this water of health (as it may be juftl permanent. In which it emulates the that famous plant Gen Seng, fo muc China as the only cordial that raiseth without depreffing them. Tar-water is hurting the nerves as common cordials is highly useful in cramps, fpafms of and paralytic numbness.

67. Emetics are on certain occafions with great fuccefs. But the overst weakening of nature may be very juftly ed from a course of emetics. They are prescribed and fubftituted for exercife. well remarked in Plato's Timæus that purges are the worst exercise in the wo is fomething in the mild operation a that seems more friendly to the eco forwards the digeftions and fecretions in natural and benign, the mildness of t being fuch that I have known children above fix months together, with great without any inconvenience; and afte repeated experience I do esteem it a m diet drink fitted to all feafons and ages

68. It is, I think, allowed that th the gout lies in a faulty digestion. remarked by the ableft physicians, t is fo difficult to cure, because heatin aggravate it's immediate, and cooling caufe. But tar-water, although it ce principles that ftrengthen the digeftion thing I know, and confequently mu useful, either to prevent or leffen t fit, or by envigorating the blood to the extremities, yet it is not of fo h ture as to do harm even in the fit.

)

s of

in

pirits

from

hat it ifcera,

niftred g and rehendrtheless

at it is

its and

There r-water, y, and ay more

medicine

Le it, for efit, and ong and excellent

33

more difficult or difagreeable than to argue men
out of their prejudices; I fhall not therefore enter
into controverfies on this fubject, but, if men dif-
pute and object, fhall leave the decifion to time
and trial.

69. In the modern practice, foap, opium, and
mercury bid faireft for univerfal medicines. The
firft of thefe is highly fpoken of. But then those
who magnify it moft, except against the ufe of it in
fuch cafes where the obstruction is attended with a
putrefactive alkali, or where an inflammatory dif
pofition appears. It is acknowledged to be very
dangerous in a phthifis, fever, and fome other
cafes in which tar-water is not only fafe but ufe
ful.

70. Opium, though a medicine of great extent and efficacy, yet is frequently known to produce grievous diforders in hyfterical or hypochondriacal perfons, who make a great part, perhaps the greatest of thofe who lead fedentary lives in these inlands. Befides, upon all conftitutions dangerous errors may be committed in the ufe of opium.

71. Mercury hath of late years become a medi cine of very general ufe. The extreme minuteness, mobility, and momentum of it's parts, rendering it a moft powerful cleanfer of all obftructions, even in the moft minute capillaries. But then we fhould be cautious in the ufe of it, if we confider, that the very thing which gives it power of doing good above other deobftruents, doth alfo dif pole it to do mifchief. I mean it's great momentum, the weight of it being about ten times that of blood, and the momentum being the joint product of the weight and velocity, it must needs: operate with great force; and may it not be juftly feared, that fo great a force entring the minureft

veffels, and breaking the obftructed ma also break or wound the fine tender coa fmall veffels, and fo bring on the unti of old age, producing more, perhaps. obftructions than those it removed? Si quences may juftly be apprehended from neral and ponderous medicines. Ther the whole, there will not perhaps be medicine, more general in it's ufe, or tary in it's effects than tar-water.

72. To fuppofe that all diftempers very different, and, it may be, fro caufes, can be cured by one and the cine must seem chimerical, But it mat be affirmed, that the virtue of tar-wat a furprising variety of cafes very dift like (a). This I have experienced in bours, my family, and myfelf. And remote corner among poor neighbou want of a regular phyfician have ofte me, I have had frequent opportuni which convince me it is of fo juft a ten to be an enemy to all extremes. do great good in a cold watery conf cardiac and ftomachic; and at the fan heat and feverish thirft in another. I h correct coftive habits in fome, and habit in others. Nor will this feem it be confidered that middle qualities duce the extreme. Warm water, mixed with hot and cold will leffen that, and the cold in this.

I ha

73. They who know the great vi mon foap, whofe coarfe lixivial falts

(a) Sect. 3, 4, 5, 6, 21, &c.

ight
hofe

fects

vorfe Confe

r mi

upon

any

e falu

g from

ontrary : medi

h truth

tends to and uny neigh

live in a who for courfe to of trial,

ament as Known it on, as a me allay

known it contrary edible, if

curally reinftance, eheat in

of com
the pro

duf

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 conden-
fation 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 ftrange that tar-water should warm one
habit, and cool another, have one good effect
on a cold conftitution, and another good effect on
an inflamed one; ncr, if this be fo, that it should
cure oppofite diforders. All which juftifies to rea-
fon, what I have often found true in fact. The
falts, the spirits, 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 chil-
dren 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 inflam-
ing nature.

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

declare that tar-water muft enflame, a would never vifit any patient in a fev been a drinker of it, But I will ventu that it is fo far from increafing a feve mation, that it is on the contrary a moft to allay and extinguish it. It is of a in fevers, being at the fame time the and most effectual both paregoric and the truth of which, I appeal to any perience, who fhall take a large di milk warm in the paroxyfm of a fever plain water or herb teas fhall be found or no effect. To me it feems that it's furprizing ufe in fevers of all kinds. nothing elfe, would be alone fufficien mend it to the public.

76. The best phyficians make the ver to confift in a too great velocity o motion, and too great refiftance at th Tar-water, as it foftens and gently fti nice veffels, helps to propel their cont contributes to remove the latter part o der. And for the former, the irritati which accelerates the motion of the h ed by watery, corrected by acid, and balfamic remedies, all which intention ed by this aqueous acid balfamic mo fides the vifcid juices coagulated by th are refolved by tar-water as a foap, an refolved, as it is a gentle acid foap; may add, that the peccant humours a carried off by it's diaphoretic and di

ties.

77. I found all this confirmed by m rience in the late fickly feafon of the yo fand feven hundred and forty one,

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