An oration. On the improvement of medicine: pronuonced [sic] before a respectable auditory of citizens, in the Federal Hall in the city of New-York; according to appointment of the Medical Society of the State of New York: at their anniversary meeting, on the 16th January, 1794 / [Amasa Dingley].

Dingley, Amasa, -1798

Date:: 1795

Credit: An oration. On the improvement of medicine: pronuonced [sic] before a respectable auditory of citizens, in the Federal Hall in the city of New-York; according to appointment of the Medical Society of the State of New York: at their anniversary meeting, on the 16th January, 1794 / [Amasa Dingley]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$\ IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICINE: “34 on Preatth 2 difeate. The Esiiiond of aothug afi with. dreams, vifions, trances, - and all the illufions of the fenfes, particularly fight and hearing, fhould likewife engage the ferious and careful attention and ftudy. of medical men: And, while .we> contemplate. the injuftice and impolicy of the flavery of the poor Africans, in our boafted republican and free governments, fhall we forget to obferve the effects of flavery on the health, temper, genius and cha- racter of the people, who advocate and prattife this “trafic and bondage of man ? Pie doctrine of the affociation of ideas is more ufeful to the Phylician, than to the Profeffor’of any other arte Whoever knows how to avail himfelf of this fubject in the practice of phyfic, may be faid to be in pofleffion of a key to unlock many of the apartments of the cabinet of nature, How often, by this talifmanic charm, may the morbid condition be changed to the healthful! This was the BRAZEN SERPENT and the TALITHA-CUMI of Dr. Willis, when he cured the Hing of England. WHILE medicines are Aadiataitered | to change the ‘dif- eafed action, or to remove the irre ular action, to equal- ize the excitement and to’ vary its degree, and thus to re- ftore health and happinefs; we find ample {cope for {crutinifing the operations of the mind, when we {hall often obtain the, greateft advantages in changing the train of ideas | | a « From grave to gay, from lively to fevere,” In doing this, may. we not hope, that, it is referved for the profeffors of the healing art to unravel all the curious tiflue of feeling, emotion, paflion and thought more fuccefs- fully, than has ever yet been done by the unaided light of folitary philofophy. $$