G L E E T. 



pain and fcalding L-nfation in making water, -wliicli are pr^j- 

 duced by gonon-iKta. The latter uiTeftion may be coiili- 

 dercd as acute, while the gleet is quite of a chronk nat;ye. 

 It was one of the opinions of Mr. Himter, that a gleet dif- 

 fered from a gonorrhaa, Hkewife, in not being infectious. 

 I't is well known that it was one of the doctrines of this emi- 

 nent furgeon, that the poifon of gonorrhtca, and that wliich 

 is produclivc of lues venerea, are of the fame quality, and 

 tliat the diderent effedls are owing to the different ftructure 

 of the parts concerned in the two difeafcs. We need not 

 here enter into an invelligation of this part of the fnbjcft. 

 All that we willi to obferve is, that if Mr. Hunter means, 

 when he ftates, that a gkct diifers ftrom a gonorrhoea in not 

 being inficfwiis, that a gleet is not ciipnhlc of comvmmcatir," the 

 •vena-ad Hi/cafe, no one can queition the accuracy of the ob- 

 fcrvation. But, on the contrary, if the aifertion implies that 

 the matter of a gleet, when applied to the pudenda mulie- 

 bria, will not bring on a pain in making water, a difchnrge, 

 &c. then we dilfent from the opinion ahogether. We have 

 known an inftance, in which a gentleman, who had h'.id a 

 gleet upon him for upwards of a year, and who, on the pre- 

 iumption tliat it was not infeftious, ventured to have con- 

 nection with a young woman, of whofe continency, with re- 

 o-ard to othei- men, we ourfelves entertain no doubt. How- 

 ever, there may be gleets of various kinds, and fome oi them 

 may be infeAious, and others not fo. AVhen, after a go- 

 noi'rhoea, a thin <lifcharge continues, fur along while, to take 

 .place from the urethra, the complaint may depend upon a 

 weaknefs of the veflela, or, as Mr. Hunter exprefles it, upon 

 a habit of aftion, which the parts have contracted. \Vlitn 

 a gleet arifes from a ilriftui'e in the paffage, or from a difeafe 

 .of the proilate gland, the caufe mull be referred to irritation, 

 and the cure depends on the removal of the original com- 

 plaint. 



Gleets, which are the confequcnce of gonorrhoea, are 

 often exceedingly difficult of cure, and what is very curious, 

 it frequently happens, that, after they have reilited every 

 fjrt of remedy, and after the patient has long given up the 

 ufeof medicines and injeftions, a fndden cure Ipontanecufiy 

 occurs. Many gleets undergo a temporary iloppage under 

 particular modes of treatment ; but, as foon as tliis is re- 

 mitted, regularly return again. A vafl number of gleets 

 depend upon the prefence of a ftrifture in the urethra, and 

 of courfe aie not curable by injections. We have often 

 thought that in all cafes of gleets, it iliould be the invariable 

 cuftom of the furgeon to introduce a bougie, for the purpofe 

 of afeertaining whether there is any obilruclion in the 

 paffage ; for, when the difcharge depends on a llrifture, the 

 patient might make ufe of balfams, turpentines, and bougi-'s, 

 for years, and )'et reeei\'e no beneht whatever. At all 

 events, whenever a gleet refills ordinary means, the Hate of 

 the urethra and of the proilate gland ought to be exam.incd. 

 See PiiosTATE Gland, D'lfci'fe of; and Stuictuke. 



Mr. Hunter was of opinion, that the fpontaneous difap- 

 pearance of a gleet, after a long refiilance to every fort of 

 medicine and application, vtry frequently depended upon 

 accidental changes in the patient's conllitution. It was 

 another fentimeut of this celebrated furgeon, that fome gleets 

 were connected with fcrofulo. This idea is founded on the 

 circumilance, that more gleets may be cured by fea bathing, 

 than any other kind of bathing. It is alfo fujjported by 

 the faft, of fea water being ftnnetimcs an cffeftuai m.eans of 

 cure, when employed as an injeition. 



