Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

398

Materia Medica

Stimulants

hours. In a Lady who had scalded her arms completely one was cured much sooner than the other by employing turpentine, the former was washed with cold water. I have had no experience of its employment in those cases. Its internal use. In giving the turpentine it is generally necessary to combine it with some bland substance as honey, sugar or the yolk of an egg, this will not sometimes prevent it from producing heat of the stomach and nausea, it is a stimulus and when taken in large doses acts as a purgative, if ℥fs or ℥i [½ to 1 ounce] of turpentine triturated with yolk of egg, be injected in the rectum it forms an excellent purgative, when taken up in the blood vessels it is an universal stimulant and gives the urine a pleasant violet odour, it will correct the factor that arises from those that eat asparagus. Stimulating injections of oil and turpentine were found usefull in arresting the vomiting in yellow fever and enabling the stomach to retain medicines, its diuretic effects was perhaps the cause of its having been employed as an antilithic medicine but from its stimulating quality I should suppose it verry injurious in Nephritis Calculosa. The Gout, is one of the affections in which turpentine has been given with great advantage. In Leucorrhea Dr Cullen supposes it acts by occasioning an inflamation of the urethra, this may

582

Materia Medica

Antilithics. The antient [ancient] term for this class of medicines was Lythontryptics or Stone Breakers, but they do not appear to produce any effect upon the stone after it is formed unless by a verry continued use of them, they rather appear to produce their effects by acting on the system, many of the bitters are antilithics, but particularly Gentian, Quassia &c, of which I have spoken before, the infusion of Quassia has been found extremely usefull and I believe all the bitters employd in practice may be advantageously employ’d in calculous, not only the bitters but the pure astringents have likewise been employ’d, many kinds of gentian leaves have been found usefull, also common tea, and this I assert from this glaring fact that in China where this article is so much used calculous is hardly known. I think those articles that combine the bitter and astringent principles are verry powerfull antilithics.

Uva Ursi. This is a Native of Europe and America it is found about 2 miles from Philadelphia. It is of no consequence to argue whether this article was or was not employ’d by Galen it is sufficient to know that it was employ’d along time ago, the leaves when chew’d have a bitter and styptic taste and increase the flow of Saliva, the infusion or decoction throws down a black colour

590

Materia Medica

Antilithics

Uva Ursi acts by restoring the urine to its healthy state, but I cannot say that it does not sometimes dissolve the stone in some measure. Uva Ursi is a bitter as well as an astringent, the good effects of Uva Ursi is partly owing to its bitterness as well as to its astringency perhaps they are owing in a certain proportion to the mixture of the two qualities as they exist in the Uva Ursi it probably produces good effects by its tonic powers but it is frequently usefull in inflamitory Nephritis which requires bleeding. Genardo says that calculi is dissolved by an acid that is distilled from Uva Ursi, but this vegitable contains no disenguaged acid.

Potash. This has been recommended as an antilithic of a powerfull kind. A Boy in St Thomas's Hospital who was affected with the symptoms of calculous was sounded and the stone plainly felt, he took a lixivium of Potash and upon examination after dying of a different disease, the stone was soft and rugged which in a measure proves the solvent power of Potash. I cannot say much from my own experience having seldom employ’d it.