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I. N certain parts of America, tar-water is made by putting a quart of cold water to a quart of tar, and ftirring them well together in a veffel, which is left ftanding till the tar finks to the bottom. A glass of clear water being poured off for a draught is replaced by the fame quantity of fresh water, the veffel being fhaken and left to ftand as before. And this is repeated for every glafs, fo long as the tar continues to impregnate the water fufficiently, which will appear by the fmell and tafte. But as this method produceth tarwater of different degrees of ftrength, I chufe to make it in the following manner: Pour a gallon of cold water on a quart of tar, and ftir and mix them thoroughly with a ladle or flat ftick for the fpace of three or four minutes, after which the veffel muft ftand eight and forty hours that the tar may have time to fubfide, when the clear water is to be poured off and kept covered for use, no more being made from the fame tar, which may still serve for common purposes,

2 This cold infufion of tar hath been used in fome of our colonies, as a prefervative or preparative against the small-pox, which foreign practice induced me to try it in my own neighbourhood, when the small-pox raged with great violence. And the trial fully answered my expectation: all those, within my knowledge, who took the tar-water having either efcaped that distemper, or had it very favourably. In one family there was a remarkable inftance of seven children, who came all very well through the fmall-pox, except one young child which could not be brought to drink tar-water as the reft had done,

3. Several were preferved from taking the smallpox by the use of this liquor: others had it in the

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mildeft 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 diftemper. 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 fhould not be lighter than French, nor deeper coloured than Spanish white wine. If a fpirit be not very fenfibly perceiv'd on drinking, either the tar muft 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 purulent ulcers, might be also useful in other foulneffes of the blood; accordingly I tried it on feveral perfons infected with cutaneous eruptions and ulcers, who were foon relieved, and foon after cured. Encouraged by thefe fucceffes I ventured to advise it in the fouleft diftempers, wherein it 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 eryfipelatous fevers, perceived the ufual fore-running fymptoms to come on, I advifed her

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to drink tar-water which prevented the eryfipelas. 6. I never knew any thing fo good for the ftomach as tar-water: it cures indigeftion and gives a good appetite. It is an excellent medicine in an asthma. It imparts a kindly warmth and quick circulation to the juices without heating, and is therefore useful, not only as a pectoral and balfamic, but also as a powerful and fafe deobftruent in cachectic and hyfteric cafes. As it is both healing and diuretic, it is very good for the gravel. I believe it to be of great ufe in a dropfy, having known it cure a very bad anafarca in a perfon whofe thirst, though very extraordinary, was in a fhort time removed by the drinking of tar-water.

7. The usefulness of this medicine in inflammatory cafes is evident, from what has been already obferved (a). And yet fome perhaps may suspect that, as the tar itself is fulphureous, tar-water must be of a hot and inflaming nature. But it is to be noted, that all balfams contain an acid spirit, which is in truth a volatile falt. Water is a menftruum that diffolves all forts of falts, and draws them from their fubjects. Tar, therefore, being a balfam, it's falutary acid is extracted by water, which yet is incapable of diffolving it's grofs refinous parts, whofe proper menftruum is spirit of wine. Therefore tar-water, not being impregnated with refin, may be fafely used in inflammatory cafes and in fact it hath been found an admirable febrifuge, at once the fafeft cooler and cordial.

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8. The volatile falts feparated by infufion from tar, may be fuppofed to contain it's fpecific virMr. Boyle and other later chemists are agreed, that fixed falts are much the fame in all bodies. But it is well known, that volatile falts do greatly differ, and the easier they are separated

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from the fubject, the more do they poffefs of it's fpecific qualities. Now the most easy separation is by infufion of tar in cold water, which to fmell and taft fhewing it felf well impregnated, may be prefumed to extract and retain the most pure volatile and active particles of that vegetable balfam.

9. Tar was by the ancients esteemed good against poifons, ulcers, the bites of venomous creatures, alfo for pthifical, fcrophulous, paralytic and afthmatic perfons. But the method of rendering it an inoffenfive medicine and agreeable to the ftomach, by extracting it's virtues in cold water, was unknown to them. The leaves and tender tops of pine and fir are in our times ufed for diet-drinks, and allowed to be antifcorbutic and diuretic. But the most elaborate juice, falt, and spirit of those evergreens are to be found in tar; whofe virtues extend not to animals alone, but also to vegetables. Mr. Evelyn in his treatife on Forest trees obferves with wonder, that ftems of trees, fmeared over with tar, are preferved thereby from being hurt by the invenomed teeth of goats and other injuries, while every other thing of an untuous nature is highly prejudicial to them.

10. It seems that tar and turpentine may be had more or lefs, from all forts of pines and firs whatfoever; and that the native fpirits and effential falts of thofe vegetables are the fame in turpentine and common tar. In effect this vulgar tar, which cheapnefs and plenty may have rendered contemptible, appears to be an excellent balfam, containing the virtues of most other balfams, which it eafily imparts to water, and by that means readily and inoffenfively infinuates them into the habit of the body.

11. The refinous exfudations of pines and firs are an important branch of the materia medica,

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and not only useful in the prefcriptions of phyficians, but have been alfo thought otherwife conducive to health. Pliny tells us, that wines in the time of the old Romans were medicated with pitch and refin; and Jonftonus in his Dendrographia observes, that it is wholesome to walk in groves of pine trees, which impregnate the air with balfamic particles. That all turpentines and refins are good for the lungs, against gravel alfo and obftructions, is no fecret. And that the medicinal properties of thofe drugs are found in tar-water, without heating the blood, or difordering the ftomach, is confirmed by experience; and particularly that pthifical and afthmatic perfons receive fpeedy and great relief from the use of it.

12. Balfams, as all unctuous and oily medicines, create a nauseating in the ftomach. They cannot therefore be taken in fubftance, fo much or fo long, as to produce all those salutary effects, which, if thoroughly mixed with the blood and juices, they would be capable of producing. It muft therefore be a thing of great benefit, to be able to introduce any requifite quantity of their volatile parts into the fineft ducts and capillaries, fo as not to offend the ftomach, but, on the contrary, to comfort and strengthen it in a great degree.

13. According to Pliny, liquid pitch (as he calls it) or tar was obtained by fetting fire to billets of old fat pines or firs. The first running was tar, the latter or thicker running was pitch. Theophraftus is more particular: he tells us the Macedonians made huge heaps of the cloven trunks of those trees, wherein the billets were placed erect befide each other. That fuch heaps or piles of wood were fometimes a hundred and eighty cubits round, and fixty or even a hundred high: and that having covered them with fods of earth to

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