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A SHORT ESSAY ON THE VIRTUES OF Dr. NORRIS's ANTIMONIAL DROPS.

THE SECOND EDITION.

TO WHICH IS ADDED, A CATALOGUE OF CURES, INCONTESTIBLY PROVING [...]EIR SOVEREIGN EFFICACY IN FEVERS.

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DR. NORRIS reſpectfully hopes the nobility and gentry will excuſe this manner of communicating to them an Account of his Antimonial Drops; particularly when he aſſures them, his principal view, by this method, is to render as univerſal as poſſible ſo great a benefit to mankind.

"It was by the method of tranſmitting caſes and cures, that phyſic firſt began to be formed into a ſcience; by the ſame it muſt be improved, and brought, if poſſible, to perfection." TEMPLEMAN.

SHORT ESSAY, &c.

[3]

THOUGH there is nothing ſhould leſs plead for an apology to the public than addreſſing them on what ſo immediately and importantly concerns them, the continuance and reſtoration of their health; yet in a metropolis like this, — where the neceſſitous, the ignorant, and adventurous are every hour practiſing on the conſtitutions of their fellow-creatures;—the moſt diſtant poſſibility of my being claſſed in this number would have prevented this addreſs, was I not at the ſame time ſo conſcious, from many years abſolute experience in a variety of caſes, of the ſuperior efficacy of this medicine; that, abſtracted from all other conſiderations, I ſhould hold myſelf chargeable, in point of duty, to omit making it as univerſal as poſſible.

Upon this principle, then, and the corroborating ſucceſs of this medicine for many years I beg leave to recommend to the Public ‘NORRIS's ANTIMONIAL DROPS;’ which, upon a certainty of their compoſition and ſalutary effects, I pronounce a ſpecific in the following [4]diſorders — Inflammatory Fevers, Putrid Bilious Fevers, Slow Latent (commonly called) Nervous Fevers, and Putrid Sore Throats, &c. inſomuch that, in a vaſt variety of caſes, where life has been often deſpaired of, and under ſome of the moſt reſpectable of the faculty, there has been no one inſtance (at leaſt that has ever come to my knowledge) of their being found ineffectual.

I am however aware, that, from the title of this medicine, many may have their doubts; as Antimony, of all other phyſical productions, has been conſidered as the moſt violent, and dangerous in it's effects: I will not contradict this popular apprehenſion; on the contrary, I think it generally well founded; but this I will pledge myſelf to ſay, that from my particular manner of preparing it, it's efficacy can only be equalled by it's ſafety; that it is a medicine of ſuch ſingular or unique quality, that it may be taken with equal ſafety in infancy or old age, by delicate or robuſt conſtitutions in ſmall or large quantities; and ſo far from producing any of thoſe violent operations, the uſual effects of Antimony, it recovers nature in the moſt friendly manner imaginable, operating without any ſenſible difference than a degree of perſpiration, &c. proportioned to the neceſſity of the diſeaſe.

It is to be lamented, that, upon many occaſions, in fevers, phyſicians are obliged to wait for what they call the criſis of the diſorder, and many days are often elapſed in this intermediate, doubtful ſtate, before any thing can be pronounced in reſpect to an opinion on the patient; but this medicine is ſo immediate, yet [5]innocent, in it's effects, that it waits for no criſis or particular period; it may be taken in the firſt, middle, or latter ſtages of the diſorder, and in any quantities, with ſafety; in ſhort, it wants but to meet the diſeaſe to give it an abſolute overthrow.

From theſe poſitive declarations, I am not inſen2ible what a riſque I may be thought to run, both in reſpect to my own character and fortune; and indeed I ſhould feel myſelf unworthy not only of the public patronage I have received, but of the common benefits of mankind, could I be ſo loſt to my own honour and conſcience, for the mere ſake of intereſted views, thus to recommend a medicine, which I even remotely doubted of it's ſucceſs; but the repeated proofs I have had of it's never-failing efficacy, it's immediate, powerful, and ſafe effects, all give me a conſciouſneſs of communicating it to the world under the moſt poſitive and certain aſſurances.

