Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

116

Materia Medica

Tonics

no bitterness. The question may be verry naturally asked, on what the tonic power depends this I am unable to answer to yours and my own satisfaction, none are tonics but such as excite a stimulating power, but not that degree as to increase the heat of the body. In a fever they do not increase the pulse or the force of the circulation, this is incorrect, the bitters do not give out oil, Odour Aronia, nothing saline nor acid, we are acquainted with the bitter principles in some articles. In some we have the bitter and astringent principles united to consitute the tonic as in the Cinchona. Dr Cullen has placed a number of medicines among the tonics. I shall place under the class of tonics, astringents. I have ranked those only so particularly, vegitable tonics and those of less astringency and which gives strength of a permanent kind by their stimulus on their vital principle whatsoever that may be. Dr Cullen supposes tonics acts by curing Dyspepsia, by imparting tone to the stomach and its fibres, but I suppose this disease to be more of a morbid state of the gastric Juices, and not to a weak stomach. I am of the same opinion of Dr Monroe who verry Justly ascribes their effect to food increasing a heat