第8章

3。ThedoctrineoftheoriginofmostchronicdiseasesinPsora，notwithstandingHahnemannsaysitcosthimtwelveyearsofstudyandresearchtoestablishthefactanditspracticalconsequences，hasmetwithgreatneglectandevenoppositionfromverymanyofhisowndisciples。

Itistrue，notwithstanding，that，throughoutmostoftheirwritingswhichIhaveseen，thererunsaprevailingtoneofgreatdeferencetoHahnemann’sopinions，aconstantreferencetohisauthority，ageneralagreementwiththeminorpointsofhisbelief，andapretenceofharmoniousunioninacommonfaith。[ThosewhowilltakethetroubletolookoverHull’sTranslationofJahr’sManualmayobservehowlittlecomparativespaceisgiventoremediesrestinguponanyotherauthoritythanthatofHahnemann。]

Manypersons，andmostphysiciansandscientificmen，wouldbesatisfiedwiththestatementofthesedoctrines，andexaminethemnofurther。Theywouldconsideritvastlymoreprobablethatanyobserverinsofallaciousanddifficultafieldofinquiryasmedicinehadbeenledintoerror，orwalkedintoitofhisownaccord，thanthatsuchnumerousandextraordinaryfactshadreallyjustcometolight。TheywouldfeelarighttoexercisethesameobduracytowardsthemastheFrenchInstituteisinthehabitofdisplayingwhenmemoirsormodelsareofferedtoitrelatingtothesquaringofthecircleorperpetualmotion；whichitistheruletopassoverwithoutnotice。Theywouldfeelasastronomersandnaturalphilosophersmusthavefeltwhen，somehalfadozenyearsago，anunknownmancameforward，andaskedforanopportunitytodemonstratetoAragoandhiscolleaguesthatthemoonandplanetswereatadistanceofalittlemorethanahundredmilesfromtheearth。AndsotheywouldnotevenlookintoHomoeopathy，thoughallitsadvocatesshouldexclaiminthewordsofMr。BenjaminDouglassPerkins，venderoftheMetallicTractors，that“Onalldiscoveriestherearepersonswho，withoutdescendingtoanyinquiryintothetruth，pretendtoknow，asitwerebyintuition，thatnewlyassertedfactsarefoundedinthegrossesterrors。“Andtheywouldlaytheirheadsupontheirpillowswithaperfectlyclearconscience，althoughtheywereassuredthattheywerebehavinginthesamewaythatpeopleofolddidtowardsHarvey，Galileo，andCopernicus，theidenticalgreatnameswhichwereinvokedbyMr。BenjaminDouglassPerkins。

Butexperiencehasshownthatthecharacteroftheseassertionsisnotsufficienttodetermany，fromexaminingtheirclaimstobelief。

Ithereforeleanbutveryslightlyontheextravaganceandextremeapparentsingularityoftheirpretensions。Imighthaveomittedthem，butonthewholeitseemedmorejusttotheclaimsofmyargumenttosuggestthevastcomplicationofimprobabilitiesinvolvedinthestatementsenumerated。Everyonemustofcoursejudgeforhimselfastotheweightoftheseobjections，whicharebynomeansbroughtforwardasaproofoftheextravaganceofHomoeopathy，butsimplyasentitledtoabriefconsiderationbeforethefactsofthecasearesubmittedtoourscrutiny。

ThethreegreatasserteddiscoveriesofHahnemannareentirelyunconnectedwithandindependentofeachother。Werethereanynaturalrelationbetweenthemitwouldseemprobableenoughthatthediscoveryofthefirstwouldhaveledtothatoftheothers。Butassumingittobeafactthatdiseasesarecuredbyremediescapableofproducingsymptomsliketheirown，nomanifestrelationexistsbetweenthisfactandthenextassertion，namely，thepoweroftheinfinitesimaldoses。Andallowingboththesetobetrue，neitherhastheremotestaffinitytothethirdnewdoctrine，thatwhichdeclaresseveneighthsofallchronicdiseasestobeowingtoPsora。

