-If 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS.
                                    Louisville, Nov. 18, 1839.
  John C. Gunn, M.D.—I have, with pleasure, perused the work of
Dr. John C. Gunn, entitled " Domestic Medicine; or, the Poor Man's
Friend :"  and having had the experience of nearly forty years' practice
of Medicine myself, I feel satisfied that but few if any medical works
contain more valuable and useful practical remarks, or comprise a more
plain and concise method of treating diseases.  It is truly suited to the
plainest understanding, and well calculated to be instrumental in reliev-
ing the sufferings of thousands.             Wm. Cochran, M.D.
                                Louisville, December 11, 1839.
  To Dr. John C. Gunn.—I have examined " Gunn's Domestic Medi-
cine," and consider it a valuable compendium of the approved modern
practice of physic, simplified and divested of technicality, to a degree
that  better adapts it to the use of families than any work of the kind
withH my knowledge.                 Wm. A. M'Dowell, M.D.
  Di.  J.  C. Gunn.—Dear Sir:—I have examined  with  care your
" Domestic Medicine and Poor Man's Friend."  It contains a compre-
hensive description of the  diseases incident to  the United States, as
also the remedies to be employed;  and with pleasure recommend it to
all families, as being the established practice of the profession.
                          Respectfully, your ob't serv't.
  Louisville, Dec. 9, 1839.                J. W. Knight, M.D.
                                 Louisville, Ky., Dec. 9, 1839.
  Dr. J. C. Gunn.—Dear Sir:—I have examined your medical workr
" Gunn's Domestic Medicine, or Poor Man's Friend," and unhesitatingly
advance the opinion that it is better calculated for the use of planters,
families, &c, than any work of  the kind  extant, and take great plea
sure in recommending its general use.
             Respectfully, yours,        John M. Talbot, M.D.
  To J. C. Gunn, M.D.—My dear  Sir:—I  have examined  jtm
" Domestic Medicine, or Poor Man's Friend," and find it, in my opi
nion, a most valuable work of the kind, and well  suited to the use ol
families, and for planters ;—a work containing, in plain language, di-
rections for the treatment of disease, conformable to the most approved
practice of modern times.            Yours, respectfully,
  Louisville. Ky., Nov. 30. 1839.                I. Vail, M.D 
2
   Dr. J. C  Gunn.—Having  examined the general arrangement of
"^Gunn's  Domestic Medicine, or Poor Man's  Friend,"  and looked
somewhat minutely into  a few of its details, I can with confidence
state that it appears to me to be a highly useful popular  compend of
4he modern practice of physic, in a dress well  adapted to the wants
of individuals on plantations, and other country situations,  remote from
the regular faculty.                    G. E. Penderorast, M.D.
   Louisville, Dec. 1,  1839.

                                     Louisville, Dec. 10,  1839.
   To Dr. John C. Gunn.—I have looked into " Gunn's Domestic
Medicine," and consider  it a plain practical work,  well adapted to the
purposes for which it is designed, and will be found a valuable assist-
ant to families in any sudden emergency, and in all situations where
regular professional attendance cannot be commanded.
                                    Llewellyn Powell,  M.D.
  Dr. J. C. Gunn.—I have attentively  perused " Gunn's Domestic
Medicine."  I consider it the best popular work extant.  It is the phi-
losophy of medicine, divested of its scholastic technicalities.  No family
possessing  this work  will,  in  ordinary cases,  have occasion  to give
sway much money to a physician.
                               James R. McConockie,  M.D.
                   Honorary Member of the Medical Society of Philadelphia.
  Dr. Gunn.—I  have examined " Gunn's Domestic Medicine, or
Poor Man's Friend," and have no hesitation in stating it will be sig-
nally productive of good to all who  may use it, as was the  design of
the author;  which was, that its instructions should not beget too much
confidence in the discriminating judgment of those who consult it, and
thereby prevent the timely reference to the  skilful living physician of
Important or obscure cases, but be regarded  as a directory in all ordi-
nary diseases, before it becomes expedient to call a medical adviser.
  The style of  the work is good, indeed fine, and the author entitled
to much praise for the labour  and  research he  has bestowed upon it
The work, likewise, though disclaiming originality,  is so, in several
particulars.                             B. H. Hall, M.D.
         Formerly a Member of the Board of Faculty, and late Resident Physician
               and Surgeon of the Louisville M. Hospital.
  Louisville, Dec. 17, 1839.
                                 Louisville, Ky., Dec. G, 1839.
  Dr. Gunn  —Dear Sir:—By your favour I have had an opportunity
of examining your work entitled " Gunn's Domestic Medicine," and
1 am happy to state that I am much pleased at the manner in which it
is prepared and got up; and furthermore, so far  as my judgment ex-
 ends, I would recommend it to private families as a very useful book.
           Respectfully, yours,         H.  M. Wakefield, M.D. 
3
                                     Louisville, Dec. 11,  1839.
  J. C. Gunn, M.D.—Dear Sir:—Having examined your " Domc^
tic Medicine, and Poor Man's Friend,"  I state with pleasure,  that it w
a compend of the practice of medicine, containing very much invalua-
ble  medical  knowledge,  and is well calculated for the perusal of a\\
planters and farmers,  who  may, by following the directions therein
given,  not only  save  much expense, but be instrumental in saving
many lives.  The directions are plain, and the practice scientific, safe.
and valuable.                              J. W. Brite,  M.D.
                                    Louisville, Dec. 17, 1839.
  John  C. Gunn, M.D.:—1  have  examined  "Gunn's Domestie
Medicine," and cheerfully recommend it as a useful and safe guide in
the practice of medicine on modern principles, simplified and adapted
to the comprehension of non-professional readers, &c.
                                          A. P. Elston, M.D.
                                    Louisville, Dec. 17, 1839
  Dr. J. C. Gunn.—Dear Sir:—I have the satisfaction to inform you
of my very favourable opinion of the arrangement and contents of your
Domestic Medicine.
  I feel confident  that the value of it will be as justly appreciated by
private families, &c.  &c, as by your friend, &c. &c.
                                           W. C. Galt, M.D.
      PROFESSORS IN  THE  LOUISVILLE  MEDICAL
                         INSTITUTE.
  Dr. J. C. Gunn :—I have examined " Gunn's Domestic Medicine,"
and find it a plain work, valuable for families in many cases of emer
gency, when a regular physician or surgeon cannot be procured.
                                               J. Cobb, M.D.,
                    Professor of Anatomy in the Louisville Medical Institute
  Louisville, Dec. 13, 1839.
                                    Louisville, Dec. 19,  1839.
  Dear  Sir:—I  have looked through  the revised edition  of  your
work, and am  pleased to  see in it many things  calculated to make  ii
useful as a book of reference in domestic medicine.  Respectfully,
&c, I am yours,                          C. W. Short, M.D.,
                Professor of Materia Medica in the Louisville Medical Institute.
  Doct. Gunn.
  J. C. Gunn, M.D.—Sir:—Your " Domestic  Medicine " is not
only an imposing work in its exterior, but embraces much knowledge,
which  must prove valuable to families residing in remote neighbour- 
4
hoods, where medical practitioners  are  inaccessible.  It embraces a
fast amount of information relative to all the " ills which flesh is heir
to," together with a list of the best remedies, their doses, &c.   With
wishes for your success, I am, very respectfully, your ob't serv't,
                                         L. P. Yandell, M.D.
                    Professor of Chemistry in the Louisville Medical Institute
  Louisville, Dec. 19, 1839.
   Doct. Gunn.—Dear Sir:—Having perused your " Domestic Medi
fine," I take  great pleasure in commending it to non-professional
leaders as an excellent guide in cases where the services of regularly
educated practitioners cannot be readily procured.   As a book of refer-
ence it is plain and intelligible  to the  comprehension  of the general
reader, and the work, in short,  is presented in a form which  reflecta
much credit on the taste of its author.
       Respectfully, &c, your ob't serv't,        W. H.  Donne,
                  Demonstrator of Anatomy in the Louisville Medical Institute.
State of Kentucky, ~)
City of Louisville. 3
  I, Fred. A. Kaye, Mayor of the City of Louisville,  do hereby cer-
tify, that the gentlemen, who  have certified to the above, are resident
physicians and surgeons of the City of Louisville, and are all person-
ally known to me, with the exception of Dr. McConockie.
  ^ftjuuu^   In testimony whereof 1 have hereunto set my name,
  5  L. S. £ and caused the seal of the corporation to be affixed, this
  afcnomds 29th day of April, 1840.
                                       Fred. A. Kaye, Mayor.
  Copied from the certificates of Drs. M'Dowell and Withers, St. Louis, Missouri.
  I have  examined  Dr. Gunn's work on the Practice of Medicine,
designed for the use of families, and consider it valuable. Such a book
in the hands of those remote from physicians cannot fail to be of great
service.   I  would commend it to the use of families generally.
                With respect,         Jo. N. McDowell, M. D.
            Honorary Member of the Philadelphia Medical Society, late Professor
             of Special Anatomy in the Cincinnati College, and Professor of
                      Anatomy and Surgery in Kemper College, St Louis.

  „      , „       .   .    rn        St. Louis,  Sept. 5, 1840.
  Upon a full  examination of Dr. Gunn's Medical Work, I  am per-
fectly satisfied that it will add much to the health and happiness of the
community at large: I therefore recommend to all those who have  not
purchased a copy, to obtain one so soon as they can.
                                         L. A.  Withers, M. D.
; 
^N
y 
^cJ? 
/
} 
 
        y^'   GUNN'S

DOMESTIC   MEDICINE,
                          OR
          POOR  MAN'S  FRIEND,
    IN THE HOURS OF AFFLICTION, PAIN, AND SICKNESS.

                     THIS BOOK
POINTS OUT, IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, FREE FROM DOCTORS' TERMS,
                      THE DISEASES OF
        MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN,
                          AND
   THE LATEST AND MOST APPROVED MEANS USED IN THEIR CURE,
                      AJJD IS INTENDED
      EXPRESSLY FOR THE BENEFIT OF FAMILIES.
              IT ALSO CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF THE
MEDICINAL  ROOTS AND  HERBS
                         or THE
                UNITED STATES,
     AND HOW THEY ARE TO BE USED IN THE CURE OF DISEASES.

           ARRANGED ON A NEW AND SIMPLE PLAN,
                        ,'"* « ,, r.
 BY WHICH THE PRACTICE OF MEDipiNE IS1 REDACTED TO PRINCIPLES OF COMMON SENSE.
                     //?     '■■;.;

Why should we conceal from mankind that which relieves the distresses of our fellow-beings 1

              THE LAST  REVISED EDITION.
               LOUISVILLE .
PUBLISHED  BY ALLSTON  MYGATT. 
,r\
         Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 18-10, by
                 G. V. Raymond, for the proprietors,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
/.  n y> e x
    iv e
     120
      mo
   MORTON & GRISWOLD,
Stereotypers and Printers, Loninvitle. 
INDEX.
ABORTION
  Accidents, ordinary-
           compound
  After-pains       -
  Ague and Fever  -
  Alum root       -
  Aloetic mixture   -
  Amputation of the arm
             of the thigh -
             of the leg
             of the forearm
             of the fingers and toes
  Anger    -
  Anodynes       ...
  Antispasmodics   -
  Apoplexy       -
  Asthma  -
BATH,  WARM  OR TEPID
                   Cold -
                   Sulphur
  Balm     ....
  Beer for consumption
  Blackberry, common
  Bloodroot       -
  Bloodletting     -
  Bone-set        -
  Burns    -
  Butterfly weed    -
  Buchu  leaves     -
CATARRH OR  COLDS -
  Catheter, use of  -
  Cancer   -
  Cancer root      -
  Camomile       -
  Castor  oil -
  Camphorated powder and Julep  -
  Centaury (American)
  Cholic  (ordinary) -
         during pregnancy -
         in children
  Cholera morbus  -
         epidemic  -
         infantum  - 
4
INDEX.
  Chills......Page 530
  Childbed fever   -                    ...     535
  Chirayita herb   -      -      -      -       -       -     731
  Citric acid and carbonate of soda -      -       -            791
  Clap    ....--       426, 435
  Colchicum seed, tincture of                                 783
  Columbo -------     662
  Cologne water   ------     800
  Consumption    ------     290
  Corns   -------     456
  Constant desire to make water during pregnancy   -       -     498
  Constipation     ------     596
  Convulsions or fits      -      -      -       -       -     602
  Contusion or blow      -      -      -       -       -     831
  Concussion of the brain  -----     832
  Compression of   do.   -----     833
  Cramp   ------            497
  Croup    -------     604
  Croton oil       ------     798
DISEASES  OF WOMEN       -      -       -       -     458
           of children   -----     583
  Dittany  -------     649
  Directions for preserving roots, flowers, and barks        -     736
  Dispensatory    ------     754
  Dislocations, generally   -      -      -       -       -856
              of the lower jaw   -      -       -       -     857
              of the shoulder     ....     857
              of the collar bone   -                          858
              of the elbow       -      -       -            858
              of the wrists, fingers, &c.   -                   858
              of the thigh -----     859
              of the knee pan    -                          860
              of the leg  -      -      -      -       -     860
              of the foot  -----     861
  Dogwood        ------     634
  Drinking cold water, effects of          -      -       -     338
  Drops of life    -      -      -      -      -       -794
  Dropsy  -------     344
  Dyspepsia       ------     280
  Dysentery or flux        ....       -     322
  Diarrhoea or looseness    ...       -       621,325
EARACHE......400
  Eating snuff     -     -      -      -       -            801
  Emetics -------     755
  Emetine -------     797
  Epilepsy -------     382
  Eruptions of the skin   -      •      -      -            369
  Ether,  sulphuric  ------     765
  Exercise  -------     153 
INDEX.
5
  Exercise of children
FALSE PAINS IN  PREGNANCY
  Paintings after delivery
  Falling of the palate
  Fear     -       -       -      -
  Fever, general remarks on
        bilious    -
        nervous   ...
        scarlet    ...
        in children
  Flooding -       -       -      -
  Food     -
  Friction  -       -       -      -
  Fractures (generally)
          of the bone of the nose -
          of the lower jaw
          of the collar bone
          of the arm
          of the forearm  -
          of the wrist
          of the ribs
          of the thigh
          of the foot
GINSENG
  Ginger  -       -       -      -
  Gleet    ....
  Glysters -
  Green sickness   -       -      -
  Grief   ....
  Gravel  -       -       -      .
HARTSHORN,  SPIRITS OF   -
  Harrowgate salt, artificial  -
  Headach        ...
  Heartburn        -       -      -
  Hope   ....
  Horsemint       ...
  Hysteria        ...
  Hydrophobia     ...
IXFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH
                of  the bowels
                of  the brain
                of  the spleen
                of  the kidneys  -
                of  the bladder
                of  the lungs
                in  child-bed
                in the breasts of women
  Intemperance    -
  Indian physic    ...
Page 592
     501
     530
     807
      26
     185
     197
     202
     207
     607
     502
     177
     750
     848
     848
     848
     849
     850
     850
     851
     851
     852
     855
     637
     696
     438
     762
     469
      67
     354
     765
     791
     399
     496
      28
     703
     543
     812
     326
     328
     330
     333
     334
     336
     805
     531
     532
      78
     676 
6                      INDEX.
Indian turnip	_	.	-	-	Pag.	;685
Iodine	.	.	-	-	-	793
Ipecacuanha	-	-	-	-	-	658
American	.	-	-	-	-	677
Issues	.	.	-	-	-	751
Itch	.	.	-	-	-	37H
JAMESTOWN WEED	.	.	-	-	-	628
Jalap	.	.	-	-	-	682
Jaundice -	.	.	-	-	-	808
Jealousy -	-	-	-	-	-	36
Jerusalem oak	-	-	-	-	-	648
Joy	-	-	-	-	-	29
KING'S EVIL	.	.	.	-	-	809
LABOUR, ordinary	-	-	-	-	-	511
difficult	-	-	-	-	-	517
directions after	-	.	.	-	-	526
Leeches -	.	.	-	-	-	820
Liver, diseases of	.	.	.	-	-	303
Liverwort	-	-	.	-	-	779
Liquorice	.	.	.	-	■ -	795
Love	.	.	.	-	-	49
Locked jaw	-	.	.	.	-	450
Lochia	-	.	.	-	-	529
Lobelia inflata	.	.	.	_	.	6^
MALFORMATION	.	.	.	_	-	599
Materia Medica -	.	.	.	.	.	622
May apple	-	-	-	-	-	649
Manna	-	-	-	-	-	671
Menses or courses	-	-	.	.	-	461
obstructed -	.	-	-	-	-	465
great flow of	-"	-	.	.	.	471
cessation of	-	-	.	-	.	473
Meconium	.	.	.	.	.	588
Measles -	-	.	.	.	_	614
Mercury -	-	-	-	.	.	777
Mid wives, directions for	.	.	.	_	.	520
Milk fever	.	.	.	m	,	533
Morphine	-	-	.	.	.	779
acetate of	-	.	.	_	.	782
Mortification	-	.	_	_	m	814
of wounds	-	.	.	«,	m	869
Mumps -	-	-	.	_	m	401
Mustard seed, white	-	.	-	m	m	705
NIGHTMARE	-	.	.	m	m	811
OINTMENTS	-	-	.	_	m	774
Opium	-	-	-	.	m	697
Otto of roses, how made	; .	-	_	„		800
PASSIONS, TREATISE	ON	.	.	_	m	25
Palsy	-	-	-	-	-	386
 
INDEX.
7
  Pains of the face -
       in the head during pregnancy
  Peppermint      -       -       -
  Piles (generally)  -
       during pregnancy   -
  Pleurisy  -       -       -       -
  Pox     -
  Poisons  -
  Pregnancy       -       -       -
           signs of
           cautions during
           diseases of    -
  Prickly ash "    -
  Pulse    -       -       -       -
  Putrid sore throat -       -       -
  Purgatives,  active

QUININE, SULPHATE  OF
RELIGION       -       -       -
  Red gum -       -       -       -
  Rheumatism     -
  Rhubarb  -       -       -       -
  Rhatany  root    -
  Ringworm       _       -       -
  Rickets  -      -       -       -
  Round leaf cornel, tincture of
                   essential salt of
  Rue            -
ST. ANTHONY'S FIRE -
  Sassafras -      -      -
  Sarsaparilla
  Sage     -
  Saint Vitus' dance
  Scurvy  -      -       -
  Scaldhead
             in infants
  Scalds  and burns -
  Senna, foreign
         American -
  Sickness of the stomach  -
  Sleep    -
       want of    -
  Slippery elm
  Small pox
  Snuffles  -       -       -
  Snake  root, Seneca
             button
  Sore legs -       -       -
  Sore eyes
       in children  -
425,
Page 447
     495
     695
     394
     500
     350
     427
     440
     481
     486
     488
     490
     683
     189
     396
     759
     761
     792
     108
     594
     271
     673
     729
     372
     812
     789
     790
     662
     371
     635
     626
     661
     813
     348
     373
     698
     454
     666
     668
     493
     146
     499
     647
     413
     593
     622
     657
     391
     403
     599 
8
INDEX.
  Spirits of turpentine
        of lavender
  Sprains          -
  Stoppage of urine       -      •
  Stillborn  -
  Stimulants       -
  Sudorifics                     •
  Swelled legs      -
  Swaim's panacea        -
  Swelled leg      -       -      -
TANSY   -       -       -      -
  Tartar emetic ointment
  Tetter   -       -       -      -
  Teething -       -       -      -
  Thrush   -       -       -      -
  Tight lacing      -       -      -
  Tincture of ginger and camomile flowers
  Toothache       -
  Tobacco  -       -       -      -
  Tonics   .       -       -      -
  Treatment of new born infants
  Transference of vital power
  Twins          .       -      -
URINE, SUPPRESSION OF   -
         great flow of      -
         stoppage of, in pregnancy -
  Uva ursi        -
VACCINATION  -
  Venereal disease -       -      -
WARTS   ---      -
  Walnut, white   -       -      -
  Wen, cure of    -
  Whitlow -       -       -       -
  Whooping cough -
  Whites   -       -       -      -
  White swelling  -
  Wild cherry tree -      -       -
  Worms  -      -      -       -
  Wounds, treatise on
           incised -
           punctured
           contused
           of the ear
           of the scalp
           of the throat
           of the chest
           of the belly
           of the joints
           of the tendons  -
 YELLOW GUM -
Page 766
     766
     832"
     360
     584
     764
     773
     497
     778
     534
     661
     796
     372
     600
     595
     571
     788
     374
     638
     768
     586
     826
     518
     360
     362
     498
     643
     410
     417
     457
     672
     813
     407
     613
     476
     816
     686
     616
     834
     836
     838
     840
     843
     844
     844
     844
     845
     846
     846
     594 
INTRODUCTION.
  It is now seven years since I introduced the first volume
of my " Domestic Medicine, or Poor Man's Friend."   It
then contained only 450 pages, and  has  gone through
eleven editions, and the astonishing number of one hun-
dred thousand copies have been sold in the southern and
western states, and the demand  is increasing.
  I now offer it revised, corrected, and enlarged to 900
pages, and executed in superior style.
  When I reflect upon the  weight of responsibility rest
ing upon me, on account of the immense number of my
fellow-beings who confide in what I have written for their
benefit, in the spirit of truth  and soberness, I  fall  pros-
trate as a worm of the dust before Him " with whom I have
to do," and supplicate His blessing upon my labours; and
I also return my most  grateful  acknowledgments  to my
medical brethren for the high and honourable manner  in,
which they have sustained this family work, as. being the
established practice of the profession.
  The rapid sale of my book, and the great patronage |
have received in my humble efforts to be useful to my fel-
low-creatures, fills  my heart with joy and  gratitude, and
language is inadequate  to express  to my fellow-citizens,
how much I estimate their goodness, or how willing I feel
still to continue my feeble efforts, through  the assistance
of Almighty God, to do them good, and to unfold to them
such things, in plain language, as may soothe their bodily
infirmities, and perhaps, be the means of relieving them
from pain and sickness.  To. the profession of medicine 
10
INTRODUCTION.
the life of man  stands greatly indebted through all  its
ages, from the cradle to the grave, and that the use  of
secondary means was intended  by the Deity, cannot be
controverted.  Behold the spontaneous gifts of nature,
yielding in almost every fragrant herb and flower, medi-
cine to heal  and relieve our maladies, recalling to our
minds the splendid proofs of the divine Majesty,  showing
the incomparable superiority of nature over the most ele-
gant works of human contrivance.  Behold, for a moment,
the forms and colours that embellish the vegetable world,
and see how many thousands of the human race, like the
grazing cattle, without reflection, trample on the flowery
meads, and forget that those plants are the works of God,
and intended by  our heavenly Father,  in  infinite mercy,
for the use of his creatures;  wonder  not then, that  so
many constitutions are destroyed in this country by the
daily and constant use of mineral poisons, which, if pro-
perly treated by the medical plants,  would have been
otherwise preserved, leaving the  system  free from the
effects of such medicines as I consider worse than the
original disease.  But the time is not far distant, when
the reflecting part of this community will be fully  satisfied,
that the medical herbs and roots of the United States are
better adapted to our constitutions and diseases,  than the
mineral poisons so constantly and freely used in the pre-
sent day.  I have ever loved  and cherished an exalted
opinion of the vegetable kingdom, and I never have pre-
scribed a single mineral,  without feeling sensible there
was something defective in my medical education.  And
although I have prescribed them throughout my work in
the spirit of  truth, and according to the practice of medi-
cine  at  this  time, I still deplore and conscientiously
acknowledge, that there is not a substitute for  that her-
culean remedy, calomel, in which  any confidence can be
placed, notwithstanding the many boasted substitutes 
INTRODUCTION.
11
daily advertised by quacks and pretenders in the healing
art, nor has this invaluable  remedy, or boasted panacea,
of our profession, developed its powers so as to be per-
fectly and fully understood by even the most learned and
observing practitioners.  That it has done much good to
mankind, I acknowledge, by its affording relief  in many
diseases which would  otherwise have proved incurable,
or perhaps terminated fatally, but whether the effects of
this powerful  medicine are  left lurking in the system for
years, and perhaps never eradicated,  is quite doubtful;
the ocular demonstration of my daily practice, and inter-
course with my fellow-men, proves beyond the possibility
of doubt, as to the injurious effects produced  in many
cases by the indiscriminate use of calomel, particularly to
those whose constitutions and inherent disorders subject
them to the most awful effects from this medicine.
   Then let me, as a parent bestowing his parting coun
sel and benediction on his children, advise you  to  avoid
as much  as possible, this, as well as  all other active
medicines, remembering to administer it with  due  cau-
tion and judgment; and when required  to use  it,  let it
be administered in active  doses, by which I mean it is to
be removed from the system, and for  this purpose an
active dose  is by far the best, by enabling it  not only to
be beneficial, but work itself off.   You will find  in  the
practice of  medicine, that in nine cases out of ten, active
purging will relieve; you are also to remember  that  the
mind has a  powerful influence not only over disease,  but
particularly over the digestive organs.  Thus when  the
mind is intensely occupied, the digestive powers  of the
stomach  are  suspended;  mental  activity  controls  the
functions of the stomach to an equal extent.   During the
period of deep  thought, the vital energy of the body is
so entirely directed to the  brain, that not only the sto-
mach, but  the  extremities experience a diminution of 
12
INTRODl'rriON.
excitement, as is proven by their coldness and insensibili-
ty.   This condition of the brain  will so affect the  sto-
mach and intestines, as even to suspend  the operation of
active medicines.  Doctor Rush  states  that, during the
Revolutionary war, he knew officers who were unexpect-
edly drawn into battle after having taken drastic  cathar-
tics, and yet suffered no inconvenience  from them until
the excitement of it had passed away.   I have seen, too,
distressing  sea-sickness promptly relieved by the  mental
anxiety  produced by an engagement  between vessels of
war.  The stimulation caused by  this sublime spectacle,
produced a revulsion from the stomach  to the brain, and
thus relieved the one of the irritation accompanying this
distressing  disease, and  the  other from that depressed
state indicated by languid feelings and obtuseness of in
tellect    The mind having  such full and powerful effects
over the whole system, should be  a sufficient  evidence to
guard you  in  many complaints, particularly in diseases
of the stomach, against the use of too  much medicine;
depending  generally upon  diet, moderate exercise, rest,
temperance in all things,  particularly in eating,  change
of climate, in sea bathing, and the  use of the tepid or
warm bath, mineral springs, foot  exercise  in all  chronic
complaints, and in assisting nature, by innocent remedies
to throw off disease.   Your  good sense will suggest to
you the importance of  time, and the  remedies mentioned
in chronic disorders, by which I  mean  diseases  of long
standing, rather than destroying the coats of the stomach.
and paralyzing the last glimmering of hope, by a farrago
of medicines.   Physicians prescribe much, but use  few
medicines  themselves.  Let, then, this hint suffice, by
showing you  that much is to be  expected by simple re-
medies, discriminating judgment, and the influence of the
mind upon the corporeal body: but do not understand me
that I wish you to discard medicine altogether; but by 
INTRODUCTION.
13
 its  limited use, and depending  much  on the simp.e, yet
 effi!';:'.; t directions I have here recommended to you, you
 will have  but little  use  for  physicians or their prescrip-
 tions.
   Man, in the early d  ys of nature, lived  in  a  stale of
 health, both in  tody and in mind: The earth produced
 its fruits for him without culture; there were neither irre-
 gularities  nor inclemencies of the seasons.   In a state of
 innocency, and under a mild and clement sky, there was
 ao'iing to produce  disease;  spring was perpetual.  Pro-
 tected  by  the immediate  presence of the Almighty, and
 as yet innocent of  any violations  of his laws,  he was
 happy in  the enjoyments which the spontaneous  benevo-
 lence of nature afforded  him.  But he has been the arti-
 ficer of his own untoward destinies.   lie has transgressed
 the  sacred laws of his Creator—and incurred  the  pe-
 nalties annexed to his own transgressions !   His days are
 no.n shortened, and encumbered with disease;  spring is no
 longer perpetual; for him now, " the earth brings forth
 thorns and briers;'1  and for him  the world  has been
 visited with earthquakes, sterility, storms, and  variations
 of the seasons, which blight the fruits of  his labours, and
 brin^ mortal diseases and fatal maladies on their wings.
   Among  the moral causes that have abridged the life of
 man, there is one which  merits the attention of  the philo-
 sopher—it is civilization !   Civilization, by polishing man,
 am!  depriving  him of his primitive  rudeness,  seems to
 have enervated  him :—it seems to have made him purchase
 the  advantage,  at  the expense of a multitude of diseases
 an '  miseries to wnich the first inhabitants of the world
 were strangers—and with which  the savages who  only
 giv > way to the impulses of nature are still unacquainted.
 M •'!. in associating with his  fellow-beings in large assem-
blages, seems in some measure to have relaxed the strong
ties  Oil his earthly existence; society,  by extending  the 
14
INTRODUCTION.
 circle of his wants, by giving greater energy to  his pas-
 sions, and by generating those that are unknown to  the
 man of nature, seems to have become a frightful  and in-
 exhaustible source of calamities.   But was not man born
 for society; did not his individual weakness, and his severe
 and pressing wants, make him abandon at an early period
 the wandering life he had led in the forests in pursuit of
 game—and associate  with his  fellow-man?   Could he
 not by associating with his fellow-beings, the better pro-
 tect his existence, secure his  happiness, and expand  his
 truly astonishing faculties ?  There exists no country, in
 which men are not found  in a social  state; this is  the
 case even in the most remote and frightful solitudes, from
 the Arabian  deserts to the Polar  regions.   But cannot
 the social ties of men be drawn too close ?  Witness  our
 large and opulent cities, where the population is immense,
 and where assembled multitudes seem to  be crowded on
 each other; where, although the comforts and luxuries of
 life are to be found in abundance, the horrors of want  are
 extreme !   Are not these extremes always hostile to  the
 social  nature of man;  are  not these large cities continu-
 ally the seats of mortal diseases; the abodes of crime and
 immorality; and are not physical  and moral depravity,
 always the consequences of such enormous accumulations
 of people?
  When men first united,  it was  in small  bodies; and
 they passed their days in innocence and simplicity.  We
 should not then be astonished if they were robust, and if
 they then arrived  to a great  age.   They were exempt
 from the greater part of the diseases which affect us,  be-
 cause they had none but natural wants, which they could
 always satisfy without  excess.   The beverage of nature
 quenched their thirst without the aid of spirituous liquors,
and the friendly hand  of nature gave  them sustenance;
but, in proportion  to the increase  of  associations, they 
INTRODUCTION.
15
generated a multitude  of fictitious wants, which continu-
ally torment  us, their offspring, and  render  us unhappy;
whence, instead of those  simple foods which always pro-
longed life, man has the  poisons of every chymical and
foreign luxury served  upon his  table: and what are the
results?   Why—prematurely borne down with infirmi
ties, and  devoured with remorse, he dies disgusted and
exhausted  with excesses, reflecting  on  innocent nature,
whom he has  outraged!   The  greatest number of dis-
eases and infirmities are of our  own begetting; because
we have  infringed the healthy laws  of nature.   Fifteen
out of twenty  cases of sickness, are produced by our
selves; it is by luxury and  scandalous excesses, that we
render our existence unhappy, and abridge its length.
   Man is a creature of habit; urged on by the  propensi-
ties of his nature, he not only abridges the period of his
life, but inflicts on himself the displeasure of his Creator.
The rising morn, the  radiant noon, the shadowy eve, all
tell him as they pass, that his temporal existence is short,
iiis advance to  eternity rapid !
   When we view man  in all  his bearings and dependen-
cies, we find, and the profoundest philosophers have done
no more, that he is involved in  mystery.   The greatest
philosophers  have only discovered  that  they live; but
from whence they came, and whither they are going, are
by nature  altogether  hidden; that impenetrable  gloom
surrounds us on every  side, and that we can  seek in reve
lation alone, the only source of comfort and  explanation.
The seasons are a  memento of life.   Spring, breathing
into life the new-born  flowers; Summer, with his genial
warmth, ripening his luscious fruits; Autumn,  with her
golden harvest, bestowing plenty on man; and Winter,
with  icy  mantle, sounding the requiem of the  departed
seasons.   First comes creeping infancy; next merry boy-
hood  and  aspiring youth;  then, resolute and industrious 
16
INTRODUCTION.
manhood; and last of all, decrepit, cold, and declining
age; emblematic of the winter of existence, the shortness
of human life.
  Behold the changes that have taken place in our whole
western country, within the lapse of a few short years !
Look for the wigwam of the poor Indian, who was once
lord of the soil you now possess: it is gone, and his bones
mingle with the dust of his habitation.   The storm of
enterprising civilization has wreaked its fury on the poor
Indian; his  land  has passed into the hands of the white
man, whose  splendid mansion now rests on the graves of
his  ancestors.   His peaceful forests, once the abode of
solitude and savage life, in which he  unmolested tracked
his  game, now resound with the festivities of civilization,
and the busy hum of labour.   Those innocent and forlorn
people, who received our forefathers in the spirit of friend-
ship, instead of being fostered by the genial hand of civili-
zation, have been driven to the feet of  the  Rocky or
Oregon mountains, and present a sad and solitary  spec-
tacle of their former greatness !  In a few more years, the
race of the poor Indian will be forever extinguished, and
his  council fires blaze no more :  the wilderness has been
subdued, and  the  house  of God has been built, where
once ascended the smoke of warlike and idolatrous sacri-
fice : cultivated fields and gardens extend over a thousand
valleys in the  west, never before since the  creation re-
claimed to the use of civilized man;  in the enjoyment of
civil and religious liberty,  institutions of learning are
hourly springing forth, diffusing the light of  knowledge,
and establishing the enjoyments and  happiness of the
western world.  A few years since, even within the me-
mory of many of the present inhabitants, this immense
region was a perfect wilderness:  the darkened intellect of
the  savage knew God but in the winds and thunders; on
every side, the dark foliage of the shadowy forest waved 
INTRODUCTION.
17
in the silent majesty of nature, and  her noble  rivers
moved on  in  silence, with no  other  commerce than the
peltry of the savage hunter.  Most of these rivers are
now navigated by steamers, affording the quickest facility
of transportation, and the most lucrative commerce; sup-
plying the remote  interior of our country with the rich
products of every foreign  climate; our  public roads are
covered every year with the advance guard of civilization,
and  demonstrate what must in a short period be the
result, under our wise, equitable and politic constitutions
of government   The  tree of  peace  spreads  its broad
branches from the  Atlantic to  the Pacific;  a thousand
villages are reflected from the waves of almost every lake
and river; and the west now echoes with the  song of the
reaper, until the wilderness and "the solitary place has
been glad for  us, and the desert has  rejoiced  and blos-
somed as the rose."   God, in the infinitude of his mercy,
has  stored our mountains,  fields and  meadows, with
simples for healing  our diseases,  and for furnishing us
with medicines  of our  own, without  the use of foreign
articles; and the discoveries of  each succeeding day  con-
vince us, that he has graciously furnished man with the
means of curing his own  diseases, in all the different
countries and climates of which he is an inhabitant.  There
is not a day, a month, a year, which does not  exhibit to
us the surprising cures made by roots, herbs, and simples,
found in our kingdom of nature, when all foreign articles
have utterly failed;  and the day  will come, when calomel
and mercurial  medicines will be used no longer, and when
we will be  independent of foreign medicines, which are
often difficult to be  obtained, frequently adulterated, and
always command a price which the poor are  unable to
pay.   The yet uncultivated wilds of our country, abound
in herbs and plants  possessing medicinal virtues, and pro-
bably thousands of them, whose virtues and qualities re 
18
INTRODUCTION.
main unknown.   The travels of Lewis and Clarke led to
high expectations in every branch of science; the observa-
tions  and inquiries of these gentlemen, particularly of
Lewis, were directed, among other things, to the diseases
and medical remedies of our Indians; and they have given
a large portion of interesting information on these points.
Much, however, is left to be done by the wisdom of our
legislative bodies: for the  time is  rapidly approaching,
when the beautiful temple of medical  science, will  stand
divested of all quackeries  and superstitions, and its re-
builders be rewarded by the blessings, the gratitude, and
the admiration of mankind.
  Professional pride and native cupidity, contrary to the
true spirit of justice and Christianity, have, in all ages and
countries, from sentiments of self-interest and want of
liberality, delighted in concealing the divine art of healing
diseases, under complicated names, and difficult or un-
meaning technical phrases.  Why make a mystery of
things which relieve the  distresses and sufferings of our
fellow-beings?  Let it be  distinctly understood, when I
speak of professional pride and avarice,  that I do not
intend to cast an imputation on all my profession, for want
of that heaven-born principle, charity, to our fellow-beings.
On the contrary,  we are furnished by history,  with  many
prominent examples of this divine form of humanity.  Hip-
pocrates dispensed health and joy wherever he went, and
Dften yielded to the solicitations of neighbouring princes,
and extended the blessings  of his skill to foreign nations.
The great Boerhaave did a great deal for the poor, and
always discovered more solicitude and punctuality in his
attendance on  them, than on the rich and powerful:__on
being asked his reason  for this, he promptly replied__
f< God is their paymaster."   Heberden's liberality to the
poor was so great, that he was  once told by a friend, he
would exhaust his fortune:  " No," said he, " I am afraid 
INTRODUCTION.
19
that after all my charities I shall die shamefully rich/'
Fothergill once heard of the death of a citizen of London,
who had left his family in indigent circumstances:—the
doctor immediately called on the widow, and informed her
he had received thirty guineas from her husband, while he
was in prosperous circumstances, for as many visits; "I
have heard of his reverse of fortune, take this purse, which
contains all I received from him: it will do thy family more
good than it will do me."  Similar occurrences of the liber-
ality of this great and good man might be given almost with-
out end : indeed it is said, that he gave away one half of the
income of his  extensive  and profitable  business to the
needy and  afflicted, amounting, in the course of his life, to
more than  one hundred thousand pounds.   What an im-
mense interest in celestial honour and  happiness must
this sum not produce at the  great day of accounts—the
general judgment!  With what unspeakable gratitude and
delight, may we not suppose the many hundreds—perhaps
thousands, whom he  has fed, clothed, and relieved in sick-
ness by his charities, will gaze on their benefactor in that
solemn day, while the supreme Judge accredits those acts
as done to himself, in the presence of an  assembled uni-
verse !
   But these good and great men  have gone where we
must all shortly  follow;  and are now receiving  the rich
reward of  all their virtues, in that kingdom where pain
and affliction cease.  When we trace the powers of hu-
man intellect, and the monuments of human  greatness,
and all that genius has instituted and labour accomplished;
when we trace these things through all  their  grades of
advancement and  decline—where is the pride of man ?
Behold in  each successive moment, the monuments of the
rich, the great, and the  powerful  tumbling into  their
native dust; and  the hand of time mingling the proud
man's  ashes with those of the menial slave, so  that their 
20
INTRODUCTION.
posterity cannot distinguish them from each other!  When
the sable curtain of death is drawn, where  is the bright
intellect of genius—and where are those we  have loved
and  honoured?   At the threshold  of eternity,  reason
leaves  us  and we sink, notwithstanding all our precau-
tions, and the aid of distinguished physicians.  Yet, such
ls the  course of  nature, that those who live long  must
outlive those they love and honour.  Such, indeed, is the
course of nature,  and the  condition of  our present exist-
ence, that life must sooner or later lose its associations,
and those who remain a little longer, be  doomed to walk
downward to the  grave alone and unregarded, without a
single  interested  witness of their joys or  griefs!  It is
evident that the decays of age must terminate in  death;
yet where is the man who does  not believe  he  may sur-
vive another year ?
   Piety towards God should characterize every one who
has any thing to  do with the administering of medicine;
nor should  any  individual  ever administer  medicine,
without first imploring the  Almighty for success on  his
prescriptions; for where is  the  man who can  anticipate
success without the aid and blessing of Heaven ?   Galen
vanquished atheism,  for a considerable time, by proving
the existence of a God, from the wise  and  curious struc-
ture of the human body.  Botallus, the illustrious father
of blood-letting  in Europe,  earnestly advises a  physician
never to leave his house, without proffering a prayer to
God to  aid  and  enlighten himN  Cheselden, the famous
English anatomist, always implored the aid and blessing
of heaven on his  hand, whenever he laid hold  of an in-
strument to perform a surgical  operation.   Sydenham,
 the great  luminary and reformer of medicine, was a reli-
 gious man; and Boerhaave spent an hour every morning,
 in his closet, in  reading  and commenting  on the Scrip-
 tures, before he  entered  on the duties of his profession 
INTRODUCTION.
21
 Hoffman and Stahl, were  not ashamed of the gospel of
 Christ;  and Waller has left behind him a most eloquent
 defence  of its doctrines.  Doctor Fothergill's long life
 resembled an altar from which incense of adoration  and
 praise ascended daily  to  Heaven;  and Hartley, whose
 works will probably only  perish with time itself, was a
 devout Christian.   To  this record of these great medical
 men, I shall add but one remark;  which  is, that the au-
 thoritative weight of their names  alone, in favour of the
 truth of revealed religion,  is sufficient to turn the scale
 against all the infidelity that has  ever disgraced the sci-
 ence of medicine since  its  earliest discoveries.
   I have seen the flower of life fade, and  all its freshness
 wither;  I have seen the bright eye of  beauty  lose  its
 lustre; and my last and best friends close their  eyes in
 the cold and tranquil slumbers of  death—and have said,
 " where  are the boasted powers of medicine, the  pride
 of skill,  the vain boast of science?"—How humiliating to
 the pride of man !   Let every physician put this solemn
 question to himself: what will avail all the means  I can
 use, without the  aid  of  the Almighty?   All efforts
 founded  on  years  of  experience  and  study,  vanish  at
 the  touch of death; and the  hold on life by the physi-
 cian is as brittle  and slender as  that possessed by his
 patio^t •  and those remedies,  so often used with  success
 in the case of others, will  assuredly fail him in his own
 case at last.   In some unexpected  moment, a wave in the
 agitated  sea of life will baffle all his struggles; and he,
 in his turn, will  be compelled to pay that debt, which na
 ture has claimed from thousands of his patients.  When
 on the couch of death, and whilst perusing the works of
 Rousseau, the last words of the great Napoleon were,  ir
the  language of that author—"it  is vain  to shrink from
what cannot be avoided; why hide that from  ourselves,
which  must at some period be found; the certainty of 
22
INTRODUCTION
death is a truth  which man knows—but which he will-
ingly conceals from himself."    We  shall  all shortly
finish our allotted time on earth, even if our  lives are
unusually prolonged, leaving behind us all that is now
familiar and beloved.  Numerous races of men will suc-
ceed us, entirely ignorant  that we once lived,  who will
retain of our  existence, not even the vestige of a vague
and empty remembrance ! 
        GUNN'S
DOMESTIC MEDICINE: 
I
t 
                GUNN'S

DOMESTIC  MEDICINE.
              OF THE  PASSIONS.

  All the passions of man seem to have been bestowed
on him by an all-wise Creator, for wise and beneficent
purposes;  and it is certainly the province of human wis-
dom, to keep them under  due regulation.   In a moral
point of view, when the passions run  counter to reason
and religion, nationally and individually they produce
the most frightful catastrophes.   Among nations, if suf-
fered  to transcend the bounds of political justice, they
always lead to anarchy, war, misrule and oppression; and
among individuals, do we not easily trace the same dreadful
and disastrous consequences?   With  monarchical and
despotic governments, we frequently see the  unruly and
ungoverned passions of one man destroying and laying
waste whole empires in a single campaign; and with de-
mocratical or republican institutions of government, have
we not frequently witnessed the terrific  consequences, to
moral and political justice, which arise from the disor-
ganizing and turbulent passions of the sovereign people?
Individually and nationally, then, the consequences of
misdirected  and uncontrolled  passions are precisely the
same, as regards every thing connected with  political
legislative, and moral justice. 
26                the passions.

  But, as it is not my intention to enter into a disserta-
tion on the passions, farther than as they relate to man
as an  individual, and to their  influences  on the state of
his physical system, I will first observe, that it is of the
very highest importance  to  the  healthy action of the
human system, that  the passions should be held in due
subjection.  If you give way to the passions, you destroy
the finest of the vital powers:  you destroy digestion and
assimilation; you weaken the  strength and energies of
the  heart, and of the whole nervous system.  The  sto-
mach is the workshop of the whole human frame, and all
its derangements are immediately  felt in the extremities;
and to prove how strongly the  connection exists between
the  stomach  and  heart,  the latter immediately ceases to
beat when the powers  of the former  sink  and are de-
stroyed.   Distress of mind is always a predisposing cause
of disease; while, on the other hand, a calm and  con-
tented  disposition, and a proper command over our pas-
sions and affections, are certain to produce consequences
which operate against all predisposing  causes of disease.
A.ny complaint arising  from  great  agitation of  mind, is
more obstinate than one occasioned by violent corporeal
agitation.   For instance: eating  and drinking, and par-
ticularly in the case of drinking, disease may be combated
by rest,  sleep,  temperance :  but  neither  temperance,
rest, nor even sleep itself, as every one knows, can much
affect those diseases which have their seat in the. passions
of the  mind.   I shall not enter into the subject of the
passions at full length.
                      FEAR.
  Fear is a base passion, and beneath the dignity of man.
[t takes from him reflection, power, resolution, and judg- 
FEAR.
2"
ment;  and, in short,  all  that dignity and greatness of
soul, which properly appertain to humanity.  It has great
influence in occasioning, aggravating, and producing dis-
ease.   It has been a matter of much speculation with me,
whether any man. was born constitutionally a coward:
and my decided  opinion  is, that cowardice  and  courage
are  generally the effects  of habit, and moral influence.*
I  have frequently seen brave men, acknowledged  to be
such on  great and important occasions  during  the  late
war, who trembled at the mere  approach of danger, and
acknowledged  their want of  firmness.   The great  Duke
of Marlborough was once seen to tremble on the eve of
battle ; being asked by a  soldier the cause of it, the Duke
made the  following  reply—"my  body trembles at the
danger my soul is about  exposing it to!"   And does  it
not  appear surprisingly singular, but no less true, that a
man shall  be one day brave and the next day a coward ?
That there is a close affinity between the condition of the
physical system and the passions, there can be little doubt:
the  same  man  who under the influence of opium, would

  * Immediately preceding the great battle of Waterloo, on which was about
to be suspended the great political and military destinies of Europe, Napo-
leon employed a guide who was well acquainted with the country, to accom-
pany him in reconnoitering the field of battle, and the relative positions of
the hostile armies.  When the battle commenced, his peasant guide, who
had never before been exposed to the tumultuous shock of hostile  armies,
manifested strong and decided indications of fear, by dodging from side to
side  at the sound of the  shot. Napoleon observed  it, and taxed him with
cowardice, which he acknowledged.  He  then reasoned with  him on the
absurdity of his conduct.  " Do you not know," said  he, " that there is  a
power infinitely superior to man, who rules and governs all, and who holds
in his hand our destinies ?  If this be true, of which there can be no doubt,
you cannot die until your time arrives: why then dodge the sound of a ball ?
when you hear it, it has passed you; and besides, when dodging the mere
sound of one  shot,  you may throw yourself in the way of another."  This
reasoning had the effect: it banished all suggestions of fear, and the guide
afterwards rode erect and steady, and  manifested no indication of fear.   1
mention this circumstance, to show how much we are under the influence of
moral power or the force of reason respecting both cowardice and courage. 
2*5
FEAR.
brave danger in its most giant form, is seen to shrink like
a sensitive plant, when deprived of that influence.  There
seems  to be a reciprocal exercise  of influence between
the body and the mind, which by man is absolutely  inex-
plicable ; but of  this we are certain, that  cowardice dis-
orders and impedes the circulation of the blood; hinders
breathing with freedom;  puts the  stomach out of order,
as well as the bowels; affects the  kidneys and  skin, and
produces bad effects on the whole body—and it may be
for these and similar reasons that the ancients elevated
courage into a moral virtue.  Many persons  have fallen
down dead,  from the influence of cowardice or fear; and
can it then be doubtful that this passion has much  influ-
ence in producing and modifying diseases ?  I feel assured,
from practical experience, that  in disorders that are epi-
demical or catching, the timid, cowardly, and fearful, take
them  much  oftener than  those  who are remarkable for
fortitude and courage.  Napoleon was so well convinced
of these facts, that when his army of Egypt was suffer-
ing dreadfully from the ravages  of the plague, in order to
inspire his soldiers with  courage, and to ward  off those
dangers which might arise from  the fears of his army, he
frequently touched the bodies of those infected, with his
own hands.   Fear weakens the  energy or strength of the
heart, and of the whole nervous system;  the infectious
matter has greater power  on the frame at this time—con-
sequently, the system being deranged,  loses its healthy
action, and  cannot resist and throw off* the epidemical
disease.
                      HOPE.
  Hope ! what a source of human happiness rests in the
pleasures of hope!   Man  cherishes it  to  his very tomb.
Take from  him hope, and life itself would be a burden! 
hope.                      29
How wisely has our Heavenly Father blended in our cup
of misery soft whispers of our future exemption from its
influence.  Without hope, how wretched, how miserable
our existence ! what a powerful effect it has, when labour-
ing under pain and bodily disorder !   It raises the spirits;
it increases the action and power of the heart  and nerv-
ous system; moderates the pulse, causes the breathing to
be fuller and freer;  and quickens all the secretions.  It
is, therefore, proper and advisable,  in all  disorders, to
produce hope in the mind, if you wish to have any chance
to effect a cure.   Is there a being who  lives without this
balm of consolation, this hope  of heavenly birth, which
tells of happier days in bright anticipation ?  If such are
the advantages of hope, as to the things of this field of
thorns and briers—this vale  of tears—what may we ex-
pect from that emotion,  when it embraces  the certainty
of enjoying felicity with  God  in eternity.
   When in  ordinary health, and engaged in the pursuits
of life, hope is attended with many favourable effects of a
fortunate event, without possessing the plrysical disadvan-
tages :  the anticipation of happiness does not affect us so
excessively as the actual  enjoyment;  yet it has frequently
produced  more  benefit by its  influence on health,  than
fortune realized.
                        JOY.
  This is a beneficent passion;  it produces an extraordi-
nary effect, and  is of infinite  benefit to the constitution,
when indulged in moderation; but, if it should be exces-
sive, or very sudden, it frequently does serious and lasting
injury to persons in good  health;  and  to those who are
weak, or afflicted  with disease, it  sometimes terminates
fiitally.   The following instance of the melancholy effects 
SO                      JOY.

of the too sudden influence of joy, will fully exemplify
the power of this passion on  the  physical system, even
when in health.   It  may be relied on, as  it came very
nearly under  my own observation.  A gentleman  in the
state  of Virginia, who had once been very wealthy, but
whose pecuniary  circumstances  had  become  much de-
pressed, not to say desperate, as a last hope of redeeming
himself and his family from distressing embarrassments,
purchased  a  lottery  ticket, for which he gave the  last
hundred dollars he could command.  The  purchase was
made, under a presentiment, if such it may be called, that
a certain number would draw the highest prize.   All his
property was then under execution.  When the day of
sale arrived, his father-in-law and himself took a walk into
the fields, leaving his family much  distressed with their
misfortunes.   A  gentleman on  horseback  immediately
from  Richmond, rode up to the house and asked for Mr.
D----, and was directed by his wife where he would be
found.  When  the gentleman rode up to  Mr. D----,
without exercising the least precaution, he announced the
fact that the ticket had drawn one hundred  thousand dol-
lars !   The effect was such as might have been expected;
Mr. D----immediately fainted, and was with much dif-
ficulty,  and after  many exertions, restored.   In the cir-
cumstance I have just related, the  great influence of this
passion w7ill easily be seen; and I  trust it will be  as dis-
tinctly inferred from it, that excesses of joy are frequently
as dangerous to the constitution of humanity, as those of
grief, if not more so.   I need  scarcely remark here, that
to persons labouring  under disease,  as well  as to those in
merely delicate health, joyful intelligence ought always to
be communicated with much caution. 
anger.
31
                       ANGER.
   "Next anger  rushed—his eyes  on fire!"—Of this
 most dreadful of the  human passions, had  I  sufficient
 space to allot it, much might be said that would be of high
 importance.  There is no passion incidental to humanity,
 an indulgence in which leads to so  many dreadful, not to
 say horrid and frightful consequences :
       " To count them all would want a thousand tongues—
         A throat of brass and adamantine lungs."
   I have before remarked, that all our passions were in-^
 tended  by the God of nature, if kept under the control
 of reason and humanity, to be beneficial to the happiness
 of man.  This position is demonstrable by reason, and
 sanctioned by  the highest authority—the word of God
 himself, " who never made any thing in vain"  It is not
 the application of our passions to their natural, reasona-
 ble,  and legitimate  objects,  that constitutes  crime and
 ends in misery and misfortune.  No; it is the abuse of
 those passions by unrestrained  and intemperate  indul-
 gence,  and the prostitution of them to  ignoble  and dis-
 graceful purposes!  Was  a  noble  spirit of resentment,
 for unprovoked and wanton injuries, ever intended by the
 God of nature  to degenerate into  senseless  anger and
 brutal  rage?  A  noble spirit of resentment, upon the
 strictest moral principles, was intended to punish wanton
 and unprovoked aggression,  and by preventing a repeti-
 tion of  the deed, to reform the offender.  I am perfectly
 aware  that I here occupy a  new, but by no means  an
 untenable ground.   Was the passion of love,  the refined
 solacer  of civilized life; the harbinger of successful pro-
creative power; the nurse which ushers into life succes-
sive millions of the  human race, ever  intended by the
 God of nature to degenerate  into brutal lust, and to be 
32
ANGER.
 followed by  a trai.i of venereal diseases,  which canker
 life at its  very core, " and visit the iniquities of the fa-
 thers upon the children to the third and  fourth genera-
 tions ?"  Was the deep-seated and natural sentiment of
 self-preservation, that essential safeguard of man  in
 every stage of his moral existence, ever intended to dege-
 nerate into that childish, superstitious, base,  and ignoble
 passion called fear ?   Was the elevating and ennobling
 passion of emulation that  only seeks to rival  superior
 excellence, so honourable to the pride of man and so con-
 sonant to the native dignity of his soul, ever  intended to
 degenerate into a dastardly passion of envy, which seeks
 to destroy by slander  and defamation the excellence  it
 has not the honest virtue even to attempt to  rival ? Those
 who blindly decry the legitimate  gratification of the hu-
 man passions,  although they may do so  from what to
 them seems the best of motives, ought to beware that
 they do not arraign  the wisdom  of Providence, for im-
 planting them into  the human  bosom:  and  they ought,
 also, in all cases, to avoid confounding the natural and le-
 gitimate uses of the passions, with the abuses of their lofty
 and powerful energies.   The passions, confined  to  their
 native  objects,  and,  as I have  said before, kept in  due
 subjection to  the restraints of reason and moderation, are
 essential to the enjoyments,  the preservation, and the
 happiness  of  man;  they only become dangerous  and
criminal when permitted to produce misrule in the human
breast, and are placed beyond the  arbitrium and control
of moral virtue, which is  the  true  science of  human
wisdom.
  I remarked  in the outset, that there  was  no passion
known to humanity, an unrestrained indulgence in which
was so fatal  in its consequences to the peace of society,
and the happiness of man, as Anger.  This deformer of
 the human countenance and character, is everywhere to 
ANGER
33
be found;  and its  ravages  seem co-extensive  with its
existence;  in other words, it seems  to live through all
human life, and to  extend through the whole extent of
society.
  It is even sometimes  seen to wrinkle and deform the
maiden brow of youthful beauty with a frown !  But do
not my fair countrywomen know, that the passions never
fail to leave their impress on the countenance,  and that
habitual anger will render them more disgusting than the
witch of Endor ?  They may be assured, and my remarks
are not  founded on cursory and superficial  observation,
that the more of native beauty there is to be found in the
female countenance, the  more easily will it be deformed
by the vicious passions, and particularly by that demon
Anger.  The female countenance is  more  expressive of
the finer, softer, and more amiable passions than that of
man ; in other woVds, the female face seems to be formed
from finer  materials,  and to have been cast in a finer
mould, and it is from these causes, that the female face is
more expressive of the moral feelings, and sooner betrays
indications  of a depraved and vicious temper. The stern
countenance of man can  assume  and maintain  a fixture
of expression under any  circumstances;  and it is the
consciousness of this power, that  frequently tempts him,
to play the  hypocrite and deluder: for were he oonscious
that his face would always betray the emotions of his
soul, he would never even attempt to deceive!   To the
practised eye  of philosophical research and rigid  scru-
tiny, no expression of the human countenance ever passes
unobserved.  To such an eye,  all the wiles of the human
heart stand revealed; nor can any subterfuge of counter-
feit expression, conceal the reality from its  observation.
The Scripture itself sanctions this  doctrine : " A man
shall  be known by his  look—and a  proud  man by his
gait."  If my fair  countrywomen  would reflect  well on
      GUNN      3 
34
ANGER.
the doctrine  I have  just laid down,  they would always
cultivate the softer and more benevolent feelings of the
heart;  and always endeavour to be in reality what they
would wish to appear; for they may receive it as a valua-
ble truth, not to be controverted by any of the  artifices
of self-deception, that they were never  formed by the
God of nature for deception and hypocrisy : and that the
purity and elevation  of their moral feelings, or  the cor-
ruption and  depravity of their  real  characters, are  as
easily distinguished from each other, as is the surface of
the ocean in a settled calm, from that same ocean, when
lashed  into mountain billows by  the winds of heaven.
   Do we not see the ravages of this  moral curse called
anger, in every department  of society ?   We see it be-
neath the domestic  roof, imbittering  the  enjoyments  of
the rich and poor; laying waste the harmonious sanctity
of connubial life, and often  entailing  misery and misfor-
tune on a helpless and unoffending offspring.  But this is
not all.   We see it manifesting  itself in its most horrid
forms,  in our halls of legislation; in our seats of  legal
justice :  and even in our elections, in which  every man
ought to be permitted to act with  perfect freedom, and
without the  least accountability to  another.   In all our
electioneering conflicts, at least of late years, we can see
the old and  disgraceful maxim  revived and fully  acted
on :—" those who are not for us are against us;" as if a
man could not exercise a right of selection, and prefer one
man to another, without forfeiting the friendship, and in-
curring the  enmity of  all  the opposite parties.  If  we
would  reflect correctly on this  subject, we would  soon
discover, that personal  friendship  and personal enmity
ought to have nothing to do with the matter;  we would
soon distinguish that a real  statesman, or an enlightened
legislator, ought to  be the  mere tool,  for factional pur-
poses,  of no party whatever.  The noble  and  devoted 
ANGER.
35
patriotism, which gave birth to our truly great political
institutions, emphatically forbids that the American peo-
ple should ever sacrifice  to the  narrow views of party
spirit, what was  destined by the God of nature for the
benefit of the human race!  This government presents
to  Europe a  spectacle  of  no ordinary character; in
which  their statesmen read  the future destinies of man,
and the political fate of nations.   We are the  only peo-
ple of any age  or country, who have  organized a truly
representative government, whose  experiments in legisla-
tion, diplomacy,  and arms, are to settle the important
question, yet undecided, whether the mass of mankind can
bear the wide tolerations of political freedom ;  and whe-
ther man, under any circumstances, is capable of assuming
and exercising  the high prerogative of self-government •
For what a principle, then, against all  the  monarchies
and despotisms of Europe and Asia, are the people of
this government contending;—a principle, as  I before re-
marked, in which the whole human race are interested!
Before this view of the subject, my reader, how do our
party squabbles and brawls at elections dwindle down to
nothing;  to  less  than nothing!   God  forbid!  that I
should ever seem to turn censor of the age; or assume a
dictatorial  tone, even in  the cause of truth and modera-
tion.  I have been led into a slight notice of the preceding
subjects,  by their strong connexion with  the  moral con-
dition of  man, and  his too  frequent subjection to the
ravages of a most devastating, and I had almost said, a
most damnable passion, which  it seems  is scarcely con-
trollable, by all the  energies of reason and moral  senti-
ment combined.  Anger was never  yet  an evidence  of
justice, a proof of virtue, or a demonstration of superior
intellect;  a mind of  elevated  endowments, will always
endeavour to correct its sanguinary impulses and to expel
its influence.   The man of cool reflection, sees  in its un- 
36
ANGER.
   restrained dominion, a thousand evils which escape com-
   mon observation.   He sees that it  frequently fills our
   prisons with delinquents;  that it is sometimes the cause
   of endless remorse; and  that it often  loads the gallows
   with a melancholy victim !  To speak of other than moral
   and religious remedies, for this dreadful  malady, would be
   idle  and  nugatory.  I might  tell you, as a physician, to
   deluge  your head with water as cold  as  the snows of
   Zembla;  I might tell  you to open every vein  in  your
   bodies to calm the raging  and ungovernable impulses of
   anger; I might tell  you that an emetic would curb the
   tumultuous fever of  rage,  and restore you to yourselves:
   all these remedies would produce but a temporary cure;
   they would be  but  clipping the twigs  from the bohon
%  upas, and leaving the  root untouched!   The only sove-
   reign powers, or remedies, if you  please, which can be
   efficient in correcting the evils of anger, must be sought
   for in early education, and  in moral and religious princi-
   ples, instilled into the mind at an early period  of life
                   JEALOUSY.
  This is a passion, the causes of which  have seldom
been investigated, although the effects of it are everywhere
to be found.  The causes of it have generally something
to do with bve; but not always.  The coxcomb and co-
quette,  both of whom are incapable of genuine love, may
be powerfully affected by jealousy; yet in both  these
cases, the lady  and gentleman have only experienced a
slight mortification of their vanity, and love of general
admiration.  The wound here is not deep, and is  gene-
rally healed by the consolatory admiration of some other
jilt or jackpudding, as the case may be.  I  am not going
ro speak of the jealousy of the warrior, which  is sangui- 
JEALOUSY.                    37
  nary and daring, of that of the diplomatist, which is poli-
  tic, cunning and circumventive; or of that of the states-
  man, which is imbittered by spectres and  phantoms of
  future glory!   Nor will I trouble myself with noticing
  the jealousy of the poet, which  is harmless, though vin-
  dictive; of the historian, which is long winded and untir-
  ing in the pursuit of fame ; or of the philosopher and man
  of general science, which is learnedly dull  and heavily
  investigative, in the pursuit of truths which eternally elude
  human researches '  I shall confine myself to the single
  subject, of that jealousy which sometimes subsists between
  husband and wife, and which generally renders both the
  objects of public curiosity, compassion, or contempt.
     Marriages  are   contracted upon  various principles;
  such as the love of person, the love of fame, the love of
  money, &c.   So  soon  as the  rites  and ceremonies of
  marriage  are  duly solemnized,  and rendered matter of
  legal record, the parties individually acquire certain rights
  and privileges, of  which it is a breach of the municipal
  law to deprive them,  as  well as a violation of the law of
  God.   If the love of money induced the lady  to marry
  the gentleman, or the gentleman the  lady, any  deviation
  of conduct, however  indecent and immoral  on the o :e
  part, ought never to be complained of on the other, pro-
  vided  the  true intent and meaning  of  the  compact be
  complied  with,  in  relation  to  the  cash itself!  The
  same, doctrines apply, in  the case of a marriage contracted
  on any other principles.   If the fame of either of the par-
  ties, induces the other to enter into the marriage bonds,
Ni 'and there be no other stipulation  expressed or implied,
  infidelity  to  the nuptial bed, profligacy  of  conduct, and
  even the most indecent deviations  from moral  rectitude,
  ought  never to make  a breach between  the  parties; the
  tenor and spirit of the compact being complied with, there
  is nothing  more to be said.   Nor would there be in nine 
38
JEALOUSY.
cases out of ten, if married persons who are induced to
captiousness and disagreement, would only be particular
in calling to mind the  real motives which operated in
inducing them to marry.   If the mere  love  of person,
without any considerations  relating  to  temper,  moral
excellence, and intellectual elevation of  character, were
the leading principle  which induced the  parties to bear
the yoke of life together,  surely  neither  of them have a
right to complain of the want of excellences, which were
overlooked, disregarded, and absolutely undervalued in the
stipulations of the compact.   I think this reasoning is
fair; and absolutely too logical to be refuted;  and, as I
intend  this book  as a family museum of useful instruction
and advice, I trust that what I have so far said on  the
subject of jealousy, and other causes of domestic discon-
tent, will have its due weight.   What right have parties
who have been improperly matched, or rather those who
have improperly matched themselves, to disturb the peace
of whole  neighbourhoods  and communities, with  their
whinings,  scoldings,  and  recriminations  of each other?
Will these proceedings benefit the parties themselves?
Will these bickerings and  brawls, divorce them from each
other?   Will their  domestic disagreements, and  their
'fisticuffcombats" if they should happen to be  so far
advanced in the  " sweets of connubial love,"  reflect any
respectability or honour on their  innocent and  unoffend-
ing offspring?   Will their neighbours endeavour to com-
pose their strifes,  and hush them  into peace with a
soothing lullaby?   No! they will in ten  cases out of
eleven, be gratified at finding out, that there are  others
more miserable than themselves; and do every thing they
possibly can,  to inflame  the  contest, by  taking  sides.
Some  will  take the part of the husband; these are °-ene-
rally the gentlemen  of the little  body politic; some will
take the part of the  wife; these  are generally the lady 
JEALOUSY.
39
peacemakers  of the neighbourhood:  and  before six
months pass round, the whole country will be roused
to a war of words, and resemble " a puddle in a storm."
  But, to conclude the subject of this species of jealousy,
with as much seriousness as it seems to deserve ; it may
be remarked that the passion is generally founded  on
the tales and  hints  of servants, the surmises of tale-
Dearing gossips, and the malignant inuendoes of those
who delight in the diffusion of slander and defamation.
There is a class of people in  all societies, who are
seriously afflicted with a disease called by  physicians
•; cacoethes loquendi." It is a disease that is generated
between ignorance, petty malignity, and restlessness of
tongue, which forbids the repose of society: in Eng-
lish, it is the " disease of talking."  These people have
considerable powers of invention ;  but, from their igno-
rance of the common topics of enlightened and manly
conversation, they seem to be absolutely compelled to
lie their way  into notice!    The  education of these
people, commences at an early  period of  life.  When
very young, just perhaps able to go on  an errand to a
neighbouring  house, they are immediately asked  on
their return home, as to every thing they saw or heard
there ; their answers are such as might be expected, a
mixture of truths  and lies.   Finding,  at length, that
their parents are interested  in such tales—they com-
mence with telling fibs—and end, confirmed and ma-
lignant liars !   Parents, this is especially addressed to
you ; it is worthy of your most serious consideration.
  But there is a species of jealousy of a most malig-
nant and terrible character, such as that delineated by
Shakspeare in  his Moor of Venice, which  sometimes
takes possession of the human bosom, and shakes the
throne of reason to its very centre   This  passion, or 
40
JEALOUSY.
rather this insanity, seems to me to  be founded  on
almost speechless and unbounded love ; a love border-
ing on absolute veneration and idolatry.  This is  an
abstruse and intricate subject, and I freely confess that
I approach it with unfeigned diffidence.
  There certainly does exist, in the very nature  of
man,  certain strong sympathies and antipathies,  for
which he is absolutely  unable to account on reasoning
principles; and which, therefore, must be referred to
the native inspirations of human  instinct.   These
sympathies  and antipathies  are  everywhere to  be
found ; nor do I believe there  exists on  earth, one
single  individual, male or female, arrived at mature
age, who  has not strongly felt the influences of these
instinctive, I will not say  unerring principles.  They
are discoverable in our choices of dogs, of horses, of
farms; in fact, they are discoverable in all cases where
the biases of  self-interest and ambition have no voice ;
and where nature herself rules the empire of election.
Doctor Fell  once  asked Dean Swift, what  was  the
reason, after all the advances he had made to conciliate
his friendship, that he could not gain him over; and
received the following  reply, which  speaks a  volume
on the subject:
             " I do not like you Doctor Fell,
              The reason why, I cannot tell,
              I do not like you, Doctor Fell."

  These attractive and repulsive principles have been
felt by every individual; and the probability  is, that
their influence is stronger or  weaker, in  proportion to
the warmth or coolness of the human temperament •
for I hold it to be impossible, that so sensitive a being
as*  man  can  ever  behold an object possessed  of any
strength of character, and feel perfectly indifferent 
JEALOUSY.
41
 respecting it.  If these sentiments of attraction or dis-
 gust, existed only in cases where the character of the
 object portended benefit or injury to the beholder, the
 matter might easily be explained,  upon the rational
 principle of self-interest on the  one hand, or  of self-
 preservation on the  other.   Such, however, is not the
 fact; every man knows from his own experience, that
 the first view  of an object is pleasing  or  displeasing,
 attractive or repulsive; and in fact, an object of attach-
 ment or  disgust in some degree, without the  least
 relation to the sentiments  of self-interest  or self-pre-
 servation.   How  much  stronger, then, must  be our
 feelings of attachment or disgust for an object, when
 we know or believe that the character of that object is
 to determine, under certain circumstances, the happi-
 ness  or  misery of  our  whole lives!   Parents and
 guardians of the destinies of youth, if you  can for one
 moment suspend  the  delusions which fascinate you
 respecting wealth and aggrandizement,  I wish  you to
 remember, that the  closer  in contact you  bring those
 who have no natural affinity for each other, the greater
 and more distant will be the rebound !  Have you never
 experienced  an emotion of loathing and  disgust, by
 being merely in thej9re.se/2ce of an object, whose native
 and unalterable character was repugnant to  yours ?  In
 other  words,  have  you  never  experienced  a moral
 nausea of all the sensibilities of your nature, by being
 compelled to an association with a being whose feel-
 ings, whose sensibilities, whose very modes of thinking,
 spoke a language abhorrent to your souls ? If you have,
you can form some idea  of the irresistible  repulsions
 which sometimes influence the  conduct of  persons in
the married state;  freeze the few  and cold affections
which habits of enforced association may have pro- 
42
jealousy.
 duced; and which seldom fail, sooner  or later, either
 to make them unfaithful to each other, or to separate
 them forever.  This is not a threadbare dream  of the
 imagination, a mere  chimera of the fancy:  the affec-
 tions of mankind are absolutely beyond their control.
 How often have  you seen instances  in  which  the
 purest and strongest sentiments of parental duty, and
 all the efforts of reason herself, have been unable to
 overcome a repugnance  to the  marriage bond!   Was
 this apparent contumaciousness  the offspring  of  wilful
 disobedience, and a fixed design to thwart your  inten-
 tions of bestowing connubial happiness  on your child ?
 No, it was the struggle of nature herself in  deep dis-
 tress ; it was the last effort she could make, to prevent
 the violation of one of the most sacred of her  laws !
  Seeing, then, as I  think has  been clearly demon-
 strated, that human affections are not under  our con-
 trol, at least so far  as to  be influenced  by sentiments
 of duty, or admonitions of reason, are we not to pre-
 sume, from the great variety of motives which influ-
 ence many to enter the marriage bond,  that thousands
 are  badly paired, and worse matched ? I think  so;
 and those who doubt  the fact, for their own  satisfac-
 tory conviction of error, will do well to  investigate the
 real causes of so much domestic discontent as is  every
 where to be found ; of so many quarrels and connubial
 bickerings; ancl,  finally, of so  many divorces.   I
assert it to be the fact, and it will be supported by  the
experience of thousands, that wedlock is a perfect hell,
and the worst one  we know of  on earth, even when
surrounded by all the  splendours  of wealth  and
trappings of powrer, if it is not hallowed by human
affections;  and I assert  further, and am in  no way
apprehensive of experimental contradiction, that where 
JEALOUSY.
43
wedlock is consecrated by  fixed and virtuous love, it
is, and must be a source of high enjoyment, even sur-
rounded  by the hardships, privations, and daily suffer-
ings of  labour  and drudgery.   I have  often  been
surprised, on going into some of our  cabins on the
frontiers; there was the meat hanging in the chimney;
the bread-tray on the only table; the straw  bed on a
rude frame ; the blankets and  counterpanes about the
floor, from which perhaps a dozen or less of healthy,
ruddy  children  had just risen; there was the corn in
the crib, the cow standing with her head  in at the
door, and the meal bag under the bed.  Great God, I
have said to myself, is it possible that wedded love can
exist in such a place as this!   But I was soon  unde-
ceived ; the w hole enigma wTas solved satisfactorily :  it
had been a marriage of pure and  virtuous love, un-
trammeled by the  calculations of avarice, the mean-
ness of false pride, and the grovelling  aspirations of
petty ambition.
  On the other hand, I have frequented the  mansions
of the  great, the wealthy, and the powerful; where,
surrounded  by  luxury and wealth, and  reclined at
ease on a gilded sofa, love might have held a court
superior  in splendour and  magnificence  to that said to
have been  held in the  fabled  mansions  of Jov*!
What  did • I see ?   I saw  discontent, suspicion,  and
prying distrust lowering in every eye.  I saw that the
hearts  of the inhabitants of these splendid  mansions
wrere estranged from each other.   I saw the servants
in varied liveries gliding in solemn silence from room
to room: nor did one sound of cheerfulness or festi-
vity break the dull monotony of this splendid solitude;
this gilded, carpeted, and  festooned hell of wedded
misery!   I saw the owners of all  this wealth  and 
4*
JEALOUSY.
waste of luxury, take their solitary meal; for nature
had denied them offspring, in revenge  for a violation
of her laws.   They approached  the  festive board, ■
which was  loaded  with  luxuries of every  climate,
with eyes averted from each other.   No social  con-
verse ;  no interchange  of thought  or sentiment,  enli-
vened  the  cold  and hollow splendour of the scene.
The servants in attendance helped them; even the  ^
common forms of superficial politeness  were unob-
served ; nor did they recognise the presence of  each
other,  unless in stolen and hateful  glances.  They
seemed to sit on thorns;  and no sooner was  their
miserable repast ended, than the one betook  himself
to the  gaming  table, and probably the  other to her
paramour.
  These  twro delineations of life, are not mere visions
of the fancy; they are to be met with in every country.
They prove conclusively,  that  marriages contracted
from improper motives, are always  followed by conse-
quences destructive to human happiness and  the best
interests  of mankind.  All the conflicts, discontents,
and jealousies of the married state, may be tradfed to
improper motives for marriage or improper conduct
after it.  Perhaps there is one exception;  which I
shall name.  The husband sometimes becomes jealous
of the  wife, and the wife of the husband, where there
is no infidelity on either side ; from a mere conscious-
ness of being unworthy of an attachment.  Cases of
this character frequently occur;  and it may generally,
if  not  in every instance, be laid down as a fixed and
settled principle in human nature, that where there is
no positive demonstration  of  connubial delinquency,
the party disposed to suspicion and jealousy, derives
these surmises of deviation, from the simple fact of a 
JEALOUSY.
45
 consciousness of being too depraved to be an object
 of love !  I am aware that this is a severe and degrad-
 ing  sentence, against those who entertain  causeless
 suspicions;  but the opinion is not less true than severe.
 The following is the routine of  reasoning, usually ob-
 served  by a man about becoming jealous of his wife.
 "This  woman arrests much of the public attention.
 She is  everywhere  well  spoken of.   In all public
 assemblies,  where I  am considered  a mere  shadow,
 she  commands  the  most  unbounded respect, and  I
 view every compliment paid to her beauty and accom-
 plishments,  as an indirect  satire on myself.  I am  un-
 doubtedly her inferior in every thing; and particularly
 in sensibility and intelligence.   I am conscious of  my
 own meanness and depravity;  she  possesses too much
 perspicacity and  penetration  not to  have discovered
 my real character—and cannot  love me.—I saw  her
 bowed  to in the street; she returned the compliment
 writh a  smile.  Yesterday, from  my neglect and inat-
 tention, a  gentleman of fine appearance and command-
 ing manners and  address handed her to her carriage;
 she thanked him for his polite attentions—by h-----n,
 she never  did love me!  At Mrs. Fidget's ball,  the
 other night,  she attracted general attention; her chair
 was  continually surrounded by  gentlemen of figure,
 compared  with wdiom I felt myself a mere cipher: a
 gentleman bowred politely to her in passing,—angels
 and ministers defend me !  It was the gentleman who
 handed  her into her  carriage—and I am no more
 thought of—I am a lost man forever."   Man offanci-
ful miseries and imaginary cuckoldom, behold  your
portrait.   This is the light  in which the world  beholds
you.
  Having  now in some measure accounted  for the 
46
JEALOUSY.
passion of jealousy, which  is unfortunately too preva-
lent  in this country, I will conclude the subject by
some general remarks.
  The marriage compact is entered into for two pur-
poses.  1st. The happiness of the parties themselves;
2d.  The  rearing  and  educating properly  the off-
spring of the marriage  contract.  The principles of a
genuine attachment, such as ought always to be found
in wedded  life, can never exist in any degree of per-
fection, unless there is a natural affinity between the
parties—in temper, disposition, passions, taste, habits,
and pursuits of mind.   When this congeniality is abso-
lutely and  entirely wanting, the parties will gradually
and almost imperceptibly become estranged from each
other, and  finally experience  the influence of indiffe-
rence, and  more probably of settled and  confirmed
hatred.  In this event, if our laws would sanction the
practice, and if there were no offspring to provide for,
it would be  much more  consonant with justice and
expediency, that the parties could separate, and else-
where form new and more agreeable engagements. It
certainly is worse  than useless, to compel persons to
associate together, and  that too in the most close and
intimate manner, when they are mutually actuated in
relation to each other by  sentiments of hatred and
contempt.  According to the present state of things, in
relation to  divorcement, the person wishing a  release-
ment from  the  marriage bond, must first become pub-
licly and notoriously infamous ; or resort, as has been
proved by  the  several  late executions of malefactors,
to the dreadful alternative of murder.   What a terrible
lesson do these late  executions hold out to society, on
the subject of marriage, and the absolute necessity of
its being based  on genuine love. 
JEALOUSY.
47
  Many persons marry who only fancy themselves in
love!   A little master or miss, who wrould have been
well employed in reading the fables in the spelling-
book, gets hold  of the  "Sorrows  of Werter,"  or
Rousseau's " Eloisa," or Petrarch's " Laura," or some
other work of the same character, in w7hich unfortu-
nate love is delineated in the colours of the rainbow,
and leads its unfortunate and most melancholy victims
to whoredom and  suicide !   With a head full  of such
trash, and  a heart as tender and  susceptible as a beef-
steak that has been well beaten for the gridiron, no-
thing will do the little gentleman or lady but the very
fact of falling in love; and that, too, with the very first
object which presents itself.   Papa and mamma  are
cruel;  they will not assent to the match, and the event
is probably an elopement.   Then comes the appalling
discovery, that the lady is  not quite a goddess, nor  the
gentleman entirely a demigod; then comes the disco-
very, that  they are badly paired, and infinitely worse
matched;  the gentleman becomes tired of the lady, and
the lady of the gentleman ; and finally their papas and
mammas  have to take them home  and  support them.
I have  known many instances  of this kind, which
clearly prove, in addition to w7hat I have noted above.
that marriages ought to be  predicated  on natural con-
geniality of character, and as far as possible, sanctioned
by the  exercise of reason and reflective power.
  I have  mentioned the rearing and education of  of!
spring, as duties annexed to the married state.  How
can such elevated and responsible duties be performed
by persons who are disqualified  even from regulating
their own conduct, so as to set a correct moral exam-
ple ?  I am very willing to admit that teachers of much
ability are everywhere to  be found; but no influence 
48                  JEALOUSY.

can possibly act on the infant and youthful mind in the
formation of future character, with half the force, depth
and durability of  impression, as that derived from the
precepts and examples of parents: and I presume it will
be admitted, that  those who are destitute of the capa-
city to make a judicious selection of partners for life,
are scarcely capable of forming the infant mind.  The
wives of  the Greeks  and Romans and  their domestic
regulations, were  truly the nurses and the nurseries of
those  two great races of statesmen and heroes.  The
best biographers of Washington, whose moral, political,
and military life presents the noblest portrait of man
to be found on the records of time, ascribe much of
the purity, elevation and patriotism of his character, to
the sound judgment and intellectual energy of his  mo-
ther.   The influence which the manners, example,
and precepts of a mother, exercise over the intellectual
dawning of the youthful mind and passions, can scarce-
ly be  appreciated by men of the most acute and  pro-
found observation; a proof of which, in addition to the
millions  of others which might be  adduced, may be
inferred from the remarks made by the illustrious and
greatly unfortunate captive of St. Helena, on the  mo-
ral and intellectual qualifications of his mother.
  The truth is, and I mention it with no ordinary  sen-
timents of regret, that the education of females in the
United States, is not only viewed in too unimportant
and contemptible a light, but that it is absolutely dis-
graceful to the spirit of our institutions and the
HEAL GENIUS OF  THE PEOPLE. 
LOVE.
49
                     LOVE.
  This is one of the master passions of the human
soul, and  when  experienced in the plenitude of its
power, its devotions embrace with despotic energy and
uncontrolled dominion all the complicated and power-
ful faculties of man.  It was implanted in the human
bosom for the noblest and most beneficent of purposes,
and when restricted to  its legitimate objects, and re-
strained within due bounds by moral sentiment, may
be called the great fountain of human happiness.   No
passion incidental to humanity embraces so vast a space.
and such  an infinite multiplicity of objects:  it com-
mences in the cradle with tender emotions  of  filial
attachment and veneration for our parents; it animates
and accompanies us through all the checkered vicissi-
tudes of  life,  attaching itself to every object which
can afford us enjoyment and happiness, and finally, in
accompanying us  to the  last resort of the living, it
concentrates all its pure and sublime energies at the
great fountain of existence, the throne of  the living
God.
  Like all other elementary principles of human na-
ture, its essence baffles the keenest researches of phi-
losophy and science;  and its existence can  only be
recognised by a  consciousness of its presence, and the
effects which are manifested in every department of
life, by multiplied  exhibitions of its energies.  It at-
taches the infant to its  parent, and the domicile of its
earliest days of helplessness and dependence: it attaches
the youth to  the  objects of his playful years, to the
companions of his innocent and festive mirth, and to
the first objects of his youthful fancy.   Without its
animating influence, as concentrated on objects of true
      GUNN     4 
50
LOVE.
glory, the hero would degenerate into a poltroon, the
statesman into a political driveller, and the patriot into
a mere citizen  of the world, without friends, without
home—and without those  endearing and sacred ties
wrhich  bind us to our native  land.  The beneficent
and heavenly aspirations of love are every where to be
found; they bind the solitary  and  warlike  savage to
his native forests; the Moor, the Arab, and the Negro,
to the burning  plains of the torrid zone; the Russian,
the Sw7ede, the Norwegian, and  Laplander, to the snows
and glaciers of  the polar regions; and the courtly and
civilized European and American, to the refinements
and comforts of the more  temperate regions of the
globe.   Without local,  relative or personal attach-
ments, man would be eternally discontented with his
condition;  he would become like Cain, a fugitive and
a vagabond  upon the face  of  the globe; in fact, the
deep foundations of  domestic and national society
would soon be  broken up and scattered to  the winds
of heaven, were it not for the  strong attachments of
man for the objects among which he is placed.
  If you require proofs of the  truth of this universal
doctrine of love, ask  the parent what price would in-
duce him to part with his children; ask the husband
of a woman of elevated and noble character, what sum
in gold or jewels he would  consider equivalent to her
value ;  ask  the savage what would induce him to aban-
don the dangers of the chase,  and the deep  and silent
solitudes  of nature, and  to reside  in your  crowded
cities, amidst the hum of business and  the  confusion
of assembled multitudes.  Ask the Samoide and Lap-
lander, what would induce  them to change the fogs
and snows of the  north, for the mild and balmy tem-
perature  of countries presenting eternal spring and 
love.
51
 unfading verdure.   They will tell you that they love
 their parents, their children, their  friends, their coun-
 try.  Man, unlike the  inferior animals of creation, is
 indeed the citizen of every climate; and his capacities
 of forming local and relative attachments are as varied
 and extensive as  the powers  by which he overcomes
 difficulties, and forces nature to yield him the comforts,
 conveniences, and positive enjoyments of existence.
  Philanthropy, or love of our species, is founded on
 favourable perceptions of the purity, the beneficence,
 the elevation, and  the true dignity of the human  cha-
 racter; nor did ever an  individual, of any age or coun-
 try, become a confirmed misanthrope, but from  con-
 trary perceptions of human nature.  A man who is
 naturally a  hater  of his species, without  having had
 his character soured by the  deceptions,  frauds, and
 oppressions of mankind, is by  nature cowardly, timid,
 and selfish.   Nothing great, patriotic, or disinterested,
 can be expected from such a man;  he is cruel, vindic-
 tive, avaricious, fraudulent, and roguish in the extreme;
 he only seems to have been placed among mankind, as
 a sort of standard  of meanness and demerit, by which
 we are enabled to measure and duly appreciate the
 elevation of character and dignified virtues  of other
 men.   There are various degrees of misanthropy, in a
 descending  scale from that which characterized the
 mind and feelings  of "Timon of Athens,"  downward
 to the mean, sordid, and exclusive self-love, which
 manifests itself in taking all  possible advantages of
 mankind, for the  hoarding  and accumulation of ill-
gotten wealth.   These pigmy misanthropes, or haters
of mankind  on  a  petty  scale, are everywhere to be
found.  They are  the scoundrels who, in all societies,
cheat and swindle  upon every occasion; they are  the 
52
LOVE.
men who will sacrifice, or, in other words, purchase at
half its value, on an execution  sale, the little property
of the needy, and who would not  scruple to rob the
widow and the orphan of the little that sickness and
misfortune had  spared  them.   You will see these
swindling vagabonds, adding hypocrisy to their petty
villanies, by making  an  absolute mockery of religion
itself at the communion table.  That insatiable avarice
is a disease of  the mind, there can be no doubt, and
that this disease requires a moral  treatment  of cure,
there can be  as little question.   If these men would
reflect on the brevity of human life;  if they would
consider that their ill-acquired wealth  must soon pass
from their possession, and that death will unload them
at the gates of eternity, surely they would soon disco-
ver the folly, impolicy, and heinous immorality of such
a course.
  The passion of love, properly so called, or that
strong and indissoluble attachment which frequently
exists between the two sexes, is one of the noblest and
most powerful emotions that ever animated  the  hu
man bosom.   As I remarked before, under the head
of jealousy, this pure and  elevated attachment is the
great solace of human life; the harbinger of  success-
ful procreative power; the precursor  and nurturer of
successive millions  of the human race; the  great
moral parent of all the numerous races of men to be
found in every climate of the globe.   It is the native
of every country that has been invaded by the enter-
prise of man, and is  found  to bloom and flourish in
perfection wherever man has fixed his habitation.  It
finds a congenial soil in  the booth of the hunter the
hut of the savage,  the tent of  the wandering Arab.
the  leafy bower of the African of the  Gambia, as well 
LOVE.
53
as in the haunts  of  civilization and  the  palaces  of
kings.
  As I have remarked under another head, there exists
in the human bosom, certain instinctive  sympathies
and antipathies, which we are unable to control, either
by the force of moral sentiment or the efforts of rea-
son ;  and which are absolutely inexplicable by all the
boasted powers of human genius.  The existence  of
these instinctive  principles,  are only  known by  our
own  consciousness, and  the  powerful and  decisive
effects they are known to produce.  No two human
beings, especially of different sexes, and  more especially
if their affections were unengaged by previous prepos-
sessions, were ever yet in the presence of  each other
for any length of time, without experiencing the force.
in a greater or less degree, of the sympathy or antipa-
thy before noticed.  When the attraction is mutually
strong, the parties soon become conscious of a conge-
niality of temper, disposition, taste, and sensibilities:
this sympathetic attraction has, by some writers on the
subject, been denominated "love at first sight." When
on the other hand, the physical, moral,  and intellectual
characters of the  parties are  essentially and  radically
different from each other; in other words, and in more
fashionable phraseology, when the natural characters
of the parties are the  antipodes, or direct opposite* of
each other, the repulsive powers of natural antipathy
are so strongly experienced, as to produce  involuntary
hatred, if not fixed and unalterable sentiments of con-
tempt and detestation.  I am thus particular in giving
my opinions on these subjects, not only  because I know
that their correctness  will be sanctioned by the actual
experience of thousands, but  because I trust they will
be of service to many, in disclosing the extreme dan- 
54
LOVE.
ger to human happiness, which  invariably arises from
uniting those to each other, by merely artificial and
factitious ties, whom God and nature have put asunder.
By opposition of native  character, I mean a plain and
palpable dissimilitude of temperament, taste, and intel-
lectual  and moral pursuits.  Can physical and moral
beauty be in love with physical deformity and moral
depravity of character ?   Can wisdom and intelligence
be in love with folly and stupidity ?  Innocence and
spotless purity with  guilt and  corruption?   Virtue
with vice ?  No !
         " Vice is a monster of such frightful mien,
           That to be hated, needs but to be seen."
  I am  willing to admit, and  believe it to be strictly-
true, that persons who are characterized by vice, cor-
ruption,  guilt,  stupidity, folly,  moral  depravity,  or
personal deformity, may form strong attachments  to
persons  of  diametrically  opposite  characters:  this
would be but admitting what every person knows;
that vice and imperfection, under  all their various forms
and characters, if endowed with  the common faculties
of perception, must and  always will pay involuntary
tributes of  respect, veneration, and such love as they
are capable of experiencing, to virtue and moral purity
wherever found.  The love of the depraved and im-
moral portion of mankind, is precisely such as may
always be expected from such characters; it is  selfish,
base and ignoble; utterly devoid of tenderness and
consideration for the object beloved; it is precisely such
love as the wolf bears for the  lamb, or the fox for the
hen-roost!   It has always been matter of much asto-
nishment to me, that females of refined sensibility, lofty
sentiments of moral virtue, and  high orders of intel-
lectual power,  should expect a  reciprocation of pure 
LOVE.
55
and virtuous love, from the scum and dregs of society,
the off-scourings of brothels, and  the  hoary and de-
praved veterans of the gaming table!   They might as
well, I think, and with much better hopes of success.
attempt to extract candour from confirmed hypocrites,
honour from  thieves,  and humanity  from  highway
robbers.   There is no way of solving this enigma, that
I know of, but by supposing that women of virtue and
honour are  incapable of distinguishing the particular
claims which these  gentlemen have to their detestation
and contempt;  or by presuming that they always, by
the aid of their imaginations, invest the characters of
such  men with factitious  virtues, which have no ex-
istence; for I cannot suppose they can truly love them,
and yet  be fully acquainted with  their intrinsic cha-
racters.  The  strength and quality of  an attachment,
must  certainly depend, in a great measure, on the phy-
sical and moral qualities of the  object beloved, and on
the capacities  of a  lover  to perceive  and appreciate
those  qualities.  I am perfectly convinced, and that,
too, from experience, that a woman of moral purity of
character, never excites the same  impure sentiments
and base  passions, that are produced or excited by a
female of a contrary character, and  whose countenance
and deportment betray indications of immoral  habits
and loose desires. There is something  of immaculate
purity; something  of the very divinity of virtue, in
the countenance and deportment of a woman of chaste
desires, elevated moral sentiments, and cultivated in-
tellectual powers, that represses  the low-born sugges-
tions of lust and depravity, and awres all the vicious
passions into cowardly submission to the dignity of
female perfection.   No man, however vicious and de-
praved in his  habits and  pursuits, ever yet had the 
56
LOVE.
 impudence and audacity to contemplate the deliberate
 seduction of an accomplished  and beautiful  woman,
 unless he were under the influence of a species of libi-
 dinous insanity ; had formed a contemptible opinion
 of the  female character,  or had discovered some vul-
 nerable part in her armour of chastity and virtue.
   Few women, and  I  mention the  fact with much
 regret,  are proof against  the thrilling suggestions  of
 vanity, the allurements of flattery,  and  the  fascina-
 tions attendant  on a passion for general  admiration:
 they ought early  to be taught by their  parents and
 preceptors that  true pride, which is in reality dignity
 of character, is always hostile to the  foolish and  dan-
 gerous  suggestions of vanity; that  flattery, called by
 an old and quaint writer, " the oil of fool," is a direct
 and positive insult; and that a female passion for uni-
 versal admiration,  especially  in the married state,  is
 hostile  to domestic peace,  and absolutely at war with
 connubial enjoyment and  happiness.
  That flattery is  an insult, is evident from  the  fact
 that no flatterer  ever yet ventured upon  the  practice
 of his art, without first concluding  that the object of
 his addresses was a fool; the truth  is, that flattery is
 always  addressed  to  our  personal  vanity, which in
 plain language means, a strong  propensity to an over-
 estimate of our own merits and perfections.   Manly
 and  dignified pride, has always been  found a specific
 against the frivolous passion of vanity, and hence it has
 been frequently said, that a man or woman may be too
 proud to be vain;  the fact is, that  vanity  is the  false
and  empty pride of fools!  Napoleon  intended much
when he expressed himself thus to some of his friends:
" I had hoped  and  expected that the  French were  a
proud nation, but I have  found by experience  that 
LOVE.
57
they are only vain."  The passion for universal admi-
ration is the distinguishing and strong characteristic
of a coquette;  it is the offspring  of personal vanity,
begotten upon  coldness  of temperament,  ignorance,
and folly.  A coquette, in the female world, is what a
coxcomb is among men, a being void of  sentiment,
sensibility, and  intelligence, and utterly incapable of
genuine love.
  The marriages of both coquettes and coxcombs, in
conformity with the coldness and shallowness of their
characters, are alwTays predicated on other principles
than those of attachment  to  the  object.   They  are
absolutely incapable of feeling the soft refinements, the
elevated sentiments, or the  deep-toned energies of real
love; those people are never in danger of suffering the
tortures of a broken  heart, nor can they  experience
either much happiness or any considerable degree of
misery  in  the  married state.  The love  of general
admiration is their master passion ; and whenever this
is  the  case, it  is impossible that  a concentration of
affections can take  place, and  be  exclusively directed
to a single object;  fire can never be produced  from
the separated and scattered sunbeams, they must be
concentrated by a  convex glass, called a  lens, before
they can be rendered sufficiently intense to produce
warmth, heat and  combustion.  The love  of general
admiration was wisely implanted in the human bosom,
and for the best of purposes; but wrherever it gains the
full  possession of the female breast, it  freezes all  the
domestic and conjugal affections, and sometimes leads
to jealousy and  discontent,  with all their dreadful train
of consequences: in other  wrords, and I wish the sen-
timent to make a well-merited and indelible impres-
sion, the married man who can prefer the  admiration 
58
LOVE.
of other women to that of the wife of his bosom, is a
traitor to all the hallowed solemnities of the marriage
compact, and a cold  and calculating violator of the
laws of God !  Nor, on the other hand, is the married
woman less a traitress to connubial love, to the honour
and happiness of her  husband and family, and to the
best interests of society, and domestic enjoyment, who
can prefer the shallow' and superficial admiration of
fools and coxcombs, to the deep and  devoted attach-
ments of a husband, who would not scruple to make a
sacrifice of life itself to insure her happiness.
           " Woman alone was formed to bless
            The life of man, and share his care ;
            To soothe his breast, when keen distress
            Hath lodged a poison'd arrow there."

  I have mentioned, that persons  of diametrically op-
posite physical, moral, and intellectual characters, could
never  assimilate with, and become strongly attached
to each other, notwithstanding the powerful attractions
of the sexual instinct.   By opposite natural and ac-
quired characters, I do  not mean mere contrasts  of
mental and corporeal disposition  and characteristics.
I cannot otherwise  disclose  my precise   meaning.
respecting things which are direct opposites, and those
which are only contrasts of each other, than by  citing;
the example of colours. Black and white, for instance,
are the opposites of each  other, and  when placed  in
juxtaposition, always pain the eye; but, either of those
colours, when compared with any  other of the primi-
tive colours or even shades, are only considered con-
trasts.   St. Pierre, in his Studies of Nature, has been
explicit on this ingenious and  novel subject, which  is
certainly worthy  of much  consideration.   There
seems  to exist, between persons of opposite  physical 
LOVE.
59
characters, a decided indifference as  regards sexual
communication; or if not a decided  and entire indif-
ference, there certainly does not obtain between them,
that ardent and passionate sexual propensity, wiiich is
found between persons who are the  contrasts of each
other.   I have remarked in innumerable instances, the
strong attachments which existed between  persons of
contrasted  complexion, contrasted colours of the eyes
and hair, and especially  of strongly contrasted stature
and dimensions; and I have no doubt, that the reader
of this new, if not very interesting part of my reflec-
tions, will recollect very many instances, of the exist-
ence of marriages voluntarily entered  into from the
strongest of possible attachments, between persons who,
in point of stature and size, were perfect contrasts of
each other.   Ask a tall, robust and athletic man what
sort of  a  wife he  would  choose ; and  you  will very
soon ascertain that his choice would  fall on a  female,
the contrasted reverse of himself.   In  fact, you  will
always  find  on  inquiry,  that a  lean  man prefers a
woman of size, and  rather large proportions; a short
man. a woman of lofty stature, and so  on to the end
of the chapter of contrasts in personal character.  The
gigantic and brawny Roman warrior, Mark Antony,
fell in love with the  sylph-like and fairy form of Cleo-
patra, the celebrated Queen of Egypt, who was re-
markable for being  of  very diminutive proportions,
though  very beautiful; in fact,  thousands of such in-
stances  might be cited from both ancient and modern
history.   The  contrast of  physical proportions and
character, united in the marriage bond, seems to have
been  intended  by Providence  to equalize  the breed
of mankind, and to prevent them on  the  one  hand
frii.n  running up  into a  race of  giants, and on the 
60
LOVE.
other from de^eneratins; into a train of diminutive and
contemptible pigmies.
  But on the subject of contrasts, that is not all; con-
trasts in  moral and intellectual  qualities seem to be
equal1} favourable to love ; and here again I am com-
pelled to resort to figurative  language to convey my
meaning.  There are concords and discords in  music:
perfect concords always fall upon the ear with a dull
and  ce-ld monotony;  whilst  perfect discords  always
grate harshly on the auditory  nerves, producing exqui-
site sensations which are still  more unharmonious and
disagreeable.   It will not be  necessary to  say much
on this subject of moral and mental contrasts; I only
suggest,  that the reader may make his own observa-
tions, respecting this singular  anomaly  in the  human
character.  We know perfectly  well, that persons of
moderate intellectual powers, both male and female,
provided  their tempers and dispositions be gentle and
amiable,  are  invariably  the  objects of love and the
most tender regard, with those  who possess uncom-
monly lofty and powerful characteristics of genius and
intellect.  This fact is even so notorious in all socie-
ties,  as to have become  a proverb; and, how often
have we  all seen instances in conjugal life, in which
fortitude  has  been united to  despondency, fickleness
and inconstancy of resolution, with the most unshaken
and  resolute tenaciousness of purpose, timidity with
consummate bravery, and the  highest order  of moral
courage,  with the shrinking cowardice of superstition
and childish ignorance.  We  know these to be facts,
and can only account for  them on the  great scale of
divine wisdom and providence, by presuming them to
be intended for equalizing the human species in  wis-
dom and  moral energy, and for forming additional and 
LOVE.
61
indissoluble  bonds in  the  social compacts of man-
kind.
  I have several times mentioned, and I think demon-
strated, so far as the force of facts and moral reasoning
will go, that the passion of love is measurably invo-
luntary, and beyond  the control of moral sentiment
and  reason;  nor can there, I think, exist any doubt,
not only that the strength of the passion depends on
the  peculiar temperaments of  individuals, but that
the distinctive characteristics of the passion or emotion
called love, are essentially connected with the physical,
ifioral, and intellectual  qualifications  of the objects or
persons beloved.   If, then, the strength of the passion
is in any proportion  to the natural temperaments of
individuals; and  if its peculiar qualities or character-
istics depend on the natural and acquired qualifications
of the objects of attachment, how ridiculous, absurd,
and  perfectly irrational it  must be  for any man or
woman to expect, that he or she can possibly be an
object of attachment  with any person of rational and
scrutinizing mind, on account of qualifications which
are  not possessed, and which in  fact are  known and
perceived to be entirely wanting.  I mention the sub-
ject in this way, and  place it in this light, in order to
prevent the exercise  of hypocrisy between the sexes.
which is always dangerous  in  its consequences—and
in order, also, that those whose happiness in life de-
pends on  their  being  objects  of esteem, friendship,
veneration, attachment, and  love,  may see the absolute
necessity of deserving the homage of such refined and
virtuous sentiments; in other words, that they may be
deeply impressed with the important and eternal truth,
that candour, honour, and moral  virtue, are the great
passports to human happiness.   I  have often witnessed 
62
LOVE.
the tremulous solicitude of females, of the most amia-
ble and exalted  qualities of person and  mind, respect-
ing the public opinion of their merits and character.
and frequently been interrogated by them on the sub-
ject.   In these cases, I have uniformly answered, in the
words  of an old Grecian sage, "Know thyself;" and
your opinions of yourself, if correct and well founded.
will be precisely such as are entertained for you by
those whose esteem and approbation are of any im-
portance.  Genuine and rational love commences  in
the natural, and, if I may be allowed the expression
as applicable to human nature, the instinctive sympa-
thies of individuals for the society of each other; it is
cemented and powerfully strengthened by the endear-
ments  of sexual enjoyment, of which I  have before
spoken : and it is crowned with both temporal and im-
mortal duration, by the mild purity and unfading lustre
of the moral virtues, and the imposing splendours of ge-
nius and intellectual power.  As I said before, it is con-
fined to no particular climate, and to no exclusive region
of the  globe; its benign influence is experienced, as
wrell among the polar snows of the north, as in the mild
climates of the  temperate  zones.   It is the exclusive
guest of no particular rank in life :  the rich, the poor.
the exalted, the  base, the brave, are alike participant
in its genial warmth and heavenly influence.   In the
words  of Laurence Sterne, " no tint of words can spot
its snowy mantle, nor chymic  power turn its sceptre
into iron; with love to smile upon  him as he eats his
crust, the swain is  happier  than  the monarch, from
whose court it has been exiled" by vice and immorality.
This is that  undebased and genuine love, which is
founded in unlimited  confidence, mutual esteem, and
the mild sublimities of virtue and integrity of charac- 
LOVE.                    63
ter.  It illuminates the countenance with the sparkling
brilliancy of soft  desire; and is in fact the safeguard
of female virtue,  and of chastity itself, whenever as-
sailed by unprincipled and seductive fascination.
  With respect to the passion of love, there is a com-
mon error of female education, which will also apply
to the early instruction of males, of which I must speak
in plain terms in the conclusion of  this subject.  Eve-
ry human being,  at a very early period of life, from
peculiar modes of instruction, and the examples pre-
sented to the mind, forms some idea of the qualifica-
tions  which constitute human excellence.   If, for in-
stance, at an early period, the parents and instructors
of a female impress upon her mind, that the mere de-
coration of the person will  render her an object  of
tender regard, without the cultivation of her moral and
intellectual qualities, the result will  be, and it cannot
be  avoided, that aiming at what she believes to be the
great excellence of the female character, both her mo-
ral and intellectual energies will retrograde into bar-
renness and insipidity: in other words, she will become
what the world denominates a pretty woman, the idol
of fools and  coxcombs, but  an object of compassion,
indifference, or contempt, with men of lofty sentiments
and distinguished characters.   Peter the Great of Rus-
sia (on account of her  superior intellectual endow-
ments) chose  for a wife, and  made  her empress, a
woman of obscure and lowly  origin.  And  in more
modern times (I  had the information from a person
well acquainted with the facts) we find the spirit, dis-
crimination, and  sound  judgment  of  Peter the Great
respecting the value of a woman of a cultivated mind,
revived in the person and character of Lord  Morgan.
Sidney Chvenson, his present wife, was the daughter of 
64
LOVE.
a comedian on the Dublin stage.  At an early period,
this youthful female discovered strong traits of genius of
a literary character, and Owenson, though in  impove-
rished circumstances, determined to educate his daugh-
ter.  He did so; in consequence of which she became
an object of strong attachment with a man of distin-
guished mind, who preferred  her to the titled and the
rich, and she is now Lady Morgan.
  Mrs. Hamilton, a lady of some celebrity, who has
written much on female education, makes the follow-
ing remark on women: " Where there is no intellect,
there is no moral  principle;  and where there  is no
principle, there is no security for female virtue."  This
is the truth, but not the whole  truth : had Mrs. Hamil-
ton recognised religion as an  essential prerequisite in
preserving  the  moral virtues of woman, she would
probably have said all that was necessary on female
education.   The  accomplishments of women ought
always to have some relation  to their future duties in
life; but it is evident, that the cultivation of their minds,
cannot with justice to themselves and society be dis-
pensed with, no matter what may be their future de-
stinies.  A cultivated  mind is a never-failing  passport
to the best society; it  always  insures the extension of
friendship and civility, when accompanied by correct-
ness of conduct and a virtuous  deportment; it prevents
women from becoming the dupes of artifice, and the
victims of seduction;  it expands the heart to all the
principles of sympathetic feeling for the distresses of
others, and induces a commiseration for the misfortunes
of mankind ; it holds up to a  distinct and scrutinizing
examination, the real characters  of men, and enables a
woman to make a judicious selection betwixt men of
real worth and coxcombs and fools, by which, if wealthy 
LOVE.
65
 and distinguished by personal beauty, she may be^er-
 secuted with addresses.  It fits her for the superinten-
 dence and  regulation of a family, and enables her to
 make correct impressions on the minds of her offspring.
   The want of mental culture, among  females of all
 ranks in life, has frequently led to  disastrous conse-
 quences.   By mental culture, I do not mean those
 shallow  and  frivolous accomplishments  which  are
 sometimes taught at boarding-schools, nor do I mean
 by a refinement of  the female  mind, a  proficiency in
 drawing roses which resemble a copper coin, in thrum-
 ming a waltz on the piano,  or fidgeting through the
 lascivious gesticulations of an Italian or French fan-
 dango !   I mean, by mental culture, the  acquisition of
 solid accomplishments; those which can be rendered
 useful to domestic policy, be an example to society in
 the correction of its morals, and reflect honour on the
 national character.  Such an education always represses
 the waywardness of the fancy, and lops away the use-
 less, and often dangerous exuberance of a powerful
 imagination;  it  affords a  never-failing  resource of
 comfort in  solitude, and finds a healing  balm for  the
 wounds of a wayward and  unfortunate destiny.  In
 fine, no woman  possessed  of  a judicious education,
 even under the pressure of the most trying misfortunes.
 ever yet lost the just equipoise between her strength
 and  sensibility,  or  became the  victim of a broken
 heart!
  The exquisite  miseries  which spring from disap
 pointed  love, and sometimes terminate  in a broken
 heart, (for I am well persuaded there is  really such a
disease,) alwrays arise from visionary creations of the
fancy, and  disorders  of the imagination: in other
words, they are the  offspring of overstrained and ima-
      OUNN    ^ 
66
LOVE.
 ginary conceptions  of the qualifications of the object
 of attachment;  they are, in fact, the melancholy re-
 sults of an over-estimate of the virtues and perfections
 of human nature;  of which the woman of a culti-
 vated mind, and really philosophic acquisitions, stands
 in no possible danger.  A woman who cultivates her
 imagination by  the  unlimited perusal of novels and
 romances, at the expense of the  solid qualities of her
 understanding, is always in danger of becoming the
 victim of a wTayward fancy; and, should  she  live to
 have the errors of her imagination corrected by prac-
 tical experience, will have nothing of the imagination
 left, but the ashes of a consumed sensibility, on which
 no future attachment can possibly be predicated.  A
 woman of cultivated mind, sees objects as they really
 are—and not as they are clothed by an inflamed  and
 disordered fancy; she knows that human nature is not
 perfection itself,  and expects nothing from it, but what
 appertains to the natural character of man; she knows
 it to be a compound of weakness and  strength, virtue
 and vice, wisdom and folly; and never over-estimating
 the virtues and perfections of an object of attachment,
 her desires are chastened by moderation, and her loves
 by the high-toned philosophy of true wisdom !  Such
 a woman, unlike the melancholy victim of a morbid
 sensibility, and a high-wrought and disordered imagi-
 nation, is in no  danger of  sinking into the diseased
 apathy of disappointed love, and becoming the victim
 of partial or total insanity, or a disconsolate and  broken
 heart; for which  all the mere medical remedies known
 to human genius and science  are but miserable  and
 inefficient palliatives.  Religion, change  of, scenery,
and attractive and interesting company, in some cases
 have considerable influence in detaching the mind 
LOVE.
67
   from the concentration of its reflections on an object
   of deep and vital love; but in the more numerous in-
   stances, they have all been  known to fail, and even to
   baffle all the efforts of friendship and parental attach-
   ment.   In fact, it seems to  me, and I have paid much
   attention to the subject, that judicious  education, and
   a well  cultivated  mind, acting as preventatives to the
   disorders of the imagination, are almost the only and
   powerful specifics against the occurrence of the  mise-
>   ries of  disappointed love.
                     GRIEF.
  This depressing affection of the  mind, called a
passion when experienced in the extreme, sometimes
degenerates into confirmed melancholy, despair,  and
fatal insanity.  It is the offspring of so many and such
various causes, that it is next to impossible to enume-
rate  them.  It is sometimes caused by cheerless  and
gloomy presentiments of the future; sometimes by the
heavy pressure of present  evils and calamities; and,
not unfrequently, by strong and vivid recollections of
losses which can -never  be  retrieved.  Against its in-
roads, and often fatal effects on the health of the phy-
sical system, (which  are varied according to the tem-
perament and character of the individual,) neither the
internal nor external exhibition of medical drugs  can
have much avail.
  The force and effect which grief exercises and pro-
duces, in deranging the functions of the physical  sys-
tem, seem, in a great degree, to depend on the poig-
nancy and  acuteness of  those sensibilities which cha-
racterize the  nervous  system.  Where  the nervous 
68
GRIEF.
system  is tremulously sensible, and easily susceptible
of external impressions, which is generally the case
with persons of distinguished genius, there is invaria-
bly found a constitutional melancholy, which delights
in retrospections of the past, and serious, if not cheer-
less anticipations of the future. At an early period of
life, these persons are highly susceptible of the charms
of nature, and  also of  her more  gloomy and sombre
scenery; and being deeply sensible of the influence of
what to other men would be slight  impressions, their
feelings always exhibit themselves in the extremes of
animation or  depression  of  spirits, for  which they
themselves are utterly unable to  account.  In fact, it
is not unusual to witness in the varying sensibilities of
these persons, and that  too in the lapse of a single day,
the reflective  calmness and  profundity of the great
southern Pacific ocean—the urbanity and cheerfulness
attendant on  anticipations of future  prosperity and
happiness—and those storms of ungovernable and un-
subdued passions, whose undulations  resemble  the
mountain billows of the Atlantic  when lashed by the
hurricanes and tornadoes of the torrid zone !  This is
not only the  constitutional temperament of true and
unsophisticated genius, of which so much has been
said, and so  little known, but it is also the soil which
produces sensations of exquisite happiness and misery;
distinguished principles of moral  rectitude and depra-
vity of conduct; great virtues and great vices !
  Seriousness, depression of spirits, melancholy, grief,
despair, insanity, are but the different modifications of
the same passion or predisposition of the moral facul-
ties,  of whose essence we in reality  know  nothing
abstractedly,  only  differing  in degree  of force and
effect, in proportion to the  strength or  weakness  of 
grief.
69
operating  causes.   For  instance;  seriousness  and
solemnity of feeling are always  produced in a mind
of sensibility and  reflection, by the sight of a dead
body ;  of  the human limbs lopped away in battle ; of
the human mind in ruins; and of human misery exhi-
bited to us under any form : in these cases the effects
produced are only  temporary, and  usually pass away
with the removal of the objects which excited them.
If, however, serious and solemn  feelings be  often re-
produced  in the mind, by  reiterated  exhibitions of
objects capable of exciting them, their impressions will
become more durable,  and soon  produce an habitual
tone of feeling, denominated depression of  sjnrits.
When  this depression of spirits is habitually  indulged
in for any considerable lapse of  time, it is apt to gain
so great an  ascendency over the active and  resolute
powers of the mind, as to  dispose the person affected
with its influence, to seek, in solitude and retirement
from society, an indulgence  in inactivity, irresolution,
and gloomy reflections, which, becoming fixed, and as
it  were immovable, settles down into  melancholy.
Seriousness,  depression  of  spirits,  and  melancholy,
sometimes produce mental  derangements: but they
are generally of a harmless, unobtrusive, silent, and
inoffensive character, where  the nervous system is tre-
mulous and exceedingly delicate: or where the tem-
perament, if I may be allowed the  phraseology, is
characterized by   weakness, irresolution, and  timi-
dity.
  Compared with the above affections, which  seem at
first view  to have their seat in the imagination, and by
some  are  denominated hypochondria in men, and
hysterics in  women; grief and despair are certainly
affections of a more active and powerful character, and 
70
grief.
much sooner ending in fatuity or mental exhaustion,
and outrageous or confirmed insanity.
  As I  have somewhere  mentioned, and the proba-
bility is that the fact will be acknowledged by all well-
informed physicians, (by  which I mean those who
have discovered how little  can be essentially knowti on
the subject  of  affections of the  mind,) that the par-
ticular and  direct  influence which  these  and  other
strong passions  have in deranging the organization of
the brain, cannot wrell be ascertained.  All w-e know
about the matter is, that we cannot think with  accu-
racy and profundity of  research,  without a  well-
organized brain, and that any  derangement of that
organization and its natural functions, produces coequal
and  coextensive derangements of the intellectual or
mental powTers.  The probability is, that refined, sus-
ceptible, and strong  organizations of the brain, consi-
dered in the aggregate, have much influence in im-
parting   to  the mind  those  refinements  of  taste,
susceptibilities of feeling, and superior intellectual ca-
pacities,  which we call genius,  for want  of a  term
which can be more clearly understood.  We are per-
fectly aware, that without a  well-organized eye,  no
definite or  accurate  ideas  can be formed of colours,
forms, dimensions,  distances: that  without a  well-
organized and susceptible ear, no clear and distinctively
correct  impressions  can be made,  by what we call
sounds,  or  vibrations of the air, for want  of a  more
expressive term, on the auditory  nerves:  that without
a well-constructed nasal organ, vulgarly denominated
a nose, no clear and distinct impressions can be  made
on the olfactory nerves, or  nerves of smelling, by the
effluvia arising  from bodies: that, unless the portions
of the nervous system which are incorporated with the 
GRIEF.
71
tongue and its appendages, be unobstructed by malfor-
mation of the organs of taste, no distinctions of flavour
could be recognised  between sugar, gall, and vinegar ;
and that unless the nerves which are  spread  over  the
cutaneous surface of the body, and particularly that of
the hands, be perfect both in organization and tone, no
adequate or correct ideas could ever be  formed of  the
shape, solidity, &c, of bodies with which we come in
immediate contact.  The fact seems to  be, and I con-
sider the theoretical conjecture inferior to none which
has been published  by medical men, that whenever
the affections of the mind derange the tone and sus-
ceptibility  of the  senses,  these  derangements ahvays
bring to the censorium, or focal point of mental im-
pression, incorrect and  distorted ideas of  external
objects, which, as in hypochondria, make us believe in
the existence of phantasmagoria of a most childish and
superstitious character.   This is a species of insanity,
connected  with  unnatural  and  painful  seriousness,
habitual  depression of spirits,  and confirmed melan-
choly.
  On the other hand, when afflictive impressions  are
made upon the  mind  of  an  unusually active and
powerful character, and sufficient to  impair  and par-
tially destroy the organization itself, as in the cases of
intense  and poignant grief, or absolute and hopeless
despair, the partial dissolution of the physical struc
ture and  organization of the brain, it  is not impro-
bable, leads to  offensive,  mischievous, and terrific
insanity, amounting to absolute frenzy, and  finally
terminating in dissolution.  The fact is, and  it is well
known to physicians, that a dissolution of the organic
structure of the frame, if that dissolution take place in
any vital organ, particularly the brain or  stomach, 
72
GRIEF.
between which there exists a close and almost identi-
cal sympathy, decidedly morbid effects are produced
to the whole system, physical, moral and mental; in
fact, the  brain  may  be called the father, and the
stomach the mother of the system.
  I have  only as yet spoken of the influence which is
produced upon  the physical  functions of the system,
by the passion of grief, and other strong affections of
the same  or a similar  character.  The  same effects as
those produced by the passions above enumerated, are
sometimes the offspring of other causes, not  connected,
in the first  instance, with the  passions, but which
afterwards operate  strongly upon  them, and assist in
destroying the nervous, vital, and moral functions and
organization of the system.  We know perfectly well,
for  instance, that there are many substances which,
when  taken into the  stomach, affect   the  passions
strongly by irritation and excitement: produce morbid
derangements of the  physical functions, and, not un-
frequently, moral and mental alienations.  The effect
of tincture of cantharides on some of the  passions,
when taken into the stomach, is perfectly well known ;
nor do I believe, that if its application to  the stomach
were long continued, it  would ever fail to produce
morbid irritations  and inflammations, which would
terminate in functional derangement, and  actual dis-
solution of organic structure in the brain.  The effect
which opium produces, where it is used in immoderate
quantities, as among the  Turks, is well  known; and
that  it not unfrequently ends in derangement of the
physical  system, and  absolute insanity  with all its
horrors.   Nor  is the  intemperate use  of  spirituous
liquors, used to  such excess and in such immoderate
quantities in our own  country, far behind  the use of 
GRIEF.
73
opium, in producing  the same deleterious  effects on
the brain,  through  the medium  of  the   stomach.
Every man who will tax his recollections, will find his
memory furnished with innumerable  instances,  in
which a  long train of physical diseases has  been fol-
lowed by derangements of the intellect,  which none
of the boasted  powers of science  or medicine could
relieve or rectify, merely from the immoderate use, or
rather abuse of spirituous liquors.   Have we  not all
witnessed instances, in which the  abuse of spirituous
liquors has produced  visceral obstructions  of  a most
deadly character: and  mental derangements which
have been confirmed and rendered  durable to the end
of life?   How is this  fixed  and  confirmed  mental
alienation to be accounted for, but upon the  presump-
tion  that those stimulants,  long continued, affect not
only the nerves, but the organic structure of the brain ?
Do we not know that  a fit of intoxication is a paroxysm
of mental derangement, and that impressions often re-
iterated will wear their  channels in the  brain, injure
its unrivalled  and delicate  organization, and  render
those effects  durable?  What are  the effects  which
immediately  follow  a fit of  excessive  intoxication ?
Are  they not the very same as those produced  by the
influence of  the  passions  of  wmich I  have before
spoken?   Are they  not seriousness,  depression  of
spirits, melancholy, grief, despair, insanity ?  This is
the point at which I intended to arrive.  I intended to
demonstrate in a plain and simple manner, that dis-
ease, insanity, and death are produced as well by moral
as by physical causes; and  that a  physician ought to
ascertain both  the state of the body and mind, if  he
really intends to effect a cure, or removal of the class
of diseases just mentioned.  I know7 it to be  a com- 
74
GRIEF.
mon practice with physicians, to listen to  long details
of the physical symptoms  of their patients, without
the least inquiry as to the moral or mental causes of
their diseases; when the fact is, that in five cases out
of ten, arising among persons of sedentary,  refined,
luxurious, studious, and intellectual habits; and among
delicate females, in seven cases of disease out of eleven,
particularly those wiiich  are  obstructional, the causes
will be found seated in the mind  and passions.  I need
not enlarge on this subject; every man possessed of any
experience and common sense,  must have observed,
both on himself and others, the remarkable effects pro-
duced  on  the physical system by  the mind and pas-
sions ;  nor can such an individual  be  ignorant of the
fact, that deleterious substances, when taken into the
stomach, frequently operate with immense power on
the passions, as well as on the organic structure of the
physical system.  The truth is, that although  wre are
well convinced of the intimate connection of the mind
and body, and also of the reciprocal influence  they
always  exercise alternately over each other, no man
has ever yet been able fully to develope the mysteries
of that connection, or the  natural mediums through
which they operate on, and  influence each  other; in
other words, all  we  certainly  know respecting the
matters under consideration, must  be  confined to the
effects daily  and  hourly  witnessed, in the reciprocal
and varied action  of the  mind and its passions,  and the
body and  its affections, on each other.
  When morbid  derangements of  the system are de-
rived  from the action of the mind and  passions, the
consolations of religion and  philosophy  are of  great
importance; because they teach mankind, in a language
not to  be misunderstood, that cheerless  and  gloomy 
GRIEF.
75
 presentiments of the future, only unfit us for combating
 and  vanquishing  present difficulties:  that the  heavy
 pressure of present evils, and calamities which are
 irremovable,  are  lightened  of half their ponderous
 and  depressing  influence by that masculine  fortitude
 which is derived from the inspirations of wisdom, and
 that  celestial  hope of relief which springs from genu-
 ine religion :  and  that it is the height of human folly
 and weakness unavailingly to mourn over losses which
 can never be  retrieved !   When the causes of our dis-
 eases and miseries are connected with  physical princi-
 ples in some  degree under our control, it becomes  a
 moral duty, as far as it be possible, to remove them;
 and that too by physical means: and  I am decidedly
 of  opinion, generally speaking, and a few individual
 cases which might be enumerated left out of viewr, that
 moral causes of diseases and misery are to be combated
 by moral means—and that physical causes of function-
 al  derangement and violations of organic structure
 derived from such causes, are to be combated and over-
 come  by physical  means.  I am perfectly willing to
 admit, that  the  influences of the imagination, and of
 the animating passions, are very considerable  in pre-
 venting disease, and removing  obstructions when not
 firmly seated ; but I am not willing to allow that either
 the imagination  or the animating passions, can render
 flexible the coats  of an ossified artery, or remove a
 stone  from the bladder!  The fact is, that, the line of
 demarcation wiiere moral  causes cease to operate, and
 where the influence  of physical ones commences, is a
 mj'stery hitherto too profound and inscrutable for the
 boldest efforts  of human genius.  We are well aw7are
that many malformations of the human fetus take place
previous to birth, such as in cases of hare-lip, external 
76
GRIEF
 impressions on the skin,&c. but at what period of ges-
 tation  such malformations and  external  impressions
 cease to be made, it is absolutely impossible to conjec-
 ture with even a probability of truth.
   The following case of the powerful effects of imagi-
 nation, put by Doctor Cypricanus, is recorded in this
 work, to place pregnant females on their guard, and to
 exemplify the effects of the imagination on highly sus-
 ceptible materials.   " A female child," says this distin-
 guished man,  " was born with a wound in her breast
 above four inches in length.  It penetrated to the mus-
 culi intercostales, and was an  inch broad,  and hollow
 under the flesh round about the wound ; besides which,
 there was a contusion with some swelling, at the lower
 part of the wound inside.  The  child came  into the
 world without any violence ; and consequently it did
 not receive the wound in its birth; it was caused  by
 the strength of the imagination; for, about two months
 before, the mother had, by chance, heard a report that
 a man had murdered his wife, and with his knife had
 given her a great wound in the breast—at  which rela- *
 tion she changed, but not excessively.   It is not merely
 probable, but absolutely certain, that the child received
 the wound  in  its mother's body  at the very moment
 she was affrighted ; because the wound was very sordid,
 and the inside, as well as the outside, beset  with  slime
proceeding from the water in which  the child lies in
its mother's wromb—besides which, it had every appear-
ance of an old wound."
  The effects  of grief, which is an extremely  depress-
ing passion, and its morbid influences on the  body or
physical system, are very remarkable.  It  diminishes
bodily strength in general, and also the action of the
heart in particular.  It impedes the circulation of the 
GRIEF.
77
fluids, stagnates the bile invariably, and occasions indu-
rations of the liver; or by throwing the bile into the
circulation of the blood, it produces jaundice or dropsy.
Grief also diminishes the perspiration, renders the skin
sallow, aggravates  the  scurvy; and is particularly ef-
fective in producing and aggravating putrid fevers : it
also disposes persons to being easily affected with fever,
arising from excessive irritability, or  constipation or
costiveness of the bowels.  Its effects in changing the
colour of the hair are wrell known; and many instances
have occurred, in which the hair has  been turned from
a deep black to gray  in a few hours.  From grief,
blindness, gangrene, and  even sudden death, or as it is
emphatically called, a  broken heart, have  not unfre-
quently resulted.   From the excess of  this  passion,
persons who indulge in melancholy reflections for any
length of time, become peevish and fretful; and so ex-
tremely irritable that their  minds find new food foi
sorrow in every object presented to them.  Thus  the
wrhole imagination  becomes seriously affected with
confirmed  melancholy, sometimes producing nervous
fevers, or, what is  still more dreadful, total insanity.
The remedies, usually resorted to with salutary effects,
are gentle opiates  taken with  caution; exercise on
horseback;  change  of scene; the use of the  swing,
which has in very many instances produced signally
beneficial effects; friction of the body and limbs with
flannel or a flesh brush—this friction ought to be fre-
quently resorted to and continued, to give  impetus to
the blood, when  the extremities become  cold : wash-
ing the body with  strong vinegar,  &c.  Mild wines
temperately administered, may be given,  and  should
they produce acidity of the  stomach and loss of appe-
tite, exercise and other tonics ought to be resorted to. 
78
GRIEF.
Change of climate is often in desperate cases found be-
neficial, also a diversion of the  mind from  its original
imaginations, and particularly the frequent use of the
tepid bath is recommended :  and in cases of the  sup-
pression of the menstrual discharge occasioned by grief,
the tepid bath  has  invariably  been found beneficial.
The powerful influence of the  mind upon the womb,
when affected by grief, can scarcely be computed by
the best observers; who generally attribute to merely
physical causes, effects which are to be sought for in
the mind.  But more will be developed on this import-
ant subject, as regards female  diseases, under another
and more appropriate head.
               INTEMPERANCE.

  Intemperance is the offspring of so many and such
various causes, that it seems impossible  to  enumerate
them, or even to reduce them to any thing like scien-
tific order.  I will commence my remarks on intempe-
rance, wilich, in its broadest signification, means excess
in the  gratification of our propensities, passions, and
even intellectual pursuits, by emphatically observing
that it is generally found in strong  and  intimate con-
nexion, when really traced to its origin,  with the plea-
sures and enjoyments, as well as with the miseries and
misfortunes of mankind.  I have before remarked un-
der another head, that with regard to the elementary
principles of the passions, propensities, and intellectual
powers of  man, we know absolutely nothing with cer-
tainty; and that all we can possibly understand with
respect to  them, is derived from our consciousness of 
intemperance.
79
their existence,  and from  the  effects they daily and
hourly produce upon our observation.
  Every capacity or power of the human system,
physical and intellectual, wiien exercised in modera-
tion and with strict conformity to the laws of nature,
is productive of enjoyment and happiness: this natural
and moderate exercise of our propensities, passions, and
mental energies, when matured into habits of life and
character, wre call temperance; and it  is the abusive
degradation of those same intellectual powers, passions
and propensities, by their unrestrained and  excessive
indulgence, to the destruction of health and happiness,
that we call intemperance.  I will give some familiar
examples of the application of these principles, in or-
der that they may be fully comprehended by those for
whom I write.  We are all  liable to  hunger and thirst;
and all of us require sleep, for the  renovation of our
bodily and mental powers,  when fatigued.  These are
natural wants; and their .gratifications are  always es-
sential to health and happiness. We all know perfectly
well, for instance, that when  we  satisfy our hunger
and thirst in moderation, and  renew the strength of
our systems, of mind and  body, by sleeping  no  more
than the requisite time for  producing those effects, the
satisfaction of these natural wants invariably produces
healthy action of body and mind, attended with enjoy-
ment and pleasure.  But, on the other hand, when in
eating or drinking, wre overload and surcharge the sto-
mach with meat and drink, and when in sleeping take
more repose than is required for the renovation of our
bodily  and mental systems, our  excesses are always
productive of nausea, uneasiness,  indigestion, and stu-
pidity, and we habitually become gluttons, drunkards,
and sluggards, and are a disgrace to ourselves and so- 
so
INTEMPERANCE.
ciety.   The  same doctrine and  mode of reasoning
may be applied to the passions of mankind.  When
they are indulged in with  natural  moderation, and
never suffered to run into riot and excess, they are  al-
ways conducive to health; and productive of many of
the enjoyments and pleasures of life ; but, when they
gain the ascendancy of the moral feelings and rational
powers, when they prostrate the bulwarks of religion
and  morality, and are indulged in all their debasing
and  destructive excesses, the progress of the passions
proclaims the premature decay of health, strength, and
happiness, and emphatically announces to the unfor-
tunate victims of excess, that they are  fallen indeed!
In truth, what has just been remarked with regard to
the natural wants and passions of men, may with strict
justice be applied to the  lofty and powerful energies
of the mind  itself.  It has been truly remarked by an
acute and profound investigator of the  faculties of the
mind, that " he who thinks with great intenseness and
profundity, will not continue to do so for many succes-
sive years":  and in proof of this, I will note some  in-
stances which will have much w7eight in demonstrating
the  fact.  Sir Isaac Newton, who was probably the
greatest astronomer and mathematician of his owm or
any other age, several years previous to the close of his
life, was utterly unable to comprehend the meaning
of his own works; in addition to which I will notice
as a well  authenticated fact, that the celebrated Dean
Swift,  the energies  of whose mind were inferior to
those of no literary man of the same age, several years
previous to his death, became a driveller and confirmed
 idiot.   Whether it be true, that intense, subtile, and
 powerful intellect, acts upon the  mere  carcass as  a
 sharp sword does upon the  scabbard;  or whether  the 
INTEMPERANCE.
81
mind itself becomes  exhausted and worn out, by an
overstrained and continued excitement of its powers,
I leave for metaphysicians to determine: but we cer-
tainly do know, and the  experience of all ages and
generations proves the fact, that excessive mental ex-
ertion not only produces fatigue and lassitude in a fewr
hours, but  that if such exertion be continued for a few
years in succession,  it invariably blunts  and wears
down the keenest and soundest intellectual energies of
man.  The broad and comprehensive view I have just
given of temperance and intemperance, in regard to the
physical wants, passions,  and  intellectual  powers of
man, I believe to be the only correct exposition on ge-
neral principles that can be given; because it embraces
all the destructive excesses to which man is prone, and
refers all those excesses to the abuses and degradations
of his elevated and noble faculties.
  I commenced with remarking, and  I wish the prin-
ciple to be kept in view by the reader, that the vices
of intemperance, when fairly traced to their origin, will
always  be  found in  connexion with  the  enjoyments
and pleasures, as well as with the miseries and misfor-
tunes of mankind.
  Mankind may be distinguished into two great classes
or divisions: First, those whose pleasures and enjoy-
ments, and whose pains and miseries partake so great-
ly of a physical character, as nearly always to be refer-
able to corporeal or  bodily functions  and sensations:
this class is composed of men who are properly deno-
minated sensualists;  in other words,  they are  indi-
viduals who can only be rendered  happy or miserable
through  the medium of the  senses.   Second, those
whose general characters  partake  more of the nature
and  habitual influence of the intellectual powers; and
       UUNN    6 
82
INTEMPERANCE.
of the emotions and passions of the mmd ; and whose
enjoyments, pleasures, sufferings, and miseries, are more
intimately connected with the mind and imagination;
these may with much propriety be denominated men-
talists.  Among the great aggregate  of mankind, the
reality of the distinction between animal and intellect-
ual  man, as regards the native basis  of the  human
character towards one or the other extreme, is demon-
strable from the following facts.  Hunger and thirst,
for instance, are corporeal wants; they  are essential to
the health, strength, and support of the  physical or bo-
dily system; and may be called corporeal or bodily
passions, when  they become so powerful as to impel
men to gluttony and drunkenness:  desires and pro-
pensities being nothing more, when considered in rela-
tion to the corporeal system, than slighter shades of the
physical wants and passions of men.  Love and ambi-
tion, on the contrary,  are passions of  the mind and
imagination: they are the offspring  of refined sensi-
bility, and deep-toned energies of intellectual  charac-
ter ; and when  acting in their native  sphere, are so far
abstracted from all corporeal considerations, that they
only occasionally act on the  physical wants and pas-
sions, and then  only  for the  attainment of  specific
objects.   When the passion of love, for instance,  is
directed to  the perpetuation  of the human  species,
which, I will remark in passing, was not the case in the
love which existed between Jonathan and  David, the
intellectual passion of love only acts on the sexual and
corporeal  functions; but I would ask  any skeptic on
this point, whether the love of literature, mathematics,
astronomy, or any other science or intellectual  pursuit,
has any connexion whatever with propensities, wants,
and passions, founded on the merely corporeal or bodily 
INTEMPERANCE.
83
functions of mankind.  And surely it  will  not be
questioned, that the food and nourishment required for
exercising, giving  pleasure to, and  strengthening  the
mind, are essentially different from those required for
the sustenance, health, and strength of the body: and
wre all know perfectly well, in reference to the corpo-
real and  intellectual functions and capacities of men,
that the  strong predominance of either class operates
unfavourably and sometimes destructively to the other.
The fact is, that we oftentimes find the loftiest and
strongest passions and mental energies, connected with
delicate and sometimes feeble corporeal  organization,
debility of stomach, and prostration  of strength: nor is
it  unusual to observe, that those who possess uncom-
monly high health and physical strength, are frequent-
ly in the other extreme, as regards  the exercise of  the
mind and passions.  But further; every man who has
acquired any experience, respecting those states of  the
physical  system when the mind and passions act with
the greatest force, must know that a full stomach al-
ways blunts the mind and feelings; and that inanition
or emptiness of the stomach, is favourable to intellect-
ual operations.   This fact  is so well  known, that the
Creek  Indians, in all their public deliberations on im-
portant national concerns, use what  they call the black
drink, made of the parched leaves  of the spice-wood
boiled, which vomits them  copiously and produces  the
inanition just mentioned;  without which, they allege,
they are  inadequate to deliberating on their  national
affairs.   Some medical writer has remarked, that phy
sical debility, and a diseased state of the system, impart,
as  it wTere, a preternatural excitement to the mind; and
instances the cases of Boilieu, Erasmus, Pascal, Cicero,
Galba, Pope, and several others, who were as remark- 
84
INTEMPERANCE.
able for the feebleness of their physical constitutions,
as they were  for their  gigantic energies  of intellect:
the same writer also remarks, that abortive, feeble, and
sickly children,  almost invariably  display powerful
characteristics of intellect when grown to maturity;
and instances the cases of the great Lord Ly ttleton and
Mrs. Ferguson, both of whom  were seven months'
children:  to which he  might have added  the case of
Richard the  Third, who, according to Shakspeare's
account, was " deformed, unfinished, and sent into this
breathing world scarce half made up."   On the other
hand, it has frequently been remarked by men of acute
and scrutinizing minds, that high health, great corpo-
real strength, and  uncommon muscularity of frame,
are seldom remarkable for subtile and profound genius,
or for an attachment to purely intellectual pursuits.
This is so notoriously true, that the opinions generally
formed by the vulgar, of the persons of men who are
conspicuous and renowned  for great intellectual pow-
ers, are almost invariably the very reverse of what may
he called the  corporeally contemptible realities.  In de-
monstration of this fact, innumerable instances might
be given, in addition to  those found  in the persons of
Alexander of Macedon, Frederick, king  of Prussia,
John Philpot Curran, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamil-
ton, Thomas  Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jack-
son, and, lastly, the late Emperor Napoleon, who was
nicknamed by his own soldiers, from his contemptible
stature and proportions, the little corporal.  I will here
make an  observation on this subject, which I do not
recollect to have seen made by any writer.  We are
always to presume, that the soundness and strength of
the physical constitutions of men, lead to great longe-
vity or length of days:  and  it is a fact, as notorious as 
INTEMPERANCE.               85
true, that such  men are seldom or never possessed of
much mind; in other words, the sword  is not suffi-
ciently sharp to cut  the scabbard.   I am acquainted
with a man, a pauper, of this country, who is said from
good authority to be one hundred and ten  years of age,
who, I was  informed on inquiry, never,  even in  the
meridian of  life, had  more than a very ordinary mind :
and Thomas Parre, who died in London on the 16th
November, 1635, aged one hundred and fifty-two years,
it is said, was greatly noted for having been a man as
remarkable for  his deficiency of mental energies, as for
his lascivious and sensual propensities.   " It was  ob-
served of him," says the London Medical Museum,
" that he used to eat often, both by night  and by day,
taking up with old cheese,  milk, coarse  bread, small
beer, and whey; and which is more  remarkable, he
ate at midnight, a little before  he died ; and on being
opened  after his death, his body was  still found very
fleshy.  I would by  no means wish to be understood,
that there are no individuals possessed of high health
and great physical strength, who are remarkable for
strong intellectual powers;  Newton,  Johnson, Shak-
speare, and a thousand  other instances might be given
as exceptions to the general rule just noticed; but we
are  all well  convinced, not only that high health and
strength lead  to corporeal  amusements  and pursuits
unfavourable to intellectual improvement,  but  that
debility and  disease  act  in various ways extremely fa-
vourable to accessions of mental strength.   In the first
place, debility and disease lower the tone  of those pas-
sions which  impel us  to active exertion and  amuse-
ment;  in other words, they impose  a powerful re-
straint  on  the physical  appetites  and   propensities;
circumscribe us to amusements and pursuits connectea 
86               INTEMPERANCE.
        with the operations of the mind, confine us to the
        company of our elders, whose superior experience and
        knowledge are beneficial  to our intellectual improve-
        ment ; and " by keeping up an action in the  brain, in
        common with other parts of the  body,  they tend to
        impart vigour to the intellectual faculties."
/         From what has been said, I think it will appear
        evident, that from both natural and accidental circum-
        stances, there is  a distinction to be drawn  between
        those men whose pleasures and pains are connected
        with physical or corporeal character, and those whose
        enjoyments and miseries are more intimately associated
        with the powers and passions of the mind; and it was
        for these reasons that I alleged in the outset, not only
        that intemperance w7as the offspring of various physical
        and intellectual causes, but that when  traced  to its
        origin, it would generally be found in strong and inti-
        mate connexion, as well with the pleasures and enjoy-
        ments as with the miseries and misfortunes of  man-
        kind.   This  is a view of the subject of intemperance
        and its causes, which I presume has never before been
        taken by any writer; and although it must of neces-
        sity, like every thing else human, be subject to imper-
        fections both in data and conclusions, yet it may have
        some salutary tendencies.   It may possibly invite the
        attention of the learned to further and  more satisfac-
        tory investigations of the subject;  it may exhibit the
        necessity of seeking for the  real causes of intemper-
        ance, in  removing its  habits and  effects from the
        human system ; and it may invite society to the  exer-
        cise of  more lenity and compassion, when labouring
        for the  reformation of its unfortunate and melancholy
        victims.  Abuse  and  degradation were never yet in-
        fluential  in  reforming  the  intemperate; for,  what 
INTEMPERANCE.
87
interest did any man ever yet feel for the preservation
of that which  he has been convinced, by abuse and
degradation, was  of no estimation or value?  Intem-
perance is confined to no rank in life; to no particular
grade  of genius  and  intellectual power,  between a
Socrates and an  idiot; it is found in  the  hut of the
savage, the haunts of the learned,  the hovel  of the
beggar, and in  the palaces of  kings; its causes are as
various as  the  capacities of man  for enjoyments and
pleasures, and as multiplied as  the various miseries and
misfortunes to  which he is subjected  through life:
what a farce then it  must be for any physician to
attempt to remove the different  causes of intemper-
ance, without knowing what those causes are, and by
the application  of one specific remedy to such an infi-
nite variety of causes.  Would you attempt to remove
diseases of the mind, by merely  physical remedies?
Would you, on the other hand, hope for the removal
of merely  corporeal  diseases,  by  the  application of
intellectual means?    Would  you soothe  the mental
anguish of remorse, without the  consolations of reli-
gion, and assurances  of Divine forgiveness ?   Would
you, in other words, attempt to  destroy a poisonous
variety of plants,  without striking at the roots of their
existence and vitality ?
  The mere pleasures of sense, as well as those of the
intellect, are  susceptible of being rendered more  in-
tense by the application of stimulants: in the varied
and  endless catalogue of stimulating powers are to be
found all the great allurements to dissipation and con-
firmed intemperance; but it will hardly be  contended,
that one grade of stimulants possesses  the same strength
and  adaptation of allurement, with all the  varieties of
mankind.  Physically speaking, one man's system is 
88
INTEMPERANCE.
excited to pleasurable sensations by  snuff, the system
of another by tobacco, of another by  wine, of a fourth
by spirits and opium, of a fifth by highly seasoned and
stimulating  food, &c.  &c; and we are all perfectly-
aware, that a persistency in the use of any, or all the
above  stimulants, will  sometimes degenerate into  a
confirmed habit  of intemperance  in  their  use,  too
strong for the  restraints of either the moral  or intel-
lectual energies of the self-devoted victims.   You will
frequently hear the devotees of any, or  all the above
excesses,  execrating the  very  agents they employ in
wearing down their constitutions  with incidental dis-
eases  and premature decay, and moralizing with the
finest touches of elocution on the  heinousness and im-
morality  of  such dangerous and  degrading  excesses;
and what does all this  prove ?   Why, it  demonstrates
conclusively, that the habits of dissipation and intem-
perance, like all  other  derelictions from  the standard
of nature and philosophic moderation, are to be resisted
in their first formation, and before they can  acquire
the resistless force of torrents, before  which all human
resolutions, and efforts  of preservation, sink to rise no
more !  There  are  two periods of human life ;  there
are tw7o marked and distinct periods in the progressive
excesses of dissipation and  intemperance. In the rise
of life, we act upon  every thing around us from a con-
fidence in our  own strength,  and a consciousness of
being able to master and shape our own  destinies: in
the decline  of life, when the physical, moral, and
mental energies begin to fail, we act upon less resolute
and less  confidential principles;  in  other words, we
merely act on the defensive, and  resort to expedients
for warding off diseases, dangers, and death.   These
two periods  are strongly  marked  in  the  lives and 
INTEMPERANCE.
89
 characters of all men ; from the general, who achieves
 victories in his youth,  and sustains defeat  in his old
 age, to the man of intellectual powders and pursuits,
 who, like the immortal  Milton,  writes a  "Paradise
 Lost," in the  meridian  of life and intellectual resolu-
 tion, and a " Paradise Regained," when the tremors of
 old age and irresolution have crept over him.  This is
 a faithful picture of a man of dissipation and intemper-
 ance.  At first he adventures on an excess, partly from
 the attractive  force of the allurement, and partly from
 the consciousness of moral and intellectual resolution
 to withstand any temptation to dangerous indulgence.
 In the formation of intemperate habits, this is a pre-
 carious and hostile ground:  the Scripture  says, "let
 him who stands, take heed lest he fall."  The  habit
 of intemperance is of slow or rapid grow7th,  in propor-
 tion to the strength or weakness of our resolutions to
 withstand temptation.    Where  many and strong
 motives combine to retard our progress in excesses of
 intemperance, we advance slowly and  almost imper-
 ceptibly to self-destruction.  When the animations of
 youth, and the convivialities of conversation, are suffi-
 cient for the  production  of pleasurable sensations:
 when we are  highly susceptible of impressions  from
 the varied charms of nature:  and while the brilliant
 prospects of a  long and animated life, seem " to bid an
 eternal  Eden  smile around us," the  temptations  to
 degrading intemperance are only those which enhance
 the intensity  of other pleasures.  But, in proportion
 as all these fairy prospects fade on the vision; in pro-
 portion as the  repetition of these enjoyments causes us
 to lose the sentiment of novelty, and especially when
satiety of such enjoyments produces lassitude and cold-
ness,  we invariably  descend  to  more sensual and 
90
INTEMPERANCE.
 intense expedients, for renewing sensations of pleasure:
 and unfortunately for mankind, those expedients are
 too often connected with the  dissipations and  intem-
 perance of the glutton, the epicure, the opium-eater,
 and the drunkard.  This descent to confirmed habits
 of intemperance, in all its varied stages of degradation,
 need not be delineated ; these  graduated debasements
 are visible in every  department of society, and  are so
 common,  as almost  everywhere  to  have lost their
 novelty and impression.
  I have not yet spoken of those dissipations,  w7hich
 seem to be connected with the energies and passions of
 the mind. and compared with which, the intemperate
 excesses of the mere animal appetites and passions of
 man dwindle into a  comparatively insignificant  and
 ordinary character.   Where the character of an indi-
 vidual  is decidedly  intellectual, there always will be
 discovered, at an early period  of life, a  strong  native
 propensity to an indulgence in intellectual pleasures
 and in  those passions which are more closely allied to
 the mental powers.   I mean here those pleasures of
 the mind, which have their rise in the memory, the
 understanding, the imagination, &c. and those which
 are the offspring of an indulgence in those passions of
 the mind,  which we call love, hope, ambition,  &c.
 With regard to  the  pleasures of memory, they are as
 various and unlimited as the objects by which we are
 surrounded in nature: they comprise every thing cog-
nizable by all the senses of man, the impressions of
 which can be stamped upon the retentive faculty;  and
they embrace, also, those recollections of our own con-
duct, which are fraught with the pleasures of a good
conscience.  It  is absolutely impossible to define or
limit the pleasures of memory: they embrace our pa- 
INTEMPERANCE.
91
rents, our early friends, and all the objects of our youth-
ful  attachments; the houses in which we were born
and educated, the haunts of our youthful and innocent
diversions,  and all .the objects of our early pursuits.
The pleasures of memory also comprise  all we have
learned of  the heroism, the  magnanimity, and the in-
telligence of the great warriors and sages of antiquity;
they, in fact, embrace all the recollections of the mind,
in its recognisance of all the objects and events which
have ever  been pleasing to us: and they particularly
afford us happiness from a review of a well-spent life.
But are there not pains, as well as pleasures of me-
mory ?  There are; and here  commences  the cata-
logue of dissipations, the first impulse of  wrhich is to
be found in the mind.  Was it an inherent  baseness
and brutality of native character, that rendered Robert
Burns   intemperate?   Was  it a bestial  love of  the
liquid  poison, which finally destroyed him, that origi-
nated  and  confirmed  those  habits of intemperance
which  sent him to an  early grave ?  No: his dissipa-
tions commenced in the convivialities and pleasures of
a refined, delicate, and  superior mind ; and were con-
firmed into habits of intemperance too stubborn for the
control of his  moral energies, by the  lowliness of his
fortunes, the poignancy and vulgarity of his sufferings,
and  the pains of his  memory!  Why do we see a
man like this, the prey of a morbid and confirmed
melancholy ?  And why do we  hear him  warbling
forth his distresses, when contemplating  objects yet
dear and painful  to his memory, in the following in-
spired  and  tender strains : " ye mind me of departed
hours—departed, never to return !"  The fate of  Ro-
bert Burns  has been the fate of thousands, whose names
are lost to fame, and who have sunk into obscure and 
92
INTEMPERANCE.
lonely graves, unpitied and unknown.  Thomas Paine
once remarked,  that one of the greatest miseries  of
human life, consisted in not being able to forget what
it  was painful to remember.   Mr. Paine's character
was highly intellectual: his wiiole life had been devoted
to conferring political benefits and  moral miseries  on
mankind: and it is not merely possible,  but highly
probable, that the desertions of  society on  account of
his theological writings,  and the pains of his memory,
led to those confirmed habits of  dissipation and intem-
perance,  which ultimately destroyed  him.  But the
instances just submitted to the reader, are but two out
of thousands which might be adduced, to prove the
influence of the pains of memory,  in  originating and
confirming fatal habits of dissipation and intemperance.
How many millions have sunk into the vortex of in-
temperance, from the  influence of  those pains of me-
mory,  called  an  accusing  conscience ?   Physician,
" canst thou minister to a mind diseased," by medical
prescriptions which can only affect the body ?   Surely
not.
   The pleasures and pains of the understanding come
next under consideration: and present such a field for
the investigation of philosophy, as can only be deline-
ated  in outlines.  Curiosity is the first passion, or rather
emotion  of  the  human understanding; it leads the
mind to the  investigation and scrutiny of all the ob-
jects of nature and art  which present themselves to
man, betwixt the cradle and the grave: the emotion
or passion of curiosity does  more;  it  leads us to the
investigation of objects beyond the boundaries of time,
and impels us to attempt a revelation of the great enig-
mas of eternity itself!   The mind of man is naturally
attached to truth, and  always experiences pleasure in 
INTEMPERANCE.
93
the discovery of it, when the disclosure is found bene-
ficial to comfort, health, fame, or to enjoyments of any
description; in all these cases, and innumerable others.
we experience what may be called the pleasures of the
understanding.  But has not the human understand*
ing also its pains?  I think so; we all know perfectly
well, that the period of death must  arrive:  and does
not this  certain anticipation give pain to thousands?
Is not the fear of death painful ? I will admit that the
uncertainty of the moment, wisely and benevolently
hidden  from us by  Providence, in some measure
blunts the painful anticipation of death ; but what are
the mental pangs of the convict, who  is given to under-
stand that he must be executed to-morrow !  Both the
pleasures and pains of  the understanding have relations
to the discovery of truth.   Suppose  a man be  bitten
by a serpent, of whose character he knows nothing; is
he not alarmed ?  Suppose that he  immediately dis-
covers the  reptile to be harmless; do not  the mental
pains of alarm cease: and does he not experience plea-
sure from the consciousness of security from danger ?
Here the pleasure of the understanding is derived from
a beneficial  discovery: but suppose he ascertain that
the reptile by which he has been assailed is of a venom-
ous and  fatal character, and that he clearly under-
stands his immediate destiny to be death, are not his
mental pangs identified with the pains of the under-
standing ?   I have not space, in a work like this, to go
into a philosophical detail of the important truths con-
nected with this subject;  and regret to be compelled
to differ from the authority of the great Doctor Rush,
who alleges that the  pleasures  of the understanding
have no antagonists in pain.   A knowledge of facts  is
the aggregate amount of the truths acquired by the 
94               INTEMPERANCE.
operations of the understanding:  where these acquisi-
tions of knowledge  develope consequences beneficial
to human enjoyment and  happiness, they are always
productive of pleasure to the mind, through the medi-
um of the understanding: but where, by the operations
of the understanding, the mind is brought into a full
view of dangerous and disastrous consequences, the
results  are always painful and unhappy.  This I be-
lieve to be a full and fair statement of the case; and
were it not, I would like to know what influence in
the religious reformation of mankind could possibly be
derived from faith in the belief of future rew ards and
punishments ?  Ignorant of consequences, what to man
would be the happiness or misery Of either prosperity
or misfortune ?  And how7 are either to be calculated
without  the operations of the understanding ? can a
man even calculate the results of a  plain question in
arithmetic, without  the  operations of  this  mental
power?  It  is  alone  by the pervading  and subtile
powers of the understanding, that we are enabled to
feel the  realities of either intellectual  pain  or plea-
sure, happiness  or misery.  The  memory of man acts
upon nothing but facts and events which are past and
gone ; but the understanding operates also on the pre-
sent condition  and  circumstances of mankind, and
even extends its views to futurity; and these are the
reasons why the pleasures and pains of the understand-
ing  are  more  intense than those  of  the  memory.
These are, also, the reasons why we are led astray by
the festivities of present  dissipations  and intemper-
ance ; and these  are,  also, the true reasons, why w7e
resort to the banquet and the flowing bowl, to drown
both past and  present sorrows  connected with the
mind.   Thus we see, that both  joys and sorrows are 
INTEMPERANCE.
95
 capable of producing habits of intemperance and dis-
 sipation.  Physician, can your medical drugs restrain
 those joys, or remove those sorrows which spring from
 the  mind itself, when all  the maxims of moral wis-
 dom and philosophy have failed ?  No ; you must re-
 sort to the restraining powers, and the consolations of
 religion and morality.
   The pleasures  and pains of the imagination com-
 mence where those of the memory and  the  under-
 standing terminate: and there is this specific differ-
 ence between them ; the powers of the understanding
 and  memory operate on facts and probabilities, while
 those of the imagination riot in  the wild excesses of
 fiction, romance,  and absolute improbabilities.  The
 range of the human imagination seems to be unlimit-
 ed ;  and what  is very extraordinary, and something
 difficult to be accounted for, its  vigour and creative
 powers seem to be proportioned to the weakness and
 wrant of cultivation of the understanding.  All  the re-
 cords which have descended to us from very ancient
 times, seem to favour the presumption, that the empire
 of imagination, fiction, and  romance, in the dark pe-
 riods of antiquity, gave a tone and character to the hu-
 man mind ; and that the early records of history only
 teem with romantic  fictions which  defy  belief, and
 with delineations  of prodigies which never existed, be-
 cause the philosophic investigations of the understand-
 ing had not yet corrected the errors of the imagination.
 It wras probably for these reasons, that Homer, in his
 " Iliad," admits and  describes a plurality of gods: and
 that  Ossian's fancy  saw the ghosts of departed  heroes
 who had been slain in battle, half viewless among the
clouds of night.   Had the progress and improvement
of Homer's understanding enabled  him to arrive at 
96
INTEMPERANCE.
the sublime conclusion which announces the existence
of one great first cause, he never could have delineated
in poetic numbers the distinctive  characters of his
fictitious deities; and, had Ossian not been ignorant
enough to  believe in ghosts, his imagination  never
could have  deceived him in the belief, that those of
his forefathers were  witnessing from the clouds the
sanguinary horrors of his battles !  The fact seems to
be, as I have said  before, that the empire of imagina-
tion commences where the matter of fact and philoso-
phic operations of the understanding and memory cease;
for I think  it will  not be contested, even by men of
ordinary intelligence, that it is impossible to imagine
the existence of a  thing which we are  convinced has
no being; or to fancy a thing to be true, which we
know to be & falsehood.   Can any man imagine that
sugar is bitter, gall  sweet, or that two and two  make
five ?  No : the truth is, that a knowledge of facts and
realities destroys all the frost-works of fancy and fic-
tion, and demonstrates  clearly that philosophy and
science  have nearly extinguished the fire of poetic ge-
nius.  In other words, few men can be poets in this
age of philosophic improvement, who will not borrow
or steal  from the old writers, or who cannot find sub-
jects of poetic inspiration, on which little or nothing is
or can be certainly known.  Newton or Locke would
have cut as contemptible a figure in  poetry, as Homer
and Ossian  would  have exhibited in  astronomy and
metaphysics.
  We all know that the fire of the imagination is
weakened and destroyed by  old  age  and  experience;
and that those who always deal in fictions are always
the victims of folly.  The pleasures of imagination are
always the most brilliant and powerful in the youth- 
INTEMPERANCE.
97
ful mind;  and the reasons are  obvious.  This is the
period when all impressions made on the mind, by dis-
closing to  us the opening beauties of nature and the
imposing splendours of creation, are entirely novel and
without alloy.  This is the period when none of the
cares and  anxieties  of life overshadow and begloom
the  fairy prospect of fancied and endless felicities to
come;  and this, too, is the period when our youthful
friendships are untainted by a knowledge of the base-
ness and selfishness of mankind; and our loves of the
supposed divinity of the female character are unalloy-
ed by those appalling discoveries of experience, wisdom,
and  philosophy, which teach us that  every  thing hu-
man is  imperfect, and unworthy of our idolatrous de-
votions !  These  are the  reasons why many modern
philosophers have been of opinion, that the state of sa-
vage and uncultivated nature, as  regards a more refined
condition of the human mind, is much more conducive
to human  happiness  than  any other; for,  says these
men, " where ignorance is  bliss,  it is surely folly to be
wise."  If these delusive fascinations of the imagination
could continue through life, uncorrected by the bitter
lessons of experience and wisdom; or if man could be
so educated, as  never to seek or  experience  happiness
but in the  realities of life and nature, the wild delu-
sions of fancy would never lead his judgment astray
in the pursuits of happiness; nor would he ever  be
discontented with the moderate enjoyments which the
realities of  existence afford him.   But one of the most
difficult lessons in wisdom and philosophy is to  be
able to acquire and preserve through life that balance
of character which preserves to  us the innocent delu-
sions of the fancy, without suffering them to interfere
with, and  ultimately to  destroy, our  rational attach-
      OUNN   7 
98
INTEMPERANCE.
ments to the colder realities of life.  It is the want of
this just equipoise between philosophic moderation
and strength of judgment, and the acute sensibilities
allied to a cultivated imagination, that constitutes the
real vortex in which so many men of enlightened and
lofty genius  have sunk to rise no more.  Relying on
the pleasures of imagination for happiness in early life,
never dreaming that  they are in a world  of sad re-
alities, w7hich will involve them in misfortunes, against
which nothing but the exercise of prudence and judg-
ment can  guard them, and continuing to  enjoy the
present  moment, without looking forward to the pro-
bable and untoward contingencies of  futurity;  they
are never aroused from their brilliant and illusory vi-
sions of fanciful and imaginary happiness, until  they
are overwhelmed with real  miseries and  misfortunes,
and pressed upon by those imperious calls of want and
necessity, which cannot be silenced by  visionary or
imaginary means.  Here commence those pains of the
imagination, those lacerations of sensibility, and those
horrible anticipations of real and unmitigated suffer-
ing, w hich no human language can describe, and which
are so often seen to goad the man of genius and supe-
rior endowments to dissipation and intemperance, and
precipitate  him  to all the  desperations attendant on
ruined fortunes, and an early grave!  This is the vortex
that has swallowed thousands of the greatest men that
ever lived;  this is the bottomless ocean  that has en-
gulfed millions of the  brightest and most useful men
that  ever had  existence : it is useless to  speak of the
love of liquor being the cause  of intemperance, as ap-
plied to men of lofty and powerful energies of mind,
and it is worse than useless to  attempt the reformation
of such men, without knowing and reaching the real 
INTEMPERANCE.
99
causes of their derelictions.   Nearly all that has been
written on  the  subject  of  intemperance has been
superficial and  nugatory, and confined to the mere
contemplation of its  effects.  Would you prescribe
remedies for the mere effects of a  disease, without
knowing and striking at the real causes ?  Would you
attempt to guard  yourself against the pointed  dagger
of an assassin, without paralyzing the arm that held it
to your bosom ?   I will admit that you  may remove
the diseases and  habits of intemperance, w7here they
are merely connected with the corporeal system and
physical sensations of men, and have nothing whatever
to do with the mind, by the administration of medical
drugs, which will act on that corporeal system, and  by
the substitution of new7 bodily habits for old ones ; but
beyond these points you cannot go by physical means:
when you advance on the confines of the  mind and
the intellectual passions, you are in a new region, and
must adapt your means to the origin and nature of the
disease; you  must employ the moral powers of dissua-
sive eloquence, the divine consolations of religion, held
out by Scripture to erring and sinful man, and its de-
nunciations against the  conduct of the self-destroyer;
you must employ the maxims of philosophy, and the
admonitory precepts of true wisdom; you must soothe
the victim of intemperate despair, with hopes of a bet-
ter fate, instead of irritating him by abusive and  de-
grading denunciations on account of his folly.
  But, as this  is  a most important  subject,  I will
endeavour to elucidate it  a little further.  When the
causes of disease are connected with the mind and  its
passions,  mere physical restraints  and even  punish-
ments will amount to nothing in attempting a cure.
There is a class of mankind, I will  admit, who, like 
100
INTEMPERANCE.
 children whose moral susceptibilities cannot be acted
 upon, must be restrained from excesses, and even the
 commission of crimes, by ignominious corporeal ter-
 rors and punishments;  this class of men always pos-
 sesses more of the physical or  corporeal, than of the
 moral and mental character, and must be acted on by
 pillories, whipping-posts, and sometimes gibbets.  But
 terrors and punishments which merely affect the body,
 have no influence with  those men whose minds and
 passions are morbidly affected, or those who are under
 strong moral impressions of rectitude of  conduct.
 The whole range  of  martyrs, who  have suffered
 unspeakable torments in  the cause of religion  and
 patriotism,  demonstrates these facts.   Would you  then
 attempt to restrain from intemperance, by  mere  cor-
 poreal and physical means, the man  whose  mind and
 passions  are affected?    Certainly not;  every  man
 whose character is decidedly intellectual, feels that his
 native dignity is outraged and degraded by corporeal
 and ignominious restraints or punishments, and  will in
 nine instances out of ten, destroy himself to  escape
 from his own sentiments of degradation.  While the
 genius of conquest, in the person of Napoleon,  was
 lowering by successive victories all  the national  ban-
 ners of Europe, a French soldier of the line presented
 himself to the emperor, and desired to be shot.   When
 interrogated as to his reasons, he replied that he  had
 been sentenced to receive ignominious corporeal pun-
 ishment for some misdeed, rather than to  submit to
which, he preferred  death: the impression made on
the mind of Napoleon  was such, that ignominious
corporeal punishments  were  immediately  abolished
throughout the French armies.
  It is almost needless to remark, on those passions of 
INTEMPERANCE.              101
the mind, called  hope, love, ambition, &c.; that they
are all productive of pleasures and pains, in proportion
as their influence is bounded by moderation, or cha-
racterised by excess.  The pleasures of hope have
been  finely  celebrated  by Campbell;  and  are well
known to have a powerful influence  in blunting the
miseries and  misfortunes of mankind during life, and
even in illuminating their anticipations of a happy im-
mortality beyond the grave!   But the pleasures of
hope have their counterpoise of evils and miseries: and
when indulged in to excess, or  founded on visionary
and impossible  principles, frequently  terminate  in
disappointment and despair.  Here wisdom, fortitude,
religion, and  philosophy are probably the only  essen-
tial and  efficient preventives  against  these  intem-
perate palliatives of disappointed  hope, which  have
led thousands to drown themselves, their fortunes and
their miseries, in the  bowl.  The miseries of despair
and disappointed hope are seldom the portion of those
w7hose educations have been moral and judicious, or
who have been early taught to distinguish the realities
of life from  those illusive and  visionary expectations
of it, which never can be realized even by the greatest
prosperity.   The visionary gildings with which youth-
ful feeling and  animating anticipation  invest the
untried scenes of life, always dissolve before the les-
sons of wisdom  and experience;  and  where  these
privations are followed by positive misfortunes, from
which there exists no hope of redemption, intemper-
ance almost invariably succeeds, as  the  only remedy
by winch temporary alleviation can be obtained.  But
this conduct is founded in short-sighted and desperate
policy; because, to the mental pangs of misfortune
a.e always added the miseries of corporeal disease. 
102
INTEMPERANCE.
   Love is likewise an intellectual passion, and, like
hope, is productive of pleasure and pain, happiness and
misery.  I have before spoken of this passion, as con-
nected with the enjoyments and happiness of man; it
now becomes my duty to take a brief view of the
sombre colourings  of the picture, and  to  develope
some of the causes with which its miseries are con-
nected.  Love  is always  founded on perceptions  of
real or imaginary perfections.  When this elevated and
ennobling  sentiment  is based on the  perception  of
qualities which really exist, it invariably leads to hap-
piness, and is an unerring indication of superior wis-
dom ; but when it is founded in errors of the imagina-
tion, and in the false  perception of merely visionary
qualities which have no existence, it generally  even-
tuates in misery, and is a decided mark of overween-
ing stupidity and folly.  The first step to misery, in
wedded love,  where  the qualities of either of the
parties are not sufficiently noble to sustain the passion,
is  the discovery of blemishes  of person, disposition,
mind, or character, which were not known previously
to marriage.  This discovery produces  a chill of the
affections, which leads to a more  narrow and scruti-
nizing investigation of the causes of our having been
deceived.   If they are found to have originated with
ourselves,  we invariably undervalue and detest our
own judgment, which would  suffer  us thus to be
deceived, and  immediately become dissatisfied with
ourselves; and it requires no great exercise of wisdom
to know7, that those who are dissatisfied  with them-
selves are displeased with all those around them.  On
the contrary, if it is found on investigation that we
have been deceived by the hypocrisy of the individual
to whom we are tied by bonds which death alone can 
INTEMPERANCE.              103
dissolve, contempt and detestation are the inevitable
consequences; for it is no more possible for a man or
woman of moral discernment to love an unworthy ob-
ject, knowing it  to  be such, than it is for a human
being to hate the presence of virtue  combined with
peerless beauty.   Here then commences that series of
domestic and conjugal  miseries,  winch  defies and
baffles the power of mere language to describe: and
the parties soon become estranged from, and perfectly
hateful to each other.   Home  becomes  a hell;  the
tavern and gaming tables are resorted to; to bad com-
pany habits of intemperance succeed, and the event is,
death by confirmed  habits of intoxication, or  life  im-
bittered by negligence, disease, poverty and want!  I
am the more particular in mentioning the effects of
" love to hatred," and in tracing  those effects  to their
causes, not only because the picture, wilich is true to
life, may be instrumental in preventing deceptions  and
hypocrisy in courtship,  but  because it may  have a
tendency to illustrate the eternal truth, that no miseries
can ever be drowned in the midnight bowl, unless the
chalice contain the poison of death itself!   I said that
love was always founded  on  the perception of real or
visionary perfections; with that founded  on  amiable
and noble qualities, I have here nothing to do, because
it is always permanent, and always unshaken by mis-
fortunes.  This position requires no further proof than
can be found in every country, and in  the sphere of
every  man's observations in  life.   Where, however,
the attachment is founded on illusory perceptions,  it is
not only short-lived in  itself,  but eternally liable to
destruction  by variations of fortune.   Some  persons,
indeed all individuals of the human species are formed
by nature for enjoying the felicities of attachment and 
104
INTEMPERANCE.
  love.  With these elementary principles, and  with a
  heart alive to  the  tenderest sensibilities, the  devourei
  of novels and romances, in which the human character
  is invested with perfections that never pertained to it,
  is peculiarly liable to miseries and misfortunes in love.
  I say once for all, and wish it to be borne in  mind by
  the  reader, that no  inordinate and excessive passion,
  not even that of love itself, was ever the offspring of
  correct perceptions of human nature, such  as it really
  is.   Where is the man or woman of  reflection, who
  does not know that human nature is not perfection ;
  and  who is not perfectly convinced, that it is a com-
  pound of personal  and moral beauties and imperfec
  tions.  Those who are in time made acquainted with
  these philosophic  truths,  and have  early  learned  to
  know7 that man is a compound, to say the best we can
  of him,  of virtue and vice,  strength  and  weakness,
  wisdom  and folly, will never experience any  of the
  passions in their extremes.   Their loves and hatreds,
  their friendships and enmities,  and  indeed  all their
  other passions, are true to nature, and therefore always
  characterized by moderation.  Loves and hatreds are
  only felt in the extreme, because in the former case
  we are blind to imperfections which really  exist;  and
  because, in the latter instances, we  shut  our eyes
  against many noble traits of character, winch  would
•  mitigate our unqualified hatreds.  The same may be
  said of our friendships and enmities, and indeed of all
  our  other  passions:  even  the  sneaking  scoundrel
  avarice, if he did not overrate the object of his desires,
  would abandon his  swindling propensities, and relax
  his gripe on the miseries and misfortunes of mankind
  It is the immoderate overrating the objects of our pas-
  sions, that  produces all their excesses , against  which 
                 INTEMPERANCE.              105

no human being can be guarded, unless through the
medium of wisdom and intelligence, winch alone can
stamp  the  genuine value  on every object of human
desire or pursuit.   Few instances are to be found on
record, where the miseries of disappointed love have
been experienced in the extreme, by persons whose
errors of imagination had been corrected by experience,
and the acquisitions of true wisdom ; and even where
all the agonies of  disappointed love have been felt in
their excesses, they produce different effects upon the
different sexes. On women, they induce a disposition
for retirement and a solitary life, which  sometimes
ends in confirmed melancholy, sometimes in  insanity.
and not unfrequently in a  broken heart.   With man.
on the other hand, the excesses of unfortunate  love
produce very different  effects: they urge him to mix
in crowded assemblies, in the hum of business, and in
the haunts of men ; they dispose  him to attempt a for-
getfulness of his miseries, by  exploring new scenes of
life, in countries to which he is a stranger, by encoun-
tering  the  dangers of the  field and  flood;  and by-
drowning  the memory  of his   misfortunes  in the
oblivion of the bowl.
  Of the miseries of ambition,  and the excesses to
which  they lead, the space  allotted will not allow
much to be said.  Like love, the passion of ambition,
both in moderation and excess,  depends for strength
on the value we set on subjects of ambitious  desire.
To those w7hose wisdom teaches  them the  true value
of earthly objects, the passion of ambition is always
productive of enjoyments; but w7hen an over-estimate
of the objects of  ambitious pursuit  arises  from false
though dazzling perceptions of those objects, the pas-
sion always acquires an uncontrolled dominion in the 
106
INTEMPERANCE.
human breast, producing misery to the individual, and
frequently the most  dreadful desolations  to  society
and mankind.  When ambition is confined to moral
bounds, in other words, where it is restricted to doing
good, it becomes a powerful auxiliary to religion  and
morality, and to the peace and happiness of mankind.

