V :-v,.5 ) too uncertain in its operation ; and, as a fudorific, k is too ftimulating. It remains that I fhould fhew how it may be given fo as to prove certain in its operation as a cathartic, without much affecting the bowels with colic, and act as a fudorific without much affecting the circulation of the blood : I mean in increafing the frequency and fulnefs of the pulfe. To anfwer thefe intentions, it is only neceflary to give it in fmall dofes, and to repeat them often, and as the gum* (which I believe to be the only active principle which it contains) appears to be more perfeftly extrafted by boiling in water than by the gaftric juice, the decoftion deferves a preference* The following experiments will ferve to illuftrate the operation of fmall dofes of the Seneca, in de- coction. EXPERIMENT n. Having boiled one ounce of the Seneca in a pint of water, till it was reduced to half a pint, I took • I have no other reafon for believing that boiling water diffolves the fcum of the Seneca more readily than the gaftric juice, than that fmall dofes in decoction have greater effects on the fyftem than equal dofes in fubflance • but I have better reafon for believing that the gum is its only active part, J Hie root becomes iafipid after long maceration in water, and as very large dofes had no effect upon me after I had obtained all the gum from it. ( 16 ) of the decoction two tea-fpoons full, every half hour, for one hour and an half. Its only effect* was to excite a gentle perfpiration, without naufe- ating my ftomach, and without perceptibly increaf- ing the action of my pulfe. EXPERIMENT 12. Of the fame decoction I took two tea-fpoons full, every fifteen minutes, for one hour and an hal£ In three quarters of an hour, a very copious difcharge of perfpiration was excited, which every fucceeding dofe increafed, till I had taken the laft. My pulfe, during the whole time of its operation, was not increafed in quickaefs, but it became fomewhat fuller than at firft. EXPERIMENT 13. Of the decoction, as before, I took two tea- fpoons full, every tert minutes, for one hour and an half. The refult of this experiment was: in thirty minutes a copious flow of perfpiration ; in one hour my pulfe had become confiderably fuller and three ftrokes quicker than at firft ; in ten minutes after this, I had an evacuation by ftool, and in twenty- five minutes after, two others, but free from the • I have omitted to mention that the decoction retained all the acrimony of the root in fubftance, and equally increafed theftcretion by the bronchia. ( «7 ) flatulency which ufually attends the operation of large dofes in fubftance. No effect was more ob* vipus than that of the increafed fecretion of urine* EXPERIMENT 14* At eleven o'clock, three hours after having breakfafted on bread and butter and coffee, my pulfe beating 92 ftrokes in a minute, I took four tea-fpoons full of the decodion, and in ten minutes repeated the dofe: In five minutes after, my pulfe beat 96 ftrokes in a minute. In ten minutes more, repeated the dofe again : I then became confidera* bly naufeated, my pulfe became fuller than natural, and beat 99 ftrokes in a minute* and my whole body became wet with fweat. In this way I con- tinued to take the decoction for one hour, during Which time it operated three times as a cathartic, and very powerfully as a fudorific and diuretic I have now finifhed the recital of all the expert fnents which the fhortnefs of my time would permit me to make ; and am next to treat of the difeafes in which the Seneca may be applied as a remedy. Before entering upon this part of my fubjed, it is neceflary I fhould premife, that I have never feen it ufed extenfively in pradice, and therefore can fay but little from my own experience. G ( 18 ) I have alfo to regret that the Seneca has only been ufed by few of the regular bred phyficians of our country, who, whether from the imperfed ftate of fcience at the time when they lived, or from their ignorance of its true properties, have afcribed to it virtues which, at this time, few will admit. As an Inftance of this, I need only mention the fanguine aflurances which Dr. Tennant gives us of its efficacy in curing the difeafe caufed by the bite of the Rat- tlefnake : but of this I fliall treat more fully. In order that a comparative view may be had of the manner in which perfons are affeded who have been bitten by the Rattlefnake, and in whom an abforption of the poifon has taken place, and of the powers of the Seneca, I will briefly enumerate the fymptoms ; and as thefe are given in a very fatis- fadory manner, by Dr. Barton, in. a paper which he has laid before