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Name:
Thomsonianism
Founder:
Name: Samuel Thomson
Born: 1769
Died: 1843
Profile:
Thomsonianism is little known today, but probably qualifies as the first coherent system of
alternative medicine theories and practices in the United States. Samuel Thomson's theories
about health were based around two basic principles: vitalism and the curative powers of
nature.
According to Thomson, every living being is infused with a vital energy that is powered be heat and that is necessary for the body to survive. Sustaining life requires the consumption of food which is then burned as fuel to create the heat necessary for the vital energy. When a person is sick, they lack the heat required to sustain their vital energy - but fortunately, the remedy for that can be found right in nature. Specifically, it can be found in those foods and spices which are perceived as "hot" and burning when eaten. Other natural substances were used for purposes like cleansing the stomach or to defend against cold temperatures.
Thomsonianism was widely marketed as a medical system which the average person could learn, understand, and administer themselves. Dispensing with any requirement to seek help from a trained physician whose knowledge was presumed to be greater than the common person was a key selling point of Thomsonianism and continues to be an important facet of alternative medicine today. It must be remembered that it wasn't always necessary for a person to obtain a license in order to practice medicine - that wasn't the case in most states until around 1830.
This professionalization of medicine had the side-effect of shutting out many traditional healers who had long practiced medicine in their own way. Now, doctors were getting laws passed which made the actions of traditional healers a crime, resulting in a backlash against scientific medicine that hasn't completely run its course even today. Arguments against the mandatory licensing of physicians has been strongly supported by American attitudes towards freedom and equality - in theory, at least, Americans tend to oppose class distinctions and anything which would tend to make a person "superior" to others and inhibit the freedom of others to act as they will. Thus, Samuel Thomson's system attained widespread popularity because he was able to promote it as something any common person could do.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Alternative Medicine?
There's an awful lot in the news and in society about "alternative medicines" these days. By some estimates, it's an industry doing between $15 and $20 billion annually - and growing! But what is alternative medicine - how does it differ from scientific medicine and why do people use it?Skepticism & Critical Thinking
This is the main index for issues dealing with skepticism, critical thinking, logic and arguments. The first section is Critical Thinking itself - how to think about claims and arguments you hear, how to critique arguments, and how to formulate your own arguments such that they are more likely to be sound and valid. The second section is about Skeptical Investigations - the practical application of the critical thinking skills covered in the first section. Here you will find critiques of things like astrology, alternative medicine, parapsychology, the New Age and more.
