- wood, N.H., whose eyes had suffered for many years from intolerance of light, brought on by an injury received when a lad, by fall- ing from a tree, and receiving a severe contu- sion on the back between the shoulders. I found his system completely used up, from excessive treatment of the heroic order. He had had, in his early treatment, nitrate of silver in solution put on the full length of the spine : he had, also, setons on the neck, and subsequently Brodie's liniment was used on the spine. (The patients of Dr. A., his then attending physician, used to designate this liniment as " Dr. A.'s thunder and light- ning.") The nerves were one consolidated mass of seared flesh, as hard and unyielding apparently as a piece of wood, from these applications, which were productive of in- firmities most damaging to the eyes and brain. He had suffered more or less for about twenty years before I saw him, and for seven years before he became my patient MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 29 had not been able to bear enough light to see any thing; so, to all practical purposes, he was blind all that time. He was obliged to keep in darkened rooms, from which every ray of light was excluded, and wore at times a metallic mask, made very skilfully to fit the brow, nose, and cheeks. I treated him a few times during the autumn of the above-named year. But about this time some of his friends informed him of a ready means of cure, which he tried, but which proved a pitiful failure, though the case was given, in one of the journals of this city, by the opera- tor, with the consent of the patient, as " a miraculous cure," and as such, it stands uncontradicted to this day, although this is known to the patient, his friends, and myself. The " cure " was effected on the evening of one day, so that the patient was able to walk home alone, and continued to see till some- time the next day, about noon. A morning journal of that day gave this miraculous cure with great eclat, which was all well enough, but for what came afterward, when the " cure " 30 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. should have been contradicted, in justice to me, who had to do the arduous work which followed for eight months. About noon of that day the inability to bear light returned ; so he was as badly off as ever, and his marvel-worker tried for three weeks to pro- duce the former effect, but without avail; and then Mr. Stevens "returned to me, when I found him in a worse condition than when he left me, being disheartened, and his eyes more painful and less tolerant of light than ever. I first got him able to discontinue the use of the mask, substituting other shades for the eyes ; then so that he could wear gog- gles ; and then glasses," at which time, eight months of treatment, he was able to at- tend to business, in which he has continued since, changing his occupation as best suited his interest, and having no recurrence of his former trouble. This patient gave me the names of forty-three physicians and oculists, who had either been consulted or employed in his case. I have the mask in my office, and I call it a trophy of my practice, and con- MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 31 sider this case in importance and interest next to the restoration of my own right eye to sight. Case 9. At the same time that I attended the above patient, I was also attending, at the same house, a niece of his, Miss D., who from childhood had been delicate and of con- stipated habit. When she attained her four- teenth year, she had to leave school, her eyes having given out. She was allowed to be out of doors as much as she pleased, and assisted somewhat in the housework of the family. When twenty years old, she became engaged, and was to have.married, but her health failed entirely. At this time I was called upon to see her professionally. After examining her case, and pronouncing upon it, I gained her confidence, and that of her par- ents, and the immediate friends of the family ; which assisted me in the tedious work that followed. Her term of treatment lasted three years or more, but the practice prevailed, and her restoration was the triumph. You will see, from the length of time that this case 32 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. required, that I have met with some tedious ones, demanding much labor, time, and per- severance ; but the reward followed, and all parties were satisfied. In this case I found the system exhausted, every function of the body being defective in its action. The work I had to perform was to readjust the system, and reproduce its functional capacities. The lady here alluded to is now the wife of my assistant, Dr. Horace J. Robinson, from whom, or the lady herself, a more full and detailed account may be had. Case 10. When I was attending Miss D. and her uncle, Mr. Stevens, I was called upon by Mr. Morrill, of the same place, to visit his daughter Caroline, who had been subject to fits for many years. She was taken, I think, when in her twenty-third year, and was in her twenty-ninth when I attended her, and had therefore been subject to these fits for six years. I found her system perfectly exhausted : she was lame, the length of the left side, foot and head included, so that she was almost a confirmed cripple. She moved MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 33 with difficulty, and was extremely weak, after making any effort to speak or move. The smell of food cooking, as well as other strong odors, would cause nausea. At night, her first inclination to sleep would be disturbed by a fit, and she would arouse her mother by a peculiar moan, which all in the house learned to know, from its frequent repeti- tion ; there being scarcely a night when she did not have one, and generally two, three, or four in succession. They rarely, if ever, occurred in the day-time. Her father said, " Caroline cannot live, therefore the doctor cannot make her case worse than it is." For six months after I commenced the treat- ment of her case, I failed to see the outline of a vein ; so completely had her system become constringed by continual use of nitrate of silver, in the form of pills, and by preparations of iron. Before this time, however, the fits had decreased in number and frequency; so that she would go three or four weeks with- out any, and sometimes longer, and then she would have, perhaps, two or three following 3 34 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. one another. I treated her about nine months in all, at the end of which time she had them only occasionally, being able to go out, and being better in every way : so her parents thought it best to leave her to the care of the good old dame, Nature, to bring her through ; which she has done well, as she has steadily improved, using no.medicine; the fits becoming less and less frequent, so that now a fit with her is of very rare occurrence, and she enjoys good health. All through the years before I attended her, she was attended by a physician in Exeter, who had made the treatment of fits a specialty, having a son similarly afflicted ; and who had taken pains to make inquiries of eminent physicians, and from every source he could. I allude to this merely to show the contrast between the two modes of treatment, which shows what this could do where the other failed. Case 11. Mr. Ephraim Robinson, of Brent- wood, a neighbor of the above patients, aged sixty-three years, had been confined to the MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 35 house fourteen days, fighting off typhoid fever. I gave him my first treatment on a Thursday evening. When about to leave him for the night, I told him to get up in the morning, and eat a hearty breakfast of corned beef, stale bread, and coffee, and to spend the day between the chair, his bed, and going to the door. These instructions he carried out faithfully. I treated him again on Friday evening, and left him- entirely free from fever. On Saturday he rode three miles, to visit a daughter, with whom he spent a few hours. Then came the Sabbath, and on Monday he went to his work in the field. This case created at the time a great deal of interest, as the general opinion was that the practice was only adapted to chronic cases. But the result here showed quite the contrary. Case 12. Miss Colby, aged eight years, had been sick of typhoid fever sixteen days. A consultation of three physicians was held, at which it was decided that she could not recover. The parents were informed that all that could be done had been done: they 36 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. were instructed to give the patient a portion of laudanum, brandy and water to keep up her strength, and a little rice-water was also ordered. I was brought to this case, in her last extremity, by a Mr. S. We reached the house of Mr. Colby about nine o'clock P. M. I commenced her treatment at once. During its application, I found that the child was blind, deaf, and speechless, and that her skin had been dry from the first day of her attack. In less than one hour she was perspiring profusely, and sleeping peacefully, in which state she continued four hours and a half. When she awoke, her mother gave her, by my instructions, stale crackers to eat, and as much cold water as she wrould take. Next morning I called to see my patient, and found her in her mother's lap, being rocked, and picking her lips, and taking hold of her teeth, as if they ached. I treated her head, restoring her sight, speech, and hearing. On my third and last visit I went all over the system, which completely restored her to health. Observe in how short a time the MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 37 cure was effected. Saturday night I made my first visit, Tuesday morning my last,— three days, less seven hours. Under the former mode of treatment, she had been tried faithfully, and pronounced dying, a hopeless case, by professional men of good professional standing. Notwithstanding all the disadvan- tage the practice was placed under, its work was well done in a short time. Case 13. I was called from the house of Mr. C. on Sabbath morning, after attending his little girl, as mentioned in the above case, by Mr. W. K., to see his little son Arthur, who had been sick a fortnight, they said, with typhoid fever. On examining his case, I found no typhoid symptoms. I called his mother, and inquired what her son had been treated for. She replied, " For typhoid fever, the same as the little Colby girl: he has had the same medicine as she from the same physician." I informed her that her boy had rheumatic fever, and none other.. " How has it been with him since he was first taken ?" " Constipated through the 38 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. whole of his sickness, no movement of the bowels." An abscess was beginning to form over the right pelvic bone. The little fellow .looked like a sick child. Two ladies came in to see what they knew would turn out a failure. Miss K. looked on a few minutes while I was attending her brother, and then left the room to give vent to her feelings, which were not expressed in a whisper: " Mother, what does that old fool expect to accomplish fussing over Arthur in that way ? " — all of which I heard quite dis- tinctly. Meantime I was preparing an an- swer to her question. In less than fifteen minutes I asked the ladies to leave the room, and then called Miss K.: I told her that her immediate attendance was needed, when she wTould find out what " the old fool had been fussing over Arthur" for. She was soon satisfied that the old man knew something: of which she was perfectly innocent. I saw him well fed before I left, with good bread and butter, fruit, and plenty of milk to drink. I called Monday morning, found him a MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 39 changed boy, treated him a few minutes, helped him into his clothes, saw him into the sitting-room, and told him to play, and amuse himself as he pleased. " Shall I go out of doors, sir?" "Certainly, if you feel like it." Tuesday I was going to call to see Arthur, but the little fellow met me out on the highway, and asked if I would give him a ride to a neighbor's, about a mile up the road. " Of course you shall ride, and welcome : I prefer the ride myself, and it will do us both good." I have given these three cases of fever, which required a very short time to master the attack, and sweep it from the system so entirely that time was not required for recuperation, and no after consequences left to generate some other attack. I shall now give you a few cases of hem- orrhage. Case 14. An old gentleman, Capt. C, bled from the nose for a number of days, which made him very weak, and he had to sit on his chair all the time, day and night. The 40 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. usual remedies were used without success. I was called in, and treated him in my way, which exactly suited his case, stopping the bleeding very soon. In a few days I called to inquire how the old gentleman was, and received for answer that he was in the barn, picking over beans. Case 15. A Mrs. B., residing in Exeter, N.H., had hemorrhage of the lungs for twelve years, suffered much from cold feet and hands, and she was also nearly blind. I treated her a few times, and had the satisfaction of hear- ing from her soon afterwards, and that she had full faith in the practice, as she was perfectly restored. That she bled from the lungs, however, is not a fact, although I was told so. Her case had been misapprehended, as was shown by her recovery. Case 16. Miss P., a young woman about twenty years of age, showed symptoms of declining health: at times confined to her bed, and again rallying, giving promise of improvement, when hemorrhage set in, which so prostrated her that she could not be MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 41 moved from her bed. She had been in this state for six weeks, and had had the very best skill that the country afforded, when I was called upon to see her. I could not go myself, but sent my son, instructing him how to apply the treatment in her case. After the first attendance, she was taken out of bed, and sat up for some time. I saw her the next day, and completed the work so successfully