Thecharacteroftheoppositionwhichsomeofthesepapershavemetwithsuggeststheinferencethattheycontainreallyimportant，butunwelcometruths。Negativesmultipliedintoeachotherchangetheirsignandbecomepositives。Hostilecriticismsmeetingtogetherareoftenequivalenttopraise，andthesquareoffault-findingturnsouttobethesamethingaseulogy。
　　Butawriterhasrarelysomanyenemiesasitpleaseshimtobelieve。
　　Self-loveleadsustooverratethenumbersofournegativeconstituency。Thelargerportionofmylimitedcircleofreadersmustbequiteindifferentto，ifnotignorantof，theadverseopinionswhichhavebeenexpressedorrecordedconcerninganyoftheseAddressesorEssaysnowsubmittedtotheirownjudgment。Itisproper，however，toinformthem，thatsomeofthepositionsmaintainedinthesepageshavebeenunsparinglyattacked，withvariousdegreesofability，scholarship，andgood-breeding。Thetoneofcriticismnaturallychangeswithlocalconditionsindifferentpartsofacountryextendedlikeourown，sothatitisoneofthemostconvenientgaugesofthepartialmovementsinthedirectionofcivilization。Itissatisfactorytoadd，thattheviewsassailedhavealsobeenunflinchinglydefendedbyunsoughtchampions，amongtheablestofwhomitispleasanttomention，atthismomentofpoliticalalienation，theEditoroftheCharlestonMedicalJournal。
　　“CurrentsandCounter-Currents“waswrittenanddeliveredasanOration，afloridrhetoricalcomposition，expresslyintendedtosecuretheattentionofanaudiencenoteasytoholdaslisteners。
　　Itsucceededindoingthis，andalsoinbeingascuriouslymisunderstoodandmisrepresentedasifithadbeenapoliticalharangue。Thisgaveitmorelocalnotorietythanitmightotherwisehaveattained，sothat，asIlearn，oneingeniouspersonmadeuseofitstitleasanadvertisementtoaproductionofhisown。
　　Thecommonestmodeofmisrepresentationwasthis：qualifiedpropositions，thewholemeaningofwhichdependedonthequalifications，werestrippedoftheseandtakenasabsolute。Thus，theattempttoestablishapresumptionagainstgivingpoisonstosickpersonswasconsideredasequivalenttocondemningtheuseofthesesubstances。Theonlyimportantinferencethewriterhasbeenabletodrawfromthegreaternumberoftherefutationsofhisopinionswhichhavebeenkindlysenthim，isthatthepreliminaryeducationoftheMedicalProfessionisnotalwayswhatitoughttobe。
　　Oneconcessionheiswillingtomake，whateversacrificeofprideitmayinvolve。ThestoryofMassasoit，whichhasfurnishedacoral，asitwere，forsometeethingcritics，whensubjectedtoapowerfullogicalanalysis，thoughcorrectinitsessentials，provestohavebeentoldwithexceptionablebreadthofstatement，andthereforetoresumethemetaphorhasbeenslightlyroundedoffatitsedges，soastobesmootherforanywhomaywishtobiteuponithereafter。InotherrespectstheDiscoursehashardlybeentouched。Itisonlyanindividual’sexpression，inhisownway，ofopinionsentertainedbyhundredsoftheMedicalProfessionineverycivilizedcountry，andhasnothinginitwhichonrevisionthewriterseescausetoretractormodify。ThesuperstitionsitattackslieattheveryfoundationofHomoeopathy，andofalmosteveryformofmedicalcharlatanism。
　　Stillthemereroutinistsandunthinkingartisansinmostcallingsdislikewhatevershakesthedustoutoftheirtraditions，anditmaybeunreasonabletoexpectthatMedicinewillalwaysproveanexceptiontotherule。OnehalftheoppositionwhichthenumericalsystemofLouishasmetwith，asappliedtotheresultsoftreatment，hasbeenowingtothefactthatitshowedthemovementsofdiseasetobefarmoreindependentofthekindofpracticepursuedthanwasagreeabletotheprideofthosewhoseself-confidenceitabated。
