New experiments with mercury in the small pox; by which is demonstrated its specific virtue in that disease / Translated from the French by William Fowle.

  • Woensel, Pieter van, 1747-1808
Date:
1793
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: New experiments with mercury in the small pox; by which is demonstrated its specific virtue in that disease / Translated from the French by William Fowle. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/30 (page 12)
    ¥ 12 EXPERIMENTS WITH MERCURY time, raging through the whole city, I thought it more advifeable to proceed to the operation, than to expofe fuch a number of children to the danger of natural contagion, which it was almoft impof- fibie to avoid in fo large an edabliffiment. In reflecting on the method of preparation, it was natural to pay particular attention to that of Mr. Sutton, who has gained fuch great reputation by his reiterated fuccefs. It immediately appear¬ ed to me, that the advantage of his method was to be entirely attributed to the frnall dofe of mer¬ cury which he exhibited to his patients, as one- twelfth'of a grain of tartar emetic feemed much more adapted to conceal the defign of the author, than to anfwer any ufeful purpofe. Boerhaave wras the firfl perfon who imagined that mercury poffefled a ipecific power againfl the Small Pox, The doubts of this celebrated phy- hcian, whether mercury or antimony contained this property, were the reafon that the two have been combined by practitioners, who at lead: hoped to render the mercury more efficacious by the addition of antimonv. * i Some