        " But talents angel bright, if wanting worth,
         Are shining instruments in false ambition's hand,
         To finish faults illustrious, and give infamy reiiown.'"

Where ambition is laudable, and restricted to  benefi-
cent and moral objects, it serves to dignify and adorn
the human character: and even where thus character-
ized,  it meets  with  failures and disappointments, it
produces no serious and lasting miseries to its votaries.
The real passion of ambition is of a heaven-born cha-
racter ;  it is founded in a strong desire to be remem-
bered with gratitude and admiration by posterity  and
future ages, and is the legitimate  offspring of a vital
and deep-seated sentiment of immortality!  We see
its indications in every department of life, and in every
age of the world.  The monumental inscriptions of
ancient times, the mummied catacombs, and the great
pyramids  of Egypt themselves  bear witness of the
universal prevalence of this all-absorbing sentiment of
immortality, and of the dreadful contemplations which
accompany the anticipations of being swept from hu-
man memory by the  hand  of time !  The desire to
be remembered is as obvious in the school-boy who
inscribes his name on a tree or a rock, as in the lofty
and headlong careers of Charlemagne, Alexander, and
Napoleon, who desolated nations and overturned  em-
pires to give their achievements to posterity and future
ages.  When the passion  of ambition, of  whatever 
INTEMPERANCE.
107
grade, or to whatever objects directed, is disappointed
in its expectations, it invariably leads to dissatisfaction
with life and mankind, and frequently plunges its vo-
taries into the vortex of intemperance and debauchery.
These effects are not only confined to the ambition of
man possessing  lofty and powerful energies of mind,
whose objects of ambition are correspondent in eleva-
tion, but they are discoverable in all the inferior orders
of society, and in all the subordinate ranks of intellect-
ual power: they are in fact, as observable in the Caesar
who is disappointed in  the  possession of an imperial
crown, as in the  humble votary  of literature and
science, or the hook-fingered and swindling devotee
of avarice, with whom wealth is the idol of adoration !
Let any of these men be finally and permanently dis-
appointed in the first and great objects of their ambi-
tion, and if they are destitute of resolution,  fortitude,
wisdom, and philosophical  energy of intellect,  they
invariably sink in  the whirlpool of intemperance, de-
bauchery, and sottishness.  Alexander the Great died
from  the influence of a fit of intemperance, probably
because he had  no more worlds to conquer; and it is
needless to advert to the thousands of instances, which
everywhere present themselves, of men of  all ranks
and grades of life, who sink into insignificance and
obscurity, from the effects of intemperance brought on
them by disappointed ambition.
   I have now, I think,  shown some of the  various
causes of intemperance, and  probably to the satisfac-
tion of  reflecting  men,  traced some  of them to the
physical and  mental constitutions of men : as far as it
is practicable to be  done by observations  of mere
effects.   In this brief essay, by no means correspond-
ent with the  importance of the subject, I have  neither 
108
INTEMPERANCE.
followed nor profited by the hackneyed theories which
have heretofore been published ; I have endeavoured to
view human  nature as it is, and  to remark the deve-
lopments of the causes of intemperance, as they have
appeared to me in my medical pursuits ; and if I have
not been as successful as  might be desired  by medical
men, who are  the real friends of humanity, I may at
least have furnished some materials  which  may be
useful  to such fathers of the profession as Mitchell,
Physic, Hosack, and many others, who are  engaged
in developing the mysticisms  of  medical science, and
rendering them intelligible to mankind.
                  RELIGION.
  This principle or affection of the human mind, pro-
perly defined and  well  understood, is a deeply devo-
tional sentiment of awe, veneration and love, for that
inscrutable Being who created the universe in his wis-
dom; supports it by his almighty power; and regulates
the machinery of nature, in beneficence and  love to his
creatures.
  Considered merely in relation to his vital and ani-
mal functions, man seems to occupy the highest point
in the scale of animated nature; but notwithstanding
this distinguished elevation, with some grand and dis-
tinctive exceptions to the general principles of exist-
ence, and those of a strong  and decided character,  he
seems in many respects to be allied to the inferior
orders of creation.   Like the  merely animal orders of
nature inferior to himself, he is animated by loves and
friendships, hatreds and enmities; and by all the other
passions and propensities  incidental  to the merely 
                    RELIGION.                 109

animal creation.  In common with  the elephant, the
lion, the dog, and the fox, his heart seems to be the seat
of life or vitality, and his brain the sensorium of intel-
lectual existence!  Like them he is furnished with a
stomach to digest his food, and a heart to propel the
vital fluid through the arterial and venal systems.  Like
the inferior orders of creation, man is susceptible  of
the influence of heat and cold, and  all the variations
of temperature incidental to the changes of the sea-
sons ; like them he can be deluged by rains, frozen  by
the snows of winter, and melted by the heats of  sum-
mer.  Like them he is subjected to physical diseases,
which can  be mitigated or removed by  the same
means ; and like them he is animated by strong senti-
ments of self-preservation, and entertains an instinctive
and powerful dread of both pain  and dissolution! But
here the parallel between man and  the inferior orders
of  creation  terminates;  and he begins to take  his
departure from their earth-born level, which they can
never emulate or even follow.
   Man is the only being in creation, who can raise  his
contemplations to the Deity, ariH experience a sublime
sentiment of  awe and  veneration  for the  unknown
author of his existence.  The only being in creation
capable of experiencing a strong  solicitude for a know
ledge of his own origin, or wiio can direct his views
and anticipations to a future existence, beyond the
boundaries of time!  He is the  only being absolutely
known to himself, who can form a conception of space
which is an abstract idea of infinity; of time, which
is an abstract conception of eternity; or of plastic and
creative power, which leads to an abstract but infinitely
inadequate conception of the omnipotence of God!
Man seems to unite in his moral and intellectual com 
HO                 RELIGION.
position, the human extremes of strength and iveakness,
wisdom and folly.   In infancy, or when not associated
with his fellow7-beings, he is a naked, defenceless, de-
pendent and timid animal: exposed to diseases of every
multiplied character;  to dangers beyond arithmetical
computation: and to death in all its varied and gigan-
tic forms: yet, with all these incipient weaknesses, and
seeming imperfections of his nature, in the plenitude of
life and intellectual power, and when associated with his
fellow-beings in social compact, he has satisfied his na-
tural wants; rendered  himself independent of every
thing but his  Creator; driven from  his presence,
enslaved to his purposes, or destroyed by the machinery
and  chemical pow7er of his warlike  inventions, all
animals hostile to  his life and his preservation; and
compelled the earth, the air, the waters, and the woods,
to yield him the sustenance and even the luxuries of
life, and  to furnish  him with the means of construct-
ing his habitation.   He has done more.   By referring
his knowledge of particular facts, to  the  discovery of
abstract and general principles, he has measurably un-
folded the elements of science; by which he measures
the earth, and discloses the  laws which regulate the
solar system: ascertains the distances and relative po-
sitions of the heavenly bodies ; and determines the lo-
cation  of his own  globe  among them:  discloses the
component parts of  which the substratum of the earth
itself is compounded, and by an effort of microscopic
vision and  profound sagacity, gives you a satisfactory
analysis  of a physical  atom!   Nor  is this all: from
obscure and imperfect original discoveries in nautical
science, he has converted the bark canoes of the wan-
dering savage into vehicles of burden for international
commerce, and imposing engines of war; and instead 
RELIGION.
Ill
of the petty barks of the ancients, by winch they pro-
secuted an  insignificant traffic along  the  shores and
inlets of the Mediterranean, he has  constructed ships
of bulk and strength sufficient to master the winds of
heaven, and the waves  of the ocean:  to discover and
colonize new continents; and to make his way in secu-
rity through trackless, unknown,  and almost shoreless
oceans, to countries so remote as  not even to be found
in  delineation  on the mariner's  chart!   Nor do the
greatness of his discoveries, nor the sublime elevations
of his character, terminate here.  The progressive im-
provements  of man in literature, from hieroglyphics,
which are the signs  of things, to the use of letters,
which are the signs or symbols of sounds, afford new
and astonishing demonstrations of his  powers.   We
have proofs  before us, if we  will advert for a moment
to the present state of mankind, of all  the progressive
stages of improvement, through which he has passed
in arriving at his present state of moral and intellectual
civilization,  and  scientific  and literary  refinements;
nor need we recur to the empire  of fable, nor the fic-
tions  of his  early history, to arrive  at the truth.  A
collective view of the present inhabitants  of the globe,
will furnish ample demonstrations  of the following
facts.   In a  state of savage and illiterate nature, tradi-
tion, as among the Indians of our  own forests, afforded
the only means of communication between the pre-
sent and future races of  mankind.  But, in proportion
as man began to progress in discoveries relating to the
arts and sciences, he became disgusted and dissatisfied
with the errors and misrepresentations of oral tradition,
and sought  various expedients to perpetuate to his
posterity,  authentic testimonials of  his sagacity, and
durable monuments of his intellectual powers.  Hie 
112
RELIGION.
roglyphics and pyramids  were resorted to in some
countries, and pillars and public edifices in others;  but
knowing all  these to be liable to decay, and that their
true meaning might be easily misunderstood or forgot-
ten, he was not satisfied with a medium of intelligence
which would revive and perpetuate his knowledge and
discoveries to future times, until  literature arose to
record in unfading characters the intelligence, the im-
provements in science, and the fate of past generations.
The discovery  of, and the progressive improvement
in letters, have enabled man to trace his species through
all anterior ages since the creation ; nor would he now,
were it not for literature and the discovery of the art
of printing,be enabled to profit at this advanced period
of the world, by the records of  history, and the divine
inspirations of religion, virtue, and  pure  morality,
which are breathed forth  in love and mercy to fallen
man, by holy writ !  It is from this divine and in-
spired work, that he derives a  knowledge of all  the
attributes of  his Creator;  of the immortality of his
ow7n soul; and  of' all the duties he ow7es to God, his
fellow-creatures, and himself.  The reveries of  all  the
sages and philosophers of antiquity, with the immortal
Plato at their head, sink into cold insignificance, when
compared with the divine consolations afforded to-man,
by that pure and  unsophisticated  religion,  which is
derived  from the word of God: and while speaking
of the pure and undefiled religion  of Jesus Christ, I
will first show what it is  not; second, the abuse of its
doctrines; third, what it really is; and fourth,its bene-
fits and consolations, in health and prosperity, sickness
and misfortune.
   The virtues and  the boasted wisdom of man, puri-
fied and improved  by  the highest  efforts of human 
                     religion.                 113

 reason, would be nothing without  the support  and
 consolations of the doctrines  of the Scriptures.  The
 magnificence, splendour, and sublimity of  the great
 works of nature, from which  alone, without the divine
 inspirations to be found in the word of God,  he is ena-
 bled  to form  but an inadequate and  finite conception
 of the attributes of an Almighty Creator.  Thus cir-
 cumstanced—thus surrounded  by mysteries which he
 cannot explain to himself—feeling a strong and deep-
 seated natural sentiment  of  immortality, and  yet
 dreading the cold and silent horrors of the grave—the
 word of  God  and faith in Christ alone can afford him
 support and consolation in the  hour of death; solve
 the otherwise inscrutable and  sublime mysteries of his
 own  existence; and reveal to him the dreadful enig-
 mas of eternity.  In fact, when man surveys, with an
 attentive and philosophic eye,  the vast and complicated
 machinery of  the universe ; when he discovers that all
 this complicated and boundless machinery is subject
 to the irresistible influence of laws infinitely beyond
 his conception; when he essays to embody his own
 conceptions of the attributes  of  that  Being who cre-
 ated, and who  rules and governs all; and, in fine, when
 he makes the  feeble attempt,  unaided by divine reva-
 lation, to identify his hopes of immortality and future
 happiness with the  unchangeable laws of created  na-
 ture, so vast, so boundless, and so complicated as they
 must  be, he shrinks back upon his own insignificance^
 and involuntarily asks himself,  " Am I not a stranger
 to the eternal  laws of my own destiny ?—am I not a
 stranger to  this God, the supreme Creator of the uni-
verse ?—am I not lost in the immensity  of his works,
and the boundlessness of his power ?"
  Mere opinions, deduced from the boldest efforts of
        GUNN     8 
114
RELIGION.
 the reasoning faculties of man, never yet produced that
 genuine religion which absorbs his affections, concen-
 trates his love and  gratitude on  his  divine  Creator,
 regulates his moral and intellectual energies  for the
 production  of  his present and  future  happiness, and
 makes him satisfied with his own prospects of futurity.
 These are the  reasons, in all probability, why the an-
 cient sages, w7ho hoped for  and partially believed in
 immortality, were unable  to satisfy themselves with
 rational  and conclusive proofs of the future existence
 of the human  soul: these are also probably the rea-
 sons,  and they  are founded in the wisdom and  provi-
 dence of God himself, why the great truths of immor-
 tality were veiled, in all ages anterior to the true gospel
 dispensation, from the boasted sagacity and reasoning
 powers of the philosophers  and sages of antiquity: for,
 could these men have arrived at any definite and cer-
 tain conclusions on the future destinies of the human
 race,  without the moral purifications of true Christi-
 anity, the consequences would have been dreadful to
 society and mankind, as can be easily demonstrated.
  Suppose a man were enabled by the unaided efforts
 of reason to demonstrate conclusively to himself, that
 annihilation, or an absolute and  entire negation of ex-
 istence, w7as his future and  irrevocable doom; what
 would be the immediate consequences of this appalling
 and dreadful discovery ?  Would he not  feel that every
 affection of his  soul wras dissolved, and  that existence
 itself  w7as valueless ?  Would it not loosen every strong
 tie he feels on life, and sicken him with that lapse of
 time  which must so  soon reduce him to nothing?
 Where, under  this gloomy  and horrid anticipation,
 would be his  affections for his  parents, his wife, his
family, his country:  what would become of the per- 
RELIGION.
115
formance of his duties as a parent, a husband, a citizen.
and a patriot:  where would be the endearing sugges-
tions of his own self-love, and his insatiable desires of
present and future happiness, under the certain con-
viction that the elevated and noble energies of His soul
would explode and be lost forever, w7hen his tenement
of clay would become a clod of the valley ?
  But let it be supposed that the powers of reason,
unaided  by  the holy inspirations  of Scripture, wrere
capable of arriving  at the certain conviction of man's
future happiness in eternity; and that the decree of the
Almighty, which awarded  to  him so auspicious a des-
tiny, was absolutely irrevocable by his  own  conduct:
and what would then be the consequences ?   With so
brilliant a career of future happiness and celestial glory
in full view, would  not all the poor enjoyments of this
life fade away, and even all the splendours of the visi-
ble creation  become to him a blank ?  Would he take
upon himself the cares of a family, assume the labo-
rious  duties of providing for a numerous offspring, or
feel an interest in  the  common affairs of mankind?
Would he  experience  any  of  those  affections and
friendships w7hich, under the  present predicaments of
life, are of such vast importance to the  enjoyments of
man ?  Can the eye which is accustomed to gazing at
the sun  distinguish the darker and  more sombre co-
lourings of earthly objects ?   But with  unalloyed and
interminable happiness beyond the grave in full view.
what in this life would be  the feelings, emotions, and
conduct of a man subjected to the pains of disease, the
evils attendant on poverty and want, and all  the great
aggregate of miseries and misfortunes with which man
in the present state of things is destined to agonize
through  life?   Would he  feel disposed to encounter 
116                 RELIGION.
gratuitously, evils and sufferings from which he could
escape with impunity to happier regions ?
  And now, let us suppose that a man w7ere enabled to
distinguish nothing in his future  destinies but a sub-
mission throughout  eternity  to  the  sufferings  and
speechless  agonies  of the damned; that  nothing he
could do  would alleviate so dreadful,  disastrous, and
horrible a destiny: and what would be the immediate
results? Where, to the eye of such a man, would then
be all the  charms and fascinations of nature ? where all
the varied and imposing splendours of the visible crea-
tion ?  What delight could he possibly experience in
the performance of his moral duties, or  the practice of
virtues, which must terminate in a future condition
infinitely worse than  annihilation itself ?  Would not
these dark and dreadful anticipations of a period which
must soon arrive be eternally present to his imagina-
tion, with all their attendant horrors ? Would they not
haunt his  w7aking dreams of future misery, and disturb
his midnight slumbers with spectral phantoms of the
sufferings of the damned, too frightful and  tremendous
for delineation!  But what,  under these awful  and
afflicting expectations, from which there w7ere no dis-
tant hopes of exemption, wrould be the character and
conduct of  this unfortunate and miserable victim?
Would he not say to himself:—" What to me are all
the ties of parentage, of offspring, or of kindred; what
interest have I in the affairs of life, the peace and hap-
piness of society, or the moral conduct and regulations
of mankind ?  Before the setting of to-morrow's sun,
my eyes may close forever on the light of day, on all
the objects which once were dear to my  infancy and
youth, and  on  all the varied and sublime beauties
which characterize with magnificence and splendour 
RELIGION.
117
 the mystic wonders of created nature!  For  me  no
 morning sun will  ever again arise; for me no vernal
 music of the groves will ever again awake; on my be-
 nighted soul, predestined to endless torments, no distant
 ray of feeble  hope  can ever dawn !"-------Sectarians,
 remorseless fanatics, purblind  bigots—you who deal,
 with unsparing hand and intolerant zeal, the ineffable
 and everlasting miseries of deep damnation to  your
 fellow-beings, merely for differing from you in opinion
 respecting modes of faith and  divine worship,  behold
 in this faithful picture the condition  to which  your
 narrow and selfish  doctrines would confine the great
 mass of mankind !   Approach, and behold a picture
 which might make you shudder for your blasphemous
 presumptions  in  judging between erring  and  feeble
 man and his Maker; and wresting the high prerogative
 of divine and eternal justice from the hands  of the
 Almighty!  If you can  for a moment suspend the
 fiery and vindictive delusions of your  intolerance and
 preemption, I wish you to contemplate, with a dispas-
 sionate and discriminating eye,  some farther results to
 which your infuriated and intolerant doctrines inevita-
 bly tend.  If  you alone are right, and if all other reli-
 gious creeds are the offspring of error,  which must of
 necessity terminate in future misery; what allurements
 to religion and morality do you  hold out to those who,
 you say, are predestined from all eternity to the inflic-
 tions of divine wrath; and to w7hat a penury of benefi-
 cence and love do you reduce the mercy and affections
 of the Deity to man.  Do you  suppose that the  doc-
 trines of particular  and exclusive faith are within the
arbitrium or control of the voluntary powers of human
intellect ?  In  other words, do you presume that a man
can believe what he wishes, without divine assistance 
118
RELIGION.
 sought with purity of heart ?  And that he can ever
 be the voluntary devotee of religious errors, thereby
 sinning against light and knowledge, and dooming him-
 self to endless and indescribable torments ?  To speak
 in plain terms, and without any courtly affectation of
 language detrimental to the interests of truth, can you
 suppose that any rational being* since the creation of
 man, ever  yet voluntarily consigned his soul to ever-
 lasting misery,  by the  entertainment  of  religious
 opinions w7hicb he knew to be wrong ?  The truth is,
 that the supposition implies, not only a contradiction
 in language, but an absolute and positive contradiction
 in the facts themselves.
   But let us suppose for a  moment, that your sect  or
 persuasion  alone are  right in their faith and religious
 opinions, and that all others professing different modes
 of faith and different opinions in  religion  are  in the
 entertainment of errors which must inevitably end in
 eternal punishments. Have you ever contemplated the
 absurdity  of this intolerant  and exclusive doctrine;
 have you ever viewed it with an  unprejudiced and dis-
 passionate eye, and traced its malignant and desolating
 spirit on the past, on the present,  and on future times ?
 If you have not, I will make the laudable  attempt  to
 burst your  narrow and intolerant prejudices asunder;
 and  to exhibit those disgraceful and  dogmatical doc-
 trines in all their naked deformities.
  By the Mosaical account of the  creation, which  we
 are  bound   to believe authentic,  the  world  is now
 nearly six thousand years old ; but  of the antediluvian
 races of men, and also of those who existed anterior to
 the gospel dispensation, I will make none but the fol-
lowing simple and plain remark; that it would  hardly
comport with the common principles of justice, to con- 
RELIGION.
119
sign all those numerous races of men to eternal perdi-
tion, for  not believing in doctrines which had never
been announced to them, and to  which  they  were
utter strangers!  Since the first announcement of the
gospel dispensation under our Saviour until the present
time, a period of nearly two thousand years has elapsed;
every half minute of which long period, according to
the most authentic  calculations which can be made,
has witnessed the birth and death of ten human beings!
There are, as nearly as  the  facts can  be  ascertained,
about eleven hundred million human beings composing
the populations on the globe: now, if you will ascertain
the number of half minutes which have elapsed in tv/o
thousand years, and multiply that number by ten, you
will have something like the number of deaths which
have occurred since the coming of Christ.   Under this
strong, and new, and most important view of the sub-
ject ; and considering likewise, that the immense and
measurably unknown population  of both Africa and
Asia have never embraced the Christian religion; that
the aboriginal inhabitants of both North and South
America have ever  been in the same  uncivilized and
unchristian  condition;  I wish you to inform me, ye
bigots—ye fanatics—ye fiery and intolerant zealots, in
the cause of a God Supreme, and infinitely merciful to
feeble and erring man, how many human beings, out
of the countless myriads who have sunk into the  tomb
in the  long  lapse of two thousand years, belonged to
those little sects w7ho doom all mankind to the horrors
of deep  and irrevocable damnation but  themselves!
But this is not all: according to the narrow and exclu-
sive  principles of your religious doctrines, which  we
will bring nearer to ourselves by an  application of
them to the present age, how many human beings, out 
120
religion.
of eleven hundred millions which are now in existence,
according to the  purblind  and intolerant dogmas of
any one of your exclusive professions of faith, will be
doomed never to reach the goal of infinite mercy, even
through  the  merits of that Saviour who died for the
salvation of  all mankind !  These  are views of the
absurdity of some of your doctrines, and of the dreadful
consequences they would have in  their applications to
mankind, too stubborn for the subterfuges of sophistry,
too authentic in  point of fact for refutation, and too
plain for either denial or evasion.   But, let us advance
a step farther; let us contemplate the appalling  spec-
tacle which your  wild, speculative,  and  visionary
theories  of  religion, would present  to an assembled
universe at  the end of time!  Let us suppose at the
great day of accounts between man and his Maker,
when an  aggregation  of all the various races of  men,
and  of  all the countless myriads w7ho have  existed
between the commencement and the  termination of
time, would take place : here all arithmetical computa-
tions fail, and the human imagination itself expires in
attempting to grasp at so vast, so unbounded a  spec-
tacle !   Suppose also, that your paltry and disputatious
conflicts here, and your narrow conceptions of Divine
justice, always inadequate  and contradictory because
the offspring of ignorance, were to be made the irrevo-
cable standard of  adjudication by  which countless and
innumerable millions  of the human  race  were to be
consigned to endless misery, ruin, and despair!  Would
not so dreadful an exhibition of  the consequences of
your bigotry and intolerance, destroy your  holy zeal
and vindictive rage in the cause of religious and into-
lerant  prejudices?  Would not your  sensibilities as
men  weep  tears of  blood  and forgiveness over the 
RELIGION.
121
miseries of your fellow-men ?  Would you not wish
to revoke  those  prejudices against  mankind which
could populate the regions of the damned with myriads
of your fellow-beings; disclose  to  you an abortive
though Divine scheme of redemption for fallen man ;
and torture your intellectual vision with the spectacle
of a ruined creation and an almost solitary God!
   I have now shown, and I think conclusively, that
the efforts  of human  reason, unaided  by  scriptural
divinity, are utterly incompetent to disclosing to man-
kind the great truths connected with the immortality
of man; that without the moral  purifications of true
Christianity  and  genuine religion,  such  disclosures
would have been fraught with dreadful consequences
to mankind, instanced in the cases of future certainty
as to annihilation, future happiness, and future misery.
I think I have done  more;  I think I have shown, as
far as the moral reasoning powers of man can be ap-
plied to incontrovertible facts, that very many of the
intolerant and sectarian abuses which have  crept into
the Christian religion, from the bigotry and misdirected
zeal  of many of its belligerant and  inflammatory
champions,  are  utterly inconsistent with  Christian
charity, truly Divine worship, and the principles of
eternal justice : in fine. I think I have shown con-
clusively, what pure  and genuine religion is not !
   As connected and  incorporated  with  dangerous and
intolerant opinions  in religion, the abusive conse-
quences which always flow from  such  opinions, espe-
cially  when  under  the influence of  the  vindictive
passions of men, require  dispassionate consideration.
I have said in another part of this work, when speak-
ing of the moral philosophy of the passions,  that when
restrained within due bounds, and exercised only in 
122
RELIGION.
relation  to  their native and legitimate objects, they
were essential, not only to the existence, but to the
happiness of man.   I now assert that  the reverse of
this proposition  is equally true; in other  words, that
the passions, when indulged in  to excess, and suffered
to produce  anarchy and wild  misrule  in  the human
bosom,  are  fraught with  innumerable  miseries and
misfortunes to mankind, in every department of life.
  In sectarian doctrines, which relate to the entertain-
ment of opinions connected with the temporal self-
interests of mankind, it  is to  be expected  that the
passions, in all their excesses, will ahvays have consi-
derable influence.  The professors of all the sciences
which relate to the present state of man are passion-
ately influenced to the conversion of proselytes to their
respective systems, because on the number of  their
converts depend, not only their wealth and fame, but,
in numerous instances, the very bread which them-
selves and their families  require  for  daily support.
The same may be remarked, in relation to the leaders
of all political  partisans, and to  all other zealots  in
political  science.   In these cases, and many others
which might be enumerated, the stimulation of the
passions, and all their  disorganizing  and dangerous
excesses, are proportioned to the real or imaginary
self-interests of man,  and to the acute  and energetic
pressure  of his immediately real  or imaginary wants.
In all these cases, we can account on rational prin-
ciples, or more  properly speaking on logical ones, for
the slander and defamation with which scientific men
of all professions usually load each other;  and for all
the personal enmity, envy, and  malignity, with which
the low-lived spirit  of grovelling ambition  usually
persecutes  a dangerous and aspiring rival!   In all 
                    RELIGION.                  123

cases where we can connect the excesses of the  pas-
sions, and the  practice of intolerance and injustice,
with the wants and immediate  self-interests of men,
there seems to be some colourable mitigation for their
deviations from virtue, justice, and moderation : but in
cases where religion alone is concerned; where all the
temporal interests  and conflictions of  self-love  are
entirely out of the question;  where the religious faith
and opinions of men are accounts only to be referred
to the lofty and unerring tribunal of God himself; th
gratuitous persecutions of men, and their sanguinary
zeal  in the  cause of an Almighty Power, who needs
not their assistance, can only be  accounted for upon
principles of wanton depravity, native cruelty of tem-
per,  and innate  vindictiveness  of soul!   Does  the
Almighty require the sacrifice of the peace of  society,
and of all the  affections of man for his fellow-beings
in the  diffusion  of an immaculate  and  benevolent
religion, which expressly  inculcates '-peace on earth,
and  good will towards men?"   If my faith  in the
rectitude and purity of my own  doctrines of salvation
be perfect, will the persecution and destruction of the
religious doctrines  of other men  add  any  further
demonstrations of  truth to the support of my own
creed ?  You may as w7ell tell me, ye bigots, and  per-
secutors of mankind for the love of God, that the  sun
requires a lamp for the diffusion of his meridian rays;
or that by  conflagrating the  habitation  of a  fellow-
being, you will build or repair your own !   Why then
consign to everlasting destruction, and that  too with
out attempting their reformation, all those who may
chance  to  differ from you  in  religious  faith  and
opinion ?  Are not those wrho dissent  from you in re-
ligious doctrines and  opinions,  as rational as your- 
124
RELIGION.
selves?   Are they  less interested in  knowing  the
truths of genuine Christian Divinity, and in practising
on the precepts which they inculcate, than you your-
selves are ?  Do you suppose that any  human being
ever existed, wiio w as endowed with ordinary prin-
ciples of rationality, and common sentiments of self-
love, who could voluntarily entertain errors of opinion
in religion, knowing  that  the  profession  of such
opinions would eventually consign his immortal soul
to deep  and irremediable misery ?  Why, then, perse-
cute men for the entertainment of opinions which are
misfortunes, and  not crimes ?   Why, in other w7ords.
do you punish  and persecute erring and feeble man
for involuntary errors of opinion, which, according to
your ow7n creeds, will be punished in a future life ?
Where  are the credentials from which you derive
authority to sit in judgment between man and his
Maker: and to assist an omnipotent God, in  the
execution of those laws which his owTn infinite wisdom,
at the creation, imposed on the universe ?  Under
this view7 of your conduct, which I place in a strong
and correct light for your own contemplations, with
the hope that you may be induced to abandon your
abuses of the religion of the Saviour of mankind, and
to treat your fellow-men with more lenity and com-
passion ; I must confess myself  utterly  at a loss which
to be most astonished at, your ignorance, presumption,
or fanaticism.   How7, ye bigoted and fanatical zealots;
how do  you reconcile your inquisitions, your  burnings,
your persecutions, and your intolerance in  opinion,
with the mildly compassionate  and humane example
of the Saviour of the world; he who exclaimed amidst
the protracted agonies of the cross, and while sweat-
ing drops of blood to wash out the crimsoned  iniquities 
RELIGION.
125
of mankind; " Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do!"   You  are mistaken in attributing to
pure and holy zeal in the cause of religion, your perse-
cutions of those who differ from you in sectarian faith
and doctrines: your worldly-minded pride of making
proselytes,—your  ambition  to  become  conspicuous
among men, as the defenders of the true faith,—your
secret aspirations  after exaltations to high  clerical
offices—your love of worldly distinctions and temporal
power; and not unfrequently, your cupidity  and  ava-
rice, respecting good round salaries for the discharge
of your official functions; these are the energetic and
inflammatory motives, which urge you to  your vindic-
tive persecutions of mankind for opiriioris sake; these
are  the  real causes of your wTant of charity  to each
other, and to mankind in the aggregate.
  I think I have now shown, in a tolerably clear and
strong point of view, not only what religion is not; but
also many of the  abuses of its doctrines; let  us now
endeavour to understand something respecting what it
really is.
  " Feeble  work  of my hand,"  says the Almighty  to
his creature man,  " I owe you nothing, but I give you
existence.  I place you in the  midst of a universe
which bespeaks my wisdom and glory, and I surround
you with blessings and enjoyments, which ought  to
excite in your bosom pure and elevated sentiments of
love, admiration, and gratitude, to that inscrutable Be-
ing who made you for the  enjoyment of happiness,
and placed the objects of those enjoyments within your
reach.  Your love can add nothing to my felicity, your
admiration to my pow7er, nor your sentiments of grati-
tude to my glory; and I make you susceptible of these
exalted  and divine emotions, that you may  render 
126
RELIGION.
 yourself happy both here and hereafter.  The fidelity
 of your obedience to my laws, will be the test of your
 own happiness : and when you cease to ' love me and
 keep my commandments,' your breach of my precepts
 will offend me, and render yourself unhappy."
   Such,  according to our  feeble and inadequate con-
 ceptions  of a  God of love and mercy, are the mild
 and benevolent sentiments entertained by him for his
 erring and dependent creature, man—for he expressly
 announces in  his holy w7ord, " that he delights not in
 the death of a sinner."  These are some of the conso-
 lations of true religion, which when fully merited by
 man, by  a strict obedience to the wrords of Scripture.
 and a full and entire faith in the merits of a blessed Re-
 deemer, nothing earthly can destroy. I do not intend
 to enter  into a critical dissertation on  the subject of
 religion,  further than its divine spirit is connected with
 the moral condition of man, and his physical health
 and  enjoyments.   We know7 perfectly w7ell, from our
 own consciousness, that the mere pleasures and enjoy-
 ments of this world are insufficient to satisfy the moral
 desires of the human mind, when deeply impressed
 with an  unerring sentiment of  immortality.  Give a
 man wealth and luxury unbounded; load  him with
titles and worldly honours; even clothe him with what
Doctor Young calls " a mortal immortality"—and like
Ctesar, when crowmed emperor  and invested with the
imperial purple, he will  exclaim—-and is  this all!"
With respect to the enjoyments of this  w7orld, I mean
those which are not connected with the future state of
existence, and sentiments of pure and undefiled  reli-
gion, it is a truth that has been recognised by  the
experience of all ages, that  their satiation ahvays pro-
daces indifference, and not  unfrequently disgust. This 
RELIGION.
127
circumstance alone ought to convince us, that the de-
sires of man and his capacities for enjoyment are not
limited to this earthly sphere; and that there must be
a future  and more exalted  state  of being, where his
capacities for moral and intellectual enjoyment will
meet with objects suited to their elevation, and where
the boundless desires which he is conscious of in this
life, will  meet with scenes of enjoyment as unlimited
as those desires.  It w7as from this view of the subject
under consideration, and probably also from the strong
impression of the insufficiency of the enjoyments of
this  life,  that  the  great Dr. Young exclaimed, in his
Night Thoughts, " man must be immortal, or Heaven
unjust!"   Do we not know perfectly well, that when
the physical calls of nature are satisfied, lassitude and
indifference  succeed?   Do  we  not also  know, that
when all the  pleasures and enjoyments of this w7orld
are showered  on us in profusion, there still exist in
the human bosom, hopes  and desires connected with
sentiments of immortality, and objects of a  more ele-
vated and intellectual order of enjoyment  than this
world can afford.   The fact is, that the  desires, the
capacities, and the  hopes of man as to futurity, when
compared with the utter insufficiency of the objects of
enjoyment actually under his control in this life, go
very  far  to demonstrate satisfactorily the immortality
of man.  Do the affections of the brute for its offspring,
like those of man for his relations and friends, survive
the flight of time, and contemplate a reunion of  those
affections in another state of existence ?  The differ
ence between the influence of reason and that of true
religion,  in relation to the future happiness and enjoy
ments of man, may be satisfactorily explained in a few
words.   Reason teaches man merely to hope for im 
128
RELIGION.
mortal existence and happiness, whilst pure religion,
supported by faith in the Redeemer, and by the faith-
ful practice  of  his precepts, assures him of  both
future existence  and future  happiness.  There is this
further difference between reason and religion, and I
think it a very palpable and plain one; reason cannot
influence man's feeble hopes of immortality and future
happiness, with sufficient motives for the  practice of
piety and virtue, whilst religion urges him imperiously
to the performance of his duties to his God, to him-
self, and to his fellow-beings, by the certainty of future
rewards and punishments. These are the reasons why
pure and genuine Christians, I do  not mean bigots,
hypocrites, or intolerant fanatics, are better citizens,
better  husbands, and  better  parents, than  most other
men; and these  are the reasons, also, why they are the
happier class of mankind.   Reason  may teach the
existence of a great First Cause, but it is utterly incom-
petent to disclosing his moral attributes of justice, love,
and mercy, or to defining for man his particular and
indispensable duties in every department of life.  The
precepts of religion are plain and easy of comprehen-
sion;  they can  be understood  and practised by all
ranks and grades of  men.  Reason, on the  other hand,
in attempting an explanation of the attributes of God,
or the  duties of  man  to  that God or his fellow-crea-
tures, is eternally operating on imaginary and unknown
principles, and making hair-breadth distinctions, which
have no  existence but in the  sound of words without
meaning: the errors of reason are founded in the ig-
norance of man, who  knows  nothing in reality of the
essential or elementary principles of any one thing in
heaven or on earth.  The Scripture says, and any man
can understand the denunciation, " Whosoever shed- 
RELIGION.               '  129
deth man's blood, by man shall  his blood be  shed."
Now I would like to see the champion of reason who
can demonstrate satisfactorily that murder is a crime,
punishable with death.   But I will put  another, and
more general and comprisive case, which will be quite
sufficient.   Municipal law is said  to be founded on
reason, which we call the mother of justice. If reason
be an  unerring sentinel, and if law be the perfection
of reason, as it is said to be by learned  and profound
civilians, why have not six thousand  years of reason-
ing been sufficient to reduce law to unerring principles
of justice; and  why, at this  late and refined  period
of reason, do we so seldom find two persons "of counsel
learned in the law,"  who  agree in  opinion respecting
its real principles ?  The fact is, that in  reasoning on
all subjects involving morals, all we  can possibly arrive
at is a  high degree of probability, which amounts to
little  more than  ingenious and  plausible conjecture.
If the  mere exercise of reason be entirely sufficient to
disclose to man  his duties, to impel him to  the per-
formance of those duties, and  to satisfy him respecting
the all-important doctrines of futurity, why have  the
advocates of mere reason so many doubts and difficul-
ties on all subjects ?  The enigma is easily solved;  the
ignorance of man respecting first principles, the doubts
he always entertains of the  infallibility of reasoning
as a science, and the consciousness of being eternally
liable to  error in his rational deductions, involve him
in labyrinths of confusion and dismay, from w7hich no
merely human powers of  intellect or genius can pos-
sibly extricate him.  While in the rise  or day spring
of life; while enjoying uninterrupted health and pros-
perity ; and while indulging in anticipations of a pro-
tracted and fortunate term of existence here, the lordly
       GUNN     9 
130   *              RELIGION.
and proud advocate of the all-sufficiency of r< ason may
indulge in theoretical speculations which Ik imagines
he firmly believes in.  But, let him become unfortu-
nate in his  adventures after earthly enjoyments, and
infirm in his  health;  let his  prospects of exemption
from disease and misfortune darken around him; and
in this situation let him approach  the unknown and
mysterious confines of eternity.   Where then will be
his visionary  and theoretical  speculations rtejecting
futurity ? wiiere the fortitude which ought to  support
him in his descent to the cold  and silent mansions of
the dead? and where the celestial fire  of hope and
Christian consolation that alone can light him to eternal
happiness, relieve his gloomy apprehensioi s of annihi-
lation and shed even a splendour around  the  horrors
of the grave ?
  Pure  and  vital  religion, not that based on  merely
bigoted  and  sectarian prejudices, or on frivolous and
childish distinctions respecting rites and ceremonies, is
infinitely superior to reason, in  securing to man all the
moral enjoyments of this life,  and in assuring him of
those blessings winch reason only hopes for in futurity.
By pure and vital religion, I do not mean hypocrisy,
which is the religion of knaves; fanaticism, which is
the religion of madmen ; fear,  which is the religion of
cowardice; or superstition, which is that of fools:  I
mean that pure and  elevated sentiment of divine love
and admiration for the Deity, which leads us  to faith
in the great Redeemer of fallen and degraded  man,
and to the practice of benevolence, virtue, toleration,
and charity  for our fellow-beings.   This divine and
ennobling sentiment, when experienced in all its purity,
banishes all  the base, sordid, selfish, and ignoble pas-
sions from the human bosom, and elevates man, as it 
RELIGION.
131
were, to a communion with his Maker.   It cultivates
all the finer affections of man for his fellow-beings;
makes him a provident and tender parent; a chaste
and faithful husband; a kind and benevolent master.
and a useful, virtuous, and patriotic citizen:  it makes
him  faithful in his friendships, virtuous in his loves,
honest in his dealings, candid  in his communications
with mankind, moderate in his desires, unostentatious
in his charities, and tolerant in his opinions.   Fanatics,
bigots, zealots, hypocrites;  ye who practise fraud, vio-
lence, hypocrisy, and all the deceptions and mummery
of priestcraft on the sons of men,  and yet dare  to
call yourselves the disciples and followers of the im-
maculate Saviour of mankind, compare yourselves with
this portrait of a real Christian!  There is a class of
religionists in every Christian country,  who are im-
pressed with the absurd opinion, that the profession of
faith in particular sectarian creeds, and the practice of
a few frivolous  rites and ceremonies, are quite sufficient
to entitle them to salvation.   The probability  is, that
these  people are deceiving themselves, or making the
profession of religion a  mere  mask for iniquitous de-
signs against the community; for, let their vicious pas-
sions or propensities be excited, and themselves thrown
off their guard, and you immediately discover the true
state of the case: in fact, you soon discover them  to
be sensualists, swindlers, and hypocrites.  These peo-
ple ought always to bear in mind, that those alone are
genuine Christians, who know the will of God, and
practise its divine precepts: nor ought they ever to lose
sight of the important and eternal truth, that it is im-
possible to  deceive the  Almighty.  Compared with
these  hypocritical and  unw7orthy professors,  whose
prayers are always on  the "house tops," and whose 
132
RELIGION
 devotions are loud and emphatical, that they may be
 heard, the true Christian exhibits an essentially differ-
 ent and greatly more elevated character.  He is modest,
 retiring and unobtrusive in his devotions ; it is not the
 mere profession of piety and  religion  that stimulates
 him in the performance of his duties; it is the heaven-
 born consciousness that his  devotional  exercises  are
 acceptable to his Maker, and that they will render him
 serene amidst dangers and difficulties, animated and
 cheerful under the infliction of disease  and  sickness,
 and  resigned to the will of his Creator.  To such  a
 man, disease, infirmities, and  misfortunes in this life
 are nothing; he  is above their influence:  they can
 neither ruffle his passions, nor disturb the  deep and
 settled serenity of his soul.  The death-bed of such a
 man is not the death-bed of the sinner: even the pre-
 sence of the  king of terrors cannot appal the resolu-
 tions, or shake the fortitude of the man whose reliance
 is on the love and mercy of his God.  As a physician,
 I some time since, in Virginia, attended at the couch of
 a devout Christian, and a sincere believer in  Christ:
 and was impressed  with sentiments which can never
 be obliterated from my memory by the lapse of time.
 The patient was a poor Methodist  preacher;  he had
 been seriously and dangerously indisposed nearly tw7o
 years; and was evidently awaiting the  summons  to
 " that bourn  from whence no traveller returns."  In-
 stead of seeing terror  and dismay  depictured in his
countenance, which I had often witnessed in the cases
of those who were not Christians, all was cheerful  se-
renity, and mild resignation:  no ghastly expression of
feature  bespoke the terror of death, no indications of
 mental  distress told of remorse for ill-spent life; nor
 did a single shade of gloomy anticipation  pass over the 
t
                    RELIGION.                 133

eye that was so soon to close in death !  The last words
of the innocent sufferer were, and they are deeply im-
pressed  on my memory:  " My life has  been devoted
to the service of my God, and the benefit  of my fel-
low-beings : I awrait with perfect resignation to his will,
the call of my Master."
   Here was an instance of the  consolatory influence
of true religion,  which ought to  prove conclusively
that it is connected with none of the gloomy and de-
pressing passions.   In truth, it has always been matter
of much astonishment to  me, that the consolations
which pure religion promises mankind in a future state
of existence could ever have produced on the mind of
man any other impressions than those of cheerfulness,
fortitude, and resignation.  I never could conceive how
genuine  religion  was  connected with gloom, unless
perverted to the excitement of the gloomy passions, by
misconceptions of the attributes of God, with emo-
tions of terror and depressing apprehensions of futu-
rity.  Has man not assurances of an exemption from
all the evils and calamities of this life, if he be a faith-
ful and true Christian, when this corruptible shall have
put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality ?   Are not the doctrines of true Chris-
tianity essentially connected with that peace of mind
which we denominate a good conscience  ; " and which
nothing earthly can give, or can destroy ?"  The Chris-
tian religion was never intended by the Almighty as a
source of grief, mortification, and suffering: it is a pure
emanation  of divine love  and mercy towards feeble,
erring, and fallen  mankind ; and w7as surely intended
by Divine wisdom as an unfailing source of joy, con-
solation, and happiness, both here and hereafter, to the
human race!   I have  been more particular on  the 
134                 RELIGION.
subject of religion than at first view might seem ne-
cessary to the interests of medical science;  but I have
been long convinced, that the sentiments we entertain
of a future life are not only essentially connected with
the moral condition of mankind, but with  the health
and many of the diseases  of the  physical  system, of
which more will be said under the proper heads 
                 REMARKS,

PRELIMINARY  TO THE MEDICAL  PORTION OF THIS
                     WORK.
  I have now done with the passions most  material
to be thought of in a work like this.  I think I have
spoken of them as they deserve; and as being the real
causes of very many and obstinate diseases; and I also
think, without any sort of vanity on the subject, that
I have  taken views of them which are not only new,
but such as will be satisfactory to men who are pleased
with common sense, and  matter  of fact disclosures,
instead of visionary theories, and old doctrines that have
been worn  threadbare  by repetition.   Where I have
found the essences of  the passions beyond the  reach of
investigation, I have freely confessed the truth; being
determined not to vail my ignorance of what is most
likely  hidden  from  us by divine wisdom,  by long
sounding words which  when  explained would make
men of common sense laugh at medical quackery, and
by technical language which means next to  nothing.
I have spoken of the passions  as I have seen and  wit-
nessed  their effects on the human system, and on the
peace and happiness of society generally; and particu-
larly as regards intemperance, or rather excess in fear,
joy, anger, jealousy, love, grief, religion, gluttony, and
drunkenness; I have ventured to go as far into some
of the  remote and constitutional causes of them as 1
                                         135 
136
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
possibly could, without running into mere theories not
supported by the experience of mankind.  In treating
of them I have been limited much by want of  space;
and have therefore, in some instances, been compelled
to comprise as much information as possible in a few
w7ords: and I must also observe here, that on intemper-
ance, religion, love, jealousy, and anger, I have extended
my remarks further than on the rest of the passions;
because I consider them of  vastly more importance to
the health and happiness, and to the diseases and mise-
ries of  mankind, than all the rest of the passions put
together.   I have classed  intemperance  under  the
head of the passions, because all our desires  and aver-
sions become passions, when they become too  strong
to be controlled and moderated  by moral sense and
reason; and  if even these  wrere not the facts, mere
names are nothing but blinds, frequently placed by the
learned between the reader  and the realities of  things,
to conceal the naked poverty and barrenness  of the
sciences, as professed by literary men.  If our  educa-
tion consisted more in a knowiedge of things, and less
in a knowledge of mere words than it does, and if the
great mass of the people knew how much  pains w7ere
taken by scientific men, to throw dust in their eyes by
the use of ridiculous and high-sounding terms, which
mean very little if any thing; the learned professors of
science wrould soon lose much of their mock dignity,
and mankind would soon be undeceived as to the little
difference that really exists between themselves  and
the very learned portion of the community.   I am the
more particular on this subject, not because I wish to
low7er the public opinion respecting the real value of
medical knowledge, but because the  time has arrived
when the hypocrisy which  has attached itself  to reli- 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
137
gion, the pettifogging dissimulation  winch has crept
into the practice and science of law, and the quacke-
ries which have  so  long disgraced  the practice  and
science  of medicine,  are  about to be scattered to the
four winds of heaven, by the progress of real know7-
ledge, and the general diffusion of useful intelligence.
The great body of the people are beginning to find out,
as I remarked in substance in my dedication, that w7hen
we take from the learned sciences all their  technical
and  bombastic language they immediately become
plain  common sense, very easily to be understood by
all ranks of men.   I have also said in that same dedica-
tion, and  I  now  repeat  it,  that  the really valuable
materials in  medicine, and those which are  the most
powerful in  the cure of diseases, are  few and  simple,
and very easily to be procured in all countries; and on
this subject I will say something more winch  may
probably be considered new.   I not only believe that
every country produces, or can be  made to produce
whatever is  necessary to the wants of its inhabitants ;
but also whatever is essential to the cure of diseases
incidental to each country; it is by no means probable,
that an  all-wise Creator would create man with wants
he could not supply, and subject him to diseases for
which there were no remedies to be  found in  nature,
and in all the different countries and climates of which
he is an inhabitant.  If such were not the facts, how
miserable would be the condition of the human species ;
eternally harrassed by the calls of wants winch could
not be satisfied, and afflicted with diseases for which
they could find neither  the means of alleviation  nor
cure!   How did  the Indian  nations of this country
become so populous and powerful, unless from  finding
the means of supplying their wants, and of mitigating 
138
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
and curing their diseases, on the soil, and in the coun-
tries which  gave  them  birth ?  The fact  is, that this
country, like all other countries, produces spontaneously,
or can be made to produce by the genius and industry
of its inhabitants, all that is required by the wants of
the people, and all that is essential in medical science;
and the sooner we set about finding out, and  fully
exploring the resources of our own country, the sooner
will we be clear  of the abuses  and countless imposi-
tions  in the adulteration of medical drugs; and the
sooner will  we be exempted from  all dependence  on
other nations.   There are many drugs that come from
abroad, that are made good for nothing, by adulterations
or mixture before they reach us, or Jose their virtues
by long standing and  exposure; and  any professed
druggist, if he  will tell you the truth, will tell you the
same; and these among many others, are the reasons
why I mean to be very  particular in showing you, as
respects the plants and roots of  this country, not  only
how great are our resources, but  how easily we can
evade roguery and imposition,  and obtain pure and
unadulterated  materials in medicine, if we will be in-
dustrious in developing the real resources of this
country.  The science of botany, like many others I
tiould name, has dwindled into  mere mummery and
hard sounding names of plants, &c.  I can find you,
indeed,  you can  easily  find them  yourselves,  very
many individuals profoundly learned in botany, who
can tell  you all about  the genus and species of plants
and herbs, and can call them individually by their long
Latin names, who can tell you nothing whatever about
their use to  mankind, or whether they are poisonous
or  otherwise;  and I  want to  know  whether  such
information, or rather  such want of information, is not 
              PRELIMINARY REMARKS.         139

mere learning without wisdom, and science without
knowledge.
  But why need I speak of the science  of botany
alone as having sunk into frivolity and  superficial non-
sense ; the same may be said of many of the other sci-
ences, which were in their origin and early progress
useful to mankind.  Real knowledge consists in under-
standing both what is useful and what is injurious to
mankind;  and true wisdom amounts to nothing more
than appropriating to our use whatever is beneficial,
and avoiding whatever is injurious to our enjoyments
and happiness: this is the true distinction between com-
mon sense  and nonsense ; or if  you will  have the same
idea in finer language,  between  wisdom  and folly.
For the common and useful purposes of mankind, the
refined  fripperies  and hair-drawn theories of mere
science are of  no use whatever; indeed they never
have had much other effect than to excite a stupid ad-
miration for men who pretended  to  know more than
the mass of mankind: and it is this stupid admiration,
this willingness to be duped by the impudent preten-
sions of science and quackery combined, that has led
to impositions and barefaced frauds upon society, with-
out number.  Wherever artifice is used, it is either to
cover defects, or to perpetuate impositions and frauds ;
and if you wish to know how much of this artifice  is
in vogue in the science and practice of medicine, ask
some physician of eminence to give you in plain com-
mon English,  the  meaning of those mysterious and
high-sounding names you see plastered on bottles, glass
jars, gallipots, and drawers in a drug store, or doctor's
shop.   There you may see in large and imposing capi-
tals, Datura Stramonium, which simply means Stink-
weed,  or   vulgarly Jamestown  weed: Tanacetum 
140
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
 Vulgare, which  in English' means Common Tansy.
 Chenopodium Anthelmenticum, good heaven! what
 a name for  Jerusalem Oak:  Spigelia  Marilandica,
 which means nothing more nor less than Pink Root:
 Allium Sativum, which means Gloves of Garlic : and
 who would ever suppose, unless he were previously ini-
 tiated into the sublime mysteries of the " Physicians'
 Materia Medica," that Cantharis Vittata was the Po-
 tato Fly: that Hedeoma Pulegioides, was merely the
 common plant Pennyroyal: that Phytolacca Decandra
 was nothing but Poke weed : that Panax Quinquefo-
 lium was nothing  but Ginseng:  that Rubus Villosus
 meant in plain English, the Blackberry: that Eupa-
 torium Perfoliatum was nothing but Bone-set: that
 Polygala Seneka  was  Snake Root: that Laurus Ben-
 zoin was no  more than  Spice-wood:  that  Asarium
 Canadense was Wild Ginger: that Babtisca Tinctoria
 was only another name for Wild Indigo:  that Hy-
 drastic Canadensis was nothing but Yellow Root: that
 PodophyIlium Peltatum was merely the May Apple,
 or common Jalap of the shops:  Sanguinaria Canaden-
 sis, was no more than the Puccoon or Blood Root, well
 known to every old woman in the state :  that Cornus
 Florida was nothing but Dogwood :  that Gillenia Tri-
 foliata was merely Indian Physic: that Draconitu Fce-
 tidum was nothing but Skunk Cabbage :  that Anthe-
 mis Cotula was  the Wild Camomile:  that Lobelia
Inflata  was nothing but Indian Tobacco : that Comp-
tonia Asplenifolia was  only the Sweet Fern:—and so
on to the end of the chapter.  But, on consideration
of the importance of this information, I will add a few
 more instances of the  shameful impositions practised
on the mass of the people, by the quackeries connected
with medical science.   They  are as follows:—Oleum 
             PRELIMINARY REMARKS.          141

Ricini, meaning Castor Oil: Unguentum Picis Li-
quidae, meaning Tar Ointment: Oleum Terebinthinae,
meaning the Oil of Turpentine:  Zanthoxylum Clava
Herculis, meaning the common  Prickly Ash of our
country : Sal.  Nitre, meaning Salt Petre : Tartarized
Antimony, meaning Emetic Tartar:  Sulphate Magne-      •
sia, meaning nothing but Epsom Salts : Ruta Graves-
lens, meaning our common Garden Rue: Salvia Offi-
cinalis, the common Sage: Sambucus Nigra, common
Elder: Serpentaria Virginiana, Virginia Snake  Root:
Myrtis Pimento,common Pepper: Ulmus Americana,
meaning Red Elm: Aqua Calcis, meaning Lime Wa-
ter :  and Carbo Ligni, Charcoal of Wood ! !  These, 1
think, are fair specimens of the useless technical terms
and  phrases, with which the science of medicine has
been encumbered  by a policy hostile to the interests
of every community; in which the  reader will easily
distinguish, if he will  look  one foot beyond his nose,
not only that big words and high sounding phrases are
not  superior wisdom, but  that three-fourths  of the
whole  science of medicine, as now practised and im-
posed upon the common people, amounts to nothing
but  fudge and  mummery.   In fact, it has  always
seemed to me, whenever I have reflected seriously on
this subject,  that all these hard names of common and
daily objects of contemplation were originally made
use of to astonish the people; and to aid what the w7orld
calls learned men, in deceptions and fraud.  The more
nearly we can  place men on a level  in point of know-
ledge, the  happier we  would become in society with
each other, and the less  danger there would be of ty-
ranny on the one hand, and submission to the degrada-
tions of personal slavery on the other: nor are these
all the benefits that would certainly arise from a more 
142
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
equal distribution  of useful information  among the
people.  We all know perfectly well, and if we do not
we ought to do so, that there are two ways of acquir-
ing a greater name than  common among  men.  One
is  by putting on affected airs of superior wisdom, and
the concealment of weakness and ignorance, to which
all men are subject: and the other is, by exhibiting to
the world great and useful energies of mind and cha-
racter, of which nothing  can be a more decisive proof
than success in our undertaking.  But this is not all;
the less we know of the weakness and imperfections
of what the world calls  great men, the more  we are
disposed to overrate their merits and wisdom, and to
become their humble followers, admirers, and slaves.
This is the reason why I wish  to impress upon your
minds, the simple and important truth, that  there is
not so great a difference between men as there appears
to be ; and that you are always  to find out in the cha-
racters of men, the difference between impudent pre-
sumption,  Which seeks to  blind you to  defects, and
modest and unassuming  merit,  which is above hypo-
crisy and deception. On  the other hand, I wish you to
remember, that the more we know of the ignorance
and weaknesses of great men, the less we will be com-
pelled to think of their assumed superiority, and con-
sequently the less danger there will be of our becoming
their most humble followers, their tools of dirty pur-
poses, and in fact their slaves. The fact is, if we would
always strip the fine coat, the  ruffled  shirt, the  well-
blacked boots, and what would  be better than  all, the
hypocrisy and presumption, from about those who pre-
tend to lord it over us; and if we could alw7ays hit the
true medium of truth and justice, in forming our opi-
nions of each other, there would be much less fraud in 
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
143
this world than there is: for you may rest assured, and
I desire you, most particularly to fix it  in your me-
mory, that no  man or set of men  ever yet attempted
to cheat or  impose on  your  credulity,  without first
forming a contemptuous opinion of your discernment;
in other words, all attempts to cheat and deceive you
are direct insults to your understandings.
  With these remarks, in which I have been as plain as
possible in point of language, in order that you  might
the better understand my meaning, I will now go on
to describe to you, in as plain language as can be made
use of, all the diseases we are most liable to in this
country, and all the best remedies for those w7hich are
brought to us from other countries.  I intend  also to
describe particularly, all the roots, and plants, and so
on. which we have about us in our gardens, barnyards,
fields, and woods, which are useful in the cure  of dis-
eases.   These will be important considerations,  be-
cause I am  convinced we  have many things  the most
common about us, that as medicines are as good  as any
in the world, and the knowledge of which by the peo-
ple themselves will enable them to cure their own
diseases in many instances, and avoid many and great
expenses.  The language I will make use of, as I said
before, will be extremely plain, the object of the wrork
being, not so much to instruct the learned as the un-
learned ; nor will I regard in the slightest, degree, any
of those petty critical remarks, which may be made
on such language, provided I succeed in  adopting lan-
guage which can be understood by those for  whom
this work is intended.   And here I cannot avoid re-
marking, that since this work of mine was commenced,
and measurably  finished, I have received from New
York  the first number  of a Deriodical work on the 
144
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
same plan that this is, to be w7ritten by some of the
greatest medical men in the  United States, some of
whom  are Mitchell,  Hosack, Mott, M'Neven,  &c.
These gentlemen, as well as myself, are convinced that
the time has come when all  the mysteries and  tech-
nical language  of  the  science of  medicine must be
made plain to the people of this country, and when the
old frauds and  quackeries of  the  profession must be
laid down and  discontinued in practice.  I am grati-
fied that men whose names have so much weight have
undertaken to make the science  of medicine plain;
because otherwise  I  should have  stood  alone in the
great attempt, and  had to contend with  all  the petty
critical remarks of all the petty professors of tbe sci-
ence, and  all those who wish to make a mystery of
wrhat every  man in  the community is  fully able to
understand if well  explained.
  Before concluding these observations, it may not be
improper  to  make some remarks, intended for the
more youthful portion of those into whose hands this
w7ork may fall.   Some of the diseases I am compelled
to mention  and explain, necessarily relate to a sex
whose  weaknesses  and delicacies of constitution enti-
tle them to the highest respect and the most tender
consideration : nor can any youth  be guilty of a more
flagrant breach of humanity, nor more completely dis-
close a brutal and unfeeling disposition, than by mani-
festing a wish to turn into unfeeling ridicule the dis-
eases and  calamities of women : I would at once pro-
nounce such a young man a  brute, a poltroon, and a
coward.   But I am confident there are few, if anv
such, in this country, because there are few or none
who will not recollect that their venerable mothers
were of the female sex, and that  they have probably 
             PRELIMINARY REMARKS.          145

sisters, and other relatives of the same sex.   I wish the
younger portion of my readers also to recollect, and  I
most  respectfully request them  to do  so, that when
perusing my book on the various diseases to which the
human body is liable, as to the uncertainty of life, and
the slender thread on which it hangs, I wish them to
remember how unknown to them are the vicissitudes
of this world;  how easily they may be thrown into
strange lands, destitute, friendless, and afflicted:  I wish
them to engrave on their minds that sacred rule of do-
ing all things to others which they would  wish others
should do unto  them: that they w7ould always let the
tear of sympathy drop for their fellow-creatures in af-
fliction and distress, and always let their hearts melt at
the tale of human wo, for which God will bless them
in all his works.
GUNN   10
« 
GUIDE  TO  HEALTH.
                    ON SLEEP.

         " What better name may slumber's bed become 1
          Night's sepulchre, the universal home.
          When weakness, strength, vice, virtue, sunk supine,
          Alike in naked helplessness recline;
          Glad for a while to heave unconscious breath,
          And wake to wrestle with the dread of deaths

   To exist as it were between life and death ; to rove
in imagination, unfettered by the cold and  strong re-
alities of waking existence, through a boundless realm
of visions which seem real; this is what we call sleep,
without knowing much of any thing about its causes.
The real cause  of sleep has been  a matter of much
guessing and speculation with  medical men;  even
very learned philosophers have disagreed in opinion re-
specting the cause of sleep, and nearly all the little we
know on the subject is, that w7hen the sable curtain of
night is drawn around' us, the mind and body, worn
out and exhausted by the fatigues of the day, sink into
soft repose.
  Napoleon, whose  genius seemed  capable  of seizing
every subject  of  contemplation with a giant grasp, re-
marked, while distinguishing between sleep and death,
that sleep w7as the suspension of the voluntary powers
of man: and that death was a suspension  of those that
were involuntary.   This was probably the  most  cor-
rect  distinction  between  sleep  and death  that has
ever to my knowledge been drawm by any man; and
I will endeavour to explain as clearly as possible, what
I think he  intended by  it.  When we  lie down to
                                             146 
                      SLEEP.                  147

sleep, we voluntarily exclude  the operation  of the
senses;  in other words, we see  nothing, hear nothing,
feel nothing, smell nothing, and taste nothing, and en-
deavour to think of nothing; this is as far as we can go
in the matter, for no man can possibly tell when he falls
asleep, or in other words, when entire suspension  of
the voluntary powers of the body and mind take place.
While in this situation,  however, we know that the
sleeper  breathes,  that his heart beats, that the  blood
circulates, that the stomach digests its food, &rd that
perspiration takes place :  now, as the will of the  'eep-
er has nothing to do with these matters, they depend
upon the involuntary powers of  the human system, and
when -these powers cease, death takes place. This is
as far as we can go as regards  sleep and death, for as
to dreams and their causes, all w7e can tell about them
simply is, that during sleep the  mind and  imagination
act with such brightness  and power, as to leave strong
impressions on the waking memory; I say the mind
and imagination, because wre not only distinguish ob-
jects as  if they were present, but because w7e can and
sometimes actually do reason about them, and that too
very correctly.
  It is impossible for us  to  enjoy good  health, unles~
blessed with sound and refreshing sleep: without sleep
tne whole frame is thrown into disorder, and a strong
disposition to disease; and the mind is much confused
and weakened.   Without the due repose of sleep, the
appetite for food is depraved and sometimes lost: the
health and strength fail: and the spirits become dis-
tressed  and melancholy  in the extreme.  The  acrid
matter is thrown off during sleep, insensible perspira-
tion is increased, and the body  increases in growth in
a greater degree  than when awake and actively em- 
148                  SLEEP.
ployed.   You are much taller in the morning when
rising from a refreshing sleep, than during or after a
day of severe fatigue.   Sleep assists much in the cure
of diseases, arid  may be considered, if sound and re-
freshing, a favourable symptom of recovery in sickness.
It is a welcome visiter in fevers, because it diminishes
the rapid motion of the  blood, and consequently cools
and refreshes the system.  It is of infinite benefit  in
dysentery or flux,  because  it  restrains the frequency
of the stools; also, in female diseases, in consumptions,
rheumatisms, pleurisies, and in  flooding; in fact, the
cure of  almost all diseases requires sound and refresh-
ing sleep, and so well known was this fact to a physi-
cian of  great eminence, that he seldom or never gave
his  patients  operative medicines, before he  had  pro-
duced sound sleep by the administration of an opiate.
The body receives nourishment during sleep ; and this
is the reason why  the growth is greatly  promoted  by
sleep: all men who are inclined to obesity or  fatness
sleep much. All young plants grow in the night time;
indeed  all  young  animals  grow in  the night while
sleeping; and this  is the reason why children require
more sleep than  grown persons.
  I have already told you in my introduction, that man
is a creature of habit, and may therefore accustom
himself to  almost any thing by practice.  Napoleon
had an alarm watch for the  purpose of awakening him
at any hour he  chose.  During  a campaign, one  of
his field officers  entered his tent at two o'clock in the
morning, having some important business with him.
Contrary to his expectation, he found the emperor up,
and dressed, and employed in laying off the plan  for
the battle of the next day, and addressed him thus:—
-• You are up late, emperor."  " O no," said Napoleon. 
SLEEP.
149
u I have just risen ; my sleep is over."  After calling
for his coffee, his usual practice immediately on rising,
he communicated to the officer the method he had fol-
lowed to ascertain  the  time of sleep required by his
constitution.   "I had,"  said he, "been  accustomed to
awrake every night,  after sleeping five or six hours, and
to continue awake during the remainder of the night.
This  led me to believe that I remained longer in bed
than nature and my constitution required ; and deter-
mined me, by this alarm watch, to abridge my hours
of sleep ten minutes each night, by rising ten minutes
earlier.  I soon  discovered how7  much sleep nature
required by the length of time I slept soundly, which
was only five hours.  I have since  continued this prac-
tice, and find my health good, and nature  sufficiently
restored and refreshed by it.  When in actual service,
and my mind much employed, my usual time of sleep
is but  four hours, from eleven to three inclusive,  &c."
As in all other cases, too much or too  little sleep  pro-
duces  injury to health and  strength of body and viva-
city of mind  and feelings.   The bed in which we
sleep for comfort and health is very important: the use
of feather beds, particularly in the summer season, is
extremely unhealthy; and  how persons can lie snor-
ing, soaking, and  sweating, in a large feather  bed, for
eight or nine hours at a time, which is usual with many
of the wealthy people of our country, is to me perfectly
astonishing; and I wish  them to understand distinctly,
that by so doing the following consequences inevitably
follow: their flesh  becomes soft, flabby, pale, and
weak: the digestive organs of the stomach  become
relaxed, feeble, and of no account, as is proven by the
want of appetite; in fact, the  whole  muscular and
nervous systems become so impaired  and  lost in  tone 
150                   SLEEP.
and vigour, as to be incapable of performing the duties
assigned  to  them by nature.   A mattrass  made of
shucks, nicely cleaned and hackled, forms a delightful
bed for summer ; and if you would enjoy sleep to the
extent which is essential to health and strength, avoid
a feather bed as you would a plague, and sleep on mat-
trasses of some Kind, or on a straw bed, or even pick
out the softest plank in the floor and stretch yourself
on it.  It is worthy of observation that most persons
who sleep  hard  are  more  healthy and  lively than
others: look at the Indians, w7ho sleep on  deer and
bear skins: look at soldiers, who sleep on blankets; and
at wagoners, who always, on journeys, sleep on hard
mattrasses on  the floors of  houses, or  on  the hard
ground in tents.  And  it is worthy of particular re-
mark, that a hard bed promotes digestion, and prevents
incubus  or  night-mare, that  demon of  indigestion,
which is  a scourge of thousands.  All  asthmatic  per-
sons, or, in other words, those who have the phthisic,
should sleep hard, and in refreshing and pure air; fea-
ther beds in close rooms are murdering thousands of
these people by inches.  Many people are subject at
night to  palpitations of the  heart, shortness of breath.
which seems to threaten suffocation, great  anxiety and
depression of spirits, uneasiness for w7hich  they cannot
account,  tremors, and so on, usually called nervous.
These people  ought always to sleep on hard beds and
in pure air:  and they ought  always, in w arm weather,
to wash or sponge their bodies  with cold water, taking
care immediately after to wipe themselves dry with a
coarse towel,  and then  to use the  flesh-brush;  this
course of proceeding  will, just before going  to  bed,
produce  sound and refreshing sleep.   Warm bathing
of the feet, before going to bed, is of infinite service in 
SLEEP.
151
causing sound sleep; the bath ought to have a little
salt in it, and to  be continued fifteen  or twenty mi
nutes; after which the feet ought to be wiped dry, and
well brushed with a flesh-brush:  persons subject to
cold feet, and those much advanced in age, will find
much benefit from the flesh-brush, and from wrapping
their feet in a well dried flannel before going  to bed.
When we lie down to sleep, every painful thought and
unpleasant circumstance should, if possible,  be  ba-
nished from the mind; and we should always endea-
vour to turn our meditations into channels which will
leave tranquil and soothing impressions behind them
when we fall asleep. Dr. Franklin's rules for sleeping
well, and having pleasant dreams, are very plain : he
says,  "Eat moderately during the day, and avoid
heavy suppers; sleep on a hard bed with your feet to
the fire, especially in very cold weather: and, above all,
during the day take sufficient exercise.  If you awake
from a sense of  uneasiness or accident, and  cannot
again compose yourself to sleep, get out of the bed  and
throw  open the bed-clothes,  and expose your naked
body to the action of the cold air: there is no  danger
of taking cold. When the cold air becomes unpleasant,
return to bed ; your skin has  by this time discharged
its perspirable matter, and you will soon fall asleep, and
your sleep will be sound and refreshing.   I have  fre-
quently tried this method with success, and find, after »
exposing my body to the cold air, a quick  desire to
sleep.  I therefore  recommend it as free  from  any
danger of taking cold.   Persons unaccustomed to  this
method should gradually accustom  themselves to a free
circulation of air.   The higher and more airy the bed-
chamber, the better for health."  As man is the crea-
ture of habit, he may bring himself gradually  to bear 
152
SLEEP.
 almost any exposure; but great and sudden changes in
 our habits should always be avoided.  Small close bed-
 rooms, and particularly bed-curtains, should always be
 avoided; and for this reason :  in close rooms and cur-
 tained beds, you  breathe  unchanged air, which has
 become impure from previous breathing.  As boiling
 water does not grow hotter by long boiling, if particles
 that receive greater heat can escape, so living bodies do
 not putrify and become corrupt, if the particles, as fast
 as they become corrupted,  can be thrown off.
   Nature always expels much bad and corrupted mat-
 ter by the pores of the skin and lungs: you may easily
 prove this to yourself, if your nose is sufficiently sharp,
 by  catching a scent of the breath and sweat of  many
 persons.  In a free and pure air, the corrupted perspi-
 rable matter from the skin is immediately carried off;
 but in a close room  or  bed, or in a dirty bed even in
 pure air, these particles of  bad matter are not carried
 off, and sickness  is nearly always the  consequence.
 Dirty rooms and beds cause a  great deal of disease, and
 persons cannot easily be too cleanly in their habits if
 they wish to be healthy; but  I will  say more on this
 subject when  I come  to  speak of  baths.  In close
 rooms or dirty beds we breathe the same bad and cor-
 rupted air over and over again, so that at every mo-
 ment it  becomes  more injurious.   Confined air,
•when saturated or filled with  perspirable matter, must
 remain with  us, and produces many of our diseases.
 Persons who are inclined to be fat, or who  are in
 reality so, should sleep on hard beds;  take a great deal
 of exercise; never sleep more than five or  six hours:
 and use  well  the  flesh-brush, particularly over the
 joints.   By  these  means, together with a proper
 regimen, which means food and drink, the bulk of the 
 

■^JV
Mi?
     *                    l-l-   -  ■
                          I ' \  \ ,M I OUS  Spoi I
O'er lulls, tlirou.eh  vallieskhy rivers brink
T.s  life.both  sweetourl & prolcm g'd

             ■:   K, 
SLEEP.
153
body  may be reduced, and the flesh made firm and
strong.
  Nothing undermines and destroys  the health and
constitution with so much rapidity, as want of sleep:
gamesters, courtezans, debauchees, and in fact all those
who lose much sleep, prove by their  pale and  sallow
complexions,  the  want  of "nature's  sweet  restorer."
Many instances have been  known  in London and
other  large cities,  where the waiters  and servants in
gaming houses, have become  absolutely insane or
crazy for want of sleep.  A person, by long sitting up
and losing sleep,  may at length become unable to
sleep, from extreme irritability of the  nervous system;
therefore persons  of an irritable  habit should always
be cautious of  such circumstances.   I have  known
many instances of apoplexy being produced by want
of sleep; persons should, therefore, w7hen such cases
are apprehended, bathe their feet in warm water when
they lie down, and  take a dose  of cooling medicine,
such as Epsom salts; or, in case  of fever, lose  a little
blood, and  take a slight opiate.  More, however, will
be said on the subject of sleep, and its diminution and
excesses, under the head of exercise.
                  EXERCISE.
  If you  would enjoy  health, take exercise  and be
temperate: and if you attend to these things properly,
you will have  but little use for either physicians or
medicines.  Temperance, exercise, and  rest,  are the
sure guarantees of sound health and vigour, if you have
naturally a good constitution, and almost the only sure
means of amending and preserving a weak and defi- 
154
EXERCISE.
cient  one.  Persons  who take proper  exercise, and
combine that  exercise with temperance,  are seldom
sick;  and those who fly to medicines on every trifling
cause of complaint, in nine cases in ten, might relieve
themselves by abstaining  from food for a  short time,
living on light diet, and  taking as much  exercise as
will   cause perspiration, without  impairing  their
strength by excessive fatigue.  Exercise, for the pur-
pose of producing perspiration, and throwing off the
excrementitious or bad matter from the  system, is
much better  than any medical means; not only be-
cause it is the means which nature herself prescribes,
but  because,  unlike  medical drugs   generally,* it
strengthens, instead of weakening the  system.  We
are always to  suppose, from the fact of the horrible
fetor or stench, which arises from  the  bodies of those
on whom fevers have just been broken, that the reten-
tion of that bad matter in their systems  contrary to
nature, was the real cause of their febrile  or  feverish
disorders; and does it not follow, that by getting clear
of that matter by natural means, before it has time to
accumulate and produce malignant and  obstinate dis-
eases, is  much better than to force  the vital organs
into a destructive action for producing the same effect?
In other words, do you not know,  that  when you
force the stomach into laborious action, or indeed any
other vital organ of the system, that you alw7ays
weaken and impair its energies, and  lay the  founda-
tion of many diseases to which the system under other
circumstances would be  a stranger ?    A  person  of
common size, and in good  health, will perspire  or
sweat, from three to  four  pounds' weight  in  twenty-
four hours, if proper exercise be taken; and the fact is,
that there is more in proportion of all the fetid matter 
EXERCISE.
155
of the system, discharged from the skin in perspiration
or sweat, than there is by the stool and the urine com-
bined : and can you not as easily see as I can tell you,
that unless  this bad  matter is thrown off from the
body by exercise and perspiration,  that the fluids of
the body will become greatly corrupted, and  all it*
vessels oppressed and morbidly irritated, and that dia
<ase must and will follow?  There is no  witchcraft
about the diseases to which w7e are all liaole; they are
all matters of plain reasoning between the causes  and
effects, to the full understanding of every man.   Are
we not  witnesses daily and hourly of the beneficial
effects of exercise, in the cure of diseases in which both
medicines and medical men  have  failed?   Half the
diseases of delicate women, and, in  fact, nearly all the
diseases connected with hysterics and hypochondria,
arise for want of due  exercise in the  open, mild, and
pure air.  Instead of stewing in a close room, and in-
dulging  in   moody  and  gloomy  anticipations,  and
instead of lying in a huge feather bed until  nine or ten
o'clock in the morning, dozing through morbid dreams
and vainly courting sleep, the woman of delicate nerves
and infirm  health, and the  gloomy  hypochondriac,
who has probably not sweated  for months together,
ought to spring from the feathered  couch at daylight;
view the opening  and brilliant landscapes  of nature,
just kindling into life and beauty under the beams of
the rising sun, and breast the pure mountain breeze!
  I have just told you, that exercise will not only pre-
serve your  health if you have a good constitution, but
that will frequently give healthy action and strength
to a w7eak and deficient one.  Cicero is described by
Plutarch as  being at  one period of his life thin and
weakly; so much so  indeed, from  the debility of his 
156
EXERCISE.
stomach, as to be able to eat but once a day, and that
a very small quantity.  In this debilitated and weakly
condition, he travelled  to Athens for the recovery of
his health; and so great were the effects of his exercise,
that, together with the gymnastic exercises of the place,
he became firm and  robust, and  his voice, which had
before been squeaking and harsh, was changed for me-
lodious, deep, and sonorous tones.  The  same writer.
Plutarch, describes the great Roman w7arrior, Julius
Caesar, as being originally of very delicate health, pale
and soft skin, and of very  feeble constitution by nature,
and subject  to fits; but  that  by a  military life, using
coarse diet and great exercise, he not only became in-
ured to the hardships and exposures of war, but healthy,
active, vigorous, and strong.  It is not worth while to
give any more instances of the  powerful  influence
which exercise has on the human system; if you wish
to know more about it, look at the brawny arms and
strong chests of sailors, wiio are always pulling ropes,
and contending with the winds and storms of the ocean;
look at the strong figure  of the sturdy woodman, who
makes the forests bow to the sound of the axe; and
indeed all those persons who are engaged in active and
laborious callings: and then, by comparing these peo-
ple with those who are always confined to their houses,
to books, and sitting postures, and trades which pre-
vent them from  moving  about, you will  be able very
easily to see the effects of exercise much  better than I
can describe and tell you of them.  I feel confident
in saying, that by exercise on horseback for women,
and exercise on foot for  men, together with some at-
tention to food and drink,  this dreadful disease, called
dyspepsia or indigestion, which paralyzes  both body
and  mind, and makes existence  itself a  burden, toge- 
EXERCISE.
157
 ther with the whole train of nervous diseases to which
 we are subject, may be cured completely without the
 aid of medicine, by laying dow7n and following sys-
 tematic rules of exercise, rest, and diet.
   All  the quack medicines for cleansing the blood,
 which you perceive in  the newspapers, are mere im-
 positions on the public.  Such medicines have theii
 day, and then die off to make room for new catalogues,
 without any  benefit except enriching the impostors
 who invent them.   The  sure  remedies for impure
 blood  and consequent eruptions of the skin, are those
 which nature prescribes, and which simply are exercise.
 temperance, and cleanliness of person; if you will mind
 these things, you need care nothing about cosmetics and
 lotions, and such nonsense, w7hich always sooner or later
 do immense injury.   We see daily and almost hourly,
 persons who have been accustomed to exercise and la-
 bour in their youth, changing their former modes of life
 for those of ease, refinement, wealth, and idleness, &c.;
 and we very soon see also, that these persons immediate-
 ly begin to sink into all the diseases which arise from
 corrupted habits of body, merely for want of their
 accustomed  exercise  and active habits; diseases to
 which they  would probably not have been liable, had
 they continued in their original habits of exercise and
 useful  industry.  We see them immediately labour-
 ing  under morbid eruptions of the  skin, jaundice,
 nervous  irritability,  palsy,  indigestion, consumptions,
 and heaven  above knows what more diseases too te-
 dious to name.  In all these cases, let me urge upon you
 the vast unspeakable importance of exercise and regu-
lar  diet, by which last I mean never touching spirit-
uous liquors of any kind.  Follow the French rules in
these respects, and you will  enjoy all that sprightly 
158
EXERCISE.
vigour of mind, and buoyant elasticity of health and
feelings for which that people are celebrated in all
parts of the world.  The French people, from their
habitually  taking  exercise, and  nearly always being
temperate  in eating and  drinking, are  exempted in a
great degree from those  diseases which arise  from
want of exercise, gormandizing on strong food, drink-
ing spirituous  liquors, and sleeping immoderately and
in close chambers.  In these respects, nearly all the
rest  of the w7orld  ought to take lessons from them.
We  all know very w7ell, that due exercise  and rest.
combined with light and  temperate eating and  drink-
ing, always produce cheerfulness and  serenity;  ana*
how do they do so ?  Why, simply by preventing ob-
structions  in  the  system;  and  by removing them
whenever they present themselves.  You seldom find
a Frenchman gloomy, oppressed in his  feelings, de-
spondent : no; and for these good reasons, he  seldom
omits to be active in his movements; to take exercise
and proper rest, and above all, he seldom eats heavily.
and immediately lies dow7n to snore away ten or twelve
hours, to the  exclusion of exercise beneficial to his
health.  We all know very well, that sluggardism or
sedentary habits, and want of exercise in proportion to
our strength, produces uneasy and bad  sleep, costive-
ness of the bowels, a dry and feverish skin, and a thou-
sand other things  connected with obstructions; and
we all know just as well, that exercise duly taken, will
always produce sound and easy sleep, that it has a
tendency to open the  bowels and to keep them open
and regular, and to remove obstructions of the skin, of
the lungs, of the liver, &c. &c. to the end of the chap-
ter :  and yet we will lie in bed, or sit in a close warm
room, breathing an atmosphere sufficient to poison us 
EXERCISE.
159
and gorge our systems with medical drugs, enough to
destroy the whole tone and energies of the stomach and
bowels !  I say again, instead of the medicines always
used to remove obstructions, to make sweat  flow, to
make the blood circulate freely, and to excite all the
healthy sensations and excretions, take exercise in the
pure air, live temperately on light diet and- drink, never
provoke  sleep by any other means than natural  ones.
and sleep no more than is necessary to renovate the sys-
tem.  Under such circumstances as these you will have
no use for mercurial purges, or any medicines save those
of a simple and harmless character.  Morning and even-
ing are the  proper hours for taking exercise: rise early
and walk from one to two  miles; in the evening also
devote an hour to exercise  in the open air.  You may
also  use weights of from  five to six pounds, which
when taken into the  hands  are to be thrown backward
and  forward so as to produce an action in the  chest ;
this  exercise is properly adapted  to persons  of wreak
breasts, and particularly to  females.
  I have frequently seen persons so extremely weak in
the chest,  and what  w7e call short-winded, as  to  be
unable to ascend the smallest hill without getting out
of breath, and who by the use of those weights a short
time, have become so much improved as to be enabled
to ascend the highest hills  without inconvenience or
oppression of the chest.   The great objects of  exercise,
and it will  ahvays have those effects when judiciously
taken, are to increase and regulate  the secretions and
excretions,  by the skin, the kidneys, &c. &c.; to give
power to the muscles, to impart tone and strength to
the nerves, and where a person is fat and unwieldy in
size, to  reduce the superfluities of flesh  and fat; to
reduce the quantity  of blood, and to make it thinnei 
160
EXERCISE.
and lighter.   The other benefits resulting from  exer-
cise are, good appetite, good and  easy  digestion, tran-
quillity and serenity of mind and feelings, pleasant and
refreshing sleep, astonishing increase of strength and
wind in  breathing, &c.  I  have seen a boy on the
Mediterranean, his carriage being  filled  with  pas-
sengers, run by the side of his  horses at considerable
speed for ten and fifteen miles together, without being
fatigued at the end of the journey, or being the least
oppressed for want of breath.  These boys subsisted
on a few bunches of grapes, and a small flask of wine,
daily, both of which they carry suspended from  their
necks.  The cheerful disposition of these poor  boys,
and  their great breath and  strength, convinced me
fully of the great benefits arising from diet and  exer-
cise.  The advantages of the training  system are not
confined to pedestrians or  walkers, or to pugilists or
boxers alone; or to horses  which are trained for the
chase and the race track: they extend to man in all
conditions;  and were training introduced  into the
United States, and made use of by physicians in many
cases instead of medical drugs, the beneficial conse-
quences in the  cure of many diseases would be very
great indeed.
          WARM OR TEPID BATH.
  It is impossible to find language to express  in ade-
quate terms the importance of this powerful preserver
and restorative of health;  this  great and almost in-
describable luxury, the bath.
  Considering its importance to the preservation of
health, and the cure of very many of our most afflict- 
WARM  BATH.
161
ing diseases; I am truly astonished  that the warm or
tepid bath should be so little used in our country.
  Warm baths are such as have  a temperature be-
tween  seventy-six and ninety-eight degrees of the
thermometer; but  persons  having no  thermometer
(indeed there is no need of one for regulating the tem-
perature of the water)  have only to consult their own
sensations in entering the bathing tub; because their
own temperament in contact with the water will im-
mediately advise them of the temperature required:
the only inconvenience that can ever be experienced
in using the warm bath, will be in being compelled to
leave its comforts.   The usual time of bathing is from
twenty minutes to half an hour; but with regard to
time, it is not material: the feelings and sensations of
the bather will better determine this point than I can
tell him.   The  warm bath, contrary to the  general
opinion, does not heat the body; it has on the contrary
an opposite effect, inasmuch as it obviously abates the
quickness of the pulse, and reduces the pulsations in
proportion to the time we remain in the wTarm water
  When persons have  travelled a  long journey, and
feel much fatigued, or  overheated  by an exposure to
the sun, or their minds  are  much disturbed, the bath
will be found an excellent remedy for invigorating the
whole  system, and at  the  same time  reducing the
irregular and quick action of the blood.   Indeed I feel
confident, that in thousands of instances, if the bath
were used in the first symptoms of those irregular and
feverish feelings which  prey upon the mind and body,
very many persons would escape sick-beds.   During
my practice in Virginia, I escaped the fever prevalent
in Botetourt  county, called the lick fever, in several
instances after having felt distinctly all the symptoms
      GUNN    11 
162
WARM BATH.
of that disease, by the speedy use of the  warm bath
and gentle purgatives of Epsom salts.  Had I not used
the bath, I feel confident I could not have  escaped this
dreadful and malignant disease, being exposed during
its prevalence, in attendance on a great many patients.
The warm  bath  is of very  great utility to  persons
troubled with  eruptions, or breakings out  of the skin,
such as itch, and indeed venereal sores.  In hypochon-
driacal hysterics, and  in insane cases ; and in fact on
persons labouring under madness, the beneficial effects
of warm baths are always visible: in scorbutic  and old
ulcers, or sores,  when attention  has been paid to
regimen, the utilities of the bath are equally great.  In
palsy and all  nervous diseases, I  recommend w7arm
bathing as one of the most effectual remedies.  Doctor
Charleton, of Bath in England, states, that out of nine
hundred  and ninety-six paralytics, most of whom had
resisted the powers of medicine, eight hundred and
thirteen were benefited by the application of the warm
bath at the hospital of that  city.  In a great variety of
chronic, or inveterate complaints, such as bilious dis-
eases, derangements of the liver, and of the stomach
and digestive functions, it is impossible to describe to
jou  its useful effects; and I solicit you  with every
sincerity of  heart to use the warm bath individually,
and in your families, as one of the efficient preventives
and cures of disease winch is in every man's reacb-  In
using the bath with some system and regularity, you
will ward off many hours'  confinement by ill health;
save tne  expense of many a doctor's bill,  and  prevent
you from having a ruined constitution, and a stomach
worn out by  swallowing medicines: for I do assert
without  fear of contradiction, that if the  warm bath
w7ere more  frequently used,  with proper abstinence 
WARM  BATH.
163
from food on  the approach of fever, and many other
diseases which I shall enumerate under their proper
heads, in five cases in ten, medical assistance would not
bereqwzd.  In all cases of debility from spasms; in
pain, in colic, in cramp, and in  anxiety  and  restless-
ness, the bath will relieve and tranquillize the system.
In hectic, or consumptive fever, I have  found it of
great benefit from the fact of its lessening the heat:
and most  particularly  beneficial when the liver was
connected with this dreadful disease.   In dyspepsia, or
indigestion, this terrible disease, which makes life itself
a burden, the bath is a valuable assistant and com-
forter in the cure.  All young persons who manifest a
disposition to stop at a premature point of growth—in
other words, to remain pigmies for life—should use the
bath; because it always promotes the growth of the
body, increases the proportions of the limbs, and  adds
much  to the  muscular powers.  On the subject of
barrenness I have reflected much, and as it seems to be
the anxious  wish of many of  the wealthy to have off-
spring, the remark or seasonable  hint, that the bath is
admirably adapted to the want of increase of family,
may be quite sufficient, without descending to  parti-
culars.
  The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Germans, as w7ell
as the Persians,  Turks, and modern Egyptians, enjoy
the comforts and benefits procured by bathing,  in a
degree of which we can scarcely form an idea.   The
French ow7e much of  their cheerfulness and  vivacity
of disposition to the warm bath; and you could  not
inflict  on  Frenchmen or  French  females a greater
punishment than to deprive either  of the warm bath,
which  they  always prize as a component part  of their
existence.   The soft, delicate, and beautiful skins, for 
164
WARM  BATH.
 which the French females are so much celebrated, are
 very much owing to the tepid bathing, being far pre-
 ferable to all  the cosmetics and other preparations sold
 for the purpose of whitening and beautifying the skin.
 The habits of persons are  very different as to perspira-
 tion or sweating: some perspire very much, and  others
 very little: from  some  no offensive effluvia arises in
 perspiring, whilst from bodies of others  there arises a
 perfect fetor; and I must here say, that of all possible
 putrid smells, that arising from the perspiration of the
 human body is the most dreadful; and to such persons
 as have a fetid perspiration, I do most certainly know,
 that the frequent use of the warm bath would  be of
 immense service.  It would not only prevent strangers
 becoming disgusted with  their society, but be a great
 auxiliary in promoting their health, and removing that
 most unpleasant smell which salutes the nasal organs
 with a perfectly sepulchral stench!  This uncleanli-
 ness, or want of cleanliness, exhibits itself as frequently
 in the drawing-rooms and  festooned halls of the great
 and wealthy, as in the humble cottages of the obscure
 and needy; and sometimes  produces disgusts which
 neither time nor circumstances can remove.  Let me,
 then, again, and with every desire for your happiness,
 and every delicacy of sentiment I am master of, urge
 upon you the simple fact, that cleanliness is the very
 best of perfumes, and that all those which are imported
 from the east are  inferior to  the pleasant and native
smell of the skin when  perfumed by the  use of soap
and water.  I ought here perhaps to close my remarks;
but I feel it a solemn duty I owe to my fellow-beings
 to be candid, as I have pledged myself to be, and  tell
 them plainly what I am satisfied will be most for their
good.   I have  absolutely known  many matches in 
WARM BATH.
165
wedlock, completely destroyed by the discovery of a
want of cleanliness; and  many married persons ren-
dered miserable and  highly obnoxious to each other,
by this lazy, indolent, and I  will add this dirty trait of
character:  for it is well known to all keen observers
of mankind, that moral purity and cleanliness of per-
son, are nearly always found combined.
  Every family, rich and poor, ought to have a bathing
machine, improperly called a  tub.  It is easy of con-
struction, and very simple, being in shape like a child's
cradle without rockers, about six feet in length, and of
width sufficient  easily to admit the body, with a hole
in the bottom, near the foot, to let  the water pass off
after being used; it may be constructed of wood or tin.
and if of the latter, it ought to be painted to prevent
rust.  Where it is made of  wood plank, the seams or
cracks ought to be filled with  boiling tar or pitch to
prevent leakage.  Rocks properly cleansed, previously
to being heated in  the fire,  afford very easy means of
heating the water to any temperature, and will always
enable  the  bather  to take  the bath  with very little
trouble.
  Most wealthy persons imagine, when they have fur-
nished their mansions with  splendid mirrors, Turkey
carpets, sofas, and  various  other decorations, which
soon tire after the novelty of  seeing them ceases, that
all things are complete;  but, I say, that unless  they
have a small room  appropriated to  bathing, in which
the necessary apparatus can  be found fitted up for use,
their houses want one of  the  most necessary append-
ages of comfort and health :  and that they ought to be
charged with the responsibility of many diseases which
afflict  tlieir  families, for want of this fountain of
health.  The construction  of  public baths has, from 
166
WARM  BATH.
the remotest ages, been considered an object of national
attention; and most sincerely and ardently do I desire,
that public baths might be established  in every city
and town in our country, as well for the health as  the
comfort of the people.
  The warm or tepid bath should be used about twice
or three  times a week in summer; in winter  once a
week is sufficient.  It ought to be used in the morning,
at noon, or when going to bed.
  Having now given a concise account of some of  the
benefits of this bath, I shall next show, by a brief state-
ment of facts, the method of bathing practised by  the
hardy Russians.  They have sweating or  vapour baths,
w7hich are resorted  to by  persons of  all classes, rich
and poor, free of expense, because these baths are sup-
ported and kept up by the government.  Here mingle
together  the beggar, the artisan, the peasant, and  the
nobleman, to enjoy the luxuries of the  steam or sweat-
ing bath, in both sickness  and  health.  The method
pursued to produce the vapour bath, is simply by throw-
ing wTater on red hot stones in a close  room, which
raises the heat from  150 to 168  degrees, making, when
at 168, above a  heat capable  of  melting  wax, and
only 12 degrees below that for  boiling spirit of wine.
In this tremendous  and  excessive heat,  which on an
American would  produce  suffocation,  the Russian  en-
joys what to him is a comfortable luxury of the vapour
bath, which shows clearly, as I have before observed,
the wonderful  force of habit  amono; mankind.  In
these  bath-houses are constructed benches, on  which
they lie naked, and continue in  a profuse  sweat  for  the
lapse  of  one  and sometimes two hours, occasionally
washing  or pouring over their bodies warm or cold
water. During the sweating stage, the  body is well 
WARM  BATHS.
167
 rubbed or gently whipped with leafy branches of the
 birch  tree, to promote  perspiration by  opening the
 pores of the skin.   A Russian thinks nothing of rush-
 ing from the bath room dissolved in sweat, and jump-
 ing into the cold and chilling waters of an adjacent
 river: or, during the most piercing cold to which his
 country is liable in winter, to roll himself in the snow;
 and  this without the slightest injury.  On the con-
 trary, he derives many advantages from these sudden
 changes and  abrupt exposures;  because he always by
 them hardens his constitution to all the severities of a
 climate whose colds and snows seem  to paralyze the
 very face of nature.  Rheumatisms are seldom known
 in Russia; which is certainly owing  to  the habit of
 thus taking the vapour bath.  The great and sudden
 transition from heat to  cold seems to us very danger-
 ous and unnatural;  but I have no doubt  the Russians
 owe their longevity, their healthy and robust constitu-
 tions, their exemption from certain mortal diseases, and
 their  cheerful and  vivacious tempers, to  these baths,
 and  their  generally temperate  mode of  living. A
 learned writer has justly remarked, and not without
 cause, that it is much to be lamented " this practice of
 bathing should have fallen into such disuse among the
 modern nations of Europe; and that he most sincerely
 wishes it might again be revived in our towns and vil-
 lages."   When we look back and see the benefits that
 the old physicians derived from this remedy of nature's
 own invention, and  the  many cures formerly effected
 by the use of the bath, and that Rome for five hundred
years together had few physicians but baths, we  can-
not avoid being astonished that  they should ever have
fallen into disuse, from the prejudice  and negligence
of mankind. 
168                COLD BATH.
                  COLD BATH.

   The cold bath is one of the most important  medi-
cinal remedies presented from the friendly bosom of
nature.  The cold bath means cleansing or washing
the  body with cold water, of a temperature  varying
from the thirty-third to the fifty-sixth degree of Fah-
renheit's  thermometer, or the usual warmth of our
river water during the summer months: but the en-
trance  of spring-branches into the  river should  be
avoided by persons bathing, because it produces  a sud-
den  change of temperature from an agreeable w7armth
to a  cold and chilling sensation.
   Bathing in cold water during the wrarm season, is a
preventive against diseases, particularly fevers, by less-
ening the heat of  the body;  it cleanses the skin from
its impure and acrid contents, thereby removing a pri-
mary source of disease:  the bath braces the  solids,
which were before relaxed by heat, restoring and tran-
quillizing the irritability of the nervous  system, and
greatly exhilarating and  cheering  the spirits with  an
increase of strength and bodily power. If the bath has
been serviceable, you will quickly feel,  after leaving
the water and  rubbing w7ell  with  a coarse towel, the
most pleasant glow or increase of heat, with a delight-
ful serenity and cheerfulness; but if the bath has been
injurious, you will feel the contrary effect to that which
1 have described:  and you must of  course discontinue
its use, and apply the tepid or warm bath in its  stead.
The  effects produced by the cold bath when they prove
injurious  to the bather, are  directly  the contrary to
those w7hich I have before described; such as heavi-
ness  and depression of spirits;  respiration or breathiDg 
COLD BATH.
169
becomes impeded;  livid or dark appearance of the
skin ; nails purple;  the lips change their florid appear-
ance to a pale or purple colour; and the countenance
assumes  a cadaverous or ghastly colour, accompanied
with  headach.  In such a case,  the bather should
immediately take plentifully of warm toddy, made
of spirits of any kind; or if a cramp in the stomach,
which sometimes takes place from the cold bath, thirty
or forty drops of laudanum  for a grown person, with
warm toddy, together with  the application of warm
salt to the stomach, will give immediate relief.   Mo-
derate exercise should alwrays be taken after bathing,
so as to restore the equilibrium of the circulation, and
produce a reaction  in the vessels and muscles.   The
morning is the best time for bathing, or two hours be-
fore sunset, if in a river, as the water has then, from the
rays of a summer sun, acquired an agreeable warmth.
When  the sun has disappeared, or evening begins to
throw her mists over the  water,  it is imprudent to
bathe, owing to the dampness of the atmosphere, which
is apt to produce a chill, followed by  fever.
   The  rules for bathing are, to enter the bath on an
empty stomach; or, in other words,  some time after
eating: wet  the head first, and if the bathing-place is
free from impediments, dive in head foremost, so as to
make the impression  uniform; for you will feel the
shock less by boldly entering it, than  by reflecting and
acting slowly and timidly, by which you might pro-
duce dangerous consequences by propelling the  blood
from the extremities to the head, inducing apoplexy.
   The time of remaining in the bath should always
be short, and must  be determined by the  constitution
and the feelings of  the persons  themselves, as healthy
persons  may continue in the  bath longer than those 
170
COLD BATH.
who are weakly and in bad health.  It is  improper
and unsafe to remain in the  cold w7ater longer than a
quarter of an hour at most, during the hottest day in
summer, as the principal object in  cold bathing is the
influence and effect produced by the  first impression
made on the system : and should the  cold bath be ad-
visable in spring  or autumn, which is sometimes the
case, one or two  minutes at most will be sufficient;
when the bath  is  necessary at these seasons, it will be
advisable to use the show7er bath, as hereafter described.
  On the use of the cold bath considerable judgment
is required, as many serious  and lingering complaints
have  been produced by the  injudicious use of this
remedy, and many diseases brought to a fatal termina-
tion by its improper application.   I  shall,  therefore,
describe as plainly as possible the different effects pro-
duced in the different constitutions, and the diseases for
which it is beneficial.
  On aged and thin persons it acts more powerfully
than on corpulent and fat persons; therefore a fat and
young person can remain double the time in the bath
to one that is old  or of  delicate constitution.  The re-
mark which I have  before made should be attended to
by  persons of stout or corpulent habits: particularly
those of short necks should always w7et the head and
enter the bath courageously, so as to prevent the deter-
mination  of  blood  to the head: persons of sanguine
temperament should be particular as to these instruc-
tions.
  Persons whose  lungs are affected, or those labouring
under breast complaints, should by all means avoid cold
bathing;  because by using it they always advance the
disease and cut short  the thread of life.  In oppres-
sions of the breast, or difficulty of breathing, short or 
COLD BATH.
171
dry coughs, &c, the bathing in  cold  water is highly
detrimental and improper; obstructions also  in women,
or stoppage of  the  menses  or  courses;  also persons
of a scorbutic habit, or  those afflicted  with old  sores
or  ulcers,  or vitiated state  of  the  system, gout  or
rheumatism,  pregnant  women;   in   hemorrhages  or
discharges  of  blood  from  the  lungs, in  all kinds  of
inflammation,  internal  and external,  the  cold bath  is
dangerous,  and frequently confirms  disease which ulti-
mately results  in dissolution or death.   Its benefits are
always found in a debilitated  state of the system,  when
unconnected with  the diseases I have mentioned; par-
ticularly  those  whose  systems  have  been relaxed  by
sedentary habits, requiring tonic or  strengthening  re-
medies.  I have frequently  in one or two dangerous
cases used  the cold  bath with females in an advanced
stage of  life, when nature was about to leave them, or,
in  other words, when  the  heavy flooding from the
womb w7as about to take place.
   The application of cold water, and frequently ice,
has  been  resorted to in profuse discharges of  blood
from the  wromb,  with  considerable  advantage, cold
water being a powerful  astringent.  When infirm or
aged persons  take the cold  bath, they ought  to take
moderate exercise before  using it, so as to  increase or
produce  the action of the  vascular system, for by this
moderate heat  you produce reaction under the shock,
which might not otherwise take place.   Understand
me, I  mean gentle exercise, not such as  to produce
sweating, although it is perfectly safe to enter the cold
bath after a moderate wralk or ride.   It would be highly
dangerous to go into the water when  sweating, or  la-
bouring under fatigue; because your body, from fatigue,
is losing heat rapidly by sweat; but it would by this 
172
COLD BATH.
lose suddenly what remains of heat;  and, therefore.
you counteract the benefits which would otherwise
result from a judicious use of this invaluable remedy
if properly applied; therefore neither previous entire
rest, nor exercise to overheat  can possibly be  proper.
But go  between these points moderately and you will
receive  all the advantages the cold  bath of this de-
scription is capable of bestowing on the human species.
   The cold bath is sometimes used as a shower  bath
with  great success; it  means  the falling of the water
from  a height of seven or eight feet, in a shower simi-
lar to rain.  The construction of this bath is very sim-
ple :  fix a box that will hold w7ater, or a large tub will
answ7er; bore the bottom full of holes with a large
gimlet,  let the box or tub be placed above your head,
the distance above-mentioned, and let the  water be
thrown in, you being stripped of your clothing, or from
delicacy to exposure of your person, have a box made
with  a  trap-door underneath, so that  by pulling the
string the trap-door will  fall  by a hinge, and permit
the water to fall on your body.  In the northern cities
the shower bath is constructed in this way, so that the
wrater is always ready in the  box. while you  are pre-
paring  by stripping yourself, w7hen by  pulling the
string, you will receive the bath on your body.   The
shower bath produces the best effects when used early
in the morning, after which you should take a  mode-
 rate walk, or exercise on horseback.   By making the
 water salt (that is, with  common salt, well mixed) it
 will  be doubly beneficial, answering the fine  effects
 produced  by sea bathing.   In  such  a case  the salt
 should  be boiled the night before with water, to give
 it the strength and qualities of sea water.   After leav-
 ing the bath, rub well with a coarse towel.  The ad- 
COLD BATH.
173
vantages of this  method  are  greatly superior  to  the
other methods of bathing, where the effects  required
to be produced are powerful:  for although the bathing
in a river covers the surface of the body more uniform-
ly, yet this  circumstance by no means detracts from
the  excellence of the former, because those  interme-
diate parts which the water has not  touched, receive
an  electric  and  sympathetic impression, in  a  degree
similar  to those brought  into actual  contact, and  as
every drop of water from the  shower bath operates as
a partial cold bath, its vivifying shock to robust indi-
viduals is more extensive, and  better adapted  than any
other method of bathing.  I  will now describe why
this bath is better than the  common method of bath-
ing, together with its safety and advantages.   In  the
first place, the sudden falling of the water may be used
as often  as you like ; prolonged or shortened at plea-
sure, according  to your  feelings,  your constitution,
your disease, or your gratification.  Second: your head
and breast are much secured, and as it descends to your
hands and feet, the circulation is not impeded, breath-
ing is less difficult, and a determination of blood to the
head and breast is prevented.  Third: when the water
falls in this  way by single drops, gliding in succession
over the body, it produces the most thrilling and  de-
lightful sensations, stimulating the wrhole system.   It
being always easily obtained and near  at hand, gives
it additional advantages.  Lastly:  the degree of pres-
sure from the weight of w7ater is prevented, nor is the
bath dangerous ? the  fluids  and circulation never be-
ing interrupted by it.  Besides, it is free from injuries
to which bathing in rivers and creeks exposes us.  In
closing my directions and advantages from the shower-
bath, I recommend the salt bath particularly, as one 
174
COLD BATH.
of the finest remedies in fits, in deafness, and for rick-
ety children, or those afflicted with a disease called St.
Vitus' dance, a nervous affection.   The great benefits
resulting from  the judicious use of the shower bath
have been fully felt and acknowledged in the city of
New York, by the first and ablest physicians of that
city of improvements and great discoveries in medi
cal science.
               SULPHUR BATH.

  I have repeatedly mentioned in the course of the
preceding pages, that this  bath was a most invaluable
remedy in which this head is referred to: I shall now,
therefore, endeavour to give as minute and plain a de-
scription of it as possible, and in as common and plain
language as I can find.
  The fumes of sulphur wTere employed as a bath, and
a remedy against  many diseases, as early as the time
of the celebrated Hippocrates.   After falling into dis-
use for a very long period, this bath has of late become
a matter  of general interest, especially since the expe-
riments made  by Dr. Gales in 1812; and since his
publications on the efficacy of sulphurous fumigations
in the cure of many obstinate diseases.   Dr. Gales
made his first trials of this remedy by placing a small
basin of sulphur and  nitre under the bed-clothing of
the patient, who was stripped naked, and exposed to
the fumes of the  contents of the basin: at the same
time that these fumes were  confined  to the body by
the bed-clothes, and prevented  from  reaching  the
mouth and  nostrils of the patient, by wrapping his 
SULPHUR BATH.
175
neck and shoulders very closely with the clothing of
the bed.  The method was found, on fair experiments.
to be imperfect and unsatisfactory; and he afterwards
adopted in place of it, what  he very properly called
his fumigatory box, which I shall now describe:
   This box is merely a w7ooden  case, sometimes re-
sembling a pulpit, in which the patient can sit upright
in a chair, with his head above the top of the box, and
his shoulders immediately below it.  Underneath this
box, and connected  with  it,  are the parts which are
necessary for producing the fumigations to be applied
to the  naked body.  The lowest story is the ash-pit:
the middle one contains  the fire, and the uppermost
one is the hearth for the sulphur.   The floor of the box
itself is immediately above the hearth for the sulphur,
and is  bored or perforated full of holes in  order that
the fumes of the sulphur, when heated by the fire be-
low, may ascend through the bottom of  the box, and
completely surround, touch, and envelope the naked
body of the  patient.  The top of the box  is so con-
structed, that the hole or opening in the middle of it
closely embraces the neck, and effectually prevents the
fumes of the sulphur in  the box from reaching the
mouth, nose, and eyes of the patient.  This descrip-
tion, reader, is the whole secret of the sulphur bath, so
much  talked of, so little known, and so rarely used in
the United States.   When the seat of the disease to be
removed is on the face or  any part of the head, the va-
pour, or fumes of the sulphur from the  box, may be
applied to the part affected by means of a flexible pipe;
by which  I  mean one that can be moved in different
directions, like  the  leader of a fire engine, reaching
from the box to any part of the face or head.   This
sulphur bath must  be  taken from fifteen minutes to 
176
SULPHUR BATH.
an hour, according to the state of the patient, and the
stubbornness of the  disease to be removed.   Imme-
diately after taking  it, the patient ought  to retire to
bed for an hour or two.
  I have mentioned in another page of this book, that
when the remedies there noticed for rheumatism have
failed, recourse must alw7ays be had to sulphurous fu-
migation, which I have now accurately  and plainly
described to you.  The truth is, it is an active and
powerful remedy in very many diseases besides rheu-
matism.  It is an excellent remedy in psoriasis palma-
ria, which is a very obstinate species of tetter, confined
to the palm  of the hand;  also in psoriasis scrotalis, in
which the skin of the scrotum, or bag containing the
testicles, is afflicted with heat, itching, tension, or tight-
ness, and appears of a red colour. In  cases where the
skin of the scrotum or bag is thus affected, the above
symptoms are succeeded by a hard, thickened, brittle
texture of the skin, and by painful chaps, cracks, and
excoriations, or scalings off of the skin, not easily to
be healed by any other means than sulphuric fumiga-
tions.   This remedy is  also valuable  in what physi-
cians  call psoriasis inveterata:  which is  known by
universal scalings of the skin of the whole body, wilich
becomes harsh, dry, and much thickened.  This dis-
ease commences with a  few irregular, though distinct
patches on the extremities; these patches  next appear
on different parts of the body; and, lastly, they become
what is called  confluent, and spread  over the whole
surface of the body.  The skin is then red, deeply fur-
rowed, and so stiff or rigid, as to impede the  movements
of the joints;  and so  quick is the formation or exfolia-
tion of the scales from the body, that the bed is fre-
quently found covered with them. 
SULPHUR BATH.
177
  I have now occupied more space under .this head
than I  at first intended; but considering the vast im-
portance of the sulphur  bath, and its most valuable
qualities in  cases where the  human system has been
charged with mercury, which requires removal, I think
the space well and profitably occupied.  For a further
description of this bath, see pages 145 and 550, third
volume of the Medical Recorder: the limits of my
book preventing  my giving a minute  detail  of this
valuable remedy.
                     FOOD.

  Food means any thing which, when taken into the
stomach, goes to the  support and nourishment of the
human body; and we all know perfectly well, that all
otber animals as well as man, require food to give
them support, health, and strength.  All animals below
man, seem to be confined to particular kinds of food to
support them ; and this  appears to  be the reason why
naturally  wild  animals are  confined  to particular
climates, unless  under the care of man: and the simple
truth, that man  makes use of so  many different kinds
of food, shows  that his Maker intended him to live
everywhere, and to have dominion  over  all the beasts
of the  field, the fowls of the air,  &c, as the Scripture
expressly says.  But I will endeavour to explain this
matter a little further, so as to be more  easily under-
stood.   Fish cannot live out of the water, birds cannot
live  out of the air;  nor can any mere  land  animal,
such as the elephant, the  lion, the  horse, or the cow,
live in either the air or the water: and. further still, on
        GUNN    13 
178
FOOD.
this same  subject,  we see very plainly, that a sheep
cannot eat  meat, nor a wolf or lion eat grass.   In fact,
you may look at all  the  animals  in  nature, and you
will see, as I said before, that all below man are  con-
fined to the particular countries and places wiiere they
can find food and shelter from their enemies ; and that
to man alone is given the whole surface of the globe5
because he can live everywhere on it, and easily find
subsistence or food to support him.   He can eat fish
from the w7aters, he can eat birds from the  air, he can
eat the  animals of the land, the herbs, and  vegetables,
and roots, and grains, of the field and woods.
  I shall now endeavour to explain  as  plainly as  pos-
sible, (because every person is interested in knowing
it,) what physicians call  the  "process of  digestion"
which means, in other words, the changes  which our
food goes through when taken into the stomach. First,
the food being masticated or chewed, and mixed in the
mouth with the spittle, called the saliva, and air, is next
received into the stomach, w7here it is exposed to the
action of a kind of liquid called by physicians gastric
fluid, wilich is a powerful solvent of animal and vege-
table matters.  After remaining in the stomach a short
time, it  becomes a soft gluey mass, having  undergone
a change or decomposition in the stomach, which may
be termed fermentation.   From the stomach it passes
into the intestines, where it is subjected to  the power
or action of the bile: here it  undergoes still  further
changes, by forming  a  white  milky fluid, called by
medical men chyle.   This milky fluid is  sucked up
by numerous little vessels called medically absorbent
lacteals.  These little vessels are in the intestinal canal,
and all the  food as it passes is subject to the influence
 >f the  mouths of these little  vessels, which  suck up 
FOOD.
179
this milky fluid called chyle.  These little vessels have
many communications; so many that it is impossible
to trace them, being formed with  such delicacy of
structure, and so very small: after many communica-
tions with each other, they at last end in one common
trunk, from which the chyle is conveyed into the blood
near the heart.   It is here mixed with the blood, and
becomes subject to the power of the  heart and arteries,
or, in other wrords, large blood-vessels.  It is then cir-
culated through the lungs: here many changes take
place by breathing the air or  common atmosphere.
After this it joins with the great circulating mass, and
becomes  blood itself:  this being: the  great fountain
from which the body is formed  and  strengthened.
  Food, then, we see very plainly, is intended to sup-
port nature, promote the growrth, and to give strength,
and to renew the waste of the system.  The structure
of man's body, his inclinations, his  instincts, and the
gastric fluid, intended to digest both animal and vege-
table food, show that the Creator has intended man to
receive his food from the animal and  vegetable  king-
doms.  But of vegetable and animal  food, animal is the
most nourishing.   It is putrescent and stimulating, and
highly injurious to live on any length of time, without
a due proportion of vegetables; for it overheats and
stimulates so much, as at length to exhaust and weaken
the whole system, which, in the first instance, it gave
vigour and support to.   Persons who have lived for
any length of time on meats, become oppressed, heavy,
and  lazy: the tone of their systems is impaired, the
breathing is hurried on the least exertion, the digestion
is destroyed, the breath smells bad, the gums swell, the
limbs lose their action and become  swelled, and soon
break out in sores, (this disease  is called scurvy,) and 
i^O
FOOD.
 sailors are much  subject to it on a long voyage when
 deprived of vegetables.
   A German received a premium of twenty thousand
 pounds sterling for introducing sour krout or  pickled
 cabbage into the British navy.  This vegetable  is an
 antidote  or preventive  against this dreadful  disease
 called scurvy, which for a length of time  destroyed
 thousands of seamen on long voyages, who were com-
 pelled to subsist on salt provisions.   All acids are con-
 sidered good in scurvy.  A diet of vegetables entirely
 is not sufficient to raise the human  system to  all the
 strength  and  vigour to  which  it is susceptible:  and
 wiien used alone without any meat, produces flatulence
 and acidity of the  stomach, muscular and nervous
 debility, and a long train of hysterical and hypochon-
 driacal  disorders.   This shows the importance of a
 proportion of  each being intended for man.  We find
 some eastern  nations, who live entirely on vegetables,
 seldom robust, but very active.  This accounts in part
 for the cheerful disposition of the French, whose vege-
 table and animal food are generally mixed, and boiled
 to the softest consistency.  A  mixed diet of vegetable
 and animal food is therefore best suited to the nature of
 man.  The proportion of these must  be regulated
 according to the manner in which they agree.  Persons
 who are fat, plethoric, or sanguine, should use but little
 animal food: those, on the other hand, who are w7eak
 and  nervous, may use more animal food.  In  all in-
 flammatory  and acute diseases, where inflammatory
 action exists, meat is hurtful.  Meats, which I shall
hereafter describe, are more beneficial than vegetables
 for persons who are subject to indigestion; particularly
 wild  meats, such as venison,  or birds whose flesh is
w7hite; the partridge, quail, pheasant, wild turkey, &c.: 
FOOD.
181
the flesh of these is of a most agreeable and delicate
flavour: little heating, and, when young, very nourish-
ing and easily digested.  In fact, all wild animals are
more easily digested than tame ones, with the excep-
tion of water fowls, and such  as live  on fish, as th-'ir
flesh  is oily,  strong  flavoured, heavy, and difficult  to
digest, &c.   By the abuses of cookery, by  wriH-  I
mean  the  uses of  high seasoning and  sauces the
simplest food may be rendered heavy and indigestible.
The frog is not used in this country, but looked  upon
with disgust; and to name it as an article of food would
almost turn the stomachs of many.  In  France, on the
contrary, it is considered as one of the greates delica-
cies,  and frequently sells  at  a guinea  a dish.  The
hinder legs alone are made use of in France, and - ther
countries where it is  made an article  of food.  The
flesh has a white and delicate appearance, and  there
are men in France who obtain a livelihood by catching
them.  I have frequently seen them engaged in this
employment, which is very simple: they bait a honk
with a piece of red flannel or  silk, at  which the fr  :;-t
will  bite like fish, and are thus  as easily caught.   I
have merely mentioned this, not by way of recom-
mending them as a diet, but to  show  the variety  of
tastes and habits of different countries.   The  flesh  of
the soft-shell  turtle,  which  is  caught in  our own
waters, is tender and nourishing, and more to be con-
sidered as one of the delicacies of the west than any
thing else they have: and if properly dressed affords a
most excellent dish, and one  very easy of digestion.
The flesh of all young animals is  the  best and m>st
easily digested : mutton or  lamb, next to the flesh  of
the kid, is superior  to any  known.   Veal .s delicate,
and better than beef as to digestion; but neither can 
182
FOOD.
be good for  persons of weak digestion.  I have men-
tioned venison  as being  very  easy on the stomach;
indeed it  is so very  easy of digestion, that I think
dyspepsia  itself might be cured by it, when  accom-
panied by the exercise of hunting the animal*which
affords it.  Pork is a food which is too much used by
persons of delicate and feeble constitutions.  There is
more pork meat used in the west than in any part of
the United States; and it is to this voracious  habit of
gormandizing pork at every meal we  are to attribute
the many serious forms of congestive fever which pre-
vail there, to say nothing about scrofula, palsy, apoplexy,
indigestion, and so on.   Pork is a food  highly nutri-
tious, but, from the fat with which it abounds, by no
means easily digested.  It is in fact the strongest of all
animal food, producing to weak and delicate  stomachs
acidity and  unpleasant belching or eructations;  and
therefore should be cautiously used by persons labour-
ing under dyspeptic symptoms or indigestion, and those
whose bowels are weak.  Pork can be alone adapted
to men who labour hard, because  it requires  activity
and great exercise to digest it.   Bacon  is a coarse heavy
food, and also difficult of digestion : and like pork, only
fitting food for persons wiio have to labour hard. Ham
is also a heavy and strong food, and should be carefully
avoided by all persons of w7eak stomachs, even  when it
is cured in the very best  manner.  The young pig is
more wholesome, and affords a much more delicate
and light food than the old animal.   The rabbit  and
squirrel afford an  excellent dish, easily digested, and
admirably suited to the stomachs of those who are
delicate and yet require animal food.  But the fact is,
all  persons  who have an impure state  of  the blood,
those who have sores, or  wounds, or breakings out on 
FOOD.
183
the skin, should by all means refrain from the use of
all animal food, and particularly from pork.   Fish, as a
diet, is difficult of digestion; it is of all animal sub-
stances  the most putrescible, and ought not  to be
allowed to weak patients, or  persons recovering from
acute diseases; and the reason why dyspeptic persons
should avoid it is, that the fat of fish is harder to digest
than the fat of any other animal, and quickly becomes
rancid.   It frequently disagrees  with many constitu-
tions, producing   flatulence  or wind,  sickness  and
weight at the stomach, and sometimes vomiting:  and
I have frequently known it to produce  a general dis-
order of the whole system,  accompanied with short
but regular paroxysms of fever, and sometimes a break-
ing out on the body resembling the nettle rash.  It is
a very common saying, in allusion to the use of spirits,
after eating plentifully of fish, that it requires some-
thing to swim in ; this shows  that it is a dangerousdiet
to more than sickly,  delicate, and dyspeptic persons.
Fish which abound in oil, called the red-blooded fish,
are more stimulating and nutritive than any  other;
but much heavier, and more apt to disagree  with the
stomachs of weakly persons: the fact is, that dyspeptic
persons ought to avoid fish altogether, and under any
possible forms of cookery.  Diet depends very much
upon the manner  in which it is cooked.  The most
simple food  may be converted into poison, by the pam-
pering and  studied artifices  of epicures and  cooks.
This is the reason why the French cookery is superior
to that of  the English,  or even to our own.   The
French use  all  the innocent  herbs and plants of the
garden, while the  English and Americans season their
food with highly  stimulating spices, calculated to de-
stroy the coats of  the stomach.  During my  residence 
1S4
FOOD.
in France, I recollect but two cases of dyspepsia or in-
digestion.  This is certainly owing to the manner in
which the French live.  The qualities and quantities
of our food, with the manner of cooking it, should  be
strictly attended to; and by so doing we would escape
some of the most dreadful diseases incidental to human
life.  The more simply we cook and dress our food,
the less of it the stomach requires to  be  satisfied; for
by stimulating the stomach with seasonings we pro-
duce an artificial appetite, and rouse it to  the  requisi-
tion of more  food than the system requires;  and by
overloading and  oppressing  its powers,  wreaken and
finally destroy them.   To enjoy good health, wre ought
always to  leave  the table with  some appetite; nor
ought w7e ever to partake of  any dish, however pala-
table, which we know by experience to disagree with
us.   The more plain the food we use, the more  easily
will it be digested, and the less we will desire.  The
various dishes given  at parties,  consisting of pies,
puddings, tarts, ice-creams, floating-islands, sometimes
called, and very  properly, trifles, &c. &c, are just so
many poisons  calculated to destroy the stomach, and
entail upon the dyspeptic a life of misery and  disease.
I have witnessed in  my practice, especially among
females, that the disease called dyspepsia or indigestion
prevails very much.   I would, therefore, particularly
urge upon them, as they value their health and  lives,
to avoid all this farrago of fashionable desserts; for by
so doing, and  living  temperately and  abstemiously,
they will establish firm constitutions, which  will be
entailed  on their offspring, extend to themselves the
inestimable blessing  of health, and enable them  to
reach the winter of good old age. 
FEVER, ETC.
185
    FEVER; AND  GENERAL REMARKS.

  It is almost impossible to describe fever correctly,
because it shows itself in so  many various ways and
forms.   To judge of its presence, we are to notice par-
ticularly the following appearances and  indications:
the state of the pulse, the skin, the colour of the face,
the change of feature,  the eyes, the tongue, the breath-
ing, the appetite, the state of  the stomach and bowels.
There  is generally great thirst and. pain in  the  head ;
soreness all over the body, as if beat with a stick, or as
if a person were fatigued after a hard  day's work; a
desire to sleep constantly, and sometimes  a great in-
crease  of  strength accompanying  fever.  By these
symptoms you are to  judge of this disease.
   The most distinguished medical men have differed
in  opinion as to the cause of  fever:  and to  this  day, I
must honestly confess, that physicians  are much in the
dark as to this subject.  Doctor Brown, a distinguished
physician of Europe,  thought it  arose from a want of
stimulant in the blood-vessels, or an excess of it.  Doc-
tor Rush, our distinguished countryman, thought there
was in fever but one disease ; morbid or convulsive  ac-
tion in the blood-vessels.   Doctor Chapman, Professor
in the University of Philadelphia, thinks that most dis-
eases originate from the stomach.  My experience  in
medicine convinces me that this eminent  practitioner
of medicine is correct.  The first impression is made
on the  stomach by medicine, which acts instantly by
sympathy.  It is the  general reservoir which receives
those medical remedies by which the  disease is to  be
subdued;  consequently there is great sympathy  be-
 tween the stomach and the whole system; and many 
186               FEVER, ETC.

cases supposed to "be liver diseases, on a minute exami-
nation, you will find to originate in the stomach.  It is
impossible  to  describe the close connexion between
the liver and  the stomach.  On this subject particu-
larly, pay attention to the stomach first, and you will
discover the primary cause of the disease; I will there-
fore describe plainly and faithfully the symptoms of
such fevers as are common  amongst us, so that with a
little care and common judgment, the reader will be
enabled to discover by the  symptoms, the causes  of
such fevers  as prevail among us: nor do I consider
that those fine and hair-drawn opinions of fever, given
by physicians generally, are of any benefit to mankind
but, on the contrary, serve to bewilder and lead astray.
The great  secret of  medicine  is to discover the first
cause of disease, and in the  next place to apply the  re-
medies properly;  and to do these things as they ought
to be done, let your judgment be exercised with clear-
ness, caution and  firmness: and to give you firmness,
be conscious that  you are endeavouring to act for the
best;  as there is not so much difficulty in medicine as
many imagine, if you will but attend to the causes of
the diseases, and  watch the effects of the remedies.
The fact is, that  a man of good common sense and
judgment, who will  take his station at the bedside of
the patient—be minute in his inquiries as to the habits
of that patient—know when and how he wras taken
sick—ascertain all the apparently small particulars as
to the pains first complained  of;  and without what is
called a  learned college  education, you will, in nine
cases out of ten succeed, when mere theorists who pre-
cribe for the names of diseases, without understanding
them, will absolutely  fail.  On conversing with a sick
person, ask the following questions, if the situation of 
FEVER, ETC.               187
the patient enables him or  her  to answer; and after
waiting the subsiding of any strong excitement your
presence may create.  How were you taken ?   When
were you taken ?   Where did you feel the first pains ?
What were  your feelings for several  days previously
to being taken ?  Is your mind disturbed in any way ?
What are your general habits ?  Are you temperate in
eating and drinking ? What have you eaten for several
days before  being taken sick ?   How and when have
you been exposed?  Do you recollect how you  felt
when you were taken sick ?   What has been your ge-
neral  health ?   Or, if the  patient be a female, Have
you been regular in  your monthly periods?  Is there
any suppression of urine ?  This is a  delicate  matter
with females;  because  from delicacy of feeling they
frequently conceal it.  How is the state of your bow-
els ?   These are important matters, and require candid
statements from  the sick.  By thus minutely inquir-
ing into the state of  the system,  you strike at the root
of the disease,  and get  on the right  track; for thou-
sands have been killed by physicians, for want of this
accurate knowledge,  or mistaking the disease.   There
are many other circumstances which should be known,;
and which your good judgment  will not fail to point
out to you: and  1 need not add, that the necessary
information should be obtained from some experienced
person of the family, if the  patient should be in a de-
lirium, or too young,  or too sensitively delicate to give
it.  From  what  I have before  observed, that fever
shows itself in so many various forms, you will see at
once the necessity of knowing the true causes, if pos-
sible, which assisted  in producing the  disease.  Let
me, therefore, implore you  not to be alarmed in ad-
ministering medicines in fevers,  or, in fact, any other 
188
FEVER,  ETC.
diseases wiiere good and sound judgment is required;
you need not fear if you will but pay good attention,
and have confidence in yourself: I allude to such dis-
eases as  are  common among  us, because there are
cases which require a very excellent  physician ;  and
under such circumstances, the heads of families  need
not be told the absolute necessity of having such a one
To give an evidence of the insufficiency of mere theo-
ries, with which boys come from colleges, I will take
the liberty of stating an occurrence of early life, which
transpired with myself, in  the  practice of medicine.
In the state of Virginia, my first patient w7as an old gen-
tleman of distinction, Colonel Willis.  His unbounded
confidence in me, when taken sick, induced him to
employ  me in preference to his old  physicians.   The
colonel w7as a man of full plethoric habit, and had been
taken with violent bilious fever. I bled him copiously;
puked and purged him with small doses of emetic
tartar, to determine  to the surface, or, in other words,
to produce a moisture on the skin, and thereby lessen
the fever.  But all my remedies were unsuccessful;
for the  truth was, I did not know his constitution or
habit; and to describe to you my feelings on this occa
sion would be impossible: and  here vanished all  my
theories, for want of a little sound judgment and prac-
tical knowledge.  To the information given me, how-
ever, by a faithful servant who  had attended on him
more than thirty years, I was indebted for his recovery.
He stated that while he was in Philadelphia with his
master, he had a similar attack, and was attended  by
Dr. Rush: that the doctor had given him warm brandy
toddy; for, said he, " my master always loved a little
brandy, and most generally enjoyed  himself."  I took
this seasonable hint from honest Bob, whose informa- 
FEVER,  ETC.
189
tion had destroyed all my college theories, and taught
me to scrutinize the, constitution and habits:  for in
little more than fifteen minutes after I had given him
some warm toddy, he broke out into a fine sweat, and
soon  entirely recovered.   I afterwards related  the
anecdote to the colonel himself, who, after laughing
heartily at the joke, assured me that Bob was certainty
right.   I shall close these general remarks on fever, by
giving  you the  key to medicine, or  the art of  distin-
guishing the true state of the system, without which
it would be impossible to administer medicine with
certainty of success.
                  THE PULSE.
  This is indeed  the key of medicine; for without
authentic and minute information on the subject of the
pulse, it is impossible for you to proceed to administer
medicine to  the sick with  any certainty of success.
But I shall describe it to you plainly, and in words of
such common use, that any person  of common sense
can understand this great secret of medicine in the art
of judging diseases.
  The meaning of the pulse is the beating or throb-
bing of an artery; there being no  pulse whatever in
the veins.   The meaning of an artery is a large blood-
vessel, branching out into smaller  ones, which carry
the blood from the heart to the ends of the body; in
other words, to the points of the fingers and toes, where
they join with the veins, which bring the blood back
again to the heart: as I said before, the arteries throb
or beat, and the veins do not.  By pressing your mid-
dle finger hard on the  vein, you  will feel  the artery 
190
PULSE.
beat under it distinctly.  Every time the heart beats, it
throws a column of blood into the arteries; then again
the heart contracts or draws up, and a fresh portion of
blood is forced on into the arteries.   Reflect for a
moment on this wonderful machine, the heart; it goes
with greater regularity than any watch, and at the rate
of about four thousand  one hundred and fifty strokes
every hour.  The swelling and contracting of the  ar-
tery, then, constitutes what I mean by the pulse; and
therefore  you  may find the  pulse in any part of the
body where the artery runs near enough to the surface;
for instance  at the ivrist, the temple,  bend of the arm,
under the lower end of the thigh, under the lower jaw,
and on the top of the  instep of the foot.  In different
persons, although in perfect  health, you will  find the
pulse differ very much:  the  usual standard of health,
however,  is from  seventy-five to eighty strokes in a
minute.  In children it is much quicker; and in  old
persons it is more slow and weak.   Owing  to the
decreasing energies of the heart as you advance in age,
it becomes less and less capable of propelling the blood
through the arteries, w7hich occasions the medical term
debility, meaning weakness.    By  running,  riding,
walking, jumping, eating, drinking, speaking,  joy,  an-
ger, &c, you  increase the pulse: and in like  manner
you diminish  the pulse by  fear, grief, depression of
spirits, want of food, frequent stools,  flux, or any  thing
else that tends to weaken the  system.   In feeling  the
pulse, you must make  allowance for all these things;
and always  wait until all momentary emotions of  the
mind and passions have subsided and passed off.
   1st. A  full, tense, and strong pulse (terms used by
physicians)  is, when you find that the artery resists the
 pressure  of your fingers; feels full, and swells boldly 
PULSE.
191
under their pressure.  If, added  to these,  the beating
be rapid and quick, the pulse is called full and strong:
if slow, it is called weak and fluttering, and an irregu-
lar pulse.
  2d. A hard and  corded  pulse  is that in which the
artery feels like a string drawn  tight; and when you
press it with your  fingers, it gives considerable resist-
ance.
  3d. The soft and intermitting pulses give their own
meaning by name, and are very easily distinguished
from each other; as  in cases of great weakness, lan-
guor of circulation, or on the approach of death.
  4th. When the stomach and  bowels are oppressed,
it  frequently  produces  an intermitting pulse,  which
sometimes also arises from an agitation of the  mind.
A vibrating pulse, acting under the fingers  like a
thread, as if the artery were smaller,  with quick pulsa-
tions, but very weak and irregular, may be considered
as proving a highly dangerous state of the system: you
will know this  pulse by its being accompanied with
heavy and deep  sighs, difficulty of  breathing,  and a
dead and  heavy languor of the eye.  By being atten-
tive  to the instructions given above,  no man can be at
a loss to distinguish the different states of the pulse, by
which different diseases are indicated, as well as their
different stages.
              AGUE  AND FEVER.
  This disease generally makes its visits in the fall
season of the year; and  those who live on  the rivers
or low lands are  more than others subject  to its ra-
vages.   There are three stages of this disease, which 
192
AGUE AND FEVER.
are in substance the same thing, differing only in the
intermission or length of time  in  which they make
their attacks.
  The first is that which comes on every twenty-four
hours: this is called by doctors quotidian.
  The second is  that which comes on  every forty
hours: this is called tertian.
  The third comes on every forty-eight hours, and is
called by physicians quartan.
  I have merely mentioned these stages in order that
I might describe the disease more  plainly, for the re-
medies and the treatment for the cure are the same;
and the only difference between them simply is, as to
their severity and time of coming on.   If very severe,
the remedies  should be  the most active:  on the  con-
trary, if mild and gentle, remedies less active  and
powerful will answ7er.
  I have said above, that there are three stages of this
complaint,  the cold, the hot, and the sweating.
In the first there is much yawning and  stretching, the
feet and hands become cold, the skin looks shrivelled,
you seem to lose the  use of your limbs by weakness,
your pulse is small and frequent, you dislike to move,
and finally take a chill  succeeded  by a  cold shake.
This shake continues about ten or fifteen  minutes, ac-
cording to the severity of the attack.   In the second
stage, as the chill and shaking go off, a pain in the head
and back comes on, succeeded  by flushings  of heat.
You  now begin to burn  with heat and  thirst, and de-
sire that the covering be removed that you may feel the
cool air.  Your face  is red, your skin dry, your pulse
becomes regular, hard,  and full.   In severe  attacks,
where the blood determines to  the head, I have fre-
quently known delirium for a  time.  In  the  com- 
AGUE AND FEVER.             193
 mencement of the third and last stage, the intense heat
 begins to subside, moisture begins to break out on the
 forehead, gradually extending itself  over the whole
 body, the fever abates, thirst  diminishes, breathing be-
 comes free and  full, desire to make water, which de-
 posits a sediment in the urinal or pot:  you then feel
 considerably relieved as the  sweat increases, which
 soon restores you to your usual feelings and sensations,
 except  great  weakness  and  extreme prostration of
 strength.

                    REMEDIES.
   In the cold stage, take warm  teas of any kind, pro-
 vided they are weak, such as sage, balm, hyssop, ground
 ivy, &c. &c: make hot applications to  the feet; and
 if you will apply a bandage, wound round  the right
 foot and leg, from the  toes to the groin, and another
 bandage wound  round  the opposite or left hand and
 arm, from  the fingers to the shoulder, drawing both
 pretty tight, so as to compress the muscles without im-
 peding the circulation of the blood, the  shake will be
 much shortened by it; but you must not omit to loosen
 these bandages gradually, as the shake is going  off.  In
 many instances the Ague and Fever can  be entirely
 cured, by taking immediately from fifty to sixty drops
 of laudanum, with a few drops of peppermint, in warm
 tea of any of the kinds mentioned above, on feeling the
 commencement of the chill;  and as soon as the hot stage
 approaches, continuing to drink the warm tea  plenti-
 fully, with a  little acid  of any kind in it.   If,  during
 this hot stage, the fever runs very high, with consider-
able pain in the head, the loss of  some blood would be
 proper.   The  object being, however, to bring on as
early as possible the sweating stage, put into a pint of
       GUNN      13 
194
AGUE AND FEVER.
 the tea or warm water, from four to five grains of tar-
 tar emetic, and give two or three spoonsful occasionally,
 so as to produce slight sickness of the stomach, which
 will promote and aid the sweating stage.  My practice
 in this disease is, on its first appearance to give a puke
 of tartar emetic; for dose  refer to the table.  After
 cleansing the stomach, I give an active dose of calomel
 and jalap;  and if that is not sufficient, I follow it with
 some mild  purge, such as salts, castor oil, or senna and
 manna.  Supposing, then, that the stomach and bowels
 are freed from their impure contents; the skin moist,
 and the  body kept moderately open by gentle purga-
 tives : it will then be proper to give the dogwood bark,
 the wild cherry tree bark, and poplar tree bark; I allude
 to the large swamp poplar.   These three kinds of bark
 are to be boiled in water, until their juices are extract-
 ed, and the water then given cold to  the patient, and
 in such quantities as the stomach will bear.  This dis-
 ease is  sometimes succeeded  by a low, lingering, and
 constant fever; this must always be removed before the
 extract of the different kinds of bark  just mentioned
 is given; nor ought it ever  be given in any paroxysm
 of fever, however slight; because in such cases it in-
 variably does material injury.   From causes depending
 on the  constitution at the time of taking  this disease, it
 is sometimes  extremely difficult to cure; and persons
who have  had it for more  than twelve months, have
placed  themselves under my care.   In these  cases,
 when the various remedies  above noticed  have failed,
 I have used, with great success, the cold salt bath, as
directed  under the head of cold bathing.  When a
bathing machine cannot be  had, a strong brine poured
over the  naked body in the morning, when rising, is
the best  expedient that can be used; always taking 
AGUE AND FEVER.
195
care to wipe  the body perfectly dry  with a coarse
towel; after which it might be well to return to bed
again for an hour, before taking the morning meal, im-
mediately before which, any  common  bitter, such as
tansy in  spirits, may be taken.  When the disease is
of long continuance, elixir vitriol is a good remedy, and
may be given  in doses of eight or ten drops, in a wine
or stem glass of cold w7ater, during the days on which
the cold bath is used.  I  do not think  it necessary to
take the barks, as before described, when an ague-cake
or hardness, termed by physicians an enlargement  of
the spleen, has taken place; in such a case use a tight
broad bandage round the belly, with a padding of wool
or cotton immediately over the  hard cake in the side,
and take care  two or three times a day to rub the place
well with a coarse w7oollen cloth or flesh-brush. This
is called friction by physicians, and friction will be the
more properly kept up by the wearing flannel next the
skin.
   It will be proper here  to state, that in some cases
where the dogwood bark, the wild cherry tree bark,
and the swamp-poplar bark, prepared as I  have men-
tioned, disagree with the stomach, which is sometimes
the case from  long sickness, the  tea or decoction may
be rubbed on  the skin of children or delicate persons,
and will produce an excellent effect.  Another method
of  operating by the skin, with  children and delicate
women, is as  follows: have a jacket made to  fit the
body, line it with the kinds of barks mentioned, which
can easily be done, and cause it  to be  w7orn  next the
body.  Both  these modes of operating by the skin,
have been known to produce fine tonic or strengthen-
ing effects, in  cases of obstinacy and long standing.
   I shall now conclude these  remarks, by  giving the 
196
AGUE AND FEVER.
method of treating this disease by the Spaniards in the
island of Cuba.   I there  witnessed its unbounded suc-
cess;  and in  no instance in which the remedy w7as
fairly tried did I ever  know  it to fail of success.
Make a good sized cup of strong coffee, sweeten it well,
and mix with it an  equal quantity of lime  or  lemon
juice.  This juice may  be  had at  any of the  stores,
doctor's shops, &c.; the dose to be taken just before the
shake is  expected to come on, and must be  drank
w7arm, and on an empty stomach.   This simple and
always practicable preparation  may  be  relied on as a
most  valuable  remedy.   But the  Spaniards of the
island  of Cuba are not  the only persons acquainted
with this powerful and efficient remedy.   It is noticed
in Doctor Pouqueville's travels in the Mo re a,  as fol-
lows :—" I have often seen intermitting fevers subdued
entirely, by a mixture of strong coffee and lemon  or
lime juice, which is a successful remedy all  over this
country.   The  proportions are three-quarters  of  an
ounce of coffee, ground fine, with two ounces of lemon
juice,  and three of water,  the mixture to  be  drank
warm and fasting."  I quote from memory, but with
a perfect assurance of being right.
  It may be well, before quitting the subject of ague
and  fever, to mention  for the information of my
readers, the late practice of physicians, which is as
follows:—as soon as the  chill has somewhat  subsided,
take a good dose of calomel;  see the table.   Next,
when the fever goes off, and you commence  sweating,
take two grains of quinine, which  is the extract  of
Peruvian bark.   This quinine or extract of bark, must
be mixed with a tea-spoonful of Epsom or other salts,
md taken in water as you would take  common salts.
Take this dose every two hours, until you  take five 
AGUE AND FEVER.
197
doses; but you must omit to put in the salts, so soon
as the bowels have been freely moved;  because a con-
tinued looseness of the bowels would carry off the bark
before it could operate on the system.  Should  the
fever not go off in six hours, take a dose of castor oil to
carry off the calomel;  and then as soon as  the fever
has left you, take the  quinine or extract of bark, as
before directed.
                BILIOUS FEVER.
   Bilious fever is nothing more nor less than the
ague and fever just before described, under something
of  a different  modification or  character: that is to
say, in ague and fever there is at certain times an entire
intermission  or stoppage of the disease: whereas, in
bilious fever, there is nothing more than an abatement
or  lowering of the fever for a time.  The analogy or
likeness between them is so strong, that in  both cases
the patient is taken with a chill; and the little  differ-
ence that does exist between them in the outset, con-
sists in the simple circumstance, that the pulse  in
bilious fever  is more tense and full.  If, however, the
attack of bilious fever be severe, the skin becomes very
hot after the chill, and sometimes of a yellowish hue ;
there is likewise great pain in the head;  the tongue
changes from white to brown; as the fever increases
the eyes acquire a fiery colour and expression, and the
whites have a yellow tinge; the light becomes painful
to the patient, and he requires the room to be darken-
ed ;  his bowels  are very costive, and  his urine highly
coloured; by these symptoms, any man of common
sense may be enabled to distinguish bilious feve^. 
198
bilious fever.
                   REMEDIES.
  This formidable and dangerous disease may in most
instances be easily subdued, if you will divest yourself of
irresolution and timidity in the commencement of the
attack.  I make this remark, because I have witnessed
many instances in which timidity and over-caution in
the treatment of this disease have proved fatal to the
sufferer.   You are to  depend on the lancet;  and in
the next and most important instance, on purging well
with large doses of calomel and jalap.
  On the  first appearance of  this disease, give  a  good
puke  of tartar emetic, so as  to cleanse well the sto-
mach ; taking care to make its  operations fully effective,
by giving warm camomile tea.  When the fever comes
on, bleed freely, and regulate the  quantity of blood
drawn by the symptoms and the severity of the attack:
then give or administer, if to an adult or grown per-
son, twenty grains of calomel  and twenty  of jalap;
and if that  is  not sufficient, repeat  the dose  with thirty
grains of calomel, and work  it off,  if necessary, with
castor oil, salts, or  senna and  manna: for  dose see
table of medicines. By these active purgatives, given
in time, you  will in nine cases out of ten  give relief
in a few hours; nor keep your patient lingering per-
haps for weeks, and at  length lose  him.   The admi-
nistration of small doses of calomel,  say of eight or ten
grains, has  been  productive of all the injury that has
disgraced the profession respecting the use of calomel,
for several  years past.   A large dose always carries it-
self off; whilst a small  one  remains  in the system, and
frequently does much mischief, if neglecte4 to be car-
ried off by castor oil, or some laxative medicine; there-
fore let me urge you, as you value the recovery and 
BILIOUS FEVER.
199
life of your patient, to give active and powerful purga-
tives of calomel.  The only danger in this disease arises
from giving tonic or strengthening medicines before
the stomach and bowels are completely cleansed by an
evacuation of their contents.   If the fever should still
continue, notwithstanding  the administration of the
foregoing medicines, my plan is to follow Dr. Rush's
famous prescription of ten grains of calomel and ten
of jalap;  the frequency of which prescription with the
doctor, procured him among his students the ludicrous
nickname of " Old Ten-in-ten."   But  the fact is that
this dose, after the stomach  and  bowels have  been
thoroughly cleansed, acts well upon the skin, and as a
purge, and drives  the sweat from  every pore, thereby
lessening and finally breaking the fever.
   During this  fever,  generally speaking, the skin is
obstinately dry; and  it therefore  becomes important
that a  determination should take place to the surface;
in other words, that a moisture or sweat should take
place  on the skin, for the purpose of breaking the
fever: therefore the nitrous powders should be given.
The directions for making them are, to sixty grains of
saltpetre, add sixteen grains of calomel, and one  grain
of emetic tartar.   Mix them wTell together by pound-
ing them very  fine;  divide them next into eight pow-
ders, and give one of  them in a little honey or syrup,
every two or three hours.  Emetic tartar, made  weak
with water and given at intervals, will produce the same
effect; antimonial wine and sweet spirits of nitre,  equal
quantities mixed, and  a tea-spoonful given occasionally,
or every hour, will have the  same effect; for antimo-
nial wine is  nothing  more than emetic tartar mixed
with wine, and sweet spirits of nitre is made from salt-
petre.   Ipecacuanha, in doses of one or two grains, re- 
200
BILIOUS FEVER.
peated every two or three hours, is also a good remedy
to produce  sweating.  In this disease you will  some-
times have an obstinate, severe, and tedious case; in
which you will find that the most active purgatives will
not answer your wishes and expectations.  Here the
w7arm bath combined, will be found excellent in relax-
ing the system and taking off the strictures of the ves-
sels : and when you make use of the bath, be particu-
lar  in making it of a temperature pleasant to the pa-
tient.  Always follow the bath with injections or glys-
ters, made of warm soap-suds; or molasses and  water,
pleasantly warm but not hot, to which may be added
a little vinegar; these injections will cool the bowels,
and  remove from  the  larger intestines any offensive
matter.
  When the  fever is on, the sponging or wetting the
body with  cold vinegar  and water will  reduce the
heat of the body, and be a  great source of comfort to
the sick person.  If there is a pain in the head, cold
applications of vinegar and  water will be of much be-
nefit  in relieving the violence  of the pain.  On the
decline  of  this fever, night sweats  sometimes occur;
in these cases use elixir vitriol, and gentle exercise in
the open air.  In  bilious fevers, a want of sleep and
watchfulness often occur:  the w7arm bath and  a pil-
low of hops, and the room kept  dark and all  things
quiet, will  no doubt procure the  desired tranquillity;
and if no  inflammatory action or considerable fever
exists, a dose of laudanum may be administered.  The
misfortune in the  country  is, that many persons who
come to sit up  with the sick, talk so incessantly as to
prevent the sick person from having the repose neces-
sary for promoting a speedy recovery: and it may be
important here to remark, that wiienever laudanum or 
BILIOUS FEVER.
201
opium is given, the person  must  be kept undisturbed
and perfectly quiet.  When the  stomach is irritable,
warm mint leaves stewed in spirits and applied to the
pit of the  stomach will be  proper; and then, if the
irritability should  continue, the application  of a cata-
plasm of mustard or a large blister, will infallibly re-
lieve  the irritation, and quiet the stomach.
   I have now taken a comprehensive view of this dis-
ease,  and given plainly and simply the remedies, and
shall  close with the following  remarks.   If the calo-
mel taken in this fever salivates, you should not be
alarmed or uneasy, but consider it a source from w7hich
you have  derived  safety to your patient;  for when
bilious  fever is dangerous, the  sooner salivation takes
place after the stomach and bowels have  been tho-
roughly cleansed, the safer for the patient. It is  to
produce this  effect that physicians give small doses of
calomel every two hours, say from one to two grains in
any kind of  syrup; for when  salivation is  produced,
you may consider the danger of the patient at an end,
the rest depending altogether on care and good nursing.
After good purging,  without salivation, I have found
good nursing and kind attention the best  and most
salutary medicine.  Cooling drinks, slightly acidulated,
will  be proper; and  when the fever is subdued, cold
camomile tea may be  given as a drink, or a bitter made
with dog-wood bark, poplar bark, and Virginia snake-
root may be  given as a cold  tea, in small quantities as
the stomach  will  bear. 
2U2
NERVOUS FEVER.
              NERVOUS FEVER.
  This fever carries in its title or name its  true cha-
racter ; because it affects the whole nervous system,
and produces a tremulous motion of the  body and
limbs: the system seems  to  be sinking; there is a
clammy,  cold, and unnatural perspiration or sweat on
the skin, and the pulse is extremely weak.   Next, the
sweat subsides, and the skin becomes dry and hot to
the touch; and  at the same time, the arteries of the
temple and neck throb and beat with  considerable
action.  The sleep is very much disturbed  and unre-
freshing;  the countenance sinks or seems to change
from its natural expression of feature to a ghastly ap-
pearance; the tongue becomes dry,  and frequently
trembles when put out, and, with the teeth and gums,
soon becomes covered with a dark buff-coloured scurf;
the spirits flag, and the mind broods  over the  most
melancholy feelings, without knowing  the cause; the
sight of food is very unpleasant and sometimes disgust-
ing, the stomach being generally much debilitated and
weak; the difficulty of breathing becomes very con-
siderable, and sometimes the hands are glowing with
heat, whilst the forehead is covered with sweat.  The
symptoms considered very dangerous are, a constant
inclination to throw off the cover; a changing of the
voice from its usual tone; great, vigilance or  watchful-
ness ;  picking at the bed-clothing; inability  to hold or
retain  the urine ; involuntary  discharges  from the
bow7els; hiccupping; a muttering, as if speaking to
one's self: a wild  and fixed look, as if the  eyes were
riveted on some particular object; if these latter symp-
toms occur, there  is little to expect but that the case
will terminate fatally. 
NERVOUS FEVER.
203
  This fever originates from putrid animal and vege-
table  matter mixing with the air and atmosphere we
breathe, such  for instance as the  decaying vegetable
and animal matter arising from stagnant mill-ponds or
any other ponds; or from filth and dirt, and want  of
personal cleanliness; or from any thing else that tends
to weaken the system materially.  This disease also
arises from Bilious Fever, mentioned before; which,
when of long standing, sometimes changes into nervous
fever: and I have known it to remain in the system ten
days before it  broke out violently,  having come on  so
slowly and gradually as to produce no alarm.

                   REMEDIES.
  The lancet,  or, in other words, bleeding, in this
disease is certain death: no inducement whatever could
prevail on me to bleed  in nervous or typhus fever.
Bleeding has been recommended by some physicians,
when inflammatory symptoms appeared in the first
stage  of the disease;  but I positively  assert that  it is
wrong, and denounce such a doctrine as dangerous  to
the last degree; the fact is, that in  nineteen cases out
of twenty, bleeding  in this disease will result in death.
There are two important considerations to be noticed
in this fever:  the first is, when  it originates in itself
at the first cause; and the second is, when it turns or
sinks  from bilious fever, to a nervous or typhus.   In
the first case,  give a puke of tartar emetic, or of ipe-
cacuanha—see table for dose—which  mix with water
until  it is  dissolved,  say in six or eight table-spoonsful.
Next give a table-spoonful every  ten  minutes, until
copious vomiting is  produced, encouraging the puking
after it has  commenced, by drinking freely of warm
camomile tea, or warm water; the object  being  to 
204
NERVOUS FEVER.
cleanse the stomach.   Then attend to the bowels with
laxative medicines, such as  rhubarb, cream-tartar, Ep
som salts, &c, so as to free or  throw off the contents
of the bowels, which, when in a costive state, increase
irritation and fever.  You must, however, by no means
produce heavy purging; it is dangerous; and your own
good sense will show you that it is a disease of debility
and weakness. The object is merely to keep the bow-
els  gently open,  say by one or two stools a  day, which
will be quite sufficient.  I always give glysters made
of thin gruel of corn meal, strained with a tea-spoonful
of hog's lard in them : they are to be given milk-warm
from a bladder or pipe, and carefully thrown up into
the bowels—look under the  head "Glyster," and
those who do not understand  the  matter will  find it
explained.
  In the second  place, when  this disease  sinks from
bilious  fever  to a nervous  or typhus  fever, you
will find the last  part of the symptoms to  agree with
the sinking state  of the system, and requiring moderate
tonics, or stimulating  and  strengthening  medicines.
The danger  of this fever is  in proportion to the weak-
ness which attends  it; and, therefore, you will easily
see the importance of  early supporting the  sj'stem by
stimulants, such as good wine, warm toddy, &c.  This
distinction of the sinking state  of the system, must be
obvious, and sufficiently plain to be observed by every
person of common sense.  But I will still explain fur-
ther, in order that no mistake can possibly be made, in
the course to be pursued; and  shall state accordingly
the following directions.  Stimulants, in other  words,
common spirituous liquors, such  as whiskey, rum,
brandy, &c, must be  made palatable to the patient,
which must be given regularly, and varied  as to quan- 
NERVOUS FEVER.
205
tity, according to what the case may seem to require.
If they increase the pulse considerably, so as to occasion
restlessness, a dry tongue, attended with thirst, a flushed
face, in other words, increased fever, they are improper,
and you must discontinue their use.  On the contrary,
if they produce refreshing sleep, a pulse slower, softer,
and more regular, and the patient feels sensible of re-
lief, you are to continue the use of stimulants suffi-
ciently to support and strengthen your patient, adding
at the same time  generous diet, and a pill of opium at
night to procure rest—see table for dose.   Blisters ap-
plied to the extremities, or cataplasms made of mustard
and strong vinegar, will be highly necessary in a sink-
ing state of the system.
  If the head is affected with delirium, keep cloths
constantly applied to it, wet in the  coldest water and
vinegar, changing them as they become warm : and if
the delirium should  still continue, a blister applied to
the head, after shaving off the hair, will be necessary.
If  purging takes place in this disease, which it some-
times does, it must be stopped by laudanum or opium,
given in small but frequent doses, increasing or dimi-
nishing  them  as  necessity may require:  for, if  the
purging  should  continue  in this complaint, which is
weakness or debility, your own good sense must teach
you, that it  would speedily terminate in  death from
increased debility or weakness. The late remedy used
by physicians, which is called quinine, or  extract of
Peruvian bark, is a good remedy, from the fact of its
taking up less room in the stomach than the  bark in
substance.  This quinine or  extract must be made into
pills with some kind  of syrup ; and must contain from
one grain to one and a half of the  extract, and given
three or four times a day, as the  system may be able 
206
NERVOUS FEVER.
to bear the doses.  The extract is a powerful tonic or
stimulant, and may sometimes be difficult  to be  ob-
tained :  in this event the black snake-root, commonly
called Virginia snake-root, should be used; its virtues
are not merely considerable, but highly valuable in this
disease, combined with  dog-w7ood bark, or even with-
out it; and I recommend it in preference to  any re-
medy.  The form of administering  it is in  decoction,
or as a tincture, that is, mixed with  spirits of some
kind.  This root is perfectly harmless, except when
high  inflammatory action exists; that is to say, consi-
derable fever.  In the secondary stage of fever, where
the skin has been obstinately dry, I have used this little
root with unbounded success, not only in this particular
disease, but in all fevers: and also where the symptoms
indicated  rapid  prostration and death.   Encouraged
by my success in its use, I earnestly recommend that
it be adopted in fevers generally, and more particularly
in those I have described.
   The salt bath, made as directed under the head of
bathing, similar to sea water, is as valuable  a remedy
as can possibly be used, in that  state of the system
w7hen the  heat of the  body requires  lessening: or if
you would prefer it, you may  sponge the body well
with  cold  w7ater and vinegar.  These  remedies  by
bathing or sponging the body, you  will recollect  are
only to be used when there are no chilly or cold sen-
sations; for if there are such, they would probably
prove fatal: and you are also  to remember, that they
are to be used with as little fatigue  as  possible  to  the
patient.  This disease is frequently marked with  ex-
treme weakness of the  stomach, called by physicians
debility;  in this case common yeast  will be highly
beneficial,  administered every three  or four  hours, 
                 NERVOUS FEVER.             207

say two table-spoonsful:  and if the stools are very  of-
fensive, you may add a tea-spoonful of common char-
coal to  the yeast.  By this the offensive state of the
bowels will soon be corrected; and to  insure the per-
fect knowledge of the reader on this subject, I will
remark, that if the yeast and charcoal produce good
effects, the pulse will rise and become slower and fuller,
and the burning heat of the skin will subside.  Under
these  circumstances, the remedy should be continued.
I shall now finish my remarks on nervous fever, which
have  been  extended  to  a greater length than was at
first intended, in consequence of the recollection that
it is a very common malady in our country.   Doctor
Currie, and many other  eminent practitioners of me-
dicine, have given the best testimonials and favourable
results, in the first stage of this fever, from the use of
the cold bath, or, in other words, from throwing cold
water over the body, wiping dry, and returning to bed
immediately.  From  the experience of so many dis-
tinguished  men, I yield to their judgment; but, from
my own experience,  I should prefer the  salt bath, as
before mentioned, or sponging the body with  vinegar
and water  made milk-warm; this, however, is never
resorted to, until the stomach and bowels have been
freed  of their contents: or, medically speaking, (which
means  the same thing,)  until the whole  alimentary
canal has been evacuated.
              SCARLET FEVER.
  This complaint is now raging violently through
Virginia; and within a short time has made its appear-
ance throughout the western states, with  considerable 
208
SCARLET FEVER.
severity in its  symptoms,  and requiring active  and
prompt treatment: otherwise it generally proves fatal.
I have no doubt, by early attention to those symptoms
and remedies which follow, you will at once cut short
and easily control this contagion, (for it certainly is a
contagious disease,) similar to the measles, distinguished
or known from them by the spots making their ap-
pearance on  the second day of the fever;  when, in
measles, they usually make their  appearance on the
fourth day.   The spots in scarlet fever being of a light
flaming red, while  those of measles are of a dark red
colour. From this plain and different appearance, you
can certainly distinguish at once the difference in the
diseases; thereby enabling  you to  take at once such
prompt steps as to arrest this disorder; which, if  suf-
fered  to  proceed, generally,  and I may almost  add
always, ends fatally.

                   SYMPTOMS.
  Cold and sudden chills stealing gradually over the
whole body,  with flushes of heat, great  thirst, head-
ache,  the  skin  is covered with large red  or scarlet
patches, which after a short time  unite  or  come to-
gether ; then in a few7 days  they disappear or go off in
a kind of scurf, like bran, and the  throat becomes
quite  hoarse or sore.

                   REMEDIES.
  As  you value the life of your patient, depend on
emetics or pukes of  ipecacuanha; which  are to be
given on the first appearance of the disease, to be fol-
lowed by a dose of salts, or eight grains of calomel, and
eight of rhubarb; and half of this dose for children.  If
the pulse is full and strong, and the head aches, it will 
SCARLET FEVER.             209
be proper to draw blood, and dash cold water over the
body very freely and frequently.  (Do not be alarmed
at this last remedy, for it will be the certain one in this
complaint to  relieve your  patient, for I have  often
used it with great success.)  There  is no disease in
which the advantages of cold water have been  more
successful than in scarlet fever; but to receive the full
benefit of it, it must be often used and that freely; that
is, as often as the heat seems to require the use of it,
which perhaps may be the case eight or nine times in
twenty-four hours.
  A fine remedy in this disorder is  the saline mixture,
made  as  follows: salt of tartar  one drachm, water
seven ounces, essence of peppermint five drops.  When
the salt of tartar is dissolved, add very gradually lemon
juice,  or vinegar, until the effervescence ceases.  This
mixture to be taken every hour: and to children, such
quantities of  it as you  can conveniently  get  them to
take.  It is a cooling mixture, produces gentle moisture
on the skin, and keeps down inflammation, &c.  When
there is a sore throat, use any innocent gargle, such as
sage and honey, with a little alum or borax in it, so as
to wash or cleanse the throat frequently;  and  apply a
mustard poultice to the throat.
  In scarlet fever in  the latter stage, it will be prudent
for you to guard against putrescency, which symptoms
I will plainly describe to you, so that  you may know*
them; having fully the marks of typhus fever, difficulty
in swallowing, breathing hurried, breath hot, skin dry
and burning to the touch, a quick, weak, and irregular
pulse, scarlet patches break out about the lips; and the
inside of the mouth and throat are of a fiery red colour.
About the third day,  blotches of a dark red colour
make their appearance about the face and neck, which
       GUNN     14 
210             SCARLET FEVER.
soon extend over the whole body. If you will examine
the throat, you will find a number of specks, between
an ash and a dark brown  colour, particularly on the
palate, &c.;  a browm fur covers the tongue, the lips
are covered with little pimples containing acrid matter,
which burst and produce ulceration wherever they
touch.  If  the case is a bad  one,  the inside of the
mouth and throat become black, and are covered with
running sores, called  ulcers.  When these symptoms
take place, it is a well marked case of putrid fever, and
contagious.  Be therefore careful, but not afraid.  We
cannot die in a better cause than in discharging a duty
which we owe to God and our fellow-creature: the
last and most solemn injunction of our blessed Re-
deemer, was, " Love one another," and the beautiful
inculcation of Divine revelation, "Do unto all man-
kind as you would they should do unto you."
  For the  treatment of these last  symptoms, read
under the head, Remedies for Putrid Sore Throat.
                    CHOLIC.
  In this disease the belly is considerably swelled, and
seems  to be  bound round tightly with a cord; and
there is also  a  disagreeable feeling about the navel,
belching of wind, costiveness, and frequently the most
excruciating misery.   I have had many cases in which
a cold clammy sweat has been  produced on the fore-
head by the intense sufferings of the person  afflicted.
This complaint comes on without fever, but if it con-
tinues it will  produce fever, and perhaps inflammation,
unless soon relieved.   It arises  from wind, termed by
physician? flatulence; from  indigestible food  that has 
CHOLIC
211
been  taken into the stomach, from  acrid bile, from
hardened fceces, which means the st&ol, by suddenly
stopping the perspiration, or sweat, or from getting the
feet wet, or from exposure, or from worms, and, lastly,
from  the application of poisons  to the stomach, of a
metallic nature:  by which I  mean  metals  under
various  forms and preparations.

