CORRECTIONS and ADDITIONS
T O  THI
MEDICAL   ASSISTANT,   fyc.
By THOMAS DANCER, M.D.
N. B. This Work is sold at his Majesty s Printing-Office, and
   at the Shop of Messrs. Meyer and Schutze, Kingston. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT.
J\. NUMBER of Errata,  in  the  References to the For-
mula in the Medical Assistant, having efcaped Notice,
they are, in the following Pages, corrected;  the Formula
likewife, that were by  Miflake  omitted, are now printed:
Some new Remedies are added,  along with a few Remarks,
that may render the Work a ftill more ufeful one  for Fami-
lies and Plantations. 
ERRATA
                       I N


The   References  to the  Formula,  8(c.
Page 7X> paragraph 2, injtead of Clyfter, No. 40, >W Clyfter, 2V*. 63.
     74, laft line, in/lead of No. 9, read No. 17.
    108, paragraphs, « Antimonial Opiate," injtead of No. m,  reed No. 17.
    x*9>          3» " Gargles," infteadofN: 54, read No. 76.
    120,          6, « Gargles, No. 54," read No. 76.
    132*          *» "Aftringent Injeftion  and Suppofitory, #0.41,42," read
                        No. 64, 65.
    141, near the bottom,  *« Oil of Amber, iVc.61," read No. 3g.
    169, <&/* the Numbers, and read,  See Index to Country Remedies.
    256, paragraph 1, dele No. 131, then read, No. 90, 91, 92.
    257, laft paragraph,  "  Aftringent Injeaion, No. 132," read No. 64.
    Ji.  laft line,  read, or Clyfter, No. 33, (B.)


                     Oilier Errata, not corrected.
Page 112, line 13, rv?«</ " harafled by want  of fleep."
     114,    20, htfiead #" itching of the Arms, read itching of the Ami. 
sFORMULl
0 MITTED.
 No.  125.    Lotion  of  Sal Armoniac,   to be  used m

                 S/irains and Inflammations,
Take Vinegar and Water, equal parts, or 2 parts Water  and 1  Vinegar;  and
  add Crude Sal Armoniac, in the  proportion  of 1 or 2 dr. to a quart.----
  Camphorated Spirits may be occafionally added.----A fufficient quantity of
  this fhould be kept always ready in ev6ry Hot-Houfe.
                   1

  No.  126.    Collyria, or Eye-Waters.—See  p. 243.
(A.) Take White Vitriol, i dr.——Diflblve in a quart of Boiling Water; then
  add a fmall quantity of Camphorated Spirits, and drain through paper or fine
  linen.----This, like the foregoing Formula,  fhould be kept always prepared.
  ----A few drops of Laudanum may be occafionally added before ufe *.

                          (B.)  Collyrium.
Take Sugar of Lead,  and diflblve in Rofe-Water, or in pure common Water, in
  the proportion of 2 or 3 gr. to the oz.----To this a fmall quantity of Cam-
  phorated Spirits, or a few drops of Laudanum, may, as dire&ed above, (A.)
  be added.

                          (C.)  Collyrium.
Take Spirits of Mindererus, (fee additional Formula, p. 346,) and Rofe-Water,
  or pure common Water, equal quantities.----To which may be added a little
  Camphorated Spirits, or Laudanum,  as diredted above,  (A.) (B.)

                (D.)  Alum Poultice for the  Eyes'.
Take a piece of Alum, and the Whites of two or more  Eggs.----Shake them
  together till a curd is formed, which feparate carefully from the Alum, and
  fpread on Lint.----To be applied to the clofed Eye-Lids at bed-time.----This
                                                                 may

  *  It was before remarked, p. 243, that Collyria are much more benefkial when used
by means of an Kje-Cup. Ii\c Cups'may be had of Mr. Menzies, Druggist, in Kingston. 
FORMULA   OMITTED.
  may be more advantageoufly  prepared, by putting the Whites of the Eggs
  into a leaden or pewter veffel, and-rubbing with  Alum ;  and,' inftead of ap-
  plying it Amply, it may be mixed with Conferve of-Rofes,  or bruifed Rofe-
  Leaves,  bruifed Pomegranate-Flowers, tsV.


