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Library  of  Medicine
         FOUNDED 1836
Bethesda, Md.
U. S. Department  of Health,

  Education, and  Welfare

   PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
73 
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THE
     AMERICAN BOTANIC MEDICAL




FAMILY  INSTRUCTOR,



       FOUNDED UPON THE THEORY

           AND PRACTICE OF



   VEGETABLE MEDICINES,


WITH REMARKS ON THE DIFFERENT PRACTICES

     OF MEDICINE, AND NATURAL LAWS.


   ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY,

               AND THE

      PRESERVATION OF HEALTH,


A DESCRIPTION OF MEDICAL PLANTS, AND THE ART OF COMPOUNDING
    MEDICINES, AND A GENERAL TREATMENT OF DISEASES,
      COMPILED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES, PARTICU-
         LARLY DESIGNED FOR FAMILY USE.
BY JEREMY TAYLOR.
       NEW.LONDON:
PUBLISHED BY TAYLOR & MILLER.

            1843. 
T,
 V
5,4 R. a,
1843
MIIONAL  LIBRARY  OF  MEj.C.ftE
      BETHESDA 14, MD.
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in  the year 1843,
              by Jeremy Taylor,
in the Clerk's office in the District Court of Connecticut.
Truth you should teach, to save a sinking land ;
All fear, none aid you, and few understand.
" Do not counteract the living principles."—Napoleon 
                      PREFACE.
V i'


    In presenting to the public a work of this character, on which
  without doubt,  will be thrown the epithets of innovation  and
  quackery, by a certain class in community, it may be proper to
  state, what led to its publication, and the end the author designs
  to accomplish by its general introduction in community.  The
  first, and great object is to remove the  prejudice existing against
  the use  of Vegetable  Medicine, caused  by the untrue epithets
  thrown out against it by  designing men ; and  that every  indi-
  vidual may become  acquainted  with his own system, and  how
  to preserve health.
    Secondly, that people in general may become acquainted with
  medical roots and herbs, their properties and use, and their ad-
  ministration in different cases of disease ; and to condense the
  mass  of information  on those subjects in such a manner, as to
  afford the work so low, that every individual may obtain it.
    In early life I  was  much afflicted with  disease, and several
  times brought near the  grave  by  the regular faculty, and the
  use of their poisonous drugs.  Despairing of ever obtaining any
  relief from their  cruel and unnatural  treatment, at the age of
  twenty,  I abandoned the use of mineral medicines  and resorted
  to such  herbs as were used by the  old women to  remove  such
  difficulties  as I  was afflicted  with.  I found them much more
  effectual in removing the pains to which I was 'subject.   This
  led me to suppose that there might  be found, in the  Vegetable
  Kingdom, a remedy for all di&eases.   On enquiry, I found that a
  system of practice had been established, entirely vegetable, by
  Dr.  Samuel Thomson, about thirty years previous,  denominated
  the Thomsonian Practice  of Medicines.  I was told that Dr.
  Thomson  was  a Steam  Doctor,  had a  patent on  steam and
  Lobelia  ; that he sold patent rights to ignorant people, that gave
  them a  right to doctor on the Steam plan ; and these ignorant
  men were   going about steaming  people,  burning them up
  with Cayenne  pepper, vomiting or  poisoning them to death
  with Lobelia!   This  may appear  somewhat  singular to  the
  reader, as the system  has  become more popular.   But volumes
  would not contain all  the  false  assertions  that have been made
  against this practice of medicine. It could not be expected that
  a favorable opinion would have been  formed, from this knowl-
  edge of the subject.  It might justly be supposed that my mind 
4
PREFACE.
was locked up  in prejudice against  such horrible quackery, as
they were pleased  to call  it.   I even felt a sort of indignation
towards any one that dared speak in its favor.   I meet almost
every day, persons who have similar prejudices, all for the want
of proper information.
   But on further inquiry, I formed a more favorable opinion,
and soon became willing to investigate  the subject for myself.
For this purpose I  procured such periodicals and books asl then
could obtain; I found many principles in  the Botanic Theory
that appeared to be perfectly consistent and rational, but was not
willing to become experimentally acquainted with its practice.
As  many at the  present time do, I halted between two opin-
ions; and it was not until I was brought, as it were, to choose
life or death for  a  lovely child of mine, that I  was willing to
take a deoided stand in its favor.
  During the time that the Scarlet Fever raged in our city to an
alarming extent, sweeping as it spread, whole families of chil-
dren.  Living  a little retired  from the center of the  city when
the fever commenced its destructive  work, I had an opportunity
of observing its progress ; great numbers fell victims to its rava-
ges, notwithstanding we had eight regular scientific physicians ;
their  poisonous drugs did not seem to have the  desired effect,
some died with their tongues swollen out of their mouth; others
with their throats eat through with canker.
  Here I wish  to say a word  to mothers who  have a lovely
family of children, on  whom  they place their worldly hopes:
—If you  wish to  preserve their health and save their lives,
acquaint yourselves with such  simple remedies  as will relieve
the diseases to  which they are subject,  without injuring their
constitutions, and teach them to observe the natural laws ; with-
out which health cannot be sustained.
  These sad spectacles taught me that I must look to some other
sourse for relief from the approaching malady : consequently, I
made inquiries  respecting  those cases treated by  the Botanic
Physician, and found he had wonderful success.  Now came the
struggle—to have a regular physician, was almost certain death ;
and I trembled at the thought of having a steam doctor.  But 1
soon  came to the  conclusion, that when the monster disease
should come with his icy  fetters, to bind and  withhold from
the little  cherub that principle, on which depends the liberty of
life, he should not be aided by poisonous drugs;  not so.  When
he came, the Botanic Physician was  called,  who administered
the healing balm, and in four or five days my child was restored
to health; here  I saw the difference between pure vegetable med-
icines  and  poisonous drugs.  This caused  me to take a decided
stand in its favor.  I have  been more particular in  giving the
reader the cause of my prejudice, and the manner in which it
was removed, because I  believe  there are thousands  who  have 
PREFACE.
5
similar prejudices, all for the want of proper knowledge on this
subject.
   These circumstances led me to a more thorough investigation
of the Botanic  Practice; I soon found the principles on which
Dr. Thomson had founded his system,  were irrefutable, and all
that prevented its benefiting the human family, was a deep-root-
ed prejudice existing in the minds of most people in community.
I observed that those who had tested the virtue of vegetable me.
dicines, did not adopt the use of minerals again.  Seeing the
great benefit that others received from these medicines, I was
led to make a trial of them on my own system, and found them
fully adequate to remove the difficulties that I  had so long been
afflicted with.  This, together  with the benefits my family had
received, gave me the most implicit confidence in the use of Bot-
anic Medicines.   I soon became enabled to remove the worst
forms of disease, that the community is subject to; this led me to
suppose that every individual with common perceptibilities and
proper knowledge, would not  only be capable of removing his
own  maladies,   but might be  useful  also  to his fellow beings
around him.
   The more I investigated the Botanic Theory,  the more sim-
ple and rational it appeared.  I found it might be comprehended
by any individual of ordinary  capacity, although  he may not
have a liberal or what  is termed a college education.  I became
convinced  that if people had  proper medicines put into their
hands, with suitable directions, they would be enabled to remove
most, if not all curable  cases of disease with which the human
family is afflicted.  Being desirous that  others should share in
the great benefits which I had derived from  their use, I conclud-
ed to engage in the business of collecting and compounding such
vegetable medicines as might  be safely used by every family.
In order to  obtain requisite information  on this subject, I  pro-
cured all the Botanic and many other works that had previously
been published ;  they form a beautiful little  library, containing 5
or 6,000 pages filled with interesting  matter, which I believe is
only second in importance to a knowledge  of salvation, to  the
human family.   Many of them were  written by  some  of our
most able men,  who were assisted by extensive study  and long
practice ; they have given us such principles and theories, as ate
calculated to store the mind of the physician with useful and ne-
cessary knowledge, but are not suitably adapted for  family use.
   These works contain a history of Medical Science, Anatomy,
and Physiology; the ill effects  of the  Old School practice, and
the deleterious  effects  of  poisonous  medicines;  the different
opinions of medical writers on  disease, &c.   Botany, and a nu-
merous list  of compounds, together with theory and practice of
medicine ; all of which, every individual has not time to study ;
             1* 
6
PREFACE.
neither is it necessary that he should become acquainted with
all those technical terms,  that are used in Botany,  Anatomy,
and  are  too frequently made use  of in medical  works.  It is
only necessary that people should be acquainted with those rem-
edies that have been tested by experience,  and are known to be
a preventive as well as a cure of disease, to be enabled to apply
them with success.
  I gave my attention to the study of Medical Botany, in order
to obtain a knowledge of those medical plants  which are found
in our  own country, with a view of engaging  in the business of
collecting and preparing  vegetable  medicines;  in  order that
physicians and families in my own State might obtain those that
were pure, and gathered fresh every year, knowing from expe-
rience, that medicines are often adulterated, and  those that are
obtained  from  abroad, are often kept a long  time, which  very
much impairs their strength.  In connection with Dr. Wm. H.
Miller,  who  I  would  say has assisted me in preparing this
work, I engaged in collecting such medicines  as could be found
in the  surrounding country; I found  that the hills and vallies
abound with medical plants and roots, sufficient to supply all our
medical wants.
  In my  travels I found that people in general very imperfectly
understood the true nature and cause of disease ; and that if pro-
per medicines were put into their hands, with printed  directions
for use, they had too little confidence in themselves to persevere
sufficiently to arrest severe  attacks.  I found  them  anxious
to get   information how to preserve  or  restore health.  A
great call was made for books that would give  such informa-
tion ; and not being able to find such as were wanted, as  most of
the hitherto published works are not suitably  adapted for family
use, or come at so high a price, that a large portion of the peo,
pie are not  able to purchase  them.  In order to  supply the de-
mands for a cheap medical work, adapted to the capacity of the
common people, that would instruct them in  Physiology suffi-
ciently to enable them to preserve or restore health, I have pre-
pared the following work.
   In order to render it more useful, as well as more acceptable,
to the  intelligent part of mankind, I have devoted a portion of it
to Anatomy and Physiology, or the structure and functions of
the human system.  While a larger  portion  is devoted to the
means to be used in the preservation and restoration  of  health  ;
and  have in the treatment of disease recommended some of the
most approved medicines,  and have given such  directions as
seemed necessary for their safe administrations.  Though I have
endeavored to render this treatise plain and useful, yet I found it
impossible to avoid some terms of art; but they are generally
explained, or are such  as most people  understand;  I have en-
deavoured to conform my etyle to the capacities  of mankind in 
PREFACE.
general.  I am aware it  will be said, that, in diffusing medical
knowledge among the people, it will induce them to tamper with
medicine,  and trust to  their own skill,  instead  of  calling a
physician in cases of sickness; the reverse of this, however, is
true.  Persons who have the most knowledge in  these things,
are commonly most ready both to ask and  follow advice when
it is necessary.   Those  who  tamper the  most with  medicines,
generally know the least of their properties, or their effects on
the system.   They are daily swallowing medicines, the proper-
ties of which they know nothing, except by reputation.
  If men will act without knowledge, it is certainly rational to
afford them all the light we can, and not leave them entirely in
the dark.  The veil of mystery which hangs over medical science
renders it not only a conjectural, but even a suspicious  art.
It has long ago been removed from the other sciences, which in.
duces many to believe that medicine  is a mere trick, and that it
would not bear a candid and fair examination.  Disguising me-
dicine not only deters its improvement, as a science, but exposes
the profession to ridicule, and is injurious to the true interests
of society;  an art founded on observation, can never arrive to
any high degree of improvement, while it is confined to a few,
who make a trade of it.
   The persevering efforts of a few ingenuous and sensible men
have done more in a few years  past, towards the improvement
of medicine, than the  faculty have for ages.  Any man can  tell
when medicine gives him ease as well as a physician ; and if he
only knows the name and dose of the medicine, and the nature
of the disease, he can as effectually remove it.  The appearan-
ces of mystery in the conduct of physicians,  not only renders
them suspicious,  but  lays the foundation of quakery, which is
the disgrace of medicine.  No two characters can be  more dif-
ferent than the honest physician, and the quack; yet  the line be-
tween them  is not sufficiently apparent ; at least, it is too fine
for  the general eye to perceive.   But few persons  distin-
guish   sufficiently between the conduct  of that man  who ad.
ministers simple medicines, well known to his patients, and him
who writes   his  prescriptions in  mysterious characters and an
unknown tongue ; the honest physician needs no disguise,—but
the sole dependance of a scientific quack, rests entirely upon his
secrecy.
   The most effectual way to destroy  quackery in any art of sci-
ence, is to diffuse a knowledge of it among the people; did phy-
sicians write their prescriptions in the common language of the
country, and explain their intentions to the patient,  as far as he
could understand them, it would enable  him to know, when
medicine had the desired effect; it would give him perfect con-
 fidence in the physician, and he  would dread and detest every
man who attempted to cram poisonous or secret medicine down 
8
PREFACE.
 his throat.  The practice of writing their prescriptions in unm
telligable language is certainly dangerous. However capable phy-
 sicians may be of writing latin, it is certain that apothecaries
 ara noc always in a condition to read it, and dangerous mistakes
 in consequence of this often happen.   But suppose the apothe-
 cary ever so well able to read the  physicians prescriptions he is
 sometimes absent, or otherwise employed, and  the business of
making up the prescription, is left entirely to the  apprentice ;  in
 which case our lives are actually entrusted to an idle boy, who
not only has the  chance of being  very ignorant,  but likewise
giddy and careless.   Mistakes will sometimes happen in spite of
the best of care;  but where  life is  concerned, every  means
ought certainly to  be taken to prevent them.  For this  ob-
vious reason,  prescriptions of the physician, instead of being
couched in a dead language, ought, in my opinion, to be eonceived
in the most plain  and common terms imaginable ;  or  rather,
medicines ought not to be of a poisonous nature.
  Notwithstanding medicine has been  long known as a science,
it is obvious that many of its important purposes to society have
either been overlooked, or very little attended to.  The cure of
disease is a matter of great importance ; but the  preservation of
health is of still greater.  This is the  concern of every man,—
and surely, what relates to it ought to be rendered  as  plain and
obvious to  all as possible.   It is  not to be supposed  that men
would be upon their  guard against  disease, who  are totally ig.
norant of its cause.  Men of every condition in life, might avail
themselves of such a degree of medical knowledge as would en-
able them to avoid  the dangers peculiar to their respective sta.
tions, which is much easier than to remove their effects.
  Medical knowledge, instead of being a check upon the enjoy-
ments of life, teaches them  how to  make the  most of them.
He who is acquainted with the constitution of the human body,
and with  the laws which regulate  its action, sees at once his
true position,  when  exposed to the cause of disease, decides
what  ought to be done, and  therefore feels himself at liberty to
devote individual attention to those duties necessary to preserve
health.  But it is far otherwise with the person who is destitute
of this information,—uncertain of the extent and danger,  he
knows not which way to turn.   He  lives in fear of mortal dis.
eases, and in his ignorance, resorts to hurtful precautions, to the
neglect of those he ought to use.   It is  ignorance,  therefore,
and not knowledge, which renders an individual full of fancies,
and robs him of his usefulness
  People who have had the most extensive opportunity of form-
ing an opinion of this subject from experience, bear  unequivo-
cal testimony to the advantages which medical knowledge con-
fers in saving health, life, time  and anxiety.  The peculiar ad-
vantages of this kind of knowledge, are,  that it  would  enable 
PREFACE.
9
its possessor to take a more rational care of his health ;  to  per.
 ceive why certain  circumstances are beneficial or injurious ; to
understand, in some degree, the  nature of disease, and the oper-
ations as well as the agents which produce it, and of those that
counteract it; to observe the first beginnings of deranged func-
tions in his  own  system ; to give his physician a more intelligi-
ble account of his train of morbid sensations as they arise;  and
above  all, to  co-operate with him in removing the morbid state
on which they depend,  instead  of defeating, as is  now done,
through  gross ignorance, the best concerted  plans for the  ren-
ovation of health.  It would likewise  lay the foundation for
the  attainment of  a  more  just, accurate, and practical knowl-
edge of our intellectual and moral natures.
  Let  it not be supposed that medical knowledge is superfluous
to the  unprofessional reader; for society groans under the  load
of suffering inflicted by causes susceptible of removal, but left
in operation  in consequence of our  unacquaintance with  our
own system,  and  the effects of external objects.  Every med-
ical man must lament the ignorance so generally prevalent in
regard to the simplest functions  of the human  system, and the
want  of the judicious ^co-operation  of nurses in the care  and
cure of the sick.
   Were the  common people of society better acquainted with
the functions of the human  body, and the laws by which they
are regulated, many of these anomalies in practice would disap-
pear, the sources of much suffering would be dried up, and the
happiness of the community  at  large be essentially  promoted.
Medical men would no longer  be consulted  so exclusively for
the cure of disease,  but would be called upon to advise regarding
the best means of strengthening the  constitution, from an early
period, against any accidental or hereditary susceptibility which
might  be ascertained to exist.   More attention would be paid
to the  preservation of health than there is at present, and  the
medical man  would  then  be able to advise with increased  effect,
because he would be  proportionably well understood,  and his
counsel, so far at least, as it was based on accurate observation,
and a right application of principles  would  be appreciated.  It
is true, that as yet,  medicine has been turned to little or no ac.
count  in the way of directly promoting the physical and/mental
welfare of mankind.
  It may be said that the working class  in community have not
sufficient time to inform  themselves  on  medical subjects ; but I
believe that  this,  or  any other branch of  useful  knowledge
may be obtained by every individual,  if they would devote their
leisure hours  to study.  The plan I  adopted, after I  became in.
terested in the Botanic practice  of medicine, was, to labor ten
hours,—study four or five, reserving  only nine for sleep and all
my domestic affairs.  This wholly occupied my time ; I had no
waste moments, my mind was constantly  revolving the subject 
10
PREFACE.
of my study, while at work, being a mechanic.  In this manner
time  passed pleasantly:  I had none of those lonesome houre,
which are often experienced when we have no important subject
to interest the  mind.  But what progress I have made, being
thus  limited in my researches for medical knowledge, is left to
the reader to judge for himself,  I am confident, however, that
but few  individuals  would labor  under  greater disadvantages
than myself.   If they would take hold of this  subject with in-
terest, they might in a few years acquire a correct knowledge of
it, even if less time should be spent in study.  Mr. Burrett, the
learned blacksmith, who has at his command,  more languages
than any  of the most scientific scholars the world ever produced,
(had obtained at his age,) acquired them by a similar  course of
study.
  The great object in publishing this work, is to show, that true
medical science is so simple and  intelligible, that almost every
individual may readily comprehend it; and endeavor to get the
community interested on this subject, as it pertains  much to
their happiness.  I do not wish,  however, to  have any person
adopt the principles which  it contains, any further than they
are  found to be in accordance with reason and sound judgement;
for  truth  is simple on all subjects, and may be easily understood
I am  willing to risk  the rise or fall of the principles it contains,
and the remedies it prescribes, upon  their own  benefits to com.
munity when properly understood,
  I am aware  that prejudices  exist  against an unprofession-
al man,  attempting to make any  improvement, in the arts or
sciences,  especially those of long standing.   But I apprehend
that the time is not  far distant, when every man will be appre-
ciated according to his real worth  in community,  whether he
rises from the obscure plough boy, or a mechanic's apprentice,
or whether he graduated at  some  literary institution of our
land.
  My object is not  applause ; but to lay down the theory and
practice of medicine in so simple  form, that it may  be properly
understood;  neither have I been particular as to style, but have
couched it in such language, and arranged it in such a manner
as I thought best suited for family use.
  I do not pretend to have discovered any new theory, but have
collected  from various sources, such information as I thought
would be interesting and  useful to every individual.  The the-
ory given in this work, is in«accordance with that laid down by
Tower, Gates, Robinson, and Draper, in their  lectures on the
Botanic theory and practice ; followed  by some principles  se-
lected from Combe on the Constitution of man.
  The principles of Anatomy and Physiology, are in accordance
with the  most approved authors  of the  day: and laid down in 
PREFACE.
11
plain simple language, and given in plain English those techni-
cal terms, so extensively used in most works on anatomy, which
render them unintelligible to the greater portion of community ;
avoiding an endless list of speculative theories, of medical wri-
ters indifferent ages of the world,  which are  so  commonly us-
ed in medical works.  In avoiding these,  and many other quota-
tions, I have been able to  give a greater amount  of practical in-
formation, than has hitherto been published in so small a work ;
I have laid down no  principles or theories,  but those that are
based on simple truths ;—neither  is  there any medicine recom-
mended, or prescription given, but what has been tested by ex.
perience, and known to accomplish the desired end.
   In the arrangement of this work, there has been no systema-
tic mode adopted;  the object has been to make it interesting and
useful to those who may  obtain it.   It will be perceived that
there is given  in  the introductory  remarks, the principles on
which the Botanic Practice is conducted; followed with remarks
on the  necessity of observing  the natural laws. For without
strict observance of the physical and organic laws, good health
cannot be enjoyed.   Also  a description of various organs of the
system, and the means of  preserving  their health, believing that
it is much easier to preserve health while we  have it, than it is
to restore it when once lost.
   A description of medical plants is given with their properties
and use, with which every individual should become acquainted ;
also a list of compounds.  I do not expect, however, that every
individual will attempt to compound medicine, for, as a general
thing, they  can be  obtained  cheaper  than each  individual
could compound his own.   But I would advise every individual
not to take any medicines.except he knows their  properties, and
the effect it would produce on the system.  In  the description
of plants, and in all of the receipts for compounding, great care
has been taken to give the properties and use of each  article,
that people may know  the exact  properties  of  each article of
medicine that they use.   If this were  the case,  we  should not
see people swallowing every medicine that is recommended, or
cracked up in some newspaper, the actual properties of which
they  know  nothing; consequently,  they cannot tell  whether
they are adapted to their disease or not.  Medicine taken in this
way frequently does more  hurt than good.
  After giving the above arrangement, which has been obtained
from various sources, and stript of all those mysterious and high
sounding phrases, which render those subjects unintelligible to
a greater part of community, I have given  the  causes, symp.
toms, and treatment of those diseases which most commonly in-
fest our land, and nation;  and the application of vegetable med-
icines for their removal, according to the Botanic Practice of
medicine.   Those medicines only are recommended which hard
been successfully used in the treatment of disease. 
12
PREFACE.
   My readers will  excuse the length and plainness of my re-
marks; I have only  given such information as I deemed necessa-
ry in order that the reader might get a general idea of the work ;
and if errors, in language, or otherwise, are found, they will, I
presume be over-looked by the reader ;—for they will be aware
that it has been  no small task, to  give in plain English, those
technical and useless phrases,  so much used in medical, and bo-
tanic works.   Let it not be the first inquiry of the  reader wheth-
er the author is a regular  bred  physician? or, whether he has
been scientifically  educated, as the  phrase  is used.   But the
question should be, is it such a book as every family needs ;  and
if  it  should thus  prove, each  individual who  obtains one,  is
respectfully requested to do what he can to induce others to share
in its benefits.
   I owe, as it were, my life and present state of  health, under
God, to  the Botanic Medicine; and  all  that I can do in the
cause, will but poorly repay for the benefits I have received.
This system proffers great blessings to the human family ;  and I
intend to spend the remainder of my days, whether they be few
or many, in spreading its principles,  and trying to ameliorate
the condition  of  my  fellow  creatures.  Those  who  obtain
this work, and thereby become benefitted, will, I have no doubt,
give  it due  credit and support.  The  object,  however,  is not
dollars and cents,  but a desire to  benefit the human  family.  I
intend  to make  greater  researches  yet, in  nature's garden,
and am  in hopes to  find out more perfectly, her  simple ways of
curing diseases.  With these remarks the work is respectfully
presented to the public for their candid perusal.
                                 JEREMY TAYLOR. 
PART  I.
      INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

