Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

624

Materia Medica

Anthelmintics

it is said with much advantage. it is the Setae or bristles of the Pod we use, their action is mechanical, the dose is 1 table spoonfull in a little syrup, it has been used in Ascarides. Other remidies have also been used as Blue Vitriol, Tin, Arsenic, &c.

Oleum Terebinthinae. It was not untill about 2 years ago that this medicine was used with this view and from the cases on record seems entitled to notice. In one case where everything else had fail’d it was given in a dose of ƷIX [9 drams] and with complete success, another case where Ʒifs [1½ drams] was given twice a day and increased to ℥fs [½ ounce] twice a day and even to ℥i [1 ounce] it produced a discharge of the worms, these cases are recorded in the New York Medical Repository the medium dose however to commence with is Ʒi [1 dram] twice a day, it appears we have been too fearfull of the medicine and that our medicines have been given in too small doses. Having now remov’d the worms it becomes us to cure the diathesis which is suppos’d to predispose to their formation, and as that depends chiefly on debility it is best obviated by tonics, and of these the Rubigo Ferri is certainly the best and fully adequate.