(seq. 73)

64

Materia Medica

Astringents

Leucorrhea by the most oposite treatment such as bloodletting, milk
diet &c. In others I have found the most powerfull astringents
usefull. Diabetes. Astringents have been employ'd with
evident advantage. Iron has been recommended in the cronic
state of this disease. Allum is also usefull when it depends on
relaxation of the urinary organs; but the same caution is
necessary in their employment in this disease as in all others that
I have spoken of, as it certainly does not always depend on
debility of the kidneys, the disease is sometimes a translation of
the gout, and the most decided cure I have ever seen was cured
by bloodletting and the depleting plan. Gonorrhea.
In which they were long employed by Dr Cullen who seems to not
have a correct idea of this disease and especially of this
remidy, in many instances they are highly serviceable, they have
been employed in calculous affections by Dr Ham and others. They
cannot be supposed to act by any power they possess of dissolving
the stone. Dr Cullen supposed they acted by absorbing an acid
in the stomach, in such cases, and further fixed air is a verry
valuable remidy and we cannot suppose it to act in this
manner, as it is its self an acid their operation here is verry difficult