Some Observations upon Dr. Eaton's Styptick By Dr. Sprengell, R. S. S. Coll. Med. Lond. Lic.

V. Some Observations upon Dr. Eaton's Styptick. By Dr. Sprengell, R. S. S. Coll. Med. Lond. Lic. The Method of curing fresh Wounds in a few Days, without Suppuration, where neither Nerves, large Vessels, Bones, or any of the Viscera were concerned, has been long ago observed. Purman, a famous Surgeon of Breslaw, in his Chirurgia Curiosa, tells us of a Mountebank, who gave himself thirteen Wounds, by Incision, in the upper Part of his Left Arm, and thereupon applied his Nostrum, and with the help of a good Roller, was cured in two Days Time. Next he mentions a martial Styptick, which stopped bleeding incomparably, and healed fresh Wounds (as he says) in two Days time, especially if the Patient took withall a few Drops inwardly. This has likewise been mentioned by Blegny near thirty Years ago. When I came into France, I found that many little Trials were made there also, with a Styptick Ball mixed with French Brandy, by striking a Cock thro' the Head, opening the Crural-Artery of a Dog, or chopping off a Dog's Leg, &c. But I found that it did not amount to any thing of Consequence; yet I have still a Ball, made above twenty Years ago, of Fillings of Iron, and an equal Quantity of Tartar, mix'd well with French Brandy upon a Marble. This, with some Alteration, was afterwards published by the famous Helvetius, Physician to Lewis XIV of France, in a Book called, Recueil des Methodes pour la Guerison des diverses Maladies, which was reprinted in Holland. Holland in the Year 1710. This Preparation was then sold by Pierre Rottermond, Apothecary at the Hague in Holland. The Recipe for his Medicinal Ball I have translated, and is as follows: Take four Pounds of the Filings of Steel, and eight Pounds of Tartar, well powdered; mix these well together, and put them in a new Earthen Pot, and pour thereupon as much French Brandy as will make it into a Poultess. Let this stand fermenting in a Cellar for four Days, and stir it between whiles. Then put it in Baln-Mar, and distill it S. A. with a moderate Fire, to draw off the Brandy. When you find that nothing but the Phlegm comes over, then take it from the Fire, and take out the Mass, stamp it very fine, that not the least Lump may remain; then mix it again as before with a sufficient Quantity of Brandy, and put it in the Cellar to ferment, as before, and then distill it a second Time. This Operation may be reiterated seven or eight times; but the last Time mix your Mass well upon a Marble, and form it into two Ounce-Balls. One of these Balls is steeped in a Pint of good French Brandy, a little warmed, and hung only in it by a Wire, till the Brandy has received the Colour of the Ball. But if you are in haste, then grate a sufficient Quantity of the Ball in some Brandy, stir it well, and you may use it that very Instant. No doubt but the Author thought by often grinding, fermenting, and distilling this Mass, to comminute and subtilize its Particles, so as to make it more fit to contract the Fibres and Vessels of a Wound, and to prevent Stagnations of the Fluids, both within and without, upon Contusions; but the Success did not answer, and therefore it was laid aside. Neither did Helvetius ever recommend it as an Universal Styptick, Styptick, astringent, or consolidating Medicine, but merely in fresh Wounds, and that only for a first Dressing, and where People lived at a Distance, and could not get immediate Assistance from a Surgeon. Besides, he makes several Exceptions where it should not be used; and, in general, advises it where Chalybeat Medicines may be made use of according to Experience. But last Year a Balsamick Styptick was published by one Dr. Eaton, good to stop all manner of Bleeding without or within, and that without any manner of Exceptions. This made me desirous to see it, and as it happened that soon after I had an Opportunity to examine it: I found presently that this was the same old Medicine, which was got hither also, after other Countries had discarded it. But I neglected it at that Time, as not worth my notice, till I saw lately a Treatise of Consumptions, published by Sir Richard Blackmore, Kt. giving Dr. Eaton's Styptick the greatest Encomium, that ever was given to any Invention whatsoever. For, says he, Dr. Eaton's Balsamick Styptick bids fair for the Credit of a certain Remedy in stopping of Blood outwardly or inwardly, where the Crisis of the Blood is not entirely ruined; and will be of more Service to Mankind, than all the Discoveries made by Galenical Compounders of Drugs, and Systematical Methodists. Finding this Remedy recommended in so extraordinary a manner, by so eminent a Physician, I began now to think, that possibly I might have been mistaken, and therefore desired Mr. Winterbottom, an Apothecary in Bow-Lane, immediately to prepare the Recipe, as described by Helvetius. When this was ready, I sent for a Bottle of Dr. Eaton's Styptick, and tryed them both with Galls, before fore several Gentlemen; the Tincture was the same, a deep Purple. I then precipitated the Contents with old Hock, and found the precipitated Matter to be the same in both. Not contented with my own Enquiry, I sent several small Quantities to others, and went myself to Mr. Godfrey, a famous Chymist in Covent-Garden. They all told me, that there was no Difference betwixt them. I tryed several ways to find out its Balsamick Quality, from whence it has its Name, but found none. Then, I confess, it surprized me, that a Man who had a mind to vend a thing as a Secret, had not done so much as to alter it either in Taste, Smell, or Colour; and yet this might very well have been