  As the religion of the gospel is a dispensation of glad
hidings to  a wretched  world,  proclaiming through the
death and resurrection of the Christian Messiah, a com-
plete antidote  for all moral disorders of the  sons and
daughters of Adam,  the consideration  of our  highest
interest should induce us to seek first, the kingdom of
God and his righteousness.   Next to the knowledge of
salvation for our  souls,  is the knowledge of  safe, cer-
tain, and  efficient remedies for  the disorders of our
bodies.   On medical subjects, speculation has succeed-
ed speculation, theory has succeeded  theory, experi-
ment has  succeeded  experiment, and  disappointment
has succeeded  disappointment.   Visionary projects and
promised remedies have  all failed to fulfil the hopes of
those who devised them  ; disease has prevailed against
men's wisest and most persevering efforts, and doctors
and their disciples have been filled with dispair.
  When we consider that the science of Medicine has
engaged  the  attention of some of  the greatest men
which the world ever produced, and  that the sufferings
of our fellow beings from disease, havy  called into ac-
tion the best energies of the philanthropist, patriot and
christian ; and the  sagacity and ingenuity of mankind
have been racked, and even tortured, in order to ascer-
tain the primary causes of disease,  and  to devise ad-
equate  means  for  their  effectual cure,  without avail,
prudence dictates to  every  one, that he  should enter
upon the  investigation of this important  subject with
due caution and care. 
14
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
  But again :  when  we consider that nearly " four
thousand years have  elapsed," and that " the science
of medicine is yet in its infancy,"—disease and death
raging with increased or unchecked violence—even
among those, who,-to all human  appearance, have  the
most  flattering prospects for health and life ;  and that
the charge cannot be brought to bear upon the charac-
ter of the great Creator, inasmuch as the structure of
the human body shows no necessity for disease or pain ,
dispairing  of all hopes from ever obtaining relief from
our aches and  ills by the science which has  been  so
long a time advancing  to little or no purpose ;  yet  the
interests of suffering humanity  forbid that the cries of
the sufferer should pass unheeded, and the dictates of
reason and  experience  tell  us  plainly,  that we  must
look to some other source for relief from our  miseries,
than to the  one which has so long been sought in vain.
  It was remarked by Lord Bacon, that medical knowl-
edge, had not been advanced, because physicians reas-
oned  too much in a circle,  and not enough in a line.
To this sentiment we certainly agree.   If physicians
engaged in  the practice of medicine, have been unable
to understand the  true  philosophy of the healing art,
we cannot blame them ;  and if  they have in their  re-
searches, overlooked the truth, there is nothing criminal
in this, although it may have been the source of much
human misery.
  We are not  going to say but what there  have been,
and still are, many in the regular practice of medicine,
for whom we ought to entertain sentiments of the highest
respect.  We know that there have been, and hope there
still are, true philanthropists  and lovers of truth in that
profession,  who were  glad  to  know  and receive  the
truth, let it come from what quarter it might.
  The Medical Faculty, viewed in all the  traits of its
character, possess a mighty  influence over the public
mind, not  only in medical affairs, but  in all  others.
They are, or at least are  regarded,  as  men  of more
learning than  the principal  part of  community \ and 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.          15
 with a few exceptions they are men of wealth ;  they
 are  supposed also, to possess knowledge on which the
 health and  lives of men are depending.   Besides all
 this, it is an institution of long  standing ; it boasts of
 every  thing venerable in antiquity,  and every  thing
 lofty and splendid in intellect ; of every thing  sublime
 in erudition, and  every thing praiseworthy  in benevo-
 lence.
   An  institution like  this',  one might  suppose, had
 struck its roots to the  centre, and that its branches had
 overshadowed the earth.  We might well suppose  such
 an institution would say to the curious mind  of the self-
 taught investigator of the latent principles of nature,
 " Thus far shall  thou push thy  discoveries, and  here
 shall thy  proud course be stayed."  It would say to
 knowledge while on its rapid flight to ameliorate  the
 condition of man, " Turn in hither, and remain forever
 in the temple we have erected."   It may with a good
 degree of accuracy, be compared to a brazen wall, whose
 top reaches  the heavens, and all that is honorable is
 pretended to be  entirely  included within  its own  cav-
 erns ;  and in this way an  immoveable barrier is taised
 against any  radical  reform in the healing art;  if  men
 are found who possess courage  sufficient  to approach
 and presume to  examine any  of  its materials, or in-
 vestigate  any  of its  principles,  would  immediately
 be  regarded as  dangerous  innovators,  and  expose
 themselves  to the  shafts of  the vindictive displeasure
 of its adherents.   The faculty are aroused  from  their
 tranquil repose, and  form themselves in battle array ;
 they are instantly awakened from, the slumbers of an-
 tiquated  institutions, and  girding themselves  for the
contest, go forth with untiring zeal,
  Why, it may be asked, are  physicians  so alarmed ?
 Can it be that a tender regard for the good of mankind
has inspired them with such insatiable fury ?  Surely
 not ; for when men are engaged in promoting that ob-
ject, a more judicious  and humane course  characteri-
zes their  conducto   Evidently, it  is their own interest 
16
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
for the craft, which  has inspired them to contend wit?;
so much warmth against any innovation.
  A great objection to a majority of the hitherto  pub-
lished medical works, is the too frequent use of technic-
al terms, by which  they are rendered uninteligible  to
people in general.   We think extensive employment of
technical terms in books which are intended for common
use,  is  improper.   If we should  ask some eminent
physician  to  give us in  plain English, the  meaning  of
those mysterious and high sounding names we see plas-
tered  on bottles,  jars,  gallipots and drawers, in a drug
store or doctor's shop, it would be calomel, corrosive
sublimate, arsenic, prussic acid, antimony, opium, dead-
ly night shade, foxglove, nitre, saltpetre, &c.   These
are easily understood when given in  English, and known
by every one.   Dr. Howard remarks,  that  professional
pride and native cupidity, contrary to the true spirit of
justice and Christianity, have, in all ages and countries,
delighted in concealing  the divine art of healing disease,
under  complicated  names, and difficult or unmeaning
technical phrases.   Why make a mystery, continues he,
of things  which relieve the distresses and sufferings of
our fellow boings ?  A great responsibility must certain-
ly be resting upon those who have been thus instrumen-
tal in concealing under a dead language, or by affected
mystery, the  knowledge of any thing  so important  to
the world.  A correct understanding of the best means
of preventing sickness, and  restoring health, is  only
second in  importance  to a knowledge of the christian
religion.   Every  family has or may have a bible ; and
why not have a book on medicine, adapted to their ca-
pacity ?
  He  farther remarks—had  physicians made it  then-
business to enlighten the world upon this highly impor-
tant subject, instead "of darkening  counsels with words
without knowledge," mankind unquestionably  would
not only have been familiar with all necessary technical
terms, but they would also have been  acquainted with,
and known how to employ the best means of removing 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.         17
their maladies.   But this  is  not  the  case.   There is
scarce any subject on which  people are not more gen-
erally informed, or familiarly acquainted.
  It may be supposed that these are light assertions ;
but we have the testimony of  some of the  most emin-
ent of the faculty,  of the deception which  is  often
practiced on the credulity of the people.  But the time
has arrived when the people will have books  on medi-
cine which they can understand,  and a mode of prac-
tice which they themselves can comprehend and apply,
that they may no longer be obliged to go to the  doctor
for  every dose  of medicine  which  the exigences  of
sickness may require.   It  is the intention  of  the pub-
lishers, to furnish the public with such a book, founded
on the Botanic theory and  practice of medicine, intro-
duced about forty years ago, by Dr. Samuel Thomson.
  When we take into consideration the ills under which
mankind labor, by various forms of disease,  both  nat-
ural and incidental, it becomes every patriot and friend
of man to exert himself to  mitigate, at  least,  if he
cannot  remove,  their sufferings.   The acknowledged
deficiences in the regular practice of medicine, for re-
moving disease, has  loudly called upon the  friends of
suffering humanity to investigate the  cause of these
deficiences.   And the  result of this investigation has
been  the  introduction of a system called the Botanic
System of Medical Practice, on  a plan entirely new,
and independent of all others, which promises to man-
kind the happiest effects, and needs only to be known
and tested, to prove to every candid mind, its utility ;  a
system simple in its  principles,  safe and sure in its
effects, adapted to the  situation and circumstances of
mankind, being based on those truths which are  immu-
table  as the law* that regulate the motion of the heav-
enly bodies.
   The science  cf Medicine has undergone various
changes ; one theory after another has been established
and destroyed to make room for another, for three thou-
sand,  years, without any material  improvement  for the 
18         INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
better ;  whereby the confidence of the people has beeT?
weakened, and their  credulity  imposed upon ; so that
many have locked themselves  in prejudice  against the
introduction of  any new system, or dispairing of help
from any, have  abandoned all.  The question may be
asked, " Will not the Botanic  System suffer the same
fate ?"   In  order  to give a satisfactory answer, let us
examine on what  principles these systems have been
founded and maintained, and how far they will bear the
test of a true and honest examination ;  and  what confi-
dence those persons have had in the systems, who have
enjoyed the best opportunities to judge of their merits.
That the regular practice is founded in error, is evident
by admitting poisons in their practice  of medicine, as
will be  shown in our  following remarks.   They have
been maintained by interested  men, by  obscuring their
principles and works by technical phrases, so that man-
kind in  general, have been  wholly unable to examine
their theories, and consequently unqualified  to judge of
their worth, or to detect their faults.
  The  best qualified and most successful practitioners,
after spending their lives in investigating theories, and
trying  experiments in practice, have not been able to
form any definite  principles of the nature  of disease,
or any certain results from  the operation of medicine;
and have come to  the  wise conclusion  to take little or
no medicine.  But the Botanic System, being founded
on those simple and  immutable truths,  which have ex-
isted from the foundation of  the world, commends itself
to every unprejudiced mind,  at a glance,  It invites  in-
vestigation, and challenges  its enemies to examine its
principles, " which are all  laid open in the most  in-
telligent and simple form, and may be comprehended by
the most ordinary capacity."  And so  successful  has
been the practitioners of  the Botanic  System, that they
have  come to the conclusion, that medicine timely and
properly administered, is  as certain to remove disease,
as bread is to satisfy hunger, or water to quench thirst;
and with the utmost confidence, in cases of sickness, 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.           W
take it themselves, and administer it to others.  Thus
the hope seems  to revive, which has been cherished by
many, that our benevolent Creator "has provided rem-
edies to remove all diseases, if timely applied, so that
there should be but one outlet to life—which would be
old age,"
  If 4hese things are facts, it becomes  every man who
feels himself to be  in a world of  sickness and distress,
to lay aside all popular prejudice, and candidly examine
and receive the  truth from whatever source it springs,
and  enjoy the blessings it will bring ; for truth is the
same in its effects, whether  it comes  from the proud
philosopher or the humble peasant.
   The opposition which the Botanic practice has met
with, and the libelous and  slanderous epithets bestow-
ed  upon  it, by  designing  men, from whom the world
had reason to expect better things, should not deter us
from examining its principles, or from receiving the
benefits of its practice-  The importance of  the  sub-
ject demands investigation.  For without health, every
one feels  that  he  is no comfort to himself, and of but
little use in society ;  for it is said that " the  soul in  a
diseased  body  is like  a martyr  in a dungeon ;  it may
retain its value, but has lost its usefulness.
   It is important, therefore, that  we for ourselves be-
come  intimately acquainted with the actual  things of
nature :  the Botanic practice of Medicine is founded
on simple  truths, tested by experience ;  and proves in
its use, peculiarly adapted to Ihe human  constitution
and very efficacious in removing disease.   Although  it
has met  with the most violent opposition from a respect-
 able class of our fellow citizens, whose interest  it op-
 posed, yet it has spread with wonderful rapidity through
 society, carrying conviction of its utility to the minds
 of those who  have  thoroughly  tested its  practice, or
 impartially examined its  principles.   Though  it has
 met with the most unparalleled success and approbation
 among those who  have proved  its value, yet it being
 but lately known by mankind, much ignorance still re- 
20         INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
 mains of the worth of this important discovery.   Many
 have not had an opportunity of examining its princi-
 ples, and many more by misrepresentation, have be-
 come prejudiced against it, so that thousands are now
 suffering  by disease, from which they have no hope of
 recovery, who are deprived of the benefits of this prac-
 tice, which most unquestionably, if properly adminis-
 tered, would speedily restore them to health.  In order
 therefore, to give correct information, and to remove
 the prejudices which unhappily exist  against this prac-
 tice, we  shall  endeavor to give a concise statement of
 the principles on which this system is  founded, that
 every one may have an opportunity to judge for himself,
 how far it claims his confidence, or is worthy of sup-
 port ; for the time has come when every  one  should
 think and act for himself.
   We believe the  Botanic Practice  is in  accordance
 with the laws  of life  and motion.   In  order  for  us
 clearly to understand the laws of life and motion, says
 Professor Worthy, the  radical principles  of animaliza-
 tion  is  of infinite moment.   Without some  adequate
 views and conceptions of these, the  nature of disease
cannot be correctly understood,  neither  can  we have
 sufficient knowledge to prescribe a rational, safe, sure,
 and  certain  remedy for the removal of  disease when
found in the  human system.  No species of matter,
says the same writer, can assume a solid  form, without
having first been in a fluid  state ; nor can any change
take place in a solid, till it be first formed into, or sus-
pended  in a  fluid.   The  living animal  bodies  are
obedient to these general laws, for all solid  and animal
matter has first been fluids, and having passed into this
Bolid  form, becomes a recipient to other fluids, out of
which the solids may themselves  be  renovated and in-
creased.
  The principles of life in human  or other anima!
bodies, is the same ; all constitutions  are alike, being
formed from the  same  materials, all  partaking  of the
 four  elements, earth, water, air, free caloric or heat 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
21
'The component  parts  of all  animal bodies, says Dr.
Thomson, are earth and water—these are the solids—
air, caloric or heat are  the others, which is the cause
of life and motion.   When the heat  lightens the air in
the lungs, the external air being heavier, presses  out
the light air ;  and the lungs  will continue to contract
and expand as long as  the caloric  or heat continues,
and when the heat goes out,  the  weight of air comes
to a slack or balance internally and  externally, and  all
motion ceases.   That in all animal life, a certain pro-
portion of heat is necessary  for the full enjoyment of
health  ;  and whatever tends to destroy a due proportion
of heat,  is the cause of disease ; and  that which  will
restore the heat, overpower  the cold, and remove ob-
structions, acts in accordance  with  the laws of life  and
motion.   Heat in this case is  not only an agent of life,
but is  life itself ; it  will not  act alone, but in  accord-
ance with the other elements, without which, there is
no life either in animal  or vegetable matter.
   When we cast  our eyes upon the vegetable kingdom,
we behold the earth, as it were, teeming with animation,
and the landscape covered with vegetation, both  to de-
light the imagination and supply man and beast with
food ;  the rivers and the rills flowing smoothly and gen-
tly within their channels ; and the earth and water  be-
ginning  to be alive with animated beings, and even  the
stubborn oak which  disdained to bend before the north-
ern blast, obeys the call of nature, and dresses  itself in
green, to be an ornament to the  forest.   But what  has
produced this wonderful work  of nature  ?  The  sun
has poured forth  from her meridian splendor, its rays of
caloric or heat, on which the  animal and vegetable life
depends.  And a new birth is given not only to vegeta-
tion, but to insects ; reptiles  of the  dust  rise from a
state of  stillness  or suspended animation, to a state of
life and  vigor.
   Abstract the element of heat or caloric from all oth-
er  elements, says Dr. Thomson, stillness  and silence
would be universal—the life  of all  that breathes  and 
22         INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
moves would be swallowed  up in stillness  of eternal
death.  Earth  and sea would be  and remain a solid,
unmoving, and  immoveable mass ; the fluid air would
be concentrated to the flinty hardness of the diamond
on  its native  rock,  and creation  would  be a blank.
Therefore, we see that animal and vegetable  life  de-
pends on a requisite  proportion of the  four  elements ;
so also is a suitable quantity of caloric or  heat  as  ne-
cessary for the proper digestion of food, as it is for ve-
getables to enable the roots to suck their nourishment
from  the  ground.  The  means  provided to sustain
vegetable  life, would  be unavailing without heat; and
so also would that provided to sustain  animal life.
  It may be said with truth, that the Supreme Being is
the great  first  cause of all action in the  animate and
inanimate  world,  but  still,  he moves them both  by
means, and we  know  as little of the  innate  nature of
many of the means, as of  himself.  Who can tell what
fire is, only by  its effects ?  And who can tell what
invisible beings are,  except by their  actions ?  Our
knowledge of the great cause of action in the  natural
and moral world, is by marking their effects.   We see
a multitude of  actions and  changes produced in the
vegetable  and animal kingdoms, and  we behold great
and  mighty  changes in the earth and skies,  but the
agent which produces all these, acts invisibly to us.
  We believe that each organ of the  system performs
a certain  function.  It must, therefore, have the pow-
er to act,  for without action there could be  no per-
formance.   Hence there  must be either  a  power  in-
vested in, or furnished to, the organs  by which  they
are enabled  to act.  This  we shall  term the  living
power, vital  power, or power of life.   By these terms,
therefore,  it may be  understood as referring  to that
principle of vital  action which is necessary to be kept
up, in order that life may be sustained.   This power is
obtained from food, drink,  and air, being received^ into
the stomach  and lungs.  It is evident therefore, that
there is no power inherent  in the organs, to produce or 
INTRODUCTORY, REMARKS.           23
keep up those actions upon which life depends.   Hence
it is evident that life is not a natural, but a forced state.
Therefore  we soe  that man is like a complicated ma-
chine, that  must be  kept in motion by a moving power,
and by continual friction finally will become worn out.
  But the manner which the powers  that give impulse
to the human machine, are  applied  to the organs* re-
mains  undefined.   We believe  however, that the vital
power is drawn  from the air, and from our aliment, in-
cluding drinks, and  is concentrated  in all its  force in
the  blood.   The various  organs of the system  are so
constituted as to be susceptible of impressions from
this power, which appears to be "applied to, or diffused
through every part  and portion of them by the agency
of the  blood.   It is a matter of  but little  consequence
in a medical  point of view, what  the nature of this
power  is, or the mode of its action ; as  all must be
sensible, that without its constant application, life must
cease.  We cannot be deprived of food and drinks  but
for  a short time, and of air still  shorter ; for  those  are
the substances from which the power of life is drawn.
  It is, we think, a  very clear point, that material mat-
ter, in all the actions of which it can be the subject, is
passive.  By  material matter, we  mean  earth, water,
and all  those  substances  necessary to the support of
animal and vegetable life.   But those materials, with-
out that spirit of animation which caloric diffuses through
nature, would remain forever inactive, inasmuch as  the
body without the spirit, is dead ; so would the earth  be,
without heat.  And  it is a  question yet unsettled, wheth-
er caloric be a distinct substance of itself, or whether it
be only an attribute of matter, brought forth by friction.
The great point with us, is to know what principles
are active  and what  passive in animal  motion ;  the
nature  of  active power,  and  the  nature of that  on
which  it is exerted.   For there  must be such an agent
as active power, and this active  power acts on material
substances.  It is  necessary for us  to have  correct
y<iews of the active power; for in all diseases the actiy© 
 C4         INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

 power is weakened and diminished by inanimate matter,.
 and it must be assisted to put matter in proper motion.
 The active  power, we shall call free caloric, and the
 substances  on which it acts, animal bodies, or the hu-
 man system.  Animal life, and all other organized living
 bodies, require a  certain  quantity of caloric or heat,
 to promote  their growth and sustain life.
   We  will  for a moment take a cursory survey of the
 human system.  It  is  composed  of bones  to sustain
 the weight of  the body, and  to defend  the vital organs
 of life, and  to give  shape and strength to  the whole
 system.  The bones are tied together  by muscles and
 ligaments, and clothed with  flesh.  Internally, there is
 the stomach to receive our  food, and  liver  to secrete
 bile for  its proper digestion, and the  alimentary duct,
 with its  numerous  vessels  to  suck  up the nutriment
 contained in our food, and to impart life and  vigor to
 the whole system.  And there are the two glands that
 separate the  urine from the blood, and  the urinary blad-
 der in which it is deposited  for emission.   The  lungs
 are two visceras  situated in the chest, by  means  of
 which we breathe, and it is supposed the blood receives
 oxygen from the air, while passing through these organs.
  The heart is a hollow, muscular viscus, situated be-
 tween the right and left  lobies of the lungs, and is the
 great centre  of the circulatory system.  Through  the
 medium of arteries and corresponding veins the blood
 is conveyed to every  part of the body.  The nerves
 have their origin in the brain, and in the spinal mar-
 row.  All the parts of the human body  are composed
 of a porus substance, through which a fluid or animal
juice, is constantly flowing.  But all these organs may
 be properly arranged  in an animal without life.   If we
 examine the  bones, we can discover nothing  in  them
 but inanimate substance.   They appear to be totally
 destitute of any active  power inherent in themselves.
 And what has  been said of the bones,  may  with equal
 truth  be said  of the  muscles, ligaments and  glands.
 All these seem in  themselves to be  deprived of that 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.          25
tis insita necessary to muscular motion in man.  They
have no motion  only as they  nre  acted  upon ; all  the
action of which they are the subject, is caused by some
other agent.  If we  investigate the alimentary canal,
we can discover nothing in the  absorbent vessels  why
they should be active, when they absorb the nutriment
from what  we receive into the stomach.
  It is very evident that  something must put these in
action, independent  of themselves.   Nor can  we  be
persuaded to  believe that the  substances of the  lungs
contain any active power which enables us to breathe;
for when the  animal is dead, although the lungs should
be sound,  there is surely no  respiration.   When the
spirit of animation has  fled, all  the  vital actions  at
once cease.   Why, it may  be asked, does the  blood
circulate ?   In  its  motion does  it obey  the  laws  of
gravitation ?  Surely not ;  neither is it excited to action
by  any chemical  power ; and still  the  blood  flows
through  the  arteries and veins  of the system,  with
regularity and speed.
  What in animal bodies is the cause  of motion ?  On
examining  them we find they are composed of various
mineral substances, gases and water.  But those  sub-
stances have no life in themselves.   The mineral and
vegetable substances may, and unquestionably do ex-
ist in animal bodies without life.   It cannot be true
that matter possesses the power of action within itself;
or, in  other words, matter is not self-excited to action.
But in living animal bodies, there is action in material
substances.  What, it may be asked, produces this ac-
tion ? Does  the water in the system produce it ?  Wa-
ter to be sure produces  action by  its action ; but  no
one  will  pretend that the animal functions are maintain-
ed by the gravitation of water; for water is as depend-
ent on some agent  or cause for its action, as any other
substance.   It  may  be imagined, however,  that  al-
though earth and water should be found to possess no
self-moving power, that animal gas does.  But this gas
3 
26          INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

or air, is found in the dead as well as in the living body.
It  cannot,  therefore, be the  first cause of  vital action
in man.
  If matter contains no self-determining power, and if
the animal iunctions are not  maintained  by the gravity
of water, nor the active  tendency of gas, where  shall
we  look next for the cause of action  in  organic  life ?
Add free caloric to the system, and all will  be  well;
add caloric  or vital heat to the  animal  economy, and
all its functions will be regularly discharged.   Then the
expanding  lungs will immediately inhale the vital air,
and the heart begin to beat.   Then the crimson  liquid
will begin to flow through the arteries and veins of the
system, and  the water and gas be  excited  to action,
and begin to pass off by insensible perspiration.  Now
the nervous system is  aroused into action,  and the
sensorial fluid equally distributed, to impart feelings to
every part of the body.
  Let  free caloric  have an  equal  residence in every
part of the human body, and the digestion will be good ;
then the absorbent system will be excited to a healthful
action, and the  vital fluid  emitted from the body, and
solids purified and rendered healthful.   Then the pale
emaciated  appearance of decline, will be  changed to
beauty and youth ; then an  irritable and petulant dis-
position will be guarded and supported by a well braced
nervous system ; then a weak and iiresolute determin-
ation will be  rendered  irrevocable by  a  vigorous  and
elastic muscular action.
  Add caloric  or  heat  to the system, and  this most
wonderful and  curious  of all machines, (the  human
body) will be in complete operation.   Let there  be an
equal distribution of free  caloric in all  its parts,  and
this  harp  of ten thousand strings, will be in complete
tune ;  but if you diminish the heat in any degree, there
will immediately be harsh discordant notes.   Diminish
it to a certain degree, and the harp is mute.   Then the
dilating lungs and  the beating heart ceases to act, and
the crimson flood ceases to flow. 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
27
   It appears quite evident, that were  we to search the
 whole animal and  vegetable  economy, and  with  the
 most accurate discrimination, in quest of the first cause
 of action, if heat be absent, we should search in vain.
 Why heat is active, we do not pretend  to  say.  It is
 sufficient for us to know that it is  so.  No one will, we
 presume, deny this.   What caloric or heat is, separate
 from its effects, we  do  not pretend to explain; but such
 appears to be the present organization  of things,  that
 where earth, water and atmospheric  air, accompanied
 with  a due proportion of heat, are  found, vegetables
 will grow—and where  these  grow, are  found animals
 and men.
   It will be perceived, that it is our belief that  heat is
 the  cause of life and  motion in the human system.
 To prove this, it seems only necessary to remark,  that
 the dead body has every thing that the living one has,
 except free  caloric.  In  the dead body there  is  the
 animal and the vegetable substances, and  there  is the
 water and the air, but no active heat  to be discovered.
 Hence we conclude, that  the substantial difference  be-
 tween a live animal  and a dead one, is, that  the dead
 one has lost that temperature of heat necessary to keep
 up the  vital functions  of the  animal  economy, which
 the living one possesses.
   Lest any one should  say that we simplify in too great
 a degree, animal life, and the theory of disease, we re-
 mark that the heat in the system  is  supplied through
 the medium of the lungs, and by various and numerous
 actions of the animal  system  ; and  those  actions by
 which heat is maintained in the system, are performed
 by the influence of  free caloric on the solids and  fluids
of the body.
   Now when the solids  or vessels  and organs of  the
 system become so far destroyed, as to be unable to re-
 tain  the heat, no medicine on earth can save the life of
 the patient.  Such is the case in pulmonary consump-
 tion, when one lobe of the lungs is gone, and in almost
all cases of gangrene.  Sometimes the whole system 
28         INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

is so debilitated and apparently destroyed, as to render
it extremely difficult to raise or continue  that  heat in
the system, on which health is depending.
  A continuation of free caloric in the system  depends
in  a great measure, on the state  of the  solids.  The
solids may be so  injured as to cause  the heat to go out
or escape, by numerous avenues ;  but they  cannot be
rendered  healthy, except  with  such means  as are di-
rectly designed to produce action on them,   There are
no means hitherto discovered, that appear to have  this
tendency, except those which tend to increase  the heat
in the system ; for heat is in  an  astonishing  degree,
penetrating, and  is as  active and purifying, as it is pen-
etrating and powerful.  Raise the  heat in the system
to  a suitable temperature, and the  solids will immedi-
ately be put in motion, and the water which was before
extinguishing the vital spark, is  thrown off by perspira-
tion.   The viscid water, then, which  had collected on
the stomach and intestines, and contaminated the blood,
and  indeed all  the fluids of the body, is  compelled to
pass off by some of the natural evacuations of the  ani-
mal economy.   Then that  acrimonious acid which accu-
mulates in the system  by want  of  action, caused  by a
want of heat sufficient to  remove the obstructions, will
either be  neutralized or emitted from the system, and
so be prevented from producing  canker, indigestion, and
the whole train of nervous affections, connected with
dyspepsia.*
  Having shown that life depends  on free caloric or
vital heat, we will now proceed  to  show how disease is
produced by a diminishing of vital heat in the  system.
It  will  readily be perceived, that we do not  believe
that fever is a disease, but that it is a disturbed state of
heat, occasioned  by disease.  To  illustrate  this point,
we give the following remarks from Dr, Thomson.  Ac-
cording to the writings of learned physicians,  says he,
there is a great variety of fevers, some more and some
less dangerous.  But  to  begin with the definition of
the  name.  What is fever ?   Heat,  undoubtedly,  al-
                 *Dr. Tower's Lectures. 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
29
though'a disturbed state of it.  Is there more than one
fever ?   The physicians tell us, there is the  pleuretic
fever, slow or nervous fever, putrid fever, hectic fever,
yellow fever, spotted fever, and typhus fever.  But all
of these different appearances we believe to  be a dis-
turbed state of heat, caused by cold  or obstructions,
and an effort of nature to throw it off.
  Is  fever  or heat a disease ?   Hippocrates, the ac-
knowledged father of physicians,  maintained that na-
ture'is heat; and we think  he was correct.   Is nature
a disease ?  Surely it is not.   What is commonly called
fever, is the effect, and not the cause of  disease.   It is
the struggle of nature to throw off disease.   Cold cau-
ses an obstruction and fever arises, in consequence of
an effort to throw it off  This is universally  the  case.
Remove the cause, the effects will  cease.  No person
ever yet died of a fever ;  for as death approaches, the
patient grows cold, until in death, the last spark of heat
is extinguished.   This the learned doctors  cannot de-
ny ; and as this is  true, they ought in justice to  ac-
knowledge that their whole train of depletive remedies,
such  as blistering, bleeding, physicking, starving, with
all their refrigeratives, nitre, &c. are so  many deadly
engines, combined with the disease, against the consti-
tution and life of the patient.  If it is a fact  that fever
takes its rise  from one  general  cause,  it follows of
course, that one method of removing that  cause, will
answer in all cases ;  and our greatest object should be
to assist nature, which is heat.  If a direct and proper
application of suitable medicines be timely applied, in
cases of fevers, the cause  may be broken up, and the
patient, as a general thing,  need not be confined longer
than twenty-four or forty-eight hours.   But  if the pa-
tient is left to struggle with disease, unassisted, until
his  strength is exhausted, especially if poisonous and
injurious administrations  are made, if it is possible for
the patient to recover, it must necessarily take a longer
time.  These are every day occurrences, and may be
3* 
30           INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
proved  to the satisfaction of every individual  by ob^
serving the different treatments of disease.
   Suppose that a regular physician has a violent  case
of fever.  After examining the patient, he finds that it
proceeds from a cold, and  he  must be bled to reduce
the inflamation  ; a blister must be  applied to the side
to guard against pleurisy,  and then give a few  mild
sudorifics, such as nitre, &c. ;  on the second examina-
tion he finds him bilious, and must have fifteen or twen-
ty grains of  calomel—repeated  if necessary ; this is
supposed to answer the desired end.  Then a few  por-
tions of oil or salts is given, to work off the poisonous
drugs from the system.   If  the patient should survive
such treatment, he would be a long time in regaining
his health, if ever.
  Suppose a Botanic Physician has a similar case.   On
examination he finds the  symptoms indicate  a  fever ;
the patient has caught  a severe  cold, which has pro-
duced obstructions, and driven the internal heat to the
surface  ; he administers diaphoretics to restore the in-
ternal heat, applies the vapor bath to  open  the pores
and relax the  system, and administers an emetic to re-
move the obstructions ; when this  accomplished,  the
cold is driven to the surface, large quantities of morbid
matter is  thrown from the stomach, and a warm per-
spiration succeeds.  He has only to tone him up, and
the man is well.  It will be perceived  that both cases
proceeded from a cold ;  one labors to destroy the heat,
which is the effect ;  the other to remove the cause, and
the effect will cease.
  It may be asked, should not the patient  be treated
according to the symtoms of his case ?  Most certain-
ly he should.   And  this is what  we should always en-
deavor to do ; if we find the patient  cold, we should
raise the heat;  if dry and feverish, sweat him ; if vom-
iting, cleanse the stomach of the offensive matter ; if
weak, we strenghen him ;  if cramped, relax  the mus-
cles ; if obstructed, remove the  obstacle; if hungry, 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.         31
feed him ; if thirsty, give him drink, &c.  We  think
this perfectly philosophical.
  When we assert that all diseases are one, we do not
mean to be understood that the effects are one, for these
are various, but that  they all  proceed from one cause.
For example ; suppose six men are all equally exposed,
and had taken severe  colds,  is the effects  the  same ?
It seldom is ;  one may have  the consumption, another
typhus fever, another ague and fever, another dysentery,
another  rheumatism, and ihe other dropsy.  All these
different effects are  produced  from the same  cause,
visible cold, which caused obstruction, and should be
treated on the same principle, to expel the cold  and
remove the obstruction, then  all  these  different effects
will of course cease.
  Dr. Thomson  remarks, that cold, or lessening the
power of heat, is the  cause of all  disease ; to  restore
heat to its natural state, is the only way by which health
can be produced ; that after restoring the natural heat, by
clearing the system of all obstructions, and causing a
natural perspiration, the stomach would digest the food
taken  into it, by which  means the  whole body is nour-
ished and invigorated, and heat or nature is enabled to
hold its supremacy.   That the constitution of all man-
kind  being  essentially the same, differing only in the
different temperament of the same materials of which
they are composed, it appears  clearly that all  diseases
proceed from one general cause, and may be removed
by  one general remedy ; that a state of perfect  health
arises from a due balanee or temperature of the four
elements, but if it is by any means destroyed, the body
is more or less disordered ;  and when this is the case,
there  is always actually a diminution, or absence of free
caloric or vital heat, and in proportion to its diminution
or  absence, the body is  affected by its opposite, which
 is cold ; and the greater portion of disorders with which
 the human  family are  afflicted, however various the
 symptoms, and different the names by which they are
 called, arise directly or indirectly from obstructed  per- 
32         INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
 spiration, which  is always caused  by cold, or want of
 heat; for if there is a natural heat, it is impossible but
 there must be a natural perspiration.
   When perspiration is  checked, the gastric juice of
 the stomach being destroyed, the digestion is suspend-
 ed.   In short, this  great  loss of heat in the system,
 produces a torpor in the stomach, bowels and liver, and
 in all the pores of the body.   Then that fluid which is
 secreted from the blood, and  thrown off by insensible
 perspiration, is retained in the system.  The pores be-
 ing  closed,  and water retained, and the stomach and
 bowels being torpid, of course all action is thrown up-
 on the arterial system.  Hence  the  large  vessels  ap-
 pear  crowded  and distended  with  blood,  the arterial
 action greatly  increased, and the  pulse  is  hard and
 frequent.
   We have  remarked that eold had produced  inaction,
 or contracted the whole  absorbent system.   We all
 very well know that cold has this tendency on material
 substances.   When iron is red hot, if it should be cool-
 ed suddenly it produces a sensible  contraction.  It is
 so with other substances.   It  is  cold, and not the  heat
 of fever, which produces the contraction in the absorb-
 ents,  and so prevents perspiration ;  for it is the very
 nature of heat to make water volatile, and when the
 water and cold prevail within, the heat will be driven to
 the surface.   But when the heat is  predominant, the
 water will flow  from the system  by  perspiration.   It is
 evident, however, when the  action is thus thrown upon
 the arterial system, there is an increased heat created
by an increased arterial action, and by frequent oxida-
 tions of the  blood in  the lungs.   But this  heat is an
 effort of nature to overcome the cold, rather than a dis-
 ease ;  for if there  was no disposition  in  the animal
 economy to resist the effects of disease, in vain should
 we ever attempt the healing art.
  But we do not dispair on this ground, for nature has
 provided many outlets to disease, and uniformly makes
 efforts to free the  system of it, and will always consent 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
35
to be assisted in all cases.   Now, when the excitement
is thus produced in the arterial system, there immedi-
ately commences a conflict between nature and disease.
Free caloric is created in the arterial system by action,
canker  and death in the stomach and bowels by the
cold ; and we  promote life or death  in proportion as
we assist one or the  other.  For if we should assist
the cold, or in other words, if the  medicine should have
a tendency to lower  the  temperature of heat, then the
torpor will be increased, and the obstructions rendered
more difficult to remove ; bearing  in mind this  great
and important truth, that free caloric is the cause of ac-
tion ; for when it is diminished, we  shall see inaction
as the consequence.   When the arterial action is great-
ly increased, we are not to imagine that all the functions
are excited also.   This  evidently is not the case, for
whenever there is  an  increased action in one  part of
the system, we  may be assured that there is a diminish-
ed action in another.   It were  absurd to believe that
the whole system is excited  equally, and equally, in too
great a degree.  But the  whole system may  be, and
frequently is, diseased ; but not by  too much equal ac-
tion,  nor too much  free caloric,  equally distributed
through the system, but by its diminution, a part being
destitute, and a part having too much.
   When animal and  vegetable  substances are  not in
action, they  begin to decay.  In  all diseases there is a
want of action, or there  are obstructions in some part
of the system.   The want of this action in the  greater
number  of diseases,  is  in the stomach and bowels.
Now, as soon  as the  heat escapes,  and  leaves the
viscera  to inactivity, a decay or canker immediately
commences in those parts.  And here we may see how
directly a diminution of heat leads  to death.  Remove
the free caloric, and  the canker or decay will prevail;
and as the heat continues to die away gradually, torpor
will keep pace with it, and as these continue to gain
ground, the canker thrusts its deadly talons deeper and
deeper into the system, until gangrene steps in and ends 
34           INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
the scene.   Whereas if we increase  the heat, we shall
increase  the action, and if we increase the  action, we
stay the progress of the canker, and  prevent mortifica-
tion.
   But it  is evident in this case, that  the people are de-
ceived by outward appearances.  They see the surface
is hot, and  think,  therefore, an  accumulation of heat
is the disease.   And still it seems not a little surprising
that they should think so.   They know the  cause has
been a violent cold, and the patient,  he knew too, had
been seized with ague fits.   How then can they believe
that the patient has too much heat ?  Because the skin
is hot, and the pulse is hard  and  quick ; surely, they
are led into error by outward appearances.   When the
patient had cold chills, all are ready to acknowledge
that cold was the difficulty, and stimulating means would
be proper ;  but within one or two hours after, when the
disease has taken  possession of the seat  of life, and
driven the free  caloric to the surface, then refrigerants
must be given to destroy the heat.  When nature needs
little  assistance, it will do to assist it ; but when it
needs it more, it must be destroyed.  But how is it that
the disease is so  changed in so short a time ?   Now,
the difficulty is cold, and something hot must be admin-
istered ;  one hour  hence, the disease is heat, and some-
thing cooling  must be administered.  How, we would
ask, is the cold, or the effects produced by the cold, in
so short  a time wholly eradicated from the system, with-
out perspiration or any other natural  evacuation, and
the system so highly surcharged with free caloric, if so
be, it is general ?  If it should be said it  is created by
friction,  and by frequent  oxidations of the blood, then
we reply, if the increased arterial  action, and the little
more frequent oxidations of the blood, in  so short a
tima augment the free caloric  to such an enormous de-
gree , the natural action of the system, and the common
oxidations of  the blood, when a man is in good  health,
 would increase it  in a few days so as to consume the
 muscular flesh upon the  bones.  This we think, will 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS,         35
appear to all to be  conclusive proof that  the apparent
increase of heat is not produced in this way.  We can-
not perceive for ourselves, how the diminution of heat
in the system, has any tendency to increase it.
   Having fixed  upon these general  principles, as  the
only solid foundation upon  which a correct and true
understanding of the subject can be founded, it is  ne-
cessary to ascertain what  kinds of medicine and treat-
ment would best answer the purpose, in  conformity to
this universal plan of curing disease ; for it must be
certain and self-evident to  every one, that  whatever  will
increase the internal heat of the system, which is di-
minished, restore the digestive  powers of the stomach,
and produce a natural perspiration, is universally appli-
cable in all cases of disease, and therefore may be con-
sidered a general remedy.
   Having given a  concise  view of the  principles on
which this system is founded, let us now examine some
of the  prominent objections brought against it.
  It is  thought impossible  for those people whose edu-
cation has not enabled them to profit by the experience
of others,  who have lived before them, to  discover nat-
ural laws, and to understand the  science of medicine,
or to apply those simple remedies that will remove  dis-
ease.   " But is it more unreasonable than that Robert
Fulton should tell all the mechanics of the world, how
to* traverse the  ocean by  the power of steam ?  That
Whitney should  discover to the planter a  simple means
of clearing the seed out of  his cotton, and to multiply
the value of his products 1   Are not the store houses of
nature  equally open to all 1  Cannot one  man  observe
a plain matter of fact nearly as well as another ?  And
is it reasonable to  say that  any thing is perfect,  and
susceptible of no  farther  improvement,  so  long as it
does not  answer the end for  which it was designed ?
That the science of medicine is not perfect, is evident
from the fact that thousands are suffering by disease for
which no remedy is known by the M. D's, 
36
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
   It is thought, also, that  people are too ignorant to
 attempt to apply remedies in their own cases of disease.
 Of what are they ignorant ?  Of Greek and Latin, and
 technical  names  applied to disease ?  Admitting that
 they are ; of what use are Greek and Latin in helping a
 man to discover the effects  of an  external agent of the
 body ?  Cannot a person witness the operation of lo-
 belia, without knowing that the  doctors call this pecul-
 iar effect on the system, emesis  ?  Is it not as easy to
 discover the effect of that which relieved a man of dis-
 ease,  as that which removed  his hunger and thirst ?
 And does it require a vast amount of  Greek and Latin,
 to describe in English these  operations and their  cau-
 ses ?   Can that person be called ignorant of what will
 relieve hunger,  who has used bread and  meat for this
 purpose  for twenty years, and  never known them  to
 fail ?   As well  may it be said  of those who  have for
 years used the Thomsonian  medicines, to be ignorant
 of what will cleanse the phlegm and canker from  the
 stomach, overpower the cold, and  remove obstructions,
 and reinstate the  system.  Can we  not  tell to  plain
 men, in a  plain  manner why we do this, without an ac-
 quaintance with Greek and Latin,  or even  with the end-
less and fruitless speculations  of the  learned on the
 same  subject, who, with all their knowledge of each
 others  errors in theory, and mischiefs in practice, have
 never  discovered how to accomplish  this  desirable
 object ?
  It is  said " that the vast variety of disease  to which
the human frame is  subject, cannot  be traced to the
same cause.  It is therefore wrong in saying that all
diseases are one."
  We  answer,  that  if in this assertion we err, we are
in company with not  a few of the greatest  men  that
ever devoted their attention to the science  of medicine.
But how is the  error proved ?   The  Thoinsonians be-
lieve in the unity of disease : others  believe  in a great
diversity  of disease ;  each  acts according to his faith,
we  with  universal remedies, and  they with an endless. 
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.         87
variety of local.  What is  the  result ?  We  cure  all
that are not constitutionally  dead ;  they lose often the
most robust and promising youth.
  Again, it is said that we use only one  remedy in all
cases, and it is unreasonable to  suppose  that one kind
of medicine will cure all kinds of disease ;  we do not
pretend to use a single article only, but sundry different
articles, which if used in due  season, will do  more to-
wards  the removal of all  diseases, than all  the rem-
edies that were discovered before ; and they may be so
compounded by art, as to be given  at the  same time
with almost  equal success,   The Great Creator, there-
fore, who  has  put the several remedial qualities into a
few different vegetable  forms, can and may  have made
one plant  contain them all.   No one dare  say that he
has not; and  some obscure  plough-boy is  as likely to
discover that  plant, as the greatest  scientific scholar
that our colleges ever produced.  Of one thing we are
certain ;  the Botanic Medicines are not only  the most
valuable  remedies  that have ever yet been  discovered,
but they may be successfully administered by  the hand
of every  man or woman who is worthy to  be counted
the head of a family.  Though  we have no objection
to the  discovery of the one remedy to which we have
alluded, yet we do feel it to be one of the most impor-
tant duties to our suffering  fellow beings, to use  all our
influence, that the knowledge of the virtues  and uses of
those already discovered, should be universally diffused.
   We design to lay the theory and practice of medicine
before the public  without  a shadow of concealment.
Those remedies which we  shall give, have been tested
by forty or fifty  years  experience, with  invariable and
indisputable success ; a success  which those  people who
have not seen, supposed to be impossible ; but some of
the most learned of the faculty, who have observed the
effects of the  Botanic Practice, have given their deci-
ded testimony of its power  and  efficiency.
   Much  prejudice yet remains, which prevents a gen-
 eral use of this safe and simple  mode of curing disease,
                          4 
38          INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

