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Toua lea autras axamplairas originsux sont filmte an commanpant par la premiere page qui comporte une ampreinta d'impraaaion ou d'lllustration at en tarminant par la darniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symbolea suivants apparaitra sur la demiAre image de chaque microfiche, selon le caa: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symboie V signifie "FIN". Lee cartea. planchea. tableaux, ate, pauvent 4tra filmte ^ dee taux de rMuction diffirents. Lorsque le document eat trop grand pour dtre raproduit an un saui clichi. il est filmi i partir de I'angle sup^rieur gauche, de gauch^t i droite. et de haut an baa, en prenant le nomb'e d'images n^essaira. Lea diagrammed suivants iiiuatrent la m^thode. ata slure. a 3 2X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 /&7^ l''^^ DIDACTIC ELUCIDATIONS, BK8PECT1MO [^e Stiginal §in, or i\t §ln of Smagtnatiott, AHD Its Consequences, Morally, Physically ard Mentally. A warning to the Young, Advic to the Afflicted. IMPOKTANT SUGGESTIONS TO PARENTS, GUARDIANS, MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL AND TEACHERS. BT M. H. UTI EY, M.D. -« <»» — 1874. \ Tho following, taken fiv^m the Montreal Gazette. Jan. 16, is worthy of note: '■The case of Mechella, the crimii al who was executed in Hudson City, N.J. a lew days ago, would appear to offer one more jn'oof that Intellectual DOWer by no means depends (in the size of brain. Mechella, it appearsj was the possessor of an extraordinary and well-developed braiu. The claim vas made for this prisoner that his actions showed him to bo a man of deficient intelligence, aud that owing to his partially idiotic coaditiou he was not morally responsible for his acts -ind should not be hung. The New Jersey Court of Pardons would not, however, entertain this appeal. A poit moTtsm examination showed Alechella's brain to weigh 57 ounces and 1 scruple; a weight which has only been exceeded in one instance. Daniel Webster's brain— the heaviest of any recorded— although there have very possibly >'oeD heavier ones— weighed but two or three scruples more than that of Mechella. Very recently a measurement of Processor Agassiz's brain showed that while the organ was large and healthy, it did not approach the huge brains of which special account has been kept. From these facts it is evident bhat research in this field has but barely begun." • AVhen research is made in this field it will be found that the intellectual powers do in a very great degree depend Upon the size of the brain ; but inherited mental and physical derangements, perverted natures, polluted imaginations, combined with a reckless and dissolute life, will derange and destroy the finest brain that ever existed. It is quite possible that Mechella* might have been a great and good man had he been^ taught in childhood to obey the laws of his being, and to shun the greatest of all vices. .\ N ■I a DIDACTIC ELUCIDATIONS, RKSPECTIHU 'M ^tt^iml |!it, or t^e fin of imit^mation. AND Its Consequences, Uor&llj, Physically and Mentally. A warning to the Young, Advice to the Afflicted, JMPORTAIf T SUGGESTIONS TO PARENTS. GUARDIANS, MINISTERS or THE GOSPEL AND TEACHERS. BT M. H. UTLEY, M.D. 1874. INTRODUCTION. I DO Bineorely hope that the Diotives that have prompted me to publish the plain truths contained in this pamphlet will be understood by all. They are truths, and truths that apply to the practical lives of all alike, and it is a sincere desire to do good that prompts me to publish them ; and if I can in a measure accomplish my object, I will most wil- lingly face all the obloquy that can possibly be heaped upon me by those canting hypecrites that dwell in lohited sepulchres, and advertise on the outer walls, in large and glaring letters, " All is pure loithin ; we are immaculate; noth- ing you can say interests us, and we do not wish to be shocked and horrified by what you can say respecting vice." It does interest you. You may put on a faultless exterior if you like, but it will not prevent your mind from wandering in the seductive fields of imagination, and temptation to or nmune with images, beautiful but impure, that would lead you on to forbidden things that lie beyond, and finally to destruction. ''Keep yourself from opportunity, and God will keep you from siu." PLAIN PRACTICAL C0M1ION-..SBNSE TKUTHS ALL OUGHT TO KNOW. . Id mwory, k„ow„ and unknown, that ,pnnR, from an er of tw':''"''-*''? ••"'"»» of '1,0 sexual function, lini.. ters of the (r„.,,,e, neglect their duties respecting this great « to Xrbr™*'""''' .'"''"''■ *» O'^ »"" &- Test mints, the debasing sm -in other words, the " original sin " fi'm thin *"'""'■"• ''" *^" ^^"-""^ "f Bins "that a^e o • !h» !o 7*^ ^' '^''*' "" " '■"'^ physicians and ministers o. ho gospel that do thoir duty fearlessly, and spoak the t. uth p Imnly and with good effect. Notably among them ZC^riTT' '-'S'-'y -'»"■>■" »nd fearle^ss r; ^Z, w '■ '° ""'!"=»' «"«lents, in 1867, and afterwards C reld" '" •'■'■"•'"•'•>/ ^""S he says. "What Ged abou ':^ ■",? "r '"• ™""'" "'^"d he ashamed to know Tpart ofirf .