No. 82.] Cow Fox. 303 COW POX.-Dr. Forbes, Senior Physician to the Chichester Dispensary, has published a concise account of the small pox, lately prevalent in that city, and its vicinity, with the view of exhibiting the degree of security which vaccination afforded in that district. About sixteen years ago, there was a general inoculation in Chichester, and its vicinity, with small pox matter, and about ten years since a considerable number were also inoculated with small pox matter in Havant, Ernsworth, and the neighbourhood; but since that time small pox inoculation has not been practised throughout the district, nearly all the children having been vaccinated. The preservative effects of cow pox against small pox contagion was so evident, that small pox seemed to be extinct. Unfortunately for those who had not been vaccinated, small pox contagion was conveyed to the city by a traveller; but its progress was clearly checked by the effects of vaccination. In the month of June last year, the small pox was again introduced into the city, by a child belonging to a company of comedians. Its influence rapidly extended among the unvaccinated to the conveyer of the contagion, and a few others, it proved fatal. The epidemic evidently rapidly declined, and would have disappeared, had not some old women revived the infection, by inoculating their own and neighbour's children. From this focus, the contagion spread throughout the city. The alarm became considerable, and the importunators of every class to have their children inoculated with small pox matter were most urgent. The surgeons of Chichester, however, refused to employ small pox matter, except to such persons as were decidedly exposed to the infection, and whose parents refused the protection of cow pox. Only sixty persons were inoculated by them; but how many were by the extra-professional operators, Dr. Forbes had not been able to ascertain-probably about 300. Under all the circumstances of most extensive and most intimate exposure, only eighty cases of small pox, in persons who had been vaccinated, came under the observations of the surgeons and physicians (nineteen) during the whole progress of the epidemic; and all these cases, says Dr. Forbes," with a single exception, were very much modified; and although a few had considerable eruptive fever, and a still smaller number a considerable eruption of pustules, the disease almost uniformly exhibited the rapid declension characteristic of the secondary affection, and none of the patients were at any time considered to be in danger. The impression left on the minds of the common people in the district, by the results of the introduction of the small pox contagion among so great a number of vaccinated people, is a diminution of the prejudice against vaccination, which the writings of some interested and unprincipled practitioners had produced in their minds." The doctor makes the following very just and liberal observations on vaccination:-" In the present day, it is not only unfair, but decidedly injurious to the cause of vaccination, for medical men to attempt to maintain the same high ground which they were accustomed to assume in defending vaccination some years since. The numerous failures, in all parts of the kingdom, of late years, must have convinced every medical man that the cow pox is not what its discoverer, and every friend of humanity, had fondly deemed it— an almost infallible preventive of small pox; but only a preventive in a great majority of cases, and an almost invariable mitigator of the symptoms in the small proportion of individuals, whom it fails to secure against the disease." This candid statement, from the results of extensive experience, and close observation, must indeed, as Dr. Forbes observes, prove more satisfactory and more consoling to the public in general, than any display of nice and speculative doctrines, or pertinacious adherence to opinion, which are confuted by plain and obvious facts, within the knowledge of almost every observer. The plain truth is greatly in favour of vaccination. Were we to give an opinion of the power of vaccination, in resisting small pox contagion, we should attribute the failures to improper inoculation; for to those whom we have vaccinated, we have not been able to communicate small pox. But so many cases of small pox after vaccination have been published by practitioners of great integrity, who were friends to the practice, that we are inclined to attribute some failures to peculiarity of constitution, many more to negligence or ignorance in the operator. APOTHECARIES' HALL.