                   REMEDIES.
  If the colic is produced from wind, which you will
know from belching, or from a rumbling noise in  the
bowels, or from the ease you experience by a discharge
of wind, a tumbler of w7arm whisky toddy, made with
warm water, sugar and spirit, to which may be added
peppermint, or strong mint tea, or tea made of ginger,
calamus, or dog-wood blossoms, give  relief.  The  ap-
plication of warm salt to the belly will  give ease im-
mediately, or until more powerful remedies can be
given.  If  the stomach is much distressed, an applica-
tion of garden mint made warm  by stewing it, and
applying it to the pit of the stomach, is excellent. You
will then immediately, if necessary to the relief of the
person afflicted, give a simple glyster, made after the
following directions: a quart of  thin gruel, made of
corn meal  and strained; to this add a table-spoonful
of hog's lard, and another of common  salt, which must
be thrown up about milk-warm into the bowels.  For
further directions as to glystoring, look under that head
for instructions, as to the apparatus to be made  use of.
If the pain still continue, and the person be corpulent
or fat, bleed and give  the warm  bath immediately.
If you have no bathing vessel, or  tub  large enough "to
put the  body in, apply cloths dipped in hot water and
wrung out, as warm to the belly as they can be  borne. 
212
CHOLIC.
If the above remedies fail, give a tea-spoonful of castor
oil, and in it pdt fifteen or twenty grains of calomel;
and if  there is yet no relief, give one grain of opium
and ten grains of calomel, and cpntinue the glysters.
But, if the pain does not yet abate, laudanum must be
given in large doses, both by the mouth and by mixing
it in the glyster.   The doses of laudanum must be in-
creased gradually until relief is obtained ; and I have
given as much as a table-spoonful before  I could effect
my purpose.  If the misery be excruciating, to a grown
person I begin with fifty or sixty drops  in mint tea;
and  when relief is obtained,  I give a  good  dose of
castor oil, and glyster to open the bowels :  this prac-
tice  has been generally successful.  The practice of
the Baltimore Institution, as directed by Doctor Pater-
son when professor there, wras in desperate  cases to
give a simple glyster as before mentioned, omitting the
salt and lard ; reducing the quantity to half a pint of
gruel, and putting into it fifteen or twenty grains of
emetic tartar, and  injecting it into the bowels.  This
remedy I tried in Virginia, in two or three desperate
cases of cholic,  with perfect  success;  but it should
never be used, unless the situation and violence of the
case demand its administration:  it is an active  and
powerful  remedy,  and may be  relied  on in  urgent
cases.  Persons who are subject to this dangerous com-
plaint  should be very cautious as to their diet or food,
abstaining from  every thing that disagrees with them;
and  above all, they ought to  avoid costiveness, or, in
other w7ords, they ought to go to stool every day at a
certain time, and solicit nature to perform her duty,
for by so doing, a habit of evacuation will be at length
produced, which will overcome the most obstinate cos-
tiveness :  and to produce a stool, a piece of hard soap 
CH0LIC
213
about half the length of the finger, may be introduced
up the passage.  In all obstinate cases, which seem not
to yield to common remedies, examine the passage of
the fundament with the finger, so that if there be any
hard lumps of excrement, they may be removed; for
while they remain, all your  purges  and  glysters will
be useless.
  A spirituous infusion of the berries or of the bark of
the prickly ash is made use of in Virginia in violent
cholic, and is  a good remedy.  This tree is a native of
Jamaica and other tropical countries, as well as of the
United States, and grows to the height of sixteen feet,
and is about twelve inches in diameter.   It somewhat
resembles the common ash, and  the bark is covered
with sharp prickles.  The fresh juice expressed  from
the root affords  certain  relief  in cholic, and what is
called dry belly-ache.  The important fact  was dis-
covered in the West Indies, by watching a female slave
who collected the root  in the woods, and gave two
spoonsful of the  juice to a negro suffering under that
cholic called the dry belly-ache, at intervals of two
hours.  It occasioned profound and composed  sleep for
twelve hours, wfien all sense of pain and suffering had
vanished; and the cure  was completed by giving  an
infusion of the expressed root in water by way of diet
drink.
   CHOLERA MORBUS, OR PUKING AND
                   PURGING.
  This disease  is  generally  produced by the  food
becoming rancid or acid on the stomach; and if from
an over quantity of bile, the purging and puking will 
214
CHOLERA  MORBUS.
show it,  by the discharges being intermixed  with  a
dark bilious  matter.  This disease is also produced
from breathing damp air;  or from  being exposed to
inclement weather; or from getting the feet wet:  but
mostly from  eating such food  as disagrees with  the
stomach and bowels.  The mind has a powerful influ-
ence in this complaint; and I have frequently observed
in my practice, that the disease w7as produced in many
cases of females in delicate health by the passions of
the mind, as w7ell as by sudden  stoppages of the men-
strual discharge.   The  disease  generally commences
with sickness  of  the stomach, painful  griping, suc-
ceeded by heat and thirst,  quickness and shortness of
breathing, with a quick and fluttering pulse.   When
the case is dangerous, the extremities become cold; the
perspiration or sweat is clammy and cold;  there  is
also cramp, and great changes and irregularities of the
pulse, which, w7hen accompanied with hiccuping, are
strong evidences of the approach of death.

                    REMEDIES.
  Apply to the stomach and belly cloths steeped in
warm water, or in spirits in which  camphor has been
dissolved; or you may apply a warm poultice, made
of garden mint stewed; or a poultice made of mustard
and strong vinegar will be  found of  great  service,
applied to the stomach:  or a blister of cantharides or
Spanish flies : and in extremely dangerous cases, where
it is not practicable to draw a blister in the usual way,
do not hesitate  to scald the part with boiling water,  at
the same time applying hot rocks or bricks to  the feet.
Give hot whisky toddy, or that made of any other kind
of spirit; let it be strongly mixed with peppermint,
or ginger, or calamus; and let  chicken water or thin 
CHOLERA MORBUS.
215
 gruel be freely taken by the patient.  Give glysters
 made by pouring boiling water on the inner bark of
 slippery elm, or those made of flax-seed tea, either of
 which must be thrown up into the bowels milk-warm.
 See under the head of glystering, for the manner of
 administering this operation.  The first object in this
 dangerous complaint is,  to cleanse the stomach  and
 bowels of any offensive matter; after which the giving
 of thirty-five or forty drops of laudanum  in mint tea
 will be proper: and if these should not arrest the pro-
 gress of the disease, make a glyster of a table-spoonful
 of starch and a half pint of warm  water, in which put
 a tea-spoonful of laudanum, and throw it up the bowels
 as directed under the head " Glyster."  If this does not
 give relief in fifteen or twenty minutes, repeat it again,
 and again.
   If the person who is attacked is of a full habit, that
 is, fat, stout, and vigorous, the loss of some blood by
 the arm and the warm bath will be necessary.  If the
 attack be moderate, a good  dose of calomel will gene-
 rally put a stop to it;  for this will evacuate the bowels,
 operate as a stimulus, and remove the diseased action.
   Very frequently this disease appears as a symptom
 of fever;  and then of course you are to treat it as you
 would any other kind of fever.  In  all  cases, after
 using laudanum to relieve your patient, particularly
 when  you have used it  to an extent, it is proper and
 necessary to give after relief a good dose of castor oil.
 Persons who  are subject to this sudden and dangerous
 disease should be cautious as to what kind of food they
 indulge in ; and should  be very particular in avoiding
 the causes which produce it; because, by imprudence,
 the disease may return with double violence and dan-
ger. 
216
CHOLERA  MORBUS.
  The rapidity with  which  cholera morbus  pro-
ceeds requires the remedies to be promptly applied;
for the disease is, generally speaking, highly dangerous,
and  soon terminates the life of the sufferer, unless re-
lief is speedily  obtained.  A few hours  suffering, in
severe cases, weakens  the patient surprisingly;  and,
therefore, you will easily see the great importance of
nourishment of a light, stimulating, and strengthening
kind being given.   Besides attention to nourishing diet,
wine with any  kind  of bitter ought to be given, or
cold  camomile tea three or four times a day, the  dose
a wine or stem glass  full,  or elixir vitriol, ten drops
three times a day, in the tea made of black snake-root,
or Virginia snake-root: besides all winch, flannel ought
to be put next to the skin of the patient.   But, in  con-
cluding my remarks on the treatment of this complaint3
I must urge the particular necessity of the warm bath
and glysters, as almost certain means of relief, if  pro-
perly and timely administered.
            EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
  This pestilence has swept from life one hundred and
forty millions of the human race, according to the most
authentic reports of interments, since August, 1817.
  Sharers of the same nature, warmed with the same
hopes, and as fondly attached to life as ourselves, all
have been prematurely swept into eternity in quick
succession, overwhelming the heart with sorrow for
some affectionate parent, some tender companion, or
some dear and near friend ;  and how many thousands,
no doubt unprepared for so sudden a change from
life to the presence of  the Supreme Judge of the uni 
               epidemic cholera.            217

verse !   It is  impossible to commence writing on this
awful and important subject, without reflecting on the
rapid  extinction of human life, and  the excruciating
miseries  so many human beings  must have suffered,
without  shuddering at the great amount of human
misery inflicted by this complaint;  nor can we but
be sensible of the insufficiency of human efforts against
the decrees  of an  overruling  Providence.   Now are
we not warned by  this sad and affecting scene,  in lan-
guage not to be mistaken ?  " Be ye also ready !"
  This  destroying angel, whom the  Eternal has em-
ployed to sacrifice  so great a portion of the human
family, has, since August, 1817, been advancing over
the whole field of Europe; nor have  oceans,  moun-
tains,  climates, or distance, preserved us from  its ra-
vages.   Mysterious and uncertain in its course, having
no regulated  or physical agents by which its location
could be certainly determined, save that of  its selec-
tion of  the  victims, the uncleanly and intemperate.
Nothing, in  my opinion, can  change  the condition of
the atmosphere, which  is essentially connected with
this complaint.  In other words, the  disease is in the
atmosphere;  and, although no preventive can be taken
against this complaint, yet much may  be done towards
staying its progress, and  towards alleviating the force
of the attack.   The two best preventives for cholera
from experience are temperance and great cleanliness;
for experience throughout this disease proves clearly and
without any doubt, that cholera spreads itself with the
most deadly effects amongst those who are negligent
of personal cleanliness, and dissipated in their habits.
But notwithstanding the cholera  in  a great  measure
was supposed at first to limit its ravages principally to
this unfortunate part of the community, and such as 
218
epidemic cholera.
 were greatly exposed, yet time and daily experience
 prove that many thousands of our most  respectable
 citizens have died, who were certainly of the opposite
 character to those I have mentioned.  Yet the fact is,
 that all who are within the atmosphere of  cholera are
 liable more or  less to suffer from this complaint; but
 what are the real and physical causes that produce
 cholera is as  yet very uncertain, even to those medical
 men who have had great experience in it. All that
 can be  said  is, that  it is in the  atmosphere; nor can
 any  thing change the  condition of the atmosphere
 which is  so  essentially connected with this disorder.
 The  persons most liable  to this affection, says the
 French Royal Academy of Medicine, in their report,
 are those physically and morally debilitated;  those
 weakened by excesses, of whatever kind they may be;
 gluttons, drunkards, and gamesters, and women of im-
 prudent habits, and all persons suffering  under the
 pernicious effects of uncleanliness.  To this testimony
 may be added that of all the physicians and others who
 have watched this complaint, and the progress of the
 disease in India,  England, France,  Canada, and our
 own country. In all these countries the intemperate,
 the vicious, and the lewd, w hen attacked, have univer-
sally fallen victims; and  are the first to fall prostrate
before the cholera, and most difficult to cure ;  and, as
an able physician expressed himself, generally beyond
the reach of medicine.  The  unhappy inmates  of the
houses of ill-fame and those of immoral uncleanliness
in Paris, have been universally the first to be conveyed
to the cholera hospitals.
  I shall now proceed to give you a full and perfect
account of the cholera: its commencement and march
throughout Europe and the United States, the physical 
epidemic cholera.
219
agents, &c, connected with the disease, its locations,
and the causes by which it was more or less increased
or diminished in virulence: and if it is not in some
degree attenuated in its dreadful effects, either by the
power of the climate, or by that of the social organiza-
tion of the people; and whether the cholera is  pesti-
lential or not, (by which I mean catching,) or how far
the assistance of medicine or art may go to counteract
the agents of  this epidemic, together with a general
and comprehensive treatment of the disorder, with the
conflicting opinions of the most distinguished physi-
cians, and their treatment of cholera, and  such useful
information as is derived from  the  most able writers
on the subject, with such plain directions and in such
language as may be adapted  to the capacity of  the
people.
  The cholera commenced in  India, at  Jessore, m
August, 1817, of which disorder ten thousand persons
died in the first two months.  In Mymensing, a dis-
trict watered by the Bourrampooter, the cholera pre-
vailed in two successive years; the  deaths here were
ten thousand seven hundred and fourteen persons.  In
1817, the  complaint was mostly confined to the lower
classes; but in 1818 the disease became general, and
no rank was spared, and a tenth of the inhabitants fell.
A precise document is preserved at  the city of Dacca,
a district  between  and near  the  confluence of the
Ganges and Bourrampooter.  In sixteen months from
August, 1 817, to January, 1819, of six thousand three
hundred  and  fifty-four sick with  the disease,  three
thousand  seven hundred and fifty-seven  perished;
more  than one-half.  In the town of Sylhat, in  three
thousand three hundred and sixteen houses, containing
eighteen  thousand eight hundred and ninety-six in- 
220           EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.

habitants, there were ten thousand individuals attacked
in five months; of whom died one thousand  one  hun-
dred and ninety-six, or about equal to one in nine.  In
the district of Nuddea, traversed by that branch of the
Ganges called Hoogly, of a population of one million
three hundred thousand, the cholera destroyed sixteen
thousand five hundred;  there were  attacked twenty-
five  thousand, of whom twro-thirds died.   Of four
thousand seven hundred and eighty w7ho received me-
dical assistance, only one thousand and  sixty-six  died,
or less than one-fourth.  (Here is an evidence of the
advantages  of medicine.)   At  Nultore, between the
Ganges and Bourrampooter, the malady was much less
severe: the deaths not exceeding one in a hundred, in
consequence of being better acquainted with  the treat-
ment of this malady.  In the country places, however,
the fourth of the sick died, and in the same district,
only a short  distance from Bargulpore, the cholera
destroyed fifteen thousand  five hundred and seventy-
one in ninety days.  Not one  in a hundred in this dis-
trict that w7ere attacked, escaped death.   This may be,
and is, no doubt, the cause of the great mortality, the
country  being low, marshy, and filled  with stagnant
pools.   In Benzares, fifteen  thousand  people died;
Calcutta  has been  visited severely  four times since
1817. From Bengal I have not been  able to procure
complete documents, or from  the  city  of  Calcutta,
which is  the  seat of government of British India.  It
appears, however, from the best evidence procured on
the first  eruption, that in  1817, in three months and
a  half previous to  the 31st  December,  thirty-five
thousand seven hundred and  thirty-six inhabitants of
the city  and  suburbs  were attacked by the cholera;
of these two thousand three hundred  died, or one in 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
221
fifteen ; but from  the  severe manner of attack, the
distance, the great aversion of  the  Hindoos against
European medicine, and  the  superstitious desire  to
await the termination  of the malady, they generally
resorted  to some sacred place, or near  an idol, and
there waited until death  terminated their dreadful
sufferings.   Thousands upon  thousands  have thus
perished without seeking assistance, and  consequently
their deaths not recorded.  At Calcutta, the proportion
of men to women was as four to one.  Of three fami-
lies,  great or small, there was  always one or two of
them who experienced a loss of  from one to two,  or
three individuals, and  in some cases five or six.  In
the English army in India, where the cholera w7as op-
posed by all the powers of medical science, the mor-
tality, though still considerable, was less dreadful. The
division  of the  centre lost two hundred  and thirty
Europeans,  out of a  corps of  three  thousand five
hundred; and five hundred and thirty-four natives, out
of about eight thousand.  The deaths varied according
to time, and were sometimes one  in eight, and some-
times one in three and a half.   In the division of
Hansi, there were only two hundred and sixty cases of
cholera; the  loss was from one  to five  or six of the
sick.  In the division of the left, of eight thousand
men, one hundred were attacked; and forty-nine died,
or more than one-third.   In fine, in the division of
Nagpore, of four thousand men,  thirteen  Europeans
and two hundred and eleven individuals of the country,
were attacked with the cholera.   Six of the former
died : and amongst the natives  the loss was about one
in seven.  Considering the eruption of 1817 and 1818
separately from those  winch  followed, the English
physicians of Bengal have asserted, that the mortality,
« 
222           EPIDEMIC  CHOLERA.

though immense, was nevertheless exaggerated or  in-
creased by fear; and that thousands have been destroyed
by the alarm of terror of this disorder is certain, from
authentic information from all medical sources.  Fear
is one of the exciting causes of this disease.  We have
estimated, say the English physicians, the ravages as
proportional to the extent and density of the respective
populations it struck.  The loss was more considerable
at the commencement and middle, than  towards the
end of the eruption. When it was opposed by medical
assistance, the deaths among the troops rarely amounted
to the third of the sick, and was  bounded  frequently
by the fifth.  When the sick were abandoned to them-
selves, the half of those attacked generally perished,
and sometimes even  two-thirds.    In the island  of
Bombay, inhabited by nearly two hundred thousand
people, it is  fully established, that in seven months
there were fifteen thousand nine  hundred  and forty-
five cases of cholera.   Thus the  tw7elfth  part of the
population was infected; of whom tw7o thousand four
hundred  and thirty-two perished, or one in six.   In
the Madras  army in five  years  there  were fifteen
thousand eight hundred cases, of which three thousand
seven hundred and thirty  perished.  Of  the native
military, of seventy-one thousand  men, there perished
fifteen thousand eight hundred and thirty, or one in
four.   The entire loss among the  native troops was
nearly a fourth.  The population of the British posses-
sions of India, amount to forty millions, without com-
prising recently conquered country.  The enumeration
may be considered correct; therefore yielding in Hin-
dostan an annual mortality, produced by  the cholera,
of two and a half millions of people.   If we reduce the
preceding estimate one-half, allowing for intermittances
if 
               EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.            223

of the malady, the ravages of the scourge over the five
regions  of India during the last fourteen years, will
form a  loss  of eighteen millions of persons.  What
must then have been the extent of its murderous effects,
when w7e comprise its destructive course over so many
other regions  of  insular  and continental  Asia, from
which it is impossible to draw correct information ?
  During the prevalence of the cholera in Russia in
1830, the progress of infection among the inhabitants,
and the proportion of deaths to the sick, have differed
according to time and place.  The southern regions
were those where the malady spread the most widely
and with the greatest rapidity ; those towns where the
disease entered at the end of  autumn suffered but
slightly.  In the  province of Caucasus in Russia, al-
most everywhere  the half of those infected with this
complaint perished, whilst the mortality amongst the
nomadic tribes of the great steeps east  and north-east
from  the Caspian, amounted to only a fifth  of those
attacked.  The longest period  in which the disorder
prevailed was one hundred  and fourteen  days;  and
the shortest twenty days: the  former beginning  in
summer, and the latter in autumn.  The province of
Caucasus had  the greatest number of deaths; out of
sixteen thousand attacked, ten thousand perished.  The
official lists which I  have been able to collect on the
prevalence of cholera in Russia, being  united in one
summary, yield the following, which is far below the
reality.
  From the middle  of June to the 15th of November,
1830, the public documents establish  the fact,  that
there were in Russia fifty-four thousand  three hundred
and sixty-seven persons attacked with the cholera, of
whom thirty-one thousand two hundred and fifty-six 
224            EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.

sunk under its  violence.   If I divide the aggregate
numbers of the sick, and of the dead, by 1071,1 find
that during a period equivalent to the three years, fifty-
one individuals were attacked every twenty-four hours,
by this disorder; and that out pf these, thirty, or three-
fifths died.  The numbers given by the official reports
are certainly below7 the truth,  since on one hand  a
great number of cases have escaped notice, and, on the
other, a large number  have, from different motives,
been concealed.   I, therefore,  (from documents on
which you may rely as  correct,) estimate without ex-
aggeration, that during the prevalence of the cholera
in Russia in 1830, the infected amounted to one  hun-
dred  thousand, and  the  deaths to sixty thousand per-
sons.  At the same time the complaint had not then
extended over more than one-half of  the Russian em-
pire.
  The consuls of France, by their reports, have lat-
terly enabled me to collect, from  their  official docu-
ments, some few details  of the cholera in  Western
Asia, and even in  Arabia.  The  iman  or sovereign
informed  them that ten thousand of  his subjects had
fallen by this disorder, and that in consequence of the
people having exhausted their means of burying the
dead, provision was  made from the imperial treasury;
hundreds of dead bodies being frequently exposed for
weeks for want of the means of burial, and owing to
the fear of the contagious  nature of the  disease, thou-
sands and  thousands have died in the most wretched
state, who have been permitted from fear and ignorance
to linger out the most excruciating torture, without a
single friend to  soothe  or wipe from their brow7 the
cold and clammy sweat of death.   It  would be totally
unnecessary for me to trace minutely,  in a wrork of this 
               EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.            225

kind, the various ravages  in towns, districts, &c, com-
mitted by this dreadful scourge.  I have, however, so
far as I deemed necessary, communicated to  you the
principal and first  locations  of the disease, together
with such official reports as I deemed interesting as to
the principal places of mortality in Europe.
   It may be necessary here for me to state, before  I
proceed further on this  important subject, the atmo-
spheric and other phenomena, anterior to and contem-
poraneous with the disease in the sections of  country
mentioned.   The  physicians and surgeons of India,
who have strictly noticed and reported faithfully such
appearances, describe frequent and  great  deviations
from the usual order of the seasons, before and during
the existence of cholera;  and they speak of unusually
violent thunder storms, violent squalls, and storms of
wind and rain.   Earthquakes were also felt in various
parts of Hindostan.   At the time when the grand army
under the Marquis of Hastings suffered  so  dreadfully
from the disease, the thermometer ranged from ninety
to one hundred; the heat was moist and  suffocating,
and the atmosphere a  dead calm.  At the time  this
complaint raged in Calcutta, the disease was attributed
to the extreme heat and drought of the season, followed
by heavy rains, and the use of unwholesome food.  In
the  island  of Java, the weather was very dry and  hot
at the time the cholera broke out in the month of April.
   When this complaint broke out in Bombay, the falls
of rain were unusually great in August; and at Ma-
dras the weather was  much the  same.   It has been
universally observed by those acquainted with this dis-
ease, that  it has generally  been accompanied by  a
cloudy, overcast state of the sky, sudden showers, com-
       GUNN     15 
226
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
posed of large  drops  of rain,  resembling those of a
thunderstorm, and a thick, heavy state of the air, giving
it a whitish appearance;  and whenever the weather
cleared up, the disease gradually disappeared. Through-
out India similar notices were made of the connexion
betw7een the  disturbed  state of the  weather and the
appearance of the disease.  In all  instances southerly
and easterly winds seemed to give  vigour and force to
the cholera.  Its greatest ravages have been during the
heats  of summer, subsiding most generally at the be-
ginning of winter.  During the prevalence of the dis-
ease, the atmosphere is in a rarefied  state; and exhibits
a great  tendency to part  with its  moisture, forming
thick  clouds, heavy rains, or haziness, and to become
agitated by storms.   The same influence of season on
the appearance of cholera in  Persia and Turkey is
thought to be as evident as in  India, for it raged with
great virulence  for three years at various  places from
the shores of  the  Persian  gulf to the Mediterranean,
in one direction, and  to the borders  of Russia in Eu-
rope in  the other, it prevailed  only in summer.  The
weather before the appearance of this complaint in
Mekka  (in 1831) was  remarkable  for the excessive
heat;  the thermometer being steadily as high as 102
Fahrenheit, and afterwards heavy rains, with the wind
from south to south-east.
  Before  the cholera appeared  in Suez, a very hot
south wind prevailed.   At Cairo, on the approach of
the disease, the  wind was from the north-east, and the
heat during the day  was very oppressive, with cold
nights.   At Nishmi Novogored in Russia, there sud-
denly succeeded to a warm and dry state of  the atmo-
sphere, in the month of August, 1830, a continuance 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
227
of cold and wet.   At this time the cholera began—
prevailing winds south-east.
  The cholera appeared at Riga at the commencement
of uncommonly hot and sultry weather.
  In Poland the cholera increased as the weather in
March  and April became  cooler and more  damp.
With warmth  and dryness  of the air the complaint
rapidly abated.   When, however, in August and Sep-
tember the days became very hot, and  the nights cold,
it again raged to an alarming extent.   The prevalence
of the disease at Moscow is stated to have been in pro-
portion to  the  humidity or  dampness  of  the  atmo-
sphere.   At Vienna the cholera broke out on the 13th
of September, after a hurricane and much  cold rain.
At Dantzic, so  irregular and unfavourable to  health
had been the weather  of the spring, that  pestilential
diseases were expected from the irregularity  of the
season.  The prevalent  winds, in most  places in which
the cholera committed  its ravages, have been easterly,
from  north-east to south-east.  Such  winds the late
Dr. Rush of Philadelphia, if you recollect, informed
us, almost invariably preceded and accompanied some
of the  w7orst pestilences, and various  fevers, such as
plagues, yellow fever, and violent bilious and intermit-
tent fevers.
  Among the phenomena worthy of record connected
with the history of cholera, is the sickness and mortal-
ity of animals antecedent to and at the time of  the
ravages of  the  disease, in many parts of  the world
where  it prevailed.  On the  most careful examination
of all the reports  on cholera by the most  able physi-
cians, it is conclusive  that the complaint is not  trans-
missible  either  by persons or goods, and fifteen years'
experience proves that the disease  arises in the atmo- 
228
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
 sphere, and that all attempts to keep off this complaint
 by restrictive measures have utterly failed. More than
 five hundred instances I could  here give you, of the
 cholera  having suddenly  appeared  in  a district, or
 country, in which not the least  communication or in-
 tercourse had taken  place with those affected with it.
 And we learn from the most scientific physicians, and
 those too who  have made  the most attentive and dili-
 gent research, that the cholera is  not contagious,  but
 arises from predisposing causes within the  range of
 atmospheric influence; and how7 many facts  have we
 before us by different  writers on the East India cholera,
 that in the very centre of extensive districts ravaged by
 the cholera, there are certain narrow strips or patches
 of country, in which there  existed no natural obstacles
 to the extension of the disease, but into which it never
 penetrated, although all around was one scene of deso-
 lation.  This part of the subject cannot be placed in a
 clearer  light than  by simply observing  that the in-
 stances of immunity from the disease where unlimited
 intercourse has  been allowed, are in ten-fold greater
 number than where restrictions had been  imposed and
 non-intercourse had been enforced.  On the  contrary,
 it is believed that  these quarantines or cordons (in
 other words, guards to prevent persons who come from
 a quarter in w7hich  the disorder  is know7n to  exist) do
 not even give an opportunity of escape.   Their ten-
 dency and  effect are the other way.  As another proof
 of this disease not being contagious, except in filthy,
 close, and ill-ventilated places, by which I mean filthy
rooms and  other dirty places, that the smell is sufficient
to occasion sickness at any time—I say, as another
proof the full and constant intercourse of physicians,
 nurses, attendants, and friends, almost constantly with 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
229
the sick of cholera, and the number of the former who
have been attacked with the disease.   If cholera were
thus catching, a large majority of the persons desig-
nated ought  to have had the complaint, w7hereas, in
truth,  a large  majority of  them  entirely escaped.
Those who were  attacked were not in a greater pro-
portion than would have suffered  from any prevalent
disease  whatever.  At Moscow,  five hundred  and
eighty-seven  patients affected with cholera, and eight
hundred and  sixty labouring under other diseases, were
admitted into the hospital of Ordinka.  This  hospital
consists of a  single building, three stories high, com-
municating by stairs placed within the boards.   The
same attendants  had charge of all the  patients; the
different articles of furniture were distributed without
distinction to the patients, and all their clothes were
washed together  by the same persons.  Of the eight
hundred and sixty patients above  alluded to, not a sin-
gle  one became affected with cholera; and of  one
hundred and twenty-three hospital attendants, two only
were affected, a  man and a woman, both of whom
were disposed to the disease from very irregular con-
duct ; and frequent admonitions had been given them
of their danger, but  to no effect, when they suddenly
died. Hundreds, nay thousands of instances, might be.
adduced of entire immunity or escape, after constant
intercourse with  the  sick, both in India, Europe, and
the United States. The women who washed the clothes
of the patients in the hospitals were entirely exempt
from the disease.  All the attendants who helped the
patients in and out of the  baths,  rubbed  their bodies,
dressed blisters, &c, all escaped the complaint.  This
with few exceptions has been the case in all the cholera
hospitals with which I have corresponded.  The  phy- 
230
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
sician general to the town hospital of Dantzic, says
that there were five waiters always near  the patients,
eight men were employed in rubbing and bathing, nine
medical  men  visited the patients, of whom one was
always in the room in the daytime, and tw7o watching
every night—no one of these twenty-two persons fell
ill.  " I have visited," says Dr. White, " the Gateshead
hospital, during the  time I had the honour of being
physician to that institution, under all  circumstances
of physical depression.  I have  breathed the  atmo-
sphere of its apartments for hours together; yet I, the
attendants, nurses,  all equally exposed, have equally
escaped.  Not a single individual in the profession has
sustained, to my knowiedge, an attack since the disor-
der has  prevailed."   It  is not reasonable to suppose
that physicians and nurses should be entirely free from
attacks of cholera.   We  ought, on the contrary, to be
surprised at the proportion being so  small, when we
consider how the extreme fatigue and loss of rest which
they undergo, must peculiarly predispose them to the
disease'.   Very different, how7ever, would be the result,
if physicians, friends, and  attendants  were obliged to
render their services in the close and confined quarters
of a city or town, and in  the  damp, filthy, and ill-ven-
tilated  houses of those who are in the great number
victims  to the disease.  Hence it becomes the duty of
all governments, and the  corporations of cities and
public authorities, to make timely and suitable  provi-
sion for  the reception of the poor, and placing them in
the earliest stage of the  disease in comfortable  hospi-
tals, and also  of cleansing filthy places,  and houses,
cellars, privies, &c.
  From a full  and impartial review of all the reports
on the subject of cholera, with the rise and progress of 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
231
the disease, it proves to be an epidemic, depending
upon some peculiar morbid change in the constitution
of the atmosphere, w7hich, to speak the truth, and in
plain language, is unknown to all medical men.  And
all that can be said on this subject  is, that it is owing
to some unknown peculiarity of the atmosphere, some-
thing similar to that which gives rise to the ordinary
fever and other complaints of  the summer and au-
tumnal months.  That its severity or mitigation greatly
depends upon the predisposing causes at the time of
the location of the disease, there can be certainly  no
doubt:  for instance, such  as intemperance of every
species, exposure to the dews of night, sudden changes
in the heat and  dryness  of the atmosphere, excessive
fatigue, and the system labouring under general  debi-
lity, a want of cleanliness, food of a bad quality, &c.
All articles which irritate  the  stomach and bowels
prove exciting causes of the complaint.  Any sudden
or considerable debility of the nervous  system is  to be
greatly dreaded, as of itself laying the body  open  to an
attack of cholera.  On this account, anxiety, fear, and
the depressing passions in general, should not be allow-
ed to harass the  mind.   Hundreds, I may almost say
thousands, have been destroyed by fear alone.  In your
manner of living be  regular, and do  not suddenly
change  your habits, but maintain  regular  hours  of
sleep, regularity of meals,  and the accustomed  daily
exercise, strictly  avoiding exposure to the  sun,  great
fatigue, night air or dews, getting wet, carefully avoid-
ing situations in which  the air is foul, stagnant, and
loaded with  moisture,  and every  thing which has a
tendency to reduce  the energies of the  system either
by over-excitement or  direct debility, and  to  impede
the functions of the skin, or to induce disturbance  of 
232
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
the digestive canal.   To avoid cholera, preserve habits
of strict temperance, no excess of any kind, no experi-
ments to be made with medicine, by which I mean
the preventives of the disease advertised by quacks and
impostors in every city.   Remember one important
rule; strict cleanliness of person, clothes, and habitation.
Keep your feet warm and dry, wear warm clothing,
so as to guard against sudden changes of weather  and
particularly from sudden, damp, cold moisture. Avoid
late hours, crowded assemblies, long continued mental
exertion, sleep not in damp beds, or in low, damp, ill-
ventilated apartments, and shun, as you wish  to avoid
the cholera at the  time  it is raging, all swampy or
marshy districts.  As many have been for years in the
habit of taking spirituous liquors, I should advise such
persons to drink on, sparingly, in proper moderation;
for  we are truly creatures of habit, and I have always
believed that any sudden change, either in diet, drink,
or clothing, is highly injurious, particularly at a time
when cholera is prevailing in that section of country
in which you reside; and under any circumstances our
habits become second nature, and if necessary, which
is often the case, it is prudent to gradually desist, or
change them.   As I have before told you, no medicine
ought to be taken  as a preventive  in cholera, for all
medicines of this nature are amongst the most effectual
means of inducing  an attack of the disease.   During
the prevalence of the late epidemic at Montreal, the
authorities  very   judiciously  forbade  apothecaries
making up and  vending without  permission, the  me-
dicines and quack nostrums eagerly sought after, with
the hope of preventing  or  arresting the complaint.
Time and attention to the early symptoms of this dis-
ease are of great importance.  But urgent as may be 
               EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.            233

the demand for assistance, it ought never to be given
from fear or as a preventive, (which has no doubt been
often the case,) for hundreds  have  died from fear, as
reported by many distinguished observers  of this ma-
lady.   Suffer me to remind you of one important pre-
ventive in this  epidemic: at  all times and under all
circumstances, to place a reliance upon Almighty God.
That man must adhere  with  inviolable constancy to
whatever is good or great in life, w7ho is animated with
the hope of divine approbation, and who  relies with
assured confidence on the friendship,  protection, and
assistance of the great Ruler  of all things. No diffi-
culties, no  dangers, no sickness can terrify him who
has on his side the Sovereign Disposer  of all events.
  After all my diligent research and attention, I  find
the preventive against cholera may be  summed up in a
few words: pure air,  good  substantial living, temper-
ance and regularity of life in  all things, strict  cleanli-
ness, and a  tranquil mind.
            SYMPTOMS OF  CHOLERA.
  I shall commence by giving you what is  termed the
premonitory symptoms of cholera, by  which is meant
symptoms of the first  or forming stage of  the disease,
and on your paying strict attention to these symptoms,
will greatly depend  the favourable issue of the case;
and if you  do not, in nine cases in twelve  the  person
will die.
  The person  attacked  with cholera complains  of
weakness, as if he had undergone  fatigue; he  feels
frequently  for a few moments, uneasiness in the region
of the stomach, but not so  severe as to create alarm.
Frequent evacuations  or stools from the bowels, being
obliged to go to stool from two to a dozen times a day. 
234           EPIDEMIC  CHOLERA.

and not much griped in passing them.  The counte-
nance or features look  unusually sharp, sometimes a
little sick at the stomach, but this last  symptom is not
very common.   This early evidence of the  approach
of the  cholera is not often attended  to, and seldom
noticed but by those experienced in the complaint.
The symptoms I have just mentioned may  continue,
varying, sometimes better and then w7orse from one to
ten days, before the second stage of the disorder com-
mences.  The stools at  the first are generally of a dark
brown  or blackish colour.  As the looseness continues,
they gradually become  Jess and less of a  natural ap-
pearance, until  they look  like  dirty  water.   Some
headach,  cramp  of  the fingers, toes  and belly,  and
almost  always a swimming of the head, and  a ringing
of the  ears, accompany these symptoms.   Very fre-
quently the bowels, for  tw7o or three days, are costive
or bound, and then looseness will again  come on, and
in a few hours  collapse supervenes,  and in general
sickness at  the stomach and vomiting or puking.  Now
remember, that on an early attention to this  looseness
of the bowels will greatly depend the cure, by timely
application of such means as I shall advise ;  or if it is
convenient, and you fear to trust your own judgment,
make on the first appearance of these symptoms  early  r
application to a physician.   Dr. Kirk, a distinguished
medical gentleman, says it was found, from regular
records of upwards of four thousand patients, that this
looseness of the bowels  prevailed in every  case.
   Symptoms of Marked  Cholera.  Having  atten-
tively perused  all the numerous accounts  which have
been published of the various symptoms by which the
epidemic  cholera is  accompanied, I have thought it
only necessary to give you  all the general and  well 
EPIDEMIC cholera.
235
 marked symptoms of the complaint, without noticing
 every trifling deviation from the ordinary course of the
 disease.   All you  wish to be informed of is, when you
 are  about to take it, and lastly when it  has certainly
 attacked.  I have therefore selected for you the de
 scription  of the Madras Report, founded on extensive
 experience in the  country in which I enumerated tc
 you its awful ravages.
   This complaint  generally takes place in the night 01
 towards morning.   You are taken sick at the stomach
 and vomit or puke ;  the bowels are at once evacuated,
 that is, in other words, you go to stool, and you seem
 to discharge or empty all their solid contents, and feel,
 after you have done, great exhaustion, sinking  and
 emptiness; after a short time you feel faintness, your
 skin becomes cold, and very often giddiness  or swim-
 ming in the head,  and ringing in the ears ; the power
 of moving your limbs seems impossible;  twitchings of
 the muscles of the fingers  and toes are felt, and these
 affections gradually  extend along the  limbs  to  the
 trunk of the body.  The pulse from  the first is small,
 weak, quick, and after a certain interval, but particu-
 larly on the  commencement of spasms  or of severe
 puking, it sinks suddenly, so as to be quickly lost in all
 the external  parts.  The skin, which from the com-
 mencement of the disease  is below the  natural heat?
 becomes colder and colder;  it is seldom dry; generally
 covered with a profuse cold sweat, or with a clammy
 moisture.  In Europeans the skin often assumes a livid
 hue; the whole  surface  becomes collapsed; the lips
 become blue; the  nails  present a similar appearance,
and the skin of the feet and hands becomes much cor-
rugated and  exhibits a  sodden appearance;  in  this
state the skin is insensible, even to the action  of  the 
236
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
 strongest medicines, such as warm spirits, or spirits in
 which camphor has been dissolved, or, in fact, even the
 action of the most powerful stimulants; yet the patient
 generally complains of oppressive heat on the surface,
 and wishes to  throw off the  bed-clothes.   The  eyes
 sink in their orbits, and are surrounded with a livid or
 dark circle; the eye becomes heavy, and frequently
 the whites of the eyes suffused with blood, or, in other
 w7ords, blood-shot.  The features of the face look sharp
 and dead, and indeed the wThole countenance assumes
 a cadaverous aspect, and its appearance so uncommon
"that it  is easily observed by  all to be  strangely and
 peculiarly unnatural.  There  is almost always urgent
 thirst, and a desire for cold drink, although the mouth
 be not usually parched.  The tongue is moist, whitish.
 and cold ;  a distressing  sense  of pain, and a burning
 heat at  the  epigastrium or pit  of the stomach, are very
 common in this  disease.   Very little water is passed,
 or bile, or saliva, or spittle secreted; the voice becomes
 quite feeble and hollow, having an  unnatural sound;
 the breathing is oppressed and generally slow, and the
 breath of the patient is quite cold or deficient in heat.
  While these symptoms  are going on, the stomach
 and bow7els  are very much  affected  in different ways.
 After the first vomiting and stool, however severe these
 symptoms may be, the matter passed by stool is always
 of a watery nature: and in some  cases it is entirely
 destitute of colour.  The stools resemble muddy w7ater
 in some, and in others it is  of  a yellowish or greenish
 colour.   A  very common appearance is that which is
 called in the East Indies " congee stools," resembling
 water in which rice had been washed, or having:  the
 appearance  of numerous little slimy flakes, floating in
 the colourless water.  The discharge from the stomach 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
237
by puking, and those from the bowels by stool, do not
appear to differ much, except that the former, or that
which is puked up, has mixed with it portions of food
which may have been eaten and not digested.  Neither
the vomiting nor purging are symptoms of long con-
tinuance ; they are either stopped by medicine, or the
body  becomes unable from weakness to puke  or purge
any longer; and they, together with the spasms, sud-
denly disappear a considerable time before death.  If
blood be  drawn, it looks  of a dark or black colour,
ropy,  and flows  slowly and with difficulty.   Toward
the close of the scene, great restlessness comes on, and
constant anxiety and distress; and death takes  place
often  in ten or  twelve hours, and  generally within
seventeen or twenty hours from the commencement of
the attack.  During all  this mortal struggle and com-
motion  in the body, the mind remains clear, and its
functions undisturbed, almost to the last moment of
existence.  The patient, though sunk and overwhelmed,
and almost lifeless, dislikes  to  speak, and is greatly
distressed if the  least disturbed; still, however, retain-
ing the  power  of thinking, and  of  expressing his
thoughts, as long as his organs are obedient to his will;
such symptoms are the most common of the epidemic
cholera, where its tendency to death is not checked by
medicine.  Cholera, however, like  other  diseases, has
presented considerable variety in its symptoms; thus,
it may on one occasion be distinguished throughout
by the absence of vomiting, and by the prevalence of
purging;  on another, by the excess of vomiting; and,
though  more rarely,  by the  absence  of  purging.
Spasms may be  generally present in one instance; in
another, it may not be observed.   Of all, the most
difficult is, that which is marked by a very slight com- 
238
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
motion in the system; in which there is no vomiting,
hardly any purging, perhaps one or two loose stools.
no perceptible  spasm, no pain  of  any kind, a marble
coldness, with arrest or stoppage of circulation which
comes on from the beginning,  and the patient dies
without a struggle.
  Vomiting or puking, as I have before told  you, if
entirely absent, or if it has  taken  place for a time, it
soon stops, from the  stomach being paralyzed, or, in
other w7ords, as if it were really dead or without any
feeling or sensibility.    Purging is a  more constant
symptom than vomiting in this disease, and  in all cases
of cholera, or most generally, it is, as I have  before
said, the first  symptom in the disorder.   Purging has
been  very rarely absent altogether; and when it is
absent is quite a bad symptom, for it denotes or shows
plainly that the attack is very dangerous.   There is
seldom much  griping or tenesmus, w7hich means a
great and constant desire to go to stool, without doing
much, and sometimes these desires are  so sudden as to
be irresistible.  Both puking and purging with spasm
often occur at the same  time, and the pulse stops for a
time at the wrists ;  as if these symptoms originated at
the instant, from one common  cause.   In advanced
stages of  the  disease, purging generally ceases, but in
many cases a discharge of watery fluid takes place on
every change of posture.  The matters evacuated after
the first emptying of the bowels have been occasionally
observed to be greenish or of a yellowish appearance,
turbid, of a frothy  appearance, like yeast,  and quite
frequently bloody;  but by far the  most common ap-
pearance is that of pure serum,  (which  means the
appearance of whey,) so  thin and  colourless as not to
leave a stain on the  patient's linen.   The next in order 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
239
of frequency is the  congee-like fluid;  (I  have before
explained to you w7hat the congee stools meant;) the
mucus is  at all  times  so thoroughly mixed, however,
with  the serum, as to give the whole the appearance of
milk.  The quantify of the clear watery fluid which
is sometimes discharged  is very great, and were these
discharges to continue constantly, it would afford a
perfect knowledge of the cause of the debility or weak-
ness, thirst, thickness of the blood, and other symptoms;
but it is reduced to a positive certainty, that the most
fatal and rapid cases are, by no means, those which are
distinguished by excessive discharges.  Death, on the
contrary,  has ensued in innumerable  instances after
one or two watery stools, without the development of
any  other symptom affecting the natural functions.
Collapse has even come on before any evacuation by
stool had taken place.
  The peculiarly calm and undisturbed state of the
mind in this disorder  has  been the subject of great
surprise;  instances are known  of persons being able
to walk, and to perform many of their usual avocations
in business, even after the circulation has been so much
arrested, that the pulse has not  been discerned at the
wrist; the cases I allude to are  those chiefly in w7hich
it has begun by an insidious  watery purging; and
many lives have been  lost in consequence of the pa-
tients, under these false appearances, not having taken
early  alarm, and applied for medical aid.   In other
cases again, the  animal  functions appear to have been
early  impaired, and the prostration of strength to have
preceded most of the symptoms.  The voice in gene-
ral sounds very weak, partaking of the debility prevail-
ing in the other  functions;  it is commonly noticed as
being remarkably feeble, often  almost unable to  be 
240
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
heard.  Deafness has also been remarked in some in-
stances  to have  been completely established.   Coma
does occasionally occur, especially towards the  termi-
nation of the case, when it is fatal;  but delirium has
seldom been observed in this complaint.
  Spasm has been  held  as one of the most essential
features  or certain  accompaniments  of the epidemic
cholera, and owing to which circumstance it has  re-
ceived this specified name; so far, however, as relates
to the muscles of voluntary motion, (and it is that de-
scription of spasm  only  to which I  now refer,)  no
symptom is more frequently wanting.  Spasms  of the
muscles chiefly accompany those cases in w7hich there
is a  sensible  and violent commotion  of the system;
hence they are more frequently found in cases where
Europeans are the subjects of the disease, than  when
it attacks the natives of India, and in  robust patients
more frequently than in  the weakly.   In the low or
more dangerous  form of  cholera,  whether in the Eu-
ropean or Indian, spasm is generally wanting, or is
present  in a very slight degree.  The muscles most
commonly affected  are those of the toes and feet, and
of the calves of the leg; next to these the correspond-
ing muscles of the superior extremities; then those of
thighs and arms; and, lastly, those of  the trunk, pro-
ducing the most distressing feelings  to  the afflicted
person.
  It  is deserving of remark, says Doctor Graigie  in
his account of the disease, that in several instances the
first indications of cholera were the twitching of the
fingers and toes; and a great many persons wTho re-
sisted all the  other  symptoms of the disease w7ere  at-
tacked by this twitching.   Of all the symptoms  of
cholera  none are so universally present, nor indeed so 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
241
important and fatal, as the immediate  sinking of the
circulation.  It must nevertheless be  admitted, that
where instant remedial medicines have been success-
fully practised, this symptom may not have developed
itself, and that there are even cases where an excited
vascular  action has  been observed to accompany the
first perturbation of the system in cholera.  Some intel-
ligent medical  gentlemen have  entertained  doubts
whether  such cases belong indeed to this disease;  it is,
however, to be remembered, that these are precisely
the cases which yield  most certainly  and  readily to
appropriate remedies, and it consequently follows that
the physician can seldom  have an opportunity of ob-
serving whether or not this form  of cholera will pass
into  a more aggravated stage.  Cases, however, have
occurred in which such degeneration has taken place,
and it has been followed by death.  The symptoms of
excitement have likewise  principally occurred among
soldiers, in whom an effect upon the circulation  may
have been produced by the quantity of ardent spirits
they are  in  the habit of drinking daily.  The period
at which a marked diminution of vascular action takes
place, is  somewiiat various.   The pulse sometimes
keeps up tolerably well for some hours,  though very
rarely; it more generally becomes small and  accele-
rated at an early stage, and on the accession of  spasms
or vomiting, suddenly ceases to be distinguishable in
the extremities.  The length of time during which a
patient will  sometimes live in  a pulseless state is ex-
traordinary.
   That remarkable shrinking of the features of the
face, w7hich  has acquired  the  emphatic term  of the
" true cholera countenance,"  appears  in every  case,
unless quickly stopped  in the forming stage by medi-
      GUNN       16 
242
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
cine.  This expression of countenance, which conveys
so truly that of death itself, cannot be mistaken; and by
an attentive observer it will  be perceived that a simi-
lar shrinking takes place throughout the limbs, and all
the projecting parts of the body.   No  symptoms of
cholera are so uniform in their appearance and pro-
gress as those  connected with the blood  and its  circu-
lation.  It is fully established, that the blood of patients
attacked with cholera is of an unnaturally dark colour,
and  of a very thick  consistence.  In a great majority
of the reports of the physicians  of India, it is  stated
unequivocally, or without  doubt, that after a certain
quantity of dark and thick  blood  has been drawn, it is
common for its colour to change much lighter.  When
this was the case, it was considered favourable as  to the
termination of the disease.  In India, when medical
aid was early administered, and the constitution  of the
patient otherwise healthy, the recovery from an attack
of the cholera was generally very quick,  owing  to the
peculiar constitutions of these people, in whom  there
is ordinarily very little  tendency to inflammation or
fever.   But in Europeans,  in  w7hom  there is  much
greater  tendency to  inflammation or fever, and  a de
termination to some of the internal organs;  conse-
quently, the recovery from the disease by them  is not
so sudden or perfect.  When cholera, however, is of
long continuance, and when the congestions appear to
'have been thoroughly established,  few Europeans or
Americans, who outlive the attack, are restored to
health without considerable difficulty.
  1 have now described to you as fully and as minutely
as the space allotted to me in this work would permit;
giving you the general symptoms of cholera, as it pre-
sented itself in the different districts of India, and they 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
243
agree in every respect with those observed in the dis-
ease during its prevalence in Russia, Poland, North of
Europe, the Canadas, &c.  This  is proved by the his-
tory of the disease, by the most able and distinguished
physicians throughout Europe and India;  particularly
the able report  made by Dr. Keir, of Moscow7, to the
British Government, and in the accounts transmitted
from Montreal and Quebec.  And all the reports made
on  this fatal disease agree as to the  principal symp-
toms ; that in the generality of cases, there were the
same excessive or constant evacuations by puking and
purging;  a watery, turbid fluid; the same collapse of
the skin ;  coldness  of  the surface;   sinking  of the
pulse; failure of the strength ; lividity of the face, or
purple cast; shrinking of the features; spasms of the
muscles, &c.; all of which symptoms usually take place
more or less, with some few variations, owing to the
peculiarity of the constitution, or the state of the sys-
tem at the time  of taking the disease.   For cholera, in
its severity and  duration, by which I mean the length
of time it exists, depends much upon the local or pre-
disposing causes.  Therefore, if any decided difference
has been  observed between  the  character of cholera,
as it  prevailed  in India, and after its extension into
Europe, the Canadas, and the United States, it consists
merely in the gradual amelioration of  the complaint;
by  which I mean, that it sometimes gradually loses  it
severity; owing, as I have before told you, to the pecu-
liarity of the climate, the predisposing  causes, inviting,
more or less, the disease, wherever the  disorder, which
is in the air, may locate or settle itself. And this is the
reason why the cholera rages more violently at one
place than it does at another; because the predisposing
causes are greater. 
244
EPIDEMIC  CHOLERA.
  Therefore, let temperance and cleanliness in all
things be the watchword; for experience  has taught
the people of the United States, that by due  caution,
and early attention to the proper remedies, which are
simple and easily understood, this pestilence  may be,
and has been perfectly within the control of medicine;
and that  this disease is the same  as the European cho-
lera, is fully established  by the evidence of various
physicians of eminence, who have witnessed the cholera
both in India and Europe; and,  as I have before stated
to you, its virulence or mitigation entirely  depends
upon local .causes, or  the  constitution, and the predis-
position to an attack of the complaint.

                   TREATMENT.
  The cholera has not been found to be less under the
control of proper treatment  than any  other disease
equally rapid in its course.  When remedies of a proper
kind have been administered in  the early stage of the
complaint, and judiciously managed, a favourable ter-
mination has, in the majority of cases, been the result.
The difficulty is, to induce patients, or those  attacked
with this disorder, to apply sufficiently early  for medi-
cal assistance.  With the loss of a very few hours, the
chances  of recovery are  greatly diminished.   ;i If the
disease,"  says Dr. Annesley, whose experience in the
treatment of epidemic cholera, during  its prevalence in
India, was considerable, '• be taken at its  commence-
ment, or within an hour after the disorder  attacks you,
it is as manageable as any other acute disease; but the
rapidity  with which it runs through its course requires
the  most active exertions before  it can be checked, and
the  loss of an hour may cause the loss of life."
   The remedies most successfully used in India, and 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
245
throughout Europe generally, will be  noticed.  The
variety of different means used, and the peculiar opi-
nions of different medical w7riters, many of which have
proved unsuccessful,  I  do not think it necessary to
mention in a book of this kind.   My object in writing
so fully on this subject, has been to give you a  perfect
and general knowf edge of the complaint, as to its vio-
lence and  progress in India, and the principal remedies
which prove to be the most successful in the cure of
cholera, selecting from the experience of the most dis-
tinguished physicians  such remedies as may be relied
on in this  epidemic; after which, I subjoin the opinion
and advice by letter of the distinguished medical gen
tlemen of our own country, simplified in plain lan-
guage, adapted to the people; closing  this important
subject with my remarks  and advice to my country-
men.
  The remedy, the good effect of which, in the treat-
ment of cholera, appears to have been  most generally
acknowledged, and  the early employment of which is
most  insisted upon,  is  blood-letting.
  Bleeding from the arm in the first stage, when the
pulse is full, and the temperature not reduced, is often
sufficient to cut short the disease.  The  patient, always
feels  immediate relief,  particularly where the  head
has been affected.   The bleeding should be performed
in a horizontal position ;  or, in other w7ords, the patient
should lie  on  the bed while bleeding him.  After the
bleeding, he must remain quiet in bed for some time.
Doctor Drysen, w7ho has had  great experience in this
complaint, directs to increase the flow of  blood from
the arm, by frictions or rubbing to the  surface of the
body, with flannel cloths wrung out of hot wrater, or
by bleeding while the patient is in the warm bath. To 
246
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
see how to prepare and use the warm bath, read under
that head.
  According to Mr. Bell, " in no case in which it has
been possible to persevere in blood-letting, until the
blood flows freely from the veins, and its colour is re-
covered, and  the oppressed chest is relieved, will the
patient  die  from  that  attack of  the disease."  He
directs that when the blood has once begun to flow, it
ought to be allowed to bleed  until  these changes are
observed.  It is the opinion of Doctor Kenedy that in
ninety-nine instances out of a hundred, w7here patients
are said to have died, in " despite  of blood-letting, it
will  be found on  examination, either that no blood
flowed from the incision or opening made by the lan-
cet, or that it came away in drops, or in a small broken
stream, rarely exceeding a few ounces  in quantity. On
the contrary," he adds,  " where blood was freely ob-
tained  to  the extent of twenty or thirty ounces, and
where the depletion w7as followed by proper auxiliaries,
or other assisting remedies, the patients  have  usually
recovered."
  The testimony of the German, Russian, and Polish
physicians, has all been given in favour of the benefi-
cial effects of blood-letting, when early resorted to in
cholera.
  The absence of the pulse is no reason w7hy you should
not use the lancet, unless it be accompanied by other
symptoms of great debility, and the system has been
exhausted by previous evacuations or purging, and the
surface is covered with a cold, clammy sweat   Even
under such circumstances, many attest the advantages
of blood-letting, especially when  preceded by sina-
pisms, or in other words stimulating plasters of mustard
to the  belly, feet, ankles, &c.; the application of dry 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
247
heat and frictions  to the surface, by which is meant
bags of hot sand, bags of hot mush, bags of hot  oats,
bottles of hot water rolled in blankets, &c, (this is dry
heat,) frictions or rubbing, as before explained, and dif-
fusible  stimulants internally: either spirits of harts-
horn, brandy, wine, and  liquors of all kinds, given in-
wardly, so as to excite or rouse the circulation of the
blood.
   In some cases of cholera, says that able and expe-
rienced physician, Dr. Lefevre, the pulse ceases to beat
very early, but upon opening a vein the blood flowrs
slowly at first, gradually the current becomes fuller
and stronger,  the pulse beats very sensibly,  and the
heart, thus relieved, is enabled to continue  its  circula-
tion.  The  only  cases in which bleeding would ap-
pear of doubtful propriety, during the  first stage, are
those occurring in old, debilitated, or weak persons, and
in  constitutions completely  broken down by intem-
perance.
   When blood cannot be drawn from the arm, and the
spasms continue, when severe pains and  burning  heat
are felt at the epigastrium, when the skin is cold, and
deluged with a cold clammy sweat, and when there is
oppression  at the  chest  and  difficulty of breathing,
excessive pain and confusion of the head, with great
intolerance or dislike of light, no pulse, or a very indis-
tinct one, and a cadaverous or offensive smell from the
body, cupping is advised over the  region of the belly,
with frictions of turpentine  externally  or outwardly,
and calomel given internally.  In the  advanced  state
of the disease an opportunity is sometimes afforded for
the drawing of blood. This, according to Dr. Annesley.
is marked by a struggle or effort of the  circulation to
overcome some resisting power, and is  a most auspi- 
248            EPIDEMIC  CHOLERA.
cious or favourable symptom, which should never be
overlooked.   As soon  as it occurs, bleeding, directed
with great judgment, should be resorted to.
  The patient, after bleeding, should be  warmly co-
vered with bed-clothes, and allowed to remain per-
fectly still for a short period.
  Sinapisms  and rubefacients, or,  in  plain  English,
mustard poultices, mixed with strong vinegar, and ap-
plied to the calves of the legs, inside the ankles, soles
of the feet, &c, to act as a stimulant; (employed in low
states of fevers, and other diseases;)  the object of
which is to rouse the circulation of the blood, and to
supersede the use of blisters, which are in this disorder
too slow.  Rubefacients mean that substance  which,
when applied to the body or skin a certain time, makes
a redness without blistering.  Sinapisms and rubefa-
cients are among the most efficacious or best means
adapted to the cure of cholera.  "It may be said  of
them that they are indispensable, and there is hardly
any stage of the disease in which they may not be em-
ployed with advantage: so  long as the disease endures,
so long will their use be proper, and they should  be
repeated continually."   The pain in the bowrels, and
even the sickness, are often instantaneously relieved by
the application of a large mustard poultice mixed with
vinegar and applied over the region of the belly, and
much pain is saved the patient  if it be applied early.
In  violent cases of the disease  the application  of the
mustard poultice mixed with strong vinegar as before
directed, and applied to the ankles, wrists, calves of the
legs, inside of the arms and thighs, and along the spine,
is recommended in the   strongest  terms in  various
treatises by the best informed physicians of India and
Europe, on the cholera; and from the beneficial effects 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
249
which we have seen result from the practice through-
out this  complaint, it should  never be neglected ;  it
w7ould be as  well  probably  to  defer the sinapisms or
poultices until the  full effects of dry frictions have been
tested.  When the  skin has been excoriated or inflamed
by the use of sinapisms, anodyne fomentations, (or in
other words laudanum or opium,) steam, applied to the
body, or even  pulverized opium  sprinkled over the
tender surface,  will be often useful in relieving pain
and sickness at  the stomach.
  Dry frictions are recommended as remedies of great
importance and efficacy in  all cases of cholera.  By
dry  friction  is  meant rubbing well the whole  body
with your hands ; hence, it can only be recommended
in those cases where there are plenty of attendants to
wait upon the sick.  Dry frictions are best adapted to,
and have been found most beneficial in the early period
of the attack.   " The  object of friction is twofold. 1 st,
To restore the circulation in the part, and the heat that
is dependent upon  it.   2d, To introduce remedies into
the system by absorption."  The first may be effected
by mere rubbing with the hand, or a warm flannel, or
the flesh-brush; and if persisted in, will often restore
the circulation  to  the' extremities, which w7ere pre-
viously cold and senseless; but it requires great perse-
verance and  long  continuance; for it  is necessary to
keep up the circulation after it is restored; and, as I
have before told you, requires considerable assistance
or attendants to wait upon the sick.  Various liniments*
have been proposed to assist  the effects of friction ; but
they may be superseded by  steady rubbing with the
hand, which should be sprinkled occasionally with a
little  powdered starch, or a little camphorated oil.
Where proper and effectual  rubbing cannot be main- 
250
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
tained, stimulating liniments should be employed; be-
cause little rubbing will suffice, and the effect will be
more permanent.   The liniment  composed of cam-
phorated spirit and  ammonia, (meaning hartshorn,)
will answer  every purpose.   When the spasms are
severe, the  spirits of turpentine are best  for rubbing
with.  Rubbing the body with spirits is improper, as
thtir rapid evaporation will have a tendency to increase
the coldness of the surface.
  Medicines  may be introduced into the circulation
by frictions, and thus certain indications fulfilled, when
the stomach  is in too  irritable a condition to retain
the proper remedies.  Especially may local pain and
spasms be alleviated by frictions with opium, hyoscia-
mus, and other narcotics, in the form of liniments or
ointments.
  Dry Heat. This remedy is strongly recommended
by many of the practitioners who have witnessed the
cholera in the north of  Europe.  Mr. Kennedy, a dis-
tinguished physician, recommends it in the first stage
of the disease, after bleeding, the warm  bath, and the
other remedies which are immediately demanded.  He
remarks : "  As soon as the cramps are subdued, or have
received  a  decided check, the patient should  be re-
moved from the bath with all  possible expedition, and
placed  between dry heated blankets.   Dry warmth
should be further afforded by surrounding his body and
limbs with  bags of heated sand."  Here dry heat, be
it remembered, is  the remedy, and not the sand which
contains  it.   On this principle, bottles  of hot  water,
rolled in  flannel, have  been employed; and also hot
ashes, bran, oat meal, hot mush, &c.  To prevent loss
of time, however, always take the first or most con-
venient of the above articles that may come to hand, 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
251
so as  to produce any heat as early as possible.   You
will recollect the warm bath is always preferable in
the first stage  of the  disease, from its great power;
"caution is necessary," says Mr. Kennedy, "to prevent
its being too long continued."
  The following are the directions of Dr. Harnett, one
of the British Medical  Commission, at Dantzic, for tha
use of the wrarm bath.  " It has  been found necessary
to guard against the indiscriminate use of the hot water
and vapour baths, or steam, (generally used by a  pipe
under the bed clothes.)  In hot weather, after perspi-
ration has  broken out, and, above all, in the clammy
stage  of the disease;  and after marked venous conges-
tion has taken place, when it seems to increase the latter,
which is particularly observable in the brain and heart
The bath should be used either in the critical moment
in the beginning of the disease, or, at farthest, instantly
after, if admissible even then.  To  obviate the deter-
mination of blood to the head, cold  applications ought
to be occasionally applied  to it, while the patient  is in
the bath.
  The patient  should  be most gently and  otherwise
judiciously placed in the bath, with  respect to the gra-
dually inclined position of his body, and due  support
of the head, neck and  shoulders; and the immersion
or subjection should be merely long enough  for  the
positive communication of  heat and its effects, when
he ought to be as gently and judiciously taken out, well
wrapped up in  hot  blankets, promptly laid in a  bed,
and gently rubbed  with w7arm,  dry, coarse thread
towels all  over, and wiped dry as fast as the clammy
swreat oozes out.  There  is much handy and careful
personal management  requisite  in this essential  part
of the treatment. 
252
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
   Calomel.—This medicine has been greatly used
 in cholera, by a majority of English surgeons in India,
 and it is spoken highly of by such  of them as have
 witnessed  the disease in  the north  of Europe.  In
 many instances the use of this powerful medicine has
 been carried or given to an enormous extent: doses of
 a scruple to half a drachm being considered the small-
 est dose adapted to  the disease ; others, however, have
 condemned the use of the remedy to this great extent,
 and recommend it to  be given  in smaller doses fre-
 quently repeated, and in general combined with opium.
 The evidence  which is advanced  in favour of the be-
 neficial effects of calomel, under both modes of admi-
 nistration, might  at first view appear perfectly conclu-
 sive; but in making up  an opinion on this subject, it
 is  necessary to recollect  that in almost all  the  cases
 which are adduced where the practice is supposed to
 have  been  eminently successful,  other important re-
 medies have at the same time been employed, espe-
 cially bleeding, frictions, and stimulating applications to
 the surface, and very commonly the warm bath.  Upon
 the early and  judicious employment of the last-men-
 tioned medicines, nearly all the writers agree that the
 cure of the disease mainly depends ; by many they are
 of themselves  supposed fully sufficient, and that the
 various internal remedies that have been  resorted to
 are either useless or absolutely pernicious.   Among
 the physicians of Russia, Poland, and Germany, there
are but few w7ho recommend the use of calomel at all,
and the majority denounce, in very decided terms, its
employment in the early stages of cholera, or to the
extent to which it was carried by the practitioners of
India.  In Warsaw, the result of  experience showed,
according to Dr. Hille, that whether in large doses, or 
epidemic cholera.
253
in smaller ones frequently repeated, the calomel did
more harm  than  good; and hence its use was either
entirely abandoned, or it was given in a single dose of
a few grains combined with opium.  Dr. Gibbs, writ-
ing from St. Petersburgh, says expressly, that scruple
and  half scruple doses of calomel would not do  there;
Dr. Lefevre very properly remarks, that small  doses
combined with opium can be of no  use in the first
stage.  In slight cases, he adds, where  the quantity of
opium is sufficient to allay the spasmodic action, while
time is allowed for the calomel to act gradually, the
combination however may be of service; but it must
share the same fate as all the vaunted nostrums which,
when  administered  indiscriminately,  lose  even the
merit to which they are really entitled.
  In Dunaburg no calomel was administered, and of
seven hundred and forty-five  cases, many of  which
were in the  last stages of  the disease, when first seen
by the physician, only seventy-five terminated fatally.
  Opium.—No remedy has been proposed in the treat-
ment of cholera, which has so great a mass of testimo-
ny in its favour as opium.  Nearly all the physicians,
whatever may be their opinions as to the  nature of
the disease,  have  administered it.  By some it  is re-
commended in the largest possible doses: by others.
however, w7hen given in smaller doses,  it is  considered
much more  efficacious, and les:> liable to produce in-
jurious consequences.  Mr. Orton, an  eminent  practi*
tioner. considers it " probable that a single dose of  opium
given alone at the very commencement of the disease,
would be found in a great majority of instances to put
an effectual check to its progress."  The Polish, and
a few of the German physicians object, however,  to
the administering of opium in cholera. 
254
epidemic cholera.
   Internal Stimulants.—The application of ether,
 brandy, ammonia, (hartshorn,) and other stimulants,
 I  find to be very generally  recommended, especially
 in the advanced state of the disease.  They are direct-
 ed to be used or continued until  reaction is fairly es-
 tablished, after  which they are to be  gradually relin-
 quished.  In the early stage of the disease, there is less
 evidence of their good effects than during that period
 in which the clammy sweat, icy coldness of the surface,
 scarcely  perceptible pulse, and sunken countenance
 indicate a state of collapse, which, if not speedily re-
 moved, the loss of  the  patient is inevitable.   Many
 persons have employed the most powerful stimulants
 even from the commencement of the attack, and with
 no sparing hand.  This practice  is highly  improper,
 md certainly by experience known to end in fatal con-
 equences.  Stimulants require at all  times  much
 judgment and  great caution  in  their employment,
 or they will most assuredly produce  far more harm
 than good : and should be given  under no  other cir-
 cumstances than those I have described, and even then
 it is questionable whether they do not produce more
 evil than benefit.
   Purgatives.—Though considered by many physi-
 cians as indispensable remedies in the treatment of
 cholera, they do not appear, with the exception of calo-
 mel, to have been very generally employed until after
 the more pressing and violent symptoms of the disease
 have been subdued.  At this particular juncture  it is
 very generally admitted that they have been productive
 of the  best effects.   They are proper  so  long as the
 bowels do not perform their functions regularly, and
 the stools have  an unusual appearance; nor is there
any danger of reproducing the disease by their con- 
epidemic cholera.
255
tinuance, so long as we take these marks for our guide.
It is much  more likely to return  from neglecting  to
administer them;  purging by calomel is necessary, for
you will find the quantity of unhealthy matter which
is often  evacuated by stool, remains for a long time
after the complaint has been subdued.   Such is the
experience of Doctor Lefevre, in regard to the use of
purgatives.   He says, they are found indispensable, by
producing copious discharges of  vitiated bile.   " A
full dose of calomel," remarks the doctor,  " is often
useful  in the beginning of the convalescence, as it acts
upon all the secretions.  But the simple purging, which
is so requisite after this disorder, is best effected by
small and repeated doses of castor oil."   The virtues
of this last  medicine have indeed been  extolled in a
very positive manner by the physicians both of  India
and Europe.  " The success under its use  was very
considerable, and there seems," says Mr. Scott, " to be
sufficient evidence to warrant a more extensive trial."
It is admitted by all that purgatives which produce
frequent watery stools, with griping, are improper in
this disease ; are very prejudicial, and ought  and must
not be  given.
  Enemata, which means  glysters.   When the sto-
mach is so irritable that it will not retain any  thing, or
constant puking, by which the exhibition of remedies
by  the mouth cannot be  given, glysters (called ene-
mas) will be proper, not only in the first attack of the
complaint, but in the latter stages of the disease  also ;
especially in such  cases as have been  attended  with
much  spasm, and  the bowels continue sore for a long
time, and every motion  on the stool  is productive of
pain.   In this case, an enema or glyster of half a pint
of flaxseed tea, and ten drops of laudanum, produces 
256
EPIDEMIC cholera.
 immediate relief; administered in this  manner, the
 opium is less liable to produce injurious consequences
 than  when given by the mouth.   Injections, or  glys-
 ters, in plain English, given of hot water above blood
 heat,  have been highly spoken of in cases of great col-
 lapse, or sinking and general coldness  of  the  skin.
 After drawing up the water with a syringe, (or squirt,)
 and letting  this warm w7ater  remain  up a while, the
 water may be withdrawn by the syringe, and a  fresh
 supply of warm w7ater  introduced.  Mr. Fife speaks
 favourably of injections of mustard :  they have, he
 says, promptly brought on a discharge of urine, after it
 had been entirely suppressed.
  Muriate or Soda.—(Nothing in English but our
 common salt.)—This has been spoken of by a few of
 the continental physicians as a powerful remedy in
 cholera, and  is  recommended by the eminent Mr.
 Searl  as an emetic in the commencement of the  case.
 I cannot say that the evidence in its  favour is  very
 strong.  It is true, we are told by Dr. Barry, that at
 St.  Petersburgh, two German physicians declared in
 his  presence, at the medical council, " that during the
 preceding eleven days, they had treated at the custom-
 house hospital, thirty cholera patients, of whom  they
 lost none.  They gave two table-spoonsful of common
 salt in six ounces of hot water at once, and one spoon-
 ful  of the same cold every hour afterw7ards."  But let
 it be recollected, that these gentlemen, as well as the
 others who have recommended this remedy, always
 premised bleeding, (that is, first bled, and then used the
salt and warm water.) upon the importance and  good
effects of which in cholera, there is but little difference
of opv lion.  It is thus that many remedies in this and
otby.  liseases acquire a fictitious reputation from being 
               EPIDEMIC  CHOLERA.            257

conjoined  or  mixed with  others  of  acknowledged
power ; when, had they been omitted, the case would,
in all probability, have proceeded as rapidly, or perhaps
even more so, to a favourable termination.
   Drinks. A strange diversity of opinion exists among
the writers upon cholera, as to the proper drinks to be
allowed the patient.   By some, dilutents of every kind
were entirely  prohibited, in consequence of a supposi-   -
tion that they increased  the vomiting.   The  great
desire of the patient is for cold water;  he appears  to
labour under  the  most distressing  thirst, the calls of
which,  it  must be  evident, cannot be  disregarded,
without materially increasing his suffering, and, even-
tually, the disease  under which he suffers.  Mr. Scott,
in common with  nearly all  the best practitioners, ad-
mits the propriety of allowing some bland dilutent, but
maintains that it should be given of tepid warmth. He
conceives that cold  drinks  are always dangerous, and
generally fatal.  This was the  opinion very generally
of the  surgeons  of  India.  Mr. Annesley,  however,
gave  cold water, with a slight  impregnation of  nitric
acid; in other words, made pleasantly sour.  This was
the general drink at the hospital under his care, and
was found to relieve the most distressing symptom of
the  disease,  the  burning  sensation at the  stomach.
From the experience of the European  physicians, it
would appear very fully settled, that cold drinks are
not more prejudicial than warm, and when desired by
the patient should be freely  given.
   According to Lefevre, iced lemonade has often been
taken with advantage.  The  diluted nitric acid, he
states, may be added with great benefit to the common
drink.   Fifty drops  of the diluted acid, added to a pint
of water. swreetened  to the taste, is a grateful beverage.
        GUNN       17 
258
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
   Dr. Drysen, of Riga, says that when the thirst is great,
   warm, or even hot drinks are the best, and are often
   retained and even desired by the  patient.   He directs
   infusions of various mild aromatic herbs, or when these
   are unpleasant to the patient, of common  tea.   But
   when the  patient desires earnestly cold drinks, they
   may be given in slight portions at a time, without fear
*  of any bad  consequences.   Fresh milk, moderately
   cool,  he states, has been found very beneficial; and
   w7hen the diarrhoea is considerable, a decoction of rice
   or barley, or thin tapioca, &c, may be given, and w7hen
   there is entire absence of pain or tenderness of the ab-
   domen or belly, a little port wine may be  added.  A
   cup of strong coffee he has found very readily to stop
   the vomiting or puking in this disease ; he advises the
   patient,  in case of the drinks being rejected by  the
   stomach, to be allowed to swallow small portions of ice
   somewhat rounded into the shape of  a pill by being
   rolled between the fingers;  a practice also  recom-
   mended by Brussais.
     The  strongest testimony in favour of w7arm water
   is that  given by Dr. Strum, a surgeon in  the Polish
   army, writing from the  encampment near  Karmi-
   enka: " The treatment which we now pursue is proba-
   bly already  knowm to you,  as Dr.  Helbig has been
   ordered to publish an account of it by the government.
   It consists in nothing else than giving to the patient as
   much w7arm (nearly hot) water, as he is able to drink,
   in the quantity of a glassful every fifteen or thirty mi-
   nutes.  By the time he has taken fourteen glasses the
   cure is complete with  the exception of a slight diar-
   rhoea, which  it is not proper suddenly to suspend.  The
   effects of this plan of treatment are so quick and  effec-
   tual, that in  two hours, or often sooner, the patient is 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
259
wrell; particularly when it is commenced  sufficiently
early.
  Treatment of the secondary stage of Cho-
lera.   After the  more violent symptoms of the dis-
ease have been removed, that is, after the vomiting and
purging have been suspended, the regular action of the
heart established, and the  circulation and heat of the
surface  permanently restored,  the attention  of the
physician must be directed to guard against or remedy
local congestions, to prevent inordinate reaction, and to
produce a healthy action of the bowels.   Congestion is
most liable to take place after the first stage or that of
collapse is over, in the liver and lungs, and sometimes
in the head  also.   For this, moderate blood-letting,
local or  general  according to circumstances, is the
most certain remedy.  When febrile symptoms with
determination to the brain present  themselves, topical
bleeding (such as cupping, &c.) near the temples will
be found to relieve it.  The judicious employment of
blisters, and of cold applications to the head, will  also
be of advantage.  When the healthy condition of the
bowels has not been produced by the remedies  admi-
nistered in  the  first stage, moderate doses of calomel,
followed by castor oil,br rather mild purgatives, will
be necessary.  As soon as  the discharges have become
healthy or well tinged with bile: that is, that you have
fully roused the liver into  action, the patient may be
considered  out  of  danger, and the purgatives discon-
tinued ; but not until then.  Tenderness or fixed pain
in the region of the stomach, or any part of the abdo-
men or belly, call  for the immediate  application of
leeches or cupping.
  I have now fully, and as minutely as I  conceived it
Qecessary in a work of this kind, given you the various 
260
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
remedies which have been proposed, and strongly re-
commended, in the treatment of cholera by different
writers, together  with the practice  of  the most dis-
tinguished physicians in India and Europe.  You will
after reading attentively this subject see plainly that no
decided, or positive, or certain method is laid down for
the treatment of this dreadful scourge of the human
race.   In plain language, it  has commenced in the
United States, and the physicians of this country have
been compelled to establish a practice founded on their
own experience,  and to adopt or use such remedies
according to the symptoms, or the effect of the  disease,
at the time of its location, upon the habits, constitutions,
&c, and the effects of climate, together with such pre-
disposing causes as may exist at the time this disorder
is prevalent.
  I have subjoined for your satisfaction  and informa-
tion, several letters of the most enlightened and dis-
tinguished physicians of  our  country, and, when it
becomes necessary, reduced their technical or medical
terms into plain  language, so  that you might easily
understand them.   Their  valuable  information, and
the distinguished standing of their  authors,  deserve
the confidence and gratitude of the American people.
  Permit  me, in cases of emergency, to recommend to
your particular attention the letters of Drs. Drake and
Pattison.
          LETTER OF DR. DRAKE.
  Prevented entirely  by indisposition from laying
before the readers of the Chronicle, last week, an ac-
count of the  progress of the  epidemic; and  not yet
capable of much effort of the pen, I shall scarcely 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
261
fulfil my engagement to furnish them with a history
of the disease.  Twenty-seven days have now elapsed
since the onset of the pestilence, during which period
the whole number of deaths, as far as it has been
ascertained, is three hundred and fifty-one.  Dividing
the period into three equal parts of nine days each, the
first would average about two daily, the second seven-
teen, and the third twenty-one.  The greatest number
of deaths was from noon on the nineteenth to noon on
the twentieth, and amounted to forty-two, or one out
of every six hundred inhabitants actually in the city at
the time.  Since that  day the mortality has slowly
diminished, and at present there is a general impression
that the epidemic is declining.
  No age, sex, complexion, or condition has been ex-
empted from the impress of the poison, but its mortal
effects have been  very  different in different classes of
the community.  Among the coloured it has gone on
to develope a fatal disease, far oftener in proportion than
among the whites; while among the latter the labouring
classes have much more frequently fallen victims than
those who lived in ease and affluence. Many drunkards
have been its victims, but the majority of this class have
as yet escaped.  More  men have  sunk than women,
but the names of the victims show that a great number
of mothers in the lower  and  middle  ranks of society
have died.   The  great secret, I apprehend, of those
diversities,  and  of the  comparative exemption of the
reading and  affluent classes,  is simply their earlier
knowledge and fuller  appreciation of the  signs and
means of arresting  the disease in its forming  stage.
Whenever, either in white or black, rich or poor, male
or female, old or young, it has been suffered  to establish
itself in violent  vomitings coldness, cramps, and pros 
262
EPLDEMIC CHOLERA.
tration, it has proved fatal, or been cured in so small a
number that they constituted exceptions to the rule.
Could every man, woman, and child, in the city, have
been taught what were the first symptoms, convinced
of the necessity of attending to them, and furnished with
the means of adopting the requisite treatment, I do not
hesitate  to say, the mortality would  have been far less
than has taken place.  For the information of distant
readers where this disease may unhappily break out, I
shall briefly state the simple course which  in my own
practice, and that  of a great number of my medical
friends, has proved effectual for this  purpose.  On the
very first occurrence of any complaint in the stomach
or bowels, the patient must instantly go to bed in a
warm room, and continue there until all disease has left
him.  This is the greatest  point in the treatment, and
if neglected, nothing else  will be of any  avail.  His
bed-covering should be warm and close, and he should
be enjoined to lie still.  In this situation, two objects
are to be kept steadily in view7: first, to excite the skin
into perspiration: and, secondly, to excite the liver into
a copious secretion of bile, which being brought about
and properly maintained, the patient is  insured.  To
accomplish these ends, he must be made to drink freely
of a weak tea of balm, sage, thoroughwort,  sassafras, or
snake-root.  At the same time, he must take a powder
of ten grains of calomel and one of opium, w7hich may
be repeated two or three times, with or without the
opium, according to the judgment of the physician.  In
most cases, bags of mush or bitter herbs may be laid
over the abdomen, and are much preferable to sina-
pisms, except where the vomiting  is severe.  If the
patient should be of a full habit or have fever, blood-
letting would be required   In twelve or twenty-four 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
263
hours after the commencement of this course, it will
often be necessary to administer a little rhubarb, castor
oil, or senna.  Such are the small and simple means
by which this great pestilence may be arrested, if at-
tacked in its forming stage.  Should they, as too often
happens, be omitted until spasms and prostration of the
vital powers come on, they are still the most valuable,
but will oftener fail than succeed.   They who can be
made practically sensible of these facts, will be  saved.
They who cannot, are liable to perish.

                    RELAPSE.
  All who have had cholera, in any degree, are pecu-
liarly liable to relapses, and many of our  citizens have
already perished in this way.  The causes of these re-
lapses are chiefly two.  First, rising too soon from bed,
and going into the open air, by which the perspiration
is checked.  In no other  disease is this so  dangerous.
I speak according to the experience of  other places,
and  my  own observations in  this.  Secondly,  indul-
gence in diet. Those who are recovering from cholera,
whether slight or violent, will  relapse and die, if they
indulge in hearty meals  of solid food.   All they eat
should be liquid and mild, such as gruel, soup, mush
and milk, rice, chocolate, and other articles of a light
kind. Every thing beyond this bill of fare  is pernicious.
I hope my fellow-citizens will  scrupulously observe
what I stated; and I beg of all editors to  co-operate in
disseminating a knowledge of  these  most important
cautions.

         NEGLECT OF THE FIRST STAGE.
  It is lamentable to see  how many continue to fall
victims to the epidemic from neglecting the first stage. 
264
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
I repeat the opinion, and would reiterate it with every
possible solemnity, that few or none would die of the
epidemic if the first stages were attended to.  When-
ever I have been able to get the history of a fatal case,
I have found the patient had  one, two, three, or more
days' indisposition, chiefly of the stomach and bowels,
before the spasms and coldness came on.  Now, in that
forming stage, the malady is  easily arrested: when it
is neglected, the patient generally dies.
  Could every one wiio becomes indisposed be induced
to take  instantly to his bed, and send  for a physician,
the epidemic would be forthwith deprived of all its
horrors.  The Roman maxim, " resist the beginning,"
is not more applicable to any other evil which afflicts
mankind than to epidemic cholera.

     CHOLERA AND THE STEAM DOCTORS.
  I am  told that  a great many persons  affected with
cholera  apply to  the steam doctors.   Many of these
are no doubt cured; but others must be lost, who under
a different method might  have been  saved.   I have
often said to my friends, that some parts of the Thomp-
sonian  practice would be  well adapted to cholera,
especially in its advanced stages; but it is a fatal error
to suppose that this method is proper in all cases.  I
hope the steam doctors, many of whom I believe arc
benevolent men,  will candidly consider what I am
about to say.  A  weak infusion of lobelia, with  con-
finement to bed and external heat, is extremely proper
in the forming  stages of the disease; but many cases
at the same time  require  blood-letting,  and all  that
require this latter remedy would be injured by the use
of " No. 6," and other powerful stimulants. The liver,
moreover,  is  torpid and does not secrete bile;  it is 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
265
necessary, therefore, to administer calomel liberally in
the early stages of the disease.   Opium likewise is a
valuable remedy in this stage, and contributes greatly
to palliate the sufferings of patients.
   Thus it is, indiscriminate  omission of blood-letting.
calomel, and opium, cause many to die who might have
been saved.
   One grain of opium to ten of calomel form a proper
dose which may be given  once, twice, or three times,
and  will seldom  fail  to  excite a flow of bile, after
which the patient is  generally safe.   In the stage  of
collapse, " No. 6," and every other stimulating article
in the Thompsonian  plan, may be admitted; though
treated in this manner or any other the patient will
generally die.
  In concluding, I must again solemnly and affection-
ately warn the  community that  no reliance is to be
placed on any plan of treatment that is  not entered
upon  at  the very beginning of the disease, and that
taking to bed in  a  warm room  at the onset of the
complaint and continuing  in that situation for several
days is indispensable to safety.
                     DANIEL DRAKE, M. D.
  Cincinnati, Friday, October 26, 1832.
         LETTER OF DR. PATTISON.
  We have been compelled  to give only an abridg-
ment of the letter of this distinguished individual to
his friend Dr. Carmichael, of Fredericksburg, Va.  Dr.
Pattison is Professor of Anatomy in  the city of Balti-
more ; is one of the most distinguished medical men
now7 living;  as a surgeon,  there is  not his superior. 
266
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
Having long toiled in the steep and rugged road of
science, he has reached  the summit, and now stands
unrivalled in his profession.   As a philanthropist, his
generous heart is ever ready to soothe and to relieve
the afflictions of mankind.  Dr. Pattison, substantially,
says :—
  When the epidemic exists in any particular district,
the state of the bowels must be attended to with the
utmost solicitude, and the most trifling  irregularity at
once remedied.  I have before been at some pains to
press  on your attention the fact, that in almost every
instance, the malignant form of the disease is preceded
by diarrhoea; and I would now state, that in this stage
the complaint may with certainty be remedied.  The
diarrhoea indicates mere functional  derangement; re-
move this, and restore the healthy secretions  of the
liver, stomach, and the other viscera which minister to
the functions of digestion  and assimilation, and you
save your patient.   The treatment  is very  simple.
Immediately on ascertaining the existence of the diar-
rhoea, direct your patient to take one of the following
powders:
    Powdered Rhubarb               80 grains,
    Calomel,                         20 grains,
    Salts of Opium,                   1 grain,
    And divide into four equal powders.
  Should there be much pain  and  oppression in the
epigastrium; and more especially, should the pain be
increased  by pressure, apply from  fifteen  to  twenty
cups over this part, and if the patient be of a plethoric
habit, take blood from the general system.   Six hours
after the powder has been taken, give from six drachms
to an ounce of castor oil.  The dejections will be found
unnatural in their  appearance, and should  they con- 
EPLDEMIC CHOLERA.
267
tinue so, let the powder be repeated twelve hours after
the operation of the first one has  ceased, and follow it
up, as in the former case, with a dose of oil.   Continue
this  treatment until the excretions  become natural.
Let the patient keep his bed, and  take the lightest and
most digestible food, and in  the course of a few days
his health will  be perfectly re-established.  I have
never yet, in the w7hole course of my experience, had
an opportunity of treating a patient  during the  pre-
monitory  stage,  in which I  have not  succeeded in
arresting the progress of the disease.  This is a most
consolatory truth, and one which cannot be too exten-
sively proclaimed.  It disarms the pestilence in a great
measure of its terrors, and it should have the effect of
calming the minds of the timid, and inspiring them
with  confidence.  Fear  is, of all the  exciting  causes,
the most powerful; the publication of these facts prove
there is no ground for it.  By attention to diet, and
immediately applying for medical aid, should the pre-
monitory  symptoms arise, every  individual  may  feel
himself secure from danger.
  Should  your patient not  have applied to you for
advice, until the first stage is verging on the second,
the most energetic system of treatment will be required
to afford him any chance of recovery.
  So  soon as  the  dejections  lose their feculent cha-
racter, and assume the appearance of rice water, then
the disease may be said to be entering  on  its  second
and most alarming stage.  The effect on the system,
when these dejections commence, is immediate.  The
strength is prostrated; the countenance becomes con-
tracted and ghastly; the spasms become more frequent
and more  severe, and, in general, the  distressing sensa-
tion in the epigastrium is increased.  If the case is now 
268
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
 left  to itself, collapse very speedily takes place; and
 indeed very often in  spite of the best directed treat-
 ment, this comes  on.  It would require me  to fill a
 ream of  paper, were  I to attempt  to speak of all the
 plans of  treatment which have been recommended; I
 shall refrain from  doing  so, and shall confine my re-
 marks to the indications which guide my own practice,
 and  the  measures I  pursue  in  carrying  them into
 effect.   Before I do  so,  I beg leave to  remind you,
 that I put in no claim to originality, either in my views
 as to the nature of the disease, or as to  the  mode of
 treating it.
   My mode of treating cholera asphyxia is, in fact, the
 one  which  has been so  successfully adopted by the
 British physicians in India.
   Believing, as I have already stated, that the disease
 depends  on functional derangement of certain viscera,
 particularly those which  fulfil the operations of diges-
 tion  and  assimilation ; in  every stage of the disease, my
 indication is, to restore the healthful performance of
 those functions.  Now, of all the medicines which can
 be employed for this purpose, calomel is decidedly the
 most powerful, and to it I look as the sheet-anchor of
 hope.  Let all your remedial measures, therefore, be so
 directed as to promote the operation of mercury on the
 system.   If your patient complains of much  pain in
 the epigastrium, let cupping-glasses be applied; and if
 the pulse will bear it, bleed from the  general system.
 In the  employment  of  general  blood-letting, consi-
 derable judgment is required, and in  determining the
quantity, the pulse must be our guide.  Even should
the pulsation at the wrist be scarcely perceptible, still,
if  other symptoms should indicate the propriety  of
 bleeding be not deterred from employing it; you will 
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
269
frequently find, that as the blood flows the pulse  be-
comes  more and more distinct.   If so,  continue  the
bleeding until the pulse begins to feel it.   The instant
it sinks, apply the finger to the wound in the vein, and
prevent the flow of another  drop.   General blood-
letting is calculated either to do much good or  to be
attended with much danger.   I will  therefore be ex-
cused in repeating that  it should not be prescribed
without the most deliberate consideration of the  cir-
cumstances of each particular  case.   Emetics may in
most cases be employed with much advantage. When-
ever there is much feeling of oppression  and sense of
weight in the region of the stomach, they may be pre-
scribed with  safety.   Dr. James Johnson, the  dis-
tinguished  editor of the Medico-chirurgical Review, a
gentleman whom  I consider as one of the very first
physicians of  the present age, and whose learning of
the science of his profession  is only equalled by  the
acuteness and accuracy of his  judgment, has strongly
recommended emetics of mustard and water, in cho-
lera, with the view of moving the congestion which he
believes exists in the viscera.
  I prefer the salt and water emetic to any other which
has been recommended.   Its  operation is immediate,
and  so soon  as  it has  produced free  vomiting, its
nauseating effect goes off.  You will frequently be
much struck with the matter  dejected by vomiting:
substances which may have  been  taken  into the  sto-
mach days before, will occasionally be thrown up  un-
changed : a sufficient evidence of  the impaired condi-
tion of the digestive  functions.   Should you,  when
called  to a case,  be  of opinion  that vomiting may be
required, you will, of course, employ  it  immediately,
as, until its operation is over, you  need not commence 
270
EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.
the calomel.  So soon as the vomiting from the emetic
has ceased, begin with this most important remedy.
  Some practitioners recommend the calomel  to be
used in large doses.   From my experience, I would
prefer giving it in small quantities, repeating the dose
frequently; of course, the quantity and the frequency
01 giving it must be regulated by the circumstances of
each particular case.   One of the following pills I
would  begin with, by  giving every half-hour.   The
pills ought to be freshly prepared.   If they have been
made for  some days, they have  become hard, and
remain  some time in  the  stomach  before they  are
dissolved, and every moment is of value in treating this
disease.
  Take of calomel,                     12 grains,
  Powder of cayenne or red pepper,      12 grains,
  Salts of opium,                         2 grains,
  Mix the mass thoroughly with a little gum arabic,
and divide it into ten e^qual  pills.
  It will be observed that each of  these  pills contains
the fifth of a grain of the sulphate of morphia.  This
I consider a most valuable remedy in quieting the
stomach and relieving  the spasms.   But it is one
which must be employed with judgment. The indica-
tions for its employment are the vomiting and  spasms;
and so soon as it relieves these symptoms it should be
discontinued.  It is probable, after three  or four  of the
pills have been taken, they will disappear; or  at all
events  become  much mitigated.   Should this be the
case, pills  containing merely calomel  should be substi-
tuted for  those with the morphia.  You had  better
direct your patient to take the calomel pills every half-
hour, until about thirty grains have been taken; after
this quantity has been  swallowed, diminish the dose, 
               EPIDEMIC CHOLERA.            271

and let him  take only  three grains every half hour.
The medicine may be continued in this  quantity, and
taken at these intervals, until from a scruple to half a
drachm more of calomel is taken, after which you had
better allow the patient a short respite.   Should the
calomel not of itself  produce feculent dejections, after
it has remained in the system for some time, it will be
useful to give a powder containing twelve grains of
calomel and one scruple of rhubarb, and the operation
of this may be promoted by giving some hours after-
wards a dose  of castor oil.  The great object I would
recommend to you to have in view is to introduce into
the stomach  a considerable quantity of calomel in
divided doses, and then to endeavour to obtain feculent
dejections.   When  the  rice-coloured  dejections are
changed into feculent ones, the danger is in a  great
measure at an end, but persevere in the use of calomel
until the healthy secretions are fully  re-established.
When the stools become natural, and when the secre-
tion of urine, which had been completely stopped, is
restored, your patient is cured.  All that is further re-
quired is rest in bed for some days, and  care to  avoid
taking any but the lightest and most digestible articles
of food.
                RHEUMATISM.
  This painful and excruciating disease, in which the
poor sufferer drags out a miserable and wretched exist-
ence, is quite frequent throughout our whole country;
and  I  shall communicate respecting this disease, in
which I have had so much experience, such remedies as
will, if properly managed, succeed in entirely removing 
■272               RHEUMATISM.
it from the system, unless anchylosis of the joint has
been formed ; for in such a case nothing can possibly
be done with it.  Anchylosis means a stiff joint.  this
state of the  system is exhibited generally under the
form of Chronic Rheumatism, of ten  or fifteen years
standing.  In every case where the patient can, in the
slightest manner, move the joint, I have no  hesitation
in saying the cure can be made, if  attentively and
properly managed, according to  the various methods
of treatment laid down, which are as follows :  Em-
bracing the  general  mode of treatment as used  by
physicians, and the method I have invariably followed
with unbounded success in the south and west, hun-
dreds are now living in those states who can attest or
prove that they have been entirely cured of this dis-
ease by me, of many years standing, after they had
become entirely helpless, and unable to walk or move
without assistance.  There are two diseases, or rather
two different stages of this disease; one of which is
called inflammatory, and  the other chronic; the first
is accompanied with fever, and  the last  is nearly or
quite without fever, and of long standing.
   Rheumatism is brought on by exposure to the  cold
and wet;  by sleeping in damp places; by  remaining
too long on the damp ground; by sleeping in a current
of air  at night, immediately under an open window;
by exposure to the night dews ; by taking off a warm
dress and putting on a thin one;  by being  greatly
heated, and becoming suddenly cool, thereby checking
the perspiration or sweat.
   There is  a disease called  by  physicians  rheumatic
mercurialis,  which means rheumatism produced by
the improper use  of mercury; that  is, by permitting
the mercury to remain in the system, without giving 
RHEUMATISM.               273
the proper remedy to carry it off, which is  flour of
sulphur.  This flour of sulphur is nothing more than
brimstone purified," and pounded or  ground very fine
like flour; it is the true and  certain antidote against
mercury; as you will find explained under the head
of Sulphurous Fumigation; or a sweat produced by
the use of sulphur.
  First.—Inflammatory Rheumatism is to be relieved
in the first stage by bleeding;  as you will perceive by
the fulness of the pulse, and  by the person  afflicted
being of a robust and full habit of body; here it will
be necessary to bleed freely from a large orifice.  If
the heat is great, you must proportion the loss  of blood
according to  the violence of the symptoms; and you
must  repeat  the  bleeding on  the second day, if you
find it necessary from the violence or continuation of
the inflammatory symptoms, which  can easily be dis-
tinguished by the pulse, the feelings of the  sufferer,
and, lastly, by suffering the blood to cool. If the blood,
when cool, has on its surface a buffy  coat of a yellow7-
ish hue, it denotes a highly inflammatory state of the
system; but in bleeding you must take care not  to go
so far as to produce  debility; and, therefore, after the
first bleeding, which must be regulated entirely by the
violence of the attack, it will be proper to give an active
purge  of calomel and  jalap, tw7enty grains  of each,
mixed well together, and afterwards with any kind of
syrup.  This should be carried off by gruel, or warm
balm, sage, or dittany tea, if possible, to produce gentle
sweat or moisture on the skin.  If then the disease does
not begin to yield, give another purge of ten grains of
calomel and  ten  of jalap, mixed well, and given as
before directed.   This will procure purging and a co-
pious  persniration or sweat.  You will find now, that
       GCNN     18 
274
RHEUMATISM.
  by moderate purging, so as not to debilitate or weaken
  the patient, the complaint will begin to subside, or per-
  haps entirely.  These mild purges must be of Epsom
  salts, glauber salts, senna and manna, or castor oil.  If
  your patient at any time gets weak from purging, give
  warm toddy made of any kind of  spirits: or if you
  wish effectually to check the purging, give twenty or
  thirty drops of laudanum or a pill of opium :  see table
  for dose.  This will arrest or put a stop to the purging;
  and if there is any griping, put the laudanum when
  you give it in some strong  mint  tea.   When the joints
  are very  painful, and the skin  red, swelled, and in-
  flamed, cup over the parts affected, (see under the heaa
  of Cupping for the operation,) w7hich is very simple and
  easily  performed.   Cupping freely  will be  a useful
  remedy.   The  inflamed  or  swollen parts should be
  kept wet  with  cloths dipped in vinegar made milk
  warm : and at night a poultice made of rye flour, mixed
  with vinegar and warm water, will give much relief.
  If the inflammatory  symptoms are considerably  re
  moved, a pill of opium  or a dose of laudanum  (see
  table for doses) will procure the  rest  or sleep so much
  desired in this afflicting complaint.   The parts which
  are painful should  be w7ell  rubbed with a  liniment
  made of two table-spoonsful of laudanum ; twro of spi-
  rits of hartshorn; mixed over a slow fire in four table-
  spoonsful  of butter  without any  salt  in  it: this, being
  put into a bottle and corked tight, must be used three
  times a day, at the rate of a tea-spoonful  each time, and
•  the parts  kept w7ell covered with flannel.  These re-
  medies should be used separately or  together, as they
  may afford the afflicted person relief.  The diet should
  be very light and cooling;  this being a matter of great
  importance.  By strict attention to  this, you will be 
RHEUMATISM.
275
enabled to get quickly relieved, and save the taking a
vast  deal of medicine.  In fact, while inflammation
prevails, the less the patient takes of nourishment the
better; and solid or animal food are both to be avoided.
No spirits, wines, or stimulating drinks whatever are
permitted in this state of the system :  and even when
the afflicted person is getting better he must take only
such nourishments as are necessary to support the sys-
tem and recruit its powers; for by imprudence  in diet
a relapse may take place of a dangerous and languish-
ing nature.
  Second.—Chronic rheumatism, as distinguished from
that called inflammatory rheumatism, has little or no
fever.   Chronic means, when the  fever or inflamma-
tory  action has  nearly,  or, indeed, entirely subsided.
It is  sometimes brought on as  a mere  consequence of
inflammatory rheumatism, and sometimes it proceeds
from cold and exposure, or from the system being pre-
disposed to it by some old disease; for it frequently
steals on so gradually that the patient bears with it
until the pain  seats itself in  some  particular joint or
part, giving the most excruciating pain.  When fairly
seated by length of time, it usually prevents the suf-
ferer from using his limbs, and from the misery attend-
ing it throughout, large lumps or swellings are  pro-
duced by it: these are the symptoms by which  you
will  know chronic rheumatism.
  This  slow, obstinate,  and painful disease  must be
treated as follows: first, the bowels are  to be kept open
by the  simple  laxative  of sulphur.   A  tea-spoonful
must be given of a morning,  mixed with honey, on
an empty stomach, and one at night, if necessary to
keep the bowels open.   One or two purges a day will
be sufficient: avoid the damp ground, and also getting 
27u
RHEUMATISM
wret while taking sulphur; because it opens all the pores
of the system, and under these circumstances becomes
dangerous.   This medicine is truly valuable in this dis-
ease, and too much can hardly be said in  its favour;
nor is  there  any danger in it, if you  will but keep
from the wet and damp.  You may occasionally vary
the treatment, by giving Epsom salts in the room of
sulphur, but it must be in moderate doses.   The next
object in curing this complaint is, to keep up a gentle
moisture on the skin, in other words, a gentle  sweat-
ing ; and for this purpose I shall give you a remedy
w7hich is very simple; and which  in itself has cured
hundreds, both of rheumatism and pains generally
Take one ounce of gum guiacum and two drachms of
saltpetre, put these  two articles, after pounding them
together, into a quart of old whisky, and give a table-
spoonful in a little cold water, three times  during the
day.   This dose is for a grown person.   If the stomach
be weak, lessen the dose in proportion, and so on for a
delicate  or weakly person.   It acts  as a powerful
stimulant, produces gentle  sweatings,  &c.  By con-
tinuing in the use of this simple remedy, in which there
is no danger, I have effected cures in cases of long
standing, several of which were considered hopeless.
  The principle  to be pursued in removing this com-
plaint is very simple:  it is either by moderate or by
large sweats.  Take  a "blanket, or any thing  which
will prevent the steam from passing off, and put hoops
into it, in the same  manner that  you would  into a
partridge net, so as to keep the blanket, or whatever
else you use, on the stretch.   Let the bottom hoop be
Urge enough  to cover the  tub, or whatever other ves-
sel you use . let the next hoop be something smaller
the next one smaller still, and so on up to the top one, 
RHEUMATISM.
277
wbich must be large enough to admit the head to be
put through.  This machine, or whatever  else you
may please to call it, must be long enough to cover the
body without touching it, except at the neck, where it
must fit so close as to prevent any steam from  escaping,
which might affect the nose, face, or any portion of the
head.  In this situation, the patient being enclosed in
the case naked: let him sit or stand, with hot rocks
placed under him; on which, so as to confine the steam
to the body, let the following extract be gradually and
very slowiy poured.  Four or five days before you
wish to give this bath, take a quart of whisky and put
into it half an ounce of saltpetre, one  ounce of  seneca
snake-root, well bruised, and half an ounce of sulphur
in a quart bottle.   This liquor must  be poured very
slowly, or rather dropped through an  aperture in the
blanket on the rocks; by which a powerful sweat will
be produced, which must be continued  for a quarter
of an  hour if the  patient be not too weak to bear it so
long.   When the patient is in this bath, if any faint-
ness or sickness takes place, the bath is to  be stopped,
the patient wiped dry, and  immediately put to bed:
and if  much debility or weakness seems to exist, you
must stimulate with w7arm toddy, made of any kind of
spirits, with warm water and sugar.   In my practice
in Virginia, for five  years I used  this steam bath with
unbounded success; and in some cases which  I con-
sidered absolutely hopeless, cures w7ere produced.  By
the effects of the vapour or steam bath, as just described,
I was induced to try its effects  in two cases of inflam-
matory rheumatism, in which  one of the patients was
unable to move without assistance for six months pre-
vious ; all the usual remedies in that  stage of the dis-
ease  having been  tried without  any benefit.   John
      2 A 
278
RHEUMATISM.
Sypold, a man of about  thirty-five years  of age, of a
full habit, a resident of Montgomery county, Virginia,
was hauled to me in a wagon nine miles, labouring un-
der inflammatory rheumatism. His situation was truly-
miserable, from the most severe and excruciating pains.
I determined, with his consent, and after explaining to
him my doubts as to the final  issue of his case, to try
the following experiment.  I bled him freely  from
both arms; and  his situation  was such  as to  require
five persons to assist me in getting him into a wooden
case I  had constructed for the  purpose.  His pain was
so severe as scarcely to admit of his being turned over;
but as  soon as the steam was put in operation on him,
he became  tranquil,  and in  ten  minutes a  profuse
sweat  broke out on him, which produced great relief.
He had continued in  the bath fifteen minutes, when
I proposed to have him removed:  but the pleasantness
of his sensations induced  him  to desire me to let him
remain:  he  said that those w7ere the only moments in
which  he had experienced a relief from pain in six
months.  After continuing in the bath half an hour,
he descended without assistance, covered with sweat:
his body was then rubbed well with coarse towels, and
his joints also with the  liniment I have before described,
made  of hartshorn, laudanum, and butter without
salt.  I gave Mr. Sypold the  bath three times, making
each time shorter; in two weeks he was entirely re-
lieved  from  pain, and in three months he walked to
Lynchburgh with his  w7agon, a distance of sixty miles,
and returned without experiencing the least return of
his disease.  Hundreds have since been relieved by
me in Tennessee of this disease, by this remedy of the
bath, as just described; and in chronic cases  by the
simple  use of gum guaiacum, as already mentioned.  I 
RHEUMATISM.
279
shall now proceed to give  the  common remedies, as
used by physicians in this  complaint, many of which
are valuable, and afford speedy and salutary relief.
   In all local  affections, distinguished by stiffness, and
want of power to move the joints without considera-
ble  pain, rub  the  part well with the liniment before
mentioned; or with opodeldoc, or whisky, in w7hich
red pepper or mustard has been infused or soaked; and
with these or either of them, rub the joints or places
affected with a brush, continuing the rubbing for some
time, the longer the better;  and use inwardly the gum
guaiacum as before directed.  The pokeberry bounce,
made by putting  the ripe  berries into whisky, and
using a wine-glassful of it  every day, is  of service.
The seneca snake-root is also valuable in this disease:
by boiling an ounce  of it in a quart  of water, over a
slow fire or on coals ; stewing it down to a pint or less,
and  taking a table-spoonful of it occasionally through
the  day: you may increase the  dose as the stomach
will bear it.   Fat light-wood, steeped in spirits, and   #
taken in  small quantities,  is also  serviceable.   Tea
made of sarsaparilla, and drank freely, is a good remedy;
or take a large  handful of rattlesnake-root and bruise
it  well, put it into a quart of spirits and let it steep by
the fire for several days; and of this take a wine-glass-
ful every morning.
   In the stage which I have lately described, which
is  chronic rheumatism,  the  patient is frequently, by
having had the disease a long time, reduced to  great
weakness: if so, he should use some bitters to strength-
en the system; such as dog-wood bark, wild cherry-
tree  bark, and poplar bark, in equal quantities in whis-
ky, or spirit of any kind—old if possible; or if spirits
disagrees, make a tea, and  give  a wine-glassful  three 
280
RHEUMATISM.
times a day;  or cold camomile tea same quantity; or
take eight or ten  drops of elixir vitriol, in a wine or
stem glass of cold  water, three times  a  day.   In this
state of the system, horseradish and mustard will  be
proper to use with  your food.  Your diet should be as
usual; no change is necessary in chronic rheumatism.
Exercise is important, if the patient can  possibly have
it;  and flannel should be w7orn next to the skin.  The
warm  salt bath, as described under sea or salt bath,
will be of great  utility in this state of the disease;  or
you may use it by pouring over the body three times a
day, strong salt and water, made milk-w7arm.   If the
above remedies should not relieve, after a proper and
patient trial of them, recourse must  be had  to the
French remedy, called Sulphurous Fumigation.  For
instructions look under that head.
        INDIGESTION, OR DYSPEPSIA.

  This common and most afflicting disease so much
disturbs and deranges our moral and physical nature,
that it is difficult to determine which suffers most from
its attacks, the mind or the body.  From the variety
of shapes which this complaint assumes, it is very dif-
ficult to describe  it in  a plain and  comprehensive
manner; in fact, it is so frequently associated in close
connexion  with other  diseases to which it  bears a
strong resemblance, particularly those of the liver and
bowels,  that in many cases it  deceives the most ex-
perienced and intelligent physicians.  This complaint,
like the gout, may be said to be no respecter of persons:
from the prince to the beggar, you can see misery in-
flicted, without discrimination of persons or ranks, by 
DYSPEPSIA.
281
this  demon of human  suffering, indigestion;  under
whose influence the body is tortured for years, and the
mind continually wrecked  like a troubled sea with the
most unhappy and melancholy feelings.
  This disease  originates in a great  variety of causes;
among which it is often found associated with a dis-
eased state of the liver.  Persons who have used spirits
of any kind to excess, or stimulants of  any description.
such as spices or highly  seasoned  food, and those  also
who have used tobacco to great excess, by which the
coats and functions of the stomach have been impaired
and debilitated, are liable  to  indigestion.  A costive-
habit, acquired by permitting the bowels to remain too
long without evacuation, will bring on this formidable
malady; and  persons who are long confined to  any
stationary or sedentary  business,  without taking the
necessary exercise, are generally submitted to this dis-
ease called indigestion.  When the complaint is firmly
seated in the stomach, it is marked by eructations or
belchings of wind; gnawing and disagreeable sensations
at the pit of the stomach; risings of sour and bitter
acid into the throat, occasioned by the food not being
properly digested; great irregularity of appetite, which
is sometimes voracious and  at other times greatly defi-
cient ; and a sinking and oppressive debility or  weak-
ness of the stomach.  In addition to these symptoms
of indigestion, on gratifying the appetite  at any time,
the stomach in a short  time  afterwards becomes op-
pressed  with sensations of weight and fulness; the
head becomes confused; the sleep very much disturbed;
the bowels very irregular and costive; the urine high-
coloured ; and the poor victim commences taking me-
dicines for relief, and brooding in  dejected silence over
thousands of unhappy retrospections of past life, and 
282
DYSPEPSIA.
countless  melancholy  anticipations of the future,  in
which death, in all its attendant and imaginary horrors,
stands conspicuous and appalling.  Nor are these the
only miserable indications of indigestion; I have known
many  persons wiiose  tempers and dispositions have
been materially affected  by indigestion; so much so,
indeed, that they were incapable  of  describing their
own sensations; and who, w7hen ridiculed  by their
friends, in merely pleasant  raillery, as  hypochondriacs,
have wished their sufferings were  ended by a close of
their existence!
  If the liver is  connected with this disease called
indigestion, a dead and heavy pain will be  felt  in the
right side: the  water deposited in the urinal or pot,
will have, on cooling and settling, a brick-dust coloured
sediment,  winch, if permitted to remain any length of
time, will adhere in rings of a reddish hue to the inner
sides of the urinal; a pain will be felt  in the top of the
shoulder and back of the neck; the feet and hands will
frequently get  asleep,  from  w7ant  of  regular and
energetic circulation; the complexion will  become of
a yellowish hue or tinge; great and general uneasiness
of the wiiole system  will be felt; and sometimes, when
the liver  is greatly  diseased, occasional  puking will
come on,  in  which  last  case, a diseased state  of the
liver being evident,  I  must refer the reader to that
head.
                    REMEDIES.

  In the removal or  cure of this disease, great reliance
is always to be placed in the systematic  regulation  of
your diet, as  to the times of taking food, the quantity
of that food, and  the qualities  to  be  taken; and any
person labouring under indigestion will soon discover 
DYSPEPSIA.
283
that regularity and temperance, in fact abstemiousness
in eating and drinking, will be productive of as many
benefits to the sufferer, as want of system and intem-
perance will be of serious injuries and dangerous con-
sequences.  I am decidedly of opinion, with regard to
dyspepsia, that by withdrawing the causes of irritation
from the stomach, and applying such remedies as will
have  the effect of lessening the  irritability of the
general system, (unless  the patient  be entirely too
much exhausted,) nature will effect a cure without the
aid of that farrago of medicines generally sw7allowed in
this complaint: and  I wish it  here  to  be distinctly
understood, that unless those who are tortured with
indigestion  absolutely relinquish  all  excesses of the
table  and the bottle, no cure can be hoped  for  or
expected.
  Doctor James  Johnson, of the  Royal College  of
Physicians, has correctly and elegantly described the
remedies for indigestion,  in nearly the following lan-
guage :  There is a great error committed almost every
day in this disease, which is, by flying to medicines at
once, whenever the functions of the stomach and liver
appear  to be  disordered, and the food imperfectly
digested.  Instead  of taking purgative  medicines day
after day, we should lessen  and  simplify the food,  in
order to prevent the formation of such things  in the
body as will assist to produce and increase the disease;
but in attempting to induce a patient to adopt this rule,
I am aware that great prejudices are to be  overcome.
The patient feels himself getting w7eaker and thinner;
and he flies immediately to nourishing food, and tonics
and strengthening  medicines  for  a cure; but he will
generally be disappointed in the end by this plan.  From
four ounces of gruel every six hours, under  any state 
284
DYSPEPSIA.
of indigestion, he will derive more nutriment and real
strength, than from half a pound of animal food, and a
pint of the best wine.  Whenever he feels  any addi-
tional uneasiness or discomfort, in  mind or body, after
eating, the patient has erred in the quantity  or quality
of his food, however restricted the one or  select  the
other.   If the food and drink irritate the nerves of the
stomach, they must be  reduced and simplified  down
even to the gruel diet above alluded to.   I have known
the dyspeptic patients gain  flesh and strength, on half
a pint of good gruel, taken three times in twenty-four
hours, and gradually bring  the stomach step  by step up
to the point of digesting  plain animal food.   On a
biscuit and a glass of water, I have known persons who
were afflicted with this disease  to dine for months in
succession ; and on this small portion of food, to obtain
a degree of strength, and a serenity  of  mind, beyond
their most sanguine hopes.   You will perceive, that in
all the different forms of indigestion, diet is the first
thing, and the principal cure in this disease; and rely
upon it, for I assert it from  sad  experience in my own
person,  that  it is absolutely vain to expect a  cure.
unless you have courage and perseverance  to reap  the
fruits of such a system as I have laid down  to you in
diet, and not to change it, however strongly  you may
be tempted by the luxuries of the table and the seduc-
tions of convivial society; and when you have escaped
the miseries of this worst of human afflictions, you
must be extremely careful how you deviate  from  the
right diet w7hich has restored you to health ;  for no dis-
ease is so liable to relapse  as indigestion.    An unre-
strained indulgence in a variety of dishes, or in vegetables
and fruit, or a debauch in drinking, will be certain of
making the poor dyspeptic patient  pay dearly, in suf- 
DYSPEPSIA.                285
fering  and wrretchedness of feelings, for his straying
from the  correct path of temperance and  propriety.
The least over-exertion of the stomach, caused by its
being  overloaded or too highly stimulated, will be
certain to cause you to be on the stool of repentance
for some time afterwards.  As soon as you have the
least reason for supposing that you are labouring under
indigestion, commence first with an active purgative
consisting of  ten grains of calomel, ten of rhubarb in
fine powder, and ten of aloes likewise finely powrdered.
These  three articles are to be mixed well together, and
made into pills, with honey or syrup. After this purga-
tive medicine, which is intended to clear the stomach
and bowels of all their unhealthy  and injurious con-
tents, which always w7hen present keep up a constant
irritation in the stomach and intestines, no more very
active  purges are to be given, because the frequent and
almost constant employment of active purges always
do more harm than good, by unnecessarily weakening
the system : one satisfactory evacuation by stool in the
course  of the  day is quite sufficient; and by more than
this the stomach and  bowels are teased, thereby pro-
ducing debility, the real parent of  morbid  irritation.
When  this disease of body is avoided, and the stomach
and bowels at the same time kept sufficiently easy and
clear, and the temperate abstemiousness I have advised
strictly followed, the poor sufferer under indigestion
may confidently expect an extinguishment of the flames
of this  torture.
  A little rhubarb root chewed at night, or the follow-
ing simple pill will be of service.  Take of rhubarb in
powrder half  a drachm, of Castile  soap  one drachm,
and of ipecacuanha in powder half a drachm; mix
them well together in honey or any syrup, to  which 
286
DYSPEPSIA.
add a little  powdered  ginger to  make  the mixture
pleasant to the stomach,- make it into thirty pills, one
of winch you must take every morning, noon, and at
night;  this will give a tone to the stomach and bow7els,
but as an alterative ; and keep them gently open; this
is an innocent and most useful pill, and will afford great
relief, with proper exercise and diet.  A tea-spoonful
or a table-spoonful of common charcoal, pounded very
fine,  and taken three times a day in a tumbler of cold
water, is an excellent remedy in this complaint.   This
article  is made in a proper manner, by taking a lump
of common  charcoal made of any kind of wood, and
burning it over again in an  iron ladle  or skillet, to a
red heat; than suffering it to cool; and pounding it as
before directed.  This coal powder ought to be imme-
diately put into a bottle and corked tightly, in order to
exclude the action of the air  on it; and whenever any
of it is used as before mentioned, the cork  ought im-
mediately to be returned to the bottle.  The quantity
of the charcoal used must be regulated so as to produce
moderate operation by stool.   I have known hundreds
relieved by this simple and innocent remedy, when the
diet  has been properly attended to, after many other
remedies had been tried in vain.  Physicians call this
pounded charcoal, carbo ligni, in their learned pre-
scriptions; which I have often found very powerful in
relieving diseases of the liver,  when other remedies
had totally failed.  Epsom salts and magnesia, in equal
quantities, ground fine in a mortar, and given in doses
of a tea-spoonful in a glass of cold water, every morn-
ing on an empty stomach, is also a fine remedy in dys-
pepsia and indigestion;  and, if necessary at any time
to have the bowels gently opened, will always be found
beneficial and effective. 
DYSPEPSIA.                287
   When the stomach and bowels have been  kept free
 from irritation for any length of time, by  the mild
 treatment I have laid down; when the tongue becomes
 clean ;  when the sleep becomes more refreshing; and
 when the mind becomes tranquil, the spirits something
 animated, and the head clear, fresh  beef made into  a
 weak soup, may be ventured on, with a little well-
 boiled chicken ; by this diet you may gradually try the
 powers of the stomach, and know by your feelings how7
 much they will bear without injury.  If it produce
 uneasy feelings, such as before described, to either the
 mind or body, or to both, within the  day or night of
 this trial of animal food, it should be lessened in quan-
 tity.  If that will not do, you must entirely relinquish
 it, and resume the old diet of gruel.  When animal
 food can be taken without producing any  pain and
 uneasiness, you may gradually increase it according to
 your feelings.  Begin with one  ounce of animal food,
 and gradually increase the quantity, but  with  great
 caution. After a while you may venture on simple
 food,  so  that by degrees your stomach may acquire
 some strength and firmness, which it will now do be-
 yond your most sanguine expectations; but you must
 always remember, to eat just such a quantity as will
 produce  no uneasiness or languor  after  eating;  no
 unhappy feelings  of body or mind  during digestion.
 It is  quite unnecessary for me to enumerate all the
 kinds of food which it will be improper for you to eat:
 I have already explained to you, that the most simple
 food is the  best.   Milk and rye mush is an excellent
 dish in this complaint; and I have known  many per-
 sons who, by using it six months together,  without
any animal food, have been entirely  and permanently
cured.   No hot bread is to be used at all: stale bread 
-288
DYSPEPSIA.
  md biscuit, the older the better, but without any but-
 ter, are very good in this complaint.  How often have
 I been asked by my dyspeptic patients this  question :
 Is it  impossible to cure indigestion without resorting
 to low and very abstemious diet ?   I have alw7ays said
 it is impossible;  and I now repeat it for the ten thou-
 sandth time;  and those who think otherwise, will find,
 if they act up to their  opinions, that  after  spending
 their  money, and  making  apothecary shops of their
 bodies, that all  the medical  remedies in the  world,
 without very  temperate and abstemious living, are not
 worth one cent!   Always have patience:  there must
 be time for every thing, and particularly for  the cure
 of indigestion.  Reflect on the length of time, and the
 great variety of causes which produce this disease, and
 you will soon  see that it cannot be cured in a few7 hours,
 or in  a few days.   The stomach, like a weary traveller
 worn  down by fatigue, requires rest, tranquillity, and
 cooling diet, to allay the  feverish state of the system,
 produced by high and long-continued excitement, and
 perhaps by terrible excesses!
   Cold water  is the only proper drink; and to persons
 who have been accustomed to  the use of spirituous
 liquors, some  gentle bitter may be  taken, but in very
 small quantities.   But in respect to drink, I am per-
 fectly convinced that water alone is the best drink for
 persons afflicted with this disease of the stomach.  After
 a complete change has taken place in the system, by a
 low, regular, and very abstemious diet for some months,
 the patient will find, if it will agree with his stomach,
 which his feelings will soon tell him, immense benefit
 from taking a mixture compounded of equal quanti-
 ties of the root of the poplar, the bark of the wild-cher-
ry tree, and the bark from the root of the dog-wood, 
DYSPEPSIA.                 289
with a small portion of black snake-root, made into
bitters with old whisky or very old rum.  This bit-
ters must stand four or  five days before being taken ;
and then given in small doses, diluted with  water,
three times in  each  day: but if it occasions any un-
pleasantness of feeling or sensation in the stomach or
head, it must  be immediately discontinued.  Tonics,
or strengthening medicines, are never to be given in
the fever stages of indigestion, or  while the slightest
irritation exists, or the  consequence will  probably be
an inflammation, which will  terminate fatally.
  The warm tepid bath should be frequently used in
this complaint, taking particular care to rub over the
stomach  well with a  brush in the  bath, and a  coarse
towel immediately on  leaving it.   For  bathing, and
the manner of preparing the warm or tepid bath, look
under the head warm bath.  Injections or glysters of
simple milk and water, luke-warm, or of warm water
with  a table-spoonful  of hog's  lard mixed with it
thrown  up into the  bow7els  occasionally, will  be of
much  service in this disease: because  they will re-
move any irritable matter which may remain in the
lowrer intestines, thereby lessening one of the greatest
enemies  you have to contend with, which is morbid
irritability. For glysters, look under that head.  Glys-
ters, constantly used with the warm bath, will obviate
or do away the necessity of taking medicines by the
stomach, and very much expedite  the cure  of the af-
flicted sufferer.  In this disease, the acid or sour belch-
ings may be corrected or removed, by the simple use
of magnesia or chalk: a tea-spoonful of either of which
articles may be taken in a wine or stem-glass of cold
water.  The charcoal prepared as  I have before men-
tioned, is also well adapted to removing this unplea- 
290
DYSPEPSIA.
sant and irritable state of the stomach arising from acid.
I have now given a faithful, plain, and full description
of this tedious  and most afflicting malady, called  dys-
pepsia or indigestion ;  together with an account of the
most approved remedies for its removal.
                CONSUMPTION.

  Consumption spreads its ravages in the  haunts of
gayety, fashion, and folly;  but in the more humble
walks of life, where the busy hum  of laborious in-
dustry is heard, it is seldom known.  In the last stage
of this dismal waste of life, although there are many
means of alleviating, in some degree, its miseries, there
is neither remedy nor cure;  and yet so flattering is con-
sumption, even  when very far  advanced, that the un-
fortunate victim frequently anticipates  a speedy reco-
very, and is preparing for some distant journey for the
renovation of health, when in a few days,  perhaps a
few hours, his  wearied  feet must pass the peaceful
threshold of the tomb, and his body sink to rest. Thou-
sands  are yearly falling  in  the springtime  of life by
the untimely stroke of this  most fatal of diseases; and
although medical men have for ages  been endeavour
ing to put a stop to its ravages, I assert it without fear
of contradiction, that in the last stage  of consumption,
there is no remedy within the whole circle of medical
science that will cure the disease;  but I have no doubt
the period will arrive, when this formidable enemy of
the human species will be subdued by some common
and simple plant, belonging to the vegetable kingdom,
which is at this period  totally unknown; for I have
always been impressed with a decided belief, that our 
CONSUMPTION.
291
wise and  beneficient Creator has placed  within the
reach of his feeble  creature man, herbs and plants for
the cure of all diseases but old age, could we but obtain
a knowledge of their real uses and intrinsic virtues.  I
wish to be distinctly understood, with respect to w7hat
I have said  of this  disease, that I mean consumption
alone; entirely unconnected with any other complaint.
The cure of consumption should always be attempted
in its forming state, before it produces active symptoms
of cough, or matter from  the lungs, or inflammatory
or hectic fever.   I have often seen this fatal complaint
cured by  attention  to it, in the first symptoms;  but
how often are they permitted  to steal gradually on,
creating no alarm or uneasiness, mistaking it for a sim-
ple cold, until it makes considerable progress, and the
complaint becomes permanently seated in the system !
Consumption can easily be distinguished from any other
disease  by the following  symptoms: the patient com-
plains  of  weakness on the least bodily exertion, the
breathing is hurried, oppressed on ascending any steep
place, the  pulse small, and quicker than natural, a feel-
ing of tightness, as if a cord was drawn across the chest;
slight,  short, dry cough, becoming more  troublesome
at night;  a spitting of white frothy spittle, termed by
physicians mucus.  As this disease advances, the spit-
ting becomes more  copious and frequent, and some-
times streaked with blood, of a  tough, opaque, or dark
substance, solid and  of a yellow or green colour, hav-
ing an  unpleasant  or  fetid smell when  thrown on
burning coals, or if  this matter is put into pure water,
it sinks to the bottom of the vessel; by this simple test,
you can easily distinguish it from mucus, which has no
smell, and separates into small flakes, and floats upon 
2£2
CONSUMPTION.
   the surface of the water, thereby enabling you to judge
   as to the progress or formation of this complaint.
      Consumption is considerably advanced  when  the
   following symptoms occur: a pain in the chest, and in
4  the side, which is increased by exerting the voice  by
   long or loud talking; pulse is quick  and hard, gene-
   rally from  one hundred to one hundred and fifteen
   strokes in a minute; the urine or water is highly co-
   loured, and deposits in the urinal or pot a muddy sedi-
   ment; the palms of the hands, and the soles of the
   feet have a dryness and burning sensation;  the cheek,
   and frequently both cheeks, have a flush  or reddish
   hue, exhibiting itself about the middle  of the day.
   This flush lasts for one or two hours, when a remission
   takes place until the evening, when the feverish symp-
   toms again return, accompanied frequently by  a shi-
   vering or cold  sensation, continuing until  after mid.
   night, then  terminating in a  profuse perspiration  or
   sweat,  occasioning great prostration  or weakness.   In
   the last stage of consumption, the whole countenance
   assumes  a  ghastly cadaverous  look, the white part  of
   the eyes have a pearly and unnatural appearance, while
   the eye  itself  beams with sparkling animation and
   lustre; the cheek bones are prominent; the mouth and
   throat resemble or look like that of a child  having the
   thrush ;  the legs swell, the nails are of a livid or pur-
   ple colour; frequent purging, ending in profuse sweat-
   ing, cough hollow, difficulty of respiration or breathing,
   and the patient has a restless and disturbed slumber;
   during sleep a curious noise is made  from the throat,
   like suffocation, occasioned by  the collection of matter
   or  pus  in  the  throat and  mouth;  when  these last
   symptoms  make their appearance, the period is fast 
CONSUMPTION.
293
approaching when the unhappy sufferer  will lay his
weary and aching head in the calm and peaceful man-
sions of the dead.  The alarming increase of consump-
tion in  the  United States, affords an ample field for
medical research; the bills of mortality taken in the
various  cities show the immense number who die in
the flower of life by this merciless disease.  In three
years the number of deaths in the British metropolis
is stated to  be fifty-two  thousand, two hundred and
thirty-seven; and among these were, under the general
head of consumptions, seventeen thousand  five hundred
and fifty-nine;  making the number of deaths annually
in London, by consumption, three thousand.
   The rapid progress made in our country by this fatal
complaint, is sufficient to serve as a warning to ever}7
parent and head of a  family, in order  to avoid those
causes winch, sooner or later, end in this unmanageable
disease.  The causes which produce consumption are,
exposure to cold and damp air, using tobacco to excess,
either by smoking, chewing, or by using it in snuff to
clean the teeth, acting as a powerful stimulant, thereby
producing irritation;  the use of spirituous liquors to
excess ; obstructions and  inflammations of the lungs ;
the suppression of natural discharges, particularly the
menstrual discharge or courses; scrofula, diseases of
the liver and stomach, and, unfortunately, receiving a
hereditary  disposition  or taint to this disease from
father or mother.  The narrow chest and high shoul-
ders,  w7eakness of the voice, whiteness of the teeth,
fairness of complexion, and light hair, have all been
observed to accompany a predisposition to consump-
tion.  Much reliance, however, cannot be placed upon
these signs, except where a number of them concur in
the same person.   While the empire of fashion bears 
294
CONSUMPTION.
so arbitrary a sway, and the followers of pleasure are
bound by the  fascination of example, and the  conta-
gious influence of that spirit, which insinuates itself into
the bosom of each and every one of its votaries, so long
will  the sage precepts of wisdom be unheeded, till the
emaciated form, the glassy eye, and hectic blush, speak
in language too strong for utterance, that the disease
is established, and the yawning grave stands ready to
receive its devoted victim.  I hardly know an  object
of more  tender  concern to the anxious parent, or the
medical adviser, than a young and beautiful female in
the pride and spring of youth, and strength of intellect,
borne dowrn by the invasion of a malady,  wiiich has
so often selected for its sacrifices the most amiable and
interesting beings of God's creation.   And when,
moreover, all this can be traced to  one  single act of
imprudence, one offering on the altar of fashion, who
can forbear to utter a sigh, when they behold a lovely
w7oman laced to such a degree as to  impede respira-
tion  or breathing ?   As well might the hardy Russian
or Laplander, amongst his snows, pretend to brave the
severities of his icy climate in the flowing robes of tro-
pical indolence, as a female to indulge in  the Grecian
costume or dress under the influence of such a change
as we experience during the winter and spring months.
This predisposing  debility  for  consumption runs in
families, and may be traced from generation to genera-
tion ; moving on the leaden pinions  of unshaken time,
without a remedy to arrest its course.

                   REMEDIES.
  The cure for this formidable complaint is  to be
attempted by a removal to a warm climate at an early
stage of the disease, and to attend to the  preservation 
CONSUMPTION.
295
of an equal temperature in the atmosphere which the
patient breathes;  a sudden or frequent alternation of
heat and cold is fatal to an  irritable consumptive  sys-
tem.  If possible, consumptive patients should remove
to a warm  climate the  moment a predisposition is dis-
covered ; a change to a warm or temperate atmosphere
during  the winter months, may be the means of re-
moving the predisposing cause to this complaint; it is,
however, to be  regretted, that this change is often de-
layed until a  late  period  of  the  disease, w7hen  the
strength is so much exhausted that sufferers cannot
take sufficient exercise  to assist the  climate in restoring
health ; it  is  then too late, and the  unfortunate victim
of this  complaint had  better remain  at home, for by
leaving it  he is deprived of the  attention and society
of his friends, and exposed to much unnecessary fatigue
and anxiety of mind.   If the disease is so far advanced
as to prevent the  patient from going  out of doors in
the  winter months, his chamber or room should be
kept warm at an even temperature by a stove; the un-
pleasant smell which frequently arises from a stove in
a close room  may be removed by burning tar upon it;
this fumigation or vapour, constantly inhaled or breath-
ed, is considered  by physicians a valuable remedy in
consumption  ; the usual method of inhaling the vapour
or steam, is by putting a small quantity of tar into  a
coffee-pot or  earthen vessel, which is to be heated, and
the fumes  inhaled from the stem of the vessel.   This
simple but valuable remedy allays  the violence of the
cough,  and produces a free and copious discharge of
mucus or matter; inhaling of the vapour arising from
warm water  with a little vinegar added to it, several
times during the course of the day, will assist in pro-
moting the  discharge  and  tranquillizing the cough. 
296
CONSUMPTION.
These  valuable but  simple remedies should  not  be
omitted in this complaint.
  Bleak winds, night air, and exposure of every kind
must be strictly avoided; the body should be well de-
fended by wearing flannel next the skin, also the feet
properly secured from dampness;  frictions, or,  in
other words, rubbing the whole body with a brush or
coarse  towel, from  fifteen  to twenty minutes in the
morning, and at night, will be of great service in this
disease; the friction to be continued twice  a day as long
as the  complaint lasts.  As nothing tends more to ag-
gravate the  symptoms of a consumption, at an early
stage of it, than a desponding mind, brooding over real
or imaginary calamities, every thing should be done to
cheer the  spirits, such as  cheerful  society, music, &c.
Be careful to regulate the bowels, if possible, by diet,
and by  friction, (as  before  described,) but if recourse
must be had to medicine, let it alw7ays be  mild, and in
no larger doses than are necessary to discharge or move
the bowels; for this purpose glysters of simple milk and
water thrown up the bowels, or w7arm water with a
tea-spoonful of hog's lard, will be proper: for glyster-
ing and the method of administering them look under
that head.  Rhubarb root chewed in small quantities
at night will produce a motion : Epsom salts and mag-
nesia mixed and ground fine in a mortar, dose a tea-
spoonful in half a pint of cold water, or a table-spoon-
ful of common charcoal pounded very fine in the same
quantity of water: for the method of making and pre-
serving this  innocent  but  valuable  medicine, read
Indigestion.   The consumptive patient should daily
take as  much exercise as his strength will  admit of,
except when the weather is unfavourable.  The best
exercise will be riding on horseback, but if this pro 
CONSUMPTION.
297
 uce fatigue, substitute  the  use of some kind of car-
riage, or a swing, so constructed as to admit a chair in
it, for the patient to recline or rest when fatigued.  In
my practice I have  used a large basket of a sufficient
size to admit a small bed to be placed in it; the patient
can lay at full length, and receive  the advantages to be
derived from the swing, without experiencing any
fatigue.  This basket is  about six feet in length and
two feet in width, having six handles by which it is
suspended  to the ceiling with ropes,  or in any con-
venient place, free from damp or moist atmosphere.
In whatever  way exercise is taken, the greatest care
must be observed to guard against cold in any manner
whatever, for this important reason: tubercles or ulcers
of the lungs are formed  in winter  in cold climates, and
their progress to suppuration kept  back in the summer,
and this is the cause w7hy I urge your removal to a
warm  climate at an early period of  this disease, for
when tubercles or ulcers become  permanently  seated
in the lungs, the case may be considered incurable;
but palliative remedies may be given with proper diet,
and change of climate, so as to prolong the life of the
unfortunate victim of the disease.   I shall explain for
the satisfaction of my  reader what is meant by the
lungs, and their structure.  In anatomy it denotes the
viscera or lobes in the cavity of the breast by winch
we breathe;  they are connected  with the neck, and
situated on the right and left side of the heart; being
furnished with innumerable cells, which are formed by
the descent of  the  wind-pipe into the lungs; those
bronchial tubes communicate with each other; and the
whole appears not unlike a  honey-comb.   The most
important use of the lungs is that of  respiration  or
breathing, by which  the circulation  of the blood is 
298
CONSUMPTION.
supposed to be effected; the evacuation of the feces or
excrement, and urine, greatly depends on the constant
action of the lungs, but likewise the sense of smelling
is enjoyed by inhaling the air; and it is chiefly by the
organic structure of these vessels, that mankind are
enabled to speak; lastly, they perform the office  of
excretion, and expel those useless matters  which, if
retained  in the system, would be productive of fatal
consequences.   The treatment of consumptive persons
must be regulated according to the manner  in which
the disease shows itself; an energetic course of practice
by the physician in  the first stage or symptoms of this
disease may be  the means of  saving  the life of his
patient, or in other  words preventing confirmed con-
sumption.   If there is a pain in the side,  or breast,
accompanied by cough with fever, the  patient should
be bled immediately; the quantity of blood taken must
be regulated by the constitution, strength, and habits
of the person.  Bleeding  should be continued every
third day, if the inflammatory symptoms  continue to
exist, regulating the quantity of blood by the strength
and  feverish state of the patient.  I have  generally
found in  my practice, that after bleeding moderately
the symptoms considerably abated, the fever diminished,
less pain  in the breast or side, cough relieved, and the
respiration or breathing much improved.  After the in-
flammatory action is subdued, apply a blister over the
breast and side, if necessary from pain; this blister is
to be kept discharging or running, and should it heal,
put on another; the object being  to continue a drain
or running as much as possible, similar to a seton or
rowel: as you value the life of your patient, enforce a
rigid and low diet, of  the most simple  nature, for
hundreds die from  imprudence  in this respect, who 
CONSUMPTION.
299
might be relieved if they could but have courage and
firmness to live on gruel and milk and avoid altogether
animal or stimulating food.   I have had an opportunity
of testing the effects of low diet in consumption, and I
feel fully satisfied that it is highly essential in the cure
of this disease.  In the early stage of  this alarming
complaint give an emetic or puke of ipecacuanha, (see
table for dose;) and repeat this emetic once or twice a
week as the obstruction or case may require; this is to
be  continued through the disease, and  much  benefit
will result from it, for I rely very much on emetics in
my practice in consumption.   For the purpose of mo-
derating the irritation of the system and allaying cough
and fever, give small doses of tartar emetic of half a
grain dissolved in a small quantity of flaxseed tea, balm
or sage tea, slippery elm tea, marshmallow tea, any of
which may be used; the tartar emetic  must be  gra-
dually increased, and given at intervals until the irrita-
tion subsides ; if the tartar emetic affects the stomach
or bowels, add a few drops of laudanum to each  dose.
By a little  caution the emetic tartar may be gradually
increased with much benefit to the  patient  by lessen-
ing the fever, allaying the cough, and producing  ex-
pectoration, or, in other words, a free discharge  from
the breast;  as an active and valuable expectorant, much
benefit will be derived from the Indian  turnip.   This
valuable plant is very common  in the western states,
grows in meadows and  swamps, six or eight inches
high, purple leaves three  in number, roundish berries,
of a light scarlet colour;  the root of this plant boiled
in milk is  a valuable remedy; or take of the peeled
root one pound, and three pounds of loaf-sugar, pound
them well together in a mortar so as to make a fine
pow7der, and take a tea-spoonful twice or thrice a day, 
300
CONSUMPTION.
as the ca?e  may  require; gum  arabic, or peach  tree
gum, will answer, held in the mouth,  to  allay the
cough.  Cooling medicines through the whole course
of the complaint will be proper, particularly nitre, equal
quantities of Epsom salts and magnesia mixed, pounded
fine in a mortar, doses of a tea-spoonful to be given in
half a pint of cold water will cool the system and keep
the bowels in a laxative state; the dose to be increased
if necessary to act on  the bowels.   In the  advanced
stage of  this disease  the  patient is  usually much
weakened by night sw7eats; this should be checked by
administering the  following pills:  copperas, called by
physicians sulphate of iron, one grain, rhubarb one
grain, gum myrrh two grains, oil of cloves one drop ;
these pills should be repeated three or four times a day;
and ten or fifteen drops of sulphuric acid, or  the same
quantity of elixir vitriol, taken every two or three hours
in a cup of flaxseed tea, when the febrile symptoms are
severe.   Pills composed of sulphate of copper,  one
grain,  ipecacuanha  one grain, made into a pill,  and
repeated every three hours, is a valuable remedy;  in-
fusion of wild-cherry tree bark, made with cold water,
tar wrater, and cold camomile tea, are all good strength-
ening remedies in this stage of the complaint.
  A purging attends this disease which is very exhaust-
ing, ending in profuse sweating, as before mentioned,
for  as soon as the  one is stopped the other too fre-
quently comes on, producing thereby an  extreme de-
gree of weakness.   When this takes place, use opium
united with a small quantity of  ipecacuanha or sugar
of lead, if the disease is severe: see table for dose.  An
infusion of galls, or tormentil root, with cinnamon and
gum arabic, will check the purging.  About  this stage
of the disease the mouth and throat are filled  with 
CONSUMPTION.
301
sun s, similar to the thrush; here astringent gargles or
sage tea, a little borax and honey, to w ash the mouth
and  throat, will be proper, aided by tonic and astrin-
gent medicines, are  the  only hdpe of giving relief in
this last stage of consumption.  My practice is, to give
opium to a considerable extent; increasing or decreas-
ing it, as the situation of the case  may require.  By
this  valuable  medicine  we  have it in our power to
protract  the period of life, and to lessen the distress of
the patient.  The inexpressible delight produced by
opium,  when  the  poor  sufferer is prostrated, can
scarcely be described.  It always soothes the irritations
of the cough, and mitigates all those symptoms which
cannot be  removed.  The influence it  exercises over
the mind and  imagination of the patient no human
language can describe.  In  some constitutions, opium
disagrees with  the patient,  and  produces restless and
irritable  feelings.    When  this is the  case, recourse
must be  had to other sedatives,  or soothing remedies;
for instance, to garden lettuce;  which is fully equal to
opium in producing a mitigation of pain, and in allay-
ing inordinate  action.  For the manner of preparing
this valuable remedy, wilich every one is in possession
of, see the head Garden Lettuce.
  Iceland moss has, also, for some time past, in Europe
been  resorted to as a valuable palliative  in  consump-
tion ; and  more recently in  the United States, it has
acquired considerable reputation in this disease.  But
like all other boasted remedies, the powers of this herb
have been most probably overrated.   It, however, not
unfrequently proves highly beneficial, by strengthen-
ing the patient, diminishing the hectic symptoms, and
allaying the cough.  It has another important  advan-
tage.  It  strengthens  the  digestive  powers without 
302
CONSUMPTION.
producing a constipation or costiveness of the bowels
This  medicine is quite innocent:  the Laplanders use
it in various wrays, and among others as food.  When
employed as  an article of diet, they bruise this moss,
and steep it  in several successive w7aters :  by which
means they  extract ifs bitter qualities, and it then
affords them a highly grateful food, of  a soft  and glu-
tinous consistency, similar to jelly; but the method
of preparing it for consumptive  persons is  as follows.
First  wash it well in clean cold water: then boil one
ounce of the  moss, with a quart of w7ater, over a slow
fire;  and while stewing, add of liquorice root, cut  up
very fine, tw7o drachms, or about as much  as the size
of the middle finger.  A tea-cupful of this medicine
must be drank four times a day.  Or, if the taste of
this preparation is too  disagreeable, you may boil a
quarter of an ounce of the moss in a pint of milk for
ten minutes, and take the  milk for breakfast  and sup-
per ;  always taking care that the quantity be not dis-
agreeable to the patient's stomach.   For a description
of this moss, and where  it may be had, see Iceland
Moss.
  Lichen or lungwort, which grows on the bark of the
white oak tree, and which looks like a shell or skin, is
said to possess the same medical qualities as the Iceland
moss.   It is  called lungwort (I had almost forgotten
to remark) because of its strong resemblance in shape
to the human lung.  A tea made of a  handful of the
lungwort to a  quart of boiling  water, and used as a
common drink, is not  only a  good palliative in con-
sumption, but when made into a syrup  with honey, is
very beneficial in hooping-cough.
  Doctor Hereford, of Virginia, a gentleman of distin-
guished reputation as a physician, has  made som* 
CONSUMPTION.
303
interesting communications in the newspapers, relative
to a plant called liverwort, which he presumed to  be
effectual in the cure of consumption.  For a descrip-
tion of this plant, and the method of preparing it, look
under the head Liverwort.
  The doctor is certainly entitled to be considered the
first who made use of it in the cure of consumption ;
and his communications on the subject will entitle him
to the thanks of posterity; if for no other reason than
that it has been found an excellent palliative remedy in
this dreadful disease.   So high  at one period was the
excitement of the public feeling respecting the virtues
of this little plant as a certain cure for consumption
and so great was the demand for it, that  it was fre-
quently sold in the western  states for the enormous
price of five dollars an ounce.   After some time it
sunk greatly in price, it being  discovered to be very
plentiful in the mountains of Tennessee.   Like all
other boasted remedies, which have been called specific
cures in consumption, the liverwort is only considered
a good  palliative; a mere alleviator of the miseries of
the disease.

   •                 ______

          DISEASES OF  THE LIVER.
  The liver is much more frequently the  seat of dis-
ease, than  is generally supposed, even by many physi-
cians of reputation and experience.   The functions it
is designed to perform, and on the regular execution
of which  depends not only the general health of the
body, but the powers of the  stomach,  bowels,  brain,
and whole nervous system, shows its vast and vital im-
portance to human health. When the liver is seriously 
304
LIVER  DISEASES.
diseased, it, in fact, not  only deranges the vital func-
tions of the body, but exercises a powerful  influence
over the mind and its operations, which  cannot easily
be described.  It has so close a connexion with other
diseases; and manifests  itself by so great a variety of
symptoms of a most  doubtful character; that it mis-
leads, I am w7ell persuaded, more physicians even of
great eminence, than any other vital organ.   The inti-
mate connexion which exists between the liver and the
brain,  and  the great dominion which I  am persuaded
it exercises over  the  passions of mankind, convince
me, and has long since done so, that many unfortunate
beings have committed acts of deep and  criminal atro-
city, or become what fools term hypochondriacs, from
the simple fact of a diseased state of the liver. I am
well aware, that the remark just made  in allusion to
the crimes of mankind, will by many be considered
new and daring:  to these men I answer, that my busi-
ness is with truth, regardless of consequences.  But to
proceed with my subject: I have long been convinced,
and it may be added from experience, that more than
one half of the complaints which occur in this country,
are to be considered as having their seat in a diseased
state of the liver.  I will enumerate some  of tnem.
Indigestion, stoppage of the menses, disordered state of
the bowels, affections of  the head,  lowness of spirits,
irritable and vindictive feelings and passions, from tri-
fling and inadequate causes, of which we afterwards
feel ashamed; and last, though  not least, more than
three-fourths of the diseases enumerated under the head
consumption have their seat in a diseased liver.   I will
ask you, reader of the particular description for w7hom
1 w7rite, is not this a most frightful  catalogue ?   But I
will  add one more of these general indications of a 
LIVER DISEASES.              305
 diseased liver, before I speak of the symptoms of those
 particular diseases to which I at first intended to direct
 my attention.  Under the head " Intemperance," page
 78,1 have spoken on that subject, in general and phi-
 losophic terms: but I neglected to mention under that
 particular head, that a diseased liver is frequently  the
 cause of intemperance, and sometimes the effect of it;
 and I will now remark, that in either case, when  the
 disease has arrived at a great height and strength, it is
 next to impossible to reform the drunkard, without
 absolutely operating on him for a disease of the liver,
 by medical  remedies  which will actually  affect  his
 physical system.   I will also remark  here, that many
 of those men who are called confirmed drunkards, are
 only men labouring under a disease oi the liver, whose
 influence they cannot possibly  resist by any moral
 power  they  possess, without the means I  have just
 mentioned, or medical aid, and this may be the reason
 why Doctor  Rush once alleged, that drunkenness was
 a  disease.
   How often do we see men, who in the moments of
 sobriety, confess to their friends and families their im-
 proper  courses, with a full determination to refrain,
 and no doubt with every sincerity  of heart, w7ho, after
 refraining from liquor a certain time, become restless,
 fretful, or irritable, and depressed in spirits; now, I  do
 know, that in hundreds of instances, the love  of  liquor
 is  not the  cause of their becoming again intemperate.
 You will hear those men  attempt to describe the
wretchedness of their feelings when they abstain from
liquor ;  they  cannot do it.   Now, reader, must not this
be a disease with which the  mere love of liquor has
nothing to do ?
  There are  two strongly marked forms of diseased
        GUNK     20 
306
LIVER DISEASES.
 liver, requiring entirely different courses of treatment
 to  effect a cure: one is called  acute and the  other
 chronic.   The first is known by inflammatory symp-
 toms or fever, accompanied vith  slight chill, and very
 much resembles an attack of pleurisy, being character-
 ized by pain in the right side, which rises to the point
 of the shoulder.   On pressing below the ribs on the
 right side, you will feel the pain more severe.  There
 is sometimes a sharp, and sometimes a dull  heavy pain
 about the collar-bone; you have painful and uneasy
 sensations on lying on the left side, difficult  respiration
 or breathing, dry and hacking cough, sometimes a vo-
 miting or puking of bilious matter, your bowels are
 costive, your urine or water  of a deep saffron colour.
 and the quantity made quite small; great thirst, tongue
 dry and  covered with a white fur, hard and frequent
 pulse, from  ninety to one hundred in a minute, and
 sometimes intermitting; skin hot and dry; and  after
 several days continuance of the  disease, the skin and
 whites of the eyes put on a yellow colour.   On a close
 examination of the blood drawn from  the arm, you
 will find its appearance somewhat singular.  Before it
 begins to coagulate or congeal, and while the red part
 is settling to the bottom, and before the buffy or yellow
 coat  is fully formed, it looks of a dull green  colour;
 but immediately after the full  formation of the upper
 coat, it changes from a dull  greenish hue to a yellow7.
  In warm climates, the liver is more apt. to be affected
with  inflammation than  any other  part of  the body;
 this is owing to an increased secretion of bile from the
stimulus of heat and several other causes.  The liver
is the largest and  most ponderous or heavy  of  the ab-
dominal  viscera or entrails.  In  adults,  by which I
mean grown persons, it weighs about three pounds; 
LIVER  DISEASES.
307
 and serves to purify the blood, by secreting or taking
 from it  the  bile.   Its situation  is immediately under
 and connected with the  diaphragm, generally called
 the midriff;  this is a muscle which divides the thorax
 or chest, from the  abdomen or belly.   When inflam-
 mation of this organ  takes place in hot climates, it is a
 highly dangerous disease ; which, when spoken of by
 physicians, is called hepatitis.  When physicians  only-
 mean general disease of the liver, they call it, in equal-
 ly  general terms, hepatic  derangement.  This  disease
 of the liver sometimes terminates in the formation of
 matter in an  abscess, which has  to be discharged, of
 which more notice  will be taken in the proper place.
  Chronic: a term applied  to diseases winch  are of
 long continuance, and most generally without fever.
 It is the  opposite disease to the acute.   When this stage
 exists,  the complexion and countenance put  on, or
 rather assume a morbid or unhealthy appearance.  You
 will experience frequently a giddiness or swimming
 of the head;  a general weakness, and dislike to  mo-
 tion or exercise; frequent headach; indigestion; fla-
 tulency,  or belching of wind from the stomach, with
 acid taste in   the throat and mouth ;  pains in the sto-
 mach ; your skin and eyes will be of a yellow colour,
 similar to jaundice; your  urine will be high coloured.
 depositing a red brick-dust coloured sediment  in the
 urinal or pot, and frequently your water will be  mixed
 with a ropy  mucus, and when left some  time  in the
 vessel, will form a  pink streak round  its  inside;  and
 your stools will be the colour of  clay.  By attending
 to these evacuations, their colour will be almost a cer-
 tain characteristic or mark  of this disease:  observe,
however, that when you chew rhubarb root, it will al-
ways give your stools this light yellow colour; you  will 
308
LIVER  DISEASES.
experience a dull heavy pain in the region of the liver
extending to the point of the shoulder, and a great loss of
appetite; your whole system will be oppressed with an
universal sense of fulness; on examination by pressure,
there will be felt an enlargement and hardness of the
liver; and in some cases there will be experienced  great
oppression of respiration or breathing.   I must remark
that the symptoms which I have here described, as in-
dicative of the chronic stage of this disease, will always
depend very much on the length of time the disease
has been making its ravages on the system, for it may
be  compared to the midnight assassin, who steals on
your hours of rest and security with noiseless foot, and
deals you the deadly blow!  The truth is, that chronic
affection of the liver is  a far  more common form of
disease in the United States than the acute.  A disease
of the liver, of the acute form, is produced by all causes
which excite inflammation or fever.  The chronic form
of this complaint is generally produced  in the United
States,  by the excessive and imprudent use of spirit-
uous liquors.  A residence of any continuance in hot
countries, even in warm climates, where  a free and
unrestrained  course of  living is  indulged, is almost
certain to produce the disease; intermittent fevers of
long continuance are also apt  to produce a chronic
stage of the liver;  but  I  am  compelled  to  say, if 1
must speak with candour, that I believe more  than
two-thirds  of the whole number of liver complaints
in the United States may be traced to intemperance.

                   REMEDIES.
  For  an  acute inflammation  of the liver, you are to
depend principally on the  prompt and immediate use
of the lancet, by Weeding the patient freely, according 
LIVER  DISEASES.
309
to his age, his strength, and  the  violence of his pains.
After the bleeding, give an active purge of calomel and
jalap: see table for dose.   If this does not diminish the
pain, bleed again and give an active dose of calomel at
night, and a dose of Epsom salts in  the  morning
After the first copious bleeding, I have generally, by
giving an active dose of calomel and jalap, succeeded
in lessening the violence of the complaint; but if it
still continued severe, I pursued moderate and frequent
bleeding, with  doses of calomel at night, and Epsom
salts in the morning, and decreased the bleeding gra-
dually until I stopped it.  Apply, also, a large blister
over the liver, which will  assist  in mitigating and
lessening the pain in the side.  Also, cup freely and
daily over  the  liver; it  will  be of great  benefit by
drawing off the blood from the interior.  For cupping,
look under that head.  Small doses of emetic tartar in
this  stage of the disease, given occasionally in balm or
sage tea, from one to two grains, will determine to the
surface,  or in other words, produce moisture of the
skin, and thereby relieve the feverish symptoms.  In
this  stage of the complaint particularly, and indeed
through the whole course of the disease, the warm bath
will  be found one of the finest remedies.  Indeed, too
much reliance cannot w7ell be placed on warm bathing,
accompanied by friction :  by which I  mean, rubbing
the body well with a brush, immediately after leaving
the bath: the truth is, that this  friction ought, by no
means, to be omitted by  the patient; I can from ex-
perience vouch for its beneficial effects.
  After  following the course of practice which I have
here laid down, and the disease still continuing  obsti-
nate, which it frequently does when it has been of long
standing, you must  depend on mercury.   When I 
310
LIVER  DISEASES.
speak of this medicine, do not be alarmed or frightened
at its name; for, with  the  rules which I lay down,
(read under the head Mercury,) it will  be as easy to
manage this medicine as a dose of Epsom salts; and
the various injuries which  result from this valuable
medicine  (for without  it, it would be  impossible to
practise medicine with any kind of success,) arise from
its abuse:  in fact, the injuries sustained by its use are
owing to a want of care, and administering it on every
trifling occasion, when medicines not so active would
answer a much better purpose.
  There are various preparations of mercury; but at
the head of this article for removing this disease, stands
calomel : and thousands of empirics or  quacks of the
United States, who publish in every news-journal some
long-named remedy to cure diseases without the use of
mercury, are the very fellows who use it most in some
disguised  form:  and indeed it  becomes in this  way
truly dangerous ; for the patient, regardless of w7eather
or exposure, having no  knowledge of what he is con-
stantly using, destroys instead of  benefits  his health:
or, in removing one disease, lays the foundation of an-
other still  worse in its consequences.  This medicine
is the only sure and positive remedy that can be relied
on for the removal of the diseases of  the liver, when
permanently seated in that organ ; and so powerful and
necessary is it for the correction of its disorders, that  it
is called by a distinguished  physician, the key of the
liver.  In administering this medicine, there are various
ways of introducing it into the system, which must be
done according to the  stage of the  disease, and the
symptoms of the chronic form.   If violent, active
mercurial  preparations must be constantly and steadily
given.   If the symptoms are gradual and not danger 
LIVER DISEASES.             311
ous, the medicine must be in proportion to the state of
the disease, and of a milder form of mercurial prepara-
tions.   By reading under  the head  of Mercury, you
will  there see the different forms in which this mineral
is prepared, and that it may be given to act  promptly
or mildly on the system.  My  course  of practice in
this  disease has been to employ the use of calomel
from an early stage of the disease, after having purged
the bowels well frequently  by  its use alone or  com-
bined with jalap.  I generally  administered  in small
doses, say from one to  two  grains every three hours,
until salivation took place: or to act with  more mild-
ness, about the size of a nutmeg of mercurial ointment
{oil  of baze) was rubbed over the region of the liver
every night until salivation was produced.  I make use
of the  words " oil of  baze," because  they  form the
name by which the country people usually ask for the
article in the shops.  When this takes place, you will
know it by the following circumstances: you will spit
freely; the salivary glands will  become enlarged, and
the  throat sore, the gums tender, and the  breath have
an offensive and peculiar odour, &c.
   In rubbing the ointment over the region of the liver,
 if any pain or  uneasiness is produced by it, which is
 sometimes the case, you must rub it on the inside of the
 thighs.  In some constitutions, calomel disagrees with
 the  patient; I have had such cases frequently.  When
 this is the case, and your patient's situation requires it,
 recourse  must be had  to a milder preparation of mer-
 cury : the blue pill.  For the method of  making this
 pill look  under the head of Mercury.   The usual me-
 thod of administering this mild  and gentle preparation
 is by giving a pill twice or three times a day, morn-
 ing, noon, and night.  If the symptoms are less urgent, 
312              LIVER DISEASES.

twice a day will suffice: and if very mild and gradual,
a pill at bed-time  will be sufficient.   Pursue this
course steadily  until the gums are affected, or a cop-
perish taste is experienced in the mouth : this must be
kept up gently  until the disease is  subdued, or some
visible effect is produced upon the system.   After the
effect is produced, stop the use of mercury, and give
time to see the advantage you may have derived from
your  course of practice.   The blue pill, although a
mild preparation,  is not without its inconveniences. It
sometimes occasions griping pain in the bowels,  by
which it will at times run off, without producing the
effect intended, which is an approach to, or salivation
itself, so as to induce a change or alterative effect on
the liver.  If this be the result, a small portion of opium
or laudanum will check this griping, and prevent the
pill from passing off without  producing the effect  in-
tended  and desired.   Where there  are uneasy  and
unpleasant sensations produced  by  these  medicines,
particularly when dyspepsia or indigestion is connected
with a diseased liver, which is very frequently the case
in the United States, there is  a considerable  degree of
morbid or diseased sensibility  in  the stomach  and
bowels, which can generally be removed by  joining
some innocent and gentle anodyne with them; but
where this morbid sensibility  does  not   exist, the
anodyne ought to be omitted.   When this slow and
gradual mercurial taste can be kept up in the mouth
for some time, without actually producing a great flow
of spittle, or salivation, great benefit will be felt by the
patient: and I have always found, on an actual saliva-
tion being produced, the symptoms entirely removed,
and  a cheerfulness and change of feeling so different,
as at once to inspire that  confidence of  returning 
LIVER  DISEASES.
313
health, which can alone be communicated by the pru-
dent and careful use of this valuable specific.  Persons
who are prejudiced against the use of mercury,  and
there are many who entertain an unfavourable opinion
of its use, whether from having observed its injurious
effects from bad treatment, or  from the terrible  and
unfounded tales which are daily circulated respecting
it, I can say, have never witnessed its innocently bene-
ficial effects  in diseases  of the liver, in  as many in-
stances as I  have.  The  fact is, that I  have known
those very persons travel one hundred miles to obtain
relief " without the aid of mercury" from some pub-
lished quack medicine, who alw7ays met mercury under
some disguised form.
   But,  without those whose  prejudices  are not to be
removed  respecting the  use  of mercury, I shall  give
such remeaies as are highly recommended in this com-
plaint, by some of the most distinguished physicians of
Europe and the United States.  The late experiments
made with the medicine I am about to recommend,
have proved by their influence in the practice, equal
to mercury ; in fact, they prefer its use  in the first in-
stance : for, say they, " if  it does not succeed, which is
not apt to be the case, it leaves the system in a much
better situation for the use of the last and certain re-
medy—mercury."
   This medicine is nitric acid; and may be obtained
at any doctor's shop, or wherever medicines  are sold,
at a very trifling sum.  This article, in its pure state, is
perfectly colourless, and transparent as pure water.   I
have frequently received it from the northern cities of
a slight straw colour; but this is  not so good as  that
which is perfectly pure and transparent, and is, in  fact,
nothing more nor  less than aqua fortis.  It is made 
314
LIVER  DISEASES.
of sulphuric  acid, which is merely oil of vitriol, and
nitrate of potass, which is  no more than  simple salt-
petre.   Nitric acid,  in its  pure state, should be cau-
tiously handled,  or it will  destroy your  clothes, and
stain your hands of a yellow colour which cannot be
w7ashed off.   It is used by the country people general-
ly to colour the  stocks of their rifles.  I suppose this
caution will be sufficient.  It becomes quite harmless
after being diluted or mixed with water.  The method
of using the  nitric acid, or aqua fortis, is as follows:
a quart bottle of water may be made agreeably sour,
that is, to suit the taste of the patient, and sweetened
with sugar so as to make it  a pleasant drink.  Take as
much  of this drink from  your bottle  during the
twenty-four hours as your  stomach will bear without
inconvenience.   Sixty drops of this nitric  acid will be
sufficient for a quart of water.   This  medicine, like
mercury, must be gradually continued, until some visi-
ble effect is produced on the system.  This will  be felt
by an affection of the mouth  and glands, and  excite
spitting, similar to  mercurial preparations.   In all
constitutions  of a scorbutic or scurvy habit, or those
labouring under great weakness, the nitric acid will
be a better remedy than mercury ; because it acts as a
tonic or strengthening medicine, at the same time that
it tends to correct the scorbutic affection.
  In several  cases in which I have had opportunities
of trying the nitric acid in the form I have mentioned,
it has always  had beneficial effects, with the exception
of the  single case of a lady of delicate and irritable
stomach:  she was  compelled to discontinue its use,
from the acidity it produced on her stomach.   This I
endeavoured  to  remedy by gentle emetics or  pukes,
intended to cleanse the stomach of its impurities ; and 
LIVER  DISEASES.
315
by afterwards giving magnesia and charcoal, and such
other articles, for the purpose of neutralizing or destroy-
ing the acid.  All, however, did not succeed, and I was
compelled to desist.   From this practice, and general
experience, I apprehend no other difficulty with regard
to the beneficial effects of the nitric acid in chronic
affections of the liver, than the simple fact of the patient
being unable to take it a sufficient time to produce the
effect desired.   In such cases as  the above, therefore,
much benefit will be experienced from the use of  the
nitro-muriatic bath.
  This valuable and  grateful remedy  is by far  too
much neglected in the United States.  The reason of
this neglect I apprehend to be, because its application
is  considered to be attended with  some trouble.   I   »
recollect a circumstance  in point.  I directed  one of
my patients to bathe his feet  every night on going to
bed  in this  bath: '• What,  doctor," said he, ;: every
night ?"—"Or every other night," said I. He exclaimed,
': How much trouble !"  This is the  reason, I have no
doubt, why this simple but valuable preparation is so
much neglected.  But to those who, like myself, have
witnessed the surprising cures produced by its use,  the
trouble will be considered a matter of no consequence.
I shall, for the satisfaction of my reader, relate a case.
  Mrs. Stoner, wife of John Stoner, of Botetourt coun-
ty, Virginia, was in the last stage of  this disease ; and
had been attended by several distinguished physicians,
who treated  her case  for consumption.   At  the time
her husband called on me to visit her, his  object was
merely to procure the administration of some palliative
remedies, to soothe her cough, and relieve her obstruct-
ed respiration or breathing, which had nearly suffocated
her several  times: he entertained  neither  hope  nor 
316
LIVER  DISEASES.
  belief  that any medical assistance could, by any possi-
  bility,  permanently relieve her.   In truth, from what
  I had  heard of her case, I  candidly stated to Mr.  Sto-
  ner, that my visits wrould  only be  a useless expense;
  and advised such remedies as were calculated to allay
  irritation.  Two or three days afterward, Mr. Stoner
  n*ffle a second application, and to gratify an affection-
  ate and tender husband, and a numerous and highly
  respectable connexion,  I consented  to visit her.  On
  my arrival I found her  situation, as I at first supposed,
  to be critical in the extreme; in fact, in the last stage
  of  consumption ; hollow cough;  breathing very  dif-
  ficult  and  obstructed; constant expectoration, or dis-
  charge of  matter, occasionally streaked with blood;
« regular paroxysms of fever, accompanied with flush-
  ings at midday, and  towards evening terminating in
  profuse sweats; diarrhoea  or dysentery; in fact, her
  case was such an  exact resemblance of the last stage
  of consumption, that the most experienced  and skilful
  physician would have been deceived.  I remained all
  night; and very attentively examined this  (as I at first
  supposed) hopeless case.   About midnight she request-
  ed some  nourishment,  which  was  immediately  pre-
  pared, and of the lightest kind.  She had hardly swal-
  lowed it, before it w7as rejected or throwm up :  and for
  the first time  I observed the extreme irritability of her
  stomach.   On inquiry, she stated that from her first
  attack the slightest food would oppress her stomach
  with a sense  of  burning and fulness, and become sour,
  accompanied with the most unpleasant sensations, until
  what  she had eaten was rejected  and thrown up.   I
  now questioned her minutely as  to all the symptoms
  from the  commencement of the disease;  and her an-
  swers  fully convinced me. that the liver was the pri- 
LIVER DISEASES.
317
mary seat of the disease.  Fully impressed  with this
opinion, although debilitated in  the  extreme, and re-
duced to a  mere skeleton, and so weak as almost to
faint on the slightest exertion, I determined, even in
this  last  and almost hopeless stage, to try the nitro-
muriatic bath.   Fearful that the bath in the usual way
would be productive of fatal consequences immediate-
ly on its application, I hesitated some hours; but with
the consent of herself and her family, having candidly
stated to all  parties my  serious doubts as to the suc-
cess of the  remedy in this  stage  of her case, I  pro-
ceeded to the use of the  bath in its mildest form, by
suffering her hand  alone to  remain in it for fifteen or
twenty minutes.  In five minutes after her hand was
in the bath, she complained of great  uneasiness in the
region of the liver, which  gradually  subsided  after
withdrawing her hand.   This night she rested  well.
The following morning  expectoration wras greatly in-
creased.  This day I placed both her hands in the  bath:
there was immediately great oppression ; her nervous
system became  much agitated; and her extremities
were becoming  very cold.   I immediately removed
her hands from the  bath;  and she fainted.  There was
now much increase of pulse;  and  great oppression of
breathing, almost  amounting to  suffocation.   On a
sudden, as if by a convulsive effort, she threw up about
a pint of yellow bile, similar in colour to the yolk of
eggs.  The  oppression  from this time  ceased: her
breathing became slow,  easy, and regular;  and by a
continuance of this bath, gradually persevered in. and
moderately increased to sponging the whole body with
it, and lastly, to using it as afoot  bath, she improved
daily : and in eight weeks I had the satisfaction of see-
ing her attending to her domestic  concerns, in tolera- 
318
LIVER  DISEASES.
ble health, which gradually improved  until she was
entirely restored.  The strength of the bath  I  used.
was about equal to weak vinegar and water.  For the
period of about six weeks, during w7hich  I w7as engaged
in performing this cure, the relative of this lady, the
Rev. Mr. Crumpecker, pastor of the Dunkard society.
an individual whose character as a Christian, a philan-
throphist, and a man of integrity, would do honour to
any age  or  country; together with his friend  John
Stoner, sen., were absent on a visit to the state of Ma-
ryland.  On their return they w7ere astonished to find
Mrs. Stoner, of whom they had taken leave for eter-
nity, in the vigour of comparative health and strength,
and attending to all her domestic affairs.  I mention
the names of these  gentlemen  particularly, because
when  they peruse  my report of Mrs. Stoner's case as
treated by me with the  nitro-muriatic bath, they will
confirm the fact of her entire recovery  from the use
of this bath.  It may be necessary to state, that  Mrs.
Stoner's diet consisted of milk and water, and mush
and milk ; and nothing stimulating; being  entirely
restrained from animal food.
   The nitro-muriatic bath is formed by mixing equal
parts  of  the nitric acid and muriatic  acid together.
You  must pay strict attention to the following direc-
tions, or your carelessness will produce unpleasant con-
sequences.   When these two acids  come  in contact,
that is to say, when they are poured together, without
having been previously mixed with water  separately.
a gas, or  volume of what appears to be smoke, will
immediately fill the whole house.   This gas has a very
disagreeable smell, and is dangerous to the lungs.  The
proper manner of mixing  them  is, first, to fill a glass
bottle about  half full of cold water; next, you must 
LIVER  DISEASES.
319
put in one of the acids,and shake it up with the wa-
ter;  then you must put in the other acid, and imme-
diately  cork the bottle tightly, occasionally shaking
the acids together.   This will prevent the unpleasant
smell I  have mentioned, and retain the virtues of these
medicines, if you keep  your bottle well corked: the
fact is that none other than glass bottles, with stoppers
of the same  material, can keep these acids in.
   Having stated to you  how this nitric acid  is made,
it  is necessary also to communicate the  method prac-
tised in procuring  the  muriatic acid.  It  is distilled
from  nothing more than  common  salt, by means of
sulphuric acid, or, in other words, oil of vitriol.  It
ought always to be kept with wax over the cork, so as
to  prevent the fumes  from escaping; they are very
unpleasant, and  in  large  volumes suffocating.    But
when either of these acids are mixed with water, as I
have before directed, and the other  then added, they
lose all  unpleasant  effects, and  become  nothing more
than strong acid, like vinegar and water.  You  will
easily perceive by these directions, that you may make
the nitro-muriatic bath  weaker or  stronger, as  you
may think  proper.   The  bath  is very easily made at
any time; for by mixing  some acid from  the  bottle
before mentioned,  with water pleasantly warm, to
about the strength of vinegar and wrater, you have the
bath.  Bathe the feet and legs in this bath, from ten
minutes to half  an  hour, according to the strength of
the patient, immediately before going to bed.   If the
patient  be very weak, bathing one hand a few minutes
will be  sufficient;  if a little stronger, the whole body
may be sponged with the acid; and  if still stronger,
the feet and legs to the knees may be bathed, a/rxrd-
ing to  the circumstances and  times just menV/i J. 
320
LIVER DISEASES.
A narrow wooden bucket or box, sufficient to  admit
the feet and legs, and to permit  the bath to reach the
knees, would be advisable: it would be a saving of the
acid, the requisite strength  of which  can ahvays  be
tested by tasting  it.   You may  preserve the bath or
acid in an earthen crock, or in any glass vessel, and by
warming it again, continue to use it when required.
   It is impossible to specify the time that this bath
should be  used ;  this must depend on the strength of
the patient.  The object is, to bring the system mode-
rately and  gradually under  its  influence;  which is
easily done, because  it may  be made  so innocent,  by
applying it very weak, as to be borne in the most deli-
cate state of the patient.  I have  witnessed persons be-
ing immersed in it up  to the chin for half an  hour;
while others wrho were very weak and nervous, were
strongly affected by the immersion of one of the hands.
The great advantage  of this  bath is, that you may re-
gulate its strength to any point necessary.  I have  no
doubt it would be highly beneficial in indigestion, and
in all  depraved states of the biliary secretion, producing
melancholy and despondency of mind, or in  other
words, hypochondriasis.  The nitro-muriatic bath will
be found also a valuable  remedy to  females.  This
bath, or the nitric acid  taken by the  stomach, ought
always to be very much diluted with water; and  if
any very considerable effects  are produced, the use of
it ought to  be stopped for a week  or tw7o, and gradually
resumed  again; whenever it produces very uneasy
sensations, you must  be guided by your feelings; nor
are you ever to take  any animal food, or use any sti-
mulants of  any kind, while using  this bath, or the nitric
acid in any way.   If the bathing or sponging of the
body should not keep the bowels open, or in a laxative 
LIVER  DISEASES.
321
state, you must  take  some simple  medicine, such as
Epsom salts, senna and manna, or aloes, or any thing
else that will keep the bowels gently open.
  In addition to what I have said, it may be remarked
in conclusion, that equal quantities of Epsom salts and
magnesia, ground very fine together in a mortar, and a
sufficient quantity taken  to keep the  bowels gently
open, always act beneficially in diseases of the liver:
the common  dose is from  one to two tea-spoonsful, in
half a pint of cold w7ater. Or you may7 mix equal quan-
tities of jalap and cream tartar, ground fine in a mortar,
and give doses of a tea-spoonful.   This last is a drastic
purgative, and acts powerfully on the  liver.  I  have
never used it in  my practice, always preferring, as a
mild purgative, the  salts  and magnesia.  The  low-
ground sarsaparilla, found  in almost every part of the
United  States, is also  a  very good remedy in diseases
of the liver;  it ought  to be taken plentifully, cold, in
decoction or tea.  I must not omit to remark, and that
emphatically and strongly, that the use of the warm
bath, as described under that head, will be almost in-
dispensable in the cure of  all diseases of the liver, and
in all stages of those diseases.
  I cannot relinquish the subject of diseases of the
liver, without mentioning in terms of almost unquali-
fied approbation, my candid opinions of the waters of
the Harrodsburgh and Greenville  Springs, situated in
the county of Mercer and State of Kentucky.  These
waters are known to act powerfully and beneficially On
the liver;  nor do I believe  there  have been many
instances, if an absolute  consumption, or an induration
of the liver had not taken  place, in which those waters
have not been efficient in removing diseases of the liver.
Their almost certain  efficacy is so  well known, that
     GUNN     21 
322
LIVER DISEASES.
 they are frequented by thousands of invalids during
 the summer months, from every part of the United
^States.   And I would advise all persons labouring un-
 der complaints of the liver, or under dyspepsia or indi-
 gestion, and who have become hopeless of the influence
 of medical  prescriptions, never to omit, if it be possi-
 ble for  them to travel to those springs, to give those
 waters  a fair trial.   They are  situated in a beautiful
 and healthful country, and the accommodations are
 always such as to insure the comfort and convenience
 of all invalids who approach them.
           DYSENTERY OR FLUX.
  This disease is always  attended  with tenesmus, or
a constant desire to go to stool, without being able to
pass any thing  from the bowels, excepting a bloody
kind of mucus, which resembles that generally scraped
from  the entrails of a hog.  These desires  to go to
stool are usually accompanied with severe griping, and
also with some fever.   After a few  days continuance
of this complaint, your discharges by stool will consist
of pure blood,  and  matter mixed ;  and from  severe
straining to evacuate, parts of your bowels will fre-
quently protrude or come out,  which soon becomes a
source of great suffering,   Dysentery  or flux gene-
rally takes place about autumn  ; when the whole body
has become irritable by a continuance of warm or
rather hot weather, and has been  suddenly exposed to
cold or damp; it is also produced by eating unripe or
green fruit of any kind; by sudden suppressings or
stoppages of the perspiration or sweat; by the eating
of some putrid  or  decayed food; and sometimes it 
DYSENTERY.
323
arises from some peculiar cause existing in  the atmo-
sphere : when this is the case, whole neighbourhoods,
and extensive tracts of country, are affected by it fa-
tally.

