sweepingly maligned by this new light, and charged not only with want of principle, but also (page 34) with being weakly moved by fashion in the adoption of their views and practice. "Their practice is founded on visionary theories, which are so uncertain and contradictory that it is impossible to form any correct general rule, as a guide to be depended upon."

I cannot take the time to follow the author through all his malignities and mistatements, but I expect to be able to convince you, gentlemen of the jury, that the assertions I have made and may yet find occasion, in the prosecution of the case to make, are fully sustained by the developments of Thomson's book. I proceed (p. 132, on the subject of midwifery)"I have given instruction to several who have bought the right, and their practice has been attended with complete success. Many men that I have given the information to, have since attended their own wives, and I have never known an instance of any bad consequences; and if young married men would adopt the same course, it would be much more proper and safe, than to trust their wives in the hands of young inexperienced doctors, who have little knowledge, except what they get from books, and their practice is to try experiments; their cruel and harsh treatment, in many instances, would induce the husband to throw them out of the window, if permitted to be present; but, this is not allowed for the very same reason. Herein is contained not only a repetition of slander against the learned faculty, viz.: want of judgment, and cruel and harsh treatment, but the author has, while he rails at the study of the science, the effrontery to teach others, what he is evidently ignorant of, and rail at such as have made themselves acquainted with the science, as a regular branch of their indispensable study-the purchasers of this book must know that they have been deceived, and cannot but be convinced that they are tampering with life, when they attempt to practice upon its system and medicines. I return to page 177-an article written on the subject of "Worms," Thomson says "The common practice

of the doctors is to give calomel and other poisons to kill the worms; this must appear to any one who examines into the subject, to be very wrong as well as dangerous; for the worms cannot be killed by it, without poisoning the whole contents of the stomach. I once knew of a case of a child, who, after eating a breakfast of bread and milk, was taken sick; a doctor was sent for, who said it was caused by worms, and gave a dose of calomel to destroy them, which caused fits; the child vomited, and threw up its breakfast; a dog, that happened to be in the room, ate what the child threw up; he was soon taken sick and died; the child got well. The fortunate accident of the child's throwing off its stomach what it had taken, probably, saved its life; for, if there was enough poison to kill a dog, it must have killed the child.” The general principles as set forth, and relation of facts advanced in this book, all go to speak one motive-one deliberate and continual determination to slander the physicians of the whole world.

We stand in society in various relations to each other, and there may be a few (of which number I think the author makes one) who are selfish and malignant, and do not study to advance the interests of humanity, who care little for the miseries of the rest, except only as it furthers their base motives; but, gentlemen of the jury, your own observation teaches you that the great mass are anxious to do what is right and proper. Judge the gentlemen of the medical faculty (and it is not reasonable to suppose that men bred and educated as they are, would lose by a comparison with the mass of men) by, but the same rule-is there any excuse for the indiscriminate attack made upon both them and the character of their profession? Can the motives which would actuate to such deeds be honest? If the mind of Dr. Thomson was not completely imbued with a spirit of rancor, he would have put forth a book of quite a different sort of character-after modestly advancing his views which conflict with generally received opinions, he would have rested the success of them upon the supposed plausibility and cer

tainty of his premises and deductions, and calmly appealed, not to prejudice and passion, but to the sober collected judgment of the purchaser. Had he done so, a discriminating public would judge of it by its intrinsic merits, (if it has any) and the author be held in respect even by his opponents, who would not feel aggrieved if he enjoyed the meed of a well earned fame. But the appetite for slander must be satisfied, and the prejudices and bad passions of its readers be put in a ferment-and for no other purpose than to set men at variance with each other. The mind sickens at the debasing view-it is time to leave it.