commenced. She came out of her feeble condition at a bound; the whole affair appearing to herself and her parents like a very pleasant dream. Her recovery was so sudden that they could not realize the fact. I saw her a year afterwards, and she was then in good health. Case 17. Commodore Long, an officer of high standing in the American navy, received an injury on the knee from a fall from the deck of the ship " Merrimac " into the hold. He was about to leave on a three years' cruise when the accident took place; but, hoping the injury would prove slight, he pro- ceeded, with suitable medical skill on board 42 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. to take care of him and others. After an absence of three years, he returned with a stiff leg, which he was advised to have am- putated, and an artificial one substituted. I was called in, and treated his leg after my mode, and in less than half an hour he could move it with ease. He was as delighted as a boy with the result, and rushed into the room where his wife and another lady were sitting, to show off to them what he could do with it. I had the satisfaction of seeing him use it with comfort during the remainder of his life. This case is well known in the town of Exeter, N.H., where he then resided. The cases referred to, in the first five years of my practice, are but a very few of the many I attended; but they will suffice to show the soundness of .the treatment, and how soon its effects were realized in such cases as were accessible to immediate change; while in others, of the chronic and atrophy type, by persistence a perfect cure was effected. In every one of these cases I used no drugs, fully and emphatically establishing MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 43 the fact that the system possesses its own remedy, when scientifically applied. I shall now gather up the results of my experience, gained during the first years of practical application, of the theory of treating disease without medication, and note the effect of medication upon the human system, as found in the cases presented to me. In all the cases I attended, I always found a functional derangement of the sensitive nerves, inflexible and prostrate, restraining the motor action; imperfect circulation, and conse- quently imperfect distribution, and retained secretions. I also made the astounding discovery that the muscles move no part of the body, or any of its members; that their office or use in the economy of the human structure, is to give connection or centraliza- tion to the nerves, motor and sensitive, at those parts of the system where efforts of strength are required to be made. Wherever the muscles are placed, you find nerves aggre- gating over them, as their centres, to give the force reauired. This was to me a new reve- 44 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. lation, for a contradiction of which I have looked in vain for years, and I am more than persuaded that I am right. This I have found true : take care of the nervous systems, and place them in their proper relation to each other, and you bring into healthy action all other parts of the system, internal as well as external. Of this fact I am as fully satis- fied as I am that I hold in my right hand the pen with which I record this statement; and I am also aware that it is a bold undertaking to contradict the teachings, for centuries, of the eminent men of a profession which they have made the study of their lives. Notwithstand- ing, I must humbly beg leave to differ. In my practice, when called to examine a case, I make my diagnosis different from all others. A view of the hand tells the whole story of the mechanical derangement of the patient; the foot reveals as much as the hand; the side-face and back of the head have their corroborative evidence; the shoulders and chest have their revelations to make, as also have the hips and thighs. The pulse I never MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 45 look after, except as a matter of speculation. I will explain myself by the following case. Mr. J. O., of S., N.H., had an organic affec- tion of the heart. Two of his brothers died of the same affection, some years previous to my seeing him. I tried his pulse at the wrist. Its articulation was thus: one, two, three; fluttering, whilst I counted seven; then came four successive distinct beats. I then treated him about fifteen minutes. By this time I had the pulse beating regularly four- teen times; then came, as at first, the ces- sation and flutter. The next effort gave twenty-two regular full beats. I continued the treatment, and by the end of one hour his pulse gave thirty-four distinct, strong, full beats. From this you will perceive of what little moment the observance of the pulse is to me. As soon as I commenced to adjust the functional derangement that I found in his case, the pulse began to take care of itself; showing clearly that there was a cause, other than the organic affection, producing the peculiar action of the pulse, as well as of 46 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. the heart, from which it was receiving its supply. As it was in this case, so have I ever found it, as regards circulation. In fevers, when the head is suffused, almost, if not altogether, congested, I do not touch the head. I deplete by treatment, disposing the system to receive the blood at the opposite extremity and surface. If these facts are not yet sufficient to award to the practice its legitimate place, I shall proceed to recount my next few years' application of it, and the results. Case 18. Mrs. S., of S., N.H., had been an invalid for many years ; the mother of two children. She suffered from prostration, dys- pepsia, and its attendants. She was strongly disposed to mental aberration. Concerning the last feature her husband and friends felt much solicitude. I attended her in the usual way for such conditions of the system, and found that I had a tedious skein to disen- tangle. As I proceeded with the treatment, she was able to take a slight part, at first, in the care of the household. She had her MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 47 seasons of discouragement; still her judgment was so fully satisfied with the truth of the practice, that she bore her depressed seasons patiently, hoping for the good time that was coming. She was rewarded at last by the good health it brought her. She is now doing her own housework, and has added one more to the number of her children. This lady was in the habit of living in the South, Georgia, during the winter months, and coming North when the warm weather set in. These journeys and changes were productive of no permanent benefit to her, but rather had a contrary effect, as she grew weaker each year: and they were given up, after I began to attend her. This family are thorough believers in the practice. Case 19. Mr. S. T, of W. E., N.H., was a laboring man, about forty-eight years old; reported a faithful workman, of temperate habits. He was a sufferer from Bright's disease of the kidneys, and had been treated for that, eighteen months previous to my seeing him. I found him much emaciated, 48 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. and bent nearly double. His diet was of gruel and broths. He told me he had fearful nights, and that the night previous to my seeing him he had to get up forty-five times, and suffered excessive pain. I found, on ex- amining his condition, that over the region of the kidneys the skirt was puffed out, and resembling four pieces of sponge ••)£. placed thus. I commenced his treatment about eleven a.m. At one, we (for I had invited myself to dine with him, on condition that he should eat what I did, and, if possible, as much) sat down to a good boiled dinner of beef, pork, potatoes, cabbage, and turnips, mince pie, apple pie, coffee, and bread and butter. He ate freely of all these. When we left the table, he said: "I shall surely die. I have not been able to do so for a whole year and a half." I replied : " I suppose you know wThat your neighbors would say, if that happened. However, we shall try and save you from that fate." I prolonged my treat- ment about half an hour. I then went to the window, from which I could see his next MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 49 neighbor's house. I said, " You see that house, don't you ? " " Yes, sir, I do." " Well, I want you to pay them a visit this after- noon." " I can't, — indeed, I can't do such a thing." "How do you know you cannot? you have not tried : take your stick and go." " I shall fall, if I try." " Well, if you fall, get up again." " What if I can't get up ?" " Crawl; if you can't crawl, roll over ; get there some way, without fail." He went on his own feet, spent a pleasant hour, and got safe home again. He passed a comfortable night, having to get up only four times. Two days after my first visit, I called again, and found him comfortable, and about the house; not on his lounge, as I found him on my first visit. I gave him, in all, five attendances. He commenced work by cutting his own fire- wood. When the spring ploughing came, he drove oxen for the farmers in his neighbor- hood. In the summer and autumn I saw him on a charcoal-cart, going to H. to dispose of the load. It is now nearly ten years since, and he is still living. Some may be inclined 50 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. to discredit the foregoing statement. That Mr. T. was in the condition I have described can be proved by all who knew him; and that his disease was Bright's disease of the kidneys is also known to the physicians who attended him before I was called in. Here, again, you have a severe test of the adapta- tion of the practice to a disease that has, and does still, baffle the skill of eminent physicians, in this and other countries. I do not recount this achievement of my practice in a vain- glorious spirit, quite the contrary: it is too serious a subject to be trifled with. Case 20. My next case was that of Mrs. P.; the mother of nine children, who had falling of the womb, at times, during twenty years. About this time it was discovered by her family physician that an ovarian tumor was forming. Its development was very rapid. She was placed under the usual rem- edies, to reduce her system, before the process of absorption, by external applications of iodine, was performed. At this juncture my service was pressed upon her attention by MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 51 Mr. T. of the preceding case. When I visited her, I found her in bed, weak, with- out appetite, and literally drug-sick. But no external treatment had yet been attempted. I had, therefore, no hindrance from iodine, or other astringent, in the treatment which I had to give her. On the third visit I made her, she got out of bed without help, and sat up quite a while. By her sixth attendance she was reduced around her waist nine inches. She received in all ten visits. It is now ten years since, and she is still alive, has had no falling of the womb since, and no recurrence of the tumor; notwithstanding 7 o the trying ordeal she had to pass through, in having some of her sons enlist as soldiers in the late war, one of whom was killed, leaving his widow and children (one a little cripple) to try her strength and add to her cares. In this case you have an immense tumor, said to be. as large as a half-bushel; call it as large as a good-sized cocoanut, which is much less than its real size, and it would, to say the least, appear formidable. I did not 52 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. attempt to absorb, but the reverse; to dis- perse the parts composing the .tumor, restor- ing the form and symmetry of the patient to the normal condition; consequently the tumor was nowhere to be found. In all such affections, avoid external applications of every description. The system can be suc- cessfully relieved from all such functional derangement, and the healthy action of the affected parts fully restored. Case 21. Mrs. H., of Nottingham, N.H., was a sufferer from womb, and other conse- quent infirmities, for many years; had had much done for her, and like many others had taxed the means of the family, in the purchase of " sovereign " remedies; but every new effort was doomed to disappointment. I was called to her, and found her confined to her house, and very frequently to her bed, for many days. She was ordered to lie with her feet much higher than her head. The fears she expressed of the result of a long continuance of this posture in bed, I shall omit. Suffice it to say that no cure or MUNROES PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 53 marked benefit was derived therefrom. I arrived at the house in the afternoon, and remained one night, treating her before and after tea, until bed-time. Next morning she was at the breakfast-table. When I was about to leave, she asked what she was to do in my absence. My reply was, " Mrs. H., you have been too long in this house, and far too often on that bed, in that particu- larly uncomfortable posture. Get your horse and carriage this very day, and go to your sister's " (this was eight miles away). "With your feet well down, your head well up, and with the good shaking up that you may expect to get over your roads, you will be the better for it, I know." That was the only visit I made Mrs. H., but I met her two years after, when she informed me that she had been able to keep about ever since I attended her, and had been much better in every way. Case 22. Miss J. W., of D., N.H., twenty- two years of age, broke down at eighteen, and was for four years trying to recover 54 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. health. When I first saw her, she was brought in a carriage four miles, and had to be assisted into the house, and laid on a sofa. She was weak, had little appetite for food, passed sleepless nights, had much acidity of the stomach, and was a regular Grahamite in diet. I gave her a long and searching attendance, which relieved her so much that #she stood the homeward ride well, partook of a good meal of old-fashioned food after her return, and rested well that night. One important function in her system had ceased, when she was first taken ill, which was quite