which  bids  fair, were it universally adopted, to banish
disease and untimely  death  from the nations of the
world ;  to introduce the dawn of that redeeming day,
when sickness shall not be seated in a constitution, to
emaciate the body and  prostrate the mind, but  shall be
met and expelled at its entrance, by those remedies that
neither entails debility nor chronic disease  on the pa-
tient.  It  far  surpasses  all  other modes  of  practice
which has been hitherto discovered or brought into op-
eration, and  reduces the mystery of the healing art, to
a very simple  process,  which  may be conducted, pre-
pared and administered, in every family, by the same
hands which prepares and administers our food ,•  and if
as thoroughly understood, it might be  administered with
nearly as good success.   They grow in the same field,
and  may be gathered by the same hand,  as  they gather
other necessary articles of life.
  We  shall  endeavor to avoid every thing that looks
like mystery, or imposition, and  clothe medical knowl-
edge in a dress so simple and  intelligible, that we think
it will  be an interesting, study  to  every  individual.
Truth is simple on all subjects ; and upon those that
are essential to the general happiness of mankind, it is
obvious to the smallest capacity.  There  is but few men
so simple, but Avhat may be taught to cultivate grain ;
and there are but few women who cannot be taught to
make it into bread.  And shall the means of preserving
our healths by the culture and  preparation of  food  be
so intelligible, and yet  the means of restoring it when
lost, so obscure, that we  must study  years  in  order to
discover and apply  them ?  To supp'ose this is to call
in question the goodness of Deity, or believing that he
acts  without system or unity in his works. 
PART II.
             NATURAL  LAWS.

  Having shown that man  is an organized being, gov-
erned by  certain laws, we shall  proceed to  show the
laws by which they are governed, usually termed natur-
al laws.
  By nature, we mean the workmanship of our Crea-
tor, as it is revealed  to our  minds by  our  senses  and
faculties ; to  inquire into the  use  or  purpose of any
object that exists, is merely to examine  its relation to
other objects and beings, and of the mode in which it
affects them.   This  is quite a legitimate exercise of the
human "intellect;  we  may  ask why are the  physical
elements of nature created such as they are 1   Why
were summer, autumn, winter  and spring introduced ?
Why were animals framed of organized matter ? These
are enquiries, why, what exist, was made feuch as it is.
or into the will of  Deity in  creating.   No  man's per-
ceptive faculties are adequate to the first inquiry, or his
reflective  faculties  to the second, and it may well be
doubted  whether he has powers suited to the third.
Yet man has perceptive faculties and ought to study into
and be  conversant  with what  exists, and why it does
exist, or  for what purpose.   Thus far man  can,  and
ought to enter into the economy of nature or the works
of God, that we may in some little degree at least, un-
derstand  the design of God in creating  all things  on
natural relationship, one to  the  other, or according to
natural laws.
  A law, in the common acceptation, denotes a rule of
action ; its existence indicates an established and con-
stant mode, or process, according to which  phenomena
takes place ;  and  this is the sense in which we shall
use it when treating  of physical substances and beings; 
40
NATURAL LAWS,
for example, water and air are substances ;  and water
presents different appearances, and manifests  certain
qualities, according to the altitude of its  situation, and
the degree of heat with which it  is  combined.  When
at the level of the sea, and combined with that  portion
of heat indicated by 32° Fahrenheit's  thermometer, it
freezes  or becomes solid ;  when combined with the
portion denoted by 212c of that instrument, it rises into
vapor or steam.  Here water and heat are the substan-
ces—the freezing, and rising into vapor, are the appear-
ances, or phenomena presented by them ;  and when we
say that these take place according  to a law of  nature,
we mean  only  that these modes of action  appear, to
our intellects, to be established in the very constitution
of the water and heat, and in their  natural relationship
to each  other ;  and that the process of freezing, and
rising in vapor,  are their constant  appearances, when
combined  in these proportions,  other conditions being
the same.
   The  ideas chiefly to be kept in  view, are, first, that
all substances and beings have received a  definite  nat-
ural constitution.  Secondly, that every mode of ac-
tion which is said to take place  according to a  natural
law, is inherent in the constitution of the substances, or
beings  that act.  Third, that the mode  of action de-
scribed, is universal and invariable, wherever and when-
ever the substances or beings are found in the same
condition.   For example, water at the level  of the sea,
freezes and boils at the same temperature, in China and
in France, in Peru and in England,  and there is no ex-
ception to the regularity  with which it  exhibits those
appearances, when all its conditions are the same.
   If water be carried  to the top of a mountain 20,000
feet high, it boils at a lower temperature than 212° ; but
this again depends on its relationship to the air; it boils
at a lower temperature the higher it is carried, because
there the pressure of the atmosphere is diminished.
   Intelligent beings exist, and are capable of modify-
ing their  actions.   By means of  their  faculties,  the 
NATURAL LAWS.
41
laws impressed by the Creator on physical substances,
become known to them, and when perceived, constitute
laws to them by which to regulate their conduct.   For
example, it is a physical law that boiling water destroys
the muscular and nervous system of man.   This is the
result  purely of  the  constitution of the  body, and the
relation between it and heat; and man cannot alter or
suspend that law.  But whenever  the  human intellect
perceives the relation and the consequence of violating
it, the mind is  prompted to avoid infringement, in order
to shun the torture  attached by the Creator to the de-
composition of the human body  by heat.   Whether the
pleasure or pain  which thus follows upon our behaviour,
be owing to the Author of nature acting  upon us every
moment which we feel it, or to his having at once con-
trived and executed his own part in the plan of the world,
makes no alteration as to the matter before us.
   Vain is the  ridicule with which we see some persons
diverting themselves, upon considering  pain as an in-
stance of divine  punishment.  There is  no possibility
of answering or  evading the general thing here intend-
ed, without denying all final causes.   For  final causes
being admitted, the pleasures and  pains now mention-
ed, must be  admitted too, as instances of them.   And
if they are so, if God annexes delight to some actions,
with an apparent design to induce us to act  so  and so,
then he not only dispenses happiness and  misery, but
also rewards  and  punishes actions.  If  for example,
the pain which we feel  upon doing what tends to the
destruction of our  bodies, suppose upon  too  near ap-
proaches to fire, or upon wounding ourselves, be ap-
pointed by  the author of nature to prevent our  doing
what tends to our destruction  ; this  is altogether as
much  an instance  of his  punishing our actions, and
consequently  of our being under his government, as
declaring by a voice from Heaven, that if we acted so,
he would inflict such pain upon us, and inflict it whether
it be greater or less.
4' 
42
NATURAL LAWS.
   If then, the  reader keeps  in  view that God is the
Creator, that Nature, in the general sense, means the
world which he has made, and in a more limited sense,
the particular constitution which he has bestowed  on
any special object, of which  we may be treating, and
that  a law of nature,  means  the established mode in
which that constitution acts, and the  obligation thereby
imposed on intelligent beings to  attend to it, he will be
in no danger of misunderstanding our meaning.
   Every natural object has received a definite constitu-
tion,  in virtue  of which it acts in a particular  way.
There must, therefore,  be as many  natural  laws, as
there  are  distinct  modes of action of substances and
beings,  viewed by  themselves.   But  substances and
beings stand in certain relations to each other's actions,
in an  established and definite  manner, according to that
relationship ; altitude, for instance, modifies the effect
of heat upon water.   There must, therefore, be also as
many laws of nature, as there are relations  between
different substances and  beings.
   It is impossible  in  the  present state of knowledge,
to elucidate all these laws ; countless years may elapse
before they shall be discovered; but we may investi-
gate some of the most  familiar  and striking of them.
Those that most readily present themselves, bear refer-
ence to the great classes into  which the objectsjaround
us may be divided, namely : Physical,  Organic,  and
Intelligent.   We shall therefore confine ourselves to
the Physical laws, the Organic laws, and the laws which
characterize intelligent beings.
   1st. The Physical laws embrace all the phenomena
of mere matter ; a heavy body, for  instance, when un-
supported, falls to the ground with a certain  accelera-
ting force, in proportion  to the distance which it  falls,
and its own density ;  and this motion  is said to take
place according to the law of  gravitation.  An acid ap-
plied  to a  vegetable blue color, converts it into a  red,
and this is said to take  place  according to a chemical
law. 
NATURAL LAWS.
48
  2d.  Organized substances and  beings  stand higher
in the scale of creation, and have properties peculiar to
themselves.  They act, and are acted upon, in con-
formity with their constitution, and are  said to be sub-
ject to a peculiar set of laws, termed the Organic.  The
distinguishing characteristic of this class of objects, is,
that the individuals of them derive their existence from
other organized  beings, are nourished by food, and go
through a regular process of growth and  decay.  Ve-
getables and  animals are the two great  subdivisions of
it.  The organic laws are different from  the mere phys-
ical.   A stone,  for example, does not  spring from a
parent stone ; it does not take food from its parent, the
earth or air ; it  does not increase in vigor for a time
and then  decay  and suffer dissolution, all which pro-
cesses characterizes vegetables and animals.   The or-
ganic laws are superior to the physical'   For example.
a living man, or animal may be  placed  in  an oven,
along  with the  carcass of a dead animal, and remain
exposed to a heat which will completely bake the dead
flesh, and yet come out alive and not seriously injured.
The dead flesh is mere physical  matter, and its decom-
position by the heat instantly  commences ;  but the
living animal is able, by its organic qualities, to counter-
act and resist to a certain extent, that influence.  The
expression, organic Jaws, therefore, indicates that every
phenomenon  connected  with the  production, health,
growth, decay and death of vegetables and  animals,
takes place with undeviating regularity, whenever cir-
cumstances are the same.  Animals are the chief ob-
jects of our observation.
  3d.  Intelligent beings stand still higher in the scale
than merely organized  matter, and embrace all animals
that have distinct consciousness, from the  lowest of the
inferior creatures up to man.  The great  divisions of
this class  are into Intelligent and Animal—and  into
Intelligent and  Moral creatures.   The  dog, horse and
elephant, for  instance, belong to  the first class, because
they possess some degree of intelligence, and certain 
■44
NATURAL LAWS.
 animal propensities, but  no moral feelings.  Man be-
 longs to the second, because he possesses all the three.
 These various faculties have received a definite consti-
 tution from the Creator, and stand in  determinate rela-
 tionship to  external objects : for example, a healthy
 palate  cannot feel wormwood sweet, nor sugar bitter ;
 a healthy eye cannot see a rod partly plunged in water,
 straight, because the water so modifies the rays of light,
 as to give the stick the appearance of being crooked ;
 a healthy benevolence cannot feel gratified with murder,
 nor a healthy conscientiousness with fraud.  As there-
 fore  the mental  faculties  have  received a precise con-
 stitution, and have been placed in fixed and definite re-
lations to external objects, and act regularly ;  we speak
 of their acting according to rules or laws, and call these
 Moral and Intellectual laws.
   Several important principles are to  be noticed in at-
 tending to the natural laws, viz. :  1st, Their independ-
 ence of each other.   2d, Obedience  to each of them
 is  attended with its own reward, and disobedience with
its own  punishment.  3d, They are universal, unbend-
ing, and invariable in their  operation.   4th,  They are
in  harmony with  the constitution of man.
   1st.  The  independence of the natural laws may be
 illustrated thus ; a  man  who  swallows poison, which
destroys the  stomach  or intestines,  will die, because
an organic law  has  been infringed, and because it  is
independent of others, although  the man  should  have
taken the drug by mistake, or been the most pious  and
charitable individual on earth.   Or a man may cheat,
lie, steal, tyrannize, and in short break a great variety
of the  moral  laws, and nevertheless be fat and robust,
if he sedulously  observes the organic  laws of temper-
ance and  exercise, which  determine  the  condition  of
the body ; while  on the other  hand, an  individual who
neglects these, may pine in disease, and  be racked with
torturing pains, although  at the  very  moment, he mav
be devoting his mind to the highest duties of humanity. 
NATURAL LAWS.
45
   2d.  Obedience to each  law is attended with its  own
reward, and  disobedience with its own punishment.
Those who obey the moral  law, enjoy the  intense in-
ternal delights that spring from active  moral faculties ;
they render themselves, moreover, objects of affection
and  esteem  to  moral  and  intelligent  beings, who  in
consequence, confer on them  various  other gratifica-
tions.   Those  who  disobey that law, are  tormented
with insatiable desires, which from the nature of things,
cannot be gratified ; they are punished by the perpetual
craving of whatever portion of moral sentiments  they
possess, for higher enjoyments, which are never attain-
ed, and they  are objects of dislike and malevolence to
other beings in the same condition as  themselves, who
inflict on them the evils dictated by their own provoked
propensities.   Those  who obey the  organic laws, reap
the reward of health and vigor of body, and buoyancy
of mind ; those who break them, are punished by sick-
ness, feebleness and languor.
   3. The  natural laws are universal, invariable, and
unbending.   There is no  example,  in  any  latitude  or
longitude, or  in any age, of men who entered life with
a constitution in perfect harmony with the organic laws,
and who continued to obey these  laws throughout, be-
ing,sin consequence of  this obedience, visited with pain
and disease ; and there  are no instances qf men who
were born with consitutions at variance with  the organic
laws, and  who lived in  habitual disobedience to them,
enjoying that sound health and vigor of body, that are
the rewards of obedience.
  4th.  The natural laws are  in harmony with the whole
constitution of man, the moral and intellectual powers
being supreme.   If men  who  rioted  in  drunkenness
and debauchery, had thereby established health and in-
creased their happiness, it would have been in discord
with our  intellectual and moral perceptions ; but the
opposite result is in harmony with them.  It will be
subsequently  shown that  our moral sentiments desire
universal  happiness   If the physical and organic laws 
46
NATURAL LAWS.
are  constituted in  harmony with them, it ought to fol-
low  that the natural  laws, when obeyed,  conduce  to
the happiness of moral and intelligent  beings who are
called on to observe them, and that the evil consequen-
ces  or punishments  resulting  from  disobedience, are
calculated to enforce  stricter attention and obedience
to the laws, that human  beings  may  escape from the
miseries of  infringement, and return to the advantages
of observance.   When  sickness and  pain follow a de-
bauch, they serve to urge a more scrupulous obedience
to the  organic  laws, that  the  individual may escape
death, which is  an  inevitable consequence of too  great
and  continued  disobedience  to  these  laws, and  enjoy
health, which is the reward of opposite conduct.   When
discontent, irritation, hatred, and other mental annoy-
ances, arise out of infringements of the moral law, thie
punishment  is  calculated to induce the offender to re-
turn to obedience, that he may enjoy the rewards at-
tached to it.
  When the transgression of any natural law is exces-
sive, and so great that to return to obedience is impos-
sible, one purpose of death, which then ensues, may be
to deliver the  individual from a continuation of the
punishment  which could then do him no good.   If a
man in the vigor of life so far infringe any  organic law
as to destroy the functions of a vital organ, the heart,
for instance, or the lungs, or the brain, it is better for
him to have  his  life cut short, and  his pain put  an end
to, than to  have it protracted under all the  tortures  of
an organic existence without  lungs, without a heart, or
without a brain, if such a state were possible, but which
for this wise reasonit is not.
  We do not intend to predicate any thing  concerning
the perfectibility of  man  by  obedience to the laws of
nature.   The system of sublunary  creation, so far as
we perceive, does not appear to be  one  of optimism ,
yet benevolent  design in its constitution is undeniable]
The first supposition is, that God  when he  created the 
NATURAL LAWS.
47
human  species, wished them happiness, and  made for
them the provisions which he has made, with that view
and for that purpose.
   We do  not  intend  to  teach  that the natural laws,
discernible  by unassisted reason, are sufficient for the
salvation of man without revelation.  Human interests
regard this world and the'next.   To enjoy  this world,
we humbly  maintain, that  man must discover and obey
the natural laws ; for example, to  insure health to off-
spring, the  parents must be  healthy, and  the  children
after  birth must be treated in conformity to the organic
laws ; to  fit them for usefulness in society, they must
be instructed in their own constitution—in  that of ex-
ternal objects and beings, and taught to act rationally
in reference to these.
   Man's spiritual interests belong to the sphere of rev-
elation ; and we distinctly declare, that  we do not teach
that obedience  to the natural laws  is sufficient  for sal-
vation in a future state.   Revelation prescribes certain
requisites for salvation, which may be divided  into two
classes ; first,  faith or  belief,  and secondly,  the per-
formance of certain practical duties, not as meritorious
of salvation, but as  the native results of that faith, and
the necessary  evidence of its sincerity.   The natural
laws 'form  no  guide as to faith ; but so  far as we can
perceive, their dictates and those of revelation  coincide
in all  matters  relating to practical duties in temporal
affairs.
   It  may  be  asked  whether mere knowledge of the
natural laws is sufficient to insure  obedience to them ?
Certainly  not.   Mere knowledge  of music does not
enable  one to play on  an instrument, nor of anatomy to
perform skilfully a surgical operation.   Practical train-
ing, and the aid of every  motive that can interest the
feelings, are necessary to lead  the individual  to  obey
the natural  laws.  Religion  in  particular, may furnish
motives highly  conducive to this  obedience.   But it
must never be forgotten, that although mere knowledge
is not  all-sufficient, it is a primary and indispensable 
48
NATURAL LAWS.
requisite to regular observance ; and that it is as im-
possible, effectually and  systematically to  obey  the
natural laws  without knowing them, as it is to  infringe
them with impunity, although from  ignorance  of their
existence.  Some persons are of opinion that Christian-
ity alone suffices, not only for  man's  salvation, which
we do not dispute, but for his guidance in all practical
virtues, without  knowledge of,  or  obedience  to,  the
laws of nature ;  but from  this notion we respectfully
dissent.  It appears to  us, that  one reason  why  vice
and misery in this world, do not diminish in  proportion
to preaching, is, because the natural laws are too much
overlooked, and very rarely considered as  having any
relation to practical  conduct.   Connected with this sub-
ject, it is proper to state, that we do not maintain that
the world is arranged on  the principle  of benevolence
exclusively ;  our idea is, that it is constituted in harmo-
ny with the whole  faculties of man, the moral senti-
ments and intellect holding the supremacy.
  Let us then consider the constitution of man,  and
the natural  laws to which he is subjected, and endeavor
to discover how far the external world is arranged with
wisdom and benevolence, in considering the relations
which the several appetites and passions in the  inward
frame have to each other, aud above all, the supremacy
of reflection or conscience, that we get  the idea of the
system  or  constitution  of  human  nature.   And  from
the idea itself, it will as fully appear that this our nature
or constitution, is adapted  to virtue, as from the idea
of a vvatch, it  appears  that its  nature, constitution or
system is adapted to measure time.
  The human body  consists of bones, muscles,  nerves,
blood vessels, besides  organs of nutrition, of  respira-
tion, and thought.   These  parts are all composed of
physical elements, and to a certain extent, are subject-
ed to the physical laws of creation.   By the  laws of
gravitation, the body falls to the ground when unsupport-
ed, and is liable to be injured, like  any frangible sub- 
NATURAL LAWS.
49
stance ; by a chemical law, excessive cold freezes, and
excessive heat disipates, its fluids ; and life  in  either
case is extinguished.
  By the law of gravitation, heavy bodies always tend
towards the centre of the  earth.   Some of the advan-
tages of this  law, are, that objects remain at rest when
properly supported,  so that men  know where to find
them when they  are wanted for use.   To place a man
in harmony with this law, the Creator has bestowed on
him  bones, muscles and nerves, constructed on  the
most perfect  principles of mechanical  science,  which
enable him to preserve his equilibrium,  and to adapt his
movements to its influence ; also  intellectual faculties
calculated to perceive the existence  of the law, its
modes of operation, the relation between it and himself,
the beneficial consequences of  observing this relation,
and the painful results of  infringing it.
   Man is an organized being and  subject to the organic
laws.   An organized being is one which derives its ex-
istence from a previously existing  organized   being,
which subsists  on food,  and grows, attains  maturity,
decays and  dies.  The first law, then, that must be
obeyed, to render an organized  being perfect in its kind,
is that the germ  from which it springs, shall be com-
plete in all its parts, and  sound in its  whole constitu-
tion.  If we  sow  an acorn, in  which some vital part
has  been destroyed,  the seedling plant, and the  full
grown oak, if it ever  attains to maturity, will be defi-
cient in the lineaments which were wanting  in the em-
bryo root; if we sow an acorn entire  in its parts, but
 only half ripened, or damaged  by damp or other causes
 in its whole  texture, the seedling oak will be  feeble, and
 will probably die early.   A similar law holds good in re-
 gard to man.  A second  organic law is that the organi-
 zed being, the moment it is ushered into life, and so long
 as it continues  to  live,  must be supplied  with food,
 light, air, and other physical  aliment requisite  for  its
 support, in  due quantity, and of the kind best suited  to
 its part.cular constitution.   Obedience to  this  law  is
NATIONAL  LIBRARY  OF  MED&ifa. 
50
NATURAL LAWS.
rewarded with a vigorous and healthy developement of
its  powers ;  and in animals, with a pleasing concious-
ness of existence and  aptitude for the performance of
their natural  functions ;  disobedience to it, is punished
with feebleness, stinted in growth, general imperfections
or death.
  A third organic law applicable to  man, is, that he
shall duly exercise bis  organs ; this condition being an
indispensible requisite  to health.   The reward of obe-
dience to this law, is enjoyment in the very act of ex-
ercising the functions, pleasing consciousness of exis-
tence,  and the  acquisition of numberless gratifications
and advantages, of  which labor, or the exercise of our
powers, is the procuring  means ;  disobedience is pun-
ished with derangement and sluggishness of the  func-
tions, with uneasiness  or positive pain, and with the
denial  of  gratification to  numerous faculties.
   The earth is endowed with the capability of produc-
ing an ample  supply for all our wants,  provided  we
expend muscular and nervous energy in  its cultivation ;
while in most climates  it refuses to produce if we with-
hold this  labor and  leave it waste.  Farther, the Crea-
tor has presented  us  with timber, metals, wool, and
countless materials, which by means of muscular power,
may be converted into clothing, and are so benevolently
adapted to each other, that  with  rational restraint on
population,  a few  hours labor each day  from every
individual capable  of  labor, would  suffice to  furnish
all with every  commodity that would really add to en-
joyment.
   So far, then, the  external world appears to be wisely
and benevolently adapted to the organic system of man ;
that is, to his nutrition, and to  the developement and
exercise of his corporeal organs  ; and  the natural law
appears to be, that all that desire  to enjoy the pleasures
attending sound and  vigorous muscular  and  nervous
systems, must  expend in labor the  energy which the
Creator has infused into  these organs.   A wide choice
is  left open  to man as  to the  mode in  which he shall 
NATURAL LAWS.
51
exercise his nervous  and  muscular system.  The la-
borer for instance, tills the ground, and the squire en-
gages in the chase.  The penalty  of neglecting this
law is debility, bodily and  mental lassitude, imperfect
digestion, disturbed sleep,  bad health,  and if carried to
a certain length, death.   The penalty for over-exerting
these systems, is exhaustion, mental incapacity, the
desire  of strong  stimulants,  such  as ardent spirits,
general insensibility, and grossness of feeling arid per-
ception, with disease and  shortened life.   Society has
not recognised this law, and in consequence, the higher
orders despise labor and suffer the  penalty, while the
lower orders are oppressed with toil, and undergo the
second.   The penalties serve  to provide  motives for
obedience to the  law,  and wherever  it is recognised,
and the consequences are  discovered  to be inevitable,
men will no longer shun labor as painful and ignomin-
ious, but resort to  it  as a source of pleasure, as well  as
to avoid the pains  inflicted on those who neglect it.
   If a system ol living and occupation  were  to be form-
ed for human beings, founded  on the exposition of their
nature which we have given, it would be something like
this:  1st. So many  hours  a day would be required  to
be dedicated by  every individual in health, to the exer-
cise of his nervous and muscular systems, in labor cal-
culated to give scope to these functions.  The reward
of obeying this requisite of his  nature  would be health,
and a joyous animal existence ;  the punishment of neg-
lect, is disease, low spirits, and death.
   2d.  So many hours  a day should  be  spent  in the
sedulous  employment of  the knowing and reflecting
faculties ; in studying the qualities of external objects,
and their  relations, not  with the view  of accumulating
mere abstract and barren  knowledge, but of enjoying
the positive pleasure of mental activity, and of turning
every  discovery to account, as  a means of increasing
happiness, or alleviating misery.  The leading  object
should always be to find out the relationship of every ob-
ject to our own nature, organic,  animal, mora), and in-
tellectual, and to  keep that  relationship  habitually  in 
52
NATURAL LAWS.
mind, so as to render our acquirements  directly grati-
fying to our  various  faculties.  The reward  of this
conduct  would  be an  incalculably great increase  of
pleasure, in the very act of acquiring knowledge of the
real properties of external objects, together with a great
accession of power in reaping ulterior advantages, and
in avoiding disagreeable affections.
   3d. So many hours a day ought to be  devoted to the
cultivation and gratification of  our  moral  sentiments ;
that is to say, in exercising these in  harmony with in-
tellect, and especially in acquiring the habit of admiring,
loving, and  yielding obedience  to the Creator and his
institutions.  This last  object  is of vast importance.
Intellect is barren of practical fruit,  however  rich it
may be in knowledge, until it is fired and prompted to act
by moral sentiment.  In our view,  knowledge by itself
is comparatively worthless and impotent  compared with
what it becomes when  vivified  by  elevated  emotions.
It is not enough that intellect is informed ;  the  moral
faculties must simultaneously co-operate, yielding obe-
dience to the precepts which the intellect recognizes to
be true.
   An organized being, we have said, is one  which de-
rives its existence from a previously existing organized
being.  Whatever the ultimate  object of the  Creator in
constituting organized beings, may  be, it will scarcely
be denied  that part of his  design is, that they  should
enjoy their  existence here ;  and if so, every particular
part of their system will be found  conducive in its in-
tention to this end.  The first   law  then, that must be
obeyed to render an organized being perfect in its kind,
is, that the germ from which it springs  shall be com-
plete in all its parts, and sound in its whole constitution  ;
the second is, that the  moment it is ushered into life,
and as long as it continues to live, it should be supplied
with food, light, air, and every physical aliment  neces-
sary for its support ; and the third  law  is, that  it duly
exercise its functions.   When all these laws are obey-
ed, the being should enjoy pleasure  from its organized
frame, if its Creator is benevolent, and its constitution 
NATURAL LAWS.
53
should be so adapted to its  circumstances, as to admit
of obedience to them, if its Creator is wise and pow-
erful.  Is there then no such phenomenon on earth, as
a human being existing in full possession of organic
vigor from  birth till advanced age, when  the system is
fairly worn out ?   Numberless  examples of this  kind
have occurred, and they show one demonstiation, that
the corporeal  frame of man is  so constituted as to ad-
mit the possibility of his enjoying organic  health  and
vigor during the whole period of a long life.
   Now a natural law never admits  of an  exception ;
for example—as no man ever sees without eyes, or di-
gests without a stomach, we  are  entitled to say, that
the best condition in which an organized being has ever
been, is  fairly within  the capabilities of  the race.  A
human being, vigorous and healthy from  the cradle to
the grave, could no more exist, unless the natural  con-
stitution of his  organs permitted it, of design,  than
vision could exist without eyes.   Health and vigor can-
not result from infringement of the organic laws ; for
then pain and  disease would  be the objects of these
laws, and beneficence, wisdom and power could never
be ascribed to the Creator who had  established them,
Let us hold, then that the organized  system of man, in
itself,  admits  of the  possibility  of health, vigor, and
organic enjoyment, during the full  period of life, and
preceed to inquire into the causes why these advanta-
ges are not universal.
   One organic law is, that the germ of the infant being
must be complete  in  all its parts, and  perfectly sound
in its  condition, as an indispensable  requisite to its
vigorous developement, and full  enjoyment of existence.
If the corn that is sown is weak, wasted  and damaged,
the plants that  spring  from it will be feeble, and liable
to decay.  The same law holds in the animal kingdom ;
and we  would ask, has  it hitherto been observed by
man ?  It is notorious that it  has  not.  Indeed, its ex-
istence has been  either altogether  unknown, or in a
very high degree disregarded by  human  beings.  The 
54
NATURAL LAWS.
feeble, the sickly, the exhausted  with age, and the in-
completely developed, through extreme youth, marry,
and without the least compunction regarding the organ-
ization which they shall transmit to their offspring, send
into the world miserable beings, the very rudiments of
whose existence are tainted with disease.
   If we trace such conduct to its source, we shall  find
it to originate  either in animal propensity, intellectual
ignorance, or more frequently in  both.   The inspiring
motives are generally merely appetite, avarice or ambi-
tion, operating in the absence of all just conceptions of
the impending evils.  The punishment of this offence
is debility and pain, transmitted to the children,  and re-
flected back in anxiety and sorrow on the parents-   Still
the great point to be kept in view, is, that these miseries
are not legitimate consequences of the observance of
the organic laws, but the direct chastisement  of their
infringement.  These laws  are unbending, and admit
of no exception : they  must be fulfilled, or the penal-
ties of disobedience  will follow.   On this subject,  pro-
found ignorance reigns in society.   From such observa-
tions as we have been able to make, we  are convinced
that the union of certain temperaments and  combina-
tions of mental organs  in the parents,  are highly con-
ducive to  health, talent  and morality in the offspring,
and vice versa ; and these conditions may be discover-
ed and taught with far greater certainty, facility,  and
advantage, than is generally imagined.  It will  be time
enough to conclude that men are naturally incapable of
obedience to the organic laws, after their intellects have
been  instructed, their moral  sentiments trained to  the
observance of the Creator's  natural institutions, as at
once their  duty, their interest, and a grand source  of
happiness, and they continuing to rebel.
   A second organic law regards nutriment, which must
be supplied of a suitable kind, and  in due quantity.
This law  requires also free  air, light, cleanliness, and
attention to every physical arrangement by  which the
functions of the body may be favored or impaired.   A 
NATURAL LAWS.
55
third organic law is, that all our functions shall be duly
organized ;  and  is  this  law observed  by  mankind ?
Many  persons  are  able, from experience, to attest the
severity of the  punishment that follows from neglecting
to exercise the nervous and muscular systems, in lassi-
tude, indigestion, irritability,  debility, and general un-
easiness that attend a sedentary and inactive life.
   No person after having his intellect and  sentiments
imbued with a perception of, and belief in, the natural
laws as now explained, can  possibly regard muscular
exertion and mental activity, when not carried to excess,
as any thing else than enjoyments kindly vouchsafed to
him by  the  benevolence of the Creator.   The notion
that moderate labor and  mental exertion are evils, can
originate only  from ignorance,  or  from viewing the
effects of over-exhaustion as the result of  the  natural
law, and not as the punishment of infringement of it.
   If then, we sedulously  inquire, in each particular in-
stance, into the causes of the sickness, pain, premature
death, and general derangement of the corporeal frame
of man which we see  around us, and endeavor to dis-
cover  whether it has originated in obedience to the
physical and organic  laws, or sprung from  an infringe-
ment of them, we shall be able to form some estimate
how far bodily suffering is justly attributable to imper-
fections of  nature, and how far to our own ignorance
and neglect of divine institutions.
   In the first place, the physical and organic laws  when
truly discovered, appear to the mind as institutions of
the Creator, wise and salutary in themselves, unbending
in their operation, and  universal in their  application.
They interest our intellectual faculties, and  strongly
impress  our  sentiments.   The  necessity  of  obeying
them comes upon us with all the authority of a mandate
of God.   But if we  are made acquainted with  the ele-
 ments  of the  physical  world, and  with those of our
 organized system—with the uses of the different  parts
 of the latter,  and the  conditions necessary  to  their
 healthy action—with the causes of their derangement, 
56
NATURAL LAWS.
and the pains consequent thereon :  and if the obligation
to attend to these conditions be enforced on our moral
sentiments and  intellect, then the motives to observe
the physical  and organic laws, as well as the power of
doing so, will be greatly increased.   It is only by being
taught the principles on which consequences depend,
that  we see  the invariableness of the results of the
physical and  organic laws, acquire confidence in and
respect for the laws themselves, and fairly endeavor to
accommodate our conduct to their conduct.
  Having traced bodily sufferings  in the case of indi-
viduals, to neglect of,  or  opposition  to,  the organic
laws, by their progenitors or by themselves ; and  if it
be true that the natural laws must be obeyed as a pre-
liminary condition to happiness in  this world,  and if
virtue and happiness be  inseparably allied, the religious
instructors of mankind  may  probably discover  in the
general and  prevalent ignorance of these  laws, one
reason of the limited success which has hitherto  at-
tended their own efforts at improving the  condition of
mankind ; and they  may perhaps perceive it to  be not
inconsistent with their sacred office, to instruct men in
the natural institutions  of  the Creator, in addition to
his revealed will, and to recommend obedience to both.
They exercise so vast an influence  over the  members
of society, that their countenance may hasten, or their
opposition retard by a century, the practical adoption of
the natural laws  as guides of human conduct.
  When we speak of the works of nature, effort, or the
operation of nature, we mean those rules or principles
which  govern the action, and the  operations of those
articles or substances which have the power to support
the living system ; nature therefore, is the susceptibility
of the  living organs and fibres of the human body, and
should be acted  upon by stimulants whether in health
or diseased ;  for it is very evident that disease must be
cured by stimulants, as well as health and life sustained
by them ;  the susceptibility of the  living fibres being
acted upon, and  that stimulants  are capable of  acting 
NATURAL LAWS.
57
upon them, we  suppose is derived from  certain princi-
ples innate in both, or which  is naturally inherent in
them.   This stimulant, we have stated, is derived from
the food we eat, and the air we breathe ; they  being
taken into the stomach and lungs, and is  decomposed
and formed into a fluid, and distributed  to all parts of
the body ; this is produced by a principle innate in both
the substance and the organs into which it is received  ;
this is said to take place according to the natural laws  ;
therefore, the laws of nature  are simply those rules or
principles which govern the action or effects  of  stimu-
lants on the living system.
   We have endeavored to show in our former remarks,
that life is not natural, but a forced state, and must be
kept up in the  living system by the continued applica-
tion of a foreign power ; the nature of this power must
be a stimulant, and should be of a pure and wholesome
kind.  It is  supposed that every article or  substance
which has any  power to support or sustain  the  living
system, does it by a stimulating  or forcing operation.
It  was  remarked  by Dr.  Howard, that  in disease, the
natural  healthy stimulant powers are measureably cut
off, particularly the food,  and  the organs being impair-
ed are  not capable of properly supplying those which
remain ; hence the  body becomes emaciated, and the
strength fails.  In this situation there is, therefore, less
power to act upon and stimulate  nature to increased
exertion  or effort to repel or throw off disease.   If it
were by  an  effort  of nature  that  disease was  cured,
this event could happen  only at  the very onset, as it
must be admitted that nature's power to make an effort
is then  at zenith, and is growing weaker and  weaker as
disease progresses.
   If human health and happiness  be thus  effectually
 prompted by strict attention to the  conditions  which
regulate the'vital and animal functions,  nothing  can be
 more useful than to communicate  to every  intelligent
 being, such a measure of knowledge as will enable him
 to avoid the infringement of those laws which regulate 
58
NATURAL LAWS.
the organic system.  There is a right way to do every
thing respecting  human happiness  and human  life.
When they are brought about  in this way, the desired
end will always be accomplished.  But  how are we to
be directed in obtaining a knowledge of that ?   The
answer is at hand ; by examining with critical attention
the way  that nature directs.   It is by tracing the chan-
nels  in  which the  great Architect of nature designed
things to flow, that  we are to get the most  important
truth respecting the proper use of things, and the way to
produce effects with  which human  happiness is  con-
nected,   In doing  this,  it requires  an accurate dis-
crimination between art and nature—between the truth
and  what, appears to be truth—the work of man and
the work of God.   Our eyes are frequently  dazzled
with  the work of art, so that those channels which na-
ture has provided, and through which good is continual-
ly flowing to the human race, are not discovered.  This
is especially so in regard to the science  of  medicine.
Theories of disease are built in art,  and not in nature,
to remove it.   To  affirm that there  is nothing in the
appearance or  nature of things indicating to us  their
use,  would be to affirm that the earth  was made without
design, and that its Creator has no wisdom. 
PART III.
     ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

