Toyourrequestofmyopinionofthemannerinwhichanewspapershouldbeconducted,soastobemostuseful,Ishouldanswer,`byrestrainingittotruefacts&soundprinciplesonly。’
YetIfearsuchapaperwouldfindfewsubscribers。Itisamelancholytruth,thatasuppressionofthepresscouldnotmorecompleatlydeprivethenationofit’sbenefits,thanisdonebyit’sabandonedprostitutiontofalsehood。Nothingcannowbebelievedwhichisseeninanewspaper。Truthitselfbecomessuspiciousbybeingputintothatpollutedvehicle。Therealextentofthisstateofmisinformationisknownonlytothosewhoareinsituationstoconfrontfactswithintheirknolegewiththeliesoftheday。I
reallylookwithcommiserationoverthegreatbodyofmyfellowcitizens,who,readingnewspapers,live&dieinthebelief,thattheyhaveknownsomethingofwhathasbeenpassingintheworldintheirtime;whereastheaccountstheyhavereadinnewspapersarejustastrueahistoryofanyotherperiodoftheworldasofthepresent,exceptthattherealnamesofthedayareaffixedtotheirfables。Generalfactsmayindeedbecollectedfromthem,suchasthatEuropeisnowatwar,thatBonapartehasbeenasuccessfulwarrior,thathehassubjectedagreatportionofEuropetohiswill,&c。,&c。;butnodetailscanbereliedon。Iwilladd,thatthemanwhoneverlooksintoanewspaperisbetterinformedthanhewhoreadsthem;inasmuchashewhoknowsnothingisnearertotruththanhewhosemindisfilledwithfalsehoods&errors。Hewhoreadsnothingwillstilllearnthegreatfacts,andthedetailsareallfalse。
Perhapsaneditormightbeginareformationinsomesuchwayasthis。Dividehispaperinto4chapters,headingthe1st,Truths。
2d,Probabilities。3d,Possibilities。4th,Lies。Thefirstchapterwouldbeveryshort,asitwouldcontainlittlemorethanauthenticpapers,andinformationfromsuchsources,astheeditorwouldbewillingtoriskhisownreputationfortheirtruth。The2dwouldcontainwhat,fromamatureconsiderationofallcircumstances,hisjudgmentshouldconcludetobeprobablytrue。This,however,shouldrathercontaintoolittlethantoomuch。The3d&4thshouldbeprofessedlyforthosereaderswhowouldratherhaveliesfortheirmoneythantheblankpapertheywouldoccupy。
Suchaneditortoo,wouldhavetosethisfaceagainstthedemoralisingpracticeoffeedingthepublicmindhabituallyonslander,&thedepravityoftastewhichthisnauseousalimentinduces。Defamationisbecominganecessaryoflife;insomuch,thatadishofteainthemorningoreveningcannotbedigestedwithoutthisstimulant。Eventhosewhodonotbelievetheseabominations,stillreadthemwithcomplaisancetotheirauditors,andinsteadoftheabhorrence&indignationwhichshouldfillavirtuousmind,betrayasecretpleasureinthepossibilitythatsomemaybelievethem,thotheydonotthemselves。Itseemstoescapethem,thatitisnothewhoprints,buthewhopaysforprintingaslander,whoisit’srealauthor。
Thesethoughtsonthesubjectsofyourletterarehazardedatyourrequest。Repeatedinstancesofthepublicationofwhathasnotbeenintendedforthepubliceye,andthemalignitywithwhichpoliticalenemiestortureeverysentencefrommeintomeaningsimaginedbytheirownwickednessonly,justifymyexpressingasolicitude,thatthishastycommunicationmayinnowisebepermittedtofindit’swayintothepublicpapers。Notfearingthesepoliticalbull-dogs,Iyetavoidputtingmyselfinthewayofbeingbaitedbythem,anddonotwishtovolunteerawaythatportionoftranquillity,whichafirmexecutionofmydutieswillpermitmetoenjoy。
Itenderyoumysalutations,andbestwishesforyoursuccess。
ASUBPOENAFORTHEPRESIDENT
_ToGeorgeHay_
_Washington,June20,1807_
