642 PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



into it has been practised ; but I have seldom found this of 

 much service. 



MDCCLXXII. In gonorrhoea, as costiveness may be hurt- 

 ful, both by an irritation of the system in general, and of the 

 urethra in particular, as this is occasioned always by the void- 

 ing of hardened faeces ; so costiveness is to be carefully avoided 

 or removed ; and the frequent use of large glysters of water and 

 oil, I have found of remarkable benefit in this disease. If glys- 

 ters, however, do not entirely obviate costiveness, it will be ne- 

 cessary to give laxatives by the mouth, which, however, should 

 be of the mildest kind, and should do no more than keep the 

 belly regular and a little loose, without much purging. 



The practice of frequent purging, which was formerly so 

 much in use, and is not yet entirely laid aside, has always ap- 

 peared to me to be generally superfluous, and often very hurt- 

 ful. Even what are supposed to be cooling purgatives, such as 

 Glauber's salt, soluble tartar, and crystals of tartar, in so far as 

 any part of them pass by urine, they, in the same manner as we 

 have said of nitre, may be hurtful; and so far as they produce very 

 liquid stools, the matter of which is generally acrid, they irritate 

 the rectum, and consequently the urethra. This last effect, 

 however, the acrid, and in any degree drastic, purgatives more 

 certainly produce. 



MDCCLXXIII. In cases of a gonorrhoea attended with 

 violent inflammation, blood-letting may be of service ; and in 

 the case of persons of a robust and vigorous habit, in whom the 

 disease is commonly the most violent, blood-letting may be very 

 properly employed- As general bleedings, however, when there 

 is no phlogistic diathesis in the system, have little effect in re- 

 moving topical inflammation ; so in gonorrhoea, when the in- 

 flammation is considerable, topical bleeding applied to the ure- 

 thra by leeches, is generally more effectual in relieving the in- 

 flammation, 



MDCCLXXIV. When there is any phymosis attending a 

 gonorrhoea, emollient fomentations applied to the whole penis are 

 often of service. In such cases it is necessary, and in all others 

 useful, to keep the penis laid up to the belly, when the patient 

 either walks about or is sitting. 



MDGGLXXV. Upon occasion of frequent priapism and 