I now come to the examination of the merits of the testimony. The case was presented for the consideration of the Grand Jury; they view it in its relations to, and bearings upon the well being of society, and aware that, if such practices were suffered to go unpunished, it would become an evil of great magnitude, and perhaps be attended by a widespread desolation of life, and were determined to do all in their power to arrest its progress. They have found a bill charging the prisoner at the bar, in the words of the indictment, with killing Benjamin M. Hazelip. You have heard the testimony on the part of the state. I leave it with you for the present. Among the witnesses for the defense we find the testimony of Mrs. Williams, she had a disease, and, notwithstanding all the boasted information which Dr. Thomson imparts, and all the knowledge acquired by practice, the character of her case is not understood, and Dr. Jameson has to be consulted, and his opinion obtained to show her to be beyond a cure by the use of the ordinary medical treatment. She tells you that she has very largely used Thomson's medicines, and that she thinks she would have died were it not for their surprising virtues-but notwithstanding the glowing terms in which she speaks of them, her countenance evidences that she is not cured of her malady. Miss Williamson appears on the stand, and with all the warmth of a grateful recollection of supposed benefits, tells you of her complication of woes, and that the prisoner at the bar snatched her from the

jaws of death. She considers her cure a miraculous display of the skill of the prisoner at the bar, and the virtues of his medicines and, truly, if all the testimony for the prisoner be true, the age of miracles has not ceased yet. Mr. Sweeney also bears the like testimony to the character of the prisoner-goes into a description of the quantity of the medicines given in certain cases, and tells you in addition that he considers one single medicine good under all circumstances and varieties of diseases. Mr. Sweeney owns a right to use Thomson's book and remedies. I speak of this to show the false principles under which men may act, and how far they will go in support of the position they have taken. Sweeney was called to attend the case mentioned by him in Wagon alley, and he gave up the case to the prisoner-of course it must have been a very desperate case. He tells you that he has known lobelia to be used to good advantage in large quantities; and that a patient of the prisoner, Mary Jewett, took two phials full of the strongest preparation which he significantly calls Sampson, before relief was obtained; and from the reckless manner in which it was administered in large quantities, I confess, I am strengthened in the opinion that their proceedings are prompted and regulated by false principles of humanity. This Dr. Thomson tells his followers that he has made discoveries in medicine which puts to flight the necessity of all further inquiry upon the subject-looked over all the difficulties and impediments which might occur in future practice, obviated or overcame the whole, and now he offers them his book, the contents of which have forever banished the necessity of further investigation-all further examination-all further action in this address to self-love and pride. Yes, gentlemen, this Dr. Thomson dares to assume the attributes of Divinity, and tells the world that he has found the grand desideratum-the elixir of life-in "a general medicine," "which is universally applicable in all cases of disease." I hope the court will not think me too tedious, if I read the following extracts in exposition of the principles of this grand and desirable

"universal" secret "remedy," which, even in his relation of the manner of its discovery, bears constant marks of the egotism of the discoverer. In the introduction he says:

"It is true that much of what is at this day called medicine is deadly poison; and were people to know what is offered them of this kind, they would obsolutely refuse to receive it as a medicine. This I have long seen and known to be true; and have labored hard for many years to convince them of the evils that attend such a mode of procedure with the sick; and have turned my attention to those medicines that grow in our own country, which nature has prepared for the benefit of mankind. Long has a general medicine been sought for, and I am confident I have found such as are universally applicable in all cases of disease, and which may be used with safety and success, in the hands of the people. After thirty years study, and repeated successful trials of the medicinal vegetables of our own country, in all the diseases incident to our climate, I can, with well-grounded assurance, recommend my system of practice and medicines to the public, as salutary and efficacious."

Great discoveries and improvements, he says, have been made in various arts and sciences since the first settlement of our country, while its medicines have been very much neglected. As these medicines, suited to every disease, grow spontaneously upon our own soil. I would remark here. that in this place Thomson has forgotten one material ingredient in his medicines-the most powerful and permanent stimulant he used, cayenne pepper, certainly did not "grow spontaneously upon our own soil"-it was an article of foreign growth. He proceeds:

"As they are better adapted to the constitution; as the price of imported drugs is very high, it follows, whether we consult health, which is of primary importance, or expense, a decided preference should be given to the former; as an object of such magnitude as no longer to be neglected. Possessing a body, like other men, I was led to inquire into the nature of the component parts of what man is formed; I found him composed of the four elements-earth, water, air, and fire. The earth and water I found were the solids; the air and fire the fluids. The two first I found to be the component parts; the two last kept him in motion. Heat, I found, was life; and cold, death. Each one that examines into it will find that all constitutions are alike. I shall now describe the fuel which continues the fire, or life of man. This is contained in two things-food and medicines, which are in harmony with each other; often grow in the same field, to be used by the same people. People who are capable of raising their food, and pre