THE NEW METHOD OF CURE.

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BOSTON, APRIL 1, 1854.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS, ESQ.: DEAR SIR:—The interest which the public are beginning to manifest in "The New Method of Cure, by NUTRITION, without drugs," and the fact that efforts are made in different places to counterfeit this method, by substituting DRUGS, under the pretence of curing by artificial "nutritive fluids," seem to render it necessary that I should say a few words in order to put this matter in its true light.—The IDEA of curing disease without any drugs at all, was first announced by me, in my works on "Human Nature," published in 1846, by Bela Marsh, Boston, Mass. But since this announcement, various attempts have been made to substitute "pepsin," and various other nostrums, in the treatment of disease; and all this under the auspices of "Cures by Nutrition!" Whereas, the true theory of Nutrition rejects all drugs, as the general rule, and all substitutes prepared out of the human stomach, for nutrition, whether called "cordial," "pepsin," "invalids' food," or something else, which the sick are called upon to take as the means of cure.

For the past thirty years I have cured all forms of curable diseases, without medicine, and physicians in every part of the country could be named who have done the same.

And here let me ask, if it is not desirable that something should be done to lessen the amount of DRUGGING, which is carrying its tens of thousands into an untimely grave every year! The present is called the age of Progression. And is it not also the age of drugs?—the age of Patent Nostrums?—the age of fortunes made in the sale of the vilest compounds ever swallowed by mortals?—such as "moss from a dead man's skull"—"pulverised Egyptian mummy"—"snakes," "bugs," "lice," "worms"—"the warts from horses' legs"—"the genital organs of animals" —"bones of a man hanged"—"urine," and excrements, human, and of swine, sheep, &c, have all been prescribedas excellent medicine! And patent pills and powders are now taken by the bushel, and patent syrups and fluids are swallowed by the barrel, all made of stuff equally efficacious.

It is a serious fact, to which public attention cannot be too often called, that while the papers are overrun with advertisements of "newly discovered" "patent" nostrums, which are proclaimed as infallible remedies, by persons ignorant of the laws of life and health, the most experienced, intelligent and reliable physicians, both in Europe and America, are crying out against all drugs and druggings! One of them, the celebrated Dr. Johnson, editor of the London Medico Chirurgical Review says:

"I declare as my conscientious opinion, founded on long experience and reflection, that if there was not a single physician, surgeon, apothecary, man-midwife, chemist-druggist, nor drug on the face of the earth, there would be less sickness, and less mortality than now prevail."

Dr. B. W. Richmond, of Ohio, has recently declared as follows:

"I regard medicine as a curse to the race, as now used. I have treated small-pox, typhoid fever, and malignant scarlatina, successfully, without a jot of medicine."

And similar declarations may be found in a pamphlet I have published on this subject, (see advertisement in another column,) from such men as Bichat, Magendie, Waterhouse, Rush, Jamieson, Lugol, Evans, Gregory, John Mason, Good, and others.

And thus it is, by drugs and drugging quacks and quackery, the poor invalid is lured on by the hope of health, and tries one "dose" after another from year to year, till he has made an apothecary's shop of his stomach, and sunk into his grave, saturated, and dosed to death by the medicine he has swallowed.

But, it is sufficiently demonstrated, that disease may be radically cured without any drugs at all! And multitudes throughout the country have been thus cured, as may be seen by my pamphlet. And, what philanthropist, what friend to the human race, will not rejoice in the prospect which this New Method of Cure opens to the sick and afflicted! It is quite common for shouts of joy to be raised whenever some new nostrum is brought before the public, as if life and health were to be really promoted by the use of the vile compounds! Millions of money are expended in advertising them, and tens of millions more are made in their sale. But when the true Method, the real gospel of health is offered without drugs of any kind, how few the number who hail the announcement with joy, or bestow upon the subject that attention which its vast importance so evidently demands.

An ardent desire to do something towards staying the mighty flood of evils which are now spreading over the land from drugs and druggings, has drawn from me the above offer of my pamphlet, in which the principles of the New Method are briefly explained, and the non-reliability of the common practice of drugging is shown from the testimony of some of the most intelligent physicians who have ever lived.

Indeed, physicians are not only adopting this New Method for their patients, in different parts of the country—but numbers of them, who have themselves been invalids for years, have discarded the use of medicine in their own cases, and have been restored to good health as the consequence. I have patients, now, under treatment by this New Method, in almost every State in the Union, and to what extent they are benefitted, the following testimony will show. I select this from hundreds of others, because it was originally published in the Liberator, it having been voluntarily written by Mr. Yerrinton, the well-known printer of that paper:

SCROFULA CURED BY MR. SUNDERLAND!—Our child, a daughter of fourteen, had been feeble and sickly from infancy, and at the time of her first attending on Mr. Sunderland, (December 1, 1849,) was thought to be, by eminent physicians, in a very critical state, and pronounced past help by them.—She had become emaciated to a mere skeleton, and was scarcely able, from weakness and debility, to move about. She began to improve immediately on submitting her case to Mr. Sunderland, and has in four weeks gained fifteen pounds of flesh, and from being a peevish, irritable, and moping child, has become a joyous, laughing and sprightly girl! It was in view of such facts as these Dr. Grandin was led to exclaim, "If this is a 'humbug,' it is a bug that hums to a good purpose."—J. B. YERRINGTON, Boston, Mass., Dec. 21, 1849.

The invalid here referred to has since become developed into healthy womanhood, and is now perfectly well and happy. Here, then, is something "new under the sun"—gaining fifteen pounds of flesh in four weeks! and all this without a particle of medicine! Why, if there were a "pill," or any "patent" "powders," "syrups," or "new medical discovery," that could produce a wonder like this, it would, indeed, be worth, to the possessor, far more than all the gold in California. Yours, truly,

LA ROY SUNDERLAND.