But，independentlyofanysuchgroundsofactiveresistance，thesubjectinvolvesinterestssodisproportionedtoitsintrinsicclaims，thatitisnomorethananactofhumanitytogiveitapublicexamination。Ifthenewdoctrineisnottruth，itisadangerous，adeadlyerror。Ifitisamereillusion，andacquiresthesamedegreeofinfluencethatwehaveoftenseenobtainedbyotherillusions，thereisnotoneofmyaudiencewhomaynothaveoccasiontodeplorethefatalcredulitywhichlistenedtoitspromises。
　　Ishallthereforeundertakeasoberexaminationofitsprinciples，itsfacts，andsomepointsofitshistory。ThelimitedtimeatmydisposalrequiresmetocondenseasmuchaspossiblewhatIhavetosay，butIshallendeavortobeplainanddirectinexpressingit。
　　Notonestatementshallbemadewhichcannotbesupportedbyunimpeachablereference：notonewordshallbeutteredwhichIamnotaswillingtoprintastospeak。Ihavenoquibblestoutter，andI
　　shallstooptoanswernone；but，withfullfaithinthesufficiencyofaplainstatementoffactsandreasons，Isubmitthesubjecttothediscernmentofmyaudience。
　　Thequestionmaybeaskedintheoutset，——Haveyousubmittedthedoctrinesyouareprofessingtoexaminetothetestoflong-repeatedandcarefulexperiment；haveyoutriedtoseewhethertheyweretrueornot？TothisIanswer，thatitisabundantlyevident，fromwhathasoftenhappened，thatitwouldbeofnomannerofuseformetoallegetheresultsofanyexperimentsImighthaveinstituted。Againandagainhavethemostexplicitstatementsbeenmadebythemostcompetentpersonsoftheutterfailureofalltheirtrials，andtherewerethesameabundantexplanationsofferedasusedtobefortheUnguentumArmariumaridtheMetallicTractors。Icouldbynopossibilityperformanyexperimentstheresultofwhichcouldnotbeeasilyexplainedawaysoastobeofnoconclusivesignificance。
　　Besides，asargumentsinfavorofHomoeopathyareconstantlyaddressedtothepublicinjournals，pamphlets，andevenlectures，byinexperienceddilettanti，thesamechannelmustbeopentoallitsopponents。
　　Itisnecessary，forthesakeofthosetowhomthewholesubjectmaybenew，togiveinthesmallestpossiblecompassthesubstanceoftheHomoeopathicDoctrine。SamuelHahnemann，itsfounder，isaGermanphysician，nowlivinginParis，“[Hahnemanndiedin1843。]attheageofeighty-sevenyears。In1796hepublishedthefirstpapercontaininghispeculiarnotions；in1805hisfirstworkonthesubject；in1810hissomewhatfamous“OrganonoftheHealingArt；“
　　thenextyearwhathecalledthe“PureMateriaMedica；“andin1828
　　hislastwork，the“TreatiseonChronicDiseases。“Hehasthereforebeenwritingatintervalsonhisfavoritesubjectfornearlyhalfacentury。
　　TheonegreatdoctrinewhichconstitutesthebasisofHomoeopathyasasystemisexpressedbytheLatinaphorism，“SIMILIASIBIILIBUSCURANTUR，“
　　orlikecureslike，thatis，diseasesarecuredbyagentscapableofproducingsymptomsresemblingthosefoundinthediseaseundertreatment。AdiseaseforHahnemannconsistsessentiallyinagroupofsymptoms。Thepropermedicineforanydiseaseistheonewhichiscapableofproducingasimilargroupofsymptomswhengiventoahealthyperson。
　　Itisofcoursenecessarytoknowwhatarethetrainsofsymptomsexcitedbydifferentsubstances，whenadministeredtopersonsinhealth，ifanysuchcanbeshowntoexist。Hahnemannandhisdisciplesgivecataloguesofthesymptomswhichtheyaffirmwereproduceduponthemselvesorothersbyalargenumberofdrugswhichtheysubmittedtoexperiment。