                    REMEDIES.
   If  your patient  is  vigorous, hale,  and  generally
healthy7, and there  is considerable  fever, the loss of
some blood in the first stage of the disease will be
proper.  But  if, on the  contrary, the patient  be a
weakly and delicate person, the loss of any blood would
be highly improper and dangerous.   First, cleanse the
stomach by an emetic or puke of ipecacuanha; then
give a purge of calomel;  (see table for  dose.)  Next,
if the disease does not abate, you must repeat the purg-
ing daily with castor oil: this is the best medicine you
can possibly use in this complaint.  As  the  stools are
generally very offensive, you can easily correct them
by giving a tea-spoonful of prepared chalk,  in a  little
cold water, three times a day ; this prepared chalk is
nothing but  common chalk freed of  its impurities.
Give glysters frequently through the day made of slip-
pery elm ; which is to be thrown up the bowels cold.
In case of violent pain, bathe the stomach with lauda-
num, and spirits in which camphor has been dissolved ;
and apply cloths wrung out of hot water to the belly;
or blister over the stomach.  If the belly is hard, and
sore on being touched, grease it well with any kind of
oil or lard: here  the frequent  use  of the warm  bath
will be of immense service.  When the disease is very
obstinate,  administer a glyster morning and night, of a
mucilage of eherry tree gum,  or peach tree  gum, dis-
solved in water until it will  be ropy and glutinous, in
which drop from fifty to sixty  drops of laudanum, for 
324
DYSENTERY.
 grown  persons; and so  on in proportion to different
 ages.  Throw this glyster up the bowels cold ; (for the
 method of doing which, see under the head Glyster.)
 The  warm bath  and castor oil in this disease  may
 safely be depended on.   If the desire of going to stool
 is very  frequent and painful, introduce up the backside
 or fundament (I must speak in  plain terms) a pill of
 opium of from three to four grains.  It must be put up
 with much care and tenderness; because in this  com-
 plaint the  parts are always very sore;  its remaining
 there will greatly allay the irritation of the lower gut,
 and produce much relief and immediate comfort: the
 proportions of opium in the pill, must be varied accord-
 ing to the age of the patient.   The common black-
 berry syrup ought to be prepared and kept in every
 family in this country, and used freely in this com-
 plaint.  I frequently apply a remedy in this  disease,
 which I claim as the discoverer;  and  which very often
 succeeds, when all others have failed: it is flaxseed oil,
 to be given in the quantity of a table-spoonful twice a
 day to a grown person, and reducing the dose accord-
 ing to the age of the patient.  It may be necessary to
 remark, that small doses of ipecacuanha combined with
 opium, say three grains of ipecacuanha to half a grain
 of opium, formed  into a pill,  and  given twice a day,
 after purging well with castor oil, will be an excellent
 remedy to check this complaint,  by producing a mois-
 ture  on the skin,  and allaying  the  irritation of the
 bowels.   The drinks should  be  of the mildest kind,
such as slippery elm tea; flaxseed tea;  water melon
seed  tea; and  diet of the lightest kind, such as jellies,
chicken soup, lamb soup,  &c. &c. 
DIARRHCEA.
326
LAX, OR CONSTANT LOOSENESS OF  THE
                   BOWELS:
          {Called by physicians Diarrhoea.)
  This disease is unattended with any fever, and not
contagious or catching as is the disease  immediately
before mentioned.  It generally prevails among persons
of weakly constitutions; persons advanced  in years;
and those who have lived internperately.  Many are
naturally or constitutionally of this habit  of body; and
others are subject to its attacks on the slightest cold or
exposure which  at all affects their  bowels.  The ap-
pearance of the stools in this disease* are very different
at times: sometimes of a thick consistence ; sometimes
thin ; at  times of a slimy nature, and then again of a
whitish colour—changing to green,  yellow, dark or
brown, depending very much on the food, and the
manner in which it agrees or disagrees with the sto-
mach and bowels; sometimes, and  that not unfre-
quently, it is produced by worms.

                   REMEDIES.
  First: give an  emetic or puke in trie morning; am
at night, for a grown person, give a large  dose of castor
oil, with  thirty-five  drops  of laudanum in it; but
always lessen this dose in proportion to the age of your
patient.  Next: a stool is to be produced  daily, by the
use of the castor oil.   When the griping attends the
complaint, warm garden mint stewed, and placed over
the stomach and  belly, will give relief. When the dis-
ease  has been brought on by cold, or sudden stoppages
of the perspiration or  sweat, use the  wrarm  bath, and
take  some snake-root tea, so as to produce a determina- 
326
DIARRHOEA.
tion  to the surface,  or gentle moisture on the skin.
This troublesome complaint frequently continues on
many persons through life: such persons should be par-
ticular as to what they eat, and avoid every  thing that
disagrees with their stomach and bowels; alw7ays taking
care to defend their feet against the damp ground, and
wearing flannel next to their skin.  Friction, or rubbing
the whole body every day with a brush, particularly
over the region of the stomach, liver, and bowels, will
be of much service.   Old French brandy, taken in
moderation, and well diluted with water, is  not only a
good remedy in this complaint when constitutional, but
frequently a preventive against attacks.  When wrorms
are presumed to have any influence in producing this
disease, which may be suspected from a fetid or offen-
sive breath, the complaint is to be treated for  worms:
see which head.   When the  complaint arises from
weakness, opium  will be found highly  important  in
restraining its excesses, and removing the debility.  By
using the glysters of slippery elm, or those made of
common starch and w7arm w7ater; for directions how
to use which, look under  the head Glystering.   Much
benefit will result by cooling the bowels, and  allaying
the irritation which always exists in this disease.
   INFLAMMATION  OF THE STOMACH.
  This complaint can easily be distinguished from any
other by its distinctive and peculiar symptoms:  it is,
therefore, impossible to mistake it for any other disease,
if the least attention is paid  to the indications of  its
presence.  There is always violent pain in the stomach,
together with a sensation of heat or burning in it; there 
        INFLAMMATION OF  THE  STOMACH.     327

is, also, a great increase of  pain in  the stomach, when
any thing is swallowed; and an immediate rejection and
puking of it up.   Also, a sinking and loss of strength;
great thirst and uneasiness; a continued moving of the
body from side to side of the bed; and as the  disease
advances, frequent hiccoughs, accompanied with cold-
ness of the hands and feet.  When  these last symp-
toms occur, hiccoughs and cold extremities, they are
extremely unfavourable, and will  probably terminate
fatally.   Inflammation of the stomach is produced by
corrosive poisons taken into the stomach, or drinking
extremely of cold water, when the body is overheated;
by receiving violent blows, or w7ounds in the region of
the stomach;  by the gout; by strong emetics;  and,
lastly, by large quantities of iced liquor taken into the
stomach.
                   REMEDIES.

   This being a very dangerous disease, and the life of
the patient depending on the bold and free use of the
lancet, you are not to be deterred  from its use by any-
apparent feebleness of the pulse.   The proper practice
is, to bleed freely every few hours, until the inflamma-
tion is subdued.  As soon as you have subdued the
inflammatory  symptoms,  by frequent bleeding, the
patient is to be put into the warm bath, where he is to
remain as long as possible.  You are then to  have a
large blister prepared, which  must  be  put over the
region of the stomach, the  moment the patient has left
the bath: or, if there is no  blister at hand, apply a large
cataplasm or poultice of mustard  and strong vinegar.
Keep open the bowels, with glysters made of common
starch, or slippery elm, or flaxseed oil, or thin gruel, or
chicken  water boiled strong.  These  glysters  will 
328    INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH.

assist to nourish the patient, especially as he will be
unable to  take  the  slightest nourishment on the sto-
mach.   When  the  inflammation is reduced, and the
stomach will bear it, a pill of opium (see table for dose)
will be serviceable.   The diet should be of the lightest
kind ; such  as jelly, slippery elm tea, rice  and light
soups—a very little at a  time, and administered with
extreme caution, with small doses of laudanum.  Small
quantities of the best sw7eet oil, about a tea-spoonful at
a time, given during the continuance of this complaint,
will very much assist in allaying the inflammation.
When this disease terminates fatally, it invariably ends
in mortification; and this will nearly always be the
case, unless the lancet is used freely in the first instance.
A sudden change from great misery to perfect ease in
conclusive evidence of mortification.
    INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.
  This complaint is extremely dangerous, and requires
immediate and very active measures to arrest its course.
The symptoms are very distressing, and are alwrays ac-
companied with sharp pains in the bowels, and parti-
cularly about the navel.   The belly seems tight and
hard, and  so tender that the least pressure with the
fingers gives great pain; you will know it from cholic
by pressing the belly ;  in cholic, the pressure gives re-
lief; but in inflammation of the intestines, the belly is
so sore that the least bearing on it gives immediate and
excruciating misery.  Great weakness attends this dis-
ease ; the  pulse is small, quick, and hard ; the urine or
water is highly coloured, and passed off with difficulty;
and the bowels are very costive.   Inflammation of the 
         INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.     329

intestines is produced by very nearly the  same causes
as those which  are productive of inflammation of the
stomach; and is attended with  very nearly  as much
danger as that disease.  It arises from a severe cholic ;
from hard,  undigested food remaining in the bowels,
from  drinking  cold  w7ater when the body is over-
heated ; by blows and wounds in and about the region
of the  bowels; by  long and  severe dysentery; by
worms; and, lastly, by hernia or rupture.

                     REMEDIES.
  The remedies are much the same as those for inflam-
mation  of the stomach :  the object being to arrest the
disease  instantly, and before mortification  can  take
place, which always, when  it occurs, terminates the
matter  fatally.   The only hope of relief is  from the
immediate  and  free use of the lancet; for without its
instrumentality you may abandon every hope of saving
your patient. Therefore, take blood immediately from
the arm, letting the  stream be large, so as to draw the
blood off suddenly.   You must repeat the  bleeding
frequently; as the urgency and critical situation of the
patient may  appear to demand  it: cup the  belly and
apply a large glyster, to be made  of slippery elm or
flaxseed; the elm is the best for glystering, and the
warm bath.  Look under the  different heads for in-
formation.   The only medicine that ought to be given
in this disease, is the best sweet  oil, in doses of a table-
spoonful each, and that frequently.  I have no authority
for it: but I  should in my owm practice, if  attending
a case of this kind,  mix a  tea-spoonful of the  finest
charcoal, prepared as  directed under the head of Indi-
gestion, with each dose of sweet oil: and I should also
mix charcoal with the glysters of slippery elm.  A 
330     inflammation  of the bowels.

distinguished physician recommends  glysters of cold
lead water in this complaint, to lessen  the high action?
and subdue the inflammation.  I would suppose, al-
though I never tried it in this disease, that his remedy
is valuable; it is made by mixing, very weak, the sugar
of lead and cold water, and throwing it up the bowels
with a glyster-pipe.  Look under the head of Glys-
tering.
  After  the  violence of the disease is subdued, you
must throw up the  bowels, as a glyster, fifty or sixty
drops  of laudanum in any simple mucilage, such as
flaxseed tea or  slippery elm.  This  glyster will allay
the irritation, and may be given twice a day; early in
the morning,  and late at night; diminishing the quan-
tity of laudanum according to the age of the patient.
The diet should be of the lightest  kind, and always
cautiously given, to patients recovering from this dan-
gerous disease :  this caution is the  more necessary, be-
cause the disease may and frequently does return from
very slight causes; especially where persons have been
afflicted with it several times before.  In truth, and to
speak plainly, it is only by proper diet, and that of the
most simple  kind, with great care  in preventing ex-
posure, that such persons can remain secure.  Flannel
should be worn next the skin, and  the warm  bath fre-
quently used, for the purpose of preventing the recur-
rence of this very dangerous and often unmanageable
complaint.
     INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN.
  This disease has destroyed some of the most distin-
guished men in  Europe and America, among  w7hom 
          INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN.       331

may be named the celebrated Lord Byron, Gen. Na-
thaniel Greene of the Revolution, and the late Doctor
Dorsey, of Pennsylvania. It arises from intense study ;
from exposure to the heat of the sun;  and from every
other cause which produces an over-fulness of blood on
the brain. The symptoms are, a very high fever; great
pain in the head ; the eyes look red and fiery; there is
also great watchfulness ;  the patient is unable to bear
the smallest light; there is also, generally, a heavy dull
sleep, with frequent startings as if in alarm ; the me-
mory fails, and in the first stage  of the disease the pa-
tient dislikes to talk ; but, as the complaint advances,
the eyes assume a great brightness:  the patient be-
comes furious and talks wildly, and generally on sub-
jects which have  left deep  impressions on his  mind
when in health.  The  tongue becomes dry, and of a
dark colour ; the pulse small, quick, and hard ; and the
poor sufferer is frequently seen to put his  hand or
hands to his head.
  The Brain.—This organ is larger in man than in
any other known animal.  Its general weight is from
two pounds five and  a  half ounces, to three pounds
three and three quarter ounces.  I have weighed seve-
ral at four pounds.  The brain of the late Lord Byron>
(without its membranes) weighed six pounds.

                   REMEDIES.
  Bleed as largely in quantity as the strength of your
patient will possibly admit: let the blood be taken as
suddenly as practicable from the arm, by a large orifice
or opening, so as to permit it to flow in a copious and
bold stream. If the patient, by bleeding from the arm
freely, becomes weak, and the disease  is not subdued,
shave the head, and cup freely all  over it: for the me- 
332      INFLAMMATION  OF THE BRAIN.

thod of cupping,  look under that head.  Apply over
the whole head immediately the coldest  applications
that can be found, such as wet towels constantly wrung
out of the coldest spring water, or ice, if it can be had;
these cold applications are to be constantly renewed,
until the disease is subdued.  Give, also, active purges,
and that very frequently, consisting of twenty grains
of calomel and twenty of jalap.  If the symptoms are
very violent, give a glyster, made  of  thin gruel, with
thirteen grains of tartar emetic well mixed in it: this
glyster must be given  once every day, as  long as  the
disease continues severe.   Your patient's  head should
be placed on high pillowing, and his body  kept in bed,
in as upright a posture as possible, so as to  lessen as far
as practicable the determination or flowing of the blood
to the head.  After the violence of the disease  is  re-
moved by bleeding and purging, &c,  apply constantly
poultices  made of pounded mustard seed and vinegar
to the feet  and  ankles;  or  blister them with can-
tharides or Spanish flies, prepared in the usual manner.
The feet and legs should, also, frequently be bathed in
the  usual way with w7arm water: this  will divert  or
draw off the determination of blood from  the  head.
The diet and drinks  should be of the lightest, simplest,
and most cooling kinds.  The room ought to be kept
dark, and perfectly cool; nor ought the least noise to
be permitted to disturb the quiet of the patient. When
reason begins  to  return, and the fever to subside, be
extremely careful to attend to these instructions:  be-
cause  the slightest cause will bring on the  disease a
second time, with more violence  than in the first  in-
stance, which will in all probability terminate fatally. 
         INFLAMMATION OF THE SPLEEN.      333

    INFLAMMATION OF  THE SPLEEN.
  When there is an inflammation of the spleen, con-
siderable pain is felt in the  left side, where the spleen
is situated.  By pressing the fingers on the left side, a
throbbing sensation is easily discovered, and a pain is
felt by the patient, extending from the side to the left
shoulder, and not unfrequently through the belly. The
most  remarkable symptoms which attend this disease,
and those which may be relied on, are puking of blood,
great  weakness, watchfulness, and not unfrequently,
the mind is much confused.  This complaint, like all
other  inflammatory diseases, is attended with consi-
derable fever.  It  is brought on  by long  continued
fevers, and by affections of the liver;  and persons who
have  suffered  much from long attacks of fever and
ague  are liable to what they term ague-cakes, which
are diseases of the spleen, and which are apt to termi-
nate,  without the  application of proper remedies, in
inflammation of the spleen. Where there is no  in-
flammation, and the side is swelled, the disease is call-
ed chronic.
                   REMEDIES.
  Purge well and frequently with calomel and jalap:
(see table for dose.)   Also, cup over the spleen, (for
the method of cupping, look under that head :) and
always, if the disease  is  of  the chronic form, blister
over the spleen in the usual manner.   The nitric acid
will also be found a valuable remedy; (read affections
of the Liver, page  303, where you will find the acid
treated  on  at large.)   A broad belt worn over  the
spleen, with folds of cloth to press on it, will be a good
remedy: as will, also, rubbing the side daily with equal
quantities of spirits of  hartshorn and sweet oil 
 334      INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.

    INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.
   In this disease, there  is alwrays great pain in the
 small of  the back, similar to that  felt in cholic, but
 seated much nearer the back-bone and loins.  There
 is also, in this complaint, a deadness and numbness of
 feeling  in the  upper part of the thigh; considerable
 sickness at the stomach ; a great desire to make water
 frequently, which is done with much difficulty, and
 in small quantities at a time.  The  urine or water is
 of a deep red colour, showing that there is great inter-
 nal fever; the slightest  motion gives pain ; and, even
 in sitting upright in bed, the patient is extremely rest-
 less, always receiving more ease by lying on the af-
 fected part.  Sometimes one of the testicles is retracted
 or draw7n up, so  that you can  scarcely feel  it.  The
 complaint is brought on by great exertions in lifting;
 by violent and  sudden sprains;  by exposure to cold
 when over-heated ;  by lying on the damp ground; and
 by too frequent intercourse with  women.  Sometimes
 the disease is produced by hard substances, calculus,
 stone or gravel formed in the kidneys: and  I have
 known two or three instances of its having been pro-
 duced in young persons  by that horrible practice call-
 ed by physicians Onanism.

                   REMEDIES.
  Like all other inflammations, that of the kidneys re-
quires the free use of the lancet; always repeating the
bleeding from the arm, as the urgency and severity of
the symptoms may seem to require.   Cup freely over
the small  of the back; (for cupping  read  under that
head.)   Apply flannel cloths,  w7rung out of hot water,
to the small of the back;  and give glysters of warm 
         INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.     33<5

milk and water,  in  equal  portions,  which  must  be
thrown up the bowels three or four times a day.   All
the drinks should be made warm, in which must be
dissolved some kind of gum, such as that of the peach
tree, or any other kind of gum that will produce a
mucilage.  Flaxseed tea will  answrer a good purpose,
as will also tea made of slippery-elm bark; in both of
which you may put a little spirits of nitre. The bow7els
are to be  kept open by castor oil, and by moderate glys-
tering.  The warm bath must be  frequently used, and
applied for a considerable time  at once, over the whole
body;  during w7hich,  the  patient in the bath must
have his body well rubbed  with a soft brush or wool-
len cloth: this bath  must be repeated every day, and
twice a day if necessary.   The warm bath is  a most
valuable  remedy, in this complaint,  and must not be
neglected.  After the violence of  the disease has been
subdued by the use of  the lancet and warm bath, &c,
as before  noticed, to give ease and quiet slumbers to
the patient, administer a pill of opium, or thirty-five
drops of laudanum; for the different doses of which,
proportioned to the  different ages, see table  for doses.
Or a glyster at this time, made of flaxseed tea, with
forty or fifty drops of laudanum  mixed with  it, will
give great relief, by allaying both pain  and irritation.
A decoction or tea  made  of dried peach tree leaves,
made  by  boiling a handful of  the leaves in a quart of
water, until it decreases to three half pints, to be drank
occasionally through the day: this is an excellent re-
medy, and has been known to succeed in this com-
plaint, when the sufferings have been  unusually severe.
In some cases inflammation of the kidneys cannot be
removed, until  abscesses or ulcers are  formed:  this
state of the case  will always  be  known by the pain 
336      INFLAMMATION OF THE KDDNEYS.

becoming less severe;  by great weight  being felt in
the small of the back;  by chills, succeeded by flushes
of heat, and w7hen by suffering the urine or w7ater to
settle in the urinal or pot, you can discover a mucous
matter on the bottom.
  When this is the situation of  the patient, the uva
ursi will *be found a useful  medicine: for description
of which, and its  medicinal qualities, read under the
head of uva ursi, sometimes called the upland cranber-
ry, and  sometimes the  bearberry.  The  usual dose is,
two or three times a day, half a pint of the decoction,
or tea made  of a handful of the leaves to a pint of wa-
ter ;  or a tea-spoonful  of the  pounded  leaves,  three
times a day, taken in any kind  of syrup.
   INFLAMMATION  OF THE BLADDER.
  Immediately above the privates, in this complaint,
there is a very considerable pain ; which is much in-
creased by pressing on the part with the fingers.  There
is also a constant desire to make water, which is done
with much  difficulty, and  in very small quantities.
There  is a constant  desire to go to stool, and always
some fever;  also great  restlessness, where the disease
is produced by stone or gravel; or by stricture or con-
traction of the urethra, or canal which leads from the
bladder;  or by this passage being stopped up ; or from
the lodgment of hardened  lumps in the lower gut,
caused by costiveness or  constipation of the bowels.
In the last case, I  have frequently known an  instru-
ment introduced, if the fingers  could  not remove the
solid and hard excrement, called by physicians the
faeces.  This disease is also sometimes produced by 
        inflammation of the bladder.     337

Injuries received, such as severe blowrs, kicks, falls, &c;
by taking tincture of cantharides or Spanish flies; and
by that false and foolish delicacy, which leads some per-
sons to hold their urine a considerable length of time.
I recollect a case which terminated fatally by this false
modesty.   A young lady of respectability was intro-
duced to a merchant who was travelling from Phila-
delphia to New York, and placed under his  protection
to  perform the same journey.   The post-coach runs
the distance, from ninety  to one  hundred miles, in
about eleven  hours; this distance she travelled in ex-
cruciating torment from retaining her urine, and died
from the effects of it on the second day after her arrival
in New York.  She was in the bloom of youth, health,
and beauty; and I mention the  case emphatically as a
warning to others, who from false delicacy might  do
the same thing.

                   REMEDIES.
  You must,  as in all other cases of inflammation be-
fore mentioned, depend much  on frequent bleeding,
and the free  use of the warm bath:  and on all such
medicines as will determine to the surface, or, in other
words, produce a gentle moisture on  the skin.   Also,
get a syringe  and inject water made  pleasantly warm
into the bladder,  which  will remove the irritating
causes; and, after washing out the bladder with warm
water as just directed, make a  decoction of slippery
elm bark  and let it become cool; with this decoction
or tea, mix a  very weak preparation of sugar of lead,
(which must be dissolved  in cold water,) and inject
the preparation into the bladder occasionally; this will
lessen the inflammation, and assist in finally subduing
it;  but I caution you to make the solution of sugar of
      UUNN   22 
338     inflammation  of the bladder.

lead very weak.  You are not to use a blister in this
complaint;  because  it would act  immediately and
particularly on the bladder, by suppressing the urine
Glysters of the mildest kind are to be given ; they will
always soothe, relieve, and reduce the irritation of the
bowels, and the adjacent parts.  If the pain is very se-
vere, laudanum should b® given, (see table for dose,)
and the water frequently drawn off by a catheter: the
fact is, that a physician should be immediately called;
but if necessity should urge the use of the catheter, by
a person who is  not a professional man, a description
of the instrument, and of the precise manner of using
it, both in male and female cases, will be found under
the proper head.
  DRINKING COLD WATER WHEN OVER-
                   HEATED.
  The  imprudent use of cold  water wiien a person
is over-heated, almost invariably produces cramps  or
spasms  of the stomach, vvhich  usually terminate  in
death.   In the year 1816,1 saw five persons expire  in
less than ten minutes  in the city of New York, from
drinking cold water;  in truth, the deaths  became  so
frequent at the different watering  places throughout
the  tow7n, that placards or  printed  bills were ordered
by the city council to be stuck on the different pumps,
to caution all persons against drinking cold water when
over-heated and bathed in sweat.  This dangerous and
fatal practice, if it even does not  produce immediate
death, almost invariably lays the foundation of linger-
ing  and  destructive diseases, which are extremely diffi-
cult of cure.  That eminent and distinguished physi- 
             DRINKING  COLD WATER.          339

cian, Benjamin Rush, describes the causes of fatality in
these cases  in  the  following manner: " When large
quantities of cold w7ater are suddenly taken into the
•stomach, under circumstances of an over-heated sys-
tem, the person in a few minutes afterwards loses  his
sight, and every thing appears  dark about him;  he
staggers in attempting to walk, and unless  supported,
falls to the ground;  the breathing soon becomes very
difficult, and a rattling noise is heard in the throat; the
feet and hands  become cold, and the pulse cannot  be
felt, and generally in about five minutes  death is the
consequence, unless speedy relief can be  obtained."
Iced toddy, when taken under the same circumstances
of being over-heated, has often been known to produce
the same fatal  effects: and I have known many  in-
stances  in which ladies in  full  health, have been
brought to  the  brink  of eternity in a few minutes,
from eating iced creams when overheated by dancing.
The truth is, that very cold articles of food or drink,
even when the  body is moderately cool, sometimes, in
peculiar constitutions, are productive of  dangerous
consequences:  cases which are  not very violent, and
which come on with cramps or spasms, should  be im-
mediately  attended  to, or  they  will also terminate
fatally in  most  instances, by inflammations of the sto-
mach.
                    REMEDIES.
   " I have discovered," says Doctor  Rush, " but one
certain  remedy in this desperate, and if not immedi-
ately relieved, fatal disease  : this  remedy, and it may
be relied on, is laudanum; which has to be given in the
quantity of from a tea to nearly a table-spoonful im-
mediately in violent cases, before relief can be obtain-
ed."  When laudanum cannot be had in time, a glass 
340
DRINKING cold water.
of strong whisky or brandy, one of which is generally
found forthcoming everywhere, may be given.  Laud-
anum, however, is so very easily made, and so  fre-
quently necessary in all families, that it ought always to
be kept in preparation for use:  it will frequently save
the expense of sending for a physician at an unseason-
able hour, and oftentimes save life in sudden and  des-
perate cases.  For the mode of preparing it, see undei
the head Laudanum. Every person about to drink cold
water, when warm and  in high perspiration,  should
observe faithfully  the following rules.  First, pour
considerable quantities of water on the  wrists:  and
next,  wash the face,  temples, and  hands, with water,
and suffer them to dry.  These measures, from  the
coldness of  the  water applied, and the evaporation
which succeeds, will abstract or draw from the interior
of the body, and particularly from the vital parts, a
considerable portion of heat; and prevent the sudden
and dangerous action  of the cold on the stomach,  and
other vital parts  of the system.  You are, also, when
you drink, to take the water in small quantities at a
time; in fact, not  more  than half a pint at once : re-
peating the  draughts  about every five or ten minutes.
It would be the safest plan, even with the above pre-
cautions, to mix some  spirits with the water.  Farmers
engaged in harvesting their grain, should always let
the water remain some time in the vessel before using
it; many fatal diseases have originated in an imprudent
disregard of this cautious  practice. 
COLDS.
341
            CATARRH,  OR COLD.

  Colds are so common in all countries, and their
modes of treatment so generally known, that not much
need be said respecting them; further than to remark.
that early attention will frequently prevent their laying
the foundation for other complaints, which may in the
end  prove  highly  dangerous  and very  difficult to
remove.  Persons  of  delicate  constitutions are most
subject  to colds; and from the  carelessness of such
persons, in neglecting to avoid exposure, and to remove
the early symptoms of disease, more than tw7o-thirds of
the whole number of consumptive cases, in  all coun-
tries, arise and become fatal.  Cold usually comes on
with a dull heaviness of the head, which feels as if the
nose was  stopped  up, which  is generally the case.
There is, also, at times, much sneezing, which is al-
ways followed  by  discharges of a thin watery  mucus
from  the nostrils.  You have  soreness of the  throat;
cough;  and chills  stealing  over you,  with occasional
hot flushes ; persons of very w7eakly constitutions have,
also, a tightness and pain of  the chest.   Sometimes the
symptoms are highly inflammatory or feverish ; this is
nearly always the case with  very irritable constitutions,
in which instance  the complaint must be arrested im-
mediately.   Here I repeat, because it is all-important.
that most of the consumptions of this country originate
in neglected colds, brought on by exposure to the night
air;  by  damp  feet; by changing warm clothing for
thin ; by becoming warm from exercise, perhaps in a
crowded ball room, and suddenly exposing the body to
a cold current of air ; and by many other imprudent
courses of conduct. 
342
COLDS.
                    REMEDIES.
  Immediately before going to bed, bathe the feet and
legs in warm water fifteen  or  twenty minutes; then
wipe and rub them perfectly dry, and wrap them care-
fully in warm dry flannels.   After lying down, take a
large drink of warm  sage, balm, or hyssop tea, or any
thing else that will sweat moderately.   If the head is
much stopped up with the cold, you may relieve your
self in  a  sitting posture, by covering the head with
flannel or a blanket, and producing a steam beneath
and surrounding the  head;  this can easily be done  by
placing a hot rock in a crock or basin, and gradually
dripping water on it, at the same time holding the ves-
sel on your lap, and closing all the avenues by which
the steam might escape from about your head, except-
ing one through which you are to breathe.  This will
give much relief in a short time.  My practice in the
commencement of a  cold is, to give an emetic or puke,
which in nine cases out of ten relieves the  patient at
once, and cuts short the advance of the fever: see table
for dose.   When fever is very  considerable, with
violent pain in the head,  indicating inflammation, the
loss of some  blood would be advisable: after which,
give a  tea-spoonful  of antimonial wine,  every  three
hours, in any kind of drink; this will determine to the
surface, or in other words produce a gentle moisture
on the skin, and allay the feverish symptoms.   The
bowels should be purged  moderately, by the daily use
of Epsom salts, in small quantities, dissolved in cold
water.  If there be any pain in the chest or side, after
employing the above remedies, put a blister over the
part affected with pain, and keep it running a.c long as
possible; look under the head Blisters.   The diet in 
COLDS.
343
 colds should be light and cooling.  Heating or stimu-
 lating articles, either of drink or diet, are highly im-
 proper, and always produce more or less fever.  The
 best drink during the day is'flaxseed tea, with a small
 portion of acid in it.  After the feverish symptoms are
 removed, a troublesome cough sometimes remains: this
 may be relieved by the use of balsam copaiva, in doses
 of ten or fifteen drops, on lumps of sugar, given three
 times a day; and a dose of paregoric, each night at bed-
 time, (see table for dose,) or a small pill of opium : see
 table.   The French have an excellent remedy for
 curing cold, which I have frequently employed  with
 success, producing immediate relief.   They apply a
 poultice of boiled  onions to the sole of each foot  on
 going to bed, after  having bathed the feet and legs well
 in warm  water: and if the throat is sore they apply
 the boiled onion poultice to it. This is a valuable ap-
 plication, and may be much relied on.  If the chest is
 much oppressed, the application, of this poultice to the
 breast will almost invariably relieve.  The following
 remedy, which  is an excellent and efficacious one, has
 frequently afforded relief in cases  where  colds had
 nearly  settled  down into  confirmed  consumptions.
 Take one tea-spoonful of flaxseed, half an ounce of
 liquorice, and a quarter of a pound of raisins; put them
 into two quarts of  rain-water, and simmer the whole
 over a slow fire, until you reduce the quantity  to one
 quart.   Then prepare some candy made from  brown
 sugar, and dissolve it in the liquor boiled  down to a
 quart; half a pint of this is to be taken every night on
going to bed, mixed with a little good  vinegar to  give
it a slightly acid taste; this will certainly relieve a cold,
if used a few days.  I have  been  more particular on
this disease than at first view might seem necessary: 
344
COLDS.
but considering it as intimately connected with, and m
many instances the forerunner and foundation of con-
sumption, I think I am justified in treating it with
great attention.
                    DROPSY.
  Dropsy is a disease of the whole system, arising from
debility or weakness, and can  easily be distinguished
from other diseases, by the collection of water in some
part of the body.  By pressing the fingers on the flesh
with some force, a depression or pitting will take place,
which can be seen some little time after the fingers have
been removed: in other words, the flesh will have lost
its elasticity, and will not immediately spring back, on
the removal of a pressure.   Or if the water is lodged
in any particular cavity of the body, it may  also be
heard distinctly, on  any sudden change of position, or
rapid  movement of the body.  Among physicians, it is
called by different names, according with the different
parts of the system  in which the water may be depo-
sited.   When the water is seated in the cavities of the
head  or brain,  the  disease  is called hydrocephalus:
when seated  in  the cavity  of the chest,  it is called
hydrothorax: when in that of the belly, ascites: when
seated in the scrotum or bag of the privates, it is called
hydrocele: and w7hen the water is effused in the cellu-
lar  membrane,  which  is the thin and  delicate skin
found among the muscles  or  flesh of the body, and
which is the same that butchers blow up in their veal
and mutton, the dropsical disease  is called anasarca.
There is  strong resemblance between dropsy of the
testicles or stone in men, and ascites ovarii in women; 
DROPSY.
345
the latter being small collections of dropsical fluid in
the ovaria, which are two oval flat bodies  about an
inch in length, and half an inch in breadth, situated
about an inch behind the womb, and which are sup-
posed to contain and supply whatever the female bring9
to the procreation or formation  of the foetus or child.
This is proved from  analogy, by the simple fact, that
an animal  deprived  of the ovaria, as in the case of
spaying swine, loses  all power  of  conceiving, and all
venereal desires.  I omitted to  mention, that hydroce-
phalus or dropsy of the brain, is a disease common to
children, and will be treated of under the proper head.
I have, in the first instance, and contrary to the im-
pressions of some medical men, given it as my decided
opinion, that dropsy  is a disease of the whole system,
and my reader may  be assured  that I am sustained in
that opinion  by many of the most distinguished phy-
sicians in the United States.

                    REMEDIES.
   More diseases of dropsy have been removed by bleed-
ing, and more  relief has been  obtained  from it, than
from any other known remedy; for which reasons it is
now considered as satisfactorily proved, that this com-
plaint is more frequently inflammatory than was gene-
rally supposed.  For this very important information,
we are indebted to that highly distinguished physician,
Dr. Benjamin Rush.   Bleeding must be entirely regu-
lated as to frequency and  quantity by the relief it af-
fords to the  patient.   In my practice, I  always use it
freely; and never omit at the same time to purge freely
with calomel and jalap, or jalap alone;  see  table for
dose.   If these purges operate without pain, and the
stools are fluid or watery, and your patient is not much 
346
DROPSY.
weakened by them, it does not matter how many stools
are produced daily;  because the remedy is an efficient
and proper one.  One ounce of cream tartar, in half a
gallon of water, drank during the day, will be of much
service: in truth, all articles which will increase the
flow of the urine, or water from the bladder, called by
physicians diuretics, are very useful in this complaint.
The following cures which I shall notice in the words
of an experienced and distinguished man, give evidence
of the correctness of some of my introductory remarks,
among which are the following: " The  discoveries of
each succeeding day convince us that the Almighty
has graciously furnished man  with the  means of cur-
ing his own  diseases, in all the different countries and
climates  of,which he is  an inhabitant; and there is
scarcely a day, month, or year, which  does not exhibit
to us the surprising  cures  made by roots, herbs, and
simples, found in our own vegetable  kingdom, when
all foreign articles have utterly failed,"  &c. &c.  The
truth is, that the wise and beneficent Creator of the
universe has made nothing in vain; and the time will
come, when the apparently most useless and  noxious
plants  will be found eminently useful in the cure of
diseases,  which  have  hitherto baffled  the  profound-
est skill, and the most powerful energies of genius.
The following are the words of the author just alluded
to: "I am knowing to two extremely distressing cases
of dropsy being entirely relieved by means of the bark
of the common elder.   One, a woman advanced in
age, in the last stage of this disease, who lost a brother
some short time previous by the same complaint.  The
other,  a young wroman  who had been for eighteen
months confined to her bed, during four of which she
was unable  to lie down,  and  who is now wholly free 
DROPSY.
347
from  dropsy, and recovering strength in a most sur-
prising and unexpected manner.  A great many other
cases, less aggravated, have been cured by the bark of
the common elder; I have used it myself with universal
success;  and its immediate adoption by the afflicted,
is truly important and deserving attention.  The re-
ceipt is as follows:  take two handfuls of the green or
inner bark of the white or common elder; steep them
in two quarts of Lisbon wine  twenty-four hours: if
this wine cannot be had, Teneriffe or Madeira will an-
swer ; take a gill every morning, fasting, or more if it
can be borne on the stomach.   The bark and  leaves
of the elder have long been known as powerful eva-
cuants.   I ought to  have said in the proper place, that
the young woman I have mentioned used the elder-
barked wine at the instance of  one of the most distin-
guished  physicians  of Boston;  who  had previously
tried  every known  prescription  without success, and
that the  use of the elder entirely cured  her."  The fol-
lowing remedy, handed to me by a respectable man,
who resides in Roane county, Tennessee, (Mr. William
Mead,) will  undoubtedly  be w7orthy of trial,  and I
therefore submit it to the reader : " Take two or three
handfuls of rusty nails, and put  them into half a gal-
lon of good apple vinegar: then boil, or rather sim-
mer the vinegar down to a quart, and  strain  it w7ell
through  a linen cloth ; next, add to the vinegar a quart
of molasses,  a  handful  of camomile  flowers,  and a
handful  of lavender from the garden.  Boil or stew
this mixture down  to a quart.   The dose for a  grown
person is a large table-spoonful, to be increased gradu-
ally to one  and a half; the dose, of course, must be
smaller for younger and more weakly persons."  The
character of Mr. Mead for integrity and veracity, and 
348
DROPSY.
his solemn assurances that  the prescription has often
been eminently successful,  induce  me to place it on
record.  The oxide of iron, in other words rust of iron,
would probably answer a better purpose than the nails
mentioned by Mr. Mead.
                    SCURVY.
  This disease is frequently of a highly putrid nature,
and generally afflicts persons who have lived a consi-
derable time on salted provisions, or unsound and taint-
ed animal food.  Those are also subject to it who have
been long confined without due  exercise;  those, also,
who have been  unable to obtain vegetable food  for a
considerable period.  Cold moist air, bad water, the
morbid influence of depressing passions, such as grief,
fear, &c, and the neglect of personal cleanliness, will
also produce scurvy.  With regard to cleanliness, I
must speak  in plain terms.  Neglect of personal or
bodily  ablutions ; in other w7ords, w7ashings among fe-
males at particular periods, are  in reality the causes of
very many cases  of scurvy: and here I am compelled
to say,  that such are the cleanly habits of the French
of the  better order, male and female, I have never
known a single case of scurvy among them, although
much accustomed to their society in Europe: they are
in the  constant habit of using  the warm bath.  The
disease called scurvy can always be known by the soft-
ness and sponginess of the gums, which, even on be-
ing gently rubbed with a soft sponge, will invariably
bleed.   Ulcers next form round the teeth, and gradu-
ally eat away the lower edges of the gums, by which
the teeth become loose, and sometimes fall out.  The 
SCUUVY.
349
breath is always offensive, and smells badly ;*the face
is  usually of a pale yellow colour, and considerably-
bloated ;  the heart  palpitates, or beats rapidly  and
irregularly, on slight exertion; the legs and feet swell;
small ulcers or sores break out on different parts of the
body, and more generally on the legs; pains are felt
over the whole body; the urine or water is highly co-
loured ; the stools smell very badly;  the strength be-
comes very  much reduced,  and  bleeding takes place
from  the nose,  ears, gums,  and  fundament.   When
these last symptoms take place, the sufferer is near the
termination of his earthly career; and it is no less sin-
gular than true, that the appetite remains good to the
last, together with a perfect retention of memory7.

                    REMEDIES.
  All acids are valuable medicines in scurvy : such as
common vinegar with fresh  vegetables; in fact a bath
made of vinegar and water,  in which  the w7hole body
can be frequently bathed, will be of essential service;
as will also the plentiful use of ripe fruits.  Sour krout,
or pickled cabbage,  is so excellent a remedy in scurvy,
that a Dutchman (whose name I have  forgotten) re-
ceived a large premium from the  British Government
for introducing it into the English navy.   W^here there
is much debility, the moderate use of good old wine
will be proper; as will also the use of nitric acid : see
Diseases of the Liver, page 314, w7here you will see this
medicine plainly described, together with its effects, by
which the  bowels will generally be  kept sufficiently
loose, at the same time that the system will be strength-
ened.  If, however, the bowels should be bound, dis-
solve a table-spoonful of cream tartar in a pint of boil-
ing water, and when cold use it  as a drink.   I must 
350
SCURVY.
not omft to mention, emphatically, that regular exercise
is absolutely necessary in this complaint.  You will
find the following medicine also  a  good remedy : dis-
solve three ounces of common saltpetre in a quart of
good vinegar, and take one or two table-spoonsful three
or four times a day;  or less quantities if the state of
your patient will justify it.  When  the gums are much
swollen, with considerable ulceration, and the mouth.
teeth, and breath have a fetid or bad smell, the  mouth
irinst  be frequently washed with  w7ater, prepared  as
follows:  boil red oak bark in  water, then  strain the
water well, and in it dissolve a lump of alum, to which
add a tea-spoonful of finely powdered charcoal, which
is to  be prepared  by burning common smith's coal
over again. I have omitted to state, that if the breathing
is difficult, or there is much pain  in  the breast, a blister
should be applied on the chest over the  pain ; you are
never to bleed in scurvy, if you do you  will lose your
patient.   Pure air, moderate yet  sufficient exercise,
and the  warm bath of pleasant  temperature, with a
sufficiency of vinegar  in it, as before mentioned, will
restore your patient.
                   PLEURISY.
  Pleurisy is an inflammatory complaint, and re-
quires remedies for the immediate  reduction of  the
inflammation.  The symptoms are a sharp pain in the
side, particularly  wiien you draw your  breath;  the
pain then shooting into the breast, back, or  shoulder:
great difficulty in lying on the affected side; the tongue
is of a  white  colour;  the  urine  or w7ater  of a high
colour;  the face flushed and red; and the body very 
pleurtsy.
351
hot, denoting much fever.  Sometimes this disease is
accompanied with cough : and when this is the case.
it is what physicians call a short  dry cough.   Some-
times the cough increases, and  is accompanied  by
spitting up  of  tough phlegm ;  and the blood, wher,
drawn from the arm, and suffered to cool, has a coat
or covering on it of a buffy colour, which  alvwys  de-
notes inflammation.  This complaint is brought on by
exposure to cold and w7et;  by sleeping on the damp
ground, and getting the feet wet;  by being exposed to
sudden  currents of cold  air, when the body  is over-
heated ; by the suppression of certain periodical evacua-
tions ;  or, in other  words, by the obstruction of  the
menstrual discharges in women.   The  winter  and
spring are the seasons in which this complaint is most
prevalent.  I will endeavour, for the satisfaction of the
reader, to notice such symptoms as  indicate a favourable
termination  of the disease ;  and, also, such as argue an
unfavourable and fatal issue of the complaint. First,
the symptoms are favourable when there is a free per-
spiration or sweating;  when there is a  copious  dis-
charge, by expectoration or spitting freely; when  the
urine, or water,  deposites, on  settling, considerable
sediment or grounds, in the urinal or pot; when there
is a spontaneous bleeding at the nose ; or a gentle purg-
ing comes on; or the skin becomes warm and soft,
with an abatement of thirst; and when there  is a con-
siderable relief from pain in the head and side.  Second-
the symptoms are unfavourable, when there is violent
fever; when the patient is delirious or out of his senses;
when the pain suddenly stops, and the face or counten-
ance changes its expression ; when there is little, per-
haps no expectoration or  discharge by spitting ; or if
there is any thing spit up, it is of a dark colour; and, - 
352
PLEURISY.
finally, when there is a sinking and irregularity of the
pulse : these symptoms are highly dangerous.

                   REMEDIES
  I have stated above that pleurisy is an inflammatory
disease, and that it requires  the  immediate reduction
of the inflammatory symptoms.   You must, therefore,
bleed in the first instance, as freely as the constitution
and state of the patient will bear.   If the fever  still
continues high, and the pulse remain  hard and full; or,
in other words, if the pain and fever after  the  first
bleeding should be relieved  for a short time, and after-
wards return with any violence, it will be proper to
bleed a second time moderately.   In  fact, I have  fre-
quently been compelled to bleed three  and four times
before  I could reduce  the  inflammatory symptoms.
After the first bleeding apply a large blister over the
pain, wiiether situated  in the side or  chest: and if the
blister should not run sufficiently after being dressed,
and the  pain  should continue,  apply another blister.
After the bleeding and blistering give a large dose of
Epsom salts; and if any considerable pain is  felt, put
the patient in a warm bath which will cover the whole
body.  I have, in more than fifty cases in the State of
Virginia, relieved pleurisy by immediate and copious
bleeding, and as early as convenient afterward, by using
the warm bath.   After the inflammatory action  is in
some degree removed,  the Seneca snake-root tea  will
be found a valuable remedy: look for a description of
this root, under that head.  Throughout this complaint,
the bowels must be kept open by  the use of Epsom
salts, or senna and manna, or castor  oil: Epsom salts,
however, will always be best, if  they can be procured.
Glysters of any simple kind, such as  thin  gruel milk- 
PLEURISY.
353
  warm, or starch dissolved in warm water, will be per-
  haps equally good for keeping the  bowels  open.   See
  under the head Glystering, and how to prepare glysters.
  When perspiration or sweating is not produced in mo-
  deration,  by the remedies I have  mentioned,  equal
  quantities of antimonial wine and sweet spirits of nitre,
  mixed, and given in doses of a tea-spoonful every two
  hours, will assist in producing perspiration.   Tow7ard
  the close of this  disease, and after the inflammatory or
  feverish symptoms have subsided, and not before, if the
  cough should continue troublesome, give a pill of opium
  at night, or a dose of paregoric or laudanum : see table
» for doses of these articles; and also under different heads,
  how they are made.   If the pulse should sink, and
  your  patient  become weak, stimulate  gently  but
  cautiously with warm toddy, or  wine mixed with
  sugar and water, and apply blisters to the  ankles, and
  cataplasms or poultices to the soles of the feet, made of
  mustard-seed pounded fine, and  mixed with  vinegar.
  These measures  sometimes become necessary  from
  sinking of the pulse, coldness of the feet, or extreme
  weakness:  they always produce excitement  and
  warmth in the system.  This complaint requires  the
  strictest abstinence from all  animal food,  and  from
  every thing  winch has a tendency to produce fever.
  The patient should live on the lightest diet, and such
  as will keep down all fever and inflammation: in fact,
  there is no disease mentioned in  this book, which re-
  quires a more rigid  abstinence from solid food than
  pleurisy.  Nothing but toast and w7ater, barley-water,
  gruel, or flaxseed tea, ought to be taken in this disease,
  and that warm, and in very small quantities at a time;
  a little panado may be given as nourishment. Unfor-
  tunately, and for want of experience, when any person
        fJNNN    23 
354
PLEURISY.
is taken sick in this country, and refuses to eat for two
or three days, great alarm is created immediately lest
the patient should starve to death: and I have known
several instances  since  I  have  been  in  the  western
country, in which the officious stuffing of patients with
food,  with the best possible intention,  has produced
death, in spite of  medical assistance.   I  wish  all such
persons as are disposed to cram their patients with food,
when there is  no appetite for it, and  the stomach re-
jects  it, to remember that nature generally speaks the
truth.  After recovering from this disease, great care
must  be taken to  avoid all cold and dampness, and par-
ticularly exposure to the night air; because they almost
always produce dangerous relapses.  Flannel ought to
be wrorn next the skin; and dressed buck-skin, I am
convinced from my own practice, worn in the  same
manner by delicate persons,  is also an  excellent de-
fender from cold,  and much superior to flannel.
            GRAVEL AND STONE.
  Gravel and stone,  which  originate in the same
causes, are to be distinguished thus from  each other.
Gravel is usually understood to mean calculi, (from the
old word  calx, a limestone?) or little sand-like stones,
which pass from the kidneys, through the ureters into
the bladder.  The ureters are  small tubes which run
from the kidneys to the bladder, and convey the urine
into the latter.  The wTord stone speaks for itself; it is
a strong concretion of  matter, which enlarges and
hardens by time, seldom found in  the ureters or tubes
themselves,  but generally lodged  in  the  kidneys or
bladder: when the stone is in the kidneys, it is because 
GRAVEL.
355
it is too large to be passed off by the tubes leading to
the bladder ; and when found in the bladder, it is from
the simple fact of its being  too large to be passed off
through the channel of the penis.  When a disposition
to gravel (which I have just explained) exists  in  the
urinary system, there will be occasional  paroxysms or
fits of pain in the back, which sometimes shoot down-
ward to the thighs ;  and sometimes a numbness of one
of the  legs inside, accompanied with a retraction  or
drawing  up of one of the testicles or stones in men.
The pain I  have just  spoken of is often extremely
violent, and is sometimes terminated by a discharge of
small gravel  stones from the urethra, with the water
in the  common way.  The stone, however, which I
have also described, and which is usually found in the
kidneys or bladder, sometimes in both, is a disease of
more serious and dangerous  consequences  altogether.
When  the stone has acquired some size, if  situated  in
the bladder, there is a  frequent and  almost constant
desire to  make water; sometimes the water passes off
drop by drop, with  much  pain; and sometimes in a
small stream which occasionally stops short;  in the
last case, when the water passes in a small stream with
sudden stoppages, there will be great pain for some
minutes  after in the glans penis, in other w:ords,  the
head of  the penis.  In some persons, the violence of
straining to evacuate the urine, makes the rectum  or
lower gut contract, and expel its excrements: or if that
gut be empty, this straining occasions tenesmus or a
constant desire to go to stool.  In discharges of urine
when stone  exists in the bladder,  there is very often
blood to be seen in the water, and sometimes pure blood
itself is passed off in small quantities.  When the cal-
culus or  stone is formed in the kidney*, in addition to 
^6
GRAVEL.
the general symptoms of stone in the bladder, there
will be felt a dead, heavy, dull pain, in the loin where
the kidney containing the stone is situated ; frequently
accompanied by fits of shuddering, and creeping cold-
ness in and over the part affected; this shuddering and
coldness  of sensation are sometimes so great, that suf-
ferers  have been known to blister the small of their
backs, by exposure of the parts naked to the heat of
large fires.  In several cases of calculus or stone, either
in the kidneys  or bladder, there is frequently expe-
rienced, during the time of passing the urine, sickness
of the stomach, a desire to vomit, and  much  faintness.
Aged persons are most liable to disorders of the urinary
passages; which do not in all  cases arise from gravel
and stone, or even from spasmodic strictures in those
parts.  These apparent disorders of the  urinary pas-
sages frequently occur in old persons  from the consti-
pation  and retention of feculent and fetid matter in the
bowels, which ought always to be attended to by gen-
tle purging, and particularly by frequent glystering:
for Glystering, see  that head.   The gravel, and some-
times the stone, when the latter has not become much
enlarged  from the lapse of time, may much more easily
be removed from the bladders of females than from
those of males.  In  women, the urethra or canal which
leads from  the bladder  to the  exterior,  is  always
straighter, shorter, and wider than in men, and  may in
many cases be dilated so much by artificial means, as
to admit the gravel or stone to pass off with the wrater.
The extraction of the stone from  men, by the use of
the knife, is called by physicians  lithotomy.  This is
a delicate, dangerous, and very painful operation;  and
I have uniformly advised persons much  advanced in
age, and w7ho were afflicted with the stone, to employ 
GRAVEL.
357
palliative remedies  for the pains attending it, rather
than lithotomy.

                    REMEDIES.
  When there is much difficulty in passing the urine,
and that difficulty arises from strictures or obstructions
in the urethra or canal which conveys off the water;
and especially where inflammation of the bladder  is
apprehended, the catheter must be used; for which
see the head Catheter. When the complaint is painful
and oppressive,  in what are called paroxysms or fits of
the gravel or stone,  for I make no distinction between
them as to remedies, and there is so much irritation as
to lead to apprehensions of  inflammation,  bleeding
should be immediately  resorted to, followed by the
warm bath; in which the patient should remain some
time.   In most cases, I have been enabled to allay the
pain entirely, by bleeding  in the first instances,  using
the warm bath next, and then giving a pill of opium, or
a dose of laudanum  : for which, see head Warm Bath,
and table of doses. After these remedies, if considered
necessary, the privates and belly should be rubbed and
bathed with flannel  cloths w7rung out of warm water
in which camomile flowers have  been boiled;  after
which, the cloths themselves should be applied warm,
and suffered  to remain.   The drink of the patient
should be flaxseed tea; given as freely as you please.
Should  the  pain  still continue severe, give  a glyster
made of gruel, and  strained, in which put two table-
spoonsful of castor oil or sweet oil, and forty drops of
laudanum.   This is to be thrown up the bowels  plea-
santly w7arm : see head Glystering.  Old persons, who
are afflicted with gravel or stone, will find great relief
from frequently using such glysters, and from taking 
358
GRAVEL.
in moderation, occasionally, laudanum or opium to
procure rest: see table of doses.   But, among all the
palliative remedies  ever  yet discovered, I am compel-
led, from both experience and incontestable authorities
to believe, that, in  all diseases of the urinary organs,
and  particularly in  stone and gravel, the uva ursi of
the mountainous regions of Europe,  and possibly of
this country, stands  conspicuous and alone.   The fol-
lowing  cases of actual experiment, to  which,  had  I
space, many more might  be added, will prove conclu-
sively that it is a sovereign remedy, if not in dissolving
the stony matter, at least in banishing the  sufferings
with which it is usually attended.
  Case  1st. At the age of thirty-two, Mr. B-----hav-
ing tried various remedies, submitted to an operation
for the stone, with which he had been afflicted  many
years.   When the usual  passage was opened into the
bladder with a knife, a rough stone of  the mulberry
kind was taken out.  Although the operation was well
performed, the incision perfectly cured, and the severe
pains he formerly felt had ceased for a  time; yet, after
the lapse of some weeks, he again began  to be afflicted
with excruciating pains, and great difficulty in making
water.   The urine was accompanied with a discharge
of matter, which had  continued ever since the opera-
tion ; and now, instead of decreasing as was expected,
it had become more abundant, bloody, fetid, corrosive,
and inflammatory, and excited exquisite agony at every
attempt to pass it off. After various remedies, ordered
by the best physicians, had  been tried in  vain, the use
of the uva ursi was  recommended, and many cases in
which it had been successful related to him by way of
encouragement.   On the  10th of October, 1762, after
taking some medicines by way of preparation, he  began 
GRAVEL.
359
with half a drachm of the powder of the plant uva
ursi, which had been brought from Vienna for the
greater certainty;  this dose  he took twice a day, ob-
serving  a temperate diet, and abstaining  from every
thing considered pernicious.   In three weeks his pains
were appeased; the matter was greatly diminished in
quantity, and was also of a much less acid quality; and
he voided his urine more freely.  These circumstances
gave him great  hopes of  being perfectly cured; nor
were his expectations  ill grounded : for in ten weeks
he was entirely free from pain, made w7ater easily, and
was  no  more afflicted with  fruitless  provocations to
urinate.   And now, April 25, 1763, by persevering in
this course, he is so perfectly free from all symptoms
of the complaint, that he  considers himself perfectly
cured.
  Case 2d.  A youth twelve  years of age, of a tender
constitution and delicate frame, having been frequently
subject  to coughs  and other ailments, was  suddenly
attacked with severe pain in the region of the bladder.
This continued for several days; during which time
he frequently cried out as if upon the rack : his water,
which w7as very mucous, dropping from him very pain-
fully, gave strong suspicion of the gravel.  The usual
medicines were  given; but in vain.   He was next
sounded by a skilful physician, and a stone was found
in the bladder.   About  this  time, De Haen's account
of the uva ursi became public : and this was considered
a fair case in  which to give  it a  trial.   After proper
preparations, half a drachm of the powdered plant was
given twice a day.   For a  week, no  perceptible relief
was obtained; but  in three days more the pain abated,
and the  water became less charged  with matter.  In
short, by observing a regular diet, and by a steady per- 
360
GRAVEL.
severance in the medicine, he is now so entirely well
that an operation for extracting the stone by the knife
is no longer thought of.
  Case 3d.   A gentleman  near forty years old, of a
good constitution, living in a place supplied with water
of a bad quality, became afflicted with the gravel to a
very painful degree.  He frequently passed small stones,
of a sandy substance, which he could plainly perceive
to fall from his kidneys, where  they seemed to be ge-
nerated, through the ureters into the bladder; always
exciting, during their descent, intolerable misery.  All
the  most celebrated measures adapted to such com-
plaints were  fairly tried. Little or  no relief was ob-
tained.  The matter voided  in his urine gave suspicion
of decay in the kidneys.  The uva ursi w7as therefore
advised, and  continued in  the dose of half a drachm
twice a day ; by which, with regular and abstemious
diet, the patient in  three  months became perfectly
well.
  I  consider the foregoing  cases,  to which, as I have
before  remarked, many others might  be  added from
excellent authorities, entirely conclusive as to the me-
dicinal virtues of the uva ursi; for a particular descrip-
tion  of which, together with some other cases of cures
in stone and gravel, I most strongly and seriously refer
the reader to the Materia Medica.
  SUPPRESSION OR STOPPAGE OF URINE.
  This is a disease, which is frequently produced by
inflammation of the urethra, or canal which conveys
the w7ater from the bladder; it is also sometimes pro
duced, as I have mentioned under " Inflammation of 
SUPPRESSION OF URINE.
361
the bladder," by falls in various ways, and by that false
delicacy which  induces a bashful and inexperienced
person to retain the urine an unusual and dangerous
length of time.  It is also produced among those who
have  worn  dowrn their  manhood  in  indiscriminate
debaucheries in early life, and sometimes among those
who are naturally of delicate and weakly constitutions,
by taking too large quantities of the tincture of Spanish
flies, for purposes which I forbear to name.  It also,
sometimes, arises from the necessary  application  of
blisters, and not unfrequently from costiveness or con-
stipation of the bowels.

                   REMEDIES.
  Draw7 some blood;  this will relieve the system.
Then put the patient in a warm  bath, which must be
continued from a quarter to half an hour.   Next give
a warm  glyster, made  of starch and water, in which
must be mixed three table-spoonsful of castor oil. For
the warm bath, and glystering, look under the proper
heads.  If it seems to be necessary, after these reme-
dies, give a  dose of castor oil by the mouth.   If  all
these means  fail of producing a flow7 of urine,  the
catheter must be skilfully and  cautiously used: for
which look under the head.  Throwing cold w7ater on
the belly and thighs will sometimes afford relief, when
all  other remedies have  failed.  A glyster of warm
water, in which tobacco leaves have been steeped for a
few minutes, is an excellent remedy; it must however
be  used  with great caution; being very powerful in
its effects, and must be made very weak;  and should
by no means be  repeated, unless under the direction
of a physician.  Its immediate effects  are, a general
relaxation of the whole system, accompanied with pros- 
362
SUPPRESSION OF URINE.
tration of muscular pow7er, faintness, and sickness of
the stomach;  profuse  sweat breaking out over the
whole body; and if the remedy succeeds, the urine is
immediately evacuated.
          GREAT FLOW OF  URINE.
  This complaint  is called  by  physicians diabetes.
The word diabetes is derived from two Greek wordsj
which signify  to pass through;  and I mention the
fact merely to show how little connexion there usually
is  between  the derivation of words and  their real
meaning.  The quantity of water usually discharged
in diabetes, is more than double the liquid taken in
both drink and  food.  The attacks of this disease are
generally slow and gradual.  I have known instances
in which it has  been more than two years in making
its advances  on  the  constitution.  The symptoms of
diabetes are, larger and  more frequent discharges of
water from  the bladder than common; the urine is
clear and transparent  as spring  water; and having a
sweetish and sickish  taste, like sugar and water, accom-
panied by a  faint smell, as if mixed with  rosemary
leaves.  These symptoms  generally  occur without
pain,  and are  usually  attended  with a  voracious
or greedy appetite.    When this  disease occurs  on
young persons, or is  attended to in grown individuals
at an early period, it can frequently be removed ; but,
when suffered to proceed for any length of time, or
when it attacks  persons in advanced age, or those who
have indulged to excess in  spirituous  liquors, it is ex-
tremely difficult of removal.  As this disease increases
on the constitution, (for I certainly consider it a con- 
              GREAT FLOW OF URINE.         363

stitutional complaint,) the whole body  becomes ema-
ciated, and gradually wastes away ; the mind becomes
dull and melancholy; the patient has a strong aversion
to motion  and exercise;  there are frequent darting
pains in the privates,  accompanied with  a dull and
heavy pain in the small of the back; nearly constant
thirst, which it seems impossible to satisfy; the bowels
are costive, and the pulse irregular; as the disease ad-
vances, fever takes place similar to that in  hectic and
consumptive cases, the  feet begin to swell, and  death
usually closes the scene.  The favourable symptoms in
this  disease  are the following: the appetite becomes
more natural, and  the thirst diminishes:  the urine is
voided in small quantities, and the desire to  make
water less frequent;  the water assumes its natural co-
lour, and regains its usual smell;  the skin becomes
more flexible or soft, and is suffused or covered with
gentle and natural  sweat; the mind gradually becomes
more cheerful, and the desire  for exercise  increases:
when these  symptoms  manifest themselves, there are
always great hopes of  speedy recovery.  The bodies
of many persons who have died of diabetes have been
accurately examined by skilful anatomists: and the
results have alw7ays shown diseased state of the kidneys
and their vessels, and consequent derangement of their
secretions:  in plain language, and I am supported in
the opinion by the  celebrated Rush, and several  other
physicians of note, diabetes is a consumption of the
kidneys.

                    REMEDIES.
  Emetics or pukes are frequently to be given in this
disease, and  much dependence may be placed on them
for a cure.   Ipecacuanha is perhaps the best puke that 
364
GREAT FLOW  OF URINE.
can be given: see table for dose.  Blisters are to be
applied to the small of the back, and kept  continually
running : and a Dover's  powder is to be given at night,
which will produce a determination to the surface, or
in other words a gentle sweat: to prepare these pow-
ders, look under  the head Dover's Pow7ders.  Use the
warm  bath frequently,  and have  the  wiiole body
rubbed well twice a day with a flesh-brush, or coarse
towel; the rubbing should at least continue half an
hour to benefit your patient.  Flannel must be worn
next the skin.  The tincture of cantharides, cautiously
administered, is a valuable remedy, and should be given
to a grown person, from eight to ten, and twelve drops
every four or five hours, in a little cold water, or in
water in  which  some gum has been  dissolved:  wild
cherry tree gum or  peach tree  gum will answ7er.
Astringents may be serviceable in this complaint, and
should be tried agreeably to the  following directions.
Alum  dissolved  in  water, and  occasionally given
throughout the day, as the stomach will bear it with-
out inconvenience or unpleasant  feelings, will  be  ser-
viceable : or sugar of lead, given in a grain and  a  half
to two grains, twice a day in  cold  water, for  grown
persons, has afforded  much relief and expedited the
cure: for the dose of alum or sugar of lead, see table
of doses for different ages.   When it is possible to ob-
tain chalybeate water, or in other words  spring water
impregnated or  mixed  with iron, you should direct
your patient to use the water freely.  East Tennessee
abounds with those springs on almost every branch or
rivulet.   As there is  an acid of the stomach, which
frequently accompanies the complaint, it will be pro-
per to give your  patient weak lime water, or chalk, or
soda powders : look under that head, and you will see 
GREAT FLOW  OF URINE
365
how soda  pow7ders are made.   If fever is present in
this disease, which is sometimes the case, the loss of a
little blood occasionally will be proper.  Your patient
is to use no strong drink of any kind ;  to eat  no vege-
table food, but to live on animal food; to avoid cold
and exposure of every kind ; and to defend the feet and
body well against the damp air, and, in good w7eather,
to take moderate exercise.  In my practice, I use the
uva ursi tea, and have derived great benefit from it; I
therefore recommend it  with the utmost confidence.
Hy the use of emetics,  with this tea, and frequent
bathing in warm water, if commenced at  an early
period, a cure may be speedily expected: (read  under
the head Uva Ursi, for a description of this plant, how
it may be  obtained, and how7 to use it.)   The bow7els
are  to be moderately purged, and kept open by  castor
oil; or by rhubarb, either by chewing it, or taking it
in powder.  Rhubarb is preferable to castor oil in this
disease, and  should  be  used  if it can be obtained.
(Look under the head Rhubarb, for explanation of  its
qualities, and  see table  for  doses.)  Doctor Samuel
Sair lately  read to the  Academy  of Medicine  in
France  an interesting memoir on this subject.   He
refers most cases of incontinence or involuntary flow
of urine, or diabetes, to a want of equilibrium in power,
between the body of the bladder and its neck;  in
other words, when the muscular power of the neck of
the bladder is so much weakened or relaxed  as  not to
retain the urine against the contractible power of the
bladder itself.  With this view of the subject, he ima-
gined that if  he could stimulate the neck of the blad-
der, and not the body of it, he could succeed.  He in-
troduced  by  means  of a catheter some tincture  of
cantharides, so as to touch the  urethra in its prostatic 
366
GREAT FLOW OF URINE.
part, and also the neck of the bladder: by this process
he cured three patients who  laboured under  this  dis-
ease.  When this remedy is to be  resorted to,' the aid
of a skilful physician will be required.
               THE CATHETER.
  A catheter is a small surgical instrument made
use of for drawing the water from the bladder. There
are two kinds, male and female.  The difference be-
tween them is very little; the  male has but one hole
in the end that enters the bladder; the female  has se-
veral ; this is the only difference in the instrument.
By this simple operation, which any person of common
sense can perform, the lives of thousands have been
preserved ;  and this is one among the many reasons I
could advance, for having explained the outward parts
of female generation so plainly.  Now many fools say
that I ought to  have left out an explanation of these
parts.  And why do  they say  so ?   Because they do
not read the book, so as to see the necessity of writing
so plain.   Are  we ashamed of the parts which  the
diseases of our nature require to be  explained, so as to
obtain relief in cases of disease ?  I am writing a book
not for the learned but the unlearned, not for amuse-
ment, but to explain in plain language the diseases to
which we  are  subjected, and  the  method  to obtain
relief from pain and sickness.   With these remarks I
shall proceed.

      METHOD OF USING THE CATHETER.
  Holding the private member  near its head, between
the finger and thumb of the left hand; (standing at his 
THE CATHETER.
367
side;) now with your right hand you  introduce the
point of the instrument into the passage, (out of which
flows  the  urine,)  the convex side of the catheter to-
wards the patient's knees;  then gently, by no  means
using force, push the instrument down the  urethra, at
the same time endeavour to draw up the penis on it.
When you first introduce the catheter, the handle will
of course  be  near the belly of the patient; and as it
goes down the canal, it will be  thrown farther from it,
until it  enters the bladder, which you will know by
the water immediately flowing through the tube into
the basin or pot.  It sometimes occurs that you  cannot
succeed whilst the patient is on his back; if this is the
case, make him stand up, or you may place him with
his shoulders and back on the ground, while his thighs
and legs are held up by assistants.  In difficult  cases I
have been compelled to place the patient on his back,
and when the catheter was as far down as it would go,
I introduced the forefinger, well oiled, into the  funda-
ment, and endeavoured to push the point upwards
while still pressing forwards with my other hand; by
which means I have often  succeeded, when all other
methods failed. You must recollect force is never, on
any account,  to be used.  Vary the position of  the in-
strument as often  as  you think proper; even permit
the patient himself to try, but by all means use no force
or violence; but humour the  instrument, take your
time, and be cautious, and you will at last succeed.  I
will state  to you a case.  During  my practice in Vir-
ginia, in Botetourt county, near the  town of Salem, a
Mr. T., a young man in the prime of life, was engaged
in raising a large barn, when  a part of the  building
gave way, and he was dreadfully mashed, with a fall
of thirty feet.  I was immediately called in to his case; 
368
THE CATHETER.
it was such as to  leave but little if any hope  of his
recovery.   One of  the logs having  fallen across his
privates, placed him in such a situation as to be entirely
helpless.   In this  critical and, I may add, wretched
situation, he continued five days without passing a drop
of water.  I had  made  daily unsuccessful  efforts to
introduce the catheter, but without success; his fever
and thirst very great.  I had bled him very copiously
every day, and endeavoured by all means to reduce in-
flammation.   His misery was excruciating from being
unable to pass his water.  All my efforts  to pass the
instrument, from the bruised  state of the parts, were
unsuccessful.  I then determined, previous to an ope-
ration, to make the last trial;  when I introduced  my
finger, as before described, into the rectum.   Feeling
distinctly the point of the instrument, I passed it gently
into the  neck of the bladder, when immediately the
water flowed.   So great and instantaneous  was the
relief afforded him, that he exclaimed, " I thank thee,
merciful God !" By this operation upwards of a gallon
of w7ater was drawn off.  From this time his recovery
gradually  commenced.   The instrument  which I
learned him how to introduce is continued, I am  in-
formed, until this time, being unable to pass his water
without it.  He is still living in Virginia, but, poor fel-
low7, entirely deprived of the use of his lower extremi-
ties.  I will now  relate  to you  a second case; with
which I shall close my remarks on the subject of this
small  but valuable instrument.   Two years since I
was called upon at night  to visit a young lady, of the
most respectable family, residing about ten miles from
Knoxville, said by the messenger to be dying.  On my
arrival I found her  in great misery,   She desired the
room might be cleared of all save her sister, when she 
THE CATHETER.
369
 with the greatest delicacy declared her misery was
 from being unable to pass her water.  In this horrible
 situation she had been for four days; during which
 time, the whole Catalogue of teas had been prescribed
 from water melon tea to the full extent of twenty dif-
 ferent kinds. All had been poured down the throat of
 this poor innocent girl, until she declared that she had
 rather die than drink another draught.  On  examina-
 tion  I found I had forgotten my catheter, but, as I have
 often done before, I made a temporary instrument. I
 took  a common goose quill,  cut  it off at both  ends,
 made one of the ends perfectly smooth, passed it into
 the small hole which I have so plainly described in
 the outward parts of female generation, and in less
 than five minutes this amiable and interesting girl was
 entirely relieved, by an operation which any old wo-
 man might have  performed, saved  me a disagreeable
 ride of a very cold night, and the family an expense of
 ten dollars. This lady is now married, and the mother
 of a fine family.  I have often since  laughed with herr
 about the quality and quantity of the  teas administered.
 I have mentioned this late case to show you the actual
 importance and indeed  the  necessity of explaining
 these parts, which otherwise I should have veiled in
different language or omitted them altogether.
         ERUPTIONS  OF THE SKIN.
  The  close connexion which exists between the sto-
mach, skin, and bowels, is evidently demonstrated by
the simple fact, that in  many instances where the
bowels are internally disordered, the skin exhibits exter-
nal evidence  of disease.  The many eruptions which
      GUNN    2-1 
370
ERUPTIONS OF THE SKIN.
 show7 themselves on the face, hands, legs, and bodies of
 individuals, are positive proofs of the deranged state of
 their systems internally:  and by removing the prima-
 ry or first causes, you  invariably  remove  those erup-
 tions, which are  in general mere effects.   You should
 therefore always endeavour to ascertain whether those
 diseases of the skin are not produced by some impure
 state of the  blood, from a foul  stomach, from costive
 bowels, or  from  some constitutional disease derived
 from parents.  If either of those causes produce erup-
 tions of the skin, you will easily see that they are to be
 removed  by internal remedies; I mean those which
 strike at their roots: for, if  you should  succeed in
 driving in the eruptions of the skin, by merely exter-
 nal remedies, you will always produce fever, and almost
 invariably seat some  fatal disease on the vital organs.
 Whenever diseases exhibit their effects on the skin, you
 may be assured that they are efforts of nature to relieve
 herself  from oppression;  and the real business  of a
 physician is to assist nature, and never to retard or stifle
 her operations.

                    REMEDIES.
   The first great and important rule, in all eruptive
 disorders of the skin, is to open  the bowels and keep
them in a laxative state  by cooling medicines;  such as
Epsom  salts, or equal quantities of cream  tartar and
sulphur.  If the stomach is out of order, (there being
a close connexion between it  and the  skin,) a gentle
emetic will sometimes be necessary to cleanse the sto-
mach, and to assist nature in throwing the whole dis-
ease on the surface, where  it may expire and fall  off
in scabs.  Tea, made of sassafras  or sarsaparilla, should
always be used as a common drink.  Whenever fever 
ERUPTIONS OF  THE SKIN.
371
takes place, which is  sometimes the case, draw some
blood from the arms, and give an active purge of calo-
mel  at night, followed by a dose of Epsom salts in the
morning.   Common starch rubbed on the skin, in all
kinds of eruptions, is  a cooling and pleasant remedy;
and the application of it on going to bed will produce
much  relief from the itching,  and consequently re-
freshing sleep.  Persons who are subject to eruptions
of the skin should live on light and cooling diet: avoid
salted provisions, and every thing of a heating nature;
avoid spirituous liquors, and  use cooling acid drinks;
and,  by all means, keep  the skin  clean by  frequent
warm or tepid bathing.
          SAINT  ANTHONY'S FIRE.

  This disease is called by physicians erysipelas: it
is of an inflammatory character, and always  attended
with some fever.   The skin burns and  itches very
much, and usually turns to a scarlet colour.  It gene-
rally commences in a red blotch, and quickly extends
itself over the whole body.   Sometimes the face swells
very much and becomes inflamed: there is, also, head-
ach, sickness  at the stomach;  and not unfrequently,
violent fever attended with delirium.

                   REMEDIES.
  This disease is attended  with  inflammatory symp-
toms, and, like others of the same character, must be
treated by moderate bleeding, cooling purges, and cool-
ing drinks.   Bathe the feet and legs frequently in
warm water, and remain in  your room, so as not to be 
372
SAINT  ANTHONY S  FIRE.
exposed to damp cold air, by which the disease might
strike inwardly.   Every two or three hours, give equal
quantities of antimonial wine and sweet spirits of nitre
in doses of a tea-spoonful, in  a stem-glass of cold wrater.
If the headach is very severe, the loss of some blood,
a blister between the shoulders, and poultices made of
mustard-seed and corn meal, will give relief.   Sprink-
ling  the  body with  fine starch, or with wheat  flour,
will  greatly assist to cool and allay the irritation.  A
tea-spoonful of sugar of lead, put in three half pints
of cold water,  and used  as a remedy by washing the
body, is also a valuable application.
          TETTER OR RING WORM
  This is  a  disease confined  to the skin, for which
medicines are seldom given internally.  It first appears
as an inflammatory eruption of small magnitude, not
larger than the finger nail, and gradually extends itself
into a circle, which sometimes embraces the hands,
sometimes  the face, and not unfrequently large por-
tions  of the  body.  Unless relieved, it at length be-
comes extremely painful, and is attended with an itch-
ing sensation, which is greatly increased  by the  least
warmth or exercise
                   REMEDIES.
  Puccoon-root,  called by  some  persons blood-root,
and by others Indian paint, steeped  in strong vinegar,
and applied as a wash to the parts affected, is a most
excellent remedy;  perhaps  the best one known in this
disease.  The blue dye made by the country people to
colour their cloth, has been  sometimes known to re- 
TETTER  OR  RING WORM.
373
move it, when many other remedies had failed: this
must be owing to the indigo and urine the dye contains.
I do not recollect, however, one single case in my prac-
tice in Virginia, in which the puccoon-root and vinegar
failed.  In France the application of the fumes of sul-
phur is always resorted to with success in all diseases of
the skin. (read under the head Sulphuric Fumigation.)
                 SCALD HEAD.
  In this disease, the whole scalp or skin of the head
is  covered with  small  sores,  which  discharge very
offensive matter.  These sores  eventually turn to little
scales or scabs, while fresh ones continue to break  out
at the roots of the hair, and follow the same process of
turning to scales and falling off.  This disorder is in-
fectious or catching, and is often taken by children, in
consequence of wearing the  hat or  cap of persons af-
fected with it.  Sleeping in the same bed, or combing
with the same comb, when the child has constitution-
ally a scrofulous taint, will also communicate the  dis-
ease ; which is sometimes tedious and difficult to cure.

                   REMEDIES.
  First shave off the hair as  close  as possible; then
cleanse the sores daily with wrarm soap-suds, and  put
on the following ointment, which must be spread on a
bladder, and worn as a cap.  Take two table-spoonsful
of tar, and a sufficient quantity of suet or lard to make
an ointment; to these add a table-spoonful of powdered
charcoal,  and two tea-spoonsful of sulphur: or  take
spirits  of turpentine, red precipitate in powder, Bur-
gundy pitch in do., each one ounce: hogs' lard  one 
374
SCALD HEAD.
pound.  Make them into an ointment, and apply it in
the manner just mentioned.   The bowels must  be
kept open with Epsom salts, and a tea made of sarsa-
parilla and sassafras drank freely; these measures will
purify the blood.  Once or twice a week, bathe the
whole body  in  water  of a pleasant temperature.
Doctor Chapman, of Philadelphia, one of the Profess-
ors of that University, recommends highly the follow-
ing remedy.  Take of liver of sulphur three drachms;
of Spanish soap one  drachm; of lime  water eight
ounces; and of rectified spirits of wine two drachms:
mix them well together, and use the whole as a w7ash.
(Where the remedies I have mentioned fail, look under
the head of Sulphuric Fumigation for a certain remedy
in all the diseases of the skin.)
                  TOOTHACHE.

  This disease does not always arise from  decayed
teeth; it is frequently the offspring of nervous affections,
of cold, of rheumatism, and not unfrequently, among
females, of stoppages of certain evacuations.   I  have
known many sound teeth to be extracted unnecessarily,
and on account of diseases which were afterwards dis-
covered to be seated in other parts of the body; and I,
therefore, earnestly recommend, that great caution be
used in discovering the causes of toothache  before a
tooth  is suffered to be drawn.   Toothache, in  very
many instances, arises from a disordered  state of the
stomach and bowels.  In  these cases the  suffering is
generally severe, and must be removed by attention to
cleansing the stomach and bowels.   Many instances
have occurred  in my practice, w7here persons  have re- 
TOOTHACHE.
375
quested teeth to be drawn to remove toothache, when
all their teeth on examination were found to be sound.
In these cases I have always relieved them by a purge.
Among women, more than one-half of the suffering
from toothache, may be  fairly  traced to  some bodily
habit, or some nervous sympathy, to which the female
constitution  is peculiarly liable, and which may be re-
moved by other  means than  the extraction of the
teeth.  Persons who have  written before me on the
subject of toothache, have spoken of the disease as pe-
culiar to and confined to the teeth alone; when the
fact is, that common sense  and  experience  will teach
any man the palpable absurdity of such doctrine, and
convince him that toothache is very frequently a com-
mon symptom of other diseases, which are to be sought
out and removed before relief can be obtained.

                   REMEDIES
  When toothache is presumed to arise from nervous
affections, the nervous system is to be strengthened by
gentle tonics, nutritive and cooling food, and moderate
exercise in the open air.  When it proceeds from cold
or from rheumatism, consult those two heads for direc-
tions to remove it; and when it arises from stoppages
of the  menses in  females, see and consult that  head,
among the diseases of women.  Extracting teeth ought
always to be the last remedy resorted to;  it is a painful
operation,  and oftentimes  a dangerous one, when at-
tempted by  an unskilful and clumsy hand.  When a
tooth  is discovered  to be defective, and  that there is
inflammation  at the root, (which  is the cause of the
pain,) let the  inflammation be reduced  by blistering
the surface  of the cheek, or by scarifying the  gums
with a lancet, and the  tooth plugged with gold leaf, or 
376
TOOTHACHE.
silver, or tin foil.  Toothache is  irequently owing to
the nerve of the tooth being exposed to  the air from
decay: in this case, it is always advisable to avoid  the
extraction of the tooth, and to have it plugged as I have
just told you, with gold leaf, or with silver or tin foil.
These articles can always be obtained pure.   There
are cases in w7hich the  diseased tooth will not bear the
wedging pressure of being plugged  with gold leaf; in
these instances  pure tin or lead ought to be  used.
These last-mentioned articles, howTever, w7ear out in a
few years; and it is well known  that  tin will rust
or turn black  in a short time, from  the  action of  the
acid generally used in food.  Gold, in its pure state, is
always preferable for plugging a tooth;  it will some-
times last twenty years.  If the disease arises from in-
flammation, the practice of holding hot and stimulating
articles  in  the mouth   is  highly  improper: you will
know wiien it arises from inflammation, by the follow-
ing indications:  you will have headach, which will be
attended with fever.  If so, take a full dose of Epsom
or  glauber salts,  and   repeat the  dose  if necessary.
Apply to the face  cold  mush  and milk  poultices; or
those made of meal  and vinegar, as cold as possible;
and if the inflammation runs high, and is attended
with fever, the  loss of some blood will be proper,
together with the application of a blister over  the
pained part.   Great suffering about the teeth is  fre-
quently  caused  by certain nervous pains, to which
females  are  sometimes constitutionally liable: these
cases are  to  be treated  with simple remedies,  and
scrupulous care, until the original causes are removed:
and you may  apply to the face some irritating tincture,
such as  Cayenne  pepper, tincture  of Spanish flies, or
volatile liniment.   I have said  before, that toothache 
TOOTHACHE.
377
sometimes arises, though  not very frequently, from
rheumatism.  when this is the case, the w7hole sides of
the face will be pained,  together with the sound as
well as the decayed teeth.  There will also  be felt a
dull, heavy pain, extending along the jaw-bone ; and a
stiffness of the neck, sometimes attended with pain in
the shoulder.  The following is a good remedy :  put
a piece of lime, the size of a w7alnut, into a quart bottle
of w7ater; with this rinse the mouth tw7o or three times
a day, and clean the teeth  with it every morning until
the pain ceases.   But, in  rheumatic affections of the
kind just described, see under the head Rheumatism.
  The tartar, or scurvy of the teeth, is a very destruc-
tive disease; it greatly injures the teeth, and frequently
destroys  them before you are aware of the danger.
Tartar is an accumulation of earthy matter, deposited
on the teeth from the saliva or spittle.  It collects on
the teeth of some persons much faster than on those
of others ;  this is owing to the natural or constitution-
al state of the fluids of the mouth.  When first depo-
sited on  the  teeth, it is soft  and very easily removed
with a tooth  brush; but  if suffered to  remain, it ac-
quires hardness by time, and  thickens  about the necks
of the teeth.   The gums become irritated and inflamed
by it; the  sockets are next destroyed;  and the teeth
being left bare, without any support, are pressed out by
the tongue, or fall out.  The importance of removing
tartar from the teeth must be obvious to all: and the
operation ought always to be performed by a skilful
person, called a dentist; or by a physician.   To pre-
vent the accumulation of tartar  on the teeth, and to
restore the healthy state of the gums,  nothing more is
requisite than a  stiff brush, and pounded  charcoal,
mixed with an equal quantity of Peruvian bark.   The 
378
TOOTHACHE
use of all acids for the removal of tartar is a  base im-
position.   Acids will, indeed, make the teeth look
beautifully w7hite for a few days, dissolve and remove
the  tartar, and  stop the toothache; but, in a few
months, the teeth will become of a dead chalky white,
next turn dark-coloured, then begin to decay and crum-
ble to pieces, and finally leave their fangs in the sockets,
exposed to pain and inflammation.  Milk-w7arm water,
and the tooth powder I have mentioned, will  not only
preserve  the teeth, but correct in a great degree the
offensive effluvia arising  from decayed teeth and un-
healthy gums.
                       ITCH.

   This filthy disease is infectious, or in  other words
 catching;  and is frequently produced  by want of
 cleanliness: it is confined to the skin, and first shows
 itself between the fingers  in small  watery pimples,
 gradually extending to the wrists, thighs, and waist.
 There is a constant desire to scratch, which  is much
 increased after you become warm in bed.   Cleanliness,
 and early attention to this dirty disorder, will prevent
 its  being communicated to a whole family: children
 are apt to take it at school, and to communicate it to
 those with whom  they sleep.  Travellers are apt to
 take it from sleeping in beds that have been previously
 occupied by persons who have it: therefore a  good
 caution in travelling is, to have the sheets  and pillow-
cases changed.  Frequent instances occur in travelling
where  persons of much  respectability have taken the
itch, and been much mortified by it, from want of this
precaution. 
ITCH.
379
                    REMEDIES.
  Take one  drachm, or  sixty drops of sulphuric acid,
which is oil of vitriol:  mix it well with one ounce of
hogs' lard, or fresh butter without salt.   After it is well
prepared by  good rubbing,  anoint the  parts affected
until cured;  this is an innocent and  certain remedy
for the itch.  Or, you may make an ointment of a table-
spoonful of sulphur, and a table-spoonful of lard, or but-
ter without salt, and put in the ointment a table-spoon-
ful of the essence of lemon, or a tea-spoonful of the  oil
of lemon, which will give it a pleasant smell.   This
ointment must  be rubbed on the parts affected, three
or four nights on going to bed.  Sulphur is nothing more
than common brimstone purified and pounded fine.
Or, you may take one  drachm of red precipitate, and
rub it well in a mortar with an ounce  of hogs' lard, or
butter without  salt, and anoint  the  parts affected:
(this last is a valuable and  certain cure.)   A strong
decoction  or  tea of  Virginia snake-root, known gene-
rally as black snake-root,  will frequently cure the itch
when used as a wash.  Tobacco leaves steeped in wa-
ter,'and used  two or three times a day as a  wash, will
affect a cure ; but this remedy  must be used with cau-
tion  on children.  Water dock grows in wet ditches,
mill ponds, and sides of rivers; and  flowers in July
and August.  The root boiled in strong decoction or
tea, and used as a wash, is a good remedy for itch; the
narrow and  broad  leaved dock,  found in yards and
fields, will answer the same purpose.   Mercurial oint-
ment, sometimes called oil of  baze, is frequently rub-
bed on the joints for the itch ;  this is highly improper,
because it  frequently salivates, and produces pains in
the joints and bones for life. 
38C
APOPLECTIC FITS.
              APOPLECTIC FITS.
  This disease derives its name from a Greek word,
which signifies to strike or knock down ; because those
affected with it  are suddenly prostrated to the  earth
and deprived of sense or motion.  A variety of causes
have  been assigned for  apoplexy:  but they may all
be comprised in the following words : whatever deter-
mines or throws  so great a quantity of blood on the
brain that cannot return from that vital organ.  It is
not necessary to  enumerate those causes, further than
to remark, that among them  are:  violent  fits of pas-
sion, excess of venery, stooping down  for  any length
of time, overloading the stomach, and wearing any
thing too tight about the neck, great cold, and intem-
perance.   Persons most  liable to  apoplexy are such
as have short  necks and large heads.   In attacks of
apoplexy in the  severest form, the blood-vessels are
found  bursted, and  the  blood  poured  out in various
parts  of the brain; and when apoplexy  attacks in
milder forms, those  blood vessels are found distended,
or swelled with  too large a quantity of blood.  This
complaint has deprived the republic of some of her
greatest ornaments, among which were the Hon. De
Witt Clinton; Thomas A. Emmet, the Irish patriot;
and William Pinckney, Esq., our former minister to
London.   Intense and protracted mental exertion wTas
probably the cause  of the death of Messrs. Emmet,
Pinckney, and Clinton; but,  in most  instances, apo-
plexy is to be  dreaded by corpulent or plethoric per-
sons, (such as I have before named,) having large heads
and short  necks, epicures, gluttons,  and those who use
spirituous liquors to excess. 
APOPLEXY.                 381
                    REMEDIES
  The chief remedy in apoplexy is large and  copious
bleeding, which must be repeated if necessary.  Cup-
ping at the temples ought also to be resorted to, the
great object being to draw the blood from the head,
and to relieve the oppression of the brain as speedily as
possible.  The  next thing to be attended  to is to give
the most  active purges; see table for doses.   Apply
cold cloths wet in vinegar, and the  coldest water
constantly  to the head.  If your patient should reco-
ver by the  means  directed, in order to  escape from a
second and third attack, the person should scrupulous-
ly observe  the  following rules of living:  he must eat
vegetable food,  drink no wine nor spirits of any kind,
avoid all strong and long-continued exertions of mind;
and, after the full  state of the brain has for some time
subsided, the use of chalybeate waters, such as those of
the Harrodsburgh Spring in Kentucky, will be of much
service.  As this is a common and often fatal  disease,
I will make some  further remarks on it.  Many phy-
sicians have recommended, and put in practice in this
complaint,  opening one of the jugular  veins.  They
imagine that by drawing blood from one of these veins.
they unload the brain, and relieve its blood vessels from
distension,  and the danger of rupture.   The fact, how-
ever, seems to be otherwise.  Instead of unloading the
vessels  by  this  operation, the pressure which is neces-
sary to be made on the vein for the purpose of drawing
the blood, evidently retards the return of blood to the
heart;  and a certain and inevitable consequence of
this pressure is  the accumulation of blood  in the arte-
ries, and greater distension of the blood-vessels imme-
diately takes place.  To exhibit the force of this rea-
soning clearly, I will make an example of bloodletting 
382                 APOPLEXY.

from the arm.  The arteries of  the  arm convey, by
the muscular power of the heart, all the blood in those
arteries to the points of the fingers: here the veins take
up  the same blood to return it again to  the heart.
Now, when we cord the arm tightly in order to draw7
blood from a vein, wiiat are the consequences ?   Why.
we stop the course of the blood back to the heart.
sw7ell the veins of the arm next; and, lastly, distend the
wiiole of the blood-vessels of the arm :  and are not the
same effects produced  on the blood-vessels of the head.
by a strong pressure in cording the jugular vein ?  The
above doctrine,  as w7ell as it can be explained from the
works of the great Doctor Baillie  of London, I am in-
duced  to consider  correct.   Instead  of opening  the
jugular vein, in cases  of emergency, I would  recom-
mend bleeding  in the  foot.  In performing this opera-
tion, after the bandage has been put on, the foot should
be put in w7arm w7ater: the fact  is, that warm w7ater
applied to both feet in  bleeding for apoplexy, would be
attended with considerable advantage.
               EPILEPTIC FITS.
  This disease differs from apoplexy by the persons
attacked having convulsions, and frothy spittle issuing
from  the  mouth.  The ancients gave it the name of
the sacred disease, because  it affected  the mind, the
most  noble part of the rational  creature.   These fits
last from  ten minutes to half an hour, depending  on
their violence: they always leave the sufferer in a stu-
por, attended with great weakness and  exhaustion  of
the body.   Epileptic fits arise  from  the  following
causes:  Original or natural  defects; in other words, 
EPILEPSY.
383
defects derived from nature, and severe blows on the
head.  When the disease arises from either, or both of
these causes in combination, it is seldom if ever cured.
But, when it proceeds  from any  of the  following
causes, cures  may be effectuated by medicine,  proper
diet, &c.  In children, wiien it proceeds from worms,
cutting teeth, impure and acrid matter in the stomach
and bowels, eruptions of the skin which suddenly strike
in, and sores on the head which are too quickly healed
up, relief may be obtained by medical means.   Relief
may also be had in the cases of grown persons, afflicted
from the too free use of spirituous liquors, from violent
excitements of those passions which affect the nervous
system, from  stoppages of the menses in women, and
those who have not yet had their courses according to
nature.  This disease is sometimes, although not often,
produced by great  debility or weakness; and some-
times by Onanism.

                   REMEDIES.                •
  In fits of this kind, a few days  previous to the ex-
pected attack, draw blood from the foot; and every
night on going to bed, bathe the feet for some time in
warm water, so as to prevent too great a determination
of blood to the head, as these fits generally attack per-
sons during sleep.  If considered necessary, give an
emetic or puke to cleanse the stomach, followed by an
active purge to act on the bowels: see table for dose.
These  fits generally occur about the change or full of
the  moon.   The singular and  surprising  influence
which this planet is  known  to  exercise in many in-
stances over the human species, is absolutely unac-
countable,  and is even ridiculed by many physicians;
but I feel fully confident,  from  reflection and expe- 
384
EPILEPSY.
rience, that this planet has  considerable control over
certain diseases to which the human system is liable;
one or two  of  which I will notice.   The monthly
courses of women, at  particular  times, are  evidently
under its influence : madness, or mental derangement,
is in many cases greatly increased at the change of the
moon; and it is  well  known to  almost every person,
that the periodical return of epileptic  fits is generally
about the full and change.  These  circumstances cer-
tainly  denote  some secret  and mysterious agency,
which is concealed from human knowledge. On a full
examination of the different remedies recommended
in epileptic fits, where  they arise from circumstances
which can be traced to some particular cause, please to
refer to the different heads; remembering always, that
when you expect to effect a cure, it can only be done
by removing the  cause.  I  have  mentioned emphati-
cally, bleeding in the  foot and the warm bath; these
will remove the  blood from the brain when harsher
mea*ns have failed.  The bowels must be kept in a lax-
ative state, by Epsom salts, castor oil, or mild glysters:
see table for doses, and head  Glysters.  By permitting
the bowels to be the least bound, you  subject the per-
son to much risk of having a fit.   An  issue or a seton
in the neck, something resembling a rowel, and kept
continually discharging, is a good remedy  in fits.  The
use of tartar emetic ointment  is a  remedy resorted to
in the hospitals of Europe with success: I have tried
it in two cases; it succeeded in one and failed  in the
other: this, how7ever, is the usual  fate of most remedies
applied in this disease.  Setons always lessen the fits in
number and severity, and the tartar emetic ointment
sometimes removes the complaint; they are, therefore,
both w7orthy of a  fair trial.  For the mode of preparing 
EPILEPSY.                385
this ointment, and the manner of using it, look under
that head ;  and for issues or setons, see that head.  All
that can be done during the fit, is to  prevent the per-
son from injuring himself, by placing a bit of soft wood
between the teeth, and unclenching the hands.  The
following remedies should be tried separately, and with
moderation, where there is any hope of success: plunge
the whole  body  in  a strong  bath made of salt and
water, a few mornings in succession before an  attack
is expected ; or you may give  spirits of turpentine, in
small doses, on an empty stomach ; or take the person
afflicted through  a gradual  and moderate salivation
with mercury.
  Doctor Currie, an eminent physician, speaks highly
of the Digitalis or Fox-glove as a remedy in this com-
plaint ; but it  must be used with caution.  Five or six
drops of tincture, increased two drops every five or six
days, ought to be given: see  table for doses.  The bow
els must be kept open with senna and manna.  Doctor
Wharton, of Shenandoah county, Virginia,  a man of
distinguished abilities, administered it with great suc-
cess:  see page 184; Medical Recorder.  Persons who
are subject to these fits, should avoid all strong and
heating food,  together  with all kinds of spirituous
liquors. Hog meat should  never be used as food  in
any way, nor  should  any thing difficult of digestion
ever be eaten.   Moderate exercise must be taken, and
every thing is  to be avoided which is calculated to pro-
duce melancholy, because the mind and passions have
great influence on the nervous system.
GUNN     25 
386
PALSY.
                     PALSY.
  Palsy is a disease attended with the loss or diminu-
tion of the power of voluntary motion.   It sometimes
affects one part of the body and sometimes  another:
but in whatever part of the system it prevails, there will
always be a numbness, and  almost entire want of feel-
ing, and a loss of power to  move the part  affected.
This disease may arise from apoplexy; from any thing
that prevents the flow of the nervous fluid from the
brain to the  organs of  motion; from luxurious and
intemperate living; from the suppression of certain
evacuations, such as are mentioned in  epileptic fits;
from  spasmodic affections  or cramps;  from too fre-
quent intercourse with women, by which the nervous
system is  much weakened; from  exposure  to  cold;
from  affections of the spinal marrow; from  any me-
chanical compression; in fact, from whatever  has a
tendency to weaken and relax the system in an extreme
degree.   Dissections  frequently show  collections of
blood, and sometimes of serous or watery fluid effused
or spread  out in the  brain;  and what  is something
singular, these collections and  effusions  are generally
found on the opposite  side of the brain from the  parts
of the body affected

                   REMEDIES
  In no cases of palsy  should bleeding be resorted to,
unless the  patient is of a stout and full habit  of body,
and where the disease,  originating in the  head, causes a
great determination of blood to the vessels of the brain.
In all other 'sases bleeding is  of much more injury than
benefit.  Where the person  is of a full habit, and there 
PALSY.
387
is much determination of blood to the head, in addition
to bleeding in the first stage of the attack, active purges
will be very beneficial.  If, on the contrary, the person
is of  a  delicate and weakly habit of  body,  is consi-
derably advanced in life, or if the disease has affected the
system for a time, bleeding and very active purges should
never be used;  it will  be  sufficient here to keep the
lower bowels gently open by mild and at the same time
stimulating glysters: see the head Glysters.  The fact
is, that constipation of the bowels on the one hand, and
excessive laxness on the other, are extremes equally to
be  avoided in palsy.   Constipation or costiveness of
bowels always oppresses the brain with an accumula-
tion of blood, which must be relieved:  and too much
purging  with  very  laxative  medicines  invariably
weakens the system greatly, and, as I have somew7here
before remarked, produces morbid irritability.   Palsy,
with  the  exception  of the  cases I have mentioned,
must be treated with tonic or strengthening medicines.
Every second or third  night take two grains of calo-
mel, and  three  of ground ginger, in  a little honey:
these doses are to  be continued until there is a cop-
perish taste in the  mouth; here you must stop taking
them.  During all this time, you  are  to have the af-
fected parts well nibbed with a brush for half an hour
three  times a day; and you are also once a day to bathe
in strong salt and w7ater, made pleasantly warm.  See
Tepid Bath, where you will find that out of nine hun-
dred and ninety-six cases of palsy, eight hundred and
thirteen were benefited by it.   Blisters are also very
beneficial in this  disease, one of which ought to be
placed between the shoulders, on the  inside of each
ankle, and one over the part affected :  they should all
be  kept  continually running, by  the  application of 
388
PALSY.
some irritating ointment.  An issue or seton in the
neck is also highly recommended, especially where the
disease has originated from apoplexy.
  I have found great benefit in palsy, by using on the
affected parts  the  following liniment: one ounce  of
spirits of  hartshorn, one table-spoonful of spirits  of
turpentine, one table-spoonful of the tincture of Spanish
flies, made by steeping the  flies in whisky.   These
articles are to be mixed in half a pint of sweet oil, and
well rubbed on the parts affected three times a day.  If
these articles cannot be had, bathe the parts in whisky,
in which Cayenne pepper has been steeped  so  as to
make it strong of the pepper.  Use horseradish freely
with your food, and take thirty-five drops of spirits of
turpentine on a lump of sugar three times a day.  As
soon as practicable, take exercise in  the open  air, and
when on the recovery make  use of water impregnated
with iron, and use your bath cold instead of warm, in
the manner  of a shower bath: see that head: the water
should be mixed with salt.   I  will remark in conclu-
sion, that electrifying or shocking in this disease is very
highly recommended,  as is  also the method of cure
resorted to with great success  in Austria, France, and
Germany, winch is the  use of the sulphur bath,  by
which six hundred and seventy-three cases were cured
in the hospitals of Paris, and four hundred and eighty-
four in those of Vienna: see head Sulphuric Bath.
                   ASTHMA.
  In this disease, from an extensive experience, I un-
hesitatingly say that asthma, when once firmly seated
in the system, is a complaint that may be palliated but 
ASTHMA.
389
never entirely removed by medicine.  When the dis-
ease attacks young persons, abstemious diet and due
exercise are the best remedies for subduing its violence;
but an entire and permanent cure of the complaint is
only to be expected from the spontaneous and  power-
ful  efforts of  nature herself.  In  aged  persons, where
the disease is of long standing, great care and attention
are required to lessen the severity of the attacks; this
is nearly all that can be done by the  boasted  powers
of medicine, when the disease has become obstinate by
age.  Many physicians have asserted that asthma is a
nervous  disease; the  contrary,  however,  has  been
established, by many dissections in the hospitals of
Paris, and other cities of Europe.   Corvisart, Baumes,
and Rostan, besides many others, allege that  asthma
depends  on  a morbid or  diseased alteration in the
organs of breathing or  respiration and circulation, by
which congestions or collections of  blood in the lungs
are procured.   Rostan, particularly, gives in evidence
of this opinion the following facts: he says in substance,
that the bodies of many who had  died of asthma, were
opened immediately after death, and that in  all of them
alterations in the structure of the heart and arteries,
were found combined  with extensive  congestive dis-
eases of the lungs, proving that disorders of the  heart
and large  blood-vessels have much greater influence
in the production of asthma than is generally supposed.
The  symptoms of  asthma are, difficult breathing  or
respiration for a time, succeeded by short intervals of
comparative ease, which are followed by attacks similar
to the first, in many cases amounting almost to suffoca-
tion ; a great tightness across  the  breast and in the
region of the lungs: a wheezing noise in breathing, at-
tended  by  a hard cough  at  first, which gradually 
390
ASTHMA.
diminishes in toughness, until a white, stringy, tough
mucus  is discharged from the throat  and  mouth,
accompanied perhaps by a gentle moisture on the skin.
Persons subject to periodical attacks of asthma gene-
rally  know  the approach of those attacks, by  the fol-
lowing symptoms and sensations:  depression of spirits
amounting to melancholy; sense of fulness and disten-
tion about the stomach, attended with  uneasy and
restless feelings: drowsiness accompanied by headach,
and a sense of tightness or constriction across the breast.
These indications usually occur about the close of the
day, increase in severity during the night, and sensibly
diminish towards morning.

                    REMEDIES.
  Bleeding  must  never be resorted to  in asthma.
although it  is frequently practised by physicians, it is
altogether wrong, and must always be avoided.  The
reason is obvious, and particularly so in the cases of
persons advanced in age.  Bleeding retards, in fact it
prevents, expectoration by the  mouth and throat;  in
other words, it prevents hawking and spitting up mu-
cus from the throat and  lungs, which always give re-
lief in asthma.   So soon as symptoms of an attack are
felt, which I have just described, give a mild  emetic
or puke; this will always shorten the attack;  during
which the feet must be bathed in warm water, and the
steam of warm vinegar inhaled, or breathed from the
spout of a coffee-pot.  Stew down, over a slow fire,
half an ounce of seneca  snake-root in a pint of water,
after bruising it with a hammer, to half a pint:  of this
take a table-spoonful  every ten or fifteen minutes, and
drink a small glass of warm toddy.  I have frequently
afforded relief in a short time, by merely bathing the 
ASTHMA.
391
feet and giving plentifully of warm toddy.  The Indian
tobacco is a valuable remedy in this complaint, used in
the following manner: take of the leaves, stem, and
pods, nearly as much as you can hold grasped between
the forefinger and thumb; put it into a bottle of whis-
ky, and in five days the  liquor will be fit for use; of
which give a tea-spoonful every half hour until relief
is obtained. When this complaint attacks young men,
(for it is much more apt to attack men than women,)
they should rise early and take active exercise, particu-
larly by ascending the highest and steepest hills, and
mountains, where they can breast the pure mountain
breeze.   These people should always rise from a hard
bed instead of a soft one, and swallow a raw egg be-
fore walking.  To persons severely afflicted with this
disease in advanced life, smoking  the dried root of the
Jamestown weed will be beneficial, as will also smoking
the dried root of the skunk cabbage.  Look under the
head Jamestown weed, where this  plant is described:
it must always be used  gradually, and with some cau-
tion.  Baron  Brady  states that he cured himself of
asthma of twenty-one years' standing, by the internal
use of mustard seed, of which he took every morning
and evening a tea-spoonful in tea  or broth.  Doctor
Pitschaft says he derived much benefit from the inter-
nal use of mustard, in pectoral disorders attended with
cough, and excessive mucous expectoration.
                  SORE LEGS.
  Sore legs frequently arise from the imprudent
neglect of bruises; and from trifling sores which are
permitted to become inflamed, and finally  ulcerous. 
392
SORE LEGS.
Sore legs, like consumptions, and other diseases w7hich
descend from parents to children, sometimes run in
families for several generations : when they run in fa-
milies, it is generally in  such families as  are  addicted
to king's evil,  scrofula,  or scurvy.  Doctor Rush
says, that he considers  them, in many  instances, as
arising from general debility, or weakness operating on
the whole system, but centering more particularly on
the legs.   Persons who have been afflicted any length
of time with ulcerous sore legs, or  indeed with ulcers
situated anywhere  else, if of long standing, should be
cautious how they heal them suddenly, without purify-
ing and preparing the system for the change ; because
the sudden suppression of an habitual discharge, with-
out this previous purification, almost invariably seats
some new disease on a vital organ, or produces death
by apoplexy.

                    REMEDIES.
  The first and important remedy in  sore legs, is to
keep them perfectly clean, by frequently washing them
with soap  and water.  Doctor Rush says, and I per-
fectly agree with him in opinion, that the  great success
of old  women in curing sore legs, arises more  from
keeping the ulcers clean, than from any  peculiar effi-
cacy of their medical applications.   Where  sore  legs
have been of any long standing, it is of importance, as
I have told you before, to attend to purging and purify-
ing the whole system, with  frequent doses of Epsom
salts.  Nitre or saltpetre, given in doses of ten, fifteen,
or twenty grains,  three times a day in a little  cold
water, will be found a useful and cooling medicine.
Pouring cold water on the sores three times a day, is
an excellent application;  but  it must be done on an 
                    SORE LEGS.                 393

 empty stomach.  Poultices of light wheat bread and
 milk, applied as cold as possible, will reduce the inflam-
 mation or fever: so will, also, a poultice of slippery
 elm bark  pounded well, and moistened before being-
 applied.  A wash of white oak bark, in old ulcers, is
 a valuable remedy.  1 have succeeded in curing old
 sores, when every other means had been tried in vain,
 by the application of common tow kept wet with new
 milk, to the ulcer.  A salve made of Jamestown weed
 will be found an excellent remedy, as will also a salve
 made of the common elder bark.  When the sores are
 sluggish, and refuse to heal, a poultice made of  com-
 mon garden carrots will be found  of great  utility.
 Should proud flesh  take place, after washing the sores
 with castile soap-suds, sprinkle a little red precipitate
 on the sores, or a little calomel, or a little  burnt alum,
 or dissolve a little  blue  vitriol (blue  stone) in water
 and wet the ulcers with it.
  In sore legs of  long standing, moderate exercise
 should  be taken, and  tight bandages applied, com-
 mencing  at the toes and winding  up the leg, which
 will give due support to the vessels.  In such cases, to-
 nic or strengthening medicines are necessary, such as
 barks, iron rust, &c. &c, with a moderately nourishing
 food.  The use of opium—see table for dose—will be
 a useful medicine in allaying the pain, and invigorating
 the  whole system.  Rest, in a lying posture, should
 always be particularly attended to, in all cases of sore
 legs; and the  diet  should be cooling, accompanied
 with pure air.   Every thing of a heating  and  stimu-
lating  nature should  be avoided,  particularly  ardent
spirits.  In some old ulcerations of the legs, nitric acid,
(aquafortis,) very weak, is sometimes taken internally,
and  also applied outwardly as a wash for the  sores. 
394                SORE LEGS.

Charcoal will correct the smell, and purify the sores;
or if made into a poultice is an excellent application to
ill-conditioned ulcers.  Water dock, which grows in
wet, boggy soils, and on the banks of ditches, boiled to
a strong decoction, is a good wash for old ulcers;  and
an ointment made by simmering the root in hogs' lard,
is a valuable remedy, derived from the Indians.
                     PILES.
  There are two kinds of piles, originating from very
nearly the same causes: one is called  the bleeding
piles,  and the other the blind  piles.  The piles  are
small swelled tumours, of rather a dark appearance,
usually situated on the edge of the fundament. Where
there is a discharge of blood from these tumours, when
you go to  stool, the disease is  called bleeding  piles;
but when there is only a swelling on the edge of  the
fundament, or some little distance  up the gut, and no
bleeding when you evacuate the bowels, the disease is
called the blind piles.   Both men and women are sub-
ject to piles;  but women more particularly during the
last stages of pregnancy, in which the womb presses on
the rectum or gut.  In passing the stool, you can plainly
feel these tumours, which extend from the edge  of the
fundament to  an inch or more  upwards, if you have
them severe: w7hen these burst and bleed, the person
is very much relieved; and when the pain is excessive,
it is apt  to produce some fever.   Many persons  are
constitutionally subject to this disease through life.  It
is, however, generally  brought  on by costiveness, or
having irregular stools.   Piles  are also  produced by
riding a great deal on horseback in warm weather; by 
PILES.
395
the use  of highly seasoned food;  by sedentary habits,
in other words, want of exercise;  by the use of spirit-
uous liquors to excess; and by the use of aloes as a
purge, if constantly taken for any length of time to
remove costiveness:  therefore, persons subject to cos-
tiveness should particularly avoid aloes.

                    REMEDIES.
   Cold water is one of  the best remedies that can be
applied in this complaint: nor will any person ever be
afflicted much with  bleeding or blind piles, who will
bathe the  fundament well  with  cold  spring water
daily, or with iced water to prevent, or to relieve the
disease if formed.  I  have known many persons who
have exempted themselves from this painful  disorder
merely by bathing twice  a  day in the coldest water.
For those who, from  laziness or neglect, omit to use
this simple and  powerful precaution, I shall  proceed
to give the usual remedies.  When there is a fever at-
tending piles, it will  be proper to lose a little blood,
and to take a dose of Epsom salts or castor oil:  for
doses see table.  Purging and bleeding  should be  re-
peated, if the  inflammatory or  feverish symptoms  do
not subside.   If the  pain is violent, bathe the funda-
ment with some laudanum, say a  tea-spoonful mixed
in a table-spoonful of cold  water; or sit over a tub
in which some tar has  been heated or set on fire, so
that the steam may sweat the fundament; this steam-
ing should  continue  some time, and  be frequently re-
peated.   Sweet oil applied to the fundament is a good
remedy; and cooling applications of sugar of lead  are
also good, made by putting a tea-spoonful of the lead
into a pint of spring water, and bathing the parts fre-
quently with it.  Mercurial ointment, otherwise called 
J96
PILES.
oil of baze, is a fine remedy; and by greasing the parts
with a small quantity three times a day, speedy relief
will be obtained in a  short time.  The root of the
Jamestown weed, made into a salve, and  the funda-
ment greased with it, will also afford speedy relief from
pain  All persons subject to piles should live on light
diet of a cooling nature,  avoid  costiveness, and  use
plenty of cold water in  bathing, as before directed.
           PUTRID SORE THROAT.
  In this infectious or catching disease, the respiration
or breathing becomes hurried, and the breath hot and
offensive.  The swallowing becomes more and  more
difficult; the skin burning and disagreeably hot, with-
out the least moisture; and the pulse very quick and
irregular; the mouth and throat  assume a fiery red
colour, and the palate and glands  of the throat much
sw7elled.  Blotches of a dark red colour  appear on the
face about  the  third or fourth day, which gradually
increase in size, and soon spread over the whole body.
On examining the throat at this stage of the disease, you
will discover small  brown spots  inside of the throat,
which soon become deep sores or  ulcers; a brownish
fur covers the tongue; the lips have small watery pim-
ples on them, which soon break and produce sores, the
matter of which is of an acrid nature.  If the disease
is not immediately relieved, it soon terminates fatally,
from the fifth to the seventh day.   As the disease ad-
vances, the  following symptoms denote  an unfavoura-
ble and fatal termination.  Purging a black matter, of
a very offensive and  fetid smell;  the hands and feet
becoming cold; the eruptions becoming of a dark livid 
PUTRID SORE  THROAT
397
 colour, or suddenly disappearing;  the inside of the
 mouth and throat assuming a dark hue; the pulse be-
 coming  small, quick,  and fluttering; the breathing
 much hurried, with an almost constant sighing; and a
 cold and  clammy sweat.  When putrid sore throat is
 about terminating favourably, the skin becomes gra-
 dually soft and moist, denoting the abatement of fever;
 the eruptions on the skin become of  a reddish colour
 over the whole body;  the breathing becomes more free
 and natural; the eyes assume a natural and lively ap-
 pearance ; the sloughs,  or parts which separate from
 the ulcers, fall off easily, and leave the sores of a clean
 and reddish colour: when these symptoms occur, as I
 said  before, the disease is about terminating in the re-
 covery of the patient.
  This infectious and frequently mortal disease made
 its appearance in Knox county, Tennessee, in the fall
 of 1827,  and proved fatal in  very many instances.
 Having a short time before arrived from Virginia, and
 being a stranger, my practice was necessarily confined to
 some cases which occurred at Knoxville.  I immediate-
 ly determined to use a remedy  which I had seen suc-
 cessfully administered in the West  Indies in  this dis-
 ease ; and the  result of the prescription was successful
 in my own practice.  Feeling it a duty to communicate
 the remedy to several gentlemen in the country, whose
 children were attacked with the complaint, I was in-
 formed it w7as usually successful  in every case in winch
 it was resorted to in the early stages of the disease.

                   REMEDIES.
  In this  disease, which is generally a dangerous one,
unless treated with judgment, bleeding and purging are
always fatal in their consequences, and you are scrupu- 
398
PUTRID SORE  THROAT.
lously to avoid both.   Many physicians have treated
this complaint injudiciously, from the simple fact of not
giving themselves the trouble to investigate its causes.
It generally makes its appearance at the close of sultry
summers; when the system has been much weakened
by protracted  exposure to intense heat;  and when
people have been for some time exposed to breathing
the putrid atmosphere  arising  from stagnant waters
and decaying vegetation.
x   You are  in the first instance to give an emetic or
puke of ipecacuanha: see table for dose: and the dose
must be repeated in moderation the next day  if consi-
dered necessary.  This  will throw off the acrid matter
which would otherwise produce injury by descending
into the bowels, which are apt to be kept gently open
by glysters: see under that head.   If it is necessary, a
little  castor oil by the mouth, or a little  rhubarb, may
be given to assist the glysters in  removing offensive
matter; use then the following valuable prescription,
which is well knowm in the West Indies, whence I
derived it.   Take Cayenne pepper, in powder,  two
table-spoonsful, with one tea-spoonful of salt; and pu
both into half  a pint of boiling water; let them stand
one hour, and  strain  off the liquor.   Next  put  this
liquor, as pure as you can make it, into  half a pint of
strained vinegar, and warm  it over the  fire.  Of  this
medicine give  two table-spoonsful every half hour.
Make, also, a strong decoction or tea of Seneca snake-
root, and give of it two table-spoonsful every hour.  If
any debility or weakness should come on, bathe the
grown person or child in a strong decoction of red oak
bark.   If the weakness is very  considerable, add one-
fourth of whisky to the decoction, and  give  wine, or
toddy made with spirits and sweetened  with sugar, to 
              PUTRID  SORE THROAT.           399

support the system.  Wash the mouth and throat fre-
quently with the liquor made of pepper, vinegar, and
salt; and  apply to the  throat a poultice,  frequently
renewed, of garlic  and onions, or ashes moistened well
with vinegar, and enclosed in a small bag, so as to  pro-
duce a slight irritation of the skin.  Volatile liniment
will answer: look  under that head;  but blisters must
never be applied to the neck.  I have never used the
compound, but am strongly impressed  with  the  opi-
nion that a tea-spoonful of good yeast, mixed with the
same quantity of powdered charcoal, and given three
times a day, would be a good remedy in this complaint.
                  HEADACH.
  This affection is produced from a foul stomach, from
costiveness, from indigestion, and sometimes from ex-
posure to the rays of the sun.  There is also a painful
affection of the head, accompanied with some  nausea,
called sick headach, which comes on  periodically, or
at particular times;  this last is sometimes called ner-
vous headach, but is not so; it arises from want  of
acid on the stomach, or from an excess of acid.  There
is, indeed, a nervous headach, which arises from the
same causes as those which produce toothache in  fe-
male  diseases, and which may be produced  also  by
grief or any of the depressing passions, and should be
treated by gentle stimulants.

                   REMEDIES.
  If produced from a foul stomach, give an  emetic or
puke; if  from costiveness, give an active purge: see
table for dose; if from exposure to the sun, read under 
400
HEADACH.
  the head Inflammation of the Brain.  In sick headach,
  a late remedy has been discovered, which may be relied
  on; it is citric acid, which may be had  at any drug
  store ; in plain terms, it is nothing but  the acid of le-
  mons, of which you have only to put  a  little in cold
  w7ater and drink it.   This remedy is believed  to be an
  effective one; and w7as, like many other valuable dis-
  coveries, the result of mere accident.   A girl who
  attended a bar in London, was  called on to  make a
  glass of lemonade.   She was so afflicted with sick head-
  ach as scarcely to be able to prepare it.   On tasting
  the lemonade to know if it was good, she found that
» every sip she took relieved her head, and finally, she
  obtained entire relief from  drinking the  whole glass.
  When sick headach  arises from excess of  acid  on the
  stomach, a tea-spoonful of finely powdered charcoal, in
  a little cold water, will correct the acid:  a tea-spoon-
  ful of magnesia will do the same.   When  headach
  arises from debility, stimulants are required,  particu-
  larly for delicate females.  Wine sangaree, made with
  warm water, wine, sugar, and nutmeg, is  an excellent
  and gentle stimulant.  I have, in many cases, given a
  bottle of Madeira wine to a female in the course of a
  day, and produced much benefit from  it in this  dis-
  ease, without the least intoxicating effect.  The best
  wine must always be used.
                   EARACHE.
  Many persons are subject, on  the  slightest cold, to
painful affections of the ear.  These pains usually sub-
side in a day or two, and the disease ends in a discharge
of matter.   Sometimes great pain  is produced, by 
EARACHE.                 401
some insect crawling into the ear of a person whilst
sleeping;  and it is not unfrequent that an accumula-
tion of wax takes place in the  ear and produces deaf-
ness.
                   REMEDIES.
  Warm some fine salt, place it in a bag, and apply it
to the ear; or make a poultice of roasted onions, and
apply it to the ear and side of the head, first putting inh
the ear a little fine wool, on which has been dropped a
few drops of laudanum and sweet oil warmed.  If the
pain or deafness  is  occasioned  by  the lodgment of
hard wax  in the ear, inject strong warm soap-suds into
the ear, so as to  soften and finally dissolve the wax.  If
the pain is very severe, a blister behind the ear  will
relieve it: and if the deafness continue for some time
after the pain has gone off, inject into the ear once or
twice a day a little strong salt and water, after  which
keep the  ear stopped with some wool, winch must
be moistened with spirits in which camphor has been
dissolved.
                    MUMPS.
  This complaint is so universally known as to make
a minute description of it unnecessary.  It appears on
the throat; sometimes on one side, and  sometimes on
both sides.   It makes its appearance in a lump imme-
diately under the jaw, which swells and becomes large
and painful, and often renders the swallowing difficult.
The cheeks and w7hole face generally swell at first, and
continue swelled for five or six days.  When the dis-
ease is  any way severe,  it is usually attended with
fever:  children are generally  affected with it, but it is
      GUNN      26 
402                  MUMPS.
 not  exclusively  confined to them.  When it  attacks
 grow7n persons, male or female, great care should  be
 observed in treating it.  In men, the testicles frequently
 become sw7elled as large as gourds, and extremely pain-
 ful : in women, without great attention, the  disease is
 apt to settle in the breasts, which become swelled and
 very hard; in this case there is much danger of an ac-
 cumulation of matter.  These consequences, however,
 both to men  and women, usually arise from want of
 attention, and from the taking of cold; when due cau-
 tion is exercised, there is very little danger from this
 complaint.

                    REMEDIES.
   In simple cases of mumps nothing can or  ought  to
 be done,  but to avoid taking  cold.  Keep  the face,
 throat, and head, moderately warm, by wearing flannel
 round the parts.   Keep the bowels gently open, by a
 little castor oil or Epsom salts; and alw7ays avoid the
 damp ground, wet feet, or even flamp feet.   If the tes-
 ticles swell, immediately lie down on your bed, and
 move as little as possible, and also be bled from the
 arm, and purge freely.  Apply to the privates poultices
 of cold light bread and milk, which are always to be
 renewed  as soon as they become warm.  Dissolve a
 tea-spoonful of sugar of lead  in a pint of cold water,
with which you are to wet the poultices  and also the
testicles, w7hich  are to be suspended, or  held up in a
 bag made for the purpose; a handkerchief will answer
the same purpose, which is merely to prevent their
weight from doing injury. Women, in cases of swell-
ed breasts, must pursue the plan of bleeding and purg-
ing prescribed for men, and apply the poultices to the
breasts to prevent  the formation of matter in them 
MUMPS.
403
Poultices made of flaxseed, applied cold, are also effect-
ive in reducing inflammations.
                  SORE EYES.
  This is so common a disease in the western country
that it requires to be treated of with much attention.
The eye is exceedingly tender, and subject to a variety
of maladies, some of which usually terminate in total
blindness, unless speedy relief can be obtained.   This
delicate organ exemplifies, in the wisdom of its con-
struction, the boundless and incomprehensible power
of Almighty God.   It may  be called the mirror of
the soul;  and the interpreter of the passions of man-
kind.  At  a single  glance, it  takes in  the sublime
beauties and magnificent splendours of  the  visible
creation ;  reaches by its mystic  energies the bosom of
unlimited space; and at the next moment, by an effort
of microscopic vision which is absolutely unaccounta-
ble, it expatiates  on the mild tints of the opening rose-
buds, and detects the analysis of a physical atom ! The
loss of such powers of vision, then, must be  indeed a
great misfortune, and frequently, when I have reflected
on the dangers of so great a loss, I have been astonish-
ed at the carelessness  and inattention with which dis-
eases of this noble and distinguished  organ are some-
times treated.
  In a work  like this, which is intended for popular
use and benefit,  it would be irrelevant and  unimpor-
tant to treat of such diseases  of the eye as require
surgical operations; such must  always be met by the
skill and judgment of a practical operator.
  Ophthalmia is the general name given by physicians 
404
SORE EYES.
to inflammatory diseases of the eye:  these diseases are
either inflammations of the coats or membranes of tin
eye, or they are  inflammations of the whole orbit or
globe of the eye itself.  In common ophthalmia (foi
there is such a disease as venereal ophthalmia) the eyes
exhibit considerable inflammation, owing to the fulness
of the small blood-vessels.   There is also much heai'
and pain felt over the whole surface of the eye;  and
generally speaking, an involuntary flow of tears. When
the inflammation is suspected to  be deeply seated,
throwing a strong light on the eye will determine the
fact, by producing  sharp shooting pains through the
head, accompanied with fever. When the pains of the
eyes and head are not much increased by an  exposure
of the eyes to a strong  light, w7e  may safely conclude,
that the inflammation  is of a slight  and local nature.
It is my opinion, and I know it is contrary to the com-
mon opinion, if any judgment can be formed from the
general practice of  physicians, that  inflammatory dis-
eases of  the eye are very frequently connected  with
diseased  states of some of  the other organs, or  with
general and constitutional  derangements of the whole
system.
  Inflammatory diseases  of the eye are usually pro-
duced by severe  cold; by sudden changes of the  wea-
ther ; by exposure to cold,  raw, and damp winds; by
residing in very damp, or in very sandy countries; and
by exposures of  the eye to  the vivid beams of the sun,
on sandy or snowy wastes of country, for some length
of time.  In the salt mines of Poland, to which many
convicts are consigned for life, and where the exclusion
of daylight renders torches necessary,  not  only the
prisoners but the horses themselves become blind, from
the insufferable brilliancy of the salt rock.  This sim- 
SORE  EYES.
405
pie fact is sufficient to place all persons on their guard
against exposing the eye to a strong glare of light.  In
addition to the above causes, inflammations of the eye
are often produced from  external injuries, such as
blows and bruises; and also from splinters, dust, or any
other irritating matters getting into the eyes.  Healing
old ulcers, or sores of  long standing, and particularly
driving in eruptions of the head and face, will very
often inflame the eyes.  Besides all  these  causes, the
suppression or stoppage of some habitual  discharges,
such as the menses, bleeding at the nose, hemorrhoids
or piles, &c, will produce inflammations of the eyes :
and,  to close the catalogue of the causes of inflamma-
tory  diseases of the eye, venereal ophthalmia itself is
produced  by the action of the  virus  or poison of the
venereal  disease, or scorbutic or scrofulous habits of
body.  This last disease of the eyes  generally termi-
nates in impaired vision, or total blindness.  You, who
are yel tyros in the school of experience and humani-
ty ; you, who are melting down your physical and vital
energies on the corrupted bed of lust and debauchery,
listen to this!

                    REMEDIES.
   In all inflammations of the eyes, presumed to arise
from a diseased state of the general system, from a foul
stomach,  from  costiveness  of the bowels, from  colds
accompanied with fever, or even from local affections
of the  organic  structure of the eye, the stomach is to
be thoroughly evacuated and cleansed by gentle emetics
or pukes,  and the bowels by active and cooling purges.
If the inflammation should be severe, some blood should
be drawn from the arm occasionally, at the same time
that very  gentle and cooling purges  are in operation. 
406                 SORE EYES.
The diet should be of the  lightest kind, and of the
most cooling nature.  Cold acid drinks are also proper,
because they tend to lessen the inflammation, and to
cool the whole system.   The skin should be kept clean,
and perspiration or  sweating  kept  up continually by
the warm or tepid bath,  after bleeding  and purging
have been sufficiently resorted to.  Dr.  Physic, w7ho
is probably among the greatest men of his profession,
either of this or any other age, expressly recommends
that in very severe inflammations of the eyes, blister
plasters should be applied over and around them, which
are to be kept shut; and  that between these plasters
and the eye lids, two or three doublings  of gauze are
to be placed, in order to prevent the flies or cantharides
from entering the eyes.  When the  inflammation is
considered merely local and external, and not deeply
seated in the system or vital organs, poultices, made of
light bread and  milk and  applied as cold as possible,
will be beneficial; in fact, the coldest applications are
to be kept to the eyes, such  for instance as the follow-
ing : Take twenty grains of  sugar of lead, and ten
grains  of white vitriol, dissolve them in half a pint
of pure rain  water, and  let the mixture settle  for
several hours; then  pour  off the clear part from the
top, and  keep the  eye  constantly moistened with this
water.   If the  eyes  are very painful, you may add to
the mixture a tea-spoonful of laudanum, to allay the
irritation.  Persons who are constitutionally subject to
weak eyes, will find  much benefit from bathing them
frequently in pure water; and if the weakness is un-
attended by inflammation, by bathing  them in weak
spirits and water.  In  cases  oi films overspreading the
cornea, or transparent part of  the eye, so as to induce
blindness, I consider it my duty to make the following 
SORE  EYES.
407
note: Doctor Manlone, formerly a celebrated physi-
cian, of Dinwiddie county, Virginia, since dead, left on
record in the margin of one of Prideaux's works, the
following note:  " The gall  of an eel, laid on with  a
soft brush, and with great care,  and occasionally re-
peated, has successfully removed  a film from the eye.
The writer of this leaves it on record in this place,
with the  intention that it may be useful to some fel-
low-creature, wrhen the writer is no  longer an inhabit-
ant of this world.   I  most solemnly declare that  I
have experienced the good effects of the application,
in the course of my practice;  but it should be used
when the disorder is  recent.        C. Manlone."
  Thus we see, notwithstanding the sneers and ridi-
clue of modern infidels, that the story in the Apocry-
pha, of Tobit's blindness  being cured by the gall of  a
fish, is neither  ridiculous nor improbable.  Dr. Man-
lone has  been dead about forty years.  For the satis-
faction of the  reader, I will record  a case in which  I
myself was successful in the cure of blindness.  Miss
Hudson, of Knox county, Tennessee, who resides with
her father on the waters of Holston,  in that state, came
to me afflicted with blindness in one of her eyes, from
a film, which I speedily and easily removed, by intro-
ducing upon the surface of the eye-ball  clean hogs'
lard;  it wras introduced into the eye with a fine camel-
hair pencil, and with much care.
                  WHITLOW.
  There is an inflammation at the end of the finger
or thumb.  The pain gradually increases, attended
with a throbbing sensation, and always produces in its 
408
WHITLOW.
progress the most excruciating torment.  In whitlow,
the finger  or thumb affected always puts on a glossy
or shining appearance.  After six or eight days mat-
ter forms  under the  nail or at the side of it, which,
on being opened, gives immediate relief.

                   REMEDIES.
  The old plan of treatment in whitlow has been en-
tirely laid aside; it consisted merely of poultices and
warm applications.   The method of cure now adopted
in the European hospitals, which may be said to be an
infallible one, is simply as follows: The moment the
whitlow is  discovered, press the  part gently and  gra-
dually with your thumb and forefinger;  then with a
piece of tape or narrow binding, bind or wind the sore
finger or thumb tightly, from the point upward toward
the body of the hand.   This bandage must be permit-
ted to remain on, the object being merely to stop  the
circulation  until a cure is effected.  You may unwind
it once a day to examine the whitlow, but it must im-
mediately be put on again.  If the bandage give much
pain, so that you cannot bear it, it must be gradually
loosened until  you can bear the pressure.   By this
simple method  whitlow may be easily cured, if mat-
ter has not formed in it.   Were I not convinced that
many wise men and old women will laugh at this sim-
ple cure, I would not put myself to the trouble of
proving its efficacy.  Doctor William Balfour of Edin-
burgh  relates more than fifty cases of  whitlow being
cured, some of them with  matter formed and highly
inflamed, by this simple method.   I  will give two
cases of success, selected from the London Medical
and  Physical  Journal.  "James Briddet," says  the
writer, "who was a tanner, aged twenty-five years, 
WHITLOW.                 409
applied to me on the 25th of August, with a w7hitlow
on one of his thumbs.  He knew no cause for the com-
plaint, which had existed about a week, and prevented
him from  following his occupation.  When I  had
pressed  the parts firmly, and applied a bandage, I de-
sired him to call the next day.   He looked at me as if
he would have said—'is this all that you are to dofoi
me?'  I found this fellow," says the doctor, "quite
doubtful with regard  to my cure, and again desired
him to call the next day.  In the morning he accord-
ingly  returned, when  I  found the inflammation  and
swelling considerably  abated.  On the third  day the
pain was entirely gone, and the man had the frecuse
of his thumb.  I now  asked him if he wras not at  first
quite  distrustful  of the mode of cure I had adopted;
he laughed, and  admitted  that he was; expressed his
surprise at the quick result; made his  acknowledg-
ments, and went about his business.  Peter Fraser re-
ceived an injury on the 26th of December  last, by
having his thumb bent forcibly backward in lifting a
heavy stone.  When he applied to me on the 29th, he
complained of having passed three days in great agony,
and three sleepless nights.   The pain was confined to
the first joint, but the swelling extended a considerable
way upward.  I never handled a more excruciatingly
painful  case, and  believed  it must soon  terminate in
suppuration," (breaking and  running.)   "Such  was
also the opinion  of Doctor Anderson of New York,
who happened  to be  with me when the  patient  pre-
sented himself.   I told that gentleman, that exquisitely
painful as was the complaint, I had no doubt of curing it
in a week, without any other application than my  own
fingers,  and a simple  bandage of narrow tape.   The
cure was  completed in six days, inclusive of  that on 
410
WHITLOW.
which the patient applied to me."  I have  thus given
two cases in which whitlow has been cured by the
mere  application of a bandage;  and I will adventure
another suggestion, which is this, that even  in  case*
where suppuration has actually taken place, and the
lancet has been used, the use of an easy bandage would
be greatly beneficial, applied to every part of the finger
or thumb, except immediately over the small point of
lischarge.
        COW-POX, OR VACCINATION.
  This valuable discovery, made several years ago by
the celebrated Doctor Jenner, is  now resorted to as a
remedy against the infectious and dreadful inroads of
the smallpox, in almost every portion of the  civilized
world.  Vaccination is merely the introduction or in-
sertion into  the arm, by means of the  lancet, of the
matter by w7hich the cow-pox is produced in the human
system.   There is a contention among physicians, and
those too of the higher orders, whether the cow-pox
is, in all cases, a preventive of that dreadful scourge of
mankind, the smallpox; for  myself, I am induced to
believe that, with very few exceptions, it may be con-
sidered an antidote  to smallpox,  especially wiien vac-
cination has been effectual on the system.  In Prussia,
out of five hundred and eighty-four thousand  children,
born in the year 1821, forty thousand  of them were
vaccinated for the cow7-pox.  During the above period,
there died of smallpox, in all the  provinces belonging
to Prussia, one thousand one  hundred and ninety per-
sons ; and before the introduction of vaccination, from
thirty to forty thousand  died annually of smallpox. 
VACCINATION.
411
Although persons who have been vaccinated may be
liable to take the smallpox afterwards, yet the  latter
disease always terminates very mildly. Of many hun-
dred thousand persons vaccinated in London,  not a
single  case of death has  taken place from smallpox,
where the matter of the  cow-pox, had  before  taken
proper effect. The Report of the College  of Physicians
in London, for 1807, expressly states, that smallpox
in any shape rarely proves fatal, when it  attacks those
who have been successfully vaccinated.   The.success
attending this operation in the United States, has enti-
tled it to the highest confidence of  our most distin-
guished physicians.   I have before remarked in sub-
stance, and I think the opinion a correct one, that  many
who have taken the smallpox after vaccination, took it
from bad management in inserting the cow-pox mat-
ter : when the proper effect  is not produced  on the
system, by the introduction of the cow-pox matter, it
is to be expected that persons will still be liable to  the
contagion of smallpox.
  To every man of common prudence, and proper
sentiments of self-preservation, advice of the necessity
of vaccination, as a preventive of the dangers  atten-
dant on smallpox, w7ould be superfluous;  to those who
seem to slumber in security, respecting the  future
ravages of smallpox in the interior of our country, I
have  only to remark, that  the facilities of commerce
with  other countries are  daily increasing, from  the
universal  introduction of  steamboats, and  the  rapid
improvement of our internal navigation;  and that in a
fewr years, through these  mediums, the  most remote
and secluded portions of  our country will stand as
much  exposed to the mortal inroads of smallpox as
our large cities and maritime towns. 
412
VACCINATION.
   The great object in vaccination is the certainty thmt
 the matter used takes full effect on the system ;  and it
 is needless to remark that, unless the matter be genuine,
 no beneficial effect can possibly result from vaccination.
 Vaccination is an innocent and*  valuable preventive
 against smallpox, in which little  if any medicine is
 required ; in children it passes over in a few days.  In
 grown persons it may produce slight fever and pain
 under the arm, which usually goes off in a few hours.
 If the person vaccinated be of a gross habit of body, a
 moderate dose of  salts will be of much service on the
 seventh or eighth day.  If the inflammation of the
.arm becomes  very painful,  moisten the place  fre-
 quently with a little weak sugar of lead water,  until
 the sore is dried up; this however is seldom necessary.
 The great point in vaccination is certainly to know
 that the matter introduced  into the system has  taken
 a full and sufficient effect.  If there is only a slight red-
 ness in the arm, where the matter has been inserted,
 and no other effect is produced on the system, you may
 certainly conclude that the vaccination has failed of
 effect.  But if, on the contrary, a  pustule or pimple
 arises, of  a full and oval form, with an indentation or
 dent in the centre, not unlike a button  mould, about
 the sixth  day, containing matter, vaccination has  had
 the desired effect.   Great attention should be paid to
 these circumstances by the operator, or he will proba-
 bly be the cause of a future exposure of  the person tc
 the ravages of the smallpox,  and not improbably to
 the imminent hazard of death.  The influence of the
 Kine or cow-pox over affections of the skin, in many
 cases in which medical remedies have failed, has lately
 produced considerable attention and interest in the hos
 pitals of Europe.  The matter of cow-pox can always 
VACCINATION.              413
be obtained pure, by addressing a letter to the Vaccine
Institutions of New7 York, Philadelphia, or Baltimore,
from either of winch, on application, you will receive
it, by letter. If the matter be received  from a distance,
it is best to hold the lancet, on which is the matter you
intend to insert  into the arm, until  it softens a little ;
then hold the lancet in such a position, that the matter
can gradually go off the point.  Next scratch the skin
frequently, but not too deeply, with the point of the
lancet on which is the matter, until a little blood may
be seen; this is the whole secret of vaccination.  Some-
times the matter of cow-pox is sent on threads; when
this is the  case, make  a slight incision  in the arm, and
lay the thread in it, which must be covered with court
plaster to keep it in its place until the disorder has been
communicated.  If a physician be convenient, it will
always be advisable to employ him to perform the ope-
ration, because much depends on the exercise of judg-
ment,  respecting the* future security of the person
against that most dreadful of scourges, the smallpox.
                  SMALLPOX.
  How imperfect are the conceptions which are formed
by the fortunate few7, of the sufferings to which millions
of the human race are subject, when  afflicted by this
dreadful and fatal disorder!   How7 important then is
the great remedy of vaccination, which  I  have before
described, that, from some inexplicable  principle, ren-
ders harmless this powerful enemy of human life !■
  Smallpox is  known by  the  following symptoms : a
few7 days  before its appearance you  feel  restless and
uneasy, and a great dislike to motion of any kind ; 
414                 SMALLPOX.
cold chills steal over you,  followed by flushings of
heat, and accompanied by a slight fever, all of which
end as the disease gradually increases.  You have a
pain in the head, a dull heavy pain in the small of the
back,  great thirst, increase of stupor, until about the
third  day,  when  the eruptions or spots on the  skin,
something  like flea bites, make their appearance on the
face, neck,  breast, and arms, and gradually extend over
the whole  body.   These spots gradually increase in
size, until  about  the fifth or sixth day, when  they
begin to turn white at the tops, and feel  painful.
Your voice then becomes hoarse, as if you had a severe
cold;  your face  becomes much swelled, and  your
features appear much changed ; your eyelids, particu-
larly, swell to a considerable extent, so as frequently to
close the eyes entirely, and a spitting takes  place as if
you were salivated.  On the eleventh  day these pus-
tules or pimples have increased to about the size of a
common pea, and  instead of w7hite contain a yellow
matter; on the tops of which pustules or pimples you
will discover a small black spot, whilst all the rest is
filled with  this yellow matter.   About the twelfth day
they burst  and discharge their contents, with a horrible
stench which is almost  insupportable;  nor dare  you
 ttempt to w7ash  off this matter, the  slightest touch
giving the most excruciating pain.  It is this matter
winch leaves the scars on the faces of persons disfigured
with  the disorder.   If the matter  dries quickly, it
leaves no marks; but if, from any unhealthy constitu-
tional defect, it lingers for some time on the body, it
generally leaves those marks behind it w7hich disfigure
the countenance for life.  This disease sometimes, but
not frequently, comes on with great violence, with all
the symptoms of typhus or nervous fever: refer to page 
SMALLPOX.
415
204, where you will see the form of treatment which
must be observed in smallpox, should it come on with
symptoms of typhus or nervous fever.  When these
unfavourable appearances take place in the commence-
ment of the disease, it is called by physicians confluent
smallpox.  The eruptions  appear much earlier in this
form of the complaint; they run in patches, and in-
stead of rising, remain flat and are of a dark livid
colour; they secrete a dark brown unhealthy matter.
The fever, which in the first form of smallpox, abates
wiien the pimples become full, in this form of tHe dis-
ease continues constantly throughout the disease, end-
ing in great debility or  weakness.   In this  last form
or  stage  of  smallpox,  which   I  have described as
of the nervous or typhus kind, it may be considered as
very highly dangerous,  and as generally terminating
fatally without judicious and skilful treatment.

                   REMEDIES.
   In the treatment of this complaint you are to avoid
every thing, as  you value the life of your patient, of a
heating nature, either as drink, or food, or clothing.
The room is to be kept as quiet as possible.   Cover the
patient  with nothing but a very thin sheet;  even  the
weight and heat of a common linen sheet is painful and
oppressive, and unless he complains of feeling cold, you
cannot commit an error in keeping him too cool.  Let
all his drinks be of the most cooling nature.  As a ge-
neral drink, cold water sweetened with sugar, in which
is  put a little acid, so as to make  it pleasantly  sour, is
the best drink that can be given.  In fevers of every
description, and particularly in the one which  attends
on smallpox, acid drinks abate  the  fever, lessen  the
thirst, and cool  the whole system.  The heat and pain 
416
SMALLPOX.
 of the eruptions will always be lessened by keeping
 them well moistened with equal quantities of milk and
 water, or with  cold water  alone.   Cold water, as a
 remedy used in  sponging the body  in the first stages
 of this complaint, will greatly tend to lessen the heat,
 and pain in the head and back.   In fact, as I have told
 you  before, there is no danger of cooling  remedies,
 unless the patient complains of being chilly  and cold,
 which is not frequently the  case; but if he should do
 so, moderate the quantity of cooling drinks to the feel-
 ings of the patient: nature usually tells the truth.  If,
 by any accident, the complaint should strike in, (which
 is not the case once in a hundred instances,) the w7arm
 bath made pleasantly w7arm  should be used, and a little
 warm wine whey, or warm  wine, given internally at
 the same time.  These measures will again bring out
 the disorder on the skin.   For the proper treatment of
 this disease, wiien it puts on  the appearance of nervous
 or typhus fever, and  is called confluent small pox: I
 refer you to page 204, where you will find it at length.
 When the eruptions burst and discharge their  matter,
 an ointment  made of  cream  and  common  garden
 parsley, and constantly applied by means of a soft swrab,
 or rag rolled round a small stick, to keep the sores soft,
 and to  prevent their hardening, will entirely prevent
 any marks or scars being left on the  face.   I have
 omitted to state,  that if the bowels are costive, Epsom
salts should be given  in a little cold  water:  see  table
 for dose:  or you  may keep them  gently open, by cool-
ing glysters:  for glystering look  under  the  head
Glysters.    The  loss  of some blood  from  the arm is
sometimes necessary in the first stage of this disease, if
 the inflammatory symptoms  run  high, and the pain in
 the head is very distressing.  This, with the use  of 
SMALLPOX.
417
cold water as before mentioned, if the inflammatory
action is very great, will produce a beneficial effect in
relieving a pain in the head and back.
             VENEREAL DISEASE.

   The prevalence of this dreadful disease among man-
 kind is another proof  among the  many others that
 might be adduced, that it is the interest of man to be
 virtuous, if he wishes to be happy, and  that a decree
 of the Almighty has announced to  him, in language
 not to be mistaken, that  " the penalty of a misdeed shall
 always tread on the heels of the transgression ; if you
 violate  my  laws, which were formed for your happi-
 ness, I will convince you of that violation by plunging
 you into sufferings and misery."
   That  there are moments of licentious conduct in
 early life, affording but  a short and transitory enjoy-
, ment, to which memory in after periods looks back
 with sorrow and remorse, no man possessed of common
 sense will deny ; but when to the bitter pangs of re-
 morse for a misdeed  are added the pains and sufferings
 of bbdily disease, as is always the case in  venereal com-
 plaints, language has no powers to  describe the real
 condition of the sufferer.  What dreadful sacrifices are
 frequently made by  mankind  of health, wealth, fame,
 happiness, and character, for a momentary gratification
 of sensual pleasure,  which often ends in shame, and
 remorse, and the misery of a  whole life, inflicted by
 the venereal disease.   If the transgressor himself alone
 suffered, this disease would not present so horrible a
 spectacle to the eye of humanity: but how often do we
       GUNN    27 
418
VENEREAL DISEASE.
 see an innocent and spotless wife, in moments o£ en-
 dearing confidence and love, receiving  this infectious
 disorder and communicating it to her children: I will
 not say from a husband, (it would be a misuse of the
 word,) but from a brute, who has  violated every prin-
 ciple of honour, and the most sacred ties of humanity.
 But this is not all:  how often do we see an innocent,
 virtuous,  unsuspicious  wife, with  her  constitution
 destroyed, her health deeply impaired, and all her hopes
 of earthly happiness blasted forever, by having received
 from the man she calls her husband this loathsome and
 filthy disorder, and  having to submit to an examination
 of those parts which common decency  forbids me to
 name, in  order that she may  be  cured of a disease
 which always ends  in death of a most terrible charac-
 ter, unless medical means can be used.
   This complaint  is produced in most  cases by a
 healthy person having sexual intercourse or connex-
 ion with another who has  this infectious disorder in
 the genitals  or privates.   It took its  name from a
 Greek word which in our language means filthy.  The
 Old Testament informs us that the  ancient inhabitants
 of the eastern countries were much subject to diseases
 of the genitals or privates, and that for the preservation
 of the Jewish nation circumcision was enforced in the
 Mosaic  laws, and made also a religious rite or ceremo-
ny.   Circumcision  means the cutting off the foreskin
 or prepuce of  the private member, which prevents  any
 poisonous  or infectious matter from producing disease,
 by being lodged under the  skin.  Although no direct
 mention is made of  venereal disease among those peo-
 ple, yet the description of some of the diseases of the
 genitals to which they were subject,  leads us directly
 to the belief that they were well acquainted with ve- 
VENEREAL DISEASE.
419
nereal complaints; be this how7ever as it may, about
the close of  the fifteenth century, I think about the
year  1194, the venereal disease appeared in Europe,
from whichvit communicated  with great rapidity to
every part of the known world, and became such  a
scourge to the human race as to become an object of
great medical attention.   I have neither time nor space
for pursuing the subject of its history any further, in-
deed  it would be both useless and unnecessary.
   After you  have taken this disorder in the manner I
have  described, it will depend very much on the state
of your system, and other peculiarities of that system
not distinctly known, at what particular time the dis-
ease  will make its appearance.   In  some  persons,
whose systems are very irritable, it will show itself on
the third or fourth day after you have had sexual con-
nexion with  a person infected with the disease; in
other persons it will be eight  or ten  days  before it
makes its appearance; and I have known it to remain
a month  or more in the system  before  it w7ould show
itself  in  any  form.   In  fact, cases are  mentioned by
good  medical writers, in w7hich  several  men have had
connexion with a woman known to  have the venereal
disease, some  of whom  took  it, while others escaped
uninjured. This singular circumstance, which we are
bound to  credit from the goodness of the authorities,
must  have been owing to the fact of the infected wo-
man  making water immediately before having  con-
nexion with those who escaped without injury.
  I am inclined to believe that it has never been fully
ascertained how long the venereal matter will remain
as it were asleep in the system, without making its ap-
pearance; some  writers say three months, some  six
months, some a year, and so on.   I suspect the fact to 
 420            VENEREAL DISEASE.

 be, in those cases in which the disease is supposed to
 appear after a considerable time, that the persons have
 not been entirely cured;  in other words, that the dis-
 ease has merely been driven back by quackery, and
 afterwards showed  itself  under the following forms:
 in the  nose, in the throat, in  the  eyes, on the legs, in
 sw7ellings of the groins, in splotches  or sores on the
 body, &c.  This last  stage of the venereal disease is
 called  constitutional, because it is firmly seated in the
 whole  body, by the venereal virus or poison having
 been absorbed, and carried into the whole circulation.
 The venereal disease may be communicated by wound-
 ing or pricking any part of the body with a lancet hav-
 ing on its point any particle of this venereal poison.  I
 recollect a student of medicine who came very near his
 death from cutting his finger slightly, when dissecting
 a person w7ho had  died of the venereal disease; the
 poisonous matter was  communicated to the slight cut;
 in twelve hours afterwards he laboured under violent
 fever, which continued ten or twelve  days before the
 inflammation  could be subdued.    This disease may
 also take place from an application of the matter to a
 scratch, to a common sore, or to a w7ound.  Several
 instances are mentioned of venereal or pox sores being
formed in the  nostrils, eyelids, and lips, from the slight
circumstance of persons having the disease touching
their nostrils,  eyes,  or lips with their fingers, imme-
diately after handling the  venereal sores on their own
privates.  These remarks are  made with the intention
of showing how7 easily this loathsome disease, with all
its impure and life-corrupting taints, may be commu-
nicated, and to place physicians and midwives on their
guard against infection.
  Venereal disease  has two distinct forms;  I might 
VENEREAL DISEASE.
421
say three forms, for the third is nothing more than the
one I have just described as constitutional, which al-
ways arises from one of the other two, or from both in
combination.  The first is pox, properly so called; and
the other clap, called by physicians gonorrhoea, which
is so simple in  its nature, that with proper treatment
it may be cured in from three to five or six days.
  The pox is a most  corrupting, dangerous, and de-
structive disease;  and if suffered to progress in its ra-
vages on the human body, never fails in desolating the
human constitution, and destroying life at its very core.
When it is foolishly concealed, and suffered to run on,
or badly treated in attempting its cure,  it always ends
in distressing and  irreparably fatal consequences.  In
ten cases out of eleven, if application were immediately
made, with the proper remedies, the complaint, dread-
ful as  it is, might be cured  in a very short time with-
out affecting the system; for I do know from actual
experience, having paid much attention to the general
practice  in venereal cases, that thousands have been
salivated, and  their constitutions destroyed by mercu-
ry, when more simple and less dangerous  practice,
combined with adequate and proper attentions, would
entirely have removed the disease. Medically speaking,
pox is at first a local, and not a general disease of the
system, by which I mean, that it is more a disease of
the  part first affected than of the whole body;  and  I
Have no manner of doubt that many a poor, unfortunate
fellow7 has been pushed and  dragged through a tedious
and destructive mercurial course,  and perhaps for  a
disease which  was not actual pox, who might have
been cured by a  little lunar caustic, a wash made of
blue stone; a little red precipitate, or even by sprink-
ling on the chancre, or first venereal ulcer, a small por- 
422
VENEREAL DISEASE.
 tion of calomel.  I have frequently  observed in the
 United States many cases which professional honour
 forbids me  to name, in which patients have suffered
 infinitely more from the imprudent and (to coin a new
 word) quacknical use of mercury, than could possibly
 have resulted from the most insignificant venereal sore
 itself, with strict attention to  cleanliness, had  the dis-
 ease been permitted to run its course.
  That mercury holds a distinguished, powerful, and
 perhaps perfect  dominion  over venereal  diseases, in
 most, if not  in all cases, I freely admit to be true ; but
 I as firmly  believe that  thousands  might  have  been
 cured of this horrid complaint under very mild admi-
 nistrations of this powerful medicine, this Samson of
 the drug shops.  I have witnessed the progress of this   •
 disease in both Europe and the United  States, from its
 mildest forms to its most destructive ravages on the
 human system, and feel perfectly assured that the dis-
 ease, which  is the same in all countries, assumes either
 a milder or severer form,  according to  the peculiarities
 of the human constitution, the irritable state of the
 system at the time this disease is taken, the habits of
 the person,  the  character of the climate, and so on
 Very few cases of pox in France, in proportion to the
 immense population, terminate in injuries to the bones
 of the face, disfigurement of the nose, loss of the palate
of the mouth, &c.  This is altogether owing to their
proper management of the complaint;  with them, the
pox produces very little alarm, probably not more than
the itch does in this country.   They are perfect  mas-
ters of the disease, and there are few7 cases that do not
 terminate speedily and  successfully, under their strict
and judicious treatment.  An  individual  may travel
through France,  and have promiscuous intercourse of 
VENEREAL DISEASE.
423
a sexual character for years without receiving the least
injury.   On the contrary, in this country, from causes
which need not be particularly named, the least devia-
tion from moral propriety involves the participant in
disease and suffering.  As my  object is  the develop-
ment of truth, regardless* of petty objections and servile
prejudices, I  assert that  we  use  infinitely too much
mercury in the cure of pox in the United States; and
we very frequently communicate a serious disease by
the imprudent use of mercury, instead  of  removing
one ;  yet I trust in God the day will arrive, and  that
too at no very distant period, when diseases themselves
will be prescribed  for, and not their merely technical
names.  There are generally, in the venereal hospital
at Paris, in France, from five to seven hundred vene-
real or pox patients. Included in this number, there
are usually about three hundred women  of the town,
in other  words, common  prostitutes. " The patients
of all the French hospitals," says Doctor F.  J. Didier,
honorary member of the medical society of Baltimore:
" are carefully nursed by the sisters of charity, a class
of nuns whose lives are consecrated to  the relief of
wretchedness and the calming of pain.   With what
eloquence  does Voltaire w7rite  in favour of  these
charming and admirable  women!  ' Perhaps,' says he,
1 there is nothing on earth so truly great, as  the sacri-
fice made by the softer sex, of beauty, youth, and often
the highest worldly expectations, to relieve  that mass
of every human suffering, the sight of which is so re-
volting to delicacy.'  I myself have observed one of
these angelic women, administering consolation and
relief to  a man tortured by the agonies of disease and
wretchedness.   She appeared to take the greatest in-
terest in  the poor sufferer.  The sweetness,  the capti- 
424
VENEREAL  DISEASE.
vating voice, the winning  kindness of these  sisters of
charity, soon dry the tear which flows down the care-
worn cheek, and infuse the gleam of  hope in the soul
depressed by misfortune."  It is rather singular  to an
American,  that the French government should license
common prostitutes, and exact a tribute from debauch-
eries, but such are  the facts.   The probability is, how-
ever, that these measures originated in sound policy on
the part of the government, and in sentiments of actual
charity to those who, under any circumstances, w7ould
lead a life of  whoredom and  prostitution.   Several
objects are  attained by this policy; the license subjects
these women  monthly to  a  medical  examination
touching their  diseases: and tends to  check and pre-
vent the  spread of venereal infection through their im-
mense population; it furnishes the police officers of
their large cities with monthly registers of their names
and  places of abode, and exacts  from them a  fund,
while in  youth and health, for their care and support
in  sickness and   old  age,  which  they themselves
would never   think of  laying up.   I  think  these
considerations  worthy  of the attention  of  our own
general and state governments.  For  the fact is, that
if the legislatures would compel the  loose characters
in all our cities and towns, who practise prostitution
on a petty and filthy scale, to take out  license and sub-
mit to medical examination monthly, or abandon their
commerce in low and corrupt debauchery, we should
soon have fewer cases of venereal in our commercial
towns, or be rid of the fraternity of  prostitutes altoge-
ther.   I have  in  the  foregoing  remarks,  perhaps,
strayed a little from  the precise track of my subject;
but, as the digression will probably not be wholly un-
interesting, I shall make no  elaborate apology for it. 
VENEREAL  DISEASE.           425
 I will first describe pox and clap separately, and next
 give their remedies separately,

                       POX.
   When you suppose you have taken this disease, no
 foolish or  childish  delicacy should prevent you  for a
 moment from ascertaining the fact.   The disease ge-
 nerally makes its appearance by what physicians call
 chancres.   These are small inflamed  pimples, which
 show themselves on the head of the  penis or yard, or
 on the side of the penis near the end.  In a very few
 days  these pimples enlarge themselves,  and become
 what are  called venereal sores or ulcers.  In women.
 these pimples show themselves first, immediately inside
 of what are called the  lips of the privates, and unless
 arrested in their course Of enlargement, extend them-
 selves to the fundament in a short time.  The  pox,
 also,  sometimes makes its  appearance  in  what are
 called buboes;  these are  hard  lump-like kernels  or
 swellings,  which rise in  one or both groins.  These
 swellings gradually increase in size, until they become
 about the size of an egg, and have an angry red colour.
 and unless driven away by the application of medicine.
 eventually come to a head, and discharge their poison-
 ous matter.  These buboes generally produce great
 pain, some  fever, and prevent the person afflicted with
 them from walking, without considerable  difficulty.
 Buboes sometimes  make  their appearance under the
 arm-pits, and sometimes in the glands of the throat,
 these appearances of bubo, however, are not  very fre-
 quent, and are much oftener the effects of mercury,
improperly administered in the pox, than arising from
the disease  itself.  The fact is, that I think them  pro-
duced, generally, from  the neglect  of many in not 
426
POX.
speedily effecting a cure by the proper and efficient
use of medicine ; in other words, by halfway dilatory
measures, which neither cure the disease nor suffer it
to run its course.   When the constitution is very irri-
table, the disease will  sometimes attack the nose, the
throat, the tongue, the eyes, the skin, bones, and so on,
and  fill  the whole system with  the venereal poison
in no great length of  time, and unless  efficient, com-
bined with well-judged remedies be resorted  to, the
human system will become a mass of putrifying sores;
and the sufferer become an  object of compassion and
disgust.   By this short and comprisive description, you
will be  at no  loss to know w7hat the pox is, if you
should ever have it.

                      CLAP.