Theſe drops, beſides being a ſpecific for fevers, I have often known ſucceed in a variety of other diſorders, ſuch as bad digeſtion, nervous head-aches, latent ſcurvies, (the ſource of many evils) and infallably in gouty habits, where inſenſible perſpiration is ſuppreſſed. And indeed when the extent of their powers, as an univerſal deobſtruent, which lead to a general ſtrengthening and reſtoration of nature, are conſidered, the univerſality of their effects will ceaſe to be wondered at.

Having thus given a ſummary account of the virtues of theſe Antimonial Drops, I am aware of the objections which will naturally ariſe from a comparative [6]view of the general mode of medicinal adminiſtration, and that which prevails in this eſſay: I am likewiſe aware of the formidable oppoſition which every great diſcovery in medicine muſt unavoidably meet with, not only from it's oppoſition to eſtabliſhed practice, but the uncharitable endeavours of intereſted men, who, under the ſpecious pretence of it's not being in common uſe, have invariably reprobated all ſuch (however beneficial to mankind) as dangerous or uncertain. Though the uſe of theſe Antimonial Drops would be a convincing anſwer to ſuch inſinuations; yet, as many have not experienced their effects; and as I would willingly obviate every difficulty, as well for the ſake of my own reputation as the ſatisfaction of the Public; I ſhall ſubmit the following apology for my conduct.

It is generally objected to thoſe, who have laboured through a painful courſe of years, and have been at great expences in the diſcovery, and preparation of medicine, that to make a myſtery for private emolument of what ſo eſſentially affects public benefit, is repugnant to thoſe principles of univerſal charity, which ſhould actuate the human breaſt:—This, at firſt bluſh, I own ſeems plauſible, but then it ſhould be conſidered, that the means of throwing this into Common Uſe, may deſtroy its effects; as the excellency of a medicine depends not ſo much on the ſubject from which it is taken, as the great care and judgement in the preparation. A common chemiſt, in ſhortening the neceſſary period of preparation, diſpenſing with accidents ſubſtituting apparently-ſimilar bodies [7]or by any of thoſe various means, which may ſave his time, or increaſe his profits, may think himſelf ſufficiently juſtified for ſo doing by the uſage of trade: But the more careful chemiſt, conſcious that the leaſt accident or miſmanagement is frequently ſufficient to extinguiſh the virtues of his proceſs, and having nothing ſo much at heart, as the credit of his medicine, is barred by no labour, no time, no expences, no diſappointments, in bringing to perfection this his favourite object.

Permit me then to rank myſelf in this laſt claſs, who, from dedicating the beſt part of my life to Chemical proceſſes, muſt neceſſarily be ſuppoſed to be well acquainted with the minuteſt preparation of medicine; and on the credit of this experience let me add; that, what from the judgment and accuracy required, together with the many accidents to which it is liable, the proceſs of my Antimonial Drops can ſcarcely be compleated in the way of Common buſineſs. This conſideration then alone, I flatter myſelf, will fully juſtify my conduct to the judicious and impartial part of mankind.

I have already been ſufficiently explicit in enumerating the virtues of this medicine; I do not therefore mean to take up any more of the attention of the Public; otherwiſe, than as the PRESERVATION and RESTORATION of health form the principal and greateſt bleſſing of life, that they ſtrictly examine into it's merits. If it turns out to be productive of thoſe benefits I have mentioned; ſurely I cannot be thought preſuming to expect that a public reward ſhould follow ſo public a benefit. If on the contrary I ſhould [8]be found one of thoſe forward daring empyricks, who are heedleſs what ſacrifices they make to their own intereſts; let me be branded with that infamy, which thoſe who endeavour to deceive mankind in ſuch important matters deſerve.

And here I beg leave to requeſt all thoſe who have honoured me with their confidence, and who by experience or obſervation are vouchers of the efficacy of this medicine, to favor me with their names and addreſs, that, by the permitted publication of ſuch authority, to be from time to time added to this eſſay, I may be the better enabled to render as univerſal as poſſible ſo great a benefit to mankind.

