The Woodhall or Iodine Spa, Lincolnshire / by Robert Cuffe.

  • Cuffe, Robert.
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Woodhall or Iodine Spa, Lincolnshire / by Robert Cuffe. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    beneficially affected by this medicine, and in scrofulous dis¬ eases it approaches as nearly as possible the nature of a specific. How large a sphere of usefulness is open to such a medicine must strike every one who reflects upon the almost universal taint of Scrofula which pervades the population of this country. Amongst children, up to the period of puberty, we see scrofulous deposits in the glandular system leading to tedious and disfiguring abscesses, especially of the neck; from the ages of 15 to 25 and 30 years this deposit is most fre¬ quently observed in the lungs, giving rise to a disease which is, of all others, the most fatal, Pulmonary Tubercle or Con¬ sumption. The beneficial .effect of Iodine in all scrofulous diseases, whether of the glandular system, of the bones, or of the viscera, is remarkable. There is another element which appears to possess properties almost identical with those of Iodine, viz. Bromine. A mineral spring containing these substances in solution was long a desideratum. Of the mineral springs of Germany, Kreuznach alone contains a notable quantity of Iodine and Bromine; and these waters have acquired a great and deserved reputation in the' treat¬ ment of all scrofulous affections, including Tubercular Dis¬ eases of the Lungs. In England no mineral waters had been discovered containing any remarkable quantity of these ele¬ ments (Iodine and Bromine) till by a fortunate accident the waters of the Woodhall or Iodine Spa were discovered. This Spa is situated upon the Great Northern Kailway, midway between Boston and Lincoln, and is readily accessible by railway from all parts of England. About forty years ago, the late John Parkinson, Esq., expended several thousand pounds in boring for coal; and after sinking a shaft about 340 yards, the project was abandoned, owing to want of funds. A spring was struck at the depth of 170 yards, of which little notice was taken. Persons residing in the neighbourhood collected this water, and used it with great success in the treatment of Scrofula and Kheumatism; and the water acquired a local reputation