Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

330

Materia Medica

Stimulants

its use is evident. Frank gave it in verry large doses without effect, if has ever yielded to this remidy it must have been in verry large doses of from thirty to forty grains pr day, the cases which Linneus cured by musk were spontaneous or symptoms of hysteria. Dr Rush mentions hydraphobia as a kind of hysteria. I cured a case like those of Linneus by bleeding and small doses of assafoetida. Mr K. tells us that Haller cured a man with Hydraphobia to be bitten by two vipers which moderated the symptoms. In chorea Sancta Vita opium has been found usefull. Sydenham tells us he succeeded with it. Crump says that in one violent case large doses of opium moderated the disease but that it returned again and the patient fell victim to it. Dr Cullen gave opium and bitters, tonics are proper in this disease, but I cured one case of it in a pregnant woman by bleeding.

Epilepsy. This disease verry often depends on verry different causes. It has been said to be produced by large hemorrhages but these cases are verry rare, if Epilepsy depends on mere debility it would be a much more common disease, as in the low stage of typhus extreme old age &c. Dr Brown says it is never connected with a plethoric state of the system but is always the