THE NEW PHARMACOPŒIA
Thomas Everitt
1837
The Lancet
me the four errors in my communication, placed in relief by Mr. Phillips, can be unequivocally proved to be misprints, irrespective of any assertion of mine;' first, because the same paper in the "Gazette" of the same week, from a duplicate 1BIS., does not contain one of them; next, because the context in every case shuws them to be such; indeed, in three of them only one letter was wrong; and, lastly, because you yourself, in a foot note, acknowledge that my MS. was correct. Mr. Phillips
more »
... the privilege of a similar cause for the error of ordering in the Latin edition three measures in the room of two (or, more correctly, of one and threequarters) of water to one measure of the strong ammoniacal liquid, to reduce it to the weaker. By a curious coincidence the same misprint occurs in his English translation. The last paragraph of Mr. Phillips' letter, in which he apparently has me on the hip, will lose all its point when a reference is made to that part of my communication to which he alludes. Every one knows how changed the meaning of a few words may become by separating them from their associates. In giving the process for making liquor ammoniae, it is very evident I confined myself to a general description, and did not intend to give the exact strength of the product, for I said put" about" (a little word omitted by Mr. Phillips), 30 parts of water into the receiver; and then, a few lines further on, I contended that 10 ounces of salammoniac can, in practice, at any rate, make 30 fluid ounces of liquor ammoniae of .960, in the room of only 15, as prescribed. Now, 10 ounces of this salt contain 1511 grains of ammonia; and 30 fluid ounces, at .960, contain 1260 ditto; hence, avery liberal allowance (one-sixth) for loss, viz. 251. Hence, I think, I did not wish to get more ammonia out of the salt than it contained; although, on the other hand, I do contend that the process of the Pharmacopoeia, where 881 grains out of 1511 are admitted to be lost, is one which no manufacturer in his senses will follow, and which ought not to have been in the edition of 1836. Yours sincerely, Jan. 16th, 1837. * No one could suspect these errors to be any other than misprints. We certainly thought that in trusting the proof to the scrutiny of Mr. Everitt the necessity for our own vigilance was superseded.-ED. L. SEVERE INJURY OF THE THIGH. QUESTION OF TREATMENT. To the Et2fo)' of THE LANCET. StR:—I shall feel greatly obliged by your r inserting, in the forthcoming Number of your periodical, the following case, which I am induced to publish in consequence of some rather severe animadversions having been made respecting my treatment thereof, by the surgeon who was subsequently called in :-Thomas Bickley, of Hill Hook, three miles hence, aetatis 50, of large stature, good constitution, and temperate habits, a miller, whilst engaged in adjusting the machinery of his mill, got part of his dress (a smockfrock) entangled in the cogs or teeth of the wheels, in consequence of which his left thigh was drawn between two of them, with sufficient force to arrest their progress, although moved by an overshot water-wheel of considerable power. This occurred at about two o'clock on Saturday, the 7th ult., and I was sent for immediately. ---I found him in bed, lying upon his back, in a state ofcollapse from the shock of the accident, complaining of extreme coldness ; the surface of the body was quite cold, as were also the extremities; pulse scarcely perceptible. On examining the thigh, severe contusions were observed in the upper half, on the outer, back, and inner sides, where the marks of the cogs (which were about six inches broad, and three deep) were very evident. There was no laceration of the integuments, yet the cuticle was slightly abraded in some places. Upon handling the thigh, the contused parts could readily be distinguished, feeling completely broken up by the severe compression of the wheels. There was a circular external wound of the size of a goose-quill, situated an inch above the contused parts, and about the same distance below the trochanter major, and from this a very small quantity of venous blood was oozing. I was informed that he had lost some blood (not much) before my arrival; there was no fracture of the femur. I ordered flannels, wrung out of an anodyne fomentation, to be kept constantly applied from the knee to the hip, hot applications to the extremities, and a little brandy and water to be given should faintness come on, directing that I should be immediately sent for on any appearance of haemorrhage, intending to visit him again in the evening. Eight o'clock, P. M. More comfortable, skin warmer, extremities also warm, complains of weight and numbness rather than pain in the limb ; there has been slight haemorrhage from the wound, to the amount of about five or six ounces, certainly not more ; the thigh a little more swollen, but perfectly soft and pliant, slight ecchymosis in the groin, painful on being touched, I
doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(02)99088-4
fatcat:wpnuisp5yzdtpctdcnthxxqxpe