Inquiry respecting Mr. Charles Whitlaw's practice in scrofula and cancer : and the propriety of instituting an asylum, under his care, for these complaints, &c. / by A. Rennie.

  • Rennie, A.
Date:
1828
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inquiry respecting Mr. Charles Whitlaw's practice in scrofula and cancer : and the propriety of instituting an asylum, under his care, for these complaints, &c. / by A. Rennie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    31/40 (page 30)
    help smiling, though I felt shocked: I said it was an liydrocele, and that an operation would cure the patient in a few days. This patient having resolved to go to London for farther advice, I next day met him in the steam-boat, and finding him exceedingly alarmed and anxious, I said what I could to convince him how safe and effectual an operation was if properly done. Had I consented to perform the operation myself, interested motives might have been attributed to me. I therefore recommended him to apply to a good anatomist, accustomed to this operation, and without fear put himself under his hands ; that in a few days he would be cured : but the idea of discussing such a tumour by the vapour-bath, as Mr. Whitlaw pro- posed, or internal medicines, was absurd. The bath might sweat the whole blood out of his body without curing the disease. A few days ago I received the following letter from this gen- tleman. Sir, You will no doubt recollect my being under Mr. Whitlaw for a swelling in the scrotum, and your examination of it. Having since undergone an operation for the same, I therefore feel it my duty to inform you that every word you told me respecting it has proved correct; and that Mr. Whitlaw's indurated substance of a greenish cheesy nature, formed by taking too great a quantity of acids, his sort of or next kin to scrofula, has turned out to be nothing more or less than water, as Mr. Headington the operator stated,''and as experience has proved, a clear case of hydrocele. With many thanks for the candid advice you gave me, I remain, Sir, ** Yours respectfully, &c. To A. Rennie, Esq. ^ The feeling breathed through this letter is a pretty potent anti- dote to any poison with which calumny might endeavour to wound tnv character, if a consciousness of having done my duty were not sufficient to neutralize the energy of the virus. Here is one indi. vidual rescued from false alarm and real danger, restored to healUi ot body and peace of mind; pecuniary consideraUons are scarcely worth taking into the account, yet he is 7io loser in this respect. I must defer some other more striking cases of the same nature for another paper, and am, Sin, Yours respectfully, 14, Queen Street, May Fair. A. Renkie, Surgeon. The circumstance which gave rise more particularly to the cen- sure of the Committee on my conduct was as follows. A most respectable member of the Committee was so far convinced by a few strong facts I pointed out tohiin, of the necessity for inqu>r^,