Medical reports of the effects of arsenic, in the cure of agues, remitting fevers, and periodic headachs [sic] ... Together with a letter from Dr. Arnold ... and another from Dr. Withering / by Thomas Fowler.

Date:
1786
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical reports of the effects of arsenic, in the cure of agues, remitting fevers, and periodic headachs [sic] ... Together with a letter from Dr. Arnold ... and another from Dr. Withering / by Thomas Fowler. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    more efiedual examination, my good friend and your excellent Apothecary Mr. Hughes informed me, that he had made an analyhs of the drops, and found them to be a folution of Arfenic. At firfl; we gave the medicine cautioufly, and were fparing in the dofes, but it neverthelefs gamed our confidence, and in the vernal Inter- mittents of the following year it came into pret- ty general ufe. I am obhged to Mr. Bayley, Vvho was then the Apothecary to our Hofpital, for the dates and many other of the circumftances mentioned in this Letter, and I know I can de- pend upon the accuracy of his accounts as they are taken from the Phyficians Books, and ren- dered more perfe($l from his own obfervations. Out of forty-eight patients, thirty-three were cured by the ui'e of the folution alone ; three complained of pain in the Stomach, lofs of Ap- p-etite, and had fwolien faces ; but their fevers t/ere cured, and a little foluble Tartar removed the fymptoms now mentioned. The other twelve patients received- no benefit. In the Au'-?mn of 1784 it vv-as almoft conllanlly pre- fc.riced, and has ever fince maintained its cre- dit with us unddr a very great number of trials. At firil we ufed a-fimplc folution of Arfeni- - cum album, one Grain lo each Ounce ofdiftil- ]ed Water. The folut ion is facilitated by boiling for a minute or two in a florence Flaflc, or other gl.aCs Veffel, but long continued boiling difpo- fesit to prccipit-te cgiiin. AfLcr fome time, Mr. Bayley