登陆注册
5228800000110

第110章 VI(11)

At some time in the course of this century medical practice had settled down on four remedies as its chief reliance. I must repeat an incident which I have related in another of these Essays. When Dr. Holyoke, nearly seventy years ago, received young Mr. James Jackson as his student, he showed him the formidable array of bottles, jars, and drawers around his office, and then named the four remedies referred to as being of more importance than all the rest put together. These were Mercury, Antimony, Opium, and Peruvian Bark." I doubt if either of them remembered that, nearly seventy years before, in 1730, Dr. William Douglass, the disputatious Scotchman, mentioned those same four remedies, in the dedication of his quarrelsome essay on inoculation, as the most important ones in the hands of the physicians of his time.

In the "Proceedings" of this Society for the year 1863 is a very pleasant paper by the late Dr. Ephraim Eliot, giving an account of the leading physicians of Boston during the last quarter of the last century. The names of Lloyd, Gardiner, Welsh, Rand, Bulfinch, Danforth, John Warren, Jeffries, are all famous in local history, and are commemorated in our medical biographies. One of them, at least, appears to have been more widely known, not only as one of the first aerial voyagers, but as an explorer in the almost equally hazardous realm of medical theory. Dr. John Jeffries, the first of that name, is considered by Broussais as a leader of medical opinion in America, and so referred to in his famous "Examen des Doctrines Medicales."

Two great movements took place in this eighteenth century, the effect of which has been chiefly felt in our own time; namely, the establishment of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the founding of the Medical School of Harvard University.

The third century of our medical history began with the introduction of the second great medical discovery of modern times,--of all time up to that date, I may say,--once more via Boston, if we count the University village as its suburb, and once more by one of our Massachusetts physicians. In the month of July, 1800, Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse of Cambridge submitted four of his own children to the new process of vaccination,--the first persons vaccinated, as Dr. Zabdiel Boylston's son had been the first person inoculated in the New World.

A little before the first half of this century was completed, in the autumn of 1846, the great discovery went forth from the Massachusetts General Hospital, which repaid the debt of America to the science of the Old World, and gave immortality to the place of its origin in the memory and the heart of mankind. The production of temporary insensibility at will--tuto, cito, jucunde, safely, quickly, pleasantly--is one of those triumphs over the infirmities of our mortal condition which change the aspect of life ever afterwards.

Rhetoric can add nothing to its glory; gratitude, and the pride permitted to human weakness, that our Bethlehem should have been chosen as the birthplace of this new embodiment of the divine mercy, are all we can yet find room for.

The present century has seen the establishment of all those great charitable institutions for the cure of diseases of the body and of the mind, which our State and our city have a right to consider as among the chief ornaments of their civilization.

The last century had very little to show, in our State, in the way of medical literature. The worthies who took care of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, like the Revolutionary heroes, fought (with disease) and bled (their patients) and died (in spite of their own remedies); but their names, once familiar, are heard only at rare intervals. Honored in their day, not unremembered by a few solitary students of the past, their memories are going sweetly to sleep in the arms of the patient old dry-nurse, whose "blackdrop" is the never-failing anodyne of the restless generations of men. Except the lively controversy on inoculation, and floating papers in journals, we have not much of value for that long period, in the shape of medical records.

But while the trouble with the last century is to find authors to mention, the trouble of this would be to name all that we find. Of these, a very few claim unquestioned preeminence.

Nathan Smith, born in Rehoboth, Mass., a graduate of the Medical School of our University, did a great work for the advancement of medicine and surgery in New England, by his labors as teacher and author, greater, it is claimed by some, than was ever done by any other man. The two Warrens, of our time, each left a large and permanent record of a most extended surgical practice. James Jackson not only educated a whole generation by his lessons of wisdom, but bequeathed some of the most valuable results of his experience to those who came after him, in a series of letters singularly pleasant and kindly as well as instructive. John Ware, keen and cautious, earnest and deliberate, wrote the two remarkable essays which have identified his name, for all time, with two important diseases, on which he has shed new light by his original observations.

I must do violence to the modesty of the living by referring to the many important contributions to medical science by Dr. Jacob Bigelow, and especially to his discourse on "Self-limited Diseases," an address which can be read in a single hour, but the influence of which will be felt for a century.

Nor would the profession forgive me if I forgot to mention the admirable museum of pathological anatomy, created almost entirely by the hands of Dr. John Barnard Swett Jackson, and illustrated by his own printed descriptive catalogue, justly spoken of by a distinguished professor in the University of Pennsylvania as the most important contribution which had ever been made in this country to the branch to which it relates.

同类推荐
  • 过江七事

    过江七事

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 养正遗规

    养正遗规

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Maid Marian

    Maid Marian

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 师子庄严王菩萨请问经

    师子庄严王菩萨请问经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 至元嘉禾志

    至元嘉禾志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 白骨公寓

    白骨公寓

    一夜之间,温馨的公寓内白骨丛生,原本平静惬意的小镇变得杀机四伏,出乎意料的作案手段,一桩桩离奇的凶杀案接踵而至,与案情有所关联的人一个接一个的离奇惨死,一场越走越远越看不到真相的“旅程”就此开始,这一切的一切,究竟发生了什么?神秘凶手:嘿,给你线索,你能找到我吗?......--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 闻香识女人

