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It's wonderful fuccefs in preventing and mitigating that distemper, (a) would incline one to fufpect that tar-water is fuch a fpecific. 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 cleanfing, healing, and balfamic, is good in all diforders of the urinary paffages, whether obftructed 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 struggle against all kinds of contagion. And from what I have obferved, tarwater appears to me an ufeful prefervative in all epidemical diforders, and againft all other infection whatsoever, as well as that of the fmall-pox. What effects the animi pathemata have in humane maladies, is well known, and confequently the general benefit of fuch a cardiac cannot be doubted.

86. As the body is faid to cloath the foul, fo the nerves may be faid to conftitute her inner garment. And as the foul animates the whole, what

(a) 2, 3. (b) 66.

nearly

nearly touches the foul relates to all. Therefore the afperity of tartarous falts, and the fiery acrimony of alcaline falts, irritating and wounding the nerves, produce nafcent paffions and anxieties in the foul which both aggravate diftempers, and render mens lives reftlefs and wretched, even when they are afflicted with no apparent diftemper. This is the latent fpring of much woe, fpleen, and tædium vitæ. Small imperceptible irritations of the minutest fibres or filaments, caufed by the pungent falts of wines and fauces, do fo shake and disturb the microcofms of high livers, as often to raise tempefts in courts and fenates. Whereas the gentle vibrations that are raised in the nerves, by a fine fubtile acid, fheathed in a fmooth volatile oil (a), foftly ftimulating and bracing the nervous veffels and fibres, promotes a due circulation and fecretion of the animal juices, and creates a calm fatisfied sense of health. And accordingly I have often known tar-water procure fleep and compofe the fpirits in cruel vigils, occafioned either by fickness or by too intense applica

tion of mind.

87. In difeafes fometimes accidents happen from without by mifmanagement, fometimes latent caufes operate within, jointly with the specific taint or peculiar cause of the malady. The caufes of distempers are often complicated, and there may be fomething in the idiofyncrafy of the patient that puzzles the phyfician. It may therefore be prefumed that no medicine is infallible, not even in any one diforder. But as tar-water poffeffeth the virtues of fortifying the ftomach, as well as purifying and invigorating the blood, beyond any medicine that I know, it may be prefumed of great

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and general efficacy in all thofe numerous illneffes, which take their rife from foul or vapid blood, or from a bad digeftion. The animal fpirits are elaborated from the blood. Such therefore as the blood is, fuch will be the animal fpirit, more or lefs, weaker or ftronger. This fheweth the ufefulness of tar-water in all hyfteric and hypocondriac cafes; which together with the maladies from indigeftion comprife almoft the whole tribe

of chronical difeafes.

88. The fcurvy may be reckoned in thefe climates an univerfal malady, as people in general are fubject to it, and as it mixes more or lefs in almoft all difeafes. Whether this proceeds from want of elafticity in our air, upon which the tone of the veffels depends, and upon that the feveral fecretions; or whether it proceeds from the moisture of our climate, or the groffnefs of our food, or the falts in our atmosphere, or from all thefe together; thus much at least feems not abfurd to fuppofe, that, as phyficians in Spain and Italy are apt to fufpect the venereal taint to be a latent principle, and bear a part in every illness, fo for as good reafon the fcurvy fhould be confidered by our phyficians, as having fome fhare in moft diforders and conftitutions that fall in their way. It is certain our perfpiration is not fo free as in clearer air and warmer climates. Perfpirable humours not difcharged will ftagnate and putrify. A diet of animal food will be apt to render the juices of our bodies alcalefcent. Hence ichorous and corrofive humours and many diforders. Moitt air makes vifcid blood; and faline air inflames this vifcid blood. Hence broken capillaries, extravafated blood, fpots and ulcers, and other fcorbutic fymptoms. The body of a man attracts and imbibes the moisture and falts of the air, and what

ever

ever floats in the atmosphere, which, as it is common to all, fo it affects all more or less.

89. Doctor Mufgrave thinks the Devonshire' fcurvy a relique of the leprofy, and that it is not' owing to the qualities of the air. But as thefe infulars in general live in a grofs faline air, and their veffels being lefs elaftic, are confequently lefs able to fubdue and caft off what their bodies as fponges draw in, one would be tempted to fufpect the air not a little concerned, efpecially in fuch a fituation as-that of Devonshire. In all thefe British iflands we enjoy a great mediocrity of climate, the effect whereof is, that we have neither heat enough to exalt and diffipate the grofs vapours, as in Italy, nor cold enough to condense and precipitate them, as in Sweden. So they are left floating in the air, which we conftantly breath, and imbibe through the whole furface of our bodies. And this together with exhalations from coal fires, and the various foffils wherein we abound, doth greatly contribute to render us fcorbutic and hypochondriac.

90. There are fome who derive all difeafes from the curvy, which indeed must be allowed to create or mimic moft other maladies. Boerhaave tells us, ir produceth pleuretic, cholic, nephritic, hepatic pains, various fevers, hot, malignant, intermitting, dyfenteries, faintings, anxieties, dropfies, confumptions, convulfions, palfies, fluxes of blood. In a word, it may be faid to contain the feeds and origine of almost all diftempers. Infomuch that a medicine which cures all forts of fcurvy, may be prefumed good for moft other maladies.

91. The fcurvy doth not only in variety of fymptoms imitate moft diftempers, but also when come to a height, in degree of virulence equal the moft malignant. Of this we have a remarkable proof, in that horrible defcription of the fcorbutic patient

F 2

patients in the hofpitals of Paris, given by monfieur Poupart, in the Memoirs of the royal academy of sciences, for the year one thousand fix hundred and ninety-nine. That author thinks he faw fome resemblance in it to the plague of Athens, It is hard to imagine any thing more dreadful than the cafe of thofe men, rotting alive by the fcurvy in it's fupreme degree. To obviate fuch putrefaction, I believe the moft effectual method would be, to embalm (if one may fo fay) the living body with tar-water copioufly drunk; and this belief is not without experience.

92. It is the received opinion that the animal falts of a found body are of a neutral, bland and benign nature: that is, the falts in the juices paft the primæ viæ, are neither acid nor alcaline, having been fubdued by the conftitution, and changed into a third nature. Where the conftitution wants force to do this, the aliment is not duly affimilated; and fo far as the falts retain their priftine qualities, fickly fymptoms enfue, acids and alkalies not perfectly fubdued, producing weak ferments in the juices. Hence fcurvy, cachexy, and a long train of ills.

93. A Cachexy or ill habit is much of the fame kind with the fcurvy, proceeds from the fame causes and is attended with like fymptoms, which are fo manifold and various, that the fcurvy may well be looked on as a general cachexy, infecting the whole habit and vitiating all the digeftions. Some have reckoned as many forts of the fcurvy, as there are different taints of the blood. Others have fup. pofed it a collection of all illneffes together. Some fuppofe it an accumulation of feveral difeafes in fieri. Others take it for an affemblage of the reliques of old diftempers.

94. But

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