the American Philofophical So- ciety, I beg leave to quote a part of what he has faid on the fubjed. " When the poifon of the Rattlefnake," fays he, " has adually been introduced into the mafs of; blood, it begins to exert its mod alarming and charaderiftic effeds. A confiderable degree of naufea is a very early fymptom. We now difcover an evident alteration in the pulfe: It becomes full, ftrong, and greatly agitated. The whole body be- ( '9 ) gins to fwell. The eyes become fo entirely fuffiifed, that it is difficult to difcover the fmalleft portion of the adnata that is not painted with blood. In ma- ny inftances, there is an hemorrhage of blood from the eyes, and Hkewife from the nofe and ears. And fo great is the change induced in the mafs of blood, that large quantities of it are fometimes thrown out on the furface of the body in form of fweat. The teeth vacillate in their fockets, whilft the pains and groans of the unhappy fufferer too plainly inform us that the extindion of life is near at hand."* The nature of this difeafe, and the very fpeedyf manner in which the fymptoms, which I have juft enumerated, fucceed to the bite of the Rattlefnake, when it has been inflided in a part where vthere are many abforbents, or where a blood-veffel has been wounded, are amply fufficient to deftroy any confi, dence in the Seneca Snake-Root as a remedy, I have, as yet, however, fuppofed the poifon to have been thrown into a blood-veffel, or in a part * See 3d vol. of the Tranfactions of the American Philofophical Society. f The bite of the Rattlefnake has often been known to produce death in the courfe ef a few minutes, when the poifon has been thrown immediately into a blood-veffel. See Dr. Barton's paper, in the 3d vol. of the Tranfac- tions of the American Philofophical Society, for an account of a young man, who, while repofing himfelf under a-tree in the wood, was killed, in a few minutes, from the bite of a Rattlefnake in the neck. ( *o ) where there are many abforbents, and whence it would be fpeedily taken into the mafs of blood. In this fituation, the fymptoms which immediately enfue feem to bid defiance to medicines. But it is not improbable that the Seneca, a&lng as a very general ftimulant, and evacuating very powerfully as a fudorific, &c. may be of fome ufe in the lefs violent ftates of the difeafe. As it may be deemed rafh in a young man of jio more experience in medicine than I poffefs, to controvert what has been advanced by Dr. Tennant, I will now point out fome of the circumftances whereby he may have been deceived. It is now well known, that the Rattlefnake does not alway communicate poifon when it bites ;* and it is alfo afcertained that it takes fome days for it to fecrete poifon enough to prove mortal, after ©nee having bitten an animal, t • Among a variety of proofr of this, no one appears more fatisfac- tory tha* one which Dr. Barton has related to me. A young man was bitten in both legs by a Rattle-fhake. The leg in which he received the firft bite inflamed and fwelled to a great degree; whereas the leg ill which he received the fecond bite, immediately after, fcarcery inflamed pr fwelled at all, f See the American Edition of tfte Encyclopedia, art Poifon ; alf art. Serpents. ( *■ ) This is a very evident, and I dare fay, a very frequent fource of deception. But admitting that the poifon has been communicated to fome mufcu- lar part, as, for inftance, the calf of the leg; the conftant habit of our Indians of applying ligatures above the bite, and cutting out the part where it was inflided, may alone have prevented any future ill confequences. J The poifon may have lodged among ft ligaments and tendons, and no blood-veffel injured. In this cafe it may have remained, with- out being abforbed for any given time, and in all thefe cafes the Seneca may have been given and commended as having cured a difeafe which was prevented by other remedies, or which, in fad, did not, and probably never would have exifted. The next difeafe in which Dr. Tennant gave the Seneca is pleurify. When this is violent, it is not neceflary that I fhould fay, the remedy is not only an inefficacious, but a dangerous one. When, however, the adion of the pulfe has been in fome meafure fubdued, ading (in decodion) as a very powerful fudorific, diuretic, &c. and thereby dimi- nifhing the quantity of circulating fluid, it cannot but be an ufeful remedy. I have never been a witnefs of its efficacy, but I am well informed that * For all the caufes which may have given rife to deception on this head, fee Dr. Barton's paper, in the 3d volume of the Tranfadions of the American Philofophical