92 
J. CAMPBELL. 
nent scientists of their day. These men, after spending much 
time and money., \tfere forced to abandon it on account of the 
difficulty and expense in preparing a pure article and making 
it available. These men were followed in turn, in 1820, by 
Drs. Hill, Thornton, Gavallo and McCormack somewhat 
later. 
The difficulty and cost of producing oxygen and making it 
available rendered their efforts in introducing it as a therapeutic 
agent of no avail. Following these were various men of note 
in the profession in Europe, such as Goolden, Birch, Alexander, 
Erichson, Richardson, Demarquay, and others. All of these 
men have investigated the subject, have used oxygen, and with¬ 
out exception admit its potency in the treatment of disease. 
Demarquay’s reports to the Academy of Medicine in 1866 at 
Paris were considered conclusive as far as the subject was cov¬ 
ered by him ; his reports have never been reproduced in Amer¬ 
ica. Dr. McCormack published a small volume on this subject 
in London in 1856. Dr. S. B. Birch published a monograph on 
the subject of oxygen as a curative agent in 1857. The second 
edition, published in 1858, was the first to command any degree 
of attention. On page 148 the author says u that oxygen arti¬ 
ficially prepared is a powerful, really scientific, and agreeable 
curative agent, is capable of far more extensive range in its ap¬ 
plication to the rational treatment of chronic diseases than per¬ 
haps any other remedy—is preeminently nature’s own thera¬ 
peutic, affording assistance in her own way without opposing 
the intentions of her ever present vis medicatrix , and is entitled 
to the position of a curative in a variety of intractable diseases, 
otherwise incurable by any other known means. It is occasion¬ 
ally the remedy, and the only one worthy the name, in certain 
contingencies where life must be (and frequently is) sacrificed 
by neglecting a fair trial of it.” He adds also, u that sooner or 
later oxygen will be universally admitted as one of the most 
valued remedial agents.” This sanguine prediction, made by 
Dr. Birch, of Manchester, England, in 1858, has not yet been 
attained on account of the insuperable difficulties of mak- 
