This last case is referred to more particularly, because the duration of the treatment was so lengthened: namely, eight years. The duration establishes several points. One is, as no poor person can, without the aid of an Institution, obtain support during this lengthened period, and as the greatest sufferers, as this case proves, can be relieved, that the benevolent are imperatively called upon to aid an Institution, which presents through its instrumentality such beneficial results. Another point established by this case is, that the common outery as to the injury to the constitution, arising from the patient lying in one position so long, has no solid foundation. Here is a patient, who remained eight years on her back, and remained almost the whole time in one room, and yet whose health continually improved, and, when leaving the Institution, was a handsome young woman.

In connexion with this, it is worthy of remark, that the patients invariably improve in health when they lie down ; and hardly ever need medicine.

In fact, this result of improved health establishes another important fact, namely, the dependance of numerous painful symptoms in the state of the spinal column: and may give an useful hint to the profession and to the public, to be on their guard against treating as primary diseases what merely are the effects of spinal curvature, and which disappear wholly when the spinal curvature is cured.

The Committee conclude with the warning, that it is necessary to have the whole and not a part of the Harrisonian treatment, to obtain these marked results.

PROGRESS OF HOMOEOPATHY.

The following letters, with which we have been favoured, demonstrate clearly the progress of homœopathy.

The first is from a medical gentleman, in large practice in one of our largest manufacturing counties, and having an extensive union under his charge; the second is from a lady, the mother of the rector of a parish in Buckinghamshire; and the third is from a private gentleman, who devotes his whole time to the diffusion of science and to the activities of benevolence.

M

6

"Dear Sir.-My friend Mr. T., on his return from town, kindly presented me with three of your works on homœopathy, viz. Domestic Homœopathy,' Homœopathy and its Principles explained,' and' Rejected Cases.' I have perused them with great interest, as the remarks in them seem to be founded upon truthful data, and likely to lead to an important advance in the study of medicine. Feeling convinced, as I do, that little is known of the true practice of medicine, and that the old system is unsatisfactory in its results, I naturally feel inclined to welcome any means by which the great end of restoring health and prolonging life may be more readily attained. I should therefore feel much obliged to you, if you would have the kindness to point out how I could most easily learn the principles of the homœopathic system, and obtain a supply of the articles essential for its practice. I feel a degree of reluctance in thus intruding upon your time, but my former knowledge of your kindness leads me to hope that you will be disposed to aid me in this matter, as I have no chance here in the country of procuring any information. I have read Dickson's work, Fallacies,' &c. but it scarcely suited me, some of his notions are very wild and chimerical: in parts he is certainly much in advance of the present system, but in others he as decidedly falls behind. I must not however detain you, longo sermone,' but again beg you to excuse the liberty I have taken; and believe me to remain, your faithful servant,

To Dr. Epps.

R. B.

Mrs. B. presents her compliments to Dr. Epps, and begs his acceptance of a basket of honeycomb, which was given to her by Rachel Gurney, the patient at H— Dr. Epps so kindly prescribed for, who is perfectly well. She was a severe sufferer; first, from shingles, from which she had scarcely recovered, when an immense tumour formed on her thigh: she had, at the same time, an inflammation on her lungs, and severe pain in her left side, with a frequent suspension of breathing. The parish doctor gave no hope of her recovery, saying nothing would save her.

Mrs. B. was much pleased with the gratitude shown by

this poor girl and her family, who are the poorest of Mr. B.'s parishioners.

Mrs. B. desires most sincerely to thank Dr. Epps for aiding her humble efforts in the true and divine principles of homoopathy, which has been of the greatest service at H

H- Rectory, Aug. 4, 1847.

Dear Dr. Epps.-I trust you will excuse the liberty I am taking in thus writing to you to oblige a very particular friend of mine here, who is an enthusiast in the spread of homœopathy; and who, in conjunction with myself, has established a homœopathic subscription library, whose members are allowed to lend the books to non-subscribers: by this, with other means, my friend has been active in making homœopathy known in several towns and villages to which he travels for business objects. He has a son, 21 years of age, whom he desires to have instructed and qualified to practice homœopathy as a surgeon, &c. and his son is as enthusiastic in the cause as himself. The favour we ask of you is, your advice how to go about getting the young man qualified in the best manner, and to where he had best go for instruction if to an English college, or to a German college where there is a professor of homoeopathy.