™''^''''™'=' '"''""• ''^'"S' "-"l constitutes arof civi ■ TT f '''•*^- I' '» " »'"""« that at this week anH ; „ .f 7 ^"""« '^•™ Soes on, week after r^L ?h , "'"" ■"""*' '"''•^=°S <»" '""^ an^ more plamly the signal of declining health and stren<.th- no one oZZT '■'" '7"^' " *'"™» '"™'' notice°of Lirper 1 ous condition until it is too late to save him. At last his i^rZlT" """^r '''^ ^™-»'' -d 'he minttersa . in the mysterious providence of God this younff man has been prematurely called away. It is falseT^HTlu I victim of the violation of the laws of his own being, and suffered and died in consequence. It does not take a man with a rope around his neck, or a portion of poison in his (Stomach, to bo a suicide. Many a mt*n commits suicide by eating and drinking, and many a man drivels away his life in infinitesimal ways. Punishment for violated physical laws is just as certain as tha* the sun shines, and no man or woman can violate the laws of their own being, or any part of it, that there is not registered in time a penalty." Read Avhat the Eev. John Todd, D.D., -^jays : to whose efforts during about thirty years, we are so much indebted for the work of elevating the character and education of young men. He says : " In this life a heavier curse can scarcely hang upon a young man than that of possessing a polluted imagination. The leprosy fills the whole soul, time only increases it, and even the power of the Gospel can seldom do more than restrain without subduing it." The most to be dreaded are the mental diseases. The mind must manifest itself in connectio'. with the body. The brain depends upon the common and natural forces of matter for its health and activity; and mental disease is the result of a series of disturbances or a 'want of supplies, a loss of vital ibrce, and an unnatural and dis- turbed state of the organic functions. 11* this simple conception of diseases coiJd be clearly imderstood and appreciated it would do away with mucii of the mystery and error respecting medicine. The mind is very dependant upon physical condi- tions ; it is expressed to us through its material organs, the nervous system — the brain, and is only expressed normally when that portion of the nervous system through which it is expressed is in a condition of integrity capable of perform- ing its functions in a proper manner. There is probably no higher authority on mental disorders than Dr. Henry Maudsley of England. These are his own words, or nearly uo. He says the secret vice of youth and young men not only gives rise to a particular and disagreeable form of insanity, which is characterised by intense self-feeling and conceit, extreme perversion of feeling, and corresponding I derangements of thoughts in the earlier stfigos, and later by failure of intelligence, and by nocturnal hullucinution-' and suicidal wid homicidal proponbities." Dr, Maudsley devoted a lor>g and very able article to n description of this peculiar kind of insanity, which was published in the Journal of Mental Science, July, 18G8. Not only is this kind of insanity insidious and frequent, but it is iu very many cases incura- ble. The earliest consequences of this fearful habit is a disinclination to apply the nJnd to any kind of occupation that requires application. Then actual incapacitj'', general nervous debility — fi-etful, peevish, capricious, restless, sleep- less, disgustingly disagreeable, no confidence in any one, or anything, suspicious of every body, always looking for something to find fault about, will not agree with anyono upon any subject. Then t' j .ccompanying diseases : consti- pation, indigestion, palp ,. aon of the heart, epilei>sy, St. Vitus dance, neurfilgia, lumbago, rheumatism, paralysis, imbecility, .ind lastly iw>Men-^y, at which point the imagina- tion runs riot, and the whole moral nature becomes brutal and degraded. All this may appear stai-tling — it undoubted);,. 18 startling, and almost incredible to those that do not r..' :v- stand it, nevertheless every word of this is as true as tfie moral law. From recent reports of a largo number of insane asylums in the United States for the purpose of ascertaining, as near as possible, how many have been driven t.iere by this fearful vice, it has been found that the average is nine per cent., and in one prominent institution /ourfet^t percent. Now what can be more startling than such facts as these ? And this is only a small proportion of the misery that is caused directly, or indirectly, by this vice. Who will dare to say that it is not clearly the duty of physicians, ministers, parents, guardians, teachers, and a'l that have the care of children, to use every means in their power to warn, and instruct them. Hundreds have admitted, that have applied for help, that tbey were never warned against this vice, and lamented very much that they were not made aware of its consequences 8 when children, and some in their despair bhime their own parents. It is a duty, no matter how it may be taken by the profession or others, to urge parents and guardians, and especially teachers and ministers, to look M^ell aftei' the cli.dren, to give them some intimation of their danger Children can I . taught purity without the least danger of exciting impure thoughts, or desires, and even if there t. a risk of doing so, it is far better than to leave them in Ignorance, and allow them to find out from their companions in an improper manner that which they should be guarded against. This is an important subject, not to be thought of and passed over lightly, it mmt not be neglected. The whole world sufters more from neglecting children in these re- spects to-day than from all the other evils on the face of the globe, and m tact nearly all vice may be directly or indi- rectly the result of this vice. And now to those who are suttering from this cause, you must obey the command of nature, whose laws you have through ignorance disobeyed. In the first place she commands you to stop ! If you go on sinning, you will be lost, body and soul Perhaps your weak flagging body and feeble mind will cry out, it is too late-It 1^ never too late to mend. Seek for help, do not despair. AnAdonot resort to quack nostrums, and by all means avoid all those wretched books put forth by unprincipled men filled with vulgar and disgusting pictures, well calcu- lated to frighten and draw the unfortunate and afflicted ones into nets prepared to catch and plunder