EMORY UNIVERSITY Apottb (ZetiveriTicj Escidapiiw to C/uron, to £1$ m. tfte art of Tiealiht/ ^ •-x-' m GUNK'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE, OR w>®®m IN THE HOURS OF AFFLICTION, PAIN, AND SICKNESS. THIS BOOK POINTS OUT, IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, FREE FROM DOCTOR'S TERMS THE DISEASES OF MEN? WOMEN? AND CHILDREN? AND THE LATEST AND MOST APPROVED MEANS USED IN THEIR PCJIS, AND IS EXPBESSLY WRITTEN FOR THE BENEFIT OF FAMILIES IN THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN STATES. IT ALSO CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MEDICINAL ROOTS AND HERBS OF THE WESTERN*AND SOUTHERN COUNTRY, AND HQW THEY ARE TO BE USED IN THE CURE OF DISEASE^: ARRANGED ON A NEW AND SIMPLE FLAN, BY WHICH THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IS REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES OF COMMON SENSE. Why should we conceal from mankind That which relieves the distresses of our fellow-beings? ititoyisUIc, PRINTED UNDER THE IMMEDIATE SUPERINTENDANCE OF THE AUTHOR^ A PHYSICIAN OF KNOXVILLE. 1830. District of East Tennessee, Knoxville, BE IT REMBERED, that on the 30th day of August, in the 55th year of the Independence of the United States of America, A. D. 1830, Doctor Joh.y C. Gunn, of Knoxville, deposited in this office, the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as author, in the following words, to-wit: u Guam's Domestic Medicine, or Poor Man's Friend, In the hours of afflic tion, pain and sickness. This book points out, in plain language, free from Doctor's terms, the diseases of men, women and children, and the latest and most approved means used in their cure, and is expressly written for the benefit of Families in the Western and Southern States. It also contains, descriptions of the Medicinal roots and herbs of the Western and Southern country, and how they are to be used in the cure of DiseasesArranged on a new and simple plan, by which the practice of Medicine is reduced to principles of common sense. Why should we conceal from mankind, That which relieves the distresses of oaf fellow-beings? In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United Stages, entitled, "An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proorietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned;" And also to the Act, entitled "An Act supplementary to an Act entitled "An Act for the encouragement of Learning by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned," and extending the benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Engraving, and Etching Historical, and other prints." W. C. MYNATT, Clerk, of the United States' District Court,) for the District of East Tennessee. j EXPLANATION OF THE PLATE, In very ancient times, before the Divine Revelation was announced to maa* kind, ana before the human miud was sufficiently enlightened to arrive at ration* al proofs of the existence of one Supreme God, the Creator and Ruler of the Un¬ iverse, the savage and unenlightened nations believed in what is called Polythe¬ ismor the absurd and illusive doctrine of a plurality of imaginary Gods and Goddesses, who they supposed presided over Heaven and earth, the destinies of mankind, ana even the elements of nature. Thus, for instance, they had Jupi¬ ter, the father of their other Gods, the supreme ruler of mankind, and the arbiter of justice in Heaven, Earth, and Hell. . They had also, Neptune, the God of the Ocean; Pluto, the God of Hell, and Proserpine, his wife; Mars, the God of War; Minerva, the Goudess of Wisdom \ Juno, the wife of Jupiter; Mercury, the God ol Thieves; and fifty or sixty other Gods and Goddesses which it would be need* less to name. The ancients had, also, inferior ranks of deities, who were men whose actions Or discoveries had entitled them to divine honors after death, and whose names were afterwards given to several of the Planets and constellations of the astrono¬ mical heaven of ancient times. Thus we have the Planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, &c. &r. They had even an inferior set of deities to these, whose names were transferred to many of the signs and constellations of the firmament, and to which they rendered divine honors and worships under the names of the Ram, the Bull, the Crab, the Serpent,the Bear, the Lion, &c. &c.; symbols of which you will see, under the figures of those ammaJS, in all your Almanacks of mod¬ ern times. To all these Deities of their imagination, whether presiding in Hea¬ ven, Earth, or Hell, the ancients rendered worship and sacrifices, whpnever they wished to deprecate their wrath, or render them propitiations to th«--- S33 Asthma, ------ £4® Abortion, - 318 After Pains, - - - 332 Alum Root, ----- 368 American Columbo, ----- 386 American Senna, ----- 389 American Ipecacuanha, ----- 394 American Centaury ---»-- 399 Active Purgatives, - * - * - 423 Anodynes - - > - - - - 431 Antispasmodics, 431 BILIOUS FEVER, - - - - - 136 Bone Set, ----- 379 Button-snake Root, ----- 381 Blood, or Puccoon Root, - 386 Butterfly Weed, or Pleurisy Root, - 393 Blood-letting, ----- 419 COLD BATH, - - - - - II® Colic, ------ 144 Colic in Women, ----- 312 Colic in Children, ----- 347 Cholera Morbus, ----- 146 Consumption, ----- 161 Catarrh, or Cold, ----- 204 Cow Pox, 065 Clap, ------ 066 Cancer, ------ 304 Corns, §88 Cramp, - - - - - 314 Constant desire to make water, - - - , 314 Chills, ------ 831 Child-bed Fever, - - - ' 334 Constipation, - 346- Convulsions, or Fits, 349 Croup, 350 Cholera Infantum, or Puking and Purging, - 353 Cancer Root—Beech Drops, - 376 Common Blackberry Bush, - -381 Chamomile, ----- 382 Chinquepin, ------ 382 Common Tansey, ----- 386 Castor Oil, and how to make it, — - - - 406 Clysters, or Glysters. - - . - - 4ig DEDICATION, ----- 9 Diseases of the Liver, - .177 Dysentery, ------ 190 Drinking cold water when over-heated, - - - I 202 Dropsy, ------ '207 Diseases of Women and Children, - - * i289 Diseases of Women, 1 *290 Difficult Labor, ----- "324 Directions after Labor, ----- *909 Directions for Midwives, • *326 INDEX. Dog-wood, Diseases of Children, - Dittany, Directions for preserving Roots, Herbs, Flowers, and Barks, Dispensatory, or Classification of Medicines, r EXERCISE, - Eruptions of the Skin, - Eating Snuff, - Epileptic Fits, - Ear-ache, - Exorcise of Children, and Pure Air * Extract of Garden Lettuce, »- r Emetics, or Pukes. - FEAR, Food, » Fever, and General Remarks, False Pains, Flooding, Faintings, Fever of Children, Fox Glove, Friction, Flannel, -» Female Catheter, GRIEF, Gravel and Stone, Great Flow of Urine, Gleet, Ginseng, Ginger, HOPE, Head-ache, Heart-burn, Hooping Cough, Hop, - Hor-.e Mint, INTRODUCTION, Intemperance, I.migestion, Inflammations, Inflammation of the Stomach, Inflammation of the Intestines, Inflammation of the Brain, Inflammation of the Spleen, Inflammation of the kidnies, Inflammation of the Bladder, Inflammation of the Breast, Itch, Ipecacuanha, Indian Physic, - t Indian Turnip, Issues, TOY, Jealousy, Jamestown Weed, Jerusalem Oak. * lalau Page 366 - 339 - 375 407 - 422 103 - 223 230 - 235 248 344 405 - 423 20 - 122 128 - 316 317 331 353 383 417 417 420 43 214 220 275 369 401 21 247 313 355 33J "400 12 74 154 332 194 195 197 198 199 201 332 229 384 393 398 419 22 27 363 374 396 INDEX. LOVF, .... - Page 3S Locked Jaw, " - 283 La*, * .. j, i 192 Labor, - - 321 Lochia, - » - - 331 Laxatives, - - 427 Liverwort - ■> 440 MUMPS, - - - 249 M 'rises, - - 295 Milk Fever, ... - 333 Meconium, - 341 Measles, * 356 May Apple, - ' 375 Manna, ... - - 390 Male Catheter, i : 419 Mercury, 4C8 NERVOUS FEVER, : : : ' : 140 OUTWARD PARTS OF FEMALE GENERATION,' • 293 Original Imperfections, : : : • : 342 Opium, 401 Ointments for Sores, : : • '* 436 PASSIONS, of the : : : 19 Pulse, 131 Pleurisy, i s : : : 211 Palsey, : . : : : : : 228 Piles, ; j j : t 243 and 316 Putrid Sore throat, : : i i : 245 Pox, : : : : i : 265 Poisons, : : : : i : 276 Painful Affections of the Face, : ; : 231 Pregnancy, 305 Pregnancy, Signs of : , : r 307 Pregnancy, Cantions during, : : ■> , 308 Pregnancy, Diseases of r ; , 310 Pain in the Head, and Drowsiness, :■, 313 Pink Root of Carolina, ; 367 Pennyroyal, 375 Poplar, :t : ; : . : 377 Prickly Asb,*or Tooth-ache Tree, : : . 391 Peppermint, : . ; 400 Peach Tree • ; : : „ 405 RELIGION, : : : : ; 56 Remarks preliminary to the medical portion of this Book, ' 35 Rheumatism, : ; ; 148, Ringworm, : : . ; 835 Remarks, . : 360 Rue and Balm, : . 335 Rhubarb, : ; 333 SLEEP, ; : 103 Scurvy, • * ojq Suppression of Urine, s 210 Saint Anthony's Fire, •* 224 Scald Head, 355 and 352 Sore Legs, • = 242 Sore Eyes, : : : 250 add 348 Small Pox, . • i 257 Scalds and Burns, * V* * INDEX Sickness of the Stomach* Swelled Legs, Stoppage of Urine, Still-born, • Seneka Snake Root, Sassafras, • • Sarsaparilla, . Slippery Elm, Spice-wood, Senna, Sulphuric Fumigation, Stimulants, Sudorifics, Swaira's Panacea, TOOTH ACHE, Twins, Treatment of New born Infants, The Snuffles, The Red Gum, , Thrush, . . Teething, Tobacco Plant, . Tonics, UVAURSI, . . VENEREAL DISEASE, WARM, OR TEPID BATH, Whitlow, Warts, ... Whites, Want Sleep, . Worms, White Walnut, . Wild Cherry tree, YELLOW GUM. - Page 3I4and|U 315 339 360 362 362 374 378 385 388 409 429 435 439 226 325 340 344 345 345 348 369 432 372 260 113 253 288 303 315 357 391 399 345 ERRATUM. Page 20, last line but one, for mortal power, read moral power, and bottom for reasona, read reasoning. Page 238,7th line from the top, for nervous fever, read nervous flu¬ id. DEDICATION. TO HIS EXCELLENCY ANDREW JACKSON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. In dedicating the following work, Sir, to the President of the Uni-< ted States, in the person of Andrew Jackson, I freely confess my¬ self influenced by interested motives1; they are not, however, Such as are connected with pecuniary considerations. Every man in the community, ought to feel ah honest pride in being beneficial to his country; and, if he cannot be so in Legislation, Diplomacy or Arms— he may at least make the attempt to be useful in the more retired and less brilliant walks of literature and science. In coupling your name with this work, it will at least have a strong claim to the public atten¬ tion, which is one of the means of having justice done to its real cha¬ racter, which is all I can reasonably desire. As far as was practica¬ ble, I have endeavored to divest it of foreign terms and obscure tech- nicalities, and attempted to render it intelligible to all:—for, sir, take from the Medical sciences all their obgcureAechnicalities and literary * bombast, and you immediately resolve them into common sense* which is certainly within the range of every well organized intellec¬ tual capacity. Even in a political view, the equalization of useful intelligence anjong our citizens, is of much and interesting moment. Tyranny—* of nearly every possible character, from the earliest periods of time 10 has arisen from a want of equality in knowledge. On the one hand, man is the ereature of the impulses of ambition, and of circumstances favorable to their influential exercise:—nor is there, on the other hand, a greater safeguard against the misused and oppressions of aspiring power, the evils and subtilities of imposition, or the force of untpwer j ed circumstances, than the cttxtivatiox op the mixd. The ex¬ emptions of this people from political despotism, arose in the first in- • stance, from their knowledge of the corruptions of British power: —* man has only to know his rights, and he immediately becomes free. But, there is another view of the value of medical science, not less interesting to mankind than those I have mentioned. Without health, intelligence becomes a mere phantom of happiness, honors unsubstan¬ tial mockeries, wealth a mere bubble, and eyen virtue herself lan¬ guishes, and sometimes expires. Many, if not all the miseries of man, arise from his ignorance of his true interests: even crime itself, sometimes arises from the same cause—why, sir, have you yourself, like several of your predecessors in the high office of Chief Magistrate of this Nation, been enabled to discharge your high duties to your country, to stem the torrent of narrow personal and popular prejudi¬ ces, and to triumph by moderation over your enemies ?—I answer in one word—by an intelligence which could distinguish the futility of malignity and slander; a moral courage which could preserve your resolutions unshaken amidst the storm; and, although your feelings may have been wounded, their firmness has demonstrated to your country, in more instances than one, that they could not be subduedf Morally and physically speaking, every man ought to be his own physician, so far as his circumstances render it possible;—and even in cases of great difficulty, and when it is essential to employ a reg¬ ular physician, a partial knowledge of the science of medicine, would not only enable a man to guard against imposition and imposture, but to make a judicious and safe selection, There is no mysticism in true science, but what arises from the ignorance and superstitions of mankind, respecting the fancied superiority of its professors: and, 11 men are always prone to look up with a dangerous reverence to quacks and impostors, whose ignorance i3 only equalled by their im¬ pudence, and utter disregard of moral integrity and Virtue. These facts are proved in a thousand instances, to be met with in our large cities, where real and valuable talents are thrown in the back ground, and left to wither in poverty and obscurity, by impudent and shame¬ less pretenders. The real valuables of nature, and those which are most efficient in the Cure of diseases, are few and simple, and almost every wherq to be found; and 1 trust it will be found, in this small volume, that those who will attend to its precepts &nd prescriptions, and they are all plain •and easy of comprehension, will benefit themselves and their fami¬ lies, avoid many great and needless expenses, and save themselves from many practised impositions. With great respect and consideration, I am, Sir, Your obt. Serv't. JOHN C. GUNN. Knoxmlle, Tenn. 8th January, 1830 Maw, in £he early days of nature,, lived in a state of health, both in body and in mind. The earth produced its fruits for h,im without cul¬ ture; there were neither irregularities nor inclemencies of the seasons. In a stat^ of innocency, and under a mild and element sky, there «vas nothing to produce disease; spring was perpetual. Protected by the immediate presence of the Almighty, and as yet innocent of any vi¬ olations of his law, he was happy in the enjoyments which the spon¬ taneous benevolence of nature afforded him. But he has been the ar¬ tificer of his own untoward destinies! He has transgressed the, sac¬ red laws of his Creator—and incurred the penalties annexed to his own transgressions! Sis days are now shortened, and encumbered with disease; spring is no longer perpetual; for him now, athe earth ~brings forth thorns and briers;" and for him the world has been visit¬ ed with earthquakes, sterility, storms, and variations of the seasons, which blight the fruits of his labors, and bring mortal diseases £tnd fa¬ tal maladies on their wings. Among the moral causes hat have abridged the lifq of man, there is one which merits the attention of thephilosopher—it is civilization! Civilization, by polishing man, and depriving him of his primitive rudeness, seems to have enervated hirrr:—-it seems to have made him purchase the advantage, at the expense* of a multitude of diseases and miseries to which the first inhabitants of the world were strangers— and with which the savages who only give way to the impulses of nature are still unacquainted. Man, in associating with his fellow beings in large assemblages, seems in some measures to have relaxed the strong ties on bis earthly existence; society—hv extending the circle of his wants,by giving greater energy to,his passions, and by generating those that are unknown* to the man of nature, seems to have become a frightful and inexhaustible source of calamities. But, was not man born for society; did not his individual weakness, and his sevpre and pressing wants, make him abandon at an early period the wandering life he had led in the forrests in pursuit of game—and associate with his fellow man? Could he not by associating with his 13 fellow beings, the better protect tig existence, secure liis happiness, and expand his truly astonishing faculties! There exists no country, in which meji are not found1 in a social State; this, is the cage even in the most remote and frightful soIitudes,.from the Arabian deseks to the Polar regions. JSut 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 en each other,- where, although the comforts hnd luxuries of life are to be fbund in abundance, the horrors of! want are extrempl Are not these ektremes always hostile to the social nature of man; are not these large Cities continually the seats qf mortal diseases; the abodes of crime and immorality; and, are hot 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 innocenpe and Simplicity. We should not then bet as¬ tonished 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,"because they had none but natural wants, which they could al¬ ways satisfy without excess. The beverage of nature quenched their thirst without the aid of spiritous liquors—and the friendly hand of nature gave them sustenance; but, in proportion to the increase of as¬ sociations, they generated a multitude of factitious wants, which con¬ tinually torment us their offspring, and render us unhappy; whence, instead of those simple^ foods which always prolonged life, man has the poisons of every chimical and Foreign luxury served upon'his ta¬ ble; and what are the TjesultS? Why—^prematurely borne down with Infirmities, and devoured with remorse, he dies disgusted and exhaust¬ ed with excesses—reflecting on innocent nature whom he has out raged! The greatest number of diseases and infirmities are of our own begetting; because we have infringed the healthy laws of nature. Fifteen, opt of twenty cases of sickness, are produced by ourselves; it is by luxury and scandalous excesses, that we render our1 existence unhappy, and abridge its length. Man is a creature of habit; urged on by the propensities of his na¬ ture, he not only abridges the period of his life, but inflicts on himself the displeasure of his creatokl The rising morn, the radient noon, the shadowy eve, all tell him as they pass, that his temporal existence is short—his advance to eternity rapid! When we view man in all his bearings and dependencies, we find, 14 and the profoundest philosophers have done no more, that he is involv¬ ed in mystery. The greatest philosophers have only discovered that they l,ive; but fuom 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 Revelation 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 gol¬ den harvest, bestowing plenty on man:—and Winter, with icy man¬ tle, sounding the requiem of the departed seasons. First comes creeping infancy; next, merry boyhood and aspiring youth; then, res¬ olute and industrious manhood:—and last t»f all, decripid, cold, an# declining age; emblematic of the winter of existence, the shortness of human life. Behold the changes that have 4aken place in Tennessee, and, in the whole western country, within thq lapse f many of the present inhabitants, this immense region was a perfect wilderness:—>■ 15- tjie darkened intellect of the savage, knew God* but in the winds an<$ thunders; on eyery side, the dark foil age, of the shadowy forest waved fin the silent majesty of mature, and her noble rivers niOved on in si¬ lence, with no other commerce than the peltry of the hunter savage. Most of these rivers are now navigated by steamers, affording the quickest facility of transportation, and the most lucrative commerce; supplying 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 con¬ stitutions of government. The tree ofpeace spreads its broad branch¬ es ffom 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 blossomed a& 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, with¬ out the use of foreign articles; and the discoveries of each succeeding 4ay convince 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 ^oots, herbs and simples, found jui Our kingdom of nature, when all foreign articles have utterly failed:—ond the day will come, when calomel arid mercurial medicines will be used nd longer, and when we will be independent of foreign medicines, which are often difficult to be obtained, frequently adulterated, and always command a price whicli the poor are unable to pay. The yet uncultivated wilds of our country, abound in herbs and plants possessing medicinal vir- tues—and probably thousands of them, whose virtues and qualities re¬ main unknown. The travels of Lewis and" Clarke, led to high ex¬ pectations in every branch of science:—the observations and inqui¬ ries of these gentlemen, particularly of Lewis, were directed, among other things, to the diseases apd medical remedies of our Indiaps;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 Le¬ gislative bodies on these points: —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 th^ blessings, the gratitude, andvthe admiration of mankind. Professional pride and native cupidity, contrary to the true spirit of! justice and Christianity, have, in all ages and counti ies, from senti¬ ments of self interest and want of liberality, delighted in concealing the divine art of healing diseases, under complicated nainhs, and dif¬ ficult or unmeaning 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 ayarice, that I do not intend to cast an imputation on all my profes¬ sion, for want of that heaven borh principle, charity to our fellow beings. On the contrary, we are furnished by history, with mdny prominent examples of this divine-jform of humanity. Hippocratefe dispensed health and joy wherever he went, and often yielded to the solicitations of neighboring princes, and extended the blessings of his skill to foreign nations. The great Boerhaave did a gn. at 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—"God is their pay¬ master."—Heberden's liberality to the poor was so great, that fie* was once told by a friend, he would exhaust his fortune: "no," said he, "I am afraid that after all my charities, I shall die shamefully rich.", Fothergill once heard of the death of a citizen of London, ■ * - * 4 . * who had left his family* in indigent circumstances;—the doctor imme¬ diately 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 liis reverse of fortune—take this purse—which contains all I received from him—it wall do thy family more good than it will do me." Similar occurrences of the liberality of this great and good man, might be- given almost w ithout end: in¬ deed it is said, that he gave away one half of the income of his ex¬ tensive and profitable business, to the needy and afflicted—amounting, in the course of his fife, tb more than one hundred thousand pounds. What an immense interest, in celestial honor and happiness, must this sum not produce at the great day of accounts—the general judgment! With what unspeakable gratitude and delight, may we hot suppose the many hundreds—perhaps thousands, whom he has fed, clothed, and relieved in sickness, by his charities, will gaze on their benefac- Jl7 {or iti that solemn day, while the supreme judge accredits those actsl as done to himself, in the presence of an assembled universe! But—these good and great men, have gone where we mupt all short¬ ly 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 human intelleet, and the monuments of human greatness, and all that genius has instituted and labor accomplished; wfaeft we trace these things through all their grades of advancement and de¬ cline—where is the pride of man? Behold, in each successive mo¬ ment, the monuments of the rich, the great, and the powerful— tumbling into their native dust—and the hand of time mingling the prdud man's ashes with those of the menial slave, so that their poster¬ ity cannot distinguish them from each other! When-the sable curtain of death is drawp, where is the .bright intellect of genius—and where pre those we have loved and honored? At the threshold of eternity, reason leaves us- and we sink, notwithstanding all our precautions, and the aid of distinguished physicians. Yet such is the course of nature, that those who live long, must - outlive those they love and honor. Such, indeed, is the course of nature, and the condition of our present existence, 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 ter¬ minate in death;—yet, where is the man who does not believe he may survive another year ? Piety toward God, should 'characterise every one who has any thing to do with the administering of medicine; no^ should any indi¬ vidual ever administer medicine, without first imploring the Almighty for success on his prescriptions—for where is the man, who can an¬ ticipate Success, without the aid and blessing of heaven? Galen van¬ quished Atheism, for a considerable time, by proving the existence of, a God, from the wise and curious structure of the "human body. Botallus, the illustrious father of blood-letting in .Europe, earnestly advises a physician never to leave his house, without prefering a prayer to God to aid and enlighten him.. Cheselden, the famous English anatomist, always implored the aid and blessing of Heaven en his hand, whenever he laid hold of an instrument to perform a sur¬ gical operation, Sydenham, the great luminary1 and reformer of medicine, was a religious man; and, Boerhaave spent an hour every 3 13 tnorning in his closet, in reading and commenting on the scriptures, before he entered on the duties of his profession. Hoffman and Stahl, were not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; ahd, Waller has left behind him, a most eloquent defence of its doctrines. J>oct. Fa- thergill's long life, resembled an altar from which incense of "adora¬ tion 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 authoritative weight of their names alone, in favor nf the truth of revealed religion, is sufficient to turn the Scale against all the infidelity that has ever disgraced the science of medi¬ cine, since its earliest discoveries. I have seen the flower of life fade, and all its freshness wither j 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 1 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 professed by the physician, is as brittle and slender as that possessed by his patient:— the next moment may be his-r-and those remedies so often tised with success in the cases of others, will assuredlyfail 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 nature has claimed from thousands of his pa¬ tients;—When on the couch of death, and whilst perusing the works of Rousseau, the last words of the great Napoleon were, in the lan¬ guage of that author—"it is vain to shrink from what cannot be avoid¬ ed-; why -hide that from ourselves, which must at some period be i found; the certainty of death, is a truth which man knows—but which he willingly conceals from himself."—We shall all shortly fin¬ ish our allotted time ©n earth, if even unusually prolonged, leaving behind us all that is now familiar and beloved. Numerous races of ■men will succeed us, entirely ignorant that we once lived—'-and who will retain of our existence, not even the vestage of a vague and emp- ity remembrance! OF THE PASSIONS. All the passions of man, scorn to have been bestowed on him by an all-Vise creator, for wise and beneficent purposes; and it is certainly the province of human wisdom, 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 suffered to transcend the bounds of political justice, they always lead to anarchy, war, misrule and op¬ pression : and among individuals, do we not easily trace the same dreadful and disastrous consequences ? With monarchical and despo¬ tic governments, we frequently see the unruly and ungoverned pas¬ sions of one man, destroying and laying waste, whole empires in a single campaign: and with democratical or republican institutions of government, have we not frequently witnessed the terrific conse¬ quences, to moral and political justice, which arises from the disorgan- zing and tribulent passions of the sovereign people. Individually and nationally, then, the consequences of misdirected and uncontrolled passion are precisely the same, as regards every thing connected with political, legislative, and moral justice. But, as it is not my intention to enter into a dissertation on the passions, farther than as they relate to man as an individual, and to their influence 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 stomach is the workshop of the whole human frame, and all its derangements are immediately felt in the extremities: and to prove how strongly the connexion exists, between the stomach and the heart, the latter im- so mediately ceases to beat, when the powers of the former sink and aro destroyed. Distress of mind is always q. predisposing cause of dis¬ ease ; while on the other hand, a calm and contented disposition, and a proper command over our passions and affections, are certain to produce consequences which operate against all predisposing causes of disease. Any complaint arising from great agitation of mind, is more obstinate than any occasioned by violent corporeal agitations. For instance; eating and drinking, and particularly in the case of clrinking, disease may be combatted by rest, sleep and temperance : but neither temperance; rest, nor even sleep itself, as every one knows, chn 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. It takes from him reflection, pdwer, resolution and judgment; and in short*, all that dignity and greatness of soul, which properly appertain to hu¬ manity. It has great influence in occasioning, aggravating and pro¬ ducing disdas^q. It has been a matter of much speculation with me, whether any man is born constitutionally a coward;—and my decided opinion is, that cowardice and courage are generally the ef¬ fects of habit and moral influence * I have frequently seen brave * Immediately preceding1 the great battle of Waterloo, on which were about to be suspended the great political and military destinies of Europe, Napoleon employed a guide who was well acquainted with the country, to accompany 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 arpies, 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 bis hands all 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 after¬ wards rode erect and steady, and manifested np indications of fear. I mention this cir¬ cumstance, to show how much we are under the influence -of mortal power, pr the force of reasona, respecting both cowardice and courage. 21 men, acknowledged to ne; such on great and important occasions during the late war, who trembled at the mere- approch of danger, and ac¬ knowledged their want bf firmness. The great Duke of Marlboro' was once seen to tremble on the eve of battle; being asked by a sol¬ dier the cause of it—the Duke made the following reply—"my body trembles at the danger my soul is about exposing it to Vy And does it not appear surprisingly singular, but no less true, that a man shall be one day brave, and the next 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, ivho under the influence of opium, would 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 inexplicable,- but of this we are certain, thai cowardice disorders and impedes the circulation of the blood: hin¬ ders breathing with freedom; puts the stomach out of order, as well as ithe 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 moPal virtue. Many persons haye fallen down dead, from the influence of cowardice or fear; and can it then be doubtful, that this passion has much influence in producing and modifying diseases ? I feel assured, from practical experience, that in disorders that are epidemical 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 suffering 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 th,e fears of his army, frequently touched the bodies of those infected, with his own hands. Fear weakens the energy or strength of the heart, and of the whole neryous system; the infectious matter has greater power on the frame at this time-—consequently the system being deranged, loses its. healthy action, and cannot resist and throw off the epidemical disease. HOPE. Hope* what a Sourer of human happiness rc,.t-j in the jteasurcsnf £3 hope, Man cherishes it to his very tomb. Take from him hope, and life itself would be a burthen 1 How wisely has our heavenly Fa¬ ther blended in our cup of misery, soft whispers of our future exemp¬ tion from its influence. Without hope, how wretched, how miserable our existence: what a powerful effect it has, when laboring under pain and bodily disorder! Jt raises the spirits; it increases the action and power of the heart, and nervous 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 h being who lives without this balm of consolation, this hope of heaven¬ ly birth, which tells of happier days in bright anticipation! If such are the advantages of hope, as to the things of this fielcf of thorns and briers—this vale of tears—what may we expect 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 favorable effects of a fortunate event, without possessing the physical disadvantages; the anticipation of happiness does not affect us so excessively as the acfoal enjoyment; yet it has frequently produced more benefit by its influence on health, than for¬ tune realized. JOT. This is a benificent passion; it produces an extraordinary effect, and is of infinite benefit to the constitution, when indulged in modera¬ tion; but, if it should be excessive, or very sudden, it frequently does serious and lasting injury to persons in good health; and td those who are weak, or afflicted with disease, it sotnetimes terminates fatally. The following instance of the melancholy effects of the too sudden in¬ fluence of joy, will folly exemplify the power of this passion on the physical system, feven when in health. It may be relied on, ag it came very nearly under my own observation, A gentleman in the State of Virginia, who had once been Very wealthy, but whose pecu¬ niary circumstances had become much depressed, not to say despc- 23 rate, as a last hope of redeeming himself and his family from distress-, ing 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 exe- fcution. When the day of sale arrived, his father-in-law and himself took a walk into (he 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. B , and was directed by his wife where he would be found. When the gentleman rode up to Mr. B' ■, without exercising the least precaution, he an¬ nounced the fact that the ticket had drawn one hundred thousand dol¬ lars 1 The effect was such as might have been expected; Mr. B<——. immediately fainted, and was with much difficulty and after many exertions, restored.—In the circumstance I have just related, the great influence of this passion will easily be seen; and I *trust it will be as distinctly inferred from it, that excesses of joy are frequently as dan¬ gerous to the constitution of humanity, as those of grief, if not more so. I need scarcely remark here, that to persons laboring under disease, as well as to those in merely delicate health, joyful intelligence ought always to be communicated with much caution. ANGER. "Nbxt 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 intended 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.n It is not the application of our passions to their naturaj, reasonable, qnd legitimate objects, that 24 constitutes crime, and ends in misery and misfortune; No—it is th'» abuse of those passions by unrestrained and imtemperate indulgence—4 and the prostitution of them to ignoble and disgraceful purposes 1 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 aggressidn/ and by preventing a repetition of the deed, to reform, the offender. I am perfectly aware that I here occupy a new, but by no means an un¬ tenable ground. Was the passion of Love, the refined solacer of ci¬ vilized life; the harbinger of successful procreative power; the nurse which ushers into life successive millions of the human race, ever in¬ tended by the God of nature to degenerate into brutal iarsT; and to be followed by a train of penercal diseases which cankers life at its very core "and visits the iniquities of the father^, upon the children to the third and fourth generations Was the deep seated and natural sen¬ timent of self preservation, that essential safeguard of man in every stage of his moral existence, ever intended to degenerate into that childish, superstitious, base, and ignoble passion called JFear ? Was the elevating and ennobling passion of emulation, that only seeks to rival superior excellence, so honorable to the pride of man, find so consonant to the native dignity of his soul, ever intended to degener¬ ate into a dastardly passion of envy, which seeks to destroy by slan¬ der and defamation, the excellence it has nothe honest virtue even to attempt to rival ? Those who blindly decry the legitimate gratifi - cation of the human passions, although they mhy do so from what to them seems the best of motives, ought to be aware that they do not arraign the wisdom Of providence, for implanting them into the hu¬ man bosom; and they ought also, in all cases, to avoid confounding the natural and legitimate 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 enjoy¬ ments, the preservation, and the happiness of man; they only be¬ come 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. t rehiark.ad in the outset, that there Was op .passion known to ku^ inanity, an unrestrained indulgence in which was so fetal in its eonse-. quenCes to the peace of society, and the happiness of man, as "anger. This defbrmer of the human countenance and character, is every where to be found; and its ravages seem Co-extensive with its existence: in Other words-, it seems to live through all human life, and and to extend through the whole extent of human society. It is even sometimes seen to wrinkle and deform the maiden cheek youthful beauty with a frown I - But do not my fair oout-ryw.omen kuoW, that the passions never fail to leave their impress on the Coun¬ tenance, and that habitual anger will render them more disgusting lhan the witch of Endor? They may be assured, and my remarks are hot founded on cursory and superficial observation, that the more of native beauty there is to he 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 words, 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, tinder any circumstances; and it is the consciousness of this power, that frequently tempts hirh to play the. hypocrite and deluder -.—-for were he conscious that his face would always betraythe emotions of his soul, he would never even attempt to deceive! To the practiced eye of philosophical research and rigid scrutiny, no expression of the h\t* man countenance ever passes unobserved: to such an eye all the wiles of the human heart stand unrevealed; nor can any subterfuge of counterfeit expression, conceal the reality from its observation. The scripture itself sanctions this doctrine. i(A man shall be known by hi* T&oJc—~and a proud man by his gait." If my fair countrywomen, would reflect well on the doctrine I have just laid down, they would always cultivate the softer and more benevolent feelings of the heart; and always endeavor to be in reality, what thejf would wish to appear; for they may receive it as a valuable truth, not to be controverted by any of the artifices of self deception, that they wefc never formed by t]?'e God of nature for deception, and hypocrisy; and that the purity and elevation of their moral feelings, or the coiruptiuns 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 ocehn, 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 beneath the domestic roof, embit¬ tering the enjoyments of the rich and poor; laying waste the harmoni- bus 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 legis¬ lation ; 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 aie not for us arp against usas 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 friendr ship 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 purposes, of no party whatever. The noble and devoted patriotism, which gave birth to oui* truly great political institutions, emphatically forbids, that the American people should ever sacrifice to the narrow views of party spirit, what was destined by the pod 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 desti¬ nies of man, and the pplitical fate pf nations. We are the only people of any age or country, who have erganized a truly representative gov¬ ernment,, whose experiments in legislation-—diplomacy—rand arms are to settle the important question yet undecided, whether the mass ©f mankind can bear the wide tolerations of political free¬ dom-, and whether man, under any circumstances, is capable of assu¬ ming and, exercising the high prerogative of self govjckjvment f for what a stake,then, against, all the monarchies and despotisms of Eurbpe and Asia, are this people and this government con¬ tending;—a stake as I before remarked, in which the whole human 27 face are interested 1 Before this view of the subject} toy reacler, bow do our party squabbles and brawls at elections, dwindle down tp nothing,- to less than nothing, God forbid, that I should ever seem to -turn tensor of the age; or assume a dictatorial tone, even in the cause bf truth and moderation. I have been led into a slight notice of the preceding subjects, by their strong connexion with the moral condition of rnun^ and his too frequent subjection to the ravages of a Inmost devastating, and I had almost said, a most damnable passion, which it seems is scarcely controllable, by all the energies of reason and moral sentiment combined. Auger was never yet an evidence *of justice, a proof of virtue, or a demonstration of superior intellect; a mind of elevated endowments, will always endeavor to correct its ^angrinary impulses and to expel its influence. The man of cool Jseflection, sees in its unrestrained dominion, a thousand evils which escape common observation.—He sees that it frequently fills our pri¬ sons with delinquents; that it is sometimes the cause of endless re¬ morse; 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 heads with wpter as cold as the snows of Zembla; 1 fiiight 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 he but pliplng the twiggs from the Bohon upas, and leaving the root untouched! The only sovereign powers, or remedies if you please, which can be efficient in correcting the evils of anger, must besought for in early education, and in moral and religious principles^ iflstilled into the mind at an ea^ly period of life, JEALOUSY; This is a passion, the causes of which have seldom been investigated, although the effects of it are every where to be found. The causes ol it have generally something to do v^ith love; but not alwavs. The ear comb and epquptte, both of whom axe incapable of genuine Iovfej £6 may le pwverfally affected hy jealousy', yet in berth these eases, the lady and gentleman have only experienced a alight mortification rfi their vanity, and love of general admiration. The wound here is not Seep; and is generally healed by the consolatory admiration of some1 other jilt or jackpudding, as the case may be. I am not going to speak of the jealousy of the warrior, which is sanguinary and da¬ ring; of that of the diplomatist, which is politic, cunning and cireum*- ventive; or of that of the statesman, whicli is embittered by spectres and phantoms of future glory!—Nor will I trouble myself with noti¬ cing the jealousy of the poet, which is harmless though vindictive:— of the historian, which is longwiuded and untiring in the pursuit of fameor of the philosopher and man of general science, which is learn- edly dull, and "heavily investigative, in the pursuit of truths which esternally elude human researches! I shall confine myself to the sin¬ gle subject, of that jealousy which sometimes subsists between hus¬ band and wife, and which generally rendefs. both the objects of pub- lie curiosity, compassion, or contempt. Marriages are contracted Upon various principles; such as the love pf person, the love of fame, the love of money, &lc. So soon as the rites and ceremonies of marriage are duly solemnised, and rendered matter of legal record, the parties individually acquire certain rights and pri¬ vileges, 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 de¬ viation of conduct, however indecent and immoral on the one part^ ought never to be complained of on the-other, provided 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 con¬ tracted on any other principles. If the fame of either of the parties^ induces the other to enter into the marriage bonds, 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 no¬ thing more to be said. Nor would there be in nine cases out of ten, if married persons who are induced to capAousnese and disagreement, would only be particular in calling to mind, the real footives which bpdratecHn inducing theqa to marry If the mere love of person, Villi- 2# cut eny considerations relating to temper, moral excellency, and inteW lectual elevation of character, were the leading principle which indu¬ ced the parties to bear the yoke of life together, surely neither of them have a right to complain of the want of excellencies, which were» over¬ looked, 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 sub¬ ject at jealousy, and other causes of domestic discontent, will have its Cue weight. What right have parties who have been improperly matched, or rather those who have improperly matched them¬ selves, to disturb the peace of whole neighborhoods and com¬ munities, 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 fisticuff combatsif they should happen to be so far advanced in the usweets of connubial love," reflect any respectability or honor, on their innocent and unoffending offspring? Will their neighbors endeavor to compose 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 fake the part of the husband; these are generally the gentlemen of thew little body politic: some will take the part of the wife; these are gene¬ rally the lady-peacemakers of the neighborhood^ and before six months pass round, the whole country will be roused to a war of words—and resemble a "puddle in a storm" Sfc. Sfc. But, to conclude the subject of this species of jealousy, with a's 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-bearing gossips, and the malignant inuendoesof 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 dis ease called by physicians " cacoethes loquendV It is a disease that is generated between ignorance, petty malignity, and restlesness of tongue^ which forbids the repose of society: in* English, it is the udisease of talking." These people have considerable powers of invention; but, from their ignorance g( the common topics of enlightened and manly -3D Conversation, they seem to be absolutely compelled to lie their may into notice! The education of these people, commences at an early period of life. When very young, just perhaps able to go on an er¬ rand to a neighboring bouse, they are immediately asked on their re¬ turn home,as to every thing they saw or heard there: their answers aro such as might be expected, a mixture of truth and lies. Finding at length that their parents are interested in such tales—they fcom- monce with telling fibs—-and end, confirmed and malignant liars! Pa¬ rents this is especially addressed to you: it is worthy of your most se¬ rious consideration. But, there is a species of jealousy, of a most malignant and terrible character, such as that delineated by Shakespear in his Moor of Ve-. nice, which sometimes takes possession of the human bosom, and shakes the throne of reason to its very centre. This -passion, or rather this insanity, seems to me to be founded on almost speechless and unbounded Love; a love bordering on absolute veneration and idolatry. This is an abstruse and intricate subject, and I freely con¬ fess that I approach it with unfeigned diffidence. There certainly docs exist, in the very nature of man, certain strong sympathies and antipathies, for which he is absolutely unable to ac¬ count on reasoning principles; and which, therefore, must be referred to the native inspirations of human instinct. These sympathies and antipathies are everywhere to he found; nor do I believe there exists on earth, one single individual, male or female, arrived at mature age, tvho 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, bf farms; in fact, they are discoverable in all coses, where the biases of self interest and ambitioil have no voice; and where nature herself rules the empire of election. Doctor Fell once asked Bean 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 reasons why I cannot tell, *'I do not like you, Doctor Fell!" These attractive and repulsive principles have been felt by eveiy individual; and the probability is that their influence is stronger or iweaker, in proportion to the warmth or coldness of the human temper 31 ament; for I hold it to he impossible, that so sensative a being ag man, can ever behold an object possessed of any strength of charat-* fcer, and feel perfectly indifferent respecting it. If these sentiments of attraction or disgust, 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 thcf one hand, or o£ self preservation on the other. Such however is not the fact; every man knows, from his own experience, that the first view1 of an object is pleasing or displeasing, attractive or repulsive; and in fact, an object of attachment or disgust in some degree, without the least relation to the sentiments of self interest or self preservation.— flow much stronger, then, must be our feelings of attachment or dis¬ gust for an object, when we know or believe that the character of that object is to determine, under certain circumstances, the happiness or misery of our whole lives! Parents and guardians of the destinies of youth, if you can for one moment suspend the delusions which fascin¬ ate you respecting wealth and aggrandizement, I wish you to remem¬ ber :—tha t the closer in contact you bring those who have no natural affynity for each other, the greater and more distant will be the rebound I Have you never experienced an emotion of loathing and disgust, by be¬ ing merely in the presence 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 feelings, whose sensibilities, whose very modes of thinking, spoke a language abhor¬ rent to your souls! If you have, you can form some idea of the uresis-, tible repulsions, which sometimes influence the conduct of persons in the married state; freeze the few and cold affections which habits efen¬ forced association may have .produced; 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 immagination, a mere chimera of the fancy; the affections 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 thwtepparent contumaciousnes th§ offspring of wilful disobedience, and a fixed design to thwart your intentions of be¬ stowing. connubial happiness on your child ? no:—it was the struggle of "52 fe&fcujw herself in deep distress; it was the last eflbrt she cguld rnake, present the viclatien of one of the most sacred of her laws! Seeing thjen, as X think has been clearly demonstrated, that human affections are not under our control,at least so far as to be influenced hy sentiments of duty, or admonitions of reason, are we not to presume, from the great variety of motives Which influence 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 o *vn satisfactory con¬ viction of error, will do well to investigate the real causes, of so much domestic discontent as Is everywhere to be found; of so many quarrels and connubial bickerings; and finally, of so many divokces. 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 surrouuded by all the splendors of wealth and trappings of power, if it is not hallowed by human affections—and I assert further, and am in no way apprehensive of experimental contradiction, that where wedlock in consecrated by fixed and virtuous love, it is and must be a source of high enjoyment, even surrounded by the hardships, pri-1 vations and daily sufferings of labor and drudgery, I have often been surprised, on goirig 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 exi3t in such a place as this 1 Bqt I was soon undeceived; the whole enigma was solved satis¬ factorily ; it had been a marriage of pure and virtuous lovo untrammel¬ led by the calculations of avarice, the meanness 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 ht ease on a gilded sonlia, love might have held a court superior in splendor and magnificence, to that said to have been held in the fabled mansions of Jove! What did I see? I saw discontent, sus- picion and prying distrust, lowering in every eye, I saw that the hearts of the inhabitants of these splendid mansions were estranged %an each other. I saw the {servants in varied liveries, gliding ia r r> tlrj guiemn silence froto room to room; nor did one sound* of cheerfulness or festivity, break the dull monotony of this splendid solitude; this gild¬ ed, carpeted, and festooned helj of wedded misery ! I saw the owners of all this wealth and 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 converse; no interchange of thought or sentiment, ehlivened the cold and hollow splendor of the scene. The servants in attendance helped them; even the common forms of superficial politeness were unobserved; nor did they recognize 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 two delineations of life, are not mere visions of the fancy; they gre to be met with in every country. They prove conclusively, that marriages contracted from improper motiyes, are always followed by consequences destructive to human happiness and the best inte¬ rests of mankind. All the conflicts, discontents and jealousies of the married state, may be traced tjo improper motives for marriage or im~ proper conduct after it- Perhaps there is one exception, which I shall nam'1. The husband soinetimes becomes jealous of the wife, and the wife of the husband, where there is no infidelity on either side; from a mere consciousness 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 de- tinquency, the party disposed to suspicion and jealousy, derives these surmises of deviation, from the simple fact of a consciousness of being too depraved to be an object of love! T am aware that this is a severe and degrading sentence, against those who entertain causeless suspi¬ cions; but the opinion is not less true than severe. The following is the routine of reasoning, usually observed by a man about becoming jealous of his wife. " This woman arrests much of the public atten¬ tion. She is everywhere well spoken qf. In all public assemblies, where I am considered a mere shadow, she commands the most un¬ bounded respect, and I view every compliment paid to her beauty and accomplishments, as ah indirect satire on myscf. I am undoubtedly her inferior in every {hing 5 end particularly in sensibility and inte'lli* JU |$mce. I am conscious of my own meanness and depravity; she pos* sesseS 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 With a smile, Yesterday, From my neglect and inattention, a gentleman of fine appearance and com¬ manding manners and address, handed her to her carriage; she thank¬ ed him for his polite attentions—byh-* n site never did love me ! At mbs fidgett's bail the other night, she attracted general attention; her chair was continually surrounded by gentlemen of figure, compa¬ red with whom I felt myself a mere cipher; a gentleman bowed po¬ litely 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.1" Man of fancied miseries and imaginary cuckoldom, behold your "portrait I This is the light in which the world beholds you. Havingnow in some measure accounted for the passion of jealousy, which is unfortunately too prevalent in this country, I will conclude the subject by some general remarks. The marriage compact is entered into for two purposes,—1st, The happiness of the parties themselves;—2d, The rearing and educating properly, the offspring of the marriage contract. The principles of a genuine attachment, such as ought always to be found in wedded lifb, can never exist in any degree of perfection, unless there is a natural affinity between the parties—in temper^ disposition, passions, tastes, habits and pursuits of mind. When this congeniality is absolutely and entirely wanting, the parties will gradually and almost imperceptibly become estranged from each other, and finally experience the influence of indifference^ aud 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 justicp and expediency, that the parties could separate and elsewhere form new and more agreeable engagements. It certainly is worse than use¬ less, to compel persons to associate together, and that too in the most close and intimate manner, when they are mutually actuated in rela¬ tion to each other, by sentiments of hatred and contempt. According to fhe present state of things, in relation to divorcement, the person wishing a releasement from the marriage bond, must first become publicly and notoriously infamous \ or resort, as has been proved by the several late executions of malefactors; to the dreadful alternative 33 tif murder, What a terrible lesson do these late executions hold out fo society, on the subject of marriage, and the absolute necessity of its Being based on genuine love. Many persons m'arry who Only fancy themselves in love! A little blaster or MiSs, who would have been well employed in reading the fables in the spelling-book, gets hold of the c* Sorrows ofWerter," or Rosseau's " Eloisa "—or Petrarch's " Laura ^ or some other work of the same character, in which unfortunate love is delineated in the colors of the rainbow, and leads its unfortunate and most melancholy victims to whoredom and suicide t With a head full of such trash, and a heart as tender and susceptible, as a beefsteak, that has been well beaten for the gridiron,, nothing will do the little gentleman or lady but the very fact of falling in love; and that too, with the x&cy first object which prdsents 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; tiien comes the discovery, 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 pa¬ pas and mammas have to take them home and support them. I have known many instances of this kind, which clearly prove, in ad¬ dition to what I have noted above, that marriages ought to be predica¬ ted on natural congeniality of character, and as far as possible sanc¬ tioned by the exercise of reason and reflective power. I have mentioned the rearing and education of offspring, as duties annexed to the married state. How can such elevated and responsible duties be performed by persons who are disqualified even from regula¬ ting their own conduct, so as to set a correct moral example? I am very willing to admit, that teachers of much ability are everywhere to be found; but no influence 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 example of parents; and I presume it will be admitted, that those who are destitute of the capacity 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, polit¬ ical and military life, presents the noblest portrait of man to be oQ found on the records of time, ascribe much of the purity, elevat'ibn and patriotism ofhis*characfer, to the sound judgment and intellectual en¬ ergy of his mother,-—The influence which the manners, example and precepts of a mother, exercise over the intellectual dawnings of the youthful mind and passing?, can Scarcely he appreciated by men of the most acute and profound observation; a proof of which, in addition to the million of others which might be adduced, may be inftrred from the remarks made by the illustrious and greatly unfortunate c&ptive of St Helena,, bn the moral and intellectual qualifications of his mother. The truth is, and I mention it with no ordinary sentiments of regret, that the education»of females in the United States, is not only viewed in too unimportant and cont emptible a light, but that it is absolutely disgraceful to the spirit op our institutions and the real genius os" the people, 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 powerful faculties of man. It wTa$ implanted in the human bosom, for the noblest and most beneficent of purposes, and when restricted to its legitimate objects, and restrained within due bounds by moral sentiment, may be called the greatfountain of human happiness. No passion incidental to humanity embraces so vast a space, and such an infinite multiplicity of objectsit commences in the cradle with fonder emotions of filial attachment and veneration for our parents; it animates and accompanies us through all the chequered vicissi- . I".ides of life, attaching itself to every object which, can afford us en¬ joyment and happiness, and finally, ill 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 hature, its essence bodies the keenest researches of philosophy and science; and its cxi-icncc can only be recognized by a consciousness of its presence, and the rffeds which are manifested in every department of life, by multiplied exhibitions of its energies. It attaches the infanPta its parent,, aud the domicile of its earliest days of helplessness and depen o i dence'; it attaches the 3 outh to the objects of "his playful years, to the" companions of his innocent and festive mirth, and to the first objects of his j'outhful fane3'. Without its animating influence, as concen¬ trated on objects of true glory, the hero would degenerate into a pol-~ troon, the statesman into a political driveller, and the patriot into a mere citizen of the world, without friends—without home—^and with-8 out those endearing and sacred ties, which bind us to our native land ! The beneficent and heavenly aspirations of love, are everywhere to be found; tliey bind the solitary and warlike savage to his native for¬ ests the Moor, the Arab and the Negro* to the burning plains of the torrid zone • the Russian, the Swede, the Norwegian and the Laplan¬ der, 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 and personal attachments, man would Jbe eternally discontented with his condition,* he Would become, like Cain, a fugitive and a vagabond upon the face of the globe j 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 joVe, ask the parent what price would indupe him to part with his children? ask the husband of a woman of elevated and noble charac¬ ter, what sum in gold or jewels he would consider equivalent to her value* ask the savage what would induce him to abandon,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 pf assembled multitudes, Ask the Samaiede and Laplander, what would induce them to exchange the fogs and snows of the north, for the mild and balmy temperature pf countries presenting eternal spring and ■unfading verdure! They will tell you that they love theiy parents, their children, their friends, their country. 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 Jiim the comforts, conveniences and positive enjoyments of existence. Philanthropy, or love of our species, is founded on favorable perceptions of the purity, the beneficence, the elevation and the trjie 38 dignity of the human character,* nor did ever all individual, of any age or country, become a confirmed misanthrope, but from contrary per-1 captions of human nature r 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, vindictive, avaricious, fraudulent and roguish in the extreme * he only seems to have been placed among mankind as a sort of standard of meannnss and demerit, by which we are enabled to measure and duly appreciate the devotion of charaA: er 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 tnean, sox did 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 scoun¬ drels who, in all societies, cheat and swindle upon every occasion: they are the 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 hypocricy to their petty villainies, by making an absolute mockery of religion itself, at the communion, fable. 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 tlieir possession, and that death will up¬ load them at the gates of eternity, surely they would soon discover the folly, impolicy, and henious immorality of such a course. The passion of love, properly so Called, or that strong and indis¬ soluble attachment which frequently exists between the two sexes, is one of the noblest and most powerful emotions that ever animated the human bosom. As I remarked before, under the head of jealousy, this pure and elevated attachment, is the great solacer of human life; the harbinger of successful procreative power; the precursor and nurturer of successive millions of the human race; the great moral parent of all the numerous races ©f men to be found in every climate S3 of the globe. It is the native tof every country that has been invaded by the enterprize of man, and is found to bloom and flourish in perfec¬ tion v/herever 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 as in the haunts of civilization and the palaces of kings. As I have remarked under another head, there exists in the humafi bosom, certain instinctive sympathies and antipathies, which we are unable to control, either by the force of moral sentiment or the efforts of reason; and which are absolutely inexplicable by all the boasted powers of human genius. The existence of these instinctive princi¬ ples, 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 prepossessions,were ever yot in the pre»- sence of each other for any length of time, without experiencing the force, in a greater or less degree, of the sympathy or antipathy be¬ fore noticed. When the attraction is mutually strong, the parties soon become conscious of a congeniality of temper, disposition, tastes and sensibilities; this sympathetic attraction has by some writers on the subject, been denominated "love at first sight?"* Whdn on the other hand, the physical, moral and intellectual characters of the parties, are essentially and radically different from each ether: in other words, and in more fashionable phraseology, When the natural characters of the parties are the antipodes, or direct opposites 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 contempt and detestation. I am thus particular in giving my opin¬ ions on these subjects, not only because I'know that their correctness will he sanctioned by the actual experience of thousands, but because I trust they will be of service to many, in disclosing tho extreme dan¬ ger to human happiness, which invariably arises from uniting those to each other, by merely artificial and factitious tu^, whom God and nature have put asunder, By opposition of nati vo character, I mean a, plain and palpable dissimilitude of temperaments, tastes and intellec¬ tual andmotal 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 felly and Stupidity? InnO- 4i) Cfiftce and spotless purity, with guilt and corruption^ YirtuO- with vice? No! "Vice is a monster, of such frightful nuwi, That to be hated, needs but to be seen.," < I am willing to udmit and believe it to be strictly true, that persons who are characterised by vice, corruption, guilt, stupidity, folly,* moral depravity, or personal deformity, may form strong attachments to persons of diametrically opposite characters:—this would but be 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 experien- cing, to virtue and moral purity wherever found. The love of the de¬ praved and immoral portion of mankind, is precisely such as may always be expected from such characters: it is selfish, base and ig¬ noble; utterly devoid of tenderness and consideration for the objeet 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 astonish¬ ment to me, that females of refined sensibility, lofty sentiments of moral yirtue, and high orders of intellectual power, should expect.a reciprocation of pure and virtuous love, from the scum and dregs of society, the off-scourings of brothels, and the hoary and depraved veterans of the gaming table t They might as well, I think, and with much better hopes of success, attempt to extract candor from confirm¬ ed hypocrites, honor from thieves, and humanity from highway rob¬ bers. There is no Way of solving this enigma, that I know of, but by supposing that women of virtue and honor are incapable of distin¬ guishing 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 mert, with fac¬ titious virtues, which have no existence; for I cannot suppose they can truly love them, and yet be fully acquainted with their intrinsic characters. The strength and quality of an attachment, must certain¬ ly depend, in a great measure, on the physical 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 ex¬ cites the same impure sentiments and base passions, that are produced -Or excited by a female of a contrary -character, and w hose counten-: 41 suico deportment betray indications of immofal habits and loose desires. There is something of immaculate purity; something of the very divinity of virtue, in the Countenance and deportment of a Wo¬ man Of chaste desires, elevated moral sentiments, and cultivated intel¬ lectual powers, that represses the low-born suggestions of lust and depravity, and awes all the vicioiis passions into cowardly submission to the dignity of female perfection. No man, however vicious and depraved in his habits and pursuits, ever yet had the impudence and audacity to contemplate the deliberate seduction of an accomplished and beautiful woman, unless he were under the influence of a species of libidinous insanity, had formed a contemptible opinion of the female character; or had discovered some vulnerable part in her armour of chastity and virtue. Few women, and I mention the facjt with much regret, are proo/ • against the thrilling suggestions of vanity, the allurements of flattery* and the fascinations attendant on a passion for general admiration; they ought early to be taught by their parents apd preceptors that true pride, which is in reality dignity of character, is always hostile to the fooligh and dangerous 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 universal 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 conclud¬ ing 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 j>erfections. Manly and dignified pride, has always been found a specif¬ ic against the frivolous passion of vanity, and hence ithas been frequent¬ ly said, that a man or woman may be too proud to be vain: the fact is, that vanity is the felse and empty pride of fools! Napoleon intended much when he expressed himself thus to some of his friends—111 had hoped and expected that the French were a proud nation; but I have found by experience that they are only vain" The passion for uni versal admiration 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, 42 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 always predica¬ ted 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: these 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 Ie of the influence of heat and cold, and all the variations of temperature incidental to the changes of the seasons; like them he can be deluged by rains, frozen by the snows of winter, and melted by the heats of summer. 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 sentiments of self-preservation, and enter¬ tains an instinctive and powerful dx-ead of both pain and dissolution! But here the parrallel between man and the inferior orders of crea- lion terminates; and he begins to take his departure from their qarth- born level, which they can never emulate or even follow. Man is the Only animal in creation, who can raise his contempla¬ tions "to the Deity, and experience a sublime sentiment of awe and veneration, for the unknown author of his existence. The only ani: mal in creation, capable of experiencing a strong solicitude for a knowl¬ edge of his own origin, or who can direct his views and anticipations to a future existence, beyond the boundaries of time 1 He is the only being absolutely known to himself, who can form a conception of space, wfiich is an abstract idea of infinity—of time, which is an an- stract conception of eternity—or of plastic and creative power, which leads to an abstract, but infinitely inadequate conception of the oxtbti- Eotence of god ! Man seems to unite in his moral and intellectual composition, the human extremes of strengtji and weakness, wisdom and folly. In infancy, or when not associated with his fellow-beings, he is a naked, defenceless, dependent and timid animal; exposed to diseases of every multiplied character—to dangers beyond arithmeti¬ cal computation—and to death in all its varied and gigantic forms: yet, with all these incipient weaknesses, and seeming imperfections of his nature, in the plenritude of life and intellectual power, and when as¬ sociated wxth his fellow-beings in social compact, he has-satisfied his natural wants; rendered himself independent of every thing but his cue a.tok; driven from his presence, enslaved to his purposes, or de¬ stroyed by the machinery and chemical power of his warlike inven¬ tions, all animals hostile to his life and his preservation; and compelled the earth, the air, the waters and the woods, to yield him the suste¬ nance and even the luxuries of life, and to furnish him with the means of constructing his habitation. He has done more. By referring his knowledge of particular facts, to the discovery of abstract and general principles, he has measurably unfolded the elements of science; by which h.e measures the earth, and discloses the laws which regulate 8 58 the &olar system:—ascertains the distances and relative positions of the heavenly bodies; and determines the location of his own globe among themdiscloses 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 atomf Nor is this all: frotti obscure and imperfect original discoveries in nauti¬ cal science,he has converted the bark canoes of the wandering savage in¬ to vehicles of burthen for international commerce, and imposing engines of war; and, instead of the petty barks of the ancients, by which they prosecuted an insignificant trafic along the shores and inlets x>f the Mediterranean, he has constructed ships of bulk and strength suffi¬ cient to master the winds of heaven and the waves of the ocean:—ty discover and colonise 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 ma¬ riners chart! Nor do the greatness of his discoveries, nor the sublime elevations of his character, terminate here. The progressive improve¬ ments 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 pre¬ sent 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 fictions of his early history, to arrive-at the truth. A collective view of the present inha bitants of the globe, will furnish ample demonstrations of the follow¬ ing facts. In a state of savage and illiterate nature, tradition, as among the Indians of pur own forests afforded the only means o.f com¬ munication, between the present 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 er rors and misrepresentations of oral tradition, and sought various ex¬ pedients to perpetuate to his posterity, authentic testimonials of his sagacity, and durable monuments of his intellectual powers. Hiero glyphics and pyramids were resorted to in some countries, and pillars and public edifices in others; but, knowing all these to be liable to de¬ cay, and that their true meaning might be easily misunderstood or for gotten, he was not satisfied with a medium of intelligence, which would ti 9 revive and perpetuate his knowledge and discoveries to future times, Until literature arose to^record in unfading characters, the intelli¬ gence, the improvements in science, and the fate of past generations. The discovery of, and progressive improvements in letters, have ena¬ bled man to trace his species through all anterior ages since the crea¬ tion ; nor would he npw, were it not for literature and the discovery of the art of printing^ he enabled to profit at this advanced period of the world, by the records of history, and the divine inspirations of reli¬ gion, 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 Own soul; and of all the duties he owes 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 Jesu^ Christ, I will first show what it is not; second -r-the abuses of its doctrines; third—what it real¬ ly is; and fourth—its benefits and consolations, in health and prosperi¬ ty, sickness and misfortune. The virtues and the boasted wisdom of man, purified and improved by" the highest efforts of human reason, would be nothing Without the support and Consolations of the doctrines of the scripture. The mag¬ nificence, splendor 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 enabled to form but an inadequate and finite concep¬ tion of the attributes of an almighty creator, dazzle and confound the feeble efforts of man, in all his attempts to grasp at the divine perfections of his maker—baffle all the high-toned energies of his reason and intelligence—and throw him to an infinite distance be¬ low even an imaginary conception of the deity. Thus circumstanced —thus surrounded by mysteries which he cannot explain fo 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 consola¬ tion in the hour of death; solve the otherwise inscrutable and sub¬ lime mysteries of his own existence; and reveal to him the dreadful enigmas of eternity! In fact, when man surveys with an attentive and philosophic eye, the vast and complicated machinery of the unfterse. —-when he discovers that all this complicated and boundless machi¬ nery is subject to the irresistible influence of laws infinitely beyond his conceptions;—'when he essays to embody his own conceptions of the attributes of that being who created, and who rales and governs all:—and, in fine, when he makes the feeble attempt, unaided by di¬ vine revelation, to identify his hopes of immortality and future happi¬ ness with the unchangeable laws of created nature, so vast, so bound¬ less, and so complicated as they must be, he shrinks back upon his own insignificance, and involuntarily asks himself, "am I not a stranger tiKthe eternal laws of my own destiny ?—am I "not a stranger to this God, the supretne creator of the universe?—ami not lost in the im¬ mensity of his works, and the boundlessness of his power!" Mere opinions, deduced from the boldest efforts of the reasoning faculties of man, never yet produced that genuine religion which ab¬ sorbs his affections, concentrates his love and gratitude on his divine creator, regulates his moral and intellectual energies for the produc¬ tion of his present and futurehappiwess, and makes him satisfied with his own prospects of futurity. These are the reasons in all probabili¬ ty, why the ancient sages, who hoped for and partially believed in immortality, were"1 unable to satisfy themselves, with rational and conclusive proofs of the future existence of the human soul: these are also probably the reasons, and they are founded in the wisdom and providence of God himself why the great truths of immortality 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 certain conclusions on the future destinies of the human race, without the moral purifications of true Christianity, the consequences would have been dreadful to socjety and mankind,, as can be easily demon strated. Suppose a man were enabled by the tmaided efforts ofreason, to demonstrate conclusively to himself, that annihilation, or an absolute and entire negation of existence, was 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 was dissolved—and that existence itself was valueless ? Would it not loosen every strong tie he feels on life—and sicken him with that lapsst of time which must so soen reduce him to nothing I Where, un- til der this gloomy and horrid anticipation, would he hie afections for his parents, his wife, his family, his country:—what would become of the performance of his duties as a parent, a husband, a citizen and a patriot:-—where would be the endearing suggestions of his own self- love, and his insatiable desires of present and future happiness, under the certain conviction that the elevated and noble energies of his soul would explode and he lost forever, when his carcase would become a clod of the valley. But, let it be supposed, that the powers of reason, unaidedby the holy inspirations of scripture, were capable ofarxiving at the certain Convic¬ tion of man's future happiness in eternity; and that the decree of the Almighty which awarded to him so auspicious a destiny, was abso¬ lutely irrevocable by his own conduct: and what would then be the consequences? With so brilliant a career of future happinesb and ce¬ lestial glory in full view, would not all the poor enjoyments of this life fade away—and even all the splendors of the visible creation become to him a blank? Would he take upon himself the cares of a family; as¬ sume the laborious duties of providing for a numerous offspring; or feel an interest in the common affairs of mankind ? Would he expe¬ rience any of those affections and friendships, which, 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, distin¬ guish the darker and more sombre colorings of earthly objects 1 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 pain^ 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 ofthings is destined to agonize through life? "Would he feel disposed to encounter gratuitously, evils and sufferings from which he could escape with impunity to happier regions! And now lot us suppose, flint a man were enabled to distinguish no¬ thing in his future destinies, but a- submission throughout eternity to the sufferings and speechless agonies of the damned; that nothing; he could do would alleviate so dreadful, disastrous and horrible a des¬ tiny:—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 Splendors of the visible creation What delight could he possibly experience in the perfonnvice of hie moral duties, or in 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 ar¬ rive, be eternally present to his imagination, with all their attendant horrors ? Would they not haunt his waking 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 were no distant hopes of exemption, would be the character and conduct of this unfortunate and miserable victim. Would he not say to himself:—" What to me are all the tie3 of parentage, of offspring, Or of kindred; what interest have I in the affairs of life, the peace and happiness 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 in¬ fancy and youth, and on all the varied and Sublime beauties, which characterize with magnificence and splendor, 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 benight¬ ed 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 yonr 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 consign the great mass Of mankind! Approach and behold a picture, which might make you shudder for your blasphemous presumptions, in judging between err¬ ing and feeble idan 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 presumption, I wish you to contemplate with a dis¬ passionate and discriminating eye, some farther results to which your infuriated and intolerant doctrines inevitably tend. If you alone are right, and if all other religious creeds are the offspring of error, which must of necessity terminate in fiiture misery—what allurements to religion and morality do you hold out, to those wbo you say are pre¬ destined from all eternity to the inflictions of divine wrath: and to yhat a penury of beneficence and love, do you reduce the mercy and (53 affections of the Deity to map. Do you suppose that the doctrines of particular and exclusive faith, are within the arbitrium or control of the voluntary powers of human intellect? In other words, do you pre¬ sume that man can believe what he wishes, without divine assistance sought with purity of heartAnd that he can ever be the voluntary devotee of religious errors, thereby sinning against light and know¬ ledge, and dooming himself to endless and indescribable torments? To speak in plain terms, and without any courtly affectations of lan¬ guage detrimental to the interests of truth, can you suppose that any rational being since the creation of roan, ever yet voluntarily consign¬ ed his soul to everlasting misery, by the entertainnient of religious opinions which he knew to be wrong: the truth is, thai, the supposition implies, not only a contradiction in language, btit 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 pro¬ fessing different modes of faith, and different opinions in religion, are jn the entertainment of errors which must inevitably end in eternal punishments, Have you ever contemplated the absurdity of this in¬ tolerant and exclusive doctrine; have you ever viewed it with an un¬ prejudiced and dispassionate eye, and traced its malignant and deso¬ lating spirit, on the past, on the. present, and on future times? If you have not, I will make the laudable attempt to burst yoCir harrow and intolerant prejudices, asunder j. and to exhibit t^iese disgraceful and dogmatical doctrines in all their native deformities. By the Mogaical account of the creation, which we are bound to believe authentic, the world is now'nearly six thousand years old; but of the antideluvian races of men, and also of those who existed anterior to the gospel dispensation, I will make none but the following simple and plain remark; that it would hardly comport with the common principles of justice, to consign all thosb numerous races of men to eternal perdition, for not believing in doctrines which had never been announced to them, and to which they were utter strangers I Since the first announcement of the gospel dispensation under our Saviour until the present time, a period of nearly tfvo thousand pears has elaps¬ ed ; every half minute of which long period, according to the most authentic calculations which can ba made, has witnessed the birth and death of Ten human beings! There are, as nearly as the •farts can be ascertained, about eleven hundred millions human being$ composing the population on the globe,; pdw—if you will ascer¬ tain the number of half minutes which have elapsed in two thousand years, and multiply that number by tenf 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 subject ; and considering likewise, that the immense and measurably unknown population of both Africa and Asia, have never embraced the christian dispensation; that the aboriginal inhabitants of both North and South .America have ever been in the same uncivilized and unchristian con¬ dition ; I wish you to inform me, ye bigots—ye fanatics—ye fiery and intolerant zealots,, in the cause of a God autocratical, supreme, and -infinitely merciful to feeble and erring man, how many h&man 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, which doom all mankinds to the horrors of deep and irrevocable damnation hut themselves! But this is not all; according to the narrow and exclusive principles of your religious doctrines, which we will bring nearer to our selves by an application of them to the present age, how many human beings, out of eleven hundred millions which are now in existence, ac¬ cording to the purblind and intolerant dogmas of any one of your ex¬ clusive professions cf 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 manxind 1 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 sub¬ terfuges of sophistry, too authentic in point of fact for refutation, and tpo plain for either denial or evasion.—But, let us advance a step far¬ ther; let u.s contemplate the appalling spectacle,, which your wild, speculative and visionary theories of religion, would present to an as¬ sembled universe at the end of time f Let us suppose a period, the great day of accounts between man and his maker, when an aggregation of all the various races of mejn, and of all the countless myriads who have .existed Between the commencement and the termination of time, would take place: here'all arithmetical computations fail .'—.