  Anatomy is a science which treats of the conforma-
tion, the situation  and structure of the organs, while
Physiology regards in a more  especial manner,  the
functions of the animal economy.   Anatomy is divided
into two branches—special and general anatomy.  The
former has for its  object the  particular study of each
individual organ enjoying an action  peculiar to itself;
it describes the physical  properties, the form  and rela-
tive  situation, and shows  the mutual  arrangement of
the elementary tissues  which contribute to its formation.
The human body is composed of solids and fluids, the
latter of which, form by far  the most considerable share.
In the general formation of the  human skeleton, there
is no essential difference between that of the male  and
female, except the female is more slender or delicately
formed, and the hip bones as a general thing, are more
widely spread than the male.
  The bones exhibit  every variety of figure and size,
according to the part in which  they are situated,  and
the office which they  are intended to fulfil.   They  are
usually  divided into long,  short, and flat ; the number
by most anatomists is computed to be two hundred and
forty-eight distinct bones.  The head containing sixty-
three, including thirty-two teeth, fifty-three in the trunk,
sixty-eight in the upper extremities, and sixty-four in
the "lower extremities.  The cavities and  depressions
on the external surface of the bones, serve for the at-
tachment of the  muscles and  ligaments, and by giving
the  fibres of the former a more extensive surface of
insertion, without increasing the size of the bone, they
afford them more room for contraction.  They serve 
60
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
also  for the reception of some of the  more  delicate
organs, for the passage of blood-vessels  and nerves,
and a variety of other purposes which it would be need-
less to enumerate.*
  Physiology, or the .history  of  the  functions which
characterize living beings, is thus a subject of peculiar
interest; and human physiology, or that which is about
to engage our  attention, is as important in its practical
consequences, as it is attractive to rational curiosity.
In its widest sense it comprehends an exposition of the
functions of the various  organs of which the  human
frame is composed ; of the mechanism by which these
are carried on ;  of their relations  to each  other, or the
means of improving their developement and action ; of
the purposes to which they ought severally to be direct-
ed ;  and of the manner in which  exercise ought  to be
conducted, so as to secure for the organ the best health,
and for the function the highest efficiency.   A true sys-
tem of physiology comes thus to be the  proper basis,
not only of a sound physical, but of a sound moral and
intellectual education, and of a rational hygiene ; or in
other words, it is the basis of every thing  having for its
object the physical and mental health  and  improvement
of man ;  for so long as life lasts, the mental and moral
powers with which he is endowed, manifest themselves
through the medium of organization, and no plan which
he can devise for their cultivation, that is not in harmo-
ny with the laws which regulate that organization, can
possibly be successful.
   But besides the power of resisting the operation of
the  ordinary chemical and physical laws, living bodies
 are  distinguished by other properties peculiar  to them-
 selves.   Unlike inorganized matter, which exists in the
 same form from  the  beginning, bodies  endowed with
the principle of life, derive  their origin, as we have be-
 fore remarked, from previously  existing living bodies
 of the same nature as themselves ;  and  they in  their
 turn give birth to  others, and in this way the succession
                Dr. Gross on Anatomy. 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.        61
is kept up.   Unlike the inert  material which retains its
properties unaltered throughout endless ages, the living
body is constantly undergoing changes, from the first
to the last moment of its existence ; and these are ex-
emplified on the largest scale, in the early stages of
youth, maturity, old age, and  death.   Unlike inorgani-
zed  matter,  which neither grows nor  decays, living
bodies require a constant supply  of nourishment to
admit of their growth in youth, and to replace the worn
out particles which  are regularly thrown off at every
period of life ;  and unlike inanimate objects, the prop-
erties of which never alter, living bodies cease at last
to exist, and their component elements, deprived of the
principles of life, again become subject to the ordinary
laws of matter, and  are speedily decomposed and scat-
tered  about as  if  life had  never been.   The above
properties, it may be observed, are common to  vegeta-
ble and animal life ; but animals  possess others pecul-
iar to themselves.  Among  the most  remarkable of
these are  sensation, thought, voluntary motion, and the
faculty of communicating to  each other their thoughts
and feelings, through the medium of natural  or artificial
language.   These  are great marks of  distinction, and
considered in a general point of  view, amply suffice to
divide the two  great classes  of animated beings  ; and
while some animals exhibit individual powers in higher
perfection, man stands far their superior,  not  only in
combining in his own person all the senses and faculties
which they  possess, but in being endowed   with  moral
and intellectual powers which  are denied to them, and
which at once place him at the head of the living crea-
tion, and constitute him a moral, intelligent, and respon-
sible being.
   So  numerous and important  are the various organs
of which the human frame is composed, and so closely
 are they linked with  each other in their action, that in
 treating of them, it is difficult, or rather impossible to
 follow any arrangement  which  shall admit of  every
 statement being at first fully  understood.   On the pres- 
62         ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
ent occasion, however, our object being merely to com-
municate a general  knowledge  of  a  few of the more
important functions, partly  with a view  to the direct
practical purposes to which  such information  may  be
applied, and partly for the sake of arousing public  at-
tention to the necessity of including this branch of sci-
ence in common education.
  Bones.  Bones are chiefly composed  of phosphate
of lime, and are covered with a dense membrane which
takes the name of periostium, except where it  covers
the skuil, when it is termed pericranium.   This mem-
brane also contains the blood-vessels by which  the
bones are nourished.  It was remarked  by Dr. Lam-
bert, in  his lectures  on Physiology  and Anatomy, that
when the bones are sound and in a healthy state,  they
are insensible, but  when diseased  they are extremely
painful.   The earthy matter of which  they  are com-
posed, gives them strength and  hardness ;  in  rickets,
says Dr. Mattson, there is an absorption of the earthy
part of the bones which leaves them in a soft and flexi-
ble  state.
  Cartilages.   Cartilages,  or gristles,  as they  are
termed, are white  elastic substances, differing in density
in different situations ; they very much resemble bones
in appearance, and like them are liable to  be fractured.
They cover the ends of the  bones which move  upon
each other, as in  case of the joints.  In  children they
form a substance  for bone before the latter is formed ;
the front part of the ribs in  adults,  is found to be com-
posed entirely of  cartilages.
  Ligaments.  Ligaments are strong fibrous cords or
bands, which  bind together the bones,  strengthen and
defend the joints, and strengthen the attachment  of
various  organs, and  keep the liver, spleen, and other
organs in their places.  They are whitish, elastic bod-
ies, possessing little sensibility  in a healthy state, but
are acutely sensible when inflamed.   The capular liga-
ments, so called,  surround the joints like a bag,  and
prevents the escape of the synovia, or juicy fluid, which 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.         63
is intended to  lubricate  the  parts, and enable the ends
of the bones to play easily upon each other.
  Muscles.   Muscles are distinct and  compact bun-
dles of fleshy fibres which are found on  animals, im-
mediately on removing the skin and subjected fat, and
which, although perhaps not known to all under generic
or scientific names, are  familiar to every  one as con-
stituting the red fleshy part of  meat.   Every muscle or
separate  bundle of fleshy substance, is composed  of
innumerable small fibres or threads, each separate from,
and at the same time closely connected  with  the other
sheath or cellular membranes  enveloping it, but it is so
thin as not to obscure the  color of the fibres, or attract
notice.   The  muscles  are  attached  to the  bones by
means of tendons, which are hard, firm,  white, inelastic
and very strong, blending themselves almost impercep-
tibly  with the muscular  fibres.   Some  of them  are
round and others flat;  the end which adheres to the
most fixed part is usually called the organ, and that
which adheres to the more moveable part, the insertion
of the muscle  or tendon,  Muscles  are  divided into
two classes, the voluntary and involuntary ; the first are
under the control  of the will,  enabling us to walk, run,
or perform any other act we choose.   The involuntary
muscles, says Dr. Mattson, are those over  which the
will has no influence.  The heart is a muscular texture,
acting with tremendous  force,  propelling  the blood
through the arteries ; and the  stomach,  intestines, and
bladder, are all furnished with  muscular fibres, by which
they are  endowed with a contractable power ; but they
are nevertheless uncontrolled by the will, and are there-
fore denominated involuntary  muscles.  Muscles, gen-
erally speaking, may be  divided  into  three parts, of
which the middle fleshy portion,  called  the belly, is the
most conspicuous and  important.   The other two are
the  opposite  ends,  commonly called the origin  and
insertion  of the muscle.   The belly is  the bulky and
fleshy part, by the contraction  or  shortening  of the
fibres of which,  the two ends are  brought nearer to 
64         ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.

