A monograph upon aconite : its therapeutic and physiological effects together with its uses, and accurate statements derived from the various sources of medical literature / translated from the German of Dr. Reil, by Henry B. Millard ; prize essay.

  • Reil, Dr. (Wilhelm), 1820-1880.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A monograph upon aconite : its therapeutic and physiological effects together with its uses, and accurate statements derived from the various sources of medical literature / translated from the German of Dr. Reil, by Henry B. Millard ; prize essay. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    PART I. HISTORICAL. As regards the historical part of our knowledge of the thera- peutic and poisonous properties of Aconite, the subject divides itself into four periods : The first commences with the time when we first became ac- quainted with it, and with the mythological accounts of the his- tory of the world, and extends to the time of Matthiolus, 1560. The second comprises the period of the first physiological proving of it, by Matthiolus, to Storck's first therapeutic in- vestigations, 1760. The third period commences with Storck, and terminates with the communications of Hahnemann, in his Fragmentis de viribus medicamentorum positivis, 1805. Finally, the fourth period conducts us from Hahnemann to the latest times. PERIOD I. We said that the first period of our knowledge begins with the mythological time of the world's history and our first ac- quaintance with it. In this period, a poisonous plant, known by the name of Aconite, made its appearance, and so deadly a poison that mythology attached to its origin the frightful story that it sprang from the spittle of the Hell-hound Cerberus: loropelrat yap rbv Kepfiepov e^avex^evra /irj dvvaodai v-nn\iziva> rag avyag rov r\kiov Kal kfieoai, Kal £k rov efierov ravnyv yeveodai rfjv (iordvrjv. 'A%epwv de iroraubg ev 'RpaicXeia jy UovriK/q^ ev$a rbv rov Adov Kvva 6 'Hpa/cAf/c e^yaye, Kal 6 X6<$>og amvirog AeyeraL. For it is related that Cerberus, being bom, could not endure the H