Excerpt from General Introductory Address: Delivered Before the Class of the Western College of Homeopathic Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, Session 1st, for 1850 and '51 The circumstances calling us together, are full of abiding interest, not only to the practitioners and students of Homeopathy - Q but to every friend of Medical reform Hitherto, with but few ex ceptions, there has been but one school Of Medicine, and that has extended its branches into every part of the habitable globe. It has to a ve marked extent, controled the minds of all men enter ing the pro ssion. Its teachings have been so strongly impressed upon the new beginner, that it is with difficulty, he can rid himself 0 them through subsequent life. The illuminations of truth may ever so clearly reveal the errors, and expose the dangerous tenden cies of its principles when applied in practice; nevertheless, they are first impressions, and are not easily laid aside. Nor are its principles alone committed to the profession, and the student for safe keeping. The minds of the masses in non-professional life, have been impressed with the propriety and necessity of preserving these principles, and the practice predicated upon them. The people are the recipients of Medical advice and practice, growing out of these principles, and have from their earliest recol lections, been taught to respect and regard them as safeguards when disease assailed. Having known no other means of relief in times of peril and disease, they have naturally enough settled down in something like confidence in them, which will continue until other principles, and other means are supplied, better adapted to their wants. All past experience has shown that the discharge of this duty, implies professional martyrdom of him, who undertakes the performance of it. The history of the Medical reformer must be like the history of every other man, who innovates upon estab lished usages. There is no exemption. He must enter upon his work with the facts and the consequences before him. In what I may have to say on this occasion, it is not my purpose to Speak in terms Of disrespect, of the members of the professmn, or Of the profession itself. We, however, can but feel and express a regret, that as a school, and especially as individuals, they should meet us on the threshold of our investigations with denunciations and reproach. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.