An inaugural dissertation on the gout : submitted to the examination of the Rev. William Smith, S.T.P. provost ; the trustees, and medical professors of the College of Philadelphia, for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, on the 23d day of June, A.D. 1791 / by George Pfeiffer of Philadelphia, fellow of the Philadelphia Medical Society.

  • Pfeiffer, George, 1769-1804.
Date:
MDCCXCI [1791]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inaugural dissertation on the gout : submitted to the examination of the Rev. William Smith, S.T.P. provost ; the trustees, and medical professors of the College of Philadelphia, for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, on the 23d day of June, A.D. 1791 / by George Pfeiffer of Philadelphia, fellow of the Philadelphia Medical Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    and inftead of making ufe of venaefection, he took large quantities of alkali to neutralife the fupera- bundant acid. The confequence was—he died a martyr to his own ill-founded opinion. And I am bold to fay, that any phyfician, who, inftead of ftudying, and being guided by the book of nature, is governed in his practice by the idle fpeculations of himfelf, or of other ingenious men, will, moil probably, do much harm both to himfelf and thofe intruded to his care. Far—far be it from me, however, to fay that theory is ufelefs. Let us only be careful to make it fubfervient to experience, and found practice; and not make our practice fubfervient to it. Though the theories of Boerhaave and Cul- len were very different, yet their practice was nearly the fame. But fee the great, the fagacious Sydenham. Look at his theories. How abfurd were many of them ! His profound and true know- ledge, however, fecured him from being led affray by them in his practice. He contemplated the phenomena of inflammato- ry difeafes, and was hire that bleeding, purging, &c. were the moft effectual remedies. He too, in thefe cafes, fuppofed the human fyflem to be filled with morbific matter. But when he drew blood, and by that means cured his patients, he content- ed himfelf with faying, that the morbific mattei muft certainly have flowed out at the orifice, and tfce good humours have remained behind! 0/