A full and clear reply to Doct. Thomas Dale : wherein the real impropriety of blistering with cantharides in the first fever of the small-pox is plainly demonstrated ; with some diverting remarks on the doctors great consistence, and exquisite attainments in physick and philology / by Ja: Killpatrick.

  • James Kirkpatrick
Date:
[1938]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A full and clear reply to Doct. Thomas Dale : wherein the real impropriety of blistering with cantharides in the first fever of the small-pox is plainly demonstrated ; with some diverting remarks on the doctors great consistence, and exquisite attainments in physick and philology / by Ja: Killpatrick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [Si] be tempted to imagine, I had reply’d to myfelf Incog} and ftuff'd up this Man of Straw, for the meer Ollentation of taking him to Pieces. But Aflertion and Proof arc fynonymeus with Dz£t. DaU\ and indeed he‘s hardy enough to ciKounter Fad and Truth themfeWes with this fort of .Demonftration. Thus my (a) Injinuations of violent Infeltion in this Cafe are akfeintely groundlefsy and the (b) Tocks under the Surface did> net threaten a Cenfiuence. 1 fhall have done wondring at a Head, I find there's nothing in it; but a Man may reafonably be furpriz'd at a Front fbmetimes. As I had oblerv'd that the Plenitude of Children was oft’ner owing to Scrofity than £lood; he exults extremely in this Concefiion ; which, it feems, would have perfwaded a Man of his i>ilceroment into an j1pf li~ cation vulgarly liiled a Bliftery as the merry Creature exprelTes it. Now any Perfon of moderate phyfical Knowledge, muft readily obferve what a prepofterous Notion our Author has of this Difeafe. That Children a- bcund with Serum rather than Blood, is evidently their Felicity with Regard to this Diftemper, and not the Icaft Caufe ol their being mildly handled by if. Fuller talking of the red Globules of Blood, obferves, {c)Wheu the Mafsis dtffrefortionably ever fleck'd vo th them, they make a kot,fevertp Cenfitutien. For fuppofing fuch Serums be void of any natural Acrimony, which it often, but not always is in Infants; the Poi> fon is more infeeblcd and diluted by the ‘Flcnty of it; and anli^amma>' tion of the red Globules, either totally, or partially prevented by it. Thus we Ice Bodies that would prove mortal, corrode and convulie the Membranes, and coagulate or diffolvc ths Flnids become e’vn nicdicinal, when properly diluted: Thus we dilute after and thus fregnent /dilution is enjoin’d in this Z^ifcale, by all good Ao- rhors; as well to fill the Puftuks, as to prevent or allay a violent Infiara^' mation aixi Fusion of the Globules. For if the Force of the Veiwm - {hould happily be excited only on the Serum, a very lUtle Fftver will ierve lor the Expulfion of fuch a containing Menftruum, ais in hot Wta-* iher pafl.s the Teguments but too profulcly, in this Xhieaie, of it iclf ’ And it is in ail Probability in theie cool, ferous Habits, and in opep, lax^ Teguments that Sydenham {d) elfervet JE^uftion fmetimeslb^^ns' -y^itbout any fen/ible frfvicus Diforder, As he ha* particularly pbferv*d the 514. c Exxsith. ft