Volume 2

A discourse on the preparation of the body for the small-pox: and the manner of receiving the infection. As it was deliver'd in the Publick Hall of the Academy, before the Trustees, and others, on Wednesday, the 21st of November, 1750 ... / [Adam Thomson].

  • Adam Thomson
Date:
1750
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A discourse on the preparation of the body for the small-pox: and the manner of receiving the infection. As it was deliver'd in the Publick Hall of the Academy, before the Trustees, and others, on Wednesday, the 21st of November, 1750 ... / [Adam Thomson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    '[ *5 ] : the Difeafe, It has been the Opinion of very eminent^ Phyficians, that a Specific for the Small Pox ought to be fought for, and may probably be found. § Boerhaave feems to think (for he fpeaks with Referve) that from fome Things he had feen perform’d by the Ufe of fome of the finer, and milder ,Preparations of Antimony and Mercury intimately united, it was well worth while to make farther Trials of them, in order to find out a Specific in this Diftemper. As for the general J Antiphlogiftic Method, by which the fame great Man propofes to check the Diftemper in its firft Stage, and prevent the Eruption of Puftles, or even after the Puftles have appear’d, to cure the Inflammation, and ftop its farther Progrefs, I can¬ not take upon me to fay how far it may be certain or fafe to purfue it, hav-,; ing never feen’d it tried. But || he afferts, there have been many Inftan- ces of its Succefs, while Phyficians not appris’d of the Small Pox, treat¬ ed. the Symptoms and Eruption in the fame Manner as they would have done any other high inflammatory Fever. The Danger of fuch a Method would be, that if it did not fucceed, the large Bleedings necefiary to be us’d, muft render the Patient fo weak, that he would be very apt to fink under the tedious and trying Courfe which he muft afterwards undergo. This Method, therefore, is not likely to take Place, unlefs, by repeated Trials on Criminals condemn’d to Death, it was found certain, and to be depended upon. But the Trial of an eafy operating antimonial and mer¬ curial Medicine, as a Preparative fo^r receiving the Difeafe caxi be attended with no Danger. If it does not alter the variolous Fuel, fo as to render it perfe&ly innocent, or expel it intirely, it may perhaps expel it in Part, or mitigate its malignant Quality ; and in either Cafe the Advantage would be confiderable. Tho’ I cannot take upon me to aftert any Thing pofitive- ly on this Matter, yet there can be no Harm in relating what I have ex¬ perienc’d in this Affair. On every Occafton, for the Space of twelve Years that I have been call’d upon to prepare People for the Small Pox, either for receiving it in the natural Way, or by Inoculation (for I have prepar’d many for both) I have conftantly us’d fuch a Medicine as has been mention’d, and ! can honeftly declare I never faw one fo prepar’d, in any confiderable Danger by the Difeafe. One of them indeed that receiv’d the Infection in the natural Way, had the confluent Pock, but I attributed that to his having rid near twenty Miles in cold damp Weather the firft Day of the contagious Fever, being taken unwell in the Morning before he fet off*. However tho’ he was a young Gentleman in the Flower of his Youth, he got very fafely over it. This Difeafe is often fo eafily got over without any Precaution, that many People are unwilling to be at much Trouble about preparing for it, fo that eight, ten Days, or a Fortnight, has beea * Jphor. Boirbacw. N° 1390* § Idem, Ibid. 13924 1 Idem, Ibid4 1393. | Idem, Ibid. 1395 , 7“ ~ - / “..
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