I need not spend time to show, that this subserviency of medical men to the credulity of the public, is one of the worst obstacles to the eradication of the quackery which results from this credulity. And this mode of self-aggrandizement is an evil, which prevails in the profession to a greater extent than is commonly supposed. It is so covert and sly in the case of many physicians, that it is called by their friends worldly wisdom, or perhaps even good judgment. And the physician who adopts it, if he have much conscience, quiets it with the consideration, that the world cannot be reformed, but we must take it as it is; and he looks upon the honest votary of medical science, that pursues his investigations in obedience to a love of the truth, independent of the whims of a credulous world, as a man who has not sense enough to look out for his own interests. It must be obvious to my readers, that a reform is needed in the ranks of the medical profession, to enable it to exert any commanding influence in the removal of empiricism. Not only is its dignity impaired, but its energies are crippled, in all its honest endeavors for this object, by the extent to which that spirit, which I have described, prevails among its members. It is not confined to a few of the ignorant and grossly unprincipled, who have stolen into our ranks; but it is seen to a greater or less degree even in some who occupy stations of power and influence, and in quite a large portion of the common mass of practitioners. This may be considered by some as too strong a charge to bring against so noble a profession; but my own observation, and that of other physicians from different parts of our country, prove it to be a true charge. Let then the profession be purged. Let the true spirit of investigation animate all the members of it, instead of only a portion of them. Let that short-sighted policy, which relies upon the credulity of the community for success, instead of attempting to correct it, be given up. Let all false issues be avoided. Let reputation be sought after on true grounds, and let competition be honorable, and therefore such as will further the cause of truth, and promote the interests of the profession, and not sacrifice them to mere temporary self-aggrandizement, as is now so often done.