Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

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Materia Medica

Stimulants

be sometimes the case, but I think it acts more properly by stimulating the proper action in the urethra. I gave XV or XX [15 or 20] drops three or four times a day. I also gave it in pills it has been advised in Fluor Albus. Dr Cullen does not approve of it, because he says there are few female stomachs that will bear a sufficient quantity Dr Henderson relates a case of the Abdominal Dropsy which was rapidly cured by the use of turpentine pills, the virtues of turpentine are said to depend on an essential oil which if rubbed on the spine is said to prevent the recurrence of Intermittants. It is a usefull diuretic, since it produces alarming and sometimes fatal inflamation of the Urinary passages, in Sciatica Dr Home employ’d it to advantage it has been used in hemorrhages from the intestines dissolved in the yolk of an egg, and taken in water, the burgundy pitch is usefull in some cases of deafness introduced into the ear. A burgundy pitch plaster has been used in Tenea Capitis it is supposed to remain on the head untill it is encorporated with the hair when it is pulled of [off].

Tar. This is a kind of Half burt [burnt] turpentine, it is somewhat Empyrumatic, the powers of tarr are supposed to be somewhat similar to turpentine, but they are not quite, and it is more disagreeable to the stomach, the tarr has been mixed with gravy, wax &c, as a remidy for lepra,