　　Thestatement，thatmedicinesaremoresparinglyusedinphysicians’
　　familiesthaninmostothers，admitsofaverynaturalexplanation，withoutputtingaharshconstructionuponit，whichitwasnotintendedtoadmit。Outsidepressureislessfeltinthephysician’sownhousehold；thatisall。Ifthisdoesnotsometimesinfluencehimtogivemedicine，orwhatseemstobemedicine，whenamongthosewhohavemoreconfidenceindruggingthanhisownfamilycommonlyhas，thelearnedProfessorDunglisonisherebyrequestedtoapologizeforhisdefinitionofthewordPlacebo，ortoexpungeitfromhisMedicalDictionary。
　　Onethingiscertain。Aloudoutcryonaslighttouchrevealstheweakspotinaprofession，aswellasinapatient。Itisadoubtfulpolicytoopposethefreestspeechinthoseofourownnumberwhoaretryingtoshowuswheretheyhonestlybelieveourweaknesslies。
　　VastasaretheadvancesofourScienceandArt，mayitnotpossiblyproveonexaminationthatweretainotheroldbarbarismsbesidetheuseoftheastrologicalsignofJupiter，withwhichweendeavortoinsuregoodlucktoourprescriptions？Isittheactofafriendorafoetotrytopointthemouttoourbrethrenwhenaskedtoaddressthem，andisthespeakertosubduetheconstitutionalhabitofhisstyletoagivenstandard，underpenaltyofgivingoffencetoagraveassembly？
　　HomoeopathyanditsKindredDelusions“waspublishednearlytwentyyearsago，andhasbeenlongoutofprint，sothattheauthortriedinvaintoprocureacopyuntilthekindnessofafriendsuppliedhimwiththeonlyonehehashadforyears。Afoolishstoryreachedhisearsthathewasattemptingtobuyupstraycopiesforthesakeofsuppressingit。Thiseditionwasinthepressatthatverytime。
　　ManyoftheargumentscontainedintheLectureshavelostwhatevernoveltytheymayhavepossessed。Allitspredictionshavebeensubmittedtotheformidabletestoftime。Theyappeartohavestoodit，sofar，aboutaswellasmostuninspiredprophecies；indeed，someofthemrequiremuchlessaccommodationthancertaingravecommentatorsemployintheirreadingsoftheancientProphets。
　　Ifsomestatisticsrecentlypublishedarecorrect，HomoeopathyhasmadeveryslowprogressinEurope。
　　InallEngland，asitappears，therearehardlyafifthmoreHomoeopathicpractitionersthantherearestudentsattendingLecturesattheMassachusettsMedicalCollegeatthepresenttime。InAmericaithasundoubtedlyprovedmorepopularandlucrative，yethowlooseaholdithasonthepublicconfidenceisshownbythefactthat，whenaspeciallyvaluedlife，whichhasbeenplayedwithbyoneofitsagents，isseriouslythreatened，thefirstthingweexpecttohearisthataregularpractitionerisbythepatient’sbed，andtheHomoeopathiccounselloroverruledordiscarded。Again，howmanyoftheardentandcapriciouspersonswhoembracedHomoeopathyhaverunthewholeroundofpretentiousnovelties；——havebeenboardedatwater-cureestablishments，closetedwithuterineandotherspecialists，andfinallywanderedoverseastoputthemselvesinchargeofforeigncelebrities，whodosedthemaslustilyastheywereeverdosedbeforetheytooktoglobules！ItwillsurprisemanytolearntowhatashadowofashadeHomoeopathyhasdwindledinthehandsofmanyofitsnotedpractitioners。Theitch-doctrineistreatedwithcontempt。Infinitesimaldosesarereplacedbyfulloneswheneverthefancy-practitionerchooses。GoodHomoeopathicreasonscanbefoundforemployinganythingthatanybodywantstoemploy。
　　Homoeopathyisnowmerelyaname，anunprovedtheory，andaboxofpelletspretendingtobespecifics，which，asallofusknow，failignominiouslyinthosecaseswherewewouldthankfullysacrificeallourprejudicesandgivetheworldtohavethemtruetotheirpromises。
