Considerations on the medicinal use, and production of factitious airs. : Part III / by Thomas Beddoes and James Watt.

  • Beddoes, Thomas, 1760-1808.
Date:
1795
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Considerations on the medicinal use, and production of factitious airs. : Part III / by Thomas Beddoes and James Watt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

    47/142 (page 29)
    Mr. Windy, from being hypochondriacal, became perfectly infane. He was-gloomy, fullen, and filent, or muttered only expreflions, which evinced what were the terrors of his difturbed imagination. He had no recolle&ion of his wife or children, and the only notice he took of his attendants, was to manifeft fufpicion that they meant to injure him. He made feveral attempts to deftroy himfelf. He was coftive, and had remarkable coldnefs of the extremities. As Dr. Thornton had fucceeded fo well with the vital air, in the cafe of Mr. Ruffel, defcribed in the firft volume of my Guide to Health, printed for John- ion, in St. Paul's Church-yard, and Robinfon, Pater- nofter-row, he determined to give it a fair trial in the prefent inflance. He began therefore with giving four quarts of vital air to ten quarts oi common air, which produced no change.—He then gave ether and brandy, hoping thereby to increafe the vital heat, but without the leaft effect, for his hands continued cold as clay.—• Thus difappointed in his firft efforts to relieve his pa- tient, he gave an emetic in the evening, which brought up a vaft quantity of vifcid mucus. At bedtime he ordered a calomel pill, which was worked off in the morning with rhubarb and fal polychreft. Having thus' cleanfed the alimentary canal, he gave the day following ether and brandy as before, and caufed his patient to inhale the fame quantity of vital air, which inftantly produced a genial warmth extending to his fingers ends. Nor was this a tranfitory effeel:, for it continued all the time he was under the care of Dr. Thornton. For