Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

346

Materia Medica

Stimulants

all the cases we have mentioned when treating of opium, he gave it in doses of from 1 to 2 grs. [grains] and sometimes to 3½ in a day and says it was effectual, in some cases, in some cases he has given 8 or 10 grs. [grains] and in one particular to the extent of 20 grs. [grains].

Epilepsy Mania &c. I have prescribed it as an anodoyne it agrees with some persons when the opium does not. Dr Monroe gave 6 grs. [grains] of the extract to a Young Lady in a consumption. Dr B_ and myself attended a young man who was afflicted with Mania of a violent grade we prescribed opium several times but it always increased the violence of the symptoms and we then gave henbane and it produced a comfortable and placid sleep, the patient asked for it during his lucid intervals. Storks opinion of this subject is confoundable to those of the generality of Physicians, it sometimes salivates. Dr Anthony Fothergill has published a paper on its use in Melancholy, he found it of much service. Bergius employ’d it to advantage in Mania. Dr Fothergill used it with success in a species of mania called Puerperal Mania and says both henbane and opium do much good. Cullen says in Epilepsy it has sometimes been of service, but not more so than opium, it has he says in other instances produced a turbid sleep and has laid it aside from having been frequently disappointed. I think it does

564

Materia Medica

Diuretics

no harm. Lead sometimes produces the same effect, but the Digitalis is not so usefull as that article in Hemorrhages. I think with Dr Withering that Insanity has a greater connection with a serous affusion than might be supposed, Epilepsy certainly is, we should therefore suppose in many cases of Insanity our medicine would be usefull, and accordingly it is often found to be so in one case of Puerperal Mania, I affected a cure with it in the Pennsylvania Hospital. I used to bring down the pulse in Mania by moderately nauseating doses of Digitalis in the Mania occurring in young and Plethoric people and when combined with fever and even where there is effusion the Digitalis is highly proper, among the varieties of medicines that have been proposed in Epilepsy Digitalis has also obtained a place, however it has never made complete cure although it has often proved verry beneficial and more especially in those cases where the pulse was irretable [irritable], of the of Digitalis in Pulmonary Consumption I have had but little experience. I have however employ’d it in the Pennsylvania Hospital but without any benefit. I therefore think it cannot produce any perminent advantage, it has it is true alleviated the symptoms, but then the practice is a difficult one. In Catarrh I have found it of much benifit, in one case which was