-and the human imagination itself expires, in attempting to grasp at so vast, so unbounded a spectacle! Suppose also, that your paltry and dispu- tacious conflicts here, and your narrow conceptions of divine justice,, always inadequate and contradictory because the offspring of igno¬ rance, were to be made the irrevocable standard of adjudication by 65 Which countless and innumerable millions of the human race, were t© "be consigned to endless misery, ruin and despair? Would not so dread¬ ful ah exhibition of the consequences of your bigotry and intolerance, destroy your holy zeal and vindictive rage in the cause of religious and intolerant prejudices? Would not your sensibilities as men, weep tears of blood and forgiveness over the 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 Godf I have now shown, and I think conclusively, that the efforts of hu¬ man reason, unaided by scriptural divinity, are utterly incompetent to disclosing to mankind the great truths connected with the immor¬ tality of man:—that without the moral purification^ of true Christi¬ anity 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 futute misery. I think I have done more; I think I have shown, as far as the moral reasoning powers of man can be applied 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 in¬ consistent with christian charity, truly divine worship, and the prin¬ ciples of eternal justice : in fine, I think I have shown conclusively, what pure and genuine religion is not 1 As connected and incorporated with dangerous and intolerant opin¬ ions in religion, the abusive consequences which always flow from such opinions, especially when under the influence of the vindictive pas¬ sions, of men, require dispassionate consideration. I have said in ano¬ ther part of this work, when speaking of the moral philosophy of the pas¬ sions that when restrained within due bounds, and exercised only in 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 wide 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 entertainment of opinions 9 6$ connected with the temporal self-interests of mankind* it is to be ex¬ pected that the passions, in all their excesses, will always have con¬ siderable influence. The professors of all the sciences which relate to the present state of man, are passionately influenced to the con¬ version of proselytes to their respective? syterns, because on the num¬ ber of their converts depend not only their wealth, and fame-—but in numerous instances, the very bread which themselves and their families require for daily support. The same may be remarked, i'n relation to the leaders of all political partizans—and to all other zeal¬ ots in political science. In these cases, and many others which might he enumerated, the stimulation of the passions, and all their disorgani¬ zing and dangerous excesses, are proportioned to the real or imagi¬ nary self-interest 's of man, and to the acute and energetic pressure of of his immediately real of imaginary wants. In all these cases, we can account on rational principles, or more properly speaking on logi¬ cal ones, for the slander and defamation with which scientific men of all professions usually load each other—and for all the personal enmi¬ ty, envy and malignity, with which the low-lived spirit of grovelling ambition, usually persecutes a dangerous and aspiring rival 1 In all cases where we can connect the excesses of the passions, and the practice of intoleration and injustice, with the wants and immediate self-interests of men, there seems to be some colorable mitigation for. their deviations from virtue, justice and moderation: but in cases where Religion alone is concerned; where all the temporal interests and confiictions of self-love are entirely out of the question, where the religious faith and opinions of men are accounts only to be refer¬ red to the lofty and unerring teibcnai of God himself; the gratuitous persecutions of men, and their sanguinary zeal in the cause of an al¬ mighty power, who needs not their assistance, can only be accounted for upon principles of wanton depravity, native, cruelty of temper, and innate vindictiveness of soul 1 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 doc¬ trines of salvation be perfect, yvill 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 ag well tell me, ye bigots, and persecutors of mankind for the love of God, that the «7 son requires a lamp for the diffusion of his meridian rays—or that by conflagrating thq habitation of a fellow being, you will build or repair your own! Why then consign to everlasting destruction, and that too without attempting their reformation, all those who may chance to dif¬ fer from you in religious faith and opinion? Are not those who dissent from you in religious doctrines and opinions as rational as yourselves? Are they less interested in knowing the truths of genuine christian di¬ vinity, and in practising on the precepts which tliey inculcate than you yourselves are? Do you suppose that any human being ever ex¬ isted, who was endowed with ordinary principles of rationality, and common sentiments of self-love, who could voluntarily entertain er¬ rors of opinion in religion, knowing that the profession of such opin¬ ions would eventually consign their immortal souls, to deep and irre¬ deemable misery 1 Why then persecute men, for the entertainment of opinions, whiqh are misfortunes and not crimes ? Why, in other words, do you punish and persecute erring and feeble man, for invol¬ untary errors of opinion, which according to your own 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 own infinite wisdom, at the creation, imposed on the universe!! Under this view of your conduct, which I place in a strong and correct light for your own contemplations, with the hope that you may be in¬ duced to abandon your abuses of the religion of the saviour of man¬ kind, and to treat your fellow-men with more lenity and compassion, I must confess myself utterly at a loss, which most to be astonished at, your ignorance—presumption—or fanaticism. How, ye biggotted and fanatical zealots—how do you reconcile your inquisitions, your burnings, your persecutions, and your intolerance in dpinion, with the mildly compassionate and humane example of the saviour of the world; he who exclaimed amidst the protracted agonies of the cross, and whilst sweating drops of blood to wash out the crimsoned iniquities 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 persecutions 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 defend¬ ers of the true faith—your secret aspirations after exaltations to high clerical oflices—your love of wordly distinctions and temporal power 08 —and. not unfrequently, your cupidity and avarice, respecting good' round salaries for the discharge of your official functions}: these are the energetic and inflamatory inotives, which urge you to your vin¬ dictive persecutions of mankind for opinion's sake; these are the real causes of your want 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 onjy what religion is not—but also many of the abuses of it's doctrines: let Us now endeavor to understand something respecting what it really is. "Feeble work of my hand," says the Almighty to his creature man, "1 owe you nothing hut I give you existence. I place you in the midst of a universe which bespeaks my wisdom and glory, and I sur¬ round you with blessings and enjoyments, which ought to excite in your bosom purp and elevated sentiments of lovef admiration and gratitude, to that inscrutable Being 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 power, nor your sentiments of gratitude to my glory; and I make you susceptible of these exalted and divine emotions, that you may render yourselfjiappy 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 commandmentsyour breach of my precepts will offend me, and render yourself unhappy." Such—according to our feeble and inadequate conceptions of a God of love and mercy, are the mild and benevolent sentiments enter¬ tained by him for his erring and dependent creature man—for he ex¬ pressly announces in his holy word, "that he delights not in the death of a sinner."—These are some of the consolations of true religion, which when fully merited by man, by a strict obedience to the words scripture, and a full and entire faith in the merits of a blest redeem¬ er) nothing earthly can destroy. I do not intend to enter into a criti¬ cal dissertation on the subject of religion, further than its divine spi rit is connected with the. moral condition of man, and his physical health and enjoyments. Y(e know perfectly well, from our own con¬ sciousness, that the mere pleasures and enjoyments, of this world, are, insufficient tp satisfy the rapral desires of the human mind, wheirdeep- ly impressed with ap unerring sentiment of immortality. Give a, man wealth.and luxury unbounded} load him. with titles.and, worldly- m honors; even clothe him with what Doctor Young calls "a mortal vm* mortality"—-and, like Cesser when crowned emperor and invested with the imperial purple, he will exclaim—(Cand is this all P With respect to the enjoyments of this world, I mean those which are not' connected with a future state of existence, and sentimentsof pure and" nndefiled religion, it is a truth that has been recognised by the ex¬ perience of all ages, thai their satiation always produces indifference, and not unfrequently disgust. This circumstance alone ought to convince us, that the desires of man and his capacities for enjoyment:,, are not limited to this earthly sphere; and that there must be a fu¬ ture and more exalted state of being, where his capacities for moral and intellectual enjoyment will meet with objects suited to their eleva¬ tion—and where the boundless desires which he is conscious of in this life, will meet with scenes of enjoyment as unlimited as those de¬ sires. It was from this view of the subject under consideration, and. probably also from the strong impression of the insufficiency of the en • joyments of this life, that the great Dr Young exclaimed-in his Night Thoughts—"man must he immortal, or heaven is unjust"! Do we liot know perfectly well, that when the physical calls-of nature are sa¬ tisfied, lassitude and indifference Succeed ? Do we not ateo know, that', when all the pleasures and enjoyments,of this world are-showered, on us in profusion, there ^till exists in the human bosom, hopes and) desires connected with sentimentsof immortality, andobjectsof a more elevated and intellectual order of enjpyment 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 ve¬ ry far to demonstrate satisfactorily the immortality of man. Do the' affections of the brute for its offspring, like those of man for his rela¬ tions and friends, survive the flight of time, and contemplate a re-un¬ ion of those affections in another state of existence ? The difference between the influence of reason and that'of true religion,,in relation to- the future happiness and-enjoyments,of man, may be satisfactorily ex¬ plained in a few words. Reason- teaches- man- merely to hope for immortal existence and happiness, whilst pure Religion, supported by faith in the redeemer, and by the faithful practice of his precepts, as¬ sures him of both future existence, and future happines. There is, this further difference between reason and religion, and I think it at very palpable and plain one; sreason cannot influence man's feeble. 70 1 "hopes-of immortality and future' happiness, with sufficient motives for the practice of piety and virtue—whilst religion urges him imperi¬ ously to the performance of his duties to his God, to himself and to his fellow-beings, by the certainty of future rewards and punishments. These ase the reasons why pure and genuine christians, I do not mean bigots, hypocrites, or intolerant fanatics, are better citizens, bet¬ ter husbands, and better parents, than most other men * and these are the reasons also, why they are the happier classes of mankind. Rea¬ son may teach the existence of a great first cause, but it is utterly in competent to disclosing his moral attributes of justice, love and mercy, ©r to defining for man his particular and indispensible duties in every department of life. The precepts of religion are plain and easy of cpmprehension; they can be understood and practiced by all ranks and grades of men. Reason, on the other hand, in attempting an ex¬ planation of the attributes of God, or the duties of man. to that God or his fellow-ereatures, is eternally operating on imaginary and unknown principles, and making hair-breadth distinctions, which have no ex¬ istence but in the sound of words without meaning: the errors of rea¬ son are founded in the ignorance of man, who knows nothing in reali¬ ty of the essential or elementary principles of any one thing in hea¬ ven or on earth. The scripture says, and any man can understand the denunciation, "whoso sheddeth 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, and that it is pun¬ ishable 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.—1 If reason be an unerring sentinel, and if law be the perfection of rea¬ son, as it is said to be by learned and profound civilians, why have not six thousand years of reasoning 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 pos¬ sibly 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 map his duties, to impel him to the performance of those duties, and to satisfy him respecting the all-important doctrines of futurity, why have the advocates of mere 71 reason so many doubts and difficulties on all these subjects:—the «nigma is easily solved,* the ignorance of man respecting first princi- , pies, 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 wbich no merely human powers of intellect or genius can possibly extricate him. While in the rise or day-spring of life; while enjoying uninterrupted health and prosperity; and while in-' dulging in anticipations of a protracted and fortunate term of exist¬ ence here, the lordly and proud advocate of the all-sufficiency of rea¬ son, may indulge in theoretical speculations which he imagines he firmly believes in: but, let him become unfortunate in his adventures after earthly enjoyments, and inform 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 specula¬ tions respecting futurity; where the fortitude which ought to support him in his discent 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 apprehensions of annihilation, and shed even a splendor around the horrors of the grave? ' Pure and vital religion, not that based on merely bigotted and sec¬ tarian 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 which 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 senti¬ ment, when experienced in all its purity, banishes all the base, sor¬ did, selfish, and ignoble passions from the human bosom, and elevates man as it 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 benevn- 7£ lent master j 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 jus desires, unostentatious in his charities, and tolerant in his opinions. Fanatics, bigots, zealots, hypocrites: ye who practice fraud, violence, hypocrisy, and all the deceptions and mummery of priestcraft on the sons of men, and yet dare tp call yourselves the disciples and followers of the immaculate Saviour of mankind, compare yourselves with this portrait of a real christian! There is a class of religionists in every christian country, who are impressed 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, 01; making the profession of religion a mere mask for ini¬ quitous designs against the community; for, let their vicious passions 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 people ought always to bear in mind, that those alone are gen¬ uine christians, who know the will of God, and practice its divine precepts; nor ought they ever to lose sight of the important and eter¬ nal truth—that it is impossible to deceive the Almighty. Compared with these hypocritical and unworthy professors, whose prayers are always on the " house tops," and whose devotions are loud andempha- tical that they may be heard, the true christian exhibits an essentially different and greatly more elevated character.—He is modest, retir¬ ing and unobtrusive, in his devotions; it is not the mere profession of piety and religion, that stimulates him in the performance of his du¬ ties-—it is the heaven-born consciousness that his devotional exercises are acceptible to his Maker, and that they will render him serene amidst dangers and difficulties, animated and cheerful under the in? fliction of disease and sickness, and resigned to the will of his Crea¬ tor, To such a man, diseases, 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 js not the death-bed of the Sinner: even the presence of the king of terrors cannot appal the resolutions, or shake the fortitude of the man whose reliance is on the love and mercy of his God. As a physician, I some years since, in yirginia, attended 78 the c Ducii of a devout christian, and a sincere believer in Christ; arid was impi eased 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 two } ears; and was evidently awaiting the summon to "that bourne from w hence no traveller returns." Instead of seeing terror and dismay depicted in his countenance, which I had often witnessed in the cases of those who were not christians, all was cheerful serenity and mild ( resignation; no ghastly expression of feature bespo.ke the terror of death, no indications of mental distress told of remorse for an ill-spent life; nor did a single shade of gloomy anticipation, pass over the eye that was so soom to close in the cold and silent mansions of the dead 1 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 to the benefit of my fellow beings; I await with per¬ fect 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 depressing passions. In truth, it has always been mat¬ ter of much astonishment to me, that the consolations which pure re¬ ligion 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, unless perverted to the excite¬ ment of the gloomy passions, by misconceptions pf the attributes of God, with emotions 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 lap be a faithful rind true christian, in a more perfect and elevated state of being, when his corruptions sha.ll put on incprruption—and when the mere mortal shall put on immor¬ tality ? Are not the doctrines of true Christianity, essentially connec¬ ted with that sunshine of the breast, which we denominate a good con¬ science :—" and which nothing earthly can give, or can destroy!"— .The Christian 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 was surely intended by divine wisdom, as an unfailing source joy, consolation and happiness, both here and hereafter, to the human race! I have been rriore particular on the subject of religion, thrt-n at 10 to first view might seem necessary 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 pf mankind, but with the health and many of the diseases of the pby-f sical system, of which more will be said under the proper heads, INTEMPERANCE. Intemperance is the Offspring of so many and, such various causes, that it seems impossible to enumerate them, or even to reducethem to any thing like scientific order. I will commence my remarks on in¬ temperance, which in its broadest signification means excess in the gratification of our propensities, passions, and even intellectual pur' suits, by emphatically observing that it is .generally found in strong and intimate connexion, when really traced to its origin, with the pleasures and enjoyments, as well as with miseries and misfortunes of mankind. I have before remarked under another head, that with re¬ gard to the elementary principles of the passions, propensities, and intellectual powers of man, we know absolutely nothing with certain^ ty; and that all we can possibly understand with respect to them, is derived from, our consciousness of their existence, and from the effects (hey daily and hourly produce for our observation. Every capacity of power of the human system, physical and intel¬ lectual, when exercised in moderation, and with strict conformity to the laws of nature, is productive of enjoyment and happiness: this na¬ tural and moderate exercise of our propensities, passions, and mental energies, when matured into habits of life and character, we call tern' perance; 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 ix- tempekanoe. I will give some familiar examples of the application of these principles, in order that they may be fully comprehended by those for whom I write. We are alt 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 gratifica¬ tions are always essential to health and happiness. We all know per* 75 fectly 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 ac¬ tion of body and mind, attended with enjoyment and pleasure, But, on the other hand, when in eating or drinking, we overload and sur¬ charge the stomach with meat and drink, and when in sleeping take more repose than is required for the renovation of our bodily and men¬ tal systems, our excesses are always productive of nausea, uneasiness, indigestion, and stupidity, and we habitually become gluttons, drunk¬ ards and sluggards, and are a disgrace to ourselves and society. Th@ «ame 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 always condu¬ cive to health, and productive of many of the enjoyments and pleasures of life; but, when they gain the ascendency of the moral feelings ami rational powers, when they prostrate the bulwarks of religion and mo¬ rality, 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 unfortu- • nate victims of excess, that they are fallen indeed J 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 ener¬ gies 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 succeesive years w—and in proof of this, I will note some in¬ stances which will have much, weight in demonstrating the fact. Sir Isaac Newton, who was probably the greatest astronomer and mathe¬ matician of his own 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 authentica¬ ted 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. Whe¬ ther it be true, that intense, subtile, and powerful intellect, acts upon the mere carcase as a sharp sword does upon the scabbard; or whe¬ ther the mind itself becomes exhausted and worn out, by an over¬ strained and continued excitement of its powers, I leave for metaphy- 76 sicians to determine:—but we certainly do know, and the experience of all' ages and generations proves the fact, that excessive mental exertion not only produces fatigue and lassitude in a few hours, but that if such exertion be continued for a few years in succession, it in¬ variably blunts and wears down the keenest and soundest intellec¬ tual 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 cor¬ rect exposition on general principles that can be given; because it embraces all the destructive excesses to which man is prone, and re¬ fers al} those excesses^ to the abuses and degradations of his elevated arid noble faculties. I commenced with remarking, and I wish the principle 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 misfortunes of mankind. Mankind may be distinguished into two great classes or divisions: First, those whose pleasures and enjoyments, and whose pains and miseries, partake so greatly of a physical character, as nearly always to be referable to corporeal or bodily functions and sensations: this class is composed of men who are properly denominated sejjstjaijsts ; in other words, they are individuals 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 of the emotions and passions of the mind;and whose enjoyments, pleasures, sufferings and miseries, are more intimately connected with the mind and imagination: these may with much propriety be denominated mejvtalists. Among the great aggregate of mankind, the reality of the distinction between animal and intellectual man, as regards the native bias of the human charac¬ ter towards one or the other extreme, is demonstrable from the follow¬ ing facts. Hunger and thirst, for instance, are corporeal wants; they are essential to the health, strength, and support of the physical or bodily system; and may be called corporeal or bodily passions, when they become so powerful as t.o impel men to gluttony and drunk¬ enness : desires and propensities being nothing more, when consider¬ ed in relation to the corporeal .system, than slighter shades of the physical wants and passions of men. Love and ambition, on the con- 17 trary, are passions of the mind and imagination; they are the offspring of refined sensibility, 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 passions, and then only for the attainment of spe¬ cific 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 Da-, vid, the intellectual passion of love only acts on the sexual and corpo¬ real functions j but, I would ask any sceptic on this point, whether the love of literature, mathematics, astronomy, or any other science or intellectual pursuit, has &ny connection whatever with propensities, wants and passions, founded on the merely corporeal or bodily func tions 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 we a ll know perfectly well, in reference to the corporeal and intellectual functions and capacities of men, that the strong predominance of eit.hcr class,, operates unfavorably 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 corpo¬ real organization, debility of stomach, and prostration of strength: nor is it unusual to observe, that those who possess uncommonly high health and physical strength, are frequently 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 th© physical system when the mind ®nd passions act with the greatest force, must know that a full stomach always blunts the mind and feel¬ ings; and that inanition or omptiness of the stomach, is favorable to, intellectual operations. This fact is so well known, that the Creek Indians, ifr all their public deliberations on important national con- . cerns, use what they call the black drink, mode of the parched leaves of the spice-wood boiled} which vomits them copiously and produces the inanition just mentioned; without which, they alledge they are in¬ adequate to deliberating on their national affairs. Some medical wri¬ ter has remarked, that physical debility, and a diseased state pf the system, impart as it were a preternatural excitement to the mind; ami instances the casos of Boilieu, Erasmus, Pascal, Cicero, G-.Ibn, pipe, and several others, who were as remarkable for the feebleness of their . physical constitutions, as they vyere for their gigantic energies of in¬ tellect: the same writer also remarks, that abortive, feeble; and sick¬ ly children, almost invariably display powerful characteristics of intellect when'grown to maturity; and instances the cases of the great Lord Littleton 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 Shakespear'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 corporeal strength, and un¬ common 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 powers, are almost invariably the very reverse of what may be called, the corporeally contemptible realities. In demon¬ stration of this fact, innumerable instances might be given, in addition to those found in the persons of Alexander of Macedon, Frederic king of Prussia, John Philpot Curran, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, and lastly the late emperor Napoleon, who was nicknamed by his own soldiers, front his contemptible stature and proportions, the little corporal. I will here make an observation on this subject, which I do not recollect to have s6en in any writer. We are always to presume, that the soundness and strength of the physical constitutions of men, lead to great longevity or length of days: and it is a fact as notorions as true, that such men are seldom 01* never possessed of much mind; in other words, the sword is not sufficiently sharp to cut the scabbard. I am acquainted with a man, a pauper, of this county, who is said from good authority to be one hundred and ten years of age, who I was informed on enquiry, 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 defi¬ ciency of mental energies,as for his lacivious and sensual propensi¬ ties. "It was observed 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 79 mote remarkable, he ate at midnight, a little before he died. Being opened after his death, his body was still found very fleshy;his breast hairy; his genitals unimpaired, >vhich served to confirm the report of his having undergone public censures for his mcontenency," &c* &c. I would by no means wish to he understood, that there are no individuals possessed of high health hnd great physical strength, who are remarkable for strong intellectual powers; Newton, Johnson, Shakespear, and a thousand other instances might be given as excep¬ tions 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 unfavorable to intellectual improvement—'but that ■ de¬ bility and disease act in various ways extremely favorable to acces¬ sions of mental strength. In the first place, debility and disease lower the tone of those passions which impel us to active exertion and a- musemerit; in other Words, they impose a powerful Restraint on the' physical appetites and propensities1—circumscribe us to amusements and pursuits connected with the operations of the mind—'-confine us to the company of our elders, whose superior experience and knowl¬ edge are beneficial to our intellectual improvement; and "by keeping up an action in the brain, in common with other parts of the body, they tend to impart vigor to the intellectual faculties." From what has been said, I think it will appear evident, that, from both natural and accidental circumstances, 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 was the offspring of various physical and intellec¬ tual causes, but that when traced to its origin, it would generally be found in strong and intimate connexion, as well with the pleasures and enjoyments, as with the miseries and misfortunes cf mankind;' 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 necessity, like every thing else human, be subject to imperfections both,in data and conclusions, yet it-may have some salutary tendencies. It may possibly invite the attenion of the learned, to further and more satisfactory investigations of the subject; it may exhibit the ne¬ cessity of seeking for the real causes of intemperance, in removing its habits and effects from the human system; and it may invite socio feO ty to the exercise of more lenity and compassion, when laboring for the reformation of its unfortunate and mejancholy victims.— Abuse and degradation were never yet influential in reforming the in¬ temperate; for, what interest did any man ever yet feel, for the pre-1 servation of that which he has been convinced, by abuse and degrade tiau, was of no estimation or value! Intemperance- is confined to no rank in life ^ to no particular grade of genius and intellectual power, betweena 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 enjoy¬ ments 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 intemperance, without knowing what those causes are, and by the application of one specific remedy to such an infinite 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 remo¬ val of merely corporeal diseases, by the application of intellectual means ? would you sooth the mental anguish of remorse, without the consolations of religion, 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 intense, 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 6f allure¬ ment, with all the varieties of mankind. Physically speaking, one man's system is 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 ei¬ ther the moral or intellectual energies of the self-devoted victims. You will frequently hear the devotees of any or all the above excess¬ es, execrating the very agents they employ in wearing down their con¬ stitutions with incidental diseases and .premature decay, and moralize 8t ing with, the flndsit touches of elocution, on the heniousness and in^s morality of such dangerous and degrading excesses: and what does' all this prove ? Why it demonstrates conclusively, that the habits of •dissipation and intemperance, like all other derelictions from the stand¬ ard of nature and philosophic moderation, are to be resisted in theib Jirst formation, and before they ban acquire the resistless force of tpr- rents, before which all hitman resolutions, and efforts of preservation, sink to rise no more! There are two periods of human life; there are -two marked and distinct periods in the progressive excesses of dissi¬ pation and intemperance. In the rise of life, we act upon every thing around us, from a confidence in our own strength, and a consciousr ncss of being able to master and shape our own destinies: in the de¬ cline 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 characters of all men; from the gene¬ ral who achieves victories in his youth, and sustains defeats in hisv Old age, to the man of intellectual powers and pursuits, who, like the immortal Milton, writes a "Paradise Lost " in the meridian of life and. intellectual resolution, and a " Paradise Regained," when the tremors* of old age and irresolution have crept oyer him. This is a faithful ^picture, of a man of dissipation and intemperance. At first he adven¬ tures on an excess, partly from the attractive force of the allurement, and partly from the consciousnes of moral and intellectual resolution to withstand any temptation to dangerous indulgence. In the formation of intemperate habits, this is precarious and hostile ground: the scrip¬ ture says, " let him who stands, tajke heed lest he fall." The habit, of intemperance is of slow or rapid growth, in proportion 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 impercep¬ tibly to self-destruction. When the animations of youth, and the convivialities of conversation, are sufficient for the production of plea¬ surable sensations: when we are highly susceptible of impression 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 alt 62 t&ese fairy prospects fade on the vision; in proportion as the repetition of these enjoyments causes us to lose the sentiment of novelty; and especially when satiety of such enjoyments produces lassitude and coldness, we invariably descend to more sensual and intense expe¬ dients For renewing sensations of pleasure: and unfortunately for mankind, those expedients are too often connected with the dissipa¬ tions and intemperance 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 ©f society; and are so common, as almost everywhere to have lost their novelty and impression. I have not yet spoken of those dissipations, which- seem to be con ■ nected 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 individual is decided¬ ly intellectual, there always will be discovered at an early period of life, a strong native propensity to an indulgence m intellectual plea¬ sures, and in those, passions which are more closely allied to the men¬ tal powers. I mean here those pleasures of the mind, which have their rise in the memory, the understanding, the imaginationy Sfc. and those, which are the offspring of an indulgence in those passions of the mind, which we calL love, hogsf ambition, fyc. With regard to the plea¬ sures 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 re collections of our own conduct, which are fraught writh the pleasures of a good conscience. It is absolutely impossible to define or limit the pleasures of memory, they embrace our parents, our early friends, and ■ all the objects of our youthful attachments: the houses in which we were born and educated, the haunts of our youthful and innocent di¬ versions, and all the objects of our early pursuits.. The pleasures of memory also comprise, all we have learned, of the heroism, the mag-1 nanimity, and the intelligence, of the great warriors and sages of an¬ tiquity ; they in fact embrace all the recollections of the mind, in its Recognizance of all the objects andevents which have ever been pleas ing to us :■ end they particularly afford us happiness from a review c£ 83 •a well-spent life. But are ttiere not pains aa well as pleasures of memory! There are ; and here commences the catalogue of dissi¬ pations, the first impulse to which 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 ppison which finally destroyed him, that originated and confirmed those ha-' hits of intemperance which sent him to an early grave ? No: his dissipations commenced in the convivialities and pleasures of a re¬ fined, delicate, and superior mind; and were confirmed into habits of intemperance jtoo stubborn for the control of his moral energies, by the lowliness of his fortunes, the poignancy and vulgarity of his suffer¬ ings, and the pains of his memory J Why do we see a man like this, the prey of a morbid and confirmed melancholy 2 And why do we hear him warbling forth his distresses, when contemplating objects yet dear and painful to his memory, in the following inspired and tender strains: " ye mind me of departed hours—departed, never to return !" The fate of Robert Burns, has been the fate of thousands whose names are lost to fame, and who have sunk into ohscure aud lonely graves, unpitied and unknown. Thomas Paine once remarked, that one of the greatest miseries of human life, consisted in not being able to for¬ got, what it was painful to remember.; Mr Paine's character wis highly intellectual; his whole life had been devoted to conferring ■political benefits ahd moral miseries oh 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 intemperance, which ultimately destroyed him. But, the instances just submitted to the reader, are hut two out of thousands which might be adduced, to prove the influ¬ ence of the pains of memory, in originating and confirming fatal habits of dissipation and intemperance. How many millions have sunk into the vortex of intemperance, from the influence of those pains of memo¬ ry, called an accusing conscience? Physician"canst thou minister to a mind diseased," by medical prescriptions which can only afibct fhe body ? The pleasures and pains of the understanding come next under ■consideration; and present such, a field for the investigations of philo¬ sophy, as can only be delineator in outline. Curiosity is the first passion, or rathex1 emotion of the human understanding; it leads the mind to thednvestigafion ahd scfutinj^of all the objects of nature 84 tft whicfy present themselves to man, befwixt the cradic and the gravet the emotion or passion of cariosity does more; it leads us to the inves¬ tigation of objects beyond the boundaries of time, and impels us to at*- "tempt a-revelation of the great enigmas of eternity itself! The mind o 1 man is naturally attached to truth; and always experiences pleasure in the discovery of it, when the disclosure is found beneficial to com¬ fort, 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 understanding 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 understand that he must be executed to-morrow! Both the pleasures ■and pains of the understanding, have relation to the discovery of truth.. Suppose a man he 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 pleasure from the consciousness of 'security from danger? Here the pleasure of the understanding is de¬ rived from a beneficial discovery; but suppose he ascertain that the reptile by which he has been assailed is of a venemous and fatal char¬ acter, and that he clearly understands Iiis immediate destiny to be death; are not his mental pangs identified with the pains of the un¬ derstanding? I have not space, in a work like this, to go into a philo¬ sophical ' detail of the important truths connected with this subject; and regret to be compelled to differ from the authority of the great Br Bush, 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 operations of the understanding: where 'these acquisitions of knowledge develop© consequences beneficial to human enjoyment and happiness? they are always productive of plea¬ sure to the mind, through the medium 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 believe to be a full and fair Statement of the case: and were it not, I would like to know, what in^ $5 jRuence in the religious reformation of mankind could possibly be de* J-ived from faith in the belief of future rewards and punish mcjits ! Igno rant of consequences, what to man would be the happiness or misery .of either prosperity or misfortune? And how are either to be calcula¬ ted 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 sub¬ tile powers of the understanding, that we are enabled to feel the reali¬ ties of either intellectual pain or pleasure, happiness or misery. The memory of man, acts upon nothing hut facts and events which are past and gone: but the understanding operates also on the present condi¬ tion and circumstances of mankind, and even extends lis views to futu¬ rity: and these are the reasons why the pleasures and pains of the understanding, are more intense than those of the memory. These ore also the reasons why we are lecfastray by the festivities of present -dissipations and intemperance; and these are also the true reason's, why we resort to the banquet and the flowing bowl, to drown both past and present sorrow's connected with the mind. Thus we see, ibat both joys and sorrows are capable of producing habits of intempe¬ rance and dissipation: Physician; can your medical drugs restrain those joys, Or remove those sorrows which spring from the mind itself, when all the maxims of moral wisdom and philosophy have failed I No: you must resort to the restraining powers, and the consolations of reli¬ gion and morality. The pleasures and pains of. the imagination, commence where those of the memory and -the Understanding terminate: and, there is this specific difference 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 abso¬ lute improbabilities. The range of the human imagination seems to be unlimited; andi what is very extraordinary, and something difficult to be accounted for, its vigor and creative powers, seem to he prop jr- tioned to the weakness and want of cultivation of the understanding. All the records which have descended to us from very gncient dmes, seem to favor the presumption that the empire of imagination, fiction andyomance, in the dark periods of antiquity, gave a tone ai;d cha¬ racter to the human mind; and that the early records of history only teem with romantic fictions which defy belief, and with dcliueati >ns of prodigies wlqch never existed, because the philosophic iiofis of the understanding had not yet corrected the errors of the ima<- gination It was probably for these reasons, that Homer in his u Illiad " admits and describes a plurality of Gods; and that Ossian's fancy saw the ghosts of departed heroe's who had been slain in battle, half view* less among the clouds of night. Had the progress and improvement of Homer's understanding, enabled him to arrive at the sublime con¬ clusion which announces the existence of one great first cause, he1 never pould have delineated in poetic numbers the distinctive charac¬ ters ef his fictitious deities: and, had Ossiaa not been ignorant enough to believe in ghosts, his imagination never could have deceived him into the belief that those of his forefathers were witnessing from the clouds, the sanguinary horrors of his battles! The fact seems to lie, as I have said before, that the empire of imagination commences, where the matter of faet and philosophic operations of the understand¬ ing 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 beings or to fancy a thing to be true, whieh we know to be a 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 fiction, and demonstrates clearly that phi¬ losophy and science have nearly extinguished the fire of poetic genius. In other words, few men can be poets in this age of -philosophic im-> provemenl, who will not borrow or steal from the old writers, or who cannot find subjects 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 de¬ stroyed by old age and experience; and that those who always deal tn fictions are always the victims of folly. The pleasures of imagi¬ nation are always the most brilliant and powerful in the youthful mind; and the reasons are obvious. This is the period when all im¬ pressions made on the mind, by disclosing to us the opening beauties of nature, and the imposing splendors of creation, are entirely novel and without alloy. This is the period ivhen 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 vnuthful friendships are untainted by a knowledge of the basene^h. S7 aocf selfishness of mankind—and our loves of the supposed divinity of the female character, are unalloyed by those appalling discoveries of experience, wisdom and philosophy, which teach us that every thing human is imperfect, and unworthy of our idolatrous devotions! These Are the reasons why many modern philosophers have been of opinion, that the state of savage and uncultivated nature, as regards a more refined condition of the human mind, is much more conducive to hu¬ man happiness than any other; for say these men, "where ignorance is bliss, it is surely folly to be wise." If these delusive fascinations of the imagination ctmld continue through life, uncorrected by the hitter IcssonS of experience and wisdom; or if man could be so educa¬ ted, as never to seek or experience happiness but in the fealities of life and nature, the wild delusions pf fancy would never lead his judgment astray in the pursuits of happiness;,nor would he ever be discontented with the moderate enjoymeKts which the realities of existence afford him/ But, one of the most difficult lessons in wis¬ dom 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 tp interfere with, and ulti¬ mately to destroy our rational attachments 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 tP a culti¬ vated Imagination, that constitutes the real vortex in which so many men of enlightened and lofty genius have sunk to rise no more. Re¬ lying on the pleasures ofimagination for happiness in early life; ne¬ ver dreaming that they are in a world of sad realities, which will in- , volve them in misfortunes against which nothing but the exercise of prudence and judgment can guard them; and continuing to enjoy the present moment, without looking forward to the' probable and unto¬ ward contingencies of futurity—they are never aroused from thcif brilliant and illusory visions of fanciful and imaginary ha ppiness, un¬ til they are overwhelmed with real miseries and misfortunes, and pressed upon by those imperious call^ of want and necessity, which jcannot be silencgd by visionary or imaginary means., Here commen¬ ce those pain$ of the imagination, those lacerations of sensibility, and those horrible anticipations of real and unmitigated suffering, which no human language can describe, and which are so often seen to goad the man of genius and superior endowments to dissipation and intemperance, and precipitate him to all the desperations attendant 8„ft On ruinc 93 lliary to religion and morality, and to the peace and happiness of mankind; e> But, talents angel bright, if panting worth. Are shining instruments in false ambitions hand, To finish faults illustrious, and give infamy renothn!" Where ambition is laudable, and restricted to beneficent and moral objects, it serves to dignify and adorn the human character: and even where thus characterised, 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 character; it is founded in a strong desire to be remembered 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 preva¬ lence of this all-absorbing sentiment of immortality, and of the dread¬ ful Contemplations which accompany the anticipations of being swept from human memory by the hand of time! The desire to be remember¬ ed", 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, Alexan¬ der and Napoleon:—who desolated nations and overturned empires, fo give their achievments to posterity and future ages.—When the passion ofambition, of whatever grade, orto whatever objects directed, fs disappointed in its expectations, it invariably leads to dissatisfac¬ tion with life and mankind, and frequently plunges its votaries into £he vortex of intemperance and debauchery. These effects are not only confined to the ambition of men possessing lofty and powerful energies of mind, whose objects of ambition are correspondent in ele¬ vation, but they are discoverable in all the inferior orders of society, and in all the subordinate ranks of intellectual power; they are in fact, as observable in the Cesar who is disappointed in the possession of an imp'erial crown, as in the humble votary of literature and sci¬ ence, or the hook-fingered and swindling devotee of avarice, with whom wealth is the idol of adoration! Let any of these men, he fi¬ nally and permanently disappointed in thq first and great objects of their ambition, and if they ace destitute of resolution, fortitude, wis¬ dom, and philosophical energy of intellect, they invariably sink in the whirlpool of intemperance, debauchery, and sottishness:—Alexan- 94 tier the great died from the influence of a fit of intemperance, because probably he had no more worlds to conquer; and it is needless to ad¬ vert to the thousands of instances which every where present them* selves, of men of all ranks and grades of life, who sink into insignifi¬ cance 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 intempe¬ rance, and probably to the satisfaction 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 correspondent with the importance of the sub¬ ject, I have neither followed nor profited by the haeknied theories which have heretofore been published; I have endeavored to view hu¬ man nature such as it is, and to remark the developements of the cau¬ ses of intemperance, such 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 Mitchill, Physic, Hossack, and many others, who are engaged in developing the mysticisms of medical science, and render¬ ing them intelligible to mankind. REM AM K 8, PRELIMINARY TO THE MEDICAL PORTION OF THIS WORK* 1 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 thread-bare 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 veil my ignorance of what ig 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 witnessed their effects on the human system, and on the peace and happiness of society generally; and particularly as regards in? temperance, or rather excess in fear—joy—anger—jealousy—love—r grief—religion—gluttony and drunkenness, I have ventured to go as far into some of the remote and constitutional causes of them, as I pos¬ sibly 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, beexi compelled to comprise as much information as possible in a few words: and I must also observe here, that on intemperance, 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 im¬ portance to tjie health and happiness, and to the diseases and miseries- 9.0 of mankind, than all the resjt of the passions put together, I have classed religion and intemperance under the head of the passions, because all our desires and aversions become passions, when they be¬ come too strong to-be controlled and moderated by moral sense ancl reason; and if even these were 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 scientes, as professed by literary men. If our education con¬ sisted more in a knowledge 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 were 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 would 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 lower the public opinion respect¬ ing the real value of medical knowledge, but because the time has arrived when the hypocrisy which has attached itself to religion, the -pettifogging dissimulatiaji which has crept into the practice and sci¬ ence of law, and th.e quackeries 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 knowledge, and the general diffusion of useful intelligence. The great body of the people are beginning to find out jis I remarked in substance in my dedication— that when we take from the learned sciences all their technical and J, 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 dedication, and I now repeat it, that the really valuable materials in medicipe, 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 which may probably be considered new. I not only be! ieve, that every coun¬ try produces, or can be made to produce, whatever is nescessary 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 9? Which he is aft inhabitant. If such were not the facts, how "misera¬ ble would be the condition of the human species; eternally harassed by the calls of wants which 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 po¬ pulous and powerful, unless from finding the means of supplying their wants, and of mitigating and curing their diseases, on the soil and in Jtho countries 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 re¬ quired 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 impositions in the adulteration of medical drugs; and the sooner will we be exempted from individual and national dependence on other nations. There are many drugs that come from abroad, that are made good for nothing, by adulterations or mixtures before they reach us, or lose their virtues , by long standing and ex¬ posure; 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 "y°uj as respects the plants and roots* &c. of this country, not only how great are our re¬ sources, 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 could 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 individ¬ uals profoundly learned in botany, who can tell you all about the ge¬ nus 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 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 nonsense; the same may be said of many other of the sciences, which were in their origin and early progress useful to mankind. Real knowledge consists in un¬ derstanding both what is useful and what is injurious to mankind; 13 ss &ndl true wisdom amounts to nothing more than appropriating to pur Use whatever is beneficial, and avoiding whatever is injurious to our enjoyments and happiness r this is the true distinction between com- mon sense and nonsense- or if you will have the same idea in finer language, between wisdom aud 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 admiration for mett who pre¬ tended to know more than the mass of mankind: and it is this stupid admiration, this willingness to be duped by the impudent pretensions of science and quackery combined, that has led to impositions and barefaced frauds upon society, without number. Wherever artifice is used, it is either to cover defects, or to perpetrate 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 emi¬ nence to give you iii plain common 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 capitals—Datura Stramo¬ nium, which simply means Stink-weed or vulgarly Jamestown weed: Tanacetum Vulgabe, which in English means Common Tansy: Chenopodium Anthelmenticum, good heaven, what a name for Je¬ rusalem OaJc: Spigelia Mabilandica, which means nothing more nor less than Pink Root: Alium Sativum, which means Cloves of Garlic: and who would ever suppose, uuless he were previously ini¬ tiated into the sublime mysteries of the " Physicians* Materia Medica," that Cantharis Vittata was the Potato Fly—that Hedeoma Puie- gioides, was merely the common plant Pennyroyal: that Phytolacca Decandra was nothing but Poke-weed: that Panax Quinquefolium was nothing but Ginseng: that Rubus Villosus meant in plain Eng lish, the Blackberry: that Eupatorium Perpoliatum was nothing but Bone-set: that Polygala Seneka was Snake Root: that Laurus Benzoin was no more than Spice-wood: that Asarium Canadense was Wild Ginger: that Babtisca Tinctoria was only another name for Wild Indigo: that Hydrastis Canadensis was nothing but Yel¬ low Root: that Podophyllum Peltatum was merely the May Apple: or common Jalap of the shops: Sanguinaria Canadensis, was no more than the Puccoon or Blood Root, well known to every old woman i,n the state; that CoRNbs Florida was nothing but Dogwood: that 99 Gillenia Frifoliata was merely Indian Physic; that Symplocak"' tus FoeTiDA was nothirig but Skunk Cabbage: that Anthemis Cotula was the Wild Chammomile: that Lobelia Inflata was nothing but Wild Tobacco t that Comptonia 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 practiced on the mass of the people, by the quackeries connected with Medical Science, They are as follows: Oleum Ricini meaning Castor Oil; Unguentum Picis Liquids mean¬ ing Tar Ointment; Oleum Terebinthinu meaning the Oil of Tur¬ pentine; Zanthoxylum Clava Herculis meaning the common Prickly Ash of our country; Sal. Nitre meaning Salt Petre; Tar-* tarizED Antimony meaning Emetic Tartar; Sulphate Soda mean¬ ing nothing but Epsom Salts; Ruta Graveslens meaning our com¬ mon Garden Rue; Salva Officinalis, the Common Sage; Sambu- cus Nigra, Common Elder; Serpent aria Virginiana, Virginia Snake Root; Myrtis Pimento, common pepper; Ulmus Americana, meaning Red Elm; Aqua Calcis meanine Lime Wrier; and Carbo Ligni, Charcoal of Wood! ! These 1 think, are fair specimens of the useless technical terms and phrases, with which the science of medi¬ cine 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 sci¬ ence of physic, as hew practiced and imposed upon the common people, amouuts 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 world calls learned men, in deceptions and fraud. The more nearly we can place men on a level in point of knowledge, the happier we Would become in society with each other, and the less danger there would be of tyranny 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 equal distribution of useful informa¬ tion among the people. We afl know perfectly well, and if we do not we ought to do so, that there are two ways of acquiring a greater name than common among men. One is by putting on affected airs of su¬ perior wisdom, and the concealment of weakness and ignorance, to 100 which all men are subject: and the other is, by exhibiting to the world, great and useful energies of mind and character, of which nothing can be a more decisive proof, than success in our undertakings. But this is not all; the less we know of the weaknesses and imperfectious of what the world calls great men, the more we are disposed to overrate their merits and wisdom, and to become their humble followers, admi¬ rers, 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 al¬ ways to fiud out in the characters of men, the difference between im¬ pudent presumption, which seeks to blind you to defects, and modest and unassuming merit, which is above hypocrisy and deception. On the other hand, I wish you to remember, that the more we know of the ignorance and weaknesses of great men, ignorance and weaknesses which they all have, however they may try tt> hide them, the more easily we will feel ourselves on a level with them, the less we will be compelled to think of their assumed superiority, and consequently the less danger there will be of our becoming their most humble follow^ ers, their tools of dirty purposes, and in fact their slaves. The fact is, if we could 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 pretend to lord it over us; and if we could always hit the true medium of truth and justice, in forming our opinions of each other, there would be much less fraud in this world than there is: for you may rest assured, and I desire you most particularly to fix it in your memory, that no man or junto 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 un¬ derstandings. —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 mostly liable to in this country, and all the best remedies for those which are brought to us from other countries. I intend also -to de¬ scribe particularly all the roots, and plants, and so on, which we have about us in our gardens, barn-yards, fields and woods, which are use¬ ful in the cure of diseases. These will be important considerations, because I am convinced we have many things the most common 101 about us, t rat as medicines are as good as any in the world, and the knowledge of which by the people themselves, will enable them to cure their own diseases in many instances, ancl avoid many and great expenses. The language I will make use of, as I said before^ will be extremely plain, the object of the work being, not so much to instruct the learned as the unlearned; nor will I regard in the slight¬ est degree, any of those petty critical remarks, which may be made on such language, provided I succeed, in adopting language which can be understood by those for whom this work is intended. And here I cannot avoid remarking, that since this work of mine was commenced, and measurably finished, I have received from New York, the first number of a periodical nvork on the same plan that this ia, to be written by some of the greatest medical men in the United States^ some of whom are Mitchill, Hossack, Mott, McNeven, &,Ci These gentlemen, as well as myself, are convinced that the time has come, when all the mysteries and technical language of the science of medicine, must be made plain tothe people of this country, and when the old frauds and quackeries of the profession must be laid down, and discontinued in practice. I am gratified, that men whose hames have so much weight, have undertaken to make the science of medicine plain j 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 the science, and all those who wish to make a mystery, of what 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 work may fall. Some of the diseases I am compelled to mention and explain, necessarily relate to a sex whose weaknesses and delicacies of constitution, entitle them to the highest respect, and the most tender consideration j, nor can any youth be guilty of a more flagrant breach of humanity, nor more completely disclose a brutal and unfeeling disposition, than by manifesting a wish to turn into unfeeling ridicule, the diseases and calamities of women: I would at once pronounce such a young man a brute, a poltroon, and a coward. But I am confident there are few if any such in this country, because there^are few or none who will not re¬ collect, that their venerable mothers were of the female sex, and that they have probably sisters and other relatives of the same sex. I 103 wish the younger portion of my readers also to recollect, and I mosf respectfully request them to do so—that when perusing my book, on the various diseases to which the human body is liable, as to their uncertainty of life, and the slender thread on which it hangs. I wish them to remember, how unknown to them are the vicissitudes of the world; how easily they may be thrown into strange lands, des¬ titute, friendless, and afflicted: I wish them to engrave on their minds, that sacred rule of doing all things to others, which they would wish others should do unto them: that they would always let the tear of sympathy drop for their fellow-creatures in affliction and distress, and always let their hearts melt at the tale of human woe, for which God will bless them in all their works. oy SLEEP. « What better name may slumber's bed become? 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 death." To exist as it were between death and life; to rove in imagination, unfettered by the cold and strong realities 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 respecting the cause of sleep, and nearly all the little we know on the subject is, that when 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, remarked while distinguishing between sleep and death, that sleep was the suspension of the volun¬ tary powers of man J—and that death was a suspension of those that were involuntary. This was propably the most correct distinction between sleep and death, that has ever to my knowledge been draws by any man; and I will endeavour to explain as clearly as p®s*$f)le. what I think he intended by it. When we lie down to sleep, we;vob untarily exclude the operation of the senses; in other woydSr #e se® nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing, smell nothing, and taste nothing":, and endeavor 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 an entire suspension of the voluntary powers of the body and mind takes place. While in this situation, however, we know 104 that the sleeper breathes, that his heart beats, that the blood circu¬ lates, that the stomach digests its food, and that perspiration takes place: now, as the will of the sleeper has nothing to do with these matters, they depend upon the involuntary powers of the human sys¬ tem, and when these powers cease, death takes place. This is as far as we cart go as regards sleep and death, for as to dreams and their causes, all we can tell about them simply is, that during sleep the mind and imagination act with such brightness and power, as t® leave strong impressions on the waking memory; I say the mind and imagination, because we not only distinguish objects as if they were present, but because we can and sometimes actually do reason about them and that too very correctly. It is impossible for us to enjoy good health, unless blessed with sound and refreshing sleep: without sleep the whole frame is thrown into disorder, and a strong dispositien 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 distressed and melancholy in the extreme. The acrid matter is thrown off during sleep, insensible perspiration is increased, and the body increases in growth in a greater degree than when awake and actively employed. 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, and may be considered, if sound and refreshing, a favourable symptom of recovery in sickness. It is a welcome visi¬ tor 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, pleu¬ risies, and in flooding; in fact, the cure of almost all diseases require sound and refreshing sleep, and so well known was this fact to a phy* sician of great eminence, that he seldom or never gave his patients operative medicines, before he had produced sound sleep by the ad¬ ministration 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; aud this is the reason why children require more sleep than grown persons. 105 T have already told you in ny introductio i, that map is a creature ol hnbif, and rmy I here fore accustom hlra..elf td almost any thing by practice, Napoleon had an alarum watch, for the purpose of awak* tng hirti at any hour he chose. During a campaign, one*of his field officers enfeted his tent at 2 o'clock in the morning, having some im-. perfanj: business with him. Coutnry to his expectation,, he found the emperor up and dressed, and employed in laying off the plan for the battle 6f the next day, and addressed him thus: "you are up late emperor.1' " O no," said Napoleon, " I have just risen; my sleep is over." After calling dor his coffee, his usual practice immediately on rising, h© communicated to the officer the method h6 had followed, to ascertain the time of sleep required by his constitution* " I had,'1™ Said he, " been accustomed to awake 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 determined me by this alarum watch, to abridge my hours of sleep ten minute.? each night, by rising ten minutes earlier. I soon discovered how much sleep nature required, by the length of time 1 slept soundly^ which was only five hours. I have since continued this practice, and find my health good, and nature sufficiently restored and' refreshed by it. When in actual ser¬ vice, and my mind much employed, my usual time of sleep is but four hours, from eleven till three inclusive, &c. " As in all other cases, too much or too little sleep, produces injury to health and strength of body and vivacity of mind and feelings. The bed in which we sleep for comfort and health is very important: the use of feather beds, par¬ ticularly in the summer season, is extremely unhealthy; and how per¬ sons can lie snoring, soaking and sweating, in a huge feather bed for eight or nine hours at a time, which is usual with many of the wealthy people of the western 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 proved by the want of appetite; in fact, the whole muscular and nervous -systems, become so impaired and lost in tone and vigor, as to be incapable- of performing the duties assigned to them by nature. A mattress 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 106 Strength, avoid a feather bed as you would the plague, and sleep on mattresses of some kind, or on a straw bed, or even pick out the soft¬ est plank in the floor and stretch yourself on it. It is worthy of obser¬ vation that most persons who sleep Hard, are more healthy and lively than others: look at the Indians who sleep on deer and bear skins; look at soldiers who sleep on blankets; and at wagoners, who always onjournies, sleep on hard mattresses 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 thou¬ sands. All asthmatic persons, or in other words, those who have the phthisic, should sleep hard, and in refreshing and pure air1; feather 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 which 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 warm weather, to wash or sponge their bodies with eold water, taking care immediately after to wipe themselves dry with a ooarse towel, and then to use the flesh-brush j* this course of proceed¬ ing 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 causing sound sleep; the bath ought to have a iittle salt in it, and to be continued fifteen or twenty minutes; 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 well dri¬ ed flannel before going to bed. When we lie down to sleep, every painful thought and unpleasant circumstance, should if possible be banished from the mind; and we should always endeavor to turn our meditations into channels, which will leave tranquil and soothing im¬ pressions behind them when we fall asleep. I>r 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 compos® yourself to sleep, get out of the bed and throw open the bed-clothes, 107 and expose y©ur naked body to the action of the eold 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 ypur sleep will be sound and re¬ freshing. I have frequently tried this method with success, and find after exposing my body to the cold air, a quick desire to sleep. I there¬ fore recommend it as frep 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-cham¬ ber, the better for health," As man is the creature of habit, he may bring himself gradually to bear almost any exposure; but great and sudden changes in our habits should always be avoided. Small close bed-rooms, and particularly bed curtains, should qlways be avoided, and for this reason; in close rooms and curtained beds, yOu breathe unchanged air, which has become impure from previous breathing. As boiling water does not grow hotter by longer boiling, if the parti¬ cles 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 matter, 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 perspirable 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 6ff, and sickness is nearly always the consequence. Dirty rooms and beds causo 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 c6me to speak of baths. . In close rooms or dirty beds, we breathe the same bad and corrupted air, over and over again, so tnat at every moment it becomes mbre 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 ©f exercise—never sleep .more than five or six hours—and use well the flesh-brush, particularly over the joints. By these means, to¬ gether with proper regimen, which means food and drink, the bulk of the body may be reduced, and the flesh made firm and strong. Nothing undermines and destroys the health and constitution, with 108 80 much rapidity as want of sleep: gamesters, eourtezunS, debauchees, and in fact of all those who lose much sleep, prove by their pale and sallow complexions, the want of (C nature's sweet restorer." Many -instances have been known in London and other largo 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 initalle habit, should always be cautious of such circumstances. I have known many instances of apoplexy being produced by want of sleep; persons should therefore, when such cases are apprehended, to bathe their feet in warm water when they lie down, and take a dose of cool¬ ing medicine, such as Epsom salts; or in case of fever, to lose a little blood, and take a slight opiate. More, however, will bp 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 vigor if you have naturally1 a good constitution, and almost the only sure means of amending and preserving a weak and deficient 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 ©f com¬ plaint, 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 purpose of producing per¬ spiration, and throwing off the excremcntitious or bad matter from the system, is much better than hny merely medical means; not only because it is the means which nature herself prescribes, but because, unlike medical drugs generally, it stregnthens 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 fever 1&9 have just Leen broken, that the retention of that had matter in their sys¬ tems contrary to nature, was the real cause of their febrile or feverish dis jx tiers • and docs it not follow, that by getting clear of that matter by natural means, before it has time to accumulate and produce malig¬ nant and obstinate diseases, 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 arty other vitul organ of the sysx «, that yon always weaken and impair its energies, and fay the foundation 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, to three to four pounds weight in twenty- four hours, if proper exercise be taken; and the fact is, that there ys more in proportion of ail the fetid matter of the system, discharged fyora the skin in perspiration or sweat, than there is by the stool and the urine combined: 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, tlrbt the fluids of the body will bec'ome greatly corrupted, and all its vessels oppressed and morbidly' irritated, and that disease must and will follow ? There is" rib witchcraft a,bout the diseases to Which we are all liable; they are all matters of plain reasoning between causes and effects, to the full understanding of which, eveiy man is as competent as any other man. Am we not witnesses daily and hourly, of thq beneficial effects of exercise, in the cure of diseases in which both medicines and medical men, have failed ? Half the diseases ,of delicate woman, and in fact nearly all the diseases connected with hysterics, and hypochondria, arise fmrn want of due exercise in the open, mild, and pure air. Instead of stewing in a close room, and indulging in moody and gloomy anticipations: and instead of lying in a huge feather bed until nine or ten o'clock in the morning, dosing through morbid dreams and yainly 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 linear the beams of the rising sun—and breast the pure mountain breeze! I have just told you, that exercise will not only preserve your health if you have a good constitution, but that it will frequently gi ve healthy action and strength to a weak and deficient one. Cicero is 110 described by Plutarch, as being at one period of his life, thin and weakly; so much so indeed, from the debility of his stomach, as to be- he 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 re¬ covery of his health and so great were the effects of his exereise, that together with the gymnastic exercised of the place, he became firm and robust—and his voice, which had before been squeaking and harsh,, was changed for melodious, deep and sonorous tone's. The same writer, Plutarch) describes the great Rronian warrior Julius Cesar, 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 inured 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 power¬ ful influence which exercise has on the human system; if you wish to know more about it, look at the brfiwny arms and strong chests of sailors, who are always pulling topes, 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 at all persons who are engaged in active and laborious callings: and then, by comparing these people with those who are always con¬ fined to their houses, to ■ hooks and sitting postures, and to trades- which prevent them from moving about, you will be ablq 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 horses- back for women, and exercise on foot for men, together with some attention to food and drink, this dreadful disease called dyspepsia or indigestion, which paralizes both body and mind, and makes exist¬ ence itself a burthen, together with the whole train of nervous diseases to which we are subject, may be cured completely without the aid of medicine, by laying down and following systematic rules of exercise, rest, and diet. All the quack medicines for cleansing the blood, which you perceive in the news-papers are mere impositions on the public. Such medir cines have their day, and then die off to make room for new cata¬ logues, without any benefit except enriching the impostors who invent them. The sure remedies for impure blood, and consequent erup¬ tions of the skin, are those which nature prescribes, and which sim¬ ply are, exercise, temperance, and cleanliness of person; if you Ill Will mind these things, yon need care nothing about eosm'etlcs and lotions, and such nonsense, which always sooner or later do imn>fense injury. We see daily and almost hourly, person^ who have been ac customed to exercise and labor in their youth, changing their former modes of life for those of ease, refinement, wealth, and idleness, &e. —and we very soon also see, that these persons immediately begin to sink into all the diseases which arise from corrupted habits of body, merely for want of their accustomed exercise and active habits; dis¬ eases 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 laboring under morbid eruptions of the skih, jaundice, nervous irritability, palsy, indigestion, consumptions, and heaven above knows what more diseases too tedions to name. In ali these' cases, let me urge upon you the vast and unspeakable importance of exercise, and regular diet, by which last I mean, neveT touching spirituous liquors of any kind. Follow the French rules in these ^respects, and you will enjoy all that sprightly vigor 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 eat¬ ing 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 cham¬ bers, In these respects, nearly all the rest of the world ought to take lessons from them. We all know very well that due exercise and rest, combined with light and temperate eating, and drinking, always produce cheerfulness and serenity ; and how do they do so?1 Why simply by preventing obstructions in the system; and by removing them whenever. they present themselves. You seldom find a French¬ man gloomy, oppressed in his feelings, despondent—No; and for these good reasons, he seldoms omits to be active in his movements; to take exercise and proper rest; and above all, he seldom eats heavily, and immediately lies down to,snore away ten or twelve hours, to the exclusion of exercise beneficial to health. We all know very well, that sluggardism or sedentary habits, and want of exercise in propor¬ tion to our strength, produces uneasy and bad sleep, costiveness of the bowels, a dry and feverish skin, and a thousand other things con¬ nected with obstructions; and we all know just as well that exercise duly taken, will always produce sound and easy sleep, that it has a 112 tendency tq open the bowels and to keep them, open and regular1, au& toremove all obstructions of the skin, of the lungs, of the liver, &.c. &c. to th" end of the chapter: and yot we will lie in bed, or sit about in a close warm room,- breathing an atmosphere sufficient to poison us, 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 freelv and to excite ail 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 re¬ novate the system, "tinder such circumstances as these, you will have no use fo^ mercurial purges, or any medicines save those of a simple and harmless character. Morning apd evening are the pro¬ per hours for taking exercise: rise early and walk from one to two miles; in the evening qlso devote an hour to exerqise in the open air. You may also use weights of from five to six pounds, which when ta¬ ken into the hands are to be thrown backward and forward so as to produce nn action in the chest; this exercise is properly adapted to persons of weak breasts, and particularly to females. I have frequept- ' ly seen persons so extremely weak in the chest, and so what we call short-winded, as to be unable to ascend the smallest hill without get¬ ting out of breath; and who by the use of these'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 always have those effects when judi¬ ciously taken, are to increase and regulate the secretions and excre¬ tions, by the skin, the kidneys, &c. &c.—to give power to the mus¬ cles ; 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 thinner and lighter. The other benefits resulting from exercise dre, good appetite, good and easy digestion, tranquility and serenity of mind and feelings, plea¬ sant and refreshing sleep, astonishing increase of strength and wind in breathing, &c.—I have seen a boy on the Mediterranean, his car¬ riage being filled with passengers, run by the side of his horses at considerable speed for ten and fifteen miles together, without being fatigued at the pnd of the journey, or being the least oppressed for want of breath. These boys subsisted on a few bunches of grapes, U3 and a small flask of wine, daily, both of which they carry suspended from their necks. The cheerful dispositions of these poor boys, and their great breath and strength, convinced me fully of the great bene¬ fits arising from diet and exercise. 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 racetrack: 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 consequences fh the cure of many diseases would be very great indeed, WARM OR TEPID BATH. Tt; is impossible to find language to express in adequate terms the' importance pf this powerful preserver and restorative of health—-this great and almost indescribable luxury the bath* Considering its importance to the preservation of health, and the curp of very many of our most afflicting diseases, I am truly astonished that the warm or tepid bath should be So little used in the western country. Warm baths are such as have a temperature between the 76th and 98th degrees of the thermometer;but, persons having no thermometer, indeed there is no need of one for regulating the temperature of the Water, have only to consult their own sensations in entering the pathing tub; because their own temperament.in contact with the wa¬ ter, will immediately 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 re¬ gard to the 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 pro¬ portion to the time we remain in the warm water. When persons have travelled a long journey, and feel much fa¬ tigued, or overheated by exposure tp the sun, or their minds are much disturbed, the bath will be found an excellent remedy for invigora- 15 114 Wig the whole system, and at the same time reducing the irregular and quiek action of the blood. Indeed I feel confident, thht in thou¬ sands of instances, if the bath were used in the first symptoms of ofthose irregular and feverish feelings which prey upon the mind and body, very many persons .would escape sick beds. During inv prac¬ tice in Virginia, I escaped the'fever prevalent in Botetourt bounty called the lick fever,, in several instances after having fell distinctly all the symptoms 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 dis¬ ease, 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 hypochondriacal, hysteric, and in insane cases—and in fact on persons laboring under madness, the benefi¬ cial 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 warm bathing as one of the most effectual remedies.^ Doctor Charleton of Bath in England states, that out of 996 paralytics, most of whom had resisted the powers of medicine, 813 were bene¬ fited by the application, of the warm bath at the hospital of that city. In a great variety of chronic or inveterate Complaints, such as billious diseases, derangements of the liver, and of the stomach and digestive functions, it is impossible to describe to you 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 effi¬ cient preventives and cures of disease which is in every man's reach. In using the bath with some system and regularity, you will ward off many hour's confinement by ill health; save the expense of many a Doctor's bill j-and prevent you from having a ruined constitu¬ tion, and a stomach wbra Out by swallowing medicines: for I do as¬ sert, without fear of contradiction but by the ninnyhammers of th* profession, that if the warm bath were more frequently used, with proper abstinance 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 bit required. In all ca¬ ses of debility from spasms-1—in pain—in eholio—in cramp—and in anxiety and restlessness, the bath will relieve and tranquilize the sys- Hfr tew. In hectie or consumptive fever, I have found lttif great benefit from fhe fact of its lessening the heat: and most particularly benefi¬ cial, when the liver was connected with this dreadful disease. In dys- pepsiaror indigestion, this terrible disease which makes life itself a burthen, the bath is a valuable assistant and comforter in the cure.—• Al| 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; becahse 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 fo be the anxious wish of many of the wealthy to have offspring, the remhrk or seasonable hint, that the bath is admirably adapted to the want of Increase of family, may be quite sufficient without descending to particulars. i The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Germans; as well as the Per¬ sians, 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 owe much of their- cheerfulness and vivacity of disposition to the warm l?ath; 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 ex- istence. The soft, delicate, and beautiful skins, for which the French females are so much celebrated, are very much owing to tepid bathing, being far preferable 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 perspiration py* sweating: some per¬ spire very much, and others very little: from some no offensive efflu¬ via arises in perspiring, whilst from the 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 dread¬ ful ; and to such persons as have a fetid perspiration, I do most cer¬ tainly know, that thefrequent use of the warm bath would be of im¬ mense service. It would not only prevent strangers becoming dis¬ gusted 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 uncleanness, 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 116 whicfy neither time nor circumstances can remove. Let me then, ttgabi'i and with every desire for your happiness, and every delicacy of sentiment I am master of, urge upon you the simple fact, that clean-4 liness is the very best of perfumes—'and that all those which are im¬ ported 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, and as I have pledged myself to do, to inform them plainly of whatever I know to their advantage; I have absolutely known many matches in wedlock, completely destroyed by the discovery of a want of cleanliness—and many "married persons rendefbd miserable and highly obnoxious to each other, by this lazy, indolent, and I will add this dirty trait of character: foritiswell known to all keen observers of mankind, that moral purity and cleanly- ess of person, are nearly always found combined. Every family, rich and poor, ought to have a bathing machine^ improperly called a tub. It is easy of construction 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, 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 furnished their mansions with splendid mirrors, Turkey carpets, sophas, 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 hav® a small room appropriated to bathing, in which the necessary appa¬ ratus can be found fitted up for use, their houses want one of the most necessary appendages of comfort and health: and that they ought to he charged with the responsibility, of many diseases which afflict their families, for want of this fotjntaim op health. The construction of public baths, has from the remotest ages be6n considered an object of national attention; and most sincerely and ardently do I desire, that Nashville, a city of public spirit, and cordial support of every l^jng useful; a city whose kind hospitality endears it to the warm 117 recollections of every stranger who visits thkt metropolis, may shortly construct a public Bath, whose beautiful structure will be admired as a public ornament, and its' utility fully established as the harbinger of health to its citizens, which may operate as an example in the introduc¬ tion of th'S luxury into the western country. The warm or tepid bath, should be used about twice or three times St Week in summer; in winter once a week is sufficient. It ought to be Uset} 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 statement of facts, the method of bath¬ ing practised by the hardy Russians. They have sweating or vapour baths which arC resorted to by persons of all classes, rich and, poor, free ef Expense, because these baths are supported and kept up by the government, Here mingle together the beggar, the artizan, the peas¬ ant, an4 the nobleman; to enjoy the luxuries of the steam or sweating hath, lit both sickness and health. The method pursued to produce the vapour bath, is simply by throwing water 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 Tboiling spirit of wine. In this tremendous and excessive heat, which on an American would produce suffocation, the Russian enjoys what to him is a .comfortable luxury of the vapour bath; Uhich shows clearly as I have before observed, the wonderful force of habit among mankind. In these bath houses are constructed benches^ on which they lie naked, and continue in a pro¬ fuse 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 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 rushing from the bath roem dissolved in sweat, and jumping 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 contrary 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 paralize the very face of nature. Rheumatisms are seldom known in Russia; which is cqrtainly owing to the habit of thus taking the vapour bath. 118 The great and sudden transition from heat to eold, seems to us very- dangerous and unnatural; but I have no doubt the Russians owe their longevity, their healthy and robust constitutions, their exemption from eertain 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 <4>this practice °f bathing should have fallen into such disuse among the modern nations of Europe 3 and that he most sincerely wishes it might again be revived in our towns and villages." 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 cannot avoid "being, astonished that they should ever have fallen into disuse, fr®xn the prejudices and negligence of mankind. COLD BATH. The cold bath is one of the most important medicinal remedies, presented from the friendly bosom of nature. The cold hath means cleansing or washing the body with cold water, of a temperature varying from the 33d to the 56th degree of Fahrenheit's thermometer, »r the usual warmth of our river water during the summer months j hut the entrance of spring-branches into the river should be avoided by persons bathing, "because it produces a sudden chaiige of tempera,* ture, from an agreeable warmth to a cold and chilling sensation. Bathing in cold water during the warm season, is a preventive against disease, particularly fevers, by lessening the heat of the body; it cleanses the skin from its impure and acrid contents, thereby remov¬ ing a primary source of disease: the bath braces the solids which wer$ before relaxed by heat, restoring and tranquilizing the irrita¬ bility of the nervous system, and greatly exhilirating 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 well with a coarse towel, the most pleasant glow •r increase of heat, with a delightful serenity and cheerfulness; but if the bath has been injurious, you will feel the contrary effect ta 119 that which I have described: and you must of course discontinue its use, and apply the tepid or warn} bath in its stead: the effects pro¬ duced by the cold bath when they prove injurious to the bather, ar® directly the contrary to those which I have before described—such as heaviness and depression of spirits-—respiration or breathing be- ftomes impeded--—livid or dark appearance of the skin—nails purpl.® —?the lips change their florid appearance to a pale or purple color— hnd the countenance assumes a cadaverous or ghastly color, accom¬ panied with headache. In such a ckse, the bather should immediate¬ ly take plentifully of warm toddy, made of spirits of any kind, or if a eramp in the stomach, which som.etiuies takes place from the cold bath, thirty or forty1 drops of laudanum for a grown person, with warm toddy, together with the application of warm salt to the sto¬ mach, will give immediate relief Moderate exercise should always be taken after bathing so as to restore the equilibrium of the circula¬ tion, Smd produce a reaction in the vessels and muscles. The mor-., ning is the best time for bathing; or two hours before sunset, if in a ■liver; as the water has then from the ,rays of a summer sun, acquired an agreeable warmth. When the siln has disappeared, or evening begins to throw her mists, Over the waters, it is imprudent to bathe owing to "the dampness of the atmosphere, which is apt tq produce a chifl followed by fever. r The rules fbjr bathing are, to enter the bath on an empty stomach; «r in other words, some time after eating: wet Ihe 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 timid- ly, by which you might produde dangerous consequences by propell¬ ing 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 who are weakly and in had health. It is improper and Unsafe to remain in the cold water 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:—alid should the cold bath he advisable in spring or autumn, which is sometimes the case, one or two minutes at most •7 ( > w will be sufficient; when the bath is necessary at these seasons, it will be advisable to use the shower 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 in¬ judicious use of this remedy, and many diseases brought to a fatal termination by its improper application, I shall therefore describe as plainly as possible the different effects produced in the different con¬ stitutions, and the diseases for which it is beneficial. On aged and thin persons, it adts more powerfully than on corpus lent 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 constitu¬ tion. The remark which I have before made should be attended to by persons of stout or corpulent habits, particularly those of short necks should always wet the head and enter the bath courageously, so as to prevent the determination of blood to the head: persons of sanguine temperament should be particular as to these instructions. Persons whose lungs are affected, or those laboring 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 oppressions of the breast, or difficulty of breathing, short or dry coughs, &c. the bathing in cold water is highly detrimental and im¬ proper—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 inflammations internal and external, the cold bath is dangerous, and frequently confirms disease which ultimately 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; particularly those whose systems have been relaxed by sedentary habits, requiring tonic or strengthening remedies. I have frequently in one or two dangerous cases used the cold bath with fe¬ males in an advanced stage of life; when nature was about to leave them, or in other words when a heavy flooding from the womb was about taking place. The application of cold water $ (and frequently ice,) has been re¬ sorted to in profuse discharges of blood from the womb, with consid¬ erable advantage; cold water being a powerful astringent. When In¬ firm or aged persons take the cold bath, they ought to take moderate 121 exercise before using if, so as 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 walk or ride. It would be highly dangerous to gb ip. the water when sweating, or laboring under fatigue; because your body, from fatigue, is losing heat rapidly by "sweat j but it Vbuld by this lose suddenly what re¬ mains of heat; and therefore you would counteract the benefits which would otherwise result from a judicious use of this valuable remedy if properly applied; therefore neither previous entire rest, norexercise to overheat, can possibly bp proper.