   Clap  is a simple disease, and  may  be very easily
cured, if timely  attention be paid to  it.  The first
symptoms  of this disease are, burning and scalding
sensations or feelings in the urethra or  canal of the
penis, whenever you urinate or make water.  There
will be  a discharge of matter from the penis,  first of
nearly a white  colour, next of a yellowish  colour,
which will stain your shirt, and lastly of a greenish
colour.  After having  the disease some time, or perhaps
from the irritability of your system, you will experience
what is called chordee: this is a spasmodic contraction
of the penis, which gives considerable pain in erections
of the yard, as if it were wound with a small cord.  In
women, this disease called clap is still more simple;
in its first stage merely resembling the  whites  in their
worst stage.  There is, however, this specific difference
between clap and whites in  wromen: in  clap  there is 
POX.
427
always a scalding and  burning sensation in making
water, and a continual uneasiness and itching about the
parts, neither of w7hich  sensations are experienced in
mere whites.
               REMEDIES FOR POX.
  As soon as the first symptoms of pox are discovered,
which will in all common cases be  known by the ap-
pearance of chancres or  buboes, both of winch I have
described to you sufficiently, take an active  purge  of
calomel and jalap.   The object of this purge is to clear
the bowels of all irritating obstructions, and to remove
as far as possible every  species of irritation  from the
system : see table for dose.  If this dose of calomel and
jalap does not operate in proper time, take a tea-spoon-
ful of Epsom salts to assist the operation, and  to make
it fully effective.  If you should have dark  stools,  let
the medicine run on its  whole course; but if the stools
become yellow and watery, and you feel  much weak-
ened by the operation, take from ten to  twenty drops
of laudanum, or a tea-spoonful of paregoric, to prevent
the medicine from working you too severely.  Next,
obtain from any doctor's  shop a small quantity of lunar
caustic; cut the end of a quill, and set the caustic into
it, which will afford you  an opportunity of using it
more conveniently, and  without handling it with your
fingers; wet the end of  this caustic in w7ater, and
touch the chancres or sores with it lightly, twice a day,
until you have killed the poison, always taking care to
wash and cleanse the sores  well with soap and water
immediately before this  operation is performed.  The
caustic will sting you a little; but never mind this;
you are now7 on the stool of repentance, and are only
learning the salutary moral lesson, that  " the penalty
ahvays treads upon  the heels of the transgression," and 
428
POX.
that the sacred laws of nature and her God  can never
be violated without punishment to reform the offender.
After using the caustic as just directed, apply dry lint
to the sores.   If caustic cannot be had, red precipitate
will answer nearly the same purpose; this must be
used by sprinkling a little on the chancres, after cleans-
ing them  with soap and  water as before  mentioned :
or you may, if you have neither caustic or precipitate,
use a little calomel, in the way that I  have directed
the precipitate to be used.   The better way, however,
will be, where all the articles can  be obtained, to use
the three  alternately,  or  in rotation, until you  can
ascertain which of them seems best to heal the ulcers,
and then to adopt the one which you prefer, from the
exercise of your best judgment.  I, myself, have always
found the lunar caustic the best remedy.  If you are
difficultly*situated as to procuring the  articles above
named, dissolve some blue vitriol, generally called blue
stone, in water, and wash the chancres or ulcers with
the solution repeatedly, taking particular care to keep
the sores very clean, and entirely free from matter.
  If the  disease appears under the form of buboes,
which  are such  swellings  of  the  groin as  I have
described  to you, and which, if left to themselves, will
rise and break like boils, you are to put blisters of Spa-
nish  flies  on them, which extend one or tw7o inches
over the buboes; and I suppose I need not tell you
that  these said blisters are  to be  renewed  until the
buboes or swellings are what the physicians call " dis-
cussed," in other words, driven aw7ay or back entirely.
If you cannot get blisters, lie on your back, and apply
linen rags to  the  buboes, kept constantly  wet with
clear strong ley,  which we vulgarly pronounce lye.
For this remedy, which is a valuable one, wre are in- 
POX.
429
debted to the French physicians: I learned it in France.
And  now, mind me particularly, if these buboes, not-
withstanding the application of blisters, or the appli-
cation of ley, rise to a head, burst, and discharge their
offensive and poisonous matter, which they will cer-
tainly do  if not driven  back, you  are to take  the
greatest possible precautions to keep them clean, while
discharging their loathsome contents; if you do not, the
matter  will be  very  apt to produce other  venereal
ulcers, especially if it happens to lodge on any sores on
other parts of the body; therefore wash  them gently,
but well, two or three times a day, in strong soap and
water, and after drying them well, wash the sores
again with a little of the weak  solution of corrosive
sublimate.   If  you cannot procure this preparation,
sprinkle a little red precipitate or calomel on the sores,
and dress them  with some simple ointment, such as
Turner's cerate: see under that head:—but mind me,
these  dressings, or either of them, are never to  be put
on, unless after washing the sores well with soap and
water.  During all  this treatment, and from the very
commencement of the disorder, you are to drink freely
of a strong decoction or tea, made of low ground sar-
saparilla, to every quart of which tea, after you have
strained it clear, you  are  to  add sixty drops of nitric
acid, vulgarly called aquafortis.   Take  this  tea thus
prepared, freely, say from a pint to a quart per day, and
avoid particularly every kind of strong food, and all kinds
of spirituous  liquors.   These measures carefully and
strictly  pursued, combined  with time, patience, and
the requisite rest, are all that are required to cure this
dreadful scourge of debauchery and licentiousness,
under any  form in which it may appear in the human
system.  This has been my uniform  practice;  and it 
430
POX.
is well known that I have succeeded in many cases of
the most desperate and hopeless character, and  when
other modes of practice had been resorted to in vain.
By these means, which have never before been  made
know7n by me, I succeeded  in  curing  a gentleman in
Virginia, several years ago, whose case, I will dare aver,
was as bad a one as can well be imagined.  He had
been attended  and  prescribed for by several  of  the
most distinguished physicians in the United States, and
was brought to me twenty miles in a carriage to Mont-
gomery courthouse, where  I then resided, in so help-
less and dreadful  a condition that  he  had fainted
several times on the short  journey, and was but  the
shadow of a human being.  Yet in the  lapse of six
weeks, by the practice I have just described, he became
a well man.  He is  now married, and  I am  happy to
add, from late accounts, is a healthy and virtuous hus-
band, and an  excellent citizen.   I am  constrained,
how7ever, to add, that the real  danger  of his  situation
was as much owing to the effects of the mercury he had
taken, as to the actual presence in his system of  the
venereal virus or poison.  That his disease was both
venereal and mercurial, I have never  entertained  the
least doubt: in other words, it came under the  consti-
tutional  disease I have  before described,  as   being
characterized by sores on the body, blotches, &c. &c.
The venereal disease, in this constitutional stage, has
been called by  some medical writer,  and I  perfectly
coincide with  him in opinion,  the  mercurial pox,
which I certainly consider  not only more dangerous,
but greatly more difficult to cure than the real  disease
itself, if no other means than mercury  be relied on.  I
am perfectly aware  that the idea of abandoning the use
of mercury in  the  cure  of pox will  be considered a 
POX.
431
novelty by many of the faculty of this country;  but I
am fully as w7ell aware, that the sarsaparilla, as I have
prescribed the use of it here, combined with the  nitric
acid or aquafortis, as before mentioned, will  remove
the pox from the human system in its worst forms and
stages.  For the powerful and salutary influence of the
nitric  acid or aquafortis on  the  human system, the
skeptical reader will please  to see " Remedies," in Dis-
eases of the Liver, from page 308 onward.   The prac-
tice of treating venereal  cases without mercury, has
now become general, both in the hospitals of England
and France;  and I predict that the day is not  far dis-
tant when mercury will cease to be used throughout
the United States.   The belief that pox can  only be
cured with safety and certainty by the use of mercury,
is so deeply seated in the minds of physicians at this
time, that I am persuaded it will require much time to
remove their  confidence in its favour.  That mercury
is, as I have before said, a cure for the venereal disease,
is well known; but that the effects produced by  it are
frequently mistaken for the pox itself, I have no  more
doubt than I have of my own existence.
  The French method of curing pox. is by the use  or
administration of Van Swieten's liquor, as they call  it.
or anti-syphilitic rob: for this medicine and the  man-
ner of preparing it, look  under that head.  The rob
was used in the London hospitals, until it w7as super-
seded and thrown out of use by Swaim's panacea: for
the method of preparing which, see  under that  head.
Both these medical  preparations are used with advan-
tage in secondary symptoms, by winch I mean what I
have said before, in cases where the disease has  become
constitutional, and  is  attended with ulcers,  sores,
blotches, &c.   The  sulphur bath, or sulphurous  fumi- 
432
pox.
gation, is much used in France.  After the fourth bath,
the ulcers and venereal blotches begin to heal, and ge-
nerally in ten or twelve baths are entirely cured.  This
last remedy, which is an  excellent one, is entirely
neglected, if I must speak out, upon no other principles
than laziness and inattention on  the  part  of practi-
tioners, and ignorance in Jheir patients.  This bath is
nothing more than the fumes of sulphuric acid, which
is nothing but oil of vitriol.   For a full description of
this valuable remedy, I may add this astonishing one:
read under the head Sulphuric Fumigation.
  With the foregoing exposition of my own mode of
curing pox, and the material remedies used in other
countries, I will now proceed to give the common and
general practice in this disease, leaving it optional with
the patient to adopt  that which suits  his opinions or
convenience  best.  Were  I to advise,  however, on
the  subject  of  a choice,  I  would  recommend the
mild  method in the first  instance,  and the mercu-
rial one only w7hen the aggravation  of the symptoms
seemed to call  for  it, which I must confess I think
wrould be but seldom where the plan of treatment I
have laid  down  had  been faithfully adhered to and
persisted in.   Doctor Rosseau, of Philadelphia, a gen-
tleman of distinguished  ability, and  great practice  in
this disease, expressly  says,  " I have  never found any
benefit to be derived from a salivation; on the contrary,
those patients who  have undergone  this dirty, filthy,
torturing process, have, to my knowledge, and to their
ow7n sorrow, felt  the deleterious effects of it for many
years, and very many for life."   For a full description
of this complaint in  its secondary and constitutional
symptoms', and the dreadful effects of mercury, I refer
to this very able, intelligent, and honest  writer; Me- 
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               MENSES OR COURSES.           465

are to avoid every thing that may injure  the digestive
powers, and particularly costiveness or being bound in
the bowels, loss of sleep, exposures of any kind, such as
damp feet, or sudden  changes from warm to  thin
clothing.  Girls in the country should be prevented
about this time from wading in the water, or walking
barefoot through the dew, as  it often stops this dis-
charge.  Getting cold, from any imprudence or unne-
cessary exposure, must also be avoided. On the subject
of medicines, you are particularly requested, as you
value the health of your child, to give no strong medi-
cines in the first stage of the menstrual discharge,
called vulgarly " forcing medicines."   This indeed is a
proper name, for you are truly forcing nature, which
is contrary to every principle  of common sense; for
this  discharge, unless stopped  from some one of the
causes I have mentioned, will assuredly  yield to pa-
tience and simple remedies; after a full trial, and suf-
ficient time allowed,  and you  are  disappointed in
bringing them on, you will try cautiously and mildly
the various remedies under the following head,  " Ob-
struction  of the Menses," where you will find  the
valuable  remedy,  "Seneca  snake-root:" for a full
description of  which important root, in  the stoppage
of the menses or courses, read under  the  head Seneca
snake-root.
           OBSTRUCTED MENSES.
  When the menses or courses have been once regu-
lar, and have been stopped from any accidental cause,
such as cold, and so on, they are said to be obstructed.
This is sometimes attended with pain: w7hen this is the
        GUNN    SO 
466
OBSTRUCTED MENSES.
case, it is called obstructed or painful menstruation, and
is attended with greater or less injury, according to the
state of  the system at the  time this  obstruction takes
place, and more particularly if any other part of the
body is labouring under disease ; for  the  womb, from
whence the menses or courses flow, is subject to great
varieties of diseased action, and it is utterly impossible
for me to  describe  the close connexion which is im-
mediately and sensibly felt between the womb, the
stomach, the head, and the influence  or power it has
on the pulse.   In six cases out of ten, hysterics, de-
spondency of mind, sickness of the stomach, pains in the
head, coldness of the hands and feet,  flushings of heat
over the whole body, and not unfrequently fever, arise
from obstructed menses or courses, or some disordered
state of the womb.  I have had in my practice many
females who became greatly alarmed from the spitting
of blood.  This is  frequently the  case, where the ob-
struction has been  for any length of time, accompanied
by frequent bleeding at the nose, dry short cough, pains
in the bottom of the belly, and  in the small of the back,
pulse hard and quick, skin hot, and burning sensations
in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.  When
these last symptoms take place, immediate  attention
should be paid, or consumption will take place.  A
skilful physician must be sought for, if the  remedies,
after a fair and steady trial, should not produce the dis-
charge.   In some instances, this  obstruction of the
menses or courses  arise from debility or weakness of
the constitution. ^This will be known  by the whites
making their appearance.  When  this is the case,
you must not force nature, but give  tonic or strength-
ening medicines   to restore  the  system first;  then
the  remedies that follow, beginning with those that 
OBSTRUCTED MENSES.
467
are most simple, until the menses or courses are pro-
duced.

                   REMEDIES.
  If the woman is of a robust or full habit of body, the
loss of some blood from the foot will be proper.   A
short  time before  the return of the menses or courses,
warm cloths wrung out of hot water must be applied
to the bottom of the belly; this is to be done a few
nights before the expected time, or you  may  sit upon
the steam of common pine tops, on which boiling wa-
ter has been poured; or you may sit in a tub  of warm
water for fifteen or  twenty minutes before you go to
bed, and while  sitting in  the  warm water, have your
feet bathed  in  another  tub or vessel,  in which the
water should be as w7arm as you can conveniently bear
it, or  plunge the feet and legs in and out frequently,
as you may be able to  bear the heat of the  water.
While you are bathing or steaming over the pine tops,
use the following remedy, which must be prepared and
kept ready for use when you are going  to bathe : one
ounce of Seneca snake-root well bruised with a ham-
mer, then put it into a quart of boiling water, and stew
it over a slow7 fire to half a pint; of this tea take a table-
spoonful every ten minutes while bathing, or while over
the steam.  For a full description of this valuable root,
see that head.  When you have used these remedies for
a quarter or half an hour, retire to bed, and  have  the
bottom of your belly well rubbed with  a coarse warm
towel, or a soft brush; this is called friction, the inten-
tion of which  is  to rouse the circulation, excite  the
womb to action, and  cause the menses or courses to
discharge or flow.
   You will find the following medicine to be a valuable 
468
OBSTRUCTED MENSES.
assistant in producing this  discharge, and it should be
taken for one, two, and even three nights before the
expected time: five grains of aloes, five grains of rhu-
barb, and five  grains of calomel, finely powdered and
mixed together well, and should the dose not produce
a stool or two by morning,  you are to take a small dose
of Epsom salts to assist the operation.   If  the  dose
should purge you too severely, the next dose should be
less, say  three grains  of each instead  of five, or  even
two grains of each will answer; your own judgment
will easily regulate the dose  to the constitution of the
person.   Or you may apply a small  blister a  day or
two before the time, between the fundament and birth-
place, called by physicians the perineum, giving at the
same time a purgative twice or even three times a day
of aloes, each dose five grains.   Should these remedies
all fail, inject or throw up with a syringe or squirt, into
the  vagina, a mixture of strong whisky and water, so
as to irritate or excite an  action in the womb.  As I
have remarked in the first  instance, the  loss of  some
blood will generally be found beneficial, unless the
constitution or health of the woman will not admit of
the loss of blood, which is  not very frequently the case.
The loss of  blood always  tends to assist the womb to
return to its natural action.  Madder, which is  known
to every person  in  the country as a  die, and may be
purchased at any of the stores, is highly recommended
by the late Doctor  Barton, of Philadelphia, professor
of the medical school in that city, in  doses of  twenty
or thirty grains.  The tincture of gum guaiacum, in
doses of a table-spoonful in half a cup of new milk may
be given.  This tincture is made in the  following
manner: obtain one ounce  of gum guaiacum, which
is w7orth about ninepence, mash or pound it fine with 
              OBSTRUCTED  MENSES.           469

a hammer, and put it in a pint of spirits of any kind ;
let it steep for ten days, shaking it daily, and you have
the tincture of gum guaiacum, it being then fit for use.
Doctor Dewees, professor of midwifery in the medical
school of Philadelphia, asserts, that in the experience
of thirty-tw7o years it has never failed him in pro-
ducing the menses and courses.  Of this spirit, put a
table-spoonful in  the milk, and gently pour off the
spirit, so as not to shake it at the time you are about to
use it.  I have now given  you the different and im-
portant remedies, out of which you may select which
you please for use;  they are all valuable.  You will,
however, bear in mind, that the  efforts to be made to
bring on the menses or courses, should take place about
the expected time, or a little before it.  The constitu-
tion  of the  woman must  be fully  and properly exa-
mined, so  as not to force, but to assist nature in her
operations.
              G*REEN SICKNESS.
  When the menses or courses have been retained or
stopped for any length of time, and the whole system
becomes diseased from  a want of  this  discharge, so
necessary to the health of every female, it terminates
or ends frequently in what is called  chlorosis or green
sickness.  When this is  the case, the skin turns of a
pale yellow or greenish hue; the lips  become pale or
of a purple colour;  the  eyes have  a  dark or purple
tinge around them;  on making the  least exertion, the
heart palpitates or beats; the knees tremble, and there
is a frequent sighing without knowing the cause. The
mind is very fickle, and the woman dislikes, or seems 
470
GREEN SICKNESS.
to want the pow7er to attend to her domestic concerns.
The cheeks are  frequently flushed, similar to con
sumption ; the feet swell, and the whole system seems
to sink under debility or great weakness.  I have now
described to you  the symptoms which I  alluded to,
when I directed you  to examine the constitution, and
not to force nature, especially when  tonic or strength-
ening medicines are required  to restore the whole sys-
tem, before any attempt ought to be made to bring on
the menses or courses. The treatment in this last stage
called  green sickness, should be as follows: as little
medicine as possible should be given ; in fact, nothing
but some simple  medicine to prevent costiveness by
keeping the bowels  open, such for instance as a tea-
spoonful of Epsom salts, and a tea-spoonful of magne-
sia, ground finely  and well mixed together, to be  taken
in a cupful of cold water when necessary for this pur-
pose; travelling on horseback, or moderate exercise.
Good Madeira wine, taken  frequently and in  small
quantities: bitters made of  equal  quantities of wild
cherrytree bark and poplar bark (usually called swamp
poplar) steeped in wine for several days, and taken in
moderate doses: or tea made of the  flowers of garden
chamomile, and taken cold,  in doses of a wine-glass-
full, three or four  times a day.   The chalybeate  water
should be used very freely.   Our country abounds
with these waters; for they are to be found on almost
every branch or creek.   Chalybeate waters are  those
springs which  are impregnated with iron.  By these
remedies the whole  system  will be restored, and  in
due time the menses  or courses will again  appear ; at
which time, mild  and gentle remedies are to be used,
to court nature to  the proper performance of this  ne-
cessary and important discharge. 
             MENSTRUAL DISCHARGES.         471


THE GREAT DISCHARGE OF THE MENSES
                 OR  COURSES.
  When  the menses or courses come on suddenly or
irregularly, and  the discharges for several  days  are
greater  than  usual,«by which the woman is greatly
reduced and  weakened—this is called excessive men-
struation.   The  causes are, too great a determination
of blood to the womb ; or, in other words, too great an
action in its vessels.   This over quantity, or large dis-
charge,  generally takes place in delicate women, par-
ticularly those who  take but little  exercise, or those
who sit  a great deal; such as milliners or seamstresses,
and in fact all w7ho lead sedentary lives,  and are ad-
dicted to such unhealthy habits.

                    REMEDIES.
  Draw blood from  the arm immediately; and regulate
the quantity  taken by the constitution, the habits, and
the strength of the woman : there are few cases that do
not admit of a little  blood being drawn.  Give a purge
of Epsom salts or castor oil, and let your patient go to
bed  and there remain;  she must be  kept as cool as
possible, with her hips a little raised.  The room  also
must be made and kept as cool as possible.  If the
discharge  of  blood  is considerable, apply cloths  wet
with cold water to the birth-place, and even push them
up it; at the  same time injecting cold w7ater up with a
female syringe or pewter squirt.   There is no danger
whatever  in these cold applications: therefore do not
hesitate to use them if necessary.  I have always used
ice in my practice in Virginia, by putting it in a towel
or piece of flannel, and applying it to the belly.  If the 
472
MENSTRUAL DISCHARGES.
blood flows rapidly, make a plug with cloth, and push
it well up the birth-place, so as to prevent the blood
from flowing, or that it may congeal and stop.   Should
these  remedies fail, you must resort to the following
remedy, which should only be used in extreme dan-
ger :  Mix two  grains of sugar of lead with a quarter
of a grain of opium, and a little honey;  give a pill  of  *
this mixture every two hours, until the discharge  of
blood is lessened.   If the patient is very much ex-
hausted,  give laudanum in  the dose of fifteen  drops,
occasionally, or administer opium: see table for dose;
administering either laudanum or opium, according to
the urgency of her situation, pains, &c,  as both these
medicines will give strength, and allay the great irrita-
tion of the nervous system.   Or if there is great pain
in the womb,  administer a glyster: look  under that
head.  The glyster must be made of the bark of slip-
pery elm, by pouring  boiling water on  the inside part
of the bark.  It is to be perfectly cold, and in it put a
tea-spoonful of laudanum.   Throw this glyster up the
fundament, out of which passes the stool.  These glys-
ters are to be given every hour, until relief is obtained.
Every thing used at this  time as  a drink should  be
perfectly cold.  Nothing heating, of any description,
ought to be given, either as food or drink, during this
great flow of the menses or courses.
  To prevent a return  of this discharge, when once
relieved, take moderate exercise : bathe the back and
belly frequently in cold water, and take the salt bath;
see under the head Cold Bath.  Take moderately the
best old Madeira wine; and a short time before the
expected discharge, lose  some  blood from the arm.
At all times you are to  pay particular attention to
your bowels;  that is, not  to permit them to  become 
MENSTRUAL DISCHARGES.
473
costive or bound.   Morning and night, when you rise
or retire to bed, use friction; which  means rubbing
the whole body, for twenty or thirty minutes, with a
brush or coarse towel;  this should  be done by a ser-
vant or assistant.  The last remedy is truly worthy of
strict attention.
•    CESSATION OF THE MENSES OR COURSES,,
      A cessation of the menses or courses means an
    entire  stoppage of these discharges, or a change of
    nature in this respect, at an advanced  period of life.
    This revolution or change takes place, generally speak-
    ing, from the forty-second to  the  forty-seventh year:
    it is a critical and extremely dangerous period  of a
    woman's life, and although thousands pass through it
    without experiencing any great inconvenience, it is a
    period which requires particular attention and care.
      All exposure to cold and damp must be scrupulously
    avoided ; and particularly wet feet, and remaining any
    length of time on the damp ground.  Sudden changes
    of dress are also extremely hazardous at this period;
    in fact, every thing that produces  sudden revolutions
    in the bodily system, from extremes of heat, cold, and
    dampness.  By not attending to what I have just  laid
    dow7n, you will be sure to lay the foundations of dis-
    eases of a multiplied and stubborn character, which
    will be sure to imbitter and  distress the  remainder of
    your life, be it long or short.
      The courses about this time of life, begin to lessen in
    quantity, and to become more or less irregular in theii
    discharges.   When you  are likely to suffer some in-
    convenience in this  change of nature, you will have 
474        CESSATION OF  THE MENSES.

warning by the occurrence of the following symptoms:
You will have pains in the head and small of the back,
trembling of the knees, flushing and burning of the
face, choking sensations in  the throat, sickness of the
stomach, dizziness or swimming in the head, and fre-
quently mists before your eyes.  You must now live
on spare diet, and, as I have  just told vou, avoid all
kinds  of cold, damp, and wet.

                    REMEDIES.
  Very few medicines are  to be taken in  this state
of the system, and those that are taken must be of the
most simple, mild, and innocent kind.  For the pur-
pose of keeping  your bowels open, and removing all
causes of irritation, use purges of Epsom  salts, or cas-
tor oil when necessary; they will always cool the
system, and allay any dangerous irritations.  If you
are of a robust and full habit of body, and have dizzi-
ness and pains in the head, cupping on  the temples
will give relief.  For the method of cupping, which
is very simple, look under that head.  Or, if you should
not like the plan of  cupping, or if it be inconvenient,
you may occasionally draw7 a little  blood  from the
arm ;  w7hen those unpleasant feelings 1 have described
make their appearance.  Temperance, or, in  other
words, abstaining from strong food, and living on very
spare  and simple diet, is greatly more important than
any medicines that can be taken; nor will  any medi-
cines  be necessary in most cases, other than  such as
will   keep  the  bowels in a gentle laxative state,  as
mentioned before, with  cupping, if considered neces-
sary.   You should take moderate  exercise in good
weather  on horseback, and above all  other remedies,
use regularly friction; which means rubbing the wiiole 
            CESSATION OF  THE  MENSES.        475

 body with a brush or coarse towel, morning and even-
 ing.  This friction  you are not to  neglect, because it
 is very important at this period.  You are also to keep
 the birth-place perfectly clean, by washing daily those
 parts in milk-warm water and soap.  Unless these
 parts are kept perfectly clean, they retain  a secretion
 which I need not  name, which irritates and  excites
 diseased action in the womb.  Whenever you feel pain
 in your  back, belly, &c, take the  tepid bath, w7hich
 you are to  make sufficiently warm to be pleasant. For
 a  description  of  this bath,  see page  60.  If  pain is
 felt in the  head, stomach, or breast, a blister must be
 applied  between the shoulders, which will give relief.
 You may take off the blister, after it has been on two
 or three hours, if the pain  has been  removed  by its
 application, as is sometimes  the case after the skin has
 become red from the  blister.  But  the warm bath,
 moderate bleeding, and keeping the bowels open with
 the mild medicines I  have  described, will afford you
 the necessary ease  and relief in your situation, pro-
 vided you  keep yourself in a perfect  state of rest on
 your bed.
   If the  pain in the womb  be considerable, and you
 have any fears of an inflammation in those parts, apply
 a large blister over the belly; which  blister is to be
 dressed with sweet oil.   You  are also to  give glysters
 frequently, which are to be thrown well up the bowels,
 say three or four times  a day.  They are to be made
 of slippery-elm bark, by pouring boiling  water  on the
 inside bark, and  letting the water  stand until  about
 milk-warm ; this water is to be thrown up  as directed
 under the  head Glystering.   If the  inflammation  is
great in the womb, throw up the birth-place, with the
glyster-pipe, the slippery-elm water, five or six times a 
 476        CESSATION OF  THE MENSES.

 day; but remember  it is to be perfectly cold, when
 you throw it up the birth-place: w7hen thrown up the
 fundament into the bowels, it is to be milk-warm.
 There is an excellent preparation, which can be easily
 made, to throw up the birth-place, which  is perhaps
 better than the slippery-elm wrater.   Take two tea-
 spoonsful of sugar of lead, and put them in a quart of
 the coldest water.  After the lead is dissolved it will
 be fit for use.   Of this lead w7ater, throw up about a
 gill, mixed with about a gill  of  slippery-elm water.
 Do this occasionally.
  Should an ulcer or sore break out on the legs, or an}7
 part of your body, be very careful not to heal it up im-
 mediately or very suddenly; it is an effort of nature to
 relieve herself of the discharge.  It may be necessary
 for  me to  remark, that if the  womb is painful, and
 there is no danger of inflammation, apply over the belly
 and  to the small of the back, warm herbs, or warm
 salt,  or bladders filled with w7arm w7ater. and take a
dose of laudanum  or opium : see  table of doses.   By
attending closely to these instructions, which I have
laid down plainly, you will pass through this change
 of nature with safety; and no doubt enjoy through the
winter of old age an exemption  from  those complaints
which are too apt to occur, from neglect of this impor-
tant change of the female constitution.
                 THE WHITES.
  This disease is called by physicians fluor albus.  It
is an unnatural and white coloured discharge from the
birth-place, and is produced from various causes: such,
for instance, as the powers of the womb being impaired
by severe labours, repeated miscarriages, getting out of 
THE WHITES.
477
 bed too soon after child-birth, or by  taking cold at
 this time, or  any other time when the menses or
 courses are about coming on;  or by over fatigue or
 weakness, produced by general bad health ; or where
 the general  secretions and excretions have been de-
 ranged by disease; as the w7omb always more or less
 sympathizes with the whole system.   Women who are
 of weakly or delicate constitutions, and take but little
 active exercise, and such as have had many children,
 are much subject to the  fluor albus or whites.   I have
 known many instances in which the whites made theii
 appearance monthly, instead of the natural menses 01
 courses.  This is generally the case where the  woman
 is labouring  under the  suppression of the menstrual
 discharge, or some weakness  or derangement  of the
 whole system.  I shall  now describe the means of
 knowing the whites from the clap.
   In the clap there is a swelling of the parts, an itching
 and uneasy feeling, and  much heat in making  water.
 In a little time both the  inside and outside of the parts
 become inflamed, and give much heat and  scalding in
 evacuating the urine; if these symptoms  occur  you
 may be tolerably certain you have taken the clap, in
 wilich case you will find the means of relief distinctly
 laid down, from page 435 to 438.
   The whites are called  by this name, because the dis-
 charge resembles the white of an egg, or the mucus or
 slime which runs from the nose when you have a cold.
 There are three or four stages of this complaint between
 its mildest and severest forms; and if permitted to run
 on, it will entirely destroy the constitution  of the  wo-
 man,  by reducing her flesh and muscular strength.
 Her complexion will  change to a sickly pale colour;
she will become very w7eak, and her heart will palpi- 
478
THE WHITES.
 tate or beat with the slightest personal exertion.  As
 this disorder seldom stops without  medical assistance.
 means ought always to be immediately used, or it will
 commit great ravages on the female constitution.  The
 whites come on very irregularly; sometimes  the dis-
 charge is  in lumps,  but more frequently it  is  of  a
 white, slimy, ropy consistence.  If the disease is of the
 mildest form, the discharges resemble the white of an
 egg, having no smell, and no colour but that just men-
 tioned.  In  the second stage the discharges are of  a
 light yellow or straw7 colour, and something offensive
 to the smell.  In the third stage, the discharges are of
 a greenish colour, of a tough and  gluey  consistence,
 and quite offensive in smell.   In the worst stage of the
 disease, or wiien the disease  has been permitted from
 ignorance or negligence to run on, the discharges are
 very offensive, and mixed with blood; the face becomes
 of a sickly greenish hue ; under the  eyes  there is an
 unnatural colour; the lips become purple; the feet and
 legs swell; the face becomes subject to flushes of heat;
 there is a dry cough and great difficulty of breathing,
 particularly on the slightest exertion; and unless relief
 is obtained, the disease will, after this  stage, terminate
 either in consumption or dropsy.
  I shall now proceed to describe the effects which the
 disease produces in the different  stages of its advance-
 ment.   When it is slight, or in its  mildest form, and
 the general health of the woman is not much impaired,
 there is a pain in the back, the menses are not regular,
 and on the slightest exertion, the woman feels a shoot-
 ing and afterwards a heavy pain in the back.  In the
second stage,  the above symptoms are felt most con-
stantly and severely; the stomach becomes disordered;
the head aches; the bowels are costive or  bound  up, 
THE WHITES.               479
there is a dizziness or swimming in  the head; and
there seems a heavy pain in the bottom of the belly,
and at the upper part of the  thighs.  In the severest
form of the disease, the symptoms of which I have
already described, all the indications or marks of dys-
pepsia or indigestion take place: for a description of
which complaint see under that head.  The  whole
system becomes disordered and unhealthy;  the men-
strual discharge entirely stops; and the woman, from
general debility  and  weakness,  sinks  rapidly into
decline, and ends either in consumption or dropsy, as
I have said before.

                   REMEDIES.
  There is no remedy  in the first stage of this  com-
plaint equal to scrupulous cleanliness, or bathing well
those parts in cold w7ater three or four times a day. and
injecting up the birth-place frequently the same thing,
cold water.   Sleep  on  a mattrass instead of  a  feather
bed, or in other words,  a hard bed  of any kind.  Rise
early and take proper exercise; and if convenient to a
chalybeate spring, or one wiiose waters are impreg-
nated with iron,  drink freely of those waters.  The
country abounds with waters of this description ; and
they are a most valuable remedy for women labouring
under this disease, or any irregularity of the menses or
courses.  The bowels are to be kept open with  mild
laxative medicines, such as Epsom  salts or castor oil.
From fifteen to twenty drops of balsam copaiva are to
be given on sugar, three times a day; which if neces-
sary are to  be  continued eight or ten days, or even
more if found essential.  I have relieved this complaint,
when all  the different remedies had been  tried, by
simply using the turpentine from  the  common pine 
480
THE WHITES.
tree.  It must be made into pills with honey, and one
of the pills given two or three times a day, using at the
same  time the following  injection, which is  to  be
thrown up the birth-place three or four times a day.
A tea-spoonful of sugar of lead is to be put  into a pint
of spring water, and permitted to remain until dissolved.
Obtain at any  doctor's shop a female syringe, which is
a pewter squirt with holes in the end of it.  With this
instrument you are to throw up the lead water three
or four times  a day.   You will find this a valuable
remedy.  If it be inconvenient to get the sugar of lead,
make a decoction of white-oak bark, by  boiling it in
water: and of  this w7ater, wiien perfectly cold, throw
up the birth-place as often, and about the same  quan-
tity that you would of the lead water.
  If the discharge is very offensive from the parts, you
should introduce up the birth-place every morning and
night about a tea-spoonful of common charcoal, pound-
ed as fine as possible.  This will entirely remove the
offensive smell.
  If the directions I  have given  do not restrain the
discharge, you  will apply a large blister to the small of
the  back, at the same time using the injections  freely
as directed.  Should the constitution be much injured,
and the woman greatly reduced by the discharge, ob-
tain from any doctor's shop a tincture of sal martis,
winch  is a preparation of iron  dissolved in muriatic
acid.  Obtain  also a box of soda pow7ders.  On these
boxes vou will  find directions how7 to use them;  if not
look under the head Soda Powders.  When you have
mixed your papers of soda powders with water, in tw7o
tumblers, and  before you have poured them together,
drop into the tumbler in which you have put the con-
tents of the blue paper, eight or ten drops of the medi- 
THE WHITES.
481
cine in the phial.  Being now ready, pour  it all into
one tumbler and drink it down  immediately while it
is foaming or effervescing. This drink should be taken
three times a day.  I have merely to remark, that this
is a preparation>of one of the most  valuable  mineral
waters known in Europe, and is admirably adapted to
debility of the stomach, or indigestion, affections of the
womb, and  indeed,  debility of  any kind.  After  all
these remedies have failed, polypus of the womb may
exist, which always requires the  assistance of an able
physician.
                 PREGNANCY.

  When the sexual connexion between a male and
female has  been favourable to the increase of our spe-
cies, the seed of the man and that of the woman are
conveyed, as already described, through the Fallopian
tubes into the womb, and there deposited.   Here the
growth of the foetus or child commences, whilst at the
same time  there is formed a bag or covering for the
whole, (called the membranes,) which lines the womb.
At the same time, there is a fleshy substance formed,
which very much resembles the liver; this substance
is called the after-birth, and by physicians the placenta.
This  fleshy substance, called the after-birth, receives
and prepares the blood, which is supplied by the womb
for the child. From this after-birth to the navel of the
child, there is a small cord  or tube  called  the navel
cord, or umbilical cord.  This  tube admits the circu-
lation of the blood between the mother and the child.
There is also a fluid, know7n by the  name of the wa-
      GUNN     31 
482
PREGNANCY.
ters, in which the foetus or child moves and increases
in growth.
   You will now readily perceive that the womb con-
tains, when pregnant, the child, the waters in which it
moves, the membranes winch  support it, the navel-
cord, and the after-birth. From eight to ten days after
the woman has conceived, the first formations of the
child may be distinguished;  it is,  however, so ex-
tremely delicate as to require the most minute atten-
tion to discover it with the naked eye.  The face and
form of the large features are  as yet not sufficiently
plain to be distinguished; you can merely discover the
formation of the head and trunk; the trunk being the
longest and most delicate ; the whole resembling a bit
of jelly of an oblong figure. You will perceive by close
examination the resemblance of a small feather, which
comes from the navel,  and ends in  the membrane by
which the whole is enclosed.  This fine feathery fibre,
afterwards the navel-cord, connects the young with the
after-birth.
   In about three weeks after conception, the formation
of the infant may be plainly distinguished, because by
this time the head and features of the face begin to
assume something of a strong outline; in other words,
they begin to  show the realities of what they are. The
arms and legs are next seen to project from  the body;
tw7o black specks represent the eyes; and two ex-
tremely small holes make the place of the ears.  The
ribs on each side are about the size of common threads;
and the fingers and  toes about the same magnitude.
x he arms are something longer than the legs in conse-
quence of their growth being more rapid.
  In about one month  after conception, the foetus or
child is about one inch  in length; and it  now takes a 
PREGNANCY.
483
bending posture in the middle of the water or liquor I
have described to you.  About this time the mem-
branes, sometimes called the bag or  covering, become
enlarged, and get thicker  and  stronger, and the whole
mass together is about an inch in length, and nearly
the shape of an egg.
  In about six weeks the motion  of the heart of the
child may be  perceived.   In  fact, in surgical opera-
tions which I have seen  performed, where the child
was taken from the womb, the heart was seen to beat
for a considerable length of time.
  In three months the child is three inches in length,
and its weight from two to three ounces.   Women as-
sert that they have felt the motion of the child about
this time, but I would suppose it doubtful at this early
period.  In about fourteen weeks the head of the child
is bent forward and the chin  rests on the breast; the
knees are lifted up; the legs bent back on the  thighs;
and both the hands lifted  up towards the face.
  In the lapse of time the  child acquires more strength,
and is constantly changing  its posture; but the head
most commonly inclines  downward.  Near the fifth
month  the mother can distinctly feel the motion of the
child, which is called quickening, and which is often
accompanied with sickness at the stomach, and vomit-
ing, particularly in the morning.  When this quicken-
ing is felt, it is a very certain symptom of pregnancy.
About  the time of this quickening, the womb seems as
if it were loose in the lower part of the belly.  As long
as the womb is detained in the pelvis or basin, you can,
by introducing the finger up the birth-place, the woman
being in a standing position, distinctly feel the mouth
of the womb, which is lowTer down than in the natural
and unimpregnated state.  This is occasioned by the 
484
PREGNANCY.
 weight of the womb and its contents, continually and
 gradually bearing downward.  Thus the mouth of the
 womb can be felt, after the woman has become  with
 child, for several weeks, and affords another evidence
 of pregnancy.
   After this time the womb begins considerably to in-
 crease in size, and ascend gradually up into the abdo-
 men or belly, growing at last so large that it remains
 mostly above the bones of the pelvis or basin, and par-
 tially rests on them.
   In the beginning of the fifth  month  the  belly be-
 comes hard, and the navel of the mother is perfectly
 even and smooth.   From this onward the woman in-
 creases in size; pregnancy being now evident, a further
 description of its progress would be  unnecessary.  In
 nine months, or in about  forty-two weeks  from the
 stoppage of the menses or courses,  the child is pre-
 pared for its entrance  into life; and nature prepares
 herself for a delivery of her burden, by a contraction
 of the fibres of the womb, which are no  longer able to
 bear the  irritation.   Here commence  the pains of
 labour, in other words, restless and uneasy sensations,.
 pain in the small of the back, frequent desire to make
'water, accompanied with bearing downwards, particu-
 larly at the bottom of the belly; constant  desire  to go
 to stool, perhaps without being able to pass any thing;
 costiveness, with a small discharge of mucus or slime
 from the birth-place, &c.
   I  have mentioned to you the  waters  in which the
 child moves and changes its position.  As to the quan-
 tity of these waters at the  birth  of the child, it varies
 very much in different w7omen.   In some I have seen
 not  more than a gill, in ethers not more  than half a
 pint, and in  others I have known nearly two quarts. 
PREGNANCY.
485
Those who have written on this subject before me
state that these waters resemble the white of an egg,
and  have very little smell.   This  is,  however, not
always the case, the waters are sometimes very offen-
sive.  The fact is, that their colour and consistency
depend on the peculiar state of the system.
  The after-birth prepares the blood in a proper state,
which is then conveyed by the navel cord to the child
for its support and growth ; you will therefore under-
stand that  the growth is produced by and through the
after-birth.  This after-birth or fleshy substance, which
resembles the liver, is generally in weight from a pound
to a pound and a  half; and depends both for weight
and size, not on the appearance of the woman, but on
the healthy or diseased state of the womb and its secre-
tions ; for I have very often seen in  my  practice, very
large women produce quite small after-births, whilst, on
the contrary, I have seen very delicate women produce
astonishingly large ones.
  The navel cord, called by physicians the umbilical
cord,  is formed of tw7o veins  which come  from the
after-birth, and an artery which comes from the child;
these  being twisted nicely together, is the reason why
it is called  the navel cord.   The blood  which  passes
through the veins of this cord enters at  the navel of
the child, and by the proper vessels is conveyed to its
heart; it is then conveyed again back from the heart
to the various parts of the child's  body for  its growih
and support,  as I told you before.   After returning
again, the  heart  forces it back through the artery,
which I have mentioned as a part of the cord, to the
after-birth, which prepares it for the foetus or child.
  I have now given you a  plain explanation of preg-
nancy, and of the means by which the child is sus- 
486
PREGNANCY.
tained in the womb, and of the parts connected with
the womb, necessary  to be  known and understood.
This explanation will enable  you with a little atten-
tion  to  understand  something  of the  astonishing
powei*s possessed and employed by nature for the pro-
creation, increase,  and  preservation of  the human
species.
            SIGNS OF PREGNANCY.
   Sickness in the morning, often attended with vomit-
 ing or puking;  heart-burn,  and soreness on the sto-
 mach ; loss of appetite, and dislike of the sight of food;
 craving for things which before you were  indifferent
 to, or even disliked;  and  stoppage of the menses or
 courses; this last symptom, however, is  sometimes oc-
 casioned from cold, &c.  Pregnancy is also known by
 palpitations or  flutterings  of  the heart;  faintness,
 accompanied with a desire to vomit; these last symp-
 toms are generally felt by  young married women in
 their first pregnancy.  The breasts become more full,
 the nipples more firm  and hard, and the rings  around
 them assume a darker colour.  The rising of the navel,
 so as to become flat and smooth with the belly, may
 be considered an almost certain evidence of pregnancy.
 I omitted to mention  that  toothache frequently is an
 indication of pregnancy.
  The pulse of a wroman with child is considerably
 quicker than common; there is also frequently  a dizzi-
 ness or swimming in the head; the complexion of the
face generally changes, either by becoming  much im-
proved, or by exhibiting a more sallow, pale, and sickly 
SIGNS OF  PREGNANCY.
487
colour.   There are few women who do not undergo
some peculiar change of countenance in pregnancy, so
as to indicate with those  well  acquainted with them
their real situation.   There is,  however, no certain
sign of pregnancy, but the motions of the child felt by
the mother; and all the symptoms I have mentioned,
although sufficient to induce the belief of pregnancy,
may be deceptive.  For instance, the menses or courses
may stop, and it may be produced  by cold, or some
cause other than pregnancy; therefore, until about the
third or fourth month, doubts may exist as to the actual
situation  of the woman.
  I have  mentioned that  after  conception, and before
the womb began to rise above the pelvis or basin, by
introducing the finger up the birth-place, the mouth of
the womb might be plainly felt.  This is the fact, and
the reasons are obvious.  The increasing weight of the
womb, at this period, lowers its  mouth in the vagina or
birth-place, so that it can  be  easily touched  with the
finger: and an experienced physician or midwife, by
such an examination, could  easily  tell whether  the
woman was with child or not.  The indications, how-
ever, are more plainly felt in  a young married woman
than in one w7ho has borne children.   In making this
examination the woman should always be in  a stand-
ing posture, leaning on the shoulder of the operator, so
as to relax the parts as much  as possible.  In w7omen
who have borne children, or suffered  in injuries from
child-birth, the mouth of the  womb is very apt to pro-
trude downward through the birth-place, and is called
falling down of the  womb.   This is caused by the
ignorance and stupidity of common midwives, from
pulling  the  after-birth away,  and  producing this
descent of  the  mouth  of  the  womb.  You will  be 
488
SIGNS OF PRLGNANCY.
made fully acquainted with this falling of the womb
in the proper place.
     CAUTIONS DURING PREGNANCY.
  When the w7oman discovers her change of situation,
or, in other words, that she is with child, she  is to at-
tend to her bowels particularly, so that  they may not
become costive or bound up.  She must steadily bear
in mind, that more than half the diseases which  arise
during pregnancy, are more or less occasioned by neg-
lect to keep the bowels regular.  If }7ou cannot  have
a stool daily, take a glyster of simple milk and water.
There is  no indelicacy in this  matter.  There are in-
struments called self-pipes, w7hich you can use yourself,
and  there ought to be one of these in every family.
For a description how to prepare and administer  glys-
ters, read under that head.  I have known many wo-
men who, by neglecting their  bowels during preg-
nancy, w7ere compelled to  submit to having the  hard
excrement  removed  from  the  fundament, before  a
passage could  be obtained.  This  is certainly more
indelicate than using a  glyster pipe, and merely throw-
ing up a  glyster of milk and water; and  I do assert,
that if these glyster  pipes were  more used in the
United States, both by women and men, there would
be many constitutions saved, and very many diseases
and  sufferings avoided.  Is it not reasonable to pre-
sume that  more danger is done to the stomach, by
eternally keeping  it  loaded with  drastic purgative
medicines, than would be done to  the  system by the
simple use of the glyster pipe ?
  Women, during  pregnancy, may be said to labour 
           CAUTIONS DURING PREGNANCY.       489

 under constant irritation, however  delicate their con-
 stitutions ; and, therefore, glysters  not only afford an
 easy and pleasant passage or stool, but cool the bowels,
 and allay the irritation  of the  whole system.   The
 tepid  bath  (see page 160) ought  to be used during
 pregnancy.   It will entirely soothe, not only the bodily
 irritation, but also tranquillize the mind  and feelings.
 You will recollect  that the water of this bath is to be
 but pleasantly warm,  because  hot water  has been
 known to produce  abortion, which means losing the
 child.   The bath I recommend will have an effect to
 preserve and equalize the healthy action of the womb,
 and all the parts connected with it.  Particular atten-
 tion should  be paid to the diet or food ;  let it be sim-
 ple and plain, and of such a quality as agrees with you.
 If you will but attend to these instructions, I may assure
 you that you will  pass through this period, not only
 with  safety, but with great comfort, and produce in
 due time, not only a healthy but a vigorous offspring.
   By all means banish gloomy  and depressing fears;
 nor listen for a moment to the  idle tales of misfortunes
 which are said  to have happened to others; all these
 tales are without a  shadow of truth.  Think of the
 countless  and innumerable millions who have passed
 through these feelings and trials without the slightest
 accident.   Therefore  place full and implicit confi-
 dence  in the benevolence, wisdom,  and  mercy of the
 great  Father of the universe,  who  rules  and governs
 all human  destinies!  Be  cheerful,  collected, and
serene, for in multiplying and replenishing the earth
you are fulfilling an imperious command of the Al
 mighty, in wrhich he will never desert you. 
490
DISEASES  OF PREGNANCY.
         DISEASES OF PREGNANCY.
  The many diseases to which women are generally
liable during pregnancy, mostly arise from the causes
I have already enumerated, such as costiveness, impro-
per diet, and so on.  The womb at  this period is ex-
tremely irritable, and always sympathizes  with  the
other parts of the system, and  particularly with the
stomach and head.  Some women suffer a great  deal
during pregnancy, and others very slightly.  The fact
is, that the mind, the passions, and even the feelings of
women  sometimes participate strongly with the phy-
sical system during pregnancy;  not only leaving pow-
erful impressions on the foetus or child itself, but exer-
cising a  strong influence on the very conduct of the
woman herself.   I hardly need instance such  matters
as longing  for particular  articles of food, or  the vast
and countless varieties of whims, caprices, sympathies,
antipathies, and  so on, winch  beset some pregnant
women;  nor need I point out to the reader the abor-
tive  proportions  of birth,  and the varieties of injury
sometimes  sustained by the child, through  the mind,
imagination, and feelings of the mother.  Pregnancy
also  (and not unfrequently) exercises a moral influ-
ence. I  recollect a lady  in New York, of the very
first  respectability, whose  husband was long an asso-
ciate  of the legislative  councils of  the nation,  who
never visited, or  left her house  after she had  felt the
quickening sensations of pregnancy, in other words,
the motion of the child, without experiencing an irre-
sistible propensity to steal; nor could she ever combat
successfully, or  restrain the unaccountable desire  to
pilfer. This, however, is  only one case among a mil-
lion  that might be adduced to prove the existence of 
DISEASES OF PREGNANCY.         491
influences  in pregnancy, which baffle the whole pow-
ers of genius and human reasoning.
   Doctor  Rush,  or some other physician of  equal
celebrity, relates the case of a  medical man in  some
part of Europe, in whose  natural disposition the pro-
pensity to steal was so strong, that he never was known
to visit a sick  chamber, without stealing some articles
of value, if they were  not put out of his reach.   His
practice was very extensive, he was  wealthy, and his
propensity  to theft so well known to  society, that after
a few years had passed in stealing the  same articles
over and over again, nothing was said  about the matter.
The fact is, that he had  stolen the same articles so
often, that  it became the  business of his wife, on his
return home every night,  to search his pockets, assort
out and send home the articles he had so often stolen.
If this delineation of native character  be correct, which
we are not even permitted to doubt, why need we be
surprised at the few instances of a natural  propensity
to petty roguery and hook-fingered avarice, w7hich our
own country presents ? Or why need w7e be in the
least surprised to find men whose native and irresisti-
ble propensities to swindling, petty fraud, and diminu-
tive rascality will lead  them to cheat in weights and
measures on all practicable occasions.
  This  subject, however, presents  itself in another
and  much  stronger point  of view.  It bears strongly
on the criminal laws and jurisprudence of our country,
and must at some future period arrest the attention of
our  legislative  bodies.   If there is such an  influence
in nature as leads to the commission of crime, and that
too in defiance of moral restraints and fears of punish-
ment, are there not cases in which moral justice would
revolt at the punishment of involuntary and irresistible 
492
DISEASES OF PREGNANCY.
criminality ?   I  have not space in this work to give
this  subject such an investigation as it really and in-
trinsically merits; but should  it be in my power, as 1
now intend  to publish  a  future volume of this work,
when time and circumstance will  permit, this subject
shall  be one  which shall be  particularly  embraced.
To speak plainly,  I have long  entertained doubts,
whether under circumstances in which it is practica-
ble to banish  a man from society, deprive him of his
liberty,  and  prevent his  committing future crimes, it
can ever appertain to justice and the security of society
to shed  human blood.
   It is very true that the  Scripture thus denounces the
murderer; " whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall
his blood be shed ;" but ought w7e not to take into se-
rious  consideration  the simple fact that, at the period
this penalty of murder w7as announced to the Jew7s, so-
litary confinement for life wras unknown to the policy
of human laws.
   That  a diseased state of the mind may exist, on one
particular point, and that  the same mind may be sound
and sane in all other respects, no medical  man  in his
senses will deny. The daughter of a wealthy merchant
of Philadelphia was in the habit of stealing from the
different stores in which she purchased  goods.  Being
extremely wealthy, and her propensity known, private
accounts of the articles stolen were always kept, and
always duly paid by her father.  She married, and was
never known during her  pregnancy to steal the small-
est article; and candidly confessed  that during these
periods she had not  the smallest propensity to steal  or
pilfer; and what was equally extraordinary, so soon as
her deliveries were over, the old and natural propensity
to theft returned.  How are we to account, on any thing 
            DISEASES OF PREGNANCY.         493

like known principles, for the above facts and delinea-
tions of character ?  Medical philosophers, I propound
the interrogatory to you !  The value of the articles,
this woman often repeated, had nothing to do with the
natural impulse to theft. Was it a disease of the mind,
derived through the physical system, from impressions
made on the foetus or child in the wromb, from the
mind, and passions, and feelings of the mother ?
       SICKNESS OF THE  STOMACH.
  This is common in the commencement of pregnan-
cy, particularly with the first child:  it generally lasts
until the  quickening sensation is felt, and no  longer.
If the  vomiting  or puking is not severe, it will do no
injury; but if it should continue, or become severe,
which  is sometimes the case, you will find relief in the
following remedies.
                   REMEDIES.
  If the habit of body be full, that is, strong and fleshy,
the  loss of  some blood  from the arm will be  proper.
But if  the woman should be weakly and delicate, omit
the bleeding,  and use the following  remedies: of co-
lumbo  root and  camomile flowers make a strong de-
coction or tea, to which you may add a little ginger :
let this tea  get perfectly cold, and give three  or four
table-spoonsful occasionally.  Or you may obtain the
columbo  root in powder, and give  fifteen or twenty
grains, mixed  with a few drops  of peppermint, and a
little good old spirits of any kind; or take an ounce of
columbo root, and bruise it with a hammer, then pom
a dint of boiling water on it, and let it get cold.  Take 
494       SICKNESS OF THE STOMACH,

a wine-glassful of this decoction, with a few7 drops of
peppermint in it, three or four times a day, or when
you feel this sickness of the stomach.  This bitter is
very serviceable in weak stomachs and laxative bowels.
Where the vomiting or  puking is very severe, apply
the stewed leaves of the garden mint to the pit of the
stomach:  the application must be warm, and it will
stop the vomiting or puking without  fail.  Or  pur-
chase a box of soda powders, on which you will find
directions; or if there are no directions, see the head
Soda Powrders. Give these powders three or four times
a day. Ginger tea, and mint tea, are also good reme-
dies.  Or  use elixir vitriol, in doses of ten or fifteen
drops, three or four  times a day, in a glass of cold wa-
ter.   Should the vomiting be extremely severe, rub a
little  laudanum over the pit of the stomach: if this
does not stop it, give ten or fifteen drops of laudanum,
occasionally, in  a little mint or ginger tea.   In very
stubborn cases of  vomiting, the following will always
give relief: mix in a phial equal quantities of compound
spirits of lavender, laudanum, and spirits of hartshorn :
of this mixture, give a tea-spoonful in a little cold wa-
ter, three or four  times a day, or as  the sickness and
vomiting may take place.
       CHOLIC  DURING PREGNANCY.
  This is a common complaint during  pregnancy;
and this is the reason  why I have cautioned you so
particularly  respecting  your food or diet, and by all
means to avoid costiveness, or, in other words, permit-
ting yourself to be too long a time without having a
stool.    The bowels, during the time you are with 
           CHOLIC  DURING PREGNANCY.        495

child, will  always be much subject to  flatulence or
wind, which is called in the country windy cholic.

                   REMEDIES.
  Bathe the belly with warm water, or sit in a tub in
which there is warm water, and  take a table-spoonful
of castor oil.  Or you may apply to your belly warm
salt: or you may apply cloths wrung out of warm wa-
ter to the belly, and throw up the fundament, with the
glyster pipe, the following  injection: make a pint or
quart of thin gruel; strain it clean, and put into it a
table-spoonful or less of hog's lard, let it stand  until it
becomes milk-warm, and take it as a glyster:  see the
head Glystering.
 PAIN IN THE HEAD, AND  DROWSINESS.
  When there is a pain in the  head, or a heavy, dull
drowsiness is felt, it is apt to arise from the blood-ves-
sels being  too full.  This is generally the  case with
fleshy, strong, healthy young women.  In delicate and
weakly women pain in the head and drowsiness are
sometimes  felt, but they generally arise from an oppo-
site cause, from a w7ant of due circulation of the blood,
which induces debility or weakness.

                   REMEDIES.
  If the woman is fleshy and strong, and is thus af-
flicted, draw blood from the  arm, and give  a dose of
laxative medicine, such as Epsom salts, castor oil, &c.
But if, on the contrary, she  be delicate and weakly,
bleeding in any w7ay would be highly improper.  She
is to take  moderate exercise on horseback,  attend to 
496   PAIN  IN  THE  HEAD, AND DROWSINESS.

the state of her stomach, and also to her food: use freely
the tepid bath :  see page 160 : take very gentle medi-
cines, or a glyster to keep her bowels regular if bound;
bathe her forehead and temples frequently with spirits
in which camphor has been dissolved; and take occa-
sionally through the day, a glass of real  good wine, or
some toddy  made  with any kind of spirits.   If this
pain or heaviness of the head  still remains, after the
above means have been resorted to, it may arise from
the stomach: if so, the  columbo root, as already  de-
scribed, will be found of great benefit.
                 HEART-BURN.
  This complaint generally arises from acid on the
stomach, and very few women escape it during preg-
nancy.  If the heart-burn is attended with a constant
hawking up of tough phlegm, the stomach should be
cleansed with a gentle emetic or puke, of  fifteen or
twenty grains of ipecacuanha.  But if the heart-burn
is accompanied with a sour taste in the mouth, or a
belching up of sour wrater, it will be relieved by the
use of very weak lime-water, or a tea-spoonful of mag-
nesia in a  cup of cold water.  This last, or either of
them, may be taken whenever these acid tastes  take
place.  The magnesia is generally preferred in lumps,
and may be eaten in moderate quantities, being per-
fectly innocent.   When a considerable lump is used,
it will  act as a mild purgative.  By adding a little rhu-
barb to the magnesia, it is an excellent purgative for
women in a pregnant state.   As both articles are quite
innocent, they may always be used when found neces-
sary for opening the bowels. 
SWELLED LEGS.
497
               SWELLED LEGS.
  This swelling is produced by the womb, which is
enlarged during pregnancy; the weight of the womb
presses on the vessels which return the fluids from the
lower parts of the body.   When the woman is far
advanced, these swellings frequently give much pain;
there is, however, no danger; nor should they give any
distress to the afflicted woman.  These swellings are
very apt to go off' if she  will take rest on a bed, bathe
her feet at night in strong salt and w7ater, and steam
herself over mullen, on which boiling water has been
poured.   As rest, in a  recumbent or lying posture,
lessens very much the swellings, it would be advisable
for the woman to indulge in it, and remain as quiet as
possible, and lose a little blood  from the arm occa-
sionally.  Attention to these things, with a little cool-
ing medicine, such as Epsom salts, or a little cream of
tartar, will nearly always allay these swellings of the
legs.
                    CRAMP.
  Cramp generally comes on about the fourth month
after pregnancy, and is often very troublesome at night,
while the woman is  in bed.   Its attacks are generally
in the legs and thighs, but sometimes in the bottom of
the belly and hips.   Those women who have never
before been subject to cramp, are very  apt to have
attacks of it during the last stages of pregnancy.

                   REMEDIES.
  When the cramp  is frequent and severe, the loss of
a little  blood  would be proper.  Cramp  sometimes
  GUNN     32 
498
CRAMP.
arises from  costiveness or constipation of the bowels;
wiien this is the case, you may give a glyster, or a cool-
ing purge, such as Epsom salts.  Standing a few minutes
on a cold hearth with the feet bare, is a simple remedy,
and will always give relief.  I have known a small
garter or belt, in  which  was confined some pounded
brimstone or flour of sulphur, to relieve several ladies
who were much subject to cramp.
  CONSTANT DESIRE TO MAKE WATER.
  The constant desire to make water, or pass off the
urine, is occasioned by the weight of the womb con-
stantly pressing on  the neck  of the bladder.  When-
ever this desire becomes troublesome, rest as quietly on
your bed as possible, taking at the same time a cooling
purge.  If convenient, and whether so or not, the use
of the warm or tepid bath will be very beneficial;  by
which I mean that  the whole body is to be placed in
water about milk-warm ; if this be impracticable,  for
want of a vessel large enough, you may sit once a day
in a tub of water in this warmth.   The fact is, that by
bathing occasionally in water milk-warm, during any
stage of pregnancy, considerable benefit will always be
derived.
           STOPPAGE OF URINE.
  This  is called suppression of urine by physicians,
and means when the urine is stopped from flowing
from the bladder, at those periods when nature requires 
                STOPPAGE OF URINE.            499

 the evacuation.   When this stoppage takes  place, the
 bladder becomes distended or swelled with the wrater,
 and is also severely painful.  Relief must now imme-
 diately be had, by applying to the belly cloths w7rung
 out of wrarm water, and taking a glyster of warm milk
 and water: see the head Glystering.  Glystering is ex-
 tremely  beneficial in  this and all similar cases, and
 women should early be taught to know, not only that
 there is no indelicacy in the operation, but that in all
 warm climates it is absolutely essential to most women
 in a state of pregnancy.  All the lying-in hospitals in
 Europe are amply furnished with  the apparatus for
 glystering; but in America, where there is certainly as
 much general intelligence as in any part of the world,
 it seems that you might as well desire a lady to swallow
 an elephant as to take a glyster instead of a  purgative
 medicine.  This is all false modesty;  the women of
 all countries ought to know that the more simply their
 diseases are treated, and the more according to nature,
 the better will  their  health and safety  be insured.
 After the remedies  just mentioned  have been  used
without affording relief, you are  to send for a physi-
cian, who will draw off the water with a catheter: for
a description of which, and the mode of using it, look
under the head Catheter.
               WANT OF  SLEEP.
  On or about  the last stage of pregnancy, most wo-
men become restless and uneasy, and their sleep very
much  disturbed.   They  are also  troubled  with  a
choking sensation, and a  difficulty  of  getting their
breath.  This last affliction is sometimes so great that 
500
WANT OF  SLEEP.
they are obliged to get out of bed, and to throw up a
window for fresh air, which generally relieves them.
  If the  woman who is  subject to these unpleasant
feelings be of a robust and full habit of body, the loss
of a little blood  from the arm will be proper; in addi-
tion to which some mildly laxative medicines ought to
be taken  to open  the bowels.   If the woman is of a
delicate constitution, and  much debilitated or weak-
ened, bathe her  feet and legs in strong salt and water,
made pleasantly warm, before she retires to bed;  and
give her fifteen  or twenty drops of laudanum; or if
laudanum cannot be had, give her a glass of toddy,
made with any kind of spirits.
        PILES DURING PREGNANCY.
  This is an uneasy and troublesome complaint, which
frequently attends on pregnancy, and generally afflicts
fat, stout women.   The  fact is, however, that  most
women are subject to piles,  after the fifth or  sixth
month.  In addition to the remedies I shall mention
here, refer to page 394, where you will find a full de-
scription given of piles.
  Women who have never before been troubled  with
this disorder, are apt to be afflicted with it, as I have
just mentioned, during the last months of pregnancy.
It is almost invariably produced from costiveness or
constipation of  the bowels.   The common  oak-ball,
pounded fine, and stewed down in butter without salt,
is an excellent remedy.  The parts are occasionally to
be rubbed with this ointment; whilst at the same time
you are to take a gentle purge.   You  may also occa-
sionally bathe the parts in cold water: or you may put 
            PILES DURING PREGNANCY.         501

a tea-spoonful of  sugar of lead into a pint of  cold
spring water, and frequently bathe the parts with it
during the day.   As much rest as possible is to be
taken ; in other words, walk or ride about as little as
possible.
                 FALSE  PAINS.
   These pains resemble  the pains of labour  very
much, and are frequently the cause of alarm, and much
inconvenience to all concerned.  False pains are always
produced from some deranged state of the  system ;  or
from  the improper conduct of the woman herself, by
excessive, and sometimes slight fatigue.  Anxiety  of
mind; sudden exposure to cold or heat; want of atten-
tion to the bowels; indigestion or eating such articles
of food as produce wind in the bow7els, will frequently
produce  these pains.   Dysentery, accompanied  with
severe griping, will also produce these pains.
   When these pains occur frequently it will be pro-
per to employ an  experienced physician, because  their
too frequent presence may  produce miscarriage, or, in
other language, the loss of the child.   On  discovering
the pains to be false, which  must be ascertained by the
physician or midwife, either of w7hich should be well
acquainted with the  mode of conducting an examina-
tion, they are to be removed  as speedily and easily as
possible.   If there is much pressure on the mouth  of
the womb from above, and  if it is perceived to dilate
or open during  the continuance of the pains, they are
not false, and the woman may be considered in labour;
but if neither pressure nor  dilation or opening can  be
felt, the pains are  false, and are to be removed. 
502
FALSE PAINS.
  When these  false pains are caused by fatigue, the
patient should  be kept  as quiet as possible, and take
the necessary rest to remove the fatigue.  If she be of
a feverish disposition, she must lose a little blood; and,
generally it will be proper to give a gentle  dose  of
laxative medicine, or some mild and opening glysters.
                   FLOODING.
  Flooding is a disease incidental to pregnancy, often
of a dangerous and fatal character, in w7hich there is a
loss of blood from the womb.  It is, fortunately, of not
very frequent occurrence; but when it does come on,
you are to lose no time in obtaining a skilful and expe-
rienced physician.   It is a case in which merely com-
mon skill and experience will seldom answer, because
it is frequently attended with abortion, and often with
the loss  of life.  Flooding is usually produced by a
sudden fall, by over exertion, by fright and  alarm, and
not unfrequently by the  gloomy and depressing pas-
sions of the mind.  It is also produced by weakness of
the womb, originating miscarriages, or other injuries
derived  from  severe labour or  child-birth.   It also
sometimes arises from the after-birth separating from
the womb, and the large blood-vessels entering into it,
discharging their contents through the mouth of the
womb.   This  complaint is  very alarming  to persons
well acquainted with its  real dangers,  because death
frequently comes on suddenly,  and with  very little
warning  of its approach.
  No discharges of  blood ever  take place from  the
womb in a natural and sound state  of pregnancy;  the
idea of regular discharges  in pregnancy is entirely er- 
FLOODING.
503
roneous and perfectly farcical;  and whenever they do
take place, they always prove to the man of skill and
judgment  that there is something wrong.   They al-
ways either proceed from the passage to the womb, or
from the womb itself.  When they merely come from
the passage to the womb, they are seldom, if ever, at-
tended with danger; but when they proceed from the
womb itself,  there  is considerable  danger that  disa-
greeable consequences may be the result.  When but
a little  blood  comes away, from much walking or
riding, or from standing in an upright posture, and
there is only a trifling  pain in the lower part of the
belly, attended with no symptoms of fever, and no in-
creased  or inflammatory action of  the blood-vessels,
the blood may always be presumed to come from the
passage to the womb.  This can  always be  removed,
and that very easily, by lying a short time in a recum-
bent or horizontal position; and afterwards  avoiding
much walking and riding, and long-continued stand-
ing in an upright posture.  But, mind me particularly,
when the  discharge of  blood is  preceded or accom-
panied with flushings of the face, considerable heat in
the palms of the hands, and great thirst; or when there
are great  pains in the  lower part of the abdomen or
belly, in the loins, or in the back, it is evident that the
discharge of blood is from the womb itself, and also
that there is much danger.

                   REMEDIES.
   The  first step to be taken, when the flooding pro-
ceeds from the womb itself, and may therefore be con-
sidered  dangerous, is to place the woman in  bed, and
to keep her as cool as possible, by removing the bed
clothes, and admitting the cool and fresh air; and as 
504
FLOODING.
 you value the life of your patient, give her nothing to
 eat or drink of an inflammatory or heating nature;  in
 other words, nothing that will increase the action  of
 the blood-vessels.  I have told you before, that in this
 case, which  is a dangerous one, a skilful physician
 must be obtained if possible.  The woman should  be
 immediately bled from the  arm, freely, copiously, and
 rapidly, so as to produce fainting, because this is the
 moment, if ever, when those clots of blood are formed
 and congealed which put a  stop to the great discharge
 from the blood-vessels. Apply at the same time to the
 belly cloths  wet with the  coldest water, or even ice
 wrapped in very thin cloths, if it can possibly be pro-
 cured.  If the blood should still continue to flow in
 any considerable quantity, a soft piece of cloth  ought
 to be introduced up the birth-place, also wet with cold
 water. These cold applications, how7ever, ought not to
1 be continued so long as to  produce a chill; but while
 they are continued they ought to be occasionally and
 often renewed.  A glyster of cold water, occasionally
 thrown up the fundament, will also be very effective
 in stopping this flooding.
   If the above remedies should  fail, winch is some-
 times the case, you are to give the patient two grains
 of sugar of lead every hour,  for five, six, or seven hours.
 This  is a powerful  remedy, and most generally  an
 effective one.   You  may also put twenty or twenty-
 five grains of sugar  of lead in a quart of water, and
 when it is dissolved  you may throw about one-fourth
 of it up the  bowels, and with the residue occasionally
 wash the birth-place; these measures  will  greatly
 assist the cure, and, if necessary, they may be repeated
 two or three times.   The last remedies mentioned  are
 generally  attended  with relief;  but  there  is always 
FLOODING
505
considerable  danger of the  return  of the flooding:
therefore it is very immaterial how well the patient may
feel after relief, she must continue in bed three or four
weeks, and be  kept cool and quiet, and alw7ays ready
for the application of cold wet cloths to the belly, and
also  up the  birth-place;  her situation  will still  be
dangerous for that length of time, and  without this
cautious  and circumspect conduct, she  may still be
lost without three hours' warning of her fate.   If, how-
ever, all these remedies should fail to stop the flooding.
and to prevent its reaching the  stage in which the
woman must inevitably perish, an abortion must be
resorted to, as the only possible means of saving her
life.
                   ABORTION,
AND THE MEANS  TO BE  OBSERVED IN PREVENTING
                OR PROCURING IT.

  I intend by abortion the expulsion of the foetus or
child  at such an early period of pregnancy, that tin
child  is either dead when it is brought forth,  or die!-
soon afterwards.   Whilst speaking of flooding, many
of the symptoms and circumstances attending  miscar-
riage  or abortion  are  named;  but there are  several
others which precede and  cause abortion, which must
be particularly mentioned.  They are  the following.
and are  always to be guarded against or removed by
pregnant women,  if they wish to preserve their bur-
dens  until  the  expiration  of  the period  fixed  by
nature.  Severe and oppressive exercise;  violent and
sudden exertions of strength;  sudden  and agitating 
506
abortion.
 frights; fits of excessive and violent passions; excess
 of venery, by w7hich I mean too frequent sexual com-
 munication with the male; a morbid or diseased state
 of the womb; external injuries of all descriptions
 which affect the  generative organs; and general and
 excessive debility  or weakness of the wiiole system. I
 say nothing of those means  of procuring  abortions
 which are sometimes used  by pregnant women, with
 the intention of relieving themselves of their charge;
 these are matters to be referred to the lofty and unerring
 tribunal of God himself; they are accounts between
 such women and their Maker.
   Generally speaking, before abortion comes on there
 will be felt some slight pains about the  lower part of
 the belly, and also in and about the loins; there will
 be a looseness and flabbiness about the breasts, and some
 general sensations of shuddering and coldness; and in
 women of full, strong, and  muscular habits of body,
 there will nearly always be some considerable degree
 of fever.  Next to these symptoms, slight discharges
 of blood will take place from the womb; and these
 discharges will  continue  to increase, perhaps occasion-
 ally stopping a short time, until they amount to  ab-
 solute  flooding, which  I have  already  particularly
 described.  When these  discharges return, after they
 have become copious and debilitating, they are always
 attended with a  sense of dead weight, and a heavy bear-
 ing down  about the womb, great sickness of the sto-
 mach, and sometimes frequent faintings.  These  are
self-evident indications of immediate miscarriage  or
abortion, which soon takes place, and is always follow-
ed by profuse bleeding, which, however, soon subsides. '
After the expulsion of the contents of the womb, and
the bleeding has gone off, there is a serous or watery 
ABORTION.
507
    discharge mixed with a little blood; but this is a mat-
    ter of no consequence.
      This  is an abortion, according to the dictates and
    operations of nature herself.   It may sometimes, how-
    ever, be avoided, by observing  the  following simple
    treatment: on the occurrence of the  first symptoms
    of abortion, the woman must be placed in bed,  and
    kept cool and  quiet until the matter be decided.   If
    she is of a full and strong habit of body, she must be
    bled.  Every thing of a heating, irritating, and stimu-
    lating nature, either as food or drink, must be entirely
    avoided.  Nothing but cold wrater or very weak tea is
    to be drank by  the patient. The bowels may be open-
    ed if costive, and kept open  by merely injecting  up
    them some milk-warm water.  The irritation of the
    womb is to be  lessened immediately, and as much as
    possible;  to  effect the lessening or reduction of this
    irritation, the woman ought to be placed  in a tub of
    warm water, and when taken out, to have large quan-
    tities of sweet oil rubbed  about her back, loins, belly,
    and  breasts.   If these means fail  in preventing  the
    abortion, nature will  effectuate the expulsion of  the
    child in the manner I have just described.   She may,
    however, be assisted in her exertions by the following
    means:  The woman is  to be  kept quiet, and  treated
    as in common  labour;  after  which, cloths  wet with
    cold water must be applied to the belly, to aid in the
    contraction of  the wromb, after the expulsion of its
    contents.
      When abortion is to be brought on, in order to stop
t   profuse  and dangerous flooding, it is to be done in the
    following simple and easy  manner.   I will here adopt
    the language of Doctor Bard, with some observations.
    " The woman is to be brought down to the edge of the 
508                 ABORTION.
bed, either lying on her side, with a pillow or two be-
tween her thighs, which are to be drawn up;  or lying
on her back, with her hips a little raised, and her feet
on the lap of an  assistant on each side.  The operator
must sit on a low seat immediately before her, whilst a
double sheet throwm over her body and that of the phy-
sician or midwife, must protect her from cold, and  form
a decent covering.  The hand  of the  operator, well
rubbed with good oil or hogs' lard, with the fingers col-
lected into a  point, must then be slowly introduced
through the birth-place to the  mouth  of the womb,
which  will sometimes make considerable resistance
against attempts to open it.  This resistance must be
overcome by cautious, gentle,and patient efforts. When
the mouth of the womb begins to dilate  or widen with
the efforts of the operator, one of the fingers must be
introduced into it,  then another, and so on, until  by-
patient and gentle attempts it admits the hand.  The
efforts to dilate  and widen the  mouth  of the w7omb
(and you must remember this particularly) are always
to be suspended  or stopped whenever the  pains come
on, and whilst they are on.   In other  words, when-
ever the pains cease, you are to proceed in  your efforts
to widen gently the mouth  of the womb.   When
the hand passes  into the womb, it  is  to be  opened
and laid flat; this will  prevent  a  contraction  on the
knuckles, which might rupture the neck of the womb.
and do much injury.  The mouth of the womb be-
ing sufficiently widened, if  the hand  can then  be
easily passed over the part of the contents, called  by
physicians the placenta, or  after-birth, which is  se-
parated  from  the womb, until the fingers reach the
membranes, this is to be done; and breaking the mem-
branes, it is to be immediately passed into the womb. 
ABORTION.
509
But  if you cannot readily pass  the separated portion
of the placenta, and the flooding be great, you are to
pass  through it, which is less dangerous than to sepa-
rate a larger portion, by pressing the hand between it
and  the womb.  The hand being  now in the womb,
the neck will generally cling so  close to the wrist as to
prevent the escape of much w7ater, and you  will find
room to act with freedom.   Here you are to deliberate,
and  to refresh the  woman with some proper drink.
You  ought now to get at the feet of the child, by all
practicable and gentle means.  You are to  recollect,
that the most natural presentation is the most common;
and in that case, the child's head is at the brim of the
pelvis or basin, with the face and belly to the back of
the mother, the knees bent to its breasts, and the  feet
towards the upper part of the womb.   As, therefore,
the child  must ultimately  be turned, this  is  the best
time to push the  head and shoulders up towards the
fundus, and to turn the face of  the child to  the back
of the mother, which is most easily done  within the
membranes; by this movement the feet of  the child
will be brought within reach of the hand, and having
secured them, they may easily be brought, by a waving
motion, into the vagina or birth-place.  You are always
to remember that you are  to pause whenever a pain
comes on.  Next, you are to bring down the hips and
body of the child; and take care, if it be necessary, to
turn the child gently, so that when it is delivered to
the arm-pits, the belly of the child  shall be to the back
of the mother, which is the position in which the arms
and  head can be  most easily delivered. Now, or be-
fore this time, examine the navel string, and occasion-
ally  pull it  down  a  little, so as to prevent its being
stretched.  If the pulsation has ceased  in the cord, or 
510
ABORTION.
if the  woman floods  freely, either the child  or  the
mother may be lost by delay; and you are to finish the
delivery as soon as you prudently can, in doing which
you  are  to  remember,  that gentleness, caution,  and
dexterity  are  always to  be used  in  preference to
force."
  There are few conditions more truly  dangerous  and
alarming than flooding to any excess, towards the ex-
piration of the natural term of pregnancy; and I there-
fore strongly and emphatically advise, that in all such
cases, where an experienced and skilful physician  can
possibly be had, he be immediately sent for, and espe-
cially where a forced abortion is  essential to the pre-
servation of the life of the woman.  Such cases always
require skill, judgment, promptness of conduct, and
decision of resolution; he must therefore be a man who
can decide coolly, and act with firmness and caution.
After the delivery or rather the abortion has been pro-
duced, the womb may be  assisted in its contraction,
and the flooding retarded and stopped, by the means I
have already noticed so plainly; in addition to which,
the rest of the woman will be promoted, and her re-
covery much hastened, by small or weak anodynes, in
some cordial julep, such as spirituous cinnamon water,
or a little good weak toddy with nutmeg.  These  are
the remedies first  called for, and they are  to  be suc-
ceeded by small  portions of nourishing diet, repeated
with caution whenever called for, and by strengthen-
ing articles, such as tonics in which Peruvian bark has
been infused, and  port wine in which cinnamon bark
has been infused. 
LABOUR.
511
                    LABOUR.
  The commencement of labour means the time the
woman begins  to be delivered  of her child.  She is
always warned  of the approach of her time by pains
which are called labour pains.  They are produced by
contraction or drawing up of the womb, which at the
commencement expels or forces out a slimy matter, ge-
nerally coloured with blood, which is called the shew.
As soon as this matter is discharged, the mouth of the
womb at each pain begins to open and widen itself, so
as to permit the contents of the  wTomb to  pass.  You
will  recollect that I have before informed you wiiat
the  womb in pregnancy contains.   These pains in-
crease gradually, the belly diminishes  in size, and the
womb seems to  sink, or approach nearer to the birth-
place.   The  pains are at  first quite  short,  and  only
come on after considerable intervals; the woman is
now restless,  first hot and then cold, and not unfre-
quently sick at the stomach.  She is also often griped,
and frequently belches wind, or passes it off backward,
which should never be restrained from false delicacy.
These pains now fly quickly to the back,  and  then
again to  the bottom of the belly.  The woman has
now a great desire to urinate, or make water frequently,
and to go to stool.  These inclinations are  always to
be attended to, because  emptying  the bladder, and
evacuating the bowels frequently before actual child-
birth comes on, are highly important and ought never
to be neglected.  The pains having  been sharp and
some time between them, she then begins to be uneasy
and fretful, and requests something to be given to her,
to bring on the  pains more rapidly.
  This is the precise point of time in w7hich so many 
?12
LABOUR.
injuries are done, by ignorance and officiousness, in at-
tempting to force nature into premature exertions, who,
if left alone a little while, would in almost all cases per-
form  her  office, according to the dictates of divine
wisdom, and with safety both to the mother and child;
for you may be assured that what you so much  dread
is intended for your eventual benefit, by permitting the
womb gradually to distend or open, with perfect safety
to the parts, and in order that you may be blessed with
an easy birth,  and a  living and uninjured offspring.
You will always know the pains I now speak of, by an
irresistible desire to catch hold of every thing within
your reach, such as the bedstead, a chair,  and so on.
These pains, as I have already told you, arise from the
constant efforts of nature to open  the mouth of the
womb, and they must and will continue, until she
accomplishes her end.
  When this is the case, and the mouth of the womb
is sufficiently widened, nature will immediately com-
mence her efficient  and powerful operations, to  press
dow7n the infant so as  to empty the womb.   You will
immediately  know  this change, by a pressing down
pain, if I may be allowed the expression, which gra-
dually increases to a strong sensation of bearing down.
Although these forcing pains are powerful and strong,
yet the wroman will bear them with more apparent
ease and fortitude than those which were felt in the first
stage of labour.  At this time the membranous bag
which contains the child and the w7aters which sur-
round it, and which I  have before described to you, is
pushed  out of the  womb by  degrees at every  pain.
The distance  which this bag extends out varies in size
in different women; sometimes it  is very  small, and
sometimes of considerably large dimensions.   It con- 
LABOUR.
513
tinues gradually to force open, and to widen the mouth
of the womb, until  it opens the parts  sufficiently to
permit the head of the child to pass.   You will now
perceive, that by these gradual  exertions of nature to
arrange and prepare  all things properly,  those delicate
parts, which by sudden and powerful exertions would
have  been seriously  injured, are now sufficiently en-
larged to permit the  birth of your infant without  in-
jury.  And  you will also discover, by what I have
disclosed to you, that if nature is hurried by an impru-
dent physician or midwife, by forcing the child away
before the parts are sufficiently widened, great and
signal  injuries must be the consequences, both  to the
mother and child.
  As soon as the parts are sufficiently prepared for the
birth of the child, this membranous bag bursts open,
and the waters are discharged; sometimes, however,
these events take place at an early stage of the labour.
When this is the case, the labour is never so easy as
under other circumstances.  The quantity and quality
of this water differ in different women, as I have before
told  you.   When these waters, then, burst  forth  in
proper time, which  I have  pointed out, the  bearing
down pain continues, and the  child gradually enters
into the world.   As soon as the child's head passes, the
woman's relief is very great, and a little  rest ought to
be allowed her;  you are by no means to pull the body
out by force, for by  so doing you will produce great
injury to the soft parts, and at the same time render it
very difficult to deliver the woman of the after-birth.
  I must here remark emphatically that this is another
stage of labour, at w7hich thousands of women are in-
jured materially and  fatally, by the hurry and officious-
ness  of midwives in  hastily forcing the  birth.  Give
    GUNN      33 
514
LABOUR.
time, and I will insure that nature will exercise suffi-
cient power to expel the child in her own time.  The
body of the child is not to be pulled and forced out-
ward : let it alone,  converse with the sufferer, and
cheer her spirits, and tell her that from the time the
child's head makes its appearance, she is not to force
and bear down.   Tell her that  by so doing she will
force the child  forward, before  the parts are  ready;
and that the consequence may be  the tearing  or rup-
turing the perineum.  This is the part between the
fundament and the birth-place.  Tell her that such an
injury would leave her in a wretched  condition for
life, and must be avoided  by all means.   It is the duty
of the midwife or physician, as the child's head passes,
to keep one hand pressed firmly yet cautiously  against
the perineum, which  must, of course, from distension
or stretching, be very thin and easily torn;  and at the
same time gently press so as to incline the head of the
child upward toward the pubes.
  When the woman has rested, and the pains again
come on, the hand must again be pressed against the
perineum with steadiness and care, until the shoulders
and  hips of the child pass,  at the same time gently
supporting the child, and delivery is over so far.
  The child being  now born, you are to permit it to
lie still a few minutes, without being molested.  Give
it fresh air and time to breathe, and the pulsation in the
navel-cord will begin to diminish.  The pulsation, by
all means, should be  suffered to subside, before you
separate the child from the mother.  You will, then,
with a waxed thread, or a small  string, make a mode-
rately firm tie about the navel-cord, about three inches
from the navel of the child; then make another tie,
about three inches further from the child, on the navel- 
LABOUR.
515
 cord, and cut the  cord  asunder between the two ties,
 with a scissors or sharp knife.
   You  are now to hold steadily, but by no means, as
 you value the life of the mother, to pull the navel-cord
 which has been tied  and cut off; because this cord is
 attached to the after-birth; which is still in the  body
 of the mother, and is yet to be delivered.  Permit me
 to caution you, to  implore you, to command you not
 to pull aw7ay, by force, the after-birth ; for I do now
 know some of the finest women in the United States
 who are suffering daily and hourly, and  will continue
 to suffer during their lives, from officiously and impru-
 dently forcing away  from  them the after-birth, which
 nature  herself would have effected,  without risk or
 pain, had she been left to her own exertions.   By pull-
 ing away the  after-birth before the  proper  time, and
 before nature expels it  by what are called after-pains,
 the  consequences will  and  must always be, flooding,
 and  great loss of blood; because you force the separa-
 tion, before you give time  for the contraction of the
 blood-vessels; in other words, before the mouths  of
 the blood-vessels have had time to close.  In  fact, the
 exercise of common sense cannot fail to teach you.
 that where the after-birth  is yet connected with, and
 strongly adheres to the womb, force will always tear
 the womb from its connexions, and be productive of
 unspeakable injuries.  From this plain  statement of
 facts, and the reasoning I have employed, I am con-
 vinced you will exercise due caution in a matter of
such vast importance to the future health and safety
of the mother.
  According to the old usage and practice, the child
would be immediately washed in warm w7ater, and nol
unfrequently in spirits.   Either of these plans of treat 
516
LABOUR.
 ing the infant, in fact both of them are highly impro-
 per, and have been the causes of destroying thousands
 of children.  Warm water or spirits ought never to be
 used  in this manner, unless the infant be  born appa-
 rently dead;  in such a  case, warm water merely  is
 proper to be applied.  For a further explanation of this
 important matter, look under the head " Treatment of
 new-born infants."
   The woman having rested for a short time after hei
 separation from the child, in the  manner I have de-
 scribed to you, the after-pains may be expected to come
 on, for the expulsion of the after-birth.   These pains
 are produced by the contraction or drawing up of the
 womb, to deliver or expel this after-birth ; they gene-
 rally come on in the lapse of from  fifteen minutes to
 an hour after the child has been brought forth.  You
 are now to remember that none but gentle and simple
 measures  are to be used in order to  produce the expul-
 sion or delivery of the after-birth.   You  are to rub the
 belly of the  woman, and gently  extend or pull  the
 cord, at the same time that she blows with some force
 into the palms of her own hands; the  policy of this
 blowing is obvious; it will cause a gentle and natural
 bearing down, without  the straining  which  would
 arise from holding and forcing the breath.  If the wo-
 man be healthy and strong, if she has lost  no blood,
 and if she  feels able, let her stand up, and support her-
self on the shoulders of the operator or physician, while
 he is endeavouring  by the means just pointed out to
relieve her of the after-birth.  I have, however, often
succeeded in delivering the after-birth when the womb
 would  not contract, and  when  the woman was in a
iying posture, by introducing the finger up the birth-
place, and gently turning it around in the mouth of 
LABOUR.
517
the womb; in this case, the sensation felt in the mouth
of the womb, will  generally cause it to contract and
expel the contents.
  If all these means fail, and an hour passes without
the expulsion of the after-birth, you are to  introduce
your hand with great caution, the parts being very sore,
and open your fingers inside and round the edge of
the womb ; at the same time that you feel cautiously,
and slowly separate, between the edges of  the after-
birth and the womb, any parts  which may  adhere as
the womb gradually closes.  When the after-birth is
expelled or brought away, and any great discharge of
blood takes place, apply to the belly some cloths  wet
with cold water, and put one up  the  birth-place, as
directed in flooding.  The woman is then to be wiped
or very gently rubbed dry, and suffered to rest quietly
for several hours.
            DIFFICULT LABOUR.
  Most cases of tedious labour arise among women
with their first child, with women who have married
late in life, and with those who are so healthy, robust,
and corpulent, that the parts seem to relax so slowly as
hardly to permit the birth of the child.   The loss of
some blood from the arm will be proper; and I have
frequently, after bleeding, put them in warm water; in
doing this, however, you must be careful as to the child.
I have known instances, in wrhich women have had
their children in the close-stool or pot, while in the act
of endeavouring to urinate or have a stool.   The warm
bath and bleeding will relax the system sufficiently in 
518            DIFFICULT LABOUR.

all probability for the child to be born; but take  care
that the child is not injured  by the water, while the
woman is in the bath.
  When convulsions or fits take  place during labour,
and the woman has before complained of great pain in
the head, and dimness with loss of sight, remember
that you are to  bleed freely, and to open  the bowels
with glysters, or some gentle laxative medicine.   The
most powerful means, and the best known, for  reliev-
ing tedious or difficult labour, is bloodletting from the
arm; and it should always be  done if the  woman is
strong, healthy, and of a vigorous constitution.
                    TWINS.
  What I have already said on the subject of labours
relates to cases in w7hich nature presents the mother
with but one offspring at a birth.  You are well awrare,
however, that  she  sometimes presents a  parent with
two children;  and in  the western country, if rumour
speak the truth, she in more than one instance has not
even stopped at this number.  In about ninety-nine
cases out of a hundred, the directions I have given you,
which relate to the birth of one child, will be found
sufficiently ample and particular; but I must not omit
to instruct you also as to cases of child-birth in which
more than one child is to be born.
  It is not easy to ascertain that there are twins, or more
than twins to be born, until after the  birth of the first
child; and if there are three to be born, not until  after
the birth of the second.   Where twins are to be pro-
duced, the  membranes of both children may be felt at
the birth-place, sometimes before the delivery of one 
TWINS.
519
of them, but not often; and sometimes, but very sel-
dom, it may be distinguished on examination, that dif-
ferent  parts of both children present  themselves
Twins  are  always considerably smaller  than  single
children, which generally causes their birth to be more
easy and rapid; in fact, the rapidity of a first birth ge-
nerally  produces  the first  suspicion  that  there are
twins.   Generally speaking,  immediately after the
birth of the first  child, another may  be felt by very
accurate pressure on the belly of the mother.  But if
the womb be very capacious or large,  rather than sub-
ject yourself to great uncertainty, the hand may be
very cautiously and gently  introduced, and the child
distinguished by the touch.   Where  there are twins,
the second child is brought forth within about an hour
of the first,  and in a position directly contrary to the
first; so that when the first is  presented with the head
foremost, the second may always be expected with the
breech or feet foremost.
   " The first child being delivered," says Doctor-----,
"as prescribed in single cases, some  time must be
allowed to recruit the woman's strength, and to afford
nature time for bringing on the next delivery.  There
are cases in which it would be necessary to wait even
three or four hours.  1st. When artificial aid was used
in the first case.   2d. When the child presents  unna-
turally.  3d. When fits of flooding come on.
   "When both children present naturally, and the
 labour of the first ends  without aid, and without much
 fatigue to the patient, I  wait for the secondary pains;
 but should  these not come on in a reasonable time, say
 four hours, I introduce my  hand cautiously, and rup-
 ture the membranes;  when, commonly, the second
 child  passes readily through the pelvis or basin.  If the 
520
TWINS.
first labour has been natural, and the second child pre-
sents in a wrong direction, I have generally, without
delay, extracted it by the feet.   If the first labour has
been unnatural, with but little delay, the membranes
are to be ruptured; and, whether the child  should be
brought down immediately, and delivered by the feet
or not, the operating physician or midwife must de-
cide.   The rules  applicable to  twins  will  equally
apply to cases where there are three or more children."
  Where a woman has brought forth  twins, or more,
great care and attention  are  necessary  to prevent her
from  fainting.   She should, therefore, not have her
head raised or elevated; and even  in  moving should
have herself rolled over  in a bed.  A  broad bandage
round the belly should never be omitted in the case of
twins, to support the belly of the mother.  The direc-
tions I have already  laid down, respecting  the  after-
birth of single children, are  fully and entirely appli-
cable  in  the cases of twins, and more children even
than two.
       DIRECTIONS FOR  MIDWIVES.
  The following remarks are especially intended for
the serious  consideration and benefit of midwives;
and indeed of all such as are in the practice of officiat-
ing in the delivery of pregnant women.   Regularly
bred and  licensed physicians are always presumed to
know their duties, and to perform them with skill and
judgment, in this  highly responsible department of
their profession.  The practice of midwifery by those
who are  not regularly taught the medical profession,
and who are presumed to know little or nothing about 
            DIRECTIONS FOR MID WIVES.         521

the organization of the human  system, implies the as-
sumption of a most awful and dangerous responsibility:
especially when it is considered that the  fatal conse-
quences of  ignorance and presumption, if combined
with total disregard of moral feelings, duties, and prin-
ciples, are nearly as  chargeable with criminality, as if
they proceeded from voluntary and  intentional  viola*
tions of the laws of  God !   There is very little differ-
ence, in other words, between  the disregard of those
duties which are enjoined  by the laws  of justice and
humanity, and  their palpable and unconditional viola-
tion.
  The directions  which I  shall lay down for your
considerate adoption will be plain, simple, and natural;
they will  be obscured by no technical  language, and
rendered  unintelligible  to you  by none of the myste-
ries of the medical profession; and if you scrupulously
attend to  them, they will enable you to be successful
in ninety-nine cases  of midwifery out of a hundred in
which you  may be  engaged.  If you wish to be es-
teemed great  and skilful in your calling, and if you
desire to be an  instrument in the hands  of divine Pro-
vidence,  for affording consolation  and  relief  to your
sex in the hour of affliction, treasure up the  salutary
advice, and  never lose sight of it, that  you are  never
to force nature; that you are to give her time to per-
form her operations; and, if you have any doubt as to
the success of  the delivery, you are  to run  no risks,
but to call in the aid of a skilful and experienced phy-
sician.  By attending to this course  of conduct, you
will relieve yourself of dangerous responsibilities, dis-
charge your duties to a fellow creature, and appear in
the presence of your Creator with the consciousness 
522         DIRECTIONS FOR MIDWIVES.
of having acted  in obedience to the  most solemn in-
junctions of humanity.
  1st. Immediately on your being called to deliver a
woman, your first inquiry of her should be  as to the
state of  her bowels, whether she has had a stool, and
whether she is bound or constipated in her bow7els.  I
need not tell you  that the discharge of the bowels, and
also the urine or water from the bladder are both im-
portant and even necessary; first, in  preventing  inju-
ries to the parts, as  the  child enters  the world;  and,
second, to render the labour and birth more easy and
safe.  You will of course, therefore, strictly attend to
these evacuations in proper time.
  2d. You are now to ascertain and. determine whether
actual labour has taken place or not;  and the only cer-
tain and satisfactory signs of actual labour are such as
I have before minutely described to you.  The mouth
of the womb is  to be felt  by introducing the finger
with much tenderness up the birth-place; and if you
feel that it dilates or opens during the time that a pain
takes place, the woman  is in actual labour.
  3d. When examining, conduct the operation  with
caution  and tenderness; and at the  same time  take
care to  have your  nails closely and  smoothly pared,
because your finger  will feel the membranous bladder
or bag containing the waters.  If the labour be not
much advanced, you will only  feel the mouth of the
womb and its dilation or opening at every pain.
  4th. Place a pillow between the thighs of the wo-
man, so as to give sufficient room for  the child to  pass,
and for its head to rest upon as it enters into the world,
and let the woman draw up her legs.
  5th. As  the head of  the child advances, press  your 
           DIRECTIONS  FOR MIDWIVES.        523

right hand steadily and firmly against the part between
the fundament and birth-place, called by physicians
perineum, so as to give it support, and  prevent its rup-
turing or  tearing;  at  the same time that you incline
the child's head to  the pubes, which are the parts
which form the arch in  front.  If you will recollect,
and if you do not read the part over again, I have fully
described  and enforced the necessity of your being ex-
tremely careful to prevent injuries to the  perineum ;
for by its  being ruptured or torn, which is sometimes
the case from incautiousness and imprudence, as well
as from hurrying  the birth, the lower gut or funda-
ment, and the birth-place itself, become one opening
from the  tearing  or  the laceration of the  perineum.
On this point, then, let me again urge you to be ex-
tremely careful.
   6th. If the child's head advances forward too rapid-
ly, resist or  stop its  passage outward, for one or two
pains with your hand; by these means you  will in-
crease the powers or energies of nature in the mother;
avoid all risks of injuring the perineum, and give ulti-
mate facility or ease in the delivery.
   7 th. So soon as the head is delivered, the woman
will have  some respite from her sufferings.   You must
then converse with her, and encourage her to be pa-
tient and firm in her  resolutions.   Remember now
that the head of the child is to be supported, and that
no force  or pulling whatever is to be used.  You are
to wait patiently for the next exertions of nature, w7ho
will  always perform her operations in due time ; the
 woman is by no means to  strain, bear down, or  force
her pains.  As I  told you  before, and  gave you the
reasons, she may blow strongly into the palms  of
her hands, but exercise impulsion or force no further 
 524        DIRECTIONS FOR MD3WIVES.

   8th. The child being born, you have now nothing
 to do for a  few minutes but to give it fresh air and
 permit  it to cry.  After it has had sufficient time to
 breathe freely, and the navel cord has in some  mea-
 sure ceased its  pulsation, the cord is to be tied about
 three inches from the navel of| the child, and  then
 again about an inch and a half from the first knot, and
 cut asunder between the two ties, with a scissors  or
 any other sharp  instrument.   But I have told you this
 before.
   9th. When the child is separated from the mother.
 you  are not to wash  it according  to the old custom;
 this  is a wrong and highly improper  plan, and fre-
 quently produces serious injuries  to the child, as you
 will  be fully informed by  reading under the head
 "Treatment of  New-born Infants," which you will
 find among the diseases of children.
   10th. Now comes the period  in w7hich so many
 women are  injured for life, by ignorance and impru-
 dent haste.   Let the woman rest a short time, and
 await patiently the return of the pains which are  to
 expel the after-birth, which the womb will do by con-
 traction.  Your own good sense will teach you, that if
 you  pull or force  down the after-birth, you will also
 pull  down the womb, or separate the  after-birth be-
 fore the womb has contracted, so as to stop the blood-
 vessels from pouring out their contents.  Now, if you
 do pull after all the advice to the contrary I have given
you, the consequence will be, that  the woman will
bleed to death.   I have  told you before  how to excite
the womb to action,  so as to bring  on the pains for
expelling the after-birth.  You  are to rub her belly;
and if she is a strong woman, and feels able, you may,
by assistants, raise her up by supporting her under the 
             DIRECTION FOR MIDWIVES.         525

 arms.  She may then blow in her hands a long breath,
 for the reasons I have already given you.   As soon as
 an after-pain comes on, the midwife is gently to stretch
 the cord, but not to pull it or use any force.  By the
 motion of  the cord, or its gentle extension, the after-
 birth  is very apt to come away.  If you do not think
 proper to use these measures, you  may turn the wo-
 man over on her belly, and introduce your finger into
 the mouth  of the womb with  much care, the  parts
 being extremely sore; then turning the finger gently
 round the mouth of the womb as you would round
 the edge of a cup, the womb will contract; now gently
 stretch the cord, and you will extricate the after-birth,
 generally speaking,  with safety.   An hour,  an  hour
 and a half, or two hours may be allowed for the ex-
 pulsion of the after-birth.
   When it cannot  be  delivered, proper means are to
 be used for  its  expulsion,  in other words, for its dis-
 charge.   These means  are the following:  Let the
 midwife introduce into the  birth-place  her hand, with
 the fingers collected  into a point, and made as small as
 possible.  At  the mouth or edge of the womb let her
 open  or extend  her fingers, and rub them carefully
 round the edge.  These measures will cause the womb
 to contract; then, with the fingers  gently introduced
 between the after-birth and the womb itself, she must
 slowly separate them from each other, should they ad-
 here or stick  together.   Recollect distinctly, that all
 this is to be done while the contraction is going on.
   11th.  If the discharge of blood is great, after  this
 operation, apply cloths wet with cold water  to the belly
 of the wroman, as in  flooding; and push up the birth-
 place  gently, and not too far, a soft cloth also wet with
cold water, as directed in flooding. 
526         DIRECTION FOR  MIDWIVES.

  12th.  When the woman  is relieved of the after-
birth, let a wide  bandage be placed round her, plea-
santly tight, and let her also be wiped  dry.   The
clothes which are w7et, and those which were placed
under her, are now to be removed, and  she permitted
to remain perfectly quiet, and to take her  repose.   If
she complains of faintness, or  seems exhausted, give
her some wine and water, or a little toddy on which
some nutmeg has been grated.
  I have now given you a full description of what I
intended, and I am persuaded, in such plain terms, that
any woman of common sense can afford the requisite
assistance in common cases of labour.
       DIRECTIONS AFTER LABOUR.
  After labour, the more quiet the woman can  be
kept, the better.   The fact is, that she is to move or
be moved as little as possible, and to lie principally on
her back.  Her nipples are to be washed with  milk-
warm wrater, before the infant is put to the  breast,
which ought to be done within twelve hours after the
birth.  If the woman has lost considerable blood dur-
ing the labour, the milk will be longer in flowing than
otherwise.  When this  is the case, apply warm bread
and milk poultices over the nipples;  these will soon
cause the milk to discharge.
  You  will  frequently  observe in women who have
had children, that  their bellies protrude or stick out, as
if they were always in a state of pregnancy.    This
is owing to neglect and bad management.  To  avoid
it, on the second day after the child-birth, you are to 
           DIRECTIONS AFTER LABOUR.        527

apply round the whole belly, moderately tight, a broad
bandage of cloth or flannel; the last is the best, which
is to be worn for at least one month.   It is not to be
too tight, but  merely  tight  enough  to  support  the
parts pleasantly.  This will prevent the woman, after
having  recovered, from  having a large  and ill-shaped
belly.
   You are now to bear  in mind, and that too particu-
larly, the advice I am about to give you, especially if
you  value  your health, and probably the preservation
of your life.    On  the second day after delivery you
are to take a dose of castor oil or Epsom salts.  More
than two-thirds of the women w7ho have been afflicted
with and finally died of child-bed fever, have owed
their fate to neglecting, after the birth of their infants,
to attend to the evacuation of their bowels.  If you do
not like to take salts or castor oil, evacuate the bowels
with glysters:  see  the head Glystering.  The fact is,
you are not to let twenty-four hours pass, after the birth
of a  child, without a passage or  stool.  The  conse-
quences of this neglect alwTays are, that it is not only
an injury to yourself, but the child.  When you have
such passages as I have told you are necessary, you  are
not to exert yourself by getting out of bed, but to have
a basin or other handy convenience placed under you ;
folding a blanket at the same time to prevent you from
getting wet.  In this way, without any  danger or  in-
delicacy, have these passages, from which you will re-
ceive much relief in body and mind, and derive much
benefit in your recovery.
  You are to have the birth-place washed with milk-
warm w7ater and good clear milk  every day, without
fail.  This is to be done, by  putting under the bed-
clothing a basin of  warm water, and having your hips 
 528        DIRECTIONS AFTER LABOUR.

 and thighs  raised with  a pillow or some bed clothes.
 In  this situation, a common  squirt made of elder or
 cane may be used, or a  female syringe, which can be
 procured at any doctor's shop in the country.   Every
 day warm water is to be thrown up the birth-place, so
 as to cleanse the parts; and to remove  any clots of
 blood or matter, called by physicians the lochia, which
 by remaining would produce irritation and fever.  If
 you wish to escape child-bed fever, and the w7hole train
 of afflictions incidental thereto, you are particularly to
 attend to these directions.
  In two or three days after delivery, for a short time,
 you may sit up in the  bed, supported with a chair at
 your  back  covered with pillows;  this will  assist the
 natural discharges from the birth-place.  You are not
 to stand up before the sixth day; and in  making  any
 change, you are to do it very gradually.  You  are to
 be kept neither too w7arm nor too cool; the air of the
 room is to be kept  pleasant and  agreeable; and  you
 are never to be exposed to a current of air. Two w7eeks
 after  delivery is about the common  time of leaving
 your room ; this, however, will depend on your situa-
 tion ; caution must always be used in the  change, so as
 to bring it on gradually. Sudden changes are always
 dangerous to women immediately after delivery, and
 indeed until they are completely restored.
  From the moment the woman is delivered of her
child, the wiiole system  becomes inclined to fever, and
particularly for three or four days after delivery.  Your
own good sense will now teach you that  the  practice
of giving in such cases  spirituous liquors, highly  sea-
soned food,  heating meats, and  strengthening  medi-
cines, is directly contrary to what ought  to  be  done:
giving such things as I have just named, keeping the 
           DIRECTIONS AFTER LABOUR.        529

woman in a constant sweat, and closing the room so as
to confine all the foul air around her, are  the very
means of bringing on  the fever which you ought to
endeavour to  escape.  Therefore let me tell you, in as
plain and emphatic language  as  I can, that whatever
adds to the heat of the woman's body will always en-
courage the coming on of fever, or increase it if it has
come on.   On the contrary, light cooling diet must be
used; the wroman must neither be subjected to extremes
of heat nor cold; her  clothing and her bed-chamber
must be so attended to, as neither to oppress her with
coldness nor heat; attention to these things, in ten days
or two weeks after !he has had  her child, will so
exempt her from fever, that in a little time her health
will  be fully established.
                    LOCHIA.
  This word is derived from the Greek.  It means to
bring forth, and also the cleanings: by  wilich are in-
tended here the  serous or watery, and often green-
coloured discharges, that take place  from the womb
and birth-place during the first three or four days after
delivery, when they generally subside.  During  the
first four days, these discharges are apt to change their
colour, and frequently to become offensive, unless due
caution and cleanliness have been observed.
  If they are profuse or great, and there is considerable
weakness, cloths wet with cold water must  be applied
to the belly.   There must also be cold wrater thrown
up the  birth-place, and also a  glyster  of cold  water
taken, at the same time that some laxative^ medicine is
taken  to open  the  bowels:  as  these, how7ever, are
      GUNN      34 
530
LOCHIA.
necessary  discharges,  they are not  to  be suddenly
checked, unless they seem to be going on to a danger-
ous extent.
  On the  contrary, if they should stop too suddenly,
they must be immediately brought  on  again, by  a
course of treatment directly opposite to that I have just
laid down.  Applications of a warm nature must be
made to the belly; and glysters of milk-warm wrater,
instead of  cold ones, must be given: see the head Glys-
tering.  Should the woman be feverish, or of a fat and
full habit  of body, the loss of a little blood  will be
proper.
                  FAINTINGS.
  If the woman should faint after the delivery of her
child, ascertain  immediately if  there  is a  flooding.
Should this be the case, use the coldest applications, as
directed under the head Flooding.  On examination,
should there be no flooding, give her wine, or some
toddy, or spirits and water, and draw the bandage tight
for an hour or two, round her belly.  If her  feet and
legs are cold, apply hot bricks, or other warm materials
to them.
                    CHILLS.
  When the woman complains of cold after her deli-
very, or that cold chills are stealing over her, which is
sometimes the case,  make warm applications  to her
belly, feet, and legs, and give her nothing but warm
balm or sage tea to drink.  If the shake is very severe, 
CHILLS.
531
let the persons round the bed grasp  witfe both hands
her thighs and legs, and hold them firmly but tenderly
until the shivering subsides.  Recollect, now, that you
are to give no heating spirits at this time, or you  wiE
certainly produce a fever.  Should the chills continue;
you are to have recourse to laudanum or opium: see
table of doses.  These last articles are not, however,
to be given, unless the  chills continue, or are very
severe.
                AFTER PAINS.
  These pains are brought on by the contraction of
the womb, in the  exertion of expelling the clots of
blood and secretions which are contained in the wromb
after the birth.  When not very severe, you are to let
them alone;  but if too excruciating and severe, you
will generally relieve them, by applying cloths wrung
out of warm water  to the back and belly.  If the pains
continue to be severe, throw a glyster up the bowels
or fundament,  made of thin gruel, milk-warm, in
which put a tea-spoonful of laudanum: see the  head
Glystering.
               INFLAMMATION.
  From difficult or tedious labour, the parts frequently
become inflamed and swelled; and sometimes there
are quantities of blood, which form a substance in the
mouth of the birth-place, which I believe has no name.
Although there is no danger in this matter, yet it fre-
quently produces great  pain and uneasiness.  These
inflammations are to be relieved by cold applications 
532
INFLAMMATION.
such as cold poultices of light bread and milk; bathing
the parts  with,  and throwing up injections of cold
water; or by making use of the following preparation:
In a pint of cold water put  a tea-spoonful of sugar
of lead, and bathe the parts with the mixture.   Or you
may rub them well with sweet oil, keep them cool, and
daily cleanse them with cold water.
  If the belly feels very sore on being pressed, bathe it
often in warm water; or apply cloths to it wrung out
of warm water, and rub the belly well with the follow-
ing liniment.  Get equal quantities of spirits of harts-
horn and sweet oil: mix them well together, and  rub
the belly two or three times a day with this mixture.
This, with the warm bathing, as just directed, will give
immediate relief.
    INFLAMMATION OF  THE BREASTS.
  This disease generally arises from want of care after
delivery; by which want of care I mean, that proper
attention has not been paid to the system, in order to
prevent fever, which is always produced from eating or
drinking stimulating articles too freely, and before the
milk has had time to secrete freely.  This effect is also
produced by permitting the breasts to remain distended
too long with milk.  In this case, great pain with in-
flammation comes on; in other words, fever is the con-
sequence of this neglect.
  If there seems  any disposition  to  inflammation, the
best preventive is  to apply, a few7 hours after delivery,
warm poultices of light bread  and milk to the breasts,
for at least three  hours.  This will assist the natural
discharge of the milk.   If the child refuses to suck, fill 
         INFLAMMATION OF THE BREASTS.     533

a common black bottle with w7arm water, and  apply
the nipple to the mouth of the  bottle, which will
gently draw the  milk, as the  water becomes cooler.
Bathe the breast well with sweet oil or hog's lard at
the same time.   If the inflammation continues, put a
tea-spoonful of sugar of lead in  a pint of cold water,
and keep a cloth, wet with this mixture, constantly tr
the breast;  but recollect you are not to w7et the nipple
with this mixture, by which means it may get into the
child's mouth.   When  the inflammation is  severe.
Doctor Physic recommends a blister over the breast.
When matter is fully formed,  make a small  puncture
or hole with a lancet, so as to permit it gradually to es-
cape.  I have always, however, relieved by poultices
and sugar of lead, as above directed, without the pain-
ful necessity of using a blister.
                 MILK FEVER.
  This fever is owing to the change of the system,
after the delivery  of the child,  by the swelling and
irritation of the breasts, from the milk secreted  in
them.  This always occasions the discharge from the
womb  to lessen in  quantity.   You will now recollect
the advice I have given you  before, as  to applying
poultices to  the breasts for a few7 hours, anointing the
breasts well with sweet oil or lard, taking some  laxa-
tive  medicines, and living on low diet.  These  mea-
sures and precautions will enable you to avoid the fol-
lowing unpleasant feelings :  heat, thirst, headach, ane
fever.  Although this fever is quite common, and may
be easily removed, yet the imprudence of neglecting
the above advice may be the cause of other complaints.
  2 y2 
534
MILK  FEVER.
which 1 shall in their proper places mention.  If the
breasts are painful, take a dose of salts to cool the sys-
tem :  and if the  fever continues, the loss of a little
blood from the arm will be proper.   Drink mild balm
or sage tea, in which put about twenty drops of anti-
monial wine.  This drink may be given occasionally,
so as  to produce  a gentle moisture or sweat on the
skin.  Take no heating articles, and live on light cool-
ing diet.  In a few days the  milk will flow, and the
fever go off.
               SWELLED LEG.
  This disorder takes place after child-birth, and I am
happy to say that it seldom occurs, when due caution
and cleanliness have been observed.   I am of opinion
that it arises from some  irritating matter being left in
the womb, or at its mouth.  When you discover this
disorder, which is known by a pain inside of the leg,
extending to the heel and  the groin, the limb always
begins to sw7ell, so that the slightest motion gives great
pain.   The pulse  becomes quick, the  skin hot, the
tongue white, the urine thick.   There are also slight
pains about the womb,  and the discharge  from the
birth-place is dreadfully offensive.

                   REMEDIES.
  On the appearance of this complaint get a syringe
for females,  or what will answer the same purpose,
make a squirt of elder or cane, and throw some warm
water up the birth-place, several times during the day,
to cleanse it; and in the intervals of time, some good
sweet  oil.  Wash  the parts well with  water made 
SWELLED  LEG.
535
pleasantly warm, and rub the leg or legs with the fol-
lowing  ointment.  Take a gill  of sweet oil, a table-
spoonful of laudanum, and to these add a gill of spirits
in which camphor has been dissolved.  With this mix-
ture rub or bathe the legs twice a day;  and provided
the woman has no purging of the bowels, let her  take
at night, and also in  the morning, two grains of calo-
mel, mixed with the same quantity of squills,  and
made into a pill.  This is to be repeated  until relief is
obtained.
             CHILD-BED  FEVER.
  This disease is called by physicians puerperal fever.
It generally comes on from  the fifth to the eighth day
after the woman has been delivered: but its being ear-
lier or  later depends very much on the woman's con-
stitution, and the particular state of her system. I have
before  mentioned to you that you are to be very pru-
dent in your conduct respecting her food; drink, and
the state of her bowels; for on these three things de-
pend, in a very great degree, her uniform health, and
exemption from this dangerous disease, puerperal or
child-bed fever.  This fever sometimes arises from a
stoppage of the discharge which I have described to
you, called lochial discharge, and from the putrid mat-
ter which I told  you it was  composed of, and which I
directed you to cleanse: see the head  Lochia.  An
undue  secretion of milk, a stoppage of the  lochial dis-
charge, the absorption of putrid matter from the womb,
exposure to too great cold or heat, all these things are
capable of producing child-bed fever.  This fever is
extremely dangerous, and requires the  immediate at- 
536             CHILD-BED FEVER.

tendance of an able physician;  but, as you may be so
situated as to be unable to obtain one, I shall explain
to you clearly  the symptoms of  this disorder, and also
the proper remedies.
  Child-bed fever comes on with a chill in the first
instance, then a flushing heat;  next, the  woman  be-
comes restless, and a sweat breaks out.  In a  short
time this sweat dries up, and the skin becomes dry and
burning to the touch:  there is now great thirst; flush-
ing of the face; wiiiteness and dryness of  the tongue;
great pain in the head and back ; sickness at the sto-
mach, sometimes attended  with puking.  In a short
time the belly swells, feels full, and becomes very pain-
ful ;  so much  so  that the weight of the  bed-clothes
gives considerable increase of pain.  The  bowels be-
come quite  loose  in some cases, and in others much
constipated or bound ; so much so, that it is difficult to
get a passage through them.  By these symptoms you
are to know this fever.
  I must here  remark, that if this fever continues for
some time, it is very apt to  change to a typhus fever.
When this is  the  case the  inflammatory symptoms
subside, the  tongue and teeth are now covered with a
dark brown coat;  small sores break out in the mouth
and  throat, similar to those in  a child that has the
thrush; the breath smells very  badly; the stools are
dark and very offensive; and not unfrequently small
purple spots appear on different parts of the  body.
When the last symptoms appear, the case is certainly a
very doubtful  one.  In the  typhus stage of  child-bed
fever, refer to page 202, and you will find the remedies
under the head Nervous Fever.   The remedies in the
first  stage I have described, or child-bed fever properly
so called, are as follows: 
CHILD-BED FEVER.
537
                   REMEDIES.
  While the cold stage is passing over, warm appli-
cations to the feet and legs are to be made ; and when
the inflammatory or hot stage comes on, as before de-
scribed, the woman is to  be bled from the arm, and
immediately purged freely with calomel: see table of
doses.  This purge of calomel is  to be followed up
with a dose of Epsom salts: see table.   If the woman
is of a full, stout, and healthy habit of body, and the
pains and fever, in eight or ten hours, do not  begin to
give way ;  and if the pains in the head and back  con-
tinue severe, I generally  draw more  blood from the
arm.  During this fever, obtain a phial  of antimonial
wine, and one  of sweet spirits of  nitre: mix as well
as you can  equal quantities  of these two articles, and
give a tea-spoonful of this mixture every half hour, in
a little water or tea: in other words, give it in such
a manner as to produce a little sickness of the stomach,
attended with a gentle moisture on the skin.   If it be
inconvenient for you to obtain these articles, put into
a pint of milk-warm water ten grains of tartar emetic,
and give  of this water one or two  table-spoonsful,
every on^or two hours, so as to produce and keep up
a constant  sickness  at the stomach.  This will lessen
the fever.  Rub the belly well with sweet oil, and by
injecting a little up the birth-place occasionally, the
irritation will  be greatly lessened.   The application
of flannel cloths frequently wrung out of warm wTater,
and laid to the belly, will also be highly important in
lessening the  pains and inflammation.   Should the
pain continue in the belly, apply a blister at the upper
part of each thigh.  I would advise blistering on the
belly, that  being the proper place, but then you could
not apply the warm cloths, which  are highly import 
538
CHILD-BED FEVER.
ant.   It will therefore  be better to apply the blisters
as directed.  Glysters made of slippery elm, and about
milk-warm, thrown up the fundament with  a  proper
pipe, three or four times a day, will answer a valuable
purpose, and be a cooling and soothing remedy in this
complaint.   You will recollect particularly that in
this disease operations  must be had by  the bow7els,
during the inflammatory period; and that when the
disease changes its appearance and character to typhus,
as it will sometimes do, you are to keep  the bowels
gently open, but not to purge so as to weaken the pa-
tient.  In this event, the continuance of mild glysters
will  be found  truly a fine remedy.   For  the method
of glystering see that head.  When purging comes on,
so as greatly to weaken the woman, which is not un-
frequently the case, you are to  check it  by  giving a
glyster, made with common starch on which hot w7ater
has been poured.  This  glyster must  be about the
thickness of gruel, and be about milk-w7arm, in which
you are to put twenty-five or thirty drops of laudanum:
it must be repeated three or four times a day, as the
pain and looseness may require.
  At the commencement  of this child-be^fever, the
diet or food must be very cooling and light ^>ut as the
disease advances, and the woman becomes weaker, let
the nourishment be  increased: and if necessary, from
her loss of  strength in purging, or from other causes,
or if the disease seems to be approaching to the typhus
or nervous  fever, the symptoms of which I have fully
explained, it will be necessary to support  her system
by the assistance of good wine or  toddy, and such
nourishing  food  as will support the enfeebled action
of the system.   In these cases, wine and barks may b*
given also; or camomile tea made strong, and taken 
CHILD-BED FEVER.
559
cold occasionally through the day; or you may give a
strong decoction of dog-wood  bark, wild-cherry tree
bark, and swamp poplar bark, made from equal quan-
tities of these barks boiled together and  perfectly
cooled, in the quantity of about a wine-glass full three
or four times a day.   These remedies are  all valuable
tonics, or strengthening medicines to support the sys-
tem.   Remember  particularly,  that  no  tonics  or
strengthening medicines are to be given, until after the
system has been entirely cleansed of its impurities: and
also you are most particularly to bear in mind, that
tonics or strengthening medicines are never to be given,
when they produce or increase  fever.
  Spirits of turpentine.—I am induced to believe, from
testimony not to be questioned, that this valuable medi-
cine,  spirits of turpentine, has not  yet received the
attention, or been  employed  sufficiently in  child-bed
fever.  So far as my studies and experience will enable
me to form and deliver an opinion, I would prefer its
use to that of  the lancet in this fever, in the  reduction
of febrile and inflammatory symptoms.  I have been
in the practice, for several years past, of using spirits
of turpentine as a medical remedy, and feel no hesita-
tion  whatever  in asserting that a fair and impartial
trial of it, in a great variety of cases, would entitle it to
rank and appreciation among medical remedies, of the
very first order.  In obstinate costiveness of the bowels,
and when every other remedy had failed, I  have fre-
quently used it with signal success;  nor is there any
thing superior to it in cholic, and in various inflamma-
tory or spasmodic affections of the abdominal viscera.
In enteritis, which  mean!  inflammation of  the intes-
tines ; in dysentery ;  and in hemorrhage, which means
a discharge of blood,  I know from practical experience 
540
^HILD-BED FEVER.
that it is a very valuable remedy.  With these remarks,
which I consider amply due to the subject, I will sub-
join such  testimonials of the efficacy of spirits of tur-
pentine, as will  entitle it to much attention in the
treatment of child-bed fever.
  Says Doctor Payne, in substance, pages 98-9, of the
6th vol. Medical Recorder—"Puerperal or  child-bed
fever, within the last fifteen  years, has raged with its
usual  violence in many parts of  this kingdom, particu-
larly in the West Riding of Yorkshire, when but few7 of
those  attacked by it escaped death.  Before the publi-
cation of Doctor Brennan appeared, recommending the
oil of turpentine in this fever, bloodletting was usually
resorted to; but there was much less success  attending
it than appears to have  followed the application of the
same remedy, in the cases of Doctor Campbell.  After
reading Brennan's work,  I  was  glad to try a  fresh
remedy in child-bed fever, because I had seen so little
good result from bloodletting.   It  is now nearly eight
years  since I was called to visit a female, who laboured
under this disease;  when  the surgeon, who had only
seen the patient  a short time before, proposed giving
the oil of turpentine, which w7as assented to, and given
in doses of half an ounce every two hours.  The effect
was a very copious discharge from the bowels, appear-
ing to consist of a serous or watery fluid, tinged with
green, in which were seen floating numerous pieces of
wiiite matter, like coagulable lymph.  Soon afterwards
the patient became  maniacal or deranged,  and con-
tinued so  for  several days, when her intellects  were
restored, and she gradually recovered.
  " Since  that period,"  saytthe  doctor,  " I have seen
several cases of child-bed fever, one of which had been
attended by a surgeon, who had discontinued his visits. 
CHILD-BED FEVER.
541
 I believe she had not been bled.  Her friends, seeing I
 had an unfavourable opinion  of the case, called in a
 more experienced physician, and it was agreed to try
 the oil of turpentine as a last resource.   Two drachms
 of it were given every two hours, which soon brought
 on  a purging, of a matter of  a like nature as before
 mentioned.  I have stated, in the first case mentioned,
 that mania or derangement  of mind had taken place
 from giving the oil of turpentine;  and the probability
 is, that the largeness of the doses produced  the effect,
 by throwing too much blood to the head.  In the case
 I am now speaking of, two drachms only were given
 at a dose, and the result was, that although the patient
 seemed to be at the very verge of eternity, she quickly
 recovered."
  I will  give but one other case.   It is one commu-
 nicated to the Medical Recorder, (6th vol. page 615,)by
 doctor James H. Lucas, of the county of Madison, and
 State of Georgia.  It is ably and clearly detailed, and
 will  be highly satisfactory to the reader.
  "On the 15th July I was called  to a woman who
 had been delivered  five days before of her third child,
 after a lingering labour of two days and nights.  When
 I saw her, there was a wildness of expression, and great
 anxiety,  with  considerable sharpness  of the features.
 Her  pulse was from one hundred to one  hundred  and
 ten.   She had a severe pain above the eyes, a hot  and
 dry skin, and great restlessness; the tongue  furred in
 the middle, and a red appearance of the edges.  There
 was much tenderness of the  belly, with an appearance
 like a ball over the pubes.   Her bowels were  costive;
her extremities cold, every morning about two o'clock,
 with a scarcity of the lochial discharge ; the restlessness
 was  also much  more troublesome in the afternoon. 
542
CHILD-BED  FEVER,
 The child and placenta were both delivered as  usual.
 As a preparatory means, ten grains of calomel were
 given, to be worked off with castor oil.  This relieved
 her considerably, particularly her head.   The next
 morning, the 16th, ordered her to take two tea-spoons-
 ful of the spirits of turpentine, in a solution of gum-
 arabic, or beaten up with the  white of an egg, with a
 table-spoonful of castor oil in the evening to assist  the
 operation of the  turpentine.  On the 17th, the tender-
 ness of the belly had nearly subsided; the pulse was
 less frequent; and four  more stools of a green colour
 and offensive smell from the oil and  turpentine, were
 voided.  She w7as ordered to continue the medicine.
 On the 18th the tenderness  w7as gone, except on pres
 sure; and the pulse was but ninety in a minute. Three
 stools had been passed of a less  offensive smell, and but
 slightly tinged with green.  The skin was much cooler
 than on the day before.  The medicine was  still con-
 tinued.  On the 19th the pulse w7as natural, with a
 slight perspiration on the surface; the tenderness of the
 belly w7as entirely gone; the lochial discharge of  its
 proper quantity and colour; five stools had been voided.
 the two last of which were of a natural appearance;
 and her appetite w7as good.   On the 20th I found her
 up, quite cheerful, and perfectly free from fever or dis-
 ease, and she has  continued so ever since."
  From  these  cases, w7hich are drawn  from high
authorities, the value of spirits of turpentine, as a most
valuable remedy  in  child-bed fever, will probably  be
acknowiedged by every reader of this work. 
HYSTERIA.
543
                   HYSTERIA.
  This important disease has been much neglected or
entirely overlooked by medical  men, and not unfre-
quently entirely  mistaken as alone originating from
mental emotions, or in other words, from the passions
of the mind; and this is the reason why so  many poor
victims of this complaint have been  teased and ridi-
culed, and left perhaps to brood  over  a  morbid sensi-
bility of mind and bodily suffering, which made life
itself insupportable.  How many constitutions might
be preserved, if hysteria was better understood or more
thoroughly investigated.   How many  thousands of the
human race might be preserved who have  been dosed
and drenched with medicines, and all to  no purpose
except to prostrate the constitution, or destroy life!
  That this disease sometimes originates from mental
emotion I  admit, particularly in women  of delicate
habits, whose nervous systems are extremely sensitive:
such women are subject more or less to these affections;
but when this is the case, the hysteria  is  seldom  at-
tended with any danger.
  I shall now direct your attention to  one  of the pri-
mary causes of this disease, and if you will  but take a
proper view of the subject, it  will be found of the  ut-
most importance, not only in preserving  many  a con-
stitution from a  long and  tedious confinement, but
probably be the means, through Divine permission, of
restoring a beloved  companion,  a daughter, or some
dear sister from  this perplexing  disease, which in its
train brings  suffering, despondency,  and w7orse than
death:  I mean the suppression of the catamenia, or, in
plainer language, the stoppage of the menses or courses.
The different shapes, forms, and symptoms that this 
544
HYSTERIA.
disease often assumes, from local causes combined with
excessive sensibility, may often deceive at first  sight
the young, and not unfrequently the oldest and best
informed physician: notwithstanding it should appear
so difficult, yet strict attention to all the distinguishing
characteristics of these affections, even to a common
observer, will in a short time conclusively establish the
fact, that in eight times  out  of ten this complaint  is
produced by some irregularity in the monthly courses.
For in twenty years practice I have seldom seen a case
that did not give more or less evidence of some derange-
ment in the menstrual discharge, either by  an entire
stoppage, or too great flow or discharges at irregular
times, or too dark; at other times pale and watery, and
not unfrequently attended with great pain  and  sick-
ness about the time of the monthly change.   Now you
must observe  that hysteria is not confined to women
of delicate habits and nervous temperament, although
they are generally most subject to it; yet it frequently
attacks the most apparently healthy and strong robust
women, from  the age of  thirteen  to  forty-five; there-
fore be satisfied fully as to the nature and cause of this
disease  before you commence  giving medicine; and
although it will be necessary for you to give  proper at-
tention to the  stomach, liver, and bow els, (for each and
all of them predispose to hysteria,) yet  the primary
and great cause will always be found  in the  derange-
ment of the menses, or in plainer language the courses,
and  medically  called the  catamenia.   As an evi-
dence that this important disease  has been entirely
overlooked, or perhaps badly understood by the pro-
fession, there has been no treatise written upon it, or any
attempt made to trace the causes of hysteria until the
year 1829, when a learned and distinguished member 
HYSTERIA.
540
of the Royal College of Surgeons  in London, was the
first to direct the attention of the medical profession to
this important and neglected disease. This great writer
has been very severe upon physicians for their neglect,
and, to  quote his own language, " their ignorance in
permitting this  destructive  evil to prevail  to such a
frightful extent.   The  selection  of mild  language
would  be  a mistaken  delicacy for  that  neglect in
permitting thousands to sink hopelessly, and prema-
turely into an early  grave, or to drag out a  cheerless
existence."
  "Though  it may be impossible, (says  this  great
writer)  to  determine all  the reasons  that have ope-
rated to prevent  these  really  interesting  disorders
from  undergoing a more particular investigation: it is
not improbable that  the  following may form part  of
them.
  " In the  first place, hysteria has been from time to
time looked upon as a very trifling affair, made up  of
nervousness,  fancifulness, and imbecility; not unfre-
quently it has scarcely been treated with common hu-
manity; often turned into  ridicule, and  considered
altogether undeserving of serious attention.
  " In the next place, with the exception of that com-
mon  form, which is popularly called ' hysterics;' the
characters it assumes are so various and indefinite, that
they have seemed not to admit of  being classed under
the same general name, or to bear  any resemblance to
each  other.  Further, its  pathological conditions have
been  very little  understood; and  its  great variety of
shapes are so curious and extravagant as almost to defy
description, or even belief.   Hysteria, in some of its
forms, is neither a fanciful nor a trifling disorder;  but
that it is as painful in its progress, as tedious  in its diir 
546
HYSTERIA.
ration, and, if neglected or treated ignorantly, is pro-
ductive of as much misery as any disease in the voca-
bulary of physic."
  And here I must take the liberty of saying, that  al-
though pain may be considered the natural companion
of disease,  and that although hysteria is  sometimes,
under  the  best treatment, tedious and difficult to  re-
move, I believe its  remote  effects upon the delicate
females who are most liable to its invasion, may with
justice be imputed to medical mismanagement, rather
than to the unassisted agency of the disorder itself.   I
say again that I do believe this class of disorders is not
by  any means generally understood,  either by young
or old practitioners; and I believe, also, that many of its
unhappy subjects, who have  had recourse  to medical
advice, in the hope of immediate relief, have, in conse-
quence of  carelessness, ignorance, or rashness, been
abandoned to all the horrors  of a protracted sickness,
and of a shattered constitution.  So many cases in con-
firmation of this fact have recently fallen within my
own observation, that however severe the remark may
appear, I am satisfied it is just, and am thoroughly con-
vinced that no subject demands  more  investigation,
and that none  requires more skill and care than that
which is at present  under our discussion; and it will
enable those who have  had  little  or  no  experience in
hysteria to  recognise this disease surrounded with  all
its varieties of symptoms, and to administer with  con-
fidence to this  complaint, and at the same time save
them from the disgrace of making the remedies worse
than the disease.   Hysteria  is in some of its forms
difficult and embarrassing,  and,  therefore, even  the
most distinguished physician will not despise any light
that may be cast upon it, but will appreciate, first the 
HYSTERIA.
547
importance of obtaining such  knowledge of its forms
as shall enable their  real nature to  be at once ascer
tained and  distinguished  from  other diseases which
they frequently imitate, and reducing the symptoms
and  forms into  such plain descriptive cases,  as will
enable the humblest scholar or reflecting man to know
them, and to apply at once the best and surest reme-
dies adapted for their cure.
  And for your guide I shall give you such facts and
authentic  cases as will clear away the  darkness which
has hitherto shrouded this disease, and place your cor-
ner stone upon a rock, on which you  may build with
security and success; combined with the prominent
causes, the appearances, symptoms, and (what is of the
highest importance for you  to  understand) the distin-
guishing characteristics of these affections; and after-
wards, to describe that plan of treatment which appears
most proper for the speedy removal of this distressing
complaint.
  It  may  be necessary for me to give  you  the various
technical or medical terms  which are applied to these
diseases, all of which I have classed  under the general
name of Hysteria, and  which I assert is the  proper
name; whether it be called "catalepsy," or " proteian
malady,"  or  " a peculiar  spasmodic affection,"  or
" leaping ague," or any other fanciful name by w7hich
it has been galled by physicians. Now let the name
be what it may, you will always find, where this dis-
ease  prevails, that the cause is a derangement of  the
menstrual discharge, and that  if you wish to be suc-
cessful you must direct your remedies to this cause, for
you will find that a disordered  uterine secretion is al-
ways the  forerunner of it  in whatever shape it may
present itself.  With these preliminary remarks I shall 
548
HYSTERIA.
 now proceed to lay down in a simple and plain man-
 ner, the symptoms attendant on hysteria.

                   SYMPTOMS.
   Dejection or lowness of spirits; sudden bursts of tears
 succeeded by laughter; great anxiety of mind; sickness
 of the stomach, with inclination to vomit; starting and
 screaming; lying still as death, and  then  struggling
 with a giant's strength.   A loud rumbling is heard in
 the bowels, called by physicians clangor intestinorum,
 and something like a ball is felt by the patient rising
 up in the throat,  producing a  sense of suffocation.
 This is nothing more than flatulence or wind, called,
 medically,  globus hystericus. There is sometimes a
 shivering sensation; extremities cold ;  great pain is
 usually or often felt in the left side, with a distension
 or moving upwards; faintness,  and often stupor and
 insensibility takes  place.  The  body  is convulsed, or
 turned backwards and forwards, the limbs much  agi-
 tated, and hands clasped firmly together and extremely
 difficult to open, grinding or gritting the teeth,  and  a
 frothy discharge of  saliva or spittle  from the mouth.
 After some time the fit abates, the system from such
 exertion becomes exhausted, and the  patient for a time
 remains quiet, and  frequently wind  is expelled or
 belched up, and deep sobbing or sighing ;  when sud-
 denly a  second fit comes on, &c, until ^orn out she
 lies quiet, or sinks to sleep, or perhaps is gradually re-
stored, unconscious of what is past, but complaining of
great soreness, or slight or dull pains of the head,  and
probably much tenderness is felt at, or near, the region
of the chest and stomach.   I think these symptoms
 which generally accompany hysteria are so fully  and
plainly explained to  you, that any one of common sense 
HYSTERIA.
549
may detect at once the true nature of the case.  But
should it be necessary to have a further guide, behold
those women who  for years are deprived of their na-
tural health, with sallow and sickly faces, with fevered.
white, and parched lips, furred tongues, limbs scarcely
able to bear the least exertion ; and you will generally
find that it  originates  from a  faulty menstruation;
therefore be  not discouraged if this disease is tedious
and difficult to cure, as this is often the case ;  and this
is one of the  causes why so many young women are
neglected, or get tired of continuing the remedies from
which they have found  but little or no relief; when
the disease is permitted to continue, and at last assumes
so formidable a shape as to deceive the oldest and best
informed practitioner of medicine.  For I assure you
you will seldom find  two cases  alike, although I have
before told you it originated, eight cases in ten, from
the derangement of the menses or courses.  Therefore,
let them be  called catalepsy, or  protean malady,  or
spasmodic affection, or hysteria; for these are the
medical names given, and  another evidence of hum-
bug, or long-sounding technicalities, similar to those I
have given you in page 140.
   I now proceed to give the evidence which  must es-
tablish conclusively the facts  I have advanced, and
enable you to treat successfully this heretofore myste-
rious  and complicated  disease which  should  be, as 1
have called it, named Hysteria.

                      Case 1.
   A woman who resided in the country, about the age
 of twenty years, apparently of good health, and rather
 a robust stout figure, was  suddenly taken ill; she re-
 sided about three miles from the city.   I was called to 
 550                hysteria.
                             *
 see her:  she was in great distress, with violent pain in
 the head, the whites of the eyes looked red and fiery,
 and the light gave her much pain; tears seemed to flow
 involuntarily; with a choking sensation, saying, " 0,
 doctor, I am suffocating, and without  relief I  must
 die."
   I bled her from the  arm about a pint, which imme-
 diately relieved  her head very much, and after a short
 time the light was not so painful to her;  her feelings
 of suffocation were partially relieved, but not altogether
 removed. I then gave her an active dose of calomel and
 jalap ; ordering it in a few hours to be followed by a
 dose  of  castor oil,  so  as to purge her bowels freely.
 The following day I visited her again, and found  her
 medicine had acted well, and she to all appearance was
 relieved.  The second  night following  (about mid-
 night) I was called by her brother in great haste to see
 her, as she was supposed to be dying.   On my arrival,
 I found  her breathing with great quickness, similar to
 a person out of breath from running some distance; she
 could with great difficulty articulate a few wrords, but
 placed my hand on her left side.  I asked her if she
 suffered much pain there: she said with difficulty, " O,
 yes," and sank into a state of insensibility.  I found it
 impossible to ascertain the state of her pulse, in conse-
 quence of the agitated state of her respiratory system;
 her skin was excessively hot, and  her  face much
 flushed; the arteries of the neck throbbing with great
 violence, and the heart labouring most violently.  The
 perspiration flowed profusely, and her lips were quite
. purple.   I immediately bled  her freely, when she vo-
 mited ;  a portion thrown up was saturated with blood.
 After an hour or two the symptoms measurably abated,
 and she was able to  speak,  though  complaining of 
hysteria.
551
drowsiness or stupor.  Being informed that her bow-
els were sufficiently open, I gave her no purgative me-
dicine that night; her friends being much alarmed, by
their request I remained with her during the nigh%
which afforded me an opportunity of  inquiring more
fully into the nature of the case ; and found that she
had  not menstruated, or, in plainer language, had her
courses regular for more than a year, and when they
made their appearance it was in small quantities, of a
dark thick colour, at which time she complained of
much pain in the back, and across her breast: sickness
at the stomach, with  a  disposition to vomit; and on
the slightest exertion palpitations of the heart, and pain
in the left side.  These  symptoms led me to suspect
the cause of the  disease; and profiting by the  expe-
rience and wise admonitions of my distinguished bro-
ther of London, who I have  before alluded  to, from
whom I attribute  all  my knowf edge and success in
these cases; I commenced an examination of her case,
so as to convince myself of the real nature of the dis-
ease.
   This is done by w7hat is termed medically an exami-
nation of  the spinal column ; which column or bony
pillar extends  from the  neck to the rump bone, and
is usually known as the back bone : deriving its name
from the  Latin" word spina,  a thorn, so  called from
its resemblance to a thorn.  It is composed of twenty-
four irregular bones, called vertebrae; from the Latin
word verto, to turn.  The vertebrae are divided into
three classes: first, neck; second, back;  third, loins.
The first  called cervical; second, dorsal; third, lum-
bar vertebrx.   In paying strict attention to such cases
as frequently present themselves in my practice. I have
always observed that by making pressure with my 
552
HYSTERIA.
fingers, slowly and gradually down  the  spine, that
great tenderness and pain was felt by the patient when
I approached or arrived at that  portion of the verte-
brae  which is sympathetic with this  disease;  and it
is most generally an unerring guide.   Even the coun-
tenance is expressive of pain and shrinking, the mo-
ment the fingers touch that portion  of the vcrtebrx.
Having fully explained the method of detecting hys-
teria, I shall proceed with this case.
  Her dress  being removed, and her  body placed on
the right side, so as to place  the back as nearly on a
level as possible, I proceeded to an examination of the
spine,  and immediately on  pressing the four  upper-
most dorsal vertebrae, she shrunk and complained of
great pain, and could  not  bear me to touch this part
without  exclaiming, " O, doctor, you hurt me very
much."  Her countenance seemed to change with a
convulsive spasm, which  extended to her left side,
the spot on which she had previously placed my hand.
  Being now entirely satisfied as to the nature of her
case, originating from a suppression or some  irregu-
larity of her menses or courses, I at once determined
to use the tartar emetic ointment, which is nothing
more than the tartar emetic mixed with some simple
salve or  ointment:  See table for the manner of pre-
paring.  This preparation was rubbed  along the whole
course of the dorsal vertebrae  three times a day; and
she took an active dose of calomel and jalap, followed
up  by an aloetic  mixture every four  hours:  for this
mixture see table.   During the night she passed many
dark and offensive  stools, after which her pain and
shortness of breath was much relieved.   Her pulse
was about one hundred;  tongue brown and furred;
and the little pimples or pustules which this ointment 
HYSTERIA.
553
will produce, when rubbed on any part of the body,
had not yet appeared on the spine.  On the third day,
about evening,  the crop of pimples  commenced ap-
pearing ; when  instantly, as  if by charm,  her  pains
and symptoms began to disappear.  On the following
day, with the exception of the soreness which  these
pimples always  produce, she  was  perfectly well; her
pulse  reduced to their natural standard; the skin be-
come soft and  natural, tongue clean ; but as yet, her
menses or courses did not appear.  She continued  to
take  the aloetic mixture with iron, (see table  how  to
prepare,) and with this  medicine she gradually im-
proved, until her time  arrived again for her to be un-
well, or, in other language, to  have her courses, when
suddenly all the old  symptoms again returned, but
not quite as violent as before.  The same  treatment
was pursued in  her case, and as soon as the pustules  or
eruption made their appearance on the back, she was
again perfectly well; from this time she gradually used
the aloes, and the  natural time having again arrived,
she had  her courses, and from this time she enjoyed
uninterrupted health,without  any return whatever of
hysteria.

                      Case 2.
   This was  a Miss B., a beautiful girl of fifteen years
of age-was  taken suddenly ill at a  boarding-school.
In great alarm I was sent for to attend her.  She com-
plained of headach and loss  of appetite, and without
further warning awoke on Sunday  morning, after a
tranquil night's sleep, with a train of symptoms resemb-
ling  tetanus, in plain English, spasm.  When I first
saw her, she was lying upon her  head  and her  heels,
her back thrown into  an arch, and scarcely touching 
554
HYSTERIA.
Che bed-clothes.  Her arms were bent inward, and hti
fingers violently grasping her thumbs, which  were
stuck into  the  palms:  her toes were bent upwards,
and  her legs bent and twisted  in the same manner as
her  arms.  It  was with great difficulty  her hands
could be forced open, although the attempt to  do so
did not much annoy her.  She was perfectly sensible,
and  complained of violent heat and pain in the head;
the light gave her great pain, and when her eyelids
were open she squinted frightfully ;  her breathing was
very short, with much  pain in the  left side; palpita-
tion of the heart; pulse one hundred and ten; tongue
clean; skin  very hot, but  covered with perspiration;
extremely thirsty, and complained of her mouth being
dry.  Her general health had previous to this  been
good, but she had  never had her  courses.   Such was
the striking appearance of this case, which, from the
suddenness of the attack after passing a good night, and
from her having never had her menses, I strongly sus-
pected it to be nothing more  than a strange form of
hysteria.   Under this impression I examined the spine,
and  the  moment  pressure was  made betw7een the
scapula or shoulder blade, upon the upper dorsal ver-
tebrae, she  complained of pain, which was also  appa-
rent in  the expression  of her countenance.   That
which  was conjecture  before, now became a matter
of certainty, and I at  once assured the lady of the
school there was no danger; that in a few days her
health would be entirely restored.
  The tartar emetic ointment was immediately applied
throughout the  dorsal region; and a good  dose of ca-
lomel and jalap prescribed.  As soon as the medicine
acted freely on  her bowels, her head was  better, and
her breathing relieved, but the spasms of  her  body 
HYSTERIA.
555
 did not yield until  the ointment had  the effect as be-
 fore described.   As soon  as  the  pimples began  to
 appear, the spasmodic affection gave way, and in less
 than twenty-four hours after the ointment acted, not
 a vestige of the  disease remained.  About one month
 afterwards, the time for  her to  have  her courses, the
 symptoms  returned in a slight manner; her thumb,
 and  frequently  her fingers were  bound  down and
 lasted for some  time.  It became  necessary again  to
 apply the ointment, although she was  greatly opposed
 to it from the soreness it produced :  she at last gave her
 consent for it to  be rubbed  in,  and  as soon as the pim-
 ples  made  their appearance, she was  again relieved,
 and from this time her disease returned upon her no
 more.  From the first attack the aloetic mixture with
 iron was  daily administered, and at the expiration of
 five weeks she  menstruated, and was afterwards quite
 well.  Thus proving very satisfactory that the menses
 was the source of the vertebral irritation, and this in
 its turn produced the other complaints.

                      Case 3.
   Miss L., aged about 19, had not been in good health
 for nearly four years.  In the middle of January, 1825,
 she was  taken  severely ill, with acute  pain in the left
 side, which was greatly increased by drawing  a long
 breath, but was relieved by any pressure.   This pain
 wras so violent as to make her  frequently scream and
 request her friends to hold  or  press her  sides, which
 pressure w7as done for hours together, being all  they
 could  do  to relieve her.  There was considerable op-
 pression  of  the chest, and her  head pained her very
 much.  A few hours before I saw7 her, she had fallen
from  her chair apparently lifeless, and  was carried to 
556
HYSTERIA.
 bed.  In this state she wrould remain or lie for half an
 hour or an hour, recovering occasionally and speaking
 rationally, and even cheerfully,  and then suddenly
 sinking into a state of insensibility; while in this in-
 sensible state her  breathing would be apparently sus-
 pended for ten minutes or longer at a time, or carried
 on  with so  much fineness, that no air  apparently
 escaped from her lips:  no rising or falling of the chest:
 no motion of any muscles, except a quivering of the
 eyelids, this  alone w7as  all that gave evidence that she
 was not in a state of " syncope."
   Then a rapid gasping w7ould take place, followed by
 a deathlike stillness; the eyes w7ere then  turned up,
 teeth fixed,  and  her hands convulsively clenched, so
 that nothing could relax them.  Now7 during all  this
 time her pulse was perfectly regular and she was quiet;
 except that she had occasional palpitations of the heart
 which seemed to convulse her very much ;  and shook
 her frame from head to  foot, which continued through
 her illness.   The little colour she usually had did not
 forsake her lips and cheeks ;  when for a  few minutes,
 she recovered, the pain in the head was greatly com-
 plained of, and her head and chest.  She could not en-
 dure the least exposure to  light without pain.   She
 entreated me to bleed her, which I did ; as she assured
 me the pain in her side, with w7hich she  had suffered
 for  the last four  years,  had  always been relieved by
 bleeding.
  Having never seen this young lady before, and hear-
 ing that she  had  complained of pain in  her left side,
and palpitations of the heart, and that she had been in
delicate health for  so long a period; I confess, I  sus-
pected  there was here some real disease of the heart to
which  all her symptoms might be tributary.  And it 
HYSTERIA.                557
was not until after I had seen her in one of her coma-
tose states, that I took a correct view of this case, and
became satisfied that this w7as one of the singular cases
of hysteria:  the  phenomena or  symptoms of which
cannot be satisfactorily accounted for; and which are
only to be seen  in females, and in them only under
particular circumstances. Having perfectly convinced
myself that  there  was no real disease of any organ,
either of the head or chest, and that the various animal
functions, except that of menstruation, were properly
conducted, I proceeded to examine the spine from the
upper to the lower part, and throughout the dorsal por-
tions.   Pressure produced  great uneasiness,  making
her shrink from the fingers;  upon increasing the pres-
sure  the pain w7as  increased,  and passed  through  the
pit of the stomach, and on to the left  side at the spot
so long complained of.  It also caused the breathing to
be oppressed;  there was also some tenderness in  the
cervical vertebrae.  In making particular inquiry into
the state of the menstrual discharge, I found they had
appeared a few days before  the attack, and were unu-
sually small in quantity, and dark and unnatural in
their colour.  At that time I did not think a trifling
irregularity of the kind would be a sufficient cause for
the development of such remarkable symptoms.  Even
at the  end of several days, the least exertion or  the
mere effort of swallowing any mild drink threw7 her
into  a state of  coma, in which she acknowledged that
she w7as sensible of all that was passing around her, but
was  quite incapable of speaking or of voluntary mo-
tion.
   Upon the discovery of the pain and tenderness of
the spine, the tartar emetic ointment was rubbed in
freely along the back or spine, and upon the  eruption 
558                 HYSTERIA.
coming out, it was astonishing to see how immediately
the symptoms vanished.  The  fits went off, the head
and side w7ere no longer complained of, and the palpi-
tations gradually  subsided.  Upon  the  eruptions or
pustules produced by this ointment  being healed, she
had one or two slight returns of the disease, particu-
larly pain under the left breast; but they soon disap-
peared, and she began to regain her health.  It is  now
four years since her  recovery,  and she has enjoyed
much better health than she had done for years before.

                     Case  4.
  Elizabeth M.,  aged 20,  early  one  morning  w7as
taken in convulsions.  I was sent for, and found her in
bed, where seven or eight persons w7ere  employed in
keeping her there by main force. She had complained
for several days previous  of  severe headach; she was
of a pale delicate complexion, of a very slender frame,
and had been for many months without any appear-
ance of her menses or courses.   She had w7aked in the
night, screaming out like a maniac or crazy woman, to
the terror of all the family, and  in attempting to get
out of  bed, had fallen back  in a state of insensibility,
and had  so continued up  to the time of my arrival;
she was struggling with amazing violence; her  eyes
w7ere staring wildly, with grinding of her teeth; hands
clenched firmly together, and in fact, every muscle of
the body seemed to. be thrown into a state of most tre-
mendous spasm.  This was hysteria clearly enough.
So far  there was little difficulty in deciding  as to her
case.   Her pulse being quick and bounding,  I drew
some blood; but the bleeding seemed to afford not the
smallest relief.  Calomel and jalap were with great
difficulty forced into the stomach; as soon as the me- 
HYSTERIA.
559
dicine  had  acted freely by the bowels, she became
calm, and the convulsive throes ceased; but she lay
insensible, like a person perfectly dead, till the follow-
ing day.   I had  already commenced using the  tartar
emetic ointment, and  as soon as  she was sufficiently
sensible to answer, I traced with my fingers the course
of the spine, and she complained and shrank away the
moment my fingers were pressed on the dorsal ver-
tebra ;  and now the pain was felt through the whole
chest, particularly at a spot beneath the left breast.
Indeed, I have scarcely met with a case  in which the
spinal affection was more strongly and clearly marked.
Besides the tenderness of the spine, and the pain in the
left side, there was in this case excessive tenderness in
the right side under the margin of the ribs; this was
so great  that she dreaded the  slightest examination,
even before she was touched.
  The pain w7as confined to the hepatic region or liver,
but was too acute, and  too superficial to induce a sus-
picion that it was connected with visceral disease; both
sides or the pain  in them was occasioned by. the spinal
disorder ; and as soon as this was removed by the usual
application of the tartar emetic  ointment, and  her
menses  or courses were brought  on by the combina-
tion or  mixture  of iron and  aloes, *for  mixture see
table,) her pains were entirely removed, and this young
woman afterwards gained greater  strength  and better
general health, than she remembered to have enjoyed
at any former period of her life.
  This, as I have before remarked, has been tfje usual
result of hysterical cases treated in the manner before
fully described. 
560
HYSTERIA.
                      Case 5.
  The following case will establish the fact, and im-
portant use of the tartar emetic ointment and its great
value.   And here I will step aside from my subject to
remark to you, that in all cases of pain in the breast or
side, particularly in persons disposed to consumption,
or pains of the chest, I have alw7ays found the tartar
emetic plaster to produce the most valuable  and per-
manent relief as soon as the pimples made their ap-
pearance in a full crop: I then suffered these pimples
to fill with matter before I removed the plaster, and
dressed it afterwards with some stimulating ointment,
so as to  keep it running, similar to a blister.  The
plaster is made first  as a common Burgundy pitch  or
strengthening plaster, and then sprinkled over freely
with tartar emetic; this is the whole secret of  what is
termed the tartarised antimony plaster; meaning  in
plain English, a plaster of tartar emetic, which would
be perfectly understood by every person if it was called
by its proper name, (and here is  another  humbug of
the profession.) After digressing thus far, I shall resume
the subject of hysteria.
  M>3? L., an unusually stout  and healthy girl, had
been fov  a  few \feeks in bad health, complaining of
pain m the left side, and occasionally palpitations.  She
was suddenly seized with fits, which her parents fan-
cied must be fatal.   In this case there was no laughing,
crying, nor violent  gestures: but she had  convulsions
of the whole body, lasting for hours together.   During
these fits she had no power of utterance, and wras in-
sensible to every thing.  During the intervals, or when
she w7ould  come to, she complained of the light, and
urged for the room to be made dark; and the slightest 
HYSTERIA.
561
noise, even walking across the floor, disturbed her, and
produced a convulsive start;  she complained of pain
under the left breast, distressing headach, pain down
both arms, palpitation, great heat of the skin, breathing
oppressed; these with the globus (which I have before
explained) were  very troublesome.   This was  her
usual time for her to have her courses, which for many-
months, although regular, had been  attended  with se-
vere pain in the loins; and the discharge was of a dark
and unhealthy appearance.  In the first three days after
the attack took place,  she was bled in the arm, leeched
in the temples, (for leeching, look  under that head,)
blistered, and gentle purgative medicines were given to
open her  bowels, and antispasmodics: such as spirits
of hartshorn, valerian, asafoetida, camphor, &c, all of
which were of no benefit, but rather increased her un-
comfortable sensations.   If she moved, or made the
slightest exertions it  produced a fit:  even the act of
raising her arm, or swallowing a drop of any kind of
drink brought on a fit.
  As soon as she became sensible to  feeling, I made
pressure upon the vertebra, on the  part I  have re-
peatedly told you; when  my fingers touched the upper
vertebrae she flinched,  and said it gave her great pain;
on the other parts of the spine when pressure was made
there was no pain felt, nor did she complain any, until
I again proposed to press on the upper dorsal processes;
she would not, however, suffer me to touch them again.
This case was similar to the last, as to the spinal tender-
ness.   I need not again tell you that  I immediately
commenced the use of the tartar emetic ointment; as-
suring her parents that as soon as the eruption should
make its appearance,  the fits  would leave her  alto-
gether.   After the third day the pimples came, and
     GUNN     3$ 
562
HYSTERIA.
 this wroman had no return of the fits afterwards, but
 enjoyed excellent health.

                       Case 6.
   At Richmond, Virginia, Miss-----, a young girl of the
 first respectability, in her fourteenth year, in the winter
 of 1833, became gradually indisposed, losing  her ap-
 petite, with extreme debility and emaciation ; her situa-
 tion alarming her family and friends, she was removed
 from school, and a medical gentleman, eminent in his
 profession, consulted as to her case.  He advised exercise,
 change of air, and entire relaxation from  her studies;
 all this w7as done without producing the least beneficial
 effects: her disease daily increased, and her bowels be-
 came so torpid as to require  a constant use of purga-
 tive medicines to keep them open; strong aloetic  me-
 dicines were given  her  combined or mixed with
 oxide of iron; this medicine was continued for some
 time, from which she received no benefit.  She seemed
 to decline so fast, that her physician despaired of her
 recovery, and directed  that she should travel.  This
 being in April, she wras  sent into the country,  and
 travelled from place to place, so as to derive, if possible,
 relief from  change of air;  but finding no change for
 the better, she went to Fredericksburg in hopes of ob-
 taining  some more favourable  advice  as to her case.
 She w7as now reduced  to a skeleton,  weighing  but
forty-eight pounds.  A medical gentleman of distinc-
tion in that place prescribed for her, and wras in attend-
ance several wTeeks without affording the  slightest re-
lief. Worn out with physic, and  tortured with disease,
she visited Maryland, and  from thence went  to  the
city of New York, in hopes to find in this large metro-
polis, celebrated for its medical talent, the long-sought 
HYSTERIA.
563
for panacea.  But for her, like Noah's dove, there was
no place of rest.   Here the faculty were consulted, and
but little hope of a recovery from the use of medicine;
her father w7as  advised to take her to the Saratoga
Springs, and try the  effects of the Congress waters.
She proceeded immediately to the Springs, where she
remained  ten days, using the water as directed.  It
produced  much  oppression and pain in the stomach,
and acted powerfully on the urinary organs, but pro-
duced no effect whatever on her bowels.   A physician
of New England, on a visit to these Springs, w7as con-
sulted ;  he advised either a discontinuance of the water
altogether, or for her to take some medicine to change
its operation, so  as to  make it act  on the bowels; to
produce this effect, the doctor advised Hossack's com-
pound tincture of cantharides5 in doses of five to twelve
drops during the day; this was continued for a week,
and  lest it might produce stranguary or entire sup-
pression of urine, it was occasionally omitted :  at the
same time she used the syrup of Cayenne pepper, which
had the effect to change the action  of the water to the
bowels, and also changed the watery stools which is usu-
ally produced by these waters, to natural evacuations.
   After giving  these waters a fair trial, and finding
from them no improvement  or benefit; wrecked in
health,  worn out with disease, and  drenched with re-
medies, which  confirmed rather  than  removed  the
disease, she  determined to return  home.   Her extre-
mities  were now almost constantly of a deathlike
coldness ; languid pulse, pain in the head, with wild-
ness of the eyes, and evident prostration of the mental
powers.  Her father, despairing and distressed in mind,
determined to return  home with her to Virginia; on
his return to New York he sought every hope of re- 
564
HYSTERIA.
lief, but all was fruitless; and they embarked by sea
in hopes it might be beneficial.  In a few days after
her arrival at  home she was suddenly attacked with
violent epileptic fits, which weakened her very much.
Two physicians were now7 in attendance,and on her
recovery from  the fits the tartar emetic ointment was
suggested as a new remedy advised by the work of the
learned physician I have before mentioned, to whom
all this valuable discovery, both of disease and  remedy,
is due.
  The use of the tartar emetic ointment was now com-
menced by rubbing it on the spine, and as soon as the
pimples made  their appearance  the disease gradually
gave way.  In fact, this valuable ointment acted like a
charm, and her health, and strength, and composure
of mind was soon  restored;  she afterwards, with her
parents, removed to the west, and has since enjoyed
unusual good  health, nor has she at any time had any
return of her old symptoms.  This case must evidently
establish conclusively the valuable effects produced by
this invaluable ointment in cases of hysteria.

                     Case 7.
  This case is introduced merely  to  show  that the
tartar emetic ointment was  successful, after  the ordi-
nary means had failed.   It was a case of chorea, which
in plain language means St.  Vitus's dance.  The case
was treated by Dr. M'Andrew, of the  South London
Dispensary, where  a young  girl of nine years of age
was admitted as a patient, in March, 1826.  Her com-
plaint  commenced in January, in the form  of slight
convulsive movements in both sides of the body, these
were always increased by mental despondency: she
had  occasional headach  and diarrhoea.  Her brother 
HYSTERIA.
565
was subject to epilepsy or fits.  She had now the usual
symptoms of St. Vitus' dance, medically called chorea,
but not to a severe degree.  She was well  purged for
some time, and leeches applied to her head : for a de-
scription of leeches look under  that head.  For one
month this  course was pursued, but  it  merely aggra-
vated  the  convulsive movements.   Ether, valerian,
and opium, the medicines usually made use of in such
cases, together with  purgative medicines were used,
but still  she grew worse.   She could  now scarcely
stand  or  walk.  Her head was ordered  to  be shaved,
and the tartar emetic ointment to be applied, w7hich
brought out a copious crop of pustules or pimples; the
convulsive movements on one side now subsided. The
ointment was rubbed into the spine, and with decided
and beneficial effects;  the bowels were kept open with
calomel and jalap, and she gradually from this time
recovered her health, and had no return of the fits or
convulsions  for several years, when they slightly  re-
turned again, the same course was pursued, and the
moment  the pustules made  their appearance the dis-
ease at once vanished, since which time she has grown
up to womanhood, entirely exempt from  her former
complaints.
  There could not be desired a clearer instance of the
salutary effects of this tartar emetic ointment.  Sup-
posing the same period to have been consumed in the
second set  of remedies  as in the first, two months
would have been thus lost in pouring all sorts of things
into the little patient's throat; but the disorder resisted
every effort  to put it down, until the ointment was
applied to the head and spine; it then at once yielded,
and would  have done so two months before, had the
tartar emetic ointment been put in earlier operation. 
566                 HYSTERIA.

I would just remark here, that in the present case it
was hardly justifiable  to  apply  the  ointment to the
head, as these pustules are very painful on the head,
and in fact on any other part of the  body, but more
particularly there : it is attended usually with intense
suffering when applied  to the head, and is  only requi-
site in cases of great inveteracy.  An application of the
ointment limited  to the upper part of the spine would
have answered all the purposes just as well, and  saved
the poor child a good deal  of punishment.

