Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

149

Diaphoretics

Phlegmasia. In this class of disease strict attention must be paid to the surface of the body regarding its temperature, if that be above the sweating point it must be reduced by bloodletting or any other depleting remidy, as cold.

Rheumatism. Here cold would be improper to the joint and their use should be supply'd by Saline effervescing draughts at which time Diaphoretics are highly usefull, a combination of Ipecacuanha, calomel, and cicuta are verry deservedly praised, the extract of cicuta in dose of 10 or 12 grains is verry usefull; In the confirmed cronic State, Stimulants are necessary, there are Guaicum, Mezereon, Vol. Alkali, Sarsaparilla and Savin, which last I particularly recommend from my own experience in the alms hous [house], here the pulse was verry feeble,

308

Materia Medica

Stimulants

exept in this City when the yellow fever turned towards that form. I go on then to treat of opium in Phlegmasia, this constitutes all the order of the class Apyrexia, they are diseases from inflamation and the generallity of Physicians consider the employment of opium in them improper, inflamation has been divided into active and passive, the former depending on an increased action of the vessels, the latter proceeding from debility.

Pneumonia Gastritis. Acute rheumatism are an example of the former, and the passive we adduce some species of Opthalmia, chronic rheumatism &c, and in acute inflamation the antiphlogistic regimin as bleeding, purging, blistering &c, are verry proper, while in the passive species stimulants should be exhibitted in that kind of opthalmia unattended with active inflamation, the application of water alone has done harm, while that of brandy and water has done good, sometimes however in active inflamation, stimulants of a certain kind are proper. Dr Young has laid it down as a general rule that where bleeding is proper opium is not, this is certainly a verry good rule in general, but must not be adhered to