(seq. 469)

462

Materia Medica

Sialagogues

has commenced, in the East Indies they prefer the unction to the internal
use of our medicine. I have employ’d mercury to great advantage in
hepatetis, its frequently attended with cough, in this stage mercury produces
an astonishing effect.

Broncocele or Goitre. I have
elsewhere given my opinion with respect to opium in it, there are a great
variety of remidies proposed for the cure of it, but I confine myself chiefly
to opium. I have but little to say respecting mercury here. Dr John
Professor in England uses the mercurial Pills with great advantage, some
writers say that mercury does harm while others say that it only stops
the progress of the disease, it is certain it has sometimes yielded to
mercury, it sometimes cures itself, or is cured by some other disease
as is exemplified frequently.

Dropsy. I have always spoken
of its employment in dropsy of the brain, the use of mercury in dropsy
is not a modern practice. I have advantageously employ’d the turbith
Mineral in combination with the squill especially where the dropsy was
accompanied with some obstruction of the viscera. Dr Lind has
cured about 40 cases of dropsy by exciting a salivation, the East India
practitioners however observe that a salivation does harm in dropsy, also
some Europians that have taken mercury for syphilis suffer most from
dropsy. Mercury seems to be best adapted to those cases of dropsy arising