present doing well. These partly from prudential, partly from philanthropic motives, ought to inscribe their names in the lists of this society.

3dly. Those, more especially, ought to belong to this Society, who have already attained such a rank in the profession, as to place them out of the reach of the misfortunes, which too often assail their more in igent brethren. Let those who have risen to fame and fortune by the practice of medicine, shew their gratitude for the emoluments that profession has conferred on them, by sparing a trifle from their superfluities towards the relief of the unhappy women and children, who have no husband to succour, no father to support them. It must give pleasure to every liberal minded man to see his own profession respectable and respected. Let him then contribute to the means of adding to its respectability, by preserving from misery, from sorrow, and perhaps from vice, the widows and children of his professional brethren. Thus will he prove an honor to himself, and advantage to his friends, and a benefit to the community. Sibi ipsi honori, et amicis utilitati, et Reipublicæ emolumento esse possit.-Cicero.

Curzon-street, Nov. 7, 1801.

S. M.

To the Editors of the Medical and Physical Journal. GENTLEMEN,

A CASE has been related in a recent publication, in which a violent vomitting and purging, accompanied with very great prostration of strength, and succeeded by convulsions, was produced by the celebrated Eau Medicinale d'Husson. In the same work, also, we are informed, that at Paris its use is prohibited by authority, in consequence of its violent effects, and the sudden death of several persons, in no long time after they had been cured of gout by this medicine.

Several cases of a similar nature are said to have happened in this country, and the deaths of two well-known gentlemen, either quite suddenly, or after a very short illness, have been attributed to this medicine; but, I am informed, there is no good foundation for this report; it is, however, of such a nature, that it ought either to be confirmed or refuted by those who are acquainted with the facts. In your last number, p. 364, you have inserted a case on the authority of a very respectable medical practitioner, which sufficiently demonstrates the alarming and dangerous effects of this nostrum under some circumstances, and it ought to warn all persons not to be too free in recommending a medicine, the composition of which is unknown, but which evidently consists of the most powerful and active ingredients.

The

The question has been frequently agitated, what ought to be the conduct of the regular Physician, with regard to the exhibition of secret or quack medicines? Should he sanction their use occasionally, or always avow himself the enemy of concealed remedies, and trust solely to his own skill and to approved and established formulas? Perhaps this question can only be decided by individual practitioners according to circumstances; if a patient earnestly wishes to try the efficacy of some of those secret remedies which are daily puffed off in the newspapers, and other vehicles of intelligence, by interested, duped, or duping persons, may be sometimes prudent for his regular medical friend to comply with his wishes; but I am very much inclined to believe that the physicians of the present day too readily accede to their patients' whims in this respect, and that they do not sufficiently consult their own dignity and consequence on such occasions.

it

We are not however to wonder, that so many medical men have employed the Eau Medicinale d'Husson, in their practice, recommended as it was by good authority, and capable as it proved of producing evident and decisive relief in paroxysms of the gout; but it is to be regretted, that after so much experienec has been had of it, so little, to be depended upon, is known of its effects. Of its utility in some cases of gout, no doubt can be entertained, but there is abundant reason to believe that so potent a remedy so indiscriminately given, must frequently have produced effects unexpected and unpromising. These ought to be known, in order that its real virtues and efficacy may be duly understood. Is it possible that any precise and clear knowledge éould be gained of the most proper method of employing the bark, mercury, opium, digitalis, and other powerful articles of the Materia Medica, if their ill effects had not been freely commented on, as well as their good qualities pointed out? And is it not desirable that the good and bad qualities of the Eau Medicinale (and I will add of all other quack medicines†) should likewise be made public?"

I should hope, gentlemen, that you will be supplied with a large body of evidence upon the subject of the Eau Medicinale; to insert in your valuable pages, all the cases that might be trans

;

*The principal Physicians of London, in the days of Doctor James, refused to prescribe his powder, because the composition of it was unknown to them and whenever he was called in, they retired from their attendance. Yet Dr. James was a regular bred Physician, and a man of considerable learning and judgment.

+ believe nothing wold tend more to discountenance quack medicines, than such an investigation of their good and ill effects, carefully conducted, and fairly laid before the public. By this means the very few useful nostrums would be known and properly employed, and the noxious and effete ones (by far the greater number) would be consigned to the neglect they deserve.

At

mitted to you of the good and ill effects of this mysterious nos trum, could not perhaps answer your purpose or be well received by your readers, but I think that the result of the experience of many practitioners might by your means be collected, and be candidly given to the public. That great advantages would be derived from such an exposition of facts is most certain, the Eau Medicinale would then soon settle at its proper level; it would be carefully and cautiously prescribed by practitioners of skill and judgment, who would probably improve its good qualities, and correct what was found to be noxious and prejudicial. present it seems to be given in a most loose and irregular manner, without any consideration either of the patient's age, constitution, or manner of life; it is given indiscriminately either at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a fit of the gout; nobody seen's to know what kind of operation is to be expected from it, or what regimen is to be observed during its use, yet every body acknowledges that its operation is sometimes alarmingly violent, and your pages shew that it is sometimes imminently dangerous. I remain, &c.

Nov. 12, 1810.

REPREHENSOR.

For the Medical and Physical Journal.

