(seq. 349)

340

Materia Medica

Stimulants

Opium is a sovereign remidy. I think it will be of advantage when the
pulse is feeble, upon the whole I think our medicine is a precarious one in
mania, especially in the hands of an inattentive practitioner. In the
case of Puerperal women and that produced by ardent spirits,
opium is a verry useful remidy I have myself employ'd it and known
men restored to their families after being afflicted with mania from
the pernicious use of strong drink. It is however a difficult practice, we
should gradually diminish the quantity of Laudanum which is
employ'd or it would be substituting one poison for another.

Syphilis. The employment of opium in this disease is quite a
new practice, and its discovery like most other things accidental. A
Young Man was affected with this disease and was pronounced incurable.
He resorted to opium and was said to be cured by it. It is often given
with Murcury, it has been said to recal [recall] syphilis after the disease
had been cured. Opium is used externally in venerial cases, it is often
employ'd in injection in Gonorrhea, but I am not partial to this
practice though in some cases it is evidently good, in chordee we must
have resort to it. I have long recommended opium as a check to the
salivary gland discharge produced by mercury, we may use a
gargle of Laudanum and water in the proportion of Ʒi [1 dram] of the former