These　and　similar　accusations；　so　often　brought　up　against　the　Medical　Profession；　are　only　one　mode　in　which　is　manifested　a　spirit　of　opposition　not　merely　to　medical　science；　but　to　all　science；　and　to　all　sound　knowledge。　　It　is　a　spirit　which　neither　understands　itself　nor　the　object　at　which　it　is　aiming。　　It　gropes　among　the　loose　records　of　the　past；　and　the　floating　fables　of　the　moment；　to　glean　a　few　truths　or　falsehoods　tending　to　prove；　if　they　prove　anything；　that　the　persons　who　have　passed　their　lives　in　the　study　of　a　branch　of　knowledge　the　very　essence　of　which　must　always　consist　in　long　and　accurate　observation；　are　less　competent　to　judge　of　new　doctrines　in　their　own　department　than　the　rest　of　the　community。　　It　belongs　to　the　clown　in　society；　the　destructive　in　politics；　and　the　rogue　in　practice。
  The　name　of　Harvey；　whose　great　discovery　was　the　legitimate　result　of　his　severe　training　and　patient　study；　should　be　mentioned　only　to　check　the　pretensions　of　presumptuous　ignorance。　　The　example　of　Jenner；　who　gave　his　inestimable　secret；　the　result　of　twenty…two　years　of　experiment　and　researches；　unpurchased；　to　the　public；　when；　as　was　said　in　Parliament；　he　might　have　made　a　hundred　thousand　pounds　by　it　as　well　as　any　smaller　sum；should　be　referred　to　only　to　rebuke　the　selfish　venders　of　secret　remedies；　among　whom　his　early　history　obliges　us　reluctantly　to　record　Samuel　Hahnemann。　Those　who　speak　of　the　great　body　of　physicians　as　if　they　were　united　in　a　league　to　support　the　superannuated　notions　of　the　past　against　the　progress　of　improvement；　have　read　the　history　of　medicine　to　little　purpose。　　The　prevalent　failing　of　this　profession　has　been；　on　the　contrary；　to　lend　a　too　credulous　ear　to　ambitious　and　plausible　innovators。　　If　at　the　present　time　ten　years　of　public　notoriety　have　passed　over　any　doctrine　professing　to　be　of　importance　in　medical　science；　and　if　it　has　not　succeeded　in　raising　up　a　powerful　body　of　able；　learned；　and　ingenious　advocates　for　its　claims；　the　fault　must　be　in　the　doctrine　and　not　in　the　medical　profession。
  Homoeopathy　has　had　a　still　more　extended　period　of　trial　than　this；　and　we　have　seen　with　what　results。　　It　only　remains　to　throw　out　a　few　conjectures　as　to　the　particular　manner　in　which　it　is　to　break　up　and　disappear。
  1。　　The　confidence　of　the　few　believers　in　this　delusion　will　never　survive　the　loss　of　friends　who　may　die　of　any　acute　disease；　under　a　treatment　such　as　that　prescribed　by　Homoeopathy。　　It　is　doubtful　how　far　cases　of　this　kind　will　be　trusted　to　its　tender　mercies；　but　wherever　it　acquires　any　considerable　foothold；　such　cases　must　come；　and　with　them　the　ruin　of　those　who　practise　it；　should　any　highly　valued　life　be　thus　sacrificed。
  2。　　After　its　novelty　has　worn　out；　the　ardent　and　capricious　individuals　who　constitute　the　most　prominent　class　of　its　patrons　will　return　to　visible　doses；　were　it　only　for　the　sake　of　a　change。
  3。　　The　Semi…Homoeopathic　practitioner　will　gradually　withdraw　from　the　rotten　half　of　his　business　and　try　to　make　the　public　forget　his　connection　with　it。
  4。　　The　ultra　Homoeopathist　will　either　recant　and　try　to　rejoin　the　medical　profession；　or　he　will　embrace　some　newer　and　if　possible　equally　extravagant　doctrine；　or　he　will　stick　to　his　colors　and　go　down　with　his　sinking　doctrine。　　Very　few　will　pursue　the　course　last　mentioned。
  A　single　fact　may　serve　to　point　out　in　what　direction　there　will　probably　be　a　movement　of　the　dissolving　atoms　of　Homoeopathy。　　On　the　13th　page　of　the　too　frequently　cited　Manifesto　of　the　〃Examiner〃　I　read　the　following　stately　paragraph：
  〃Bigelius；　M。　D。；　physician　to　the　Emperor　of　Russia；　whose　elevated　reputation　is　well　known　in　Europe；　has　been　an　acknowledged　advocate　of　Hahnemann's　doctrines　for　several　years。　　He　abandoned　Allopathia　for　Homoeopathia。〃　　The　date　of　this　statement　is　January；　1840。　　I　find　on　looking　at　the　booksellers'　catalogues　that　one　Bigel；　or　Bigelius；　to　speak　more　classically；　has　been　at　various　times　publishing　Homoeopathic　books　for　some　years。
