w　just　as　much　of　the　principle　involved　in　the　one　case　as　in　the　other。　　For　this　is　only　one　of　a　series　of　facts　which　we　are　wholly　unable　to　explain。　　Small…pox；　measles；　scarlet…fever；　hooping…cough；　protect　those　who　have　them　once　from　future　attacks；　but　nettle…rash　and　catarrh　and　lung　fever；　each　of　which　is　just　as　Homoeopathic　to　itself　as　any　one　of　the　others；　have　no　such　preservative　power。　　We　are　obliged　to　accept　the　fact；　unexplained；　and　we　can　do　no　more　for　vaccination　than　for　the　rest。
  I　come　now　to　the　most　directly　practical　point　connected　with　the　subject；　namely；
  What　is　the　state　of　the　evidence　as　to　the　efficacy　of　the　proper　Homoeopathic　treatment　in　the　cure　of　diseases。
  As　the　treatment　adopted　by　the　Homoeopathists　has　been　almost　universally　by　means　of　the　infinitesimal　doses；　the　question　of　their　efficacy　is　thrown　open；　in　common　with　that　of　the　truth　of　their　fundamental　axiom；　as　both　are　tested　in　practice。
  We　must　look　for　facts　as　to　the　actual　working　of　Homoeopathy　to　three　sources。
  1。　　The　statements　of　the　unprofessional　public。
  2。　　The　assertions　of　Homoeopathic　practitioners。
  3。　　The　results　of　trials　by　competent　and　honest　physicians；　not　pledged　to　the　system。
  I　think；　after　what　we　have　seen　of　medical　facts；　as　they　are　represented　by　incompetent　persons；　we　are　disposed　to　attribute　little　value　to　all　statements　of　wonderful　cures；　coming　from　those　who　have　never　been　accustomed　to　watch　the　caprices　of　disease；　and　have　not　cooled　down　their　young　enthusiasm　by　the　habit　of　tranquil　observation。　　Those　who　know　nothing　of　the　natural　progress　of　a　malady；　of　its　ordinary　duration；　of　its　various　modes　of　terminating；　of　its　liability　to　accidental　complications；　of　the　signs　which　mark　its　insignificance　or　severity；　of　what　is　to　be　expected　of　it　when　left　to　itself；　of　how　much　or　how　little　is　to　be　anticipated　from　remedies；　those　who　know　nothing　or　next　to　nothing　of　all　these　things；　and　who　are　in　a　great　state　of　excitement　from　benevolence；　sympathy；　or　zeal　for　a　new　medical　discovery；　can　hardly　be　expected　to　be　sound　judges　of　facts　which　have　misled　so　many　sagacious　men；　who　have　spent　their　lives　in　the　daily　study　and　observation　of　them。　　I　believe　that；　after　having　drawn　the　portrait　of　defunct　Perkinism；　with　its　five　thousand　printed　cures；　and　its　million　and　a　half　computed　ones；　its　miracles　blazoned　about　through　America；　Denmark；　and　England；　after　relating　that　forty　years　ago　women　carried　the　Tractors　about　in　their　pockets；　and　workmen　could　not　make　them　fast　enough　for　the　public　demand；　and　then　showing　you；　as　a　curiosity；　a　single　one　of　these　instruments；　an　odd　one　of　a　pair；　which　I　obtained　only　by　a　lucky　accident；　so　utterly　lost　is　the　memory　of　all　their　wonderful　achievements；　I　believe；　after　all　this；　I　need　not　waste　time　in　showing　that　medical　accuracy　is　not　to　be　looked　for　in　the　florid　reports　of　benevolent　associations；　the　assertions　of　illustrious　patrons；　the　lax　effusions　of　daily　journals；　or　the　effervescent　gossip　of　the　tea…table。
  Dr。　Hering；　whose　name　is　somewhat　familiar　to　the　champions　of　Homoeopathy；　has　said　that　〃the　new　healing　art　is　not　to　be　judged　by　its　success　in　isolated　cases　only；　but　according　to　its　success　in　general；　its　innate　truth；　and　the　incontrovertible　nature　of　its　innate　principles。〃
  We　have　seen　something　of　〃the　incontrovertible　nature　of　its　innate　principles；〃　and　it　seems　probable；　on　the　whole；　that　its　success　in　general　must　be　made　up　of　its　success　in　isolated　cases。　　Some　attempts　have　been　made；　however；　to　finish　the　whole　matter　by　sweeping　statistical　documents；　which　are　intended　to　prove　its　triumphant　success　over　the　common　practice。
  It　is　well　known　to　those　who　have　had　the　good　fortune　to　see　the　〃Homoeopathic　Examiner；〃　that　this　journal　led　off；　in　its　first　number；　with　a　grand　display　of　everything　the　newly　imported　doctrine　had　to　show　for　itself。　　It　is　well　remarked；　on　the　twenty…　third　page　of　this　article；　that　〃the　comparison　of　bills　of　mortality　among　an　equal　number　of　sick；　treated　by　divers　methods；　is　a　most　poor　and　lame　way　to　get　at　conclusions　touching　principles　of　the　healing　art。〃　　In　confirmation　of　which；　the　author　proceeds　upon　the　twenty…fifth　page　to　prove　the　superiority　of　the　Homoeopathic　treatment　of　cholera；　by　precisely　these　very　bills　of　mortality。　　Now；　every　intelligent　physician　is　aware　that　the　poison　of　cholera　differed　so　much　in　its　activity　at　different　times　and；　places；　that　it　was　next　to　impossible　to　form　any　opinion　as　to　the　results　of　treatment；　unless　every　precaution　was　taken　to　secure　the　most　perfectly　corresponding　conditions　in　the　patients　treated；　and　hardly　even　then。　　