LUES VENEREA, 



Mr. Pearfon conjcftiires, that, as the extinftion of the vene- of more attention than feveral otiier articlfes. The laft 

 nal poifon could not be afcribed to the fpccific virtues of author fays he has employed it, during many years, where 



the bark, the abforption of the virus mud have been antici- 

 pated and prevented by the death of the part. This gentle- 

 man acknowledge?, however, that there are gangrenous 

 chancres met vjth, where, after the detachment of the 

 Coughs, the fpecilic difeafe in the part continues, and the 

 ulcer fpreads, fo that mercury is indifpenfable. 



Opium has been faid to be a fpecific in venereal cafes ; 

 and in the firit volume of the Medical Communications, 

 feme facts were publifhcd in funport of this opinion. But 

 in the years i7S4and 1785, Mr. Pearfon made fcvcral ex- 

 periments on the virtues of opmm in lues venerea, at the 

 Lock hofpital. Thefe are related in the fecond volume of 

 the preceding work. The refult was very unfavourable to 

 tlie character of opium as an anti. venereal. In a later work, 

 the fame gentleman obferves that he has been long accuf- 

 tomcd to admmiller opium with great freedom, during the 

 mercurial courfe ; and the experience of more than twenty 

 years has taught him, that wlien this medicine is combined 

 wnth mercury, the proper efScacy of tlie latter is not in any 

 meafure increafed ; that it would not be fafe to rely upon 

 a fmaller quantity of the fpecific mineral, nor to fhorten the 

 mercurial courfe at all more, than where no opium has been 

 employed. (On Lues Vcn., p. 68, 6g.) Though opium 

 may poflV.fs no anti-fvpliiiitic virtue, it is unqueftionably ufe- 

 ful on other principles, m many venereal cafes. It often 

 prevents mercury from difordering the ilomach and bowels ; 

 and it will frequently lelTen the, irritability and reltlefsnefs 

 produced by the introduftion of mercury into the conilitution. 

 But, regarded as a fpecific for fyphilitic affections, we may 

 conclude with Mr. Hunter, that it has no effeft, till mer- 

 cury has done its bell, or its worlt. This latter furgeon 

 owns that opium has certainly confiderable effeils in many 

 difeafes, both in fuch as are confequciit to the venereal dif- 

 eafe, and in others arifing from different caufes. It had 

 long' been a favourite m.edicine v.ith him, not only as re- 

 heving pain, but as capable of altering difeafed aftions. In 

 all fores attended with irritability, he fays, a decoftion of 

 poppy heads, made into a pouhice, is an excellent applica- 

 tion. He tells us, he had even feen two doubtful fyphilitic 

 cafes cured by the internal exhibition of opium : but on his 

 trying this plan in an unequivocal cafe of venereal blotches 

 and fore throat, fo far was opium from producing the de- 

 fired cftefk, that, after a perfeverance of three weeks, the 

 fores were rather worlc, 



pains in the limbs and indurations of the membranes have 

 remained, after the venereal difeafe has been cured by mer- 

 cury, and feldom without manifell advantage. P. 81. 



The deceftion of the woods and the Lilbon diet drink 

 are famous prefcriptions in fyphilitic cafes. Where the 

 difeafe is doubtful, or mercury difagrees, or is done witbr 

 fuch remedies may ccrtainlv be often taken with benefit. 

 No. I. 

 I^ Sarfaparillas coucifie. 

 Ligni faffafras. 

 Ligni fantali rubri. 



Ligni guaiaci ofncinalis, ling. una. iff. 

 Radicis mezerei 



Seminum coriandri fing. unc. IF. 

 Aquae diftillats, lib. x. 

 Thefe are to be boiled till only half the fluid remains^ 

 The dofe is a quart, or more, in the day. 

 No. 2. 

 l]i Sarfaparill^E concifx. 

 Ligni fantali rubri. 

 Ligni fantali citrmi fing. unc. iff. 

 Radicis glycyrrhizx. 

 Radicis mezerei fing. 5ij> 

 Lig'.ii rhodii. 

 Ligni guaiaci officinalis. 

 Ligni fadafras fing. unc. fi". 

 Antimonii unc. j. 

 Aqux dilliUalcE, lib. v. 

 Thefe ingredients are to be n^acerated for twenty-foup 

 hours, and afterwards boiled till the fluid is reduced to half 

 its original quantity. From one to four pints are given 

 dally. 



Befides the preceding, Mr. Hunter has alfo noticed- 

 the following formula in his Trcatife on the Venereal 

 Difeafe. 



No. 2- 

 J|t Sarfaparills concifae. 



Radicis chins, fing. unc. j. 

 Nucum juglandis cortice (iccatarum, N" xx- 

 Antimonii unc. ij. 

 Lapidis pumicis pulverizati unc. j. 

 Aqu£e diilillatae, lib. x. 

 The powdered antimony and pumice ftone are to be tied- 

 and boiled along with the other' 



Treatife on Venereal Difeafe,. in feparate pieces of rag, 



p. ^7^. ingredients. 



Dr. Storck has related fome cafes, in whch cicuta, or This laft decoclion is reckoned to be the genuine Lifbon. 



hemlock, is ftated to have cured fyphilis, when other re- diet drink, whole qualities have been the fubject of fo much 



medics had failed. (Lib. ii. De Cicuta.) At prefent it encomium. Pharm. Chirurg. 



ii?ems to have loft its charafter, as poffeffing any fpecific The muriatic and fulphuric acids have been exhibited in. 



virtue over the venereal difeafe. It is not, however, a medi- venereal cafes with fome advantage, as they are capable of 



cine without its ufes. According to Mr, Pearfon, the ex- improving the appearance of fyphihtic uliers, and rellraining 



tract and the powder of hemlock may be fometimes advan- for a time the progrefs of the difeafe. 



tagecufly given in fpreading irritable fores', whether they 

 are connefted with the a6tive ftate of the venereal virus,, or 

 they remain after the completion of the mercurial courfe. 

 Cicuta fonutirres does good, when opium will not ; and, 

 therefore, Mr. Pearfon thinks it may have other virtues 

 than thole depending upon itj anodyne qualities. P. 7J, 



Fo.-^ remarks on the anti-venereal effects of faffafras, juni- 

 perus, bardana, faponaria, dulcamara, juglans, lobelia fy- 

 philitica, aftragalus exfcapus, ammonia prxparata, barytes 

 muriata, &c. we mull refer to Mr. Pearfon's publica- 

 tion. 



But the nitrous and nitric acids have gained the greatell 

 repute for their anti-venereal qualities. Thefe acids have 

 been tried by Dr. Rollo, Mr. Cruiklhank, Dr. Beddoes, , 

 Mr. Blair, and many others, as fubflitutes for quickfilver,, 

 in the cure of lues venerea. The pratlice began with Mr. - 

 Scott, a furgeon in Bengal, who is laid to have derived the ' 

 idea from Girtanuer, who fuggefted that the eificacy of the . 

 various prepara.ions of quickfilver might, arilie from the 

 oxygen which they contained. 



A multitude of cafes have been brought forward in favour - 



of nitric acid, as an anti-fyphilitic ; but there are alfo lom.e ' 

 A dccoAion of the green riod of the walnut feems worthy others adduced, w hich feem very decidedly to controvert its i 



claims^ 



