A brief notice of a portion of a work by William Burke, entitled "The mineral springs of western Virginia" : with preliminary remarks on the relative virtues of the saline and gaseous contents of the white sulphur water / by John J. Moorman.

  • Moorman, J. J. (John Jennings), 1802-1885.
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A brief notice of a portion of a work by William Burke, entitled "The mineral springs of western Virginia" : with preliminary remarks on the relative virtues of the saline and gaseous contents of the white sulphur water / by John J. Moorman. 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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    touta^ has' reached the stomach, is a matter of cu- rious and interesting inquiry. The distinguished chemist, Mr. Augustine A. Hays, of Rocksbury, after having bestowed much pains in analysing the white sulphur water, and in studying its peculiar character, comes to the follow- ing conclusions as to the source of its medic nul power. After describing, at considerable length, a certain matter which he found to abound in the water, and which he terms organic matter in the course of which he says, it differs essentially from the organic matter of some thermal waters, he proceeds to say, In contact with earthy sulphates, at a moderate temperature, it produces hydro-sul- phuric acid, and to this source, that acid contained in the water maybe traced. This substance does not rapidly attract oxygen from the atmosphere, and from colored compounds, as some other organic com- pounds do,—the medicinal properties of this water are probably due to the action of this organic sub- stance. The hydro-sulphuric acid resulting from its natural action, is one of the most active substances within the reach of physicians. There are chemical reasons for supposing that, after the water has reached the stomach, similar changes, accompanied by the production of hydro-sulphuric acid, takes place.' Before Mr. Hays had communicated the above opinion, growing out of his chemical examinations,