    闻香识女人

    职场霹雳娇娃隋馨犹如骄傲的黑天鹅,永远不会期待王子的救赎,被迫卷入一场阴谋,不得不另辟蹊径,成为调香师,希望用自己的智慧和行动成为香水王国真正的女王。阿兰诺,表面上深情款款,却总是露出一副花花公子的样子;君邵阳,看上去心机重重,却让人感到大男孩的阳光……三人邂逅在格拉斯,重逢在花都巴黎。带着芬芳、泪水、仇恨演绎了一段香水爱情。在袅袅香气中,她看清楚了:毒药终敌不过一生之水……
  • 太阳最红

    太阳最红

    有血有肉,大爱大恨,有情有义,大喜大悲。一部思考中国革命过程中政治与经济、伦理与道德、破坏与重建的长篇战争小说。让我们站在新的历史高度上对生命的意义重新审视,多重的生命主题和人生价值,散发着人性的光辉。这是一部思考中国革命过程中政治与经济、伦理与道德、破坏与重建的长篇战争小说。200个将军同一个故乡的战争往事,以黄麻起义为背景,再现红四方面军早期十年创建过程。艰苦卓绝波澜壮阔的革命斗争,多灾多难血雨腥风的历史画卷。您可以看到王树声、王近山诸位战将的影子!
  • 花季那年,我们都沉沦过

    花季那年,我们都沉沦过

    如果不是夕阳西下的那个侧脸,不是那个懵懂的岁月里遇见那场盛开的烟花,也许所有的一切都不会这么复杂,可是,命运在冥冥之中便注定,有一种爱,叫做轮回。它不是生离死别,而是撕心裂肺。
  • 最遥远的星星

    最遥远的星星

    夏雪推开会议室的大门,屋内静了静,数十双眼睛看了她半分钟,弄得她很不好意思。会议室里坐满了全世界顶尖的天文学家、物理学家和核工业学家,作为一名候补宇航员,她对能进入会场很激动,但也很纳闷,为什么要我到这里来?“嗨。”一个熟悉的男声在她背后响起,夏雪转过头去,NASA联络官戴夫满脸严肃,“谢谢你能来。”夏雪点点头,整个会议室又开始沸腾起来,英文、德文和意大利语交织在一起。
  • 倾世劫缘

    倾世劫缘

    〖甜文、宠文〗一朝穿越异世大陆,成为废材大小姐。15岁才修灵又如何?常人修决十年功,某女只需几刻钟!左有妖孽当老公,右有神兽当灵宠……面对某妖孽美男的无所不能,某女戏言:“这世间还有什么事是你做不到的?”美男思索半秒,一本正经地回答道:“不爱你。”「PS:男强女强+1V1+双C身心干净+感情线无虐无误会」
  • 那一场指腹为婚

    那一场指腹为婚

    她是他指腹为婚的未婚妻,家道中落后,他找到她,满脸坚定的说要娶她。满心欢喜的穿上喜袍,坐上花轿,却被抬到了周府的偏门。她,成了周府的白姨娘。他,周家唯一的继承人,借口为了周家的名声,让母亲同意自己娶她,却不料,母亲只让她做他的妾。不想她继续在外吃苦,他勉强同意,对所有人掩藏了心底的情愫。在周府里兜兜转转,当她再也承受不住婆婆和主母的刁难,想要离开时,他却向她说出了所有事情的始末。她会怎样抉择?是继续着这样无尽的纠缠和折磨,还是挥一挥手,转身离开?
  • 田园酒香

    田园酒香

    资深女酒鬼,重生为古代农家童养媳。婆婆凶似虎,公公软如泥,丈夫病怏怏,大姑子……咳,咱就甭提她了成吗?一屋子奇葩守着一间半死不活的酒坊,日子怎么过?林初荷有云:对待婆婆,要像春天般温暖,剩下的事,您就看着办吧!
  • 梦红楼之溶黛

    梦红楼之溶黛

    明珠美玉世难寻,黛眉轻颦貌倾城。庭院深深深几许?韶华易散,如同烟云飞尽,何处找寻?风波乍起,生活在这侯门深苑之中,看着风平浪静,底下却是波涛暗涌。昔日小儿女,姐妹情,韶华褪尽之时,会留住?还会留?黛玉,一方明珠美玉,清丽如诗,秀美绝伦。清眸凝睇,淡淡清愁泛滥眉峰,凝望眼前人,是夫君?是知己?亦或无缘人?水溶,一汪回旋清波,玉树临风,俊朗无俦。眼眸飞扬,浓浓深情流转眼底,凝望眼前人,是妻子,是爱人,是一生至爱!水转珠旋,水转一日,珠随之转。水止时,方是珠沉时。波涛涌,同舟济,披荆斩棘。风雨停,彩虹现,风平浪静。取舍之间如何抉择?携手相看红尘?孤寂相顾遥望?唉唉唉,我看我现在就是水溶黛玉控了,想要写其他的文,下笔写的还是水溶和妹妹,真是伤脑筋。此文男主暂定水溶,以后会不会变更,还不一定,溶黛,不一定就是水溶和黛玉,嘻嘻!推荐铃兰轻声的《水玉梦醉红楼情》
  • 受益终生的精粹:受益终生的国学精粹

    受益终生的精粹:受益终生的国学精粹

    电影、诗歌、国学、西学、美术、文学、音乐、处世。从浩如烟海的这些人文艺术作品中,作者用精炼、经典的标准,以青少年的角度,拣选出一篇篇美文、一幅幅名画、一部部佳作、一首首名曲。集成使人终生受益的5个单册,另以代表中华智慧的诸子百家与充满哲理的西方先贤大师名言名篇编辑成《国学精粹》、《西学精粹》,这既是了解学习人类人文艺术的上佳之作,也是必不可少的家藏书籍。