.'382 TREATMENT OF ACUTE DISEASES. 



India practice of giving mercury in inflammations of the liver, 

 and the success with which the late Sir John Eliot had 

 treated visceral obstructions by the same remedy, all which I 

 knew so early as the year 1760. But it was not before 17G4 

 that I began to give calomel in so free a manner as I have 

 done ever since, not only in hepatitis, but in all the other 

 acute diseases I have treated of; and I extended its use 

 from reasoning in my own mind, and from analogy. I have 

 never had cause to repent of the further trials I made ; but, 

 on the contrary, have had reason to consider this practice as 

 the happy means of saving the lives of a great number of 

 people. 



I think it right to add, that Dr Drummond of Westmore- 

 land, in Jamaica, whom I have already had occasion to men- 

 tion more than once in the course of this letter, began to ad- 

 minister calomel in fevers and pleurisies as early as I did, 

 though without our having had any communication on the 

 subject with each other. I have since found that he learned 

 the use of it, in such cases, from Dr Smith, a physician at 

 Savannah le Mar, who was in the habit of giving it, in doses 

 of twenty grains, in acute diseases, with great success. 



These observations are extended to a greater length than 

 I at first intended. After all, you must consider the whole 

 only as hints for the treatment of acute diseases, and if you 

 are of opinion that they will be useful, you have ray consent 

 to make them public. 



I have the honour to be, 



With the greatest esteem and regard, 



Dear Sir, 



Your most obedient servant, 



William Wright, 

 Edixbuugh, I 

 December 10. 1794. j 



