The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1824-06-29

"A friend has put into our hands the Edin-
burEh Medical and Surgical Journal, Tor April
which contains the following notice III an ex-
pertinent performed BY Sir Ashley Cooper, III
Extracting poison from the stomach BY means Of
the gum elastic tube, which was esteemed a new
and wonderful invention in London. We have
deemed il OF sufficient importance 70 be trans
terred TO our columns. II will appear By this
article, that il original in Sir Ashley, ne was
not the first who made a successful experiment
.of the kind described since Dr. Physick had
long before attained similar success and by
communication which was published I'D Oug pa-
per, some months past, il also appears that Dr
Smith j. entitled 10 equal credit FOR the discove-
Try, having several years before adopted q siuli-
lar method Of evaeuating the contents Of the
stomach in like cases with that described
Extraction Of Poison from the Stomach
For some time past, the students and news
men Of London have been admiring an exper-
iment performed by Sir Ashley CooPer, on the
extraction 81 poison by the syringe from the
living stomach. The instrument employed
was a peculiar syringe invented for the pur-
pose, the subject a dog, the experiment amply
successful. "A similar process had been tried
by others also, but without attracting much
notice. As soon, however, as it passed through
the hands Of Sir Ashley, it began 10 make
great noise. We have also been informed by
Mr. CalthroPe Williams, pupil Of this Uni
yersity, that, Ia December last, the remedy
was employed with complete success, by his
brother, under the direction Of DR.. PAYNE Of
Nottingham, ia the case Of woman who had
poisoned herself with laudanum and III our
memory serves Us correctly, we have obserV-
ed, IN the Journals, other instances ia which
II was successfully applied in the human sub
Ject As II is held, therefore, 10 such repute,
and indeed really appears to be a valuable
remedy, and as our brethren seem ready 10
quarrel respecting the glory Of discovering il,
We extract the following lines from DR.. Beckis
Elements a Medical Jurisprudence. n Dr.
Physick, Of Philadelphia, published paper in
1917, m which be mentions that be success
Jutty applied The syringe 70 a child poisoned
with laudanum, and Dr. Dorsey afterwards
cured two individuals BY the same treatment.
That distinguished surgeon. however, subse-
quently states, that DR.. Alexander Monro,
secundus, frstsuggested the invention in 1897,
although tie lDrPhysick) was ignorant Or this
fact when Ike applied II PRACTICABLE con-
ceive Dr. Physick il entitled ~ the h0nDr w
having been tie first trHo saped Iifs ~ ifs
DleG1ls." lu an Inaugural Dissertation. prin-
ted az Paris, 10 1901, by Cassimir Renault,
on the Antidotes for Arsenic, we find also the
following passage. q" 1t is long since physi-
clans proposed 10 introduce fluids artifciallv
into the stomach Boerhaye has expressed
himself clearly on the subject. tPrRL Acad.
vL $751; But am not aware that any one
has yet thought Of emptying this organ me-
chanicaliy- and without the ala w anv vital
power fet nothing was easier ~ imagine.
TOT the very Instruments used ~ iii it might
with facility be 80 modified ~ 10 empt, X. Let
the elastic gum tube be made long enough 70
reach the bottom Of the stomach, and vide
enough TO transmit soft half-digested matters.
and adapt metallic virol to its upper end. to
oe received into the pipe Of a syringe. Then.
having introduced the tube into the stomach
oy the mouth or nostrils, liz The syringe IN it.
and inject gently certain quahtitv WI Iiouid
10 dilute suspend. 1r dissolve the puisou.
Next, by Pulling the piston, draw into YIN.
syringe az much Of the contents az Ire sfon1-
ach as il will hold when this double onera-
too has been repeated several times TIA
stomach will be well washed, and the wbola
poison extracted without a shock. almost
without pain, and IN a very short SPACE or time.
whenever the poison has not passed the pv.
r0ius, and y not in large fragments. the Dossi-
hiiity ~ thus extr rting III must be auB-rrrt
~ every person acquainted with uhrrirr. Ths
process walt probably be employed very
lexlensiEely - soon a. il shall have bees