The tonic treatment of syphilis / by E.L. Keyes.

  • Keyes, E. L. (Edward Lawrence), 1843-1924.
Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The tonic treatment of syphilis / by E.L. Keyes. 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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    but whatever mercurial was used the dog invariably lost weight under large closes, whether the same were continued during a short or a long period. Only twice in the report is any gain in the weight of a dog noted. In both comparatively small doses of corrosive subli- mate were employed (one-sixth grain daily to one-third grain twice a day), and when the latter large dose was continued for more than forty-eight hours, in one case, the dog lost about six pounds, while the same dog, suf- fering from an artificial fistula in the abdomen, had in- creased in weight over three ounces in four days while taking one-sixth grain corrosive sublimate twice a day, and had held what he gained until the dose was in- creased (p. 51). The other dog took about four grains of corrosive sublimate in twelve days, and gained about the same amount. All the other dogs received larger doses of mercury, and in each of them where the weight was taken there was a loss. In 1874 Wilbouchewitch, making use of the micro- scope and a special instrument for blood - counting, studied the blood of syphilitic hospital-patients who were taking mercury. He concluded from his observa- tions that small doses of mercury at first increased the number of the red cells in the blood, but, if long con- tinued, produced the same results as large doses in ani- mals, namely, a diminution of the red cells, diarrhoea, etc. It is well known, also, that Grassi and Eicord by chemical methods determined that the use of mercury early in syphilis diminished the amount of the red cells relatively to the whole mass of the blood.