Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

340

Materia Medica

Stimulants

Opium is a sovereign remidy. I think it will be of advantage when the pulse is feeble, upon the whole I think our medicine is a precarious one in mania, especially in the hands of an inattentive practitioner. In the case of Puerperal women and that produced by ardent spirits, opium is a verry useful remidy I have myself employ'd it and known men restored to their families after being afflicted with mania from the pernicious use of strong drink. It is however a difficult practice, we should gradually diminish the quantity of Laudanum which is employ'd or it would be substituting one poison for another.

Syphilis. The employment of opium in this disease is quite a new practice, and its discovery like most other things accidental. A Young Man was affected with this disease and was pronounced incurable. He resorted to opium and was said to be cured by it. It is often given with Murcury, it has been said to recal [recall] syphilis after the disease had been cured. Opium is used externally in venerial cases, it is often employ'd in injection in Gonorrhea, but I am not partial to this practice though in some cases it is evidently good, in chordee we must have resort to it. I have long recommended opium as a check to the salivary gland discharge produced by mercury, we may use a gargle of Laudanum and water in the proportion of Ʒi [1 dram] of the former

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Materia Medica

Stimulants

not often produce the inconvenience that Cullen ascribes to it, but on the contrary generally brings on pleasant sleep, when opium fails in a case of Mania from an Intermittant in Montpelier the extract of henbane often effects a cure, in chin cough we are told it is usefull, but I think it to hazardous to be given to children, in chordee after bleeding opium is proper, and therefore think henbane would be useful. Mr Bell employd it in this affection. Henbane may be administered in large doses provided we do it by gradually increasing the quantity, the extract suffers from keeping, but when it is properly prepared it will keep for several years without injury.

Stramonium. This plant is a native of this Country it is also called James Town Weed, and on Staten Island it is denominated henbane, it grows in the vicinity of Philadelphia, the smell is poisonous and verry disagreeable. Linneus says that cattle avoid it, but I have seen sheep eat the seed, vessicle &c. It is probable they do not so much eat it for food as for condiment, as we take pepper, mustard &c. Mr Reverly says this being an early plant was gathered by some soldiers in James Town who eat of it, it produced a considerable effect upon them, they committed a thousand extravigances, they were confined for fear of mischief but none of them attempted to hurt themselves