An inaugural dissertation upon the three following subjects: I. An attempt to proved that the Lues Venerea was not introduced into Europe from America. II. An experimental inquiry into the modus operandi of mercury in curing the Lues Venerea. III. Experimental proofs that the Lues Venerea, and gonorrhoea, are two distinct forms of disease

Philadelphia: Printed for the author, 1801. FIRST EDITION. Dedication to the author’s teacher Benjamin Rush. Half cloth over marbed boards; interior excellent. Rare first edition of Tongue’s doctoral dissertation about lues venerea, or syphilis. Tongue (1779–1843), then a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, argues against the widely held belief that indigenous Americans infected Europeans with syphilis. He uses references from the bible and historical research on venereal diseases in Europe. Tongue also describes various experiments with mercury, a common cure for syphilis. He ends with a comparison between syphilis and gonorrhea arguing that the two are distinct and different maladies.

OCLC locates 5 copies (Harvard, American Philosophical Soscity, Penn, Northwestern, American Antiquarian Society); Austin, Early American Medical Imprints, 1916; Shaw & Shoemaker, 1427.