Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

135

Diaphoretics

in the brain effusions of lymph of a pus like nature, and taking all the symptoms into consideration it appears to be Typhus combined with Erysipelatous Inflamation. "Treatment". The Practitioners seem generally to have adopted two modes of practice, "first" the profuse use of direct stimulants, and the "Second" The sweating plan. I have tried both and have now no hessitation in deciding in favor of the latter, and in fact nearly all agree to it now. Among the most active means to procure diaphoresis none are so efficacious as the Dovers Powders, Wine Whey, fomentations, and hot Toddy. I have always affected a cure where I could induce perspiration, when any topical affection supervene blisters to the parts will remove it, in the last stage the free exhibition of Vol. Alkali is the "Anchor of Hope" 10 grains

137

Diaphoretics

every half hour in hot Toddy, Madaira Wine &, the sudden sinking should be opposed by Dessicatories, but we possess verry few capable of acting, the preparation invented by Doct Hartshorn is the only one now in use, that is a decoction of cantharides in Spirit of Turpentine. This formidable disease first made its appearance about 6 years ago in the most distant parts of the Eastern States and spread its ranges South. In this place it prevail’d with great mortality and caused of the greatest ornament to our school. Besides this new form of Typhus there is another produced by long exposure to cold which exerts its sedative operation so far as to extinguish almost every vital faculty. These symptoms are torpor, cold skin, insensibility, loss of muscular power &c. The warm bath, dry heat,

147

Diaphoretics

Chronic Dysentary. Charactarised by small and mucus like evacuations, great weakness, Indigestion, eyes week, complexion sallow, skin dry and cold, pulse feeble. I have succeeded in affecting a cure (after every thing else had fail'd even powerfull astringents) with Dovers Powders alone, the disease is often kept up by a vitiated secretion from the liver, here small doses of calomel should be combined, as in fact the secretion from the surface is always in an inverse proportion to that of the intestines, every complaint of this nature must be managed by due attention to the surface. Flannel worne next the skin, and Blisters apply'd over the abdomen will sometimes relieve them.

176

Materia Medica

Tonics

cause Marsh Miasmata, they often change into each other, for various other reasons I consider them as varieties of the same disease, the bark is verry serviceable in this disease, but its use is liable to many restrictions in the employment of it in intermittants, as there is seldom a well marked intermission in this disease we may often safely employ the bark during the paroxysm in Synocha. Inflamation being one of the characteristics of this disease the bark cannot be exhibitted with propriety unless it is in the latter stages of the disease.

Pneumonia. Sydenham and Booerhave advised it verry strongly in this disease, there is a disease in the southern states called a pleurasy of the head, from the pain being principally distressing in that part, it is attended with sticking in the side, it attacks the weak and debilitated and comes on with shivering. It now frequently attacks persons who are adicted to drinking, it is a remitting or intermittant fever and owes its origin to the same cause Mar. Mias. The pulse generally indicates bleeding but this is found to agrivate the symptoms it yields verry readily to barks and blisters applied near the pained part. In those pleuisies [pleurisies] which occur in autumn, Bark is the proper remidy

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Materia Medica

Tonics

and may be given with the greatest advantage Mr __ Informs us he had a number of pneumonial patients all whoom died who were bled, at last suspecting the cause to be miasmata, as they lived near stagnant water he gave bark in preparations of bark and other stimulants which he found of great service, in true inflamitory pneumonia the lancet is proper, but in those cases the pain often remains after bleeding, to remove which blisters are verry efficacious. It sometimes partakes of an intermittant type, recurring at regular hours every day, here the bark is verry usefull to be given about the coming on of the paroxysm, there is a fact respecting the cure of the plague with the bark which deserves mentioning, it is related by Dr Brown, that from one hundred men with plague he took 100 ounces of blood and only eight of them died. The plague sometimes makes its appearance in tertians, quartans, &c in which case the bark may prevent the fatal termination, if given plentifully.

Rheumatism. This disease is commonly attended with an inflamitory diathesis. Dr Cullen found the bark hurtful, it sometimes periodical then the bark may be of service, it sometimes appears without fever. I know nothing of its effects from experience but I think it certainly