Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

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Materia Medica

Astringents

which is a verry valuable one in Diarrhea as depending on a relaxed or torpid state of the bowells they may be used with advantage in the diarrhea of old people accompanied with great pain, they are improper in Dysentary they are frequently injurious. Dr Cullen supposed to this to depend on a spasm of a part of the colon, produced verry often by increased arterial action. I do not believe this idea of the disease to be correct but rather suppose it to depend on a febrile action in the internal or mucous membranes of the intestines, hence it is obvious that these membranes that diminish the action of the arterial action system ought first to be employed, astringents are serviceable in some cases of Dysentary, but such only as depend on a relaxed state of the system, or are of a cronic nature there are some of the vegitable astringents that may be used in its first stage. Leucorrhaea. Astringents are serviceable according to Dr Cullen, but some authors have found them injurious, there are evidently two species of this disease, one commencing with fever and more or less of a febrile nature through all its stages, the other the effect of debility, they are serviceable in the latter kind, but I have cured some cases of

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Materia Medica

Astringents

I object as it would require a previous knowledge of Botany. I conceive it much better to arrange them according to their degree of astringency. This I shall attempt and proceed from the weaker to the stronger. I shall commence the history of vegitable astringents by with the Quercus or Oak Bark. The bark of many oaks have long been employed in tanning where they seem to exert an astringent principle, though not in the same manner as I before remarked on the living animal fibres. The oak bark was employed by Dr Cullen in intermittant fever, and slight tumefaction of the mucous membrane of the fauces in doses of ℥fs [½ ounce] every three hours or oftener. It has been used in Europe instead of the Chincosra and it is said by some authors with evident advantage, toasted acorns have been taken with advantage in diarrhea and dysentaries but they possess little strength, powdered acorns taken in small beer are used in Germany as a cure for Erysipelas, here they act principally on the perspirable vessels, this seems to be a disease depending on contagious matter similar to yellow fever, and plague, and is often a verry severe disease, in London it is treated as a putrid disease by stimulants. In Scotland as inflamitory. I have seen more cases of Erysipelas

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Materia Medica

Astringents

hospital, the injection was Ʒiv [4 drams] to ℥viij [8 ounces] of Aqua font.

Yellow Gum Resin. This is nearly a pure gum. It is obtained from Botony Bay. It is now the fashionable astringent of London. It has not yet found its way into the practice of the American Physician. Terra Japonica or Catechu. The name terra Japonica is verry improper for Catechu is a vegitable inspissated juice. Dr Cullen says it is a tolerable powerfull astringent and he has often experienced its effects in Diarrheas and Dysentaries, he has never used it in Fluor Albus. I have but little experience in this medicine and am inclined to think it of little worth, its virtues are equally extracted by alkahol and water, it has no disagreeable smell or taste, it is never pure as brought to us. Uva Ursi. The whortleberry is the arbutus, Uva Ursi of Linneus, this plant is common to the Old and New world, it grows in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, it is an evergreen trailing on the ground and verry similar to our hustlebeery, to which it is verry properly allied, that it possesses a considerable degree of astringency we infer from its taste, and from the black colour produced by the sulfate of Iron. It has an agreeable bitter and when

132

Materia Medica

Tonics

after dysentary it is of great use, this tree is a pure bitter, though the bark possesses it in a greater degree, in some respects it is superior to Cort Cinchona, and columbo as a bitter, but inferior as an antiseptic, quassia is used in intermittant, remittant, and continued fevers. Dr Monroe used it fevers and dropy. Dr Letsom preferred it to all other bitters in hysteria, Hypocondriasis, dyspepsia, and most nervous diseases; and assures us it seldom fails in his hands, but he was fond of long prescriptions, and used this medicine in combination with several, as the Sulphet of Zink. Sem. Card. It has been recommended in heriditary gout and disserves some credit. Combined with Columbo it is particularly adapted to dysentaries of long standing. Haller used it in calculous. Quassia Poligama. This is a tall and beautifull tree growing in the West Indies described by Mr Lindsay every part except the pulp is bitter, the bark is most so, this I am of opinion is incorrect, the wood is the most intence bitter. Dr Lindsay used it in remitting fever with success, he also employed it in dropsy and chlorosis, it has been used in a disease called by the Nosologists Pica with success. Pica or a depraved appetite in some women during

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Tonics

pregnancy for unatural food, I have never used it, the dose from XV grs. [15 grains] to a ℈i [1 scruple] of the powder or one ounce of the infusion made of a ℥ fs. [½ ounce] quassia to 1 lb water. Quassia Amara, and Quassia Polligama are sold in the city of Philadelphia by the name of quassea. Quassia Semirouba. This grows in Jamaica and in almost all the West Indies and Southern climates, it is called Mountain Jessamine, to a chimical test it discovers no astringency, the fresh bark discovers no astringency, its virtues are extracted by water. Jesseau informed us he used it fifteen years in dysentary, but with ill success. I can readily believe it can be usefull in the cronic stage of dysentary if combined with opium when there is no tenesmus or fever, but like all the tonics it is not adapted to the first stage of disease, it is recommended in dysentary by Saunders he says if it did not prove usefull in three or four days it never did. Dr Lind says if given to nauseate it was of use. Dr Ham thought it a good anthelmintic habitual Chlorosis have been cured by it. Sir John Pringle prescribed this bark in diarrhea's from Hot Climates. Menianthus Trifoliata, Or Marsh Trefoil, is found