^ But, go between these points moderately and you will receive- all the advantages the cold bath of this description is capable of bestowing on the human species. The conn bath is sometimes used as a shower bath with great success: it means the falling of the water from a height of seven of eight feet, in a shower similar to rain. The construction of this bath is very simple. Fix a box that will hold water, or a large tub will an¬ swer; bore the bottom full of holes made 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 under it stripped of your clothing—oy 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 i 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 water is always ready in the box, while you are pre¬ paring by stripping yourself, when, by pulling the string when you are ready, you will treceive he bath on your body. The shower bath produ¬ ces the best effects when used early in. the morning, after which you should take a moderate' 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 leaving the bath, rub well with a coarse towel. The advantages 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 uniformly, yet this circum¬ stance by no means detracts from the excellence of the former, be- 16 15W Cause those Inter mod iute parts which the water has not touched, re¬ ceive 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 ro¬ bust individuals is more extensive, and better adapted than any other method of bathing. I will now describe why this bath is better than the common inethod of bathing, together with its safety and advan¬ tages. In the first place, the sudden falling of the-water may be used as often as you like—prolonged pr shortened, at pleasure according to your feelings, your constitution, your disease, or your gratification. Second: your head and breast are much secured; and Vs it descends to your hands and feet, the circulation is not impeded, breathing is less dif¬ ficult, and a determination of blood to the head and breast is prevented. Third: when the water falls in this way by single drops, gliding is succession over the body, it produces the most thrilling and delight¬ ful sensations, stimulating the whole system. Its being always easily obtained and near at hand, gives it additional advantages, Lastly: the degree of pressure from the weight of water is prevented; nor is the bath dangerous—the fluids and circulation never being in¬ terrupted by it. Besides-—it is free from injuries to which bathing in rivers and creeks exposes us. In closing my directions and advanta¬ ges from the shower bath, I recommend the salt bath particularly, as one of the finest remedies in fits, in deafness, and for rickety children, or those afflicted with a disease called St Vitus' dance, 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 improve¬ ments and great discoveries in medical sClencp. .t •( FOOD. Food means any thing, which, when taken into the stomach, goes to the suppbrt and nourishment of the human body; and we all knou perfectly well, that all other animals, as well as man, require food t« give them support—health—-and strength. All animals below man, seem to be ponfined to particular kinds of food to support them; and this appears to be the reason, why naturally wild animals are con 123 lined to particular climates, unless under the calre of man: and, the simple truth, that man makes use of so many different lands 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 endeavor to explain this matter a iittle further, go as to be more easily under¬ stood. Fish cannot live out of the watdr; birds cannot live Out of the air; hdr can any mere land animal, such as the elephant—the lion—the horse or the cow, live in either the air or the water: ancl further still, on this same Subject, we see very plainly, that a sheep cannot eat meat, a wolf or a lion cannot ep,t grass &c. In fact yon' may look at all the animals in nature, and you wijl see as I said before, that alj below man, arc confined to the particular countries and places where they can find Foody and shelter from their enemies; and that to man qlone is given the whole surface.of the globe, beeause he can live everywhere on it, and easily find subsistence or food to support him. He can eat fish from the waters—he can eat birds from the air —he can eat the animals of the land—the herbs, and1 vegetables, and roots, and grains, of the fields and woods, &c. &c. I shall now endeavor to explain as plainly as possible, because every person is interested in knowing it, what physicians1 call the "process of digestionwhich means in other words, the changes which our food goes through when taken into tfie stomach ' First, the food being masticated or chewed, and mixed in the mouth with the spittle called the saliva and air, is nCxt'received into the stomach, where it is exposed to the action of a kind of liquid called by physi¬ cians gastric fluid, which is a powerful solvent of animal and vegetable 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 suck¬ ed up by a numerous quantity of little vessels called medically absorbent lactdals. These little vessels are in the intesti- nal canal, and all the food as it passes is subject to the influence of the mouths of these little vessels, which suck up this milky fluid call¬ ed chyle. These little vessels have many eottimunications; so many that it is impossible to trace them—being formed with such delicacy of structure, and s6 very small: after many communications with each 124 othejq, 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 words, large blood yessels. It is then circulated 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 itself bloody this being the great fountain from which the body is formed and strengthened. Food, then, we see very plainly, is intended to support nature—pro¬ mote the growth—and to give strength—and to renew thb waste of the system. The structure of man's body; his inclinations; his in-, stincts i 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 kingdoms. But of vegetable and animal food, animal is the most nourishing. It is putrescent and sti¬ mulating, 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 insta nce, it gave vigor 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 sailors are much subject to it on long voyages when deprived of vegetables. A German received a premium of twenty thousand pounds sterling, for introducing sour Tcrout or pickled cabbage into the British navy This vegetable is an antidote or preventive against this dreadful dis¬ ease called scurvy, which for a length of time destroyed thousands of seamen on long voayges, who were compelled to subsist on Salt pro¬ visions. All acids are considered good in scurvy, A diet of vegeta¬ bles entirely is not sufficient to raise the human system to all the strength and vigor of which it is susceptible: and when used alone without any meat produces flatulence and acidity of the stomach, muscular and nervous debility, and a long train of hysterical and hy¬ pochondriacal 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 ac¬ counts in part for the cheerful disposition of the French, whose vegetable 125 and animal food are generally mixed, and boiled to the softest consis¬ tency. A mixed diet of vegetable and animal food is therefore best suited to the nature of man. The proportion of these, must be regula¬ ted 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 weak and nervous may use more animal food. In all inflammatory and acute diseases, where inflammatory action exists, meat is hurtful. Meats- which I shall hereafter describe are beneficial, more so than vegetables, for persons who are subject to in¬ digestion? particularly wild meats such -as venison^ or any wild game such as birds whose flesh is white—the partridge, quail, phea¬ sant, wild turkey, &6; the flesh of these'is of a most agreebleand delicate flavor, little heating, and When .young, very nourishing and easily digested. In fact, all wild animals are more easily digested than tame ones, with the exception of water fowl, and such as live on fish &.c. whose flesh is oily, strong flavoured, but heavy and difficult to digest, &-C. By the abuses of cookery, by which 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 considerd as one of the greatest delicacies, and frequently sells at a guinea a dish. The hinder legs alone are made use of in France, and other 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 hook with a piece of red flannel or silk, at which the frogs will bite like fish, and are thus as easily caught. I have merely mentioned this, not by way of recommending 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 considered as one of the delicacies of Ten¬ nessee, than any thing else we 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 most easily digested: mutton ox- lamb, next to the flesh of the kid, is superior to any known. Veal is delicate, and better than beef as to digestion; but neither can be good for persons of weak digestion. I have mentioned venison as being 126 very easy on the stomach; indeed it is so very easy Of digestion, that f think dyspepsia itself might be cured by it, when accompanied by the exercise of hunting the animal which affords iff fork is a food which is too much used in Tennessee, by persons of delicate and feeble constitutions. There is more pork meat used in East Tennes¬ see than in any part of the United States of the same population; and it is to this voracious habit of gormandizing pqrk at every meal, we are to attribute the many serious forms of congestive fever which pre¬ vail here, tp say nothing about scrofula, palsy, apoplexy, indigestion, and so on. Pork is a food highly nutritious, hut from the fat with which it abounds, by -no means easily digested,. It; is jh feet the strongest of all animal food, producing to weak and delicate sto¬ machs, acidity,and unpleasant belching or eructations; »and therefore should be cautiously used by persons laboring under dyspeptic symp¬ toms or indigestion; and those whose bowels are weak., Pork can be alone adapted to men who labor hard, because it requires activity and great exercise to digest it. Bacon as a coarse heavy food, and also difficult of digestion; and like pork, only fitting food for persons who have to labor hard. Ifem is also a heavy arid strong food, and should be carefully avoided by all persons of w'eak stomachs, even when it is cured in the very best manner. The young pig is more whole¬ some, and affords a much more delicate and light food than the old animal. The rabbit and squirrel afford an excellent dish, easily di¬ gested, and admirably suited to the stomachs of those who are deli¬ cate and yet require animal food. But the fact is, all persons who have an impure state of the blood, those wTho have sores, or wounds, or breakings out op the skin, should by all means refrain from the use of all animal food, and particularly from pokx. Fish, as a diet, is difficult of digestion; it is of all animal substances, the most putres- eihle, and ought not to be allowed to weak patients, or persons re¬ covering from acute diseases—and the reason why dj speptic 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 disa¬ grees with many coristitutions—producing flatulence or wind—sick¬ ness and weight at the stomach-—and sometimes vomiting: and I have frequently known it to produce a general disorder of the whole sys¬ tem, accompanied with short but regular paroxysms of fever, and sometimes a breaking out on the body resembling the nettle rash.— ,Tt is a very common saying, in allusion to the use of spirits, ffftei 127 eating plentifully offish, that it requires something t© swim in^ this shows that it is a dangerous diet to more than sickly, delicate, and dyspeptic persons. Fish^iich abound iii oil, called the red-blooded fish, are more stimulant and nutritive thari any others; but mucfy heavier and more apt to disagree with the stomachs of weakly per¬ sons than any other:—'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 a poison, by the pampering 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 owp. The French use all the innocent herbs and plants of the gar¬ den, while the English and Americans, season their food with highly .stimulating spices, calculated to destroy the coats of the stomach.— During my residence in France, 1 recollect but 1 wo cases of dyspep¬ sia or indigestion. This iscertainly owing to the manner in which the French live. The qualities and quantities of our food, with the manner of cooking it, should he strictly attended to; and by so doing we would escape some of the most dreadful diseases incidental to hu¬ man life. The hiord simply ,we cook and dress our food, the less of it tlie stomheh requires to be satisfied; for by stimulating the sto¬ mach w ith high seasonings, we produce an artificial appetite, and rouse it to the requisition of more food than the system requires; and by o- verloading and oppressing its powrnrs, weaken and finally destroy them. To enjoy good health, we ought always to leave the table with some appetite; hor ought We ever to partake of any dish, however palatable, which we know from 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, icecreams, floating islands, sometimes called, and i very properly, trifi.es, &fc, Sfc. See. are just so rrriny pdisorts calcula¬ ted to destroy the stomach, and entail upon the dyspeptic a life of misery and disease.. Jn the weslern country I have witnessed, espe¬ cially among females, that the disease called dv«pepsia or indiges¬ tion prevails very much. I would therefore particularly urge upon them, as they value their health apd liver, to avoid all this farrago of fashionable desserts; 'for by so doing, and bring temperately and abstemiously, they will establish firm constitutions, which will he entailed on 1h ir off pring, extend to thrpe-e'ves thni icsimahJ'' 1&8 blessings of health, and enable them to reach the winter of a good old age. 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 particularly the following appearances and indications: the state of the pulse—the skin—the color of the face—the change of feature—the eyes—the tongue—'the breathing —the appetite—the state of the stomach and bowels. There is gen¬ erally great thirst, and pain in the head—soreness all oyer the body, as if beat with a sticky 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 Jo . the cause of fever: and to this day, I must honestly confess, that phy¬ sicians are much in the dark as to this subject. Doctor Brown, a distinguished physician of Europe, thought it arose from a want ol stimulant in the blood vessels—or an excess of it. Doctor Rush, our distinguished countryman, thought there was in fever but one disease; morbid or convulsive action- in the blood vessels. Doctor Chapman, professor in the University of Philadelphia, thinks that most diseases, originate from the stomach. My experience in practice 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 medi¬ cal remedies by which the disease is to be subdued; consequently there is great sympathy between the stomach and the whole system —and many cases, supposed to be liver diseases, on a minute exa¬ mination, 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 particularly, pay attention to the stomach first, and you will discover the primary cause of the disease: I will therefore describe plainly and faithfully, the symptoms of such fevers as are 1& common amongst us, so that with a little care and common jtlgdmenfj the reader will be enabled to discover by the symptoms, the causes' of such fevers as prevail amongst us: nor do I consider that these fin© 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 remedies properly; and to do these things as they ought to be done, let your judgment be exercisr ed with clearness, caution, and firmness; and to give you firmness, be conscious that you are endeavoring 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 effefcts of the remedies. The fact is; that a' man of good common sense and judgment, who will take his station at the bed-side of the patient—be minute in his enquiries as to the habits of that patient—-know when and how he was 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' prescribe 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 the patient enables him or her to answer; and after awaiting 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 first taken sick? What has been your general health? Or if the patient be a female; have you been regular in your monthly periods? Is tnere 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 bowels ? These are importan t matters, and require candid statements from the sick. By thus minute¬ ly enquiring into the state of the system, you strike at the root of the disease, and get on the right track; for thousands have been killed by physicians, for want of this accurate knowledge, or mistaking the disease.—There are many other circumstances which should be 17 13d known; and, whichtyaur good judgment will not fail to point out to your: and £ need opt add, that the necessary information should he obtained from pome experienced person of the,family, if1 the patient should 0 delirium, or too young, oh too -sensatively delicate to give it. Trowwhat I have before observed, that fever shows itself in so many various forms, y pit will kea at once thd necessity of know¬ ing the true causes^ If possible, which assisted in producing the iIv^r. Let me, therefore, implore ybu not to bp alarmed in adj iufoler'ng medicine in fevers^or in fact in any other diseases phere good and sound judgment is required, you need not Fear, if you trill hut pa} good attention, and have d onfidenee in yourself; I allude td such diseases as ate cqtr^non amongst ^us, because there are,case$ which require a rcrye^ttlientphysicianfbnd under such circumstances, tjte head? of families need not be told the absolute necessity Of having such a One. To give an evidence of the insufficiency of there theories* with which boys ctmcfrom colleges* I will take the liberty of stating an occurrence of early life, which transpired with myself—iq the practice of medicine. In the state of Virginia, my -first patient was an ,pld gentleman of distinction, Col. Willis. His unbounded eohfic dence in me, when taken sick, induced him to employ me in prefer- •uroc to his old physicians. The CoL was ,a jhan of full plethoric habit, and had been taken with violent bilious fever. I bled him t copiouslly; puked and purged him, with small doses pf emetic tarter ^ to determine to the surface, or in other words to produce a moisture On flig&kin, and thereby lessen the fever. But all my remedies were uns pssful; for the truth was I did not know his constitution—-or habit; find to describe to you piy feelings on this occasion would be impossible—and here vanished all my theories, for want of a little sound judgment and practical knowledge. To "the iikfbrmation given pie, however, by a Faithful servant who had attended on him more than "thirty years; I was indebted for his ^recovery. He slated that while he was in Philadelphia with jhis master, he had had a similar attack, and w as attended by Doct. Rqsh: that the Doct. 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 foam honest Bob, whose information had destroyed nil my* college theories, and taught me to scrutinize the constitution a nd hal its: for ih little more than fifteen minuted after I had given Idtfi «opie warm toddy, he. broke ©ut onto a fine sweat, and soon 101 entirely recovered, I afterwards related the anecdote to tlie Cel. himself, who, after laughing heartily at the jokjS, assured pie fept. Boh was certainly right. J shall close these general remarks on Fever, by giving you the key to medicine, or thd art of distinguishing the true state of the system, without yhich it would be impossible fe administer medicine with cei|itaint^ of success. THE PULSE. This is indeed the key of medicine j for without authentic and on information on the subject of the bulse^ it is impossible i *r fi> proceed tp administer medicine to the sick with any cert i,tSr nf success. But I shall describe it to you so plpjnly, and in words of such common use, that any person of cpmrrfon sense can understand this great secret of medicine, in the art pf judging disease, The meaning of the pulse, is the beating or throbbing of an artery; there being no "pulse whatever in the veins. The meaning of aa sr* tery is a large blood-vessel, branching out into smaller ones, which carry the blood from ihe 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 I',efqroT the arteries throb or heat, and the veins do not. By pressing your middle finger hard on the yein, you, will feel the artery heat under it distinctly. Every time the heart beats, it throws aL column of blood into the arteries; then again the heart contracts or draws upT apd a fresh portion of blood is forced .pn into the arteries. ^Reflect fey a moment op this wonderful machine the heart; it gocs^ with greater regularity than any watch, and at the rUtp pf about four tkc»wanfi oqc hundred and fifty strpkes every hour. The swelling ami contr^yUng of the artery, thpn, constitute what I mpan by the pups w; ami feprefeye you may find the pulse in any part of the body whpre th-rjuyferv runs near ejpough to the suVface: for instance, at the tpjn,T file—bend t>f the arm—uncfer the lower end of the thigh—;under the lower jaw—and on the top of the instep of the foot. In different per pons, although"^ perfect, health, you will jfimd the pulse differ vcrv 132 much: the usual standard of health, however, is from 75 to 80 strokes' in a minute. In children it is much quicker; and in old persons it is more slow and weak. Owing to the decreasing energy of the heart (as you advance in age, it becomes less and less capable of pro¬ pelling the blood through the arteries, which occasions the medical term debility, meaning weakness. By running, riding, walking, jumping, eating, drinking, speaking, joy, anger, &c. you increase the pulse: and in like manner you diminish \he 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 mo¬ mentary 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 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 irregular 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 resistence. 3d. The soft and intermitting pulses, give their own meaning by name, and are very easily distinguished from each other; as incases of great weakness, languor 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 pulsations but very weak and irregular, may be considered as proving a highly dan¬ gerous state of the system: you will know this pulse by its being ac¬ companied with heavy and deep sighs, difficulty of breathing, and a dead and heavy languor of the eye. By being attentive 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 93 their different stages. This disease generally makes its visit in the fall season of the year; and those who live on the rivers or low lands, are more than others subject to its ravages. There are three stages of this disease, which are in substance the same thing, differing in snly the intermis¬ sion or length of time in which they make their attacks. The fir^t—is that which conies on every twenty-four hours:—this is called by Doctors, quotidian. The second—is that which comes on every forty hours: this is called tartain. 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 remedies 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 t—on the contrary, if mild and gentle, remedies less active and powerful will answer. 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 afcout ten or fifteen minutes, according 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 desire that the covering be removed that you may feel the cool air. Your faqe is red, your skin dry, your pulse becomes regular, hard and full. In severe attacks, where the blood determines to the head, I have frequently known delirium for a time. In the commencement 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 becomes free and full, desire to 134 make water, which deposits 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 greht weak¬ ness and extreme prostration of strength. REMEDIES. In the cold stage, take warm teas- of any kind, provided 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 impeding the circulation of the blood, the she ke will be much shortened by it; but you, must not omit-to loosen these bandages gradually, as the shake is going ofifi 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 haentioned above, on feeling the commencement of the chill; and as soon as the hot stage approaches, continuing to drink the warm tea plentifully, witli a little acid of any kind in it. If during this hot stage, the fever runs very high with considerable pain in the head, the loss of some blood would be proper^ The object being, however, to bring on as early as possible thesweating stage, put into a pint ef the tea or warm water, from four to five grains of tarter emetic, and give two or three spoon-fulls 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 tarter 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 purgatives; it will then be proper to give the dog-wood 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 extracted, and the water then given cold to the patient, and in such quantities as the stomach will bear. This disease is sometimes sua 1JJ& ceeded by a low, lingering, and constant fever; this must always be removed, before the extract of the different kinds of baric just mentioned is given; nor Ought it ever to bp given in any paroxysm of fever, how ever slight—becau se in such cases it invariably does ma¬ terial injury. From causes depending pn the constitution at the time of taking this disease, it is Sometimes, extremely difficult to cure; and persons who havf had it, more than twelve months, have placed them¬ selves under my* pare. In these cases, when the" various remedies above noticed have failed, I have used, with g^cat success the cold salt bath, as directed under the head of cold bathing. When, a bathing machine cdnnot be had, a strong brine poured over the naked body in the morning when rising, is the best expedient that can be used; nlway^ taking care to wipe the body perfectly dry with a coarse towel: ' after Which jt might be well to return again to bed for art hour, before taking the morning meal1,' immediately before which, any common bitter such as tansy in spirits may be taken. When the disease is of long continuance, elixir vitriol ip a good remedy, and may be given in doges of eight or ten drops, in a wine or Stem glass of cold waterj during the days on which the cold bath is used. I do not think it necessary to take the tdrks, as before described, when an ague-cake or hardness, tended bf 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 *ciihe in the side, and take care two or three times a day to rub the place well with a doarse Woollen cloth or a flesh-brOsh. This is called friction by physicians and friction will be the more properly kept up by wearing flannel next the skin. It will be proper here to state, that in Some cases where the dog¬ wood hark, thp wild cherry tree bark, pnd the swamp-poplar bark, prepared as I have mentioned, disagree with the stomach, which is sometimes the case from long sickness, thej tea or decoction may be rubbed on the skin of children dr 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 fee kinds of barks men!ioned, which can easily be done, and cause it to he worn next the body; Doth these modes of operating by the skin, have been 'known to produce fine tonic or strengthening effects, in cases of obstinate and- long standing, T shall now conclude tluws ■ remiAx, by giving the m?fe.*d of treat-. 136 ing this disease by the Spaniards in the island of Cuba. I there wi* nessed its unbounded success: and in no instance in which the reme¬ dy was 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 doses to be taken just before the shake is expected to come on, and must be drank warm, 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 pow- , erful and efficient remedy. It is noticed in Doctor Pouqueville's tra¬ vels in the Morea, as follows:—" 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. Tha pro¬ portions 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 andfasting 1"—I quote from" memory, but with a perfect assu¬ rance 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 physi¬ cians—which is as follows. As soon as the chill lias somewhat sub¬ sided, take a good dose of calomel—see the table. Next—when the fever goes off, and you cpmmence 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-spoon-full of Epsom or other salts, and takeninwater as you would take common salts. Take this dose every two hours, until you take jive 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 harlc 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 harlc, as before di¬ rected. Bilious fever, is nothing more nor less than the Ague and Fever just before described, under something of a different modification or 137 character:—that is to say, in Ague and" Fever there is tit 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 difference that' does exist between them in the outset, consists 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 yellow¬ ish hue; there is likewise great pain in the hehd,; the tongue changes from white to brown, as the fever increases; the eyes acquire a fiery color and expression, and the whites have a yellow tinge; the light becomes painful to the patient, and he requires the room to be dark¬ ened; his bowels are very costive, and his urine highly colored:, by these symptoms, any man of common sense may be enabled tb distinguish 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 attackI 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 stomach—taking care to make its operation fully effective, by giving warm camomile tea. When the fever comes on, bleed f reely, 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 person, twenty grains, of calomel and twenty of jalap; and if this is not sufficient, repeat the dose with thirty grains of calomel, and work it off if necessary with castor oil—salts—or senna and mannat 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 perhaps for weeks, and at length lose him. The administration of small doses of calcir Kiel, say of eight or ten grains, has been productive of all the injury ias &at Has disgraced the profession i'especting the use of calomel, for Several vears past. A large dose always carries itself off; whilst a Small one remains in the system, and frequently does much mischief? if neglected to he carried off by castor oil, or some laxative medicine; therefore let me urge you, as you value the recovery and life of your patient, to give active and powerful purgatives of calomel. The only danger in this disease, aiises from giving tonic or strengthening med¬ icines, before the stomach and bowels are completely cleansed by an evacuation of their contents. If the fever should still continue., not¬ withstanding the administration of the foregoing, medicines, my plan is to follow Dr Rush's famous prescription, often grains bf calomel and ten of jalap; the frequency of which prescription with the Doc¬ tor, 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 o the surface—-in other words, that a moisture or sweat should take place on the skin, for the purpose ef breaking the fever: there¬ fore the nitrous powders should he given. The directions for mak¬ ing them are: to sixty grains of salt petre, add sixteen grains of cal¬ omel, and one grain of emetic tartat. Mix them "well together by pounding them very fine; divide them next into eight powders; 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,mixed in equal quantities, and a tea-spoonful given occasionally, or every hour, will have the same effect; for antimonial wine is no¬ thing 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, repeated every two or three hours, is also a good remedy to produce sweating. In this disease you will sometimes have an ob¬ stinate, severe and tedious case; in which 3roq will find that the most active purgatives will not answer your wishes and expectations. Here the warm bath combined, will be found excellent, in relaxing the system and taking off the strictures of the vessels: and when you make use of the hath, he particular in making it of a temperature pleasant to 139 the patient. Always follow the bath with injections or glystm, made of warm soap-suds; or molasses afrd water, pleasantly warn} 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 w ater, 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 benefit in relieving the violence 6f the pain On the decline of this fever, night siceats sometimes occur t in, these cases use elixir vitriol, and gentle exercise in the openair. In Bilious fevers, a want of sleep and watchfulness often occur : the warm bath and a pillow 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 fq\rer evi&ts, a doSe of laudanum may be administered. The misfor¬ tune 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 necessary for promoting a speedy recoveryand it may be important here to remark, that whenever laudanum or opium is , given, the person must he 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 cataplasm of mustard seed, or a large blister, will infallibly relieve the irritation, and quiet the stomach, I have now taken a Comprehensive view of this disease, and given plainly and simply the remedies, and shall closO with the following remarks. If the calomel taken in this fever salivates, you should not be alarmed or uneasy, but consider it a source from which you have derived safely to your patient; for when Bilious fever is dangerous, the sooner salivation takes place, after the stomach and bowels have been thoroughly 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 a] together-on care and good nursing. After good pur¬ ging, without salivation, I have found good nursing and kinclatten-. 1 Ion the best and most salutary medicine. Cooling drinks, slightly u» acid, will be proper: and when the /ever is subdued, eold 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. This fever carries in its title or name, its true character; because it affects the whole nervous system, and produces a tremulous motioa of the body and limbs: the system seems to he 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 temples and neck throb and beat with considerable action.. The sleep is very much disturbed and unrefreshing; the countenance sinks or seems to change from its natural expression of feature, to a ghastly appearance; the tongue becomes dry. and frequently trembles, When put out, and with the teeth and gums, soon becomes covered with a dark buff-colored 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 disgusting, the stom¬ ach being generally much debilitated and weak; the difficulty of breathing becomes very considerable, and sometimes the hands arc glowing with heat, whilst the forehead is covered with sweat. The symptoms, considered very dangerous are, a constant inclination te throw off the cover; a changing of the voice from its usual tone; great vigilance or watchfulness; picking at the bed-clothing; inability to hold or retain the urine; involuntary discharges from the bowels; hiccuping; a muttering as if speaking to one's self; a wild and fixed look, as if the eyes were rivetted on some particular object; if these latter symptoms occur, there is little to expect but that the case wilt terminate fatally. This fever originates from putrid animal and vegetable matter mix* ing with the air or 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 apy thing else that tends to weaken the system 141 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 oome on so slowly and gradually as to produce no alarm. ♦ REMEDIES. The lANCEt, or in other Words bleeding, in this disease is certain- death j no inducement whatever could prevail on me to bleed in Ner¬ vous 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 doctrine as dangerous to the last degree; the fact is that in nine¬ teen 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 as the first cause, and th© 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 Ipecac¬ uanha—see table for the dose; which mix with warm water until it is -dissolved, say in six or eight table-spoonsfull. Next give a table spoonfull every ten minutes, until copious vomiting is produced, en¬ couraging the puking after it has commenced, \ by drinking freely of warm Camomile tea, or warm water—the object being to cleanse the stomach. Then attend to the bowels with laxative medicines, such as rhubarb, cream-tartar, Epsorrt salts, &c. so as to free or throw off the contents of the bowels, which when in a costive state, increase irri¬ gation 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 or weakness. The object is merely to keep the bowels gently open, say by one or two stools a day, which will be quite sufficient. I always give glysters made of thin gruel of q,orn 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 tho system; and requiring moderate 142 tonics, or kimufous and strengthening medicines. The danger of this fever, is in proportion, to the weakness which attends it; and therefore you will easily see the importance of early supporting the system 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 stiU explain it further, 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^mdde palatable to the patient, which must be given regularly, and varied as to quantity, ac¬ cording to what the case may seem to require. If they increase the pulse, considerably, so as to occasion restlessness, a difficulty and oppression of breathing, 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 relief—you are to continue the use of stimulants sufficiently to support and strengthen your patient, adding at the same time gene¬ rous diet, and a pill of opium at night to prochre rest: see table for dose. Blisters applied 1i the extremities, or cataplasms made of mustard and strong vinegar, will be highly necessary in a sinking statoof the system. If the head is affected by 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 sometimes does, it must be stopped by laudinum or opium, given in small but frequent doses,increasing or diminishing them as necessity may require: for jf" 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 syrrup; 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 to beat 143 the doses. The extract is a powerful tonic or stimulant, and may sometimes be difficult to te obtained: 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-wood bark, or even without it: and I recommend it in preference to any remedy. The form of administering it is in He* coctionox as a tincture-*--that is mitcd with spirit of some kind. This Toot is perfectly harmless, except when high intk'niatory action existsj that is to say, considerable fever. In the Secondary ■stage of fbveV, where the skin has been obstinately dry, I have used tips little root with unbounded success, not only in this particular disease, but in all fevers; and also where thO symptoms indicated rapid prostration and death. Encouraged- by my success in its use, I earnestly recommend that if be adopted in fevers generally, and particularly in those I have-described. The salt bath, madb as- directed under the head of bathing, similar to sea water, is as valuable a remedy as can possibly bh used, in that state of the system when from fever, the heat of the body requires lessening: or if you would prefer it, you may sponge the body well with cold water 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 sensations; 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 fre¬ quently marked with extreme weakness of the stomach, called by physicians debility, in this case common yeast will be highly benefi¬ cial, administered every three or four hours—say two table-spoonsfull: and if the stools are very offensive, you may add a tea-spoonfull of' common charcoal to the yeast. By this the offensive state of the bowels will soon be corrected; and to insure the perfect knowledge of the reader on this subject, I will remark, that if the yeast and charcoal produce good effects, the pulse will rise ami become slower and fuller, and the burning heat of the skin will subside. Under these circum¬ stances, the remedy should be cdntinued. I shall now finish my remarks on Nervous fever, which havq. been extended to a greater length than was at first intended, in /onseqiience of the recollection that it is a very common malady in Tennessee. Doctor Currie,-and many other eminent prac.iti.mois of tuedicine, have given the betns w ho are Subject to this sudden alid dangerous disease, sho'dd be cautious as to what kind of food they indulge in; and should be very particular in avoiding the causes ivhich produce it; because by imprudence, the disease may return with double Violence and danger. The rapidity with which uholera morbus proceeds, requires the remedies to be promptly applied; for the disease is generally ^perking highly dangerous, and soon terminates the life of the sufferer, unless relief is speedily obtained. A few hour's suffering, in severe caf es, weakens the patient surprisingly; and therefore ycu will easily ScC the great importance of nourishment, of a light stimulating, and strength¬ ening kind being given. Besides attention to nourishing d\et, 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 vit¬ riol, ten drops three times a day, in a tea made of blaok snake-root, or Virgiriia snake-root; beside? all which, flannel ought to be put on next the skin of the patient. But, in concluding my remarks on the treatment of this complaint, I mus^urge the particular necessity of the warm bath and Clysters, as almost certain means of relief, if properly and timely administered. —^O^- This painful and excruciating disease, in which the poor sufferer drags out a miserable and wretched existence, is 'quite frequent throughout the western country*—and particularly in East Tennessee. I shall communicate respecting this disease, in which I have had much experience, such remedies as will if properly managed, suc¬ ceed in entirely removing it from the system, unless anchylosis of the joint has formed; for an puch a case nothing ean 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. Embracing the general mode of treatment as used by physicians, and 14¥ the method I have invariably followed with unbounded success in Virginia and Tennessee, hundreds are now living in both states who can attest or prove^ that they have been entirely cured of this disease by me, of mmv years standing, efter they had become entirely help- tand unable to walk or ?novc without assistance. There are two diseases, or rather two different stages of this disease: one of which is called AMMAMMAgoRY and the Other chromic ; the first is accom¬ panied with fever—and the other, the last, is nearly or quite without fever^ and of long standing. Rheumatism is brought on by exposure to the cold and wef; 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 tailing 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 mercuriaeis, which means Rheumatism produced by the improper use of •mercury; that is by permitting the mercury to remain in the system, without giving 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 wery fine like flour; it is the true and certain an¬ tidote against mercury; as you will find explained under the head Sulphureous Fumigation—of a sweat produced by the us© 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: Ijcre 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 distinguished by the pu^e, the feelings of the sufferer, and lastly by suffering the blood to cool. If the. blood, when cool, has on its surface a huffy coat of a yellowish hue, it denotes a highly inflammatory state of the system; but, in bleeding, you must take care not to go $o far as to produce de¬ bility: and, therefore, after the first bleeding, which must be regula¬ ted entirely by the violence of the attack, it will be proper to give an active purge of calomel and jalap, twenty grains of each, mixed well together, and afterwards with any kind of sj rap. 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 6f ten grains of calomel and ten of jalap, miked well and given as before directed. This will produce purging, and a copious perspiration or sweat. You will find notv, that by moderate purging, so as not to debilitate or Weaken the patient, the complaint will "begin to subside, or perhaps entirely CeaSe. These mild purges must be of Epsom salts, glauher salts, sen¬ na and mmma, 0l" 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, ant) the skin red, swelled and in¬ flamed, of the liver and 155 towels, that in many cases it deceives the most experienced snd intelligent physicians. This complaint* like the gout, may be said to be no respecter of persons: from the prince to the beggar, yoju can see misery inflicted, without discrimination of persons or ranks, by thisr od can be taken, without pro¬ ducing any pain and uneasiness, you may gradually increase it ac¬ cording to your feelings. Begin with one ounce of animal- food, ani gradually increase the quantity, but with great caution, After a while you may venture on simple food, so that by degrees your sb>, mach may acquire some strength and firmness, which it will now do beyond your most sanguine expectations; but you must always re¬ member, to eat just such a quantity as will produce no uneasiness or languor after eating; no unhappy feelings of body or mind during di¬ gestion. It is quite unnecessary for ma to enumerate all the kinds of food which it will be improper for yon to eat; I have already explain¬ ed to you, that the most simple food is the best. Milk and rye-mush is ail 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 ail; stale bread and biscuit, the older the better, hut without any butter, are very good in this complaint. Ilow often have I been asked by my dyspeptic patients this question: Is it impossible to cure Indigestion w ilhout resorting to low and very abstemious diet? I have always said it is impossible—and I now repoat it, for the ten thousandth time; and those who think otherwise Will fuel, if they act up to their 161) opinions, that after spending their mono), and making apothecary <;ho;,fl of their bodies, thnt ail the medical remedies in the world, with¬ out wry temperate and abstemious living, are jnot worth one cent ! Always have patience j there must be time for every thing, and par¬ ticularly for the cure of Indigestion. Reflect on the length of time, and the great variety of causes, which produce this disease, and j og will soon see that it cannot be cured in a few 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 sys¬ tem, 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 La very small quantities. But in respect to drink I am perfectly convinced that water alone is the best drink for persons afflicted with this disease of tlie stomach. After a complete change has taken place m the system, by a lowT, regular, and very abstemious dietjfb/ some months—the patient will find, if it should agree with his stomach, which his own feelings will soon tell hirp, immense benefit from taking a mixture, compounded of equal quantities of the root of the poplar, the bark of the wild cherry tree, and the bark from the root of the dog-wood, with a small portion of black-snakeroot, made into bitters with old whiskey or very old rum This bitters must stand four or five days fcelbre being taken; and then given in small doses, diluted with water; three times in eaoh day—-but if it occasions any unpleasantness of feeling or sensation? in the stomach or head, it must be immediately discontinued. Tonics or strengthening medicines arc never to be given in the fever stages of Indigestion, or while the ^lightest irritation exists, Or the consequence will probably be, an inflammation which will terminate fatally. The marm or tepid bath should be frequently used in this complaint, taking particular care to rub over thd 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 tin' head Warm Bath. Injections or clysters of simple milk and water, iuke-warm, or of warm water with a tuble-spoonful of hog's lard mixed with it, thrown up into the bowels, Occasionally, will be of much service in this disease: because they will remove any irritable mattcf wh^rh may; remain in the-lower intestines, thereby lessening one of 161 'Of the greatest enemies you have to contend with, which is morbid irritability, For clysters—look under" that head. Clysters, con¬ stantly 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 afflicted sufferer. In this disease, the acid or sour belchings 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 mentioned, is also well adapted to removing this unpleasant and irri¬ table 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 Dyspepsia or Indigestion—together with an account of t)ie most approved remedies for its removal. Consumption spreads its ravages in the haunts of gaiety, fashion, and folly—but in the more humble walks of life where the busy hum of laborious industry is heard, it is seldom known. In the last stage of this dismal waste of life, although there are many means of allevia¬ ting, in some degree, its miseries, there is neither remedy nor cure for this disease—and yet so flattering is consumption, even when very far advanced, that the unfortunate victim frequently anticipates a speedy recovery, 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 threshhold of the tomb, and his body sink to everlasting rest f thousands are yearly falling in the Spring-time of life by the untimely stroke of this most fatal of diseases, and although medical men have for ages been endeavoring to put a stop to its ravages. I asseit 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 tvise and beneficent Crk \tor has placed within the reach of his feeble creature 1(52 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 wfeh it to be distinctly understood, with respect to what I have said of this disease, that I mean Consumption alone, and entirely uncon¬ nected with any other complaint. The cure of Consumption should always be attempted in its forming stale, before it produces active symptoms of cough, or matter from the lungs, or inflammatory or hec¬ tic fever, 1 have often seen this fatal complaint cured by attention to it, in the first symptoms, but how often are they permitted to steal gradually oh* creating no alarm or uneasiness, mistaking it for a sim¬ ple cold, until it makes considerable progress, and the complaint be¬ comes permanently seated in the system. Consumption can easily be distinguished from any other disease by the following symptoms, the patient complains 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 feeling 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 spitting becomes more copious and frequent, and sometimes streaked with blood, of a tough, opaque or dark substance, solid and of a yellow or green color, having 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 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 symp¬ toms occur: a pain in the chest, and in the side., which is increased by exerting the voice by long or loud talking; pulse is quick and hard, generally from one hundred to one hundred and fifteen strokes in a minute; the urine or water is highly colored, pnd deposits in the uri¬ nal or pot a muddy sediment; the palms of the hands, and the soles of the feet have a dryness and burning sensation; the cheek, and fre¬ quently 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 symptoms again return, accompanied frequently by a shivering or cold sensation, continuing until after midnight, then terminating in a profuse perspi- 163 ration or sweat occasioning great prostration or weakness. In tkfe last stage of Consumption, the whole countenance assumes a ghastly cadaverous look, the whiter part of the eyes have a pearly and uqnar tural appearance, while the eye itself beams with sparkling animation and lustre; the cheekbones are prominent, the mouth and throat re¬ sembles or looks like that of a child having the thrush; the legs swell the nails are of a livid or purple color; frequent purging, ending in profuse sweating, 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 approaching, when the unhappy sufferer Will lay his weary and aching head in the calm and peaceful mansions of the dead. The alarming increase of Consumptions 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 dis¬ ease. In three years the number ef deaths iri the British metropo¬ lis, is stated to be fifty-two thousand, two hundred and thirty-seven; and among these, were, under1 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 every parent, and head of a family, iri order to avoid those causes, which, sooner or later, end in this un¬ manageable 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 spirit.- nous liquors to excess; obstructions and inflammations of the lungs; the suppression of natural discharges, particularly the menstrual dis¬ charge or courses; scrofula, diseases of the liver and stomach, and unfortunately, receivihg a hereditary disposition or taint to this dis¬ ease from father or mother. The narrow chest and high shoulders, weakness of the voice, whiteness of the teeth, fairness of complexion, and light hair, have all been observed to accompany a predisposition to consumption. Much reliance, however cannot be placed upon these signs, except where ^number of them concur in the same person. While the empire of fashion hears so arbitrary a sway, and the fqj? 164 lowers of pleasure are bound by the fascination of example, and the Contagious influence of that spirit, which insinuate? 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 desease 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 beauti¬ ful female in the pride and spring of youth, and strength of in¬ tellect, borne down by the invasion of a malady, which has so often selected for its sacrifices the most amiable and interesting beings of God's creatjioii. And when, moreover, all this can be traced to one single act of imprudence, one offering on the altar of fashion, who can forbear tp utter a sigh, when they behold a lovely Woman, laced to such a degree as to impede respiration or breathing, As welt might the hardy Russian or Laplander, amongst his snows pretend to brave the severities of his ley 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 daring the winter and spring months. This predisposing debility for Con¬ sumption runs in families, and may be traced From generation to generation—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 of an equal temperature in the atmosphere- which the patient breaths, a sudden or frequent alteration of heat and cold is fatal to an irritable consumptive system, if possible consump¬ tive persons should remove to a warm climate the moment a predispo¬ sition is discovered; a change to a warm or temperate atmosphere during the winter months, may be the means of removing the predis¬ posing cause to this complaint; it is however, to be regretted that this change is often delayed untiL a late period of the disease when the strength is so much exhausted that sufferers can not 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 iG\i home, for by leaving it, he is deprived of'the attention and-society wt' 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 x>r room should be kept warm at an even temperature by a stove; the unplea¬ sant smell which frequently arises from a stove in a close room, may be rempved by burning tar upon it, this fumigation or vapour, con¬ stantly inhaled or breathed, is considered by physicians as a Valuable remedy in Consumption) the usual method of inhaling the vapour or Steam, is by putting a small quantity of tar intoa cofiee-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 andprodtices 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 coarse of the day, will assist in promoting the discharge and tranquilize the cough. 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 defended by wearing flannel hex! the skin, also the feet properly secured from the damp; frictionsmr in other words, rub¬ bing 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 coni-> plaint lasts. As nothing tends more to aggravate the symptoms o'f a Consumption at an early stage than a desponding mind, brooding over real or perhaps imaginary calamities; every thing should be done to cheer* the spirits-, such as cheerful society, music, &c. &c. Be Careful to regulate the bowels, if possible by diet, and by friction (as before described,) but if recourse must bo had to medicine, let it always be mild, and in no larger doses than are necessary to discharge or move the bowels, for this purpose clysters of simple milk and water thrown up the bowels, or warm water with a tea-spoonful of hog's lard will be proper (for clystering arid the method of administering the at look under that head) rhubarb root Chewed in small quantities at night will produce a motion, Epsom salts and magnesia mixed and ground fine in a mortar, dose a tea-spoonful in half a pint of cold water-—or a table-spoonful of common charcoal pounded very fine in the same quantity of water, for the method of making and preserving this innocent but valuable medicine, read Indigestion. The consurrip- ice live patient should daily take as much exercise as his strength will admit of, except when the weather is unfavorable, the. best exercise will be riding on horseback, but if lbi& produces fa¬ tigue, substitute the use of some kind of carriage, 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 suspend¬ ed to the ceiling, with ropes, or in any convenient place, free from damp or moist atmosphere. In whatever exercise is taken, the great¬ est care must be observed to guard against cold in any manner what¬ ever, for this important reason tubercles or ulcers of the lungs are formed in the winter in cold climates, and their progress to suppuration kept back in the summer, and this is the cause why 1 urge your removal to a warm climate at an early period of this disease, for when turbercles 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 6f climate, as to prolong the life of the unfortunate victim of this disease,—I shall explain for the satisfaction of my reader what is meant by th elungs and their structure, fei anatomy it denotes the viscera or lobes in the cavity of the breast, by which we breathe; they are connected with the neck, and situated pn the right and left side of the heart ^being furnished with innumera¬ ble cells which are formed by the descent of the windpipe into the lungs, those bronchial tubes communicate with each other; and the whole appears not unlike a honeycomb, the most important use of the lungs is that of respiration or breathing by which the circulation ef the blood is supposed to be effected, the evacuation of the faeces or excrement, and urine, greatly depends on the constant action'of the lungs, but likewise the sense pf smelling is enjoyed by inhaling the air; and it is chiefly by the organic structure of these vessels, that mankind are enabled to speaklastly, 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 this disease shows itself, an energetic course of practice by the physician in the first stage or symptoms of this disease may be 167 the means of saving the life of his patient, or in other words pre?"' venting confirmed Consumption if there is a pain in the side, or breast, accompanied by cough with fever, the patient should be bled immedi¬ ately the quantity of blood taken must be regulated by the constitu¬ tion, 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 iu the breast or side, cough relieved and the respi¬ ration or breathing much improved, after the inflammatory action is subdued, apply a blist«r 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 being1 to continue a drain or running as much hs possible (similar to a -sCaton or rowel) as you . value the life of your patient, enforce a rigid and low diet, of the most simple hature, for hundreds die from imprudence iu this respect who might be relieved if they could but have courage and firmness to live en gruel and milk and avoid altogether animal or-stimulating food. I have had an opportunity of testing the effects of low diet iriConsump' tion and 1 feel fully satisfied that it is highly essential in the cure oi this disease. In the early stage of this alarming eomplaint give an emetic or puke of ipecacuanha' see table for dosej and repeat this emetic once or twice a week bs 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 consump¬ tion, for the purpose of moderating the irritation of the system and allaying cough and fever, give Small doses of tarter emetic of half a grain dissolved in a small quantity offlaxseed tea, balm or sage tea, slippery elm tea, marsh mallow tea, any of which may be used, the tarter emetic must be gradually increased and given at intervals un¬ til the irritation subsides, if the tarter emetic affects the stomach or bowels, add a few drops of laudapum to each dose. By a little caution the emetic tarter may be gradually increased with much benefit to the patient by lessening the fever allaying the cough, and producing expectoration, 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 plaut is very commpra in the Western -tftnt'es, grows in meadows end swamps, six or eight inches high. res 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 id a mortar so as to make a finq powder and take a tea-spoonful twiceor thrice a day as the case may require; gqm Arabic, or peach tree gum will answer held in the mouth to allay the cough. Cooling medicines through the whole course of tho 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 sweats, this should be checked by administering the following pills; copperas, (called by physicians, sulphate of iron,) qne 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 tenor fifteen drops of sulphuric acid, or the same quantity of elixir vitriol, taken1 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; infusion of wild cherry tree bark, made with cold water, tar water, and cold chamomile tea, are all good strengthening remedies in this stage of the compialnt. A purging attends this disease which is very exhausting, ending in profuse sweating, (as before mentioned,) for as soon as the one is stopped the other too frequently comes on, producing thereby an ex¬ treme degree of weakness. When this takes place, use opium united with a small quantity of ipecacuanha ower tr> protract the period of life, and to lessen the distress of the 169 patient. The inexpressible deligM produced by opium, when th© poor Sufferer la prostrated, can Scarcely be described. It always soothes the irritations of the Cough, and- mitigates aD those symp¬ toms *whieh cannot he removed. The influence ifc exercises over the mfhd and imagination of thd patient no human languagecan $escribe4 In some constitutions, opium disagree^ with the patient, apd produces restless and irritable feelings^ When "this is. the Case, recourse must he had to* other sedatives of southing remedies: for instance, to gar¬ den lettuce,J Which is'fully equal „to opium in producing, a miti¬ gation of ]f i icy and in alTayittg inordinate action. For the manner of pi pcfog thiV v luAble Remedy which every ' one is in possession ofs See foe hpad &or>f Lettuce. Island moss*, has alsoy f vr some time past in Europe^ been re- so> to as a valmbVualli Ative in Consumption -L and more recently f i the. tfpited Sh te'v it hag ooquireff Considerable 10] citation in this tdiseise. But like i>l other boasted remedies, its powers hate been prulahly ovorrated. If, fonvevr, not unfrequently proves highry *ial, by etrOnglVning foe J a1 font, diminishing the hectic symp¬ toms, and allying ho rifogh. It has another important advantage. It strengthen^ the dfovs'i fo powarS, .Dithout producing a constipation *or costiveness of the bowels* This* medicine is quite innocents the Laplanders use it in various ways, and among others as food. When -ethpjoyed as ah article of diet, they bruise this moss, and steep it in several successive waters: by which 'means they extract its bitter qualities,. and it theh affordq ^therti a highly grateful food* of a soft and glutinous consistency, similar to |ejly; but the method of pre-, paring it for Consumptive persons is as follows. first wash it well ah cfoan cold watery then boil one ounce of the moss, with a cpiart of water, over a slow fire-^—and, while stewing, add ofJhqueries root, cut up very* fine, two drams, or about as much as the size of the middle finger. A teacup full; I of this medicine must be drank four times a day.' Or-—if the taste of this preparation is too disagreeable, you may bpil a quarter of an ounce of thp moss in a pint of milk, for ten min¬ utes, and take the mjlk for breakfast and supper—always taking care, that the quantity be not disagreeable to the patient's stomach, for a description of this mossfoand where it may be bad, gee Iceland moss. Lichen or tUNGwohT, which grows on the bark of the white oak( tree, and which looks like a shell or skin^ is said to possess the same medicinal qualities as the Iceland moss. It is called Lungwort, (I 22 170 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 tised as a common drink, is not only a good palliative in Consumption, but when made into a syrup with honey, is very .beneficial in hooping cough Doctor Hereford of Virginia, a gentleman of distinguished reputa«* tion as a physician, has made some interesting commu lications in the newspapers, relative to a plant called livetwort, which he presumed to be effectual in the cure of Consumption. For a description of thi3 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 rea¬ son, than that it has been found an excellent palliative remedy In this dreadful disease. So high was at one period 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 frequently sold at Nashville for the enormous price of five dollars an ounce. After some time, it sunk greatly in price in this country, being discovered to be very plentiful in the mountains of Tennessee. Like ad other boasted remedies, which have been called specif,# cures in Consumption, the liverwort is only considered a good pallia¬ tive—a mere alleviator of the miseries of the disease. CASES OF CONSUMPTION. An anxious desire to communicate to my fellow beings, every useful information respecting- this most terrible of diseases Consumption, induces me to extend the subject to a much greater length than was at first intended.: the information being derived, however, from a source of very high respectability and experience, cannot but be accep¬ table to my readers. The quotation is from the writings of Doct. J. E. Cooke, ol Winchester, Virginia1—a gentleman of distinguished abilities in his profession, <£ My object in the folio,wing communication is to give some cases, calculated: to shew that consumption is not so incurable as is gene¬ rally supposed. In the year 1808, or 1809, my advice was required for a young man aged 18, all of whose brothers and sisters had died of pulmonary* affection^. As he was the hope of the family, the approach of the disease was observed with great anxiety. —k u 1. , . — . * Diseases of the lung". 171 Hj u&&l)led, blistered frequently on the chest, one plaster being applied as soon as the blister from the preceding was nearly well. He took an emetic of ipecacuanha occasionally, perhaps twice a week, and every day a pill of one or two grains of the same medicine. The diet was low—he soon recovered and became perfectly well. In 1818, a young lady of pale completion, with cough and expec¬ toration of purulent matter, applied for advice. She was tie 1 five °r six times in the first week or ten days-—blistered repeatedly/ and treated'as above. She rapidly improved ; and in some weeks de¬ clared herself well. There still remained, however, a slight cough and very small purulent expectoration. She would not be advised, went into company, ate, drank as usual, relapsed, neglected herself for six monthsj and VH jd. Another, some of whose relations had been affected with pulmonary diseases, had hectic fever, cough, purulent expectoration, and night sweats. Under the same treatment she recovered almost entirely, but as soon as she was able to partake of the enjoyments of life, yielded to the temptation, and relapsed. She returned to the treatment above mentioned, recovered again, was again negligent, and again relapsed In this way she nearly recovered and relapsed several times; but finally, under a severe attack, during which the quantity of purulent matter expectorated was enormous, she died. In consequence of the marked effect of the treatment, I was strong¬ ly induced to believe that if a person would resolutely continue the practice as long as I thought necessary, entire recovery would follow. This opinion was advanced in conversation, and by medical men was reprobated. I could not produce a single case in which complete success had attended the treatment, excepting the first; to which, being in the first stage, objections were easily made, In the next case that occurred, I determined, if possible, to carry the plan into complete execution. A man upwards of thirty, had pains in the chest, cough, and purulent expectoration, was emacia¬ ted, and little or no hope entertained by his friends of his recovery. He had so little expectation of it that he was unwilling to enter upon the painful course proposed. I told him fully what he had to expect, and requested he would not commence, unless he was determined to continue it. He hesitated, long, but was finally induced by his friends to submit. The course above mentioned was fully carried into execu¬ tion. He was bled repeatedly, whenever the pulse would admit of it; 112 he was repeatedly, many times, blistered asjibove; took every night a pill of aloes and ipecacuanha in equal quantities—which gave o. ts or two passages a day; lived on tea and milk and buttermilk, with bread—avoiding meat pr any kind of fermented drink. When at the lowest^ many -persons expected his death from the plane he however lived through it, and continued the treatment and spare diet, until he was able ride about—he gradually became fat and healthy, and is at' this day a large man. . One more case only I shall mention.—L. L. a man about 30 years of age, when he applied to me had been for some time diseased, and was about going to sea as his last resource." He stooped'eonsidenbly, his breathing was difficult and hurried,- coughed and freely expo fora- ted purulent matter. He was bled very frequently, the rid e bei'it to bleed whenever his pulse should become tense, and blistered c> !-nu- ally as above mentioned. He took at, night ipecacuanha an 1 f es, and sometimes .ealomel sufficient to moVe his bowels once or w ice next day: From one to two graihs of ipecacuanha and as much ulr»es answers the purpose generally. He took occasionally an emetic. His diet was tea, cbffe'e, tnilk, buttermilk, bread and butter." He commenced this course in September, and continued it till the last of January. Wheh X last saw him in January, he sat as erect as any man could—filled his lungs repeatedly at my request to the ut¬ most extent without inconvenience or coughing—he had no cough that would have been'noticed by any person, and no expectoratibn; in short no person eopld have pronounced what had been the nature of his disease from the existing symptoms. I Wished him to continue the diet and occasionally to blister. This did not satisfy his friends who had been long privately com¬ plaining of the severity of the treatment. They now redoubled their objections; insisted he would be killed by such energetic means, &c. &c. Accordingly, they finally succeeded in inducing him to send for another physician. This was done without my being informed of it, till some time had elapsed. The physician without knowing any thing of his previous treatment or its effects, excepting from his nurse, but resting his views on the present debility alone though he could sit up and converse, advised a better diet. This agreeable prescription was followed-i-he soon became more unwell, continually got worse, and died some months after, two days after having partaken of a meal Qf animal food. m * Fully persuaded from the event of the other case, that his recovery was possible, the treatment was pushed with' confidence, and X wa^ flattering myself with the fortunate issue, when the case was thus takeu out of my hands, and a long continued and carefully conducted evne 'ment, of the utmost importance, broken in upon at the moment of exported success. About this time the following case was communicated to me by a friend, and the result of it so incontestiblj; proves the justice of my opinion, that permission was obtained to publish it. Dear Si?, According to your wish I send-you the following statement of my case. Most of my nearest connexons, of about my own age, died of consumption,—one of my two sisters, and' nine cousins, in two families. My father was saved from the same end, in his youth, by going to sea for many years, and his sister, by living forty "years' with the most scrupulous temperance, though very often spitting blood, and suffering from a severe cough, f was constantly "threatened from the age of fifteen, but occasional bleeding, blistering, and a light diet, subdued the symptoms. In the intervals, I lived and took exer-. cise as usual. My attacks became less frequent, till at last they left me, and From my thirty-third to my thirty-ninth year/ though with- a slight habitual cough, I had been so free from all warnings, that I had forgotten there could be any danger. Late in the summer of 1810," my cough increased; I supposed it, however to proceed from a cold; all my other attacks had been sudden and severe, and checked by decided measures, excepting one, when I was eighteen years old,"which lasted nearly a year. I now felt no pain, had no fever, was.constantly about, and lived as usual, till the cough became almost suffocating; I had, at the same time, some strong bilious symptoms and>a light fever. I . consulted professional men, and took medicine, &c. but grew, rapidly worse. I suggested to them the possibility of its being my old constir tutional complaint, but they would not allow it. I, however, was at last bled and blistered, and, though I found relief, I was So^trangely Infatuated as not to continue these remedies, but ate, drank, and used stimulating medicines. It was insisted, that, as I had no pain, my lungs were not affected, and I must have the hooping cough, because it was in the neighborhood, though I had had it severely when a; child, which all my friends, as well as myself, could perfectly remember.- 114 •My fever w xxs violent im strength entirely failed, and was on the point of suffocating ten times a day; I coughed all night; my bed was wefrthruugh With p< rspiration; J became almost a skeleton, from the bilious state of my stomach, an emetie Was Administered, after which my appetite entirely failed, though I still coitimied to swallow meat, wine, and the most stimulating medicines. A larg - noil appeared on my breast, after the blister I had insisted upon having applied; this circumstance I urged as an evidence of disease within, but it was not regarded. Whilst the blister continued to discharge, my cough waB somewhat alleviated; but theday after it closed, I had a more severe and distressing chill, preceding the afternoon fei er, than I had ever experienced. While the fever of that day was raging, the cough and suffocation threatened immediate death. The spasm became extreme, my senses failed, at last were entirely gone. Ia the struggle an ul¬ cer gave way, and when I opened my eyes again, I was expectora¬ ting with the most agonising cough large quantities of matter mixed with blood. This was the first time I had expectorated any blood, though it had frequently been discharged from my head, which I had oflen urged as a reason for a different mode of treatment. I then saw what was my exact situation; I Wondered at my late blindness. I had watched my sister through the whole progress of her disorder, saw her endure the same agony, with the same result, and then sink rap¬ idly into the arms of death. I, therefore, gave up all hope; I consi¬ dered all aid as too late. However, to satisfy my mother, wife, and sister, I sent to a towil at some distance, for a physician who had formerly been at the point of death with the same disease, and who had seen fny sister during her illness. The pain in my side now, for the first time, came on, and as the ulcer increased, and new ones were formed and discharged on the opposite lobe of the lungs, my condition bee afne insupportable; in whatever position I was placed in the bed, it was almost impossible to turn from it, on account of the lancinating pains, the extreme soreness within, and the suffocating weight which a word, or a motion, would produce. In an upright po¬ sition, I was but little easier. The gentleman, for whom I had sent, Came, but made np change in the treatment, till after he had watch¬ ed by me, almost the whole time, for two days and nights. He then said that an entirely opposite course, carried to the last ex¬ treme, might possibly save me; at least it would relieve me from the raging fever, and dreadful /suffocation under which I then laboured, 175 and which every day threatened to be instantly fatal, and that I should sink more gradually and with less pain. I acquiesced. It was then January; the temperature of my room, hoth rii^ht and day, was kept by a thermometer, at 55^ of Fahrenheit* which was not sufficiently warm to be agreeable; if increased, my fever became extreme, and if colder, my cough insupportable. In the first four days after this treatment u as commenced, beef soup, wine, coffee, bark and opium, which I had been taking1 to support me, were prohibited* though I had no appetite, and was rapidly sinking. Three teacups full of milk and water, in twenty-four houfs, with a little bread dried in an oven and pounded, with three wine-glasses of tea made of Iceland moss, taken cold, half an hour before the milk, were taken; a very small quantity of cicuta was substitued for the opium. I do not, however, at- ribute much to the cicuta. 1 was bled moderately three times in the first four days during the fever; I had bleeding from the nose every morning, for two months after this prescription, and frequently, also, from my lungs, in the most violent paroxysm of coughing, which was easily distinguished from the other, by its color, and the sensation when it was forced away. My breast was covered with blisters, put on every night and morning; these means, however, appeared too slow; accordingly, on the sixth day, on the right side over the most painful ulcer, sulphuric acid and the alkali were applied, producing, in a week, a sore which almost exposed the shrface of the ribs. This plan was continued for three months without intermission, and after¬ wards, with some intervals of a week, for a year; rhubarb, sufficient to move my bowels, w as given every night. The regular bleeding at the nose rendered venesection unnecessary for a month; and after its cessation it was performed as often as was requisite for some time, amounting to thirteen times in the course of a few months. As soon as I was able to travel, if pain and fever returned, and blistering did not remove them, I was bled, and lived on tea and bread; after eating e-ven milk for five or six days, I was obliged to intermit it. For twen¬ ty -two days my physician continued with me every night till 2 o'clock, regulating, according to circumstances, the bed-clothes; my limbs were frequently rubbed. I was put on a wooden horse, or an elastic board, v\ hieh was moved by an assistant; at first I could not sit upon , t more than five minutes, but in six weeks I could ride with facility, and move myself with a stalf xv itli several bars through it, to exercise my hands, man} hours in the day ^ My appetite vas literally starved 176 "back again in five or teix days; but this was the oulj good symptom- The same severe treatment was continued; Igained no strength, lint Was every day apparently at the point of death with suffocation; I would survive the struggle> alid throw tip rmtter a nil blond, with the hard points of tubercles, and tld I he, for a fctv hour", relieved, To ull appearance I was no v much worse, as the treatment had taken away my colour, except d iring the fever; my emaciation v-as extreme, and my mouth and- tlx n?t a\ ere extremely s >re. At! nl j saw me, except my family, pronounced my case de« lerate, and that the treatment must be fatal. This, howe1 r>r, my last hope, and with our approbation the physician had the courage to persevere, The prospect grew darker, and eetned 3n the point of closing forever, when suddenly, on the eighteenth vd i/ after the Commence# ~nt Of the ^treatment, when I was in a state of extreme feebleness, expeetirg uie afternoon paroxysm of fever and suffocation, which i mid prol ibly be fatal, the fever was protracted an hour later than use d, the cough was not so distressing, the expectoration was less, the sufiVution did pot continue so long, and the lancinating pains wore rot o g*o t. From that moment I mended slowly. The foe tor left me on the twenty-second day, for a week, and then returned and stayed fifteen days more. I no.w increased the quantity ef my bread and milk, but a iittle excess, even of milk or oatmeal gruel, increased " 11 tae bad symp¬ toms, and obliged me to have recourse to blisters ur to be bled. The mere-bulk of the most innocent liquid increased my cough; my sto¬ mach was now in so good a state, from he regimen I had followed, that I had no longer any bilious complaint. I kept a small piece of sugar candy in my mouth to check the inclinat ion to cough, and sup¬ pressed it by main strength, by holdip^ my breath at times; as the lancinating pain in my side was a) v Tays brought on 1 y it, even when they did not precede it, convincing rqe that I gained much by resisting the cough. In March, the ulcers healed, and all soreness, except of the throat, was gone j though great tenderness, and frequent ly.pain in my side, accompanie'd by fsver, would oblige me to be bled or 1 listered, or both,for a long timet after; still the least < xcess, even in my rimple food, reproduced the bad symptoms. I had an extreme sensibility to cold, arx-' lg from a co. .tant personi tion, v uich never lessened till the next Sep ember. If cheeked by cold air, or lightj covering, the difficult breathing, pain^'ind: fever, were the immediate bonsequencp. I was, therefore, obliged to endure it, and let it wear m itself out. All attempts to check it by bracing medicines were equals 1y injurious. I rode much during the summer, but if I had not every accomodation it did me no good, I could not bear the wind or th© • heat. The side-way a motion, of carriage, fa a rough road, gale me so much pain Itl my chest, that I was obliged to get out; the perpendicular motion tvas agreeable- on good roads. The slow and easy trot of a horse I could bear but was then too much exposed both to sun and wind. I mended Regularly for two years, living oh milk, vegetables, and fruit which had previously undergone some preparation by cooking. I seldom took the smallest quantity of wi le, or a mouthful of meat, without being obliged to have recourse to diet or venesection. The second winter I was Confined to the house for nearly three month1?, and was very comfortable with such exercise as I could use within doors. Fur several of the last years, I have had no serious return! of the complaint. I live much as others do, but with caution, rarely drink ivine, principally because it makes me bilious, rather than affects my lungs; sometimes II lister irn chest; once in about two years I am bled$ and resort to .starvation for a common cold, which immediately cures it. I go out at ail seasons and in all weathers, and much more rarely duffer from it, than my hardy neighbours, who do not, like me, guard against the weather. I do not believe that a consumption can ever be cured by medicine only, without attention to regimen, air, and exercise. But I think it never should be considered hopelesg, because it is a consumption, or because it is hereditary DISEASES OP THE The liver is much more frequently the seat of disease, than is gca§* rally supposed, even by many physicians of reputation and experience. The functions it is destined 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* show its vast and vital importance to human health. When the Ijvjgr 17*8 is seriously diseased, it in fact not only deranges the vital functions of the body, but exercises a powerful influence over the mind and its operations, which cannot easily be described, It has so close a con¬ nexion with Other diseases; and manifests itself by so great a variety of symptoms of a most doubtful character—that it misleads, I am well persuaded, more physicians even of great eminence, than any other vital organ. The intimate connexion which exists between the liver and the brain j and the great dominion which I am persuaded" it exer¬ cises over the passions of mankind, convince me, and has long since he exclaimed—{< How much trouble 1" This is the reason, I have no 21 186 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 con¬ sequence. I shall, for the satisfaction of my reader, relate a case. Mrs. Stoner, wife of John Stoner, of Botetourt county, Virginia, was in the last stage of this disease; and had been attended by several dis¬ tinguished 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 relieye her obstructed respiration of breathing, which had nearly suffocated her several times: he entertained neither hope nor belief, that any medical assistance could, by any possil ility, perman¬ ently relieve her. In truth, from what I had heard of her case, I can¬ didly stated to Mr Stoner, that my visits would only be a useless ex¬ pense; and advised such remedies as were calculated to allay irrita¬ tion. Two or fhree days afterward, Mr. S. made-a second applica¬ tion, and to gratify an affectionate and tender husband, and a nume¬ rous and highly respectable connexion, I consented to visit her. On toy arrival, I found her situation, as I at first supposed, to be critical in the extreme, in fact the last stage of consumption; hollow cough—■ breathing very difficult and obstructed—constant expectoration, or discharge of matter, occasionally streaked with blood—regular pa¬ roxysms of fever, accompanied with flushings at midday, and toward evening terminating in profuse sweats—diarrhoea or dysentery—in fact, her case was such an exact resemblance of the last stage of con¬ sumption, that the most experienced and skilful physician would have been decieved. I remained all night; and very attentively examined this, (as I at first supposed,) hopeless case. About midnight she re quested some nourishment, which was immediately prepared, and of the lightest kind. She had hardly swallowed it, before it was rejected or thrown up:—and for the first time, I observed the extreme irriti- bility of her stomach. On inquiry, she stated that from her first at¬ tack, the slightest food would oppress her stomach with a sense of burning and fullness, 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 answers fully con¬ vinced me, that the liver u as the primary seatof the disease. Full\ impressed with this opinion, although debilitated in the extreme, and 187 reduced to a mere skeleton, and so weak as almost to faint ©n 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 immediately on its application, I hesitated some hours; but, with the consent of her¬ self and her family, having candidly stated to all parties my serious doubts, as to the success of the remedy-in this stage of her ease, I pro¬ ceeded to the use of the bath in its mildest form, by suffering her hand alonp to remain in it for fifteen or twenty minutes. In five minutes after her hand was in the bath, she complained of great un¬ easiness in the region of the liver, which gradually subsided after withdrawing her hand. This night she rested well. The following morning, expectoration was greatly increased. 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 be¬ coming 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, sh© threw up about a pint of yellow bile, similar in color to the yolk of eggs. The oppression from this time ceased; her breathing become slow, easy, and regu¬ lar:—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 a toot bath, she improved daily—and in eight weeks I had the satisfaction of seeing her attending to her domestic concerns, in tolerable 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 whi^h I was engaged in performing this cure, the relative of this lady, the Rev. Mr Crumpecker, pastor of the Dunkard society, an in dividual whose character as a christian, a philanthropist, and a man of integrity, would do honor to any age or country—together with his friend John Stoner, sen. were absent on a visit to the state of Mary¬ land. On their return, they were astonished to find Mrs. Stoner, of whom they had taken leave for eternity, in the vigor 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 m'e with the nitro muriatic bath, they will confirm the fact of her entire rece- m very from the use of this bath. It may be necessary to state, that Mrs. Sinner'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 at¬ tention to the following/lirections, or your carelessness will produce unpleasant consequences. When these two acids c me 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 ap¬ pears 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 abu half full of cold water—next, you must put in one of the acids, and shJLa it up with the water—then, you must put in the other acid, and imme¬ diately cork the bottle tightly, occasionally shaking the acids to¬ gether 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, none other than glass bottles with stoppers of the same material, can keep these acids in. ^ Having stated to you how the nitric acid is made, it may be ne¬ cessary also to communicate the method practiced 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 is less powerful than nitric acid, and is of a deeper yellow color. 