THO. NORRIS.

CURES BY THE SOLE USE OF DR. NORRIS's ANTIMONIAL DROPS.
N. B. Thoſe with initial letters being deſirous of extending the uſe of this medicine for the benefit of others, yet, for ſome private reaſons and particular connections, are unwilling to have their names made public, but may be privately referred to, on application to me at my houſe, Duke-ſtreet, Weſtminſter.

[9]

W. Eſq. THIS gentleman, ſtruck with ſome expreſſions in my directions, (viz. ‘"A Fever is produced by an extraordinary exertion of the powers of nature, to expel whatever has a tendency to be deſtructive or noxious to the animal oeconomy"’) was determined, after having ſufficiently proved many things ineffectual, to ſend for me; which he did. I found him ſorely afflicted with a Bilious, Putrid Fever, attended with a moſt violent Vomiting and Purging, and in all appearance near a diſſolution; however, being convinced of the healing powers of my medicine, I gave him a ſmile of hope, and after adminiſtering a ſmall doſe, leſt him to reſt. [10]The next day I found him conſiderably better, and in a few days, without other aſſiſtance, he was perfectly cured.

REMARKS.

Very few people pay that attention to the directions given with the medicine which they ought; if they did there would be very little occaſion for my viſits, particularly in Fevers.

REMARKS.

This young man after bleeding, bliſtering, leeches applied to his temples, and every other means in common practice made uſe of to no good purpoſe; his brother, with whom he lives, was adviſed to try in this deſperate caſe my Antimonial Drops; he made ſome enquiries about me at the Carolina Coffee-houſe in Birchin-lane, where I frequently go when in the city; ſatisfied with Mr. Carr's, and ſeveral gentlemens report of me there, the Drops were immediately adminiſter'd according to directions; the next day I happened to call at the coffee-houſe, when Mr. Carr, who keeps it, after reciting what had paſt, was ſorry to inform me the young man was no better, and then paſt all hope; that as I was ſo near he thought it adviſeable I ſhould call; I did; and, never did I ſee a human being ſo near death: I could feel no pulſe; he lay on his back with his eyes wide open and fixed, ſpeechleſs, and motionleſs to all appearance. Being the firſt inſtance of my Antimonial Drops failing in Fevers, at leaſt that ever came to my knowledge, made me more particularly inquiſitive about the adminiſtration of them, when, (to my great ſurprize) the brother of my patient aſſured me with much concern, they [19]were adminiſtered according to directions, and he had taken of nothing elſe ſince, but the apothecary's ſtuffs, as he called them, every two hours, as they were directed to be given. There was no time to be loſt in reproof; it was now one o'clock at noon, I immediately diſpatched a meſſenger to Mr. Parker's, for a half guinea bottle of Drops, a table ſpoonful of which was poured down that inſtant, with directions, if he lived an hour and an half, to repeat it, and continue to give him that quantity every two hours after, till a ſweat or ſome viſible ſigns of amendment were diſcovered; and then to diminiſh the doſe gradually; that no other medicine ſhould be adminiſtered on any account, but, to let him have as much baum tea, or any ſimple diluting liquor as they could get down, by little and little, every now and then; the blunder committed before, made them now doubly diligent and punctual; I called the next day, and found the Fever was quite gone; but ſuch a laſſitude and ſtupidity remained as exceeds all deſcription. The nurſe informed me he lay very quiet till five o'clock; about ſix, he began to perſpire, and continued ſo to do the whole night plentifully; ſleeping all the time; which from his laying very ſtill and motionleſs, and as ſhe thought breathleſs too, made her ſeveral times conclude he was dead, till by laying on her hand every now and then ſhe was ſatisfied to the contrary. I then ordered the Drops to be given very ſparingly, not above twenty or thirty, every two or three hours, till I called the next day, when I pronounced him out of danger, and ordered him to be [20]wrapped up in a blanket, put into a carriage, and taken ſomewhere to breathe a purer air as ſoon as poſſible, which was accordingly done the next day. He ſoon gathered ſtrength, and in a few days was able to return to his buſineſs, and has continued ever ſince in good health and ſpirits.

