Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

376

Materia Medica

Stimulants

that I had mistaken Dr Hinnis’s practice and had not carried the dose so far as he had done, proceeding on this supposition he prescribed forty grains of camphor for the next nights dose, in about half an hour after it had been taken, I was sent for to see my patient, she appeared quite insensable with the pulse hardly perceptable and the breathing almost suspended, with a pailness and coldness over her whole body I supposed she was dying, but by holding some spirits of hartshorn to her nose and chafing her extremities with warm flannel she was so far recovered as to swallow a little warm milk and by these means she continued so for some time, the pulse and the heat of her body was a good deal augmented and she had the appearance of being in a sleep, when she recovered her pulse was in the natural state of the mania very much. In this case I find no primary effects of camphor being a sedative because Dr Cullen did not see his patient untill half an hour after she had taken the medicine. Dr Monroe had a pretty just Idea of camphor Several years ago I attended a gentleman who was accustomed to take about a teaspoonfull at a time of the mixture of camphor at one time he took Ʒi [1 dram] of it, it threw him into a delirium and his eyes became inflamed upon the whole I have no doubt it is a

643

Medical Recipes

A Tonic. — The following is one of the best recipes for a good Tonic and Strengthening pill that we know of:

Rx Ext. of Hop Ʒi (one drachm [1 dram] Pulv. Hop Ʒfs (half ditto [½ dram] Pulv. Rhubarb Ʒfsj (one & half) [1½ dram] Pulv. Ginger Ʒfs (half do) [½ dram] Syrup a sufficient quantity

Make into thirty six pills. Take two morning and evening. These are tonic, gently aperient and corroborant.

Preparation of Slippery Elm Rx A table spoonful of Slippery Elm and a table spoonful of Brown sugar. Mix them in a tea cup full of Cold water. Put it in a pint of water and boil it more or less as may be desired. Strain through a thin rag, and grate nutmeg and sugar over it.

Recipe for Rheumatism Chronic. Rx Oleum Sassafras ℥fs [½ ounce] Ol. Lavender ℥fs [½ ounce] Spt. Hartshorn ℥ifs [1½ ounces] Spt. Vini ℥iv [4 ounces] Gum Camphor ℥i [1 ounce]

Mix.