LUES VENEREA. 



ileadily and uniformly contemplated by Mr. Hunter himfclf 

 in his praftice, or even in his theories ; for he fometimes 

 talks o£. the cure of hies venerea in tlie Hate of difpofition, 

 and generally continued the exhibition of mercury, after the 

 difappearance of the fymptoms. (See London Medical 

 Review, No. il,p. 248, 249.) For our .own part, with- 

 out undertaking to defend the inconiiltencies into which 

 Mr. Hunter has undoubtedly fallen, we have no hcfitation 

 in declaring our belief, that his opinion,s and doftrines in 

 general concerning lues venerea, and the power of mercury 

 over it, are the bell and mod rational that have ever 

 been promulgated. In particular, we cannot concur with 

 the anonymous critic quoted above, when he thinks it as 

 reafonable to refer the perfeftion, or imperfe&ion of the 

 cure, to mercury having been fufficiently, or infufficiently 

 ufed. We have known inflances in which patients have 

 been almoft conflautly employing mercury for twelve and 

 eighteen months for the cure of local complaints, fucccedcd 

 by fore throats and eruptions, and yet, after all this time, 

 and after all this perfevcrance in the ufe of mercury, nodes 

 on the cranium, flcin, or ulna, have arifen. Certainly, 

 when a patient has been for many months in a (late of 

 falivation, and has thereby got rid of all his palpable 

 fymptoms, we are not juftified in concluding that be- 

 caufe future complaints begin, thefe might have been hin- 

 dered by a further continuance of the mercurial courfe. 

 Mercury is fo often ufed in immoderate quantities, and for 

 fo unreafonable a length of time, without preventing a fuc- 

 cellion of fecondary fymptoms, that we cannot bring our 

 minds to believe, that the recurrence of the difeafe, in fuch 

 cafes, can be hindered by any judicious or prafticable per- 

 feverance in the employment of this mineral. At the fame 

 time we are not fuch bigots to the Hunterian theory as to 

 fuppofe, that the ufe of mercury ought not to be continued 

 an inftant after a chancre, or bubo, is either healed or appa- 

 rently converted into a common fore. It is generally im- 

 poflible to afcertain, with precifion, the exadl moment when 

 venereal aftion ceafes. The difpofition, or contamination of 

 other parts, may poffibly fometimes happen later than Mr. 

 Hunter fuppofed, and we have every reafon to conclude that 

 fuch (fifpofition may be imparted at any time, while the 

 venereal aflion in a chancre, or bubo, is not completely fub- 

 verted. Mr. Hunter fuppofed, that the fyphilitic poifoii 

 could only be abforbed when blended witli pus. Perhaps 

 the virus may exift, and be taken up by the abforbents in 

 other forms. The induration left after a chancre is healed 

 is not always free from the venereal aflion, though not a 

 drop of matter is now fecreted ; yet as there are fo many 

 inexplicable circumllances in certain cafes of the prefent 

 difeafe, it feems almoft warrantable to believe that the virus 

 may exilt, and be imbibed by the abforbents, fo as to impart 

 the difpofition to the diftemper at later periods than Mr. 

 Hunter conjedlured, and under an additional number of 

 ftatcs and circumllances. According to Mr. Hunter, the 

 matter of fecondary ulcers is not poffefled of the fpecific 

 venereal quality, and cannot produce the difeafe, when 

 abforbed, as the matter of a chancre or bubo does, Sup- 

 pofing this to be true, whatever opinions may be enter- 

 tained refpecling the continuance of mercury, after the 

 venereal adion of a chancre or bubo has apparently ceafed, 

 there can be no diverfity of fentiment in regard to the in- 

 utility of perfevering in that medicine, after fecondary fores 

 are either healed or have had their character entirely altered. 

 Having detailed the ancient praClice, mentioxed the forms 

 in which mercury was formerly exhibited, and endeavoured 

 to give fome idea of the degree of power which this me- 

 dicine poffelTes over fyphilitic affeftions, it is our place to 



make a few obfervations en the mercurial preparations, to 

 which modern practitioners generally give the preference. 



