Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

210

Materia Medica

Tonics

employ'd it with advantage in intermittants = it is not verry bitter. An infusion of the leaves makes an agreeable bitter.

Cornus Sericea or Red Dogwood. It grows in our medows and promises to be one of our most valuable articles in medicine, the bark is more bitter than the other dogwood. It was used during the american revolution as a substitute for Cinchona and was found to answer extremely well. I have now finished the vegitable tonics, and shall proceed to mention those derived from the mineral kingdom = They form the most important articles in the class of tonics.

Iron. I shall pass over the natural history of Iron and confine myself to those preparations used in medicine. Those most used in medicine are first Limatura ferri, Croacus Martis and Rubeg ferri and oxyde, this Rubeg ferri is the most important preparation of Iron that we have, 2d in form of a salt as the sulphate of Iron, Flores Martiales is made by subliming one pound of the muriate of Ammonia and ℥i [1 ounce] of steel filings, the dose of this preparation is from 4 grs [4 grains] to ℈i [1 scruple]. It is best given in the form of a bolus, otherwise it will be apt to produce nausea