Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

147

Diaphoretics

Chronic Dysentary. Charactarised by small and mucus like evacuations, great weakness, Indigestion, eyes week, complexion sallow, skin dry and cold, pulse feeble. I have succeeded in affecting a cure (after every thing else had fail'd even powerfull astringents) with Dovers Powders alone, the disease is often kept up by a vitiated secretion from the liver, here small doses of calomel should be combined, as in fact the secretion from the surface is always in an inverse proportion to that of the intestines, every complaint of this nature must be managed by due attention to the surface. Flannel worne next the skin, and Blisters apply'd over the abdomen will sometimes relieve them.

151

Diaphoretics

little fever, low degree of heat, after giving Ʒfs [½ dram] three times a day for several days, moisture commenced the became much easier and continued to mend.

Gout. In gout much has been disputed about their use, the truth is Diaphoretics as auxiliaries are indispensable after purging. This is natures process and will succeed often.

Diabetes. This disease has been attributed to two causes, Viz. a derangment in the secretory organs, and a depraved or vitiated state of the asimilatory organs, my own opinion is that it is owing to a morbid state of the stomach and chylopoetic viscera and this I think is evinced in the gastric distress, proceeding, 1st Particularly in Debauchers, 2d Disorder of the stomach always

155

Diaphoretics

from the skin therby lessening the quantity of urine.

Dropsy. There use is well establish'd, particularly those kept up by visceral obstructions, attended with dry pale skin, vitiated apetite &c, they act here by restoring an equipoise to the system determining from the center to the surface. To effect this the best medicine I know is a combination of opium, Ipecacuanha, and calomel. Many other diseases might be added. Our class of medicines I have said are divided 1st Those making a direct impression on the exhalants, 2d Those relaxing the constricted surface, 3d Those which invigorate the circulation. The

588

Materia Medica

Antilithics

by robbing the calculous of its mucus, it does not act by absorbing acid in the stomach as Dr Cullen supposed, it may sometimes act by dissolving the calculous but this is more applicable to Nephritis, this is however not a complete explanation of its modus operandi, for it frequently gives relief when we find by its sound that the calculous still remains in the bladder undiminished in size, this medicine often gives relief in calculous cases when it has had no remarkable effect upon the stomach; Dr Rhimes gave Ʒfs [½ dram] of the powder 4 times a day with an opiate at night to a boy who was afflicted with calculous and entirely remov'd the symptoms, although this medicine does not act probably by dissolving the stone yet it relieves in many cases by expelling it, of this I have seen an instance. Mr_ apply’d to me for relief in this affection. I advised the Uva Ursi tea and in 18 Days he discharged the stone, he found this often usefull afterwards in discharging the granules, tho they never came away without he used this medicine, the operation of Uva Ursi in calculus may perhaps be explained in this manner, the presence of calculous in the bladder is explain'd by a vitiated state of the urine it having a foetid Odour and being thicker than common, this is doubtless sufficient to excite much pain, and in such cases perhaps the