John Dyer



John Dyer was born in Shobrooke in 1716. He became a surgeon in Crediton and in 1759 published his cure for rabies which is reproduced below. He died in 1770 and left his residence "The Palace" - behind Crediton Church where he was buried - to his wife Mary. They had no children.

METHOD FOR TREATING THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN UNDER MY CARE

FOR THE BITE OF A MAD DOG, OR OTHER MAD ANIMAL

If the person's constitution will bear the loss of blood, I take from him 8, 10, or 12 ounces, as soon as possible, and immediately after give him a draught with manna and salts, dissolv'd in an infusion of senna, enough to give five or six stools, and repeat it once a week for the first month. The next morning I prepare for him the following powders:—Loaf Sugar three drams. Salt Petre two drams, Sal Ammoniac one dram and half, made into fine powder, and mixed together, two scruples of which (or as much as you can hold on a shilling,) may be given to a grown person, twice or three times a day, in some warm tea, for the first month, and once or twice a day for the second month. When application hath been made within a fortnight, I have not once had occasion to use any other medicine, though some of them have been terribly wounded; but when it hath been longer omitted, and the dreadful I symptoms appear, such as violent pain and giddiness of the head, fearfullness and trembling at the least noise, a pain of the throat without swelling, which pain extends itself to the stomach, with great thirst, but can not prevail on them to drink, an hydraphobia, or fear of water, &c. &c. I then treat them as follows:—

August 12th, 1739. A young woman, of as robust a constitution as I ever met with, about 26 years old, was bit by a dog, which after a few days' confinement died mad. Her master and [a] maid servant were bit at the same time by the same dog: both of them applied to me the fourth day from their being bit. I did for them as above, and they felt no ill effects, but the other laugh'd at them for applying for such a trifle as she called it, and continued well untill the seventh day of September following. As she was in the orchard gathering of apples, she complained of such violent pain and giddiness in her bead that she was obliged to quit her work and go home to bed. A few hours after, as the family was at supper, she came down stairs with nothing on but her shift, quite void of sense, running at, and endeavouring to bite, every one she came near, The family left the room as soon as possible, but fearing she might hurt herself, two of the men returned, having put on thick gloves, and carrying before them a large hemp sheet, such as is generally used in winnowing : they threw it over her and getting her down on the floor, bound her as they thought fit. All that night she had no interval of reason, but endeavoured to bite every thing near her, and made a very uncommon noise. The next morning they put on some of her cloaths, placed her astride on a pack saddle, bound her firmly to it, and brought her to my house, which was near five miles from the place she lived at; but on the road, whenever she came near any water, she would be exceedingly fearfull; and after she was at my house, on bringing a bason of water near her, she wd use her utmost endeavours to move from it, and by continuing it in her sight, she wd through herself into great agonies. I kept her in the house some hours, hopeing she might have some interval of reason, but none appearing, having good assistance, I with great difficulty took from her arm twenty ounces of blood, greatly inflamed, having previously put on over her bead a woman's thick petticoat, tied close on the top of her head, and likewise round her neck, to prevent her biting, or casting saliva or spittle over us that might hurt us. When after bleeding I had secured her arm, I turned the pocket hole of the coat before her face, and laying her back, I so opened her mouth with an iron spatula that an assistant could drench her with some manna and salt, dissolved in as small a quantity of water as possible ; but alas! as soon as it was in her stomach, she was so dreadfully convulsed, that had she not been tied it had been impossible to hold her for several minutes, which as soon as over she was again put on horseback as before, and carried to her father's, which was about a mile and half from. I sent by her friends a quantity of the above powders, to be given her every three or four hours, by force if they could not give it otherwise. By the time she came to her father’s house the physic had purged her briskly, and by six the next morning they had drenched her with five doses of the powder, and some lime in the afternoon she seemed a little sensible, though she had not slept from the time she was seized. She now complained of her head, throat, and stomach; the hydraphobia still continued, and she would by no means be persuaded to take her medicines, or any kind of liquid, though she complained greatly of thirst, but were obliged to drench her as before, which wd hurry her prodigiously for some time after. She now lay more quiet, and did not attempt to bite so much as before, and her speech began to be more articulate. The night following she had no sleep, but by the next morning could bear the sight of water, and to have it held near her month, but could not prevail on her to taste it, for fear it would bring on the pain of her stomach. The afternoon following she was very sensible, her pains almost gone, her thirst abated, and consented to take her powders dry, and let them dissolve in her mouth, which she cd swallow without much pain, and sometimes wd eat a piece of dry cake. The next night she slept several hours, but not without hurrys, and the next morning she took her powders in some tea, encreasing the quantity of liquid every dose, and frequently took some water gruel, &c, and in a few days was so well as to walk in the fields.

September ye 30th. Thinking all danger over, she went to a child feast in the neighbourhood, where eating heartily, and drinking too much strong beer, she was again seized the next day with all the former symptoms, as violent as ever. On being sent for she was blooded plentifully, and ten grains of turbith mineral given, mixed with a little conserve of roses, and as soon as its operation by vomiting was over, gave her the powders every four hours. The next day, October ye 2nd, towards evening, gave her a second dose of turbith mineral, and ordered the powders to be continued. The next morning all symptoms being better, I gave her only the powders, untill ye 4th of October at night, when she took the third dose of turbith mineral, and thought she seemed quite recovered. She took the fourth dose of turbith ye ninth day, without any laxative after, yet her mouth was not sore with it. I advised her to take the powders twice a day for six weeks, and afterwards once a day for a month or six weeks longer, which she accordingly did, and being afterwards very carefull of what she eat or drank, she had no return, but hath enjoied a very good state of health, being since married, and hath a large family of children.

During each time she had the hydraphobia her pulse varied greatly, sometimes so strong that I shod have taken off more blood, had they not in a few minutes been so small and intermiting that I was fearfull she was dying, when on a sudden they wd rise again, and beat as regular for some time as in a well person, and so wd be altering several times in one hour; neither was she ever free from a subsultus tendonum during the hydraphobia. Since the above case I have met with three other persons who had the hydraphobia, &c, as above, before I was applied to. Immediately after bleeding I gave a dose of turbith mineral every, or every other day, unto the third or fourth time, according as the symptoms encreased or decreased, continuing the powders as in the above case. I have always charged those that were bit not to use any spirituous liquors, wine, strong beer, high seasoned meats, nor spices. I dressed the wounds as if bit by a dog that was not mad, only that if it was in a place where I could conveniently keep it open as an issue, I did so for sevl months. The first opportunity I had of giving the above powders, was in the month of June, 1724, since which time I have had under mine, and my apprentice's care, upwards of three hundred persons for the bite of mad dogs, cats, &c, all which, by the blessing of God, on the above medicine, have been happily preserved, without failing in one case.

JOHN DYER.

Crediton, September 11th, 1759.

Purging Salts one ounce, Manna half an ounce, dissolved in a tea cup of Senna Tea.

(Manna is a purgative made from the dried sap of the South European Ash (mainly grown in Sicily). Purgative Salts are Epsom Salts or similar (Magnesium Sulphate). Turbith is Mercuric Sulphate, a yellow powder.)