Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

Notes from Esse’s Lectures

Venereal nodes arise in the bone & affect the Periostium & not first in the periostium & from there infect the bone as Astruc taught

Never Salivate immediatly after opening a boubo or after any churgical operation in the Venereal Disease not even circumcision but reathe wait 8 or 9 days before we give ☿ [mercury] otherwise the wound will not heal kindly

Never extend the Limb in order to reduce a fracture but bend it so that the least number of muscles are upon Action — the Weight of the Cubit when bent is (Esse says) sufficient to bring the Ends of the Bone of a fractured Humerus in contact & that extension is commonly unessesary. If there are splinters of a bone & are not so troublesome as to bring on convulsions they are reather to be let alone & suffered to work out thro the suppurated part than to be extracted thro' an incision for the putrid air of an Hospital coming in contact with the bones does more harm than (in this case) can do service. Be careful to examine (in Compound fractures) not only the Anterior part of the bone but the posterior for frequently the splinters are shattered from behind i.e the opposite side of the bone from that which received the immediate blow