Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1824-09-08
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From the Saratoga Sentinel, Aug. g.
INTERESTING LAZY CASE.

From the Saratoga Sentinel, Aug. 81
INTERESTING LAZY CASE.
RUNYAN .. REV 6, PARsoNs.--United States
patent law high pressure practice of
physic; miraculous cure by the power of
steam.
We are indebted to gentleman, who
was present at the trial, for the follow
ing statement of a case which was tried
at the last Tioga circuit.
The suit was brought against the de-
PENDANTS for malpractice. They were
not regularly licensed physicians, or, as
it was expressed by their witness on the
trial, they did not belong to the stand
ing order, but were practising under a
license from the United States" The
license from the United States, under
which they claimed the right to prac-
tice physic, was an assignment OF pa
tent granted TO one Thompson, giving
to him and his assigns the exclusive
right of making, using and vending GER
tain medicines or remedies, designated by
numbers, and particularly described in
the specification. One Of the defend
ants was farmer, at the time he pur-
chased the right, and commenced the
practice Of physic under the patent
and neither had ever made the science
CT medicine regular study.
A son of the plaintiff, 10 years Of age,
was attacked with the lumbago, or an
acute pain across the lcins, occasion
ed by sudden exposure ID rain, after
lifting hard in building log fence. The
defendant commenced by bathing his
oins with the patent medicine, No. 6,
sometimes called rheumatick drops, and
composed of spirits of turPentine, pull
verized cayenne pepper, gum myrrh,
gum camphor, AMI spirits of vine
Their fermentation was also aided by
the application of a red hot shovel to
his back, which occasionally came in
contract with, and burned the skin
While this powerful embrocation was
applied TO his back, they gave to the
patient internally some red drops, (prob.
ably No. 4, pulverized cayenne pepper
which from the peculiar name given to
them as well as from their taste, were
admirably calculated to remind him Of
the future torrents of the wicked in
another world. They next gave hin
five cups Of hot tea, No. s, strong
decoction of ginseng root and baybery
BARK and raised the steam upon the
patient by surrounding him with no
stones, and pouring water thereon. AZ
ter steaming the patient about an hour
he was put to bed. By this time he
had entirely lost all sense of feeling, il
both legs, and strang quarry had also
been produced. In this situation the
young man was left by the defendants
and they we're moi again called; though
ore of them afterwards declared, lha
if they had been permitted to attent
him, they could have restored the per
feet use of his limbs, by a continued ap
plication Of the same remedies. The
day after the defendants left Kim, ;
licensed physician, and soon afterward
a second, were called to attend him
At the expiration of three weeks The
young man recovered the. sense Of feel
ing in his limbs, and the strauguary wal
removed about the same time it wa
six months before he was able to walk
and at the trial he hobbled into cour
upon crutches. 1t appeared that No. 6
(the rheumatic drops had been admin
istered, by the persons practising unde
the patent, in cases of rheumatism, ty
plus fever, nervous fever, dropsy i
the chest, palsy, convulsion fits, and 70
a common cough. The defendants had
in one case Of typhus fever, administer
ed some Of the patent drops as a cathar
tic but whether it was the rheumati
drops, the bayberry tea, or the pulver
lied cayenne pepper,did not appear
In this last case Of typhus fever, TIL
! defendants had steamed the patient {