Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

146

Materia Medica

Tonics

but it is not. It is the produce of a tree in the East Indies, where it is used as a specific for the bite of a snake. The seed of the plant is the nux vomica of the shops, it is of an Orange colour and intensely bitter and disagreeable to the taste. It contains a gum and a resin. It is fatal to dogs Conrad Gisnac gave a dog ℈fs [½ scruple] he fell a sleep and died convulsed in a few hours, but it was not a true sleep accompanied with stupor and insensibility. It has been used in intermittant fevers in doses of grs v [5 grains], it is internally and externally as an anthelmintic, the spiritous tincture has been found usefull in Lumbrica cotton dipped in it and appli'd to the umbilicus has expelled them.

Fumaria Officinalis. Fumitory is not a native of this country, but will grow in our gardens, it is a bitter without odour, the inspissated Juice when efforesced leaves a substance which diflagrates like nitre on the coals. Hoffman esteemed it the sweetener of the blood, by this he ment a purifier, he held the humeral Pathology, we may observe that some of those medicines called sweeteners are verry active. Dr Hutchinson says he cured a case of leprae, accompanied with glandular swellings by the use of this medicine. Stanbury found it usefull in herpes,

148

Materia Medica

Tonics

Cullen used it with advantage in cutaneous affections of the Leprous kind.

Tanacetum. Or Tansey, this is a powerfull bitter, the less so than chamomile. Dr Black used it in gout, with him it proved diuretic and laxative, Gardiner considered it rather an innocent than a usefull medicine, Hoffman thought it an excellent anthelmintic, and from my own experience I am inclined to think it may be of service.

Anthemis Nobilis. Or chamomile have long been celebrated as a stomachic, it was employed in the 17th Century, before the discovery of the bark in intermittant fevers. Morton thought it as usefull as the bark, if given in substance, in the other forms they prove cathartic. Hoffman cured intermittant fevers by it. Berjius and Pitcairn both used it and the latter thought it an antidote to a flatulent colic; this I cannot believe, it may be usefull by its cathartic quality. Dr Cullen and Pringle supposed it relieved the tenesmus by means of an antispasmodic power. Cullen found it rather injurious in Diarrhea, he used it in intermittants. It has somewhat of an emetic quality, a simple aqueous infusion is frequently as an assistant in emetics, the bitter to most people is less disagreeable than any other.

238

Materia Medica

Tonics

copper acted too much alike, when they were used as escharotics, they seem to act alike on the system, Copper sometimes induces salivation.

Scrophula. In a case of this kind in the Pennsylvania Hospital, I gave the bark and applied the verdigris in rag to the ulcers the patient was discharged in a few weeks without the aid of mercury.

Chancre. It has been used in venerial ulcers and may be applied in three ways either in the form of powder, solution, or ointment. In affections of the eyes some of the preparations of copper have been used with complete success. Dr Cullen thinks it too irritating, to prevent nausea as I said before it must not be given on an empty stomach cinnamon also will obviate its nauseating tendency.

Nitrate of Silver or Lunar Caustic. One part of silver to four parts diluted nitric acid it has long been used as an escharotic, and will long be continued in indolent ulcers, a solution of nitrate of silver proves highly usefull and it possesses the advantage that its strength may be decreased to any degree it is remarkable in removing leprous eruptions, venerial buboes, and ringworms, when used to remove a chancre it should be applied in the form of solution with a camonels [camels] hair pencil, taking

242

Materia Medica

Tonics

known this medicine administered to prevent costiveness. Dr Linneus remarks he has cured many cases = In some at first it agrivated the disease = it is verry certain it frequently fails. Dr W. Green gave it to the extent of 12 grains in a day. I have never cured the Epilepsy with it, yet I believe it might effect a cure. In a boy of six years of age Dr White gave it to the extent of seven grains which I have done, but it is best to begin with the 8th of a grain in Epilepsy. Anguina Pectoris is sometimes cured by it = Lepra = in this disease I have used it myself with the most remarked good result.

Arsenic. It has been supposed by some that arsenic will supersede the bark in the cure of intermittants, but I think this will never be the case, arsenic sometimes cures when the bark fails. In children when bark cannot be given arsenic may with advantage. I prefer the oxyde to Fowlers solution which is made in the following manner.

Rx Oxyde of Arsenic grs 64 [64 grains] Potash grs 64 [64 grains] Aq. Font. lbfs [½ pound]

boil this and add another fs lb [½ pound] of water with j vel ij Ʒ [1 or 2 drams] of Spt Lavend. gtt X [10 drops] of this three times a day is the usual manner of giving it, but children will not bear as large dose of the solution as Fowler recommends. I have known gtt i [1 drop] vomit a child twelve

256

Materia Medica

Tonics

it in this disease with the happiest effacts = In itch* [footnote back 1 page] and lepra when long continued it is found usefull.

Muriatic Acid. This is also worthy of notice and has been found usefull in Dyspepsia in doses of gtt. X. [10 drops] three times a day in water = It has been taken laterally as a remidy for calculous =In Anguina Pectoris if used in a gargle it has been found usefull.

Nitric Acid. I have never spoken of this before as a tonic, but I believe it may be given in such doses as benefit may be derived from its tonic powers which I have known it possess = it has been used in Syphilis with efficacy but I believe it has never made an entire cure of this disease, I cannot therefore recommend it and think it would be criminal to trust the cure of this disease to it solely, in Lepra and Hepatitis it has been used with advantage.

Muriate of Soda. Or common Salt. The tonic effects of this are obvious from the dayly use of tonic provisions, in the low state of typhus salted provisions prove the best tonic, yet some of the good effects of this medicine cannot be attributed to its tonic powers as in Hymoptisis in which disease it proves verry efficacious, it sometimes cures nausea and proves strengthening to the stomach, it is said to injure the teeth but I believe the opinion to be erronious, it has