Syphilis / by V. Cornil ; translated, with notes and additions, by J. Henry C. Simes and J. William White.
- Victor André Cornil
- Date:
- 1882
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Syphilis / by V. Cornil ; translated, with notes and additions, by J. Henry C. Simes and J. William White. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.
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![based chiefly upon known physiological laws, and as dispensing with vague assertions as to specific, antidotal, and other influences.' As to the beneficial influence of the iodides in the later stages, a therapeutic fact established beyond all possibility of contradiction, a similar diversity of opinion as to their mode of action prevails. A tonic effect is again, but with less plausibility, claimed as one of the causes of the curative power of these preparations. The views held as to their modus operandi will depend upon the particular theory of the tertiary stage which is adopted. Their powerful and almost invariable efiects cannot be very clearly accounted for if we regard the tertiary symptoms as relapses of diseased parts affected during the secondary stage, or as outbreaks of poison stored up or encysted in various localities, either upon the tonic or the antidotal theory. If, however, the tertiary phenomena are due, as is asserted by Dr. Otis, to a crippled condition of the lymphatics which permits of an abnormal accumulation of the nutritive waste of the body resulting in tumors, nodes, gummata, etc., which produce further results—ulcera- tion, caries, necrosis, etc.—simply by their pressure efl'ects, it be- comes evident that a stimulus directed to the lymphatic system to enable it properly to fulfil its function would be a great desideratum, and the well-known absorbent properties of the iodides would thus furnish a reasonable explanation of their action. However this may be, the clinical evidence, as in the case of mer- cury, is quite sufficient to justify the employment of these drugs, and it now only remains to indicate the proper methods of administering them, which may be epitomized as follows, beginning with the appear- ance of the initial lesion:— 1. Do not employ mercurial treatment until either by confrontation or by the development of constitutional symptoms the diagnosis of syphilis is assured. Mercury always retards the appearance of the secondary symptoms, and sometimes prevents it altogether. As no venereal sore can with absolute certainty be pi'onounced syphilitic it is unwise to add an element of uncertainty to the case by delaying indefinitely the outbreak of unmistakable symptoms. There is suffi- cient evidence to prove that the subsequent course of the case is not materially affected by this delay. 2. When the time has arrived for the administration of mercury it [' For a full exposition of it we refer the reader to the work of Dr. Otis already quoted from.]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2151852x_0446.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
