cessfully? Why, gentlemen, Thomson and his followers, deny the use of medical skill-they hold general science in contempt, and treat with derision, all arguments which go to say that if they practice, they should have a general knowledge of medical science. It does more-by the assumption that a universal infallible remedy has been discovered, it checks the spirit of research and prevents all attempts in its followers from essaying to make future beneficial discoveries on the subject, and intrenches them in impenetrable ignorance, the better to prevent them from seeing the falsity of his arrogated powers of divinity, in the immutability of his system and practice; for, if everything has been already done to perfect the art of healing, all further exertion on the subject, all further research is worse than useless-it is a censurable waste of time.

The present epidemic, which now desolates our beloved country, is characterized by symptoms and effects novel in their nature, and awful in their termination. The most acute, learned and patiently labored investigations have been made, in order to ascertain its causes, the reason of its erratic deadly spread, and the best means of cure-they yet disagree but they disagree as men confident in the purity of the intention of their competitors in science-all their writings teem with respect for the motives (however they may differ in their conclusions) of each other. A confidence is apparent that a spirit of universal charity, and anxiety for the universal spread of useful knowledge pervades the general mass-for true "charity thinketh no ill of his neighbor." Is this the case with Thomson and his followers? Every page -nay, almost every line in this book shows it is not. Misrepresentation, misconstruction and malignity and selfishness are stamped in indelible characters on every page-and the grossed minds of its purchasers partake of the hateful disgusting food, and the poison enters, and is diffused through all their intellectual powers. A spirit of blind confidence is generated in their minds. The medicines, however powerful in their nature, because a small quantity may not injure,

it is argued, are innocent and harmless in large ones, and a reckless and injurious course of administration which should, by some means, be speedily put a stop to, immediately prompts them to teem out to be swallowed by the too credulous suffering patient the means of death, in the effort to save life. It appears evident, that the Thomsonian remedies have not been administered, in the present case, with sufficient care and discretion. The medicines may, in some cases, and under certain conditions of disease, be very useful, but in others, they must certainly do much harm. Whether the treatment of the patient by the prisoner has been beneficial or not, is the legitimate subject for our investigation, and I am bound, by every consideration of duty and honor, to pursue it. I am bound to make inquiry into it, without looking to the consequences which may grow out of it. The question of mere exercise of humanity, is not involved in it, nor does it, only, enter into the argument, what is the motive? The deed and the consequences of a blind administration of such medicines, is what most claims our present attention. Where is the prisoner's skill to be derived from? He denies himself the means of access to its acquisition-he shuts out the means of its attainment. The counsel for the prisoner, in argument against the medical faculty, says they have theorized and theorized uselessly, and that they are themselves but visionary supposers. Dr. Brown, they say, supposes disease to be originated by too great or too small a degree of heat-and, that he boastingly said, give him a brandy bottle and a lancet, and he could cure all diseases—if there was too great excitement, he would bleed-if too little, he would stimulate. When the cholera first appeared, every leading physician had a mode of treatment peculiar to himself. Camphor and a variety of other things had their day, and were vanished-one after another had been recommended, and as often given up-but they did not stop to say what effect they had upon the general mass. No man, possessed of common sense, will believe that they did not benefit many, but if better could be substituted, it was proper and right it should be so. The deliriums

of fancy are not to be relied upon. Dr. Brown's doctrine of too much irritability and depletion was not more visionary than Thomson's doctrine of heat and cold-the keeping the fountain above the stream, if below it, by the brandy bottle, and letting down the heat by bleeding, bore a strong analogy to Thomson's system of lobelia and steaming. The lancet and the steams run parallel with each other-they are both depletives. The theory of Dr. Thomson is by no means new; it is as old as the history of medicine-"heat is life," says Hippocrates, and all the authors which succeeded him, reiterate the same doctrine; but they are not mad enough to blend cause and effect, as he does. Dr. Sangrado says to his pupil, Gil Blas, and the rest of his household-"drink, my children, health consists in the suppleness and humectation of the parts; drink water in great abundance; it is an universal menstruum that dissolves all kinds of salt. When the course of the blood is too languid, this accelerates its motion; and, when too rapid, checks its impetuosity." I have no design to turn a grave subject into ridicule. I am engaged in exposing gross folly. Thomson's universal menstruum or remedy is heat, applied in the two-fold novel practice of lobelia and steam. Dr. Thomson has put forth one single agent, which is, and sustains the principle of life-heat. But what he means by heat, he does not seem to understand himself, and, of course, I, that do not understand him, cannot tell you. This I understand, at least-Thomson has started with, and maintained throughout his book, a deliberate design to slander the whole medical world. "The regular physisians" are charged with trying "how much" poison "a patient can bear without producing death." The charge is too malicious and preposterous to need comment. With great self-complacency he talks of the "learned doctors," and describes them, although "learned," as ignorant of the plainest principles of their science. The "learned doctors" bleeding is against the constitution and life of the patient. The learned counsel for the defendant says, as an excuse for his slanders, Thomson has been put to great trouble and expense, causelessly, by