  Again；　on　looking　into　the　〃　Encyclographie　des　Sciences　Medicales　〃　for　April；　1840；　I　find　a　work　entitled　〃　Manual　of　HYDROSUDOPATHY；　or　the　Treatment　of　Diseases　by　Cold　Water；　etc。；　etc。；　by　Dr。　Bigel；　Physician　of　the　School　of　Strasburg；　Member　of　the　Medico…　Chirurgical　Institute　of　Naples；　of　the　Academy　of　St。　　Petersburg；　Assessor　of　the　College　of　the　Empire　of　Russia；　Physician　of　his　late　Imperial　Highness　the　Grand　Duke　Constantine；　Chevalier　of　the　Legion　of　Honor；　etc。〃　　Hydrosudopathy　or　Hydropathy；　as　it　is　sometimes　called；　is　a　new　medical　doctrine　or　practice　which　has　sprung　up　in　Germany　since　Homoeopathy；　which　it　bids　fair　to　drive　out　of　the　market；　if；　as　Dr。　Bigel　says；　fourteen　physicians　afflicted　with　diseases　which　defied　themselves　and　their　colleagues　came　to　Graefenberg；　in　the　year　1836　alone；　and　were　cured。　　Now　Dr。　Bigel；　〃whose　elevated　reputation　is　well　known　in　Europe；〃　writes　as　follows：　〃The　reader　will　not　fail　to　see　in　this　defence　of　the　curative　method　of　Graefenberg　a　profession　of　medical　faith；　and　he　will　be　correct　in　so　doing。〃　　And　his　work　closes　with　the　following　sentence；　worthy　of　so　distinguished　an　individual：　〃We　believe；　with　religion；　that　the　water　of　baptism　purifies　the　soul　from　its　original　sin；　let　us　believe　also；　with　experience；　that　it　is　for　our　corporeal　sins　the　redeemer　of　the　human　body。〃　　If　Bigel；　Physician　to　the　late　Grand　Duke　Constantine；　is　identical　with　Bigel　whom　the　〃Examiner〃　calls　Physician　to　the　Emperor　of　Russia；　it　appears　that　he　is　now　actively　engaged　in　throwing　cold　water　at　once　upon　his　patients　and　the　future　prospects　of　Homoeopathy。
  If；　as　must　be　admitted；　no　one　of　Hahnemann's　doctrines　is　received　with　tolerable　unanimity　among　his　disciples；　except　the　central　axiom；　Similia　similibus　curantur；　if　this　axiom　itself　relies　mainly　for　its　support　upon　the　folly　and　trickery　of　Hahnemann；　what　can　we　think　of　those　who　announce　themselves　ready　to　relinquish　all　the　accumulated　treasures　of　our　art；　to　trifle　with　life　upon　the　strength　of　these　fantastic　theories？　　What　shall　we　think　of　professed　practitioners　of　medicine；　if；　in　the　words　of　Jahr；　〃from　ignorance；　for　their　personal　convenience；　or　through　charlatanism；　they　treat　their　patients　one　day　Homoeopathically　and　the　next　Allopathically；　〃　if　they　parade　their　pretended　new　science　before　the　unguarded　portion　of　the　community；　if　they　suffer　their　names　to　be　coupled　with　it　wherever　it　may　gain　a　credulous　patient；　and　deny　all　responsibility　for　its　character；　refuse　all　argument　for　its　doctrines；　allege　no　palliation　for　the　ignorance　and　deception　interwoven　with　every　thread　of　its　flimsy　tissue；　when　they　are　questioned　by　those　competent　to　judge　and　entitled　to　an　answer？
  Such　is　the　pretended　science　of　Homoeopathy；　to　which　you　are　asked　to　trust　your　lives　and　the　lives　of　those　dearest　to　you。　　A　mingled　mass　of　perverse　ingenuity；　of　tinsel　erudition；　of　imbecile　credulity；　and　of　artful　misrepresentation；　too　often　mingled　in　practice；　if　we　may　trust　the　authority　of　its　founder；　with　heartless　and　shameless　imposition。　　Because　it　is　suffered　so　often　to　appeal　unanswered　to　the　public；　because　it　has　its　journals；　its　patrons；　its　apostles；　some　are　weak　enough　to　suppose　it　can　escape　the　inevitable　doom　of　utter　disgrace　and　oblivion。　　Not　many　years　can　pass　away　before　the　same　curiosity　excited　by　one　of　Perkins's　Tractors　will　be　awakened　at　the　sight　of　one　of　the　Infinitesimal　Globules。　　If　it　should　claim　a　longer　existence；　it　can　only　be　by　falling　into　the　hands　of　the　sordid　wretches　who　wring　their　bread　from　the　cold　grasp　of　disease　and　death　in　the　hovels　of　ignorant　poverty。
  As　one　humble　member　of　a　profession　which　for　more　than　two　thousand　years　has　devoted　itself　to　the　pursuit　of　the　best　earthly　interests　of　mankind；　always　assailed　and　insulted　from　without　by　such　as　are　ignorant　of　its　infinite　perplexities　and　labors；　always　striving　in　unequal　contest　with　the　hundred…armed　giant　who　walks　in　the　noonday；　and　sleeps　not　in　the　midnight；　yet　still　toiling；　not　merely　for　itself　and　the　present　moment；　but　for　the　race　and　the　future；　I　have　lifted　my　voice　against　this　lifeless　delusion；　rolling　its　shapeless　bulk　into　the　path　of　a　noble　science　it　is　too　weak　to　strike；　or　to　injure。
  THE　CONTAGIOUSNESS　OF　PUERPERAL　FEVER　Printed　in　1843；　reprinted　with　additions；　1855。
  THE　POINT　AT　ISSUE。
  THE　AFFIRMATIVE。
  〃The　disease　known　as　Puerperal　Fever　is　so　far　contagious　as　to　be　frequently　carried　from　patient　to　patient　by　physicians　and　nurses。〃　O。　W。　Holmes；　1843。
  THE　NEGATIVE。
  〃The　result　of　the　whole　discussion　will；　I　trust；　serve；　not　only　to　exalt　your　views　of　the　value　and　dignity　of　our　profession；　but　to　divest　your　minds　of　the　overpowering　dread　that　you　can　ever　become；　especially　to　woman；　under　the　extremely　interesting　circumstances　of　gestation　and　parturition；　the　minister　of　evil；　that　you　can　ever　convey；　in　any　possible　manner；　a　horrible　virus；　so　destructive　in　its　effects；　and　so　mysterious　in