'.&■'■■■ ■';-*£ ft^t Wl, ■il*- ., Ul • "'■• ' ' J" '£' '••If,'.- , " .-jrfifatefttf ^ *,■ 5 ft J i rn ^^mm ^#i -4.J iff ~y~**'ir -6M —* J*-» -'"? h A>K WS, ■ :\ (r 1/ h t> J c? h h ^ Ml GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE, OR POOR MAN'S FRIEND, IN THE HOURS OF AFFLICTION, PAIN AND SICKNESS. THIS BOOK POINTS OUT, IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, FREE FROM DOCTORS' TERMS, THE DISEASES OF MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN, AND THE LATEST AND MOST APPROVED MEANS USED IN THEIR CURE, AND IS INTENDED EXPRESSLY FOR THE BENEFIT OF FAMILIES IN THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN STATES- IT ALSO CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF THE MEDICINAL ROOTS AND HERBS OF THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN COUNTRY, AND HOW THEY ARE TO BE USED IN THE CURE OF DISEASES. ARRANGED ON A NEW AND SIMPLE PLAN, BY WHICH THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IS REDUCED TO PRINCIPLES OF COMMON SENSE. Why should we conceal from mankind that which relieves the distresses of our fellow-beings? NINTH EDITION^ PUBLISHED BY J. PERRY. XENIA, OHIO: J. H. PURDY, PniNTER. 1837. 1^1 Entered according to aet of Congress, in 1832, by Johi» C. Gvhn, in the Clerk's Office of the United States District Court for the District of East Tennessee. INDEX. PAGE ANGER, ......- 27 Ague and fever, ..... JJj* Apopleptic fits, ----- ou» Asthma,..... J** Abortion, - *£* After pains, - £53 Alumroot, ----- »*4 American Centaury, ... - oto Anodynes, ----- 624 Anti-Spasmodics, - ~** Amputation, - - - J Amputation of the arm, - - * . °^£ of the thigh and leg - - - 69^~T^ of the fore-arm, fingers and toes, - - 700 Accidents, - !? * BILIOUS FEVER, - - - " K? Bnnaan* - - 541 ones-t, , " 544 Blackberry bush, common, - - " *f*~ Button Snake root, - - j? *~ Blood, or Puccoon root, - - - £jJJ Butterfly weed, or Pleurisy root, • - °b8 Bloodletting, . - ' * fifiS Beer for Consumption, - - - °?T COLD BATH, - " " " 200 Colic, - 203 Cholera Morbus, &c. • *" Consumption, - 274 Catarrh or Cold, - „„„ Cow pox, or Vaccination, - Clap, _ 380 Cancer, - _ 385 Corns, _ _ 423_486 Colic, - _ 426 Cramp, - 407 Constant desire to make water, - ' Chills, - 463 Child bed Fever, - 4g5 Constipation, • .g. Convulsions or fits, - .»3 Croup, - 497 Cholera Infantum, or pukmg, &c. g3Q Cancer root, Besch drops, - ' _ ^ Camomile, 4 INDEX. Columbo, American, - - 550 Castor Oil, how to make, . . 589 Clysters or Glysters, . • . 699 Classification of medicines, &c. . . Oil Concussion and compression of the Brain, . 66£-(i(i6 Contusion or blow, . . . 064 Contused Wounds, . . 673 Cholera Epidemic, . . . 709 Compound Accidents, . . 694 Catheter, . . . 702 DISEASES OF THE LIVER, . 238 Dysentary or Flux, . . 256 Drinking cold water when overheated, . 272 Dropsy, . . . 277 Diseases of Women, .. . 387 Diseases of Children, • . . 472 Dogwood, .. . 522 Dittany, . . . 537 Directions for preserving roots, &c. . 590 Dislocation, . . .689 Dislocation of the lower jaw and shoulder, . 690 of the collar bone, elbow, wrist, fingers, &c. 691 of the thigh, . . 692 of the knee pan,leg and foot, . 693 Diabetes, or great flow of urine, . . 295 EXERCISE, . . .149 Eruptions of the ekin, . . . 299 Epileptic fits, . . . 312 Ear Ache, . . . . 330 Exercise of Children, &c. . . 481 Eye, sore, . . .488 Emetics or pukes, . . 612 Eating Snuff, . .. . 537 FEAR, . . . .22 Food, . . . 170 Fever, &c. . . . 178 False pains, . . . 439 Flooding, . . -431 Faintings, . . # 45g Fever of Children, . . 49Q Friction, . . # 607 Fractures of the bone of the nose, and lower jaw, . 681 of the collar bone, , . % 682 of the arm and bones of the fore arm, . 683 of the wrist and of the ribs, . 684 of the thigh, . . 685 of the bones of the foot, . , 688 Falling of the palate, . . . 643 GRIEF> • . * . 63 Gravel and Stone, . , .288 Gle*V ■■/■'■* * • 367 INDEX. 5 Green Sickness, Ginseng, Ginger, HOPii Head Ache,, Heart Burn, Horse Mint, Hydrophobia, or the bite of a mad dog, INTEMPKRANCE, Indigestion, or Dyspepsia, Inflammation of the stomach, intestines, brain, spleen, kidneys, bladder, lungs, breasts of women, during child bed labor, Itch, Incised wounds, Ipecacuanha, Indian Physic, Indian Turnip, Issues, JOY, Jealousy, Jamestown weed, Jerusalem oak, . . Jalap, Jaundice, LOVE, Lax, Lock Jaw, Labor, difficult, . • directions after, Lochia, Laxativeness, Lobelia Inflata, Liverwort, MUMPS, Menses or courses, obstructed, great discharge of cessation of Midwives, directions for Milk Fever, Meconium, Measles, Mercury, . 398 525 581 * 24 328 425 588 648 100 215 261 262 265 287 268 270 641 460 460 308 669 546-566 565 574 605 29 33 . 516 536 571 644 45 259 378 439 446 454 457 618 577 636 330 390 394 400 402 449 461 477 503 634 (> INDEX. May Apple, 587 Manna, . . . 569 Mortification, 650-701 NERVOUS FEVER, 194 Night Mare, or Incubus, 647 ORIGINAL IMPERFECTIONS, 478 Ointment for sores, 631 Opium, 582 PASSIONS, of the 21 Punctured wounds, 671 Pulse, 182 Pleurisy, 284 Palsy, . . . , 315 Piles, 323-429 Putrid sore throat, 325 Pox, .... 354 Poisons, . ... 369 Painful affections of the face, 376 Pregnancy, and signs of, 410-415 cautions during, and diseases of 417-418 Pain in the head, &c. 424 Prickly Ash, or tooth ache tree, 572 Peppermint, 580 Purgatives, active, 616 RELIGION, 74 Rheumatism, 206 Red Gum, . . . 483 Rue and Balm, 550 Rhubarb, 561 Rickets, 648 SLEEP, . . 142 Scurvy,, 281 Saint Anthony's Fire, 301 Scald Head, 303 Sore legs, . . 321 Sore eyes, 332 Small Pox, 342 Scalds and burns, 383 Sickness of the stomach, 422 Swelled legs, . . . 425 Stoppage of Urine, . v 427 Sleep, want of 428 Swelled leg, . . , 462 Still born, . . , 473 SnufHes, 482 Swaim's Panacea, 635 Sudorifics, . . 630 Sore eyes of children, i 488 Scald head . 497 Snake root, Seneka, '. 510 Sassafras, - . ■ 513 INDEX. 7 Sarsaparilla, . . . 514 Slippery Elm, . . . 585 Scarlet fever, . . 706 Sage, ... J erful; where, sur- rounded by luxury and wealth, and reclined at ease on a gilded sofa, love might have held a court superior in splendor and magnificence to that said to have been held in the fabled mansions of Jove! What did I see? I saw discontent, suspicion, and prying distrust, lower- ing in every eye. I saw that the hearts of the inhabi- tants of these splendid mansions were estranged from each other. I saw the servants in varied liveries, gli- ding in solemn silence from room to room; nor did one sound of cheerfulness or festivity, break the dull monotony of this splendid solitude; this gilded, carpet- ed, and festooned hell of wedded misery! I saw the owners of all this wealth and waste of luxury, take their solitary meal; for nature had denied them off- spring, in revenge for a violation of her laws. They approached the festive board, which was loaded with luxuries of every climate, with eyes averted from each other. No social converse; no interchange of thought or sentiment, enlivened the cold and hollow splendor of the scene. The servants in attendance helped them; even the common forms of superficial politeness were unobserved; nor did they recognize the presence of each other, unless in stolen and hateful glances. They seemed to sit on thorns; and no sooner was their mis- erable repast ended, than the one betook himself to the gaming table, and probably the other to her para" mour, GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE; 41 These two delineations of life, are not mere visions of the fancy; they are to be met with in any country.— They prove conclusively, that marriages contracted from improper motives, are always followed by conse- quences destructive of human happiness and the best interests of mankind. All the conflicts, discontents and jealousies of the married state, may be traced to improper motives for marriage or improper conduct after it. Perhaps there is one exception; which I shall name. The husband sometimes becomes jealous of the wife, and the wife of the husband, where there is no infidelity on either side; from a mere conscious- ness of being unworthy of an attachment. Causes of this character frequently occur; and it may generally, if not in every instance, be laid down as a fixed and settled principle in human nature, that where mere is no positive demonstration of connubial delinquency, the party disposed to suspicion and jealousy, derives these surmises of deviation, from the simple fact of a consciousness of being too depraved to be an object of love! I am aware that this is a severe and degra- ding sentence, against those who entertain causeless suspicions; but the opinion is not less true than severe.! The following is the routine of reasonings usually ob- served by a man about becoming jealous of his wife.—^ "This woman arrests much of the public attention.—; She is every where well spoken of. In all public assemblies, where I am considered a mere shadow; she commands the most unbounded respect, and I view every compliment paid to her beauty and accom- plishments, as an indirect satire on myself. I am un- doubtedly her inferior in every thing; and particularly in sensibility and intelligence. I am conscious of my own meanness and depravity; she possesses too much 6 43 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. perspicacity and penetration, not to have discovered my real character—and cannot love me,—I saw her bowed to in the street; she returned the compliment with a smile. Yesterday, from my neglect and inat- tention, a gentleman of fine appearance and command- ing manners and address, handed her to her carriage; she thanked him for his polite attentions— by h----n, she never did love me! At Mrs. Fidget's ball the other night, she attracted general attention; her chair was continually surrounded by gentlemen of figure, compared with whom I felt myself a mere cypher; a gentleman bowed politely to her in passing,—angels and ministers defend me! It was the gentleman who handed her into her carriage—and I am no more thought of—I am a lost man forever." Man of fanci- ful miseries and imaginary cuckoldom, behold your portrait. This is the light in which the world beholds you. Having now in some measure accounted for the passion of jealousy, which is unfortunately to preva- lent in this country, I will conclude the subject by some general remarks. The marriage compact is entered into for two pur- poses. 1st. The happiness of the parties themselves; 2d. The rearing and educating properly, the off- spring of the marriage contract. The principles of a genuine attachment, such as ought always to be found in wedded life, can never exist in any degree of per- fection, unless there is a natural affinity between the parties—in temper, disposition, passions, taste, habits, and pursuits of mind. When this congeniality is abso- lutely and entirely wanting, the parties will gradually and almost imperceptibly become estranged from each other, and finally experience the influence of in differ- GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 43 ence, and more probably of settled and confirmed hatred. In this event, if our laws would sanction the practice, and if there were no* Ufl^pSiifeg to provide for, it would be much more consonant with justice and expediency, that the parties should separate, and else- where form new and more agreeable engagements. It certainly is worse than useless, to compel persons to associate together, and that too in the most close and intimate manner, when they are mutually actuated in relation to each other, by sentiments of hatred and contempt. According to the present state of things, in relation to divorcement, the person wishing a release- merit from the marriage bond, must first become pub- licly and notoriously infamous; or resort, as has been proved by the several late executions of malefac- tors, to the dreadful alternative of murder. What a terrible lesson do these late executions hold out to society, on the subject of marriage, and the absolute necessity of its being based on genuine love. Many persons marry who only fancy themselves in love! A little Master or Miss, who would have been well employed in reading the fables in the spelling- book, gets hold of the "Sorrows of Werter," or Rousseau's "Eloisa," or Petrarch's "liaura," or some other work of the same character, in which unfortu- nate love si delineated in the colors of the rainbow, and leads its unfortunate and most melancholy victims to whoredom and suicide! With a head full of such trash, and a heart as tender and susceptible as a beef- steak that has been well beaten for the gridiron, noth- ing will do the little gentleman or lady but the very fact of falling in love; and that, too, with the very first object which presents itself. Pappa and mamma are cruel; they will not assent to the match, and the event 44 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. is probably an elopement. Then comes the appalling discovery, that the lady is not quite a goddess, nor the gentleman entirely a demigod: then comes the discov- ery, that they are badly paired, and infinitely worse matched; the gentleman becomes tired of the lady, and the lady of the gentleman; and finally, their papas and mammas have to take them home and support them. I have known many instances of this kind, which clearly prove, in addition to what I have noted above, that marriages ought to be predicated on natural con- geniality of character, and as far as possible, sanctioned jby the exercise of reason and reflective power. I have mentioned the rearing and education of off- spring, as duties annexed to the married state How can such elevated and responsible duties be performed by persons who are disqualified even from regulating their own conduct, so as to set a correct moral exam- ple? I am very willing to admit, that teachers of much ability are every where to be be found; but no influence can possibly act on the infant and youthful mind in the formation of future character, with half the force, depth and durability of impression, as that derived from the precepts and examples of parents: and I presume it will be admitted, that those who are destitute of the capaci- ty to make a judicious selection of partners for life, are scarcely capable of forming the infant mind. The wives of the Greeks and Romans and their domestic regulations, were truly the nurses and the nurseries of those two great races of statesmen and heroes. The best biographers of Washington, whose moral, political and military life, presents the noblest portrait of man to be found on the records of time, ascribe much of the purity, elevation and patriotism of his character, to the sound judgment and intellectual energy of his moth- GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 45 er. The influence which the manners, example, and precepts of a mother, exercise over the intellectual dawnings of the youthful mind and passions, can scareely be appreciated by men of the most acute and profound observation; a proof of which, in addition to the millions of others which might be adduced, may be inferred from the remarks made by the illustrious and greatly unfortunate captive of St. Helena, on the moral and, intellectual qualifications of his mother. The truth is, and I mention it with no ordinary sen- timents of regret, that the education of females in the United States, is not only viewed in too important and contemptible a light, but that it is absolutely disgrace- ful tO THE SPIRIT OF OUR INSTITIONS, and the REAL GEN- IUS OF THE PEOPLE. LOVE. This is one of the master passions of the human soul, and when experienced in the plenitude of its power, its devotions embrace with despotic energy and uncontrolled dominion, all the complicated and power-? ful faculties of man. It was implanted in the human bosom, for the noblest and most beneficent of purposes, and when restricted to its legitimate objects, and re^ strained within due bounds by moral sentiment, may be called the great fountain of human happiness. No passion incidental to humanity embraces so vast a space, and such an intimate multiplicity of objects;—it com- mences in the cradle with tender emotions of filial attachment and veneration for our parents; it animates and accompanies us through all the chequered vicissi- tudes of life, attaching itself to every object which can 46 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. afford us enjoyment and happiness, and finally, in ac- companying us to the last resort of the living, it concen- trates all its pure and sublime energies at the gre&tfoun- tain of existence, the throne of the living God. Like all other elementary principles of human na- ture, its essence baffles the keenest researches of philo- sophy and science; and its existence can only be recognized by a consciousness of its presence, and the effects which are manifested in every department of life, by multiplied exhibitions of its energies. It attach- es the infant to its parent, and the domicil of its earli- est days of helplessness and dependence: it attaches the youth to the objects of his playful years, to the companions of his innocent and festive mirth, and to the first objects of his youthful fancy. Without its animating influence, as concentrated on objects of true glory, the hero would degenerate into a poltroon, the statesman into a political driveler, and the patriot into a mere citizen of the world, without friends—without home—and without those endearing and sacred ties, which bind us to our native land! The beneficent and heavenly aspirations of love, are every where to be found; they bind the solitary and warlike savage to his native forests; the Moor, the Arab, and the Negro, to the burning plains of the torrid zone; the Russian, the Swede, the Norwegian and Laplander, to the snows and glaciers of the polar regions, and the courtly and civilized European and American, to the refinements and comforts of the more temperate regions of the globe. Without local, relative or personal attachments, man would be eternally discontented with his condi- tion; he would become, like Cain, a fugitive and a vagabond upon the face of the globe; in fact, the deep foundations of domestic and national society would gunn's domestic medicine. 47 soon be broken up, and scattered to the winds of heav- en, were it not for the strong attachments of man for the objects among Which he is placed. If you require proofs of the truth of this universal doctrine of love, ask the parent what price would induce him to part with his children; ask the husband of a woman of elevated and noble character, what sum in gold or jewels he would consider equivalent to her value; ask the savage what would induce him to abandon the dangers of the chase, and the deep and silent solitudes of nature, and to reside in your crowded cities, amidst the hum of business and the confusion of assembled multitudes. Ask the Samoiede, and Laplander, what would induce them to change the fogs and snows of the north, for the mild and balmy temperature of coun- tries presenting eternal spring and unfading verdure? They will tell you that they love their parents, their children, their friends, their country. Man, unlike the inferior animals of creation, is indeed the citizen of every climate; and, his capacities of forming local and relative attachments, are as varied and extensive as the powers by which he overcomes difficulties, and forces nature to yield him the comforts, conveniences and positive enjoyments of existence. Philanthropy, or love of our species, is founded on favorable perceptions of the purity, the beneficence, the elevation, and the true dignity of the human character; nor did ever an individual, of any age or country, be- come a confirmed misanthrope, but from contrary per- ceptions of human nature. A man who is naturally a hater of his species, without having had his character soured by the deceptions, frauds and oppressions of mankind, is by nature cowardly, timid and selfish.— Nothing great, patriotic, or disinterested, can be expect- 48 gunn's domestic medicine. ed from such a man; he is cruel, vindictive, avaricious^ fraudulent and roguish in the extreme; he only seems to have been placed among mankind, as a sort of stand- ard of meanness and demerit, by which we are ena- bled to measure and duly appreciate the elevation of character and dignified virtues of other men. There are various degrees of misanthropy, in a descending scale, from that which characterized the mind and feel- ings of "Timon of Athens," downward to the mean, sordid, and exclusive self-love, which manifests itself in taking all possible advantages of mankind, for the hoard- ing and accumulation of ill-gotten wealth, These pigmy misanthropes, or haters of mankind on a petty scale, are every where to be found. They are the scoundrels who, in all societies, cheat and swindle upon every occasion; they are the men who will sacrifice, or in other words, purchase at half its value, on an execu- tion sale, the little property of the needy, and who would not scruple to rob the widow and the orphan of the little that sickness and misfortune had spared them. You will see these swindling vagabonds, adding hypocrisy to their petty villainies, by making an absolute mockery of religion itself, at the communion table. That insa- tiable avarice is a disease of the mind, there can be no doubt, and that this disease requires a moral treatment of cure, there can be as little question. If these men would reflect on the brevity of human life; if they would consider that their ill-acquired wealth must soon pass from their possession, and that death will unload them at the gates of eternity, surely they would soon discover the folly, impolicy, and henious immorality of such a course. The passion of love, properly so called, or that strong and indissoluble attachment which frequently gunn's domestic medicine^ 49 exists between the two sexes, is one of the noblest and most powerful emotions that ever animated the human bosom. As I remarked before, under the head of jealousy, this pure and elevated attachment is the great solacer of human life; the harbinger of successful pro- creative power; the precursor and nurturer of success- ive millions of the human race; the great moral parent of all the numerous races of men to be found in every climate of the globe. It is the native of every country that has been invaded by the enterprise of man, and is found to bloom and flourish in perfection wher- ever man has fixed his habitation. It finds a congenial soil in the booth of the hunter, the hut of the savage, the tent of the wandering Arab, the leafy bower of the African of the Gambia, as well as in the haunts of civilization and the palaces of kings. As I have remarked under another head, there exists in the human bosom, certain instinctive sympathies and antipathies, which we are unable to control, either by the force of moral sentiment or the efforts of reason; and which are absolutely inexplicable by all the boast- ed powers of human genius. The existence of these instinctive principles, are only known by our own con- sciousness, and the powerful and decisive effects they are known to produce. No two human beings espe- cially of different sexes, and more especially if their affections were unengaged by previous prepossessions, were ever yet in the presence of each other for any length of time, without experiencing the force, in a greater or less degree^ of the sympathy or antipathy before noticed. When the attraction is mutually strong, the parties soon become conscious of a congeniality of temper, disposition, tastes and sensibilities; this sympa- thetic attraction has, by some writers on the subject, 7 50 gunn's domestic medicine. been denominated "love at first sight." When on the other hand, the physical, moral, and intellectual char- acters of the parties, are essentially and radically differ- ent from each other; in other words, and in more fash- ionable phraseology, when the natural characters of the parties are the antipodes, or direct opposites of each other, the repulsive powers of natural antipathy are so strongly experienced, as to produce involuntary hatred, if not fixed and unalterable sentiments of con- tempt and detestation. I am thus particular in giving my opinions on these subjects, not only because I know that their correctness will be sanctioned by the actual experience of thousands, but because I trust they will be of service to many, in disclosing the extreme danger to human happiness, which invariably arises from uni- ting those to each other, by merely artificial and facti- tious ties, whom God and nature have put assunder. By opposition of native character, I mean a plain and palpable dissimilitude of temperaments, taste and intel- lectual and moral pursuits. Can physical and moral beauty, be in love with physical deformity, and moral depravity of character? Can wisdom and intelligence be in love with folly and stupidity? Innocence and spotless purity, with guilt and corruption? Virtue with vice? No! "Vice is a monster, of such frightful mien, That to be hated, needs but to be seen." I am willing to admit, and believe it to be strictly true, that persons who are characterized by vice, cor- ruption, guilt, stupidity, folly, moral depravity, or per- sonal deformity, may form strong attachments to persons of diametrically opposite characters:—this would be but admitting what every person knows; that vice and imperfection, under all their various forms and char- gunn's domestic medicine. 51 acters, if endowed with the common faculties of percep- tion, must and always will pay involuntary tributes of respect, veneration, and such love as they are capable ef experiencing, to virtue and moral purity wherever found. The love of the depraved and immoral portion of mankind, is precisely such as may always be expect- ed from such characters; it is selfish, base and ignoble; utterly devoid of tenderness and consideration for the object beloved, it is precisely such love as the wolf bears for the lamb; or the fox for the hen-roost! It has always been matter of much astonishment to me, that females of refined sensibility, lofty sentiments of moral virtue, and high orders of intellectual power, should accept a reciprocation of pure and virtuous love, from the scum and dregs of society, the off-scourings of brothels, and the hoary and depraved veterans of the gaming table! They might as well, I think, and with much better hopes of success, attempt to extract candor from confirmed hypocrites, honor from thieves, or humanity from highway robbers. There is no way of solving this enigma, that I know of, but by supposing that women of virtue and honor are incapable of dis- tinguishing the particular claims which these gentle- men have to their detestation and contempt; or by presuming that they always, by the aid of their imagi- nations, invest the characters of such men with fictitious virtues, v> hich have no existence; for I cannot suppose they can truly love them, and yet be fully acquainted with their intrinsic characters. The strength and qual- ity of an attachment, must certainly depend, in a great measure, on the physical and moral qualities of the object beloved, and on the capacities of a lover to per- ceive and appreciate those qualities. I am perfectly convinced, and that, too, from experience, that a woman 52 gunn's domestic medicine. of moral purity of character, never excites the same impure sentiments and base passions, that are produced or excited by a female of a contrary character, and whose countenance and deportment betray indications of immoral habits and loose desires. There is some- thing of immaculate purity; something of the very divinity of virtue, in the countenance and deportment of a woman of chaste desires, elevated moral senti- ments, and cultivated intellectual powers, that represses the low-born suggestions of lust and depravity, and awes all the vicious passions into cowardly submission to the dignity of female perfection. No man, however vicious and depraved in his habits and pursuits, ever yet had the impudence and audacity to contemplate the deliberate seduction of an accomplished and beautiful woman, unless he were under the influence of a species of libidinous insanity; had formed a contemptible opinion of the female character, or had discovered some vulnerable part in her armor of chastity and virtue. Few women, and I mention the fact with much regret, are proof against the thrilling suggestions, of vanity, the allurements of flattery, and the fascina- tions attendant on a passion for general admiration; they ought early to be taught by their parents and pre- ceptors that true pride, which is in reality dignity of character, is always hostile to the foolish and dangerous suggestions of vanity; that flattery, called by an old and quaint writer, "the oil of fool," is a direct and positive insult; and that a female passion for universal admira- tion, especially in the married state, is hostile to domes- tic peace, and absolutely at war with connubial enjoy- ment and happiness. That flattery is an insult, is evident from the fact gunn's domestic medicine. 53 that no flatterer ever yet ventured upon the practice of his art, without first concluding that the object of his addresses was a fool; the truth is, that flattery is always a4dressed to our personal vanity, which in plain language means, a strong propensity to an over- estimate of our own merits and perfections. Manly and dignified pride, has always been found a specific against the frivilous passion of vanity, and hence it has been frequently said, that a man or woman may be too proud to be vain; the fact is, that vanity is the false and empty pride of fools! Napoleon intended much when he expressed himself thus to some of his friends, "I had hoped and expected that the French were a proud nation, but I have found by experience that they are only vain." The passion for universal admi- ration is the distinguishing and strong characteristic of a coquette; it is the offspring of personal vanity, begot- ten upon coldness of temperament, ignorance and folly. A coquette, in the female world, is what a cox- comb is among men, a being void of sentiment, sensi- bility and intelligence, and utterly incapable of genuine love. The marriages of both coquetts and coxcombs, in conformity with the coldness and shallowness of their characters, are always predicated on other principles than those of attachment to the object. They are absolutely incapable of feeling the soft refinements, the elevated sentiments, or the deep toned energies of real love; those people are never in danger of suffering the tortures of a broken heart, nor can they experience either much happiness or any inconsiderable degree of misery in the married state. The love of general admiration is their master passion; and whenever this js the case, it is impossible that a concentration of 54 tjinn's domestic medicine. affections can take place, and be exclusively directed to a single object; fire can never be produced from the separated and scattered sunbeams, they must be concentrated by a convex glass, called a lens, before they can be rendered sufficiently intense to produce warmth, heat and combustion. The love of general admiration was wisely implanted in the human bosom, and for the best of purposes; but whenever it gains the full possession of the female breast, it freezes all the domestic and conjugal affections, and sometimes leads to jealousy and discontent, with all their dreadful train of consequences—in other words, and I wish the sen- timent to make a well-merited and indelible impression, the married man who can prefer the admiration of oth- er women to that of the wife of his bosom, is a traitor to all the hallowed solemnities of the marriage compact, and a cold and calculating violater of all the laws of God! Nor, on the other hand, is the married woman less a traitoress to connubial love, to the honor and hap- piness of her husband and family, and to the best inter- ests of society, and domestic enjoyment, who can prefer the shallow and superficial admiration of fools and cox- combs, to the deep and devoted attachments of a hus- band, who would not scruple to make a sacrifice of life itself to insure her happiness. "Woman alone was formed to bless The life of man, and share his care; To soothe his breast, when keen distress Hath lodg'd a poison'd arrow there." I have mentioned, that persons of diametrically op- posite physical, moral, and intellectual characters, could never assimilate with, and become strongly attached to each other, notwithstanding the powerful attractions of the sexual instinct. By opposite, natural and ac- quired characters, I do not mean mere contrasts of GUNN^S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 55 mental and corporeal disposition and characteristics.— I cannot otherwise disclose my precise meaning, re- specting things which are direct opposites, and those which are only contrasts of each other, than by citing the example of colors. Black and white, for instance, are the opposites of each other, and when placed in juxtaposition, always pain the eye; but, either of those colors, when compared with any other of the primitive colors or even shades, are only considered contrasts. St. Pierre, in his studies of nature, has been explicit on this ingenious and novel subject, which is certainly worthy of much consideration. There seems to exist, between persons of opposite physical characters, a decided indifference as regards sexual communication; or if not a decided and entire indifference, there cer- tainly does not obtain between them, that arduous and passionate sexual propensity, which is found between persons who are the contrasts of each other. I have remarked in innumerable instances, the strong attach- ments which existed between persons of contrasted complexion, contrasted colors of the eyes and hair, and especially of strongly contrasted stature and di- mensions; and I have no doubt, that the reader of this new, if not very interesting part of my reflections, will recollect very many instances, of the existence of mar- riages voluntarily entered into from the strongest of possible attachments, between persons who in point of stature and size, were perfect contrasts of each other. Ask a tall, robust and athletic man, what sort of a wife he would choose; and you will very soon ascer- tain that his choice would fall on a female, the con- trasted reverse of himself. In fact* you will always find on enquiry, that a lean man prefers a woman of size, and rather large proportions—a short man, a 56 gunn's domestic medicine. woman of lofty stature, and so on to the end of the chapter of contrasts in personal character. The gigantic and brawny Roman warrior, Mark Anthony, fell in love with the sylph-like and fairy form of Cleo- patra, the celebrated Queen of Egypt, who was remark- able for being of very diminutive proportions, though very beautiful, in fact, thousands of such instances might be cited from both ancient and modern history. The contrast of physical proportions and character, united in the marriage bond, seems to have been inten- ded by Providence, to equalize the breed of mankind, and to prevent them on the one hand from running up into a race of giants, and on the other from degenera- ting into a strain of diminutive and contemptible pig- mies. But on the subject of contrasts, that is not all; con- trasts in moral and intellectual qualities, seem to be equally favorable to love; and here again I am com- pelled to resort to figurative language to convey my meaning. There are concords and discords in music: perfect concords always fall on the ear with a dull and cold monotony; whilst perfect discords always grate harshly on the auditory nerves, producing exquisite sensations which are still more unharmonious and disagreeable. It will not be necessary to say much on this subject of moral and mental contrasts; I only sug- gest, that the reader may make his own observations, respecting this singular anomaly in the human charac- ter. We know perfectly well, that persons of moder- ate intellectual powers, both male and female, provided their tempers and dispositions be gentle and amiable, are invariably the objects of love and the most tender regard, with those who possess uncommonly lofty and powerful characteristics of genius and intellect. This gunn's domestic medicine. 57 fact is even so notorious in all societies, as to have be- come a proverb; and, how often have we all seen in- stances in conjugal life, in which fortitude has been uni- ted to despondency—fickleness and inconstancy of res- olution, with the most unshaken and resolute tenacious* ness of purpose—timidity with consummate bravery— and the highest order of moral courage, with the shrink- ing cowardice of superstition and childish ignorance.— We know these to be facts, and can only account for them on the great scale of divine wisdom and providence, by presuming them to be intended for equalizing the hu- man species in wisdom and moral energy—and for form- ing additional and indissoluble bonds in the social com- pacts of mankind. I have several times mentioned, and I think demon- strated, so far as the force of facts and moral reasoning will go, that the passion of love is measurably invol- untary, and beyond the control of moral sentiment and reason; nor can there, I think, exist any doubt, not only that the strength of the passion depends on the peculiar temperaments of individuals, but that the dis- tinctive cliaracteristics of the passion or emotion called love, are essentially connected with the physical, moral and intellectual qualifications of the objects or persons beloved. If, then, the strength of the passion is in any proportion to the natural temperaments of individuals; and if its peculiar qualities or characteris- tics depend on the natural and acquired qualifications of the objects of attachment, how ridiculous, absurd, and perfectly irrational it must be for any man or woman to expect, that he or she can possibly be an object of attachment, with any person of rational and scrutinizing mind, on account of qualifications which are not possessed, and which in fact, are known and 8- 58 gunn's domestic medicine. perceived to be entirely wanting. I mention the sub- ject in this way, and place it in this light, in order to prevent the exercise of hypocrisy between the sexes, which is always dangerous in its consequences—and in order, also, that those whose happiness in life, de- pends on their being objects of esteem, friendship, ven- eration, attachment and love, may see the absolute necessity of deserving the homage of such refined and virtuous sentiments; in other words, that they may be deeply impressed with the important and eternal truth, that candor, honor, and moral virtue, are the great passports to human happiness. I have often witnessed the tremulous solicitude of females, of the most amia- ble and exalted qualities of person and mind, respect- ing the public opinion of their merits and character, and frequently been interrogated by them on the sub- ject. In these cases, I have uniformly answered in the words of an old Grecian sage, "know thyself;" and your opinions of yourself, if correct and well founded, will be precisely such as are entertained for you, by those you esteem and approbation are of any im- portance. Genuine and rational love, commences in the natural, and if I may be allowed the expression, as applicable to human nature, the instinctive sympathies of individuals for the society t)f each other; it is ce- mented and powerfully strengthened by the endearments of sexual enjoyment, of which I have, before spoken; and it is crowned with both temporal and immortal du- ration, by the mild purity and unfading lustre of the moral virtues, and the imposing splendor of genius and intellectual power. As I said before, it is confined to no particular climate, and to no exclusive region of the globe; its benign influence is experienced, as well among the polar snows of the north, as in the mild gunn's domestic medicine. 59 climates of the temperate zones. It is the exclusive guests of no particular rank in life: the rich, the poor, the exalted, the base, the brave, are alike participant in its genial warmtfy,, and heavenly influence. In the words of Lawrence Sterne, "no tint of words can spot its snowy mantle, nor chemic power turn its sceptre into iron; with love to smile upon him as he eats his crust, the swain is happier than the monarch, from whose court it has been exiled by vice and immorality." This is that undebased and genuine love, which is founded in unlimited confidence, mutual esteem, and the mild sublimities of virtue and integrity of charac- ter. It illuminates the countenance with the sparkling brilliancy ofysoft desire "and is in fact, the safeguard of female virtue, and of chastity itself, whenever as- sailed by unprincipled and seductive fascination. With respect to the passion of love, there is a com- mon error of female education, which will also apply to the early instruction of males,, of which I must speak in plain terms in the conclusion of this subject. Eve- ry human being, at a very early period of life from peculiar modes of instruction, and the examples pre- sented to the mind, forms some idea of the qualifica- tions which constitute human excellence. If, for in- stance, at an early period, the parents and instructors of a female impress upon her mind, that the mere decora- tion of the person will render her an object of tender regard; without the cultivation of her moral and intel- * lectual qualities, tne result will be, and it cannot be avoided, that aiming at what she believes to be the great excellence of the human female character, both her moral and intellectual energies will retrogade into barrenness and insipidity: in other words, she will be- come what the world denominates a pretty woman, I 60 gunn's domestic medicine. the idle of fools and coxcombs, but an object of com- passion, indifference or contempt, with men of lofty sentiments and distinguished characters. Peter the Great of Russia, on account of her superior intellectual endowments, chose for a wife, and made her Empress of Russia, a woman of obscure and lowly origin.— And in more modern times, I had the information from a person well acquainted with the facts, we find the spirit, discrimination and sound judgment of Peter the Great respecting the value of a woman of a cultivated mind, revived in the person and character of Lord Morgan. Sidney Owenson, his present wife, was the daughter of a comedian on the Dublin stage At an early period, this youthful * female discovered strong traits of genius of a literary character, and Owenson, though in impoverished circumstances, determined to educate his daughter. He did so; in consequence of which, she became an object of strong attachment with a man of distinguished mind, who preferred her to the titled and the rich, and she is now Lady Morgan. Mrs. Hamilton, a lady of some celebrity, who has written much on female education, makes the following remark on women: "where there is no intellect, there is no moral principle; and where there is no principle, there is no security for female virtue." This is the truth, but not the whole truth: had Mrs. Hamilton re- cognized religion as an essential requisite in preserving the moral virtues of women, she would probably have said all that was necessary on female education. The accomplishments of women, ought always to have some relation to their future duties in life; but it is evident, that the cultivation of their minds, cannot with justice to themselves and society be dispensed with, no matter what may be their future destinies. A cultivated mind gunn's domestic medicine. 61 is a never-failing passport to the best society; it always insures the extension of friendship and civility, when accompanied by correctness of conduct and a virtuous deportment; it prevents, women from becoming the dupes of artifice, and the victims of seduction; it ex- pands the heart to ail the principles of sympathetic feel- ing for the distresses of others, and induces a commise- ration for the misfortunes of mankind; it holds up to a distinct and scrutinizing examination, the real charac- ters of men, and enables a woman to make a judicious selection of worth, from a herd of coxcombs and fools, by which, if wealthy and distinguished by personal beauty, she may be persecuted with addresses. It fits her for the superintendence and regulation of a family. and enables her to make correct educational impressions on the minds of her offspring. The want of mental culture, among females of all ranks in life, has frequently led to disastrous consequen- ces. By mental culture, I do not mean those shallow and frivolous accomplishments which are sometimes taught at boarding-schools; nor do I mean by refine- ment of the female mind, a proficiency in drawing roses which resemble a copper coin, in thrumming a waltz on the piano, or fidgeting through the lascivous gesticulations of an Italian or French fandango! I mean by mental culture, the acquisition of solid accom- plishments; those which can be rendered useful to domestic policy, be an example to society in the correc- tion of its morals, and reflect honor on the national character. Such an education always represses the waywardness of the fancy, and lops away the useless and often dangerous exuberance of a powerful imagina- tion; it affords a never failing resource of comfort in solitude, and finds a healing balm for the wounds of a 62 gunn's domestic medicine. wayward and unfortunate destiny. In fine, no woman possessed of a judicious education, even under the pres- sure of the most trying misfortunes, ever yet lost the just equipoise between her strength and sensibility, or became the victim of a broken heart! The exquisite miseries which spring from disappoint- ed love, and sometimes terminate in a broken heart, (for I am well persuaded there is really such a disease,) always arise from visionary creations of the fancy, and disorders of the imagination: in other words, they are the offspring of overstrained and imaginary concep- tions, of the qualifications of the object of attachment; they are, in fact, the melancholy results of an over- estimate of the virtues and perfections of human nature; of which the woman of a cultivated mind, and really philosophic acquisitions, stands in no possible danger. A woman who cultivates tier imagination by the un- limited perusal of novels and romances, at the expense of the solid qualities of her understanding, is always in danger of becoming the victim of a wayward fancy; and, should she live to have the errors of her imagina- tion corrected by practical experience, will have noth- ing of the imagination left, but the ashes of a consumed sensibility, on which no future attachment can possibly be predicated._ A woman of cultivated mind sees objects as they really are—and not as they are clothed by an inflamed and disordered fancy; she knows that human nature is not perfection itself, and expects noth- ing from it, but what appertains to the natural charac- ter of man; she knows it to be a compound of weakness and strength, virtue and vice, wisdom and fojly—and never over-estimating the virtues and perfections of an object of attachment, her desires are chastened by moderation, and her loves by the high-toned philoso- gunn's domestic medicine. 63 phy of true wisdom! Such a woman, unlike the melan- choly victim of a morbid sensibility, and a high wrought and disordered imagination, is in no danger of sinking into the diseased apathy of disappointed love, and be- coming the victim of partial or total insanity, or a dis- consolate and broken heart; for which all the mere med- ical remedies known to human genius and science, are but miserable and inefficient palliatives. Religion, change of scenery, and attractive and interesting company, in some cases have considerable influence in detaching the the mind from the concentration of its reflections on an object of deep and vital love; but, in the more numer- ous instances, they have all been known to fail, and even to baffle all the efforts of friendship and parental attach- ment. In fact, it seems to me, and I have paid much attention to the subject, that judicious education, and a well cultivated mind, acting as preventatives to the dis- orders of the imagination, are almost the only and pow- erful species, against the occurrence of the miseries of disappointed love. GRIEF. This depressing affection of the mind, called a passion when experienced in the extreme, sometimes degenerates into confirmed melancholy, despair and fatal insanity. It is the offspring of so many and such various causes, that it is next to impossible to enumer- ate them. It is sometimes caused by cheerless and gloomy presentiments of the future; sometimes by the heavy pressure of present evils and calamities; and not unfrequently, by strong arid vivid recollections of losses which can never be retrieved. Against its inroads and 64 gunn's domestic medicine. often fatal effects on the health of the physical system (which are varied according to the temperament and character of the individual,) neither the internal nor external exhibition *» of medical drugs can have much avail. The force and effect which grief exercises and pro- duces, in deranging the functions of the physical sys- tem, seem in a great degree to depend on the poignancy and acuteness of those sensibilities which characterize the nervous system. Where the nervous system is tremulously sensible, and easily susceptible of external impressions, which is generally the case with persons of distinguished genius, there is invariably found a constitutional melancholy, which delights in retrospec- tions of the past, and serious, if not cheerless anticipa- tions of the future. At an early period of life, these persons are highly susceptible of the charms of nature, and aiso of her more gloomy and sombre scenery; and being deeply sensible of the influence of what to other men would be slight impressions, their feelings always exhibit themselves in the extremes of animation or de- pression of spirits, for which they themselves are utterly unable to account. In fact, is it not unusual to witness in the varying sensibilities of these persons, and that too. in the lapse of a single day, the reflective calmness and profundity of the great southern Pacific ocean— the urbanity and cheerfulness attendant on anticipations of future prosperity and happiness—and those storms of ungovernable and unsubdued passions, whose undu- lations resemble the mountain billows of the Atlantic, when lashed by the hurricanes and tornadoes of the torrid zone! This is not only the constitutional tem- perament of true and unsophisticated genius, of which so much has been paid, and so little known, but it is gunn's domestic medicine. 65 also the soil which produces sensations of exquisite hap- piness and misery; distinguished principles of moral rec- titude and depravity of conduct; great virtues and great vices! Seriousness, depression of spirits, melancholy, grief, despair, insanity, are but the different modifications of the same passion or predisposition of the moral facul- ties, of whose essence we in reality know nothing ab- stractly, only differing in degree of force and effect, in proportion to the strength or weakness of operating causes. For instance; seriousness and solemnity of feeling, are always produced in a mind of sensibility and reflection, by the sight of a dead body; of the human limbs lopped away in battle; of the human mind in ruins; and of human misery exhibited to us under any form: in these cases the effects produced are only temporary, and usually pass away with the removal of the objects which excited them. If, how- ever, serious and solemn feelings be often reproduced in the mind, by reiterated exhibitions of objects capa- ble of exciting them, their impressions will become more durable, and soon produce a habitual tone of feeling, denominated depression of spirits. When this depression of spirits is habitually indulged in for any considerable lapse of time, it is apt to gain so great an ascendancy over the active and resolute powers of the mind, as to dispose the person affected with its in- fluence, to seek in solitude and retirement from society, an indulgence in activity, irresolution and gloomy reflections, which, becoming fixed, and, as it were, im- moveable, settles down into melancholy. Seriousness, depression of spirits, and melancholy, sometimes pro- duce mental derangements; but they are generally of a harmless, unobtrusive, silent, and inoffensive charac- 9 66 gunn's domestic medicine. ter, where the nervous system is tremulous and exceed- ingly delicate—or where the temperament, if I may be allowed the phraseology, is characterized by weakness, irresolution and timidity. Compared with the above affections, which seem at first view to have their seat in the imagination, and by some are denominated hypocondria in men, and hys- terics in women—grief and despair are certainly affections of a more active and powerful character, and much sooner ending in fatuity or mental exhaustion, and outrageous or confirmed insanity. As I have somewhere mentioned, and the probability is that the fact will be acknowledged by all well-inform- ed physicians, by which I mean those who have discov- ered how little can be essentially known on the subject of affections of the mind, the particular and direct influence which these and other strong passions have in deranging the organization of the brain, cannot well be ascertained. All we know about the matter is, that we cannot think with accuracy and profundity of re- search, without a well-organized brain, and that any derangement of that organization and its natural func- tions, produces coequal and coextensive derangements of the intellectual or mental powers. The probability is, that refined, susceptible, and strong orginizations of the brain, considered in the aggregate, have much in- fluence in imparting to the mind, those refinements of taste, susceptibilities of feeling, and superior intellectual capacities, which we call genius, for want of a term which can be more clearly understood. We are per- fectly aware, that without a well-organized eye, no defi- nite or accurate ideas can be formed of colors—forms —dimensions—distances: that without a well-organized and susceptible ear, no clear and distinctively correct gunn's domestic medicine. 67 impressions can be Tnade, by what we call sounds, or vibrations of the air, for want of a more expressive term, on the auditory nerves: that without a well-con- structed nasal organ, vulgarly denominated a nose, no clear and distinct impressions can : be made on the olfactory nerves or nerves of smelling, by the effluvia arising from bodies: that, unless the portions of the nervous system which are incorporated with the tongue and its appendages, be unobstructed by malconforma- tion of the organs of taste, no distinctions of flavor could be recognized^between sugar, gall,"and vinegar; and that unless the nerves which are spread over the cutaneous surface of the body, and particularly that of the hands, be perfect both in organization and tone, no adequate or correct ideas could ever be formed of the shape, solidity, &c. of bodies, with which we come in immediate contact. The fact seems to be, and I consi- der the theoretical conjecture inferior to none which has been published by medical men, that whenever the affections of the mind derange the tone and susceptibil- ity of the senses, these derangements always bring to the censorium, or focal point of mental impression, incorrect and distorted ideas of external objects, which, as in hypocondria, make us believe in the existence of phantasmagoria of a most childish and superstitious character. This is a species of insanity, connected with unnatural and painful seriousness—habitual depression of spirits—and confirmed melancholy. On|the other hand, when inflictive impressions are made upon the mind, of an unusually active'rand pow- erful character, and sufficient to ] impair and partially destroy thejjorganization itself,[as in the cases of in- tense and poignant grief, or absolute and hopeless despair, the partial dissolution of the physical struc- 68 gunn's domestic medicine. ture and organization of the brain, it is not improbable, leads to offensive, mischievous, and terrific insanity, amounting to absolute phrensy, and finally terminating in dissolution. The fact is, and it is well known to physicians, that a dissolution of the organic structure of the frame, if that dissolution take place in any vital organ, particularly the brain or stomach, between which there exists a close and almost identical sym- pathy, decidedly morbid effects are produced to the whole system—physical, moral and mental; in fact, the brain may be called the father, and the stomach the mother of the system. I have only a,s yet spoken of the influence which is produced upon the physical functions of the system, by the passion of grief, and other strong affections of the same or a similar character. The same effects as those produced by the passions above enumerated, are sometimes the offspring of other causes, not connected in the first instance, with the passio'ns, but which after- wards operate strongly upon them, and assist in destroy- ing the nervous, vital and moral functions and organi- zation of the system. We know perfectly well, for instance, that there are many substances, which, when taken into the stomach, affect the passion strongly by irritation and excitement—produce morbid derange- ments of the physical functions—and, not unfrequently, moral and mental alineations. The effect of tincture of cantharides on some of the passions, when taken into the stomach, is perfectly well known; nor do I believe, that if its application to the stomach were long continued, it would ever fail to produce morbid irrita- tions and inflammations, which would terminate in functional derangement, and actual dissolution of organ- ic structure in the brain. The effect which opium pro,- gunn's domestic medicine. 69 duces, where it is used in immoderate quantities, as among the Turks, is well known, and that it not unfrequently ends in derangements of the physical sys- tem, and absolute insanity with all its horrors. Nor is the intemperate use of spirituous liquors, used to such excess and in such immoderate quantities in our own country, far behind the use of opium, in producing the same deleterious effects on the brain, through the me- dium of the stomach. Every man who will tax his recollections, will find his memory furnished with innu- merable instances, in which a long train of physical diseases has been followed by derangements of the intellect, which none of the boasted powers of science or medicine could relieve or rectify, merely from the immediate use, or rather abuse of spirituous liquors. Have we not all witnessed instances, in which the abuse of spirituous liquors has produced visceral ob- structions of a most deadly character—and mental derangements which have been confirmed and render- ed durable to the end of life? How is this fixed and confirmed mental alineation to be accounted for, but upon the presumption that those stimulants, long con- tinued, affect not only the nerves, but the organic struc- ture of the brain? Do we not know that a fit of intoxication is a paryoxism of mental derangement—- and that impressions often reiterated will wear their channels in the brain, injure its unrivalled and delicate organization, and render those effects durable? What are the effects which immediately follow a fit of exces- sive intoxication? Are they not the very same as those produced by the influence of the passions of which I have before spoken? Are they not seriousness, de- pression of spirits, melancholy, grief, despair, insani- ty? This is the point at which I intended to arrive. 70 gunn's domestic medicine. I intended to demonstrate in a plain and simple man- ner, that disease, insanity and death, are produced as well by moral as by physical causes; and that a phy- sician ought to ascertain both the state of the body and mind, if he really intends to effect a cure or removal of the class of diseases just mentioned. I know it to be a common practice with physicians, to listen to long details of the physical symptoms of their patients, with- out the least inquiry as to the moral or mental causes of their diseases; when the fact is, that in five cases out of ten, arising among persons of sedentary, refined, luxurious, studious, and intellectual habits; and among delicate females, in seven cases of disease out of eleven, particularly those which are obstructional, the causes will be found seated in the mind and passions. I need not enlarge on this subject; every man possessed of any experience and common sense, must have observed, both on himself and others, the remarkable effects pro- duced on the physical system by the mind and passions; nor can such an individual be ignorant of the fact, that deleterious substances when taken into the stomach, fre- quently operate with immense power on the passions, as well as on the organic structure of the physical sys- tem. The truth is, that although we are well convinced of the intimate connexion of the mind and body, and also of the reciprocal influence they always exercise alternately over each other, no man has ever yet been able fully to develop the mysteries of that connection, or the natural mediums by and through which they operate on and influence each other; in other words all we certainly know respecting the matters under con- sideration, must be confined to the effects daily and hourly witnessed, in the reciprocal and varied action of the mind and its passions, and the body and its affec- tions, on each other. gunn's domestic medicine. 71 When morbid derangements of the system are de- rived from the action of the mind and passions, the consolations of religion and philosophy are of great importance; because they teach mankind, in a language not to be misunderstood, that cheerless and gloomy presentiments of the future, only unfit us for combating and vanquishing present difficulties: that the heavy pressure of present evils, and calamities which are irremoveable, are lightened of half of their ponderous and depressing influence, by that masculine fortitude which is derived from the inspirations of wisdom, and that celestial hope of relief which springs from genu- uine religion: and that it is the height of human folly and weakness, unavailingly to mourn over losses which can never be retreived! When the causes of our diseases and miseries are connected with physical prin- ciples in some degree under our control, it becomes a moral duty, so far as it be possible, to remove them— and that too by physical means: and I am decidedly of opinion, generally speaking, and a few individual cases which might be enumerated left out of view, that moral causes of disease and misery are to be combated by moral means—and that physical causes of functional derangement, and violations of organic structure deri- ved from such causes, are to be combated and over- come by physical means. I am perfectly willing to admit, that the influences of the imagination, and of the animating passions, are very considerable in pre- venting disease, and removing obstructions when not firmly seated; hut I am not willing to allow, that either the imagination or the animating passions, can ren- der flexible the coats of an ossified artery, or remove a stone from the bladder! The fact is, that the line of demarcation where moral causes cease to operate, and 72 gunn's domestic medicine. where the influence of physical ones commences, is a mystery hitherto too profound and inscrutable for the boldest efforts of human genius. We are all aware that many malconformations of the human fetus take place previous to birth, such as in cases of hair-lip, external impressions on the skin, &c. but at what period of gestation such malconformations and external im- pressions cease to be made, it is absolutely impossible to conjecture with even a probability of truth. The following case of the powerful effects of imagi- nation, put by Doctor Cypricanus, is recorded in this work, to place pregnant females on their guard, and to exemplify the effects of the imagination on highly sus- ceptible materials. "A female child," says this distin- guished man, "was born with a wound in her breast above four inches in length. It penetrated to the mus- culi intercostales, and was an inch broad, and hollow under the flesh round about the wound; besides which, there was a contusion with some swelling, at the lower part of the wound inside. The child came into the world without any violence; and consequently it did not receive the wound in its birth; it was caused by the strength of the imagination; for, about two months before, the mother had by chance heard a report that a man had murdered his wife, and with his knife had given her a great wound in the breast—at which rela- tion she changed, but not excessively. It is not merely probable, but absolutely certain, that the child received the wound in its mother's body, at the very moment phe was affrighted; because the wound was very sordid, and the inside as well as the outside be_ei with slime, proceeding from the water in which the child lies in its mother's womb—besides which, it had every appearance of an old wound. gunn's domestic medicine. 73 The effects of grief, which is an extremely depress- ing passion, and its morbid influences on the body or physical system, are very remarkable. It diminishes bodily strength in general, and also the action of the heart in particular It impedes the circulation of the fluids, stagnates the bile invariably, and occasions in- durations of the liver; or by throwing the bile into the circulation of the blood, it produces jaundice or dropsy* Grief also diminishes the perspiration, renders the skin sallow, aggravates the scurvey; and is particularly effective in producing and aggravating putrid fevers: it also disposes persons to being easily affected with fever, arising from excessive irritability, or consumption or costiveness of the bowels. Its effects in changing the color of the hair are well known; and many instances have occurred, in which the hair has been turned from a deep black to gray in a few hours. From grief, blindness, gangrene, and even sudden death, or as it is emphatically called, a broken heart, have not unfre- quently resulted. From the excess of this passion, persons who indulge in melancholy reflections for any length of time, become peevish and fretful; and so ex- tremely irritable, that their minds find new food for sorrow in every object presented to them. Thus the whole imagination becomes seriously affected with con-8 firmed melancholy, sometimes producing nervous fevers, or what is still more dreadful, total insanity. The remedies usually resorted to with salutary effects, are gentle opiates taken with caution; exercise on horse- back ; change of scene; the use of the swing, which has in very many instances produced signally beneficial effects; friction of the body and limbs with flannel or a flesh brush—this friction ought to be frequently resort- ed to and continued, to give impetus to the blood, when 10 74 gunn's domestic medicine. the extremities become cold; washing the body with strong vinegar, &c. Mild wines temperately adminis- tered may be given, and should they produce acidity of the stomach and loss of appetite, exercise and other tonics ought to be resorted to—change of climate is often in desperate cases found beneficial, also a diver- sion of the mind from its original imaginations, and par- ticularly the frequent use of the tepid bath is recommen- ded: and in cases of the suppression of the menstrual discharge occasioned by grief, the tepid bath has inva- riably been found beneficial. The powerful^ influence of the mind upon the womb, when affected by grief, can scarcely be computed by the best observers; who generally attribute to merely physical causes, effects which are to be sought for in the mind. But more will be developed on this important subject, as regards female diseases, under another and more appropriate head. RELIGION. This passion or affection of the human mind, pro- perly defined and well understood, is a deeply devo- tional sentiment of awe, veneration and love for that inscrutable Bcing who created the universe in his wisdom; supports it by his almighty power; and regulates tlte machinery of nature, in beneficence and love to his creatures. Considered merely in relation to his vital and ani- mal functions, man seems to occupy the highest point in the scale of animated nature; but notwithstanding this distinguished elevation, with some grand and distinctive exceptions to the general principles of exis- gunn's domestic medicine. 75 tence, and those of a strong and decided character, he seems in many respects to be allied to the inferior orders of creation. Like the merely animal orders of nature inferior to himself, he is animated by loves and friendships, hatreds and enmities,—and by all the other passions and propensities, incidental to the merely animal creation. In common with the elephant the lion, the dog and the fox, his heart seems to be the seat of life or vitality, and his brain the censorium of intel- lectual existence! Like them he is furnished with a stomach to digest his food—and a heart to propel the vital fluid through the arterial and venous systems. Like the inferior orders of creation, man is suscepti- ble of the influence of heat and cold, and all the vari- ations of temperature incidental to the changes of the seasons; like them he can be deluged by rains, frozen by the snows of winter, and melted by the heats of summer. Like them he is subjected to physical diseases, which can be mitigated or removed by the same means; and like them he is animated by strong sentiments of self- preservation, and entertains an instinctive and powerful dread of both pain and dissolution! But here the par- allel between man and the inferior orders of creation terminates; and he begins to take his departure from their earth-born level, which they can never emulate or even follow. Man is the only animal in creation, who can raise his contemplations to the Deity, and experience a sublime sentiment of awe and veneration, for the un- known author of his existence. The only animal in ereation, capable of experiencing a strong solicitude for a knowledge of his own origin, or who can direct his views and anticipations to a future existence, beyond the boundaries of time! He is the only being absolute- 76 gunn's domestic medicine. ly known to himself who can form a conception of space, which is an abstract idea of infinity; of time, which is an abstract conception of eternity; or of plastic and creative power, which leads to an abstract but infinitely inadequate conception of the omnipo- tence of god! Man seems to unite in his moral and intellectual composition, the human extremes of strength and weakness, wisdom and folly. In infancy, or when not associated with his fellow-beings, he is a naked defenceless, dependent and timid animal; exposed to diseases of every multiplied character—to dangers be- yond arithmetical computation—and to death in all its varied and gigantic forms: yet, with all these incipient weaknesses, and seeming imperfections of his nature, in the plenitude of life and intellectual power, and when associated with his fellow beings in social compact, he has satisfied his natural wants; rendered himself inde- pendent of every thing but his Creator ; driven from his presence, enslaved to his purposes, or destroyed by the machinery and chemical power of his warlike inventions, all animals hostile to his life and his preser- vation; and compelled the earth, the air, the waters, and the woods, to yield him the sustenance and even the luxuries of life, and to furnish him with the means of constructing his habitation. He has done more.— By referring his knowledge of particular facts, to the discovery of abstract and general principles, he has measurably unfolded the elements of science; by which he measures the earth, and discloses the laws which regulate the solar system:—ascertains the distances and relative positions of the heavenly bodies; and determines the location of his own globe among them: —discloses the component parts of which the substra- tum of the earth itself is compounded, and by an effort gunn's domestic medicine. 77 of microscopic vision and profound sagacity, gives you a satisfactory analysis of a physical atom! Nor is this all: from obscure and imperfect original discoveries in nautical science, he has converted the bark canoes of the wandering savage into vehicles of burthen for inter- national commerce, and imposing engines of war; and, instead of the petty barks of the ancients, by which they prosecuted an insignificant traffic along the shores and inlets of the Mediterranean, he has constructed ships of bulk and strength sufficient to master the winds of heaven and the waves of the ocean:—to discover and colonise new continents: and to make his way in secu- rity, through trackless, unknown, and almost shoreless oceans, to countries so remote as not even to be found in delineation on the mariner's chart! Nor do the greatness of his discoveries, nor the sublime elevations of his character, terminate here. The progressive improvements of man in literature, from his hierogly- phics, which are the signs of things, to the use of letters, which are the signs or symbols of sounds, afford new and astonishing demonstrations of his powers.— We have proofs before us, if we will advert for a mo- ment to the present state of mankind, of all the pro- gressive stages of improvement, through which he has passed, in arriving at his present state of moral and intellectual civilization, and scientific and literary refinements; nor need we recur to the empire of fable, nor the fictions of his early history, to arrive at the truth. A collective view of the present inhabitants of the globe, will furnish ample demonstrations of the following facts. In a state of savage and illiterate na- ture, tradition, as among the Indians of our own for- ests afforded the only means of communication, between the present and future races of mankind. But, in 78 gunn's domestic medicine. proportion as man began to progress in discoveries relating to the arts and sciences, he became disgusted and dissatisfied with the errors and misrepresentations of oral tradition and sought various expedients to per- petuate to his posterity, authentic testimonials of his sagacity, and durable monuments of his intellectual powers. Hieroglyphics and pyramids were resorted to in some countries, and pillars and public edifices in others; but knowing all these to be liable to decay, and that their true meaning might be easily misunderstood or forgotten, he was not satisfied with a medium of intelligence, which would revive and perpetuate his knowledge and discoveries to future times, until litera- ture arose to record in unfading characters, the intel- ligence, the improvements in science, and the fate of past generations. The discovery of, and the progressive improvements in letters, have enabled man to trace his species through all anterior ages, since the creation; nor wrould he now, were it not for literature and the discovery of the art of printing, be enabled to profit at this advanced period of the world, by the records of history, and the divine inspirations of religion, virtue and pure morality, which are breathed forth in love and mercy to fallen man, by holy writ! It is from this divine and inspired work, that he derives a knowl- edge of all the attributes of his creator; of the immor- tality of his own soul; and of all the duties he owes to God, his fellow-creatures, and himself. The reveries of all the sages and philosophers of antiquity, with the immortal Plato at their head, sink into cold insignifi- cance, when compared wiih the divine consolations afforded to man, by that pure and unsophisticated reli- gion, which is derived from the word of God: and while speaking of the pure and undefiled religion of gunn's domestic medicine. 79 Jesus Christ, I will first show what it is not: second, the abuses of its doctrines; third, what it really is; and fourth, its benefits and consolations, in health and pros- perity, sickness and misfortune. The virtues and the boasted wisdom of man, purifi- ed and improved by the highest efforts of human reason, would be nothing without the support and consolations of the doctrines of the scriptures. The magnificence, splendor and sublimity of the great works of nature, from which alone, without the divine inspirations to be found in the word of God, he is ena- bled to form but an inadequate and finite conception of the attributes of an Almighty Creator, dazzle and confound the feeble efforts of man, in all his attempts to grasp at the divine perfections of his maker—baffle all the high-toned energies of his reason and intelli- gence—and throw him to an infinite distance below even an imaginary conception of the deity. Thus circumstanced—thus surrounded by mysteries which he cannot explain to himself—feeling a strong and deep-seated natural sentiment of immortality; and yet dreading the cold and silent horrors of the grave—the word of God, and faith in Christ alone, can afford him support and consolation in the hour of death; solve the otherwise inscrutable and sublime mysteries of his own existence; and reveal to him the dreadful enigmas of eternity. In fact, when man surveys with an attentive and philosophic eye, the vast and complicated machine- ry of the universe—when he discovers that all this complicated and boundless machinery is subject to the irresistible influence of laws infinitely beyond his con- ception:—when he essays to embody his own concep- tions of the attributes of that being, who created, and who rules and governs all:—and, in fine, when he 80 gunn's domestic medicine. makes the feeble attempt, unaided by divine revelation, to identify his hopes of immortality and future happi- ness with the unchangeable laws of created nature, so vast, so boundless, and complicated as they must be, he shrinks back upon his own insignificance, and in- voluntarily asks himself, "am I not a stranger to the eternal laws of my own destiny?—am I not a stranger to this God, the supreme creator of the universe?—am I not lost in the immensity of his works, and the bound- lessness of his power!" Mere opinions, deduced from the boldest efforts of the reasoning faculties of man, never yet produced that genuine religion which absorbs his affections, concen- trates his love and gratitude on his divine creator, regulates his moral and intellectual energies for the production of his present and future happiness, and makes him satisfied with his own prospects of futurity. These ar3 the reasons in all probability, why the an- cient sages, who hoped for and partially believed in immortality, were unable to satisfy themselves, with rational and conclusive proofs of the future existence of the human soul: these are also probably the reasons, and they are founded in the wisdom and providence of God himself why the great truths of immortality were veiled in all ages, anterior to the true gospel dispensa- tion, from the boasted sagacity and reasoning powers of the philosophers and sages of antiquity:—for, could these men have arrived at any definite and certain con- clusions on the future destinies of the human race, without the moral purifications of true Christianity, the consequences would have been dreadful to society and mankind, as can be easily demonstrated. Suppose a man were enabled by the unaided efforts of reason, to demonstrate conclusively to himself, that gunn's domestic medicine. 81 annihilation, or an absolute and entire negation of exis- tence, was his future and irrevocable doom:—what would be the immediate consequences of this appalling and dreadful discovery! Would he not feel that every affection of his soul was dissolved—and that existence itself was valueless? Would it not loosen every strong tie he feels on life—and sicken him with that lapse of time which must so soon reduce him to nothing!— Where, under this gloomy and horrid anticipation, would be his affections for his parents, his wife, his fam- ily, his country:—what would become of the perform- ance of his duties as a parent, a husband, a citizen and a patriot:—where would be the endearing suggestions of his own self-love, and his insatiable desires of pre- sent and future happiness, under the certain conviction that the elevated and noble energies of his soul would explode arid be lost forever, when his carcase would become a clod of the valley. But, let it be supposed, that the powers of reason, unaided, by the holy inspirations of scripture, were capable of arriving at the certain conviction of man's future happiness in eternity; and that the degree of the Almighty which awarded to him so auspicious a desti- ny, was absolutely irrevocable by his own conduct: and what would then be the consequences? With so brilliant a career of future happiness and celestial glory in full view, would not all the poor enjoyments of this life fade away—and even all the splendors of the visi- ble creation become to him a blank? Would he take upon himself the cares of a family; assume the labori* ous duties of providing for a numerous offspring, or feel an interest in the common affairs of mankind? Would he experience any of those affections and friendships, which, under the present predicaments of 11 82 gunn's domestic medicine. life, are of such vast importance to the enjoyments of man? Can the eye v.hich is accustomed to gazing at the sun, distinguish the darker and more sombre color- ings of earthly objects? But, with unalloyed and interminable happiness beyond the grave in full view, what in this life would be the feelings, emotions and conduct, of a man subjected to the pains of disease, the evils attendant on poverty and want, and all the great aggregate of miseries and misfortunes, with which man in the present state of things is destined to agonize through life? Would he feel disposed to encounter gra- tuitously, evils and sufferings from which he could escape with impunity to happier regions. And now let us suppose, that a man were enabled to distinguish nothing in its future destinies, but a sub- mission throughout eternity to the sufferings and speechless agonies of the damned; that nothing he could do would alleviate so dreadful, disastrous and horrible a destiny:—and what would be the immediate results? Where, to the eye of such a man, would then be all the charms and fascinations of nature, where all the varied and imposing splendors of the visible crea- tion? What delight could he possibly experience in the performance of his moral duties, or the practice of virtues which must terminate in a future condition in- finitely worse than annihilation itself? Would not these dark and dreadful anticipations of a period which must soon arrive, be eternally present to his imagina- tion, with all their attendant horrors? Would they not haunt his waking dreams of future misery, and disturb his midnight slumbers, with spectral phantoms of the sufferings of the damned, too frightful and tremendous for delineation! But what, under these awful and afflicting expectations, from which there were no distant gunn's domestic medicine. 83 hopes of exemption, would be the character and con- duct of this unfortunate and miserable victim? Would he not say to himself:—"what to me are all the ties of parentage, of offspring, or of kindred; what interest have I in the affairs of life, the peace and happiness of society, or the moral conduct and regulations of man- kind. Before the setting of to-morrow's sun, my eyes may close forever on the light of day, on all the objects which once were dear to my infancy and youth, and on all the varied and sublime beauties, which charac- terize with magnificence and splendor, the mystic won- ders of created nature! For me no morning sun will ever again arise; for me no vernal music of the groves will ever again awake; on my* benighted soul, predestined to endless torments, no distant ray of feeble hope can ever dawn!"-------Sectarians, remorse- less fanatics, purblind bigots—you who deal with un- sparing hand and intolerant zeal, the ineffable and everlasting miseries of deep damnation to your fellow beings, merely for differing from you in opinion respect- ing modes of faith anddivine worship, behold in this faithful picture, the condition to which your narrow and selfish doctrines would confine the great mass of mankind? Approach and behold a picture, which might make you shudder for your blasphemous pre- sumptions, in judging between erring and feeble man and his Maker; and wresting the high prerogative of divine and eternal justice, from the hands of the Al- mighty! If you can for a moment suspend the fiery and vindictive delusions of your intolerance and pre- sumption, I wish you to contemplate with a dispassion- ate and discriminating eye, some farther results to which your infuriated and intolerant doctrines inevita- bly tend. If you alone are right, and if all other reli- 84 gunn's domestic medicine. gious creeds are the offspring of error, which must of necessity terminate in future misery—what allurements to religion and morality do you hold out, to those who you say are predestined from all eternity to the inflic- tions of divine wrath: and to what a penury of benefi- cence and love, do you reduce the mercy and affections of the Deity to man. Do you suppose that the doc- trines of particular and exclusive faith, are within the arbitrium or control of the voluntary powers of human intellect? In other words, do you presume that a man can believe what he wishes, without divine assistance sought with purity of heart? And that he can ever be the voluntary devotee of religious errors, thereby sin- ning against light and knowledge, and dooming himself to endless and indescribable torments? To speak in plain terms, and without any courtly affectation of lan- guage detrimental to the interests of truth, can you suppose that any rational being since the creation of man, ever yet voluntarily consigned his soul to ever- lasting misery, by the entertainment of religious opinions, which he knew to be wrong: the truth is, that the supposition implies, not only a contradiction in language, but an absolute and positive contradiction in the facts themselves! But let us suppose for a moment, that your sect or persuasion alone are right in their faith and religious opinions, and that all others professing different modes of faith, and different opinions in religion, are in the entertainment of errors which must inevitably end in eternal punishments. Have you ever contemplated the absurdity of this intolerant and exclusive doctrine; have you ever viewed it with an unprejudiced and dispas- sionate eye, and traced its malignant and desolating spirit, on the past, on the present, and on future times? gunn's domestic medicine. 85 If you have not, I will make the laudable attempt to burst your narrow and intolerant prejudices asunder; and to exhibit these disgraceful and dogmatical doc- trines in all their native deformities. By the Mosaical account of the creation, which we are bound to believe authentic, the world is now nearly six thousand years old; but of the antediluvean races of men, and also of those who existed anterior to the gospel dispensation, I will make none but the following simple and plain remark; that it would hardly comport with the common principles of justice, to consign all those numerous races of men to eternal perdition, for not believing in doctrines which had never been anr nounced to them, and to which they were utter stran- gers! Since the first announcement of the gospel dis- pensation under our Saviour until the present time, a period of nearly two thousand years has elapsed; every half minute of which long period, according to the most authentic calculations which can be made, has witnessed the birtliand death of ten human be- ings! There are, as nearly as the facts can be ascer- tained, about eleven hundred millions human beings composing the populations of the globe: now—if you will ascertain the number of half minutes which have elapsed in two thousand years, and multiply that num- ber by ten, you will have something like the number of deaths which have occurred since the coming of Christ. Under this strong, and new, and most important view of the subject; and considering likewise, that the im- mense and measurably unknown population of both Africa and Asia, have never embraced the christian dispensation; that the aboriginal inhabitants, of both North and South America have ever been in the same uncivilized and unchristian condition; I wish you to 86 gunn's domestic medium: inform me, ye bigots—ye fanatics—ye -fiery and intol- erant zealots, in the, cause of a God autocratical, supreme, and infinitely incrciftd to feeble and erring man, how many human beings, out of the countless myriads who have sunk into the ipmb in the long lapse of two thousand years, belonged to the little sects who doom all mankind to the horrors of deep and irrevocable damnation, but themselves! But this is not all: according to the narrow and exclusive principles of your religious doctrines, which we will bring nearer to ourselves by an application of them to the present age, how many human beings, out of eleven hundred millions, which are now in existence, according to the purblind and intolerant dogmas of any one of your exclusive professions of faith, will be doomed never to reach the gaol, of infinite mercy, even through the merits of that Saviour who died for the salvation of all mankind! These are views of the absurdity of some of your doctrines,, and of the dreadful conse- quences they would have in their applications to man- kind, too stubborn for the subterfuges of sophistry, too authentic in point of fact for refutation, and too plain for either denial or evasion. But, let us advance a step farther; let us contemplate the appalling spectacle, which your wild, speculative and visionary theories of religion, would present to an assembled universe at the end of time! Let us suppose a period, the great day of accounts between «ian and his Maker, when an aggregation of all the various races of men, and of all the countless myriads who have existed between the commencement and the termination of time, would take place: here all arithmetical computation fail:— and the human imagination itself expires, in attempting to grasp at so vast, so unbounded a spectacle! Sup- gunn's domestic medicine. 87 pose also, that your paltry and disputacious conflicts here, and your narrow conceptions of divine justice, al- ways inadequate and contradictory, because the offspring of ignorance, were to be made the irrevocable standard of adjudication by which countless and innumerable millions of the human race, were to be consigned to endless misery, ruin and despair? Would not so dread- ful an exhibition of tho consequences of your bigotry and intolerance, destroy your holy zeal and vindictive rage in the cause of religious and intolerant prejudices? Would not your sensibilities as men, weep tears of blood and forgiveness over the miseries of your fellow men? Would you not wish to revoke those prejudices against ' mankind, which could populate the regions of the dam- ned with myriads of your fellow beings—disclose to you an abortive though divine scheme of redemption for falien man—and torture your intellectual vision, with the spectacle of a ruined creation and an almost solitary God! I have now shown, and I think conclusively, that the efforts of human reason, unaided by scriptural divinity, are utterly incompetent to disclosing to man- kind the great truths connected with the immortality of man:—that without the moral purifications of true Christianity and genuine religion, such disclosures would have been fraught with dreadful consequences to mankind, instanced in the cases of future certainty as to annihilation, future happiness, and future mis- ery. I think I have done more; I think I have shown, as far as the moral reasoning powers of man can be applied to incontrovertible facte, that very many of the intolerant and sectarian abuses which have crept into the christian religion, from the bigotry and misdirected zeal of many of its belligerant and inflammatory cham- 88 gunn's domestic medicine. pions, are utterly inconsistent with christian charity, tru- ly divine worship, and the principles of sternal jus- tice: in fine, 1 think I have shown conclusively, what pure and genuine religion is not! As connected and incorporated with dangerous and intolerant opinions in religion, the abusive consequen- ces which always flow from such opinions, especially when under the influence of the vindictive passions of men, require dispassionate consideration. I have said in another part of this work, when speaking of the moral philosophy of the passions, that when restrained within due bounds, and exercised only in relation to their native and legitimate objects, they were essential not only to the existence but to the happiness of man. I now assert that the reverse of this proposition is equal- ly true; in other words, that thopassions when indulged in to excess, and suffered to produce anarchy and wild misrule in the human bosom, are fraught with innumer- able miseries and misfortunes to mankind, in every de- partment of life. In sectarian doctrines, which relate to the entertain- ment of opinions, connected with the temporal self- interests of mankind, it is to be expected that the passions, in all their excesses, will always have consi- derable influence. The professors of all the sciences which relate to the present state of man, are passion- ately influenced to the conversion of proselytes to their respective systems, because on the number of their converts depend not only their wealth and fame—but in numerous instances, the very bread which them- selves and their families require for daily support.— The same may be remarked, in relation to the leaders of all political partizans—and to all other zealots in political science. In these cases, and many others gunn's domestic medicine. 89 Which might be enumerated, the stimulation of the passions, and all their disorganizing and dangerous excesses, are proportioned to the real or imaginary self- interests of man, and to the acute and energetic pres- sure of his immediately real or imaginary wants. In all these cases, we can account on rational principles, or more properly speaking on logical ones, for the slander and defamation with which scientific men of all professions usually load each other—and for all the personal enmity, envy and malignity, with which the low-lived spirit of groveling ambition, usually perse- cutes a dangerous and aspiring rival! In all cases where we can connect the excesses of the passions, and the practice of intolerance and injustice, with the wants and immediate self-interests of men, there seems to be some colorable mitigation for their deviations from virtue, justice and moderation: but in cases where religion alone is concerned; where all the temporal interests and conflictions of self-love are entirely out of the question, where the religious faith and opinions of men are accounts only to be referred to the lofty and unerring tribunal of God, himself; the gratuitous per- secutions of men, and their sanguinary zeal in the cause of an Almighty Power, who needs not their as- sistance, can only be accounted for upon principles of wanton depravity, native cruelty of temper, and innate vindictiveness of soul! Does the Almighty require the sacrifice of the peace of society, and of all the affec- tions of man for his fellow beings, in the diffusion of an immaculate and benevolent religion, which express ly inculcates—"peace on earth, and good will to- wards men?" If my faith in the rectitude and purity of my own doctrines of salvation be perfect, will the persecution and destruction of the religious doctrines 12 90 gunn's domestic medicine. of other men, add any further demonstrations of truth to the support of my own creed? You may as well tell me, ye bigots, and persecutors of mankind for the love of God, that the sun requires a lamp for the diffu- sion of his meridian rays—or that by conflagrating the habitation of a fellow being, you will build or repair your own! Why then consign to everlasting destruc- tion, and that too without attempting their reformation, all those who may chance to differ from you in reli- gious faith and opinion? Are not those who dissent from you in religious doctrines and opinions, as ration- al as yourselves? Are they less interested in knowing the truths of genuine christian divinity, and in practi- sing on the precepts which they inculcate, than you yourselves are? Do you suppose that any human be- ing ever existed, who was endowed with ordinary principles of rationality, and common sentiments of self-love, who could voluntarily entertain errors of opinion in religion, knowing that the profession of such opinions would eventually consign his immortal soul to deep and irredeemable misery! Why, then, perse- cute men for the entertainment of opinions which are misfortunes and not crimes? Why, in other words, do you punish and persecute erring and feeble man, for involuntary errors of opinion, which, according to your own creeds, will be punished in a future life! Where are the credentials, from which you derive au- thority to sit in judgment between man and his Maker: and to assist an omnipotent God, in the execution of those laws which his own infinite wisdom, at the creation, imposed on the universe!! Under this view of your conduct, which I place in a strong and correct light for your own contemplations, with the hope that you may be induced to abandon your abuses of the gunn's domestic medicine. 91 religion of the Saviour of mankind, and to treat your fellow-men with more lenity and compassion, I must confess myself utterly at a loss which to be most as- tonished at, your ignorance—presumption—or fanati- cism. How, ye bigoted and fanatical zealots—how do you reconcile your inquisitions, your burnings, your persecutions, and your intolerance in opinion, with the mildly compassionate and humane example of the Saviour of the world; he who exclaimed amidst the protracted agonies of the cross, and while sweating drops of blood to wash out the crimsoned iniquities of mankind—"Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!" You are mistaken in attributing to pure and holy zeal in the cause of religion, your persecutions of those who differ from you in sectarian faith and doc- trines: your worldly-minded pride of makind prose- lytes—your ambition to become conspicuous among men, as the defenders of the true faith—your secret aspirations after exaltations to high clerical offices— your love of worldly distinctions and temporal power— and not unfrequently, your cupidity and avarice, respec- ting good round salaries for the discharge of your offi- cial functions; these are the energetic and inflammato- ry motives, which urge you to your vindictive persecu- tions of mankind for opinion-s sake; these are the real causes of your want of charity to each other, and to mankind in the aggregate. I think I have now shown, in a tolerably clear and strong point of view, not only what religion is not but also many of the abuses of its doctrines; let us now endeavor to understand something respecting what it really is. "Feeble work of my hand," says the Almighty to his creature man, "I owe you nothing, but I give you 92 gunn's domestic medicine. existence. I place you in the midst of a universe which bespeaks my wisdom and glory, and I surround you with blessings and enjoyments, which ought to excite in your bosom pure and elevated sentiments of love, admi- ration and gratitude, to that inscrutable Being who made you for the enjoyment of happiness—and placed the objects of those enjoyments within your reach.