Of　course；　then；　a　Russian　Admiral；　by　the　name　of　Mordvinov；　backed　by　a　number　of　so…called　physicians　practising　in　Russian　villages；　is　singularly　competent　to　the　task　of　settling　the　whole　question　of　the　utility　of　this　or　that　kind　of　treatment；　to　prove　that；　if　not　more　than　eight　and　a　half　per　cent。　of　those　attacked　with　the　disease　perished；　the　rest　owed　their　immunity　to　Hahnemann。　　I　can　remember　when　more　than　a　hundred　patients　in　a　public　institution　were　attacked　with　what；　I　doubt　not；　many　Homoeopathic　physicians　（to　say　nothing　of　Homoeopathic　admirals）　would　have　called　cholera；　and　not　one　of　them　died；　though　treated　in　the　common　way；　and　it　is　my　firm　belief　that；　if　such　a　result　had　followed　the　administration　of　the　omnipotent　globules；　it　would　have　been　in　the　mouth　of　every　adept　in　Europe；　from　Quin　of　London　to　Spohr　of　Gandersheim。　　No　longer　ago　than　yesterday；　in　one　of　the　most　widely　circulated　papers　of　this　city；　there　was　published　an　assertion　that　the　mortality　in　several　Homoeopathic　Hospitals　was　not　quite　five　in　a　hundred；　whereas；　in　what　are　called　by　the　writer　Allopathic　Hospitals；　it　is　said　to　be　eleven　in　a　hundred。　An　honest　man　should　be　ashamed　of　such　an　argumentum　ad　ignorantiam。　The　mortality　of　a　hospital　depends　not　merely　on　the　treatment　of　the　patients；　but　on　the　class　of　diseases　it　is　in　the　habit　of　receiving；　on　the　place　where　it　is；　on　the　season；　and　many　other　circumstances。　　For　instance；　there　are　many　hospitals　in　the　great　cities　of　Europe　that　receive　few　diseases　of　a　nature　to　endanger　life；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　there　are　others　where　dangerous　diseases　are　accumulated　out　of　the　common　proportion。　　Thus；　in　the　wards　of　Louis；　at　the　Hospital　of　La　Pitie；　a　vast　number　of　patients　in　the　last　stages　of　consumption　were　constantly　entering；　to　swell　the　mortality　of　that　hospital。　　It　was　because　he　was　known　to　pay　particular　attention　to　the　diseases　of　the　chest　that　patients　laboring　under　those　fatal　affections　to　an　incurable　extent　were　so　constantly　coming　in　upon　him。　　It　is　always　a　miserable　appeal　to　the　thoughtlessness　of　the　vulgar；　to　allege　the　naked　fact　of　the　less　comparative　mortality　in　the　practice　of　one　hospital　or　of　one　physician　than　another；　as　an　evidence　of　the　superiority　of　their　treatment。　　Other　things　being　equal；　it　must　always　be　expected　that　those　institutions　and　individuals　enjoying　to　the　highest　degree　the　confidence　of　the　community　will　lose　the　largest　proportion　of　their　patients；　for　the　simple　reason　that　they　will　naturally　be　looked　to　by　those　suffering　from　the　gravest　class　of　diseases；　that　many；　who　know　that　they　are　affected　with　mortal　disease；　will　choose　to　die　under　their　care　or　shelter；　while　the　subjects　of　trifling　maladies；　and　merely　troublesome　symptoms；　amuse　themselves　to　any　extent　among　the　fancy　practitioners。　　When；　therefore；　Dr。　Mublenbein；　as　stated　in　the　〃Homoeopathic　Examiner；〃　and　quoted　in　yesterday's　〃Daily　Advertiser；〃　asserts　that　the　mortality　among　his　patients　is　only　one　per　cent。　since　he　has　practised　Homoeopathy；　whereas　it　was　six　per　cent。　when　he　employed　the　common　mode　of　practice；　I　am　convinced　by　this；　his　own　statement；　that　the　citizens　of　Brunswick；　whenever　they　are　seriously　sick；　take　good　care　not　to　send　for　Dr。　Muhlenbein！
  It　is　evidently　impossible　that　I　should　attempt；　within　the　compass　of　a　single　lecture；　any　detailed　examination　of　the　very　numerous　cases　reported　in　the　Homoeopathic　Treatises　and　Journals。　　Having　been　in　the　habit　of　receiving　the　French　〃Archives　of　Homoeopathic　Medicine〃　until　the　premature　decease　of　that　Journal；　I　have　had　the　opportunity　of　becoming　acquainted　somewhat　with　the　style　of　these　documents；　and　experiencing　whatever　degree　of　conviction　they　were　calculated　to　produce。　　Although　of　course　I　do　not　wish　any　value　to　be　assumed　for　my　opinion；　such　as　it　is；　I　consider　that　you　are　entitled　to　hear　it。　　So　far；　then；　as　I　am　acquainted　with　the　general　character　of　the　cases　reported　by　the　Homoeopathic　physicians；　they　would　for　the　most　part　be　considered　as　wholly　undeserving　a　place　in　any　English；　French；　or　American　periodical　of　high　standing；　if；　instead　of　favoring　the　doctrine　they　were　intended　to　support；　they　were　brought　forward　to　prove　the　efficacy　of　any　common　remedy　administered　by　any　common　practitioner。　　There　are　occasional　exception