CERTIFICATE.

I, Thomas Reynolds, maſter of the ſhip Mentor, belonging to the port of London, do hereby certify to whom it may concern, that upon my late voyage from St. Kitt's to Carolina, with negro ſlaves, ſeveral of them falling ill of Fevers, and ſome of them very dangerouſly ſo, I adminiſtered to them Dr. Norris's Antimonial Drops, and they all perfectly recovered, without the aid of any other medicine whatſoever.

THOMAS REYNOLDS.

REMARKS.

This gentleman informed me, that from Africa to St. Kitt's, he had loſt upwards of ſeventy ſlaves, not being able to prevail on the ſurgeon to adminiſter my Antimonial Drops to them. When he arrived at St. Kitt's the doctor quitted the ſhip, and the captain then had about ſeventy ſlaves left, which he was to take to Carolina: in the paſſage ten or twelve of them were ſeized with the ſame Fever the others died of; being then without a ſurgeon, he had recourſe to my Antimonial Drops, which recovered them; verily believing, if [21]timely adminiſtered, nine out of ten of thoſe that were loſt might have been ſaved. Theſe Drops were ſent, by way of experiment, at the inſtance of a worthy gentleman, a merchant in the city, much intereſted in African affairs, and under the peculiar care of Captain Reynolds, the only one, he ſaid, he could depend upon to make a juſt report; before which, and ſince, ſeveral ſmall boxes were ſent to merchants at Liverpool, for the ſame purpoſe, and ſome few from the port of London alſo; but, ſtrange to tell! when immediately under the care and adminiſtration of the ſurgeon, all their influence were gone, and they became of none effect. It would be no very eaſy matter to prevail upon many commanders of ſhips who ſail without ſurgeons, to credit this report from their own experience. This I am very well aſſured of, and could venture my credit, reputation, and fortune, upon the event, that if the ſurgeons of ſhips were actuated by the ſame diſintereſted principles; my Antimonial Drops would prove a great acquiſition not only to the African company in preſerving their negroes, but the lives of thouſands ſubject to putrid fevers in hot climates.

Letter from Capt. Stott, of his majeſty's frigate the Juno, to Dr. Norris.

"IN juſtice to you, and from a deſire of being ſerviceable to the community, particularly that part of it which I have the honour to be a member of, I ſend you, atteſted by the officers of his majeſty's ſhip Juno, under my command, an account [22]of the effects of your Antimonial Drops, in the courſe of my late voyage to and from Falkland's Iſland.

In the outward paſſage, by the ſurgeon of the ſhip's report to me, of the 5th of April laſt, it appeared, that Geo. Hunter, and Laur. Pittman, two of the ſeamen, were taken ill with Malignant Fevers; that having for ſeveral days been given the uſual medicines without effect, he thought them paſt a poſſibility of recovery; judging this a fit opportunity to make a trial of the efficacy of your drops, (for notwithſtanding the recommendations which were given me of them, and which induced me to take them with me, I had reſolved to let every uſual means take place before I gave them) I then therefore gave a bottle to the ſurgeon, and deſired they might be adminiſtered; he ſaid, it would, he believed, be of little conſequence whatever was given them, as he thought they could not live to the next day, however, he would try them; the next morning, in his account to me of the ſick, he told me the men were much better, and he believed they would recover, which from that time they did, and were ſoon after able to do their duty in the ſhip.

On the 27th of July following, being in the ſouthern part of the Torrid zone, Mr. Joſlin, the boatſwain of the ſhip, was taken ill of the ſame Fever, with the like ſymptoms as the two former, and after the ſurgeon had repreſented to me, that he had uſed all the means in his power for his recovery, [23]to no purpoſe, the Antimonial Drops were given, and had the deſired effect, by his immediate recovery.

Sometime afterwards, in the ſouthern ocean, Ja. Hamm, and Evan Williams, the one a boy, the other a marine, were ſeized with a fever, and were, by the ſurgeons report to me, given over for many days; the Drops were given them alſo, which produced a plentiful ſweating, and their immediate recovery. Such repeated ſucceſs gives me the higheſt opinion of the virtues and efficacy of your Antimonial Drops, and on theſe grounds I cannot too ſtrongly recommend them.