immaterial, in the opinion of her physician, and no effort was made to restore it to action. This view I did not coincide with, and treated for its restoration, which I effected, and with it came the tide of health. Here you have again a proof of the adaptation of the prac- tice to a case that would have baffled all other forms of treatment. Hers was a case of nervous constriction, congestion, or con- traction, whichever of these terms you prefer to use. They mean one and the same condi- MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 55 tion of the nervous system; and when this was restored to the normal, or as soon as it was assisted in that direction, immediate improvement was observable. In recording results, in my experience, of the working of this mode of cure, the statements will doubt- less to many appear overdrawn. To such I would say that I do not require any one to take my word. If it fails to "convince, I can refer them to persons who can corroborate my statements. The person whose initials I have used in the above case is living, and can easily be referred to. It is quite natural for persons to hold to the tenets of the school of medicine from whose practitioners they have received treatment. It was so with myself, and to set aside old prejudices I found somewhat of a hard task ; but facts are very stubborn things : they will intrude them- selves until the faulty fabric is borne down. The cases I shall now give have been attended, since establishing myself where I now am, at No. 19 Milford Street. I will first give an experience of my own, in rela- 56 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. tion to an injury received from being thrown from a carriage. Case 23. My right shoulder was dislocated by the fall. I immediately set it, and, grasp- ing the right arm, about six inches below the shoulder, with the left hand, took the reins in my right and drove two miles ; and the use, with the treatment applied by myself, effected a perfect cure. Please note the difference in this mode of dealing with a crippled limb, and that in which bandages, or a splint, with the arm in a sling, and cloths saturated with laud- anum and water, are used. In my mode of treatment, the circulation is not impeded in its flow, and the judicious use or action prevents the stiffness, that so often follows from the old method of treatment. Case 24. A gentleman came to my rooms with a sprained ankle. He brought with him a bottle of liniment, having used it on a former occasion, for a similar injury. I asked him if I might use it as I thought best. He replied, " Certainly, use it as you please." I called a young man, one of my MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 57 assistants, and told him to draw the cork, and take the phial to the street, and rub the contents on the first lamp-post he saw; that it could do no harm there, while the ankle would be much better without it. In the treatment of this case, I had the effect of the former sprain as well as the recent to contend with. Notwithstanding, I had the satisfaction of seeing my patient walk from the rooms, relieved in less than an hour's time. He came again next morning, using both feet freely. That person lives at a dis- tance from Boston, — in San Francisco; but he learned enough of my mode of treatment to be able to relieve himself of many of the pains incident to persons approaching the meridian of life. Case 25. Mrs. B. called on me to know if any thing could be done for her tear-passage, or duct, which had been closed for a number of years, affecting the nostril on that side of the face. She had tried the usual mode of treatment for such affections, but without beneficial results. Soon after commencing 58 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. the treatment, she said: " Doctor, this will cure me: I have needed this, instead of what has heretofore been done. This bears its evidence, as you proceed." She was cured of that, and other infirmities, which enabled her to perform some noble Work. Case 26. .Miss .R., about ten years of age, was brought, to me by her mother for treat- ment. I found the child much emaciated, with slow fever, no appetite, flushed hectic cheeks, eyes glassy but wide open. A few attendances restored her completely. I have seen her a few times since ; the last time only a few months ago, when she looked the picture of health. Case 27. W. H., a boy of nine years, was rickety, diminutive in size, almost dwarfish in form, with a large head, short legs, and sub- ject to chills alternate days. The boy re- ceived what I term general treatment, which means being treated all over from head to foot. When I commenced with him, he measured thirty-six inches in height. In one year he had gained in height six and one-half MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 59 inches, making him forty-two and one-half inches tall. He was fully relieved from chills, and his general health improved so that he attended a public school and played in the street with the other boys. His second year's attendance confirmed his general health, and he increased steadily in stature. During my attendance on him, he had scarlet fever: When I visited him, I found him quite sick, as he generally was when at all so. I treated him in the ordinary way of applying the prac- tice. In the course of the attendance, the fever was subdued ; and the system so much freed from it, and its effects, that when I got through, I gave him permission to put on his overcoat and overshoes (it being winter) and play in the passage. He was restrained from going out of doors for one day only. His brother had the fever at the same time, and was being treated homoeopathically; but when Mrs. H., their mother, saw how soon Willie was cured, Master Frankie was placed under treatment also, and his recovery was equally rapid. Mrs. H. also received treatment for 60 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. bronchial and chest difficulties, from which she was relieved, and her general health much improved. In applying the practice the pri- mary work to be done is to release the nerves from contact induced by functional derange- ment. The circulation is thus allowed to flow to parts in which it had been received imper- fectly, and in limited quantity. A large pro- portion of persons who are said to have died of heart-disease, or congestion of that organ, have been carried off the stage of life by ner- vous constriction, forcing the heart into dim- inished space, thereby depriving it of ability to perform its* functions. Softening of the brain, so called, is the result of a similar condition of the nervous systems Both of these conditions can be anticipated, if taken in time. The following case is proof for the assertion: Case 28. Mr. L. G. P., of Peoria, 111., a lawyer of eminence, having a large practice, broke down, and gave up his profession. He sought relief in rest, and change of scene and climate. He came under my care MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 61 on the 30th of June, 1869. He received two attendances on that day, two July 1st, two July 2d, and one July 3d, making, in all, seven visits; which so restored him that he left for home, and entered extensively into manufacturing business, in which he is still engaged. About a year after, he had a few visits, for a lame back, from which he was fully relieved. During the year 1871, in con- sequence of the death of a partner, and the illness of a president of one of their banks, whose duties he performed during his absence, his health gave way, and he came back for further treatment. He received his first treat- ment on the 6th of July, 1871, and left for home on the 16th of the same month, quite restored. Now this is the way our active business men may be saved from the effects of over-application. Case 29. Mr. J. F. W., of New York, a prominent barrister, quite used up, and not expecting ever to conduct another case, bade good-by to the bench and his legal friends, supposing his orofessional career at an end. 62 MONROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. He came to me on the 30th of August, 1869, and had six attendances, since which he has been actively employed in his profession. Here you have two parallel cases : both, good men restored to usefulness. In all treatment of the eye, I use no appli- cations whatever, and would recommend to all, who may be suffering from affections of that organ, to avoid all cooling lotions, such as Goulard's water, sulphate of zinc, nitrate of silver, camphor, &c. Indeed, all prepara- tions having an astringent effect are decidedly improper. Warm or cold water, as the case may require, taken into the mouth and re- tained a few moments and then rejected, and a fresh supply taken, and this continued for some time, will afford more relief, and do no harm ; which the others would, even if they did relieve. More eyes are injured by drench- ing them with remedies, so called, in the over- anxiety to be relieved at once, than by the use of simple means, and a little patient wait- ing for the system to adjust itself, after some over-tax or exposure. The eye is too pre- MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 63 cious to be tampered with or harshly treated. Look at the various washes, salves, and scari- fications resorted to, to force it into healthy use; all of which, after long and faithful trial, have failed to produce the desired result. As it is with the eye, so it is with the treatment of the ear. That treatment should be to restore, and relieve the organ from the strait into which it has been brought, when deafness is indicating its presence; and so with all parts of the system. The first symptoms should be attended to, for in so doing much suffering, time, and money will be saved. Case 30. In treating Mrs. R., of N., for cataract of the left eye, and intolerance of use of the right, she told me that she had been deaf in the left ear for nineteen years; that the tympanum was perforated, and there was no hope. This she firmly believed, but I had my doubts. I treated the ear for a short time, say ten minutes; I then asked her to muffle the hearing ear, so as to ex- clude all sound, which she did. I then had the door-bell rung, which she heard, but could 64 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. not be persuaded that it was possible. I tried again by having a person speak to her. She heard what was said, but still doubted the fact, alleging that she must have heard through her nose. Her faith in the opinions that had consigned her to life-long deafness was so complete, that to contravene them was too much for her credulity to receive at once; but she did get over her doubts by having the hearing of that ear permanently restored. Let this case be a guide to others, and a warning not to accept all opinions as infallible. When the system is in a tolerably healthy condition, much may be done in the way of restoration. Case 31. Mr. Augustus Hurlburt, of Lee, Mass., aged seventy years, with general health good, came under treatment for cataracts of the eyes and deafness. In the morning he could read his newspaper ten or fifteen min- utes, when the page would blur over, and he would have to desist for the day. His hear- ing had been affected for six years ; so much bo, that he had not heard a sermon distinctly MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 65 during that length of time. He had three periods of attendance, of about two weeks each, with an intermission of two months between them. After his second course, he began to use his eyes, and also to hear more freely. After receiving the third course of treatment, he could read by lamplight, three or four hours, with comfort; and he still con- tinues to enjoy the privilege of reading, and hears almost as well as any one. Case 32. Mrs. Hon. J. D., of Worcester, Mass., a lady advanced in years, having been informed, to her great surprise, by a cele- brated oculist of Boston, that she had cata- racts on both eyes, came to me for treatment on the 6th of June, 1867. Having had near- sighted vision, she had supposed that her eye- sight would improve as she grew older; but such not proving the case, and her eyesight rapidly failing, she applied to the aforesaid oculist, who gave his opinion that she had cataracts forming, and that they would prob- ably terminate in blindness in a few months, and then be ready for an operation. She 5 66 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. became very nervous, and much depressed in spirits, from the dreaded results of an opera- tion, if a failure, as had been the case with a neighbor, the operation on whom had re- sulted in blindness. I first endeavored to get the cataracts off her mind, which I found more difficult to treat than those of the eyes. She gained courage from the results of a few treatments ; so, that, with few exceptions, her visits were like gleams of sunshine to me, as well as to herself. The cataracts of her eyes gave way, after two months' treatment. In August she wrote letters to her family, read all the Book of Hebrews in-one day ; also a biographical narrative of an early friend. Soon after this, came many calls on her re- stored vision, such as the mother of a large family can fully understand. During the autumn and winter she had occasional treat- ment only, her eyes becoming fully restored to vision and use. Her daughter told me afterwards, not more than a year or two ago, that she had better eyes than any of her daughters, could embroider in the evening, MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 67 and make what is usually considered trying use of them. When she first came to me, she had a can- cer on the arm, which was summarily dis- posed of in a very simple way. This said cancer was to have had the skill of an eminent surgeon. I told her that it was neither more nor less than a great seed-wart. It was on the arm, between the elbow and wrist joints. I treated it a short time, diminishing it in size, and then tied a woollen thread around it, drawing it as tight as she could bear; in- structing her to treat it in the same way, drawing the thread closer and closer until it disappeared, wThich it did, without giving much pain, and leaving no mark or trace. This lady has sent me many patients. We