　　ThesecondgreatfactwhichHahnemannprofessestohaveestablishedistheefficacyofmedicinalsubstancesreducedtoawonderfuldegreeofminutenessordilution。ThefollowingaccountofhismodeofpreparinghismedicinesisfromhisworkonChronicDiseases，whichhasnot，Ibelieve，yetbeentranslatedintoEnglish。Agrainofthesubstance，ifitissolid，adropifitisliquid，istobeaddedtoaboutathirdpartofonehundredgrainsofsugarofmilkinanunglazedporcelaincapsulewhichhashadthepolishremovedfromthelowerpartofitscavitybyrubbingitwithwetsand；theyaretobemingledforaninstantwithaboneorhornspatula，andthenrubbedtogetherforsixminutes；thenthemassistobescrapedtogetherfromthemortarandpestle，whichistotakefourminutes；thentobeagainrubbedforsixminutes。Fourminutesarethentobedevotedtoscrapingthepowderintoaheap，andthesecondthirdofthehundredgrainsofsugarofmilktobeadded。Thentheyaretobestirredaninstantandrubbedsixminutes，——againtobescrapedtogetherfourminutesandforciblyrubbedsix；oncemorescrapedtogetherforfourminutes，whenthelastthirdofthehundredgrainsofsugarofmilkistobeaddedandmingledbystirringwiththespatula；sixminutesofforciblerubbing，fourofscrapingtogether，andsixmorepositivelythelastsixofrubbing，finishthispartoftheprocess。
　　Everygrainofthispowdercontainsthehundredthofagrainofthemedicinalsubstancemingledwiththesugarofmilk。If，therefore，agrainofthepowderjustpreparedismingledwithanotherhundredgrainsofsugarofmilk，andtheprocessjustdescribedrepeated，weshallhaveapowderofwhicheverygraincontainsthehundredthofthehundredth，orthetenthousandthpartofagrainofthemedicinalsubstance。Repeatthesameprocesswiththesamequantityoffreshsugarofmilk，andeverygrainofyourpowderwillcontainthemillionthofagrainofthemedicinalsubstance。Whenthepowderisofthisstrength，itisreadytoemployinthefurthersolutionsanddilutionstobemadeuseofinpractice。
　　Agrainofthepowderistobetaken，ahundreddropsofalcoholaretobepouredonit，thevialistobeslowlyturnedforafewminutes，untilthepowderisdissolved，andtwoshakesaretobegiventoit。OnthispointIwillquoteHahnemann’sownwords。
　　“Alongexperienceandmultipliedobservationsuponthesickleadmewithinthelastfewyearstoprefergivingonlytwoshakestomedicinalliquids，whereasIformerlyusedtogiveten。“Theprocessofdilutioniscarriedoninthesamewayastheattenuationofthepowderwasdone；eachsuccessivedilutionwithalcoholreducingthemedicinetoahundredthpartofthequantityofthatwhichprecededit。Inthiswaythedilutionoftheoriginalmillionthofagrainofmedicinecontainedinthegrainofpowderoperatedoniscarriedsuccessivelytothebillionth，trillionth，quadrillionth，quintillionth，andveryoftenmuchhigherfractionaldivisions。A
　　doseofanyofthesemedicinesisaminutefractionofadrop，obtainedbymoisteningwiththemoneormorelittleglobulesofsugar，ofwhichHahnemannsaysittakesabouttwohundredtoweighagrain。
