Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

24

Materia Alimentaria

Sugar

honey &c to prevent putrefaction. The antiscorbutic properties of sugar have been fully proved by Beecher he immersed whole pigs in melted sugar and found they were preserved from putrefaction. It is said to prevent and cure scurvy, it is certain that scurvy is infrequent in the West Indies or other places where sugar is used in great abundance. Dr McBride was in the habit of recommending Wert in this disease, but probably without knowing that it cured by the sugar it contained, it was used with success by Dr Trotter, the external use of sugar I have found efficatious in the cure of the Scorbutic gums, the following case seems very much to invalidate the opinion, that a vegitable diet and one merely sacharine will cure scurvy. Dr Stark took Eight ℥ [ounces] of sugar with forty ℥ [ounces] of Bread and continued this diet for two weeks, at the end of which time his mouth became sore and ulcerated, his gums flaccid and after sometime purple spots appeared upon his shoulders he then left it off, and returned to a generous diet and wine, during the time he lived on sugar he had three or four loose stools a day, this case clearly proves that

200

Materia Medica

Tonics

I imagine it is nearly allied to gout, or at least gout frequently puts on its symptoms.

Scurvy. Some authors have advised its use in this disease. Dr Lind has a high opinion of it though he says the stomach will not always bare it. I am of the same opinion that Dr Rush has verry properly ascertained that the scurvy is a febrile disease and therefore the bark will not always be safe, it has been used as an anthelmintic by a celebrated physician, I believe he was deceived, he adopted this opinion from observing a quantity of worms discharged during a malignant fever, for which he used the bark, we are yet deficient in its Just oporation [operation]. Worms are often connected with remittant and intermittant fevers; I do not deny it may have an anthelmintic property, with other bitters. Monroe says it is one of the best of this class, as a dentifrice it has been much used. Trotter did not place much confidence in it, it may be usefull where the teeth are decayed. Having thus taken notice of the internal use of the bark, it remains for me to say a few words before concluding this subject on its external use, it was employed as a remidy externally immediately after its internal use. Helvetius employ’d in the 17th Century in the