IN my remarks on The London Spy, I observed how destitute his letter was of matter of fact, that it did not contain a single instance wherein Dr. Myersbach had evinced any medical judgement, so as that an unbeliever in conjurors might have had his scepticism rectified, by applying to the party restored, for the truth of a vague assertion. To this method of plain-dealing I had opened the road, by subscribing my own name, and giving that of an injured patient, who I am happy to add is now in a likely way of having those dangerous effects removed, which the German medicines had brought on him.
As The London Spy, therefore, has not answered my letter in that explicit manner which I had a right to expect, I shall not pay any attention to his future papers, till he communicates some authentic information relative to the cures about which he supposes so much, and signs it with his real name. How far suppositions may avail to invalidate matters of fact, will probably be decided at the next Old Bailey sessions; in the mean time I purpose to proceed in laying before the public, cases which the conjuror did not cure; and deaths which succeeded the use of the German medicines.
JOHN COAKLEY LETTSOM.
Great Eastcheap, Sept. 24.
M. Wright, of Beech-lane, was attacked with a bilious vomiting on the 17th of September; the next day he sent to request my attendance; but the message was not delivered till two days afterwards. In the interval she was persuaded to send a phial of her urine to Dr. Myersbach, who prescribed the green drops, the red powder, &c. The use of these were continued till the 24th, when Capt. Keene, whose benevolence is equalled by his good sense, desired me to visit this deluded woman, who is his tenant, and who he conceived lay in the utmost danger. I cannot at this moment prognosticate the event. She was very ill before she took the German medicines; and it was more likely that saltpetre, or the red powder, with the green drops or tincture of tanzy, would tend to aggravate her complaints, than relieve them.
J. Lumbert, in the Borough, Southwark, laboured under hectic symptoms, which induced him last spring to attend to Dr. Myersbach, who informed the patient, that he had phlegm on his liver; to remove which a white powder and some drops were given him; he took two doses of each of these the next day, and towards the evening he was remarking how much easier his cough and hectic symptoms then were; but scarely were these words out of his mouth, before he was seized with a convulsion fit and fall[sic] from his chair: the convulsions subsided only with his life; he died in great agony about three weeks afterwards. His distracted widow has likewise the aggravation to lament the death of an intimate friend (M. Love, in the Borough) who expired in a manner remarkably similar to her husband’s, and about the same time after taking the German medicines.
I visited this widow on the 25th instant, who informed me, that the drops, when put into water, turned it of a milkly appearance; and I am of opinion, from the sudden convulsions, the constipations of the bowels, and other cicumstances which afterwards attended the patient, that extract of lead had been taken, which is well known to be a pretty effectual poison, I am the more induced to believe so, from the violent death of the lady of J. C. Esq; whose medicine was examined by a gentleman of chemical knowledge, who told me that this lady had taken a strong preparation of lead. Dr. Mayersbach’s apothecary assures me likewise, that he is very fond of preparations of lead, and frequently orders them to his patients in very large doses.
P.S. This day I have visited two other patients of Dr. Myersbach’s, whose cases I shall postpone till my next address, before which I doubt not but other instances of his injurious treatment will occur to me.
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British Library Newspaper Collection Colindale - Burney Collection
28 September 1776 (14,853) Page 2 Columns 1 and 2 |