350 On Chinese Mercurial Preparations. (May, 
ledge so disreputable a malady as indigenous? They appear to bave 
similar differences of opinion respecting the period of its appearance 
amongst them with the europeans; and as we have not made up 
our minds whether to consider ourselves indebted for the acquisition 
to the communications with the East which the Mahometan irrup- 
tions into Europe, and the pious prowess of the crusadoes brought 
about, or at a much later period, to the followers of Columbus ; so 
the Chinese have not settled the point, whether the resort of 
strangers to Canton within these three centuries, or that of the 
Arabians to different ports on their coast in the eighth or ninth, has 
brought them acquaiated with the disease. 
As the oxides of which the processes are detailed are too danger- 
ous for internal use, they are employed for their escharotic qualities 
upon the first appearance of the venereal disease, as if apprised that 
the symptoms are in the very beginning local only, and that a cure 
may be effected by destroying them before the continuance of the 
sores has extended contamination to the system. In as faras I have 
hitherto learned, the Chinese do not practise mercurial inunction ; 
but fumigation, and that principally, if not exclusively, by burning 
the sulphuret of quicksilver, is of as universal and immediate appli- 
cation, as the other practice is with us, inducing the peculiar effects 
of mercury with celerity and violence. 
As before mentioned, they also resort to an empyrical use of mer- 
curial preparations in different chronical complaints; and I have no 
reason to think that they have any other principles of application in 
such cases than that the diseases have resisted the usual plans of 
treatment or courses of medicine. 
To external and cutaneous affections they seem universally to 
apply them, and their muriate of quicksilver must for such be a 
powerful remedy, to which its being of so ready solution is an ad- 
vantage. A remedy for herpetic eruptions, in much vogue amongst 
them, appears to be a compos'tion of it mixed with vegetable 
powders, or with some of the boly scented with musk. This is 
mixed with warm water, and rubbed upon the affected part. I have 
recently seen the disease, which I believe it is now agreed to designate 
by the name of mercurial Gezema, brought on by an unguarded 
use of this remedy had recourse to for the removal of a slight 
ring-worm. 
Hon, East India Company's Factory, A. PEARSON. 
Canton, March 8, 1815, - 
—_— 
APPENDIX. 
Dr. Briggs having been so good as to give me about 5 gr. of the 
white mercurial salt in scales described in the preceding paper 
(p. 348), I was enabled to make a few comparative experiments 
with it, which I shall here state. ‘They will serve to facilitate the 
examination of any person who happens to have a sufficient quantity 
of it to be subjected to the requisite trials in order to determine its 
composition. 
