American Watchman And Delaware Advertiser

To Mr. WILLIAM SWAIM.

SIR--On seeing your advertisement in the American Watchman of the 15th inst., it reminded me of the feat of Hercules with his club slaying Cacus the son of Vulcan, for stealing his oxen. You complain that there is not less than twenty imitations, at least, of the Panacea prepared by you, which are all spurious mixtures, which you caution the public against; and in your frontispiece you threaten with your Herculean club to knock down all those imitators of your panacea, for intruding on your fat beef, mutton, veal and poultry Sir. if you were more reserved before you thundered out your anathemas against all the preparations of the panacea, I would not expose your ignorance. I acknowledge it was with reluctance I refrained from doing so for some time back, seeing your gasconade founded on ignorance. Though you got a fortune by chance which you are indebted to the gentlemen that signed their names to your advertisement for the two cures the panacea effected in the Hospital--and for one that received benefit from it that had taken it, hundreds had not. I know that Moses Coates the Quaker brother-in-law to Doctor Moore of Philadelphia, had taken many bottles of your panacea and had not received a cent's worth benefit from it ; and many others I could name. Dr. Cox, Dr. Clarkson, and other gentlemen of the faculty in Philadelphia, told me that your panacea salivated different persons that had taken it, from which effect they supposed that a preparation of Mercury was compounded in it I responded that if there was a particle of Mercury in the panacea, it was an imposition. I also remarked to them that if the articles which the panacea is principally composed of were properly purified, they would salivate, and unless a man understood the chemical decompositions of the articles that the panacea was composed of, he could not give a perfect preparation.

In your advertisement you say that your panacea is composed of a vegetable syrup I know you mix the medicine a vegetable which you sweeten with sugar or honey. You may mix it in what you like--and though it effected some cures, I now tell you the best preparation you are able to give the panacea is but an imperfect one--and to prove what I say to be true; I challenge you to meet me at the College in Philadelphia, in presence of Dr. Hare, Professor of Chemistry--Dr. Cox, Professor of Materia Medica--Dr. Clarkson, and as many more as you like--and I shall prepare my panacea in the presence of the above mentioned gentlemen, and there shall not be a particle of vegetable substance in my panacea, which can be given in pill or in liquid, and shall effect the cures of scrofula, syphilis, or any other corruption of the blood, which are the only diseases the panacea can effect a cure on; and not on the one tenth part of the diseases you say it can cure. You shall prepare your panacea from vegetable substances, at the same time that I shall prepare mine, and in the presence of the aforesaid gentlemen. You shall leave any quantity you like with these gentlemen, to give to any poor person afflicted with the above diseases, and to say that your panacea prepared of vegetable matter shall not cure any of the above named diseases, and that mine will cure them--and I shall let the above named gentlemen see that you are as ignorant of the component parts in nature which the principal article is composed of, in its natural state, as a child is Appoint your time and I shall meet you.

JAMES PURCELL. M. D & P. C

Wilmington, Del., May 18. 1827

55-4tp