Essays on infant therapeutics : to which are added observations on ergot ; history of the origin of the use of mercury in inflammatory complaints; together with the statistics of the deaths from poisoning in New York in the years 1841-2-3 / by John B. Beck.

  • Beck, John B. (John Brodhead), 1794-1851.
Date:
1852, ©1851
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Essays on infant therapeutics : to which are added observations on ergot ; history of the origin of the use of mercury in inflammatory complaints; together with the statistics of the deaths from poisoning in New York in the years 1841-2-3 / by John B. Beck. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    appears to me to be a great error in practice. It is not indicated by the nature of the symptoms, and violates a great rule which ought always to be observed in the management of chronic cases, and that is, not to break down unnecessarily the strength of the patient.* Again, in ordinary catarrhal affections in children, a great deal of mischief is frequently done by the continued use of exjDectorant mixtures containing this active ar- ticle. The hive syrup of Dr. Coxe, which is now in every family, and is given on the slightest occa- sions to infants, without even consulting a physi- cian, has, I am convinced, done a great deal of harm. I say this without wishing to undervalue this preparation. In proper cases it is really a use- ful article, but persons out of the profession ought to know that its principal efficacy is owing to the quantity of tartar emetic which it contains, and that the indiscriminate use of it in cases where mild articles are required, must be injurious.f 4. As the effect of tartar emetic on the system * Dr. Armstrong snys that it is .a most notorious fact, that the hooping-cough is far more fatal in London than in the country; and I believe, he adds, that this arises from the very free use of antimonials in London.—Lectures, p. 248. t Every ounce of Coxe's hive syrup contains one grain of tartar emetic. My friend. Dr. McCready, has communicated to me the particulars of a case in which a child between four and five years of age, laboring under hooping-cough, manifestly sunk under the too frequent use of this .article. The exhibition of it had been continued about eight days, when symptoms of intestinal irritation came on, accompanied with great general prostration, which in a few days ended the child's existence.