                 No.  127.    Eye-Ointments.
(A,)  Take  Simple  Cerate *,  5 parts.—Finely prepared  Lapis Calaminaris,
  1 part.----Mix well together, by rubbing on a China tile or plate.
(£J Take Simple Ointment f, 6 parts.—Powdered White  Vitriol,  1 part.----
  Mix well together, by rubbing as above, (A.)-----A fmall quantity of the
  above, or of any other of the common Eye-Ointments, is to be applied to the
  Edges of the Eye-Lids, by "means of a Hair-Pencil or Feather, as directed,
  p. 244.

  * Simple Cerate is made by  melting Olive-Oil, 6 parts.—White  Wax, 3 parts.—
Spermaceti, 1 part.
  t Simple Ointment is made bv melting together Olive-Oil,  5 parts.—White Wax,
2 parts. 
               ADDITIONAL

REMEDIES   and  REMARKS.
  INFLUENZA.—Since the publication of the Medical Affiftant, an
    Epidemic Catarrh,  or Influenza,  has occurred,  which fpread itfelf
over the  whole ifland,  and was particularly fatal  to Negroes.   It is
proper to remark, that the Treatment found fuccefsful in this part of
the country, was the Antiphlogiftic one, recommended m pages 116 and
138.  When the Pulfe continued very ftrong, and the Pain did not abate
after repeated Bleedings, the Tincture of Fox-Glove was in many in-
ftances  of great  ufe.   A Practitioner  of this Town .obferved,  that a
number of his  Patients, labouring under this Catarrh, were afflicted
with  Strangury ;  for  which the Balfam Capivi was found an effectual
Remedy, whilft it alfo proved an ufeful Expectorant.

   Tetanus.—Sundry new Remedies have been fuggefted againfr. this
direful Malady, fo common and fo fatal in the Weft-Indies.   One pro-
pofed by Dr. Meafe, of Philadelphia^ both  againft this  Diforder, and the
Hydrophobia *, promifes, from the trials made of it, to be of the greateffc
ufe in the former, if not in the latter.   This Remedy  is  the Powder, or
Tincture, of Cantharides, which  is to be given in fueh  Dofes-f-  as  to
                                                               bring
  * Obfervations on the Arguments of Dr. Rufti, in favour of the inflammatory Na-
ture of the Difeafe,  produced by the  Bite of a Mad Dog; by James Meafe, M. D.
Philad.  Alfo, Medical Repofitory, Vol. IV. New- York.
  f Ten or fifteen drops of the Tincture every hour till Strangury, or confiderable
heat, and pains in the bowels, be produced.  On the fame principle, via. That of ex-
citing  Strangury, or counter-irritation, Cantharides are fuccefsfully adminiitered in
Hooping Cough, and Pleurifies. 
      ADDITIONAL REMEDIES and REMARKS.
bring on a confiderable decree of Strangury ;  upon which -its efficacy
deper.ds.   The Giipes, Bloody Stools, csV. which may be occafioned
by the Medicine, are of kfs confequence thanthe Spafms; thefc fymp-
toms, when the fpifms are got the better of, will admit ef fpeedy alle-
viation, from the ufe of demulcent Drinks, and emollient Clyfters.