DEARSIR,——Mr。LatrobenowcomesonasawitnessagainstBurr。Hispresencehereiswithgreatinconveniencedispensedwith,as150workmenrequirehisconstantdirectionsonvariouspublicworksofpressingimportance。Ihopeyouwillpermithimtocomeawayassoonaspossible。Howfarhistestimonywillbeimportantastotheprisoner,Iknownot;butIamdesirousthatthosemeetingsofYrujowithBurrandhisprincipalaccomplices,shouldcomefullyout,andjudicially,astheywillestablishthejustcomplaintswehaveagainsthisnation。
IdidnotseetilllastnighttheopinionoftheJudgeonthe_subpoenaducestecum_againstthePresident。Consideringthequestionthereas_coramnonjudice_,Ididnotreadhisargumentwithmuchattention。YetIsawreadilyenough,that,asisusualwhereanopinionistobesupported,rightorwrong,hedwellsmuchonsmallerobjections,andpassesoverthosewhicharesolid。Layingdownthepositiongenerally,thatallpersonsoweobediencetosubpoenas,headmitsnoexceptionunlessitcanbeproducedinhislawbooks。ButiftheConstitutionenjoinsonaparticularofficertobealwaysengagedinaparticularsetofdutiesimposedonhim,doesnotthissupersedethegenerallaw,subjectinghimtominordutiesinconsistentwiththese?TheConstitutionenjoinshisconstantagencyintheconcernsof6。millionsofpeople。Isthelawparamounttothis,whichcallsonhimonbehalfofasingleone?LetusapplytheJudge’sowndoctrinetothecaseofhimself&hisbrethren。ThesheriffofHenricosummonshimfromthebench,toquellariotsomewhereinhiscounty。Thefederaljudgeis,bythegenerallaw,apartofthe_posse_oftheStatesheriff。WouldtheJudgeabandonmajordutiestoperformlesserones?Again;thecourtofOrleansorMainecommands,bysubpoenas,theattendanceofallthejudgesoftheSupremeCourt。Wouldtheyabandontheirpostsasjudges,andtheinterestsofmillionscommittedtothem,toservethepurposesofasingleindividual?TheleadingprincipleofourConstitutionistheindependenceoftheLegislature,executiveandjudiciaryofeachother,andnonearemorejealousofthisthanthejudiciary。Butwouldtheexecutivebeindependentofthejudiciary,ifheweresubjecttothe_commands_ofthelatter,&toimprisonmentfordisobedience;iftheseveralcourtscouldbandyhimfrompillartopost,keephimconstantlytrudgingfromnorthtosouth&easttowest,andwithdrawhimentirelyfromhisconstitutionalduties?TheintentionoftheConstitution,thateachbranchshouldbeindependentoftheothers,isfurthermanifestedbythemeansithasfurnishedtoeach,toprotectitselffromenterprisesofforceattemptedonthembytheothers,andtononehasitgivenmoreeffectualordiversifiedmeansthantotheexecutive。Again;becauseministerscangointoacourtinLondonaswitnesses,withoutinterruptiontotheirexecutiveduties,itisinferredthattheywouldgotoacourt1000。or1500。
milesoff,andthatoursaretobedraggedfromMainetoOrleansbyeverycriminalwhowillswearthattheirtestimony`maybeofusetohim。’TheJudgesays,`_itisapparent_thatthePresident’sdutiesaschiefmagistratedonotdemandhiswholetime,&arenotunremitting。’Ifhealludestoourannualretirementfromtheseatofgovernment,duringthesicklyseason,heshouldbetoldthatsucharrangementsaremadeforcarryingonthepublicbusiness,atandbetweentheseveralstationswetake,thatitgoesonasunremittinglythere,asifwewereattheseatofgovernment。IpassmorehoursinpublicbusinessatMonticellothanIdohere,everyday;anditismuchmorelaborious,becauseallmustbedoneinwriting。Ourstationsbeingknown,allcommunicationscometothemregularly,astofixedpoints。Itwouldbeverydifferentwerewealwaysontheroad,orplacedinthenoisy&crowdedtavernswherecourtsareheld。Mr。Rodneyisexpectedhereeveryhour,havingbeenkeptawaybyasickchild。
Isaluteyouwithfriendshipandrespect。”UNLEARNEDVIEWSOFMEDICINE”
_ToDr。CasparWistar_
_Washington,June21,1807_
DEARSIR,——Ihaveagrandson,thesonofMr。Randolph,nowabout15yearsofage,inwhoseeducationItakealivelyinterest。
