injudicious attendants. I
no longer wondered at the threatening symptoms. My only wonder was, that
things had not gone wrong with her at a much more rapid rate.

The patient continued to sink from day to day, and to become more and
more insensible. The daughters themselves saw her downward tendency, for
it could not be concealed. I did not tell the young women of their error
at first, although I did so afterwards. It was a most painful duty, but
it was one from which I dared not shrink. I hoped and trusted it would
be a means of saving some among the coming generations.

I have never met with either of these daughters since that day--for one
of them, at least, is still living--without blushing for their sake.
They, on their part, appear to be equally affected and agitated. They
almost adored their mother, and yet they inadvertently destroyed her.
She might have perished, it is true, without their aid; but I rather
think she would have slowly recovered.

Let him that readeth understand: It is extremely hazardous for a second
or third person to change the doses of a physician's medicine, either by
the omission or addition of an ingredient. It would be safer--very much
safer--to omit every thing, and leave the disease wholly to nature. The
true course, however, in all cases, is to follow the prescription of the
physician, to the best of our abilities, or else dismiss him.

I might pause here a moment to animadvert on the unreasonableness of the
vulgar prejudice which almost everywhere prevails against calomel. That
this drug does great harm, in many instances, is most certain; but that
it does more mischief to the human constitution when in the hands of
judicious practitioners, than some half a dozen articles of the _materia
medica_ I could name, about which complaint is seldom made, remains to
be proved. Let us, if possible, prevent the necessity of using any of
these two-edged weapons, by so living that disease cannot assail us, and
then we shall not, of necessity, be exposed to the danger of medicinal
agents, whether calomel or any thing else.

My own principal error in relation to this interesting case, consisted
in not telling the attendants of the sick woman, in the plainest
language, what my medicines were and how much, in my own estimation,
depended on their careful and proper exhibition; that if they should
take away or suffer to be taken away, one faggot from the bundle, they
would not only spoil their effec