usion　of　Useful　Knowledge。　　1842。＇
  ＇When　a　physician　attempts　to　convince　a　person；　who　has　fallen　into　the　Homoeopathic　delusion；　of　the　emptiness　of　its　pretensions；　he　is　often　answered　by　a　statement　of　cases　in　which　its　practitioners　are　thought　to　have　effected　wonderful　cures。　　The　main　object　of　the　first　of　these　Lectures　is　to　show；　by　abundant　facts；　that　such　statements；　made　by　persons　unacquainted　with　the　fluctuations　of　disease　and　the　fallacies　of　observation；　are　to　be　considered　in　general　as　of　little　or　no　value　in　establishing　the　truth　of　a　medical　doctrine　or　the　utility　of　a　method　of　practice。
  Those　kind　friends　who　suggest　to　a　person　suffering　from　a　tedious　complaint；　that　he　〃Had　better　try　Homoeopathy；〃　are　apt　to　enforce　their　suggestion　by　adding；　that　〃at　any　rate　it　can　do　no　harm。〃　This　may　or　may　not　be　true　as　regards　the　individual。　　But　it　always　does　very　great　harm　to　the　community　to　encourage　ignorance；　error；　or　deception　in　a　profession　which　deals　with　the　life　and　health　of　our　fellow…creatures。　　Whether　or　not　those　who　countenance　Homoeopathy　are　guilty　of　this　injustice　towards　others；　the　second　of　these　Lectures　may　afford　them　some　means　of　determining。
  To　deny　that　good　effects　may　happen　from　the　observance　of　diet　and　regimen　when　prescribed　by　Homoeopathists　as　well　as　by　others；　would　be　very　unfair　to　them。　　But　to　suppose　that　men　with　minds　so　constituted　as　to　accept　such　statements　and　embrace　such　doctrines　as　make　up　the　so…called　science　of　Homoeopathy　are　more　competent　than　others　to　regulate　the　circumstances　which　influence　the　human　body　in　health　and　disease；　would　be　judging　very　harshly　the　average　capacity　of　ordinary　practitioners。
  To　deny　that　some　patients　may　have　been　actually　benefited　through　the　influence　exerted　upon　their　imaginations；　would　be　to　refuse　to　Homoeopathy　what　all　are　willing　to　concede　to　every　one　of　those　numerous　modes　of　practice　known　to　all　intelligent　persons　by　an　opprobrious　title。
  So　long　as　the　body　is　affected　through　the　mind；　no　audacious　device；　even　of　the　most　manifestly　dishonest　character；　can　fail　of　producing　occasional　good　to　those　who　yield　it　an　implicit　or　even　a　partial　faith。　　The　argument　founded　on　this　occasional　good　would　be　as　applicable　in　justifying　the　counterfeiter　and　giving　circulation　to　his　base　coin；　on　the　ground　that　a　spurious　dollar　had　often　relieved　a　poor　man's　necessities。
  Homoeopathy　has　come　before　our　public　at　a　period　when　the　growing　spirit　of　eclecticism　has　prepared　many　ingenious　and　honest　minds　to　listen　to　all　new　doctrines　with　a　candor　liable　to　degenerate　into　weakness。　　It　is　not　impossible　that　the　pretended　evolution　of　great　and　mysterious　virtues　from　infinitely　attenuated　atoms　may　have　enticed　a　few　over…refining　philosophers；　who　have　slid　into　a　vague　belief　that　matter　subdivided　grows　less　material；　and　approaches　nearer　to　a　spiritual　nature　as　it　requires　a　more　powerful　microscope　for　its　detection。
  However　this　may　be；　some　persons　seem　disposed　to　take　the　ground　of　Menzel　that　the　Laity　must　pass　formal　judgment　between　the　Physician　and　the　Homoeopathist；　as　it　once　did　between　Luther　and　the　Romanists。　　The　practitioner　and　the　scholar　must　not；　therefore；　smile　at　the　amount　of　time　and　labor　expended　in　these　Lectures　upon　this　shadowy　system；　which；　in　the　calm　and　serious　judgment　of　many　of　the　wisest　members　of　the　medical　profession；　is　not　entitled　by　anything　it　has　ever　said　or　done　to　the　notoriety　of　a　public　rebuke；　still　less　to　the　honors　of　critical　martyrdom。＇
  I
  I　have　selected　four　topics　for　this　lecture；　the　first　three　of　which　I　shall　touch　but　slightly；　the　last　more　fully。　　They　are
  1。　　The　Royal　cure　of　the　King's　Evil；　or　Scrofula。
  2。　　The　Weapon　Ointment；　and　its　twin　absurdity；　the　Sympathetic　Powder。
  3。　　The　Tar…water　mania　of　Bishop　Berkeley。
  4。　　The　History　of　the　Metallic　Tractors；　or　Perkinism。
  The　first　two　illustrate　the　ease　with　which　numerous　facts　are　accumulated　to　prove　the　most　fanciful　and　senseless　extravagances。
  The　third　exhibits　the　entire　insufficiency　of　exalted　wisdom；　immaculate　honesty；　and　vast　general　acquirements　to　make　a　good　physician　of　a　great　bishop。
  The　fourth　shows　us　the　intimate　machinery　of　an　extinct　delusion；　which　flourished　only　forty　years　ago；　drawn　in　all　its　details；　as　being　a　rich　and　comparatively　recent　illustration　of　the　pretensions；　the　arguments；　the　patronage；　by　means　of　which　windy　errors　have　long　been；　and　will　long　continue　to　be；　swollen　into　transient　consequence。　　All　display　in　superfluous　abundance　the　boundless　credulity　and　excitability　of　mankind　upon　subjects　connected　with　medicine。
