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Throughout counterparts even as late as 1870 for their “mer- Meanwhile, the orthodox physicians

the mid 1800s curial fetishism.” 49 claimed that the public was simply too ignorant to

understand orthodox medicine, but that they (the
In America, many were skeptical of doc-
the public tors, particularly those using “heroic medicine.” physicians) knew best. Nevertheless, heroic phy-
continued to Public opposition to heroic medicine, including sicians could see that they were losing patients
rise up against the use of calomel, grew exponentially through- to the alternative practitioners and wanted to get
out the 19th century as other therapies became that business back. This is one of the reasons
the “heroic” more popular. Rothstein writes that many of the why the AMA was founded back in 1847—with
nostrums of well-to-do turned to practitioners of homeopathy the pretense to improve medical education, but
medical because they did not want to endure the suffering with the real reason to come together against
produced by physicians using bloodletting and the so-called “quacks” who took away and often
orthodoxy, drugs such as calomel. Likewise, he states, “In cured their patients of diseases and illnesses upon
turning instead the 1830s and 1840s, a few courageous regular which the heroic measures had no bene cial ef-
to alternative physicians began to criticize heroic therapy. Un- fect. Many seemingly orthodox physicians used
fortunately, their circumspect language and the homeopathy with their patients instead of the
practitioners restricted interpretations placed on their state- standard drugs and treatments, but they hid this
for treatment. ments by other physicians reduced or nullied fact from their colleagues lest they be shunned

their effectiveness.” from the medical societies. On the other hand,
50
One of the most vocal and famous critics of for fear of losing more patients, many physicians
heroic medicine was James Bigelow, who in 1835 disguised their penchants for using high doses
denounced the use of heroic medicine, which of calomel and instead proclaimed publicly that
in his opinion was not helpful for “self-limited they only used small doses.
diseases” such as childhood illnesses. Later, in One reason the physicians were so reluctant
the 1850s, Bigelow disputed the validity of all to come to terms with the dangers of calomel was
heroic therapies in general, including the use of because they would then have to acknowledge
calomel, although he and other physicians were some truth to the Law of Similars, upon which
criticized loudly by orthodox physicians practic- homeopathy is based. As early as 1844, Ameri-
ing heroic medicine. can physicians started to come forward with
There was also much self-criticism which research showing that the symptoms of mercury
the physicians leveled against themselves, al- poisoning were very similar to the advanced
though they still continued to use (and abuse) stages of some kinds of syphilis, a fact which
cathartics like calomel. According to Rothstein, Samuel Hahnemann had already documented in
one doctor, John Beck, wrote in 1847 that calo- Europe in his Organon of the Medical Art, his
mel was “‘dangerous, sometimes lethal, abused main treatise on homeopathy.
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beyond relief by reckless and foolhardy physi- During a symposium in 1874 the Detroit
cians,’ and—although this was never explicitly Review of Medicine and Pharmacy looked at
stated—of little demonstrable benet in treating the use of mercurial medicines. They found that

disease. . . He concluded by blaming homeopaths many physicians not only were reluctant to take
and patent medicines for its excessive use.” 51 responsibility for harming their patients through
Throughout the mid 1800s the public con- the use of calomel but also claimed that they
tinued to rise up against the “heroic” nostrums of were responsible for no deaths due to calomel
medical orthodoxy, turning instead to alternative administration. At this same time, a folk saying
practitioners for treatment. In 1845 citizens of was created, “The doctor comes with free good
Westmorland County in Pennsylvania went so will, But ne’er forgets his calomel.” Likewise,
54
far as to petition their legislature to ban the use many physicians blamed the “premature decay-
of mercury and calomel outright, but the com- ing” of teeth solely on foods and sugars, rather
mittee reviewing the matter denied the petition, than on the combined consumption of calomel
because, “if physicians were to be deprived of all with re ned sugars and  ours.
agents capable of doing harm they would have
no medicine left.”
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28 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2008