Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

400

Materia Medica

Stimulants

be sometimes the case, but I think it acts more properly by stimulating the proper action in the urethra. I gave XV or XX [15 or 20] drops three or four times a day. I also gave it in pills it has been advised in Fluor Albus. Dr Cullen does not approve of it, because he says there are few female stomachs that will bear a sufficient quantity Dr Henderson relates a case of the Abdominal Dropsy which was rapidly cured by the use of turpentine pills, the virtues of turpentine are said to depend on an essential oil which if rubbed on the spine is said to prevent the recurrence of Intermittants. It is a usefull diuretic, since it produces alarming and sometimes fatal inflamation of the Urinary passages, in Sciatica Dr Home employ’d it to advantage it has been used in hemorrhages from the intestines dissolved in the yolk of an egg, and taken in water, the burgundy pitch is usefull in some cases of deafness introduced into the ear. A burgundy pitch plaster has been used in Tenea Capitis it is supposed to remain on the head untill it is encorporated with the hair when it is pulled of [off].

Tar. This is a kind of Half burt [burnt] turpentine, it is somewhat Empyrumatic, the powers of tarr are supposed to be somewhat similar to turpentine, but they are not quite, and it is more disagreeable to the stomach, the tarr has been mixed with gravy, wax &c, as a remidy for lepra,

474

Materia Medica

Sialagogues

use a weak solution of corosive Sublimate, limewater, but it is difficult even to employ this without prjudicial effects. I employ the following Injection

Rx Calomel grs viij vel X [8 or 10 grains] Gum Arabic Ʒij [2 drams] Opium grs ij [2 grains] Aq. Font ℥viij [8 ounces]

M. f. and use a syringe full, five, or six times a day.

Itch. Many medicines have been employ’d but some of the mercurial preparations are the most usefull, among these are the Unj. Citrinum and it is less filthy than the mercurial ointment, sometimes however a solution of the muriate of mercury in water is employ’d the proportions are about 12 grs [grains] of the former to a pint of the latter, this forms a most excellent wash.

Tenia Capitis. A solution of the sublimate in water is beneficially employ’d as also the Unjentum Hydrargyri Nitrate, the latter often succeeds when the other means have failed. I used the Unjentum Citrinum in a verry obstinate case in the Pennsylvania Hospital and affected a cure, but the patient took also small doses of the Galiga Virginiana this I have frequently given alone with great advantage, that peculiar disease produced by Rhus Radius or Poison Vine is verry distressing to the patient occasioning a verry disagreeable itching and swelling of the scotum [scrotum], in women the Pudenda is effected in the same manner, in 1779 I discovered that mercury was a never failing remidy, I dissolved from grs iv to vi [4 to 6 grains] of oxy. muriate of mercury