Digest Number 1486

[Theresa Partington]

Dear Ana
How can (our colleagues), finally, reconcile with their atomistic,
materialistic notions respecting the actions of medicines the fact that a
carefully-constructed magnetic steel rod can effect such a powerful
derangement of our health, even when it is not in actual contact with the
body, but may even be covered with some thick material (such as cloth,
bladder, glass, &c), so that we suffer there from violent morbid affections;
or, what is equally remarkable, that a magnetic rod can quickly and
permanently cure the most severe disease for which it is the suitable
medicine, when it is brought near the body, for but a short time, even
though covered as above described?
Atomist! you narrow-minded wiseacre! tell me what ponderable quantity of the
magnet entered the body in order to effect these often enormous changes in
its state of health? Is not the centillionth of a grain (a fraction of a
grain that has 600 ciphers for its denominator) still infinitely too heavy
to represent this absolutely imponderable quantity, the kind of spirit that
emanated from the magnetic rod into this living body? Will you now continue
to express your amazement at the homeopathic doses of powerful medicines of
the sextillionth, the octillionth, the decillionth of a grain, which are
gross weights compared with this invisible magnetic power?
BW

Theresa
ps I haven't got this mixed up with 'classic/ hatred' string - it is a
quote - but the fact that it wouldn't have been out of place probably says a
lot.