Summary of Mr. Carmichael's views of the venereal cases in which mercury is admissible or is not admissible.

  • Carmichael, Richard, 1779-1849.
Date:
1838
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Summary of Mr. Carmichael's views of the venereal cases in which mercury is admissible or is not admissible. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    the same views as I would exhibit it for any indolent ulcer which is not venereal ; but this is seldom or never necessary. 2nd. When the papular and pustular eruptions become scaly, and obviously on the decline, in general not sooner than the fourth or fifth week, if not yielding satisfactorily to sarsa- parilla and antimonials, I exhibit mercury in alterative doses, combined with sarsaparilla. 3rd. Whenever iritis occurs, I give mercury so as to excite its full effects upon the system. . 4th. When nodes arise, which usually commence with in- flammation of the periosteum, I also give mercury so as to pro- duce its full effects ; and in the two last instances, it is exhibited on the principle, that there is no process so powerful in check- ing periostitis or inflammation of any membranous part, as mer- curialization of the system. It is here worth remarking, that in the course of a long practice, both public and private, I have never met with nodes as an attendant upon the papular eruption; which in my mind, is an indication, that the poison which produces it is different from that which occasions the other forms of venereal erup- tion. 5th. In the phagedenic form of venereal disease, I may safely say, that I have always found, sooner or later, the exhibi- tion of mercury prove to be injurious. For primary ulcers, in- variably so, and the same may be observed while the eruption continues to present the form of rupia, or tubercles. But after the disease has existed for months or years, each succeeding crop of eruption, I have observed, has a tendency to change its cha- racter into that of scaly tubercles ; of which there are many ex- cellent drawings in the museum of the Richmond Surgical Hos- pital, open to the inspection of all medical men. In this state, alterative doses of mercury may, perhaps, be of use ;—yet, of this I am very doubtful, for I have seen, even in this exhausted state of the disease, more relapses than perfect cures by mercury, exhibited either in full or alterative doses, under tlie most