An essay on the venereal disease and its treatment : illustrated by numerous cases : intended to ascertain the effect of nitrous acid and other analogous remedies, lately proposed as substitutes for mercury / by William Blair.

  • Blair, William, 1766-1822.
Date:
1808
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An essay on the venereal disease and its treatment : illustrated by numerous cases : intended to ascertain the effect of nitrous acid and other analogous remedies, lately proposed as substitutes for mercury / by William Blair. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/212 (page 11)
    a + , , — - ■ ■ «— such impediments the reader must see, that the power of the new antivenereal remedies being supposed equal even to that of mercury, it was impracticable to introduce them without encountering all the Storms and all the wiles of con- troversial warfare. “ Supposing further, the witnesses that have appeared in the present cause, respectively competent to distinguish the nature of the phenomena, and (with perhaps a single exception) sincerely to have related what they believe them- selves to have seen ; may we not hope to discover some cri- terion for the erroneous judgment concerning the result, on whichsoever side the mistake may happen to lie ? Be- sides want of efficacy in the substances employed, several reasons may be assigned for failures.” For my own part, I believe, as I always did, that the er- roneous conclusions have arisen from one of these two causes : — ist. From insufficient exhibition of the remedy ; or 2dly, From mistake in the nature of the symptoms considered as venereal. The advocates for nitrous acid, &c. regard the first as the common source of error ; but I am of opinion, the second is the true cause in the majority of al- leged cures of Syphilis. Herein it is that Dr. Beddoes and myself most widely differ in our judgment: for he thinks <e the body of evidence will not be assailed on this side.” See his Communications respecting the Nitrous Acid, Lon- don, 1800, p. xvi. ce The number of cases in which the acids have been at- tested to be successful, Dr. B. says in his Communica- tions, “ can scarce fall short of fifteen hundred; and among these occur as bad and inveterate primary cases as can be imagined ; cases verging towards secondary; and a sufficient proportion of secondary, which the efficacy of the new medicines has prevented from being larger.” * * * * u Yet some, much mistaking their talents for necromancy, have thought, that by a few strokes, they could blot out ail this virulence of diseases with a grey goose quill Now, putting aside the wit and bitterness of our critic, 1 beg leave to tell him that this is not a true statement of tacts : for “ a sufficient proportion of secondary cases” out of those fifteen hundred cures, has not been adduced. The grand point at issue is, whether the worst cases are curable by the acids ? and by the worst I mean, the advanced stages