　　HomoeopathyhasnotdiedoutsorapidlyasTractoration。Perhapsitwaswellthatitshouldnot，forithastaughtusalessonofthehealingfacultyofNaturewhichwasneeded，andforwhichmanyofushavemadeproperacknowledgments。Butitprobablydoesmoreharmthangoodtomedicalscienceatthepresenttime，bykeepingupthedelusionoftreatingeverythingbyspecifics，——theoldbarbarousnotionthatsickpeopleshouldfeedonpoisons[Lachesis，arrow-
　　poison，obtainedfromaserpentPulte。Crotalushorridus，rattlesnake’svenomNeidhard。ThelessdangerousPediculuscapilisisthefavoriteremedyofDr。Mure，theEnglish’ApostleofHomoeopathy。“Theseareexamplesoftheretrogradecurrentsettingtowardsbarbarism]againstwhichapartoftheDiscourseatthebeginningofthisvolumeisdirected。
　　Theinfinitesimalglobuleshavenotbecomeacuriosityasyet，likePerkins’sTractors。ButtimeisaveryelasticelementinGeologyandProphecy。IfDaniel’sseventyweeksmeanfourhundredandninetyyears，asthelearnedPrideauxandothershavesettleditthattheydo，the“notmanyyears“ofmypredictionmaybestretchedoutagenerationortwobeyondourtime，ifnecessary，whentheprophecywillnodoubtprovetrue。
　　ItmightbefittingtoaddafewwordswithregardtotheEssayontheContagiousnessofPuerperalFever。ButthewholequestionI
　　considertobenowtransferredfromthedomainofmedicalinquirytotheconsiderationofLifeInsuranceagenciesandGrandJuries。ForthejustificationofthissomewhatsharplyaccentedlanguageImustreferthereadertothepaperitselffordetailswhichIregrettohavebeenforcedtoplaceonpermanentrecord。
　　BOSTON，January，1861。
　　ASECONDPREFACE。
　　TheseLecturesandEssaysarearrangedintheordercorrespondingtothedateoftheirdeliveryorpublication。Theymust，ofcourse，bereadwithaconstantreferencetothesedates，bysuchascaretoreadthem。Ihavenotattemptedtomodernizetheiraspectorcharacterinpresentingthem，inthissomewhatalteredconnection，tothepublic。SeveralofthemwerecontainedinaformervolumewhichreceiveditsnamefromtheAddresscalled“CurrentsandCounter-
　　Currents。“Someofthosecontainedintheformervolumehavebeenreplacedbyothers。TheEssaycalled“MechanismofVitalActions“
　　hasbeentransferredtoadistinctcollectionofMiscellaneousessays，formingaseparatevolume。
　　IhadsomeintentionofincludingwiththesepapersanEssayonIntermittentFeverinNewEngland，whichreceivedoneoftheBoylstonprizesin1837，andwaspublishedinthefollowingyear。Butasthiswasuponasubjectoflocalinterest，chiefly，andwouldhavetakenupagooddealofroom，Ithoughtitbesttoleaveitout，trustingthatthestraycopiestobemetwithinmustybook-shopswouldsufficientlysupplythenotveryextensiveorurgentdemandforapaperalmosthalfacenturyold。
　　Someofthesepaperscreatedalittlestirwhentheyfirstfellfromthepressintothepoolofpublicconsciousness。Theywillslideinveryquietlynowinthisnewedition，andfindoutforthemselveswhetherthewatersarethoseofLethe，orwhethertheyaretoliveforatimeasnotwhollyunvaluedreminiscences。
　　March21，1883。
　　PREFACETOTHENEWEDITION。
　　TheseEssaysareoldenoughnowtogoalonewithoutstafforcrutchintheshapeofPrefaces。Averyfewwordsmaybeaconveniencetothereaderwhotakesupthebookandwishestoknowwhatheislikelytofindinit。
　　HOMOEOPATHYANDITSKINDREDDELUSIONS。
