- Title
- Correspondence from John Brickell to the Selectmen of Boston (Mass.), 1797 October 15
- Brickell, John, 1749-1809, creator
Boston (Mass.), Selectmen,, correspondent. - 1797
- Georgia
- Correspondence from Savannah, Georgia, physician John Brickell (1749-1809) to the Boston selectmen regarding treatment of rabies bites. Brickell writes that he has read reports in newspapers of fatal cases of hydrophobia (the historic term for rabies) in Massachusetts, and wants to offer his medical advice. According to Brickell, the course of treatment should include washing the bite with twenty or thirty kettles of water, and burning the wound with a hot knife. He includes several examples of patient cases in which the surgeon cut out the bitten area, but the patient still died; Brickell writes this was due to the fact that the virus is carried in the dog's saliva, and cutting into the wound before cleansing it carried the saliva into the incision. He includes a description of cases of several of his patients, including a slave girl he owned, who recovered from rabies bites after he washed and burned the wound. Brickell adds that his cure was published in the Savannah Gazette and by the French government, which modified the treatment to use spirit of nitre instead of burning the wound. Also included is an extract of a letter from Italy regarding treatment with vinegar.
- 1 letter.
- English
- Correspondence.
- Books and documents
- Brickell, John
Medicine--Georgia--History--18th century
Rabies--Treatment--United States--History--18th century
Rabies--United States--History--18th century
Savannah (Ga.)
History of Medicine
Rabies--history
Rabies--therapy - Title devised by cataloger.
- John Brickell (1749-1809) was an Irish physician who emigrated to New York in about 1770. He settled in Savannah, Georgia, in circa 1780. He contributed five papers to "The Medical Repository," two of which concerned botany. The wildflower species Brickellia cylindracea is named after him.
- Correspondence from John Brickell to the Selectmen of Boston (Mass.), 1797 October 15. B MS Misc. Boston Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
- Colonial North American Project at Harvard University
- Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
- 990145776360203941
- Title
- Correspondence from John Brickell to the Selectmen of Boston (Mass.), 1797 October 15
- Creator / Contributor
- Brickell, John, 1749-1809, creator
Boston (Mass.), Selectmen,, correspondent. - Date
- 1797
- Place of Origin
- Georgia
- Description
- Correspondence from Savannah, Georgia, physician John Brickell (1749-1809) to the Boston selectmen regarding treatment of rabies bites. Brickell writes that he has read reports in newspapers of fatal cases of hydrophobia (the historic term for rabies) in Massachusetts, and wants to offer his medical advice. According to Brickell, the course of treatment should include washing the bite with twenty or thirty kettles of water, and burning the wound with a hot knife. He includes several examples of patient cases in which the surgeon cut out the bitten area, but the patient still died; Brickell writes this was due to the fact that the virus is carried in the dog's saliva, and cutting into the wound before cleansing it carried the saliva into the incision. He includes a description of cases of several of his patients, including a slave girl he owned, who recovered from rabies bites after he washed and burned the wound. Brickell adds that his cure was published in the Savannah Gazette and by the French government, which modified the treatment to use spirit of nitre instead of burning the wound. Also included is an extract of a letter from Italy regarding treatment with vinegar.
- Extent
- 1 letter.
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Correspondence.
- Digital Format
- Books and documents
- Subjects
- Brickell, John
Medicine--Georgia--History--18th century
Rabies--Treatment--United States--History--18th century
Rabies--United States--History--18th century
Savannah (Ga.)
History of Medicine
Rabies--history
Rabies--therapy - Notes
- Title devised by cataloger.
- Biographical / Historical Note
- John Brickell (1749-1809) was an Irish physician who emigrated to New York in about 1770. He settled in Savannah, Georgia, in circa 1780. He contributed five papers to "The Medical Repository," two of which concerned botany. The wildflower species Brickellia cylindracea is named after him.
- Cite As
- Correspondence from John Brickell to the Selectmen of Boston (Mass.), 1797 October 15. B MS Misc. Boston Medical Library, Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Boston, Mass.
- Series
- Colonial North American Project at Harvard University
- Repository
- Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
- Record ID
- 990145776360203941
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