Organopathy, or, Medical progress : an essay / by William Sharp, M.D.

  • Sharp, William, 1805-1896.
Date:
1867
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Organopathy, or, Medical progress : an essay / by William Sharp, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    14/72 (page 8)
    They limit themselves therefore to the ohservation of what the senses can teach, and in prescribing rely upon what chance, or what experiments made on the sick, has taught them. I remember a distinguished physician, to whom I was then a pupil, prescribing carbonate of iron in large doses for every patient, (and they were many), that he saw for some days; and this notwithstanding the wide disparity in the nature of their cases. He wished to learn what iron could do, and he made the sick his subjects. This is empirical experiment. A few months ago a gentleman from an adjoining county consulted me for the usual symptoms of indigestion brought on by hard study. For eleven months he had been under the care of the leading physician of his town and neighbourhood, and during those eleven months he had received from this gentleman separate prescriptions of the following drugs the adjuvantia, corrigentia, et ceetera with which they were combined, being omitted. 1. Triticum repens. 11. Chloric Ether. 2. Phosphoric Acid. 12. Liquor Potassse. 3. Rhubarb. 13. Taraxacum. 4. Iron and Quinine. 14. Bismuth. 6. Capsicum. 15. Salicine. 6. Prussic Acid. 16. Cascarilla. 7. Gentian. 17. Spirit of Nutmeg. 8. Nitric Acid. 18. Henbane. 9. Quassia. 19. Carbonate of Magnesia. 10. Bicarbonate of Potash. 20. Aloes. This is empirical practice.* * Perhaps it will be expected that I should say what became of this ))atient. In six weeks he was well, with the exception of some swelled glands which, of course, could not subside in that time. This result will be accounted for in various ways, according to the bias of men's minds; some will say he got well from leaving off medicines,— no slight reproof to the physician who prescribed them;—others will believe that the nux vomica and sulphur I gave him wrought the cure; for myself I think both these causes contributed to his recovery.