each other, while the belly itself swells out in a lateral
direction.  When  we attempt to lift a heavy weight in
the hand or to overcome any resistance, the  muscles
which bend the arm may  be seen and felt to start out
rigid and well defined in their whole  extent, while their
extremities tend powerfully to approach each other, and
of course, to carry along with them the bones to which
they are attached.  In consequence of this tendency,
if a weight be  unexpectedly  knocked  out of the  hand
before we have time to obviate the result, the muscles,
having then  no resistance to  overcome, will  contract
violently, and throw the hand up with a jerk.  Volunta-
ry motion is, in fact, effected by the contraction of  mus-
cles acting upon and changing the relative positions of
the bones or solid support of the system, and therefore
almost  all  muscles are attached to  one bone by their
origin, and to another by their  insertion ; the former
being merely the  fixed extremity, towards which the
opposite and  more moveable end, called  the insertion,
carried  by  the shortening  of the  intervening belly of
the muscles.
  Membranes.  They are exceedingly liable to  infla-
mation which alters, if it be not speedily removed, their
structure and changes the nature of the fluid which they
secrete.  They are a thin substance  lining and cover-
ing different parts of the  body.  Membranes are of
different kinds, varying  in structure, appearance, and
functions, which are termed serous, mucus, and cellular
membranes.
  Serous Membrane surrounds the brain, lines the chest,
abdomen,  and covers nearly all  the organs  contain-
ed in the two cavities.  It is a thin transparent mem-
brane ;  its free surface being smooth and shining, pre-
sents a beautiful silvery white appearance ; it is  con-
stantly  lubricated by a  thin serous fluid. Under  a
certain  state of disease, the serous membrane pours
out an increased amount of fluid from its surface, which
collects in  the different cavities  constituting the differ-
ent kinds of  dropsy.  It is sometimes  covered with a 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY          65
false membrane, which unites with  the  morbid produc-
tion from the adjoining proportions of serous membrane,
that glues the two surfaces  together ;  in  thi? manner
the cavity of the  chest or  abdomen  has  been com-
pletely obliterated ;  or organs may adhere  together,
although in a healthy state,  have no  connection with
each  other.  Dr. Mattson also says, when it is inflam-
ed, it  is prone to form adhesions, so  that the lungs may
become glued to the internal surface of the ribs, or the
intestines  may contract adhesions among themselves.
   Mucous Membrane.  The  mucus, unlike the serous
membrane, do  not  form adhesions when  they are in-
flamed, or the intestinal canal, windpipe, and other free
passages, would become closed or obliterated in severe
inflamatory affections.  This is called mucous  mem-
brane from its  being constantly covered  on  its  free
surface with a  mucous  or  slimy fluid.   It  lines the
nostrils,  mouth, windpipe,  air  passages  of the  lungs,
stomach  and intestines, where it is thrown into folds,
which prevents  the  food from passing  too   quickly
through the intestinal canal, and extends its absorbing
surface.   Its free surface has a velvety or spongy ap-
pearance 5 every where it is covered with small emin-
ences or  depressions, from which  exudes the mucus
which lubricates it.   It  is plentifully supplied with
blood-vessels, nerves  and  lymphatics,  which  are so
intimately combined with the membrane, that they seem
to form  the  greater part  of its  substance.   During
health the mucous  membrane has more or less of a
rose color.   A false membrane forms upon its surface,
which is coughed  up in acute and chronic disease, but
particularly in the latter.  Blood not unfrequently ex-
udes  from this membrane, constituting hemorrhage, and
this  may  take place from  the lungs, stomach, or any
other organ which it lines.
   Cellular Membrane is  a loose structure  forming an
innumerable  riumber of little cells, differing in size and
form, interspersed between the skin  and muscles, and
other solid parts of the body, and  is  universally  dis-
                           6* 
66        ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
tributed throughout the system, and imparts a smooth-
ness and softness to the surface of the  body.   All the
blood-vessels also, and nerves, are in their course at-
tached to the neighboring parts by means of this sub-
stance.   Many of the glands, too, which are composed
of smaller masses, are united into one  body by its in-
tervention.   It seems probable, indeed, that the mem-
branes in different parts of the  body, are composed of
the cellular substance in a more consolidated state ;
and it is therefore very  properly considered as an uni-
versal connecting medium in every part of  the  system.
The different  cells of this membrane  communicating
freely with each, is the  reason why in dropsy,  the wa-
ter passes  from one part of  the body  to another, and
accumulates particularly in the more depending part.
   It was remarked by a late writer, that into the cells
formed by this membrane, is exhaled by the arteries, a
watery vapor by which it is kept constantly moistened,
and which is prevented during health from accumulating,
by the action of the absorbents ; when, however, from
disease it is furnished in greater quantity than the latter
vessels are  able to remove, it fills and distends the cells
of the membrane, producing local or general dropsical
swellings.   The uses of the cellular membrane are so
important, that in all probabilty, animals could not exist
without it.   By uniting the fibres of the muscles into
compact masses, it secures them  from becoming en-
tangled with each other,  and with the  minute blood-
vessels, lymphatics, and nerves, which are every where
distributed  among them.  At  the same time, however,
that it connects together  the muscles,  and preserves
them in their relative  situations, it is sufficiently loose
to give full play to all  their motions.  It  serves also
the purpose of a soft and  compressible cushion, inter-
spersed among the muscles, and being always moist
and slippery, renders their motions easy, and prevents
friction.
   Glands.  Glands are  a system of organs which
generally differ both as to size and shape, and are com- 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
67
posed of blood-vessels and absorbents, and are design-
ed to secrete from the blood certain fluids.
  Mucous Glands are  situated in  the nostrils,  mouth,
windpipe, stomach ,in the intestines and urinary bladder ;
it is supposed they furnish the mucus or slimy substance
which lubricates those  parts.
  Lymphatic Glands are situated along the neck, arm-
pits, and in the  groins, and do not appear to  secrete
any kind of fluid, and  have no other office  than that of
receiving and transmiting the lymphatic vessels.
  Salivary Glands.  There are three principal salivary
glands ; they are situated about the angle of the jaw and
the root of the  tongue ;  the first opens by a duct  upon
the inner surface of the cheek, and  between the ear
and  the  angle of the lower jaw.  The second opens
on the outer side of the penum or bridle of the tongue.
  The last are  situated under the tongue near its back
part, and are in pairs and furnished with several ducts
which pour secretion into the mouth.
  Lachrymal Glands secrete a watery fluid, termed the
tears, and are situated  above the corner or  angle of the
eyes ;  the use of these glands is to moisten or wash
out any extraneous matter from the eyes.
  Animal Fluids consist, first, of the fluids which are
converted  into  blood  ; secondly,  of the  blood itself,
which is the source and  reservoir of all the other hu-
mors ; and thirdly, of  the fluids which are derived from
the blood.
   Blood-Vessels are  generally  distinguished by the
appellation of arteries and veins, and also  include the
heart.   The arteries are strong, elastic, membraneous
tubes,  which rise from  the heart by  two trunks, and
convey the blood by their numerous branches  to every
part of the  system.   The  arterial system  consists of
two principal trunks, which rise from each ventricle of
the heart.   The one, called the pulmonary artery, rising
from the right auricle, and as it ascends,  divides into
two branches, one on either side of the aorta, the right
to be ramified on the right  lobe, and left on the left lobe 
68          ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
of the lungs.   The  other, called  the aorta, rises from
the left ventricle, passes  upward towards the superior
part of the thorax, furnishing large blanches, which are
distributed on the neck, head, and superior extremities ;
after which it forms a curve, descending  along the  in-
terior part of the left side of the body, furnishing branch-
es to  the  viscera of the  abdomen, and is  divided  be-
tween the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae into two sec-
ondary branches, which are  distributed, after having
sent branches to the pelvic viscera, on the  inferior ex-
tremities.  The large arteries are all deeply seated,
and by this arrangement are  protected  from injury by
accident.
  Heart.  The Heart is  the  grand focus or starting
point  of the blood, where it is propelled through the ar-
teries to every part of the body.   It is situated  nearer
the left than the right side of the thorax, and is a strong
muscular body, of that class denominated hollow mus-
cles ;  it is divided into two cavities, called the right and
left ventricles, and is connected at  the  base or  broad
part with  two hollow  muscles, denominated  auricles.
The arteries receive  the blood from the heart, and carry
it to every  part of the body ; the motions of the  blood
are by no means uniform ;  each contraction  of the ven-
tricle  gives a propelling motion  to its mass ;  it  passes
twice through  this organ in making one complete revol-
ution in the body.
  After the blood has been conveyed through the ex-
treme arterial  branches to every part of  the body, and
becomes worn out and is no longer fit for the support of
life, it is then received by the veins which every where
correspond with the extreme  arteries ; as  these  veins
proceed towards the  heart, continuing to  intercept each
other, forming large tubes, until they are  all concentra-
ted into two trunks, termed the ascending and descend-
ing vena cava, and is emptied into the right  auricle of
the heart, and from thence it passes into the right ven-
tricle, which is triangular and three sided  in its  form.
Its interior side is convexed and forms a large portion 
ANATOMY ANn PHYSIOLOGY.         69
of the front part of the heart.  The inside corresponds
with the partition between the two ventricles.   The
flat  or inferior  side  rests upon the  diaphragm ; the
contraction of this  muscle propels  the blood  through
the pulmonary artery  into the lungs, where the  blood is
essentially changed, and returns again  through  the four
pulmonary veins into  the left auricle, and thence passes
into the left ventricle.  The left auricle is  smaller than
the right, of a cuboid form, and is attached at the  base
of the left  ventricle, which is consicle  both in  external
figure and in the form of its internal cavity, forms the
apex of the heart, by projecting beyond the right ventri-
cle.   By its contraction the blood  is propelled  through
the aorta and its numerous branches, and again through
every part of the body.
  The blood that circulates through the body, is of two
different kinds ; the one red or arterial, and the other
dark or venous blood.  The former alone  is capable of
affording nourishment, and of supporting life.  It is dis-
tributed from the left  side of the heart all over the body,
by means of an artery or blood-vessel, called the aorta,
which  subdivides in  its course, and ultimately termin-
ates in myriads of very minute ramifications, closely
interwoven  with, and  in reality, constituting  a part of
the texture of every living part.  On reaching  this ex-
treme  point of its course, the blood passes into equally
minute ramifications of veins, which in their turn, grad-
ually coalesce and form larger and larger trunks,  till
they at last terminate in two Targe veins, by which the
whole  current of  the venous blood is brought back in a
direction contrary to  that of the blood in  the arteries,
and  poured into the right side of the heart.  On exam-
ining the quality of the blood in these two systems of
vessels, it is found to  have undergone  a great change
in its  passage from the one to the other.  The florid
hue  which distinguished it in the arteries has disappear-
ed, and given place to the dark color  characteristic of
venous blood.  Its properties, too, have changed, and
it is  now no longer capable of sustaining life. 
70         ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
   Two conditions are essential to  the  reconversion  of
venous into arterial  blood, and to  the restoration of its
vital  properties.   The  first  is, an adequate provision
of new materials from the food, to  supply the  place  of
those which have been expended in nutrition ; and the
second is, the free exposure of the venous blood to the
atmospheric air.
  The first condition is fulfilled by the chyle or nutrient
principles of the food being regularly poured  into the
venous blood just before  it reaches the right side of the
heart ;  and the second, by  the very important process
of respiration, which takes place in the air cells  of the
lungs.
  The venous blood having arrived at the right  side  of
the heart, is propelled by the  contraction of  that organ
into a large artery leading directly by separate branches
to the two lungs, and hence called the pulmonary  artery.
In the innumerable branches  of this artery, expending
themselves throughout the  substance of the lungs, the
dark blood is subjected to the contact of the air inhaled
in breathing, and a change  in the composition both  of
the blood and  the  inhaled air, takes place, in  conse-
quence of which the former is found to have reassumed
its florid or arterial hue, and to have regained its power
of supporting life.  The blood then enters minute ve-
nous ramifications, which gradually coalesce into larger
branches, and at last terminate in four large trunks in the
left side of the heart, whence  the blood, in  its arterial
form, is again distributed over the body, to  pursue the
same course and undergo the same changes as before.
  There are thus two distinct circulations, each carried
on by its own system of vessels ; the one, from the left
side of the heart to every part of the body, and back to
the right side ;  and the other, from the right side of the
heart to the lungs, and  back to the left.  The  former
has for its object nutrition and the maintainance of life ;
and the latter the restoration  of the deteriorated  blood,
and the animalization or  assimilation of the  chyle from
which that fluid is formed.  As the food cannot become 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.          7J
a part of the living animal, or the venous blood regain
its lost properties, until they have undergone the requi-
site changes in the air-cells of the lungs ; the function
of respiration, by which these are effected, is one of
pre-eminent importance  in the  animal economy, and
well deserves the most careful examination.   The quan-
tity of blood is estimated in man to be from twenty-four
to thirty pounds.  The  arteries  may  be distinguished
from  the veins, by their pulsations,  which attend all
but the  minute  branches ;  the  number of pulsations
which physiologists suppose to  take place  in a minute,
according to the age and  circumstances, is as follows.
At birth they are from 130 to 140 ; at  one year, 125 ;
at 'two  years, 105 ; at seven years, 88 ;  at  fourteen
years, 80 ;  at adult, age,  70 ;  at old  age, 55 to 60.
Disease generally increases the  pulse, though the re-
verse often  happens.   The pulsations  of  the arteries
correspond exactly with the beating  or contraction of
the heart.
   The termination of the arteries and the  commence-
ment of the veins, form a set of vessels which take the
name of capillaries, and  may be  divided into  those  of
the pulmonary,  and  those of the general  system, and
are spread throughout every part of the body,  and form
by their union, the most  extensive part of  the vascular
system.   The first being  between  the termination of
the  pulmonary  arteries  and veins,  are distributed on
the surface of the  air-cells of the lungs, where  blood
which circulates through it, is changed  from venous to
arterial ; while  the second is  between the termination
of the  aortic arteries and the organ  of the veins of
the body.  It is dispersed in different portions to the
compound  solids of the  body,  and the  blood  which
circulates through it, is changed from arterial to venous
blood ; the capillaries form a beautiful net  work  in the
tissues of our organs.
   Nerves.   They are a system of organs, and have
 their origin  in  the brain and spinal marrow.  Those
 which  issue from the spinal marrow are  in pairs, and 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
are thirty or thirty-one in number, which are distributed
to different parts of the body.   The spinal marrow issues
from the cerebellum and passes downward through the
vertebrae or backbone.  The  spine  gives off through
the orifices in the vertebrae, just  beneath the  ribs, sev-
eral pairs  of nerves, which divide and  subdivide into
such a multitude of  ramifications or branches, that the
point of a pin cannot be applied to any part of the sur-
face, without sensation or pain being produced.
  Brain.   The brain consists of a  large pulpy mass,
externally formed into numerous varied, or convoluted
furrows, being of a light reddish color near the surface,
but internally,  of a whitish or cream color.  The cere-
brum  constitutes the uppermost and anterior portion of
the brain ; beneath  which is situated the cerebellum,
which  is  separated from the cerebrum by a transverse
membrane called the tentorium ; the cerebellum is the
organ  of  passions, appetites  and propensities ; it is
composed of two parts, or lateral lobes.  On the  inte-
rior part of the brain, commencing near its centre, and
projecting backwards, between the lobes  of  the cere-
bellum, is situated  the  medulla  oblongata.   Both the
cerebrum  and  cerebellum  are connected  with the me-
dulla oblongata, and through  it with each other.  The
connection between the  brain and the organs  of sense,
and the other parts of the system, is maintained through
the medium of the nerves  and  the  spinal  marrow.
Those that have  their origin in  the  brain, are termed
cerebral, which issue in pairs, and are nine in number.
The structure of the brain is so complicated, that  less
is known of its true nature, than that of most any other
organ.  It would therefore, be entirely out of place for
us to attempt to describe it here, further than by giving
some of its general  functions.   The Brain is  the grand
focus  and fountain of perception and sensation, ideal
and copereal.   In other words, the brain is the grand
laboratory or work-shop of the mind,  where impressions
are manufactured into  ideas, and ideas are compared,
associated, selected, &c, according to the talents, taste, 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.         73
judgement, or desire  of the  individual.  Another  im-
portant use of the  brain, is  to  receive and  make  us
sensible of impressions made upon the organs of sense.
But the precise manner in which the brain performs its
important functions remains yet unknown.
   We have stated that the brain gives off nine pairs of
nerves.  The various nerves of sensation and motion
are given off near the base of the brain, some of them
going  to  the  organs of sense, and others to  the skin
and muscles of the  face, head, and other  more distant
parts.  The olfactory nerve, or nerve of smell, is given
off and distributed  to the nose.  The optic nerve, or
nerve of sight, goes to the eye.  The moter or a nerve
is distributed to the muscles of the  eye-ball.   Another
pair issues apparently from the arch, called poll's valorii,
or bridge of varolius.   It is a large compound nerve,
and divides into three branches, which are ramified on
almost all the parts connected with the head and face,
and the upper and under jaw.   It comprehends nerves
both  of sensation and  motion, and  one  branch of it,
ramified on the tongue, is the nerve of  taste.  Other
branches supply and give sensibility to the teeth, glands
and skin.   The seventh or auditory nerve is  distributed
under the  internal  ear, and serves for hearing.   The
eighth or pneumogastric nerve, sends  filaments to the
windpipe,  lungs, heart  and  stomach, and  is  of great
importance in the production of the voice and respira-
tion.   It  also  influences  the  action of  the heart, and
the process of digestion.
   These are the  principal nerves which are  more  im-
mediately  connected with the  brain.  We  have  ob-
served that those which  supply the trunk of the body,
and extremities, issue  chiefly from the  spinal marrow ;
but we must pass over them  without giving any farther
discription, and return to the consideration of the brain.
For much is depending upon this organ for the healthy
action of all the other organs.  The brain receives an
unusually  large  supply  of blood, in comparison with
the rest of the body ; but the nature of its circulation, 
74         ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
although a very interesting object of study, being only
indirectly connected with our present purpose, cannot
now be  discussed.   Most physiologists are  agreed
that the  different  parts of the brain  perform distinct
functions, and that these functions are  the highest and
most important in  the  animal economy ;  but  there  is
great discrepancy of opinion  as to what the function of
each part is, and as to  the best mode of removing the
obscurity in which  the subject is involved.   It would be
useless to examine here the  merits of the  respective
theories  and  modes of inquiry, as  the  attempt  would
lead us too far from the practical aim of the work.
  Suffice it  to  say, that all physiologists  and  philoso-
phers regard  the brain as the  organ of mind ; that most
of them  consider  it as an  aggregate  of parts, each
charged  with a specific function ;  and that a large  ma-
jority regard the anterior lobe as more  immediately the
seat of the intellectual faculties.  Farther, by  nearly
universal consent,  the brain is held to be  also the  seat
of the  passions and moral feelings of our  nature, as
well as of consciousness and every other mental  act,
and to  be the chief source of that nervous  influence
which is  indispensable to the vitality and action of every
organ of the  body.  There are so few  exceptions to
the  general belief of these propositions, that we consid-
er ourselves fairly entitled to hold them as established.
  Stomach.   The stomach  is a membraneous sack
much larger towards the left side than the right ; it has
two orifices, one towards the left  side, called  the  car-
dia, or upper  portion where  the gullet enters, another
towards the right, called the pyloris which opens  into
the   intestines.   It consists  of three  coats,  each  of
which performs a particular function  The outer coat
is a firm,  strong,  shiny, membrane.  The middle, or
muscular coat is composed of fleshy  fibres or layers.
These  fibres are capable of contraction and relaxation,
and  produce  the  peculiar  motion  of the stomach  in
digestion.  The inner  or mucous  coat, is a soft, vel-
vety membrane ;  it is   larger than the other two coats, 
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.         75
and is thrown into folds or wrinkles when the stomach
is not fully distended.  The food when partially digest-
ed by the  motion of the  stomach, is  called chyme,
which is  poured into  the duodenum ; it  there meets
and combines  with  bile and pancreatic juice, by which
the  process  of digestion is completed ; the digested
food is then  called chyle.   Blood  vessels and  nerves
are  distributed to  the stomach, more  extensively, than
to any other organ.  The  great sympathetic  influence
exerted by the  stomach upon them, affects  other parts
of the system ; hence it is  termed the centre of sym-
pathy.  The sympathy of the stomach with other or-
gans, renders it one of the most important parts of the
animal economy.   Hence the  great  majority of medi-
cines which are intended to act on various parts of the
body, are first applied to the stomach.
   By substances being introduced into the stomach, we
can make astonishing changes in the functions of the
system.  By medicines taken into the stomach, we can
increase the action of the heart and  arteries ; we can
aid the functions of the skin ; we can allay pain, relieve
spasms, &c.  It is a matter of very  little  importance,
whether these sympathies be direct, or whether the ac-
tion of the brain must intervene between the application
of the substance to the stomach, and the ultimate effect.
Whatever  morbid impressions are made upon  it,  be-
come quickly transmitted to the liver, intestines, skin,
brain and lungs, while the diseased condition of the
latter,  are likewise participated in by it.  Hence we
see that the stomach  is one  of  the most common inlets
of disease.   The large class of disease, classed under
the name of  fevers, in all probability owe  their  origin
to an irritation, or  inflamation  of the lining  membrane
of the stomach.
  Intestines.  They are  attached to the stomach by
the duodenum, and are  divided into  small and  large ;
the small  intestines fill the  middle and fore part of the
abdomen, while the large fill the upper and under parts,
as well as the sides of that cavity.  They are furnished 
76         ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
almost through their whole length, with minute absorb-
ent vessels,  termed lacteals, which  take up the nutri-
tious particles from the chyle and  pour them  into the
thoracic duct.  The small intestines assist in the prepa-
ration of the chyle and propels their contents  towards
the large intestines.  The  grosser  part of the  food
which will not serve for nourishment, or which is  not
taken up by the absorbent vessels, passes on  through
the intestines, and are discharged by the evacuations of
the bowels.
   Liver.  The Liver is  situated  in  the upper portion
of the abdomen, immediately below the diaphragm or
midriff, and is divided into unequal lobes ; the large
one is situated in  the right hypochondric region,  and
the smaller one extends across the epigastric region
towards the left'   The upper surface of the liver is con-
vex and smooth, corresponding to the concavity of the
diaphragm.   The liver is a glandular body whose office
is  to secrete bile, a fluid  of vast importance  in the
process of digestion.   The bile is secreted  in a sack
or bag, termed the gall bladder.  The liver secretes or
forms the bile from the blood ; bile differs,  however,
from the ordinary secretions, it being from venous and
not from arterial blood.
   The blood which supplies the stomach and the great-
er part of the intestinal canal, is taken up by the proper
veins of these organs ; but instead of its being carried
back to the heart, to be from thence conveyed to the lungs
in order  to be reconverted  into arterial blood, it is con-
veyed into the substance of the liver, to be employed by
that organ in the formation of bile.  The bile thus secre-
ted is carried by a canal into the intestines, a few inches
below the inferior orifice of the stomach.  The bile is
a fluid of a yellowish green color ;  it is composed  of
water, albumen, soda, phosphate of  lime, common salt,
phosphate of soda, a small quantity  of lime, and a pe-
 culiar substance called picromel.
    Digestion.  To have our food thoroughly  mastica-
 ted is important to an easy digestion.  The food being 
ANATOMY AND  PHYSIOLOGY.   "      77
 duly masticated,  it passes  directly into  the  stomach,
 where it is  mixed with a fluid termed  gastric  juice,
 which exudes from little cells in the inner coat of the
 stomach, when this organ is excited or stimulated with
 food.  During this movement, the food is moistened
 with the gastric  juice, and a thin layer of that part of
 the food which is in  contact  with the inner surface of
 the  stomach, becomes changed into  a slightly acid
 paste,  of a greyish color, called chyme ; successive
 layers, which as  they are formed, are carried out of the
 stomach through the  pyloris, or right  orifice, into the
 duodenum, undergoing  the same  change, until the di-
 gestion of the food in the stomach is completed.
  During the  conversion  of food  into  chyme,  both
 orifices of the stomach are closed.  The average  time
 for the digestion of a meal, says Dr. Beaumont, is about
 three hours and a half;  it takes  a much longer time,
 however, for the digestion of some  articles, while oth-
 ers  digest in a much less time.  As  the  chyme  accu-
 mulates  in the duodenum, and moves slowly onward
 through it and the other smaller  intestines, the  softer
 and more fluid part passes to its surface, and the ab-
 sorbent vessels, the  mouths of which  open upon  the
 inner coat of the bowels, select  the  materials which
 enter into  the formation of the  chyle—a white fluid
resembling milk, and nearly approaching  in its compo-
sition to the  blood.  The chyle  passes through  the
lacteal vessels, by the action of which, important chang-
 es are supposed to be produced in the chyle, and finally
is emptied into the thoracic duct, from which it becomes
connected with the venous blood just  before it enters
the heart.
  Kidneys.   The  kidneys are  situated  without  the
 cavity  of the abdomen, and  are of a reddish color,
 being placed  each side of the spine, near the two lower
 false ribs ;  their length  is  about  six inches, and  their
breadth about four.  The office  of the kidneys  is  to
 secrete a fluid termed urine ; when this fluid is secreted
by the kidneys, it is poured into the cavity or pelvis of
                           7# 
78         ANATO MY AND PHYSIOLOGY.
the kidney ; it then passes into the ureters, which  are
about the size of a quill, and are somewhat  curved in
their course from the kidneys to  the bladder ; running
downwards seven or eight inches, they enter the latter
near its neck, where they empty their fluids or contents ;
they run  some distance between the coats of the blad-
der, before they  open  into its cavity, and this forms a
valve which prevents the fluid from returning towards
the kidneys when the bladder is very full or  unusually
distended.
   Bladder.  The bladder is placed at  the  anterior
part of the pelvis, and is  a membraneous sack of a
considerable size ;  the use of this organ is to receive
the urine ; it retains it for a time, and  then  expels it
through the urethra from the body.
   Lungs.  The  lungs consist  of two  soft, spongy
bodies, denominated right and left lobes,  which are sit-
uated one on each side of the heart, within  the  cavity
of the chest or  thorax, and is separated from  the abdo-
men by the diaphragm  or midriff.   They  consist  of the
ramifications of the bronchea terminating in minute
vessels called air-cells  ; these air vessels communicate
with each other throughout the substance of each lung;
so by  inflating one portion, the air  passes on  till it is
entirely  filled.   The right lung is the largest and  is
divided into three  lobes ; the left has only two.  The
lungs  are connected with the heart by means of veins
or blood-vessels, and to the neck by means of the wind-
pipe.  The circulation of  the blood through the lungs,
is carried on by means of arteries, capilaries and veins,
and is carried to all parts of the body.  The  blood  re-
turns by means  of the  veins to the heart, and is  pro-
pelled to the lungs, and is there exposed to the  atmos-
 pheric air which  is inhaled into them.  The air imparts
 oxygen or vital heat to the blood, and changes it from
 the dark color which it has in the veins, and converts  it
 from venous to arterial blood, and thereby fits it to nour-
 ish and sustain the body. 
FUNCTIONS OF THE LUNGS.        79
  Function of the Lungs.   A knowledge of the struc-
ture and functions of the lungs, and of the conditions
favorable to their healthy action,  is of great importance,
for on their welfare depends that  of every other part of
the body.   When we take into consideration that  a
large  number of persons fall  victims annually to pul-
monary consumption, and  that  these  are generally
among the young and most gifted, we cannot  but  feel
most deeply interested in obtaining some acquaintance
with the organization which is the result of that affec-
tion, and with the condition most conducive to the due
performance of its functions and the preservation of its
health.   The quantity and  quality of the blood have a
most direct  and  material influence upon the condition
of every part of the body.   If the quantity sent to the
arm, be diminished by tying the arteries through which
it is conveyed, the arm,  being then imperfectly  nourish-
ed, wastes away, and does  not regain its  plumpness till
the full supply of blood  be  restored.  In like  manner,
when the quality of that fluid is impaired by deficiency
of food, by  bad indigestion,  impure air, or imperfect
sanguification in the lungs, the body and all its organs
become disordered and more or less waste away.  Thus
in consumption, death  takes  place chiefly in conse-
quence of respiration not being sufficiently perfect  to
admit of the formation  of  proper  blood in the  lungs.
The  exposure of the bleod  to the action of the air,
seems to be indespensible to every variety of animated
creatures.   The contact of the  blood and air produces
a mutual change in the properties of both  ; the blood
inhaling a vital quality of the  air, which is  supposed to
be oxygen gas ; the air abstracting the  useless morbid
parts from the blood, thought  to be carbon.
   In man,  and the more perfect of the lower animals,
it is carried on  by the lungs, the structure  of  which is
admirably adapted to that purpose ; carbon is supposed
to give to the venous blood its dark purple color, which
the air abstracts from it, to restore it to its scarlet hue ;
 hence  it undergoes  highly important changes, without 
80        EVILS OF EARLY MARRIAGES.

which, life in a very limited period would  become ex-
tinct.  From this description of the structure  and use
of the lungs, it will be obvious  that several  conditions
are necessary for us to  know  and observe, which are
essential to  the  healthy performance of the important
function of respiration.   Among  these we may rank a
healthy original formation  of the lungs.   No fact is
better established, than that which proves the hereditary
transmission  from parents to children, of  the constitu-
tional  liability to pulmonary disease, and  especially to
consumption  ; yet no  condition is less attended to, in
forming matrimonial engagements.  Children of scrof-
ulous and consumptive parents are generally precocious,
and their minds being early matured, they  engage early
in the business of life, and often enter into  the marriage
state before their bodily  frame comes to maturity.
  For a few  years, however, every thing  may seem to
go  on prosperously, and a numerous family gathers
around them.  All at once however, even while youth
remains, their physical  powers begin  to give way, and
they drop prematurely  into the  grave, exhausted by
consumption, or some other wasting disease, and leave
children  behind them destined, in all probability, either
to be cut off as they approach maturity, or to run through
the same delusive but fatal career as that of the parents
from whom they derived their  existence.   It may not
be easy to enforce upon the  young and inexperienced,
the requisite  degree of attention  to these  circumstan-
ces ;  if the young were  properly instructed at an early
period, in the leading facts and principles of the human
constitution,  too early marriages  would  be  refrained
from.  For many  young people  of both  sexes  fall  a
sacrifice to early marriage, who  might have withstood
the ordinary risks of life, and lived together in  happi-
ness,  if they had delayed  their union for a few  years,
and allowed time for the consolidation of  their consti-
tutions,  Impaired health in the parents whether con-
stitutional or  acquired, especially if caused by imperfect
indigestion, and assimilation, is productive  of a tenden- 
         COMPRESSION OF THE CHEST.        81

cy to  scrofula and consumption in the children.  If
parents in general were  duly  impressed with the truth
and  bearing  of this  fact, many of them might be in-
duced,  on account of their  children,  to take care of
their own health.
  Another condition to the healthy action of the lungs
and to the  lree and salutary exercise of respiration, is
a due  supply of  healthy  food, as it seems  that  from
these both, stimulus and  nourishment were drawn.  If
the food is defective, or  digestion impaired, the blood
is  impoverished in quality, and rendered unfit for ade-
quate nutriment,  the lungs speedily suffer, and  that
often to a fatal  extent.  Among the higher classes,
again, the blood is impoverished, and the lungs are in-
jured, not for want of food, but for want of the proper
power of adequately digesting it, which gives  rise to
dyspepsia, or consumption from bad disgestion.  Late
hours, heavy meals, and  insufficient exercise, are  pro-
ductive of the evils of which we are speaking.
   Evils of compressing the  Chest.  An essential con-
dition to the  enjoyment of good health, is the free in-
halation of pure air.  This  is  one of the vital functions
which begins at  the  moment of birth, and  ends only
with life itself, which cannot be suspended  even for a
short period, without the greatest uneasiness and dan-
ger.   A free, and easy  expansion of the chest, is in-
dispensible  to the full play and dilatation of the lungs.
Whatever has a tendency "to impede it, whether in dress
or position, is injurious to health.  But whatever favors
the  free expansion  of  the chest, will  promote the
healthy fulfillment of the  respiratory  functions.  By
whatever means  we compress the chest, whether by
stays, corsets, or tight waistbands, operates  most inju-
riously, by compressing the thoracic cavity, and impe-
ding the due dilatation of the  lungs, which  is  the fre-
quent cause of consumption.  It has  been found in
many  consumptive cases, that the lungs had become
adhered to the ribs ; and in other  cases the  liver has
actually been found indentated by the excessive pressure 
82
EVILS OF TIGHT LACING.
of the chest, caused by tight lacing.   But our  female
readers, probably, will  not be ready to admit that tight
lacing is injurious to their health ; but we think that
they would be  readily convinced of the injurious effects
of compressing any organ or set of organs, by placing
a bandage  around  the  arm, immediately  above the el-
bow, and draw it as tight as  they do their corset strings,
and  if they cannot  draw it tight  enough alone, they
should employ some  one to  assist  them, as they fre-
quently do  in tightening their corsets.  If this  should
remain on the  arm for any considerable time, we think
the inconvenience and pain felt by the compression of
this  organ, would convince any rational mind, of the
injurious effects it must have on any organ that is com-
pressed ; if such injurious  effects can be produced by
the compression of  so  muscular an organ as the arm,
it must be  evident to  every mind, that so slender or
delicate an organ as the chest, would be seriously in-
jured by being compressed, as it is in the present fash-
ion in which females generally dress.  Hence it is ob-
vious why females  are more subject than males, to
dyspepsia,  indisgestion, consumption, liver  affections,
spinal complaints, and numerous  other diseases  which
the female sex are subject to.
   Were  parents better instructed in physiology, they
would not encourage  or permit their children to  be
brought  up under  the fashionable  practice of tight
dressing, and the serious consequences arising from it
would be obviated.  The admirable harmony establish-
ed by the Creator between the various constituent parts
of the animal  frame, renders  it impossible to pay  re-
gard to, or infringe the  conditions required  for, the
health of any  one, without  all the  rest participating in
the  benefit or injury.   Another  condition of  healthy
respiration is,  a regular supply of pure fresh air, without
which, the requisite change  in  the  constitution of the
 blood, as it passes through the  lungs, cannot be effect-
ed.   In order to enable the reader more  fully to under-
stand the nature of this change, we give the compound 
ATMOSPHERIC AIR.
83
nature of atmospheric air ;  it consists of about 78 per
cent of nitrogen or aortic gas, 21 per cent of oxygen,
and not quite one per  cent of carbonic  acid, or fixed
air;  such  is the composition of pure air when taken
into the lungs in the act of breathing.  When it is ex-
pelled from them, however, its composition is found  to
be considerably  altered.    The  quantity of nitrogen
remains nearly the same, but eight, or eight and a half
per cent  of the  oxygen or vital  air, has disappeared,
and been replaced by  an equal amount of carbonic acid.
In addition  to these changes the expelled air is loaded
with moisture ; simultaneously with these occurrences,
the blood  collected  from the veins, which enters the
lungs of a dark color,  and unfit for the support of life, as-
sumes a florid red hue, and acquires  the power of sup-
porting life.  The carbonic acid contained in the expired
air is formed by  the  secretion of carbon  from  venous
blood, in its passage through the lungs ; this immediate-
ly unites with the oxygen of the air, and forms carbonic
acid, in which shape it is then thrown  out in respiration.
Much depends on the supply of oxygen  contained  in
the air which we breathe ; and that air is fit or unfit for
respiration in exact proportion as its quantity of oxygen
approaches, or differ from, that contained in pure air.
If consequently,  we  attempt  to  breathe  nitrogen, hy-
drogen, or any other gas not containing oxygen, the
result will be speedy  suffocation ;  while  if we  breathe
air containing a too high proportion of oxygen, the vital
powers will speedily suffer from excess of stimulus.
From oxygen being thus essential to life and respiration,
it is often called vital  air.
   We can  now  appreciate the  importance of a due
supply of fresh air, wherever  living beings are congre-
gated.  That the due  renovation of the  air which we
breathe is really influential in  protecting us  against the
inroads of disease, may be inferred also, from instances
of an  opposite  kind, in which health has  been pre-
served, apparently through its agency, even in the midst
of pestilence.  In preventing contagion  from fever, a 
84        STRUCTURE OF THE SKIN.
constant  circulation of air is known  to be  the most
effectual  means.  The  stomach and  lungs  generally
suffer first,  from  impure air, but the  general  system,
sooner or later becomes  affected.  An individual pos-
sessing a strong constitution, may indeed withstand the
bad consequenses of occasionally breathing an impure
atmosphere, but even he will suffer for a time.   He
will not experience the  same amount of mischief from
it as the  invalid, but  will be perfectly conscious of a
temporary feeling of discomfort, the  very purpose of
which is, like pain  from a burn, to impel him to shun
the danger, and seek relief in a pure  air.   The com-
parative harmlessness of a single exposure is the  cir-
cumstance  which blinds us to  the magnitude of the
ultimate result, and makes us fancy  ourselves safe  and
prudent, when every day is surely, though impercepti-
bly, adding to the sum of the mischief.
   Let any one who doubts the  importance  of this con-
dition of  health, watch the dispeptic, the pulmonary, or
the nervous invalid, through a  season devoted to at-
tendance on crowded parties and public amusements,
and he will find the  frequency of headache, colds,  and
other fits of illness,  increases  in exact proportion to
the accumulated exposure, till, at the  end of spring, a
general debility has  been induced, which  imperiously
demands a cessation of  festivity, and a change of scene
and air.  This debility is often  erroneously ascribed to
the unwholesome influence of spring.
   Skin.  The skin is the outer covering of the body ;
it  varies in texture  and thickness in different  parts,
according to their function and  use ; it is  spread  over
the whole  surface of the  body, which serves  to  bind
together, and to protect  from injury the subjacent  and
more delicate textures ; it is smooth,  soft, and delicate
in youth and  in females ; firm and  more resisting in
middle age and in males ; flabby and wrinkled in  old
age and  after disease.   It is much  thicker on some
parts than others, as on  the soles of the feet and palms
of the hands : it is  one of the  great outlets by which 
STRUCTURE OF THE SKIN.          85
the matter that is no longer wanted, is discharged  from
the body.   The structure of the skin, like that of every
other part  of the human  system, displays  the  most
striking proof of the transcendent wisdom and benifi-
cence of its great Creator.   Though simple in appear-
ance and  design, it is a compound of many  elements,
and  the seat of  as  great a variety of  functions.   It is
composed of three layers of membranes, the  scarf skin
or cuticle, mucous coat, and  true  skin, as it is called,
which immediately encompasses the body.  These dis-
tinctions should  be kept in view, as it  will be  perceived
that each is endowed  with a particular function peculiar
to itself.
   The cuticle or scarf skin, is  the  outermost  of the
three layers, and is that which is  raised in  blisters ;  it
is of a thin consistence and an  insensible  membrane,
and has no perceptible blood-vessels  or  nerves, and
consequently neither  bleeds or feels  pain  when cut or
injured.  The structure of the  cuticle is  in harmony
with its use, and serves  as  an insensible intermedium
between external objects and the delicate nervous ex-
pansions on the surface of the true skin ; it serves as  a
physical defence  against friction ; by  impeding vapora-
tion, it preserves the  true  skin  in that soft and moist
state which is essential to its  utility ;  it also by  impe-
ding absorption, enables man to expose himself without
injury to the action of numerous  agents, which were  it
not for this protection, would immediately be absorbed,
and cause  the  speedy destruction of  health and life.
Those  parts  of  the  skin which  are  most exposed  to
pressure and friction, such as the palms of  the  hands
and soles of the feet, are provided with a thicker layer
of cuticle  to defend them from injury.
   The mucous  coat is of a consistence between that of
a solid  and fluid, and is situated  immediately beneath
the scarf skin, and interposed between  the cuticle and
cutis, forming a numerous  net work, which is remarka-
ble chiefly as being  the seat of  the coloring matter of
 the skin ;  it varies in color according  to the complex-
                         8 
86          FUNCTIONS OF  THE SKIN.
ion of individuals ;  in  fair people, it  is nearly white J
in brown people, of a  dusky hue ;  and in  the  negro,
black.  From all that is known regarding the mucous
coat, it may be viewed generally, as merely a thin soft
covering, placed  between the outer and inner skin, to
protect the nerves  and vessels of the latter, and  give
them  their requisite softness and pliancy.
   The cutis or true skin  is composed of fibres, inter-
secting each  other  in various directions, and leaving
between  them, space  for  the transmission  of  blood-
vessels, nerves  and absorbents ;  this constitutes  the
chief thickness of the  skin, and is far the most impor-
tant of the three, both in structure and function.   Un-
like  the cuticle and mucous coat, which are homogen-
eous in their whole extent, and apparently  without or-
ganization, the true skin, is  very  delicately  organized,
and  endowed with the principles of  life in a very high
degree.  It is not only a beautiful and efficacious  pro-
tector of the subjacent structures, but it is  the  seat of
sensation and  touch, and the instrument of a very impor-
tant exhalation,  namely  perspiration,  which is a most
powerful agent in the preservation of health.   Its looser
internal surface, which is united with the cellular mem
brane  in which the fat is deposited, presents a great
number of cells or  cavities, which  penetrate obliquely
into the substance,  and towards the external surface of
the skin.   These  cells are traversed by innumerable
blood-vessels  and filaments of nerves, the  latter pass-
ing through to be ramified  on the outer surface of the
inner skin ; these  are the true  organs of touch  and
sensation, and are therefore most plentifully distributed
where the sense is  most acute.   So extensive are  the
blood-vessels  and nervous  filaments in the skin, that
it cannot be punctured  with the point of a  pin without
drawing blood, or  transfixing  the  nerve and causing
pain.
   Functions of the  Skin.   In  order  for us to correctly
understand the important purposes of the  true skin, we
must  distinguish the constituent parts, and consider it in 
PERSPIRATION.
87
virtue of each of them.  One of its great functions, is
to exhale  waste matter from the system ; it is  a'so a
joint regulator of the  heat of the body, and an  agent
of absorbents, and the  seat  of sensation and touch ;
besides performing the mechanical office of a shield to
the parts beneath, the skin is  admirably fitted,  by the
great supply of blood which it receives, for its use as a
secreting and  excreting organ.  The whole  animal sys-
tem  is in  a state  of constant decay and  renovation ;
and  while  the stomach  and  alimentary canal take in
new materials, the skin forms one of the principal out-
lets  or  channels by  which the old, altered, or useless
particles are eliminated from  the body ; and hence, as
all the secretions  and excretions are  derived  directly
from the circulating blood, the skin obviously requires
a supply large in proportion to  the  extent of its func-
tions.   Every one knows that the skin perspires, and
that checked perspiration is a  powerful cause of disease
and  death ; but few have any just idea of the real ex-
tent and influence of this exhalation, such as we shall
attempt to  exhibit it.   When the body is overheated by
exercise in warm weather, a copious perspiration soon
breaks out, which  by evaporating and  so  carrying off
the superfluous heat, produces an agreeable feeling of
coolness and refreshment.
  Perspiration.   This is the higher  and more obvious
degree of the  function of exhalation ;  but  in  the or-
dinary state, the skin is  constantly  giving out a large
quantity of  waste materials by what is called insensible
perspiration, a process which is  of great importance to
the  preservation of health, and which is called insensi-
ble,  because the exhalation being in the form of vapor,
and  carried off by the surrounding air, is invisible  to the
eye  ; but  its  presence may  often  be  made manifest,
even to the sight, by the near  approach of  a dry cool
mirror,  on the surface of which it will soon be condens-
jed so as to become visible.   Many attempts have been
made to estimate accurately the  amount  of exhaled
matter carried off through the skin ; but so many diffi- 
88         INSENSIBLE PERSPIRATION,
culties stand  in  the way of obtaining precise results,
and the difference in  different constitutions, and even
in the same person at  different times, is so  great, that
we must be satisfied with an approximation to the truth.
Sanctorius, who carefully weighed  himself,  his food,
and  his excretions, in  a balance every day for thirty
years,  came to the conclusion that five  out of every
eight pounds of substances taken  into the system, pass-
ed out of it again by the skin, leaving only three to pass
off by  the bowels, the lungs, and  the kidneys.
  The celebrated Lavoisier and M. Seguin entered into
the same field of inquiry, and with greater success, as
they  were the first to distinguish  between the cutaneous
and pulmonary exhalation.   M. Seguin, after attending
minutely to the circumstances of the diet, temperature,
&c, and allowances being made for these, the results
at which he arrived, were that the  largest quantity of
insensible perspiration from the lungs and  skin togeth-
er, amounted  to  thirty-two  grains  per minute, three
and a quarter ounces per hour, or five pounds per day.
Of   this, the cutaneous constituted  three-fourths, or
sixty ounces in twenty-four hours.   The smallest quan-
tity observed, amounted to eleven  grains  per minute,
or one pound eleven and a half ounces in twenty-four
hours,  of which the skin furnished about twenty ounces.
The  medium  or average amount,  was eighteen grains a
minute, of which eleven were  from  the  skin, making
the cutaneous perspiration in twenty-four  hours about
thirty-three ounces.  When the extent of surface which
the skin presents  is considered, these results do  not
seem extravagant.   But even admitting that there may
be some unperceived source of fallacy in the  experi-
ments, and that the quantity  is not so great as is here
stated, still after  making every  allowance, enough re-
mains  to demonstate that exhalation is a very important
function of the skin.   And although the precise amount
of perspiration may be disputed,  the greater  number of
observers agree that the cutaneous  exhalation is more
abundant than the united excretions  of both bowels and 
CHECKED PERSPIRATION.         89
kidneys.   What we have considered relates only to the
insensible perspiration.  That which is caused by great
heat or severe exercise, is  evolved  in much greater
quantity, and by accumulating at the surface, it becomes
visible and  forms  sweat.  In  this way,  a robust man
may lose one  or two  'pounds weight in the course of
one  hour's  severe exertion ; and  if  this be  suddenly
checked, the consequences in certain states of the sys-
tem, are often  of the most serious description.
   Checked  Perspiration.  When  the  surface of  the
body is chilled by  cold, the  blood-vessels of the  skin
become contracted in their diameter,  and hinder the
full  entrance of the red particles of the blood, which
are  therefore  of necessity collected and  retained in
greater quantity in the internal  organs.   Taking even
the lowest estimate of Lavoisier, we  find the skin  en-
dowed with  the important charge of removing from the
system about  twenty ounces  of  waste  matter  every
twenty-four  hours ; and when we consider that  the
quantity not only is great, but is sent forth in so divided
a state as to  be invisible to the eye, and  that the whole
of it is given out  by  the very minute  ramifications of
the blood-vessels of the skin, we perceive at once why
these are so  extremely numerous that  a  pin's point
cannot touch any spot without piercing them ; and we
see an ample reason why, independently of the impres-
sions made through the medium of the nervous system,
checked  perspiration  should prove  so detrimental to
health ; because  for  every  twenty-four  hours during
which such a state  continues,  we  must  either  have
twenty ounces of useless and hurtful matter accumula-
ting in the body, or have some of  the  other organs of
excretion greviously overtasked, which  obviously  can-
not happen  without disturbing their regularity and well-
bein«\  People know the fact, and wonder that it should
be  so, that cold applied to the skin, or continued  expo-
sure in a cold day, often produces a bowel complaint,
a severe cold  in the chest, or inflamation of some inter-
nal organ ;  but were  they taught, as they ought to be, 
90     EVILS OF CHECKED PERSPIRATION.

