The efficacy of Perkins's patent metallic tractors, in topical diseases on the human body, and animals; exemplified by 250 cases ... To which is prefixed, a preliminary discourse, in which, the fallacious attempts of Dr. Haygarth, to detract from the merits of the tractors, are detected, and fully confuted / By Benjamin Douglas Perkins.

  • Perkins, Benjamin Douglas, 1774-1810.
Date:
1800
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The efficacy of Perkins's patent metallic tractors, in topical diseases on the human body, and animals; exemplified by 250 cases ... To which is prefixed, a preliminary discourse, in which, the fallacious attempts of Dr. Haygarth, to detract from the merits of the tractors, are detected, and fully confuted / By Benjamin Douglas Perkins. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    declare they have experienced relief^ (I do not fay that they will be cured^ or that any vifible will be obfervable on the part affected) and this fhall be done with either a flick, (tone, brickbat, feewer, pipe.flem, or indeed without any thing but his bare finger. 1 fliall not infult the reader’s underftand- ing by urging, what muft be evident to every per- fon, that experiments on hofpital patients on this account are far lefs fatisfaftory than thofe on per- fons of refpedtabilicy in private pradice, where the charader of the patient, as well as the difeafe, is better known [fee Dr. Pearson’s report of Ex- periments in Sc. George’s Hofpital, page 66 ] In- deed no declaration of relief from the poor cre- dulous paupers in a hofpital, ought to be admitted as evidence in this practice, unlefs there is a vijioh proof to the by-ftruler of the alteration; fuch as the fubfuling of inflammations, tumefadions, dc. It has ever been my cultom, when I have nret gen- tlemen at the poor-honfes or hofjv.tals to try the eflicacy of the Tractors, if cafes of this defenption could not he met with, to endeavour, by all polfihle means, to imprefs' on the patient an idea of the firnplicity of the remedy; that poflibly he would receive 97) a letter from his Excellency, t!ie Chief Juitice ol the United States, who was a native and a refi- dent of the fame Si ate with the Dodor; and anotlver (page 98) from the Secretary and Fellow of ihe American Philofophical Society. If the folicitude exprelfcd in the Buictin of Health at his illnefs, which it immediately announced in an unufiial man- ner, and tile fubfequent fenfations evinced, when its termina'ion w'as Bated, be any criterion for judging oil tlie fecond liead, his death was lamente»l as of one who had devoted his life to the caufe of humanity, and enriched the healing ait with one of her molt impuitant remedies.