— Your love can add nothing to my felicity, your admira- tion to my power, nor your sentiments of gratitude to my glory; and I make you susceptible of these exalted and divine emotions, that you may render yourself hap- py both here and hereafter. The fidelity of your obe- dience to my laws, will be the test of your own happi- ness ; and, when you cease to 'love me and keep my commandments,' your breach of my precepts will offend me, and render yourself unhappy." Such—according to our feeble and inadequate con- ceptions of a God of love and mercy, are the mild and benevolent sentiments entertained by him for his erring and dependent creature, man—for he expressly announces in his holy word, "that he delights not in the death of a sinner."—These are some of the conso- lations of true religion, which when fully merited by man, by a strict obedience to the words of scripture, and a foil and entire faith in the merits of a blest Re- deemer, nothing earthly can destroy. I do not intend to enter into a critical dissertation on the subject of religion, further than its divine spirit is connected with the moral condition of man, and his physical health and enjoyments. We know perfectly well, from our own consciousness, that the mere pleasures and enjoy- ments of this world, are insufficient to satisfy the moral desires of the human mind, when deeply impressed W«h an unerring sentiment of immortality. Give a gunn's domestic medicine. 93 man wealth and luxury unbounded; load him with titles and worldly honors; even clothe him with what Doctor Young calls "a mortal immortality"—and, like Caesar when crowned emperor and invested with the imperial purple, he will exclaim—"and is this all!"— With respect to the enjoyments of this world, I mean those which are not connected with the future state of existence, and sentiment of pure and undefiled reli- gion, it is a truth that has been recognized by the experience of all ages, that their satiation always pro- duces indifference, and not unfrequently disgust. This circumstance alone ought to convince us, that the de- sires of man and his capacities for enjoyment, are not limited to this earthly sphere; and that there must be a future and more exalted state of being, where his capacities for moral and intellectual enjoyment will meet with objects suited to their elevation—and where the boundless desires which he is conscious of in this life, will meet with scenes of enjoyment as unlimited as those desires. It was from this view of the subject under consideration, and probably also from the strong impression of the insufficiency of the enjoyments of this life, that the great Dr. Young exclaimed in his Night Thoughts—"man must be immortal, or heaven unjust!" Do we not know perfectly well, that when the physical call of nature are satisfied, lassitude and indifference succeed? Do we not also know, that when all the pleasures and enjoyments of this world are showered on us in profusion, there still exist in the human bosom, hopes and desires connected with sentiments of immortality, and objects of a more eleva- ted and intellectual order of enjoyment than this world can afford? The fact is, that the desires, the capaci- ties, and the hopes of man as to futurity—when com- 94 gunn's domestic medicine. pared with the utter insufficiency of the objects of enjoyment actually under his control in this life, go very far to demonstrate satisfactorily the immortality of man. Do the affections of the brute for its offspring, like those of man for his relations and friends, survive the flight of time, and contemplate a re-union of those affections in another state of existence? The differ- ence between the influence of reason and that of true religion, in relation to the future happiness and enjoy- ments of man, may be satisfactorily explained in a few words. Reason teaches man merely to hope for im- mortal existence and happiness, whilst pure Religion, supported by faith in the Redeemer, and by the faith- ful practice of his precepts, assures him of both future existence and future happiness. There is this further difference between reason and religion, and I think it a very palpable and plain one; reason cannot influence man's feeble hopes of immortality and future happiness, with sufficient motives for the practice of piety and virtue—whilst religion urges him imperious- ly to the performance of his duties to his God, to him- self, and to his fellow-beings, by the certainty of future rewards and punishments. These are the reasons why pure and genuine christians, I do not mean bigots, hypocrites, or intolerant fanatics, are better citizens, better husbands, and better parents, than most other men; and these are the reasons also, why they are the happier classes of mankind. Reason may teach the existence of a great first cause, but it is utterly incom- petent to disclosing his moral attributes of justice, love and mercy, or to defining for man his particular and indispensible duties in every department of life. The precepts of religion are plain and easy of comprehen- sion; they can be understood and practiced by all gunn's domestic medicine. 95 ranks and grades of men. Reason, on the other hand, in attempting an explanation of the attributes Of God, or the duties of man to that God of his fellow-creatures, is eternally operating on imaginary and unknown prin- ciples, and making hair-breadth distinctions, which have no existence but in the sound of words without meaning: the errors of reason are founded in the ignor- ance of man, who knows nothing in reality of the essen- tial or elementary principles of any one thing in heaven or on earth. The scripture says, and any man can un- derstand the denunciation, "whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Now I would like to see the champion of reason, who can demon- strate satisfactorily that murder is a crime, and that it is punishable with death. But I will put another, and more general and comprehensive case, which will be quite sufficient. Municipal law is said to be founded on reason, which we call the mother of justice. If reason be an unerring sentinel, and if law be the perfection of reason, as it is said to be by learned and profound civilians, why have not six thousand years of rea- soning been sufficient to reduce law to unerring prin- ciples of justice; and why, at this late and refined period of reason, do we so seldom find two persons "of counsel learned in the law," who agree in opinion respecting its real principles? The fact is, that in reasoning on all subjects involving morals, all we can possibly arrive at is a high degree of probability, which amounts to little more than ingenious and plausible conjecture. If the mere exercise of reason be entire- ly sufficient to disclose to man his duties, to impel him to the performance of those duties, and to satisfy him respecting the all-important doctrines of futurity, why have the advocates of mere reason so many doubts 96 gunn's domestic medicine. and difficulties on all subjects:—the enigma is easily solved; the ignorance of man respecting first princi- ples, the doubts he always entertains of the infallibility of reasoning as a, science, and the consciousness of being eternally liable to error in his rational deduc- tions, involve him in labyrinths of confusion and dis- may, from which no merely human powers of intellect or genius can possible extricate him. While in the rise or day spring of life; while enjoying uninterrupted health and prosperity; and while indulging in antici- pations of a protracted and fortunate term of existence here, the lordly and proud advocate of the all-sufficien- cy of reason, may indulge in theoretical speculations which he imagines he firmly believes in: But, let him become unfortunate in his adventures after earthly enjoyments, and infirm in his health; let his prospects of exemption from disease and misfortune darken around him; and in this situation let him approach the unknown and mysterious confines of eternity. Where then will be his visionary and theoretical speculations respecting futurity; where the fortitude which ought to support him in his descent to the cold and silent man- sions of the dead; and where the celestial fire of hope and christian consolation that alone can light him to eternal happiness, relieve his gloomy apprehensions of annihilation, and shed even a splendor around the hor- rors of the grave? Pure and vital religion, not that based on merely bigoted and sectarian prejudices, or on frivolous and childish distinctions respecting rites and ceremonies, is infinitely superior to reason, in securing to man all the moral enjoyments of this life, and in assuring him of those blessings which reason only hopes for in futu- rity. By pure and vital religion, I do not mean hypoC" gunn's domestic medicine. 97 risy, which is the religion of knaves, fanaticism, which is the religion of madmen, fear, which is the religion of cowardice, or superstition, which is that of fools: I mean that pure and elevated sentiment of divine love and admiration for the Deity, which leads us to faith in the great Redeemer of fallen and degraded man, and to the practice of benevolence, virtue, toler- ation, and charity for our fellow-beings. This divine and ennobling sentiment, when experienced in all its purity, banishes all the base, sordid, selfish and ignoble passions from the human bosom, and elevates man, as it were, to a communion with his Maker. It cultivates all the finer affections of man for his fellow-beings; makes him a provident and tender parent; a chaste and faithful husband; a kind and benevolent master, and a useful, virtuous, and patriotic citizen: it makes him faithful in his friendships, virtuous in his loves, honest in his dealings, candid in his communications with mankind, moderate in his desires, unostentatious in his charities, and tolerant in his opinions. Fanatics, bigots, zealots, hypocrites; ye who practice fraud, vio- lence, hypocrisy, and all the deceptions and mummery of priestcraft on the sons of men, and yet dare to call yourselves the disciples and followers of the immacu- late Saviour of mankind, compare yourselves with this portrait of a real christian! There is a class of reli- gionists in every christian country, who are impressed with the absurd opinion, that the profession of faith in particular sectarian creeds, and the practice of a few frivolous rites and ceremonies, are quite sufficient to entitle them to salvation. The probability is that these people are deceiving themselves, or making the profession of religion a mere mask for iniquitous designs against the community; for, let their vicious passions 13 98 gunn's domestic medicine. or propensities be excited, and themselves thrown off their guard, and you immediately discover the true state of the case: in fact you soon discover them to be sensualists, swindlers and hypocrites. These people ought always to bear in mind, that those alone are gen- uine christians, who know the will of God, and prac- tice its divine precepts: nor ought they ever to lose sight of the important and eternal truth—that it is im- possible to deceive the Almighty. Compared with these hypocritical and unworthy professors, whose pray- ers are always on the "house tops," and whose devo- tions are loud and emphatical that they might be heard, the true christian exhibits an essentially different and greatly more elevated character. He is modest, retir- ing and unobtrosive, in his devotions; it is not the mere profession of piety and religion, that stimulates him in the performance of his duties—it is the heaven- born consciousness that his devotional exercises are acceptable to his Maker, and that they will render him serene amidst dangers and difficulties, animated and cheerful under the infliction of disease and sickness, and resigned to the will of his Creator. To such a man, disease, infirmities, and misfortunes in this life are nothing; he is above their influence: they can neither ruffle his passions, nor disturb the deep and settled serenity of his soul. The death-bed of such a man is not the death-bed of the sinner: even the pre- sence of the king of terrors cannot appal the resolu- tions, or shake the fortitude of the man whose reliance is on the love and mercy of his God. As a physician, I some years since, in Virginia, attended at the cnuch of a devout christian, and a sincere believer in Christ; and was impressed with sentiments which can never be obliterated from my memory by the lapse of time.— gunn's domestic medicine. 99 The patient was a poor methodist preacher; he had been seriously and dangerously indisposed nearly two years; and was evidently awaiting the summon to "that borne from whence no traveller returns." Instead of seeing terror and dismay depicted in his counte- nance, which I had often witnessed in the cases of those who were not christians, all was cheerful serenity and mild resignation: no ghastly expression of feature be- spoke the terror of death, no indications of mental distress told of remorse for ill-spent life; nor did a single shade of gloomy anticipation, pass over the eye that was so soon to close in the cold and silent man- sions of the dead! The last words of the innocent sufferer were, and they are deeply impressed on my me- mory:—"my life has been devoted to the service of my God, and the benefit of my fellow being: I await with perfect resignation to his will, the call of my Mas- ter."-------Here was an instance of the consolatory influence of true religion, which ought to prove conclu- sively that it is connected with none of the gloomy and depressing passions. In truth, it has always been matter of much astonishment to me, that the consola- tions which pure religion promises mankind in a future state of existence, could ever have produced on the mind of man any other impressions than those of cheerfulness, fortitude and resignation. I never could conceive how genuine religion was connected, unless perverted to the excitement of the gloomy passions, by misconceptions of the attributes of God, with emotions of terror and depressing apprehensions of futurity.— Has man not assurances of an exemption from all the evils and calamities of this life, if he be a faithful and true christian, in a more perfect and elevated state of being, when his corruptions shall put on incorruption— 100 gunn's domestic medicine. and when the mere mortal shall put on immortality? Are not the doctrines of true Christianity, essentially connected with that sunshine of the breast, which we denominate a good conscience:—"and which nothing earthly can give, or can destroy!" The christian reli- gion was never intended by the Almighty as a source of grief, mortification and suffering: it is a pure ema- nation of divine love and mercy towards feeble erring and fallen mankind; and was surely intended by divine wisdom, as an unfailing source of joy, consolation and happiness, both here and hereafter, to the human race! I have been more particular on the subject of religion, than at first view might seem necessary to the interests of medical science; but I have been long convinced, that the sentiments we entertain of a future life are not only essentially connected with the moral condition of mankind, but with the health and many of the disea- ses of the physical system, of which more will be said under the proper heads. INTEMPERANCE. Intemperance is the offspring of so many and such various causes, that it seems impossible to enumerate them, or even to reduce them to any thing like scientific order. I will commence my remarks on intemperance, which in its broadest signification means excess in the gratification of our propensities, passions, and even intellectual pursuits, by emphatically observing that it is generally found in strong and intimate connexion, when really traced to its origin, with the pleasures and enjoyments, as well as with the miseries and misfortunes of mankind. I have before remarked under another gunn's domestic medicine. lOl head, that with regard to the elementary principles of the passions, propensities, and intellectual powers of man, we know absolutely nothing with certainty; and that all we can possibly understand with respect to them, is de- rived from our consciousness of their existence, and from the effecis they daily and hourly produce for our observation. Every capacity or power of the human system, physical and intellectual, when exercised in moderation, and with strict conformity to the laws of nature, is pro- ductive of enjoyment and happiness: this natural and moderate exercise of our propensities, passions, and mental energies, when matured into habits of life and character, we call temperance; and, it is the abusive degradation of those same intellectual powers^ pas- sions and propensities,- by their unrestrained and exces- sive indulgence to the destruction of health and happi- ness, that we call intemperance. I will give some familiar examples of the application of these princi- ples, in order that they may be folly comprehended by those for whom I write. We are all liable to hunger and thirst; and all of us require sleep, for the renova- tion of our bodily and mental powers when fatigued.—< These are natural wants; and their gratifications are always essential to health and happiness. We all know perfectly well, for instance, that when we satisfy our hunger and thirst in moderation, and renew the strength of our systems, of mind and body, by sleeping no more than the requisite time for producing those effects, the satisfaction of these natural wants invariably pro- duces healthy action of body and mind, attended with enjoyment and pleasure. But, on the other hand, when in eating and drinking, we overload and surcharge the stomach with meat and drink, and when in sleeping 102 gunn's domestic medicine. take more repose than is required for the renovation of our bodily and mental systems, our excesses are always productive of nausea, uneasiness, indigestion, and stupidity, and we habitually become gluttons, drunkards, and sluggards, and are a disgrace to our- selves and society. The same doctrine and mode of reasoning may be applied to the passions of mankind. When they are indulged in with natural moderation, and never suffered to run into riot and excess, they are always conductive to health; and productive of many of the enjoyments and pleasures of life; but, when they gain the ascendancy of the moral feelings and rational powers, when they prostrate the bulwarks of religion and morality, and are indulged in all their debasing and destructive excesses, the progress of the passions proclaims the premature decay of health, strength and happiness—and emphatically announces to the unfortunate victims of success, that they are fallen indeed! In truth, what has just been remarked with regard to the natural wants and passions of men, may with strict justice be applied to the lofty and pow- erful energies of the mind itself It has been truly remarked by an acute and profound investigator of the faculties of the mind, that "he who thinks with great intenseness and profundity, will not continue to do so for many successive years"—and in proofs of this, I will note some instances which will have much weight in demonstrating the fact. Sir Isaac Newton, who was probably the greatest astronomer and mathe- matician of his own or any other age, several years previous to the close of his life, was utterly unable to comprehend the meaning of his own works; in addi- tion to which I will notice as a well authenticated fact, that the celebrated Dean Swift, the energies of whose gunn's domestic medicine. 103 mind were inferior to those of no literary man of the same age, several years previous to his death became a driveler, and confirmed idiot. Whether it be true, that intense, subtle, and powerful intellect, acts upon the mere carcase as a sharp sword does upon the scabbard; or whether the mind itself becomes exhaust- ed and worn out, by an overstrained and continued excitement of its powers, I leave for metaphysicians to determine:—but we certainly do know, and the ex- perience of all ages and generations proves the fact, that excessive mental exertion not only produces fa- tigue and lassitude in a few hours, but that if such exertion be continued for a few years in succession, it invariably blunts and wears down the keenest and soundest intellectual energies of man. The broad and comprehensive view I have just given of temperance and intemperance, in regard to the physical wants, passions, and intellectual powers of man, I believe to be the only correct exposition on general principles that can be given; because it embraces all the destructive excesses to v\ hich man is prone, and refers all those excesses, to the abuses and degredations of his eleva- ted and noble faculties. I commenced with remarking, and I wish the princi- ple to be kept in view by the reader, that the vices of intemperance when fairly traced to their origin, will always be found in connexion with the enjoyments and pleasures, as well as with the miseries and misfortunes of mankind. Mankind may be distinguished into two great classes or divisions: First, those whose pleasures and enjoy- ments, and whose pains and miseries, partake so great- ly of a physical character, as nearly always to be referable to corporeal or bodily functions and sensa- 104 gunn's domestic medicine. tions: this class is composed of men who are properly denominated sensualists; in other words, they are individuals who can only be rendered happy or misera- ble through the medium of the senses. Second, those whose general characters partake more of the nature and habitual influence of the intellectual powers; and of the emotions and passions of the mind; and whose enjoyments, pleasures, sufferings and miseries, are more intimately connected with the mind and imagination; these may with much propriety be denominated men- talists. Among the great aggregate of mankind, the reality of the distinction between animal and intellect- ual man, as regards the native basis of the human character towards one or the other extreme, is demon- strable from the following facts. Hunger and thirst, for instance, are corporeal wants; they are essential to the health, strength and support of the physical or bodi- ly system; and may be called corporeal or bodily passions, when they become so powerful as to impel men to gluttony and drunkenness:—desires and propen- sities being nothing more, when considered in relation to the corporeal system, that slighter shades of the physical wants and passions of men. Love and ambi- tion, on the contrary, are passions of the mind and imagination: they are the offspring of refined sensibili- ty, and deep-toned energies of intellectual character; and when acting in their native sphere, are so far ab- stracted from all corporeal considerations, that they only occasionally act on the physical wants and pas- sions, and then only for the attainment of specific objects. When the passion of love, for instance, is directed to the perpetuation of the human species, which I will remark in passing, was not the case in the love which existed between Jonathan and David the gunn's domestic medicine. 105 intellectual passion of love only acts on the sexual and corporeal functions; but, I would ask any sceptic on this point, whether the love of literature, mathematics, astronomy, or any other science or intellectual pursuit, has any connexion whatever with propensities, wants and passions, founded on the merely corporeal or bodi- ly functions of mankind. And surely it will.not be questioned, that the food 'and nourishment required for exercising, giving pleasure to, and strengthening the mind, are essentially different from those required for the sustenance, health, and strength of the body: and we all know perfectly well, in reference to the corpo- real and intellectual functions and capacities of men, that the strong predominance of either class operates unfavorably and sometimes destructively to the other.—• The fact is, that we oftentimes find the loftiest and strongest passions and mental energies, connected with delicate and sometimes feeble corporeal organization, debility of stomach, and prostration of strength: nor is it unusual to observe, that those who possess uncom- monly high health and physical strength, are frequently in the other extreme, as regards the exercise of the mind and passions. But further; every man who has acquired any experience, respecting those states of the physical system when the mind and passions act with the greatest force, must know that a full stomach al- ways blunts the mind and feelings; and that inanition or emptiness of the stomach, is favorable to intellectual operations. This fact is so well known, that the Creek Indians, in all their public deliberations on important national concerns, use what they call the black drink, made of the parched leaves of the spice-wood boiled, which vomits them copiously and produces the inani- tion just mentioned; without which, they allege, they 14 106 gunn's domestic medicine. are inadequate to deliberating on their national affairs. Some medical writer has remarked, that physical de- bility, and a diseased state of the system, impart, as it were, a preternatural excitement to the mind; and in- stances the cases of Boilii:u, Erasmus, Pascal, Cicero, Galba, Pope, and several others, who were as remar- kable for the feebleness of their physical constitutions, as they were for their gigantic energies of intellect: the same writer also remarks, that abortive, feeble and sickly children, almost invariably display powerful characteristics of intellect when grown to maturity; and instances the cases of the great Lord Littleton and Mrs. Ferguson, both of whom were seven months' children: to which he might have added the case of Richard the Third, who, according to Shakspeare's account, was "deformed, unfinished, and sent into this breathing world scarce half made up." On the other hand, it has frequently been remarked by men of acute and scrutinizing minds, that high health, great corpo- real strength, and uncommon muscularity of frame, are seldom remarkable for,subtle and profound genius, or for an attachment to purely intellectual pursuits* This is so notoriously true, that the opinions generally form- ed by the vulgar, of the persons of men who are con- spicuous and renowned for great intellectual powers, are almost invariably the very reverse of what may be called the corporeally contemptible realities. In de- monstration of this fact, innumerable instances might be given, in addition to those found in the persons of Alexander of Macedon, Frederick, king of Prussia, John Philpot Curran, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamil- ton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jack- son, and lastly the late emperor Napoleon, who was nicknamed by his own soldiers, from his contemptible gunn's domestic medicine. 107 stature and proportions, the little corporal. I will here make an observation on this subject, which I do not recollect to have seen in any writer. We are always to presume, that the soundness and strength of the physical constitutions of men, lead to great longevity or length of days: and it is a fact as notorious as true, that such men are seldom or never possessed of much mind; in other words, the sword is not sufficiently sharp to cut the scabbard. I am acquainted with a man, a pauper, of this county, who is said from good authority to be one hundred and ten years of age, who I was informed on enquiry, never even in the meridian of life had more than a very ordinary mind; and Thomas Parre, who died in London on the 16th No- vember, 1635, aged one hundred and fifty-two years, it is said was greatly noted for having been a man as remarkable for his deficiency of mental energies, as for his lascivious and sensual propensities. "It was ob- served of him," says the London Medical Museum, "that he used to eat often, both by night and by day, taking up with old cheese, milk, coarse bread, small beer, and whey; and which is more remarkable, he ate at midnight, a little before he died. Being open- ed after his death, his body was found to be very fleshy; —his breast hairy; his genitals unimpaired, which served to confirm the report of his having undergone public censures for his incontinency," &c. &c. I would by no means wish to be understood, that there are no individuals possessed of high health and great physical strength, who are remarkable for strong intel- lectual powers; Newton, Johnson, Shakspeare, and a thousand other instances might be given as exceptions to the general rule just noticed; but we are all well convinced not only that high health and strength lead 108 gunn's domestic medicine. to corporeal amusements and pursuits unfavorable to intellectual improvement—but that debility and disease act in various ways extremely favorable to accessions of mental strength. In the first place, debility and disease lower the tone of those passions which impel us to active exertion and amusement; in other words, they impose a powerful restraint on the physical appe- tites and propensities—circumscribe us to amusements and pursuits connected with the operations of the mind, confine us to the company of our elders, whose superior experience and knowledge are beneficial to our intel- lectual improvement; and "by keeping up an action in the brain, in common with other parts of the body, they tend to impart vigor to the intellectual faculties." From what has been said, I think it will appear evident, that from both natural and accidental circum- stances, there is a distinction to be drawn between those men whose pleasures and pains are connected with physical or corporeal character, and those whose enjoyments and miseries are more intimately associated with the powers and passions of the mind: and it was for these reasons that I alleged in the outset, not only that intemperance was the offspring of various physical and intellectual causes, but that when traced to its origin, it would generally be found in strong and inti- mate connexion, as well with the pleasures and enjoy- ments, as with the miseries and misfortunes of mankind. This is a view of the subject of intemperance and its causes, which I presume has never before been taken by any WTiter; and although it must of necessity, like every thing else human, be subject to imperfections both in data and conclusions, yet it may have some salutary tendencies. It may possibly, invite the atten- tion of the learned, to further and more satisfactory gunn's domestic medicine. 109 investigations of the subject; it may exhibit the neces- sity of seeking for the real causes of intemperance, in removing its habits and effects from the human system; and it may invite society to the exercise of more lenity and compassion, when laboring for the reformation of its unfortunate and melancholy victims. Abuse and degradation were never yet influential in reforming the intemperate; for, what interest did any man ever yet feel, for the preservation of that which he has been convinced, by abuse and degradation, was of no esti- mation or value? Intemperance is confined to no rank in life; to no particular grade of genius and intellect- ual power, between a Socrates and an idiot; it is found in the hut of the savage, the haunts of the learn- ed, the hovel of the beggar, and in the palaces of kings; its causes are as various as the capacities of man for enjoyments and pleasures, and as multiplied as the various miseries and misfortunes to which he is subjected through life: what a farce then it must be, for any physician to attempt to remove the different causes of intemperance, without knowing what those causes are, and by the application of one specific reme- dy to such an infinite variety of causes. Would you attempt to remove diseases of the mind, by merely physical remedies? Would you, on the other hand, hope for the removal of merely, corporeal diseases, by the application of intellectual means? Would you soothe the mental anguish of remorse, without the con- solations of religion, and assurances of divine forgive- ness? Would you, in other words attempt to destroy a poisonous variety of plants, without striking at the roots of their existence and vitality? The mere pleasures of sense, as well as those of the intellect, are susceptible of being rendered more 110 gunn's domestic medicine. intense, by the application of stimulants: in ihe varied and endless catalogue of stimulating powers, arc to be found all the great allurements to dissipation and con- firmed intemperance; but it will hardly be contended, that one grade of stimulants, possesses the same strength and adaptation of allurement, with all the varieties of mankind. Physically speaking, one man's system is excited to pleasurable sensations by snuff, the system of another by tobacco, of another by wine, of a fourth by spirits and opium, of a fifth by highly sea- soned and stimulating food, &c. &c; and we are all perfectly aware, that a persistency in the use of any •or all the above stimulants, will sometimes degenerate into a confirmed habit of intemperance in their use, too strong for the restraints of either the moral or in- tellectual energies of the self-devoted victims. You will frequently hear the devotees of any or all the above excesses, execrating the very agents they employ in wearing down their constitutions with incidental diseases and premature decay, and moralizing with the finest touches of elocution on the heniousness and immorality of such dangerous and degrading excesses; and what does all this prove? Why it demonstrates conclusively, that the habits of dissipation and intem- perance, like all other derelictions from the standard of nature and philosophic moderation, are to be resis- ted in their first formation, and before they can acquire the resistless force of torrents, before which all human resolutions, and efforts of preservation, sink to rise no more! There are two periods of human life; there are two marked and distinct periods in the pro- gressive excesses of dissipation and intemperance. In the rise of life we act upon every thing around us, from a confidence in our own strength, and a conscious- gunn's domestic medicine. Ill ness of being able to master and shape our own desti- nies: in the decline of life, when the physical, moral and mental energies begin to fail, we act upon less resolute and less confidential principles; in other words, we merely act on the defensive, and resort to expedients for warding off diseases, dangers and death. These two periods are strongly marked in the lives and characters of all men; from the General, who achieves victories in his youth, and sustains defeat in his old age, to the man of intellectual powers and pursuits, who, like the immortal Milton, writes a "Paradise Lost," in the meridian of life and intellectual resolution, and a "Paradise Regained," when the tremors of old age and irresolution have crept over him. This is a faithful picture of a man of dissipation and intemperance. At first he adventures on an excess, partly from the attrac- tive force of the allurement, and partly from the con- sciousness of moral and intellectual resolution to^th- stand any temptation to dangerous indulgence. Ei the formation of intemperate habits, this is precarious and hostile ground: the scripture says, "let him who stands " take heed lest he fall." The habit of intemperance is of slow or rapid growth, in proportion to the strength or weakness of our resolutions to wifhstand temptation. Where many and strong motives combine to retard our progress in excesses of intemperance, we advance slowly and almost imperceptibly to self-destruction.— When the animations of youth, and the convivialities of conversation, are sufficient for the production of pleasurable sensations: when we are highly susceptible of impression from the varied charms of nature; and while the brilliant prospects of a long and animated life, seem "to bid an eternal Eden smile around us," the temptations to degrading intemperance are only 112 gunn's domestic medicine. those which enhance the intensity of other pleasures.— But, in proportion as all these fairy prospects fade on the vision; in proportion as the repetition of these en- joyments causes us to lose the sentiment of novelty, and especially when satiety of such enjoyments produ- ces lassitude and coldness, we invariably descend to more sensual and intense expedients, for renewing sen- sations of pleasure: and unfortunately for mankind, those expedients are too often connected with the dissipations and intemperance of the glutton, the epicure, the opium eater, and the drunkard. This descent to confirmed habits of intemperance, in all its varied stages of degra- dation, need not be delineated; these graduated debase- ments are visible in every department of society, and are so common, as almost every where to have lost their novelty and impression. I have not yet spoken of those dissipations, which seem to be connected with the energies and passions of the mind; and compared with which, the intemperate excesses of the mere animal appetites and passions of man, dwindle into a comparatively insignificant and ordinary character. Where the character of an indi- vidual is decidedly intellectual, there always will be discovered at an early period of life, a strong native propensity to an indulgence in intellectual pleasures, and in those passions which are more closely allied to the mental powers. I mean here those pleasures of the mind, which have their rise in the memory, the understanding, the imagination, &,c. and those which are the offspring of an indulgence in those passions of the mind, which we call love, hope, ambition, &e. With regard to the pleasures of memory, they are as various and unlimited as the objects by which we are surrounded in nature; they comprise every thing cog- gunn's domestic medicine. 113 nizable by all the senses of man, the impressions of which can be stamped upon the retentive faculty; and they embrace also, those recollections of our own con- duct, which are fraught with the pleasures of a good conscience. It is absolutely impossible to define or limit the pleasures of memory: they embrace our pa- rents, our early friends, and all the objects of our youth- ful attachments; the houses in which we were born and educated, the haunts of our youthful and innocent diversions, and all the objects of our early pursuits.—• The pleasures of memory also comprise all we have learned of the heroism, the magnanimity, and the in- telligence, of the great warriors and sages of antiquity; they in fact embrace all the recollections of the mind, in its recognizance of all the objects and events which have ever been pleasing to us: and they particularly afford us happiness from a review of a well-spent life. But are there no pains, as well as pleasures of mem- ory? There are; and here commences the cata- logue of dissipation-, the first impulse to which is to be found in the mind. Was it an inherent baseness and brutality of native character, that rendered Robert Burns intemperate? Was it a bestial love of the liquid poison which finally destroyed him, that origin- ated and confirmed those habits of intemperance which sent him to an early grave? No: his dissipations commenced in the convivalities and pleasures of a refined, delicate, and superior mind; and were con- firmed into habits of intemperance too stubborn for the control of his moral energies, by the lowliness of his fortunes, the poignancy and vulgarity of his sufferings, and the pains of his memory! Why do we see a man like this, the prey of a morbid and confirmed melancholy? And why do we hear him warbling 114 gunn's domestic medicine. forth his distresses, when contemplating objects yet dear and painful to his memory, in the following in- spired and tender strains: "ye mind me of departed hours—departed, never to refurn!" The fate of Ro- bert Burns has been the fate of thousands whose names are lost to fame, and who have sunk into obscure and lonely graves, unpitied and unknown. Thomas Paine once remarked, that one of the greatest miseries of human life, consisted in not being able to forget what it was painful to remember. Mr. Paine's character was highly intellectual; his whole life had been devoted to conferring political benefits and moral miseries on mankind: and it is not merely possible, but highly probable, that the desertions of society on account of his theological writings, and the pains of his memory, led to those confirmed habits of dissipation and intem- perance, which ultimately destroyed him. But the instances just submitted to the reader, are but two out of thousands which might be adduced to prove the influence of the pains of memory, in originating and confirming fatal habits of dissipation and intemperance. How many millions have sunk into the vortex of intem- perance, from the influence of those pains of memory, called an accusing conscience? Physician—"canst thou minister to a mind deceased," by medical prescrip- tions which can only affect the body? The pleasures and pains of the understanding come next under consideration; and present such a field for the investigation of philosophy, as can only be delinea- ted in outlines. Curiosity is the first passion, or rather emotion of the human understanding; it leads the mind to the investigation and scrutiny of all the objects of na- ture and art which present themselves to man, betwixt the cradle and the grave: the emotion or passion of gunn's domestic medicine. 115 curiosity does more; it leads us to the investigation of objects beyond the boundaries of time, and impels us to attempt a revelation of the great enigmas of eternity itself! The mind of man is naturally attached to truth, and always experiences pleasure in the discovery of it when the disclosure is found beneficial to comfort, health, fame, or to enjoyments of any description; in all these cases, and innumerable others, we experience what may be called the pleasures of the understand- ing. But has not the human understanding also its pains? I think so; we all know perfectly well, that the period of death must arrive: and does not this cer- tain anticipation give pain to thousands? Is not the fear of death painful? I will admit that the uncertain- ty of the moment, wisely and benevolently hidden from us by Providence, in some measure blunts the painful anticipation of death; but what are the mental pangs of the convict, who is given to understand that he must be executed to-morrow! Both the pleasures and pains of the understanding, have relation to the dis- covery of truth. Suppose a man be bitten by a serpent, of whose character he knows nothing; is he not alarm- ed! Suppose that he immediately discovers the reptile to be harmless; do not the mental pains of alarm cense: and does he not experience pleasure from the consciousness of security from danger? Here the pleasure of the understanding is derived from a benefi- cial discovery: but suppose he ascertain that the reptile by which he has been assailed is of a venomous and fatal character, and that he clearly understand his immediate destiny to be death, are not his mental pangs identified with the pains of the understanding? I have not space, in a work like this, to go into a philosophi- cal detail of the important. truths connected with this 116 gunn's domestic medicine. subject; and regret to be compelled to differ from the authority of the great Doctor Rush, who alleges that the pleasures of the understanding have no antagonists in pain. A knowledge of facts, is the aggregate amount of the truths acquired by the operations of the under- standing: where these acquisitions of knowledge de- velop consequences beneficial to human enjoyment and happiness, they are always productive of pleasure to the mind, through the medium of the understanding: but where by the operations of the understanding, the mind is brought into a full view of dangerous and disastrous consequences, the results are always painfal and unhappy. This I believe to be a full and fair statement of the case; and were it not, I would like to know, what influence in the religious reformation of mankind could possibly be derived from faith in the belief of future rewards and punishments! Ignorant of consequences, what to man would be the happiness or misery of either prosperity or misfortune? And how are either to be calculated without the operations of the understanding?—can a man even calculate the results of a plain question in arithmetic, without the operations of this mental power? It is alone by the pervading and subtle powers of the understanding, that we are enabled to feel the realities of either intellectu- al pain or pleasure, happiness or misery. Tiie memo- ry of man, acts upon nothing but facts and events which are past and gone; but the understanding oper- ates also on the present condition and circumstances of mankind, and even extends its views to futurity; and these are the reasons why the pleasures and pains of the understanding, are more intense than those of the memory. These are also the reasons why we are led astray by the festivities of present dissipations and in- gunn's domestic medicine. 117 temperance; and these are also the true reasons, why we resort to the banquet and the flowing bowl, to drown both past and present sorrows connected with the mind. Thus we see, that both joys and sorrows are capable of producing habits of intemperance and dissipation: Physician, can your medical drugs restrain those joys, or remove those sorrows which spring from the mind itself, when all the maxims of moral wisdom and philo- sophy have failed ? No; you must resort to the restrain- ing powers, and the consolations of religion and mor- ality. The pleasures and pains of the imagination, com- mence where those of the memory and the under- standing terminate: and there is this specific differ- ence between them; the powers of the understanding and memory operate on facts and probabilities, while those of the imagination riot in the wild excesses of fiction, romance, and absolute improbabilities. The range of the human imagination seems to be unlimited; and what is very extraordinary, and something difficult to be accounted for, its vigor and creative powers, seem to be proportioned to the weakness and want of cultivation of the understanding. All the records which have descended to us from very ancient times, seem to favor the presumption, that the empire of ima- gination, fiction and romance, in the dark periods of antiquity, gave a tone and a character to the human mind; and that the early records of history only teem with romantic fictions which defy belief, and with delineations of prodigies which never existed, because the philosophic investigations of the understanding had not yet corrected the errors of the imagination. It was probably for these reasons, that Homer, in his "Illiad," admits and describes a plurality of Gods; and 118 gunn's domestic medicine. that Ossian's fancy saw the ghosts of departed heroes who had been slain in battle, half viewless among the clouds of night. Had the progress and improvement of Homer's understanding, enabled him to arrive at the sublime conclusion which announces the existence of one great first cause, he never could have delinea- ted in poetic numbers the distinctive characters of his fictitious deities; and, had Ossian not been ignorant enough to believe in ghosts, his imagination never could have deceived him in the belief, that those of his forefathers were witnessing from the clouds, the sanguinary horrors of his battles! The fact seems to be, as I have said before, that the empire of imagination commences where the matter of fact and philosophic operations of the understanding and memory cease; for I think it will not be contested, even by men of ordinary intelligence, that it is impossible to imagine the existence of a thing which we are convinced has no being; or to fancy a thing to be true, which we know to be a falsehood. Can any man imagine that sugar is bitter, gall sweet, or that two and two make five? No: the truth is, that a knowledge of facts and realities destroys all the frost works of fancy and fic- tion, and demonstrates clearly that philosophy and science have nearly extinguished the fire of poetic ge- nius. In other words, few men can be poets in this age of philosophic improvement, who will not borrow or steal from the old writers, or who cannot find subjects of poetic inspiration, on which little or nothing is or can be certainly known. Newton or Locke would have cut as contemptible a figure in poety, as Homer and Ossian would have exhibited in astronomy and metaphysics. We all know, that the fire of the imagination is gunn's domestic medicine. 119 Weakened and destroyed by old age and experience; and that those who always deal in fictions are always the victims of folly. The pleasures of imagination are always the most brilliant and powerful in the youthful mind; and the, reasons arc obvious. This is the peri- od when all impressions made on the mind, by disclos- ing to us the opening beauties of nature, and the imposing splendors of creation, are entirely novel and without alloy. This is the period when none of the cares and anxieties of life, overshadow and begloom the fairy prospect of fancied and endless felicities to come; and this too is the period, when our youthful friendships are untainted by a knowledge of the base- ness and selfishness of mankind—and our loves of the supposed divinity of the female character, are unalloy- ed by those appalling discoveries of experience, wisdom, and philosophy, which teach us that every thing human is imperfect, and unworthy of our idolatrous devotions! These are the reasons why many modern philosophers have been of opinion, that the state of savage and un- cultivated nature, as regards a more refined condition of the human mind, is much more conducive to human happiness than any other; for say these men, "where ignorance is bliss, it is surely folly to be wise." If these delusive fascinations of the imagination could continue through life, uncorrected by the bitter lessons of experience and wisdom; or if man could be so educated, as never to seek or experience happiness but in the realities of life and nature, the wild delusions of fancy would never lead his judgment astray in the pur- suits of happiness; nor would he ever be discontented with the moderate enjoyments which the realities of existence afford him. But one of the most difficult lessons in wisdom and philosophy, is to be able to ac- 120 gunn's domestic medicine. quire and preserve through life that balance of charac- ter which preserves to us the innocent delusions of the fancy, without suffering them to interfere with, and ultimately to destroy our rational attachments to the colder realities of life. It is the want of this just equi- poise, between philosophic moderation and strength of judgment, and the acute sensibilities allied to a cultiva- ted imagination, that constitutes the real vortex in which so many men of enlightened and lofty genius have sunk to rise no more. Relying on the pleasures of imagina- tion for happiness in early life, never dreaming that they are in a world of sad realities, which will in- volve them in misfortunes against which nothing but the exercise of prudence and judgment can guard them, and continuing to enjoy the present moment, without looking forward to the probable and untoward contin- gencies of futurity—they are never aroused' from their brilliant and illusory visions of fanciful and imaginary happiness, until they are overwhelmed with real mise- ries and misfortunes, and pressed upon by those impe- rious calls of want and necessity, which cannot be silenced by visionary or imaginary means. Here com- mence those pains of the imagination, those lacerations of sensibility, and those horrible anticipations of real and unmitigated suffering, which no human language can describe, and which are so often seen to goad the man of genius and superior endowments to dissipation and intemperance, and precipitate him to aljthe despe- rations attendant on ruined fortunes, and an early grave! This is the vortex that has swallowed thousands of the greatest men that ever existed; this is the bottomless ocean that has engulfed millions of the brightest and most useful men that ever had existence. It is useless to speak of the love of liquor being the cause of intern- gunn's domestic medicine. 121 perance, as applied to men of lofty and powerful ener- gies of mind, and it is worse than useless to attempt the reformation of such men, without knowing and reaching the real causes of their derelictions. Nearly all that has been written on the subject of intemper- ance, has been superficial and nugatory, and confined to the mere contemplation of its effects. Would you prescribe remedies for the mere effects of a disease, without knowing and striking at the real causes? Would you attempt to guard yourself against the point- ed dagger of an assassin, without paralyzing the arm that held it to your bosom? I will admit that you may remove the diseases and habits of intemperance, where they are merely connected with the corporeal system and physical sensations of men, and have noth- ing whatever to do with the mind, by the administra- tion of medical drugs, which will act on that corporeal system, and by the substitution of new bodily habits for old ones; but beyond these points you cannot go by physical means, when you advance on the confines of the mind, and the intellectual passions. Here you are in a new region, and must adapt your means to the origin and nature of the disease, you must employ the moral powers of dissuasive eloquence, the divine con- solations of religion, held out by scripture to erring and repentant man, and its denunciations against the con- duct of the self-destroyer; you must employ the max- ims of philosophy, and the admonitory precepts of true wisdom, you must soothe the victim of intemperate despair, with reasonable hopes of a better fate, instead of irritating him by abusive and degrading denuncia- tions, &>c. &,c But, as this is a most important subject, I will endeavor to elucidate it a little further. When the causes of disease are connected with the mind and 16 122 gunn's domestic medicine. its passions, mere physical restraints and even punish- ments will amount to nothing in attempting a cure.— There is a class of mankind, I will admit, who, like children whose moral susceptibilities cannot be acted upon, must be restrained from excesses, and even the commission of crimes, by ignominious corporeal terrors and punishments; this class of men always possesses more of the physical or corporeal, than of the moral and mental character, and must be acted on by pillories, whipping-posts, and sometimes gibbets. But terrors and punishments which merely affect the body, have no influence with those men whose minds and passions are morbidly affected, or those who are under strong moral impressions of rectitude of conduct. The whole range of martyrs, who have suffered unspeakable tor- ments in the cause of religion and patriotism, demon- strates these facts. Would you then attempt to restrain from intemperance, by mere corporeal and physical means, the man whose mind and its passions are affect- ed? Certainly not; every man whose character is decidedly intellectual, feels that his native dignity is outraged and degraded by corporeal and ignominious restraints or punishments, and will in nine instances out of ten, destroy himself to escape from his own senti- ments of degradation. While the genius of conquest, in the person of Napoleon, was lowering by successive victories all the national banners of Europe, a French soldier of the line presented himself to the Emperor, and desired to be shot. When interrogated as to his reasons, he replied that he had been sentenced to receive ignominious corporeal punishment for some misdeed, rather than to submit to which, he preferred death: the impression made on the mind of Napoleon was such, that ignominious corporeal punishments gunn's domestic medicine. 123 were immediately abolished throughout the French armies. It is almost Heedless to remark, on those passions of the mind, called hope, love, ambition, &c.—that they are all productive of pleasures and pains, in proportion as their influence is bounded by moderation, or char- acterized by excess. The pleasures of hope have been finely celebrated by Campbell; and are well known to have a powerful influence in blunting the miseries and misfortunes of mankind during life, and even in illuminating their anticipations of a happy im- mortality beyond the grave! But the pleasures of hope have their counterpoise of evils and miseries; and when indulged in to excess, or founded on visionary and impossible principles, frequently terminate in dis- appointment and despair. Here wisdom, fortitude, religion and philosophy, are probably the only essential and efficient preventatives, against these intemperate palliatives of disappointed hope, which have led thou- sands to drown themselves, their fortunes and their miseries in the bowl. The miseries of despair and disappointed hope, are seldom the portion of those whose educations have been moral and judicious, or who have been early taught to distinguish the realities of life, from those illusive and visionary expectations of it, which never can be realized even by the greatest prosperity. The visionary gildings with which youth- ful feeling and animating anticipation invest the untried scenes of life, always dissolve before the lessons of wisdom and experience; and where these privations are followed by positive misfortunes from which there exists no hope of redemption, intemperance almost invariably succeeds, as the only remedy by which tem- porary alleviation can be obtained. But this conduct 124 gunn's domestic medicine. is founded in short-sighted and desperate policy; be- cause, to the mental pangs of misfortune, are always ad- ded the miseries of corporeal disease. Love is likewise an intellectual passion, and, like hope, is productive of pleasure and pain, happiness and misery. I have before spoken of this passion, as con- nected with the enjoyments and happiness of man; it now becomes my duty to take a brief view of the sombre colorings of the picture, and to develop some of the causes with which its miseries are connected.— Love is always founded on perceptions of real or ima- ginary perfections; when this elevated and ennobling sentiment is based on the perception of qualities which really exist, it invariably leads to happiness, and is an unerring indication of superior wisdom; but when it is founded in errors of the imagination, and in the false perception of merely visionary qualities which have no existence, it generally eventuates in misery, and is a decided mark of overweening stupidity and folly. The first step to misery, in wedded love, where the qualities of either of the parties are not sufficiently noble to sus- tain the passion, is the discovery of blemishes of person, disposition, mind or character, which were not known previously to marriage. This discovery produ- ces a chill of the affections, which leads to a more narrow and scrutinizing investigation of the causes of our having been deceived. If they are found to have originated with ourselves, we invariably undervalue and detest our own judgment, which would suffer us thus to be deceived, and immediately become dissatis- fied with ourselves; and it requires no great exercise of wisdom to know, that those who are dissatisfied with themselves, are displeased with all those around thern. On the contrary, if it is found on investigation that we J" gunn's domestic medicine. 125 have been deceived by the hypocrisy of the individual to whom we are tied by bonds which death alone can dissolve, contempt and detestation are the inevitable consequences; for it is no more possible for a man or woman of moral discernment to love an unworthy ob- ject, knowing it to be such, than it is for a human being to hate the presence of virtue combined with peerless beauty. Here then commences that series of domestic and conjugal miseries, which defies and baffles the power of mere language to describe: and the parties soon become estranged from, and perfectly hateful to, each other. Home becomes a hell; the tavern and gaming tables are resorted to; to bad company habits of intemperance succeed, and the event is, death by confirmed habits of intoxication, or life embittered by negligence, disease, poverty and want! I am the more particular in mentioning the effects of "love to hatred turned," and in tracing those effects to their causes, not only because the picture which is true to life may be instrumental in preventing deceptions and hypocrisy in courtship, but because it may have a tendency to illustrate the eternal truth, that no miseries can ever be drowned in the midnight bowl, unless the chalice contain the poison of death itself!----1 said that love was always founded on the perception of real or vision- ary perfections; with that founded on amiable and noble qualities, I have here nothing to do, because it is al- ways permanent, and always unshaken by misfortunes. This position requires no further proof than can be found in every country, and in the sphere of every man's observations on life. Where, however, the at- tachment is founded on illusory prceptions, it is not only short-lived in itself, but eternally liable to destruc- tion by variations of fortune. Some persons, indeed 126 gunn's domestic medicine. all individuals of the human species are formed by nature for enjoying the felicities of attachment and loVe. With these elementary principles, and with a heart alive to the tenderest sensibilities, the devourer of novels and romances, in which the human character is invested with perfections that never pertained to it, is peculiarly liable to miseries and misfortunes in love. I say once for all, and wish it to be born in mind by the reader, that no inordinate and excessive passion, not even that of love itself, was ever the offspring of cor- rect perceptions of human nature, such as it really is. Where is the man or woman of reflection, who does not know that human nature is not perfection; and who is not perfectly convinced, that it is a compound of personal and moral beauties and imperfections.— Those who are in time made acquainted with these philosophic truths, and have early learned to know that man is a compound, to say the best we can of him, of virtue and vice, strength and weakness, wisdom and folly, will never experience any of the passions in their extremes. Their loves and hatreds, their friendships and enmities, and indeed; all their other passions, are true to nature, and therefore always characterized by moderation. Loves and hatreds are only felt in the extreme, because in the former case we are blind to imperfections which really exist; and because in the latter instances, we shut our eyes against many noble traits of character, which would mitigate our unquali- fied hatreds. The same may be said of our friendships and enmities, and indeed of all our other passions: even the sneaking scoundrel avarice, if he did not overrate the object of his desires, would abandon his swindling propensities, and relax his gripe on the mise- ries and misfortunes of mankind. It is the immoderate gunn's domestic medicine. 127 overrating the objects of our passions, that produces all their excesses; against which no human being can be guarded, unless through the medium of wisdom and in- telligence, which alone can stamp the genuine value on every object of human desire or pursuit. Few in- stances are to be found on record, where the miseries of disappointed love have been experienced in the extreme, by persons whose errors of imagination had been corrected by experience, and the acquisitions of true wisdom; and even where" all the agonies of dis- appointed love have been felt in their excesses, they produce different effects upon the different sexes. On woman, they induce a disposition for retirement and a solitary life, which sometimes ends in confirmed melan- choly, sometimes in insanity, and not unfrequently in a broken heart. With man, on the other hand, the ex- cesses of unfortunate love produces very different effects, they urge him to mix in crowded assemblies, in the hum of business and in the haunts of men; they dispose him to attempt a forgetfulness of his miseries, by exploring new scenes of life, in countries to which he is a stran- ger, by encountering the dangers of the field and flood; and by drowning the memory of his misfortunes in the oblivion of the bowl! Of the miseries of ambition, and the excesses to which they lead, the space allotted will not allow much to be said. Like love, the passion of ambition, both in moderation and excess, depends for strength on the value we set on subjects of ambitious desire. To those whose wisdom teaches them the true value of earthly objects, the passion of ambition is always productive of enjoyments; but when an over-estimate of the objects of ambitious pursuit, arise from the false though dazzling perceptions of those objects, the passion always • 128 gunn's domestic medicine. acquires an uncontroled dominion in the human breast, producing misery to the individual, and frequently the most dreadful desolations, to sdciety and mankind.— When ambition is confined to moral bonds, in other words, where it is restricted to doing good, it becomes a powerful auxilary to religion a:jd morality, and to the peace and happiness of mankind. "But, talents angel bright, if wanting worth, Are shining instruments in false ambition's rand, To finish faults illustrious, and give infamy rknown!" Where ambition is laudable, and restricted to benefi- cent and moral objects, it serves to dignify and adorn the human character: and even where thus character- ized, it meets with failures and disappointments, it pro- duces no serious and lasting miseries to its votaries.— The real passion of ambition is of a heaven-born char- acter; it is founded in a strong desire to be remember- ed with gratitude and adoration by posterity and future ages—and is the legitimate offspring of a vital and deep-seated sentiment of immortality! We see its indications in every department of life, and in every age of the world. The monumental inscriptions of ancient times: the mummied catacombs, and the great pyramids of Egypt themselves bear witness of the universal prevalence of this all-absorbing sentiment of immortality, and of the dreadful contemplations which accompany the anticipations of being swept from hu- , man memory by the hand of time! The desire to be remembered, is as obvious in the school-boy who in- scribes his name on a tree or a rock,'as in the lofty and headlong careers of Charlemagne, Alexander and Napoleon:—who desolated nations and overturned em- pires, to give their achievements to posterity and future ages.—When the passion of ambition of whatever grade, or to whatever objects directed, is disappointed « gunn's domestic medicine, 129 in its expectations, it invariably leads to dissatisfaction with life and mankind, and frequently plunges its vota* ries into the vortex of intemperance and debauchery.— These effects are not only confined to the ambition of men possessing lofty and powerful energies; of mind, whose objects of ambition are correspondent in elevation, but they are discoverable in all their inferior orders of society, and in all the subordinate ranks of intellectual power: they are in fact as observable in the-Caesar who is disappointed in the possession of an imperial crown, as in the humble votary of literature and science, or the hook-fingered and swindling devotee of avarice, with whom wealth is the idol of adoration! Let any of these men, be finally and permanently disappointed in the first and great objects of their ambition, and if they are destitute of resolution, fortitude, wisdom and philoso- phical energy of intellect, they invariably sink in the whirlpool of intemperance, debauchery, and sottish- ness:—Alexander the Great died from the influence of a fit of intemperance, because probably he had no more worlds to conquer; and it is needless to advert to the thousands of instances which every where present themselves, of men of all ranks and grades of life, who j sink into insignificance and obscurity, from the effects of intemperance, brought on them by disappointed am- * bition. «.t I have now, I think, shown some of the various cau- ses of intemperance, and probably to the satisfaction of reflecting men, traced some of them to the physical and mental constitutions of men: as far as it is practicable * to be done by observations of mere effects. In this brief ] essay, by no means correspondent with the importance I of the subject, I have neither followed nor profited by J the hacknied theories which have heretofore been pub- 130 gunn's domestic medicine. fished; I have endeavored to view human nature such as it is, and to remark the developements of the causes of intemperance, such as they have appeared to me in my medical pursuits; and if I have not been as successful as might be desired by medical men who are the real friends to humanity, I may at least have furnished some materials which may be useful to such fathers of the pro- fession as Mitchell, Physic, Hossack, and many others, who are engaged in developing the mysticisms of medi- cal science, and rendering them intelligible to mankind. REMARKS, PRELIMINARY TO THE MEDICAL PORTION OF THIS WORK. I have now done with the passions most material to be thought of in a work like this. I think I have spoken of them as they deserve; and as being the real causes of very many and obstinate diseases; and I also think, without any sort of vanity on the subject, that I have taken views of them which are not only new, but such as will be satisfactory to men who are pleased with common sense, and matter-of-fact dis- closures, instead of visionary theories, and old doctrmes that have been worn thread-bare by repetition. Where I have found the essences of the passions beyond the reach of investigation, I have freely confessed the truth; being determined not to veil my ignorance of what is most likely hidden from us by divine wisdom, by long sounding words, which when explained would make men of common sense laugh at medical quackery, and by technical language which means next to nothing.— I have spoken of the passions as I have seen and wit- nessed their effects on the human system, and on the peace and happiness of society generally; and particu- larly as regards intemperance, or rather excess in fear—joy—anger—jealousy—love—grief—religion— gluttony and drunkenness, I have ventured to go as far into some of the remote and constitutional causes of 132 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. them, as I possibly could without running into mere theories, not supported by the experience of mankind. In treating of them I have been limited much by want of space; and have therefore in some instances, been compelled to comprise as much information as possible in a few words: and I must also observe here, that on intemperance, religion, love, jealousy and anger, I have extended my remarks further than on the rest of the passions; because I consider them of vastly more im- portance to the health and happiness, and to the dis- eases and miseries of mankind, than all the rest of the passions put together. I have classed religion and intemperance under the head of the passions, because all our desires and aversions become passions, when they become too strong to be controlled and moderated by moral sense and reason; and if even these were not the facts, mere names are nothing but blinds, frequent- ly placed by the learned between the reader and the realities of things, to conceal the naked poverty and barrenness of the sciences, as professed by literary men. If our education consisted more in a knowledge of things, and less in a knowledge of mere words than it does, and if the great mass of the people knew how much pains were taken by scientific men, to throw dust in their eyes by the use of ridiculous and high-sound- ing terms, which mean very little if any thing, the learned professors of science would soon lose much of their mock dignity, and mankind would soon be unde- ceived, as to the little difference that really exists be- tween themselves and the very learned portion of the community. I am the more particular on this subject, not because I wish to lower the public opinion respect- ing the real value of medical knowledge, but because the time has arrived when the hypocrisy which has •• GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 133 attached itself to religion, the pettifogging dissimula- tion which has crept into the practice and science of law, and the quackeries which have so long disgraced the practice and science of medicine, are about to be scattered to the four winds of heaven, by the progress of real knowledge, and the general diffusion of useful intelligence. The great body of the people are begin- ning to find out as I remarked in substance in my dedi- cation—that when we take from the learned sciences all their technical and bombastic language, they imme- diately become plain common sense, very easily to be understood by all ranks of men. I have also said in that same dedication, and I now repeat it, that the really valuable materials in medicine, and those which are the most powerful in the cure of diseases, are few and simple, and very easily to be produced in all coun- tries; and on this subject I will say something more which may probably be considered new. I not only believe, that every country produces, or can be made to produce, whatever is necessary to the wants of its inhabitants—but also whatever is essential to the cure of diseases incidental to each country; it is by no means probable, that an all-wise creator would create man with wants he could not supply, and subject him to diseases for which there were no remedies to be found in nature, and in all the different countries and climates of which he is an inhabitant. If such were not the facts, how miserable would be the condition of the human species; eternally harassed by the calls of wants which could not be satisfied, and afflicted with diseases for which they could find neither the means of alleviation nor cure! How did the Indian nations of this country become so populous and powerful, un- less from finding the means of supplying their wants, * e ■134 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. and of mitigating and curing their diseases, on the soil and in the countries which gave them birth? The fact is, that this country, like all other countries, produces spontaneously, or can be made to produce by the genius and industry of its inhabitants, all that is requir- ed by the wants of the people, and all that is essential in modical science; and the sooner we set about find- ing out, and folly exploring the resources of our own country, the sooner we wiil be clear of the abuses and countless impositions in the adulteration of medical drugs; and the sooner will we be exempted from indi- vidual and national dependence on other nations.— There are many drugs that come from abroad, that are made good for nothing, by adulterations or mixture before they reach us, or lose their virtues by long stand- ing and exposure; and any professed druggist if he will tell you the truth, will tell you the same; and these among many others, are the reasons why I mean to be very particular in showing you, as respects the plants and roots, &c. of this country, not only how great are our resources, but how easily we can evade roguery and imposition, and obtain pure and unadul- terated materials in medicine, if we will be industrious in developing the real resources of this country. The science of botany, like many others I could name, has dwindled into mere mummery and hard sounding names of plants, &c. I can find you, indeed you can easily find them yourselves, very many iudividuals pro- foundly learned in botany, who can tell you all about the genus and species of plants and herbs, and can call them individually by their long Latin names, who can tell you nothing whatever about their use to man- kind, or whether they are poisonous or otherwise; and I want to know whether such information, or rather GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 135 such want of information, is not mere learning without wisdom, and science without knowledge. But why need I speak of the science of botany alone, as having sunk into frivolity and superficial nonsense; the same may be said of many other of the sciences, which were in their origin and early progress useful to mankind. Real knowledge consists in understanding both what is useful and what is injurious to mankind; and true wisdom amounts to nothing more than appropriating to our use whatever is beneficial, and avoiding whatever is injurious to our enjoyments and happiness: this is the true distinction between common sense and non- sense; or if you will have the same idea in finer lan- guage, between wisdom and folly. For the common and useful purposes of mankind, the refined fripperies and hair-drawn theories of mere science, are of no use whatever; indeed they never have had much other effect, than to excite a stupid admiration for men who pretended to know more than the mass of mankind: and it is this stupid admiration, this willingness to be duped by the impudent pretensions of science and quackery combined, that has led to impositions and barefaced frauds upon society, without number. Wher- ever artifice is used, it is either to cover defects, or to perpetuate impositions and frauds; and if you wish to know how much of this artifice is in vogue in the science and practice of medicine, ask some physician of eminence to give you in plain common English, the meaning of those mysterious and high sounding names you see plastered on bottles, glass jars, gallipots and drawers in a drug store, or doctor's shop. There you may see in large and imposing capitals—Datura Stra- monium, which simply means Stinkwood, or vulgarly Jamestown weed: Tanacetum Vulgare, which in Eng^- 136 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. lish means Common Tansy: Chenopodium Anthel- menticum, good heaven! what a name for Jerusalem Oak: Spigelia Marilano'ica, which means nothing more nor less than Pink Rodt: Alium Sativum, whiclf means Gloves of Garlic: and who would ever suppose, unless he were previously initiated into the sublime mysteries of the "Physicians' Materia Medica," that Cantharis Vittata was the Potato Fly—%that Hedeoma Pulegioides, was merely the common plant Pennyroyal: that Phy- tolacca Decandra was nothing but Poke weed: that Panax Quinquefolium was nothing but Ginseng: that Rubus Villosus meant in plain English, the Blackber- ry: that Egpatorium Perfoliatum was nothing but Bone-set: that Poly gala Seneka was Snake Root: that Laurus Benzoin was no more than Spice-wood: that Asarium Canadense was Wild Ginger: that Babtisea Tinctoria was only another name for Wild Indigo: that Hydrastic Canadensis was nothing but Yellow Root: that Podophyllium Peltatum was merely the May Apple, or common Jalap of the shops: Sanguina- ria Canadensis, was no more than the Puccoon or Blood Root, well known to every old woman in the state: that Cornus Florida was nothing but Dogwood: that Gillenia Frifolliata was merely Indian Physic: that Symplocarpus Foetida was nothing but Skunk Cab- bage: that Anthemis Cotula was the Wild Cammo- mile: that Lobelia Inflata was nothing but Wild To- bacco: that Comptonia Asplenifolia was only the Sweet Fern:—and so on to the end of the chapter. But, on consideration of the importance of this information, I will add a few more instances of the shameful imposi- tions practiced on the mass of the people, by the quack- eries connected with the Medical Science. They are as follows:—Oleum Ricini, meaning Castor Oil: Un- gunn's domestic medicine. 137 genetum Picis Idquidw meaning Tar Ointment; Oleum Tereginthinw meaning the Oil of Turpentine: Zanthoxylum Calva Herculis meaning the common Prickly Ash of our country: Sal. Nitre, meaning Salt Petre: Tartarized Antimony meaning Emetic Tar- tar: Sulphat Soda, meaning nothing but Epsom Salts: Ruta Graveslens meaning our common Garden Rue: Salva Officinalis, the common Sage; Sambucus Ni- gra, common Elder: Serpentaria Virginiana, Vir- ginia Snake Root: Myrtis Pimento, common Pepper: Ulmus Americana, meaning Red Elm: Aqua Calcis meaning Lime Water: and Carbo Ligni, Charcoal of Wood!! These I think, are fair specimens of the use- less technical terms and phrases, with which the science of medicine has been encumbered by a policy hostile to the interests of every community; in which the reader will easily distinguish, if he will look one foot beyond his nose, not only that big words and high- sounding phrases are not superior wisdom, but that three fourths of the whole science of physic, as now practiced and imposed upon the common people, amounts to nothing but fudge and mummery. In fact it has always seemed to me, whenever I have reflected seriously on this subject, that all the hard names of common and daily objects of contemplation, wrere ori- ginally made use of to astonish the people; and to aid what the world calls learned men, in deceptions and fraud. The more nearly we can place men on a level in point of knowledge, the happier we would become in society with each other, and the less danger there would be of tyrranny on the one hand, and submis- sion to the degradations of personal slavery on the other: nor are these all the benefits that would certain- ly arise from a more equal distribution of useful 18 138 gunn's domestic medicine. information among the people. We all know perfectly well, and if we do not we ought to do so, that there are two ways of acquiring a greater name than com- mon among men. One is by putting on affected airs of superior wisdom, and the concealment of weakness and ignorance, to which all men are subject: and the other is, by exhibiting to the world, great and useful energies of mind and character, of which nothing can be a more decisive proof, than success in our under- takings. But this is not all; the less we know of the weakness and imperfections of what the world calls great men, the more we are disposed to overrate their merits and wisdom, and to become their humble follow- ers, admirers, and slaves. This is the reason why I wish to impress upon your minds, the simple and im- portant truth, that there is not so great a difference between men as there appears to be; and that you are always to find out in the characters of men, the differ- ence between impudent presumption, which seeks to blind you to defects, and modest and unassuming merit, which is above hypocrisy and deception. On the other hand, I wish you to remember, that the more we know of the ignorance and weakness of great men, ignorance and weakness which they all have, however they may try to hide them, the more easily we will feel ourselves on a level with them, the less we will be compelled to think of their assumed superiority, and consequently the less danger there will be of our becoming their most humble followers, their tools of dirty purposes, and in fact their slaves. The fact is, if we would always strip the fine coat, the ruffled shirt, the well-blacked boots, and what would be better than all, the hypocrisy and presumption, from about those who pretend to lord it over us; and if we could always gunn's domestic medicine. 139 hit the true medium of truth and justice, in forming our opinions of each other, there would be much less fraud in this world than there is: for you may rest assured, and I desire you most particularly to fix it in yuor memory, that no man or junto of men, ever yet attempted to cheat or impose on your credulity, with- out first forming a contemptuous opinion of your dis- cernment; in other words, all attempts to cheat and deceive you, are direct insults to your understand- ings. With these remarks, in which I have been as plain as possible in point of language: in order that you might the better understand my meaning, I will now go on to describe to you, in as plain language as can be made use of, all the diseases we are most lia- ble to in this country, and all the best remedies for those which are brought to us from other countries. I intend also to describe particularly all the roots, and plants, and so on, which wre have about us in our gar- dens, barn-yards, fields and woods, which are useful in the cure of diseases. These will be important consi- derations, beause I am convinced we have many things the most common about us, that as medicines are as good as any in the world, and the knowledge of which by the people themselves, will enable them to cure their own diseases in many instances, and avoid many and great expense. The language I will make use of, as I said before, will be extremely plain, the object of the work being, not so much to instruct the learned as the unlearned; nor will I regard in the slightest degree, any of those pretty critical remarks, which may be made on such language, provided I succeed in adopting language which can be understood by those for whom this work is intended. And here I cannot avoid remarking, that since this work of mine 140 gunn's domestic medicine. was commenced, and measurably finished, I have received from New York, the first number of a period- ical work on the same plan that this is, to be written by some of the greatest medical men in the United States, some of whom are Mitchill, Hossack, Mott, McNeven, &c. These gentlemen, as well as myself, are convinced that the time has come, when all the mysteries and technical language of the science of medicine, must be made plain to the people of this country, and when the old frauds and quackeries of the profession must be laid down, and discontinued in practice. I am gratified, that men whose names have so much weight, have undertaken to make the science of medicine plain; because otherwise I should have stood alone in the great attempt, and had to contend with all the petty critical remarks, of all the petty pro- fessors of the science, and all those who wish to make a mystery, of v> hat every man in the community is fully able to understand if well explained. Before concluding these observations, it may not be improper to make some remarks, intended for the more youthful portion of those into whose hands this work may fall. Some of the diseases I am compelled to mention and explain, necessarily relate to a sex whose weakness and delicacies of constitution, entitle them to the highest respect, and the most tender considera- tion: nor can any youth be guilty of a more flagrant breach of humanity, nor more completely disclose a brutal and unfeeling disposition, than by manifesting a wish to turn into unfeeling ridicule, the diseases and calamities of women: I would at once pronounce such a young man a brute, a paltroon, and a coward. But I am confident there are few if any such in this coun- try, because there are few or none who will not recol- gunn's domestic medicine. 141 lect, that their venerable mothers were of the female sex, and that they have probably sisters and other rela- tives of the same sex. I wish the younger portion of my readers also to recollect, and I most respectfully request them to do so—that when perusing my book, on the various diseases to which the human body is liable, as to their uncertainty of life, and the slender thread on which it hangs, I wish them to remember, how unknown to them are the vicissitudes of the world; how easily they may be thrown into strange lands, destitute, friendless, and afflicted: I wish them to en- grave on their minds, that sacred rule of doing all things to others, which they would wish others should do unto them; that they would always let the tear of sympathy drop for their fellow creatures in affliction and distress, and always let their hearts melt at the tale of human woe, for which God will bless them in all their works. ON SLEEP. ■"What better name may slumber's bed become? Night's sepulchre, the universal home. When weakness, strength, vice, virtue sunk supine, Alike in naked helplessness recline; Glad for a while to heave unconscious breath, And wake to wrestle with the bread of dkath." To exist as it were between death and life; to rove in imagination, unfettered by the cold and strong reali- ties of waking existence, through a boundless realm of visions which seem real; this is what we call sleep, without knowing much of any thing about its causes.— The real cause of sleep has been a matter of much guessing and speculation with medical men; even very learned philosophers have disagreed in opinion re- specting the cause of sleep, and nearly all the little we ;know on the subject is, that when the sable curtain of night is drawn around us, the mind and body worn out ^and exhausted by the fatigues of the day, sink into soft ^repose. Napoleon, whose genius seemed capable of seizing .every subject of contemplation with a giant grasp, re- marked while distinguishing between sleep and death, .that sleep was the suspension of the voluntary powers *of man:—and that death was a suspension of those that were involuntary. This was probably the most correct distinction between sleep and death, that has ever to my knowledge been drawn by any man; and I will endeavor to explain as clearly as possible, what gunn's domestic medicine. 143 I think he intended by it. When we lie down to sleep, we voluntarily exclude the operation of the senses; in other words, we see nothing, hear nothing, feel noth- ing, smell nothing, and taste nothing; and endeavor to think of nothing—this is as far as we can go in the matter, for no man can possibly tell when he falls asleep, or in other words, when an entire suspension of the voluntary powers of the body and mind take place.— While in this situation, however, we know that the sleeper breathes, that his heart beats, that the blood circulates, that the stomach digests its food, and that perspiration takes place: now, as the will of the sleeper has nothing to do with these matters, they depend upon the involuntary powers of the human system, and when these powers cease, death takes place. This is as far as we can go as regards sleep and death, for as to dreams and their causes, all we can tell about them simply is, that during sleep the mind and imagination act with such brightness and power, as to leave strong impressions on the waking memory; I say the mind and imagination, because we not only distinguish ob- jects as if they were present, but because we can and sometimes actually do reason about them and that too very correctly. It is impossible for us to enjoy good health, unless blessed with sound and refreshing sleep: without sleep* the whole frame is thrown into disorder, and a strong disposition to disease; and the mind is much confused and weakened. Without the due repose of sleep, the appetite for food is depraved and sometimes lost; the health and strength fail; and the spirits become dis- tressed and melancholy in the extreme. The acrid matter is thrown off during sleep, insensible, perspira- tion is increased, and the body increases in growth m 114 gunn's domestic medicine. a greater degree than when awake and actively em- ployed. You are much taller in the morning when rising from a refreshing sleep, than during or after a day of severe fatigue. Sleep assists much in the cure of diseases, and may be considered, if sound and refreshing, a favorable symptom of recovery in sick- ness. It is a welcome visitor in fevers, because it diminishes the rapid motion of the blood, and conse- quently cools and refreshes the system. It is of infin- ite benefit in dysentary or flux, because it restrains the frequency of the stools; also in female diseases—in consumptions, rheumatisms, pleurisies, and in flooding; in fact, the cure of almost all diseases require sound and refreshing sleep, and so well known was this fact to a physician of great eminence, that he seldom or never gave his patients operative medicines, before he had produced sound sleep by the administration of an opiate. The body receives nourishment during sleep; and this is the reason why the growth is greatly promo- ted by sleep: all men who are inclined to obesity or fatness, sleep much. All young plants grow in the night time; indeed all young animals grow in the night while sleeping; and this is the reason why children re- quire more sleep than grown persons. I have already told you in my introduction, that man is a creature of habit, and may therefore accustom himself to almost any thing by practice. Napoleon had an alarm watch, for the purpose of awaking him at any hour he chose. During a campaign, one of his field officers entered his tent at two o'clock in the morning, having some important businees with him.— Contrary to his expectation, he found the emperor up and dressed, and employed in laying off the plan for the battle of the next dav, and addressed him thus:— gunn's domestic medicine. 145 "You are up late, emperor." "O no," said Napoleon* "I have just risen; my sleep is over."^ After calling for his coffee, his usual practice immediately on rising, he communicated to the officer the method he had fol- lowed to ascertain the time of sleep required by his constitution. "I had," said he, "been accustomed to awake every night, afier sleeping five or six hours, and to continue awake during the remainder of the night.— This led me to believe that I remained longer in bed, than nature and my constitution required; and deter- mined me by this alarm watch, to abridge my hours of sleep ten minutes each night, by rising ten minutes earlier. I soon discovered how much sleep nature required by the length of time I slept soundly, which was only five hours. I have since continued this prac- tice, and find my health good, and nature sufficiently restored and refreshed by it. When in actual service, and my mind much employed, my usual time of sleep is but four hours, from eleven till three inclusive, &c." As in all other cases, too much or too little sleep, pro- duces injury to health and strength of body and viva- city of mind and feelings. The bed in which We sleep for comfort and health is very important: the use of feather beds, particularly in the summer season, is extremely unhealthy; and how persons can lie snoring, soaking and sweating, in a large feather bed for eight or nine hours at a time, which is usual with many of the wealthy people of the western country, is to me perfectly astonishing; and I wish them to understand distinctly, that by so doing the following consequences inevitably follow:—their flesh becomes soft, flabby, pale, and weak: the digestive organs of the stomach becomes relaxed, feeble, and of no account, as is proved by the want of appetite; in fact, the whole muscular 19 146 gunn's domestic medicine. and nervous systems, become so impaired and lost in tone and vigor, as to be incapable of performing the duties assigned to them by nature. A matress made of shucks, nicely cleaned and hackled, forms a delight- ful bed for summer; and if you would enjoy sleep to the extent which is essential to health and strength, avoid a feather bed as you would a plague, and sleep on matresses of some kind, or on a straw bed, or even pick out the softest plank in the floor and stretch your- self on it. It is worthy of observation that most per- son who sleep hard, are more healthy and lively than others: look at the Indians who sleep on deer and bear skins: look at soldiers who sleep on blankets; and at wagoners, who always on journies, sleep on hard matresses on the floors of houses, or on the hard ground in tents. And it is worthy of particular re- mark, that a hard bed promotes digestion, and prevents incubus or night-mare, that demon of indigestion which is a scourge of thousands. All asthmatic persons, or in other words, those who have the phthisic, should sleep hard, and in refreshing and pure air; feather beds in close rooms are murdering thousands of these people by inches. Many people are subject at night, to palpations of the heart, shortness of breath which seems to threaten suffocation, great anxiety and depres- sion of spirits, uneasiness for which they cannot ac- count, tremors, and so on, usually called nervous. These people ought always to sleep on hard beds and in pure air: and they ought always, in warm weather, to wash or sponge their bodies with cold water, taking care immediately after to wipe themselves dry with a coarse towel, and then to use the flesh-brush; this course of proceeding will, just before going to bed, produce sound and refreshing sleep. Warm bathing gunn's domestic medicine. 147 of the feet before going to bed, is of infinite service in causing sound sleep; the bath ought to have a little salt in it, and to be continued fifteen or twenty min- uses ; after which the feet ought to be wiped dry, and well brushed with a flesh-brush: persons subject to cold feet, and those much advanced in age, will find much benefit from the flesh-brush, and from wrapping their feet in well dried flannel before going to bed. When we lie down to sleep every painful thought and unpleasant circumstance, should if possible be banish- ed from the mind; and we should always endeavor to turn our meditations into channels, which will leave tranquil and soothing impressions behind them when we fall asleep. Dr. Franklin's rules for sleeping well, and having pleasant dreams, are very plain: he says— "Eat moderately during the day, and avoid heavy sup- pers ; sleep on a hard bed with your feet to the fire, especially in very cold weather; and above all during the day take sufficient exercise. If you awake from a sense of uneasiness or accident, and cannot again compose yourself to sleep, get out of the bed and throw open the bed-clothes, and expose your naked body to the action of the cold air, there is no danger of taking cold. When the cold air becomes unpleasant, return to bed; your skin has by this time discharged its per- spirable matter, and you will soon fall asleep, and your sleep will be sound and refreshing. I have frequently tried this method with success, and find after exposing my body to the cold air, a quick desire to sleep. I therefore recommend it as free from any danger of taking cold. Persons unaccustomed to this method should gradually accustom themselves to a free circu- lation of air. The higher and more airy the bed- chamber, the better for health." As man is the crea- 148 gunn's domestic medicine. aire of habit, he may bring himself gradually to bear almost any exposure; but great and sudden changes in our habits should always be avoided. Small close bed rooms, and particularly bed curtains, should always be avoided, and for this reason, in close rooms and cur- tained beds, you breathe unchanged air, which has become impure from previous breathing. As boiling water does not grow hotter by long boiling, if parti- cles that receive greater heat can escape, so living bodies do not putrify and become corrupt, if the particles as fast as they become corrupted, can be thrown off Nature always expels much bad and corrupted mat- ter, by the pores of the skin and lungs: you may easily prove this to yourself, if your nose is sufficiently sharp, by catcliing a scent of the breath and sweat of many persons. In a free and pure air, the corrupted perspi- rable matter from the skin is immediately carried off; but in a close room or bed, or in a dirty bed even in pure air, these particles of bad matter are not carried off, and sickness is nearly always the consequence. Dirty rooms and beds cause a great deal of disease, and persons cannot easily be too cleanly in their habits if they wish to be healthy; but I will say more on this subject when I come to speak of baths. In close rooms or dirty beds, we breathe the same bad and corrupted air, over and over again, so that at every moment it becomes more injurious. Confined air, when saturated or filled with perspirable matter, must remain with us, and produces many of our diseases. Persons who are inclined to be fat, or who are in reali- ty so, should sleep on hard beds—take a great deal of exercise—never sleep more than five or six hours—and use well the flesh-brush, particularly over the joints. Py these means, together with a proper regimen, which gunn's domestic medicine. 