(seq. 393)

386

Materia Medica

Stimulants

raises the spirits and afterwards throws the person into a gentle sleep. Musk
has been recommended in various diseases by Pringle in gout of the
stomach, this practice has the testimony of various authors in its favour,
and Cullen says he has relieved many patients by the use of musk
in Tetanus, we might suppose it would be usefull and Dr
Heberden has advantageously employ’d it in combination in this disease.
Dr Owen of England relates a case of a young lady who was
affected with a violent spasmodic disorder in which her head was
drawn to her breast, after the failure of every other remidy she was
cured by taking Ʒfs [½ dram] of Musk every four hours, he says as soon as
the first dose was in her stomach the spasms began to abate, it is
considered by the Chinise a valuable remidy for the hydraphobia
they use it thus Rx Musk XVI grs. [16 grains] Cinnabar ℈i [1 scruple] M. fit. give this
at one dose and if does not induce sleep in 3 hours repeat the dose,
it has also been recommended in asthma Pertussis, Colica
Pictonum, Subsultus Tendinum &c, accompanying low nervous
fevers it has been found serviceable. Dr Cullen says it not only
relieves these symptoms but it relieves the fever themselves. Mead
gave it in Jail fever, it has also been used in Confluent Small
Pox, Gangrene &c. It is frequently adulterated but its smell and