THE ELIMINATION HYPOTHESIS. We need
liardly remind our readers that a controversy is at present going on in England between two parties, the one represented by Dr. G-. Johnson, holding that the eruption of small-pox, scarlet fever, measles, and the vomiting and purging in cholera are unquestionably curative efforts of nature to excrete noxious materials from the circulation; the other party, led by Dr. Clifford A.llbutt, maintain that wo liave no grounds for asserting that the elimination of the poison of small-pox is due to conservative efforts of nature, but that specific poisons of this description, set up in the bodies of those subject to their influence of motion
a
definite action in the active tissues, a " mode like their own to give it hold, and
sufficiently
sufficiently unlike to cause great perturbation, and that cure consists in the completion of a certain cycle of changes, the definiteness of which is shadowed forth in the definite tide
TIIE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
114 ?which these diseases observe."
The morbid
in
leaving path body simply no tendency, in fact, for poisons to rush from within the body outwards, which is not shared in like degree by food or other the
poison
of least resistence ; there is
follows the
indifferent substances. It would be
matters, would forth the
a
desirable practice if
writing on medical a preamble setting doubtful expressions and words used.
of
meaning
men,
their work with
commence
been instrumental towards under-
For instance, it would have Dr. Johnson's
pathology of cholera had he prefaced his works by giving us the meaning he attaches to expressions such as "the curative effort of nature," "secretory eliminative In fact, unless we can define effort of nature," and so on. the meaning attached by authors to such terms as these, it is impossible to discuss doctrines respecting controversies 'which may have arisen regarding their ideas of disease. The present is a case in point. Dr. Johnson now holds that he invariably used the term nature to express functions of the living body. It is difficult, however, to understand how this definition of standing
nature
be substituted for the word nature in the
can
passages taken from Dr. Johnson's writings :? " The vomiting and purging which occur in rhoea and
in cholera
nature to
are
from
separate
salutary
epidemic
?"
diar-
and curative efforts
the blood and to cast out of the
the noxious materials which constitute the essential the disease
following
of
body
cause
of
if the curative efforts of nature have not been
interfered with by art;"?"the disease has
a
natural
tendency
?" the to terminate in recovery salutary efforts of nature, which the morbid poison was being eliminated, wore by
arrested." Dr. Johnson, in
explanation
of his
meaning,
and to
enforce his argument, quotes with approval from Sydenham, ?who writes that,?" by checking the disease at its outset I
should
wear
out the
patient by
intestine war, since I should con-
fine the enemy to his seat in tiie bowels, should impede the natural evacuations, and detain those humours which were seeking
for
an
outlet." On this idea, and similar passages from AnnesDr. Johnson
ley's works,
sums up the matter by asserting scarcely be doubted that this is the true pathological interpretation of the intestinal discharges, and that they are the result of a very active secretory eliminative
that
"
it
can
effort?" the unaided powers of nature
are
often found to be
insufficient for the evacuation of the stomach and intestines." It seems to when "
us
hardly possible
to believe that Dr.
Johnson,
these sentences, really intended to express by nature"?" the functions of the living but rather with
writing
body,"
and the older authors, to attach to this term the " idea of the self-mending power of the body and if so, clearly Dr. Allbutt has just reason to object to doctrines of the kind
Sydenham,
part of
that mischievous
verbiage which the older emyloy, using words without considering their meaning, and so greatly hindering the we think, should progress of medical science. The profession, be grateful to those who, from time to time, bring us to our bearings on these matters, especially as by so doing they expose as
being
authors
a
on
medicine
were
wont to
themselves to sneers, such
as
those contained in the British
January, against Dr. Allbutt. gentleman, however, is probably accustomed, as we are, to be informed that we are misguided and ignorant people, by those Medical Journal
of the 27th
That
who have
no
more
effective weapons at their command with which
[Mat 1;
1872.
propositions advanced subversive of their pet theories. profession could but free themselves from the limbo of nature"?" epidemic influences" and such like meaningless expressions, how much broader our ideas regarding diseases such as small-pox, measles and cholera to
meet
If the members of our "
would grow.
