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acid fpirit in Tar-water poffeffeth the virtues, in an eminent degree, of that of guaiacum, and other medicinal woods.

48. Qualities in a degree too ftrong for human nature to fubdue, and affimilate to itself, must hurt the conftitution. All acids, therefore, may not be useful or innocent. But this feemeth an acid fo thoroughly concocted, fo gentle, bland, and temperate, and withal a spirit fo fine and volatile, as readily to enter the smallest veffels, and be affimilated with the utmost ease.

49. If any one were minded to diffolve fome of the refin, together with the falt or spirit, he need only mix fome spirit of wine with the water. But fuch an intire folution of refins and gums, as to qualify them for entering and pervading the animal fyftem, like the fine acid fpirit that first flies off from the fubject, is perhaps impoffible to obtain. It is an apophthegm of the chemists, derived from Helmont, that whoever can make myrrh foluble by the human body, has the secret of prolonging his days: and Boerhaave owns that there feems to be truth in this, from it's refifting putrefaction. Now this quality is as remarkable in tar, with which the ancients embalmed and preferved dead bodies. And though Boerhaave himself, and other chemifts before him, have given methods for making folutions of myrrh, yet it is by means of alcohol which extracts only the inflammable parts. And it doth not feem that any folution of myrrh is impregnated with it's falt or acid fpirit. It may not, therefore, feem ftrange if this water fhould be found more beneficial for procuring health and long life, than any folution of myrrh whatsoever.

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50. Certainly divers refins and gums may have virtues, and yet not be able for their groffness to

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pass the lacteals and other finer veffels, nor yet, perhaps, readily impart thofe virtues to a menftruum, that may with fafety and speed convey them throughout the human body. Upon all which accounts, I believe tar- water will be found to have fingular advantages. It is obferved that acid spirits prove the ftronger, by how much the greater degree of heat is required to raise them. And indeed, there feemeth to be no acid more gentle than this, obtained by the fimple affufion of cold water; which carries off from the subject the moft light and fubtile parts, and, if one may fo fpeak, the very flower of it's fpecific qualities. And here it is to be noted, that the volatile falt and spirit of vegetables do, by. gently ftimulating the folids, attenuate the fluids contained in them, and promote fecretions, and that they are penetrating and active, contrary to the general nature of other acids.

51. It is a great maxim for health, that the juices of the body be kept fluid in a due proportion. Therefore, the acid volatile fpirit in tarwater, at once attenuating and cooling in a moderate degree, muft greatly conduce to health, as a mild falutary deobftruent, quickening the circulation of the fluids without wounding the folids, thereby gently removing or preventing thofe obftructions, which are the great and general cause of moft chronical difeafes; in this manner answering to the antihyfterics, affa foetida, galbanum, myrrh, amber, and, in general, to all the refins and gums of trees or fhrubs useful in nervous cafes.

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52. Warm water is it felf a deobftruent. fore the infufion of tar drunk warm, is eafier infinuated into all the nice capillary veffels, and acts, not only by virtue of the balfam, but alfo by that

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of the vehicle. It's tafte, it's diuretic quality, it's being fo great a cordial, fhew the activity of this medicine. And at the fame time that it quickens the fluggish blood of the hysterical, it's balfamic oily nature abates the too rapid motion of the fharp thin blood in those who are hectic. There is a lentour and smoothnefs in the blood of healthy ftrong people; on the contrary, there is often an acrimony and folution in that of weakly morbid perfons. The fine particles of tar are not only warm and active, they are alfo balfamic and emollient, foftening and enriching the sharp and vapid blood, and healing the erofions occafioned thereby in the blood-veffels and glands.

53. Tar-water poffeffeth the ftomachic and cardiac qualities of Elixir proprietatis, Stoughton's drops, and many fuch tinctures and extracts, with this difference, that it worketh it's effect more fafely, as it hath nothing of that fpirit of wine, which, however mixed and difguifed, may yet be well accounted a poison in some degree.

54. Such medicines are fuppofed to be diaphoretic, which, being of an active and fubtile nature, pafs through the whole fyftem, and work their effect in the fineft capillaries and perfpiratory ducts which they gently cleanfe and open. Tarwater is extremely well fitted to work by fuch an infenfible diaphorefis, by the fineness and activity of it's acid volatile fpirit. And furely those parts ought to be very fine, which can fcour the perfpiratory ducts, under the scarf skin or cuticle, if it be true that one grain of fand would cover the mouths of more than a hundred thoufand.

55. Another way wherein tar-water operates, is by urine, than which perhaps none is more fafe and effectual, for cleanfing the blood and carrying

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off it's falts. But it feems to produce it's principal effect as an alterative, fure and eafy, much fafer than thofe vehement purgative, emetic, and falivating medicines, which do violence to nature.

56. An obstruction of fome veffels caufeth the blood to move more swiftly in other veffels, which are not obstructed. Hence manifold diforders. A liquor that dilutes and attenuates refolves the concretions which obftruct. Tar-Water is fuch a liquor. It may be faid, indeed, of common water, that it attenuates, alfo of mercurial preparations that they attenuate. But it fhould be confidered that mere water only diftends the veffels and thereby weakens their tone; and that Mercury by it's great momentum may juftly be fufpected of hurting the fine capillaries, which two deobftruents therefore might eafily overact their parts, and (by leffening the force of the elastic veffels) remotely produce those concretions they are intended to re

move.

57. Weak and rigid fibres are looked on by the most able physicians, as fources of two different claffes of diftempers: a fluggish motion of the liquids occafions weak fibres: therefore tar-water is good to strengthen them as it gently accelerates their contents. On the other hand, being an un&tuous bland fluid it moiftens and foftens the dry and stiff fibres: and fo proves a remedy for both

extremes.

58. Common foaps are compofitions of lixivial falt and oil. The corrofive acrimony of the faline particles being foftened by the mixture of an unctuous fubftance they infinuate themfelves into the fmall ducts with lefs difficulty and danger. The combination of these different fubftances makes up a very fubtile and active medicine, fitted for mixing with all humours, and refolving D 2

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all obftructions. Soap therefore is justly esteemed a most efficacious medicine in many diftempers. Alcaline Soap is allowed to be cleanfing, attenuating, opening, refolving, fweetening; it is pectoral, vulnerary, diuretic, and hath other good qualities which are alfo to be found in tar-water. It is granted, that oil and acid falts combined together cxift in vegetables, and that confequently there are acid foaps as well as alcaline. And the faponaceous nature of the acid vegetable fpirits, is what renders them fo diuretic, fudorific, penetrating, abstersive and refolving. Such, for inftance, is the acid fpirit of Guaiacum. And all these fame virtues feem to be in tar-water in a mild and falutary degree.

59. It is the general opinion that all acids coagulate the blood. Boerhaave excepts vinegar, which he holds to be a foap, inafmuch as it is found to contain an oil as well as an acid fpirit. Hence it is both unctuous and penetrating, a powerful antiphlogistic, and prefervative against corruption and infection. Now it feems evident that tar-water is a foap as well as vinegar. For though it be the character of refin, which is an infpiffated grofs oil, not to diffolve in water (a), yet the falts attract fome fine particles of effential oil: which fine oil ferves as a vehicle for the acid falts, and fhews itfelf in the colour of the tar-water; for all pure falts are colourlefs. And though the refin will not diffolve in water, yet the fubtile oil, in which the vegetable falts are lodged, may as well mix with water as vinegar doth, which contains both oil and falt. And as the oil in tar-water discovers itself to the eye, fo the acid falts do manifeft

(a) Sect. 47.

themselves

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