Use of Remedies
263
The body is to be carefully cared for, and in this the Lord demands
the cooperation of the human agent. Man must become intelligent in
regard to the treatment and use of brain, bone, and muscle. The very
best experience we can gain is to know ourselves.—
Manuscript 65,
1899
(General Manuscript).
All to Understand What to Do for Themselves
Your question is, ... “In urgent cases, should we call in a worldly
physician, because the sanitarium doctors are all so busy that they have
no time to devote to outside practice?” If the physicians are so busy
[290]
that they cannot treat the sick outside of the institution, would it not be
wiser for all to educate themselves in the use of simple remedies, than
to venture to use drugs that are given a long name to hide their real
qualities. Why need anyone be ignorant of God’s remedies—hot-water
fomentations and cold and hot compresses. It is important to become
familiar with the benefit of dieting in case of sickness. All should
understand what to do [for] themselves. They may call upon someone
who understands nursing, but everyone should have an intelligent
knowledge of the house he lives in. All should understand what to do
in case of sickness.
Were I sick, I would just as soon call in a lawyer as a physician
from among general practitioners. [
Mrs White is here referring to
the “general practitioner” of 1897 in the backwoods of australia, from
where she penned these words. The reader must keep in mind that
until the second decade of the twentieth century, physician training
was largely unregulated and was often meager. In many instances it
was on an apprentice basis, supplemented at best by a short period
of training in a more or less orthodox medical school. The medical
profession was without well-established standards. The mainstay in
the medications of the ordinary doctor was poisonous drugs, often
prescribed in large doses
.
The following facts show clearly that Mrs. White’s statement
should not be used to depreciate the labors of the carefully trained
conscientious physician
:
1. Her many statements relative to the high calling and weighty
responsibilities of the physician
;