149 means food and drink, the bulk of the body may be reduced, and the flesh made firm and strong. Nothing undermines- and destroys the health and constitution with so much rapidity, as want of sleep: gamesters, courtezans, debauchses, and in fact all those who lose much sleep, prove by their pale and sallow complexions, the want of "nature's sweet restorer." Many instances have been known in London and oth- er large cities, wiiere the waiters and servants in gam- ing houses, have become absolutely insane or grazy for want of sleep. A person by long sitting up and losing sleep, may at length become unable to sleep, from extreme irritability of the nervous system; there- fore persons of an irritable habit should always be cautious of such circumstances. I have known many instances of apolexy being produced by want of sleep; persons should, therefore, when such cases are appre- hended, bathe their feet in warm water when they lie down, and take a dose of cooling medicine, such as Epsom Salts; or in case of fever, loose a little blood, and take a slight opiate. More, however, will be said on the subject of sleep, and its diminution and excesses, under the head of exercise. EXERCISE. If you would enjoy health, take exercise and be temperate, and if you attend to these things properly, you will have but little use for either physicians or medicines.—Temperance, exercise, and rest, are the sure guarantees of sound health and vigor, if you have naturally a good constitution, and almost the only sure means of amending and preserving a weak and defi-* 150 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. '* cient one. Persons who take proper exercise, and combine that exercise with temperance are seldom sick; and those who fly to medicines on every trifling |i cause of complaint, in nine cases in ten, might relieve I themselves by abstaining from food for a short time, living on light diet, and taking as much exercise as will cause perspiration, without impairing their strength by excessive fatigue. Exercise, for the purpose of producing perspiration, and throwing off the excremen- titious or bad matter from the system, is much better than any merely medical means; not only because it is the means which nature herself prescribes, but be- cause, unlike medical drugs generally, it strengthens instead of weakening the system. We are always to suppose, from the fact of the horrible fetor or stench, which arises from the bodies of those on whom fevers have just been broken, that the retention of that bad matter in their systems contrary to nature, was the real cause of their febrile or feverish disorder; and does it not follow, that by getting clear of that matter by natural means, before it has time to accumulate and produce malignant and obstinate diseases, is much better than to force the vital organs into a destructive action for producing the same effect? In other words i—do you not know, that when you force the stomach into laborious action, or indeed any other vital organ of the systerr, that you always weaken and impair its energies, and lay the foundation of many diseases to which the system under other circumstances would be a stranger? A person of common size and in good health, will perspire or sweat, from three to four pounds' weight in twenty-four hours, if proper exercise be taken; and the fact is, that there is more in propor- tion of all the fetid matter of the system, discharged gunn's domestic medicine. 151 from the skin in perspiration or sweat, than there is by the stool and urine combined: and can you not as easily see as I can tell you, that unless this bad matter is thrown off from the body by exercise and perspira- tion*, that the fluids of the body will become greatly corrupted, and all its vessels oppressed and morbidly irritated and that disease must and will follow? There is no witchcraft about the diseases to which we are all liable; they are all matters of plain reasoning be- tween the causes and effects, to the full understanding of which, every man is as competent as any other man. Are we not witnesses daily and hourly, of the beneficial effects of exercise, in the cure of diseases in which both medicines and medical men have failed?— Half the diseases of delicate women, and in fact near- ly all the diseases connected with hysterics and hypo- chondria, arise from want of due exercise in the open, mild, and pure air. Instead of stewing in a close room, and indulging in moody and gloomy anticipations, and instead of lying in a huge feather bed until nine or ten o'clock in the morning, dosing through morbid dreams and vainly courting sleep, the woman of delicate nerves and infirm health, and the gloomy hypochondriac, who has probably not sweated for months together, ought to spring from the feathered couch at daylight; view the opening and brilliant landscapes of nature, just kindling into life and beauty under the beams of the rising sun— and breast the pure mountain breeze! I have just told you, that exercise will not only pre- serve your health if you have a good constitution, but that it will frequently give healthy action and strength to a weak and deficient one. Cicero is described by Plutarch, as being at one period of his life, thin and weakly; so much so indeed, from the debility of his 152 gunn's domestic medicine. stomach, as to be able to eat but once a day, and thai a very small quantity. In this debilitated and weakly condition, he travelled to Athens for the recoverv of his health, and so great were the effects of his exercise, that together with the gymnastic exercises of the place, he became firm and robust, and his voice, which had before been squeaking and harsh, was changed for melodious, deep and sonorous tones. The same wri- ter, Plutarch, describes the great Roman warrior, Julius Caesar, as being originally of very delicate health, pale and soft skin, and of very feeble constitu- tion by nature, and subject to fits; but that by a military life, using coarse diet and great exercise, he not only became inured to the hardships and exposures of war, but healthy, active, vigorous and strong. It is not worth while to give any more instances of the powerful influence which exercise has on the human system; if you wish to know more about it, look at the brawny arms and strong chests of sailors, who are always pulling ropes, and contending with the winds and storms of the ocean; look at the strong figure of the sturdy woodman, who makes the forrests bow to the sound of the axe; and indeed all those persons who are engaged in active and laborious callings: and then, by comparing these people with those who are always confined to their houses, to books, an sitting postures, and trades which prevent them from moving about, you will be able very easily to see the effects of exer- cise much better than I can describe and tell you of them. I feel confident in saying, that by exercise on horse-back for women, and exercise on foot for men, together with some attention to food and drink, this dreadful disease called dyspepsia or indigestion, which paralizes both body and mind, and makes exis- gunn's domestic medicine. 153 tence itself a burthen, together with the whole train of nervous diseases to which we are subject, may be cured completely without the aid of medicine, by laying down and following systematic rules of exercise, rest, and diet. All the quack medicines for cleansing the blood, which you perceive in the newspapers, are mere im- positions on the public. Such medicines have their day, and then die off to make room for new catalogues, without any benefit except enriching the impostors who invent them. The sure remedies for impure blood, and consequent eruptions of the skin, are those which nature prescribes, and which simply are, exercise^ temperance, and cleanliness of person, if you will mind these things, you need care nothing about cos- metics and lotions, and such nonsense, which always sooner or later do immense injury. We see daily and almost hourly, persons who have been accustomed to exercise and labor in their youth, changing their for- mer modes of life for those of ease, refinement, wealth, and idleness, &c.—and we very soon also see, that these persons immediately begin to sink into all the diseases which arise from corrupted habits of body, merely for want of their accustomed exercise and ac* tive habits; diseases to which they would probably not have been liable, had they continued in their original habits of exercise and useful industry. We see them immediately laboring under morbid corruptions of the skin, jaundice, nervous irritability, palsy, indigestion, consumptions, and heaven above knows what more diseases too tedious to name. In all these cases, let me urge upon you the vast, unspeakable importance of exercise, and regular diet, by which last I mean, never touching spirituous liquors of any kind. Follow the 20 154 gunn's domestic medicine. French rules in these respects, and you will enjoy all that sprightly vigor of mind, and buoyant elasticity of health and feelings for which that people are celebrated in all parts of the world. The French people, from their habitually taking exercise, and neaily always being temperate in eating and drinking, are exempted in a great degree from those diseases which arise from want of exercise, gormandizing on strong food, drink- ing spirituous liquors, and sleeping immoderately and in close chambers. In these respects, nearly all the rest of the world ought to take lessons from them. We all know very well, that due exercise and rest, combin- ed with light and temperate eating and drinking, always produce cheerfulness and serenity; and how do they do so? Why, simply by preventing obstructions in the system; and by removing them whenever they present themselves. You seldom find a Frenchman gloomy, oppressed in his feelings, despondent—no; and for these good reasons, he seldom omits to bo active in his movements; to take exercise and proper rest, and above all, he seldom eats heavily, and immediately lies down to snore away ten or twelve hours, to the exclu- sion of exercise beneficial to health. We all know very well, that sluggardism or sedentary habits, and want of exercise in proportion to our strength, produces uneasy and bad sleep, costiveness of the bowels, a dry and feverish skin, and a thousand other things connect- ed with obstructions; and w7e all know just as well, that exercise duly taken, will always produce sound and easy sleep, that it has a tendency to open the bowels and to keep them open and regular, and to remove obstructions of the skin, of the lungs, of the liver, &c. &a to the end of the chapter: and yet we will lie in bed, or sit about in a close warm room, GUNN'S DOMESTIC 3IEDICINE. 155 breathing an atmosphere sufficient to poison us, and gorge our systems with medical drugs, enough to destroy the whole tone and energies of the stomach and bowels! I say again, instead of the medicines always used to remove obstructions, to make sweat flow, to make the blood circulate freely, and to excite all the healthy sensations and execrations, take exercise in the pure air, live temperately on light diet and drink, never provoke sleep by any other means than natural ones, and sleep no more than is necessary to renovate the system. Under such circumstances as these, you will have no use for mercurial purges, or any medicines save those of a simple and harmless character. Morn- ing and evening are the proper hours for taking exer- cise: rise early and walk from one to two miles*; in the evening also devote an hour to exercise in the open air. You may also use weights of from five to six pounds, which when taken into the hands are to be thrown backward and forward so as to produce an action in the chest; this exercise is properly adapted to persons of weak breasts, and particularly to females. I have frequently seen persons so extremely weak > in the chest, and what we ca»Il short-winded, as to be unable to ascend the shortest hill without getting out of breath, and who by the use of those weights a short time, have become so much improved as to be enabled to ascend the highest hills without inconvenience or oppression of the chest. The great objects of exercise, and it will always have those effects when judiciotisly taken, are to increase and regulate the secretions and excretions, by the skin, the kidneys^ &c< &c.—to ^iare power to the muscles, to impart tone and streA^ht *o the nerves, and where a person is fat anckuriwifelty in size, to. reduce the superfluities of flesh: and fet$ tb 156 gunn's domestic MEDICINE. reduce the quantity of blood, and to make it thinner and lighter. The other benefits resulting from exercise are, good appetite, good and easy digestion, tranquility and serenity of mind and feelings, pleasant and refreshing sleep, astonishing increase of strength and wind in breathing, &c.—I have seen a boy on the Mediterra- nean, his carriage being filled with passengers, run by the side of his horses at considerable speed for ten and fifteen miles together, without being fatigued at the end of the journey, or being the least oppressed for want of breath. These boys subsisted on a few bunches of grapes, and a small flask of wine, daily, both of which they carry suspended from their necks. The cheerful disposition of these poor boys, and their great breath and strength convinced me fully of the great benefits arising from diet and exercise. The advantages of the training system, are not confined to pedestrians or walkers—or to pugilists or boxers alone; or to horses which are trained for the chase and the race track: they extend to man in all conditions; and were train- ing introduced into the United States, and made use of by physicians in many cases instead of medical drugs, the beneficial consequences in the cure of many disea- ses would be very great indeed. WARM OR TEPID BATH. It is impossible to find language to express in ade- quate terms the importance of this powerful preserver and restorative of health-^this great and almost inde- scribable luxury, the bath, Considering its importance to the preservation of health and the cure of very many of our most afflict.- gunn's domestic medicine. 157 ing diseases, I am truly astonished that the warm or tepid bath should be so little used in the western coun- try. Warm baths are such as have a temperature be- tween the 76th and 98th degrees of the thermometer; but persons having no thermometer, indeed there is no need of one for regulating the temperature of the water, have only to consult their own sensations in entering the bathing tub; because their own temperament in contact with the water will immediately advise them of the temperature required: the only inconvenience that can ever be experienced in using the warm bath, will be in being compelled to leave its comforts. The usual time of bathing is from twenty minutes to half an hour; but with regard to time, it is not material: the feelings and sensations of the bather will better determine this point than I can tell him. The warm bath, contrary to the general opinion, does not heat the body; it has on the contrary an opposite effect, inasmuch as it obviously abates the quickness of the pulse, and reduces the pul- sations in proportion to the time we remain in the warm water. When persons have travelled a long journey, and feel much fatigued or over-heated by exposure to the sun, or their minds are much disturbed, the bath will be found an excellent remedy for invigorating the whole system, and at the same time reducing the irregular and quick action of the blood. Indeed I feel confident, that in thousands of instances, if the bath were used in the first symptoms of those irregular and feverish feelings which prey upon the mind and body, very many persons would escape sick beds. During my practice in Virginia, I escaped the fever prevalent in Botetout county, called the lick fever, in several 158 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. instances after having felt distinctly all the symptoms of that disease, by the speedy use of the warm bath and gentle purgatives of epsom salts. Had I not used the bath, I feel confident I could not have escaped this dreadful and malignant disease, being exposed during its prevalence, in attendance on a great many patients. The warm bath is of very great utility, to persons troubled with eruptions or breaking out of the skin, such as itch, and indeed venereal sores. In hypochon- driacal hysterics, and in insane cases—and in fact on persons laboring under madness, the beneficial effects of warm baths are always visible: in scorbutic and old ulcers or sores, when attention has been paid to regi- men, the utilities cf the bath are equally great. In palsy and all nervous diseases, I recommend warm bathing as one of the most effectual remedies.—Doctor Charleton, of Bath, in England, slates that out of nine hundred and ninety-six paralytics, most of whom had resisted the power of medicine, eight hundred and thirteen were benefitted by the application of the warm bath at the hospital of that city. In a great variety of chronic or inveterate complaints, such as billious disea- ses, derangements of the liver, and of the stomach and digestive functions, it is impossible to describe to you its useful effects; and I solicit you with every sincerity of heart, to use the warm bath individually and in your families, as one of the efficient preventatives and cures of disease which is in every man's reach. In using the bath with some system and regularity, you will ward off many hours' confinement by ill health, save the expense of many a doctor's bill, and prevent you from having a ruined constitution, and a stomach worn out by swallowing medicines: for I do assert, without fear of contradiction, but by the ninnyhammers of the pro- GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 159 fession, that if the warm bath were more frequently used, with proper abstinence from food, on the approach of fever, and many other diseases which I shall enu- merate under their proper heads, in five cases in ten, medical assistance would not be required. In all cases of debility from spasms—in pain—in cholic—in cramp—and in anxiety and restlessness, the bath will relieve and tranquilize the system. In hectic or con- sumptive fever, I have found It of great benefit from the fact of its lessening the heat: and most particularly beneficial, when the liver was connected with this dreadful disease. In dyspepsia or indigestion, this ter- rible disease which makes life itself a burthen, the bath is a valuable assistant and comforter in the cure. All young persons who manifest a disposition to stop at a pre- mature point of growth, in ether words to remain pig- mies for life, should use the bath; because it always promotes the growth of the body, increases the propor- tions of the limbs, and adds much to the muscular pow- ers. On the cubject of barrenness I have reflected much, and as it seems to bo the anxious wish of many of the wealthy to have offspring, the remark or season- able hint, that the bath is admirably adapted to the want of increase of family, may be quite sufficient without descending to particulars. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Germans, as well as the Persians, Turks, and modern Egyptians, enjoy the comforts and benefits produced by bathing in a; degree of which we can scarcely form an idea. The French owe much of their cheerfulness and vivacity of disposition to the warm bath; and you could not inflict on Frenchmen, or French females, a greater punish- ment than to deprive either of the warm bath which they always prize as a component part of their existence. 160 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. The soft, delicate and beautiful skins, for which the French females, are so much celebrated, are very much owing to the tepid bathing, being far preferable to all the cosmetics and other preparations sold for the pur- pose of whitening and beautifying the skin. The habits of persons are very different as to perspiration or sweating: some perspire very much, and others very little: from some no offensive effluvia arises in perspi- ring, whilst from bodies of others there arises a perfect fetor—and I must here say, that of all possible putrid smells, that arising from the perspiration of the human body is the most dreadful; and to such persons as have a fetid perspiration, I do most certainly know, that the frequent use of the warm bath would be of immense service. It would not only prevent strangers becoming disgusted with their society, but be a great auxiliary in promoting their health, and removing that most un- pleasant smell which salutes the nasal organs with a perfectly sepulchral stench! The uncleanliness or want of cleanliness, exhibits itself as frequently in the draw- ing rooms and festooned halls of the great and wealthy, as in the humble cottages of the obscure and nerdy; and sometimes produces disgusts which neither time nor circumstances can remove. Let me, then, again, and with every desire for your happiness, and every delicacy of sentiment I am master of, urge upon you the simple fact, that cleanliness is the very best of per- fumes—and that all those which are imported from the east, are inferior to the pleasant and native smell of the skin, when perfumed by the use of soap and water. I ought here perhaps to close my remarks, but I feel it a * solemn duty I owe to my fellow beings to be candid, and as I have pledged myself to do, to inform them plainly of whatever I know to their advantage. I have GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 161 absolutely known many matches in wedlock, complete- ly destroyed by the discovery of a want of cleanliness —and many married persons rendered miserable and highly obnoxious to each other, by this lazy, indolent, and I will add this dirty trait of character: for it is well known to all keen observers of mankind, that mor- al purity and cleanliness of person, are nearly always found combined. Every family, rich and poor, ought to have a bathing machine, improperly called a tub. It is easy of construc- tion, and very simple, being in shape like a child's cra- dle without rockers, about six feet in length, and of width sufficient easily to admit the body, with a hole in the bot- tom near the foot, to let the water pass off after being used; it may be constructed of wood or tin, and if of the latter, ought to be painted to prevent rust. Where it is made of wood plank, the seams or cracks ought to be filled with boiling tar or pitch to prevent leakage.— Rocks properly cleansed previously to being heated in the fire, afford very easy means of heating the water to any temperature, and will always enable the bather to take the bath with very little trouble. Most wealthy persons imagine, when they have fur- nished their mansions with splendid mirrors, Turkey carpets, sophas, and various other decorations, which soon tire after the novelty of seeing them ceases, that all things are complete; but, I say, that unless they have a small room appropriated to bathing, in which the ne- cessary apparatus can be found fitted up for use, their houses want one of the most necessary appendages of comfort and health: and that they ought to be charged with the responsibility of many diseases which afflict their families, for want of this fountain of health.— The construction of public baths has, from the remotest 21 162 gunn's domestic medicine. ages, been considered an object of national attention; and most sincerely and ardently do I desire, that Nash- ville—a city of public spirit and cordial support of every thing useful—a city whose kind hospitality en- dears it to the warm recollections of every stranger who visits that metropolis—may shortly construct a Public Bath, whose beautiful structure will be admired as a public ornament, and its utility fully established as the harbinger of health to its citizens, which may operate as an example in the introduction of this luxury into the western country. The warm or tepid bath should be used about twice or three times a week in summer; in winter once a week is sufficient. It ought to be used in the morning, at noon, or when going to bed. Having now given a concise account of some of the benefits of this bath, I shall next show, by a brief state- ment of facts, the method of bathing practised by the hardy Russians. They have sweating or vapor baths, which are resorted to by persons of all classes, rich and poor, free of expense, because these baths are supported and kept up by the government. Here min- gle together the beggar, the artisan, the peasant and the nobleman, to enjoy the luxuries of the steam or sweating bath, in both sickness and health. The method pursued to produce the vapor bath, is simply by throwing water on red hot stones in a close room, which raises the heat from 150 to 168 degrees, making when at 168—above a heat capable of melting wax, and only 12 degrees below that for boiling spirit of wine. In this tremendous and excessive heat, which on an American would produce suffocation, the Rus- sian enjoys what to him is a comfortable luxury of the vapor bath, which shows clearly, as I have before gunn's domestic medicine. 163 observed, the wonderful force of habit among mankind. In these bath houses are constructed benches, on which they lie naked, and continue in a profuse sweat for the lapse of one and sometimes two hours, occasionally washing or pouring over their bodies warm or cold water. During the sweating stage, the body is well rubbed or gently wiped with leafy branches of the birch tree, to promote perspiration by opening the pores of the skin. A Russian thinks nothing of rushing from the bath room dissolved in sweat, and jumping into the cold and chilling waters of an adjacant river: or dur- ing the most piercing cold to which his country is liable in winter, to roll himself in the snow; and this without the slightest injury. On the contrary, he derives many advantages from these sudden changes and abrupt exposures; because he always by them hardens his constitution to all the severities of a climate, whose colds and snows seem to paralize the very face of na- ture. Rheumatisms are seldom known in Russia; which is certainly owing to the habit of thus taking the vapor bath. The great and sudden transition from heat to cold, seems to us very dangerous and unnatural; but I have no doubt the Russians owe their longevity, their healthy and robust constitutions, their exemption from certain mortal diseases, and their cheerful and vivacious tempers, to these baths, and their generally temperate mode of living. A learned writer has justly remarked, and not without cause, that it is much to be lamented "this practice of bathing should have fallen into such disuse among the modern nations of Europe; and that he most sincerely wishes it might again be revived in our towns and villages." When we look back and see the benefits that the old physicians deriv- ed from this remedy of nature's own invention—and 164 gunn's domestic medicine. the many cures formerly effected by the use of the bath, and that Rome for five hundred years together had few physicians but baths, we cannot avoid being astonished that they should ever have fallen into disuse, from the prejudice and negligence of mankind. COLD BATH. The cold bath is one of the most important medicin- al remedies presented from the friendly bosom of nature. The cold bath means cleansing or washing the body with cold water, of a temperature varying from the 33d to the 56th degree of Fahrenheit's thermometer, or the usual warmth of our river water during the summer months: but the entrance of spring-branches into the river should be avoided by persons bathing, because it produces a sudden change of temperature, from an agreeable warmth to a cold and chilling sen- sation. Bathing in cold water during the warm season, is a preventative against diseases, particularly fevers, by les- sening the heat of the body; it cleanses the skin from its impure and acrid contents, thereby removing a prima- ry source of disease: the bath braces the solids which were before relaxed by heat, restoring and tranquilizing the irritability of the nervous system, and greatly exhilirating and cheering the spirits with an increase of strength and bodily power. If the bath has been ser- viceable, you will quickly feel after leaving the water and rubbing well with a coarse towel; the most pleasant glow or increase of heat, with a delightful serenity and cheerfulness; but if the bath has been injurious, you will feel the contrary effect to that which I have gunn's domestic medicine. 165 described: and you must of course discontinue its use, and apply the tepid or warm bath in its stead: the effects produced by the cold bath when they prove injurious to the bather, are directly the contrary to those which I have before described—such as heavi- ness and depression of spirits—respiration or breathing becomes impeded—livid or dark appearance of the skin—nails purple—the lips change their florid appear- ance to a pale or purple color—and the countenance assumes a cadaverous or ghastly color, accompanied with headache. In such a case, the bather should immediately take plentifully of warm toddy, made of spirits of any kind; or if a cramp in the stomach, which sometimes takes place from the cold bath, thirty or forty drops of laudanum for a grown person, with warm toddy—-together with the application of warm salt to the stomach, will give immediate relief Moder- ate exercise should always be taken after bathing, so as to restore the equilibrium of the circulation, and pro- duce a reaction in the vessels and muscles. The morning is the best time for bathing, or two hours be- fore sunset, if in a river, as the water has then from the rays of a summer sun, acquired an agreeable warmth. When the sun has disappeared, or evening begins to throw her mists over the waters, it is imprudent to bathe, owing to the dampness of the atmosphere, which is apt to produce a chill followed by fever. The rules for bathing are, to enter the bath on an empty stomach; or, in other words, some time after eating—wet the head first, and if the bathing-place is free from impediments, dive in head foremost, so as to make the impression uniform; for you will feel the shock less by boldly entering it, than by reflecting and acting slowly and timidly, by which you might produce 166 gunn's domestic medicine. dangerous consequences by propelling the blood from the extremeties to the head, inducing apoplexy. The time of remaining in the bath should always be short, and must be determined by the constitution, and the feelings of the persons themselves, as healthy per- sons may continue in the bath longer than those who are weakly and in bad health. It is improper and un- safe to remain in the cold water longer than a quarter of an hour at most, during the hottest day in summer, as the principal object in cold bathing is the influence and effect produced by the first impression made on the system:—and should the cold bath be advisable in spring or autumn, which is sometimes the case, one or two minutes at most will be sufficient; when the bath is necessary at these seasons, it will be advisable to use the shower bath as hereafter described. On the use of the cold bath considerable judgment is required, as many serious and lingering complaints have been produced by the injudicious use of this remedy, and many diseases brought to a fatal termination by its improper application. I shall, therefore, describe as plainly as possible the different effects produced in the different constitutions, and the diseases for which it is beneficial. On aged and thin persons it acts more powerfully than on corpulent and fat persons; therefore a fat and young person can remain double the time in the bath to one that is old or of delicate constitution. The remark which I have before made should be attended to by persons of stout or corpulent habits, particularly those of short necks should always wet the head and enter the bath courage- ously, so as to prevent the determination of blood to the head: persons of sanguine temperament should be par- ticular as to these instructions. gunn's domestic medicine. 167 Persons whose lungs are affected, or those laboring under breast complaints, should by all means avoid cold bathing;—because by using it they always advance the diiease, and cut siiort the thread of life. In oppressions of the' breast, or- difficulty of breathing, short or dry coughs, &,c the bathing in cold water is highly detri- mental and improper—obstructions also in women, or stoppage of the menses or courses—also persons of a scorbutic habit, or those afflicted with old sores or ulcers, or vitiated state of the system, gout or rheumatism, preg- nant women—in hemorrhages or discharges of blood from the lungs, in all kinds of inflammation internal and external, the cold bath is dangerous, and frequently con- firms disease which ultimately results in dissolution or death. Its benefits are always found in a debilitated state of the system, when unconnected with the diseases I have mentioned; particularly those whose systems have been relaxed by sedantry habits, requiring tonic or strengthening remedies. I have frequently in one or two dangerous cases used the cold bath with females in an advanced stage of life, when nature was about to leave them, or in other words, when a heavy flooding from the womb was about to take place. The application of cold water, and frequently ice, has been resorted to in profuse discbarges of blood from the womb, with considerable advantage, cold water being a powerful astringent. When infirm or aged per- sons take the cold bath, they ought to take moderate exercise before using it, so as to increase or produce the action of the vascular system, for by this moderate heat, you produce reaction under the shock, which might not otherwise take place. Understand me, I mean gentle exercise, not such as to produce sweating, although it is perfectly safe to enter the cold bath after 168 gunn's domestic MEDICINE. a moderate walk or ride. It would be highly danger- ous to go in the water when sweating, or laboring under fatigue; because your body, from fatigue, is losing heat rapidly by sweat; but it would by this lose suddenly what remains of heat; and, therefore? you counteract the benefits which would otherwise result from a judi- cious use of this valuable remedy if properly applied; therefore neither previous entire rest, nor exercise to overheat, can possibly be proper. But go between these points moderately and you will receive all the advan- tages the cold bath of this description is capable of bestowing on the human species. The cold bath is sometimes used as a shower bath with great success; it means the falling of the water from a height of seven or eight feet, in a shower similar to ram The construction of this bath is very simple:— fix a box that will hold water, or a large tub will answer; bore the bottom full of holes with a large gimblet—let the box or tub be placed above your head, the distance above mentioned, and let the water be thrown in, you being stripped of you clothing—or from delicacy to exposure of your person, have a box made with a trap-door underneath, so that by pulling the string the trap-door will fall by a hinge, and permit the water to fall on your body. In the northern cities the shower bath is constructed in this way, so that the water is always ready in the box, while you are preparing by stripping yourself, when by pulling the string when you are ready, you will receive the bath on your body. The shower bath produces the best effects when used early in the morning, after which you should take a moder- ate walk, or exercise on horseback. By making the Water salt, that is with common salt, well mixed, it will be doubly beneficial, answering the fine effects produced gunn's domestic medicine. 169 by sea bathing. In such a case, the salt should be boiled the night before with water, to give it the strength and qualities of sea water. After leaving the bath, rub well with a coarse towel. The advantages of this method are greatly superior to the other methods of bathing, where the effects required to be produced are powerful; for although the bathing in a river covers the surface of the body more uniformly, yet this ch> cumstance by no means detracts from the excellence of the former, because those intermediate parts which the water has not touched, receive an electric and sympa- thetic impression, in a degree similar to those brought into actual contact, and as every drop of water from the shower bath operates as a partial cold bath its vivifying shock to robust individuals is more extensive, and better adapted than any other method of bathing, I will now describe why this bath is better than the common method of bathing, together with its safety and advantages. In the first place, the sudden falling of the water may be used as often as you like^-prolonged or shortened at pleasure according to your feelings, your constitution, your disease, or your gratification. Second:—your head and breast are much secured, and as it descends to your hands and feet, the circulation is not impeded, breathing is less difficult, and a determina- tion of blood to the head and breast is prevented.— Third:—when the water falls in this way by single drops, gliding in succession over the body, it produces the most thrilling and delightful sensations, stimulating the whole system. It being always easily obtained and near at hand, gives it additional advantages. Lastly: —the degree of pressure from the weight of water is prevented, nor is the bath dangerous—the fluids and circulation never being interrupted by it. Besides__it 22 170 gunn's domestic medicine. is free from injuries to which bathing in rivers and creeks exposes us. In closing my directions, and ad- vantages from the shower bath, I recommend the salt bath particularly, as one of the finest remedies in fits, in deafness, and for rickety children, or those afflicted with a disease called St. Vitus' dance, a nervous affec- tion. The great benefits resulting from the judicious use of the shower bath, have been fully felt and ac- knowledged in the city of New York, by the first and ablest physicians of that city of improvements and great discoveries in medical science. FOOD. Food means any thing, which, when taken into the stomach, goes to the support and nourishment of the human body; and we all know perfectly well, that all other animals, as well as man, require food to give them support, health, and strength. All animals below man, seem to be confined to particular kinds of food to support them; and this appears to be the reason why naturally wild animals are confined to particular climates, unless under the care of man: and the simple truth, that man makes use of so many different kinds of food, shows that his Maker intended him to live every where, and to have dominion over all the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, &,c. as the scripture expressly says. But I will endeavor to explain this matter a little further, so as to be more easily under- stood. Fish cannot live out of the water, birds cannot live out of the air; nor can any mere land animal, such as the elephant, the lion, the horse or the cow, live in either the air or the water: and further still, on this gunn's domestic medicine. 171 same subject, we see very plainly, that a sheep cannot eat meat, a wolf or lion cannot eat grass, &c. In fact, you may look at all the animals in nature, and you will see as I said before, that all below man, are con- fined to the particular countries and places where they can find food and shelter from their enemies; and that to man alone is given the whole surface of the globe, because he can live every where on it, and easily find subsistence or food to support him. He can eat fish from the waters, he can eat birds from the air, he can eat the animals of the land—the herbs, the vegetables, and roots, and grains, of the fields and woods, &c. &c. I shall now endeavor to explain as plainly as possi- ble, because every person is interested in knowing it, what physicians call the "process of digestion," which means, in other words, the changes which our food goes through when taken into the stomach. First, the food being masticated or chewed, and mixed in the mouth with the spittle called the saliva and air, is next received in the stomach, where it is exposed to the action of a kind of liquid called by physicians gastric fluid, which is a powerful solvent of animal and vege- table matters. After remaining in the stomach a short time, it becomes a soft gluey mass, having undergone a change or decomposition in the stomach, which may be termed fermentation. From the stomach it passes into the intestines, where it is subjected to the power or action of the bile: here it undergoes still further chan- ges, by forming a white milky fluid, called by medical men chyle. This milky fluid is sucked by a numer- ous quantity of little vessels called medically absorbent lacteals. These littie vessels are in the intestinal canal, and all the food as it passes is subject to the influence of the mouths of these little vessels, which suck up 172 gunn's domestic medicine. this milky fluid called chyle. These little vessels have many communications; so many that it is iir,possible to trace them—being formed with such delicacy of struc- ture, and so very small:—after many communications with each other, they at last end in one common trunk, from which the chyle is conveyed into the blood near the heart. It is here mixed with the blood, and becomes subject to the power of the heat and arteries, or, in other words, large blood vessels. It is then circulated through the lungs: here many changes take place by breathing the air or common atmosphere. After this it joins with the great circulating mass, and becomes itself blood, this being the great fountain from which the body is formed and strengthened. Food, then, we see very plainly is intended to sup- port nature, promote the growth, and to give strength, and to renew the waste of the system. The structure of man's body, his inclinations, his instincts, and the gastric fluid, intended to digest both animal and vege- table food, show that the Creator has intended man to receive his food from the animal and vegetable king- doms. But of vegetable and animal food, animal is the most nourishing. It io putrescent and stimulating, and highly injurious to live on any length of time, without a due proportion of vegetables; for it overheats and stim- ulates so much, as at length to exhaust and weaken the wThole system, which in the first instance, it gave vigor and support to. Persons who have lived for any length of time on meats, become oppressed, heavy and lazy; the tone of their systems is impaired, the breathing is hurried on the least exertion, the digestion is destroyed, the breath smells bad, the gums swell, the limbs lose their action and become swelled, and soon break out in sores, (this disease is called scurvy,) and sailors are gunn's domestic medicine. 173 much subject to it on a long voyage when deprived of vegetables. A German received a premium of twenty thousand pounds sterling for introducing sour krout or pickled cabbage into the British navy. This vegetable is an antedote or preventive against this dreadful disease called scurvy, which for a length of time destroyed thousands of seamen on long voyages, who were com- pelled to subsist on salt provisions. All acids are con- sidered good in scurvy. A diet of vegetables entirely is not sufficient to raise the human system to all the strength and vigor to which it is susceptible: and when used alone without any meat produces flatulence and acidity of the stomach, muscular and nervous debility, and a long train of hysterical and hypochon- driacal disorders. This shows the importance of a proportion of each being intended for man. We find some Eastern nations, who live entirely on vegetables, seldom robust but very active. This accounts in part for the cheerful disposition of the French, whose vege- table and animal food are generally mixed, and boiled to the softest consistency. A mixed diet of vegetable and animal food is therefore best suited to the nature of man. The proportion of these must be regulated according to the manner in which they agree. Persons who are fat, plethoric, or sanguine, should use but little animal food: those, on the other hand, who are weak and nervous, may use more animal food. In all inflam- matory and acute diseases, where inflammatory action exists, meat is hurtful. Meats which I shall hereafter describe are beneficial, more so than vegetables, for persons who are subject to indigestion; particularly wild meats such as venison, or any wild game such as birds whose flesh is white; the patridge,quail, pheasant, 174 gunn's domestic medicine. wild turkey, &c: the flesh of these is of a most agreeable and delicate flavor, little heating, and when young, very nourishing and easily digested. In tact, all wild animals are more easily digestea than lame ones, with the exception of water fowls, and such as live on fish. produce a general disorder of the whole system, accompanied with short but regular paroxysms of fever, and sometimes a breaking out on the body resembling the net;le rash. It is a very co^ji- mon saying, in allusion to the use of spirits, after eating plentifully of fish, that it requires something to swim in; this shows that it is a dangerous diet to more than sickly, delicate, and dyspeptic persons. Fish which abound in oil, called the red-blooded fish, are more stimulant and nutrative than any other; but much heavier and more apt to disagree with the stomachs of weakly persons than any other:—the fact is, thcit dys- peptic persons ought to avoid fish altogether, and under any possible forms of cookery. Diet depends very much upon the manner in which it is cooked. The most simple food may be converted into poison, by the pampering and studied artifices of epicures and cooks. This is the reason why the French cookery is superior to that of the English, or even to our own. The French use all the innocent herbs and plants of the garden, while the English and Americans season their food with highly stimulating spices, calculated to gunn's domestic medicine. 177 destroy the coats of the stomach. During my residence in France, I recollect but two cases of dyspepsia or in- digestion. This is certainly owing to the manner in which the French live* The qualities and quantities of our food, with the manner of cooking it, should be strict- ly attended to; and by so doing we would escape some of the most dreadful diseases incidental to human life. The more simply we cook and dress our food, the less of it the stomach requires to be satisfied; for by stimu- lating the stomach with seasonings, we produce an arti* ficial appetite, and rouse it to the requisition of more food than the system requires; and by overloading and oppressing its powers, weaken and finally destroy them. To enjoy good health, we ought always to leave the ta- ble with some appetite; nor ought we ever to partake of any dish, however palatable, which we know from experience to disagree with us. The more plain the food we use, the more easily will it be digested, and the less we will desire. The various dishes given at parties, consisting of pies, puddings, tarts, ice creams, floating islands, sometimes called, and very properly, trifles, &c. &c. are just so many poisons calculated to destroy the stomach, and intail upon the dyspeptic a life of misery and disease. In the western country I have witnessed, especially among females, that the disease called dyspepsia or indigestion prevails very much. I would, therefore, particularly urge upon them, as they value their health and lives, to avoid all this farrago of fashionable desserts; for by so doing, and living temperately and abstemiously, they will establish firm constitutions, which will be entailed on their' offspring, extend to themselves the inestimable blessing of health, and enable them to reach the winter of good old age. 23 178 gunn's domestic medicine. FEVER; AND GENERAL REMARKS. It is almost impossible to describe fever correctly, because it shows itself in so many various ways and forms. To judge of its presence, we are to notice par- ticularly the following appearances and indications:— the state of the pulse—the skin—the color of the face —the change of feature—the eyes—the tongue—the breathing—the appetite—the state of the stomach and bowels. There is generally great thirst, and pain in the head—soreness all over the body, as if beat with a stick, or as if a person were fatigued after a hard day's work—a desire to sleep constantly—and some- times a great increase of strength accompanying fever. By these symptoms we are to judge of this disease. The most distinguished medical men have differed in opinion as to the cause of fever: and to this day, I must honestly confess, that physicians are much in the dark as to this subject. Doctor Brown, a distinguished physician of Europe, thought it arose from a want of stimulant in the blood vessels—or an excess of it.— Doctor Rush, our distinguished countryman, thought there was in fever but one disease; morbid or convul- sive action in the blood vessels. Doctor Chapman, Professor in the University of Philadelphia, thinks that most diseases originate from the stomach. My experi- ence in medicine convinces me that this eminent practi- tioner of medicine is correct. The first impression is made on the stomach by medicine, which acts instantly by sympathy. It is the general reservoir which receives those medical remedies by which the disease is to be subdued; consequently there is great sympathy between the stomach and the whole system—and many cases, supposed to be liver diseases, on a minute examination, you will find to originate in the stomach. It is impos- gunn's domestic medicine. 179 sible to describe the close connexion between the liver and the stomach. On this subject particularly, pay attention to the stomach first, and you will discover the primary cause of the disease: I will therefore describe plainly and faithfully, the symptoms of such fevers as are common amongst us, so that with a little care and common judgment, the reader will be enabled to dis- cover by the symptoms, the causes of such fevers as prevail amongst us: nor do I consider that those fine and hair-drawn opinions of fever, given by physicians generally, are of any benefit to mankind, but, on the contrary, serve to bewilder and lead astray. The great secret of medicine is to discover the first cause of disease, and in the next place to apply the remedies properly; and to do these things as they ought to be done, let your judgment be exercised with clearness, caution and firmness; and to give you firmness, be conscious that you are endeavoring to act for the best —as there is not so much difficulty in medicine as many imagine, if you will but attend to the causes of the diseases, and watch the effects of the remedies.— The fact is, that a man of good common sense and judgment, who will take his station at the bed-side of the patient—be minute in his enquiries as to the habits of that patient—know when and how he was taken sick—ascertain all the apparently small particulars as to the pains first complained of; and without what is called a learned college education, you will, in nine cases out of ten succeed, when mere theorists who prescribe for the names of diseases, without under- standing them, will absolutely fail. On conversing with a sick person, ask the following questions, if the situa- tion of the patient enables him or her to answer; and after waiting the subsiding of any stiong excitement 180 gunn's domestic medicine. your presence may create. How were you taken? When were you taken ? Where did you feel the first pains? What were your feelings for several days previously to being taken? Is your mind disturbed in any way? What are your general habits? Are you temperate in eating and drinking? What have you eaten for several days before being taken sick? How and when have you been exposed? Do you recollect how you felt when you were taken sick? What has been your general health? Or, if the patient be a female; have you been regular in your monthly peri- ods? Is»there any suppression of urine? This is a delicate matter with females; because from delicacy of feeling they frequently conceal it. How is the state of your bowels? These are important matters, and require candid sentiments from the sick. By thus minutely enquiring into the state of the system, you strike at the root of the disease, and get on the right track; for thousands have been killed by physicians, for wrant of this accurate knowledge, or mistaking the .disease. There are many other circumstances which should be known; and which your good judgment will not fail to point out to you: and I need not add, that the necessary information should be obtained from some experienced person of the family, if the patient should be in a delirium, or too young, or too sensitive- ly delicate to give it. From what I have before ob- served, that fever shows itself in so many various forms, you will see at once the necessity of knowing the true causes, if possible, which assisted in producing the disease. Let me, therefore, implore you not to be alarmed in administering medicine in fevers, or in fact any other diseases where good and sound judgment is required; you need not fear, if you will but pay good gunn's domestic medicine. 181 attention, and have confidence in yourself: I allude to such diseases as are common amongst us, because there are causes which require a very excellent physi- cian; and under such circumstances, the heads of families need not be told the absolute necessity of hav- ing such a one. To give an evidence of the insuffi- ciency of mere theories, with which boys come from colleges, I will take the liberty of stating an occurrence of early life, which transpired with myself, in the prac- tice of medicine. In the State of Virginia, my first patient was an old gentleman of distinction, Col. Willis, His unbounded confidence in me, when taken sick, induced him to employ me in preference to his old physicians. The Col. was a man of full plethoric habit, and had been taken with a violent billious fever. I bled him copiously; puked and purged him, with small doses of emetic tartar, to determine to the sur- face, or in other words to produce a moisture on the skin, and thereby lessen the fever. But all my reme- dies were unsuccessful; for the truth was I did not know his constitution, or habit; and to describe to you my feelings on this occasion would be impossible—and here vanished all my theories, for want of a little sound judgment and practical knowledge. To the informa- tion given me, however, by a faithful servant who had attended on him more than thirty years, I was indebted for his recovery. He stated that while he was in Philadelphia with his master, he had a similar attack, and was attended by Doct. Rush: that the Doct. had given him warm brandy toddy—for, said he, "my mas- ter always loved a little brandy, and most generally enjoyed himself." I took this seasonable hint from honest Bob, whose information had destroyed all my college theories, and taught me to scrutinize the consti- »• 182 gunn's domestic medicine. tution and habits: for in little more than fifteen minutes after I had given him some warm toddy, he broke out into a fine sweat, and soon entirely recovered. I after- wards related the anecdote to the Col. himself, who after laughing heartily at the joke, assured me that Bob was certainly right. I shall close these general remarks on fever, by giving you the key to medicine, or the art of distinguishing the true state of the system, without which it would be impossible to administer med- icine with certainty of success. * ------ THE PULSE. This is indeed the key of medicine; for without authentic and minute information on the subject of the pulse, it is impossible for you to proceed to administer medicine to the sick with any certainty of success.— But I shall describe it to you plainly, and in words of such common use, that any person of common sense can understand this great secret of medicine in the art ,of judging disease. The meaning of the pulse, is the beating or throb- bing of an artery; there being no pulse whatever in the veins. The meaning of an artery is a large blood- vessel, branching out into smaller ones, which carry the bloodvfrom the heart to the ends of the body; in other words, to the points of the fingers and toes, where they join with the veins, which bring the blood back again to the heart: as I said before, the arteries throb or beat, and the veins do not. By pressing your mid- dle finger hard on the vein, you will feel the artery Jbeat under it distinctly. Every time the heart beats, it throws a column of blood into the arteries; then again gunn's domestic medicine. 183 the heart contracts or draws up, and a fresh portion of blood is forced on into the arteries. Reflect for a morrent on this wonderful machine, the heart; it goes with greater regularity than any watch, and at the rate of about four thousand five hundred and fifty strokes every hour. The swelling and contracting of the arte- ry, then, constitute what I mean by the pulse; and therefore you may find the pulse in any part of the body where the artery runs near enough to the surface; for instance at the wrist—the temple—bend of the arm—under the lower end of the thigh—under the lower jaw—and on the top of the instep ofiHhe foot. In different persons, although in perfect health, you will find the pulse differ very much: the usual standard of health, however, is from 75 to 80 strokes in a minute. In children it is much quicker; and in old persons it is more slow and weak. Owing to the decreasing energies of the heart as you advance in age, it becomes less and less capable of propelling the blood through the arteries, which occasions the medical term debility, meaning weakness. By running, riding, walking, jumping, eating, drinking, speaking, joy, anger, &c. you increase the pulse: and in like manner you diminish the pulse, by fear, grief, depression of spirits, want of food, frequent stools, flux, or any thing 'elsee that tends to weaken the system. In feeling the pulse,. you must make allowance for all these things; and always wait until all momentary emotions of the mind and pas- sions have subsided and passed off. 1st. A full, tense, and strong pulse, terms used by physicians, is when you find that the artery resists the pressure of your fi \gers—feels full—and swells boldly under their pressure. If, added to these, the beating be rapid and quick, the pulse is called full and strong; 184 gunn's domestic medicine. if slow, it-is called weak and fluttering, and an irreg* ular pufof. 2d. A hard and corded pulse, is that in which the artery feels like a string drawn tight; and when you press it with your fingers, it gives considerable resis- tance. 3d. The soft and intermitting pulses, give their own meaning by name, and are very easily distinguished from each other; as in capes of great weakness, lan- guor of circulation, or on the approach of death. 4th. When the stomach or bowels are oppressed, it frequerfcly produces an intermitting pulse, which sometimes also arises from an agitation of the mind.— A vibrating pulse, acting under the fingers like a thread, as if the artery were smaller, with quickpulsa- sations, but very weak and irregular, may be consid- ered as proving a highly dangerous state of the system: you will know this pulse by its being accompanied with, heavy and deep sighs, difficulty of breathing, and a dead and heavy languor of the eye. By being atten- tive to the instruction given above, no man can be at a loss to distinguish the different states of the pulse, by which different diseases are indicated, as well as their different stages. AGUE AND FEVER. This disease generally makes its visits in the fall season of the year; and those who live on the rivers or low lands, are more than others subject to its ravages. There are three stages of this disease, which are in substance the same thing, differing only in the intermis- sion or length of time in which they make their attacks. gunn's domestic medicine. 185 The first—is that which comes on every twenty-four hours:—this is called by Doctors, quotidian. The second—is that which comes on every forty hours:—this io called tertian. The third—comes on every forty-eight hours, and is called by physicians, quartan. I have merely mentioned these stages, in order that I might describe the disease more plainly, for the remedies and the treatment for the cure are the same; and the only difference between them simply is, as to their severity and time of coming on. If very severe, the remedies should be the most active:—on the contra- ry, if mild and gentle, remedies less active and power- ful will answer. I have said above, that there are three stages of this complaint—the cold—the hot—and the sweating.— In the first, there is much yawning and stretching, the feet and hands become cold, the skin looks shrivelled, you seem to lose the use of your limbs by weakness, your pul. ■; is small and frequent, you dislike to move, and finally take a chill succeeded by a cold shake.— This shake continues about ten or fifteen minutes, according to the severity of the attack. In the second stage, as the chill and shaking go off, a pain in the head and back comes on, succeeded by flushings of heat.— You now begin to burn with heat and thirst, and desire that the covering be removed that you may feel the cool air. Your face is read, your skin dry, your pulse be- comes regular, hard and full. In severe attacks, where the blood determines to the head, I have frequently known delirium for a time. In the commencement of the third and last stage, the intense heat begins to sub- side, moisture begins to break out on the forehead gradually extending itself over the whole body, the 24 186 gunn's domestic medicine. fever abates, thirst diminishes, breathing becomes free and full, desire to make water, which deposits a sedi- ment in the urinal or pot:—you then feel considerably relieved as the sweat increases, which soon restores you to your usual feelings and sensations, except great weak- ness and extreme prostration of strength. remedies. In the cold stage, take warm teas of any kind, pro- vided they are weak—such as sage, balm, hyssop, ground ivy, &c. &c: make hot applications to the feet; and if you will apply a bandage, wound round the right foot and leg, from the toes to the groin, and anoth- er bandage, wound round the opposite or left hand and arm, from the fingers to the shoulder, drawing both pretty tight, so as to compress the muscles without impeding the circulation of the blood, the shake will be much shortened by it; but you must not omit to loosen these bandages gradually, as the shake is going off. In many instances, the Ague and Fever can be entirely cured, by taking immediately from fifty to sixty drops of laudanum, with a few drops of pepper- mint, in warm tea of any of the kinds mentioned above, on feeling the commencement of the chill; and as soon as the hot stage approaches, continuing to drink the warm tea plentifully, with a little acid of any kind in it. If during this hot stage, the fever runs very high, with considerable pain in the head, the loss of some blood would be proper. The object being, however, to bring on as early as possible the sweating stage, put into a pint of the tea or warm water, from four to five grains of tartar emetic, and give two or three spoon- fulls occasionally, so as to produce slight sickness of the stomach, which will promote and aid the sweating stage. My practice in this disease is, on its first ap- gunn's domestic medicine, 187 pearance to give a puke of tartar emetic—for dose refer to the table. After cleansing the stomach, I give an active dose of calomel and jalap—and if that is not sufficient, I follow it with some mild purge, such as salts, castor oil, or senna and menna. Supposing, then, that the stomach and bowels are freed from their im- pure contents; the skin moist, and the body kept moderately open by gentle purgatives: it will then be proper to give the dogwood bark the wild cherry- tree bark and poplar-tree bark, I allude to the large swamp poplar. These three kinds of bark are to be boiled in water, until their juices are extracted, and the water then given cold to the patient, and in such quan- tities as the stomach will bear. This disease is some- times succeeded by a low, lingering, and constant fever; this must always be removed before the extract.of the different kinds of bark just mentioned is given; nor ought it ever to be given in any paroxysm of fever, however slight—because in such cases it invariably does material injury. From causes depending on the constitution at the time of taking this disease, it is some- times extremely difficult to cure; and persons who have had it more than twelve months, have placed themselves under my care. In these cases, when the various reme- dies ab©ve noticed have failed, I have used with great success the cold salt bath, as directed under the head of cold bathing. When a bathing machine cannot be had, a strong brine poured over the naked body in the morn- ing when rising, is the best expedient that can be used; always taking care to wipe the body perfectly dry with a coarse towel; after which it might be well to return again to bed for an hour, before taking the morning meal, immediately before which, any common bitter, such as tansy in spirits, may be taken. When the disease is of 188 gunn's domestic medicine. long continuance, elixir vitriol is a good remedy, and may be given in doses of eight or ten drops, in a wine or stem giass of cold water, during the days on which the cold bath is used. I do not think it necessary to take the barks as before described, wi.cn an ague-cake or hardness, termed by physicians an enlargement of the spleen, has taken place; in such a case, use a tight broad bandage round the belly, with a padding of wool or cotton immediately over the hard cake in the side and take care two or three times a day to rub the place well with a coarse woollen cloth or flesh-brush.— This is called friction by physicians, and friction will be the more properly kept up by the wearing flannel next the skin, It will be proper here to state, that in some cases where the dogwood bark, the wild cherry tree bark, and the swamp-poplar bark, prepared as I have mentioned, disagree with the stomach, which is sometimes the case from long sickness, the tea or decoction may be rubbed on the skin of children or delicate persons, and will produce an excellent effect. Another method of opera- ting by the skin, with children -nd delicate women, is as follows: have a jacket made to fit the bedy, line it with' the kinds of barks mentioned, which can easily be oone, and cause it to be worn next the body. Both these modes of operating by the skin, have been known to produce fine tonic cr strengthening effects, in cases of obstinate and long standing. I shall now conclude these remarks, by giving the method of treating this disease by the Spaniards in the island of Cuba. I there witnessed its undoubted suc- cess; and in no instance in which the remedy was fair- ly tried, did I ever know, it to fail of success. Make a good eized cup of strong coffee, sweeten it well and gunn's domestic medicine. 189 mix with it an equal quantity of lime or lemon juice.— This juice may be had at any of the stores, (doctor's shops, &c.—the dose to be taken just before the shake is expected to come on, and must be drank warm, and on an empty stomach. This simple and always practicable preparation, may be relied on as a most valu- able remedy. But the Spaniards of the island of Cuba, are not the only persons acquainted with this powerful and efficient remedy. It is noticed in Doctor Pouque- vilie's travels in the Morea, as follows:—"I have often . seen intermitting fevers subdued entirely, by a mixture of strong coffee and lemon, or lime juice, which is a successful remedy all over this country. The propor- tions are three quarters of an once of coffee, ground fine—with two ounces of lemon juice and three of wa- ter, the mixture to be drank warm and fasting."—I quot^, from memory, but with a perfect assurance of be- ing right. It may be well before quitting the subject of Ague and Fever, to mention for the information of my read- ers, the late practice of physicians—which is as follows: —as soon as the chill has somewhat subsided, take a good dose of calomel—see the table. Next—when the fever goes off, and you commence sweating: take two grains of quinine, which is the extract of Peruvian bark. This quinine or extract of bark, must be mixed with a tea-spoonful of Epsom or other salts, and taken in water as you would take common salts. Take this dose every two hours, until you take five doses; but you must omit to put in the salts, so soo.'i as the bowels have been freely moved; because a continued looseness of the bowels would carry off the bark before it could operate on the system. Should the fever not go off in six hours, take a dose of castor oil to carry off the calo- 190 gunn's domestic medicine. mel—and then as soon as the fever has left you, take the quinine or extract of bark, as before directed. BILIOUS FEVER. Bilious Fever is nothing more nor less than the Ague and Fever just before described, under something of a different modification or character:—that is to say, in Ague and Fever there is at certain times an entire in- termission or stoppage of the disease; whereas, in Bil- ious Fever, there is nothing more than an abatement or lowering of the fever for a time. The analogy or like- ness between them is so strong, that in both cases the patient is taken with a chill; and the little difference that .does exist between them in the outset, consists in the simple circumstance, that the pulse in Bilious Fever is more tense and full. If, however, the attack of Bilious Fever be severe, the skin becomes very hot after the chill, and sometimes of a yellowish hue; there is likewise great pain in the head; the tongue changes from white to brown, as the fever increases the eyes acquire a fiery color and expression, and the whites have a yellow tinge; the light becomes painful to the patient, and he requires the room to be darkened; his bowels are very costive, and his urine highly colored; by these symptoms, any man of common sense may be enabled to distinguish bilious fever. remedies. This formidable and dangerous disease, may in most instances be easily subdued, if you will divest yourself of irresolution and timidity in the commence- ment of the attack:—I make this remark, because I gunn's domestic medicine. 191 have witnessed many instances, in which timidity and over-caution in the treatment of this disease, have proved fatal to the sufferer. You are to depend on the lancet; and in the next and most important instance, on purging well with large doses of calomel and jalap. On the first appearance of this disease, give a good puke of tartar emetic, so as to cleanse well the stomach—taking care to make its operations fully effec- tive, by giving warm camomile tea. When the fever comes on, bleed freely, and regulate the quantity of blood drawn, by the symptoms and the severity of the attack: then give or administer, if to an adult or grown person, twenty grains of calomel and twenty of jalap; and if that is not sufficient, repeat the dose with thirty grains of calomel, and work it off if necessary with castor oil—salts—or senna and manna: for dose see table of medicines. By these active purgatives, given in time, you will, in nine cases out of ten, give relief in a few hours; nor keep your patient lingering perhaps for weeks, and at length lose him. The administration of small doses of calome!, say of eight or ten grains, has been productive of all the injury that has disgraced the profession respecting the use of calomel, for several years past. A large dose always carries itself oft> whilst a small one remains in the system, and frequent- ly does much mischief, if neglected to be carried off by castor oil, or some laxative medicine; therefore, let me urge you, as you value the recovery and life of your patient, to give active and powerful purgatives of calomel. The only danger in this disease, arises from giving tonic or strengthening medicines, before the stomich and bowels are completely cleansed by an evacuation of their contents. If the fever should still continue, notwithstanding the administration of the 192 gunn's domestic medicine. foregoing medicines, my plan is to follow Dr. Rush's famous prescription, of ten grains of calomel and ten of jalap; the frequency of which prescription with the Doctor, procured him among his students the ludicrous nickname of "Old Ten-in-tcn." But the fact is that this dose, after the stomach and bowels have been thor- oughly cleansed, acts well upon the skin, and as a purge, and drives the sweat from every pore, thereby lessening and finally breaking the lever. During this fevev, generally speaking, the skin is obstinately dry; and it therefore becomes important, that a determination should take place to the surface '—in other words, that a moisture or sweat should take place on the skin, for the purpose of breaking the fever: therefore the nitrous powders should be given. The directions for making them are: to sixty grains of salt petre, add sixteen grains of calomel, and one grain of emetic tartar. Mix them well together by pounding them very fine; divide them next into eight powders; and give one of them, in a little honey or syrup, every two or three hours* Emetic tartar, made weak with water and given at intervals, will produce the same effect; aiitimonial wine and sweet spirits of nitre, mix- ed equal quantities, and a tea-spoonful given occasion- ally or every hour, will have the same effect; for antimonial wine is nothing more than emetic tartar mixed with wine, and sweet spirits of nitre is made from salt petre. Ipecacuanha, in doses of one or two grains, repeated every two or three hours, is also a good remedy to produce sweating. In this disease you will sometimes have an obstinate, severe and tedious case; in which you will find that the most active pur- gatives will not answer your wishes and expectations.— Here the warm bath combined, will be found excellent gunn's domestic medicine. 193 in relaxing the system and taking off the strictures of the vessels: and when you make use of the bath, be particular in making it of a temperature pleasant to the patient. Always follow the bath with injections or glysters, made of warm soap-suds; or molasses and water, pleasantly warm but not hot, to which may be added a little vinegar; these injections will cool the bowels, and remove from the larger intestines any^offen- sive matter. When the fever is on, the sponging or wetting the body with cold vinegar and water, will reduce the heat of the body, and be a great source of comfort to the sick person. If there is a pain in the head, cold appli- cations of vinegar and water will be of much benefit in relieving the violence of the paim On the decline of this fever, night sweats sometimes occur; in these cases use elixir vitriol and gentle exercise in the open air. In Bilious fevers, a want of sleep and watchful- ness often occur: the warm bath and a pillow of hops, and the room kept dark and all things quiet, will no doubt procure the desired tranquility; and if no in-* flammatory action or considerable fever exists, a dose of laudanum may be administered. The misfortune in the country is, that many persons who come to sit up with the sick, talk so incessantly as to prevent the sick person fr< m having the repose necessaiy for pro- moting a spee ly recovery:—and it may be important here to remark, that whenever laudanum or opium is given, the person must be kept undisturbed and perfect-" ly quiet. When the stomach is irritable, warm mint leaves stewed in spirits and applied to the pit of the stomach, will be proper—and then if the irritability should continue, the application of a cataplasm of mus- 25 194 gunn's domestic medicine. tard seed, or a large blister, will infallibly relieve the irritation, and quiet the stomach. I have now taken a comprehensive view of this disease, and given plainly and simply the remedies, and shall close with the following remarks. If the calomel takrw in this fever salivates, you should not be alarmed or uneasy, but consider it a source from which you have derived safety to your patient; for when Bilious fever is dangerous, the sooner salivation takes place, after the stomach and bowels have been thoroughly cleansed, the safer for the patient. It is to produce this effect, that physicians give small doses of calomel every two hours, say from one to two grains, in any kind of syrup; for when salivation is produced, you may con- sider the danger of the patient at an end, the rest de- pending altogether on care and good nursing. After good purging, without salivation, I have found good nursing and kind attention the best and most salutary medicine. Cooling drinks, slightly acid, will be proper; and when the fever is subdued, cold camomile tea may be given as a drink, or a bitter made with dog-wood bark, poplar bark, and Virginia snake-root, may be given as a cold tea, in small quantities, as the stomach will bear. NERVOUS FEVER. This fever carries in its title or name, its true char- acter; because it affects the whole nervous system, and produces a tremulous motion of the body and limbs: the system seems to be sinking; there is a clammy, cold, and unnatural perspiration or sweat on the skin, and the pufee is extremely weak. Next, the sweat gunn's domestic medicine. 195 subsides, and the skin becomes dry and hot to the touch; and at the same time, the arteries of the temple and neck throb and beat with considerable action. Tfre sleep is very much disturbed and unrefreshing; the coun- tenance sinks or seems to change from its natural expres- sion of feature, to a ghastly appearance; the tongue be- comes dry, and frequently trembles, when put out, and with the teeth and gums, soon becomes covered with a dark buff-colored scurf; the spirits flag, and the mind broods over the most melancholy feelings, withoutknow- ing the cause; the sight of food is very unpleasant and sometimes disgusting, the stomach being generally much debilitated and weak; the difficulty of breathing be- comes very considerable, and sometimes the hands are glowing with heat, whilst the forehead is covered with sweat. The symptoms considered very dangerous are, a constant inclination to throw off the cover; a chang- ing of the voice from its usual tone; great vigilance or watchfulness; picking at the bed-clothing; inability tc» hold or retain the urine; involuntary discharges from the bowels; hiccupping; a muttering as if speaking; to one's self; a wild and fixed look, as if the eyes were rivetted on some particular object; if these latter symp- toms occur, there is litde to expect but that the case will terminate fatally. This fever originates from putrid animal and vegeta- ble matter mixing with the air and atmosphere we breathe, such for instance as the decaying vegetable and animal matter arising from stagnant mill-ponds or any other ponds; or from filth and dirt, and want of personal cleanliness; or from any thing else that tends to weaken the system materially. This disease also arises from Bilious Fever, mentioned before; which, when of brig standing sometimes changes into nervous fever: and I 19tf gunn's domestic medicine. have known it to remain in the system ten days before it broke out violently, having come on so slowly and gradually as to produce no alarm. remedies. The lancet, or in other words bleeding, in this dis- ease is certain death: no inducement whatever could prevail on me to be bleed in Nervous or Typhus Fever. Breeding has been recommended by some physicians, when inflammatory symptoms appeared in the first stage of the disease; but I positively assert that it is wrong, and denounce such a doctrine as dangerous to the last degree; the fact is that in nineteen cases out of twenty, bleeding in this disease will result in death. There are two important considerations to be noticed in this fever: the first is—when it originates in itself at the first cause; and the second is—when it turns or sinks from Bilious Fever, to a Nervous or Typhus. In the first case, give a puke of Tartar Emetic, or of Ipecacuanha—see table for dose—which mix with water until it is dissolved, say in six or eight table-spoonsful. Next give a table- spoonful every ten minutes, until copious vomiting is produced, encouraging the puking after it has commen- ced, by drinking freely of warm camomile tea, or warm water—the object being to cleanse the stomach. Then attend to the bowels with laxative medicines, such as rhubarb, cream-tartar, Epsom salts, &c. so as to free or throw off the contents of the bowels, which, when, in a costive state, increases irritation and fever. You must, however, by no means produce heavy purging—it is dangerous; and your own good sense will show you that it is a disease of debility and weakness. The object is merely to keep the bowels gently open* say by one or two stools a day, which will be quite sufficient. I al- ways give glysters made of thin gruel of corn meal^ gunn's domestic medicine. 197 strained with a tea-spoonful of hog's lard in them: they are to be given milk-warm from a bladder dr pipe, and carefully throw up into the bowels—look under the head "glyster," and those who do not understand the matter will find it explained. In the second place, when this disease sinks from Bilious Fever to a Nervous or Typhus Fever, you will find the last part of the symptoms to agree with the sinking state of the system, and requiring moderate ton? ics, or stimulous and strengthening medicines. The dan- ger of this fever, is in proportion to the weakness which attends it; and, therefore, you will easily see the impor- tance of early supporting the system by stimulants, such as good wine, warm toddy, &c. This distinction of the sinking state of the system, must be obvious, and suffi- ciently plain to be observed by every person of common sense. But I will still explain further, in order that no mistake can possibly be made, in the course to be purr sued; and shall state accordingly the following direc- tions. Stimulants—in other words, common spirituous liquors, such as whiskey, rum, brandy, &c.—must be made palatable to the patient, which must be given reg-? ularly, and varied as to quantity, according to what the case may seem to require. If they increase the pulse considerably, so as to occasion restlessness, a dry tongue, attended with thirst, a flushed face, in other words, inr creased fever, they are improper, and you must discon- tinue their use. On the contrary, if they produce refresh- ing sleep, a pulse slower, softer and more regular, and the patient feels sensible of relief—you are to continue the use of stimulants sufficiently to support and strength- en your patient, adding at the same time generous diet and a pill of opium at night to procure rest: see table for dose. Blisters applied to the extremities, or cataplasm^ 198 gunn's domestic medicine. made of mustard and strong vinegar, will be highly ne- cessary in a sinking state of the system. If the head is affected with delirium, keep cloths con- stantly appled to it, wet in the coldest water and vinegar, changing them as they become warm: and if the deliri- um should still continue, a blister applied to the head, after shaving off the hair, will be necessary. If purg- ing takes place in this disease, which it sometimes does, it must be stopped by laudanum or opium, given in small but frequent doses, increasing or diminishing them as necessity may require: for, if the purging should con- tinue in this complaint, which is weakness or debility, your own good sense must teach you, that it would speedily terminate in death from increased debility or weakness. The late remedy used by physicians, which is called quinine, or extract of Peruvian bark, is a good remedy, from the fact of its taking up less room in the Stomach than the bark in substance. This quinine or extract must be made up into pills with some kind of syr- up ; and must contain from one grain to one and a half of the extract, and given three or four times a day, as the system may be able to bear the doses. The extract is a powerful tonic or stimulant, and may sometimes be difficult to be obtained: in this event the black snake- root, commonly called Virginia snake-root should be used; its virtues are not merely considerable, but highly valuable in this disease, combined with dog-wood bark, or even without it; and I recommend it in preference to any remedy. The form of administering it is in decoction, or as a tincture—that is, mixed with spirits of some kind. This root is perfectly harmless, except when high inflammatory action exists; that is to say, considerable fever. In the secondary stage of fever where the skin has been obstinately dry, I have used gunn's domestic medicine. 199 this little root with unbounded success, not only in this particular disease, but in all fevers; and also where the symptoms indicated rapid prostration and death.— Encouraged by my success in its use, I earnestly re- commend that it be adopted in fevers generally, and more particularly in those I have described. The salt bath, made as directed under the head of bathing, similar to sea water, is as valuable a remedy as can possibly be used, in that state of the system when the heat of the body requires lessening: or if you would prefer it, you may sponge the body well with cold water and vinegar. These remedies by bathing or sponging the body, you will recollect are only to be used when there are no chilly or cold sensations; for if there are such, they would probably prove fatal: and you are also to remember, that they are to be used with as little fatigue as possible to the patient. This disease is fre- quently marked with extreme weakness of the stomach, called by physicians debility; in this case common yeast will be highly beneficial, administered every three or four hours—say two table spoonsful; and if the stools are very offensive, you may add a tea-spoonful of com- mon charcoal to the yeast. By this the offensive state of the bowels will soon be corrected; and to insure the perfect knowledge of the reader of this subject, I will remark, that if the yeast and charcoal produce good effects, the pulse will rise and become slower and fuller,. and the burning heat of the skin will subside. Under these circumstances, the remedy should be continued, I shall now finish my rsmarks on Nervous Fever, which have been extended to a greater length than was at first intended, in consequence of the recollection that it is a very common malady in Tennessee. Doctor Currie, and many other eminent practitioners of medicine, have 200 gunn's domestic medicine^ given the best testimonials and favorable results, in the? first stage of this fever, from the use of the cold bath, or in other words from throwing cold water over the body, wiping dry, and returning to bed immediately. From the experience of so many distinguished men, I yield to their judgment; but, from my own experience, I should prefer the salt bath, as before mentioned—or sponging the body with vinegar and water made milk-warm; this however is never resorted to, until the stomach and bowels have been freed of their contents: or medically speaking, which means the same thing, until the whole alimentary canal has been evacuated. COLIC. In this disease the belly is considerably swelled, and Seems to be bound round tightly with a chord; and there is also a disagreeable feeling about the naval, belching of wind, costiveness, and frequently the most excrucia- ting misery. I have had many cases, in which a cold clammy sweat has been produced on the forehead by theiintense suffering of the person afflicted. This com- plaint comes on without fever, but if it continues it will produce fever, and perhaps inflammation, unless soon relieved. It arises from wind, termed by physicians flatulence—from indigestible food that has been taken into the stomach—from acrid bile—from hardened fae- ces, which means the stool—by suddenly stopping the perspiration, or sweat—or from getting the feet wet—or from exposure—or from worms—and lastly, from the application of poisons to the stomach, of a metallic nature—by which I mean metals under various forms and preparations. gunn's domestic medicine. 201 REMEDIES. If the colic is produced from wind, which you will know from belching, or from a rumbling noise in the bowels, or from the ease you experience by a discharge of wind, a tumbler of warm whiskey toddy, made with warm water, sugar and spirit—to which may be added peppermint, or strong mint tea, or tea made of ginger, calamus, dog-wood blossoms, give relief The appli- cation of warm salt to the belly will give ease immedi-< ately, or until more powerful remedies can be given, If the stomach is much distressed, an application of garden mint made warm by stewing it, and applying it to the pit of the stomach is excellent. You will then immediately, if necessary to the relief of the person afflicted, give a simple clyster, made after the following directions: a quart of thin gruel, made of corn meal and strained; to this add a table-spoonful of ho<*'s lard, and another of common salt, which must be thrown up about milk warm into the bowels. For further directions as to clystering, look under that head for instructions, as to the apparatus to be made use of If the pain still continue, and the person be corpu- lent or fat, bleed and give the warm bath immediately* If you have no bathing vessel, or tub large enough to put the body in, apply cloths dipped in hot water and Wrung out, as warm to the belly as they can be borne.— If the above remedies fail, give a tea-spoonful of castor oil, and in it put fifteen or twenty grains of calomel; and if there-yet is no relief, give one grain of opium and ten grains of calomel, and continue the clysters. But, if the pain does not yet abate, laudanum must be given in large doses, both by the mouth and by mixing it in the clyster. The doses of laudanum must be increased gradually until relief is obtained; and I have given as 26 202 gunn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. much as a table-spoonful before I could effect my purpose. If the misery be excruciating, to a grown person I begin with fifty or sixty drops in mint tea— and when relief is obtained, I give a good dose of castor oil, and clyster to open the bowels: this prac- tice has been generally successful. The practice of the Baltimore Institution, as directed by Doctor Pater- son when professor there, was in desperate cases to give a simple clyster as before mentioned, omitting the salt and lard—reducing the quantity to a half pint of gruel, and putting into it fifteen or twenty grains of emetic tartar and injecting it into the bowels. This remedy I tried in Virginia, in two or three desperate cases of colic, with perfect success; but it should never be used, unless the situation and violence of the case demand its administration: it is an active and power- fill remedy, and may be relied on in urgent cases. Persons who are subject to this dangerous complaint, should be very cautious as to their diet or food, abstain- ing from every thing that disagrees with them; and above all, they ought to avoid costiveness, or in other words they ought to go to stool every day at a certain time, and solicit nature to perform her duty—for by so doing, a habit of evacuation will be at length produced, which will overcome the most obstinate costiveness: and to produce a stool, a piece of hard soap about half the length of the finger, may be introduced up the passage. In all obstinate cases, which seem n©t to yield to common remedies, examine the passage of the fundament with the finger, so that if there be any hard lumps of excrement they may be removed—for while they remain, all your purges and clysters will be useless. A spirituous infusion of the berries or of the bark of gunn's domestic medicine. 203 the prickly ash, is made use of in Virginia in violent colic, and is a good remedy. This tree is a native of Jamaica and other tropical countries, as well as of the United States, and grows to the height of sixteen feet, and is about twelve inches in aiameter. It somewhat resembles the common ash, and the bark is covered with sharp prickles. The fresh juice expressed from the root affords certain relief in colic, and what is called dry belly-ache. The important fact was dis- covered in the West Indies, by watching a female slave who collected the root in the woods, and gave two spoonsful of the juice to a negro suffering under that colic called the dry belly-ache, at intervals of two hours. It occasioned profound and composed sleep for twelve hours, when all sense of pain and suffering had vani-hed; and the cure was completed by giving an infusion of the expressed root in water by way of diet drink. CHOLERA MORBUS, OR PUKING AND PURGING. This disease is generally produced by the food becoming rancid or acid on the stomach; and if from an over quantity of bile, the purging and puking will show it, by the discharges being intermixed with a dark bilious matter. This disease is also produced from breathing damp air; or from being exposed to in- clement weather; or from getting the feet wet:—but most- ly from eating such food as disagrees with the stomach and bowels. The mind has a powerful influence in this complaint; and I have frequently observed in my prac- tice, that the disease was produced in many cases of 204 gunn's domestic medicine. females in delicate health, by the passions of the mind, as well as by the sudden stoppages of the menstrual dis- charge. The disease generally commences with sick- ness of the stomach—painful griping, succeed by heat and thirst, quickness and shortness of breathing, with a quick and fluttering pulse. When the case is danger- ous the extremities become cold—the perspiration or sweat is clammy or cold—there is also cramp, and great changes and irregularities of the pulse, which, when accompanied with hiccupping, are strong eviden- ces of the approach of death. REMEDIES. Apply to the stomach and belly cloths steeped in warm water, or in spirits in which camphor has been dissolved; or you may apply a warm poultice, made of garden mint stewed; or a poultice made of mustard and strong vinegar, will be found of great service applied to the stomach; or a blister of cantharides or Spanish flies: and in extremely dangerous cases, where it is not practicable to draw a blister in the usual way, do not hesitate to scald the part w7ith boiling water, at the same time applying hot rocks or bricks at the feet. Give hot whiskey toddy, or that made of any other kind of spirit;.let it be strongly mixed with peppermint, or ginger or calamus; and let chicken water or thin gruel be freely taken by the patient. Give clysters made by pouring boiling water on the inner bark of slippery elm, or those made of flax-seed tea, cither of which must be thrown up into the bowels milk-warm. See under the head of clystering, for the manner of administering this operation. The first object in this dangerous complaint is, to cleanse the stomach and bowels of any offensive matter—after which the giving GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. *03 of thirty-five or fifty drops of laudanum in mint tea will be proper; and if these should not arrest the progress of the disease, make a clyster of a table-spoonful of starch and a half a pint of warm water, in which put a tea- spoonful of laudanum, and throw it up the bowels as directed under the head of "clyster." If this docs not give relief in fifteen or twenty minutes, repeat it again and again. If the perscn who is attacked is of a full habit, that is, fat, stout and vigorous, the loss of some blood by the arm, and the warm bath will be necessary. If the attack be moderate, a good dose of calomel will generally put a stop to it—for this will evacuate the bowels, operate as a stimulus, and remove the diseased action. Very frequently this disease appears as a symptom of fever; and then of course you are to treat it as you would any other kind of fever. In all cases, after using laudanum to relieve your patient, particularly when you have used it to an extent, it is proper and necessa- ry to give, after relief, a good dose of castor oil. Per- sons who are subject to this sudden and dangerous disease, should be cautious as to what kind of food they indulge in; and should be very particular in avoid- ing the causes which produce it; because by impru- dence, the disease may return with double violence and danger. The rapidity with which cholera morbus proceeds, requires the remedies to be promptly applied; for the disease is, generally speaking, highly dangerous, and soon terminates the life of the sufferer, unless relief is speedily obtained. A few hours' suffering in severe cases, weakens the patient surprisingly; and, therefore, you will easily see the great importance of nourish- ment of a light, stimulating, and strengthening kind, 206 gunn's domestic medicine. being given. Besides attention to nourishing diet, wine with any kind of bitter ought to be given, or cold cam- omile tea three or four times a day, the dose, a wine or stem glass full, cr clixia vitriol, ten drops three times a day, in the tea made of black snake-root, or Virginia snake-root: besides all which, flannel ought to be put on next the skin of the patient. But, in concluding my remarks on the treatment of this complaint, I must urge the particular necessity of the warm bath and clysters, as almost certain means of relief, if properly and timely administered. RHEUMATISM. This painful and excruciating disease, in which the poor sufferer drags out a miserable and wretched exist- ence, is quite frequent throughout the western country —and particularly in East Tennessee. I shall commu- nicate respecting this disease, in which I have had much experience, such remedies as will, if properly managed, succeed in entirely removing it from the system, unless anchylosis of the joint has been formed; for in such a case nothing can possibly be done with it. Anchylo- sis means a stiff joint: this state of the system is exhibi- ted generally under the form of Chronic Rheumatism, of ten or fifteen years standing. In every case where the patient can, in the slightest manner, move the joint I have no hesitation in saying the cure can be made, if attentively and properly managed, according to the various methods of treatment laid down, which are as follows, Embracing the general mode of treatment as used by physicians, and the method I have invariably followed with unbounded success in Virginia and Ten- gunn's domestic medicine. 207 nessee, hundreds are now living in both states who can attest or prove, that they have been entirely cured of this disease by me, of many years standing, after they had become entirely helpless, and unable to walk or move without assistance. There are two diseases, or rather two different stages of this disease: one of which is called inflammatory, and the Other chronic—the first is accompanied with fev?r, and the other, the last, is nearly or quite without fever, and of long standing. Rheumatism is brought on by exposure to the cold and wet; by sleeping in damp places; by remaining too long on the damp ground; by sleeping in a current of air at night, immediately under an open window; by exposure to the night dews; by taking off a warm dress and putting on a thin one; by being greatly heated, and becoming suddenly cool, thereby checking the perspira- tion. There is a disease called by physicians, Rheumatic mercurialis, which means Rheumatism produced by the improper use of Mercury; that is, by permitting the Mercury to remain in the system, without giving the proper remedy to carry it off, which is flour of sulphur. This flour of sulphur is nothing more than Brimstone purified, and pounded or ground very fiiie like flour; it is the true and certain antidote against mercury; as you will find explained under the head of Sulphureous Fu- migation—or a sweat produced by the use of sulphur. First.