have here a case of cataract successfully removed without instruments, anticipating the consum- mation of blindness, before the usual opera- tion could with safety be performed; which goes to prove the fact that such affections of the eyes can* be, and have been, repeatedly treated with complete satisfaction to both 68 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. patient and operator, all opinions to the con- trary notwithstanding. The few cases I have narrated will show the adaptability of the practice to all forms of disease ; which, if taken in time, a safe and sure cure will be effected, and very often when all other means have failed, and other practices have given the patient up. Case 33. Captain Davis, of Portland, came under treatment in the autumn of 1869. He had been attended in Portland by his family physician, who, finding that he was not re- ceiving benefit from his treatment of the. case, recommended him to consult an eminent Bos- ton physician and surgeon. He immediately acted on this advice, and consulted the one named by his physician. He was told that he had softening of the brain, that he must observe a strict diet, see no company, and keep very quiet; and that he might, if careful in the observance of this advice, in three years' time " pull through." After all these stunning announcements, and the regimen thus proposed, he came, on the same day, to MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 69 my rooms, with a friend, and gave me the foregoing statement of his case. I examined his condition, and found that he had rheu- matic fever. I gave him treatment, and told him when leaving that I wished him to stay in town two weeks, and to come every day for treatment. I also told him to eat heartily of the food he preferred, to go out and visit his friends, to sing, " Oh be joyful! " and when he met a friend, and shook hands, to let him feel that he was still a live man. The first attendance I gave him satisfied him that I understood his case, and each succeeding visit confirmed the soundness of my opinion. At the end of the two weeks, he returned to his home, to remain two or three weeks. He had improved so much by this time that he wanted to show himself. He came back to Boston, and remained about fourteen days, receiving treatment alternate days. At the expiration of the whole time, from first to last about seven weeks, he had increased in weight twenty-nine pounds, and looked and was every inch a man, and a true-hearted son of 70 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. Neptune. Before returning home, he called on the physician he had consulted, to let him see how he had improved, and how completely he had mistaken his case; but he could not get him to bestow a moment for any such pur- pose. He said that he had a lecture to deliver to a class, and that it was not half written; therefore he really must be excused. Let us pause and look at this case. It is one that deeply interests us all. Captain D. had been an acceptable and successful ship-master for years; from which occupation he retired, with impaired constitution, and engaged in mercan- tile business for a time. Feeling ill, he called in a physician, who pulled him down with drugs, in order to build him up again ; but, finding that he could not build him up, he sent him to Boston to get the best medical advice to be obtained on this continent. He gets it, and pays ten dollars for the opinion, as before given,—-an opinion as unsound as the treatment which he received in the first instance was unsuited to his malady; and yet these men had not one word of congratu- MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 71 lation to offer him, against whom and against Nature they had been sinning, and upon whom they had been perpetrating such gross mal-practice. I will now give a few testimonial letters which I have received : — Dr. W. H. Munroe: Dear Sir, — Feeling that it is but-justice to you, as well as to suffering humanity, I cheerfully bear testimony to the great benefit I have received from your method of treating diseases. For many years I had suffered from a variety of diseases, and when I first placed myself under your care I seemed to be diseased in every part, and looked upon my case as almost hopeless. But after receiving your treatments for a time, my cough left me, my lungs healed, my liver resumed its healthy action, my dyspepsia was cured, and I was able to resume my accustomed duties, and to mingle again with the world from which I had been so 72 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. long shut out. For twelve years we have followed your mode of treatment in our family, and during that time my husband has been cured of deafness, which threat- ened to lay him aside from his business, and I have had severe attacks of spasms; but through your efficient aid was relieved, and my health restored, without the use of medicine. We have found your treatment also beneficial in cases where our children have been ill, and I feel it has proved a great blessing to us, and would with confidence recommend it to others. Gratefully yours, A. A. Cole. Southbridge, Mass., Feb. 13, 1872. West Campton, N.H., Jan. 26, 1872. Dr. Munroe : Dear Sir,— Being informed that you are about to publish a book, descriptive of your method of healing the sick, I beg leave to offer a testimonial concerning the case of our daughter, hoping it may induce some one similarly afflicted to turn to your sys- MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 73 tem of practice, believe and live. At birth the feet of the child were so badly turned that a piece of paper could hardly be forced between the great toes and the inside of the legs; the right knee-joint was reversed, the little foot resting on the shoulder when restraint was removed; the joint being so completely disjointed, that the lower part of the leg could be turned entirely round, the heel in the usual place of the toes. Both arms at the elbow were shockingly twisted and turned, and the wrists and hands so badly deformed that the second and third fingers were much shorter than the first and fourth. The head of the child was large, the neck very small, with an inward curvature of the upper end of the spine. Immediately after her birth she was placed for treatment under the care of J. T. Talbot, of Boston, who we then supposed was both skilful and honest. To turn and straighten her feet, he placed them in plaster of Paris. While the plaster was in a soft condition, he bound tapes about the feet and legs, which 74 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. caused the plaster, as it hardened, to set firmly about the delicate limb, to check circu- lation, and to cause adhesion wherever the tapes were tied. During the entire period of the first dentition, the above treatment was continued. At length the attractions of a summer trip became more desirable to the aforesaid J. T. T.; and, with our crippled darling in her sadly aggravated condition in my arms, we were bowed out of his office, and-recommended to the tender mercies of another, " who makes such cases a specialty." For long our hearts were sad, and we looked about for one whose hands should be skilful and true, to undo the mischief which we had unwittingly paid for, and who might be able to alleviate the sufferings of our only child. We were told of " Dr. Munroe, who effects wonderful cures with his hands, without the aid of medicine,"— and without the aid of plaster and tape ! Never shall I forget the day when we carried the child, then just four years old, to you; how you removed all the artificial appliances about the limbs, and ten- MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 75 derly sought out the many strictures which bound the little body in deformity. Long and carefully you examined her, — no word from the lips of any one, — our hearts aching with anxious longing for your opinion. At length, " I think she can be helped," glad- dened our ears. At the time you commenced treating her, she could not walk a step with- out the aid of braces extending to her waist. A stricture about the stomach and body pre- vented the digestion of food, and her sleep had always been fitful and restless. We often resorted to homoeopathic medicines to allay her distress and nervousness. With promptness, skill, and patience you treated her; eachi treatment making a marked improvement in her condition, enabling us to lay aside artificial support, and discontinue the use of medicine. For two years you gave her frequent treatments, at the end of which time it seemed best for us to change our place of residence. The child is now nearly eight years old, is growing quite tall, and in health compares very favorably with children of her 76 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. age, in this mountainous section of New Hampshire. Once since we came here she was badly poisoned, when I gave her medi- cine, because treatment could not be made available; which is the only time she has taken medicine since she became your pa- tient, four years ago. She is running about, playing freely with other children, and gives me comparatively little anxiety. With God's blessing attending your efforts, and your system of practice, we feel that all this has been done for our child. Hoping you may be enabled to give to the world a work which shall make its people wiser and better, and at length reap the full reward of Him who proveth a benefactor to the human race, I remain Yours ever sincerely and gratefully, Mrs. J. P. Converse. To Dr. W. H. Munroe. West Winsted, Conk., Dec. 4th, 1871. Dr. Munroe : My dear Sir, — I wTant to express to you the gratitude which daily, and almost hourly, I feel MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 77 for the great relief which my eyes have received from your treatment. I can read for hours dur- ing these long winter evenings, with genuine enjoyment. The unused eye slowly but surely gains in vision. When I am well, and in clear daylight, I can read with that alone, at nearly the same range as with the other eye, and the type looks natural. Even threading a needle can be done without thought, and indeed I feel quite young again. I was dis- appointed not to see you the last day that I was in Boston ; but yom were occupied, and I waited so long that the darkness made me hasten home. I can only tell you of grati- tude, and thank God that so wonderful a means of cure has been shown to me. The long years of pioneer work which you are so faithfully laboring in wTill, I trust, yield you an abundant harvest. The knowledge must be valued, wherever known. Even the limited power which it has given me enables me to make my mother more comfortable than she has been for many years, and she walks about the village with comparative ease. It seems 78 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. such a poor return for what I have received, to put these few words on paper; but it is all that I can do. Most truly your friend, Mary P. Hinsdale. In this letter, which was written a few weeks after she went home, entirely without solicitation on my part, but which was very gratifying to me from its heartfelt expression, she speaks of " the unused eye." I wrote to her, asking her to explain what she meant by the unused eye, and her permission to make use of her letters publicly, if I wished ; and I soon received the following reply, with the accompanying explanation that I desired: — West Winsted, Conn., Dec. 20th, 1871. Dr. Munroe : My dear Friend,— I am delighted to be able to express publicly my gratitude for what you have done for me. I wish I knew more about it myself. I can only tell the fact of the want of vision, for I do not know what was the trouble with the MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 79 eye. But they are first-rate eyes now, and I thank you, under God, every day for such comfort. I am rejoiced that Miss----is going to try your skill. A Mr.----, of our village, will probably go to you for his eyes, and I shall hope for success, for our medical men here are not inclined to have confidence in such treatment. I want to shout its bless- ings from the house-tops. Truly your friend, M. P. HlNSDALE. In the winter of 1871, I consulted Dr. Noyes, of Madison Avenue, New York, about one of my eyes, which was of no practical use in sewing or reading. I could distinguish objects in a room with it very indistinctly; but unless the book were brought so near the eye as to be in actual contact with the face, not a letter could be dis- tinguished; and even then the type appeared unnatural, and the attempt was painful. Dr. Noyes told me that I probably never had used the eye, and in his opinion never should be able to use it; that he could do nothing 80 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. but administer a tonic. In less than a year, the other eye failed so perceptibly that, with- out confidence in Dr. Munroe, I applied to him as a last resort. For six weeks I was under his care, receiving three treatments each week. Early in the third week the change was apparent, and from that time the improvement was rapid. I have now a good pair of eyes, which I use freely, without glasses. I am glad to render this tribute to the skill of Dr. Munroe. Mary P. Hinsdale. West Winsted, Conn. I now propose to speak of that new ele- ment, and invaluable addition, so successfully introduced by me into my practice within the last two years, which I call the Air Treatment, and which has, at the same time, not only enabled me to economize my own time and strength upon which such constant and heavy drafts have been made for so long a period, but has also triumphantly established the fact MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 81 that the delicate parts of the system can be treated successfully by simple and efficient means without pain, or risk of injury, and with benefit in all cases. The Air Treatment is the simple use of air, administered upon the principle of " Injec- tion to produce Ejection " of the fixed air or gases from the system. I have faithfully tested this method of cure in a great variety of forms of disease, internal and external, an account of which I shall now subjoin, thereby demonstrating that a safe, rapid, and complete method of cure is now being used by me. To the proper application of it I have de- voted much time and study, and can now not only use it with success, but instruct others howr to do so. Every man or woman can be their own physician, except in cases of broken bones, or dislocations of a joint, requiring other treatment. But all ordinary and some extraordinary difficulties can be successfully overcome. I shall now proceed to note a few of these cases, which show the results of my peculiar method of treatment. 