Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

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is considered by some physicians as an important mode of practice. Dr Clark of England found it verry usefull. I wish to impress on your minds one rule, Viz. If the mercury does not produce good effects in three or four days lay it asside as useless, or pernicious, for it will probably undermine the strength of the patient and upon the whole I think it a verry nice and difficult practice, and I hope you will never follow it upon my recommendation without recollecting the nicety and caution I have endeavored to impress. Since using the Ipecac in dysentary I have not employ’d the mercury so much as I formerly did, the calomel does not always save the patient, and has many inconveniences, there is one form of dysentary in which it is always combined with scurvey in this mercury is always improper. I have given mercury to the extent of 2 or 3 grs [grains] every 3 or 4 Hours, and always in combination with opium. This is in immitation of Dr Clarks practice, but I have gradually laid it aside. Mercury seems well adapted to some cases of diarrhea particularly the chronic kind.

Hydrocephalus Internus. May be owing to a rupture of the Lymphatics of the brain, it frequently commences with head ache, fever, and lassitude, sometimes with squinting, costiveness, and vomiting, and

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from intermittant and remittant fevers, or from obstruction of the viscera, but it should not be employ’d in those cases untill the phlogistic diathesis of the system has been somewhat reduced. I think it better suited to anasarca than ascites, it sometimes fails to do good in dropsy which afterwards yields to the diuretic medicines, upon the whole I am of opinion that mercury has done good in dropsy, but it frequently has also been productive of evil, it promotes absorption.

Jaundice. I have but little to say when we consider the cause and aspects of this disease we might suppose mercury to be usefull and according it is said to be so by Dr Clark, Dr Saunders, and Monroe. In Germany mercury has been employ’d to advantage, & it has sometimes been preceded by Sal. Ammoniac as an emetic.

Epilepsy. It has been frequently used with a view to excite salivation but I find few cases of cures recorded. Some physicians say who have employ’d it, that it suspended the disease and moderated the symptoms, even this is effecting a verry desirable end, but I think that tonics generally answer better. I consider mercury best adapted to those cases attended with plethora. Dr Hoffman gave the preparations of mercury in this disease. Some epileptic patients have been found with an effusion in the ventricles of the brain, mercury by

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absorbing the effused fluid has effected a cure, it reasonable therefore to suppose that those cases in which there is an effusion of serum in the brain may be cured or at least temporaly relieved by mercury. I have often used it in the Pennsylvania Hospital.

Tetanus. Is of two kinds Idiophatic and Symptomatic, the former may be cured by opium, wine, bark, warm frictions &c but the latter is incurable. Dr Clark cured some cases of the former kind by mercurial frictions over the spine and neck untill they effected a salivation, but did not find the cold bath usefull and never cured the symptomatic species, he therefore tried to prevent this and dressed punctured wounds with mercurial ointment for this purpose and gave calomel with success, he likewise exhibitted calomel after capital operations with this same view. I think this practice should be adapted particularly in warm climates. I have seen but one case of light but decided tetanus in which the good effects of mercury were evident, for the disorder disappeared so soon as the salivation came on. Mercury is said to have cured Hydraphobia in a number of instances from circumstances however I am inclined to doubt whether it has ever affected any cures for I think there are much fallacy in the cases which are recorded, a person for instance is bitten by a