-When Government granted to the Company of Apothecaries the Act of Parliament, in 1815, we think they ought to have laid the Company under some kind of restriction, as to their charges; because that act, and the several prosecutions which have taken place under it, has given to the Company considerable notoriety; and many persons are of opinion, that no drugs are good, unless received from that emporium. We shall not enter here into the controversy which has taken place between Mr. Philips and the Company, as to the genuine quality of their drugs, but shall merely remark, that we think it should not be tolerated in a public establishment of such a nature, that a charge of 3s. 6d. should me made for an article, the cost of which to the Company could not exceed ONE HALFPENNY, and, including the phial, not more than TWO-PENce. The article was about 18 drops of the liquor of acetate of lead (Goulard's extract), in two ounces of rose-water; yet for this composition, a poor servant was in each of two instances charged 3s. 6d. Those of the Company who benefit by the profits, may consider their stations in the same light as of the Prebendaries of Durham; who replied to a clerical friend that was soliciting the first stall vacant, but was anxiously enquiring of him its value "It is worth having." A late quack chemist, of the name of Godfrey, by making extravagant charges, induced some of his weak customers to suppose that his articles were very superior to those of other chemists, when, in fact, they were very inferior. MR. WHITLAW.-On the pretensions of this gentleman to a knowledge of specific remedy for scrofula and cancer, we made some remarks in a late number. To give it that effect, which is likely to promote its grand object, his friends persevere in their plan of establishing a dispensary, for the reception of cancerous and scrofulous patients. If their real object was to give his mode of treatment a fair trial, why not procure for him the appointment of Surgeon to the No. 82.] Mr. Whitlaw. 305 Cancer Ward of the Middlesex Hospital, which Mr. Charles Bell would, no doubt, be very glad to resign to him, Mr. Moore, or any old woman. The case is, the eyes of the public have been so opened, with respect to the trade of empiricism, that a new institution is necessary to ensure confidence, or attract attention. Hence, instead of placards and hand-bills, we have dispensaries for the cure of deafness, for exhibition of the Balm of Rakasiri, for the cure of certain disease; medical institutions, by Jew pedlars, totally ignorant of diseases and remedies, to protect the public against the impositions of quacks; and now we are to have an asylum, under imposing patronage, for the cure of incurable diseases, and for the patronage of quackery; for, after the declaration made by Mr. Moore, that Mr. Whitlaw would keep his remedy a secret, until he was handsomely remunerated from the purses of his patients!!! what is it but quackery? It is curious to observe the heads of the liberales of this country, viz. Mr. Moore, Member for Coventry, and the Birmingham Member, Sir Gerard Noel, sanctioning the most illiberal practice existing, even in the most barbarous country, viz. that of employing secret remedies. The thanks of the country are due to the humane and scientific Mr. Rennie, for boldly opposing this traffic, and honestly exposing the pretensions of Mr. Whitlaw. On the declaration of Mr. Moore, that Mr. Whitlaw would enjoy the benefit of the remedy by concealment, (knowing, no doubt, that it would not bear the light,) Mr. Rennie makes the following remarks:*. "Now, I would beg leave to ask, where are those charitable and humane feelings to suffering mankind, so much spoken of and professed? The declaration of this speaker to the public is this: I believe Mr. Whitlaw can cure the most desperate cases of scrofula and cancer-I believe that many persons are now dying under these complaints in different parts of this kingdom-yet I advise him to keep his remedy secret-for what end?-to enrich himself. This reasoning, transferred into life, and generally acted upon, would it not eradicate every liberal, and humane, and Christian principle from the bosom, and engraft, in the site of the finer feelings of our nature, the shoots of the most obdurate and griping avarice? Then would every valuable improvement in the arts and sciences be husbanded with jealous care within the contracted sphere of its most illiberal discoverer, instead of ranging the broad sweep of civilized society, diffusing, with unrestrained generosity, its pregnant blessings on humanity. Then would charity and pity be banished from our land, and the voice of imploring misery would be issued forth in vain. Famine and disease would do their work of death with impunity; for the means of relief would be pertinaciously withheld from each and every one who could not contribute to enrich the possessor. The very hinges of society would be unloosed. To talk of charity, to proclaim your petty cases of gratis supply of medicines, when such a general principle is acknowledged, defended, *Inquiry respecting Mr. Charles Whitlaw's Practice in Scrofula and Cancer, by A. Rennie, Surgeon." 