Histimehasnothithertobeenemployedtothegreatestadvantage,afrequentchangeoftutorshavingpreventedthesteadypursuitofanyoneplan。Whetherhepossessesthatlivelyimagination,usuallycalledgenius,Ihavenothadopportunitiesofknowing。ButIthinkhehasanobservingmind&soundjudgment。Heisassiduous,orderly,&ofthemostamiabletemper&dispositions。Ashewillbeateaseinpointofproperty,hiseducationisnotdirectedtoanyparticularpossession,butwillembracethosescienceswhichgivetoretiredlifeusefulness,ornamentoramusement。Iamnotafriendtoplacinggrowingmeninpopulouscities,becausetheyacquiretherehabits&
partialitieswhichdonotcontributetothehappinessoftheirafterlife。Butthereareparticularbranchesofscience,whicharenotsoadvantageouslytaughtanywhereelseintheU。S。asinPhiladelphia。
ThegardenattheWoodlandsforBotany,Mr。Peale’sMuseumforNaturalHistory,yourMedicalschoolforAnatomy,andtheableprofessorsinallofthem,giveadvantagesnottobefoundelsewhere。
Wepropose,therefore,tosendhimtoPhiladelphiatoattendtheschoolsofBotany,NaturalHistory,Anatomy,&perhapsSurgery;butnotofMedicine。AndwhynotofMedicine,youwillask?Beingledtothesubject,Iwillavailmyselfoftheoccasiontoexpressmyopinionsonthatscience,andtheextentofmymedicalcreed。But,tofinishfirstwithrespecttomygrandson,IwillstatethefavorI
askofyou,whichistheobjectofthisletter。
Havingbeenborn&broughtupinamountainous&healthycountry,weshouldbeunwillingheshouldgotoPhiladelphiauntiltheautumnaldiseasescease。Itisimportantthereforeforustoknow,atwhatperiodafterthat,thecoursesoflecturesinNaturalhistory,Botany,Chemistry,Anatomy&Surgerybeginandend,andwhatdaysorhourstheyoccupy?Theobjectofthisisthatwemaybeablesotomarshalhispursuitsastobringtheiraccomplishmentwithintheshortestspacepracticable。IshallwritetoDoctorBartonforinformationastothecoursesofnaturalhistory&botanybutnothavingasufficientacquaintancewithprofessorsofchemistry&
surgery,ifyoucanaddtheinformationrespectingtheirschooltothatofyourown,Ishallbemuchobligedtoyou。Whattooaretheusualtermsofboarding?Whatthecompensationstoprofessors?Andcanyougivemeaconjecturalestimateofothernecessaryexpenses?
Inthesewedonotproposetoindulgehimbeyondwhatisnecessary,decent,&usual,becauseallbeyondthatleadstodissipation&
idleness,towhich,atpresent,hehasnopropensities。IthinkMr。
Pealehasnotbeeninthehabitofreceivingaboarder。Hishouse&
familywould,ofthemselves,beaschoolofvirtue&instruction;&
hoursofleisuretherewouldbeasimprovingasbusyoneselsewhere。
ButIsaythisonlyonthepossibilityofsodesirablealocationforhim,andnotwiththewishthatthethoughtshouldbecomeknowntoMr。Peale,unlesssomeformerprecedentshouldjustifyit’ssuggestiontohim。Iamlayingaheavytaxonyourbusytime,butI
thinkyourgoodnesswillpardonitinconsiderationofit’sbearingonmyhappiness。
Thissubjectdismissed,Imaynowtakeupthatwhichitledto,andfurthertaxyourpatiencewithunlearnedviewsofmedicine;
which,asinmostcases,are,perhaps,themoreconfidentinproportionastheyarelessenlightened。
Weknow,fromwhatwesee&feel,thattheanimalbodyinit’sorgansandfunctionsissubjecttoderangement,inducingpain,&
tendingtoit’sdestruction。Inthisdisorderedstate,weobservenatureprovidingforthere-establishmentoforder,byexcitingsomesalutaryevacuationofthemorbificmatter,orbysomeotheroperationwhichescapesourimperfectsensesandresearches。Shebringsonacrisis,bystools,vomiting,sweat,urine,expectoration,bleeding,&c。,which,forthemostpart,endsintherestorationofhealthyaction。Experiencehastaughtus,also,thattherearecertainsubstances,bywhich,appliedtothelivingbody,internallyorexternally,wecanatwillproducethesesameevacuations,andthusdo,inashorttime,whatnaturewoulddobutslowly,anddoeffectually,whatperhapsshewouldnothavestrengthtoaccomplish。