—Inflammatory Rheumatism is to be relieved in the first stage by bleeding; as you will perceive by the fulness of the pulse, and by the person afllicted being of a robust and full habit of body; here it will be neces- sary to bleed freely from a large orifice. If the heat is great, you must proportion the loss of blood according to the violence of the symptoms; and you must repeat 208 gunn's domestic medicine. the bleeding on the second day, if you find it necessary from the violence or continuation of the inflammatory symptoms, which can easily be distinguished by the pulse, the fe^ings of the sufferer, and lastly by suffering the blood to cool. If the blood, when cool, has on its surface a buffy coat of a yellowish hue, it denotes a highly inflammatory state of the system; but, in bleed- ing, you must take care not to go so far as to produce debility: and, therefore, after the first bleeding, which must be regulated entirely by the violence of the attack, it will be proper to give an active purge of calomel and jalap, twenty grains of each, mixed well together, and afterwards with any kind of syrup. This should be carried off by gruel, or warm balm, sage, or dittany tea, if possible, to produce gentle sweat or moisture on the skin. If then the disease does not begin to yield, give another purge of ten grains of calomel and ten of jalap, mixed well, and given as before directed. This will procure purging, and a copious perspiration or sweat You will find now, that by moderate purging, so as not to debilitate or weaken the patient, the complaint will begin to subside, or perhaps entirely. These mild purges must be of epsom salts, glauber salts, eenna and manna or castor oil. If your patient at any time gets weak from purging, give warm toddy made of any kind of spirits; or if you wish effectually to check the purging, give twenty or thirty drops of laudanum or a pill of opium: see table for dose. This will arrest or put a stop to the purging; and if there is any griping, put the laudanum when you give it in some strong mint tea. When the joints are very painful, and the skin red, swelled and inflamed, cup over the parts: see under the head of cupping for the operation—which is very simple and easily performed. Cupping freely will be a gunn's domestic medicine. 209 useful remedy. The inflamed or swollen parts, should be kept wet with cloths dipped in vinegar made milk- warm: and at night a poultice made of rye flour, mixed with vinegar and warm water, will give much relief. If the inflammatory symptoms are considerably removed$ a pill of opium or a dose of laudanum, (see table for dose,) will procure the rest or sleep so much desired in this afflicting complaint. The parts which are painful should be well rubbed with a liniment, made of two table spoonsful of laudanum—-two of spirits of hartshorn- mixed over a slow fire in four table-spoonsful of butter without any salt in it: this being put into a bottle and corked tight, must be used three times a day, at the rate of a tea-spoonful each time, and the parts kept well covered with flannel. These remedies should be used separately or togetherj as they may afford the afflicted person relief. The diet should be very light and cool- ing; this being a matter of great importance. By strict attention to this, you will be enabled to get quickly reliev- ed, and save the taking a vast deal of medicine. In fact, while inflammation prevails, the less the patient takes of nourishment the better; and solid and animal food are both to be avoided. No spirits, wines, or stimulatmg drinks whatever are permitted in this state of the sys- tem: and even when the afflicted person is getting better he must take only such nourishments as are necessary to support the system and recruit its powers—for by imprudence in diet a relapse may take place of a dan- gerous and languishing nature. Second.—Chronic Rheumatism, as distinguished from that called inflammatory rheumatism, has little or no fever. Chronic means, when the fever or inflamma- tory action, has nearly, or indeed, entirely subsided. It is sometimes brought on as a mere consequence of 27 210 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. inflammatory rheumatism—and sometimes it proceeds from cold and exposure, or from the system being pre- disposed to it by some old disease; for it frequently steals on so gradually, that the patient bears with it until the pain seats itself in some particular joint, or part, giving the most excruciating pain. When fairly seated by length of time, it usually prevents the sufferer from using his limbs, and from the misery attending it through- out, large lumps or swelling are produced by it: these are the symptoms by which you will know chronic rheu- matism. This slow, obstinate, and painful disease, must be treated as follows: First—the bowels are to be kept open by the simple laxative of sulphur. A tea-spoonful must be given of a morning, mixed with honey, on an empty stomach—and one at night, if necessary to keep the bowels open. One or two purges a day will be suffi- cient: avoid the damp ground, and also getting wet while taking sulphur; because it opens all the pores of the system, and under these circumstances becomes dangerous. This medicine is truly valuable in this dis- ease, and too much can hardly be said in its favor; nor is there any danger in it, if you will but keep from the wet and damp. You may occasionally vary the treat- ment, by giving epsom salts in the room of sulphur, but it must be in moderate doses. The next object in curing this complaint is, to keep up a gentle moisture on the skin, in other words a gentle sweating; and for this pur- pose I shall give you a remedy which is very simple; and which in itself has cured hundreds, both of rheu- matism and pains generally. Take one ounce of gum guiacum and two drachms of saltpetre, put these two articles, after pounding them together, into a quart of old whiskey, and give a table-spoonful in a little cold GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 211 water, three times during the day. This dose is for a grown person. If the stomach be weak, lessen the dose in proportion—and so on for a delicate or weakly per- son. It acts as a powerful stimulant—produces gentle sweatings, &c. By continuing in the use of this simple remedy, in which there is no danger, I have effected cures in cases of long standing, several of which were considered hopeless. The principle to be pursued in removing this com- plaint is very simple: it is either by moderate or by profuse, which means large sweats. Take a blanket, or any thing which will prevent the steam from passing off, and put hoops into it, in the same manner that you would into a partridge net, so as to keep the blanket, or whatever else you use, on the stretch. Let the bottom hoop be large enough to cover the tub, or whatever other vessel you use: let the next hoop be something smaller, the next one smaller still, and so on up to the top one, which must be large enough to admit the head to be put through. This machine, or whatever else you may please to call it, must be long enough to cover the body without touching it, except at the neck, where it must fit so close as to prevent any steam from escaping, which might affect the nose, face, or any portion of the head. In this situation, the patient being enclosed in the case— naked: let him sit or stand, with hot rocks placed under him; on which so as to confine the steam to the body, let the following extract be gradually and very slowly poured. Four or five days before you wish to give this bath, take a quart of whiskey, and put into it half an ounce of saltpetre, one ounce of seneca snake-root, well bruised, and half an ounce of sulphur in a quart bottle This liquor must be pcured very slowly, or rathed drop- ped through an aperture in the blanket on the rocks; by 212 gunn's domestic medicine. which a powerful sweat will be produced, which must be continued for a quarter of an hour, if the patient be not too weak to bear it so long. When the patient is in this bath, if any faintness or sickness takes place, the bath is to be stopped, the patient wiped dry, and imme- diately put to bed: and if much debility or weakness seems to exist, you must stimulate with warm toddy, made of any kind of spirits, with warm water and sugar. In my practice in Virginia, for five years I used this steam bath with unbounded success; and in some cases which I considered absolutely hopeless, cures were produced. By the effects of the vapor or steam bath, as just describ- ed, I was induced to try its effects in two cases of inflammatory rheumatism, in which one of the patients was unable to move without assistance for six months previous; all the usual remedies in that stage of the disease having been tried without any benefit. John Sypold, a man of about thirty-five years of age, of a full habit, a resident of Montgomery county, Virginia, was hauled to me in a wagon nine miles, laboring under inflammatory rheumatism. His situation was truly mis-r erable, from the most severe and excruciating pains. I determined, with his consent, and after explaining to him my doubts as to the final issue of his case, to try the following experiment. I bleed him freely from both arms; and his situation was such as to require five per- sons to assist me in getting him into a wooden case I had constructed for the purpose. His pain was so severe as scarcely to admit of his being turned over; but as soon as the steam was put in operation on him, he became tranquil—and in ten minutes a profuse sweat broke out on him, which produced great relief He had continued in the bath fifteen minutes, when I pro- posed to have him removed: but the pleasantness of gunn's domestic medicine. 21 his sensations induced him to desire me to let him remain: he said that those were the only moments in which he had experienced a relief from pain in six months. After continuing in the bath half an hour, he descended without assistance covered with sweat: his body was then rubbed well with coarse towels, and his joints also, with the liniment I have before described, made of hartshorn, laudanum, and butter without salt. I gave Mr. Sypold the bath three times, making each time shorter; in two weeks he was entirely relieved from pain, and in three months he walked to Lynch- burg with his wagon, a distance of sixty miles, and returned without experiencing the least return of his disease. Hundreds have since been relieved by me in Tennessee, of this disease, by this remedy of the bath, as just described-—and in chronic cases, by the simple use of gum guaiacum as already mentioned. I shall now proceed to give the common remedies, as used by physicians in this complaint, many of which are valua- ble, and afford speedy and salutary' relief. In all local affections, distinguished by stiffness, and want of power to move the joints without considerable pain, rub the part well with the liniment before men- tioned—or with opodeldoc—or whiskey, in which red pepper or mustard has been infused or soaked—and with these or either of them, rub the joints or places affected with a brush, continuing the rubbing for some time, the longer the better; and use inwardly the gum guaiacum as before directed. The poke berry bounce, made by putting the ripe berries into whisky, and using a wine glass full of it every day is of service, The seneca snake-root is also valuable in this disease, by boiling an ounce of it in a quart of water, over a plow fire or on coals; stewing it down to a pint or lessj 214 gunn's domestic medicine. and taking a table-spoonful of it occasionally through the day: you may increase the dose as the stomach will bear it. Fat light-food, steeped in spirits, and tak n in small quantities, is also serviceable. Tea made of sar- saparilla, and drank freely, is a good remedy; or take a large handful of rattle-snake root and bruise it well— put it into a quart of spirit and let it steep by the fire for several days; and of this take a wine glass full every morning. In the stage which I have lately described, which is chronic rheumatism, the patient is frequently, b]' hav- ing had the disease a long time, reduced to great weak- ness: if so, he should use some bitters to strengthen the system; such as dog-wood bark, wild-cherry tree bark, and poplar bark, in equal quantities in whiskey, or spirit of any kind—old if possible; or if spirit disagrees, make a tea, and use it three times a day—a wine glass full; pr cold camomile tea same quantity; or take eight or ten drops of elixir vitriol, in a wine or stem glass of cold water, three times a day. In this state of the sys- tem, horse-radish or mustard will be proper to use with your food. Your diet should be as usual—no change is necessary in chronic rheumatism. Exercise is impor- tant, if the patient can possibly have it—and flannel should be worn next to the skin. The warm salt bath, as described under sea or salt bath, will be of great util- ity in this state of the disease; or you may use it by pour- ing over the body three times a day, strong salt and wa- ter, made milk-warm. If the above rerredies should not relieve, after a proper and patient trial of them, re- course must be had to the French Remedy, called Sul- phureous Fumigation, For instructions look under that head. gunn's domestic medicine. 215 INDIGESTION, OR DYSPEPSIA. This common and most afflicting disease, so much disturbs and deranges our moral and physical nature, that it is difficult to determine which suffers most from its attacks, the mind or the body. From the variety of shapes which this complaint assumes, it is very difficult to describe it in a plain and comprehensive manner; in fact, it is so frequently associated in close connexion with other diseases to which it bears a strong resem- blance, particularly those of the liver and bowels^ that in many cases it deceives the most experienced and in- telligent physicians. This complaint, like the gout, may be said to be no respecter of persons: from the prince to the beggar, you can see misery inflicted, without dis- crimination of persons or ranks, by this demon of human suffering, indigestion-—under whose influence the body is tortured for years, and the mind continually wrecked in a troubled sea of the most unhappy and melanchoily feelings. This disease originates in a great variety of causes; among which it is often found associated with a dis- eased state of the liver. Persons who have used spirits of any kind to excess, or stimulants of any description, such as spices or highly seasoned food, and those also who have used tobacco to great excess, by which the coats and functions of the stomach have been impaired and debilitated, are liable to indigestion^ A costive habit, acquired by permitting the bowels to remain too long without evacuation, will bring on this formidable malady; and persons who are long confined to any stationary or sedentary business, without taking the necessary exercise, are generally submitted to this disease called Indigestion. When the complaint is firmly seated in the stomach, it is marked by eructa- Si 6 gunn's domestic medicine. tions or belchings of wind; gnawing and disagreeable sensations at the pit of the stomach; risings of sour and bitter acid into the throat, occasioned by the food not being properly digested; great irregularity of appe- tite, which is sometimes voracious and at other times greatly deficient; and a sinking and oppressive debility or weakness of the stomach. In addition to these symptoms of indigestion; on gratifying the appetite at any time, the stomach in a short time afterwards be-J comes oppressed with sensations of weight and full- ness; the head becomes confused; the sleep very much disturbed; the bowels very irregular and costive; the urine high colored; and the poor victim commences taking medicines for relief, and brooding in dejected silence over thousands of unhappy retrospections of past life, and countless melancholly anticipations of the future, in which death in all its attendant and imagina- ry horrors, stands conspicuous and appalling. Nor are these the only miserable indications of indigestion; I have known many persons whose tempers and dispositions have been materially affected by indigestion; so much so, indeed, that they were incapable of describing their own sensations; and who, when ridiculed by their friends, in merely pleasant raillery, as hypochondriacs, have wished their sufferings were ended by a close of their existence! If the liver is connected with this disease called indigestion, a dead and heavy pain will be felt in tho right side: the water deposited in the urinal or pot will have, on cooling and settling, a brick-dust colored sediment, which, if permitted to remain any length of time, will adhere in rings of a reddish hue to the inner sides of the urinal; a pain will be felt in the top of the shoulder and back of the neck; the feet and hands will gunn's domestic medicine. 217 frequently get asleep, from want of regular and ener° getic circulation; the complexion will become of a yellowish hue or tinge, great and general uneasiness of the whole system will be felt; and sometimes, when the liver is greatly diseased, occasional puking will borne on—in which last case, a diseased state of the liver being evident, I must refer the reader to that head. REMEDIES. In the removal or cure of this disease, great reliance is alvvays to be placed in the systematic regulation of your diet, as to the times of taking food—the quantity of that food—and the qualities to be taken; and any person laboring under indigestion will soon discover, that regularity and temperance, in fact abstemiousness in eating and drinking, will be productive of as many benefits to the sufferer, as want of system and intem- pennce will be of serious injuries, and dangerous" consequences. I am decidedly of opinion, with regard to dyspepsia, that by withdrawing the causes of irrita- tion from the stomach, and applying such remedies as will have the effect of lessening irritability of the gen- eral system, unless the patient be entirely too much exhausted, nature would effect a cure without the aid of that farrago of medicines generally swallowed in this complaint: and I wish it here to be distinctly Understood, that unless those which are tortured with indigestion absolutely relinquish all excess of the table and the bottle, no cure can be hoped for or expected. Doctor James Johnson, of the Royal College of Physicians, has correctly and elegantly described the remedies for indigestion, in nearly the following Ian- 28 218 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE, guage: There is a great error committed almost every day in this disease, which is, by flying to medicines at once, whenever the functions of the stomach and liver appear to be disordered, and the food imperfectly diges- ted. Instead of taking purgative medicines day after day, we should lessen and simplify the food, in order to prevent the formation of such things in the body, as will assist to produce and increase the disease; but in attempt- ing to induce a patient to adopt this rule, I am aware that great prejudices are to be overcome. The patient feels himself getting weaker and thinner; and he flies imme- diately to nourishing food, and tonics and strengthening medicines for a cure; but he will generally be disappoin- ted in the end by this plan.. From four ounces of gruel every six hours, under any state of indigestion, he will derive more nutriment and real strength, than fiom half a pound of animal food, and a pint of the best wine. Whenever he feels any additional uneasiness or discom- fort, in mind or body, after eating, the patient has erred in the quantity or quality of his food, however restricted the one or select the other. If the food and drink irri- tate the nerves of the stomach, they must be reduced and simplified down even to the gruel diet above allu- ded to. I have known the dyspeptic patients gain flesh and strength, on half a pint of good gruel, taken three times in twenty-four hours, and gradually bring the stom- ach step by step up to the point of digesting plain animal food. On a biscuit and a glass of water, I have known persons who were afflicted with this disease to dine for months in succession; and on this small portion of food, to obtain a degree of strength, and a serenity of mind, beyond their most sanguine hopes. You will perceive, that in all the different forms of indigestion, diet is the first thing, and the principal cure in this disease; and GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 219 rely upon it, for I assert it from sad experience in my own person, that it is absolutely vain to expect a cure, unless you have courage and perseverance to reap the fruits of such a system as I have laid down to you in diet, and not to change it, however strongly you may be tempted by the luxuries of the table, and the seductions of convival society; and when you have escaped the miseries of this worst than human affliction, you must be extremely careful how you deviate from the right diet which has restored you to health; for no disease is so liable to relapse as indigestion. An unrestrained indul- gence in a variety of dishes, or in vegetable and fruit, or a debauch in drinking, will be certain of making the poor dyspeptic patient pay dearly, in suffering and wretchedness of feelings, for his straying from the cor- rect path of temperance and propriety. The least over-exertion of the stomach, caused by its being over- loaded or too highly stimulated, will be certain to cause you to be on the stool of repentance for some time afterwards. As soon as you have the least reason for supposing that you are laboring under indigestion, commence first with an active purgative consisting of ten grains of calomel, ten of rhubarb in fine powder, and ten of alws likewise finely powdered. These three articles are to be mixed well together, and made into pills, with honey or syrup. After this purgative medicine, which is intended to clear the stomach and bowels of all their unhealthy and injurious contents, which always when present keep up a constant irrita- tion in the stomach and intestines, no more very active purges arc to be given—because the frequent and almost constant employment of active purges, always do more harm than good, by unnecessarily weakening 220 gunn's domestic medicine. the system: one satisfactory evacuation by stool in the Course of the day is quite sufficient; and by more than this the stomach and bowels are teased, thereby produ- cing debility—the real parent of morbid irritation.— When this disease of body is avoided, and the stomach and bowels at the same time kept sufficiently easy and clear, and the temperate abstemiousness I have advi- sed strictly followed, the poor sufferer under indigestion may confidently expect an extinguishment of the flames of his torture. A little rhubarb rcot chewed at night—or the follow- ing simple pill will be of service. Take of rhubarb in powder half a drachm, of Castile soap one drachm, and of ipecacuanha in powder half a drachm—mix them well together in honey or any syrup, to which add a little powdered ginger to make the mixture pleasant to the stomach; make it into thirty pills, one of which you must take e thrown up the bowels three or four times a day. All gunn's domestic medicine. 269 the drinks should be made warm, in which must be dis- solved some kind of gum, such as that of the peach tree, or any other kind of gum that will produce a mucilage. Flaxseed tea will answer a good purpose, as will also tea made of slippery elm bark; in both of which you may put a little spirits of nitre. The bowels are to be kept open by castor oil, and by moderate clystering. The warm bath must be freqently used, and applied for a considerable time at once, over the whole body; during which, the patient in the bath, must have his body well rubbed with a soft brush or woolen cloth: this bath must be repeated every day, and twice a day if necessary. The warm bath is a most valuable remedy in this complaint, and must not be neglected. After the violence of the dieasc has been subdued, by the use of the lancet and warm bath, &c. as before noticed, to give ease and quiet slumbers to the patient, administer a pill of opium, or thirty-five drops of laudanum; for the different doses of which, preportioned, to the different ages, see table for doses. Or a clyster at this time, made of flaxseed tea, with forty or fifty drops of laudanum mixed with it, will give great relief by allaying both pain and irritation. A decoction or tea made of dried peach-tree leaves, made by boiling a handful of the leaves in a quart of water, until it decreases to three half pints, to be drank occar sionally through the day;—this is an excellent remedy, and has been known to succeed in this complaint, when the sufferings have been unusually severe. In some cases, inflamation of the kidneys cannot be removed, until abscesses or ulcers are formed: this state of the case will always be known, by the pain becoming less severe; by the great weight being felt in the small of the back; by the chills, succeeded by flashes of heat; and 270 gunn's domestic medicine. when by suffering the urine or water to settle in the urinal or pot, you can discover a mucus matter on the bottom. When this is the situation of the patient, the uva ursi will be found a useful medicine: for desciiption of which and its medical qualities, read under the head uva ursi, sometimes called the upland cranberry, and some- times the bearberry. The usual dose is, two or three times a day, half a pint of the decoction, or tea made of a handful of the leaves, to a pint of water; or a tea- spoonful of the pounded leaves, three times a day, taken in any kind of syrup. INFLAMATION OF THE BLADDER. Immediately above the privates, in this complaint, there is very considerable pain; which is much increas- ed by pressing on the part with the fingers. There is, also, a constant desire to make water, which is voided with much difficulty, and in very small quantities. 'There is a constant desire to go to stool, and always some fever; also great restlessnesss, where the disease is produced by stone or gravel; or by stricture or contrac- tion of the urethra, or canal which leads from the bladder; or by this passage being stopped up; or from the lodgment of hardened lumps in the lower gut, caused by costiveness or constipation of the bowels. Jn the last case, I have frequently known an instrument introduced, if the finger could not remove the solid and hard excrement, called by physicians the foeces. This disease is, also, sometimes produced by injuries receiv- ed, such as severe blows, kicks, falls, &c.,-by taking tinc- ture of cantharides or Spanish flies—and by that false GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE; 271 and foolish delicacy, which leads some persons to hold their urine a considerable length of time. I recollect a case which terminated fatally by this false modesty. A young lady of respectability, was introduced to a merchant who was travelling from Philadelphia to New York, and placed under his pi otection to perform the same journey. The post-coach runs the distance, from ninety to one hundred miles, in about eleven hours: this distance she travelled in excruciating torment from retaining her urine, and died from the effects of it, on the second day after her arrival at New York. She was in the bloom of yonth, health and beauty; and I mention the case emphatically, as a warning to others, who from false delicacy might do the same thing. REMEDIES. You must, as in all other cases of inflmmation before mentioned, depend much on frequent bleeding, and the free use of the warm bath: and on all such medicines as will determine to the surface, or in other words, pro- duce a gentle moisture on the skin. Also, get a syringe and inject water made pleasantly warm into the bladder, which will remove the irritating causes: and, after wash- ing out the bladder with warm water, as just directed,, make a decoction of slippery elm bark, and let it become cool—with this decoction or tea, mix a very weak pre- paration of sugar of lead, which must be dissolved in cold water, and throw up this preparation into the bladder occasionally; this will lessen the inflammation, and assist in finally subduing it; but I caution you to make the solution of sugar of lead very weak. You are not to use a blister in this complaint; because it would act immediately and particularly on the bladder,, by suppressing the urine. Clysters of the mildest kind arc to be given; they will always soothe, relieve, and 272 gunn's domestic medicine. reduce the irritation of the bowels, and the adjacent parts. If the pain L very severe, laudanum should be given: see table for dose—and the water frequently drawn off by a catheter: the fact is, that a physician should be immediately called; but, if necessity should urge the use of the catheter, by a person who is not a professional man, a description of the instrument, and of the precise manner of using it, both in male and female cases, will be found under the proper head. DRINKING COLD WATER WHEN OVER HEATED. The imprudent use of cold water when a person is overheated, almost invaribly produces cramps or spasms of the stomach, which usually terminate in death. In the year 1816,1 saw five persons expire in less than ten nrnutes in the city of New York, from drinking cold water; in truth, the deaths became so frequent at the different watering places throughout the town, that pla- cards or printed bills were ordered by the city council to be stuck on the different pumps, to caution all persons against drinking cold water when overheated and bathed in sweat. This dangerous and fatal practice, if it even does not produce immediate death, almost inva- riably lays the foundation of lingering and destructive diseases, which are extremely difficult of cure. That eminent and distinguished physician, Benjamin Rush, describes the causes of fatality in these cases, in the following manner: "When large quantities of cold water arc suddenly taken into the stomach, under circum- stances of an overheated system, the person in a few minutes afterwards loses his sight, and every thing gunn's domestic medicine. 273 appears dark about him; he staggers in attempting to walk, and unless supported, falls to the ground; the breathing soon becomes very difficult, and a rattling noise, is heard in the throat; the feet and hands become cold, and the pulse cannot be felt—and generally in about five minutes, death is the consequence, unless spee- dy relief can be obtained." Iced toddy, when taken under the same circumstances of being overheated, has often been known to produce the same fatal effects: and I have known many instances, in which ladies in full health, have been brought to the brink of eternity in a few minutes, from eating iced creams when over-heated by dancing* The truth is, that very cold articles of food or drink, even when the body is moderately cool, some- times in peculiar constitutions, are productive of dan- gerous consequences: cases which are not very violent, and which come on with cramps or spasms^ should be immediately attended to, or they will also terminate fatally in most instances, by inflammations of the stom- ach: remedies. "I have discovered," says Doctor Rush, "but one cer- tain rsmedy in this desperate, and if not immediately relieved, fatal disease:—this remedy, and it may be reli- ed on, is laudanum; which has to be given in the quan- tity of from a tea to nearly a table-spoonful immediately in violent cases, before relief can be obtained." When laudanum cannot be had in time, a slass of strong whis- key or brandy, one of which is generally found forth- coming every where, may be given. Laudanum, how- ever, is so very easily made, and so frequently necessary in all families, that it ought always to be kept in prepa- ration for use: it will frequently save the expense of sending for a physician at an unseasonable hour, and of- 35 274 gunn's domestic medicine. tentimes save life in sudden and desperate cases. For the mode of preparing it, see under the head laudanum. Every person about to drink cold water, when warm and in high perspiration, should observe faithfully the follow- ing rules. First: pour considerable quantities of water on the wrists: and next, wash the face, temples and hands, with water, and suffer them to dry. These mea- sures, from the coldness of the water applied, and the evaporation which succeeds, will abstract or draw from the interior of the body, and particularly from the vital parts, a considerable portion of iieat; and prevent the sudden and dangerous action of the cold on the stom- ach, and other vital parts of the system. You are, also, when you drink, to take the water in small quantities at a tixne; in fact, not more than half a pint at once: re- peating the draughts about every five or ten minutes.— It would be the safest plan, even wdth the above piecau- tions, to mix some spirits with the water. Farmers en- gaged in harvesting their grain, should always let the water remain some time in the vessel before using it;— many fatal diseases have originated, in an imprudent disregard of this cautious practice. CATARRH, OR COLD. Colds are so common in all countries, and their modes of treatment so generally known, that not much need be said respecting them; further than to remark, that early attention will frequently prevent their laying the foundation of other complaints, which may in the end prove highly dangerous and very difficult to remove. Persons of delicate constitutions are most subject to colds; gunn's domestic medicine. 275 and from the carelessness of such persons, in neglecting to avoid exposure, and to remove the early symptoms of disease, more than two-thirds of the whole number of consumptive cases, ii all countries, arise and become fatal. Cold usually comes on with a dull heaviness of the head, which feels as if the nose was stopped up, which is generally the cace. There is, also, at times, much sneezing, which is always followed by discharges of a thin watery mucus from the nostrils. You have soreness of the throat; cough and chills stealing over you, with occasional hot flushes: persons cf very weakly constitutions have, also, a tightness and pain in the chest. Sometimes the symptoms are. highly inflammatory or feverish; this is nearly always the case with very irrita- ble constitutions—in which instance the complaint must be arrested immediately. Here I repeat, because it is all important, that most of the consumptions in this country, originate in neglected colds, brought on by exposure to the night air; by damp feet; by changing warm clothing for thin; by becoming warm from exer- cise, perhaps in a crowded ball room, and suddenly ex- posing the body to a cold current of air; and by many other imprudent courses of conduct remedies. Immediately before going to bed, bathe tho feet and legs in warm water fifteen or twenty minutes; then wipe and rub them perfectly dry, and wrap them care- fully in warm dry flanr:els. After laying down, take a large drink of warm sage, or balm, or hysop tea, or any thing else that will sweat moderately. If the head is much stopped up with the cold, you may relieve yourself in a sitting posture, by covering the head with flannel or a blanket, and producing a steam beneath 276 gunn's domestic medicine. and-surrounding the head; this can easily be done, by placing a hot rock in a crock or basin, and gradua'ly dripping water on it at the same time holding the ves- sel on your lap; and closing all the avenues by which the steam might escape from about your head, except- ing one through which you are to breathe. This will give much relief in a short time. My practice in the commencement of a cold is, to give an emetic or puke, which in nine cases out of ten relieves the patient at once, and cuts short the advance of the fever: see table for dose. When fever is very considerable, with violent pain in the head, indicating inflammation, the loss of some blood would be advisable: after which, give a tea-spoonful of antimonial wine, every three hours, in any kind of drink; this will determine to the surface, or in other words produce a gentle moisture on the skin, and allay the feverish symptoms. The bowels should be purged moderately, by the daily use of epsom salts, in small quantities, dissolved in cold water. If there be any pain in the chest or side, after employing the above remedies, put a blister over the part affected with pain, and keep it running as long as possible: look under the head blisters. The diet in colds, should be light and cooling. Heating or stimula- ting articles, either of drink or diet, are highly impro- per, and always produce more or less fever. The best drink during the day, is flax-seed tea, with a small portion of acid in it. After the feverish symptoms are removed, a troublesome cough sometimes remains: this may be relieved by the use of balsam capaiva, in doses of ten or fifteen drops, on lumps of sugar, given tjiree times a day; and a dose of paregoric, each night at bed time: see table for dose; or a small pill of opium: see table. The French have an excellent gunn's domestic medicine. 277 remedy for curing cold, which I have frequently em- ployed with success, producing immediate relief. They apply a poultice of boiled onions to the sole of each foot on going to bed, after having bathed the feet and legs well in warm water: and if the throat is sore, they apply the boiled onion poultice to it. This is a valua- ble application, and may be much relied on. If the chest is much oppressed, the application of this poultice to the breast, will almost invariably relieve. The following remedy, which is an excellent and efficacious one, has frequently afforded relief, in cases where colds had nearly settled down into confirmed Consumptions. Take one tea-spoonful of flaxseed, half an ounce of liquorice, and a quarter of a pound of raisins: put them into two quarts of rain water, and simmer the whole over a slow fire, until you reduce the quantity to one quart. Then prepare some candy made from brown sugar, and dissolve it in the liquor boiled down to a quait;half a pint of this to be taken every night on going to bed, mixed with a little good vinegar to give it a slightly acid taste; this will certainly relieve a cold, if used a few days. I have been mere particu- larly on this disease than at first view might seem neces- sary ; but considering it as intimately connected with, and in many instances the forerunner and foundation of consumption, I think I am justified in treating it witfi great attention. DROPSY. Dropsy is a disease of the whole system, arising from debility or weakness, and can easily be distinguished from other diseases, by the collection of water in some 278 gunn's domestic medicine. part of the body. By pressing the fingers on tie flesh with some force, a depression or pitting will take place, which can be seen some little time after the fingers have been removed: in other words, the flesh will have lost its elasticity, and will not immediately spring back, on the removal of a pressure. Or, if the water is lodged in any particular cavity of the body, it may also be heard distinctly, on any sudden change of position, or rapid movement of the body. Among physicians, it is called by different names, according with the different parts of the system, in which the water may be deposited. When the water is seated in the cavities Of the head or brain, the disease is called hydrocephalus:—when seated in the cavity of the chest, it is called hydrotho- rax:—when in that of the belly, ascites:—when seated in the scrotum or bag of the privates, it is called hydro- cele:—and when the water is effused in the cellular membrane, which is the thin and delicate skin found among the muscles or flesh of the body, and which is the same that butchers blow up in their veil and mut- ton, the dropsical disease is called anasarca. There is ■Strong resemblance between dropsy of the testicles or tStone in men, and ascites ovarii in women; the latter ;being small collections of dropsical fluid, in the ovaria, •which are two oval flat bodies, which are about an inch ■in length, and half an inch in breadth, situated about :an inch behind the womb, and which are supposed to ^contain and supply whatever the female brings to the procreation or formation of the foetus or child. This is proved from analogy, by the simple fact, that an animal deprived of the ovaria, as in the case of spaying swine, looses all power of conceiving, and all venereal desires. I omitted to mention, that hydrocephalus or dropsy of $ie brain, is a disease common to children, and will be gunn's domestic medicine, 279 treated of under the proper head* I have, in the first instance, and contrary to the impressions of some medi- cal men, given it as my decided opinion, that dropsy is a disease of the whole system—and my reader may be assured, tiiat I am sustained in that opinion, by many of the most distinguished physicians in the United States. REMEDIES. More diseases of dropsy have been removed by bleed- ing, and more relief has been obtained from it, than from any other known remedy; for which reasons, it is noW considered as satisfactorily proved, that this complaint is more frequently inflammatory than was generally supposed. For this very important information, we are indebted to that highly distinguished physician, Doctor Benjamin Rush. Bleeding must be entirely regulated, as to frequency and quantity, by the relief it affords to the patient. In my practice, I always use it freely; an4 never omit at the same time to purge freely with calomel and jalap—see table for dose—or jalap alone. Jf tfaoffi purges operate without pain, and the stools are fluid f or; watery, and your patient is not much weakened by then>f it does not matter how many stools are produced daily j because the remedy is an efficient and proper one. One ounce of cream tartar, in half gallon of water, drank during the day, will be of much service: in truth,all articles which will increase the flow of the urine, or water from the bladder, called by physicians diurticsT are very useful in this complaint. The following curesr which I shall notice in the words of an experienced and distinguished man, give evidence of the correctness of some of my introductcry remarks, among which are the foil owing: "The discoveries of each succeeding day convince us, that the Almighty has graciously far* 280 gunn's domestic medicine. nished man with the means of curing his own diseases, in all the different countries and climates of which he is an inhabitant; and there is scarcely a day, month, or year which does not exhibit to us, the surprising cures made by roots, herbs, and simples, found in our own vegetable kingdom, when all foreign articles have utterly faded," &c. &c. The truth is, that the wise and benefi- cent Creator of the Universe, has made nothing in vain, ahd the time will come, when the apparently most use- less and noxious plants, will be found eminently useful in the cure of diseases, which have hitherto baffled the profoundest skill, and the most powerful energies of geniuSi The following are the words of the author just alluded to: "I am knowing to two cxtremly distress- ing eases of dropsy, being entirely relieved by means of the bark of the common elder. One, a woman advanced in age, in the last stage of this disease, who lost a brother soine short time previous, by the same complaint. The other, a young woman, who had been for eighteen months confined to her bed, during four of which she was unable to lie down, and who is now wholly free from dropsy, and recovering strength in a most surprising and unexpected manner. A great many other cases, less aggravated, have been cured by the bark of the common elder; I have used it myself with universal success; and its immediate adoption by the afflicted, is truly important and deserving attention. The receipt is as follows:—take two handsful of the green or inner bark of the white or common elder; steep them in two quarts of Lisbon wine twenty-four hours —•if this wane cannot be had, Teneriffe or Mcdeira will answer: take a gill every morning fasting, or more if it can be borne on the stomach. The bark and leaves of the elder, have long been known as powerful gunn's domestic medicine. 281 evacuants. I ought to have said in the proper place, that the young women I have mentioned, used the elder barked wine, at the instance of one of the most distin- guished physicians of Boston; who had previously tried every known prescription without success, and that the use of the elder entirely cured her." The following remedy, handed to me by a respectable man, who resides in Roane county, Tennessee, (Mr. William Mead,) will undoubtedly be worthy of trial, and I therefore submit it to the reader:-—"Take two or three handsful of rusty nails, and put them into half a gallon of good apple vin- egar: then boil, or rather simmer the vinegar, down to a quart, and strain it well through a linen cloth: next, add to the vinegar a quart of molasses, a handful of camomile flowers, and a handful of lavender from the garden. Boil or stew this mixture down to a quart.— The dose for a grown person, is a large table-spoonful, to be increased gradually to one and a half: the dose, of course, mu:*t be smaller for younger and more weakly persons." The character of Mr. Mead for integrity and veracity, and his solemn assurances that the prescription has often been eminently successful, induce me to place it on record. The oxide of iron, in other words rust of iron, would probably answer a better purpose man the nails mentioned by Mr. Mead. SCURVY. This disease is frequently of a highly putrid nature, and generally afflicts persons who have lived a consid- erable time on salted provisions, or unsound and tainted animal food. Those are also subject to it, who have been long confined without due exercise; those, also, 36 282 gunn's domestic medicine. who have been unable to obtain vegetable food for a considerable period. Cold moist air, bad water, the morbid influence of depressing passions, such as grief, fear, &c. and the neglect of personal cleanliness, will also produce scurvy. With regard to cleanliness, I must speak in plain terms. Neglect of personal or bodily ablutions; in other words, washings among females at particular periods, are in reality the causes of very many cases of scurvy: and here I am compelled to^ay, that such are the cleanly habits of the French of the better order, male and female, I bave never known a single case of scurvy among them, although much accustomod to their society in Europe: they are in the constant habit of using the warm bath. The disease called scurvy can always be known, by the soft- ness and spongincss of the gums, which, even on being gently rubbed with a soft sponge, will invariably bleed. Ulcers next form round the teeth, and gradually eat away the lower edges of the gums, by which the teeth become loose, and sometimes fall out. The breath is always offensive, and smells badly; the face is usually of a pale yellow color, and considerably bloated; the heart pal- pitates or beats rapidly and irregularly, on slight ex- ertion ; the legs and feet swell; small ulcers or sores break out on different parts of the body, and more generally on the legs; pains are felt over the whole body; the urine or water is high colored; the stools smell very badly; the strength becomes very much reduced, and bleeding takes place frcm the nose, ears, gums, and fundament. When these last symptoms take place, the sufferer is near the termination of his earthly career; and it is no less singular than true, that the appetite remains good to the last, together with a perfect reten- tion of memory. gunn's domestic medicine. 283 REMEDIES. All acids are valuable medicines in scurvy: such as common vinegar with fresh vegetables; in fact a bath made of vinegar and water, in which the whole body can be frequently bathed, will be of essential service; as will also the plentiful use of ripe fruits. Sour krout, or pickled cabbage, is so excellent a remedy in scurvy, that a Dutchman (whose name I have forgotten) receiv- ed a large premium from the British Government for introducing it into the English Navy. When there is much debility, the moderate use of good old wine will be proper; as will also the use of nitric acid: see disea- ses of the liver, page 238, where you will see this medicine plainly described, together with its effects, by which the bowels will generally be kept sufficiently loose, at the same time that the system will be strengthened.— If however, the bowels should be bound, dissjlve a table-spoonful of cream tartar in a pint of boiling water, and when cold use it as a drink. I must not omit to mention, emphatically, that regular exercise is absolutely necessary in this complaint. You will find the follow- ing medicine, also, a good remedy: dissolve three ounces of common salt petre, in a quart of good vinegar, and take one or two table-spoonsful three or four times a day; or less quantities if the state of your patient will justify it. When the gums are much swollen, with con- siderable ulceration, and the mouth, teeth, and breath have a foetid or bad smell, the mouth must be frequently washed with water, prepared as follows: boil red-oak bark in water, then strain the water well, and in it dis- solve a lump of alum, to which add a tea-spoonful of finely powdered charcoal, which is to be prepared by burning common smith's coal over again. I have omit- ted to state, that if the breathing is difficult, or there is 284 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. much pain in the breast, a blister should be applied on the chest over the pain: you are never to bleed in scurvy, if you do you wiil lose your patient. Pure air, moder- ate yet sufficient exercise, and the warm bath of pleasant temperature, with a sufficiency of vinegar in it, as before mentioned, will restore your patient. PLEURISY. Pleurisy is an inflammatory complaint, and requires remedies for the immediate reduction of the inflamma- tion. The symptoms are, a sharp pain in the side, particularly when you draw your breath; the pain then shooting into the breast, back, or shoulder; great diffi- culty in lying on the affected side; the tongue is of a white color; the urine or water of a high color; the face flushed and red; and die body very hot, denoting much fever, Sometimes this disease is accompanied with cough; and when this is the case, it is what physi- cians call a short dry cough. Sometimes the cough increases, and is accompanied by spitting up of tough phlegm; and the blood when drawn from the arm, and suffered to cool, has a coat or covering on it of a buffy color, which always denotes inflammation. This com- plaint is brought on by exposure to cold and wet; by sleeping on the damp ground, and getting the feet wet; by being exposed to.sudden currents of cold air, when the body is overheated; by the suppression of certain periodical evacuations; or in other words by the obstruc- tion of the menstrual discharges in women. The winter and spring, are the seasons in which this complaint is most prevalent. I will endeavor, for the satisfaction of the reader, to notice such symptoms as indicate a GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 285 favorable termination of the disease; and, also, such as argue an unfavorable and fatal issue of the complaint.— First, the symptoms are favorable when there is a free perspiration or sweating; when there is a copious dis- charge, by expectoration or spitting freely; when the urine, or water, deposites, on settling, considerable sedi- ment or grounds, in the urinal or pot; when there is a spontaneous bleeding at the hose; or a gentle purging comes on; or the skin becomes warm and soft, with an abatement of thirst; and, when there is a considerable relief from pain in the head and side. Second, the symp- toms are unfavorable, when there is violent fever; when the patient is delirious or out of his senses; when the pain suddenly Mops, and the face or countenance chan* ges its expression; when there is little, perhaps no expec* toration or discharge by spitting; or if there is any thing spit up, it is of a dark color; and, finally, when there is a sinking and irregularity of the pulse: these symptoms are highly dangerous. REMEDIES. I have stated above, that pleurisy is an inflammatory disease, and that it requires the immediate reduction of the inflammatory symptoms. You must, therefore, bleed in the first instance, as freely as the constitution and state of the patient will bear. If the fever still contin- ues high, and the pulse remain hard and full: or, in oth- er words, if the pain and fever, after the first bleeding, should be relieved for a short time, and afterwards return with any violence, it will be proper to bleed a second time moderately. In fact, I have frequently been com- pelled to bleed three and four times, before I could re- duce the inflammatory symptoms. After the first bleed- ing, apply a large blister over the pain, whether situated 286 gunn's domestic medicene. in the side or chest: and, if the blister should not run sufficiently after being dressed, and the pain should con- tinue, apply another bhs'er. Alter the bleeding and blistsring, give a large dose of epsom salts; and if any considerable pain is felt, put the patient in a warm bath which will cover the whole body. I have, in more than fifty cases in the State of Virginia, relieved pleurisy by immediate and copious bleeding, and as early as conve- nient afterward, by using the warm bath. After the in- flammatory action is in some degree removed, the Sen- eka snake root tea will be found a valuable remedy: look for a description of this root, under that head. Through- out this complaint, the bowels must be kept open, by the use of epsom salts, or senna and manna, or castor oil: epsom salts, however, will always be best, if they can be procured. Clysters of any simple kind, such as thin gru- el milk warm, or starch dissolved in warm water, will be perhaps equally good for keeping the bowels open.— See under the head clystering, and how to prepare clys- ters. When perspiration or sweating is not produced in moderation, by the remedies I have mentioned, equal quantities of antimonial wine and sweet spirits of nitre, mixed, and given in doses of a tea-spoonful every two hours, will assist in producing perspiration. Toward the close of this disease, and after the inflammatory or fe- verish symptoms have subsided, and not before, if the cough should continue troublesome, give a pill of opium at ni.-.. • PILES. There are two kinds of Piles, originating from very nearly the same causes:—one is called the bleeding Piles, and the other the blind Piles. The Piles are small swelled tumors, of rather a dark appearance, usu- ally situated on the edge of the fundament. Where there is a discharge of blood from these tumors, when you go to stool, the disease is called bleeding Piles; but, when there is only a swelling on the edge of the fundament, or some little distance ujp the gut, and no bleeding when you evacuate the bowels, the disease is called the blind. Piles. Both men and women are subject to Piles; but women more particularly, during the last stages of preg^ nancy, in which the womb presses on the rectum or gut In passing the stool, you can plainly feel these tumors, which extend from the edge of the fundament to an 324 gunn's domestic medicine. inch or more upwards, if you have them severe:__ when these burst and bleed, the person is very much relieved; and; when the pain is excessive, is apt to pro- duce some feverv Many persons are constitutionally subject to (his disease through life. It is, however, gen- erally brought on by costiveness, or having irregular stools. Piles are also produced by riding a great deal on horseback in warm weather; by the use of highly seasoned food; by sedentary habits, in other words, want of exercise; by the use of spirituous liquors to excess; and by the use of aloes as a purge, if constantly taken for any length of time to remove costiveness:— therefore, persons subject to costiveness, should particu- larly avoid aloes, remedies. Cold water is one of the best remedies that can be applied in this complaint:—nor will any person ever be afflicted much with bleeding or blind Piles, who will bathe the fundament well, with cold spring water daily, or with iced water to prevent, or to relieve the disease if .formed. I have known many persons who have exempted themselves from this painful disorder, merely by bathing twice a day in the coldest water. For those, who from laziness or neglect, omit to use this simple and powerful precaution, I shall proceed to give the usual remedies, When there is a fever attending Piles, it will be proper to lose a little blood, and to take a dose of epsom salts or castor oil;—for doses see table, Purging and bleeding should be repeated, if the inflammatory or feverish symptoms do not subside. If the pain is violent, bathe the fundament with some laudanum, say a tea-spoonful of laudanum mixed, in a table-spoonful of cold water; or, set over a tub, in which some tar has been heated or set on fire, so that gunn's domestic medicine. ■•■* 325 the steam may sweat the fundament; this steaming should continue some time, and be frequently repeated, r Sweet oil applied to the fundament is a good remedy; and cool- ing applications of sugar of lead are also good, made by putting a tea-spoonful of the lead into a pint of spring wa- ter, and bathing the parts frequently with it. Mercurial ointment, otherwise called oil of baze, is a fine remedy; and, by greasing the parts with a small quantity three times a day, speedy relief will be obtained in a short time. The root of the Jamestown weed, made into a salve, and the fundament greased with it, will also afford speedy relief from pain. All persons subject to Piles, should live on light diet of a cooling nature, avoid cos- tiveness, and use plenty of cold water in bathing, as be-> fore directed. PUTRID SORE THROAT. In this infectious or catching disease, the respiration or breathing becomes hurried, and the breath hot and offensive. The swallowing becomes more and more difficult; the skin burning and disagreeably hot, with-* out the least moisture; and the pulse very quick and irregular; the mouth and throat assume a fiery red color, and the palate and glands of the throat much swelled. Blotches, of a dark red color, appear on the face about the third or fourth day, which gradually in- crease in size, and soon spread over the whole body.— On examining the throat at this stage of the disease, you will discover small brown spots inside of the throat, which soon become deep sores or ulcers; a brownish fiir covers the tongue; the lips have small watery pirn* 326 gunn's domestic medicine. pies on them, which soon break and produce sores, the matter of which is of an acrid nature. If the disease is not immediately relieved, it soon terminates fatally, from the fifth to the seventh day. As the disease advan- ces the following symptoms denote an unfavorable and fatal termination. Purging a black matter, of a very offensive and fetid smell; the hands and feet becoming cold; the eruptions becoming of a dark livid color, or suddenly disappearing; the inside of the mouth and throat assuming a dark hue; the pulse becoming small, quick and fluttering; the breathing much hurried, with an al- most constant sighing; and a cold and clammy sweat.— When Putrid Sore Throat is about terminating favora- bly, the skin becomes gradually soft and moist, denoting the abatement of fever; the eruptions on the skin be- come of a reddish color over the whole body; the breath- ing becomes more free and natural; th3 eyes assume a natural and lively appearance; the sloughs, or parts which separate from the ulcers, fall off easily, and leave the sores of a clean and reddish color: when these symp- toms occur, as I said before, the disease is about termi- nating in the recovery of the patient. This infectious and frequently mortal disease, made its appearance in Knox County,, in the fall of 1827, and proved fatal in very many instances. Having a short time before arrived from Virginia, and being a stranger, my practice was necessarily confined to some cases which occurred at Knoxville. I immediately deter- mined to use a remedy iwhich I had seen successfully administered, in the West Indies, in this disease; and the result of the prescription was successful in my own practice. Feeling it a duty to communicate the rem edy to several gentlemen in the country, whose children gunn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 327 were attacked with the complaint, I was informed it was usually successful, in every case in which it was resorted to in the early stages of the disease. REMEDIES. In this disease, which is generally a dangerous one, unless treated with judgment, bleeding and purging are always fatal in their consequences, and you are scrupu- lously to avoid both. Many physicians have treated this complaint injudiciously, from the simple fact of not giving themselves the trouble to investigate its causes.—■ It generally makes its appearance at the close of sultry summers; when the system has been much weakened by protracted,exposure to intense heat; and when peo- ple have been, for some time, exposed to breathing the putrid atmosphere arising from stagnant waters and de- caying vegetation. You are in the first instance, to give an emitic or puke of ipecacuanha—see table for dose—and the dose must be repeated in moderation the next day if consid- ered necessary. This will throw off the acrid matter, which would otherwise produce injury by descending into the bowels, which are apt to be kept gently open by clysters—see under that head. If it is necessary, a little castor oil by the mouth, or a little rhubarb, may be given to assist the clyster in removing offensive mat- ter; use then the following valuable prescription, which is well known in the West Indies, whence I derived it Take cayenne pepper, in powder, two table-spoonsful, with one table-spoonful of salt; and put both into half a pint of boiling water; let them stand one hour and strain off the liquor. Next put this liquor, as pure as you can make it, into half a pint of strained vinegar, and warm it over the fire. Of this medicine, give two table-spoons- ful every half hour. Make, also, a strong decoction or 328 gunn's domestic medicine. tea of seneca snake-root, and give of it two table-spoons- ful every hour. If any debility or weakness should come on, bath the grown person or child in a strong decoction of red oak bark. If the weakness is very considerable, add one fourth of whiskey to the decoc- tion, and give wine, or toddy made with spirits and sweetened with sugar to support the system* Wash the mouth and throat frequently with the liquor made of pepper, vinegar and salt; and apply to the throat, a poultice frequently renewed, of garlic and onions, or ashes moistened well with vinegar, and enclosed in a small bag, so as to produce a slight irritation of the skin. Volatile liniment will answer—look under that head; but blisters must never be applied to the neck.— I have never used the compound, but am strongly impressed with the opinion, that a tea-spoonful of good yeast, mixed with the same quantity of powdered char- coal, and given three times a day, would be a good remedy in this complaint. HEAD ACHE. This affection is produced from a foul stomach, from costiveness, from indigestion, and sometimes from expo- sure to the rays of the sun. There is also a painful affection of the head, accompanied with some nausea, called sick head ache, which comes on periodically, or at particular times; this last is sometimes called nervous head ache. It is not nervous headache; it arises from want of acid on the stomach, or from an excess of acid, There is, indeed, a nervous head ache, which arises from the same causes as those which produce tooth ache in female diseases, and which may be produced, gunn's domestic medicine. 329 also, by grief or any of the depressing passions, and should be treated by gentle stimulants. - l REMEDIES. u' ' J. If produced from a foul stomach, give an emetic^ or puke; if from cotiveness, give an acting purge-^-s^e table for dose—if frdrn exposure to the sun, read under the head Inflammation of the Brain. I/i sick head ache^ a late remedy has been discovered, which may be relied on; it 'u citric acid, which may be had at any drug store; in plain terms,it is nothing but the acid of'lcm6ns, of which you ^re only to put a little in cOld water, and to drink it. This remedy is believed to be an effective one'; and was like many other*'valuable discoveries, the re- sult of mere accident. A girl who attended a bar in London, was called on to make a glass of lemonade^ She was so afflicted with sick head ache, as scarcely to be able to prepare it. On tasting the lemonade to know if it was good, she found that every sip she took reliev* ed her head, and finally she obtained entire relief,froni drinking the whole glass. When sick head ache arises from excess of acid on the stomach, a tea-spoonful of finely powdered charcoal, in a little cold water,' will cor- rect the acid: a tea-spoonful of magnesia will do the same. When head ache arises from debility, stimulants are required, particularly by delicate females. Wine sangaree, made with warm water, wine, sugar, and nut- meg, is an excellent and gentle stimulant. I have, in many cases, given a bottle of Maderia wine' to a female in the course of a day, and produced much benefit from it in this disease, without the least intoxicating effect— The best wine must alvvays be used. 42 ••«,, ,sj. 330 gunn's domestic medicine EAR ACHE. Many persons are subject, on the slightest cold, to painful affections of the ear. These pains usually sub- side in a day or two, and the disease ends in a discharge of matter. Sometimes great pain is produced, by some insect crawling into the ear of a person whilst sleeping; and is not unfrequent, that an accumulation of wax takes place in the ear and produces deafness. REMEDIES. Warm some fine salt, place it in a bag, and apply it to the ear; or make a poultice of roasted onions, and apply it to the ear and side of the head, first putting into the ear a little fine wool, on which has been dropped a few drops of laudanum and sweet oil warmed. If the pain or deafness is occasioned by the lodgment of hard wax in the ear, inject some warm soap suds into the ear, so as to soften and finally dissolve the wax. If the pain is very severe, a blister behind the ear will relieve it; and if the deafness continue for some time after the pain has gone off, inject into the ear once or twice a day a little strong salt and water, after which, keep the ear stopped with some wool, which must be moistened with spirits in which camphor has been dissolved. MUMPS. This complaint is so universaUy known, as to make a minute description of it unnecessary. It appears on the throat; sometimes on one side, and sometimes on both sides. It makes its appearance in a lump immediately under the jaw, which swells and becomes large and painful, and often renders the swallowing difficult The cheeks and whole face generally swell at first, and con- gunn's domestic medicine. 331 tinue swelled for five or six days. When the disease is any where severe, it is usually attended with fever:— children are generally affected with it, but it is not exclusively confined to them. When it attacks grown persons, male or female, great care should be observed in treating it. In men, the testicles frequently become swelled as large ts goards, and extremely painful:—in women, without great attention, the disease is apt to settle in the breasts, which become swelled and very hard; in this case there is much danger of an accumu- lation of matter. These consequences, however, both to men and women, usually arise from want of atten- tion, and from the taking of cold;—when due caution is exercised, there is very little danger from this com- plaint. REMEDIES. In simple cases of Mumps nothing can or ought to be done, but to avoid the taking of cold. Keep the face, throat and head, moderately warm, by wearing flannel round the parts. Keep the bowels gently open, by a little castor oil, or epsom salts; and always avoid the damp ground, wet feet, or even damp feet. If the testi- cles, swell, immediately he down on your bed, and move as little as possible, and also be bled from the arm, and purge freely. Apply to the privates, poultices of cold light bread and milk, which are always to be renewed as soon as they bscome warm. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of sugar of lead in a pint of cold water, with which you are to wet the poultices and also the testicles, which are to be suspended or hung up in a bag made for the purpose; a hendkerchief will answer the same purpose, which is merely to prevent their weight from doing injury. Women, in cases of swelled breasts, must pur- 332 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. sue the plan of bleeding and purgiug prescribed for men, and apply the poultices to the breasts lo prevent the formation of matter in them. Poultices made of flax seed, applied cold, are also effective in reducing inflammations. SORE EYES. This is so common a disease in the western country that it requires to be treated of with much attention.— The eye is exceedingly tender, and subject to a variety of maladies, some of which usually terminate in total blindness, unless speedy relief can be obtained. This delicate organ exemplifies in the wisdom of its construc- tion, the boundless and incomprehensible power of an Almighty God. It may be called the mirror of the soul; the interpreter of the passions of mankind. At a single glance, it takes in the sublime beauties, and mag- nificent splendors of the visible creation; reaches by its mystic energies the bosom of unlimited space— and, at the next moment, by an effort of microscopic vision which is absolutely unaccountable, it expatiates on the mild tints of the opening rose-buds, and detects the analysis of a physical atom! The loss of such powers of vision, then, must be indeed a great misfor- tune, and frequently when I have reflected on the dangers of so great a loss, I have been astonished at the carelessness and inattention, with which diseases of this noble and distinguished organ are sometimes treated. ■. In a work like this, which is intended for popular use and benefit, it would be irrelevant and unimportant, to treat of such diseases of the eye as require surgical gunn's domestic medicine. 333 operations; such must alvvays be met by the skill and judgment ol a practiced operator. Opthalmia is the general name given by physic'ans to inflammatory diseases of the eye:—these diseases are either inflammations of the coats or membranes of the eye, or they are inflammations of the whole orbit or globe of the eye itself. In common opthalmia, for there is such a disease as venereal opthalmia, the eyes exhibit considerable inflammation, owing to the fulness of the small blood vessels. There is also much heat and pain felt over the whole surface of the eye; and, generally speaking, an involuntary flow of tears. When the in- flammation is suspected to be deeply seated, throwing a strong light on the eye will determine the fact, by produ- cing sharp shooting pains through the head, accompa- nied with fever. When the pains of the eyes and head are not much increased by an exposure of the eyes to a strong light, we may safely conclude, that the inflamma- tion is of a slight and local nature. It is my opinion, and I know it is contrary to the common opinion, if any judgment can be formed from the general practice of physicians, that inflammatory diseases of the eye, are very frequently connected with diseased states of some of tlie other organs, or with general and constitution- al derangements of the whole system. Inflammatory diseases of the eye are usually produ- ced by severe cold; by sudden changes cf the weather; by exposure to cold, raw and damp winds; by residing in very damp, or in very sandy countries; and by ex- posures of the eye to the vivid beams of the sun, on sandy or snowy wastes of country, for some length of time. In the salt mines of Poland, to which many convicts are consigned for life, and where the exclusion of daylight renders torches necessary, not only the 334 gunn's domestic medicine. prisoners but the horses themselves become blind, from the insufferable brilliancy of the salt rock. This sim- ple fact is sufficient to p'ace all persons on their guard, against exposing the eye to a strong glare of light. In addition to the above causes, inflammations oi the eye are often produced from external injuries, such as blows and bruises; and also from splinters, dust or any other irritating matters getting into the eyes. Healing old ul- cers, or sores of long standing, and particularly driving in eruptions of the head and face, will very often inflame the eyes. Besides all these causes, the suppression or stoppage of some habitual discharges, such as the men- ses, bleeding at the nose, hemorrhoids or piles &c. will produce inflammations of the eyes:—and, to close the catalogue of the causes of inflammatory diseases of the eye, venereal opthalmia itself is produced by the action of the virus or poison of the venereal disease or scorbutic or scrofulous .habits of body. This last disease of the eyes generally terminates in impaired vision, or total blindness. You, who are yet tyroes in the school of experience and hamanity—you, who are melting down your physical and vital energies on the .corrupted bed of lust and debauchery, listen to this! REMEDIES. In all inflammations of the eyes, presumed to arise from a diseased state of the general system, from a foul stomach, from costiveness of the bowels, from colds accompanied with fever, or even from local affections of the organic structure of the eye, the stomach is to be thoroughly evacuated and cleansed by gentle emetics or pukes, and the bowels by active and cooling purges. If the inflammation should be severe, some blood should be drawn from the arm occasionally, at the same time that very gentle and cooling purges are in gunn's domestic medicine. 335 operation. The diet should be of the lightest kind, and of the most cooling nature. Cold acid drinks are also proper, because they tend to lessen the inflammation, and to cool the whole system. The skin should be kept clean, and perspiration or sweating kept up continually, by the warm or tepid bath, after bleeding and purging have been sufficiently resorted to. Doctor Physic, who is probably among the greatest men of his profession, either of this or any other age, expressly recommends, that in very severe inflammations of the eyes, blister plasters should be applied over and around them, which are to be kept shut; and, that between these plasters and the oye lids, two or three doublings of gauze are to be placed, in order to prevent the flies or cantharides from eating the eyes. When the inflammation is considered merely local and external, and noi deeply seated in the system or vital organs, poultices made of light bread and milk, and applied as cold as possible will be beneficial; in fact, the coldest applications are to be kept to the eyes, such for instance as the following:—Take twenty grains of sugar of lead, and ten grains of white vitriol, dissolve them in half a pint of pure rain water, and let the mix- ture settle for several hours; then pour off the clear part from the top, and keep the eye constantly moistened with this water. If the eyes are very painful you may add to the mixture a tea-spoonful of laudanum, to allay the ir- ritation. Persons who are constitutionally subject to weak eyes, will find much benefit from bathing them frequently in pure water: and if the weakness is unat- tended by inflammation, by bathing them in weak spirits and water. In cases of films overspreading the cornea, or transparent part of the eye, so as to induce blindness, I consider it my duty to make the following note:—Doctor Manlone, formerly a celebrated physi- 336 gunn's domestic medicine. cian of Dinwiddie county, Virginia, since dead, left on record in the margin of one of Prideaux's works, the following noto:—uTne gall of an eel, laid on with a soft brush, and with great care, and occasionally re- peated, has successfully removed a film from; the eye. The writer of this leaves it on record in this place, with the intention that it may be useful to some fellow creature, when the writer is no longer an inhabitant of this world. I most solemnly declare, that I have expe- rienced the good effects of the application, in the course of my practice; but it should be used when the disor- der is recent. C. MANLONE." Thus we see, notwithstanding the sneers and ridicule of modern infidels, that the story in the Apocrypha, of Tobit's blindness being cured by the gall of a fish, is nei- ther ridiculous or improbable. Doctor Manlone has been dead about forty years. For the satisfaction of the rea- der, I will record a case in which I myself was sucOess- ful in the cure of blindness. Miss Hudson of Knox coun- ty, who resides with her mother on the wa-ers of Hols- ton, in this State, came to me afflicted with blindness in one of her eyes, from a film, which I speedily and easily removed, by introducing upon the surface of the eye ball, clean hog^s lard; it was introduced into the eye with a fine camel-hair pencil, and with much care. gunn's domestic medicine' 337 WHITLOW. There is an inflammation at the end of the finger or thumb. The pain gradually increases, attended with a throbbing sensation, and always produces in its progress the most excruciating torment. In Whitlow, the finger or thumb affected, always puts on a glossy or shining appearance. After six or eight days, matter forms un- der the nail or at the side of it, which on being opened, gives immediate relief. REMEDIES. The old plan of treatment in Whitlow has been en- tirely laid aside; it consisted merely of poultices and warm applications. The method of cure now adopted in the European hospitals, which may be said to be an infallible one, is simply as follows:—The moment the Whitlow is discovered, press the part gently and grad- ually with your thumb and fore finger; then with a piece of tape or narrow binding, bind or wind the sore finger or thumb tightly, from the point upward toward the body of the hand. This bandage must be permit- ted to remain on, the object being merely to stop the circulation, until a cure is effected. You may unwind it once a day to examine the Whitlow, but it must im- mediately be put on again. If the bandage give much pain, so that you cannot bear it, it must be gradually loosened until you can bear the pressure. By this simple method, Whitlow may be easily cured, if mat- ter has not formed in it. Were I not convinced, that many wise men and old women will laugh at this simple cure, I would not put myself to the trouble of proving its efficacy. Doctor William Balfour of Edinburgh, relates more than fifty cases of Whitlow being cured, some of them with matter formed and highly inflamed, by this simple method. I will give two cases of suc- 43 338 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. cess, selected from the London Medical and Physical Journal. "James BrLidet," says the writer, "who was a tanner, aged twenty-five years, applied to me on the 25th of August, with a Whitlow on one of his thumbs. He knew no cause for the complaint, which had exist- ed about a week, and prevented him from following his occupation. When I had pressed the parts firmly, and applied a bandage, I desired him to call the next day.— He looked at me as if he wTould have said—4Is this all that you are to do for meP I found this fellow," says the Doctor, "quite doubtful with regard to my cure, and again desired him to call the next day. In the morning he accordingly returned, when I found the inflammation and swelling considerably abated. On the third day the pain was entirely gone, and the man had the free use of his thumb. I now asked him if he was not at first quit distrustful of the mode of cure I had adopted; he laughed, and admitted that he was; expressed his surprise at the quick result; made his acknowledgments, and went about his business. Peter Fraser received an injury on the 26th of December last, by having his thumb bent forcibly backward in lifting a heavy stone. When he applied to me on the 29th, he complained of having passed three days in great agony, and three sleepless nights. The pain was confined to the. first joint, but the swelling extended a considerable way upward. I neve\ handled a more excruciatingly painful case, and believed it must soon terminate in suppuration," (breaking and running.) "Such was also the opinion of Doctor Anderson of Now York, who happened to be with me when the patient presented himself. I told that gentleman, that exquisitely painful as whs the complaint, I had no doubt of curing it in a week, without any other application gunn's domestic medicine. 339 than my own fingers, and a simple bandage of narrow tape. The cure was completed in six days, inclusive of that on which the patient applied to me." I have thus given two cases, in which Whitlow has been cured by the mere application of a bandage; and I will adven- ture another suggestion, which is this, that even in cases where suppuration has actually taken place, and the lan- cet has been used, the use of an easy bandage would be greatly beneficial, applied to every part of the finger or thumb, except immediately over the small point of discharge. COW POX, OR VACCINATION. This valuable discovery, made several years ago by the celebrated Doctor Jenner, is now resorted to as a remedy against the infectious and dreadful inroads of the Small Pox, in almost every portion of the civilized world. Vaccination is merely the introduction or in- sertion into the arm, by means of the lancet, of the matter by which the cow pox is produced in the human system. There is a contention among physicians, and those too of the higher orders, whether the Cow Pox is, in all cases, a preventive of that dreadful scourge of mankind, the Small Pox; for myself, I am induced to believe, that with very few exceptions, it may be con- sidered an antidote to Small Pox, especially when vaccination has been effectual on the system. In Prussia, out of 584,000 children, born in the yoar 1821, 40,000 of them were vaccinated fcr the Cow Pox.— During the above period, there died of Small Pox, in all the provinces belonging to Prussia, 1190 persons; 340 gunn's domestic medicine. and before the introduction of vaccination, from thirty to forty thousand died annually of Small Pox. Al- though persons who have been vaccinated may be liable to take the Small Pox afterwards, yet the latter disease alvvays terminates very mildly. Of many hun- dred thmsand persons vaccinated in London, not a single case of death has taken place from Small Pox, where the matter of this Cox Pox, had before taken proper effect. The report of the college of physicians in London, for 1807, expressly states, that Small Pox in any shape rarely proves fatal, when it attacks those who have been successfully vaccinated. The success attending this operation in the United States, has enti- tled it to the highest confidence of our most distinguished physicians. I have before remarked in substance, and I think the opinion a correct one, that many who have taken the Small Pox after vaccination, took it from bad management in inserting the Cow Pox matter; when the proper effect is not produced on the system, by the introduction of the Cowr Pox matter, it is to be expect- ed that persons will still be liable to the contagion of Small Pox. To every man of common prudence, and proper sentiments of self-preservation, advice of the necessity of vaccination, as a preventive of the dangers atten- dant on Small Pox, would be superfluous; to those who seem to slumber in security, respecting the future rava- ges of Small Pox in the western country, I have only to rsmark, that the facilities of commerce with other countries are daily increasing, from the universal intro- duction of steam boats, and the rapid improvement of our internal navigation; and that in a few years, through these mediums, the most remote and secluded portions gunn's domestic medicine. 341 of our country, will stand as much exposed to the mor- tal inroads of Small Pox, as our large cities and mari- time towns. The great object in vaccination, is the certainty that the matter of vaccination takes full effect on the sys- tem ; and it is needless to remark, l hat unless the matter be genuine, no beneficial eOect can possibly result from vaccination. Vaccination is an innocent and valuable preventive remedy against Small Pox, in which little if any medicine is required; in children it passes over in a few days. In grown persons it may produce slight fever and pain under the arm, which usually go off in a few hours. If the person vaccinated be of a gross habit of body, a moderate dose of salts will be of much service on the seventh or eighth day. If the inflam- mation of the arm becomes very painful, moisten the place frequently with a little weak sugar of lead water, until the sore is dried up; this however is seldom neces- sary. The great point in vaccination is, certainly to know, that the matter introduced into the system has taken a full and sufficient effect. If there is only a slight redress in the arm, where the matter has been inserted, and no other effect is produced on the system, you may certainly conclude that the vaccination has failed of effect. But if, on the contrary, a pustule or pimple arises, of a full and oval form, with an indenta- tion or dent in the centre, not unlike a button mould, about the sixth day, containing matter, vaccination has had the desired effect. Great attention should be paid to these circumstances by the operator, or he will prob- ably be the cause of a future exposure of the person to the ravages of the Small Pox, and not improbably to the imminent hazard of death. The influence of the Kine or Cow Pox, over affections of the skin, in many 342 gunn's domestic medicine. cases in which medical remedies has failed, has lately produced considerable attention and interest in the hos- pitals of Europe. The matter of Cow Pox, can always be obtained pure, by addressing a letter to the Vaccine Institution of New York, Philadelphia or Baltimore, from either of which, on application, you will receive it, by letter. If the matter be received from a distance it is best to hold the lancet, on which is the matter you intend to insert iuto the arm, until it softens a little; then, hold the lancet in such a position, that the matter can gradu- ally go off the point Next scratch the skin frequently, but not too deeply, with the point of the lancet on which is the matter, until a little blood may be seen;—this is the whole secret of vaccination. Sometimes the matter of Cow Pox is sent on threads; when this is the case, make a slight incision in the arm, and lay the thread in it, which must be covered with court plaster to keep it in its place until the disorder has been communicated. If a physician be convenient, it will always be advisable to employ him to perform the operation, because much de- pends on the exercise of judgment, respecting the future security of the person against that most dreadful of scourges, the Small Pox, SMALL POX. How imperfect are the conceptions which are formed by the fortunate few. of the sufferings to which millions of the human race are subject, when afflicted by this dreadful and fatal disorder! How important then is the great remedy of vaccination, which I have before descri- bed, that from some inexplicable principle, renders harmless this potent enemy of human life! gunn's domestic medicine. 343 Small Pox is known by the following symptoms:—a few days before its apperrance, you feel restless and uneasy, and a great dislike to motion of any kind; cold chills steal over you, followed by flushings of heat and accompanied by a slight fever, all of which end as the disease gradually increases. You have a pain in the head, a dull heavy pain in the small of the back, great thirst, increase of stupor, until about the third day, when the eruptions or spots on tne skin, something like flea bites, make their appearance on the face, neck, breast and arms, and gradually extend over the whole body. These spots gradually increase in size, until about the fifth or sixth day, when they begin to turn white at the tops, and feel painful. Your voice then becomes hoarse, as if you had a severe cold; your face becomes much swelled, and your features appear much changed; your eye-lids, particularly, swell to a consid- erable extent, so as frequently to close the eyes entirely, and a spitting takes place as if you were salivated. On the eleventh day, these pustules or pimples have increas- ed to about the size of a common pea, and instead of white contain a yellow matter; on the tops of which pustules or pimples, you will discover a small black spot, whilst all the rest is filled with this yellow matter. About the twelfth day they burst, and discharge their contents, with a horrible stench which is almost insup- portable ; nor dare you attempt to wash off this matter, the slightest touch giving the most excruciating pain.— It is this matter which leaves the scars on the faces of persons disfigured with this disorder. If the matter dries quickly, it leaves no marks; but if, from any unheal- thy constitutional defect, it lingers for some time on the body, it generally leaves those marks behind it, which disfigure the countenance for life. The disaase some- 344 gunn's domestic medicine. times, but not frequently, comes on with great violence, with all the symptoms of typhus or nervous fever: reier to page 194, wher > you will see the form of treatment which must be observed in Small Pox, should it come on with symptoms of typhus or nervors fever. When these unfavorable appearances take place in the com- mencement of the disease, it is called by physicians Con- fluent Small Pox. The eruptions appear much earlier in this form of the complaint; they run in patches, and instead of rising, remam flat and are of a dark livid color; they secrete a dark brown unhealthy matter.— The fever, which is the first form of Small Pox abates when the pimples become full, in this form of the dis- ease continues constantly throughout the disease, ending in great debility or weakness. In this last form or stage of Small Pox, which I have described as of the nervous or typhus kind, it may be considered as very highly dangerous, and generally terminating, without judicious and skilful treatment, fatally. remedies. In the treatment of this complaint, you are to avoid every thing, as you value the life of your patient, of a heating nature, either as drink, or food, or clothing. The room is t) be kept as* quiet as passible. Cover the patient with nothing but a very thin sheet; even the weight and heat of a common linen sheet is painful and oppressive, and unless he complains of feeling cold, you cannot commit en error in keeping him too cool. Let all his drinks be of the most cooling nature. As a gen- eral drink, cold water, sweetened with sugar, in which is put a little acid, so as to make it pleasantly sour, is the best drink that can be given. If fevers ot every descrip- tion, and particularly in the one which attends on Small Pox, acid drinks abate the fever, lessen the thirst, and gunn's domestic medicine. 845 cool the whole system. The heat and pain oi the eruptions will always be lessened, by keeping them well moistened with equal quantities of milk and water, or with cold water alone. Cold water, as a remedy used in sponging the body in the first stage of this complaint, will greatly tend to lessen the heat, and pain in the head and back. In fact, as I have told you before, there is no danger of cooling remedies, unless the patient com- plains of being chilly and cold, which is not frequently the case; but if he should do so, moderate the quantity of cooling drinks to the feelings of the patient—nature usually tells the truth. If, by any accident, the com- plaint should strike in, (which is not the case once in' a hundred instances,), the warm bath made pleasantly warm should be used, arid a little warm wine whey, or warm wine, givenf internally at the same time. These measures will again .bring out the disorder on the skin. For the proper $feampsnt of this disease, when it puts on the appearance o¥ nervous or typhus fever, and is called Confluent Small Pox, I refer you to page 194, where you will fijul it at length. When the eruptions burst and^disclfarge their matter, an ointment made of cream and ^clOmmon garden parsely, and constantly applied by: means of a soft swab, or rag roled round a slrnall stick, to keep the sores solt, and to prevent their l!5f ^^' wil1 entire,y prevent any marks or scars from 'bein^teft on the face. I have omitted to state, that if the'bowels are costive, epsom salts should be given in a little cold water—sec table for dose—or you may keep them gently open by cooling clysters:—for clystering, look under the head clysters. The loss of some blood from the arm, is sometimes necessary in the first stage of this disease, if the inflammatory symptoms run high and the pain in the head is very distressing. This, with 44 346 gunn's domestic medicine. 6. the use of cold water as before mentioned, if the inflam- matory action is very great, will produce a beneficial effect in relieving a pain in the head and back. VENEREAL DISEASE. The prevalence of this dreadful disease among man- kind, is another proof among the many others that might be adduced, that it is the interest of man to be virtuous, if he wishes to be happy, and that a decree of the Al- mighty has announced to him, in language not to be mistaken, "the penalty of a misdeed shall always tread on the heels of the .transgression; if you violate my laws, which were formed for your happiness, I will con- vince you of that violation, by plunging you into suffer- ings and misery." That there are moments of licentious conduct in early life, affording but a short and transitory enjoyment, to which memory in after periods looks back with sor- row and remorse, no man possessed of common sense will deny; but when to the bitter pangs of remorse for a misdeed, are added the pains and sufferings of bodily disease, as is always the case in venereal complaints, language has no powers to describe the real condition of the sufferer. What dreadful sacrifices arc frequently made by mankind, of health, wealth, fame, happiness, and character, for a momentary gratification of sensual pleasure, which often ends in shame, and remorse, and the misery of a whole life, ii flicted by the venereal disease. If the transgressor himself alone suffered, this disease would not present so horrible a spectacle to the eye of humanity; but how often do we see an inno- cent and spotless wife, in moments of endearing confi- gunn's domestic medicine. ut dence and love, receiving this infectious disorder and communicating it to her children—I will not say from a husband, it would be a misuse of the word, but from a brute, who has violated every principle of honor, and the most sacred ties of humanity. But this is not all— how orten do we see an innocent, virtuous, unsuspicious1 wife, her constitution destroyed, her health deeply impaired, and all her hopes of happiness blasted foreverV from having received from the man she calls her hus- band, this loathsome and filthy disorder, and having to submit to an examination of those parts which common decency forbids me to name, in order that she may be cured of a disease which always ends in death of a most terrible character, unless medical means can be used. This complaint is produced, in most cases, by a healthy person having sexual intercourse or connexion, with another who has tiiis infectious disorder in the geni- tals or privates. It took its name from a Greek word, which in our language means filthy. The Old Testa- ment informs us, that the ancient inhabitants of the eastern countries was much subject to diseases cf the genitals or privates, and that for the preservation of the Jewish nation, circumcision was enforced in the Mosaic laws, and made also a religious rite or cere- mony. Circumcision means the cutting on the foreskin or prepuce of the private member, which prevents any* poisonous or infectious matter from producing disease, by being lodged under this skin. Although no direct mention is made of venereal disease among those1 people, yet the description of some of the diseases Of the genitals to which they were subject, leads us directly to the belief, that they were well acquainted With vene- real complaints; be this however as it may, about the 348 gunn's domestic medicine. close of the fifteenth century. I think about the year 1494, the venereal disease appeared in Euiope, from which it communicated with gieat rapidity to every part of the known world, and became such a scourge to the human race, as to become an object, of great medical at- tention. I have neither time nor space, for pursuing the subject of its history any further, indeed it would be both useless and unnecessary. After you have taken this disorder, in the manner I have described, it will depend very much on the state of your system, and other peculiarities of that system not distinctly known, at what particular time the disease will make its appearance. In some persons, whose sys- tems are very irritable, it will show itself on the third or fourth day after you have had sexual connexion with a person infected with the disease; in other persons it will be eight or ten days before it makes its appearance; and I have known it to remain a month or more in the system, before it would show itself in any form. In fact, cases are mentioned by good medical writers, in which several men have had connexion with a woman known to have the venereal disease, seme of whom took it, while others escaped uninjured. This singular cir- cumstance, which we are bound to credit from the good- ness of the authorities, must have been owing to the fact of the infected woman making water immediately before having connoxion with those who escaped with- out injury. I am inclined to believe that it has never been folly ascertained how long the venereal matter will remain, as it were, asleep in the system, without making its ap- pearance—some writers say three months, some .fix months, some a year, and so on. I suspect the fact to be, in those cases in which the disease is supposed to gunn's domestic medicine. 349 appear after a considerable time, that the persons have not been entirely cured; in other words, that the disease has merely been driven brick by quackery, and after- wards showed itself under the following forms:—in the nose, in the throat, in the eyes, on the legs, in swellings of the groins, in splotches or sores on the body, &c.