The Virginia Gazette

Mr. Parks,

I desire you'll insert the following Piece in your next Gazette, for the Benefit of the Public; and you'll oblige

Your humble Servant,

I. C.

Graviter, & iniquo animo, maledicta tua paterer,

ite scirem judico magis, quem morbo animi, petulentia

ita uti. Sed quoniam in te neque modum neque

modestiam ullam animadverto, repondebo tibi, uti i

quem maledicendo voluptatem cepisti, eam maledicendo

amittas.

Salust.

HERE appearing in the Virginia

GAZETTE, N°. 31, a Representation

full of false Suggestions, but likewise

a misrepresentation to the Public, by John Tennent;

wherein he not only endeavours to im-

pute to them, takes upon him to censure a Faculty

(whereof he pretends to be a significant

Member) for no other Reason, than their Dislike

to his Essay on the Pleurisy, and their not giving

Countenance to that, which is in itself contradictory:

I shall therefore, in Behalf of myself, and the rest of

my Fellow Practitioners, set forth (in as comprehen-

sive a Manner as is consistent with the Subject,) the se-

veral false Assertions, and mistaken Notions, contain'd

in that Representation.

For Brevity, I shall pass over the Inconnection of

that Gentleman's Introduction, as obvious to every one

that has a competent Knowledge of Letters, to discover

its Absurdity; and first take Notice of the Paragraph,

wherein he says, It's allowed by the greatest Authority

of the present Age, that there is an Analogy between

the Coagulation of all Fluids.

The Author, he takes Care to conceal, under the Cloak

of that comprehensive Expression, The Present Age; and

certainly, with very good Reason, since I must beg

the Gentleman's Pardon for my Mistake, if I'm in the

Wrong, for believing himself to be the Author of this

modern Doctrine; a Doctrine so new and unreasonable,

that he must likewise affirm (in Conformity to his pre-

vious Assertion) that there is but One Sort of Fluid in

the Universe, capable of being coagulated, and but One

coagulating Matter; for undoubtedly, if either the Flu-

ids differ, or the interposing Matters differ in their com-

ponent Parts, the Coagulum must certainly differ in

a Reciprocal Ratio; and of Necessity, much more, if

the coagulating Matter, and the Matter coagulated, are

both of different Texture.

If we consider the Nature of Attraction, (which is

the only solid Foundation whereby we can regularly

dispute the Point in Question,) it is universally allowed,

that the Attraction of all Bodies, is in Proportion to

their Solidities.

I hope the Gentleman will readily allow the Parti-

cles of Blood to be more solid than those of Water; and

consequently of greater attractive Force.

If therefore, the attractive Force of Two Bodies dif-

fer, those Bodies drawn into Contact, must differ pro-

portionably.

I hope what I have here advanced, will appear a suffi-

cient Confutation of that Gentleman's Analogical Rea-

soning; and that the World will not suffer themselves to

be deluded with his Verbosis Strophis.

I Shall next take Notice of the Application of this

Gentleman's Reasons; and doubt not, but I shall con-

vince unprejudiced Readers, that there is no Analogy

between the Coagulations mentioned in his Representation,

viz. between the coagulated State of the Blood in a Pe-

ripneumony or Pleurisy, and That after the Bite of a

Rattle-Snake.

It is a known Reason (made use of by that worthy

and learned Physician, so often quoted by our late Re-

presenter) That the Coagulation of the Blood, after the

Bite of a Viper or Rattle-snake, proceeds from the saline

Speculæ in the Creature's Poison, which breaks the Tex-

ture of the Blood, so as to make it run into Grumes and

Cohesions; the immediate Cause of Convulsions, Morti-

fications, and other extraordinary Symptoms.

That there is not, nor can be, the least Relation in the

State of the Blood in this Case, and in that of a Peri-

pneumony or Pleurisy, is incontrovertibly evident, by

the Reasoning of our Opponent; since he allows the Rea-

son of its Coagulation or Viscosity in those Disorders, not

to proceed from any violent Shock given to that Fluid,

So as to break it's Texture; but from it's Quantity, from

viscid Diet, or the like.

Hereby, I doubt not but his late Representation will

appear a meer Chimera, not founded on Reason: And

that his precious Pretences, for Introducing his Medicine,

were only conjectural.

And further, as it is evident, the State of the Blood

in a Peripneumony or Pleurisy, retains a different

Form from that, after the Bite of a Rattle Snake; it

consequently follows, that one and the same Fluid, ac-

quiring different cohesive Forms, requires different solu-

tive Menstruums.

Let it therefore be allowed, that the Rattle-Snake

Root administered immediately after the Bite of the Snake,

is endow'd with a sufficient actual Force to attenuate the

Blood, and dissociate its Parts from the Poisonous Spe-

culæ of the Snake; and by an elective Property, (as the

Gentleman would insinuate) discharge the peccant Mat-

ter through the Pores, or by other larger Emunctories,

(for you must know, it has both an Emetic and Purga-

tive Quality) can we infer from thence, it has the least

Relation to the Point in Question, i. e. that it has the

same elective Method of Proceeding, in a Peripneumony

or Pleurisy. In short, Specifics are, by Men of Sense,

entirely exploded; nor can I conceive this Medicine en-

dow'd with any such Quality, more than is common to

most Emetics of that Class, which are likewise purgative.

This Property, we will, indeed, readily allow this

Root, in common, that, like other Emetics of the same

sort, it has a pungent, contracting Quality, capable of

giving a sufficient Restriction to the Solids, to break

small Cohesions in the Blood, and perhaps squeeze the

Poison of the Rattle-Snake back again thro' the Pores,

before it has mix'd itself with the Blood: But, that it is

capable of Restoring a mortify'd Member, or (as it is

reported) make a seemingly dying Woman, in 4 Hours

after first taking of it, rise from her Bed, and be able to

whip her Children, carries the same Probability, as if it

was said, This Root will raise the Dead to Life.

* Read the 14th Fable of the 1st Book of Phaedrus; which

will give you a proper Idea of such Pretenders.
I would advise my dear Countrymen (for so I hope I may now call them) not to be too busy with so dangerous an Engine, lest therewith endeavouring to defend the Fort, they blow up the Capitol, the Fund of Treasure, the Magazine of Safety, and the Support of Life: Let me advise you to beware how you engage in so extraordinary a Voyage, where are innumerable Rocks, and the Shipwreck Death.

The Operations of this Root, and the like, are decryed in a very particular Manner, in all Disorders of the Breast, by the learned Barry, Baglivi, and others, who assert, that Medicines that operate in the above Manner, are diametrically opposite to Medicines adapted to the Cure of those Diseases.

You will therefore find you steer with an inverted Rudder, which will drive you out of the common Road of Safety: I seriously advise you not to hurry yourselves inadvertently on so dangerous a Coast; first sound the Depth of Water, then proceed, and prosper.

If this my cordial Endeavour redounds to your Advantage, I have my Reward.

My best Wishes attend you.

PHILO-MATHESIS