Colonial North America: Countway Library of Medicine

134

Materia Medica

Tonics

pregnancy for unatural food, I have never used it, the dose from XV grs. [15 grains] to a ℈i [1 scruple] of the powder or one ounce of the infusion made of a ℥ fs. [½ ounce] quassia to 1 lb water. Quassia Amara, and Quassia Polligama are sold in the city of Philadelphia by the name of quassea. Quassia Semirouba. This grows in Jamaica and in almost all the West Indies and Southern climates, it is called Mountain Jessamine, to a chimical test it discovers no astringency, the fresh bark discovers no astringency, its virtues are extracted by water. Jesseau informed us he used it fifteen years in dysentary, but with ill success. I can readily believe it can be usefull in the cronic stage of dysentary if combined with opium when there is no tenesmus or fever, but like all the tonics it is not adapted to the first stage of disease, it is recommended in dysentary by Saunders he says if it did not prove usefull in three or four days it never did. Dr Lind says if given to nauseate it was of use. Dr Ham thought it a good anthelmintic habitual Chlorosis have been cured by it. Sir John Pringle prescribed this bark in diarrhea's from Hot Climates. Menianthus Trifoliata, Or Marsh Trefoil, is found

148

Materia Medica

Tonics

Cullen used it with advantage in cutaneous affections of the Leprous kind.

Tanacetum. Or Tansey, this is a powerfull bitter, the less so than chamomile. Dr Black used it in gout, with him it proved diuretic and laxative, Gardiner considered it rather an innocent than a usefull medicine, Hoffman thought it an excellent anthelmintic, and from my own experience I am inclined to think it may be of service.

Anthemis Nobilis. Or chamomile have long been celebrated as a stomachic, it was employed in the 17th Century, before the discovery of the bark in intermittant fevers. Morton thought it as usefull as the bark, if given in substance, in the other forms they prove cathartic. Hoffman cured intermittant fevers by it. Berjius and Pitcairn both used it and the latter thought it an antidote to a flatulent colic; this I cannot believe, it may be usefull by its cathartic quality. Dr Cullen and Pringle supposed it relieved the tenesmus by means of an antispasmodic power. Cullen found it rather injurious in Diarrhea, he used it in intermittants. It has somewhat of an emetic quality, a simple aqueous infusion is frequently as an assistant in emetics, the bitter to most people is less disagreeable than any other.

152

Materia Medica

Tonics

recommended in gout, and has been used since the time of Galen, it is an ingredient in the Portland Powder, which has certainly been injurious to those that used it. Dr Booerhave knew a patient who used the aqueous infusion of Birthwort and had the villous coat of his stomach removed.

Aristolochia Serpentaria. Or Virginia Snake root, this is found only in North America, there are several other plants called snake root besides the one now mentioned entirely different from each other, it probably possesses most of the properties ascribed to the Aristolochia Longa, it is bitter and has an acid acrimony, it is more agreeable than the Longa, 1st It affords true camphor out of the body, it is an antiseptic according to Pringle, it is a considerable tonic and is one of our stimulating bitters. The Rad. Serp. Virg. which is the proper name of this plant we are now speaking of it is more stimulating than other bark we have, and upon the whole I believe Serpentaria in many cases may be an improper medicine and should not be given only in the sinking of the fever. I further believe that there is no case when the pulse can be raised by medicine that the snake root will fail in doing it. Dr Cullen says no

154

Materia Medica

Tonics

no bitters are stimulants this is an exception to the rule, it is probably well suited with the Cinchona. Pringle used it in the lower stage of malignant fevers, when accompanied with stupor, low pulse &c, he sometimes gave it in wine but found it best in substance, the dose was from ℈ij [2 scruples] to Ʒi [1 dram] Mr_ Who has written an essay on the Plague of Moscow says that he gave it when the patient was weak and in the last stage with much advantage. Dr Hillary used it in the yellow fever but not before the third day or untill the pulse began to sink, in the sound stage the serpentaria is hurtfull, in cases where the bark is improper from its tonic power. Dr_ a physician living on the Hudson informed me that in 1749 and 1753 a malignant fever raig’d in Bristol with pain in the side sometimes with carbuncles and full pulse; yet it would not bear venesection, one patient sunk so much from four ounces of blood being taken that he scarcely recovered, he used the serpentaria in the fever with great success, the tincture is a valuable preparation

Rx Rad. Serp. ℥iij [3 ounces] Spt. Vin. Rect. lbij [2 pounds]

Digest and strain dose from Ʒij [2 drams] to ℥fs [½ ounce]. Dr Sydenham used it with great efficacy in Intermittants especially combined with bark.

386

Materia Medica

Stimulants

raises the spirits and afterwards throws the person into a gentle sleep. Musk has been recommended in various diseases by Pringle in gout of the stomach, this practice has the testimony of various authors in its favour, and Cullen says he has relieved many patients by the use of musk in Tetanus, we might suppose it would be usefull and Dr Heberden has advantageously employ’d it in combination in this disease. Dr Owen of England relates a case of a young lady who was affected with a violent spasmodic disorder in which her head was drawn to her breast, after the failure of every other remidy she was cured by taking Ʒfs [½ dram] of Musk every four hours, he says as soon as the first dose was in her stomach the spasms began to abate, it is considered by the Chinise a valuable remidy for the hydraphobia they use it thus Rx Musk XVI grs. [16 grains] Cinnabar ℈i [1 scruple] M. fit. give this at one dose and if does not induce sleep in 3 hours repeat the dose, it has also been recommended in asthma Pertussis, Colica Pictonum, Subsultus Tendinum &c, accompanying low nervous fevers it has been found serviceable. Dr Cullen says it not only relieves these symptoms but it relieves the fever themselves. Mead gave it in Jail fever, it has also been used in Confluent Small Pox, Gangrene &c. It is frequently adulterated but its smell and