ItisevidentlyimpossiblethatIshouldattempt，withinthecompassofasinglelecture，anydetailedexaminationoftheverynumerouscasesreportedintheHomoeopathicTreatisesandJournals。HavingbeeninthehabitofreceivingtheFrench“ArchivesofHomoeopathicMedicine“untiltheprematuredeceaseofthatJournal，Ihavehadtheopportunityofbecomingacquaintedsomewhatwiththestyleofthesedocuments，andexperiencingwhateverdegreeofconvictiontheywerecalculatedtoproduce。AlthoughofcourseIdonotwishanyvaluetobeassumedformyopinion，suchasitis，Iconsiderthatyouareentitledtohearit。Sofar，then，asIamacquaintedwiththegeneralcharacterofthecasesreportedbytheHomoeopathicphysicians，theywouldforthemostpartbeconsideredaswhollyundeservingaplaceinanyEnglish，French，orAmericanperiodicalofhighstanding，if，insteadoffavoringthedoctrinetheywereintendedtosupport，theywerebroughtforwardtoprovetheefficacyofanycommonremedyadministeredbyanycommonpractitioner。Thereareoccasionalexceptionstothisremark；butthegeneraltruthofitisrenderedprobablebythefactthatthesecasesarealways，oralmostalways，writtenwiththesingleobjectofshowingtheefficacyofthemedicineused，ortheskillofthepractitioner，anditisrecognizedasageneralrulethatsuchcasesdeserveverylittleconfidence。Yettheymaysoundwellenough，oneatatime，tothosewhoarenotfullyawareofthefallaciesofmedicalevidence。Letmestateacaseinillustration。Nobodydoubtsthatsomepatientsrecoverundereveryformofpractice。Probablyallarewillingtoallowthatalargemajority，forinstance，ninetyinahundred，ofsuchcasesasaphysicianiscalledtoindailypractice，wouldrecover，soonerorlater，withmoreorlessdifficulty，providednothingweredonetointerfereseriouslywiththeeffortsofnature。
　　Suppose，then，aphysicianwhohasahundredpatientsprescribestoeachofthempillsmadeofsomeentirelyinertsubstance，asstarch，forinstance。Ninetyofthemgetwell，orifhechoosestousesuchlanguage，hecuresninetyofthem。Itisevident，accordingtothedoctrineofchances，thattheremustbeaconsiderablenumberofcoincidencesbetweenthereliefofthepatientandtheadministrationoftheremedy。Itisaltogetherprobablethattherewillhappentwoorthreeverystrikingcoincidencesoutofthewholeninetycases，inwhichitwouldseemevidentthatthemedicineproducedtherelief，thoughithad，asweassumed，nothingtodowithit。Nowsupposethatthephysicianpublishesthesecases，willtheynothaveaplausibleappearanceofprovingthatwhich，aswegrantedattheoutset，wasentirelyfalse？Supposethatinsteadofpillsofstarchheemploysmicroscopicsugarplums，withthefive’millionbilliontrillionthpartofasuspicionofaconiteorpulsatilla，andthenpublisheshissuccessfulcases，throughtheleadenlipsofthepress，orthelivingonesofhisfemaleacquaintances，——doesthatmaketheimpressionalesserroneousone？ButsoitisthatinHomoeopathicworksandjournalsandgossiponecannever，ornexttonever，findanythingbutsuccessfulcases，whichmightdoverywellasaproofofsuperiorskill，diditnotproveasmuchfortheswindlingadvertiserswhosecertificatesdisgracesomanyofournewspapers。
　　Howlongwillittakemankindtolearnthatwhiletheylistento“thespeakinghundredsandunits，whomaketheworldring“withthepretendedtriumphstheyhavewitnessed，the“dumbmillions“ofdeludedandinjuredvictimsarepayingthedailyforfeitoftheirmisplacedconfidence！
　　Iamsorrytosee，also，thatadegreeofignoranceastothenaturalcourseofdiseasesisoftenshowninthesepublishedcases，which，althoughitmaynotbedetectedbytheunprofessionalreader，conveysanunpleasantimpressiontothosewhoareacquaintedwiththesubject。ThusayoungwomanaffectedwithjaundiceismentionedintheGerman“AnnalsofClinicalHomoeopathy“ashavingbeencuredintwenty-ninedaysbypulsatillaandnuxvomica。Rummel，awell-knownwriterofthesameschool，speaksofcuringacaseofjaundiceinthirty-fourdaysbyHomoeopathicdosesofpulsatilla，aconite，andcinchona。Ihappenedtohaveacaseinmyownhousehold，afewweekssince，whichlastedabouttendays，andthiswaslongerthanIhaverepeatedlyseenitinhospitalpractice，sothatitwasnothingtoboastof。
　　Dr。MunnecheofLichtenburginSaxonyiscalledtoapatientwithsprainedanklewhohadbeenafortnightunderthecommontreatment。
