Physician and patient

THE ANTIQUITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, translated and compiled from the works of Augusti, with numerous additions from Rheinwald, Siegel and others, by the Rev. Lyman Coleman, 1 vol. 8vo.

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THE COMPLETE WORKS OF REV. DANIEL A. CLARK, edited by his son, James Henry Clark, M. D., with a biographical sketch, and an estimate of his powers as a preacher, by Rev. George Shepard, A. M., Professor of Sacred Rhetoric, Bangor Theological Seminary, 2 vols. 8vo.

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THE POWER OF THE PULPIT, or Plain Thoughts addressed to Christian Ministers and those who hear them, on the influence of a Preached Gospel. By Gardiner Spring, D. D. 1 vol. 12mo., cloth, with a portrait of the Author, third edition

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—— 1 vol. 8vo. 1.75

THE BETHEL FLAG, by Gardiner Spring, D. D., 1 vol. 12mo., cloth

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THE COMPLETE WORKS OF JOHN M. MASON, D.D. Edited by Rev. Ebenezer Mason, 4 vols. 8vo., with a portrait

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THE PSALMS, Translated and Explained for English Readers, by Rev. J. Addison Alexander, D.D., 2 vols. 12mo. (Soon to be issued)

NAPOLEON AND HIS MARSHALS, By J. T. Headley, 2 vols. 12mo., cloth, gilt. Illustrated with 12 portraits, 20th edition

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WASHINGTON AND HIS GENERALS, by J. T. Headley, 2 vols. 12mo., cloth, gilt. Illustrated with 16 portraits, 15th edition

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PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT.

PHYSICIAN AND PATIENT;

OR,

A PRACTICAL VIEW

OF THE

MUTUAL DUTIES, RELATIONS AND INTERESTS

OF THE

MEDICAL PROFESSION

AND THE

COMMUNITY.

BY WORTHINGTON HOOKER, M.D.

I here present thee with a hive of bees, laden some with wax, and some with honey. Fear not to approach. There are no wasps, there are no hornets here. If some wanton bee should chance to buzz about thine ears, stand thy ground and hold thy hands; there’s none will sting if thou strike not first. If any do, she hath honey in her bag will cure thee too. QUARLES.

NEW YORK:

BAKER AND SCRIBNER, 145 NASSAU STREET AND 36 PARK ROW. 1849.

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1849, by

BAKER AND SCRIBNER,

In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.

Printed by C. W. BENEDICT, 201 William street.

PREFACE.

A few words may be proper in explanation of the objects for which this book was written.

The forms which quackery assumes are endless; but the material out of which they are evolved is essentially the same in all ages and in all countries. There are certain medical errors which are common to man everywhere and in every condition. It is these which constitute the material of quackery, whether it appear among the savage or the civilized, the rude or the refined, the illiterate or the learned. One object of this book is to develop these fundamental errors, and to show the modus operandi by which the genius of imposture has produced from them the fantastic and ever-changing shapes of empiricism.[1] I notice particularly some of the specific forms of quackery which are now prevalent, not because they differ essentially from those which have preceded them, but because they have a present interest to the reader.

One of the objects at which I aim is to expose to the public the fallacy of those sources of evidence, upon which they rely in estimating the comparative merits of physicians, and to show them what tests they have at command, which will not prove fallacious. The proper use of these tests would save the public from mistaking, as they now often do, the plausible pretensions of the superficial practitioner, and the charlatan, for the evidences of real skill and wisdom.