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DR. JOHNSON AND DR. RAMADGE.
441
state into the blood of patients labouring and the learned and experienced " Fellow under cholera, has not been lessened by the expressed great apprehension lest he should result of the trials recently made by Dr. be censured by the College of Physicians, Venables, and other practitioners, without if he were known to consult with me prior "
in to my admission by that body ! He, howin this manner under ever, waived the objection when there apthe superintendence of Dr. Venables, have peared some danger of losing a fee by being been fully detailed in the last number of too scrupulous of his honour and dignity. THE LANCET. In both, air was found in The matter occasioned no quarrel, and some quantity in the cavities of the heart. never induced an angry feeling on my part, This circumstance has been supposed by though I often related the anecdote as an many to account in a satisfactory manner illustration of the Doctor’s punctilious adfor the patient’s death, but I have been as- hesion to professional etiquette. More than sured by Dr. Venables, (and I can place seven years afterwards, the learned Doctor full reliance on his capacity for conducting took an opportunity, in my absence, to imthe operation, and the veracity of his re- pugn some statement of a case which I had port,) that every care was taken to exclude related in the London Medical Society; the access of atmospheric air, not a particle but at the next meeting, when I confronted of which was introduced in the course of him, he retracted his insinuations, and I the operation. That, however, air may be fully proved the truth of my former state-, generated spontaneously in the heart, was ment. Who would imagine that Dr. Raproved to me yesterday while examining madge and his counsel would have the the body of a cholera patient. Mrs. R., hardihood to couple these two occurrences the wife of a man in poor circumstances, together, and attempt to prove that Dr. died of this disease on Sunday last, July Ramadge refused to consult with me in ist, after twelve -hours illness. On the 1819 or 1820, in consequence of his having following Wednesday, at noon, I assisted accused me of making false statements of a my friend, Dr. Hingeston, of the South case in 1827 or 1828? Yet such they did London Infirmary, in inspecting the body. attempt to do, till I exposed the falsity of The general anatomical appearances were their assumptions. those which I have invariably found, but I am, Sir, the contents of the stomach and intestines Your obedient servant, were acid (the woman had been strongly JAMES JOHNSON. purged). The heart was soft and distended, Suffolk Place, Pall Mall, and when a puncture was made into it, a June 28, 1832.* good deal of air escaped, followed by fluid blood mixed with bubbles of air. The treatment consisted in the exhibition oi ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL. calomel, Cayenne pepper, and other stimulants in a fluid form. I do not remember to have seen so great a quantity of air in the TREATMENT OF VOMITING BY THE ADMINISheart so soon after death in any other inTRATION OF HYDROCYANIC ACID. stance. I submit the question whether the TiiE the havt condition of blood could following case possesses interest for peculiar influenced this early separation of gas in tht two reasons, first, that after death nothing case of this woman. I am, Sir, your obe. was found to account in any way for some dient servant, P. H. GREEN. of the symptoms present; and, secondly, as it affords another proof, if any such can 1832. 4th, July be wanting, of the efficacy of the hydrocyanic acid in checking vomiting, which it has been shown to do in almost every case, DR. JOHNSON AND DR. RAMADGE. from whatever cause arising. To bear us out in this statement, we have only to refer To the Editor of THE LANCET. our readers to Dr. Elliotson’s excellent SIR,-The character of that worthy " Fel- work on the properties and uses of this low" and associate of St. John Long, both acid, which supplies everything that is of whom you so well castigated in the Court known on the subject. John Pindar, stat. 30, was admitted into of Common Pleas, is illustrated by the following facts, which the Doctor and his William’s Ward under the care of Dr. Elcounsel tried hard to couple together as liotson on the 1st of March. He stated that cause and effect, to weaken my testimony he was stoker in a brewhouse, and had been on the late trial. When I first settled in in the daily habit of drinking large quantiLondon, and before I was admitted by the ties of porter. Eighteen months since he College of Physicians, Dr. Ramadge and myself came into consultation in the Strand, * Received too late for last week’s Number.-ED. success.