  》From　the　time　of　Edward　the　Confessor　to　Queen　Anne；　the　monarchs　of　England　were　in　the　habit　of　touching　those　who　were　brought　to　them　suffering　with　the　scrofula；　for　the　cure　of　that　distemper。　　William　the　Third　had　good　sense　enough　to　discontinue　the　practice；　but　Anne　resumed　it；　and；　among　her　other　patients；　performed　the　royal　operation　upon　a　child；　who；　in　spite　of　his；　disease；　grew　up　at　last　into　Samuel　Johnson。　　After　laying　his　hand　upon　the　sufferers；　it　was　customary　for　the　monarch　to　hang　a　gold　piece　around　the　neck　of　each　patient。　　Very　strict　precautions　were　adopted　to　prevent　those　who　thought　more　of　the　golden　angel　hung　round　the　neck　by　a　white　ribbon；　than　of　relief　of　their　bodily　infirmities；　from　making　too　many　calls；　as　they　sometimes　attempted　to　do。　　According　to　the　statement　of　the　advocates　and　contemporaries　of　this　remedy；　none　ever　failed　of　receiving　benefit　unless　their　little　faith　and　credulity　starved　their　merits。　　Some　are　said　to　have　been　cured　immediately　on　the　very　touch；　others　did　not　so　easily　get　rid　of　their　swellings；　until　they　were　touched　a　second　time。　　Several　cases　are　related；　of　persons　who　had　been　blind　for　several　weeks；　and　months；　and　obliged　even　to　be　led　to　Whitehall；　yet　recovered　their　sight　immediately　upon　being　touched；　so　as　to　walk　away　without　any　guide。〃　　So　widely；　at　one　period；　was　the　belief　diffused；　that；　in　the　course　of　twelve　years；　nearly　a　hundred　thousand　persons　were　touched　by　Charles　the　Second。　　Catholic　divines；　in　disputes　upon　the　orthodoxy　of　their　church；　did　not　deny　that　the　power　had　descended　to　protestant　princes；Dr。　Harpsfield；　in　his　〃　Ecclesiastical　History　of　England；〃　admitted　it；　and　in　Wiseman's　words；　〃when　Bishop　Tooker　would　make　use　of　this　Argument　to　prove　the　Truth　of　our　Church；　Smitheus　doth　not　thereupon　go　about　to　deny　the　Matter　of　fact；　nay；　both　he　and　Cope　acknowledge　it。〃　　〃I　myself；〃　says　Wiseman；　the　best　English　surgical　writer　of　his　day；＇Edinburgh　Medical　and　Surgical　Journal；　vol。　iii。　p。　103。＇　〃I　my　self　have　been　a　frequent　Eye…witness　of　many　hundred　of　Cures　performed　by　his　Majesties　Touch　alone；　without　any　assistance　of　Chirurgery；　and　those；　many　of　them　such　as　had　tired　out　the　endeavours　of　able　Chirurgeons　before　they　came　hither。　　It　were　endless　to　recite　what　I　myself　have　seen；　and　what　I　have　received　acknowledgments　of　by　Letter；　not　only　from　the　severall　parts　of　this　Nation；　but　also　from　Ireland；　Scotland；　Jersey；　Garnsey。　　It　is　needless　also　to　remember　what　Miracles　of　this　nature　were　performed　by　the　very　Bloud　of　his　late　Majesty　of　Blessed　memory；　after　whose　decollation　by　the　inhuman　Barbarity　of　the　Regicides；　the　reliques　of　that　were　gathered　on　Chips　and　in　Handkerchieffs　by　the　pious　Devotes；　who　could　not　but　think　so　great　a　suffering　in　so　honourable　and　pious　a　Cause；　would　be　attended　by　an　extraordinary　assistance　of　God；　and　some　more　then　ordinary　a　miracle：　nor　did　their　Faith　deceive　them　in　this　there　point；　being　so　many　hundred　that　found　the　benefit　of　it。〃　＇Severall　Chirurgicall　Treatises。　London。1676。　　p。　　246。＇
  Obstinate　and　incredulous　men；　as　he　tells　us；　accounted　for　these　cures　in　three　ways：　by　the　journey　and　change　of　air　the　patients　obtained　in　coming　to　London；　by　the　influence　of　imagination；　and　the　wearing　of　gold。
  To　these　objections　he　answers；　1st。　　That　many　of　those　cured　were　inhabitants　of　the　city。　　2d。　　That　the　subjects　of　treatment　were　frequently　infants。　　3d。　　That　sometimes　silver　was　given；　and　sometimes　nothing；　yet　the　patients　were　cured。
  A　superstition　resembling　this　probably　exists　at　the　present　time　in　some　ignorant　districts　of　England　and　this　country。　　A　writer　in　a　Medical　Journal　in　the　year　1807；　speaks　of　a　farmer　in　Devonshire；　who；　being　a　ninth　son　of　a　ninth　son；　is　thought　endowed　with　healing　powers　like　those　of　ancient　royalty；　and　who　is　accustomed　one　day　in　every　week　to　strike　for　the　evil。
  I　remember　that　one　of　my　schoolmates　told　me；　when　a　boy；　of　a　seventh　son　of　a　seventh　son；　somewhere　in　Essex　County；　who　touched　for　the　scrofula；　and　who　used　to　hang　a　silver　fourpence　halfpenny　about　the　neck　of　those　who　came　to　him；　which　fourpence　halfpenny　it　was　solemnly　affirmed　became　of　a　remarkably　black　color　after　having　been　some　time　worn；　and　that　his　own　brother　had　been　subjected　to　this　extraordinary　treatment；　but　I　must　add　that　my　schoolmate　drew　a　bo