liardly remind our readers that a controversy is at present going on in England between two parties, the one represented by Dr. G-. Johnson, holding that the eruption of small-pox, scarlet fever, measles, and the vomiting and purging in cholera are unquestionably curative efforts of nature to excrete noxious materials from the circulation; the other party, led by Dr. Clifford A.llbutt, maintain that wo liave no grounds for asserting that the elimination of the poison of small-pox is due to conservative efforts of nature, but that specific poisons of this description, set up in the bodies of those subject to their influence of motion
a
definite action in the active tissues, a " mode like their own to give it hold, and
sufficiently
sufficiently unlike to cause great perturbation, and that cure consists in the completion of a certain cycle of changes, the definiteness of which is shadowed forth in the definite tide
TIIE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
114 ?which these diseases observe."
The morbid
in
leaving path body simply no tendency, in fact, for poisons to rush from within the body outwards, which is not shared in like degree by food or other the
poison
of least resistence ; there is
follows the
indifferent substances. It would be
matters, would forth the
a
desirable practice if
writing on medical a preamble setting doubtful expressions and words used.
of
meaning
men,
their work with
commence
been instrumental towards under-
For instance, it would have Dr. Johnson's
pathology of cholera had he prefaced his works by giving us the meaning he attaches to expressions such as "the curative effort of nature," "secretory eliminative In fact, unless we can define effort of nature," and so on. the meaning attached by authors to such terms as these, it is impossible to discuss doctrines respecting controversies 'which may have arisen regarding their ideas of disease. The present is a case in point. Dr. Johnson now holds that he invariably used the term nature to express functions of the living body. It is difficult, however, to understand how this definition of standing
nature
be substituted for the word nature in the
can
passages taken from Dr. Johnson's writings :? " The vomiting and purging which occur in rhoea and
in cholera
nature to
are
from
separate
salutary
epidemic
?"
diar-
and curative efforts
the blood and to cast out of the
the noxious materials which constitute the essential the disease
following
of
body
cause
of
if the curative efforts of nature have not been
interfered with by art;"?"the disease has
a
natural
tendency
?" the to terminate in recovery salutary efforts of nature, which the morbid poison was being eliminated, wore by
arrested." Dr. Johnson, in
explanation
of his
meaning,
and to
enforce his argument, quotes with approval from Sydenham, ?who writes that,?" by checking the disease at its outset I
should
wear
out the
patient by
intestine war, since I should con-
fine the enemy to his seat in tiie bowels, should impede the natural evacuations, and detain those humours which were seeking
for
an
outlet." On this idea, and similar passages from AnnesDr. Johnson
ley's works,
sums up the matter by asserting scarcely be doubted that this is the true pathological interpretation of the intestinal discharges, and that they are the result of a very active secretory eliminative
that
"
it
can
effort?" the unaided powers of nature
are
often found to be
insufficient for the evacuation of the stomach and intestines." It seems to when "
us
hardly possible
to believe that Dr.
Johnson,
these sentences, really intended to express by nature"?" the functions of the living but rather with
writing
body,"
and the older authors, to attach to this term the " idea of the self-mending power of the body and if so, clearly Dr. Allbutt has just reason to object to doctrines of the kind
Sydenham,
part of
that mischievous
verbiage which the older emyloy, using words without considering their meaning, and so greatly hindering the we think, should progress of medical science. The profession, be grateful to those who, from time to time, bring us to our bearings on these matters, especially as by so doing they expose as
being
authors
a
on
medicine
were
wont to
themselves to sneers, such
as
those contained in the British
January, against Dr. Allbutt. gentleman, however, is probably accustomed, as we are, to be informed that we are misguided and ignorant people, by those Medical Journal
of the 27th
That
who have
no
more
effective weapons at their command with which
[Mat 1;
1872.
propositions advanced subversive of their pet theories. profession could but free themselves from the limbo of nature"?" epidemic influences" and such like meaningless expressions, how much broader our ideas regarding diseases such as small-pox, measles and cholera to
meet
If the members of our "
would grow.