ThiswantofanyobviousrelationbetweenHahnemann’sthreecardinaldoctrinesappearstobeself-evidentuponinspection。Butif，asisoftentruewithhisdisciples，theyprefertheauthorityofoneoftheirownnumber，IwillreferthemtoDr。Trinks’spaperonthepresentstateofHomoeopathyinEurope，withwhich，ofcourse，theyarefamiliar，ashisnameismentionedasoneofthemostprominentchampionsoftheirfaith，intheirAmericanofficialorgan。Itwouldbeafactwithoutaparallelinthehistory，notmerelyofmedicine，butofscience，thatthreesuchunconnectedandastonishingdiscoveries，eachofthemacompleterevolutionofallthatagesofthemostvariedexperiencehadbeentaughttobelieve，shouldspringfullformedfromthebrainofasingleindividual。

Letuslookamomentatthefirstofhisdoctrines。Improbablethoughitmayseemtosome，thereisnoessentialabsurdityinvolvedinthepropositionthatdiseasesyieldtoremediescapableofproducinglikesymptoms。Thereare，ontheotherhand，someanalogieswhichlendadegreeofplausibilitytothestatement。

Therearewell-ascertainedfacts，knownfromtheearliestperiodsofmedicine，showingthat，undercertaincircumstances，theverymedicinewhich，fromitsknowneffects，onewouldexpecttoaggravatethedisease，maycontributetoitsrelief。Imaybepermittedtoallude，inthemostgeneralway，tothecaseinwhichthespontaneouseffortsofanovertaskedstomacharequietedbytheagencyofadrugwhichthatorganrefusestoentertainuponanyterms。Butthateverycureeverperformedbymedicineshouldhavebeenfoundeduponthisprinciple，althoughwithouttheknowledgeofaphysician；thattheHomoeopathicaxiomis，asHahnemannasserts，“thesolelawofnatureintherapeutics，“alawofwhichnothingmorethanatransientglimpseeverpresenteditselftotheinnumerablehostofmedicalobservers，isadogmaofsuchsweepingextent，andpregnantnovelty，thatitdemandsacorrespondingbreadthanddepthofunquestionablefactstocoveritsvastpretensions。

SomuchridiculehasbeenthrownuponthepretendedpowersoftheminutedosesthatIshallonlytouchuponthispointforthepurposeofconveying，byillustrations，someshadowofideasfartranscendingthepowersoftheimaginationtorealize。Itmustberememberedthatthesecomparisonsarenotmatterssusceptibleofdispute，beingfoundedonsimplearithmeticalcomputations，leveltothecapacityofanyintelligentschoolboy。Apersonwhooncewroteaverysmallpamphletmadesomeshowofobjectingtocalculationsofthuskind，onthegroundthatthehighestdilutionscouldeasilybemadewithafewouncesofalcohol。Butheshouldhaverememberedthatateverysuccessivedilutionhelaysasideorthrowsawayninety-ninehundredthsofthefluidonwhichheisoperating，andthat，althoughhebeginswithadrop，heonlypreparesamillionth，billionth，trillionth，andsimilarfractionsofit，allofwhich，addedtogether，wouldconstitutebutavastlyminuteportionofthedropwithwhichhebegan。ButnowletussupposewetakeonesingledropoftheTinctureofCamomile，andthatthewholeofthisweretobecarriedthroughthecommonseriesofdilutions。

AcalculationnearlylikethefollowingwasmadebyDr。Panvini，andmaybereadilyfollowedinitsessentialparticularsbyanyonewhochooses。

Forthefirstdilutionitwouldtake100dropsofalcohol。

Fortheseconddilutionitwouldtake10；000drops，oraboutapint。

Forthethirddilutionitwouldtake100pints。

Forthefourthdilutionitwouldtake10，000pints，ormorethan1，000gallons，andsoontotheninthdilution，whichwouldtaketenbilliongallons，whichhecomputedwouldfillthebasinofLakeAgnano，abodyofwatertwomilesincircumference。Thetwelfthdilutionwouldofcoursefillamillionsuchlakes。Bythetimetheseventeenthdegreeofdilutionshouldbereached，thealcoholrequiredwouldequalinquantitythewatersoftenthousandAdriaticseas。Triflingerrorsmustbeexpected，buttheyareaslikelytobeononesideastheother，andanylittlematterlikeLakeSuperiorortheCaspianwouldbebutadropinthebucket。

