(seq. 563)

556

Materia Medica

Diuretics

usefull in many diseases but in none are they so effectual as in
Dropsy. Whether they act directly on the kidneys thro the circulation or
indirectly by invigorating the absorbents to take up effusions in the
different kidneys, or whether they act by lessening arterial action and
thereby, restoring an equallibrium of action between it and the absorbents
is quite immaterial the secondary effect being the same in every case.
Thus we have squills, digitalis &c acting on the absorbents, Neutral
Salts and Cream Tartar on the kidneys, and whatever way they act it
is by evacuating the serum of the blood thro the kidneys, which we can
only solve by a general law of the animal economy that the increase
of one secretion is at the expense of the others.

Digitalis Purpurea. Or Fox Glove of Linneus.
This is perhaps one of the most important article in the Materia Medica,
the plant is common to the Old World, but is not a Native of the Unted
States, it sometimes white therefore it should be called Digitalis
Officinalis, every part of the Digitalis possesses the diuretic and
delaterious quality, but it resides principally in the leaves, these have a
bitterish and nauseous taste, but from this taste we should not infer that
they are so active. Is Digitalis a Stimulant or Sedative, Writers in
general think that it acts by its sedative quality also as a Diuretic