— This last stage of the venereal disease is called con- sumptional, because it is firmly seated in the whole bo- dy, by the venereal virus or poison having been absorb- ed, and carried into the whole circulation. The vene- real disease may be communicated, by wounding or pricking any part of the body with a lancet, having on its point any particle of this venereal poison. I recol- lect a student of medicine, who came very near death, from cutting hii finger slightly, when dissecting a per- son who had died of the venereal disease; the poison- ous matter was communicated to the slight cut; in twelve hours afterwards he labored under violent fever, which continued ten or twelve days, before the inflammation could be subdued. This disease may also take place, from an application of the matter to a scratch, to a common sore, or to a wound. Several instances arc mentioned, of venereal or pox sores being formed in the nostrils, eye lids and lips, from the slight circumstance of persons having the disease, touching their nostrils, eyes or lips, with their fingers, immediately after hand- ling the venereal sores on their own privates. These remarks are made, with the intention of showing how easily this loathsome disease, with all its impure and life corrupting taints, may be communicated, and to place physicians and midwives on their guard against infec- tion. Venereal disease has two distinct forms; I might say three forms, for the third is nothing more than the 350 gunn's domestic medicine one I have just described as constitutional, which al- ways arises from one of the other two, or from both in combination. The first is Pox, properly so called; and the other Clap, called by physicians Gonorrhoea, which is so simple in its nature, that w th proper treatment it may be cured, in from three to five or six days. The pox is a most corrupting, dangerous and de- structive disease, and if suffered to progress in its ravages on the human body, never fails in desolating the human constitution, and destroying life at its very core. When it is foolishly concealed, and suffered to run on, or badly treated in attempting its cure, it al- ways ends in distressing and irreparably fatal conse- quences. In ten cases out of eleven, if application were immediately made, with the proper remedies, the complaint, dreadful as it is, might be cured in a very short time, without affecting the system; for I do know from actual experience, heaving paid much attention to the general practice in venereal cases, that thou- sands have been salivated, and their constitutions destroyed, by Mercury, when more simple and less dangerous practice, combined with adequate and prop- er attentions, would entirely have removed the disease. Medically speaking, Pox is at first a local and not a general disease of the system, by which I mean that, it is more of a disease of the part first affected, than of the whole body; and I have no manner of doubt, that many a poor unfortunate fellow, has been pushed and dragged through a tedious and destructive mercurial course of medicine, and perhaps for a disease which was not actual Pox, who might have been cured by a little lunar caustic, a wash made of blue stone; a little red precipitate, or even by sprinkling on the chancre, or first venereal ulcer, a small portion of gunn's domestic medicine. 351 calomel. I have frequently observed in the United States, many cases, which professional honor forbids me to name, in which patients have suffered infinitely more from the imprudent, and, to coin a new word, quacknicai use of mercury, than could possibly have resulted from the first insignificant venereal sore itself, with strict attention to cleanliness, had the disease been permitted to run its course. That mercury holds a dis- tinguished, powerful, and perhaps perfect dominion over venereal diseases, in most, if not in all cases, I freely admit to be true:—but I as firfniy believe, that thou- sands might have been cured of this horrid complaint, under very mild administrations of this powerful medi- cine, this Sampson of the drugstore. I have witnessed the progress of this disease, in both Europe and the United States, from its mildest forms to its most de- structive ravages on the whole system, and feel per- fectly assured that the disease, which is the same in all countries, assumes either a milder or severer form, according to the peculiarities of the human constitu- tion, the irritable state of the system at the time this disease is taken, the habits of the person, the character of the climate, and so on. Very few cases of Pox in France, in proportion to the immense population, ter- minate in injuries to the bones of the face, disfigure- ment of the nose, loss of the palate of the mouih, body is laboring under disease; for the womb, from whence the menses or courses flow, is subject to great varieties of diseased action, and it is utterly impossible for me to describe, the close connexion, which is imme- diately and sensibly felt, between the womb, the stom- ach, the head, and the influence or power it has on the pulse. In six cases out of ten, where hysterics, despon- dency of mind, sickness of the stomach, pains in the head, coldness of the hands and feet, flushings of heat over the whole body, and not unfrequently fever, arise from obstructed menses or courses, or some disordered state of the womb. I have had, in my practice, many females who became greatly alarmed from the spitting of blood. This is frequently the case, where the ob- struction has been for any length of time, accompanied by frequent bleeding at the nose, dry short cough, pains in the bottom of the belly, and in the small of the back, pulse hard and quick, skin hot, and burning sensations in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. When these last symptoms take place, immediate attention should be paid, or consumption will take place. A skilful physician must be sought for, if the remedies, after a fair and steady trial, should not produce the dis- charge. In some instances, this obstraction of the menses or courses, arises from debility or weakness of the constitution. This will be known by the whites making their appearance. When this is the case, you must not force nature, but give tonic or strengthening medicines to restore the system first; then the remedies that follow, beginning with those that are most simple, until the menses or courses are produced. 396 GUNN'S D03IESTIC IISDICINE. REMEDIES. If the woman is of a robust or full habit of body, the loss of some blood from the foot will be proper. A short time before the return of the menses or courses, warm cloths wrung out of hot water must be applied to the bottom of the belly; this is to be done a few nights before the expected time, or you may sit upon the steam of common pine tops, on which boiling water has been poured; or you may sit in a tub of warm water for fifteen or twenty minutes before you go to bed, and while sitting in the warm water, have your feet bathed in another tub or vessel, in which the water should be as warm as you can conveniently bear it, or plunge the feet and legs in and out frequently, as you may be able to bear the heat of the water. While you are bathing or steaming over the pine tops, use the following remedy, which must be prepared and kept ready for use when you are going to bathe:—one ounce of seneca snake- root is to be bruised with a hammer, then put it into a quart of boiling water, and stew it over a slow fire to half a pint: of this tea take a table-spoonful every ten minutes while bathing, or while over the steam. For a full description of this valuable root, see that head. When you have used these remedies for a quarter or half an hour, retire to bed, and have the bottom of your belly well rubbed with a coarse warm towel, or a soft brush; this is called friction, the intention of which is to rouse the circulation, excite the womb to action, and cause the menses or courses to discharge or flow. You will find the following medicine to be a valuable assistant in producing this discharge, and it should be taken for one, two, and even three nights before the expected time—five grains of aloes, five grains of rhu- barb, and five grains of calomel, must be finely pow- GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 397 dered and mixed together well, and should the dose not produce a stool or two by morning, you are to take a small dose of epsom salts to assist the operation. If the dose should purge you too severely, the next dose should be less, say three grains of each instead of five, or even two grains of each will answer; your own judgment will easily regulate the dose to the constitu- tion of the person. Or you may apply a small blister a day or two before the time, between the fundament and birth place, called by physicians the perineum, giving at the same time, a purgative twice or even three times a day of aloes, each dose five grains. Should these remedies all fail, inject or throw up with a syringe or squirt, into the vagina, a mixture of strong whiskey and water, so as to irritate or excite an action in the womb. As I have remarked in the first instance, the loss of some blood will generally be found benefi- cial, unless the constitution or health of the woman will not admit of the loss of blood, which is not very frequently the case. The loss of blood always tends to assist the womb to return to its natural action. Mad- der, which is known to every person in the country as a dye. and may be purchased at any of the stores, is highly recommended by the late Doctor Barton of Philadelphia, late professor of the medical school in that city, in doses of twenty to thirty grains. The tinciure of gum guaiacum, in doses of a table-spoonful in half a cup of new milk may be given. This tincture is made in the following manner:—obtain one ounce of gum guaiacum, which is worth about ninepence, mash or pound it fine with a hammer, and put it in a pint of spirits of any kind; let it steep for ten days, shaking it daily, and you have the tincture of gum guaiacum, it being then fit for use. Doctor Dewees, professor of 398 gunn's do3iestic medic-i?.e. midwifery, in the medical school of Philadelphia, as- serts, that in the experience of thirty-two veers, it has never failed him in producing the menses and courses. Of this spirit, put a table-spoonful in the milk, and gently pour off the spirit, so as not to shake it at the time you are about to use it. I have now given you the different .and important remedies, out of which you may select which you please for use; they are all valu- able. You will, however, bear in mind, that the efforts to be made to bring on the menses or courses, should take place about the expected time, or a little time be- fore it. The constitution of the woman, must be fully and properly examined, so as not to force, but to assist nature in her operations. GREEN SICKNESS. When the menses or courses have be :n retained or stopped for any length of time, aud the whole system becomes diseased from a want of this discharge, so necessary to the health of every female, it terminates or ends frequently in what is called chlorosis or green sickness. When this is the case, the skin turns of a pale yellow or greenish hue; the lips become pale or of a purple color; the eyes have a dark or purple tinge around them; on making the least exertion, the heart palpitates 01; beats; the knees tremble, and there is a frequent sighing without knowing the cause. The mind is very fickle, and the woman dislikes, or seems to want the power to attend to her domestic concerns. The cheeks are frequently flushed, similar to consumption; the feet swell, and the whole system seems to sink under debility or great weakness. I have Cl'lCTTS DOMESTIC MEDIC1NS,, 399 now described to you the symptoms which I alluded to, when I directed you to examine the constitution, and not to force nature, especially when tonic or strengthen- ing medicines are required to restore the whole system, before v.ny attempt ought to be made to bring on the menses or courses. The treatment in this last stage called green sickness, should be as follows:—as little medicine as possible should be given; in fact, nothing but some simple medicine, such as will prevent costive- ness by keeping the bowels open, such for instance as a tea-spoonful of epsom salts, and a tea-spoonful of magnesia, ground finely and well mixed together, to be taken in a cup full of cold water when necessary for this purpose; travelling on horseback, or moderate exercise. Good Maderia wine, taken frequently and in small quantities; bitters, made of equal quantities of wild cherry-tree bark and poplar bark usually called swamp poplar, steeped in wine for several days, and taken in moderate doses: or tea made of the flowers of garden chammomile, and taken cold, in doses of a wine-glass full, three or four times a day. The chalv- beate water should be used very freely. The western country abounds with these waters; for they are to be found on almost every branch or creek. Chalybeate waters, are those springs which are impregnated with iron. By these remedies, the whole system will be restored, and h#due time the menses or courses will again appear; at which time, mild and gentle remedies are to be used, to court nature to the proper perfor- mance of this necessary and important discharge. 400 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. THE GREAT DISCHARGE OF THE MEN- SES OR COURSES. When the menses or courses come on suddenly or irregularly, and the discharges for several days are greater than usual, by which the woman is greatly reduced and weakened:—this is called excessive men- struation. The causes are, too great a determination of blood to the womb; or in other words, too great an action in its vessels. This over quantity, or large dis- charge, generally takes place in delicate women, par- ticularly those who take but little exercise, or those who sit a great deal; such as milliners or seamstresses, and in fact all who lead sedentary lives, and are addict- ed to such unhealthy habits. REMEDIES. Draw blood from the arm immediately; and regulate the quantity taken, by the constitution, the habits, and the strength of the woman: there are few cases that do not admit of a little blood being drawn. Give a purge of epsom salts or castor oil, and let your patient go to bed and there remain; she must be kept as cool as possible, with her hips a little raised. The room also must be made and kept as cool as possible. If the dis- charge of blood is considerable, apply cloths wet with cold water to the birth-place, and even push them up it; at the same time injecting cold water up with a female syringe or pewter squirt. There is no danger whatever in these cold applications; therefore do not hesitate to use them if necessary. I have alvvays used ice in my practice in Virginia, by putting it in a towel or piece of flannel, and applying it to the belly. If the blood flows rapidly, make a plug with cloth, and push it well up the birth place, so as to prevent the blood from flowing, or that it may congeal and stop. Should GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 401 these remedies fail, you must resort to the following remedy, which should only be used in extreme danger: Mix two grains of sugar of lead with a quarter of a grain of opium; give a pill of this mixture every two hours, made with a little honey, until the discharge of blood is lessened. If the patient is very much exhaust- ed, give laudanum in the dose of fifteen drops, occa- sionally—or administer opium, see table for dose, administering either laudanum or opium, according to the urgency of her situation—pains, &c. as both these medicines will give strength, and allay the great irrita- tion of the nervous system. Or if there is great pain in the womb, administer a clyster—look under that head. The clyster must be made of the bark of slip- pery ehn, by pouring boiling water on the inside part of the bark. It is to be perfectly cold, and in it put a tea-spoonful of laudanum. Throw this clyster up the fundament, out of which passes the stool. These clys- ters are to be given every hour, until relief is obtained. Every thing used at this time as a drink, should be perfectly cold. Nothing heating, of any description, ought to be given, either as food or drink, during this great flow of the menses or courses. To prevent a return of this discharge, when once relieved, take moderate exercise: bathe the back and belly frequently in cold water, and take the salt bath— see under the head cold bath. Take moderately, the best old Medaira wine; and a short time before the expected discharge lose some blood from the arm. At all times, you are to pay particular attention to your bowels: that is, not to permit them to become costive or bound. Morning and night, when you rise, or retire to bed, use friction;—which means rubbing the whole body, for twenty or thirty minutes, with a 51 40*J GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. brush or coarse towel—this should be done by a ser- vant or assistant. This last remedy is truly worthy of strict attention. CESSATION OF THE MENSES OR COUR- SES. A cessation of the menses or courses, means an entire stoppage of these discharges, or a change of nature in this respect, at an advanced period of life. This revolution or change takes place, generally speak- ing, from the forty-second to the forty-seventh year: it is a critical and extremely dangerous period of a wo- man's life, and although thousands pass through it without experiencing any great inconvenience, it is a period which requires particular attention and care. All exposures to cold and damp must be scrupulous- ly avoided; and particularly wet feet, and remaining any length of time on the damp ground. Sudden changes of dress are also extremely hazardous at this period; in fact, every thing that produces sudden revo- lutions in the bodily system, from extremes of heat— cold and dampness. By not attending to what I have just laid down, you will be sure to lay the foundations of diseases of a multiplied and stubborn character, which will be sure to embitter and distress the remain- der of your life, be it long or short. The courses, about this time of life, begin to lessen in quantity, and to become more or less irregular in their discharges. When you are likely to suffer some inconvenience in this change of nature, you will have warning by the occurrence of the following symptoms; You will have pains in the head and small of the backr GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 403 trembling of the knees, flushing and burning of the face, choking sensations in the throat, sickness of the stomach, dizziness or swimming in the head, and frequently mists before your eves. You must now live on spare diet, and as I have just told you, avoid all kinds of cold, damp, and wet. REMEDIES. Very few medicines are to be taken in this state of the system, and those that are taken must be of the most simple, mild, and innocent kind. For the pur- pose of keeping your bowels open, and removing all causes of irritation, use purges of epsom salts, or cas- tor oil wdien necessary; they will always cool the system, and allay any dangerous irritations. If you are of a robust and full habit of body, and have dizzi- ness and pains in the head, cupping on the temples, so as to draw some blood, will give relief. For the method of cupping, which is very simple, look under that head. Or, if you should not like the plan of cupping, or if it be inconvenient, you may occasionally draw a little blood from the arm; when those unpleasant feelings I have described make their appearance. Temperance, or in other words, abstaining from strong food, and living on very spare and simple diet, is greatly more important than any medicines that can be taken;—nor will any medicines be necessary in most cases, other than such as will keep the bowels in a gently laxative state, as mentioned before, with cupping if considered necessary. You should take moderate exercise in good weather on horseback, and above all other remedies use regularly friction; which means rubbing the whole body, twice a day, with a brush or coarse towel— morning and evening. This friction you are not to neglect, because it is very important at this period,:— 404 gunn's domestic medicine. You are also to keep the birth-place perfectly clean. by washing daily those parts, in milk-warm water and soap. Unless these parts are kept perfectly clean, they retain a secretion which I need not name—which irri- tates and excites diseased action in the womb. When- ever you feel pain in your back, belly, &c. cbc. take the warm or tepid bath, which you are to make suffi- ciently warm to be pleasant. For a description of this bath, see page 156. If pain is felt in the head, stomach, or breast, a blister must be applied between the shoulders, which will give relief. You may take off the blister, after it has been on two or three hours, if the pain has been removed by its application, as is sometimes the case after the skin has become red from the blister. But the w7arm bath, moderate bleeding, and keeping the bowels open with the mild medicines I have described, will afford you the necessary ease and relief in your situation, provided you keep yourself in a perfect state of rest, on your bed. If the pain in the womb be considerable, and you have any fears of an inflammation in those parts, apply a large blister over the belly—which blister is to be dressed with sweet oil. You are, also, to give clysters frequently, which are to be thrown well up the bowels, say three or four times a day. They are to be made of slippery-elm bark, by pouring boiling water on the inside bark, and letting the water stand until about milk warm;—this water is to be thrown up, as directed under the head clystering. If the inflammation is great in the womb, throw up the birth-place, with the clyster-pipe, the slippery-elm water, five or six times a day; but remember it is to be perfectly cold, when you throw it up the birth-place: when thrown up the funda- ment into the bowels, it is to be milk warm. There is gunn's domestic medicine. 405 an excellent preparation, which can easily be made, to throw up the birth-place—which is perhaps better than the slippery-elm water. Take two tea-spoonsful of sugar of lead, and pat them in a quart of the coldest water. After the lead is dissolved it will be fit fur use. Of this lead water, throw up about a gill, mixed with about a gill of slippery-elm water. Do this occasion- ally. Should an ulcer or sore break out on the legs, or any part of your body, be very careful not to heal it up immediately or very suddenly; it is an effort of nature to relieve herself of the discharge. It may be nec.ssa- ry for me to remark, that if the womb is painful, and there is no danger ol inflammation, apply over the belly and to the small of the back, warm herbs, or warm salt, or bladders filled with warm water—and take a dose of laudanum or opium;—see table of doses. By attending closely to these instructions, which I have laid down plamly, you will pass through this change of nature with safety, and no doubt enjoy through the winter of old age, an exemption from those complaints which are too apt to occur, from neglect of this impor- tant change of the female constitution. THE WHITES,. This disease is called by physicians fluor albus. It is an unnatural and white colored discharge from the birth-place, and is produced from various causes: such for instance, as the powers of the womb being impair- ed, by severe labors, repeated miscarriages, getting out of bed too soon after child-birth, or by taking cold at this time, or any other time when the menses or 406 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. courses are about coming on; or, by over fatigue or weakness, produced by general bad health; or where the general secretions and excretions have been deran- ged by disease; as the womb alvvays more or less sympathises with the whole system. Women who are of weakly or delicate constitutions, and take but little active exercise, and such as have had many children, are much subject to the fluor albus or whites. I have known many instances, in which the whites made their appearance monthly, instead of the natural menses or courses. This is generally the case where the woman is laboring under the suppression of the menstrual dis- charge, orsome weakness or derangement of the whole system. I shall now describe the means of knowing the whites from the clap. In the clap there is a swelling of the parts, an itching and uneasy feeling, and much heat in making water. In a little time, both the inside and outside of the parts become inflamed, and give much heat and scalding in evacuating the urine; if these symptoms occur, you may be tolerably certain you have taken the clap, in which case you will find the means of relief distinctly laid down, from page 355 to 367. The whites are called by this name, because the dis- charge resembles the white of an egg, or the mucus or slime which runs from the nose when you have a cold. There are three or four stages of this complaint between its mildestand its severest forms; and if permitted to run on, itwill entirely destroy the constitution of the woman, by reducing her flesh and muscular strength Her complexion will change to a sickly pale color; she will become very weak, and her heart will palpitate or beat with the slightest personal exertion. As this disorder seldom stops without medical assistance, means ought GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 407 always to be immediately used, or it will commit great ravages on the female constitution. The whites come on very irregularly, sometimes the discharge is in lumps, but more frequently it is of a white, slimy, ropy consis- tence. If the disease is of the mildest form, the dischar- ges resemble the white of an egg, having no smell, and no color but that just mentioned. In the second stage the discharges are of a light yellow or straw color, and something offensive to the smell. In the third stage, the discharges are of a greenish color, of a tough and gluey consistence, and quite offensive in smell. In the worst stage of the disease, or when the disease has been per- mitted from ignorance or negligence to run on, the discharges are very offensive, and mixed with blood; the face becomes of a sickly greenish hue; under the eyes there is an unnatural color; the lips become pur- ple; the feet and legs swell; the face becomes subject to flushes of heat; there is a dry cough and great diffi- culty of breathing, particularly on the slightest exertion; and unless relief is obtained, the disease will, after this stage terminate either in consumption or dropsy. I shall now proceed to describe the effects which the disease produces in the different stages of its advance- ment. When it is slight, or in its mildest form, and the generaihealth of the woman is not much impaired,there is a pain in the back, the menses are not regular, and on theslightestexertion the woman feels a shooting and afterwards a heavy pain in the back. In the second stage, the above symptoms are felt most constantly and severely; the stomach becomes disordered; the head aches; the bowels are costive or bound up; there is a dizziness or swimming in the head; and there seems a heavy pain in the bottom of the belly, and it the upper part of the thighs. In the severest form of the disease, 408 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. the symptoms of which I have already described, all the indications or marks of dyspepsia or indigestion take place: for a description of which complaint sec under that head. The whole system becomes disordered and unhealthy; the menstrual discharge entirely stops; and the woman, from general debility and weakness, sinks rapidly into decline, and ends cither in consumption or dropsy, as I have said before. REMEDIES. There is no remedy in the first stage of this complaint equal to scrupulous cleanliness, or bathing well those parts in cold water three or fourtimes a day,and inject- ing up the birth-place, frequently, the same thing, cold water. Sleep on a matrass instead of a feather bed, or in other words, a hard bed of any kind. Rise early and take proper exercise: and if convenient to a cha- lybeate spring, or one whose waters are impregnated with iron, drink freely of those waters. The western country abounds with waters of this description; and they are a most valuable remedy for women laboring under this disease, or any irregularity of the menses or courses. The bowels are to be kept open, with mild laxative medicines, such as epsom salts or castor oik From fifteen to twenty drops of balsam capaiva are to be given on sugar, three times a day; which if necessary are to be continued eight or ten days, or even more, if found essential. I have relieved this complaint, when all the different remedies had been tried, by simply using the turpentine from the common pine tree. It must be made into pills with honey, and one of the pills given two or three times a day, using at the same time the following injection, which is to be thrown up the birth-place three or four times a day. A tea-spoonful of sugar of lead is to be put into a pint of spring water GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 403 and permitted to remain until dissolved. Obtain at any doctor's shop, a female syringe, which is a pewter squirt with holes in the end of it. With this instrument you are to throw up the lead water three or four times a day: You will find this a valuable remedy. If it be incon- venient to get the sugar of lead, make a decoction of white-oak bark, by boiling it in water—and of this water, when perfectly cold, throw up the birth-place as often, and about the same quantity that you would of the lead water. If the discharge is very offensive from the parts, you should introduce up the birth-place every morning and night about a tea-spoonful of common charcoal, pound- ed as fine as possible. This will entirely remove the offensive smell. If the directions I have given do not restrain the discharge, you will apply a large blister to the small of the back, at the same time using the injections freely as directed. Should the constitution be much injured, and the woman greatly reduced by the discharge, obtain from any doctor's shop a tincture of sal martis, which is a preparation of iron dissolved in muriatic acid. Obtain also a box of soda powders. On these boxes you will find directions how to use them; if not, look under the head soda powders. When you have mixed your papers of soda powders with water, in two tum- blers, and before you have poured them together, drop into the tumbler in which you have put the contents of the blue paper, eight or ten drops of the medicine in the phial. Being now ready, pour it all into one tum- bler and drink it down immediately, and while it is foaming or effervescing. This drink should be taken three times a day. I have merely to remark, that this is a preparation of one of the most valuable mineral 52 410 CtfNN's D03IE8TIC MEDICINE. waters known in Europe, and is admirably adapted to debility of the stomach, or indigestion, affections of the womb, and indeed, debility of any kind. After all these remedies have failed, polypus of the womb may exist, which always requires the assistance of an able physi- cian. . PREGNANCY. When the sexual connexion between a male and female, has been favorable to the increase of our spe- cies, the seed of the man and that of the woman aro conveyed, as already described, through the Fallopian tubes into the womb, and there deposited. Here the growth of the foetus or child commences, whilst at the same time there is formed a bag or covering for the whole, (called the membranes,)which lines the womb. At the same time, there is a fleshy substance formed, which very much resembles the liver; this substance is called the after-birth, and by physicians the placenta. This fleshy substance, called the after-birth, receives and prepares the blood, which is supplied by the womb for the child. From this after birth to the navel of tho child, there is a small cord or tube called the navel cord, or umbilical cord. This tube admits the circula- tion of the blood between the mother and the child. There is also a fluid, known by the name of the waters, in which the foetus or child moves and increases in growth. You will now readily perceive, that the womb con- tains, when pregnant, the child, the waters in which it moves, the membranes which support it, the navel cord, and the after-birth. From eight to ten days after the GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. * 411 woman has conceived, the first formations of the child may be distinguished; it is, however, so extremely deli- cate as to require the most'minute attention to discover it with the naked eye. The face and form of the large features, are as yet not sufficiently plain to be distin- guished ; you can merely discover the formation of tho head and trunk; the trunk being the longest and most delicate; the whole resembling a bit of jelly of an oblong figure. You will perceive by close examination the resemblance of a small feather, winch comes from the navel, and ends in the membrane by which the whole is enclosed. This fine feathery fibre, afterwards the navel cord, connects the young with the after-birth. In about three weeks after conception, the formation of the infant may be plainly distinguished, because by this time the head and features of the face begin to assume something of a strong outline; in other words, they begin to show the realities of what they are. The arms and legs are next seen to project from the body; two black specks represent i\ie eyes—and two extremely small holes make the places of the ears. The ribs on each side are about the size of common threads; and the fingers and toes about the same magnitude. Tho arms are something longer than the legs in consequence of their growth being more rapid In about one month after conception, the foetus or child is about one inch in length; and it now takes a bending posture in the middle of the water or liquor I have described to you. About this time the membranes, sometimes called the bag or covering, become enlarged, and get thicker and stronger, and the whole mass together, is about an inch in length, and nearly the shape of an egg. 412 GUNN'S D03IESTIC 31EDICINE. In about six weeks the motion of the heart of the child may be perceived. In fact, in surgical operations which I have seen performeafwhere the child was taken from the womb, the heart was seen to beat for a consid- erable length of time. In three months, the child is three inches in length, and its weight from two to three ounces. Women assert that they have felt the motion of the child about this time, but I would suppose it doubtful at this early period. In about fourteen weeks the head of the child is bent forward and the chin rests on the breasts; the knees are lifted up; the legs bent back on the thighs; and both the hands lifted up towards the face. In the lapse of time, the child acquires more strength, and is constantly changing its posture; but the head most commonly inclines downward. Near the fifth month, the mother can distinctly feel the motion of the child, which is called quickening, and which is often accompanied with sickness at the stomach, and vomiting, particularly in the morning. When this quickening is felt, it is a very certain symtom of pregnancy. About the time of this quickening, the womb seems as if it were loose in the lower part of the belly. As long as the womb is detained in the pelvis or basin, you can by introducing the finger up the birth-place, the woman being in a standing position, distinctly feel the mouth of the womb, which is lower dowm than in the natural and unimpregnated state. This is occasioned by the weight of the womb and its contents, continually and gradually bearing downward. Thus the mouth of the womb can be felt, after the woman has become with child, for several weeks, and affords another evidence of preg- nancy. GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 4l3 After this time the womb begins considerably to in- crease in size, and ascend gradually up into the abdo- men or belly, growing at last so large that it remans mostly above the bones of the pelvis or basin, and par- tially rests on them. In the beginning of the fifth month, the belly be- comes hard, and the navel of the mother is perfectly even and smooth. From this onward the woman in- creases in size; pregnancy being now evident, a further description of its progress would be unnecessary. In nine months, or in about forty-two weeks from the stoppage of the menses or courses, the child is prepar- ed for its entrance into life; and nature prepares her- self for a delivery of her burthen, by a contraction of the fibres of the womb, which are no longer able to bear the irritation. Here commence the pains of labor, in other words, restless and uneasy sensations, pain in the small of the back, frequent desire to make water, accompanied with bearing downwards, particu- larly at the bottom of the belly; constant desire to go to stool, perhaps without being able to pass any thing; costiveness, with a small discharge of mucus or slime from the birth-place, &c. &c. I have mentioned to you, the waters in which the child moves, and changes its position. As to the quan- tity of these waters at the birth of the child, it varies very much in different women. In some I have seen not more than a gill, in others not more than half a pint, and in others I have known nearly two quarts. Those who have written on this subject before me, state that these waters resemble the white of an egg, and have very little smell. This is, however, not al- ways the case, the waters are sometimes very offensive. 414 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. The fact is, that their color and consistency depend on the peculiar state of the system. The after-birth prepares the blood in a proper state, which is then conveyed by the navel cord to the child for its support and growth; you will therefore under- stand, that the growth is produced by and through the after-birth. This after-birth or fleshy substance, which resembles the liver, is generally in weight from a pound to a pound and a half; and depends both for weight and size, not on the appearance of the woman, but on the healthy or diseased state of the womb and its secre- tions ; for I have very often seen in my practice, very large women produce quite small after-births, whilst on the contrary, I have seen very delicate women produce astonishingly large ones. The navel cord, called by physicians the umbilical cord is formed of two veins which come from the after-birth, and an artery which comes from the child; these being twisted nicely together, is the reason why it is called the navel cord. The blood which passes through the veins of this cord enters at the navel of the child, and by the proper vessels is conveyed to its heart; it is then conveyed again back from the heart, to the various parts of the child's body, for its growth and support, as I told you before'. After returning again, the heart forces it back through the artery, which I have mentioned as a part of the cord, to the after-birth, which prepares it for the foetus or child. I have now given you a plain explanation of preg- nancy, and of the means by which the child is sustain- ed in the womb, and of the parts connected with the womb, necessary to be known and understood. This explanation will enable you, with a little attention, to GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 415 understand something of the astonishing powers pos- sessed and employed by nature, for the procreation, increase and preservation of the human species. SIGNS OF PREGNANCY. Sickness in the morning, often attended with vomi- ting or puking; heart burn, and soreness on the stom- ach ; loss of appetite, and dislike of the sight of food; craving for things which before you were indifferent to, or even disliked; and stoppage of the menses or cour- ses; this last symptom, however, is sometimes occa- sioned from cold, &,c. Pregnancy is also known, by palpitations or flutterings of the heart; faintness, ac- companied with a desire to vomit; these last symptoms are generally felt by young married women in their first pregnancy. The breasts become more full, the nipples more firm and hard, and the rings around them assume a darker color. The rising of the navel, so as to become flat and smooth with the belly, may be con- sidered an almost certain evidence of pregnancy. I omitted to mention that tooth ache frequently is an indication of pregnancy. The pulse of a woman with child, is considerably quicker than common; there is also frequently a dizzi- ness or swimming in the head; the complexion of the face generally changes, either by becoming much im- proved, or by exhibiting a more sallow, pale and sickly color. There are few women who do not undergo some peculiar change of countenance in pregnancy so as to indicate with those well acquainted with them, their real situation. There is, however, no certain sign of pregnancy, but the motions of the child felt by the 416 GUNNrS D03IESTIC MEDICINE. mother; and all the symptoms I have mentioned, al- though sufficient to induce the belief of pregnancy, may be deceptive. For instance, the menses or courses may stop, and it may be produced by cold, or some cause other than pregnancy; therefore, until about the third or fourth month, doubts may exist as to the actual situation of the woman. I have mentioned, that after conception, and before the womb began to rise above the pelvis or basin, by introducing the finger up the birth-place, the mouth of the womb might be plainly felt. This is the fact, and the reasons are obvious. The increasing weight of the womb, at this period, lowers its mouth in the vagina or birth-place, so that it can be easily touched with the finger; and an experienced physician or midwife, by such an examination, could easily tell whether the wo- man was with child or not. The indications, however, are more plainly felt in a young married woman, than in one who has borne children. In making this exam- ination, the woman should always be in a standing posture, leaning on the sholder of the operator, so as to relax the parts as much as possible. In women who have borne children, or suffered in injuries from child birth, the mouth of the womb is very apt to pro- trude downward through the birth-place, and is called falling down of the womb. This is caused by the ignorance and stupidity of common midwives, from pulling the after-birth away, and producing this descent of the mouth of the womb. You will be made fully acquainted with this falling of the womb, in the proper place. GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. 417 CAUTIONS DURING PREGNANCY. When the woman discovers her change of situation, or in other words, that she is with child, she is to attend to her bowels particularly, so that they may not become costive or bound up. She must steadily bear in mind, that more than half the diseases which arise during pregnancy, are more or less occasioned by neglect to keep the bowels regular. If you cannot have a stool daily, take a clyster of simple milk and water; there is no indelicacy in this matter. There are instruments called self-pipes, which you can use yourself, and there ought to be one of these in every family.—For a de- scription how to prepare and administer clysters, read under that head. I have known many women, who, by neglecting their bowels during pregnancy, were compelled to submit to having the hard excrement removed from the fundament, before a passage could be obtained. This is certainly more indelicate than using a clyster pipe, and merely throwing up a clyster of milk and water, and I do assert, that if these clyster pipes were more used in the United States, both by Women and men, there would be many constitutions saved, and very many diseases and sufferings avoided. Is it not reasonable to presume, that more danger is done to the stomach, by eternally keeping it loaded with drastic purgative medicines, than would be done to the system by the simple use of the clyster pipe? Women, during pregnancy, may be said to labor under constant irritation, however delicate their con- stitutions; and, therefore, clysters not only afford an easy and plesant passage or stool but cool the bowels, and allay the irritation of the whole system. The tepid bath—see page 156—ought to be used duringpreg- nancy. It will entirely soothe, not only tho bodily 53 418 GI"XN*S DOMESTIC MEDICINE, irritation, but also tranquil: e the mind and feelings, You will recollect, that the water of this bath is to be but pleasantly warm, because hot water has been know it to produce abortion, which means losing the child. The bath I recommend, will have an effect to perserve and equalize the healthy action of the womb, and all the parts connected with it. Particular attention should be paid to the diet or food; let it be simple and plain, and of such a quality as agrees with you. If you will but attend to these instructions, I may assure you that you will pass through this period, not only with safety, but with great comfort, and produce, in due time, not only healthy, but a vigorous offspring. By all means, banish gloomy and depressing fears; nor listen fee a moment to the idle talcs of misfortunes which are, said to have happened to others; all these tales are without a shadow of truth. Think of the countless and innumerable millions, who have passed through these feelings and trials, without the slightest accident. Therefore place full and implicit confidence in the benevolence, wisdom, and mercy, of that God the Great Father of the Universe, who rules and gov- erns all human destinies! Be cheerful, collected and serene, for in multiplying and replenishing the earth you are fulfilling an imperious command of an Almigh- ty power, in which he will never desert you. DISEASES OF PREGNANCY. The many diseases to which women are generally liable during pregnancy, mostly arise from the causes I have already enumerated, such as costiveness, improp- er diet, and so on. The womb at this period is GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 419' extremely irritable, and always sympathises with the other parts of the system, and particularly with the stomach and head. Some women suffer a great deal during pregnancy, and others very slightly. The fact is, that the mind, the passions, and even the feelings of women, sometimes participate strongly with the physi- cal system during pregnancy; not only leaving power- ful impressions on the foetus or child itself, but exercis- ing a strong influence on the very conduct of the woman herself. I hardly need instance such matters as longing for particular articles of food, or the vast and countless varieties of whims, caprices, sympathies, antipathies, and so on, which beset some pregnant women; nor need I point out to the reader the abor- tive proportions of birth, and the varieties of injury sometimes sustained by the child, through the mind, imagination, and feelings of the mother. Pregnancy also, and not unfrequently, exercises a moral influence. I recollect a lady in New York, of the very first res- pectability, whose husband was long an associate of the legislative councils of the nation, who never visited, or left her house, after she had felt the quickening sen- sations of pregnancy, in other words, the motion of the child, without experiencing an irresistible propensity to steal; nor could she ever combat successfully, or restrain the unaccountable desire to pilfer. This, how- ever, is only one case among a million that might be adduced, to prove the existence of influences in preg- nancy, which baffle the whole powers of genius and human reasoning. Doctor Rush, or some other physician of equal celebrity, relates the case of a medical man in some part of Europe, in whose natural disposition, the pro- pensity to steal was so sir >na, that he never was known 420 GUNN'S D03IESTIC 31EDICINE. to visit a sick chamber, without stealinDsome articles of value, if they were not put out of his reach. His prac- tice was very extensive, he was wealthy, and his propensity to theft so well known to society, that after a few years had passed, in stealing the same articles over and over again, nothing was said about the matter. The fact is, that he had stole n the same articles so often, that it became the business of his wife, on his return home every night, to search his pockets, assort out, and send home the articles he had so often stolen. If this delineation of native character be correct, which we are not even permitted to doubt, why need we be surpri- sed at the few instances of a natural propensity to petty roguery and hook-fingered avarice, which our own country presents? Or why need we be in the least sur- prised, to find men whose native and irresistible propen- sities to swindling, petty fraud, and diminutive rascality will lead them to cheat in weights and measures on all practicable occasions. This subject, however, presents itself in another, and a much stronger point of view. It bears strongly on the criminal laws and jurisprudence of our country, and must at some future p eriod, arrest the attention of our legislative bodies. If there is such an influence in nature, as leads to the commission of crime, and that too in defiance of moral restraints, and fears of punish- ment, are there not cases in which moral justice would revolt at the punishment of involuntary and irresistible criminality? I have not space in this work to give this subject such an investigation as it really and intrinsic- ally merits; but should it be in my power, as I now intend to publish a future volume of this work, when time and circumstance will permit, this subject shall be one which shall be particularly embraced. To speak GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 421 plainly, I have long entertained doubts, whether, under circumstances in which it is practicable to banish a man from society, deprive him of his liberty, and prevent his committing future crimes, it can ever appertain to justice and the security of society, to shed human blood. It is very true, that the scripture thus denounces the murderer—" whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed;" but, ought we not to take into seri- ous consideration, the simple fact, that at the period this penalty of murder was announced to the Jews, sol- itary confinement for life was unknown to the policy of human laws. That a diseased state of the mind may exist, on one particular point, and that the same mind may be sound and sane in all other respects, no medical man in his senses will deny. The daughter of a wealthy merchant of Philadelphia, was in the habit of stealing from the different stores in which she purchased goods. Being extremely wealthy, and her propensity known, private accounts of the articles stolen, were alvvays kept, and always duly paid by her father. She married, and was never known during her pregnancy to steal the smallest article; and candidly confessed that during these peri-; ods, she had not the smallest propensity to steal or pilfer; and what was equally extraordinary, so soon as her deliveries were over, the old and natural propensity to theft returned. How are we to account, on anything like known principles, for the above facts and delinea- tions of character? Medical philosophers, I propound the interrogatory to you! The value of the articles, this woman often repeated, had nothing to do with the nat- ural impulse to theft. Was it a disease of the mind, derived through the physical system, from impressions 422 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. made on ihc foetus or child in the womb, from the mind, and passions, and feelings of the mother? SICKNESS OF THE STOMACH. Tins is common in the commencement of pregnancy, particularly with the first child: it generally lasts until the quickening sensation is felt, and no longer. If the vomiting or puking is not severe, it will do no injury; but if it should continue, or become severe, which is sometimes the case, you will find relief in the following remedies. REMEDIES. If the habit of body be full, that is, strong and fleshy, the loss of some blood from the arm will be proper. But, if the woman should be weakly and delicate, omit the bleeding, and use the following remedies: of colum- bo root and camomile flowers make a strong decoction or tea, to which you may add a little ginger: let this tea getperfectlycold, and give three or four table-spoons- fol occasionally. Or you may obtain the columbo root in powder, and give fifteen or twenty grains, mixed with a few drops of peppermint, and a little good old spirits of any kind; or take on ounce of columbo root, and bruise it with a hammer, then pour a pint of boiling water on it, and let it get cold. Take a wine-glassful of this decoction, with a few drops of peppermint in it, three or four times a day, or when you feel this sickness of the stomach. This bitter is very serviceable in weak stomachs and laxative bowels. Where the vomiting or puking is very severe, apply the stewed leaves of the garden mint to the pit of the stomach: the application must be warm, and it will stop the vomiting or puking GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 423 without fail. Or purchase a box of soda powders, on which you will find directions; or if there are no direc- tions, see the head soda powders. Give these powders three or four times a day. Ginger tea, and mint tea, are also good remedies. Or use elixir vitriol, in doses of ten or fifteen drops, three or four times a day, in a glass of cool water. Should the vomiting be extremely severe, rub a little laudanum over the pit of the stom- ach: if this does not stop ii, give ten or fifteen drops of laudanum, occasionally, in a little mint or ginger tea. In very stubborn cases of vomiting, the following will always give reliefs—mix in a phial, equal quantities of compound spirits of lavender, laudanum, and spirits of hartshorn: of this mixture, give a tea-spoonful in a little cold water, three or four times a day, eras the sickness and vomiting may take place. COLIC. This is a common complaint during pregnancy; and this is the reason why I have cautioned you so particu- larly respecting your diet or food, and by all means to avoid costiveness, or in other words permitting yourself to be too long a time without having a stool. The bow- els, during the time you are with child, will always be much subject to flatulence or wind, which is called in the country windy colic. REMEDIES. Bathe the belly with warm water, or sit in a tub in which there is warm water, and take a table-spoonful of castor oil. Or you may apply to your belly warm salt: or you may apply cloths wrung out of warm water 121 GUNN'S D03IEST1C MEDICINE. to the belly, and throw up the fundament, with the clys- ter pipe, the following injection: make a pint or quart of thin gruel; strain it clean, and put into it a table- spoonful or less of hog's lard; let it stand until it be- comes milk warm, and take it as a clyster:—see the head clystering, PAIN IN THE HEAD, AND DROWSINESS. When there is pain in the head, or a heavy, dull drowsiness is felt, it is apt to arise from the blood-vessels being too full. This is generally the case with fleshy, strong, healthy young women. In delicate and weakly women, pain in the head and drowsiness are sometimes felt, but they generally arise from an opposite cause, from a want of due circulation of the blood, which indu- ces debility or weakness. REMEDIES. If the woman is fleshy and strong, and is thus afflicted draw blood from the arm, and give a dose of laxative medicine, such as epsom salts, castor oil, &,c* But if, on the Contrary, she be delicate and weakly, bleeding in any way would be highly improper. She is to take moderate exercise on horseback, attend to the state of her stomach, and also to her food: use feely the tepid bath—see page 156: take very gentle medicines, or a clyster to keep her bowels regular if bound; bathe her forehead and temples frequently with spirits, in which camphor has been dissolved; and take occasionally through the day, a glass of real good wine, or some toddy made with any kind of spirits. If this pain or heaviness of the head still remains, after the above GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. 425 means have been resorted to, it may arise from the stomach—if so, the columbo root, as already describ- ed, will be found of great benefit. HEART-BURN. This complaint generally arises from acid on the stomach, and very few women escape it during preg- nancy. If the heart-burn is attended with a constant hawking up of tough phlegm, the stomach should be cleansed with a gentle emetic or puke, of fifteen or twenty grains of ipecacuanha. But, if the heart-burn is accompanied with a sour taste in the mouth, or a belching up of sour water, it will be relieved by the use of very weak lime water, or a tea-spoonful of magnesia in a cup of cold water. This last, or either of them, may be taken whenever these acid tastes take place. The magnesia is generally prefered in lumps, and may be eaten in moderate quantities, being perfectly inno- cent. When a considerable lump is used, it will act as a mild purgative. By adding a little rhubarb to the magnesia, it is an excellent purgative for women in a pregnant state. As both articles are quite innocent, they may always be used, when found necessary for opening the bowels. SWELLED LEGS. This swelling is produced by the womb, which is enlarged during pregnancy; the weight of the womb presses on the vessels which return the fluids from the lower parts of the body. When the woman is far 51 126 GCNN'S D03IESTIC 3IED1C1NE. advanced, these swellings frequently give, much pain; there is, however, no danger; nor should they give any distress to the afflicted woman. These swellings are very apt to go off if she will take rest on a bed, bathe her feet at night in strong salt and water, and steam herself over mullen, on which boiling water has been poured. As rest, in a recumbent or lying posture, les- sens very much the swellings, it would be advisable for the woman to remain as quiet as possible, and lose a little blood from the arm occasionally. Attention to these things, with a little cooling medicine, such as epsom salts, or a little cream of tartar, will nearly always allay these swellings of the legs. CRAMP. Cramp generally comes on about the fourth month after pregnancy, and is often very troublesome at night, while the woman is in bed. Its attacks are generally in the legs and thighs, but sometimes in the bottom of the belly and hips. Those women who have never before been subject to cramp, are very apt to have attacks of it, during the last stages of pregnancy. REMEDIES. When the cramp is frequent and severe, the loss of a little blood would be proper. Cramp sometimes ari- ses from costiveness or constipation of the bowels; when this is the case, you may give a clyster, or a cool- ing purge, such as epsom salts. Standing a few minutes on a cold hearth with the feet bare, is a simple remedy, and will alvvays give relief. I have known a small garter or belt, in which was confined some pounded GUNN S D031ESTIC MEDICINE, 4~ * brimstone or flour of sulphur, relieve several ladies who were much subject to cramp. CONSTANT DESIRE TO MAKE WATER. The constant desire to make water, or pass off the urine, is occasioned by the weight of the womb con- stantly pressing on the neck of the bladder. Whenever this desire becomes troublesome, rest as quietly on your bed as possible, taking at the same time a cooling purge. If convenient, and whether so or not, the use of the warm or tepid bath will be very beneficial; by which I mean that the wmole body is to be placed in water about milk warm; if this be impracticable, for want of a vessel large enough, you may sit once a day in a tub of water in this warmth. The fact is, that by bathing occasionally in water milk warm, during any stage of pregnancy, considerable benefit will always be derived. STOPPAGE OF URINE. This is called suppression of urine by physicians, and means when the urine is stopped from flowing from the bladder, at those periods when nature requires the evac- uation. When this stoppage takes place, the bladder becomes distended or swelled with the water, and is also severely painful. Relief must now immediately be had, by applying to the belly cloths wrung out of warm water, and taking a clyster of warm milk and water— see the head clystcring. Clystcring is extremely bene- ficial, in this, and all similar cases, and women should 428 gunn's domestic medicine. early be taught to know, not only that there is no indel- icacy in the operation, but that in all warm climates it s obsolutely essential to most women in a state of preg- nancy. All the lying-in hospitals in Europe, are amply furnished with the apparatus for clystcring; but in the western country of America, where there is certainly as much general intelligence as in any part of the world, it seems that you might as well desire a lady to swallow an elephant, as to take a clyster instead of a purgative medicine. This is all false modesty; the women of all countries ought to know, that the more simply their diseases are treated, and the more according to nature, the better will their health and safety be insured. After the remedies just mentioned have been used with- out affording relief, you are to send for a physician, who will draw off the water with a catheter;—for a descrip- t ion of which, and the mode of using it, look under the head catheter. WANT OF SLEEP. On or about the last stage of pregnancy, most wo- men become restless and uneasy, and their sleep very much disturbed. They are also troubled with a chok- ing sensation, and a difficulty of getting their breath. This last affliction is sometimes so great, that they are sometimes obliged to get out of bed, and to throw up a window for fresh air, which generally relieves them. If the woman who is subject to these unpleasant feelings, be of a robust and full habit of body, the loss of a little blood from the arm will be proper; in addi- tion to which some mildly laxative medicines ought to be taken, to open the bowels. If the woman is of a gunn's domestic medicine. 429 delicate constitution, and much debilitated or weaken- ed, bathe her feet and legs in strong salt and water, made pleasantly warm before she retires to bed; and give her fifteen or twenty drops of laudanum, or if laudanum cannot be had, give her a glass of toddy, made with any kind of spirits. PILES. This is an uneasy and troublesome complaint, which frequently attends on pregnancy, and generally afflicts fat, stout women. The fact is, however, that most women are subject to piles, after the fifth or sixth month. In addition to the remedies I shall mention here, refer to page 323, where you will find a full description given of piles. Women who have never before been troubled with this disorder, are apt to be afflicted with it, as I have just mentioned, during the last months of pregnancy. It is almost invariably produced from costiveness or constipation of the bowels. The common oak-ball, pounded fine, and stewed down in butter without salt, is an excellent remedy. The parts are occasionally to be rubbed with this ointment; whilst at the same time you are to take a gentle purge. You may, also, occa- sionally bathe the parts in cold water; or you may put a tea-spoonful of sugar of lead, into a pint of cold spring water, and frequently bathe the parts with it during the day. As much rest as possible is to be taken; in other words, walk or ride about as* little as possible. 430 gunn's domestic medic ink FALSE PAINS. These pains resemble the pains of labor very much, and are frequently the cause of alarm, and much in- convenience to all concerned. False pains are alvvays produced from some deranged state of the system; or from the improper conduct of the woman herself, by excessive, and some times slight fatigue. Anxiety of mind; sudden exposure to cold or heat; want of atten- tion to the bowels; indigestion, or eating such articles of food as produce wind in the bowels, will frequently praduce these pains. Dysentary, accompanied with severe griping, will also produce these pains. When these pains occur frequently, it will be proper to employ an experienced physician, because their too frequent presence may produce miscarriage, or in other language, the loss of the child. On discovering the pains to be false, which must be ascertained by the physician or midwife, either of which should be well acquainted with the mode of conducting an examina- tion, they are to be removed as speedily and easily as possible. If there is much pressure on the mouth of the womb from above, and if it is perceived to dilate or open during the continuance of the pains, they are not false, and the woman may be considered in labor; but, if neither pressure nor dilation or opening can be felt, the pains are false, and are to be removed. When these false pains are caused by fatigue, the patient should be kept as quiet as possible, and take the necessary rest to remove the fatigue. If she be of a feverish disposition, she must lose a little blood; and, generally, it will be proper to give a gentle dose of laxative medicine, or some mild and opening clysu r- GUNN'S DOMESTIC 3IEDICINE. 431 FLOODING. Flooding is a disease incidental to pregnancy, often of a dangerous and fatal character, in which there is a loss of blood from the womb. It is, fortunately, of not very frequent occurrence; but when it does come on, you are to lose no time in obtaining a skilful and ex- perienced physician. It is a case,, in which merely common skill and experience will seldom answer, be- cause it is frequently attended with abortion, and often with the loss of life. Flooding is usually produced by a sudden fall, by over exertion, by fright and alarm, and not unfrequently by the gloomy and depressing passions of the mind. It is also produced by weakness of the womb, originating miscarriages, or other injuries derived from severe labor or child-birth. It also some- times arises, from the after-birth separating from the womb, and the large blood vessels entering into it, dis- charging their contents through the mouth of the womb. This complaint is very alarming to persons well ac- quainted with its real dangers, because death frequent- ly comes on suddenly, and with very little warning of its approach. No discharges of blood ever take place from the womb, in a natural and sound state of pregnancy; the idea of regular discharges in pregnancy, is entirely erroneous and perfectly farcical; and whenever they do take place, they alvvays prove to the man of skill and judgment, that there is something wrong. They always either proceed from the passage to the womb, or from the womb itself. When they merely come from the passage to the womb, they are seldom, if ever, attended with danger; but when they proceed from the womb itself, there is considerable danger that dis- greeable consequences may be ihe result. When but 432 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. a little blood comes away, from much walking or riding, or from standing in an upright posture, and there is only a trifling pain in the lower part of the belly, attended with no symptoms of fever, and no in- creased or inflammatory action of the blood vessels, the blood may always be presumed to come from the passage to the womb. This can always be removed, and that very easily, by lying a short time in a recum- bent or horizontal position; and afterwards avoiding much walking and riding, and long continued stand- ing in an upright posture. But, mind me particularly, when the discharge of blood is preceded, or accom- panied with flushings of the face, considerable heat in the palms of the hands, and great thirst; or when there are great pains in the lower part of the abdomen or belly, in the loins, or in the back, it is evident that the discharge of blood is from the womb itself, and also that there is much danger. REMEDIES. The first step to be taken, when the flooding pro- ceeds from the womb itself, and may therefore be con- sidered dangerous, is to place the woman in bed, and to keep her as cool as possible, by removing the bed clothes, and admitting the cool and fresh air; and, as you value the life of your patient, give her nothing to eat or drink of an inflammatory or heating nature; in other words, nothing that will increase tho action of the blood vessels. I have told you before that in this case, which is a dangerous one, a skillful physician must be obtained if possible. The woman should be imme- diately bled from tho arm, freely, copiously, and rapidly, so as to produce fainting, because this is the moment, if ever, when those clots of blood are formed and con- gealed, which put a stop to the great discharge from gunn's domestic MEDICINE. 433 the blood vessels. Apply at the same time to the belly, cloths wet with the coldest water, or even ice wrapped in very thin cloths, if it can possibly be procured. If the blood should still continue to flow, in any consider- able quantity, a soft piece of cloth ought to be introduc- ed tip the birth-place, also wet with cold water. These cold applications, how7ever, ought not to be continued so long as to produce a chill; but, while they are con- tinued, they ought to be occasionally and often renew- ed. A clyster of cold water, occasionally thrown up the fundament, will also be very effective in stopping this flooding. If the above remedies should fail, which is some- times the case, you are to give the patient two grains of sugar of lead every hour, for five, six, or seven hours. This is a powerful remedy, and most generally an effective one. You may, also, put twenty or twenty- five grains of sugar of lead in a quart of water, and when it is dissolved, you may throw about one fourth of it up the bowels, and with the residue, occasionally wash the birth-place; these measures will greatly as- sist the cure, and if necessary, they may be repeated two or three times. The last remedies mentioned, are generally attended with relief; but there is alvvays con- siderable danger of the return of the flooding; there- fore, it is very immaterial how well the patient may feel after relief, she must continue in bed three or four weeks, and be kept cool and quiet, and always ready for the application of cold wet cloths to the belly, and also up the birth-place; her situation will still be dan- gerous for that length of time, and without this cautious and circumspect conduct, she may still be lost without three hours warning of her fate. If, however, all these remedies should fail to stop the flooding, and to 55 451 GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. prevent its reaching the stage in which the woman1 must inevitably perish, an abortion must be rcsoirted fco> as the only possible means of saving her life ABORTION, AND THE MEANS TO BE OBSERVED IN PREVENTING OR PROCURING IT, I intend by abortion, the expulsion of the foetus or child, at such an early period of pregnancy, that the child is either dead when it is brought forth, or dies soon afterwards. Whilst speaking of flooding, many of the symptoms and circumstances attending miscar- riage or abortion are named; but, there are several others which precede and cause abortion, which must be particularly mentioned. They are the following, and are alvvays to be guarded against or removed by pregnant women, if they wish to preserve their bur- thens, until the expiration of the period fixed by nature: Severe and oppressive exercise; violent and sudden exertions of strength; sudden and agitating frights > fits of excessive and violent passions; excess of venery, by which I mean too frequent sexual communication with the male; a morbed. or diseased state of the womb; external injuries of all descriptions which affect the generative organs; and general and excessive debility or weakness of the whole system. I say nothing of those means of procuring , abortions which are some- times used by pregnant women, with the intention of re- lieving themselves of their charge—these are matters to be referred to the lofty and unerring tribunal of God himself; they are accounts between such women and their Maker, GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 43* Generally speaking, before abortion comes on, there will be felt some slight pains about the lower part of the belly, and also m and about the loins; there will be a looseness aud flabbmess about the breasts, and some general sensations of shuddering and coldness: and in women of full, strong and muscular habits of body, there will nearly always be some considerable degree of fever. Next to these symptoms, slight, dis- charges of blood will take place from the womb; and these discharges will continue to increase, perhaps occasionally stopping a short time, until they amount to absolute flooding, which I have already particularly described. When these discharges return, after they have become copious and debilitating, they are always attended with a sense of dead weight, and a heavy bearing down about the womb, great sickness of the stomach, and sometimes frequent faintings. These are self-evident indications of immediate miscarriage or abortion, which soon takes place, and is alvvays follow- ed by profuse bleeding, which, however, soon subsides. After the expulsion of the contents of the womb, and the bleeding has gone off, there is a serous or watery discharge mixed with a little blood; but this is a mat- ter of no consequence. This is an abortion, according to the dictates and operations of nature herself It may sometimes, how- ever, be avoided, by observing the following simple treatment:—on the occurrence of the first symptoms of abortion, the woman mus1. be placed in bed, and kept cool and quiet until the matter be decided. If she is of a full and strong habit of body, she must be bled. Every thing of a heating, irritating and stimulating na- ture, either as food or drink, must be entirely avoided. Nothing but cold water or very weak tea is to bo 436 GUNN*S DOMESTIC MEDICINIS drunk by the patient. The bowels may be opened, if costive, and kept open, by merely injecting up them some milk warm water. The irritation of the womb is to be lessened immediately, and as much as possible; to effect the lessening or reduction of this irritation, the woman ought to be placed in a tub of warm water, and when taken out, to have large quantities of sweet oil rubbed about her back, loins, belly and breasts. If these means fail in preventing the abortion, nature will effectuate the expulsion of the child, in the manner I have just described. She may, however, be assisted in her exertions by the following means:—The woman is to be kept quiet, and treated as in common labor; after which, cloths wet with cold water must be applied to the belly, to aid in the contraction of the womb, after the expulsion of its contents. When abortion is to be brought on, in order to stop profuse and dangerous flooding, it is to be done in the following simple and easy manner. I will here adopt the language of Doctor Bard, with some observations, " The woman is to be brought down to the edge of the bed, either lying on her side, with a pillow or two be- tween her thighs, which are to be drawn up—or lying on her back, with her hips a little raised, and her feet on the lap of an assistant on each side. The operator must sit on a low seat immediately before her, whilst a double sheet thrown over her body and that of the physician or midwife, must protect her from cold, and form a decent covering. The hand of the operator, well rubbed with good oil or hog's lard, with the fin- gers collected into a point, must then be slowly intro- duced through the birth-place to the mouth of the womb, which will sometimes make considerable resis- tance against attempts to open it. This resistance GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 437 must be overcome by cautious, gentle and patient efforts. When the mouth of the womb begins to dilate or widen with the efforts of the operator, one of the fingers must be introduced into it, then another, and so on, until by patient and gentle attempts it admits the hand. The efforts to dilate and widen the mouth of the womb—and you must remember this particularly—arc always to be suspended or stopped, whenever the pains come on, and whilst they are on. In other words, whenever the pains cease, you are to proceed in your efforts to widen gently the mouth of the womb. When the hand passes into the womb, it is to be opened and laid flat; this will pre- vent a contraction on the knuckles, which might rupture the neck of the womb, and do much injury. The mouth of the womb being sufficiently widened, if the hand can then be easily passed over the part of the contents, called by physicians the placenta, or after- birth, which is separated from the womb, until the fingers reach the membranes, this is to be done; and breaking the-membranes, it is to be immediately passed into the womb. But, if you cannot readily pass the separated portion of the placenta, and the flooding be great, you are to pass through it, which is less danger- ous than to separate a larger portion, by passing the hand between it and the womb. The hand being now in the womb, the neck will generally cling so close to the wrist, as to prevent the escape of much water, and you will find room to act with freedom. Here you are to deliberate, and to refresh the woman with some proper drink. You ought now to get at the feet ol the child, by all practicable and gentle means. You are to recollect, that the most natural presentation is the most common; and in that case, the child's head is at the brim af the pelvis or basin, with the face and 438 GUNN'S D031ESTIC MEDICINE. belly to the back of the mother, the knees bent to iw breasts, and the feet towards the upper part of the womb. As, therefore, the child must ultimately be turned, this is the best time to push the head and shoulders up towards the fundus, and to turn the face of the child to the back of the mother, which is most easily done within the membranes; by this movement the feet of the child will be brought within reach of the hand, and having secured them, they may be easily brought, by a waving motion, into the vagina or birth-place. You are alvvays to remember, that you are to pause when- ever a pain comes on. Next, you are to bring down the hips and body of the child; and take care, if it be necessary, to turn the child gently, so that when it is delivered to the arm-pits, the belly of the child shall be % to the back of the mother, which is the position in which the arms and head can be most easily delivered. Now, or before this time, examine the navel string, and occa- sionally pull it down a little, so as to prevent its being stretched. If the pulsation has ceased in the cord, or if the woman floods freely, either the child or the mother may be lost by delay; and you arc to finish the delivery as soon as you prudently can, in doing which, you are to remember, that gentleness, caution and dex- terity, arc alvvays to be used in preference to force." There are few conditions more truly dangerous and alarming, than flooding to any excess, towards the expi- ration of the natural term of pregnancy; and I there- fore strongly and emphatically advise, that in all such cases, where an experienced and skillful physician can possibly be had, he be immediately sent for—and espe- cially where a forced abortion is essential to the preser- vation of the life of the woman. Such cases always require skill, judgment, promptness of conduct, and GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 439 i decision of resolution; he must therefore be a man who can decide coolly, and act with firmness and caution. After the delivery, or rather the abortion has been pro- ' duced, the womb may be assisted in its contraction, and the flooding retarded and stopped, by the means I have already noticed so plainly; in addition to which, the rest of the woman will be promoted, and her recovery much hastened, by small or weak anodynes, in some cordial julep, such as spirituous cinnamon water, or a little good weak toddy with nutmeg. These are the remedies first called for, and they are to be succeeded by small portions of nourishing diet, repeated with cau- tion whenever called for, and by strengthening articles,, such as tonics in which pcruvian bark has been infu- sed, and port wine, in which cmnamon bark has beers infused. LABOR The commencement of labor means, the time the woman begins to be delivered of her child. She is alvvays warned of the approach of her time, by pains which are called labor pains, they are produced by contraction or drawing up of the womb, which at the commencement expels or forces out a slimy matter, gen- erally colored with blood, which is called the shew. As soon as this matter is discharged, the mouth of the womb, at each pain, begins to open and widen itself, so as to permit the contents of the womb to pass.. You will recollect, that I have before informed you what the womb, in pregnancy contains. These pains increase gradually, the belly diminishes in size, and the womb 440 gunn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. seems to sink, or approach nearer to the birth-place, The pains are at first quite short, and only come on after considerable intervals; the woman is now restless, first hot and then cold, and not unfrequently sick at the stomach. She is also often griped, and frequently belches wind, or passes it off backward, which should never be restrained from false delicacy. These pains now fly quickly to the back, and then again to the bot- tom of the belly. The woman has now a great desire to urinate, or make water frequently, and to go to stool. These inclinations are always to be attended to, because emptying the bladder, and evacuating the bowels fre- quently before actual child-birth comes on, are highly important and ought never to be neglected. The pains having been sharp and some time between them, she then begins to be uneasy and fretful, and requests some- thing to be given to her, to bring on the pains more rapidly. This is the precise point of time in which so many injuries are done, by ignorance and officiousness, in attempting to force nature into premature exertions, who if let alone a little while, would in almost all cases per- form her office, according to the dictates of divine wisdom, and with safety both to the mother and child: for you may be assured that what you so much dread, is intended for your eventual benefit, by permitting the womb gradually to distend or open, with perfect safety to the parts, and in order that you may be blessed with an easy birth, and a living and uninjured offspring. You may alvvays know the pains I now speak of, by an irresistible desire to catch hold of every thing within your reach, such as the bedstead, a chair, and so on. These pains, as I have already told you, arise from the GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 441 constant efforts of maire to open the mouth of the womb, and they must and will continue, until she accomplishes her end. When this is the case, and the mouth of tho womb is sufficiently widened, nature will immediately commence her efficient and powerful operations, to press down the infant so as to empty the womb. You will immediately know this change, by a pressing down pain, if I may be allowed the expression, which gradually increases to a strong sensation of bearing down. Although these for- cing pains are powerful and strong, yet the woman will bear them with more apparent ease and fortitude, than those which were felt in the first stage of labor. At this time, the membranous bag which contains the child and the waters which surround it, and which I have before described to you, is pushed out of the womb by degrees at every pain. The distance which this bag extends out, varies in size in different women; sometimes it is very small, and sometimes of considerably large dimen- sions. It continues gradually to force open, and to widen the mouth of the womb, until it opens the parts sufficiently to permit the head of the child to pass. You will now perceive, that by these gradual exertions of nature, to arrange and prepare all things properly, those delicate parts, which by sudden and powerful exertions would have been seriously injured, are now sufficiently enlarged to permit the birth of your infant without injury. And you will also discover, by what I have disclosed to you, that if nature is hurried by an imprudent physician or midwife, by forcing the child away before the parts are sufficiently widened, great and signal injuries must be the consequences, both to the mother and child. 56 412 GUNN'S DOMESTIC 31EDICINE. As soon as the parts are sufficiently prepared for the birth of the child, this membranous bag bursts open, and the waters are discharged; sometimes, however, these events take place at an early stage of the labor. When this is the case, the labor is never so easy as under other circumstances. The quantity and quality of this water, differ in different women, as I have before told you. When these waters, then, burst forth in proper time, which I have pointed out, the bearing down pain continues, and the child gradually enters into the world. As soon as the child's head passes, the woman's relief is very great, and a little rest ought to be allowed her; you are by no means to pull the body out by force, for by so doing, you will produce great injury to the soft parts, and at the same time render it very difficult to deliver the woman of the after-birth. I must here remark emphatically, that this is another stage of labor, at which thousands of women are inju- red materially and fatally, by the hurry and officiousness of midwives, in hastily forcing the birth. Give time, and I will ensure that nature will exercise sufficient power to expel the child in her own time. The body of the child is not to be pulled and forced outward; let it alone—converse with the sufferer, and cheer her spir- its, and tell her that from the time the child's head makes its appearance, she is not to force and bear down. Tell her that by so doing, she will force the child for- ward, before the parts are ready; and that the conse- quence may be, the tearing or rupturing the perineum. This is the part between the fundament and the birth-place. Tell her that such an injury would leave her in a wretched condition for life, and must be avoided by all means. It is the duty of the midwife or physi- GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. 443 cian, as the child's head passes, to keep one hand pressed firmly yet cautiously against the perineum, which must, of course, from distension or stretching, be very thin and easily torn: and at the same time gently press so as to incline the head of the child upward toward the pubes. When the woman has rested, and the pains again- come on, the hand must again be pressed against the perineum with steadiness and care, until the shoulders and hips of the child pass, at the same time gently supporting the child, and delivery is over so far. The child being now born, you are to permit it to lie still a few minutes, without being molested. Give it fresh air, and time to breathe, and the pulsation in the navel-cord will begin to diminish. The pulsation, by all means, should be suffered to subside, before you sep- arate the child from the mother. You will, then, with a waxed thread, or a small string, make a moderately firm tie about the navel-cord, about three inches from the navel of the child; then make another tie, about three inches further from the child, on the navel-cord, and cut the cord asunder between the two ties, with scissors or sharp knife. You are now to hold steadily, but by no means, as you value the life of the mother, to pull the navel-cord which has been tied and cut off; because this cord is attached to the after-birth, which is still in the body of the mother, and is yet to be delivered. Permit me to caution you, to implore you, to command you, not to pull away, by force, the after-birth; for I do now know some of the finest women in the United States, who are suffering daily and hourly, and will continue to suffer during their lives, from officiously and imprudently for- cing away from them the after-birth, which nature 444 GUNN'S D03IESTIC 3IEDICINE. herself would have effected, without risk or pain, had she been left to her own exertions. By pulling away the after-birth before the proper time, and before nature expels it by what.are called after-pains, the consequen- ces will and must always be, flooding, and great loss of blood; because you force the separation, before you give time for the contraction of the blood vessels—in other words, before the mouths of the blood vessels have had time to close. In fact, the exercise of com- mon sense cannot fail to teach you, that where the after- birth is yet connected with, and strongly adheres to the womb, force will always tear the womb from its con- nexions, and be productive of unspeakable injuries. From this plain statement of facts, and the reasoning I have employed, I am convinced you will exercise due caution, in a matter of such vast importance to the future health and safety of the mother. According to he old usage and practice, the child would be immediately washed in warm water, and not unfrequently in spirits. Either of these plans of treat- ing the infant, in fact both of them are highly improper. and have been the causes of destroying thousands of children. Warm water or spirits ought never to be used in this manner, unless the infant be born appa- rently dead; in such a case, warm water merely is proper to be applied. For a further explanation of this important matter, look under the head "treatment of new-born infants.*' The woman having rested for a short time, after her separation from the child in the manner I have descri- bed to you, the after-pains may be expected to come on,. for the expulsion of the after-birth. These pains are produce lb} the contraction or drawing up of the womb, to deliver or expel this after-birth; they generally come GUNN*S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 445 on, in the lapse of from fifteen minutes to an hour, after the child has been brought forth. You are now7 to remember, that none but gentle and simple measures are to be used, in order to produce the expulsion or delivery of the after-birth. You are now to rub the belly of the woman, and gently extend or pull the cord, at the same time that she blows with some force into the palms of her own hands; the policy of this blow- ing is obvious—it will cause a gentle and natural bear- ing down, without the straining which would arise from holding and forcing the breath. If the woman be healthy and strong, if she has tr lost no blood, and if she feels able, let her stand up, and support herself on the shoulders of the operator or physician, while he is endeavoring, by the means just pointed out, to relieve her of the after-birth. I have, however, often succeed- ed in delivering the after-birth, when the womb would not contract, and when the woman was in a lying pos- ture, by introducing the finger up the birth-place, and gently turning it round in the mouth of the womb; in this case, the sensation felt in the mouth of the womb, will generally cause it to contract, and expel the contents. If all these means fail, and an hour passes without the expulsion of the after-birth, you are to introduce your hand with great caution, the parts being very sore, and open your fingers inside and round the edge of the womb; at the same time that you feel cautiously, and slowly separate, between the edges of the after- birth and the womb, any parts which may adhere as the womb gradually closes. When the after-birth is expelled or brought away, and any great discharge of blood takes place, apply to the belly some cloths wet with cold water, and put one up the birth-place, as 446 GINN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. directed in flooding. The woman is then to be wiped' or very gently rubbed dry, and suffered to rest quietly for several hours. DIFFICULT LABOR. Most cases of tedious labor, arise among women with their first child, with women who have married late in life, and with those who are so healthy, robust, and corpulent, that the parts seem to relax so slowly, as hardly to permit the birth of the child. The loss of some blood from the arm will be proper; and, I have frequently, after bleeding, put them in warm water; in doing this, however, you must be careful as to the child. I have known instances, in which women have had their children in the close-stool or pot, while in the act of endeavoring to urinate or have a stool. The warm. bath and bleeding will relax the system, sufficiently in all probability for the child to be born; but take care that the child is not injured by the water, while the woman is in the bath. When convulsions or fits take place during labor, and the woman has before complained of great pain in the head, and dimness with loss of sight, remember that you are to bleed freely, and to open the bowels with clysters, or some gentle laxative medicine. The most powerful means, and the best known, for relieving tedious or difficult labor is blood letting from.the arm; and it should always be done if the woman is strongs healthy, and of a vigorous constitution. GUNN'S DOMESTIC 3IEDICINE. 447 TWINS. What I have already said on the subject of labors relates to cases in which nature presents the mother with but one offspring from a pregnancy. You are well aware, however, that she sometimes presents a parent with two children; and, in the western country, if rumor speak the truth, she in more than one instance, has not even stopped at this number. In about ninety- nine cases out of a hundred, the directions I have given you, which relate to the birth of one child, will be found sufficiently ample and particular; but I must not omit to instruct you also, as-to cases of child-birth, in which more than one child is to be born. It is not easy to ascertain that there are twins, or more than twins to be born, until after the birth of the first child; and if there are three to be born, not until after the birth of the second. Where twins are to be produced, the membranes of both children may be felt at the birth-place, sometimes before the delivery of one of them, but not often; and sometimes, but very sel- dom, it may be distinguished on examination, that different parts of both children present themselves. Twins are always considerably smaller than single children, which generally causes their birth to be more easy and rapid; in fact, the rapidity of a first birth, generally produces the first suspicion that there are twins. Generally speaking, immediately after the birth of the first child, another may be felt by very accurate pressure on the belly of the mother. But if the womb be very capacious or large, rather than subject yourself to great uncertainty, the hand may be very cautiously and gently introduced, and the child distinguished by the touch. Where there are twins, the second child is brought forth, within about an hour of the first, and 448 gunn's domestic MEDICINE. in a position directly contrary to the first; so that when the first is presented with the head foremost, the second may always be expected, with the breech or feet fore- most. "The first child being delivered," says Doctor----, " as prescribed in single cases^ sometime must be allow- ed to recruit the woman's strength, and to afford nature time for bringing on the next delivery. There are cases in which it would be necessary to wait even three or four hours. 1st.—When artificial aid vvas used in the first case. 2d.—When the child presents unnatu- rally. 3d.—When fits of flooding come on. "When both children present naturally, and the la- bor of the first ends without, aid, and without much fatigue to the patient, I wrait for the secondary pains; but should these not come on in a reasonable time, four hours, I introduce my hand cautiously, and rupture the membranes; when, commonly, the second child passes readily through the pelvis or basin. If the first labor has been natural, and the second child presents in a wrong direction, I have generally, without delay, extracted it by the feet. If the first labor has been unnatural, with but little delay, the membranes are to be ruptured; and, whether the child should be brought down immediately, and delivered by the feet or not— the operating physician or midwife must decide. The rules applicable to twins, will equally apply to cases where there are three or more children." Where a woman has brought forth twins, or more, great care and attention are necessary to prevent her from fainting. She should, therefore, not have her head raised or elevated; and even in moving, should have herself rolled over in the bed. A broad bandage round the belly, should never be omitted in the case of GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 449 twins, to support the belly of the mother, The direc- tions I have already laid down, respecting the after-birth of single children, are fully and entirely applicable in the cases of twins, and more children even than two. DIRECTIONS FOR MIDWIVES. The following remarks are especially intended for the serious consideration and benefit of midwives; and indeed of all such as are in the practice of officiating in the delivery of pregnant women. Regularly bred and licenced physicians are always presumed to know their duties, and to perform them with skill and judg- ment, in this highly responsible department ©f their profession. . The practice of midwifery, by those who are not regularly taught the medical profession, and who are presumed to know little or nothing about the organization of the human system, implies the assump- tion of a most awful and dangerous responsibility; especially when it is considered, that the fatal conse- quences, of ignorance and presumption, if combined with total disregard of moral feelings, duties and prin- ciples, are nearly as chargeable with criminality, as if they proceeded frqm voluntary and intentional viola- tions of the laws of God! There is very little difference, in other words, between the disregard of those duties which are enjoined by the laws of justice and humanity, and their palpable and unconditional violation. The directions which I shall lay down for your con- siderate adoption, will be plain, simple, and natural; they will be obscured by no technical language, and rendered unintelligible to you by none of the mysteries 57 4i0 GTjNN's DOMESTIC 3IEDICINE. of the medical profession; and if you scrupulously at- tend to them, they will enable you to be successful in ninety-nine cases of midwifery out of a hundred, in which you may be engaged. If you wish to be es- teemed great and skillful in your calling, and if you desire to be an instrument in the hands of divine provi- dence, for affording consolation and relief to your sex in the hour of affliction, treasure up the salutary advice, and never lose sight of it—that you are never to force nature; that you are to give her time to perform her operations; and, if you have any doubt as to the suc- cess of the delivery, you are to run no risks, but to call in the aid of a skilful and experienced physician. By attending to this course of conduct, you will relieve yourself of dangerous responsibilities, discharge your duties to a fellow creature, and appear in the presence of your Creator, with the consciousness of having acted in obedience to the most solemn injunctions of humanity. 1st. Immediately on your being called to deliver a woman, your first enquiry of her should be, as to the state of her bowels, whether she has had a stool, and whether she is bound or constipated in her bowels. I need not tell you, that the discharge of the bowels, and also of the urine or waice from the bladder, are both important and even necessary—first, in preventing in- juries to the parts, as the child enters the world—and second, to render the labor and birth more easy and safe. You wil\ of course, therefore, strictly attend to fbeso evacuations, and in proper time. 2d. You are now to ascertain and determine, wheth- er actual labor has taken place or not; and, the only certain and satisfactory signs of actual labor, are such as I have before minutely described to you. The GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE, 45l mouth of the womb is to be felt, by introducing the finger with much tenderness up the birth-place; and if you feel that it dilates or opens, during the time that a pain takes place, the woman is ifi actual labor. 