Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 965

JOSEPH ENAUX (1726-1798) Méthode de traiter les morsures des animaux enragés, et de la vipere; suivie d'un précis sur la pustule maligne. Chez A. M. Defay 1785 xlvi, 275 pp. 17.5 cm.

Enaux, chief surgeon at the Hôtel Dieu in Dijon, and Chaussier, professor of physiology and anatomy at the École Santé in Paris, have here collaborated in this work on rabies, the bites of venomous reptiles, and anthrax. Their work on rabies was widely recognized as the best of its day. The authors very accurately describe those animals most susceptible to rabies, detail the effects of the disease on man and animals, and recommend repeated cauterization, followed by vesiculatory poultices, as the appropriate course of therapy. However, they recognized that their course of treatment was seldom effective. The severe effects of the bites of venomous reptiles such as vipers are also clearly explained in this book. Enaux and Chaussier recognized the importance of immediate treatment and recommended use of a tourniquet, massage of the affected area, and the administration of cordials and tonics. A small incision was permitted over the bite for the application of a caustic, but they advised against scarification. Their discussion of the nature, cause, variations, and treatment of the malignant pustule or anthrax is a credit to their skill and expertise as keen observers. The authors recognized that anthrax is most common among those working with livestock, especially cattle. The progression of the original skin lesion from a small spot resembling an insect bite to a large, indurated, painful swelling, with eventual gangrene, is discussed in detail. Enaux and Chaussier recommended scarification, the use of escharotics, and packing the open wound with a silver nitrate saturated wick. They believed that the patient should also be given restoratives, tonics, and purgatives.

Cited references: Waller 2751; Wellcome II, p. 523

Gift of John Martin, M.D.