On Chorea,

THE symptoms of Chorea are so marked and evident, that

any enumeration of them in this place would be superfinous. The best account of this singular disease will be found in Dr. Hamilton's observations on purgative medicines. He was the first writer who recommended trusting the cure entirely to cathartics. Sydenham indeed, who has also very accurately described this malady, administered purgatives, but he also prescribed bleeding, and paregorics. "Sanguinem ex ægri brachio ad uncias septem, plus vel minus, pro ratione ætatis, educi jubeo. Die sequente vel dimidiam partem, vel quiddam amplius, (pro ratione vel ætatis, vel etiam majoris minorisve corporis, ad subeundam catharsin aptitudine) potionis purgantis communis exhibeo." "Et vespere haustulum paregoricum propino.

"Potionem istam catharticam ad tres vices alternis diebus repetendam prescribo, et haustum paregoricum isdem noctibus. Postea sanguinem rursus extrahi curo, dein ut ad catharsin, uti prius, æger revertatur. Aque ita, alternatim sanguinem mitto, et subduce alvum, donec ægro vena ter quaterve fuerit incisa, et post singulas venæsectiones toties

fuerit

fuerit purgatus, quoties vires ferre posse viderentur." It does not appear, however, that this practice proved very successful, and of late years practitioners have chiefly attempted to cure the complaint, by medicines of the stimulant and tonic class. The difficulty of effecting this desirable object is unquestionably, considerable, and sometimes the patient after going through all the changes of the Materia Medica, is given up to quacks or to nature.

I had, not long since, a pleasing opportunity of witnessing the good effects of Dr. Hamilton's mode of practice. A girl, aged ten years, had been severely affected with scarlet fever when three years old, soon after which, before she recovered from the consequent debility, she was attacked with chorea; at six years she had the measles, and was again seized with chorea. I understood the complaint continued several months, and at length subsided long after the medicines had been discontinued. I saw her during a fourth attack of chorea, and never witnessed more distorted gesticulation. Placing firm reliance on Dr. Hamilton's plan, I prescribed pulv. scammon. cum calomel. gr. xii. every other morning. After the first week, her mother thought the convulsive catchings of the limbs less severe, and in a fortnight she was at times altogether free from them; but she did not completely recover till she had persevered in the medicine six weeks. At first, the bowels were somewhat constipated, but after two or three doses of the medicine, which generally operated freely, nothing indicated the necessity of persevering in its use, except the continuance of the complaint.

In another case, of a girl about the same age, who was subjected to the complaint in consequence of being frightened by lightning, I pursued the purgative plan for a month, but without the least success, although the medicine operated strongly. I then prescribed small doses of Sulphas Zinci, and in the course of a week, a favourable change in the symptoms occurred, and she gradually recovered.

When a favourable occasion presents itself, I should be inclined to try the opiate friction, recommended by Mr. Ward in this Journal.

An interesting case, in which opiate friction was successful, is recorded in the Bibliotheque Medicale for February, 1809. "A child, aged nine years, of great sensibility and quickness, having received a slight reprimand from her father, was seized, in January 1808, with a general trembling, which was soon followed by involuntary motions of the hands and arms. Antispasmodics were employed, but the disease increasing in violence, M. Lullier, Doctor of Medicine, was called in on the 8th day. He found the arms, legs, and head of the child in (No. 142.) conti.

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continual motion; the speech and deglutition much interrupted, and respiration very laborious, from the spasmodic action of the muscles subservient to those organs.

He added large doses of camphor to the anti-spasmodic medicine already prescribed, and sweetened the ptisan with syrup of piony. These remedies produced no effect, the disease in the course of a month increased to an alarming degree, notwithstanding the use of various powerful remedies, as baths, bleeding from the foot, zinc cincliona, valerian, glysters with assafoetida and laudanum. The body became emaciated, the pulse extremely feeble, and speech and deglutition almost impracticable. In this extremity, Dr. Lullier proposed a mixture of equal parts of laudanum, and Hoffman's anodyne liquor, to be rubbed on different parts of the body, and repeated every two hours. From the second friction, the symptoms abated in violence, and about the seventh or eighth day, tranquillity was completely restored to the system. The laudanum was diminished one-third, and the interval between the frictions progressively prolonged. At the end of nine days the patient was restored to her natural state, except that she continued feeble for several weeks; but has had no relapse during the space of ten months.

Dr. Schenk on Croup.

M. D.

CROUP is a disease so rapid in progress and fatal in termination, that it affords little time to consider the mode of treatment proper to be pursued; our practice must be prompt and decided. Yet we find practitioners vary considerably in opinion respecting the means of cure in this complaint. Some insist upon copious bleeding as the only chance of saving the patient, whilst others trust entirely to mercury.

Dr. Schenk, of Siegen, has stated in one of the German Journalsan interesting account of his experience in this malady, of which, in the course of nine years, he has had occasion to treat twenty-two cases. The first was a child five years old, who had just recovered from the measles, but being exposed too soon to the air of an open window, was attacked with hoarseness, which on the following day increased, and was accompanied by a cough. Dr. Schenk considered it as a metastasis of the measles on the bronchiæ, applied a blister, and gave camphor and Aq. Ammon. Acet. The third day, the cough had a hollow sound, as if proceeding from a tun; the child complained of a stoppage in the throat which rendered respiration difficult; the voice was extremely hoarse; and at intervals he struggled with suffocation. The disease

was