them. And t)y all means, do avoid all superficial, supercilious, solf- conceited, boorish, impudent wranglers, that constantly seek for opportunities as teachers, or othervvise, to prate about the ines imable blessings of a thorough medical education," and about owr regular school, or the school-denouncing in the lowest, vilest, most ungentlemanly and bitter language, all that do not happen to belong to the so called regular ^ehool, calling them -quacks," professional apostates and Ignorant pretenders," sweepingly denouncing other v.U known and justly popular schools of medicine, and all prin- 9 ciples in medicine not taught in the so called regular school. There is only one thing to be admired about such men, and that is their unmitigated, narrow minded, bigoted, selfish im- pudence. It may possibly bo a species of that disagreeable kind of insanity spoken of by Dr. Henry Maudsloy, which can only attack a man that has lost his individuality and become filled with a perverted and selfish imagination, which unfits him for the duties of a physician, and makes him disagreeable in the extreme in all the ordinary walks in life. It is an easy thing to distinguish a man from a brute. " A man is the noblest work of God." But when his manhood is gone he then becomes a brute, he weal's the badge of lost individuality in his very face, he shows it in all his movements, and in all that he says or does, and when it becomes apparent to himself that he is a mistake, he becomes savage, vulgar, and bitter especialli/ to his supe- riors. Then again, loss of virility so completely changes a man that he becomes unfitted for even the ordinary duties in life. He becomes disgusted with himself And if a married man, disgusting in the eyes of the woman that be professes to love. Young men you ought never to marry if you have tlie least suspicion that there is the least tendency to impo- tency, a mere suspicion of such a state of things in your own mind will go far to bring it about. Therefore it is always best for you to consult a good practical physician who has given the proper attention to such troubles, before you take such an important step, and thereby avoid committing a fraud upon nature, and a fraud upon the woman you pro- fess to love. The laws both of Church and State decla-es such a union null and void. But if you do happen to bo in that unfortunate and imperfect state you need not give way to despair. By a judicious and pi-oper treatment you may bo made sound again, as hundreds have been . Dr. Julius Althus in his recent work on electro-therapeutics says, " It is reasonable to suppose that the vital secretions may be restored when lost, or improved when defective, by 10 the use of galvanism." In a measure thipi mdy be true in very early stages of the weakness, before the circulation of the blood and nervo-vital fluids become paralysed and the parts atrophied. When such is the case, as it is in nineteen cases out of twenty, there 'must be a means of restoring the circulation of the. blood and nervo-vital fluids, for which purpose a valuable mechanical discovery has been made and patented, and so adapted, that with its use a perfect restor- ation of the circulation is easily accomplished, and perfect strength and vigor may be established, where no structural change^^has taken place, and in any eveni an important im- provement may be made. It is a local weakness, and must bo treated as such, always keeping in mind the derange- ments that have already been caused by it, both physical and mental. What man is happy ? what man can be happy or successful in any of the pui-suits in life if he is conscious that he has prematurely lost his manhood . A great propor- tion of family and business troubles arise from this cause, and a large ^majority of all the crimes committed are directly or indirectly due to the vice of sexual abuse. Parents entail these troubles and weaknesses upon their children, and upon their children's children, to the third and fourth generations. The great source of this physical and moral evil is ignorance. There is, as it were, a cloud of intellectual darkness that seems to hang over it, and the most efl'ectual means of removing it is the ditfusion of sound practical knowledge. There is no doubt but that the inti- mate connection between the sexual functions and the gene- raFmental and physical soundness is very plainly referred to'in the Mosaic law. There it is distinctly stated that any man that is woimded or maimed, was forbidden to enter the congregations of the Lord, and was even forbidden to become a priest. (Deuteronomy xxiii. 1 ; xxv, 2.) There you will find a penalty that is very significant ; and in those days even secret vices were not uncommon, and whatever a spuriouf modern difulu've or false modesty may say, it was considered by the piililis.jcr of that great law, uj)ou which 11 aU'lsiw ought to be based, as a proper subject for public instrftction. The Mosaic law was no series of maxims for the benefit of a limited few, but was regularly read aloud to all the assembled people, v/ithout the least omission and without reserve. They were nurtured from childhood in its precepts, and no one dared even to intimate that it contained perilous and insidious information In the Leviticus (xviii. 1-21 ; XX. 2) it will be found that the vice referred to, in the form in which it was then practised by the heathen nations as a religious rite, was condemned and punished with death. That other and more heinous ^in which brought down the wrath of God upon, and derived its name from, the city of Sodom, was repeatedly condemned as an abomi- nation (Leviticus xviii. 