The private medical friend, or, A warning voice to young men : an essay on the errors of youth and the secret infirmities of the generative organs, resulting from solitary habits, youthful excess, or infection, with practical observations on the premature failiure of sexual power illustrated with many cases in proof of the Author's succesful mode of treatment / by Henry Smith.
- Smith, Henry, active 1982.
- Date:
- 1857
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The private medical friend, or, A warning voice to young men : an essay on the errors of youth and the secret infirmities of the generative organs, resulting from solitary habits, youthful excess, or infection, with practical observations on the premature failiure of sexual power illustrated with many cases in proof of the Author's succesful mode of treatment / by Henry Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.
53/80 page 51
![I often, from about my 30th year, drank to forget, though seldom to drunkenness; but I found my mind was not able to bear it, so much that I would sometimes be at the point of idiocy for a short time. I spent more in this way through my good-natured foolishness than would satisfy the reasona¬ ble desire of any surgeon for my cure ; but this considera¬ tion is neither here nor there. From my 28th year the symptoms were much the same—a long and tremulous beat of the heart, sensible to the extremities, pains in my limbs at times—dimness of sight—dejection--weak ness of intellect —loss of memory—unpleasant twitching about the hips and kidneys, which would sometimes run down to my knees—an _ aching also about the kidneys—the penis small and shri¬ velled—the testicles also small, flabby at times, beefy at others, with a contracting-like sensation about them. The nightly emissions still continued sbout three times a week. A creeping in my flesh at times takes place, particularly after drinking and smoking—not so much in summer as in winter. There is a slight stuffing in my chest, with a tri¬ fling spit, but no cough. P. S. I should have stated that I feel at present, when I hold the penis when I am heated, that the semen would escape if I did not let it go; but this is not always the case. [We had the satisfaction of accomplishing a perfect cure in this very difficult case, which, however, owing to its long standing, and the deep hold which the disease had obtained on the patient’s nervous system, required the exercise of all our skill for some time.] X. ABOUT TO MARRY. T. K. R. says,—u I have been one of those stupid fools who learnt a bad habit at school, and though I have cured my¬ self of the habit for some time, yet I should like to be a better bed companion than I am. Some eighteen months ago I was advised to see and consult a medical man in Lon¬ don, who was a first-rate adviser in these matters. He told me he was certain he could cure me, and gave me some pills to tase,which he continued some time. I followed his advice till he told me he was certain I should not fail, and strongly advised me to try and marry. I had for some five years loved a girl, and nine months ago I got her consent, and we were to he mairied three or four months hence. NovY](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30473159_0053.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