I alſo encloſe you the ſurgeon's atteſtation taken from the journals of his practice in the ſhip, and which, as well as this letter, you are at liberty to make public. Wiſhing you every ſucceſs,

I am, SIR, Your moſt obedient humble ſervant," JN. STOTT.

‘"We, the undermentioned officers of his majeſty's ſaid ſhip Juno, do alſo teſtify what is mentioned in the above letter, and are of the ſame opinion with regard to Dr. Norris's Antimonial Drops."’

  • CHAR. C. CROOKE, 1ſt Lieutenant
  • WM. BARROW, 2d Lieutenant.
  • JA. HOLROYD, Maſter.
  • WILL. JOSLIN, Boatſwain.
  • THO. TURNER, Purſer.
[24]

"The ſurgeon's atteſtation, taken from his journal."

"5th of April, 1771. Geo. Hunter taken ill of a malignant fever; ſymptoms, a head-ach, vomiting, burning heat for many days; the medicines given had no effect; then the purging came on, with an inſenſibility; he continued in that ſtate four or five days; when Dr. Norris's Antimonial Drops were given, which threw him into a perſpiration, and he recovered.

Same day Laurence Pittman was taken ill; ſymptoms the ſame as Hunter, and given over; when the Antimonial Drops were adminiſtered, which, without any ſenſible operation, had the deſired effect.

27th July, Mr. Joſlin was taken ill of the ſame fever, as Hunter and Pittman, ſymptoms the ſame, and after medicines being given to no effect, and given over, the Antimonial Drops were given, and had the deſired effect.

James Hamm and Evan Williams were both ſeized with the ſame fever; ſymptoms the ſame; and were both given over for many days; the Antimonial Drops were then given, which brought on a plentiful ſweating, and both recovered.

JOHN BOYD, Surgeon."
[25]

Extract of a Letter from Robert Williams, Merchant, to Dr. Norris, Duke-ſtreet, Weſtminſter.

"Much reſpected Friend,

THY favour, with a box of Antimonial Drops, I received by means of our Friend Eyre, about 16 laſt 12 mo. They have gained great reputation in theſe parts, and being the time of our general aſſembly in Newbern, and my own acquaintance being very extenſive in this province, I had an opportunity of recommending them to many people; carried ſome to our good governor Martin. Immediately on receiving them, I gave ſome to my own child, about two years old, who was feveriſh, and much out of order. Every one in my family could obſerve a ſudden change for the better: I have continued to give him a few at times, and the child is brave and hearty. Another child, about twelve months old, that had been long ſick, had loſt all appetite, I adviſed them, which in a few days recovered his health and appetite. A negro man in my own employ, about 23 years of age, by much wading in the water, got a ſevere pleuriſy; it being about 20 miles from where I reſide myſelf, they bled him, after ſome days ſweated him; he went out before his ſweat was off, and grew ſo bad, they ſent me word they thought he would die. I immediately diſpatched orders to [26]give him the Antimonial drops, and he ſoon recovered.

Two perſons, that had them of me, were cured of ſtubborn coughs, which, I believe, would ſoon have terminated in conſumptions.

A married woman, not with child, catched a conſiderable cold, which occaſioned a ſuppreſſion of the m—, with fever and great pains. I adviſed the uſe of the drops, which ſoon abated the pains, fever, and head-ach, and in about two days time ſet nature to act for herſelf in the natural way.

I mention thoſe few particulars, more for the conviction of others than thy own confirmation. Indeed, for my own part, I believe the drops to be the moſt ſovereign remedy ever yet found out, for what thou recommends them, and may prove advantageous in many caſes which are not mentioned in thy directions."

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Zitationsvorschlag für dieses Objekt
TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 5560 A short essay on the virtues of Dr Norris s antimonial drops The second edition To which is added a catalogue of cures incontestibly proving their sovereign efficacy in fevers. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5AE3-F