(seq. 77)

68

Materia Medica

Astringents

I object as it would require a previous knowledge of Botany. I conceive
it much better to arrange them according to their degree of
astringency. This I shall attempt and proceed from the weaker to the
stronger. I shall commence the history of vegitable astringents by
with the Quercus or Oak Bark. The bark of many
oaks have long been employed in tanning where they seem to exert
an astringent principle, though not in the same manner as I
before remarked on the living animal fibres. The oak bark was
employed by Dr Cullen in intermittant fever, and slight tumefaction
of the mucous membrane of the fauces in doses of ℥fs [½ ounce] every three
hours or oftener. It has been used in Europe instead of the Chincosra
and it is said by some authors with evident advantage, toasted
acorns have been taken with advantage in diarrhea and
dysentaries but they possess little strength, powdered acorns taken in small
beer are used in Germany as a cure for Erysipelas, here they act
principally on the perspirable vessels, this seems to be a disease
depending on contagious matter similar to yellow fever, and
plague, and is often a verry severe disease, in London it is
treated as a putrid disease by stimulants. In
Scotland as inflamitory. I have seen more cases of Erysipelas