Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

26

Materia Alimentaria

Sugar

scurvy may sometimes be brought on by a vegitable diet if it contained oxygen; he found that two pints of water was necessary while living on sugar, and a much smaller quantity when he changed his diet. I have heard of a case of scurvy that occurred for the first time under a vegitable diet. Some authors assert that sugar will prevent the Yellow Fever, this I am convinced is groundless from my own observations. Its occurring more seldom now than a few centuries ago has been attributed to a change of diet I am not of this opinion indeed I have seen severe affections of this kind attack persons under a strict vegitable diet. Sugars has been charged with injuring the teeth but without foundation, for I think I have known it to do service and whenever it has done harm it was when the Enamel was injured. In Scotland and other Countries where sugar is plentifully used their teeth are generally verry good. I am acquainted with a gentleman who used much sugar and had a new set of teeth at the age of eighty four. But I do not suppose sugar is inoffensive to all animals on the contrary some are destroyed by it, it is a verry good anthelmintic, destroying

120

Materia Medica

Tonics

any thing of what we call a Phlogistic diathesis, he used them in putrid fevers with success, they promote perspiration, and sometimes prove cathartic. Dr Cullen did not perceive that they had any determination to the uterus. Tonics are seldom used in affections of the uterus, unless combined with steel, they may be usefull in Chlorosis Febris abla of Dr Sydenham, some authors consder them anthelmintic they are more usefull in the destruction of some worms than some others, these are more usefull in diseases from Lumbrico. Read in his experiments did not think them of much service as anthelmintics. Dr Cullen found them usefull in foul ulcers and checking gangrene, but in both cases they may do harm if incautiously applied while there is much inflamation. Dr Haller has hinted that all bitters possess a nercotic [narcotic] quality and Dr Cullen believes they do, the pure bitters they do not possess this power, and it is accident when it does occur. This may be more frequent than is supposed, many authors have recorded the narcotic power of Peruvian Bark, such as stricture about the heart anxiety about the scorbiclus cordis, vomiting & But this I believe to be owing to adulteration, which especially happens in the Peruvian Bark to prove that they are not deleterious

126

Materia Medica

Tonics

to cinchona in intermittant fevers. Dr Cullen speaks in the highest terms of it and assures it never failed when he combined it with gall and tormentil. Elix. Stom. Which is so much used in Britain and America is made by mixing Cort. bit. Aurant. and Rad. gentian. Linneus found gentian usefull in calculous, this I am inclined to believe from what I have said of it in gout, Gisner cured intermittants with the juice, Lentill used it with Sal. Absynth, clove, and ash bark. It is particularly recommended in Schrophula, Plentz cured a girl by giving half a scruple a day, and from the effect of bark in this disease, I have no doubt but gentian may be used with advantage. It has been extolled in histeria and nervous diseases. I believe it has virtues as an anthelmintic, but what are common to all bitters, Professor Murray supposes it operates by giving tone to the system. Perhaps it acts by purging or a quality deleterious to worms. I have lately used it with advantage in cases of obstinate gleet. I believe when properly given it will seldom fail. I have lately had a case of long standing, which had been under the care of several physicians. I gave the patient grs v. [5 grains] Rubeg. fer. and grs. viij [8 grains] of Rad. gentian twice a day, and continued three

134

Materia Medica

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

146

Materia Medica

Tonics

but it is not. It is the produce of a tree in the East Indies, where it is used as a specific for the bite of a snake. The seed of the plant is the nux vomica of the shops, it is of an Orange colour and intensely bitter and disagreeable to the taste. It contains a gum and a resin. It is fatal to dogs Conrad Gisnac gave a dog ℈fs [½ scruple] he fell a sleep and died convulsed in a few hours, but it was not a true sleep accompanied with stupor and insensibility. It has been used in intermittant fevers in doses of grs v [5 grains], it is internally and externally as an anthelmintic, the spiritous tincture has been found usefull in Lumbrica cotton dipped in it and appli'd to the umbilicus has expelled them.

Fumaria Officinalis. Fumitory is not a native of this country, but will grow in our gardens, it is a bitter without odour, the inspissated Juice when efforesced leaves a substance which diflagrates like nitre on the coals. Hoffman esteemed it the sweetener of the blood, by this he ment a purifier, he held the humeral Pathology, we may observe that some of those medicines called sweeteners are verry active. Dr Hutchinson says he cured a case of leprae, accompanied with glandular swellings by the use of this medicine. Stanbury found it usefull in herpes,