A treatise on the venereal disease / by John Hunter ; with notes by George G. Babington.
- John Hunter
- Date:
- 1841
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A treatise on the venereal disease / by John Hunter ; with notes by George G. Babington. 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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![little upon it. It has been supposed by some that the poisonous quality of the matter arises from a fermentation taking place in it as soon as it is formed. But whether this poisonous quality arises from that cause, or whether the animal body has a power of pro- ducing matter according to the irritation given, whereby the living powers, whenever irritated in a particular manner, produce such an action in the parts as to generate a matter similar in quality to that which excited the action, is what I am now to consider. In the examination of this subject I shall confine myself to gonorrhoea. In support of either of the two opinions it must be supposed that the venereal matter has, by its specific properties, a power of irritation beyond common matter. I have already ob- served that it has the power of exciting inflammation even on the common skin, and of forming a chancre, which power is not pos- sessed by common matter. In the first opinion it must be supposed that there is no specific inflammation or suppuration produced by the application of the venereal matter, but only a common inflam- mation and suppuration; and that the matter capable of producing these effects acts as a ferment upon the new-formed matter, render- ing it venereal as soon, or nearly as soon, as it is formed; and as there is a succession of secretions, there immediately follows a termed gonorrhoea spuria; a considerable quantity of fetid matter was discharg- ed from the surface of the inflamed parts ; and for several days he had reason to fear that an operation would be necessary for the removal of a paraphimosis. By the use of saturnine poultices, however, laxatives, and low diet, the inflammation abated, the discharge ceased, no chancres took place, and he soon got entirely well. The other gentleman was not so fortunate. The external inflammation, in- deed, was slight, but by the matter finding access to the urethra, he, on the second day, was attacked with a severe degree of gonorrhoea, which continued for a considerable time to give him a great deal of distress; nor did he for up- wards of a year get entirely free from it. By this he was convinced of the imprudence and hazard of all such experi- ments ; nor could he be prevailed on to carry them further, although they were keenly prosecuted by his friend, who, soon after the inflammation arising from his first experiment was removed, inserted the matter of gonorrhoea on the point of a lancet beneath the skin of the preputium, and likewise into the substance of the glans; but although this was repeated three different times, no chancres en- sued. A slight degree of inflammation was excited, but it soon disappeared, without any thing being done for it. His last experiment was attended with more serious consequences. The matter of a chancre was inserted on the point of a probe to the depth of a quarter of an inch, or more, in the urethra. No symptoms of gonorrhoea ensued ; but in the course of five or six days a pain- ful inflammatory chancre was perceived on the spot to which the matter was ap- plied. To this succeeded a bubo, which ended in suppuration, notwithstanding the immediate application of mercury i and the sore arising from this proved both painful and tedious. Ulcers were at last perceived in the throat; nor was a cure obtained till a very large quantity of mercury was given, under a state of close confinement, for a period of thirteen weeks. These experiments, which strictly accord with the general results of experi- ence, must be admitted to disprove altogether the argument derived from the difference between a secreting and a non secreting surface, and to afford a very strong presumption that, at least in the great majority of cases, the poison of gonorrhoea is not identical with that of chancre.]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21131508_0029.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
