History of medical practice in Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

98 History of Medical Practice in IllinoisThere are no medical men as distinguished from Doctors. Also there is nodistinction as a rule between Physicians and Surgeons. All practice medicine,surgery and midwifery. This is necessary in a sparsely settled country. In the largetowns a few doctors have adopted a specialty.Also there are physicians of every school. There are allopaths of every class inallopathy; homeopaths of high and low dilutions; hydropaths, mild and heroic;chronothermalists, Thomsonians, mesmerists, herbalists, Indian doctors, clairvoyants,spiritualists with healing gifts, etc., etc.The result of so many various systems and no-systems is that thousands of youngmen are sent out to doctor their unfortunate countrymen; to kill or to cure or itwould be safer to say to kill or not to kill according to their good luck, rather thanto their science and skill.This want of any science or established practice inmedicine has the naturaleffect of undermining the confidence of the public in all systems and pathies,leaving them a prey to the most vulgar, mercenary and barefaced quackeries. Theconsequence is that the shops of druggists and general dealers are filled with theiradvertisements. Fortunes are made by the manufacture of sarsaparilla, pills,catholicons, bitters, cough elixirs, cures for consumption, etc. The box of pillsthat costs a penny is sold for a quarter. The decoction which would be dear atfive cents sells for a dollar. The consumptives are dosed with preparations ofopium, and dyspeptics find relief in bitters whose effects are chiefly attributableto the stimulation of whiskey. One can scarcely conceive of an honorable professionreduced to a lower ebb than that of medicine in the United States.While medical science is in this chaotic condition in America, hygienic or sanitaryscience is generally neglected. A thoroughly educated united philanthropicprofession, aided by state governments, might do much for health in America.These words were written a century ago about the medicine in our land.The chapters on the numerous specialties that will follow in this volumewill reveal the almost incomprehensible progress of the half century 1850to 1900, which stands in sharp and amazing contrast to the hodgepodge oftheories and practice enumerated above.One other contribution deserves special mention. In 1881, Dr. A. ReevesJackson presented a paper before the Illinois State Medical Society on thesubject of "The Present Status of Specialism in Medicine and Surgery" inwhich many important details on this topic are given. (See Chapter VII.)