Daily National Intelligencer

INTERESTING DISCOVERY

In the history of medicine, since the discovery of the circulation of the blood by Dr. Hervey, we have not heard of any of equal importance; except a discovery lately made in England by Sir Everard Home, which will most probably overturn the whole of the present practice in medicine.

It has been a prevailing idea, that a drop of any fluid introduced or injected into any of the veins produced an immediate coagulation of the blood; but Sir Everard Home has ascertained by repeated experiments, that medicines directly injected or introduced into the veins, produce their effects more rapidly, with more benefit, and with less injury to the system than when they are swallowed and then pass from the stomach into the circulation.

Sir Everard Home has ascertained not only from experiments made upon himself, but upon many others, that a venous infusion of the colchicum autumnale or meadow saffron injected into the veins of the ankle or the leg, will cure the most violent Gout. Sir Everard states that he completely recovered from a most violent attack of the Gout in less than twenty hours, by injecting into the circulation sixty drops of this medicine.

Sir Everard mentions, that infusions of ipecacuanha and Jalap injected into the jugular vein, produced their respective effects of vomiting and purging much more rapidly, and with more ease to the patient, than when taken by the mouth. An infusion of Rhubarb when injected, causes a profuse flow of urine. In short according to the experiments of Sir Everard Home, all medicines whatever act better, are less injurious to the constitution, when injected into the veins, than when swallowed by the mouth.

Although the reputation of Sir Everard Home in the science of medicine is of the first rank, yet we would wish to have more satisfactory evidence of the effects of his practice, before we should recommend a trial of it. We have no doubt that all those sciences immediately connected with the animal and vegetable kingdoms are yet in their infancy. and that great improvements will be made before the lapse of many years.

Pet. Intel.