Article for 05-2001
How Did Pharmaceuticals Come into Power?
If you've ever wondered
how we came to use artificial medicines instead of natural plants for healing,
then you may find this article interesting. A summary of pre-pharmaceutical
history is helpful in understanding that American colonists were successfully
using herbs before petrochemicals were developed. First, let's take a look at
the three primary healing philosophies handed down by Hypocrites and Democrates.
- Vitalist - believes
that the human body has an inherent ability to regenerate and move toward
wellness. Overall philosophy is to observe what the body is doing and help
it fulfill its course. (The name Vitalist was coined by Hypocrites who said,
"All you have to do is observe nature and help it in its course.")
This healing philosophy will never attempt to control or stop bodily functions,
for example a fever. The monks were Vitalists and they recorded herbology
and preserved this art. The monks were also jealous of anyone outside the
church who dispensed herbs and they labeled anyone who used herbs for medicinal
purposes a witch or a warlock and had them killed.
- Atomist - believes
the body needs to be controlled and will attempt to accomplish this with substances
that can interfere with the body's normal function. An example is to lower
or stop a fever. (Democrates is the founder of the Atomist philosophy. He
felt that we are all made of simple matter and we can act on it with other
matter to change it.)
- Eclectic - uses
a combination of herbal medicine with the Atomist healing philosophy.
In the 1700 and 1800's,
Samuel Thompson was an American colonist who healed over 3 million people using just two herbs - lobelia and cayenne. His basic healing philosophy was to remove toxins by purging (with lobelia) and then build up the body with herbal nutrition (cayenne). Lobelia can be used as an emetic for purging and cayenne is high in vitamin A and C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and zinc. Thompson's approach replaced the popular treatments of blood letting and using mercury to purge toxins. Thompson learned herbal healing from a woman (Mrs. Benton) who was taught by Native American Indians. Thompson's philosophy reflects a Vitalist approach to healing, which is the human body has an inherent ability
to regenerate and move toward wellness.
The Thompson approach to healing wasn't always appreciated by healers, or even other herbalists. A Dr. John Skelton (herbalist) felt that Thompson's treatments and medicines weren't refined enough and he started a four-year herbal school for physicians.
Then Dr. Wooster Beach (founder of Eclecticism) also felt that Thompson medicine wasn't refined enough and sought a medical degree and then became an herbalist. These doctors were called Eclectic doctors. Soon the Eclectic doctors dominated the field of medicine and outnumbered the Atomist physicians (known today as American Medical Association physicians).
So, how did petrochemicals come into power? Well, the AMA was established in 1852, where mercury and bleeding treatments were predominately used to treat almost any aliment. However, with
the rise of the Eclectic doctors, the AMA physicians were almost out of business.
So, they generated a need for their services through heavy marketing. To do
this, they needed some deep pockets. The AMA found J.D. Rockefeller and worked
out a deal.
At the time of this alliance,
Rockefeller had been promoting his crude oil as a healing elixir. He claimed
that oil flushed colon toxins out of the body. With the money Rockefeller made
off his elixir, he started a petrochemical business. He broke down the chemical
components in crude oil and made drugs with it.
The first synthetic drugs
Rockefeller and the AMA promoted mimicked the active ingredients in herbs. The
Eclectic physicians did not accept this new form of medicine. They felt they
already had an effective medicine using herbs and didn't need an inorganic substitute.
However, the AMA needed this new form of medicine to succeed because their field
was dying.
The Rockefeller Foundation
published the Journal of the American Medical Association (also known as JAMA)
Petrochemical medicines were heavily promoted in JAMA and Rockefeller spent
$50K promoting this new medicine. With this kind of backing, people took notice.
However, AMA medicine didn't take off as fast as its founders wanted, so they
designed a way to remove the barriers between the different types of medicines.
In 1907 the AMA invited
all types of medicine to come under the protective umbrella of the AMA. They
invited homeopaths, herbalists, naturopaths, and Eclectic physicians to join
them in their association to share information and reap the benefits of being
part of the AMA. After this was accomplished, the AMA hired a third party (the
Mellon Foundation) to conduct a survey of all the medical schools under the
AMA. The survey evaluated the homeopathic, herbal, naturopath, and Eclectic
schools of medicine and found them to be substandard. However, the AMA schools
were found to be above standards. The AMA used the results of this survey to
close all the alternative medical schools that received a substandard rating.
One by one the schools were closed with the last one closing in 1930. All that
remained was the AMA medical schools. It was a systematic plan that removed
natural herbs as a form of healing in this country.
However, herbal medicine
did survive. It survived in Europe and in British Columbia Canada. The U.S.
herbal schools are alive today because Native Americans passed on the herb knowledge
and other natural healers also sought this knowledge outside of America.
You can read more about
the rise of petrochemical medicine (modern medicine) in the Green Pharmacy by
Barbara Griggs.
Sources:
Griggs, B., Green Pharmacy. Healing Arts Press, Vermont, 1997. pgs96, 99, 106,
142, 155, 166, 170, 203.
Christopher, D., School of Natural Healing. Vitalist Seminar. 1999.
The information contained herein is not intended to diagnosis, treat, prevent or cure any disease. Please seek medical advice from a licensed medical physician before using any herbal products or natural therapies. The information contained herein is copyrighted by Apothecary Herbs, Inc.
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