Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

68

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

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

182

Materia Medica

Tonics

in Typhus, the bark would be improper in the first stage, Dever says the plague was always of an inflamitory nature, Martin relates a verry singular disease when bleeding it is as injurious, he used blisters, bark, mineral acids, snake root, and at the same time supporting the system with camphor and other stimulants, many authors relate cases of the same kind in which they found the bark usefull.

Yellow fever. This is placed among the continued fevers, but there are often well marked intermissions, where it assumes an intermittent form the bark is proper, in 1793 this fever was supposed to be of a putrid nature, and the treatment of some physicians coresponded with this Idea, with the success of this practice you are already acquainted, after the debilitating plan was had recourse to with more success though it often failed, the bark was employed after the fullness of the pulse, pain &c, were removed, the bark was recommended in the exanthema, these fevers in the first stage are often inflamitory in which the bark must be injurious, but again they are often attended with symptoms of debility and here the bark is of service, it has been recommended verry strenuously in the dysentary this disease originates from