A private treatise on venereal disease, in two parts : the first on gonorrhea--vulgarly called clap, the second on venereal, properly so called : adapted to the use of every one, but more especially designed for those who are delicately circumstanced and require a private as well as a speedy cure / by Joseph Ralph.

  • Ralph, Joseph (Joseph E.)
Date:
[1840]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A private treatise on venereal disease, in two parts : the first on gonorrhea--vulgarly called clap, the second on venereal, properly so called : adapted to the use of every one, but more especially designed for those who are delicately circumstanced and require a private as well as a speedy cure / by Joseph Ralph. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    himself. At this time it is soft and yielding, and is therefore called a dilatable stricture. In advanced and bad casea it is hard and callous, and requires a little difference of treatment. As I have observed before, however, the first stage continues a long time, and the inconvenience of it generally leads to its proper treatment before it has had time to be- come hard and callous. In my practice I meet with fifty cases that are dilatable to one that is not.— It is the treatment of the dilatable stricture there- fore that I am now about to describe. The cure of stricture can be accomplished only by the use of the bougie. Medicine occasionally assists, but the bougie is that without which you cannot cure the disease. Nor is this at all to be regretted, for it is a simple, safe, easy, and certain way of curing it. Bougies are made of different materials, but those which are soft and pliable are the safest and best for a patients own use ; indeed, I seldom use any other myself. These are made of a composi- tion of wax, spread on a strip of linen, and rolled up ino the proper form, and are called common bou- gies ; or are made of India rubber, and are then called Gum Elastic. There are other kinds as metalic, caustic, &c, but the former of these are not so safe, and the latter are only required in bad cases, such as no patient should undertake himself.