Complete Text (Part 8)

is a meaningless jar- gon." Dr. Evans, F. R. S., of London, say : "The so-called science of medicine has neither philosophy nor common sense to commend it to- confidence." Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the- Declaration of Independence, said : " The physician is like a blind man striking at random. If he hits the disease he kills it, but he- is full as likely to hit the patient, and kill it. We (physicians) have multiplied diseases, and increased their mortality." He further said: "The conferring of exclusive privileges upon bodies of physicians, and forbid- ding men of equal talents under penalties from practicing medicine, are inquisitions, however sanc- tioned by ancient charters, and names serving as the Bastiles of our science." Hundreds of similar quotations could be given,- but surely these are sufficient. When this Repub- lic was founded there were many religious sects in. the country, and the framers of the Constitution, provided specifically against religious monopoly .. But there was then but one medical sect, hence no 97 person thought of any necessity For providing speci- fically against medical monopoly. Had there been at that time, as there are now, rival medical sects, it is probable that such provision would have been suggested, and adopted, for certainly a person has as clear a right to choose a physician for his body as for his soul, and any infringement of this right in either case is a violation of his right to " life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." We insist, therefore, that all laws restricting the practice of medicine to any school, or any number of schools, is unconstitutional, despotic, and wrong. As already stated, but one medical sect existed when this Government was founded, but the liber- alizing influence of freedom on this continent gave breadth and depth to thought and investigation in all departments of life. Men of vigorous minds sought, discovered, and proclaimed new truths in medicine and new remedies for disease. They were denounced by the regular profession as pretenders and quacks. But this being a free country, they appealed to the people, resting the claims of their discoveries upon their merits. The people divided and the old and new sects flourished side by side under the protecting branches of the tree of liberty. This was right. Under this system medicine has made more substantial progress during the last cen- tury than it had in 2,000 years before. This fact "98 establishes the superiority of the American system of free competition over that of professional monop- oly. It is an historic fact with which all intelligent people are familiar, that when one sect enjoys a monopoly of religious privileges there is no religi- ous progress, and that when one medical sect enjoys a monopoly of the practice of medicine, progress in the art of healing is not perceptible; and, that in both these fields of human inquiry progress is de- pendent upon the freedom of men of thought and research to present their latest theories and discov- eries to the people, and submit them to the popular verdict. We therefore ask that the American system of free competition in medicine, as in religion, be con- tinued in force, and that no legislation be had which shall limit the freedom of the people. DR. W. M. STARR, Pres't, Botanical Schools of Medicine. M. D'S. The law which demands that an M. D. must be called in to see any sick person, old or young, to secure a certificate of burial in case of death, is 09 an inhuman outrage. It is to compel people to hire ti do.tor of only one school whether they want them or not. It means to force and impose these M. D's. on the people without their free will or consent. This is an outrage and tyrants have often suffered death for less tyranical acts than such a law imposes upon the people. Great consolation for the 800 mothers in Washington, in the two months of 1890, to know from the M. Ds. that their children died from the use of milk. Botanic Doctors never give such medicines as will cause a child to die from the use of milk, and why should they not be allowed to give a certificate of burial in case one of their patients should happen to die. Botanic Doctors are entirely opposed to all force measures or sectarian laws. Botanic Doctors claim that three quarters of the whole people of the United States are with them on this issue. The following deaths occuring from zymotic diseases of the miasmetic order, called in the health officers' reports : measles, scarlet fever, rotheln, rubeola, erysipelas, eczema, pemphigus, typhoid fever, typho-malarial fever, congestive fever, inter- mittent fever, remittent fever, malarial fever, 100 catarrhal fever, diphtheria, croup, tonsillitis, whoop- ing cough, mumps, pyaemia, septicaemia, furunculo- sis, cholera morbus, cholera infantum, dysentery diarrhoea, entero-colitis ; For year ending, 1886, - 776 " " " 1887, - - T 829 « « " 1888, - - - 937 " " " 1889, - - - 1,093 3,635 I claim that the above named diseases are all cureable, and that not one of said deaths would have occured under my treatment. Then why shall the Botanical profession not be equally protected in their rights under all laws with other medical professions ? One feature in Dr. Starr's life is that whenever lie meets a farmer coming to the city with his wagen load of produce, he invarably takes his hat off to bid him a cordial welcome. He never was known to tip his hat to any other class except the farmer. 101 In concluding I will refer to one historical fact. Before the Botanical Library was burnt by a "King of Terror" in 1625, there was no monopoly in medicine whatsoever and they were composed of Botanical preparations, gathered fresh from the fields where the oats, beans and barley grew by the skilful farmers and their wives. Ever since the use of Botanical medicines were forced out of general use by this cruel edict, and the dogma proclaimed that poisons were the proper medicines to be used, the death rate has increased. Up to that time men were strong and lived long, since that time they have become weaker, and mor- tality has increased rapidly until in 1891, it has fallen to the low rate of sixteen years and ten months. If this poison dogma had been univer- sally accepted by the people, the mortality would have been much greater, but thank God, the Far- monians and Botanians have always objected to this haphazard and poisonous system of practice, and in defiance of all Force bills which have been passed, or may be passed in the future, seventy-five per cent of the common people of America have re- fused and still refuse to accept it, and cling to Bo- tanical remedies. 102 After the burning of the Botanical Library in 1625, so much attached were the women of that day to their Botanical Medicines, that a committee of one hundred ladies were selected to go to the King and beg that the names of certain medi- cal herbs sho- Id be placed in the Bible. When asked why these names should be inserted in the Bible, the King was told that it was because the Bible would never be destroyed, and they want- ed the names preserved so they would not be lost. The King granted their request, and the names of the herbs can be found in the Bible to- day. The ladies on retiring from the presence of the King rejoiced that they had a balm hidden in the leaf. Dr. William M. Starr, Pres. of the Botanical Ass'n of the U. S. A. riflBI LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 000E5Tfc.m35 ■ I A~-