(seq. 337)

328

Materia Medica

Stimulants

on the disease of the West Indies informs us that he gave twenty
grains of opium in twenty four hours without any effect, this is
the largest dose I ever knew but it neither mitigated the spasm
nor indicated sleep, Dr G_. gave to a black man fifteen
hundred grains in Seventeen days, it appeared to produce only a little
costiveness, the value of these cures are great, since it shows to
what extent we may carry the use of opium, and I pay much
regard to his opinion because he lived in the west Indies where
tetanus is so frequent.

Hydraphobia. Is in
some respects allied to tetanus, few cures have been effected though
some are found recorded in order to form correct Ideas of the
medicines which are proper here, it may be usefull to inquire into
its nature and this more properly belongs to the Professor of the
Practice of Physick, yet I cannot omit to offer a few ideas of
my own on the subject. At the commencement of hydraphobia
it is probably a violent sphenic [sthenic] disease its causes are highly stimulating.
If this be a sthenic disease Dr Booerhaves opinion of it was
correct, he thought it should be treated as the highest grade of
inflamation = by drawing blood untill the patient fainted. Miget says
he found opium unadvisable but he gave musk. Linneus thinks