Swallowersofglobules，oneofyourlittlepellets，moistenedinthemingledwavesofonemillionlakesofalcohol，eachtwomilesincircumference，withwhichhadbeenblendedthatonedropofTinctureofCamomile，wouldbeofpreciselythestrengthrecommendedforthatmedicineinyourfavoriteJahr’sManual，againstthemostsudden，frightful，andfataldiseases！“[IntheFrencheditionof1834，theproperdosesofthemedicinesarementioned，andCamomileismarkedIV。WhyarethedosesomittedinHull’sTranslation，exceptinthreeinstancesoutofthewholetwohundredremedies，notwithstandingthepromiseintheprefacethat“someremarksuponthedosesusedmaybefoundattheheadofeachmedicine“？PossiblybecauseitmakesnodifferencewhethertheyareemployedinoneHomoeopathicdoseoranother；butthenitisverysingularthatsuchprecisedirectionswereformerlygiveninthesamework，andthatHahnemann’s“experience“shouldhaveledhimtodrawthenicedistinctionswehaveseeninaformerpartofthisLecture(p。44)。]

Andproceedingonthecommondata，IhavejustmadeacalculationwhichshowsthatthissingledropofTinctureofCamomile，giveninthequantityorderedbyJahr’sManual，wouldhavesuppliedeveryindividualofthewholehumanfamily，pastandpresent，withmorethanfivebilliondoseseach，theactionofeachdoselastingaboutfourdays。

Yetthisisgivenonlyatthequadrillionth，orfourthdegreeofpotency，andvarioussubstancesarefrequentlyadministeredatthedecillionthortenthdegree，andoccasionallyatstillhigherattenuationswithprofessedmedicinalresults。Istherenotinthisasgreatanexceptiontoallthehithertoreceivedlawsofnatureasinthemiracleoftheloavesandfishes？AskthisquestionofaHomoeopathist，andhewillanswerbyreferringtotheeffectsproducedbyaveryminuteportionofvaccinematter，ortheextraordinarydiffusionofodors。Butthevaccinematterisoneofthosesubstancescalledmorbidpoisons，ofwhichitisapeculiarcharactertomultiplythemselves，whenintroducedintothesystem，asaseeddoesinthesoil。Thereforethehundredthpartofagrainofthevaccinematter，ifnomorethanthisisemployed，soonincreasesinquantity，until，inthecourseofaboutaweek，itisagrainormore，andcanberemovedinconsiderabledrops。AndwhatisaverycuriousillustrationofHomoeopathy，itdoesnotproduceitsmost。

characteristiceffectsuntilitisalreadyinsufficientquantitynotmerelytobevisible，buttobecollectedforfurtheruse。Thethoughtlessnesswhichcanallowaninferencetobeextendedfromaproductofdiseasepossessingthissusceptibilityofmultiplicationwhenconveyedintothelivingbody，tosubstancesofinorganicorigin，suchassilexorsulphur，wouldbecapableofarguingthatapebblemayproduceamountain，becauseanacorncanbecomeaforest。

Astotheanalogytobefoundbetweentheallegedactionoftheinfinitelyattenuateddoses，andtheeffectsofsomeodoroussubstanceswhichpossesstheextraordinarypowerofdiffusingtheirimponderableemanationsthroughaverywidespace，howeveritmaybeabusedinargument，andrapidlyasitevaporatesonexamination，itisnotlikethatjustmentioned，whollywithoutmeaning。Thefactofthevastdiffusionofsomeodors，asthatofmuskortherose，forinstance，haslongbeencitedasthemostremarkableillustrationofthedivisibilityofmatter，andthenicetyofthesenses。Andifthiswerecomparedwiththeeffectsofaveryminutedoseofmorphiaonthewholesystem，orthesuddenandfatalimpressionofasingledropofprussicacid，or，withwhatcomesstillnearer，thepoisonousinfluenceofanatmosphereimpregnatedwithinvisiblemalaria，weshouldfindineachoftheseexamplesanevidenceofthedegreetowhichnature，insomefewinstances，concentratespowerfulqualitiesinminuteorsubtileformsofmatter。Butifamancomestomewithapestleandmortarinhishand，andtellsmethathewilltakealittlespeckofsomesubstancewhichnobodyeverthoughttohaveanysmellatall，as，forinstance，agrainofchalkorofcharcoal，andthathewill，afteranhourortwoofrubbingandscraping，developinaportionofitanodorwhich，ifthewholegrainwereused，wouldbecapableofpervadinganapartment，ahouse，avillage，aprovince，anempire，nay，theentireatmosphereofthisbroadplanetuponwhichwetread；andthatfromeachoffiftyorsixtysubstanceshecaninthiswaydevelopadistinctandhithertounknownodor：andifhetriestoshowthatallthisisrenderedquitereasonablebytheanalogyofmuskandroses，Ishallcertainlybejustifiedinconsideringhimincapableofreasoning，andbeyondthereachofmyargument。Whatif，insteadofthis，heprofessestodevelopnewandwonderfulmedicinalpowersfromthesamespeckofchalkorcharcoal，insuchproportionsaswouldimpregnateeverypond，lake，river，sea，andoceanofourglobe，andappealstothesameanalogyinfavoroftheprobabilityofhisassertion。