3d. When examining, conduct the operation with caution and tenderness; and at the same time, take care to have your nails closely and smoothly pared, because your finger will feel the membranous bladder or bag containing the waters. If the labor be not much advanced, you will only feel the mouth of the womb and its dilation or opening at every pain. 4th. Place a pillow between the thighs of the wo* man, so as to give sufficient room for the child fo pass, and for its head to rest upon as it enters into the world, and let the woman draw up her legs. 5th. As the head of the child advances, press your right hand steadily and firmly against the part between the fundament and birth-place, called by physicians perineum, so as to give it support, and to prevent its rup- turing or tearing; at the same time that you incline the child's head to the pubes, which are the parts which form the arch in front. If you will recollect, and if you do not read the part over again, I have fully de- scribed and enforced the necessity, of your being extremely careful to prevent injuries to the perineum; for by its being ruptured or torn, which is sometimes the case from incautiousness and iniprudcr.ee, as well as from hurrying the birth, the lower gut or fundament, and the birth-place itself, become one opening from the fearing or the laceration of the perineum. On this point, then, let me again urge you to be extremely careful. 6th. If the child's head advances forward too rapid- ly, resist or stop its passage outward, for one or two pains, with your hand; by these means you will in- 452 gunn's domestic siedicine. crease the powers or energies of nature in the mother. avoid all risks of injuring the perineum, and give ulti- mate facility or ease in the delivery. 7th. So soon as the head is delivered, the woman will have some respite from her sufferings. You must then converse with her, and encourage her to be patient and firm in her resolutions. Remember now that the head of the child is to be supported, and that no force or pulling whatever is to be used. You are to wait patiently, for the next exertions of nature, who will always perform her operations in due time; the woman is by no means to strain, bear down, or force her pains. As I told you before, and gave you the reasons, she may blow strongly into the palms of her hands, but exercise impulsion or force no further. 8th. The child being born, you have now nothing to do, for a few minutes, but to give it fresh air, and per- mit it to cry. After it has had sufficient time to breathe freely, and the navel cord has in some measure ceased its pulsation, the cord is to be tied about three inches from the navel of the child, and then again about an inch and a half from the first knot, and cut asunder between the two ties, with scissors or any other sharp instrument. But I have told you this before. 9th. When the child is separated from the mother, you are not to wash it, according to the old custom; this is a wrong and highly improper plan, and frequent- ly produces serious injuries to the child, as you will be fully informed by reading under the head, " treatment of new-born infants," which you will find among the dis- eases of children. 10th. Now comes the period, in which so many women are injured for life, by ignorance and imprudent haste. Let the woman rest a short time, and await gunn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 453 patiently the return of the pains which are to expel the after-birth, which the womb will do by contraction. Your own good sense will teach you, that if you pull or force down the after-birth, you will also pull down the womb, or separate the after-birth before the womb has contracted, so as to stop the blood vessels from pouring out their contents. Now, if you do pull, after all the advice to the contrary I have given you, the con- sequence will be,that the woman will bleed to death. I have told you before, how to excite the womb to action, so as to bring on the pains for expelling the after-birth. You are to rub her belly; and if she is a strong woman, and feels able, you may, by assistants, raise her up by supporting her under the arms. She may then blow in her hands, a long breath, for the reasons I have already given you. As soon as an after-pain comes on, the midwife is gently to stretch the cord, but not to pull it or use any force. By the motion of the cord, or its gentle extension, the after-birth is very apt to come away. If you do not think proper to use these mea- sures, you may turn the woman over on her belly, and introduce your finger into the mouth of the womb, with much care, the parts being extremely sore; then turn- ing the finger gently round the mouth of the womb, as you would round the edge of a cup, the womb will con- tract; now gently stretch the cord, and you will extricate the after-birth, generally speaking, with safety. An hour, an hour and a half, or two hours, may be allowed for the expulsion of the after-birth. When it cannot be delivered, proper means are to be used for its expulson, in other words, for its discharge. These means are the following:—Let the midwife intro- duce into the birth-place, her hand, with the fingers collected into a point, and made as small as possible. 454 GUNNS D03LESTIC 3IEDICINE. At the mouth or edge of the womb, let her open or extend her fingers, and rub them carefully round the edge. These measures will cause the womb to con- tract; then with the fingers gently introduced between the after-birth and the womb itself, she must slowly separate them from each other, should they adhere or stick together. Recollect distinctly, that ail this is to bo done, while the contraction is going on. 11th. If the discharge of blood is great, after this operation, apply cloths wet with cold water to the belly of the woman, as in flooding; and push up the birth- place gently, and not too far, a soft cloth also wet with cold water, as directed in flooding. 12th. When, the woman is relieved of the after-birth, let a wide bandage be placed round her, pleasantly tight, and let her also be wiped dry. The clothes which are wet, and those which were placed under her, are now to be removed, and she permitted to remain per- fectly quiet, and to take her repose. If she complains of faintness, or seems exhausted, give her some wine and water, or a little toddy on which some nutmeg has been grated. f I have now given you a full description of what I intended, and I am persuaded, in such plain terms, that any woman of common sense can afford the requisite assistance in common cases of labor. DIRECTIONS AFTER LABOR. After labor, the more quiet the woman can be kept, the better. The fact is, that she is to move or be moved, as little as possible, and to lie principally on her back. Her nipples are to be washed with milk-warm gunn's domestic MEDICINE. .. 455 water, before the infant is put to the breast, which ought to be done within twelve hours after the birth. If the woman has lost considerable blood during the labor, the milk will be longer in flowing than otherwise. When this is the case, apply bread and milk poultices warm over the nipples; these will soon cause the milk to discharge. You will frequently observe, in women who have had children, that their bellies protrude or stick out, as if they were alvvays in a state of pregnancy. This is owing to neglect and bad management. To avoid it, on the second day after the child-birth, you are to apply round the whole belly, moderately tight, a broad band- age of cloth or flannel; the last is the best, which is to be worn for at least one month. It is not to be too tight, but merely tight enough to support the parts pleasantly. This will prevent the woman, after having recovered, from having a large and ill-shaped belly. You are now to bear in mind, and that too, particu- larly, the advice I am about to give you, especially if you value your health, and probably the preservation of your life. On the second day after delivery, you are to take a dose of castor oil or epsom salts. More than two-thirds of the women who have been afflicted with, and finally died of child-bed fever, have owed their fate to neglecting, after the birth of their infants, to attend to the evacuation of their bowels. If you do not like to take salts or castor oil, evacuate the bowels with clys- ters:—see the head clystering The fact is, you are not to let twenty-four hours pass, after the birth of a child, without a passage or stool. The consequences of this neglect always are, that it is not only an injury to yourself, i»ui the child. When you have such pas- sages as I have told you are necessary, you are not to 456 gunn's domestic .medicine. exert yourself by getting out of bed, but to have a basin or other handy convenience placed under you; foldin" a blanket at the same time to prevent you from gcttink:ine. cold wet seasons. Since then we have found nothin" necessary but the snuff plaster; If a child is heard to breathe hoarsely, or cough with any thing of a dread- ful ringing sound of croup, it is only necessary to apply the snuff plaster, and we feel under no further anxiety. Instead of being obliged to watch with the child all the rest of the night, when once the snuff is applied, we go to rest again, with a feeling of entire security, which we have never had the least cause to regret." FEVER, OF CHILDREN. The various complaints to which children are sub- ject, being as I have before mentioned, of an irritative nature, will generally produce fevers, and although severe while they continue, are not frequently produc- tive of danger if properly managed. A disordered state of the stomach and bowels, teeth- ing, exposure to cold, striking in of any eruption, and in short, every thing which can excite an increased action in the heart and blood vessels, will produce more or less fever. The treatment of these complaints has already been described. When these fevers take place, cleansing the stomach and bowels will be pro- per, for which purpose, give an emetic, or puke, follow- ed by two or three grains of calomel, to which add four, five, or six grains of rhubarb:—for the dose of either of these medicines, see table; after which, Bate- man's drops, Godfrey's cordial, or paregoric, at the same time bathing the child in warm water, will greatly assist in lessening the irritability of the system, and removing the fever. GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. 497 SCALD HEAD. This complaint begins in brownish spots on the head, and in a few days forms a scab, and discharges a thick gluey matter, that sticks amongst the hair. The sores gradually increase, until the whole head is covered with a scab, discharing this matter, which is very offensive. You are to cut off the hair as close as possible, and wach the head well every night and morning with fresh lime water. This is easily prepar- ed, by slacking a piece of quick lime, of the size of a hen's egg, in a quart of water, and when settled, pour the liquor into a bottle and keep it corked for use. CHOLERA INFANTUM OR PUKING AND PURGING. This vomiting and purging of children, called by physicians, cholera infantum, prevails during the heats of summer; it is a dangerous and destructive disorder throughout the United States. Of all the complaints with which childhood becomes afflicted in its earlier stages, this is, at least amongst the infantile population of the western country, the most destructive. When this disease commences, it is very rapid in spreading itself through the section of country or neighborhood in which it first makes its appearance. Its desolation or fatal termination depends very much upon the sea- son, section of country, and state of the atmosphere. The disorder generally shows itself before the middle of June, or about the commencement of our summer months, continuing its ravages through the warm sea- son, gradually lessening in violence as the cool weather approaches. Its frequency and danger are alvvays in 63 498 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINli. proportion to the heat of the weather; children are subject to it from the third week after birth, to the second summer, at which period it is the most fetal to them. Many distinguished physicians have been disposed to consider teething as the cause of this complaint. I am, however, convinced, that this is not the cause of cholera infantum, or puking and purging. Yet, in children laboring under the irritation of cutting teeth, I have no doubt this complaint is much more severe than it otherwise would be, and that it is more easily taken by them, and that the disorder is more apt to be fatal in its consequences, I admit. But that it is brought about by the causes which I have before mentioned, will be admitted by every physician who has taken the trouble to investigate, or in other words, to search out the original causes of this disease. As I have before told von, the deestive organs in the early stages of childhood, are liable to constant irregularities and irritations; but what excites morbid irritations in the intestinal canal, is perhaps difficult for the most learned of the profession, at the present day, to determine. Yet, whatever influence the irregulari- ties of diet, teething, or other complaints, may have in producing this disorder, I am assured from long exper- ience, that the violent heats of summer, together with sudden changes^cr exposure to a moist and unhealthy state of the atmosphere, are the usual exciting causes of cholera infantum, or puking and purging. f SYMPTOMS. This disorder commences generally with a purging, but when severe, the child is seized with a puking and purging at the same time, when a few moments before it appeared in the enjoyment of full health. The dis- gunn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 499 charge, or stool is highly offensive, and colored, with a dark or yellow hue; the stools now become frequent, attended with severe griping; probably the motions will be as often as fifteen or twenty times during the twenty-four hours. So soon as the operation com- mences freely from the bowels, the vomiting or puking begins to cease; over the region of the stomach the slightest pressure will give pain, being very tender, and probably swelled; tongue white, thirst great, a constant craving for water between the times of purging, which cannot be satisfied. The skin becomes dry, and from the child falling away, which it does with great rapidi- ty, the skin is very much shrunk on the inside of the thigh; and while the feet are cold, the head and belly are hot; pulse small and quick, sometimes full; gener- ally towards evening the child is better, but after a short time the purging commences again. Countenance pale, wan, and languid; eyes sunk and dull; the child moans and sighs much; cannot sleep, is excessively irritable, sometimes attempting to bite its nurse, or rolling about its head, or constantly putting up its hands to its face; the stools become bloody. Even w7ater itself will produce purging. The least jar or irregular motion gives it pain; noise and light cannot bo endur- ed. It will scream on barely being touched. The gums are black and swelled; the lips on their edges are filled with a dark scurf; the inflammation takes place; the breathing becomes hurried and laborious: the pulse quick, weak, and irregular/; and death closes the suffer- ings of one of the most painful and'distressing diseases. REMEDIES..1 When this complaint is about to make its appear- ance—which Fyou will know by a purging, a white tongue, skin dry and hot, slight fever, attended with 500 gunn's domestic medicine. gripings, and occasionally accompanied with cramps of the abdominal and other muscles—nothing is of greater service than a gentle emetic in the morning, followed by a dose of calomel, mixed with a small quantity of ipecacuanha, at night. For doses medicine see table. The emetic not only cleanses the stomach, but produ- ces a soft moist state of the skin. Tho calomel and the ipecacuanha as I have described, will greatly lessen the severity of the disease, and not unfrequently entire- ly check it. But should there continue looseness of the bowels, with a dry skin and wakefulness, you are to obtain at a doctor's shop, a phial of wine of ipecac- uanha—which is nothing more than the ipecacuanha steeped or mixed in wine—of this medicine, give the child a few drops through the day, in a little warm tea of any kind: this will produce a gentle moisture, or in other words, a moist sweat. At night give a dose of paregoric. For dose of this, or any other medicine refer to the table. The warm bath, that is, bathing the whole body Of the child once or twice a day in warm water, will be found a valuable remedy, and greatly assist in the cure. Many children have entirely esca- ped this dangerous complaint by using daily the warm bath. By following the directions I have laid down, in a great many cases, the complaint will be so relieved as to render the further use of medicine unnecessary. When the remedies which I have mentioned, fail, which is sometimes the case, give occasionally a dose of calomel, to which add a little ipecacuanha. As soon as the medicine has purged the child—or in other words, it has had three or four stools—you are to give a little paregoric, in which put a few drops of the wine of ipecacuanha. This moderates the operation of the purge and brings on a gentle moisture, or sweat of the gunn's domestic medicine. 501 skin. You will find great benefit from covering the child's belly with carded cotton, over which you are to put a broad bandage, drawn moderately tight. The cotton thus borne, will check the purging. Should the child be teething when it takes this complaint, immedi- ate attention ought to be paid to the gums, and cut, if necessary, when the teeth cannot pass through them. If the emetic or puke which I have directed, should hap- pen to act too severely, you can easily stop it by giving a dose of paregoric or laudanum, in a little tea made of cin- namon. So distressing in some cases are the effects of vomiting and puking—not from the emetic, but from the disorder itself—that you will be under the necessity of seeking means to check it; for this purpose there is nothing better than weak lime water and new milk, in which put a few drops of laudanum or paregoric, or apply green peach-tree leaves, beat up, over the stomach and the breast—this is a valuable application for put- ting a stop to billious vomiting: sulphuric ether is also a good remedy. If these, however, should fail in remo- ving the vomiting or puking, a blister applied over the pit of the stomach will scarcely ever fail. This last remedy should not be applied until a fair trial is given those which precede it. i _______________ I WHOOPING COUGH. This complaint occurs only once during life, and is contagious, or catching. It prevails in the western country during the winter and spring months, and its being mild or severe, depends very much on the atmos- phere. When the winter and spring are extremely cold bo"2 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. and wet, the whooping cough is generally severe, i>ut on the contrary it appears under a much milder form. Symptoms.—Whooping cough commences like a common cold, and as it gradually advances, the breath- ing becomes more hurried and difficult, the voice hoarse, attended with cough; great thirst; after a few days, a strange whooping sound is made whenever the child draws a long breath, followed immediately by the cough. The agitation of the whole system is such at this moment that the child lays hold of whatever is nearest, in order to support himself during the fit of coughing; after which he pukes or spits up a tough, frothy, slimy mucus, and is for a short time relieved. The treatment is quite simple:—when you discover the child to have taken it, give instantly an emetic, or puke, of antimonial wine—see table for dose;—and should this puke not lessen the severity of the complaint, you are to give a second, and if necessary, a third; if bound in its body, a dose of castor oil. To lessen the cough, give frequently the juice of garlic sweetened with honey, or a tea-spoonful of sweet oil, to which you may add a few drops of paregoric or laudanum. The whooping cough is generally most severe during night: to allay or ease the cough, the use of paregoric or laudanum will be highly necessary—for doses see table. I have found great benefit in my practice by using in this complaint the tincture ^of assafcetida— which is nothing more than a small lump of assafcetida steeped for a few days in a little whiskey, or any kind of spirits—of this tincture you are to give a few drops whenever the cough is severe, and you will find it to allay the irritation of the system, and mitigate or calm the cough. gunn's domestic medicine. 503 Doctor Robertson, in the January number of the London Medical Repository, states that, of all the remedies he has ever employed in whooping cough, friction—which means rubbing—on the region of the stomach with the tartarised ointment, has been the most undeviatingly useful: for as soon as the pimples begin to appear on the breast, the disorder begins to abate. This ointment is nothing more than emetic tartar mixed with a little hog's lard. For a description how to prepare it, look under the head " tartarised ointment." MEASLES. The measles generally make their appearance in the spring season. It is a contagious, or catching disorder, and like the whooping cough, attacks but once during life. Symptoms.—For a few days before they break out on the body, the child complains of sickness; seems dull and heavy; very great thirst; short, dry cough, with frequent sneezing, as if laboring under a severe cold; the eyes look red, and much inflamed. On the fourth day, the eruptions, or red pimples—which resem- ble flea-bites—make their appearance on the face and neck, which soon extend to the breast, and then cover the whole body. In three or four days they begin to go off; at the same time, the fever which always accom- panies the measles, begins gradually to decline. In some cases, the fever and cough will continue without lessening in their violence for several days or a week after the measles have entirely disappeared. 504 gunn's domestic medicine, REMEDIES. As soon as the sickness or drowsiness is observed, and you have cause to apprehend, from the symptoms I have already described, that your child is about to take the measles, open the bowels by castor oil, so as to pro- cure two or three stools: the next evening—for it is at this time the fever is at the highest—give a gentle vomit or puke, Gf antimonial wine. You will find, by giving gentle pukes, that tho child will be greatly reliev- ed, by lessening the fever and oppression—this being the cause of the drowsiness and stupor. If the vomit should both puke and purge, so much the better, for tho child will be the sooner relieved. When the fever and cough continue for a few days after the measles have entirely disappeared, a dose of castor oil will be proper, and which should be occasionally given during its con- tinuance. About this time, there is a dark and offensive matter remains in the bowels that produces this fever, and which ought and must be removed by means of these gentle purges. You will always know if the fever continues, by the dullness, thirst, and want of appetite. Sometimes die mcaclos and whooping cough attack the child at the same time; when this is the case, a physi- cian should be immediately called, as there is consid- erable danger. The diet in this complaint ought to be low; such as mush and boiled milk, chicken soup, &c. Nothing to be taken cold or hot, but moderately warm. Exposure to cold or damp must be avoided, or the disorder may strike in, which would be very dangerous. Let the child be kept in a room neither hot nor cold, but of a pleasant temperature. , And you are to recollect that spirituous liquors of any kind, administered in any way, gunn's domestic medicine. 505 is highly improper. Bleeding is sometimes necessary when the inflammatory symptoms run high,or the cough is very severe; but it ought always to be performed, if possible, under the advice of a physician. Blisters applied between the shoulders or on the sides, will abate the cough, and may be safely used at any time during the complaint. WORMS. The worms which infest the human body are—the long round worm, the maw, or thread worm, the tape or long joint worm, and the fluke worm. The long round worm is called by the physicians, the ascaris lumbri- coides, deriving its name from slipperiness. It has three nipples at its head, and a triangular mouth in its middle. Its length is from four to twelve inches, and its thickness, when at its largest size, about that of a common goose-quill. The body is furrowed on each side, and the tail somewhat blunt. This worm is quite common in children, and not unfrequently it crawls out at the mouth. It is generally of a milky brownish or ash color. The maw or thread worm—called by physicians ascaris vermicularis—has a blunt head; the tail of the male is blunt, but that of the female quite sharp and winding. It is generally from two to four inches long, quite small, about the size of a small thread, of a white color, and very elastic or springy. This worm is generally found in the straight gut, or fundament—most commonly in children, but not unfre- quently it is met with in grown persons also. They are frequently found in the intestines, or guts, in the form 64 506 gunn's domestic meeicin::. of a ball so completely covered with a slimy mucus, as to prevent the medicines which are usually given for worms, from acting—or in other words—causing their discharge by steel. Inwcir.cn, they sremetimes escape into the vagina, or womb, and thence intD the urethra, or canal through which the urine passes—and they are also found in the intestines of children. The long thread worm—called, medically speaking tricocephalus dispar—is from an inch and a half to two inches long—of a clear white; the head is sharp; the body of the male is constantly in motion, in a curved or winding form. The female is straight, with a blunt head and sharp tail; they contain a brown matter, and generally inhabit the large intestines. , The long tape worm—called by medical men tcenia solium—is from one to six hundred feet in length: it is gifted with the power to contract or enlarge its diameter: that is, to draw up or increase its size at pleasure. It rolls itself into a round form, and falls from one side of the stomach to the other on turning, when in a recum- bent or lying position. When cramped by the position of the patient, or by hard pressure over the belly, or disturbed by food which does not agree with it, by medicine, or some disease proper to it, or tormented by the approach of death, it leaves its hold, leaps about and falls, as it were, into convulsions or fits. The broad tape worm—called, medically, bothrio- cephalus latus—the head is longer than it is broad; scarcely any neck. Its body is flat; generally from ten to twenty feet long, and at its broadest part, from a quarter to a half an inch across, and of a white color. The fluke worm is about an inch long, and of a dirty yellowish, greenish or brownish color; you will know it by examining the worm which infests the livers of ani- gunn's domestic medicine. S07 mals, as the sheep, the hog, the goat, &c. being the same worm. It is extremely difficult to say what ar«4he original causes which produce worms. It is therefore impossi- ble that any physician, however learned he may be, can determine with any kind of certainty, the origin. That improper diet and food, assist in producing worms, is correct; but it is only true so far as this improper food deranges the action cf the stomach and bowels, and weakens their action; for worms seldom occur if the action of the bowels is healthy, strong and vigorous. "Few infants have worms until they are weaned, wdiich is to be accounted for on the principle, that the bowels are in better order during suckling than afterwards, when the diet is more varied and indigestible." To the learned and distinguished Robley Dunglison, Professor of the Practice of Medicine in the University of Virginia,! am indebted for the highly valuable infor- mation on this subject. Climate, infancy, weakened state of the bowels, and improper food, favor the production of worms. That climate has a particular influence, and is favorable to the origin of certain worms, is evident. A fourth part of the inhabitants of Grand Cairo have the tape worm; and in Holland—according to Rosen—it is quite com- mon. In the United States is quite rare. SYMPTOMS. The head is generally affected; the face is pale, and sometimes of the color of bees-wax; the lower eye lid becomes of a leaden color; itching is felt in the nose occasionally picking it; the saliva, or spittle runs down over the pillow during sleep; the breath has a remark- able badfoetor, or bad smell; frightful dreams; the child cries in its sleep and awakes with great terror; SOS gunn's domestic medicine. itching about the navel; creeping or tearing pain in the belly, or a pricking and gnawing about the stomach; constant hunger, and yet the system becomes weak; freque»* itching of the fundament; frequent dry cough, with, tickling in the throat, accompanied with slow fe- ver; these symptoms, singly or together, denote the presence of worms. REMEDIES. A great many medicines are daily employed for worms. From long experience, and an extensive prac- tice, I have had a fair opportunity of testing their virtues, at the head of which stands calomel, worm- seed oil, Carolina pink root—sometimes called Indian pink root, or pink root—and spirits of turpentine; all of which, when properly given, are valuable medicines for expelling worms. You are first to commence by giving the child a suitable dose of calomel;—for which see table of med- icines. You are occasionally to repeat this medicine as long as the stools have a very offensive smell; and look unnatural. On the days between the administer- ing the calomel, give the child a little aloes, pounded very fine, and mixed with honey. For dose see table. " I have never known a case of failure," says a distin- guished physician, "when the patient, or child was freely purged with calomel, and then given either the worm-seed oil, agreeably to the directions on the phials in which it is sold, or the Indian pink root in tea." For a description of this root look under the head Car- olina pink root. The oil should be given on an empty stomach in the morning, on a lump of sugar, and when the pink root is used make tea of it, by pouring a quart of boiling water on a handful of the roots, of which you are to give a cupful night and morning to gunn's domestic medicine. 509 the child; and to cause him to take it more readily, you may add milk and sugar: by this means children will take it as soon as any other tea. Sometimes the pink root will occasion the eyes to become sore; when this is the case, you are to stop using it until the eyes are perfectly well; this is produced, as is supposed, from some other root which grows with the pink root, and is frequently gathered with it. After using the pink root for a week or ten days, give a dose of calo- mel or castor oil. In those species of worm which I have described as uncommon, in our country, their ex- pulsion, or discharge is produced by spirits of turpen- tine, in large doses requiring the advice and atten- dance of a physician. Mr. Cloquet, a distinguished physician of France, affirms, that he has seen the long worm, or the one to which children are most subject, evacuated, or dis- charged by stool, after the belly had been rubbed with a mixture of ox's gall and common soap, oil of tansey or of camomile, mixed with spirits in which camphor has been dissolved, or garlic; and by the application of a plaster composed of common yellow wax, lithar- age, assafcetida, and galbanum, applied to the belly. Pure air, simple digestive food, exercise, and the use of all those means by which the system is strength- ened, should be attended to; otherwise as soon as they are expelled, they will again return. For this purpose occasionally administer to the child or person subject to worms, a simple dose of charcoal in new milk. according to the latest and most enlightened experience of the Medical Schools in Europe, charcoal is highly recommended. DESCRIPTIONS OF MEDICINES. REMARKS. I have now given a full and general description, of the important diseases to which the human body is liable, and of the various remedies to be used in their cure. I shall now proceed to describe, as far as prac- ticable, all the valuable roots, plants, and so on, possi- ble to be included in the work. I have observed in several books, purporting to have been written for the use of families, descriptions of many plants and roots, merely calculated to fill up and increase the size of such works, without being of any benefit as medicines, or even affording any useful information to the reader. I shall therefore, mention only such as are truly useful as medicines, and whose virtues are highly important in the cure of diseases. SENEKA SNAKE ROOT. This root possesses more virtues than any one used in medicine; and of all the roots used in medicine it is by far the most valuable. It is now more than eighty years, since its virtues were made known by physicians, by Doctor John Tenant, who learned its use from the Senagaroes tribe of Indians. By rewarding them liberally he obtained their secret remedy against the bite of the rattle-snake, which he called snake root on gunn's domestic medicine. 511 that account. According to their practice, it was ap- plied both outwardly and inwardly: either chewed and applied to the wound, or in the form of poultice. Doct. Tenant thought the Seneka a certain remedy against the bite of the rattle-snake, but it has since been doubt- ed. A reward was given to the doctor for this dis- covery, by the legislature of Pennsylvania. The Seneka was recommended by him, to be used in pluri- sy; and in this disease it is a truly valuable remedy, after the free use of the lancet and the warm bath. Sir Francis Milliman, Doctor Percival, and many other distinguished physicians, have borne testimony in favor of its powers as a diuretic in dropsies—diuretic means whatever acts on the urinary organs so as to produce an evacuation of the water from the bladder freely. In croup this is a valuable medicine: and the discovery of it being such, is due to Doctor Archer, of Hartford county, Maryland, who first discovered its great effica- cy in croup, that frequently unmanageable disease. My practice is, in the first instance to employ the lancet, in the next the warm bath, and in the next the Seneka snake root, as directed under the head of croup. Giv- en as a strong decoction, which is made by pouring on one or two ounces of the best root, coarsely pounded with a hammer, about a quart of boiling water, which is to be stewed down to half a pint or less, in a close vessel over a slow fire:—a tea-spoonful every hour, or indeed every twenty minutes to a child as the case may be dangerous or otherwise, will answer the effect in croup. It is of infinite service if it pukes the patient when given in this way; because it brings on a dis- charge of mucus or tough slime from the mouth and throat, which almost always relieves the person afflicted. It is proper, if the case is a dangerous one, to give a 512 gunn's domestic medicine. dose of calomel with the snake root, adding to the cal- omel a small portion of ipecacuanha; in fact, in this disease, when very dangerous, I give large doses of calomel when I resort to this remedy: in simple and gentle cases of croup,'an emetic of ipecacuanha, and the warm bath, will frequently give relief. A strong tea made of this root, and given as in croup, is an excellent remedy for the hives, or for rheumatism of an inflam- matory nature; and in violent colds, it is an admirable medicine to promote perspiration or sweating. Used in these cases, the best form is that of a handful of the root to a quart of boiling water, giving a wine-glassful of the decoction every two -hours, if a grown person, and increasing or lessening the quantity as may seem to be necessary, The virtues of this root, in obstructions, or stoppages of the menses or monthly discharges, are absolutely incalculable; and every woman should return thanks to the author of all good, for giving such virtues to this root as are possessed, perhaps, by no other, in relieving this diseased state of the female system which, of all others, is probably the most dangerous. When the menstrual discharge is looked for and does not appear, four ounces of the decoction above described ought to be taken in the course of the day—indeed, as much ought to be takenas the stomach will bear without incon- venience. When sickness to puking is induced—which is sometimes the case when the stomach is weak or irri- table—add in the tea or decoction some cinnamon, or calamus,or angelica,fOr a little ginger; either of these in addition, will cause the stomach to retain the decoc- tion: there is no danger in the Seneka snake root, for I have frequently given it in very large doses in croup. The only difficulty is, that it sometimes passes off by gunn's domestic medicine. 513 stool, without being productive of its usual benefits in female cases—-the remedies for which will be spoken of under the proper heads. But in dropsy, this purgative effect of the seneka snake root is of great and impor- tant service, as well as its active and powerful influ- ence on the urinary organs. In all dropsical swellings, it ought to be used very freely, and will always be found a medicine of high and inestimable value. I will close the notice of this gre^t root, by observing that it has the confidence of the most distinguished physicians of the United States, as well as those of Europe. The discovery of its virtues in female ob- structions, is due to Dr. Hartshorn, of Philadelphia, one of the best men, and whose heart is devoted to the cause of suffering humanity. SASSAFRAS. A particular description of sassafras is unnecessary, being known and found in every part of the western country. The root, bark, or flowers, made into a tea, is used considerably by the people in the country. It cleanses any impurities of the blood, and if distilled, affords a valuable oil, which is a good remedy in rheu- matism. It ought to be rubbed on the afflicted parts in small quantities: and if taken inwardly, a few drops are to be given on a lump of sugar, being highly stim- ulating. The oil rubbed on wens is considered a good remedy, and frequently removes them entirely. The sassafras bark, mixed with sarsaparilla, makes a good diet drink for cleansing impurities of the blood, &c. 65 514 gvnn's domestic medicine. SARSAPARILLA. This root was first brought into notice by the Span- iards, in the year 1563, and was for some time after- wards, considered a certain cure for venereal diseases; [see page 346, where you will see venereal described.] It, however, afterwards proved unsuccessful, either for want of proper attention, or from want of knowledge how to treat the complaint. This ltttle root has excited a great deal of inquiry and discussion among medical men, throughout Europe and the United States, as to whether it really is or is not, a cure for this wretched disease, the venereal. It has fallen several times into almost entire neglect, and as often been again revived into use. It has, however, lately been brought forward, with much higher reputa- tion than it ever held before, and if used in the manner I have described in venereal, may be relied on as a certain cure. Years of practical experience have con- vinced me of the fact, even in the worst of the com- plaint. I will go still further, by asserting that the virtues of this root are not yet fully known and duly appreciated; and I sincerely regret, that the limits of my work will not permit me to go more fully into the great benefits I have witnessed from its use in chronic affections of the liver—for a description of which dis- ease, see page 241. In scrofulous sores, in all diseases of the skin, and for cleansing the blood, it will be found valuable. In rheumatism, gout, and to stop the effect of mercury, or to remove any bad consequences which have been pro- duced by its use, the sarsaparilla is also good. In weakness of the stomach called dyspepsia, [see that head,] it is an excellent remedy, by giving tone and strength to the bowels and stomach. The method of gunn's domestic medicine. 515 preparing it is simply boiling, after washing it clean, in the proportions of an ounce of the root, split and finely cut up, to two quarts of water, which must be boiled down to one quart, and suffered to get cold be- fore it is taken. Take of it from a pint to a quart daily, or as much as the stomach will bear. The bark of the root contains the virtues. You must obtain it sound; and recollect always, that it looses its powers by being kept any length of time. The tea should always be made fresh every day. Sarsaparilla grows plenti- fully in the western country, and may be found along creeks, and on the banks of rivers. It is a small run- ning vine when torn from the ground, and extends some distance from the head, which is of a dark brown color on the outside, and a pale white within. When cut into short pieces it splits easily, and has a very bit- ter tasta The main vine is about the size of a com- mon goose-quill It is a native of the Spanish West Indies, from whence it was formerly imported, until discovered to be also a native of the United States. The imported root is not quite as large as ours, and is of a darker color and much wrinkled on the outside. It may be considered as one of the most valuable roots in the western country, and although possessing great power, is entirely innocent. It ought most certainly to be used, in all cases in which mercury has had any effects on the system, or in which there is the least doubt that any infection lurks in the system connected with venereal. £16 «unn's domestic medicine. JAMESTOWN WEED. Sometimes called jiinson, thorn-apple, stink-weed: and, by the learned, usually called datura stramoni- um. Whether this plant is a native of the United States or not, cannot at this late period be known; nor is it material that the fact should be ascertained, be- cause it is now found in every part of the American Union, from the state of Maine, to the Mexican gulf, and from the Atlantic sea-board, to the Rocky, or Ore- gon mountains. It was first noticed by the original settlers of Virginia, at Jamestown, from which circum- stance, it took the name which I have adopted. Be- verly, who in very early times, wrote a history of the first settlement of Virginia, thus speaks of its effects on a party of British soldiers, who had eaten of the leaves of the Jamestown weed as boiled greens. " One would blow up a feather into the air, whilst another would dart straws at it with great fury; another would sit stark naked in a corner of the room, grinning like a monkey, and making mouths at the company; whilst another would caress and paw his companions, and sneer in their faces. In this frantic condition they were confined, under the apprehension that they might destroy themselves, though it was observed that all their actions were those of innocence and good nature. They were by no means cleanly, and would have wallowed in their own excrements, had they not been prevented. After the lapse of ten or eleven days, their senses again returned, without their being able to re- member any thing that had occurred in the interim." I will give for the satisfaction of my readers some ac- count of the discovery of the medical properties of the Jamestown weed, and also adduce several cases in proof of those medical properties, abridged from the gunn's domestic medicine. 517 account of Doctor Storck, whose authority may be relied on. "In the months of June, July and August, I observed in the neighborhood of Scheenbrun," says the doctor, " great quantities of the Datura Stramonium, or thorn- apple. I well knew that this plant was altogether out of use as a medicine, because several authors had pro- nounced it highly dangerous. On the 23d of June, 1760,1 went out very early in search of the weed, and gathered a large quantity of it, and resolved to give it a fair trial, notwithstanding all I had heard and read respecting its poisonous effects, and of its producing in- sanity or derangement of mind. I next cut off the roots and threw them aside; then beat the leaves, branches and stalks in a large marble morter, and pressed out about one gallon of the juice. This I evaporated to the consistence of an extract, over a slow fire, in a glazed vessel, often stirring it with a wooden spoon to prevent its burning; and the extract, when it became cold, I found to be a black brittle mass. I laid a grain and a half of this extract on my tongue, dissolved it against the roof of my mouth, and swallow- ed it down. It neither produced disorder of my body, nor the least derangement in my intellectual fac- ulties. After making several experiments on myself, and perceiving no manner of disorder, I concluded that the extract could be safely given to patients in small doses. We happened at that time to have a case in the hospital, in which it might be presumed this extract of thorn-apple, (which the reader will please to remember we call Jamestown weed,) would be of service. Before using it however, I consulted both ancient and modern writers, and all to no purpose. They had all laid it down in explicit terms, that it would disorder the mind, 518 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. destroy the ideas and memory, and produce convul- sions. These were all dreadful effects:—but notwith- standing a query suggested itself to my mind in the fol- lowing form: "If the thorn-apple, by disordering the mind, causes madness in sound persons, may we nottry whether by changing and disturbing the ideas and com- mon sensory, it might riot bring the insane, and persons bereft of their reason, to sanity, or soundness of mind, and by a contrary motion, remove convulsions in the convulsed." This notion, I confess, was far-fetched, yet it was not without some good success, The experi- ments, I made were as follow: " Case 1st. A girl aged twelve years, had been disor- dered inher mind two months; she answered confusedly when asked any questions, and what words she did utter were very imperfectly articulated. She was sul- len and refractory, and could be prevailed on by no means to do any thing. All the medicines she had taken had produced no effect. I gave her half a grain of the extract morning and night, and made her drink after each dose, a cup of tea, or some veal broth. On the third week she began to be less sullen; returned more rational answers, and spoke distinctly. In two months time—continuing the use of the same medicine, and giving three doses each day—she began to reason extremely well, and said her morning and evening pray- ers with a clear and distinct voice; gained a good memory, and gradually recovered her understanding. "Case 2d. A woman over forty years of age, was afflicted with vertigo, or dizziness of the head, and - could find no relief from the medicines; she became gradually disordered in her mind, and finally a degree of madness accompanied her vertigo. She was brought to our hospital. The medicines first prescribed gave GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 519 her no manner of relief. She began to be raving and furious; rose out of bed during the night, and by her bawling disturbed and frightened the other patients— some of whom she would forcibly pull out of bed. In this situation I gave her—says Dr. Storck—half a grain of the extract of thorn-apple twice a day. The first day she became more composed, but in the night she turned as furious as ever. The third day, I give her one grain of the extract morning and evening, and all the symptoms became milder. She made some noise indeed, in the night, but soon fell asleep again. On the fourth day she began to give more reasonable answers, but soon fell again into raving fits. Her days and nights then became calm and quiet. On the eighth day, I gave her one grain of the extract three times, and continued these doses until the fourth week, when all her fury was laid. Her madness went off; soundness of mind, speech and judgment returned, and she slept as soundly as any of the other patients: yet the vertigo frequently and suddenly returned upon her as before, and at times .with such violence as to make her fall down as if in a fit, but she always retained her presence of mind. It was enough for the purpose of my experiment, that the extract of the thorn-apple cured her madness; and perceiving that the vertigo was not removed, I forbore its further use. She lived five months in the hospital. All the functions of her mind were good and sound, but the vertigo turned gradually stronger, and the fits of it became more frequent, until at length a true fit of appoplexy carried her off. I dis- sected her and found many of the blood vessels of the head distended or swelled, and one of them turned bony for the distance of an inch and a half: besides which, says the doctor, I found the two anterior ventri- 520 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. cles of the brain distended greatly, and filled with many hydatids of all shapes and sizes. Hydatids arc little animals, formed like bladders, and distended with a watery fluid. All tho viscera in the rest of the body, were in a very sound state. From these discoveries made after her death, it appears that the vertigo of the patient was an incurable disease; and it also appears, that the extract of the thorn-apple, or Jamestown weed, not only allayed her rage, but cured her madness without any bad symptoms." I have accompanied the discovery of the medical virtues of the Jamestown weed by Dr. Storck, with the \ two preceding cases, to prove clearly to my readers, that in the beneficence of his mercy, the great Father of the Universe, has clothed our soil with means, and those means powerful ones, of curing our diseases, with which we are measurably acquainted and with the medical properties of which it is our duty to become familiar. There is, in my opinion, nearly as much folly and stupidity in importing costly drugs at enormous expenses from foreign lands, while we have their equals at home, as there would be in importing bricks and timber from Europe to construct our habitations. Industry and science alone can develope the immense resources of this unrivalled country, and these we are personally, morally, and politically bound to employ. Every part of the Jamestown weed, exclusive of the root—of which we know nothing by experiment—when taken in considerable portions, operates as a strong nar- cotic, or stupifying poison. This is, however, no valid objection to its medical uses and properties; because some of our most powerful medicines, such for instance as opium and aqua-fortis, invariably destroy life, when injudiciously taken. I am not alone m considering this GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 521 plant as possessing high and invaluable medicinal pow- ers ; it has been spoken of in terms of high commenda- tion by many of the most distinguished physicians of the present age, among whom are Barton, Fisher, Big- elow, and King, of Connecticut, Among the Indian nations, the leaves of this weed are made much use of, especially in cases of wounds, contusions or bruises, ulcerations, and the bites of rep- tiles. The extract of this weed, procured in the manner above stated by Dr. Storck, is valuable in various cases of the chronic kind; by which I mean those of long standing; also in all those kinds of epilepsy, commonly called fits—those especially, which give warning of their coming on, or those which occur at regular times. It is also a better medicine than any thing yet known, for lessening the pain in sciatica, or hip gout. The leaves of the dried plant, smoked as we do tobacco, are of great use in attacks of spasmodic asthma—which means phthisic accompanied with cramp. In making use of this medicine internally, the dried and pounded leaves may be given in doses of a single grain. If the first dose produces no sickness or vomiting, you may give a grain of the leaves three times a day, and even increase the dose each time, uptil the effects are felt by the patient, or relief produced. The extract, however, is always to be preferred, given as before described by Dr. Storck, the real discoverer cf the medicine. The bruised or wilted leaves are valuable in painful tumors, and, indeed, in most swellings accompanied with pain. They are, in these cases, to be applied externally, and in such quantities as to preserve their moisture against the fever of such tumors. The Ointment made from the bruised leaves, is also valuable/and is made by 66 522 gunn's DOMESTIG MEDICINE. boiling them in lard or tallow, straining it well, and set- ting it off to cool. In the abridged extract from Doctor Storck I have shown the value of this medicine in mania, madness, or frenzy; and I now say that the value of this discov- ery in 1760, notwithstanding what has been said against it, has been amply substantiated by experiments of many distinguished men of the present age, among whom are Barton and Fisher—-in fact, Barton's experimental tes- timony alone, would: be quite sufficient: and here I wish ^ it to be distinctly noticed by those afflicted with epilepsy or fits, that his testimony m clearly in its favor, as a most powerful remedy, even in deporable cases—he has proved the fact from actual experiment. I wish the reader also to bear in mind the following facts, with regard to the value of simple medicines: the most learned sometimes decry their use, because there is not scientific mystery enough about them to excite the aston- ishment of the common people; and second, because they are often abused by quacks and pretenders, and men who have not perseverance and resolution enough to give them a fair trial. DOGWOOD. The dogwood is so common throughout the United States as to require no description whatever; it is in fact to be found in every forest in our country. The dog- wood bark is generally considered equal to the peruvian bark; but I Conceive it greatly superior, not only on account of our always being able to procure it fresh from the tree, but because the peruvian bark is old GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 523 before it reaches this country, and nearly, if not always adulterated. It is among the best Jonic and strength- ening medicines to be found in this or any other country.- The bark of the root of the dogwood tree is the strong- est ; next in strength to which is the bark of the body and smaller branches. In all intermittent fevers—by which I mean all fevers which go off and return again —it is an excellent remedy; and the only reason why it cannot be given in other fevers, is that when given in actual fever, it increases the pulse, and by so doing, does mischief; hence you will see the necessity of never giving it except when the fever is entirely off. In cases where it produces pain, or griping of the bowels, a few drops of laudanum will remove the difficulty if given with the bark. In most cases the dose in powder— which is the best way of giving this bark—is from thir- ty to thirty-five grains; and in some particular cases— mentioned under the proper heads—an addition of the snake root is to be made, in the proportions of thirty grains of the dogwood bark to six grains of the snake root, pounded to a powder. The wood itself of the dogwood tree, is considerably used by dentists—by which I mean tooth-cleaners and setters—in putting in artificial teeth. The young branches, stripped of their bark, and rubbed with their ends against the teeth, ren- der them extremely white and beautiful. These are tooth-brushes of nature's presenting, and are infinitely better than those made cf hog's bristles, and filled with snuff, and such other delightful aromatics! The negroes of the southern states, and those of the West India Islands, who arc remarkable for the whiteness of their teeth, are in the constant practice of rubbing them with the small branches of the dogwood, or of some other tree which will answer the purpose. The ripe berries 524 gunn's domestic medicine. of the dogwood, in spirits of any kind, make an excel- lent bitter for common purposes, and one well adapted to persons of weak stomachs, taken in the morning. All the Indian nations use the flowers at tho proper season, in warm water, or in spirits, as a remedy in windy colic. The dogwood is an excellent remedy— boiled strong as a tea or decoction—for horses having that destructive disease, the yellow water; a distemper which carries off thousands of that useful and noble animal every year. Horses having the yellow-water, should be bled every day freely, and given nothing to drink but strong dogwood tea. The powdered bark of this tree makes an excellent ink, and the process is very simple:—Take half an ounce of the powdered bark, two drachms of copperas, two scruples of gum arabic, Or cherry-tree gum, and put them into one pint of rain water; mix them together, and in a few days it will be fit for use. The medical virtues of this bark were dis- covered as early as the year 1787. It is an astringent, and also a stimulant, and the internal use of it ren- ders the pulse always quicker, and often fuller than it naturally is. ALUM ROOT This is a native of all the North American forests, from Georgia to Maine, and from the Atlantic ocean to the Oregon, or Rocky mountains. It is a very strong vegetable'astringent; by which I mean, that when applied to the human body, it makes the solids harder and firmer,'by contracting their fibres. As a powerful astringent, it is usually employed in all cases of weak- ness and irritability, and report speaks favorable of its GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 525 virtues. It is generally used in external applications more than as an internal remedy: in piles, for instance —or hemorrhages from any part of the system: bv which I mean spontaneous bleedings. GINSENG. This root is called by the people in the country gen- erally, for shortness, 'sang. It is found in great plenty among the hills and mountains of Tennessee, and brought into Knoxville daily for sale. Some few years back it was used as an article of commerce, and sent to the eastward in wagons as a commodity of foreign export, and afforded considerable employment and profit to the gatherers of it who resided near and among the mountains. It has laterly, however, fallen in price and value, as an article of exportation, and therefore but little of it is brought in for sale. This root was exported to China, and afforded to the shipper a handsome profit—generally selling it in the Chinese dominions for its weight in silver. The Chinese attributed great virtues to this root; so many indeed, that at one period—1784—the price at Pekin is said to have been eight or nine times its weight in pure silver. They considered it as a sovereign remedy in all diseases incidental to their climate and country, and had no confidence in any medicine that was not combined with it: and such was its astonishing reputa- tion, that it was rarely if ever, administered to the poor, on account of the highness of its price. They chew it, and take it in strong decoction, so as to get all the vir- tue from this precious drug. These people are remar- kable for their superstitious prejudices, civil, moral, 526 " gunn's domestic medicine. and religious: as a proof of which, they set a. higher value on those roots which have a resemblance to the human form, and ascribe greater powers to them than to those of a different shape. The ginseng has been fully tested by the best physi- cians in the United States, and they ascribe to it noth- ing more than its being a pleasant bitter, and a gentle stimulant for strengthening the stomach. It gives all its strength and virtues by being stooped in whiskey, or any other kind of spirits. TOBACCO PLANT. Called by the learned nicotiana tobacum. This very common plant was found in cultivation by the Indian nations, when the continents of North and South America were first discovered:—these, however, are not the only regions of the globe in which it is found to flourish: the East Indies have long been known to produce it. To describe the tobacco plant, would be entirely useless; it would answer as little pur- pose, as to describe on paper the countenance of an old friend, with whom we had long before shaken hands, and become perfectly familiar. I shall, therefore, con- sider it in no other light than as a medical drug. I shall first notice tobacco as a remedy for worms. I do not recollect ever to have tried it myself, but Doct. Barton expressly says—and his authority can in all cases be relied on—that " tobacco leaves pounded and mixed with vinegar, and applied as a poultice to the breast and belly, will frequently expel worms, in cases where very powerful remedies have been resorted to in vain. In cases, also, where poisons of any kind have been taken gunn's domestic MEDICINE. 527 into the stomach, and emetics given internally, and prove deficient in their operation, the tobacco poultice, as just described, if applied to the stomach will act powerfully, and force it to discharge the contents. In cases where the bowels are obstinately constipated, in other words, where great costiveness exists, the leaves of the tobacco plant, cured in the usual manner, stew- ed in vinegar, and applied to the belly, will be attended with signal success, when the most powerful purges internally taken have failed. The last mentioned ap- plication—tobacco leaves stewed in vinegar—is a good remedy in what physicians call ascites, or dropsy of the belly—of which there-roe two kinds; one kind is, where the dropsical water is lodged in the great cavity enclos- ing the intestines, or guts, &c.—this is called ascites abdGminalis by medical men. The other is, where the water is lodged in a membrane, suck, or tube, about the womb, and is called aseite saccatus by physicians. I will, for the satisfaction of the reader, abridge a case of the latter kind from a letter of Dr. Cutbush, physi- cian of the American Marine hospital at Syracuse. The subject of the disease presumed by Dr. Cutbush to be dropsy, was a young woman brought to him by her parents. Some of her former physicians—thirty-three of whom had been consulted in. her case—were of opinion that her disease was a collection of water in the womb; others, That it was dropsy of the ovaria-^- these are the parts taken out of femate ^wine when spaying—others, that it w&s an enlarged liver; and others still, that it was an extra-uterine foetus, which is a case of conception, in which the child is not in the womb where it should be, Wt in the cavity of the belly, outside of the womb. On examination, Dr. Cutbush discovered a large tumor, or swelling in the abdomen, 528 gvnn's domestic MEDICINE. or belly, which extended diagonally across it from the left to the right. The swelling, or tumor, which wa« unusually great, had a number of inequalities on its surface, which could be easily felt, and which, when pressed upon, produced extreme pain; no fluctuation or movement of the water, howevejf, could be discovered on such pressure. The case was new to him: and in addition greatly perplexing, because the first physicians of Naples had given contrary opinions respecting it, and had also disagreed in their practice. She had been under the free use of mercury twice—-once at Naples, and once at Syracuse: at the latter place mer- cury had been given in large- quantities by a surgeon belonging to Lord Nelson's fleet, without any beneficial effect. "From this history and examination," says the Doctor, "I entcriained no hopes of relieving her; but the solemn entreaties of her parents determined me to make trial of a remedy which I had found useful in obstinate tumors, and which finally proved the disease to be a dropsical affection of the womb itself, or of the right fallopian tube " [These tubes extend from the sides of the womb towards the ovaria—which I have before explained—and are supposed to grasp them in sexual communication.] " I directed the leaves of the tobacco plant, recently collected, to be stewed in vine- gar, and applied to the abdominal tumor." The first application produced sickness at die stomach, puking, vertigo, or swimming in the head, great depression of muscular strength, copious sweating, and a loose state of the bowels. Her pulse become low; and the vio- lence of die symptoms induced the doctor not to con- tinue the application long- On the succeeding day it was repeated twice—morning and eveiung—and pro- duced the same symptoms, but less violent; and attend- 529 gunn's domestic medicine. ed with an immoderate flow of water from the vagina and womb. This remedy was continued twenty days, and the patient was completely cured. No medicines were given, except a little opium, and some wines occa- sionally. In cases of dropsy generally, the tobacco plant has been found very serviceable. When given in proper quantities, it acts as a powerful diuretic—or in other words, it produces a great flow of urine—entirely dis- proportioned to the quantity of liquor taken into the stomach. This is a conclusive proof that it acts upon, and dislodges the dropsical fluid from the system. In cramps, or spasms it is also productive of much benefit: being well known to produce great relaxations of the muscular powers, and unusual prostration of strength —on which account, it may also be given with advan- tage in cases of tetanus, or locked-jaw, and in fact, in all cases where there appears to be a derangement of the muscular energies, local, or relating to a particular part, or general, and involving the whole system. When tobacco is to he taken internally, by the stomach, it ought either to be in tho extract, as described by Dr. Storck, or in infusion. The infusion is made by steep- ing an ounce of tobacco leaves in a pint of boiling water, and give it by the tea-spoonful with much cau- tion. One, two, or three table-spoonsful, in half a pint of warm milk, or thin gruel, will generally produce relief, if given in clysters, in cases of colic or very ob- stinate costiveness, where all other medicines have proved ineffectual. If these quantities produce no relief, and there, is no sickness of the stomach, the clysters must be repeated every half hour, gradually increasing the infusion until one or the other of these effects be produced. In this way, the dangerous effects 67 gunn's domestic medicine. 530 of tobacco may always be avoided. I will record a case in which obstinate constipation of the bowels was relieved by an infusion of tobacco when all other rem- edies had utterly failed:—In the city of Charleston, South Carolina, some years since, and before reading medicine, I was attacked at night with severe colic, which terminated in obstinate constipation of the bow- els. The pain was so excruciating that I was com- pelled to send for a physician: it was Dr. Whitterage, a gentleman equally celebrated for his philanthropy, and his profound knowledge of medical science. Dur- ing a period of ten days, apprehending an inflamma- tion, and consequent mortification of the bowels, this gentleman resorted to almost every known and power- ful remedy, without effect. As a last resort—of which he candidly informed me—recourse was had to clysters made of tobacco. The first, which was a weak infu- sion, hadno effect; and the doctor directed my nurse to give a strong one at midnight. Her fatigue caused her to fall asleep, and it was neglected till morning. By this time—the tobacco having remained in the wa- ter all night—the infusion had become unusually strong, in which state a clyster of it was given. The immedi- ate derangement of my feelings and sensations, and the horrible nausea and sickness of the stomach I suffered, are absolutely indescribable. I perspired at every pore, and so entire was the prostration of my muscular powers, that I had to be held on the close- stool. It was with difficulty that I could draw my breath. In a few minutes, by an almost unconscious effort, an extremely foetid discharge took place from the bowels, of the color and consistence of molasses, when I was entirely relieved. Subsequent experience has taught me to believe that, had this great and good gunn's domestic medicine. 531 man applied tobacco leaves, stewed in vinegar, to the abdomen, whilst I was under the operation of medi- cines taken by the stomach, I would much sooner have been."relieved from my miseries. In concluding this subject, it can scarcely be necessary to advise my readers, that the tobacco plant is an active and power- ful medicine, and dangerous when used to injudicious excess. THE UVA URSI. Sometimes called the bear-berry, the bear's whortle- berry, and the wild cranberry. The uva ursi—sometimes designated by the names I have noted above—is a native of the mountains and cold regions of Europe, and it is said, of the north- ern parts of the United States. It is presumed, from numerous and well authenticated experiments, to be the best remedy ever yet discovered in all diseases of the urinary organs, whether of the kidneys, ureters, or bladder, and is therefore entitled to no ordinary consid- ' eration as a medicine. The dose usually given, of the powdered leaves of the uva ursi, in any kind of syrup, is from twrenty to thirty grains, three or four times a day, which may be doubled in quantity, in cases of extreme urgency and danger. The descrip- tion of this plant, given by the celebrated Galen, which is considered the most accurate one on record, is in substance as follows:—it is alow shrub, which grows and spreads itself near the surface of the ground, and has pensile, or hanging branches; bark of a redish or pink color, and is thickly set with oblong, oval, and entire fleshy leaves. The flower is oval shaped? and 532 gunn's domuvtis medicine, broader near the base than the mouth, which has an edge scolloped into five divisions, with small, blunt, and curled points. The fruit is a roundish, red colored berry, similar in appearance to the small wild cherry, and contains five hard bony seeds, with plain sides, and no more. It is an evergreen, and produces fruit every two years. Every part of this shrub, particularly the bark and leaves, has a bitter and astringent taste. I am thus particular in the description of it, because the bil- berry, or red myrtle, is often mistaken by good botanists for the uva ursi—they being so nearly alike as scarcely to be distinguishable from each other. The only dis- tinguishing cliaracteristics which can be depended on are these: the flower of the uva ursi has ten stamina, more commonly known by the name of antlers, or uprights, and the berries contain five seeds only—while the other, the bilberry, or red myrtle, has only eight stamina in the flower, and sometimes twenty seeds in the berry. I have some doubts, notwithstanding the opinion of the celebrated doctors Bigelow and Chap- man, for both of whom I entertain a high respect—that the real and genuine uva ursi of Galen, is not a native of any known and inhabited part of the North Ameri- can continent; and that its having been measurably brought into disrepute, like many other medicines, has been owing to the fact of other plants having been mis- taken for it, and used medically in its stead. Galen says that it is a rare plant, and is only to be found in the coldest countries, and in the neighborhood of moun- tains covered with eternal snows; and that he never met with it but upon two of the highest mountains in Europe, one ofwhichwasan Austrian Alp, called Gans, and the other a Styrian Alp, called the snowy moun- tain, six leagues from Marianstein. We have no such gunn's domestic medicine. 533 mountains in North America, unless the Oregon or Rocky mountains, west of the Mississippi, of whose botanical productions we know little—perhaps nothing. But whether the uva ursi be an American plant or not, it can always be had genuine in the shops, and my prin- cipal motive for mentioning any doubts respecting its being a native of this country, is to guard those afflicted with diseases of the urinary organs, against the use of spurious or worthless plants in its stead. The following cases, abridged from a work of high authority, will show the genuine uva ursi in its true light. Case 1st. "A man about sixty years of age, had been about twenty years afflicted, at times with a diffi- culty of making water, which was usually voided by single drops, accompanied with exquisite torture, a foetid smell, and a mucus mixed with blood. Some- times there was a total suppression of urine, which could only be relieved by the catheter. He first took proper laxatives for the relief of the bowels, and then commenced taking half a drachm of the uva ursi every morning. This prescription was continued for seven complete months; by which time his urine became more frequent and full of mucus, but not so foetid as before; and the pian which had tortured him so many years, was quite gone; he slept well; had a good appe tite; grew strong; walked well; and made water with- out any pain. Case 2d. " This was also a man about sixty years of age, who had for a long time been afflicted with exquisite pams, and a suppression of urine to so great a degree, that for seven weeks he had never passed his water but by the help of a catheter. Haifa drachm of the powdered leaves of the uva ursi was given him every morning, and a gentle dose of paregoric at night; and 534 gunn's domestic medicine. after six days he had no further need of the catheter. Having persevered in the use of the medicine for four- teen weeks, he was restored to perfect health. Case. 3d. "A man came to us whose name was Christian; he was afflicted with hydrocele, or dropsy of the scrotum, or bag, for which he had taken medicines usually given in such cases. When this course was finished, a defect in the urinary system began to threaten —insomuch that in a short time his urine became of a white color; was passed with great difficulty and pain: and as soon as discharged, had a very bad and offen- sive smell. The catheter being introduced repeatedly, evidently proved that there was a calculus, or stone in the bladder. The uva ursi was therefore given in the quantities before noticed; by which, in a short time, so great relief was obtained, that not only a due retention of urine tookplace,but it was also passed without pain, in smell and color perfectly natural; and I assert it— says the writer—that by continuing the use of this med- icine for two months, every calculus sign and symptom was entirely removed; although by sounding him again, the calculus or stone was still found in the bladder. This is the first, and the only person, among all I have seen, who frequently made water of a healthy appear- ance whilst a stone remained in the bladder. How it came to pass, and by what means the patient should obtain such benefit from this plant, as to be entirely exempt from pain, and other inconveniences, when a stone still existed in the bladder, is what I must con- fess myself entirely unable to explain." gunn's domestic medicine. 535 SLIPPERY ELM. This tree deserves great attention, as being among the best remedies in our country. I have mentioned frequently, that in many diseases it should be used as a poultice, and in many others as a clyster. I shall now describe the valuable ^properties of this tree more at large. The inner bark must be used—and that of the young tree is preferable. As a poultice, nothing is supe- rior, particularly in old gun-shot wounds. During the revolutionary war, our surgeons used it with the happi- est effects. They applied poultices of it to fresh wounds, and always produced immediate suppuration— in other words discharge of matter—and a quick dis- position to heal. When any appearance of mortifica- tion was evident, the bark was pounded, and boiled in water, and made into a poultice. When applied, it produced immediately a surprising change for the bet- ter. In dysentary|and consumptions, the inner bark boiled in water and drank freely, will be found a valua- ble medicine. It is cooling and soothing to.the bowels. It may be made into a fine jelly, which if taken freely, is a certain and astonishing remedy in all bowel and breast complaints, and may be freely administered to children. This mucilaginous bark is so nutritive, that it supplies the Indians^ with food in times of scarcity. It is one of the most cooling and pleasant remedies, and I may add, that it is not only one of the most valu- able articles we have, but deserves the confidence of every person who practices or administers medicine. 536 gunn's domestic mediclne. JERUSALEM OAK. From this plant—which grows plentifully throughout the State of Tennessee, and too well known by almost every person,to require a description—the oil called worm seed oil is made. This oil has for some time attracted a considerable share of popular favor, as an antidote against worms in children. It is sold in almost every store, under the name of " worm seed oil;" and persons who purchase this oil or medicine, should be careful that they are not imposed upon; because it is very often adulterated with spirits of turpentine, by which they are always disappointed in their expecta- tion of benefit. In its pure and unadulterated state there is no medi- cine preferable to the oil made from the Jerusalem oak for expelling worms from children; but it must never be given when the child has fever, because it will in that case increase the fever—the oil being highly stimulating and inflammatory. When this oil is admin- istered, from eight to ten drops must be given to a child two years old, on a lump of sugar—it ought to be given three times a day, for three days in succession; after which you must give a good dose of calomel, say five or six grains, or a dor e of castor oil—the calomel, how- ever, is the most certain to produce a full discharge of worms. If no worms are discharged, and they are still suspected to exist in the system, repeat the dose again, and again, until you brh'g them from the child. A wine-glassful of a decoction of the Jerusalem oak, made by boiling it in milk, in the proportion of a hand- ful of the leaves to a quart of milk, is a dose for a child; but the pure oil is by far the best. gunn's domestic medicine. 537 DITTANY. This handsome little plant belongs exclusively to America, and is known by almost every farmer and his family in the country. It grows plentifully in Tennes- see. The dittany is always found in dry soils, and in shady and hilly places: it is used in slight fevers as a tea: every old lady in ta3 country has more or less used dittany tea in colds. It is excellent to relieve nervous head aches, and is a good remedy in the hys- terical affections of women. In South Carolina and Georgia, the dittany is given frequently by infusing the leaves in hot water and administering it as a tea, drank as warm as possible, to produce sweating. The medi- cinal virtues of dittany are much the same as penny- royal, mint, and sage: it is a perfectly innocent plant. MAY APPLE, Sometimes called wild lemon, duck's foot, ipecacu- anha, and by the learned, podophyllum, peltaium. This plant, which possesses very important medicin- al virtues, is presumed to be an exclusive production of the North American continent: it is every where found in abundance on congenial soils, from the state of Maine to the Mexican Gulf, and from the Atlantic sea-coast to the Oregon mountains. In the language of the learned, it is a perennial herbaceous plant; in other words, the roots do not perish by the frosts and snows of the winter. The May apple is well known to almost every citizen in the United States; it has a plain upright stem, of a yellowish green color, about twelve or fourteen inches in height; two large horizon- tal leaves at the top, between which, and in the fork, 538 gunn's domestic medicine. when in bloom, there is a white flower, which is suc- ceeded by a yellow acid fruit. Respecting the different properties of this plant, the reader is desired to recol- lect the fruit is good for food—the leaves poisonous— and that its medicinal virtues are wholly confined to the root. The season proper for gathering the root, is late in the fall, when the leaves begin to drop: if gath- ered in the spring, it is comparatively good for nothing. The Indians dry it in the shade, and use it in powders. The American May apple root is an excellent, gen- tle, and effective purge, and is presumed by many cel- ebrated practical physicians, to be greatly superior to the jalap obtained in the shops. Practical experiment has proved that this root operates more gently as a purge than jalap; and it operates a much longer time: and that it is by no means so drastic and griping as jalap. It is also preferable to jalap in other respects; it is less nauseous, and more easily taken; less irrita- ting to the stomach and bowels, and may be more easily used by delicate females and persons having weak and sensitive stomachs. It may be given with much advantage in what physicians call colica picto- neum, or dry belly ache—sometimes a dangerous com- plaint—in intermittent fevers; and particularly in dropsy, on account of its producing continued and large evacuations. Taken in a small dose, say of ten or twelve grains in powder, it is a gentle and easy laxa- tive: twenty, twenty-five, or thirty grains, usually oper- ate with activity and power; and where griping is ap- prehended, the mixture of eight or ten grains of calo- mel will be of advantage. s# gunn's DOMESTIC aiEDlCINE. 539 CANCER ROOT—BEECH DROPS, Called by the learned, Orabanche Virginiana. This plant is the natural growth of every part of the United States: is usually found under the beech tree, and is of a sickly yellow, or pale pink color, and entire- ly without leaves. The root, which appears blunt and round at the bottom, and is covered with twisted and matted fibres on its lower end, is of a yellow color; the stems and the branches are finely furrowed; and on the ridges formed by these furrows, there will be found dark, purple, white and yellow stripes. Between the root and the first divisions of the stalk, there are blunt pointed and bud-like scales which stand out from the surface; and similar ones, but more resembling buds, are scattered along the branches nearly to their tops. The plant grows from eight to fifteen inches high. The reason for my being thus particular in the descrip- tion of this plant, will be presently seen. From the best information I can collect respecting the history of the Cancer root, it appears to have been originally a cure for cancers, used by the Indians, and communicated by them to a surgeon of one of the Pennsylvania regiments many years ago, stationed at what was then called Fort Pitt. The physician to whom the secret was communicated by the Indians, afterwards came to Philadelphia, and advertised for the cure of cancers. He had been the student of Dr. Rush, who speaks thus of the application. " It gave me great satisfaction to witness the efficacy of the doc- tor's applications: in several cancerous ulcers, the cures he performed were complete. But when the cancers were much connected with the lymphatic system, or accompanied with a scrophulous habit of the body, his medicine always failed, and hi some instances did 540 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. evident injury." The word " scrofula," is derived from scrofa, a hog—because this animal is subject to a sim- ilar disorder, which means king's evil. The physician who had the secret from the Indians, died in 1784, and it was supposed the secret had died with him; but Dr. Rush procured from one of his administrators, some of the powders, and found them compounded of the dried and pounded cancer root and arsenic; the proportion of arsenic—of the pure white kind—was not more than one fortieth part of the whole compound. Most of the cures effected by these powders, were situated about the nose, forehead and cheeks, and upon the surface and extremities of the body. Cancers, taints of the fluids of the body, or those which affect the whole lymphatic system, must be cured by diet and internal medical remedies. Dr. Rush says, that the powder compounded of cancer root and arsenic, in the proportions I have mentioned, and applied in the proper cases of cancer, produced inflammation, which separated the sound flesh from the cancerous ulcer and its roots, and that he therefore preferred the application of those powders to the use of the knife, in all such cases. I will conclude these remarks by observing, that the cancer root is a valuable remedy in old and obstinate ulcers, in which it has often been known to succeed, when all other applications had failed. It must be gathered in the month of September, \ gunn's domestic medicine. 541 BONE SET, Sometimes called thorough-wort, cross-wort, Indian sage, and perhaps more properly, by the Indians, ague weed. The learned name of it is eupatorium perfoli- atum. The boneset is a valuable plant, and cannot be too highly prized as a medicine. I regret to say, that at this time most of its medical virtues remain unknown. It has been used in the hospitals in New York with great success, given either as a tea or in powder. The limited size of my book prevents me from writing at large on the great virtues is possesses: but I will merely make this remark, that it is endowed with more real and genuine virtues them any plant now known. The stalk is heavy, and rises from two to four feet, perfora- ting or bearing the leaves at each joint. The flowers are white, and appear in July and August. The leaves at each joint are horizontal, teethed and rough, from three to four inches long, about an inch broad at their base, gradually lessening to an acute point, of a dark green color, and covered with short hairs. It is a native of the United States, and is every where to be found in Tennessee. It is generally found in abundance on the edges of ponds which are surrounded by thickets of brushwood; in low and damp woodlands; on the banks of small water courses, creeks and rivulets, which are deeply shaded by the close foliage of the trees; and sometimes in open meadows, and waste low lands. I do not know what the name of boneset was derived from; nor do I think it very material that the reader should be informed; because real wisdom and useful intelligence, have much more relation to the nature of things, than to the mere names of things. The medical properties of this plant are various and powerful; nor 542 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. do I believe there is one which is a native of the soil of our country, more entitled to the attention and experi- ments of medical men. The whole plant is extremely bitter to the taste, and in some degree astringent; by which I mean, that when it is applied to the tongue, or any other part of the body it contracts the fibres and surface, without any voluntary exertion of the muscular power. It is a strong tonic or strengthener to the stomach; and always when used internally, produces an increased discharge from the skin, which, when con- densed on the surface, is called sweat: in these respects, from well attested experiments, its medical virtues are unequivocal as well as powerful. It can always be given successfully, and without danger, in violent catarrhs or colds, even when attended with some fever; because its stimulating effects are too slight to increase the fever, while the other qualities of imparting strength and causing perspiration, are in active operation. I wish the reader particularly to notice, that I mention the beneficial effects of the boneset plant, in cases of violent catarrh or cold, because it is a dangerous fore- runner of phthisis, or pulmonary consumption, in very many instances, and ought always to be removed imme- diately, if possible. This plant is also an excellent remedy in ague and fever, which is the reason of its being called by the Indians, by a name which in their language signifies ague weed. It is also a valuable remedy in all intermittent and remittent fevers, always acting as powerfully and beneficially as Peruvian bark. In fact, I think it in many cases preferable to the bark; because it can be given where there is considerable fever; in which condition of a patient, the bark cannot be administered without great danger. For this reason also—I mean because it never increases fever—it can ** gunn's domestic medicine. 543 always be given, and has been repeatedly administered successfully, not only in remitting bilious fever, but in typhus and yellow fevers. Dr. S. G. Hopkins, of New Jersey, a physician of much celebrity, in an extensive practice of several years, during which the intermittent and remittent fevers were very prevalent, gave the bone set freely, in warm decoction, with great success. By giving the boneset very copiously, he always produced sweating to allay the fever; and in dangerous cases, pushed the remedy so far as to produce emesis, or vom- iting, and also purging. He related to several of his friends, that many of the farmers in his vicinity, without calling in a physician, had, by the liberal use of bone set tea, given warm, enterely succeeded in curing them- selves and their families of both intermittent and typhu« fevers. The truth is, that in low typhus, which is very dangerous, and always attended with an unusually hot skin, the bone set is an inestimable remedy. It is always used with the best effect, in a warm decoction of the flowers and leaves, which ought to be dried in the shade, and kept for use; the warm decoction is generally preferable to the plant in substance; and from one to two table-spoonsful, given every half hour, will in most casesproduce sweating without causing so much nausea of the stomach as to induce vomiting. If the fever is broken, and you wish to give strength to your patient, give the boneset in the powdered leaves and flowers, from twenty grains to a drachm, from three to six times in the lapse of twenty-four hours. Used in decoction a above stated, it is also a valuable remedy in yellow fever, as has been proved by repeated and well attested experiments. The boneset is also very efficacious in removing active rheumatism—for descrip- tion of which, look under that head:—b»t it ought to 541 gunn's domestic .medicine. be employed in this case after blood-letting to reduce the inflammatory action. With the above commentary on the important uses of this plant in medicine, I recommend it to the serious attention of my readers. It affords another proof that Providence lies given us the means cf curing many of our diseases, without resorting to the adulterated drugs of foreign lands. COMMON BLACKBERRY BUSH, Called by botanists rubus villosus. This root is every where known, and therefore requires no descrip- tion. It is eminently useful in all such diseases as are to be treated with astringent medicines: the root par- ticularly, is powerfully astringent, and when used medicinally, is generally made into a tea. When the ripe fruit itself is employed, it ought to be given in the juice, or made into a syrup or jelly. The tea or decoc- tion is made by boiling a handful of the bruised roots in a pint and a half of water, until it is reduced to a pint; thus prepared, it is given with success in diarrhoeas and dysenteries—a small lea-cupful every two hours— and has often been known to effect cures when many other remedies had failed. In the disease called by physicians, cholera infantum, known by painful grip- ings and purgings of children, a weak decoction of the blackberry root may be given with good effects; but as these purgings may in many cases be considered as the effects of nature to remove the causes of disease, it ought to be given with much caution, and not until proper evacuations have been made to remove offensive matter from the stomach and bowels. In fact, it ought gunn's domestic medicine. 545 to be given in no case of dysentary or cholera infan- tum, until all offending matter, if any is presumed to exist, be removed by gentle pukes and purges. Black- berry syrup, made from the ripe fruit, ought to be kept prepared in all families, and given freely in all cases of derangement of the bowels. BUTTON SNAKE ROOT. Tins is a native of all the Southern States, from the sea-board to the Mississippi; the root has a sharp, aromatic, and very bitter taste, and whenever chewed, it produces a considerable flow of saliva, or spittle. A tea or decoction of it, taken internally, produces a dis- charge from the skin, and expectoration from the throat and lungs. By many physicians of reputation, it is held in higher estimation than the Seneka snake root, which it very much resembles in its effects. CAMOMILE. The tame species is a native of Europe, but may be cultivated in most parts of the United States, and par- ticularly in the mild climate of Tennessee. It is perennial: that is to say, its roots do not die by the frosts of winter, but shoot forth and blossom through succeeding years. The flowers are generally used for medical purposes, and sold in shops: the single ones are the best, because they are the strongest. Infusion in water, extracts the medical properties of the camo- mile, flower, which, drank cold, is highly useful as a tonic: in other words, it will give tone and strength to 09 546 gunn's dc\ie£Ti« medicine. an irritable and weak stomach, repair a debilitated or lost appetite, and operate favorably on such young fe- males as labor under what is called green sickness: which means the retention or suppression of the menses. It also operates as an anti-spasmodic: that is to say, it relaxes the involuntary contractions of the muscles of all parts of the body, and particularly of the stomach. in what is commonly called cramp: it is also of service in all nervous weaknesses of females. When taken warm, and in considerable quantities, it aids materially in the operation of emetics, or pukes, &c. &c.—The camomile flower when steeped in old whiskey, or in any good spirits, and taken two or three times a day, in moderate quantities, is an excellent medicine to give tone or strength to a weak stomach and restore the appetite. For women, given in hysterical complaints, this is a valuable remedy. IPECACUANHA. This root is a native of Spanish America; and in the Spanish language, it means vomiting or puking root. The word ipecacuanha is applied to several other roots which produce vomiting or puking to any extent. The proper or botanical name of this root is the raicilla: I have, however, adopted the name ipe- cacuanha—by which it is most commonly known to physicians. This root was first brought into Europe about the middle of the last century, but did not come into general use until about the year 1786, when it was introduced into the practice of medicine by Helvetius, under the patronage of Louis XIV. The ipecacuanha is one of the mildest and safest emetics, or pukes, with gunn's domestic medicine. 547 which we are acquainted, and has this great advantage; that if it should fail to puke, it passes off by purging or sweating; and further, if by accident an over dose is taken, it is attended with no danger; as the wdiole of it is vomited with the contents of the stomach, as soon as it operates.—The vomiting or puking is promoted by drinking freefy of warm water. The genuine ipecacuanha in its dry state, is a small wrinkled root, about the size of a hen's quill, variously twisted, and marked with projecting parts, apparently like rings—ash colored. Its taste is sickening, and slightly bitter, with little smell, and covering the tongue with a kind of mucilage. On breaking the root, the outer bark is very brittle; and it is in this brittle part that the activity and power of the root as a puke resides —the centre of the root being nearly destitute of medi- cinal virtues. This root is generally sold in the shops in a powder, that being the form in which it is used as a vomit or puke: the powder is the color of common ashes. I have now described to you the imported ipecacu- anha, or the medicine which is now used throughout all the world under that name; and I may justly re- mark, that it stands at the head of vegetable emetics, for the promptness, efficacy and safety of its operations. In powder, which is the manner in which it is gen- erally given, full vomiting or puking will be produced in a grown person, by a dose of a scruple, or half a drachm: or you may put a drachm into six table- spoonsful of warm water, and give a table-spoonful occasionally, until it operates: or you may steep it in wine, and give it in small doses, until the effect you desire, is produced. 518 gunn's domestic medicine. The medicinal uses of this powder, when properly applied, are very great and valuable. In addition to its acting as a vomit or puke, when given in small doses, so as to produce nausea—which means sickness of the stomach—it generally produces moisture of the skin—or sweat—evacuation of the bowels; and in still smaller doses, it generally stimulates the stomach, in- creases the appetite, and assists digestion. In small doses, it acts not only as a diaphoretic—which means sweating—but as an expectorant—which means a free discharge of tough mucus and spittle from the mouth and throat. It is also a valuable medicine when given in small doses, to stop spontaneous' bleedings from the lungs and womb. These bleedings are called hemorrh- ages. In intermittent fevers, it has generally succeeded in stopping them, especially when given about an hour before the coming on of the fever; and also when given so as to produce vomiting at the time of the fever, or end of the cold stage. Great benefits are often derived from this medicine in continued fevers, and particularly in the commencement of typhus fevers; an emetic or puke of ipecacuanha, followed with a sufficiency of this medicine in very small doses, to keep up a gentle moisture or sweat, will, if attended to in the early stage of this complaint, probably at once cut short the disease, or greatly lessen the severity and symptoms of the fever. Wine of ipecacuanha is sometimes substituted for the powder: it is, however, better suited to children. As an emetic or puke, the dose for a grown person, is one fluid ounce—which is about half a large wine or stem glassful. For a description of this wine of ipe- cacuanha look under that head. gunn's domestic medicine. 549 COMMON TANSY. Tansy is perennial, or perpetual, and grows wild by "the sides of roads, and the borders of fields, but is most frequently cultivated in gardens, both for culinary and medicinal purposes: it flowers in July, and fre- quently in June. The leaves are generally used as a medicine, and when steeped in whiskey, or any kind of spirits, make a moderately warm, and highly valuable bitter for weak stomachs, very beneficial to children in preventing worms. It should be given to them in the morning, on empty stomachs. Some physicians have spoken highly of its virtues in hysteric disorders, par- ticularly those proceeding from a deficiency or sup- pression of the menses or courses. An infusion or tea made of tansy, and drank freely, has been strongly re- commended as a preventive of the return of gout.. SAGE. This valuable garden herb was once supposed by the ancients, to prolong the lives of those who would frequently use it. They dedicated to it the following maxim:—"How can a man die, in whose garden there grows sage?"—in allusion to its many virtues. It is too well known, and too much used to require a descrip- tion. It makes an excellent tea to produce sweat or moisture of the skin—and by adding a little lemon juice or vinegar so as to make it pleasantly sour, is a good remedy in fevers. 