Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1035

THOMAS REID (1739-1802) An essay on the nature and cure of the phthisis pulmonalis: or, Consumption of the lungs. Re-printed and sold by J. Crukshank 1785 xi, 89 pp. 18.2 cm.

Of the many diseases which plagued Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries none was more dreaded than tuberculosis. It is estimated that one-fourth of the population perished from it. Attempts to understand and cure the disease were largely unsuccessful. In his Essay, Reid reveals his belief that the origin of the disease is due to air obstructing the exhaling-vessels and recommends the evacuation of the lungs through vomiting as a treatment. His idea gained modest recognition and for a time daily vomits became the vogue.

Cited references: Austin 1594; Waller 7862 (1782 ed.)