Allthismaybetrue，notwithstandingtheseconsiderations。Butsoextraordinarywouldbethefact，thatasingleatomofsubstanceswhichachildmightswallowwithoutharmbytheteaspoonfulcould，byaneasymechanicalprocess，bemadetodevelopsuchinconceivablepowers，thatnothingbutthestrictestagreementofthemostcautiousexperimenters，securedbyeveryguarantythattheywerehonestandfaithful，appealingtorepeatedexperimentsinpublic，witheveryprecautiontoguardagainsterror，andwiththemostplainandperemptoryresults，shouldinduceustolendanycredencetosuchpretensions。

Thethirddoctrine，thatPsora，theothernameofwhichyouremember，isthecauseofthegreatmajorityofchronicdiseases，isastartlingone，tosaytheleast。Thatanaffectionalwaysrecognizedasaveryunpleasantpersonalcompanion，butgenerallyregardedasameretemporaryincommodity，readilyyieldingtotreatmentinthoseunfortunateenoughtosufferfromit，andhardlyknownamongthebetterclassesofsociety，shouldbeallatoncefoundoutbyaGermanphysiciantobethegreatscourgeofmankind，thecauseoftheirseverestbodilyandmentalcalamities，cancerandconsumption，idiocyandmadness，mustexciteourunqualifiedsurprise。Andwhentheoriginatorofthissingulartruthascribes，asinthepagenowopenbeforeme，thedeclininghealthofadisgracedcourtier，thechronicmaladyofabereavedmother，eventhemelancholyofthelove-

sickandslightedmaiden，tonothingmorenorlessthantheinsignificant，unseemly，andalmostunmentionableITCH，doesitnotseemasiftheverysoiluponwhichwestandweredissolvingintochaos，overtheearthquake-heavingofdiscovery？

Andwhenonemanclaimstohaveestablishedthesethreeindependenttruths，whichareaboutasremotefromeachotherasthediscoveryofthelawofgravitation，theinventionofprinting，andthatofthemariner’scompass，unlessthefactsintheirfavorareoverwhelmingandunanimous，thequestionnaturallyarises，Isnotthismandeceivinghimself，ortryingtodeceiveothers？

IproceedtoexaminetheproofsoftheleadingideasofHahnemannandhisschool。

Inordertoshowtheaxiom，similiasimilibuscurantur(orlikeiscuredbylike)，tobethebasisofthehealingart，——“thesolelawofnatureintherapeutics，“——itisnecessary，1。Thatthesymptomsproducedbydrugsinhealthypersonsshouldbefaithfullystudiedandrecorded。

2。Thatdrugsshouldbeshowntobealwayscapableofcuringthosediseasesmostliketheirownsymptoms。

3。Thatremediesshouldbeshownnottocurediseaseswhentheydonotproducesymptomsresemblingthosepresentedinthesediseases。

1。TheeffectsofdrugsuponhealthypersonshavebeenstudiedbyHahnemannandhisassociates。TheirresultsweremadeknowninhisMateriaMedica，aworkinthreelargevolumesintheFrenchtranslation，publishedabouteightyearsago。Themodeofexperimentationappearstohavebeen，totakethesubstanceontrial，eitherincommonorminutedoses，andthentosetdowneverylittlesensation，everylittlemovementofmindorbody，whichoccurredwithinmanysucceedinghoursordays，asbeingproducedsolelybythesubstanceemployed。WhenIhaveenumeratedsomeofthesymptomsattributedtothepowerofthedrugstaken，youwillbeabletojudgehowmuchvalueistobeascribedtotheassertionsofsuchobservers。