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 suffo¬ cating. But when either of these acids is 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 yincgar 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. This bath is very easily made at any time; for, by mixing some acid from the bottle before mentioned, with water made pleasant¬ ly warm, to about the strength of vinegar and water, 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 retiring to bed. If the patient be very weak, bathing one hand b 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 tho 1&6 Inecs may be bathed, according to the circumstances end times just mentioned. A narrow "wooden bucket or'box—sufficient to admit the feet and legs, and to permit the bath to reach the knees, woulcl be ad¬ visable ; it would be a saving of the acid, the requisite strength of which can always 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 this bath should be used; this must depend on the effect produced, and the strength of the patient. The object is, to bring the system moderately aqd 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 delicate state of the patieht. 1 have witnessed persons beiftg immersed in it to the chin for half an hour; while others, who were very weak and nervous, were strongly affected by the immersion of orib of the hands. Th© great advantage of this bath is, that you may regulate its s+rengfh to any point necessary. Ihavd no doubt it would be highly beneficial, in indigestion; and in all depraved states of the biliary secretion,':, pro¬ ducing melancholy and despondency of mind, or in other wtrdu, hy¬ pochondriasis. The nitro muriatic bath, will be found also a valuable remedy to females. This hath, or the nitric acid 'taken by the stu- mach, ought always to be very much diluted with water; and if any very considerable effects are produced, the use of it ought to be stop¬ ped for a week or two, 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 stimulants of any kind, while using this bath, or the nitric acid in any way. If the bathing, or sponging the body, should not keep the bowels open, or in a laxative state, you must take some simple medicine, such as Epsom salts, senna and manna, or aloes, pr 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 in cold water 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 water.—Or you may mix equal quantities of jalap and cream tarl at, ground fine in a mortar, and give doses of a tea* spoonful. This last is a drastic purgative, and acts powerfully on the 1911 Liver. I have never used it in my practice, always preferiug, as a mild purgative, the salts and magnesia. The low-ground sarsapa- rilla, 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, 1 must not omit to remark, and that em¬ phatically and strongly, that the use of the warm bath, as described under that head, will be almost indispensible in the cure of all diseas¬ es of the liver, and in all stages of those diseases. I cannot relinquish the subject of diseases op the Liver, with¬ out mentioning in terms of almost unqualified approbation, my candid opinions of the waters of the IIarrodsburg Greenville Springs, situated in the county of Mercer, and state of Kentucky. These waters are well known to operate powerfully and beneficially on the Liver ; nor do I believe there have been many instances, if an abso- solute 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 they are frequented by thousands of invalids, during the summer months, from every part of the United States. And, I would advise all per¬ sons laboring under complaints of the Liver—or under dyspepsia or indigestion—and who have become hopeless of the influence of medi¬ cal prescriptions, never to omit, if it be possible for them to travel to those springs, to give those Waters a fair trial. They are situated in a beautiful apd healthful country, and the accommodations are always such, as to ensure the comfort and convenience of all invalids who approach them. DYSENTARY or This disease is always accompanied with Tenesmus, or a constant desire to go to stocl, without being able to pass much of 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 somefever. After a few days continuance of this complaint, your 191 discharges by st«el will consist of pure bloed, and matter mixed; and from severe straining to evacuate, parts of your bowels will frequent¬ ly protrude or come^out, which soon becomes a sourqe of great suffer¬ ing. DysenTary or Flux generally takes place about autumn; when the whole body has become irritable by a continuation 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 kindjby sudden suppressings or stoppages of the perspiration or sweat: by the eating of some putrid or decayed food; and sometimes it arises, from some peculi ar cause existing in the atmosphere:—when this is the case, whole neighborhoods, and extensive tracts of country are affected by it fatally RESIEDIES, If your patient is vigorous, hale, and generally healthy—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 purging daily with castor oil: this is the best medicine you can pos¬ sibly use in this complaint. As the stools are generally very offen sive, you can easily correct them, by giving a tea-spoonful of pre pared chalk, in a little cold water, three times a day; this prepared chalk is nothing but common chalk free'd of its impurities. Give clysters frequently through the day, made of slippery elm; which is to be thrown up the bowels cold. In case of violent pain, bathe the stomach with landanum, and spirits in which camphor has been dis¬ solved; and apply cloths wrung out of hot water to the belly; or blis ter over the stomach. If the belly is hard, and sore on being' touch¬ ed, grease it well with arty kind of oil or lard.*—here the frequent use of the tyarm bath will be of immense service. When the disease is very obstinate, administer a clyster morning and night, of a muce lage of cherry-tree gum—or peach-tree gum, dissolved in water until it will be ropey and gluttinous—in which drop from fifty to sixty drops of laudanum, for grown persons; and so on in proportion to different ages. Throw this clyster up the bowels cold; (for the meth¬ od of doing which, see under the head clyster.) The warm bath, and castor oil, in this disease may safely be depended on. If the d,esire of 19*5 g°bi£ to stool is very fiequtuit ancl painful, introduce up the back sidtf or f mrhment, "(I must speak in plain terms,) a pill of opium of from three to f>ur grains. It must be put up wilh much care and tender¬ ness; because in this complaint the parts are always lery sore—-Its remaining there will greatly allay the irritation of the lower gut, and pro-luce much relief and immediate comfort: the proportions of on' 'ra in the pill, must be varied according to the age of the patient. The common black-berry svrup, ought be to prepared and kept in ev¬ er fnmilv rnthis country, and used freely in this complaint. Ifre- quc tlv apply a remedy in this disease, which I claim as the discove¬ rer; ond which very often succeeds, "when all others have failed; it is Jlar-seed oil, to be given in the quantity of a table-spoonful, twice a day to a grown person, and reducing the dose according to the age of the patient.. It may be necessary to remark, that small doses of ipe¬ cacuanha 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 wefl with castor oil, will be an excellent remedy to check this complaint, by producing a moisture on the_ skin—and allaying the irritation of the bowels. * The drinks should bp of the mildest kind, such as slippery-elm tea—flax-seed tea—water melon seed tea —and 'diet of the lightest kind—such as jellies, chicken soup, lamb seup, &c, &c. ok CONSTANT LOOSENESS OF THE BOWELS: Called by physicians Diarrhoea. This disease is unattended with any fever, and not contageous or catching, as is the disease immedi¬ ately before mentioned. It generally prevails among persms of weakly constitutious; persons advanced in years; and those who have lived intemperately, Many are naturally and 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 appearances of the stools in this disease, are very different at different times: some¬ times of a thick consistence—sometimes thin; at times of a slime) nature, and then again of a whitish color—changing to green, yellow 193 dark or brown, depending Very much on the food, and the manner in which it hgrces or disagrees with the stomach and bowels; sometimes, 'and that not unfrSquently, it is produced by worms. REMEDIES. First;-—give an, emetic or puke, in the morning; and at night, for a grown person, give a large, dose of castor oil, with from thirty to thirty-1 tire drops of laudanum in it—1-but, always lessen this dose, in proportion to the age of your patient. Next;—a stool is to be produced daily, by the usepf the castor oil. When griping attends the complaint, warm garden mint sfdmed, and .placed over the stomach* and belly will give relief. When the disease has been brought on by cold, or ^udden stoppages of the perspiration or sweat, use the warm bath, and take some snake-root tea, so as to produce a determination to the surface, «or gentle moisture on the skin. This troublesome complaint, fre¬ quently continues on many persons through life;—such persons should be particular as to what they eat, and avoid every- thing that disagrees with their stomach and bowels—always taking Care to defend their feet against the damp ground, and wearing .flannel next to their skins. Friction—or rubing the whole body, every day, with a brush—partic¬ ularly over the region of the stomach, liver, "and howels, 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 worms are presumed to have any influence in producing this disease, which may bea suspected from a fetid or offensive breath, the com¬ plaint. is to be treated for worms:—see which head. When the com¬ plaint arises from weakness, opium will be .found highly important in restraining its excesses, and removing the debility. By using the clysters of slippery elm, or those made of common starch and warm water, for directions how to use which, look underthe head civster- inu, much benefit will result, by cooling the bowels, and allaying the irritation which always exists in this disease. 25 194 INFLAMMATION OF TB* This complaint can easily be distinguished from any other, by its distinctive and peculiar symptoms; it is, therefore, impossible to mis¬ take it for any other disease, if the least attention "be paid to the indi¬ cations of its presence. There is always violent pain in the stomach, together with a sensation of heat and burning in it; there is, also, a great increase of pain in the stomach, when any thing is swallowed; and an in mediate 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, fre¬ quent hiccoughs, accompanied with coldness of the hands and feet. When these last symptoms oGfcur, hiccoughs and cold extremeties,they are extremely unfavorable, and will probably terminate fatally. In¬ flammation of the stomach, is usually produced,by corrosive poisons taken into the stomach, or drinking extremely cold Water, wher^ the body is overheated; by receiving violent blows, or wounds 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 de pending on the bold and' free use of the lancet, jmu are not to be de- tered 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 in the wakm bath, where he is to remain as long as possible. You are theb 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 cataplasmor poultice of mustard and strong vinegar. Keep open the bowels, with clysters made of com¬ mon starch, or slippery elm, or flax-seed oil, or thin gruel, or chicken water boiled strong. These clysters will assist to nourish the patient, especially as he will be unable to take the slightest nourishment on m fhe stomach. When the inflammation is reduced, and the stomach will beat- it, a pill of opium, (see tabl® for dose,) will be serviceable. The diet should be of the lightest Kind p 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 quanti¬ ties of the best sweet oil, about a tea-spoonful at a time, given duringj the ContinuancCof this complaint, will very much assist in allaying the inflammation. When this disease terminates fatally, it invariably ends in mortification i and this will nearly always be the case, un¬ less the lancet is used freely in the first instance. A sudden change, from great misery to perfect ease, is conclusive evidence of mortifi¬ cation. INFLAMMATION OFTHB This complaint is.extremely dangerous, and requires immediate and very active measures to arrest, its course. The symptoms are very distressing, and are always accompanied with sharp pains in the bowels, and particularly about the navel. The belly seems tight and hard, and so fender that the least pressure with the fingers, gives great pain t you will know it from Colic by pressing the belly j in colic the pressure gives relief—but in inflammation of the intestines, the belly is so sore that the least bearing on it gives immediate and ex- crutiating misery. Great weakness attends this disease, the p flse is small, quick, and hard ? the urine Qr water is high colored, and passed off with difficulty • and the bowels are very costive. Inflam¬ mation, of the 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 severe colic; from hard undigested food remaining in the bowels; from drinking cold water When the body is over-heated; by blows and wounds in and about thd region of the bowels; by long and se vera dysentery} by worms; and lastly by hernia or rupture. REMEDIES, The remedies are much the same, as these for inflammation of the 19G stomach; the object being to arrest the disease instantly, and before "Mortification can take place, which always* when it qccurs, terminates the matter "fatally. The only/tope of'relief, is from the immediate and free use of the lancet; for without its instrumentality,yoh may abandon every hope of saving your patient. Therefore, take blood immediately from the arm, letting the stream be large, $6 as to draw the blood off suddenly. You must repeat the bleeding frequently'; as the urgency and critical situation of the patient mhy appear1 to de¬ mand it: cup the belly, and apply a large blister- Depend eery much, after the bleeding, on frequent .clysters—to be made of slippery elm or flax-seed, (the elm is best for clystering,) and the Warm bath; look under the different heads for information. The only medicine that ought to be given in this disease, is the best sweet-bil, in doses of a table-spoonful each, and that frequently. I have no authority for it; but I should in my own practice, if attending a case of this kind, mix a tea-spoonful of the finest charcoal, prepared as directed under the head of indigestion, with each dose of sweet oil: and I should also mix charcoal, with the clysters of slippery elm. A distinguished physician, recommends clysters of cold lead water in this complaint, to lessen the high action, and subdue the inflammation. I would suppose, although t never tried it in this disease, that his remedy is valuable: it is made by mixing, very weak, the sugar of lead andcqld* water, and throwing it up bowels with a clyster-pipe. Look un¬ der the head of clystering. After the violence of the disease is subdued, you must throw up the bowels as a clyster, fifty or sixty drops of laudanum in any sim¬ ple mucelage, such as flax-seed tea or slippery elm. This clyster will allay the irritation, and may be given twice a day—early ip the morning and late at night-—diminishing the quantity of laudanum, according to the age of the patient, The diet should. he of the light¬ est kind, and always cautiously given, to patients recovering from this dangerous disease: this caution is thp piore necessary, because the disease may; and frequently does return from very slight causes; especially where persons have been afflicted >vith it several times he- fore, Jn riuth, and to speak plainly, it is only by proper diet, and that of the most simple kind, with great care in preventing exposure, that such'persons can remain secure. Flannel should he worn next the skin, and the warm bath frequently used, for thb purpose of pre¬ venting the recurrence of this very dangerous, and often unmanage¬ able complaint. 107 INFLAMMATION OF xhe Tlxis cjibease has destroyed sarnie-of the most extinguished men, in Europe and America, anpong whom may be named, the celebrated Lord Byron, General Nathaniel Greene of the Revolution, and the late Doct, Dorsey of Rennsylvania. It arises from intense studyj from •exposure to the heat of the sun,* and from every other cause which ptoduces-hn over-fullness of blood oh the Brain. The symptoms are, a very high fever—greatpain in the hehd—the eyes look red and fiery —-there is ttlso great watchfulness—the patient is -uMable to tear* "the smallest light—there is also, generalty, a heavy dull sleep, with fre- -quenl starlings as if in alarm—tfye memory fails,and in the first stage ihippessidns on his mind* when in health. The tongue becomes dry, $nd of a dark color—the pulse small, quick, and ljard—and the poor sufferer is frequently sCen, to put his hand or hands to his head. The Brain.—This organ is larger in man thanin any other known aqjmal. Its general weight is from two pounds five' and a half ounces, to three pounds three and tliree quarter ounces. I have weighed seve¬ ral at four pounds. The Brain of the late Bonn Byron, (without its membranes) weighed six pounds. REMEDIES. Bleed as largely in quantity, as the strength of your ^patient will possibly admit :-r-let the blood be taken as suddenly as practicable from the arm, by a large orifice or opening, so as to permit it to How in a copious and bold stream. If the patient, by bleeding from the arm fieety, becomes wcah, and the disease is not subdued, shave the head, had cup frr-elj all over it:—for the method of cupping, look uu- dffthdt head. Apply over the whole head immediately, the coldest applications that can be found, such as wet towels constantly wrung 19Su out of the coldest (Spring water—or ice if it canbehad-; these —for the method of cupping, look under that head:-—and, always, if the disease is of the chronic form, riisteR o\er the Spleen,, in Ihe-usuql manner. The nitric acid will also be found a vafriublq remedy; i;ead affections of the liver, page 165, whpre you v ill find the acid heated on at large. A broad belt worn over the Spleen, with folds of cloth to press on it, will be a good remedy ;—ras will, 'also, rUbing the side daily with equal quantities of spirits of hartshorn and sweetroil. INFLAMMATION OP THE ^ * In this disease, there is always great pain in the small of the back, similar to tfiat felt in colio^ but seated much nearer the hack hone fend loins. There is, also, in this complaint, a deadness and numbness of feeling in the upper part of the thigh; considerable sick¬ ness at the stomach; a'great desire ta make water* frequently, viliich is done with much difficulty, and iq small quantities at a time. The urine or water is of a deep red color, showing that there is great in¬ ternal fever; the slightest motion give? pain; and, even in sitting up¬ right in bed, the patient is extremely restless, always receiving more ease by lying on the affected part. Sometimes one of the testicles is retracted or drawn up, so that you can scarcely feel it. The com¬ plaint is brought on,by great exertions in lifting; by violent and sud¬ den strains; by exposure to cold when over-heated; by lying on the £00 (tamp ground; and, l>y too frequent intercourse with women. Some¬ times the disease is produced, by hard substances, calculus, stone, or gravel, formed in the kidneys-: and I have known two or three instan¬ ces, of its having been produced in young persons,, by that horrible practice galled by physicians onanism. REMEDIES. Like all other inflammations, that of the kidneys requires 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. €up freely over the small of the back for cupping read under that head. Apply flannel cloths, wrung out of Rot water, to the small of the hack; and give clysters of .warm milk and water, in equal portions— which must be thrown up the bowels three cr 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. Flax-Seed lea will answer a good pur¬ pose, as will also a tea made of slippery elm Dark; in both of which you may put a little spirits of nitre. The bowels are to be kept open by castor oil, and by moderate clyotering. The warm bath must be frequently used, and applied for a considerable time at once, over the ' whole body; during which, the patient in the bath, must have his body well rubed with a soft brush Or wollen cloth: this bath mnst he repeated every day, and twice a ilay if necessary. The warm bath is a most valuable remedy, in this complaint, land must not be neg¬ lected. After the violence of the disease has* been subdued, by the use of the lancet and warm bath, &c. as before noticed, to give case and quiet slumbers to the patient, administer a pill of opium, of. thirty-five drops of laudanum ? for the different doses of which, pro¬ portioned to the different ages, see table for doses. Or a clyster at tfiis time, made of flax-peed tea,: with forty or fifty drops of laudanum mixed with it, will give great relief* by allaying both pain hnd irritation. A decoction or tea made of driqd peach-tree leaves, made by boiling a handful of the leaves in a quart of water, until it decrea¬ ses to three half pints, is to be drank occasionally through the days —this is an excellent remedy, and has been known to succeed in this complaint, when the sufferings have been unusually severe. In some cases, inflammation of the kidneys cannot be removed, until abscesses 201 or ulcers are formedthis state of the case will always be known, by the pain becoming less severe; by great weight being felt in the small of the back; by chills suc ceeded by flushes of heat j and when by suffering the urine of water to settle in the urinal or pot, you can discover a mucus- matter on the bottom. When this is the situation of the patient, the uva, ursi will be found a useful medicine: for a de¬ scription of which, fend its medicinal qualities, read under the head cv 202 ninety to eite hundred miles, in about eleven hours: this distance she travelled in qxcrutiating torment from retaining her urine, and died from the effects of it, on the second day after her arrival at New York. She was in the bloom of youth, health, and beauty; and J mention the case emphatically, as1 a warning to othprs, who from false delicacy mrght to do the same thing. You ftiust, as in all the other cases of inflammation before mention¬ ed, 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 put the bladder with warm water as just directed, make a decoction of slippe¬ ry 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 throw up this preparation into the bladder occasion¬ ally *this will lessen the inflammation, and assist in finally subduing it—but I caution you to make the solution of sugar of lead very weak.—You are not to use a blister in this complaint; because it would act immediately and particularly on the bladder^ by suppres¬ sing the urine. Clysters of the mildest kind are to be given; they will always sooth, relieve, and reduce the irritation of the bowels, and the adjacent parts. If the pain is very severe, laudanum should he 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, aniof the precise manner of using it, both in male and female pases, will he found under the proper head. REMEDIES, DRINKING COLD WATER, WHE3T The imprudent use of cold water when a person is over-heated, al 203 Jrnost invariably produces oramps or spasms of the stomacht which usu¬ ally 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 water¬ ing places throughout the town, that placcards or printed bills were ordered by the citv council to be -stuck up on the different pumps, to caution all persons against drinking cold water when over-heated, or in too large quantities* Many deaths have Occurred in the western country, during the harvesting seasons, from persons drinking large quantities of the Coldest spring 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 lingering and destructive diseases, which are extremely difficult of cure. That eminent and distinguished physician Benjamin Rush, describes the causes of so much fatality in these cases, in the following manner:— "When large quantities of cold water are suddenly taken into the sto¬ mach, under circumstances of an over-heated system, 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 j 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." Ice'd toddy, when taken under the same circumstances of being over-heat¬ ed, has often been known to produqe the same fatal effects:—and I have known many instances, in which ladies in full health, have been brought to the brink of eterpity in a few minutes, from eating iced creams when over-heated by dancing. The truth is, that very cold articles of food or drink, even when the body is moderately cool, some¬ times, in peculiar constitutions, are productive of dangerous conse¬ quences ;—cases which are not very violent, and which come on with cramps or spasms, should be immediately attended to, or they will also terminate fatally in most instances, by inflammation of the sto¬ mach, REMEDIES. u I have discovered," says Doctor Rush, " but one certain remedy in this desperate, and if not immediately relieved, fatal disease:—- this remedy, and it may be relied on, is laudanum; which hag to be 204 given in the quantity, of from a tea to nearly a table-spoonful imme¬ diately, in violent cases, before relief cah be obtained." "When lau¬ danum cannot be had in time, a glass 6f strong whisly or brandy, one of which is generally found, forth coming every where, may be given, Laudanum, however is so very easily made, and so frequently neces¬ sary in all families, that it ought always to b'e kept in preparation for use:—-it will frequently save the expense of sending for a physician at an unseasonable hour, and oftentimes save life in sudden and des¬ perate cases. For tlie mode of preparing.it, see under the head lau¬ danum. 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 eoldness of the water applied, and the evaporation Which succeeds, will abstract or draw from the inte¬ rior 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 id email quantities at a time .—in fact, not more than half a pint at once; repeating the draughts about every five or ten minutes. It would be the safest plan, even with the above precautions, to mix some spirits with the water. Far¬ mers engaged in harvesting their grain, should always let the water xemain sometime in the vessel before using it;—many fatal diseases have originated, in an imprudent disregard of this cautious practice. CATARRH ob Colds are so common in all countries, and their modes of treatment so generally known, that not much need be said respecting them; fur¬ ther than to remark, that early attention will frequently prevent their laying the foundation of other complaints, which may in the end prove highly dangerous, and very diffioult to remove^ Persons of delicate constitutions are most subject to coldp; and from the carelessness of Sufch persons, in neglecting to avoid exposure, and to remove the ear¬ ly symptoms of diseas?, more than!wo thirds of the whole number of 205 consumptive cases, in all countries, arise and become fatal. Chid usually comes on with a dull heaviness of the head, .which feqls as if the nose was stopped up, which is generally the case. There is4 also, at times, rjxuch sneering, which is talwaj s followed by discharges of a thin watery mucus froul the nostrils. You have soreness of the throat; cough; and cliills stealing over ybu, with occasional hot flush¬ es :—persons of very weakly 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 constitu¬ tions—in which instance, the; complaint must be arrested immediately. Here I repeat, because it is all-important, that modt of tjhe constjjI!>- tions of tlds country, originate in neglected colds, brought on by expo¬ sure to the night air; by dpmp feet; by changing warm clothing for thin; by becoming warm from exercise, perhaps in u^drowded^ ball room, and suddenly exposing the body to a ctild currenf of air; and by many other imprudent courses of conduct. .REMEDIES. Immediately before going to bed, bailie the feet and legs in warm water fifteen or twenty minute^; then wipe and rub them perfectly dry, and wrap them carefully in warm dry flannels. 1. After lying down, take a large drink of warm sage, or balm, or hysop tea, or any thing else that will sweat yoi* moderately, lftheheadis much stopped up with the cold, you may relieve yourself in a sitting pos i ture, by covering the head With flannel or a blanket, and producing a steam beneath and surrounding the head; this cdn 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 vessel on your lap, and cb> sing all the ayOnues by which the steam might escape from about your head, excepting one through which you are to breathe. This will give much relief m a short time. My practice in the com¬ mencement Of a cold is, to give an emetic or puke, which in nine ca¬ ses out of ten relieves the patient at once, and cuts short the advance of the fever:1—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 Ant'monial wine, every three hours, in any kind of drink; this will determine to the surface, or in othejr words produce a gentle moisture 506 on the skin," and allay the feverish symptoms. The bowels should ha purged moderately, by the daily Use of Epsom salts, in small quanti ties, dissolved in cold Watei;. 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 as long as possible t look un¬ der the head blisters. The dint in colds, should be light and cooling. Heating or stimulating articles, either of drinker diet, are highly improper, and always produce more pr less fever. The best drink during the day, is flax-seed tea, with a small portion of acid in it. After the feverish sypiptoms are removed, a troublesome cough some¬ times remains:—this may be relieved by the use of balsam cojpaitai in doses of ten or fifteen drops, on lumpp 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 ex¬ cellent remedy for curing coll, 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 application, and may be much relied on. If the chest is much op¬ pressed, the application of this poultice totjie breast, will almost inva¬ riably 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 flax-seed, half an ounce of liquorice, and a quarter of a pound of raisins:—put them into two quarts of rain water, and sim¬ mer the whole over a slow fire, until you reduee the quantity to one quart. Then prepare some candy made from brown sugar, and dis¬ solve 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 vine¬ gar to give it a ^lightly acid taste; this will fcertainly relieve a cold, if used a few days. I have been more particular on this disease than at first view might seem necessary; but, considering it as intimately connected with, and in many instances the forerunner and foundation of consumption, I think I am justified in treating it with great atten¬ tion. 207 1 ■ ■* Dropsy is a disease ©f the whole system, arising from debility c Weakness; and cpv easily be distinguished from other diseases, b the collection of water in some part of the .body. By pressing th | fingers on the flesh with some force, a depression or pitting wil take place, which can be seen some little time after the fingers hav 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-it—if the water is lodged in arty particular cavity of the body, i may always be heard distinctly, oil any sudden change of position or rapid movement of the body. Among physicians, it is called b different names, according with the'different parts of the system, i which the water may "be deposited* When the' wafer is seated in th cavities of the head or brain, the disease is called by physicians hy PRocei>ha:lus :~when seated in the cavity of the client, it is calle iiydrothorax :—when in that of the belly, ascites :--when seated i the scrotum or bag of the privates, it is called hydrocele i<—ant wh en the water is effused in the cellutlai* membrane, which is th thin, and delicate skin found among the muscles or flesh of the body and which is the same that, butchers blow ap im their '•Veal and mut t on, the dropsical disease is called anasarca; There is strong rc serpblance, between dropsy of the testicle or stone in men, and asc tes oqari\ in women; the latter being small collections of dropsies, fluid, in the ovarica, which are two oval flat bodies, which are abos; an inch in length and half ana inch in breadth, situated about an inc1 behind the womb,and which aresupposec to contain and supply what ever the female brings to the procreation or formation of the foetus 01 child. This is proved from, analogy, by the simple fact, that an an¬ imal deprived of the ovaria, as in the case of spaying swine, looses all power of conceiving, and all venerial desire. I omited to men¬ tion, that hydrocephalus 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 impressions of some medical men, given it as my decide! opinion, tjiat dropsy is a disease of the 208 whole system:—And my feeder may be assured, that iJP-m sustained is that opinion, by many of the most distinguished physicians io {lie United Sfafo§. BEMEDIES^ Mofe diseases of dropsy have been removed hy bleeding, and morfe relpfhas been obtained from it, than from any oilier known remed/; for which reasons, it ijg nov* 'considered as satisfactorily proved, that this complaint is more frequently inflammatory fhaii was formerly Supposed. Fpr this very Important information, we are indebted to that highly distinguished physician Doctor Benjatnin Bush, Bleed¬ ing must be entirely regulated,*aS to frequency and quantity, by the rslicf it -afFurds bo the patient. Im^my practice, I always use it freely; and never omit, at the same time, to purge freely with calomel and jalap:—sed tableTor doge':—or jalap alone. If these purges operate without pain, anjithe stdolshre fluid or watery, and yotir patient is not much weakened bythem, it does not matter how many stools are produced daily* because the remedy ishn efficient pnd ajiroperone. t)ae ounce of cream tartar, ip half gallon of water, drank during the day, will he of much service: in truth,4all" articles which will in¬ crease theffiow of the urine, or water from the bladder, called by physicians diuretics, a re very useful mx this, complaint. The follow¬ ing cures, which I sliall- notice in the words of an experienced and distinguished man, give evidence of* the correctness of some pf 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 curing his o\Vh dis¬ eases, in all tire different countries and climates of which hd is aq inhabitant^ and, therg is scarcely a vday, Jnonth, or year, which does not exhibit to us, the surprising cures made by roots, herbs and Sim* pies, found, In °Vr own vegetable kingdom, when all foreign articles have utterly failed&,c, The truth is, that the wise and bene-4 ficept creator of the universe, bas made nothing in vain.; and the time will come, whpn the apparently most useless and noxious plants, will be found eminently useful in the cure of diseases, Which have hitherto baffled the profotindest 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 en- 209 tirely relieved by means of the bark of the common elder. One; ■& woman advanced in age, in the last stages of this disease, who lost a" brother some short time previous, by the same complaint. The other; a yoting woman, who had been for eighteen months confined to her led, during four of Which she Was unable to lie dovyn, and who & now wholly free from PRopsey, and recovering strength in a most surprising and unexpected manner.« A great many Other cases, le^S aggravated, have been dured 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 receipt is as follows:—Take two handfuls of the green or inner hark of the white common elder j steep them fn two quarts of Lisbon wine twenty-four hours—--if this wine cannot be had, Teneriffe or jMacleira will answer: 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 /gvacuants. I ought to have said in the proper1 place, that the young woman I have mentioned, used the elder—balked"—wine, at the instance of one of the most distin¬ guished physicians of Bostpp; who had previously tried every known prescription Without success, and that the use of the elder entirely cured her." The following remedy, handed me by a most respecta¬ ble man, who resides in Roane cpunty, TeAnessee, Mr. Wijliam Mead, will Undoubtedly be worthy of trial, and-1 therefore submit it 'to the reader j "Take two or three handfulls of rusty nails, and put them into half a gallon of good apple vinegar:—their boil, or rather simmer« the vinegar, down to a quart, and strain it Welf through a linen cloth:—next, add. to the vinegar a quart of molases, a Jumid- fqtl Uf chamomile flowers, And a handfu,U of lavender from the gar¬ den., Boil or Stew tBis mixture down tq a quart* The dose for a grown person, is a large table-'spponfulyto bo increased gradually to ope 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 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. 27 210 This diseh.se is/requenfiy of a highly putrid nature, and generall y afflicts persons who have lived a CbnsideraUle'time on salted pro visions, or unsound'and tainted animal food. Those arfe also subject to it, who have been long confined without dtre Exercise; thoce, also, v lio have heen unable to obtain vegetable food For n considerable period. Cold moist air, bad water, the morbid influence of depressing pas¬ sions, such as grief, fear, &c. and*the neglect of personal cleanliness, will also produpe scurvy, With regard to cleanliness, I must speak in-plain terms. Neglebt of personal or bodily dilutions, in other words washings, among females at pai ticular periods, are in reality the causes of very many cases of scurvy : and here I am com¬ pelled to say, that such are the cleanly habits of the French ef the better order, male and female, I have never know n a single c^e of seurvy among them, although much accustomed to their society in Europe: they are in^the constant piactice ofi using the warm bath. The disease called. Scurvy can always he known, by the softness and spongyness of the gums, which, even on being gently lubbed with a soft sponge, will invariably bleed. Ulcers next, form round the teeth, and gradually eat away the lower edges of the gutns, J>y which the teeth become loose, and sometimes fall out. Tim breath is al¬ ways offensivei, and smellslftddly; the face is usually/jf a pale* yellow color, 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 en different parts of thp body, and more generelly on the legs; pains, are felt over the whole body; the urine or Water is high colored; thb stools smell v^ry badly; the strength becomes very much reduced, and bleeding takes place from thegiose, ears, gums, fundament. When theselast Symptoms take place, |he sufferer is near the termination Of his earthly career:—and it is nc less singula^ than, trqe, that the appetjte remains good to the last, together with a perfeet retention of memory," REMEDIES. All acids are valuable medicines in scurvy;- -shch as common vin 211 egar with fresh vegetables; in fact^ a bath made of vinegar and wa¬ ter, in which the whole body can be frequently bathed, will be of bssential 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, received a large premium from the British Government, for introducing it intq the English Na¬ vy. Where there is much debility, the moderate'use of good old wine will be proper; as will also the use of the nitric, acid:—see diseases of the liver, page 177, where you will see this medicine" plainly des¬ cribed, together with its effects, by which the bowels will generally be kept sufficiently loose, at the same time that the^system will be Strengthened. If, however, the bowels^ should be bound* dissolve a table-spoonful of cream tartar in a pint of boiling water, and wheri cold use it as a drink. 1 must not omit to mentidn, emphatically, that regular exercise is absolutely necessary In this Complaint. You will find the following medicine, also, a good remedy:—dissolve three ounces of common salt petre, in a quart of good vinegar, and take one or two table-spoonfuls three or four times a day—or less quantities, if the state of your patient will justify it. When the gums arc much swollen, with considerable ulceration!, and the mouth, teeth, and breath, have a foetid or bad Smell, the mouth must be ^frequently Washed with water, prepared as follows; boil red-oak bark in water, then strain the watpr Well, and in»'it*disSolve a lump of allum, to which add a tea-spoonful, of finely powdered charcoal, which is to be prepared by burning common smith's co&l over again. I have omitted to state, that if the breathing is difficult, or there is much phin 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 fresh air, moderate yet sufficient exercise, and the warm bath of a pleasant temperature, with a sufficiency of venog ir in it, as before mentioned, will rapidly Restore your patient. Pleurisy is an inflammatory complaint, and requires remedies for the immediate reduction of the inflammation. The symptoms are—- a sharp pajn in the side, particularly when you draw your breath; 212 the pain then shooting into the breast, back, or shoulders:—great dif¬ ficulty in lying on the affected side/ the tongue is of a white color; the urine or water of a high color; the face flushed and red; and the bo dy very hot, denoting much fever. Sometimes this disease is ac- oompanied with cough; and when appetite for it, and the stomach rejects it, to remember that nature generally speaks the truth. After re¬ covering from this disease,*great care must be taken to avoid all eoU and dampness, and particularly exposure to the night air; because they almost always produce dangerous relapses. Flannel ought to be worn next the skin; and dresfecd buck sldn, Ian convinced fnnr my own practice, worn in th" *ime manner lyde1 apersnns,is also an excellent defender from ccld, and i iuh superior to flannel* 1 Gravel and stone, which originate in the same causes, are to he distinguished thus from each other. Gravel is usually understood to mean, ealculi, (from the old word calx, a limestone, or littles strni 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 word 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 kidney, it is because 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 215 of the pems, - ■ ■ When a disposition to ©havel, which I have just explained, exists in the urinary system, there will be occasional par¬ oxisms or fits of pain in the hack, which sometimes shoot downward to the thighs j and sometimes a numbness of one of the legs inside, ac¬ companied with a retraction or drawing op of one of the testicles or ■ siones in men. The pain I have just spoken of, is often extremely violent*, and is sometimes terminated by a discharge of small gravel st< ncs from the urethra, with the water in common way. The stone, however; tvhich I have also described, and which is usually found in the kidneys or bladder, sometimes in both, is a disease of gnore seri¬ ous and dangerous consequences altogether. When the stone has ac¬ quired some size, if situated in thq bladder, there is a frequent and al¬ most constant desire to make water; sometimes the water passes off, drop by drop—With much pain—apd sometimes in a small stream, wljich occasionally stops short; in the last case, when the water pass¬ es, in a small stream with sudden stoppages—there will be great pain for some minutes offer, in the glans penis, in other words the head of the penis. In some persdns, the violence of straining to evacuate the urine, makes the rectum Or Ion 3r gut^ contract, and expel its excre¬ ments:—of if that gut I e empty, this straining oscasions tenesmus or a constant desire to go to stool. In discharges of urine, when stone exists in the bladder, there is vefy often blood to be seen in the water, "and sometimes pure^ blood itself i$ passed off in small quantities. When the calculus or stone is formed in the kidney, in addition to 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 seated ; frequently accompanied by fits of shuddering,'and creep¬ ing coldness, in and over the part affected; this shuddering and cold¬ ness, of sensation, are sometimes so great, that sufferers have been known to blister the small of their backs; by exposure of the purls naked to the heat of large fires. In severe casesof calculus or stone, either in the kidneys or bladder, there is frequently* experienced, dur¬ ing the time of passing the urine, sickness of the stomach, a desire to vomit, andgnuch fqintness.—Aged persons are most liable to disorders of the urinary passages; which do not in all cases hrise from gravel and stone, qr even from spasmodic strictures ip those parts. These apparent disorders of the urinary passages, frequently occur in old persons, from the constipation and retention of feculent and fetid matter in the bowel**, which ought always to be attended to by gentle 21G purging, and particularly by frequent clysteringfor clystering -sec that head.- The gravel,, and sometimes the stQnt, 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 blad¬ der 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" water. -The extraction of the stone from men,* by the use of the knife, is called by the physicians, lithotomy. This is a delicate, dangerous, and very painful operation ; and, I have uniformly advised persons much ad¬ vanced in age, -and who were' afflicted with the stone, to employ pal¬ liative remedies for the pains attending it, rather than lithotomy. REMEDIES. When there is much difficulty in-passing the urine,and that difficul¬ ty arises from strictures or obstructions in the urethra or canal which conveys off the water; and especially wherfe inflammation oF thfe blad¬ der is apprehended, the patheter must be Used: for which see the head catheter. When the complaint is painful and oppressive, in what are called paroxisms or fits of the gravel or stone, for I make no dis¬ tinction between them as to renledies, and there- is so much irritation as to lead to apprehensions of inflammation, bleeding should- be im¬ mediately resorted to, fallowed by the warm bath; in which the pa¬ tient should remain some time. Inmost cases,I have hfebn cnallcd to allay the pain entirely, by bleeding >n the first instance, using the warm bath next, and then giving a "pill of opiunp* Or a dose bf lauda¬ num; 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 wrung out of warm water, in which chamomile flowers have been boiled; after which the cloths themselves should be applied warm, and suffered to Remain. The drink of the patient should be flax-seed tea, given as freely ds you please. Should the pain still continue severe, giVe a clyster made of gruel^ and strained, in which put two table-spoonfuls ofi castor oil or sweet oil,—and forty drops of laudanum. This is to be thrown up the bowels pleasantly warm:—see head clystering. Old persons who are afflicted with gravel or stone, will find great relief from frequent- sit Iy using such clysters, and from faking in moderation^ occasionally, laudanum or opium to procure test: see table of doses. ■ But, among a]!l the palliative remedied ever yet discovered, I am Compel¬ led, from both experience and incontestable authorities to believe, that, in ill diseases of the urinary organs, and particularly in stone and geavel, the Eva EK^i of the mountainous regions of Europe, and possibly of this country, stands conspicuous and alone, The follow¬ ing cases of actual experiment, to which had I space many more might he'added, will prove conclusively that it is a sovereign remedy, if not in dissolving the stony matter, at least in banishing the suffer ■ ings with which it is usually attended, CASE 1st*. At the age of thirty-two, Mr. B having tried vari¬ ous remedies, submitted to ap 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 we^ks, he again began to be afflict¬ ed with excruciating pains, and great diffculty in making water. The Urine Was accompanied with a discharge of matter, which had continued ever since the operation—and now, instead of decreasing as Was expected, it had become imore 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 ma 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 with hay a drachm of the powder of the plant una ursi, which had been brought from Vienna for the greater certainty; this dose he took twice a day, observing a temperate diet, and abstaining from every thing consider¬ ed pernicious. In three weeks his pains were appeased; the matter was greatly diminished in quantity, and was also of a much less acrid quality; and he voided his urine more freely. These circumstances gave him great hopes of being perfectly cured; nor were his expecta¬ tions ill grounded f—for in ten weeks, he was entirely frefe from pain, made water easily, and was no more afflicted with fruitless provoca¬ tions to urinate. And now. April 25,1763, by persevering in this 28 f 218 course* he is so perfectly free from all symptoms of the complaint, that he considers himself entirely cured. * CASE 2n. A youth twelve years of age, pf 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 was ve¬ ry mucus, dropping from him very painfully, 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 una 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 perseverance 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 constitu¬ tion, 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 generated, through the ureters into the bladder—always exciting, during their descent, intolerable misery: All the most celebrated medicines adapted to such complaints, were fairly tried. Little c^no relief was obtained. The matter voided in his urine, gave suspicion of decay in the kidneys. The una ursi was 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, t6 which, as I have before remarked, many others might be added from excellent authorities, entirely con¬ clusive as to the medicinal virtues of the una ursi: for a particular description of which, together with some other cases of cures in. itine and gravel, I most strongly and seriously refer the reader. m SUPPRESSION, OR STOPPAGE OF 1 This is a disease, which is frequently produced by inflammation of the urethra, or canal which conveys the water from the bladder:— it is also sometimes produced, as I have mentioned under "Inflamma¬ tion of the bladder^' by falls in various ways, and by that false delica¬ cy, which induces a bashful and inexperienced person, to retain the urine an unusual1 and dangerous length of time. It is also produced, among those who have worn down their manhood in indiscriminate debaucheries in early life, and sometimes among these who are na¬ turally of delicate and weekly constitutions, by taking too large quan¬ tities of the tinture of Spanish fiies, for purposes which I forbear to name. It also, sometimes, arises from the necessary application of blisters, and not unfrequently from costiveness, or constipation of the bowels* REMEDIES. Draw some blood ; this will relieve the system. Then put the pa¬ tient in a warm bath, which must be continued from a quarter to a half hour. Next give a warm clyster, made of starch and water, in which must be mixed three table-spoonfuls of castor oil. For the warm bath, and clystering, look under the heads. If it becomes ne¬ cessary, after these remedies, give a dose of castor oil by the mouth. If all these means fail of producing a flow of urine, the catheter must be skilfully and cautiously used:—for which look under the head. Throwing cold water on the belly and thighs, will sometimes afford relief, ydien all other remedies have failed. A clyster of warm water, in which tobacco leaves have been steeped for a few minutes, js an excellent remedy j it must, however, be used with great caution; being very powerful in its effects, it must be made 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 prostration of muscular power, faintness, and sick¬ ness of the stomach:—profuse sweat breaks out Over the whole body; and if the remedy succeeds, the urine is immediately evacuated. 220 enSAT FLOW w This complaint is called lay physicians diabetes. The Word dia¬ betes is derived from two Greek words, which Signify—to pass through; and, I mention the fact merely to show, how little connexion there usually is, between the derivation of words ahd their real mean¬ ing. The quantity of water usually discharged in diabetes, is more than double the portion of 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 ad¬ vances 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—accompanied by a faint smell, as if mixed with rosemary leaves. These symptoms gen¬ erally occur without pain—and are usually attended with a voracious tor greedy appetite* * When this disease occurs on young persons, or is attended to in grown individuals at any period, it can very frequent¬ ly be removed;—but. when suffered to proceed for any length of time, or when it attacks persons in advanced age, or those who have in¬ dulged to excess in spirituous liquors, it is extremely difficult of re¬ moval. As this disease increases on the constitution, for I certainly consider it a constitutional complaint,-the whole body becomes emaci¬ ated, and gradually wastes away*; the mind becomes dull and melan¬ choly; the patient has a strong aversion to motion and exercise; there are frequent darting pains in |;he 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 pulses irregulhr; as the disease advances, fever takes place, similar to that in hectic and consumptive cases, the feet begin iq swell, and death in a short time usually closes the scene. The favorable symp¬ toms in this disease are the following:—the appetite becomes more natural,, and the thirst diminishes; the urine is voided in smaller quan¬ tities, and th? desire to make waterless frequent; the water assumes its natural color, and regains its usual smell; the skin becomes more 22 £ flexible or soft, and is suffiised or covered with gdntle 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 anatomistsand the results have Always shown, diseased state of the kidneys and their vessels, and consequent derangement of their secretions—in plain language^apd I am supported in the opin¬ ion by the (celebrated Rush, and several other physicians qf note, dia betes is a consumption of the Mdneys^ 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 pan be given *.-^-see table for dose. Blis¬ ters are to be applied tq the small of the back, and kept continually running t hnd a Dover's powder is to be given at night, which will produce a determination to the surface, or irt other words a gentle sweat: to prepare these powders, look under the head Dover's pow¬ ders. Use the warm bath frequently, and have the whole body rubed well twice a day with a flesh brush, or coarse towel; the rubing should at least continue half an hour to benefit your patient. "Flannel must be worn next the skin. The tincture of cantharides, cautiously ad¬ ministered, is a valuable remedy^ and should be given to a grown person, from, eight to ten, and -twelve every four or five hours in a little Cold water, or in Water in which some gum has been dis¬ solved:—wild cherry tree gum, or peach tree gum wjR answer. As¬ tringents may be seryicable in this complaint, and should be tried agreeably to the following directions. Alum dissolved in water, anl occasionally given throughout the day, as the stomach may bear it without mponVenience or unpleasant feelings, will be servicable-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 expe¬ dited the cure: —for the dose of alum or sugar of lead, see table for the doses adapted fop different ages. When it is possible to obtain chaly¬ beate water, or in otheif 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 222 rivulet, As there is an*ncid of the stomach, which frequently ac¬ companies the complaint, it will be proper to give your patient weak lime water, orchalk, or soda powders: look under that head, and you will see how soda powders are made. If fever is present in this dis¬ ease, which is sometimes the case, the loss of a little blood occasion¬ ally will be proper. Your patient is to use no strong drink of any kind; to eat no vegetable food, but 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 weather, to take moderate exer¬ cise. In my practice, I use the uva ursi tea, and have derived great benefit from it: I therefore recommend it with the utmost confidence. By the use of pmitics, with this tea, and frequent bathing in warm water, if commenced at an early period, a cure may be speedily ex¬ pected. Bead under the head uva ursi, for a description of tfiis plant, how it may be obtained, and bow to use it. The bowels are to be moderately purged, and kept open by castor oil; or by rheubarb, eith¬ er by chewing it, or taking it in powder. Rheubarb is preferable to castor oil in this disease, and should be used if it can be obtained. Look under the head rheubarb, 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. Ha refers most cases of incontinence or involuntary flow of urine, Or dia¬ betes, to a want of equilibrium in power, between the body of the bladder and its neck;; in othfer words, when the muscular power of the neck of the bladder, is so much weakened or relaxsed, as not to re¬ tain the urine against ih& -contractible power of the bladder itself. With this view of the subject, he imagined that if he could stimulate the neck of the bladder, and not the body of it, he could succeed. Ha introduced, by means*bf a catheter, some tincture of cantharides, so , as to touch the urethra in its prostatic part, and also the neck -of the bladder:—by this process, he cured three patients who labored un¬ der this disease. When this remedy is to be resorted to, the aid of a skilful physician will be required. 223 eruptions of the The close connexion which exists, between'the stomach, skin, and "bowels, is evidently demonstrated by the simple fact, that in many in¬ stances where the bowels is internally disordered, the skin exhibits external evidence of disease. The many eruptions which show them¬ selves on the face, hands, legs, and bodies of individuals, are positive proofs of the deranged state of their systems internally:—and by re¬ moving the primary or first causes, you invariably remove those eruptions, which are in general mere effects. You should, therefore, always endeavor to ascertain, whether those diseases of the skin are pot produced from 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 eruptions 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 external remedies, you will always produce fever, and almost invariably seat some fatal dis¬ eases on the vital organs. Whenever diseases exhibit their effects on the skfn, 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 taretard or stifle her operations. REMEDIES. The first great and important rule, irtall eruptive disorders of the skin, is to open the bowels and keep them in a laxative state, by cool¬ ing medicines such as Epsom salts, or equal quantities of cream of 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 stomach, and to assist nature in throwing the whole disease on the surface, where it may expire and fall off in scabs. Tea, made of sasafras, or sarsaparilla, should always be used as a common drink. Whenever fever takesplace, which is sometimes the case, draw some blood from the arms, and give an active purge' of calomel at night, followed by a dose of Epsom salts in th£ morn- 22-1 ing. Common starch rubbed on the skin, in all kinds ot eruptions, is a cooling and pleasant remedy; and the application of it en going to bed, will produce much relief from the itching, and consequently easy and refreshing 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 hy fre-t quent warm or tepid bathing. This disease is called, by physicians, eIiy sipelas;—at is of an in¬ flammatory character, and always attended with some fever.—The skin burns and itches very much, and usually turns to a scarlet co¬ lor. It generally commences in a red spot or blotch, and quickly ex¬ tends itself over the whole body. (Sometimes the face swells Very much, and becomes inflamed; there is, also, head ache, sickness at the stomach—and, not unfrequently, violent fever attended with delirium. REMEDIES This disease is attended with" inflammatory symptoms, and like others of the same character, must he treated by moderate bleeding, cooling purges, and cooling drinks. Bathe the feet and legs fre¬ quently in warm water; and remain in your room, so as not to be ex¬ posed to damp cold air, by which the disease might be struck inward¬ ly. Every two or three hours, give equal quantities of Antiraonial wine and sweet spirits of niftre, in doses of a tea-spoonful, in a stem- glass of cold water. If the head ache 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.—Sprinkling 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 t]he body, is also a valuable application. 225 TET T E & OR JBttST© *This is a disease confined to the skin, for which medicines are sel¬ dom given internally* It first appears as an inflammatory eruption ot small magnitude, not larger than the finger nail, and gradually ex¬ tends itself in a circle, which sometimes embraces the hands, some¬ times the face, and not unfrequently large portions of the body. Un¬ less relieved, it at length becomes extremely painful, and is attended with an itching sensation, which is greatly increased by the least warmth or exercise. REMEDIES. Puccooif-RooT, called by some persons Blood-root, and by others Indian paint, steeped in strong vineger, and applied as a wash to the parts affected, is a most excellent remedy—perhaps the best one known in this disease. The blue die, made by the country people to Color their cloth, has been sometimes known to remove it, when many other remedies had failed:—this must be owing to the indigo and urine the die contains, I do not recollect, however, one single case in my practice in Virginia, in which the puccoon-root and vinegar failed. In France, the application of the fume of sulphur is always resorted to with success, in all diseases of the skinread under the head sulphuric fumigation. © © ^ li ® H S il P , 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 seals, while fresh ones continue to break out at the roots of the hair, and follow the same process of turn¬ ing to scales and falling off. This disorder is infectious or catching, and is often taken by children, in consequence of wearing the hat or cap of a person affected with it. - Bleeping in the same bed, or comb* 29 226 ing with the same comb, when a child has constitutionally a scropulous taint, will also communicate the disease—which is sometimes tedious and difficult to cure. REMEDIES. First shave off the hair as close as possible; then cleanse the sores daily with warm soap-suds—atid put on the following ointment, which must be spread on a bladder, and worn as a cap. Take two table- spoonfuls of tar„and a sufficient quantity of suet pr lard to make an ointment; to these add a table-spoonful of powdered charcoal, and two tea-spoonfuls of sulphur, The bowels must be kept open with Epsom salts, and a tea made of sarsaparilla and sassafras drank freely; these measures will purify the blood, Once or twice a weak, bathe the whole body in warm water of a pleasant temperature. Doctor Chap¬ man of Philadelphia, one of the Professors of that University, recom¬ mends highly the fbllovying 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 drachmsmix them well together, and 'Use the whole as a wash. Where the remedies I have mentioned fail* look under the head sulphuric fumigation, for a certain remedy in all diseases of the skin. This disease does pot always arise from decayed teeth; it is fre¬ quently the offspring of nervous affections, of cold, of rheumatism, and not unfrequently, among females, of stoppages of certain evacu¬ ations, Ihave known many sound teeth to be extracted unnecessari¬ ly, and on account of diseases which were afterwards discovered to be seated in Other parts of the body; and, I therefore earnestly recom- mendj that great caution be used in discovering the causes of tooth ache, before q tootfy is suffered to be drawn. Tooth ache, 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 227 instances have occurred in my practice, where persons have request-* ed teeth to be drawn to remove tooth ache, when all their teeth on ex¬ amination were found to be sound. In these pases, I have always re¬ lieved them by a good purge. Among women, more than one half of the suffering from tooth ache, may be fairly traced to some bodily hab¬ it, or some nervous sympathy, to which the female'constitution is pe¬ culiarly liable—and which may be removed by other means, than the extraction of the teeth. Persons who have written before me, on the subject of tooth ache, have spoken of the disease as peculiar 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 doc¬ trine, and convince him that tooth ache is very frequently a common symptom of other diseases, which are to be sought out and removed before relief can be obtained, KEMEDIES. When tooth ache is presunied to arise from nervous affections, thi nervous system is to be strengthened by gentle tonics, nutritive and cooling food, and moderate exercise in the open air. When it pro¬ ceeds from cold or frpm rheumatism^ consult these two heads for di¬ rections tp remove it: and, wfieh it arises from stoppages of the men¬ ses in females, see and consult that head, among the diseases of wo¬ men. 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 discover¬ ed 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 pluged with gold leaf, or silver or tin foil. Tooth ache is frequently owing, to the nerve or 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 pluged 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 which the diseased tobth Will not beat4 the! wedging pressure of being pluged with gold leaf; in these instances, pure tin or lead ought to be used. These last mentioned articles, however, wear out in a few years; and it is a truth Well knowri, that tin will corrode, rust, or turn black in a short time, from the action of 228 the acids generally used in food. Gold, in its pure state, is always preferable for pluging a tooth; it will sometimes Jast twenty years.—r— If the disease arises from inflammation, the practice of holding hot and stimulating articles in the mouth is highly improper: you will know when it arises from inflammation, by the following indications -—you will have head ache, which will be attended with fever* Take a full dose of Epsom or Glauber salts, and repeat the dose if neces¬ sary. 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 frequently caused by certain ner¬ vous 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 linament, I have said before, that tooth ache sometimes arises, though mot very frequently, from rheumatism:— when this is the case, the whole side of the face will be pained, togeth¬ er with the sound as^vell as the decayed teeth. There will also be felt, a dull heavy pain, extending along the jaw bone; and a stifness of the neck, sometimes attended with pain in the shoulder. The fol¬ lowing is a good remedy. Put a piece of lime, the size of a walnut, into a quart bottle of watery with this rinse the mouth two or three times a day—and clean the teeth with it every morning nntil the pain ceases. But, in rheumatic affections, of the kind just de¬ scribed, see under the head rheumatism. The taetab, or scurvy of the teeth,is a very destructive dis¬ ease; it greatly injures the teeth, and frequently destroys them, be¬ fore you are aware of the danger. Tartar is an accumulation of earthly 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 constitutional state of the fluids, of the mouth. When first deposited 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 229 tartar from the teeth, must be obvious to all r—and the operatim ought always to be performed by a skilful person, called a Dentist—or by a physician. To prevent 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 quan¬ tity of peruvian bark. The use of all acids for the removal of tartar, is a base imposition. Acids will, indeed, make the tee.th look beauti¬ fully white for a few days, dissolve and remove the tartar, and stop the tooth ache; but, in a few months, the teeth will become of a dead chalky white, next turn dark colored, then begin to dec ay and crumble to pieces, and finally leave their fangs in the sockets, exposed to pain and inflammation. Milk warm water, and the tooth powder 1 have mentioned, will not only preserve the teeth, but correct in a great de¬ gree the offensive effluvia arising from decayed teeth and unhealthy gums. — 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 waste. There is a con¬ stant desire to scratch, which is much increased after you become warm in bed. Cleanliness, qnd early attention to this dirty disorder, will prevent its being o ommunicated 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. REMEDIES. Take one drachm, or sixty drops of sulphuric acid, which, is oil of viteral-—mix it well wiih one ounce of hngVlard, or fiesh but fen 230 without salt will answer. After it is Well prepared by good rubing, 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-spoon¬ ful of sulphur, and a table-spoonful of lard, or butter without salt, and put in the ointment a table-spoonful 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 rubed onthe""parts affected, three or four nights on going to bed. Sulphur is nothing piore than common brimstone purified, and pounded fine. Or, you may take one drachm of red per- cipitate, and rub ft well in a mortar with an ounce of hogVlard or butter without salt, and anoint the parts affected: this last is a valuable and certain cure.—A strong decoetion or tea of Virginia snake-root, known generally as black snake-root, will frequently cure the itch when used as a wash. Tobacco leaves steeped in Avater, and used two or three times a day as a wash., will effect a cure-; but this reme¬ dy must be used with caution on children Water dock grow3 in wef ditches, mill ponds, and sides of rivers; and, flowers in July and Au¬ gust. 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 pappose. Mercurial oint¬ ment, sometimes called oil of baze, is frequently rubed on the joints for itch: this is highly improper, because it frequently salivates, and produces pains in the joints and bones for life. 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 considering its nauseaus and disgusting qualities, is an enigma not be solved on common principles. We can easily account for our attachments to food, and even to those luxuries of life which have any thing tempting in their use, by referring them to in¬ stinctive impqlses to the preservation of life, und our native propenn- 231 ties to heighten the enjoyments of existence: but—to account for our attachments to habits and practices, which are absolutely disgusting, offensive, and highly injurious to health, and which almost inva- yiaby 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 medicinal application to the system, the instances of which will be found under the head tobacco, is dangerous to health, to happiness, and to morals in sup¬ port of the tru'h of this doctrine, it would he idle to adduce proofs j those who uSe tobacco are conscious of its destructive effects, and those Who do not may hourly witness its dreadful consequences, 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, res¬ pecting the hitherto unheard of practice, among thp females of our country, of regularly eating scotch snuff!—It appears, from what I have beer* informed on veritable authority, or t certainly would not believe it possible, that the practice among our ladies, of eating daily considerable 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 tiling moie, than a mere pretext for the filthy and disgusting practice, which taints the breath with a fetor worse than asafoetida; deranges all the physical sensations, and the whole nervous system; imparls to the rosy cheek of youthful beauty, the delightsome complexion of a cake of bees-wax', subverts, ruins, and finally destroys the digestive powers of the stomach; and, renders that stomach a filthy reservoir of dregs and crudities, which taints and corrupts the whole system—the eaters of scotch smrff may be in¬ duced to abandon the destructive practice, when I point out to them a much better tooth-powder—which is nothing more nor less, than pow¬ dered charcoal, rhixed with paruvian or dog-wood bark. In speakingt)f the evils which arise from eating snuff, I have not enumerated the 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 what the celebrated Rush says, respecting the practice of eating snuff:—"I have known two in- S33 stances of death from eating snuff. It; is a habit >$hich is increasing among the ladies of our country, with a rapidity only equalled by the ravages of ardent spirits, and which is no less rtlinous to health and destructive to life. The practice of eating snuff, had its probable ori¬ gin in using the scotch snuff as a tooth-powder;—a fondness is soon acquired Forit, andliundreds among us, especially among our females, get drunk upon it every day of their lives."'—Doctor Rush's views of this subject are undoubtedly correct; but he has not said all that might have been alleged, respecting the consequences of snuff eating. He might have said, that those who 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 sick^ ly yellowy the akin seems to be under-coated with a layer of scotch snuff; theTp is nothing of "the rose's bloom of opening unsullied beau¬ ty," on this lank, faded, and hollow clleek: —look at this eye, the owner is an eater of scotch snuff;—do you see any thing of that health¬ ful brilliancy, that sparkling fire of youthful beauty which inchants mankind} in that jaundiced, sunken, hollow, dead, and beamlesseye?1 No:—the vital energies have been worn out and exhausted by snuff eating; the animations of youth have been overpowered and killed by this excess; this is but the shadow of ahuman being 1—r-Catch a scent of this breath;—is it pure and sweet, with youthful passion's tender bloom? Does it remind you of the gale of spring, that gently shakes the blossoms from the orange grove 1—Does its healthful parity be¬ speak the paradice of sweets from which it comes?—No:—like the wind of night, that has swept the sepulchral shades of death, it comes with corruption and infection on its wings 1—It reminds you of disease--* debility—decay and death—of every thing but love!—Doctor Rush might have said all tiffs of the snuff eater, and. forfeited none of his high claims to professional honors, integrity, and truth.—1—-I am de¬ cidedly pf opinion, and I record the allegation without fear of contra¬ diction, especially by those who know any thing of the subject, that of the two characters, the drunkard and the snuff eater, the drunkard is the more worthy personage, if consequences be taken into considera¬ tion. Snuff eating invariably produces langour, extreme debility, aversion to the performance of the common duties of life, tremors of the nerves, capricious and disagreable temper, and restless melancholy and lowness of spirits, unless the person is immediately under the cfis- gusting stimulant. But, this is not all; snuff eating always produces 233 want of appetite, neausea, inordinate thirst, pains and distention of the stomach, dyspepsia or indigestion, tremors of the limbs and whole frame, disturbed 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 moderete quantity introduced into the Sys¬ tem, or even applied moist to the pit of the stomach, has been known to produce instant death. The Indians of our own hemisphere, have long known of its poisonous effects upon the human system; and for¬ merly used to dip the points of their arrows in an oil obtained from the leaves, by which faintness and death occurred from their wounds. I was once acquainted with a young lady of the first respectabili¬ ty, whose kind and affectionate heart was possessed of every noble and generous sentiment, who was in the habit of snuff eating. She was taken dangeroiisly ill, and it became necessary to give her an emitic 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, can not merely overlook the practice in their blooming daughters, but absolutely encourage it by their example. I really trust, that the preceeding remarks, and they are founded in experience and truth, will have some influence in res¬ training the practice of snuff eating, ana in restoring many of the fair of our country, to the possession of their native charms and beauty. This disease derives its name from a Greek word, which signifies to strike dr knock down; because those affected with it are suddenly pros¬ trated to the earth, and deprived of sense and motion. ■ A variety of causes have been assigned for Apoplexy; but, they may all be com¬ prised in the following words—whatever determines, or throws^ s6 great a quantity of blood on the brain, that it cannot return from that 30 234 vital organ. It is not necessary to enumerate those causes, further than to remark, that among them are:—'violentfits of passion, excess of venery, stooping down for any length of time, overloading the sto¬ mach, and wearing any thing too tight about the neck, great cold, and intemperance.—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 j 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. JDewit Clinton, the Irish, patriot Ths A. Emmet, and William Pinck- ney, Esq. our former minister to London. Intense and protracted mental exertion, was probably the cause of the death of Messrs Em. tnet, Pinekney, and Clinton; but, in most instances,'Apoplexy is to be dreaded by corpulent or plethoric persons, such as I have before flamed having large heads and short necks, epicures, gluttons, and those who use spirituous liquors to excess. REMEDIES. The chief remedy in Apoplexy is large and copious bleeding, which must he repeated if necessary. Cupping 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, a3 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 cold, est water constantly to the head. If your patient should recover by the means directed, in order to escape from a second and third attack, the person should scrupulously observe the following rules of living: he must eat vegetable food, drink no wine or spirits of any kind, avoid all strong and long continued exertions of mind; and, after the full state of die brain has for sometime subsided, the use of Chalybeate .waters, such as those of the Harrodsburgh Springs in Kentucky, will be of muchservica. As this is a common and often fatal disease, I will make some further remarks on it, .Many physicians have recom¬ mended, end put in practice in this complaint, opening one of theexr lernal jugular veins. They imagine, that by drawing blood from one of these veins, they unload the brain and relieve its blood vessels from «tftr distention, and the danger of rupture. The fact however seems to be otherwise. Instead of unloading the vessels by this operation, the pressure which is necessary to be made on the vein for the purpose of drawing the blood, evidently retards the return pf the blood to the heart—and, as a certain and inevitable consequence of this pressure, accumulation of blood in the arteries, and greater distention of the blood vessels immediately take place. To exhibit the force of this reasoning clearly, I will make an example of blood letting 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 i—here the vains take up the same blood, to return it again to the heart.—- Now—when we cord the arm tightly in order to draw blood from a vein, what are the consequences? Why:—we stop the course of the blood back to the heart, swell the Veins of the arm next, and lastly distend the whole 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 Vain? The above doctrine, as well as it can be explained from the words of the great Doctor Baillie of London, I am induced to consider correct. Instead of opening the ju¬ gular vain, in cases of emergency, I would recommend bleeding in the foot. In performing this operation, after the bandage has been put on, the foot should be put in warm water: the fact is, that warm water applied to both feet, in bleeding for Apoplexy, Would be atlen« ded with manifest advantages. This disease differs from Apoplexy,by the former having convuh sions, 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 stupor, attended with great weakness and ex¬ haustion of the body. Epileptic fits arise from the following caus- egOriginal or natural defects; in other words 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 236 Cured. But, 'when it proceeds from any of the following causes, Cures may be effectuated, by medicine, proper diet, &c. —In children, when it proceeds from worms, cutting teeth, impure and acrid mat¬ ter in the stomach and bowels, eruptions of the shin which suddenly strike in, and sores on the head which are too quickly healed up, re¬ lief may be obtained by medical means. Relief may also be bad in the cases of grown persons, afflicted from the too free use of spirit¬ uous liquors, from violent excitements of those passions which effect 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 sometimes by onanism. REMEDIES. In fits of this kind • a few days previous to the expected attack, draw blood from the foot; and every night on going to bed, bathe the feet some time in warm water, so as to prevent too great a determina¬ tion of blood to the head, as these fits generally attack persons 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 instances over the human species, is absolutely unaccountable, and is even ridiculed by many physicians; but, I feel fully confident, from reflection and experience, 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 changes 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 certainly 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 he 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 emphatically, bleeding in the fo'ot, and the warm bath; these will re- m move Ihe blood from the brain, when harsher means* have failed, The bowels must be kept in a laxative slate, by epsom salts castor oil, or mild clysters:—see table fpr doses and head clysters. By per¬ mitting the bowels to be the least bound, you subject the person to much risk of having a fit, An issue, or a seaton in the neck, some¬ thing resembling a rowel, and kept continually discharging, is a good remedy in fits. The usebf tartar emetic ointment, is a remedy . resorted to in the hospitals of Europe with success j I have tried it in two cases; it succeeded in one and failed in the other:—this, howev¬ er, is the usual fate of most remedies applied in this disease. Sea- tons always lessen thefits considerably in mimber and severity, and ,the tartar emetic ointment sometimes removes the complaint; they are, therefore, both worthy of a fair trial. For the mode of prepar¬ ing this ointment, and the manner of using it, look under that head -—and for issues or seatons, see that head. All that can be done dur¬ ing the fit, is to prevent the person 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 modera¬ tion, 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 erppty stomach; or, take the person afflicted through a gradual and moderate salivation with mercury. Doctor Currie, an eminent physician, speaks highly of the Digita¬ lis or Fox-glove, a^ a remedy in this complaint; but it must be used with much caution. Five or six drops of tincture, increased two drops every five or six days, ought to be given: see table for doses. The bowels must be kept open with senna and manna. Doctor Wharton, of Shenandoah county, Virginia, a man of distinguished abilities,administered it with great success: see page 184, Med. Re¬ corder :—Persons who are subject to these fits, should avoid all strong and heating food, togethor 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 ta¬ ken, and every thing is to be avoided which is calculated to produce melancholy:—because the mind and passions have great influence on the nervous system. 234 SPiMLSV, Palsy is A disease, attended with the loss or diminution of the pow¬ er of voluntary motion. It sometimes affects one part of the body, and sometimes another—but, in whatever payt of the system it pre¬ vails, there will always be a® numbness, and almost entire want of feeling, 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 fever from the brain to the organs of motion; from luxu¬ rious and intemperate living; from the suppression of certain evacua¬ tions, such as are mentioned in epileptic fits; from spasmodic affec¬ tions or cramps; from whatever causes a determination of blcod to the brain;from too frequent intercourse with women, by which the nervous system is much weakened; from exposure to cold; from af¬ fections of the spinal marrow; from any mechanical 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 on 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 the palsy should bleeding be resorted to, unless the patient is of a stout and full habit of body, and where the disease originated in the head, causes a great determination of blood to the vessels of the brain. In all other cases, bleeding is of much more injury than benefit. Where the person is of a full habit, and there is much determination of blood to the head, in addition to bleeding in the first stage of attack, active purges will be very beneficial. Ifi on the contrary, the person is of a delicate and weakly habit of body, is considerably 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 fsame time, stimulating clysters: see the head clysters. The fact is, that constipation of the bowels on the on© hand, and excessive laxness on the other, are extremes equally t© be avoided in palsy. Constipation or costiveness of bowels, always oppresses the brain with an accumulation of blood, which must be relievedand too much purging with very laxative medicines, in¬ variably weakens the system greatly, and as I have somewhere be¬ fore remarked, produces morbid irritibility. Palsy, with the excep¬ tion of the cases I have mentioned, must be treated with tonic pr strengthening medicines. Every second or third night take two grains of calomel, and three of ground ginger, in a little honey: these doses are to be continued, until there is a copperish taste in the mouth, or some soreness felt in the gums and mouth; here you are io stop ta¬ king them. During all this time, you are to have the affected parts well rubbed with a brush, for half an hour three times a-day; and you are also, once a day, to bathe in strong salt and water made pleasantly warm. ; See page 114, where you will find, fhat out of 996 cases of palsy, 813 were benefited by the warm bath, Blisters are also very beneficial in this disease, one of which ought to be pla¬ ced between the shoulders, one on the inside of each ancle, and one over the part affected: they should all be kept continually running, by the application of some irritating ointment. An issue or seaton 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 linament. One ounca of spirits of heartshorn, one table-spoonful of spirits of turpentine, one table-spoon ful of the tincture 6f Spanish flies, made by steeping the flies in whiskey. 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 whiskey, in which cayenne peper has been steeped so as to make it s-rong of the pep¬ per. Use horse raddish freely with your food: and take thirty dive drops of spirits of turpentine, on a lump of sugar, three times a day As soon as practicable, take exercise in the 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. X will remark in conclusion, 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, which is the use of the sulphur ;bath, by which 673 cases were cured in the hospitals of Paris, and 484 in those of Vienna, See head Sulphuric Bath. 240 In this disease, from an extensive experience, I unhesitatingly say, that asthma when once firmly seated in the System, is a com¬ plaint that may be palliated but never entirely removed by medicine. When the disease attacks young persons, abstemeous diet and due ex¬ ercise are the best remedies fot subduing its violence; but, an entire and permanent cure of the complaint, is only to be expected from the spontaneous and powerful efforts of nature herself. In aged persons, where the disease is of long standing, great care and attention are re¬ quired 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 asth¬ ma is a nervous disease; the contrary however has been established, by many dissections in the hospitals of Paris and other cities of Eu¬ rope. 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 produced. Rostan, particularly, gives in evidence of this opinion the following facts-he says in sub¬ stance, 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 exten¬ sive congestive diseases of the lungs, proving that disorder of the heart and large blood vessels, have much greater influence in the pro¬ duction of asthma than is generally supposed. The symptoms of asthma aredifficult 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 suffocation; a great tightness across the breast, and in the region of the lungs; a wheezing noise in breathing, attended by a hard cough at first, which gradually 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, generally know the approach of those attacks, by the follow¬ ing symptoms and sensations:—depression of spirits amounting to melancholy; sense of fulness and distention about the stomach, at¬ tended with uneasy and restless feelings; drowsiness accompanied by 241 head ache; and a sense of tightness or constriction across the breast These indications usuaiTy occur about the close of the day, increase in severity during the night, and sensibly diminish toward morning. REMEDIES, Bleeding must never be resorted to in asthmaalthough it is fre¬ quently practiced by physicians, it is altogether wrong, and must al¬ ways be avoided. The reason is obvious, and particularly so in the cases of persons advanced in age, Bleeding retards, in fact it pre¬ vents expectoration by the mouth and throat ; in other words, it pre¬ vents hawking and spitting up mucus from the throat and Iutjigs, which always gives relief in asthma. So soon as symptoms of an attack are felt, which I have just described, give a mild pmetic 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 seneka snake root in a pint of water, after bruising if with a hammer, to half a pint: of this, take a table-spoonful every ten or fifc teen minutes, and drink a small glass of warm toddy. I have fre¬ quently afforded relief in a short time, by merely bathing the 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 fore-finger and thumb. Put it into a bottle of whiskey, 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 wo¬ men, they should rise early and take active exercise, particularly by assending 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 James-town weed will be beneficial, as will also smoking the dried root of the skunk cabbage. Look under the head James-town weed, where this plant is described: it must always be used gradually and with some caution. Baron Brady states, that he cured himself of asthma of 21 years standing, by the internal use of mustard seed, of which he took every morning £4$ and evfening a tea-Spoohful mtea or broth- Doctor Pktachaft says* he derived much benefit from the internal .use of ihustard, in pectoral disorders attended with Cough, and excessive mucus expectoration. © ® 3K Si S 111 © © $ Sore legs frequently arise from the imprudent neglect of bruises; and, from trifling sores, which are permitted to become inflamed, and finally ulcerous. Sore legs, like consumptions, and other diseases which descends from parents to children, sometimes run jnfamilies for several generations:—when they run in families,it is generally in such families as are adieted to king's evil, scrofula, or scurvy. Doctor Jlush says, that he considers them, in many instances, as arising from general debility, or weakness operating on the whole system, but cen¬ tering more particularly on the !Legs. Persons who have been af¬ flicted 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 purifying and preparing the system for the change;—because the sudden suppression of a habitual dis¬ charge, without 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 per¬ fectly clean, by frequently washing them with soap and water. Doctor Rush says, and I perfectly 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 efficacy of their medical ap¬ plications. 