We have alu'ays found fault with this plan of judging of 

 the nature of difeafes. If a diforder yields to mercury, 

 praclitioners are apt to decide immediately, that the com- 

 plaiui is venereal. If a malady, like a gleet, gives way to 



fea bathing, which benejits ftl-ofuloiis complaints, fuch 

 furgcons, as reafon on Mr. Hunter's principles, will imme- 

 diately fetdown the cafe as fcrotulous. It is never remem- 

 bered in this calculation, that trercnry cures many difeafes 

 belides the venereal ; and fo does lea bathing many com- 

 plaints belides thofe which are of a fcrofulous nature. 



■Gleets have alfo been reprefented as always conncftrd 

 with a relaxed conllitution, though we think we have feen t!ie 

 complaint in fubjcdls, who were llrong, robud, and young, 

 with every apjjearance of general health, and ivhofe flate 

 feemed to us a ilriking contradiftiou to the foregoing obfer 

 vatinn. 



Gle?ts, as we have before Hated, are often exceedingly 

 difficult of removal. Sometiines, indeed, they may be got 

 rid of with tolerable cafe ; but in other inftanccs, they com- 

 pletely fruilrate the art of lurgery, and the patient, tired of 

 the inefficacy of di.ffercnt remedies, relinquiilies tlie trial of 

 all. In llight cafes, and occaf.onally in inveterate ones, a 

 cure may b« ciFefted by exhibiting internally the balfam of 

 copaiva, the oleum terebinthina;, or the tinfturc of lyttis 

 (cantharides). It is we'l worthy of notice, that when a 

 cure can be accomplillied by thefe means, benefit is foun 

 derived from their employment. For this reafon, when 

 they neither dimiiillh, nor remove the g'eet in the courfe of 

 five or fix days, Mr. Hunter made it a rule never to continue 

 tlieir ufe any longer, but have rccourfe at once to other 

 methods. We have already remarked the great tei'dciicy of 

 many gleets to return, after being for a time Hopped by dif- 

 ferent modes of treatment. Hence practitioners fiiould 

 never difcontiniie the fucccfsfu! plan im.mcdiately the dif- 

 charge ceafes, but perilft in its adoption for ten days or a 

 fortnight, after all the fymptoms have cntii'ely gone off. 



In relaxed habits, gleets are very likely to be cured by the 

 cold bath, fea bathing, bark and Heel m.edicires. Cold 

 bathing indeed often fuccceda in every kind of conllitution, 

 wl-;cn other methods are of no avail. We have known Hrong 

 yoimg m.en laboiu'ing under gleets, who could not get rid of 

 them in any Vi-ay in London ; but who got \\'ell almoH imme- 

 diately on going to the fea fide, and bathing thei-e. There 

 can be no doubt alfo, that fome beneficial revcdution in the 

 fylleni, arlfing from tlie charge of air, might have a confi- 

 derable Hiarc in .the cure. We lately had tmder our care a 

 gentleman with a gleet, which had lailed nine months, but 

 difappeared all at once on the patient going for a Hiort time 

 to a part of the country which was not near the fea. 



There are two principal kinds of injeflions in ufe for the 

 cure of gleets, to'z. ailringcnt and irritating ones. 



The altringcnt ones are, for the moH part, fuch as the 

 decotlion of bark, and folutions of zincum vitriolatum, 

 alum, or acetite of lead. An injection of proper Hrength, 

 containing cuprum vitriolatum, bolus gallicus, and camphor, 

 is alfo an exceedingly eligible one. 



The beH irritating injection which we know of, is that 

 made by difiblving two grains of the hydrargyrus muriatus 

 in eight ounces of dillilUd water. 



Bougies may alfo be confideredas aftingon the imelhra as 

 irritating applications, and hence tliey are occafionally re- 

 comm.ended to be worn for the cure of gleets. In general, 

 common bougies are eniploy-ed ; but fometimes others, medi- 

 cated with camphor or turpentine, are ufcd. 



In irritable conllitntions, the latter kind of injeClion and 

 the bougies may excite a good deal of irritation, pain, Hran- 

 gury, 5:c. fo that fome circumfpedliini is neceii'ary in the 

 employment of fuch means. We may Hate, indeed, that no 

 endeavour fliould ever be taade to cure a gleet, by exciting 

 irritation in the urethra with llimulating injections, or bou- 

 .gics, before milder means have failed, ^\'e Jiave found a 



weak 



