independent of the kind of practice pursued than was agreeable to the
pride of those whose self-confidence it abated.

The statement, that medicines are more sparingly used in physicians'
families than in most others, admits of a very natural explanation,
without putting a harsh construction upon it, which it was not
intended to admit. Outside pressure is less felt in the physician's own
household; that is all. If this does not sometimes influence him to give
medicine, or what seems to be medicine, when among those who have more
confidence in drugging than his own family commonly has, the learned
Professor Dunglison is hereby requested to apologize for his definition
of the word Placebo, or to expunge it from his Medical Dictionary.

One thing is certain. A loud outcry on a slight touch reveals the weak
spot in a profession, as well as in a patient. It is a doubtful policy
to oppose the freest speech in those of our own number who are trying to
show us where they honestly believe our weakness lies. Vast as are
the advances of our Science and Art, may it not possibly prove on
examination that we retain other old barbarisms beside the use of the
astrological sign of Jupiter, with which we endeavor to insure good luck
to our prescriptions? Is it the act of a friend or a foe to try to point
them out to our brethren when asked to address them, and is the speaker
to subdue the constitutional habit of his style to a given standard,
under penalty of giving offence to a grave assembly?

"Homoeopathy and its Kindred Delusions" was published nearly twenty
years ago, and has been long out of print, so that the author tried in
vain to procure a copy until the kindness of a friend supplied him with
the only one he has had for years. A foolish story reached his ears that
he was attempting to buy up stray copies for the sake of suppressing it.
This edition was in the press at that very time.

Many of the arguments contained in the Lectures have lost whatever
novelty they may have possessed. All its predictions have been submitted
to the formidable test of time. They appear to have stood it, so far,
about as well as most uninspired prophecies; indeed, some of them
require much less accommodation than certain grave commentators employ
in their readings of the ancient Prophets.

If some statistics recently published are correct, Homoeopathy has made
very slow progress in Europe.

In all England, as it appears, there are hardly a fif