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, Touring cold water on the sores three times a day, is an excellent ap¬ plication^ but, it must be dona on an empty stomach. Poultices of 243 light whoat "bread and milk, applied as cold as possible^, will reducfe the inflammation, or fever, scr will, also, a poultice of slippery elm bark, pounded well and moistened, before being applied. A wash, of white oak bark, in old ulcers id a valuable remedy. I have succeeded in curing old sores, when every other means had been tried in vain, by the application of common tow to the ulcer, and kept wet with new milk. A salve made of James-town weed, will be found an excellent remedy j as will also a salve made of the common elder bark When the sores are sluggish, and refuse to heal, a poultice made of common 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, commencing at the toes and winding up the leg, which will give due support to the vessels. In such cases, tonic 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 usefiil medicine in allaying the pain, and invigorating the whole system. Rest, in a lying posture, should al¬ ways be particularly attended to, in all cases of sore legs: and the diet should be cooling, hccompanied with pure air. Every thing of a heating and stimulating nature should be avoided, particularly ardent spirits.—In some old ulcerations of the legs, nitric acid, (aqua fortis) very weak, is Sometimes taken internally and also applied outwardly as a wash for the sores. Charcoal will correct the smell, and purify the sores; or if made into a poultice is an excellent application to ill-con¬ ditioned 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, anointment made by simmering the root in hog's lard, is a valuable remedy, derived from the indians. There are tw o kmda of piles, originating from very nearly the 244 Same causes:—one is called the bleeding piles, and the other the blind piles. The piles are small swelled tumors, of rather a dark appearance, usually situated on the edge of the fundament. Where there is a discharge of blood from thesfe tumors, when you go to stool, the disease is called bleeding piles ; but, when there fs only a swel¬ ling 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 subject to piles; but wo¬ men 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 tumors, which extend from the edge of the fundament, to an inch or more upward, if you have them severe:— when 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 is also produced, by riding a great deal on horse-back in warm weather; by the use of highly seasoned food; by sedentary habits, in other words, want of exercise; by the use of spirituous li¬ quors to excess; and by the use of aloes as a purge, if constantly ta¬ ken for any length of time to remove costiveness:—therefore, persons subject to costiveness, 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 iceed water to prevent, or to ielieve the disease if formed. I have known many persons who have exempted them¬ selves 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 attending piles, it will be proper to lose a little blood, and to take a dose of epsom salts or cas¬ tor oil: for doses see table. Purging and bleeding should be repeated, if the inflammatory or feverish symptoms do hot subside. If the pain is violent, bathe the fundament with some laudanum, say a tea- spoonful of laudanum, mixed in a table-spoonful of cold water:—or 245 set over a tub, in which some tar has been heated or set on fire, so that the steam may sweat the fundament:—this steaming should con¬ tinue some time, and be frequently repeated. 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 in¬ to a pint of spring water, and bathing the parts frequently with it. Mercurial ointment, otherwise called 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 fundament greased with it, will also afford speedy relief from pain. All persons subject to piles, should live on light diet of a cooling natnre, avoid costiveness, and use plenty of cold water in bathing, as before directed. 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, without the least moisture; and the pulse very quick and irregu¬ lar:—the mouth and throat assume a fiery red color, and the palate and glands of the throat much swelled. Blotches, of a dark red color, appear on the face about the third or fourth day, which gradu¬ ally increase in size, and soon spread over the whole body. On ex¬ amining 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 wa¬ tery pimples on them, which soon break and produce sores, the matter of which is of an acrid nature. If this disease is not immediately relieved, it soon terminates fatally, from the fifth to the seventh day. As the disease advances, the following symptoms denote an unfavora¬ ble and fatal termination. Purging a black matter, of a very offen¬ sive and fetid smell; the hands and feet becoming cold; the eruptions becoming of a dark liver color, or suddenly disappearing; the inside of the mouth and throat assuming a dark hue; the pulse becoming smal I, quick, and fluttering; the breathing much hurried, with an al¬ most constant sighing; and a cold and clamy sweat.—When putrid 246 Sore throat is about termiuufcifig favorably, the shin becomes gradually soft and moist, denoting the abatement" of fev er; the eruption on the¬ rein becomes of a redish color over the whole body; the breathing be¬ comes more free and natural, the eyes assume h natural and lively appearance; the sloughs, or parts which ^separate from the ulcers, fall off easily, and leave the sores of a clean and redish color:—when these symptoms occur, as I said before, the disease is about termina¬ ting in a recovery of the patient. This infectious, and frequently mortal disease, made its appearance in Knox county, 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 immediately determined, to use a remedy which I had seen successfully administered, in the West In¬ dies, in this disease; and the result of the prescription was successful an my own practice Feeling it a duty to communicate the remedy, to several gentlemen in the country, whose children were attacked with the eomplaint, I was informed it was unusually successful, in every case in which it was resorted to in the early stages! of the dis¬ ease. REMEDIES. In this disease, which is generally a dangerous one, unless treated with judgment, bleeding and purging are always fatal in their conse¬ quences, and you are scrupulously 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 sys¬ tem 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 vegeta¬ tion. You are in the first instance, to give an emetic or puke of ipecacu¬ anha- sefe table for dose, and the dose must be repeated in moderation the aiext day if considered necessary. This will throw off the acrid matter, Svhjch would otherwise produce injury by descending into the boisels—which are to be kept gently open by clysters.—see under that bead.—If it is necessary, a little castor oil by the mouth, or a little Jrheubarb, may be.given to assist the clysters in removing offensive !24T tnatter:—use, then, the Allowing valuable prescription, which is Veil known in the West Indies, whence I derived it. Take Cayenne pepper^ m powder, t ro table-spoonfuls:—vvirh eiie tea-spoonful of salt; and put both into half pint of toiling 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 tliia medicine, give two table-spoonfuls every half hour. Make, also, a strong decoction or tea of seneka snake-roof, and giv e of it twortable spoonfuls every hour. If any debility or w eakness 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 de¬ coction, and give wine, or toddy made with spirits and sweetened with sugar, to support the system. Wash the mouth and throat, fre- frequently with the liquor made of pepper, vinegar and salt:—and, apply to the throat, a poultice frequently renewed, of garlic, or onions, pr ashes tnoiotened well with vinegar, enclosed in a small bag,so as to produce slight irritation of the skin. Volatile linament will an¬ swer:—'lock under that head; but,b!isteis must never be applied to the jfieck. I have never used the compound ,• but am strongly impressed with the opinion, fhata tea spoonful of goefd yeast, mixed with the same quantity of powdered charcoal, and given three times a day* would ]be a good remedy in this complaint. This affection is produced from a foul stomach, from costiveness, from indigestion, and sometimes from exposure to the rays of the sum There is also a painful affection of the head, accompanied with some nausea, called sick head ache, which comes on periodically, or at par ticular timesthis last is sometimes called nervous head ache. It is not nervous head ache; it arises from want of acid on the stomach, or from an excess of acid. There is, indeed, a nervous head ache, which arises from the same causes as those which produce tooth ach- in female diseases: and which may be produced, also, by grief or any of the depressing passions, and should be treated by gentle stii»?i,-< lents 248 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 expo¬ sure to the sun, read nnder the head Inflammation of the Brain. In sick head ache, a late remedy has been discovered, which may be re¬ lied on: it is citric acid, which may be had at any drug store; in plain terms, it is nothing but the acid of lemons; of which you have only to put a little in cold water, and to drink it. This remedy is be¬ lieved to be an effective one; and was, 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 ache, as scareely 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 head ache arises from ex¬ cess of acid on the stomach, a tea-spoonful of finely powdered char¬ coal, in a little cold water, will correct the acid:—a tea-spoonful o f magnesia will do the same. When head ache arises from debility, sti¬ mulants are required, particularly by delicate females. Wine sanga- Ree, made with warm water, wine,sugar, and nutmeg, is an excellent and gentle stimulant. I have in many cases, given a bottle of Ma¬ deira wine to a female in the course of a day, and produced much benefit from it in this disease—without the least intoxicating effect.— The best wine must always be used. Many persons are subject, on the slightest cold, to painful affections of the ear. These pains usually subside in a day or two, and the disease ends in a discharge of matter.—Sometimes great pain is pro¬ duced, by some insect crawling into the ear of a person whilst sleep¬ ing: and it is not unfrequent, that an accumulation of wax takes place in the ear, and produces deafness. REMEDIES. Warm some fine salt, place it in a bag, and apply it in the ear; or 249 r—make a poultice of roasted onions, and apply it to the ear and side of the head—first putting into 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 fi¬ nally 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 af¬ ter the pain has gone off, inject into the ear once or twice a day, a little strong saft and water—afier which, keep the ear stopped with some wool, which must be moistened With spirits in .which camphor has been dissolved. This complaint is so universally known, as to make a minute de¬ scription of it unnecessary. It appears on the throat,- sometimes on one side, and sometimes on both sides. It makes its appearance in a lump immediately under the jaw, which swells and becomes large and painful, and often renders the Swallowing difficult. The cheeks and whole face generally swell at first, and continue swelled for five or six days. When the disease is any way severe, it i3 usually attend¬ ed with fever;—children are generally affected with it, but it is not exclusively confined to them. When it attacks grown persons male or female, great care should be observed in treating it. In men, the testicles frequently become swelled as large as goards, and extremely painful:—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 accumulation of matter. These conse¬ quences, however, both to men and women,5 usually arise from want of attention, and from the taking of colds;—when due caution is ex¬ ercised, there is very little danger from the complaint REMEDIES. In simple cases of mumps, nothing can or ought to be done/butJ avoiding the taking of col Is. K *■ *p tho face, throat, and head, rrto3 ft 250 lately warm, by wearing flannel round the parts. Keep the bowela gently open, by a little castor oil or epsorti salts; and always avoid the damp ground, and wet feet, or even damp feet. If the testicles §well, 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 pri¬ vates, poultices of cold light bread and milk, which are always to be renewed as 6oon 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; which are to be suspended, or held up in a hag 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 swelled breasts, must pursue the plan of bleeding and purging prescribed for men, and apply the poultices to their breasts to prevent the formation of matter in them. Poultices made of flax-seed, applied cold, are also effective in reducing inflammations, This is so common a disease in the western country, that it requires to he treated of with much attention. The eye is Exceedingly tender, and subject to a great variety of maladies, some of which usually terminate in total blindners, unless speedy relief can be obtained. This delicate organ exemplifies in the wisdom of its construction, the boundless and incomprehensible power of an almighty god. It may be called the mirror of the soul; the interpreter of the passions of mankind. «At a single glance, it takes in the sublime beauties, and magnificent splentors of the \ isille creation; reaches by il3 m^ stlc energies the bosom of unlimited space—and, at the next moment, by an effort of microscopic vision which is absolutely unaccountable, it expatiates on the mild tints of the^opening rose-bud, 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 be?n astonished at the carelessness and inattention, with which diseases of this noble and distinguished organ are sometimes treated. In a work like this, which is intended for popular use and benefit, it '251 would be irrelevant and unimportant, to treat of such diseases of the eye as require surgical operations j such must always be met, by tha skill and judgment of a practiced operator. OrTHAiMiA is the general name, given by Physicians to inflamma¬ tory diseases of the eye:—these diseases are either inflammations of the coats or membranes of the eye, or they are inflammations Of the whole orbit or globe of the eye itself In common opthalmia, for there is such a disease as venerial opthalmia, the eyes exhibit considerable inflammations, owing to the fullness of the small blood vessels; there is also much heat and pain felt over the whole surface of the eye; and, generally speaking, an involuntary flow of (ears. When the inflam¬ mation is suspected to be deeply seated, throwing a strong light on the eye will determine the fact, by producing sharp shooting pains thro1 the head, accompanied with fever. When the pains of the eyes and head are not much increased by ah exposure of the eyes to a strong light, we may safely conclude, that the inflammation is of a slight and local nature. It is iny opinion, and I know it is contrary to the com¬ mon opinion, if any judgment cah be formed from the general prac¬ tice of physic-jans, that inflammatory diseases 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 produced, by severe colds; by sudden changes of the weather; 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 Puland, to which ninny convicts are consigned for life, and Where the exclusion, pf day light renders torches necessary, not only the prisoners but the hotses themselves become blind, from the in¬ sufferable brilliancy of the salt rock. This simple fact is sufficient tq 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 froth external injuries, such as blows and bruises; and also from splinters, dust, or any other irritating mat¬ ters getting into the eyes. Healing old ulcers, or sores of long stand¬ ing—and particularly driving in eruptions of the head Jand-faee, will very often inflame the eyes. Besides all theseu-caaises^rthe-suppres-/ sion or stoppage of some habitual discharges, such-as. the menses, bleeding at the nose, hemorrhoids or piles, &c., will'produce inflamp em fixations of the eyes -.—and, to close the catalogue of the causes of in¬ flammatory diseases of the eye, venerial opthalmia itself is produced, by the action of the virus or poison ofthe venerial disease, on scorbutic or scrofulous habits of body. This last disease of the eyes, generally ter minates in impaired vision, or total blindness.—You—who are yet tyros in the school of experience and humanity:—you—who are melt¬ ing down your physical and vital energies on the corrupted bed of lust and debauchery, listen to this! TLEMEDIES 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. 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 in¬ flammation, and to cool the whole system. The shin should be kept clean, and perspiration or sweating kept up continually, by the warm Or tepid bath, after bleeding and purging have been sufficiently re¬ sorted to. Doctor Physick, who 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 oner and around them, \vhich 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 jlies or cantharidea from entering the eyes. When the inflammation is con¬ sidered merely local and external, and not deeply seated in the sys¬ tem or vital organs, poultices mad# of light bread and milk, and ap¬ plied as cold as possible will be beneficial r—in fact, the coldest ap¬ plications 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 tha clear part from the top, and keep the eye constantly moistened with this, water. If the 253 eyes are very painful, you may add to the mixture a tea-spoon-ful of laudanum, to allay the irritation. Persons who are constitutionally subject to weak eyes, will find much benefit from bathing them Fre¬ quently in pure water; and if the weakness is unattended by inflam¬ mation, by bathing them in weak spirits and water. In cases of films overspreading the cornea, or transparent part of the eye, so as to induce blindness, I consider it my duty to make the following notices: —Doctor Man lone, formerly a celebrated physician, 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 repeated, 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 fellow creature, when (he .writer is no longer an inhabitant 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 sheers and ridicule* of modern infidels, that the story in the Apocrypha, of Tobit's blindness being cured by "the gall of a Fish, is neither ridiculous nor improbable:— Doctor Manlone has been dead about forty years. For the satisfac¬ tion of the reader, I will record a case in which I myself was success¬ ful in the cure of blindness. Miss Hudson of Knox county, who resides with her father on the waters ofHolston, in this state, came to me afflicted with blindness in one of her eyes, from a film—which I speedily and easily removed, by introducing upon the surface of the eye-ball, clean hog's lard; it was introduced into the eye with a fine Camel-hair pencil, and with much care. There is an inflamm ttbn at *he eid of the filger or thumb. The pain gradually increases, attended wi:h a throbing sensation, and al¬ ways produces in its progress the most excrutiatiog torment. In whitlow,the finger or thumb affected, always puts on a glossy or shit ning appearance. After six or eight days, matter forms under the 254 nail or at the side of it, which on being opened gives immediate relief, REMEDIES. The old plan of treatment in whitlow has been entirely laid aside —it consisted merely of poultices "and warm applications. The me¬ thod of cure now adopted in the European Hospitals, which may be said to he an infallible one, is simply, as follows. The momeiit the whitlow is discovered, press the part gently and gradually with your thumb and fore-finger. Then, with a piece of tape or narrow binding, bind or wind the sore finger or thumb tightly, from the point upward towaid the body of the hand. This bandage must be permitted to remain cn, 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 immediately be put on again. If the bandage give much pain, so that you cannot bear it, it must he gradually loosened until you can bear the pressure.. By this simple method, whitlow may be easily cured, if matter has not formed in it. Were I not convinced, that many wise men and old women will laugh at this simple cure, I would not put myself to the trouble of proving its efficacy. Doctor WiTiam Balfour of Edinburgh, relates more than jfifty cqees of whit¬ low 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, applied to me on the 25th of August, with a whitlow on one of his thumbs. He knew no cause for the complaint, which had existed about a week, and prevented him from following his occupation, When I had press¬ ed the parts firmly, and applied a bandage, I desired him to call the next day. He looked at me, as if he would have said—iIs this all that vou are to do for meP 1 found this fellow, says the doctor^ quite doubtful with regard to bay cure, and again desired him to call the next day. In the morning he accordingly returned—when I found the inflammation and swelling considerably abated. On the third day the pain was entirely gone, and the man had the free use of his thumb. I now asked "him, if he was not atjirst quite distrust* ful of the mode of cure I had adopted. He laughed and admitted that he was, expressed his surprise at the quick result, made his acknowl¬ edgements, and went about his business. Peter Fraser received 255 an injury on the 20th of December last, by having'his thumb bent for¬ cibly 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. 1 never hand¬ led a more excrutiatingly painful base, and believed it must soon ter¬ minate in suppuration," (brCaldng and running.)—"Such was also tie opinion of Doctor Anderson of f York, who happened to be with me when the patient presented himself. I told that gentleman, that exquisitely painful as was the complaint, I had no doubt of curing it in a week, Without stny other application than my own fingers, and a simple bandage of narrow tape. The curb was completed in six days, inclusive of that on which, the pafieht applied to me."—I have thus given two cases, in which whitlow hab been curqd by the mere appli¬ cation of a bandage: and, I will adventure another suggestion, which is this—that even in caces where suppuration has actually taken place, and the lancet has b'een used, the use pf an easy bandago would he greatly beneficial, upplisd to every part of the finger or thumb, except immediately over the small point of discharge, COW POX OK Thi3 valuable discovery, made several years ago by the celebrated Doctor Jenrter, is now resorted to as a remedy against the infectious and dreadful inroads of the Small Pox, in almost every portion of the civilized world. Vaccination is merely the introduction or insertion into the arm, by means of the lancet, of the matter by which the cow pox io 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 small pox: for myself, I am induced to believe, that with very few- exceptions, it may be considered an autido'p to small pox, especially when vaccination has been efectual on the system. In Prussia, c, + «f 584,000 children, born in the year 1821—10,000 of them w^ra 256 Vaccinated for the cow pox. Daring the above period, there died of small pox, in all the provinces belonging to Prussia, 1190 persons:-— and before the introduction of vaccination, from thirty to forty thou¬ sand died annually of small pox. Although persons who have been vaccinated may be liable to take the small pox afterwards, yet the latter disease always terminates very mildly. Of many hundred thousand persons vaccinated ih London, not a single case of death has taken place from small pox, 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 small pox in any shape rarely proves fatal, when it attacks those who have beert successfully vaccinated. The success attending this operation in the United States, has entitled it to the highest confidence of our most distin¬ guished physicians. I have before remarked in substance, and I think the opinion a correct one, that many who have taken the small pox after vaccination, took it from bad management in inserting the cow pock matter: when the proper Effect is not prodnced on the sys¬ tem, by the introduction of the cow pock matter, it is to he expected that persons will still be liable to the contagion of small pox. To every man of common prudence, and proper sentiments of self- preservation, advice cf the necessity of vaccination, as a preventive of the dangers attendant on small pox, would be superfluous; to those who seem tp slumber in security, respecting the future ravages of small pox in the western country, I have only to remark—that the facilities of commerce with other countries are dayly increasing, from the universal introduction of steam boats, and the rapid improvement of our internal navigation; and that in a few 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 maratime towns. The great object in vaccination, is the certainty that the matter of vaccination takes full effect on the sys¬ tem j and it is needless to .remark, that unless the matter be genuine, no beneficial effects can possibly result From vaccination. Vaccina¬ tion is an innocent and valuable preventive remedy 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 go offin 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 257 of the arm becomes very painful, moisten the 'place frequently with a little weak sugar of lead water, until the sore is dried Up; this how- ever is seldom necessary. The great point in vaccination* is cer¬ tainly to know, that the matter introduced into the system has taken full and sufficient effect. If there is only a sight redness in the arm, where the matter has been inserted, and no ot 'ier effect is produced on the system, you may certainly conclude that the vaccination has fai- led of effect. But if, on the contrary, a pustule or pimple arises, of a full and oval fdrm, with an indentation or dent in the centre, not un¬ like a button-mole, 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 probably be the cause of a future exposure of the person to the ravages of the small pox, and not improbably to the imminent hazard of death. The influence of the Iiine or cow pox, over affections of ike skin, in many cases in which medical remedies have failed, has lately produced considerable atten¬ tion and interest ih the Hospitals of Europe. The matter of cow-pox, can always be obtained pure, by addressing a letter to the'Vaccine Instifuion of New York, Philadelphia, or Baltimore; from either of which, on application, you will receive it by letter. If the matter be received from a distance, it is best to hold the point of 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, will the point of the lancet on,which is the matter, until a little blood may be seen;—this is the whole secret of vaccination. Sometimes 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 tfyd dis¬ order has been communicated. If a physician be convenient, it will always be advisable to employ him to perform the operation, because much depends on* the exercise of judgment, respecting the future security of the person against that most dreadful of scourges the small pox. 0 Hi Si Sa 3P ® 12, How imperfect are the conceptions which are formed by the fortu- 33 358 J I * > r*a"ft of the sufferings to,1 which millions of the human race are subject, when afflicted by this dreadful and fatal disorder. How im¬ portant, then, is the great remedy of vaccination, which 1 have before described, that from some inexplicable principle, renders harmless tbi3 potent epemy of human life. Small pox i3 known by the ,folio-wing symptoms:—A few days before its appearance, you feel restless and uneasy, hnd a great dislike to motion of any kind/ ' Cold chills steal over you, followed by flush¬ ings 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 fiea-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 it yon had a severe cold; your face Iecomc3 much swelled; and your features'appear much changed.— Yiiur eye-lids particularly, swell to a considerable extent, so as frej quently to close the eyes entirely, and a spitting take3 place as if you! were salivated, bh the eleventh day, these pustules or pimples have increased to about the size of a common pea, and instead of white cor> tain a yellow matter, on thq 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 attempt to wash off this matter—the slightest touch giving the most excruciating pain. It is this matter which leaves the scars on the faces of persons disfigured with the disorder. If the matter dries quitkly, it leaves no marks;but if, from any unhealthy cccstitu^ ti'onsl defect, it fingers for some time on the body, it generally leaves those ma:kg behind it, which disfigure the countenance for life. This disease sometimes, but not frequently, come3 on with great violence, with all the symptoms of typhus or r.erzous fever:—refer to page 140; where you will see the form of treatment which must be observed ia small pox, should it come on with symptoms of tvphua or nervous fever. When these unfavorable appearances take place in the com¬ mencement cf the disease, it i3 called by physicians confluent shall vox. The eruptions appear much earlier in this form of the corn- .259 plaint; they run in patches, and insteadcf rising remain fiat; and are of a dark Uvid color. They secrete a dark brown unhealthy matter; the fever, which in the first form cf snihil pox abates when the pi&- , pies become full, in this form of the disease continues constantly throughout the disease, ending in great debility cr weakness, to. this last form or stage of small pox, which I have deacjdbed as cf the rvr- Vorn or typhus kind, it may be ccnsiderd as very highly dangerous, and as generally terminating, without judicious 'and skillful treat¬ ment, fataxlv. <■ * I&KEI>IE3, In the treatment cf this complaint, you are to nvcicf every tbixr, ns you value the life of your patient, cf ^ a - ebatectq rJATtntjs, either so drinlc, or food, or clothing. The room is to be kept as quiet and cool as possible. Cover the patient wi:h nothing but a vefy tfiiu sheet; even the weight and heat of a,common linen sheet is fiainfu! and oppress¬ ive: and un'eS3 ho complains .of feeling cold, you cannot commit an error in keeping him too cook Lot all his drinks be of the most c ool¬ ong nature. As a general drink, collcry mild administrationsvof this powerful medicine, this Sampson 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 disease, 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 cli¬ mate, and so on. Very few cases of pox in France, rn 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, &,(*. 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 masters of the disease; and there are few cases that do not terminate speedily and success¬ fully, under their strict and judicious treatment. An, individual may travel through France, and Jiave promiscuous intercourse of a sexual character for years, without receiving the least injury. On the con¬ trary, in this country, from causes which need not be particularly named, the least dev iation from moral propriety, involves the partici¬ pant in disease and suffering. As my objeet is the development 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 Slates: in fact, we very frequently communicate a serious dis¬ ease by the imprudent use of mercury, instead of removing one; yet I trust in God the day will arrjve,and that too at no very distant period, ■when diseases themselves will be prescribed for, and not their mere technical names. There are generally, in the venereal Hospital at Paris in France, from five to seven hundred venereal or pox patients. Included in this number, there are usually about three hundred wo¬ men of the jtown? in other words common prostitutes, "The patients of all the Frerich 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 write, in favor of these charming and admira¬ ble women I—'Perhaps, says he, there is nothing on earth so truly great, as the sacrifice made by the softer aex, of beauty, youth, and 265 often the highest worldly expectations, to relieve that mass of every human suffering, the sight of which is so revolting to delicacy J—I mysfelf have observed one of these angelic women, administering con¬ solation and relief to h man tortured by the agonies of disease and wretchedness. She appeared to take the greatest interest in the poor sufferer. The sweetness, the captivating voice, the winning kind¬ ness of these sisters of charity, soon dry the tear which flows down the care worn cheek, and infuse the gleam of hope into the soul de¬ pressed by misfortune." It is rather singular to an American, that the French government should license common prostitutes, and exact a tribute from their debaucheries; but such are the facts. The proba¬ bility is, however, that these measures originate in sound policy on the part of the government, and in sentiments of actual charity, to those who under any circumstances would lead a life of whoredom and prostitution. Several objects are attained by this policy; the jlicense subjects these women monthly, to a medical examination touching their diseases, and tends to check and prevent the spread -of venereal infection through their immense population; it furnishes the police offices 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 governments, gener¬ al and state, and particularly of the Medical Board lately established by the Legislature of Tennessee. The fact is, that if the Legislature of Tennessee, would compell the loose characters in all our cities and towns, who practice prostitution on a petty and filthy scale, to take out license and submit to medical examination monthly, or aban¬ don their commerce in low and corrupt debauchery, we would soon have fewer cases of venereal in our commercial towns, or be rid of the fraternity of prostitutes altogether. 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 uninteresting, I shall make no elaborate Spclcgy for it. I will first describe pox and clap separ¬ ately—and next give their remedies separately. When you suppose you have taken this disease, no foolish or child¬ ish delicacy, should prevent you for a moment from ascertaining the 34 ■126H tart The disease generally makes its appearance by what physicians rail chancres. These are small inflamed pimples, which shew them¬ selves 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 enlarge¬ ment, extend themselves to the fundament in a short time. The pox, also, sometimes makes its appearance, in what are called buboes. These are hard lumplike kirnels or swelling, which rise in one or both groins. These swellings gradually increase in size, until they be¬ come about the pize of an egg, and have an angry red color; and un¬ less driven away by the application of medicine, eventually come to a head, and discharge their poisonous matter. These buboes gener¬ ally 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 frequent, and are much oftener the effects of mercury im¬ properly administered in the pox, than arising from the disease itself. The fact is, that I think them produced, generally, from the neglect of many, in not speedily effecting a cure by the proper and efferent use of medicine—in other words, by half-way dilatory measures, which neither cure the disease, nor suffer it to run its course., When the con¬ stitution is very irritable, the disease will sometimes attack the nose, the throat, the tongue, the eyes, the shin bones, and so on, and fill the whole system with the venereal poison in no great length of time; and unless efficient, combined with well judged measures 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 what is the rox, if you should ever have it. Clap is a simple disease, and may be very easily cured, if timely attention be paid to it. The first symptoms of the disease are, burn¬ ing and scalding sensations or feelings, in the [urethra or canal of the penis, Whenever you urinate or make water. There will be a dis- tharge of matter from the penis, first of nearly a white color, next of 26? a yellowish color which will stain your shirt, and lastly Of a green ish color. After having the disease some time, or perhaps from^ the irritable state of your system, you will experience what is called cliordee; this is a spasmodic contraction of the penis, which gives con¬ siderable 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 ; m its first stage merely resembling the whites in their worst stage.-— There is, however, this specific difference between clap and whitcs^m women: in clap there is always a scalding and burning sensation in making water, and a continual uneasiness and itching about the parts, neither of which 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 appearance of chancres or buboes, both of which 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-spoonful 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 weakened by the operation, take from ten to twenty drops'of Laudanum,or a tea-spoonful of Paregoric,to prevent the med¬ icine 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 water, and touch the chancres ox sores with it lightly, twjce a day, until you have killed the poison; always ta¬ king care to wash and cleanse the sores well with soap and water, immediately before this operation ia performed. The caustic will sting you a little; but never mind this; you are now on [the stool of re¬ pentance ; and are only learning the salutary moral lesson, that "the penalty always treads upon the heels of the transgression," and that the sacred laws of nature and her God, can never be violated without punishment to reform the offender! After using the caustic aa 253 directed, apply a little dry lint to the sores. If caustic pannot be had, red precipitate will arswer nearly the same purpose; this must bo used by sprinkling a little on the chancres, after cleansing them with soap and water as before mentioned: or, you may, if you have nei¬ ther caustic or precipitate, use a little calomel, in the way that I nave directed the precipitate to be used. The better way, however, will "be, where all these articles can be obtained, to use the three alternate¬ ly, 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 groins as I have described to you, and which if left to themselves will rise-and break like boils, you are to put blisters of Spanish flies on them, which extend .one or two 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 Physicians call "discussed," in other words driven away, or back entirely. If you cannot get blisters, lie quietly 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, we are indebted to the French Physicians: I learned it in France. And,now mind me particularly; if these buboes, notwith¬ standing the application of blisters, or the application of of ley or lye, rise to a head, burst, and discharge their offen¬ sive and poisonous matter, which they will certainly 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 happen 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^uch 269 as Turner's cerale, see under that head—but mind -me, these dres¬ sings, or either of them, are never to be put on, unless after1 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 sarsaparilla, i—to every quart of which tea, after you have strained it clear, you arc to add sixty drops of nitric acid, vulgarly called aqua fortis. Take this tea thus prepared freely, say from a pint to a quart a day j and avoid particularly every kind of strong food, and atl kinds of spirit¬ uous liquors. These measures, carefully and strictly pursued, com¬ bined with time, patience, and the requisite rest, are all that are re¬ quired to cure this dreadful scourge of debauchery and licentiousness, under any form in which it may appear in the human sytem. This has been my uniform practice, both in Virginia and Tennessee; and It is well known that I have succeeded, in many cases of the most des¬ perate and hopeless character, and where other modes of practice had been resorted to in Vain. By these means, which have never beforo been made known by me, I succeeded in curing a gentleman in Vir¬ ginia, several years ago, whose case I will dare aver, was as bad a one ps 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 Montgomery Court-house, where I then resided, in so helpless and dreadful a cort- ditition, that he had fainted several times on the short journfey, 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 husbahd—-and an excellent citizen. I am constrain¬ ed, however, to add, that the real danger of his situation, was as much owing to the effeetsof the mercury he had taken, as to the actual pre¬ sence in his system, of the venereal virus or poison. That his dii> Case was both venereal and mercurial, I have never entertained the least doubt—in other words, it came under the constitutional disease I have before described, as being characterised 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 means other than mercury be relied on. j am 270 perfectly aware, that the idea of abandoning the use of mercury in the cure of pox, will be considered a novelty by many of the Faculty of this country; but I am fully as well aware, that the sarsaparilla, as I have prescribed the use of it here, combined, with the nitric acid or aqua fortis, as before mentioned, will remove the pox from the human system in its worst fortns and stages. For the powerful and salutary influence of the nitric acid or aqua fortis on the human system, the sceptical reader will please to see, "Remedies," in diseases of the Liver, from page 184—onward- The practice 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 ^distant, when mercury will cease to be used in this complaint, 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 1 am persuaded it will require much time to remove their confidence in its favor. 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 Sweeten's Liquore, as they call it—or Antisyphililic Robb; for this medicine, and the manner of preparing it, look under that head. The Robb was used in the London Hospitals, until it was superceded or thrown out of use, by Swaim's Panacea; for the method of preparing which, see under that head. Both these medical prepara¬ tions, are used with great advantage in secondary symptoms, by which I mean what I have said before, in cases where the disease has be¬ come constitutional, and is attended with ulcers, sores, blotches, &c. The sulphur bath, or sulphurious fumigation, is much used in France. After the fourth bath, the ulcers and venereal blotches begin to heal, and generally in ten or twelve baths are entirely cured. This last remedy, which is an excellent one, is entirely neglected in the U. States; and I can account for the neglect, if I must speak out, upon no other principles, than laziness and inattention on the part of practitioners, and ignorance in the ir patients. This bath is nothing more than the fumes of sulphur—or sometimes 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 sulphuricfumigation. 271 With the foregoing exposition of thy own mode of curing t>Ox, and the material remedies used in other countries, I will now proceed to give the common and general practice in this disease, leaving jit op¬ tional with the patient to adopt that which suits his opinions or con¬ venience best. Were I to advise, however, on the subject of a choice* I would recommend the mild- method! in the first instance, and the mercurial one only when the aggravation of the symptoms seemed to pall for it; which I must confess 1 think would be but seldom, where the plan of treatment I have laid down had been faithfully adhered to and persisted in. Doct. Rousseau of Philadelphia, a gentleiuan 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 own sorrow, felt the deletereous effects of it for years, and Very many for life.1' For a full description of this complaint, in its secondary or constitu¬ tional symptoms, and the dreadful effects of mercury, I refer to this very able, intelligent, and honest writer; Medical Recorder, Vol. 3d "sketches on venereal complaints." The practice throughout the United States has been, and now gene¬ rally is, to introduce into the whole system, as much mercury as will produce a soreness of the gums, or salwatianrby giving small doses of calomel alone, or combined with a small por tion of opium, if the -calomel alone would run off by the bowels; and By rubing on the bu¬ bo, to disperse it, mercurial ointment known by the country people as oil of haze, of which a piece about the size of the end of your fin¬ ger is to be rubed in and about the bubo, night and morning, until a salivation is produced, or until the lump in the groin is dispersed.— When the mouth has a copperish taste, or a slight soreness is felt, stop taking the calomel, and omit rubing in the mercurial ointment, as the whole system is then considered to be under mercurial infu- ence. The blue pill is now used very extensively in the United States,, instead of calomel; being a much milder preparation of mercury.:— for a description of this pill, and the manner of preparing it, read un¬ der that head. The dos^t is one pill in the morning, and one at night, until they produce the effects on the gums and mouth, required to be produced by calomel; when they re to be continued, only so far as to keep up the effect on the gums and mouth, until the disease is re¬ moved. The chancres or buboes, are to be treated as before de- 272 scribed in a preceding page. Doctor "Cartwrighl, who is among the greatest medical men now living, in this or any other country, re¬ commends the following practice, and relates many cases treated by himself with unbounded success, "I never," says he, ♦'prescribe' calomel with a view to produce salivation; but to guard, against it, I order a clyster or some mild purgative to be taken, in twelve or six¬ teen hours after the calomel, if it does not operate: and in the event of its operating too much, I direct a little laudanum to check it, so as to limit it to two or th'ree stools—unless the stools are of a dark or green color, when the purging should be permitted to go on, until they change their appearance. As it respects this disorder, when taken in time, I have found by an experience of two years practice, that pox is as easily cured by giving twenty or thirty grains of calo¬ mel every day, or every other day, as a common cold. In good con¬ stitutions, pox yields to the native powers of the system. As soon as a copperish taste is perceived in the mouth, or the least tenderness of thegums, or soreness of the tect\ I order an immediate suspension of the calomel, until these symptoms have disappeared—when it should be resumed with fcaution. The preparation I generally use, says the Doctor, is twenty grains of calomel and four of rhubarb, given at bed time. Generally, by the time three or four doses have been taken, the breath will begin to have a mercurial 'odour, a copperish taste will be perceived in the mouth, or the gums will feel tender j About this time, or even before it, the venereal symptoms begin to disappear, and in a few days more the chancres entirely heal. I generally rec- Commend, after the healing of the chancres, a dose or two more to complete the cure of the disease. I have rarely found more than twelve or fifteen pills, each ten grains of calomel and two of rhubarb, necessary for the cure of a recent infection, or in other words of one that is not of long standing." I have now given a full description of the various methods of treating this loathsome disease called tqx, in the best manner, leaving the reader to make his own selection among them. Much of my information has been derived from experiment and observation; and I regret to say, that I have witnessed the dis¬ ease in as severe forms, since I have been in Knoxville, as I ever did in the Hospitals of Europe or the United States. The disease was brought from New Orleans, and was of the most virulent or poisonous character. I omitted to remark, that buboes are always to be poul- 273 1 lifcd with light bread and milk, or slippery elm bark, if they are likely fd come to a head. REMEDIES FOR CLAP. The moment you discover that you have contracted this complaint, the symptoms of which I have plainly described to you, take at bed time an active dose of calomel; see table for dose:—and if necessary, which is usually the case, assist the operation of the calomel in the morning, with a dose of epsom salts; see table, &c. Take care to live on cooling and simple diet, say corn or rye mush and milk, and avoid every thing of a heating and irritating nature, such as salted provis¬ ions, high seasoning, and spirituous liquors. When the medicine I have directed has done operating, use the following prescription, and use it with some accuracy too;—Take one ounce, which is about four table-spoonfuls, of Balsam Copaiva; (commonly called capivi,) and add thereto one tea-spoonful of spirits of turpentine. Mix them well together by shaking, and take sixty drops of the mixture, three times a day on some sugar—and drink freely of flax seed tea, made by pour¬ ing a quart of boiling Water on any qnantity of flax seed convenient. This tea must be taken cold, and used freely as a common drink. If you ride on horse back, or walk much, or take active exercise, clap is difficult to cure, and requires a much longer time, than if you remain, quiet and stationary while using the above remedy. I generally cure it in three days, and frequently in less time. A dose of salts should be taken every other morning. Sometimes this balsam operates on the bowels, without producing the proper effect on the urinary organs: i—-if so, reduce the dose to thirty five drops, twice or three times a day, which is to be taken as usual on sugar. Cleanliness, and I wish* you to mind this matter particularly, is very important in the* cure of this disease; by which I mean frequently washing the parts well, three or four times a day, with soap and water, so as to remove the poisonous matter. Clap is generally more mild, and much more easily cured in women than men, unless women permit it to remain and run on them for some length of time', in this case, the disease be" comes painful, and requires the remedies prescribed in the cases of men, only in smaller doses:—say from twenty to thirty drops, of the balsam and turpentine, three times a day. If any attention be paid* nothing more will be necessary than keeping the parts clean by wash" an lUg with '(Dap and water, and-injecting up the birth place with a small syringe or leaden squirt, ,the following mixture;—Put 15 grains sugar of lead, and 15 grains white vitriol, in a quart of 6old water, and let them fully dissolve. Then, of this water, inject or throw up the birth place, a syringe full five or six times a day, arid drink freely of flax¬ seed tea, using the balsam and turpentine as before directed, if neces¬ sary. Doctor Chapman, one of the Professors of the University of Phila¬ delphia, recommends the following valuable remedy, which is ad¬ mirably suited to weakly persons, and those whose stomachs are much debilitated. It is perhaps better calculated for the summer sea- ton, being a very mild preparation, than any other, I have used it frequently in my practice; but the first remedy is always certain to put a stop to the disease. Chapman's remedy- Take two table-spoonfuls of balsam copaiva, the same quantity of sweet spirits of nitre, some of the while of an ■egg, and mix them together. Add, then, one tea-spoonful of lauda¬ num, and ten table-spoonfuls of cold water- Shake the whole well together, and the mixture will be ready for use; remembering always, to shake the medicine up before taking it. Morning, noon, and night, take a table-spoonful of this mixture. You may take it with any thing that will render it pleasant to the taste. It is an excellent, cer¬ tain, and mild remedy, either for males or females; and I now again admonish you, that if you wish a speedy cure, you are to avoid every heating article of food or drink, and to repose much on the bed When clap is permitted by neglect to go on, or when you ride much on horse-back, you will be apt to have what is called ckordee, which I have fully described under the head clap, and which it is needless to repeat: in these cases of chordee, take a dose of laudanum on going to bed—see table; and when the spasm comes on, which it will with a partial erection, pour cold water over the parts which pain you.— Should a discharge of blood take place, which is sometimes the case, apply cooling poultices of light bread and cold milk to the afflicted member, or a poultice of slippery Elm baric. The old plan of curing clap, which it is scarcely worth while to mention, was by weak injections of sugar of lead and white vitriol; equal quantities mixed in water, and thrown up the canal with a syringe. I^his old and imprudent practice, whicri in many instances occasioned swelled testicles, gleet, and what is called running of the 275 reins, has entirely Ceased. "The methods of cure, I have just laid down, are infinitely superior in every respect, and are attended with none of the dangers of the old manner of cure. This disease is sometimes called running of the reins. It is a dis¬ charge which resembles in consistence, the white of an egg. Men who have frequently had the clap, also those who have been old soldiers in the wars of Venus, are very liable to have GtEET. It is also pro¬ duced, by too frequent intercourse with women, in those enjoyments which ought always to be bounded by virtue and Moderation. The disease is also produced, by that horrible practice of self-pollution, called onanism ; a,nd also by the use of strong diuretic medicines, or such as cause a great flow of urine. This complaint sometimes re¬ sists the powers of medicine for years; and operates as a constant drain on the strength of the system, by which the constitution and vital energies are sometimes prostrated: it is a disease that ought never to be neglected. REMEDIES. You are to bathe the parts four or five times a day in cold water; this cold bathing will act so as give tone and strength to the parts. Obtain a phial of 7p.uria.ted tincture of iron, and take thirty drops of it, three times a day, in a wine-glass of strong tea, made of the dog wood bark; it must be taken cold. By persevering steadily in this remedy, and in cold bathing for a month or two, you will probably be relieved of gleet. You may at the same time, use an injection of red-oak bark, made by boiling a little of the bark in water, and straining it clear. A little of this tea, can occasionally be thrown into the canal, by the aid of a small syringe, which you can obtain at any Doctor's shop; it must be thrown up cold, four or si^t times a day. In throw¬ ing up this injection, you are to press your left fore finger pretty hard on the lower side of the penis near the root, to prevent any part of the injection from getting into the bladder, After a fair trial of the above remedies, and yQu are baffled of suc¬ cess, commence with taking ten drops of tincture of qautharid.e* or ^6 Spanish flies, instead of the iron, in the tea three times a day, gradu¬ ally increasing the dose to thirty drops and no more. This is gene¬ rally a certain remedy. Women may use the iron as directed; but not the last tincture, unless in very small doses of eight, teh, or fifteen drops, three times a day—bathing frequently with cold water, and with a female syringe throwing the bark water up the birth place, five or six times a day. Cold water thrown up will also answer a good purpose. As the western country abounds with chalybeate springs, they ought to be resorted to, and used freely of, by all persons laboring under gleet. I suppose I need not tell you, that chalybeate water is such as is impregnated with iron. The gum called turpen¬ tine, of our common pine tree, taken m common sized pills, one three times a day, is j. valuable remedy in gleet, and has been known to cure it when all other remedies have failed. Any substance, which, tak§n into the stomach, or into any other part of the body, or applied externally to the body, so as to produce disease or death, may be called a poison. The most active and pow¬ erful remedies we use in medicine, if given in large doses, operate as poisons. But when given in small ones, are not only innocent but valuable. There are, also, many medicines, which, When taken in¬ to the stomach are quite harmless, indeed very valuable in the cure of diseases j but, when taken into the Jungs by breathing or respira¬ tion, are dangerous and destructive in the extreme. The poison oF the Rattle-snake, when taken into the stomach, is entirely harmless; but the same poison, when inserted into the flesh so as to reach the circulation, immediately produces disorder and death, unless relief can be obtained. I make these introductory remarks on poisons, to throw as much light on their operations as possible, in the fewest number of words. When Mineral poisons, such as copper, arsenic, corrosive sublimate, lead, lunar caustic, Sue. &c. are taken into the stomach,in too large quantities, you will feel a burning and prickling sensation in the stom¬ ach and great pain in the bowels, accompanied with a constant puking, and a thirst which cannot be satisfied. Your mouth and throat will be¬ come rough and dry, as if you had chewed and swallowed unripe par- 277 simmon—and the pain will gradually increase, until it becomes almost insupportable. In this stage,'unless speedy reliefis had, inflammation will take place, and terminate in mortification and death, Should the dose of poison tajten, not be sufficient to destroy life, a fever will take place, which will last for some time, attended with a constant trembling of the nerves. When vegitable poison, such as" James-town weed, hemlodi, opium, hen-bane, deadly night-shad'p, fox-glove, wolf's-bane, laurel, &c. &c. are taken into the stomach in too great portions, they pro¬ duce stupor and a constant desire to sleep. The Jafnes-town weed, usually produces effects peculiar to itself:—for which, and a-descrip¬ tion of the plant, read under that head. When the poison op animals is introduced into the human system, it is communicated by the bites or stings of serpents spiders, &c. &c. requiring prompt and immediate attention to the following remedies, which, together with those applicable to other species of poisons, mineral and vegitable, are arranged under the proper heads. THE REMEDIES FOR POISON. When any poison has been swallowed, whether vegitable or mine¬ ral, the first thing to be done is to empty the stomach, by an emetic or puke of the most active kind. White vitriol, from five to ten, and evert twenty grains, should be given in a little warm water, and re¬ peated every fifteen or twenty minutes if necessary, until free and copious puking is produced, which you must encourage and keep Up by large draughts of warm water. The white Vitriol is an innocent puke, and acts almost instantaneously: and if the emetic should re¬ quire assistance apply tobacco l^jives, steeped in warm vinegar or water, to the stomach j they will materially assist the operation of the vitriol. If the patient cannot be made to puke, you must immediate¬ ly give repeated clysters, made of strong flax-seed tea and stveet milk—and let your patient drink freely of vinegar and water, sweet¬ ened with sugar. If the poison taken into the stomach is of the min¬ eral kind, beat up the whites of fifteen eggs with a quart of cold water, and give half a tea-cupful every three or four minutes—this will greatly assist the puking. From taking large doses of opium or laudanum, your patient will sometimes sink into a stupor, or deep and insensible sleep* Whtfn this is the case, stimulants must be 278 given, of sufficient poweif to rouse him if possible. In these -eases^ I have sometimes resorted to scalding, the soles of the feet with boil¬ ing water—and in one instance, saw the life of a young man saved,by whipping him to keep him in motion. There is one simple and cer¬ tain remedy, hpwerver, to he found in almost every house i—take two tea-spoonfuls of made mustard, or in other words common mustard- seed pounded fine and mixed as if for eating; put them into some warm water, and give the whole as an emetic, and copious puking will almost be immediately produced. This simple &, effective reme¬ dy, has been the means of saving, hundreds, who have accidentally or intentionally swallowed poison. I have mentioned, that poisons might be taken into the lungs, by breathing or respiration. Doctor Pans, in his book on diet, speaks decidedly against the introduction of gass lights into the interior of dwellings, and says, "that carburetted hydrogen is a deadly poison, which, even m a state of great dilution, is capable of exerting a bane¬ ful effect on the nervous system. I have been consulted," says the Doctor, "on several occasions, for pains in the head, and distressing languor, which had evidently been produced by the persons inhaling the uaburnt gass in the boxes of play-houses." Sir Humprey Davy, the celebrated chemist, made an experiment on himself, by inhaling pure carburetted hydrogen; and the result was, that after three inspi¬ rations, his vital powers were so completely suspended, that he did not recover thetn until the next day. Many instances have occurred, of persons Sleeping in close rooms during the bight, where small charcoal fires hhd been kept up for warmth, who have been found dead in the morning :<—I mention this as a caution; and will, also no¬ tice some other facts respecting poisons, which ought to be attended to by those who Value their safety Medicines phould always be strictly examined, especially if to be given by inexperienced persons, and those not well acquainted with their appearance and qualities; even those who make a profession of selling medicines, sometimes make dangerous mistakes in them. I have now in tny office, three pounds of emetic tartar, which I receiv¬ ed for crearhj of tartar \ and, had I administered this medicine without detecting the mistake, t,he results must have been fatal to many. A merchant of Knoxville, of the first respectability, received from a young man who attended a drug-store in Baltimore, emetic tartar, for 279 cream of tartar, and was in the very act of giving it to a friend who was indisposed, when the master of the shop arrived in great alarm, having discovered the blunder, just in time to prevent the fatal con¬ sequences. I will give one case more, by way of caution respecting mistakes in medicines. During the summer of 1825, a gentleman from South Carolina, stopped at the house of Mrs. H , of Patrick county, Virginia; he felt somewhat indisposed, and desired to have a dose of salts: through mistake he received and tool^ salt petre. Nothing saved him but the early arrival of the spn of Mrs. H. a gentleman of superior intelligence, who immediately administered a powerful emetic and relieved him. Poisons, communicated by the bites of snakes, spiders and other insects, are immediately"to be^attended to. The moment you are bitten by a"snake, you are tcttye a tight and strong bandage immedi¬ ately above the bite. This will prevent the circulation of the blood, and give you time toapply the remedies needful for relief. As soon as possible dissolve six grains of lunar cahstic in six table-spoonfuls of water, and wet the bitten part with it constantly. Every man in the country ought to keep a small piece of lunaf caustic in his house: it is some times called nitrate of silver, and is made of pure silver, ni¬ tric acid, and pure water. If the caustic cannot be obtained, make a poultice of quick lime and soap, and apply it to the part affected; and give the patient as much red pepper tea as the stomach will bear; and also every hour give him a table-spoonful of the juice of the plan¬ tain, ' In all cases where a physician can be had, the best remedy is to cut out the bitten part.. The Indians, when bitten by a poisonous snake, always extract the poison by sucking the wound. There is no danger in this operation:—I have told you before that the venom of a snake, if even taken into the stomach, is attended with no dan¬ ger. The blood should be encouraged to flow from the wound, by scarifying the parts immediately about it, and applying the cupping instruments. When you are .bitten by a- spider, or injured by any other insect, apply a linen rag constantly moistened with laudanum, spirits of hartshorn, or strong ley, I shall record a few cases, in which it will be evident, that the bite of the rattle-snaJif may be very easilytured, by extremely simple and always practicable remedies. The cases may be found in detail, on pages 619, 620 and 621, of the 6th volume of. the Medical Recorder. 280 I shall abridge them. 1st. One evening, at my residence on the Hills of Santee, says Win. Mayrant Esq. (fprmerly a member of Congress,) I heard a violent scream at no great distance. In a few minutes I was called out and informed that a negro had been bitten by a rattlesnake, and was dead or dying, I found him motionless and speechless, his jaws locked, and his pulse fluttering and scarcely per¬ ceptible* I had heard of the successful use of spirits in such cases; both among the Whites and Indians. I therefore took a glass of whisky; jiut into it a table-spoonful of pounded red pepper; and pour¬ ed it down his throat, In a few minutes it was puked up: as were also three or four succeeding doses. After the fourth glass it remain¬ ed on his stomach. His pulse improved greatly in a short time; and after getting five or six glasses to remain, I ceased giving him any more, until the pulse fell very fast, and nearly ceased beating. I again commenced giving him the whisky and pepper, and soon dis¬ covered that on eeasing the stimulants, his pulse would again sink to nothing. After taking more than one quart of this liquor, a copious stool followed:—the spirit was again administered, until his pulse became steady. During the night he took three quarts of whisky: jn the morning he was much better,but very weak—he finally recovered. 2nd. About a year afterward, I was called to another slave who had been bitten by a rattlesnake; he was in great pain about the chest, and was puking a green fluid. I gave him. repeated doses of whisky and pepper, until his pulse returned, which had nearly ceas¬ ed to beat; in twelve hours, by the use of about a quart of this liquor, he was a well man. 3d. I related the above cases to a friend) who had lately arrived from Rio Janeiro, after a residence of thirteen years. He told me that the serpents ofthat conntry were so extremely venemous, as in many instances to produce death in fifteen minutes; and that the na¬ tives effected their cures, by giving large- doses of spirits, |in which "herbs had been stewed. He related an instance in which a man was found with one of these most poisonous snakes on him and biting him repeatedly. The snake was killed, anld the man taken to the house, to all appearance dead. In a short time he came to himself, & was unhurt by the poison. The faqt was, that he had been very drunk, and had fallen on the snake: the gtimulous of the liqour had, no doubt, counteracted the influence of the poison; this was the solu- iisl tion of^ the difficulty.—These three cases coincide strongly, with a case published several years since, in the National Intelligencer, by fiie celebrated Doctor Rauisey; in which large doses of brandy and opium were given with complete success, in the bite of a rattle-snake, The tincture of cantharides, which is nothing more than the Span¬ ish or blistering flies, or our common potatoe fly, steeped for a few days in whisky or spirits of any kind. Of this tincture, apply a few drops to the wound Until it occasions a redness. By this application^ the poison is rendered harmless; and the stings of insects or reptiles are entirely removed as soon as the blister raises. This is a late discove¬ ry, and truly a valuable remedy. I cannot quit this interesting subject, without noticing particular¬ ly, that a most excellent remedy in the bite© of both venemous snakes and spiders, is the immediate application of the soft black mud from spring branches, or such mud as is used for the daubing of houses. 1 have never had occasion to try the experiment myself, but fully be¬ lieve from the best authority, that it is an efficient and powerful ap¬ plication. ■ [ . PAINFUL AFFECTION OF This disease is called by physicians, tic douloureux, and happily for mankind is of very unfrequent occurrence. It is an acutely pain¬ ful affection of the nerves of the face, particularly over the cheek bone; in which the pain shoots with greatwquickness add suddenness, and is almost insupportable for a few seconds, when it as suddenly be¬ comes easy. The slightest touch will cause it to dart instantly, and sometimes by opening the mouth quickly, it will return with %jurking and spasmodic affection of the muscles of the face. There is in this complaint, neither swelling of the cheek nor any species of inflam¬ mations, nor does the pain seem deeply seated. REMEDIES. Remedies for curing this complaint, have long been objects of atten¬ tive research, with the most distinguished and able physicians, The remedies usually resorted to, but I confess with very little success,ate CB2- MtipJi&u} or iin, which *is while vitriol^ J?eru\ifo hath*, opium.; Otitt chrbfmate of irorr, given- in doses of twenty grains every fourth hour. As I ha ye j list remarked, these-are remedies attended with very little success,-1 tin? carbonate of iron was for some time -considered efficient and beneficial J bu,t at length, like the other remedies it fell into disre¬ pute. We are now indebted to a common weed for the cufe of this, complaint, a wqed#which infests our gardens, high-Ways, and barn¬ yards ;■—it is the common James-town weed, usually1 Called the stink- Weed and: thorn-apple; read under the head Samcs-town weed, A pliysiciah of much distinction, Doctor .Mm Eberfo of New York, speaks thus jn substance .of this weed;—-In July last, I was eaUed to See a lady aged about twenty "years, who was suffering- lant. The following remedy is taken from the New York Medical I iguf- rer-j—"Mr Abernethy has administered the Aitrate of sitter jn this disease, [which means lunar cau>tic] id the dose of one grain twice a day, jnado into pills with-conserve of rpses," [which is nothing xnore than a syrup made of rose leaves and sugar, or honeyJ "A, Mr„ Thomas, also recommends this preparation in this .most dis¬ tressing disease. The following is a copy of Mr Thomas's prescription Take of nitrate of silver, one scruple; nitric acid, fifteen drops ;[whioh is commonly called aquafortis^ pure water, three ounces. From forty to sixty drops to be taken twice a'day, in two table-spoonfuls of cam¬ phorated julepf' For a description of the , method of preparing the camphorated julep, read undyr that head. 'This dispase is called hy physicians tetanus; which means spasm with rigidity—it is from the Greek word which means to strcath. If may be considered an,involuntary contraction of all the muscles of the body, while the patient remains perfectly in his senses. It gener¬ ally arises from wounds," and I have Oven known it to originate from the slight puncture or prick bf h needle, in which case it terminated in the death of an amiable lady. It comes on with a dull stiffness of the neck and head; in a skort time the head atrd neck become difficu't to move; the tonghealso becomes stiff and difficult to be mated aboui or put out; the swallowing becomes painful; there is a tightness across the breast, sometimes attended with pain in the small of the back: the. jaws gradually become stiff, and the teeth clenched; this is locked jaw . REMEDIES, You are immediately to open the wound, if that hb the cause, with A lancet or other sharp instrument, and remove any matter that may be in the wound, Then apply spirits of turpentine to the wound, and if the person is strong, hearty and in full habit, you pre to draw blood freely from the arm. Then pht your patient in thewarm bath; I mean here, that the whole body Ts to be immersed in warm water f>r aorh© 284 £ime, and give two grains of opium. During the time these operations are making, a skilful physician must be sought for,- because the im¬ mense quantities of opium which tnust now be given, will make even the best physician dread his own practice. Yet such are the fatal consequences of delay and timidity in locked jew^ that unless bold remedies are used, particularly the use of opium in heavy doses, death must certainly take plaqe, Opiiim has to be given in. this coriiplamt, according to the situation of the patient, and, the violence of the dis¬ ease, almost without regarding the quantity. That it is the proper remedy in spasm there can be no doubt; and that the quantities some¬ times given in locked jaw are almost incredible, is a fact well known to practitioners of medicine. Tobacco is highly spoken of in this dis¬ tressing spasm, given in the form of clysters. Doctor Thomas tells us, "that many cases are on record, where the astonishing quantity of an ounce of opium has bqen given in twenty four hours." To pro¬ portion the quantity of opium to be given, combined with -the adminis¬ tration of clysters of Tobacco, must always require the judgment of a skilful physician, and I therefore recommend that one Ulways be pro¬ cured where practicable. In desperate cases, whe re by reason of the clenching of the teeth, the patient cannot receive any thing into the mouth, it is necessary to remove a front tooth, and sometimes more than one. I have never heard of nor seen the practice; but should a case of desperate locked jaw occur in my practice, I would try the effect of a strong bath made of warm ley or lye, in which the body of the patient should be entirely immersed, at the same time that I would give a clyster containing fifteen grains of emetic tartar—in addition to which, I would stimulate the patient freely with warm toddy. Cancer generally makes its appearance about the lips, the nose, and about the breasts of females. It sometimes, also, but the instances I am happy to say are not very frequent, makes its appearance in the- womb, in which the cure is very doubtful. Those who are advanced in life, are much more subject to cancerous affections than young persons: particularly if they have scrofulous constitutions, which have descenoed to them from their ancestors. A cancer commences with 28a a small inflamed pimple, of a bluish color, which becomes a sore with hard rising edges of a ragged and uneven appearhnce, On k close examination of the sores, you will discover two whitish lines, crossing from the centre to the edge of the sorC, t At first, a burning sensation is felt in the sore, which is accompanied as the disease increases with sharp shoptlng pains, After some titpe these pains subside, and the cancer discharges a highly offensive matter J this discharge increases gradually, and the matter communicating to the adjoining parts, finally ends iii a iarge offensive sore or ulcer, of a most dreadful and| exhaust¬ ing nature, pi ways terminating, unless a cure is effected, in a linger- ing, painful, and horrible death. REMEDIES. The moment caiitcr is discpvcred, dissolve ten grains of corrosive sublimate in a gill of whisky, os h gill of strong spirits of any kind. Apply cautiously this mixture to the affected part; it may be done by making a small ragswpb, wetting it with the solution just named, and touching the affected or sore part With it very gently. This operation is to be performed opce a day, until the cancer is destroyed. This is a powerful medicine, and the pait produced by its application is very Severe; but by an early application of this remedy, and bearing the pain* of its application fifteen or twenty minutes for a few days, it will kill the cancer. It should never be used on large ulcers or cancerous sores, the pain it inflicts being as severe as if a red hot iron were ap¬ plied. In many cases, when applied at an early stage of cancer, I have known this reniedy successful. The sores should be washed with salt and water and dressed with charcoal plasters. To kill the pain give Opium or laudanum:—see table. But, notwithstanding what has been said of the foregoing Remedy, in order to ensure a suc¬ cessful cure, I think the parts ought to ba removed or cut out at an early period of the disease. I have performed the operation fifteen or sixteen times witfi success; the last operation was performed on Mr. H f of Monroe county, Virginia, during my residence in Botatourt county, of the same state, assisted by my medical friends Doctors McDowell and Foot, two gentlemen" of distiction in the medical pro¬ fession. The gentleman on whom the operation was performed, was about 48 years of age. The cancer was seated in the lower lip, and jwas of such a size as to require the removal of the lower lip entirely. 38(5 By the suggestion of doctor McDowell, but with great caution, I cut well down the chin, and secured the edges of the incision together, after taking out the*cancer- Singular as it may appear, a new lip was formed. The wound healed -with thd first intentions; and wheil it was entirely -well, the mouth \yas so extremely small, as scarcely to admit the end of1 the fobo finger. Thp inoulh, however, gradually distended itself by the exertions of nature,and is now both Useful and beautiful. Before the operation, the mouth was large and the lios coarse and fleshy. On my way* out to Tennessee, I presenti to Doctor Puwelf of the Boat yard, the old lip, and I doubt not he has it now in his pos¬ session. A remedy for cancer^ appeared in the public journals some years since, which, from its marks of uuthentieity*of statement, and success in the case of Thomas Tyrref, I think proper to place en a more durable record. It is simply the Use of strong potarhf'xnade of the ley of the ashes of red oak bark, boiled down to the consistence of molasses. With this substance, the cancer must be first coveted, and in about an hour afterwards, the whole is to he covered with a plaster of tar. This must be removed after a few days, and if there are any protuberanqes or lumps in the sore, the applications are to be renewed. As far as an opinion can be relied- an, without actual ex¬ periment, I think the remedy a good one- Because we all know well what scalds and burns are, and because the saving of space for matters of high interest, is important to both the subscribers to this wdrk and jmyself, I shall not attempt to describe them. REMEDIES. In these accidents, which sometimes unfortunately arise from neg¬ ligence, the important point is, to use such remedies as are immediately at hand, or are easily obtained for affording direct relief from oj&ru- ciating pain. Nature, always a'tender parent, bountifully affords the best and most soothing remedy, cold water; in which the parts affected are to be immediately plunged. If ice can be obtained, which is but water under another character, its application will b^ as good fis7 Tnot heller than mwe wpter, winch boMelime?}' cannot he Ud of suffi- qient coldness. If the body ife severely scalded or(burned, appjy cloths kept continually wet wftfe the coldest water.' Where the $qdd or burn takes place in children, find* tcr no great extent, the ap¬ plication of common tar immediately to ^the injury, ife, a valuable remedy not often resorted to, but wliiqhI earnestly recommend. The application of carded, cotton to a £pald oa burn, is also an excellent ^enjedy^ and ode which is nearly always Convenient, The-old method of applying sweet, V ofiVC oil immediately to a scald or burn is a bad plan;and ought never to bercsqrted to, ufitil cold water or ice has "been applied for reducing the inflammation; then olive or sweet oil will arlgwer a valuable purpose. If oil fe not convenient, which is dften the yase, the application of poultices made of raw Irish potatoes, Carrots, or turnips, wall bc-propor * thq' oil r 'however^ if possible to be obtained is preferable. When the patient has been in' the greatest pain, ftnd every remedy*-1 had pppliyd gavp but* little relief, I have hi ways beep able to give#nstant Case, if I had'or could procure it, by the application of Turner'& cerate. ' For the method of making this very valuable salve,, look under that head. It must be applied by spreading it Cn linen rags, and covering the burned or scalded parts With them; and I suppose, Imeed not tclf you, that these cerate plasters are dp be supplied by new ones, evpry day Jaid on fresh. This cool¬ ing and soothing remedy, seems to act like magic, in giving relief frbrn tbd most horrihld suffering. On my arrival in Montgomery county, Virginia,* t was called in consultation with Doctor Joseph Miller, who#was a physician by nature^ and a man of the highest na¬ tive genius^ a,man, who mpst have stood at"the head of his profession, had his great intellectual powers been aided by adequate opportunities of education- With this gentleman I attended on Major ——i. lie had been taken With a fit, and fallen into a large fire by which he was sitting, after Ms family had"Yetired to bedj Before he was discover^ ed by his family pud taken out,"tie was iittprally wasted; life ribs* wcro perfectly eXposcdort the right side, and the motion of the abdo¬ minal viscera, (the intestines or guts,) coald easily be distinguished m«lugh the thin membrane* His situation Wae ts tru.1V horrible sa can well be imagined; Una his sufferings were so Very great, as fre¬ quently to induce him to pray #o us* that something might be given liimto end the miseriesmf his fcxistence. Those sufferings must indeed le unppcalcabley which destroy in man thq natural and deepscatcd 288 Jove of life. By the application of Turner's cerate, which was spread on a sheet and applied tp him, and slippery elm tea given internally, this gentleman recovered, and is now living in Montgomery connty, Virginia, near Christianburgh. I mention this case in all its horrors, to induce every family into whose hands this book may fall, always to have in their possession Turners cerate for immediate application. ■ oQf1 * We all know what corns are, and it is useless to consume time in describing them.—remedies.-—To get rid of them in the shortest possible time, bathe the foot or feet well in warm water, about half an hour before going to bed. When the corns have become soft from bathing, shave down the horny parts smooth, but not so close as to produce blood. Then moisten the topfe of them with spittle, and rub over them a little lunar caustic, which you can easily procure. This caustic must be gently rubed on, until a sufficiency of it sticks on the corns, to change them first to a dark gray coIot, and next to la deep black. Put a little cotton over them, to prevent the stocking from rubing them, and in a few days they will come out'by the roots:—this is the remedy of Doctor Brown of Philadelphia, and it is a good one. We all know what warts are, and it is also useless to describe them. —-remedies.