Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

94

Materia Medica

Astringents

would rather suppose it acts by astringent and tonic powers, it is particularly usefull in old stages or cronic cases of this disease. Dr Mead says in this hithertoo indescribable disease nothing more necessary than to give the patient posset drink as much as his stomach will bear twice a day. I have says tho Dr Followed this practice fifty years and I never knew it fail. Darwin classes it with the sorbentia in intermitting fevers. Dr Lind says that allum combined with nutmeg is next to the peruvian Bark. Dr Chalmers speaks highly of allum as a remidy in malignant fevers which appeared in South Carolina. Dr Cullen used it but always found it disagreeable to the stomach, it is difficult to account for the operation of allum in Intermitting fevers probably it is the same of the Peruvian Bark. Allum produces intestinal absorption and thereby causes constipation though it sometimes purges. I must now speak of its external application, it is used externally and frequently with advantage as in gargles for the throat, Cullen recommends it in Cynanche Tonsillaris to remove the sloughs and correct the factor and Dr Darwin recommends it in Tonsillitas, it has been used in opthalmics for some hundred years and with great success in various forms as in solution, and cured.