6 82 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. I will commence with my own case first, many of the particulars of which you will find already recorded in the earlier pages of this book. I shall now take up the story of my eyes at a period seventeen years later, and tell you what I have gained by the use of my recent discovery ; giving a few details of my own personal experience, as illustrative of its prompt and beneficial action. I would first remark, generally, that whenever I have suf- fered from the disagreeable sensations incident to having caught a severe cold, or have been attacked by violent colic-pains, the obstinacy and violence of the attacks have invariably yielded, as if by a charm, to the remedial power of this agent. In fact, I have used the air treatment almost exclusively for the last six months, in my own case, in order to test its restorative power, and by its use alone have I been enabled to keep at work for others all last winter; being employed from early morning until nine o'clock p.m., and fre- quently until midnight. When I felt fatigued, I had recourse to it on retiring, the treatment MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 83 occupying from ten to fifteen minutes. 1 then slept soundly until daylight, and awoke buoy. ant and free from the effects of my previous day's work. On one occasion, having taken a severe cold, my head stuffed, and my eyes and nose keeping my handkerchief in constant action until bed-time, I longed for the hour of retir- ing, when I wished to ascertain the effect of the treatment upon myself in this acute stage. I had used my adjustment cure frequently through the day, which, of course, brought a temporary relief. Still my head felt uncom- fortable, and my eyes refused their office. When I retired, I tried to discover how much light my eyes would bear, and found that the light of my neighbor's gas, reflected on the windows, with the curtains drawn, was more than they could endure. Every effort to use them would bring a flood of tears. I then commenced my treatment, which occupied eight minutes by the watch, by which time I could easily bear my own light. I then fin- ished my treatment, and awoke next morning 84 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. free from cold, with the eyes able to endure daylight as well as ever. I had at one time during the winter a lame toe, and unfortunately struck it against a chair; which mishap added greatly to the pain I had to endure. On going to bed, I took my Ejector, and used it for not more than two minutes, when I could push hard against the bed with the foot thus afflicted; whereas at first the touch of the bed-clothes caused suffering. On a previous occasion I had swollen feet and legs, with an open sore on the instep, and the skin abraded on the inside of the ankle- joint. With these difficulties I worked along for six weeks, sleeping little at night, and very restless generally. I thought I would try the air, hoping thus to get some sleep, of which I began sorely to feel the need. I went into my lower rooms, lay down upon a lounge, took the air treatment, and had four and a half hours of sweet, refreshing sleep. Next night I used the air process again with similar result; but, on uncovering MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 85 my sore to dress it, I found no proud flesh where it had been so recently, and the process of healing had fairly begun. I used the process twice afterwards, with an interval of one day, by which time the sores were en- tirely healed. Since that time to the present, I have had no further trouble; although I was well aware from what cause that experience was derived. I was in the habit of taking men weighing from 145 to 200 pounds on my lap to treat them, holding them often a half hour or more; hence the swollen feet and legs. I continue to do so now, at times, but can always counteract its effects by the use of the air treatment. Case 2. Mr. Henry Shoobridge, nineteen years old, a native of Staplehurst, Kent, Eng- land, came to this city in the spring of 1872, and was employed as a night porter at the Everett House. His left eye was entirely blind, the right nearly so. When a school- boy, his sight was so defective, compared with that of other children, as to gain for him the reputation of a dunce. Previous to his com- 86 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. ing to this country, he was treated at the Roy- al London Ophthalmic Hospital, Bloomfield Street, Moorsfield, E.C., open for the reception of indigent patients, daily, between the hours of eight and ten. He was a patient at that Hospital for one month, during which time he was examined frequently by Bowman, Wells, Lawson, Critchet, and others, and was then discharged incurable, as the following copy of his certificate will fully show : — " Being admitted a patient of this Institu- tion, under the care of Mr. Bowman and Mr. Soelberg Wells, you are requested to attend at the Hospital every Tuesday and Friday, between the hours of eight and ten o'clock. You must keep this paper clean, always bring it with you, present it open, and pre- serve it carefully when your attendance ceases. Date, Sept. 1871. Name, Henry Shoobridge. Age, eighteen. Disease, Myo- pia and Chronic Dersematta. " Discharged, incurable, Oct. 18, 1871." MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 87 I copy the foregoing as a voucher of the truth of the statement of my patient. His left eye had been blind since August, 1869, a period of nearly three years, and the sight of the right eye was so defective as to require magnifying glasses. With this aid to vision, he was obliged to get down on his knees to see any small object on the floor or pavement. His general health was also affected: he experienced great lassitude, had a fitful appe- tite, and a great desire to sleep ; which sleep was without refreshment, or the restoring effects of its office. His father's trade was that of a bricklayer, and Master Henry's sight being bad, as he expressed it, he was early put to hand-carting bricks and other materials. From the pressure of the bar of the cart across his chest, and the spreading of his feet outward, in order to enable him to haul his load up hill, and over other obstacles to his progress, he was greatly twisted, and out of shape generally. He was round-shoul- dered, and had large and misshapen feet. Indeed, his appearance was not one to at- 88 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. tract admiration, while to himself the cloud was a dark one, and without any silver lining however distant. He made his first visit to me on the second day of August, 1872. When under treatment he lay in my room on the side of the bed toward the rear of the buildings on Dwight Street. On the side wall of the room toward Milford Street hung a steel engrav- ing, in a gilt frame, of the Duke of Welling- ton. I had not been treating him over fifteen minutes when he exclaimed, " I can see that gilt frame, Doctor! I cannot tell what the picture is : it looks dark to me." I told him to look at the quilt on the bed, and tell me the colors, fearing that he might be deluded. " It is crimson," he replied. " Why, Doctor, I see with my blind eye! What does it mean ? I was told I should be blind with both my eyes for life; that the sight of my right eye could not last me over one year, with the greatest care. After all, am I to have my sight again ? " I then said to him (and I reiterate that conviction here), " The experts who told you so will have to learn MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 89 their lessons over again, or rather forget what they have learned, begin anew, and begin aright." This young man is now progressing to a perfect restoration of his vision, and his gen- eral health is good. I have set his system right again, and he at present looks every inch a noble specimen of his race. He likes to work, and finds it does not tire him; is sober, frugal, industrious, and honest. Al- though so young in years, and so long bowed down, he is a credit to his class. I hope by August to see him embark for his home. He longs to be there again, and speaks of his parents with much affection. This case has been the work of " my last folly," as it has been very carefully and clearly insinuated. Many have been cautioned against its use, as very dangerous, with the addition, " But, oh, don't tell the Doctor so !" All the harm and sole retaliation I wish to my brothers and sisters in Adam is that they may learn to know the manifold blessing this newly discovered method of cure brings to 90 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. them. It has to meet its opponents. The contest, however, will be " short, sharp, and decisive," and with it comes a new era in the treatment of disease. Case 3. Miss Clara H. Childs, of Newton, Mass., has kindly given me permission to add her case, which is of great interest to all, inas- much as it controverts the received opinions in regard to affections at birth. When three days old, it was observed that her left hand was much larger than the right. At the age of six years she was taken by her parents to New York to have the opinion of a skilled surgeon and physician whose name stands second to none other in the profession. It was his emphatic conviction that nothing could be done. Since that time until the 29th October last, no one who saw the hand could offer any hope of a cure. On that day she received her first treatment from me. At that time the thumb was so large that it filled a napkin ring, and the fingers also were proportionally large. When she went into company the deformity was kept out of sight, MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 91 and it was done in this manner: she was obliged to use the right hand in bringing the thumb of the left toward the centre of the palm, so as to allow her to close the fingers over it, for its better concealment. She could not move the thumb into this position, without the aid of the other hand. Finally a handkerchief was thrown over the whole hand, and thus it was kept from the sight of others, though never hidden or lost from her own consciousness. She has now, at this writing, received forty visits, dating from 29th October to 24th April. She can move her thumb and fingers quite as readily as others do, and wears a glove on the left hand. But what is best of all, it is hereby proved beyond cavil that such freaks of Nature can be set right, and their mental effects also will disappear with the change of functional condition. The joy that such knowledge and such power over disease and deformity yield to me is rich compensation for the toil and thought bestowed, and the satisfaction is 92 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. enhanced by the expectation that it will be transmitted to coming generations. I have used my air treatment uniformly, in the case just cited, and its work has been rapid, sure, and without pain. Unaided by this method, the adjustment treatment might have taken years to accomplish what has been done in less than four months ; Miss Childs having been absent from the 19th of February to the 14th of April. These dates serve to show the rapidity with which this great work of im- provement and restoration has been performed. I am now engaged in setting the whole sys- tem right so that perfect harmony may be established throughout. I will not dwell longer on this case; nor could I adequately portray to you the feel- ings this young lady must have experienced, under a trial so sad and protracted; but those who have been, and still are, in the fiery furnace of affliction, will understand the situation, and to them I leave it to complete the picture. Since writing the above I have received a MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 93 note from the father of the young lady, of which the following is a copy: — Newton, Mass., May 2, 1873. Dr. Munroe : Dear Sir, — I fully concur in the foregoing statement concerning my daughter's hand, and the wonderful cure that has been effected by your treatment. I cannot express the gratitude I feel for what you have done for her, and most cheer- fully add my testimonial as to the value of your treatment, and your skill in this cure, which, before I called on you, the best medical talent in the country was unable to effect. Very truly yours, Otis Childs. Case 4. Mr. Charles W. White, of Ossi- pee, N.H., aged seventeen, came to Boston, by the advice of his physician, to have the benefit of the skill of the staff of experts at the Eye and Ear Infirmary, on Charles Street. He presented himself at that Institution about the last of August, 1872. An exami- nation of his case was made, and the treat- 94 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. ment then proposed was to be as follows: An incision was to be made under the right eye, for a * sore in that region ; the bone was then to be scraped, and a tube placed in the tear-duct. He came to me for treatment on the 12th of September, and gave me his history; which was, that he had received treatment by physicians, at or near his home, for four or five years, and that their impression was that there was a bone- sore beneath the eye; that one piece had come away from it, some time previously ; and therefore that the above mode of treatment was the proper one to be pursued at the Infirmary. I found on inquiry that the frag- ment of bone upon which their opinions were based was indurated mucus, held in the tear- duct, and cast forth by our good old mother, Nature, after her own inimitable style. The sore under the eye was caused simply by an accumulation of pus. My first treatment removed this, and we saw nothing more of it afterwards. He received twelve treatments, from September 12th to October 21st, by MUNROES PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 95 which time he had increased in weight four- teen pounds: he slept soundly, and read as much as he pleased. All this was accom- plished for him, without pain or suffering, by my air treatment alone, nothing else being resorted to. Here was a youth who had suf- fered pain for upwards of four years, and was not able to attend school; which was to him of great importance, as he proved, by making every effort to rise superior to physical pain, in order to secure an education. Had this proposed Infirmary work been performed, he would have gone forth maimed for life, the victim of a flimsy piece of patch-work; whereas every part was perfectly restored, and the eyes rendered capable of performing their functions. Case 5. Mr. Blake, of Haverhill, Mass., aged forty, a barber, came under my treat- ment on the 5th of July, 1872, for ulcers on both feet and also on the left hand. Some fifteen months previous to his coming to me, he had a cutaneous affection, which denuded his head of hair and his face of whiskers and 96 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. mustaches. This disease disappeared how- ever in the autumn previous, and the hair and whiskers grew out again. But wrhen the warm weather set in once more, the dieease appeared again in his feet and one hand. During this whole period he was under treat- ment of physicians, some of whom made such affections a specialty. To say the least, when he presented himself at my rooms, he was in great discomfort, not having a foot to stand upon. He came in a carriage, and with the help of a stick and the railing he painfully dragged himself up the steps into the house. I had seen him often before, when he prac- tised his trade in Exeter, N.H., but did not recognize him until he spoke, and began the account of his condition. I then made him strip all his bandages from his feet, and re- move an ointment of tar. I found the soles of the feet, and the sides of the great toe, one mass of foul ulcer. He was quickly recom- mended to wash his feet, and get rid of all the smear that soap and water would remove at one time. This accomplished, he was MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 97 placed under treatment. When he was pre- paring for his departure, I gave him a piece of silk oil-cloth to spread over the feet, and rubbed upon the surface next to them a little almond oil. Over this dressing for the feet he drew his socks, and then put on his carpet-slippers, with fervent expressions of relief, and with evident comparative comfort. He took his carriage, and started for the Boston & Maine Depot. This was on Friday, July the 5th. On Tuesday, the 9th, he had a second treat- ment, and on Friday, the 12th, a third, — one week in 'all, — by which time the process of healing had commenced. He had his fourth and last attendance on the 18th, making thirteen days in all, of this short course; at which date his feet and hand were perfectly healed, and he continues well up to this present writing, April 15th, 1873. The air treatment in this case had fair play, no salve, bandage, or other means being used. Here we' have a full test of the rapidity with which this simple, safe, and cheap remedy does its work. Other cases of more interest will now be given. 7 98 MUNROE'S PI1IL0S0PHY OF CURE. Case 6. Mrs. A. H., of Chelsea, came under treatment, May 29th, 1871. This lady informed me that she had been receiving medical treatment for several years, and that shortly previous to the above date she had been treated by two of our most skilful physicians and surgeons for uterine affections, and also for a bone-tumor over the right fron- tal. She was extremely weak at the time she applied to me; so much so, that I feared the exertion made to get to my rooms, through the warm summer months, would prove too much for her. However, during the month of June, she made seven visits, six in July, four in August, in September only two, and one on the 4th of October, which was her last; making in all twenty-one visits in five months, and during the most trying part of the season. Notwithstanding, she improved steadily from the first; and when she had re- ceived her eighth treatment, the change was quite apparent to all her friends, some of whom had been loud in their protestations against her coming to me, and had used their MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 99 utmost persuasions to prevent, her doing so. This is only one of the frequent proofs, how- ever, that our most intimate friends are not always the safest counsellors. After leaving me, Mrs. H. was able to join her husband in New York, where he had arrived with his ship, after an absence of two years. She also visited several cities and returned here shortly after Thanks- giving, and told me joyfully of the pleasure it had given her friends to see her looking so well, and of the many congratulations that she had received. Here again we have the significant con- trast between the five months of my " danger- ous methods," and the long eight years of previous suffering, and " regular practice," if there is any consolation in that epithet. I insist that the first treatment this lady re- ceived plunged her deeper into disease and infirmity, while the last method restored to her health and strength. In the first she had much of that hope deferred, which maketh the heart sicker even than the poor body ; in the 100 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. last there was strength and comfort, bringing with it, at once, the most hopeful anticipa- tions, in which she was not disappointed, as her wise friends had predicted. Some of these same " friends " are known to me, and to such I think a word in season would not be out of place. Do they realize the folly and the danger of their careless and wordy com- ments ? Do they realize the vast responsi- bility to which they expose themselves, in thus dissuading and deterring the sick and suffering from receiving this treatment which proves itself to be the one most needed ? The circumstances were exactly similar in young White's case. A certain physician, well known in this city, and residing not many miles from it, saw this lad when he first came under my care. His advice to him was to go to the Eye and Ear Infirmary, that I had no knowledge of eye disease, and that all I cared for was to get his money. The same gentleman saw White about a week after he gave the above gratuitous professional opin- ion, and asked permission to see his eye. MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 101 On examination according to his method, he exclaimed, " This eye is from seventy-five to eighty per cent better than it was when I first saw it. I must stop blowing this Doctor Munroe." This latter expression may also be strictly professional: if so, he is quite at liberty to enjoy the use of it, especially as he did not inflict any injury upon the young man in this particular instance. But I do wish to notice the heavy responsibility which this physician might have incurred in the matter, had young White taken this so oft-repeated advice of resorting to the Infirmary. The young man would have had to bear the dread- ful consequences of such a misstep to the end of his,mortal career, and the physician would have been the means unto that end. In view of the notorious fact that these many institu- tions for the relief of the afflicted fail conspicu- ously to support their vast pretensions, I think it would be well for all those -persons, who so easily and readily consign their breth- ren and sisters to the tender mercies of these same institutions, if they would re- 102 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. fleet upon the folly and peril of such a course, and of the false position in which they are daily placing themselves by such persist- ent blundering. The failure to understand the human sys- tem aright, in all its beauty, strength, and simplicity, is the cause of so much mistaken treatment. It is at all times obedient to its guardians. When sickness or injury occurs, its own remedial agency is the surest and safest to use. If so used, infirmity, with all its consequences, will be obviated, and immu- nity from them be perfectly secured: health, our richest earthly inheritance, will then yield its own precious fruits. These are not the vague assertions of an enthusiast: they are facts proven in my own case, and also in the case of many others, who were, like myself, mere wrecks of humanity, made so by the treatment we severally received from the elite of our Scientific Medical Schools of Practice. The labors of seventeen years have demonstrated to myself, and to others, that I am right. When I look back over the years MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 103 thus passed, and recall to mind the more than forty-five thousand treatments I have given with my own hands, and the long hours of labor devoted to them, I can clearly see that the great stimulus that has sustained me throughout has been and is the thought that I am undoing the evil work of the men thus directly instrumental in causing me such repeated and persistent efforts to counteract the pernicious effects of their accredited authority to mar the beauty and the sym- metry of the human form. But the day of drugs, for the human or animal system, be it in greater or in less degree, is passing away, and the opinions and methods of the most eminent men in the pro- fession are questioned in all the branches of application. The surgeon, the physician, the oculist, the specialist, all are doubted; and many will rather endure their afflictions than endure the uncertainty of the promised help. These feelings are patent; and no man in the profession, who has his eyes and ears open, can fail to see and hear and feel the distrust 104 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. with which his every movement is watched. And wrhy should it not be so ? In passing through our streets, the maimed, the halt, and the blind meet one at every turn of the head. These phenomena cannot be the result of a sound method of treatment. Professional blunder is stamped upon every one of these sufferers, and they bear the added burden of disappointed hopes. Some may perhaps accept the inevitable with apparent patience, but with others it is not so, and the doctor has their bitterest invectives. He has fairly won, richly deserved them ; and when a man gets his deserts he must not complain. Again and again would I call your atten- tion to the fact that this same treatment by medication makes the invalid, and creates the consequent necessity of resorting to some one of the many curative establishments outside of the practice, to which he or she must be sent eventually, in the hope of recovering from its effects. From the infant of a day to the aged, this same work of destruction has been pursued, from year to year, from century MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 105 to century, and still no true light from this source has been revealed. Whenever an arrest has been made of the ravages of this destruc- tive, hydra-headed tyrant, it has been accom- plished by persons outside of the charmed circle, and by the public mind taking the alarm, and restraining the expert from making his ex- periments. If I understand aright the duty of a physician, of all physicians, it is to bring the patient the release (not relief) which the system requires from derange- ment, without regard to the source whence that derangement originated. The means to accomplish that needed end, whether derived from the educated or from the un- educated, is the question with the sufferer, and should' be emphatically so with the physician. What can it signify to the pa- tient to which school of practice the doctor belongs ? If he is not cured, his disappoint- ment is, or should be, recorded on that doctor's diploma, and the men who granted it are also arraigned and condemned by him. Still fur- ther, his opinion is employed to influence 106 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. others to think as he has been painfully com- pelled to do. This experience I assert to be the rule; the others, the few random suc- cesses, the exceptions. Case 7. This case is sufficiently explained by the letter, of which the following is a copy. Norton, May 5, 1873. Seven years ago my right eye could scarcely distinguish light, and the left one served only to protect me from accident as I moved about. Every attempt to use them in other ways produced headache and nausea. A violent blow on each temple (one received in early childhood) had made the whole scalp rigid, and the free movement of both eyes. had become impossible. The best oculists could do nothing. They told me total blindness was inevitable; only a question of time. Under the adjustment cure, natural motion has been restored, and the eyeballs play freely. I can distinguish the letters on street cars; and my sight in certain directions, and at short distances, is much more acute than MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 107 that of ordinary people. The ejector has aided greatly in my recovery ; making the sys- tem yield readily to mechanical adjustment, and sometimes releasing the organs without the aid of any other treatment. Though still under the doctor's care, I am teaching a class in drawing, daily, and one in writing, twice a week ; and I take the greatest pleasure in commending the doctor, and his practice, to all who are suffering from blindness, or the dread of it. M. L. Mellus. Dr. Munroe : — I should like to say much more than this in behalf of'the Munroe system, but I don't know how to do it properly. Please use, abuse, or refuse the above as you please. Truly your friend, A. E. C. Case 8. Mrs. Charles P. Whiting came from Washington, D.C., to receive my treat- ment for suppressed menstruation, which occurred in August, 1871, whilst under treat- ment for typhoid fever, and, subsequently, chills and fever. She had her first attendance 108 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. on the 12th December of the same year, the next on the 15th, and the third on the 18th of the month, at which time the desired change was produced. She proposed returning home forthwith, but I told her she must have one or two more attendances, as I was