Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1837-10-19

stomach he previously hh""h. ~"
danger "i administering them -,
iA. They are h"slIIe 10 life, and ~
dire, "ppo.,tion to all its laws aud pin
cipIes.
ID. The state of The stomach and hab
il of body, on which their action de-
pends, cannot be hDown,- IN relation ="
the medicine !; death or life, or chrome
misery, may be the result.
3D. Hgivcn At all the proper quantity
cannot be asceltaincd.
.i,h. The exhibition Of the doses, by
ignorant ar careless hands, renders the
danger still greater, aud the condition "i
the pa,icnt more insecure, aud some
times laiah
9th. Their exhibition muliip plirs dis
ease, age,fnvates misery, entails th" long
line OF chronic complaints on millions,
poisons the system, embitters life, and
accel-rates death.
/ And what else can we expeCE Can
we believe that man is such an anomaly,
that lie and death can spring from the
same cause! That the poison which
destroys health, can restore a.? This
looks very much like putting darkness
for light, and liz ht for darkness; calling
bitter sweet, and sweet bitter. lfpoison
be both our bane and nntilo:e, we are
strangely made! II the mineral poisons
do appear to remove diseasc, in some
cases, how can it he known that they do
not leave n taint in the system, II virus
in the blood, and entail wrrtchedmess
which hangs upon the miserable victim
forever drinking all the springs Of life,
until he sinks u martyr to his remedy,
into the cold embraces Of the tomb
Now that they do so engender disease,
MIR. Matthias has incon,esilbly shown;
aud the experience of others has con.
tirmeJ i; "rhat certain dangerous
changes upon ulccrations originally sy-i
philitIc, and certain arrangements Of
health occur, wherever mercury has
been administered in too acrid form, or
in too large a quantity" DR.. Falconer
once saw mercury applied for redness in,
the face, which it speedily removed; but
also produced death, by causing drOpsy
in the breast.
"A boy about eleven years old, had
a soie on one cheek, OccasiOncd by n,
dentist extracting a tooth a physician
WAS Consulted, who Immediately y pre-
scribed course Of mercury. In short
lime, ulcerations in the throat appeared,
the nose sunk, and one eye was nearly
destroyed; while the general health was
so injured, that death followed in a few
months.
"a lady, whom the same writer at
tended, had such small doses Of the blue
pill, combined with opium, for three
nights in succession, that the whole
quantity amounted to no more than five
grains Of the mass. Salvation began on
the fifth day: and withstanding every
attention, the tongue and gains became
swelled to al enormous degree, bleeding
ulcers of the mouth and faucas took
place, and such excessive irritabiIity
and debility followed, that, for nearly a
whole month, her Fife was in the utmost
Jeopardy. Every practitioner must have
met with similar cases"
DIR. Ally saw boy about seven years
old, covered with violent eruption, in
consequence Of taking three grains Of
mercury Ms purge; which did not oper-
ate as intended, but threw its virus on
the skin.
Another instance will serve 10 show
how mercury may lie inert in the body
for years, and then become active, from
some ,neomprehensible cause.
"a lady, the mother of four children,
in the twen,y-eighth year Of her age,
had a bad miscarriage at the end Of the
fourth month. When the author was
called, she was very much reduced by
the loss of blood, and required the or
dinary palliative remedies. Three days
after the first visit, she complained Of a
bad taste in her mouth, with soreness in
her gums and on the following day,
salvation took place. On inquring into
the circumstances of her previous his
tory, il was learn d that four years be-
fore, she had for fortnight, a course Of
the blue pill, which had only slightly
touched her gums, and it was solemnly
asserted, that she had never again taken
any preparation Of the mercury, and had
been in general good health"
"The salvation was, therefore, at
first, attributed to some accidental cause
but when it was found to be proceeding
with great violence, the medicines which
the lady had been taking for the abortion
we've carefully analyzed but they con-
tanned no mercury. The most anxious
care, and unremitting attention proved
unavailng, as did all the remedies used
in similar cases. The salvation, with
the usual consequences Of excessive
emaciation, debility and irritablity, con-
f.puad for ahoaa t,uoIva month. ocoo