sion in the
way of encouragement. One Dr. Fuller, who wrote in England, himself
a Perkinist, thus expressed his opinion: "It must be an extraordinary
exertion of virtue and humanity for a medical man, whose livelihood
depends either on the sale of drugs, or on receiving a guinea for
writing a prescription, which must relate to those drugs, to say to
his patient, 'You had better purchase a set of Tractors to keep in your
family; they will cure you without the expense of my attendance, or the
danger of the common medical practice.' For very obvious reasons medical
men must never be expected to recommend the use of Perkinism. The
Tractors must trust for their patronage to the enlightened and
philanthropic out of the profession, or to medical men retired from
practice, and who know of no other interest than the luxury of relieving
the distressed. And I do not despair of seeing the day when but very few
of this description as well as private families will be without them."

Whether the motives assigned by this medical man to his professional
brethren existed or not, it is true that Dr. Perkins did not gain a
great deal at their hands. The Connecticut Medical Society expelled him
in 1797 for violating their law against the use of nostrums, or secret
remedies. The leading English physicians appear to have looked on with
singular apathy or contempt at the miracles which it was pretended were
enacting in the hands of the apostles of the new practice. In looking
over the reviews of the time, I have found little beyond brief
occasional notices of their pretensions; the columns of these journals
being occupied with subjects of more permanent interest. The state of
things in London is best learned, however, from the satirical poem
to which I have already alluded as having been written at the period
referred to. This was entitled, "Terrible Tractoration!! A Poetical
Petition against Galvanizing Trumpery and the Perkinistic Institution.
Most respectfully addressed to the Royal College of Physicians, by
Christopher Caustic, M. D., LL. D., A. S. S., Fellow of the Royal
College of Physicians, Aberdeen, and Honorary Member of no less than
nineteen very learned Societies." Two editions of this work were
published in London in the years 1803 and 1804, and one or two have been
published in this country.

"Terrible Tractoration" is supposed, by those who never read it, to be
a satire upon the follies of Perkins and his followers. It is, on t