the structure  and uses of their own bodies, they would
rather  wonder that  it did not always  produce one of
these effects.
  In tracing  the connection between suppressed per-
spiration and  the production of individual diseases, we
shall find that those organs which possess some similar-
ity of function, sympathize most closely with each oth-
er.   Thus  the  skin, the bowels, the lungs, the liver,
and the kidneys  sympathize readily, because they have
all the common office of throwing waste matter  out of
the system, each in a way peculiar to its own structure ;
so that if the exhalation from the skin, for example, be
stopped by  long exposure to cold, the large  quantity of
waste  matter which it  was  charged to excrete, and
which in itself is hurtful to the system, will most proba-
bly be thrown upon one or  other of the above named
organs, whose functions will consequently  become ex-
cited ; and if any of them, from constitutional or acci-
dental causes, be already weaker than the rest, as often
happens, its  health will naturally be the first to suffer.
In this way, the bowels become irritated in one individ-
ual, and occasions bowel complaints ; while in another,
it is the  lungs which become affected, giving rise to
catarrh or common cold, or perhaps even to inflamation.
When, on the other hand, all these organs are in a state
of  vigorous  health, a  temporary increase of  function
takes place in them, and relieves the system, without
leading to any local disorder; and the skin itself speed-
ily resumes its activity,  and restores the balance among
them.
   Evils of Checked Perspiration  on  Different  Organs.
When the lungs are  weak, and their membrane  is ha-
bitually  relaxed, and secretes an unusual amount of
mucus from  its  surface, the mass of blood thrown  in-
ward upon the lungs by cold applied  to the  skin,  in-
creases  that  secretion to a high degree.   Were  this
secretion to accumulate, it  would soon fill  up the air-
cells of the lungs and cause suffocation ; but to obviate
this danger, the Creator has so  constituted  the lungs, 
      EVILS OF CHECKED PERSPIRATION.      91

that accumulated mucus, or  any foreign  body coming
in contact with them, excites the convulsive effort call-
ed coughing, by  which a violent and rapid expectoration
takes place, with a force sufficient to hurry the mucus or
other foreign body along with  it.   Thus a check given
to perspiration  by diminishing the quantity of blood
previously  on the surface, naturally leads  very  often
to increased expectoration  and cough  ; or in  other
words, to common cold.   The lungs, as  already notic-
ed, excrete a large proportion of  waste materials from
the system ; and the kidneys, the liver, and  the bowels
have  in so  far a  similar office.  In consequence of this
alliance with the skin, these parts are more intimately
connected  with each other in healthy  and  diseased
action, than with other organs.  But it is a general law,
that whenever an organ is unusually delicate, it will be
more early affected by any cause of disease than those
which are  sound ; so  that, if the  nervous system be
weaker than other parts, a chill will be more likely to
disturb its  health than that of the lungs, which are sup-
posed, in this  instance, to be constitutionally stronger ;
or if the  muscular and fibrous organizations  be unusual-
ly susceptible of disturbance, either  from previous ill-
ness  or from natural predisposition, they  will be the first
to suffer, and rheumatism will ensue.
   A  bowel complaint may arise from overeating, as  well
as from  a check to perspiration ; but although the thing
to be cured is the same, the means of cure ought ob-
viously to  be different.   In  the one instance, an emetic
 or laxative to carry off  the  offending cause, and in the
other, a diaphoretic to open the skin, would be the most
 rational and efficacious remedies.  The close sympathy
 between the skin, the  stomach  and  bowels, has  often
 been noticed, and it is now well understood that most
 of the  obstinate  eruptions which appear  on  the  face
 and  rest of the surface, owe their origin to disorders
 of  the  digestive organs,  and are most  successfully
 cured by  treatment  directed  to  the internal  disease.
 In noticing this connexion  between the  suppression of 
92
ABSORPTION.
perspiration and the appearance of internal disease, we
do not  mean  1o affirm that  the  effect is produced by
the physical transference of  the suppressed exhalation
to the internal organ.  In many instances, the  chief
impression seems to be made on  the nervous  system ;
and  the  manner in  which it gives rise to the resulting
disease  is  often extremely obscure.   We  have  seen
that the insensible perspiration  removes  from the sys-
tem,  without trouble and without consciousness, a large
quantity  of useless  materials, and  at  the same  time
keeps the skin soft and moist, and thereby fits it for the
external sense.
  Absorption.   A  moist state of the atmosphere  is fa-
vorable  to  absorption ; and  hence if noxious  effluvia
are at the time floating in the air, they are more easily-
received into the system.   It is  on  this  account that
night air is so unwholesome, particularly in marshy dis-
tricts, which are loaded with  moisture  and miasma, or
marsh poison ; for  when the air  is dry as  well as hot,
free evaporation takes place, and absorption is almost
null,  so  that little or no inconvenience is felt, and health
often remains  uninjured.  The process  of absorption
is carried on by vessels  fitted for the purpose, which
are thence  named absorbent vessels, or simply  absorb-
ent.   In the skin they are small and numerous.
  In man,  absorption from the surface is greatly  re-
tarded  by  the  intervention of the  cuticle ; and  it is
universally admitted that when this obstacle is removed,
the process goes on with great  vigor.   Thus  arsenic
applied  to  cancerous sores, and strong solutions of
opium to extensive burns in children, have been  ab-
sorbed in  quantities  sufficient to poison the patients.
When the perspiration is brought  to the surface of  the
skin, and confined  there either by injudicious clothing,
or by want of cleanliness, there is much reason to sup-
pose that its residual  parts are again absorbed, and act
on the system  as a poison of greater or  less power,
according to its quantity  and degree of concentration,
thereby  producing fever, inflamation, and even  death 
NERVOUS INFLUENCE.
93
itself ; for it is established by observation, that concen-
trated animal effluvia form a very energetic poison.
  Nervous Influence.  The nervous tissues of the skin,
are thus  not only  important  instruments for receiving
and  conveying  to the  mind, accurate impressions in
regard to the  properties of external objects, but  they
are even  essential to our continued existence.   The
pain which  is  caused by injury, is no  doubt very disa-
greeable, but  in its uses it is  a  positive blessing, in
warning  us against  the  danger, and even certain  de-
struction, which would speedily overtake  us, if we had
no such monitor at hand. If we had no nerves on the
surface to communicate to   us  a  lively impression of
cold, we might inadvertently remain inactive in a tem-
perature which would not  only suspend perspiration,
but benumb the powers of life ; or we might approach
so near the fire or boiling fluids, as to  have the organi-
zation destroyed  before  we  were  aware ; whereas  by
the kind  interposition of the nerves, we cannot  when
perspiring freely, be exposed to the cold  air,  without
an  unpleasant sensation being experienced, impelling
us to attend  to our safety,  and to  keep  up our heat
either by additional clothing or by active  exercise.  A
due  supply  of arterial blood is also requisite for the
action of the nerves of sensation.   If they  be depriv-
ed of this, as by exposing the body to a degree of cold
sufficient to drive the blood  from the surface, the nerves
become almost insensible, and  severe  wounds  may be
received in this state without the individual being con-
scious of the  accident, or feeling the slightest pain.
   The insensible  perspiration being composed  of a
large quantity  of  water, which  passes off in the  form
of invisible vapor, and of various salts and animal mat-
ter,  a portion  of which  remains adherent  to the  skin,
the  removal of this residue by washing,  becomes an
indispensable  condition of health,  the observation of
which, particularly in early  life, when  waste and nutri-
tion are both  very active, prevents the appearance of 
94
RULES OF DRESS.
cutaneous and other diseases common in infancy.   Not
only, therefore, is daily washing of the body required
at that age, but a frequent change of clothing is essen-
tial, and every thing in the  shape of dress ought to be
loose and easy, both to  allow  free circulation through
the vessels, and to permit the insensible perspiration
to have a free exit, instead  of being confined to and
absorbed  by the clothes, and held in  contact with  the
skin, as often  happens, till  it  gives rise  to  irritation.
Many  youths, particularly females, and  those  whose
occupations are  sedentary, pass days, and weeks, and
months,  without ever  experiencing the pleasing glow
and warmth of a healthy skin, and are habitually com-
plaining of chilliness of the surface, cold feet, and other
symptoms  of  deficient cutaneous circulation.  Their
suffering, unfortunately, does  not stop  here, for  the
unequal distribution of the hlood oppresses the internal
organs, and too  often, by insensible  degrees, lays the
foundation of tubercles in the lungs, and other maladies
which  show themselves only when arrived at  an incura-
ble stage.  Young persons of a consumptive habit
will generally  be found to complain of this  increased
sensibility to cold, even before they become  subject to
those  slight catarrhal attacks which are so often the
immediate  precursors, or rather,  the  first  stages of
pulmonary  consumption.  All who  value health,  and
have common sense and resolution, will therefore take
warning from signs like these,  and never rest till equilib-
rium of action be restored.  For effecting this purpose,
warm  clothing, exercise in the open  air, sponging with
vinegar and water, the warm bath, regular friction with
a flesh brush or hair  glove, and great  cleanliness, are
excellently adapted.
   Dress.  The  rule  is, in all cases, not  to dress in an
invariable way, but  to put on clothing in  kind  and
quantity sufficient, in each individual case, to  protect the
body  effectually from an  abiding  sensation of cold,
however slight.   Warmth,  however, ought  not to be
sought for in  clothing alone.   The Creator  has made 
ERRORS OF  DRESS.
95
exercise essential as a means ;  and if we  neglect this,
and seek it in clothing  alone,  we act at the risk, or
rather with the certainty of weakening the body, relax-
ing the surface  and rendering the system  extremely
susceptible of injury from the slightest  accidental ex-
posure, or variation of temperature and moisture.  Ma-
ny good constitutions are thus  ruined, and many nerv-
ous pulmonary complaints brought on, to imbitter exist-
ence, and to reduce the  sufferer to the  level of a hot-
house plant.   Female dress errs in one important par-
ticular,  even  when  unexceptionable  in material and
quantity.  From the tightness with which it is made to
fit on the upper part of the body, not only is the insen-
sible perspiration injudiciously and hurtfully confined,
but that free play between the dress and the skin, which
is so beneficial in gently stimulating  the latter  by fric-
tion at every  movement of the body,  is altogether pre-
vented, and the  action of the cutaneous nerves and
vessels, and consequently the heat generated, rendered
less than that which would result  from the same dress
more loosely worn.   Every part and every function are
thus linked so  closely with the rest, that we can neither
act wrong as regards one organ  without  all suffering,
nor act  rightly without all  sharing  in the benefit.  We
can now appreciate the  manner in which  wet and cold
feet are so prolific of internal disease, and the  cruelty
of fitting up schools and similar places without  making
adequate provision  for the welfare of their  young oc-
cupants.  The  circumstances  in  which wet and cold
feet are most apt to cause disease, are those where the
person  remains inactive, and  where consequently, there
is nothing to counterbalance  the unequal flow of blood
which then takes place  towards the internal parts ; for
it is well known that a person  in  ordinary health may
walk about or work in the open air with  wet feet for
hours together,  without injury, provided  he  put on dry
stockings and  shoes immediately on coming home.  It
is, therefore, not the mere state  of  wetness that causes 
96     ADVANTAGES OF WEARING FLANNEL.

the evil, but the check to perspiration and the unequal
distribution of blood to  which the accompanying cold-
ness gives rise to.
  Advantages of wearing Flannel.  Flannel  is a  bad
conductor of heat,  and  therefore prevents the animal
economy from being too  quickly dissipated, and protects
the body from the injurious effects of too sudden  ex-
ternal  changes.   From its  presenting  a rough  and
uneven, though  soft surface to the  skin, every move-
ment of the body in labor or in exercise, gives, by the
consequent friction,  a gentle stimulus to the cutaneous
vessels  and  nerves, which assists  their action,  and
maintains their functions in health ;  and  being at  the
same time of a loose texture, flannel is capable of ab-
sorbing the  cutaneous exhalations to a  larger extent
than any other material in common use-
  Many are in  the custom of waiting till winter  has
fairly set in before beginning to wear flannel.   This is
a great error in a variable climate like ours, especially
when  the  constitution is not  robust.  It  is during the
sudden changes from heat to cold, which  are so com-
mon in autumn, before the frame  has got inured to the
reduction of temperature, that  protection  is most want-
ed and flannel is most useful.
  Bathing.   Bathing is of great importance in  the
preservation of health.   When the  saline and animal
elements ieft by the perspiration  are not duly removed
by washing or bathing, they at last  obstruct  the pores
and irritate  the skin.   And it is apparently  for  this
reason that in the Eastern and  warmer countries, where
perspiration  is very copious, ablution and bathing have
assumed the rank and importance of religious observ-
ances.   Those who are  in the  habit of using  the flesh-
brush daily,  are  at  first surprised  at the  quantity of
white dry scurf which it brings off; and those  who take
a warm bath for half an hour at long intervals, cannot
have failed  to notice the great amount of impurities
which it removes, and the grateful feelings of comfort
which its use imparts. 
WARM BATH.
97
  The warm, tepid, cold, or shower  bath, as a means
of preserving health, ought to be  in as common use
as a change of apparel, for it  is equally a measure of
necessary cleanliness.  Many, no doubt, neglect this,
and enjoy health notwithstanding ;  but many, very ma-
ny, suffer from its omission, and even the former would
be benefitted  by  employing it.  For  general use, the
warm bath seems to be much more suitable than the
cold bath, especially  in winter, and for those who are
not robust and full of animal heat.  Where the con-
stitution  is  not sufficiently vigorous to secure reaction
after the  cold bath, as indicated by a  warm glow over
the surface,  its use  inevitably  does harm.    A vast
number  of persons  are  in  this condition ;  while  on
the contrary, there are few  indeed who do not derive
evident advantage  from the regular  use of the warm
bath,  and  still fewer who are hurt by it.  Where the
health is good and the bodily powers are sufficiently
vigorous, the cold bath during summer, and the shower
bath in  winter,  may serve every purpose required from
them.  But it should  never  be forgotten  that they are
too powerful in their agency to be used with safety by
every one, especially in cold weather.
   For general use the warm is certainly the safest and
most  valuable,  especially during  the autumn,  winter
and spring.   It gives a cheerful tone and activity to all
the functions, and may be used every day, or on  alter-
nate days, for filteen or twenty minutes, with advantage.
Persons  of sound health  and strength may take a bath
at any time, except immediately  after meals.  But the
best time is in the forenoon or evening, two or  three
hours  after a moderate meal, when the system  is in-
vigorated by  food, but not oppressed by the labor of
digestion.   These  apply  of course only to persons in
an ordinary state of health.   If  organic  disease, head-
ache, feverishness, constipation, or other aliment exist,
bathing ought  never  to be employed without medical
advice.  When the stomach  is disordered by  bile, it
also  generally  disagrees.  But that it is a safe and 
98
VAPOR BATH.
valuable preservative of health in ordinary  circumstan-
ces, and an active remedy in disease, is most certain.
   The vapor bath is also extensively used in the cure
of disease ;  its use is attended by the  best  effects,
particularly in chronic  ailments, and where  the  water-
bath is felt to be oppressive by its weight; and there can
be no question  that their  action  is chiefly on the skin,
and  through its medium, on  the nervous system.  As a
means of determining the blood to the surface, promoting
cutaneous  exhalation  and equalizing  the  circulation,
they are  second to no remedy  now in use ;  and conse-
quently, in a variety of affections which the encourage-
ment of  these  processes is  calculated to relieve, they
mav be employed with every prospect of advantage.
The prevalent fear of catching cold, which deters  many
from using the vapor-bath, even more than from warm
bathing,  is founded on  a false  analogy between  its
effects and those of profuse  perspiration from exercise
or illness. The latter weakens  the body, and by di-
minishing the  power of reaction, renders it susceptible
of injury from sudden changes of temperature.  But
the effect  of the vapor-bath, properly  administered, is
very different.  When  not too warm, or too long con-
tinued, it increases  instead of exhausting  the strength,
and by exciting the vital action of the  skin, gives rise
to a power of reaction which enables it to resist cold
better than before.
   Experience  proves  that  the   vapor-bath  is  useful
both as a preventive, and  a  remedial agent.   Many a
cold, and many a rheumatic attack arising from checked
perspiration, or long exposure to the weather, might  be
removed or broken up if timely used.  In chronic affec-
tions, not only  of the skin  itself, but of the internal
organs with which the skin most closely sympathizes,
as the stomach and intestines, the judicious application
of the vapor-bath is  productive  of great relief.  In
chronic or pulmonary  complaints, we  believe it is not
only safe,  but  very serviceable, particularly  in those
affections of the  mucous  membrane which  resemble 
BENEFITS OF BATHS.
99
 consumption in so many of their symptoms.  Like  all
 powerful remedies, however, the vapor-bath must  be
 administered with proper regard to the condition and
 circumstances  of the  individual ; and  care must  be
 taken to have the feet sufficiently warm during  its use.
 If,  from an irregular  distribution  of the steam, the
 feet be left cold, headache and flushing are almost sure
 to follow.
f  We have  been more  particular in noticing these facts,
 in order to show that  proper attention to the health of
 the skin, is  really  beneficial in  preserving the tone of
 the nervous system, and in contributing to our mental
 and bodily  comfort.   If the bath cannot be had at all
 places, soap and water may be obtained every  where ;
 hence there is no necessity of any  individual neglect-
 ing to  keep the skin clean.   If the  constitution  be
 feeble, vinegar and  water, or  salt and  water may  be
 used  daily  ; it is a safe  means  of stimulating  and
 cleansing the skin.   A rough and rather coarse towel is
 a very useful auxiliary  in such ablutions.
    Many affections of a consumptive character are pre-
 ceded or begin by deficiency of  vital action in the skin
 and extremities, and a consequent feeling of coldness
 in  the feet and on  the surface, and  susceptibility of
 catarrhal affections fiom apparently inadequate causes,
 often long before any pressing symptoms,  directly con-
 nected  with the lungs, occur to attract notice.  In this
 state,  means systematically directed to restoring  the
 cutaneous circulation,  will  frequently be  successful in
 warding off consumption ; and  even when the disease
 is formed, the same means will help to prolong life and
 relieve suffering, while they will go far to  effect a cure
 in  the  chronic affections of the bronchial  membrane
 which stimulate  consumption,  and are sometimes un-
 distinguishable from it, and which  when  mismanaged,
 are equally fatal.
    These  two remedies have the most general reputa-
 tion in the successful treatment  of chronic and pulmo-
 nary  diseases  ; both  owe much of their influence to 
100          BENEFITS OF RIDING.
their  exciting cutaneous functions, and equalizing cir-
culation.  Regular courses of medicine are also ad-
ministered in early  stages of consumption,  whooping
cough, chronic catarrh, and other  obstinate  pulmonary
affections, and are always attended  with good effects
when properly administered.   So far as our observation
goes, all these remedies are productive of good, chiefly
in proportion as they determine the blood to the surface
and equalize the circulation in the system.
   Benefits of Riding.  Riding on  horse-back has  of-
ten proved  beneficial  in comsumptive  complaints ;  it
seems to have a beneficial effect, partly from the bodily
exercise,  giving general vigor to  the  circulation, and
partly from  the gentle friction between the  skin and
clothes,  which stimulate the cutaneous  vessels and
nerves.   This exercise we find excites the skin benefi-
cially, and keeps it pleasantly warm  and generally be-
dewed with  moisture, even  to the extremities of the
toes.  And in proportion to this,  advantage is derived ;
it  relieves the  chest,  increases  the  strength and im-
proves the appetite.
   When the lungs are weak, riding is a most salubrious
exercise, and possesses a great advantage over walking,
as it does not  hurry the breathing.   It calls into  more
equal play all the  muscles of the body, and at the  same
time engages the mind in the management of the ani-
mal, and exhilerates  by the free  contact of the air and
more rapid change of scene.  Even at a walking  pace,
a gentle but  universal and constant action of the  mus-
cles  is  required to preserve the seat,  and  adapt the
rider's position to the movements of the  horse  ; and
this kind of  muscular action is extremely favorable to
the proper and equal circulation  of the  blood through
the extreme  vessels, and the prevention of its undue
accumulation in the  central organs.  The gentleness
of the action admits of its being kept up without acceler-
ating respiration, and enables a delicate person to reap
the combined advantages of the open air  and proper
exercise for a much longer period than would otherwise 
VOYAGES AT SEA.
101
be possible, from the tendency to equalize the circula-
tion, stimulate the  skin, and promote the action of the
bowels ;  it  is also excellently adapted as an exercise
for dyspeptic and nervous invalids.
   Voyages  at  Sea.   Voyages at sea are also  benefi-
cial in pulmonary complaints, in consequence of sea-
sickness,  which causes a healthy flow of  blood  from
the internal  parts to the surface, and because the gentle
and  constant exercise occasioned by the movement of
the ship, is  admirably adapted to a debilitated state of
the system,  when other  exercise cannot be  taken  with-
out hurrying the breathing,  or  inducing fatigue ; and
because pure, fresh, bracing air is of infinite importance
in all, and especially in pulmonary affections.
  While  we insist upon the maintenance of  a healthy
action of the skin, it must not. be supposed that health
is obtained from that  circumstance alone.   So  beauti-
fully  is  the  animal economy constituted, that, as we
have  had occasion to observe, it is impossible  to use
rational  means  for the invigoration of cne  organ or
function without good  being done to all ; and so closely
are the various parts  allied  to each  other, that, to de-
scribe fully the functions and sympathies of every one,
we  would require to  make the circle  of  the  whole.
From this appears the fallacy of those who  select the
derangement of any one organ as the origin and source
of all existing diseases.
  Some  functions are  no doubt more important, and
their disorders exercise a wider influence over the gener-
al health, than others ; but no one who knows  the stiuc-
ture  of the human body  and the relations of its parts,
or has carefully observed the phenomena  of disease,
can be satisfied with  such exclusive reasoning.  The
stomach, the bowels, the liver, and the  nervous system,
have  each  had their  patrons, and the  derangement of
each  has  been  specially held out as the grand fountain
of human  misery.  Facts, however,  go against the
exclusiveness in favor of any one  organ ; such facts,
rightly considered, demonstrate  the reverse, and  show 
102
MUSCULAR ACTION.
that  successful practice  requires views and remedies
founded on a careful examination of every function.
  When we say, therefore, that attention to the state of
the skin is influential in preserving and restoring health,
we  wish to represent it as an important, but by no
means exclusive condition, and to ascribe to the means
used for invigorating  its  functions, their due  share  of
action  upon other  organs and  functions.  Attention to
the  skin,  therefore, must never be considered  for a
moment as superseding attention to the other functions.
It must be regarded as  a part only, though an impor-
tant part, of a rational and consistent  treatment ; and
its efficacy will often depend in no small degree, on the
care which is  taken to support its effects  by a scrupu-
lous attention  to  the necessities of the  rest of the
system.
  Muscular Action.  Another condition  requisite  to
good health, is a proper exercise of the muscular  sys-
tem.   The use of  the muscles is obviously to enable
us to carry into effect the various resolutions and de-
signs—or  volitions, as they are termed  by  philosophers
—which have  been formed by the  mind.   But  while
fulfiling this grand object, their  active exercise  is at
the  same time, highly conducive to  the well-being of
many  other important functions.  By  muscular  con-
traction the blood is gently assisted in its course through
the  smaller vessels, and more  distant parts  of the body,
and its  undue accumulation in  the internal  organs is
prevented.   The processes of digestion, respiration,
secretion,  absorption, and nutrition, are promoted, and
the health of  the  whole  body  immediately influenced.
The mind is exhilerated  or depressed by the proper or
important  use of muscular exercise ;  and it thus be-
comes a point of no slight importance to establish gen-
eral principles by which that exercise may be regulated.
The first  requisite for healthy and  vigorous muscular
action is the possession of strong and healthy muscu-
lar fibres. 
EFFECTS OF  EXERCISE.          103
  In every  part of the  animal economy, the muscles
are proportionate in  size and  structure to the  efforts
required of them ; and it is a law of nature, that when-
ever a muscle is called into frequent use, its fibres in-
crease in thickness  within  certain  limits, and become
capable of acting  with  greater  force  and readiness ;
and  that, on the other  hand, when a  muscle is  little
used, its volume and power decreases in a correspond-
ing degree.   When in a state of activity, the quantity of
blood which muscles receive is considerably increased ;
and  in consequence, those  which are  much exercised
become of a deeper red color than those which are less
used.  The reason  of this  will be evident,  when we
recollect that to every organ of the body, arterial blood
is an indispensable stimulus, and that its supply is, dur-
ing health, always proportioned to the extent and ener-
gy of the action.
   When any part is stinted of its usual quantity of blood,
it very soon becomes weakened, and at last loses its
power of action, although every other condition requir-
ed for its performance may  remain unimpaired.  It  is
the infringement of this condition that  entails so much
misery upon our young  manufacturing population.
   Wasted  by excessive labor,  long confinement, and
miserable diet, the muscular system is stinted  in growth
and weakened in structure ; and the blood impoverish-
ed by insufficiency of nourishing food, and by a vitiated
atmosphere, is no longer capable of repairing the waste
consequent   upon exercise, or of  affording a  healthy
stimulus to  the  vessels  and nerves which animate the
muscles.   Languor, debility, and  exhaustion of mind
necessarily  follow.  In youth not only  must the waste
of  materials be replaced, but an excess of nourishment
must be provided, to admit of the continued growth
which is the chief function of our earlier years.   If this
be denied, the developement of the bodily organs often
receives a check which  no subsequent  treatment can
remedy, and a foundation is laid for diseases and debil-
ity which afterwards imbitter and endanger life.  Youjh 
104         BENEFITS OF EXERCISE.

requires the best  and most  nutritious food, and  such
ought regularly  to  be provided.   Weak  broth, twice
cooked hashes, and  quantites of vegetables and watery
milk, are  not sufficient sustenance  for  a young  and
growing frame.  It  is not to be  wondered at, that with
such a diet, worm powders  and stomachic  medicines
are in constant demand, and that even with the assist-
ance of these, the girl shoots  up, thin  pale, and flesh-
less.  Let it not be  supposed that  we wish to  make a
god of the belly ; our object is the reverse of this, and
we are sure that  no  better means can be used to effect
it, than to give a  sufficiency (not an  excess) of whole-
some and nourishing  food, which alone  will satisfy the
stomach, and  obviate the constant craving  which is a
frequent and painful concomitant of deficiency of food.
   Something more  than mere  muscle, however, is re-
quired for the production of regulated or voluntary mo-
tion.  The  muscle itself,  though  perfect  in  strength
and  in  structure,  would  otherwise  remain inert.  A
stimulus is required to excite it to activity and  to direct
its contraction, and this stimulus  is  conveyed to it by
the nerves.  If the  will be  feeble  and  undecided, the
muscular movements will be equally  weak  and irreso-
lute ; whereas, if the  mind be  powerfully excited  and
the will energetic, strength,  rapidity,  and decision  will
equally characterize all the movements of the body.
   The effects of exercise upon the  organs employed
are very remarkable, and  useful to be known.   When
anv living part is called into activity, the processes of
waste and renovation  which are incessantly going on
in every part of the body, proceed with greater rapidity,
and in due proportion  to each other.  At the same time
the vessels and nerves become  excited to higher action,
and  the  supply  of arterial or  nutritive  blood  and of
nervous energy  becomes greater.   When  the active
exercise ceases, the excitement thus  given to the vital
functions subsides, and the vessels and  nerves return
to their original state. 
               RULES FOR EXERCISE.      '-   105

