A collection of testimonies respecting the treatment of the venereal disease by nitrous acid / published by Thomas Beddoes, M.D.

  • Beddoes, Thomas, 1760-1808.
Date:
1799
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A collection of testimonies respecting the treatment of the venereal disease by nitrous acid / published by Thomas Beddoes, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    id. I have often wiflied to procure a fubftitute for the nitric acid more agreeable and not lefs efficacious. With this view, I thought of uniting it with the fimple earths, and I preferred the earth of alum, as the acid has the weakeft affinity with it. I mould expect but little frorri its union with the alkalis: Having made a folution of alum in water, I threw down its earth with a folution of potafh in water, and I warned the precipitate j to this I added, by degrees, the acid of nitre till the neutraliza- tion was complete. This new compound I found an- fwered my purpofe but imperfectly; for it is not more agreeable to the tafte, nor can a greater quantity of it be taken daily than of the acid. It certainly however has the advantage of not acting in the fame way on the teeth. From this nitrate of clay, I obtained the fame effects as from the nitric acid. It induced fore mOuths that fa much refembled the effects of mercury, that I could hardly perfuade fome people who took it, that I had not given them that metal. In this cafe the affection of the mouth could hardly be attributed to the external action of the remedy. I fball mention another attempt that I made to get a fubftitute for the nitric acid, which although unfuccefsful with me, may yet be deferving of farther attention. It is well known that the black calx of manganefe contains very abundant quantities of pure air; from which it may be feparated by heat and many other bodies, I thought that bv giving this calx in powder, while 1 kept the. primae viae in an acidulous ftate during its paffage, I mighf be able to extricate fuch a volume of vital air, (the action of the acid being aflifted by animal fubftances greedy ofoxy- gene of which the canal is compofed) as mould produce fome material effect. I had a quantity of manganefe which I knew, from experiment, contained no lead nor any hurtful mi- B 3 neral;