　　Thepatientgetswellbytheuseofarnicainalittlemorethanamonthlonger，andthisextraordinaryfactispublishedintheFrench“ArchivesofHomoeopathicMedicine。“
　　InthesameJournalisrecordedthecaseofapatientwhowithnothingmore，sofarasanyproofgoes，thaninluenza，getsdowntohershopuponthesixthday。
　　Andagain，thecoolwayinwhicheverythingfavorableinacaseissetdownbythesepeopleentirelytotheirtreatment，maybeseeninacaseofcroupreportedinthe“HomoeopathicGazette“ofLeipsic，inwhichleeches，blistering，inhalationofhotvapor，andpowerfulinternalmedicinehadbeenemployed，andyetthemeritwasallattributedtoonedropofsomeHomoeopathicfluid。
　　Ineednotmultiplythesequotations，whichillustratethegroundsofanopinionwhichthetimedoesnotallowmetojustifymoreatlength；othersuchcasesarelyingopenbeforeme；thereisnoendtothemifmorewerewanted；fornothingisnecessarybuttolookintoanyofthenumerousbroken-downJournalsofHomoeopathy，thevolumesofwhichmaybefoundontheshelvesofthosecuriousinsuchmatters。
　　AnumberofpublictrialsofHomoeopathyhavebeenmadeindifferentpartsoftheworld。SixofthesearementionedintheManifestoofthe“HomoeopathicExaminer。“Nowtosupposethatanytrialcanabsolutelysilencepeople，wouldbetoforgetthewholeexperienceofthepast。Dr。HaygarthandDr。Aldersoncouldnotstopthesaleofthefive-guineaTractors，althoughtheyprovedthattheycouldworkthesamemiracleswithpiecesofwoodandtobacco-pipe。IttakestimefortruthtooperateaswellasHomoeopathicglobules。Manypersonsthoughttheresultsofthesetrialsweredecisiveenoughofthenullityofthetreatment；thosewhowishtoseethekindofspecialpleadingandevasionbywhichitisattemptedtocoverresultswhich，statedbythe“HomoeopathicExaminer“itself，lookexceedinglylikeamiserablefailure，mayconsulttheopeningflourishofthatJournal。Ihadnottheintentiontospeakofthesepublictrialsatall，havingabundantotherevidenceonthepoint。
　　ButIthinkitbest，onthewhole，tomentiontwooftheminafewwords，——thatinstitutedatNaplesandthatofAndral。
　　Therehavebeenfewnamesinthemedicalprofession，forthelasthalfcentury，sowidelyknownthroughouttheworldofscienceasthatofM。Esquirol，whoselifewasdevotedtothetreatmentofinsanity，andwhowaswithoutarivalinthatdepartmentofpracticalmedicine。
　　Itisfromananalysiscommunicatedbyhimtothe“GazetteMedicaledeParis“thatIderivemyacquaintancewiththeaccountofthetrialatNaplesbyDr。Panvini，physiciantotheHospitaldellaPace。Thisaccountseemstobeentirelydeservingofcredit。Tenpatientsweresetapart，andnotallowedtotakeanymedicineatall，——muchagainstthewishoftheHomoeopathicphysician。Allofthemgotwell，andofcourseallofthemwouldhavebeenclaimedastriumphsiftheyhadbeensubmittedtothetreatment。SixotherslightcaseseachofwhichisspecifiedgotwellundertheHomoeopathictreatment，noneofitsassertedspecificeffectsbeingmanifested。
　　Alltherestwerecasesofgravedisease；andsofarasthetrial，whichwasinterruptedaboutthefortiethday，extended，thepatientsgrewworse，orreceivednobenefit。Acaseisreportedonthepagebeforemeofasoldieraffectedwithacuteinflammationinthechest，whotooksuccessivelyaconite，bryonia，nuxvomica，andpulsatilla，andafterthirty-eightdaysoftreatmentremainedwithoutanyimportantchangeinhisdisease。TheHomoeopathicphysicianwhotreatedthesepatientswasM。deHoratiis，whohadthepreviousyearbeenannouncinghiswonderfulcures。AndM。EsquirolassertedtotheAcademyofMedicinein1835，thatthisM。deHoratiis，whoisoneoftheprominentpersonagesinthe“Examiner’s“Manifestopublishedin1840，hadsubsequentlyrenouncedHomoeopathy。Imayremark，bytheway，thatthissameperiodical，whichissoveryeasyinexplainingawaytheresultsofthesetrials，makesamistakeofonlysixyearsoralittlemoreastothetimewhenthisatNapleswasinstituted。