   Dyfentery.—Dr. Wright,  formerly of this ifland, and the\ author  of
feveral  papers on  the fubject of  Weft-India Difeafes and Remedies,
has  lately publiflied a new edition of a Work  by Dr. Grainger,  of- St.
Kill's, with Notes.   Dr. Wright has repeated his recommendation  of
a remedy, formerly found very fuccefsful in Dyfentery, viz. Lime-Juice
and Salt * ;  and adds, that it is found  no lefs beneficial in Cholera Mor-
bus,  Ho ping  Cough, and in Diabetes.   Another  Remedy in Dyfentery
 has come lately into ufe, and is  highly fpoken of;  this is the Zezegery,
 a fpecies of Sefamum or Vanglo\.   Without calling the good effects of
 this  Remedy into queftion, the fame, it is prefumed,  may be expected
 from other Demulcents, or from the Mucilage of other Plants fimilarly
 obtained.  When therefore the  Zezegery, as it is called, is not.at hand,
 it may be worth while to try the Mucilage of Ochro,  the wild  Ochro
 (Malachra capitata),  or any of  the Malvaceous Plants j*.

    Dirt-Eating.—When the author  fuggefted the trial of Mercury  in
 this Difeafe, he did not know that it had been recommended by others §,
                                                                 and
    * Lime-Juice, 3 oz.;  as much common Salt as will diflblve therein; add a pint of
  Water, and a oz. of Sugar.----Dofe, 1 table-fpoons full every 3 or 4 hours.
    f See Captain Huxley's Letter to an Honourable Member of the Houfe of Aflembly.
  The efficacy of this Medicine, as an auxiliary in the cure of Dyfentery, has been con-
  firmed by Dr.  George Spence> of Falmouth, in Trelawny. See Cornwall Chronicle.
    J A Gentleman of the parifli  of St. David, Mr. Bull, has fhewn me a Plant, (the
  Bibifcus mahavfcus), that gives out an abundant quantity  of  clear, colourlefc,  and
  taftckfs, Mucilage;  and  which no doubt will  be found to anfwer the fame purpofes
  as> that of the Vanglo.
    S See Dr. Ckij7jo!m} in the New-York Medical Repofitory. 
      ADDITIONAL REMEDIES  and  REMARKS.
and found unfuccefsful.   A regard to truth obliges him now to fay, that,
from  the reports he has received of the cafes where it was employed, his
expectations have been difappointed.   ft lias in  few inftances done any
good, at the fame time it does not appear to have  done much harm.

   Yaws and Leprofy.—The  Nitric  Acid,  and the  Oxygenated  Muriate
rf PoUjh, from the Reports of Dr. Chifholm, and fome other  .Gentle-
men  in the Windward Islands, appear  to  have  great eHkacy in  thefe
Difeafes *.

   Ulcers.—The Nitric Acid Bath, or Nitric Acid added to Fomentations,
has been found highly lerviceable in Phagedenic, Gangrenous, Sores.

   Ring-Worm.—Tobacco-A(hes j  Infufion of Fox-Glove j Solution of
 Borax in Vinegar.

   Worms.—It was mentioned, page_ 563, that the Bark of the  Melia -f,
 Hoop-Tree, or Bead-Tree, had been given in the Eaft-Indies as a febri-
 fuge ;• in North-America, the inner Bark of the Root is employed for
 killing Worms.   " The Root of this Tree  has  a thin reddifh  Bark, or
 outer Skin, which is deleterious, and muft be carefully fcraped off from the
 fecond, or inner thick white Bark:  Put a handful of the (havings of this
 white Bark, in a quart of Water; boil over a flow  fire, to a pint;  when fet-
 tled, pour off, and fweeten.  Dofe, a wine-glafs full, three mornings  fuc-
 ceffively: After which, a Cathartic (Caftor-Oil) is to be adminiftered."
 Worms of every fpecies are deftroyed by this Medicine; for an account
 of which I am indebted to Mr. Hylton,  a gentleman of great philan^
 thropy, and mod diligent inquiry J.
    * Sec Chijholm on the Peftilential Fever of Grenada, &c. Vol. II.
    f Melia Azaderach, Linn.
    % A fpecimen of the Root of this Tree, and the Bark proper for ufe, as a vermifuge,
  may be feen at the fliop of Mr. Menzies, Druggift, in Water-Lane. 
■Hk     -