6 and acted upon, were surely an abuse of terms. Charity vaunteth not herself."" To those patrons of Mr. Whitlaw, (among whom there is not a respectable medical man), who have imputed to Mr. Rennie "motives of self-interest, ill-will, and party-feeling," we recommend the perusal of the following letter, from Mr. Jarvies, of Margate, a surgeon of great experience and respectability. "SIR,-All that I can say in reference to Mr. Whitlaw's success in the treatment of any patients of mine, is merely this:~he has had altogether three cases under his care; two of them, simple cases of scrofula, have been treated by him for the last fifteen months, and are now as far from being well as when he undertook their cure. The other case was a serious one, of fungous excrescence of the nose. The poor man died shortly after being under the care of Mr. Whitlaw, though he assured me that he possessed the means of controlling (curing) disease of every kind. I then so well calculated the powers of this charlatan, that I told him, if he effected a cure upon one of the two simple cases, within a year, I would settle an annuity upon him of fifty pounds per annum. "In my conscience, I believe Mr. Whitlaw is entirely a pretender, and that he possesses no more knowledge of the treatment of cancer or scrofula, than either Dr. Bossy or Dr. Solomon. "I am, Sir, "Your obedient humble Servant, "Margate, August 13, 1822. "DANIEL JARVIES. "P. S. You are quite at liberty to make use of this communication in any way you think most useful. "To A. Rennie, Esq. Surgeon, &c. &c.” "The liberality of Mr. Jarvies, in permitting his communication to be published for the good of society, entitles him to the highest credit. If medical men do not step forward to guard the health and lives of the community, who will, or rather, who can? To detect imposition in medicine, medical knowledge is indispensable." In the Second Part of the Inquiry, which will appear in a few days, Mr. Rennie promises to give further evidence of the inefficacy of Mr. Whitlaw's practice, by detailing the particulars of numerous cases, and the names of the plants which Mr. Whitlaw employs. In thus probing the pretensions of Mr. Whitlaw to the bottom, Mr. Rennie will have, as he anticipates, to encounter much hostility from those who patronize and support Mr. Whitlaw, inasmuch as his facts are an imputation on their judgment. We are glad to discover in his spirited work, proofs of his determination to persevere, and that he is not to be deterred from his obvious duty, viz. to elicit truth, and state facts-to shew what is merit, what is pretension, and what is imposture. The observations of Dr. Thornton, who expects to obtain an appointment of Physician Extraordinary to the Asylum, and who will have no objection to participate in its emoluments, being destitute of facts, and his remarks on the discoveries of old women, are such, which, in a certain medical No. 82.] Bitter Almond Emulsion. 307 society, are termed "sheep's-head reasoning." If the Asylum plan should be carried into effect, cancerous subjects will find it, like the bourne from whence no traveller returns. Would it not be policy to build it in or near a burial-ground? BITTER ALMOND EMULSION.-The following are the most efficacious formulæ, for the exhibition of this article (noticed in page 296 of the present Number), in the cases for which it is chiefly recommended. For Pleurisy, after Bleeding and Purging: Take of Emulsion of Bitter Almonds, thirteen ounces; Powdered Gum Arabic, four drachms; Liquor of Acetate of Ammonia, two ounces; Mix.-Three or four table-spoonsful to be taken every four or five hours. If the cough be very troublesome, half an ounce of syrup of poppies may be added. For Asthma, or Spasmodic Difficulty of Breathing :— Oxymel of Colchicum Seeds, one ounce.-Mix. For Morbid Irritation of the Bladder : Take of Bitter Almond Emulsion, twelve ounces; Saturated Tincture of Buchu Leaves, two ounces; For Indigestion, arising from Morbid Irritation of the Stomach :- Aromatic Tincture of Rhatany, one ounce; For Painful Menstruation : Take of Bitter Almond Emulsion, twelve ounces; Three table-spoonsful to be taken three times a day, commencing two days before the period, and continuing it during its progress. The following lotion has been found very beneficial in cases of specific inflammation of the urethra, and inflammatory or irritative fluor albus: Take of Bitter Almond Emulsion, seven ounces; Ditto of Zinc, of each eight grains; Mix. To be employed by means of a syringe. |