You will perhaps know that the homeopathic dispensary here is doing very well, and a Mr. Creswell, from Edinburgh, is resident surgeon, at a salary of £100 a-year, furnished apartments, and allowed to practice midwifery on his own account. Dr. Hayles has, I am given to understand, as much practice as he can attend to all very cheering for the spread of truth generally, as well as for homœopathy in particular. Your's faithfully, A. G.

Newcastle-on-Tyne, Aug. 2, 1847.

HOMEOPATHY IN INDIA.

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.-Luke xvi. 31.

The strength of the state of mind connected with the rejection of one truth, because opposed to some previous existing

conviction, as causing the rejection of another similar truth, was never more powerfully expressed than in the above statement of the great teacher.

One would think that a person, rising from the dead, was a fact of such power at to arrest conviction; but here the contrary is asserted.

This state of mind has relation not only to religious and moral, but to scientific truth. As an illustration of its essential accuracy, the following interesting statement of a case of disease treated in India will serve.

The case is given in the words of the writer of the letter to his friend in England, a man of high mental and scientific endowment. It may be added, that the lady referred to is the wife of an officer high in command in India.

Extract of a letter from

1846:

to his sister, dated Dec. 20th

"I saw very little of Bell himself though staying with them, and next to nothing of her, not being able to suit her time and ability of seeing me. I could just have a minute. or two chat each day. She is really a wonderful instance of recovery, dear Bell says one risen from the dead. My daily accounts of her from Dobbs, who was staying with them, were hopeless in the extreme: three doctors said recovery was impossible, and they were daily wonder-struck at finding she still lived. For a fortnight she lay quite still and unconscious, only occasionally uttering some sweet word of the Lord's love; at last her voice became a painful unintelligible rattle, and finally ceased altogether. Her husband was able to desire her departure as a desirable release: he tells me that, on three occasions, her sisters in the regiment were sent for to come quick and see her expire. The doctors said she is in the act of departing.' The pulse had entirely ceased to beat, the eyes were glazed, the jaw fallen, and the doctors and Bell himself said there was the smell of a corpse about her: her mouth, teeth, and lips quite black, and her tongue, Bell says, just like a slip of burnt leather cracked.

"It was at this stage that Dobbs, who had ceased to pray for her, rose in the morning and felt constrained to pray for

her recovery, and yet, he told me, so faithless, that when he met Bell he fully expected to hear she was gone, in fact they expected this every hour; but Bell said she was alive still, and he also had been again constrained to pray for her recovery they both prayed for this, and Bell tells me he then went into his own closet, and there poured out his heart before the Lord, that if consistent with His will, and if for the good of her, him, and the dear children, she might be restored, he would receive her as from the dead, so utterly hopeless was her condition humanly speaking; but, if not, then he prayed she might be taken. The answer was a strong irresistible impression she would be restored, and that he should try homeopathy: he immediately summoned the doctors and told them his purpose; all treatment had been stopped for days, a fortnight I believe, and of course they had no objection to his doing any thing, but both told him that recovery, in the state she was, was impossible, indeed they said, she is to all intents, dead. He then begged one who is a dear brother in the Lord, to look over the case book with him, and name the one to be treated: he did so, and put his finger on the last extremity of virulent typhus. Bell's faith however grew, he tells me, and he gave two globules of arsenicum in much faith. Within three hours there was a change. The next day she slept for the first time for three weeks, the next there was a perspiration, and, to shorten the detail, in a week or less from that time she was pronounced to be out of danger.

"The doctors were the most astonished, they say never was there such a case, and no raising from the dead could be more a miracle. The regiment doctor, who has still no faith in the treatment, urged an immediate return to quinine and bark, and other ordinary medicines, but Bell would have none, and the homeopathic medicines, given by himself, have been and are the only ones used, and the progress she is daily making is almost as wonderful as her first amendment. I could see an improvement on the third day I saw her, and she sits up and talks and laughs as cheerfully as any one: her teeth are beautifully white again, and her eyes brilliant