—Put on each, wart, a small blister of Spanish flies, which can easily be confined by adhesive plaster of any kind, In a few days the warts will come out, when you may use the lunar cau¬ stic, as in the case of corns: or you may wet the watts with a little sulphuric acid or oil of vitriol, which will soon bring them off: or with nitric acid or aqua fortis, which will produce the same effect. THE DISEASES OP W O M E AND CHILDREN. DISEASES OF W O M A N. When we consider the important relations, in which woman stands to man in every department of life; when we consider, that in one relation, she is th& wife of his bosom, the chosen companion of his heart, the voluntary sharer of his prosperity and misfortunes, the mother of that offspring, in whose life and pros¬ perity, man even in the decline of life and the decay of health, lives over again the yonthful vigour and tender passions of his early years: when we consider, that in another relation, as the sincere lover ofhis virtues, and the admirer of his hero¬ ic and noble achievements, she urges inan to perseverance in the performance of his moral duties, and to those sentiments of patriotism which gave to the ancient Republics their statesmen and heroes—to Ireland her Emmets, to England her Sidneys, and to America her Washingtons: and, when we consider, that in anoth¬ er and important relation, the minute and apparently ignoble cares of a family devolve on her, where there are no witnesses? to support her under endless suf¬ ferings and trials, and where no civic crowns or public honors await her victories over domestic miseries, and ignoble sufferings and misfortunesy we cannot but be Astonished at the fortitude, the courage, the devotedness, the fiidelity to her du¬ ties, and the heroic virtues of woman! Place man in her situation, and compel him to perform the duties ofwoipan, and he would soon either degenerate into a savage, or sink into perfect insignificance^ Placed in the limited sphere of the employments of woman, andanan would soon feel himself an obscure and lonely slave: doomed like her, to a life of obscurity and domestic cares, where the anti¬ cipation of ho honors would await the performance of his duties ,his boasted mag¬ nanimity and fortitude wonld expire like meteors of night, and leave him a mon¬ ument of powerless and fallen ambition 1 And, how soon would his boasted philanthropy and love of mankind expire, were there no historians to record his deeds of benevolence and patriotism, and transmit them to future ages; and es¬ pecially, were there no honors to be gathered but such as grew on the brows of ob¬ scure and suffering humanity, andsuch asjwould fade in the grasp and be remem¬ bered no more! Woman! when we reflect on thy blameless life, thy artless tenderness, thy pi¬ ous simplicity, thy confiding love, and the meek and lowly resignation of thy heart and feelings, under the pressure of miseries and misfortunes of almost every possible character, it seems difficult for the most humane of mankind, duly to ap¬ preciate either thy sufferings or thy worth! But, when to these considerations are added the multiplicity of diseases entailed on thee by nature and sexuality, as well as by the ignorance of the Midwives of this country, thy lot and condi- 292 lion of present existence seem hard indeed! Most of the midwives of this coun¬ try, and indeed oftaost other countries, are those who take up the employment from too great laziness to exert themselves in other walks of life; from .utter ig¬ norance of the great responsibilities attached to such a calling; and from a heart¬ less destitution of. feeling and humanity, which permit their ignorance and of- ficiousness, to entail diseases originating in mismanagement, on thousands of women for life. These people are always seen' wishing to officiate in something which had better be let alone; in fact, if I must speak in plain terms,in attempting to force nature into premature and exhausting exertions, who, if let alone so farf as not to be retarded in her operations, would finish her own work without inju¬ ry to the sufferer. I do not mention this to cast censure on all midwives; I am acquainted with several of excellent qualifications; who are kind, feeling, and experienced; and who possess the excellent good sense, never to hazard or ex¬ ceed the due bounds of prudence; and, who, in all cases where there is lingering and difficulty, always so far distrust their own judgment, as to require the aid of a skillful physician. Women should never dread the time pf child-birth; but always reflect on the innumerable millions of cases, in which women have pas¬ sed safely through the trial, for one perhaps which has been unfortunates When a physician is palled in, which in many cases is absolutely essential to the pre¬ servation of life, and the safety of the child, his whole solicitude should concer- trate in feelings and sentiments of humanity; in such cases, therefore, no woman however delicate or even fastidious in her feelings or sentiments, ought to feel any hesitation in permitting the assistance of a physician:—life is always to be preserved, and the safety of human beings ensured, hy much greater sacrifices than those which appertain to feelings of mere bashfulness, or even sentiments of modesty. When I speak of calling jn a physician, with permission to render the essential assistance to natnre in child-birth, I mean a man of delicacy of sentiment, and feeling, tried and well known discretion, and dignified eleva¬ tion of character; I do not mean a beardless boy, who has dozed over a medi¬ cal book for a year or even two, without understanding its contents, and who is as prqud of the name Doctor, as is a child of a new pair of morrocco shoes; such a physician would be worse than an ignorant and officious midwife, who alway# wishes to be doing something right or wrong. When young in my profession, I al¬ ways thought it necessary to be giving some little article in all cases; in other words something that would do neither good nor harm: this kind of conduct will do well enough, so far as it has a tendency to keep up and animate the spirits of the patient, but here it ought to stop:—my good old preceptor or master, who had for more than forty years officiated successfully as a man midwife, gave me the following advice, which I recommend most sincerily to the attention of all my readers: "neither hurry nor retard nature ; give her time to perform her own operations, and when she fails assist her," 293 OUTWARD PARTS OF FEMALE GENERATION. I would omit the description of these parts altogether, were not a slight delirn eation pf them, essential to understanding the medical doctrines and diseases relating to them. The front exhibits what is called the mons veneris, which is shielded by nature with a coat of hair, as if she aimed at the concealment of these parts, intended for the procreation of the human species. The labia or lips as they are called, shaded by this covering of hair, extend downward on each, side, of what is called the cleft; they unite, and form a thin skin or membrane called the perineumivhich divides these parts from, the fundament. On opening the labia or'lips, you will observe a small part, which appears more full, and rises higher than the rest; this by physicians is called the clitoris, and is the chief seat of pleasurable sensation, in the intercourse or connexion of the sexes. It may as well be remarked here as qny where else, that cleanliness, "by frequently bathing these parts with soap and water, has a powerful tendency to remove or quell those venereal desires, which frequently arise from irritability of the parts, and lay the foundation of many evils for life:—read, in addition to these remarks, under the head warm or tepid bath, pages 113—115. Immedi¬ ately under the clitoris, you will find on close examination, a small orifice or hole j this is the the end of the, canal which leads to the bladder, and it is through this orifice or hole that the urine or water passes off. My object in explaining these parts so plainly, is to enable any woman of cpmmon sense, by the use of the catheter, to draw off her urine or water herself, whenever it may be necessary, instead of being exposed to a physician on every trifling occasion. For a de¬ scription of the catheter, and the use of it, see the head catheter. * Immediately under the part out of which the urine passes, is the mouth or en¬ trance into the birth place, called by physicians the vagina, at the further end of which is situated the womb, at the distance of three or four inches. The mouth of the vagina, or entrance of the birth blace, is usually but not always, defended by a thin tough membrane resembling a fish scale, called the hymen; which was once supposed to be the test of virginity, and which is. always destroyed on a first copnexion with a male. Some females have this membrane so strongly formed by nature, as to prevent their menses or courses from flowing; when this is the case, they collect in the womb in such a manner as to resemble pregnancy. I have seen several cases of this kind; and I rebolletd one particular instance, in which a lady of great respectability had to undergo an operation, before her hus¬ band could have sexual interoourse with her. When the menses do not flow at the usual period, and proper means have been used to bring them on, it is always proper for the female parent to examine particularly into this matter, or the consequences of neglect may be fetal. The method of relief, when the hymen is imperforated, or hi other words has no hole in it through which the menses may flow,is simply to punclureoropcnthehymen with a lancet, or any other instrument 2114 that wall answer. In some females this hymen does not exist; but this is in, evidence of the want of virginity, for thd membrane is very often destroyed by jumping, romping, running, &c., at an early period of life. . About the age that females usually marry, the vagina or entrance of the birth place, is from two to three ivches in length, and capable of some distention. At the upper end of the birth place or vagina, is the mouth of the womb, which can be felt "with the finger. Midwives should be very particular in becoming ac¬ quainted wifh these parts, and particularly with the mouth of the womb, be¬ cause it is from the peculiarities of its feeling, that we become confident of the presence of actual labor. Labor, means nothing more nor less, than the efforts of the womh itself, to expel the child, at the period fixed by nature for its entrance into life. Labor is considered natural, if the head of the child presents itself fairly. If the time of labor is longer than twenty-four hours, it may be called a 'lingering or difficult labor. If any part .of the child, other than the head, pre¬ sents itself, the labor is called preternatural; and every other case requiring assis¬ tance, is called complex. • The boxes, nescessary to be described, are those which forirq or appertain to, the pelvis or basin. The pelvis resembles in form, a wash basin with the bottom out. In women, it is very shallow and very wide; and it is by these marks, that the skeleton of the female can he distinguished from that of the.male: in women, the bones of the pelvis are very slender, and the opening at the bottem so wide as easily to permit the child to pass. In some instances, this opening suddenly becomes so wide, that the head of the child presses with violence on the soft and fleshy parts, and tears the perenium, which is the membrane betjveen the birth place and the fundament. This pelvis or basin, is formed by four bones', the os sacrum behind, the ossa innominata on either side, and the os coccygis below— the vulgar sometimes call this the crupper bone. This last bone is so formed as to moveback when the woman is in labor; and frequently makes a grating noise in women who have been married late in life. I have now explained to yon the external parts, and also the hard or boney parts, which it will be well fcr you to remember. The bladder is very near to the front bones; so near indeed, that for want of an instrument called a catheter, when in the country, I have frequently drawn the water off by a common goose quill. The womb lies next to the bladder; in shape it resembles a pear, is of an oblong form like the pear, and in its natural posi¬ tion has the largest end turned upward toward the stomach, and the vagina neck downward toward the external parts. The womb is supported by small membrances or little strings, interwoven together and to the sides of the pelvis or basin, which I have already described to you: it is so commodiously and ad¬ mirably arranged, as to float about considerably. On each side of the womb, and coming out from its side?, are two fleshy tubes which are called the Fallopian tubes, from the name of a physician who discovered them in 1547. These tubes are about three inches in length, and the ends look as if they had been cut off with a dull knife. On each side of the pelvis or basin, is found a lump about the size of the end of the thumb: these are the female testicles, which supply the seed at the time the female conceives the child. These ovaria or testicles, J3i> have small cells in them, which burst like small blisters, in the act which gets a woman with child. The tubes which I have metiorfed are constantly floating about, and the moment the seed of the male comes in contact or touch with them, it stimulates them to take up the contents of one or two of the small cells I have mentioned; and to convey their contents through the tubes to the womb; by what is called by medical men peristaltic motion. The seed being now depo¬ sited, the child commences its formation hnd growth; this commencement of growth takes place, as is supposed, about three weeks after the sexual commerce has taken place; because about that time the ovaria or egg passes through the Fallopian tube into the womb. About the fourth month, the woman feels a pe¬ culiar sensation about the womb; this is called quickening: and is caused by the womb suddenly rising above the brim of the pelvis or basin, and as suddenly pressing on the inside of the belly. The womb is much thicker at the sides than any where else; it is a hollow fibrous mass, which means that it is composed of fibres or threads, interwoven with each other, " It has the power of contracting or drawing up, and Of expelling its contents whatever they may be. These fibres secretO and holdthe discharge called the menses or courses. I have now given yoii a full and plain description, of the female organs of generation; of what is believed to be the manner Of conceiving; of the formation of the womb; and of the different presentations of labor: and I have been thus particular, in order "that ypu may the better understand the information I have to communicate on the diseases of women. MENSES OK COURSES. The early or late discharge cf the menses or courses, depends very much o» the climate 5 the constitution of the woman, as to strength or weakness; on the emotions and passions of the mind, or in plain terms on the laciviousness or chas~> Uty of her venereal desires. In all cold climates, this discharge is later in ma¬ king its appearance than in warm ones. Fruit ripens sooner in warm latitudes than in cold ones: and it is the same with females. In the genial climate of Italy, girls have their courses at nine years old; but in the colder regions of Russia, this discharge does not come on until women are from twenty to twenty five years of age, and then not unfrequently in very small quantities. In all warm climates, slays a distinguished writer, women exhibit all the splendor of their charms, when they are mere children in understanding; but, wheu their minds have arrived at maturity they cease to be objects of love. In the western country, although the climate is mild, it is much subject to sudden changes, particularly in East Tennessee. These changes produce power ful effects on the health of women, and also on their constitutions. The western country is damp and wet during the winter season; in consequence of which, women from being exposed to wet feet, are subject to more irregularities in this discharge called the menses or Courses, than in any other pattf of flic United States. When the usual period for this discharge comes on, a little attention pn the part of the jfarent will be sufficient to discover the symptoms. Many girls have rheir discharges without inconvenience, while others suffer considera¬ bly when the period is about to come on—such as a great restlessness, slight fefer, head-ache, heavy dull pain in the small of the back and bottom of the belly,-swelled and hardened breasts, and so on. The appetite becomes delicate, the limbs tremble and feel weak, the face becomes pale, and there is a peculiar dark streak or shade under the eyes. When these symptoms and feelings occur, every thing should be done to assist nature in bringing forward this discharge. This is a critical period of life, and much depends on the result. The greatest possible precautions should be used, to prevent the girl from taking cold at this time; because by very slight exposures, nature may be prevented from perform¬ ing this very important office, by the failure of which some of the most fatal fe¬ male diseases are produced. Exercise should be taken on horse-back at this time, or indeed any exercise that will give free circulation to the blood: the emotions and passions of the mind, ought also to be particularly attended to; a cheerful disposition should be produced and kept up, at the same time that every effort should be made to banish grief, despondency, or any of the depress¬ ing passions, which I need not tell you have a powerful effect in preventing the due discharge of the menses or courses. The discharges, in their first appear¬ ance, are in sm^ll quantities, and rather irregular as to time; but they gradually, in healthy women, become regular and flow monthly. While in a state of preg¬ nancy, or when suckling children, women do not have these menses or courses; nor do they ever become pregnant, or in plain terms get with child, until this menstrual discharge makes its appearance on them. Women also cease to breed, when this menstrual discharge leaves them, in advanced life. The period when this discharge commences on women, and the period when it leaves them, are crit¬ ical and dangerous periods of time, to the health and constitutions of women. As I shall describe the remedies more fully, in cases where the menses have been estab¬ lished, and have suddenly stopped, from cold or other causes, 1 shall merely re¬ mark here; that in all cases where the first symptoms of menses make their ap¬ pearance in young girls, they should use all mild and gentle methods of courting nature to the performance of her office, by sitting over the steam of warm herbs, bathing their feet and legs at the same time in warm water, as higti as the knees, or what is preferable, use the warm or tepid bath—see page 113—and drink freely of warm pennyroyal tea. These remedies should be used a short time before go¬ ing to bed, so that a gentle moisture or sweat may be produced on the skin, which generally causes the menses or courses to flow. This discharge is usually at first very small; but, by attending to this simple course, which 1 have laid down, when the proper or expected time has arrived for their appearance, nature will gradu¬ ally become regular, and the menses or courses be produced. The quantity, as I have observed, will at first be quite small, perhaps just sufficient to stain the linen or shift—which will in quantity increase at every period or monthly return. As this discharge depends very much on climate, constitution, manner of living, and exercise, you will easily account for its differing in quantity, not only in different women, but even in the same woman, increasing or diminishing as to the state of the system. In all southern or warm climates, the quantity discharged is from £97 eighteen to twenty ounces; but,in colder climates, it diminishes accordingly^ even to one or two ounces. The length of time the menses or courses remain on, and the time of their monthly return, dilfer very much in women; in some it will remain but a few hours or a day—in others from two to four days-—and J have even known it to remain ten days. The common or usual time, however, is from three to six days. In the western country, the menses generally cease at about the forty fifth year. This however depends very much on the period tbey make their appearance—if at. an early age, they go oif earlier, and if at a. later period, Chey sometimes continue to fifty yenrs. About the expected time that the menses or courses should flow, which will beeasily known from the description I have given you of the symptoms, you are to avoid every thing that may injure the digestive powers, and particularly costivencss or being bound in the bowels, loss of sleep, exposures of any kihd, such as damp feet, or sudden changes from warm to thin clothing. Girjs in the1 country Ihouid be prevented, about this time, from wading in the water, or walking bare-foot through the dew, as it often stops this discharge. Getting ooli 1, from any imprudence or unnecessary 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 medicines 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 ^his discharge, unless stopped from some one of the causes I have mentioned, will as¬ suredly yield to patience and simple remedies; after a full trial, and sufficient time allowed, and you are disappointed at bringing them on, you will try cautiously and mildly, the various remedies under the following head—"obstruction of the men¬ ses," where you will fin 1 the valuable remedy "Seneka snake root'*—for a full description of which important root in the stoppage of the menses or -courses, read under the head Senaka snake root. OBSTRUCTED MENSES. When the menses or courses have been once regular, 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. When this is the case, it is called ob¬ structed or painful menstruation, and is attended with greater or less misery, ac cording to the state of the system at the time this obstruction takes place, and more particularly, if any other part ot the body is laboring under disease: for the womb, from whence the menses or courses flow, is subject to great varieties of dis¬ eased action, and it is utterly impossible for me to describe, the close sympathy and connexion, which is immediately and sensibly felt, between the womb, the stomach, the bead, and the influence or powter it has on the pulse. In six cases out of ten, where hysterics, despondency Of mind, sickness at the stomach, pains in the head, coldness of the hands and feet, flushings of heat over the whole body, and not unfrequectly fever, arise from ohstmrtcd menses or courses, or some disor¬ dered sf ate of the womb, i pi to had, in my practice, many females who became greatly alarmed from the spitting of blood. This is frequently the case, where the ntr-i ruction has been for any length of time, accompanied by frequent bleed*, i ng at th c nose, dry short congjh, pains in the bottom of tpe belly, and in the small of the back, pulse hard an 1 quick, skin hot, and burning sensations in the palms of 208 the hands and feet. When these last symptoms take place, immediate* attention should be paid or consumption -will take place. A skillful 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, arises from debility or weakness of the constitution. This will be known by the whites ma¬ king their appearance. When this is the case, you must not force nature, but give tonic or strengthening medicines to restore the system. First, then, the rem¬ edies that follow; beginning with those-that aye the most simple, until the men ses or courses are produced. 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 wrong out of hot water must be applied to the bottom,of the belly: this is to be done a few night3 before the expected time; or you may sit over the steam of common pine tops, on which boiling water 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 warm as you can conveniently bear it: or plunge your feet and legs in and out frequently, as you inay be able to bear tbe heat of the water. While you are bathing or steaming ovej the pine tops, use the follow¬ ing remedy, which must be prepared and kept ready for use when you are going to bathe. On e ounce of Seneka snake Toot is to be bruised with a hammar; then put it into a quart of boiling water, and stew it over a slow 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 voidable root, seepage 113. When you have used these remedies for a quarter or half an hour, retire to bed, and have the bottom of your belly well rubed with a coarse warm towel, or a soft brush: this is colled friction, the intention of which is to rouse the circulation, excite the womb to action, and cause the menses or courses to discharge or flow. You will fi-id the following medicine, to be a valuable assistant in producing this did- cnarge; and it should be taken for one, two, and even three nights before the ex- pec led time:—Five grains of aloes; five grains of rhubarb; and five grains of calomel; must he finely powdered and mixed together well: and should the dose not produce aclool or two by morning, you are to take a small dose of epnom salts to assist the operation. If the dose should purge you too severely, the next dode should be less; cay three grains of each instead of five; or even two grams of each will answer. Your own judgment "will easily regulate the dose to the constitu¬ tion 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 tbe 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 with a sy¬ ringe or squirt, into the vagina, a mixture of strong whisky and water, so as to irritate or excite an action the womb. As I have remarked in the first in¬ stance, the loss of some blood will generally be found beneficial, unless the con¬ stitution or the health of Ihc woman will not admit of the loss of blood, which is 299 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 dye, and may be purchased at any of the stores, is highly recommend¬ ed by the late Doctor Barton of Philadelphia, late 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 giver*. This tinc¬ ture is made in the following manner; obtain one ounce of gum guaiacum, which is worth about ninepence; mash or pound it fine with a hammar, and put it in a pint of spirits of any' kind. Let it steep far ten days, shaking it daily, and you have the tincture of gum guaiacum, it being then fit for use. Doctor Dewces, professor of midwifery, in the medical school of Philadelphia, asserts, that in the experience of thirty two years, it has never failed him in producingthe menses or courses. Of this Spirit, put a table-spoonful in the milk, and gently pour elf the 'spirit, so as npt to shake it at the time you are about to use it*. I have new- given you the different and important remedies, out of which you way select which you please for use: they are all valuable. You will however bear in mind, that the efforts £o be made to bring on the menses or courses, should take place about the expected time, or a little time before it. The conff'tution of the wo¬ man, must be fully and properly ^examined, so as not to force, but to assist nature in her operations. GREEN SICKNESS. When the menses or courses have been retained oi^ stopped for any length cf time, and the whole system becomes diseased from a want of this discharbe, so necessary to the healthof every female, it terminates or ends frequently in v hat is called chlorosis or green sickness. When this is the case, the skin turns of a pale yellow op greenish hue; the lips become pale or of a purple color; the eyes have a dark or purple tinge around them; on making the least exertion, the heart pal¬ pitates or beats; the knees tremble, and there is a frequent sighing without know¬ ing the cause. The mind is very ficle, and the woman dislikes, or seems to want the power to attend to her domestic concerns. The cheeks are frequently flushed, similar to consumption; the feet swell; and the whole system seems to s.rk under debility or great weakness. I have now described to you the symptoms v hich I alluded to, when I directed you to examine the constitution, and not to force nature, especially when tonic or strengthening medicines are required to restore the whole system, before any attempt ought to be made to bring on the mersei 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,nothirg but come " simple medicine, such as will prevent cocliveness by keeping the towels open, such for instance as a tea-spoonful of epsom salts, and a teg. spoonful of magne¬ sia, ground finely and well mixed together, to be taken in a cup full ot cold water when necessary for this purpose; travelling on hcrse-back, or moderate exercise. Good Madeira wine, taken frequently and in small quantities; hit¬ ters, made of equal quantities of wild cherry tree bark and poplar bark, usually called swan p poplar, steeped in wine for several days, and taken in moderate doses; or tea made of the flowrers of garden chamomile, and takeri cold, in dose of a. wine glass full, three or four times a day. The chalybeate water §houlu be used very freely. The western country abounds with these waters; for they Eire to be found 6n almost every branch or creeli. Chalybeate aters, are those springs which are impregnated with iron. By these remedied, 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 pro¬ per performance of this necessary and important discharge. THE GREA TDISCHARGE OF THE MENSES OR COURSES. When the menses or courses come [on suddenly or irregularly, and the dis¬ charges for several days are greater than usual, by which the woman is greatly reduced and weakened—this is called excessive menstruation. The causes are, too great a determination of blood to the womb; cr in other words, too great an action in its vessels. Thi3 over quantity, or large discharge, gennerally takes place in delecate women, particularly those who take but little exercise, or those who sit a great deal; suck as milliners or seamstresses, and in fact all who lead seden¬ tary lives, and are addicted 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 cr 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 came time injecting cold water up with a female syringe or pewter squirt. There is no , clanger whatever in these cold applications; therefore do not hesitate to use them if necessary. I have always used icc in my practice in Virginia, by putting it in a towel or piece of flannel, and applying it to the belfy. If the blood flows rapid¬ ly, 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 ex¬ treme danger:—Mix two grains of sugar of lead with a quarter of a grain of opium; give a pill of this mixture every two hours, made with a little honey, until the discharge of blood is lessened. If the patient is very much exhausted, give 1 xudanum in the dose of fifteen drops, Occasionally—or administer opium, see table for dose: administering either laudanum or opium, according to tnc urgency of her situation—pains, &c., as both these medicines will give strength, and allay the great irritation of the nervous system. Or if there is great pain in the womb, administer a clyster—look under that head. The clyster must he made of the bark of slippery elm, by pouring boiling water on the inside part of the baric. It is to be perfectly cold, and in it put a tea-spoonfol of laudanum. Throw this clyster up the fundament, out of which passes the stool. Thtese clysters are to he 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 he given, either as food or drink, during this great flow of the mense3 or courses sot To prevcht g return of this discharge, when once relieved, take, mftderatte exer- cite: bathe the back and belly frequently in cold water, and take the salt bath- see the head cold bath, page 118. Take moderately, the best old Madeira wine; and a short time before the expected discharge, loose some blood from the arm. At jalj times, you are to pay particular attention to your bowels: that is, not to permit them to become costive or bound. Morning and night, when you rise, or retire to bed, use frit tion; which means rubing the whole body, for twenty or thir-< ty minutes, with a brush or coarse towel—this should be done by a servant or as¬ sistant. This last remedy is truly worthy of strict attention. CESSATION OF THE MENSES QR COURSES. A cessation of the menses or courses, means an entire stoppage of these dis¬ charges, op a change of nature in this respect, at an advanced period of life. This revolution or change takes place, generally speaking, from the forty second to the forty seventh year: it is a (critical and extremely dangerous period of a wo¬ man's life, and altltough thousands pass through it without experiencing any great inconvenience, it is a period which requires particular attention and care. All exposures tb cold and damp must be scrupulously avoided; and particular¬ ly wet feet, and remaining any length of time on the damp ground. Sudden changes of dress arc also extremely haz/ardous at flu., 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 down, you will be sure to lay the foundations of diseases of a multiplied and stubborn character, which will be sure to embitter and distress the remainder ofyour life, be it long cr short. The pburics, about this time of life, begin to lessen in quantity, and to become mora or less irregular in their discharges. When you are'likely to suffer some inconvenience in this change of nature, you will have warning by the occur¬ rence of the following s^mptrms You will have pains in the head and small of the back, trembling of the knees, flushing and burning of the face, choaking sen¬ sations in the throat, sickness of the stomach, dizziness or swiming in the head, and frequently mists before your eyes. You must now liye on spare diet, and as I have just told you, 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, a fid innocent kind. Fcr the purpose of keeping your bowels open, und removing all causes"ofirritation, use purges of cpsom salts, or castor oil, when necessary: they will always cool the system, and! allay any dangerous irritations, ^f you are of a robust and full habit of foody ^ and have diz?ine3s and pains in the head, cupping on the temples, so as to draw some blood will give relief. For the method pT cupping, which is very simple, look under that head. Or, if you should not lite the pTap of cupping, or if it be i nconvenient, yon may occasionally draw a little blood from the arm, when ihqsd unpleasant feelings 1 have described make their appearance. Tem^eranc^, ot in other wordc, abstaining 'from strong food, and living,on very spare and simple 3C2 e chili, without experiencing an irresistible propensity to steal; nor could she ever combat successfully, or restrain the unaccountable desire to pilfer. This, however, is only one case among a million whicfe might be addu¬ ced, to prove the existence of influences in pregnancy, which bailie the whole powers of geniu9 and human reasoning. Doctor Rush, or same other physician of equal celebrity, relates the case of a medical man in Some part of Europe, in whose natual disposition the propen¬ sity 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 been passed, in stealing the same article's oner anl 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, assart out, and send home the articles he had so often stolen. If this delination of native character be cor¬ rect, 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 hoak-Jingured a ra¬ nee, which our own country presents? Or why need we be in the least surpri¬ sed, to find men whose native and irresistible* propensities to swindling, petty fraud, and diminutive rascality, will lead them to cheat in weights and measures on all practicable occasions. This subject, however, presents itself in another, and a much stronger point of view. It bears strongly on the criminal laws and jurisprudence of our country, 3U and pust 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 defianoe of mqj'al restraints, and fears e)f punishment, are there not cases in which moral justice Would revolt at the punishment of involuntary and ijrresistible criminality 1 I have not space in this work tct give this subject such an investigation as it really and intrinsickally merits; but should it be in my* power, as I now intend to publish a second volume of this work, When time and circumstanced will perihit, this subject will be qpe which shall be particularly embraced. To speak plaiply, I have long* entertained doubts, whether, under circumstances in which it is practicable to tanish a man from society, deprive Mm 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 skeddeth man's blood, by pan shall his blood be shed;1'but, ought we not to take into serious consideration, the simple fact;, that at the period this penalty of murder was announced tq the Jews, solitary confinement for life, was 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 qther 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 ar¬ ticles stolen were always kept, and always duly paid by her father. She married, and was never known during her pregnancies to steal the smallest article: and candidly confessed, that during these periods, 9he had not the smallest propensi¬ ty to steal or pilfeF; and, what was equally extraordinary, so soon as her delive¬ ries wqre over, the old and natural propensity to theft returned. How are we ta account, on any thing like known principles, for the above facts and delineations 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 na¬ tural impulse to theff: was it a disease of the mind, derived through the physical System, from impressions made on the fetus or child in the womb, from the mind, and passions, and feelings of the mother? * wy? OF THE STOMACH. This is common in thp commencement of pregnancy, pariiculariy With. child; it generally lasts until the quickening sensation is fult^ ap$ nq- Iqngpr. If the vomiting or puking is not severe, it will do no injury; but if it should wntiftufa aia °r become severe, which is sometimes the case, you will fmd relief in the follow* ing 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 columbo root and chamo¬ mile flowers make a strong tea, in winch you may add a little ginger. Let this tea get perfectly cold, and give three or four table-spoonfuls occasionally Or you. may obtain the columbo root in powder, and give fifieen or twenty grains, mixed with a few drops of pepper-mint^ and a little good old spirits of any kind. Or take an ounce of columbo Toot, and bruise it with a hammar; then pour a pint of boiling water on it, and let it get cold. Take a wine glass of this decoo- tion, with a few 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 appli¬ cation must be warm, and it will stop the vomiting or puking without fail. Or purchase a box of soda powders, on >vhich you will find directions; or if there are no directions, see the Lead soda powders. Give these powders three or four times a day. Ginger tea, and mint tea, are also good remedies. Or use elixir vitriol, in doses of ten or fifteen drops, three or four times a flay, in a glass of cool water. Should the vomiting be extremely severe, rub a little laudanum ever the pit of the stomach; if this does not stop it, give ten or fifteen drops of laudan¬ um, occasionly, in a little mint or ginger tea. In very stubborn cases of vomit¬ ing, the following will always give relief. Mix in a phial, equal quantities of compound spirit of lavender, laudanum, and spirits of hartshorn. Of this mixture, give a tea-spoonful in a little cold Water, three or four times a day, or as the sickness and vomiting may take place. This is a common complaint during pregnancy; and this is the reason why I have cautioned you So particularly, respecting your diet or food, and by all means to avoid costiveness, or in other words permiting yourself to be too long a time without a stool. The bowels, during the time you are with child, will always be much subject to flatulence or wind, which is called in the country vrindy colic. 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 water to the belly, and throw up the fundament, with the clyster pipe, the following injection. Make a pint or quart of thin gruel; strain it clean, and put into it a table-spoonful oi 313 hog'trlard or leas: let it stand until it becomes milk warm, and take it as a clyster. Ace the head clystering. PALY LY THE HEAD AND When there is pain in the head, or a heavy dull drowsiness is felt, it is apt to arise from the blood vessels 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 opposite cause, from a want of1 due circulation of the blood, which induces debility or weakness. REMEDIES., If the woman is fleshy and strong, and is thus afflicted, draw blood from the arm, and give a dose of laxitive medicine, such as epsom salts, castor oil, &c. But if, on the contrary, she be delicate and weakly, bleeding in any way would be highly improper. She is to take moderate exercise on horse bac^; attend to the state of her stomach, and also to her food; Use freely the tepid bath,*see page 113; take very gentle medicines, or a clyster to keep her bowels regular if bound; bathe her forehead and temples frequently with spirits, in whifeh camphor has been dissolved} and take occasionally through the day, a glass of real good wine, or some toddy, made with any kfnd of' spirits. If this pain, or heaviness of the head still remains, after the above means have beep resorted to, it may arise from the stomach; if so, the columbo root, as already described, will be found of great benefit. * This complaint generally arises from acid in the stomach, and very few women escape it during pregnancy. If the heart burn is attended with a constant haw¬ king up of a tough phlegm, the stomach should be cleansed with a gentle emetic or puke, of fifteen or twenty grams of ipicacuanka. But, if the heart burn is ac¬ companied with a sour taste in the mouth, or a belching up of sour water, it will be relieved by the use qf very weak lime water, or a tea-spoonful of magnesia in a cup of cold water. This last, or either of them, may be taken, whenever these acid tastes takes place. The magnesia is generally preferred in lamps, and* may be eaten in moderate quantities, being perfectly innocent. When a con¬ siderable lump is used, it will act as a mild purgative. By adding a little rhubarb to the magnesid, it is an excellent purge for women in a pregnant state. As both articles are quite innocent, they may always be used, when found necessary for opening the bowels. :;n SWELLED LEGS. This swelling is produced by the womb, which is enlarged during pregnancy r the weight of the womb presses on the vessels which return the fluid from the lower parts of the body. When the woman is far advanced, these swellings fre¬ quently 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 water, or steam her¬ self over mullen on which boiling water has been poured. As rest, in a recum¬ bent or lying posture, lessens vqry much these swellings, it would be advisable for thb woman to remain as quite aa possible, and lose a little blood from the arm occasionally. Attention to these things, with a little cooling medicine, such as epsom salts, or a little cream of tartar, will nearly always allay these swellihgsof the Ieg3. CHAMP. 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 lbgs 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 at¬ tacks of it, during the last stages of pregnancy. REMEDIES* When the cramp is frequent and severe, the loss of a little blood will be proper. Cramp sometimes arises from costiveness or constipation of the bowels; when this is the case, you may give a clyster, or a cooling 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 con¬ fined some pounded brimstone or flour of sulpher, relieve several ladies who were much subject to cramp. CONSTANT DESIRE TO MARE W A T E R. The constant desire to make water, or pass off the urine, w occasioned by the v. eight of the womb constantly pressing on the neck of the bladder. Whenever this desire becoms troublesome, rqst quietly on your bed as much as possible, ta¬ king 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 frjlk icrrrm: if this be impracticable,. 313 for want of a vessel large enough, you may sit once a day in a tub of water of Ih warmth. The fact is, that by bathing occasionally in water milk warm, during any stage of pregnancy, much benefit will always be-derived. ~040— STOPPAGE OF URINE. This is called suppression of urine by physicians, and means when the water is stopped from flowing from the bladder, at those periods when nature requires the evacuation. When this stoppage takes place, the bladder becomes distended or swelle^l with the water, and is also severely painful. Relief must now immedi¬ ately be had, by applying to the lowest part of the belly, cloths wrung out of warm water, and taking a clyster of warm milk and water; see the head clyster- ing. Clystering is extremely beneficial, in this and all similar cases, and, women should early be taught to know, not only that there is no indelicacy in the opera¬ tion, but that in all warm climates it is absolutely essential to most women in a state of pregnancy. All the lying-in hospitals of Europe, are furnished amply with the aparatus for clystering; but, in the western country of 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 so swallow an elephant, as to take a clyster 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 ensured After the remedies just mentioned, have been used without affording relief, you are to send for a physician, 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. O+O1 WANT OF SLEEP. On or about the last stage of pregnancy, most women become restless and un¬ easy, and their sleep very much disturbed. They are also troubled with a chok¬ ing sensation, and a difficulty of getting their breath. This last affliction is sometimes so great, that they are sometimes 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 laxitive medicine ougbt to be tpken, to open the bowels. If the woman is of a delicate constitusion, and much debilitated or weakened, bathe her feet and legs in strong salt and water, made pleasantly warm, before she Tetires 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. 316 FILES. This is an uneasy and troublesome cbmplaint, 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 ^43, where you will find a full description 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 rubed with thi$j, oint¬ ment ; whilst at the same time, you are to take a gentle purge. You may also, occasionally, bathe the parts in cold water. , Or you may put 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. These pains resemble the pains of labor very much, and are frequently the cause of alarm, and njuch 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. Anx¬ iety of mind; sudden exposure to cold or heat; want of attention to the bowels; indigestion, or eating such articles of food as produce wind in the bowels; will frequently' produce these pains. Dysentary, accompanied with severe griping, will also produce these pains. When these pains occur frequently, it will be proper 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 whom should be well acquainted with the mode of conducting an examination, 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 labor: but, if neither pressure nor dilatation or opening can be felt, the pains are false, and are to be removed. 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 laxitjve medicine, or some mi Id and opening clysters. PAXlffS. 317 Flooding is a disease incidental to pregnancy, often of a dangerous and fatal character, in which there is a loss of blood from the womb. It is, fortunately, of not very frequent occurrence; bat when it does qome on, you are to lose no time in obtaining a skilfull and experienced physician. It is a case, in which merely common skill and experience will seldom answer; because it is frequently attended with abortion, and often with the loss of life. Flooding is usually pro¬ duced, hy a sudden fall, by over exertion, by fright and alarm, and not unfre- quently by the gloomy and depressing passions of the mind. It is also produced by weakness of the womb, originating in miscarriage, or other injuries derived from severe labor in dhild birth. It also sometimes arises, from the after birth separating from the womb, and the large blood vessels entering into it, discharging their content* 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 erro¬ neous 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 always 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 attended with danger ■ but when they proceed from the womb itself, there is con¬ sular, tie dr nc rtbn thracr-r ble c» nsequence? may be the result." When but a little blood comes away, trom 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, at- " tended with no -symptoms of fever, and no increased 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 recumbent or horizontal position, and afterwards avoiding much walking and riding, and long continuation of standing in an upright posture. But, mind me particularly, when the discharge of blood is preceded, or accompanied 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 inthe 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 proceeds from the womb itself, and may therefore be considered dangerous, is fo place the woman in bed, and to keep her as cool as possible, by removing the bed clothes, and admitting the cool and frbsh air; and, as 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 skillful physician must be obtained if possible. 318 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 tvlots 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 procured. If the blood should still continue to flow, in any considerable quanti¬ ty, a soft piece of cloth ought to be introduced up the birth-place, also wet with cold water. These cold: applications, however, ought not to be continued so long as to produce a chill; but, while they are continued, they ought to be oc¬ casionally and often renewed. A clyster of cold water, occasionally thrown up the fundament, will also be very effective in stopping this flooding. If the above remedies should fail, which is sometimes the case,you are to give the patient two grains of sugar of lead, every hour, for five, six, or even seven hours. This is a powerful remfedy, 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 considerable danger of the return of the flooding. Therefore, it is very immate¬ rial how well the patient may feel after relief, she must continue in bed three or four weeks, and be kept cool and quiet, and always 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 reach¬ ing the stage in which the woman must inevitably perish, an abortion must be resorted to, as the only possible meansof saving her life. ABORTION, *2J\"D THE MEJINS TO BE OBSERVED IN PREVENTING OR PROCURING IT. t I intend by abortion, the expulsion of the fetus or child, at such an early period of pregnancy, that the child is either dead when it is brought forth, or dies soon afterwards. Whilst speaking o( flooding, many of the symptoms and circum¬ stances attending miscarriage 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 burthens, until the expiration of the period fixed by nature. Severe and oppressive exercise; violent and sudden exertions of strength; sudden and agitating frights; fits of excessive and violent passion; excess of venery, by which I mean too frequent sexual communication with the male; a morbid or diseased state of the womb; external injuries of al' 310 descriptions which affect I lie generative organs; anil general and excessive de¬ bility or weakness of the whole system. I say nothing of those means of procur¬ ing abortions, which are sometimes used by pregnant wompn, 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 wo¬ man and there Quaker ! 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 loosness and flabbiness about the breasts, and some general sensations of shuddering and coldness; and in women of fall, 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 occasionally stopping a short time, until they amount to absolute jflooding, 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 bearing down about the womb, great sickness of the stomach, and sometimes fre¬ quent faintings. These are self evident indications, of immediate miscarriage or abortion, which soon takes place; and is always followed 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 discharge mixed with a little blood; but this is a matter of no consequence. This is an abortion, according to the dictates and operations of nature herself. It may sometimes, however, be avoided, by observing the following simple treat¬ ment j—On the occurence 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, irritat¬ ing, and stimulating nature, either as food or drink, must be entirely avoided. Nothing but cold water qr very weak tea is to be drunk by the patient. The bowels may be opened, if costive, and kept open, by merely injecting up thesn some milk warm water. The irritation of the womb is to be lessened immediate ly, 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 quantities of sweet oil rubed about her back, loins, belly, and breasts. If these means fail in preventing the abortion, nature will effectuate the expul¬ sion of the child, in the manner I have just described. She may, hojvever, be assisted in her exertions, by the following means. The woman is to be kept quiet, and treated as in a common labor; after which, cloths wet with cold water must be applied to the belly, to aid in the contraction of the womb, after the expulsion of its contents. When abortion is to be brought on, in order to stop profuse and dangereus flooding, it is to be done in the following simple and easy manner. I will here adopt the language of Doctor Bard, with some abreviations. "The woman is to be brought down to the edge of the bed, either lying on her side, with a pjjlow or two between her thighs, which are to be drawn up-:—or lying on her back, with her hips a Ijttlc raised, and her feet on the lap of an assistant on carh side„ The 3i0 operator must sit on a low seat immediately before hers whilst a double sheet* thrown over her body and that of the physician or midwife* must protect her from, cold, and form a decent covering. The hand of the operator, well rubed with good oil or hog's lard, with the fingers collected into a point, must then be slow¬ ly introdcced through the birth-place to the mouth of the womb; which will sometimes make 'considerable resistance against attempts to open it. This re¬ sistance must be overcome, by Gautious, 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 or widen the mouth of the womb, 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, whenever the pains cease, you ar6 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 being sufficiently widened; if the hand can then be easily passed over die parts of the contents, called by physicians the placenta or after-birth, which ate separated from the womb until the fingers reach the membranes, this is to be done; and, breaking the membranes, it is to be immediately passed intp the womb.— 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 separ¬ ate a larger portion, by passing the hand between it and the womb. The hand be¬ ing now in the womb, the neck will generally cling so close to the wrist, as to pre¬ vent the escape of much water, 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 that 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 breast, 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 jreach of the hand; and h.ving secured them, they may be easily brought, by a waving motion, into the vagina or birth¬ place. You are always to remember, that you are to pause, whenever a pain comeson. Next, you are to bring down the hips and bbd/ of the child; and take care, if it be necessary, to turn the child gentfy-, so that v. hen it is delivered to the arm-pits, the belly of the child shall be to the back cf the mc ther, v hich is the position in which the arms and head can be most easily delivered. Now, or before this time, examine the navel string, and occasionally pull it down a little, , so as to prevent it's being streached. If the pulsation has ceased in the cord, or 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, m you are always to remember, that gentuuness, 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, toward the expiration of the natural term of pregnancy; and I, therefore, strongly and most emphatically advise, that in all such cases, where hn experienced and skillful physician can possibly be had, he be immediately sent for—and especially where a forced abortion is essential to the preservation 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 produced, the womb may be assisted in its contraction, and the flooding retarded and stopped, by the means I have already noticed so plain¬ ly : 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 tocldy with nutmeg. These are the remedies first called for: and they are to be succeeded by small portions of nourishing diet, repeated with caution whenever called for, and by strengthen ing articles, stlch as tonics in whieh Peruvian bark has been infused, and port wine in which cinnamon bark has bpen infused. The commencement of labour means, the time the wopian begins to be deliver¬ ed 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 expells or forces out a slimey mat¬ ter^ generally colored 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 womb to pass. You will recollect, that I have before informed you. what the wpmb in pregnancy contains. These pains increase gradually, the belly diminishes in size, and the womb seems to sink, or approach nearer to the birth-place. The pains at first are quite short, and only come on after considerable intervals: the woman is now restless, first hot, then cold, and,not unfrequently sick at the stomach. She is also, often griped, and frequently belches wind, or passes it off back ward, which should nev" er 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 sometime be¬ tween them, she then begins to be uneasy and fretful, and requests something to be given her, to bring the pains cn more rapidly. 41 Vi-l FluS is ttlc preeise p«i«t »f time i« which se many injuries are done, by igno* ranee and officiousness, in attempting to force nature into premature exertions; Who if let alone a little while, would in almost all cases perform her office, accor¬ ding 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 jnay be blessed with an easy births 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 bed-stead, a chair, and so on. These pains, as I have al¬ ready toldyou, 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, na¬ ture will immediately commence her efficient and powerful operations, to prdss down 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 gradually increases to a strong«ensation of bearing down. Although these forcing pains are powerful and strong, yet the woman will bear them with more appar¬ ent ease and fortitude, than those, which were feltin the first stage of labour. At this time, the membranous bag which contains • the child and the waters which surround it, and which I hkve 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 considera¬ bly large dimensions. It continues 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 p'erceive, that by these gradual exertions of na¬ ture, to arrange and prepare all things properly, those delicate parts, which by sudden and powerful exertions would have been torn and seriously injured, are now sufficiently enlarged to permit the birth of your infant without injury. And yon will also discover,, by what I have just disclosed to you, thatif nature is hur¬ ried by an imprudent physician or midwife, by foTcing the child away before the parts are sufficiently widened, great and signal usuries must be the consequences, both to the woman and child. As soon as the parts, are sufficiently prepared for the birth of the child, thix membranous bag hursts open and the waters are discharged: sometimes, however, these events take place, at an early period of the labour. When this is the case, the labour is never so easy, as undqr 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 J have pointed out, the bearing dawn pain continues, and the child gradually enters into the world. A& soon as the child's head passes, the woman's relief is very great, and a little Test ought to be allowed her; you are by no means to pull the body out by force j 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 mast here remark emphatically) that this is another stage of lobour, at which thousands of women are injured, materially and fatally, by the hurry and off- 323 ■ciousness of midwives, in hastily forcing the birth. Give time, and I will ensure that jfiature will exercise sufficient power to expell the child in her own time.— Thebody of the child is not to be pulled and forced outward: let it alone—con¬ verse 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 dping, she will force thechild forward, before the parts are ready; and that the consequence may be, the tearing or rupturing 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 ofthe midwife or physician, as the child's head passes, to keep one hand pressedfirmly yet cautiously against the perineum, which must", of course, from distention or streaching, be very thin and easily torn: and4 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 a- gain 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 the •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. This pulsation, by all means, should be suf¬ fered to subside, before you separate the child from the mother. You will then, with a waxed thread*, or a small string, make a moderately 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 cord, and cut the cord -assunder 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 afterbirth, which is still in the body of the mother, and is yet to be delivered. Permit me to caution you, to imploTe you, to command you, not to pull away, by force, the after birth; for I do now know, some of the finest women in the United States, who ate suffering daily and hourly, and will con*> tinue to suffer during their lives, from officiously and imprudently 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 pulling away the after birth, before the proper time, and before nature expells it by what are called after pains, the consequences will and must always be, flooding and great loss af blood; because you force the separation, 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 wefob, force will always tear the womb from its connexions, and be productive -of un¬ speakable injuries. From this plain statement of facts, and the reasoning I'have employed, I am convinced you will exercise due caution, in a hiattqr of ->sileh vast importance to the future health and safety of the mother. According to the old usage and practice, the child would be immediately 321 washed in warns water, and not unfrequently in spirits. Either of these plans of treating the iifant, in fact both of them are highly improper, and have been the eauses of destroying thousands of children. Warm water or spirits, ought never to be used in this manner, unless the infant be bom apparently dead; in such a case, warm water merely is proper to be applied. For a further explanation of this important matter, loot under the head, treatment of new born infants. The woman having rested for a short "time, after her separation from the child in the manner I have described to, you, the after pains may be expected to come on, for the expulsion of the after birth. These" pains are produced, by the con¬ traction or drawing up of the womb, to deliver or expell this after birth: they generally 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 expulsion or delivery of the after birth. You are now 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 woman he healthy and strong, if she haslost no blood, and if she feels able} let her stand up, and support herself on the shoulders of the operator or physician, while he is endeavoring, 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 women was in a lying posture, by introducing the finger up the birth-place, and gently turning it round in the mouth of the womb; in this case, the sensation felt in,the mouth of the womb, will generally cause it to contract, and expell the contents. If all these means fail, and an hour passes without the expulsion of the after birth, you are to introduce your band 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 or 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 rubed dry, and suffered to rest quietly for several hours, Most'cases of tedious labor, 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—jn doing this however, you must be careful as to the child. I have known instances, in which women "have bad their children in the close-stool or pot, while in the act of endeavoring DIFFICULT LABOUR 325 to urinate or have a stool. The warm bath and bleeding will relax the system, sufficiently in all probability for the child to be born; but take care that the child is not injured by the water, tvhifo the woman is in the bath. When convullsions or fits take place daring labour, and the woman has be¬ fore complained of great pain in the head, and dimness with loss of sight, remem¬ ber that you are to bleed freely, and to open the bowels with clysters, or some getttle laxitive medicine. The most powerful mean?, and the best known, for relieving tedious or difficult labour is blood letting from the arm; and it should always be done if the woman is1 strong, healthy, and of a vigorous constitution. What I have already said on the subject of labours, relates to cases in which nature presents the mother with but one offspring from a pregnancy. You are well aware, however, that she sometimes presents a pa'rent with two children; •and, in the western country, if rumor speak the truth, she in mote than one in¬ stance, has riot even stopped at this number. In about ninety nine cases out of a hundred, the directions f 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 bfe produced, the membranes of both children may be felt at the birth place,^ sometimes before the delivery of one. of them, but not often; and sometimes, but very seldom, it may be distinguished on examination, that different 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, gen erally 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 subject yourself to great uncertainty, the hand may be very Cautious¬ ly 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 pre¬ sented with the head foremost, ftie second may always be expected, with the breech or feet foremqst. "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 A broad baifdage round the belly, should never be omitted in the case of twins, to support the a belly of the mother. The directions Ihave#already laid down, respecting the after birth of single children, are fully and entirely applicable id the cases of twins, and ipore children even than two. DIRECTIONS for 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 officiating in the delivery of pregnant women. Regularly bred and licensed physicians, are al¬ ways presumed to know their duties, and to perform them with skill and judg¬ ment, 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 the real organization of the human System, implies the assumption of a most awful and dangerous responsibility; especially when it is considered, that the fatal consequences, of ignorance andpre- sumption, if combined with total disregard of moral feelings, duties, and princi¬ ples, are nearly as chargeable with criminality, as if they proceeded from volun¬ tary and intentional violations of the laws of God ! There is very little differ¬ ence, in other words, between the disregard of those duties which are enjoined by thelaws of justice and humanity, and their palpable and unconditional violation. 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 thh mysteries of the medical profes¬ sion ; and if you scrupulously attend to them, they will enable you to be success¬ ful in ninety nine cases of midwifery out of a hundred, in which you may be en¬ gaged. If you wish to be esteemed great and skillful in your calling, and if you desire to be an instrument in the hands of divine providence, for affording conso" r?27 latxrn and belief to your sex in the hour t>f affliction, treasure up the salutary advice, and never lose sight of it, thatycw are never to force nature; that you are to give her time to perform her operations: and, that if you have any doubt as to the success of the delivery, you are to run no risks, hut to call in the aid of a skillful and experienced physician. By attending to this course of conduct, you will re¬ lieve yourself of dangerous responsibilities, discharge your duties to a fellow crea¬ ture, and appear in the presence of your creator, with the consciousness of ha¬ ving acted in obedience to the most solemn, injunctions of humanity. 1st. Immediately on your being called to deliver a woman, your first enquiry of her should be, as to the state of her bowels, whether she has had a stool, and whether she is bound or contipated in her bowels. I need not tell you, that the discharge of the bowels, and also of the urine or water from the bladder, are both important and even necessary—rfirst, in preventing injuries 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, and in proper„time. 2d, You are now to ascertain and determine, whether actual labour has taken place or net; and, the only certain and satisfactory signs of actual labour, are snch 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 pa#n 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—be¬ cause 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 dilatation or opening at every pain. 4th- Place a pillow between the thighs of the woman, so as to give sufficient room for the child to pass, and for its head to rest upon as it eptersinto the world, and let the woman draw up her legs. 5th. As the head of the child advances, press your right hand steadily and firm¬ ly against the part between the fundament and birth-place, called by physicians perineum, so as to give it support and prevent its rupturing or tearing; at the same time, that you incline the child's hqad to ihopubes, which are thq parts which form the arch in front. If you will recollect, and ifjou do not read the part over again, I have fully described and enforced the necessity, of your being extremely- careful to prevent injuries to the perineum j for by its being ruptured, or tornT which is sometimes the case from incautiousness and imprudence, as well as from Tmrryingthe birth, the lower gut or fundament, and the birth-place itself, become one opening from the tearing or lasceration of the perineum. On this point, then, let me again urge you to be extremely careful. 6th. If the chilli's head advances forward too rapidly, resist or stop its passage outward, for one or two pains, with your hand; by these means, you will inctpas? the powers or energies of nature jn the mother, avoid all risks of injuring the per ineum, and give ultimate facility or ease in the delivery. 7th. So °oon as the hendis delivered, the -woman will have ^ome respite frenn her sufferings. Yonmustthcn converse with her,,and encourage her to be patient and firm in her resolutions. Remember, now, that the head of the ctiild is to bo supported, and that no force or pulling whatever is to be usedt. You are to wait patiently, for the next exertions of nature, who will always perform her opera¬ tions indue 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 of force no further. 8th. The child being born, you have now nothing to do, for a few minutes, hut 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 measure ceased its pulsation, the cord is to be tied about three inches from the navel of the child, artd then again about an inch and a half from the first l?:not—and cut assunder between the two ties, with a scissors or any other sharp instrument. But I have told you this be¬ fore. 9th. When the child is separated from the mother, you are not to icaih it, ac¬ cording to the old custom; this is a wrong, and highly improper plan, and frequent¬ ly 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, which so many1 women are injured for life, by ignorance and imprudent haste, iiet the woman rest a short time, and await patiently the return of the pains which are to expell the after birth, which the womb will do by contraction. Your own good sense will teach you, that if you pull or force down the afterbirth, you will also pull down the womb, or separate the after birth before 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 con¬ trary 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. Y ou 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 arms. She may then blow in her hands, a long breath, for the rea¬ sons I have already given you. As soon as an after pain comes on, the midwife is gently to streach 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 woman over on her belly, and introduce your finger into the mouth of the womb, with much care, the parts being extremely sore: then, by turning the finger gently round the mouth of the womb, as you Would round the edge of a cup, the womb u ill con¬ tract ; now gently streach the cord, and you will extricate the after birth, gener¬ ally speaking with safety. An hour, an hour and a half, or two hours, may be allowed for the expulsion of the after birth. When it cannot thus be delivered, proper means are to be taken for its expul¬ sion, in other words for its discharge. These means are the following:—Let the midwife introduce into the birth place, her hand, with the fingers collected into a point, arid 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 329 Measures mill cause the womb to contract: then, With the fingers gently intro¬ duced between the after birth and the womb itself, she must slowly separate them from each other, should they adhere or stick together. Recollect distinctly, that all this is to be donej while the contraction of the womb 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 woman, 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, 12th. When the woman is relieved of the after birth, let a wide bandage be placed round her, pleasantly light, and let her also be wiped dry. The clothes which are wet, 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 com¬ plains offaintness, 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 ber back, Her nipples are to be washed with milk warm water, 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 during the labour, the milk will be longer in flowing than otherwise. When this is the case, apply bread and milk poultices warm 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 child birth, you are to 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 particularly, 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 who 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 clysters: see the head rlysfering. The fact is, you are not to let twenty four hours pass, after the birth 3H0 ®f a child, without a passage or stool. The consequences of this neglect always 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, so as to prevent you from getting wet. la this way, without any danger or indelicacy, have these passages, from which you will receive much relief in body and mind, and derive much benefit in your re¬ covery. You are every day, without fail, to have the birth-place washed with milk warm water and good clear milk. This is to be done, by putting under the bed clothing, a basin of warm water, and having your hips and thighs raised with a pillow or some bed clothes. In this situation, a common squirt made of elder or cane may boused, 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, balled by physicians lochia, which by remaining would produce irritation and fever. If you wish to escape child bed fever, and the whole 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 psay 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 warm 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 .weeks after delivery, is about the general time of leaving your room; this however will depend oh your situation; caution must always be used in the change, go as to bring it on gradually. Sudden changes ara always dangerous, to women im¬ mediately after delivery, and indeed until they are completely restored. From the moment the woman is delivered of her child, the whole system be¬ comes 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 seasoned food, heating meats, and strengthening medicines, is directly contrary to what ought to be done: giving such matters as I have just named, keeping the woman in a constant sweat, and closing the room so as to confine all the foul air around her, are the very means of fringing on the fever which you ought to endeavor to escape. Therefore, let me tell you, in as plain and emphatic language as I can find, that whatever adds to the heat of the woman's body, or to the febrile ot feverish action of the system, will always en¬ courage the coming on of fever, or increase it if it has come on. On the contra¬ ry, light cooling diet must be used; the woman must neither be subjected to ex¬ tremes of heat or cold; her clothing and bed chamber must be so attended to, as neither to oppress her with coldness nor heat; attention to the«e things, in ten days or two weeks, after she has had her child, will so exempt her from fever, that in a little time her health will be fully established. 331 This word is derived from the Greek. It means, to bring fortht and also, Ihc cleanings: by which are intended here, the serous or watery, and often green colored discharges, that take place from the womb and birth-place, during the first three or four days after delivery, when they generally subside. During flic first four days, these discharges are apt to change their color, 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 water thrown up the birth-place, and also a clyster of cold water taken, at the ame time that some Iaxitive medicine is taken to open the bowels: as these, however, are necessary discharges, they are not to be Suddenly checked, unless they seem to be going on to a dangerous 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. Application^ of a warm nature must be made to the belly; and clysters of milk warm water, instead of cold ones, must be given: see the head cly stering. Should the woman be feverish, or of a fat and full habit of body, the loss of a little blood will be proper. If the woman should faint after the delivery of her child, ascertain immediate¬ ly 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 some spirit 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. When the woman complains of cold after her delivery, or that cold chills qre 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, let the persons round the bed, grasp with 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 will 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. 332 after pains. These pains are brought on, by the contraction pf the yomb, in the exertions of expelling the clots, of blood and secretions, which are Contained in the womb after the birth. When not very severe', y-oif are tp let them alone; but if too ex¬ cruciating and severe, you will!generally relieve them, by applying cloths wrung out of warm water to the back and belly. If the pains continne to be severe, throw a clyster up the bowels or fundament, made of thin gruel milk warm, In which put a tea-spoonful of laudanum r see the head clysterjng. INFLAMMATIONS. 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 frequently produces gfeat pain and uneasiness— These inflammations are to be relieved by cold applications, such as cold poul- tices 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 ap¬ ply cloths to it, wrung out of warm water; and rub the belly well with the follow¬ ing liniament:—Get equal quantities of spirits of hartshorn 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. WFLAMMA TIOW or THE BHEHgTI. 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 your system, in order to prevent /ewer, 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 inflammation comes on; in other words, fever is the consequence of this neglect. If there seems any disposition to inflammation, the best preventive is to apply, a few 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 refuse to suck, fill a common black bottle with warm water, and apply tbe 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 continue, put a tea-spoonful of sugar of lead, in a pint of cold water, And keep a cloth, wet with this mixture, constantly to the breast; but recollect, you are pot to wet the nipple with this mixture, by which means it may get into the child's mouth. When the inflammation is severe, Do ctor Physic recommends a blister over the breast. When matter is fully formed, make a small puncture oj" hole with a lancet, so as to permit it gradually to escape. I have always, however, relieved by poultices and sugar of lead, as above directed, without the painful necessity of using a blister. This fever is owing to the change of the system, after the delivery of the child, by the swelling ahd irritation of the breasts, from the milk secreted in them. This always occasions the discharge from the womb to lessen in quatatity. You will now recollect the advice I have given you before, as to applying poultices to the breasts for a few hours, anointing the breasts well with sweet oil or lard, taking some laxitive medicines, and living on low diet. These measures and precau¬ tions, will enable you to avoid the following unpleasant feelings: heat, thirst, bead-ache, and 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, which I shall in their proper places mention. If the breasts are painful, take a dose of salts to cool the system: and if the fever continue, the loss of a little blood from the arm will be proper. Drink mild balm or sage tea, an which put about twenty drops of antimonial 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 cooling diet. In a few days the milk will flow, and the fever go off. This disorder takes place after child birth, and I am happy to say that it sel¬ dom occurs, when due cautionand 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, ex tending to the heel and the groin, the limb always begins to swell, so that the slightest motion givc« great pain. The pulse becomes quick, the skin hot, the 334 lOllgue 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 syfinge for females, or what will answer the same purpose, make a squirt of elder or cane, and throw up the birth¬ place, several times] during the day, some Warm water to cleanse it—-and in the intervals of time, some good sweet oil. Wash the parts well, with water made pleasantly warm, and rub the leg or legs with the following 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 mixture, 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 calomel, mixed with the same quantity of squills, and made into a pill. This is to be repeated until relief is obtained. —sJGF*— 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 earlier or later, depends very much on the woman's constitution, and the particu¬ lar state of her system. I have before mentioned to you, that you are to be very prudent in youlr conduct, respecting your food, drink, and the state of your bowels; for on these three things depend, in a very great degree, your uniform health, and exemption from this dangerous disease, puerperal or chili 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 matter which I told you it was com¬ posed of, and which I directed you to cleanse: see the head lochia. An undue secretion of milk, a stoppage of the lochial discharge, 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 attendance 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 symp¬ toms of this disorder, and also the proper remedies. Child bed fener comes on, with a chill in the first instance, then & flushing heat; next the woman becomes '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; flushing of the face; whiteness and dryness of the tongue; great pain in the head and back; sickness at the stomach, sometimes attended with puking. In a short time the belly swells, feels full, and becomes very painful; so much so, that the weight of the bed clothes, gives considerable increase of pain. The bowels become 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 yqu are to know this fever. sjr, 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 pud very offensive; and not unfrequently, small purple spots appear on different parts of the body. When tire last symptoms appear, the case is certainly a very doubtful one. In the typhus stage of child bed, fever, refer to page 141, 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. REMEDIES. While the cold stage is passing over, warm applications to the feet and legs arc 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 :rsee table. If the woman is of a full, stout, and healthy habit of body, and the pains and /over, in eight or ten hours do not begin to give way; and if the pains in the head and back continue 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 you can, equal quantities of these two arti¬ cles, and give a tea-spoonful of this mixture eyery 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-spoonfuls, every one 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 ap¬ plication of flannel clotfis, frequently wrung out of warm water, 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 th THE RED Gl'M. 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 principally 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 im¬ proper to use any means outwardly to remove it, for by so doing, you might sud¬ denly drive in the complaint, and thereby destroy the life of the infant. The child while laboring under this disorder, should be prevented 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 con¬ stantly ; 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 medicines, see table; or a tea-spoonful of castor oil may be ^ given. Shculd 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. I YELLOW GUM. rci This is a disorder similar to the jaundice, and takes place with some infants a ffl' few days after their birth; it is known by a yellow tinge of the skin, high colored nil urine, and a constant desire to sleep. This simple complaint can be removed by a;, a gentle puke of one or two grains of ipecacuanha, mixed with a little warm lit, watery and in a short time followed by some mild purge, intl * * THRUSH. The thrush or sore mouth, is a very common disease in early infancy. The child suffers a great deal of pain in sucking, and frequently this complaint is at- i 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 itself over the whole inside of the mouth and throat; and, in some cases, extending u! down through the stomach and canal. If the white spots on the tongue resent ty ble coagulated milk, or in other words, looks as if the child had been eating 16 curds, and that some of them remained sticking on the tongue, you will know by ® this appearance, that the tfarush or sore mouth is commencing. The thrush ie ^ produced from acidities in the stomach and bowels^ occasioned from fome par¬ ticular quality of the piilk. which dhagrees with the infant, or fremiti'proper 34* load. Those childreut whs are raised by band, are more subject to this com¬ plaint, which shows plainly, that it is the food which disagrees with the stomach and bowels, and brings on the thrush or sore mouth. The remedies are then very jilain 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. Then, with a rag tied to a stick, rub or wash the mouth with this prepara¬ tion, two or three times a day; regularly persevering in washing, while any ap¬ pearance of the disease remains. To regulate the stomach and bowels, give equal quantities of magnesia and rhubarb; for the doses of either of these medi¬ cines, refer to the table. 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 re¬ quire the use of any remedy; but should the infant's health begin to suffer, from frequent attacks of colic, flatulence, &c., it should be strictly attended to, as it may produce convulsions or fits, inflammation of the bowels, or other diseases of a difficult and lingering nature, thereby establishing this costive habit of body for 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 to take occasionally some mild purge, which will alter the quali¬ ty 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 ft morning on an empty stomach. When the constipation originates from the dhild's food, it must be changed; and sruiple medicines given occasionally, to act as a mild purge, such as magnesia, rhubarb, manna, sweet oil, or castor oil, either of these may be given: for doses of either of these medicines, see table..— But if the costivendsg is obstinate, a little aloes pounded line and mixed with hoftey or molasses, will procure a passage or stool. Or you may give a laxative clyster, made of a little warm water, in which put a tea-spbonful of lard, and* With 4 clyster pipe or syringe, throw or squirt it up the fundament. In adminis¬ tering clysters, you are to recollect, that they should not be given hot, but milk WArm, by giving them hot, you increase the disorder, and do serious injury to the Child; this is a mistake which ie often made, and the consequence both to children- 4hd gr&Wn persons, when clysters are given hot, is extremely dangerous. For directions as to olystering, look under that head. life. COLIC. V\ hcnevcr the child cries, the general practice is to suckle it, or feed it, by which its little stomach is kept constantly loaded, and being unable to digest the food, colicky pains, griping and purging are the consequences. The suffer¬ ing of the infant in such cases being very acute or painful, recourse is had to drops or Godfrey's cordial, and sometimes laudanum, or paregoric, all of which contain opium, and relieve the little suffer for a short time; when the colic or griping again returns. "From my experience in the diseases of infants," says a distinguished writer in the New York Medical Inquirer, "I am satisfied that these complaints if npt produced, are nevertheless cherished by the causes already mentioned. I havo rri my practice been in the habit of administering ipecacuanha in the dose of one grain,so as to produce puking in imitationof 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 if must have contained opium. "In cases of griping, or violent pain in the bowels of infants, I have also found the application of the following anodyne plaster to the abdomen or belly highly beneficial:— "Take of gum plaster three drachms; camphor, half a drachm; opium twenty grains; oil of 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 of children, one drachm of the diluted muriatic acid in three ounces of simple syrup, of which they direct a tea-spoonful to be given about every two hours." Colic 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 orcrying, andat the same time drawing up its legs; if the eomplant is severe the child cannot urinate or make water. If the-colic is slight, and arises from flatu¬ lence or wind, give ono or two drops of peppermint, 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 mixtureTake three tffble- spoonfuls of spirits in 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 appli¬ cation of warm shit, or bathing it in warm water, valuable remedies. When the colic originates from acidity, as may be known by the bowels -not being bound and the stools of a green color 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 the ©Sending matter from the bowels. You will find the infusion of rhubarb, in small doses, given so as to keep the bowels gently open, whilst at the same time it communicates tone to the stomach and bowels, and increases the peristaltic action. The infant tnust be kept worm, and a flannel roller be applied round the belly % Whioh gives 343 Bupp#rt t« the muscles, aad is a valuable assistant in diseased conditions of the intestinal canal. 3ore eyes are very apt to make their appearance a few days or weeks after the birth of the infant, which, occasions them to be fretful and uneasy, and some times 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 soife at a more advanced age, it may be produced by cutting teetb.— The remedies are, to avoid cold, and exposure to too much light, particularly the fire; bathe the eyes three pr four times a day in cold water, or make the follow¬ ing preparation, 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 ap¬ plication of the lead water as^mentioned, is generally successful, and a valuable remedy. 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 comes through the gum, or in other words, the resistance which the gum makes; and to the irrita¬ bility of the infant's constitution, &c. When the child cuts its teeth in the most easy manner, the pressure on the gums, however slight, gives pain, and produces an increased flow of the fluids furnished by the mouth; the child is fretful, and restless during the night, is con¬ stantly putting its little hands, or any thing that it can get hold of, into its mouth. The spittle which it is constantly discharging or slabering 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 con¬ tinues for several days, when a second tooth is cut. During the time between the cutting of the lower and tipper teeth, the child generally improves in health and strength; but in a short time is again subjected to the same uneasiness. In strong, healthy, or fat children, 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 bound, 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 349 and delicate children where teething is painful and difficult, lose their color, fret constantly, vomit or puke frequently, attended with looseness or pdrging, and be¬ come 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 childrenjvho slaver (vulgarly called slobber) most cut their teeth with the'greatest ease. The treatment during teething should be a particular attention to the bowels, by keeping them sufficiently open; also paying a due attention to every circum- atance likely to promote the general health of the child, such as, pure air, exer¬ cise, strict cleanliness, food easily digested in the stomach, and taken in small quantities. As the difficulties some times are greatly lessened and frequently entirely prevented, by a looseness coming on spontaneously, or more plainly spea¬ king, 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 excels, when it may be stopped by degrees. But if the child is bound in its body, you will recollect that it should take some laxative purge so as to pro¬ duce two or tbi'ee stools daily, for this purpose give two grains of calomel^ to which add three or four grains of rhubarb or magnesia. If necessary the opera¬ tion of this medicine maybe assisted by clysters: for directions, &c. as to clyster- ing, look under that head. When fulness and quickness of the pulse, increase of heat, flushed face, frequent startings, oppressed breathings, immoderate fits of crying, &c. denote fever; the irritation On 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, are at all times alarming and dangerous, and require a very great variety of treatment: therefore procure in such cases a skilful physician But as these fits are frequently very sudden, I shall direct the means which may be used before a physician can be obtained, and I will make some observations 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 color, 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 medi¬ cally speaking, by a suspension of the vital powers; after which the child gradu¬ ally recovers, but for some time remains stupid and drowsy. In the latter cases, the infant shows uneasiness, changes color, suddenly and frequently, the lips quiver, the .eyes are turned upwards, and it '.stretches out, the hands become clenched, when the convulsion or fit comes on. Fits are apt to be produced by any thing which affects the whole nervous sys- S5Q fcem, of that which products irritation on anj particular fierve;, and by the and- deal striking in df any eruptiv^ disorder, such" as the ipcasf^«j or any complaint which breaks oht on the skin r from improper food,-or irritating substances applied to the stomach orj_ijcwel s v wi 11 produce this disorder. These convulsions, fre* quentiy occur daring the period of teething; tmfT have found fronr particular attention to the cnti<=qs which produce cfhruilsinns op fits, that worms era very often thejeauss of tips erifipplu&n1. "But if they take plaice frequently^ and with great' yoilenoe occasioned Iroxo pressure on the? "brain, or any cause in thai organ, they generally rernnnat^f.itaBy, cr cause the child hs ha advances in years to become foolish. The treatment of convulsions cr fitoirast defend on the cause which produce them. • *Tf thejguddenstrikingjn, of any complaint, as the rash, measles, &c.; op 1 the drying up of any enJplion Or discharge on the body, it ought to be brought out by putting fhe child into a warm hath, then giving a dose of Godfrey's cot- dial, or Bateman-s drops, so as to produce to the surface, the^omplaint; if indi¬ gestion or improper food has occasioned it,1 give a gentle emetic or puke of Jpe* cacuanha, or emetic tartar :see table for dose. If the bowels arestopped, or the fits are Supposed to arise from irritating matter of any kind In the bocLy, it must he removed by purgative medicines, as two grains of calomel, mixed with five grains of rhubarb or jalap, which-if necessary assist wjth a clyster: for the method of preparing and administering a clyster, read tinder that head: but if produced, by teething, then scarify the gums, or in other words, cut them down with a gum lancfft immediately over the toothy this operation 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 vare produced, the remedies recommended under that'head must be employed. This is a very dangerous complaint, and the Tapidity with which it proceeds, requires prompt and immediate attention, or the disorder will ptQve fatal in a short time. Of all the diseases to which children are liable, croup is certainly,, the most dangerous., .Evdry mpthershould understand the symptoms and treat¬ ment 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 of breathing and wheesing, ashort 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'whom the face is much flushed, seem over powered by a heavy sleep, from which they are roused" only by the violent fits of coughing. As the disease continues, the fit" of cough- Jng return more frequently, and are attended with an uncommon degree o? agita¬ tion throughout the whole frame; the breathing becomes mere and more noisy; arid unless relief is speedily obtained, the infant will-die Bysuffocation:; s. >•„< The remedy is an emetic, or puke. . The ruonient the complaint isdiscovered, ■put six grains of emetic tartar into six table-spoonfuls of warm water,1 and give , the child about half a table-spoonful every ten or fifteen minutes.' The intention ' is to keep up a constant sickness arid vomiting, or puking. But, if it is a violent 'case, you are to bleed it from the arm, and put it up to its neck in warm water r But recollect 3'ou are to keep up the sickness at the stomach, and puking it freely. , I have frequently, when the croup was severe,'kept-the child puking, occasional¬ ly, through the whole night, and using, now and then, the .wbrm bath, before re- "lief could be given. In this complaint you-will •• find the Seneka. 