Communications respecting the external and internal use of nitrous acid : demonstrating its efficacy in every form of venereal disease, and extending its use to other complaints : with original facts, and a preliminary discourse / by the editor, Thomas Beddoes, M. D.

  • Beddoes, Thomas, 1760-1808.
Date:
1800
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Communications respecting the external and internal use of nitrous acid : demonstrating its efficacy in every form of venereal disease, and extending its use to other complaints : with original facts, and a preliminary discourse / by the editor, Thomas Beddoes, M. D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

    14/194 (page 12)
    in the ftreet. A few interviews were thus obtained, but things changed very flowly for the better j and at length the profeffor no fooner efpied the unfortunate figure in his place of ambufcade, than, without fuffering a word to be uttered, he would cry out— Go on with the mar- cray, Mr. ! (that was the way in which he tranfmogrified the name of the medicine)—u the mar- cray, Sir, by all means /—In like manner, I appre- hend, there will long exift furgeons, who, whatever offers, and whether good or ill betide, will inexorably repeat to every patient — the mercury, Mr. —— , by all « means j we mujl go on with the mercury, Sir.—ThuSj inftead of looking to the ultimate effect of their art, .by a delufion of affociation, like that in confequence of which our pafiions finally refolve themfelves into the love oi gold, they fix all their affections upon particular means of producing that effect. Some have even been thought to take downright pleafure in the immediate operation of Mercury and the knife ; and are not well content without inflicting their full feverity. Every fort of pedantry is odious enough, but we find none, except perhaps the pe- dantry of the ftatefman, mercilefs in principle but that of the furgeon. From all other pedants you efcape at the expence of tranfitory difguft ; but the furgeoh-pedant will amerce you of your conftitution, or your limbs. In a queftion, therefore, fuch as it has been my lot to agitate before the public, no requifite is more indifpenfible than enlarged views of remedial agency. I intend foon to treat the fubject at large. At this moment, 1 fhall advance a propofition obvious enough and certain, but not lefs im- portant to the prefent fuccefsful practice and future im- provement of medicine, than any fyftem hitherto devifed : Given diforders are capable of being removed by widely different Tneans : by means diffimilar in properties of every denomination 3 diffimilar probably in their firft impreffion on