A history of the introduction and use of Scutellaria lateriflora (scullcap,) as a remedy for preventing and curing hydrophobia : occasioned by the the bite of rabid animals ; with cases ; accompanied with a plate of the plant / by Lyman Spalding, M.D. : read before the New-York Historical Society, September 14, 1819.

  • Spalding, Lyman, 1775-1821.
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A history of the introduction and use of Scutellaria lateriflora (scullcap,) as a remedy for preventing and curing hydrophobia : occasioned by the the bite of rabid animals ; with cases ; accompanied with a plate of the plant / by Lyman Spalding, M.D. : read before the New-York Historical Society, September 14, 1819. 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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    i was only able to procure some of another person, which had been gathered two years before, and had lain exposed to the open air, in a box; with direc- tions to give it every other day, as prescribed by Dr. Thacher. She did so, and the wound healed in a few days, with no unpleasant symptoms. But on the fifteenth day after the bite, she felt a slight pain or itching in the part bitten, which soon became a little elevated, and a circumscribed intlamed spot, about the size of a sixpence, arose and extended over the cicatrix of one of the marks of the dog's teeth; soon afterwards, she felt a fixed pain in the wrist, which extended to her elbow, and shortly increased and reached to her shoulder; wandering pains in her back and joints succeeded; she felt a painful and strange sensation in her head, and sometimes also a giddiness, so that she could not walk straight for- wards ; she now complained of lassitude, with stric- ture and heaviness in her breast, accompanied with difficulty of breathing. On perceiving these alarming symptoms, I concluded that the plant had lost its virtues by age and exposure, and endeavoured to procure some of recent growth, which fortunately I obtained and in blossom; of this I ordered a strong decoction to be taken immediately, in doses of half a pint each, four times a day ; to be suspended every other day, and a table spoon full of flowers of sulphur in new milk to be taken in its stead. For the greater precaution, I also punctured the bitten part, which discharged a little watery fluid, and applied to it the bruised leaves of the plant, which I renewed once every four or six hours. On the 16th day, symp-