22; Deuteronomy x nii. 17); and an equally vile crime against nature is solemnly cursed, in more than one place, in the book of Exodus. It is easy to exemplify, by many quotations in both the Old and New Testament, the importance which the Word of God attri- butes to a proper understanding of our duties as parents. Why was it deemed of such importance ? You will find the reason given is both a fact in history and a warning for all time. *' For whosoever shall commit aiij'- of these abomin- ations, even the soul that commits them shall be cast oflF from among their people," Terrible words, true at all times, and of all people! The curse of uncleanliness, of sexual vice, is sure finally to destroy the individual, the family, society, the nation, and to extend its blighting power to future generations. An expert and close observer of human nature will find that many trivial matters often occupy men's minds and excite their hopes and fears, to the exclusion of matters of far greater moment. An illustration of this fact is, that the most important phenomena which can occur in the human pro- gress from the cradle to the grave — phenomena, on the proper treatment of which depends the alternative of a long life of health, pleasure and happiness, or a short one of ill health and misery—those which popular knowledge is most I 12 1. 1 i deficient in, and which have, by a dejilorable misconception of the meaning and intent of moral precepts, been all but ignored by modern physiologists. This almost criminal neglect has in some measure been remedied bj' a few who dare to disregard the low, foolish whisperings of an unmeaning jalse delicacy, and work to dispel the dark cloud of guilt and ignorance in which ages of prejudice have enveloped the most momentous, most important, most interesting, and at the same time, most intricate branch of pathological inquiry. For centuries this important subject has been left in the hands of unscrupulous impostors, who have prayed upon the credulity of the helpless suflcrcrs. And even now those physicians that adhere to an imaginary rule of uniformity in the treatment of this alarming trouble will fail to do any good, no matter how good their intentions may he. The physiology of the reproductive organs is a subject so intri- cate, so extended, embracing so many almost unknown complications, and seeming contradictions, that it demands and requires a vast amount of deep, close and thorough study and experience to master it. It is a branch of the medical science that require;:' to bo thoroughly understood in aU its details, both in a physical and mental aspect. Physicians especially must pay attention to this subject. They must not treat it with presumptuous levity and careless indifference. The subject is a very serious one, one on which an indefinite series of human happiness or misery depends. Every single case ought to be treated according to its pecu- liar characteristics. Nearly all suffering from these indis- cretions are extremely sensitive, and ought to be treated with the utmost delicacy respecting their troubles. It must be remembered that their physical organisms have become tainted with morbid predispositions, and their minds in a measure diseased. Sir Astlcy Cooper once ob- served, " If one of these miserable cases could be depicted from the pulpit as an illustration of the evil effects of a vicious and intemperate course of life, it would, I think, strike the mind with more terror than all the preaching in the r.v ■ \U 13 r»v world. In many cases the irritable state of the mind of the victim leads to the destruction of life ; and in this way annually groH numbers perish ; undoubtedly, ho says, tLie list is considerablj^ augmented by maltreatment and the em- ployment of injudicious remedies. ' Hear what Dr. Storcr, vice p"-csident of the American Medical Association, says concerning the hygiene of the functions of the sexes, lie says, " The subject is one that co.icerns all, for it lies at the foundation of society — sexual health and disease, the need or advantage of divorce, the chance of homo beijig such, or an empty name, an earthly paradise or a woi'se than purga- tory — these arc topics that alfcct each man, however careless he may appear to be." It may bo asked if those disclosures are not by their very nature subversive of good morals, and the calling attention to the true relations of the sexes suggestive to bad men of, and conducive toioards, their false relations? Answer. First to ignore the existence of sin, error, and misery, is in reality encouraging it. It is like Avalking upon thin breaking ice. If VvO varnish over and sock to conceal vice, it looses half its grossncss, becomes attractive, perhaps fashionable ; let us strip it of its veil, and any soul, not wholly blackened, will recoil with horror. Again we all of us learn the lessons of life by experience — a7id sad experience, indeed, it too often is. Many a man would give his own soul could his past life be restored to him, and its follies, its sins, cflaced. Too often his soul is not his own to give ; inextricably entangled in passion's web, wound about and about, with its mjTiad threads, there remains but the dead and worthless semblance of himself, that can be restored by naught but the boundless grace of God. Who would not gladly escape such risk, and welcome every premonition of danger ? Still again, many, claiming to be immaculate themselves, will ask, "Am I my orothcr's keeper?" And yet living together in communities, as we do, it must be confessed that we are responsible, every one of us, and to a very great i 14 extent, for the shortcomings and evil deeds of all the rest, and it must also be confessed tliat there does not exist, that there probahly never existed, a perfectly immaculate man, who never once has erred in the very matter we are now considering, either in deed, or in word, or in imagination. Consoling indeed for those