Page images
PDF
EPUB

declare that tar-water muft 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 increafing a feverish inflammation, that it is on the contrary a moft ready means to allay and extinguifh it. It is of admirable ufe in fevers, being at the fame time the fureft, fafeft 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 ufe in fevers of all kinds, were there nothing elfe, would be alone fufficient to recom. mend it to the public.

76. The best phyficians make the idea of a fever to confist 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 qualities.

I found all this confirmed by my own expe77. rience in the late fickly feafon of the year one thoufand feven hundred and forty one, having had

3

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 glass to refresh, and infufe life and fpirit into the patient. At first some of those 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 glass every hour taken in bed. And it was remarkable, that fuch as were cured by this comfortable cordial, recovered health and fpirits at once, while those 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 stitch, 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 cases of a pleurify, one moderate bleeding, a blifter on the fpot, 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 himself 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 fucceed at a glass every half hour.

79. I

79. I have known a bloody flux of long continuance, 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 flux, 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 treatife 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 inftance, 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 fenfe, that blood, urine, and other animal juices, being let to stand, foon

(a) Sect. 63.

contract

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 ante. cedent cause, 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 shall corroborate, but not inflame. Bitter herbs are recommended; but they are weak in comparison of tar-water.

[ocr errors]

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 pleafe, but I appeal to time and experiment. Effects milimputed, 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 fmall pox, and that the profpect of fo great. a public benefit should ftir up men to fearch for it.

It's wonderful fuccefs, in preventing and mitigating. that distemper, (a) would incline one to fufpect that tar-water is fuch a fpecific, especially fince I have found it of fovereign ufe as well during the fmall pox as before it. Some think an Erysipelas and the Plague differ only in degree. If fo, tar-water fhould be useful in the Plague, for I have known it cure an Erysipelas.

Doctor

84. Tar-water, as cleaning, healing, and bal-. famic, is good in all disorders of the urinary paffages, whether obstructed or ulcerated. Lifter fuppofeth, indeed, that turpentines act by a cauftic quality, which irritates the coats of the urinary ducts to expel fand or gravel. But, it fhould feem, this expelling diuretic virtue confifted rather in the falts than the refin, and confequently refides in the tar-water, gently ftimulating by it's falts, without the dangerous force of a cauftic. The violent operation of Ipecacuanha lies in it's refin, but the faline extract is a gentle purge and diuretic, by the ftimulus of it's falts.

85. That which acts as a mild cordial, (b) neither hurting the capillary veffels as a cauftic, nor affecting the nerves, nor coagulating the juices, muft in all cafes be a friend to nature, and affift the vis vitæ in it's ftruggle against all kinds of contagion. And from what I have obferved, tar-water appears to me an useful prefervative in all epidemical disorders, and against all other infection whatsoever, as well as that of the fmall-pox. What effects the animi pathemata have in human maladies, is well known, and confequently the general benefit of fuch a cardiac may be reasonably fuppofed.

86. As the body is faid to clothe the foul, fo the nerves may be faid to constitute her inner garAnd as the foul animates the whole, what

ment.

fa) 2, 3.

(b) 66.

nearly

« EelmineJätka »