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duct of culinary fire, will not think it incredible that virtues of mighty force and extent fhould be found in a fine acid foap (a), the falts and oil whereof are a moft elaborate product of nature and the folar light.

74. It is certain tar-water warms, and therefore fome may perhaps ftill think it cannot cool. The more effectually to remove this prejudice, let it be farther confidered, that, as on the one hand, oppofite caufes do fometimes produce the fame effect, for inftance, heat by rarefaction and cold by condenfation do both increase the air's elafticity: fo on the other hand, the fame caufe fhall fometime produce oppofite effects: heat for inftance thins, and again heat coagulates the blood. It is not therefore strange that tar-water fhould warm one habit, and cool another, have one good effect on a cold conftitution, and another good effect on an inflamed one; nor, if this be fo, that it fhould cure oppofite diforders. All which justifies to reafon, what I have often found true in fact. The falts, the fpirits, the heat of tar-water are of a temperature congenial to the conftitution of a man, which receives from it a kindly warmth, but no inflaming heat. It was remarkable that two children in my neighbourhood, being in a course of tar-water, upon an intermiffion of it, never failed to have their iffues inflamed by an humour much more hot and sharp than at other times. But it's great ufe in the small pox, pleurifies, and fevers, is a fufficient proof that tar-water is not of an inflaming nature.

75. I have dwelt the longer on this head, because .fome gentlemen of the faculty have thought fit to

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declare that tar-water must enflame, and that they would never vifit any patient in a fever, who had been a drinker of it. But I will venture to affirm, that it is fo far from increasing a feverish inflammation, that it is on the contrary a most ready means to allay and extinguifh it. It is of admirable use in fevers, being at the fame time the fureft, fafelt and most effectual both paregoric and cordial; for the truth of which, I appeal to any perfon's experience, who fhall take a large draught of it milk warm in the paroxyfm of a fever, even when plain water or herb teas fhall be found to have little or no effect. To me it feems that it's fingular and furprizing use in fevers of all kinds, were there nothing elfe, would be alone fufficient to recommend it to the public.

76. The best phyficians make the idea of a fe ver to confift in a too great velocity of the heart's motion, and too great refiftance at the capillaries. Tar-water, as it foftens and gently ftimulates those nice veffels, helps to propel their contents, and fo contributes to remove the latter part of the diforder. And for the former, the irritating acrimony which accelerates the motion of the heart is diluted by watery, corrected by acid, and foftened by balfamic remedies, all which intentions are answered by this aqueous acid balfamic medicine. Befides the vifcid juices coagulated by the febrile heat are refolved by tar-water as a foap, and not too far refolved, as it is a gentle acid foap; to which we may add, that the peccant humours and falts are carried off by it's diaphoretic and diuretic quali

ties.

77. I found all this confirmed by my own experience in the late fickly feafon of the year one thoufand feven hundred and forty one, having had

twenty

;

twenty-five fevers in my own family cured by this medicinal water, drunk copiously. The fame method was practifed on feveral of my poor neighbours with equal fuccefs. It fuddenly calmed the feverish anxieties, and feemed every glafs to refresh, and infufe life and spirit into the patient. At first some of thofe patients had been vomited but afterwards I found that without vomiting, bleeding, bliftering, or any other evacuation or medicine whatever, very bad fevers could be cured by the fole drinking of tar-water milk warm, and in good quantity, perhaps a large glafs every hour taken in bed. And it was remarkable, that such as were cured by this comfortable cordial, recovered health and fpirits at once, while thofe who had been cured by evacuations often languifhed long, even after the fever had left them, before they could recover of their medicines and regain their strength.

78. In peripneumonies and pleurifies I have obferved tar-water to be excellent, having known fome pleuritic perfons cured without bleeding, by a blifter early applied to the ftitch, and the copious drinking of tar-water, four or five quarts, or even more in four and twenty hours. And I do recommend it to farther trial, whether in all cafes of a pleurify, one moderate bleeding, a blifter on the spot, and plenty of tepid tar-water may not fuffice, without thofe repeated and immoderate bleedings, the bad effects of which are perhaps never got over. I do even fufpect, that a pleuritic patient betaking himfelf to bed betimes, and drinking very copioufly of tar-water, may be cured by that alone without bleeding, bliftering, or any other medicine whatever: certainly I have found this fuc- ' ceed at a glass every half hour.

I

79. I

79. I have known a bloody flux of long conti nuance, after divers medicines had been tried in vain, cured by tar-water. But that which I take to be the most speedy and effectual remedy in a bloody Aux, is a clyfter of an ounce of common brown rofin diffolved over a fire in two ounces of oil, and added to a pint of broth, which not long fince I had frequent occafion of trying, when that diftemper was epidemical. Nor can I fay that any to whom I advised it mifcarried. This experiment I was led to make by the opinion I had of tar as a balfamic: and rofin is only tar infpiffated.

80. Nothing that I know corroborates the ftomach fo much as tar-water (a). Whence it follows, that it must be of fingular use to perfons afflicted with the gout. And from what I have obferved in five or fix inftances, I do verily believe it the best and safest medicine either to prevent the gout, or fo to ftrengthen nature against the fit, as to drive it from the vitals; or, at other times to change a worfe illness into the gout, and to get rid of it; Doctor Sydenham, in his treatise of the gout, declares that whoever finds a medicine the most efficacious for ftrengthening digeftion, will do more fervice in the cure of that and other chronical diftempers, than he can even form a notion of. And I leave it to trial, whether tar-water be not that medicine, as I myself am perfuaded it is, by all the experiments I could make. But in all trials I would recommend difcretion; for instance, a man with the gout in his ftomach ought not to drink cold tar-water. This effay leaves room for future experiment in every part of it, not pretending to be a complete treatise.

81. It is evident to sense, that blood, urine, and other animal juices, being let to ftand, foon

(a) Sect. 68.

contra&

contract a great acrimony. Juices, therefore, from a bad digeftion retained and ftagnating in the body, grow fharp and putrid. Hence a fermenting heat, the immediate caufe of the gout. The curing this by cooling medicines, as they would increase the antecedent' caufe, muft be a vain attempt. On the other hand, fpices and fpirituous liquors, while they contribute to remove the antecedent caufe, or bad digeftion, would by inflaming the blood increase the proximate or immediate caufe of the gout, to wit, the fermenting heat. The scope therefore must be, to find a medicine that fhall corroborate, but not inflame. Bitter herbs are recommended; but they are weak in comparison of tar-water.

82. The great force of tar-water, to correct the acrimony of the blood, appears in nothing more than in the cure of a gangrene, from an internal caufe; which was performed on a fervant of my own, by prefcribing the copious and conftant ufe of tar-water for a few weeks. From my reprefenting tar-water as good for fo many things, fome perhaps may conclude it is good for nothing. But charity obligeth me to fay what I know, and what I think, howfoever it may be taken. Men may cenfure and object as they please, but I appeal to time and experiment. Effects mifimputed, cafes wrong told, circumftances overlooked, perhaps too, prejudices and partialities against truth, may for a time prevail and keep her at the bottom of her well, from whence nevertheless fhe emergeth fooner or later, and ftrikes the eyes of all who do not keep them shut.

83. Boerhaave thinks a fpecific may be found, for that peculiar venom, which infects the blood in the small pox, and that the prospect of fo great a public benefit fhould ftir up men to fearch for it.

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