of us who humblv confess our infirmities is this fact. Take ihe very basest of uh, and he at times is conscious of vain regrets of his own misdeeds, and a fond desire that those whom he loves (for every man has such,) may be better than he. Take the verj'- best of us, and he sees a height beyond any he has yet attained, that he prays he may yet reach and j)ass. And further, not merely are these researches and publica- tions for the general weal perfectly legitimate and advisable in themselves ; hut ihej havehcc7i sanctioned by precedents that have already been established. I do not refer to the at- tempts of unprincipled empirics to terrify the masses by over-drawn pictiu-es of disease, nor of holy and well- meaning men to turn them to better -ways by fervent des- criptions of the wrath to come. "We shall take neither the fear of things present nor futm'e as our standard in this discussion, but appeal solely to each man's reason — and such appeals have been made before. They have been made in France by Eicord, by Lallemand, and others of the great medical philosophers of the day; by Parent-Ducha- telet and by Diday. In England there are men like Acton who dare to sound the trumpet of alarm, bringing forward their facts from private practice, from the hospitals, and from the dead-house, and drawing from them indisputable conclusions. The wise and good sayings of many other celebrated men might be quoted were it necessary. It is my duty, and / will do it. Addressing myself, as I am, to the non-nrofes- sional readers, to warn them against hesitation and timidity in these matters. Tru* aelicacy is commendable — false deli- cacy is pitiable and dangerous. It is unbecoming. Self- neglect amounts to culpability, and is oftQn the result of a i 16 false delicacy. Many sufferers gather a smattering of knowledge as to symptoms, and at the same time a fearful amount of error and delusion from some empirical work, which HHuds one medicine or application as the universal remedy for any number of disorders. Self-opinion and want of knowledge always go hand in hand ; and the ama- teur, self constituted doctor, by the treatment of his friends or himself, nearly always seriously increases the difficulties. " Whoever has himself for a client, has a fool for his adviser." Never tamper with yourself. There are no specificci in nature which work in opposition to the laws of nature. There are no drug-shop preparations which can reverse her laws. Nor are there any magic-drops, nor enchanted powders— no nervous antidotes, nor invigorating cordials which can dissever the effect of any act or habit from its causes. Every pretender, therefore, who advertises his specific for "debilitated or impotent young persons" is a fraud ; his only desire is to cheat, to defraud the unfortun- ate and often weak-minded victims out of their money. ''He is wisest who has least to do with nostrum-vendors." The proper treatment is to assist nature, with proper medicines, with electricity, or any other mechanical means that may be of use in restoring the circulation of the blood and nervo-vital fluids. Medicines alone will not, can not do it. It is useless to indulge the fond hope that nature is capable, in these cases, of resuming her lost powers with- out some assistance. Both the physical and mental, alike require our skill. Dr. Bucknal, in speaking of the brain, says : " The little cells, of which the gi-ey-substances of the brain are composed, are the agents of all which is called mind, of all our sensations, thoughts and desires, and the growth and renovation of these cells are the most ultimate conditions of the mind with which we are acquainted. Not a sensation, not a thought or passing feeling can take place without a change in the living organism, much less can a diseased thought or sensation occur without such I 16 change ; for liolished steel is not quicker dimmed by the slightest breath than Ih the brain aft'octedby some abnormal condition of the blood." And this being true, what wonder is it that so many phases of mental diseases present them- selves to our notice ? What wo-ider that our insane asylums are tilled with sutferers of all ages, in every stage of insanity ? The brightest intellects are dimmed, and every now and then wo are startled by the announcement that a bright light haa been suddenly extinguished, dashed out by its own hand. The cities of the dead outnumber by far the cities of the living. Death is constantly claiming its victims, among the young, the middle aged, and the old. Infants die by thousands* before they are born, and one fifth of those born alive are laid away in their little graves before they reach the age of seven years. The mental and physical infirmities of parents are entailed up -^n their children and upon their childrens' chil- dren from generation to generation, until the beautiful struc- tui e so fearful ly and wonderfully made is thoroughly deranged in all its functions, and every one of the thousand strings of the beautiful harp is either broken, or rendered so discord- ant, that scarce a tone of sweetness can be made to vibrate fro., it. Sickness, sorrow, suft'ering, and death, are the rule of the race, while good sound health, with its accom- panyments, joy and happiness are the rare seen exceptions. The dear little children are poisoned with drugs while in their cradles, and contaminated with swine-flesh. In child- hood almost the first lesson they are taught in eating and drinking is that pork, ham, sausages, lard, in fact all parts of the filthy hog are the best possible aliment. That i offee, cider, and even whiskey are necessary beverages ; and the benefit or propriety of using pure cold water, either inter- nally or externally, is often left wholly to the decision of a perverted