not quite satisfied yet that all was right. She con- sented to remain ; and, on 12th January, 1872, received her fourth treatment. Towards the evening of that day, a mass as large as a goose's egg passed from her, and with as firm a coat as that of an egg without the shell. Of course this mass was attached to the wall of the organ from which it passed. Had it not been removed, the consequences would have been serious, if not fatal. This case shows plainly the blessing and comfort my extraordinary method of treatment brings to suffering humanity, in its own simple and efficient way. Mrs. Whiting at first refused to have my air treatment, saying that she wanted my old treatment. My reply to her was exactly what I have to say to others. I explained to her MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 109 that she knew nothing of the old method, as she called it, when she first became acquainted with me, and was obliged to trust to my dis- cretion ; and now, in regard to the new method, as she was of course unacquainted with its effects or results, she must rely upon the same discretion that served her in the first instance. When she came afterwards to announce the perfect success of the latter, she volunteered to give any certificate I might desire. I thanked her but declined, feeling that such documents are of little use to me or any one else. I have to deal with certain conditions of the system, and though I have had speedy success in certain cases, and with certain classes of. diseases, others, though similar, might be more difficult of treatment, and the cure less rapid. At this present writing, May 6th, 1873, I still use my old treatment, as Mrs. W. called it, as the handmaid of the new. The action in the last development is the same, but the work is done more thoroughly and efficiently. The practice, therefore,is still the same, though 110 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. somewhat differently applied. It is still the " Munroe Philosophy of Cure," and only ap- plied by myself, or under my direction. Case 9. Rev. Wm. R. Alger came under treatment the 25th of May, 1872, and had two treatments during that month. In the follow- ing June I gave him six attendances : one in July, two in August, three in October, two in November, one in December, one in February, 1873, three in March, one in April, and one in May ; making in all just twenty-three visits in a year from the time of commencing. This case has been one of peculiar interest to me from the fact that the gentleman had just passed from the hands of skilled men, and I had therefore hoped to get some definite expression, either as made to him, or as ap- plied to the treatment pursued in his case, which would be explanatory of the condition he was then in. But I was blankly, disap- pointed in that expectation, and proceeded to make my own investigation, without any scien- tific light on the subject. On examination, I found the system physically demoralized; MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. Ill entire functional derangement throughout; the head and chest in an abnormal condition, and the neck and throat worse even, if possi- ble, than any other part. Mr. Alger had, in addition to his medical treatment, had recourse to the exercises of the gymnasium, the Del? sarte method, the Lifting Cure, etc.; and all to no special purpose in effecting the constitu- tional change he needed. I commenced the work of readjustment, and the first treatment told him the story of the recuperative force that lies in the body itself. This gentleman realizes from whence help came to him in his sorest time of need, and acknowledges it with expressions of gratitude. At this writing, May, 1873, a lfttle less tha^n a year from the time of commencing, and with only twenty- three visits during that time, as the dates above given show, he stands forth renewed in strength of body and mind, and restored to usefulness. In applying my treatment to this gentle- man, I found that I had to contend stoutly with some of the hard effects of his exercises; 112 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. for, undoubtedly, he had been thereby aggra- vating functional derangement, as is the ten- dency of such exercises when taken under such conditions of the system. Mr. A.'s case was in this respect similar to Mr. Dennison's, which I shall cite by way of further illustra- tion. The latter gentleman succeeded in increasing his lifting power from two hun- dred and fifty, to six hundred and upwards ; but when, after reaching such an enviable climax, he attempted to walk, or even to stand for a few moments, the effort was too much for him, and he found that he was obliged to recline the greater portion of his time. Had Mr. D. received such exercise, properly directed, he would doubtless have gained in general strength for all practical purposes; instead of which, he gained in one capacity at the sacrifice of all others. I subjoin a copy of Mr. Alger's statement. Boston, May 6, 1873. I have received so much benefit from the treatment practised by Dr. Munroe, and have such faith in its value, that I deem it a duty MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 113 to bear testimony in its behalf. Were the system universally understood, it would, in my belief, be of more use than all other methods, and would, in fact, go far to super- sede all others ; for when the body is properly understood, it has in itself, or at its command, all the forces needful to health and equilib- rium, provided there be a free circulating action for those forces, unimpeded by matted tissues, chronic contractions, or other obstruc- tions. Wm. R. Alger. Case 10. Mr. Dan. W. Smith, about twenty years of age, a student of Mr. Tit- comb's School of Art, No. 460 Washington Street, received his first treatment from me, the 6th February, 1873; at which time, after examination, I found spinal curvature. The head was drawn towards the left shoul- der, with functional derangement of the ner- vous system ; the patient suffering at times, as he told me, much pain. He had generally, also, cold feet and hands, and his countenance 8 114 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. showed plainly the presence of great physical discomfort. Mr. Smith has improved some- what during a course of twenty-four atten- dances, reaching to this date, May 2, 1873. He begins now to show to others, and to realize for himself, a steady improvement; each treatment telling that the work of resto- ration is progressing. I have permission to use his name, and to invite the attention of others to watch his gratifying progress. Case 11. In one of the most beautiful cities of New England resides a family of wealth and social position. A member of this family showed in early childhood the presence of a spinal affection, which culmi- nated in Pott's disease ; sadly marring, as all too well know, the beauty and symmetry of the human form. I was applied to, early in July last, to examine the case, and offer any help that could be afforded. An entire change of form was at length produced; and the effects of that change upon the whole system are now being enjoyed to the fullest extent by my patient, who has been restored so far as MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 115 to feel that the blight of life has passed away, and that the pleasures of the present can be participated in with genuine satisfaction. That which was a task, and performed solely from a sense of duty, is now transformed into genuine hearty exercise, accompanied with strength of body, and will to discharge obliga- tion. I am not at liberty to disclose the name of my patient in this case ; but that is a mat- ter of comparative unimportance. That there was mental suffering and bodily pain is the fact; and that these were both removed, that is the important question to those similarly affected. And also the inquiry, Can this and all other forms of nervous derangement be arrested ? is of vital interest to the suffering. To both of these questions I make answer, that it can be done. . It can easily be done in the first stages of the difficulty ; but when many fruitless efforts have been made, and, in the lapse of time, the deformity has been con- stitutionally established, while, also, the many accustomed seals and tokens of restraint have been placed around and upon the victim, it 116 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. will take many treatments and much patience to reverse the sad disorder. The suffering attending all forms of nervous functional derangement can and should be removed wheri first discovered ; and it will be clearly shown then that the spine was not the cause of the trouble, but that it yielded to the effect of nervous action. I have invari- ably found the spine come right when the nervous derangement was overcome, and a normal condition of the system re-established ; as witness the case of Miss Converse, and many others, who have received treatment from me, as a last resource. I always desire the advantage of having the first management of a case; but notwithstanding the profes- sional obstructions placed in the way of my practice, its soundness is more fully estab- lished than ever. My labor, however, is decidedly augmented by the various mechan- ical aids, and the prescriptions, all so well calculated to perpetuate the physical derange- ment of the patient. Every slight injury is magnified into something terrible ; the injured MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 117 part must be nursed very tenderly, and be drugged and drenched, to make it still more insensible, or more sensitive, as the case may be : whereas, if the proper treatment had been resorted to at first, the term of suffering or restraint might have been wholly dispensed with. Case 12. By way of further illustration of my practice, I shall now quote the case of Rev. P. C. Headley, the author of the " His- tory of the Empress Josephine." This gentle- man came to me with a pustule on his head. It was in the centre, among the forelocks, some of which had been cut away. It had been very painful, depriving him of sleep for two consecutive nights. I used my new method of treatment, and had, while busy, to answer his questions as to what I intended to accomplish by the means employed. A few minutes sufficed to convince. him that the means would bring the needed end ; namely, a cure for his affected cuticle, or Job's com- forter, so styled. Whether the patriarch suf- fered from this disease or not is questioned; 118 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. but that he suffered somehow and was finally cured, is more to the purpose ; with the dif- ference, however, that Job was considered as directly in the hands of his Creator, while Mr. H. was in the hands of one of God's fee- ble instruments, by whom he is pleased to work. When I was through with my treat- ment, I told Mr. Headly that he must leave off all plasters. I saw the gentlemen at his office, three days after this attendance ; and found the pustule entirely gone, and the skin perfectly healed. In the autumn of the same year, Mr. H. came again. He was much dis- commoded on this occasion by a lame arm, which was the effect of a fall, when at the White Mountains looking for mosses. His foot slipped, and threw him on a rough rock, inflicting a severe contusion on the side of the arm, between the elbow and shoulder. On reaching the hotel, he had recourse to the " Pain-killer," which gave him relief for a few days; but afterwards the parts contracted so much that in the effort of putting on his coat he would experience much pain. While I MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 119 was attending him, he inquired why I objected to the use of liniments. I replied : " Simply because they do not answer your require- ment, which is, release from the condition induced at the time of receiving your injury. The moment you had the fall, the nerves be- came functionally changed, and passed into a chronic state of derangement; and your lini- ment fastened them in that changed condition, so as to render it impossible for Nature, un- aided by mechanical reversion, to recover the harmony thus violently destroyed. Now, sir, you will see what I mean, by putting on your coat; for you will discover that I have all the parts set right again." He most cheerfully accepted my suggestion, and put on the coat with ease. " This is beautiful! " he exclaimed. " I now understand thoroughly the distinction between relief and release. But can this be done at first, while suffering acute pain ? " " Certainly," I replied ; " that is just the proper time, and would have saved you all this pain- ful after-experience." And thus it is with all forms of derangement of the system, w hat- 129 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. ever may be the inducing cause. Set it right at once, and disease will have no lodgement. Fevers of all types can be quickly ejected from the system. The modern disease of cerebro-spinal-meningitis can be as speedily disposed of. Diphtheria and bronchial affec- tions are especially of short duration when treated after my method. Also, all visceral affections are peculiarly restored to healthy action, and in so quiet and pleasant a man- ner that'the patient is not always conscious of the good work which is being done. To stand by and see a fellow-being, some- times unconsciously, borne down to a painful death, and offer no substantial aid, is not the position the attendant physician should occupy. He should know, at least, the condi- tion his patient is in, under any form of disease; and, by using the means of relief the human system is provided with, release at once the parts that are specially taxed. The patient can be afforded such aid as will induce reaction of the nerves congested, and thus a sure triumph be gained over the MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 121 great scourge of the race. If defeat should result, and the patient pass away, all that could be done has been done, and no mis- givings of duty unfulfilled or misapprehension will remain. The "Philadelphia Medical Times," of May 10th, 1873, has the following article by C. H. Burnett, M.D., Aural Surgeon to the Philadelphia Dispensary : — " On the last day of July, 1872, Christian