　　M。Andral，the“eminentandveryenlightenedallopathist“ofthe“HomoeopathicExaminer，“madethefollowingstatementinMarch，1835，totheAcademyofMedicine：“Ihavesubmittedthisdoctrinetoexperiment；Icanreckonatthistimefromonehundredandthirtytoonehundredandfortycases，recordedwithperfectfairness，inagreathospital，undertheeyeofnumerouswitnesses；toavoideveryobjection——IobtainedmyremediesofM。Guibourt，whokeepsaHomoeopathicpharmacy，andwhosestrictexactnessiswellknown；theregimenhasbeenscrupulouslyobserved，andIobtainedfromthesistersattachedtothehospitalaspecialregimen，suchasHahnemannorders。Iwastold，however，somemonthssince，thatIhadnotbeenfaithfultoalltherulesofthedoctrine。Ithereforetookthetroubletobeginagain；IhavestudiedthepracticeoftheParisianHomoeopathists，asIhadstudiedtheirbooks，andIbecameconvincedthattheytreatedtheirpatientsasIhadtreatedmine，andIaffirmthatIhavebeenasrigorouslyexactinthetreatmentasanyotherperson。“
　　AndheexpresslyassertstheentirenullityoftheinfluenceofalltheHomoeopathicremediestriedbyhiminmodifying，sofarashecouldobserve，theprogressorterminationofdiseases。Itdeservesnoticethatheexperimentedwiththemostboastedsubstances，——
　　cinchona，aconite，mercury，bryonia，belladonna。Aconite，forinstance，hesaysheadministeredinmorethanfortycasesofthatcollectionoffeverishsymptomsinwhichitexertssomuchpower，accordingtoHahnemann，andinnotoneofthemdidithavetheslightestinfluence，thepulseandheatremainingasbefore。
　　Thesestatementslookprettyhonest，andwouldseemhardtobeexplainedaway，butitiscalmlysaidthathe“didnotknowenoughofthemethodtoselecttheremedieswithanytolerableprecision。“
　　[“HomoeopathicExaminer，vol。i。p。22。
　　“Nothingislefttothecapriceofthephysician。Inaword，insteadofbeingdependentuponblindchance，thatthereisaninfalliblelaw，guidedbywhich；thephysicianMUSTselecttheproperremedies。’“Ibid。，inanoticeofMenzel’spaper。]WhoaretheythatpracticeHomoeopathy，andsaythisofamanwiththeMateriaMedicaofHahnemannlyingbeforehim？Whoaretheythatsendthesesameglobules，onwhichheexperimented，accompaniedbyalittlebook，intofamilies，whosemembersarethoughtcompetenttoemploythem，whentheydenyanysuchcapacitytoamanwhoselifehasbeenpassedatthebedsideofpatients，themostprominentteacherinthefirstMedicalFacultyintheworld，theconsultingphysicianoftheKingofFrance，andoneofthemostrenownedpracticalwriters，notmerelyofhisnation，butofhisage？Ileavethequibblesbywhichsuchpersonswouldtrytocreepoutfromunderthecrushingweightoftheseconclusionstotheunfortunateswhosupposethatareplyisequivalenttoananswer。
　　Dr。Baillie，oneofthephysiciansinthegreatHotelDieuofParis，invitedtwoHomoeopathicpractitionerstoexperimentinhiswards。
　　OneofthesewasCurie，nowofLondon，whoseworksareonthecountersofsomeofourbookstores，andprobablyinthehandsofsomeofmyaudience。Thisgentleman，whomDr。Bailliedeclarestobeanenlightenedman，andperfectlysincereinhisconvictions，broughthisownmedicinesfromthepharmacywhichfurnishedHahnemannhimself，andemployedthemforfourorfivemonthsuponpatientsinhisward，andwithresultsequallyunsatisfactory，asappearsfromDr。Baillie’sstatementatameetingoftheAcademyofMedicine。AndasimilarexperimentwaspermittedbytheClinicalProfessoroftheHotelDieuofLyons，withthesamecompletefailure。
　　Buttheseareoldandprejudicedpractitioners。Verywell，thentakethestatementofDr。Fleury，amostintelligentyoungphysician，whotreatedhomoeopathicallymorethanfiftypatients，sufferingfromdiseaseswhichitwasnotdangeroustotreatinthisway，takingeverykindofprecautionastoregimen，removalofdisturbinginfluences，andthestateoftheatmosphere，insisteduponbythemostvigorouspartisansofthedoctrine，andfoundnottheslightesteffectproducedbythemedicines。Andmorethanthis，readnineofthesecases，whichhehaspublished，asIhavejustdone，andobservetheabsolutenullityofaconite，belladonna，andbryonia，againstthesymptomsoverwhichtheyarepretendedtoexertsuchpalpable，suchobvious，suchastonishinginfluences。Intheviewofthesestatements，itisimpossiblenottorealizetheentirefutilityofattemptingtosilencethisassertedsciencebytheflattestandmostperemptoryresultsofexperiment。WereallthehospitalphysiciansofEuropeandAmericatodevotethemselves，fortherequisiteperiod，tothissolepursuit，andweretheirresultstobeunanimousastothetotalworthlessnessofthewholesysteminpractice，thisslipperydelusionwouldslidethroughtheirfingerswithouttheslightestdiscomposure，when，astheysupposed，theyhadcrushedeveryjointinitstortuousandtrailingbody。