instinct. A careless indifference respecting cleanliness is the result of much misery. It should always be kept in mind that the human body is a mechanicul ar- rangement of the most intricate and delicate construction^ and that it must be looked to carefully in all its parts. Of all : ' 17 the movoments in thi.s wonderful piece of macliincry, there is none more important than the circulation of the' blood anrl ngrvo-vital fluid.. The blood circulates continuously and with powerful force in a healthy body. Lot us conHidor the principle of thi.s motion. The heart placed a little to the loft of the centre of the chest, between the luno-s is a very powerful or-an, with ri-ht ami left ventricle, and is constantly in motion, dilatin.fij and contractin^r. p^-om the left ventrical springs the great artery, or aorta, which soon divides itself into numerous branches, some ascending and some descending. These numberless branches, which become smaller and finer in ])roportion as they are far removed from the heart, are spread and disi.ensed over every part of the body. The right ventricle, by co:-ractin- forces the blood into these arteries with so much ilr.,., that It reaches the extremities of the smallest branches, and 'i. returned to the heart again by the veins. It is a well known fact that the blood is filled with little globules; and those little globules are intelligent operators in our circu- latory system, and we are dependent upon them for various t^elections which the blood makes from our variously intro- duced food, to be applied to the building up and keeping in repair our variously position d organs. Those little animalculse circulate through our systems as venious and arterial creatures, constantly at work building up and repairing their homes, carrying away the refuse char- coal, or burnt carbon, constantly renewing their bodies constantly going to and from the lungs, to discharge their little loads of carbon, and to take on a load of pure vital oxygen, and thus invigorated and lightened in color by the exchange, they return to their appointed work in the great ocean and its estuaries, the heart and arteries, renewing and refreshing the arterial circulation or arterial blood (so called), always carrying their full supply of stores for their own sustenance on their journey, and to build up and keep in rejiair their prized resorts, their appointed labors, which are our various organs. Thus, in an endless I I 18 round of globular action, are wo alone enabled to account for such otherwise inexplicable proceHwes, which selectalways the appropriate material for each organ of animal life. In this way we can trace our origin from Adam through these little globules, whoso presence in our blood declare our blood relations, and point out to us our origin . They are the principal links in all animal creation, and each of these little derivative creatures carries the impress of Almighty forethought, power and beneficence. Conception is only a transmission of these little blood globules, and it is only when they become weakened or impaired, by age or disease, that they cease to do their oftice. It is through this source that original sin is transmitted from parents to children. These little blood globules become tainted, and carry the taint from one to another. The mechanism of the circula- tion of the blood is an inexplicable masterpiece of Divine wisdom and mechanical skill. For example, is it not won- derful that the motion of the heart should continue, without interruption, for seventy, eighty or a hundred or n.ore years, and that so delicate a machine should not wear out by friction ? Man is indeed a wonderful piece of mechau- ism. Every thing proclaims him lord of creation. It is wonderful to contemplate the number of invisible channels, formed and measured in a manner infinitely surpassing the art and skill of man, to convey, dispose, and cause to flow, regularly and without interruption, this precious little world of intelligent globules, upon which the transmission of life depends. Our inherited sensual imaginations and physical derangements may, in a very great dcgi-ee, be corre^cted by judicious treatment and care; and virtuous lives. No doubt many have inherited the original sin, which is the incli- nation to abuse the sexual functions, yet that is no excuse for continuing these derangements caused by the practice of this fearful vice. Dr. Woodbridge says : " that the loss of an ounce of the vital fluid by abuse is equal to the loss of forty oimces of blood." This is startling, but no doubt true. In no way can vitality, both mental and physical, be so surely 19 rendered defective as by the loss c^ the principle that con- tains the very essence of life. The loss of this vital power, by mea«s of this drain, renders men less able to resist the effects of change of climate, and of malarial poisons and miasma. It impoverishes the blood, weakens the circula- tion, and induces consumption, dyspepsia, nervous diseases and horribly distressing mental derangements. The little blood animalculiB work lazily and imperfectly through the circulation, the heart throbs uneasily, and nearly all diseases to which the human family are liable, may bo traced to an impeded circulation of the blood r\nd nervo-vital fluids, the cause of which may be traced to a want of vital force, resulting from abuses of the sexual functions. Bible history teaches us that the " Original Sin," consisted in the eating of the forbid- den fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil ; no doubt God's commands were disobeyed in the beginning of human existence, as they are at the present moment, and death was, and is, the penalty. There is no law which God has made, the obedience to which is productive of greater gcod than obedience