Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

102

Materia Medica

Astringents

and Anasarcous legs which have a tendency to mortification, is the most efficacious remidy. I prefer a blister to lead as in the case of external inflamation as Erysipelas. It It is employed in burns but should not be applied to a large surface at once, it is used in combination with mercury with advantage in Scrophulous Ulcers of young people but is improper in old people. I shall proceed to speak of its internal use first in epilepsy. Dr Rush and myself have both used it in this disease with advantage, it has been recommended in Chorea a disease nearly allied to Epilepsy with success it is recommended in several as mania, purtusses &c. I have no experience of it in those diseases of it is highly spoken of in intermittans Sach. Sat. is verry effectual in lowering the pulse it was given in a case where the puse [pulse] was 109 and in six or eight minutes it was reduced to 96 strokes a phasycian in this state has used it combined with a poisonous plant, the kalmia latifolia, for two years in inflamitory fever without success I am almost afraid to tell you it was successful, but an excess of timidity in a phasycian is worse than boldness, it has proved usefull in consumption when combined with opium in the course of the last five years I have employed the Sach.

322

Materia Medica

Stimulants

this disease, I have but little to say, in the diarrhea it is necessary, though this is a favourable symptom, in the confluent small pox it is usefull. I employ’d it however cautiously because it increases the eruption and Pitting.

Opthalmia. It has been employ’d in some cases adventageously, Mr Mire of England has used it by instilling into the eye three or four drops of Laudanum in the course of twenty four hours in the painfull cronic Opthalmia to which boys are subject, it usefull in an eye wash.

Dropsy. In some cases of this disease it has done good by its diaphoretic power. I have used Dovers powders in some slight cases of Anasarca, succeeding remittant and intermittant fevers. I should think it would be usefull in dropsy which is the effect of cold.

Diabetes. In this it is an important remidy, sometimes a hot and dry skin are attendants on this disease and cause evidently for Dover's powders, such cases I think cannot be rare.

Hemorrhages. Preceded and accompanied by active pulse &c, it is improper, but sometimes even in active hemorrhages opium is an excellent remidy as these are sometimes owing to irritation, but it is frequently usefull when the irritation is not present, in uterine hemorrhage it is verry usefull with allum, and in some of the

464

Materia Medica

Sialagogues

from intermittant and remittant fevers, or from obstruction of the viscera, but it should not be employ’d in those cases untill the phlogistic diathesis of the system has been somewhat reduced. I think it better suited to anasarca than ascites, it sometimes fails to do good in dropsy which afterwards yields to the diuretic medicines, upon the whole I am of opinion that mercury has done good in dropsy, but it frequently has also been productive of evil, it promotes absorption.

Jaundice. I have but little to say when we consider the cause and aspects of this disease we might suppose mercury to be usefull and according it is said to be so by Dr Clark, Dr Saunders, and Monroe. In Germany mercury has been employ’d to advantage, & it has sometimes been preceded by Sal. Ammoniac as an emetic.

Epilepsy. It has been frequently used with a view to excite salivation but I find few cases of cures recorded. Some physicians say who have employ’d it, that it suspended the disease and moderated the symptoms, even this is effecting a verry desirable end, but I think that tonics generally answer better. I consider mercury best adapted to those cases attended with plethora. Dr Hoffman gave the preparations of mercury in this disease. Some epileptic patients have been found with an effusion in the ventricles of the brain, mercury by

504

Materia Medica

Emetics

but not in the humeral, though this medicine is so usefull in relieving asthma, yet the effluvia of it is said to induce the disease. I once had a pupil Dr Samuel Jones who was always affected with asthma from weighing out Ipecacuanha, suspecting it to depend verry much upon the immagination I once mixed some of it with Jalap unknown to him, and desired him to weigh out a certain quantity of Jalap, this also produced a fit of asthma, though not so violent as when he weighed out the Ipecacuanha alone. Dr Scot mentions two similar instances. Ipecacuanha has been found usefull in dropsy particularly anasarca in the form of Dovers powders. I have not had so much experience in this practice, but I have adopted it in some cases, and never failed to relieve some patients who were afflicted with Hydrathorax and anasarca, there is no disease in which Ipecacuanha is more employ’d than in dysentary. Dr James Clark has used it in infusion this he thinks produces more perminant effects than in substance, he prefers the Ipecacuanha to antimony as it does not produce so much debility which circumstance renders the latter more particularly proper in a warm climate such as Dr Clark practiced in. Dr Dick of East Indies used the Ipecacuanha in infusion to great

558

Materia Medica

Diuretics

but in my opinion it is a sedative & stimulant, and from observation of its effects in Dr Mores inaugural Dissertation upon fox glove some of his experiments are related, from one account it appears one of his friends took grs iij [3 grains] of Digitalis his pulse being at 64 in 5 minutes it was at 66 in (Min/Beets) 10/66, 15/68, 20/70, 35/72, 45/70, 55/68, 85/66, 100/62, 120/60, 135/53. In 15 minutes says the Dr the patient perceived sense of heat at the stomach, in 25 minutes the pulse was evidently fuller, in 65 the pulse was diminish'd in force, in 70 minutes there was a nausea, which combin’d the rest of the day, the experiments of Dr More are conclusive and have been repeated in England with similar effects, though I hold its primary effects to be stimulating yet I think the medicine may be so managed as to obtain its sedative effect, the most considerable of its properties is its power over the heart and arteries its effects are more perminent than that of tobacco. I now proceed to speak of the diseases in which Digitalis is employ’d and first of its use in.

Dropsy. Dr Darwin and Dr Wethering were the first persons who used Digitalis in Dropsy. Haller and Booerhave were acquainted with it but would not employ it, it seems to be usefull in every kind of Dropsy, but it is better adapted to some of them than others, it is verry usefull in Hydrathorax and Anasarca, in Hydrathorax