Society. ( 22 ) Dr. Archer of Maryland, is in the habit of giving the decodion to patients in pleurify with decided advantage. I fhall fay nothing of its ufe in the gout. This difeafe has long been confidered as a noli me tangere, and the difgrace into which fpeci- fics for curing it are daily falling, renders it prob- able that this remedy, in common with a variety of others, has come into ufe from no good foun^ dation. The Seneca has of late been much ufed and com- mended by Dr. Archer, whom I have jult men- tioned, in the cure of Cynanche Trachealis. I muft confefs that I have never feen it ufed in this difeafe, and therefore can add nothing to what Dr. Archer has faid in favour of its efficacy. The foL lowing letter, however, from him to Dr. Rufli, is fufficient to fhow that it is a very valuable remedy. " Harford County, Nov. 22, 1797. " Dear Sir, " OUR long and intimate acquaintance induces me to begin a correfpondence in the way of our profeflion. This I conceive may be beneficial, not only to ourfelves, but to our fellow creatures ; and when we confider that it is the fuffering part, this fhould ftir us up to free and open communica- tions. The widow's mite was (in the opinion of the beft of judges) acceptable, Every difcovery ( «3 ) in the cure of difeafes has a tendency, not only to alleviate the pains and fufferings of human nature, but may and fhould lead us to a better knowledge of difeafes from the confideration of the effeds of medicines. One difcovery may lead to ftill more important ones, and fo on in fucceflion. " So far by Way of introdudion. " The obfervations I would now communicate to my old and worthy friend, I fhall confine to a difeafe incident only to the younger part of our fpecies, known by the name of Cynanche Trache- al (vulgo) the Croup, Hives, or Children's Afthma. I need not enter into a defcription of the difeafe, as it is particularly defcribed by medical authors—the limits of a letter will not admit of it. I would only remark, that I believe it to be a topi- cal difeafe confined to the Trachea Arteria by the formation of a membrane or flough therein ; and in its advanced ftage, that this membrane (if it may be fo called) defcends down the Trachea and into the feveral ramifications thereof: that it is firft formed about the Epiglottis and beginning of the Trachea, and as this membrane increafes in extent, it alfo increafes in thicknefs, until breathing is ma- terially affeded, and'at laft totally fufpended, when the difeafe proves fatal. I alfo conceive, that this membrane, whether from the peculiar qualities of ( *4 ) its component parts, or from its adhefion to the Trachea, irritates it in fuch a manner as to caufe fpafmodic affections at times, fo as to occafion more difficult breathing at one time than at another. " The cure, in my opinion, confifts in the fe* paration or folution of the membrane or flough that is formed, or forming, in the arterea afpera. To accomplifh this intention, I have found the de- coction of the Radix Seneca a very powerful re- medy. I make a ftrong decoction of the root in the following manner. " & Pulv. Rad. Sen. J& Coque in - " Aquae Font* Jviij. Of this I firft give a tea- fpoonful, and repeat the dofe every half hour or hour, asfhc urgency of the fymptoms requires, un- til it ads as an emetic or cathartic: then repeated in fmaller dofes fo as to keep up the conftant ftimu- lus of the SeneCa, The ftimulus of the Seneca is very diffufive. It extends to the epiglottis and uppd* part of the trachea, and if the membrane is but recently formed, tends to the folution thereof. If formed, and its texture become more firm and adhefive, the Seneca infinuates itfelf through it to the trachea, and, by its ftimulus there, occafions an increafed fecretion of mucus. ( 25 ) " This being more fluid and lefs tenacious tharl the membrane, renders it more eafily feparated and broken to pieces, fo that it riiay be difcharged and the difeafe cured. This appears to me to be the operation of the Seneca in the Cyhanche Trachealis; The method, therefore, in which I have proceeded, has been according to the ftate of the difeafe at the time when I was called. If to a recent attack, I give a tea-fpoonful or two of the decodion, every two or four hours, and this treatment has with me generally removed the difeafe ; but if the difeafe be of long ftanding, and the breathing is difficult, with a peculiar harfh and gratirig found, and there is a retradion of the upper part of the parieties of the abdomen under the cartilages' of the ribs, even ih a fmall degree, I then give calomel freely, and ufe ung. mercurial, rubbed on the throat and