　　AsaninstanceofthestrengthofthemedicinesprescribedbyHahnemann，Iwillmentioncarbonateoflime。Hedoesnotemploycommonchalk，butprefersalittleportionofthefriablepartofanoystershell。Ofthissubstance，carriedtothesextillionthdegree，somuchasoneortwoglobulesofthesizementionedcanconveyisacommondose。Butforpersonsofverydelicatenervesitisproperthatthedilutionshouldbecarriedtothedecillionthdegree。Thatis，animportantmedicinaleffectistobeexpectedfromthetwohundredthorhundredthpartofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofthemillionthofagrainofoyster-shell。Thisisonlythetenthdegreeofpotency，butsomeofhisdisciplesprofesstohaveobtainedpalpableeffectsfrommuchhigherdilutions。“
　　ThethirdgreatdoctrineofHahnemannisthefollowing。SeveneighthsatleastofallchronicdiseasesareproducedbytheexistenceinthesystemofthatinfectiousdisorderknowninthelanguageofsciencebytheappellationofPSORA，buttothelessrefinedportionofthecommunitybythenameofITCH。InthewordsofHahnemann’s“Organon，““ThisPsoraisthesoletrueandfundamentalcausethatproducesalltheothercountlessformsofdisease，which，underthenamesofnervousdebility，hysteria，hypochondriasis，insanity，melancholy，idiocy，madness，epilepsy，andspasmsofallkinds，softeningofthebones，orrickets，scoliosisandcyphosis，caries，cancer，funguahaematodes，gout，——yellowjaundiceandcyanosis，dropsy，——
　　[“ThedegreesofDILUTIONmustnotbeconfoundedwiththoseofPOTENCY。Theirrelationsmaybeseenbythistable：
　　lstdilution，——Onehundredthofadroporgrain。
　　2d“Onetenthousandth。
　　3d“Onemillionth，markedI。
　　4th“Onehundredmillionth。
　　5th“Onetenthousandmillionth。
　　6th“Onemillionmillionth，oronebillionth，markedII。
　　7th“Onehundredbillionth。
　　8th“Onetenthousandbillionth。
　　9th“Onemillionbillionth，oronetrillionth，markedIII。
　　10th“Onehundredtrillionth。
　　11th“Onetenthousandtrillionth。
　　12th“Onemilliontrillionth，oronequadrillionth，markedIV。，——andsoonindefinitely。
　　ThelargefiguresdenotethedegreesofPOTENCY。]
　　gastralgia，epistaxis，haemoptysis，——asthmaandsuppurationofthelungs，——megrim，deafness，cataractandamaurosis，——paralysis，lossofsense，painsofeverykind，etc。，appearinourpathologyassomanypeculiar，distinct，andindependentdiseases。“
　　Forthelastthreecenturies，ifthesameauthoritymaybetrusted，undertheinfluenceofthemorerefinedpersonalhabitswhichhaveprevailed，andtheapplicationofvariousexternalremedieswhichrepeltheaffectionfromtheskin；Psorahasrevealeditselfinthesenumerousformsofinternaldisease，insteadofappearing，asinformerperiods，undertheaspectofanexternalmalady。
　　ThesearethethreecardinaldoctrinesofHahnemann，aslaiddowninthosestandardworksofHomoeopathy，the“Organon“andthe“TreatiseonChronicDiseases。“
　　Severalotherprinciplesmaybeadded，uponallofwhichheinsistswithgreatforce，andwhichareverygenerallyreceivedbyhisdisciples。
　　1。Verylittlepowerisallowedtothecurativeeffortsofnature。
　　Hahnemanngoessofarastosaythatnoonehaseverseenthesimpleeffortsofnatureeffectthedurablerecoveryofapatientfromachronicdisease。Ingeneral，theHomoeopathistcallseveryrecoverywhichhappensunderhistreatmentacure。
　　2。Everymedicinalsubstancemustbeadministeredinastateofthemostperfectpurity，anduncombinedwithanyother。Theunionofseveralremediesinasingleprescriptiondestroysitsutility，and，accordingtothe“Organon，“frequentlyaddsanewdisease。
　　3。Alargenumberofsubstancescommonlythoughttobeinertdevelopgreatmedicinalpowerswhenpreparedinthemanneralreadydescribed；