As long ago as the days of Berenger of Carpi, who, as 

 we have recited, was the firft perlon that afcertained the 

 efficacy of mercury in the treatment of fyphilis, it has been 

 well known that this metal, in its rcguline itate, pofl'effes no 

 medicinal virtue. Its power of ading agaiiift difeafe only 

 exiRs when it is in the flate of a fait, or oxyd. Its pre- 

 parations have alfo very dilTerent degrees of effuacy. 



The moft aftivc of all the preparations of mercury is the 

 oxygenated muriate, the oxymurias, or, as it is generally 

 called, the corrofive fublimate, which is, in faft, a violent 

 poifon. We have already Rated, tliac the celebrated Van 

 Swieten was exceedingly partial to this mcdicii,e in fyphilitic 

 cafes. He diflolved it in brandy, or alcohol, and diluting 

 this mixture with a certain proportion of water, prefcribcd 

 the remedy in a fluid ftate. The ordinary dofe is a quarter 

 of a grain every day ; but the quantity may, in particular in- 

 llances, be increafed to half or tlirce quarters of a grain every 

 24 hours. Sublimate is, even at the prefent time, ufually 

 prefcribed after the manner direfted by Van Swieten, the 

 folution in alcohol being ordinarily taken, cither in fome - 

 warm milk, a decodtion of farfaparilla, or blended with fome 

 fyrup, which vehicles are fuppofed to prevent the fublimate 

 from difordering the ftomach and bowels. Notwithlianding 

 thefe corredlives, this preparation of mercury often pro- 

 duces confiderable ficknefs and griping pains, and it is 

 reckoned extremely improper for patients labouring under 

 pulmonary affedions. It (hould only be tried in cafes 

 where the conftitution is ftrong and free from much irrita- 

 bility. But the moll important truth to be attended to is 

 the decifion of many experienced furgeons, that the cor- 

 rofive fubhmate, though a powerful medicine, has not fo 

 much efBcacy in accomplilhing a radical cure of fyphilitic 

 difeafes, as feveral other more limple and mild preparations 

 of mercury. Hence it is feldom exhibited by furgeons of 

 the prefent time for the cure of primary venereal fymptoms, •' 

 except when particular circumftances are in the way of other 

 more approved methods. The convenience and fccrecy with 

 which a folution of the corrofive fublimate may be taken, 

 and the circumftance of a fmall phial of it being in fome 

 inftances fufficient for the cure, may, perhaps, be reafons 

 why it has been more extenfively adminiftered, than its com- 

 parative efficacy appears to jullify. 



The fubmurias hydrargyri, or calomel, is far lefs aftive 

 than the oxymurias, or corrofive fublimate, and tliough not 

 now very much employed in this country for the cure of 

 unequivocal fyphilitic complaints, it is, like every otlier pre- 

 paration of mercury, anti-venereal, and was at one time com- 

 monly given. Whenever it is exhibited at prefent, it is 

 almoll always in the form of pills, containing from one to 

 three grains. When the dofe is larger, purging is generally 

 excited, and little fpecific effedl on the difeafe is the confe- 

 quence. Hence, when calomel is prefcribed v/ith a view of 

 producing a falivation, opium mull generally be conjoined 

 with it. Calomel has alfo been mixed with ointment, fo as 

 to form a dreffing for venereal fores, or admit of being in- 

 troduced into the fyftem by being rubbed upon the ikin. 

 Attempts have likewife been made to cure fyphilis by fric- 

 tions with calomel on the gums, and infide ot the lips and 

 checks. However, violent and dangerous ptyahlms having, 

 in this manner, been fometimes produced, without the difeafe 

 being radically cured, the method has fallen into difrcpute. 

 In the article Fumigation, we have defcribed a powder, 

 made with calomel, for the purpofe of being applied to the 

 furface of the body in the form of a vapour, or a fubtile 

 powder raifed by heat. 



Sometime.'i, 