The
post-mortem appearances
two individuals treated
state into the blood of patients labouring and the learned and experienced " Fellow under cholera, has not been lessened by the expressed great apprehension lest he should result of the trials recently made by Dr. be censured by the College of Physicians, Venables, and other practitioners, without if he were known to consult with me prior "
in to my admission by that body ! He, howin this manner under ever, waived the objection when there apthe superintendence of Dr. Venables, have peared some danger of losing a fee by being been fully detailed in the last number of too scrupulous of his honour and dignity. THE LANCET. In both, air was found in The matter occasioned no quarrel, and some quantity in the cavities of the heart. never induced an angry feeling on my part, This circumstance has been supposed by though I often related the anecdote as an many to account in a satisfactory manner illustration of the Doctor’s punctilious adfor the patient’s death, but I have been as- hesion to professional etiquette. More than sured by Dr. Venables, (and I can place seven years afterwards, the learned Doctor full reliance on his capacity for conducting took an opportunity, in my absence, to imthe operation, and the veracity of his re- pugn some statement of a case which I had port,) that every care was taken to exclude related in the London Medical Society; the access of atmospheric air, not a particle but at the next meeting, when I confronted of which was introduced in the course of him, he retracted his insinuations, and I the operation. That, however, air may be fully proved the truth of my former state-, generated spontaneously in the heart, was ment. Who would imagine that Dr. Raproved to me yesterday while examining madge and his counsel would have the the body of a cholera patient. Mrs. R., hardihood to couple these two occurrences the wife of a man in poor circumstances, together, and attempt to prove that Dr. died of this disease on Sunday last, July Ramadge refused to consult with me in ist, after twelve -hours illness. On the 1819 or 1820, in consequence of his having following Wednesday, at noon, I assisted accused me of making false statements of a my friend, Dr. Hingeston, of the South case in 1827 or 1828? Yet such they did London Infirmary, in inspecting the body. attempt to do, till I exposed the falsity of The general anatomical appearances were their assumptions. those which I have invariably found, but I am, Sir, the contents of the stomach and intestines Your obedient servant, were acid (the woman had been strongly JAMES JOHNSON. purged). The heart was soft and distended, Suffolk Place, Pall Mall, and when a puncture was made into it, a June 28, 1832.* good deal of air escaped, followed by fluid blood mixed with bubbles of air. The treatment consisted in the exhibition oi ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL. calomel, Cayenne pepper, and other stimulants in a fluid form. I do not remember to have seen so great a quantity of air in the TREATMENT OF VOMITING BY THE ADMINISheart so soon after death in any other inTRATION OF HYDROCYANIC ACID. stance. I submit the question whether the TiiE the havt condition of blood could following case possesses interest for peculiar influenced this early separation of gas in tht two reasons, first, that after death nothing case of this woman. I am, Sir, your obe. was found to account in any way for some dient servant, P. H. GREEN. of the symptoms present; and, secondly, as it affords another proof, if any such can 1832. 4th, July be wanting, of the efficacy of the hydrocyanic acid in checking vomiting, which it has been shown to do in almost every case, DR. JOHNSON AND DR. RAMADGE. from whatever cause arising. To bear us out in this statement, we have only to refer To the Editor of THE LANCET. our readers to Dr. Elliotson’s excellent SIR,-The character of that worthy " Fel- work on the properties and uses of this low" and associate of St. John Long, both acid, which supplies everything that is of whom you so well castigated in the Court known on the subject. John Pindar, stat. 30, was admitted into of Common Pleas, is illustrated by the following facts, which the Doctor and his William’s Ward under the care of Dr. Elcounsel tried hard to couple together as liotson on the 1st of March. He stated that cause and effect, to weaken my testimony he was stoker in a brewhouse, and had been on the late trial. When I first settled in in the daily habit of drinking large quantiLondon, and before I was admitted by the ties of porter. Eighteen months since he College of Physicians, Dr. Ramadge and myself came into consultation in the Strand, * Received too late for last week’s Number.-ED. success.
The
post-mortem appearances
two individuals treated