   Rules for Exercise.   Persons  accustomed  to daily
activity  will feel invigorated by a walk of four or five
miles in the open air, whereas the same distance will
weaken another who has not been  in the habit of walk-
ing at  all.  But  instead of inferring from this, as is
often done, that  exercise in the  open air is positively
hurtful to the latter, reason and  experience coincide in
telling us  that he has  erred only in overtasking  the
powers  of his system, and  that to  acquire strength and
activity, he ought to have begun with one mile, and to
have gradually extended his walk  in  proportion as  the
muscles became  invigorated by the increased nutrition
consequent on well regulated exercise.
   A person recovering  from fever begins  by  walking
across his room perhaps ten times a day, and gradually
extends to twenty or thirty times, till he gains strength
to go into the open air.   On  going out, a walk of ten
minutes  proves sufficient for him  at first; but by  de-
grees his strength and flesh  increases, and  his exercise
is prolonged till he arrives at his usual standard.  Such
is the order of nature ; but many sedentary people have
no patience for such slow progress, and  when urged to
take exercise, they grudge the trouble of going out for
a short time, and think that if a  walk of half a mile
does them good, one of a whole  mile  will do more ;
and when they suffer from the error, they shelter their
ignorance under the general assumption that exercise
does not agree with them.
   From these principles it follows, first, that to be ben-
eficial, exercise ought always to be proportioned to the
strength and constitution, and  not carried  beyond  the
point, easily discovered by experience, at which waste
begins to succeed nutrition, and exhaustion to take the
place of strength ; secondly, that  it ought  to be  regu-
larly resumed after a sufficient interval of rest,  in order
to ensure the permanence of the healthy impulse given
to the vital powers of the muscular system ; and lastly,
that it is of the utmost consequence to join with it a
mental and nervous stimulus. 
106        ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE.
  Those who go out only once in four or five days, are
always at work but never advancing ; for the increased
action  induced by the previous exercise, has fully sub-
sided long before the  succeeding effort is begun ; and
so far as increased nutrition, strength, and greater apti-
tude for exertion are concerned, no progress  whatever
is made.  Active exercise ought to be avoided  imme-
diately after a heavy meal.  In such circumstances,
the functions of the digestive organs are  in the highest
state of activity ; and if the muscular system be then
called into  considerable action, the  withdrawal of the
vital stimuli of the  blood  and nervous  influence from
the stomach to the extremities, is sufficient  almost to
stop the digestive process.  When we  know  that we
shall be forced to exertion soon after eating, we ought
to take  a very moderate meal, in order to avoid setting
the stomach and muscles at variance with  each other,
and exciting feverish disturbance.  In travelling by a
stagecoach, where no repose is allowed, this precaution
is invaluable,   A short walk or stroll should always  be
taken after a  meal, if the weather  will admit, before
engaging in active exercise.
  In order to render exercise  as beneficial as possible,
particularly in educating the young, it ought  always to
be  taken in the open air, and to be of a nature to occupy
the  mind as  well  as the body.  Gardening, hoeing,
social play  and active sports of every kind, is prefera-
ble to regular and unmeaning walks, and tend in a much
higher  degree to develope  and strengthen the bodily
frame, and to  secure a straight spine, and an erect and
firm but easy  and  graceful  form.  A  formal walk is
odious and useless to many girls, who would be delight-
ed  and  benefited by spending three or four hours a day
in spirited exercise  and useful employment.   Let those
mothers who  are afraid to trust to nature for strength-
ening  and developing the limbs  and spines of their
daughters, attend to facts and their fears will vanish.
   It is  notorious that a majority of those girls who, in
opposition to the laws of  nature, are encased  in stays( 
EVILS OF CLOSE CONFINEMENT.     107
and  get  insufficient exercise, become  deformed ;  an
occurrence which is, on the other hand, comparatively
rare in boys who are left in comformity with the designs
of nature, to acquire strength and symmetry from free
and  unrestricted  muscular action.   Different kinds of
exercise  suit different constitutions.   The object, of
course, is to employ all  the  muscles of the body, and
to strengthen those especially,  which are too weak ;
hence  exercise ought  to  be  often  varied, and always
adapted to the peculiarities of individuals.
  Having already, when treating of the skin, sufficient-
ly explained the principles on which clothing  ought to
be adjusted, it is unnecessary to recur to its utility as a
means of regulating the temperature of the human body.
If the use of suitable clothing  is found insufficient to
keep the body warm, we  may infer with  certainty, al-
though no other sign of bad health has appeared, that
some  internal cause exists, affecting and impairing one
or other  of the sources of animal heat, till the special
cause  be  discovered and  removed, the  evil itself will
continue undiminished.
  Not an unfrequent cause of suffering from cold dur-
ing the day, in delicate persons, is the common practice
of sleeping on very soft feather beds, in which the body
sinks so  deep as to be  almost surrounded by  feathers.
The undue warmth thence arising, relaxes the surface
of the body, weakens the  action of the skin, and thus
renders  the individual unusually  susceptible of  the
impression of cold when exposed out of doors.  When
a feather bed is used, it ought  to be so well  stuffed as
to afford ample resistance to the weight of the body.
   In winter, young people often  suffer from being daily
confined, for many hours  in  succession, without  exer-
cise, in  rooms insufficintly heated.  Nothing  tends
more than this to lower the general standard of health,
and prepare the individual  for  the  future inroads of
insidious disease.   In scrofulous  children especially,
 in whom the evolution of heat  is rarely  energetic,  the
 evil is one of great magnitude ;  for the chilblains, colds, 
108   INFLUENCE OF THE MIND ON HEALTH.

and  headaches more immdiately  complained of, are
often its least important consequences.
  The same principle leads to another obvious  rule.
When disease of any kind exists in the chest, exercise
of the lungs in speaking, reading, and singing, and also
in ordinary  muscular exertion, ought  either to be en-
tirely refrained from, or strictly regulated by profession-
al advice.  When a joint is sore or inflamed, we know
that  motion impedes  its  recovery.   When the eye is
affected,  we, for a similar reason  shut out the  light;
and when the stomach is  disordered, we have respect
to its condition, and  become more careful  about diet.
The lungs demand a  treatment founded  on the  same
general  principle.   If they are inflamed, they must be
exercised as little as  possible, otherwise mischief will
ensue.  Hence in a  common cold of  any  severity, si-
lence, which is the absence of direct pulmonary  exer-
cise, ought to  be preserved, and will in truth be its own
reward.    In severe  cases, and in acute  inflamation of
the chest, this  rule is of the greatest  importance.
  It is common to meet with patients who cannot speak
three words without exciting a fit of  coughing, and who
notwithstanding, cannot  be persuaded that speaking
retards their recovery.  In like manner,  in spitting of
blood, and in the  early  stages of tubercular  consump-
tion, when the breathing cannot be excited  without  di-
rect mischief,  it is often difficult to  convince the patient
of the necessity of silence.   He perhaps does not feel
pain on attempting to speak, and  says that " it merely
raises a short tickling cough, which is nothing."  But
if he persists, dearly bought experience  will teach him
his error, and  cause  him  regret.
   Influence of the Mind on Health.  The direct  influ-
ence exercised by the mind and brain over all the bodily
functions, and over the general health, is great.   If the
mind be  active  and  decided, the muscles, receiving  a
strong stimulus, move  with readiness and force.  As
the  quality of the  nervous influence  depends on  the
condition of the brain, that which springs  from a brain 
    INFLUENCE OF  THE MIND ON HEALTH.   109

of which all the parts are in sound and vigorous action,
is the best.   Consequently, our great aim ought to be
to secure for every mental power, moral as well  as in-
tellectual, that  equal  and regular exercise from which
alone the proper nervous stimulus can spring.
   It is indeed interesting to observe the various efforts
of the nervous influence, according  to the faculties in
predominent action at the time it is produced.  If the
higher feelings have the  ascendency, and  the more
selfish propensities  be merely active enough to  give
force to the character, without  setting the mind at war
with itself, the  nervous influence  is  the  most grateful
and efficient which can be imagined  for sustaining the
healthy co-operation  of the whole  body.   This result
follows, because the  Creator evidently designed such a
state of  mind to be the best and happiest for man him-
 self, and  therefore took care  to  surround  him  with
 every motive to induce him to enter into it.
   If, however, the lower  feelings  be in  great activity,
 and filled  with designs  and emotions repulsive to the
 moral sentiments, so that  the  faculties  are  ranked in
 opposition to  each other, or if the mind  be oppressed
''with grief, anxiety, or remorse, the  stimulus which it
 communicates is far  from beneficial, being no longer in
 accordance with the  conditions designed by  the Crea-
 tor.   It is in such circumstances, accordingly, that bad
 health is  so often  seen to arise from this state of the
 mind, and that suffering is produced which no  art can
 relieve till the primary cause has ceased to exist.
    The  same  result follows the over-exercise of intel-
 lect and inactivity of the feelings.  From the concen-
 tration of vital action  in  the brain, the  stomach and
 other organs are unprovided with the requisite  nervous
 stimulus, and become impaired in their functions ; and
 hence the dyspeptic  and hypochondriacal  symptoms
  which so often renders life a burden to literary men.
    Persons so situated, when advised to attend to diet,
  often answer that it is in vain, and that,  while at some
  times nothing can be digested ; at other  times, perhaps
                           10 
110         INFLUENCE OF THE BRAIN.
within a few hours or days, nothing comes amiss ; the
power of digestion  varying thus quickly, according to
their  mental condition..   Whereas,  when  indigestion
arises from a  primary  affection  of the stomach, the
least deviation in the way of indulgence proves  injuri-
ous.  In both  instances, attention to diet is beneficial ;
but in the one  it  is  less  rigidly important than in the
other.
   The influence of the brain on the digestive organs is
so direct, that  sickness  and vomiting are among the
earliest  symptoms of many affections of the head, and
of wounds and injuries of the brain ;  while violent emo-
tions, intense grief,  sudden bad  news, sometimes arrest
at once the  process of digestion, and produce squeam-
ishness or loathing of food, although an instant before,
the appetite was keen.   Narcotics,  the  direct  action
of which  is on the  brain, have a similar effect  on the
stomach.
   The influence of the  mind and  brain over the action
of the heart and lungs  is familiar to every one.  The
sighing, palpitation, and  fainting, so often witnessed as
consequences of emotions of the  mind, are  evidences
which no body  can resist.   Death itself is not a rare
resuit of  such excitement in delicately organized per-
sons.   This law of our constitution,  whereby the regu-<
lated  activity of both  intellect  and feeling is  made es-
sential to sound bodily  health, seems to us one of the
most beautiful arrangements of an all-wise and  benefi-
cent Creator.
  If we  shun the society of our  fellow creatures, and
shrink from taking a share  in the  active duties  of life*
mental indolence and  physical  debility beset  our path.
But if, by engaging  in the business  of" life, and taking
an active  interest  in  the  advancement of  society, we
duly exercise our various powers of perception, thought
and feeling, we  promote  the health of the whole corpo-
real system, invigorate the mind itself, and at the same
time,  experience the  highest  mental  gratification  of
which a  human being is  susceptible—that  of  having 
DIET.
Ill
fulfilled the end and object of our being, in the active
discharge of our  duties to God, to our fellow-men, and
to ourselves.
   If we neglect our faculties, or deprive them of their
objects, we  weaken the organization, give  rise to dis-
tressing diseases, and at the same time experience the
bitterest feelings that can afflict  human nature—ennui
and  melancholy.   The harmony thus  shown  to  exist
between the  moral and physical  world, is but another
example  of the  numerous inducements to that  right
conduct, and activity in pursuing which the Creator has
evidently  destined us to find terrestrial happiness.   Dr.
Comb remarks, at great length, in his work on physiol-
ogy, on the different functions of the human system, and
shows  that good health cannot be  enjoyed, except  each
function be  duly exercised.   We  are considerably in-
debted to  the works of this highly gifted gentleman, for
our remarks on the Lungs and Skin.
   Diet.   It is the opinion  of Dr. Buchan, that not a
few of the diseases incident to the inhabitants of most
countries, are owing to their mode of living.   The  veg-
etable  production  that is consumed, falls considerably
short of the proportion they ought to bear to the animal
part of our food.   If we make a constant use of bread,
and animal substances, it will excite an unusual thirst,
and  lead  to  an  immoderate use  of water and other
drinks.   Habits are generally  obstinate things, espe-
cially those which relate to diet;  we believe,  however,
that people have too much good  sense  not to listen to
reason, and it is only necessary  that  they should be
properly instructed ; we believe many people have per-
ished for the want of knowledge, and that proper means
have not been used to give suitable instruction.   Hurt-
ful customs have been allowed  to prevail, until  they
have become so  deep rooted that it will not be an easy
matter  to eradicate  them.   Adults and  older  people
have many prejudices to overcome ; but children  may
be taught to use any kind of food, and what  they use
while young, they will generally love when they become 
112      ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE DIET.

older ; if people would adopt a different mode of feed-
ing their children, and permit them to eat such  food
only as was healthy or suitable for them, a total change
would in  time be effected, in the general mode of living.
  There  is probably no  creature  which  eats  such a
variety of food, as  man.   Intended for an  inhabitant
of every  climate, he devours the  productions of them
all ;  and  if  they do not suit his palate, or  agree  with
his stomach, he calls in the aid of  cookery—an art pe-
culiar to himself—by which many things that in a crude
state would prove  hurtful, or even poisonous, are ren-
dered wholesome and salutary.  The obvious division
of food,  is  into animal and  vegetable.  To say that
man was intended by nature  for using either the one or
the other alone, would be absurd.   His structure and
appetite prove that he was formed for both.   Judgment
however, is necessary in  adjusting  the due proportion
of each,  so as to avoid the inconveniences arising from
an  extreme  in either hand.  Though  animal  food is
more nourishing than vegetable, it is not safe to live on
that alone.
   Experience  has shown that a diet consisting solely
of animal food, excites thirst and nausea, occasions
putresence in the stomach and bowels, and finally brings
on violent gripings, pains, with cholera and dysentery.
Animal food is less adapted  to the  sedentary than the
laborious, and least of all to the  studious,  whose diet
ought to consist chiefly  of vegetable.   Indulging in
animal food  renders man dull and unfit for the pursuits
of science, especially when  it is accompanied with the
free use of strong  liquors.  The plethoric, or persons
of a full  habit, should eat sparingly of animal food.  It
yields far more blood than vegetables taken  in the  same
quantity, and of course may  induce inflammatory disor-
ders.  It acts as a stimulus to  the whole  system, by
which means the circulation of the  blood is accelerated.
We are inclined to think that consumptions,  so common
among people, are  in  part owing  to  the great use of
animal food.   Though pulmonary consumption is not, 
SLEEP.
113
properly speaking, an inflammatory disease, yet it gen-
erally begins with symptoms of inflamation and is often
accompanied with  them through  its whole progress.
By the continued use of animal food, a putrid diathesis
is induced in the system, which predisposes to a variety
of disorders.   We  are fully convinced  that many of
those obstinate complaints for which we  are at a loss
to account, and find it still more  difficult  to cure, are
the effects of a scorbutic taint lurking in the habit.
   Improper diet affects the  mind as well as the body.
Though these and similar consequences may arise from
the excess of animal diet, we are far from discouraging
its use in moderation.   In  all cold countries it is cer-
tainly necessary ;  but the  major  part  of the aliment
ought, nevertheless, to consist of vegetable substances.
There is a continued tendency in  animal  food, as  well
as in the human body itself, to putrefaction, which can
only be  counteracted by the free use of vegetables.
With regard to  the proportion of vegetable food, to that
of animal,  great nicety is  by no  means required.  It
must vary according to circumstances, as the  heat of
the weather, the warmth of the  climate, and the like.
The vegetable  part, however,  where nothing forbids,
ought cortainly to  preponderate, and we think  in the
proportion at least of two to one.   In the  cure of dis-
ease, a proper regulation of the diet is  not less import-
ant than the administration  of appropriate remedies.
In many cases a cure is impossible, unless a due atten-
tion be paid to the food and drinks  taken by the patient.
In  fevers and  all  inflammatory  complaints,  the  diet
should be  confined to the mildest diluents, taken in
moderate quantities,  In chronic diseases of the stom-
ach, the food should consist of a moderate allowance of
such articles as are nutritive, and readily digested.
   Sleep.  The proper quantity of sleep is beneficial.
We believe, however, no species of indolence is more
hurtful to the health, than  the modern  custom of lying
in bed too  long in the morning.   This  is  the  general
practice  in large towns.  The inhabitants of cities sel-
                           10* 
114
BENEFITS OF SLEEP.
dom rise before eight or nine o'clock ; but the morning
is  undoubtedly the best time for exercise, while the
stomach  is empty and  the body  refreshed  with  sleep.
Besides, the  morning air  braces and strengthens the
nerves, and in some measure answers the purpose of a
cold bath.  Let  any one who has been  accustomed to
lie in bed till eight or nine o'clock, rise by six or  seven,
spend a couple  of houis in walking, riding, or any ac-
tive diversions without doors, and he will find his spir-
its cheerful and serene through  the day, his  appetite
keen, and his body braced and strengthened.   Custom
soon renders early rising agreeable, and  nothing con-
tributes more to the preservation  of health.
  We  have  remarked, that  sleep is benefieial ; it re-
stores both the powers of the mind and body when ex-
hausted  by exercise, giving vigor to the one, and re-
storing the other to its accustomed alacrity.   By  means
of sleep, the muscles are again rendered active  and
moveable, after  they have become wearied, rigid, pain-
ful and trembling from  hard labor and severe exercise.
It moderates  the quickness of the pulse, which usually
increases at night, and brings it back to its  morning
standard. It seems also to assist digestion of aliment;
it diminishes both  excretions and secretions, and  ren-
ders the  fluids thicker  than  otherwise they would be,
particularly in a body endowed with much sensibility or
mobility.  Sleep, therefore, is not only useful, but ab-
solutely indispensable,  for the preservation of life  and
health, and it contributes most essentially to the  allevi-
ation, as well as to the total removal of disease.
  The want of it is equally hurtful  in many  different
ways to the nervous system.  Its absence renders the
external  as well as  internal organs of sense, and those
of every  kind of motion, unfit for the performance of
their offices.   Sleep,  therefore,  like diet, ought to be
duly regulated.   Too  little sleep weakens the nerves,
exhausts the spirits, and  occasions disease ;  and too
much renders the mind dull, the body gross, and  dis-
poses to  apoplexies, lethargies, and other complaints of 
BENEFITS OF SLEEP.
115
a similar character.  A medium  ought therefore to be
observed ;  but this is not easy to fix.
  Children require more sleep  than grown persons ;
the  laborious and the idle, and such as eat and  drink
freely, than those that live  abstemiously.  Besides, the
real quantity of sleep cannot be measured by time ; as
one person will be more  refreshed by five  or  six  hours
sleep, than another by eight or ten.  Children  may al-
ways be allowed to take as much  sleep as  they please ;
but for adults, six or seven hours  is certainly  sufficient,
and no one ought to exceed eight.  Those who lie in
bed more than eight hours may  slumber, but they can
hardly be said to sleep ;  such  generally toss and dream
away  the first part of the  night, sink  to  rest toward
morning, and  dose till noon.
  The best way to make sleep sound and  refreshing, is
to rise betimes.   The  custom of lying in bed  for nine
or ten hours,  not  only makes the sleep less refreshing,
but relaxes the solids, and  greatly weakens the consti-
tution.   Nature points out night as the proper season
for  sleep ;  nothing more certainly destroys the consti-
tution  than  night-watching-  It is a great pity  that a
practice so destructive to health  should be so  much in
fashion.   How quickly the want of rest in due season
will blast the most blooming complexion, or  ruin the
best constitution, is  evident from the ghastly counten-
ances of those who,  as  the phrase is, turn  day into
night, and night into day.  To make  sleep refreshing,
the following  things are requisite : first, to take suffi-
cient  exercise in the  open air  ;  avoid strong tea  or
coffee ;  next, to  eat a light supper ; and  lastly,  to lie
down with a mind as cheerful and serene as possible.
  It is certain that too much exercise will prevent sleep,
as  well  as  too  little.   We seldom, however,  hear the
active and laborious complain of restless  nights.  It is
the indolent  and slothful who   generally have  those
complaints.   Is it any wonder that a bed of down should
not be refreshing to a person who sits all day in an easy
chair ?   A great part of the pleasure of life consists in 
116
BENEFITS OF SLEEP.
alternate rest and motion ;  but  they who neglect the
latter can never relish the former.   The laborer enjoys
more true luxury  in plain food and sound sleep, than is
to be found  in  sumptuous  tables and  downy  pillows,
where exercise  is wanting.   His rest is not  disturbed
by the effects of unseasonable luxury.  He knows that
temperance,  moderate exercise,  composure  of mind,
and  external tranquility,  are the best opiates.   His
slumbers  are sound  and refreshing.  The  waste  of
spirits on the preceding  day is fully repaired.  Every
muscle, every fibre, every nerve, has regained its prop-
er tone.  He rises with cheerfulness and vigor to breathe
the morning air, and  to enter upon the  duties of the
day.  In short, an attention to this simple point of go-
ing to bed early, and of rising betimes, will  be found
to supercede a variety of other  precepts, and  may be
justly called the golden rule for the attainment of health
and long life. 
PART IV.
   VEGETABLE  MATERIA  MEDICA.

  That part of Medical Science which treats on Medi-
cine, is termed Materia Medica, whether they are Min-
eral or Vegetable  substances that are  employed in the
cure of disease.   The remedies which are recommend-
ed in this work, are obtained entirely from the vegetable
kingdom, and embrace a large  number of those  sub-
stances  which are capable of making a sensitive im-
pression  on the human system, and are  mostly found
in our own country, and may be obtained  and success-
fully used by almost every individual.
  We shall give  a description of some of the most
important medical  plants hitherto discovered ; together
with  the name, character,  and quality  of  numerous
other plants, with the form of disease  they suit, which
have been successfully used in the treatment of disease.
This  will enable  every  individual, in case  of emer-
gency, to  obtain  some  one of those medical  plants,
which is necessary to cure the disease with which  they
may be afflicted, in case the  common remedies are not
at hand.
  Those  who gather medical plants  should be  very
careful  to  gather  those of the right kind, there being
several  species of the same class ; for this reason we
give the Botanic as well as the English name of those
plants which may  be used for medical purposes ; and of
those only which are devoid of poisonous or deleterious
properties.
  Herbs  should  be gathered when in blossom ;  when
dried in  the  open air,  they  should  not be exposed
to the dew or rain ; if the weather  continues damp for 
118
MATERIA  MEDICA.
a long time, they may be dried by a gentle heat from a
fire or stove,  and should  be immediately packed or
pressed and  kept dry.   Leaves  should be  collected
when they are fuliy grown  or before they begin to turn,
and may be dried  and preserved in the same manner
as the  herbs.  Flowers should always be  collected
in dry weather immediately after blossoming.   Seeds
should be gathered when fully ripe, separated  from the
chaff and deposited in a dry place.
  The most  convenient time for gathering barks is in
the spring while the sap is rising.   The bark  of young
trees is the best ;  it should be carefully dried without
being exposed to the damp atmosphere.  Roots should
also  be collected in the Spring before the sap rises, or
after it descends in Autumn ;  they  should be thorough-
ly cleansed or freed from dirt, and dried in the sun or
by artificial heat ;  if roots are very large, or juicy, they
should be sliced or split  before drying, and should be
packed in draws or close boxes, or they will lose  much
of their strength. 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
119
       LOBELIA INFLATA, or EMETIC HERB.

  There are three  kinds of Lobelia very common in
this country, Lobelia Inflata, Syphilitica, and Cardinalis.
Lobelia Inflata, however, is the only kind used for med-
icine.  This plant grows from twelve to eighteen inches
high ; the root is white and  fibrous, and  sends up an
erect stem,  which  is angular, hairy, and branched ;  if
broken  while  green, it exudes a milky juice.  Leaves
alternate, tapering, hairy, and  edged with small une-
qual teeth.   Flowers thinly scattered along the branch-
es, and of a paleish blue, succeeded by  a small oblong
roundish pod, which contain  a  large number of very
minute brgwn seeds, which are oblong, resembling  to-
bacco seeds ;  it is in blossom from July until  Autumn,
and  resembles very much in taste tobacco, from which
it took its common name.  It is common in most parts
of the United States, growing by the road side, neg-
lected fields, but in  greatest abundance in stubblefields,
especially the next season after the crop is taken off.
Its leading properties  are  emetic, and expectorant ; it
is a  perfectly  safe  and  effectual  emetic, and may be
given in all  cases  where emetics are  needed ;  it not
only cleanses  the stomach, but  exercises  a beneficial
influence over every part of the body.

               CAPSICUM.—The Pods.

   Cayenne.   Cayenne is  a  plant that  grows in Africa
and  South America.  The pods or seed-vessels, reduc-
ed to a powder is known  by the name of  Cayenne ; it
possesses an exceeding pungent taste, and  is  one of
the best stimulants in use.  When taken into the  stom-
ach  it produces a pleasant sensation of warmth  in that
organ  which  soon diffuses  itself through the  whole
system.  It is one of the most pure and powerful stim-
ulants ever introduced  into the practice  of medicine. 
120
MEDICAL PLANTS.
Dr. Howard says, that  cayenne is a pure and unfailing
stimulant, acting  upon the living machine in  a most
forcible and healthy manner  in  unison  and harmony
with the laws  of nature  and  animal  life.  Cayenne
made into a tea or tincture, is  useful to  bathe the bow-
els in dysentery, colic, rheumatic joints, inflamations,
bruises and sprains, or any soreness of the limbs.   A
dose is  from  one  fourth to a whole teaspoonful of the
powder taken in warm water sweetened.


          MYRICA CERIFERA.—The Root.

  Bayberry or Wax Myrtle, is a shrub that grows in ev-
ery kind of soil, and rises  from two to  four feet high,
and  branched at the top, and is covered with a greyish
bark ; the leaves are oblong, wedged  shape, broadest at
the outer end ;  it  bears a greyish berry, which  grow in
a cluster on the side of the branch, and is covered with
a substance  from which bayberry tallow is obtained.
The bark of the root only, should be used for medicine ;
it possesses  powerful medical  properties, and is  the
most valuable  astringent  in use, being astringent and
tonic, and may be safely  given in all diseases ;  it pro-
duces a stimulating  effect  upon the mouth, and is an
excellent article to remove canker and cleanse  the sys-
tem.  There is no form of disease in which, if proper-
ly administered, but that it will have a beneficial effect.
It is a  valuable remedy in scarlet fever, sore throat,
diarrhea, dysentery, bowel complaints, or any disease
that is  attended with canker.   From half to a teaspoon-
ful  may be  given at a dose in  warm water sweetened to
suit the taste.

         NYMPH^EA ODORATA.—The Root.

   White Pond  Lilly.   It  may  be known by its large
white flower  of a delicious fragrancy, which closes at
night, and opens again in the morning.  It has a creep-
ing fibrous root;  the leaves may be  seen floating upon 
MEDICAL PLANTS.                121
the water, and are  round or heart shaped, with a cleft
opening at the base.  The root of this plant is only us-
ed as a medicine ; it possesses a high degree of astrin-
gency, and is generally used in poultices, and washes,
externally applied to tumors and offensive sores,

       HAMAMELIS VIRGINICA.—The Leaves.

   Witch Hazle.  This  is  a common  shrub,  growing
from  six to ten feet  high, trunk  crooked and knotted,
smooth greyish bark, diversified with ash spots, irregu-
lar branches  at the top, leaves rather  large, smooth,
alternate,  and  roundish ;  they  should be gathered in
August, before  they begin to turn ; the  leaves  are the
most  valuable for medicine, and possess the astringent
and tonic properties ;  it is highly beneficial made into a
tea for canker, bowel complaints, bleeding at the stom-
ach and lungs.

          RUEUS STRIGOSUS.—The Leaves.

  Red Raspberry.   Of this there is several species, but
the leaves of  the wild  red raspberry are  the only kind
used for medicine ; it is moderately astringent, with a
slightly bitter and aromatic taste ;  an infusion is given
to children for  bowel complaint, sore mouth, and as a
wash  to cleanse old sores, &c.  It grows in most parts
of the United  States, and is  so common  that it needs
no description.

        RHUS  GLABRUM.—Leaves and Berries.

  Sumach.  The smooth  or upland is the kind mostly
used ; it may be found near fences, and on  the side of
stony hills.  Their  leaves  are an astringent and tonic,
and may be used with other articles  where astringents
are necessary ; the  berries are diuretic  and have  a
pleasant acid taste.
                         11 
122
MEDICAL PLANTS.
          STATICE LIMONIUM.—The Root.

  Marsh Rosemary.  This plant is called by some, sea
lavender, or sea thrift ;  it grows  in salt marshes along
the whole extent of our sea  coast.  The root is the
part used  for  medicine, and is one of the most power-
ful astringents we use ;  it  is  not much  used  only as
a gargle, excepting in ointments for external use.

         TRILLIUM PENDULUM.—The Root.

  Beth Root.  Beth Root is most commonly found in
damp rocky  wood  land ;  it has  a short fibrous  root,
stems smooth and erect, and from six to ten inches high,
with three leaves in a whirl  at the top, and one whitish
terminal flower, situated beneath the leaves ; it possess-
es astringent tonic, and antispeptic properties, and is
generally used in cases of hemorrhages, excessive men-
stral discharges, &c.

       HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS.—The Root.

  Golden Seal.  This plant is very rarely found in the
New-England States ; small quantities, however, have
been  collected in different  parts, but it grows most
abundant in the Western States-^-Ohio, Indiana, Mich-
igan, Kentucky—and is found in great quantities  west-
ward of the Alleghany mountains.  Golden Seal is one
of the most valuable tonics in use ; it may be used in
all cases of debility and loss of appetite.

          HELONIAS DIOICIA.—The Root.

  Unicorn.   This plant has a perennial  root,  and is
known by the name of blazing star, false  unicorn, and
devil's bit.  It has an irregular tapering root, somewhat
fibrous,  an inch and a  half long, half an inch thick,
very hard, end abrupt as though it had been broken  off
The leaves are pale, smooth,  evergreen, and spread 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
123
upon the ground  in the form of a star, three or four
inches long, narrow at the base, and tapering at the
point ; the stem is from ten to fifteen inches high, and
terminates in a drooping and graceful bunch of flowers,
or tassel, of a dull  white color : it  blossoms  in June.
The root is the only part that possesses medical prop-
erties, and it is highly celebrated as a tonic ; it is ben-
eficial in loss of appetite, or any derangement  of the
digestive organs.

           CHELONE GLABRA,—The Herb.

  Balmony.  This  plant is found in meadows and near
the borders of streams, and is  called bitter herb, turtle
bloom, shell flower, snake head, the latter probably on
account of the blossoms  resembling a snake's head.
It has a smooth, erect, four cornered stem,  from two to
four feet high ; leaves  opposite, tapering, four or five
inches long, edged  with acute  teeth, and are of a dark
green color when fresh  ; flowers white and sometimes
tinged with red.  Its most active propertives are tonic
and laxitive ; it  is  useful  in costiveness, loss of appe^
tite, dyspepsia and general debility.

       POPULUS TREMULOIDES.—Inker  Bark.

  Poplar or American Aspen.   This tree  is found in
open lands, and in borders of woods  ; it blossoms about
the first of May ; the bark is very  smooth, of a light
brown color, intermixed with white spots ; the leaves
are roundish, edged with irregular teeth,  and supported
by upright foot  stalks ; the slightest breath of air puts
them in  motion, which gives  it the name of quaking
aspen.   The large  aspen  or bitter  poplar is also used
in medicine ;  the bark has a thick dark ross ; it grows
in dry and wet lands, but is  not  as common as  the
American aspen ; it should be collected in the Spring
while the sap is rising.  Poplar bark is an agreeable
bitter, and is used in most of the tonic preparations. 
124
MEDICAL PLANTS.
        CYPRIPEDIUM HUMILE.—The Root.

