44

ELEMENTS OF MATERIA MEDICA.

cine sets up, in the suffering part of the organism, an artificial but some-what stronger disease, which, on account of its great similarity and pre-ponderating influence, takes the place of the former; and the organismfrom that time forth is affected only by the artificial complaint. This,from the minute dose of the medicine used, soon subsides, and leaves the ?patient altogether free from disease ; that is to say, permanently cured. ''As the secondary effects of medicines are always injurious, it is very ;necessary to use no larger doses than are absolutely requisite, more espe-cially as the effects do not decrease in proportion to the diminution of the ;dose. Thus eight drops of a medicinal tincture do not produce fourtimes the effect of two drops, but only twice : hence he uses exceedinglysmall doses of medicines. Proceeding gradually in his reductions, hehas brought his doses down to an exiguity before unheard of, and seem-ingly incredible. The millionth part of a grain of many substances isan ordinary dose; but the reduction proceeds to a billionth, a trillionth,nay, to the decillionth of a grain, and the whole materia medica may becarried in the waistcoat pocket.

The following is the method of obtaining these small doses :—Supposethe substance to be a solid; reduce it to powder, and mix one grain of itwith ninety-nine grains of sugar of milk: this constitutes the first atte-nuation. To obtain the second attenuation, mix one grain of the firstattenuation with a hundred grains of sugar of milk. The third attenu- \ation is procured by mixing one grain of the second attenuation with jninety-nine grains of sugar of milk. In this way he proceeds until hearrives at the thirtieth attenuation. The following table will shew the jstrength of the different attenuations, with the signs he employs to dis- 1tinguish them :— :

Signs. Strength of one grain.

1. First atteuua- ) One hundredth

tion .J part of a grain.

2. Second .One thousandth.

I. Third.,. One millionth.

II. Sixth.. One billionth.

III. Ninth....One trillionth.

IV. Twelfth ..... .. One quadrillionth.

Signs. _ Strength of one grain. ‘

V. Fifteenth .One quintillionth. i

VI. Eighteenth _One sextillionth. J

VII. Twenty-first_One septillionth.

VIIT. Twenty-fourth. .One octillionth. j

IX. Twenty-seventh One nonillionth.

X. Thirtieth .One decillionth.

Here is a tabular view of the doses of some substances employed bythe homoeopaths:—

Charcoal, one or two decillionths of a grain. «

Chamomile, two quadrillionths of a grain. ?

Nutmeg, two millionths of a g-rain. |

Tartar emetic, two billionths of a grain. j.

Opium, two decillionths of a drop of a spirituous solution. i

Arsenious acid, one or two decillionths of a grain. |

Ipecacuanha, two or three millionths of a grain. ]

These doses are given in pills ( globidi ), each about the size of a poppy- jseed. j

Hahnemann gravely asserts, that the length of time a powder is nibbed,or the number of shakes we give to a mixture, influences the effect onthe body. Rubbing or shaking is so energetic in developing the inherent Ivirtues of medicines, that latterly, says Hahnemann, “ I have been ■forced, by experience, to reduce the number of shakes to two, of which Iformerly prescribed ten to each dilution” (Organon). In mixing a powderwith sugar, the exact period we are to rub is, therefore, laid down: indissolving a solid in water, we are told to move the phial “ circa axin