An essay on the venereal disease and its treatment : illustrated by numerous cases : intended to ascertain the effect of nitrous acid and other analogous remedies, lately proposed as substitutes for mercury / by William Blair.

  • Blair, William, 1766-1822.
Date:
1808
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the venereal disease and its treatment : illustrated by numerous cases : intended to ascertain the effect of nitrous acid and other analogous remedies, lately proposed as substitutes for mercury / by William Blair. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    standing this fact may be denied by some speculative persons, it is too well authenticated for us to rest the proof of an antivenereal remedy solely or even chiefly on its effi- cacy to remove the primary symptoms. All deductions from such premises must, therefore, be extremely falla- cious and questionable.” Thus much seemed requisite for me to premise, in an- swer to a charge brought forward in two publications by Dr. Beddoes; as it I had opposed the new plan, while my own practice (e was full of promise,0 and I had no reason for entertaining an opinion “ adverse to the successful expe- rience of others.” Whether or not I shall now satisfy the learned objector, is a matter of comparative insignificance ; since the final result of our controversy does not at all depend on any premature judgment or conjecture which might have been formed, but must be determined by the mass of evidence subsequently laid before the public. The Second Part of my collection of facts to illustrate the new method of treatment in Syphilis, was published on the istof January 1800. I then expressed my hopes, that the cases brought before the world would prove sufficient to de- cide the leading points connected with this investigation. The effect which followed the publication of those additional cases, shewed that medical men in general accorded with me in opinion : for, notwithstanding the hardy efforts and challenges of intemperate writers, aided by the imposing statements of gentlemen whose experience differed from my own, the practice so warmly recommended was at that very time relinquished throughout all Purope ! But, while the greater number of medical men were thus convinced by the evidence of facts, those persons who had most distin- guished themselves by introducing the new remedies, per- severingly continued, as 1 had foretold they would continue, to retain their good opinion of them ; and even presented the public with further arguments, in support of that opi- nion. At the close of my Essay, Part II. it was suggested *e that I should have little or nothing more to advance on this subject;” only, I reserved to myself the right, when Part 1st should be reprinted, to supply what was defective in mv own cases, as many of them were left in an unfinished state, from the patients being under cure. This right I have at present exercised. The cases have . , been