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 from forty to. 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 fcalohiel which .must otherwise have proved fatal.- Then let rue 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 sal¬ utary is this medicine, that it frequently relieves the complaintiri teri or fifteen ihinutes, without recourse to any other means: It acts on the stomach, bowels, arid skin. Smaller doses may be given where the complaint is not very alarming: when given in small dosesj you may add: a little ipecacuanha, say two or three grains with the calomel,/from which much benefit will be derived. * . v The following simple remedy, is highly recommended by Doctor John D. Good-' man, an eminent-physician, of Charlottsville, Virginia. The Simplicity of the; remedy, and the facility pf its application, entitle it to a trial. „ j- V ''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 till all symptoms disappear. The remedy is found to be alway s effectual when applied to the first arid second stages of the malady. This mods' - of treatment wa9 from prejudice/neglected by mcyaridj in one instance, iriwhich/ * 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 mat© the experiment, whenever opportunity presented; This was not long wanting; and when called to a child laboring, under all the "symptoms of t* s early stage of croup, such a plaster, made p,y greasing a piecfe of lines, and'cover-! ing it Well with snufl", was directed to te applied to the chest. The evens was most happy, the .symptoms of irritation, bad halt", grouping, cough# ceased shortly after; the child loll into a profoundWeep,-with gentle perspira¬ tion, and by the next morning, was free "from all'distressing symptqmti.y The plaster w as reapplied for a night, or 'two-following, and then discontinued. that'time, my family has been saved from a great deal of anxiety and alarm, which previously they v. ere subject,-?:' w c were cl-b'gcd tc kr cp Ct >x'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, we have found nothing necessary but the snuff plaster. If a child is heard to breathe hoarsely, or cough, with any thing of the dreadful ringing sound of croup, it is only necessary to apply the snuff plaster, and we 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, we go to rest again, with a feeling of entire security, which we have never had the least cause to regret." FEVER OF CHILDREN. The various complaints to which children are subject, being, as I have before mentioned, of an irritative nature, will generally produce fevers, and although severe while they continue, are not frequently productive of danger if properly managed. A disordered state of the stomach, and bowels, teething, exposure to cold, striking in of any eruption, and in short, eyery thing which can excite an in¬ creased 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, Ot puke, followed by two or three grains of calomel, to which add four, five, or six grains of rhubarb: for the dose of either of these medi¬ cines, see table; after which JBatemanPs 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. Thiscomplaint begins in brownish spots on the head, and in a few days forms a scab, and discharges a thick gluey matter, that sticks amongst the hair. The sofes gradually increase, until the Whole head is covered with a scab, discharg¬ ing this matter which is very offensive. You are to tut off the bair as close as possible, 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 IPUKING «& PURGING. This vomiting and purging of children, called by physicians, Cholera Infantumf prevails daring the heats of summer 5 it is a dangerous and destructive dis order throughout the United States. Of all the complaints with which childhood be¬ comes afflicted in its earlier stages, this is, at least amongst the infantile popu* lation of the Western country, the most destructive. When this disease com¬ mences, it is very rapid in spreading itself through the section of country or neigh¬ borhood in which it first makes its appearance. Its desolation or fatal termin¬ ation depends fery much upon the season, section of country, and state of the at¬ mosphere. This disorder generally shows itself before the middle of June, or about the commencement of our summer months, continuing its ravages through the warm season, gradually lessening in violence as the cool weather approach, es. Its frequency and danger are always in proportion to the heat of the weath¬ er; children are subject to it from the third week after birth, to the se • cond summer, at which period it is the most fatal to them. Many distinguished Physicians have been disposed to consider teething as the cause of this complaint. I am, however, convinced, that this is not the cause ol Cholera Infantum, or Puking and Purging. Y et, in children latoring"under the irritation of cutting teeth, I have no doubt this complaint is much niorc 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 consequence, I admit. But that it is brought about by the causes which I have before mentioned, will be admitted by fcvery 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 organB in the early stages of childhood, are liable to constant irregularities and irritations; but what excites morbid irri¬ tations in the intestinal canal, is, perhaps difficult for the most learned of the profession, at the present day, to determine. Yet, whatever influence the irreg¬ ularities of diet, teething, or other complaints, may have in producing this dison* der, I am assured from long experience, that the violent heats of summer, togeth¬ er with sudden changes, or exposure to a moist and unhealthy 6tate of the atmosphere, are the usual exciting causes of Cholera Infantum, or Puking and Purging. S m i'TOjis.—This disorder commences generally with a purging, but when se¬ vere, the child is seized with a puking and purging at the same time, when a few moments before it appeared in the enjoyment of full health. The discharge, or' stool is highly offensive, and colored, 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 twenty times during the twenty-four htwirS- So soon a® the operation commences freely from the bowels, the vomiting or puking beginaf to cease; over the region of the stomach the slightest pressure will giVepain, be¬ ing very tender, and probably swelled; tongue white, thirst great,- a constant - ©54 •raving for water between the times of purging, which Cannot be satisfied. The* skin becomes dry, and from the child falling away, which jit does with great ra¬ pidity, the skin is very much shrunk on the inside of the thighs; and while the feet are cold, the head knd belly are hot; pulse small and quick, ecu.etitt.eS full; generally towards evening the child'is better, but after a short time the purging commences again. Countenance pale, wan, and languid; eyes sunk and dull; the child moans and sighs much; cannot sle^p, is excessively irritable, some¬ time^ attempting to kite its nurse, or rolling about its head, or constantly putting up its hands to its face; the stools become bloody Even water itself will pro¬ duce purging. The least jar pr irregular motion gives it pain; noise and li.ht cannot be endured! It will scream on barely being touched. The gums are black and swelled; the lips or their edges are filled with a dark scrrf; irifian ida¬ tion takes place; the breathing becomes hurried and laborious; the pulse quick, weak, and irregular, and death closes the sufferings of one of the nost painful and distressing diseases. Remedies.-* When this complaint is about to make its appearance*-which you will know by a purging, a white ttrguc,ikiE dij no 1 ct, & lij hht lcMr,ai1utcd with griping*, and occasionally acctn.j anicd with ciem] sof the alc.in.ir.al ard other muscles—nothing is of greater service than a "gentle emetic in then cminfy followed by a dose of Calomel, mixed with a small quantity cf Ip ecfccuai ha, at Eight. [For doses medicine seeTable.] The emetic not only cleanses the stom¬ ach, but produces a soft rnoi&t state of the skin. T be Calomel and the Ipecac¬ uanha as I have described, will greatly lessen the severity of the disease, and not unfrequently entirely check it. Rut should there continue looseness of the bow¬ els, with a dry skin and Wakefulness, jou are to obtain-*at any Doctor's shop** a phial of Wine of Ipecacuanha—which is nothing more than the Ipecacuai ha steeped pr 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, cf 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 W arm Rath, that is, bath¬ ing the whole body of the child once or twice a day in warm Watt r, will be found a valuable remedy, and greatly assist in the cure. Many children have entirely escaped thisdangerous complaint by using daily the Warm Eath. Ey following the directions I have laid down, in a great many caser, the complaint will be so relieved as to render the further use of medicine unnecessary. When the remedies which I have mentioned, fail, v. hich is sometimes tl e cash, give occasionally a dose of Calomel, to which adda little Ipecacuanha. Assoon as the medicine has purged the child—or in other words, it has had throe cr lour stools—you are to give a little Paregoric, in w hich put a few drops of the W ioe of Ipecacuanha. This moderates the operation of the purge, and brings en a gentle moisture, or sweat of the tkin. Feu will find great benefit from ccv< ring the child's belly with carded cotton, over which you are to put a fcroad bandage, drawn moderately tight. 'I he cotton, thus borne, will check the purging.* Should the child ba Teething when it takes this complaint, immediate attention ought to be paid to the gums, and cut, if necessary, when the teeth cannot pasd t^ro^'a them. It may be necessary for ma to inform you that, if the emetic,""or S55 puk3 which I have directed, should happen to act too severe, you can easily stop M by giving a dose of Paregoric or Laudanum, m a little tea made of Cinnamon. So distressing, in some Cases, are the effects of the vomiting or puking—not from the emetic, but from the disorder itself—that you will be under the necessity of seeking means to check it; fur th.s purpose there is nothing better than weak Lime water and new Milk, m 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 td bilious vomiting: Sulphuric Aether is also a good remedy. If these, however, should fail in removing ike vomiting or puking, a blister applied over the pit of the stomach will scarcely ev¬ er fail. This last remedy shouid not be applied until a fair trial |s given those which precede or go before it. —saO2*-—' HOOFllf© CGVGH, This complaint occurs only once during life, and is contagi ous, or catching, tit prevails in the Western country during the winter and spring months, and its being mild or severe, depends very much on the atmosphere. When the winter and spring are extremely cold and wet, the Hooping Cough is generally severe, but on the contrary, it appears under a much milder form. S/mptoms.—Hooping Cough commences like a common cob], and as it gradu¬ ally advances, the breathing becomes more hurried and difficul!, the voice hoarse, attended with cough; great thirst; after a few days, a strange hooping sound is made whenever the child dr nvs 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 whatever is nearest, in order to support himself .during the fit of couching; after which he pukes or spits up a tough, frothy, slimy mucus, and is fur a short time relieved. The treatment is quite simple:—When you discover the child to have taken it, give instantly an emetic, or puke of Antimonial Wine; [See the table for d>se.] an 1 sheul I this puke nut lesien the severity of the com plaint, you arc to give a second puke, and if necessary, a third J if bound in its body, a dose of C as- tor Oil. To lessen the cough, give frequently the juice of Garlic sweetened with Honey, or a tea-spoonful of Sweet Oil, to which you may add a few drops of Faregoric or Laudanum. The Hooping 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 Assafcetida—which is nothing more than a small lump of Assa- Fcbtida steeped for a few days in a little whiskey, or any kind of spirits—of thifl 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 or calm the cough. Doctor Robertson, In the January number of the London Medical Repositob y* slates that, of all tb- sremodisa ha has ever eimioysi m Hoopm* Cough, Frio* tioa—which means rubbing—on the regioft of the stomach -with the Tariarized Ointment, has been the most undeviatingly useful: fur as siori 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. Tor a description how to prepare it, look under the head Tartarized ointment. The Measles generally make their appearance in the spnng season. It is a contagious, or catching disorder, and like the Hooping Cough, attacks but once during life. ( Symptoms.—For a few days before they break out on theboay, the child com¬ plains of sickness; seems dull and heavy; very great thirst; shurt, dry courk, with frequent sneezing, as if laboring under a severe cold; the eyes look red, and much inflamed. On the fourth day, the eruptions, or red pinnies—which resem¬ ble flea bites—make their appearance on the face and neck, which soon extend to the breast, and then cover the whole body. In three or four days they begin to go off; at the Same time, the fever which always accompanies the Mtaslet, be¬ gins gradually to decline. In some cases, the fever and cough will co'ntinue without lessening in their violence for several days or a week after the Measles have entirely disappeared. Remedies.—As soon as the sickness or drowsiness is oosCyrved, 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 pro¬ cure two or three stools: the next evening—for it is at this time the /ever is the highest—give a gentle vomit, or puke, of Antimonial Wine. You will find, by giving gentle pukes, that the child will be greatly relieved, by lessening the fever and oppression—this being the cause of the drow-iness and stui or. If the vomit should both puke and purge, so much the better, fur the child will be the sooner relieved. When the fever and cough continue for a few days alter the Measles have entirely disappeared, a dose of Castor Oil will be proper, and which should be occasionally given during its continuance. About this time, there is a dark offensive matter remains in the bowels", that produces this fever, and which ought, and must be removed by means of these gentle purges. You will always know if the fever continues, by the duHhess, thirst, and want of appetite. Sometimes the Measles had Hooping Cough attack the child at the same time; when this is the case, a Physician should be immediately called, as there is con¬ siderable danger. The diet in this complaint ought to below: such as mush and boiled milk, chicken sou i, &c. The drmk3 are to be Slippery Elm tea, Flax-seed tea, Brim tea, &b. Nothing to be taken told or hot, but moderately warn. Exposure to cold or dausp mist be avoided,or the disorder may strike iu, whi>h would be ye - 85? ry dangerous. Let the child be kept in. a room neithefhot nor cold, but of a plpisant temperature. And you are to recollect that Spirituous Liquors of any Jrmil, administered in any way, is highly improper. Bleeding is sometimes ne- pessirp when the inflammatory symptoms run high, or 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. 1 "• — WOB.S3S. The Worms which infest the human body are the long round worm, the maw, or thread worm, the tape, or long joint worm, and the fluke worm. The long ro in J wjria Is called by Physicians the-asraris lumbricoidts^ deriving its name from iissiipi erine-s. It has three nippies at its head, antf a triangular mouth m its middle. Its length is from four to twelve inches, and its thickness, when at its largest size, about that of a common size goose-quill. The body is furrowed on each side, ami the tail somewhat blunt. This worm is quite common in chil¬ dren, and not unfrequently it crawls out at the mouth. It is generally of a milky, brownish, or ash cplor. The maw, or thread worm—called by Physicians ascaris vcrmitularis—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 color, and very elastic, or springy.. This worm is generally found in the straight gut, ot fundament—most com¬ monly m children, but not unfrequently it is met tvith in grown persons also. They ard frequently found in the intestines, or guts in the form of a tall, and so completely covered with a slimy mucus, as to prevent the medicines which arc usually given for worms, from acting—or in other words—causing tl fir dis¬ charge by stool. In women, they sometimes escape into the ragnia, or womb and thence into the urethra, or caqal through which the urine passes—and they are also found inthe intestines of children, The long thread worm—called, medically speaking, tricocephalus diepar—is from an inch and a half to two inches long—of a clear white; tl e head is she rp; 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 mat¬ ter, and generally inhabit the large intestines. The long tape worm—called by medical men taenia solium—is from one to six hundred feet in length: It is gifted with the power to contract or enlarge its di¬ ameter r 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 the recumbent or lying position. When cramped hy the position ofthe patient, or by hard pressure over the belly, or disturbed by food which does not agree with i t, by medicine, or some disease proper to it, or tormented by the approach of death, it leaves its hold, leaps about and falls, as it were into convulsions or fits- 358 The broad tape worm—called, 'medically," bothriocephalic Uttus-~-the head I longer than it is broad; scarcely any neck. Its body is flat ■„ generelly, frpip ten to twenty feet lpng, and at its broadest part from a quarter to a half an inch across, and of a white colour. The flukp worm-—This worm is about an inch long, and of a dirty, yellowish j greenish, or brownish colour; you will know it by examining the' worm which infests the livers of animals, as the sheep,'the hog,, goat &c. being the same worm. It is extremely difficult to say what are the original causes which produce worms. It is therefore, impossible that any Physician, however learned he may be, cm determine with any kin 1 of cert unty, their origin. That improper diet, or foo 1 assists in producing worms, is correct; but this is only true so fur as this im iroper food disorders the stom ich and bowels, and weakens their action; for worms seldom occur if the action of the bowels is healthy, strong, and vigorous. " 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 atier- w iris, when the di*-t is more varied and indigestible." [To the learned an 1 distinguished Hoprmv Djnulison Professor of the Practice of Medicine in the Un.versity of Vriginia, I am indebted for the highly valuable information on this subject.] Clim ite, infancy, weakened state of the bowels, and improper food, favor the production of worms. That climate has a particular influence, and is favora- hie to the origin of certain worms, is evident. A fourth part of the inhabitants of Grand Cairo haveihe tape worm ;and in Holland—according to F.csln—it is quite common. In the United States it is quite rare. Symptoms.—The head is generally affected; the face is pale, and sometimes of the color of bees-wax.; the lower eye lid becomes of a lea Jen color; itching is -felt in thi nose, occasionally picking it; the saliva, or spittle runs down over the pillow during sleep ;the breat^ has a remarkable bad foetor, or bad smell; fright¬ ful dreams; the child cries in'its sleep and awakes with treat terror -.'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, ac¬ companied with slow fever; these symptoms, singly or together, denote the pres¬ ence of worms. Treatment.—A great many medicines are daily employed for worms. From long experience, and an extensive practice, 1 have had a fair opportunity of test¬ ing their virtues, at the head of which stands Calomel, Worm-seed Oil, Carolina Pink root—sometimes called Indian Pink root, or Pink root—and Spirits of Turpentine: all of which, when properly given, are valuable ipedicinea for ex* pelling worms. You are first to commence by giving the child a suitable dose of Calomel 5 (.For which see Table of Medicines.] you are occasionally to repeat fbis medicine as long as the stools have a very offensive smell, and look unnatural! On the days between the administering the Calomel, giye the child a little Alops, pounded ve¬ ry fine, and mixed with Honey. [For dose see Table.] " I have never known S50 a case of failure," says a distinguished Physician, u when the patient, cr child was freely purged with Calomel, and then given either the VVorm-seed Oil, agree¬ ably to the directions on the phials in which it is sold, or the India Pink root in tea." [For a description of this root look under the head jCarolina Pink Rooty. The Oil should be given on an empty stomach in the morning, on a lump of su¬ gar, and when the Pink root is used make tea of it, by pouring a quart of boil¬ ing water on a hand-full of the roots, of which you are to give a cup-full 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 as1 soon as any other tea. Sometimes the Pink root will occasion the eyes to become sore; whenf this is the case, you are to stop using it until the eyes are perfectly well; 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 cr ten days, give a dose of Calomel or Castor Oil. In those species of worm which I nave described as uncommon in our country, their expulsion, cr disc barge is pro¬ duced by Spirits6f Turpentine, in lar^e doses, requiring the advice and attend¬ ance of a Physician. M. Cloquet, a distinguished physician of France, affirm*, that he l.as seen the long worm, or'the one to which children are most subject, evacuated, or dischar¬ ged by Stool, after the belly had been rubbed with a mixture of oy s gall and com¬ mon Snap, oil of tansey or of caminomile,. mixed with s, irits in which ci.mjrhc.r has been dissolved, or girlie; and by the application of a plaster con.josed of common yell iw w. x, lithar.ige,-yisafoetiday and galbanum, applied to the teily. Pure air, simple digestible food, exercise, and the use of alt those means by which the system is strengthened, should be attended to; otherwise as soon as fr'iey are expelled, t^ey will again return. For this purpose, occasionally ad> minister to the child or person subject to worms, a simple dose of harcoal in new milk. According to the latest and most en.igh(,ened experience of the Medical Schools in Europe, Charcoal is highly recommended. I have now 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. The limits of my work, will now exceed those promised my subscribers, by nearly one hundred pages, the surplusage of which I present to those sub¬ scribers, with sentiments of gratitude for the liberal and generous support I have received. Even with this extra number of pages, my work will not j ermit me to describe every trifling plant or root, no^would it even be necessary for me to do so. I shall therefore proceed to. describe, as far as practicable, all the valua¬ ble roots, plants, and so on, possible to be included in the work. I have ob¬ served in several books, purporting to have been written forjthe use of families, descriptions of many plants and roots, merely calculated to fill up ai.d increase the size of such works, without oemg of any benefit as medicines, or even affording any useful information to the reader. I shall therefore, men¬ tion only such is are truly useful as ipedicines, and whose virtues are highly im cort ant in the care of diseases. Shoul 1 my book be beneficial to mankind, an 1 meet the a rprob ition of toy countrymen, I will, with the \ emission oi the Aluiuut en leavnr to be still useful to my fellow creatures, by adding a second volume, which will contain such information, as, for want ol'rooto, 1 have been unwillingly compelled to leave out of this volume. I will also.endeavor to notice, all the new discoveries which will have been made throughout the world, in the cure of the various dbeases to which the human race are liable, and such roots and plants as may be found worthy of attention. SENEKA SNAKE HOOT. This root possesses more virtues thin any one use 1 in medicine; and of all the Juots used in medicine it is by far the most valuable. It is now more than eighty years, since its virtues wore made known to physicians, by Doctor Jo1 in Je izui, who learned its use from the Senagaroos tribe of Indians. jRy rowardkg them liber¬ ally, he obtained thetr secret remedy against the bite of the Rattle-mace, which he called snake root on that account. According to their practice, it was ap¬ plied both outwardly and inwardly ; either chewed an J applied to the wound, or in the form of poultice. Doctor Tenant thought the Seneka a certain remedy against the bite of the Rattle-snake, but it haa since been doubted. A reward was given to the Doctor for this discovery, by the Legislature of Pennsylvania. The Seneka was tecommended by him, to be used in pleurisy ; and in this dis¬ ease it is a truly valuable remedy, after the free use of the lancet and the warm bath. Sir Franois Millman, Doctor Percival, and many other distinguished :>{)! [ Lj utnan , hdve borru: testimony in favor of its powers as a diuretic in DRorsiEs— diuretic means whatever acts on the urinary organs, so as to produce an evacua¬ tion of the water from the bladder freely. In croup this is a valuable medicine; and the discovery of its being such, is due to Doctor Archer, of Hartford county, Maryland, who first discovered its great efficacy in croup, that frequently un¬ manageable disease. My practice is, in the first instance to employ the lancet, in the next the warm bath, and in the next the Seneka snake root, as directed Under the head of croup. Given as 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 when given in this way; because it brings on a discharge of mucus or tough slime from the mouth and throat, which almost always relieves the person afflicted. It is proper, if the case is a danger¬ ous 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 epecacuanha, [and the warm bath, will frequently give relief. A strong tea made of this root, and given as in croup, is an excel¬ lent 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-glass full of the decoction every two hours, if a grown person, and increasing or lessening the quantity as seems necessary. The virtues ofthis root, in obstructions, or stoppages of the Menses, or month¬ ly 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 pos¬ sessed, 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 dis¬ charge is looked for and does not appear, four ounces of the decoction above de¬ scribed ought to be taken in the course of the day—indeed, as much ought to be taken as the stomach will bear without sickness. When sickness to puking is induced—which is sometimes the case when the stomach is weak and irritable— add in the tea or decoction some Cinnamon, 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 Seneka Snake-root, for I have frequently given it in ue- Vy 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 purga¬ tive effect of the Seneka Snake-root is of great and important service, as well as in its active and powerful influence on the urinary organs. In all dropsical swel- I ings, it ought to be used very freely,- and will always 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 distinguished Physicians of the United States, as well as those of Furope. The discovery ofits virtues in Ft male ghtruc- 36» Sions, it dae to Dr. Hartshorn, of Philadelphia, one of the best' of met))' and & mat whose heart is devoted to the cause of suffering humanity SASSAFR AS. A particular description of sassafras is unnecessary, being known and found in every part of the western 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 rheumatism. 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 stimulating. The oil rubed on went is considered a good remedy, and frequently removes them entirely. The sassafras bark, mixed with sarsapafilla, makes a good diet drink for cleansing impurities of the blood, &c. S ABSAPARILt A. This foof was first brought into notice by the Spaniards, in the year 156?, and was for some time afterwards,"considered a certain cure for venereal disease; [Eee page 260, where you will see venereal described.] It, however, afterwards proved unsuccessful, either from want 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 medi¬ cal men, throughout Europe and the United States, as to whether it really is or Is not, a cure fort this wret h: d disease, the venereal. It has fallen several times into almost entire neglect, and as cften been again revived info use. It has, however, lately been brought forward, with a much higher reputation than it ever held1 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 convinced me of the fact, even in the worst of the complaint. I will go still further, by assert¬ ing that the virtues 6f this root, are not yet fully known and duly appreciated: arid I sincerely regret, that the limits of my work will not permit me to go more fully, into the great benefits I have witnessed from its use in chronic affections 6f the liver—for a description of which disease, see page 177. 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 effects of mercury, or to remove any had consequences which have been produced by its use, the srirsaparilla is also good. In weakness of the stomach called dj spepsia, [see page 154,] it is an excellent remedy, by giviDg tone and strength to the bowels and stomach. The method of preparing it, is by simply boiling, after washing it clean, in the proportions of an ou .ice 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 before it is takeri. Take of it from a pint to a quart daily, or as much as the stomach will beari- "the bark of the root contains the virtues. You must S63 cl tain it sound; and recollect always, that it loses its powers by being kept any length of time. The tea should always be made fresh every day. Sarsaparilla grows plentifully in the western country, and may be found along creeks, and on the banks of rivers. It is a small running vine when torn from the ground, and extends some distance from the head, which is of a dark'brown color on the out side, and a,pale white within. When cut into short pieces it splits easily, and has a very bitter taste. 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 color and much wrinkled on the outside. It may be considered as one of the most valuable roots in the western 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 effect on the system, or in which there is the least doubt, that any infection lurks in the system connected with venereal. JAMES-TOWN WEED. Sometimes called jjimston, .thorn-cpple, stink-ueed: and, by the learned,-'usual *ly called datura stramonium. Whether this plant is a native of the United States or not, cannot at this.late period be known-; nor is it material that the fact should be ascertained, because it is now found in every part of the American Union, from the State of 3faine to the Mexican Gulph, and from the Atlantic Sea-board to the Rocky, or Oregon Mountains. It was first noticed, by the ori¬ ginal settlers of Virginia at kJames-towi%r 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 JEritish soldiers, who had eaten of the leaves ofthe James-town weed as boiled .greens. "One would blow up a feather into the air, whilst another would dart straws at it with great fury: another would sit stark naked in a corner of the room, grin¬ ning like a monkey, and making mouths at the company: whilst another would caress and paw his companions, and sneer in their faces. In this frantic condi¬ tion they were 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 satisfaction of my readers, some account ofthe first discovery of the medical properties of the James-town weed, and also adduce several cases in proof of those medical prop¬ erties, abridged from the accpunt ofDoctqr Storqk, whose.authority may be rel¬ ied on. "In the months of June, July and August, I observed in the neighborhood of Schoenbrun, says the Doctor, great quantities of the Datura Stramonium or thorn-apple. I well knew that this plant was altogether disused in medicine, 534 because several author- had pronounced it highly dangerous. On the 23d of June, 1760,1 went out very early in search of the weed, and gathered a large quantity of it, and resolved to give it a fair trial, notwithstanding all I had heard and read respecting its poisonous effects, and of its producing insanity or de¬ rangement of mind. I next cut off the roots and threw thejtt aside; then beat the leaves, branches, and stalks, in a large marble mortar, and pressed out a- bout one gallon of the juice. This I evaporated to the consistence of an extract, over a slow fire in a glased vessel, often stirring it with a woorlen spoon to pre¬ vent its burning; and the extract, when it became cold, I found to be a black brittle mass. I laid a grain and a half of this extract on my tongue, dissolved it against the roof of my mouth, and swallowed it down. It neither produced disorder of my body, nor the least derangement in my intellectual faculties,—- After making several experiments on myself, and perceiving no manner of dis.- order^ 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 the Thorn-apple—which the reader will please to remember we call James-town weed—would be of service. 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 would disorder the mind, de¬ stroy the ideas and memory, and produce convulsions. These were all dreadful effects'but, notwithstanding, a query suggested itself to my mind in the follow- 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 com¬ mon sensory, it might not bring the insane and persons bereft of their reason, to sanity, or soundness of mind, and by a contrary motion, remove convulsions in the convulsed.1' This notion, I confess, was far-fetched, yet it was not without some good success. The experiments I made were as follows: "Case 1st. A girl twelve years of age, had been disordered in her mind two months; she answered confusedly 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 morn¬ ing and night, and made her drink after each dose, a cup of tea, or some veail broth. On the third week 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 dizzi¬ ness in the head, and could find no relief from any medicines: she became gradual¬ ly disordered in her mind,and finally a degree of madness accompanied her vertigo. She was brought to our hospital. The medicines first prescribed gave her no manner of relief. Shfe began to be raving and furious; rose ouf of bed in 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 I>r. Sto rc k, " half a grain of the Extract of Thorn-apple twice a day. The first 335 day tht; 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 asloep again. On the fourth day she began to give more reasonable an¬ swers, but soon fell again into raving fits. Her days and nights then hecamo calm and quiet.- On the eighth day, I gave her on© grain of the Extract three' times, and continued these doses until the fourth week, when all her fury was1 laid. Her madness went off; her soundness of mind, speech and judgment re¬ turned ; 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 vi¬ olence as to make her full 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 Thorn-apple cured her madness; and peroeiving that the vertigo Was not remov¬ ed, I jbrbore 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 frequent, until at length a true fit of Ap¬ oplexy carried her off. I dissected her, and found many of the blood-vessels of the head distended, or swelled, and one of them turned bony for the distance1 of an inch and a half; besides which—says the Doctor—I found the two anterior ventricles of the brain distended greatly, and filled with many Hydatides of differ¬ ent shapes and sizes. Hydatides are little an'mals, formed like bladders, and distended with a watery fluid. All the viscera in the rest of ttie body were in a very sound state. From these discoveries made after her death, it appears that the vertigo of this patient was an incurable disease: and it also appears, that th e Extract of the Thorn-apple—James-town weed—not only laid her rage, but cured her madness, without producing any bad symptoms." I have accompanied the discovery of the medicinal virtues of the James-town weed by Dr. Storck, with the two preceding cases, to prove clearly to my read¬ ers, that in the beneficence of his mercy, the great Father of the Universe has clothed our soil with means, powerful means, of curing our diseases, with which we are measurably unacquainted, and with the medical properties of which it is our duty to become familiar. There is, in my opinion, nearly as much folly and stupidity in importing costly drugs at enormous expenses from foreigit la nds while we have their equals at home, as there would be in importing bricks' and, timber from Enrope 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 James-town weed, exclusive of the root—of which we know nothing from experiment—-when taken in considerable quantities, operates as, a strong narcotic^ or stupifying poison. This is, however, no valid objection to its medical uses and properties; because some of our most powerful medicines, suck for instance, as Opium and Aquafortis^ invariably destroy life when injudicious¬ ly taken. I am not alone in considering this plant as possessing high and inval¬ uable medicinal powers: it has been spoken of in terms of high commendation by many of the most distinguished Physicians of the present age, among whom are Barton, Fisher, Bigelow, and King, of Connecticut. 563 Among the Indian nations, the leaves of this weed are made much use of, es¬ pecially in cases of wounds, contusions or bruises, ulcerations, and the bites of reptiles. The Extract of this weed, procured in the manner above stated by Dr. Stofck, is valuable in various cases of the chronic kind: by which I mean those of longstanding; also,in all those kinds of epilepsy commonly called fits—those especially, wliich give warning of their coming on, or those which occur at regu¬ lar time3. It is also a better medicine than any thing yet known, for lessening the violent pain in Sciatica or hip gout. The leaves of the dried plant, smoked as we do tftbacco, are of great use in attacks of spasmodic asthma—which means phthisic accompanied wiih 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 pro luces no sickness nor vomiting, you may give ,a grain of the leaves three times a d ly, an l evea increase the d »se e ich time, until the effects are felt by the patient, or relief produce!. The Extm t, however, is always to be prefered, giv¬ en is bef >re lescribe 1 by Dr. Starch, the-real discoverer of the medicine. The bruise 1 or wilted leaves are valuable in painful tumors, and indeed in most swell¬ ings accompanied with .pain; They are in these c ises, to be applied externally, and in s nh qiaatities as to preserve their moisture against the fever of such tu¬ rn ir3. The ointment made frojn the bruised leaves, is also valuable, and is made by bailing them in lard or t illaw, straining it well, and setting it off to cool. In the abridged extract from Dr. Storck, I have shown the value of this medi¬ cine in omnia, madness, pr phrenzy: - and I bow «ay that, the value of his discov¬ ery in 173), notwithstanding what has been said against it, has been amply sub¬ stantiated by experiments of many distinguished men of the present age, among whom are Barton an l Fisher—in fact, Barton's experimental testimony alone, would be quite sufficient: and, here I wish it to be distinctly noticed by those af¬ flicted with epilepsy, or fits, that his testim any is cle irly in its favor, as a niost pow¬ erful remedy, even in deplorable cases—he has proved the fact from actual experi¬ ment. I wish the reader also to bear in mind the following fpcts with regard to the value of,simple me licines: First, The most learned sometimes decry their use, ibcoa ISO thore is not sciiatifiz mjslzry enough about them to excite the astonish meat qfthe comoion people; and seconl, because they are often abused by -quacks and pretenders, and men who hapre not perseverance and .resolution enough «to give them a fair trial. DOGWOOD. The Dog-wood is so common throughout the United States as to require no -description whatever; it is in fact to be found in every forest of the country.— The Dog-wood lark is generally considered equal to the Peruvian bark; but I conceive it greatly superior, not only on account of our always being able to pro¬ cure it fresh from the tree, but because the Peruvian bark is old before it reaches this country, an'd nearly ^ if not always adulterated. It is among the best tonic or ^lengthening medicines to be found in this, or any other country, The bark $57 the root of the Dog-wood tree is the strongest; next in strength to which is the bark of thsbody and smaller branches. In all Intermittent fevers—by which I mean all fevers which go off and return again—it is an excellent remedy; and the only reason why it cannot be given in other fevers is that, when given in ac¬ tual feverr it increases the pulse, and by so doing does mischief; hence you will see the necessity of never giving it except when the fever is entirely off. In cas¬ es 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-r-is from thirty to thirty fi'e grains; and in some particular cases—mentioned under the proper heads—an addition of the Snake root is to be made, in the proportions of thirty grains of (he Dog¬ wood bark to six grains of the Snake root, pounder! to a powdpr. The wood it- Self, of the Dog-wood tree, is considerably used by Dentists—by which 1 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 ofhog^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 fur the white¬ ness of their teeth, are in the constant practice of rubbing them with the small br inches of the Dog-wood, or of some other tree which will answer the purpose. The ripe berries of the Dog-wood, in spirits of any kind, make an excellent bitter fjr common purposes, and one well adapted to persons of weak stomachs, taken in the morning. All the Indian nations use the flowers at the proper season, hi warm tea, or in spirits, as a remedy in windy colic. The Dog-wood is an excel¬ lent remedy—boiled strong as a tea or decoction—for Horsis having that de¬ structive disease, the yellow-uater: a distemper which carries oil thousands- or that useful and noble animal every year. Horses having the yellow-water, should be bled every day freely, and giyen nothing to drink but strong Dog-wood tfa. The powdered bark of this tree makes an excellent ink, and the process is very simpleTake half an ounce of the powdered bark, two drachms of coperus, two scruples of gum Arabic, or cherry-tree gum, and put them into one pint of rain water; mix them together, and in a few days it will be fit for use. The mddical virtues of this bark were discovered as early as the year 1787. It is an astrin-- gent, and also a stimulant, and the internal use of it renders the pulse always, quicker, and often fuller than it naturally is. PIN'S ROOT OF CAROLINA. This is a medicine of highly and justly' celebrated reputation for worms, and was learned from the Chlkoxee Indians at an early period of the settlement of this country. This plant grows plentifully in Tennessee, and is indigenous to to all the Southern States, particularly South Carolina, where it is found in sobb n'-uodaacc. 69 to bate given a name to the plant. I have frequently soeo it* brought to Knoxvttle for saie, and have been informed from good authority thai* large quantities of it are to be found in almost all parts of the uncultivated coun¬ try. Its growth is very-rare in the state of Virginia; in fact, it does not grow wild in any of the States north of the city of Baltimore: it is, however, cultivated in the gardens at the North. This plant grows in rich soils on the borders of woods. Its time of flowering is &om May to July, andgrows from six to twenty inches high. Its root consists of a multitude of slender fibres, or threads, forming together, a large cluster, or bunch. This root is of a yellow, or straw color when you first take it from the ground, but becomes black when dried and old. It is so common in all countries where it grows at all, as to need a very slight delineation, or description, if any: From the root there arises several four-sided stems, or stalks of a purple-ish color, on which are narrow leaves of some length opposite to each other; the flower is of a carmine, or crimson color, a little inclined to yellow on the inside. Carolina Pink root was first brought into notice among Physicians, by Doctors Garden, Lining, and Chalmers, all of whom speak very highly of it as a medi¬ cine for worms. The root and plant yield all +heir virtues to water: in other and plainer language, you get all their strength out of them by steeping them in boil¬ ing water, or making a tea of them. When the root becomes old it loses much of its strength, and should always be had fresh from the ground, if possible. When made into a tea, it has a sweetish taste, and will therefore be easily taken by chil¬ dren. Of the dried and powdered root, the dose is about fifteen or twenty grains for children between six and eight years of age, and half that quantity for children under six years old. To a grown person, and to a person nearly grown, a drachm, or two drachms may be safely given. The comnjpn mode of giving it to children is as a tea, made in the proportion of one ounce of the root and plant to a pint of boiling water; of which from one to three table-spoonsful may be given to a child, and about half a pint to a grown person. If no effects follow, the doses may be increased accordingly. I usually give it as a tea to children for break¬ fast, with milk and sugar, as they take it more readily in this way. It must not be continued if it affects the eyes of the child, which it sometimes does. After its use for eight or nine mornings, give a good dose of Castor Oil; and if no wornis fol¬ low, give a dose of Calomel. [See Table for doses.] The Carolina Pink root, as to its medical effects, is not entirely confined to worms: it is sometimes given in fevers which arise from, what Physicians call, viscidity in the prima viae; which means mucus or slime in the stomach and upper bowels: and the late Professor Barton, recommends this medicine in the w pro¬ tracted remitting fever of infants, which is supposed to lay the foundation of hy- drocephalusf or in other words, dropsy of the brain. ALUM ROOT. This 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 369 vegetable astringent; by which I mean, that when applied to the human body, it makes the solids har Jer and firmer, by contracting their fibres. As a powerful astringent, it is usually employed in all cases'of weakness and irritability, aad report speaks favorably of its virtues. It is generally used in external applica¬ tions more than as an internal remely: in piles, for instance—or hemoraget from any part of the system I by which I mean spontaneous bleedings. This Root is called by the people in the country generally, for shortness, *Sano, It is found in great plenty among the hills and mountains of Tennessee, and brought into Knoxville daily for sale. Some few years back it was used aa an article of commerce, and sent to the Eastward in wagons as a commodity of foreign export, and afforded considerable employment and profit to the gather¬ ers of it who resided near and among the mountains. 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 pro! it-—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 peri¬ od—1748—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 incident al to their climate and country, and had no confidence in any medicine that was not combined with it: and such was its astonishing reputation, that it was rare I ly, 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 virtue from this pre cious drug. These people are remarkable for their superstitious prejudices, oi •vil, moral, and religious v as a proof of which, they set a higher value on those roots which have a resemblance to the human form, and ascribe greater powers to them than to those of a different shape. i The Ginseng has been fully tested by the best Physicians in the United States, and they ascribe to it nothing 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 whiskey, or any other kind of spirits. Called by the'learned, Meotian* Tobatvm, 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; GINSENG. TOBACC O PE ANT. 47 ana Itlvould answer as little purpose, as to describe on paper the countenance of an olifrien 1, with whom we had longkefjre shaken hands, and become perfectly familiar. I shall, therefore, coasi ler it in no other li0ht than as a medical drug. I shall firat notice tobacco as a reme ly for worms. I do not recollect ever tcr have triol it myself* but Doctor Birtoa expressly say1-—anil his authority can in all cases be relie I oo—that "toljac'aea°ss exists, the leaves of thedobacco plant, cured in the usual manner, stewed in vinegar, and appliel to the belly, will be attended with signal success, wheu the most powerful purges internally taken have failed.— The last mehtione 1 anplication—tobacco leaves stewed in vinegar—is a good remelyin 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 thp great cavity enclosing the intestines, or guts^&t.—this is-called ascites abdominal is by me lical men. The other is, where the water i=i lodged in a membrane, suck, or tube, about the womb, and is called ascite mcratns by Physician0. J will, for the satisfaction of the reader, abri Ige a case-of the latter kind from a letter of Dr. Cotbcsh, Physici in of the American Murine Hospit t] at Syracuse Thp sub¬ ject ofthe disease presumed by Dr. Cuthush to I e dropsy, was a young v ornan brought to him by her parents. Some of her former Physicians—4 irt^ -t,\rre of whom had been consulted in her case—were of opinion that her c isi are was a collection of water in the womb; others, that it was dropsy of the Oraria— Ihese are the parts taken out of female swine when spaying—others, that it was an en¬ large 1 liver; and others still, that it was an extra-uterine fetus, which is a cause of conception, in which the child is not in the womb where it should he, but in the cavity ofthe belly, out-ride of the womb. On examination, Dr. Cutbush dis¬ covered a large tumor, or su riling in the abdomen, or belly, which extended df- agohally across it from, the left to tl e right. 'I he swelling, or tumor, which was unusually groat, had a number of inequalities on its surface, which could be easi¬ ly felt,and which, when pressel 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 perplexing, because the first Physicians of Naples had given contrary opinions respecting it, and had also disagreed in their practice. She had been un ler the free use of mercury twice—once at Na¬ ples, and once at Syracuse: at the 1 itter place, mercury had been given in large quantities by a Surieon belonging to Lord Net non1s Elect, without any beneficial effect. " From this history and examination," says the Doctor, u I entertained no hopes .of relieving her; but the solemn entreaties.of. her parents determined me to make trial of a remedy which I had found useful in obstinate tumors, and which finally proved the disease to be a dropsical affection of the womb itself or of the right fallopian tubed* | These tubes extend from the sides of the womb to- 371 wftrdt the ova ria—which I have before explained—and are supposed to grasp them, in sexual communication.] '■ 1 directed the leaves of the tobacco plant, recent¬ ly collected, to be stewed in vinegar, and applied to the abdominal tumor." The first application produced sickness at the stomachy puking, vertigo, or swimming in the held, great depression of muscular strength, eopious sweating, and a lpose state ol the bowels. Hep pulse became low; and the violence of the symptoms induced the Doctor not to continue the application long. On the succeeding day it was repeated twice—morning and evening—and produced the same symptoms, but less violent, and attended with an immoderate fow of water from the vagina and womb. This remedy .was continued twenty days, and the patient was com¬ pletely cured. Jlo medicines were given, except a little opium, and some wine occasionally. In cases of dropsy generally, ihe tobacco plant has been found.very seviceabje. When given in proper quantities, it acts as a powerful diuretic—or in other words, it produces a great flow of urine—entirely disproportioned to the quantity of li¬ quid taken into the sLomach. This is a conclusive proof that it acts upon, and dislodges the dropsical fluid from the system. In crumps, or spasms it is also productive of much benefit; being well known to produce great relaxations of the musculqr pow er0, and unusual prostration of strength—en vihich account, it n;ay also be given with advantage in cares of tetanus, orlockcd-jaw, and in iact, in ail cases where there appears to he a derangement of the muscular energies^ lo¬ cal, 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. Ihe infusion is made by steeping an ounce of tobacco leaves in a pint of boiling water, and giving it by the tea-spoonful with much caution. One, two, or three table-spoonsful, in half a pint of warm milk, or thin^rucl, will generally produce relief, if given in clys¬ ters, ia cases of colic or very obstinate costiveness, where all other medicines have proved iiiellcctunl. If these quantities produce no relief, and there is no sickness of the stomach, the clysters must be repeated" every half hour, gradually increasing the infusion until one or the other of these 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 tobac¬ co when all other remedies bad utterly failed: In the city of Charleston, South Carolina, some years since, and before reading medicine, I was attacked at night with severe colic, which terminated in obstinate constipation of the bow¬ els. The pain was so excruciating that I was compelled to send for a Physician: if was Dr. Witterage, a gentleman equally celebrated for his philanthropy, and his profound knowledge of medical science. During a period of ten days, appre¬ hending an inflammation, and consequent mortification of the bowels, this gentleman resorted to almost every known and powerful relnedy, without effut. As a last resort—of which he candidly informed me—recourse was had to clysters made of tobacco. The first, which was a weak infusion, had no effect; and the Doctor directed my nurse to give me a stronger one at mid-night. Her fatigue caused her to fall asleep, and it was neglected till morning. By this time—the tobacco having remained in the water all night—the infusion had become unus- $72 nally strong:, in •vrhicb state a elyster of it whs given. The immediate derange¬ ment of my feelings and sensation^, 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 was with difficulty that I could draw my breath. In a few minutes, by an almost unconscious effort, an extremely foeted discharge took place from the "bowels, of the color and consistence of molasses, when I was entire¬ ly relieved. Subsequent experience has taught me to believe that, had this great and good man applied tobacGO leaves, stewed in vinegar, to the abdomen, whilst I was under the operation of medicines taken by the stomach, I would 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 powerful medicine, and dangerous when used to injudicious excess. THE UVA URSI. Sometimes called the Bear-berry, the Bear's WhortU-bcrry, and the Wild Cranberry. The Uva Urn—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 north¬ ern parts of the United States. It is presumed, from numerous and well authen¬ ticated experiments, to be the best remedy ever yet discovered, in all diseases of the urinary organs, whether of the kidnies, ureters, or bladder, and is therefore en¬ titled to no ordinary Consideration 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 description of this plant, given by the celebratod 6 alen, which is considered the most accurate one on record, is in substance as follows: Tt is a low shrub, which grows and spreads itself near the surface of the ground, and has pensile, or hanging branches ;bark of a reddish or pink color, and is thickly set with oblong, oval,and 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-colored berry, similar in appearance to the small wild cher¬ ry, and contains Jive hard bony seed, with plain sides, and no more. It is an ev¬ er-green, and produces fruit every two years. Every part of this shrub, particu¬ larly the bark and leaves, has a bitter and astringent taste. I am thus particu¬ lar in the description of it, because the Bilberry, or Red Myrtle, is often mistaken by good Botanists for the Uva Ursi—they being so nearly alike as scarcely to be distinguishable frofh each other. The only distinguishing characteristics which can be depends I on are these: the flower of the Uva Ursi has ten stamina, more commonly known by the name of antlers, or uprights, and the berries con¬ tain five seel, only, while the other—the Bilberry, or Red Myrtle—has only eight stamina in the flower, and sometimes twenty seed in the berry. 1 have some 373 doubts, notwithstanding the 'opinion of the celebrated Doctors Bigelow and Chapman—for both of whom I entertain a high respect—that the real and genu¬ ine Uva Ursi of Calen, 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 being mistaken for it, and used medicinally in its stead. Galen says that it is a rare plant, and is only tq be found in the coldest countries, and in the neighbor¬ hood 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, called Gans, and the other a Styrian. Alp, called the Snowy Mountain, six leagues from Marianstein. We have no such mountains in North America, un¬ less the Oregon, or Rocky Mountains, west of the Mississippi, of whose botanical productions we know little—perhaps nothing, fiut, whether the Uva Ursi be an American plaiit or not, it can always be had genuine in theshpps, and my prin¬ cipal motive for mentioning any doubts respecting its being a native of this coun¬ try, is to guard those afflicted with diseases of the urinary organs, against the use of spurious or useless 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. 41A man about sixty years of age, had been about twenty years, at* flicted at timef, With a difficulty of making water, which was usnallj voided by •ingle drops, accompanied with exquisite torture, a foeted smell, ajhd a mucs mix¬ ed with blood. Sometimes there was a total suppression of urine, which could only be relieved by fhe 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 foeted a? before; and the pain which had tortured him for so many years, was quite gone: he slept well; had a good appetite; grew strong; walked well; and made water without any pain. Case 2d. " This was also, a man about sixty years of age, who had for along time been afflicted with exquisite pains, and a suppression of urine to so great a degree, that for seven weeks he had never passed his water but by the help of a ca¬ theter. Half a drachm 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 medicine for fourteen weeks, he was restored to perfect health. Case 3d. W A man came to us, whose name was 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 cplor; was passed with great difficulty and pain; and as soon as discharged, had a very bad and offensive smell. The catheter being introduced 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 crin* took place, but it was also passed without difficulty or pain, jn smell ahd color 874 perfectfy natural: 'And I assert it,1 says the writer,4 that, by continuing the use of this medicine for two months, every calculus sign and symptom was eii tirely 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 seed, who frequently made water of a healthy appearance whilst a stone remained in the bladder. How it came to pass, and by what means, that the patient should obtain such benefit from this plant, as to be entirely exempt from pain, and all other inconveniencies, when a stone still existed in the bladder, 1 must confess myself entirely unable to explain."' SLIPPERY ELM. This tree deserves great attention, as being among the best remedies incur country. I have mentioned frequently, that, in many diseases it should be used as a poultice, and in many others as a cly ster. 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 superior, par¬ ticularly in old sores or ulcers, burns, and wounds—particularly gun shot wouuds. During the Revolutionary War, our Surgeons used it with the happiest effect".— They applied poultices of it to fresh wounds, anil always produced immediate supperation—in other word", discharge of matter—and a quick disposition to heal. When any appearance of mortification wasevidtnt, the bark was pounded and boiled in water, and made into a poultice. When applied, it produced im¬ mediately a surprising change for the better. In dysentery and consumptions, the inner built boiled in water and drank freely, will be found a valuable medi¬ cine. It is cooling and soothing to the bowels. It may be made into a fine jej- ly. which if taken freely, is a certain and astonishing remedy in all bowel and breast complaints, and may he freely administered to children. This mucilag¬ inous bark is so nutritive, that it supplies the Indians with food in times of scar¬ city. It is one of the most cooling and pUasant remedies, and I may add, that it is not only one of the most valuable articles wc have, but deserves the confi¬ dence of every person who practices or administers medicine. JEXIUSAL..EM OAK. From this plant—which grows plentifully throughout the State of Tennessee, and which is too well known by almost every person to require a description—the oil called Worm Seed Oil, is made. This oil has for some time altiuctcd a con¬ siderable share of popular favor, as an antidote against worms in children. It is sold in almost every store, under the name of " Worm Seed Oil ;15 and persons who purchase this oil or medicine, should be careful that they are not imposed up¬ on : because it is very often adulterated with Spirits of Turpentine, by which they are always disappointed in their expectations of benefit. to itfi pure and unadulterated state, there is no medicine preferable to toe nil tagde from the JERurrAiEji O \x for expelling worms From children-r bat it m ist never be given when flic child has ii rer; bodause it will in that case increase the fever—the oil being highly stimulating and inflammatory. Wheh the or! is ad. ministered, fromctj/i I tod&i drops be given to a child tvo'years old, on a lump ot sugar—it ou^ht to bo givop three times a/tay^for three days in in success¬ ion ; after which yon mHJt give a good dosa qf calomel, say five fir six grains, or a dose of ca t >r oil—flic cnlumcl^hovfover/is the most certain to produce a full discharge Of worm?. Ifno worms are discharged, and they pre still suspficted to exist in the system, repeat the dose again—and again, until you bring them from the chii 1. A winfe-glassful of a deletion of the Jerusalem Oak, made by boiling it in polk, in the proportion of a hand*ful of the leaves to a quart of" milk, is a dose for a child—but the pure oil is by far the best. PENN YllOYAL. There is no description necessary of (bis plant, as it grows in almost every gar¬ den. In slight stoppages by cold, of a female's monthly discharges, generally called Me.i%se^y Pennyroyal tea will generally remove the obstructions: The tea must be m i, le .string, an! sweetens 1 with honey, molasses or sugar, and. drank as warm as possible—at the sniufi time bathing the feet in warm wat' r. It is probable, hpwever, that in obstructions of the Menses which have existed for any considerable, time, more eflieient pn Ij powerful remedies than pennyroyal tea must be used. I will also mention that, the American Pennyroyal is a differ¬ ent plant from that known.ia England! by the same name. DITTANY. ^his handsome little plant beiongs exclusively to America, and is Irnoivh to almost every farmer aijjd his /araily in the country. It grows plentifully in Ten¬ nessee. The Dittany (s always found in ( ry soil-, and in shady and hilly pla¬ ces: it is used in slight fevers as a tea: every old lady in the country has mors or le»s used Dittarty tea In col s. It is excellent to believe nervous head-aches, and is a good remedy in the hysterica] affections of women. In South Carolina and Georgia, the Dittany is given frequently by infusing the leaves in hot water and administering it as a tea, drank as warm as possible, to p-otluce sweating.— The medicinal virtues >< f Dittany are much the same as Pennyroyal, Mint, and Sage: it is a perfectly innocent plant!! —— MAY APPLE. > t Sometimes culled Wild Lemon, Duck's fool, ipecacuanha, and by the lead¬ ed, Podophyllum Peilatwn $76 This plant, which possesses very important medicinal virtues, is presumed to bean exclusive production of the North American Continent: it is every where found in abundance on congpnial soils, from the State of Maine to the Mexican Gulpb, and from the Atlantic sea-coast to the Oregon Mountains. In the lan¬ guage 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 }s well known, to almost every person in the United States:—it has a plain up¬ right stem, of a yellowish green color, about twelve or fourteen inches in height; two large horizontal leaves at the top, between which, and in the fork, when in bloom,(there is a white flower—which is succeded by a yellow acid fruit. Re¬ specting the different properties of this plant, the reader is desired to recollect that the fruit in good forfood—the leaves poisonous,—pad that its medicinal virtues are wholly confined 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 com¬ paratively good for nothing. The Indians dry it in the shade, and use it in powders. The American May Apple root is an excellent, gentle, and effective purge, and is presumed by many celebrated practical Physiciaps, to be greatly superior to the Jalap obtained in the shopsj Practical experiment has proved 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 al¬ so preferable to Jalap in other respects: it is less nauseous, and more easily tak¬ en ; 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 advantage in what Physicians call Colica Pictonem, or dry bel- lv-ache—sometimes a dangerous comolaint—in intermittent fevere; and partic¬ ularly in dropsy, on account pfits producing continued an I large evacuations.— Taken in a small dose, say of ten or twelve grains in powder, it is a gentle and easy laxative: Twenty, twenty-five, or thirty grains, usually operate with ac¬ tivity and power; and where griping is apprehended, the mixture of eight or ten grains of calomel will'be of advantage. —— CANCER ROOT-BEECH DROPS. Called by the learned Orobanche 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 color, and entirely without leaves. The root, which appearsblunt and round at the bottom, and is covered with twisted and matted fibres on its lower end, is of a yellow color; 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. Between the root and first divisions ot the stalk, there are blunt-oointed and bud-like scales, which stand out from the surface: add similar ones, but more resembling buds, are scattered along the branches needy to their tops. The plant grows from eight to fifteen inches high. 377 The reasons for my being thus particular in tjhe description of this plant, will bt presently seen. From the best information I can collect respecting the history of the Cornet root, it appears to have been originally a cure for cancers, used by the Indians, and cbmmunicated by them to a Surgeon of one of the Pennsylvania regiments many years ago, stationed at what wa? then called Fort Pitt. The Physician to whom the secret was communicated by the Indians, afterwards came to Phil¬ adelphia, and advertised for the cure of cancers. He had been the student of Dr. Rush, who speaks thus of the application: u 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, wheu the cancers were much con¬ nected with the lytnphahc system, or accompanied with a scrophulous habit of bo¬ dy, his medicine always failed, and in some instances did evident injury." The Word u scrophula," 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 Dr. 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 abdut the nose, forehead and cheeks, and upon the sur¬ face an 1 extremities of the body. Cancers, taints of the fluids of the body, or those which affect the whole lymphatic system, must be cured by diet and in¬ ternal medical remedies. Dr. Rush says that, the powders compounded of Can¬ cer root and arsenic, in the proportions I 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 prefered the apli • cation of those powders to the use .of the knife, in all such cases. I will con¬ clude these remarks by observing that, the Cancer root i^ a valuable remedy in old and obstinate ulcers, in which it has often been known to succeed, when all other applications had failedIt must be gathered in the month of September. ■nr-jf<■ POPLAR. Sometimes Called the vchiis wood,"and sometimes the J1 mcricanpoplar: The learned name of this tree is Liriodendron Tulipifera. This tree—as every reader of this work must know—is a native of the United States, and is so generally found in all parts of the country, that a description of it would he entirely unnecessary. It is sometimes called the tulip tree, from a supposed resemblance between its blossoms and those of the tulip. The first Physicians of the United States, and many distinguished men in Europe, have borne ample and uniform testimony respecting the valuable medicinal proper¬ ties of the Poplar: Its virtues reside in the bark of the root, branches, and trunk—that of the root is presumed to be most powerful. It is a valuable rned- s:6 icine in all intermittent fevers, and particularly iu'ague and fever and has heett fonml of great benefit in dyspepsia, ot indigestion, in gout, in flystntery, And ia chronic rheumatism. I say in chronic rheumalism, which is alwajs without fe¬ ver: because, if given in acute rheumatism, where th< re is alwajs some inflam¬ matory fever, the poplar hark being a stimulant, will increase the fever instead of diminishing and subduing its violence: and here I wish the reader distinctly to bear ia min 1 that, for the above reasons, stimulants can never be given in fe¬ vers which continue without intermission, and that they can always be given with safety and benefit, when there are periodical cessations of fever. For the same reason, also, Peruvian bark is never given in paroxysms of feverr The reas on why Poolar bark is beneficial in chronic rheumatism, and several diseases of the same character, is presumed to be, because it is a powerful sudorific, or act¬ ive agent in producing sweat, if given in tolerably strong decoctions. Given in powders, esnecially if mixed in equal quantities of pulverized dog-wood hark, it i« equal to the best. Peruvian hark, and is to he given in the same quantities.— In oulmonary consumption, attended with hectic fever, niuht sweats, ahd du¬ rante re a, when combine 1 with laudanum," says Dr. Young, u it has frequently abated these alarming symptoms. 1 effectually cured a man fifty years of age, who was afflicted with catarrh and dyspeptic symptoms for five years, which had baffled the skill of the best Physicians, and the most celebrated remedies, by per¬ severing in tlye use of the Poplar lark for two weeks: and I can assert, from actu¬ al experience, that a more certain, speedy, and effectual remedy in hysteria, or hysferics, cannot be found in medicine, than the Poplar bark combined with a little laudanum. I have used no other remedy after cleansing the prim® viae— [by which the Doctor means the stomach and upper intestines, or first passages,] in c'tolera infantum, for more than two years: [cholera infantum means a disease of children, attended with eriping and purging, and sometimes with puking.] I have never known it fail—continues the Doctor—in a 6ingle case of worms v. hich hu» come under ray observation: I have prescribed it to a child when convul¬ sions ha 1 taken place. After giving a few doses, several hundreds of dead As- ca«ti)f.s were discharged with the stools." Asrarides, in ylain englisb, are all kinds of worms which are found in the human intestines, from the stomach to the rectum and fundament. The dose for a grown person, of the powdered Poplar bark, is from a scruple to two drachms: it may also be given in decoction or in fusion; hut when gi.ven in substance, it is most beneficial. The dose should be decrease 1 in quantity in proportion to the age of the patient. The time for col¬ lecting and drying the bark^ is the month of Janpary or February. SPICE WOOD. Otherwise called Allspice bushy Spue berry, Fever bush—and by tlie learned Lawns Benzoin It is altogether unnecessary to describe the Spice wood; it is known to near¬ ly every person ot any intelligence in the United States. It is used as a ©edi 379 cine in the m' Idle and Southern States, as well as in the Western country, and operates in giving tone to the stomach, and strength to the general system: and when given in intermittent ferer>% either in the pounded bark, or in toler¬ ably strong dec iction, it is generally atten lei with success. Dr. Barton alle¬ ges in some of his works—I have forgotten which—that, a decoction of the twigs in water, has often been given to children for worms, and that it is considered a good remedy ill such cases. As a proof that the Spice wood possesses consider¬ able medicinal qualities, the Indians make much use of it in several of their com¬ plaints; but in which of them particularly, I am unable to say. The dose of fSpice wood in decoction, is about a pint in twenty-four hours: and when used in the powdered bark, one drachm must be taker! three or four times a day, in a glass of wine, or in any other liquid with which it will mix. When taken freely as a tea, it produces copious perspiration, or sweating. BONE SET. Sometimes called Thorough-wort, Cross-wort, Indian Sage, and perhaps, more properly, by the Indians, Ague Weed:—The learned name of it is Eupa- torium Perfoliatum. The Bone-set is a valuable plant, and cannot be too highly prized as a medi¬ cine. I regret to say, that at this time, most of its medical virtues remain un¬ known. Jt has been usedin the Hospitals of New York with great success, given either as a tea or in Powder. The limited size ofmy book, prevents me froni writing at large on the great virtues it possesses:but 1 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, perforating or bearing the leaves at each joint. The flowers are white, and appear in July and Augqst. 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 accute point, of a dark green Color, an wl ich I mean they induce slop—and alio scc'atire: which means that tl ey din irish ihe animal energies ot the By stem without destroying lite: ' lor instance, whin the Fox-srlove is given in due c uantities,' it din iiiid.es in a n n urbahie manner, the force tin-\ frequency of the pulse. From its producing the latkril.eot on the circulation of the blood, the exercise of common sense w ill teach any person that it must be beneficial in all kinds of hemorrhages, or spontaneous bltedings, whe¬ ther of the lungs, the womb, or any other part ot the body. I rom the same rea¬ soning, mml numerous experiments, it is also manifest that, in diminishing the frequency of the pulse, and the irritability of'ihe system, it may he Lcneficially employed ia ail infia-awalory diseases, as a substitute, tor depleting remedies, such as bleeding,purging, &c. which always materially weaken the system.— The inflammatory complaints upon which it acts beneficially arc, of the train, and the lungs, and indeed of the viscera generally. It is also of much use in the early stage of phthisis, or pulmonary comuir ptici—in son e casts ot wj ich, it merely operates as a paliative, w bile in othe rs it wholly removes the disease, par¬ ticularly when given seasonably and cautiously until its effects are lelt in the head or stomach, or both. Chronic coughs—by which 1 mean coughs which are seated and of long standing—where no actual and positive injury has been done to the lungs, have often been strikingly and decidedly relieved by the Fox-glove. In Dropsy it is also considered an excellent remedy, particularly in that kind called anasarcous: which means where the dropsical water is diffused Lelvieen the skin and tlesh or rather in the cellular system, and not in the great cavities of the breast and belly, and so on : When you intend to give the Fox-glove, you ought always to evacuate lie stomach and bowels in the first instance, by toler¬ ably strong purgative s. The first dose ot the dried and pounded leaves'©! the Fox-glove ought to be but one grain: if you give of the tincture, you may give from ten to fifteen drops; and if you give of the infusion, you assy give the half of a fluid ounce. You may increase these doses gradually, by adding one sixth part at a time, given three times a day, until nausea, or sickness of the stomach, and vertigo, or dizziness of the head ensue: It is not safe to proceed further with the Fox-glove after the. head'and stomach have become affected as I have described. Ana here it may I<» proper to remark, and I wish it distinctly to be borne in mind by the reader, iltet when the medicine ic teken incautiously, and in improper quantities, it becomes a poison^ imdifl followed frequently hy alarming and danger©;!* oonseqriejic^e. 3S4 IPECACUANHA. Tin* root is a native of Spanish America; and in the Spanish language if means vomiting or puktng root. The word ipecacuanha isjapplied 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 —Ipecacuanha—by which 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 1686, when it was introduced into thq practice of medicine by Helvetius, under the patronage of Louis XIV. The Ip¬ ecacuanha is one of the mildest and safest emetics, of pukes with which v\e are acquainted, and has this great advantage: that if it should fail to puke, it passes off by purging or sweating; and further, if by accident an cver-uose is taken, it is attended with no danger, as the whole of it is vomited with the contents of 'be stomach as so>in as it operates.—The vomiting, or puking is promoted by drink¬ ing freely of warm water. 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, appa¬ rently like rings—ash colored. Its taste is sicSening, and slightly bitter, with little smell, and covering the tongue with a kind of ■mucilage. On breaking the root, the ou er 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 being neaTly destitute of any medicinal virt ies. This root is generally sold in the shops in a powder^ that be ing the form in which it is used as a vomit, or puke: The powder is the color of common ashes. I have now described to you the imported Ipecacuanha, or the medicine which is now used throughought the world under that name; ffnd I may justly remark that it stands at the head of the vegetable emetics, for the promptness, efficacy, and safety of its operations. In powder, which is the manner in which it is generally given, full vomiting, of 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-spoonf ul occasionally, tintil 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 thi3 powder, when properly applied, are very great and valuable. In addition to its acting as a vomit, or puke when git en in small dos¬ es, so as to produce nausea—which means sicknesB of the stomach—it generally produces moisture of the skin—or sweat—or evacuation of the bowels: and m 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—which 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 bleedings from the lungs and womb.—These bleedings are called hemorrhages.—In intermittent fevers, it has generally succeeded in stopping them, especially when given about an hour be¬ fore the coming on of the fever; and also, when given so as to produce vomiting St the time of the fever, or end of the cold stage. Great benefits are often de¬ rived from this medicine in continued fevers—and particularly in the commence¬ ment of typhus fever—an emetic, or puke of Ipecacuanha, followed with a sufS- ciericy of this medicine in very "mall doses, to keep up a gentle m.oisture, 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 fo children. As an emetic, or puke, the dose for a grown person ?one fluid ounce—which ia about half a large wine, or stem-glassful. [For a description of this Wine of Ipecacuanha look under that head. COMMON TANSY. Tanst is perennial, or perpetual, and grow s wild by the sides of roads, and the borders of fields, hut is most frequently cultivated in gardens, both for culin ftry and medicinal purposes: It flowers in July, and frequently in June.— The leaves are generally used as a medicine, and when steei ed in whiskey, or any kind of spirits, makes a moderately warm, ai.d highly valuable b'tter for wak 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—particularly tlidsri j foceedi'ng from a deficiency, or suppression of the menses or courses. An infusion, or tea made of Tansy, and drank frCely1, has been strongly recommended as a prevent ive of the return of gouU — SAGE. This 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 fol¬ lowing maxim:—44 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 re - quire a desrejption. 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 plea* antly sour, is a good remedy in fevers. , —— RUE and BALM. Rue is also, a garden herb; the leaves of which made into tea, will produce perspiration, or sweating, quicken the circulation, and remove obstructions nl the blood. It is valuable to weak and hysterical constitutions. Balm is also, a garden herb, arid affords a pleasant tea to be drank in fevers. When drank freely, it will produce perspiration, or swtat, and of course is good in slight fevers. 40 S®8 AMERICAN COLTTMBO. This stately and elegant plant is a native of the United Stales, and is found itt Abundance inlioth Kuntu kyaul Tennessee. It has villous names: such as Columbia, Indian Lettuce, Columbo-r >o*, Marietta Colurabo, and wild Cblum¬ bo. The stalk grows from eight to t«n fret in height; it is str >ng, juicy, and fleshy, nearly square, and furrowed at the riles, and sends off its leaves, which are of a deep green color, at intervals of six or eight inches,, to something more than half it* 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 color: The leaves are occasionally opposite to each other, and usually grow from four to eight together: they are something sharp, and sometimes oblong: or in other words, oval, or egg shaped, and sharp at the points. The flowers grow in clusters, and are of a greenish yellow, or cream color. The Coluinbo root—which is the only part to he used—is a miV1, pleasant, and highly valuable bitter—acting as a powerf il tonic, or strengthening -medi¬ cine. It is valuable in dyspepsia, or indigestion; and in diarrhaea, or looseness of the boweh, arising from a redundancy of bile.. It wid generally check vom¬ iting, or puking, and will always be found beneficial in colic, or cramps of the stomach, want of appetite, and cholera morbus—which means puking and purg¬ ing: it may betaken in substance—by which I mean powdered—a tea-spoonful every three or four hours: or as a 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 whis¬ key, which must stand for a few days, that the spirits may extract the virtues from the root. This valuable bitter m 'y be used three or four times a day, in doses of a table-3poonful or more: and by ad ling a few drops of ppppermintto this preparation, it is a good remedjf to maderatn the puking which sometimes occurs with pregnant women. All persons w'>o are's tbjpct to luwness, or depress¬ ion of spirits, instead of resorting to mora dangerous stimulants, should use iLs Col umbo bitter freely. BLOOD, OB PUCCOON-ROOT. Sometimes called Indianpaint, and Red root, but learnedly denominated San- coin aria CaNASENIS. This plant is a native of North America, from the Canadian Provinces to the Gulph of Mexico, and perhaps 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 well known to the Indian nations, hut its root is pc»enn!al\ in cth< r v crds, it is not destroyed by the frosts and snows of winter. 11 generally grows about a foot high in rich wood lands, 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 out off by a dull instrument, or as if it had been broken off in re« 337 moving it from the ground. The out-side color of the root is brownish, but on being cut, the juice flows of a blood-red color. The Puccoon flowers early in April, bearing but single flowers on each stem. The blossoms are white, the stems perfectly naked; the upper side of the leaf ot a pale, sickly green, and the veins which pass through it, of an orange color.— The flower-bud is of a faint, or delicate rose color s the seeds, which are round and pointed, are very numerous. The leaves and seeds of thePaccoov-pi/ant—which is the name I have adopt¬ ed—like the seeds oi# the Stramonium, or James-town weed, are poisonous, and must never be used. The root seems to contain all its medicinal qualities; and is closely allied in its effects on the human system, to the Seneka Snake-root ;■ and in some of its offects, to the Digitalis Pupuria, or Fox-glove. A decoction, or tea, as it is usually called, made of the Puccoon-root, is highly recommended id 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 few- times, in some cases of ill-conditioned ulcers, with callous edges, and an itcher- ous, 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 wholly in croup. It is also, an excellent remedy in dropsy of the chest—called by Physicians hydrotho- rax—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 pow¬ der 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 Senelca, ot Rattlesnake root in cases of ulcerous sore throat, croup and hives, and diseases of this nature. It is a valuable medicine to produce a deter¬ mination to the surface—by which I mean sweating—and al«o, in colds, pleuri¬ sies, rheumatism, and other inflammatory disorders. When used for these last diseases, it should be giveh as a tincture—which is the root steeped for several days in spirits of any kind—and given in doses of ten drcps every two or three hours, until a moisture, or sweat is produced on the skin. This tincture is also valuable inyawirfic^in torpor of the liver, attended with colic and. yellowness of the skin—a disease common to southern climates. The Puccoon root, made in¬ to a tincture, and gradually and cautiously used, will be found a valuable med¬ icine in stoppages of the menses, or courses in women. I have used it with great sue -ess in my practice, when every oiher medicine usually resorted to had fail¬ ed. My usual method of preparing it is, to steep about a handful of the root sli¬ ced, in half U pint of old whiskey, letting it stand five or eight days, when the tincture is fit for use—beginning 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 boiling water—a table-spoonful every two or three hours, as the situation of the patient may require. ' This root, powdered very fine, and snuffed up the Utfe, is said to be a certain cure for Polypus: a fleshy teat, or grisly substance, which grows in the nostril^ gradually increasing in size until breathing becomes difficult, and which some-i i'_ie3—unless removed—ends in suffocation. I have lately made experiments 3$d With this root in a disorder called tetter worm and in several instances succeed^ ed in curing it when other valuable remedies had failed. Steep the sliced root 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 whiph are probably yet unknown. The best time to collect it for medical purposes, is when the Beeds are ripe—which is about the beginning of May. SENNA. I shall first describe to you the foreign, or imported Senna, generally used the practice of medicine; after which 1 shall describe the American plant Sen? na, 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. 1 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 work, that, all that is required of us are industry and attention, and we will discover in a few years, thousands of medicinal plants in the western country, superior m 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 Persia. It is commonly called Alexandria Senna, because it was once imported exclusively from the city of Alexandria in Fgypt. This medicine was 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 narrow 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 i? pot cultivated, but grows naturally 011 the sides of the hills and ravines. Each person has the right of gathering what grows in his district. Two crops are an¬ nually made; the productive r.css of which defends on the duration of the rains, which fall periodically every j car. T he first, and most fruitful crop, is that ga¬ thered at the termination of the rains—the second crop is small. No expense at¬ tends the | reparation of the plants, which merely consists jn cutting and sj read¬ ing them on the ropks to dry. This | rpcess, in that warm climate, only occuf ie» 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 ore sold for elevt n 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 officor ap¬ pointed by the government to examine hud purchase them The sum fixed by him is from thirty to tlurfy three francs'—which is about eight dollars and wen ty-scvcn cents. They are then sold by him to the European factors, or merck- fWtnts for one hundred and six francs each bale, which is equal to tu ev ly dollars »and fourteen cents, and by them exported to the different quarters of the world American citizen! why will you pay suph accumulated and enormous expenses to foreign governments apd merchants, for an article which is furnished plenti .fully by the soil of your own country ? The demand for this article from Europe every crop is, generally from about jfour^een to fifteen hundred quintals, of one hundred pounds each. The great demand 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 some¬ times occasions it to fail in producing the immediate effect intended. Although .this fraud) when practiced, does no serious injurv , it frequently disappoints us in the active Operation of the medicine: The inferior Sennaj although producing ^eventually the same effect^ is much slowfjr and,weaker in its operation. AM kill CAN 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 partic ularly in the western country. In fact, it is found plentifully about Knoxville, and on the shores of the Hoslton river. 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 upon your mind. Notwithstanding this, those who prefer the foreign Senna to our own, may easily gratily their pre¬ ference, 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 hayeshown the manner pf adulteration: why, then, should we not cultivate the foreign plant sufficiently for our own consumption, if we must and will have it*} The wild Senna of America, is a most beautiful plant. I will de¬ scribe it in as plain terms as possible—knowmg at the same tin.e, that it is very difficult, 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 items are, generally either entirely smooth, or furnished with a few straggling hairs. The larger sized leaves, I believe, are mostjy confined to the larger branches, and are disposed in pairs opposite to each other, on the sides of those branches which run out nearly in a horizontal direction from the stem. 1 he flowers are of a bright orange color, and are usually found on small sprays or sprigs, which shoot out in the angles formed by the stems and larger branthes.