Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

16

Introduction

Materia Alimentaria

nourishment, or into such as are easy or difficult of digestion.

Materia Alimentaria. Dr Cullen has done more than any proceeding Author on this subject, it is much the most correct and important part of his treatise. He has ascribed nutrition to a vegetable acid sugar and oil, he supposes vegitable matter absolutely necessary for Nutrition, this he infers from all matter undergoing a ferment in the stomach, and for the want of vegitables, bringing on the scurvy; an acid appears in vegitables combined with sugar and mucilage, not to mention the native acid of sugar from experience and extensive observation I am led to conclude that a vegitable acid is not absolutely required for nutrition, nor is it essential to animal life as Dr Cullen spposed, some of the most healthy and robust nations subsist without them, even in scurvy they are not always necessary as fresh meat is sometimes more efficatious in curing their disease, than vegitables. Dr Cullens fundimental physiological principle was eronious, and no doubt contributed to increase the number of mistakes in this work. He supposed the digestion

24

Materia Alimentaria

Sugar

honey &c to prevent putrefaction. The antiscorbutic properties of sugar have been fully proved by Beecher he immersed whole pigs in melted sugar and found they were preserved from putrefaction. It is said to prevent and cure scurvy, it is certain that scurvy is infrequent in the West Indies or other places where sugar is used in great abundance. Dr McBride was in the habit of recommending Wert in this disease, but probably without knowing that it cured by the sugar it contained, it was used with success by Dr Trotter, the external use of sugar I have found efficatious in the cure of the Scorbutic gums, the following case seems very much to invalidate the opinion, that a vegitable diet and one merely sacharine will cure scurvy. Dr Stark took Eight ℥ [ounces] of sugar with forty ℥ [ounces] of Bread and continued this diet for two weeks, at the end of which time his mouth became sore and ulcerated, his gums flaccid and after sometime purple spots appeared upon his shoulders he then left it off, and returned to a generous diet and wine, during the time he lived on sugar he had three or four loose stools a day, this case clearly proves that

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Materia Alimentaria

Sugar

scurvy may sometimes be brought on by a vegitable diet if it contained oxygen; he found that two pints of water was necessary while living on sugar, and a much smaller quantity when he changed his diet. I have heard of a case of scurvy that occurred for the first time under a vegitable diet. Some authors assert that sugar will prevent the Yellow Fever, this I am convinced is groundless from my own observations. Its occurring more seldom now than a few centuries ago has been attributed to a change of diet I am not of this opinion indeed I have seen severe affections of this kind attack persons under a strict vegitable diet. Sugars has been charged with injuring the teeth but without foundation, for I think I have known it to do service and whenever it has done harm it was when the Enamel was injured. In Scotland and other Countries where sugar is plentifully used their teeth are generally verry good. I am acquainted with a gentleman who used much sugar and had a new set of teeth at the age of eighty four. But I do not suppose sugar is inoffensive to all animals on the contrary some are destroyed by it, it is a verry good anthelmintic, destroying

30

Materia Alimentaria

Gums

cellular membrane in disease, to support the body is in scurvy, syphilis, and sometimes in a healthy state as in Bears during their Hybernation. Oil has been said by some authors to float on the blood this I believe to be a mistake supposing it to be Chyle, and whenever this appears it may be considered a sign of indisposition. Some winters ago I was attacked in the night with a violent pain in the head, and was bled, the blood after standing a few hours had a creem like fluid on its surface, which coagulated by heat showing it was not fat. In such states of the blood we might infer indisposition if no other symptoms appear. Dr Russell in his travels into Lapland where they use a great quantity of oil, the people were fat and disposed to be feverish. Dr Stak found he could subsist on a smaller quantity of oil than of any other food. Gums. Are insipid destitute of smell or colour when pure. Dr Hardice supposed gum the principal of nutrition, some of the gums are very nourishing, as that of the cherry tree, and gum Arabic combined with water. Heat does not coagulate them. Many of the black tribe on the river Niger and the Moors subsist almost entirely on gum Arabic

92

Materia Medica

Astringents

repeated and increased, we may begin with five grs [grains] and increase it to ℈i [1 scruple] several times in the day, before we administer this remidy in morbid evacuations or hemorrhages we should attend to the cause whether it be an increased arterial action or debility. I shall now mention the different diseases in which it has been employed. Leucorrhea. It has been recommended in this disease, which is frequently connected with the Phytisis, I have used it with colombo with advantage it is of much importance to the pulse. Gonorrhea. Many authors have recommended it in this disease. I have used a simple solution, but prefer it mixed with a decoction of the oak bark. Dr Foroler has found it verry usefull in scorbutic hemorrhages. I have used it with success with galls. Diabetes. On the authority of Dr Mead it has been used in this disease, but it would be natural to doubt its efficacy in diabetes, there are however some facts which seem to show it may be usefull in some cases. Dr Wistar informed me he was successfull in a case that appeared to be desperate. Dr Dover had a verry high opinion of it other physicians have used it with success. Dr Darwin supposed it acted by exciting the absorbents of the urinary organs into their natural action, but I