to sexual law ! Neither is there any law of man's organization, nor any law of God, the violation of which is more certain to bring death as a penalty than the violation of sexuvl law ! Although death may not take place immediately, or for a long time, yet the expenditure of the vital force, and the exhaustion consequent upon it, is sure to hasten the day. The sexual instincts, when unperverted, are among the most complete and harmonious in nature. And when used in accordance with the laws which govern their functions, they become a source of the highest enjoyment and happiness. But when perverted and abused, when the laws which God has made to govern them are violated, then they become fruitful of the deepest misery and wretchedness, a source of constant sorrow, a living death. The law of nature is the law of God. Cicero said, '< If nature loes not ratify law all virtues loose their sway." Hallman said, " God forbid that we should submit our liberties to a jury of antitiuaries. Laws made by men I 20 are nioro momnrandu if thoy are not ratified l,y God throupfh nature." What iH mud, wanted is to rid tho medieal profession of ovcrytlnn^r <],,( looks like mystery an'l imposture, ami to clothe mediealivnowlod,i(o in a dross so simple an.i intolli^rible, that It may become a part of aeademieal education in all our seminaries of learnin;-. Truth is Himplo upon all snb- jocts, especiuU,/ those that are so essential to tho general happiness of mankind. In no one of the acts of men do wo behold more error and weakness than in our present modes of education. We teach our sons words at the ex- pense of things. We teach them what was done two thou- pand years ago, and conceal from them what is doing every day. We teach them to predict eclipses and tho return of comets, from which no corporal advantages worth naming have ever been derived, hut we give them no instructions in the signs wh-'ch precedes general and individual diseases. How long shall tho human mind bond beneath the usages of ancient and barbarous times? The essential principals of medicines are plain ; there are many things in the arts more difficult to learn than a system of first principles in medi- cine. All the morbid effects of heat and cold, of intemper- ance iu oating and drinking, and in tho exercise of the body and mind, may be taught with as much ease as tho multipli- cation table. All the knowledge which is attainable of diseases by the pulse, might be acquired at a less expense of time and labor than is spent in committing the Latin grammar to memory. A knowledge of the virtues and doses of the most active and u.seful medicines might be acquired with greater facility and a much greater degree of pleasure and satisfaction than the rules for composing syllogisms laid down in our systems ol logic. In support of the tv;, !; of iVis opinion, let us look at the effects of simplicity which have been introduced into the art of war. A few principles have supplied the place of volumes upon tactics, and private citizens have become better generals, and farm laborers better soldiers, in a few 21 weokH, thnii tlicir piedocesKors In war woro after an expe- nence of fifteen or twenty years. Could changes equally H.niple at,d gonurul be introduced, by nioan„ uf our schools into tRe practice of medicine, no arithmetic, ,u;uld calculate the advantages that would foil ,w. Millions of livoH would be saveil by it for many years. In thus recommending the general diffusion of modic-il knowledge, by making it an inseparable part of a general education, there is not the least intention of depreciating the medical ])rofession. There will always be diseases and operations enough that will require the aid of .skilled and experienced medical men. It may be well to remark ri.rht here, tlint it is not the knowledge of the ten thousand mimi- tia' of diseiises, that secures success in practice, nit that it 18 the possession of an innate power o. vision— mi inborn faculty to appreciate the meaning and relation of pheno- mena, as indioating the degree or charactoi- of an exisMn.- disturbance of the vital forces ; and added to thi^ 'hero must be a corresponding fict to determine wiiuL remedy id atlapted to the case. This tact may be materially s/u/r^)e/if(?, but it can never be wholly ac^pdred by exi)erience. Therelore it is evident tiiat physicicins are born, not made, (^ood sound practical com- mon sense, backed by a desirable and appropriate amount of technical information, is a far more valuable gift to a prac- titioner than a whole libra of abstract science. A physician may have a great amount of technical knowledge, without even a moderate degree of good common sense. The physician should, however, know all that is practically useful to him as a restorer of iiealth. Pathological anatomy, as Eokistausky studied it, puivsuing the material disorders of disease in the dead body, with as much tenacity as Columbus- went in search oia new world, is something comparatively distinct from, and independent of, the plain practical wants of the sick room. A man n ay be a great pathological ana- tomist, and yet a very poor physician; a man may be a great physiological chemist, and yet a \Qry unsuccessful I m 22 practitioner. He may be a Becond Cruveillier, and not suc- ceed one half so well with his patients as one that has only a general knowledge of the main and most important facta of anatomy. In a word, a man may be very learned in all the terhnical phrases, and be the very worst kind of a practi- tioner. A physician ought to know, judge quickly, act promptly; that will entitle him to confidence, without which his efforts will be almost useless in a majority of cases. Valuable knowledge is not the fruit of asceticism, nor the result of unlimited indulgence; either