adjacent parts, fo as to affed the glands of the mouth and throat as foon as poffible. The ftimulus of the mercury on the glands produces a difcharge of thin mucus between the membrane and the trachea, and thereby facilitates its feparation. In this the effe d produced by mercury is the fame as that produced by the Seneca; at the fame time that I' give the mercury, the decodion of the Seneca is adminiftered as before direded, and in this way I have fucceeded even beyond my moft fanguine expedations; D ( 26 ) " This fall I have had more cafes'of the Cynanche Trachealis than I have ever known before in our part of the country, and in a majority of thefe cafes, the decodion of the Seneca has fucceeded without the ufe of calomel." Notwithftanding Dr. Archer feems to differ in opinion from fome, as to the Cynanche Trachealis being always a local difeafe, and with regard to the Seneca ading fometimes mechanically, in removing the flough or membrane from the trachea, ft ill, from his long experience in the difeafe, and from his known candour in relating the refults, no one will have the fmalleft doubt, but that it is a very valua- ble and efficacious remedy. It does not appear to me, that the difeafe being fometimes a general one with local affedion, mili- tates againft the ufe of the Seneca as a remedy in either cafe; for although a flight fever fhould at- tend, I can eafily conceive that the profufe fweat (not to mention other evacuations) which it induces, when kept up to a confiderable time, may not only Counterbalance the ftimulus which it imparts to the fyftem, but alfo reduce the adion of the pulfe. In fome parts of Virginia the Seneca has lately been ufed, with very great fuccefs, in the cure of the dyfentery. ( *7 ) When we confider that this difeafe is, as Syden- ham has juftly called it, a Febris Introverfa, and that it is owing to a preternatural determination of blood to the inteftines, it will readily appear, that whatever remedy has a tendency, by inducing fweat, to determine the circulation of the blood more to the furface of the body, without irritating the intef- tines fo much as to increafe their inflammation, muft be an ufeful remedy. The Seneca feems to be peculiarly fitted for this, and befides being a very gentle fudorific (I mean in decodion) it tends, by its gentle ftimulus, to equalize the circulation of the blood in every part of the body. It was with this intention that Dr. Mofely, in the Weft-Indies, gave fmall and repeated dofes of the ipecacuanha, and we have his teflimony in favour of the fuccefs of the pradice. But the Se- neca clearly deferves a preference to the laft men- tioned remedy; as, in the firft place, it is lefs apt to naufeate; and fecondly, it is much more certain in its operation as a fudorific. I do not mean to fay that it fhould be ufed in every ftage of the difeafe; on the contrary, when it has been of but fhort du- ration, and is^attended by violent fymptoms, it can- not but do harm. But when it is mild, and has been in part cured by blood-letting and other reme- dies, the judicious ufe of the Seneca will feldom fail of doing much good, ( 28 ) Hjtherto, diuretics have been but very little at- tended to in the cure of the dyfentery ; but as they take from, the quantity of blood, and that at the immediate feat of the difeafe, I conceive when they ad fo gently as not to irritate the interlines, they muft be ufeful. In this refped alfo the Seneca deferves to be noticed.* Dr. Tennant gave the Seneca in rheumatifm, and alfo in dropfy, afthma, and marafmus. When I chofe this as a fubjed to write on, I in- tended to have confidered how far it was applicable to the cure of thefe difeafes, but from the concur- rence of feveral circumftances which caufed delay, I am now unable to do it. I will only obferve, with regard to its ufe in plropfy, that Dr. Percival has made a flight trial of it, but the refult was not in favour of its efficacy: and, as a remedy in rheumatifm, I have given it in one cafe only, but the refult was more unfavor- able than otherwife. From thefe two inftances I do not, however, mean to draw any inferences, • In fpeaking of the Seneca in the cure of difeafes, unlefs the fubftance is mentioned, it may be taken for granted I mean the decoction. ( 29 ) either in favour of, or againft it, as they were nei- ther of them decifive. It is probable that the Seneca may be a better remedy in marafmus; but I know of no fads on the fubjed. This difeafe, I believe, is lefs fre- quent now in Virginia than formerly; and fince Dr. Tennant's time, I have never heard of the re- medy's being ufed. THE END. Heel, Hut. ^.70 W7?3l 171? c.l