Succinct practical observations on the effects of bloodletting : containing an investigation of the practice of general and local abstraction of blood ; also how far leeches may be efficacious, independently of the evacuation they produce : to which are added ob[s]ervations on visceral inflammation after parturition / by Edward Geoghegan.

Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Succinct practical observations on the effects of bloodletting : containing an investigation of the practice of general and local abstraction of blood ; also how far leeches may be efficacious, independently of the evacuation they produce : to which are added ob[s]ervations on visceral inflammation after parturition / by Edward Geoghegan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    attributed pain to irritation, to spasm, and to dis- tension ; the two first require sedatives; the last, evacuations, usually of blood, &c.: sometimes gentle stimulants are serviceable, particularly in feeble habits. Scudamore, a modern writer of ability, strongly recommends opium to relieve acute rheumatism; he judiciously combines it with medicine to keep open the bowels, kidneys, and skin. He objects to leeches in chronic rheu- matism, and from experience prefers an evaporat- ing lotion. Opthalmia and iritis exhibit pain and much alarm; lest the loss of vision should speed- ily ensue, the appearances being inflammatory, encourage profuse bleeding generally, and locally, a practice advised by the respectable authority of the late Mr. Ware. I have treated many such successfully by one bleeding, in vigorous habits, to the amount of from sixteen to twenty-six oun- ces, which I never repeated unless the secretions were suppressed, active purgations by day, and sudorifics by night; sometimes I commenced with an emetic, and usually combined tartarized an- timony with the purgative. I shall mention two cases, to shew the practical results in iritis. A gentleman of rather a robust frame, and middle age, suffered severe pain and privation of vision; some time before, he had a primary symptom of syphilis. I began with five grains of calomel, and the same of antimonial powder, to be repeated every sixth hour, until some active effect took