Revelations of quacks and quackery / a series of letters by 'Detector'.

  • Courtenay, Francis Burdett, 1811-1886
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Revelations of quacks and quackery / a series of letters by 'Detector'. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    38/164 (page 14)
    '*DR. HAMMOND (OF THE LOCK HOSPITAL). (Member the College Physicians and Surgeons), 6i r\N the ' Self-Cure of ]Nervoiis and Physical Debility, T)e- ^^cline of Manly Vigour, Infection, &c., with Self-Curatives.' Post free 2 stamps, by Dr. HAMMOND, 11 Charlotte street^ Bedford Square, London. '^.B.—Eecent cases cured in a few days. ' Means of Cure' by letter, or personally from 9 till 2, and 6 to 8. Sundays,. 10 to 12. Now, Sir, I have sought in vain in the Medical Directories, in the ' Medical Eegister,' and the rolls of the College of Sur- geons and Physicians, for this Dr. Hammond, of 11 Charlotte- street, Bedford Square. Do not put me down as very green for taking this trouble ; I only did so that I might make- assurance doubly sure. Believe me, I never expected ta find this worthy among the recorded members of the College of Physicians or Surgeons of England. The wording of the advertisement is itself quite sufficient with a man of the- world to show the false pretence and assumption. Por mark it only says Member the College of Physicians and Sur~ geons it does not even venture on the of, as thus Member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. JSTow this may appear as quibbling on my part; but v/hen I come to other matters, your readers will see these trival omissions are part and parcel of a course of well concocted and systematic de- ceit, all of which, as in the reference made to the Lock Hos- pital, have but one object, namely, to create a false belief as- to the party's status as a professional man. A young man has just consulted me, fancying he had in- voluntary seminal losses on voiding his urine and on other occasions. But I found that he was only an imaginary sufferer in this respect. He informed me that, some time prior to his consulting me,, he had been induced, by seeing an advertisement somewhat similar to the above, to consult Dr. Hammond by letter. In reply to his communication, the Doctor (?) informed him that he (the patient) must wear the self-adjusting curative and take certain medicines, and promised if he would remit two guineas he would send him the curative. Accordingly, the patient remitted that amount; but, to use his own words.