(seq. 69)

60

Materia Medica

Astringents

stimulant are improper in that stage, there are some cases in which
they prove serviceable in curing dropsey, as when they check the
paroxysms of fever on which the dropsy may depend, a
patient under my care with typhus fever became dropsical, I
became alarmed gave bark, wine &c, to remove the fever which
they did and with it the dropsical swellings, many
cases of a similar nature have occurred in my practice. Dr
Lind used to say he who used bark plentifully during
aprexy of Intermittant fevers seldom had dropsy to follow,
astringents have been universally employed to stop
hemorrhages, but as these are allowed to depend on the verry
different state of the arterial system, we must at once
perceive the impropriety of employing this remidy
indiscriminately in every case. Dr Cullen has I think verry properly
divided hemorrhages into active and passive, or such as
are owing to increased arterial action, or such as ensue
from debility, it is only in the latter kind that we expect
any advantage from astringents. I believe its owing to Dr
Cullens failure in the indiscriminate use of this remidy
that he was led to make this just distinction in this disease,