First report of the Committee of the Philadelphia Medical Society on Quack Medicines : read on the 15th December, 1827, and ordered to be published by the Society.

  • Philadelphia Medical Society.
Date:
1828
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First report of the Committee of the Philadelphia Medical Society on Quack Medicines : read on the 15th December, 1827, and ordered to be published by the Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    This woman I found under a horrible salivation, brought on by an excessive use of mercury. She had been placed under this treatment by Dr. , of the Northern Liberties; in conse- quence of blotches and pimplesappearing on the skin, succeeding to delivery. She had taken, according to her account, an im- moderate quantity of pills, which appeared to me to contain cor- rosive sublimate. At the time I saw her, the saliva was running in an incessant stream from her mouth. The fauces and gums were ulcerated, and a large ulcer existed on one of the feet. Her disease was clearly mercurial, and brought on by her attending physician. I assured Mr. Swaim, he would find no difficulty in curing that case, and the first step towards it was throwing her box of pills into the fire: good nourishing diet, even without his Panacea,- would complete the rest. The infant of this woman was emaci- ated, from the ill condition of its mother’s milk; but I do not re- collect that it had any ulcerations on its surface. Returning from our visit to this patient, I told Mr. Swaim, I was satisfied his Panacea was the same as the syrup of Ctfisinier; the mode of preparing which I mentioned to him: he turned round, and asked me if I “ told that to the doctors.” The next case that fell under my notice, in which the Panacea had been employed, was that of a lady of this city, who sent for me on account of a violent ophthalmia, with which she had been attacked. Whilst examining the eye, I was struck with the mer- curial fcetor of her breath, and inquired into its cause. She told me her mouth had become very sore, and the teeth were so tender she could scarcely eat; and I found, on examining the gums, she was salivated. This she insisted was impossible, as she had taken nothing but Swaim’s Panacea: I assured her nothing was more likely, as I was satisfied the active principle was corrosive subli- mate. Mr. Swaim called the same day to see his patient; and, when reproached for the salivation that had been induced, he declared it was produced by his medicine stirring up the old mer- cury in her system. This lady had not, however, for more than eight years, taken a single grain of mercury in any shape. Mr. Swaim took away the bottle of Panacea, though not half consum- ed, and replaced it with another. Soon after my election as one of the physicians of the Alms