Where,then,wehaveseenadisease,characterizedbyspecificsignsorphenomena,andrelievedbyacertainnaturalevacuationorprocess,wheneverthatdiseaserecursunderthesameappearances,wemayreasonablycountonproducingasolutionofit,bytheuseofsuchsubstancesaswehavefoundproducethesameevacuationormovement。Thus,fulnessofthestomachwecanrelievebyemetics;
diseasesofthebowels,bypurgatives;inflammatorycases,bybleeding;intermittents,bythePeruvianbark;syphilis,bymercury:
watchfulness,byopium;&c。Sofar,Ibowtotheutilityofmedicine。Itgoestothewell-definedformsofdisease,&happily,tothosethemostfrequent。Butthedisordersoftheanimalbody,&
thesymptomsindicatingthem,areasvariousastheelementsofwhichthebodyiscomposed。Thecombinations,too,ofthesesymptomsaresoinfinitelydiversified,thatmanyassociationsofthemappeartoorarelytoestablishadefinitedisease;andtoanunknowndisease,therecannotbeaknownremedy。Herethen,thejudicious,themoral,thehumanephysicianshouldstop。Havingbeensooftenawitnesstothesalutaryeffortswhichnaturemakestore-establishthedisorderedfunctions,heshouldrathertrusttotheiraction,thanhazardtheinterruptionofthat,andagreaterderangementofthesystem,byconjecturalexperimentsonamachinesocomplicated&sounknownasthehumanbody,&asubjectsosacredashumanlife。Or,iftheappearanceofdoingsomethingbenecessarytokeepalivethehope&spiritsofthepatient,itshouldbeofthemostinnocentcharacter。OneofthemostsuccessfulphysiciansIhaveeverknown,hasassuredme,thatheusedmorebreadpills,dropsofcoloredwater,&powdersofhickoryashes,thanofallothermedicinesputtogether。Itwascertainlyapiousfraud。Buttheadventurousphysiciangoeson,&substitutespresumptionforknolege。Fromthescantyfieldofwhatisknown,helaunchesintotheboundlessregionofwhatisunknown。Heestablishesforhisguidesomefancifultheoryofcorpuscularattraction,ofchemicalagency,ofmechanicalpowers,ofstimuli,ofirritabilityaccumulatedorexhausted,ofdepletionbythelancet&repletionbymercury,orsomeotheringeniousdream,whichletshimintoallnature’ssecretsatshorthand。Ontheprinciplewhichhethusassumes,heformshistableofnosology,arrayshisdiseasesintofamilies,andextendshiscurativetreatment,byanalogy,toallthecaseshehasthusarbitrarilymarshalledtogether。IhavelivedmyselftoseethedisciplesofHoffman,Boerhaave,Stalh,Cullen,Brown,succeedoneanotherliketheshiftingfiguresofamagiclantern,&theirfancies,likethedressesoftheannualdoll-babiesfromParis,becoming,fromtheirnovelty,thevogueoftheday,andyieldingtothenextnoveltytheirephemeralfavor。Thepatient,treatedonthefashionabletheory,sometimesgetswellinspiteofthemedicine。Themedicinethereforerestoredhim,&theyoungdoctorreceivesnewcouragetoproceedinhisboldexperimentsonthelivesofhisfellowcreatures。Ibelievewemaysafelyaffirm,thattheinexperienced&presumptuousbandofmedicaltyrosletlooseupontheworld,destroysmoreofhumanlifeinoneyear,thanalltheRobinhoods,Cartouches,&Macheathsdoinacentury。ItisinthispartofmedicinethatIwishtoseeareform,anabandonmentofhypothesisforsoberfacts,thefirstdegreeofvaluesetonclinicalobservation,andthelowestonvisionarytheories。Iwouldwishtheyoungpractitioner,especially,tohavedeeplyimpressedonhismind,thereallimitsofhisart,&thatwhenthestateofhispatientgetsbeyondthese,hisofficeistobeawatchful,butquietspectatoroftheoperationsofnature,givingthemfairplaybyawell-regulatedregimen,&byalltheaidtheycanderivefromtheexcitementofgoodspirits&hopeinthepatient。I
havenodoubt,thatsomediseasesnotyetunderstoodmayintimebetransferredtothetableofthoseknown。But,wereIaphysician,I
第68章