550 gunn's domestic medicine. RUE AND BALM. Rue is also a garden herb; the leaves of which, made into tea, will produce perspiration, or sweating, quicken the circulation, and remove obstructions of the blood. It is valuable to weak and hysterical constitu- tions. Balm is also a garden herb, and affords a pleasa»it tea to be drank in fevers. When drank freely, it will pro- duce perspiration or sweat, and of course, is good in slight fevers. AMERICAN COLUMBO. This stately and elegant plant is a native of the United States, and is found in abundance in both Ken- tucky and Tennessee. It has various names: such as Columbia, Indian lettuce, columbo root, Marietta col- umbo, and wild columbo. The stalk grows from eight to ten feet in height; it is strong, juicy and fleshy, near- ly square, and furrowed at the sides, and sends off its leaves, which are of a deep green color, at intervals of six or eight inches, to something more than half its length, and smaller leaves and flowering branches to the top. The root is biennial—that is, it lives two years—it is large, full of knots, plump and full, and of a yellow color; the leaves are occasionally opposite to each other; and usually grow from four to eight togeth- er: they are something sharp, and sometimes oblong: or in other words, oval, or egg shaped, and sharp at the points. The flowers grow in clusters, and are of a greenish yellow, or cream color. The columbo root, which is the only part to be used —is a mild, pleasant, and highly valuable bitter—act- gunn's domestic medicine. 551 ing as a powerful tonic, or strengthening medicine. It is valuable in dyspepsia, or indigestion, and in diarrhoea, or looseness of the bowels, arising from a redundancy of bile. It will generally check vomiting or puking, and will always be found beneficial in colic, or cramps of ihe stomach, want of appetite, and cholera morbus —which means puking and purging; it may be taken in substance—by which I mean powdered—a tea- spoonful every three or four hours: or a decoction or tea, a wine glassful three or four times a day: or you may steep the root (say two ounces) in a quart of old whiskey, which must stand for a few days, that the spirits may extract the virtues from the root. This valuable bitter may be used three or four times a day, in doses of a table-spoonful or more; and by adding a few drops of peppermint to this preparation, it is a good remedy to moderate the puking which sometimes oc- curs with pregnant women. All persons who are sub- ject to lowness, or depression of spirits, instead of resorting to more dangerous stimulants, should use this Columbo bitter freely. BLOOD, OR PUCCOON ROOT, Sometimes called Indian paint, and red root, but learnedly denominated Sanquinaria canadenis. This plant is a native of North America, from the Canadian provinces to the Gulf of Mexico, and per- haps of no other region of the globe. It is not only a plant peculiar to the continent of North America, the virtues of which are so well known to the Indian nations, but its root is perennial: in- other words, it is not destroyed by the frosts and snows of winter. It 552 gunn's domestic medicine. generally grows about a foot high in rich wood lands, and varies in thickness from a quarter to three quarters of an inch in diameter—which means across. It is generally about the size and length of a finger; fleshy and round, and the end of the root has the appearance of having been cut off by a dull instrument, or as if it had been broken off in removing it from the ground. The outside color of the root is brownish, but on being cut, the juice flows of a blood-red color. The puccoon flowers early in April, bearing but single flowers on each stem. The blossoms are white, the stems perfectly naked; the upper side of the leaf of a pale, sickly green, and the veins which pass through it, of an orange color. The flower bud is of a faint, or delicate rose color: the seeds, which are round and pointed, are very numerous, The leaves and seeds of the puccoon plant—which is the name I have adopted—like the seeds of the stramonium, or Jamestown weed, are poisonous, and must never be used. The root seems to contain all its medicinal qualities; and is closely allied in its effects on the human system, to the seneka snake root, and in some of its effects, to the digitalis purpuria, or fox-glove. A decoction or tea, as it is usually called, made of tho puccoon root, is highly recommended in the treatment of old and ^indolent ulcers—which simply means old sores that do not seem inclined to heal—and the dried and pounded root, applied a few times, in some cases of ill-conditioned ulcers, with callous edges, and an itcherous or itching discharge, seldom fails to produce a healthy state of the sores. It is an excellent remedy in croup, and must be given in doses sufficient to pro- duce vomiting, or puking; some physicians rely on it wholly in croup. It is aho an excellent remedy in gunn's domestic medicine. 553 dropsy of the chest—called by physicians hydrothorax— given in doses of sixty drops of the juice three times a day, and increased until nausea or sickness of the stomach follows each dose. This root in powder, from twenty to thirty grains, is an active emetic or puke. Dr. Barton, one of" the professors in the Philadelphia medi- cal college, thinks it nearly equal to the seneka, or rat- tle snake root, in cases of ulcerous sore throat, croup, and hives, and diseases of this nature. It is a valuable medicine to produce a determination to the surface- by which I mean sweating—and also in colds, pleuri- sies, rheumatism, and other inflammatory disorders. When used for these last diseases, it should be given as a tincture—which is the root steeped for several days in spirits of any kind—and given in doses of ten drops every two or three hours, until a moisture or sweat is produced on the skin. This tincture is also valuable in jaundice, in torpor of the liver, attended with colic and yellowness of the [skin, a disease com- mon to southern climates. The puccoon root, made into a tincture, and gradually and cautiously used, will be found a valuable medicine in stoppage of the men- ses or courses in women. I have used it with great success in my practice, when every other medicine usually resorted to had failed. My usual method of preparing it is, to steep^ about a handful of the root sliced, in half a pint of old whiskey, letting it stand five or eight days, when the tincture is fit for use; be- ginning with ten drops, and gradually increasing the dose, as circumstances may require. But you may give* it in a decoction or tea—a handful of it to a quart of boiling water—a table-spoonful every two or three hours, as the situation of the .patient may require, 70 w* 554 GUNN'iS OOMESTiO MEDICINE. This root powdered very fine, and snuffed up the nose, is said to be a certain cure for polypus, a fleshy teat, or grisly substance, which grows in the nostril, gradually increasing in size, until breathing becomes difficult, and which sometimes, unless removed, ends in suffocation. I have lately made experiments with this root in a disorder called tetter worm, and in several instances succeeded in curing it when other valuable remedies had failed. Steep the sliced roots in strong vinegar ten days, and wash the part affected two or three times a day. I shall conclude my remarks on this valuable root by observing, that it possesses a great many valuable qualities which are probably yet unknown. The best time to collect it for medica purposes, is when the seeds are ripe—which is about the beginning of May. SENNA. I shall first describe to you the foreign, or imported senna, generally used in the practice of medicine; after which I shall describe the American plant sehna, which, on almost numberless trials, has proved to be but very little, if any, inferior to the imported, or that sold in the shops, and mostly used by physicians. I have used them both and can discover no difference. This affords another proof of a bountiful providence, in bestowing on this people, a plant of so much value, and one which, before its discovery here, we were compel- led to import from Egypt. Here I again repeat vvftat I have frequently said in this work, that all that is re- quired of us are industry and attention, and we will GUNN'S D03IESTIC MEDICINE. 555' discover in a few years, thousands of medical plants in the western country, superior in every respect to the foreign, by which we will have this further advantage: we will always have them fresh, and in full possession of their virtues. The leaves of the senna are alone used in medicine. The imported plant grows in Turkey, Syria, and Per- sia. It is commonly called Alexandria senna, because it was once imported exclusively from the city of Alex- andria in Egypt. This medicine was originally receiv- ed from the Arabians—and large quantities of it are now brought from Nubia, which is known in Egypt by the name of the valley or country of Barabras; it is a narrow valley through which the Nile flows, where the view is confined on two sides alternately, by a lofty chain of mountains. Senna is the chief production or commodity of this country. It is not cultivated, but grows naturally on the sides of the hills and ravines. Each person has the right of gathering what grows in his district. Two crops are annually made, the pro- ductiveness of which depends on the duration of the rains, which fall periodically every year. The first, and most fruitful crop, is that gathered at the termination of the rains—the second crop is small. No expense attends the preparation of the plants, which merely consists in cutting and spreading them on the rocks to dry. This process, in that warm climate, only occu- pies a single day. The senna is then put up in bales of one hundred pounds, and the slave merchants con- vey them by camels to Sienne and Darao, where they are sold for eleven or twelve francs a bale—which is about two dollars and twenty-eight cents. They are then carried to the farmer- general at Cairo—an officer appointed by the government to examine and purchase 556 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. them. The sum fixed by him is from thirty to thirty- three francs—which is about eight dollars and twenty- seven cents. They are then sold by them to the European factors or merchants, for one hundred and six francs each bale, which is equal to twenty dollars and fourteen cents, and by them exported to the differ- ent quarters of the world. American citizens! why will you pay such accumulated and enormous expenses to foreign governments and merchants, for an article which is furnished plentifully by the soil of your own country? The demand for this article from Europe every crop is, generally, from about fourteen to fifteen hundred quintals, of one hundred pounds each. The great de- mand for this medicine, both in Europe and the United States, has induced the Egyptian merchants to mix with it senna of an inferior quality, which sometimes occa- sions it to fail in producing the immediate effect intend- ed. Although this fraud, when practiced, does no serious injury, it frequently disappoints us in the active operation of the medicine: the inferior senna, although producing eventually the same effects, is much slower and weaker in its operation. AMERICAN SENNA. Having given you the history of the European, I shall now proceed to describe to you our own senna, which grows abundantly in the United States, and particularly in the western country. In fact, it is found plentifully about Knoxville, and on the shores of the Holston river. I have told you that I had used both, and could perceive no difference in their operation— gunn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 557 and I now repeat the fact, that it may be the more for- cibly impressed on your mind. Notwithstanding this, those who prefer the foreign senna to our own, may easily gratify their preference, as the imported kind is now cultivated in North Carolina, and is found to flourish abundantly. It is evident that we do not obtain the pure plant from abroad: I have shown the manner of adulteration: why, then, should we not cul- tivate the foreign plant sufficiently for our own con- sumption, if we must and will have it? The wild senna of America is a most beautiful plant. I will describe it in as plain terms or possible—knowing at the same time, that it is very difficult, if not utterly impossible, to delineate in mere language, what can only be known to the eye:—It has frequently several stems from the same root; these stems are, generally, either entirely smooth, or furnished with a few strag- gling hairs. The larger sized leaves, I believe, are mostly confined to the larger branches, and are disposed in pairs opposite to each other, on the sides of those branches which run out nearly in a horizontal direction from the stem. The flowers are of a bright orange color, and are usually found on small sprays or sprigs, which shoot out in the angles formed by the stems and larger branches. Near the top the flowers are attach- ed to the main stems. The stems rise from two to four feet in height. The leaves are rather long—green above, and pale underneath; they should be gathered about the last of August for use. Dr. Barton, an eminent physician, and professor of Botany in the University of Philadelphia, informs us that he had some experience with the American senna during a term of practice in the Marine Hospital of that city. "I have," says the Doctor, "for some months 558 gunn's domestic medicine. past, substituted the American for the Alexandrian senna, and very frequently employed it. I have, also, in a single instance, used it in my own family. I have had reason to confirm the high character which the American plant has long maintained." But, reader, whether you may prefer the imported or the American senna, which I consider equal in their medicinal powers, the following remarks are applicable to both, or to either of them. The senna is a valuable purge, and when good, is active in its operation, and at the same time quite in- nocent. Senna is seldom given by itself, but is alvvays mixed with manna—a description of which will imme- diately follow this. When you enquire for senna as a medicine at a doctor's shop, alvvays ask for a dose of senna and manna, because these two medicines are alvvays given together. Sometimes a little salts is mix- ed with the senna and manna, especially if you wish to make the operation sure and active. In fevers, first giving a good dose of calomel, follow it up with the senna, manna, and salts: senna has but one fault; it is apt to gripe during the operation: this can alvvays be prevented, however, by adding a little ginger. But, I believe, from an extensive experience, that after calomel to remove bile, if the following mixture me made up and given, it is superior and more innocent than any medicine now known as a purge:—Take of senna and manna, each half an ;ounce; of ginger, one drachm; of salts one ounce—pour on these medicines a pint of boiling water; cover over the vessel in which you make this tea, so as to prevent the steam from esca- ping. This tea is to stand until it becomes cool. You are to give of it to grown persons, one gill every hour or two, until it operates freely. According to the age GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 559 of the person, you are to give this tea in smaller doses, and as it is quite innocent, it may be given to children occasionally in small doses, until the desired effect is produced—which is a free operation as a purge. If you wish it to act as a very mild and gentle purge, you may leave out the salts. I repeat, in order that you may remember it, that whenever the bowels are ob- structed, or whenever you require an active and search- ing purge, senna, manna, and salts, in the proportions I have just mentioned, adding thereto a little ginger, are superior to any[means of operating on the bowels now in use. MANNA. The word manna, means a gift; it comes from the Syrian word mano, being the food supplied by the Almighty to the children of Israel in the wilderness: or it comes from the word mahna, what is it? an ex- clamation used by the Israelites on its appearance—so say the best authorities. The manna, or medicine so called, and that which is mostly used by physicians, comes from Naples on the Mediterranean sea. The best manna is in long flakes, moderately dry, brittle, and crumbling, of a pale yellow- ish color, and considerably transparent; in other words, you can partially see through it. If it is moist, very sickly, and dark colored, it is considered of an inferior quality, although not less purgative. The manna is principally collected in Calabria, Apulia, and Sicily, in the warmest season of the year, from the middle of June to the end of July. Various trees afford it: par- ticularly a kind of ash, called manna ash. It flows 500 gunn's domestic medicine. from the trunk of the tree when tapped, similar to the juice or sap of our sugar tree when used in the same manner. The liquor first flows from the tree like a white froth, extremely light and of an agreeable taste. The heat of the sun, in a few days, hardens it to the consistence we find it. Manna has something the taste of sugar, and is sickish and searching on the tongue. Its great resemblance to sugar, both in appearance and taste, induces children readily to eat it—in its effects, it acts on them as a mild purge. Manna is, however, a very feeble purgative medicine, requiring large doses for a grown person, say an ounce or two: for this rea- son, as I have before told you, and so directed, it must always be mixed with senna and salts. It ought never to be given alone, except to small children, as a mild and opening medicine. Sec table of closes. WHITE WALNUT. During our revolutionary war, when medicines be- came scarce, the physicians of the army employed the inner bark of the white walnut as a purge. In the dose of from ten to twenty grains, it operated well, by evacuating the bowels thoroughly, and was much resorted to by them as a purgative, in all bilious cases of fever. By the addition of eight or ten grains of calomel, the efficacy of the white walnut may be great- ly and beneficially increased. As I have stated to you, the medicinal virtues of this bark are confined to the inner bark; and the proper time for getting it in the full possession of its virtues, is about the month of June, because the bark is at this time considerably more powerful than at other periods. GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 561 I have used the white walnut in my practice, and alvvays found it among the best purgative medicines possessed in the Western country, and have very often been surprised that the article is not kept in the family of every farmer in the country. The manner of ex- tracting the virtues of this bark, is very simple:—It is merely to be boiled in water several hours, then strained and boiled again, until it becomes about as thick as honey. Two, three, or four pills which it can be made into with a little flour, make a dose of this ex- tract. One or two of these pills, taken at bed time, is a valuable remedy in the removal of costive habits of body, which occasion head-aches, colics, &c. &c. By increasing the dose, these pills are good in dysenteries and bilious fevers, and will be doubly beneficial, if com- bined or mixed with a little calomel. RHUBARB. Rhubarb, properly so called, is the root of a plant designated by the learned, rheum palmatum. It is a native of various countries of Europe and Asia, and might be cultivated with perfect ease perhaps, in every port of the United States. Attempts have been suc- cessfully made to introduce the culture of this valuable drug into England: and it appears from authentic accounts, not only that immense quantities of it may be produced there, but that the English root is fully equal to the best rhubarb obtained from Turkey or China The greatest difficulty seems to be in drying it proper- ly. Its cultivation is by no means difficult; it is merely to sow the seed in a light soil in the spring: to trans- plant the smaller roots the next spring, into a light soil, 71 562 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. well trenched, and set them about three or four feet apart. The third year, the plants will produce the flowers; but the roof5 are not to be raised for use until the fall of the sixth year. This is t\ie whole process of rearing the rhubarb: a process which I am convin- ced every American farmer is fully equal to. The cultivation of this valuable medicine in the United States, ought to be considered an object of high individual and national importance. That our climate throughout the different States, particularly the "Western States, is fully equal to its production, there can be no doubt, as it has been fully ascertained by actual experi- ment. That it will grow in Tennessee, I well know; be- cause it is now flourishing in abundance in the garden of Mr. Woods, fifteen miles from Knoxville. The root was originally purchased by Mrs. Woods, from some drug store in Knoxville, and planted for the pur- pose of an experiment, which has perfectly succeeded. I mention this fact in order to prove conclusively, with how much case we might become independent of for- eign countries for thousands of medical drugs which are annually draining our country of immense sums of money. Such experiments as that made by Mrs. Woods, ought to be made by every person who has opportunity and leisure: They are duties the American people owe both to themselves and their country. There are three varieties of rhubarb found in the dru*» o shops; the Russian, the Turkish, and the East Indian rhubarb; the two first, theRussian and the Turkish, re- semble each other in quality and appearance, whilst the East Indian is of a somewhat different character. The best Russian and Turkey rhubarb, is in roundish pieces, with a large hole in the middle of them. The GUNN'S UiOMLi-TiC .-(IKDICiNE. 563 East Indian or Chinese rhubarb, comes to this country in long flattish pieces, seldom, if ever, having holes in them. The Turkish rhubarb is the best, and is gener- ally used in this country. The marks of rhubarb being of a good quality are, the liveliness of its color, when cut; its being firm and solid, but not flinty or hard; its being easily pulverable, whice means retlucible to powder; and its appearing when powdered, of a fine high yellow color; and when chewed, by its imparting, to the spittle and tongue a deep saffron color. Rhubarb is one of the mildest, best, and pleasantest purgatives now in use in this or any other country; because with its purgative powers, it is elso astringent and strengthening, and in this it certainly differs from almost every other purgative of the same class known in medicine. It is superior to nearly all other purges for another reason; it may be taken with opium, and act on the bowels as well as if taken without it. This is a vast advantage; because where purging would be connected with great pain, its being combined with opium, relieves the pain, while the rhubarb is left free to do its duty. The operation of rhubarb is slower and milder than any other purges; but it is very cer- tain in its effects, when given in proper doses. It may alvvays be given with innocence and safety, in all cases of extreme weakness, where a purge to open the bow- els becomes necessary, and where violent and severe purging would be highly improper. You will find this medicine very valuable and safe, as it always acts with much gentleness in relieving the bowels. It is a com- mon and proper purge for children, even at a very early period of life, and in every situation where their bowels become disordered; particularly in dysentary or lax; 104 GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. because it leaves the bowels in a favorable state, after removing the offensive matter from them. It is also an excellent purge for grown persons, laboring under this complaint. In small doses, say from two to six grains, it is excellent for the stomach when laboring under indigestion, generally called dyspepsia: and must be given in such small doses as not to purge, but to act as a tonic, or strengthening medicine. There are various ways of giving rhubarb; such as giving it in tincture, which means steeping it in any kind of spirits: but the best and most certain method of giving this medicine, and obtaining the virtues of it fully, is to give it in fine powder. A dose for a grown person is, from about a scruple, or twenty grains, to half a drachm, mixed with honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup. The root chewed as tobacco, swallow- ing the saliva, or spittle, is an innocent and efficient way of taking it, for keeping the bowels gently open, particularly with those persons who are subject to habitual costiveness, indigestion, and those long trains of nervous diseases which afflict men and women who are subject to derangements of their system from cos- tiveness. In such cases, if they will chew the root of the rhubarb, it will act as a moderate purge, and gently open the bowels: at the same time, it will act as a tonic, or strengthening medicine to the stomach, by which they will always obtain relief GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. SQo INDIAN PHYSIC. This plant is a native of the United States; and as its name imports, was a great favorite among the Indian nations. It is almost every where found in the western country, inhabiting shady woods, and the rich sides of hills and mountains, from the lakes of Canada to the Floridas. The number of stems proceeding from the root of this plant varies considerably; sometimes there is but a single one, and occasionally there are many. The stems are branched above, say about two or three feet from the ground; they are round, and commonly of a reddish color. The leaves are of a deep green, long and pointed, and the flower nearly white, The root of this plant, which is all that is used in medicine, is perennial: that is to say, it is not destroyed by the frosts of winter. It is composed of several long, brown, slender shoots, which run out from the bottom of the stem, to some distance under the ground. This root possesses many of the virtues of the ipecacuanha, and is much used by the country people, as an emetic or puke. Given in the dose of thirty or thirty-five grains in the powder, for a grown person, it is an easy, safe', and certain emetic; and if you give it in what are called broken doses, of six or seven grains about every two hours, it will act as a sudorific; in other words, it will produce sweating. If you give it in infusion, or weak tea, a handful to a pint of boiling water, of which you may take a small tea-cupful every fifteen or twenty minutes, it will produce vomiting. The active power of this root, seems to reside exclusively in its bark, which, in addition to its emetic qualities, probably pos- sesses considerable tonic powers. 5c6 Lil'NN*S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. AMERICAN IPECACUANHA. This singular, and very useful plant, is exclusively a native of the United States, and may be found in great plenty in the middle, southern, and western states. It nearly always grows in loose, moist, and sandy soils, and is very often found flourishing in beds of almost pure sand. The leaves of this plant vary so much in shape and color—and in fact, the whole plant itself varies so much in its different states, that it is often mis- taken by those unacquainted with its habits, for several distinct species of plants. The stems are numerous; they arc nearly white below the surface of the earth or sand, and of a reddish color, or a pale green or yellow- ish hue above it. The leaves are opposite to each other, and generally of an oval form; I say generally, because they are sometimes of a long oval, sometimes pointed, and, unfrequently, linear. In the month of May, while the plant is in flower, the leaves are very small; but as it advances in age, they become greatly increased in size. The seeds of the flower are only three in number, enclosed in a triangular, or three Square capsule, or case. I mention these things par- ticularly, because they afford the best possible means of knowing the plant. The root is perennial; in other words, it is not killed by the frosts of winter. It is from three to seven feet in height, and from half an inch to an inch and a half in diameter, or across, and of a yellow- ish color; sending off towards its upper part, many small- er roots, about the size of small quills. I believe, and am sustained in the opinion by sever- al high authorities, that the American ipecacuanha, the plant just described to you, is superior in its medicinal properties to any other species known. The root of this plant alone is to be used; if the stems and leaves gunn's domestic medicine. 567 possess any medical virtues, they are yet to be dis- covered by experiment. It is a powerful emetic, both safe and certain in its operation, and is applicable to nearly ail cases in which emetics are required. In small doses of from five to ten or fifteen grains, it is an excellent emetic or puke; but if given in doses of twen- ty grains it operates downwards, as an active purge Larger doses produce, in addition to the above effects, heat, vertigo, (which means swimming in the headl- and great prostration or loss of strength. Dr. Barton gives us the following experiments on the American ipecacuanha, which I transcribe for the contemplation of the reader. " A portion of the dried root was finely pulverised, [powdered] and administer- ed with caution to several patients. 1 at first commen- ced with small doses, of three, four and five grains. In these quantities, the powder produced nausea, [sick- ness of the stomach] and determination to the skin, [sweating,] as small doses of ipecacuanha do. On increasing the number of grains to ten, vomiting was produced, with occasionally an operation on the bow- els. Fifteen grains I found sufficient to produce full vomiting inmost cases; and in a single instance, hav-* ing given the powder to an extent of twenty-five grains I had reason to be a armed at the cathartic [purgative] effect which ensued and continued for four- teen hours, attended with distressing sickness at the stomach. I have tried the American root in various combinations, and can confidently assert, that in ail the instances it has proved equal if not superior to the im- ported ipecacuanha. It has some advantages which the foreign article does not possess. Its occasional purgative effect is no more than what follows the for- eign medicine. This view of the subject derives 568 gunn's domestic medicine. peculiar importance from the well known fact, that the imported ipecacuanha, is rarely if ever good, and perhaps seldom genuine." In this plant, or rather root, for that alone is to be used, we see another instance of the bounty of Provi- dence in furnishing us with an article possessed of great medical virtue, the production of our own soil. And here again I repeat, that wehave only to develope the resources of our own country, to become complete- ly independent of foreign lands for our useful medical drugs. Even opium, as I shall shew you in the proper place, can be made here, in sufficient quantities for our own consumption. We are in fact, paying enormous sums annually, for what nature and our own exertions would furnish us. Foreign ipecacuanha, adulterated, and inferior to our own, is costing us three dollars the pound, while we can have our own for nothing. BUTTERFLY WEED, OR PLEURISY ROOT. The butterfly weed, or pleurisy root, called by the learned, asclepias turberosa, is a native of every state in the American Union, and abounds, particularly, in the southern and western states. It flourishes best, and grows to the greatest perfection in light, sandy soils, and is frequently found under fences, and near old ■stumps in grain fields. From twenty to thirty stalks the size of a pipe stem frequently rise from the same root, and stand in almost every direction. These stalks are round and woolly, and of a reddish brown color on the sun side. The leaves are placed very irregularly, and are spear or tongue shaped, and cover- ed with a fine down on the lower side. The stalks gunn's domestic medicine. 569 rise from one to two feet in height, and spread to a considerable extent; and at the extremities of the branches are found clusters of small shoots, on which are found the flowers, when in bloom—which is about the month of July or August. The clusters of shoots from the ends of the branches, as also the flowers, resemble those of the common silk weed, for which this plant is sometimes mistaken. There is, ho we very this difference between them, and it ought to be partic- ularly noticed: the flowers of the silk weed are of a pale purple hue, while those of the butterfly weed are of a beautiful bright orange color, and are succeeded by long slender pods, which contain the seeds. The seeds have a delicate kind of down or silk attached to them. The root of the butterfly weed is spindle or carrot shaped, of a light brown color on the outside, and white and coarse within. It has long been celebrated in the southern Atlantic states, and particularly in Vir- ginia and theCarolinas,not only as a powerful remedy in pleurisy, but in dncumonic diseases generally: by which I mean diseases of tho lungs. This root possesses one remarkable power: given in proper quantities, it affects the skin, and produces copious perspiration or sweating, without heating the body. Given in the simple form of a decoction or tea, it often produces sweating, when ail other remedies have failed in their effects. The powdered root sometimes acts as a mild purgative on the bowels; but it is more particularly and inestimably valuable in producing expectoration, or the throwing off* of mucus from the throat and lungs; in causing pcrsniration or sweating, when other remedies fail, and finally, in reducing obstinate feverish affections. Its efficiency and power in fevers have been attested by '72 870 gunn's domestic medicine, many of the best physicians in the United States. In feverish affections, proceeding from an inflammation of the lungs, in colds recently taken, and in diseases of the chest generally, this root is an excellent remedy. It is to be given in a strong infusion or tea; say a small tea-cupful every two or three hours. Many families have long resorted to this root as a domestic medicine, to relieve pains in the stomach, indigestion, colic, and so on, and for these reasons, call it wind root. Doctors Chapman and Bigelow, whose testimonials alone in its favor would be sufficient to establish its reputation, for the virtues I have ascribed to it, speak in very high terms of the medicinal powers of this root. "As a diaphoretic," [or medicine which sweats,] says Dr. Chapman, "I think this root is distinguished by great certainty and permanency of operation, and has this inestimable property, that it produces its effects— sweating, without much increasing the force of the cir- culation, raising the heat of the surface, or creating inquietude or restlessness. On these accounts, it is well suited to excite perspiration in the forming stages of most of the inflammatory diseases of winter, and is not less useful in the same cases, at more advanced periods, after the reduction of the feverish action by bleeding. The common notion of its having a peculiar efficacy in pleurisy, I am inclined to believe is not without foundation; for certain it is, that it very much relieves the oppression of the chest in recent catarrh, cold in the head and throat, and promotes perspiration in protracted inflammations of the lungs." GUNN*S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 571 JALAP. Tins plant was originally found native in Mexico, hear the celebrated city of Xalapa, from whence it derived its present name, jalapa. It has since been discovered growing plentifully near Vera Cruz, and in our own countries of Florida. And on the authority of Dr. W. P. C. Barton, I take upon myself to assert, that it is also certainly a native of the state of Georgia. The root of this plant alone is used for medicinal pur- poses ; and when of good quality, comes to us in slices which are solid and heavy, and of a dark grey color having little smell, and scarcely any taste. When swal- lowed however, it affects the throat with a warm and pungent sensation. This root is a powerful laxative medicine or purge; its activity resides principally, if not wholly, in the resinous part, which even when taken in small doses and alone, will sometimes gripe severely. The great activity of jalap as a purge, causes it to be much used in the onset or commencement of bilious fevers. Com- bined with calomel, in the proportions of ten grains each, was the purge generally given in yellow fever, by the great Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, and which caused his students to give him the ludicrous nick name of "old Ten in Ten." Used as what physicians call a hydra- gogue, by which they mean any medicine which will expel water from the cavities of the body, the jalap root is entitled to all the praise that has ever been bestowed on it by the medical profession; yet I am induced to believe, from actual experience, and the practice of other physicians, that it produces a better effect in all dropsical cases, when combined with cream of tartar. Ten grains of jalap with onedrachm of cream of tartar, constitute probably, one of the best medical prescrip- 572 gunn's domestic medicine. tions ever known, where long continued purging in required in the cure of a complaint. The dose of jalap, when combined with any other medicine, is from twenty to thirty, and even up to forty grains. Our common May apple root, lias sometimes been called the jalap of the United States. But I am of the opinion noticed above; that the genuine jalap of Mexico is a native of the State of Georgia, and probably, of all the southern states. Perhaps this would be an inquiry worthy the attention of the lately established Medical Board of Tennessee, especially if they intend to re- munerate the country for the privileges granted to them by the legislature. PRICKLY ASH OR TOOTH ACHE TREE. The prickly ash is a native of the United States, and also of the West India Islands, where it sometimes grows to the height of sixteen ^feet. There are two kinds of the prickly ash in the United States, which I believe possess the same medicinal powers: one is call- ed the ash-leaved zanthroxylum, which grows in the northern states, and particularly in the states of Penn- sylvania and Maryland, and the other is known by the name of the prickly yellow wood, growing abundantly to the south and south-west of the states I have men- tioned. The fresh juice obtained from the root of the prickly ash, as an excellent remedy in that painful com- plaint called dry belly ache. This discovery, like most others of importance, was the result of accident: it was made by watching a female slave in one of the West- India Islands, who collected the root in the woods, and gave two spoonsful of its juice every two hours to a GUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 573 negro suffering severely under this colic. The medi- cine caused a profound and composed sleep, for twelve hours, when all sense of pain, and other distressing symptoms had vanished. The cure was rendered final by giving an infusion of the juice as a diet drink. The most important discovery, however, relating to the prickly ash, or yellow wood, is the following: The juice of the root preserved in spirits of any kind, given in doses of about a wine-glassful, has repeatedly re- moved the most obstinate epileptic fits. J do not know precisely the manner in which this preparation ought to be managed, but would give it in tho dose of a wine- glassful morning and evening. The leaves and rind of the prickly ash or yellow wood, in their taste and smell resemble those of the lemon, and possess a simi- lar volatile oil. The bark has a separate acrid, or hot and biting principle, which it will communicate either to water or spirits of any kind; this acrid or biting principle, however, is not perceivred when the bark or liquid is first taken into the mouth; it gradually makes itself known, by a burning sensation on the tongue and fauces, sometimes called the palatine arch, or cavity at the root of the tongue. Chewing a small quantity of the bark, produces a great flow of saliva or spittle, and is very often used in this way to cure the tooth- ache. The bark of the prickly ash has also acquired a con- siderable name as a remedy in chronic rheumatism, by which I mean heumatism of a long standing. Taken in full doses, it produces a sense of heat in the stom- ach, and a st rong tendency to prespiration, or sweating, and consequently much relief in rheumatism. The dose is twenty grains of the pounded bark, to be taken three times a day; or you may boil an ounce of the 5*4 gunn's domestic MEDICINE. bark in a quart of water, and take this tea, or decoctiolt in the course of twenty-four hours. In the West India Islands this strong decoction of the bark is used with great success, as a wash for old and foul ulcers, which it always greatly cleanses, and disposes them to heal up. The West India people also mix the pounded bark with what are called dressings of such old sores. The value of this remedy for old ulcers, is attested by numerous instances of its success, to be found in the London Medical and Physical Journal. INDIAN TURNIP. The Indian turnip is a native of every part of the United States; it grows in low rich meadows and woodlands, to the height of from two to three feet, and is too well knovm to require a very particular descrip- tion. The leaves are but three in number, of a round- ish or oval form; the stalk of a purple color, and the berries of a bright and beautiful scarlet. In its recent state, that is, when first dug up, the root is exceedingly hot, sharp, and biting to the tongue; and on being swallowed, a sharp acrimony is sensibly felt about the fauces, or cavity at the root of the tongue. Of all the American roots, the Indian turnip has the highest reputation in country practice, as a remedy in pulmonary or consumptive complaints: it is also given with considerable success in asthma, and in coughs of long standing. My own experience has convinced me, that it is among the most valuable of our expectorants, or medicines which cause adislodgment of mucus from the throat and lungs, and that it is a good remedy in croup and whooping cough. The green or recent root, gunn's domestic medicine. 575 boiled in hog's lard to the consistence of an ointment, has been found very useful in tinea capitis, or scald head, in which I would alvvays recommend its use. When given in consumptive complaints, the fresh root should be boiled in sweet milk. When the dried root is to be given, it must be finely grated in the sweet milk—one root in half a pint of milk, and well boiled before it is taken. Some acrimony or sharpness should be perceptible to the throat and tongue, or the root has probably lost its powers. The ointment I have men- tioned above, is valuable also in some diseases of the skin: such as ring worm, tetter worm, and so on. WILD CHERRY TREE. This tree is so very common as to require no de- scription. The bark of this tree, or the bark of the root, which is still better, combined with the bark of the dogwood, when employed in the cure of ague and fever, bilious fever, and other diseases where tonic or strengthening medicines are proper, is by no means in- ferior to the best Peruvian bark. Combined with Virginia snake root, in the proportion of one part of snake root to four parts of this bark, it is an excellent remedy in intermittant fevers of an obstinate character, and long standing. You may either give it in powder, in the same dose that you would Peruvian bark,—see table of doses; or jyou^may give it as a tea, or decoc- tion. It has also been found very useful in dyspepsia, or indigestion, and in consumption of the lungs. Infused plentifully in strong sound cider, it will in most cases remove jaundice, especially if preceeded by a dose or two of calomel: and a strong decoction of the bark is 576 cjunn's domestic medicine. an excellent wash for old and ill-conditioned ulcers. It is a singular fact, that the leaves of the wild cherry tree will poison cattle: nor is it less singular than true, that the distilled water of the leaves is a powerful poison to most animals. This effect seems to be independent on the presence of the same poisonous principle which exists in peach kernels, and other substances of a similar kind, lately shown to bo prussic acid, the strongest poison known to us. AMERICAN CENTAURY. Tins is a very elegant little plant, a native of the United States; and is no less valued for its medicinal virtues, than admired for its simple beauty. The root consisting of a few thick yellowish fibres, generally sends up but a single stem, which grows from a foot to eighteen inches high: this stem is smooth and four- sided and where the branches shoot off, it has gener- ally two leaves, which grow opposite to each other: indeed, the leaves of every part of the plant grow op- posite to each other, and are oval and sharp at the points. The flow7ers are very numerous; growing at the points cf the branches, from two to five in number, and are generally of a beautiful pale rose color. This plant is in full flower in the month of July. Every part of this little plant is a pure strong bitter, and parts with its medicinal qualities to both water and spirits—it has no astringent powers. On stomachs that are weak, it exerts a strengthening influence, and is considerably used in the southern states in intermittent fevers. In fact, by the best practitioners in the Union, it is generally admini.-lerod in levers: Dr. Barton say.>. gunn's domestic medicine. 577 "it was often employed with much benefit in the city of Philadelphia, in 1793, in certain stages of the yellow fever." On the whole, centaury may be confidently recommended for its pure bitter, tonic and strengthening virtues. It ought to be taken as a decoction or tea, and always taken cold: it may be given in powder, in doses of from ten to twenty grains, but I think not with the same advantage. In relaxations of the stomach, and general debility of the system, mixed with cala- mus or angelica root, it forms an excellent and strength- ening bitter. This root is called by the country people centry. LOBELIA INFLATA, OR INDIAN TOBACCO. It has been affected that the discovery of the medi- cinal virtues of this plant, is involved in unexpiainable mystery; but it long since has constituted a portion of the standard materia medica: it is an annual or bien- nial indigenous plant, usually a foot or more in height, with a fibrous root, and a solitary, erect, angular, and very hairy stem, much branched about mid way, but rising considerably above laQ summits of the highest branches. The leaves are scattered, sessile, oval, acute, serrate and hairy. The flowers are numerous, disposed in leafy- terminal racemes, and supported on short arillary foot stalks. The segments of the calyx are lined and point- ed: the corolla, which is a delicate blue color, has a labiate border, with t$ie upper lip divided into two, the lower into three acute segments. The united anthers are curved, and enclose the stig- ma: the fruit is an oval, striated, inflated capsule, crown- 73 578 gunn's domestic medicine. ed with the perristent calyx, and containing in two cells numerous very small, browm seeds. This species of lobelia is a very common weed, grow- ing on the road sides,andm neglected fields, throughout the United States. Its flowers begin to appear towards the end of July, and continue to expand in succession till the occurrence of frost. The plant, when wounded or broken, exudes a milky juice. All parts of it are possessed of medicinal activity; but according to Dr. Eberle, the root and inflated capsules are most power- ful. The plant should be collected in August or Sep- tember, when the' capsules are numerous, and should be carefully dried: it may be kept whole or in a state of powder. Dried lobelia has a slight irritated odor, and, when chewed, though at first without taste, soon produces a burning, acrid impresston upon the posterior parts of the tongue and palate, very closely resembling that produced by tobacco, and attended in like manner with a flow of saliva, and a nauseating effect upon the stom- ach. The powder is of a greenish color: the plant yields its active properties readily to water or alcohol, and water distilled from it retains its acrid taste: it has not been accurately analyzed. Medical properties and uses.—Lobelia is emetic, and, like other medicines of the same class, is occa- sionally cathartic, and, in small doses, diaphoretic and expectorant; it is also possessed of narcotic properties. The leaves or capsules, chewed for a short time, occa- sion giddiness, headache, general tremors, and ulti- mately nausea and vomiting; when swallowed in the v full dose, the medicine] produces speedy and severe sweating, and great relaxation; its effects in doses too large or too frequently repeated, are extreme prostra- gunn's domestic medicine. 579 tion, great anxiety and distress, and ultimately death preceded by convulsions: fatalllresults have been expe- rienced from its empyrical use. These are more apt to occur, when the poison as sometimes happens, is not rejected by vomiting: in its operation upon the system, therefore, as well as in its sensible properties, lobelia bears a strong resemblance to tobacco. It is among the medicines which were employed by the aborigines of this country, and was long in the hands of empyrics, before it was introduced into regular practice. The Rev. Doct. Cutler of Mas- sachusetts, first attracted to it the attention of the pro-. fession. As an emetic it is too powerful and too dis- tressing, as well as too hazardous in its operation for ordinary use. The disease in which it has proved most useful is spasmodic asthma, the paroxysms of which it often greatly mitigates, and sometimes wholly relieves even when not given in doses sufficiently large to pro- mote active vomiting: it was from the relief obtained from an attack of this complaint, that Doct. Cutler was induced to recommend this medicine. It has also been used in catarrh, crout, pertussis, and other pectoral affections, but generally with no better effect than may be obtained from less unpleasant and safer medicines. Administered by injections it produces the same distres- sing sickness of stomach, profuse perspiration, and universal relaxation as result from a similar use of tobacco. Dr. Eberle administered a strong decoction of it successfully by the rectum, as a substitute for this narcotic in a case of strangulated hernia. It may be given in substance, tincture or infusion: the dose of the powder, as an emetic, is from five to twenty grains, to be*repeated if necessary: the tincture is most frequently given. The full dose of the preparation for an adult is S80 CUNN's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. half a fluid ounce, though in asthmatic cases it is better administered in the quantity of one or two fluid drachms, repeated every two or three hours, until its effects are experienced. This is the whole secret of tho great Lobelia. PEPPERMINT. Peppermint is originally a native of Europe, but it is now cultivated in almost every garden of the United , States. The roots of the peppermint should be trans- planted every three years, otherwise the plant is apt to degenerate into the flavor of the spearmint. This plant is certainly so common, that a description would be entirely unnecessary. From this plant the oil is distilled, which, when mixed with alcohol or proof spirits, makes the essence of peppermint sold in the shops. Peppermint is a warm stimulate to the stomach, and through that medium to the rest of the body, holding a first rank in the list of medicines called carminitives: which means those medicines which dispel, or scatter the wind from ihe stomach and bowels. It is also beneficial in allaying spasmodic affections of the stom- ach and bowels; removing sickness of the stomach; dispelling flatulence, or wind, and in removing all colicy pains. It is very often beneficial when cramp takes place during the operation of an emetic, or puke. The green leaves stewed in spirits, or hot water, and appli- ed to the pit of the stomach as warm as they can be borne, will often stop puking when some of the best remedies fail. SUNN'S DOMESTIC MEDICINE, 581 GINGER. Ginger is a perennial plant, originally found in the East Indies, but at present cultivated in all the West India Islands. I think it highly probable, that the gin- ger would grow well in all the southern and western states, particularly in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. In the West India Islands, it is cultivated very much in the manner that we cultivate potatoes in this country, and is fit for digging once in every year. There are two sorts of ginger, the black and the white. The black ginger consists of thick and knotty roots, of a yellowish grey color on the outside, and an orange or brown color in the inside. The white ginger is not so thick and knotty as the black, and is internally of a whitish grey or bright yellow color. The white is firm and resinous, more pungent or sharp in its state than the black, and consequently a higher price. Pieces which are worm eaten, soft, light, and easily broken, you are alvvays to reject. Ginger has a fragrant smell, and a hot, biting, aro- matic taste, and is very useful in flatulent or windy colics, and in ail cases of looseness and weakness of the bowels or intestines; it does not heat the system so much as the different kinds of pepper, but is much more durable in its effects. Some time since, the pow- der of ginger, taken in very large doses in sweet milk, was considered a very valuable remedy in gout. I have never tried it myself, and therefore cannot say as to its correctness, but the experiment would be an inno- cent one, and is very easily tried. I think it unneces- sary to say any thing more on the subject of this root; every old lady in the country is acquainted with its general character and medical virtues. 582 gunn's domestic medicine. OPIUM. Without this valuable and essential medicine, it would be next to impossible for a physician to practise his profession, with any considerable degree of success: it may not be improperly called, the monarch of medi- cinal powers, the soothing angel of moral and physical pain. '•Charmed with this potent drug, the exalted, mind, A11 sense of woe delivers to the w irtd: It cleuis the cloudy front from wrinkled care, And soothes the wounded bosom of dispuir!" There are two kinds of this drug known in com- merce, distinguished by the names of the Turkish and East India opium. The Turkish opium is the best: it is considerably solid and compact, possesses some degree of tenacity or stickiness, andvvhen broken leaves a shining fracture. It is of a dark brown color; and when first taken into the mouth, produces a nauseous bitter taste, which soon becomes acrid, with some de- gree of warmth. The best kind of Turkish opium is in flat pieces, and generally covered with leaves used in packing it, and has nearly double the strength of that brought from the East Indies. The East Indian opium is not so solid as the Turkish, being sometimes not much thicker than tar, its color much darker, and its taste more nauseous and less bit- ter. By these distinctions, which are obvious to even tolerable judges, you will easily know the Turkish opium from that of the East Indies. Opium is combined, or in other words, mixed with more medicines for the cure of diseases, than any other drug known to, or used by medical men. In every patent medicine sold in the shops, especially for the relief of pain in diseases, opium forms the principal portion. Bateman's drops and Godfrey's cordial, both gunn's domestic medicine. 583 of which have sustained their character for near a century, have opium for their bases or principal parts, and they are certainly valuable medicines. Were I to trace back the use of opium as a medicine among man- kind, it would probably be found among the Greeks; but the limits of my book will not permit me to go minutely into its history: suffice it to say, that this valu- able, singular, and astonishing drug, seems capable of changing our very nature to a more exalted state of being, at the same time that it holds in due and proper subjection, without impairing it, the rationality of the mind. Opium is made from the white poppy, which is or can be cultivated in all our gardens; it is probably a native of the warmer parts of Asia. Some attempts have been made to cultivate it extensively in England, but the climate of that country seems to present an in- superable obstacle to its being cultivated as a produc- tive object of commerce. The United States, however, and particularly the more southern and western por- tions of the Union, on the score of climate and soil, present no difficulties in the cultivation of opium, in amply sufficient abundance for the consumption of all our citizens. This is another proof, among several others which I have adduced, evincive of the indepen- dence of our country in the production of important medical drugs, if we will only employ industry and enterprise; the fact is, that enormous sums of money are yearly expended for opium, which go into the pockets of foreigners, that we could very easily produce from our own soil. The leaves, stalks, and capsules of the poppy, which capsules mean the cases containing the seeds, abound with a milky juice, which must be gathered when the seeds are nearly ripe. 584 gunn's domestic medicine. The manner of collecting this juice is as follows. After the sun has gone down, or about the twilight of evening, make several incisions or cuts, lengthways, on the surface of the capsules or poppy pods. As I have just told you, this is to be done when they are not quite ripe; and is best performed with a knife made for the purpose, having four or five blades. The milky juice which flows out from these cuts during the night, must be collected the following day, after a sufficient time has been allowed for the milky fluid to become inspis- sated or thickened by the heat of the sun. It is now to be collected by a thin iron scraper, made for the pur- pose, and put into an earthern vessel. This is the whole secret of opium making, a secret which every man in this country ought to know and profit by, and the ignorance of which has already cost our citizens millions of money; the price of foreign opium in our eastern cities, much of which is of an inferior quality, is about four dollars the pound. The operation of cutting or scarifying the poppy pods, in the manner I have mentioned, may be repeated every evening, or as long as the pods will furnsih the milky juice. When a considerable quantity of this juice is collected, you have nothing to do but to work it with a wooden knife or spoon, until it becomes of a proper consistency or thickness, and to enclose it in the leaves of the plant itself, or in tobacco leaves. "A paper has lately been read, in the Harrisburgh Medical Society," says the Medical Recorder, "on the cultivation of the poppy, and the manufacture of opi- um. The author, who is Doctor Webster Lewis, of Lewisburg, York county, Pennsylvania, has transmitted a specimen of his manufacture of opium, equal to the best foreign opium of the shops. After many unsuc- gunn's domestic medicine. 585 cessful experiments, he has fallen on a mode of •cultiva- tion and preparation, both easy and profitable. The plan will be put into operation in the ensuing season, by several other members of the society, to whom he has presented some of his best seed." And, with re- gard to the cultivation of opium in the United States, the following extract of a letter from a gentleman in England, to a citizen of the United States, will throw much light on the subject. " Let we entreat you to make an experiment on the cultivation of opium. I caused a great increase of this article at Patna; it used to sell "225 rupees the cake, of 160 pounds: and has been sold for 300 lately. The company sells to the amount," annually, I presume, " of fifteen millions of rupees, two and sixpence sterling, amounting to one million eight hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds sterling. I know it can easily be produced in Ameri- ca, and is the best article of commerce that can be sent to China." If these representations be correct, of which there can be no doubt, the cultivation of the white poppy, and the manufacture of opium, are not only easily practicable m the United States, but would afford an immense revenue to the citizens, as an arti- cle of commercial exportation: and the fact is, if the real state of the case were truly known, that we yet remain in comparative ignorance of the multiplied and inexhaustible resources of our own country. There is a considerable difference between the effects produced by wine or spirituous liquors, and those produced on the system by opium. The excitement of pleasurable sensations, produced by wine or spirits, is acute and powerful, while these sensations last; but they are of extremely short duration. The one is a flame which soon subsides, and leaves nothing but the 74 586 gunn's domestic medicine. ashes of self reprehension and bitter reflection behind it; while the other affords a steady, agreeable and permanent glow of pleasure, physical and intellectual, which lasts from ten to twelve hours. But the princi- pal distinction between these stimulants of the human system, lies in this; that wines or spirits disorder and confuse the intellectual faculties, while opium in all its forms if taken in proper quantities, introduces order, harmony and pleasurable serenity among them. Wines or spirits, unsettle and cloud the judgment, and deprive us of our intellectual self possession; while opium, on the contrary, produces a just equipoise between our intellectual strength and sensibilities; arouses all our dormant faculties; and disposes them to harmonious and pleasurable activity; and with regard to the tem- per, moral energies and physical sensations in general, opium produces that sort of simple and vital animation, that cordial warmth of feeling and sensibility which we would almost suppose to have accompanied man in his primeval and unfallen state. Wine or spirits, if taken to any excess, always lead men to the brink of absurd- ity and extravagance; and beyond a certain point, invariably produce a distraction of the mental facul- ties; while opium, on the contrary, soothes our irrita- tions of feeling, concentrates our intellectural energies, and robs pain and misfortune of their stings. This, however, is but oho side of the picture. Opium, as I have already told you, although a very valuable medi- cine in many diseases, and also always producing those agreeable sensations I have attempted to describe, when used to any considerable excess, especially if persisted in, has many advantages and miseries attending it. It is used by the Turks to great excess, because all wines and spirituous liquors are prohibited by the Mahomme- gunn's domestic medicine. 587 dan creed. Opium, if habitually taken, or in other words, when it is made use of as a stimulant or luxu- ry, and not is a medicine, affects the physical system in a terrible manner, and produces the same sufferings as those which arise from intoxicating liquors. When the pleasurable effects I have before described begin to cease, or the effects of the opium begin to die in the system, the feelings are as agonizing and dreadful as can possibly be conceived; the mind becomes weak, irresolute, heavy, dull and languid; and the body averse to activity or motion of any kind, is not only disposed to sleep, but seems little affected by objects of pursuit which usually put it in motion. If the dose of opium has been very considerable, all these symptoms continue to increase, until tremors, convulsions, vertigo, stupor, insensibility and total deprivation of muscular strength succeed—when death usually closes the scene. All these symptoms appear singly or combined, in pro- portion to the comparative moderation or excess of the dose, and the peculiarities of the constitution of the person. Therefore use not this drug, but as intended by the Great Father of the universe, the universal parent of mankind; because used as a medicine alone, it is an invaluable blessing in therelief of pain and in soothing and tranquilizing the system with balmy and refreshing slumber. Having under the head of each disease mentioned particularly, when it was necessary to make use of opium or laudanum which is nothing more than opium dissolved or steeped in any kind of spirits—for which look under the head laudanum—I shall now close these remarks. Opium and laudanum which are the same thing in substance and effect, are always efficient in mitigating or subduing pam, and in overcoming 58$ gunn's domestic medicine. spasm or cramp; in fact, they are the chief means em- ployed by physicians in these cases. I have now, as fully as the limits of my book will allow, described to you this great and effective medicine, which is valuable, powerful, and if properly used, innocent. In a small dose,it acts as a stimulant; in a moderate close, it eases pain and procures sleep, and in an over dose, when the person is not in the habit of using it, the consequences will always be fatal. It is therefore evident, that this medicine should be used with great judgment and dis- cretion. The average dose of opium is about one grain: and the dose of laudanum for a grown person, about from twenty-five to thirty-five drops, in a little cold water. For a child about the period of birth, the dose of laudanum is half a drop; but the table of medicines, to which you will please to refer, will ex- plain the doses of both opium and laudanum, for all ages; HORSE MINT. Horse mint grows very abundantly in all parts of the United States, and is so extremely common as to require no description. A tea made either of the green or dried leaves, will stop vomiting, or puking— especially in bilious fevers. It will also act, in simple cases, as a valuable remedy for promoting, or bringing on the menses, or courses of women, when they are obstructed. In this instance, it may be placed on a footing with rosemary, pennyroyal, and many other simple herbs. All this, however, is well known to every old lady in the country. gunn's domestic medicine. 589 CASTOR OIL—AND HOW TO MAKE IT. This oil, which is essential to the preservation of health in every family, is made from the seed of a plant called palma christi, which is a native of most countries lying within the tropics, and will grow and flourish in all temperate latitudes. In the process of manufacturing this oil, the outer coat or covering of the seed or bean, must first be taken off; in the next place, you must bruise them in considerable quantities, and afterwards subject what may be called the pumice, to a pressure sufficient to throw out the oil. The oil thus extracted, is called cold expressed oil, and is by far the best. That extracted by boiling the bruised seeds in water—another process of preparing it—is more nauseous, of a much darker color, more easily becoming rancid or stinking, much more disagreeable to take, and much more active in its operation on the system. The palma christi will grow in any climate or soil in the United States; it rises to about ten or twelve feet in height, and is usually about the size of a common corn stalk, having very large and beautiful spreading leaves. Whether you extract the oil cold, or employ boiling water in the process, you must first collect the branches having the ripe seed on them, and expose them to the sun until perfectly dry. Then lay them on the scaffold or floor, and beat them with a light flail, to separate the hull or shell from the seed—after which, to dislodge every particle of shell, you may pound them gently in a wooden mortar. Take care that you get all the cov- ering off the seeds, because there is and acrid skin, which if intermixed with the oil, sometimes makes it operate as a puke, and always as a drastic or griping purge. It is not improbable that the oil obtained by 590 gunn's domestic medicine. boiling is saturated or filled with the properties of this skin, which forms another of my objections to boiling the seed. If you prefer, however, to extract the oil by boiling, you must put the seed, divested of their cover- ing, in a vessel of boiling water: in about twenty min- utes, a dirty scum will rise, which must be taken intire- ly off. The clear oil will then rise, which must be put into a vessel without water, kept warm by a slow fire— taking care that it does not arrive at a boiling heat. As soon as it becomes clear and transparent from taking off the scum which arises, and which will make an inferior kind of oil, you must put the clear oil, when cold, into clean bottles, and cork them well. The kind of palma christi which produces the finest oil, is the species of which the stalk is of a pink color. I neg- lected to mention in the proper place, that the quantity of water in the first vessel used, should be three measures to one of seed, which should be frequently stirred, to prevent any portion from sticking to the sides and bottom of the vessel, which would give the oil a burnt taste—you must also be careful that it does not boil over. The dose for a grown person is two table- spoonsfol, and for an infant a tea-spoonful, even at birth. DIRECTIONS FOR PRESERVING ROOTS, HERBS, FLOWERS AND BARKS. Roots which are annual, or grow and die yearly, should be collected before they shoot on their stocks or flowers: roots which are biennial, or which live and grow two years, should be collected in the harvest of the first year, or in the spring of the second year; gunn's domestic medicine. 591 perennial roots, or those which survive the frosts of winter, should be gathered before the sap has begun to mount, or after it has returned to the root.—When a root is worm eaten, or otherwise decayed, you are al- wans to reject or refuse it; the medicinal virtues of such a root are destroyed. You are now, with a brush and some cold water, to cleanse the roots newly dug up, and to let them remain in the water as short a time as possible: after which you are to cut the small and useless fibres or strings* from them, if there be any, and carefully to dry them in a moderate heat. Roots which consist wholly of fibres or strings, of which there are several kinds, the black or Virginia snake-root, for instance, are to be dried as soon as possible, by a regular and moderate heat. But should the root be aromatic, which means spicy and fragrant, like ginger for instance, you are to dry it in a cool, airy, dry situation, turning it frequently, in order that you may retain its virtues and fragrance. If roots that you obtain are thick and strong, you are to split them in thin pieces, and string them on a cord or twine, so as to admit the air freely to them in dry- ing; if they are covered, which is sometimes the case, with a thick tough bark, peel them while fresh and dry them. Some roots are apt to loose their virtues by dry- ing ; when this is the case, you have nothing to do but to keep them buried in dry sand, which will preserve them in such a manner that they will always be fit for use. Herbs and flowers are always to be gathered in dry weather, and not until the dew is off They are then to be dried in as short a time as possible, by the gentle heat of a stove or fire; for by this speedy method of drying, the herbs and flowers retain their virtues, which 58.- guxn's domestic medicine. are usually destroyed by the common method of drying them in the open air and in the shade. When herbs and flowers retain their virtues, they generally also retain much of their natural color. Barks and woods, for medicinal uses, are to be gath- ered in spring or in autumn, and from the youngest and most vigorous trees, because their most active and pow- erful virtues are at those periods residing in them If they are of the resinous kind, by which I mean rosin- ous merely, they are to be gathered in the spring; but if they are of a gummy nature,you must always gather them in the fall, or autumn:—You are to recollect dis- tinctly, that all decayed and injured parts of any of the articles I have mentioned, are to be entirely rejected. Persons are very frequently disappointed in the medici- nal effects of roots, herbs, barks, &c: this is generally owing to the want of due care in obtaining and prepar- ing such vegetable substances in due time, and in a proper manner. SULPHUROUS FUMIGATION, OR SULPHUR BATH. I have repeatedly mentioned in the course of the preceeding pages, that this bath was a most invaluable remedy in which this head is referred to: I shall now therefore, endeavor to give as minute and plain a de- scription of it as possible, and in as common and plain language as I can find. The fumes of surphur were employed as a bath, and a remedy against many diseases as early as the time of the celebrated Hippocrates. After falling into disuse for a very long period, this bath has of late become a gunn's domestic medicine. 593 matter of general interest—especially since the experi- ments made by Dr. Gales in 1812—and since his publi- cations on the efficacy of sulphurous fumigations in the cure of many obstinate diseases. Dr. Gales made his first trials of this remedy, by placing a small basin of sulphur and nitre under the bed clothing of the patient, who wras stripped naked, and exposed to the fumes of the contents of the basin: at the same time that these fumes were confined to the body by the bed clothes, and prevented from reaching the mouth and nostrils of the patient, by wrapping his neck and shoulders very closely with the clothing of the bed. This method was found, on fair experiments, to be imperfect and unsatis- factory ; and he afterwards adopted in place of it, what he very properly called his fumigatory box, which I shall now describe:— This box is merely a wooden case, something resem- bling a pulpit, in which the patient can sit upright in a chair, with his head above the top of the box, and his shoulders immediately below it. Underneathtthis box, and connected with it, are the parts which are necessa- ry for producing the fumigations to be applied to the naked body. The lowest story is the ash-pit: the mid- dle one contains the fire, and the uppermost one is the hearth for the sulphur. The floor of the box itself, is immediately above the hearth for the sulphur, and is bored, or perforated full of holes, in order that the fumes of the sulphur, when heated by the fire below, may ascend through the bottom of the box, and com- pletely surround, touch, and envelope the naked body of the patient. The top of the box is so constructed, that the hole, or opening in the middle of it, closely embraces the neck, and effectually prevents the fumes of the sulphur in the box from reaching the mouth, 75 594 gunn's domestic medicine. nose, and eyes of the patient. This description, reader is the whole secret of the sulphur bath, so much talked of, so little known, and so rarely used in the United States. When the seat of the disease to be removed is on the face or any part of the head, the vapor, or fumes of the sulphur from the box, may be applied to the part affected by means of a flexible pipe—by which I mean one that can be moved in different directions, like the leader of a fire engine, reaching from the box to any part of the face or head. This sulphur bath must be taken from fifteen minutes to an hour, accord- ing to the state of the patient, and the stubborness of the disease to be removed. Immediately after taking it, the patient ought to retire to bed for an hour or two. I have mentioned in another page of this book—that when the remedies there noticed for rheumatism have failed, recourse must always be had to sulphurous fumi- gation, which I have now accurately and plainly described to you. The truth is, it is an active and powerful remedy in very many diseases besides rheu- matism. It is an excellent remedy in psoriasis palma- ria, which is a very obstinate species of tetter, confined to the palm of the hand; also, in psoriasis scrotalis, in which the skin of the scrotum, or bag containing the testicles, is afflicted with heat, itching, tension, or tight- ness, and appears of a red color. In cases where the skin of the scrotum, or bag is thus affected, the above symptoms are succeeded by a hard, thickened, brittle texture of the skin, and by painful chaps, cracks, and excoriations, or scalings off the skin, not easily to be healed by any other means than sulphuric fumiga- tions. This remedy is also valuable in what physicians call psoriasis inveterata: which is known by universal gunn's domestic medicine. 59£ i scalings of the skin of the whole body, which becomes harsh, dry, and much thickened. This disease com- mences with a few irregular, though distinct patches on the extremities; these patches next appear on different parts of the body; and lastly, they become what is called confluent, and spread over the whole surface of the body. The skin is then red, deeply furrowed, and so stiff or rigid, as to impede the movements of the joints: and so quick is the formation or exfoliation of the scales from the body, that the bed is frequently found covered with them. I have now occupied more space under this head than I at first intended: but considering the vast impor- tance of the sulphur bath, and its most valuable quali ies in cases where the human system has been charged with mercury, which requires remo- val, I think the space well and profitably occupied. For a further description of this bath, see pages 145, and 550, 3d volume of the Medical Recorder: the limits of my book preventing my giving a minute detail of their valuable remedy. BLOOD LETTING. Every person should not only know' how to open a vein with a lancet, but should also be acquainted with the cautions that are necessary to be known for avoid- ing danger; because many cases may, and do occur, where medical assistance cannot be had in time, and where actual loss of life occurs for want of bleeding. To bleed in the arm, you are to apply a ribband, or other broad ligature, an inch or two above the elbow joint, and to draw it so tight as to compress the veins 596 gunn's domestic medicixe. of the arm immediately under the bandage, and to fill and swell them immediately below it. As soon as the vein rises in which you intend to bleed, place the thumb of your left hand about an inch below the place you intend to pierce, or open with the lancet; and then with your right hand, holding the lancet firmly between your thumb and fore finger, making the incision ob- liquely, or slanting in the vein, without changing the direction of the lancet; because, by raising the handle, the point of the lancet would be so much lowered as to cut the under part of the vein, and perhaps dangerous- ly wound an artery. When you have drawn the quantity of blood intend- ed, untie the ligature, or bandage, and close the orifice, or hole. To do this properly, you must place your thumb on the Orifice, and press with a moderate force, so as to bring its sides, or edges together. The flow- ing of the blood will now be stopped, and you must next apply a compress, made by twice doubling a piece of linen, about two inches square, and placing it between the thumb and the orifice: over this, you are to place another compress, or thick folding of linen, about four inches square, so as to fill up the hollow, or bend of the arm. When this is done, you are to confine the folds of the linen, by passing over them, crosswise, both above and below the elbow joint, a ribband or broad tape, in the form of the figure eight, and to finish with making a knot over the linen. If the bleeding should continue, the bandages are to be \aken off for a few moments, and while the thumb of the operator is press- ed firmly on the orifice, or hole, so as to bring its side, or edges together; the coldest water is to be poured on the arm, or the orifice, or hole itself washed with sharp vinegar. If it is convenient, a piece of adhesive, or gunn's domestic medicine. 597 sticking plaster, placed over the orifice, will generally stop the flow of blood. To bleed in the foot, a moderately tight bandage must be placed above the ancle joint: after which, you are to open the fullest-and largest vein with a lancet, observing the same conduct;! have laid down for you in bleeding in the arm. If the blood does not flow sufficiently, you will easily remove the difficulty by placing the foot in warm water. On removing the bandage above the ancle, the blood will cease to flow; and if it should not, the bandage I have described for the arm, a piece of court, or any other sticking plaster- will generally stop it. TOPICAL BLEEDING. To bleed topically: that is to say, to bleed from some particular part of the surface of the body, you are to proceed in the following manner, if you employ leeches:—The part is to be scarified, or slightly cut in shallow gashes with the point of a sharp lancet, or by a scarificator, which is an instrument with a number of lancets, acted on by a spring. The leeches are to be previously prepared, by allowing them to creep over a dry cloth, or by drying them. In order to attract them, the scarified part should be moistened with a little cream or sugar; and if the blood about the surface should not induce them to fix themselves, you are to confine them to the place by applying a wine glass over them—they will then soon take hold. If you bleed topically, by cupping, you are to pro- ceed in the following manner:—You are, in the first instance, to scarify the part in the way I have just told you, with the point of a sharp lancet, or with a scarifi- cator, such as I have described it to you. When this is done, you must take a cup, and exhaust it of the at- 598 gunn's domestic medicine. mospheric air it contains. This is done, by burning in and over it, some soft paper, dipt in spirits of wine, or any other kind of proof spirits. When the flame is nearly, or quite exhausted, and the air in the cup conse- quently destroyed, you are to place the mouth of the cup over the scarified part. As the cup cools, it will stick fast, and as it were, suck the little scarifications, or gashes, and fill itself with the blood, in place of the air, which cannot get in. When the cup is full, it will easily be removed by raising one side of it. Burning the air, as I have told you, and applying the cup as I have described, may be repeated as often as you may think necessary; or dipping the cup in hot water and immediately applying it over the scarified part, will cause it to take hold or draw. This is the whole secret of cupping—about which so much has been said by medical men, and so little understood by the general community. After bleeding in the arm, or wherever else a vein is opened, there is sometimes a swelling of the part, called by physicians ecchymosis. Whenever this takes place, you must shift the position of the limb frequently, so as to produce a free discharge of blood from the tumor, or rising. If this will not do, you are to double pieces of linen, dip them in brandy or other spirits, and compress them on the tumor by bandages. If neither of these measures will answer, the tumor, or swelling, must be opened with a lancet, the coagulated blood let out, and the sore treated as a common wound. There is another effect which sometimes follows bloodletting: which is an acute pain, felt on the first introduction of the lancet, and immediately communi- called to the extremity of the hand or foot. Here you must apply cloths, wrung out of sugar of lead water, to gunn's domestic medicine. 599 the whole limb, and renew them frequently. You must also resort to bleeding, cooling purges, and very simple food, for the purpose of preventing inflammation. If these measures do not answer, you are to give lauda- num in considerable doses: and if laudanum also fails in producing good effects, you must divide, or cut the nerve, or tendon, which was pricked by the lancet. Sometimes an artery is wounded in bleeding. You will know this, by the tremulous, or pulsatory motion with which the blood flows, and by the blood being of a lighter and richer color than that which flows from the veins: and besides you will be unable to stop the blood by the usual pressure. The cure may be attempt- ed, however, in the early stage, by compressions and bandages, in the usual way, and by living on very low diet: but should these fail, a surgical operation must be performed, by taking up the ends of the artery, and securing them with ligatures, or ties, until they re-unite, or grow together again, or until the circulation of the blood can be again restored. CLYSTERS OR CLYSTERS. Language almost fails to express the great value of this innocent and powerful remedy, in very many diseases to which mankind are daily and even hourly subject; and I most sincerely regret to say, that it is a remedy not only too little known, but too seldom used in the western country, both by physicians and in fami- lies. This disregard for the great virtues of clystering, must either arise from the supposition that the opera- tion is too troublesome, or from a false and foolish deli- cacy, which forbids the use of an instrument, by which 600 gvnn's domestic medicine. thousands of lives have been preserved in extremely critical circumstances, and with which every mi stress of a family should be perfectly acquainted, so as to be able to administer a clyster when required in sickness. And I do here most positively assert, and that too from my own experience, that hundreds to whom I have been called in cases of colic, must have died, had it not been for the immediate relief given by clysters: I will mention one strong instance, to prove the correct- ness of my assertion, to which many others might be added, if the limits of my work would permit. While practising in the state of-Virginia, I was called on at midnight to attend a stranger, who had arrived but a few moments before in the mail stage. The gentleman was one of the judges of the supreme court, in the state of New York. He stated to me that the colic had been coming onhim, for a considerable time before the stage stopped. By the time I arrived, his misery was so extreme, that he repeatedly exclaimed—"I must die unless immediate relief be given me." After ad- ministering all die usual remedies, which are ennumer- ated under the head colic, without giving him much relief, I commenced administering glysters of water pleasantly warm; and on the first being thrown up the bowels, he received more relief than had been produc- ed by all other remedies I had tried. He felt an immediate exemption from pain, and after two or three more had been given, a copious discharge by the stool followed, and he was entirely restored. Glysters principally act, by exciting the lower por- v tion of the intestinal tube, and sometimes from the effects of sympathy. In the latter cases, the discharges are generally copious, or on other words of large quan- tity; and to produce these full discharges by stool, you gunn's domestic medicine, 601 arc frequently to repeat the clysters of warm water, so tempered as to be pleasant to the feelings of the patient, and in such quantities as the bowels will bear. I have continued to give these injections of warm water for an hour or more in many instances, before I could overcome or subdue spasm or colic; and in cases of great constipation, which means that the bowels are so bound up that the patient cannot have a stool, the wa- ter is to be thrown up as far as possible, and the edges of the fundament pressed together as you draw out the pipe of the instrument, so that the clysters may be pre- vented from returning until it has produced the intend- ed effect. When I have had cases of the kind I have mentioned, after throwing the warm water up the bowels as far as possible, I have alvvays closed the fundament on drawing out the pipe, because without this necessary precaution, in very many instances, the Water would return with as much rapidity as it was thrown up with:—You will, therefore, see the necessity of following my example, and the directions I have just laid down; and you are in all cases of danger, to repeat the clysters of pleasantly warm water, as'often ancl in such quantities as the bowels will admit. The best methed of administering glysters in extreme cases, is first to give "purgative medicines in the usual manner, and as directed under the different complaints mentioned in this work; and when it becomes necessary to use glysters, to give them so as to assist the medi- cines taken into the stomach in their operation. For instance, when you give a purge in the usual way, you know that it will require some time to operate: now, if you wish to hasten the operation of this medicine, give a clyster or two of warm water, especially in spasm, croup, or costiveness, and you will find yourself 76 60*2 gunn's domestic medicine. speedily relieved of the sdasm or colic; because the water will soften the hardened excrements in the bow- els, and assist in bringing off any undigested food which may have remained in them. Whenever a purgative medicine has been given, and you in proper time ad- minister a glyster to assist its operation, the alimentary canal is soon completely evacuated or cleared of its contents. I have somewhere before told you, that there are hard lumps of excrement in the lower bow- els, which require to be removed by the finger of the physician, or by an instrument calculated for the pur- pose: now, your own good sense will always teach you, that these clysters will always soften the concre- tions or lumps of excrement alluded to, and give you relief by a stool. In fevers and inflammations, any man of common judgment must know, that glysters made of slippery elm bark, which I have frequently directed and admin- istered, must and will tend to cool the whole system, allay the heat and irritation of the bowels, and greatly assist the medicine which had been given to operate. They will also produce a determination to the skin, which means a gentle moisture or sweat. I have told you that tepid or warm water always opens the bowels; but the very reverse of this practice is sometimes re- sorted to, in desperate circumstances, and with great advantages, by some of the most distinguished physi- cians. In some cases of very obstinate constipation, the meaning of which has been sufficiently explained, relief has frequently been obtained, when all other remedies had failed, by a glyster of the coldest water, even of iced water. In such extreme cases, however, when all other means have failed, and the constipated state of the bowels is likely to prove fatal, the last gunn's domestic medicine. 603 resort is, and you are only to adopt it in such cases, to dissolve from twenty to sixty grains of the emetic tartar in water, and give it as a glyster: ipecacuanha may be used in place of emetic tartar, and is sometimes prefer- red for safety. In the numerous cases of constipation and colic to which I have been called, and some of them very dangerous ones, I have never been compelled to use more then twenty grains of emetic tartar in the clysters I have mentioned: and even when this quantity is to be used, it ought to be administered under the direction of a physician, and never but in extreme cases, and as the last alternative. I shall here mention a remedy for the colic, which has lately been discovered, and which is said to give immediate relief. Give by the mouth, fifteen grains of calomel and two grains of tartar emetic, which you are to mix in honey, molasses or any kind of syrup In common cases of constipation, when the bowels are not easily moved so as to produce a stool: or in colic, arising from indigestion, or from having taken some improper food into the stomach, or from having gone some time without a passage, if you wish to has- ten the operation of a purge, or if the stomach is too weak to bear one, all that is required is a simple laxa- tive glyster, made of two table-spoonsful of castor oil, or sweet oil, mixed with the same quantity of molasses, and put into about a pint of pleasantly warm water, to which you may add a table-spoonful of common salt, if you wish the clyster somewhat stimulating. This is a simple and innocent clyster, requiring nothing for its administration but the instrument for injecting it into the bowels, which will hereafter be described, with the method of making clysters, either simple or more active as the complaint may require. 604 gunn's domestic medicine. Glysters are frequently used in dysentery or flux, to soothe and quiet the bowels, relievo the pain, and re strain the too great frequency of the stools. In these cases, the clysters are to be mixed with some laudanum, and some mucilage, such as slippery elm tea. I have mentioned these things under their proper heads, and m such complaints, as require their use:—see colic, page 200—cholora morbus, page 203—and dysentary, page 256, together with many other cases in which glysters are recommended. There are many persons, both men and women, who are constitutionally subject to costiveness: by which I mean, being bound in their bowels so that they cannot have their regular stools. This costiveness arises from a variety of causes; such as diseased liver, indigestion, torpor of the bowels;, and from improper food being taken into the stomach and bowels, and alvvays produces spasms or colic pains; for remember this, that whenev- er your stomach and bowels are disordered, you will become costive, your head will be confused and other- wise distressed, your spirits will become low and deject- ed, and the whole train of hypochrondriacal feelings and sensations will haunt you. All these last symp- toms can easily be relieved by a simple glyster, made of equal quantities of milk and water^ and thrown up the bowels; for by this your bowels will be relieved of their load, which always produces irritation, and your mind and feelings soon experience an agreeable change. You, who are alvvays taking medicines to keep your bowels open, and whose stomachs are becoming ex- hausted and worn out by medical drugs, let me advise and entreat you, as a friend and physician, who has Witnessed throughout France, the great and surprising benefits arising from this simple operation, to abandon gunn's domestic medicine. 605 the idea of constantly taking medicines. Your good sense must teach you, if you will give yourselves time for reflection, that they must and will eventually destroy the coats of the stomach, and vitally impair its powers; and that when you do really require medicines to sub- due the disease, your system will have become so habituated to them as to require tremendous doses; or so completely worn down by their constant use, as to produce no effect. In France, there is scarcely a fami- ly unprovided with an instrument for glystering, which is alvvays used when there is the slightest obstruction or costiveness of the bowrels. These people mostly use a simple clyster of milk and water, and sometimes water alone; in summer they use cold water, and in winter, water pleasantly warm. It is to the warm bath, and to the common use of clysters, that are to be attri- buted in a great degree, the cheerful dispositions, the uniform health, and the practical philosophy with which these people bear the hardships and misfortunes of life; in fact, if you take from a French physician the warm bath, and the glyster pipe, he cannot practice medicine with any kind of success.—The importance of glysters, both in the hands of physicians and families, has be- come so well known, and is now so highly valued, as to call forth the commendations of the most eminent phy- sicians of both Europe and America. The old plan of administering glysters, was by an assistant; it was both inconvenient and indelicate, and has been measurably superseded, except in cases of infancy and extreme weakness, by a new and valuable invention, called a self pipe. The common method of nsing the old-glyster pipe, is as follows:—You are to take a beef or hog's bladder, which has been blown up and suffered to get dry; and after inserting or fastening 606 gunn's domestic medicine. a short hollow reed or quill in it, cut off at both ends of the barrel, you are to put the glyster itself into the bladder. The end of the reed or quill, or of the glyster pipe of the shop, if you use one, is now to be covered with some oil or lard, and gently put up the fundament about an inch, by an assistant, and the sides of the bladder squeezed together gradually, so as to throw its contents as far as possible up the bowels, but a full description of the particular mode of glystcring in this way, will be given in the sequel, or conclusion. The new invention consists of a pewter syringe or pipe, called a self pipe; the meaning of which is, a pipe that can be used without an assistant. It is so constructed as to be used by yourself, or by an assist- ant, if you are so weak as to require one. The pew- ter syringe holds nearly a quart, and by a screw a long pipe is connected to the syringe, which holds the glyster itself. All that is required, is to put the small tube into the fundament, and gradually to bear on the han- dle of the syringe, which, as you bear down steadily, throws the glyster up the bowels. The force with which the glyster is thrown up the bowels, depends on the pressure of the handle of the pipe. You are to recollect that the force, unless it be very gentle and steady, is never to be used; all you have to do, is to press gradually on the handle of the syringe, by which you will feel the distension of the bowels as the glyster is thrown up. When a glyster is to be thrown up by an assistant, the long pipe or tube is to be unscrewed, and a shorter one, made for the purpose, screwred on, which is to be used as a common squirt, on which principle it acts. One of these pipes may be purchased at any drug shop, for about two dollars; and I trust from the great advantages to be derived from this val- gunn's domestic medicine. 607 uable instrument, which in very many instances has even saved life, that no family in this country will long be without one. I shall now state the manner of ad- ministering a glyster, in such a way that it may be understood by any person possessed of the least judg- ment. In giving a clyster by an assistant, the patient is to be laid on the edge of the bed, with the bottom a little over the edge, and the knees drawn up near the belly. The clyster pipe is then to be taken, the finger placed before it. to keep in the contents, and applied to the fundament. On pushing in the pipe, the finger is to be taken away. The pipe is to be pushed up very gently, the operator's hand near the thighs, a little backwards, towards the backbone, and then the contents are to be forced out, by gently pushing the handle of the syringe with one hand, while with the other the syringe is firm-* ly held; or if a bladder and pipe are used there is nothing to do but to introduce the pipe to the funda- ment as just described, and to gradually and gently squeeze the bladder, so as to empty the contents into the bowels. Glystering is one of the most powerful, innocent, mild and beneficial remedies known in the science and practice of medicine. FRICTION. Friction, in medicine, means the act of rubbing a diseased part with a soft brush, a coarse linen cloth, or with flannel, or by rubbing in the body or diseased parts, oils, unguents, and other matters in order to ease, relieve, and cure them. This exercise or rubbing, con- tributes remarkably to the health, particularly of seden- 608 gunn's domestic medicine. tary persons; for it excites and kindles tho natural warmth, diverts deductions, promotes perspiration, opens the pores, and tends to dissipate stagnant humors: This operation is also particularly beneficial to the nervous, debilitated and studious—being a useful sub- stitute for other exercises. Hence I recommend to such individuals to spend half an hour every morning and evening in rubbing their whole bodies, especially their limbs, with the brush or flannel. It ought, however, to be observed, that this practice will be of the greatest service when the stomach and bowels are empty. Lastly, I venture to assert, that the most important purposes to which friction may be rendered subservient in the animal economy, have hitherto been almost entirely neglected: I am convinced from experience, that medicated frictions, or the introduction of the most active medicines into the human system, by rubbing them in properly on the surface of the body, is attended with the most happy effects, especially in all chronic diseases. Common sense appears to have long since pointed out this excellent method of administering medicines, even to the Indian savages, though it is little practised in the United States, where the stomach is doomed to be the field of battle, for deciding commo- tions and irregularities in our complicated frames. But who is hardy enough to maintain, that the digestive organ was by nature destined to become the exclusive vehicle of drugs, and to serve as their common labo- ratory f gunn's domestic medicine. 