— Near the the top, the flowers are a+tached to the main stems. The stems rise from tw<» 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. Dr. Barton, an eminent Physician, and Professor of Botany in the University at Philadelphia, informs us that, he had had some experience with the American Senna during a term of practice in the Marine Hospital of that city. " I have- says 1 he Doctor—for some months past, substituted the American for tbei Alex- 800 andrian Senna, and very frequently employed itj I have, also, in a single in¬ stance, used it in my own family. I have had reason to confirm the high char¬ acter 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 powers, the following remarks are ap¬ plicable to both, or to either of them. The Senna is a valuable purge, and when good, is active in its operation, and at the same time quitemnocent. Senna is seldom given "by itself, but is alwajs mixed with Manna—a description of which will immediately follow this plant. When you inquire for Senna as a medicine at a Doctor's shopv always ask for a dose ef Senna and Manna, beeause these two medicines are always given togeth¬ er. Sometimes a little Salts is mixed with the Senna and Manna, especially1 if you wish to make the operation sure and active Tq fever-, first giving a good dose of calomel, follow it op with the Senna, Manna, an l Salts: Senna has but one fault; it is ant to gripe during the operation: this can always be prevented, however, by adding a little ginger. But, I believe, froman extensive expe¬ rience, that after calon.ellor.rj.ovE 3111, it Ike (olltwirg niituie te nadt up and given, it is superior an 1 more innocent than any medicine now known a9 a purge:—Take of Se.ina and Manna, each h"]f an ounce; of Ginger, one drachm; of Salts one ounre—pour on these medicines a pint of boiling water; c >ver over the vessel in which you make this tea, so as to prevent the steam from escaping. I his tea is to stand until it becomes cool. Von are to give of it to grown personq one gill every hour or two, until it operates freely. Accord¬ ing 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 thfe desired 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. 1 repeat, in order that you may remeniber it, that whenever the bowels are obstructed, or whenever you require an active and Searching purge, Senna, Manna, and Suits, in the proportions I have just mentioned, adding thereto a little Ginger, are su¬ perior to any means of operating on the bowels now in use. —— MANNA, The word Manna, means a gift; it comes from the Syrian word mano, being the food supplied by the Almighty to the children of Israel in the wilderness*, or it comes fiom the word mahna, what is it? an exclamation used by the Israel¬ ites on its appearance—so say the best authorities. The Manna, or medicine so called, and that which is mostly used by Physi¬ cians, comes from Naples on the Mediterranean Sea. The best Manna is in long flakes, moderately dry, brittle and crumbling, of a pale yellowish color, and considerably transparent; in other words you pan partially see through it. If it is moist, very sticky, and dark colored, it ss considered of an inferior quality, although not less purgative. The Manna is principly collected in Calabria 831 Apulia, an! Sicily, m the wannest season of the year, from tte middle of June tQ the end of July. Various trees afford it: particularly a Jdnd of ash, called Manna ash. It flows from the trunk of the tree when tapped, similar to the juice orsap of our sugar tree when used in the same manner. The liquor1 first flows from the 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 we ficd it. Man¬ na has something the taste of sugar, and is sichiih and scauhirg on the tongue. Its great resemblance to sugar, hoth in "appearance and taste, induces children readily to eat it-—in its effects, it acts on them as a mild purge. Man¬ na 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 direoted, it musi 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.] During our Revolutionary War, when medicines "became scarce, the Physi¬ cians of the Atmy emplo} ed the inner bark of the White Walnut as a purge. In the do«e of from ten to twenty grains, it operated well by evacuating the bowels thoroughly, and was much resorted to bv them as a purgative in all bilious iases of fever, By the addition ofeight or ten grains of Calomel, the efficacy of the White Walnut may be greatly and beneficially increased. As 1 have stated to you, the medicinal virtues of tflis hark are confined to the inner lark; and the proper time fof 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. 1 have used the White Walnut in my practice, and always found it amongthe be6t purgative medicines possessed in the western country, and have very often been surprised that the article is not kept in the famil-y of every farmer in the country. The manner of extracting the virtues of this bark is very simple:—-It is merely to be boiled ih 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 exiract. One or two of these pills, taken fit bed time, is a valuable remedy in the removal of costive habits of body, which occasions head .aches, colics, &c. &c. By increasing the dose, these pills are good in dysenteries and bilious fevers, and will be doubly benefi¬ cial, if combined, or mixed with a little Calomel. Rhubarb, properly so called, is the root of a plant designated by the leanjed Rheum Palmatum. It is a native-of variouscoun'ries of Europe and Asia, and Au^ht be cultivated with per foot ease perhaps, in every port of the United States. WHITE WALNUT RHUBARB. s$a Attempts have been successfully made to introduce the culture of this valua¬ ble drug into England; and it appears from authentic accounts, not only that S tnmense quantities of it may be produced there, but that the English root is ful¬ ly equal to the best Rhubarb obtained from Turkey or China. The greatest dif ficulty seems to be in drying it properly. Its cultivation is by bo means difficult: it is merely to sow the seed in a light soil in the spring; to transplant the small¬ er 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 the flowers; but the roots are not to be raised for use until the fall of the sixth ye ir. This is the whole process ot rearing the Rhubarb: a process which I am conv.aced every .America" farmer is fully equal to. The cultivation of this valuable medicine in the United States, ought to be considefed'an object of high individual and national importance. That our climate throughout the different states, particularly the western states, is fully equal to its production, there can be no doubt, as ha£ been fully ascertained by actual experiment: . That it will grow in Tennessee Twell know: because it is now flourishing in abundance in the garden of iVljv Woods, fifteen ni'les from Knoxville. The root -was originally purchased by Mrs. Woods," from some Drugstore in Knoxville, and planted for the purpose of an experiment, which has perfectly succeeded.— I mention this fact, in order to prove conclusively, with how miich ease we might become independent of foreign countries for thousands of medical drugs which are annually draining our country of immense sums of money. Such ex periments as that made by Mrs. Woods, ought to be made by every person who has opportunity and leisure: They are duties theAmerican people owe both to themselves and their country. There are three varieties of Rhubarb found in the drug-shops; the Russian, the Turkish and the East Indian RhubaTb: the two first,the Russian and Tur¬ kish, resemble each other in qualities and appearance, whilst the East Indian is of a somewhat different character. The best Russian and Turkey Rhubarl^ is in roundish pieces^ with a large holedn the middle of them. The East Indian or Chinese Rhubarb, comes to this country in long flattish pieces, seldom if ever, having holes in them. The Turkish Rhubarb is the best, and is generally used in this country. The marks of Rhubarb being of a good quality are: the liveliness o' its color when cut; its being firm and solid, hut not flinty or hard; its being ea«ily pul- verable, which means reduci jle to powder; and its appearing, when powdered, of a fine high yellow color; and when chewed, by its imparting to the spittle and tongue, a deep saffron color. Rhubarb is one of the mildest, best, and pleasantest purgatives, now in use in this or any other country; because with its purgative powers, it is also astringent and strengthening, and in this it certainly differs from almost every othei pur gative of the same class known in medicine. It is superior to nearly all other purges for another reason; it may be taken with opium, and act oft the bowels as well a's 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* ihe ^peraticmo'f Rhubarb is slower and milder than many other purges, but it is very certain, in its effects, when given in proper doses. It may always be given with innocence and safe¬ ty, in all cases of extreme weakness, where a purge to open the bowels becomes necessary, and where violent and Severe purging would be highly improper".— You will find this medicine very valuable and safe, as it always acts with much gent'enes3 in relieving the bowels. It 13 a common and proper ipurge for chil¬ dren, even at a very early period of life, and" in e^ery situation where their bow- .el3 become disordered, parh'c"lar]y m dysentery or lax, because it leaves the bowels in a favorable state, after removing the offensive matter from them. It is also an excellent purge for grown persons laboring under this complaint. In small doses, say from two to six grains, it is excellent for the stomach when labor ing under indigestion, generally called dyspepsia; and must be given in such small doses, so as not to purge, but to act as a tonic, or strengthening medksipp. There are various ways of giving Rhubarb: such as in Uncture: which means steeping it in any kind of spirits: but the best, and most certain method of giv- this medicine, and obtaining the virtues of it fully, is to give it in fine powder. A dose for a grown person is, from ahoat a scruple, or twenty grains, to half a drichm, mixed with honey, molasses, or any kind ofsyr"pf The root chewed as tobacco, swallowing the saliva, or tpittje, is an innocent and efficient way of tak ing 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 which afflict men and women, who are subject to derangements of their systems from costiveness. In such cases, if they will chew the root of the Rhu barb, it will act as,a moderate purge, and gently open their bowels, at the same time, it will act as a tonic, or alreng thening medicine to the stomach, by which they will always obtain relief! This plant is a native of the United States, and as ita nan® imports, was a great favorite among the Indian nations. It is almost every where found in th® western country, inhabiting shady wood®, and the rich sides of hills and mount ains, from the Ualces of Canada to the Floridas. The number of stems proceed¬ ing from the root of this plant, varies considerably: sometimes there is but a single one, and occasionally there are ahany. The stems are branched above, say about two or throe feet from the ground; they are round, and commonly of a reddish color, The leaves are of a deep green, longnnd pointed, arid the flow er nearly while. 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 wiuler. It is com¬ posed of several long, brown, slender shoots, which run out from the bottom of the stem to some distance under the ground. This rout possesses many of the virtues of the Ipecacuanha, and is much used by the country people fu an emet ] ic, or puke. Given in the dose of thirty or thirty-five grains in the powder, for a 394 grown persott, 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 sudorific: in other words, it will produce sweating. If you give it in infus¬ ion, or weak tea, a handful to a pint of boiling water, pf 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 the bark, which in addi¬ tion to its emetic Qualities, probably possesses considerable tonic powers. —— AMERICAN IPECACUANHA. This singular and very useful plant, is exclusively a native of the United Sates,, 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 of this plant vary so • muc^ in shape and color—and in fact the whole plant itself varies so much in its differ¬ ent states, that it is often mistaken by those unacquainted With its habits, for several distinct species of plants. The stems are numerous; they are nearly white below the surface of the earth or sand, and of a reddish color, or a pale green or yellowish hue above it. The leaves are opposite to each ot^er, and generally of an oval form; 1 say generally, because they are sometimes of a long oval, sometimes pointed, and not unfrequently linear. In the month of May, while the plant is in flower, the leaves are very 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, pr case. I mention these things particularly 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 color % send- sending off towards its upper part 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 medi cinal properties to any other species known. The root of" this plant alone is to be used; if the stems and leaves possess any medicinal virtues, they are yet to be discovered 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 Ipecacuan¬ ha, which I transcribe for the contemplation of the reader: " A portion of the dried root was finely pulverised—powdered—and administered with caution to several patients. I at first commenced with small doses, of three, four and five 395 grains. In these quantities, the powdct produced nailsea—sicknes# of tft^ jach—determination to the skin—sweating—as small doses of Ipecacuanha dOy increasing the number of grains to ten, Vomiting was produced, with occasional^ ly an operation on the bowels. Fifteen grains I found sufficient to produce full vomiting in most cases; and in a single instance, having given the powder to an extent of twenty-five grains, I had reason to be alarmed at the violent cathartic —purgativeT—1effect which ensued, and continued for fourteen hours, attended with distressing sickness at thfi stomach. I have tried the American, root in va xious combinations, and can confidently assert that, in all the instances it has provpd equal, if not superior to the imported Ipecacuanha. It has some advan¬ tages which the foreign articld does not possess: Its occasional purgative effect, is no more than what follows the foreign medicine. This View of the subject de¬ rives peculiar importance, from the Well known' fact that, the imported Ipecac ■ uanha, is rarely, if ever good, and perhaps seldom genuine." In this plant, or rather root, for that alone is to be Used, we see another in¬ stance of the bounty of Providence, in furnishing us with an article possessed of great medicinal virtue, the production of our own soil. And here again I re ■ peat that, we have only to develops the resources of dtar own country, to become eonipletely independent of foreign lands, for all our useful medical drugs: Even Opium, as I shall show you in the proper place1, can be made here in sufficient quantities for our own consumption. We are, in fact, paying enormous sums annually, for what nature and our own exertions would furnish us. Foreign Ipecacuanha,, adulterated, and inferior to our own, js costing us three dollars ths pound, while we can have our own for nothing. BUTTERFLY WEED, on PLURISY ROOT. The'Butterfly weed, or Plursisy root, Called by the learned Asclepias Tvberosa, is a native of evdry State in the American Union, and abounds particularly in the southern and western States. It flourishes best, and grows tq 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 fre¬ quently rise from the same root, and stand in almost every direction. These stalks are round and Woolly, and of a reddish brown color on the sun-side. The leaves are placed very irregularly, and are spear, or tongue shaped, and covered With a fine down on the J.ower 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 op 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 flowers, resemble those of the common silk weed, for which this plant is sometimes mistaken. There is, however, thiA difference between them, and it ought to be particularly noticed: the flowers ofc 80S the Bilk weed are of &pale purple huef while tho«e of the Butterfly weed are of a beautiful bright orange color, and are succeeded by long slender pods, which con¬ tain the seeds, These 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 lipht brown Co¬ lor on the out side, and white and coarse within. It has mug been celebrated in the southern atlantic States, and particularly in Virginia ami the Carolines, not only as a powerful remedy in plurisy, but in pneumonic diseases generally: by which I mean diseases of the lungs. This root possesses-one remarkable ppwer: given in proper quantities, it affects the skin, and produces copious perspiration, or sweating, without heating the body. Given in the simple form of a decoction or tea, itoften produces sweating when all other remedies hdve failed in their ef¬ fects. The powdered rootsometimes acts as a mild purgative on thefcowels; but it is more particularly And inestimably valuable, in producing expectoration; otr the throwing off of muens from the throat and lungs; in causing perspiration, or sweating, when other remedies fail; and finally in reducing obstinate feverish af¬ fections.* Its efficiency and pqwer in fever?,, have been attestei| by many of the best Physicians m the United States. In feverish affection?, proceeding from in¬ flammation of the lung?, in colds recently t-iken, and in diseases of the chest* generally, this root is an excellent remedy. It is tube given in a strong infusion or tea: say a small tea-cupful every two or three hours. Many families have long resorted to this root as a domestic medi'ine, to relieve pains in the^tomach, indigestion, eo&'r, and so on, and for these reasons call it vind rot I. Doctors Chapman ancf Bigelow, whoso testimonial's alone in its favor would be suffi¬ cient to establish its reputation, for the virtues I have ascribed to it, speak in ve¬ ry high terms of the medicinal powers of this root. M As a diaphoretic,"—or medicine which sweat®, says Dr. Chapman—"I think this root is distinguished hy great certainty and j ermanency of operation; and has this inestimable property, that it produces its effects—sweating—with¬ out much increasing the force of the circulation, raising the heat of the surface, or creating inquietu le or r^stlessm ss. On these accounts, it is w ell suited to ex¬ cite per spiral ion in the forming stages of mbst of the inflanmatory drea-es of win'er—and is not less useful in the same cases, at more advanced periods, after the reduction of the feverish action by bleeding. The common notion of its hav¬ ing a peculiar efficacy in plurisy, I am inclined to believe is not without founda¬ tion ; for certain it is, that it very milch relieves the oppression of the chest in re¬ cent catarrh—cold in the head and throat—and promotes perspiration in pro¬ tracted inflammations of the lungs." This plant was originally found native in Mexico, near the celebrated city of Xalapa, from whe'nee it derived its present name, Jalapa. It has since been dis¬ covered growing plentifully near Vera Cruz, and in our own countries of Florida. JALAP. m. ,, ., w C. Barton, I take upon myself to asiert that. Aal.on the authority ofDr.1V. . ,fGe„r ia. The«,M„f,h!,pla»»al„n^ it is abo certainly a native of the State ^ , , , ... , J , , . "" stood quahtv, comes to us »n sh- lsused for medicinal purposes; and when ofa^ .|or, having little smell, and ces, which are solid and heavy, £ni' of a dark gray Co. ^ ^ ^ w*tjj a scarcely any tiste. When swallowed, however, it allects tne warm and pungent sensation. This root is a powerful laxative medicine,-or purge} u* activity resides princi¬ pally, if not wholly t in the resinous part, which, rven when taken small dug- §s 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 fe¬ vers, Combined with calomel, in the proportions often grains of each, whs the pUtge generally given in yellow fever by the great l>r. Rush, of Philadelphia, and vyhich caused hrs students to give him the ludicrous nick-name of" tsld Ten i'l Ten." Used as what Physician^ call a Ifydr.igoque, by which they mean any medicine which-will expel w iter from the ciivjties of the body, the. Jalap rdot is entitled to all the,praise that has ever been bestowed on it by the medical j ro- fession jjyet I am induced to believe, from actual experience, and the practice tofother Physicians, th.it it produces a better effect in,al1 ytcopsica' cases, whin combined with cfemor iart'ir. Ten gra,ii}s of Jalap with one drachm qf cremor tart it, constitute, probably, one oflhe~ best medical prescriptions enr known, where long continued purging is. required in the^eure nf a complaint. 1 he dose of Jalap, when uncombined with any other medicine, is from twenty to thirty, and even np to forty grains. Our common May Apple root, has sometimes been ca'led the Jalap of the Lnited States. But I »m of the opinion noticed above;' that the genuine Jalap of Mexico is a native of the state of Georgia,, and pro¬ bably of all the southern Spates. Perhaps* this would be an inquiry worthy- the attention of the lately established Midical Board of Tinnisske, • especially if they intend to remunerate the country for the privileges granted to them by the Legislature. PRICKLY ASH, TOOTH ACHE THEE. The Prickly Ash is a riative 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 tfie United States, which 1 believe possesses the same medicinal powers: one is called the ash-leaved Zanthroxylum, which grows in the northern States, and particularly in the States of Pennsylvania and Mary¬ land, and the other is known by the name of the Prickly Yellow Wood, grow¬ ing abundantly to the south and south-west of of the States I have mentioned. The fresh juice obtained from the root of the Prickly Ash, is an excellent reme¬ dy in that painful complaint called dry belly-ache. This discovery, like most others of importance, was the result of accident: it was made by watching a fe¬ male slave in one of the West India Islands, who collected the root in the woods, and gave two spoonsful of its juice every two hours, to a negro suffering severely 3'0& tinder this colic. The medicine caused a ^rpfotind and composed for twelve hours, when all Sense Of pain, and other distressing symptoms had van¬ ished. The pure was rendered final by giving an infusion pf the'yuiop as a diet iirink. The most important disedvery, however, relating to the Prickly Ash, or Yel¬ low Wood, is the following: The juice of the root preserved in spirits of any kind, givert ih doses of about a wine-glassful, has repeatedly removed the most ob" i finale epileptic fits. I do Rot know precisely the manner in which this prepara¬ tion ought to be managed, but would give it in the dose of a wine-glassful morn* ing and ■evening, The leaves and rind of the Prickly Ash, or Yellow_Wdod, in their thstft and smell, resemble those of the lemon, and possess a similar volatile oik The bark has a separate acrid, or hot and biting principle, which it V2J communicate either to water or spirits of any kind; this acrid or biting princi¬ ple, however, is not perceived when the bark or liquid is first taken into the |Znouth J 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 quantity of the bark, produces a great flow of saliva, or spittle, and is very often used in this way to cure the tooth-ache. The bark of the Prickly Ash b^, alsb acquired a considerable name as a feme- edy in chronh^ whfch I mean rheumatism of long standing. Ta- Ken in ftitt doses, it produces a sense of heat in the' stomach, and a strong ten¬ dency to perspiration, or sweating, 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 water, and take this tea, or decoction 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 the dressings of such old sores. The value of this remedy for old ulcers, is attested by numer¬ ous instances of its success, to be found in the Uondon Medical and Physical Journal. INDIAN TURNIP. The Indian Turnip is native of every part of the United States-; ft grows" in low rich meadows and woodlands, to the height of from two to three feet, and is too well known to require a very particular description. The leaves' are but three in number, of a roundish or oval form; the stalk is of a purple color, 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 swallowed, a sharp acrimony is sensibly felt about the fauces, or cavity at the root of the tongue. Of all our American roots, the Indian Turnip has the highest reputation in country practice, as a remedy in pulmonVy or consumptive complaints: it is al¬ so given with considerable success in asthma, and in coughs of long standing.— 399 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 hooping cough. The green or recent root, boiled in hog's lard to the consistence of an ointment, has been 1 found very useful in tenea capetis, or scald head, in which I would always re- commend 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 sweet milh—one root in half a pint of milk, and well boiled before it is taken i Some acrimony or sharpness should be perceptible to the throat and tongue, or the rOot has probably lost its powers. The ointment I have mention¬ ed 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 requirb* no description The bark of this tree, or the bark of the root, which is still better, combined with the bark of the dog-wood, when employed in the cure of ague and fever, bilious fever, and oth¬ er diseases where tonic or strengthening medicines are proper, is by no means in¬ ferior to the best Peruvian bark. Combined with Virginia spake 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. Y ou may either give it in powder, in the same dose that you would Peruviail bark, [See table of doses] or you may give it as a tea, or decoction. It has also, been found very useful in dyspepsia, or indigestion, and in consumption of the lungs. Infused plentifully in strong sound cider, it will in most cases- remove- jaundice, pspeciajly if preceded by a dose or two of calomel: and a strong de¬ coction 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 thatl true, that the distilled water of the leaves is a powerful pois¬ on to most animals. This effect seems to be dependent on the presence of the same poisonous principle which exists in ■peach kern,els, And other substaifces of as 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: this §tcm is smooth and, four- sided, and where the branches shoot off, it has generally two leaves, which grow opposite to each other: indeed, the leaves of every part of the plant grow oppo¬ site to epch other, and are oval and sharp at the points. The flowers are very numerous, growing at the points of the brandies, from two to five in number, and 400 Are general! r of a beautifil p*le rose color. This plant is in full flower in the knonth of J'jlj- Evf ty part of this little plant is A pure strong bitter, and paTt« with its medi- fcirial qualities to both water ah'd spirits—it has 110 astringent powers. On stora-, hohS that are weak, it exerts A strengthening influence, and »s considerably used, an the sontheth States ih intermittent fevers. In fact, by the best practitioners in the tlnion, it is generally administered in fevers j Dr. Barton says, uit was often employed wi»h much benefit in thecity of Philadelphia, in 1793, in certain stages of the yellow fever. On the whole, Centaury may be confidently recom¬ mended for its pure bitter, tonic and strengthening virtues. It ought to he tak» ten as a decoctiofy 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.—"Jhis root is called by the country people Gentry. 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 v, ill also,act, in simple cases, as a valuable remedy for promoting, or bringing on the menses, or courses ol women, when they are obstructed. Iu this mstance, it may be placed on a footing with Rosemary, Pennyroyal, and many -othtr simple herb3. All this, however is well known to every old lady in the country. PEPPERMINT. Peppermint is originally a native of Europe, hut it is how cultivated in almost every garden of the United States. The roots of the Peppermint should ba transplanted every three years, otherwise the plant is apt to degenerate into the flavor of the Spearmint. This plant is certainly so common, that a descrip¬ tion would be entirely unnecessary. From this plant the oil is distilled, which, when mixed with alcohol or proof spirits, makes the Essence of Peppermint sold in the shops. * Peppermint is a wanm stimulant to the stomach, and through that medium to the rest of the body, holding a first rank iu the list of medicines called rarrnina- tion*: which mean those medicines which dispel, or scatter the wind from the stomach and bowels. It is also beneficial in allaying spasmodic affections of the stomach and bowels; removing sickness of the stomach; dispelling flatulence, or wind, and in removing all colicy pains. It is very often beneficial when crimp tqkes place during the operation of an emetic, or puke. The green leaves stew¬ ed in spirits, or hot water, and applied to the pit of the stomach as warm aa they can be borne, will often stop puking wheirsome of the best remedies faiL 401 GINGEK Ginokr is a perennial plant, originally found in the East Inflies, but at pres-1 ent cultivated in all the West India Islands. I think it highly probable, that-' the Ginger would grow 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 we cultivate potatoes in this coun¬ try, and is fit for digging once in every year. There are two sorts of Ginger, the black and the white. The black Ginger consists of thick and knotty rootS, of h yellowish gray color on the outside, and an orange or brown color in the in¬ side. The white ginger is not so thick and knotty as the black, and is internally of a whitish grey or bright yellow color. The white is firm and tesinous, 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, aromatic taste, and is very useful in cold flatulent or windy colics, and in all cases of looseness and weak¬ ness of the bowels,or intestines; it does not heat the system so much as the dif¬ ferent kinds of pepper, but is much more durable in its effects. Some time since, the powder 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 can¬ not say as to its correctness, but the experiment would be an innocent one, and' is very easily tried. I think it unnecessary to say any thing more on the sub¬ ject of this root; every old lady in the ■ country, is acquainted with its general character, and medicinal virtues. OPIUM. Without this valuables and essential medicine, it would be next to impossible for a Physician to practice his profession, with any considerable degree of suc¬ cess : it may not improperly be called, the monarch of medicinal powers, the soothing angel of moral and physical pain. "Charmed with this potent drug, the exalted mind, All sense of woe delivers to the wind: It clears the cloudy front 6f wrinkled care, And soothes the wounded: bosom of despair!" There are two kinds of this drug known in commerce, distinguished by the names of the Turkish and East Mian opium. The Turkish opium is the best; it is considerably solid and compact,- possesses some degree of tenacity or stick¬ iness, and when broken leaves a shining fracture. It is of a dark brown color; and when first taken into1 the mouth, produces a nauseaous bitter taste, which soon becomes acrid, with some degree of warmth. The best kind of Turkish opium is in flat pieces, and generally covered with leaves used in packing it, and Las nearly double the str^pgth of that brought trom the East Indies. 402 i The Bast Ipdian opium i3 not so solid as the Turkish, being sometimes not much thicker than tar, its color much darker, and its taste more nauseous and less bitter. By these distinctions, which are obviqus to even tolerable judges, you will easily know the Turkish opium from that of the East Indies. Opium is combined, or in other words mixed, with more medicines for [the cure of diseases, than any other drug known to, or used by medical jhen.— In every patent medicine, sold ip the shops, especially for the relief of pain in diseases, opium forms the principal portion. Bateman's JDrops and Godfrey's Cordial, both of which have sustained their characters for near a century, have opium for their bases or principal parts, and they are certainly valuable medi¬ cines. Were I to trace back the use of opium as a medicine among mankind, it would 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 human mind. Opium is made from the White Poppy, which 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 insuperable -obstacle to its being cultivated as a productive object of commerce. The United States, however, and particularly the more southern and western portions of the Union, on the score of climate and soil, present no difficulties in the cultivation of opium, in amply sufficient abundance for the consumption of all our citizens. This is another proof, among several others which I have adduced, evincive of the independence of our country in the production of important medical drugs, if we will only em¬ ploy industry and en'terprize; the fact is, that (enormous sums of money are yearly expended for opium, which go into the pockets of foreigners, that we conld very easily produce from our own soil. The leaves, stalks, and capsules of the Poppy, which capsules mean the cases containing the seeds, abound with sl milky juice, which must be gathered1 when the seeds arejiearly ripe. The manner of collecting this juice is as follows:—After the sun has gone dow®, or about the twilight of evening, make several incisions or cuts, length¬ ways, 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 ripft; and is best performed with a knife made for the purpose, having four or five blades. The milky juice which flows out from these cuts during the night, must be collected the following day, after a sufficient time has been allowed for the milky fluid to become inspissated 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 citir zens 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 opera¬ tion of cutting or scarifying the poppy pods, in the manner I have mentioned, .maybe repeeated every evening, or as long as the pods will furnish the milky 103 juice. When a considerable quantity of this juice is collected, you have noih ingto 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 lately been read, in the Harrisburgh Medicae Society," says the Medical Recorder, "on the cultivation of the Poppy, and the manufacture of opium. The author, who is Doctor Webster Lewis, of Lewisburgh, York county, Pennsylvania, has transmitted a specimen of bis manufacture of opium, equal to the best foreign opium of the shops. After many unsuccessful experi¬ ment", he has fallen on a mode of cultivatiori and preparation, both easy an or swelling must be opened with a lantet, the coagulated, or 'congealed blood let out, and the sore treated as a common wound. There is another effect which sometimes* follows Blood-letting i which is an acute pain, felt on the first introduction pf the lancet, and impoediately commu¬ nicated to the extremity of the hand or foot. Here you piust apply cloths wrung out of sugar of lead-water to the .whole limb, and renew them frequently You must also resort ta bleeding, cooling purges, und very Simple' food, for the purpose of preventing inflammation. If,these measures do not answer, you are to give laudanuni in considerable doses: and if laudanum 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 tremelous, or pulsatory motion with which the blood flows, and by the blood be¬ ing of a lighter and richer color than that which flows frpm the veins: and be¬ sides you will be unable to stop the blood by the usual pressure. ^The cure may be attempted, however, in the early stage, by compressions and bandages in the usual way, and by living on very low diet: but should these fail, a surgical op¬ eration must be performed,-by taking up the ends of1 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. CLYStERSORGLYSTERS. Language almost fails to express the great value of this innocent and power ■ ful remedy, in very fhany 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 lit¬ tle known, but too seldom used in the western country, both by Physicians and in families. This disregard for the great virtues of clystering, must cither arise from the supposition that, the operation is too troublesome, or from a false and foolish clclicacy, which forbids the use of an instrument, by which thousands ot lives have been preserved in extremely critical circumstance, and with whieh 413 every mistress ofa family should be perfectly acquainted, so as to be able to ad¬ minister a clyster when required in sickness. And I do here most positively as¬ sert, and that too from my own, experience, that hundreds to whom I have been called in cases bf colic,' must have died, had it not been for the immediate relief- given by glysters: 1 will mentiond>ne strong instance, to prove the correctness of my assertion,, to wliich many others might be added, if the limits Of my worls! Would permit. While practicing in the state of Virginia, I was called on at midnight to attend a stranger, whd had arrived bwt a few moments before xh the mail stage. The geutleman was one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, in the • state of New York. He stated to me that the colic had been coming on him, for a considerable time before the stage stoped. By tjfj'e time I arrived, his mis¬ ery was so extreme, that he repeatedly exclaimed—-"I ^must die, unless immedi¬ ate relief be given'me-'* A liter a"dministering( all {he usual remedies, which are enumerated under the head colic, pgge 144, without giving him much relief, I commenced administering glysters of water pleasantly Warm;, and on the first being thrown up the bowels, he received mdre relief than hail been produced by all the 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 stool follow¬ ed, and he was entirely restored'. Clysters principally act, by exciting the lower portion of the intestinal tube, and sometimes from the effects of sympathy. In the latter cases, the discharges are generally copious, or in other words of Iar^e quantity; and to produce these full discharges by stool, you are frequently to repeat the clyster of warm water, so tempered as to be pleasant to the feelings of the patient, and in such quanti¬ ties as the bowels will bearj 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 colic; 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 for as possible, and the edges of the fundament pressed together- as you draw out the pipe of the instrument, so that the clyster may be prevent • ed from returning until it has produced the intended effect. When I have had cases of the kind I have'mentioned, after throwing the warm wafer up the bow¬ els as far as- possible, I have always closed the fundament on drawing out the pipe, because without this necessary precaution, in very many instances, the water would return with as much rapidity as it was thrown up with: You -will, therefore sec 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 glystcrs ot| pleasantly warm water, as often and in siich quantities as the bowels will ad¬ mit. The best method qf administering glystcrs in f extreme cases, i.-f first to give purgative medicines in the ustial manner, and as directed under the different complaints mentioned in this work; and when it becomes nrccesarj to us' glystcrs, to give them so as to assist the medicines taken into the =tomaeh in their operation. For instance, when jou give a purge w thr us ml iee, tw know that it will r< quire rnme timMo operate: now, if you vinh to lmfrr lie 414 operation of this medicine, give a glyster or two of warm water, especially in spasm, croup, or costivenesp, and you will find yourself speedily relieved of the Spasm or colic; because the water will soften the hardened excrements in the towels, and assist in bringing off any'undigested food which may have remained in them. Whenever a purgative medicine has been given, 'and you in proper •time administer a glyster to assist its operation, the alimentary caDal is soon completely evacuated or cleared of its contents. J have somewhere before told you, that there are hardlumps of excrement in the lower bowels, which require to be removed by the finger of the Physician, or-by an instrument calculated for f the purpose; now, your own goad sense will always teach you, that these clys¬ ters will always soften the concretions or lumps of excrement alluded to, and give you relief by a stool. In fevers and inflammations, any nlan of common judgment must know, that glysters made of slippery elm bark, which I have frequently directed and ad¬ ministered, must and will tend to cool the whole system, allay the heat and irritation of the bowels, and gently assist the medicine which had been given to operate. They will also produce a determination to the skin, which means a gentle moisture or sweat. I have told you that tepid or warm water always opens the bowels; but the very reverse of this practice is sometimes resorted to, in desperate circumstances, and with great advantages, by some of the most dis¬ tinguished Physicians. In some cases of very obstinate constipation, the mean¬ ing of which has been sufficiently explained, relief ha? frequently been obtained, when all other remedies had failed, by a glyster of the coldest water, even of iced water. In such extreme Cases, however, when all other means have failed, and the constipated state of the bowels ,is likely to prove fetal, the last resort is, and you are only to adopt it in such bases, to dissolve from twenty to sixty grains of emetic tartar in water, and give it as a glyster: Ipecacuanha may be used in place of emetic tarter, and is sometimes prefered for safety. .In the nu¬ merous cases of constipation and colid, to which I hive been called, and some of them very dangerous ones, 1 have never been compelled to use more than twenty grains of emetic tarter in the glyster I have, mentioned; and even when this quantity is to be need, 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 colic, which has lately been discovered, and which is said to give immediate relief. Give by the mouth, fifteen grains of calomel and two grains of tarter- emetic, which you are to mix in honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup. In common cases of constipation, when the bowsls are not easily moved so as to produce a stool; or in colic, 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 hasten the operation of a purge, or if the stomach is too weak to bear one, all that is required is a simple laxative glyster, made of two table-spoonsful of castor oil, or sweet oil, mixed with the same quantity of mo¬ lasses, and put into about a pint of pleasantly warm water, to which you may add a table-spoonful of common salt, if yoq wish the clyster somewhat stimula¬ ting. This is a simple and innocent clyster, requiring nothing for its adminitr 415 tration but the instrumenj; for injecting it Into the towels, which will hereafter be described, with the method of making clysters, either simple or more active* as the complaint may require. Glysters are frequently used m dysentery or fltix, tb soothe and quiet the bow¬ els, relieve the pain, and restrain the too great frequency of the stools1. In these -cases, the plysters are to be mixed with some laudanum, and some mucilage, such as slipper/ elm tea. I have mentioned these things under their proper heads, and in such complaints as require their use; [See Colic, page 144—Cole- ra Morbus, page 146—and Dysentery, page 190,J together with many other cas¬ es in which glysters are recommended. There are many persons, both men and women, who are constitutionally sub¬ ject to costiveness: by which I mean being hound in their bowels as that they cannot have their regular stools, This costiveness arises from a variety of caus¬ es : such as diseased liver, indigestion, torpor of the bowels, and from improper food being taken into the stomach and" bowels, and always produce spasms or colic pains: for jremember this,^that whenever your stomach and bowels are disorder¬ ed, you will become costive, your bead will bfrcofifused and otherwise distressed, your spirits will become low ahd dejected^ and 1 he whole train of hypochondri¬ acal feelings and sensations, will haunt you. All these last symptoms can easily be relieved, by a simple glyster, made of equal quantities of milk ahd water, and thrown up the bowels: for by this your bowels will be relieved of their load, which always produces irritation, and your mind and feelings soon experience' an agreeable change. You, who are always taking medicines to keep your bow¬ els 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 wit> nessed throughout France the great and surprising benefits arising fromjthis sim¬ ple operation, to abandon the idea of constantly taking medicines. Your good sense must teach yotf, -ifyou Will give yourselves time for reflection, that "they must and will eventually destroy the coats of the stomach, and vitally impirrTts powers; and that when you do really require medicines to subdue disease, your systems will have becom'e s<5 habituated to them.as to require tremendous doses, or so completely worn dbwrt by their constant use," as to produce no effeot. In France, there is scarcely a family unprovided with an instrument for glystering, which is always used when there is the slightest obstruction or costiveness of the bowels. These people mostly use a simple clyster of milk and water, and some¬ times water alone: in summer, they use cold water, and in winter, water pleas¬ antly warm. It is to the warm bath, and to the common use of clysters, that are to be attributed in a great degree, the cheerful dispositions, the uniform health, and the practical philosophy with which tjhese people bear the hardships and misfortunes of life: in fact, if you take from a French Physician the warm bath and the glyster pipe, lie cannot practice incoieitin with any kind of success.—■ flie importance of glysters, both in the hands of Physicians and families, has be¬ come so well known, and is now so highly valued, as to call forth the commen¬ dations of the most eminent Physicians of both Europe and America. The old plan of administering clysters, was by an assistant; it was both in¬ convenient and indelicate, and has been measureably superseded, except in cas-r 416 es Of infancy and end extreme Weakness, by a new and valuable invention, call¬ ed a self pipe. The common method of usipg the old glyster pipe, is as follow^:— You are to take a beef or,hog's bladder, which has been blown up and suffered to dry; and after inserting and fastening a short hollow reed, or a 'quill ill it, cqt 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 ofthe glyster pipe of the shopsj if you use one, is now to be covered with some tail 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 descrip¬ tion ofthe particular mode of glystering-in this way, will be given in the sequel, • or conclusion. * The new invention oopsists 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 c6p- structed as to be useel by yourself, or by an assistant 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 re¬ quired 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, Aejiends on the pressure on the handle of the pipe. You are to recollect that force, un¬ less 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 disten¬ tion of the bowels as the glyster is thrown up. When the glyster is to be thrown up by an assistant, the loiig 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, en which principle it acts. One of these pipes may be purchased, at any Drug Shop, for about two dollars; and(I trust from the great advantages 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 as that it may be under¬ stood by any person 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 drawn up near the bcl- lj. The dlyster pipe is then to be taken, the finger placed before it to keep in the contents, and applied to the fupdament. On pushing in the pipe, the finger is to be taken away. The pipe is to be pushed up very gently, the operator's hand near the thighs, a little backwards toward to backbone, and then the con¬ tents are to be forced out, by gently pushing the handle of the syrringe with one hand, while with the other the syrringe is firmly held; or if a bladder and pipe a e used, there is nothing to do but to introduce the pipe into the fundament, aS just described, and to gradually ant! gently squeeze the bladder, so as to empty the contents into the bowels. Glystcring is one of the most powerful, innocent,- mild and beneficial remedies known in the science and practice of medicine. 41* 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 into the body or die- eased parts, oils, tmgents, and other matters, in order to ease, relieve, and cure them. This exercise, or rubbing contributes remarkably to the health, particu-* larly of sedentary persons; for it excites and kindles the natural warmth, diverts defluxions, promotes perspiration, opens the pores, and tends to dissipate stag¬ nant humors. This operation is also particularly beneficial to the nervous, de¬ bilitated, and studiou«—being a useful substitute for other exercises. Hence 1 recommend to such individuals to spend half an hour every morning and evening, in rubbing their whole bodies, especially 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^ Lastlv, I venture to assert that, the most important purposes to which friction may be rendered subservient in the an¬ imal economy, have hitherto been almost entirely neglected: I am convinced, from experience, that medicated frictions, or the introduction of the most active medicines into the human system, by tubbing them in properly on the surface of the body, is attended,with the most happy effects, especially in all chronic dis¬ eases. Common sense appears to have long since pointed out this excellent method of administering medicines, even to the Indian savages, though it is little practiced in the United States, where the stomach is doomed to be the field of battle, for deciding commotions and irregularities in our complicated frames. But who is hardy enough to maintain that, the digestive ofgans was by nature destined to become the exclusive vehicle of drugs, and to serve as their common laboratory ? FLANNEL. A kind of light porous woollen stuff, woven on a loom with two treadles in the manner of baize. This is, unquestionably, one of the most useful articles of wearing apparel, and it is much to be regretted, that it is not more generally worn, as we are fully persuaded, that it would be the means of preventing many diseases. The principal objection to the wearing of flannel appears to be, that it irritates the skin, and occasions disagreeable! sensations: these, however, continue only for a few days, and the subsequent advantages thence resulting, amply compen¬ sate for such temporary uneasiness. Both yoang and aged would derive from it equal advantages. I do not, however, mean to insinuate that flannel next the skin should be universally and indiscriminately worn by infants and young per¬ sons; though it is an ill founded assertion of its adversaries, that it has a ten¬ dency to produce eruptions, as it evidently opens the pores, promotes perspira¬ tion, and thus retaoves the principal cause of cutaneous diseases, that originate 418 from an obstructed and irregulat state of the skin. There are, however, cer¬ tain cases ill which flannel cannot, with strict propriety, be used as an under dress. In order to enable the reader to ascertain whether its constant use be advisable or not, I shall point out the leading circumstances which may, in this- respect influence his determination. It is a salutary dress to all those, in gener¬ al, who have passed the meredian of lifer or the 35th year of their age, though- they should not have been accustomed to it from their infancy,- to persons of a cold and phlegmatic habit, or leading a sedentatry life, to such as are subject to fits of the gout, rheumatism, frequent colds and catarrhs; to individuals very susceptible of impressions connected witji the vicissitudes of air, weather and climate j as well as to nervous patients, and those who have recently recovered from severe chronical diseases. On the contrary, the wearing of flannel next the skin may be injurious to constitutions so organized that they are liable to profuse perspiration on taking even moderate exercise-, or to those who are al¬ ready afflicted with scorbutic or other eruptions of the skin; or lastly, to all such whimsical and irritable persons as possess neither bodily nor 'mental vigor sufficient to overcome the first uneasy sensations which it occasions. But I am fully warranted to assert, from daily experience, that the habitual use of this benificent texture, has essentially contributed to the -recovery of numberless ricketty children, not less than to the saving of others who were born of feeble and enervated parents. In short, there is every reason to believe that, a more general adoption of this cloth might prevent many fatal inflammations of the throat, breast, lungs, &c. to which the poorer class of people are remarkably li¬ able, and thus preserve the lives of multitudes who are constantly becoming a prey to our damp and changeable climate. ISUES, 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 benefi¬ cial in many diseases. They were formerly considered merely as drains, to car¬ ry off noxious or foul humors from the blood, and were therefore opened as near the affected part as practicable. But, as it is now well known that they pro¬ duce 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 pro¬ per 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 parts of the shoulder; in the nape of the neck; in fact, wherever there is cellular sub¬ stance 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 cohered bone;. nor over what is called the belly of a muscle. There are three kinds of them, j the seaton or cord, the pea or pepper issue, and the blister issue. 419 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 oint> ment for a few days, until the discharge be sufficiently diminished. This is cal¬ led the blister iBsue. When you want what is called the pea or pepper issue, you must make an in¬ cision, 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 running. When this opening is made with a lancet, or1 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 employment of caustic, however, is the best mode of opening an issue: This caustic is the lapis infernalis of the drug shops. The caustic must be made into akind of paste, with a little soft soap or water. You are then to put on ail 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 seaton, or cord issue, is always made when a large quantity of matter is required to be discharged: it is frequently put in the back of the neck, for dis¬ eases of the head and eyes, and between the ribs for eomplaintsof the breast.— The cord which is to be introduced, ought to be of cotton or silk threads, either not twisted 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 eye of the Beaton needle, and the needle fairly 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 and forward every day, for the purpose of keeping it run¬ ning. THE MALE CATHETEK. This instrument is used for drawing the water from the bladders of males, whenever there are obstructions to its natural flow from the body, arising from gravel and stone, or any other causes. The piale catheter is sometimes made of elastic gum,'and sometimes of silver: it is about nine inches in length, and hollow from the but nearly to the point,"" which is rounded and smooth, and about the average thickness of a large rye straw. It is slightly and evenly curved about an inch, and has an oval opening, or hole near the point, on one of the sides.— Being hollow, and open at the but end, it has a handle, which is affixed to a com mon sized wire, bent to fit the curve of the hollowed gum or piece of silver.— This is the Catheter so often used in obstructions of the urinary organs. 420 4 Directions for using this Catheter.—When you are about using this ■instrument* the curved wire which is attached to the handle, is to be pushed fully into the gum elastic, or silver case, where it is to remain until you have introduced the point of the instrument into the bladder. You aVe now to take the penis of the patient near the head, between the thumb and fore finger of your left hand—he ought to be lying on his back, on the edge of the bed, and you standing beside himr You are next to introduce the point of the Catheter, well rubbed with sweet oil, into the urinary passage called the urethera, with the convex side of the instrument towards the knees of the patient; and while you are gently push¬ ing the Catheter down the passage to the bladder, you are to endeavor to draw up the penis on it. When you first introduce it, the handle of the Catheter will of course be near the belly of the patient; "but as the instrument descends, the handle will be thrown further off, until the point enters the bladder: you will know when this is the case on drawing ,out the wire, by the flow of the urine.— If you cannot succeed while the patient is on his back, cause him to stand up, or place him with his shoulders and back on the floor, while his legs and thighs are held up by an assistant. If this position will not answer, place him again on his back, and when you have got the Catheter as far in as it will go, rub your fore finger well with oil, and introduce it into the fundament: then endeavor to push the point of the Catheter upwards With your finger, while yon still press it forward with the other hand. Force is never to be used; vary your position as frequently as you please, and let the patient vary his; but always remember that you are to succeed by humoring the instrument, and not by force and violence. THE FEMALE CATHETER. This instrument ismade, like the male Catheter,of elastic gum or silver: it is hollow, six or seven inches in length, and about the thickness of the male Cathe¬ ter. Like the male instrument, it has a handle, and a wire to fit the tube, which is rounded and smooth at the point, and has a number of small holes in the sides near the point. From the open or handle end, the tube is nearly straight for three inches; here it curves gently, first downward and then upward, about half an inch. Like the male Catheter, when the end of the tube is introduced into the ' % bladder, the wire is to be kwithdrawn, in order that the urine may flow off. The operation of using the female Catheter is so perfectly simple, and attended with so little danger, that every female ought to understand and be able to prac¬ tice it; first, because she can always operate on herself when necessary; and se¬ cond, because if a Physician is to be sent for in every case of necessity for the operation, and he should reside at a distance, the delay might often be dangerous and fatal. You will please to recollect, that at page 293 of this work, I have been very particular, and perhaps it may be thought by many, too plain and ex¬ plicit, in my description of those portions of the female system, which modesty 421 usfially conceals and forbids us to name: in treating on this subject of the use of the catheter, however^ it fyill be easily geCrt, that without thoroughly understand¬ ing those parts, the relief of many diseases connected with the urinaTy organs would be impossible. And, besides, by explaining those parts fully, to which ref¬ erence may always be had, females will always bejehabled to relieve themselves, without an indecent and mortifying exposure of theirf^ersons to males who act as Physicians. Immediately under the clitoris, which I have before described, you will find, on close examination, a small orifice, or opening: this is the lower end of the canal which leads to the bladder, and is only from two to three inches in length. Into this orifice you are to introdace the end of the Catheter, after tabbing it well With oil; you are then to push it gently inward and upward, without any force orvio" lence, until the end has reached the bladder, when you must draw out the wire af¬ fixed to the handle, and the urine will flow off through the tube into any vessel prepared to receive it. This is the whole secret of using the Female Catheter, for a want of the knowledge of which, thousands offemalds have been compelled to submit to an exposure of their persons, ahd thousands more have lost their jites, where assistance could not be obtained. By a little attention to this Subject, fe¬ male friends, or even female servants, could easily give the required assistance.— By retaining the urine any length of time, the consequences are always danger¬ ous,and very often fatal; because the stoppage frequently terminates in inflamma¬ tion of the bladder. In a state of pregnancy particularly, the retention of the urine is highly dangerous; it not only displaces the womb, but ofteh cauSds death. Therefore I advise you, in the slightest obstructions of this kind, always to send for a Physician before it be too late. 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 Doctor's shops for mere show, or because they possess some simple and innocent virtues, 1 assert it without 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 want of them. When you see an extensive drug store, filled with drugs, tinctures, essences, &,c. &c. &c., it always ought to remind you of a dinner table, covered with many unnecessary dishes, where two of the substantial ones, properly cooked, would answer the same pur¬ pose. This hint will be sufficient to apprise 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 ab¬ solutely useless: and the choice of which, even by Physicians, de¬ pends not so much, on the characteristics or nature of the disease, as on the particular caprice or partiality of the Physician him¬ self. Under the head of each disease, I have mentioned the prihcipal 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 classification of several that may be useful, and possibly may have been omitted, may be useful to those who have but a limited range of selection, I shall proceed to classify and des cribe them as minutely as my limits will admit. You will recollect, that when you are in the habit of taking medi¬ cine often, or any particular medicine frequently, your system \vill become so habituated to the effects, that larger and more increased doses will be required to produce the usual effects. This doctiine is proved to you, by those who have long been accustomed 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 423 larger or smaller closes, according to the strength or weakness of the patient, as your good sense and discretion may dictate. What would at times only act'as d good purge, would in other cases, and where the patient is weakly and delicate, be productive of fatal consequen¬ ces. Therefore, always take the Constitution, Ihe^tate or condition of the perSon, and the particular character of the disease into con¬ sideration, before you administer mbdicines. EMETICS, OR PUKES. i ' These are medicines which, on being received , into the stomach, produce vomiting, or pulling. They are called emetics, by Physi¬ cians, 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, or blood- warm yvater in considerable quantities after the first operation. Ipecacuanha—This is the mildest of pukes; the dose for a grown person, is from fifteen to twenty grains, dissolved in warm water: say five or six spoonsful: give one spoonful every ten minutes until it operates. Tartar Ehetic.—This is my favorite puke; you will always find it of superior efficacy in bijious fevers. It is the most generally used by Physicians in producing 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 Woe.—This is nothing more than Tartar Emetic dis¬ solved in wine. The dese 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, into 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 Tenerifle wine; after standing a few hours it will be fit for use. In cases where an emetic or puke is necessary for children, anti- moniaf 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 chil¬ dren when first born, to relieve difficult respiration or breathing, 424 where there was an accumulation of phlegm. The dose in such ca¬ ses, ought not to be more than one or two drops; this medicine, how¬ ever, is much oftener given to children of more advanced age. At apy period under one year of age, and over four months, the dose when intended to produce vomiting, is'from five to Jten drops, according to the necessities of the case, which is to be repeated at short intervals of time, until the effect is produced. JBut,' 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 twenty-five to thirty drops, every fiften minutes. White Yitrol.—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 swallowed.— The dose i? frpm twenty to thirty grains, in a cup of warm water: this medicine is called by Physicians Sulphate op Zink. The connexion of the stomach with every part of the body, and the great power it excercises over all portions of the system, and particu¬ larly 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 consequence of the ve¬ ry clo.se connexion between the stomach 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 sometimes oppressive contents; but they, at the same time, promote the secretion and evacuation of bile. They also, and that powerfully, promote a determination to the surface, by which I mean perspiration or sweating: the fact is, that a moisture can be produced on the skin, either by vomiting or puking, or by the mere nausea or sickness of th6 stomach, arising from emet¬ ics given in proper doses. I have not space here, to enumerate all the advantages arising from emetics; they will be found under the differ, ent heads of diseases, as treated in this work. I will now give you some directions, as to the administration of emetics, in particular cases and states of the system. If the person to whom you iVish to give a puke, is of a full and fat habit of body* with a [short neck, and a great determination of blood to the head, you should draw some blood from the arm before giving the puke. By do¬ ing this, you will render the^puking easy and copious, and prevent all danger ofapoplexy from j too great a determination of blood to the head of the patient. JJ Doctor Chapman, ore of the Professors of the Medical School of Philadelphia, states explicitly, and in strong terms, that ma-* ny lives have bedn endangered, and Some actually sacrificed, for want cf this necessary precaution of bleeding. In all cases where the ne¬ cessity fora puke is urgent, and especially where poisons have been swallowed, give a full dose of em£tic medicine at once; but in com¬ mon cases,'*you may give an entetic in broken doses, as, I haVe direct¬ ed ;'this will prevent too great violence in the operation. You should, if convenient, always give an emetic on an empty sto¬ mach, and in the moaning; 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 toe severely, and you wish to cheek the operation, give from twenty to thirty drops of lauda¬ num in a little toddy, and "apply cloths wrung out of warm water to the pit of the stomach: or you may apply stewed garden mint to the stomach; or drink thin chicken soup, with some salt in it, so as to turn the operation downward. If these measures fail, give a glystcr, in which you are to put double the quantity of laudanum usually gi¬ ven 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, [n all cases consult the table of medicines. ACTIVE TUUGATIVES. 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; these medicines 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 vou take a purgative medicine, such as calomel, 64 426 for instance, and it should not operate ip 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 fif-1 teen to twenty grains—and I now 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 calo¬ mel when given with the intention of purging. Calomel and Jalap: purgative; ten grains of each, mixed with honey, molassep, or any kind of4 syrup, is a dose for a grown person. This valuable preparation was a favorite with the celebrated Doctor Rush; he generally gave it in fevers—it both purges and sweats free¬ ly. Twenty grains of each, mixed as above, is a dose for a grown per j son. 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 Anti Bilious 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 dis¬ eased, 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, well 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 of them, which operates freely as a purge. These pills may be frequently taken, until the desired effect is produced. Salts, Senna, and Manna : purgative; take of each of these ar¬ ticles half an ounce, and put them into a pint of hot water: after which you are to cover the vessel in which you make the preparation, For 42X n grown person, take of this a tca-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 ta¬ king this laxative oil, is in coffee, or a little spirits of any kind. Sweet OiL-r-generally called Olive Oil.—It acts on the bowels 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 inno¬ cent medicines we possess, particularly for persons laboring under dyspepsia or indigestion. To persons of a costive habit of body, the use of pounded charcoal is invaluable, from its always keeping the bowels open and regular. The dose for a grown person is one table- spoonful, mixed with honey, milk, or cold water. The preparation of charcoal as a medicine is very simple. It consists in merely burning the charcoal used by smiths, over again: to do which, youyire^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 whole secret of preparing charcoal for medical purposes. It is an excellent medicine in all depraved conditions of the stomach; and it will also check the violent vomitings, or pukings 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 428 discovered the secret, by which the Spanish Physicians check and relieve the approaching symptoms of Black Vomit in Yellow Fever: the medicinal preparation is Charcoal and Oil of Turpentine mixed; hut I could never ascertain the quantity of each. This matter, however, can easily be ascertained by experiment. Magnesia, calcined.—Two tea-spoonsful of this medicine is* a dose for a grown person; it must he taken in half a tumbler of cpld water. If you take uncalcined magnesia, a table-spoonful will be re¬ quired 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 bed time, will generally afford to dyspeptic persons a pleasant night's rest, by aiding the digestive powers. Cream oe Tartar.—This is a cooling and innocent laxative med¬ icine, and is remarkably well adapted to the warm season. It may be taken in cold water sweetened with sugar. The dose for a grown person, is a table-spoonful, in a tumbler of water. Majxna.—This is the most innocent laxative medicine made use'of in the practice of physic. On account of its extreme mildness in op¬ erating it is better adapted to infants than any purgative known.— used as a laxative, it is seldom given to grown persons .alone, but gen¬ erally combined, or mixed with senna: the compound is called senna and manna. If the manna be gi\ en alone, the dose for a grown per¬ son is from one to two ounces, dissolved in hot water. If you give it combined with senna, half an ounce of manna, and the same quantity of senna made into a tea, with about a pint of boiling water, is thq dose for a grown person, [See the he ads Senna and Manna, in the Index.] , Flour of Sulphur.—This is nothing but brimstone, purifyed and powdered very fine. From one tea-spoonful to ten, or about the same quantity given in broken doses, three times a day, will moderately purge a grown person, Whenver any of the above purgative or laxative medioina purge too much, and the patient is becoming weak, if you wish to check the op¬ eration, 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, wrung 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 the medicines. 429 In some cases, from the bowels being torpid, medicines of a purga¬ tive 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 next to give glysters. [See page 412 for instructions as to glys- tering.] If these means fail, which 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 patient. Sailors, when at sea, and when'they haVe no medicines on board,^fre¬ quently relieve themselves from "cos tiveness of the bowels, by merely lying with their'naked bellies over the but of a cannon, the'coldness of which seldom fails to produce a strong dispositioato 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 6ne dose—and if it does not operate in due tfene 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 ac¬ tion; the best of which are our common spirituous liquors, intended by Divme Providence as medicines, but which we abuse in their em¬ ployment as luxuries of daily use, by which they are converted into poisons, pregnant with deadly mischief: destroying the reasoning faculties, and entailing upon the unfortunate devotee a train of corpo¬ real afflictions which infallibly eventuate in his premature dissolution. They are therefore to be regarded, rather than a blessing, as a curse upon posterity and a nation. It is a fact certainly known to those who are in the habit of constantly using stimulants, that they require- to be frequently administered, or else they lose their power: that when the system has for any length of time been accustomed to thosestimulants^ it is necessary gradually 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 medicinal, or used^ in medieme, are as follows:— Sulphuric Ether.—This is a valuable stimulant incases of-great debility, or weakness, in hysterical cases, in cramp of the stomach, in checking vomiting, or puking, in allaying sca-sickuoss, and discharge 430 ing wind from the stomachi Externally applied to the head, it will greatly assist in relieving head-ache. Ether is to be kept well cork¬ ed, 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 head-ache, and is also a valuable remedy in dyspepsia. [See page 154.] By the alkaline property which it possesses, it neutralizes acids in the stom¬ ach, at the sahie time communicating strength to that organ. In all extreme cases of debility of the stomach, attended with vomiting and spasms, as is frequently the case with habitual drunkards, Hartshorn will be found a most valuable remedy.-r-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-spoonsful. Opium, and the preparation made from Opium, called Laudanum? when given in small doses act as stimulants—when given in' larger doses, produce sleep and relieve pain. [For a full description of both these articles, see page 401, and for doses, see Table of Medicines.] Spirit, or Oil of Turpentine, when taken internally, is one'of the most active and diffusible stimulants,* pervading 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, [see page 334] and in epileptic fits, [see page 235] particularly where 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 debili¬ ty, or weakness of the system. The dose of Lavehder alone is three tea-spoonsful. There is nothing more difficult in the practice of medicine, than to determine when it is proper to prescribe stimulants; nor is it possible forme, 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 431 system; avoid their application during lever, as they invariably in crease it; nor never prescribe thenr in no case, until proper evacua¬ tions have been made. It is only in the protracted ane 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 ab¬ sence or presence of the following symptoms, whether their adminis¬ tration is proper or not: pain in the head, delirous wanderings, 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 in doses of from two to five grains, [See table of medicines, and also for a full description of Opium, seepage 401.] Laudanum; 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 do¬ se s of this, or any other medicine refer to the table of medicines.] Paregoric; made by adding half a drachm of Opium—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 oil of ' ani 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. Anti-Spasmodfcs, are medicines which are given to remove spasm, or cramp and generally used by Physicians for this purpose. Opium, or Laudanum, in doses depending on the extreme urgency or danger of the case. Hot Toddy, made with spirits, hot water, and sweetened with su¬ gar. 432 ■Sulphuric Ether, dose from two tea-spoonsful, to a table-spoonful in halfa cup of cold water. Assatcetida, a lump weighing, from eight to ten, or even twenty grains; or if you use the tincture whichis nothing more than assafoe- tida, steeped in whiskey as follows; Take of assafcetida two. ounces, and put it in a pint of pld whiskey, or good spirits of any kittd; 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, given in a large dose, mixed with hot toddy. The best means for removing spasm are the warm bath, [see page 113,] bleeding freely and applying cloths wrung out of hot water, or hot salt to the skin, over the part where cramp, or spasm is seated. TONICS. Medicines which increase the tone of the Muscular Fibres, tind 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 hark when pure is the best. It has, however been ascertained that the medici¬ nal properties of our common Dogwood, is 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 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 Virginia Snake-root frequently called Black Snake-root, to which add 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 glass-ful every two or three hours. Dogwood Bark, or Wild Cherry Tree Bark, pounded 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 quanti¬ ties of the barks of Dogwood, Wild Cherry and Poplar, (I allude to the Poplar of the forest of which our boats are made,) these three barks steeped in good spirits of any kind, and administered in mode 433 rate dose3, say three or four times a day, is superior in its tonic; effects to any medicines 1 have ever used. The bark of the Poplar, is one of the most valuable medicines we possess; I can assert from experi¬ ence, that there is not in all the Materia Mediga, a more, valuable and certain remedy for 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 hundred dead worms wefre 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 sub¬ stance or powder. Columbo Root, is a mild, but powerful tonic, communicating vig¬ or to the stomach: when properly administered, it does not produce stricture, nausea, or in other words, sickness of the stomach, and op¬ pression; and is well adapted to dyspeptics, or those persons laboring under indigestion; for the, stomach will bear this substance with ad¬ vantage, while most other tonics produce disagreeable symptoms..— This medicine will also restrain, or stop vomiting, or puking: it is frequently substituted for Peruvian bark, in consequence of its milder action on the system. Dose frem ten, twenty, to 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 answer 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 receiv¬ ing it. Nitric Acid.—Read Diseases of the Liver, page 177, 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 the venereal diseases: The best method of taking it is, to make a quart of cold water pleasantly sour with the medicine, and add to it sugar or any kind of syrup, which renders it agreeable to the 434 taste, when it may be drank through the day in such quantities as the stomach will bear. In taking this medicine, however, it is best to take it through a quill, as the acid is apt to injure the teeth. (xentian 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 gentian root, one ounCe of orange-peel, and half an ounce of Canella alba, put them in a quart of good spirit of any kind, or good Maderia or Teneriffe wine: after eight or ten days, sha¬ king it frequently So as to extract their strength, it then yields a plea¬ sant and healthful bitter, and may be used at pleasure, or as the stom¬ ach may require it. Virginia Snake* Root, sometimes called black snake root, worm¬ wood, tansey, chamomile flowers, horehound, wild centaury common¬ ly called centry, and hops; all of which yield a pleasant and innocent hitter 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 daj|s in good spirit of any kind; these articles may be used separately tor mixed together, as you may have it in your power to procure them. Elixir Vitriol. It is a very pleasant and useful tonic; 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 Vitri¬ ol is tone tof our most popular and highly esteemed medicines, for res¬ training hemorrhage, which means flooding from the uterus or Womb, and in haemoptysis, which means spitting of blood. The dose is from fifteen tto twenty drops, every two or three hours, mixed in a stem or witie-glass of cold water, or in as mucli water as will make it pleas¬ antly sour. Iron in its operation on the system, evinces all the effects of a pow¬ erful and permanent tonic; no medicine, perhaps, leaving behind it such lasting impressions. It increases the activity and volume of the pulse, corrects the state of the blood and secretions, and invigo¬ rates tor strengthens the whole system. The numerous advantages arising from the use tof Iron, as a medicine, are embraced Within the djpherto of chrohic debility. "Hie chalybeate Craters of which the Western country abounds, are sjfrihgs impregnated Wrth iron, and are found upon almost every 43£ branch and creek. The water of these valuable Springs should be Vs* ed by persons laboring under the following complaints; CMorosi?, which means green sickness, [see page 299] in hypochondriasis) com¬ monly called vapors, or low spirits; in hysterical affections\ the whites, a disease to which women are subject; [see page 303] paraly¬ sis, or palsey; [see page 238] in scrofula, or king's evil, rickety in children, and in dyspepsia, or indigestion, [see page 154.] I have now enumerated the Various cases in which the chalybeate waters are beneficial, as well as the principal complaints in which iron is employ¬ ed. 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 the fust of iron m a bottle filled with common Soda Water, it makes as valuable a chal¬ ybeate drink as the water of any of the springs which are impregna¬ ted with iron. I again, for the Jast time,, tell ypu that tonics mupt not be given when they produce fever. SUDORIFICS. Sudorifics are medicines which produce free and copious sweating. Diaphoretics are those which occasion only gentle perspiration, or moisture of the skin. Tartar Emetic, called by Physicians Tartarized Antimony, when given in small doses, so as to produce slight sickness at the stomach, is most generally attended with perspiration, and is proper in fevers. [Read page 138.] « Nitrous Powders.—To sixty grains of Nitre—which is nothing more than Salt-petre—pounded very fine, add sixteen grains of calo omel, and one grain of tartar emetic: mix them well together, and then divide the compound into eight equal portions, one of whfch 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 calomel.—The Nitrous Powders are considered a valuable medicine in bilious fever. [Read page 136. Dovers Powder. This powder is one of the most certain sudorb fics, where it is often difficult, by other means, to produce a copious >436 sweat. The dose is from five to twenty grains, according as the per¬ son's stomach and strength can bear it. It is proper to avoid much drinking immediately after taking this medicine; for by so do¬ ing 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 are as follows: if you cannot obtain them already prepared at any Apothecary or Doctor's shop: Of ipecacuanha, in powder, and opium, m fine pow¬ der, each one drachm, vitriolated tartar, or salt petre, (either will do) one ounCe finely powdered; you are to be very partic¬ ular to grind all these articles together, into the finest powder; when thus ground, as 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 perfectly 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 redu¬ ced to powder. Dover's Powder is one of the most valuable reme¬ dies we have, for quieting the bowels in dysentery or flux, after prop¬ er evacuations have been made. Antimonial Wine and Spirits op 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 quan¬ tity 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 ex cite perspiration. Seneka Snake Root, Virginia snake root, butterfly weed some¬ times called pleurisy root, dittany, bone set called by some thorough- wort. These roots or herbs are all valuable for their sweating pow¬ ers. For a full description of each, refer to their different heads. OINTMENTS FOR SORES. 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 bees-wax with half a pint of sweet oil; or in a less quantity, observing the proportions. Suet and clear hogs lard will answer if the oil cannot be conveniently had. 437 &asilicum Ointment: Healing and exciting; used in dressing sores. It is made by melting one ounce of beeswax, one ounce of res¬ in, and an ounce and a half of clean hog's lard together.. Lead Ointment.—For dressing sores of an inflammatory nature f 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 generally 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, particularly scald head: made by melting together equal quantities of tar and the best mutton suet. James-town Weed.—This valuable plant, of which I have given, a full description, page 363, forms one of the best ointments for piles and old sores: made by first bruising, and then stewing the leaves in hog's lard, and then strained: 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 celebrated in burns [for a full description of its extraordinary virtues refer to page 286] is prepared as follows: take of calamine in fine powder, half a pound, bees-wax, the same quantity, hogs 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 or Doctov's shop, ask for Calamine in powder; it is a mineral imported from Eng¬ land and Germany, and found in mines intermingled with the oves of different metals. Blistering Ointment.—Take of Spanish flies—called, medically speaking, cantharides—beeswax, resin, and tallow, equal quantities of each: melt first the wax, resin and tallow together, the flies, are to be taken and pounded very fine, and mixed with the composition a little before it becomes entirly cold, or firm. Tartar Emetic Ointment—called by Physicians Ointment or Tartarized Antimony.—This is a valuable external or outward 433 stimulant, and forms a most beneficial application in all deep seated inflammations of, especially the chest. It occasions a pustular erup¬ tion on the skin, or in other words, numerous pimples, which dis¬ charge in a short time; these discharges, or runnings may be kept up by the occasional application of the ointment, as expressed page 237. The method of making this ointment is as follows: take of tartar emetic one drachm—or two, if you wish to make it strong—minced well with one ounce of hog's lard, and it is fit for use: or if you pre¬ fer it, sprinkle it on a piece of leather, on which an adhesive—com¬ monly called a strengthening—plaster has been previously spread, taking care not to cover the edges of the adhesive plaster with the ointment so as to prevent it from touching and adhering, or sticking to the skin. Volatile Linament.—This is a valuable preparation, to be rub¬ bed on the skin as an external stimulant in sore throats, rheumatism, spasms, pains, &c. After rubbing it well in, which should be contin¬ ued from twenty minutes to half an hour, flannel should be wrapped around the afflicted part. Volatile Linament is made Dy mixing equal quantities of spirits of hartshorn 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 the mercurial medi¬ cines, in every disease in which I have directed its use. 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 fre¬ quently result from its improper use. Blue Pill.—There is scarcely an indication to be fulfilled—says Dr. Chapmbn—by mercury the purgative effect excepted, to which this preparation is not adequate. It is much prescribed in cases where salivation is demanded, and as an alterative which you will see fully described in Diseases of the Liver, page 177. The Blue Pill is made by triturating, or rubbing quicksilver with the conserve of roses 439 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 morniftg, and one at night. This is the mildest preparation of mercury, but it is by1 no means an inactive medicine.—The dose may be increased, if nej cessary, to as high as six pills. Mekcubiai. Ointment, generally known by the people in the country as oil of Bayse. The old plan of preparing this ointment required great labour. The following is a quick and effectual meth¬ od of preparing this article: take an ounde 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 apparently 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 min¬ utes, the ointment has a fide blue eolor, and possesses full activity. Si-©**" SWAIM'S PANACEA. This medicine, on its first appearance before the public, excited great hopes of its being an invaluable remedy for several complaints supposed to be incurable, particularly scrofula. The high recom¬ mendations which accompanied it, by some of the most distinguished Physicians of Philadelphia, entitled it to some confidence, and so much were its virtues appreciated, that this medicine sold at the ex¬ travagant price of five dollars per bottle; its immediate and success¬ ful sales, realized to Mr. Swaim a large fortune. In due time, howev¬ er, like all patent medicines, it sunk into dignified retirement, being nothing more than an old friend with a new face: its principal and component part being the same as the French medicine called Rob Syphilitique, which is Corrosive Sublimate—one of the most active preparations of mercury. Swaim's Medicine is made from sarsaparilla, marsh reed grass, borage flowers, senna, rose leaves, sassafras and winter green; these articles are boiled together, in water, and strained oft'; sugar and honey are then added, so as to form the consistence of syrup, wfien the most active mercurial preparation, corrosive sublimate is mixed with it. 440 The Rob, in its effects, is similar to Swaim's medicine; its prepa¬ ration, however, is more simple, and the addition of the former, adds nothing to its virtues. Both these medicines are only valuable in the secondary stages of that dreadful disease which I have so plainly described, page 261. — LIVERWORT, This plant grows so abundantly, and is so well known in the west¬ ern country, that a description would be unnecessary. The excite¬ ment produced throughout4|ie United States in consequence of its be¬ ing a supposed remedy, or cure for consumption, led to a full investi¬ gation of its virtues, when like thousands of its predecessors, it has on¬ ly proved to be an innocent paliative remedy. By using it as a tea, it assists expectoration, or a discharge from the lungs; allays the irri¬ tation of the cough; and in some instances, lessens the frequency of the hectic symptomsj [See Consumption, page 161.] FINIS.