A Letter from John Huxham, M. D. F. R. S. to Thomas Stack, M. D. F. R. S. concerning an Extraordinary Venereal Case

it sensibly: Then I applied the rubbed Tube near to the falling Jet, which attracted it strongly, so as to bend it into a Curve, and sometimes cause it to fall out of the Vessel below. II. A Letter from John Huxham, M.D. F.R.S. to Thomas Stack, M.D. F.R.S. concerning an Extraordinary Venereal Case. Dear SIR, I have now sent you the uncommon Venereal Case I promised in my last, which, I think, hath something very remarkable in it, and seems very much to confirm the Great Boerhaave's Opinion, that the Seat of the Lues Venerea is in the Membrana adiposa. Mr. R.B. aged about 27, of a bilious, dry Constitution, had, for some Years before his Death, contracted a virulent Gonorrhoea, which was scarce well cured before he got a Second, and at length a Third.—To complete his Misery, being in the Fleet at Portobello, he had frequent impure Conversation with some of the Negro Huslies (who probably laboured under the worst Species of Pox, called the Taws). He returned with a very troublesome Itching all over him, though no Pustules appeared; was much thinner than usual, and had a horrible stinking Breath, and spit frequently a foul, corrupt Matter.—As he had no Running, Ulcer, Bubo, or Nodes, he thought all safe.—But not many Days after his Arrival at Portsmouth, post impurum cum impurâ Coitum, a violent Green-coloured Gonorrhoea appears.—For this this he put himself under the Care of a Surgeon, who, after much Pain to no Purpose, endeavoured to salivate him, but that also in vain.—The Gonorrhoea indeed was much abated, but a Bubo was risen in his Left Groin, and some small verrucose Eruptions about the Anus. In this Condition he returned here, and put himself under the Hands of Mr. St—, an ingenious Surgeon, who endeavoured to bring the Bubo to Suppuration, but without Effect; for it soon receded, and forthwith violent Pains seized him in and about the Fundament, which soon produced an exceeding painful Phyma near the Verge of the Anus on the Left Side. I was consulted now, and advised to bring it to Suppuration as soon as possible, which was done in Two Days; from whence issued abundance of purulent bloody Matter.—In a Day or two more, another appeared on the other Side, which soon vented the like Matter.—The Verrucae also now grew more numerous and larger, and many pustular and scaly Eruptions appeared all over him. I ordered him to be fumigated with Cinnabar, and advised him to enter on a Salivation forthwith.—But, antecedent to it, as his Humours were exceedingly tough and acrid, I put him on a Course of very plentiful Dilution; and this the rather, as he was naturally of a dry and hot Constitution, and besides had lately been roasted in the Torrid Zone. I began, as usual, by giving him Calomel; which, though it neither purged or vomited him, yet, after having taken Five Drachms, produced no Degree of Salivation, nor did it make his Gums sore.—However, it brought on his Gonorrhoea again: I then ordered him once and again, Eight or Ten Grains of Turbith mineral, which scarce puked him, and gave him only Two or Three Stools. — I now found, indeed, that Mercury and he, as well as Venus, had been old Acquaintance; so I greatly augmented the Dose of the Mercurials, ordering immense Quantities of thin watery Diluents: Notwithstanding this, there was very little Operation by Stool, and scarce any by Salivation. Though his Gums and Fauces were very sore and swollen, he scarce spit One Pint in 24 Hours, and that excessively tough and fetid. — Even under this strong Mercurial Course, the pustular and leprous Eruptions increased daily, so as to cover almost his whole Body, nay his very Face. His Hands and Feet were vastly swollen, as in an Elephantiasis, with horrid Fissures, from whence issued a very stinking ichorose Matter. I was quite confounded at this dreadful Face of Things, and seriously bethought me what further Method could be taken against so terrible an Enemy. — I had recourse to a warm emollient Bath, in which his whole Body was immersed; after which he was well anointed with a strong Mercurial Ointment. — This was done for Three Days successively: Notwithstanding which, though his Chaps grew exceeding sore, and his Throat so much inflamed and pained, that he swallowed with extreme Difficulty what he sucked through a