L., fifteen years old, a German, presented him- self for treatment at the Philadelphia Dispen- sary. His complaint was, that, since infancy, he has had a discharge from the right ear, with progressive hardness of hearing. He says that there has never been any discharge from the left ear. All of which statements were cor- roborated by his father, who accompanied him. My examination revealed the presence of a copious light-green discharge in the meatus. When this was removed, I discovered a large perforation in the postero-superior quadrant of the membrana tympani. Hearing distance 122 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. for the watch, i of the norme. Eustachian tube pervious to the current of air from Polit- zer's apparatus. After cleansing the meatus thoroughly, I introduced ten drops of a strong solution of nitrate of silver, (j3-fSj), and ordered him to syringe the ear gently three times daily, at home ; and, after each syring- ing, to instil into the meatus ten drops of a solution of sulphate of zinc (gr. ij-fcsj), al- lowing them to remain in contact with the affected parts five minutes. One week later, I saw the boy again, and ordered a continua- tion of the treatment already described, since his condition had greatly improved. By the middle of August, the discharge had ceased, and the hearing for the watch had increased to \ of the norme. On the 19th of August, the perforation in the membrana tympani had closed, and the membrane, which at the time of the first examination was swollen and discolored, had assumed the normal shining appearance. The hearing had be- come relatively normal, i. e., the previously affected ear had assumed a hearing power MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 123 equal to that of the unaffected ear; but neither ear was endowed with sharp hearing power, and probably had not been since early child- hood. The interesting features of this case are,— " 1. The length of the duration of the disease. " 2. The exquisite restitution of the mem- brana tympani. " 3. The restoration of the hearing. "4. The obvious benefits of the treat- ment. " 127 South Eighteenth Street." Allow me to quote, in connection with the above case, two of my own. Case 13. Miss A. C, a young lady who came to me in April of the present year, became suddenly deaf in one ear; which gave her great uneasiness of mind, fearing it would be permanent. She received one treatment from me, and was fully restored. Case 14. Mrs. C, aged sixty, suffered for twenty-four years from one of her ears, which, 124 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. if exposed to cold air, or if she was fatigued, would suppurate, causing her great discom- fort. She received one treatment in the autumn of 1872, since which time she has had no discharge from the ear. The interest- ing features of these two cases are, — 1. The length of the duration of the disease, in one, and the rapid and entirely painless cure of both. 2. The perfect restoration of the affected parts to their normal condition. 3. The non-use of any application that could injure. 4. The obviously superior benefits of the Air treatment. 19 Milford Street. I will insert here the following copy of a letter just received from a well known citizen of Boston : — Having experienced great benefit, within the past two years, from the system of treat- ment practised by Dr. Munroe, I can cheer- fully and confidently recommend it to others, MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 125 as being, in my judgment, the most valuable among known remedies for the alleviation and cure of diseases to which the human system is subject. James W. Merriam. Boston, May, 1873. I must also insert here, in justice to myself and in discharge of a duty I owe to my neigh- bors, the result of my experience of. a case of twenty years' standing, which has completely baffled the skill of all who have seen and attended the sufferer. The case of Miss Chloe Langton, of Winsted, Conn., and the one under consideration, are in many features similar. Through all those years of suffering, the course of the patient to whom I refer has been uniformly downward, until at length she was unable to rise from her bed, or even to be moved in it without excessive pain. I was called upon to visit her, and, on viewing her condition, and hearing her history, I soon realized the terrible facts of the case. I explained to her the philosophy of my air treatment, and applied it with success; afford- 126 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. ing her immediate relief from pain, and very soon enabling her to move more freely in her bed ; giving her also the promise of release from her trying discipline of so many years. A sister of this same lady, suffering from asthma, was also relieved in a few moments by the use of the ejector. She said that she could once more breathe and speak freely. She, too, had been in failing health for years, and had exhausted herself in using the customary severe remedies incident to a long course of the " regular practice." I have attended these ladies but a few times, but have no doubt of a complete success as the final result in their cases. But I must hasten to bring this record to a conclusion. After a lapse of seventeen years, having, in the course of my professional expe- rience during that period, been compelled to combat with disease in its chronic form, and under the most unpropitious auspices, — dis- ease, many of whose victims were members of influential families, as well as persons of culture and distinction, I have yet to meet MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 127 the man or woman who could give me a satisfactory answer, when ;.u;ked why and wherefore I had found them thus. The opinions of their doctors, indeed, were freely quoted ; from which I could glean no ray of light, but could only discover the veil that had shut out from their professional eyes the knowledge required to enable the so-called experts of the medical profession to treat disease successfully. And yet, strange to say, these same victims of their vaunted skill, were often loud in their laudations. Alas, if this be their skill, I, for one, choose to remain in ignorance of such knowledge, producing such fruits! I can, as I write, call up each patient, deformed or maimed or blind or decrepit, helpless and without hope, and hear the cry of despair ; " I have tried so long, and endured so much, that I have no confi- dence of ever being restored to health." And yet the drowning man will catch at a straw, and I and my practice have proved to these doubting ones a life-preserver in the . last extremity. Is not this an enviable position to 128 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. attain ? Have I not reason to exult and be grateful for what I have accomplished for myself, and am hourly accomplishing, and with God's blessing will continue to accom- plish, for others? In originating and applying this practice, I have been careful to make it as easy as pos- sible for the suffering patient. To such as were in a condition requiring a more decided or heroic treatment, the requisite force has been applied, in order to bring their systems under control; while in ordinary cases it is calculated to soothe, restore, and strengthen. In no case will the philosophies of the old school of practice be found of any use. As to diet, upon which so much stress has been laid, I would simply say: adjust the system properly, and all morbid appetites will be dis- posed of, and healthy ones ensue ; all nervous affections will disappear, and mental peculi- arities growing out of them will disappear with them. I speak advisedly of what I know, have tried, and proved; and you can corroborate my position. All disease can be, MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 329 has been, successfully treated by my method, without medication. This fact is fully estab- lished, and it is now my duty, and yours, to spread that knowledge throughout the world. In so doing, we must not be half-hearted. The greater the benefits that we have re- ceived from it, the greater the obligation to share them with our fellows,, who are still struggling in the toils of the prevailing modes of treatment, and thereby having their infirmi- ties only the more firmly fastened upon them. I have spared no pains in instructing you all in the knowledge of the practice. Be true and faithful to its principles. Use no drugs, no artificial supports, to supply — say rather to hinder — the natural ones. Be not deluded by any false doctrines of probabilities or possi- bilities. Avail yourselves of those provisions with which a beneficent Creator has fur- nished all his children^ What folly to turn our backs upon the blessings flowing from his wisdom, and have recourse to means that have proved their inefficiency in the past, and will prove it to the bitter end! While the 9 130 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. wise men are looking for a solution of then: speculations and experiments, let us be up and doing good with " the little light we have," regardless of their shrugs. Leave them to themselves until the time predicted by them arrives (a century hence they think it may be), when, perhaps, something of the nervous system may be known! A specialist, who makes this particular portion of the system his study, and whose opinions are looked upon as authority, has yet failed signally to grasp his subject His writings upon it may read pleas- antly and plausibly to the uninitiated ; but to those who already have a realizing sense of that knowledge, which is merely looked for- ward to, in the dim future, by the prophets of the school to which he belongs, they are utterly unsatisfactory, and at the same time paradoxical; for, while in one breath we find him reasoning as if he actually possessed the knowledge in question, in the very next we hear his cry for help from his brethren to aid him in the search for it. Be not startled or discouraged by this statement. I say what I MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 131 think to every man; I speak of what I fully understand to all men. I say that all theorists are unsafe guides, while they remain in that state. When they touch bottom ; when they produce and demonstrate a sound, safe, un- changeable basis for their practice, — then will they establish that confidence which is always, sooner or later, accorded to truth. A word or two, before concluding, about that precious organ, the eye. As the Good Book has it, when the eye is single, the whole body is full of light. This is, indeed, gos- pel truth, not to be controverted by science. When the eye becomes functionally deranged, it loses its singleness, and its power of vision is diminished ; too oft terminating in absolute extinction. To recover that vision, how many remedies have been resorted to! how few have been attended with even partial success! The eye, the ear, the brain, — all parts of the system, — are immediately related to, and influenced by the functional condition of the sensitive and motor nerves. Subordinate to them, they must accept the condition or re- 132 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. straint forced upon them, by a change from the normal to the abnormal state. By such change the region of the eye is invaded, and then the conflict begins. The eye strives to rid itself of this usurping force, which threat- ens the harmony of its domain ; and the nerves struggle to readjust themselves; but fail generally in the effort, because the proper auxiliary treatment is not applied. I know of no form of torture more exquisite than that which is continually inflicted upon the eye of the suffering victim by the old school of prac- tice: drugging, drenching, leeching, lancing, scarifying, pulling out the lashes, imprisoning the patient in darkened rooms, burdening them with bandages to exclude the light. And then the fanciful inventions, with high-sound- ing names, that are resorted to, in the vain attempt to discover the cause why the eye will not be cured, after all this harsh and unnatural treatment that it has received! When the eye is viewed through the oph- thalmoscope, what revelation is vouchsafed to the expert who uses it, that can enlighten MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. 133 his comprehension of the disease with which he is contending ? On the other hand, much injury is often inflicted upon the patient, by having recourse to this mode of exam- ination, and from the use of belladonna, for the purpose of dilating the pupil. The whole apparatus, indeed, of such inventions for discovering the cause of the various de- rangements of the system, ingenious as they may appear and euphonious as their names may be, is little better than a snare and a delusion. A proper understanding of the sys- tem itself is the true requisite to enable the physician to treat successfully any portion of the body, or its members, that requires special release from its abnormal condition. I have given you proof sufficient in these pages, that a sure, painless, pleasant means of effecting such release, is provided by my practice. Do not, then, allow your eyes to be tampered with by specialists. Leave them to them- selves. Be not deluded by their instruments of torture, nor defrauded by their exorbitant exactions. Then will they be compelled to 134 MUNROE'S PHILOSOPHY OF CURE. desist from their outrages on their unoffend- ing and suffering fellows. One word more, dear friends, at parting. Far be it from me vainly to assume the man- tle of the prophet! though my heart glows and my mind expands within me at the thought of the good time coming, when the light of true knowledge shall have spread over this and other lands; when the Phflosophy of Cure, which I now submit to your examina- tion, shall have won its precious victories over ignorance and selfishness, and its beneficent fruits shall have been reaped by suffering humanity; when lingering pain, deformity, blindness, deafness, and kindred ills will no longer confront us at every turn and corner, but will be comparatively unseen, unknown, and gradually fade away into mere phantoms of the past. Rejoice with me. Aid me in bringing about a consummation so blessed ! Cambridge: Press of John Wilson & Son. NLM001391666