April 8. 18P3. THE HOSPITAL. 10
Medical History frojvi the Earliest Times. By E. T. Withington, M.A., M.B. Oxon.
were XLIX.?SIMILARS, SYMPATHY, AND poisons are medicines. They created for man ; SIGNATURES. they certainly are not good for the healthy, therefor.- three are for the sick. Disease be We may conveniently pause here to consider they good may likened to important and closely-allied medical doctrines, first a poison which may either be driven out by con- olearly formulated by Basil Valentiae and Paracelsus, traries or drawn out by similars, and the latter is by " " " those of similars," sympathy," and signatures." far the best method and causes least disturbance. He this The germ of these theories may be seen in such supports theory by many arguments and primitive beliefs as that the sight of a yellow bird will examples. It is well known, he says, that if a venomous ?cure jaundice, and in the ancient legend of the spear toad be dried and powdered, and the powder sprinkled of Achilles, which healed the wounds it inflicted. The on a poisoned wound, it will draw out the poison as a use of similars had been sanctioned in special cases by magnet draws iron, and the wound will heal. Soap is a fat has Hippocrates, and is, indeed, a natural result of his which has been treated chemically, and doctrine of the " vis medicatrix," for if some symptoms thereby acquired the power of extracting fat stains a from linen is a but if in disease are due to the efforts of Nature towards ; similarly, antimony poison, those treated it will the of ?cure, it is the physician's obvious duty to assist chemically acquire power drawing out from the human in other ?efforts by means of drugs which produce similar poisons body, or, words, of disease. It is to find Paracelsus symptoms. Analogous theories may be traced curing interesting the same in almost the same throughout the Middle Ages both among Arabs and using exactly analogy, to his ?Christians. Thus the free-thinking philosopher, words, support doctrine of similia similibus. " so But the doctrine of Paracelsus be Averroes, writes (Colliget v. 19), Nature has may, perhaps, more The arranged that diseased organs are benefited by parts correctly expressed by analoga analogis. the Galenic of or of hot similar to them, e.g., in disorders of the stomach theory contraries, treating by cold, he declares and has the stomachs of animals are commended, especially those &c., is, always been, false; true is between the disease and the ?of fowls, and for a diseased lung the lungs of animals, opposition arcanum, or which to it. These he especially foxes." So, too, the blessed Albertus Magnus remedy corresponds compares " 1 con- to two combatants who are alike hot or and "tells us, It is no secret how every like' aids, cold, armed with and embraces that which is like similar weapons, defensive and offensive, firms, loves, acts upon, " suum for it is thus that Nature wills her battles should be it omne simile et confirmet (quomodo adjuvet " And fout ht." So heart cures heart, simile, diligat et moveat et amplectatur illud). spleen spleen, lungs this not sow's heart, not cow's not the physicians have already asserted and verified lungs; spleen, goat's liver is lungs, but member to corresponding member of the for their part, for they declare that good Arnald great and the inner man (i.e., the macrocosm and the for the liver, and every organ for its like." These are of that all soldiers wounded microcosm)." correspondencies shown by Yillanova recommends " or in colour. If a in battle should drink a decoction of persicaria or signs signatures, especially plant a two same has flower of colours it has two virtues; if three, water-pepper, and that a powder of the should three, &c." The spines of the thistle indicate that a be sprinkled on the wound, a prescription apparently Btalk decoction of that herb is for in the side ; based on the fact that the plant has a reddish good pains for the reasons is the and flower, and leaves spotted, as it were,'with blood. persicaria, given above, remedy for but the leaves and kernels of at are the reasons adduced Paracelsus, bleeding wounds; These, least, by " the are also useful, for see now who repeats the recommendation. Similarly the leaves peach-tree on the fruit of the if it is ?of the asarum and the cyclamen were supposed to re- peach, pressed by the hollow remain, so also severe semble the human ear, and preparations of those plants finger, places diseases wounds leave hollow places behind them." Lizards are were, as we have seen, prescribed in aural by for anthrax or carbuncle, as is their the most distinguished and orthodox practitioners. good proved by colour, and the frog is a for "Why ifi But it was the medical mystics who first converted specific plague. the so made that he should be a these beliefs into fundamental principles of practice, frog strangely except medicine for tbe Therefore ha has his for they combined in their philosophy two doctrines plague? for see as which especially favoured the m?the Neo-Pla tonic theory signature thereto; disgusting (abscheulich) as is the so is the also. When that the human body has a mysterious correspondence plague, disgusting frog a is have black on their and sympathy with the outer world, is in fact a little plague comiug frogs spots also so as sit one another universe or microcosm, and the Christian dogma that tongues; many frogs upon at an unusual ten or one all things were created with a view to mankind In time, e.g., twenty upon human shall be thrown one of her visions St. Hildegard heard a voice f
even he example shows to what depths of absurdity so cure that disorder. Such theories were considered Lead, in could be brought by the spirit of mysticism. by the mystics peculiarly profound glimpses into the to Saturn, the the language of alchemy, corresponds secrets of Nature, and the less they were connected with Therefore, according slow-moving melancholy planet. common sense, the more they were held to he due to attract to themselves by to Basil, the salt3 of lead will some semi-divine revelation, and the more vigorously cause melancholia, and sjmpathy the humours which did they ahuse those who rejected them.