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IN THE preparation of this volume for the press, the aim has been to make every page and every sentence plain to all, whether the be physicians or not. The importance of physical culture, baths, and diet is conceded by everybody. But not every one has at hand a compact manual of instruction upon these subjects, in their relation to the cure of particular diseases. This book, from which technical terms have been excluded as far as possible, will, it is believed, supply such instruction, to those who study it attentively and follow its suggestions in good faith. The book, however, claims to be something more than a code of dietetics, baths, and exercise. It is in its way a complete handbook on the treatment of disease, not by faith, but by knowledge based upon careful investigation and on discoveries in the science of healing which are not the less valuable because they happen to be new and strange to some. The principles which it sets forth are, perhaps, less widely known now than they will be in the future. It would take a much larger volume than the present one to enumerate and explain them in all details. Nevertheless, this book, while not an encyclopedia, nor a full technical treatise, is equal to the purpose I had in mind, that of placing in the hands of the unlearned the power of successfully treating the most common ailments, and thus preventing the development of the more, dangerous ones, to which the human body is subject. I may even hope that the expert physician who scans these pages with an open, unprejudiced mind, will see new points of value to be added to his previous study and experience in therapeutics. I hold that Osteopathy has a worthy message to the intelligent medical men of all existing schools. True, the new science of Osteopathy is only in its beginning. Doctor Still has given us a grand foundation upon which to build. It is labor for the advancement of science, in general, to widen the possibilities of this particular science, and it is the privilege of all who can, to contribute whatever will be of interest and benefit to the practitioner as well as to the public. This new science has no secrets; its methods are human, not supernatural, and it teaches nothing but what all can learn and test for themselves. Wonderful strides have been made in the advancement of this new science, and much knowledge has been gathered in the application of the principles discovered by Doctor Still. It is the intention of this book to embody the most practical lessons which others have taught me or which I have learned from my own experience as to the use of Osteopathy in healing disease. Neither pains nor expense has been spared to make this a complete work, thoroughly simple, and that any one with ordinary intelligence can understand and apply. EDUARD W. GOETZ, D. O. |