Recipe for consumption, asthma, bronchitis, scrofula, &c.

  • Wilson, Edward A.
Date:
[1863]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Recipe for consumption, asthma, bronchitis, scrofula, &c. 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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    Mr. Wilson would call the attention of the intelligent reader, and the Consumptive in par- t cular, to the following extract from a prominent European journal, which was also copied in the i\ew \ ork Tribune and other journals of this country at the time. It gives them an idea ot the success of Dr. Churchill's discoveries •— [From Galignani'a Messenger.] Consumption—Dr. Churchill's Discoveries. An interesting paper on the successful treat- ment of this dreadful affection, and the allied diseases of scrofula, tubes mesenterica, etc., by the hypophosphites of lime and soda, has just been presented to the Academy of Sciences by Dr. J. F. Churchill. It has long been known that among the inorganic or mineral substances which enter into the composition of the body, phosphorus is to be met with in considerable quantities, but chemists and physiologists are as yet unable to decide whether it is found only in phosphoric acid^ that is, in a slate of complete oxydation, and as such no longer lia- ble to be burnt by the oxygen of the ;i!mo- sphere (as for instance in the mineral math r of bones), or whether it also exists in a lower state of oxydation, and as such capable of keep- ing up the slow combustion which constitutes one of the principal phenomena of life. Opin- ions upon this point are very nearly balanced; the celebrated Liebig, for instance, stating that it is impossible to decide the question in the present state of chemical analysis, while his chief disciple in England, the late Dr. Gregory, Professor of Chemistry at Edinburgh,, declares that it is absurd to suppose that phosphorus can exist in the animal frame in any other con- dition than as phosphoric acid. Dr. Churchill, by a series of scientific deduc- tions, which it would be foreign to our purpose to examine, came in 1855 to the conclusion that not only was it necessary to admit that phos- phorus existed in the body in an oxydizable or combustible condition, but likewise that the proximate cause, or at least an indisputable condition to the existence of consumption or tuberculoses, was the undue waste or the defi- cient supply of the principle. Hence he drew the obvious inference that the means of curing the disease consisted in the restoring of the de- ficient elements. For this purpose it was necessary to select j some compound of phosphorus, which should ! be at the same time oxydizable and assimilable, that is capable of entering into and forming a part of the system. These conditions were found to exist in the hypophosphites above | mentioned. Dr. Churchill's views were first made known last July, in a paper presented to the Academy otHMedicine, and subsequently embodied in a work on Consumption which ap- peared in October. Since then the author has continued and extended his researches, and his recent communication to the Academy of Sci- ences is founded on the observation of forty- one cases. lie administers the Hypophosphites of Lime or Soda in combination with the Ex- tract of Blodgetti and other ingredients, mixed with a safficient quantity of sweetened water, to form a pleasant syrup. The cure of consumption in the second and third stages (at nperiod consequently when there can be no uncertainty as to the nature of the disease) can be obtained in all cases by this treatment, except when the existing lesion of the lungs is of itself sufficient to produce death. Contrary to the opinion generally received, the third stage of consumption is, all other circum- stances being equal, more amenable to treat- ment than the second. Hereditary predisposi- tion seems in no way to counteract the effect of the hypophosphites; patients in whom it was most strongly marked recovering as rapidly as others. The paper has been referred by the Acade- my to a com mi tile consisting of Drs. Series, Audral, and Claude Bernard; and it is highly desirable that these gentlemen should lose as little time as possible in verifying whether and how far Dr. C.'s views are founded in truth— more particularly as the author states that the remedy discovered by him has not only a cura- tive effect, but will, if used wherever there ex- ists a suspicion of the disease, prevent its de- velopment, and thus act as a preservative with regard to sinall-pox. It is already extensively used throughout the whole of the Continent, and favorable vesjilts have been already ob- tained in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as at St. Petersburg and Constantinople. We may also state that, in consequence of Dr. Churchill's discovery, the manufacture of the hypophosphate in Paris has already at- tained a considerable degree of importance, whereas before they were applied to no use, and were only to be found as chemical speci- mens in the laboratory. These facts alone, Dr. Churchill contends, are at least a presump- tion that the remedy is found to be of benefit. Notice.—Patients sending to Mr. Wilson for Dr. ChurchWs preparations will please observe the following directions, viz: Put the contents of the package which they receive into a vessel or bottle, holding at least three pints; then pour upon it about a half pint of hot water, when they will have a red mixture. After letting it stand a few moments, they will add the balance of the warm water necessary, with the sugar dissolved in it; also add the wine (or its substitute,) shake the bottle well, and when cold you have a pleasant syrup ready for use. Shake the bottle each time before use. Keep the bottle in a cool place, and in no case allow it to stand in a room with a fire.