　　Homoeopathyhasprovedlucrative，andsolongasitcontinuestobesowillsurelyexist，——assurelyasastrology，palmistry，andothermethodsofgettingalivingoutoftheweaknessandcredulityofmankindandwomankind。Thoughithasnopretensionstobeconsideredasbelongingamongthesciences，itmaybelookeduponbyascientificmanasacuriousobjectofstudyamongthevagariesofthehumanmind。Itsinfluenceforgoodorthecontrarymaybemadeamatterofcalminvestigation。IhavestudieditintheEssaybeforethereader，undertheaspectofanextravagantandpurelyimaginativecreationofitsfounder。Sincethatfirstessaywaswritten，nearlyhalfacenturyago，wehaveallhadachancetowitnessitspracticalworking。Twooppositeinferencesmaybedrawnfromitsdoctrinesandpractice。Thefirstisthatwhichisacceptedbyitsdisciples。
　　Thisisthatalldiseasesare“cured“bydrugs。Theoppositeconclusionisdrawnbyamuchlargernumberofpersons。Astheyseethatpatientsareverycommonlygettingwellundertreatmentbyinfinitesimaldrugging，whichtheyconsiderequivalenttonomedicationatall，theycometodisbelieveineveryformofdruggingandputtheirwholetrustin“nature。“Thusexperience，“Fromseemingevilstilleducinggood，“
　　hasshownthatthedealersinthispreposteroussystemofpseudo-
　　therapeuticshavecooperatedwiththewiserclassofpractitionersinbreakingupthesystemofover-dosingandover-druggingwhichhasbeenoneofthestandingreproachesofmedicalpractice。While。
　　keepingupthemiserabledelusionthatdiseaseswerealltobe“cured“bydrugging，Homoeopathyhasbeenunintentionallyshowingthattheywouldverygenerallygetwellwithoutanydruggingatall。
　　Inthemeantimethenewerdoctrinesofthe“mindcure，“the“faithcure，“andtherestareencroachingontheterritorysolongmonopolizedbythatmostingeniousofthepseudo-sciences。Itwouldnotbesurprisingifitswholegroundshouldbetakenpossessionofbythesenewclaimantswiththeirflatteringappealstotheimaginativeclassofpersonsopentosuchattacks。Similiasimilabusmayprovefatallytrueforonce，ifHomoeopathyiskilledoutbyitsnew-bornrivals。
　　Ittakesaverymoderateamountoferuditiontounearthacharlatanlikethesupposedfatheroftheinfinitesimaldosingsystem。TherealinventorofthatspecioustrickerywasanIrishmanbythenameofButler。Thewholestoryistobefoundinthe“OrtusMedicinm“ofVanHelmont。Ihavegivensomeaccountofhischapter“Butler“indifferentarticles，butIwouldreferthestudentsofourHomoeopathiceducationalinstitutionstotheoriginal，whichtheywillfindveryinterestingandcurious。
　　CURRENTSANDCOUNTER-CURRENTS
　　Myattackonover-druggingbroughtoutsomehostilecommentsandtreatment。ThirtyyearsagoIexpressedmyselfwithmorevivacitythanIshouldshowifIwerewritingonthesamesubjectstoday。
　　Someofmymorelivelyremarkscalledoutverysharpanimadversion。
　　Thusmyillustrationofpreventionasoftenbetterthantreatmentinthemother’swordstoherchildwhichhadgotapoisonousberryinitsmouth，——“Spititout！“gavemortaloffencetoawell-knownNewYorkpractitionerandwriter，whoadvisedtheMassachusettsMedicalSocietytospitouttheoffendingspeaker。Worsethanthiswasmystatementofmybeliefthatifaship-loadofmiscellaneousdrugs，withcertainveryimportantexceptions，——drugs，manyofwhichwerethenoftengivenneedlesslyandinexcess，asthenused“couldbesunktothebottomofthesea，itwouldbeallthebetterformankindandalltheworseforthefishes。“Thiswastoobad。Thesentencewasmisquoted，quotedwithoutitsqualifyingconditions，andfrightenedsomeofmyworthyprofessionalbrethrenasmuchasifI
　　hadtoldthemtothrowallphysictothedogs。Butfortheepigrammaticstingthesentimentwouldhavebeenunnoticedasaharmlessoverstatementattheveryworst。