1791 BEER, Georg Joseph (1763 – 1821)

Praktische Beobachtungen über verschiedene, vorzüglich aber über jene Augenkrankheiten, welche aus allgemeinen Krankheiten des Körpers entspringen.

“This is the first monograph ever published dealing with ocular signs of systemic disease. It deals with lacrimal fistulas, trichiasis, adhesions of the lids, lid ulcers, ephiphora, and ocular inflammations. He illust…

GMN 5833.2 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/7103

1794 BALMIS, Francisco Javier de (1793 – 1819)

Demostracion de las eficaces virtudes nuevamente descubiertas en las raices de dos plantas de Nueva-España, especies de ágave y de begónia, para la curacion del vicio venéreo y escrofuloso ...

Balmis conducted experimental trials on the effectiveness of two Mexican plants, agave and begonia, which were believed, according to folk medicine practices in Mexico, to cure syphilis and scrofula. The trials confir…

GMN 8004 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/10180

1814 ADAMS, Joseph (1756 – 1818)

A treatise on the supposed hereditary properties of diseases, containing remarks on the unfounded terrors and ill-judged cautions consequent on such erroneous opinions; with notes, illustrative of the subject, particularly in madness and scrofula.

Adams was a pioneer in medical genetics. He distinguished between familial and hereditary diseases, saw that an increase in hereditary disease frequency in isolated areas could be caused by inbreeding, and suggested t…

GMN 216.1 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/4032

1879 BURNETT, James Compton (1840 – 1901)

Gold as a remedy in disease, notably in some forms of organic heart disease, angina pectoris, melancholy, tedium vitae, scrofula, syphilis, skin disease, & as an antidote to the ill effects of mercury.

Burnett, a homeopath, provided an excellent summary of the history of gold as it was used in medicine, with extensive references to the historical literature. Digital facsimile from the Hathi Trust at this link.

GMN 8852 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/11030

1911 CRAWFURD, Sir Raymond Henry Payne (1865 – 1938)

The king’s evil.

A classic account of the history of touching for the “king’s evil” or scrofula— a practice of kings from ancient times until the 18th century.

GMN 6646 · https://historyofmedicine.com/id/7769