Page images
PDF
EPUB

veffels, and breaking the obftructed matter, might also break or wound the fine tender coats of those fmall veffels, and fo bring on the untimely effects of old age, producing more, perhaps, and worfe obftructions than those it removed? Similar confequences may juftly be apprehended from other mineral and ponderous medicines. Therefore, upon the whole, there will not perhaps be found any medicine, more general in it's ufe, or more falutary in it's effects than tar-water.

72. To fuppofe that all diftempers arifing from very different, and, it may be, from contrary causes, can be cured by one and the fame medicine must seem chimerical. But it may with truth be affirmed, that the virtue of tar-water extends to a furprising variety of cafes very diftant and unlike (a). This I have experienced in my neighbours, my family, and myfelf. And as I live in a remote corner among poor neighbours, who for want of a regular physician have often recourse to me, I have had frequent opportunities of trial, which convince me it is of fo juft a temperament as to be an enemy to all extremes. I have known it do great good in a cold watery conftitution, as a cardiac and ftomachic; and at the fame time allay heat and feverish thirst in another. I have known it correct coftive habits in fome, and the contrary habit in others. Nor will this feem incredible, if it be confidered that middle qualities naturally reduce the extreme. Warm water, for inftance, mixed with hot and cold will leffen the heat in that, and the cold in this.

73. They who know the great virtues of common foap, whofe coarse lixivial falts are the pro(a) Sect. 3, 4, 5, 6, 21, &c.

duct

duct of culinary fire, will not think it incredible that virtues of mighty force and extent should 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 condenfation 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 fhould 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 reafon, what I have often found true in fact. The falts, the fpirits, 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 children 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 fharp than at other times. But it's great use in the small pox, pleurifies, and fevers, is a fufficient proof that tar-water is not of an inflaming nature.

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

[blocks in formation]

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 extinguish it. It is of admirable use in fevers, being at the fame time the fureft, safest 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 else, would be alone fufficient to recommend it to the public.

76. The best phyficians make the idea of a fever to consist 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 quali

ties.

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 twenty

3

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 glafs to refresh, and infufe life and fpirit into the patient. At first some of thofe patients had been vomited; but afterwards I found that without vomiting, bleeding, bliftering, or any other evacuation or me dicine 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 spirits at once, while those who had been cured by evacuations often languished long, even after the fever had left them, before they could recover of their medicines and regain their strength.

[ocr errors]

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 ftitch, 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 cafes of a pleurify, one moderate bleeding, a blister on the spot, 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 copiously of tar-water, may be cured by that alone without bleeding, bliftering, or any other medicine whatever: certainly I have found this fuc ceed at a glass every half hour.

79. I

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

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 miscarried. This experiment I was led to make by the opinion I had of tar as a balsamic : and rolin is only tar infpiffated.

[ocr errors]

80. Nothing that I know corroborates the ftomach so much as tar-water (a). Whence it follows, that it must be of fingular use to persons afflicted with the gout. And from what I have obferved in five or fix inftances, I do verily believe it the beft and fafest 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 worse 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 instance, a man with the gout in his stomach 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 ftand, foon

(a) Se&t. 68.

contract

« EelmineJätka »