certain of the members of the medical faculty-if it were true, it affords no excuse for the indiscriminate slanders which he deals out against the whole body-it is no excuse for slanders at all. Let gentlemen recollect the trial, read to the Court of this same Thomson, from the Massachusetts Reports-let them read it carefully, and they cannot come from an examination of it without feelings of detestation and horror, for the contemptible discoverer of medicines, which, in his low cant, he terms ram-cat, well-my-grizzle, and of such stuff as "will go down, presently, and unscrew his naval!" I am not, strange as it may seem, coining names in contempt, but repeat what the witnesses on oath say, were the names given to his medicines by Thomson himself. Thomson must be exceedingly ignorant of botany-in his description of the plant from which he manufactures his nerve powder, he says, "There are four species of this valuable vegetable, one male, and three females," etc. "The male is called yellow umbil," etc. "The female kinds are distinguished by the color of the blossoms, which are red, red and white, and white," etc. Was such a thing ever known, that in four "species" there was but one male, and that one of a different color from the three females, who have distinct colors, and yet the "four species" preserve their distinguishing characteristics of color, and are propagated by "one male." Truly, Dr. Thomson is a surprisingly great discoverer! He is as much in advance of the rest of the world in the knowledge of the science of botany (for he distinguishes the sexes of plants by the color of the blossoms) as he is in the science of medicine!

An argument has been forced out by the defendant's counsel, to prove that the administration of the lobelia and steam, was in accordance with the ideas of the physicians-on the contrary, the physicians say, that they are improper and dangerous remedies. Dr. Geddings tells you, that the immediate effects are, "to increase the circulation, and, consequently, to produce a greater flow of the blood to the heart and arteries"; and, if carried to a certain extent, Dr. Cole says, "it would not have a tendency to relieve congestion." It is con

tended on the part of the defense, that they cannot do harm, and that lobelia is perfectly innocent-it is so efficacious, that Mr. Sweeney calls it sampson. Such a name is usually given to indicate strength-I presume it is so in the present instance; and, the greater the strength, the greater the injury liable to its administration. The steam, as argued by the defendant's counsel, is not, necessarily, small, because of the size of the aperture through which it enters the pipe-nor of the pipe, which is proved to be of the diameter of one inch, as is seen on the table of the counsel. The temperature of the steam does not depend upon the pipe-the smaller the pipe, the greater the degree of heat from the steam, because the greater the quantity of steam, the greater the power of resistance from the surrounding atmosphere. I was not present, and did not know its temperature and power of action, but have treated the subject on the gentlemen's mathematical principles. This one thing is certain-there were evidences of gross inattention and ignorance displayed in this part of the treatment. The force of steam was so great that one of the witnesses had to put his handkerchief next the pipe, before he could grasp it-and the distance of the generator from the steam cot required great force of heat to propel it so far and to keep up such a high temperature. The physicians all say that it is their concurrent opinion, the lobelia and steam administered in such excess, were the cause of Hazelip's death. That they will produce injurious tendencies-affecting the stomach, intestines, lungs, liver and brains-and give rise to congestion and inflamations of their most important structures-because the increased circulation to the surface is produced by an increased circulation of the heat and arteries, and when over action by its continuation is produced, engorgements, etc., are the necessary consequences. (A comparison was then instituted between the degree of credence to be paid to the character of the testimony, which went to show that the witnesses for the defense had not equal judgment with the physicians in matters of fact respecting the tendency of the med