                      Case 8.
  In Tennessee, in the year 1835, June 18th, I was
called to a Miss-----,  aged about eighteen years,  of
interesting appearance, she had been previously attend-
ed by several physicians, who told her mother  (then
a widow)  that her daughter was afflicted with cata-
lepsy, or,  in  plain English, a sudden suppression  of
motion  and sensation.  She had  been subject to these
attacks  for nearly  two  years, having previous to this
period  enjoyed  good health.   On my arrival  I found
her as  if fast asleep, with  a  smile diffused over her
countenance; her  breathing  was hardly perceptible;
her pulse extremely quick but weak;  her eyes closed,
and her limbs  perfectly motionless; and one  hand
firmly grasped in the other; I raised the lid of the eye
and it  appeared  fixed, but  as bright as in a  state  of
health;  but no motion was perceptible in it that I could
see.  I then endeavoured to separate her hands, which
required all my strength to do so, but the moment I
separated  them they fixed rigidly in the  same way.
While  I was feeling her pulse she suddenly became
convulsed, and in  the  struggle seized my hand, and
that so  firmly that it gave me great pain, and  I was 
HYSTERIA.
567
compelled, with the assistance of several  in the room,
by main force to disengage myself, leaving the impres-
sion  of her nails in my hands for several days after-
wards.   In any manner you  might place her arms in
this situation she wrould remain until  another convul-
sive  motion, when she would firmly grasp her hands,
and  so  continue for a considerable time, perhaps an
hour, remaining in a state of unconsciousness; in these
fits the muscles are rigidly fixed, while  the instinc-
tive  motions of the involuntary muscles continue to
act.   Her  mother informed  me that she frequently
had  these  fits while standing, and  seemed motionless
as a  wax figure, requiring great strength to get  her
to bed:  in other words, to explain  to you  more per-
fectly the nature of such cases, I would remark, they
retain any position you may think proper to place them
in, until the muscles  become relaxed, wiien the body
falls  suddenly:
  In about three hours from the time of my first see-
ing her, she gave  indications of returning conscious-
ness, by convulsive motions of the mouth,  and by rapid
and violent breathing; after she had sufficiently reco-
vered I was informed  by her  what I before suspected,
that she had for several years,  and previous to her first
attack, been irregular in her menses or courses, and not
unfrequently they had  stopped entirely,  w7hich gave
her  about  this time headach  and great  pain  in  her
back and loins, and a  few days previous  to  the time
they should come  on, her head felt so heavy  (as she
described it) as made it almost insupportable, and such
swimming  or dizziness, that she w7as often compelled to
support  herself by any thing convenient, to prevent
her falling  ; after which she became heavy and drowsy
and suddenly unconscious of what followed.  She had 
568
HYSTERIA.
been  bled  freely at different  times, her arms being
much cut and carved by the use of the lancet: she had
been blistered and purged freely, and alterative medi
cines  used  freely: in fact, she had been nearly two
years constantly under medical treatment, and  she de-
clared she would rather die than take any more phy-
sic.  I had great difficulty  in obtaining her  consent
to examine the spine, but with assistance of her mother
I obtained her consent.  On pressure with my  fingers
on the four uppermost dorsal vertebrae, she immedi-
ately shrunk, and complained of great tenderness and
a darting pain in the left  side; in passing my  fingers
over the tender spot a second time, she said," Doctor, if
you press again I shall fall:" this satisfied me fully of
the nature of her case, and I told her mother  I could
cure her. Having every confidence in the success of the
tartar emetic  ointment, I commenced rubbing it in the
whole length of the spine, and after giving her an active
purge of calomel and jalap, w7hich produced several dark
stools, I placed her on a course of aloes and iron com-
bined, (see  table,) depending however entirely on the
ointment.  On the third day the pustules or pimples
made their appearance, and  I kept them discharging
by dressing with stimulating ointment for some time.
At the usual time of being unwrell, she menstruated,
not freely, but with fess pain than usual; and  had an
attack of her  disease, but much slighter than usual and
but of  short duration,  it  having lasted about five
minutes.   I again commenced the former treatment,
and from the effects produced by the first application,
I had no doubt the second would  entirely restore her.
The period having again arrived for her to alter or have
her courses, she menstruated freely and without pain,
and of a healthy  colour; and  from this time  all the 
%
                    HYSTERIA.                 569

symptoms  of her disease  vanished, and  she  is  now
living and enjoying uninterrupted health.  I had the
pleasure of seeing her a few days since, and she told
me she had never had the slightest convulsion since her
menses became regular.
  Difficult then as it may be to recognise this disease,
(for it frequently makes its appearance surrounded with
such extravagant symptoms, that the most  experienced
may be deceived at first sight, so as to be unable to form
a correct conclusion,) yet when the physician carefully
institutes an  examination of the points I  have before
explained to him, all the mysteries vanish,  and he is at
once satisfied of its real nature, and will admit the pro-
priety of the treatment, which I have clearly and fully
proved rarely fails to be successful.
  And now, lest you  may have forgotten in reading
those cases, to concentrate in your mind the common
symptoms  attendant upon hysteria, I will  suggest
them again : tenderness, or pain in the dorsal vertebrae
when heat or pressure is applied, and  generally in the
upper dorsal portion ; pain in the left side immediately
below the left breast, between the fifth and sixth ribs;
the pain is always increased by lifting the left arm above
the head, or placing the body in an  erect position.  I
have known the pain to be in the right side: but this
is very seldom the  case:  probably  in  fifty cases, you
would not find more than one in which the pain was
located in the right side.  In this disease, a fluttering
about the heart is very common, and produces, from its
violence, very distressing feelings to the patient; more
or less pain in the head; intolerance of light, and the
globus rising in  the throat, or, in other words, a chok-
ing sensation; pains in the loins, arms  and legs, furred
tongue; costive  bowels; pulse quick and variable, and 
4
570                HYSTERIA.

sometimes intermitting, at other times perfectly natu-
ral. And, lastly, a suspended, irregular, or painful men-
struation, sometimes deranged for months;  nay, for
years previous to the attack : and upon this cause alone
all the other symptoms are more or less dependent in
fill cases of hysteria.
                   REMEDIES.
  It is always expected of a physician  that he should
do  something  when  called;  and this is  the reason
we have generally and   indiscriminately  used the
lancet, and often unfortunately aggravated the  disease;
thereby making the case more difficult of cure than it
would otherwise have been.
  As*  bleeding never removes either the spasms or
pains, it should never be performed without the patient
is of a full plethoric habit: cheeks highly flushed, the
eye injected, the forehead red and polished;  in such
cases, it may be useful to let blood from the arm.  But
in the cases of delicate women or girls, bleeding will
do great and  serious  injury,  and should not  be* per-
formed without some  very substantial reason.
  As soon as the patient's situation will admit, a care-
ful examination of the spine should be made; after
which you  are to apply  the tartar emetic ointment
either  by friction  or plaster; and if the symptoms
are severe, or the case an important one, the application
of this ointment should be  made or rubbed in through-
out the whole course of the vertebrae; and  this should
be done every six or seven  hours, until the pustulation
or pimples is fully produced.  The symptoms of hys-
teria will then begin to give wray,  and the  patient be-
comes calm and sensible.   The action of this  pustular
eruption is  attributable  to  the  counter-irritation it
produces 
HYSTERIA.
571
   In addition to the ointment, it will be necessary to
 give  active purges of calomel and jalap  followed by
 castor oil, so as to cleanse the whole course of the in-
 testinal canal.
   The stools are generally  of a black, dark,  or un-
 healthy appearance, and, therefore, you  must repeat
 these purges until they change to a healthy or natural
 colour ; but should you observe spongy gums, a clam-
 my and tremulous tongue with red  edges, and a tainted
 breath, in other words, a scrofulous habit, be cautious
 how you  employ calomel to any extent; but with this
 exception there is no danger in its free use  as at any
 other time.
   But to  the most important part of this subject: this
 is to produce a healthy and free state of the menses or
 courses, which is to be done by attending to the diges-
 tive functions; then wholesome  air, wholesome food,
 exercise, and giving medicines of  aloes combined with
 iron: (see  preparation, &c. in materia medica;) together
 with the use of the warm, tepid, cold, or shower bath,
as may be best adapted to the  constitution, (a descrip-
tion of each will be  found under their proper heads,)
 ind such  tonics as may be necessary to  restore the
general health and strength.
                TIGHT LACING.
  In no instances have the folly and childishness of a
large  portion of the world been  more strikingly dis-
played than in the various, and occasionally very op-
posite modes, in wThich  they have departed  from the
standard of nature, and  sought distinction even in de- 
572              TIGHT LACING.
 formity. Thus, while.one race of people (the Chinese)
 crushes the feet of its children, another  flattens their
 heads between two boards ; and while in this country
 we admire the beauty and whiteness of the teeth, the
 Malays file off the enamel and dye them black, giving
 it as a reason that the dog's teeth are white.  Now a
 New Zealand chief has his coat of arms pricked with
 an instrument, and  coloured  on his  face and on his
 limbs.   The Esquimaux has bits  of stone  stuffed
 through a hole made in each cheek, which he con-
 siders fashionable.   The lady  of our ow7n country
 is equally absurd in her fashions, and  still  more mis-
 chievous in her selections; for she attaches beauty to
 the figure of the wasp, and laces up her w7aist in corsets
 until her very ribs are pressed close to  the back bone,
 and the functions of every vital organ is destroyed.
   The Deity makes no exceptions in the operations of
 his general laws, to suit  the whim or the  custom of
 any individual  or  class  of persons.  What an  awful
 example do we daily witness in our cities by this tor-
 turing fashion of tight lacing; how many thousands of
 the most lovely creatures are prematurely brought to
 the grave by corsets.  Witness in our churches and
 places of public resort the hurried movements of the
 chest panting for respiration.
  The lungs have no room to expand; the air does not
 reach all parts  of their lining membrane; the blood
 beneath the latter is not changed, or is so imperfectly.
 The complexion changes its colour to a purple  flush,
and the mind is oppressed by the accompanying  un-
equal distribution in the circulation on the brain ; in
order then to breathe freely and with  healthy result,
the chest must be allowed its full expansion; so that
it shall inhale or draw in as much air as the  lungs can 
TIGHT LACING.
573
readily hold; therefore, when the lungs are compress-
ed, the blood cannot acquire its proper colour, nor can
it  receive its other properties, on which the growth,
strength, and movements of these organs depend.  For
instance as to respiration, or, in other words, breathing.
There are varieties of blood circulating in the human
body.   One in the veins, which is of a dark colour;
another in the arteries, which is of a florid  red: the
first is called venal blood, and is that which is returned
from all the organs and tissues of the body, and flows
towards the heart, and is finally poured  into the cavi-
ties of its right or anterior side.  The second or arte-
rial blood goes from the cavities of the left or somewhat
posterior side of the heart, and is distributed to every
portion of the body. Now before the dark blood which
is  in the right cavities of the heart can reach the
left,  it  must pass through  the lungs; and before the
scarlet  blood of the left cavities can reach the right
ones, it must traverse all parts of the animal frame. In
its passage  through the lungs from the right to the left
side  of the heart, the  blood acquires its florid colour
and its other properties, in its course through the body
at large.
   The  lungs are spongy and  elastic organs which fill
up the cavity of the chest, and enclose the heart be-
tween them; they are hollow and habitually distended
with air, which finds entrance through the wind-pipe;
this tube beginning at the back part of the mouth, and
before  the  passage which leads into the stomach, goes
dow7n in front of the neck; and on entering the cavity
of the chest, at the spot corresponding nearly with the
beginning of the breast bone, it divides into two parts,
and these tubes again subdivide, until every part of the
 ungs is penetrated by them, on their termination in 
574
TIGHT LACING.
air cells, which are as minute as drops of water.  The
interior of all these  ramified tubes,  and in fact, the
cavity of the lungs, is lined by a smooth and thin mem-
brane,  the  extent of surface of which is said to be
greater than that of the skin itself; it being estimated
at twenty thousand square inches.  It now remains to
show what part this membrane of the lungs constantly
exercises to the air, in the cavity wrhich is lined by it?
and  performs in changing  the colour  of  the  blood.
This fluid which reaches the lungs from the right side
of the heart, of a dark colour, and unfitted to nourish
and  preserve life, is distributed by a net-work of very
fine  and  innumerable vessels under the lining mem-
brane, and is acted on by the air through  the  latter.
The consequence of the action of the air in the  pul-
monary cavity on the blood, is its prompt  and entire
conversion into a fluid of a bright red colour, and its
acquisition of properties by which it  is prepared to
nourish and vivify every part of the animal economy.
Thus changed it returns from the lungs by another set
of vessels, and is conveyed to the  cavities  of the left
side  of the heart; by whose strong muscular power it
is propelled  into the great artery and its divisions, and
distributed  to  the  minutest portions of the  human
body;  and of course in abundance to the skin.  It is
this  red, purified, and nutritive fluid, that gives the rose
of beauty to the cheek; lustre and brightness to the
eye; and animation and cheerfulness to  all  the  senses.
After  it  has reached every tissue, and  performed its
requisites in vessels so small as not to be visible to the
naked eye;  the blood then  loses its florid colour,  at
the moment of its passing into another set of vessels,
(the veins) which are at first exceedingly small; then
gradually uniting with larger ones, until all the return- 
TIGHT LACING.
575
ing and dark blood of the  body is poured by one great
vein into the right cavities of the heart, from whence
it  pursues the round of the circulation.  If you will
but  notice when  you open a vein the  colour is dark,
but when exposed to atmospheric air in a vessel, that
on the surface, being exposed to the air, becomes of a
bright red; so is the change from dark to bright as it
flows through the lungs in minute vessels,  under the
living  membrane of the wind-pipe and  its ramifica-
tions.  Now recollect what has been before told  you,
and  see  its vast  importance; that the blood which
reaches one side  of the heart, from all  parts of the
body, is dark, and unfitted to nourish and support life
and cannot be again carried to the organs until it passes
through the lungs, and is exposed to the air; and  then
reaches the other side of the heart.
  Now I w7ould ask of you, as rational beings, how are
you to enjoy health, when you do such cruel injustice
to yourselves, and to your Creator, by such tight lacing
and compression on your chest, that it cannot distend to
one half its proper dimensions. O fashion! O folly !  how
many of the human race, day after day, are transgressing
the sacred laws of nature ; destroying life, and on the
threshold of existence become  the victims of disease
and death ?  And again, let me tell you, that the blood
sent from  the  heart and exposed to  the  air flows
through the lungs in the quantity of eight pints every
minute, and about twenty-four  hogsheads in  twenty-
four hours.  Assuming, as near  the truth,  that there
are twelve pints of air constantly in the cavity of the
lungs; (for  these can never be  emptied,  no matter
how complete the expiration ;) there is introduced by
inspiration  every minute nearly eighteen pints of air,
and in the space of twenty-four hours upw7ard of fifty- 
576
TIGHT LACING.
seven hogsheads of air are received.  At each inspira-
tion  fresh air is taken into the lungs, and at each ex-
piration the impure air is thrown out; and these two
movements, w7hich constitute the act of respiration, are
repeated every three seconds: or eighteen times in a
minute.  By this  information you at once perceive
how readily  and constantly  the air is  destroyed or
changed by our breathing, and how indispensable and
necessary it is for us to be regularly supplied with pure
and fresh air.   The quantity of oxygen, the vital ele-
ment of the air, w7hich is consumed and appropriated
in the  lungs to respiration, and the w7ants of the ani-
mal economy through this channel; is, on an average,
forty-five thousand seven  hundred cubic  inches, in
twenty-four hours.  The quantity of carbonic acid ge-
nerated and given  out from the lungs in  respiration,
during the same time, is rather more than thirty-eight
thousand cubic inches.   So, in order that  we should
breathe freely and according to health, the chest must
be free, and allowed its  full expansion, so as to inhale
or draw in as  much air as the  lungs can readily hold ;
and the air itself must be pure; and unless  this is the
ease  the whole of  the  circulation is destroyed, and
every organ injured.
  You must  at once see, if you have read these facts
with the least attention, how enormous the evil where
the regular movements of the chest are deranged by
the extreme tightness of lacing; which  may be truly
called the fetters and chains of beauty.  And how of-
ten do parents commit a deliberate act of cruelty wiien
they suffer this practice of tight lacing in  their child-
ren, before the  chest has acquired  its proper and rela-
tive capacity; thereby weakening the muscles, and I
may add with truth, withering and  diminishing the 
TIGHT lacing.
577
size to deformity, by the daily use of this fashionable
torture called corsets.   By this lacing the muscles
of the back and of the chest are  subject to the same
debilitating and  almost paralyzing pressure, wilich
follows  the protracted application of long splints and
circular bandages  to a limb.  By way of illustration
of this fact, I will merely mention the practice of some
beggars I have seen in Europe, who, in order to excite
pity and obtain a wretched support, present to the
view a leg or an arm apparently shrunk and withered
by disease,  which  has  been purposely reduced  by a
bandage rolled tightly round the limb.
  By tight lacing, the  muscles in time, as I have be-
fore explained,lose their power; therefore, that which
is at first adopted from choice or  fashion, becomes at
last a mechanical  support, and the poor victim finds
it impossible to do without its assistance for any length
of time.  Now, as years advance, from the constant
habit of lacing, so  does the fatal  and pernicious con-
sequence as  gradually destroy the  health.   First,  a
moderate compression, then a little tighter; now a few
moments rest, then a little tighter still; and so on day
by day, until gradually a  tapered waist becomes an ob-
ject of ambition, and the corsets are to be laced more
tightly—for Miss  Fidget appears much smaller  and
more delicate than I do—until the  expression is brought
forth, " O me! I do not think  I  can bear it." This
operation at every dressing goes gradually on, and re-
quires the  utmost fortitude to support the screwing
and squeezing; but by degrees nature gives w7ay, and
the effect, however slow, is sure; and the powers of en-
durance thus exercised come  in  time to bear almost
unconsciously what, if suddenly  attempted, no forti-
tude or heroism could possibly sustain.
      GUNN     37 
57S
tight lacing.
   I have before mentioned to  you in some measure
the derangement to health occasioned by this pressure,
but not as fully as the nature of this important subject
deserves.  The close lacing is an  obvious impediment
to the motions of the ribs; for to give free and perfect
respiration or breathing, these motions should be free,
natural, and unrestrained.   In proportion as respiration
is impeded, so is the blood imperfectly vitalized; conse-
quently all  the functions of the  body are  irregularly
performed :  this produces at once weakness, which af-
fects  the whole frame, and  reduces  every part of the
system to an improper circulation : the hurried breath-
ing shows at once that the lungs are not fully supplied,
thereby creating in the lungs a tendency to inflamma-
tion.  The heart is excited, the pulse is quickened, and
palpitations  brought on.   I  have been frequently seat-
ed by a lady thus tightly laced, and heard  distinctly the
palpitations  of the heart as the ticking of a clock, with,
to me, most alarming rapidity;  and if delicacy would
have permitted it, I should have cut the string so as to
have relieved  this organ from  its torture.  This con-
stant succession of tight  lacing causes many diseases
from the constriction of the chest, as inflexure  of the
spine, and a derangement of the stomach and liver, and
other organs subservient to digestion.
   Perhaps I have given  you a sufficient evidence of
the fatal consequence of tight lacing, but this is not as
yet all, for there are still more important diseases pro-
duced by this  fashionable  and voluntary torture. By
its operation pressure is made on the lower part of the
chest, and extends  gradually its influence to the abdo-
minal viscera.   The stomach and liver are compressed.
and in  time partially  detruded  from the concavity
of the  diaphragm, giving great disturbance to  their 
                    *

                   tight  lacing.              579

 functions;  and being pressed downwards derange all
 the lower  abdominal structure,  and in one word, al-
 most every function of the body becomes injured.  In
 fact, the corsets  are so constructed as to be but little
 adapted to the form of the body, so that the pressure is
 the greatest upon the lower part of the chest, w7hich
 is  naturally the widest, whilst  they have the most
 freedom at  the upper part, where its diameter is  the
 smallest; thus in effect inverting the order of nature,
 and causing a complete transformation of this import-
 ant portion of the body, by making its base uppermost,
 and its apex downwards, and producing deformity and
 a total wreck of health; bringing on dyspepsia, habitual
 costiveness, headach, dizziness, cough, quick or hurried
 breathing, disturbed  functions of the brain,  nervous
 affections, palpitations, cold  extremities,  pain in the
 breast, hysteria, degression  of spirits, weakness of the
 back, and premature  death.
   Although this tight lacing may be borne during a
 party or evening display, under a partial excitement,
 yet it is impossible for outraged nature to bear it long
 without some temporary relaxation.   And now what
 is the  consequence ? why, as soon as  the compression
 or  contraction  is  removed, the  muscles of the back,
 deprived of their  accustomed support, are unable  of
 themselves  to sustain  the incumbent w7eight, and give
 way, when the column of the spine bends; at first an-
 teriority, causing round shoulders and an arched back;
 but eventually inclining to  one  side or the other,
 producing lateral  curvature.  As  soon  as this takes
 place, the lungs and heart  become greatly disturbed;
difficult breathing, particularly on ascending a flight
of steps or  rising  ground, which  exertion produces a
short, dry cough, and the heart immediately palpitates; 
580
tight lacing.
the lips assume a purple or unnatural colour, and short
pains across the breast and in the side, with much de-
bility of the back, and  a  general sinking sensation  on
the least bodily  exertion, when consumption speedily
follows, and your health is  totally destroyed, and  all
the gay anticipations Gf  life shipwrecked, by fashion
and folly; and you  have the sad and miserable reflec-
tion  that you  have  been the instrument of applying
this  deadly machine in  destroying those proportions
which  Providence in his wise dispensation made per-
fect for your happiness.   Then let me assure you that
beauty cannot be independent  of health ; and that the
one  is  unattainable  by any practice inconsistent with
the  other.  In vain do  they  hope to  improve their
skins, or  give  a  roseate hue to their cheeks, or aug-
ment the  grace and  symmetry of  their forms, unless
cautious to preserve the whole  frame in health, vigour,
and  activity;  and permit the body to have free powei
to perform those offices which nature  intended:  for
the  infringements of  her laws  are always fatal  in
their consequences upon health; the Deity requiring
no artificial means to alter or increase the beauty and
perfection of his work.
  Beauty of complexion, and, to a certain extent, that
of shape also, is nothing more than visible health,  re-
presenting in  a pure mirror the perfect  performance
of the  internal functions, and  of their  harmony with
the external portions of  the system.   These are the
effects  of pure air, cheerfulness, temperance, and exer-
cise, uninterrupted by  any species of unnatural con-
straint.
  If what I have said to you, grounded on years of
reflection  and observation, and more fully established
by the death of thousands; and no  doubt confirmed by 
tight lacing.
5S1
your own experience, will  at once establish the  truth
of my remarks, and emancipate your minds from such
ignorance and opposition to the laws of nature, and put
a stop to a violation  of the sacred laws of divine reve-
lation, which forbids self-destruction, I shall rejoice.
   At Paris, in  France, at the  great  hospital  Hotel
Dieu, a  young girl, of eighteen years of age, presented
herself  for advice to M. Brecket.   On the right side
of her throat was a  large tumour of variable size.   It
reached from  the collar bone as high as the thyroid
cartilage,  called in common language Adam's apple.
When  this tumour  wras pressed  downward  it disap-
peared,  but returned as soon  as the pressure was re-
moved.   It was quite indolent, soft, and elastic, and
always  largest when the chest  was tightly  laced  in
corsets; by placing your ear on  it, the murmur of re-
spiration or breathing could be distinctly heard in the
tumour, wilich proved that a protrusion  of the lungs
had taken  place;  or in  other words, the poor girl had
been laced so tightly, that her  lungs, having no longer
sufficient space to move in their natural position, were
squeezed out of it, and were forcing their way up along
her neck.
   I have given you two plates, so as to afford you an
opportunity of seeing nature in its proper form.   Both
are accompanied by their skeletons by way of illustra-
tion.
   Fig. 1 represents the  outline of the beautiful  statue
i)f the Venus  de Medici; the perfection of a fine fe-
male figure.
   Fig. 2, opposite, represents the  skeleton of the same
figure, with the bones in their proper position; without
being destroyed or laced by corsets out of their proper
form. 
582
TIGHT LACING.
  Now see the difference in Figures 3 and 4, in con-
sequence of tight lacing; and it will speak a volume
to you, without my urging this subject on you any
farther, submitting it entirely to your own observation
nf the two figures.
           Fig.  1.             Fig. 2.
 
DISEASES  OF  CHILDREN.
   Surely there can be nothing more painful and dis-
tressing to a mind of sensibility, than to be compelled
to witness, in very many cases without being able to
relieve, the various and often  fatal diseases to which
infants are liable. That most of them are of a morbidly
irritative character, is probably w7ell known to every
phj'sician who  has attended to their symptoms; but
what it is that particularly excites  this diseased irrita-
bility in the intestinal canal, it would probably be dif-
ficult for even  the  most learned  and skilful of the
profession to determine.
   The foolish and dangerous custom of giving infants
medicine the moment  they are born, in order to keep
them quiet, is a practice which ought always to be dis-
countenanced, as laying the foundations of many disor-
ders, sometimes destroying life itself, or entailing on
the constitution  maladies which last for life.  Various
medicines are given to infants, for very foolish and
frivolous reasons, winch had better be let alone entirely;
such, for instance, as Godfrey's cordial, Bateman's drops,
&c. &c, all of which contain opium, and do inconceiv-
able injury to infants.  I do not mean by these remarks.
that these medicines are not sometimes beneficial; but to
be constantly administering them on all occasions, and
for nearly all possible purposes, must convince any person
of common sense that  they are injurious  both to  the
health and the constitution.  By suckling infants, then 
>84
DISEASES  OF CHILDREN.
feeding or rather stuffing them, and then following up
both by medicines, to  keep them quiet, their tender
stomachs are kept constantly loaded; and if they are
not fortunate enough to puke up part of what  they
have been compelled to swallow, fermentation must
and will take place, the stomach being unable to  mas-
ter such  a mass, followed by cholics and purgings.
The above remarks are made in terms thus plain, that
they may be distinctly  understood by my readers, and
that they may profit in the treatment of their infant
children, by their true  meaning.
                  STILLBORN.
  When an infant is born  apparently dead, or giving
no signs of life, it is said to be stillborn.  This appear-
ance, however, should not  prevent the midwife from
making every possible exertion for  the restoration of
the child : by patience and  perseverance, thousands of
infants have been restored  to life.  If no pulsation or
beating can be felt in the  navel-cord, and if there be
marks  of putrefaction and  decay, I need  not tell  you
that all your efforts will be fruitless.  The  infant in
this case, where  there is hope, ought to be  separated
from the mother as early as possible, and wrapped  in a
blanket made warm by the fire.  As soon as possible
after this, its breasts are to be bathed in w7arm spirits,
at the same  time that you  gently apply to its nostrils
spirits of hartshorn.  If these remedies  fail to restore
the circulation, put it in warm water, keeping its head
in such a position as to prevent suffocation.  You  may
loosen  the string on the navel-cord, so as to let it bleed
about  a table-spoonful, when it  must be again  tied. 
STILLBORN.
585
While these measures are in operation, you are to pre-
pare a glyster, made of a table-spoonful  of spirits of
any kind, and three table-spoonsful of warm water;
and if the child does not breathe, you are to give this
glyster up the bowels with a proper instrument:  look
under the head Glystering.  The lungs are to be filled
with  air, by means of a common syringe, the pipe of
which is to be introduced  into one nostril, while the
other  nostril and  mouth  are  to  be carefully closed;
when you are then by gentle pressure on the breast of
the child to empty them: in this way the lungs are  to
be frequently filled and compressed until natural re-
spiration or breathing takes place.   Sometimes the ap-
plication of a little cold water to the chest will restore
children.  In many instances, when the slightest action
of the heart has been perceived, it would be advisable
to keep up a friction or  rubbing over  the body, for  at
least an hour.  Cases are stated, and many of them, of
infants stillborn being restored by warmth and gentle
rubbing, even when no signs of life had appeared for
an hour or more after the  birth.  This should, there-
fore,  encourage  you to persevere,  by every possible
method, for the restoration to life of a stillborn infant.
  There are instances in which the child is born of a
dark  purple  cast, in which the breathing is scarcely
perceptible,  and where death ensues in a few7 moments.
When these appearances take place, the  infant has
generally some defect in the formation of the heart and
lungs.  Doctor  Hosack advises, that a bath be  made
of oakbark,  four ounces of which is to be boiled for a
few minutes in about two gallons of water. When this
bath is prepared, add to it a pint of spirits of any kind,
permitting it to become  pleasantly warm; bathe the
child up to the neck in this water.  If it is convenient, 
586
STILLBORN.
you may add to this bath occasionally a table-spoonful
of spirits of hartshorn, so as to  render it stimulating.
When the child shows symptoms of recovery, take it
out of the  bath, and wrap  it in warm flannels;  and
should the infant be taken in the same way again, you
must  immediately make use of the bath, after again
warming it.
  TREATMENT OF NEW BORN INFANTS.
  According to the  old custom, the  moment the
child was separated from the  mother, it was  plunged
in warm water, or washed with spirits of some kind,
and well rubbed with a tow7el, to remove the mealy
matter which adhered to it, and to prevent its taking
cold, or perhaps to harden its skin.  These foolish and
dangerous practices have caused  the death  of thou-
sands of infant children, or produced some other con-
sequences highly detrimental  to  their  constitutions.
The consequences always are, that by washing and
rubbing the child, you irritate and inflame  the skin,
winch  is at this time so tender, that nature in her wis-
dom has covered it with this mealy matter, to defend
it from injury in  entering the world, and to preserve it
from irritability and inflammation afterward.
  An infant born in the winter season has more of this
mealy  covering than if born during the summer; it is
also more  thickly covered with it at the  arm-pits, the
bends of the joints, and so on, which are more liable to
rubbing or frictional injury during labour, than  other
parts of the body : and in addition to these considera-
tions, this covering is  intended to protect the infant
against the action of the atmospheric air.  This cover 
TREATMENT OF INFANTS.
587
 ing is perfectly natural, and should always be permit-
 ted to remain until  nature herself removes it.   This
 will  be  done in  a day or two,  without assistance or
 artificial means;  by w7hich the skin will be left white,
 soft, and beautiful, and the  child  exempted from  in-
 numerable diseases; diseases which by the old custom
 of washing and rubbing would almost invariably ensue.
 By the old  custom, the skin  is greatly  irritated and
 inflamed, then becomes of a dark red colour, and after-
 wards breaks out with those eruptions or  pimples
 which usually appear on children, called red gum.
  Every person of common sense must know that the
 application of spirits of any kind, especially when rub-
 bed  on  the  head and  body  of a grown person, will
 produce  smarting and give  pain.   Now, I ask what
 must be the consequence to an infant, wiiose skin is so
 delicately tender,  that nature  herself has shielded it
 from the atmosphere, until it will bear the change
 without injury.  In many cases of grown persons, the
 application of brandy  to the head, and washing the
 body with it, have been known to produce inflamma-
 tion of the brain,  or lungs, or bowels;  the evaporation
 from  the surface being so great, as  to induce a degree
 of cold sufficient to stop the perspiration or sweat. In
 infants this evaporation produces inflammations of the
 bowels, or of the  lungs, and sometimes of the mem-
 brane which  lines the nostrils, by which the  child is
afflicted with a disease called the snuffles.
  The proper plan, and the one now practised in the
different  lying-in  hospitals throughout Europe and the
United States, is simply the following.   Cleanse the
face with tenderness and caution, with a little milk and
water made pleasantly warm:  then cover the  body
with thin muslin, over* which is  to be put the flannel. 
588
TREATMENT OF  INFANTS.
In a day or two the mealy covering will entirely peel
off, and nature in due time will exhibit a healthy, deli-
cate, and  beautiful skin, free from any disease, and
entirely exempt from all those painful and eruptive
diseases to which  infants are usually subject, from the
old method of treatment.
                  MECONIUM.
   When a chiM is first born, its bowels are filled with
a dark colored greenish  matter, called by physicians
meconium.   In a short time after its birth, or as soon
as it commences sucking the first milk from its mother,
(which milk seems by  nature to be intended to remove
this dark coloured or greenish matter from the bowels,)
it is almost immediately discharged by a  stool.  This
is the reason, and I think an amply sufficient one. why
children should be put  to the  breast as early as possible
after their buth.   Sometimes the milk in  the mother's
breast is rather slow in  coming; or  from some parti-
cular cause, rhe child will not suck the breast, and con-
sequently it will not discharge by  stool this  matter
from the T>owels which I have described.  It will then
be necessary to give it something to  open  the bowels,
such as a little molasses and water, which should be
given frequently until the bowels are properly opened.
Or you may obtain  from any doctor's shop a small
piece of manna, about  the size of a  walnut, and  dis-
solve it in a gill of boiling water, and when it becomes
cool, give the infant a tea-spoonful frequently, or until
it operates freely.   Or you may, if these remedies fail,
give a tea-spoonful of the best castor oil, which will
remove the meconium immediately. The  two first 
MECONIUM.                589
being the most simple remedies, should always be used
first.  Sometimes, but the cases are not frequent, this
necessary discharge is prevented from passing, owing
to the fact  that the fundament, from  some defect or
other cause, is stopped up.   Such cases require the
immediate aid of an eminent physician, to examine and
remove such difficulties or obstructions.
MALFORMATIONS,  OR ORIGINAL IMPER-
                  FECTIONS.
  Immediately after the birth of an infant, examine
its body and limbs, and particularly its private parts:
because children are not  all born  perfect in these
respects.  The passages of infants are sometimes closed
up with slime or tough matter, which require  the aid
of surgical operations to open  them, before they can
pass either their stools or their urine.  Great care and
attention ought always to be paid by parents to these
examinations.   Sometimes the  parts which decency
forbids me to name are entirely closed up by  malfor-
mation  or deformity of those parts; these cases, how-
ever, are very rare and unfrequent; and I need not tell
you, that in them no human  assistance  can afford
relief.
  Ruptures are very common among new-born  infants,
particularly about  the navel.  When these ruptures
are very early  observed, they may speedily be removed
by bathing the body frequently  with cold  water, and
attending to the child's bowels: in other words keeping
them regularly open.  If the rupture should be at the
navel, apply a piece of adhesive plaster, so as  to  give
support to the  parts; but by no means apply a bandage. 
590
malformation.
which will do injury to the delicate and  tender parts
by the pressure.   The fact is, that the constant appli-
cation of cold bathing, as the infant advances in  age
and strength, will ahvays remove these early ruptures.
  Tongue-tied.—In this case, the tongue is confined to
the roof of the mouth, by a small cord which prevents
its motion.  Sometimes, indeed, the tongue  is so con-
fined that the infant cannot suck.   But I have some-
times known children cut for it where it did not exist;
therefore great caution ought to be used in  this opera-
tion, although it may be  a  very  simple  one.  If the
physician, or other person who cuts  this small cord,
does not understand it properly, or does it carelessly, so
great a quantity of blood may be lost as to prove fatal
to the child.  As  many women are very uneasy, re-
specting their children being tongue-tied, I will inform
them that they are often alarmed  unnecessarily, and
have their children operated on  when they are not
tongue-tied.  A very simple method of discovering its
situation is, by putting the end of your finger in the
child's mouth: if  it is able  to clasp it with the same
force it would the nipple, or the end of the tongue
moves, it does not require cutting.
   Hare-lip.—There are different kinds of hare-lip, dis-
tinguished under the names  of single and double hare-
lip : and not unfrequently both lips are disfigured by
the opening or space extending along the roof of the
mouth.  When this is the case, it has a very unsightly
appearance, and the operation of closing the lip cannot
be performed, however skilful the physician, with any
probability of success.    But where there is only  a
single  opening, or even double, provided it does not
extend  to the roof of the mouth, as I  have described,
the cure or operation can be performed without much 
malformation.              591
difficulty.   You will bear in mind, that an operation
(which means endeavouring to close up the lip) ought
never to be performed on an  infant, until it is a  yeai
old; for it requires strength to bear the operation by
wrhich it is to be removed.   In some cases (but  they
are very rare) the infant is unable to suck; if this is
the case, the operation may be performed ; but at this
early stage, I should consider the success very doubtful.
The method used in the country of sewing  it up is
highly improper.   The  operation to  be performed in
closing up the lip, where the fissure  or  opening  does
not extend beyond the  upper part of  the gum,  is as
follows:—At any  silversmith's shop have two silver
pins made, something longer than a common pin, and
without any heads to them.   With a sharp knife  pare
well the edges of the opening; then with one of these
pins, pierce the lip at the upper side entirely through,
in a slanting direction: then pierce through  on the
other side in the same way.   You will recollect to  take
a good hold, so that it will  not easily tear out;  then
with your thumb and finger close together the edges
that have been cut; now you are to wind tight around
these pins some silk, which  has been properly  waxed,
so as to draw it together that it may heal.  In six or
seven days or perhaps earlier, it will heal or  adhere
together; then draw out the pins, and dress it with any
simple ointment or salve, and if properly  performed,
the scar in  a few days will scarcely be perceptible.
  The feet of infants are sometimes deformed by wiiat
are  called club-feet; if this is permitted  to go on with-
out immediate  attention, the  deformity  will be  very
great, and cannot be removed after the infant is a few
months old; the bones of the feet become hard and
firm:  whereas, at an early  age, or immediately  after 
592
MALFORMATION.
birth, they are in  a  soft gristly state, when, if proper
means are used, the foot or feet by gradual compres-
sion may be reduced to their natural form in-a few
months, if  the deformity is not great;  but  in  some
cases, a longer time  will be required.
EXERCISE OF CHILDREN AND PURE  AIR.
  If you  are  desirous of preserving your  children's
health, and giving them good constitutions, give them
exercise, and let them be frequently in the open air, so
as to accustom their bodies to the various changes of
the atmosphere.   By no  means keep them  in a close
room, or cooped  up as if you w7ere  afraid they would
catch cold at every gentle breeze.  I have never seen
children thus confined whose health and constitutions
were not through life extremely delicate, and subject
to colds and various  diseases, which, by a contrary
course, they would have entirely escaped.  As an evi-
dence, take two children, let one be clothed  in flannel
and  protected  from the slightest exposure  or change
of w7eather; feet constantly supplied  with  stockings
and shoes, and  not suffered to go out in the least damp
or inclement weather:  while the other is moderately
clothed, perhaps  hardly enough to cover it with  de-
cency ;  no shoes  or stockings; and exposed to all  kinds
of weather, even during our inclement winters.  The
first will be pale, thin,  weakly, and of a delicate con-
stitution through life, subject to colds on every change
of the weather;  perhaps not attaining the age of man-
hood, before a breast  complaint commences  its ra-
vages :  while the other, full of strength and vigour, and
a cheek like a  rose, with  healthy constitution, exempt 
             EXERCISE  OF CHILDREN.          593

from eolds, and  free of every disorder, reaches a good
old age without an hour's sickness.  Are we not fur-
nished daily with evidences of this fact ?  Why then
take pains to throw obstacles in the w7ay?  If children
were permitted to exercise freely, and not have so much
unnecessary care bestowed upon them after a certain
age ; or, in other words, when able to run about  them-
selves, parents would be blessed  with  a more healthy
and  vigorous offspring, and have very little  necessity
for doctors and medicines.  By the use of cold bathing,
or, in other words, washing the  child in cold water,
you will, in  a great measure, prevent  the galling and
excoriation which frequently occur about the groins
and privates, in the neck, behind the ears, &c, which
are produced by the sweat or urine.   The parts, after
being washed in cold water, should be suffered to dry,
and a little fine  starch dusted upon them; this will
very much relieve the child.
                THE SNUFFLES.

  This stoppage of the nose is quite common in young
children.  It frequently prevents them from breathing
freely ;  and they cannot suck or swallow without con-
siderable difficulty.   This is quite a simple complaint,
which will be speedily removed by giving the infant a
purge of castor orl, (about a tea-spoonful is  a dose,)
and bathing its feet or body in water made pleasantly
warm;  and for a few days keeping its head a little
warm.  A little lard or sweet oil may be rubbed upon
the nose and around the nostrils.
  GUNN    38 
594
RED GUM.
                THE RED GUM.
   The red gum breaks out in small pimples on the
skin,  generally of a red, but not  unfrequently of a
yellow appearance.  This  complaint  appears princi-
pally  on the face and neck ;  but it sometimes breaks
out on the hands and legs, and the pimples contain not
unfrequently a white clear matter.  It would be highly
improper to use any means outwardly to remove it, for
by so doing you might suddenly drive in the complaint,
and thereby destroy the life of the infant.   The child,
while  labouring  under  this disorder,  should be pre-
vented from being exposed  to the cold air.  The only
danger in this disorder is in  driving it in;  when this is
the case, the infant is greatly distressed in the bowels,
screams, and cries constantly; and  not unfrequently
has fits.  In the management of this disorder, you are
to keep the infant's bowels open with a little magnesia
and rhubarb, (for the dose of either  of  these medi-
cines, see table,) or a tea-spoonful of castor oil may be
given.   Should the disorder  suddenly disappear, and
the child become sick from it, put it immediately in
warm water, and  give it one or two drops of antimo-
nial wine, in a little  sage tea.  This may be repeated
every hour  or  two, until a moisture on  the skin  is
produced, and  the pimples  or eruptions brought out
again on the body.
                YELLOW GUM!
  This is a disorder similar to the jaundice, and takes
place with some infants a  few days after their birth;
it is known by a yellow tinge of the skin, high coloured 
YELLOW G*7M.
595
urine, and  a constant desire  to sleep.  This simple
complaint can be removed by a gentle puke of one or
two grains  of ipecacuanha, mixed with a little warm
water, and  in a short  time  followed  by  some mild
purge.
                    THRUSH.
   The thrush  or sore  mouth, is a very common dis-
ease in early infancy.  The child suffers a great deal
of pain in sucking, and frequently this complaint is at-
tended  with some fever.   This disorder appears in
small white spots on the tongue, corners of the lips, and
inside the cheeks, and by degrees spreading its if over
the w7hole inside of the mouth and throat; and in some
cases extending down through  the stomach and navel.
If the white spots on the tongue resemble coagulated
milk, or, in other words, look as if the child had been
eating curds, and that some of them remained sticking
on the  tongue, you will know by this appearance, that
the thrush or sore mouth is commencing.   The thrush
is produced  from acidities  in the stomach and bowels,
occasioned from some particular quality of the milk,
which disagrees with the infant, or from improper food.
Those children  who are raised by hand are more sub-
ject to  this  complaint, which show7s plainly  that it is
the food which disagrees with the stomach and bowels,
and  brings on the thrush or sore mouth.   The  reme-
dies are then very plain  and  simple; attend  to the
stomach and bowels first, before you use any astringent
washes; after which  it will be  proper to use a wash
for the mouth, made of  a little borax, honey, and alum,
dissolved or  mixed in  a  small  quantity of sage tea 
596
thrush
Then, with a rag tied to a stick, rub or w7ash the mmitb
with this preparation, two or three times a day;  regu-
larly persevering in washing, while any appearance of
the disease remains.   To regulate  the stomach and
bowels, give equal quantities of magnesia and rhubarb
for doses of either of these medicines, refer to the tabh
               CONSTIPATION.
  Constipation means costiveness, or being bound in
the body, so that the infant cannot pass its stools.  This
complaint is sometimes hereditary, or natural to  the
child;  when this is the case, and it does not exceed
proper bounds, it  may not require the use of any re
medy; but should  the infant's health  begin to suffei
from frequent attacks of cholic,  flatulence, &c, it
should  be  strictly attended to, as it may produce  con
vulsions or fits, inflammation of the bowrels, or other
diseases of a  difficult and lingering nature,  thereby
establishing this costive habit of the body for life.
  If the predisposition descended from a mother of the
same habit, or, in other words, if the mother herself is
subject to being bound in her body, the child may be
relieved for a short  time, but it will again  return.
When  this is the case, the mother, if  possible, should
change the quality of the milk, by being attentive to
her diet, and take occasionally some mild purge, which
will  alter the quality of her milk; for this  purpose
there is no medicine  superior, or more innocent  than
magnesia  and Epsom salts, of equal quantities, mixed
and ground very fine in a mortar.   Of this take a tea-
spoonful or two in a tumbler of cold water of  a morn-
ing on an empty stomach.   When the  constipation 
CONSTIPATION.              597
originates from the child's food, it must be changed, and
simple medicines given occasionally, to act as a mild
purge, such as magnesia, rhubarb, manna, sw7cet oil, or
castor oil; either of these may be  given ; for doses of
either of these medicines, see table.  But if the cos-
tiveness is obstinate,  a little aloes pounded  fine and
mixed with honey and molasses, will procure a passage
or stool.   Or you may give a laxative glyster, made of
a little warm wrater,  in which put a tea-spoonful of
lard, and with a glyster pipe or syringe throw or squirt
it up  the fundament.   In administering glysters, you
are to recollect that they should not be given hot, but
milk-warm ; by giving them hot you increase the dis-
order, and do serious injury to the child ; this  is a mis-
take which is often made, and the consequence both to
children and grown persons, when glysters are given
hot, is extremely dangerous.   For directions as to
glystering, look under that head.
            CHOLIC IN  CHILDREN.
  Whenever the child cries, the general practice is to
suckle it, or feed it, by which its stomach is kept con-
stantly loaded,  and being  unable  to digest the food,
cholical pains,  griping, and  purging are  the  conse-
quences.   The suffering of the infant  in  such cases
being very acute or painful, recourse is had to Bate-
man's  drops  or  Godfrey's  cordial, and  sometimes
laudanum, or paregoric, all of which contain  opium,
and relieve the.little sufferer  for a short time; when
the cholic or griping again  returns.
  "From  my experience in  the  diseases of infants,"
says a distinguished writer  in the New York Medical 
598
CHOLIC IN CHILDREN.
Inquirer, "I am satisfied that these complaints, if not
produced, are nevertheless  cherished by the causes
already mentioned.   I have in my practice been in the
habit of administering ipecacuanha in the dose of  one
grain,  so as to produce puking in imitation of that
excited by nature; and I am happy in saying that in
no instance did it fail to produce the desired effect; that
in some obstinate cases, it has acted like a  charm,  and
that the  parents declared it must  have  contained
opium.
  " In  cases of griping, or violent pain in tb \ bowels of
infants, I have also found the application of the follow-
ing anodyne plaster to the abdomen or bi lly, highly
beneficial:—
  "Take of gum  plaster three drachms: camphor,
half a drachm ; opium, twenty grains; oil oi anniseed,
ten drops;  to be made in a plaster and spread on ' soft
leather.'
  " Professors Meyer and Reich, of Berlin, employ as
a principal remedy in cases of bowel complaints in
children, one drachm of the diluted muriatic acid, in
three ounces of simple syrup, of which they diroct a
tea-spoonful to be given about every two hours."
  Cholic generally takes place in  early infancy, from
the first six weeks to the tenth or twelfth month;  and
is easily known by the infant's suddenly screaming or
crying, and at the same time  drawing up its legs; if
the complaint is severe, the  child cannot urinate or
make  water.  If the cholic is slight, and  arises from
flatulence or  wind, give one  or two  drops of pepper-
mint, to  which, if necessary, you  may add a drop or
two of laudanum; at the same time expose the infant's
belly  to a  warm fire, and rub  it with the following
mixture:—Take three table-spoonsful  of spirit in 
CHOLIC IN CHILDREN.
599
which camphor has been dissolved;  add to this a tea-
spoonful of laudanum, and bathe the child's belly with
it.  You will also find the application of warm salt, or
bathing it in warm water, valuable remedies.
  When the cholic originates from acidity, as  may  be
known by the bowels not being bound, and the  stools
of a green colour  and  sour smell, in addition to the
above means, you  should give occasionally a  dose  of
magnesia:  see  table for dose:  this  will correct the
acidity, and assist  the  discharge of offending matter
from  the bowels.   You  will  find  the infusion of
rhubarb, in small doses, given so as to keep  the bowels
geiutly open, whilst at the same time  it communicates
tone to the stomach and bowels, and increases the
peristaltic action.   The infant must be kept warm, and
a flannel be applied round the belly, which gives sup-
port to the muscles, and is a valuable assistant in dis-
eased conditions of the intestinal canal.
         SORE EYES IN CHILDREN.
  Sore eyes are very  apt to make  their appearance a
few days or weeks after the birth of the infant, which
occasions it to be fretful and uneasy, and sometimes, if
neglected, may produce blemishes or blindness.  It is
often  brought on by  exposure of the infant to large
fires,  or the  imprudent practice of holding it  to a
lighted candle to keep it quiet.   It  is also caused by
cold ;  and when the eyes are sore at a more advanced
age, it may be produced by cutting teeth.   The reme-
dies are to avoid cold, and exposure to too  much light,
particularly the fire; bathe the eyes three or four times
a day  in cold water, or make the following preparation, 
600
SORE  EYES IN CHILDREN.
with which you are to bathe the infant's eyes frequently
through the day:  about the size of a common pea of
sugar of lead, dissolved in a pint of cold water.  If
this should not relieve it, give it a purge of  castor oil.
The application of lead water as mentioned, is gene-
rally successful, and a valuable remedy.
                   TEETHING.
   Children  suffer a great many complaints during
 the time of cutting teeth.  Some infants suffer much
 less  than others; but all seem, during this necessary
 operation, to undergo pain and a disordered state of the
 system.
   The symptoms which go before and accompany the
 cutting of teeth, are  more or less violent, according to
 the manner in which the  teeth come through the gum,
 or in  other words, the  resistance which the gum
 makes; and to the irritability of the infant's constitu-
 tion, &c.
   When the child cuts its teeth in the most easy man-
 ner,  the pressure of the  gums,  however slight, gives
 pain, and produces an increased  flow of the fluids fur-
 nished by the mouth; the child is fretful and restless
 during the night; is constantly putting its hands, or any
 thing that  it can get hold of, into its mouth. The
spittle, which it is constantly discharging or slobbering
from the mouth, when swallowed  produces sickness,
gripes, and  looseness; after  a short  time the corner of
a tooth is perceived; but the pain and uneasiness still
continue for several days,  when a second tooth is cut.
  During the  time between the cutting of the lower
and upper teeth,  the child generally improves in health 
TEETHING.
601
and strength;  but in a short time is again subjected to
the same uneasiness.  In strong, healthy, or fat child-
ren,  a fever generally, and that sometimes violent,
comes on before or about  the time of cutting every
tooth ; the gums are swelled and inflamed, the eyes
much disordered, the belly round, the skin hot, and
the child cries constantly, and sucks with much pain;
sometimes it is  unable to  suck, and its sleep is very
much disturbed. Weakly and delicate children, where
teething is painful and difficult, lose their colour, fret
constantly, vomit or puke  frequently, attended  with
looseness or purging, and become quite emaciated, or,
in other words,  reduced to great weakness.  I  have
discovered that  those children I have last mentioned,
pass  through the painful and dangerous  process of
teething  much  easier, and  with greater  safety than
those who are fat and robust; and have particularly
remarked, that  those children who slaver (vulgarly
called slobber) most, cut their teeth with  the greatest
ease.
  The treatment during teething, should be a particu-
lar attention to the bowels, by keeping them sufficiently
open; always paying due attention to every circum-
stance likely  to promote  the  general  health of the
child, such as pure air, exercise, strict cleanliness, food
easily digested in the stomach, and  taken in small
quantities. As the difficulties sometimes are greatly les-
sened and frequently entirely prevented by a looseness
coming on  spontaneously,  or, more plainly speaking,
of its own accord, it must not be checked, particularly
in children of a fat or full  habit, but permitted to go
on, unless it weakens the infant too much or runs to
excess, when it  may be stopped  by degrees.  But if
the child is  bound  in its body, you will recollect that 
602
TEETHING.
it should take some laxative purge, so as to produce
two or three stools daily; for  this purpose give two
grains of calomel, to which add three or four grains of
rhubarb or  magnesia.   If necessary the operations of
this medicine may be assisted  by glysters:  for direc-
tions, &c, as to glystering, look under that head. When
fulness and  quickness of the pulse, increase of heat,
flushed  face, frequent  startings,  oppressed breathing,
immoderate fits of crying, &c, denote fever, the irrita-
tion of the  gums must be removed, which is done by
cutting  or  lancing the gum down to  the  teeth, for
which purpose a gum lancet must be made use of.
           CONVULSIONS OR FITS.
  Convulsions or fits are at all times alarming and
dangerous, and require a very great variety of treat-
ment :  therefore  procure in such cases a skilful physi-
cian.  But as these fits are  freqently  very sudden, I
shall direct the means which may be used before a
physician can be obtained, and I will  make some ob-
servations as to the general causes which produce them.
It is not unfrequently the case for convulsions or fits
to come on suddenly: in others the attack is gradual,
and the symptoms so slight as to pass  unobserved by
the mother or nurse.  In the former  the child,  from
being in  the  most perfect health, turns of a purple
colour; the features and eyes are changed, and the
whole frame is violently convulsed  or  agitated.   In a
short time these symptoms are followed by faintings,
or, medically speaking,  by a suspension of the  vital
powers; after which the child gradually recovers; but
for some time remains stupid and drowsy.  In the 
CONVULSIONS OR FITS.
603
 latter cases, the infant shows uneasiness, changes co-
 lour suddenly and frequently, the lips quiver, the eyes
 are turned upwards,  and it stretches out, the hands
 become clenched, when  the convulsion or fits comes
 on.
   Fits are apt to be produced by any thing which af-
 fects the whole  nervous system, or that which pro-
 duces irritation of any particular nerve; and  by the
 sudden striking in of any eruptive disease, such as the
 measles, or  any complaint which breaks out on the
 skin, from improper  food, or irritating  substances ap-
 plied to the stomach or bowels, will produce this dis-
 order.   These convulsions frequently  occur during
 the period of teething; but I have found from parti-
 cular attention to the causes which produce convulsions
 or  fits, that  worms  are very often the cause of this
 complaint.   But if  they take  place frequently,  and
 with great violence, occasioned  from pressure on the
 brain, or any cause in that organ, they generally ter-
 minate fatally, or cause the  child as he advances in
 years to become foolish.
  The  treatment of  convulsions or fits must depend
 on  the cause which produces them.  If  the sudden
striking in of any complaint, as the rash, measles, &c
 or the drying up of any eruption or discharge on the
 body, it ought to  be  brought out by putting the child
 into a warm bath, then giving a dose  of Godfrey's
 cordial or Bateman's drops, so as to produce to the sur-
face the complaint.   If indigestion or improper food
has occasioned it, give a gentle emetic or puke of ipe-
cacuanha, or emetic tartar; see table for  dose.  If the
bowels  are stopped, or the fits are supposed  to arise
from irritating matter of any kind in the  body, it must
be removed  by purgative medicines, as two grains of 
604          CONVULSIONS OR FITS.

calomel mixed with five grains of rhubarb  or jalap
which, if necessary, assist with a glyster; for the me-
thod of preparing and administering a glyster,  read
under that head: but if  produced by teething, then
scarify the  gums, or, in other words, cut them down
with a lancet immediately over  the tooth ; this opera-
tion ought to be performed daily, until the tooth is
through the gum, or the fits cease.
  When worms are suspected  to be the cause from
which  the convulsions or fits are produced, the reme-
dies recommended under that head must be employed.
                     CROUP.
   This is a very dangerous complaint,and the rapidity
with  which it  proceeds requires prompt and imme-
diate  attention, or the disorder will prove fatal in a short
time.  Of all the  diseases to w7hich children are liable,
croup is certainly the most dangerous.   Every mother
should understand the symptoms and treatment of this
disease; as in many instances, before a physician can
possibly be  obtained,  suffocation is  the consequence.
The  croup  comes on with  a difficulty in  breathing
and wheezing, a short, dry cough, and a rattling in the
throat when asleep.  In a short time the difficulty of
breathing increases; the face of the child is flushed, and
the veins in the  neck are very full of blood, and throb
or beat very fast.   The voice and coughing has a
strange sharp sound, something like  the crowing of a
young cock; the child is very restless and uneasy, the
body is hot, and attended by great thirst, and the pulse
very quick.  Those in w7hom the face is much  flushed,
seem  overpowered by a heavy sleep,  from  which they 
CROUP.
605
are roused only by the violent fits of coughing.  As
the disease continues, the fits of coughing return more
frequently, and are attended with an  uncommon de-
gree of agitation throughout the whole frame ;  the
breathing becomes more and more noisy; and unless
relief is speedily obtained, the infant will die by suffo-
cation.
  The remedy is an emetic, or puke.  The moment
the complaint is  discovered, put six grains of  emetic
tartar into six table-spoonsful of warm w7ater, and give
the child  about a half  table-spoonful every ten or fif-
teen minutes.   The intention is to keep  up a constant
sickness and vomiting  or puking.   But if it is a vio-
lent case, you are to bleed it from the arm, and put it
up to its neck in warm water.  But recollect you are
to keep up the sickness  at the stomach, and puke it
freely. I have frequently, wThen the croup was severe,
kept the child puking occasionally through the whole
night, and using now and then the warm bath, before
relief could be given.  In this complaint you will find
the seneca snake root a valuable remedy; it must be
given to  the  child frequently made into a strong tea.
After using the remedies  I  have  already described,
without success, and the  disease is desperate, the best
remedy is calomel, in  doses  of forty  or fifty  grains.
Do not be alarmed at this dose.  I know by experience,
in a hundred  instances of the lives of children being
preserved by large doses of calomel, which must other-
wise have proved  fatal.  Then let me urge upon you
the necessity of laying aside  your prejudices against
this medicine, and not to  slacken your  hand  in this
trying moment, if you wish to preserve the infant. So
powerful and  salutary is  this medicine, that  it fre-
quently relieves the complaint in ten or fifteen mi- 
606
CROUP.
nutes, without recourse  to any other means.  It  acts
on the stomach, bowels, and skin.  Smaller doses may
be given  where the complaint is not very alarming;
when given in smaller doses, you may add a little ipe-
cac uanha, say two  or three grains with the calomel,
from winch much benefit will be derived.
  The following simple remedy is highly recommend-
ed by Dr. John  D. Goodman, an eminent physician
of Charlottesville,  Virginia.   The simplicity of the
remedy, and the facility  of its application, entitle  it to
a trial.
  " Whenever children are threatened with an attack
of croup, I direct [says the doctor] a plaster covered
with dry Scotch snuff, varying in size according to the
age of the patient, to be applied directly across the top
of the chest, and retained there until all  the symptoms
disappear.  The remedy is found to be always effect-
ual when applied to the first and second stages of the
malady.  This mode of treatment was from prejudice
neglected by me, and in one instance in which, with
very considerable difficulty, one of my children was
rescued  by the  ordinary treatment.  But  on being
urged to make a trial of the snuff plaster, I determined
to make the  experiment whenever opportunity  pre-
sented.  This was not long wanted ; and when called
to a child labouring under all the symptoms  of the
early stage of croup, such a plaster, made by greasing
a piece of linen, and covering it well with snuff, was
directed to be applied to the chest.  The event w7as
most  happy ;  the  symptoms of irritation, and  half
crouping cough, ceased  shortly after;  the child fell
into a profound sleep, with gentle perspiration, and by
the next morning was free from all distressing symp-
toms.  The plaster w7as reapplied for a night or two 
CROUP.
607
following, and then discontinued. Since that time my
family has been saved from a great deal of anxiety and
alarm, to which  previously they w7ere subject,  as we
were obliged to keep Coxe's hive syrup, tartar emetic,
and  all other articles resorted  to, constantly ready to
meet the attacks of the croup, which were very sudden
and frequent in cold wet seasons.  Since then w7e have
found nothing  necessary but the snuff plaster.  If a
child is heard to  breathe hoarsely, or cough with any
thing of a dreadful ringing sound of croup, it is only
necessary to apply the snuff plaster, and w7e feel  under
no further anxiety.  Instead of being obliged to watch
with the child all the rest of the night, when once the
snuff is applied, w7e go to rest again, with a feeling of
entire security, which we  have never had the least
cause to regret."
            FEVER IN CHILDREN.
   The various complaints to which children are sub-
ject, being, as I have before mentioned, of an irritative
nature, will generally  produce  fevers, and  although
severe while they continue, are not frequently produc-
tive of danger if properly managed.
   A disordered state of the stomach and bowels, teeth-
ing, exposure to cold, striking in  of any eruption, and,
in short, every thing which can excite  an  increased
action in the heart and blood-vessels, will produce more
or less fever.   The treatment of  these complaints has
already been described.  When these fevers take place,
cleansing the stomach and bowels will be proper ; for
which purpose, give an emetic,  or puke, followed by
two or three  grains of calomel, to which add four, 
608
FEVER IN CHILDREN.
five, or six grains of rhubarb: for the dose of either of
these  medicines, see table; after which,  Bateman's
drops, Godfrey's cordial, or paregoric, at the same time
bathing the child in warm water, will greatly assist in
lessening the irritability of  the system, and removing
the fever.
         SCALD HEAD IN INFANTS.
  This complaint begins in brownish  spots on the
head, and in a few days forms a scab, and discharges a
thick gluey matter, that sticks among the hair.  The
sores gradually  increase, until  the whole head is co-
vered with a scab, discharging this matter,  which is very
offensive.  You are to cut off the hair as close as possi-
ble, and wash the  head well every night and morning
with fresh  lime-water.  This is easily  prepared  by
slacking a piece of quick-lime, of the size of a hen's
egg, in a quart  of water, and when settled, pour the
liquor into a bottle and keep it corked for use.
CHOLERA  INFANTUM,  OR  PUKING  AND
                   PURGING.
  This vomiting and purging of children, called by-
physicians cholera infantum, prevails during the heats
of summer; it is a dangerous and destructive disorder
throughout the United States.   Of all the complaints
with which childhood becomes afflicted in its  earlier
stages, this is, at least amongst the infantile  population
of the country, the most destructive.  When this dis-
ease  commences, it  is very rapid in  spreading itself 
CHOLERA INFANTUM.
609
through  the  section of  country or  neighbourhood in
which it first makes its appearance.   Its desolation or
fatal termination depends very much upon the season,
section of country, and state of the atmosphere.  The
disorder  generally shows  itself before the middle of
June, or about the  commencement  of our summer
months, continuing its ravages through the w7arm sea-
son, gradually lessening  in violence as the cool weather
approaches.   Its frequency and danger are always in
proportion to the heat of  the w7eather; children are
subject to it  from the third week after birth, to the
second summer, at which period it is the most fatal to
them.
  Many  distinguished physicians have been disposed
to consider teething the cause of this complaint.   I am,
however, convinced, that this is not the cause of cho-
lera infantum, or puking and purging.   Yet, in child-
ren labouring under  the irritation of cutting teeth, I
have no doubt this complaint is much more severe than
it otherwise would be; and that it is more easily taken
by them, and that the disorder is more apt to be fatal
in its consequences, I admit.  But that it is brought
about by the  causes which I have before  mentioned,
will be admitted by every physician who has taken the
trouble to investigate, or, in other words, to search out
the original causes of this disease.
  As I have  before told you, the digestive  organs in
the early stages of childhood  are  liable  to constant
irregularities and  irritations; but what excites morbid
irritations in the intestinal canal, is perhaps difficult for
the most learned of the  profession, at the present day,
to determine. Yet, whatever influence the irregulari-
ties of diet, teething, or other complaints, may have in
producing this disorder,  I am assured from long  expe-
    CNN   39 
610
CHOLERA  INFANTUM.
rience, that the violent heats of summer, together with
sudden changes, or exposure to a moist and  unhealthy
state of the atmosphere, are the usual exciting causes
of cholera infantum, or puking and purging.

                   SYMPTOMS
   This disorder commences generally with a purging,
but when severe, the child is seized with a puking and
purging at the same time, when a few moments before
it appeared in the enjoyment of good health.  The dis-
charge or stool is highly offensive, and coloured with a
dark or yellow hue; the stools now become frequent,
attended with  severe griping;  probably the motions
will be as often as fifteen or twrenty times during the
twrenty-four hours.   So soon as the operation  com-
mences freely from the bowels, the vomiting or puking
begins to  cease; over the region of the  stomach the
slightest pressure will give pain, being very tender, and
probably sw7elled; tongue white, thirst great, a constant
craving for water between the times of purging, which
cannot be satisfied.  The skin becomes dry, and from
the child falling away, which it does with great rapidi-
ty, the skin is very much shrunk on the inside of the
thigh ; and while the feet are cold, the head  and  belly
are hot; pulse small and quick, sometimes full;  gene-
oily towrards evening the child is better, but after a
•short time the purging commences again.  Counte-
nance pale, wan, and languid ; eyes sunk and dull; the
child moans and sighs much; cannot sleep; is  exces-
sively irritable, sometimes attempting to bite its  nurse,
or rolling  about its head, or  constantly  putting  up  its
hands to its face;  the stools become  bloody.   Even
w7atcr itself will produce purging.   The least jar  or
irregular motion gives it pain; noise and  light cannot 
               CHOLERA INFANTUM.           611

be endured.  It will scream on barely being touched.
The gums are black and swelled; the lips on their
edges are filled with a dark scurf; the  inflammation
takes place;  the  breathing  becomes  hurried  and
laborious; the pulse quick,  weak, and  irregular, and
death closes the sufferings of one of the most painfu';
and distressing diseases.

                    REMEDIES.
  When this  complaint is about to make its appear-
ance, which you  will  know by a purging, a white
tongue,  skin dry  and hot, slight fever  attended with
gripings, and occasionally accompanied with cramps of
the abdominal and other muscles, nothing is of greater
service than a  gentle emetic in the morning, followed
by a dose of calomel, mixed  with a small quantity of
ipecacuanha at night.  For medicine doses, see table.
The emetic not only cleanses the stomach, but pro-
duces a  soft moist state of the skin.  The calomel and
the ipecacuanha, as I have described, will greatly lessen
the severity of the disease, and not unfrequently  en-
tirely check it. But should  there  continue looseness
of the bowels, with a dry skin and wakefulness, you
are to obtain at a doctor's shop, a phial of wine of ipe-
cacuanha, which is nothing more than the ipecacuanha
steeped  or mixed in wine: of  this  medicine, give  the
child a few drops through the day,  in a little warm tea
of any kind:  this will produce a gentle moisture, or,
in other words, a moist sweat.  At night give a  dose
of paregoric.   For dose of this, or any other medicine,
refer to  the table.  The warm bath, that is, bathing the
whole body of the child once or twice a day in warm
water, will be found a valuable remedy, and greatly
assist in  the  cure.   Many children  have  entirely 
612
CHOLERA  INFANTUM.
escaped this dai gerous complaint by  using daily the
warm bath.  By following the directions I have laid
down, in a great many cases the  complaint will be so
relieved as to render the further use of medicine unne-
cessary.
  When the  remedies which I have  mentioned, fail,
which is sometimes the case, give occasionally a  dose
of calomel, to which add a little ipecacuanha.   As soon
as the  medicine  has  purged the  child, or, in other
words, it has had three or four stools, you are to give a
little paregoric, in which put a few drops of the wine
of ipecacuanha.  This moderates the operation of the
purge, and brings on a gentle moisture or sweat of the
skin.  You will find great benefit  from covering the
child's belly with  carded cotton, over which you are to
put a broad bandage, drawn moderately tight.  The
cotton thus borne  will check the purging.  Should the
child  be  teething  when  it  takes  this complaint,
immediate attention ought to be  paid  to the gums,
and cut,  if necessary, when the  teeth  cannot  pass
through them.  If the emetic or puke which  I have
directed should happen to act too severely, you can
easily stop it by giving a dose of paregoric or laudanum,
in a little  tea made of cinnamon.  So  distressing in
some cases are the effects of vomiting and puking, not
from the emetic, but from the disorder itself, that you
will be under the  necessity of seeking  means to cheek
it; for this purpose there is nothing better than weak
lime w7ater and new milk, in which put a few drops of
laudanum  or  paregoric, or apply  green peach tree
leaves, beat up, over the stomach and the breast; this
is a valuable application for putting a stop to bilious
vomiting : sulphuric ether is also a good  remedy.   If
these, how7ever, should fail in removing  the vomiting 
CHOLERA INFANTUM.
613
or puking, a blister applied over the pit of the stomach
will scarcely ever fail.  This last remedy should not
be applied until a fair trial is given those which pre
cede it.
             WHOOPING COUGH.
  Tins complaint occurs^only once during life, and is
contagious or catching.   It prevails during the winter
and spring months, and its  being  mild or severe de-
pends  very  much  on  the atmosphere.  When the
winter and spring are  extremely cold and wet, the
whooping cough is generally severe, but on the con-
trary it appears under a much milder form.

                   SYMPTOMS
  Whooping cough commences like a common cold,
and as it gradually advances, the breathing becomes
more  hurried and  difficult, the voice  hoarse, attend-
ed with cough, and great thirst; after a few days a
strange w7hooping sound is made whenever the  child
draws  a  long breath, followed immediately  by the
cough.  The agitation  of the  whole system  is such
at this moment that the child lays hold of what-
ever is nearest, in order to support himself during the
fit of  coughing;  after which  he pukes or spits up a
tough, frothy, slimy mucus, and is for a short time  re-
lieved.
  The treatment is quite simple:  when you discover
the child to have taken it, give instantly an emetic, or
puke,  of antimonial wine: see table  for dose; and
should this puke not lessen the severity of the com-
plaint, you are to  give  a second, and if necessary, a 
614
WHOOPING COUGH.
third; and if bound in its body, a dose of castor oil.
To lessen the cough, give frequently of the juice of
garlic sweetened with  honey, or a tea-spoonful of sweet
oil, to which you may add a few drops of paregoric or
laudanum.
  The whooping cough is generally most severe during
night:  to allay or ease the cough, the use of paregoric
or laudanum will be  highly necessary: for doses see
table.  I have found  great benefit  in my practice by
using in this complaint the  tincture of asafcetida;
which is nothing more than a small lump of asafcetida
steeped for a few days in a little whisky, or any kind
of spirits; of this tincture you are  to give a few drops
whenever the cough is severe, and you will find it to
allay the irritation of the system, and mitigate cr calm
the cough.
  Doctor  Robertson,  in the January number  of  the
London Medical Repository,  states that of all  the
remedies he  has ever employed in whooping  cough,
friction—which means rubbing—on the region of the
stomach with the tartarized  ointment, has been  the
most undeviatingly useful: for as soon  as the pimples
begin to appear on the breast, the disorder  begins to
abate.  This  ointment is nothing  more than emetic
tartar mixed with a little hog's lard. For a description
how to prepare it, look under the head  " Tartarized
Ointment."
                   MEASLES.
  The measles generally make their appearance in the
spring season.  It is a contagious or catching  disorder, 
MEASLES.
615
and, like the whooping cough, attacks but once during
life.
                   SYMPTOMS.
  For a few7 days before they break out  on the body,
the child complains of sickness; seems dull and heavy;
very great thirst; short,  dry cough, with 'frequent
sneezing, as if labouring under a severe cold ; the eyes
look red and much inflamed.  On  the fourth day, the
eruptions, or red pimples,  which  resemble flea-bites,
make their appearance on the face and neck, wThich
soon extend to the breast, and then cover the w7hole
body.  In three  or four days they  begin to  go  off; at
the same  time, the fever which always accompanies
the measles,  begins  gradually  to  decline.  In some
cases, the  fever and cough will continue without les-
sening in their violence for several  days or a week after
the measles have entirely disappeared.

                   REMEDIES.
  As soon as the sickness or drowsiness is observed,
and you have cause to apprehend, from the symptoms
I have already described, that your child is about to
take the measles, open the bowels by castor oil, so as to
procure two or three stools: the next evening (for  it
is at this time the fever is at the highest) give a gentle
vomit, or puke of antimonial wine.  You will find, by
giving gentle pukes, that the child will be greatly re-
lieved,  by lessening the  fever  and oppression ; this-
being the cause of the  drowsiness and stupor.  If the
vomit should both puke and purge, so much the better,
for the child will be the sooner relieved.  When the
fever and cough  continue for a few  days after the  mea-
sles have entirely disappeared, a dose of castor oil will
be  proper, and which should  be  occasionally given 
616
MEASLES.
during its continuance.   About this  time there is a
dark and offensive matter remaining in the bowels that
produces this fever, and which ought and must be re-
moved by means of these gentle  purges.  You  will
always know if the fever continues, by the  dulness,
thirst, and want of appetite.  Sometimes the  measles
and whooping cough attack the child at the same time;
when this is the case, a physician should  be imme-
diately called, {is there is considerable danger.
  The diet in this complaint ought to be low; such as
mush and boiled  milk, chicken soup, Sic.  Nothing to
be taken cold or hot, but moderately warm. Exposure
to cold or damp must be avoided, or the disorder may
strike in, which w7ould  be very dangerous.  Let the
child  be kept in a room neither hot nor cold,  but of a
pleasant temperature.  And you are to recollect that
spirituous liquors of any  kind, administered in any
w7ay, is highly improper.  Bleeding is  sometimes ne-
cessary when the inflammatory symptoms run high,
or the cough is very severe ; but it ought always to be
performed, if possible, under the advice of a physician.
Blisters applied between the shoulders or on  the sides
will abate the cough, and may be safely used at any
time during the complaint.
                    WORMS.
  The worms which infest the human body arc the
long round worm, the maw or thread worm, the tape
or long joint w7orm, and  the fluke worm.   The long
round worm is called by physicians the ascaris lum-
bricoides, deriving its name from slipperiness.   It has
three nipples at its  head, and a triangular mouth in its 
WORMS.
617
middle.  Its length is from four to twelve inches, and
its thickness, w7hen at its  largest size, about that of a
common goose quill.   The body is furrowed on each
side, and  the  tail  somewhat blunt.   This w7orm  is
quite common in children, and not unfrequently crawls
out at  the mouth.   It is generally of a  milky brown-
ish or  ash colour.
  The maw or thread w7orm, called by physicians as-
caris vermicularis,  has a blunt head; the tail of the
male is blunt, but that of the female quite  sharp and
winding.  It is generally from two to four inches long,
quite small, about the size of a small thread, of a white
colour, and very elastic or springy.
  This w7orm is generally  found in the straight gut, or
fundament, most commonly in children, but not un-
frequently it is met with in growm persons also.   They
are frequently found  in the intestines or guts, in the
form of a ball, so completely covered with a slimy mu-
cus as  to prevent  the medicines which are  usually
given  for worms  from acting;  or,  in  other w7ords,
causing their  discharge by stool.   In  women  they
sometimes escape into the vagina or womb, and thence
into the  urethra or canal, through which  the  urine
passes; and  they are  also  found  in the intestines of
children.
  The long thread worm, called, medically speaking,
tricocephalus dispar, is from an inch and  a half to two
inches  long, of a clear white ; the head  is sharp : the
body of the  male is constantly in  motion, in a curved
or winding form.  The female is straight, with a  blunt
head and sharp tail; they contain a brown matter, and
generally  inhabit the large intestines.
  The long tape worm, called by medical men  tamia
solium, is from  one to six hundred feet in length: it is 
618
WORMS.
gifted with the power to contract or enlarge its diame-
ter;  that is to draw up or increase its size at pleasure.
It rolls itself into a round form, and falls from one side
of the stomach to the  other on turning, when in a re-
cumbent or lying position.   When  cramped by  the
position of the patient, or by hard  pressure over the
belly, or disturbed by food which does not agree with it,
by medicine, or some disease proper to it, or tormented
by the approach of death, it leaves its hold, leaps about
and fails as it were into convulsions or fits. •
  The broad  tape worm, called medically bothrioce-
phalus  latus, the head  is  longer  than  it is  broad;
scarcely any neck.  Its  body is  flat, generally from
ten to twenty feet long, and at its broadest part, from
a quarter to a half an inch across, and of a white colour.
  The fluke worm is about an inch long, and  of a dirty
yellowish, greenish,  or  brownish colour;  you  will
know it by  examining the worm which infests  the
livers of animals, as the sheep, the hog, the  goat, &c,
being the same worm.
  It is extremely difficult to say what are the original
causes which produce worms.  It is therefore impos-
sible that any physician, however  learned he may be,
can determine with any kind of certainty the  origin.
That improper diet and food assists in producing worms
is correct; but it is only true so far as  this improper
food deranges the  action of the stomach and bowels,
and weakens their action : for worms seldom occur if
the action  of the bowels is healthy, strong, and vigor-
ous.  " Few infants have worms until they are weaned,
which is to be accounted  for on the principle, that the
bowels are in better  order during suckling than af-
terwards, when the diet is more varied and  indigesti-
ble." 
WORMS.
619
  To the learned and distinguished Robley Dunglison,
Professor of the Practice of Medicine in the Universi-
ty of Virginia, I am indebted for  the highly valuable
information on this subject.
  Climate, infancy, weakened state of the bowels, and
improper food, favour the production of worms.  That
climate has a particular influence,  and is favourable to
the origin of certain worms, is evident.  A fourth part
of the inhabitants of Grand Cairo have the tape worm;
and in Holland (according to Rosen) it is quite com-
mon.  In the United States it is quite rare.
                   SYMPTOMS.
  The head is generally affected ;  the face is pale, and
sometimes  of the colour of  beeswrax: the lower eye-
lid becomes of a leaden colour: itching is felt in  the
nose, occasionally picking it;  the saliva  or spittle runs
down over the pillow during sleep; the breath has a
remarkable bad fetor or bad smell; frightful dreams;
the child cries in its sleep, and awakes with great ter-
ror; itching about the navel; creeping or tearing pain
in the  belly, or a pricking  and gnawing about  the
stomach ; constant hunger, and yet the system becomes
weak; frequent itching of the  fundament;  frequent
dry  cough, with tickling in  the throat, accompanied
with slow  fever;  these symptoms, singly or  together,
denote the  presence of worms.
                   REMEDIES.
   A great  many medicines  are daily  employed  for
worms.  From long experience and an extensive prac-
tice, I  have had a fair opportunity of testing  their vir-
tues, at the head of which stands calomel, wormseed
oil, Carolina  pink root, sometimes called  Indian pink
root, or pink roots and spirits  of turpentine: all of 
620
WORMS.
which, when properly given, are valuable medicines for
expelling worms.
  You are first  to commence by giving the child  a
suitable dose of calomel;  for which see table of medi-
cines.  You are occasionally to repeat this  medicine
as long as the stools have an  offensive smell, and look
unnatural.  On  the days between the administering
the calomel, give the child a little aloes, pounded very
fine, and mixed  with honey.  For dose see table.  " I
have never known a case of failure," says a distinguish-
ed physician, " when  the patient or  child was  freely
purged with calomel, and then given either the worm-
seed oil, agreeably to  the directions on the  phials  in
which it is sold,  or the Indian pink root in tea.   For a
description of this root look under the head Carolina
pink root.  The oil should be given on an empty
stomach in the morning on a lump of sugar, and when
the pink root  is used to make tea of it, by pouring a
quart of boiling water on a handful of the roots, of
which you are to give a  cupful night and morning to
the child;  and  to  cause him to take it  more readily,
you may add milk and sugar : by this means children
will take it as soon as  any other tea.   Sometimes the
pink root will occasion the eyes to become >sore ;  when
this is the case you are to stop using it until  the eyes
are perfectly w7ell;  this is produced, as is supposed, from
some other root  which grows with the pink root, and
is frequently gathered with it.  After using  the pink
root for a  week  or ten days, give a dose of calomel or
castor oil.  In those species of worm which I have de-
scribed as uncommon  in our counuy, their expulsion
or discharge is  produced by spirits of turpentine  in
large doses, requiring the advice and  attendance of a
physician. 
WORMS.
621
  M. Cloquet, a distinguished  physician  of France,
affirms, that he has seen the long worm, or the one to
which children  are  most subject, evacuated, or dis-
charged by stool, after the belly had been rubbed with
a mixture of ox gall and common soap, oil of tansey or
of camomile,  mixed with spirits in  which camphor
has been dissolved, or garlic ; likewise by the applica-
tion of a plaster composed of common yellow wrax,
litharge, asafcetida,  and  galbanum,  applied  to the
belly.
  Pure air, simple digestible food, exercise, and the use
of all those means by which  the system is strength-
ened, should be attended to ; otherwise, as soon as they
are expelled, they will again return.  For this purpose
occasionally administer to the child or person subject
to worms, a simple dose of charcoal in new milk. Ac-
cording to the  latest and most enlightened  experience
of the  medical schools in Europe, charcoal is highly
recommended.
    BOWEL  COMPLAINT IN CHILDREN.
  The following recipe may be considered a sovereign
remedy for that disease which  has carried so many
children to an early grave.
       Prepared chalk     -    -    1 ounce.
       Tincture of kino   -    -    1 ounce.
       Epsom  salts                  1 ounce.
       Water                       1 pint.
       Loaf sugar    -    -    -     1 ounce.
Mix, and always be careful to shake it well when given
  Give to  a child one year old—one table-spoonful in
the morning, one at noon, and one at night;  and in-
crease  or diminish the dose according to age. 
       MATERIA  MEDICA;

                     OR,

DESCRIPTION  OF MEDICINES.
                  REMARKS.
  I have now7 given a full and general description of
the important diseases to which  the human body is
liable, and of the various remedies to be used in their
cure.   I shall now proceed to describe, as far as prac-
ticable, all the valuable roots, plants, and so on, possible
to be included in the work. I have observed in several
books, purporting to have been written for the use of
families, descriptions of many plants and roots, merely
calculated to fill up  and increase their  size; with-
out being of any benefit as medicines, or even afford-
ing any  useful information  to the reader.  I shall
therefore,  mention only such as  are truly useful as
medicines, and whose virtues  are  highly important in
the cure of diseases.
           SENECA SNAKE ROOT.
  This root possesses more virtues than any one used
in medicine;  and of all the roots used in medicine it is
by far the most valuable.  It is now more than eighty
years since its virtues were made known to physicians,
by Doctor John Tenant, who learned its use from the
Scnagaroes  trine of  Indians.  By rewarding them 
MATERIA MEDICA.
623
liberally, he obtained their secret remedy against the
bite of the rattlesnake, which he called snake root on
that account.  According to their practice, it was ap-
plied  both outwardly and inwardly: either chewed
and applied to the wound, or in the form of poultice.
Doctor Tenant thought the seneca a  certain remedy
against the  bite of the rattlesnake,  but it has since
been doubted.  A rew7ard was given to the doctor for
this discovery, by the legislature of Pennsylvania. The
seneca was recommended by him to  be used in pleu-
risy ;  and in this disease it is a truly valuable  remedy,
after the  free use of the lancet and the warm  bath. Sir
Francis Milliman, Doctor Percival, and many other
distinguished  physicians  have  borne  testimony  in
favour of its powers as a diuretic in dropsies—diuretic
means whatever acts on  the  urinary organs so as to
produce  an evacuation of the water from the bladder
freely.   In croup this is a valuable medicine: and the
discovery of it as such is due to Doctor Archer, of Har-
ford county, Maryland, who first discovered its great
efficacy in that frequently unmanageable disease. My
practice  is, in the first instance to employ the lancet,
in the next the warm bath, and in the next the seneca
snake root, as directed under the head of Croup. Given
in a strong decoction, which  is  made by pouring on
one or two ounces of the best root, coarsely pounded
with a hammer, about a quart of boiling water, which
is to  be  stewed down to half a pint or less,  in a close
vessel over a slow fire: a tea-spoonful every hour, or
indeed every twenty  minutes to a child as  the case
may be dangerous or otherwise, will answer the effect
in croup. It is of infinite service if it pukes the patient
w hen given in this way; because it brings  on a dis
charge of mucus or tough slime from the mouth ano 
624
MATERIA  MEDICA.
throat, which almost always relieves the person afflict-
ed.  It is proper, if the case is a dangerous one, to give
a dose of calomel with the snake root, adding to the
calomel a small portion of ipecacuanha; in fact, in
this  disease, when very dangerous, I give large  doses
of calomel when  I resort  to this remedy: in simple
and  gentle cases of croup, an emetic of ipecacuanha,
and  the warm bath,  will  frequently give relief.  A
strong tea made of this  root, and given as in croup, is
an excellent remedy for the hives, or  for rheumatism
of an inflammatory nature ; and in violent colds it is
an  admirable medicine  to promote perspiration  or
sweating.  Used in these cases, the best form is that of
a handful of the root to a quart of boiling water, giving
a wine-glassful of the decoction  every two hours, if a
grown person, and increasing or lessening the quantity
as may seem to be necessary.
  The virtues of this root, in obstructions, or stoppages
of the menses or  monthly discharges, are absolutely
incalculable; and every woman should return thanks
to the Author of all good, for giving such virtues to this
root as are possessed, perhaps, by no other, in relieving
this  diseased  state of  the female system which, of  all
others, is probably the most dangerous.  When the
menstrual discharge is looked for and does not appear,
four ounces of the decoction above described ou^ht to
be taken in the course of the day;  indeed, as much
ought to be taken  as the stomach will bear without  in-
convenience.    When sickness  to puking is induced,
which is sometimes the case when the stomach is weak
or irritable, add in the  tea or decoction some cinna-
mon, or calamus, or angelica, or a little ginger ; either
of these, in addition, will cause  the stomach to retain
the decoction : there is no danger in  the seneca snake 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
625
root, for I have frequently given it in very large doses
in croup.  The  only difficulty is,  that  it sometimes
passes off by stool, without being productive of its usual
benefits in female cases; the remedies for which will
be spoken of under the proper heads.  But in dropsy,
this purgative effect of the seneca snake root is of great
and important service, as well as its active and power-
ful influence on the urinary organs.  In all  dropsical
swellings  it  ought to be used very freely, and will al-
ways be found a medicine  of high  and inestimable
value.   I will close the notice of this great root, by
observing that it has the confidence of the most distin-
guished physicians of the United States, as w7ell as those
of Europe.   The discovery of its  virtues in female
obstructions is due to Dr. Hartshorn, of  Philadelphia,
one of the best men, and whose heart is devoted to the
cause of suffering humanity.
                  SASSAFRAS.
  A particular  description of sassafras is unneces-
sary, being  known and  found in  every part of the
country.   The  root, bark, or flowers, made into a tea,
is used considerably by the people in the country.   It
cleanses any  impurities of the blood, and  if distilled,
affords a valuable oil, which is a good remedy in rheu-
matism.   It ought to be rubbed on  the afflicted parts
in small quantities : and if taken inwardly, a few drops
are  to be given on a lump of sugar, being highly stimu-
lating.   The oil rubbed on wens is  considered a good
remedy, and frequently removes them entirely.  The
sassafras bark, mixed with sarsaparilla, makes a good
diet drink for cleansing impurities of the blood.
       GUNN   ±® 
626             MATERIA  MEDICA.
                SARSAPARILLA.
  This root w7as first brought into notice by the Spa-
niards in the year 1563, and was for some time after-
wards considered a certain cure for venereal diseases ;
[see page 417, where you will see Venereal described.]
It, however, afterwards proved unsuccessful, either for
w7ant of proper attention, or from want of knowledge
how to treat the complaint.
  This little root  has excited a great deal of inquiry
and discussion among medical men, throughout Europe
and  the United States, as to whether it really is or is
not a cure for this  wretched disease, the venereal.   It
has fallen several times into almost entire neglect, and
as often been again revived into use.  It has, however.
lately been brought forward, with much higher reputa-
tion  than it ever held  before, and if used in the manner
I have described in venereal, may be  relied on as a
certain cure.   Years of practical experience have con-
vinced me  of the fact, even in the worst of the com-
plaint.  I will go  still further, by  asserting that the
virtues of this root  are not yet fully known and duly
appreciated ; and I sincerely regret that the limits of
imy w7ork will not permit me to go more fully into the
great benefits I have witnessed from its use in chronic
affections of the liver: for a description of which  dis-
ease, see page 303.
  In scrofulous sores, in all diseases of the skin, and
for cleansing the blood, it will be found valuable.   In
rheumatism, gout, and to stop the effect of mercury, or
to remove any bad consequences which have been pro-
duced  by its  use,  the sarsaparilla is also good.   In
weakness of the stomach,  called dyspepsia, (see that 
                 MATERIA  MEDICA.             627

 head,) it is an excellent remedy, by giving tone and
 strength to the bowels and stomach.  The method  of
 preparing  it is simply boiling, after  washing it clean,
 in  the proportions of an ounce of the root, split and
 finely cut  up, to two quarts of water, which must  be
 boiled down to one quart, and suffered to get cold be-
 fore  it  is  taken.  Take of it from  a pint to a quart
 daily, or as much as  the stomach will bear.  The bark
 of  the root contains  the virtues.  You must obtain it
 sound ; and recollect always, that it loses its pow7ers by
 being kept any length of time.  The tea should always
 be  made fresh every day.   Sarsaparilla grows plenti-
 fully, and may be found generally along creeks, and on
 the banks of rivers.  It is a small running vine wrhen
 torn from the ground, and extends some distance from
 the head, which is of a dark browm colour on the out-
 side, and a pale white within, and is bitter to the taste.
 When cut into short pieces it splits easily.  The main
 vine is about the size of a common goose-quill.   It is a
 native of the Spanish West Indies, from whence it was
 formerly imported, until discovered to be  also a native
 of the United States.  The imported root is not quite
 as large  as  ours, and is of a  darker colour and much
 wrinkled on the outside.  It may be considered as one
 of the most valuable roots in  the country, and although
 possessing great power, is entirely innocent.  It ought
 most certainly to be used in all cases in which mercury
 has had any effects on the system, or in which there  is
 the least doubt that any infection lurks in  the system
connected with venereal. 
628
MATERIA MEDICA.
             JAMESTOWN  WEED.
   Sometimes called jimson, thorn-apple, stink-weed -
 and, by the learned, usually called datura stramonium.
 Whether this plant is a native of the United States 01
 not, cannot at this late period be knowm ; nor is it ma-
 terial that the fact should be ascertained, because it is
 now found in every part of the American Union, from
 the state of Maine to the Mexican gulf, and from the
 Atlantic sea-board to the Rocky, or Oregon mountains.
 It was first noticed by the original settlers of Virginia,
 at Jamestown, from which  circumstance it took the
 name which  I have adopted.   Beverly, who  in  very
 early times wrote a history of  the first settlement of
 Virginia, thus speaks of its effects on a party of British
 soldiers, who had eaten of the leaves of the Jamestown
 weed as boiled greens.  " One would blow up a feather
 into the  air,  w7hilst another would dart straws  at it
 with great fury; another would sit stark naked  in  a
 corner of the room, grinning like a monkey, and making
 mouths at the company;  w7hilst another w7ould caress
 and paw  his companions, and sneer in their faces.  In
 this frantic condition  they w7ere confined, under the
 apprehension that  they  might destroy  themselves,
 though it was observed that all their actions were those
 of innocence and good-nature.   They were  by no
 means cleanly, and would have wallowed in their own
excrements, had they not been prevented.   After the
 lapse of ten or eleven days, their senses again returned.
without their being able to remember any  thing  that
had occurred  in the interim." I will give for the satis-
faction of my readers some account of the discovery of
the medical properties  of the Jamestown  weed, and
also adduce several cases  in proof of those medical 
MATERIA MEDICA.
629
©ropertit-s,  abridged  from  the  account of Doctor
Storck, whose authority may be relied on.
  " In the  months of June, July, and August, I ob-
served in the neighbourhood of Schoenbrnnn," says the
doctor, "great quantities of the datura stramonium, or
thorn-apple.   I well  knew that this plant w7as  al-
together  out of use as a medicine,  because several
authors had pronounced it highly dangerous.  On the
23d of June,  1760, I went out very early in search of
the weed, and gathered a large  quantity of it, and  re-
solved to give it a fair trial, notwithstanding all  I had
heard and read respecting  its poisonous effects, and of
its producing insanity or derangement of mind.   I
next cut off the roots and threw them aside; then beat
the leaves, branches, and stalks in a large marble morlar,
and pressed out about one  gallon of  the juice.  This I
evaporated  to the consistence of an extract, over a slow
fire, in a glazed vessel, often  stirring it with a wooden
spoon to prevent its burning; and the extract, when il
became cold, I found to be a black brittle mass.   1
laid a grain and a half of this extract on my tongue,
dissolved it against the  roof of my  mouth, and swal-
lowed it  down.  It neither  produced disorder of my
body, nor  the least  derangement in  my intellectual
faculties.   After making several experiments on my-
self, and perceiving no manner of disorder, I concluded
that the  extract could  be safely given to patients in
small doses.  We happened at  that time to have a case
in the hospital, in  which  it  might  be presumed this
extract of thorn-apple (which the  reader will please to
remember  we call Jamestown weed) would be of ser-
vice.   Before  using it, however,  I consulted  both
ancient  and  modern writers, and all to no  purpose.
They had  all laid it down in explicit terms that it
      3 o2 
630
MATERIA MEDICA.
would disorder the mind, destroy the ideas and me-
mory, and produce convulsions.  These were all dread-
ful  effects: but notwithstanding a query suggested
itself to my mind in the following form : 'If the thorn-
apple,  by disordering the mind, causes  madness in
sound persons, may we not try whether, by changing
and disturbing the ideas and common sensory, it might
not bring the insane, and persons bereft of their rea-
son, to sanity, or soundness of mind, and, by a contrary
motion, remove convulsions in the convulsed.'   This
notion, I  confess, w7as far-fetched, yet it wras not  with-
out some good  success.   The  experiments I  made
were as follows:—
  "Case 1st. A girl aged twelve years  had been dis-
ordered in her mind two months; she answered con-
fusedly when asked any questions, and what words she
did utter were very imperfectly articulated.  She was
sullen and refractory, and could be prevailed on by no
means to do any thing.   All the medicines she had
taken had produced no effect.  I gave her half a grain
of the extract morning and night, and made her drink
after each dose a cup of tea, or some veal  broth.  On
the third w7eek she began to be  less sullen; returned
more rational answers, and spoke distinctly.  In two
months' time, continuing the use of the same medicine,
and giving three doses each day,  she began to  reason
extremely well,  and said her morning and  evening
prayers with a clear and distinct  voice;  gained  a good
memory, and gradually recovered her understanding.
  " Case 2d. A woman  over forty years of age was
afflicted  with vertigo, or dizziness of the head, and
could find no relief from  the medicines;  she became
gradually disordered in her mind, and finally a  degree
of madness accompanied her vertigo.  She was brought 
MATERIA MEDICA.
631
 to our hospital.   The medicines first prescribed gave
 her no manner of relief.  She began to be raving and
 furious; rose out of bed during the night, and by her
 bawling disturbed and frightened  the  other patients:
 some of whom she would forcibly pull out of bed.  In
 this situation I gave her, says Dr.  Storck, half a grain
 of the extract of thorn-apple twice a day.   The  first
 day she became more composed, but in the night she
 turned as furious as ever.  The third  day I  gave her
 one grain of the extract morning and evening, and all
 the symptoms became milder.  She made some noise
 indeed, in the night, but soon fell  asleep again.   On
 the  fourth  day she began  to give more reasonable
 answers, but soon  fell  again into  raving fits.   Her
 days and nights then became calm  and quiet.  On the
 eighth day  I gave her one grain of the extract three
 times, and continued these doses until the fourth week,
 when all her fury was  laid.   Her  madness  w7ent  off;
 soundness of mind, speech, and judgment returned, and
 she slept as soundly as any of the other patients;  yet
 the vertigo frequently and suddenly returned upon her
 as before, and at times with such violence as  to  make
 her fall down as if in a fit, but she always retained  her
 presence of mind.   It was enough for  the purpose of
 my  experiment that the  extract of the thorn-apple
 cured her madness; and perceiving that the vertigo
 was  not removed, I  forbore its further use. She lived
 five months  in the hospital.  All  the functions of  her
 mind were  good  and sound, but the  vertigo turned
 gradually stronger, and the fits of it became more  fre-
 quent, until  at length a true fit of apoplexy carried her
 off.  I dissected her, and found many of the blood-ves-
sels of the head distended or swelled, and one of them
turned bony, for the distance of an inch  and a half: 
632
MATERIA MEDICA.
 besides which, says the doctor, I found the two anterior
 ventricles of the brain distended greatly, and filled with
 many hydatids of all shapes  and sizes.   Hydatids are
 little animals, formed like bladders, and distended with
 a watery fluid.  All the viscera in the rest of the body
 were in a very sound state.   From these  discoveries
 made after her death, it appears that the vertigo  of the
 patient was an incurable disease; and it also appears
 that  the  extract of the thorn-apple, or Jamestown
 weed, not only allayed her rage, but cured her madness
 without any bad symptoms."
   I have accompanied the discoveries of the medical
 virtues of the Jamestown weed  by Dr. Storck, with
 the two preceding cases, to prove clearly to my readers,
 that in the beneficence of his mercy, the great Father
 of  the universe has clothed our soil with powerful re-
 medies for curing all diseases, and with the medical
 properties of which it is our duty to become  familiar.
 There is, in my opinion, nearly as much folly and stu-
 pidity in importing costly drugs at enormous expenses
 from  foreign parts, while we have their equals at home,
 as there would be in importing bricks and timber from
 Europe to construct our habitations.   Industry and
 science alone can develope the immense resources of
 this unrivalled country, and these we are personally.
 morally, and politically bound to employ.
  Every part of the Jamestown weed, exclusive of the
 root, (of which we know nothing by experimenf)when
taken in considerable portions,  operates as a strong
narcotic, or  stupifying  poison.  This is, however, no
valid objection to its medical uses  and properties; be-
cause some of  our  most powerful medicines, such for
instance as opium and  aquafortis, invariably destroy
life when injudiciously taken.  I am not alone in con 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
633
sidering this plant as possessing high and invaluable
medicinal powers;  it has been spoken of  in terms of
high commendation by many of the most distinguishes
physicians of the present age, among whom are Barton,
Fisher, Bigelow, and King, of Connecticut.
  Among the Indian nations, the leaves of this weed
are made much use of,  especially in  cases of wounds,
contusions or bruises, ulcerations, and  the bites of rep
tiles.  The extract of this weed, procured  in the man-
ner above stated  by Dr. Storck, is valuable in various
cases  of the chronic  kind; by w7hich I mean those
of long standing; also in all those kinds of epilepsy.
commonly  called fits:  those especially which  give
warning of  their coming  on, or those which occur at
regular times.  It is also a better  medicine than any
thing yet known, for lessening the pain in sciatica, or
hip gout.   The leaves  of the dried  plant, smoked as
we do tobacco, are of great use in attacks of spasmodie
asthma, which   means  phthisic   accompanied  with
cramp.  In  making use of this medicine internally.
the dried and pounded leaves may be given in doses of
a single grain.  If the first dose produces  no sickness
or vomiting, you  may give a grain of the  leaves three
times a day, and even  increase the  dose  each time,
until  the effects are felt by the patient, or relief pro-
duced.  The extract, however, is  always to be prefer-
red, given as before described by  Dr.  Storck, the real
discoverer of the medicine.  The bruised or wilted
leaves are valuable in painful tumours, and, indeed, in
most  swellings accompanied with pain.   They are in
these  cases to be applied externally, and in such quan-
tities  as to preserve their moisture against the fever
of such tumours.   The ointment  made from  the
bruised leaves is also valuable, and is made by boiling 
634
MATERIA MEDICA.
them in lard or tallow7, straining it well, and setting it
off to cool.
  In the abridged extract from Doctor Storck, I have
shown the value of this medicine in mania, madness,
or frenzy; and I now say that the value of this disco-
very in  1760, notwithstanding  what  has been said
against it, has been amply substantiated by experiments
of many  distinguished men of the present age, among
whom are Barton and Fisher; in fact, Barton's experi-
mental testimony alone would be quite sufficient: and
here I wish it to be distinctly noticed by those  afflicted
with epilepsy or fits, that his testimony is clearly in its
favour, as a most powerful remedy, even in deplorable
cases : he has proved the fact from actual experiment.
I wish the reader also to bear  in mind the following
facts, with regard  to the value of simple  medicines:
the most learned sometimes  decry their  use,  because
there is not  scientific mystery enough  about  them to
excite the astonishment of the common people;  and,
second, because they are often abused  by quacks and
pretenders, and men who have not  perseverance and
resolution enough to give them a fair trial.
                  DOGWOOD.
  The dogwood is so common throughout the United
States as  to require no  description whatever; it is in
fact to be found in every forest in our country.   The
dogwood bark is generally considered equal to the Pe-
ruvian bark; but I conceive it greatly superior, not
only on account of our being always able to procure it
fresh  from the tree, but because the Peruvian bark is
old before it reaches this country, and  nearly, if not 
                MATERIA MEDICA.             635

always, adulterated.  It is among  the best tonic and
strengthening medicines to  be found in this  or any
other country.  The bark of the root of the dogwood
tree is the strongest; next in strength to w:hich is the
bark of the body and smaller branches.  In all inter-
mittent fevers (by which I  mean all fevers which go
off and leturn again) it is an excellent  remedy; and
the only reason why it cannot be given in other fevers
is, that when given in actual fever it increases the pulse,
and by so doing does mischief; hence you will see
the necessity  of never giving it except w7hen the fever
is  entirely off.   In cases where it produces pain or
griping of the bowels, a few drops of laudanum will
remove the difficulty if given with the bark.  In most
cases  the  dose  in  powder (which is the best  way of
giving this bark) is from thirty to  thirty-five  grains;
and in some particular cases, mentioned  under the
proper heads, an addition of  snake root  is to be made
in the proportions of thirty grains of the dogwood bark  ,
to six grains  of the snake-root, pounded to a powder.
The wood itself of the dogwood tree is considerably
used  by  dentists,  by  w7hich  I  mean  tooth-cleaners
and setters, in putting in artificial teeth.  The young
branches stripped of their bark, and rubbed with their
ends against  the teeth, render them extremely white
and beautiful.' These are tooth-brushes  of nature's
presenting, and are infinitely better than those made
of hog's bristles, and filled with  snuff, and  such other
delightful aromatics!  The  negroes of the southern
states, and those of the West India islands, who are
remarkable for the whiteness of their teeth, are in the
constant practice  of  rubbing them with  the small
branches of the dogwood, or of some other tree which
will answer the purpose.  The ripe berries of the dog- 
636             MATERIA  MEDICA.  '

wood, in spirits of any kind, make an excellent bitter
for  common purposes, and  one w7ell adapted to  per-
sons  of weak  stomachs, taken in the morning.  All
the Indian nations use the flowers at the proper season
in warm water,  or  in  spirits, as a remedy in  windy
cholic.  The dogw7ood boiled strong as a tea or decoc-
tion  is  an  excellent remedy, for horses having  that
destructive  disease, the  yellow w7ater,  a distemper
which carries off thousands of  that useful and noble
animal every year.  Horses having the  yellow water
should be bled every day freely, and given nothing to
drink but strong dogwood  tea.   The powdered bark
of this tree  makes an excellent ink, and  the process is
very simple:  Take half an ounce of the powdered
bark, two drachms of copperas, two scruples of gum
arabic or cherry  tree gum,  and  put them in one pint
of rain water; mix  them together, and  in a few days
it will be fit for use.  The medical virtues of this bark
were discovered  as  early as the year 1787.  It is an
astringent, and also a stimulant, and the internal use
of it renders the  pulse always quicker, and often fuller
than it naturally  is.
                 ALUM ROOT.
  Tins is a native of all the North American forests,
from Georgia to Maine; and from the Atlantic ocean
to the Oregon or Rocky mountains.  It is a very strong
vegetable astringent; b}7 which I mean that when ap-
plied  to the human  body it makes the solids harder
and firmer, by contracting their fibres.  As a power-
ful  astringent, it is usually employed in all  cases of
weakness and irritability, and report speaks favourably 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
637
of its virtues.   It is generally used in external appli-
cations more than as an internal remedy, in  piles for
instance, or hemorrhages from any part of the system ;
by which I mean spontaneous bleedings.
                    GINSENG.
  Tins root is  called by the people in the country
generally, for shortness, 'sang.  It is found in  great
plenty among the hills and mountains of the west, and
collected daily for sale.  Some  few years back it was
used as an article of commerce, and  sent to the east-
ward in w7agons  as a commodity of foreign export, and
afforded considerable employment  and profit to the
gatherers of it who resided near and among the moun-
tains.  It  has latterly,  however, fallen in price and
value, as an article of exportation,  and  therefore but
little of it is brought in for sale.
  This root was exported to China, and afforded to the
shipper a handsome profit;  generally selling it in the
Chinese  dominions  for its weight  in  silver.   The
Chinese attributed great virtues to this root;  so many
indeed, that at one period, 1784, the price at Pekin is
said to  have been eight or nine times its weight in pure
silver.   They considered it as a sovereign remedy in
all diseases incidental to their climate and country, and
had no confidence in any medicine  that  was not  com-
bined with it: and such was its astonishing reputation,
that  it  was rarely, if ever, administered to the poor, on
account of  the  highness of its price.   They chew it,
and take it in strong decoction, so as to get all the vir-
tue from this precious drug. These people are remark-
able  for their superstitious prejudices, civil, moral, and 
038
MATERIA  MEDICA.
religiius:  as a proof of which, they set a higher value
on those roots w7hich have a resemblance to the human
form, and  ascribe greater powers to them than to those
of a different shape.
  The ginseng has been fully tested by  the best phy-
sicians in  the United States, and they ascribe to it no-
thing more than its being a pleasant bitter, and a gentle
stimulant  for strengthening the stomach.  It gives all
its strength and virtues by being steeped in whisky, or
any other  kind of spirits.
              TOBACCO PLANT.
  Called by the learned nicotiana tobacum.  This
very common  plant was found in cultivation by the
Indian nations, when the continents of North and
South America were first discovered : these, however.
are  not the only regions of the  globe  in which it is
found  to flourish : the East Indies have  long been
known to produce it.  To describe the  tobacco  plant
would be entirely useless; it would answer as little
purpose as to describe on paper the countenance of aw
old  friend, with  w7hom we  had  long  before shaken
hands, and become  perfectly familiar.  I shall there-
fore  consider it  in no other light than as  a medical
drug.
  I shall first  notice tobacco as a remedy for worms.
I do not recollect ever to have tried it myself, but Doc-
tor Barton expressly says—and his authority can in all
cases be relied on—that " tobacco leaves pounded and
mixed with vinegar, and applied as a poultice to the
breast and belly, will frequently expel worms, in cases
where very powerful remedies have been resorted to 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
639
in vain.  In cases, also, w7here poisons of any kind have
been taken into the stomach, and emetics given inter-
nally, and prove deficient in their operation, the tobacco
poultice, as just  described, if applied  to  the  stomach
will act powerfully, and force it to discharge  the con-
tents.  In cases where the bowels are  obstinately con-
stipated, in other w7ords, where great costiveness exists,
the leaves of the tobacco plant, cured in the usual man-
ner, stewed in vinegar, and  applied to the  belly,  will
be attended with signal success, when  the most power-
ful  purges internally taken have failed. The last men-
tioned application  (tobacco  leaves  stewred in  vinegar)
is a good remedy in  what  physicians call ascites, or
dropsy of the belly, of which there are two kinds:  one
kind  is, where the dropsical water is lodged in the
great  cavity enclosing the  intestines  or guts,  &c.—
this is called ascites abdominalis by medical men. The
other is, where the water  is lodged in a membrane,
sack, or tube, about the womb, and is called ascites sac-
catus by physicians.  I will, for the satisfaction of the
reader, abridge a case  of the latter kind  from a letter
of Dr. Cutbush,  physician  of the American Marine
hospital at Syracuse.  The  subject of the disease  pre-
sumed by Dr. Cutbush to be dropsy, was a  young wo-
man brought  to him by her  parents.  Some of her
former  physicians—thirty-three of whom had been
consulted in her case—were of opinion that her disease
wras a collection of water in the womb; others, that it
wras dropsy of the ovaria; (these  are  the parts taken
out of female swine when spaying;) others, that it was
an enlarged liver; and others still,  that it was  an extra-
uterine fetus,  which is a case of conception, in which
the child is not in  the womb wiiere it should be, but
in the cavity of the belly, outside  of  the womb.  On 
640             MATERIA  MEDICA.
examination, Dr. Cutbush discovered a large tumour, or
swelling in the abdomen, or belly, which extended
diagonally across it from the left to the  right.   The
swelling, or tumour, winch was unusually great, had a
number of inequalities on its surface, which could be
easily felt,  and which, when pressed upon, produced
extreme pain ; no  fluctuation or movement of water,
however, could be  discovered on such pressure.   The
case was new to him; and in addition greatly perplex-
ing, because the first physicians of  Naples  had given
contrary opinions respecting it,  and had also disagreed
in their practice.   She had been under the free use of
mercury twice ; once at Naples, and once  at Syracuse:
at the  latter place mercury had been given in large
quantities by  a surgeon belonging to Lord  Nelson's
fleet, without  any beneficial effect.  " From this his-
tory and examination,"  says the  doctor, " I entertained
no hopes of relieving her;  but the solemn entreaties
of her parents determined  me  to make trial of a re-
medy which I had found useful in obstinate tumours,
and which  finally proved the disease to be a dropsical
affection of the womb itself, or  of the right fallopian
tube."   [These  tubes  extend from the  sides  of the
womb tovvards the ovaria,  which I have before ex-
plained, and are supposed to grasp them in sexual com-
munication.]  "I  directed  the  leaves of the tobacco
plant, recently collected, to be stew7ed in  vinegar, and
applied to the  abdominal tumour."   The  first applica-
tion produced sickness at the stomach, puking, vertigo,
or swimming in the head, great depression of muscular
strength, copious  sweating,  and a loose  state  of the
bowels.  Her  pulse became low; and the violence of
the symptoms induced  the doctor not to continue the
application  long.   On the succeeding day it was re- 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
641
peated twice, morning and evening, and produced the
same symptoms, but less violent; and attended with an
immoderate flow of water from the vagina and womb.
This remedy w7as continued twenty days, and the pa-
tient w7as completely cured.  No medicines were given,
except a little opium, and some wine occasionally.
  In cases of dropsy generally, the tobacco plant has
been found  very serviceable.  When  given in proper
quantities, it acts as a powerful diuretic;  or,  in other
words, it produces a great  flow of  urine ; entirely dis-
proportioned to  the quantity of liquor taken into the
stomach.  This is a conclusive proof that it acts upon
and dislodges the dropsical fluid from  the system.   In
cramps or spasms it is also productive of much benefit:
being well known to produce great relaxations of the
muscular  powers, and unusual prostration of strength;
on which  account it may also be given with advantage
in cases of tetanus,  or locked-jaw,  and, in fact, in  all
cases where  there appears  to be a derangement of the
muscular energies, local, or relating to a particular part,
or general, and involving  the whole system.   When
tobacco is to be taken internally, by the stomach, it
ought  either to be in the extract, as described by Dr.
Storck, or in infusion. The infusion is made by steep-
ing an ounce  of tobacco  leaves in a pint of boiling
water,  and give it by the tea-spoonful with much cau-
tion.   One,  two, or  three table-spoonsful, in half a pint
of warm  milk, or thin  gruel,  will generally produce
relief,  if given in glysters, in  cases of cholic  or very
obstinate costiveness, where  all other  medicines have
proved  ineffectual.    If these quantities produce  no
relief,  and there is  no sickness of the  stomach, the
glysters must  be repeated every half hour, gradually
increasing the infusion until  one or the other of these
     GUNN    41 
642
MATERIA  MEDICA.
effects be produced.  In this way the dangerous effects
of tobacco  may  always be avoided.  I will record a
case in which obstinate constipation of the bowels was
relieved by an infusion of tobacco when all  other  re-
medies had utterly failed: In the  city of Charleston,
South Carolina,  some years since, and before reading
medicine, I w7as  attacked at night with severe cholic,
which terminated in obstinate constipation of the bow-
els.  The pain was  so excruciating that I was  com-
pelled to send for a physician : it w7as Dr. Whitteragei
a gentleman equally celebrated for his philanthropy
and his profound knowledge of medical science.  Du-
ring a period of ten days, apprehending an inflamma-
tion, and consequent mortification of the bowels, this
gentleman  resorted  to almost every known and power-
ful remedy, without effect.  As a last resort, of which
he candidly informed me, recourse was had to glysters
made of  tobacco.  The first, which w7as a weak infu-
sion, had no effect;  and the doctor directed my nurse
to give a strong one at midnight.   Her fatigue caused
her to fall asleep, and it was neglected till  morning.
By this time, the tobacco having remained in the wa-
ter all night, the infusion had become unusually strong
in which state a glyster of it was given.  The imme-
diate  derangement  of my feelings and sensations, and
the horrible nausea  and sickness of  the stomach I
suffered, are absolutely indescribable.  I perspired at
every pore, and so  entire was the  prostration of  my
muscular powers, that I  had  to be  held  on the  close-
stool.  It w7as with difficulty that I  could  draw  my
breath.  In a few minutes, by an almost unconscious
effort, an  extremely fetid  discharge took place from
the bowels, of the colour and consistence of molasses,
when I was entirely relieved.  Subsequent experience 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
643
has taught me to believe that, had this great and good
man applied tobacco leaves, stewed in vinegar, to the
abdomen, whilst I was under the operation of medi-
cines taken by the  stomach, I w7ould  much sooner
have been relieved from my miseries.   In concluding
this subject, it can scarcely be necessary to advise  my
readers  that the tobacco plant is an active and  power-
ful medicine, and dangerous when used to injudicious
excess.
                THE UVA URSI.
   Sometimes called the bear-berry, the bear's whor-
 tleberry, and the wild cranberry.
   The uva ursi—sometimes designated by the  names
 I have noted above—is a native of the mountains and
 cold regions of Europe, and it is said, of the northern
 parts of the United States.   It is presumed, from nu-
 merous and well authenticated  experiments, to be the
 best remedy ever yet discovered in all diseases of the
 urinary organs, whether of the  kidneys, ureters, or
 bladder, and is therefore  entitled to no ordinary consi-
 deration  as a medicine.  The dose  usually given, of
 the powdered leaves of the uva ursi, in  any kind of
 syrup,  is from  twenty to thirty grains, three or four
 times a day, which may be doubled in  quantity, in
 cases of extreme urgency and danger.  The descrip-
 tion of this plant, given by the celebrated Galen, which
 is  considered the most accurate  one on record, is in
 substance as  follows: it is a low shrub, which  grow7s
and spreads itself near the surface of the  ground, and
has pensile, or hanging branches; bark of a reddish or
pink colour, and is thickly set with  oblong, oval, and 
644
MATERIA MEDICA.
entire fleshy leaves.  The  flower is oval shaped, and
broader  near the base than the mouth, which has  an
edge scolloped into five divisions, with small, blunt, and
curled points.  The fruit is a  roundish, red coloured
berry, similar in appearance to the small wild cherry,
and contains five hard bony seeds, with plain sides, and
no more.  It is an evergreen, and produces fruit every
two years.   Every part of this shrub, particularly the
bark  and leaves, has a bitter and astringent taste.   I
am thus particular in the description of it, because the
bilberry, or red myrtle,  is often mistaken by good bo-
tanists for the uva ursi;  they being  so nearly alike as
scarcely to be  distinguishable from  each other.  The
only  distinguishing characteristics which can be de-
pended on are these: the flower of the uva ursi has ten
stamina, more commonly known by the name of ant-
lers,  or  uprights, and the berries contain  five seeds
only; while the other, the bilberry,  or red myrtle, has
only eight stamina in the flower, and sometimes twen-
ty seeds  in the berry.   I have some doubts, notwith-
standing the opinion of the celebrated Doctors Bigelow
and Chapman, for both of whom I entertain  a high
respect, that the real and genuine uva ursi of Galen is
not a native of any known and  inhabited part of the
North American  continent; and that its having been
measurably brought into disrepute, like many other
medicines, has been owing to the fact of other  plants
having been mistaken for it, and used medically in  its
stead.  Galen says that it is a rare plant, and is only to
be found in  the  coldest countries,  and in the neigh-
bourhood of mountains  covered  with eternal snows;
and  that he never met with it but upon two of the
highest  mountains  in Europe, one  of  which was  an
Austrian Alp, calW Gans, and the other a Styrian 
MATERIA MEDICA.
645
Alp, called the snow7y mountain, six leagues from Ma-
rianstein.   We have no  such mountains in  North
America, unless the Oregon or Rocky mountains, west
of the Mississippi, of whose  botanical  productions we
know little ;  perhaps nothing.  But whether the uva
ursi be an American plant or not, it can always  be had
genuine in the shops; and  my principal motive for
mentioning any doubts respecting its being a native of
this  country, is to guard those afflicted with diseases
of the urinary organs against  the  use of spurious or
worthless  plants  in its  stead.  The following cases,
abridged from a work of high authority, will show the
genuine uva ursi in its true light.
  Case 1st.  "A man about sixty years of age had
been about twenty years afflicted  at times with a dif-
ficulty of making water, which was usually voided by
single drops,  accompanied  with  exquisite  torture, a
fetid smell, and a mucus  mixed with  blood.   Some-
times there  was a total suppression of urine,  w7hich
could only be relieved by the catheter.  He first took
proper laxatives for the relief of the bowels, and then
commenced taking half a drachm of the uva ursi every
morning.  This prescription was continued for seven
complete months; by which time his urine became
more frequent and full of mucus, but  not so fetid as
before; and the pain which had tortured him so many
years, was quite gone; he slept well; had  a good appe-
tite ; grew strong ; walked well; and made water with-
out any pain.
  Case 2d. " This was also  a  man about sixty years
of age,  wiio  had  for a long time been afflicted with
exquisite pains, and a suppression of urine to so great a
degree, that for seven weeks he had never  passed hi*
water but by the  help of a catheter.   Half a drachm 
tf46
MATERIA  MEDICA.
of the powdered leaves of the uva ursi was given him
every morning, and a gentle dose of paregoric at night;
and  after six  days he  had no  further  need of  the
catheter.  Having persevered in the use of the  medi-
cine for  fourteen weeks, he w7as restored to perfect
health.
  Case 3d. "A man came to us, whose name w7as
Christian: he was afflicted with  hydrocele, or dropsy
of the scrotum, or bag, for which he  had taken  medi-
cines usually given in such cases.   When this course
was finished, a defect in  the urinary system began to
threaten: insomuch that in a short time his urine be-
came of a white colour; w7as passed  with great diffi-
culty and pain : and as soon  as discharged had a very
bad and offensive smell.   The catheter being  intro-
duced repeatedly, evidently  proved that there was a
calculus, or stone  in  the bladder.  The uva ursi was
therefore given in the quantities before noticed ;  by
which in a short time so great relief was obtained, that
not only a due retention of urine took place, but it was
also passed without pain, and in smell and colour w7as
perfectly natural; and I assert it, (says the writer,) that
by continuing  the use of this medicine for two months,
ever}7 calculus sign and symptom was entirely removed;
although by sounding him again, the calculus or stone
was still found in  the bladder.   This is the  first, and
the only person, among all I have seen, who frequently
made water  of a healthy appearance, whilst a stone  re-
mained in the bladder.   How it came to pass, and  by
what means the  patient should obtain  such benefit
from this plant as to be entirely exempt from pain, and
other inconveniences, when a stone still existed in the
bladder, is what I must confess myself entirely unabfe
to explain," 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
647
                SLIPPERY ELM.
  This tree deserves great attention, as being among
the best remedies in our  country.  I have  mentioned
frequently, that in many diseases it should be used as a
poultice, and in many others as a glyster.  I shall now
describe  the valuable properties of this tree more  at
large.  The inner bark must be used :  and that of the
young tree is preferable.   As a poultice, nothing is su-
perior, particularly in old gun-shot  w7ounds.  During
the revolutionary war our surgeons used it with the
happiest effects.  They applied poultices of it to fresh
wounds, and always produced immediate suppuration,
in other words, discharge of matter, and a quick dispo-
sition to heal.   When any appearance of mortification
was evident, the bark was pounded and boiled in water,
and made into a poultice.   When applied, it produced
immediately a surprising change for the better.  In
dysentery and consumptions,  the inner bark boiled  in
water and drank freely will be found a valuable me-
dicine.  It is cooling and soothing  to  the bowels.   It
may be made into a fine jelly, which, if taken freely, is
a certain  and  astonishing  remedy in  all bowel and
breast complaints, and may be freely administered  to
children.  This mucilaginous bark is so nutritive, that
it supplies the  Indians with food in times of scarcity.
It is one of the most cooling and pleasant remedies,
and I  may add,  that it is not only one of the most
valuable articles we have, but deserves  the  confidence
of every person w7ho practises or administers medicine. 
648
MATERIA MEDICA.
              JERUSALEM OAK.
  From this plant (which grows  plentifully in most
parts of our country, and too well known by almost
every person to require  a description) the oil called
worm-seed oil is made. This oil has forsome time attract-
ed a considerable share of popular favour, as an antidote
against worms in children.   It is sold in almost every
store, under the name of " worm-seed oil;" and persons
who purchase  this oil or medicine, should be careful
that they are  not imposed upon; because it is  very
often adulterated with spirits of turpentine, by which
they are always disappointed in their  expectation of
benefit.
  In its pure and unadulterated state there is no me-
dicine preferable to the oil made from  the Jerusalem
oak for expelling  worms  from children;  but it must
never be given when the child has fever, because it will
increase the fever, the oil being highly stimulating and
inflammatorv.   When this  oil is administered, from
eight to ten drops must be given to a child two years
old, on a lump of sugar: it ought to be given three
times a day, for three days in succession ; after which
you must give a  good dose of calomel, say five or six
grains, or a dose of castor oil: the calomel, however, is
the most certain  to produce a full discharge of worms.
If no worms are discharged, and they are still suspected
to exist in the system, repeat the dose again, and again,
until you bring them from the child.  A wine-glassful
of a decoction of the Jerusalem oak, made by boiling
it in milk, in the proportion of a handful of the leaves
to a quart of milk, is a dose for a child : but  the  pure
oil is by far the best. 
MATERIA MEDICA.
649
                   DITTANY.
  This handsome little  plant belongs exclusively to
America, and is known  by almost  every farmer and
his family in the country.  The  dittany is always
found in dry soils, and  in shady and hilly places; it is
used in slight fevers as  a tea:  every old lady in  the
country has more or less used dittany tea in colds.   It
is excellent to relieve nervous headaches, and is a good
remedy in  the hysterical affections of women.   In
South Carolina and Georgia the dittany is given fre-
quently by infusing the leaves in hot w7ater and  ad-
ministering  it as a tea, drank as warm as possible, to
produce sweating.   The  medicinal  virtues of dittany
are much the same  as pennyroyal, mint, and sage:
it is a perfectly innocent plant.
                  MAY-APPLE,
  Sometimes called wild lemon, duck's foot, ipecacu-
anha, and by the learned podophyllum pellalum.
  This plant, w7hich possesses very important medicinal
virtues, is presumed  to be an exclusive production of
the  North  American  continent: it  is  everywhere
found ii  abundance on congenial  soils, from the state
of Maine to the Mexican gulf, and from the Atlantic
sea coast to the Oregon  mountains.  In the language
of the learned, it  is a perennial herbaceous plant; in
other words, the roots do not perish by the frosts and
snows.of the winter.   The May-apple is well known
to almost every citizen  in the United States :  it has a
plain upright stem, of a yellowish green colour, about
twelve or fourteen inches in height; two large horizon- 
6M)
materia  medica.
 tal leaves at the  top, between  which, and in  the  fork
 when in bloom, there is a white flower, which is  suc-
 ceeded  by a yellow  acid  fruit.  Respecting the dif
 ferent properties of this plant,  the reader is desired to
 recollect that the fruit is  good  for food ; the leaves poi-
 sonous; and that its medicinal virtues are wholly  con-
 fined to the root.   The season  proper for gathering the
 root, is late in the fall, when the leaves begin  to drop:
 if gathered in the spring, it is comparatively  good for
 nothing.  The Indians dry it in the shade, and use it
 in powrders.
   The  American  May-apple   root  is   an  excellent,
 gentle, and effective purge, and is presumed by  many
 celebrated practical physicians  to be greatly  superior
 to the jalap obtained  in the shops.   Practical experi-
 ment has proven that this root operates more gently as
 a purge than jalap; that it operates a much longer
 time ; and  that it is by no means so drastic and griping
 as jalap.   It is also preferable to jalap in  other respects;
 it is less  nauseous, and more easily taken; less irritating
 to the stomach and bowels, and may be more easily
 used by  delicate females and persons having weak and
 sensitive stomachs.  It may be  given with much  ad-
 vantage in  what physicians call cholica  pictoneum, or
 dry bellyache, sometimes  a dangerous complaint; in
 intermittent fevers; and particularly in  dropsy, on ac-
 count of  its producing continued and large evacuations.
 Taken in a small dose, say of ten or tw7elve grains in
 pow7der,  it   is a  gentle and easy  laxative:  twenty,
 twenty-five, or  thirty grains  usually  operate  with
activity and power; and where griping is apprehended,
the  mixture of eight or ten grains of calomel will be
of advantage. 
MATERIA MEDICA.
651
       CANCER-ROOT, BEECH-DROPS,
  Called  by the  learned,  Orabanche  Virginiana.
This plant is the  natural growth of every part of the
United States : is  usually found under the beech tree,
and is of a sickly yellow, or pale pink colour, and en-
tirely without leaves.  The root, which appears blunt
and round at the bottom, and  is covered with  twisted
and matted  fibres on its lower  end, is of a yellow
colour; the  stems and branches are finely furrowed;
and on the ridges  formed by these furrows, there will
be found dark, purple, white, and yellow stripes.  Be-
tween the root and the first divisions of the stalk, there
are blunt-pointed and bud-like scales which  stand out
from the surface; and similar ones, but more resembling
buds, are scattered along the branches nearly to their
tops.  The  plant  grows from eight to fifteen  inches
high.   The  reasons for my being thus particular in the
description of this plant, will be presently  seen.
  From the  best information I can collect respecting
the history  of cancer-root, it  appears to have been
originally a cure for cancers, used by the Indians, and
communicated by them to a  surgeon of one  of the
Pennsylvania regiments  many years ago  stationed at
what  was then called Fort Pitt.   The physician to
whom the secret w7as communicated by the Indians,
afterwards came to Philadelphia, and advertised for the
cure of cancers.   He had been the student of Doctor
Rush, who speaks thus of  the application.  " It gave
me great satisfaction to witness  the efficacy  of the
doctor's applications: in several cancerous ulcers the
cures he  performed  were  complete.   But when the
cancers were much connected with the lymphatic sys-
tem, or accompanied with a scrofulous habit of body, 
652            MATERIA MEDICA.

his medicine always  failed, and in some instances did
evident injury."  The word "scrofula" is derived from
scrofa, a hog: because this animal is subject to a similar
disorder, which means king's-evil.  The physician who
had the secret from  the Indians  died  in  1784, and it
was supposed the secret had died with him  ; but Doctor
Rush procured from  one of his administrators some of
the powders, and found them compounded of the dried
and pounded cancer-root  and  arsenic; the proportion
of arsenic, of the pure white kind, was not more than
one-fortieth  part of the whole compound.  Most of the
cures effected by these powders  were situated about
the nose, forehead  and cheeks,*and upon the surface
and extremities of the body.   Cancerous taints of the
fluids of  the body, or those which affect the w7hole
lymphatic system, must be cured by diet and internal
medicinal remedies. Doctor Rush says that the powder
compounded of cancer-root and arsenic, in the propor-
tions 1 have  mentioned, and applied in the proper cases
of cancer, produced inflammation, which separated the
sound flesh from  the cancerous ulcer and its roots, and
that he therefore preferred the applications  of  those
powders to the use of the knife, in  all such cases.  I
will conclude these  remarks  by observing, that the
cancer-root is a valuable remedy in old and  obstinate
ulcers, in which  it  has often been known to succeed
when all other applications had  failed.   It must be
gathered in the month of September.
                  BONE-SET.
  Sometimes called thorough-wort, cross-wort, Indian
sage, and perhaps more properly, by the Indians, ague 
MATERIA medica.
653
 weed.   The learned name of it is eupatorium perfolia-
 tum.
   The bone-set is a valuable plant, and cannot be  too
 highly prized  as a medicine.   I  regret to say, that at
 this time most of its medical virtues remain unknown.
 It has been used in the hospitals in  New York with
 great success, given either as a tea or in pow7der.  The
 limited size of my book prevents me from writing at
 large on the great virtues it possesses: but I will merely
 make this remark,  that it is  endowed with more real
 and genuine virtues than any plant now known.  The
 stalk is heavy, and rises from two  to four feet, perforat-
 ing or bearing the leaves at  each  joint.  The flowers
 are  white,  and appear in July  and August.   The
 leaves at each joint are horizontal, teethed  and rough,
 from three to four inches long, about an inch broad at
 their base, gradually lessening to  an  acute point, of a
 dark green colour, and covered  with short hairs.   It is
 a native of the United States, and  is everywhere  to  be
 found.   It  is generally  found  in abundance on the
 edges of ponds which  are surrounded by  thickets  of
 brushwrood ; in  low and damp woodlands; on the banks
 of small water courses, creeks, and rivulets which are
 deeply shaded by the close  foliage of the  trees: and
 sometimes in open meadows, and  waste low7 lands.   I
 do not know what  the name of bone-set wras  derived
 from ; nor do I  think it very  material that  the reader
 should be informed; because real  wisdom  and useful
 intelligence  have much more relation to the nature of
 things than the mere names of things.  The medical
 properties of this plant an? various and powerful; nor
do I believe  there is one which is a native of the soil of
our country, more entitled to the attention and experi-
ments of medical men.   The whole plant is extremely 
654
MATERIA  MEDICA
bitter to the taste, and in some degree astringent; by
which I mean, that when it is applied to the tongue,
or any other  part of the body, it contracts  the  fibres
and  surface,  without any voluntary exertion of the
muscular power.   It is a very strong tonic or strength-
cner to the stomach; and always, when used internally,
produces an increased discharge from the skin, which,
when  condensed  on the surface, is  called sweat: in
these respects, from well attested experiments, its me-
dical virtues are unequivocal as w7ell  as  powerful. It
can always be given successfully, and without danger,
in violent catarrhs or colds, even when attended with
some fever;  because its stimulating effects  are  too
slight to increase  the  fever, while the other qualities
of imparting strength and causing perspiration, are in
active operation.  I wish the reader particularly to no-
tice, that I mention the beneficial effects of the bone-set
plant, in cases of violent catarrh or cold, because it is a
dangerous forerunner of phthisis, or pulmonary  con-
sumption, in  very  many instances, and  ought always
to be removed immediately if  possible.  This  plant is
also an excellent remedy in ague and fever, which is
the reason of its being called by the Indians, by a name
which  in their language signified ague-weed.   It is also
a valuable  remedy in all intermittent and  remittent
fevers,  always acting as powerfully and beneficially as
Peruvian bark.  In fact,  I think it in many  cases pre-
ferable to the bark; because  it can  be given where
there is considerable fever; in which condition of a
patient, the bark cannot be administered without great
danger.  For this reason  also (I mean because it never
increases fever) it can always  be given, and has been
repeatedly  administered  successfully, not only in re-
mitting bilious fever, but in typhus and  yellow fevers. 
MATERIA  MEDICA             655
Dr. S. G. Hopkins of New Jersey, a physician of much
celebrity,  in an extensive  practice of several  years,
during which the intermittent  and remittent  fevers
were very prevalent, gave the bone-set freely, in  w7arm
decoction, with great success.  By giving the bone-set
very copiously, he always produced sweating to allay
the fever; and in dangerous cases, pushed the remedy
so far as to produce vomiting, and also purging.  He
related to  several of his friends, that many  of the
farmers in his vicinity, without calling in  a physician,
had, by the liberal use  of  bone-set tea, given warm,
entirely succeeded  in curing  themselves  and  their
families of both intermittent and typhus fevers.   The
truth is, that in low typhus, which is very dangerous.
and ahvays attended with an unusually hot skin, the
bone-set is an inestimable remedy.  It is  always used
with the best effect in a warm decoction of the flowers
and leaves, which ought to be dried in the shade, and
kept  for  use; the wTarm decoction is generally pre-
ferable to the plant in substance; and from one to two
table-spoonsful, given every  half hour, will in  most
cases  produce  sweating  without causing  so  much
nausea of the stomach as to induce vomiting.  If the
fever  is broken, and you wish to give strength to your
patient, give the bone-set in the  pow7dered leaves and
flowers, from twenty grains to a drachm, from three to
six times in the lapse of  twenty-four hours.  Used in
decoction as above stated, it is also a valuable remedy
in yellow fever, as has been proven by repeated and
well attested experiments.  The bone-set is  also very
efficacious in removing active rheumatism : for descrip-
tion of w7hich, look under that head:  but it ought to
be employed in this case  after blood-letting to reduct
the inflammatory action. 
656
MATERIA MEDICA.
  With (he above commentary on the important  uses
of this plant in medicine, I recommend it to the serious
attention of my readers.   It affords another proof that
Providence has given us the means of curing many of
our diseases without resorting to the adulterated drugs
of foreign lands.
       COMMON  BLACKBERRY BUSH,
  Called by botanists rubus villosus.  This  root is
everywhere known, and therefore requires no descrip-
tion.  It is eminently useful in all such diseases as are
to be treated with astringent medicines:  the root  par-
ticularly is powerfully astringent, and when used me-
dicinally, is generally made into a tea.   When the
ripe fruit itself is employed, it ought to be given in the
juice, or made into a syrup or jelly.  The tea  or de-
coction  is made by  boiling a handful of the bruisei*
roots in a pint and a half of water, until it  is reduced
to a pint; thus prepared, it is given with success in
diarrhoeas and dysenteries:  a small tea-cupful every
two hours: and has often been knowm to effect cures
when many other remedies had failed.  In the disease
called  by physicians cholera  infantum, known  by
painful gripings and purgings of children, a weak de-
coction of the blackberry root may be given with good
effects;  but as these purgings may in  many  cases Ik*
considered as the efforts of nature to remove the causes
of disease, it ought to be  given with much caution, and
not  until  proper evacuations have been made to re-
move offensive matter from the stomach and bowels.
In fact, it ought to be given in no case of dysentery or
cholera infantum, until all  offending matter (if any is 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
657
presumed to exist) be removed by gentle pukes  and
purges.   Blackberry syrup, made from the  ripe fruit
ought to be kept prepared in all families, and given
freely in all cases of derangement of the bowels.
            BUTTON SNAKE-ROOT.
  This is a native of all the Southern states, from the
sea-board  to  the Mississippi;  the root has a sharp,
aromatic, and very bitter taste, and whenever chewed,
it produces a considerable flow of saliva or spittle.  A
tea or decoction of it, taken internally, produces a dis-
charge from the skin, and expectoration from the throat
and lungs.  By  many physicians of reputation it is
held in higher estimation than the Seneca snake-root,
which it very much resembles in its effects.
                  CAMOMILE.
  The tame species is a native of Europe, but may be
cultivated in most parts of the United States.   It is
perennial:  that is to  say, its roots do not die by the
frosts of winter, but shoot forth and blossom through
succeeding years.   The flowers are generally used for
medical purposes, and  sold in the shops: the single ones
jre the best, because they are the  strongest.   Infusion
in water extracts the  medicinal properties of the ca-
momile flower, which, drank cold, is highly useful as
a tonic: in other  words, it will give tone and strength
to an irritable  and weak  stomach, repair a debilitated
or lost appetite, and operate favourably on such young
females as labour  under what is called green  sickness:.
     GUNN   42
• 
658
MATERIA MEDICA.
which mean the retention or suppression of the menses.
It also operates as an antispasmodic :  that is to say, it
relaxes the involuntary contractions of the muscles of
all parts of  the body, and particularly of the stomach,
in what is commonly called cramp : it is also of service
in all nervous weaknesses of females.  When taken
warm, and in considerable quantities, it aids materially
in the operation of emetics, or pukes, &c.  The camo-
mile flower, when steeped  in old whisky, or in any
good spirits, and taken two or three  times a day, in
moderate quantities, is an excellent medicine to give
tone or strength to a weak stomach  and restore the
appetite. For women, given in hysterical complaints,
this is a valuable remedy.
  Wild camomile is the may-w7eed.
               IPECACUANHA.
  This root  is a native of Spanish America; and in
the Spanish  language it means vomiting  or puking
root.   The word ipecacuanha is applied to several
other roots which produce vomiting or puking to any
extent.  The proper or botanical name of this root  is
the raicilla:  I have, however, adopted the  name ipe-
cacuanha,  by winch it is most commonly known to
physicians.  This root was first brought into Europe
about the middle of the last century, but did not come
into general use until about the year 1786, when  it
w7as introduced into the  practice of medicine by Hel-
vetius, under  the patronage of Louis XIV.   The ipe-
cacuanha is one of the mildest and safest emetics, or
pukes,  with which we are acquainted, and has this
great advantage; that if it should fail to  puke, it passes
•
• 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
659
off by purging or sweating;  and further, if by accident
an over dose is taken, it is attended with no danger; as
the whole of it is vomited with the contents of the sto-
mach, as soon as it operates.  The vomiting or puking
is promoted by drinking freely of warm w7ater.
  The genuine ipecacuanha, in its dry state, is a small
wrinkled root, about the size of a hen's quill, variously
twisted, and marked with projecting parts, apparently
like rings;  ash coloured.  Its taste is sickening, and
slightly bitter, with little  smell, and  covering the
tongue  with a kind  of mucilage.  On breaking the
root, the outer  bark is  very brittle; and it is in  this
brittle part that the activity and power of the root  as
a puke resides—the centre of the root being nearly
destitute of  medicinal virtues.  This root is generally
sold in  the shops in a powder, that being the form  in
which it is used as a vomit or puke: the powder is the
colour of common ashes.
  I have now described to you the imported ipecacu-
anha, or the medicine which is now used  throughout
all the world under  that name; and I may justly re-
mark, that it stands at the head of vegetable emetics,
for  the  promptness, efficacy, and safety of its opera-
tions.
  In powder, which is the manner in w7hich it is gene-
rally given, full vomiting or puking will be produced
in a grown person by a dose of a  scruple, or half a
drachm : or  you may put a drachm into six table-
spoonsful of  warm water, and give a table-spoonful
occasionally, until it operates : or you may steep it  in
wine, and give it  in  small doses, until the  effect you
desire is produced.
  The medicinal uses of this powder, when properly
applied, are very great and valuable. Iu addition to its 
660
MATERIA MEDICA.
acting as a vomit or puke, wiien  given in small doses,
so as to produce nausea, (which means sickness of the
stomach,) it generally produces moisture of the skin,
or sweat; evacuation of the bowels; and in still smaller
doses, it  generally stimulates  the stomach, increases
the appetite, and assists  digestion.  In small doses, it
acts not only as a diaphoretic, which means sweating ;
but as an expectorant;  w7hich  means a free discharge
of tough  mucus and spittle from the mouth and throat.
It is also a valuable medicine when given in  small
doses, to  stop spontaneous bleeding from  the lungs and
womb.   These bleedings are called hemorrhages.  In
intermittent fevers it has generally succeeded in stop-
ping them, especially when given about an hour before
the coming on of the fever; and also when given so
as to produce vomiting at the time of the fever, or end
of the cold stage.  Great  benefits are  often  derived
from this medicine  in continued fevers, and  particu-
larly in the commencement of  typhus fevers; an eme-
tic or puke of ipecacuanha, followed with a sufficiencj
of this medicine in very small  doses, to keep up a gen-
tle moisture or sweat, will, if attended to in the early-
stage of this complaint, probably  at once cut short the
disease, or greatly lessen the severity and symptoms of
the fever.
  Wine  of ipecacuanha is  sometimes substituted for
the powder: it  is, however, better suited to children.
As  an emetic or puke, the dose for a grown person, is
one fluid ounce, which  is about half a large wine or
stem-glassful.   For a description of this wine of  ipe-
cacuanha, look under that head. 
MATERIA MEDICA.
661
               COMMON TANSY.
  Tansy is perennial, or perpetual, and grows wild by
the sides  of  roads, and the borders of fields, but is
most frequently cultivated in gardens, both for culinary
and medicinal purposes: it flowers in July, and fre-
quently in June.  The leaves are generally used as a
medicine, and w7hen steeped in whisky, or any kind of
spirits, make a moderately warm, and  highly valuable
bitter for weak stomachs, very beneficial to children in
preventing worms.  It should be given to them in the
morning, on empty stomachs.   Some physicians have
spoken highly of its virtues in hysteric disorders, par-
ticularly those proceeding from  a deficiency  or  sup-
pression of the menses or courses.  An infusion or tea
made of tansy, and  drank freely, has been  strongly
recommended as a preventive of  the return of gout.
                     SAGE.
  Tins valuable garden  herb was once supposed by
the ancients to prolong the lives of those who would
frequently use it.   They dedicated to it the following
maxim : " How can a man die, in whose garden  there
grows sage ?" in allusion to its many virtues.  It  is too
well known, and too much used to require a descrip-
tion.  It makes an excellent tea to produce sweat or
moisture of the skin; and by adding a little lemon
juice or vinegar so as to make it pleasantly sour, is a
good remedy in fevers. 
662
MATERIA  MEDICA.
               RUE AND BALM
  Rue is also a garden herb; the leaves :>f which, made
into tea, will produce perspiration, or sweating, quicken
the circulation, and remove obstructions of the blood.
It is valuable to weak and hysterical constitutions.
  Balm is also a garden herb, and affords a pleasant tea
to  be drank in fevers.  When drank  freely, it will
produce perspiration or sweat, and of course is good in
slight fevers.
           AMERICAN COLUMBO.
  This stately and elegant  plant is a native of the
United States, and is found in abundance in both Ken-
tucky and Tennessee.  It has various names: such as
Columbia, Indian lettuce, columbo root, Marietta co-
lumbo, and wild  columbo.  The stalk grows  from
eight  to  ten  feet  in  height; it is strong, juicy, and
fleshy, nearly square, and furrowed  at the sides, and
sends  off its leaves, which are of a deep green colour,
at intervals of six or eight inches, to something  more
than half its length, and smaller leaves and flowering
branches to the top.   The root  is biennial; that is, it
lives two  years—it is large,  full of knots, plump and
full, and of a yellow colour: the leaves are occasionally
opposite to each other; and usually grow from four to
eight together:  they are sometimes  sharp, and some
times  oblong: or, in other w7ords, oval, or egg-shaped,
and sharp at the points. The flowers grow in clusters,
and are of a greenish yellow, or cream colour.
  The columbo root, which is the only part to be used, 
MATERIA MEDICA.
663
is a mild,  pleasant, and highly valuable bitter, acting
as a powerful tonic, or strengthening medicine.  It is
valuable in dyspepsia, or indigestion, and in diarrhoea,
or looseness of the bowels, arising from a  redundancy
of bile.  It will generally check vomiting or  puking,
and  will  always  be  found beneficial in cholic, or
cramps of the stomach, want of appetite, and cholera
morbus, which means puking and purging : it may be
taken in substance, powdered; a tea-spoonful every
three or four  hours:  or in  decoction or tea,  a wine-
glassful three  or four times a day: or you may steep
the root (say two  ounces)  in a quart  of  old whisky,
which must stand for a few days, that the spirits may
extract the virtues from the root. This valuable bitter
may be used three or four times a day, in doses of a
table-spoonful or more; and by adding a few drops of
peppermint to this preparation, it is a good remedy to
moderate, the  puking which sometimes occurs with
pregnant women.   All persons who  are subject to
lowness or depression of spirits, instead of resorting to
more dangerous stimulants, should use this columbo
bitter freely.
        BLOOD, OR PUCCOON ROOT,
  Sometimes called Indian paint, and red root, but
learnedly denominated sanguinaria canadensis.
  This  plant is a native of North America, from the
Canadian  provinces to  the Gulf of Mexico, and per-
haps of  no other region of the globe.  It is not only a
plant peculiar to the continent of North America, the
virtues  of  which  are so w7ell knowrn to the Indian
nations,  but  its  root is perennial: in other words, it is 
664
MATERIA MEDICA.
not destroyed by the frosts  and snows of winter.  It
generally grows about a foot high  in  rich woodlands,
and varies in thickness from  a quarter to three quarters
of an inch in diameter—which means across.   It is
generally about the size and  length of a finger; fleshy
and round, and the end of the root has the appearance
of having been cut off by a dull instrument, or as if it
had been broken off in removing it from the ground.
The outside colour of the root is brownish, but on be-
ing cut, the juice flows of a  blood-red colour.
   The puccoon flowers early in  April, bearing but sin-
gle flowers on each stem. The blossoms are white, the
stems perfectly naked ; the upper side of the  leaf of a
pale, sickly green, and the veins which pass through it,
of an orange colour.  The flower bud is of a faint, or
delicate rose colour: the  seeds,  which are round and
pointed, are very numerous.
   The leaves and seeds of the puccoon plant,—wilich
is the name I have adopted,—like the seeds of the stra-
monium, or Jamestown weed, are poisonous, and must
never be used.  The root seems to contain all  its medi-
cinal qualities ; and is closely allied in its effects on the
human system to the Seneca snake root, and  in some
of its  effects to the digitalis purpurea, or fox-glove.
A decoction or tea, as it is usually called, made  of the
puccoon root, is highly recommended in the treatment
of old and indolent ulcers,—which  simply means old
sores that do not seem inclined to heal,—and the dried
and pounded root, applied a  few7 times, in some cases
of ill-conditioned ulcers,  with callous  edges, and an
ichorous or itching discharge, seldom  fails to produce
a healthy state of the sores.   It is an excellent remedy
in  croup, and must be given in doses sufficient to pro-
duce vomiting or puking; some physicians rely on it 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
665
 wholly in croup.  It is  also an  excellent remedy in
 dropsy of the chest, called by physicians hydrothorax;
 given in doses of sixty drops of the juice  three  times
 a day, and increased until nausea or sickness of the
 stomach  follows each dose.  This root in pow7der, from
 twenty to thirty grains, is an  active emetic or  puke.
 Dr. Barton, one of the professors in the Philadelphia
 medical  college, thinks it nearly  equal to  the Seneca,
 or rattlesnake  root,  in cases of ulcerous  sore throat,
 croup, and hives, and diseases of  this nature. It is a
 valuable  medicine to produce a determination to the
 surface, by which I mean sweating;  and also in  colds,
 pleurisies, rheumatism, and other inflammatory  disor-
 ders.  When used for these last diseases, it should be
 given as a tincture, which is the root steeped for seve-
 ral days in spirits of  any kind ; and given  in doses of
 ten drops every two or three hours, until a  moisture or
 sweat is produced on the skin.  This tincture is also
 valuable  in jaundice, in  torpor of the  liver, attended
 with cholic and yellowness of the skin, a disease  com-
 mon to southern climates.  The puccoon  root, made
 into a tincture, and gradually and  cautiously used, will
 be found  a valuable medicine in stoppages of the  men-
 ses or courses in women.  I have used it with  great
 success in my practice, wiien every other  medicine
 usually resorted to  had failed.   My usual  method of
 preparing  it is, to steep about a  handful of the root
 sliced, in half  a pint of old wiiisky, letting it stand five
 or eight days, when the tincture is fit for use; begin-
 ning  with ten drops, and gradually increasing the dose,
as circumstances may require.   But  you may give it
in a decoction or tea,—a handful of it to a quart of boil-
ing water,—a table-spoonful every two or three hours,
as the situation of the patient may  require. 
666
MATERIA MEDICA.
  This root, powdered very fine, and snuffed  up the
nose, is said to be a certain cure for  polypus, a fleshy
teat, or gristly substance, which grows  in  the  nostril,
gradually increasing  in  size, until  breathing becomes
difficult, and  which  sometimes, unless removed, ends
in suffocation.  I have lately made experiments with
this  root  in  a  disorder called tetter-worm, and  in
several instances succeeded in curing  it when other
valuable remedies  had failed.   Steep the  sliced  roots
in strong vinegar ten days, and wash  the part affected
two or three times a day.  I shall conclude my remarks
on  this  valuable root by observing that it possesses a
great many valuable qualities w7hich are probably yet
unknown.    The  best time to collect it for medical
purposes is when  the seeds are ripe, which is about
the beginning of May.
               FOREIGN SENNA.
  I shall first describe to you the foreign, or imported
senna, generally used in the practice of medicine ; after
winch I shall describe the American plant senna, which,
on almost numberless trials, has proved to be but very
little, if any, inferior to the imported, or that sold in the
shops, and mostly used by physicians.   I have used
them both and can discover no difference.  This affords
another proof of a bountiful Providence, in bestowing
on  this people a plant of  so much  value, and  one
which, before its discovery here, we were compelled to
import from Egypt.   Here I again repeat what I have
frequently said in this w7ork, that all that is required of
us are industry and  attention, and we will discover in
a few years thousands of medical plants in our country 
MATERIA MEDICA.
667
superior in every respect to the foreign, by which we
will have this further advantage : we will always have
them fresh, and in full possession of their virtues.
  The leaves of the senna are  alone used in medicine.
The imported plant grows  in Turkey, Syria, and Per-
sia.  It is commonly called Alexandria senna, because
it was once imported exclusively from the city of Alex-
andria in Egypt. This medicine w7as originally received
from the Arabians, and large quantities of it are now
brought from Nubia, which is  known in Egypt by the
name of the valley or country of Barabras; it is a nar-
row valley through which the Nile flows, where the
view is confined on  two sides alternately, by a lofty
chain of mountains.  Senna is the chief production or
commodity of this country.  It is  not cultivated, but
grows naturally on the  sides of the hills  and ravines.
Each person has the right of gathering what grows in
his district. Two crops are annually made, the pro-
ductiveness of wrhich depends on the duration of the
rains, which fall periodically every year.  The first, and
most fruitful crop, is that gathered  at the termination
of the rains: the second crop is small.   No expense
attends the preparatiun of the plants, which merely
consists in  cutting and spreading them on the rocks to
dry.  This process in that warm climate only occupies
a single day.   The senna is then put up in bales of one
hundred pounds, and the slave  merchants convey them
by camels  to Sienne and Darao, where they are sold
for eleven or twelve francs a bale, which is about two
dollars and twenty-eight cents.  They are then carried
to the farmer-general at Cairo—an officer appointed
by  the government  to  examine and  purchase  them.
The sum fixed by him  is from thirty to thirty-three
francs: which is about eight dollars and  twenty-seven 
668
MATERIA MEDICA.
cents.  They are then sold by them to the European
factors or merchants, for one  hundred and six francs
each bale, which is equal to twenty dollars and four-
teen cents, and  by  them exported  to  the  different
quarters of the world.  American citizens! why will
you pay such accumulated and enormous expenses to
foreign  governments and  merchants, for an  article
which is furnished plentifully by the soil of your own
country ?
  The demand for this article from Europe every crop
is  generally from  about fourteen to fifteen  hundred
quintals, of one hundred pounds each.  The great de-
mand for this medicine, both in Europe and the United
States, has induced the Egyptian merchants to mix with
it senna of an inferior quality, which  sometimes occa-
sions it to fail in producing  the  immediate effect in-
tended.   Although this fraud, w7hen practised, does no
serious injury, it frequently disappoints us in the active
operation of the medicine:  the inferior senna, although
producing eventually the same effects, is  much slower
and weaker in its operation.
             AMERICAN SENNA.
  Having given you  the  history of the European, I
shall now proceed to describe to you our own senna,
which grows abundantly in the United States, and par-
ticularly in the western and southern country.   I have
told you that I had used both, and could perceive no
difference  in  their operation:  and I now  repeat the
fact, that it may be the more  forcibly impressed on
your mind.   Notwithstanding  this, those who prefer
the foreign senna to our own, may easily gratify their 
MATERIA MEDICA.
669
preference, as the imported kind is now cultivated in
North Carolina, and  is found to flourish abundantly.
It is evident that we  do not obtain the pure plant from
abroad: I  have shown the manner of adulteration:
why, then, should we not cultivate  the foreign plant
sufficiently for our own consumption, if w7e must and
will have it ?  The  wild senna  of America is a most
beautiful plant.  I will describe it in as plain terms as
possible, knowing at  the same time, that it is very dif-
ficult, if not utterly  impossible,  to delineate in mere
language what can only be known to the eye.   It has
frequently  several stems from  the  same root; these
stems are generally either entirely smooth, or furnished
with a few straggling hairs.  The larger sized leaves, I
believe, are mostly confined to the larger branches, and
are disposed in pairs opposite to each  other,  on the
sides of those branches which run out in a nearly hori-
zontal direction from the stem.   The flowers are of a
bright orange colour, and are usually found  on small
sprays or sprigs, which shoot out in the  angles formed
by the stems and larger branches.  Near the top the
flowers are attached  to the  main stems. The  stems
rise from two to four feet in height.  The leaves are
rather long, green  above, and pale underneath; they
should be  gathered   about the  last of August for
use.
  Doctor Barton, an  eminent physician, and  professor
of Botany in the University of Philadelphia, informs us
that he had some experience with the American senna
during a term  of practice  in the Marine Hospital  of
that city.   " I  have," says the doctor," for some months
past substituted the  American  for the Alexandrian
senna, and very frequently employed it.  I have, also,
in a single instance, used it in my own family.  I have 
670
MATERIA MEDICA.
had reason to confirm the high character which the
American plant has long maintained."
  But, reader, whether you may prefer the imported
or the American senna, which I consider equal in their
medicinal powrers: the following remarks are applicable
to both or either of them.
  The senna is  a valuable purge, and wiien good, is
active in its operation, and at the same time quite in-
nocent.   Senna is seldom given by itself, but is always
mixed with manna: a description of which will imme-
diately follow this.  When you inquire for senna as a
medicine at a doctor's shop, always ask for a dose  of
senna and  manna,  because these tw7o medicines  are
always given together.  Sometimes  a little salts is
mixed with the senna and manna, especially  if you
wish to make the operation sure and active.  In fevers,
first giving a  good dose of calomel, follow it up with
the senna, manna, and salts: senna has but one fault;
it is apt to gripe  during the operation : this can alw7ays
be prevented, however, by adding a little ginger.  But,
I believe, from an  extensive  experience, that after
calomel  to remove  bile, if the  following mixture  be
made up and given, it is superior and more  innocent
than any medicine now known  as a  purge :—Take of
senna and manna, each half an  ounce; of ginger, one
drachm ; of salts one ounce;—pour on these medicines
a pint of boiling  water; cover over the vessel in which
you make this tea, so as  to  prevent  the steam from
escaping. This  tea is to stand until it becomes cool.
You are to give of it to growm persons, one gill  every
hour or two until it operates freely.  According to the
age of the person, you are to  give this tea in smaller
doses, and as  it is quite  innocent, it may be given to
children occasionally in small doses, until the desired 
MATERIA MEDICA.
671
effect is produced, which is a free operation as a purge.
If you wish it to act as a very mild and gentle  purge,
you may leave out the salts.   I repeat, in order that
you may remember it, that whenever  the bowels are
obstructed, or whenever you  require an  active and
searching purge, senna, manna, and salts, in the propor-
tions  I have  just mentioned, adding  thereto a little
ginger, are superior to any means of operating  on the
bowels now in use.
                    MANNA.
  The word manna  means a gift;  it comes from the
Syrian word mono, being the food supplied  by the
Almighty to the children of  Israel in the wilderness:
or it comes from the  word mahna, wiiat is it ? an ex-
clamation used by the Israelites on its appearance.  So
say the best authorities.
  The manna, or medicine so called, and that which
is mostly used  by physicians, comes from Naples on
the Mediterranean sea.   The best manna is in long
flakes, moderately dry, brittle, and crumbling, of a pale
yellowish colour, and considerably  transparent;  in
other words, you can partially see through it.  If it is
moist, very sickly, and dark  coloured, it is considered
of an  inferior  quality,  although not less purgative.
The manna is principally collected in Calabria, Apulia,
and Sicily, in the warmest season of the year, from the
middle of June to  the  end of July.   Various trees
afford it:  particularly a kind of ash, called manna ash.
It flows  from  the trunk of the tree when tapped,
similar to the juice or sap of  our sugar tree when used
in the same manner.  The liquor first flows from the 
672
MATERIA MEDICA.
tree  like a white  froth,  extremely light, and of an
agreeable taste.  The heat of the sun in a few days
hardens it to the consistence w7e find it.  Manna has
something the taste of sugar, and is sickish and search-
ing on the  tongue.  Its  great resemblance to sugar.
both in appearance and taste, induces children readily
to eat it; in its effects, it acts on them as a mild purge.
Manna is, however, a very feeble purgative  medicine,
requiring large doses for a grown person, say an ounce
or two : for this reason, as I have before told you, and
so directed, it must always be mixed with senna and
salts.   It ought never to be given alone,  except  to
small children, as a mild and opening medicine.  See
table of doses.
              WHITE WALNUT.
  During our revolutionary war, when medicines be
came scarce, the physicians of the army employed the
inner bark of the white walnut as a purge.  In  the
dose of from ten to twenty grains, it operated well, by
evacuating  the bowels  thoroughly,  and was much
resorted to by them as a purgative, in all bilious cases
of fever.  By the  addition of eight or ten  grains of
calomel,  the  efficacy of the white  walnut may be
greatly and beneficially increased.  As I have stated to
you, the medicinal virtues of this bark are confined to
the inner bark; and the proper time for getting it in
the full possession of its  virtues is about the month of
June, because the  bark is  at  this  time considerably
more powerful than at other periods.
  I have used the white walnut in my practice, and
always found it among the best purgative  medicines 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
673
possessed in the country, and have very often been sur-
prised that the article is not kept in the family of every
farmer.  The manner of extracting the virtues of this
bark is very simple:  It is merely to be boiled in water
several hours, then strained and boiled  again, until it
becomes about as thick as honey.  Two, three, or four
pills, which it can be made into  with a little flour,
make a dose of this extract.  One or two of these pills,
taken at bedtime, is a valuable remedy in the removal
of costive habits  of body, which occasions  headachs,
cholics, &c.  By increasing the dose, these pills are
good  in  dysenteries   and  bilious fevers, and will be
doubly beneficial  if combined or mixed with a little
calomel.
                   RHUBARB.
   Rhubarb, properly so called, is  the root of a plant
designated by the learned, rheum palmatum.  It is a
native of various  countries of Europe and Asia, and
might be cultivated with perfect ease, perhaps, in every
part of the United States.  Attempts have been suc-
cessfully made to introduce the culture of this valuable
drug into England:  and it appears  from  authentic
accounts, not only that immense quantities of it may
be produced there, but that the English  root  is fully
equal to the  best  rhubarb obtained  from  Turkey or
China.   The greatest difficulty seems to be in drying
it properly.  Its cultivation is by no means difficult: it
is merely to sow the seed in a light soil in the  spring;
to  transplant the smaller  roots the  next spring, into a
light soil, well trenched, and set them about three or
four feet apart. The third year the plants will produce
    GUNN  43 
674
MATERIA MEDICA.
the flowers ;  but the roots are not to be raised for use
until the fall of the sixth year.  This is the whole pro-
cess of rearing the rhubarb:  a process which I am
convinced every American farmer is fully equal to.
  The cultivation  of this valuable medicine in the
United States ought to be considered an object of high
individual and national importance.  That our climate
throughout the  different states, particularly the west-
ern and southern states, is fully equal to its production,
there can be no doubt, as it has been fully ascertained
by actual experiment.
  There are three varieties of rhubarb found in the
drug shops; the  Russian, the Turkish, and the East
Indian rhubarb.   The first two, the Russian  and the
Turkish, resemble each other in quality and appear-
ance, wiiilst the East Indian is of a somewhat different
character.  The best Russian  and Turkey rhubarb is
in roundish pieces, with a large hole in the middle of
them.  The East Indian or Chinese  rhubarb comes to
this country in long, flattish pieces, seldom, if ever, hav-
ing holes in them.  The  Turkish rhubarb is the best,
and is generally used in this country.
  The marks of rhubarb  of a good  quality are, the
liveliness  of  its  colour, when cut;  its being firm
and solid, but not flinty or hard; its being easily pul-
verable, which means reducible to powder; and its
appearing, when powdered, of a fine high yellow co-
lour ; and, when chewed, by its imparting to the spittle
and tongue a deep saffron colour.
  Rhubarb is one of the mildest, best, and pleasantest
purgatives now in use in this or in any other country  ;
because, with its purgative powers, it is also astringent
and strengthening; and in this it certainly differs from
almost every other purgative of the same class known 
MATERIA MEDICA.
675
in medicine.   It is superior to nearly all other purges
for another reason;  it may be taken with opium, and
act on the bowels as well as if taken without it.   This
is a vast advantage ; because where purging would be
connected with great pain, its being combined  with
opium relieves the pain, while the rhubarb is left free
to do its duty.  The operation of rhubarb  is slower
and  milder than  any other purge ;  but it is very cer-
tain  in its effects, when given in proper doses. It may
always be given with innocence and safety, in all  cases
of extreme weakness, where a purge to open the bow-
els becomes necessary, and where violent and severe
purging would be highly improper.  You will find thi>
medicine very valuable and safe, as it always  acts  with
much gentleness in  relieving the bowTels.  It is a com-
mon and proper purge for  children, even  at a very
early period of life,  and in every situation where  their
bowels become disordered;  particularly in  dysentery
or lax; because it leaves the bowels in  a favourable
state, after removing  the offensive matter from them.
It is also an excellent purge for grown persons, labour-
ing  under this complaint.   In small doses,  say  from
two  to six grains, it  is excellent for the  stomach when
labouring under indigestion, generally  called dyspep-
sia ;  and must be given in such small doses as not to
purge, but to act as  a tonic, or strengthening medicine.
   There are  various ways of giving rhubarb; such as
giving it in tincture, which  means steeping it in any
kind of spirits ; but the best and most certain method
of giving this medicine, and obtaining the virtues of it
fully, is to give it in fine powder.  A dose for a grown
person is from about a scruple, or twenty  grains, to
half a  drachm, mixed with  honey, molasses, or any
kind of syrup.  The root chewed  as tobacco, swallow 
676
MATERIA MEDICA.
ing the saliva or spittle, is an  innocent and efficient
way of taking it, for keeping the bowels gently open,
particularly  with those  persons who are  subject to
habitual costiveness, indigestion, and those long trains
of nervous diseases w7hich afflict men and women w7ho
are subject to derangements of their systems from cos-
tiveness.   In such cases, if they will chew the root of
the rhubarb, it will act as a moderate purge, and gently
open the bowels: at the same  time, it will act as a
tonic, or strengthening medicine to the stomach, by
which they will always obtain relief.
               INDIAN  PHYSIC.
  This plant is a native of the United States; and, as
its name imports, was a great favourite among the  In-
dian nations.  It is almost everywhere found in  the
western country, inhabiting shady w7oods, and the rich
sides of hills and mountains, from the lakes of Canada
to the Floridas.  The number  of stems proceeding
from the root of this plant varies considerably ; some-
times there  is but a single one, and occasionally there
are many.  The stems are branched above, say about
two or three feet from the ground; they are round,
and commonly of a reddish colour.  The leaves are of
a deep green, long and pointed, and the flowTer nearly
white.  The root of this  plant,  which is all that is
used in medicine, is perennial: that is to say, it is  not
destroyed by the frosts of winter. It is composed of
several long, brown,  slender  shoots,  which run  out
from the bottom of  the stem  to some distance under
the ground.  This root possesses many of the virtues
of the ipecacuanha, and is much used by the country 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
67?
people, as an emetic  or  puke.   Given in the dose of
thirty or thirty-five grains in the powder, for a grown
person, it is an easy, safe, and certain emetic; and if
you give it in what are called broken doses, of six or
seven grains about every  two hours, it will act as a su-
dorific : in other words, it will produce sweating.  If
you give it in infusion, or weak tea, a handful to a pint
of boiling water, of which  you may take a small tea-
cupful every fifteen or twenty minutes, it will produce
vomiting.  The active  power of  this root seems to
reside exclusively in its bark, which, in addition  to its
emetic qualities, probably possesses considerable  tonic
powers.
         AMERICAN IPECACUANHA.
  This singular and very useful plant is exclusively a
native of the United States, and may be found in great
plenty in the middle, southern, and western states.  It
nearly always grows in loose, moist,  and  sandy soils,
and is very often  found flourishing in beds of almost
pure  sand.  The leaves vary so much  in shape  and
colour,  and, in fact, the whole plant itself varies so
much in its different states, that it is often mistaken by
those unacquainted with its variations for  several dis-
tinct species of plants.  The stems are numerous; they
are nearly white below the surface  of the earth 01
sand, and  of a reddish colour, or a pale  green  or  yel-
lowish hue, above it.  The leaves are  opposite to each
other, and generally of  an oval form ; I say generally.
because they are sometimes of a long  oval, sometimes
pointed, and, unfrequently, linear.  In the month of
May, while  the plant is in flower, the leaves are very 
678             MATERIA MEDICA.