609 ISSUES. Issues are small ulcers or sores, formed by artificial means, in various parts of the body, for the purpose of procuring discharges of matter, considered beneficial in many diseases. They were formerly considered merely as drains, to carry off noxious or foul humors from the blood, and were therefore opened as near the affected part as practicable. But, as it is now well known that they produce benefit, as well by sympathy as by acting as a drain, they are usually placed where they will be the least dangerous and inconvenient. The most prop- er parts to place them in, are between the ribs, on either side of the back bone, in the hollow above the inner side of the knee, in the outer and fore part of the shoulder, in the nape of the neck; in fact, wherever there is cellular substance enough for the entire protec- tion of the parts underneath. They must never be placed near any blood vessel of a large size, nor over a tendon, or thinly covered bone, nor over what is called the belly of a muscle. There are three kinds of them; the seton or cord, the pea or pepper issue, and the blister issue. When you take off a blister, and wish to convert the sore into an issue, a discharge of matter can easily be kept up for any length of time, by dressing the part once a day with any ointment mixed with a little powdered Spanish flies. If the discharge is too small, put a little more of the Spanish flies into it; and if too large, put a little less into the ointment, or desist from using the ointment for a few days, until the discharge be sufficiently diminished. This is called the blister issue. When you want what is called the pea or pepper issue, you must make an incision, or cut with a lancet, 77 610 gunn's domestic medicine. large enough to admit one or more peas or grains of peper, or any thing else that will keep the sore run- ning. When this opening is made with a lancet, or any other sharp instrument, the skin must be pressed or pinched up together, and the cut made of sufficient size to admit the substance to be put into it. The em- ployment of caustic, however, is the best mode of open- ing an issue: this caustic is the lapis infernalis of the drug shops. The caustic must be made into a kind of paste, with a little soft soap or water. You are then to put on an adhesive or sticking plaster, with a hole in the middle of it; and in this hole, on the skin, you are to spread the caustic paste, and cover it with another sticking plaster, to keep the paste from spreading. In four days the place will become sore, and separate so as to admit whatever you may choose to place in it, for the purpose of keeping it running. The seton, or cord issue, is alvvays made when a large quantity of matter is required to be discharged; it is frequently put in the back of the neck, for diseases of the head and eyes, and between the ribs for com- plaints of the breast. The cord which is to be intro- duced, ought to be of cotton and silk threads, either not twisted together, or very loosely twisted. A part of the cord must then be besmeared and smoothed with some kind of ointment, and passed through the skin and part of the flesh, leaving a few inches of the cord hanging out on each side, to be moved backward every day, for the purpose of keeping it running. DISPENSATORY, OR CLASSIFICATION OF MEDICINES. The medicines required for common and useful purposes, are very few in number, compared with the hundreds you see displayed in doctor's shops for mere show, or because they possess some simple and innocent virtues. I assert it without fear of contradiction, that more than one half of the medicines now in use, could be very easily dispensed with, and not the least incon- venience be felt for the want of them. When you see an extensive drug store, filled with drugs, tinctures, essences, &c. &c. &c. it alvvays ought to remind you of a dinner table, covered with many unnecessary dishes, where two of the substantial ones, properly cooked, would answer the same purpose. This hint will be sufficient to apprise you, that there are many different medicines which produce the same effects on the human system, and consequently that there are a great many which are absolutely useless: and the choice of which, even by physicians, depends not so much on the characteristics or nature of the diseases, as on the particular caprice or partiality of the physi- cian himself. Under the head of each disease, I have mentioned the principal medicines now in use to effect the cure, and also those which are held in the highest estimation by the most distinguished medical men. But, as the classification of several that may be useful to those who have but a limited range of selection, I shall proceed to classify and describe them as minutely as my limits will admit. 612 gunn's domestic medicine, You will recollect that when you arc in the habit of taking medicine often, or any particular medicine fre- quently, your system will become so habituated to the effects, that large and more increased doses will be required to produce the usual effects. This doctrine is proved to you, by those who have long been accustom- ed to the use of opium, spirits, or even tobacco. Man is the creature of habit, and can easily bring his system to bear, by slow degrees, medical drugs which would in the first instance produce death. By this rule, you are to remember, that in giving medicine, you are to vary it in larger or smaller doses, according to the strength or weakness of the patient, as your good sense and discretion may dictate. What would at times act only as a good purge, would in other cases, and where the patient is weakly and delicate, be productive of fatal consequences. Therefore, always take the consti- tution, the state or condition of the person, and the particular character of the disease into consideration, before you administer medicines. EMETICS OR PUKES. These are medicines which, on being received into the stomach produce vomiting or puking. They are called emetics by physicians, and are given in a great variety of cases, which you will see enumerated in the body of this work. Their operation will always be increased, and rendered much easier by drinking milk or blood warm water in considerable quantities, after the first operation. Ipecacuanha.—This is the mildest of pukes; the dose for a grown person is from fifteen to twenty grains, gunn's domestic medicine. 613 dissolved in warm water; say, five or six spoonsful; give one spoonful every ten minutes until it operates. Tartar Emetic.—This is my favorite puke. You will always find it of superior efficacy in bilious fevers. It is the most generally used by physicians in producing full and copious vomiting or puking. A dose for a grown person is from five to six grains, which you are to dissolve in five or six table-spoonsful of warm water, and one table-spoonful of which you are to take every ten minutes, until it operates. Antimonial Wine.—This is nothing more than tar- tar emetic dissolved in wine. This dose is two or three tea-spoonsful, given every ten or fifteen minutes, until it operates. Antimonial wine is made as follows:—just dissolve forty grains of emetic tartar, into a large wine glass of warm water, which is about two ounces of water. After the emetic -artar is dissolved, add to this water about half a pint of Teneriffe wine: after stand- ing a few hours it will be fit for use. In cases where an emetic or puke is necessary for children, antimonial wine is nearly alvvays given to them, and that too at a very early age. I have never hesitated, when necessary, to give it to children when first born, to relieve difficult respiration or breathing, where there was an accumulation of phlegm. The dose in such cases, ought not to be more than one or two drops; this medicine, however, is much oftener given to children of more advanced age. At any peri- od under one year of age, and over four months, the dose when intended to produce vomiting, is from five to ten drops, according to the necessities of the case, which is to be repeated at short intervals of time, until the effect is produced. But, in the dangerous disease called croup, and I wish you particularly to recollect 614 gunn's domestic medicine. this, a larger quantity of the antimonial wine should be given, because there is in this disease a great insen- sibility to the operation of emetics. In an attack of croup, therefore, you need not be afraid to give a child six months old, from twenty-five to thirty drops, every fifteen minutes. White Vitriol.—Of all the emetics or pukes known in medicine, this is the quickest in its operation, and ought always to be given in cases which require an immediate evacuation of the stomach: these cases are generally those in which poisons have been swallowed. The dose is from twenty to thirty grains, in a cup of warm water: this medicine is called by physicians sul- phate of zinc. The connexion of the stomach with every part of the body, and the great power it exercises over all por- tions of the system, and particularly over the brain, have been fully explained to you: the fact is, as I have before stated, that I consider the brain as the father, and the stomach as the mother of the system. In con- sequence of the very close connexion between the stomach and head, emetics or pukes act as powerful and valuable remedies, in all diseases connected with the brain and its dependencies. They not only relieve the stomach, by discharging its acrid, vitiated, and sometimes oppressive contents; but they, at tho same time, promote the secretion and evacuation of bile. They also, and that powerfully, promote a determina- tion to the surface, by which I mean perspiration or sweating: the fact is, that a moisture can be produced on the skin, either by vomiting or puking, or by the mere nausea or sickness of tho stomach, arising from emetics given in proper doses. I have not space here, to enumerate all the advantages arising from emetics; gunn's domestic medicine. 615 they will be found under the different heads of diseases, as treated in this work. I will now give you some directions, as to the admin- istration of emetics, in particular cases and states of the system. If the person to whom you wish to give a puke, is of a full and fat habit of body, with a short neck, a great determination of blood to the head, you should draw some blood from the arm before giving the puke. By doing this, you will render the puking easy and copious, and prevent all danger of appoplexy from too great a determination of blood to the head of the patient. Doctor Chapman, one of the professors of the Medical School of Philadelphia, states explicitly, and in strong terms, that many lives have been endan- gered, and some actually sacrificed, for want of this necessary precaution of bleeding. In all cases where the necessity of a puke is urgent, and especially where poisons have been swallowed, give a full dose of emetic medicine at once; but in common cases, you may give an emetic in broken doses, as I have directed: this will prevent too great violence in the operation. You should, if convenient, always give an emetic on an empty stomach, and in the morning; because at this time, it will always act with greater certainty and effect, and with much less distress to the patient. When you find that an emetic acts too severely, and you wish to check the operation, give from twenty to thirty drops of laudanum in a little toddy, and apply cloths wrung out of warm water to the pit of the stomach; or you may apply stewed garden mint to the stomach; or drink thin chicken soup, with some salt in it, so as to turn the oper- ation downward. If these measures fail, give a glyster, in which you arc to put double the quantity of lauda- num usually given by the mouth; and if this also fails 616 gunn's domestic medicine. put a large blister over the pit of tho stomach, and poultices to the feet, made of pounded mustard seed, corn meal, and vinegar. The quantity of laudanum I have mentioned, has reference to grown persons, and not to children. In all cases consult the table of med- icines. ACTIVE PUPvGATIVES. These are such medicines as purge freely. When you use them with the intention that they shall act mildly on the bowels, and only keep them gently open, they are called laxatives by physicians: the medicines are usually mixed with honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup that is convenient; their operation is alvvays pro- moted by mild drinks, such as thin gruel pleasantly warm, or any kind of warm tea. If at any time you take a purgative medicine, such as calomel, for in- stance, and it should not operate in due time, it will alvvays be proper to assist the operation by some one of the laxative medicines. Calomel.—A purgative; the dose for a grown person is from fifteen to twenty grains—and I now again, for the last time, tell you, that small doses of this medicine act more unkindly than large ones, "In a reasonable dose, calomel will work off without assistance, while in a small dose, it is liable to remain in the system, if not removed by the assistance of laxative medicines, I am now speaking of the calomel when given with the intention of purging. Calomel and jalap; purgative; ten grains of each, mixed with honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup, is a dose for a grown person. This valuable preparation gunn's domestic Medicine. 617 * Was a favorite with the celebrated Doctor flush; he generally gave it in fevers—it both purges and sweats freely. Twenty grains of each, mixed as above, is a dose for a grown person. Calomel and gamboge: purgative; ten grains of calomel, and three grains of gamboge, mixed with honey, molasses, or any kind of syrup, is a dose for a grown person: it is a valuable and active purge, given in bilious fevers. Lee's anti-bilious pills; purgative; they are made of five grains of calomel, ten grains of jalap, two grains of gamboge, and half a grain of tartar emetic. This is a valuable preparation, and very easily made; and the information I have given, will enable you to prepare these pills yourself, and always to have them fresh for use. Those obtained from the stores are generally old, hard and dry, and do not operate as if fresh and newly made. Cook'spills: a valuable purge, particularly- when the liver is diseased, and in female complaints, where obstructions and irregularities take place in the month- ly discharges. These pills are made with equal quan- tities of rhubarb, aloes and calomel, ground fine, well mixed together, and made into pills of a common size, with a little honey or syrup, A dose of these pills for a grown person consists of three or four of them, which operates freely as a purge. These pills may be frequently taken, until the desired effect is produced. Salts, senna, and manna: purgative; take of each of these articles half an ounce, and put them into a pint of hot water: after which you are to cover the vessel in which you make the preparation. For a grown person, take of this a tea-cupful every hour until it operates freely. 78 618 gunn's domestic medicine. Salts and tartar emetic: purgative; to a common dose of salts, add one grain of emetic tartar—this is a very valuable purge to remove bile. May apple, jalap, rhubarb: purgatives;—the roots of these plants, act, in doses from thirty to fifty grains each, taken separately, as an effective purge. If either of these roots are given with calomel, the dose should be from five to ten, or fifteen grains of calomel, mixed witk about twenty grains of the May apple, jalap, or rhubarb root well pounded. LAXATIVES. These are medicines which gently open the bowels. Castor Oil, an innocent and valuable medicine; the dose for a grown person, is from two to three table- spoonsful. The most agreeable way of taking this laxative oil, is in coffee, or a little spirits of any kind. Sweet oil—generally called olive oil. It acts on the bowels the same as castor oil. The dose for a grown person is from two to three table-spoonsful: like castor oil, you may take it in a little spirits or coffee. Charcoal in powder.—This is one of the most val- uable and innocent medicines we possess, particularly for persons laboring under dyspepsia or indigestion. To persons of a costive habit of body, the use of pounded charcoal is invaluable, from its always keep- ing the bowels open and regular. The dose for a grown person is one table-spoonful, mixed with honey, milk, or cold water. The preparation of charcoal as a medicine is very simple. It consists in merely burn- ing the charcoal used by smiths, ovor again: to do which, you are to place it in an iron vessel, and expose gunn's domestic medicine. 619 k to a hot fire until it becomes of a red heat; then suffer it to cool, pound it very fine, and put it in a dry bottle, which is to be tightly corked This is the whole secret of preparing charcoal for medical purposes. It is an excellent medicine in all depraved conditions of the stomach, and it will also check the violent vomitings or puking which accompany bilious and yellow fevers; and I will now disclose to you a secret respecting the use of charcoal, which is probably unknown to the physicians of the United States. Whilst I was at Ha- vanna, a city in the island of Cuba, I discovered the secret, by which the Spanish physicians check and re- lieve the approaching symptoms of black vomitinyellow fever: the medicinal preparation is charcoal and oil of turpentine mixed; but I could never ascertain the quan- tity of each. This matter, however, can easily be as- certained by experiment. Magnesia, calcined.—Two table-spoonsful of this medicine is a dose for a grown person; it must be taken in half a tumbler of cold water. If you take uncalcined magnesia, a table-spoonful will be required as a dose. This medicine corrects acidity of the stomach, and gently opens the bowels. It is also well adapted to women in a family way, and to persons afflicted with dyspepsia or indigestion. A dose taken at bed time, will generally afford to dyspeptic persons a pleasant night's rest, by aiding the digestive powers. Cream of Tartar.—This is a cooling and innocent laxative medicine, and is remarkably well adapted to the warm season. It may be taken in cold water sweet- ened with sugar. The dose for a grown person, is a table-spoonful, in a tumbler of water. Manna.—This is the most innocent laxative medicine made use of in the practice of physic. On account of 620 ginn's domestic medicine. its extreme mildness in operation, it is better adapted to ihfants than any purgative known. Used as a laxative, it is seldom given to grown persons alone, but generally combined or mixed with senna: the compound is called senna and manna. If the manna be given alone, the dose for a grown person is from one to two ounces, dis- solved in hot water. If you give it combined with senna, half an ounce of manna, with the same quantity Of senna made into a tea, with about a pint of boiling water, is the dose for a grown person. [See the heads senna and manna, in the index.] Flour of Sulphur.—This is nothing but brimstone, purified and powdered very fine. From one tea-spoon- ful to ten, or about the same quantity given in broken doses, three times a day, will moderately purge a grown person. Whenever any of the above purgative or laxative medicines purge too much, and the patient is becoming weak, if you wish to check the operation, you are to give a dose of laudanum, from twenty to thirty drops; or you may give a glyster, in which you are to put double the quantity of laudanum taken by the mouth, and at the same time apply hot cloths, wrung out of boiling water, as warm as they can be borne, to the stomach of the patient: either of these measures will stop the operation of these medicines. In some cases, from the bowels being torpid, medi- cines of a purgative nature will not produce a passage. In such cases, you are to wait a reasonable time for their operation; if they do not operate, you are to give glysters. [For instructions, see head glysters, in index.] If these means fail, as they sometimes do, instead of giving heavy doses of medicine by the mouth, give glysters of warm water, and at the same time pour the gunn's domestic medicine. 621 coldest water over the belly of the patients. Sailors, when at sea, and when they have no medicne onboard, frequently relieve themselves from costiveness of the bowels, by merely lying with their bellies over the but of the cannon, the coldness of which seldom fails to pro- duce a strong disposition to stool. In severe constipa- tion of the bowels, when the common remedies fail to procure a passage or stool, give a mixture of castor oil and oil of turpentine, of each half an ounce at one dose—and if it does not operate in due time you are to repeat the same. This powerful and valuable dis- covery has been lately used with great success in the city of New York. STIMULANTS. Stimulants are medicines which excite the whole system into action; the best of which are, our common spirituous liquors, intended by Divine Providence as medicines, but which we abuse in their employment as luxuries of daily use, by which they are converted into poisons, pregnant with deadly mischief; destroying the reasoning faculties, and entailing upon the unfortunate devotee, a train of corporeal afflictions which infallibly eventuate in his premature dissolution. They are therefore, to be regarded, rather than a blessing, as a curse upon posterity and a nation. It is a fact certainly known to those who are in the habit of constantly using stimulants, that they require to be frequently adminis- tered, or else they lose their power: that when the system has, for any length of time, been accustomed to those stimulants, it is necessary gradually to increase the quantity, to produce the same action upon the sys- 622 gunn's domestic medicine, tern which was excited by their early or first use. Tho stimulants generally considered medicinal, or used in medicine, are as follows: Sulphuric Ether.—This is a valuable stimulant in cases of great debility or weakness, in hysterical cases, in cramp of the stomach, in checking vomiting or puking, in allaying sea-sickness, and discharging wind from the stomach. Externally applied to the head, it will greatly assist in relieving head ache. Ether is to be kept well corked, or it will lose its strength; and when it is taken, it must be drank as quick as possible after it is mixed with water, or it will lose the power or effect it is intended to produce.—Dose, from one to three tea-spoonsful, mixed in a stem or wine glass of cold water. Spirits of Hartshorn.—This is a strong and active stimulant; it is generally used in hysterical complaints, and nervous head ache, and is also a valuable remedy in dyspepsia. See page 133. By the alkaline proper- ty which it possesses, it neutralizes acid in the stomach, at the same time communicating strength to that organ. In all extreme cases of debility of the'stomach, attend- ed with vomiting and spasms, as is frequently the case with habitual drunkards, hartshorn will be found a most valuable remedy.—It will relieve the sting of the bee, wasp, and other insects, by keeping the wounded part wet with it.—Dose from one to two tea-spoonsful. Opium, and the preparation made from opium call- ed laudanum, when given in small doses, act as stimu- lants—when given in larger doses, produce sleep and relieve pain. For a full description of both these articles, see head in index, and for doses, see table of medicines. gunn's domestic medicine. 623 Spirit or Oil of Turpentine, when taken internally, is one of the most active and diffusible stimulants per- vading the whole extent of the system, but with greater force to certain narts; and in cases where the bowels are obstinately constipated or bound; in puerperal, or child- bed fever, and in epileptic fits, particularly where these complaints are brought on by worms, it also acts as an evacuant or purge. The dose is from three to four tea- spoonsful alone, or with a small portion of water. Spirit of Lavender.—This is a mild and pleasant stimulant, and is generally administered to females in hysterical affections. When mixed with sulphuric ether in equal quantities, it is valuable in debility, or weakness of the system. The dose of lavender alone is three tea-spoonsful. There is nothing more difficult in the practice of medicine, than to determine when it is proper to pre- scribe stimulants: nor is it possible for me here to point out to you the exact time, or to give further light on the subject, than in advising you to be guided by the state of the system; and avoid their application during fever, as they invariably increase it; and never pre- scribe them in any case, until proper evacuations have been made. It is only in the protracted and feeble stage of diseases, that they can be resorted to with any hope of advantage. By watching their operation, you can readily perceive by the absence or presence of the following symptoms, whether their administration is proper or not: pain in the head; delirious wanderings, or in other words, the patient talks wildly; great watch- fulness; stricture, or tightness of the breast; restless- ness and anxiety, with a hot, dry skin, parched tongue, and a quick, small, and corded pulse. Upon the 624 gunn's domestic medico in e. appearance of any, or all of the above symptoms, you are immediately to desist in the use of stimulants. ANODYNES. Anodynes are those medicines which ease pain and procure sleep. Opium, in doses of from two to five grains. See table of medicines; and also for a full description of opium, see that head. Laudanum, made by dissolving an ounce of opium in a pint of good spirits of any kind—it is generally fit for use in five or six days. Fifty drops of laudanum eare equal to two grains of opium. For doses of this, or any other medicine, refer to the table of medicines. Paregoric, made by adding a half a drachm of opium «—or one ounce of laudanum to a pint of spirits of any kind, and mixing with them half a drachm of flowers of benzoin, the same quantity of the oil of anise-seed, and one scruple of camphor. The dose is three or four tea-spoonsful. For the different ages refer to the table of medicines. ANTISPASMODICS. Anti-spasmodics are medicines which are given to remove spasms or cramps, and generally used byphysi" cians for this purpose. Opium or Laudanum, in doses depending on the extreme urgency or clanger of the case. gunn's domestic medicine. 625 Hot Toddy, madh with spirits, hot water, and sweetened with sugar. Sulphuric Ether, dose from two tea-spoonsful to a table-spoonful, in half a cup of cold water. Asafatida, a lump weighing from eight to ten, or even twenty grains; or if you use the tincture, which is nothing more than asafoetida steeped in whiskey as follows:—take of asafoetida, two ounces, and put it in a pint of old whiskey, or good spirits of any kind; let it stand for ten days, and the tincture is ready for use. Dose from one tea-spoonful to four, mixed in a little cold water. Essence of Peppermint, given in a large dose mixed with hot toddy The best means for removing spasm, are the warm bath—see page 156—bleeding freely, and applying cloths wrung out of hot water, or hot salt to the skin over the part where the cramp or spasm is seated. TONICS. Medicines which increase the tone of the muscular fibres, and thereby strengthen the whole body. Peruvian Bark.—This bark is obtained from South America: there are three kinds—the red, the yellow and the pale. The red bark when pure, is the best It has, however, been ascertained that the medicinal pro- perties of our common dogwood, are equal, if not supe- rior, to the imported bark. The dose, in substance, of the Peruvian bark, is from two to four tea-spoonsful, in a stem or wine glass of water, taken every three or four hours, when there is no fever. If it should disagree with the stomach, it 79 626 gunn's domestic medicine. may be given in decoction, by putting an ounce ufthc bark in a quart of hot water, to which add a little Vir- ginia snake root, frequently called black snake root, to which add a small portion of cinnamon or ginger. When it becomes cold, you are to mix with it half a pint of the best Madeira or Teneriffe wine.—Dose a stem or wine glassful every two or three hours. Dogwood bark, or Wild Cherry-tree bark, pounded fine and taken in doses of thirty or forty grains are equal to the Peruvian bark. I have been in the habit of using in my practice, equal quantities of the barks of dogwood, wild cherry and poplar, (I allude to the poplar of the forest, of which our boats are made,) these three barks steeped in good spirits of any kind, and administered in moderate doses, say three or four times a day, is superior in its tonic effects, to any medi- cines I have ever used. The bark of the poplar is one of the most valuable medicines we possess; I can assert from experience, that there is not in all the materia medica, a more valuable and certain remedy for the dyspepsia or indigestion, than poplar bark. In hysteri- cal complaints, this bark, combined with a small quan- tity of laudanum, is a valuable remedy. In worms it has been prescribed to a child when convulsions or fits had taken place; after taking a few doses, several dead worms were discharged with the stools. The dose of the powder, to a grown person, is from twenty grains to two drachms; or the bark may be used in tincture: that is, steeped in spirits, or as a tea: its virtues are always greatest when given in substance or powder. Columbo Root is a mild, but powerful tonic, com- municating vigor to the stomach: when properly ad- ministered, it does not produce stricture, nausea, or in other words, sickness of the stomach, and oppression; gunn's domestic medicine. 627 and is well adapted to dyspeptics, or those persons laboring under indigestion; for the stomach will bear this substance with advantage, while most other tonics produce disagreeable symptoms.—This medicine will also restrain, or stop, vomiting, or puking:—it is fre- quently substituted for Peruvian bark, in consequence of its milder action on the system. Dose from ten, twenty, to thirty grains of the powder, in half a tea- cupful of milk or cold water, three times a day. In dyspeptic cases, or enfeebled digestion, small doses an- swer better than large ones. The tincture is a useful form of administering this medicine, which is prepared as follows:—Take of Columbo root three ounces, bruise it with a hammer; put it in a quart of good spirits of any kind, or good wine, let it stand five days, shaking it frequently, then strain it, and it is fit for use: it should be taken occasionally through the day, as pleasantly prepared as the stomach is capable of re- ceiving it. Nitric Acid.—Read diseases of the Liver where you will find a full description of this medicine. It is a most powerful tonic, particularly in chronic affections of the liver, and where the constitution has been much injured by the use of mercury, or ven- ereal diseases. The best method of taking it is, to make a quart of cold water pleasantly sour with the medicine, and add to it sugar or any kind of syrup, which renders it agreeable to the taste, when it may be drank through the day in such quantities as the stom- ach will bear. In taking this medicine, however, it is best to take it through a quill, as the acid is apt to in- jure the teeth. Gentian Root.—This makes a strong and valuable bitter, and is much used in weakness of the stomach, 628 gunn's domestic medicine. and to increase the appetite. Take two ounces of Gentian root, one ounce of orange peel, and half an ounce of canella alba, put them in a quart of good spirit of any kind, or good Madeira or Teneriffe wine: after eight or ten days, shaking it frequently so as to extract their strength, it then yields a pleasant and healthful bitter, and may be used at pleasure, or as the stomach may require it. Virginia Snake Root, sometimes called black snake root, wormwood, tansey, camomile flowers, horehound, wild centaury commonly called centry, and hops; all of which yield a pleasant and innocent bitter when made strong, by boiling, and then adding to the tea an equal quantity of spirit: or as a tincture by steeping them for several days in good spirit of any kind; these articles may be used separately or mixed together, as you may have it in your power to procure them. Elixir Vitriol.—It is a very pleasant and useful tonic; it restores and strengthens the appetite, and gives tone to the digestive organs, and restrains those sweats which frequently occur after severe fevers called by medical men colliquative sweats, which means those sweats which melt down, as it were, the strength of the body. Elixir Vitriol is one of our most popular and highly esteemed medicines, for restraining he- morrhage, which means flooding from the uterus or womb, and in haemoptysis, which means spitting of blood. The dose is from fifteen to twenty drops, every two or three hours, mixed in a stem or wine glass of cold water, or in as much water as will make it pleas- antly sour. Iron in its operation on the system, evinces all the effects of a powerful and permanent tonic; no medicine perhaps, leaving behind it such lasting impressions. It gunn's domestic medicine. 629 increases the activity and volume of the pulse, corrects the state of the blood and secretions, and invigorates or strengthens the whole system. The numerous advan tages arising from the use of Iron, as a medicine, are embraced within the sphere of chronic debility The chalybeate waters of which the western coun- try abounds, are springs impregnated with iron, and are found upon almost every branch and creek. The water of these valuable springs should be used by per- sons laboring under the following complaints: Chloro- sis, which means green sickness (see that head,) in hypochondriasis, commonly called vapors, or low spir- its; in hysterical affections; the whites, a disease to which women are subject, (see that head;) paralysis, or palsy, (see that head;) in scrofula, or king's evil; rickets in children; and in dyspepsia, or indigestion, (see that head.) I have now enumerated the various cases in which the chalybeate waters are beneficial, as well as the principal complaints in which iron is em- ployed. When this medicine is used in substance, it is generally obtained from the apothecary, or doctor's shops, in the form of rust of iron, and given in doses of five or ten grains, three times a day, mixed in syrup of any kind. By putting a few grains of rust of iron in a bottle filled with common soda water, it makes as valayble a chalybeate drink as the water of any of the springs which are impregnated with iron. I again, for the last time, tell you that tonics must not be given when they produce fever. 630 gunn's domestic .medicine. SUDORIFICS. Sudorifics are medicines which produce free and copious sweating. Diaphoretics are those which occa- sion only gentle perspiration, or moisture of the skin. Tartar Emetic, called by physicians, Tartarized Antimony, when given in small doses, so to produce slight sickness at the stomach, is more generally attend- ed with perspiration, and is proper in fevers. Nitrous Powders.—To sixty grains of Nitre—which is nothing more than Saltpetre—pounded very fine, add sixteen grains of calomel, and one grain of tartar emetic: mix them well together, and then divide the compound into eight equal portions, one of which you are to give every two or three hours, in a little syrup of any kind. If these powders should purge, wdiich they sometimes do, you should omit or leave out the calo- mel.—The Nitrous Powders are considered a valuable medicine in bilious fever. Dover's Powder.—This powder is one of the most certain sudorifics, where it is often difficult, by other means to produce a copious sweat. The dose is from five to twenty grains, according as the person's stomach and strength can bear it. It is proper to avoid much drink immediately after taking this medicine; for by so doing it is apt to be vomited or puked up, before it has had due time to operate as a sweat. The manner of preparing them are as follows, if you cannot obtain them already prepared at any apothecary or doctor's shop: Of ipecacuanha, in powder, and opium in fine powder, each one drachm, vitriolated tartar, or salt petre, (either will do,) one ounce finely powdered; you aretobevery particular to grind all these articles to- gether into the finest powder; when thus ground as fine as it is possible, you have prepared and ready for gunn's domestic medicine. 631 use this valuable medicine. Opium intended to make these powders, ought to be pounded in a mortar per- fectly fine, during the coldest weather, and kept for this purpose in a bottle. In warm weather, the opium be- comes too soft to admit of being reduced to powder. Dover's Powder is one of the most valuable remedies we have, for quieting the bowels in dysentery or flux, after proper evacuations have been made. Antimonial Wine and Spirits of Nitre.—Take equal quantities of each, and mix them together; the dose is one, two, and three tea-spoonful: if it inclines to vomit, or puke, you aro to lesson the quantity of antimonial wine one half to two of the spirits of nitre. This is valuable in fevers to promote persperation. Ipecacuanha, given in small doses—say one or two grains—-every two or three hours, mixed with a little warm water or syrup, will excite perspiration. Seneka Snake Root, Virginia snake root, butterfly weed, sometimes called pleurisy root, dittany, bone set, called by some, thoroughwort. These roots or herbs are all valuable for their sweating powers. For a full description of each, refer to their different heads. OINTMENT FOR SORES. Simple Ointment.—This, as its name expresses, is innocent, and merely intended to keep the parts soft, and from exposure to cold: made by melting four ounces of beeswax with half a pint of sweet oil; or in a less quantity, observing the proportions. Suet, and clear hog's lard will answer if the oil cannot be con- veniently had. 632 gunn's domestic medicine. Balsilicum Ointment.—Healing and exciting: used in dressing sores. It is made by melting one ounce of beeswax, one ounce of resin, and an ounce and a half of clean hog's lard together. Lead Ointment.—For dressing sores of an inflam- matory nature. Pound very fine, one drachm of sugar of lead, and mix it well with six ounces of hog's lard. Red Precipitate Ointment.—This ointment is gen- erally used for curing the itch; it is also valuable for old sores on the legs, when applied in the dry powder, after cleansing them well with castile soap; it will also destroy what is called proud flesh. The way to make this ointment is, to mix one drachm of the powdered precipitate with an ounce of hog's lard, and rub them well together. Tar Ointment.—Used in diseases of the skin, par- ticularly scald head; made by melting together equal quantities of tar, and the best mutton suet. Jamestown Weed.—This valuable plant, of which I have given a full description, under the proper head, forms one of the best ointments for piles and old sores, made by first bruising, and then stewing the leaves in hog's lard, and then strained; the proportions in which the leaves and lard are to be mixed, are about one part of the leaf to one of lard. Turner's Cerate.—This ointment, which is so cele- brated in burns, [for a full description of its extraordin- ary virtues, refer to that head] is prepared as follows: take of calamine in fino powder, half a pound, bees wax the same quantity, hog's lard one pound; melt the wax with the lard, and put it out in the air, when it begins to thicken, which it will do as it gets cool, mix with it the calamine, and stir it well until cold. gunn's domestic medicine. 683 When you inquire for this article at an apothecary or doctor's shop, ask for calamine in powder; it is a mineral imported from England and Germany, and found in mines intermingled with the oars of different metals. Blistering Ointment.—Take of Spanish flies—call- ed, medically speaking, cantharides—beeswax, resin and tallow, equal quantities of each; melt first the wax, resin and tallow together, the flies are to be taken and pounded very fine, and mixed with the composition a little before it becomes entirely cold or firm. Tartar Emetic Ointment.—Called by physicians, Ointment of tartarized Antimony.—'This is a valuable external or outward stimulant, and forms a most bene- ficial application in all deep seated inflammations, especially of the chest. It occasions a pustular erup- tion on the skin, or in other words, numerous pimples, which discharge in a short time; these discharges, or runnings may be kept up by the occasional application of the ointment as expressed under that head. The method of making this ointment is as follows: take of tartar emetic one drachm—or two, if you wish to make it strong—mixed well with one ounce of hog's lard, and it is fit for use, or if you prefer it sprinkle it on a piece of leather, on which an adhesive, commonly called a strengthening plaster, has been previously spread, taking care not to cover the edges of the adhe- sive plaster with the ointment, so as to prevent it from touching and adhering, or sticking to the skin. Volatile Liniment.—This is a valuable preparation, to be rubbed on the skin as an external stimulant in sore throats, rheumatism, spasms, pains, &c. After rubbing it well in, which should be continued from twenty minutes to half an hour, flannel should be 00 634 gunn's domestic medicine. wrapped around the afflicted part. Volatile Liniment is made by mixing equal quantities of spirits of harts- horn and sweet oil; by adding to this mixture, a tea- spoonful or two of laudanum, the preparation will be much improved in its efficacy in relieving pain. MERCURY. I shall mention only such mercurial medicines as are daily and commonly used. Calomel, is considered the most valuable of mercu- rial medicines, in every disease in which I have directed its use. Full, plain, and explicit directions have been given as to the doses, and the effect intended to be pro- duced by this mineral, and the injuries which frequently result from its improper use. Blue pill.—There is scarcely an indication to be ful- filled—says Dr. Chapman—by mercury, the purgative effect excepted, to which this preparation is not adequate. It is much prescribed in cases where salivation is de- manded, and as an alternative, which you will see fully described in Diseases of the Liver. The blue pill is made by triturating, or rubbing quicksilver with the conserve of roses, till the globules, or little balls of mercury, are entirely extinguished or destroyed; the pills should be so prepared as to contain about a grain of the metal; the dose in general is, a pill in the morn- ing, and one at night. This is the mildest preparation of mercury, but it is by no means an inactive medicine. The dose may be increased, if necessary, to as high as six pills. Mercurial Ointment—generally known by the peo- ple of the country as oil of baze. The old plan of gunn's domestic medicine. 635 preparing this ointment required great labor. The following is a quick and effectual method of preparing this article: take an ounce and a half of balsam of Peru, to every pound of mercury; triturate for ten minutes, and the mercury will be not only extinguished, but apparently oxydised. Then add the proper pro- portions of suet and lard to make an ointment. As soon as the whole is well mixed, which may be done in three minutes, the ointment has a fine blue color, and possesses full activity. SWAIM'S PANACEA. This medicine, on its first appearance before the public, excited great hopes of being an invaluable remedy for several complaints supposed to be incura- ble, particularly scrofula. The high recommendations which accompanied it, by some of the most distinguish- ed physicians of Philadelphia, entitled it to some confi- dence, and so much were its virtues appreciated, that this medicine sold for the extravagant price of five dol- lars per bottle; its immediate and successful sales, realized to Mr. Swaim a large fortune. In due time, however, like all patent medicines, it sunk into dignified retirement, being nothing more than an old friend with a new face: its principal and component part, being the same as the French medicine called Rob Syphili- tique, which is corrosive sublimate—one of the most active preparations of mercury. Swaim's Medicine, is made from sarsaparilla, marsh reed grass, borrage flowers, senna, rose leaves, sassafras and winter green; these articles are boiled together in water, and strained off; sugar and honey are then 636 gunn's domestic medicine. added, so^as to form the consistence of syrup, when the most active mercurial preparation, corrosive subli- mate, is mixed with it. The Rob, in its effects, is similar to Swaim's medi- cine; its preparation, however, is more simple, and the addition of the former, adds nothing to its virtues. Both these medicines are only valuable in the seconda- ry stages of that dreadful disease which I have so plainly described under the head venereal. LIVERWORT. This plant grows so abundantly, and is so well known in the western country, that a description would be unnecessary. The excitement produced throughout the United States in consequence of its being a suppos- ed remedy or cure for consumption, led to a full inves- tigation of its virtues, when, like thousands of its predecessors, it has only proved to be an innocent palliative remedy. By using it as a tea, it assists ex- pectoration, or a discharge from the lungs; allays the irritation of the cough; and in some instances, lessens the frequency of the hectic symptoms. See head Consumption. ADDITIONAL DISEASES, &e. EATING SNUFF. Nothing is more difficult to be accounted for, even by men of acute and profound observation, than-the strong attachments^of the human species, to practices which are absolutely at war with nature, and hostile to every principle of enjoymejg and happiness. How the use of tobacco, under any form, could ever have become a luxury among mankind, especially consider- ing its nauseous and disgusting qualities, is an enigma not to be solved on common principles. We can easily account for our attachment to food and even to those luxuries of life which have any thing tempting in their use, by referring them to instinctive impulses to the preservation of life, and our native propensities to heighten the enjoyments of existence: but to account for our attachments to habits and practices, which are absolutely disgusting, offensive, and highly injurious to health, and which almost invariably lead to immoral and dangerous excesses, we are compelled to refer them to the degeneracy ot our species, and the entire corruption of their moral tastes and feelings. The use of tobacco in any way, unless as a medical appli- cation to the system, the instances of which will be found under the proper head, is dangerous to health, to happiness, and morals. In support of the truth of this doctrine, it would be idle to adduce proofs; those who use tobacco are conscious of its destructive effects, and those who do not, may hourly witness its dreadful con- 638 gunn's domestic medicine. sequences, on the health and morals of society. We are all well acquainted with the effects of chewing and smoking tobacco, and taking snuff in the common way; but we have something yet to learn and disclose, respecting the hitherto unheard of practice, among the females of our country, of regularly eating Scotch snuff! It appears from what I have been informed on verita- ble authority, or 1 certainly would not believe it pos- sible, that the practice among our ladies, of eating daily considerable quantities of Stotch snuff, arose in the first instance from their using it as a tooth powder— yes, most courteous readeV, a tooth powder! If this is any thing more, than a mere pretext for the filthy and disgusting practice, which taints the breath with a fetor worse than asafoetida, deranges all the physical sensations, and the whole nervous system; imparts to the very cheek of youthful beauty the loathsome com- plexion of a cake of bees-wax! Subverts, ruins, and finally destroys the digestive powers of the stomach; and renders that stomach a filthy reservoir of drugs and crudities, which taint and corrupt the whole system; the eaters of Scotch snuff may be induced to abandon the destructive practice, when I point out to them a much better tooth powder—which is nothing more nor less, than powdered charcoal, mixed with peruvian or dog-wood bark. In speaking of the evils which arise from eating snuff I have not enumerated the half of them: the fact is^ that* language itself would fail in classing and giving them names. We all know perfectly well, that the stomach is teh work-shop of the whole human machine, and that when its functions are deranged or impaired, the whole system suffers in its remotest extremities. Hear what the celebrated Rush says, respecting the gunn's domestic medicine. 639 practice of eating snuff:—"I have known two instances of death from eating snuff It is a habit which is increasing among the ladies of our country with a rapidity only equalled by the ravages of ardent spirits, and which is no less ruinous to health and destructive to life." The practice of eating snuff had its probable origin in using the Scotch snuff as a tooth powder;—a fond- ness is soon acquired for it, and hundreds among us, especially among our females, get drunk upon it every day. Doctor Rush's views of this subject are undoubt- edly correct, but he has not '4aid all that might have been said respecting the consequences of snuff eating. He might have said that those who are in the practice of eating snuff may easily be distinguished from those who are not; he might have said, here is a snuff eatery notice this complexion; it is a palled, sickly yellow; the skin seems to be underooated with a layer of snuff; there is nothing of the rose's bloom of opening unsullied beauty, on this lank, faded, and hollow cheek; look at this eye—the owner is an eater of snuff; do you see any thing of that healthful brilliancy, that sparkling- fire of youthful beauty which enchants mankind, in that jaundiced, sunken, hollow, dead, and beamless eye? No: the vital energies have been worn out and exhausted by snuff eating; the animations of youth have been overpowered and killed by this excess; this is but the shadow of a human being! Catch a scent of this breath; is it pure and sweet, with youthful pas- sion's tender bloom? dose it remind you of the gale of spring, that gently shakes the blossoms from the orange grove? dose its healthful purity bespeak the paradise of sweets from which it comes? No: like the wind of night, that has swept the sepulchral shades 610 gunn's domestic medicine. of death, it comes with corruption and infection on its wings! it reminds you of disease, debility, decay and death— of every thing but love! Doctor Ilush might have said all this of the snuff eater, and forfeited none of his high claims to professional honors, integrity and truth. I am decidedly of opinion, and I record the allega- tion without fear of contradiction, especially by those who know any thing of the subject, that of the two characters, the drunkard and the snuff eater, the drunk- ard is the more worthy personage, if consequences be taken into consideration;" Snuff eating invariably pro- duces langor, extreme debility, aversion to the perfor- mance of the common duties of life, tremors of the nerves, capricious and disagreeable temper, and restless melancholy and lowness of spirits, unless the person is immediately under the disgusting stimulant. But this is not all: snuff eating always produces want of appe- tite, nausea, inordinate thirst, pains end distension of the stomach, dyspepsia or indigestion, tremors of the limbs and whole frame, disturbed sleep, emaciation or wasting of the body and limbs, epilepsy or fits, con- sumption and death. Nor is this all: tobacco is an absolute poison; a very moderate quantity introduced into the system or even applied moist to the pit of the stomach, has been known to produce instant death. The Indians of our own hemisphere have long known of its poisonous effects upon the human system; and formerly used to dip the points of their arrows in an oil obtained from the leaves, by which faintness and death occurred from their wounds. I was once ac- quainted with a young lady of the first respectability, whose kind and affectionate heart was possessed of every noble and generous sentiment, who was in the gunn's domestic medicine. 641 habit of eating snuff. She was taken dangerously ill, and it became necessary to give her an emetic or puke; and the fact was, that in the operation of the medicine she threw up nearly half a pint of snu ff from the stom- ach. How young, blooming, and tender girls, can bear the use of snuff in this way, or indeed in any other way, after experiencing the wretched sensations always pro- duced by it, is to me absolutely unaccountable, unless on the principles I have mentioned; and I must, also, here confess myself unable to account for the fact, that the parents of these girls knowing the evils of snuff eating, cannot merely overlook the practice in their blooming daughters, but absolutely encourage it by their example. I really trust that the preceding remarks, and they are founded in experience and truth, will have some influence in restraining the practice of snuff eating, and in restoring many of the fair of our country, to the possession of their native charms and beauty. INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS. An inflammation of the lungs is sometimes an origin- al disease, and sometimes derived from other maladies. It is occasioned by the causes which bring on the pleu- risy, by violent exercise, wearing wet clothes, obstruct- ed perspiration, and ardent spirits. In an inflammation of the lungs, the symptoms resemble those of pleurisy; but the pain is not so severe, and the pulse is not so quick and hard, while there is greater difficulty of respiration, and greater oppression of the breast. A dull pain is felt internally along the breast bone, or between the shoulders, augmented by breathing; great 81 642 gunn's domestic medicine. solicitude near the heart; weariness and inquietude; loss of sleep and want of appetite; while a yellowish scurf overspreads the tongue. The veins in the neck are also dilated; the face inflated, while a dark red discoloration prevails about the eyes and cheeks. TREATMENT. An inflammatory attack upon an organ so necessary to existence as the lungs, is alvvays dangerous, and re- quires speedy relief The diet should be extraordina- rily slender and thin. Infusions of fennel roots in warm water, with milky decoctions of barley, and common whey, are most proper both for drink and nutriment: the steam of warm water is also recommended as a kind of internal fomentation, and a help to attenuate the impacted humors. If the bowels are in a laxative state, if the patient thereby is not debilitated, no effort should be promoted by emollient clysters. Bleeding and purg- ing are generally necessary—but if the patient spit freely, they may not be required: the quantity of blood taken at the commencement of the disease, should be large. The evacuating plan should be adopted early, btit it should not be persevered in too long. The solu- tion of gum ammoniac, with oxymel of squills, will promote expectoretion or spitting: it is from a free dis- charge of spittle that relief is principally to be expected. When the counteracting treatment does not succeed, a suppuration is formed, more or less dangerous accord- ing to its situation: if it occupies the pleura, it may break outwardly, and the matter will be discharged without danger: when it occurs within the lungs, the matter must be ejected by spitting: when it floats be- tween the pleura and the lungs, it is said an incision must be made between the ribs to liberate the confined matter. The same remedies and treatment are employ- gunn's domestic medicine. 643 ed in this disease as in pleurisy. Inflammation of the lungs is called by the doctors peripuenmony: the patient's bowels should be opened by calomel or other purgatives. Blood should be taken from the arm, and a blister ap- plied over the pain. " The decoction of seneka snake- root or butterfly root, should be freely used. If the patient should not be relieved, (as often happens,) and sinks into a state of general debility, I then give the chalybeate pill night and morning: the patient should also take every morning a new laid egg, beat up in as much old whiskey as will cook it; fill up the glass with sweet milk warm from the cow. This preparation acts as a stimulus and an expectorant, and at the same time nourishes the patient. His drink should be buttermilk whey. FALLING OF THE PALATE. The falling of the palate is attended with a tickling in the throat, and soreness of the tongue: it proceeds generally from a foul stomach. TREATMENT. Take of sage tea half a pint, vinegar and honey two ounces of each, and half a drachm of alum, and wash the throat with it: alum water will answer the same purpose. Apply salt and pepper to the elongated palate by means of the handle of a spoon. If these measures fail, give an emetic. 644 gunn's domestic medicine. JAUNDICE. This disorder turns the white of the eye, as well as the skin, yellow- the urine is saffron colored, and will stain a white cloth. The causes are, obstruction of bile; purges or vom- its ; an obstinate ague; or the premature stoppage of it by astringent medicines; remoter causes are the bites of vipors or mad dogs or poisonous animals, and vio- lent passions; infants, when the first stools are not sufficiently purged off, and pregnant women, are subjec- to it. The symptoms are, excessive weariness, great aversion to motion, a dry skin, an itching pain over the body, the breathing difficult, oppression of the breast, heat in the nostrils, a bitter taste in the mouth, sickness at the stomach, flatulency and vomiting. Where the disease is simple, it is not dangerous; where it besets the old and debilitated, and is complicated with other maladies, it often proves fatal. Regimen.—The food should be light and cooling; stewed prunes, boiled or roasted apples, preserved plams, boiled spinage, veal or chicken soup, with light bread, are very proper. A cure has sometimes been effected by living on raw eggs, or sucking a raw egg every morning. The drink may by buttermilk, whey sweetened, or decoctions of cooling opening vegetables. Where there are no symptoms of inflammation, as much exercise as the patient can bear, will be benefi- cial; walking, running, riding on horseback or in a carriage, or a long journey, have great restorative efficacy. Such amusements as promote circulation, and cheer the spirits, maybe indulged in with advantage. TREATMENT. The patient should first be bled, an emetic should then be given, castile soap may also be administered in gunn's domestic medicine. 615 sufficient quantities to keyp the intestines open; or the salt of tartar may be taken in doses of twenty or thirty grains three or four times a day, dissolved in the infu- sion of columbo. The patient should be bled more freely where there is pain about the region of the liver; a slight salivation is produced. The warm bath should be used, and a blister may be laid over the pained part. Three or four spoonsful of olive oil may be taken to alleviate the pain, or one or two tea-spoonsful of ether, or thirty drops of laudanum. Bags of hot salt may be laid on the right side, and after the obstructions are removed, the tone of the system maybe restored by the use of columbo, nitric acid, dogw7ood or cherry- tree bark, with porter and wine. SCROFULA OR KING'S EVIL. Symptoms.—Small tumors appear behind the ears or under the chin. The feet, hands, eyes, breast, and armpits and groins are liable to its attacks. These knots in time break and become ulcers, from which a thin watery humor is discharged. Regimen.—The food should be very low, light and easy of digestion, as good light bread, soup of the flesh of young animals, with an occasional glass of wine.—- The patient ought to take as much exercise as he can bear, in dry, open air, but it should not be too cold. TREATMENT. Warm fomentations are injurious. Bathing in cold water, or the sea where it is convenient, and keeping the bowels open with salt and water will be highly salutary. A tea-spoonfol of salt dissolved in water should be taken every morning. Peruvian bark 616 gunn's domestic medicine. and steel alternately every two weeks, or nitric acid will be of great service. Muriate of lime in doses of from ten to eighty drops gradually increased, three or four times a day, diluted with water or tea, is said to be a very valuable remedy. The solution of arsenic may be given twice or thrice a day after a suppuration has taken place. Mix well together one pound of finely powdered bark and one ounce of white lead pulverized; this powder applied to scrofulous ulcers, will act beneficially, or let an ounce of sugar of lead be dissolved in a pint of water; keep on the ulcers linen cloths moistened in this solution. The ulcers should alsobe washed with salt and water every morning. Before a tumor breaks, it should be anointed with fresh butter stewed to an oil twice a day, bathing it in with a hot shovel. When the tumors break, apply to them a plaster of molasses stewed down to such a degree of thickness, that when spread it will not run: if the disease is attended with general debility, chalybeate medicine should be taken. Time and sim- ple means are the surest remedies: the cure cannot be humored. The diet and drink should be of a light and cooling nature. Cold should be guarded against, and exercise should be taken: in this simple manner I have cured cases that have baffled regular practice. When the lumps are first coming, relief may by obtained by anointing them with oil of fresh butter, and warming it in with a hot shovel. I have given the practice of other physicians as well as my own. gunn's domestic medicine. 617 NIGHT MARE, OR INCUBUS. The patient in sleep feels an oppression or weight about his stomach and breast: he groans—is in great distress, and dreads suffocation—he fancies himself in some imminent danger, and tries to escape, but finds he cannot move—he imagines himself about to fall over a precipice—be drowned in a river—or consumed in a burning house. Causes.—Indigestion, debility, reple- tion, late and heavy suppers, great fatigue, sleeping on the back, intoxication. TREATMENT. As the person afflicted generally moans or manifests distress, he should be waked, as that brings immediate relief. Those who are subject to this complaint should eat early and light suppers, and take a glass of pepper- mint water after supper to assist digestion: windy food should be avoided. A hard bed should be preferred. When the complaint proceeds from debility, the chaly- beate pill may be taken; or steel, bark or columbo, may be administered in ordinary doses: if it arises from a full habit, a spare diet will be proper, as well as vene- section and purging. Severe study, anxiety, and what- ever will oppress the mind, should be carefully avoided. It will be prudent in those who are frequently troubled with this complaint, to have a companion to sleep with them, lest at some time the stagnation of blood should continue so long as to stop the functions of life, and terminate in death. 648 gunn's domestic medicine. HYDROPHOBIA, OR THE BITE OF A MAD DOG, Whenever it can be done, the part that is injured should be cut'out immediately, and by this means the poison will be hindered from entering into the system. When this cannot be done, caustic shold be applied without delay, so as to change the nature of the wound, or the part affected may be washed, then burnt with a hot iron more extensively than the wound itself, then fill it with mercury and keep it open for some time. Mer- "1 cury also should be employed inwardly and outwardly to produce salivation. Large doses of opium, it is said, have proved beneficial. The costic volatile al- kali, may upon experiment be discovered to ie an antidote to the bite of a mad dog as well as to that of B poisonous serpants. Emetic weed, scull cap, and chick -;. weed are deemed valuable remedies in hydrophobia. RICKETS. This disease originates from weakness, and any cause that produces debility disposes to it. The head and abdomen are Unnaturally enlarged—the face is ffushed and florid. It sometimes affects the bones which become crooked, unnatural and deformed. The appetite is bad, the digestion imperfect, and the solids relaxed. TREATMENT. Exercise is the most effectual remedy. Much may be accomplished by nutritious diet and wholesome air. Gentle vomits and cathartics should be given to cleanse and purify the system. It should then be braced with tonics, as bark, steel, and columbo; but perhaps nothing gunn's domestic medicine. 649 will so effectually invigorate and renew the constitution as the chalybeate pill. Bandages will also be useful in reducing the enlargement of the head. ST. VITUS' DANCE, Is a species of convulsions. Its approaches are evm-» ced by languor and love of inaction, and long protracted constipation of the bowels. Presently the face is con- vulsed and the limbs twitch and jerk and many strange gesticulations are exhibited. As costiveness is too com- monly the cause of this disease, purgatives are usually necessary; if continued, the symptoms will gradually abate, and the patient, strange as it may seem, will gain strength, and show by his walk, countenance, and appearance that he is recovering. Cathartics are mainly to be depended on; though, sometimes tonics may be employed successfully. TO CURE A WEN. Wash it with common salt dissolved in water every day, and it will be removed in a short time. Or make a strong brine of alum salt; simmer it over the fire. When thus prepared, wet a piece of cloth in it every day and apply it constantly for one month, and the protuberance will disappear. 82 650 gunn's domestic medicine. MORTIFICATION. Before a mortification comes on, the part affected is in a high state of inflammation, a burning and ex- ceedingly painful sensation is felt, and where a wound is the cause, it becomes dry, and the flesh around it assumes a purple color. This stage is called gan- grene; the next step is mortification. When gangrene ensues, a strong lye poultice will generally arrest its progress. When this fails, I apply the steam of wool and continue the application for hours until the patient becomes easy. The principal ingredients which I use to stop a mortification, first washing the wTounds with a decoction of spikenard, are wool, bacon rinds, and life everlasting; the steam of these conveyed to the wound, or mortified parts, will, when perseveringly applied, make the unsound flesh slough off, then nature will generate now flesh and the patient will get well. But, perhaps an example or two will illustrate more forcibly and clearly my mode of treatment in cases of mortified wounds. I was called on not many years since to a man, who had got his leg broke in falling a tree, his leg was very badly mangled, part of the bone drove six inches into the ground. The accident hap- pened in the morning; I was sent for and got there in the evening. I found that the arteries were not entire- ly destroyed, and stated my belief that I could save the leg. I gave him two spoonsful of castor oil with fifteen drops of laudanum, and washed the leg in warm milk and water. After cleansing it in this way, I boiled a quantity of spikenard in water and made a dressing with which I washed the leg twice a day. After using this decoction, I applied a poultice of sweet milk and flour to the leg, until a mortification took place—an event which I was anxiously anticipa- gunn's domestic medicine. 651 ling, Knowing that such a mass of bruised, lacerated flesh must sooner or later die, I prepared myself for the occurrence. On the morning of the fifth day, he be- came restless: I enquired how he was, and he inform- ed me, that his leg felt as if it was in the fire. I had an oven filled with wool, bacon rinds, and life everlasting; into it I threw red hot irons. I had a tube three or four feet long, extending from a hole in the oven to the fractured leg, over which I had made an arch so as to confine the steam to the wounded part. I continued this course, still filling the oven with wool, and throwing in hot irons, all that day, all the subsequent night, and until ten o'clock nextmorning—when the patient said he felt as easy as ever he had done in his life: the use of the steam was then discontinued. The mortified flesh sloughed off in pieces as thick as a man's hand, until the whole of the dead and bruised parts came off, which was nearly all the flesh from the knee to the ankle. All the bone of the leg was then taken out. After the mortification was stopped, the same treatment was pur- sued: the leg was wnshed as at first with a decoction of spickenard twice a day, and a poultice of sweet milk and flour was applied until the cure was complete, The patient was made to drink plentifully of dogwood tea; his diet was light, and his bowels kept open by doses of castor oil or salts. The leg was stretched out straight and kept in an easy posture, so that it might be as long as the other when the new bone was formed. It soon became sound, and was as useful to the patient as if the accident had never happened. This is my treatment, and in my hands it has never failed to arrest mortifica- tion before it became general. I have never known a general mortification to be stopped: this may be recog- nized by the patient's becoming stupid or languid, and 652 gunn's domestic medicine. vomiting a dark, bilious matter. This course persever- ingly pursued, with the aid of a little common sense, will, it is hoped, supersede the horrid practice of cutting off limbs whenever a black spot appears on them. WHITE SWELLINGS. There are two kinds of white swellings—the acute and scorbutic. The acute is the most common, and will first occupy our attention. There is no disease to which the human family is liable that will, if not taken in time, inflict more severe and lasting misery. It does not attack persons above the age of twenty-five years: children between five and fifteen are more likely to ex- perience its violence and severity. No diversity of soil nor salubrity of climate, can ward off its assaults: its ravages extend from the sea-shore to the mountains, and are most frequent in the most temperate and healthy atmosphere. Children of the finest constitutions and of the greatest activity, are most liable to its attacks. If the patient survives the severity of the first assault, he may for many years drag out a painfnl and misera- ble existence—his macerated body filled with sores from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet, and his sufferings so protracted, violent, and agonizing, that when he dies, as he will of a hectic fever, his friends, relations, and even parents, feel comfort in the thought that death has relieved him from his miseries and willingly consign to the tomb the mortal remains of the unhappy victim. Causes.—This disease is brought on by suddenly cooling the body after it has been overheated by violent exercise. It is often produced by working too bard— RUNn's DOMESTIC MEDICINE. 653 by running or jumping, and then going immediately into water; or lying down on the cold ground and going to sleep: sometimes the first symptom is, a pain in the part infected, and continues for several days before the patient is seized with the fever: at other times, the first notice of the disease is a violent attack, as of the bilious fever, with loss of appetite, and constant craving of water. In a few days the disease locates itself, and extreme pain is felt in the part affected; but although every part of the human frame is liable to its assaults, it most frequently fastens on the limbs. The part com- mences swelling most commonly, though not always, without changing its color; for sometimes the whole limb is highly inflamed. The patient finds no rest day nor night; the pain is augmented on every movement of the limb affected, which continues to settle for five or six weeks before it breaks. By this time the patient is reduced to a skeleton by his excruciating pains. After the abscess breaks and commences running, the suffer- er will gradually gain strength and begin to move about although his wound is still running, and the disease un- conquered. TREATMENT. Though this disease has long baffled the skill of the most eminent physicians of the world, its pathology and treatment are but imperfectly understood and have, as yet been imperfectly elucidated. When this disease begins with a pain in the limbs without fever, it may sometimes be relieved by making an ointment of hops, fat, or if it cannot be had, of fresh butter and red pepper, and rubbing the part affected twice a day, drying it in with a hot shovel or iron. If, after doing this the pain should still increase, and the limb begin to swell and puff, an incision should be made with a lancet 654 gunn's domestic medicine. the whole length of the blade, nor is this operation much felt or dreaded, so great is the pain of the dis- ease ; on the contrary it gives relief. This operation is only to be performed by a skillful physician. Flace at the bottom of the wound a piece of vegetable caustic about the size of a pea; after waiting half an hour put in as much more in the same way; continue to do so three or four times every day until you get into the cavity which always contains an oily fluid. The flesh also is always puffed up from the bone. After you have ;got to the bone, stop the use of the caustic, and make a decoction, (not strong) of wild ivy leaves, and throw it in on the bone with a syringe three or four times a day. After jou begin to use the ivy decoction, apply a poultice of sweet milk and flour; under this treatment the wound will soon commence a healthy suppuration and the patient will in a short time recover. As the physician is seldom called in until the disease has damaged the bone, if the swelling is not opened in tho early stage, the oily fluid spoken of, will not be found; ■for it is soon changed into puss. Whenever the physi- cian is called in, he must follow the directions given: if the bone is injured, it may be known by the appear- ance of the matter discharged: it may be covered with specks or eyes, such as are often seen in soup; if many of these are visible, the bone is unquestionably injured, and a speedy cure is not to be expected. Nature must work, and her operations must be watched and aided. After the abscess is opened, and discharging a healthy matter, the system must be strengthened and restored. The energy of the patient must be renovated before the cure of the wound is undertaken. The chalybeate pill will be the proper medicine When the patient has gained sufficient strength, which he will not do gunn's domestic medicine. 655 under five or six months, if the running still continues, it will be an unerring proof that the bone is injured. The wound must then be gradually opened by the application of the caustic, as before directed. BEER FOR CONSUMPTION. Take of spikenard root, if green, two pounds—if dry, one pound; of seneka snake root two ounces; of wild cherry bark, of the root of devilsbit, each half a pound; of the root of wild sweet potatoe, the root of burdock, and of the bark of white walnut, each half a pound; put these into ten gallons of water; boil it down to three* Pour it off the roots, while boiling, into a keg or jug, and to this quantity add one quart of honey: in a few days it will ferment, and be fit for use. Of this decoction the patient may drink two or three tea-cupsful a day. This beer is to be given to patients affected with the liver complaint or any kind of con- sumption: it is useful incases of debility of long standing. This medicine acts as a tonic, a cathartic, and a stimu- lant. The white walnut is intended only to keep the bowels open: the patient will, therefore, judge and put in more or less of it, as he finds its operation more or less powerful: if the patients are easy operated on, a less quantity is to be taken. REMARKS. In making an addition to this medical work, I feel sensible of tho insufficiency of space, to write as fully and as plainly as I could wish, on such important and useful subjects as might be communicated to mv coun- trymen. The rapid sale of my book, and the great patronage I have received in my humble efforts to be useful to my fellow creatures, fills my heart with joy and gratitude, and language is inadequate to express to my fellow-citizens, how much I esteem their goodness, or how willing I feel still to continue my feeble efforts through the assistance of Almighty God, to do them good, and to unfold to them such things, in plain lan- guage, as may soothe their bodily infirmities, and per^ haps be the means of relieving them from pain and sickness. To the profession of medicine the life of man stands greatly indebted through all its ages, from the cradle to the grave, and that the use of second means was intended by the Deity, cannot be controverted. Behold the spontaneous gifts of nature, yielding in almost every fragrant herb and flower, medicine to heal and relieve our maladies, recalling to our minds the splendid proofs of the Divine Majesty, showing the in- comparable superiority of nature over the most elegant works of human contrivance. Behold, for a moment, the forms and colors that embellish the vegetable world, and see how many thousands of the human race, like the grazing cattle, without reflection, trample on the flowery meads, and forget that those plants are the works 83 638 CUNNs domestic medicine. of God, and intended by our Heavenly Father, in infi- nite mercy, for the use of his creatures; wonder not, then, that so many constitutions are destroyed in this country by the daily and constant use of mineral poi- sons, which, if properly treated by the medical plants, would have been otherwise preserved, leaving the system free from the effects of such medicines as I consider worse than the original disease. But the time is not far distant, when the reflecting part of this community will be fully satisfied, that the medical herbs and roots of the United States are better adapted to our constitutions and diseases, than the mineral poisons so constantly and freely used in the present day. I have ever loved and cherished an exalted opinion of the vegetable kingdom, and I never have prescribed a single mineral, without feeling sensible there was something defective in my medical education. And although I have prescribed them throughout my work, in the spirit of truth, and according to the practice of medicine at this time, I still deplore, and conscientiously acknowledge, that there is not a substitute for that herculean remedy, calomel, in which any confidence can be placed, notwithstanding the many boasted substitutes daily advertised by quacks and pretenders in the healing art, nor has this invalua- ble remedy, or boasted panacea of our profession, devel- oped its powers so as to be perfectly and fully understood by even the most learned and observing practitioners. That it has done much good to mankind, I acknowl- edge, by its affording relief in many diseases which would otherwise have proved incurable, or perhaps ter- minated fatally, but whether the effects of this powerful medicine are left lurking in the system for years, and perhaps never eradicated, is quite doubtful; the occular demonstration of my daily practice, and intercourse gunn's domestic medicine. 659 with my fellow men, proves beyond the possibility of doubt,as to the injurious effects produced in many cases by the indiscriminate use of calomel, particularly to those whose constitutions and inherent disorders subject them to the most awful effects from this medicine. Then let me, as a parent bestowing his parting coun* sel and benediction on his children, advise you to avoid as much as possible, this, as well as all other active medicines, remembering to administer it with due cau- tion and judgment; and when required to use it, !et it be administered in active doses, by which I mean it is to be removed from the system, and for this purpose, an active dose is by far the best, by enabling it not only to be beneficial, but work itself off. You will find in the practice of medicine, that in nine casses out of ten, active purging will relieve; you are also to remember that the mind has a powerful influence not only over disease, but particularly over the degestive organs, Thus when the mind isintenselyoccupied, the digestive powers of the stomach are suspended; mental activity controls the functions of the stomach to an equal ex- tent. During the period of deep thought, the vital energy of the body is so entirely directed to the brain, that not only the stomach, but the extremities exper- ience a diminution of excitement as is proved by their coldness and insensibility. This condition of the brain will so affect the stomach and intestines, as even to sus- pend the operation of active mediciene. Doctor Rush states that during the Revolutionary war, he knew offi- cers who were unexpectedly drawn into battle after having taken drastic cathartics, and yet suffered no in- convenience from them until the excitement of it had passed away. I have seen, too, distressing sea-sickness promptly relieved by the mental anxiety produced by 660 gunn's domestic medicine. an engagement between vessels of war. The stimuta tion caused by this sublime spectacle, produced a revul- sion from the stomach to the brain, and thus relieved the one of the irritation accompanying this distressing disease, and the other from that depressed state indica- ted by lauguid feelings and obtuseness of intellect. The mind having such full and powerful effects over the whole system, should be a sufficient evidence to guard you in many complaints, particularly in diseases of the stomach, against the use of too much medicine, depending generally upon diet, moderate exercise, rest, temperance in all things, particularly in eating, change of climate, in sea bathing, and the use of the tepid or warm bath, mineral springs, foot exercise in all chronic complaints* and in assisting nature, by innocent rem- edies, to throw off disease. Your good sense will suggest to you the importance of time, and the remedies mentioned in chronic disorders, by which I mean dis- eases of long standing, rather than destroying the coats of the stomach, and paralyzing the last glimmering of hope, by a farago of medicines. Physicians prescribe much, but use but few medicines themselves. Let, then, this hint suffice, by showing you that much is to be ex- pected by simple remedies, discriminating judgment, and the influence of the mind upon the coporeal body, but do not understand me that I wish you to discard medicine altogether, but by its limited use, and depend- « ing much on the simple, yet efficient directions I have here recommended to you, you will have but little use for physicians or their prescriptions* ACCIDENTS, When an accident takes place by a fall from a horse, or a height, or being thrown from a carriage, or receiving a blow from a stick, or any similar injury to those I have mentioned, it will be proper, if possible, to bleed from the arm, but from any other part, if these parts are injured so as to prevent it. The loss of blood must be regulated according to the situation and cir- cumstances of the case: for frequently the injury has been so severe as apparently to deprive the patient of life: in this situation, you must await for the returning symptoms of animation, using friction; or in other words, rubbing, so as to restore the circulation; this will be proper over the region of the heart and stom- ach, temples, and the extremities, and bathing the tern* pies with the spirits in which camphor has been dissolv- ed, or spirits of hartshorn, or strong vinegar, at the same time applying it occasionally to the nose; and should the person be able to swallow, or so soon as they may be a little restored, it will be proper to give a little wine and water, or water and spirits of any kind, or any other gentle stimulant that may be convenient. In all cases of suspended animation, it is highly essential to continue for a length of time, friction, and in many difficult cases, you will find the tepid bath of great service in restoring life; for I have frequently witnessed the person restored, when all, and even the most dis- tant hope seemed at an end; therefore, let me implore you in such cases, to use gentle and continued friction 662 gunn's domestic medicine. on the body, for some vital spark may yet linger, and be warmed into animation—Providence may bless your kind efforts, and what heart-felt gratification will it afford you to be the humble instrument of restoring the life of a fellow creature, who, perhaps, in an unex- pected and unprepared state, has been thus situated, with the last glimmering hope sinking fast into eternity. If I had space—and I regret I have not—I could give you several interesting cases that have fallen under my care, and many I have witnessed, particularly in the cases of drowning, in which the most happy effects have been produced by perseverance. But on this highly important subject, let me refer you to the head, Suspended Animation. In all cases, where the patient is unable from severe injury to walk, it is necessary immediately to prepare a conveyance—and for this purpose, take two boards sufficiently long and broad, and then nail two cross pieces with the ends projecting about a foot for handles —or make, if the plank is not convenient, a litter form- ed of the branches of trees. On either of these, con- vey your patienf to the nearest house. If the person should be bleeding, you must stop the blood before moving him or her. In removing him on and from this litter to the bed, be extremely careful, as many serious accidents occur by being in too great a hurry and alarm; frequently there is considerable pain inflict- ed unnecessarily, by awkwardly stripping off the coat or pantaloons; therefore rip up the seams, by which you very often prevent much unnecessary pain: recol- lect never to use the least force. When the patient is stripped, and the room cleared of all unnecessary lookers on, which is generally the case, much to the annoyance of the patient and his physician, particularly gunn's do.mestic mldicine. 663 if a female, then proceed to ascertain the injury, if a male, with calmness and firmness—if a female, with tenderness and delicacy, yet with certainty, as to the nature of the injury. I would here remark in plain lan- guage, as I have alvvays done in all my advice and writings, that false delicacy has in many instances, de- stroyed the lives of many females, that might have otherwise been easily preserved. With these remarks and directions, I shall in as few words as possible, and in plain language, proceed to give such directions in surgery, as may be easily performed by the most hum- ble person who will attend to the directions. Injuries may be simple or compound; that is, it may be a contusion or bruise, a wound, fracture, or dislocation, or it may be two or all of them united, in one or several parts. A Contusion is of course the consequence of every blow, and is known by the swelling and the skin being bruised and discolored—wounds of course require no explanation. Fractures, in other words broken bones, are known by the sudden and severe pain, and by the appearance of the limb being out of shape—sometimes by its being shortened, and by the person being unable to move it without great pain. But the most certain way to as- certain it, is to grasp the limb above and below the spot supposed to be fractured, and by removing it gently different ways, you hear a grating noise, occasioned by the broken ends of the bone rubbing against each other. Very often, however, before you can arrive to render assistance, the limbs become much swollen. In such a case, always reduce first the swelling, as by twisting the limb, or other experiments, it will give the most excruciating pain to the afflicted person. 664 gunn's domestic medicine. Dislocations, or in other words, bones being out of; joint, are easily preceived by the deformity of the joint which you can compare with its follow, and plainly ob- serve the difference, and from the person being in great pain, and unable to move the limb, and by its being longer or shorter than common, and from the impossi- bility of moving it in any direction, without great misery. CONTUSION OR BLOW. If slight, you must bathe the part frequently with cold applications, such as vinegar and water, ice water, or cold spring water; this will reduce or keep down in- flammation or fever, and must be occasionally used for five or eight hours; but if fever should come on, then bleed, and purge well with salts, and diet the person on the lightest food and cool drinks. If tke fever should still continue, you must repeat the bleeding and purging; perhaps a good active dose of calomel, followed by a dose of salts, in this event, would cut short the fever. Be particular as to the patient's passing his water, as it frequently happens from a blow, that the nerves of the bladder become palsied, and the patient feds no desire to make, although the bladder is full. In this case, it is highly important to attend to drawing off the water by a catheter, an instrument for this purpose; for direc- tions how it is used, see under the head directions for ;passing Catheter. The most serious effects, however, resulting from ^contusion, is when the blow is on the head, producing either concussion or compression of the brain. See those heads. gunn's domestic medicine. 665 SPRAINS.. Sprains are to be treated with the coldest, applica- tions ; and for this purpose, Nature's remedy is by far the best—cold water. Plunge the sprained part into cold water, and hold it there as long as you can bear it; after which, dry it with a coarse towel, and rub on it spirits of camphor; by which I mean, spirits that cam- phor has been desolved in; rub this well in, and bind it with flannel, end every morning and evening, ipour cold water on k, from the spout of a tea kettle, held up at a considerable height. This simple remedy will relieve you in a short time, and to a weak joint of any kind, this is an invaluable prescription. I have removed the weakness of an ankle of long standing by it, when all other applications failed. CONCUSSION OF THE BRAIN. Symptoms. The person stunned—the breathing is slow—great drowsiness and stupidity—the pupil of the eye rather contracted, or drawn up—frequently vomiting or puking. After a time he recovers. Remedied. Apply cloths dipped in cold vinegar and water to the head; and if you have ice, its application will be greatly beneficial. So soon as the stupor is off, bleed, and open the bowels with epsom salts, or any cooling purge; by all means confine him to the bed and the lowest and most cooling diet and drinks—the room kept dark but cool, and no noise whatever. In this quiet situation, you arc to endeaver to prevent in- flammation of the brain, which, if it comes on, must be met by free and copious bleeding, blisters, and purging. 84 866 sunn's domestic medicine. COMPRESSION OF THE BRAIN. Symptoms. Loss of sense and motion—slow, noisy, and difficult breathing—the pulse is quite slow and irregular—the muscles relaxed, as in a.person just dead—the pupil of the eye enlarged, and will not con- tract, even for a strong light—the person cannot be roused, and bears a resemblance to one afflicted with an apoplectic fit. Remedies. Bleed freely, and shave the head, and apply cool applications to it until you can procure a good surgeon, and this must be done immediately, or it will be too late, as there is nothing but an operation in this case, that will save life. WOUNDS, Wounds are of three kinds: first, incised wound, Which means a clean cut; second, a punctured wound, wdiich means a wound produced by a sharp pointed instrument, as needles, awls, nails, &,c.; third, a con- tused wound, which means a wound occasioned by round or blunt bodies, as musket balls, clubs, stones, and all gun shots wounds, are included in this last men- tioned term. Remedies. In all wounds, the first thing to be done is to endeavor to stop the flow of blood; should this be but trifling, draw the edges of the wound together with your hand, and hold them in that position for some time, when the blood will frequently stop. If it still continue, and the quantity large, or of a bright red color, flow- ing in spirts, or with a sudden jerk, then clap your finger on the spot it springs from, and press it with firmness, while you request some other person to pass a handker- chief round the limb, (supposing the wound to be in one,) above the cut, and to tie its two ends together in a hard knot. A stick of any kind, must now be passed under the knot, (between the upper surface of the limb and the handkerchief,) and turned round and round until the stick is brought down to the thigh, so as to make the handkerchief encircle it with considerable tightness; you may then take off your finger; if the blood still flows, tighten the handkerchief by a turn or two of the stick until the blood ceases. The patient may now be removed (taking great care to secure th« 668 gunn's domestic mem cine. stick in its position) without running any risk of bleed- ing to death by the way. As this apparatus must not be left on for any length of time without destroying the life of the parts, endeavor as quick as you conveniently can, to secure the bleeding vessels; for I shall give you such ample and plain directions, that any person of common sense may take them up and secure them in a proper manner, and perfectly safe. In the first place, wax together three or four threads of a sufficient length, cut it into as many pieces as you think there are vessels to be taken up, each piece being about a foot long. Now wash the parts with warm water, and then with a sharp hook, similar to a crooked awl, or a slender pair of pincers, in your hand, fix your eye steadfastly upon the wound, and direct the handkerchief to be gently loosed by a turn or two of the stick; you will now see the mouth of the artery from which the blood springs; seize it with your hook or pincers, draw it a little out, while the person who assists you passes the waxed thread, called by medical men a ligature, round the artery or bleeding vessel; now tie it up tight, with a double knot. In this way take up, one after the other, each bleeding vessel you can see or get hold of Should the wound be too high up in a limb to apply the handkerchief, don't be alarmed, for the bleeding can still be commanded. If it is the thigh, press firmly in the groin, or if in the arm, with the hand-end or ring of a common door key, make pressure above the collar bone, and about its middle, against the first rib which lies under it. The pressure is to be continued until you can obtain assistance, and then tie up the bleeding vessels as before directed. If the wound is on the head, you must press your finger firmly on it until a compress, which means several folds of linen, is fur- gunn's domestic medicine. 669 hished; this is to be bound firmly over the artery by a bandage. If the wound is in the face, or so situated that pressures cannot be effectually made, or you cannot get hold of the vessel, and the blood flows fast, put a piece of ice, or a cloth wet with tanner's ooze, or flour, and let it remain on until the blood coagulates; you can then remove it, and apply a compress or bandage. It is important that this simple method I have described, should be practised so as to enable any one to compress the great arteries in these situations, thereby preserving many a man who would, for the want of this simple assistance, bleed to death before a surgeon or medical aid could be procured. INCISED WOUNDS. The meaning of an incised wound, is a clean or fresh cut. Wash away all the dirt that may b c in the wound, with a sponge or linen rag and warm water; when the blood is stopped, draw the sides of the wound nicely together, then confine it in this situation by narrow strips of sticking plaster, placed at short distances apart, and directly across the wound. Now a fold, or soft compress of old linen or lint, is to be laid over and confined by a bandage. In many cases, you will find inflammation follow. If this should be the case, then remove the strips, and bleed and purge the patient, and keep him on very low diet, and as quiet and as cool as possible; in other or more plain language, endeavor to keep down fever— and now recollect that matter must form before the wound will heal; therefore it is best to encourage it by applying a soft poultice of any kind, until the 670 gunn's domestic medicine. matter is produced; after which, you may use any simple ointment in this place. The usual or common method of narrow strips of linen, spread with sticking plaster, called by physicians adhesive plaster, form the best means of keeping the sides of a wound together when they can be applied; yet if the wound is in the ear, nose, tongue, lips, bag, by which I mean the pri- vates, or the eye-lids, then use stitches, which are made in the following manner; thread a common needle with a double waxed thread, pass the point of it through the skin, at a little distance from the edge of the cut, and bring it out of the opposite one at the same (distance. Should the wound be large, so as to require more than one stitch, cut off the needle, thread it again, and proceed,on to take as many stitches as necessary; leave all the threads loose until all the stitches are pass- ed, when the ends of each thread must be tied in a hard double knot, drawing the thread in such a way that it bears a little on each side of the cut. When the edges of the wound are partly united by inflammation, cut then the knots, and draw out carefully all the threads. From the plain manner in which I have writ- ten and explained to you, you will easily perceive, that in all wounds, after stopping the flow of blood, and cleansing the parts, the important point is to bring the sides of the wound even, and together, so that it may ' *- i 7U ,£i/ cf A TABLE OF MEDICINES, WITH THEIR DOSES AN' Medicines Fhom 6 to 4. F ROM 4 TO 2 Fro* From To From To Nror Jalap 5 15 grs 4 12 grs Laudanum 8 20 drops 5 T5 drops Magnoaia 12 40 grs 10 35 £/«• Manila. 3 6 drms 2 t Nil re- 5 12 grs ? Opium i Paregoric 30 60 drops * - Rhubarb 5 25 grs Steel Dust 2 10 grs Sugar of Lead 12 14 grs Sulti; Ep. om 2 Sdnjr Salt of Tartar 4 8<:4~ ^3 Z\f-*f'<'*"&'i :j >■ v.- -:> ■ '^^SE^*^ rtiJtfiPfi*'.'^ - Job*?*'"" «:'l'>rtjp■■*■ 'w'*li ^jai^t'A~jiM