A treatise on gonorrhoea virulenta, and lues venerea ... / [Benjamin Bell].

  • Bell, Benjamin, 1749-1806.
Date:
1795
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on gonorrhoea virulenta, and lues venerea ... / [Benjamin Bell]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    that every practitioner fhould be able to decide upon it with certainty, if this opinion was well founded: Inftead of which, it willbe admitted by all, that the one difeafe being produced by the other is even, in appearance, avery rare occurrence, I have paid much attention to the point in queftion ; and, in almoft eve- ry inftance, a few cafes indeed only excepted, and where the moft particular enquiries even were made, it has happened, that a perfon infected with Gonor- rhea has received it from another evidently labour- ing under that difeafe, and that chancres have been communicated by fuch as were diftreffed with chan- cres only, This, lam convinced, will be very commonly found to be clearly the cafe ; fo that afew inftances, bearing fome appearances of the contrary, are much more rea- dily explained on the idea of the two difeafes being produced by different kinds of contagion; and this may alfo be faid of the few folitary cafes that may be met with, of chancre being fuppofed to terminate in Gonorrhea, and Gonorrhea in chancre, and other fymptoms of pox. We can more eafily conceive that the fame perfon fhould, in fome inftances, receive, and therefore be able to communicate, both kinds of con- tagion, than that the incident we are confidering fhould be fo feldom met with, were the opinion well founded, of the two difeafes being originally of the fame nature, However ill founded an eftablithed opinion may be, if it has received the fanétion of being generally a- dopted, we know how difficult it is to overturn it. There are few who enter fo minutely into the confi- deration of fuch points as to be able to decide upon them ; and of thofe who do, there are very few who will take the trouble of engaging in fuch difcuflions as are neceflary for the conviction of others. This may be confidered as the chief caufe of the point in queftion remaining fo long in obfcurity, as well as of the explanation hitherto ufually given, of various cir- cumitancesin Gonorrhea and Lues Venerea having been uniformly made to fupport it, It will alfo ferve to