done, without robbing it of its Virtue in the least. My next Business was to try these two upon the Crural-Artery. Having got a good middle-siz'd Dog, Mr. Ranby, Surgeon, laid the Artery bare, and open'd it with a Lancet the length Way of the Artery, for near half an Inch. The old Trick used to be, to cut the Artery cross ways, and then there was no necessity of a Styptick at all, nor indeed here neither. But at first Helvetius his Tincture was applied, and stopped the Bleeding; then we opened the Artery again, and tryed Dr. Eaton's, with the same Success. I then had the Artery opened in the other Thigh, and tryed it only with French Brandy, which, I found, did as well as the other two. I opened the Artery again, and had dissolved in French Brandy a little Sal Martis and Saccharum Saturni, and applied that, and it answered in the same manner. This made me immediately conjecture, that there was but little Virtue in either of them, but only that the Brandy, by its great Heat, did meerly contract the Fibres of the Artery, which, no doubt, might be a little assisted by the Cha- lybs; but this could not be much. I then reflected upon the smallness of the Crural Artery in a Dog, and that it was no more to be compared to the Crural Artery of a Man, than a Cock's-Head to a Man's Head, and that a little Pledge of Lint might stop the Blood without more to do, as well as the Temporal Artery when opened with a Lancet, which we did, and the Pledge of Lint stopped it. We then untied the Dog, and sent him going, who ran directly Home to the Crown Tavern in Bloomsbury, from whence we had taken him. The Mistreys of the House tore off the Pledges, and had the Dog well wash'd with Butter and Beer warmed, she not knowing what had been done to him, upon which the Dog fell a Bleeding again, though not much, and the Blood stopp'd of itself: Mr. Ranby and I saw the Dog in the Evening very well, but he ran away at the Sight of us. Thus far as to its outward Use, and I could wish it were as harmless within. If only, according to Helvetius, it had been ordered to be taken inwardly, in fresh Wounds and Contusions, a Body might have let it pass; but when, without Exception, Dr. Eaton recommended it, as also even Sir Richard, in all inward Bleedings, I then thought it high Time to make some Animadversions upon it. For Sir Richard himself says, in his Treatise of Consumptions, p. 99 and 101, That in Spitting of Blood there is an Orgasm, or Stimulating Ferment: What is this but a Feverish Indisposition? And is there any Hemorrhage without? Now, if so, will not Brandy and Chalybeats heighten this? Which by their Heat and Stimuli brace and irritate the Fibres, and accelerate the Blood's Motion. And will not then the Blood take up more Room, and press harder against the Sides of the Vessels, and whatsoever opposes it? Is not this the Way to make an Orgasm, and cause an Hemorrhage? Dr. Eaton tells us himself in his Book, p. 57, That it did very much over-heat a Gentlewoman, and that her Bleeding still continued after the taking of it, and she might have perished if a Surgeon had not given her a cooling and astringent Apozone. And but just before, p. 47, he complains of a Physician, that was not willing that his Patient should take it, who had a Hectick Fever upon her, because he was afraid that it was too hot. Since the former Tryals, on the roth of June last, I desired Mr. Ranby, Surgeon, to open the Carotide Artery of a Dog, thinking that this Artery might give me more Satisfaction than the Crural Arteries had done, to try the Styptick Quality of Helvetius and Eaton's Tinctures. Having laid bare the Jugular Vein, divided, and tied it, that its Bleeding might not hinder us from finding the Carotide Artery, we were obliged to cut some of the Muscles through likewise, till, with some Difficulty, we found the Artery; which being opened with a Lancet, the Blood spouting forth, I applied to it Helvetius's Tincture, upon which the Blood stopp'd. I took it off in less than a Minute, and made it bleed again, but it bled but little, and then I applied Dr. Eaton's Styptick; we fill'd up the Wound with Lint, and stitched up the Cutis, then untied the Dog and let him run down Stairs, where, after some Time, I saw him again, and found he had bled a good deal, and was still bleeding. I was very well satisfied that, the Artery being so very small, he would not bleed to Death, and if he had had nothing but Lint upon it, it would have done as well. It must be observed, that the Carotide Arteries are largest in Proportion in Human Bodies, and that this Artery tery of the Dog was but a small matter bigger than the Crural Arteries of the former Dog. This shews, that the Styptick Quality of these Tinctures is very inconsiderable; and that Helvetius's Tincture is rather better than Dr. Eaton's, if there is any Difference at all; though that, I believe, was owing to the Brandy, for my Brandy was stronger than Dr. Eaton's. I enquired for the Dog the next Morning, and found him alive and well, only hanging his Head on one Side, which proceeded from the Muscles being cut through. VI. Materiarum quarundam gravitates Specificae, diversis temporibus ad varios scopos exploratæ a D. G. Fahrenheit, R. S. S. | Material | Specific Gravity | |---------------------------|------------------| | Aurum | 19081 | | Mercurius | 13575* | | Plumbum | 11350 | | Argentum | 10481 | | Cuprum Sueicum | 8834 | | Idem Japonense | 8799 | | Ferrum | 7817 | | Stannum provinciæ Indiae Orientalis vulgo dictæ Malacca | 7364 | | Stannum Anglicanum | 7313 | | Marcasita alba | 9850 | | Regulus Antimonii | 6622 | | Aurichalcum | 8412 | | Crystallus de rupe | 2669 | | Pyrites homogeneus | 2584 |