Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The works of John Hunter. 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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![But whether this poisonous quality arises from that cause, or whether the animal body has a power of producing matter according to the irri- tation given, whereby the living powers, whenever irritated in a parti- cular manner, produce such an action in the parts as to generate a mat- ter 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 the go- ■ norrhoea. In support of either of the two opinions it must be supposed that the venereal matter has, by its specific properties, a power of irri- tation beyond common matter. I have already observed that it has the power of exciting inflammation even on the common skin, and of forming a chancre, which power is not possessed by common matter. In the first opinion it must be supposed that there is no specific inflam- mation or suppuration produced by the application of the venereal mat- but in the one a very severe degree of inflammation ensued over the whole glans and preputium, giving all the appearances of what is usually termed gonorrhoea spuria ; a considerable quantity of foetid matter was discharged 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, laxa- tives, 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, indeed, 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 upwards of a year get entirely free from it. “ By this he was convinced of the imprudence and hazard of all such experiments; nor could he be prevailed on to carry them further, although they were keenly prose- cuted 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 ensued. A slight degree of inflamma- tion was excited, but it soon disappeared, without anything 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 painful 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; 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 experience, 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/b21996635_0002_0169.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
