Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

2

Introduction

Introduction

I shall begin this course of Lectures by first pointing out the best, and most easy method of acquiring the knowledge of the virtues of vegitables. There are four 1st Chimical Analogy 2d Their sensible qualities 3d Botanical Affinity 4th Experience; the first mode is extremely fallacious and not to be rely'd on, as the product by analysis is often the same from plants and substances of verry different and opposite properties; thus the Abe Fontana found the base of Gum Arabic a verry mild bland substance, to be the same, with the venom of the viper; the sensible qualities are taste, smell, and colour; taste and smell are extremely natural but liable to some exceptions, some of the most powerfull are destitue to of both; Dr Cullen lays it down as a general rule that all bodies that are bland or mild ought to be rejected from the Materia Medica. The Abe Fontana tells us the venom of the viper, is insipid with water; this is extremely doubtfull, his experiments do not coincide with mine, made on the venom of the rattle snake on my tongue, and diffused it finely through my mouth, the effect was contrary to that of Fontana's, it imparted a peculiar indiscribable sensation,

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Materia Alimentaria

Gums

cellular membrane in disease, to support the body is in scurvy, syphilis, and sometimes in a healthy state as in Bears during their Hybernation. Oil has been said by some authors to float on the blood this I believe to be a mistake supposing it to be Chyle, and whenever this appears it may be considered a sign of indisposition. Some winters ago I was attacked in the night with a violent pain in the head, and was bled, the blood after standing a few hours had a creem like fluid on its surface, which coagulated by heat showing it was not fat. In such states of the blood we might infer indisposition if no other symptoms appear. Dr Russell in his travels into Lapland where they use a great quantity of oil, the people were fat and disposed to be feverish. Dr Stak found he could subsist on a smaller quantity of oil than of any other food. Gums. Are insipid destitute of smell or colour when pure. Dr Hardice supposed gum the principal of nutrition, some of the gums are very nourishing, as that of the cherry tree, and gum Arabic combined with water. Heat does not coagulate them. Many of the black tribe on the river Niger and the Moors subsist almost entirely on gum Arabic

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Materia Alimentaria

Gums

When powdered it resembles the farinacia, it is not a simple body but a compound of sugar and oil in different proportions, the Plumb, Cherry, Almond and also some of the bulbous roots contain mucilage similar to gum Arabic. Those trees which afford gum have generally astringent bark, though this is not always the case, it is acid in some plants, cultivation deprives plants of their astringency in some instances. Gums contain more carbone and less oxygen than sugar. Dr Gistanner says that animal mucilage contains little nourishment, but this is to support a favorite theory rather than truth, as he supposed it to depend on deficiency of oxygen, but according to this theory Opium ought to be the most nutritious article as it contains a great quantity of oxygen. Dr Young my former pupil made a number of experiments of Rabbits, confining some of them fourteen days to a diet of Gum Arabic, the did not gain flesh but looked healthy. To prove the nutritious qualities of gum Arabic Dr Gistanner relates the case of a child with Catarrhus visco, it discharged great quantities of mucilaginous fluid somewhat resembling gelly. The Dr in the first place

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Materia Alimentaria

Calcareous Earths

confined the child to an animal diet but found the least quantity to increase the discharge. Gum Arabic was given the child seemed to fatten on that diet, in this case the Gum was evidently nutritious. Calcareous Earths. This may I think be ranked amongst the nutrentia phosphate of lime exists in many parts of the body, as in the bones &c, and many fish are found with shels in their stomach. Vegitables contain almost universally calcareous earths, it is even found in their acids. The utility of lime in agriculture is generally acknowledged, lime may also independent of its nutritious qualities act clinically in dissolving dead matter. Dr Darwin observes if oak bark be covered with lime in a few months it is reduced to a fine black mould which would otherwise require several years to produce this effect. Lime is further serviceable to plants by attracting the moisture of the atmosphere, it is certainly nutritious to some animals and to most vegitables, and from analogy we infer it is to man no mean nutriment, but in proof of this we have more than base analogy. Barron Hombolt informs us, Calcareous earth is eat by the people of South America as

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Materia Medica

Astringents

introduced into practice by Dr Fordicece, he used it in intermitting fevers but observed it often failed when the bark was successful. I have occasionally used it in intermittants and gonorrhea, the following were the most usual prescriptions,

Rx Kino grs 48 [48 grains] Gentian grs 64 [64 grains] Opium grs ij [2 grains]

M. fit doj XII three or four of these to to be taken in the twenty four hours;

In solution Kino Ʒiij [3 drams] Sac. Album. Ʒiij [3 drams] Gum Arabic ℥i [1 ounce] Mice. Aqua Font ℥X [10 ounces] a large spoonfull to be taken every three or four hours, Bell recommends this prescription verry highly as an injection in gonorrhea, Kino and Allum form the Pulv Styptic of the Edinburgh Pharmacopia, this is a verry usefull form. Kino is dissolved by lime water and introduced into the vagina either by a sponge or injection, its colour is a great objection to its employment, as it requires great caution to prevent detection. In hemorrhages of the urethra Mr Bell has particularly recommended it. Dr Fordyce and Cullen were disappointed in its efficacy in Fluor albus, I have never used it, but I have no doubt it may be usefull under proper restrictions. It has been used in Diarrhea and is best in the form of pills Mr Acculy used it in two cases with complete success of Fluor albus in the New York