small; but as it advances in age, they become greatly
increased in  size.   The seeds of the  flower  are only
three in  number, enclosed in a  triangular,  or  three
square capsule, or case.  I mention these things  parti-
cularly, because they afford the best possible means of
knowing  the plant.  The root is perennial; in other
words, it  is not killed by the frosts of winter.  It is
from  three to  seven feet in height, and from half an
inch to an inch and a half in diameter, or  across, and
of a yellowish  colour; sending off towards its upper
oart many smaller roots, about the size of small quills.
  I believe, and am sustained in the opinion by several
high  authorities,  that the American ipecacuanha, the
plant just described to you, is superior in its medicinal
properties to  any other species known.  The root of
this plant alone is to be used ; if the stems and leaves
possess any medical virtues, they are  yet  to  be disco-
vered by experiment.  It is  a powerful emetic, both
safe and certain in  its operation, and  is applicable to
nearly all cases in which  emetics are required.  In
small doses of from  five to ten or fifteen grains, it is an
excellent  emetic  or puke; but  if given in  doses of
twenty grains,  it operates  downwards, as an active
purge. Larger doses produce, in addition to the above
effects, heat, vertigo, (which means swimming in the
head,) and great prostration or loss of strength.
  Dr. Barton gives us the  following experiments  on
the American ipecacuanha, which I transcribe for the
contemplation of the reader.  " A portion of the dried
root was finely pulverized, [powdered,] and  adminis-
tered  with caution to several patients.   I at first com-
menced with small doses, of three, four, and five grains.
In these quantities, the powder produced nausea, [sick
ness of the stomach,] and determination to the skin, 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
679
[sweating,]  as small doses  of  ipecacuanha do.  On
increasing the number of grains to ten, vomiting was
produced, with occasionally an operation on the bow7-
els.  Fifteen grains I found  sufficient to produce full
vomiting in  most cases; and in a single instance, hav-
ing given the pow7der to an extent of twenty-five grains,
I had reason to be alarmed at the cathartic [purgative]
effect which ensued and continued for fourteen  hours,
attended with distressing sickness at the stomach.   I
have tried the American root in various combinations,
and can confidently assert, that in all the instances  it
has proved equal if not superior to the imported ipe-
cacuanha.   It has some advantages which the foreign
article does not possess. Its occasional purgative effect
is no more  than what follows  the foreign medicine.
This view of the subject derives  peculiar importance
from the well known fact, that  the imported ipecacu-
anha  is  rarely  if  ever  good, and  perhaps seldom
genuine."
   In  this plant, or  rather root, for that alone is to  be
used, w7e see another instance of the bounty of  Provi-
dence in furnishing us with an article possessed of great
medical virtue, the production of  our ow7n soil.   And
here again I repeat, that w7e have  only to develope the
resources of our own  country, to become  completely
independent of  foreign lands for  our useful medical
drugs.  Even opium, as I shall show you in the  proper
place, can be made here in sufficient quantities for our
own consumption.  We are, in fact, paying  enormous
sums annually for what nature and our ow7n exertions
would furnish us.  Foreign ipecacuanha, adulterated,
and inferior to our own, is costing us three dollars the
pound, while we can have our own for nothing. 
680
MATERIA MEDICA.
BUTTERFLY  WEED, OR  PLEURISY  ROOT.
  The butterfly weed, or pleurisy root, called by the
learned, asclepias tuberosa, is a native of every state
in the American Union, and abounds, particularly, in
the southern and western states. It flourishes best, and
grows to the greatest perfection, in  light, sandy soils,
and is  frequently found under fences,  and near old
stumps in grain fields.  From twenty to  thirty stalks,
the size of a pipe stem, frequently rise from the  same
root, and stand in almost every direction.  These stalks
are round and w7oolly, and of a reddish brown colour
on the  sun  side.  The leaves are placed very irregu-
larly, and are spear or tongue shaped, and covered with
a fine down on the lower side.  The stalks rise  from
one to two feet in height, and spread to a considerable
extent; and at the  extremities of the  branches are
found clusters of small shoots, on which are found the
flowers, when in bloom, which is about the month
of July or August.   The clusters of shoots from the
ends of  the branches, as also  the  flow7ers, resemble
those of the common silk weed, for which the plant is
sometimes  mistaken. There is, however, this differ-
ence between  them, and it  ought to be particularly
noticed : the flowers of the silk weed are of a pale pur-
ple hue, while those of the butterfly weed  are of a beau-
tiful bright orange colour, and  are succeeded by long
slender pods, which  contain the seeds. The seeds have
a delicate kind of down or silk attached to them.
  The root of the butterfly-weed is  spindle or carrot
shaped, of a light brown colour on the outside, and
white and coarse within.  It has long been celebrated
in the southern Atlantic  states, and particularly in
Virginia and the Carolinas, not only as a powerful re- 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
681'
medy in pleurisy, but in pneumonic diseases generally:
by which I mean diseases of the lungs.   This root pos-
sesses one remarkable power:  given in proper quanti-
ties, it affects the skin, and produces copious  perspira-
tion or sweating, without heating the body.   Given in
the simple form of a decoction or tea, it often produces
sweating,  when all other remedies have failed in their
effects.  The powdered  root sometimes acts as a mild
purgative  on the  bowels; but  it  is  more particularly
and inestimably valuable in producing expectoration,
or the throwing off of  mucus  from  the throat and
lungs; in  causing perspiration or sweating when other
remedies fail, and finally, in reducing obstinate feverish
affections.  Its  efficiency and pow7er  in fevers  have
been attested by many of the best physicians in the
United States.  In feverish affections, proceeding from
an inflammation of the lungs, in colds  recently taken,
and in diseases of the chest generally, this  root  is an
excellent remedy.  It is to be given in a strong  infu-
sion or tea; say a small tea-cupful every two  or three
hours.  Many families have long resorted to  this root
as a domestic medicine, to relieve pains in the stomach,
indigestion, cholic, and so on: and  for these reasons,
call it wind-root.   Doctors Chapman and Bigelow.
wiiose testimonials alone in its favour wrould  be  suffi-
cient to establish its reputation for the  virtues I have
ascribed to it, speak in very high terms of the medicinal
powers  of this root.                          ■
  " As  a  diaphoretic," [or medicine which  sweats,]
says Dr. Chapman, " I think this  root is distinguished
by great certainty and  permanency of operation, and
has this  inestimable property,   that   it produces its
effects,  sweating, without much  increasing the  force
of the circulation, raising the heat of the  surface, or 
682
MATERIA  MEDICA.
creating inquietude or restlessness.  On these accounts
it is well suited to excite perspiration in the forming
stages of most of  the inflammatory diseases of winter,
and is not less useful  in  the  same cases, at more ad-
vanced  periods, after  the  reduction of the feverish
action by bleeding.  The common notion of its having
a peculiar efficacy in pleurisy,  I am inclined to believe
is not without foundation ; for  certain it is, that it very
much relieves  the oppression  of the chest in recent
catarrh, cold in the head and throat, and promotes per-
spiration in protracted inflammations of the lungs."
                     JALAP.
  This plant was originally found native in Mexico,
near the celebrated  city of Xalapa, from whence it
derived its present name, jalapa.  It has since been
discovered growing plentifully near Vera Cruz, and in
our own country  of Florida.  And on  the authority
of Dr. W. P. C. Barton, I take upon myself to assert,
that it is also certainly a native of the state of Georgia.
The root of this plant alone is used for medicinal pur-
poses ; and when of good quality, comes to us in slices
which are solid and heavy, and of a dark gray colour,
having little smell, and  scarcely any  taste.   When
swallow7ed, however, it affects the throat with a warm
and putigent sensation.
  This root is a powerful laxative medicine or purge;
its activity resides principally, if not wholly,  in  the
resinous part, which, even when  taken  in small doses
and alone, will sometimes gripe  severely.  The great
activity of jalap as a purge  causes it to be much used
in the  onset  or  commencement of bilious  fevers. 
MATERIA MEDICA.
683
Combined with calomel,  in  the  proportions of ten
grains each, was the purge generally given in yellow
fever  by the  great  Dr. Rush of Philadelphia,  and
which caused his  students to give  him the ludicrous
nick-name of " Old Ten-in-ten."  Used as what physi-
cians call a hydragogue, by which they mean any me-
dicine which will expel w7ater from the cavities of the
body, the jalap root is entitled to all the praise that has
ever been bestowed on it by  the medical  profession ;
yet I am induced  to believe, from actual experience,
and the practice of other physicians, that it produces a
better  effect in all  dropsical cases when combined
with cream  of tartar.  Ten grains of  jalap with one
drachm of cream  of tartar constitute, probably, one of
the best medical  prescriptions ever  known,  wiiere
long continued purging is required in the cure of a
complaint.   The  dose of jalap, when  combined with
any other medicine, is from twenty to  thirty and even
up to forty grains.  Our common May-apple root has
sometimes been called the jalap of the United States.
But I  am of  the opinion  noticed above;  that the
genuine jalap of  Mexico  is a native  of the state of
Georgia, and probably of all the southern states.
  PRICKLY ASH  OR TOOTHACHE TREE.
  The  prickly ash is a native of the United States,
and also of the West India islands, where it sometimes
grows to the height  of sixteen  feet.  There are two
kinds of the prickly ash  in the United States, which I
believe  possess the same  medicinal  powers: one is
called the ash-leaved zanthoxylum, which grows in
the northern states, and particularly in the states of 
684
materia medica.
Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the other is knowrn
by  the  name  of the  prickly yellow  wood, growing
abundantly to  the south and south-west of the states I
have mentioned.  The fresh juice obtained from the
root of the prickly ash is an excellent remedy in that
painful  complaint called dry bellyache.  This dis-
covery, like most others of importance, was the result
of accident: it was made by watching a female slave
in one of the  West India islands, who collected the
root in the w7oods, and gave two spoonsful of its juice
every two hours to a  negro suffering severely  under
this cholic.   The medicine caused  a profound  and
composed sleep for twelve hours, when all sense of
pain and other  distressing symptoms  had vanished.
The cure was  rendered final by giving  an infusion of
the juice as a diet drink.
  The most important discovery,  however, relating to
the prickly  ash, or yellow  wood,  is the following:—
The juice of the root preserved in  spirits of any kind,
given in doses  of about a  wine-glassful, has repeatedly
removed the most obstinate epileptic fits.   I  do not
know precisely the manner in which this preparation
ought to be managed, but would give it in the dose of
a wine-glassful morning and evening.  The leaves and
rind of the prickly ash or yellow wood, in their taste
and smell, resemble those of the lemon, and possess a
similar volatile oil.  The  bark has a separate acrid, or
hot and  biting principle,  which it will communicate
either to water  or spirits of any  kind; this acrid or
biting principle, however, is not perceived  when the
bark or liquid is first taken into the mouth: it gradually
makes  itself known by  a  burning sensation  on the
tongue and fauces, sometimes called the palatine arch,
or cavity at the root of  the tongue.  Chewing a small 
MATERIA MEDICA.
685
 quantity of the bark, produces a great flow of saliva, or
 spittle, and is very often used in this way to  cure  the
 toothache.
   The bark of the prickly ash has also acquired a con-
 siderable name as a remedy in chronic rheumatism, by
 which I mean rheumatism of long standing.   Taken
 in full doses, it produces a sense  of heat in the  sto-
 mach, and a strong tendency to perspiration, or sweat-
 ing,  and consequently  much relief in rheumatism.
 The dose is twenty  grains of the pounded bark, to be
 taken three times a  day ; or you may boil an  ounce of
 the bark in a quart of w7ater, and take this tea or de-
» coction in the course of the twenty-four hours.  In the
 West India islands this strong decoction of the bark is
 used, with great success, as a wash  for old and foul
 ulcers, which it always greatly cleanses, and disposes
 them to heal up.  The West India people also mix the
 pounded bark with  what are called dressings of such
 old sores.   The value of  this remedy for old  ulcers is
 attested by numerous instances of its success, to be
 found in the London Medical and Physical Journal.
               INDIAN TURNIP.
  The Indian turnip  is a native of every part of the
United States; it  grows, in low rich  meadows and
woodlands, to the height of from two to three feet, and
is too w7ell known to require a very particular descrip-
tion.  The leaves are but three in number, of a roundish
 >r oval form; the stalk  of a purple colour,  and the
berries of a bright and beautiful scarlet.   In its recent
state, that is, when first dug up, the root is exceedingly
hot,  sharp,  and biting to the  tongue: and on  being 
686
MATERIA MEDICA.
 swallowed, a sharp  acrimony is sensibly felt about the
 fauces, or cavity at the root of the tongue.
   Of all the American roots, the Indian turnip has the
 highest reputation in country practice as a remedy in
 pulmonary or consumptive complaints: it is also given
 with considerable success in asthma, and in coughs of
 long standing.  My own experience has convinced me
 that it is among the most valuable of our expectorants,
 or medicines which cause a dislodgment of mucus from
 the throat and lungs, and  that it is a good remedy in
 croup and whooping cough.   The green or fresh root,
 boiled in hog's lard to the  consistence of an ointment,
 has  been found  very useful in tinea capitis, or  scald
 head, in  which I would always recommend  its use.
 When given in consumptive complaints, the fresh root
 should be boiled in sweet milk.   When the dried root
 is to be given, it must  be  finely  grated in the sweet
 milk : one root in half a pint of milk, and well boiled
before it is taken.  Some acrimony or sharpness should
be perceptible to the throat and tongue, or the root has
probably lost its pow7ers. The ointment I have men-
tioned above is valuable also in some  diseases of the
skin : such as ring-worm, tetter-worm, and so on.
            WILD  CHERRY TREE.
  This tree is so very common as  to require no de-
scription.  The bark of this tree, or the bark of the
root, which is still better, combined  with the bark of
the dogwood,  when employed in the cure of ague and
fever, bilious fever, and other diseases where tonic or
strengthening medicines are proper, is  by no means
inferior to the best Peruvian bark.   Combined  with 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
687
Virginia snake-root,  in the proportion  of one  part of
snake-root to four parts of this  bark, it is an excellent
remedy in intermittent fevers of an obstinate character,
and long standing.  You may either give it in powder,
in the same dose that you would Peruvian bark, (see
table of doses,) or you may give it as a tea, or decoc-
tion.  It has also been found very useful in dyspepsia,
or indigestion, and in consumption of the lungs.  In-
fused plentifully in strong sound cider, it will  in most
cases remove jaundice, especially if preceded by a dose
or two of calomel: and a strong decoction of the bark
is an excellent wash  for old and ill-conditioned ulcers.
It is a singular fact, that the leaves of the wild cherry
tree will poison cattle: nor is it less singular than true,
that the distilled water  of  the leaves is a powerful
poison  to most animals.   This effect seems to be
dependent  on  the presence of the  same poisonous
principle which exists in peach  kernels, and other sub-
stances of a similar  kind, lately shown to  be  prussic
acid, the strongest poison known to us.
           AMERICAN  CENTAURY.
  This is a very elegant little plant, a native  of the
United States;  and is no less valued for its medicinal
virtues than admired for its simple beauty.  The root,
consisting of a few thick  yellowish fibres, generally
sends up but a  single stem, which grows from  a  foot
to eighteen inches high : the stem is smooth and four-
sided, and w7here the branches shoot off, it has gene-
rally two leaves which grow opposite  to each  other:
indeed, the leaves of every part of the plant grow op-
posite to each  other, and  are  oval and sharp  at the 
688
MATERIA MEDICA.
points.   The flowers are very numerous; growing at
the points of the branches, from two to five in number,
and are generally of a beautiful pale rose colour.  This
plant is in full h\ow7er in the month of July.
   Every part of this little plant is a pure strong bitter,
and parts with its medicinal qualities to both water and
spirits :  it has no astringent pow7ers.   On the stomachs
that are weak, it exerts a strengthening influence, and
is considerably used in the southern states in intermit-
tent fevers.  In fact, by the best practitioners in the
Union, it is generally administered in fevers: Dr. Bar-
ton says, "it was often employed with much benefit in
the city of Philadelphia in  1793, in certain stages of
the yellow fever."  On  the whole, centaury may be
confidently recommended for its pure  bitter, tonic and
strengthening virtues.  It  ought to be taken as a de-
coction or tea, and always taken cold:  it may be given
in powder, in doses of from ten to twenty grains, but I
think not with the same advantage.  In relaxations of
the stomach, and general debility of the system, mixed
with  calamus or  angelica-root, it forms an excellent
and strengthening bitter. This root is called  by the
country people centry.
LOBELIA INFLATA, OR INDIAN TOBACCO.
  It has been affected that the discovery of the medi-
cinal virtues of this plant is involved in unexplainable
mystery; but it long since has constituted a portion of
the standard materia medica:  it is an  annual or bien-
nial indigenous plant, usually a foot or  more in height,
with a fibrous root, and a solitary,  erect, angular, and
very hairy  stem, much  branched about midway, but 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
689
rising considerably above  the summits of the highest
branches.
  The leaves are  scattered, sessile, oval, acute, serrate,
and hairy. The flowers are numerous, disposed in leafy
terminal racemes, and supported on short axillary foot
stalks. The segments of the calyx are lined and point-
ed : the corolla, which is a delicate blue colour, has a
labiate border, with the upper lip divided into two, the
lower into three acute segments.
  The united anthers are curved, and enclose the stig-
ma : the fruit  is  an oval, striated,  inflated capsule.
crowned with the perristent calyx, and  containing in
two cells numerous very small, brown seeds.
  This species of  lobelia is a very common weed, grow-
ing on the road sides, and in neglected fields, through-
out the United States.  Its flow7ers begin to appear
towards the end of July, and continue to expand in suc-
cession till the occurrence of frost.  The plant, when
wounded or  broken, exudes a milky juice.  All parts
of it are possessed of medicinal activity ; but, accord-
ing to Dr. Eberle, the  root  and inflated capsules are
most powerful. The plant should be collected in Au-
gust or September, when  the capsules are  numerous,
and should be  carefully dried : it may be kept whole
or in a state of powder.
  Dried lobelia has a slight irritating odour, and when
chewed, though at first without taste, soon produces a
burning, acrid impression  upon the posterior parts of
the tongue  and palate, very closely resembling that
produced by tobacco,  and attended in like manner
with a flow of saliva, and  a nauseating effect upon the
stomach.  The powder is of a  greenish  colour: the
plant  yields  its active properties readily to water or
      Gl'NN    44 
690             MATERIA MEDICA.

alcohol, and water  distilled from  it retains its  acrid
taste : it has not been accurately analyzed.
  Medical properties and uses.—Lobelia is eme-
tic, and, like other medicines of the same class, is occa-
sionally cathartic, and in small doses, diaphoretic and
expectorant;  it is also possessed of narcotic properties.
The leaves or capsules, chewed for a short time, occa-
sion giddiness,  headach,  general  tremors,  and ulti-
mately nausea and vomiting;  when swallowed in the
full  dose, the medicine  produces speedy and severe
sweating and great  relaxation; its effects in doses too
large or too frequently repeated, are extreme prostra-
tion, great  anxiety and distress,  and ultimately death
preceded by convulsions :  fatal results have been expe-
rienced from its empirical use.
  These are  more  apt to occur, when  the poison, as
sometimes happens, is not rejected by vomiting:  in its
operation upon the  system, therefore, as well as in its
sensible properties, lobelia bears a strong resemblance
to tobacco.  It  is among the medicines which  were
employed by the aborigines of this country, and was
long in the hands of empirics, before it was introduced
into regular practice.  The Rev. Doctor  Cutler, of
Massachusetts, first called to it the attention of the pro-
fession.   As an emetic it is too powerful and too dis-
tressing, as well as too hazardous in its operation,  for
ordinary use. The disease in which it has proved most
useful is spasmodic asthma, the paroxysms of which it
often greatly mitigates, and sometimes wholly relieves,
even when not given in doses sufficiently large to pro-
mote active vomiting: it was from the relief obtained
from an attack of this complaint,  that Doctor Cutler
was induced to recommend this medicine.  It has also 
materia medica.
691
been  used  in  catarrh, croup, pertussis, and  other pec-
toral affections, but generally with no better effect than
may be obtained from less unpleasant and safer medi-
cines.   Administered by injections it  produces  the
same distressing sickness of stomach, profuse perspira-
tion, and universal  relaxation  as result from a similar
use of tobacco.  Dr. Eberle administered a strong de-
coction of it successfully by the rectum, as a substitute
for this narcotic in a case of strangulated hernia.  It
may be given in substance, tincture, or  infusion ; the
dose of the powder, as an emetic, is from five to twenty
grains, to be repeated if necessary: the tincture is most
frequently given.  The full dose of the preparation for
an adult is half a fluid ounce, though in asthmatic cases
it is better administered in the quantity  of one or two
fluid drachms, repeated every two or three hours, until
its effects are experienced.
  The following is extracted from a very late London
publication:—
  "This most important remedy must, ere  long, be
introduced into the pharmacopoeia; for the united tes-
timony of  some of  the  most distinguished  physicians
bear witness to its specific effects in spasmodic asthma.
Dr. Ellison, Dr. Sigmond, Dr. Kinglake, Dr. Barton
of America, have pronounced it to be the most effica-
cious remedy for this disease  that  has  yet been em-
ployed.  In the Gazette of Health, in the Lancet, and
in the Medical and Surgical Journal, will be found a
series of important  facts upon this subject, to which I
can  refer the reader.   The  ethereal tincture allays
almost  instantaneously  the most  violent  asthmatic
paroxysm.  The celebrated Dr. Drury gave it  a trial
during a most severe fit, in which the breathing was
distressingly oppressive: it instantly relieved him, and 
692
MATERIA medica.
he has ever since remained free from this malady. The
following extract from an admirable  chymical lecture
of Professor Elliotson, gives some useful observations on
this important plant.  ' It is an American plant: and is
used by the Indians for smoking, as a sort of tobacco ;
and it resembles tobacco in many of its properties.   It
causes  sickness, headach, giddiness, faintness, and it is
very acrid as w7ell as very narcotic.    There are two
sorts of tinctures in the drug or apothecaries shops,
where  medicines are sold; the one is made with spirits,
the other with ether.  They commonly may be given
in doses of half a drachm, which is about half a tea-
spoonful:  some people will bear a drachm; but I
should  say that  half a drachm is the common dose that
people  can bear.
  "' As for the tincture made of ether, called the ethereal
tincture, such as I have seen, seven drops  answer  ex-
ceedingly well.  It may be prepared by some persons
weaker than it should be, but that which medical
gentlemen  use may  be given  from seven drops to
twenty.   Ten  drops in  many persons produce sick-
ness.   With  many constitutions it acts  as a charm :
and in  twenty minutes they will be perfectly relieved;
so that all the other remedies in asthma are nothing
to be compared with it.  It is not in the pharmacopoeia,
nor do I know whether it will be in  the new pharma-
copoeia ; but it will be introduced into practice at some
future day, and will be considered one of the most im-
portant articles in the whole materia medica.  It has
been recommended  in other spasmodic diseases;  in
tetanus, hydrophobia, and other diseases of the nervous
system; and it certainly deserves a fair and  impartial
trial ;for this is the fault of our profession, if any thing
is brought forward new, instead of investigating it pro- 
materia medica.
693
perly, and free from all selfish motives, four or five, or
perhaps more jack-puddings of the  profession, who
before were never known, commence scribbling in the
different newspapers of the day about what they know
less than nothing; and  this is one of  the  reasons  that
many valuable roots, herbs, and remedies, are at  this
advanced period of medical  knowiedge unknown, or
not appreciated fully by physicians; and I now tell
you honestly, and what I am confident time will fully
establish, that there are in this country thousands of
plants of  whose value we know nothing.  For the
fact is, in spasmodic diseases,  in tetanus, hydrophobia,
and other diseases of the nervous system, our power
over them is next to nothing; and over  many other
diseases very slight: and as this plant has been recom-
mended very highly in complaints of this kind, I think
it a duty we owe to mankind and to ourselves to fully
investigate the properties of this medicine, and give it
in cases where wre have no remedies,  or our remedies
now in use are not at all satisfactory.   The Indians
smoke it, and that is a very good form of exhibiting it.
It may, by means of a pipe, be smoked just  like tobacco.
Many persons afflicted  with asthma or diseases of the
chest  from shortness of breathing, &c, find great relief
from  smoking stramonium or Jamestown weed: see
page 628.  Many persons cannot take a single drop of
this medicine, and are altogether unable to bear it; nor
can they take a single whiff from the pipe without
feeling sick from it, while others again smoke  it and
find general relief, as it is as  mild  and as pleasant as
tobacco.  Of the stramonium you will find a particular
description at the page I referred you to above.  In spas-
mo dic asthma, and in difficult breathing or oppres-
sions of the chest from  colds of long standing, particu- 
694
materia medica.
larly in aged persons, a small portion or a pipe or so of
the lobelia inflata mixed  with the sumach leaves is
much used by the Indians, and with very great benefit,
particularly when used at night previous to bed-time.
This vapour inhaled during smoking effectually allays
irritation in the windpipe,  and promotes expectoration,
so as to prevent a paroxysm of asthma, and wonderfully
to facilitate breathing.  In addition to  this testimony
we give the practical opinions of that excellent  physi-
cian, Doctor Kinglake, which appeared in  the Gazette
of Health.  "This medicinal article,  for which the
medical practitioner and the public at large are chiefly
indebted to the unremitted and laudable exertions of
the late Dr. Reece for the improvement  of practical
medicine, has strong claims to preference  for its  effi-
cacy in asthmatic affections  of the  spasmodic kind.
When exhibited in doses of a common sized tea-spoon-
ful, or one drachm in an ounce of pure water, and re-
peated every half hour pending or during the paroxysm,
or until  nausea or vomiting  be produced, it will be
found  to afford more effectual relief than  is derivable
from any other known remedy.  It appears that its
efficacy is much enhanced and insured by its sickening
agency.   In  some instances of difficult respiration it
proves beneficial  without  occasioning nausea;  but
when  sickness results from use, so far from that occur-
rence being a reason for discontinuing it, an additional
inducement  is afforded for  continuing its  use, and
persisting in it, until full vomiting or puking takes
place,  when relief is obtained.
   " No apprehension or fear need be entertained of its
acting deleteriously or dangerously.  It, therefore, in all
cases of oppressed respiration or difficult breathing,
especially when  of the spasmodic character, may be 
MATERIA MEDICA.
695
fearlessly administered until full vomiting be produced,
when the  desired benefit is usually effected.  Squill,
ether, ipecacuanha, ammoniacum, asafcetida, stramo-
nium, &c, appear to be vastly inferior in direct and last-
ing efficacy to the ethereal tincture of the lobelia inflata;
and, in  these cases of asthma,  is in its salutary  in-
fluence the best remedy or medical agent at this time
known."
                 PEPPERMINT.
  Peppermint is originally a native of Europe, but it
is now cultivated in almost every garden of the United
States.  The roots of the peppermint should be trans-
planted every three years, otherwise the plant is apt to
degenerate into  the flavour  of  the spearmint.  This
plant is certainly so common, that a description would
lie entirely unnecessary.   From it the  oil is distilled
which, when mixed with alcohol or proof spirits, makes
the essence of peppermint sold in the shops.
  Peppermint is  a warm  stimulant  to the stomach,
and through that medium to  the rest of the body, hold-
ing a first rank in the list  of medicines called carmi-
natives: which means those medicines which dispel
or scatter the wind from the  stomach and bowrels.   It
is also beneficial in allaying spasmodic affections of the
stomach  and bowels;  removing sickness of the sto-
mach ; dispelling flatulence, or wind, and in removing
all cholicy pains.   It  is very often  beneficial when
cramp takes place during the operation of an  emetic,
or puke.   The green leaves stewed in spirits, or hot
water, and applied to the pit of  the stomach as warm
as they can be borne, will often stop  puking when
some of the best remedies fail. 
696
MATERIA  MEDICA.
                    GINGER.
  Ginger is a perennial plant, originally found in  the
East Indies, but at present cultivated in all the West
India Islands.  I think it highly probable that the gin-
ger would grow7 well in all the southern and western
states, particularly in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia,
and South Carolina.   In the  West India Islands it is
cultivated very much in the manner that w7e cultivate
potatoes in this country, and is fit for digging once in
every year.  There are  tw7o sorts of ginger, the black
and  the white.  The black  ginger  consists of thick
and knotty roots, of a yellowish gray colour on the out-
side, and an  orange or browm colour in the inside. The
white ginger is not so thick and  knotty as the black,
and  is internally of a whitish gray or  bright  yellow
colour. The white is firm and resinous, more pungent
or sharp in its taste than the  black, and consequently
a higher price.  Pieces which are worm-eaten, soft,
light, and easily broken, you are always to reject.
  Ginger  has  a fragrant smell, and a hot, biting, aro-
matic taste, and is very useful in flatulent or  windy
cholies, and  in all cases of looseness  and weakness of
the bowels and intestines; it does not heat the system
so much as the different kinds of  pepper, but is much
more durable in its effects.  Some time since the pow-
der of ginger, taken in very large doses in sweet milk,
was  considered a very  valuable  remedy in gout.  I
have never tried it myself, and therefore cannot say as
to its correctness, but the experiment w7ould be an in-
nocent one, and is very  easily tried.  I think it unne-
cessary to say any thing more on the subject  of this
root; every  old lady in the country is acquainted with
its general character and medical virtues. 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
697
                     OPIUM.
   Without this valuable and essential  medicine it
would be next to impossible for a physician to practise
his profession with any considerable degree of success:
It may not be improperly called the  monarch of me-
dicinal powers, the soothing angel of moral  and phy-
sical pain.
       " Charmed with this potent drug, the exalted mind,
        All sense of woe delivers to the wind:
        It clears the cloudy front from wrinkled care,
        And soothes the wounded bosom of despair!"
   There are two kinds of this drug known in com-
merce, distinguished by the names of the Turkish and
East India opium. The Turkish opium is the best: it
is considerably solid and compact, possesses some de-
gree of tenacity or stickiness, and wiien broken leaves
a shining fracture.  It is of a dark brown colour; and
when first taken  into the mouth produces a nauseous
bitter taste, winch soon  becomes acrid, with some de-
gree of warmth.   The best kind of Turkish opium is
in flat  pieces, and  generally covered  with leaves used
in packing it, and  has nearly double the strength of
that brought from the East Indies.
   The East Indian opium is not so solid as the Turkish.
being sometimes not much thicker than tar, its colour
much darker, and its taste more nauseous and less bit-
ter.  By these distinctions, which  are obvious to even
tolerable  judges, you will easily  know the Turkish
opium from that of the  East Indies.
   Opium is combined, or, in other w7ords, mixed with
more medicines for the cure of diseases than any other
drug known to  or used by medical  men.  In every
patent medicine  sold in the  shops, especially for  the 
698
MATERIA  MEDICA.
relief of pain in diseases,  opium forms  the  principal
portion.  Bateman's drops and Godfrey's cordial, both
of which  have sustained  their character  for  near  a
century, have opium for their bases or principal parts,
and they are certainly valuable medicines.  Were I to
trace back the use of opium as a medicine among man-
kind, it wTould probably be found among the Greeks;
but the limits of my book will not permit me to go
minutely into its history: suffice it  to  say, that this
valuable, singular, and astonishing drug seems capable
of changing our very nature  to a more exalted state of
being, at the same time that  it holds in due and proper
subjection, without impairing it, the rationality of the
mind.
  Opium is made from the white poppy, w7hich is or
can be cultivated in all our  gardens;  it is  probably a
native of the warmer parts of Asia.   Some  attempts
have been made to cultivate it extensively in England,
but the climate of that country seems to present an in-
superable obstacle to its being cultivated as a produc-
tive  article of commerce.  The United States, how-
ever, and particularly the more southern and wrestern
portions of the Union, on the score of climate and soil,
present no  difficulties in the cultivation of opium  in
sufficient abundance for the consumption of all our
citizens.  This is  another proof, among several others
winch I have adduced, evincive of the independence
of our country in the production of important medical
drugs, if we will only employ industry and  enterprise;
the fact is, that enormous sums of money are yearly
expended for opium, which go into the  pockets of fo-
reigners, that we could very easily produce from our
ow7n soil.   The  leaves, stalks, and capsules  of the
poppy, which capsules mean  the cases containing the 
MATERIA  MEDICA.             699
seeds, abound with a milky juice winch must be ga-
thered when the seeds are nearly ripe.
  The manner of collecting  this juice is  as follows:
After the sun has gone down, or about the twilight of
evening, make several incisions or cuts, lengthways, on
the surface of the capsules or poppy pods.   As I have
just told you, this is to be done when they are not quite
ripe;  and is best performed with a knife made  for the
purpose, having four or five blades.  The milky juice
wrhich flows out from these cuts during the  night, must
be collected the following day, after a sufficient time
has been alkrwed  for the milky fluid to become inspis-
sated or thickened by the heat of  the sun.   It  is now
to be collected by a thin iron scraper, made for the
purpose, and put  into an earthen vessel.   This is the
whole secret of opium making, a secret which  every
man in this country ought to know  and profit by, and
the ignorance of which  has  already cost our citizens
millions of money ;  the price of foreign opium in our
eastern cities, much of which is of an inferior quality,
is  about four dollars the  pound.  The  operation of
cutting or scarifying the poppy pods, in the manner 1
have mentioned, may be repeated  every evening, or as
long as the pods will furnish the milky juice.  When
a considerable quantity of this juice is collected, you
have nothing to do but to work it with a wooden knife
or spoon, until it  becomes of a proper consistency or
thickness, and to enclose it in the leaves of the plant
itself, or in tobacco leaves.
  " A paper has been lately read in the Harrisburgh
Medical Society," says the Medical Recorder, " on the
cultivation of the poppy, and  the manufacture of opi-
um.  The author, who  is Doctor Webster Lewis, of
Lewisburg, York county, Pennsylvania, has transmit- 
700
MATERIA MEDICA.
ted a specimen of his manufacture of opium, equal to
the best foreign opium of the shops.  After many un-
successful experiments, he has fallen on a mode of cul-
tivation and preparation, both easy and profitable.  The
plan will be put into operation in the ensuing season
by several other members of the society, to whom he
has presented some of his best seed."   And, with re-
gard to the cultivation of opium  in the United States,
the following extract of  a letter  from a gentleman in
England, to a citizen of  the United States, will throw
much light on the subject.  " Let me entreat you to
make an experiment on the cultivation of opium.  I
caused a great increase of this article at Patna ; it  used
to sell at two hundred and twenty-five rupees the cake.
of one hundred and sixty pounds: and has  been  sold
for three hundred lately.  The Company sells to the
amount," annually, I presume, " of fifteen  millions of
rupees, tw7o and sixpence sterling, amounting to one
million eight  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand
pounds sterling.   I know it can easily be produced in
America, and is the best article of commerce that can
be sent to China." If these representations be correct.
of which there can be no doubt, the cultivation of the
white poppy, and  the  manufacture of opium, are not
only easily practicable in the United States, butw7ould
afford an immense revenue to the citizens, as an arti-
cle of commercial exportation: and the fact  is, if the
real state  of the case wrere truly known, that we yet
remain in comparative ignorance  of the multiplied and
inexhaustible resources of our own country.
  There is a considerable difference  between the ef-
fects produced by wine or spirituous liquors, and those
produced on the system  by opium.   The excitement
of pleasurable sensations, produced by wine or spirits, 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
701
 is acute and powerful, while these sensations last; but
 they are of extremely short duration.   The  one is a
 flame which soon subsides, and leaves nothing but the
 ashes of self-reprehension and bitter reflection behind
 it; while the other affords a steady, agreeable, and per-
 manent glow7  of  pleasure, physical  and  intellectual,
 which lasts from ten to twelve hours.   But the princi-
 pal distinction between these stimulants of the human
 system lies in this : that wines or spirits  disorder and
 confuse the intellectual faculties, while opium in all its
 forms, if taken in proper quantities, introduces order,
 harmony, and pleasurable serenity among them. Wines
 or spirits unsettle and cloud the judgment, and deprive
 us of our intellectual self-possession ;  while opium, on
 the contrary, produces a just  equipoise between oui
 intellectual strength and  sensibilities; arouses all our
 dormant  faculties; and disposes them to harmonious
 and pleasurable activity; and with regard to the tem-
 per, moral energies, and physical sensations in  general,
 opium produces that sort of simple and vital animation,
 that cordial w7armth of feeling  and sensibility which
 we would almost suppose to have accompanied man in
 his primeval and  unfallen  state.  Wine  or spirits, if
 taken to any excess, always lead men to the brink of
 absurdity; and beyond a certain point, invariably pro-
 duce a distraction of the mental faculties; wiiile opium,
 on the contrary, soothes our irritations of  feeling,^con-
 centrates our intellectual energies, and robs pain  and
 misfortune of their stings.   This, however, is  but one
side of the picture.    Opium, as I have  already told
you, although a very valuable medicine in many dis-
eases, and alw7ays producing those agreeable sensations
I have attempted to describe, when used  to any con-
siderable excess, has many  disadvantages and miseries 
702
MATERIA  MEDICA.
 attending it.   It is used by the Turks to great excess,
 because all wines and spirituous liquors are prohibited
 by  the Mohammedan creed.   Opium, if habitually
 taken, or in other w7ords, when it is made use of as a
 stimulant or luxury, and not as a medicine, affects the
 physical system in a terrible manner, and produces the
 same sufferings as those which arise from intoxicating
 liquors.  When the pleasurable  effects I have before
 described  begin  to  cease, or the effects of the opium
 begin to die in the system, the feelings are as agonizing
 and dreadful as can possibly be  conceived; the mind
 becomes w7eak, irresolute, heavy, dull and languid ; and
 the body, averse to activity  or motion of any kind, is
 not only disposed to sleep, but seems little  affected by
 objects of pursuit w7hich usually put it in motion.  If
 the dose of opium has been very considerable, all these
 symptoms continue to increase, until  tremors, convul-
 sions, vertigo, stupor, insensibility, and total deprivation
 of muscular strength  succeed,  when death usually
 closes the scene.   All these symptoms appear singly
 or combined, in proportion to the comparative modera-
 tion or excess of the dose, and the peculiarities of the
 constitution of the  person.   Therefore  use not this
 drug, but as intended by the great Father of the  uni-
 verse ; because, used as a medicine alone, it is  an in-
 valuable blessing in the relief of pain and suffering, and
 in soothing and tranquillizing the system with balmy
 and refreshing slumber.
  Having under the head of each disease mentioned
 particularly, when it w7as necessary to make use of
 opium or laudanum, which is nothing more than opium
 dissolved or steeped in any kind of spirits, (for which,
 look under the  head Laudanum;) I shall  now close
these remarks.  Opium and laudanum, which are the 
*
                 MATERIA MEDICA.            703

same things in substance and effect, are always efficient
in mitigating  or subduing pain, and in overcoming
spasm or cramp; in fact, they are the chief means em-
ployed by physicians in these cases.  I  have now, as
fully as the limits of my book will allow7, described to
you this great and effective medicine, which is valuable,
powerful, and, if properly used, innocent.  In a small
dose, it acts as a stimulant; in a moderate dose, it eases
pain and procures sleep ; and in an over dose, when the
person is not in the habit of using it, the consequences
will always be fatal.  It is therefore evident, that this
medicine should be used with great judgment and dis-
cretion.   The average dose  of  opium  is about one
grain :  and the dose of laudanum for a growm person,
from twenty-five to  thirty-five drops, in a  little cold
water.   For a child about the period of birth, the dose
of laudanum is half a drop; but the table of medicines,
to which you will please refer, will explain the doses
of both opium and laudanum for  all ages.
                 HORSE MINT.
  Horse mint grows very abundantly in all parts of
the United States, and is so extremely common as to
require  no description.   A tea made  either  of  the
green or dried leaves, will stop vomiting, or puking—
especially in bilious fevers.  It will also act, in  simple
cases, as a valuable remedy for promoting, or bringing
on the menses, or  courses of women, when they  are
obstructed.  In this instance, it may be placed on  a
footing  with  rosemary, pennyroy .f and many other
simple herbs.   All this, how7ever, is well  known to
every old lady in the country. 
»
704            MATERIA MEDICA.


  CASTOR  OIL—AND HOW TO MAKE IT.
  Tins oil, which is essential to the preservation of
health in  every family, is made from the seed of a
plant  called palma christi, which is a native of most
countries lying within the tropics, and will grow  and
flourish in all temperate latitudes.  In the process of
manufacturing this oil, the outer coat or covering of
the seed or bean must first be taken off; in  the next
place, you must bruise them in considerable quantities,
and afterwards subject wiiat may be called the pumice,
to a pressure sufficient to throw out  the oil.   The  oil
thus extracted is called  cold  expressed oil, and is  by
far  the  best.   That extracted by boiling the bruised
seeds  in water—another process of  preparing it—is
more  nauseous, of a much darker colour, more easily
becoming rancid or stinking, much more  disagreeable
to take, and much  more active in its operation on  the
system.
  The palma christi will grow in any climate or  soil
in the United States; it rises  to about ten or twrelve
feet in height, and  is usually about the size of a com-
mon corn  stalk, having very large and beautiful spread-
ing leaves.   Whether you extract  the  oil  cold, or
employ boiling w7ater in the process, you must first
collect the branches having the ripe seed on them, and
expose them to the sun until perfectly dry.  Then lay
them  on the scaffold or floor, and beat them with a
light flail to separate the hull or shell from the seed-
after which, to dislodge every particle of shell, you
may pound them gently in a wrooden mortar.  Take
care that you get all the covering off the seeds, because
there  is an acrid skin, which, if intermixed with the
oil, sometimes makes it operate as a puke, and alwrays 
                 MATERIA MEDICA.             705

as a drastic or griping purge.  It is not improbable that
the oil obtained by  boiling is saturated  or  filled with
the properties of this skin, which forms another of my
objections to boiling the seed.  If you prefer, how7ever,
to extract the oil by boiling, you must  put the  seed,
divested of their covering, in a vessel of boiling water:
in about twenty minutes a dirty scum will  rise, which
must be taken entirely off.  The clear oil will then
rise, which must be put into a vessel without water,
kept warm by a slow7 fire—taking care that it does not
arrive at a boiling heat.  As  soon as it becomes  clear
and transparent from taking off the scum which arises,
and which  will make an inferior kind of oil, you  must
put the clear oil, when cold, into clean bottles, and
cork them well.  The kind of palma  christi which
produces the finest oil, is the species of which the stalk
is of a pink colour.  I neglected to mention in the
proper place, that the quantity of water in the first
vessel used, should  be  three measures to one of  seed,
which should be frequently stirred, to prevent any por-
tion from sticking to the sides and bottom of the ves-
sel, which would give the oil a burnt taste :  you  must
also be careful that it does not boil over.  The dose
for a grown person  is two table-spoonsful, and for an
infant a tea-spoonful, even at birth.
           WHITE MUSTARD SEED.
  The white mustard seed is one of the most valuable
medicines and certain remedies that can  be presented
in the disordered  functions of the stomach, liver, and
bowels.   In twenty years' practice I may with great
certainty say, that I have performed some of the most
  00 n\  46 
 706             MATERIA MEDICA.

 astonishing cBVes with this apparently simple remedy;
 particularly in cases of intemperate persons, and appa-
 rently worn-out constitutions,  or  general  debility of
 the system.  My first attention to this article occurred
 in London  in 1824, when I confess I had little or no
 confidence  in  it;  but after my return to the United
 States I determined to make a fair trial of it; and, much
 to my astonishment, it proved  to be one of the  most
 invaluable medicines I ever used, and as such it affords
 me great pleasure to recommend its use, in addition to
 the above  diseases, in asthma and shortness of breath,
 w7heezing cough, and other distressing affections of the
 chest and particularly in indigestion, or sense of weight
 after eating; heart-burn, sickness or  pain at the pit of
 the stomach, cramp, pain in the sides and  lower  part
 of the body; in obstructions that may lead to scirrhous
 liver, torpor, and other morbid affections of that organ;
 in deficient perspiration, gravel, and  unhealthy state
 of the urine; disorders of the skin and kidneys: in re
 laxed bowels, flatulence, cramp, and habitual costive-
 ness, severe colds, and numbness of the limbs, loss of
 appetite, failure of  sleep, weakness of nerves, depres-
 sion of spirits, and in general debility of the whole
 system.
  The mustard seed, if persevered in long enough,  will
Testore the tone of the stomach and bow els; and, as a
 striking  proof  of its extraordinary remedial powers, I
 have restored to health many persons on whom every
 other remedy had failed.
  The wiiite mustard seed is as valuable for the  pre-
 vention as  for the  cure of disease, and  particularly
 adapted  to  the case of those whose  habits, situations,
 and conditions of life render them more particularly
 liable to disordered functions  of the  stomach, liver, 
MATERIA MEDICA.
707
and  bow7els,  with the endless variety  of distressing
complaints flowing from that cause; and the principal
persons who are subject to these disorders are the stu-
dious,  the  sedentary, and persons w7ho  have suffered
from a long residence in hot climates; sailors, mecha-
nics, steamboat men  of every description;  and more
particularly those who have been intemperate; and
persons advanced  in  years who labour under chronic
diseases, such as  rheumatism, gout, &c.  And even
children from the age of twelve months are highly be-
nefited by its use as a means of obviating the extreme
debility of  the stomach and bowels.  In children  the
seed is apt to  produce an eruption of the skin, a result
which has never failed to promote their general health.
It is, likewise, particularly applicable to  females after
their confinement: and where the mother is the nurse,
it is also through her of great benefit to the infant, as it
corrects all irregularities  of the stomach and bowels,
and  thereby  improves its general health.  This, seed
combines a valuable tonic and aperient, and thus, while
it affords the most salutary and comfortable relief to
the bowels, it never weakens, but  on the contrary  al-
ways strengthens  in a very remarkable degree, both
those organs and the stomach, and  ultimately  the
whole  system.    Its  efficacy, probably, consists in a
communication of energy and  activity to those move-
ments of the canal by w7hich the aliment is propelled,
and in this  way, perhaps, it operates in animating and
improving  those secretions of  the  stomach, pancreas,
and liver, by  which digestion and chylincation (those
most important functions in the animal economy) are
effected : m other words, the efficacy of the seed in  the
removal and prevention of diseases does not arise from
any specific power over  each  particular disease, but 
70S
MATERIA
MEDICA.
from the vigour and  health which  it imparts to the
general system through the medium of a greatly im-
proved  state of the stomach, liver, and bowels, and by
which the constitution is enabled to  throw off' and
prevent the several diseases before detailed. This view
of the subject, coupled with the well-known  fact, that
the great majority of disorders originate in a  depraved
state of those organs, satisfactorily accounts for the ex-
traordinary success of the mustard seed in diseases so
very various and opposite.  The seed passes through
the body whole, and very little, if at all, enlarged ; and
thus, while it imparts its medicinal virtues to the sys-
tem generally, by means  of the  mucilage constantly
flowing from it in its passage through  the alimentary
canal, it probably at the same time, by its stimulating
properties,  assists  in propelling  the contents  of the
bowels.  It has frequently succeeded when  all other
medicines have failed : it never loses its effect by use ;
it requires neither confinement to  the  house, nor any
particular attention to diet;  and, in the absence of de-
cidedly inflammatory symptoms, is always safe.
  My impression is, if persons of consumptive and deli-
cate habits, or otherwise constitutionally susceptible of
cold, would avail  themselves of this hint; and if all
persons indiscriminately on the first attack of disease,
unaccompanied by  any decidedly  inflammatory  symp-
toms, would have recourse to  the  mustard seed for a
few  weeks, the extent to which  many might  be re-
lieved would exceed all calculation.
  The white mustard seed will always  be found a
valuable remedy for the irregularities of the system in
young females, as well as to  a  change  which takes
place in more  advanced life.  In all debilitating dis-
eases ; indeed wherever an efficient and safe  stimulus 
MATERIA  MEDICA.             709
is wanted to act upon the whole  system,  I know of
none  preferable to the mustard seed.  It is, as I have
before told  you, a tonic, an aperient of the first order,
and a sedative of the most soothing and salutary kind.
And  in  this way  it is that  it produces  its threefold
kindly office.   1st. By yielding a considerable quantity
of a mild, assimilating mucilage,  most friendly to an
irritible state of the stomach and bowels.  2d. By its
gradually and  gratefully stimulating effects upon the
whole interior surface of  both:  and.  3d.  By its
slightly mechanical action, assisting in the evacuation
of their  contents, wilich, if necessary, may always be
increased by a dose of Epsom salts, to be used after the
seed. (<?ay two or three hours.) so as to afford the  seed
a sufficient time before you take the salts, to act upin
the stomach and liver.   At  the same time this seed
strengthens and invigorates in a very remarkable degree
the whole line of the alimentary canal,  and conse-
quently  improves the digestion  and assimilation of
food : and  with these  the  appetite, sleep, and  general
he.vth.   To the poor it is invaluable in every point of
view: to them  it is b >th food and medicine; and is on
this account peculiarly  calculated  to meet  the nu-
merous formidable physical evils with  which tiiey
have to contend, and to which they are peculiarly ex-
posed.  It is a remedy adapted at once to infancy and
to old age.   It  enables the young to struggle against
the morbid  debility  frequently  attendant on their
tender years: and  it supports the aged under the pres-
sure of those infirmities generally annexed to declining
life :  whilst in every stage of existence, and in every
scale of being, it would seem  to impart the power of
resisting  the effects of  sudden changes of atmosphere,
and thus to obviate that host of evils which flow from 
710
MATERIA MEDICA.
frequent and sudden changes of climate, producing in
females and elderly persons sudden and  often dan-
gerous diseases.  In many instances 1 lave heard per-
sons of truth declare  that they never knew  what  it
was to enjoy comfortable health for many years, until
they became acquainted  with the efficacy of this re-
medy, and took the white mustard seed.  And all
it requires is a fair trial to prove beyond the possibility
of doubt, an evidence  of its intrinsic virtues as  a me-
dicine.
  The white mustard  seed exercises powerful influence
over the stomach and  liver, particularly in the cases of
persons in the habit  of  drinking spirituous and  fer-
mented  liquors to excess:  thereby  destroying  the
coats of the stomach, deranging its  functions, and
ultimately its structure, as well as the liver  and intes-
tines, both of which suffer remarkably from this cause.
It is well known that  the liver of animals fed on the
grains left after distillation and fermentation, are found
indurated and enlarged. It is just so with hard drinkers.
The constant irritation in the line of the digestive or-
gans keeps up a determination of blood to these viscera,
ending  in congestion, chronic inflammation, or ob-
struction ; and  in  the United States, where such an
enormous quantity of  spirits is daily consumed, (in  a
great measure the cause of so many stomach and liver
complaints,) that tuberculated states of the liver are
most commonly found among people addicted to strong
drink, is hourly known and noticed by every medical
man who has any pretensions to  discrimination.  To
this we must add, in general terms, every sort of intem-
perance in food.
  The manifestations of the mind  correspond with the
derangement of the corporeal organs and functions. 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
711
Thus the drunkard is incapable of attention; fails in
his memory and judgment; becomes irresolute, timid?
nay, even cowardly.   The morning hours hang heavily
upon his hands, and he is miserable till he is again under
the influence of that stimulus w7hich habit and disease
have now rendered necessary to his comfort.  Finally,
he sinks into sottishness and stupidity, and  commonly
dies  paralytic, apoplectic, dropsical, or becomes a  con-
firmed maniac.
  That the white  mustard seed exercises a powerful
effect over the nervous system I am  fully satisfied ; it
acts  as an efficient and safe stimulus, and as a sedative
of the most  soothing and  salutary kind; and in this
Way it is that it produces its threefold kindly office;
first, by yielding  a  considerable quantity  of a mild,
assimilating  mucilage, most friendly  to  an irritable
state of the stomach and bowels; secondly, by its gradu-
ally  and gratefully stimulating effects upon the whole
interior surface of both ; and, thirdly, by its slightly me-
chanical action, assisting in the propulsion of their con-
tents.   Hence, it at the  same time strengthens and
invigorates in a very remarkable degree, the whole line
of the alimentary canal, and consequently improves
the digestion and assimilation of food; and with these,
appetite, sleep, and general health.
   All that is required is a fair trial of the white mus-
tard seed for some time, and in due season a gradual
restoration to health will be the result, when it is pru-
dently used; for, like all other valuable medicines, it is
liable to be abused by carelessness or ignorance.   And
I am thoroughly  persuaded, that neither  its powers
nor  its worth are as yet  otherwise than very imper-
fectly  understood.   As far  as my  experience of its
effects has gone, I  feel bound to say, as an honest man, 
712
MATERIA  MEDICA.
that it deserves to be hailed as one of the most decided
discoveries of general usefulness and benefit which has
ever been made known, and one of the greatest bless-
ings that has ever been dispensed to suffering man.
  The white  mustard seed is unlike almost all other
means of relief to those who stand in need of constant
medical assistance.   It may be taken without a single
sensation of disgust, under any circumstances which
are not such as to render its use obviously improper—
and for any length of time.  It accomplishes the pur-
pose of its administration without occasioning that dis-
turbance to, or exciting that unnatural action in the
system, which is almost invariably the case when  ordi-
nary medicines are given ; in other words, without in
anywise interfering with nature's own operation ; and
it seldom, if ever, disagrees with the stomach : never, as
far as I have been  able  to learn, except from caprice
of the patient, and as seldom fails  to  be  a source of
transcendant benefit to him.  The dose of white mus-
tard seed  must be  regulated by the effects produced,
and should be taken in equal proportions three times
in the course  of the four-and-twenty hours.  One or
tw7o stools should be procured each day by it, and no
more.  And it should be persevered in for a sufficient
length of time; and such will be the alleviation of un-
comfortable feeling, that the patient will be at length
anxious  to continue its use.  In many of lhe cases of
female complaints of long  standing and great debility,
I have no hesitation in saying that its use might pro-
duce  much good, and such soothing effects on many
poor  dyspeptics  as  would  perhaps be the means of
finally restoring them to health. 
MATERIA MEDICA.
713
   DIRECTIONS TO BE CAREFULLY OBSERVED.
  The white mustard seed  is always to be swallowed
whole—{and not to be broken or masticated,) and swal-
lowed  with a little  cold water, or any other liquid,
warm or cold as you please; but for children, or persons
who find difficulty  in  swallowing it, the following
mode is recommended : each dose as  it  is wanted for
use, should be washed in boiling water for one or two
minutes, after  which it may be  taken in a little gruel.
barley  water, or any other mild liquid, and (if neces-
sary) a small quantity of sugar  may be added, to ren-
der it more agreeable. Generally speaking, three doses
should  be taken every day without intermission ; the
first about an hour before breakfast, the  second about
an hour after  dinner, and the third either at bedtime
or an hour before.   When taken after dinner the seed
will, in some  instances, excite a sense of fulness and
distension in the stomach ;  and where the inconve-
nience is considerable, the second dose should be taken
about an hour before that meal.  The quantity in each
dose must always be regulated by  the  effect produced
on  the bowels, which  are not to be purged, but  in
every  instance must be uniformly maintained  in a
perfectly free  and open state.  Each dose, therefore,
should contain such a quantity, that the whole taken
will be sufficient  to  produce a complete and healthy
evacuation of the bowels every day ; an effi-ct to which
the patient should always pay particular attention, and
in securing  which the whole art in the use of the me-
dicine  consists.  The quantity, therefore, in each dose
is, in all cases, to be ascertained  by trial, and must  be
determined by the observation and judgment of the
patient.   Generally speaking, two  or  three large tea
      3 o 2               90 
714
MATERIA  MEDICA.
spoonsful in each dose will produce the desired effect,
and with some constitutions much smaller doses, say a
tea-spoonful or  less, will  answer the purpose; but
should that quantity fail, each dose may  be increased
to a table-spoonful,  and in some instances,  a fourth
table-spoonful may safely be added between breakfast
and  dinner.  When  this  increased quantity fails  to
produce the  desired effect on the bowels, (a circum-
stance which very  rarely  occurs,) it will be  proper
to assist the operation of  the seed with a  little Epsom
salts,  or other mild aperient medicine,  taken every
second or third morning, as occasion may require, (in-
stead of the first dose of  the seed,) for the space of ten
days or a fortnight,  or such longer period  as may be
found  necessary, and if  the patient be troubled with
piles, it will be  advisable to  relieve the  bowels occa-
sionally with a small tea-spoonful of sulphur, and an
equal quantity of magnesia, mixed  together in a little
milk or water, taken at  bedtime, either with or after
the last dose of the seed.
   The following case will serve to show the great
benefit which, under some circumstances, may be de-
rived from the judicious use of an aperient medicine.
A friend of mine whose bowels were remarkably slug-
gish, and who was otherwise  much afflicted with dis-
ease, took three and sometimes four table-spoonsful of
the seed every day,  without experiencing any sensible
effect on the bowels.  After persevering in this plan
for several successive days,  with considerable  inconve-
nience to himself, he altered his plan, and took a small
dose of Epsom salts before  breakfast; a dessert spoon-
ful of the mustard seed about an hour after dinner, and
a similar dose of  it at bedtime, every day for about ten
days;  when he found that three moderate doses of the 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
715
seed every day (each dose consisting only of a small
dessert-spoonful) became amply sufficient to produce
the desired effect on  the  bowels, without any iarlher
recourse to Epsom salts.   It may be proper to add that
a few roasted apples or stewed  prunes, taken at night
about a quarter of an hour before the last dose of the
seed, will, in some cases, supply the place of an aperient
medicine.
  In palsy, asthma, ague, disorder of the liver, rheu-
matism, and worms, the  seed  should be taken some-
what more freely than in other cases, and in instances
of long standing and great obstinacy, to the extent of
four or five table-spoonsful in  the course of each day,
if the bowels will bear that quantity without much in-
convenience ; and in these as in other cases, the patient
must have recourse to Epsom salts, or other  mild ape-
rient medicines,  or, if necessary from piles,  use  the
mixture of sulphur and  magnesia.   In  asthma,  the
patient  should always take the first dose of  the seed
before he leaves his bedroom.
  When the mustard seed is taken as a preventive, by
persons  of consumptive and delicate habits, or, other-
wise constitutionally susceptible of cold, or by others
for  the  purpose of  preventing  the  recurrence of dis-
ease of any kind, or as a remedy for costiveness, or any
slight attack of disease, a single dose taken every day,
about an hour before breakfast, or (which is generally
to be preferred) about an hour after dinner, will very
frequently accomplish the proposed object, provided it
be sufficient in quantity to keep the  bowels  in an uni-
formly open and comfortable state.
  1 will only add that a  steady daily perseverance in
the use of the mustard seed, according to tiie directions
above recommended, for toe space of two, tnree, four, 
716
MATERIA  MEDICA.
or  six  months, and in many  instances,  for a much
shorter period, will seldom fail  to convince the patient
of its extraordinary efficacy and singula!1  value, either
by effecting a complete cure, or, at least, affi: id ing very
solid and substantial relief.  The remedy  i> indeed so
perfect, and the advantage derived from it so gene-
rally certain, and so very considerable, that  should a
trial of one or two months fail to  produce  any sensible
benefit, he has, nevertheless, ample  encouragement to
persevere ; and he is not to be dismayed by occasional
returns of the disorder, (which  are to  be expected,
when  it is obstinate or of long standing,) since each
succeeding attack will be less severe than the former,
and  the intervals  between them will  be  successively
enlarged, until by degrees the disorder  will, in all pro-
bability, be  finally subdued and health ultimately re-
stored.
  The following cases will bear testimony to the trutli
of the importance  and value  of the  white mustard
seed.
                      Case 1.
  A lad of twelve years of age,  who  had been long
subject to a regular epileptic seizure  once  a week, and
who had the advantage of medical advice in London.
for about two years to no purpose, took the white mus-
tard seed with so much advantage, as to cause the fits
to cease for six weeks.  They have now returned, but
not so severe ;  and I am w7ell satisfied that perseverance
in the use of a remedy by which they have been so much
interfered with, will effect an ultimate cure ; and upon
the above principle, the  habits of disorder, like  the
habits of the  man, being once materially broken  in
upoii, are not easily re-established. 
MATERIA MEDICA.
717
                      Case 2.
  A very respectable  young man w7hom I met the
other day in Naples, told me that he came here about
five  years ago from  a large manufacturing town in
England, where  his father lives, to take -the manage-
ment of a  great mercantile house.   On coming to
Naples his health declined, and so much so, as to oblige
him  to return to England  after some stay here.  On
reaching his native air he became  perfectly well, and
after a time returned  to Naples,  which  he had no
sooner reached, than  he became as ill as before; his
stomach, he said,  had wholly lost its power. In  that
miserable state he received a letter from his father,
strongly  recommending the mustard seed.   This he
took, a table-spoonful  three times a day.   He  began
this plan about three  months ago, and  is  now  better
than he ever was, and to use his own  expression: he
said his stomach  would now digest marble.

                      Case 3.
  A confirmed invalid of more than thirty years' stand-
ing writes the following letter.   He used for a time
the mustard seed; but, like a great many persons in
the world, finds fault with a remedy because it does not
effect a cure in a few days.
                              February 7, 1826.
  %i I am sorry to tell you, that the good hope with
which you inspired me, as to the efficacy of the mus-
tard  seed, in my more than melancholy  case, has
entirely died away;  I have been  in almost constant
misery, partly fiom its exciting effects, ever since 1
left Cheltenham.   I fear I  must give it up, unless you
can put me in the way of managing myself better." 
718             MATERIA MEDICA.

  And then in a second letter the following week:
  " You will be pleased to hear that I am reaping the
fruits of my obedience to your directions;  that I have
not ceased  to continue the use of the mustard seed;
that  the stimulating effect of it has  entirely  subsided
since I took the aperient medicine in combination with
the seed ; and that I am now really feeling a very con-
siderable improvement in my general sensations."

                      Case 4.
  " I have now passed the best autumn I ever remero
ber to have passed ; no headaches; no cramps; no gou
to any extent, not enough to make me  have recourse
to a large shoe.  I used to be in the habit frequently
of taking  calomel  and blue pills; for  many months
before July, I had taken them sparingly; since then,
not once.   I occasionally aid the seed with a little
sails, or a couple of small pills of the compound rhu-
barb pill;  and w7hen I do so, I experience what Mr.
Abernethy means by its  supplying  the place of blue
pill; indeed, it produces such an evacuation in point of
healthiness of colour, as blue pill never obtained for me,
although it w as intended specifically  to have this effect.
My  feet when  up, were in  the habit of being cold ;
when in bed, so dry and  hot, that I  was obliged  fre-
quently to put them out of bed, in order that the reac-
tion  might gain a moisture and sleep.  I am  now not
so chilly when up, and almost always in bed  I have
a slight perspiration on my feet; a luxury which I did
not often enjoy before I took  the mustard  seed.  My
appetite and digestion are good; and I now expect to
go through the  winter and spring without my usual
gouty attack." 
                MATERIA MEDICA.             719

                      Case  5.
  A letter from the above  gentleman respecting his
son. dated February 18, 1826.
  " My boy had a return of his cough, which has now
lasted about three weeks three days ago.   I ventured,
with a pulse at one hundred, and  a constant tiresome
cough, to give him  the mustard seed, telling his me-
dical attendant what I was  going to do, and  begging
that his febrifuge  draught  might be  made gently
aperient.  Three days he has been under this disci-
pline ; his pulse was at seventy-four this morning be-
fore he got up ; and not more than seventy-six by the
medical attendant's account,  and improving daily ; and
his cough is infinitely better."

                      Case  6.
       A letter from a distinguished nobleman.
                            "February 28,  1826.
  "My dear Sir,—I have much  pleasure in replying
to your inquiries respecting the past and present state
of my daughter's health : and will, for your more par-
ticular information, give you as correct an account of
it as I can, from the time at  which I first spoke to you
respecting her.  It was, as you remember, about  this
time last year.   She was at  that period suffering from
many symptoms calculated to  excite my anxiety and.
alarm : her whole  frame w7as  in a state  of  debility,
which rendered her incapable of either bodily or men-
tal exertion.   She was constantly susceptible of cold,
and severe cough, accompanied by a considerable de-
gree of expectoration every morning on rising, and had
such frequent pain in the chest, as to make it necessary
several times to apply  a blister to its seat.  I cannot 
720            MATERIA MEDICA.

recollect more minutely the state of her pulse and re-
spiration, than that it was usually quick and hurried.
The consequent general irritability of her system was
great; she likewise laboured under such constant pain
in her back, that she  w7as never easy unless in a recum-
bent position ; as you know7, my first apprehension was,
that she laboured under an affection of the spine.  She
had likewise a total loss of appetite—but it is unneces-
sary to add more; she bore about her every indication
of the existence of that state of system which I know
you  consider only preparatory to the appearance of a
certain disease.   I need not tell you to what point she
was  relieved of many of these uneasy sensations by the
means  which  were  primarily used;  it is rather my
duty and my wish  to speak of what has since been
done for her by  the  simple remedy upon which you
put  her, as soon as you yourself first became sensible
of its pow7er in correcting such a  condition of  frame.
Were I disposed to hurry over my present  statement
of her  case, I should simply say, that from the first
week of her taking the white mustard seed, she has
been gradually advancing towards that  aspect and en-
joyment of perfect health which she now has; but
knowing your anxiety on the subject, I must bear this
farther  testimony to the value  of the  mustard seed,
under circumstances of constitution so appropriately to
be denominated delicate, by adding, that she has never
once had other than a slight cold, or been distressed by
her cough during the winter; nor had  any return of
pain in the chest or back; that her strength and appe-
tite are quite restored, and that she does not now mani-
fest in the smallest degree that irritability of system,
which I was so glad to  be told by you formerly, was
only symptomatic  of the affection under which she 
MATERIA MEDICA.
721
 was struggling ; her bowels are kept in a healthy state:
 and I cannot omit to mention that she is (I firmly be-
 lieve from the use  of the seed) restored to that regu-
 larity of habit, the interruption of which no doubt
 added much to her former sufferings.  I must  con-
 clude my account of her, by stating that I am really
 myself surprised at the very astonishing increase of
 flesh, which her late almost emaciated  body has in so
 short a time acquired.  This  I must attribute to the
 renovating effects which it appears to me this remedy
 has had upon her general constitution.
   " It is not in her case alone that I  am  enabled to
 bear  testimony to  the  very beneficial  effects of this
 valuable medicine.   I  have another  daughter and a
 son, who have, together with myself, been very essen-
 tially benefited by its use.   I cannot help intruding a
 little longer on your time, just to say a  few wTords
 relative to my little  boy, who has for some time  past
 been the subject of unceasing anxiety to me, in  conse-
 quence of very frequent attacks of headach and giddi-
 ness, occasioned, I have  every reason to believe, from a
 fall he had some years since; the recurrence of these
 attacks became of  late  more  frequent,  and evidently
 interfered with his capability of attention to his usual
 course of study, and affected his general health  and
 appearance.  In consequence of  your  telling me  that
 you  felt assured he would be benefited by the mus-
 tard seed, I immediately  put him under a regular
 course of it, now about three months ago ; from w7hich
 time to the present, he has not had the slightest return
 of his unpleasant attacks; and he assured me the other
 day, on quitting me to return to school, that he  found
 too much benefit from the seed to neglect  taking it a
single day.  Thus you see I have full reason to speak,
      3P                 91 
722
MATERIA MEDICA.
 as I most certainly think, highly of the great value and
 many beneficial effects of this astonishing, simple, yet
 powerful remedy.   I am, my dear sir, yours, &c."

                       Case 7.
                            " December 26, 1830.
   " Dear Sir,—When we parted you fixed the period
 of my writing to you in March.  What progress I may
 then have to report to you,  time will show.  I  can
 hardly be more free from ailment than I now am.  I
 may be  stronger, and I hope  to  be so, and my  hopes
 are grounded on what I have  experienced since I took
 the simple remedy you recommended to me, daily, and
 cannot but think it is in a great measure resulting from
 it.  My mind is made up on this subject, never to dis-
 continue the mustard seed but with my life.  I have
 never  tasted medicine since  I left Cheltenham, and
 never been a single  day but in the most perfect state
 of natural functions that I can conceive, and have con-
 tinually, and most sensibly improved in strength.  My
 case has  attracted some degree of general notice: my
 looks, as  I am almost daily told, corresponding entirely
 with my feelings.
                 " Respectfully  your obt. servant."

                      Case 8.
                           "November 10, 1831.
  " I promised you that I would take two tea-spoonsful
of the seed thrice, instead of twice a day; this I did for
a month; the second daily dose at first after dinner;
but finding  that it  occasioned inconvenience  during
digestion, I  took it  an hour before  dinner, and soon
afterwards found that the superadded quantity was
more than enough for mv purpose.  I reverted to my
V 
MATERIA MEDICA.             723
morning and evening dose of two tea-spoonsful each:
and now find it necessary only to persist in this, which
I do with perfect regularity; and it does for me all that
my system requires, producing its effects without oc-
casioning the slightest uneasiness in the bowels, or any
of that nausea and disturbance of stomach, which I have
hitherto invariably experienced from each of the multi-
tude of remedies which I have tried with the view of
accomplishing what has ahvays been (I speak of fifty
years, at least) so great a desideratum with me.  I may
say then  to you, I have obtained in the white mustard
seed every thing I could expect  or  desire, and  shall
continue to avail myself of its many and great advan-
tages.
  " I have of course recommended it to others more
frequently than was my former practice, and I  have
had no reason to repent having done so; if it has failed
to produce all  the good effects that w7ere  anticipated
from it in some instances, it  has  done harm in none.
My son's report to me of the advantage that he has de-
rived from its use, has always been very flattering, and
he continues to think highly of its excellence.
           " I have the honour to be yours, &c."

                      Case 9.
                            "February 26, 1832.
  " Sir,—It is now a month since I commenced to use
the white mustard seed; and though I feel myself un-
able to describe with any degree of precision, the spe-
cific effects that have been produced upon  my system
by  it, I am  quite sensible, that both my  bodily and
moral sensations are improved; that the whole of my
system is  improved—so much so, that I  feel an invo-
luntary encouragement to persevere in its use, and 
724
MATERIA MEDICA.
always anxious for the arrival of the time of taking
each dose:  and such is the agreeable effect which it
afterwards  produces  upon me,  that  language  cannot
express my feelings. Permit me to express my gratitude
for this invaluable, simple, but yet astonishing remedy.
                   " Yours, most affectionately."
                                   "June, 1836.
  "Dear sir,—My boy takes the mustard seed now once
a day to guard him  from future cold and pain of his
breast: he omitted his dose yesterday after dinner, and
I made  him  take it  at bedtime last night; his pulse
wTas only at sixty-eight this morning before he got up.
The seed does not heat  him;  a fear which so many
people seem to have.  This effect, I believe, is produced
only in those  cases where it binds the body; when it
keeps the bow7els open it certainly cools the system. I
have not the slightest objection to  our cases being re-
ferred to, with the exception of our names; and you
may add, if you please, that I have grown fat under a
course of the  mustard seed."

                     Case 10.
                            "February 25, 1837.
  " Dear Doctor,—I continue to do credit to your kind
advice; and both Mrs.-----and myself have realized
a very material benefit from your remedy, in entire
freedom, (we  believe for the first time in our lives)
from winter colds.  We  have had this exemption in
point of fact, and we are disposed to assign it to the
mustard seed as the cause, and shall probably have
your ready concurrence in this opinion." 
MATERIA MEDICA.            723
                      Case 11.
            From a physician of eminence.
                             "February 25, 1826.
   " It is now a month since I commenced the mustard
 seed, and I am enabled to confirm, up to this day, every
 particle of the  report, occasionally communicated to
 you, of the effects of the mustard seed in my own case,
 with the important addition, that, in my seventy-ninth
 year, I have passed the winter much more free from
 catarrhal symptoms than I remember for twenty years
 past.
   " As I perceive the  minute accuracy of  the extracts
 of my letters to you, I can have no possible objection
 that the truth should be told in print; on the contrary
 my hope is that it may prove more generally useful.
   " In one of the other cases you send for my perusal,
 I see the heating effects of the mustard seed are men-
 tioned, and the same fears and observation have often
 been made to myself.  I believe the idea to be a fanci-
 ful one, and always discountenance it."

                      Case 12.
              A letter from a physician.
                               "March 31, 1826.
   " I visited a man  (a  very old man) this morning,
 who had suffered  for many years from asthma and
 repeated inflammatory affections of his chest.   I ad-
 vised him a month ago to take a table-spoonful of mus-
 tard seed every morning, an hour before his breakfast;
 he has continued this plan for the above period.  He
 cannot now be in better health at his time of life.  Be-
 fore I left him  I inquired in  what way he took the
 mustard  seed; he  told  me in roasted  apple, and
       3 p2
i 
726
MATERIA MEDICA.
that it  produced the most salutary effect upon his
health, and his hitherto constipated bowels.  Previous
to the above period he was in the constant habit of
taking expectorants, aperients, or medicines to open
his bowels, &c.;  and now he takes no medicine what-
ever.
                     Case 13.
  The following case is a striking proof of the value
of the white mustard seed, both as a medicine strictly
speaking, and as a means of restoring strength, because
the person from whom it comes  for a long while re-
fused to take it, saying it could not be of any advantage
to her in her deplorable case.
                                 " April 7, 1826.
  "My dear Sir,—Grateful feelings ought to have
moved my pen sooner; perhaps you will  not give me
credit for having any ; but individuals, as well  as the
public in general, owe much to your exertions in mak-
ing known  the wonderful efficacy of the white mus-
tard seed.  For my own part, I can only say that after
repeated severe  illness, and corresponding  dreadful
weakness and nervousness, rendering the  continuance
of my life doubtful and almost  undesirable, after  a
great deal of persuasion, I resorted at last  to the mus-
tard seed, and now want nothing else.  I hope others
will profit, and be convinced that complaints originate
more  often than is imagined in the stomach, and in its
dependencies, and that the mustard seed is a most as-
tonishing  remedy  for regulating the whole  passage
from the throat to the extremity of the body.
  " My stomach, before I took the mustard seed, would
bear little more than gruel, and I was reduced to the
last extremity; but I can now take food like other 
MATERIA MEDICA.
727
 people, and frequently wine ; and I wish it w7as in my
 power to proportion my gratitude to the benefit I have
 derived.                        Yours sincerely."

                     Case 14.
   The evidence of this case bears strong testimony to
 the  transcendent worth of this simple remedy, the
 white mustard seed.
                               "April 13, 1826.
   " I promised to write  to  you, and I should be un-
 worthy of  the kind attention which you paid  me at
 Cheltenham, and ungrateful for the comfort winch I
 have since  experienced from the adoption of your ad-
 vice, if I was for a moment  unmindful of my engage-
 ment. I have waited only to give you a more satisfac-
 tory account  of my experience of the  effects of your
 recommendation.
   " When  I had the pleasure of seeing you, I informed
 you in what state of health I had been for the last  six
 or seven years, and how  I suffered from the  inactivity
 of my stomach and bowels.   During my stay at Chel-
 tenham, my evacuations were not more frequent than
 every other day, and always scanty, indurated, and of
 an unhealthy colour.   Your representations convinced
 me that mustard seed would be of service  to me.   I
 began therefore to take it on the evening of my arrival
 at home, (Saturday, the 1st instant,) and have since
 taken it thrice a day,  two large  tea-spoonsful at each
 dose, at intervals  of six  hours.  The effect has been
almost miraculous.  I have had a regular daily evacua-
tion ever since ; my appetite has been good; my sleep
undisturbed;  and not  only my bodily but my mental
energies materially improved. In short I have not ex-
perienced an uncomfortable  sensation throughout the 
728
MATERIA MEDICA.
interval.  Need I add how infinitely obliged to you I
consider myself  for this invaluable change in my sen-
sations ?
  " I shall not, I  cannot fail to promote your benevo-
lent wishes by every exertion in my power,  to extend
to others that improvement of health and  increased
comfort winch I am  now in the enjoyment of, and
which I have no doubt  may be obtained  by  others
from  their adoption of your advice.  May God bless
you in your great  exertions to benefit and assist the
human family."

                     Case 15.
  " I can only add,  in addition to what I have stated,
that I continue to take the seed, and  that it has made
a new man of me.   My body is in a regular  state, and
my health good;  my appetite and digestion good; my
sleep composed and refreshing; and all the powers of
my mind, as well as of my body, restored  and  reno-
vated."
                     Case 16.
  " To enter into the details of my owrn case  to the full
extent of the desires w7hich have been expressed to me,
would be  to relate a series of miseries that would be
as tedious in their relation, as they must be uninterest-
ing to the generality of those  before whom  so length-
ened a statement  might chance to come:  in few words
my history is amply told.  In my life I  never  knew
wrhat it was to have a single action of the bow7els with-
out the aid of medicine, or to be free for many hours,
from  all the wretchedness of disorder, and of remedy
in conjunction,  until  I took  the mustard seed; nor
was I ever able,  until now, to say there is in life that
which is w7orth living for; or, in other and  more pro- 
MATERIA MEDICA.
729
per words, I did not know wiiat it was to wish to live:
and all this, whilst I was exercising the functions of
an anxious and  arduous, and, to me, most interesting
profession; until I used this remedy, when life exhi-
bited to me (worn down by disease) a new hope, which
has been fully realized by the blessings of health."
  But now let me render unto Cesar the things winch
are Cesar's.   This  great remedy and its  established
reputation, and deservedly so, belongs to Charles Tur-
ner Cook, Member of the Royal College of Surgeons,
London; nor should I have ever profited by this inva-
luable remedy had it not been for the communications
of this great philanthropist and  distinguished medical
gentleman, and I have  no doubt time, and a fair and
impartial trial of this  medicine, will fully establish it
as one of the best remedies in affections of the liver,
internal organs, and nervous system.
               RHATANY ROOT.
  Medically  called Krameria Triandria.  The in-
troduction of this  valuable root into the practice of
medicine is an evidence that many of the most valua-
ble remedies have to encounter, when  first brought
into notice, great opposition, and not unfrequently are
entirely laid aside altogether.
  This root (the produce of Peru) was first introduced
into the practice of medicine by Dr. Reece, and is now
very generally employed throughout Europe as a tonic
medicine; and in consequence of being more grateful
to the palate and  stomach than the Peruvian  bark,
many patients have been able to persevere in its use,
who could not take the bark in any form. In the cure
                        92 
730
MATERIA  MEDICA.
of intermittents it has been very successful.   It pos-
sesses an astringent  and bitter quality, so grateful to
the palate, that the wine manufacturers  in  Portugal
have long used it for the purpose of enriching Port
wine ;  and, from the quantity used by them, it is not
improbable that the  astringent property of that wine
is principally derived from it.   From the great success
that has uniformly attended the exhibition of this me-
dicine, Dr. Reece confidently asserts  that it is a most
valuable restorative, and very superior to any other of
the class of vegetable tonics in a variety of diseases of
debility.   In all diseases that  require the  use of tonic
medicines, the rhatany root may be used in the same
manner as directed for the Peruvian bark; but as it is
somewhat stronger,  a less dose will suffice;  fifteen
grains  of  the  powder may  be considered  equal  to
twenty of the best Peruvian  bark.   Of this root the
same  preparations are kept  as  of the Peruvian bark;
viz. the powder, the extract, and the simple aromatic
and compound tinctures.
  The extract of this root is made  by inspissating the
expressed juice of the root in the heat of the sun, (by
the natives of South  America.)  It possesses  in great
perfection the  medicinal properties  of the root, and
may be taken in the  form of pills, to the extent of five
or ten grains twice a day.  The powder may be taken
from ten to thirty grains.  The compound or aromatic
tincture of rhatany, is a  pleasant and efficacious sto-
machic ;  and,  in the dose of two tea-spoonsful in a
little water,  three or  four times a day, will  prove  an
admirable remedy for indigestion and its consequences,
as flatulency, heartburn, cramp in the stomach, ner-
vous irritability.  The simple  tincture of rhatany is
much recommended by the most eminent dentists in 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
731
England and France, as a lotion (with an equal quan-
tity  of  rose  water)  for constringing the gums, and
thereby preserves them from caries, and renders the
loose ones more firm in their sockets.  The following
prescription has been found very successful in cases of
indigestion of  elderly  people, attended  with general
debility and cedematous swelling of the  legs, and also
fluor albus, or, in plainer language, the  whites  in fe-
males.
  Prescription.—Take of
Foreign extract of rhatany root, one drachm and a half.
Sweet spirit of nitre,   -    -  three drachms;
Tincture of cardamom  seeds,   six drachms;
Infusion of buchu leaves,   -  seven ounces.—Mix.
  Dose.—Three table-spoonsful to be  taken  three
times a day.
           THE  CHIRAYITA HERB.
   It is a matter of surprise that this herb, chirayita,
which has been held from time immemorial in great
estimation by the natives of Bengal  and the European
residents, especially  the  medical officers, should not
have been made known to the world.
   By the natives of Bengal this herb is considered a
most valuable stomachic medicine; and in cases of in-
digestion considered a specific, and particularly when
it  is  accompanied by an indolent, or overloaded  state
of the liver.
   The effects of the chirayita are not, like stomachics
in general use, confined to  the stomach; but are ex-
tended to the abdominal viscera, particularly the liver,
which it deterges ;  or as Doctor  Currie observes,
" emulges the hepatic ducts."   Although not aperient, 
732
MATERIA  MEDICA.
or opening, it evidently prevents an accumulation of
foeces in the lower portion of the intestinal canal, winch
is  a common  cause of various affections of the head,
lungs, and stomach; and at the same time  promotes
digestion.  The medicinal virtues of this herb are im-
parted  to boiling water, and  the  infusion is  a  very
grateful  bitter.   But the natives  prefer a decoction
made by gently boiling half an ounce of the cut dried
herb in a pint of water for about fifteen to  twenty
minutes.  Of this decoction they take a small wine-
glassful two or three times a day.   The extract, which
also contains the virtue of the herb in great perfection,
is taken in form of pills.  It is likewise administered
with great success by the Indian practitioners in cases
of pulmonary consumption and scrofula.  The  emi-
nent practitioners of medicine who have given it  an
extensive trial, highly extol it.   Amongst whom  may
be noticed Dr. Fleming, Dr. Dick, Dr. Ainslie, and
Dr. Hamilton, late of the Bengal Presidency; and Dr.
Blundell, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Reece, and Dr.  Sigmond
of London; Dr. Kinglake of Taunton ; Dr. Sully  of
Wivilscombe; Mr.  Churchill, and Mr. Baker; most
of whom are distinguished medical men now living in
Europe, and all of wiiom speak of it as a great and
valuable medicine.
  There can  be no  question as to its value as a sto-
machic medicine, and  that it  evidently deterges the
liver and the  other  viscera  as  effectually as  the  blue
pill, or any other preparation of mercury ;  and on this
account its beneficial effects on the  general health are
permanent.  That it promotes  a healthy secretion of
bile, is evident from the appearance of the fceces.  It
also prevents  that accumulation of foeces in the colon,
which so frequently gives rise to a variety of distressing 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
733
maladies; particularly headach, giddiness, indigestion,
flatulence, piles, glandular obstruction, &c.   On the
liver, &c, it acts more effectually by removing ob-
struction, and the causes of sluggishness or vitiated bile,
than any mercurial preparation; and is entirely exempt
from the serious  objections  to  the  employment  of
mercury in weak persons, or on those whose constitu-
tions are naturally opposed to all and every preparation
of this mineral.  The chirayita herb is therefore a most
valuable addition to the materia medica of this country,
and will no doubt, as a remedy for the variety of indi-
gestion arising from morbid sensibility or nervous ex-
citement, render the use of mercury  in cases of indi-
gestion accompanied with, or dependent on an over-
loaded or sluggish state  of the liver, as  w7ell as  in
scrofula, unnecessary.
  The tincture which  contains all its virtues in great
perfection, is a strong, but very grateful bitter; and sits
pleasantly on the stomach.  The dose of this tincture
is from two to three tea-spoonsful two or three times a
day in a small  wine-glass of water.  But  those who
may object to the form of a tincture, or to  medicines
in a liquid form, may take the extract of it, which con-
tains all the virtue of the  herb in great perfection, in
the form of pills.   The pills made according to the
following prescription, have proved very beneficial in
the variety of indigestion named above, and restored
many a stomach.
     Take of extract of the chirayita, one drachm;
     Rhubarb,     -               one drachm;
     Dried subcarbonate of soda,    one scruple;
     Ginger powder,      -    -    fifteen grains.
  Mix, and divide into thirty-six pills; two  to be taken
twice a day.
      3Q 
734
MATERIA MEDICA.
  For correcting scrofulous habits and dispersing scro-
fulous tumefactions of the glands, the  infusion of the
herb, with the subcarbonate of soda, is preferred, as the
following:—
  Take of infusion of the chirayita (made by infusing
half an ounce of the herb in a pint of boiling water for
two hours) eight ounces; of subcarbonate of soda, two
drachms. Mix.  Doses from  two to three table-spoons-
ful three times a day.
                BUCHU  LEAVES.
    Medically, Diosma Crenata.—The leaves of the
  buchu have  been held in  great estimation among
  the  natives of the  Cape of  Good  Hope, as a re-
  medy  for  irritative  affections  of the kidneys, blad-
  der, and urethra; for gravel,  chronic inflammation
  of the mucous membrane of the bladder and of the
  urethra,  (the  former generally accompanied with a
  mucous discharge in  the urine, often to a considerable
  extent; and the latter with a mucous discharge from
  the  urethra,  termed gleet,)  generally attended with
  great irritation, or inflammatory excitement; irritability
  of the bladder and urethra;  the former occasioning a
  constant desire to make water, and the latter with par-
  tial contraction of the urethra, termed spasmodic stric-
  ture.  For the last six years the buchu leaves have been
  much employed in the practice of medicine, under an
  extensive experience of several physicians  of great
  eminence, who have  proved that as a remedy in those
  complaints I  have mentioned, it is far  superior  to
  cubebs; and fully entitled to the high character noticed
  above.  Drs. M'Dowal and  Cumming; and Surgeon

/ 
MATERIA MEDICA.
735
Carmichael  of Dublin; and Dr. Reece of London,
(who has published a treatise on their medicinal pro-
perties,) have communicated to the medical profession
through the  medium  of the  periodical  press,  many
cases of distressing irritative affections of the bladder
and urethra, some of which were of long standing, in
which the essence of  the  buchu leaves proved suc-
cessful.
  Many are the instances in which excessive debility
of the generative system, produced by various distress-
ing  causes, has been entirely  removed by a proper
course of  this medicine; it has restored to a healthy
and 'due  enjoyment of the  pleasures of life,  many
whose constitutions had appeared completely wornout,
and destroyed by affections which equally  harass the
body and the mind.
  The dose is from one to two tea-spoonsful three or
four times a day, in a wine-glassful of the decoction of
marshmallow root; made by gently boiling two ounces
of the sliced dried root (foreign) in a pint and a quarter
of water, till reduced to a pint.
  Inquire at the drug stores or shops where medicines
are sold for the essence of buchu leaves, (as this is the
manner in which it is prepared,) or for Carpenter's
compound fluid extract of buchu; which is a valuable
concentrated  preparation, and in the most convenient
form in which it can be  exhibited,  and which will
obviate the necessity of preparing the decoction.
  Should  you think proper to  prepare the decoction
from the  leaves by infusion; it is made by pouring
half  a pint of boiling water on half an ounce of the
leaves, and allowing them to stand for four hours in a
closely covered vessel; then  straining through linen.
The  dose is  about a wine-glassful  of this  infusion 
736
MATERIA MEDICA.
twice or thrice a day.  I have omitted to state that this
is a valuable  medicine in  rheumatism, fluor albus, or
whites in women, gleet, obstructions of urine, chronic
gonorrhea, or, in plain language, clap of long standing
or associated  with gleet;  in all of which it will  be
found a most  valuable remedy.
  DIRECTIONS FOR PRESERVING ROOTS,
      HERBS, FLOWERS, AND BARKS.
  Roots which are annual, or grow and die  yearly,
should be collected before they shoot on their stocks or
flowers: roots which are biennial, or which live and
grow two years, should be collected in  the harvest of
the first year, or  in the spring of the  second year:
perennial roots, or those which survive the frosts of
winter should be gathered before the sap has begun to
rise, or after it has returned to the root.  When a root
is wormeaten, or otherwise  decayed, you are  always
to reject or refuse  it; the medicinal virtues of such  a
root are destroyed.
  You are now, with a brush and some cold water, to
cleanse the roots newly dug up, and to let them  remain
in the water  as short a time as possible;  after which
you are to cut the small and useless fibres or strings
from them, if there be any, and carefully to dry them
in a moderate heat.   Roots  which consist wholly of
fibres or strings, of winch there are several kinds, the
black  or Virginia snake-root, for instance, are to be
dried as soon as possible, by a regular and moderate
heat.  But should the  root be aromatic, which means
spicy and fragrant, like ginger, for instance, you are to
dry it in a cool, airy, dry situation, turning it frequently, 
MATERIA  MEDICA.
737
in order that you may retain its virtues and fragrance.
If roots that you obtain are thick and strong, you are
to split them in thin pieces, and string them on a cord
or twine, so as to admit the air freely to them in dry-
ing : if they are covered, which is sometimes the case,
with a thick tough bark, peel them while fresh and dry
them.   Some roots are apt to lose their virtues by dry-
ing ; when this is the case, you have nothing to do but
to keep them buried in dry sand, which will preserve
them in such a  manner that they will always be fit for
use.
  Herbs and flowers are always to be gathered in dry
weather, and not until the dew is off.   They are then
to be dried in as short a time as possible, by the gentle
heat of  a  stove or fire;  for by this speedy  method of
drying, the herbs and flowers retain their virtues, which
are usually destroyed by the common method of dry-
ing them in the open air and in the  shade.  When
herbs and flowers  retain their virtues, they generally
also retain much of their natural colour.
  Barks and woods, for medicinal uses, are to be ga-
thered in  spring or in autumn, and from the youngest
and most  vigorous trees, because their most active and
powerful  virtues are at those periods residing in them.
If they are of the resinous kind, by which I mean ro-
sinous merely, they are  to be gathered in the spring :
but if they are of a gummy nature, you  must always
gather them in the fall, or autumn.   You are to recol-
lect distinctly, that all  decayed  and  injured parts of
any of the articles I have mentioned, are to be entirely
rejected.  Persons are very frequently  disappointed in
the medicinal effects of roots, herbs, barks, &c.: this
is generally owing to the want of due care in obtaining
     uunn  47             93 
738             MATERIA MEDICA.
and preparing such vegetable substances in due time,
and in a proper manner.
               BLOOD-LETTING.
  Every person should not only know how to open a
vein with a lancet, but should also be acquainted with
the cautions that are necessary to be known for  avoid-
ing danger; because many cases may, and do  occur,
where medical  assistance cannot be had in time, and
where actual loss of life occurs for w7ant of bleeding.
  To bleed in  the arm, you  are to apply a riband, or
other broad ligature, an inch  or two above the  elbow
joint, and to draw it so tight as to compress  the veins
of the arm  immediately under the bandage, and to fill
and  swell them immediately below  it.  As soon as
the vein rises in which you  intend to  bleed,  place the
thumb of your left hand about an inch below the place
you intend  to pierce, or open with the lancet; and then
with  your  right hand, holding  the lancet firmly be-
tween your thumb and forefinger, making the incision
obliquely, or slanting in the vein, without changing the
direction of the lancet; because, by raising the handle
the point of the lancet would be so much low7ered as to
cut the under  part of the vein, and perhaps danger-
ously wound an artery.
  When you have  drawn the quantity of blood intend-
ed, untie the ligature, or bandage, and  close the orifice,
or hole.  To do this properly, you must place your
thumb on the orifice, and press with a moderate force,
so as to bring its sides or edges together.   The flowing
of the blood will now be stopped, and you  must next 
BLOOD-LETTING.
739
apply a compress, made by twice  doubling a piece of
linen, about two inches square, and placing it between
the thumb and the orifice: over this you are to place
another compress, or thick folding of linen, about four
inches square, so as to fill up the hollow or bend of the
arm.   When this is done, you are to confine the folds
of the linen, by passing over them,  crosswise, both
above  and below the elbow joint, a riband or broad
tape in the form of the figure eight,  and to finish with
making a knot over the linen.  If the bleeding should
continue,  the bandages are to be taken off for a few
moments, and  while  the thumb of the operator  is
pressed firmly on the orifice or  hole, so as to bring its
sides  or edges  together,  the coldest  water is to be
poured on the arm, or the orifice or  hole itself washed
with sharp vinegar.   If it is convenient, a piece of ad-
hesive or sticking plaster, placed over the orifice, will
generally stop the flow7  of blood.
  To  bleed in the foot,  a  moderately tight bandage
must be placed above the ankle joint: after which you
are to open the fullest and largest  vein  with a lancet,
observing the same conduct I have laid down for you
in bleeding in the arm.  If the blood does not  flow
sufficiently, you will easily remove the difficulty by
placing the foot in warm water.   On removing the
bandage above the ankle, the blood will cease to flow:
and if it should  not, the bandage I have described for
the arm, a piece of court  or any other sticking plaster
will generally stop it.

                 TOPICAL BLEEDING.
  To bleed topically : that is to  say, to bleed from
some particular part of the surface of the body, you are
to proceed in the following manner.  If you employ 
740
BLOOD-LETTING.
leeches,—the part is to be scarified or slightly cut in
shallow gashes with the point of a sharp lancet, or by
a scarificator, which is an instrument with a number
of lancets, acted on by a spring.  The leeches are to
be  previously prepared by allowing them  to creep
over a dry cloth, or  by drying them.   In order to
attract them, the scarified part should be moistened
with a  little cream or sugar; and if the blood about
the surface should not induce them to fix themselves,
you are to  confine them  to the place by applying a
wine-glass  over  them:   they  will  then  soon  take
hold.
  If you bleed topically by cupping, you are to proceed
in the following manner:—You are, in the first  in-
stance, to scarify the part in the way  I have just told
you, with the point of a sharp lancet, or with a scarifi-
cator, such as I have described to you.   When  this
is done, you must take a cup, and exhaust the atmo-
spheric air it contains.  This is done by burning in and
over it, some soft paper dipped in spirits of wine, or any
other kind of proof spirits.   When the flame is nearly
or quite exhausted, and the air in the cup consequently
destroyed, you are to place the mouth of the  cup over
the scarified part.  As the cup cools,  it will stick fast,
and, as it were, suck the little scarifications or gashes,
and fill itself with the blood, in place of the air, which
cannot get in.   When the cup is full, it will easily be
removed by raising one side of it.  Burning the air as
I have told you, and  applying the cup as I  have  de-
scribed, may be repeated  as often as you may think
necessary; or dipping the cup in hot water and imme-
diately applying it over the scarified part, will cause
it to take hold or draw.  This is  the whole secret of
cupping, about  which so much  has been said by  me- 
BLOOD-LETTING.
741
dical men, and so  little  understood  by the general
community.
   After bleeding in the arm, or opening a vein any-
where else, there is sometimes a swelling of the part,
called by physicians ecchymosis.  Whenever this take?
place, you must shift the position of the  limb  fre-
quently, so as to produce a free discharge of blood from
the tumour or  rising.  If this will not do, you are to
double pieces of linen: dip them in  brandy or other
spirits, and compress them on the tumour by bandages.
If neither of these measures will answer, the tumour or
swelling must be opened with a lancet, the coagulated
blood let out, and the sore  treated as a common wound.
   There is another  effect which sometimes follows
blood-letting: which is an acute pain felt on the first
introduction  of the lancet, and  immediately commu-
nicated to the  extremity of the hand or foot.  Here
you  must apply cloths wrung  out of sugar of lead
water, to the whole limb, and renew them frequently.
You must also resort to bleeding, cooling purges, and
very  simple  food, for  the purpose of  preventing in-
flammation.  If these measures  do not answer, you are
to give laudanum in considerable doses: and  if lauda-
num  also  fails  in producing  good effects, you  must
divide or cut the nerve or tendon which was pricked
by the lancet.
   Sometimes an artery is wounded in bleeding.   You
will  know this by the tremulous, or pulsatory motion
with  which the blood flows, and by the blood being of
a lighter and  richer colour than  that which flows from
the veins; and besides you will  be unable to stop  the
blood by the usual pressure.   The  cure may be at-
tempted, however, in the early stage, by compressions
and bandages in the usual  way, and by living on very 
742
BLOOD-LETTING.
low diet: but should these  fail, a surgical operation
must be performed, by taking up the ends of the artery,
and securing them with ligatures, or ties, until they re-
unite, or grow together again, or until the circulation
of the blood can be again restored.
                  GLYSTERS.
  Language almost fails to  express the great value
of this innocent and powerful remedy, in very many
diseases to which mankind are daily, and even  hourly
subject; and I most sincerely regret to say, that it is a
remedy not only too little known, but too seldom used
both by physicians and in families.   This disregard foi
the great virtues of glystering must either arise  from
the supposition that the operation is too troublesome,
or from a false and foolish delicacy, which forbids the
use of an instrument by wilich thousands of lives have
been preserved in extremely critical circumstances, and
with which every mistress of a family should be per-
fectly acquainted,  so  as  to  be able to administer a
glyster when required in sickness.  And I do here
most positively assert,  and that too  from my own ex-
perience, that hundreds to whom I  have been called in
cases of cholic, must have died, had it not been  for the
immediate relief given by  glysters.  I will mention
one strong instance, to prove the  correctness  of my
assertion, to which many  others might be added, if the
limits of my work  would permit.   W^hile practising in
the state of Virginia, I was called on at midnight to at-
tend a stranger, who had arrived  but a few moments
before in the mail stage.  The gentleman was  one of
the judges of the Supreme Court, in the state of New 
GLYSTERS.
743
York.   He stated  to me that the cholic  had been
coming on him for a considerable time before the stage
stopped.  By the time I arrived, his misery  was so ex-
treme,  that he repeatedly  exclaimed, "I  must die,
unless immediate relief be given me."  After adminis-
tering all  the usual remedies, winch are enumerated
under  the head  Cholic, without  giving him much
relief; I commenced administering glysters of water
pleasantly warm; and on the first being thrown up the
bowels, he received more relief than had  been pro-
duced by all other remedies  I had  tried.   He felt an
immediate exemption from pain, and after two or three
more had  been  given, a copious discharge by the stool
followed, and he was entirely restored.
  Glysters principally act by exciting the lower por-
tion  of  the intestinal tube,  and sometimes from  the
effects of sympathy.  In the latter  case the  discharges
are generally copious, or, in other words, of large quan-
tity ; and to produce these full discharges by stool, you
are frequently to repeat the glysters of warm w7ater, so
tempered as to be pleasant to  the feelings of the patient,
and in such quantities as the  bowels will  bear.  I have
continued to give these  injections of warm water for
an hour or more in many  instances, before I could
overcome  or subdue spasm or cholic; and in cases of
great constipation, (which means that the bowels are
so bound up that the patient  cannot have a  stool,) the
water is to be  thrown up as far as possible, and  the
edges of the fundament pressed together as  you draw
out the pipe of the instrument, so that the glyster may
be prevented from returning until it has  produced the
intended effect.  When I have had cases of the kind I
have mentioned, after throwing the warm water up the
bowels  as far as possible, I have always closed the fun- 
744
GLYSTERS.
dament on drawing out the pipe: because without thin
necessary precaution, in very many instances, the water
would return with as much rapidity as it was thrown
up.  You will therefore see the necessity of following
my example, and the directions I have just laid down:
and you are  in all cases of danger to repeat the glysters
of pleasantly warm w7ater, as often, and in such quanti-
ties as the bowels will admit.
  The best  method of administering glysters in ex-
treme cases,  is first to give  purgative  medicines in the
usual manner, and as directed  under the different com-
plaints mentioned in this work ; and when it becomes
necessary to  use glysters, to give  them  so as to assist
the medicines taken  into the stomach in their opera-
tion.  For instance, when  you give a purge  in  the
usual way, you know7 that it will require  some time to
operate: now, if you wish to  hasten  the operation of
this  medicine, give a  glyster  or two of  warm w7ater,
especially in spasm, croup, or costiveness, and you will
find  yourself speedily  relieved of the spasm or cholic :
because the water will soften the hardened excrements
in the bow7els, and assist in bringing off any undigested
food which may have  remained in them. Whenever
a purgative medicine has been given, and you adminis-
ter a glyster  in proper time to assist its operation, the
alimentary  canal is  soon   completely  evacuated,  or
cleared of its contents.  I have somewhere before told
you, that there are hard lumps of excrement in the
lower bowels, which  require to be  removed  by the
finger of the physician, or by an instrument calculated
for the purpose: now, your own good sense will always
teach you, that these  glysters will always, soften the
concretions or lumps of excrement alluded to, and give
you  relief by a stool. 
GLYSTERS.
745
  In fevers and inflammations, any man of common
judgment  must know, that  glysters made of slippery
elm bark, which I have frequently directed and admi-
nistered, must and will tend to cool the whole system,
allay the heat and  irritation of the bowels, and gently
assist  the operation of the medicine which had been
given.   They will also produce a determination to the
skin, which means a gentle moisture or sweat.  I have
told  you that tepid or wTarm water always opens the
bowels ; but the very reverse of this practice is some-
times resorted to, in desperate circumstances, and with
great advantages, by some of the  most distinguished
physicians.  In some cases of very obstinate constipa-
tion, the meaning of  which has been  sufficiently ex-
plained, relief has frequently been obtained, when  all
other remedies had failed, by a glyster of the coldest
water, even of iced water.   In such  extreme cases,
how7ever, when all other means have  failed, and the
constipated state of the bowels  is likely to prove fatal.
the  last resort is,  (and  you are only to adopt it in
such cases,) to dissolve from  twenty to sixty grains of
the emetic tartar in water, and give  it as a glyster:
ipecacuanha may be used in place of  emetic tartar,
and is sometimes preferred for safety.   In the  nume-
rous cases  of constipation and cholic  to which I have
been called, and some of them very dangerous, I have
never been compelled to use  more than twenty grains
of emetic tartar in the glysters I have mentioned : and
even when this quantity is  to  be  used, it ought to be
administered under the  direction of a  physician, and
never but in extreme cases, and as the last alternative.
I shall here mention a  remedy for the cholic, which
has lately  been discovered, and winch is said  to give
immediate relief.  Give by the mouth fifteen grains 
746
GLYSTERS.
of calomel and two grains of tartar emetic, which you
are  to mix in honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup.
  In common cases of constipation, when the bowels
are  not easily moved  so  as to produce a stool; or in
cholic, arising from indigestion, or from having taken
some improper food into  the stomach, or from  having
gone some time without a passage, if you wish to has-
ten  the operation  of a purge, or if the stomach is too
weak to bear one, all that is required is a simple laxa-
tive glyster, made of  two table-spoonsful of castor oil,
or sweet oil, mixed with the same quantity of molasses,
and put into about a pint of pleasantly warm water, to
which you  may add a table-spoonful of common salt,
if you wish the glyster somewhat stimulating.   This
is a simple and innocent glyster, requiring nothing for
its  administration  but the instrument for injecting it
into the bow7els, which will hereafter be described, with
the  method of making glysters, either  simple or more
active as the complaint may require.
  Glysters are frequently used in  dysentery or flux, to
soothe and  quiet the  bowels, relieve the  pain, and re-
strain the too great frequency of the stools.   In these
cases, the glysters are to be mixed with some lauda-
num, and mucilage, such as slippery elm tea.   I  have
mentioned these things under their  proper heads, and
in such complaints as require  their use.  See Cholic,
page 210 ; Cholera Morbus, page 213 ; and Dysentery,
page 322, together with many other cases in which
glysters are recommended.
  There are many persons, both men and women, who
are  constitutionally subject to costiveness: by which I
mean,  being bound in their bowels so that they cannot
have their regular stools.  This costiveness arises from
a variety of causes: such as diseased liver, indigestion, 
GLYSTERS.
747
torpor of the bowels, and  from improper food being
taken into the stomach and bowels, which will always
produce spasms  or  cholic pains;  for remember this,
that whenever your stomach and bowels are disorder-
ed,  you will become costive, your head will be con-
fused and otherwise distressed, your spirits will become
low and  dejected, and  the whole train of hypochon-
driacal feelings  and sensations will haunt you.  All
these last symptoms can easily be relieved by a simple
glyster, made of equal quantities  of milk  and  wrater,
and thrown  up  the bowels; for by this your bowels
will be relieved of their load, w7hich always produces
irritation, and your mind and feelings soon experience
an agreeable change. You, who are always taking me-
dicines to keep your bowels open, and whose stomachs
are becoming exhausted  and worn  out by medical
drugs, let me advise and entreat you, as a friend and
physician, who has  witnessed throughout France the
great and surprising benefits arising from this  simple
operation, to abandon the idea  of constantly  taking
medicines.  Your good sense must teach you, if you
will give yourselves time for reflection, that they must
and will eventually destroy the coats of the stomach,
and vitally impair its powers; and that when you do
really require medicines to subdue disease, your  system
will have become so habituated to them as to require
tremendous  doses; or so  completely worn down by
their constant use, as to produce no effect.  In France
there  is  scarcely a family unprovided with an  instru-
ment  for glystering, which is always used when there
is the  slightest obstruction or costiveness of the bowels.
These people mostly use a simple glyster of milk and
water, and  sometimes water alone ; in  summer  they
use cold w7ater, and in  winter, water pleasantly warm 
748
GLYSTERS.
It is to the warm bath, and to the common use of glys-
ters, that are to be attributed  in  a  great degree, the
cheerful disposition-, the uniform health, and the prac-
tical philosophy with  which these  people bear the
hardships and misfortunes of life ;  in fact, if you  take
from a French physician the warm bath, and the glys-
ter  pipe, he cannot practise  medicine with any kind
of success.  The importance of glysters, both  in the
hands of physicians and families, has become so well
known, and is  now so highly valued, as  to call forth
the commendations of the most eminent physicians of
both Europe and America.
  The old plan of administering gtysters was by an
assistant; it was both inconvenient and indelicate, and
has been measurably superseded, except in cases of in-
fancy and extreme weakness, by a new and valuable
invention, called a  self-pipe.   The common method of
using the old glyster pipe, is as follows:—You are to
take a  beef or hog's bladder which has been blown up
and suffered to get dry; and  after inserting or fastening
a short hollow reed or quill in it, cut off at both ends
of the barrel, you are to put  the glyster itself into the
bladder.   The end  of the  reed  or  quill, or of the
glyster pipe of the  shop, (if you use one,) is now to be
covered with some oil or  lard, and gently put  up the
fundament about an inch, by an assistant, and the sides
of the  bladder  squeezed  together gradually,  so as to
throw its contents as far as possible up the bowels: but
a full description of the particular  mode of glystering
in this  way will be given in the sequel, or conclusion.
  The new invention consists of a pewter syringe or
pipe, called a self-pipe; the meaning of which  is, a
pipe that can be used  without an assistant.   It  is so
constructed as to be used by yourself, or by an assistant, 
GLYSTERS.
749
 if you  are  so  weak as to require one.   The pewter
 syringe holds  nearly a quart;  and by a screw a long
 pipe  is connected  to  the syringe, which holds the
 glyster itself.   All that is required is to put the small
 tube  into the fundament, and gradually to bear on the
 handle of the syringe, which, as you bear down steadily,
 throws the glyster up  the bowels.  The force  with
 which  the  glyster is thrown up the bowels depends
 on the  pressure of the handle of the pipe.   You are
 to recollect that force, unless it be very gentle and
 steady,  is never to be used;  all you  have  to  do  is to
 press  gradually on the handle of the syringe, by which
 you will feel the distension of the Bowels as the glyster
 is thrown up.  When a glyster is to be thrown up by
 an assistant, the long pipe or tube is to be  unscrewed,
 and a shorter one made  for the purpose, screwed on,
 which is to be used as  a common squirt, on which
 principle it acts.  And I trust from  the great advan-
 tages  to be derived from this  valuable instrument,
 which in very many instances has even saved life, that
 no family in this country will long be without one.   I
 shall now state the manner of administering a glyster,
 in such a way that it may  be understood by any per-
 son possessed of the least judgment.
   In giving a glyster by an assistant, the patient is  to
 be laid on the edge of the bed, with the bottom a little
 over the edge, and the knees drawm up near the belly.
 The pipe is  then to be taken,  the finger placed before
it to keep in the contents until applied to  the funda-
 ment.   The pipe is to be pushed up very gently; the
operator's hand near  the  thighs, a  little  backwards
towards the backbone, and then the contents are to be
forced out by gently pushing the handle of the syringe
with one hand, while  with the other the syringe is 
750                 GLYSTERS.
firmly held; or if the bladder and pipe are used, there
is nothing to do but to introduce the pipe to the funda-
ment as just described, and  to gradually and gently
squeeze the bladder, so as to empty the contents into
the bowels.  Glystering is one of the  most powerful,
innocent, mild, and beneficial remedies known in  the
science and practice of medicine.
                    FRICTION.
   Friction, in medicine, means the  act of rubbing a
 diseased part with a soft brush, a coarse linen cloth, or
 with flannel, or by rubbing in the body or diseased
 parts, oil, unguents, and other matters, in order to ease.
 relieve, and cure them.  This exercise or rubbing con-
 tributes remarkably  to  the  health,  particularly  of
 sedentary persons; for it excites and kindles the natural
 warmth,  diverts  defluctions, promotes  perspiration,
 opens  the pores, and tends  to  dissipate stagnant hu-
 mours.   This operation is also particularly beneficial
 to the nervous, debilitated, and studious, being a useful
 substitute for other exercises.  Hence, I recommend
 to such individuals to spend half an hour  every morn-
 ing and evening in rubbing  their whole bodies, espe-
 cially their limbs, with the brush or flannel.  It ought,
 however, to be observed, that this practice will  be  of
 the greatest service when the stomach and bowels are
 empty.   Lastly, I venture to assert, that the most im-
 portant  purposes to which friction may  be  rendered
subservient in the animal economy, have hitherto been
almost entirely neglected.  I am convinced from ex-
perience, that medicated frictions, or the  introduction
of the most active medicines  into the  human system, 
FRICTION.
751
by rubbing them  in  properly on  the  surface of the
body, is attended with the most happy effects, especially
in all chronic diseases.  Common sense appears to have
long since  pointed out  this excellent method of ad-
ministering medicines,  even to the Indian  savages,
though it is little practised in the United States, where
the stomach is doomed to be the field of battle for de-
ciding commotions  and  irregularities in our  com-
plicated frames.  But who is hardy enough  to  main-
tain, that the digestive organ was by nature destined to
become the exclusive vehicle of drugs, and to serve as
their common laboratory.
                     ISSUES.
  Issues are small ulcers or sores, formed by artificial
means, in various parts of the body, for the purpose of
procuring discharges of matter, considered beneficial
in many diseases.  They  were formerly considered
merely as drains, to carry off noxious or foul humours
from the blood, and were therefore opened as near the
affected part as practicable.   But,  as it is now7 w7el!
known that they produce benefit, as well by sympathy
as by acting as a drain, they are usually placed where
they will be the least dangerous  and  inconvenient.
The most proper parts to place them in, are between
the ribs, on either side of the back bone, in the hollow
above the inner side of the knee, in the outer and fore-
part of the  shoulder, in the nape of the neck ;  in fact,
wherever there  is cellular substance  enough for the
entire protection of the parts underneath.  They must
never be placed  near any blood-vessel of a large size,
nor over a tendon, or  thinly covered  bone,  nor over 
752
ISSUES.
what is called the belly of a muscle.   There are three
kinds of them;  the  seton or cord, the pea or pepper
issue, and the blister issue.
  When you take off a blister, and wish to convert the
sore into an issue, a discharge of matter  can easily be
kept up  for any length of  time, by dressing the part
once a  day with any ointment  mixed  with  a little
powdered Spanish flies.  If the discharge is too small,
put a little more of the Spanish flies into it; and if too
large, put a little less into the ointment, or desist from
using the ointment for a  few days, until the discharge
be sufficiently diminished.  This is called  the blister
issue.
  When  you want w7hat is called the pea or pepper
.issue, you must make an incision, or cut with a lancet,
large enough to admit  one or more peas or grains of
pepper, or any thing else that will keep the sore run-
ning.  When this opening is made with a lancet, or
any other sharp instrument, the skin must  be  pressed
or pinched up together, and the cut made of sufficient
size to admit the substance to be put into it. The em-
ployment of caustic, however, is the best mode of open-
ing an issue: this caustic is the lapis infcrnalis of the
drug shops.  The caustic must be made into a kind of
paste, with a little soft-soap or water.  You are then to
put on in adhesive  or  sticking plaster, with a hole in
the middle of it;  and in this hole, on the skin, you are
to spread the caustic paste, and cover it with another
sticking plaster, to keep the paste from spreading.  In
four days the place  will  become sore, and separate so
as to admit whatever you  may choose to place in it,
for the purpose of keeping it running.
  The seton  or cord  issue is always made when a large
quantity of matter is required to be discharged ; it is 
ISSUES.
753
frequently put in the back of the neck, for diseases of
the head and eyes, and betw7een the ribs for complaints
of the breast.   The cord which is to  be introduced,
ought to be of cotton and silk threads, either not twist-
ed together, or very loosely twisted.   A part of the
cord must then be besmeared and smoothed with some
kind of ointment, and passed through the skin and part
of the flesh, leaving a few inches of the cord hanging
out on each side, to be moved backward every day for
the purpose of keeping it running.
OUNN 48 
      DISPENSATORY;
                  OR,

CLASSIFICATION OF  MEDICINES.
  The  medicines  required  for common and useful
purposes are very few in number, compared with the
hundreds you see displayed in doctors' shops for mere
show, or because they possess some simple and inno-
cent virtues.  I assert, it wuthout fear of contradiction,
that more than one-half of the medicines now in  use
could be very easily dispensed with, and not the least
inconvenience be felt for  the w7ant of them   When
you see an extensive drug store filled with drugs, tinc-
tures, essences, &c. &c. &c, it always ought to remind
you of a dinner table, covered with many unnecessary
dishes, w7here two of  the substantial  ones, properly
cooked, would answer the  same purpose.  This hint
will  be sufficient to apprize you that, there are many
different  medicines which produce the same effects on
the human system, and consequently that there are  a
great many which  are absolutely useless: and  the
choice of which, even  by  physicians, depends not so
much on the characteristics or nature of the diseases,
as on the particular caprice or partiality of the physi-
cian himself.
  Under the  head of each disease I have mentioned
the principal  medicines now in use to effect the cure,
and also those which are held in the highest estimation
by the most distinguished medical men.   But, as  the
                                        754 
DISPENSATORY.              755
classification of several that may be useful to those who
have but a limited  range  of selection, I shall proceed
to classify and describe them as minutely as my limits
will admit.
  You will recollect that w7hen you are in the habit of
taking medicine often, or any particular medicine fre-
quently, your system will become so habituated to the
effects,  that large and more increased doses will be
required to produce the usual effects.   This doctrine
is proven to you by those who have long been accus-
tomed  to the use of opium, spirits, or even tobacco.
" Man is the creature of habit," and can easily bring his
system  to bear, by slow degrees, medical drugs which
would  in the first instance produce death.  By this
rule you are to remember that, in giving medicine, you
are to vary it in  larger or smaller doses, according  to
the strength or weakness of the  patient, as your good
sense and  discretion may dictate.  What would  at
times act only as a good purge,  would in other cases,
and where the patient is weakly and delicate, be  pro-
ductive of fatal consequences.  Therefore, always take
the constitution, the state or condition of the person,
and the particular character of the disease into consi-
deration, before  you administer medicines.
             EMETICS OR PUKES.
  These are medicines which on being received into
the stomach produce vomiting or puking.  They are
called  emetics  by ph\rsicians, and are given in a great
variety of cases, which you will see enumerated in the
body of this work.  Their operation will always  be
increased and rendered much easier by drinking milk 
756
DISPENSATORY.
or blood-warm water in considerable  quantities, after
the first operation.
  Ipecacuanha.—This is the  mildest of pukes: the
dose for a grown person is from fifteen to tw7enty grains,
dissolved in warm water; say, five or six spoonsful:
give one spoonful every ten minutes until it operates.
  Tartar Emetic.—This is my favourite puke.  You
will always find it of superior efficacy  in bilious fevers.
It is the most generally used by physicians in produc-
ing full and copious vomiting or puking.  A dose for a
grown person is from  five to six grains, which you are
to dissolve in five or six table-spoonsful  of warm water,
and one table-spoonful of which you are to take every
ten minutes, until it operates.
  Antimonial  Wine.—This is nothing more  than tar-
tar emetic dissolved in wine.  This dose is two or three
tea-spoonsful given every ten or fifteen minutes, until
it operates.  Antimonial wine is made as follows:—
Just dissolve forty grains of emetic tartar in a  large
wine-glass of warm water, (which is about two ounces
of water.)  After the emetic tartar is  dissolved, add  to
this water about half a pint of Teneriffe wine:  after
standing a few hours it will be fit for use.
  In cases where an  emetic  or puke  is necessary for
children, antimonial wine is  nearly always given  to
them, and that too at a very  early age.  I have  never
hesitated, when necessary, to give it to children  when
first born, to relieve difficult respiration or  breathing,
where there was an  accumulation of phlegm.  The
dose in such cases ought not to be more than one  or
two drops; this medicine, however, is much oftener
given  to children of more  advanced age.   At any
period under one year of age, and over four months,
the dose, when intended to produce vomiting, is from 
DISPENSATORY.
757
five to  ten  drops, according to  the  necessities of the
case, w7hich is to be repeated at short intervals of time,
until the effect is produced.  But, in  the  dangerous
disease  called croup, {and I wish you particularly to
recollect this.) a larger quantity of the antimonial wine
should be given, because there is in this disease a great
insensibility to the operation of emetics.  In an attack
of croup, therefore, you need not be afraid to give a
child six months old from twrenty-five to thirty drops,
every fifteen minutes.
   IVJiite Vitriol.—Of all the emetics or pukes known
in medicine, this is the quickest in  its  operation, and
ought always to be given in cases which  require an
immediate evacuation of the stomach : these cases are
generally those in which poisons have been swrallowed.
The dose is  from twenty to  thirty grains, in a cup of
warm water: this medicine  is called by physicians sul-
phate of zinc.
  The connexion of the stomach with every part of
the body, and the great pow7er it exercises over all por-
tions of the system, and particularly over  the brain,
have been fully explained to you: the fact is, as I have
before stated, that I consider the brain  as the father,
and the stomach as the mother of the system.  In con-
sequence of the very close connexion between the sto-
mach and head, emetics or pukes act as powerful and
valuable remedies, in all diseases connected with  the
brain and its dependencies.  They not only relieve  the
stomach by discharging its  acrid, vitiated, and some-
times oppressive contents; but they  at the  same time
promote the secretion and evacuation of bile.  They
also powerfully  promote a determination to the sur-
face, by which I mean perspiration  or sweating:  the
fact is, that  a moisture  can  be produced on the skin, 
758
DISPENSATORY.
either by vomiting or puking, or by the mere nausea
or sickness of the stomach, arising from emetics given
in proper doses.  I have not space here to enumerate
all the advantages arising from emetics; they will be
found under the different heads of diseases, as  treated
in this work.
  I will now give you some directions as to the admi-
nistration of emetics in particular cases and states of the
system.  If the  person  to whom you  wish to give a
puke, is of a full and fat habit of body, with a short
neck, a great determination of blood to the head, you
should draw some  blood from the arm before giving
the puke.   By doing this you will render the puking
easy and copious, and prevent  all danger of apoplexy
from too great a  determination of blood to the head of
the patient.  Dr. Chapman, one of the professors of the
Medical School of Philadelphia, states  explicitly, and
in strong terms, that many lives have been endangered.
and some actually sacrificed for want of this necessary
precaution of bleeding.   In all cases where the neces-
sity of a puke is  urgent, and especially where poisons
have been swallowed, give a full dose of emetic medi-
cine at once; but in common  cases you may give an
emetic in broken doses as I have directed: this will
prevent too great violence in the operation.
  You  should, if convenient, alw7ays give an emetic on
an empty stomach, and in the morning; because at this
time it will always act with greater certainty and effect,
and with much less distress to the patient.   When you
find that an emetic acts too severely, and you wish to
check the operation, give from twenty to thirty drop*
of laudanum in a little toddy, and  apply cloths wrung
out of warm w7ater to the pit of the stomach:  or you
may apply stewed  garden mint  to  the stomach; or 
DISPENSATORY.
759
drink thin chicken soup with some salt in it, so as to
turn the operation downward.  If these measures fail,
give a glyster,  in  which you are to put double the
quantity  of laudanum usually given by the mouth:
and if this also fails, put a large blister over the pit of
the stomach, and poultices to the feet, made of pounded
mustard seed, corn-meal, and  vinegar.   The quantity
of laudanum I have mentioned has reference to grown
persons, and not to children.  In all cases consult the
table of medicines.
            ACTIVE PURGATIVES.
  These are such medicines as purge freely.   When
you  use  them with  the intention  that they shall act
mildly on  the bowels, and only keep them  gently
open, they are called laxatives by physicians: the me-
dicines are  usually mixed with honey, molasses, or any
kind of syrup that is convenient; their operation is
always promoted by mild drinks, such as  thin gruel
pleasantly warm, or any kind of warm tea.   If at any
time you take a  purgative  medicine, such as calomel,
for instance, and it should not operate in due  time, it
will always be proper to assist  the  operation by some
one of the laxative medicines.
  Calomel.—A purgative ; the dose for a grown person
is. from fifteen to twenty grains: and  I new again, for
the last time, tell you, that small doses of this medicine
act more unkindly than large  ones.  In a  reasonable
dose, calomel will  work off without  assistance, while
in a small dose, it is liable to remain in the system if
not removed by the assistance of laxative medicines. I
am now speaking of the calomel when given with  the
intention of purging. 
760
DISPENSATORY.
   Calomel and jalap: purgative;  ten grains of each,
mixed with honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup, is a
dose for a  grown  person.  This valuable preparation
was a favourite with the celebrated Dr. Rush ; he ge-
nerally gave it in fevers:  it both purges and  sweats
freely.  Twenty grains of each, mixed as above, is a
dose for a grown person.
   Calomel and  gamboge: purgative; ten  grains of
calomel, and  three  grains  of  gamboge  mixed with
honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup, is a dose for a
grown person: it is a valuable and  active  purge, given
in bilious fevers.
   Lee's antibilious pills: purgative; they are made of
five grains  of calomel, ten grains of jalap, two grains of
gamboge, and half a  grain of tartar emetic.  This is a
valuable preparation, and very easily made; and  the
information I have given  will  enable you  to prepare
these pills yourself, and always to have them fresh for
use.  Those obtained from the stores are generally old
hard, and dry, and do not operate as if fresh and newly
made.
   Cook's pills: a  valuable  purge, particularly when
the liver is diseased, and in female complaints where
obstructions  and  irregularities take  place  in   the
monthly discharges.   These pills are made with equal
quantities of rhubarb, aloes, and calomel, ground fine,
w7ell mixed together, and made into pills of a common
size, with  a little  honey or syrup.  A dose  of these*
pills for a grown person consists of three or four, which
operate  freely as a purge.  These pills  may be fre-
quently taken, until the desired effect is produced.
  Salts, senna and manna: purgative; take of each
of these articles half an ounce, and put them into  a
pint of hot water: after which you are to cover  the 
DISPENSATORY.
761
vessel in which you  make the preparation.   For a
grown person, take of this a tea-cupful every hour until
it operates freely.
  Salts and tartar emetic: purgative; to a common
dose of salts, add one grain of emetic tartar: this is a
very valuable purge to remove bile.
  May-apple, jalap, rhubarb: purgatives; the roots of
these plants act,  in doses from  thirty to  fifty  grains
each, taken separately, as an effective purge.  If either
of these roots are given with  calomel, the dose should
be from five to ten or fifteen  grains of calomel,  mixed
with  about twenty grains of the May-apple, jalap, or
rhubarb root well pounded.
                  LAXATIVES.
  These  are  medicines  which gently  open  the
bowels.
  Castor oil, an innocent and valuable  medicine; the
dose for a grown  person is from two  to three table-
spoonsful.   The most agreeable  way  of  taking  this
laxative oil is in coffee, or a little spirits of any kind.
  Sweet oil, generally called olive oil.  It acts  on the
bow7els the same as castor oil.  The dose for a grown
person is from two to three table-spoonsful: like castor
oil, you may take it in a little spirits or coffee.
  Charcoal in powder.—This  is  one  of  the  most
valuable and innocent  medicines  we possess, particu-
larly for persons labouring under dyspepsia or indiges-
tion.  To persons of a costive habit of body, the use of
pounded charcoal is invaluable, from its always keep-
ing the bowels open and  regular.   The dose for a
grown person is one table-spoonful mixed with honey,. 
762
DISPENSATORY.
milk, or cold water.  The preparation of charcoal a?
a medicine  is  very simple.   It consists in  merely
burning the charcoal used by smiths,  over again:
to do which, you are to place it in an  iron vessel, and
expose it to a hot fire until it becomes of a red heat;
then suffer it to cool, pound it very  fine, and  put it in
a dry bottle, which is to be tightly corked.  This is the
w7hole secret of preparing charcoal for medicinal pur-
poses.   It is an excellent medicine  in  all  depraved
conditions of the stomach, and it  will also check the
violent vomitings or puking which accompany bilious
and  yellow  fevers; and I will  now disclose to you a
secret respecting the use of charcoal, which is probably
unknown  to the  physicians  of  the United States.
Whilst I was at Havana, a city in the  island  of Cuba,
I discovered the secret by which the Spanish physicians
check and relieve the  approaching symptoms of black
vomit in yellow7 fever: the medicinal preparation is
charcoal and oil of turpentine mixed;  but  I could
never ascertain the quantity of each.   This  matter,
how7ever, can easily be ascertained by experiment.
  Magnesia, calcined.—Two tea-spoonsful of  this me-
dicine is a dose for a grown person ; it must be taken
in half a tumbler of cold water.  If you take uncalcined
magnesia,  a  table-spoonful will be required as  a dose.
This medicine corrects acidity of  the stomach,  and
gently opens the bowels.   It is also well adapted to
women in a family way, and to persons afflicted with
dyspepsia  or indigestion.   A  dose  taken at  bedtime
will generally afford  to dyspeptic persons a  pleasant
night's rest,  by aiding the digestive powers.
  Cream of tartar.—This is a cooling and innocent
laxative medicine, and is remarkably well adapted to
the  warm season.   It may be taken in cold water 
DISPENSATORY.
763
sweetened with sugar.   The dose for a grown person,
is a table-spoonful in a tumbler of w7ater.
  Manna.—This is the most innocent  laxative medi-
cine made use of in the practice of physic.  On account
of its  extreme  mildness  in operation,  it is  better
adapted to infants than any purgative known.   Used
as a laxative, it is seldom given to grown persons alone,
but generally combined or mixed with senna:  the com-
pound is called senna and  manna.   If the manna be
given alone, the dose for a grown person is from one to
tw7o ounces, dissolved in hot water.  If you give it
combined with senna, half an ounce of manna, with
the same quantity of senna made into a tea, with about
a pint of boiling water, is the dose for a grown person.
[See the heads Senna and Manna in the index.]
  Flour of sulphur.—This is  nothing but brimstone.
purified and powdered very fine.   From one tea-spoon-
ful to ten, or about the same quantity given in broken
doses three times a day, will moderately purge a grown
person.
  Whenever any of the above  purgative or laxative
medicines purge too much, and the patient is becoming
weak, if you wish to check the operation, you are to
give a dose of laudanum, from twenty to thirty drops:
or you  may give a glyster, in which you are to put
double the quantity of laudanum taken by the mouth,
and at the same time apply hot  cloths, w7rung out of
boiling  water, as warm  as they can  be borne, to the
stomach of the patient: either of these measures  will
stop the operation of these medicines.
  In some cases, from the  bow7els being torpid, medi-
cines of a purgative nature will not produce a passage.
In such cases, you  are to  wait  a reasonable  time for
their operation; if they do not operate, you are to give 
764
DISPENSATORY.
glysters.   [For instructions, see head Glysters, in in-
dex.]   If  these  means  fail, as they  sometimes do,
instead  of  giving heavy  doses  of  medicine by  the
mouth, give glysters of warm water, and at  the same
time pour the coldest water over the  belly of the pa-
tients.   Sailors, when at sea, and when they have no
medicine on board, frequently relieve themselves from
costiveness of  the bowels, by merely lying with their
bellies  over the butt of  the cannon,  the coldness of
which  seldom fails to produce a strong disposition to
stool.  In severe constipation of  the bowels, when the
common remedies fail to  procure a passage or stool,
give a mixture of castor oil and oil of turpentine, of
each half  an  ounce at one dose, and if it  does  not
operate in due time you are to repeat the same.  This
powerful and valuable discovery has been lately used
with great  success in the  city of New York.
                 STIMULANTS.
  Stimulants are medicines which excite the whole
system into action; the best of winch are our common
spirituous liquors, intended by Divine  Providence as
medicines, but which we abuse in their employment
as luxuries of  daily use, by which they are converted
into poisons, pregnant with deadly mischief; destroy-
ing the reasoning faculties, and entailing upon the un-
fortunate devotee a train of corporeal afflictions which
infallibly  eventuate  in  his  premature  dissolution.
They are, therefore, to  be regarded as a curse rather
than a blessing upon posterity and  a nation.  It is a
fact certainly known to those who are in the habit of
constantly usiug stimulants, that they require to be fre- 
DISPENSATORY.
765
quently administered, or  else they lose their power:
that w7hen the system has for any length of time been
accustomed to those stimulants, it is necessary gradu
ally to increase the quantity, to produce the same action
upon the system which was excited by their early or
first use.  The stimulants generally considered medi-
cinal, or used in medicine, are as follows:
   Sulphuric Ether.—This is a  valuable stimulant in
cases of great debility or weakness, in hysterical cases.
in  cramp of  the  stomach, in  checking vomiting or
puking, in allaying sea-sickness, and discharging wind
from the stomach.   Externally applied to the head, it
will greatly assist in relieving headach.  Ether is to
be kept well corked, or it will lose its strength; and
when it is taken, it must be drank as quick as possible
after it is mixed with water, or it will  lose  the  power
or effect it is intended to produce.   Dose, from  one to
three tea-spoonsful, mixed in  a stem  or wine-glass of
cold water.
   Spirits of Hartshorn.—This  is a strong  and active
stimulant; it is generally used in hysterical complaints,
and nervous headach, and  is also a valuable  remedy in
dyspepsia.  See  page 280.  By the alkaline  property
which it possesses, it neutralizes acid in  the stomach, at
the same  time communicating  strength to that organ.
In all extreme cases of debility of the stomach, attend-
ed with vomiting and spasms, as is frequently the case
with habitual drunkards,  hartshorn Mill  be  found a
most valuable remedy.  It will relieve  the sting of  the
bee, wasp, and other insects, by keeping the wounded
part wet with it.   Dose from  one to two tea-spoons-
ful.
   Opium, and the preparation  made from opium call-
ed laudanum, when given  in small doses, act as stimu- 
766
DISPENSATORY.
lants; when  given in larger doses, produce sleep and
relieve pain.   For a full  description of  both  these
articles, see head in index, and for doses, see table of
medicines.
  Spirit or Oil of Turpentine, when taken internally,
is one of the most active and diffusible stimulants, per-
vading the whole extent of the system, but with greater
force to certain parts;  and in cases where  the bowels
are obstinately constipated  or bound ; in puerperal, or
child-bed fever, and in  epileptic fits, particularly w here
these complaints are brought on by worms, it also acts
as an evacuant or purge.   The  dose  is from three to
four tea-spoonsful alone, or with a  small  portion  of
water.
  Spirit of Lavender.—This is a mild  and pleasant
stimulant, and is generally administered  to females in
hysterical affections.   When mixed with sulphuric
ether in equal quantities, it is valuable in  debility, or
weakness  of the system.   The  dose of lavender alone
is three tea-spoonsful.
  There is nothing more  difficult  in the  practice of
medicine, than to determine when it is proper to pre-
scribe stimulants: nor is it possible for me here to point
out to you the exact time, or to give further light  on
the subject, than  in advising you to be guided  by the
state of the system ; and avoid their application during
fever, as they invariably increase it; and  never pre-
scribe them in any case, until proper evacuations have
been made.  It is only in the protracted  and  feeble
stage of diseases, that they can be resorted to with any
hope of advantage.  By watching their operation, you
can readily perceive by the absence or presence of the
following  symptoms, whether  their  administration is
proper or not: pain in the head ; delirious wanderings, 
DISPENSATORY.
767
or,  in  other  words,  the patient talks  wildly;  great
watchfulness; stricture, or tightness of  the  breast:
restlessness and anxiety, with a hot, dry skin, parched
tongue, and a quick, small, and corded pulse.   Upon
the appearance of any, or all of the above symptoms,
you are immediately to desist in the use of stimulants.
                  ANODYNES.
  Anodynes are those medicines which ease pain and
procure sleep.
  Opium is given in doses of from two to five grains.
See table of medicines ;  and also for a full description
of opium, see that head.
  Laudanum is made by dissolving an ounce of opium
in a pint of good spirits of any kind—it is  generally
fit for use in five or six days. Fifty drops of laudanum
are equal to two grains of opium.  For doses of  this,
or anj7 other medicine, refer to the table of medicines.
  Paregoric is made by  adding half  a drachm of opi-
um, or one ounce of laudanum to a pint of spirit of any
kind, and mixing with them half a drachm of flowers
of benzoin, the same quantity of the oil of anise seed,
and one scruple  of camphor.   The dose is three or
four tea-spoonsful.  For the different ages refer to the
table of medicines.
              ANTISPASMODICS.
  Antispasmodics  are medicines which are given
to remove  spasms or cramps,  and generally used by
physicians for this purpose. 
768
DISPENSATORY.
  Opium or Laudanum, in doses depending on the ex-
treme urgency or danger of the case.
  Hot Toddy is made with* spirits, hot water, and
sweetened with sugar.
  Sulphuric Ether, dose from two tea-spoonsful  to a
table-spoonful, in half a cup of cold water.
  Asafcetida, dose, a lump weighing from eight to ten,
or even twenty grains, according to circumstances ; or
if you use the tincture, which is  nothing more than
asafcetida steeped in whisky, as follows: take  of asa-
fcetida, two ounces, and put it in a pint of old whisky,
or good spirits of any kind ; let it stand for ten days,
and the tincture is ready for use.  Dose from one tea-
spoonful to four, mixed in a little cold water.
  Essence  of Peppermint  is given in a large dose,
mixed with hot toddy.
  The best means for removing spasms are  the warm
bath—see page  160—bleeding  freely, and applying
cloths wrung out of hot water, or hot salt to the skin,
over the part wiiere cramp or spasm is seated
                    TONICS.
  Medicines wilich increase the tone of the muscu-
lar fibres, and thereby strengthen the whole body.
  Peruvian Bark.—This bark is obtained from South
America : there are three kinds—the red, the yellow,
and the pale.  The red bark, when pure, is the best.
It has, however, been ascertained  that the medicinal
properties of  our common dogwood are equal, if not
superior, to the imported bark.
  The dose, in substance, of the Peruvian bark, is from
two  to  four  tea-spoonsful, in a stem or wine-glass of 
DISPENSATORY.
769
 water, taken every three or four  hours, when there is
 no fever.  If it should disagree with the stomach, it
 may be given in decoction, by putting an ounce of the
 bark in a quart of hot water, to which add a little Vir-
 ginia snake root, frequently called black snake root,
 also, a small portion of cinnamon  or ginger.   When it
 becomes cold, you are to mix with it half a pint of the
 best Madeira or Teneriffe wine.  Dose, a  stem  or
 wine-glassful every two or three hours.
   Dogwood Bark, or Wild Cherry-tree  Bark, pound-
 ed fine and taken in doses of thirty or forty grains, are
 equal to the Peruvian bark.  I have been in the habit
 of using in my practice, equal  quantities of the barks
 of dogwood, wild cherry, and poplar, (I allude to the
 poplar of the forest.)  These three barks  steeped in
 good spirits of any kind, and administered in moderate
 doses, say three or four times a day, are superior in their
 tonic effects to any medicines I have ever used.  The
 bark of the poplar is one of the most valuable medi-
 cines we possess;  I can assert  from experience, that
 there is not in all the materia medica a more valuable
 and  certain remedy for the dyspepsia or indigestion,
 than poplar bark.  In hysterical complaints this bark,
 combined with a small  quantity of  laudanum, is  a
 valuable remedy.  In worms it has been prescribed to
 a child when convulsions or fits had taken place ; after
 taking a few doses, several dead worms were discharged
 with the stools.  The dose  of the  powder, to a grown
 person, is from  twenty grains to two drachms; or the
bark may be used in tincture: that is, steeped in spirits,
 or as a tea; its virtues are  always greatest when given
in substance or powder.
  Columbo Root is a  mild, but powerful tonic, com-
municating vigour to the stomach: when properly ad-
     GU.N.N 49 
770               DISPENSATORY.
ministered, it does not produce stricture, nausea, or, in
other words, sickness of the stomach, and oppression;
and is  well adapted to dyspeptics,  or  those  persons
labouring under indigestion ; for the stomach will bear
this substance with advantage, while most other tonics
produce disagreeable symptoms.  This  medicine will
also restrain or stop vomiting or puking:—it is fre-
quently substituted for Peruvian bark, in consequence
of its milder action on the .system.   Dose from ten to
twenty, or  thirty grains of the powder, in half a tea-
cupful of milk or cold water, three  times a day.  In
dyspeptic cases, or enfeebled digestion, small doses an-
swer better than large  ones.   The tincture is a useful
form of administering this medicine, which is prepared
as follows:—Take of  columbo root  three ounces;
bruise  it with a hammer;  put it in a quart of good
spirits of any kind, or good wine ; let it stand five days,
shaking it frequently ; then strain it, and  it is fit for use:
it  should be taken occasionally  through  the day,  as
pleasantly prepared as  the stomach  is capable of re-
ceiving it.
   Nitric acid.—Read Diseases of the Liver, where you
will find a full description of this medicine.
   It is a  most  powerful tonic, particularly in chronic
affections of the liver, and where the constitution has
been much  injured by the use  of mercury, or  vene-
real diseases.  The best method of taking it is, to  make
a quart of cold water pleasantly sour with the medi-
cine, and add to it sugar  or any  kind of syrup, which
renders it agreeable to the taste, when it  may be drank
through  the day in  such  quantities as the stomach
will bear.  In taking this medicine, how7ever, it is best
to take it through  a quill, as the acid is apt to injure
the teeth. 
DISPENSATORY.
771
   Gentian Root.—This makes a strong and valuable
 bitter, and is much used in weakness of the stomach,
 and to increase the appetite.  Take two ounces of gen-
 tian root, one ounce of orange peel, and half an ounce
 of canella alba, put them in a quart of good spirits
 of any kind, or good Madeira or Teneriffe wine: after
 eight or ten days, shaking it frequently so as to extract
 their strength, it then yields a pleasant  and healthful
 bitter, and may be used at pleasure, or as the stomach
 may require  it.
   Virginia Snake Root, sometimes called black snake
 root, wormwood, tansy, camomile flowers, horehound,
 wild centaury (commonly called centry.) and hops; all
 of which yield  a  pleasant and innocent  bitter when  »
 made strong, by boiling, and then adding to the tea an
 equal quantity of  spirit: or as a  tincture by steeping
 them for several days in good spirit of any kind; these
 articles may be  used separately or mixed together, as
 you  may have it in your power to  procure them.
  Elixir Vitriol.—It is a very pleasant and useful to-
 nic ; it restores and strengthens the appetite, and gives
 tone to the digestive organs, and  restrains those sweats
 which frequently occur after severe fevers,  called by
 medical  men colliquative sweats, which means  those
 sweats which  melt down, as it were, the  strength of
 the body.  Elixir vitriol is one of the  most popular
 and  highly esteemed  medicines, for restraining he-
 morrhage, which means flooding from  the  uterus or
 womb, and  in haemoptysis, which means spitting of
 blood.  The dose is from fifteen to twrenty drops, every
 two  or three hours, mixed in a stem or  wine-glass of
cold water, or in as much water as will  make  it plea-
santly sour.
  Iron in its operation on the system evinces all the 
772
DISPENSATORY.
effects of a powerful  and permanent tonic; no medi-
cine, perhaps,  leaving behind it such lasting  impres-
sions.   It increases the activity and volume of  the
pulse, corrects the  state of the  blood and secretions,
and invigorates or strengthens the wiiole system.  The
numerous advantages arising from the use of iron, as
a medicine, are embraced within the sphere of chronic
debility.
  The chalybeate w7aters in which the western country
abounds, are springs impregnated with iron, and are
found  upon almost every  branch and  creek.   The
water of these valuable springs should be used  by per-
sons labouring under the following complaints; chloro-
sis,  which means green sickness;  in hypochondriasis,
commonly called vapours or low spirits; in hysterical
affections; the whites, (a disease  to w7hich women are
subject;) paralysis, or palsy; in scrofula, or king's-evil;
rickets in children;  and in dyspepsia or indigestion: for
information  respecting  the  foregoing diseases,  look
under the proper heads.   I have  now enumerated  the
various cases in which the chalybeate w7aters are bene-
ficial, as well as the  principal complaints in which iron
is employed.  When this medicine is used in substance,
it is generally obtained from the apothecary or doctor's
shops, in the form of rust of iron, and given in doses of
five or ten grains three times a day, mixed in syrup of
any kind. By putting a few grains of rust of iron in a
bottle filled  with common soda  wrater, it makes  as
valuable a chalybeate drink as the water of any of the
springs which  are impregnated with iron.   I again, for
the last time, tell you that  tonics must not be given
when they produce  fever. 
DISPENSATORY.
773
                   SUDORIFICS.
   Sudoripics are medicines which  produce free and
 copious sweating.  Diaphoretics are those which oc-
 casion only gentle perspiration or moisture of the skin,
   Tartar emetic, called by physicians tartarized anti-
 mony,  when given in small doses, so  as to produce
 slight sickness at the stomach, is more generally at-
 tended with perspiration, and is proper in fevers.
   Nitrous Powders.—To sixty grains of nitre, which
 is nothing more than saltpetre pounded  very fine ; add
 sixteen grains of calomel,  and  one grain  of tartar
 emetic: mix them w7ell together, and then  divide the
 compound into eight equal portions,  one of w7hich you
 are to give every two or three hours, in a little syrup of
 any kind.  If these powders should purge, which they
 sometimes do, you should omit or leave  out  the calo-
 mel.  The nitrous powders are considered a valuable
 medicine in bilious fever.
   Dover's Powder.—This powder is  one of  the most
 certain sudorifics, where it is  difficult by other means
 to produce a copious sweat.   The dose is from  five to
 twenty  grains, according as the person's stomach  and
 strength can  bear it.   It is proper to avoid much drink
 immediately after taking this medicine; for  by so
 doing it is apt to be vomited or puked up before it has
 had due time to operate as a  sweat.  The manner of
 preparing them is as follows, if you cannot obtain
 them already prepared at any apothecary or doctor's
shop:—Take of ipecacuanha,  in powder, and opium in
 fine powder, each one drachm ; vitriolated tartar or salt-
 petre, (either will do,) one ounce finely powdered ; you
are to be  very particular to  grind  all  these articles
together into the finest  powder; when thus ground as 
774
DISPENSATORY.
fine as it is possible, you have  prepared  and ready for
use this valuable medicine.  Opium intended to make
these powders ought to be pounded in a mortar,  per-
fectly fine, during the coldest weather, and kept for
this purpose in a bottle.   In warm weather, the opium
becomes too soft to admit of being reduced to powder.
Dover's pow7der is one of the most valuable remedies
we have for quieting the bowTels in dysentery or flux,
after proper evacuations have been made.
  Antimonial Wine and Spirits of Nitre.—Take equal
quantities of each and mix them together; the dose is
one, two, and three tea-spoonsful: if it inclines to vomit,
or puke, you are to  lessen the quantity of antimonial
wine  one-half, to two of the spirits of nitre.  This is
valuable in fevers to promote perspiration.
  Ipecacuanha given in small doses,  say one or  two
grains every  two or three hours,  mixed with a little
warm water or syrup, will excite perspiration.
  Seneca  snake-root, Virginia  snake-root,  butterfly-
weed; sometimes called pleurisy-root, dittany, bone-set,
(called by some thoroughwort,) these roots or herbs
are all valuable for their sweating  powers.  For a  full
description of each, refer to their different heads.
                 OINTMENTS.
  Simple Ointment.—This,  as its name  expresses, is
innocent, and merely intended to keep  the  parts soft,
and from  exposure to cold; made  by melting four
ounces of beeswax with half a pint of sweet oil; or in
ft less  quantity, observing the proportions.   Suet and
clear hog's lard will answer if the oil cannot be con-
veniently had. 
DISPENSATORY.
775
  Basilicum  Ointment.—Healing and exciting; used
in dressing sores.   It is made by melting one ounce of
beeswax, one ounce of resin, and an ounce and a half
of clean hog's lard together.
  Lead Ointment.—For dressing  sores of an inflam-
matory nature.  Pound very fine one drachm of sugar
of lead, and mix it well with six ounces of hog's lard.
  Red Precipitate Ointment.—This ointment is gene-
rally used for curing the itch; it is  also valuable for
old  sores on the legs, when applied in the dry powder,
after cleansing them well with Castile soap; it will also
destroy what is called proud flesh.   The way to make
this ointment, is to mix one  drachm of the powdered
precipitate with an ounce of hog's lard, and rub them
well together.
  Tar Ointment.—Used in diseases of the skin, par-
ticularly scald head; made by melting together equal
quantities of  tar and the best mutton suet.
  Jamestown Weed.—This valuable plant  (of which I
have given a  full  description, under  the proper head)
forms one of  the best ointments for piles and old sores;
it is made by first bruising, and then stewing the leaves
in hog's lard : and then straining it; the proportions in
which the leaves and lard are  to be mixed, are about
one part of the leaf to one of lard.
  Turner's Cerate.—This ointment which is so cele-
brated in burns, [for a full description of its extraordi-
nary virtues,  refer to that head.] is prepared as follows:
take of calamine in fine powder half a pound ;  beeswax
the same quantity; hog's lard one  pound; melt the
wax with the lard, and put it out in the air:  when it
begins to thicken, which it will do as it gets cool, mix
with it the calamine, and stir it well until  cold.
  When you inquire for this article at an apothecary 
776
DISPENSATORY.
©r doctor's  shop, ask for calamine  in  powder; it is a
mineral imported from England and Germany, and
found in mines intermingled with the ores of different
metals.
   Blistering Ointment.—Take of Spanish flies, called
medically cantharides, beeswax, resin and tallow, equal
quantities of each ; melt first the w7ax, resin, and tallow
together;  the flies are to  be taken and pounded very
fine, and mixed with the composition a little before  it
becomes entirely cold or firm.
   Tartar Emetic  Ointment.—Called by physicians,
Ointment of tartarized Antimony.  This is a valuable
external or outward stimulant, and  forms a most bene-
ficial  application in  all   deep-seated  inflammations,
especially of the chest.  It occasions a pustular erup-
tion on the skin, or, in other words, numerous pimples,
which discharge in  a short time; these discharges  or
runnings may be kept up by the occasional application
of the ointment, as expressed under that head.   The
method of making this ointment  is as follows: take  of
tartar emetic one drachm,  or two, if you wish to make
it strong—mixed well with one  ounce of hog's  lard,
and it is fit for use :  or, if you prefer it, sprinkle it on a
piece of leather, on w7hich an  adhesive  (commonly
called a strengthening) plaster, has been previously
spread, taking care not to cover the edges of the adhe-
sive plaster with the ointment, so as to prevent it from
touching and adhering, or sticking to the skin.
   Volatile Liniment.—This is a valuable  preparation,
to be rubbed on the skin  as an external stimulant  in
sore  throats, rheumatism,  spasms,  pains,  &c.   After
rubbing it  well  in, which should be continued from
tw7enty  minutes to  half an hour, flannel should  be
wrapped around the afflicted part.  Volatile  liniment 
DISPENSATORY.
777
is made by mixing equal quantities of spirits of harts-
horn and sweet oil;  by adding to this mixture a tea-
spoonful or two of laudanum,  the preparation will be
much improved in its efficacy in relieving pain.
                   MERCURY.
   I shall mention only such mercurial  medicines as
are daily and commonly used.
   Calomel is considered the most valuable of mercurial
medicines, in  every disease in  which I have  directed
its use in this work. Full, plain, and explicit directions
have been given as to the doses, and the effect intended
to be produced by this mineral, and the injuries which
frequently result from its improper use.
  Blue pill.—There is scarcely an indication to be ful-
filled,  says Dr. Chapman,  by mercury, the purgative
effect excepted, to which this preparation is not ade-
quate. It is much prescribed in cases where salivation
is demanded, and as an alterative, w7hich  you will  see
fully described in Diseases of  the Liver.  The blue
pill is made by triturating or rubbing quicksilver with
the conserve of roses, till the globules or  little balls
of mercury are entirely extinguished  or destroyed ;  the
pills should be so prepared as to contain about a grain
of the  metal; the dose in general is, a pill  in the morn-
ing, and one at night.  This is the  mildest preparation
of mercury, but it is by no means an inactive medicine.
The dose may be increased, if necessary,  to as high as
six pills.
  Mercurial Ointment—generally known by the peo-
ple of  the  country as oil of baze.    The old  plan of
preparing this ointment required great labour.  The 
778
DISPENSATORY.
following is a quick and effectual method of preparing
it: take an ounce and  a half of balsam of Peru, to
every pound of mercury ; triturate for ten minutes, and
the mercury will be not only extinguished, but appa-
rently oxydized.   Then add  the  proper proportions
of suet and lard to make an ointment.  As soon as the
whole is well mixed,  which  may be  done in three
minutes, the ointment has a fine  blue colour, and pos-
sesses full activity.
             SWAIM'S PANACEA.
  Tins medicine,  on its first appearance before  the
public, excited great hopes  of being an invaluable re-
medy for several complaints supposed to be incurable,
particularly  scrofula.   The Nhigh recommendations
which accompanied it, by  some  of the  most distin-
guished physicians  of Philadelphia, entitled it to some
confidence ;  and so much were its virtues appreciated,
that this medicine  sold for the extravagant price of five
dollars per  bottle;  its immediate and successful sales,
realized to Mr. Swaim a large fortune.   In due time,
however, like all patent medicines, it sunk into digni-
fied retirement, being nothing more than an old friend
with  a  new face:  its principal and component part
beins; the same as the French medicine called Rob Sv-
philitique, winch  is corrosive sublimate,  one  of  the
most active preparations of mercury.
  Swaim's Medicine is made from sarsaparilla, marsl
reed grass, borage flowers, senna, rose leaves, sassafras,
and winter green ;  these articles are boiled together in
water and strained off;  sugar  and honey are then
added, so as to form the consistence of syrup, when 
DISPENSATORY.
779
the most active mercurial preparation, corrosive sublU
male, is mixed with it*
  Tiie rob, in its effects, is similar to Swaim's  medi-
cine : its preparation, however, is more simple, and the.
addition of the  former adds  nothing to  its virtues.
B >th these medicines are only valuable in the second-
ary stages  of that dreadful disease which I have so
plainly described under the head Venereal.
                 LIVERWORT.
  Tins plant grows  so abundantly, and is so well
known in our country, that a description would be un-
necessary.  The excitement produced throughout the
United States in consequence of its  being a supposed
re nedy or cure for  consumption, led to a full investi-
gation of its virtues, when, like thousands of its prede-
cessors, it has only proved to be an innocent  palliative
remedy.  By using it as a tea, it assists expectoration,
or a discharge from the  lungs; allays the irritation of
the cough;  and, in some instances,  lessens the  fre-
quency of the hectic symptoms.  See head Consump-
tion.
                  MORPHINE.
  Tins article is the natural alkali of opium, and U
one of the most valuable of all the new alkalies that
have been discovered.  The results of the experience
of many  eminent  physicians of  France,  Germany,
Italy, and of this  country, clearly prove  that it is a
direct sedative, and  that its composing effects are  not 
780
DISPENSATORY.
succeeded by that disturbance of the brain and nervous
system, or general relaxation, which so frequently fol-
low the use of opium or laudanum.  It has been satis-
factorily ascertained that the bad effects of opium and
laudanum  are  produced  by a constituent  principle,
termed narcotin, which,  by irritating or disordering
the nervous system,  counteracts, particularly in nervous
subjects, the  anodyne  operation  of  the constituent
termed morphine. The  morphine being therefore freed
from  the narcotin,  acts immediately  as  an  anodyne;
and after its influence has run its  course, the  nervous
system  continues in a  calm slate. Its insolubility is
great in water; or, in other or plainer language, it pos-
sesses the quality of not being dissolved in a fluid ; and
its medicinal effects are not quickly obtained ; but dis-
solved in acid it becomes a most powerful and effica-
cious remedial agent.  The  acetic  acid and  the  citric
are the best.   Indeed, many preparations of opium
have been recommended to  the attention of the profes-
sion, as possessing the peculiar property of morphine;
as the black drop;  the sedative liquor of opium, &c.
But the acetate of morphine, taken in the form of pill,
or in solution, (see solution of the acetate of morphine,
page 782.) will produce the  desired effect, after they
have  either totally  failed or considerably aggravated
the malady, for the relief of which they had been given.
On analysis, all of them have been  found to contain the
baneful principle termed narcotin.   Several  salts of
morphine have been recommended by physicians of
France and England.  The citrate of morphine  is ex-
tolled as an efficacious anodyne by Dr. Porter, and is
most probably the black drop, as  he  gives a  formula
which approaches nearly to  that preparation ;  and  the
sulphate of morphine is preferred  by  others;  but  the 
DISPENSATORY.
781
acetate of morphine seems, however, to be the favourite
preparation with the most eminent physicians of this
country.
  The acetate of morphine  is unquestionably a most
valuable medicine  for allaying  spasms, either  in the
chest, the stomach,  or bowels; for diminishing pain at-
tendant on incurable local disease, particularly  of the
uterus, mammary glands, prostate glands, and rectum,
and  for  subduing  sympathetic  fever  attendant  on
serious  injuries, as fractures, bruises, lacerations, or
after a formidable operation.
  Dr. Gairdner, a scientific physician of London, states,
that in a severe case of spasmodic affection  of the sto-
mach and bowels, occasioned by an  incautious use of
iodine, the patient's life was  clearly saved by a quarter
of a grain of acetate of  morphine, given  every half
hour, after other preparations of opium were tried with-
out any beneficial effect,  and were not retained an in-
stant on the stomach."   The experienced and scientific
Dr. Holme, late senior physician to  the Manchester
Infirmary, says, that he has  on several occasions found
the acetate of morphine a remedy of great  value ; and
Dr. Bardesley has published numerous cases of pain in
the stomach;  diseases  of the uterus, attended with
symptoms of structural mischief, of tic douloureux, &c,
in which it fully succeeded.  The  results of the nu-
merous trials the doctor has given the acetate of mor-
phine, he says, fully establish its remedial efficacy in
several  affections.  He states that he has  never wit-
nessed any pernicious consequences  from  a prudent
use of it. '; I am led (says he) to recommend the acetate
of morphine in preference to opium, from a conviction
that its efficacy may be equally relied upon, whilst its
administration will be  unattended by  distressing head- 
782
DISPENSATORY.
ach, excessive constipation, and other unpleasant effects
which opium generally  induces.   It  appears," con-
tinues the doctor, " to be the chief advantage of the
acetate of morphine, that  it  may be employed in those
cases  in which  it is desirable to obtain a sedative or
soothing  effect,  and at the  same  time  of  the first
importance  to avoid constipation."   The doctor ad-
vises  the bow7els to  be  unloaded  previously to  its
adoption : to commence with  a quarter of a grain, and
to increase the dose  gradually to half a  grain, a grain,
or two grains, according to  the urgency of the symp-
toms, and the effect  it produces.
   The syrup of acetate of morphine  is generally pre-
scribed in France, instead of the syrup of white poppies.
It is made by dissolving four grains of the acetate of
morphine in a  pound of simple  syrup.  The dose is
from  one to six tea-spoonsful,  according to the age  of
the patient and degree of irritation  or pain w7hich it is
intended to subdue.
 SOLUTION OF ACETATE OF MORPHINE.
  Tins valuable preparation of opium was introduced
into the practice of ph}7sic by some physicians of Paris,
as a direct anodyne.  It is not only more certain in al-
laying nervous irritation, and in  procuring sleep, than
opium or the black drop, or any other preparation of
it; but its composing effects are not followed, like those
of opium or any of the  other preparations  of it, by
headach, constipation,  disorder of the stomach or  the
nervous system.  The sleep it produces is sound  and
refreshing.   The disturbed  sleep produced by opium
or any other vegetable anodyne, and the disorder of the
stomach, brain, and the whole nervous system, which 
DISPENSATORY.
783
almost uniformly follows the exhibition of opium and
its officinal and  empirical preparations, as laudanum,
the black drop, the sedative liquor of opium, &c, are
attributed to the constituent part of  opium termed
narcotin; from which the solution of the  acetate of
morphine is entirely free.  Of all new remedies, this
is the  most valuable.    The dose of acetate of mor-
phine is from six to  twelve drops.
  The solution of the acetate of morphine  has  been
found to act more speedily on  the internal  surface of
the stomach than a pill containing the acetate of mor-
phine ; and admitting of being administered with more
accuracy as to dose ; it has a great advantage over the
acetate in substance.   Eight drops of this solution are
equal to  twenty of laudanum.
  VOLATILE TINCTURE OF  COLCH1CUM
                     SEED
  Ample experience has proved that this preparation
is the most speedy, effectual, and safe remedy for acute
rheumatism, and  for shortening  the paroxysm or di-
minishing the anguish of regular gout, that has been
discovered.  Dr. Williams, of Ipswich, has published
several cases of rheumatism  of long standing, which
had resisted the most active remedies, in which a few
doses of this preparation succeeded in effecting a cure.
In his reports of its efficacy, the  doctor observes: " I
cannot contemplate an extensive use of it  in  many
painful diseases, besides chronic rheumatism, without
entertaining the hope and belief that we have at length
found the happy medicine, although  powerful yet
mild, and capable of substituting calmness,  tranquil- 

DISPENSATORY.
 \\y, r.ad balmy sleep, in the place of pain w^rv.ss,
 ind restless nights;—a renovation of long iost limbs,
and comparatively robust healthy in room of feebleness
and emaciation ; and, in a word, affording to the poor,
as well as the rich, the cheering prospect of prolonging
life, and, during  its continuance, an oblivion of many-
distressing pains."  The dose is from one to two tea-
spoonsful at bedtime, in a wine-glass of weak brandy
and water, cold, and one tea-spoonful between break-
fast and dinner, in a wine-glassful of peppermint water.
When the complaint is attended with general debility
and symptoms of indigestion, as flatulence, loss of ap-
petite, &c, two tea-spoonsful of the compound tincture
of rhatany root may be  taken with  each  dose.  If it
should disturb the bowels, five drops of laudanum may
be added to the night dose.
   In cases of irregular gout, and of the general ner-
vousness of gouty subjects, this tincture has been very
successfully administered in small doses at bedtime, in
a  little weak  brandy and  w7ater: in such cases the
quantity of fifteen to thirty drops has succeeded in pro-
curing refreshing  sleep, after opium and  its officinal
and empirical preparations, as laudanum, black drop,
sedative liquor of opium, &c, had totally failed.  The
late Sir Joseph Banks was in the habit of taking twen-
ty-five drops every night at bedtime for several years ;
and he had no doubt of  its  composing effects  having
considerably prolonged his life.
  In  gouty subjects, whose vital  pow7ers have  been
greatly impaired by frequent or  violent paroxysms; by
indulgence in spirituous liquors or wines, or in savoury
dishes, or by any other cause, and especially when the
stomach  does  not perform  its  office, and general de
bility prevails (indicated by swelling of the legs, cold- 
DISPENSATORY.
785
ness of the extremities, pallid skin, inability to retain
the urine, &c.,) this tincture and every other prepara-
tion of the colchicum seeds or root are improper.   In
such cases the  tincture of the round  leaf cornel is a
valuable remedy.
  Dr. Bardsley, in his  Hospital Reports,  speaking  of
colchicum, says, " Its utility in  gout is confirmed  by
the results of general experience." In most of the cases
of that disease in which the doctor prescribed this  re-
medy, he says, " little or no advantage was evident  till
it acted on the bowels."  Mr. Simmonds, an eminent
surgeon of Manchester, wrho has been a martyr to gout
for several years, states that  he lftis obtained from the
wine of the colchicum seeds a relief in the paroxysms
of this harassing malady, which he had in vain sought
for in any other remedy; and he asserts that the be-
nefit he derived from it seemed to him greatly to de-
pend on its purgative effects.  In some cases, colchicum
has speedily terminated a paroxysm, without producing
any sensible operation.  As an instance of which may
be noticed the case of the late Sir Joseph Banks; and
Dr. Bardsley admits that he is acquainted with a cler-
gyman in whom it effectually allayed gouty inflamma-
tion and pain, without  producing  any sensible  effects,
either on the stomach,  the intestines, or the skin.
   The vital  powers  in  gouty subjects  advanced in
years,  and even in  young gouty  invalids who  have
abused their constitutions by intemperance, are often
in so reduced a state, that life is only kept up by gene-
ral or local irritation, or what may be termed morbid
nervous excitement;  and, on  subduing it by an ano-
dyne, death  suddenly ensues.   Numerous instances
could be  given of the fatal  effects of the colchicum,
and also the preparations of it termed Eau Medicinale, 
786
DISPENSATORY.
on debilitated gouty subjects. This preparation should
be used with great caution, as it purges sometimes vio-
lently ; but in moderate doses  may be considered  as
an invaluable remedy.
  My venerable father suffered for many years under
the tortures of this dreadful disease, gout.  Every re-
medy wras tried, for  ten years,  with but little or no
effect, when the celebrated General Moreau, one of the
most distinguished officers of Napoleon, then on a visit
to the United States, presented to my father a phial of
the Eau Medicinale D'Husson; the phial was about
the size of a peppermint phial, and as well as my re-
collection serves  me, contained two doses, (the direc-
tions however accompany this medicine.)  My father's
confinement from this fit of the gout had been about
six weeks, and so great w7as the pain and  sensitiveness,
that the opening of the door of his chamber, or passing
across the floor, would  make him cry out with* the
most intense suffering; his feet and hands were swol-
len to double their usual size, and he often prayed for
death to relieve him from this dreadful torture.  From
the representations of the general of the many extraor-
dinary cures performed in France by this medicine,
he determined to give it a trial:  at the usual bedtime
a dose was  taken;  in two  hours the pains entirely
ceased, and he dropped into a quiet sleep: a blessing
he had not enjoyed from the first  attack of the gout:
the skin was quite moist, and the pulse, though full, yet
reduced to their  natural standard; in about six hours
he awoke entirely free  from  pain ; when he had  four
or five discharges from the bowels resembling coffee
grounds, after which the inflammation or swelling be-
gan to subside, and in  two or three days he was en-
tirely relieved.  Four  months afterwards,  and about 
DISPENSATORY.
787
his usual  time for a fit of the gout, he  felt  the  ap-
proaching symptoms of a second attack, but milder
than usual; dreading the consequence of a delay, he
took the second dose of Eau Medicinale d'Husson, or,
in English, medicine of Hudson, when all the symp-
toms immediately vanished: the  relief obtained  in-
duced my father to import from France a  dozen phials
of this valuable medicine.  In ten years, or to the  pe-
riod of his dissolution, he had occasion  to use but one
phial, which  produced upon him the  same salutary
effect, and to several gentlemen he distributed  this in-
valuable medicine, all of whom w7ere instantly relieved.
I have  no hesitation, from my experience  since  the
death of my beloved and venerable father, that this
great medicine (and I am sorry to add but little know7n)
is a perfect and sovereign remedy in gout; and, I may
further add, a valuable and yet imperfectly tried reme-
dy in rheumatism.
  This medicine, bearing the name  of  its discoverer;
Eau Medicinale  d'Husson,  was  discovered by this
French  officer in the campaign of  Egypt under Napo-
leon, and for its discovery and great value  he received
from  the  French government  five  thousand  francs.
This medicine is supposed to be prepared from  the
colchicum seed.  On this subject I must  express  my
doubts  as to the medicinal  d'Husson being prepared     •
from the colchicum seed; although the colchicum seed
produces very nearly the same effects. I yet am induced
to believe that this medicine  is  prepared  from  the
white hellebore; be this so or not, the medicinal d'Hus-
son can be procured in any of the eastern cities as pre-
pared in Paris.   The tincture generally sold  in  the
shops throughout the United States is the wine of
meadow-saffron, producing the  same effects, in  doses 
788              DISPENSATORY.

of half a drachm three times a day, and continued  for
one, two, or three weeks, as may be necessary.
TINCTURE  OF GINGER  AND  CAMOMILE
                  FLOWERS.
  This tincture,  which  contains in a  concentrated
state the volatile  aromatic virtues of ginger, and the
bitter principle of camomile flowers, is a most valuable
stomachic medicine; and in cases of indigestion, cramp
in the stomach or intestines, flatulence, and in  com-
plaints arising from weakness of the  digestive organs;
and as a general tonic or strengthening medicine to the
stomach and bowels, and particularly to those who have
injured their stomachs by the too free use of spirituous
liquors, or to aged and debilitated persons.   The tinc-
ture of ginger is made in the following manner:—Take
of Jamaica or white ginger-root, one-quarter of an ounce,
bruised;  to which add a pint of proof spirits;  let it
stand for ten days, shaking it w7ell; then add a table-
spoonful  of camomile  flowers, and  a  pint of proof
spirits: and let it stand five days, shaking it occasionally,
when the tincture is fit for use ; the dose is from a tea-
spoonful  to a  table-spoonful for  an adult or grown
person, twice  or  three  times  a day,  diluted  with
water.  Or take of the
Tincture of ginger of the shops,   half an ounce;
Camomile flowers,    -    -    half an ounce;
Tincture of musk seeds,    -    an  ounce and a half.
  Mix.—Dose. A tea-spoonful to three tea-spoonsful, to
be taken  two or three times a day in a glass of water.
  When indigestion, or weakness of the system  is at-
tended with  looseness, or an irritable state of the 
DISPENSATORY.
789
bowels, the tincture of the round-leaf cornel is prefer-
able to this tincture.
TINCTURE OF THE ROUND-LEAF CORNEL.
  Medically,  Cornus   Circinata.—This  valuable
plant deserves a much greater reputation than it has
yet obtained.   The round-leaf cornel has not as yet
been sufficiently tried by medical men; although from
those in whose hands it has been placed it has received
the highest praise ; it has been for some time most suc-
cessfully employed in this country  as a tonic; and
some of the most eminent physicians of New7 York and
Philadelphia bear testimony in its favour.   Dr. Robin-
son has published a practical treatise on its peculiar
and superior tonic properties ; has given, in  the medi-
cal  journals of New York and  Philadelphia, several
cases of extreme debility attended with dropsical affec-
tion,  in which the tincture of the round-leaf cornel
completely succeeded in restoring  the  patients  to
health, after  the  sulphate  of  quinine, the Peruvian
bark, and all the tonics had failed.  He says  that he
never met with a  case of debility of stomach in which
it did not produce a very beneficial effect; and in  con-
sequence of being very grateful to  the  palate  and di-
gestive organs; he regards it as the natural tonic of the
human body.   "To those," says this  eminent physi-
cian " who have impaired their constitutions by exces-
sive indulgences ; by great fatigue;- or by a residence
in a warm climate; I have no hesitation  in asserting
positively that it will prove a most excellent  restora-
tive, as well as to those whose vital powers are giving
way to age; or who are threatened with that  general 
790
DISPENSATORY.
decay, termed breaking up of the constitution ; or, as
technically denominated  by authors, the climacteric
disease."   It has also been prescribed in this  country
by several medical men of eminence, with great suc-
cess in cases of debility, local and general, particularly
in elderly people.  The following compound has been
found beneficial:—Take of the
  Essential salt of the round-leaf cornel, two drachms;
  Extract of rhubarb,    -     -       one scruple;
  Ginger powder,  -                 one scruple.
  Mix, and divide into thirty-six pills; two or three to
be taken  twice a day, with a glass of water.
  Dr. Robinson  states that  this  composition is  the
only tonic that agrees with children.  The proportion
of the essential salt is a drachm to half a pint of  the
infusion; the  dose of which is from a dessert to a table-
spoonful twice a day.  When a little sugar is added,
children take it as freely as wine.
ESSENTIAL  SALT  OF THE  ROUND-LEAF
                    CORNEL.
  This preparation contains, in a concentrated state,
all  the  essential medicinal virtues of the round-leaf
cornel.  The dose is from five to eight grains, (in the
form of pills,) two or three times a day.  It is perfectly
soluble in wine; and in any good sound Sherry or Ma-
deira, in the proportion of three drachms  to a bottle;
it forms a most excellent tonic wine ;  of which three
table-spoonsful may be taken two or three times a day.
This preparation is a more  efficacious tonic than the
sulphate of quinine, or  any other preparation  of the 
DISPENSATORY.
791
 Peruvian bark,  and much  more grateful to  the sto-
 mach.
   One drachm of this essential salt dissolved in half a
 pint of infusion of roses, with three drachms of simple
.syrup, forms a very efficacious tonic remedy for rickety
 children, by w7hom it is in general preferred to wine.
   The dose of this mixture is from a dessert to a table-
 spoonful twice a day.
     ARTIFICIAL  HARROWGATE SALT.
  Half a drachm of this article (sold under the name
of Harrowgate salt) dissolved in half a  pint of w7ater,
operates very pleasantly on the bow7els, and produces
the same beneficial effects on the skin, in gouty and
rheumatic habits, as are attributed to the native  sul-
phureous w7ater  of Harrowgate.   It has been  found
very beneficial in cases of inflammatory or irritative
piles, attended with constipation, and in expelling the
small thread-worms, termed ascarides.
CITRIC ACID, AND CARBONATE OF SODA.
  On dissolving a tea-spoonful of this composition in a
tumbler of water, an effervescence, with a considerable
evolution  of  carbonic acid  gas takes  place, during
which state it should  be drank.  It is more pleasant
and cooling than soda water, and being slightly aperient,
is more beneficial in cases of indigestion and torpidity
of the bowels and liver, and in those affections of the
stomach which occur  during a residence in a hot cli- 
792
DISPENSATORY.
mate, or from the too free use of wine and spirituous
liquors.
          SULPHATE OF  QUININE.
  Among the valuable  and useful discoveries which
the science of chymistry has lately made, I know of
nothing more important than this article: sulphate of
quinine.   It is prescribed in the dose of from three to
ten grains three or four times a day, generally made
into pills, but frequently taken in pow7der in a little
wine  or  w7ater.   Some physicians prefer giving  the
wine of sulphate of quinine, and  others the  tincture.
The wine is made by dissolving sixteen grains of  the
sulphate of quinine in a pint of good Madeira  wine,
(the dose of which is, a wine-glassful two or three times
a day;) and the tincture is made by dissolving a drachm
of the sulphate of quinine in a pint of  brandy; the dose
of which is, a table-spoonful three times a day, in about
two table-spoonsful of water. Some French physicians
prefer the syrup of sulphate of quinine to the wine or
tincture;  which  is  made  by dissolving thirty grains
in a pint of simple syrup.   The  dose of this syrup is
from one to two  table-spoonsful two  or three times a
day.  The sulphate  of quinine is much and deservedly
recommended in cases of remittent and intermittent
fever; and the tincture and wine by some physicians
in cases of indigestion of elderly people ; dropsy, fluor
albus, or, in  plainer  language, the whites in women:
and to support the system against the debilitating effects
of local diseases attended with copious discharges.
  In cases of intermittent fever after the stomach  and
intestines have been prepared for its exhibition by a
dose of calomel and  rhubarb.  Its curative effects have 
                  DISPENSATORY.               793

been so general, speedy, and permanent, that it may be
considered a specific for this disease.
                     IODINE
   Is a valuable and  successful remedy in  scrofulous
 affections, and in  diseased states of  the glands.  It is
 obtained from a great variety of sea plants.  Dr. Coin-
 det, of Geneva, first prescribed it.  Supposing that the
 medicinal virtues of calcined sponge reside in iodine,
 he determined to give it a trial, in the  disease for the
 cure of which burnt sponge has been chiefly employ-
 ed, viz. wen; and  the  results fully answered his ex-
 pectation.   The trials  have since been  repeated  by
 several eminent physicians of France and England, and
 from their reports it appears, on an average, to have
 succeeded in ninety  cases out of every hundred.   In
 young subjects, or females under thirty  years of age, it
 has almost uniformly been successful in dispersing the
 tumour; but in elderly people of rigid fibres, it seldom
 has any influence on the disease.
   The tincture of iodine,  made by dissolving forty-
 eight grains  of iodine in an ounce of alcohol, is  gene'
 rally prescribed  internally.  The dose is from twenty
 to thirty drops, two or  three times  a day, in a wine-
 glassful of the decoction of marshmallow root,  or  of
 infusion of soap-wort.   This tincture  has also been
 very successfully administered in scrofulous affections.
 In  many cases of scrofulous tumours and ulcerations
 it has proved very beneficial.  The celebrated Doctor
 Hufeland, of Berlin; Dr. Gardiner,  of  London; Dr.
 Coindet, of Geneva;  Dr. Dunglison, Sir Astley Coo-
per, Mr. Brande, Mr. Calloway, all distinguished men
in  their profession, together with other  eminent prac- 
794
DISPENSATORY.
titioners, who speak in high terms of commendation
of its anti-scrofulous property; and we have met with
numerous cases in which it has fully succeeded in re-
storing the patients to  perfect health, notwithstanding
the lungs appeared to be diseased.  In patients whose
stomachs are  irritable,  or w7hose digestion is bad, it fre-
quently excites nausea (or sickness at the stomach) and
disorders the  nervous system ; and many cases of scro-
fula have been published, in which it failed even to
check  the progress of the malady.  But those fail-
ures,  in  our  opinion,  only show the  necessity  of
preparing the system  for the  remedy, by previously
correcting the stomach and bowels.   Many valuable
remedies have no doubt fallen into disrepute, in con-
sequence  of  practitioners neglecting  to prepare the
stomach, bowels, and even the nervous system for their
exhibition.
               DROPS  OF LIFE,
  Medically called Gutta Vita.  This valuable pre-
scription may be  considered by the reader  as one of
the most important in this medical w7ork, and will in
some  dangerous hour, when all hope has fled, and the
system is prostrate and racked with pain, be the soothing
balm which checks one of the most dangerous diseases
to which the  human body is liable, viz. dysentery.
  Prescription.—Take of
    Gum opium,     -     -     -    one ounce;
    Gum kino,      -     -     -    one drachm;
    Gum camphor,       -     -    forty grains;
    Nutmegs, (powdered,) -         half an ounce.
    Cochineal and saffron enough  to colour.
    French brandy, or Jamaica spirits, one pint. 
                  dispensatory.              795

  This tincture, if convenient, should stand  for eight
or ten days before  using it, so as to have its  proper
strength.  Before this medicine is given, a dose of cas-
tor oil should  be administered, so  as to cleanse or re-
move the irritating cause from the bowels.
  The dose of the Gutta Vita for a grown person is
from  twenty  to forty drops, repeated three or  four
times a day;  for children  from  four to six drops.
Whenever this medicine is prescribed, it should be
mixed with a small  portion  of  prepared chalk, say as
much as will lie on the handle of a tea-spoon; when
the gutta  vita and  chalk are to  be mixed in a little
warm mint tea.
  This prescription wras received  from Doctor J. R.
M'Conochie, a distinguished physician, and a gentle-
man of profound literary acquirements, whose kind-
ness and philanthropy induced him to make it known
for the benefit of mankind.
  The prescription was brought from London  by Dr.
Robert Welford, and used by him with great success
in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
                  LIQUORICE.
  This shrub is a native of Syria and of the southern
parts of Europe:  and is cultivated  in Great Britain.
The root is perennial;  but the stalks are annual, and
rise four or five feet in height.  It may be propagated
by fibres, which issue from the root near the surface ;
and the whole root will bear transplantation.  An  ex-
tract from the root is ordered by the London College
of Physicians; but it is not prepared in this country.
The common liquorice of  the shops is  brought from 
796               DISPENSATORY.