extreme produces imbecility. The mind will not develope if isolated ; it will not become strong by yielding loose rein ■ • appetite, senti- ment, or mere intellectuality. Reason ought to regulate a balance,— and it will if we have a correct idea of natural laws. For instance, imagination has many vices, and the sin of temptation is very general, even with those that we look upon as patterns of virtue. Sensual imaginations create sensual excitements that become very dangerous, from the fact that, by a sort of sensual sophistry, they are many times thought to be havmless, and without the pale of actual sin It is an attempt to filch from sin all the pleasure that can be procured without paying the penalty. Those who seek the excitement of temptation, show that they are only restrained from sin by fear, and not by principle, that while their lives appear to be on the side of virtue, their aftections lean to vice ; a mean contemptible sham. There are many to whom temptation comes unbidden, and to whom it is unwelcome. It is the result of circumstances, and many times of old weaknesses, old passions, that have been fought acrainst without being conquered. The secret original sin of imagination is not only in itself a sin, but is the path by which the soul travels to transgressions which arc beyond. It is perhaps a kind of sin that injures none but the sinner, directly, but fouler meaner, more contemptible, rotten-hearted men do' not exist than the cowardly hypocrites whose lives are spent in dallying with thoughts of sin that they have not the courao-e to commit. A vision of naked vice, of whatever 23 sort, is a vision of deformity. There is no beauty in beaetli- ness, save that which an excited, imagination lends to it. It is as loM2 ^^^ loathsome as the serpent around whose evil eyes the poor bird flutters, until it drops, a victim to the poison- ous fangs that await its certain coming. What if this imagi- nary world of sin could be unveiled? How would the imaginary thoughts of multitudes that appear to be imma- culate read ? There is vice enough in the world of actual life, and it is there we expect to find it, but there is far more in that other world of imagination that we do not see. Vice that poisons — vice that kills, vice that makes whited sepulchres of temples that arc deemed pure even by multi- tudes of their tenants. No man, woman, or child, can be blameless or pure, who willingly and gladly seek indulgence in sensual imaginations. That remarkable poem written by Margaret Puller, which ascribes an indelible taint to the maiden who onl>/ dreams of her lover, an unmaidenly dream, delicately pictures a significant meaning, intimating that there is a forbidden field in which the pure never can wander M'ithout becoming weakened in its poisonous atmosphere. This is the insidious poison that developes and excites the tendencies to sensuality and familiarizes the mind with vice. And it is in this field, in this poisonous atmosphere that the Devil seeks for his victims, it is in this field that he wins all his victories over virtue, this is the Original Sin." A pure sonl, standing firmly on the ground of virtue — pure in the presence of vice, will never bond from its recti- tude, unless it should become a wanderer among the seduc- tive evils of temptation, and entertain the images it will be sure to find there. Who talks of these dangers ? Do not fathers and mothers, faithful perhaps in all other duties, shrink from counselling their children upon matters of this kind, always trying to console themselves that their children are pure minded in all things? Sooner or later, they find their mistake, and often when too late — when the character has suffered an injury, untold ages will fail to remedy it. Let parents, guardians, physicians, ministers of the gospel m 24 and teachers, all do their duty, and there will be fewer ruined families, ruined hearts, ruined hopes, far less crime, less sickness, less sorrow in this bright antl beautiful world of ours. There ought not to be such a thing in the universe as an old soul. No man on earth ought to feel old, or realize that he is old; and hej,v 11 not if he has taken proper care of his body and his mind. The immortal soul that dwells for years in a damp, mouldy, filthy house, weakened by and reeking with rottenness, drained of its strength and tainted by fouf diseases, cannot ^expect to pass thi-ough the gates of the beautiful Temple of Life to that Garden of Eden, gorgeous with all that is pure, majestic and lovely; where none of the taints of man's original transgressions of Divine order can be found ; where we can breathe the breath of flowers that never decay. No; the diseased soul cannot enter there. It mu«t be made pure tii-st. " The blackest soil can be made to grow the richest flowers, and the loftiest and strongest ti-ees if>])ring heavenward from among the rocks." v.... M • ■I % ' \: ;i.J> .., V . ■•»'■■' M • m'.' \: ••i-'>s. V DR. UTLEY'S , .CONSULTING ROOMS -I. .'.jl-r ARu mm^mmrummm in thh ^■' MECHANICS' BANK CHAMBERS, 194 ST. JAMES STREET. From Froin From orricE HOURS. 9^0 11 a.m. 2 to 4: p.m. . . . . 7 to d p.m. ROOMS ALSO AT ST. LAWRENCE HALL. Dr. CTtley wilTopen hin Consulting Eooms again at his residence up town, the Ist of May next. Special attention will be given to that numerous class of diseases that require the aid of electricity, as well as other remedies, such as Paralysis, Neuralgia, Epilepsy, Eheuma- tism, Sciatica, St. Vitus' Dance, Asthrna, Spinal Diseases, Palpitation of the Hear^ Disease of the Kidneys, Uterine Diseases, Leucorrhoea, Seminal Weakness, Impotency, Ac. Consultations by lettf^r promptly attended to. Patient' may bo treated at a distance, without the least trouble. Address M. H. UTLEY, M.D., Montreal, P.Q., Canada. W ■'*