(seq. 633)

626

Materia Medica

Blisters. I regret exceedingly that I must pass over this so
hastily, for few subjects deserve more your attention, they evince in a
verry striking manner the power of medicine over the constitution.
The history of cantharides as an external application deserves notice,
but the limits of our time will not permit us to enter particularly on
it, it is sufficient to state that blisters were employ’d in antient [ancient] times
among the Greeks and Romans, they were used by Hypocrates but
the fly that they employ’d was not the same as ours, tho of the same
species. I presume it is hardly necessary for me to mention the
method of making Blisters of Cantharides. Sometimes the
ointment and cantharides are mixed together before spreading them,
but the most common way is spreading basilicon on
leather then strew on the powder of cantharides, sometimes the
flies are put into a bag of muslin and apply'd to the skin which
must be previously wetted, this acts verry well and is convenient,
as it may be employ’d repeatedly, in speaking of the diseases in
which blisters may be employ’d for the reasons above given, I
must be brief and not methodical.

Pneumonia. Their employment is known and
unversally agreed to by all Physicians, but they are seldom used in the