Spain and Italy; and that which  is black, shining,
brittle, and easily dissolved in the mouth, is best es-
teemed. It is used in various preparations of medicines
for coughs, colds, &c, and when refined and sold under
the name of Refined Liquorice, it is a valuable  expec-
torant, being combined with small portions of tartar
emetic.  The common article is  much used by brew-
ers, and  the manufacturers of a spurious port wine,
which, I regret to say, is made in large quantities in
this country, together with many other spurious wines
and liquors, all of which,  from  these ingredients, are
deleterious and poisonous.
  I do not allude to the liquorice, for this is perfectly
innocent, but to various articles, such as lead, sulphuric
acid, bitter almonds, cocculus indicus, &c;  a full his-
tory and exposure of which will  appear in my second
volume.
       TARTAR EMETIC OINTMENT.
  Take of lard  one ounce,  to which add one drachm
of tartar emetic, which is to be w7ell mixed.
             ALOETIC MIXTURE.
Take, of aloes in powder,     -    three ounces;
      Saffron,         -    -    three ounces;
      Tincture of myrrh,    -    two pints.
  Mix, and let them stand for fourteen days; then let
the mixture filter through paper.
  The dose is from one to two fluid drachms, mixed
in water. 
DISPENSATORY.
797
  CAMPHORATED POWDER AND  JULEP.
  This admirable preparation has lately been brought
into use to  form quickly the  camphorated julep, for
which camphor is  chiefly, if  not solely, employed in
domestic practice.   This julep is made in the follow7-
ing manner:  rub  one drachm of the camphorated
powder in a mortar, and  add to it by degrees one pint
of warm (not boiling) water, and when w7ell mixed,
strain the liquor through fine linen.  It speedily im-
parts to water  all the efficacy and virtue of the cam-
phor.   It may be carried to any part of the  globe with-
out losing the slightest portion of  its  power, or  being
in any degree injured ; so that any person may at any
time prepare, at a moment's notice, that most valuable
remedy in the  fevers of the different climates, and be
armed against many of the maladies  and accidents to
which human life is subjected.  It quite supersedes the
essence of camphor; for  the spirit which forms a men-
struum  for the camphor, is a stimulant which  often
produces the  worst possible effect upon the system,
during febrile excitement or fever.
                  EMETINE.
  This is the active principle of ipecacuanha root, and,
it is said, has the great advantage over the powder, of
not only being more active, but of being free from any
disagreeable taste or nauseous odour. The dose to excite
full vomiting is two grains; but on irritable stomachs
half a grain often operates.  It is highly recommended
by some French physicians as an emetic, and in small 
798
DISPENSATORY.
doses to create nausea or perspiration, in all the diseases
for which ipecacuanha is employed.
                 CROTON OIL.
  Tins oil, which may be obtained at any drug store
or place where medicines are sold, is  one of the most
powerful purgatives w7e have, and is seldom used, ex-
cept when  every other medicine fails to produce an
operation on the bowels; and should be used ivilh great
caution.
  This oil,  which is obtained by expression from  the
seeds  of  the  croton tiglium, is so powerful that one
drop generally acts violently on  the bow7els.  It  pro-
duces immediately  a  burning in the mouth, in  the
foeces. and  sometimes  even along the whole course of
the oesophagus: an unusual heat  in the stomach :  oc-
casionally nausea, but rarely vomiting; this heat passes
away in a few minutes.   It is an hour, or an hour and
a half after taking  the  oil before the first evacuation
occurs: preceded by flatulent discharges, and slight
cholicky pains,  but without tenesmus,  and  without
animal heat. The  stools are very liquid, come  sud-
denly aw7ay, and look sometimes  like  clear water, and
sometimes  have a slight yellowish hue;  commonly
there are eight or ten evacuations in tw7enty-four hours.
On the following day the effects are  over,  and  the
tongue has  its natural appearance.  In obstinate cases
of constipation, attendant on what is termed the cholic
of painters; and, as I before mentioned, stubborn con-
stipation of the bowels, it is a very valuable medicine
In cases of apoplexy,  when the patient  has  not the 
DISPENSATORY.
799
power of swallowing, two drops rubbed on the tongue
have  produced copious fcecal evacuations: and five
drops rubbed over the navel have had the same  effect.
It is generally given with the almond emulsion, made
with  peppermint-water in  lieu of common  wTater.
Some practitioners recommend it to be given combined
with  Castile  soap, winch, they contend, promotes its
purgative effects by rendering it miscible with the con-
tents of the stomach.
  The following formula is recommended by Dr. Coley
of Cheltenham, for the exhibition of this active pur-
gative :—Take of
    Croton oil,    ...      four drops;
    Dried Castile soap,  -    -      one scruple:
    Oil of cloves   -                 two drops.
  Mix, and divide into eight pills: two or three to be
taken for a  dose.  The dose of three drops of  croton
oil has produced inflammation of the stomach.
  Dr. Nimmo recommends a tincture of croton oil
made by dissolving eight drops in one ounce of alcohol.
as the best form of exhibiting it.  The following is a
copy of the doctor's favourite prescription:—Take of the
    Tincture of croton oil,    -     half a drachm ;
    Simple syrup,    -       -     two drachms;
    Mucilage of gum arabic,   -     two drachms:
    Distilled or pure water,    -     half an ounce.
  Mix.—After swallowing  a little milk,  take  this
draught quickly, and  wash it  dowui likewise with a
little milk.   If you apply any of this oil on the skin it
produces a slight smarting; and in a few hours after
red pimples  make their appearance, which in time
have the  appearance of small-pox pustules, or those of
tartar emetic ointment; and if five drops is applied to
the hand, it inflames with pain. 
800
DISPENSATORY.
               OTTO OF  ROSES.
  The Royal Society of Edinburgh received from Dr.
Monro the following account of the manner in w7hich
this costly perfume is  prepared in the east.  Steep a
large quantity of the petals of roses, freed from any ex-
traneous matter, in pure water, in an earthen or wooden
vessel, which is to  be  exposed  daily to the sun, and
housed at night till a scum rises to the surface; this is
the otto of roses: when it is carefully absorbed by a
very small piece of cotton tied  to the end  of a stick.
The oil collected is squeezed out of the  cotton into a
very diminutive phial, and stopped for use.  The col-
lection of it should be continued wiiilst  any scum  is
produced.
              COLOGNE WATER.
  This lovely perfume, for which you pay three or
four hundred per cent, more than it is worth, is made
in the following manner:—To one quart of alcohol,
add sixty drops of lavender, sixty  drops of bergamot,
sixty drops of essence  of lemon,  and sixty drops of
orange water.   Now,  should you wish to make as
much as one gallon  of this delightful  perfume, put
two hundred and forty drops of each of the above per-
fumes to one gallon of alcohol.  In France, whenever
you go to take  the bath, it is usual to mix a few table-
spoonsful of this Cologne in the water, which  gives a
delightful fragrance to the whole body for twrenty-four
hours afterwards, and in washing in a basin of water, a
tea-spoonful will produce a delightful perfume, after
the use of good soap and water, which first purifies the
skin, and may be considered as nature's best restorative. 
EATING SNUFF.
  Nothing is more difficult to be accounted for, even
by men of acute and profound observation, than  the
strong attachments of the human species to practices
which are absolutely at war with nature, and hostile
to every principle of enjoyment and happiness.  How
the use of tobacco, under any form, could  ever have
become a luxury among mankind, especially consider-
ing its nauseous and disgusting qualities, is an enigma
not to be solved on common principles.  We can easily
account for our attachment to food, and even to those
luxuries of life which have any thing tempting in their
use, by referring them to instinctive impulses to  the
preservation  of  life, and our native propensities to
heighten the  enjoyments of existence : but to account
for our attachments to habits and practices, winch  are
absolutely disgusting, offensive, and highly injurious
to health, and which almost invariably lead to immoral
and  dangerous excesses; we  are compelled  to refer
them to the degeneracy of our species, and  the entire
corruption of their moral tastes and feelings.  The use
of tobacco in  any way, unless as a medical application
to the system, (the instances of which will be found
under the proper head,) is dangerous to health, to hap-
piness and morals.  In support of the truth of this doc-
trine, it would be idle to adduce proofs; those who  use
tobacco are  conscious  of its  destructive effects, and
    OUNN  61 
802
EATING snuff.
those who do not, may hourly witness its dreadful con-
sequences on the health and morals of society.  We
are all well acquainted with the effects of chewing and
smoking tobacco, and  taking  snuff in the  common
way; but we have something yet to learn and disclose
respecting the hitherto unheard of practice, among the
females of our country,  of  regularly eating Scotch
snuff!   It appears, as I have been  informed on verita-
ble authority, or I certainly would not believe it, that
the practice among our ladies, of daily eating consi-
derable  quantities of Scotch snuff, arose in the  first
instance from their  using  it  as a  tooth powder—yes,
most courteous reader, a tooth powder!  If this is any
thing more than a mere pretext for the filthy and dis-
gusting practice which taints the  breath with a fetor
worse than asafcetida, deranges all  the physical sensa-
tions, and the whole nervous system; imparts to the
very cheek  of youthful beauty the  loathsome com-
plexion of a cake  of beeswax!  subverts, ruins, and
finally  destroys the  digestive powers of the stomach;
and renders  that stomach a filthy reservoir of dregs and
crudities, which  taint and corrupt the w7hole system;
the eaters of Scotch  snuff may be induced to abandon
the destructive practice, w7hen I point  out to them a
much better tooth powder: which is nothing more nor
less than powdered charcoal  mixed with Peruvian or
dogwood bark.
  In speaking of the evils which arise from eating snuff,
I have  not enumerated half of  them : the fact  is, that
language itself would fail  in classing and giving them
names.   We all  know perfectly well, that the stomach
is the  work-shop of the whole human machine, and
that when its functions are deranged or  impaired the
whole system suffers in its remotest extremities.  Hear 
EATING SNUFF.
803
what the celebrated Rush says respecting  the practice
of eating snuff:—"I have known  two instances of
death from  eating snuff.  It is a habit which  is in-
creasing among the ladies of our country with a ra-
pidity only equalled by the ravages of ardent  spirits,
and which is no less ruinous to health  and destructive
to life."
  The practice of eating snuff had its  probable origin
in using the Scotch snuff as a tooth powder; a fondness
is soon acquired for it, and hundreds among us, espe-
cially among our females, get drunk upon it every day.
Dr. Rush's views  of this subject are undoubtedly cor-
rect : but he has not said all that might have been said
respecting the consequences of snuff eating.  He might
have said that those w7ho are in the  practice of eating
snuff may easily be distinguished from those who are
not; he might have said, here is a snuff eater; notice
this complexion ; it is a pallid, sickly yellow ; the skin
seems to be undercoated with a layer of snuff; there is
nothing of the rose's bloom of opening unsullied beauty
on this lank, faded, and hollow cheek ;  look at this eye;
do you see any thing of that healthful brilliancy, that
sparkling fire of youthful beauty which enchants man-
kind in that jaundiced, sunken, hollow, dead, and
beamless eye ?  No: the vital energies  have been w7orn
out and exhausted by snuff eating; the animations of
youth have been overpowered and killed by this excess;
tbis is but the shadow of a  human being!  Catch a
scent of this breath ; is it pure and sweet, with youth-
ful fragrance ? does it remind you of the gale of spring,
that gently shakes the blossoms from the orange grove?
does  its healthful purity bespeak the paradise of sweets
from w7hich  it comes ?  No: like the wind  of night
that has swept the sepulchral shades of death, it comes 
804
EATING SNUFF.
with corruption and infection on its wings; it reminds
you of disease, debility, decay  and death—of  every
thing but love!  Dr. Rush might have said all this of
the snuff eater, and forfeited none of his high claims to
professional honour, integrity, and truth.
  I am decidedly of opinion, and I record the allega-
tion without fear of contradiction, especially b}7 those
who know7 any thing of the  subject,  that of the two
characters, the drunkard  and  the snuff eater,  the
drunkard  is  the  more  worthy personage, if  conse-
quences be  taken into  consideration.   Snuff eating
invariably produces languor, extreme debility, aversion
to the performance of the  common duties of life,
tremors of the nerves, capricious and disagreeable tem-
per, and  restless  melancholy and  lowness of spirits,
unless the person  is immediately under the disgusting
stimulant.   But  this is not all: snuff eating always
produces want of appetite,  nausea, inordinate thirst,
pains and  distension of the stomach, dyspepsia or indi-
gestion, tremors of the limbs and whole frame,  dis-
turbed sleep, emaciation or wasting of the body and
limbs, epilepsy or fits, consumption and death.  Nor is
this all; tobacco is an absolute poison; a very moderate
quantity introduced  into the system or even applied
moist to  the pit of the stomach, has been known to
produce instant death.  The Indians of our ow7n hemi-
sphere have long  known of  its  poisonous effects upon
the human system; and formerly used to dip the points
of their arrows in an oil obtained from the leaves, by
winch faintness and death occurred from their wounds.
I was once acquainted with  a young lady of the  first
respectability, whose kind and  affectionate heart  was
possessed,of every noble and generous sentiment, who
was in the habit of eating snuff.  She was taken dan- 
EATING SNUFF.
805
gerously ill; and it  became necessary to give  her  an
emetic or puke: and the fact was, that in the operation
of the medicine, she threw  up nearly half a pint  of
snuff from the stomach.   How young, blooming, and
tender girls, can bear the use of snuff in this way,  or,
indeed  in  any  other way,  after  experiencing  the
wretched sensations always produced by it, is to me
absolutely  unaccountable, unless on the principles I
have mentioned; and I must also here confess  myself
unable to account for the fact, that the parents of these
girls, knowing the evils of snuff eating, cannot merely
overlook the practice in their blooming daughters, but
absolutely encourage it by their example.
   I really trust that the  preceding remarks, and they
are founded in experience and truth, will have some
influence in restraining the  practice of snuff eating,
and in restoring many of the fair of our country to the
possession of their native charms and beauty.
     INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS.
  An inflammation of  the lungs, called by medical
men peripneumony, is sometimes an original disease,
and sometimes derived from other maladies.  It is oc-
casioned by the causes which bring on the pleurisy, by
violent exercise, wearing w7et  clothes, obstructed per-
spiration, and ardent spirits.  In an inflammation of
the lungs, the symptoms resemble those of pleurisy;
but the pain is  not so severe, and the  pulse is not so
quick and hard, while  there is  greater difficulty of
respiration, and greater  oppression of the breast.   A
dull pain  is felt internally along the  breast bone, or 
 806       INFLAMMATION OF  THE  LUNGS.

 between the shoulders, augmented by breathing; great
 solicitude  near the heart; weariness and inquietude ;
 loss of sleep and  w7ant of appetite; while a yellowish
 scurf overspreads the tongue.  The veins in the neck
 are also dilated; the face inflated, while  a dark red
 discolouration prevails about the eyes and cheeks.

                   TREATMENT.
   An inflammatory attack upon an organ so necessary
 to existence as the lungs, is always dangerous, and re-
 quires speedy relief.  The diet should be extraordina-
 rily slender and  thin.   Infusions of fennel roots in
 warm water, with milk decoctions of barley, and com-
 mon whey, are most proper both for  drink and nutri-
 ment ; the steam  of warm water is also recommended
 as a kind of internal fomentation, and a help to atten-
 uate the impacted humours.   If  the bowels are in  a
 laxative state, if the patient thereby is not debilitated,
 no  effort  should  be made to  check the evacuations,
 which ought rather to be promoted by emollient glys-
 ters.  Bleeding and purging are generally necessary;
 but if the patient spit freely, they may not be required:
 the quantity of blood taken at the commencement of
 the disease should be  large.   The  evacuating plan
 should be adopted early, but it should not be persevered
 in too long.  The solution of gum  ammoniac, with
 oxymel  of  squills, will  promote expectoration or spit-
 ting ; it is from a  free discharge of spittle that relief is
 principally to be expected.   When the counteracting
 treatment does not succeed, a suppuration is formed,
 more or less dangerous according to its situation : if  it
 occupies the pleura, it may break outwardly, and the
 matter will be discharged without danger: when  it
occurs within the lungs, the matter must be  ejected 
         INFLAMMATION  OF THE LUNGS.       807

by spitting:  when it floats between the pleura and the
lungs, it is said "an incision must  be  made  between
the ribs to liberate the confined matter.  The same
remedies and treatment are employed in this disease as
in pleurisy.   The patient's bowels should be opened
by calomel or other purgatives. Blood should be taken
from the arm, and a blister applied over the pain.  The
decoction of Seneca snake-root or butterfly root,  should
be freely used.  If the patient should  not be relieved,
(as often happens,) and sinks into a state of general de-
bility, I then  give the chalybeate pill night and morn-
ing : the patient should also take every morning a new
laid egg, beat it up in as much old  whisky as will cook
it; fill up the glass with sweet milk, warm from the
cow.  This  preparation acts as a stimulus and  an ex-
pectorant, and at the same time nourishes the patient.
His drink should be buttermilk w7hey.
         FALLING OF THE PALATE.
  The falling of the palate is attended with a tickling
in the throat, and  soreness of the tongue :  it proceeds
generally from a foul stomach.
                  TREATMENT.
  Take of sage tea half a pint, vinegar and honey two
ounces of each, and half a drachm of alum, and  wash
the  throat with it: alum water will answer the  same
purpose.  Apply salt and pepper to the elongated palate
by means of the handle of a spoon.  If these measures
fail, give an emetic. 
808
JAUNDICE.
                   JAUNDICE.

  This disorder turns the white of the eye, as w7ell as
the skin, yellow;  the  urine is saffron coloured,  and
will stain a white cloth.
  The causes are, obstruction of bile; purges or vo-
mits ; an obstinate  ague; or the premature stoppage
of it by astringent medicines:  remoter causes are, the
bites of vipers or mad dogs or poisonous animals, and
violent passions: infants, w7hen  the first stools are not
sufficiently purged off, and pregnant women are subject
to it.   The  symptoms  are, excessive weariness, great
aversion to motion, a dry skin, an itching pain over the
body, the breathing  difficult, oppression of the breast,
heat in the nostrils, a bitter taste in  the mouth, sickness
at the stomach, flatulency and vomiting.   Where the
disease is simple, it is not dangerous ;  where it besets
the old and debilitated, and is complicated with other
maladies, it often proves fatal.
  Regimen.—The food should be  light  and cooling;
stew7ed  prunes,  boiled  or roasted apples, preserved
plums, boiled spinach, veal or chicken  soup, with light
bread, are  very proper.  A cure has sometimes been
effected by living on raw eggs, or  sucking a raw egg
every morning.  The drink may be buttermilk, whey
sweetened, or decoctions of cooling opening vegetables.
Where  there  are  no symptoms of inflammation, as
much exercise as the patient can  bear will be benefi-
cial; walking, running, riding  on horseback or in  a
carriage, or a long journey, have great restorative effi-
cacy.   Such amusements  as promote circulation, and
cheer the spirits, may be indulged in with advantage. 
JAUNDICE.
809
                    REMEDIES.
  The patient should first be bled, an emetic should
then be given, Castile soap may also be administered in
sufficient quantities to keep the intestines open ; or the
salt of tartar may be taken in doses of twenty or thirty
grains three or four times a day, dissolved in the infu-
sion of columbo. The patient should  be bled  more
freely w7here  there is pain about the  region  of the
liver; and  the blue  pill  maybe  given morning and
evening till a slight salivation is produced.  The warm
bath should be used, and a blister may be laid over the
pained part.  Three or four spoonsful of olive oil may
be taken to alleviate the pain, or one or two tea-spoons-
ful of ether, or thirty drops of laudanum.  Bags of hot
salt may be laid on  the right side, and after the ob-
structions are removed, the tone of the system may be
restored  by the  use of columbo, nitric acid, dogwood
or cherry tree bark, with porter and wine.
         SCROFULA OR KINGS EVIL.
  Symptoms.—Small tumours appear behind the ears
or under the chin.  The feet, hands, eyes, breast, and
armpits and groins are liable to its attacks.   These
knots in time break and become ulcers, from w7hich a
thin wratery humour is discharged.
  Regimen.—The food should  be very low7, light, and
easy of digestion, as good light bread, soup of the flesh
of young animals, with an occasional glass of wine.
The patient ought to take as much  exercise as he can
bear, in dry open air, but  it should not be too cold. 
810
KING S EVIL
                   TREATMENT.
   Warm fomentations are injurious.  Bathing in cold
water, or the sea where it is convenient, and  keeping
the bowels open with salt and water, by injection, will
be highly salutary.   A tea-spoonful of salt dissolved in
water should be taken every morning. Peruvian bark
and  steel alternately every two  weeks,  or  nitric acid
will be of great service.   Muriate of  lime  in doses of
from ten to eighty drops gradually increased, three or
four times a day, diluted with w7ater  or tea, is said to
be a very valuable remedy.   The solution  of arsenic
may be given twice or thrice a day after a suppuration
has taken place.  Mix well together one pound of
finely powdered bark and one  ounce of white lead
pulverized ; this powder applied to scrofulous ulcers
will  act beneficially, or let an ounce  of sugar of lead
be dissolved  in  a pint of water; keep  on the ulcers
linen cloths moistened in this solution.
   The ulcers should also be w7ashed with salt and wa-
ter every mornjiig.  Before a tumour breaks, it should
be anointed with fresh butter stewed to an oil  twice a
day, bathing it in with a hot shovel. When the tumours
break, apply to them a plaster of molasses stewed down
to such  a degree of thickness, that when spread it will
not run: if the  disease is attended with general  de-
bility, chalybeate medicine should be taken.   Time
and simple means are the surest remedies: the cure
cannot  be humoured.  The diet and  drink should be
of a light and cooling nature.  Cold should be guarded
against, and exercise should be  taken:  in this simple
manner I have cured cases that have baffled  regular
practice. When  the lumps are first coming, relief may
be obtained by anointing them with oil of fresh butter. 
king's evil.
811
and warming it in with a hot shovel.  I have given the
practice of other physicians as well as my own.
          NIGHTMARE, OR INCUBUS.
   The patient in sleep feels an oppression or weight
 about his  stomach and breast; he groans; is in great
 distress, and dreads suffocation ; he fancies himself in
 some  imminent danger, and tries to escape, but finds
 he cannot  move; he  imagines himself about  to  fall
 over a precipice; be drowned in a river; or consumed
 in a burning house.  Causes.—Indigestion, debility,
 repletion, late and heavy suppers, great fatigue, sleep-
 ing on the back, intoxication.

                    TREATMENT.
   As the person afflicted generally moans or manifests
 distress, he should be waked, as that brings immediate
 relief.  Those who are subject to this complaint should
 eat early and light suppers, and take a glass of pepper-
 mint water after supper to assist digestion : windy food
 should  be  avoided.  A hard  bed should be preferred.
 When the  complaint proceeds from debility, the cha-
 lybeate pill may be taken : or steel, bark, or columbo
 may be administered in ordinary doses: if it arises from
 a full habit, a spare diet will be proper, as well as vene-
 section and purging.  Severe study, anxiety, and  what-
 ever will oppress the mind, should be carefully avoid-
 ed.  It will be prudent in those who are frequently
 troubled with this complaint, to have a companion to
sleep with  them, lest at some time the stagnation of
 blood should continue so long as to stop the functions
of life, and  terminate in death. 
812
HYDROPHOBIA.
HYDROPHOBIA,  OR THE BITE OF A MAD
                      DOG.
  Whenever it can be done, the part that is injured
should be cut out immediately, and by this means the
poison will be hindered from entering into the system.
When this cannot be done, caustic should be applied
without delay, so as to change the nature of the wound;
or the part affected may be washed, then burnt with a
hot iron more extensively than the wound itself, then
fill it with mercury  and keep it open for some time.
Mercury also should be employed inwardly and out-
wardly, to produce salivation.  Large doses of opium,
it is said, have proved beneficial.   The caustic volatile
alkali may upon experiment be discovered to be an
antidote to the bite of a mad dog as well as to that of
poisonous serpents. Emetic weed, skull cap, and chick-
weed are deemed valuable remedies in hydrophobia.
                   RICKETS.
  This  disease originates  from  weakness,  and any
cause that produces debility disposes to it.   The head
and abdomen are unnaturally enlarged; the face is
flushed and florid.  It sometimes affects  the bones,
which become crooked, unnatural, and deformed.  The
appetite is bad, the digestion imperfect, and  the solids
relaxed.
                  TREATMENT.
  Exercise is the most effectual remedy.  Much may
be accomplished by nutritious diet and wholesome air.
Gentle vomits and cathartics should be given to cleanse
and purify the system.  It should then be braced with 
HYDROPHOBIA.
813
tonics, as bark, steel, and  columbo; but perhaps no-
thing will so effectually invigorate and renew the con-
stitution as the chalybeate pill.  Bandages will also be
useful in reducing the enlargement of the head.
              ST. VITUS' DANCE
  Is a  species of convulsions.   Its approaches are
evinced by languor and love of inaction, and long pro-
tracted constipation of the bowels.  Presently the face
is convulsed, and the limbs twitch and jerk, and many
strange gesticulations are exhibited.  As costiveness is
too commonly the cause of this disease, purgatives are
usually  necessary; if continued,  the symptoms will
gradually abate, and  the patient, strange as it may
seem, will gain  strength, and show by his w7alk,
countenance, and appearance, that  he is  recovering.
Cathartics are  mainly to  be  depended on; though
sometimes tonics may be employed successfully.
              TO  CURE A WEN.
  Wash it with common salt dissolved in water every
day, and it will be removed in a short time.  Or make
a strong brine of alum salt; simmer  it over the fire.
When thus prepared, wet a piece of cloth in it every
day, and  apply it constantly for one  month, and the
protuberance will disappear. 
814
MORTIFICATION.
               MORTIFICATION,
  Medically  termed  gangrene or  sphacelus, both
terms being employed by some  to express the same
disease, and not unfrequently by some to comprehend
different stages of the disease.  For instance, gangrene
is the term now used to denote  that condition of a part
which immediately precedes its destruction; but the
term sphacelus  means the complete  death  of a part,
thereby giving the general term mortification.
  When  an inflamed part, instead of terminating by
adhesion, (by which I mean the growing of the parts
together.) or by suppuration, (by  which pus or matter
is deposited in inflammatory tumours,) or loses its sen-
sibility, heat, and  colour, its vitality is extinguished
and mortification takes place.   Changes of this nature
seldom take place suddenly;  but are generally pre-
ceded by an increase of pain, of  a pricking, sharp, or
burning kind.  The swelling increases, the blood how-
ever still circulates in the larger vessels, the appear-
ance of the skin is of a dark red or purple colour and
soft, and vesicles (or small bladders) form beneath the
cuticle or skin, containing a transparent watery fluid.
  Accompanying these local symptoms there is con-
stitutional disturbance.  The pulse is quick and tre-
mulous, called medically, of a  typhoid character; the
tongue is dry and of a brownish colour, the skin is
very hot, and the patient  restless and uneasy.   Deli-
rium {subsultus tendinum) or a jerking of the  nerves
takes place, nausea or sickness  of the stomach, and
followed  frequently by hiccup.   The part soon  be-
comes  cold, and the sphacelus or mortification is
fully established.   Now, if a vital part has suffered, the 
mortification.
815
patient often dies ; and it so happens {sometimes) that
the constitutional symptoms slowly or suddenly yield.
When you perceive a red line formed at the junction
of the living and dead parts, the latter are separated
by what is medically termed "ulcerative absorption."
When granulations or grain-like fleshy bodies sprout
up or form  on the surface of ulcers and wrounds, it  is
an effort of nature to bring the parts together, or unite
them in their original healthy state, where the disposi-
tion, action, or structure have been altered by accident.
The  colour of healthy granulations is a  deep florid
red; when they are livid or dark-coloured they are un-
healthy, and have no disposition to form a skin.  Un-
der such circumstances, when healthy, you will at once
perceive as well as I can, that, provided the constitution
has not been too much weakened by the  violence of
the disease, the patient may with proper care recover.
   Mortification  is said by some distinguished men  to
occur sometimes without previous inflammation, from
suspension  of the circulation by  ligatures, and from
ossification  of the arterial  trunks.  But here I differ
with them  in opinion, for I am confident from strict
observation that even in  these cases there is more or
less inflammation, and that the inflammatory process
is present to a certain extent, although the common
symptoms are  not sufficiently observed, such as pain,
redness, swelling, &c.
   Almost every texture of  the body is liable to mor-
tification ; but mucous membrane, the skin, and  ab-
sorbent vessels  are  particularly apt  to suffer, while
the arteries,  tendons, ligaments, and fibrous mem-
 branes generally escape.
   You will then perceive, as well as I can  tell  you,
 that the causes  of mortification are innumerable.  But 
816*
MORTIFICATION.
generally, and with but few exceptions, this disease re
suits from inflammation.
  Gunshot  wounds,  fractures,  dislocations, simple
punctures,  concentrated  acids,  poisons,  stimulating
applications, lightning, burns, long-continued pressure,
intense cold, must all operate more or less through the
medium  of inflammation, in producing these sevearl
effects.

                   TREATMENT.
  The remedies of mortification are either  constitu-
tional or local, and the treatment must be very differ-
ent under particular circumstances.   If, for  instance,
there is high inflammation and likely to terminate in
gangrene, you must pursue the  antiphlogistic course,
which is  bleeding, purging, and low diet, so as to dimi-
nish the activity of  the vital power.  But if gangrene
has actually taken place, you are to pursue an opposite
course, by giving bark, wine, and other tonics, soups
and any diet calculated to give strength and support
to the patient.  Opium is a valuable  remedy, if given
in small doses and frequently repeated.
  Formerly greater reliance was placed upon Peruvian
bark than  any other medicine; but of late  years its
reputation  in  this particular disease has  greatly de-
clined ; so much  so, that many physicians of the  pre-
sent day have ceased entirely to use it.
  I  must, however, say to you, that I have  found  it
very useful in some cases, in others, useless if not in-
jurious.   Musk  and  salts  of  hartshorn, medically
called volatile alkali, is highly recommended  and used
by the celebrated surgeon  Mr. White, of Manchester,
England, in cases of mortification attended with spas-
modic twitchings.  The latter  medicine I have fre- 
MORTIFICATION.
817*
quently used  with much  advantage;  also camphor,
sometimes alone, and frequently combined with opium,
and have generally given the patient much  relief by
this remedy.   For doses of each medicine see table.
  The mineral acids are occasionally used, but merely
act  as  common  tonics, and as such may be useful.  I
have given small doses of calomel (medically, submu-
ria hydrargyri) and have derived much benefit from
it.  And the liquor ammoniae acetatis, which in plain
English means the salts of hartshorn, dissolved in vine-
gar until it ceases to effervesce, combined with lauda-
num, given internally,  is  a  valuable  remedy.  For
these refer to the table.
  As local remedies, numerous applications w7ere for-
merly  made to mortified parts, under  an impression
that the progress of the disease might be checked, or
the vitality of the texture  restored.  It is now, how-
ever, well understood, that  no  such influence can be
exerted, and that local remedies  are chiefly useful in
assuaging pain, and keeping the  diseased parts clean,
moist,  and free from smell.  Such applications indeed
may be useful during the height of the i flammatory
stage, and before gangrene has taken place.   The best
under  these circumstances are common  poultices of
bread  and milk, moderately  wrarm, and kept  con-
stantly applied.   Fomentations  are  sometimes  em-
ployed with the same view; but they are not so useful
as poultices.  In the early stages  of gangrene, leeches
applied directly to the part or its neighbourhood, often
prove  highly beneficial.   For description of  Leeches,
see page 820.
  When mortification has commenced, and particularly
when the cuticle or skin is elevated in spots, containing
a serous fluid, solutions  of  sugar of lean1, or, in other
     GUNN   52 
818*
MORTIFICATION.
words, sugar of lead dissolved in water, say about the
proportions of a small tea-spoonful to  a half pint of
water; or mild ointments of any kind, or a mixture of
lime water and sweet oil will be found very soothing.
They should be applied by a camel's hair pencil, or by
a feather, and care taken to preserve the skin entire or
whole.  When the skin separates and the surface  dis-
charges an  offensive matter,  then  carrot  poultices
mixed with common yeast will be  found useful, or
warm fermenting poultices made of herbs.  In some
instances the carrot  poultices give pain;  and in such
cases they should be removed, and poultices of milk and
bread applied moderately warm.  Carbon, which in
plain  English means charcoal, has been used either
alone or mixed with the poultices.  I have seldom de-
rived much advantage from it, and I have of late years
omitted its use, on account of its keeping  the parts so
black and dirty, that it was impossible  to see the pro-
per state or actual condition of the part  diseased.  You
will find  the pyroligneous  acid, (acid  extracted
from wood,) which can be obtained at any of the apo-
thecary shops, a better article for use than the charcoal
in removing any offensive odour or smell, and particu-
larly valuable in sloughing ulcers and tumours.   Just
before an operation  {if used) it will immediately re-
move all offensive odour.
  The older surgeons were in the habit of scarifying
all  mortified parts, under the idea that  such a process
would speedily promote their separation.  Except in
cases of extravasation of urine into the cellular texture
of the scrotum, and some other analogous diseases which
seldom occur, and require the attention of an eminent
surgeon, an operation of this  kind at the present day
is seldom performed.  These last observations are ex- 
MORTIFICATION.            819*
pressly for the surgeon or medical gentleman, showing
the late improvements, &c.  Now formerly stimulating
medicines were applied, such as turpentine, spirits, &c.
whereby in many instances great injury was the con-
sequence : particularly when the progress of the disease
had been stopped, and the sound parts were making
an effort, by the assistance of nature, to cast off the dead
or mortified portions of flesh, these remedies produced
severe pain, and no doubt in many instances re-establish-
ed the disease.  In all cases you will find emollient
poultices to be the best application for stopping the
progress of mortification in this stage of the disease.
  Doctor Physic, the celebrated surgeon of Philadel-
phia, has employed,  ever since the  year 1803, blis-
ters, large enough to cover the affected part, and also
a considerable  portion of the  adjoining sound parts,
and has in a great many instances been very successful.
For further information on this subject I refer you to
page 869, Mortification in Wounds.
  When patients are confined for a long time in one
posture,  from fractures,  paralysis, typhus  fever, and
other diseases, mortification is very apt to take place
in patches on the back and hips.  All that can be done
in such cases is to cover the sores by adhesive plaster,
and to place bolsters or cushions under the body, so as
to change the position of the  patient, and restore cir-
culation  to the injured part.
   Amputation is now seldom  performed to stop the
progress  of mortification, for  experience sufficiently
proves that the disease is afterwards liable to fall on
the stump.  When a red line has  formed, at  which
the dead separates from  the living parts, an operation
will become necessary, in order to remove the bone
and form a proper stump.  But this should seldom be 
816
MORTIFICATION.
done, until the system has in some  degree  recovered
its tone and strength.  By a reference to page 862, (Am-
putation,) you will there see how difficult it is to know
when this operation should be performed; for  it is
sometimes the case that the most skilful surgeon is mis-
taken, or at a stand whether he shall iperate or not.
             WHITE SWELLINGS.
  There are two kinds of white swellings—the acute
and scorbutic.  The acute is the most common, and
will first occupy our attention.  There is no disease to
which the human family is liable that will, if not taken
in time, inflict more severe and lasting misery.  It does
not attack persons above the  age of twenty-five years:
children between five and fifteen are more likely to
experience its violence and severity.  No diversity of
soil nor salubrity of climate can ward off its assaults:
its ravages extend from the seashore to the mountains,
and are most  frequent in the  most temperate and
healthy atmosphere. Children  of the finest constitu-
tions and of the greatest activity are most liable to its
attacks.  If the patient survives  the severity of the first
assault, he may for many years drag out a painful and
miserable existence; his  macerated  body filled with
sores  from the crown of his head to the soles of his
feet, and his sufferings so  protracted, violent, and ago-
nizing, that when he dies, as  he  will of a hectic fever,
his friends, relations, and even parents, feel comfort in
the thought  that  death  has relieved him from  his
miseries, and willingly consign to the tomb the mortal
remains of the unhappy victim.
  Causes.—This  disease is brought on by suddenly 
WHITE swelling.
817
cooling the body after it has been overheated by violent
exercise.   It is often produced by working too hard, by
running or jumping, and then going immediately into
water ; or lying down on.the cold ground and going to
sleep:  sometimes the first symptom is a pain in  the
part infected, and continues for several days before the
patient is seized with the fever:  at other times, the first
notice of the disease is a violent attack, as of the bilious
fever, with loss  of  appetite, and constant craving of
water.  In a few days the disease locates itself,  and
extreme pain is felt  in the part affected ; but although
every part of the human frame  is liable to its assaults,
it  most frequently  fastens on the  limbs.  The part
commences swelling most commonly,  though  not
alw7ays, without changing its colour; for sometimes the
whole limb is highly inflamed.  The patient finds no
rest day nor night; the pain is augmented  on  every
movement of the limb affected, which  continues to
settle for five or  six weeks before it  breaks.  By  this
time the patient is reduced to a skeleton by his excru-
ciating pains.   After  the abscess breaks  and com-
mences running, the  sufferer will  gradually gain
strength and begin to move about, although his wound
is still  running, and  the disease unconquered.

                  TREATMENT.
  Though this disease has long baffled the skill of  the
most  eminent physicians  of the world, its pathology
and treatment  are  but imperfectly  understood,  and
have, as yet, been imperfectly elucidated.   When  this
disease begins with a pain in the limbs without  fever,
it may sometimes be relieved by making  an  ointment
of hog's fat, or, if it cannot be had, of fresh butter  and
red pepper, and rubbing the part affected  twice  a day, 
818
WHITE SWELLING.
 drying it in with a hot shovel or iron.  If, after doing
 this, the pain should still increase, and the limb begin
 to swell and puff, an incision should be made with a
 lancet the whole length of the blade, nor is this opera-
 tion much felt or dreaded, so great  is the pain of the
 disease;  on the contrary it gives relief.  This operation
 is only to be performed by a skilful  physician.  Place
 at the bottom of the wound a piece of vegetable caustic
 about the size of a pea; after  waiting half an hour, put
 in as  much  more in  the same way;  continue to do so
 three or four  times  every day until  you  get  into the
 cavity which always contains an oily fluid.  The flesh
 also is always  puffed  up  from the bone.  After you
 have got to the bone, stop the use of the caustic, and
 make a decoction (not strong) of wild  ivy leaves, and
 throw it in on the bone with a  syringe three or four
 times a day.  After you  begin  to use the ivy decoc-
 tion, apply a poultice of sweet milk  and flour; under
 this treatment the  w7ound will soon  commence  a
healthy suppuration, and  the patient will in a short
 time recover.  As the physician is seldom called  in
 until the disease  has damaged the bone, if the swelling
 is not opened in  the  early stage, the oily fluid spoken
 of will not be found ; for it is soon changed into pus.
 Whenever the physician  is called in, he  must follow
 the directions given : if the bone is injured, it may be
known by the appearance of the matter discharged: it
will be covered with specks or eyes such  as are often
seen in soup ; if  many of these are visible, the bone is
 unquestionably injured, and a speedy cure is not to be
expected.   Nature  must work, and her operations
must  be watched and aided.   After  the abscess is
opened, and  discharging a healthy matter, the system
must  be  strengthened and restored.  The energy of 
WHITE SWELLING.
819
the patient must be renovated before the cure of the
wound is undertaken.  The chalybeate pill will be the
proper medicine.   When the patient has  gained suffi-
cient strength, which he will not do under five or six
months; if the running still  continues, it will be an
unerring proof that the bone is injured.   The wound
must then be gradually opened by the application of
the caustic as before directed.
          BEER FOR  CONSUMPTION.
  Take of spikenard root, if green, tw7o pounds: if
dry, one pound ; of Seneca snake root, two ounces; of
wild cherry bark, of the root of devilsbit, each half a
pound; of the root of wild sweet potato, the root of
burdock and of the bark of white walnut, each half a
pound; put these into ten gallons of water; boil it dow7n
to three.  Pour it off the roots while boiling into a keg
or jug, and to this quantity add one quart of honey : in
a few days it will ferment, and be fit for use.
  Of this decoction the patient may  drink two or three
tea-cupsful a day.  This beer is to be given to patients
affected with the liver complaint or any kind of con-
sumption : it is useful in cases of debility of long stand-
ing.  This medicine acts as a tonic,  a  cathartic, and a
stimulant.   The white walnut  is  intended  only to
keep the bowels open : the patient will therefore judge
and put in more or less of it, as he finds its operation
more or less powerful. If the patients  are easily operated
on,  a less quantity is to be taken. 
820                 LEECHES.
                   LEECHES.
  In France and Portugal the demand for the medi-
cinal leech is so great as to afford a handsome support
to many persons in catching and selling this animal*
It is a miserable trade, and gives evidence amidst large
populations, as in Europe, of the shifts men are often
forced  to resort  to, for a support for  themselves  and
families.  The leech-gatherer is constantly more or
less in the water ; in fact it may be considered  as his
home ;  for hourly  he  is breathing fog, and mist,  and
fetid smells from ponds and marshes.   There is a par-
ticular part of France called La Brenne : this section
of the  country is remarkable for its miserable aspect
and wretched population, poor soil, stock, and supplies
of every description ; nothing to sustain  it but  the
leech, w7hich is  abundant and  of a superior quality.
You here behold hundreds of men, women, and child-
ren, and, not unfrequently, whole families employed in
fishing for them. The countenances of these poor peo-
ple bear indelible marks of their wretched profession ;
pale, haggard faces, more like a corpse than a human
being; hollow deep sunken eyes of a sepulchral look;
livid lips, and most horrible unearthly  visage.
  When you see at  first sight, as a stranger, at a dis-
tance, one of these leechers, and see his strange gestures
in examining his legs as he raises them out of the  wa-
ter every few7 moments, you would at once take him
to be a fool; but, on the contrary, he is a well  experi-
enced leech-catcher.   The leeches attach  themselves
to his legs and feet, as he wades  amongst their hiding
places: he at once feels them bite; as they attach them-
selves to his  legs and feet, which are bare, he alter-
nately lifts them up so as to pluck them off and place 
LEECHES.
821
them in a small bag, which he carries under his arm
for this purpose ; they are found likewise about the
roots of bulrushes, or under stones which are covered
with mud and attached to green moss: frequently they
are found resting on the mud, while many of them are
swimming about slowly, so that they are easily ga-
thered by the  hand.  At La Brenne, when the sea-
son is favourable, it is considered good  fishing to catch
eight or ten dozen in four or five  hours, and probably
out of this number not more than one-third are consi-
dered of the first class; the value of the leech depend-
ing  entirely upon  their size  and  colour.  The leech-
fishers in their rounds generally deposit in places fre-
quented by them some decayed animal matter, where
they soon collect,  often affording the leecher  at one
spot many of them, which would otherwise  require
some hours to collect.
   The leech  in summer retires into deep water, ano
these  poor creatures  have to  strip themselves  naked
and walk into the water up to  their chins to obtain
them, and think themselves well rewarded if they catch
one or two dozen during a long and sultry day,  the
whole of which are worth about  twenty cents, if good.
During  the summer season the  supply in the  pools is
very scanty.  The women and children have generally
small light rafts, made of twigs and rushes, and on these
frail supports take those that get entangled in the raft
as they push it from place  to place, or take the few
that swim within their reach.
   The wretched manner in which these poor  misera-
ble leechers are exposed  must excite  the  commisera-
tion and sympathy of every traveller w7ho may visit
this section of France. The poor things are constantly
more or less in the water amidst miasma very delete- 
8i!2
LEECHES.
 rious to life, and subject constantly to ague, catarrhs,
 inflammatory and  intermittent  fevers,  rheumatism,
 and diseases of every nature attendant upon marsh mi-
 asma.  Most of them  indulge in strong liquors to ex-
 cess, so as to ward off diseases, which shortens life, and
 brings on other complaints equally fatal.  But with all
 these miserable  attendants, the leech  fishery affords a
 support for a great many poor families; for they supply
 all the hospitals, druggists, and public medical institu-
 tions throughout France, and other parts of Europe, in
 addition to which large quantities are  exported to the
 United States.   Of  the French and Portuguese leech,
 the latter is preferable  and better adapted to this cli-
 mate, being much better feeders and hardier than the
 French leech.
   There are many interesting circumstances related
 at La Brenne  by the leech-fishers.  It is  related  that
 one of the traders, with the assistance of his five child
 ren, together with  w7hat he  purchased from second-
 hand traders, (for there are many of this description,)
 collected twenty-one thousand six hundred leeches in
 four months, all  of which he sent to Paris. His name
 is Henri Chartier, an important merchant or speculatoi
 in leeches, and  in  this section of  country as distin
 guished a personage as  may be  met with throughout
 France.   This emperor of the  leechers has  many
agents and sub-agents employed, and when this group
meet to deliver up their assortment of leeches for mar-
ket, the night previous  to their departure becomes a
scene of merriment, in character similar to Burns's
Tarn O'Shanter witch scene.
  The leech will bear  generally very hard treatment,
nor does the frost kill them immediately, as they may
be thawed into  life again.   The leechers pack them 
LEECHES.
823
closely together in damp bags, and slight pressure does
not seem to injure them, and when unpacked, they are
found adhering  closely to  each other.  The leech is
valuable in proportion to their  size and colour ; those
of a green ground, with  yellow stripes along the body,
are the most valuable; the small, black, and dark stripes
are considered of the second quality.   For medicinal
purposes, they should be kept in large, unglazed stone
jars, filled with pond or  river water halfway to the
brim, in  order that the leeches may have room to as-
cend above the surface.  Water which has stood for a
fortnight or three weeks is preferable ;  because it con-
tains  the animalculae requisite  for the  food of the
leeches, and of which fresh water is destitute.  It need
not (unless in very hot  weather, or when leeches are
diseased) be changed oftener than twice a month in
summer, and once in winter.
  Blood  is the substance which this most greedy ani-
mal delights to feed upon.  The appetite is so strong
that when it fastens upon the skin it never voluntarily
quits its hold before it is filled and glutted.   I have no
doubt that if many of them were to attack at the same
time a warm  blooded animal, they would destroy him
by loss of blood.  Man, who possesses the  sagacity to
turn almost every thing to some valuable account, has
discovered the art of converting the voracity of leeches
to the removal of certain diseases which afflict him.
  The letting of blood is one of the most safe and effi-
cacious means of acting upon the diseased  body.  It
may be done by general phlebotomy, as in the com-
mon operation of opening a principal vein in the arm,
or it may  be partial, as by  scarifications, &c. Expe-
rience has proved that many local diseases are very little,
if at all, affected by general blood-letting; while at the 
824
LEECHES.
same time the drawing of a due quantity of blood im-
mediately from the diseased spot  produces a powerful
effect: and  by availing themselves of the instinctive
relish of leeches for blood, practitioners of medicine
have learned the art of enlisting them in the capacity
of bleeders.  From the  small quantity of blood they
extract, and from the power the operator has acquired
of making them bite the very spot w7hich he chooses,
leeches have been found to be very valuable assistants
to surgeons  in relieving their patients from  great suf-
ferings ; and in such cases a long and ample experience
has proved their usefulness where local  blood-letting
was necessary.
  Naturalists have  described fourteen species of the
hirudo or leech. The animal belongs to the sixth class
of animals, called intestina.  One of the species is de-
nominated  or called  medicinalis; and  is  the  one
made use of in the  practice of physic.  The medical
leech on the upper  sides  has  many annular wrinkles,
winch it can dilate or contract at pleasure.  On each
side of the back are  four lines, the first of which is red;
the next red, spotted with black; the third black ; the
fourth yellow ; and the belly is yellow, variegated with
black; and  no eyes can be seen.   They  are  applied
with  great  advantage to  hemorrhoidal tumours and
other local swellings, or wherever blood is required to
be abstracted, as in inflammations of the  eyes, and
various diseases of children.
  Care should be taken not to confound or mistake for
it the horse-leech, wilich is a long black leech, of an
ash-coloured green  beneath, with  black spots.  Like
the medical leech, it lives  in ditches,  ponds, and
marshes; and is about four inches long; sometimes the
middle of the belly  is destitute of spots.   It has some- 
LEECHES.
825
times been used for the medicinal leech;  but it is so
greedy of blood that nine have been known to bleed a
horse to death.  It is therefore unsafe to use them.
  There are plenty of leeches in the ponds and waters
of this country; but  I have never as yet seen  the
genuine medicinal leech, although I have sought them
attentively.
  I regret to say, but little attention has  been paid to
this  important subject  by physicians; nor is it  yet
known whether the true medicinal leech is a native of
the United  States or not.   If it is a native of  our
country,  (which I doubt very much,) I hope it will
soon be brought into practical use, or, if necessary,  im-
ported and kept in the shops for the use of physicians;
for these blood-suckers are of great assistance in reliev-
ing many diseases to which they are peculiarly adapted,
and are an important auxiliary in medical treatments,
particularly in recent injuries, such as bruises, sprains,
and all local inflammations ; in cases of determinations
of blood  to the head, or severe headach, they are always
a safe remedy; or in affections of  the head, the applica-
tion of two or three leeches inside, or at the division of
the nostrils,  will, by abstracting the blood at this point,
give immediate relief, as the  immediate connexion of
the vessels of that part with those of the brain  are very
close and direct.
   The best mode of using them is first to allow them
to crawl upon a clean dry cloth until they are perfectly
dry, which causes them to be more eager to take hold
when put to the part, which should be well bathed 01
cleansed with warm water, and then wiped perfectly
dry: and the leech or leeches applied. If they refuse to
take  hold,  which  is sometimes  the  case  when  the
weather is very cold, wash the part with a little milk
                        104 
826
LEECHES.
made sweet with sugar, which induces them to bite
Always hold your leech by the tail, so as to permit the
head to be free: and after it has taken  hold, support it
for a few seconds until it becomes permanently fixed
to the part.  As soon as the leech is filled, he will drop
off, and the bleeding may be encouraged by sponging
the part with warm water.  When you have drawn suf-
ficient  blood, and  wish to close the  w7ounds, apply a
piece of dry lint secured by a bandage.   If necessary to
apply several leeches to a particular  part, cover  them
over with a tumbler  or  wine-glass  until  they take
hold. When you are done with your leeches, and wish
to have them again fit for immediate use, put them in
w7eak salt and water for a few minutes, and they will
disgorge or puke up the blood, when  they are to be
cleansed and placed in a jar filled with  the water be-
fore described ; and you should be careful to select such
leeches as have not been lately employed in venereal
swellings; in other words, I should always use fresh
leeches.
   TRANSFERENCE OF VITAL POWER.
  " A not uncommon cause of loss of vital powers is
the young sleeping with the aged.  This  fact is well
known to every unprejudiced observer.   But it has
been entirely overlooked by medical writers.  I have
on several occasions met with the counterpart of the
following case:—I was a  few years since  consulted
about a pale, sickly, and thin boy, of about five or  six
years of age.   He appeared to have no specific ailment,
but there w7as a slow and remarkable  decline of flesh
and strength, and of the energies of all the functions; 
         TRANSFERENCE OF  VITAL POWER     827

what his mother  very aptly termed a gradual blight.
After inquiring into  the history of the case, it came
out that he had been a robust and plethoric child up to
his third year, when his grandmother, a very aged per-
son, took him to sleep  with  her;  that he soon after-
wards lost his good looks; and  he  had continued to
decline ever since, notwithstanding medical treatment.
I directed  him to  sleep apart from  his aged grand-
parent, and prescribed tonics, change of air. &c.  The
change and recovery was rapid.  It is not with children
only that debility is induced by this mode of abstract-
ing vital pow7er.  Young females married to  very  old
men suffer in a similar manner, though not to the same
extent.   These facts are often well known to the aged
themselves, w7ho consider the indulgence  favourable to
longevity, and therefore often illustrate the selfishness
which in some persons increase with their years." 
ACCIDENTS.
  When  an accident takes place by  a  fall from a
horse, or a height, or being thrown from a carriage, or
receiving a blow from a stick, or any similar injury to
those I have mentioned, it will be proper, if possible,
to bleed from the arm, but from any other part, if these
parts are injured so as to prevent it. The loss of blood
must be regulated  according to the situation and cir-
cumstances of the case :  for  frequently the injury has
been so severe as apparently to deprive the patient of
life : in this situation you must await for the returning
symptoms of animation, using friction ; or, in other
words, rubbing, so as to  restore the circulation;  this
will  be proper over  the  region of the heart  and sto-
mach, temples, and the extremities, and bathing the
temples with the spirits in which camphor  has been
dissolved, or spirits of hartshorn, or strong vinegar, at
the same time applying it occasionally to the nose; and
should the person be able to  swallow, or so soon as they
may be a little restored, it will be proper to give a little
wine and water, or water and  spirits of any kind, or
any other  gentle stimulant  that  may be convenient.
In all cases of suspended animation, it is highly essen-
tial  to continue  friction for a length  of time, and in
many difficult cases you will find  the  tepid  bath of
great service in  restoring life;  for I have frequently
witnessed the person restored, when all, and even the
most distant hope seemed at an end ; therefore, let me
                                          828 
ACCIDENTS.                829
implore you in such cases to use gentle and continued
friction on the body, for some vital spark may yet lin-
ger, and be warmed into animation; Providence may
bless your kind efforts, and what heart-felt gratification
will it afford you to be the humble instrument of re-
storing the  life  of a fellow7-creature, who, perhaps, in
an unprepared state, might have gone to an untimely
grave.  If I had  $pace, and I regret I have not, I could
give you several  interesting cases that have fallen un-
der my care, and many I have witnessed, particularly
in the cases of  drowning, in which the most  happy
effects have been produced by perseverance.  But on
this highly important subject, let me refer  you  to the
head, Suspended Animation.
  In all cases, where the patient is unable from  severe
injury to walk, it is necessary immediately  to prepare
a conveyance; and for  this purpose take  two  boards
sufficiently  long and broad, and then  nail tw7o cross
pieces with the ends projecting about a foot for han-
dles ; or make, if the plank is not convenient, a littei
formed of  the branches of trees.  On  either of these
convey your patient to  the nearest house.   If the per-
son should be bleeding,  you must stop the blood  before
moving him or her.   In removing  him on and from
this  litter to the bed, be extremely careful, as many
serious accidents occur by being in too great a hurry
and  alarm; frequently  there is considerable pain in-
flicted unnecessarily, by awkwardly stripping off the
coat or pantaloons; therefore rip  up the seams, by
which you very  often prevent much unnecessary pain:
recollect never to use the least force.   When the  pa-
tient is stripped, and the room cleared of all unneces-
sary lookers on, (which is generally the case,  much
to the annoyance of the patient and his physician, par-
   OCNN   53 
850
ACCIDENTS.
ticularly if a female,) then proceed to ascertain the in
jury, if a male, with calmness and firmness, if a female,
with tenderness and delicacy, yet with certainty as to
the nature of the injury.   I would here remark in
plain language, as I have always done in all my advice
and writings, that false delicacy has in many instances
destroyed the lives of many females, that might have
otherwise been easily preserved.  Wi4h these remarks
and directions,! shall, in as few words as possible, and
in plain  language, proceed to give such  directions in
surgery as may be easily performed by the most hum-
ble person who will attend to the directions.
  An injury may be simple or  compound ;  that is, it
may be a contusion or bruise, a wound, fracture,  or
dislocation, or it may be two, or all of them  united in
one or several parts.
  A contusion is of course the consequence of every
blow, and is known by the swelling, and the skin being
bruised and discoloured. Wounds of course require no
explanation.
  Fractures, in other w7ords, broken  bones, are known
by the sudden and severe pain, and by the appearance
of the limb being out of shape; sometimes by its being
shortened, and by the person being unable to move it
without  great pain.   But the most  certain w7ay to as-
certain  it, is  to grasp the limb above and below the
spot supposed to be fractured, and by moving it gently
different ways, you hear a grating  noise, occasioned by
the broken ends of the bone rubbing against each other.
Very often, how7ever, before you can arrive to render
assistance, the limbs become much swollen.  In such
a case, always reduce first the swelling, as  by twisting
the limb, or other experiments, it will give  the most
excruciating pain to the afflicted person. 
ACCIDENTS.
831
  Dislocations, or, in other words, bones out of joint,
are easily perceived by the deformity of the joint, which
you can compare with its fellow, and plainly observe
the difference, and from the person being in great pain,
and unable to move the limb, and by its being longer
or shorter than common, and from the impossibility of
moving it in any direction, without great misery.
            CONTUSION  OR BLOW.
  If slight, you must bathe the part frequently with
cold applications, such as vinegar and water, ice water,
or cold  spring water; this will reduce or  keep down
inflammation or fever, and must be  occasionally used
for five  or eight hours; but  if fever  should come on,
then bleed and purge well with salts, and diet the per-
son on the lightest food and  cool drinks.  If the  fever
should still continue, you must repeat the bleeding and
purging; perhaps  a  good active dose of calomel, fol-
lowed by a dose of salts, in this event would cut  short
the fever.  Be particular as to the patient's passing his
water;  as it frequently happens from a blow, that the
nerves of the  bladder become palsied, and the patient
feels no desire to make water, although the bladder is
full.  In this case, it is highly important to attend to
drawing off the water by a catheter, an instrument for
this purpose.  See under the head Directions for Pass-
ing Catheter.
  The  most serious effects,  however, resulting  from
contusion, is when the blow  is on the head, producing
either concussion  or  compression of the brain.  See
those heads. 
832
ACCIDENTS.
                    SPRAINS.
  Sprains are to be treated with the coldest applica-
tions ; and for this purpose  nature's  remedy is  by far
the best—cold water.  Plunge the sprained part  into
cold w7ater, and hold it there as long  as you can bear
it; after which, dry it with a coarse towel, and rub on
it spirits of camphor; by which I  mean, spirits  that
camphor has been dissolved  in; rub  this well in, and
bind it  with flannel, and every morning and even-
ing pour cold water on it  from the spout of a tea
kettle held up at a  considerable  height.   This simple
remedy will relieve you in a short time, and to a w7eak
joint of any kind, this is an invaluable prescription.  I
have removed the weakness of an ankle of long stand
ing by it, when all other applications failed.
       CONCUSSION OF THE BRAIN.
  Symptoms.—The person stunned, the breathing i.
slow; great drowsiness and stupidity; the pupil of the
eye rather contracted, or arawn up; frequently vomit-
ing or puking: after a time he recovers.
  Remedies.—Apply cloths  dipped in cold vinega*
and water to the head; and if you have ice, its applica
tion will  be greatly beneficial.  So soon  as the stupoi
is off, bleed, and open the bowels with Epsom salts, 01
any cooling purge; by all means confine the patient to
the bed,  and the lowest and most cooling diet and
drinks: the room must be kept dark but cool, and no
noise  whatever.   In  this quiet situation, you are to
endeavour to prevent inflammation of the brain, which,
if it comes on, must be met by free and copious bleed
ing, blisters, and purging. 
ACCIDENTS.
833
       COMPRESSION OF  THE BRAIN.
  Symptoms.—Loss of sense and motion ; slow, noisy,
and  difficult breathing; the pulse is quite slow7 and
irregular; the  muscles  relaxed as  in a  person  just
dead ; the pupil of the eye enlarged, and will not con-
tract, even for  a strong  light; the person cannot be
roused, and bears a resemblance to one afflicted with
an apoplectic fit.
  Remedies.—Bleed freely, and shave the head, and
apply cool applications to it until you can procure a
good surgeon ;  and this must be done immediately, or
it will be too late, as there is nothing but an operation
in this case that will save life.
                     BURNS.
  To one  ounce  of  basilicon ointment,  add three
grains acetate of morphine; rub them well together in
a mortar, and apply to burns or scalds with the feather
end of a quill.  After the application, cover the part af-
fected with a linen rag to exclude the air. 
WOUNDS.
  Wounds are of three kinds: first, an incised wound,
which means a clean cut: second, a punctured wound,
which means a wound produced by sharp pointed in-
struments, as needles, awls, nails, &c.; third, a contused
wound, which  means a  wound  occasioned by round
or blunt bodies, as musket balls, clubs, stones, and all
gunsho; wounds are included in this last mentioned
term.
  Remedies.—In all  wounds,  the first thing to be
done is to endeavour to stop the flow of blood; should
this be but trifling, draw the edges of the wound to-
gether with your hand, and hold them in that position
for some time, when the blood will frequently stop. If
it still continues, and the quantity large,  or of a bright
red colour, flowing in spirts, or with a sudden jerk,
then clap your finger on the spot it springs from, and
press it with firmness, while you request some  other
person to pass  a handkerchief round the limb, (sup-
posing the wound to be in one,) above the cut, and to
tie its two ends together in a hard knot. A stick of
any kind must now be passed  under the  knot, (be-
tween the upper surface of the limb and the handker-
chief,) and turned round and round until the stick is
brought down to the limb, so as to make the handker-
chief encircle it with considerable tightness; you may
then  take off your finger: if  the blood still  flows,
tighten the handkerchief by a turn or two of the stick, 
WOUNDS.
835
until the blood ceases.  The patient  may  now be re-
moved (taking great care to secure the stick in its posi-
tion) without running any risk of bleeding to death by
the way.  As  this apparatus cannot be left on for any
length of time without destroying the life of the parts,
endeavour as quickly as you conveniently can to secure
the bleeding vessels; for I shall give  you such ample
and plain directions, that any person of common sense
may take them up and secure them in a proper man-
ner, and perfectly  safe.   In the  first place, wax to-
gether three or four threads of a sufficient length, cut
it into as many pieces as you think there are vessels to
be taken up, each piece being about a foot long.  Now
wash the parts  with warm  w7ater, and then with a
sharp hook, similar to a crooked awl, or a slender pair
of pincers in your hand, fix your eye steadfastly upon
the wound, and  direct  the handkerchief to be gently
loosed by a turn or tvvo of the stick; you will now see
the mouth of the artery from which the blood springs:
seize it with your hook or pincers, draw it a little out.
while  the  person who assists  you passes the waxed
thread, called  by medical men a  ligature, round the
artery or bleeding vessel;  now  tie it up tight with a
double knot.  In this way take up, one after the other,
each bleeding vessel you can see or get hold of.
   Should the wound be too high up the limb to apply
the handkerchief, do not be alarmed, for the bleeding
can still be commanded.  If it is the thigh, press firmly
in the groin; or, if in  the arm, with the hand-end or
ring of a common door key, make pressure above the
collar  bone, and about  its middle, against the first rib
which lies under it.  The pressure is to be continued
until you can obtain assistance, and then  tie up the
bleeding vessels as before directed.  If the wound is on 
836
WOUNDS.
the head, you must press your finger firmly on it until
a compress, which means several folds of linen, is fur-
nished ; this is to be bound firmly over the  artery by a
bandage.  If the wound is  in the face, or  so situated
that pressures cannot be effectually made, or you  can-
not get hold of the vessel, and the blood flows fast, put
a piece of ice, or a cloth wet with tanner's ooze, or flour,
and let it remain on until the blood coagulates; you can
then remove it, and apply a compress or bandage.   It
is important that this simple method I have described
should be practised so as to enable any one to compress
the great arteries in these situations, thereby preserving
many a man who  would, for the want of this simple
assistance, bleed to  death before a surgeon or medical
aid could be procured.
              INCISED WOUNDS.
  The  meaning of an incised  wound,  is a clean or
fresh cut.   Wash away all the dirt that may be in the
wound with a sponge or linen rag and warm water;
when the blood is stopped, draw the sides of the wound
nicely together, then confine it in this situation by nar-
row strips of sticking plaster, placed  at short distances
apart, and directly across the wound.  Now a fold, or
soft compress of old linen or lint, is to be  laid over and
confined by a bandage.
  In many cases you will  find inflammation follow7.
If this should be the case, then remove the strips, and
bleed and purge the patient, and keep him on very low
diet, and as quiet and as cool as possible  ; in other or
more  plain language, endeavour to keep down fever;
and now recollect  that matter  must form before the 
0CNDS.
837
wound will heal; therefore it is best to encourage  it
by applying a soft poultice of any kind, until the mat-
ter is produced ; after which, you may use any simple
ointment.  The usual or common method of narrow
strips of linen, spread with sticking plaster, called by
physicians adhesive  plaster,  form the best means of
keeping the sides of a wound together when they can
be applied; yet if the w7ound is in the ear, nose, tongue,
lips, bag, by which I mean the privates, or the eyelids,
then use  stitches, which  are made in  the following
manner:  thread a common  needle with a  double
waxed thread, pass the point of it through the skin,  at
a little distance from the edge of the cut, and bring it
out of  the opposite one at the same distance.  Should
the w7ound be large,  so as  to require more than one
stitch, cut off the needle, thread it again, and proceed
on to take as many stitches as necessary ; leave all the
threads loose until all the stitches are passed, when the
ends of each thread must be tied in a hard double knot,
drawing the thread in  such a way that it bears a little
on each side of the cut.  When the edges of the wound
are partly united by inflammation, cut then the knots,
and  draw out  carefully all the threads.   From the
plain manner  in which I have written and explained
to you, you will  easily perceive that in all  wounds,
after stopping the flow of blood, and  cleansing the
parts, the  important point is to bring the  sides of the
wound  even, and  together, so that it may grow toge-
ther as quick as possible, without producing any mat-
ter ; this  is called by physicians healing  by  the first
intention.   Now7, to  produce  this desirable effect,  in
addition to what I have already mentioned, you must
recollect two things necessary to be attended to ; first,
the position of the patient; and, secondly, the applica- 
838
WOUNDS.
tion of the bandage.  Let the position be such as will
relax as much as possible the skin and muscles of the
part wounded ;  by attending to this strictly, you will
prevent, or in a great measure lessen the tendency to
separate or open.  My method in such cases is as fol-
lows :  take a common bandage  of proper width and
length,'and  pass it over the  compresses moderately
tight, so as to keep them in their  proper place, and by
its pressure  the wround will heal  immediately, and
keep it from  separating or opening.  In many cases,
the wound is so large  and severely painful,  that the
limb or body of the patient cannot be raised or moved,
for the  purpose of applying or removing it; then spread
the ends of one or two  strips of linen  or leather with
sticking plaster, which may be applied in place of the
bandage in the  following way: stick one end of the
strip to the  sound skin, at a short distance  from the
edge of the  compress, over which it is to  be dr^iwn
with moderate firmness, and secured in the same man-
ner on the opposite side; if you see that it is necessary
to secure it more fully, apply a second or third, or un-
til properly  secured.  As I have before  told you, if
violent inflammation comes  on, in  all wounds the
proper practice is to reduce it by bleeding, purging, &c.;
but if you see any symptoms of  approaching locked-
jaw, give  your patient  wine,  brandy, opium, porter,
&c ; in other words, stimulate him freely, and give a
generous diet.
           PUNCTURED  WOUNDS.
  Those  wounds called by  physicians  punctured
wounds, are  produced by any sharp pointed instiu-
ments as nails  awls, needles, Sic. 
WOUNDS.
839
  Treatment.  First  stop the bleeding, then with-
draw the needle, splinters, glass, or any thing that may
be in a wound of this nature, provided it can be  done
easily : and if enlarging the wound a little will enable
you  to get any foreign  body out, it is best to do so.
Though it is not always necessary to enlarge wounds
of this nature; yet when the weather is very warm, I
advise you  not to neglect doing so; because it is a pre-
caution against locked-jaw, which occurs frequently in
wounds of  this description. I recollect a case in 1816,
that occurred at Savannah, Georgia.  A Miss D-----
L-------,  a most  amiable and accomplished lady, in
making  preparations for  a ball, by accident stuck a
needle slightly in her heel. The puncture being slight,
she attended the ball. On the following day symptoms
of locked-jaw commenced; and the second day, not-
withstanding the skill afforded her by several eminent
professional gentlemen, she died.  So soon as you en-
large a w7ound of this description, as  directed, pour a
little turpentine into the wround, or touch it by caustic,
and  then cover it with a poultice, moistened with lau-
danum ;  the  object of the poultice  is to form matter.
When this is done, you must then treat it as a common
sore, with mild ointment of any kind.  Frequently in
such cases  there is a great deal  of pain; if so,  give
laudanum in large doses,—you need not fear giving
laudanum in broken doses, until the patient gets ease;
for I have often given as  high as two hundred drops,
say  thirty  at each dose, before partial ease pould be
afforded. In warm  weather inflammation often occurs;
in such case  bleed in moderation, and purge freely:
recollect here to use  the lancet with care and discre-
tion. 
840
WOUNDS.
             CONTUSED  WOUNDS.
  Wounds of this description are made by round or
blunt bodies, as musket balls, clubs, stones,  &c.  In
such  wounds you may have little  to fear of loss of
blood, as they are attended generally by little bleeding;
if any, it must be stopped.   If the wound is produced
by a ball, and the ball can be felt, or easily got at, it is
proper to extract it, or any piece of  the w7ad or cloth,
or clothing : for instance, if the ball can be plainly felt
immediately  under the skin, then  make an  incision
across it and take it out.   But remember well  this
salutary  counsel—never  allow  any poking  in  the
wound to search for a ball or any articles differently
situated from what I have plainly described ; for many
deaths occur, which, if properly managed, (or in other
words, so much unnecessary science dispensed with,)
would have been  entirely cured.  The best extracter
in such cases is a soft bread and milk poultice.  In
fact, by long experience and Reflection, I should say
that gunshot w7ounds, that  have formed a lodgment
must not be  opened either lightly or wantonly;  nor
under the idea of  hunting for extraneous  substances;
for  the parts themselves  will bring these to the surface,
and  such as cannot be thus extracted, give  little
trouble, nor do  they prevent the healing  of a wound.
It is particularly  vain to hunt for balls, because they
take a wayward  course, and often find  a lodgment
where the surgeon or physician w7ould be least inclined
to look for them.   Even if the ball can be felt, and yet
the  skin is sound,  some eminent surgeons  think it will
not  be prudent to extract it before the original wound
is healed, because, where it rests it can do no harm, and
it is better to have only one wound at a time than two 
WOUNDS.
841
When a ball has wounded a cavity, as, for example, the
abdomen, which means the belly ; if the ball has passed
with little velocity, the parts will heal by the  first in-
tention.  [You will recollect I explained plainly to
you the meaning of healing by the first intention.]  If,
however, it has passed with such velocity or quickness
as to produce a slough, meaning an inward bruise, the
adhesive inflammation will take place on the perito-
neum, meaning the skin which lines the belly, and
covers the abdominal viscera: or,  in other words, the
bowels, and the organs in  the  belly and chest.  The
adhesive inflammation, as remarked, will take place on
this peritoneum all around the w7ound, which will pre
vent the general cavity from  taking part in the inflam
mation, although  the  ball shall have not only pene-
trated, but wounded those parts not immediately essen-
tial to life, in its passage  through the body; for what
ever solid viscus has been pierced, the surfaces in con-
tact, surrounding every orifice,  will unite by the adhe-
sive inflammation, so as to form one  continual canal,
with  winch the general cavity has no communication.
If any extraneous or outward body has been carried in
by the ball, it will be included in these adhesions, and,
with  the slough,  will be conducted by one of the
orifices to the outward surface.
   If the ball  has wounded the liver or surface, these
may soon acquire  the healing disposition : if the sto-
mach, intestines, kidneys, ureters, or bladder, such in-
juries are generally  mortal;  for their contents escape
into the cavity of the abdomen  or belly, and universal
inflammation of the peritoneum takes place, attended
by great pain and tension or swelling, which terminates
in death.  But if the wound is small and the bowels are
not full, adhesions may take place all round the wound, 
842
WOUNDS.
which will confine the matter, and make it go on in its
right channel.  When a ball has not penetrated any of
the viscera of the abdomen, but only by contusion pro-
duced death in a part, whenever the  slough comes
away, the matter contained in that viscus will escape,
but as the adhesive inflammation takes  place between
the surfaces in contact, the  new channel will be pre-
served entire, and cut off the communication between
the external air and the cavity of the abdomen.  This
channel may, however, in time be closed, and the con-
tents may pass by their accustomed course.   A young
gentleman was shot through the body; the balls, three
in number, entered on the left side of the  navel, and
came out behind, just above the superior vertebrae  of
the loins.  The first w7ater  he made was  bloody; in
less than a fortnight, John Hunter, the most  eminent
surgeon of London, pronounced him  out  of danger,
being persuaded  that whatever cavities the balls had
entered  were united by the adhesive inflammation, so
as to form one complete canal, and that neither the ex-
traneous matters  carried  in with  the balls,  nor any
slough which  might separate  from  the sides of the
canal, nor matter formed in it, could get into the cavity
of the abdomen, but must be conducted to the external
surface of the body, either through the wounds or from
an abscess forming for itself, wliich  would work its
own exit somewhere.   Soon after this conclusion, some
foeces (meaning that which should pass from the fun-
dament) coming through the wound,  confirmed him
in his opinion  respecting the efforts  of nature, which
are great on such occasions to secure the cavity of the
abdomen: yet he feared this wound might in future
perform  the functions of the  fundament.   He  saw
clearly, that an intestine had received a bruise sufficient 
WOUNDS.
843
to kill the part, and that till the separation of slough
had taken place, both the intestine and canal were still
complete, and  therefore did not communicate with
each other, but that when the slough was thrown off,
the two were laid into one at this part, and that there-
fore the contents of the intestine got into this wound.
This symptom, however, gradually decreased by the
contraction of this opening, till  an  entire stop to the
passage of the foeces by it took place, and the wounds
were healed, and  the gentleman entirely restored  to
health.
  Having fully described to you the effects of gunshot
wTounds, I shall conclude, by directing, that should the
inflammation be great, you are to bleed and purge.  If
your patient labours under great pain, give laudanum,
and if the parts assume a dark look, threatening a mor-
tification, cover them with a  blister.   Where  the
wound is much torn, wash  the parts very  nicely with
w7arm water, and then, having secured every bleeding
vessel, lay them all down in as natural a position as
possible, drawing  their edges gently together, or as
much so as  possible, by strips  of sticking plaster, or
stitches,  if necessary.   Now apply a soft bread and
milk poultice over the whole
     WOUNDS OF  THE EAR, NOSE, &c.
  Treatment.—Wash the parts well, so as to cleanse
them from all dirt, &c. and then draw the edges of the
wound together, by as many stitches as are necessary.
If the part is even completely separated, and  has been
trodden under foot, by washing it in w7arm w7ater, and
placing it even, and accurately, in its proper  place, by
the same means it may still adhere or grow on. 
844
WOUNDS.
          WOUNDS OF THE SCALP.
  Treatment.—In wounds of the scalp it is neces-
sary to shave off the hair.   After this operation is per-
formed, wash the parts well, and draw the edges of the
w7ound together with sticking plaster.  If it has been
torn up in several places, wash and lay them all down
on  the skull  again, drawing their edges together as
nearly as possible,  by sticking plaster, or,  if necessary,
by stitches.  Then cover the whole with  a soft fold or
bandage, smeared with simple ointment of any kind.
         WOUNDS  OF THE THROAT.
  Treatment.—Seize and tie up every bleeding ves-
sel you can get hold of.  If the windpipe is cut only
partly through, secure it with a sticking plaster. If it
is  completely divided,  bring  its  edges  together by
stitches, taking  care  to pass the needle through  the
loose membrane that  covers  the windpipe, and  not
through the windpipe itself. The head should be bent
on the breast during this operation, and secured by bol-
sters and bandages in that  position, to  favour the  ap-
proximation of the w7ound.
         WOUNDS OF THE  CHEST.
  If the wound in the chest is a simple incised wound,
draw the edges of it together by sticking plaster, cover
it by a fold  or compress of  linen, and pass a bandage
round the chest.  The patient is  to be confined to his
bed, kept on very low diet,  and  bled and purged, in 
WOUNDS.
845
order to prevent inflammation.  If, however, inflam-
mation should come on, you must reduce it by copious
and frequent bleedings.  Should the wound be occa-
sioned by a bullet, extract it, and any pieces of cloth,
&c, that may be lodged in it, if possible, and cover the
wound with a piece of linen, smeared with some sim-
ple ointment, taking great care  that it is not drawn
into the chest.   If a portion of the lung  protrudes or
projects out, return it to its place immediately, but be
as gentle and cautious as possible.
         WOUNDS OF THE BELLY.
  In wounds of the belly, close it by strips of sticking
plaster, and stitches  passed  through the skin, about
half an  inch from the edge of the wound, and cover
the whole with a soft compress of linen, secured  by a
bandage.  Any inflammation that  may arise is to be
reduced  by bleeding, purging, and a blister  over the
whole belly.  Should any part of the bowels come
out at the wound, if  clean and uninjured, return  it as
quickly as possible; if covered with dirt, clots of blood,
&c, wash it carefully in w7arm water previous to re-
turning it.   If the gut is w7ounded, and only cut partly
through, draw the two edges of it together by a stitch,
and return  it; if completely divided, you must  con-
nect the  edges by four stitches, at equal distances, and
replace it in the belly, alw7ays leaving the end of the
ligature or thread projecting  from the external wound,
which must be closed by sticking plaster. In five  or
six days, if the threads are loose, withdraw them  very
gently and carefully.
  GUNN  5J 
846
WOUNDS
            WOUNDS  OF JOINTS.
  In wounds of this  description, you are to bring the
edges of the wound together by sticking plaster, with-
out any delay :  keep the  part perfectly at  rest, bleed,
purge, and  live very low, so as  to prevent inflamma-
tion.  But  should it come on, it  must be met at its
first approach by bleeding to as great an extent as the
condition of the  patient will warrant, and by a blister
covering the whole joint.   If the  joint seems like  it
would be a stiff one, keep  the  limb  in that position
which will  prove most  useful; that is, the  leg should
be extended, and the arm bent at the elbow. Wounds
of the joints are always highly dangerous, and fre-
quently terminate fatally.
           WOUNDS OF TENDONS.
  Tendons or sinews are frequently wounded and
ruptured.   They are to be treated precisely like any
other wound, by keeping their divided parts together.
The tendon which connects the great muscle forming
the calf of the leg with the heel, called the tendon of
Achilles, is frequently cut with the adze, and ruptured
in jumping from  heights.  This accident is to be re-
medied by drawing up the heel, extending the foot,
and placing a splint on the fore part of the leg, extend-
ing from the knee to beyond the toes, which being se-
cured in that position  by a bandage, keeps the foot in
the position just mentioned.  The hollows under the
splint must be filled with tow or cotton*   If  the skin 
WOUNDS.
847
falls into  the space between the ends of the tendon,
apply a piece of sticking plaster, so as to draw it out of
the way.  It usually takes five or six weeks to  unite,
but no weight should be laid on the limb for several
months. 
SURGERY.
               OF FRACTURES.
  As  I have before plainly  pointed out to yrou how
fractures may be known, it will be unnecessary to
dwell on this subject.   It will, howrever, be advisable
for you to recollect this general rule: in cases where,
from the accompanying circumstances and symptoms,
a strong suspicion exists that the bone is fractured, it
will be proper for you to act as though it were posi-
tively ascertained to be so.
    FRACTURES OF THE BONE OF THE
                     NOSE.
  Treatment.—From the exposed situation of the
bones of the nose, they are frequently forced in. When
this is the case, any smooth article that will pass into
the nostrils, should be immediately introduced  with
one hand, so as to raise the depressed portions to the
proper level, wiiile the other is employed in moulding
them into the required shape.  If violent inflamma-
tion follows, bleed, purge, and live on the  lowest kind
of diet.
    FRACTURES OF THE LOWER JAW.
  Treatment.—There is no difficulty in discovering
this aecident by looking into the mouth ; and it is to 
SURGERY.
849
be relieved by keeping the lower jaw firmly pressed
against the upper one, by means of a bandage passed
under the chin and over the head.  If it is broken near
the angle, or that part nearest the ear, place a cushion
or roll of linen behind it, over which the bandage must
pass, so as to make it push that part of the bone for-
ward.  The parts are then to be confined in this way
for twenty or  twenty-five days; during which time,
all the nourishment that is taken by the patient, should
be sucked  between the teeth.  If, in consequence of
the blow, a tooth is loosened, do not meddle with it,
for if let alone, it will grow fast again.
   FRACTURES OF THE COLLAR BONE.
  A fracture of the collar bone is of very common
occurrence, and is known at once by passing  the fin-
ger along it, and by the swelling, &c.
  Treatment.—To reduce it, seat your patient in a
chair, with his shirt off, and place a stout compress of
linen, made in the shape of a wedge, under his arm ;
the thick end of which should  press under the arm-
pit.  His arm, bent  to  a right  angle at the elbow, is
now to be brought down to his side, and secured in
that position by a long bandage, which passes over the
arm of the affected side, and round the body.  The
fore arm—meaning  that which reaches from the  el-
bow to the wrist, is to be  supported across the breast
by a sling.  It then takes from  four to five weeks t©
reunite. 
850
SURGERY.
         FRACTURES OF THE ARM.
  Treatment.—Seat your patient on a chair, or the
side of a bed; let some one assist you to hold the sound
arm, while  another  person grasps the  wrist of the
broken one, and  steadily extends it in an opposite di-
rection, bending the forearm a little to serve as a lever.
You must now place  the bones in  their  proper situa-
tion.  Two  splints, made of shingle  or stout paste-
board, long enough to reach from below the shoulder
to near the elbow, must then be  well covered with tow
or cotton and laid along each side of the arm, and kept
in that position by a bandage.   The forearm is to be
supported in a sling.   Two  smaller splints may, for
better security, be laid between  the first  ones; that is,
one on top, and the other underneath  the arm, to be
secured by the bandage in the same way  as the others.
   FRACTURES OF THE BONE OF THE
                  FOREARM.
  As I have before, and I again tell you, it is that part
which reaches from the elbow to the wrist, that is de-
signated or called the forearm.   When this is frac-
tured, they are to be reduced precisely  in the same
way, with the exception of the mode of keeping the
upper portion of it steady; which is done  by grasping
the arm  above  the elbow.  When  the splints and
bandage, which I have directed you how to make, are
applied, support it in a sling. 
SURGERY.
851
        FRACTURES OF THE WRIST.
  Fractures of the wrist very  seldom  take place.
When this accident does happen,  the injury is gene-
rally so great as to require amputation or taking it off.
If it is possible to save the hand, lay it on a splint, well
covered with tow or cotton.  This  is to extend beyond
the fingers:  place then  another splint opposite to it,
lined  with the same soft materials,  and secure them by
a bandage.  The hand is then to be carried in a sling.
The bones of the hand are frequently broken : in such
a case, fill the palm of the hand with soft compress 01
folds of linen or domestic cloth, or tow or cotton, and
then  lay a splinter on it long enough to extend  from
the elbow to beyond the ends of the fingers, and secure
it by  a bandage.  If the finger is  broken, extend the
end of it until it becomes straight.  Place the fractured
or broken bone in its place, and apply two small paste-
board splints, one below and the other above, which
you must secure by a  narrow bandage.  The  upper
splint ought  to extend from  the end of  the finger over
the back of the hand.  It may sometimes be proper to
add two additional splints for the sides of the finger.
         FRACTURES OF THE RIBS.
  When, after a fall or blow7, the patient complains of
a prickling pain  in  his side, we may suspect a rib is
broken.  The way  to  discover it, is by placing the
ends of two or three of  your fingers on the spot where
the pain is, and  desiring  the patient to cough, when
the grating sensation will be felt.   All that is neces
sary, is to pass a broad bandage round the chest, so tight 
852
SURGERY.
as to prevent the motion of  the ribs in breathing, and
to live on a light diet.
        FRACTURES OF THE THIGH.
  The thigh is perhaps the most difficult  fracture  to
manage; and to the ingenuity of one amongst the best
men who ever lived, (Dr. Hartshorn, of the city of
Philadelphia,) the world is indebted for  an apparatus
which does away the greatest impediments that have
been found to exist in treating it, so as to leave a straight
limb, without lameness or deformity; nor  is it the
least of its merits, that any man of common sense can
apply it nearly as well as a surgeon or physician.
  It consists of  two splints,  made of half or three
quarter inch well seasoned stuff, from eight to ten in-
ches wide:  one of which  should reach  from a little
above the hip, to fifteen or sixteen inches beyond the
foot, while the other extends the same length from the
groin.  The upper end of the inner splint is hollowed
out, and well padded or stuffed.  Their lower ends are
held together by a cross  piece, having two tenons,
which enter two vertical  mortices, one in each splint,
and secured  there by pins.   In the centre of this cross-
piece  (which should be very solid)  is a female  screw.
Immediately above the vertical mortices, are two hori-
zontal ones, of considerable length,  in which slide the
tenons of a  second cross-piece, to  the upper side of
which is fastened a foot block, shaped like  the sole of
a shoe: while in the other, is a round hole  for the re-
ception of the head of the  male screw,  which passes
through the  female one just mentioned.   On the top
of this cross-piece to which  the foot block is attached, 
SURGERY.
853
are two pins which fall into the grooves at the head of
the screw, thereby firmly connecting them. The foot-
block, as before observed, is shaped like the sole of a
shoe.   Near the toe is a slit, through which passes a
strap and buckle.  Near the heel are a couple of straps
with two rings, arranged precisely like those of a skate;
of which, in fact, the whole foot-block is an exact re-
semblance.  A long male screw, of wood or other ma-
terial, completes the apparatus.   To apply it, put a
slipper on the foot  of the broken limb, and  lay the ap-
paratus over the leg.  By turning the screw, the foot-
block will be forced up to the foot in the slipper, which
is to be firmly strapped to it, as boys fasten their skates.
By turning the screw the contrary way, the  padded
extremity of the inner splint presses against the groin,
and the foot is gradually drawn down until  the broken
limb  becomes of its natural length  and appearance;
when any projection or little inequality that remains,
can be felt and reduced by a gentle pressure of the
hand.
   The great advantages of this invaluable apparatus, I
again tell you, are the ease with which it  is applied,
and the certainty with which it acts.  The foot once
secured to the block, in a w7ay that any man of com-
mon sense understands, nothing more is required than
to turn the screw until the broken  limb is found to be
of  the same length as the sound one.  It is proper to
remark, that this should not be effected at once, it being
better to turn the screw a little every  day until the
limb is extended.  As this apparatus may not  always
be at  hand, it is proper to mention  the next best plan
of treating the accident.  It is found in the splints of
Desault, improved by Dr. Physic, of the city of Phila-
delphia, consisting of four pieces.   The  first has a 
854
SURGERY.
crutch head, and extends from the arm-pit to six or
eight inches beyond the foot. A little below the crutch,
are two holes; and near the lower end on the inside,
there 4s a block below, in which there is also a  hole.
The second reaches from  the  groin, the  same length
with the first, being about three inches wide above, and
two below.   Two pieces of stout pasteboard, as many
handkerchiefs or bands of muslin, with some tow, and
a few pieces of tape, form  the catalogue  of the appa-
ratus, wilich is to be applied as follows:—
  Four or five pieces of tape are to be laid across the
bed at equal distances from each other.   Over the
upper two is placed one of the short pasteboard splints,
well covered with tow.  Then the patient is to be care-
fully and very gently placed on his back, so  that his
thigh  may rest on the splints.  One of the  handker-
chiefs, or a strong soft band is to be passed between the
testicle and thigh  of the affected side, and  its ends held
by some person standing  near the head of the bed.
The second handkerchief  is to be passed round the
ankle, crossed on the instep, and tied under the sole of
the foot.  By steadily pulling these two handkerchiefs,
the limb is to be  extended, w7hile  with the hand the
broken bones are replaced in their natural form.  Then
the long splint is to be placed by the side of the patient,
the crutch in the arm-pit, (which  must b-> defended
by tow or cotton,) while the short one is laid along
inside of the thigh or leg.  The ends of the first hand-
kerchief being passed through  the upper holes, are to
be drawn tight and secured by a knot, while the  ends
of the second one pass over the block before mentioned,
to be fastened in like manner at the lower one.  All that
remains is the short pasteboard splint, which, being
well covered with tow, is to be laid on top  of the thigh. 
SURGERY.
855
The tapes being tied so as to keep the four splints to-
gether, completes the operation.  Cotton or tow is to
be everywhere stuffed between the  splints and  the
limb, and a large handful of it placed  in the groin, to
prevent irritation from the upper or counter extending
band.  You must be careful while tying the two hand-
kerchiefs, that they are not relaxed, so that if the opera-
tion is properly performed, the two limbs will be nearly
of an equal length.
  The superior advantages of Hartshorn's apparatus
over this, as well as  others, must be evident to every
one acquainted with the difficulty of keeping up that
constant extension which is so absolutely necessary to
avoid deformity and lameness, and which is so com-
pletely effected by the screw.   Next to that, however,
stands Dr.  Physic's, which  can be made by any car-
penter in a few minutes: and which, if carefully ap-
plied, will be found to answer a good purpose.   Frac-
tured thighs and legs generally reunite in  from six to
eight weeks; depending, How7ever, much upon the age
of the patient.  Old persons frequently require three
or four months.  You  must recollect  in such  cases a
straw bed is best for your patient, or a mattrass, or any
bed that will not yield, so as to keep  the limb in its
proper position.
  FRACTURES OF  THE  BONES  OF THE
                     FOOT.
  This accident seldom occurs:  the bone of the  heel
ts sometimes, though rarely broken.  It is known by a
crack at  the moment of the  accident, a difficulty in
standing, by the quick swelling, and the  grating noise 
856                 SURGERY.
on moving the heel.  To reduce it, take a long bandage,
lay the end of it on the top of the foot; convey it over
the toes under the sole of the foot, and then by several
turns secure  it in that position.  The foot being ex-
tended as much as possible, carry the bandage along the
back of the leg above the knee, where it is to be secured
by several turns, and then brought down  on the front
of the leg, to which it is secured by  circular turns.  In
this manner the broken pieces will be kept in contact,
and  in the course of a month or six weeks will be
united.
  All fractures of the foot, toes, &c, are to be treated
like those of the hand and fingers.
OF DISLOCATIONS.
  The signs  by which a dislocation  may be known,
have been already explained to you.  But  remember
that the sooner the attempt is  made to place it in its
proper place, the easier it will be done.  The strength
of one man, properly applied at the moment of the
accident, will often succeed in restoring the head of a
bone to its place, which in a few days, and even hours,
would have required the combined efforts of men and
pulleys.  After you have made several trials with the
best apparatus that can be obtained, and you find you
cannot succeed, make the patient stand  up, having all
things in readiness, and bleed him in that position until
he faints; the moment  this  occurs the muscles  will
relax, and a slight force will often be sufficient, where 
SURGERY.
857
more powerful ones have been  used  without  effect.
Also recollect  to vary the direction  of the extending
force.  A slight pull in one way, will often effect what
has been in vain attempted by great force in another.

       DISLOCATION OF THE LOWER JAW
  Dislocation of the low7er jaw is produced by  blows,
or yawning, usually called gaping.   It is known by an
inability to shut the mouth, and the projection  of the
chin.  To reduce it is quite simple.   Seat the patient
in a  chair, with his head supported by  the breast of an
assistant who must stand behind him. Your thumbs
being covered with leather, (or a glove) are then to  be
pushed between the jaws, as far back as possible, while
with the  fingers outside, you grasp the  bone, which
must be pressed downwards at the same time that the
chin is raised.  If this is  properly done, the bone will
be found  moving, when the chin is to be pushed back-
wards, and the thumbs slipped between the jaws and
the cheeks.  If this is not done, they will be  bitten  by
the sudden  snap of the teeth as they come  together.
The jaws should be kept closed by a bandage for a few
days, and the patient live upon soup.

                OF THE SHOULDER.
   This accident is quite common, (and the most so  of
all the dislocations mentioned.)  You can easily dis-
cover  it, by the deformity of the joint, and the head of
the  bone  being found in some unnatural position.  To
reduce it  to its proper place, seat your patient in a chair:
place one hand on the prominent part of the shoulder
blade, just above the spot where the head of  the bone
should be, while with  the  other you grasp the arm
above the elbow and then pull it outwards. 
858
SURGERY.
   Sometimes this will not succeed; if so, then lay the
 patient on the ground, place your heel in his arm-pit,
 and then steadily and forcibly extend the arm by grasp-
 ing it at the wrist.
             OF THE COLLAR BONE.
   The collar bone is seldom dislocated; but should it
 take place, the treatment is, to apply the bandages, &c,
 as you have been already directed for a fracture of the
 same part.
                OF THE ELBOW.
   If this  dislocation has occurred by falling on the
 hands, which is most common, or holds the arm bent
 at the elbow, and every endeavour to straighten it gives
 great pain, it is dislocated backwards.  Seat the patient
 in a chair: let some one grasp the arm near the shoulder,
 and another the wrist, and forcibly extend  it, wrhile
 you interlock the fingers of both hands just above the
 elbow, and pull it backwards, remembering that under
 those  circumstances, whatever  degree of force is re-
 quired, should  be  applied in  this direction.   The
 elbow7  is sometimes dislocated  sidew7ays or  laterally.
 To reduce it, make  extension by pulling at the wrist,
 while some one secures the arm above; then push the
 bone into its place, either inwards or outwards, as may
 be required.  After the reduction of a dislocated elbow,
 keep the joint at perfect rest  for five or  six days, and
 then move it gently.  If inflammation should come on,
 treat it as I have before told you in all inflammations
 —bleed freely, purge, &c.

         OF THE  WRIST, FINGERS, ETC.
  Dislocations of this nature are common, and easily
known by the least examination; they are all to be 
                      SURGERY.                .' 869

 reduced by  forcibly extending the low7er extremity
 of the part, and pushing the bones into their places.  If
 necessary, small bands may be secured to  the  fingers
 by a narrow bandage to assist  the extension.   These
 accidents should  be attended  to without delay; for if
 they are  neglected  for a  little time, they become
 irremediable or incurable.

                  OF THE THIGH.
   Notwithstanding the hip joint is the strongest one in
 the  whole body, it is sometimes dislocated.    The
 method of ascertaining this accident is by a careful ex-
 amination of the  part.  Comparing the length and ap-
 pearance of the limb with its fellow sufficiently marks
 the nature of the accident.   I will proceed to state the
 remedy.
   Place the patient on his back, upon a table covered
 with a blanket.  Two sheets  folded  like cravats, are
 then to be passed between the thigh  and the testicles
 of each side, and their ends (one-half of each sheet
 passing obliquely  over the  belly  to  the  opposite
 shoulder,  while the other half passes under the back in
 the same direction) given to several assistants, or what
 is much better, tied very firmly to a hook, staple, post,
 or some immovable  body.   A large and very  strong
 towel,  folded as before mentioned like a cravat, is now
 to be laid  along the top of the thigh, so that its middle
 will be just above the knee, w7here it is to be wrell se-
cured by many turns of a bandage.  The two ends are
then to be knotted.  If you have no pulleys, a twisted
sheet or rope may be passed through the loop formed
by the towels.  If you can obtain the former, it  is bet-
ter.  Cast the loop over the hook of the lower  block,
and secure the upper one to the wall directly opposite 
860
SURGERY.
 to the hooks or men  that hold  the  sheets Avhich  pass
 between the thighs.   A steadily increasing and forcible
 extension of the thigh is then to be made by the men
 who are stationed at the pulleys or sheet, while you are
 turning and twisting  the limb  to assist in  dislodging
 it from its unnatural situation.  By  these means,  pro-
 perly applied, the head of the bone will frequently slip
 into the socket with considerable noise.
  Should you be unable to succeed, change the direc-
 tion of the extending force, recollecting always, that it
 is not by sudden or violent jerks that it can be put in
 place,  but  by a steady, increasing, and continued pull.
 Should all your efforts prove unavailing, (I would not
 advise you to lose much time before you resort to it,)
 make  your patient, as before directed, submit in such
 cases to loss of blood, by which means in those difficult
 cases you are to succeed.

               OF THE KNEE PAN.
  If this small bone is dislocated, you will perceive  it
 at once by the slightest glance.  Now, to reduce it, lay
 your  patient on his back, straighten  the  leg, lift it up
 to a right angle with his body, and in  that  position
 push  the  bone back  to  its proper place.  Then keep
 the knee at perfect rest on a pillow for a few days.

                   OF THE  LEG.
  Accidents of this kind cannot happen without tear-
 ing and  lacerating  the soft  parts; but little  force  is
 required to place the bones  in  their proper situation.
 Should the parts be so much  torn that the bones  slip
again out of place, you had better apply Hartshorn's or
 Desault's apparatus,  which I have  fully described to
you for fractured thigh. 
SURGERY.
861
                  OF THE FOOT.
  Dislocation of the foot seldom takes place.  It, how-
ever, may occur; therefore I will give  you the treat-
ment.  Let one secure the leg, and another draw the
foot, while you push the bone  in the contrary w7ay to
that in which it was forced out.  Then  you are to
cover it with folds of linen dipped in water in which
sugar of lead has been dissolved, and apply a splint on
each side of the leg, so that it  reaches below the foot.
An accident of this nature is highly dangerous, requir-
ing the immediate assistance of a skilful physician ; as,
even then, all that can be  done to remedy them is in
the speedy reduction of the bone, keeping the parts on
a pillow at rest, and subduing  inflammation by bleed-
ing, low diet, and all such directions as  are  already
given to subdue fever.

            OF COMPOUND ACCIDENTS.
  I have fully, and as plainly as I could,  before  told
you how to treat accidents of this kind, and what plan
you are  to pursue when  single; it now  remains for
me to state to you what is to  be  done when they are
compound.  For instance, an accident happens by
which a man is thrown from a height.   On  examina-
tion a wound is found in his thigh; it is bleeding pro-
fusely ; his ankle is out of joint, with a wound commu-
nicating with the cavity, and his leg broken.  In the
first place stop the bleeding from the wound ; then re-
duce the dislocation; then draw the edges of the wound
together with sticking plaster; and, lastly,  apply to the
fracture  Hartshorn's or Desault's apparatus,  which I
have so fully explained before  that any  carpenter can
construct it for you.
  GUNN 55 
8652
SURGERY.
AMPUTATION.
  This means the cutting off a limb, or other part of
the body.  How often do those accidents happen where
there is no physician, or regular surgical assistance,
(often at sea, or at a distance in the country,) and  the
limb requiring immediate  amputation, or cutting off!
The only difficulty, I confess to you, is to know when
this operation  ought to be performed ; for it is some-
times the case that the most skilful surgeon is mistaken,
or at a stand whether he shall operate or not.  I do
know several cases  that have been preserved  by the
obstinacy of the patient, refusing to have the operation
performed.  But  this was running a great hazard of
life, and should in  all  such cases be  ventured upon
with due caution—and  the operation ought not to be
performed unless  under the most careful and sound
judgment.  Now7, to perform this operation requires
nothing but firmness and  common dexterity, for any
man, and that too, to perform it well.  Although, as I
have told you,  there are many doubts whether an am-
putation should take place  or not, yet in others all
difficulty vanishes;  as for instance, when a ball  has
carried aw7ay an arm ;  or  during a storm, a tree hap-
pens to fall and mash the knee, the leg, or ankle, so that
those parts are  greatly lacerated or torn, and the blood-
vessels are severely lacerated, also nerves and tendons j
or the crushing or splintering of the bones, almost ne-
cessarily resulting from  such accidents, render imme-
diate amputation an unavoidable and imperious duty 
                      SURGERY.                863

 ^u' yv°U WiH  a§k' What shaI11  do for instruments
 with which to perform this operation ?  If it is difficult
 to obtain surgical instruments, which is often the case
 m the country or at sea, it is of no consequence.  The
 instruments for this purpose are few, and easily ob-
 tained, which in all cases will answer as a valuable
 substitute.  First, get a large  carving knife,  with a
 straight blade ; have the knife as sharp and smooth as
 possible;  a penknife,  a carpenter's tenon, or mitre
 saw; a slip of leather or linen, three inches wide, and
 twenty inches long, slit up the middle to the half of
 its length; a dozen or more of ligatures, each about a
 foot long, made of waxed thread or fine twine ;  a hook
 with a  sharp point, or a shoemaker's crooked awl will
 answer;  a pair  of slender pincers;  several  narrow
 strips of sticking  plaster, called by physicians or sur-
 geons  adhesive plaster, or adhesive  strip; some dry
 lint; a piece of old linen, large  enough to cover the
 end of the stump, spread with simple ointment or lard;
 a bandage  three or four yards long, about the width of
 your hand ; a piece of sponge, and some warm  w7ater.
 You are now prepared fully to perform amputation ;
 which I will so plainly explain, that any man, unless
 he  be an  idiot or an absolute fool, can perform this
 operation.

           AMPUTATION  OF THE ARM.
  How to perform the operation.—Give  the pa-
tient, about half an hour before you intend operating,
sixty drops of laudanum;  now having all things in
readiness, seat him on a narrow and firm table or chest,
of a convenient height; he is now to be supported by
an assistant, by clasping him round the  body.   If the
handkerchief and stick  have not been previously ap- 
864
SURGERY.
plied, place it as high up on  the arm as possible, (the
stick being very short,) and so that the  knot may pass
on the inner side of it.  Your instruments having been
placed regularly on a table, and within reach of your
hand, while some  one supports the lower end of the
arm, and at the same time draw7s  down the skin, take
the large knife and make one straight cut all round the
limb  through  the  skin and fat only;  then with  the
pen-knife separate as much of the skin  from the flesh
above the cut,  and  all around it, as will form a flap to
cover the face or end of the stump ; when  you  think
there is enough separated, turn it back, where it must
be held by an assistant, while with the large knife you
make a second straight incision  round the arm and
down to the bone, as close as you can  to the doubled
edge of the flap, but taking good care not  to cut it.
The bone is now to be passed through  the  slit in  the
piece of linen before  mentioned, and  pressed  by its
ends against the upper surface of the  wound by  the
person who holds the flap, while you saw through the
bone as near to it as you can. With the  hook or pin-
cers, you then  seize and tie up every vessel that bleeds,
the largest first and the smaller ones next, until they
are all secured.  When this is done relax the stick a
little—if any  artery spurt blood,  tie it as  before  di-
rected.
  The wound is now to be gently and  very carefully
cleansed  with a sponge and warm  water, and the stick
to be relaxed.   If it is evident that the arteries are all
tied, bring the flap  over the  end of the stump: draw
then the edges together with strips of sticking plaster,
leaving the ligatures hanging out  at the angles.  Lay
the piece of linen, spread  with  simple  ointment or
hog's lard over the  straps, and a fold or pledget of lint 
SURGERY.
865
over that, and secure the whole by the bandage. Then
put your patient to bed and rest the stump on a pillow.
The handkerchief and stick are to be left loosely round
the limb, so that if any bleeding happens  to  come on,
it may be tightened at once by the person who watches
by the patient.   If this accident should take place, by
which I mean the bleeding,  the dressings  are to be
taken off, the flap raised, and the bleeding vessel sought
for and tied up ; after which, every thing is to be placed
as before.   I have mentioned a handkerchief and stick;
these are substitutes for the instrument  used by sur-
geons  called a  tourniquet.    Remember, in  sawing
through  the bone,  a long and free stroke should be
used to prevent any hitching;  as an additional security
against which, the teeth  of the saw should be well
sharpened and set wide.
  It is of the greatest importance to attend to this cir-
cumstance.   The ends of divided arteries cannot at
the time of operation be got hold of; or being in a dis-
eased state, their coats give w7ay under the  hook; so
that it is impossible to draw them out, and not unfre-
quently they are found ossified ; w7hicfc means turned
into bone.  In all such cases, having threaded a needle
with a ligature w7ell  waxed, pass it through  the flesh
round the  artery, so that  when tied, there  will be a
portion of it included in  the  ligature along with the
artery.  The needle used  by surgeons for this purpose
is a  curved or crooked one;  but  a straight one  will
answer.  When the ligature has been made to encircle
the artery,  cut off the needle  and  tie  it firmly in the
ordinary way.
  The dressings should not be removed for several
days, say from five to seven, if the weather is cool; but
if warm weather, it should be  removed in three days. 
866
SURGERY.
But this you must do with great care, after soaking it
well with warm water, so that you can take it away
without it sticking to the stump, bleeding, or otherwise
producing pain.   Then apply a clean plaster of  lint,
over which put a bandage as before  directed; which
dressing is to be removed and a fresh one applied every
two days.  In about fourteen or sixteen days the  liga-
tures will generally come away; and in from three to
five w7eeks (if all goes on as might be expected, without
any accident) the  wound is well.

                 OF THE THIGH.
  Amputation of  the thigh is to be performed in the
same manner as that of the arm, with one exception;
it being proper to  put a piece of lint between the edges
of the flap, to prevent them from uniting until the sur-
face of the stump has adhered to it.

                  OF  THE  LEG.
  There are two bones in  the leg which have a  thin
muscle between.  In such a case you must have an
additional knife to those I have before mentioned, to
divide  it.  The knife required for this purpose  must
have a long narrow  blade, with a double cutting edge,
and a sharp point.  You can  grind down a carving  or
case-knife to answer every purpose; the blade however
must  be reduced  to less than half an inch in width.
The linen or leather slip should also have two slits in
it instead of one.  Having  all your preparations in
order near you, your patient  is to be laid on his  back,
on a table covered with a blanket, or on  a hard bed5
with as many persons as may be necessary to hold him.
The handkerchief and  stick are then to be applied on
the upper  part of the  thigh.  One  person holds the 
SURGERY.
867
knee, and another the foot and  legs, as firmly as pos-
sible, while with the large knife the operator makes an
oblique incision round the limb, through the skin, and
beginning at five or six inches below the knee pan, ana
carrying it regularly  round in such a manner that the
cut will be lower down on the calf than in front of the
leg.  As much of the skin is then to be separated by
the penknife  as will  cover the stump.  (It is here im-
portant for you to take the principal part of the flap
from the hinder part of the leg; for the cut being made
as directed, it should require only one inch of skin  to
be raised in front, and of course you  must take enough
from behind to meet it.)   When this is turned back, a
second cut is to be made all round the limb and down
to the bones; when with the narrow-bladed  knife be-
fore mentioned, the flesh between them is to be divided.
The middle  piece of the leather strip is now to  be
pulled through between the bones,  the  whole being
held back by the assistant who supports the flap while
the  bones  are saw7ed,  which should be  so  managed
that the  smaller one is cut  through by the  time the
other is  only half off.   The  arteries  are then to  be
taken up, the flap brought down, and secured by adhe-
sive plaster with bandages,  as  I  have  before  plainly
explained to you.

               OF THE FOREARM.
   The forearm  has  two bones in it;  therefore you
require in this operation the  narrow-bladed  knife, and
the strip of linen with three  tails.   Let the incision be
made straight round  the part, as in the  arm ; with this
exception—complete as I give you  directions in the
case before this. 
868
SURGERY.
           OF THE FINGERS AND TOES.
  When amputations of this kind are made, you must
draw7 the skin back, and make an incision round the
finger a little below the joint it is intended to remove:
turn back  a  little flap to cover the stump, then cut
down to the joint, bleeding it  so  that you can cut
through the ligaments that connect the two bones—the
under one first, then  that on the side.  The head of
the bone is to be turned out, while you cut through the
remaining soft parts.  Should you see an  artery spurt
out the blood, immediately tie  it up; if not, bring
down the flap, and secure it by a strip of sticking plas-
ter.  And then put a narrow bandage over the whole.

    CONCLUDING REMARKS ON AMPUTATION.
  It often  happens in  cases of amputation, that  the
wound is apt  to bleed after you have dressed it, there-
by giving you considerable trouble.  This is called by
surgeons secondary bleeding.  Therefore, to prevent
this, if necessary, before the  strips of plasters are ap-
plied to  the edges  of the flap, give a  little  wine-water,
or a little spirit and water, and wait a few moments to
see whether the increased force it gives to the circula-
tion, will occasion a flow of blood; if it  does, secure
the vessel it comes from.  But should  there be a con-
siderable flow of blood  from the hollow of the  bone,
make use  of a small plug  of cedar; and if violent
spasms of the stump take place, hold  it  carefully by
your assistants, and immediately administer large doses
of laudanum; it may be understood  as a general  rule,
that after every operation of the kind, laudanum must
and ought to  be given according to the sufferings of the
patient. 
 

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Anatomical Plal<\s
      A?2  ^ 
     dritria Frontalis

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Analohiiral  TCah*s
             XV  I 
 
SURGERY.
869
       MORTIFICATION IN  WOUNDS.
  in the general treatment of wounds, and in surgery,
remember always  to  stop  excessive inflammation;
which, if allowed to go to a certain point, frequently
produces  mortification, or the death  of the parts.
Therefore, always  be  on your guard against fever;
which you may easily  know  by  heat, pain, redness,
and  swelling.  Now, I again repeat, that you must
bleed and purge, as much as you think your patient
may be able  to bear, from his situation, constitution,
&c. &c. These matters are to be entirely regulated by
the appearances at  the  time.   If the fever and  pain
should suddenly cease, and the part winch before was
red, swollen and hard, becomes of a purple colour and
soft, you are to stop at once all reducing measures, put
a large blister over all  the parts, and give good wine,
porter, barks, and wine or quinine, or other generous
stimulants, so as to  support the sinking condition of
the patient, for mortification  has or is about  to com-
mence ;  and  should you find the blisters should fail to
put a stop to  the disease, and the parts look dead and
become  offensive, cover them with  charcoal,  or fer-
menting poultices, until nature separates the dead parts
from the living; during which time give a free, gene-
rous, and strengthening diet and good wine.
  In  mortification of the forearm, it frequently be-
comes necessary to amputate.  This ought never to be
done  until after blisters have been fairly tried to the
sound parts above the mortified; as they often separate,
you should be careful to examine strictly the parts, so
as to discover in time that which may be necessary. 
 
          A CATALOGUE OF MEDICINES,  WITH THEIR DOSES AND PROPERTIES.
                                     -----------_-----------------------                 »
    The dose of each article should be increased or diminished according to the strength  of the patient, and the age, by
the following rule:—Two-thirds of the dose from  the age of 14 to 16;  one-half from 7 to 10; one-third from 4 to G;
one-fourth to one of 3 years  old; one-eighth to one of a year old.   It is customary to repeat the dose of all purges every
two or three hours, till the medicine operates freely.
MEDICINES
iEther      -  -

JEthop's Mineral

Almonds,Emulsion of

Almonds, Oil of
Aloes, Socotrine
Aloes, Tincture
Aloes, watery Extract
A hi in Powder -  -
Amber, Oil of, rec
  lined   -
ec->
DOSES.
   ADULTS OR
GROWN PERSONS.
30 drops to 1
 drachm.
15 to 30 grains.

A wine-glassful.

1 to 3 drachms.
10 to 20 grains.
3 to 6 drachms.
10 to 15 grains.
3 to 10 grains.

8 to 10 drops.
CHILDREN FROM
 2 TO 4 YEARS.
8 to 10 drops.

5 to 10 grains.
 C 1 to 2 table  }
 I spoonsful.  5
  30 drops to 1
   drachm.
2 to 6 grains.
1 to 2 drachms.
3 to 4 grains.
1 to 3 drops.
WHAT  TO BE TAKEN
IN,  AND HOW OFTEN.
Camphorated julep.

Honey, twice a day.

Every 2 or 3 hours.

Honey, every 3 hours.
In pills or powder.
In water.
In pills.
In pills, 3 times a day.

In honey, twice a day.
 PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
Antispasmodic.

Alterative.

Demulcent.

Demulcent.
Purge, active.
Purgative.
Purgative.
Astringent.

Antispasmodic.
DISEASES PROPER  FOR.
  Asthma, Cramp,
   and Flatulence.
 C Scald Head, Foul-
 £ ness of Skin.
Strangury, Cough.

Strangury, Cough.
Obstinate  Costiveness.
Costiveness & Worms.
For Costiveness.
 C Flooding, Chronic
 I Dysentery.
 C Hysteric Fits,
 £ Whooping Cough.
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A CATALOGUE  OF MEDICINES, WITH THEIR DOSES AND PROPERTIES.
MEDICINES.
Ammoniac Gum   -

Ammoniac, milk of

Antimonial Powder

Antimonial Wine   -

Antimonial Wine,  }
  as an alterative   \
DOSES.
   ADULTS OR    j  CHILDREN FROM
GROWN PERSONS. |  2 TO 4 YEARS.
10 to 15 grains.

A table-spoonful.

3 to 5 grains.

2 to 4 drachms.

12 to 20 drops.
Aromatic Confection 15 to 30 grains.

Aromatic Specific  -  5 to  10 grains.

Asafcetida Emulsion  3 table-spoonsful.

Asafoetida,Tinctureof30 to 60 drops.

                    20 to 40 drops.
Asafcetida, Volatile
  Spirit of  -  -
Asafcetida Pill  •
 C A dessert-   )
 I  spoonful.   3

 1 to 3 grains.

 I to 2 drachms.

4 to 8 drops.


4 to 8 grains.

2 to 3 grains'.

A tea-spoonful.

8 to  12 drops.

4 to 8 drops.
WHAT  TO BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
10 to 15 grains,  i
   Made into pills,  £
    twice a day.    $
   In pills, 2 or 3   ~>
    times a day.    5

 Mix in  honey.

 Mix in  water.
   {In water,  twice a ")
    day, or every   y
    hour or two.    J
 5 In cinnamon water )
 ( 2 or 3 times a day. 3
 C Water, 2 or3 times )
 (_  a day.          3

Every 3 or 4 hours.

  , In water,  every 3 >
  '  or 4  hours.      3
   In water,  every 3 )
  '  or 4  hours.      y
In pills,  twice a day.
 PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
Expectorant.

Expectorant.

Sudorific.

Emetic.

Sudorific.

  ' Astringent
  ; & Cordial.

Stomachic.

Antispasmodic.

Antispasmodic.

Antispasmodic.

Antispasmodic.
[diseases proper for.
 C Chronic Cough,
 I Asthma,  &c.
 ^ Chronic Cough,
 I Asthma.
 C St. Anthony's Fire &
 ( Foulness of the Skin.
Fevers & foulStomach.
 fSt.Anthony'sFire,&
•<  to produce moisture
 (_ on  the skin.
 C Purging, and Cramp
 I in the  Stomach.
 C Indigestion and
 £ Flatulence.
 C Hysterics, Asthma,
 I Whooping Cough.
 C Fainting, and Low
 I Spirits.
 C Flatulence, and
 C Whooping Cough.
In Nervous Diseases.
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Balsam Copaiva
Balsam  of Peru

Bark, Peruvian,
  Powder   -   -
Bark, Decoction of

Bark, Essential Salt of

Bark, Tincture  of

Bark, Huxham's
  Tincture  -   -
Baik, Tincture,
  Volatile   -   -

Basilic Powder -
Buchu Leaves,
  Extract of

Buchu Leaves,
  Tincture of  -
20 to 60 drops.


5 to 10 drops.


20 to 60 grains.

  3 to  4 table-  >
    spoonsful.  5

5 to 10 grains.

2 to 4  drachms.

2 to 4  drachms.

1 to 2  drachms.

20 to 25 grains.

10 to 15 grains.


2 to 3  spoonsful.
6 to 8 drops.
6 to 10 grains.

 C 1 to 2 table-
 l spoonsful.

2 to 3 grains.

40 to  60 drops.

40 to  60 drops.

10 to  20 drops.

6 to 8 grains.
 5 On sugar or honey >
 £ or any liquid.   5


On sugar or honey.

  {In a little mint-   "|
   water, 4 or 6    >
   times a day.     J
3 or 4 times a day.

 C3or 4 times a day, >
 I in good Port wine. $
 C In water, 3 or 4  }
 l  times a day.     5
 C In water, 3 or 4
    times a day.
      ater, 3 times
      ay.
 C In honey, twice a ^
 I  week.          ^
 C In pills, 2 or 3   >
 (  times a day.     $
 f"3timesaday,inde
 <  coction
 (^  mallow
C In w:
"l  a ds
day,inde-"l
i of marsh- >
r root.    J
 { Diuretic,
 }  Balsamic,
 )  and Ex-
 (.  pectorant.

Stimulant.
Tonic.


Tonic.

Tonic.

Tonic.

Tonic.

Tonic.

  Vermifuge
  & Purgative
  Diuretic &
   Sedative.
{
Whites, Gleets,
 Clap, Gravel,
 Cough.
 C Flatulence, Asthma,
 "l  Gleets, old Coughs.
   {Ague, Indigestion,
    and general Weak-
    ness.
 C Relaxation and
 £  Weakness.

In general Weakness.

Ague and Weakness.

Ague and Weakness.

  Indigestion and
    Heartburn.
  Worms,Costiveness,
    and Dropsy.
  Irritation in Bladder,
    Frost Gland, &c.
Irritation in Bladder,    ^
 Frost Gland, &c.     *j
                      09
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A CATALOGUE  OF MEDICINES, WITH THEIR DOSES AND  PROPERTIES.
00
MEDICINES.
Cajeput, Volatile,
  Liniment of -

Calomel  -   -  -
Calomel
Canella Alva,
  powdered -
Canella Alva,
  Tincture of

Camphor -  -
Camphor Julep -

Cardamom Seeds,
  Tincture of   -
   ADULTS OR    | CHILDREN FROM
GROWN PERSONS. !  2 TO 4 YEARS.
WHAT TO  BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
{1 to 2 or 3  "]
 grains;  or,  i-
2 to 5 grains. J
10 to 20 grains.
4 to 8 grains.

 C 1 to 2 tea-    >
 I spoonsful.   5

2 to 4 grains.  „
  2 to 4 table-
   spoonsful.

1  to 3 drachms.
k to 2 grains
 in syrup
3 to 5 grains.
•I
1 to 2 grains.


3 to 4 drachms.
, To be rubbed over ~)
'  the part affected. $

] In a pill, 2 or 3
  times a day.
In powder—mix
 with molasses.
 Cln mint-water,    }
 l 3 times a day.   5
 Cln water, 3 times
 £ a day.

In a pill, twice a day.


3 times a day.

 C In water, 3 times
 I a day.
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
DISEASES PROPER FOR.
Stimulating.


Alterative.




Purge.



Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Antispasmodic.
C Rheumatism, old
£  Strains, &c.

C Venereal Disease,
£  Foul Ulcers, &c.

 Fevers;    Derange-
   ments of the Liver;
   and a  general and
   active Purge, where
   the  bodily  secre-
   tions are deranged.
C, Indigestion and
~l  Flatulence.
 Indigestion and
   Flatulence.
 Whooping Cough,
   Convulsive Fits.
fAntispasmo-")  f Nervous Fever,
-<  die and     y  <  Whooping Cough,
(_  Febrifuge. J  (_  and Opiate.
                C Indigestion, Flatu-
                "l  lenof, and Cramp.
Stimulant.
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Cardamom Seeds,
  compound Tine
  ture
da,  *)
inc* >
Castor, powdered  -


Castor, Tincture of


Castor Oil, common


Castor Oil, cold   >
  expressed -  -   5

Cascarilla Powder -

Cascarilla Tincture

Cascarilla, the vo->
  latile Tincture of 5

Catechu Tincture -

Chalk, prepared

Camomile Flow-  }
   ers, powdered   ^
2 to 4 drachms.


5 to 10 grains.


1 to 2 drachms.


 C From £ to 3 >
 I  ounces.     3


Less quantity.


10 to 20 grains.

1  to 3  drachms.

40 to 60 drops.

 C, 1 to  2 tea-   ?
 £ spoonsful.  5

 10 to 15 grains.

 ' 0 to 20 grains.
3 to 5 grains.
10 to 20 drops.
  {1 tea-spoon-  "}  fin any liquid ;  or~j
   ful to a table- ^ -j  best given in     V
   spoonful.    J  (. mint-water.     J
f 1 tea-spoon-  ~)
•j  ful to a table- [■
(_  spoonful.    J
3 to 6 grains.

20 to 30 drops.



10 to 20 drops.

4 to 6 grains.

6 to 10 grains.
 In water, 3 times }
  a day.           5

 In camphorated ju
  lep, 3 times a day

1 In camphorated ju-
•  lep, 3 times a day.
:}
Mint-water or coffee.
Mint-water,
 3 times a day.
In water, 3 times
 a day.
In water, 3 times
 a day.
In mint-water,    >
 3 times a  day.   5
In mint-water,    ?
 4 times a  day.   3
In mint-water, 2  >
 or 3 times a day. S
Stomachic.


Antispasmodic.


Antispasmodic.


Purgative.


Purge.


Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Astringent.

Astringent.

 C Stomachic& }
 ) Vermifuge. 5
 C Flatulence, Cramp,
 I and Indigestion.

 C Convulsive Fits, &
 I Nervous Irritability.
  Convulsive Fits,
   and all Nervous
   Irritability.
 T Cholic, Costiveness,
<  or to assist other me-
 (_ dicines to operate.
  {Cholic, Costiveness,
   or to assistother me-
   dicines to operate.
 C Indigestion and
 £ Weakness.
 C Indigestion and
 £ Weakness.
 C Gout, Flatulence,
 "l Heartburn.
 C Chronic Looseness
 I and Flooding.

Looseness or Acidity.

("Indigestion, Worms,
\ Weakness of stomach.
>

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A CATALOGUE  OF MEDICINES,  W
MEDICINES.
Camomile & Gin-
  ger, Tincture of
Chirayita Herb,
  Extract of
Chirayita, Infusion of
Chirayita, Tinc-
  ture of    -   ■

Cinnamon Powder
Cinnamon, Es-
  sence of  -  ■
Cinnamon.Tinctureofj
   ADULTS OR
GROWN PERSONS.
10 to 40 drops.

5 grains.

3 table-spoonsful.

2 tea-spoonsful.
                    5 to 10 grains.

                    3 to 10 drops.

                   "|3 to 4 drachms.

Columbo Powder    10  to 20 grains.

Columbo, Tincture ofl to 3 drachms.
                    I
                    15  to 20 grains.
Crab's Claws, pre-
  pared  -   -  -
Cretaceous Pow-
  der, combined
  with Opium -
}
10 to 20 grains.
CHILDREN FROM
 2 TO 4 YEARS.
2 to 4 grains.

1 drop.

20 to 30 drops.

3 to 5 grains.

10 to 20 drops.

5 to 10 grains.


4 to 6 grains.
TTH THEIR DOSES AND  PROPERTIES.

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WHAT TO  BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
 C In water, 3 or 4
 l  times a day.
  In a pill, 2 or 3
   times a day.
3 times a day.
 C In water, 3 times }
 I  a day.         $
 C In water, 3 times ~)
 £ a day.         $

In water.
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
In
water.
In mint-water,   >
 3 times a day.  5
In mint-water,   >
 3 times a day.  $
In mint-water, eve-
 ry 3 or 4 hours.
In mint-water,
 every 3 or 4
 hours.
fin mint-water,    T
X  every 3 or 4     K
(_  hours.         J
Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Stimulant.

Astringent.

Stomachic.

Stomachic.

Astringent.


Astringent.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
  Gout, Cramp in the
   Stomach.

Indigestion, &c.

Indigestion & Debility.

Indigestion, &c.

 C Indigestion,  Flatu-
 \ lence, &c.
 C, Flatulence, Cho-
   licky pains, &c.
Looseness.
 C, Indigestion, chronic
 <> Looseness, <kc.
 C Diseases of  the
 \ Stomach.
 C Purging and Heart-
 \ burn.

 C Obstinate purging
 \  and Dysentery. 
  Contrayerva Powder
a
§ Contrayerva, com-
*    pound -  -  -

o Cornel, round-leaf, >
     Extract of   -  5

  Cornel, Alkaline of

  Cornel Essence,
     Salt of -  -  -

  Cornel, Tincture of

  Colchicum Seeds,
     Extract of
Colchicum, Oxy-
  mel of -
-■\
Colchicum Alkali,
  Tincture of  -
Colocynth Pill,    >
  Compound of   3
Colocynth Extract, >
  Compound of   5
Colocynth Powder
20 to 40 grains.


30 to 40 grains.


5 to 10 grains.

5 to 10 grains.


5 to 8 grains.

 C 2 to 3 tea-   >
 I  spoonsful.   5

1 grain.


2 tea-spoonsful.


I tea-spoonful.

10 to 20 grains.

10 to 15 grains.

10 to 15 grains.
6 to  10 grains.


8 to  12 grains.


2 to  3 grains.
  {Dissolved in "]
  Sherry wine, >
  3 times a day. J
C In water,    ?
I 3 times a day. 3
4 to 8 grains.

4 to 6 grains.
 C In water, every   £
 I 3 or 4 hours.    3
 fin mint-water,    "1
«<  every 3 or 4    V
 (_ hours.          J

In pills, 3 times a day.

In pills, 3 times a day.
In a pill, twice a day.

  'In water, 2 or 3  ~)
   times during the  V
  . day.            J

In water, twice  a day.

Occasionally, pills.

Occasionally, pills.

Occasionally.
Sudorific.

 C Sudorific  &,}
 I Astringent. 3

Tonic,

Tonic.
Tonic.
Tonic.
C Sedative &
I Diuretic.
 {AntispasmoO
  die and Ex- >
  pectorant. J
Sedative,

Purgative.

Purgative.

Purgative,
 \ Recent Colds and
 £  Rheumatism.

 C Recent Colds and
 £  Rheumatism.

("Debility and Whites ;
|or called Fluor Albus.
fDebility and Whites;
(.or called Fluor Albus.

Weakness and Whites.
Weakness and Whites.

 CRheumatisn, and in
 I Gout.

Asthma.

 C Rheumatism and
 I Gout.

Costiveness.

Costiveness.

Costiveness
>
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•4 
A  CATALOGUE OF  MEDICINES,  WITH  THEIR DOSES  AND PROPERTIES.
MEDICINES.
 Cream of Tartar   -

 Cubebs, ground -  -

 Cubebs, Tincture of


 Dover's Powder



 Elixir of Vitriol


 Epsom Salts    -   -

Foxglove Powder  -

Foxglove, Tincture ?
  *>f ■  -  -  -   -   <
   ADULTS OR    i CHILDREN FROM
GROWN PERSONS.   2 TO 4 YEARS.
1 to 4 drachms.
15 to 25 grains.

  2 to 3 tea-
   spoonsful.
10 to 20 grains.



10 to 12 drops.



4 to 8 drachms.

I to 2 grains.


10 to 40 drops.
20 to 30 grains.
3 to 6 grains.
3 to 5 drops.
1 drachm.
WHAT TO BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
 f Honey,every mor-
<  ning; or in warm
 (_ water sweetened.
 C 3 times  a day, in
 £ water.
 C 3 times  a day, in
 I water.

In water.

 "In  water;  say a'
   wine-glass of wa-
   ter ; or mix so as
   to  just taste the
 _ acid.
 C In water, or in
 £ mint-water.
 C Mint-water, twice
 l a day.
 f Decoction of liver-
■<  wort, 3 or 4
 (_ time* a day.
~)  C Aperient,
 Y  < Alterati
J  (.mildP
nt,   ")  fin
ive,& [■  -j  ti
urge. J  [a
Balsamic.
Balsamic.
C Sudorific & >
£ Anodyne. 5
Stomachic.
}
("Gentle Purge,")
\ and cooling, j
 C Diuretic &
 C Sedative.

Sedative.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
    flammations,Erup-
   tions of  the Skin,
   and cooling Purge.
 C Whites, Gleet,  and
 I  Clap.
 C, Whites, Gleet,  and
   Clap.   '
  Rheumatism,  recent
  Colds, Si to produce
  Perspiration & sleep.
  Indigestion, Flatu-
   lence, Weakness of
   Stomach, Night
   Sweats, Loss of
 ^ Appetite, &c.

Costiveness.

Dropsy.
LP
\\
Consumption, and
 Palpitation.
00
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Fumitory, Extract of

Ginger Powder -   -

Ginger Lozenges  -
Ginger, Tincture of

Gum Gujaiacum

Guaiacum, volatile >
   Tincture of  -  $

Hartshorn, Spirit of

Hartshorn, burnt  >
   Preparation of  5

Hedge Hyssop,
   Extract of-  -

Hedge Hyssop,
   Oxymel of  -
Hemlock, powdered

Hemlock, Extract of

Hiera Picra -   -   -
10 grains.

20 to 60 grains.

Three or four.
I to 2 drachms.

5 to 15 grains.

1 to 3 drachms.

20  to 40 drops.

20  to 40 grains.


3 to 5 grains.
5 to 8 drops.

6 to 10 grains.

5 to 1 grain.
C2 to
I sp<
  3 tea-
poonsful.
2 to 3 grains.

2 to 3 grains.

15 to 20 grains.
{
5 tea-spoon-
 ful to 1 tea-
 spoonful.
1 grain.

1 grain.

4 to 8 grains.
In pills, twioe a day.

Water, twice a day.

Twice a day.
Water, twice a day.

In pills, twice a day.

 C Honey and water, >
 l 3 times a day.   }
 C Honey and water,
 I 3 times a day.
 C Mint-water, twice
 £ a day.
ft
}
     mint-water or
   pill, twice a day.

f Decoction of liver-
<  wort, 3 or 4
[_ times a day.
C Mint-water, twice ?
I a day.          5
C, Mint-water, or in?
<> pills, twice a day. 5

Mint-water.
Stomachic.

Stimulant.

Stimulant.
Stimulant.
 C Stimulant &
 I Sudorific.
 C Stimulant & £
 £ Sudorific.  5

Stimulant.

Astringent.


Sedative.


 C Sedative and")
 /Expectorant. 3

Sedative.

Sedative.

 C Purgative & ?
 I Stomachic. >
Indigestion.
 C Gout, Indigestion,
 I  and Flatulence.
Flatulence.
Flatulence.
 C Chronic Rheuma-
 £  tism and Gout.
 C Chronic Rheuma-
 l  tism and Gout.
 C Hysterics, Convul-
 l  sions, Heartburn.
 C Purging, Acidity,
 l  and Heartburn.
  {Pulmonary Con-
   sumption, Asthma,
   and Cough.
  {Pulmonary Con-
   sumption, Asthma,
   and Cough.
 C Whooping Cough,
 "l  and Cancer.
 C Whooping Cough,
 l  and Cancer.
 C Costiveness  and
 "l  Flatulence. 
A CATALOGUE OF  MEDICINES, WITH THEIR  DOSES AND PROPERTIES.
MEDICINES.
Hiera Picra, Tinc-
  ture of -   -  -
Hoffman's Ano
  dyne Liquor
Iodine, Tincture of
Ipecacuanha, Powder

Ipecacuanha, Wine of
Iron; se% Steel.
Jalap Powder  -  -
Jalap, alkaline Ex- £
  tract of   -  -  5
Jalap, Tincture of -
Kino, Gum, Tinc-
  ture of -   T  .
DOSES.
   ADULTS OR
GROWN PERSONS.
 2 to 4 drachms.


 30 to 40 drops.


 10 to 30 drops.


 20 to 30 grains.

 4 to 8 drachms.


20 to 30 grains.

 10 to 15 grains.

2 to  4 drachms.

2 to  3 drachms.
CHILDREN FROM
 2 TO 4 YEARS.
30 to 40 drops.


6 to 10 drops.
5 to 10 grains.

2 to 3 drachms.


4 to 6 grains.

3 to 5 grains.


15 to 20 drops.
WHAT TO  BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
4
Water.


Water, twice a day.

 f Decoction of
< marshmallow root,
 (,2 or 3 times a day

In water.

In water, warm.
In mint-water.

In pills, occasionally.

In mint-water.
  In mint-water, 3  }
   or 4 times a day. 3
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
 { Purgative,  }
 } Stomachic, f
 j and Vermi-1
 i fuge,      )

Antispasmodic.


Alterative.


Emetic."

Emetic.


Purgative.

Aperient.

Purgative.

Astringent.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
C Costiveness,  Flatu-
C lence,
and Worms.
C Nervous Fever, Asth-
X ma, and Hysterics.

Scrofula and Wen.

  If Ipecacuanha is gi-
   ven in small doses,
   it produces  sweat-
   ing ; and is valuable
   in fevers
Costiveness.

Costiveness.

Costiveness.

Looseness.
00
ao
o
>
r
o
O
c?
ft
c
ft
2
ft
d 
Lavt-nder, com-    ?
  pound Spirits  of$

Lobelia Inflata,
  Extract of
Lobelia, Tincture of
Lobelia, Ethereal
Tincture
lereal  ?
of  -   S
Lobelia Inflata,    >
  Oxysyrup of -   5

Logwood, Decoc-  ~)
  tion of -  -   -   3

Logwood, Extract of

Lupuline, Tincture of

Madder Powder.

Madder, Extract of
30 to 80 drops.


1 grain.
40 drops to 1
 tea-spoonful.

40 drops to a
 tea-spoonful.
   3 tea-
spoonsful.
 CI to
 C spo

A wine-glassful.

10 to 20 grains.

 C 1 to 2 tea-    }
 I spoonsful.   5

10 to 60 grains.

10 to 20 grains.
Magnesia, compound 20 to 40 grains.
10 to 20 drops.
 C One-third of a
 { tea-spoonful.

I table-spoonful.

3 to 4 grains.
4 to 10 grains.

5 to^lO grains.
In water.
In a pill* twice a day.
In water, 2 or 3
 times a day.
 \

 C In water, 2 or 3
 I times a day.

 C In water, 2 or 3
 I times a day.

 C In water, 3 or 4
 £ fimes a day.
Cln cinnamon-water,"]
\ 3 times a day.    J
 C In water, 3 times }
 I a day.          5
 C Mint-water, 2  or?
 £ 3 times a day.   5
 C Mint-water, 2  or)
 l 3 times a day.   5
 Cln common or in
 I mint-water.
Cordial.

  {Antispasmo-"
   die & E;
   pectorant.
  {Antispasmo-"
   die & Ex-
   pectorant.
  {Antispasmo-
   dic & Ex-
   pectorant.
  {Antispasmo-
   dic & Ex-
   pectorant.

Astringent.

Astringent.

Stomachic.

Deobstruent.

 C Deobstruent }
 l and Tonic. $

Absorbent.
no-")

t.  J
to-!
:x-l
t.  J
10O



t.  J
 C Fainting, or Low-
 £  ness of Spirits.

 C Asthma, Winter
 I  Cough.

 C Asthma, Winter
 I  Cough.

 C Asthma, Winter
 I   Cough.

 C Whooping Cough &
 I  Winter Cough.

 C Looseness and
 l  Dysentery.
 C Looseness and
 "l  Dysentery.

Nervous Indigestion.

 C Chlorosis or Green
 l  Sickness.
 C Chlorosis and
 £  Scrofula.
 C Heartburn and
 /  Aciditv.
►
►
ft
o
C5
a
ft
o
ft
2
ft
d
GO
00 
A CATALOGUE  OF MEDICINES,  WITH THEIR DOSES AND  PROPERTIES.
MEDICINES.
Mercurial  Pill, or
  Blue Pill
Magnesia, calcined


Manna   -  -   -


               or)


Mistletoe Powder -

Mithridate   -   -  -

Musk.....

              nc-?
   ADULTS OR
GROWN PERSONS.
Musk Seeds, Tine
  ture of-
Muriatic Acid   -  -

Myrrh Powder -  -

Myrrh, Tincture of
20 to 40 grains.


3 to 6 drachms.


6 to 12 grains.


20 to 60 grains.

15 to 20 grains.

5 to  10 grains.

2 to  3 spoonsful.

10 to 30 drops.

5 to  10 grains.

1  to  2 drachms.
CHILDREN FROM
 2 TO 4 YEARS.
5 to 10 grains.


1 to 2 drachms.


2 to 4 grains.


8 to 12 grains.

5 to 10 grains.

2 to 5 grains.




3 to 6 drops.

2 to 4 grains.

10 to 15 drops.
WHAT TO BE TAKEN I
IN,  AND HOW OFTEN. I
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
Cln con
I mint-
common or in
   water.
Mint-water or tea.
In pills, twice a day.


 C Mint-water,
 I 3 times a day.
 C Mint-water,
 I 3 times a day.
 C Mint-water,
 "l 3 times a day.
 C In camphorated
 I julep.
 C Well diluted in wa-")
 \ ter, twice a day. 3
 C Mint-water,  twice >
 ( a day.         3
 C In water, 2 or 3
 ( times a day.
Absorbent.


Gentle Purge.


Alterative.


Tonic.

Astringent.

Antispasmodic.

Nervine.

Alterative.

Deobstruent.

Deobstruent.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
C Heartburn and
I  Acidity.
f Costiveness; &sim-
<  pie medicine for
(_  children.
    Venereal Disease,
   and in Diseases of
   the Liver.
rm

(_  th
Epileptic Fits.

 C In Purging and
 £ Dysentery.
 C Convulsions,Locked
 I Jaw, and Spasms.
 C Local or general
 (_ Nervousness.
  Scrofula, Cutaneous
   Eruptions.
  Green Sickness and
   Weakness.
  Green  Sickness and
   Weakness.
GO
00
to
>
ft
O
o
ft
ft
o
ft
2
ft
c 
Myrrh, Emulsion of


Natron, prepared

Natron, carbonated.

Nitre, Powder,
  purified   -  -


Nitre, sweet Spirit of



Nitric Acid -  -  -



Nutmeg, Spirit of -

Opiate Confection -

Opium,  purified

Opium,  Tincture  >
   of, or Laudanum )
 C2 to 3 table-  )
 I spoonsful.   5

5 to 10 grains.

20 to  40 grains.


5 to 20 grains.


20 to  60 drops.



 12 to  30 drops.
2 to 3 drachms.


2 to 3 grains.

8 to 10 grains.


2 to 4 grains.


6 to 12 drops.



4 to 6 drops.
4 to 6 drachms,   jl to 2 drachms.

10 to 20 grains.   3 to 6 grains.

1 to 2 grains.     I  -   -  -  -  -

10 to 35 drops.   3 to 5 drops.
In water, 2 or 3
 times a day.
(  01
     mint-water,  2
   or 3 times a day.
 In water, 2 or 3
   times a day.
    water,  2  or  3
   times  a day, or
   oftener.
 In water, at plea-
   sure, or  2 or  3
   times a day.
 Mix well in water,"
   so as to make  it
   pleasantly acid;
   2  or 3  times  a
   day.
C In water, 2 or 3
I  times a day.
A bolus.
I1"
<  tl!
I  of
J In
<  su
I  til
A pill.

In water.
ruent")  f G
*"      1  '
ant.  J  L  s
  {Deobstruen
   andE
   pectorant

Alterative.

Alterative.

 C Diuretic and >
 £ Febrifuge. 5
Diuretic and
 Febrifuge
Tonic.
>l
 C Carminative
 I and Opiate.

Anodyne.

Anodyne.
    reen Sickness,
    Weakness, & lon^
    standing C(#igh.
 C Scrofula, and Heart-
 l  lu.i

Heartburn.

  {Strangury, Heat of
    Urine, Fevers.—
    Cooling.
  {Strangury, Heat  of
    Urine, Fevers.—
    Cooling.
Diabetes and Scrofula.
C Flatulence, Cramp
I  in the Stomach.
Restlessness, acute
 Pains, <fc Asthma.
To produce sleep
 when in pain.
>
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O
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ft
ft
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ft
0
 
A CATALOGUE OF  MEDICINES.,
MEDICINES.
Oyster shells, pre- >
   pared  -  -   -   3

Paregoric, Elixir

Peppermint,  Es-  >
   sence of  -   -   3
Poppies,  (white,)  }
   Extract of-   -   3

Poppies, Syrup of -

Quassia, Tincture of

Rhatany Powder  -

Rhatany Tincture -

Rhatany, Aromatic }
  Tincture of  -  3
Rhatany,  Com-
pound Tincture of
Rhubarb Powder
   ADULTS OR     CHILDREN FROM
GROWN PERSONS.   2 TO 4 YEARS.
 10 to 20 grains.


 1 to 2 drachms.


 3 to 15  drops.

 5 to 10  grains.

 2 to 4 drachms.

 30 to 60 drops.

 10 to 40 grains.

 2 to 4 drachms.

2 to 4 drachms.

2 to 4 drachms.

20 to 30 grains.
5 to 8 grains.


15 to 20 drops.


1 to 2 drops.

1 to 2 grains.

1 tea-spoonful.

10 to 12 drops.

5 to 8 grains.

20 to 30 drops.

20 to 30 drops.

20 to 30 drops.

5 to 8 grains.
ITH  THEIR  DOSES  AND PROPERTIES.
GC
X
a
>
>
ft
o
O
d
w
o
ft

ft
U
WHAT TO  BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
C In mint water, 4 >
\  times a day.     }
In water.
In water.
In a pill.
In water.
In ginger tea, 2 or ?
 3 times a day.  3
Mint-water, every ^
 (  three hours.
  Mint-water,
   3 times a day.
 C Mint-water,
 I  3 times a day.
 C Mint-water,
 l  3 times a day.
In  mint-water.
!>
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
 C Absorbent& >
 £  Astringent. 3

Anodyne.
Carminative.

Anodyne.

Anodyne.

Stomachic.

Tonic.

Stomachic.

 C Stomachic  >
 I & Cordial. 3
 C Stomachic  >
 I Sz Cordial. 3
Gentle Purge.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
 C Looseness,  acid  in
 I  the stomach, &c.
 f Cough, Asthma, and
■<  Cramp,  or Weak-
 ly  nessof the stomach.
 C Cholicky pains and
 (  Flatulence.
 C Spasms, acute Pain,
 "l  and Cough.
 C Spasms, acute Pain,
 £  and Cough.
 C Indigestion and Fla-
 \  tulency.

Ague and Diabetes.

 C Indigestion, Relaxa-
 l  tion, and Whites.
 C Indigestion, Relaxa-
 £  tion, and Whites.
 C Indigestion, Relaxa-
 l  tion, and Whites.
For Costiveness. 
Rhubarb Tincture
Rhubarb,  Bitter
  Tincture
Jitter   >
of  -   $
Rhubarb Lozenges
  with ginger  -
Rochelle Salt   -   -
Roses, Infusion of -

Roses, Conserve of
Saffron, Tincture of
Saffron, Syrup of  -
Salts, Glau^r's
Salts, Epsom, purified

Salts, Harrodsburg?
  (in Kentucky)   3
Salts, Cheltenham -
Salt Polycrest  -   -
Salts of Tartar  -   -
Salts of Wormwood
4 to 8 drachms.

2 to 3 drachms.

Two to three.

6 to 12 drachms.
I to 2 ounces.

1 to 2 drachms.
1 to 2 drachms.
2 to 3 drachms.
6 to 12 drachms.
6 to 8 drachms.

6 to 10 drachms.

6 to 12 drachms.
1 to 2 drachms.
5 to 8 grains.
5 to 8 grainsi
1 to 2 drachms.

10 to 40 drops.

One.

2 to 4 drachms.
3 to 4 drachms.

5 drachm.
30 to 40 drops.
A tea-spoonful.
1 to 2 drachms.
I to 2 drachms.

1 to 2 drachms.

I to 2 drachms.
30 to 40 grains.
1 to 4 grains.
1 to 4 grains.
In Mint-water.

Wa|er* twice a day.

Twice a day.
In water.
2 or 3 times a day.
2 or 3 times a day.
In water.
In water.
In mint-water.
 C In  mint'Water, or
 I  plain water.
In water.
In Water.
In mint-water.
In mint-water.
In mint-water.
.}
 C Purge  and
 I Carminative
 C Aperient  & >
 % Stomachic. 3

Stomachic.

Aperient.
 C Stomachic &")
 I Astringent, j
 C Stomachic &
 £ Pectoral.
Cordial.
Cordial.
Purgative.
Purgative.

Purgative.

Purgative.
Cooling Purge.
Alkaline.
Alkaline.
   Costiveness  and
    Cholic.
   Indigestion and Fla-
    tulence.
   {Indigestion,  Flatu-
    lence, Weakness,
    &c.
Costiveness.
 C Indigestion,  Flood-
 l  ing, &c.
Cough.
Lowness of Spirits.
Lowness of Spirits.
Costiveness, &c.
Costiveness, &c.
{Costiver
 ings of
 Female
  Costiveness; Flush-
         f the Face;
   Female complaints.
Costiveness, &C
Feverish Heat.
Heartburn &  Rickets.
Heartburn &  Rickets. 
A CATALOGUE OF  iMEDICINES, WITH THEIR DOSES AND  PROPERTIES.
MEDICINES.
DOSES.
   ADULTS OR
GROWN PERSONS.
Sarsaparilla Powder

Sarsaparilla, Com-
 pound decoction of

Scammony^owder

Scammony,  Com-
  pound powder of
Scammony,  Com
nony, Com-")
nd, with Ca- I
el -  -   -  J
pou
lomel
Senna, Infusion of -



Senna, Tincture of-
Soluble Tartar -  -
Spermaceti Powder
CHILDREN FROM
 2 TO 4 YEARS.
20 to GO grains.


3 to 4 ounces.


10 to 20 grains.

15 to 30 grains.


15 to 25 grains.




2 to 3 ounces.



6 to 12 drachms.
4 to 6 drachms.

1 to 2 drachms.
5 to 10 grains.


I to 2 ounces.


2 to 4 grains.

5 to 6 grains.


5 to 6 grains.




2 to 3 drachms.



2 to 3 drachms.
 1 to 2 drachms.
20 to 30 grains.
WHAT TO BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
 C In  mint-water,  2 >
 I  or 3 times a day. 3

3 or 4 times a day.
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
Alterative.
Alterative.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
In  mint-water
 or 4 times a day
In  mint-water
 or 4 times
In honey.
   ay. 3
iter, 3?
a day.3
Occasionally.
In vfater.
In mint-water.
 C Honey,  3 or
 I times a day.
C Strong Pur-
£ gative.
C Strong Pur-
£ gative.
 {Strong Pur-
  gative  and
  Vermifuge.
 Purgative,
  but mostly
  used  with
4S
   manna;
   alone,- apt
   to gripe,  j
Pftrgative.
Purgative.
Demulcent.
 C Scrofula and all im-
 l  purities of the blood.
 f Venereal diseases, &
<  Scrofula, and all infi-
 ll  purities of the blood.

Obstinate Costiveness.

Obstinate Costiveness.

 C Obstinate   Costive-
 £  ness and Worms.
Costiveness   and
 Worms.
Costiveness & Cholic.
Costiveness and Piles.
Recent Cough.
00
00
Ci
>
ft"
>
r
o
o
e
ft
o
ft

w
d
M
a
M
ft
en 
Spirit Minderenus9
Spirit  of  Vitriol, ^
  Sweet -  -   -   3
Spirit of Nitre, Sweet

Spirit Sal Ammoniac

Spirit Sal Volatile

Spirit Sal Volatile,
  Fetid  :  -  -
Syrup  of  White
  Poppies  -  -
Syrup Buckthorn  -

Syrup of Ginger   -

Sponge,  Burnt -   -
2 to 4 drachms.



20 to 40 drops.


20 to 60 drops.

15 to 30 drops.

20 to 40 drops.

20 to 40 drops.

2 to 4 drachms.

2 to 4 drachms.

2 to 3 drachms.

20 to 30 grains.
Sponge, Lozenges of One to three.

Squill Powder  -  .-  1 to 2 grains.

Squill, Oxymel of -  2 to 4 drachma.
1 to 2 drachms.



6 to 12 drops.


6 to 12 drops.

4 to 8 drops.

0 to 10 drops.

6 to 10 drops.

1 tea-spoonful.

1 to 2 drachms.

1 drachm.

10 to  15 grains.
One to two.

5 to 1 grain.

1 drachm.
C Mint-water,  3 or)
I  4 times a day.  3

Cln mint-water, 3?
£  or 4 times a day. 3
In water.

In water.

In water.

In water.

2 or 3 times a day.

In mint-water.

Water.

Honey, twice a day.
Twice a day.

In a pill, twice a day.

 C In  mint-water,   ~>
 I  twice a day.     3
 C Sudorific &
 "l Cooling.

 TAntispas-   "*)
   tmodic and I
   Carmina-  (
   tive.      J
 C Diuretic and
 £ Febrifuge.

Stimulant.

Stimulant.

Stimulant.

Anodyne.

Strong Cathartic.

Carminative.

Alterative.
Alterative.
 C Expectorant ~)
 ( Si Diuretic. 3
 C Expectorant ~)
 / & Diuretic.)
{
Kecent  Cough,  In-
 flammatory  Fever,
 Pleurisy.

Nervous Debility,
 Flatulence.
 C Strangury,  Gravel,
 I and Fevers.
 C Hysterics and Faint-
 <> ing Fits.
 C Hysterics and Faint-
 l ing Fits.
 C Hysterics and Faint-
 £ ing Fits.
 C Cough,Restlessness,
 I Irritation,and Fever.
Costiveness.
 C Flatulence,  Cramp
 "l in the Stomach.
Scrofula.
Wen.
 C Dropsy,   Asthma,
 £ Chronic Cough.
 C Dropsy,   Asthma,
 I Chronic Cough
00
00 
A CATALOGUE OF MEDICINES, WITH THEIR  DOSES  AND PROPERTIES.
8
00
>■
>
ft
o
55
ft
ft
O
ft

ft
0
as
ft
09
MEDICINES.
Squill, Tincture of -


Squill, Lozenges of

Steel,  Muriated   >
   Tincture of  -   \

Steel, Wine of -   -

Steel, Salt of   -   -

Steel, Prepared -   -

Steel, Red Sulphate of|3

Strychnine   -  -   -

Sulphate of Quinine

Sulphur, Flowers of
DOSES.
   ADULTS OR
GROWN PERSONS.
15 to 30 drops.


Three to six.
10 to 30 drops.

3 to 0 drachms.

1 to 3 grains.

10 to 40 grains.

  to 12  drops.

\ to \ grain.

2 to 8 grains.

1 to 2 drachms.
CHILDREN FROM
 2 TO 4 YEARS.
6 to 10 drops.


One to two.


3 to 6 drops.

1 to 2 drachms.

5 to 1 grain.

2 to 4 grains.

1 to 2 drops.
10 to 20 grains.
WHAT  TO BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
 C Mint-water, twice \
 X a day.          3

3 or 4 times a day.


Water* twice a day.

Water, twice a day.
    *
Water, twice a day.

In honey, twice a day.

In water, twice a day.

In pill, twice a day.

 Cln a pill, 3 or 4>
 X times a  day.     3

In honey, once a day.
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
DISEASES PROPER FOR.
 C Expectorant")
 X Si Diuretic. 3

 C Expectorant \
 X St Diuretic. 3

Tonic.

Tonic.

Tonic.

Tonic.

Tonic.

 C Nervous
 X Stimulant.

Tonic.

 C Alterative &
 X Purge.
 C Dropsy,   Asthma,
 X  Chronic Cough.
 f Dropsy, Asthma, Si
<  Coughs  of  long
 (^  standing.
 C Indigestion, Rickets,
 X  Worms, &c.
 C Indigestion, Rickets,
 X  Worms, Sic.
 C Indigestion, Rickets,
 X  Worms, Sic.
 C Indigestion, Rickets,
 X  Worms, Sic.
 C Indigestion, Rickets,
 X  Worms, Sic.
 C Nerves, • Deafness,
 X  Blindness, & Palsy.
 C Ague, and a general
 X  debility.
 C Diseases of the Skin,
| X  Piles and Worms. 
Sulphur, Milk of  -
Tartar Emetic
Tin Powder -   «

Tincture of Aloes

Tincture of Aloes,
  Compound   -
Tincture of  Asa-
  fcetida -   -   -
Tincture of Peru-
  vian Bark -   -
Tincture of Hux-
  am's Bark
Tincture Bark, Yo-
  latile  -   -   -
Tincture  Benzoin
  Compound

Tincture  Buchu
  Leaves   «   -
1 to 2 drachms.


1 to 6 grains.


20 to 40 grains.

3 to 6 drachms.

1 to 2 drachms.

30 to 60 drops.


2 to 4 drachms.

2 to 4 drachms.

1 to 2 drachms.

20 to 40 drops.


2 to 3 tea-spoonsful
10 to 20 grains.


i to a grain,


10 to 15 grains.

1 to 2 drachms.



8 to 12 drops.


40 to 60 drops

40 to 60 drops.

10 to 20 drops.

6 to 8 drops.
In honey, once a day.
In warm water,
Honey, every morning.

In water.

 C Watert2 or 3 times £
 X a day.          3

In water, twice a day.

  ] In  mint-water, 3 ?
  [ times a day.    3
  | In  mint-water, 3 }
  [ times a day.    3
  i In ^mint-water, 3 ?
  1 times a day.    3

In honey.

  "In  decoction of"
   marshmallow
   root,  3  times a
   day.
 C Alterative <fe
 I Purge.
  Emetic, and""J
   in a small \
   dose a Su- j
   dorific.    J
Vermifuge.

Purgative.

Deobstruent.

Antispasmodic.


Stomachic.
 C Stomachic
 X Si Cordial.

 C Stomachic   <
 I Si Cordial. <

Stimulant, &c.
Anti-irritant, Sic,
C Diseases of the Skin,
X  Piles and Worms.

C Bilious Diseases, Si
X to produce sweating.
For Worms.
and
Costiveness
 Worms.
Green Sickness and
 Weakness.
Hysterics,  Asthma,
 Whooping Cough.
Indigestion, Weak-
 ness, Sic.
         ft
         o
         n
         G
         ft
         O
         ft

         2
         ft
Weak-   >?<
 C Indigestion,
 X ness, &c.
 C Indigestion,  Weak-
 X ness, Sic.

Flatulence Si Asthma.
C Irritation of the blad-
l  der, Sic.
00
00
CO 
A CATALOGUE OF MEDICINES, WITH THEIR DOSES  AND PROPERTIES.
MEDICINES
   ADULTS Oil   j  CHILDREN FROM
GROWN PERSONS.    2 TO 4 YEARS.
wrfAT TO  BE TAKEN

IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
Tincture  of Can-? 10 to 30 drops.
  tharides  -  -  3
Tincture  of  Car
  damoms  -  -
Tincture  of'  Car
  damoms,
  pound  -
Tincture  of Casca
  rilla
 CarO j.
Com- y \<
2 to 3 drachms.


2 to 4 drachms.
                        3 drachms.

Tincture of Catechu II to 2 drachms.

                   i
Tincture of Columbo 1 to 3 drachms.

                   1 to 2 drachms.
Tincture  of Gen-
  tian, Compound
Tincture  of Gum ?
  Guaiacum -  -  3
Tincture  of Gum
  Guaiacum
  tile -
*  Gum")
j, Vola- J.
30 to 60 drops.


1 to 3 drachms.
6 to 8 drops.


Half a drachm.


Half a drachm.


20 to 30 drops.

10 to 20 drops.

10 to 20 drops.

12 to 30 drops.


5 to 6 drops.
 fBarley water,  or")
<  in gruel, twice a j»
 I d*y-           j

In camomile tea.


In camomile tea.


In water.

  Mint-water,  3   >
   times a day.    3
  Mint-water,  3   £
   times a day.    3
  In water, 3 times >
   a day.         3
CIn honey,
X  day.
twice a
In water, twice a
 day.
 PROPERTIES

OR EFFECTS.
Diuretic.


Stomachic.


Stomachic.


Stomachic.

 C Astringent &")
 X Stomachic. 3

Stomachic.

Stomachic.


Stimulant.

 C Stimulant &>
 X Sudorific.  3
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
Whooping Cough.

 C Indigestion and Fla-
 X tulence.

 C Indigestion and Fla-
 X tulence.

 C Indigestion and Fla-
 X tulence.
 C Purging and Relaxa-
 X tion.
 C Indigestion Si Weak-
 X ness.
 C Indigestion and Fla-
 X tulence.

 C Indigestion,  Gleets,
 X Whites, Sic.

 C Indigestion,   Rheu-
 / matism, Sic.
CD
CO
O
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ft"
>
ft
o
o
ft
ft
c
ft
2
ft
0 
Tincture Henbane -

Tincture of Hops  -

Tincture of Muria- >
  ted Iron  -  -   3

Tincture of Jalap  -

Tincture of Lactu- ?
  carium -  -  -   3
Tincture Lavender, >
  Compound  -   3

Tincture Myrrh

Tincture Opium

Tincture  Opium,  7
  Acetic -  -  -   3
Tincture Rhatany, >
  Root  -  -  -   3
Tincture Rhatany,
  Aromatic -  -
Tincture Rhatany, )
  Compound  -   $
Tolu, Tincture of -
20 to 60 drops.

1 to 2 drachms.

10 to 30 drops.


2 to 4 drachms.

10 to 40 drops.

30 to 80 drops.

1 to 2 drachms.

10 to 30 drops.

20 to 40 drops.

2 to 4 drachms.

2 to 4 drachms.

|2 to 4 drachms.

130 to 60 drops.
3 to 5 drops.



3 to 6 drops.


1 drachm.



10 to 20 drops.

■ 10 to 15 drops.
j
[3 to 5 drops.

16 to 8 drops.
!
j20 to 30 drops.
j
20 to 30 drops.

20 to 30 drops.
}
In mint-water.

Water, 3 times, a day
 fWell  diluted   in
-<  water,  twice   a
 L day-
In mint-water.

In mint-water.

In water.

 C Water, 2  or  3
 X times a day.

In water.

In mint-water.

Water, 3 times a day.

Water, 3 times a day.

Water, 3 times a day.

Water, sugar, or honev.
Anod3rne.

Stomachic.

Tonic.

 C Brisk  Pur-
 X gative.

Anodyne.

Uordial.

Strengthening.

Anodyne.

Anodyne.

Stomachic.

 C Stomachic
 X Si Cordial.
 ^ Stomachic
 X Si Cordial.
Pectoral.
 C Spasms,acute Pains,
 ? Sic

Nervous Indigestion.

 C Indigestion, Rickets,
 ? and Worms.
Obstinate  Costiveness.

 C Spasms, acute Pains,
 I Sic.
 C Lowness of Spirits,
 X Fainting.
 C Green  Sickness,
 I Debility, &c.
 C Spasms, acute Pains,
 I Sic.
 C Spasms, Cough,
 X Asthma, &c.
  Indigestion and Re-
   laxation.
 C Indigestion and Re-
 X taxation.
 C Indigestion and Re-
 X laxation.
Chronic Couch. 
A CATALOGUE  OF MEDICINES,  WITH THEIR DOSES AND  PROPERTIES.
(X
CO
IP
>
>
o
c
Q
ft
o
w
0
MEDICINES.
Tobacco, Extract of
Turpentine, Venice
Lenitive, Electuary
Turpentine, Spirits of
Turpentine, Ohio  -
Valerian Powder   -.
Valerian, Tincture -
Valerian,  Volatile >
  Tincture of -   3
Vitriol, Acid Elixir
  of  ...  .
Vitriolic Acid diluted
   ADULTS OR    I CHILDREN FROM
GROWN PERSONS.   2 TO 4 YEARS.
WHAT TO BE TAKEN
IN, AND HOW OFTEN.
Wormwood,  Con
  serve of  -  -
Wormwood, Salt of  5 to 8 grains
2 to 4 grains.
10 to 15 grains.
2 to 3 drachms.
15 to 20 drops.
10 to 15 grains.
20 to 30 grains.
I to 3 drachms.
40 to 80 drops.
10 to 12 drops.
8 to 15 drops.
1  to 2 drachms.
Half a grain.

A to I drachm.
6 to 8 grains.
10 to 40 drops.
10 to 15 drops.
3 to 5 drops.
4 drops.
£ to 1 drachm
1 to 4 grains.
In a pill, twice a day.
In honey, twice a day.
Occasionally.
In honey, twice a day,
In a pill, twice a day.
  In  mint-water,   >
    twice a day.     3
In water, 3 times a day,
In water, 3 times a day,
 Cln  camomile tea,
 X  twice a da)'.
 Cln  camomile tea,
 X  twice a day.
Twice a day.
In mint-water.
PROPERTIES
OR EFFECTS.
DISEASES  PROPER FOR.
Anodyne,
Diuretic, &c.
Gentle Aperient.
Diuretic, &c
Diuretic.
Antinervous.
Antinervous.
Antinervous.
Stomachic.
Stomachic.
 C Stomachic Si~i
 X  Vermifuge. 3
Alkaline.
Whooping Cough.
 C, Gleet,  Fluor Albus,
 I Whites, or Gravel.
Costiveness.
 C Gleet, Gravel, Rheu-
 X matism, & Worms.
 C Gleet,  Gravel, and
 X Rheumatism.
 C Nervous  Headach,
 C Nervous  Headach,
 X Si,c.
 C Lowness of Spirits,
 I Sic.
 C Indigestion,   Flatu-
 X lence,& Relaxation.
 C Indigestion,   Flatu-
 X lence,& Relaxation.
  Indigestion, Worms,
    Sic.
'Heartburn, Rickets. 
Wine, Antimonial -
Wine of Colchicum >
  Seeds  -  -  -  3
Wine  of Colchi-J
  cum, Alkaline  3
Wine of Ipecacuanha

Wine of Rhubarb

Wine of Steel  •
4 to 8 drachms.
20 to 60 drops.

1 tea-spoonful.
4 to 8 drachms.
6 to 12 drachms.

3 to 6 drachms.
1 to 2 drachms.
2 to 3 drachms.
1 to 2 drachms.
In water.
1 to 2 drachms.
 C In  mint-water,   ?
 X twice a day.     3
 C In  mint-water,   ^
 X twice a day.     3
In water.
In mint-water.
Emetic.

Sedative.

Sedative.
Emetic.

Aperient.

Tonic.
Rheumatism & Gout.

Rheumatism Si Gout
C Costiveness & Indi-
X  gestion.
C Debility,Green Sick-
X  ness, and Whites.
        Mint Water, so often mentioned in this table, is made  by dropping a few* drops of Essence  of Peppermint
into water, and is designed to destroy the unpleasant taste of the  medicine.
>
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a
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o
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S
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00 
 
Primoi verticillatus—Winter Berry. 
Cypripedium acaule—Ladies' Slipper. 
Arum triphyllum—Indian Turnip.
Iris versicolor— B! uc Flag- 
Apocynum cannabinum—lnd'i&n Hemp.
Leontodon taraxicum—Dandelion. 
Chimaphila umbellata—Pipsisseway
Eupatorium pafoliatum—Boneset of thorough. 
Chcloue glabra—Snake-head. 
Lobelia Inflata— Indian Tobacco. 
Sanguinaria Canadensis—Blood Roo 
 
 
■*my^ s
STs
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NLM010504064