Aphorism 280

This incontrovertible axiom of experience is the standard of measurement by which the doses of all homoeopathic medicines, without exception, are to be reduced to such an extent that, after their ingestion, they shall excite a scarcely observable homoeopathists aggravation,(a) let the diminution of the dose go ever so far, and appear ever so incredible to the materialistic ideas of ordinary physicians; (Note: Let them learn from the mathematicians how true it is that a substance divided into ever so many parts must still contain in its smallest conceivable parts always some of this substance, and that the smallest conceivable part does not cease to be some of this substance and cannot possibly become nothing; let them, if they are capable of being taught, hear from natural philosophers that there are enormously powerful thing (forces) which are perfectly destitute of weight, as, for example, caloric, light, &c, consequently infinitely lighter than the medicine contained in the smallest doses used in homoeopathy; let them, if they can, weigh the irritating words that bring on a bilious fever, or the mournful intelligence respecting her only son that kills the mother; let them touch, for a quarter of an hour, a magnet capable of lifting a hundred pounds weight, and learn from the pain it excites that even imponderable agencies can produce the most violent medicinal effects upon man; and let the weak ones among them allow the pit of their stomach to be slightly touched by the thumb's point of a strong-willed mesmeriser for a few minutes, and the disagreeable sensations they then suffer will make them repent of attempting to set limits to the boundless activity of nature; the weak minded creatures! If the allopathist who is trying the homoeopathists system imagine he cannot bring himself to give such small and profoundly attenuated doses, let him only ask himself what risk he runs by so doing If the scepticism which holds what is ponderable only to be real, and all that is imponderable to be nothing, be right, nothing worse could result from a dose that appears to him to be nothing, than that no effect would ensue and consequently this would be always much more innocuous than what must result from his too large doses of allopathic medicine. Why will he consider his inexperience, coupled with prejudice, more reliable than an experience of many years corroborated by facts And, moreover, the homoeopathic medicine becomes potentised at every division and diminution by trituration or succussion! a development of the inherent powers of medicinal substances which was never dreamed of before my time, which is of so powerful a character that of late years I have been compelled by convincing experience to reduce the ten succussions formerly directed to be given after each attenuation, to two.) their idle declamations must cease before the verdict of unerring experience.(Note: Sec. 280 288 are entirely recast in the sixth edition. A very important foot-note to Sec. 282 appears in the sixth edition.).