210 . Dr. Falconer on the Portland Powder. a 
cape writers recommended in fome cafes 
thefe bitter preparations as remedies for 
the gout, yet they advifed them with con- 
vicerable referve;-and an apprehenfion of 
danger. 
Soranus, who * advifed them, cautions 
apainft their being lorg continued, as he 
fays they brought on fome perfons acute 
complaints, on ‘others apoplexy, on others 
pleurily, and peripneumony, and in fome 
cafes difficulty of breavhing, or dy[pneea. 
Allof the writers on the fubje& caution 
againft the indifcriminate ule of it in all 
cafes and habits, as they affure us that they 
are extremely hurtful in hot and bilious 
habits, and proper only in cold phiegmatic 
conftitutions. — . 
They alfo judged them to be very dan- 
‘gerous in cafes of long ftanding, and ad- 
vife no trial of them to ybe made where the 
complaint has exified five or at inoft feven 
rears. 
Such is the abftraét of the accounts 
given of this remedy-by the writers of an- 
tiquity. Let us now turn to the modern 
accounts, and particularly to that of the 
celebrated Dr. Cullen, who is vouched as 
evidence of the faét by Mr. Whitehead ; 
wherein it.will appear with what impro- 
priety and under what mifreprefentation 
this admirable phyfician has been intro- 
duced as encouraging a practice he always 
reprobated in his converfation, as I can 
teftify, and in his writings, which are 
open to the perufal of every one. 
<‘In every initance’’ (favs Dr. Cullen 
n his Practice of Phytict) ‘*which I 
have known of its exhibition for the 
' fength of time prefcribed, the perfons who 
bad: taken it, were ictus afterwards free 
from apy inflammatory affection of the 
joints, but they were afterwards affected 
with many fymptoms of the atonic gout, 
and all, foon after finifhing their courte of 
the medicine, have been attacked with 
apoplexy, aithma, or droply, which proved 
faral.”” In a later publication of the fame 
eminent writer, he obferves that “the ef- 
fects of this powder in modern times have 
been very much on the fame foot: ing with 
the ancient. iItis pofible (fays he) that 
feveral perfons may have taken the Peort-. 
land Powder and other bitters with feém- 
ing great advantage, but I have not had 
opportunity ‘to know the fequel of the 
whole of fuch perfons lives, fo as to fay 
pofitively how far in any cafe the cure con- 
tinued | teady: for a life of fome years after, 
er what accidents happened to. their 
health. 
tia 
*® Celi. Gured. L. V.c. 2 
+ Scétion DLVIL. 
years. 
_ [April.s, 
‘¢ But I have had occafion to know or to 
be exactly informed of the fate of nine or 
ten perfons whe had taken this medicine 
for the time prefcribed, which is two 
Thefe perfons had been liable for 
fome years before to have a fit of regular 
or very painful inflammatory gout once at 
leat, and frequently twice, in the courfe of 
a year; but after they had taken.the me- _ 
dicine for fome time, they were quite free 
from any fit of inhammatery gout, and,par- 
ticularly when they had compleated the 
courfe preferibed, had never a regular fit 
or any inflammation of the extremities, 
fer the reft of their life. 
' Tn no inftance however that I have 
known was the health of thefe perfons to- 
lerably entire. Soon after finifhing the 
courte of their medicine, they became va- 
letudinary in different fhapes, and parti- - 
cularly were much affi&ted with dy{- 
peptic, and what are called nervous com- 
plaints with lownefs of fpirits. Iz ever 
ene of them, before a year had pafled after 
finithing the courfe ot the powders, fome 
hy dropic fymptoms appeared, which gra- 
dually increafing in the form of an afcites 
or hydrothorax, efpecially the latter, joined 
with anafarca, in lefs than two, or at moft 
three, years, proved fatal. “Fhefe acci- 
dents happening to perfons of fome rank, 
became very generally known in this 
country, and has prevented all fuch expe- 
riments fince.’* Such are the words of 
Dr. Cullen, and the reader will, Iam cer- 
tain, join with me in cenfuring the difin- 
genuous perverfion of them in the printed 
paper alluded to. Had the whole of the 
paffages I have cited been inferted into 
Mr. Whitchead’s recommendation of the 
remedy, who could have imagined Dr. 
Cullen could be introduced as bearing 
teftimony in favour of its ufe? But the 
real opinion ef Dr. Cullen is fupprefled, 
and only fo. much of the effects of the 
powder is inferted on his authority, as 
may ferve the purpofe of perfuading thofe 
who have not had an opportunity of know- 
ing his real fentiments. In juftice to him, 
and to mankind, I now lay them before 
the public, and 1 am confident the candid 
and benevolent part of the world will 
* Cullen’s Mat. Med. vol. il. p. 65, 66. 
+ © Phis celebrated remedy, ince its intro 
duction into England, is acknowledged, by the 
mofteminent of the "faculty, to be capable of 
removing the paroxyfms of gout, and we 
may fairly conclude the teftimony of the ce- 
lebrated Dr, Cullen of Edinburgh undeniable 
evidence of the fat.” 
Mr. WarrenEan’s ddvertifement, 
er Hand-bill; page 1. 
think 