　　andagreatproportionofthemareascertainedtohavespecificantidotesincasetheirexcessiveeffectsrequiretobeneutralized。
　　4。Diseasesshouldberecognized，asfaraspossible，notbyanyofthecommonnamesimposeduponthem，asfeverorepilepsy，butasindividualcollectionsofsymptoms，eachofwhichdiffersfromeveryothercollection。
　　5。Thesymptomsofanycomplaintmustbedescribedwiththemostminuteexactness，andsofaraspossibleinthepatient’sownwords。
　　Toillustratethekindofcircumstancesthepatientisexpectedtorecord，Iwillmentiononeortwofromthe313thpageofthe“TreatiseonChronicDiseases，“——beingthefirstoneatwhichI
　　openedaccidentally。
　　“Afterdinner，dispositiontosleep；thepatientwinks。“
　　“Afterdinner，prostrationandfeelingofweaknessninedaysaftertakingtheremedy。“
　　Thisremedywasthatsameoyster-shellwhichistobeprescribed“fractionsofthesextillionthordecillionthdegree。AccordingtoHahnemann，theactionofasingledoseofthesizementioneddoesnotfullydisplayitselfinsomecasesuntiltwenty-fouroreventhirtydaysafteritistaken，andinsuchinstanceshasnotexhausteditsgoodeffectsuntiltowardsthefortiethorfiftiethday，——beforewhichtimeitwouldbeabsurdandinjurioustoadministeranewremedy。
　　SomuchforthedoctrinesofHahnemann，whichhavebeenstatedwithoutcomment，orexaggerationofanyoftheirfeatures，verymuchasanyadherentofhisopinionsmighthavestatedthem，ifobligedtocompressthemintosonarrowaspace。
　　DoesHahnemannhimselfrepresentHomoeopathyasitnowexists？Hecertainlyoughttobeitsbestrepresentative，afterhavingcreatedit，anddevotedhislifetoitforhalfacentury。Heisspokenofasthegreatphysicianofthetime，inmost，ifnotallHomoeopathicworks。Ifheisnotauthorityonthesubjectofhisowndoctrines，whois？SofarasIamaware，notonetangiblediscoveryintheso-calledsciencehaseverbeenascribedtoanyotherobserver；atleast，nogeneralprincipleorlaw，ofconsequenceenoughtoclaimanyprominenceinHomoeopathicworks，haseverbeenpretendedtohaveoriginatedwithanyofhisillustriousdisciples。HeisoneoftheonlytwoHomoeopathicwriterswithwhom，asIshallmention，theParispublisherwillhaveanythingtodouponhisownaccount。TheotherisJahr，whoseManualislittlemorethanacatalogueofsymptomsandremedies。IfanypersonschoosetorejectHahnemannasnotinthemainrepresentingHomoeopathy，iftheystrikeathisauthority，iftheywinkoutofsighthisdeliberateandformallyannouncedresults，itisanactofsuicidalrashness；foruponhissagacityandpowersofobservation，andexperience，asembodiedinhisworks，andespeciallyinhisMateriaMedica，reposethefoundationsofHomoeopathyasapracticalsystem。
　　SofarasIcanlearnfromtheconflictingstatementsmadeuponthesubject，thefollowingisthepresentconditionofbelief。
　　1。AllofanynoteagreethatthelawSimiliasimilibusistheonlyfundamentalprincipleinmedicine。OfcourseifanymandoesnotagreetothisthenameHomoeopathistcannolongerbeappliedtohimwithpropriety。
　　2。Thebeliefinandemploymentoftheinfinitesimaldosesisgeneral，andinsomeplacesuniversal，amongtheadvocatesofHomoeopathy；butadistinctmovementhasbeenmadeinGermanytogetridofanyrestrictiontotheuseofthesedoses，andtoemploymedicineswiththesamelicenseasotherpractitioners。