Medicine: Schools and Pathies

A fortnight ago the American Medical Association held its 74th annual convention at San Francisco. Last week the American Institute of Homeopathy held its 79th annual convention at Atlantic City, and the American Osteopathic Association foregathered for the 27th time at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York.

The presidential address before the homeopaths, by Dr. Claude A. Burrett, of Rochester, N. Y., contained the not original assertion that 20 years will be added to the average span of life in the next half century, and that the time is near when it will be “a crime” to die under 75 years of age from diabetes, Bright’s disease, the cardiac vascular diseases and pos-sibly cancer. Dr. Leonard Williams, London specialist, recently made a similar statement, setting up 120 years as man’s probable goal. It is true that the span of life in the United States has increased approximately 15 years since public health work was introduced in the 70’s, and it is generally conceded that 15 years more might be added, raising the span to perhaps 65, if what is now known of hygiene and prevention by the advanced minds were universally applied.

High lights at the osteopaths’ convention: Cures were claimed 1) for hay fever, by Dr. T. L. Ray, of Fort Worth, Tex.; 2) for various types of insanity, including dementia praecox, through removal of circulatory and nerve defects, by Dr. A S. Hildreth, of Macon, Mo.; 3) for infected tonsils, through nonsurgical treatment, by Dr. Lucius Bush, of New York. A practical examination for every physician once in five years to keep him up with the times was advocated by Dr. C. J. Gaddis, of Chicago. Dr. W. A. Gravett, of Dayton, 0., was elected President.

The differences between the various “pathies” are often puzzling to the laity, but here is a pocket Baedeker:

Homeopathy (from Gk., “like disease”). Founded by Samuel C. F. Hahnemann, a Leipzig physician, in 1796. His main work was The Organon of Rational Healing, which embodies the four main principles of the homeopathic creed: 1) The”proving” or testing of all medicines on healthy persons before their use in treatment. 2) The law of “similars”—often epitomized in a Latin maxim, Similia similibus curantur. The theory is that specific drugs produce in the healthy, symptoms of the diseases they are adapted to cure. The selection and administration of the proper drug for each disease is the heart of homeopathy. 3) The use of only a single remedy for each disease. 4) Minimum dosage, i. e., smaller doses, put up in uniform pellets, were thought to show the best curative powers. Hahnemann himself “proved” some 90 drugs, and his followers have ransacked the whole Pharmacopoeia for “similars.” The method took hold, despite strong medical and official opposition, and spread rapidly in Europe. Hahnemann removed to Paris, where he was very successful until his death in 1843. The movement was introduced into the U. S. about that time and flourished for more than 60 years, but its influence is now waning with the more recent vogue of drugless healing and the absorption by regular medicine of some of the homeopaths’ emphasis on the art of prescription. At its height there were about 15,000 homeopaths in America, and ten schools, but these are now reduced to two—the Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia and the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Flower Hospital, of which Senator Royal S. Copeland was formerly dean. The homeopathic schools teach all branches that regular medical schools do, though not granted Class A rank.

Osteopathy (from Gk., “bone dis-ease”). Founded by Dr. Andrew T. Still, an old-school physician of Baldwin, Kan., in 1874. The first college was opened at Kirksville, Mo., in 1892, and is still the headquarters of the movement. Seven other schools have been started. All the regular medical subjects are taught, though from a different point of view, except materia medico,, for which osteopathic theory and practice is substituted. The course is three years in length. The osteopathic method uses no drugs and is based on the theory that any disease can be controlled by nature’s own remedial agents within the body— blood, lymph and nerve force. In diagnosing disease, osteopaths search for structural abnormalities of any kind, and seek by mechanical adjustments to remove these obstacles to proper natural functioning. Osteopathy employs good diet, hygiene and nursing as adjuncts. It does not ignore the microbic theory of disease, grants some value to surgery, but believes the main cause of disease to lie in maladjustment. The practice is legalized in the U. S. and Canada, and there are about 7,000 practitioners.

Eclecticism. There are a number of “eclectic” medical schools in the U. S., invariably of low grade, which aim to select and teach methods of value from all schools. They are gradually dying out.

Chiropractic (from Gk., “handwork “). This cult is one of the most recent and apparently the greatest popular success of all It was founded at Davenport, la., in the 90’s by D. D. Palmer, whose son, B. J. Palmer, now carries on the school. Its methods are also drugless and manipulative, and are based on the hypothesis that all disease is caused by dislocations (called ” subluxations”) of the spinal cord, pinching the nerves which proceed from the cord, through openings in the vertebrae, to the limbs and organs. By “adjusting” the vertebrae, the chiropractor frees the nerves to function normally. Chiropractic schools have sprung up with great rapidity in the past decade. There is little unity among them in theory or treatment, but the practitioners are strongly organized and make vigorous use of advertising and other commercial methods which are scorned by the regular profession as unethical.

Christian Science, etc. Christian Science, autosuggestion and other varieties of faith cure cannot be treated adequately here, except to make plain their philosophic opposition to all methods of healing heretofore mentioned, which in some form or other recognize the practical reality of the human body and treat pathological conditions by physical means. The mental treatment cults will have none of this, but in practice their influence is cast with the insurgent groups in favor of ” medical freedom” and in opposition to the orthodox profession and to compulsory legislation of all kinds.

Allopathy. This word (of hybrid derivation from English and Greek roots) was coined by the homeopaths to distinguish the regular system of medicine from their own. It is popularly applied now to the regulars as opposed to all other schools.

From a scientific point of view, the greatest weakness of the irregular groups is their low educational requirements. The homeopathic schools, granting the degree of M.D., are the only ones generally recognized by the regular profession. The others, granting various degrees, as D.O., D.C., etc., are less thorough and frankly admit high school graduates and in some cases even grammar school graduates. Accurate knowledge of anatomy, pathology, physiology, is not a primary aim of the chiropractors, for instance, and the profession is overcrowded with poorly prepared persons attracted by the monetary advantages.

There is, of course, nothing to prevent a graduate of a regular medical school from securing chiropractic or osteopathic training, and vice versa. Osteopaths frequently take the regular state board examinations. Many regular physicians grant the desirability of such methods in certain types of cases, classing them with massage and other aids, but refuse to admit the claims of universal applicability made by the cults. The medical licensing machinery of most states is strictly orthodox, and there is a constant legislative fight by the irregulars for examining boards of their own membership. Conflict comes when these schools attempt to treat infectious diseases. Forty-five states have single boards, granting licenses only to graduates of recognized medical schools. Five states have multiple boards recognizing other schools. Most states permit osteopaths, chiropractors, etc., to practice their own specialties if they do not attempt the general practice of medicine.