68 
DR. YELLOLY’S REMARKS ON THE 
Soon after the alkaline nature of Mrs. Stephen’s remedies for stone in the 
bladder, was made known by her in 1739, in consequence of the recompense 
of 5000/. adjudged by Parliament for the disclosure, it was found by Dr. Hales, 
that caustic alkalies had the power of dissolving calculi out of the body. But 
Dr. Rutty*, and some years afterwards Dr. Dawson-^, discovered that this 
substance was limited in its operation, to certain descriptions of calculi ; while 
others were capable of being dissolved by nitric or muriatic acid alone ; and 
hence they concluded, that in the latter cases, acids might be regarded as impor- 
tant lithontriptics. The subject, however, was not pursued ; and these experi- 
ments, with the curative deductions made from them, were entirely lost sight of. 
The precise nature of lithic acid was afterwards discovered by the celebrated 
Scheele ; and for a long period subsequent to his time, urinary calculi were 
uniformly supposed to consist of this material, and alkalies, alone, employed in 
the treatment of the diseases which they occasioned. It is singular, however, 
that the calculi which formed the subjects of that great chemist’s experiments, 
as well as of Bergman’s, should have been so little varied, as not to have led 
to the observations which had been before made by Drs. Rutty and Dawson, 
and which would, in all probability, have opened the way to the further im- 
portant discoveries in urinary concretions, which we owe, in so great a degree, 
to the perspicacity and talents of Dr. Wollaston. 
In concluding the first part of the paper which I have the honour to lay 
before the Society, I would beg to observe, that I have put aside the conside- 
ration of private cases, except as regards Suffolk, because it is not likely that 
the proportion of these, will differ much, in different districts, from that of 
public ones. 
I would also observe, that much valuable information with regard to the 
Norwich operations and collection, was brought forward by my able and ex- 
cellent deceased friend Dr. Marcet, in his valuable work on Calculous Diseases, 
to which I have already alluded ; but I have thought it desirable to present a 
general view of the whole subject, with such additional circumstances as I 
have had an opportunity of ascertaining. 
* Account of some new Experiments and Observations on Joanna Stephen’s Medicine for the Stone. 
f On Human Calculi, showing them to he of different Kinds. Medical Transactions, published by 
the College of Physicians of London, vol. ii. p. 105. 
