This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1837 edition. Excerpt: ...friend Dr. Armstrong, when he stated that " pure surgery is like a vampire, whose daily food is human blood," and deprecate the conduct of those pure surgeons who boast of enjoying immense wealth from medical, as well as surgical practice, and at the same time do not blush to confess their ignorance of what may be called medical pathology; nay, who even decry every part of the profession, but the practice of pure surgery. With regard to the great doctors of London, Mr. Abernethy used to tell his pupils what they do and say about erysipelas. "I will tell you (said be) what the doctors say about that; they say you had better not meddle with it at all. You may powder it a little if you please, but do not attempt to repel it, for if you do, you will have it affect some other part, perhaps some affection of a vital organ may take place. Now this is true enough, (continued he, ) for if you try to drive it away, if you put on your cold washes, or play any of your surgical tricks, why, you have a metastasis as they call it, and the man diesll" General bleeding was practised in erysipelas by Sydenham, and has since been followed by many practitioners; but either they have not been able to support the practice by sound reasoning, or bleeding has been injudiciously employed, and has therefore frequently fallen into disrepute. Bateman. says in his synopsis, page 131, "Blood-letting, which has been recommended as the principal remedy for the acute erysipelas, is seldom requisite; and unless there is considerable tendency to delirium or coma, cannot be repeated with advantage, at least in London, and other large towns." " Venaasection (says Mason Good) was formerly recommended, and has been so of late by few...