Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

96

Materia Medica

Astringents

The last is a verry valuable preparation and is made in the following manner, heat a saturated solution of Alum with the white of eggs untill they acquire the consistance of curd, this may be applied to the naked eye or inclosed in a bag of gauze or fine scinning, in Opthalmia Membranum, Dr Cullen used to say he thought it a speific. There is a disease not commonly met with in children, but also formed in more advanced life, and which is not noticed particularly by any author, In which I have employ'd alum whey with the greatest success. I mean that troublesome affection of the prepuce resembling verry much in its nature and appearance a dropsical swelling. You will often be called on to relieve the anxiety and solicetude of parents arising from their ignorance of the disease, and I can advise no remidy more successfull than the one Just mentioned. There are many other preparations of allum in use, and it has been used in various and numerous diseases, I have mentioned the most important.

Saccharum Saturni. I proceed to speak of Lead in doing so, I shall first mention the preparations made use of, Secondly the modus operandi, thirdly its use in diseases, by the Acetic acid we obtain two forms, the white lead and the Saccharum