(seq. 557)

550

Materia Medica

Cathartics

Sulphur. This is found native the product of volcanoes in
Italy &c, there are numerous preparations in use but none are so usefull
as the flor. Sulp. the doses of which is from 1, 2, 3, 4 Ʒ [drams]. Is the most
mild and certain cathartic I know, its action being somewhat
similar to alloes and is admirably adapted to cure habitual costiveness, opening the
bowels without producing flatulence or leaving any disagreeable effect behind,
it has been used by the Physicians of Germany in Dysentary; in colic
attended with flatulence as in that preceding gout & rheumatism I have
used with advantage. In cutaneous eruptions of all kinds both given
internally and apply’d externally. Rosentein was in the habits of using
it in expelled eruptions. In cronic it is certainly usefull by determining to
the skin thus diverting the action, it has also been used with much
advantage in catarrhs,* (footnote back 1 page) coughs, asthma, hooping cough, and Phthisis
Pulmonalis, and from its great virtue in the last it obtained the
name of anima pulmonum, but whether it deserves to rank so high
or not I cannot say, but from its known power of exciting the
cappilaries to a moderate diaphoresis I can readily immagine it may
proove usefull. In intermittants it has long been used with great success
in order to prevent the accession of the fit in the following formula.

Rx
Flor. Sulp. Sublim Ʒij [2 drams]
Proof Spirit ℥ifs [1½ ounce]
M and drink Just