In one
place he says that it alone has this peculiar art and privilege, "That
whosoever professeth himself a physician, is straightwaies beleeved, say
what he will: and yet to speake a truth, there are no lies dearer sold
or more daungerous than those which proceed out of a Physician's mouth.
Howbeit, we never once regard or look to that, so blind we are in our
deepe persuasion of them, and feed our selves each one in a sweet hope
and plausible conceit of our health by them. Moreover, this mischief
there is besides, That there is no law or statute to punish the
ignorance of blind Physicians, though a man lost his life by them:
neither was there ever any man knowne, who had revenge of recompence for
the evill intreating or misusage under their hands. They learne their
skill by endaungering our lives: and to make proofe and experiments of
their medicines, they care not to kill us."(35) He says it is hard
that, while the judges are carefully chosen and selected, physicians
are practically their own judges, and that of the men who may give us a
quick despatch and send us to Heaven or Hell, no enquiry or examination
is made of their quality and worthiness. It is interesting to read so
early a bitter criticism of the famous "Theriaca," a great compound
medicine invented by Antiochus III, which had a vogue for fifteen
hundred years.
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