Pipe or Quill, yet the Spitting was very little increased, and as tough as ever: Nor did the fistulous Ulcers seem in the least disposed to heal up, but vented a vast Deal of stinking, oily, fainious Matter; nay, even new ones broke out under each Axilla, and a very large Phyma rose on the Coccyx, which soon discharged the same kind of virulent Matter; though we found the Bone, and even the Periosteum, quite sound and untouched. The Scales were now grown so hard and stiff, that he could scarce bend a Limb, or Finger: Moreover, Abundance of Ulcers, from whence flowed great Quantities of greasy, purulent, and somewhat bloody Matter, were broke out in his Thighs and Buttocks.—A very large Tumour was also risen in his Right Breast, and soon after on the Left, voiding prodigious Quantities of the same kind of Matter. It was observable, that where-ever any of these Ulcers appeared, they ran only under the Skin, being intirely seated in, and feeding on, the Membrana adiposa; so that the Muscles and Tendons underneath appeared as fair and florid as in the most healthy Constitution. I now unfortunately found, though too late, there was nothing to be done by Mercury in any Form; and therefore determined to run it off, and try the Guaia-cum Method and Sweating, so much recommended of old (and in some Cases so justly) by Sir Ulric Hutton, and others; at the same time keeping up a most plentiful Dilution, attempting withal to detach the scaly Cuticle by continued emollient Baths, which at the same time also would partly act by Dilution.—By this means the Scales came off apace, just in the manner usual in the confluent Small-pox; only the Exuviae were here much larger, several being above Four or Five Inches over.—In about a Week's time, this Coat of Mail was pretty well cleared off, and his Breath, from the most horribly nauseous I ever smelt, became as sweet as that of an Infant. Infant. Nor was the Matter spit, though still very viscid, any way fetid: For the Mercury was pretty well run down by lenient Cathartics, and the Sloughs of his Mouth cast off. He was now become exceedingly emaciated: Wherefore I ordered him plentiful liquid Nourishment with Vipers, and large Dilution, avoiding every thing that was in the least gross or fatty.—But with all this he still kept to his Three Pints of strong Decoction of Guaiaicum every 24 Hours, sweating at least Two or Three of them. Under this Method I conceived some Hopes of his Recovery, as he seemed now to gain some small Degree of Strength and Spirit; but still his Ulcers rather increased than abated, and continually discharged a vast Quantity of Matter, though by no means so thick, putrid, or bloody;—and, indeed, in a most profuse Manner from under each Axilla. But, what is vastly surprising, notwithstanding all the past Method and Medicines, Two very large Chancres now appeared on the Glans Penis, and a very considerable Bubo in the Left Groin.—A troublesome Cough soon also seized him, with Shortness of Breath; and he began to expectorate a purulent, and sometimes bloody kind of Matter.—As the whole Membrana adiposa without, had been consumed by the Disease, it was now falling on that Part of it that invested the more vital Parts.—But Nature could support no longer.—He died in the extremest Degree of a pocky Consumption.—But not one single Bone of any Part of his Body appeared to be touched, though he died with near 40 Ulcers upon him. Dear SIR, Plymouth, Oct. 16 1739. Your humble Servant, John Huxham. In another Letter dated at Plymouth, Nov. 30. 1739. Dr. Huxham says, "We have had a very tempestuous Season for several Days past, though now fair; the Mercury lower [28.1 Inches] than I have known it for some Years, and the Tides excessively high." III. An Account of Coal-balls made at Liege, by William Hanbury, Esq; F. R. S. In pursuance of the Orders of the Society, I shall endeavour to give an Account of the factious Coal made at Liege. But first I shall quote Two Authors, who mention it in their Accounts of the Town of Liege. The First is, Le Curieux Antiquaire, ou Recueil geographique & historique, par le Sr P. L. Berkenmeyer à Leide 1729. p. 182. Where he says, "This Bishoprick (Liege) has rich Mines of Houille or Stone-coal*, which the Inhabitants sell in the Ne- * The common People call their Pit-coal, del Hey or de la Houille; and the Mixture of Coal and Clay de Houchy. C. M. therlands,