Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

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Materia Medica

Astringents

colour of the skin which it acquires and the thickening and condensation of what is called sole leather. On the living animal skin it cannot penetrate farther than the epidermis and acts only by its impression on the surface. Dr More of London says they have not the power of causing contraction of the living fibres and from one of his experiments it appears that the quantity of perspirable matter was increased by application of astringent matter, into a strong Decoction of oak bark he immersed one hand and the other in water of the same temperature and then covered both with a glass vessel, upon examination he found the quantity of perspirable matter discharged and contained in the vessel greater from the hand emersed in the astringent decoction, but it is evident they do not produce a contraction and condensation of muscular fibers when applied externally thus when a piece of allum is applied to the tip of the tongue this effect is very obvious. Dr Darwin supposes the allum stimulates the absorbents of the tongue by which the more fluid parts are taken up some authors suppose astringent to act beyond the

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an attraction between the particles of the skin, and the astringent principle which in some manner produce condensation, but reasoning on the operation of medicine from what takes place on dead matter is extremely fallacious, corrugation and increased absorption would seem to have taken place in the following instance. A physician injected into the stomach of a dog two ℥ [ounces] of a strong astringent decoction, two days after he opened the dog and found the stomach contracted. Its cavity nearly obliterated, and its pylorus closed. I have seen the most obstinate costiveness induced by eating a few tamarinds. The power of astringents are communicated verry rapidly to distant parts, we need not be surprised at this, since stimulants and tonics act with equal rapidity. I onc attended a Lady labouring under quotidian fever which had resisted the common remidies. I gave her arsenic pills, composed each of one sixteenth of a grain, one to be taken night and morning, they had the effect of checking the paroxisms in twenty four hours. Astringents also act on vegitables. I cut three slips of a branch in a horisontal direction, to the one was applied sulfate of allum in solution, to an other

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Leucorrhea by the most oposite treatment such as bloodletting, milk diet &c. In others I have found the most powerfull astringents usefull. Diabetes. Astringents have been employ'd with evident advantage. Iron has been recommended in the cronic state of this disease. Allum is also usefull when it depends on relaxation of the urinary organs; but the same caution is necessary in their employment in this disease as in all others that I have spoken of, as it certainly does not always depend on debility of the kidneys, the disease is sometimes a translation of the gout, and the most decided cure I have ever seen was cured by bloodletting and the depleting plan. Gonorrhea. In which they were long employed by Dr Cullen who seems to not have a correct idea of this disease and especially of this remidy, in many instances they are highly serviceable, they have been employed in calculous affections by Dr Ham and others. They cannot be supposed to act by any power they possess of dissolving the stone. Dr Cullen supposed they acted by absorbing an acid in the stomach, in such cases, and further fixed air is a verry valuable remidy and we cannot suppose it to act in this manner, as it is its self an acid their operation here is verry difficult

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of explanation as I have seen them produce good effects even when they seem not to produce or exert any tonic power, they have been used in wounds and received the title of Vulneraries by some old authors, they are serviceable in old ulcers, Cortex Sinchoric, or bark given internally have the effect of disposing them to heal, they are used externally with the same good effect we may suppose they act by stimulating the parts into a more healthy action, to secrete good puss, and absorb the more fluid or watery parts. Dr Darwin says they produce costiveness as a general effect. I can positively assert they do not, on the contrary I have known them to excite intestinal evacuation. I can scarcely employ them as tonics, without combining Opium with them. Galls, Columbo, and Allum, very often purge. I shall now proceed to speak of the particular astringents, they have been divided by Dr Cullen into vegitable and mineral, the mineral astringents of Dr Cullen I shall transfer to my class of Tonics. Nature has been bountifull in bestowing a portion of astringency on all vegitables, even the roots and leaves of strawberry contain it, the astringent principle resides in greatest abundance in the bark of vegitables according to their botanical affinity, to this

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introduced into practice by Dr Fordicece, he used it in intermitting fevers but observed it often failed when the bark was successful. I have occasionally used it in intermittants and gonorrhea, the following were the most usual prescriptions,

Rx Kino grs 48 [48 grains] Gentian grs 64 [64 grains] Opium grs ij [2 grains]

M. fit doj XII three or four of these to to be taken in the twenty four hours;

In solution Kino Ʒiij [3 drams] Sac. Album. Ʒiij [3 drams] Gum Arabic ℥i [1 ounce] Mice. Aqua Font ℥X [10 ounces] a large spoonfull to be taken every three or four hours, Bell recommends this prescription verry highly as an injection in gonorrhea, Kino and Allum form the Pulv Styptic of the Edinburgh Pharmacopia, this is a verry usefull form. Kino is dissolved by lime water and introduced into the vagina either by a sponge or injection, its colour is a great objection to its employment, as it requires great caution to prevent detection. In hemorrhages of the urethra Mr Bell has particularly recommended it. Dr Fordyce and Cullen were disappointed in its efficacy in Fluor albus, I have never used it, but I have no doubt it may be usefull under proper restrictions. It has been used in Diarrhea and is best in the form of pills Mr Acculy used it in two cases with complete success of Fluor albus in the New York