Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

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Materia Medica

Stimulants

in every instance, we find exceptions to it in Jaundice when billiary concretions are passing the billiary ducts. Dr Cullen supposes opium to be usefull when the process of suppuration is going on.

Pneumatic Inflamation. The practice consists in reducing the inflamation, by partial and general evacuations, bleeding, blistering, cupping &c here opium is evidently improper, even in this inflamation some authors advise the exhibition of it, as Huxham, Ham &c, they all say it should be employ’d cautiously and not before the use of the lancet, Huxham says we must use the lancet liberally and De Haean tells us not to give opium untill after large evacuations, in the latter stage of Pneumonia opium is usefull with Oily mixtures, in an advanced stage of the disease when the difficulty of breathing has abated and the urjent symptoms are a cough, Opiates are usefull, the often appear to interrupt expectoration, but this however only for a short time and they sometimes appear to promote it as they cause stagnation of what was before insensibly dissipated by frequent coughing.

Peripneumonia Notha. Attacking Old men opium is dangerous the proper plan of

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Materia Medica

Sialagogues

must always avoid costiveness. I am not singular for many Physicians have derived its effects, an emminent practitioner informed me that he used mercury and blisters to the head, he thought sometimes it produced good effects, but it sometimes induces caries and some other diseases inconveniences. Mr Richerand a Surgeon in Europe informed me that a Gentleman opened 6 Heads that had been treated with mercury and found them to be full of serum. Professor Monroe gave mercury in 22 cases of this kind 10 were under 12 years of age, they all (says he with candour) died, he used the strong mercurial ointment and tried to salivate with calomel, and one boy he kept up a profuse salvation for 7 weeks, he says he was generally called in too late, the disease often consists in a determination of blood to the brain, what good can mercury do here, it has been proposed to unite digitalis with mercury but there is more theory than propriety in this practice.

Pneumonic Inflamation. In the treatment of this disease mercury has not often been employ’d, but it sometimes has in pneumonia appearing in marshy countries which arise from the same cause as intermittants, remittants, dysentary &c, this disease generally terminates fatally, but mercury is a verry good remidy in it. Mr Hamilton has written a verry good paper upon the peripneumony and the use of mercury in it, he found it verry usefull.