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À CHAIN of

PHILOSOPHICAL REFLEXIONS

AND

INQUIRIES, &c.

F

OR INTRODUCTION to the following piece I affure the reader, that nothing could, in my prefent fituation, have induced me to be at the pains of writing it, but a firm belief that it would prove a valuable present to the public. What entertainment foever the reafoning or notional part may afford the mind, I will venture to fay, the other part feemeth fo furely calculated to do good to the body, that both must be gainers. For if the lute be not well tuned, the musician fails of his harmony. And in our prefent ftate, the operations of the mind, fo far depend on the right tone or good condition of it's inftrument, that any thing which greatly contributes to preferve or recover the health of the body, is well worth the attention of the mind. Thefe confiderations have moved me to communicate to the public the falutary virtues of tar-water; to which I thought my felf indifpenfably obliged, by the duty every man owes to mankind. And, as effects are linked with their causes, my thoughts on this low, but useful theme led to farther inquiries, and thofe on to others remote, perhaps, and fpeculative, but, I hope, not altogether ufelefs or unentertaining.

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1. In

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I.

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N certain parts of America, tarmade by putting a quart of cold wa quart of tar, and stirring them well toge veffel, which is left standing till the tar the bottom. A glass of clear water being off for a draught is replaced by the fame of fresh water, the veffel being fhaken and ftand as before. And, this is repeated fo glais, fo long as the tar continues to imp the water fufficiently, which will appear fmell and tafte. But as this method produc water of different degrees of ftrength, I 'make it in the following manner: Pour a of cold water on a quart of tar, and ftir a them thoroughly with a ladle or flat ftick fpace of three or four minutes, after which fel muft ftand eight and forty hours that may have time to fubfide, when the clear, to be poured off and kept covered for ufe, n 'being made from the fame tar, which may ft for common purposes.

2 This cold infufion of tar hath been fome of our colonies, as a prefervative or p tive against the finall-pox, which foreign induced me to try it in my own neighbou when the small-pox raged with great violend the trial fully answered my expectation: al within my knowledge, who took the ta having either escaped that distemper, or very favourably. In one family there wa markable inftance of feven children, who c very well through the fmall-pox, except one child which could not be brought to drink tar as the reft had done.

3. Several were preferved from taking the pox by the ufe of this liquor: others had it

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mildest manner, and others that they might be able
to take the infection, were obliged to intermit
drinking the tar-water. I have found it may be
drunk with great fafety and fuccefs for any length
of time, and this not only before, but alfo during
the distemper. The general rule for taking it is,
about half a pint night and morning on an empty
ftomach, which quantity may be varied, according
to the cafe and age of the patient, provided it be
always taken on an empty ftomach, and about two
hours before or after a meal. For children and

fqueamish perfons it may be made weaker, and
given little and often. More cold water, or lefs
ftirring, makes it weaker; as lefs water, or more
ftirring, makes it ftronger. It should not be light-
er than French, nor deeper coloured than Spanish
white wine. If a fpirit be not very fenfibly per-
ceiv'd on drinking, either the tar must have been bad,
or already.us'd, or the tar-water carelessly made.

4. It feemed probable, that a medicine of fuch
efficacy in a diftemper attended with fo many pu-
rulent ulcers, might be alfo ufeful in other foul-
neffes of the blood; accordingly I tried it on feve-
ral perfons infected with cutaneous eruptions and
ulcers, who were foon relieved, and soon after cu
red. Encouraged by thefe fucceffes I ventured to
advife it in the fouleft diftempers, wherein ir
proved much more fuccefsful than falivations and
wood-drinks had done.

5. Having tried it in a great variety of cafes, I found it fucceed beyond my hopes; in a tedious and painful ulceration of the bowels, in a confumptive cough and (as appeared by expectorated pus) an ulcer in the lungs; in a pleurify and peripneumony. And when a perfon, who for fome years had been fubject to erysipelatous fevers, perceived the ufual fore-running fymptoms to come on, I advised her

to

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to drink tar-water which prevented the ery 6. I never knew any thing fo good for mach as tar-water: it cures indigeftion an a good appetite. It is an excellent medici afthma. It imparts a kindly warmth an circulation to the juices without heating, therefore useful, not only as a pectoral an mic, but also as a powerful and fafe deobf cachectic and hyfteric cafes. As it is both and diuretic, it is very good for the gr believe it to be of great ufe in a dropfy, known it cure a very bad anafarca in a whofe thirst, though very extraordinary, Thort time removed by the drinking of tar

7. The usefulness of this medicine in in tory cafes is evident, from what has been obferved (a). And yet fome perhaps maj that, as the tar itfelf is fulphureous, must be of a hot and inflaming nature. to be noted, that all balfams contain an ac which is in truth a volatile falt. Water i ftruum that diffolves all forts of falts, ar them from their fubjects. Tar, therefor a balfam, it's falutary acid is extracted b which yet is incapable of diffolving it's finous parts, whose proper menftruum is wine. Therefore tar-water, not being in ted with refin, may be fafely used in infla cafes and in fact it hath been found an a febrifuge, at once the fafeft cooler and cor

tues.

8. The volatile falts feparated by infu tar, may be fuppofed to contain it's fp Mr. Boyle and other later chemi greed, that fixed falts are much the fame dies. But it is well known that volatil greatly differ, and the easier they are (a) Seft. 5:

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