  Lady's Slipper.  Of this plant there are  four varie-
ties, the purple, yellow, white,  and  grey or  tall  lady's
slipper ; the purple is most commonly used in medicine ;
this has received  the  name of dwarf umbil, American
valerian, nervine, and Noah's  ark.  It grows in  open
woods, but is found most  plenty among  pines.  The
root is composed of a number of  long, brownish col-
ored,  fibres, which grow horrizontal from the centre ;
the  leaves proceed directly from the root, and are never
more  than two in number ;  they grow opposite of each
other, are about two inches wide, and four or five long,
tapering, and of a paleish green, supplied with  nerves,
extending from base to point ;  the flowers are large, of
a light pink or purple color, with veins of  a darker hue,
and deposited on the  top of a  naked stem,  from  eight
to twelve inches  high ; the flower resembles somewhat
a lady's slipper, or moccasin,  from which it  took its
name,  Dr. Thomson considers it to  be one of  the
most  valuable nervines and  antispasmodics  known.
He says, " I have used it about fifty  years, and  have
always found it to produce the  most beneficial  effects,
in all cases of nervous diseases,"  This  is known  to
most people by the name of nerve powder.

      SCUTELARIA LATERIFLORA.—The Herb.

  Scullcap.  This plant grows in  low lands of a rich
soil, along streams which are overflowed with water in
the spring, and are dry during the  summer ;  it has  an
erect four-cornered  stem,  twelve  or eighteen inches
high, the  branches opposite, but none reach above the
main stork ;  the  leaves are heart  shaped at the base,
opposite, pointed, and edged with irregular  teeth ;  the
flowers are of a light blue, always on the  under side of
the branch, and  make  their appearance about the first
of  July ;  the seed-vessels  are of a light green color,
and contain four seeds,  Scullcap  is a very prominent 
MEDICAL PLANTS.             12S
nervine, and used as a tea, we think is superior to the
lady's  slipper.   It is also a  tonic and anti-spasmodic,
and  should be  freely used  in St. Vitus' dance,  con-
vulsions,  locked jaw, hydrophobia,  and all  nervous
affections.

        PANAX QUINQEFOLIUM.—The Root.

   Genseng.  The American Genseng is scattered over
all of  the Northern  and Western States ; it grows
principally in rich woodland.   It is an aromatic, tonic,
and nervine ; given in a tea, it  is  strengthening to a
weak stomach,  promotes appetite, and will give  tone
and vigor  to the  nervous system.

APOCYNUM  ANDROSCEMIFOLIUM.—Bark of the Root.

   Bitter Root.   This plant  flourishes  in  almost all
parts of the  United States, and is called  wandering
milk-weed, honey-blow, catch-fly ; it grows in  wettish
lands, plains, mowing grounds, and is found along fen-
ces, and in borders of woods ; it has a dark brown,
creeping root, with thick  bark, and sends up an  erect
stem, branched at the  top, from one to three feet high ;
sides that  are exposed to the  sun, are often of a  red-
dish cast,  leaves opposite, oval,  acute, smooth, green
upon the upper  surface,  pale beneath,  and about two
inches long ;  white  bell-shaped flowers, tinged or red-
dish within, and deposited in small clusters on  the end
of the branch, succeeded by  a  pod two or three inches
long, about the  size  of a pipe-stem,  always hanging
down.   Bitter root is in much estimation by some  as a
laxative and tonic when combined with  other medicines.

     BERBERIS VULGARIS.—Bark of  the Shrub.

  Barberry, is a small shrub  growing from three to
six feet high ; the stem and branches  are armed  with
thorns pointing downwards ;  it is mainly  distinguished
                           11* 
126
MEDICAL PLANTS.
by clusters of oblong scarlet berries, which are obtain-
ed for family use.  The inner  bark of the stork and
root, is the part generally  used  for medicine ; its  lead-
ing properties are a tonic and laxative ; combined with
other articles, it is given in jaundice, bilious  affections,
&c. ; it is also used as a restorative medicine in the
spring, in cases of languor and debility ; it improves
the appetite and removes the yellow tinge from the eyes
and skin, and produces a  favorable change throughout
the system.

          JUGLANS CINEREA.—Inner Bark.

  Butternut.   This tree generally grows in open wood-
land or cleared  fields, and attains  to a  considerable
height; it  yields a well known fruit,  which is much
estimated for the  pleasant taste of its inner substance
or meats.   The bark  is the  part  used for  medicine ;
its leading  properties are  a cathartic ; it is  generally
prepared in the form of extracts and made into  pills,
and cordials  or syrups ; these aie administered as cir-
cumstances may require, as a laxative or cathartic.

        LEPTANDRA V1RGINICA—The Root.

  Black Root.  This plant grows near  the  banks  of
streams, or hedges, and  in open  dry situations ; the
root is of a  dark color,  irregular, and  very  fibrous ;
stem round, and from two too four feet high, leaves  in
whorls, and five in number ,  the  stem terminates with
a spike of white flovi ers, which  blossom in August.
This root  is exceedingly bitter, and operates  on the
bowels as a mild purge ;  it is also an antispeptic and
tonic.  A tea spoonful of  the powder may be  taken  in
a teacup of boiling water  sweetened to suit  the taste,
and repeat if necessary. 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
127
      PODOPHYLLUM PELTATUM.—The Root.

  Mandrake, also called Mayapple.  It grows in shady,
and often in moist situations, of  a deep rich soil; it has
a creeping root about half an inch thick.  The stem
is smooth and round, and  divided at the top into two
branches, each supporting a large leaf;  a large white
flower grows from the fork of the stem ;  it is succeed-
ed by an apple or fruit of an acid  taste,  which consid-
erably resembles a lemon in shape.  The root of this
plant is an active purge and should be used with a suit-
able degree  of caution, but the  fruit is a laxative ; half
a teaspoonful of the  powder may  be  taken  at  a dose,
and repeat if necessary.

            MYRICA GALE.—The Burrs.

   Meadow Fern, also called Sweet  Gale  or Bog Myrtle.
It is generally found around ponds, wet  meadows, and
along the edges of streams ; the burrs and  leaves are
generally used ; they have a fragrant odor, and  an aro-
matic bitter taste ; it is generally  used in the form of
ointments for external applications.

         POPULUS CANDICANS.—The  Buds.

   Balm of  Gilead.  It is often cultivated as an orna-
mental tree ;  the buds are only used as  medicine; their
properties  consist in a balsamic substance which is ex-
tracted by  water or alcohol; it will  strengthen weak
stomachs, promote digestion, &c-

            ULMUS FULVA.—Inner Bark.

   Slipperry Elm is an excellent  mucilage,  and is ex-
tensively used as an  article of medicine ; it is highly
beneficial in diarrhea, dysentary, and bowel complaints ;
it is an important addition to enemas for piles ; it pro-
duces a soothing effect through the whole system ; it is
also a prominent ingredient in poultices. 
128
MEDICAL PLANTS.
    PINUS CANADENSIS.—Inner Bark and Leaves.

  Hemlock.  This is a well known forest tree; the inner
bark was used by Dr. Thomson as an  astringent, or
anticanker medicine ; but  we think it too powerfully
astringent to use  alone, and therefore  we  recommend
its use only in combination with other articles.

        PRUNUS VIRGINIANA.—Inner Bark.

   Wild Cherry.   The inner  bark has a spicy,  bitter
taste ;  it is an agreeable tonic, and is considerably used
in dyspepsia,  jaundice,  diarrhea, and  worms ;  and is
externally applied for a wash to cleanse offensive sores.

     ZANTHOXYLUM FRAXINEUM—The Bark.

  Prickly Ash.   This shrub  is  occasionally  met with
in the Middle, but grows most abundantly in the South-
ern and Western States, and is scattered  along hedges,
and grows from six to eighteen feet high, with altern-
ate branches,  which are covered with sharp scattered
prickles.  The bark and berries are considerably used
in medicine ;  the berries are  the most valuable ; the
leading properties are a stimulant and tonic.   Dr. Matt-
son gives it as an approved remedy in ague and  fever,
rheumatism, pain in the stomach and bowels, dyspepsia,
drowsiness,  cold hands  and  feet, and  all affections
depending on a sluggish circulation ; half a teaspoonful
of the  powder may be taken at a dose.

              JUNIPERUS.—The Berries.

  Juniper, is a small evergreen shrub, varying from five
to fifteen feet high, and resembles somewhat the  com-
mon savin, but it may be distinguished from it by  a ber-
ry which  it bears,  of a  dark green,  or  purple  color,
about the size  of a  pea ; the  berries are a prominent
diuretic, and are used in  dropsical complaints, and dis-
eases of the urinary passages ;  they are generally used
in the form of a tea. 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
129
         PINUS BALSAMEA.—The Balsam.

  Fir Balsam is obtained from a small blister,  which
forms on the  body of the fir tree ;  and is estimated for
its healing qualities, and in  the  form of tincture  it is
useful in coughs, weak stomachs, &c. ; and externally
applied to wounds, scalds, burns, &c. it is highly useful.

           INULA HELENIUM.—The Root.

  Elecampane grows from two to four feet high, and is
generally known by its long,  large leaf, and its  round
yellow flower, which  resembles that of the  sunflower
in appearance; but not as large ; and is generally found
about houses, or by the road  side ; it is much valued
for  its expectorant properties, and is used  in coughs,
consumption  and asthma ; half a teaspoonful of the
powder  may  be  taken at a dose, in molasses or  honey
two or three times a day ;  more generally, however, the
root is combined with other articles.

           ICTODES FOETIDA.—The Root.

  Skunk Cabbage. This plant is generally known ; when
broken it has a peculiar smell, and is found  in swamps
and wet meadows ; the  root of this plant  may be used
in combination with other medicines, where expector-
ants are needed.

          ARUM TRIPHYLLUM.—The Root.

  Wake Robin.  This plant is also called Wild or In-
dian Turnip ;  the root is similar in shape to that of an
onion, and has a very  pungent fiery taste ; it is consid-
ered a valuable ingredient added to cough mixtures,

      SANGUINARIA  CANADENSIS.-The Root.

  Blood Root is an emetic,  and expectorant; as an
emetic we think it unsafe ; and do not use it as an ex-
pectorant unless combined with other articles. 
130
MEDICAL PLANTS.
         ARALIA NUDICAULIS.—The Root.

  Sarsparilla  is  -generally  found in woodlands and
thickets ; it has a balsamic, fragrant, and warm aromat-
ic sweetish taste ; it is a popular  remedy  in  scrofula,
rheumatism, syphilis,  diseases of the skin, and  mer-
curial salivations ; it is generally used in the form of
syrups.

            GEUM RIVALE.—The Root.

  Evan Root.  Purple Evan, or chocolate root, grows
in swamps  and wet meadows ; the root of this  plant
is an  astringent and  tonic.  It is said by Dr. Howard
to be  useful in dyspepsia, and in bleeding at the lungs,
diarrhea, colic, and sore throat.   It is also good to re-
store  feeble  and shattered constitutions.   The root
may be boiled in milk or water, and sweetened to make
it palateable.  A wine glass of it may be taken several
times a day, or a teaspoonful of the powder, mixed with
honey or molasses, taken as above,

      ARCTIUM LAPPA.—Thr Root and Leaves.

  Burdock.  This root may be employed in diseases of
the kidneys, and obstructed urine ; a decoction may be
made, and  a half  pint of it taken  in the course of a day.
The  bruised leaves  are externally applied to sprains
and bruises, ague in the face, and is used for  other ex-
ternal applications.

            RUMEX  CRISPUS.—The  Root,

   Yellow Dock.—Also called sour or curled leaf Dock :
the root  is a  cathartic ; a strong decoction of it has
been employed in cases of bilious colic, which proved
highly beneficial, but is  most generally  used in oint-
ments for external applications. 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
131
      ARISTOLOCHIA  SERPENTARIA.—The Root.

   Virginia Snakeroot.   Of this  plant there  are three
kinds ;  the Virginia may be distinguished by the broad
heart shaped leaf; it is usually found in dry, shady pla-
ces ;  it is esteemed in typhus fever, being a diaphoretic,
tonic,  antispeptic, and stimulant ; it is also used in
pleurisy, rheumatism, remittant and other fevers,

         ASCLEPIAS TUBEROSA.—The Root.

   White Root, also called Pleurisy root, is  generally
known, and highly  estimated for the cure  of pleurisy,
all  cases of difficulty of breathing, or shortness of
breath, and all diseases of the lungs ;  in every affection
of this kind, says Dr. Howard, it  may be regarded as
one of the most valuable of the  milder articles of the
materia medica, and is considerably used in various
compounds.

          ARALIA RACEMOSA.—The Root.

  Spikenard.   This is  generally raised in gardens; the
root and berries are the parts used as a medicine, and
are popular remedies for coughs,  female difficulties, and
is a valuable tonic.

             EPIPHEGUS VIRGINIANUS.

  Beech Drops.  This singular plant is found growing
under beech trees ;  the root is a  little knot or mat with
short, crooked fibres ; stem eight or  ten inches high,
branched, beset with buds or  scales instead of leaves j
this plant is an astringent,  and has a bitterish,  nauseous
taste, and is a useful canker  medicine, for sore mouth,
dysentery, &c.

   CELASTRUS SCANDENS.—The Bark of the Root.

  Bitter Sweet.  The bark of the root is the part used •
it has a sweetish and nauseous taste ; it is  sometimes 
132
MEDICAL PLANTS.
 used  in  diseases of the skin, and impurities  of the
 blood ; but we think it not of much  value, only  in oint-
 ments for external applications.

            RUBUS VILLOSUS.—The Root.

   High Blackberry.  This article is generally known,
 and is a powerful astringent, and should be used  with
 care ; it is a valuable ingredient in dysentery  cordials,
 or syrups ;  in severe cases a tea  may  be made of it,
 and half a teacupful given to an adult, and a table spoon-
 ful to  a child at a dose, two or three times a day.

        APOCYNUM CANNABINUM.—The Root.

   Indian Hemp.   The root of this plant is a  diuretic,
 and diaphoretic, and is useful in dropsical complaints ;
 a decoction  of it  may  be taken in the quantity  of two
 table spoonfuls, three or four times a day, and oftener
 if necessary.

       CHIMAPHILA  UMBELLATA.—The Herb.

   Pipsisewa,  is a small evergreen, and  is generally
known by the name of Princes' Pine ;  it is a  valuable
diuretic, and may be given in all diseases of the urinary
organs, scrofula, dropsy, and nervous debility.

          GALIUM APARINE.—The Herb.

   Cleavers.   This plant  has  a square,  slender, weak
stem, two or three feet high, having many joints, branch-
ed, and thickly set with sharp  prickles ;  from each joint
grows eight  small  pointed leaves ;  flowers small and
white, and grows in damp ground among  bushes  ; it is
a valuable diuretic ; an infusion of it may be  drank in
gravel complaints, and in  all cases of obstructed  urine. 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
133
         MITCHELLA REPENS.—The Herb.

   One Berry, or Partridgeberry, is a small  evergreen
vine,  growing  usually in  beds or mats, covering the
ground ;  it is found in shades, and is quite common un-
der the hemlock ; the vine has a small  roundish leaf,
and bears a small red berry.   The leaves and berries
are a diuretic, and may  be freely used where diuretic
medicines are necessary.

           COPTIS TRIFOLIA.—The Root.

   Gold Thread, is found in swamps, and low marshy
woodlands, and is generally known  by its long yellow
threadlike root, which  is a bitter tonic ; it is a popular
remedy in sore mouth  and canker ; half a teacupful
of the decoction may be taken two or three times a day.

         MARRUBIUM VULGARE.—The Herb,

  Hoarhound.   This plant grows along road  sides, and
around houses ; it has a strong smell, and a bitter taste ;
it is valuable in removing obstructions, and is also used
in coughs, asthma, &c. and in large doses is a laxative.

     EUPATORIUM PERFOLIATUM.—The Herb.

  Boneset or Thoroughworl.  This is a  very common
plant, and inhabits meadows and low moist grounds ; it
has a very  disagreeable, bitter taste ; it  is an emetic,
tonic, expectorant and stimulant; an infusion  of it in
small doses  will produce  perspiration ;  if repeated it
will operate as an emetic ; it is  an excellent article in
colds.

       ERIGERON CANADENSE.—The Herb.

  Fleabane.  This plant" is generally found in pastures
and neglected fields, and is commonly called colts-tail;
it has a  hairy,  branched stem, from one  to four  feet
                        12 
134
MEDICAL PLANTS.
high,  thickly set with long pointed  leaves ;  it has a
warm pungent taste, with bitterness  and astringency;
its properties  are said  to  be stimulant, tonic  and di-
uretic.  Dr. Mattson gives it as a sovereign remedy in
dysentery ; a teacupful of  the tea may be given every
hour or two until a cure is  effected.

     SPIRAEA TOMENTOSA.—Leaves and Flowers.

  Hard Hack, is generally found  in moist ground ;  the
leaves and flowers are a bitter astringent;  an infusion
made of it is useful in diarrhea, bowel complaints, &c.

       HEDEOMA PULEGIOIDES.^The Herb.

  Pennyroyal.' This is an annual plant, and is too well
known to need any description, and is common through-
out the United States :  it is a warming stimulant, and
diaphoretic, is much used, and will promote perspiration,
and may be freely drank during a course of medicine.

          MENTHA PIPERITA..—The Herb.

  Peppermint.  This  plant  has  a pleasant  odor, and
a warm, pungent, aromatic taste, with a  sensation of
coolness ; an  infusion  promotes perspiration, and  may
be employed in flatulency, to relieve  hysterics, pain in
the head and  bowels, and to check nausea or vomiting.

           MENTHA VIRDIS—The Herb.

  Spearmint, grows  in wet lands  ; it has a warm, pun-
gent,  bitter  taste, and a strong aromatic smell ; it is a
stimulant and tonic,  and is useful to remove sickness at
the stomach, and to check]vomiting. 
MEDICAL PLANTS.
135
     GAULTHERIA PROCUMBENS.—The Leaves.

   Wintergreen,  This is a  beautiful little evergreen,
 which is found on hills and mountains, and beneath the
 shade of the  pine tree ; it may be distinguished by its
 warm  fragrant taste, resembling that of black birch ; it
 is a stimulant  and  diuretic,  and employed  with many
 other articles, in diseases of the urinary organs.

         CROCUS OFFICNALIS.—The Flowers.

   Saffron is generally raised  in gardens, and  is well
 known by most people ;  it is highly beneficial in treat-
 ment of children ; a tea of  it may be given  in  scarlet
 fever,  measles, red gum, and  many  other diseases to
 which children are subject.

   Sassafras is a stimulant, and antispeptic ;  it may be
 used as an ingredient in cordials, syrups, &<c.
   Cinnamon,  is  a  stimulant,  tonic,  carminative, and
 stomachic ;  it is usually combined with bitters, composi-
 tion powders, &c.
   Cloves have a hot aromatic taste, and strong fragrant
 odor, and are used in flavoring medicines.
   Ginger has an agreeable aromatic taste, and is a very
 good substitute for cayenne as a stimulant ;  it is used
 in powders,  beer, syrups, &c.
   Summer Savory  has a sharp aromatic and pungent
 taste ,•  an infusion  of  it will warm and invigorate the
 system, and promote perspiration ; if  taken at bed time
 it will frequently arrest a sudden cold.
   Sage is a garden plant, having a strong fragrant odor,
 and  a warm, bitter, aromatic, and  somewhat astringent
 taste ;  used in  the form of a tea, it stimulates^and eases
 the arterial  and nervous  excitements, relieves pain  in
the head, and quiets the mental faculties.
   Mayweed is a disagreeable bitter tonic, sudorific, and
anodyne ; it may be given in colds, rheumatism, dropsy,
and hysterics ; taken warm, in large doses, will produce
perspiration. 
136
MEDICAL PLANTS,
   Chamomile Flowers have a bitter, nauseous taste ; it
possesses in a high degree, tonic properties, and is use-
ful to strengthen and invigorate the system, increase the
appetite, remove flatulency, and  acidity, arising  from
dyspepsia.
   Solomon Seal.  The root of this plant  is a mild re-
storative, useful in  female weaknesses ; it  is also re-
commended for consumption and general debility.
   Nettle.   This root is useful in  gravel, inflamation of
the kidneys, pleurisy, spitting of blood, and in all  cases
of hemorrhage.
   Smartweed is very common ;  it is found by the  road-
side, and about houses, and is very valuable to prevent
or check mortification ;  also  in bowel complaint,  but is
most generally used  in the form of poultices, or washes
for external applications to swelled  joints, and to allay
inflamation, &c.
   Tansy, double, made in the form of a tea is useful in
female complaints, worms, colic, &c.
   Wormwood is a very bitter tonic, and may be given to
children that  are troubled with worms, or indigestion,
and is a useful article applied to bruises and sprains.
   Jerusalem Oak, or Worm Seed,  is an excellent vermi-
fuge medicine, and is extensively used among children
for worms, in the  form  of powder, or  in a  decoction,
which should be made pleasant with honey or molasses.
   Dandelion is a diuretic, tonic, aperient,  and  has a
direct action upon the liver and kidneys, exciting  them
when langiud, to action ;  it is usually given in the form
of extract, decoction or syrup.
   Indian Posey has a bitter aromatic taste ; an infusion
of it may be  freely  used which will promote perspira-
tion ; it is useful in colds, fevers, and  influenza.  The
leaves and blossoms may be externally applied in  cases
of quinsy or sore throat, 
PART r.
       VEGETABLE  COMPOUNDS.

                 COMPOSITION.

  Take of Bayberry 2 pounds, pleurisy root 4 ounces,
hemlock 2 ounces, ginger one pound, cloves 2 ounces,
nerve powder 1 ounce, cinnamon 1 ounce, cayenne 2
ounces, pulverized fine, well mixed and sift.
  Those powders operate in harmony with  the laws of
nature, and stimulate the human system  to  a healthy
action,  and  may therefore be safely employed in all
stages of disease to which men, women, and children
are subject; it is a very useful and  convenient family
medicine.
  It acts as  an alterative, and  promotes perspiration
equalizing circulation, and  removes  obstructions, such
as febrile attacks, colds,  coughs, hoarseness, sore throat,
influenza, croup, colic, small pox, scarlet fever, mumps
and  measles ; this  disease is  often  cured  with a free
use of Composition.  Dose for an adult, in severe at-
tacks, a tea-spoonful of  the powder, two tea-spoonfuls
of sugar, stir them  together, and add a teacup of boil-
ing water ; when sufficiently cool, the tea  only should
be drank, and the patient should be in bed with a heated
stone at the feet.   For children  the dose  should be
moderated according to the age.   If Compositon is to
be drank during the day, and the individual  much ex-
posed to open air, it should be taken  moderately warm,
in order to prevent a profuse perspiration, which is lia-
ble to be suddenly checked, and  would  thereby injure
the person ;  a little milk added to this, makes it a  very
pleasant, and a good beverage for children.
                         12* 
138         VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.
             DIAPHORETIC POWDER.

  Take of white or pleurisy  root, nerve powder, and
bayberry, each  one pound, golden  seal half a pound,
cayenne quarter of a pound, and mix thoroughly to-
gether.   This powder is benefical in dyspepsia, loss of
appetite, pain or weakness of the stomach,  side, and
bowels, indigestion, headache, flatulency or wind.  Half
a tea-spoonful of the powder maybe taken in half a tea
cup of warm water, sweetened to suit the  taste, two or
three  times a day.

                EMETIC POWDER.

  Take of lobelia seed a desirable quantity, and pul-
verize fine in an iron mortar ; take  of the  leaves and
pods,  pulverize them  and sift, and add half as much
of the herb as there is of the seed, and mix them.  This
powder should be  put  into  vials or jars,  and stopped
tight, for the air impairs the strength.

                  WORM POWDER.

  Take of Jerusalem oak, bitter  root, each one ounce,
poplar, golden  seal, balmony  and wormwood, each half
an ounce, pulverized fine and  mixed.   This preparation
can be taken with  perfect safety by young or old.
  I)ose—a teaspoonful mixed with honey  or molasses,
once  or twice a day as circumstances  require.

                  SPICE  BITTERS.

   Take of unicorn, golden seal,  bayberry, nerve pow-
 der, prickly ash, ginger, bitter root, barberry, balmony,
 and cinnamon, each four ounces,  poplar one pound,
 cloves and cayenne each two ounces, sugar four pounds,
 all pulverize! fine, well mixed and sift.
   These bitters will warm and purify the blood, correct
 the bile, restores the digestive powers, and  creates an
 appetite.   They will relieve pains in the head, stomach 
VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.         139
and bowels, coldness of the hands and feet, strengthen
weak stomachs, &c.  May  be freely used both as a
restorative, and to prevent disease.
  Dose—a teaspoonful in half a gill of warm water,
sweetened, to be drank quite  warm three times a day,
before eating.

                 WINE BITTERS.

  Take of poplar three pounds, golden  seal, barberry,
balmony, each one pound, unicorn, nerve powder, prick-
ly ash, each half a  pound, bitter  root,  cayenne, each
four ounces, pulverized fine, mix and  sift.
  Directions.—Take one ounce of the above  powder,
put  it into a pint of boiling water, with four ounces of
loaf sugar ; when sufficiently  cool, put the whole into
a bottle and add one quart of Madeira wine.
  Dose—from half to  a wine glassful,  three  times a
day  before eating.
  This tonic is beneficial in dyspepsia, loss of appetite,
general debility, liver affection,  jaundice, weak stomach,
or any derangement of  the digestive organs ; it is also
beneficial to persons recovering from sickness.

                FEMALE POWDERS.

  Take of bayberry, unicorn, poplar,  golden seal, nerve
powder, prickly ash, each one pound, gum myrrh, cin-
namon, cloves, each half a pound, cayenne four oun-
ces, sugar four pounds, pulverized fine, mix and sift.
  This preparation is confidently recommended as an
excellent remedy for female  weaknesses, flour albus,
and irregular  menstrual  discharges, low  or debilitated
state of  the system.
  Dose—a teaspoonful  in  a  tea cup of warm  water
sweetened with loaf sugar, three or four^ times a day ;
in obstinate cases, the vegetable composition should be
taken at the same time. 
VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.
                COUGH POWDER.

  Take of elecampane, skunk  cabbage, wake  robin,
nerve powder, .each two  ounces, hoarhound, boneset,
lobelia leaves, each one  ounce, elm, blood root, cay-
enne, each  half an ounce, all pulverized fine, mix and
sift.
  Dose—a teaspoonful mixed with molasses or honey,
to be taken when there is an inclination to cough.

           LIQUID COMPOUNDS.

               RHEUMATIC DROPS.

  Take fourth proof brandy, three gallons, myrrh, two
pounds, bayberry  half a pound, cayenne  four ounces.
Pulverize the articles and put them into some conven-
ient  vessel ; let them  stand for a week or ten days, and
stir or shake them occasionally ;  draw  the liquid  off
and put it up for use.
  Dose—a  teaspoonful mixed  in a tea cup of warm
water, sweetened,  is  beneficial  in  colic, pain in the
stomach, cramp, convulsions, sprains, Rheumatism,  in-
flamation,  mortification,  hysterics,  delirium tremens,
and  all violent attacks of disease.

              DYSENTERY CORDIAL.

  Take  of bayberry,  wild cherry bark,  poplar, hard-
hack, high  brier root, and scullcap,  each four ounces,
myrrh and cranesbill, each two ounces.   Put the above
ingredients into a copper or brass kettle, and  add three
gallons of water ; boil gently for two and a half hours ;
strain  through a  coarse  cloth,  and  add  six or eight
pounds of loaf sugar to the liquid ; boil  again till the
scum  ceases to rise  ; remove it from the fire, and stir
in half a pound  bruised  peach  meats, cinnamon and
cloves, each two ounces.  When sufficiently  cool, add
one gallon  brandy, and half a  pint rheumatic  drops,
and bottle for use. 
VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.         141
  It is  good for bowel complaints, dysentery, relax,
cholera morbus, weakness of the stomach or bowels,
and the summer complaint in children.
  Dose—from  a tea  to a table spoonful for  children,
and repeat according to the urgency of the case.  For
adults, from a table spoonful to a wine glass and repeat
as the case requires.

                 COUGH BALSAM.

  Take of  hoarhound, spikenard,  elecampane, com-
frey, each two  ounces, liquorice, skunk cabbage, each
three ounces,  wake  robin, scull  cap,  lobelia leaves,
each one ounce, and reduce the articles to a coarse pow-
der ; boil in three gallons of water in a convenient ves-
sel, one and a half hours ; strain and have six quarts
of liquid ;  then add four  pounds of sugar, one quart
of honey, and  simmer until the scum  ceases to rise.
When cool  add two quarts of brandy.
   Dose—from a tea to a table  spoonful  three  or four
times a day, according to age and circumstances, or of-
tener if the cough is severe.
   This vegetable  preparation  is composed  wholly of
those articles which are known to be good for all disea-
ses of the lungs.   It  allays irritation, and' causes  an
easy  expectoration.   It  has  an  admirable  effect in
coughs, asthma,  whooping cough,  tightness of  the
breast and  difficulty of breathing.  It may be taken at
all times, by old and young with perfect  safety.

               MOTHERS'  CORDIAL.

   Take a small quantity of catnip, fennel seed, liquor-
ice stick, and add a pint of water ;  boil to a  half pint
and strain  oft'  the  liquid ; add  to it a tea cup  of honey,
while  hot,  and stir thoroughly together ; let it stand
 until about blood warm, then add half a pint tincture of
 scull  cap,  and half  a tea cup of tincture of lobelia.
 This cordial  is  an excellent article for children,  and 
142        VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.

should be used instead of elixer or  paragoric.  It may
be freely given to children that are irritable, or restless.
  Dose—from one to four  teaspoonfuls, according to
age and circumstances,

              SARSPARILLA SYRUP.

  Take sarsparilla root two pounds, princes' pine, and
mezeron bark, each one  pound, bayberry and poplar,
each half a pound, bitter root four  ounces.   Boil them
in six gallons of  water until the strength is extracted ;
strain, and sweeten with molasses to make  it pleasant,
and add spirits  enough to  preseve it.  This syrup is
highly beneficial in the treatment of eruptive  diseases,
erysipelas,  scrofula,  salt rheum, and in removing the
injurious effects of calomel from the  system, and all
impurities  of the blood.   It will strengthen weak stom-
achs,  and regulate the bowels.   If  people  would  make
use of it as a drink, instead of beers, soda-waters, and
the like  injurious things, it  would be much better for
their health.

                   EYE-WATER.

  Take gold thread and raspberry leaves, each a hand-
ful ;  add half the  quantity  of emetic herb, and a small
quantity of bayberry root.   Steep the above ingredients
in a pint of water, until the  strength is extracted, strain
and add one gill of rum.  This is used as a wash for
the eyes when inflamed or otherwise affected.

           ANTISPASMODIC TINCTURE.

  Take of pulverized lobelia seed two ounces, cayenne,
nerve powder, each one ounce,  brandy  one quart ; put
the whole in a close stopped vessel, and  infuse for a
week or ten  days ;  shake  together occasionally ; the
liquid only should be used.
  This  preparation is an active and powerful emetic. 
VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.        US
It is used in violent or critical cases of disease, such as
locked jaw, cramp, convulsions, fits, epilepsy, delirium
tremens, hydrophophia,  hysterical attacks,  poisoning,
and severe  attacks of croup.   Drowned persons have
recovered by its use, even when  other  remedies have
failed ;  it travels  the system with wonderful rapidity,
and rarely fails  to restore the patient.
  Dose—from  a tea to a table spoonful, or more, ac-
cording to the nature of the disease ; in convulsions,
fits, locked jaw, it may be given in large doses.

             TINCTURE OF LOBELIA.

  Take one pound of Lobelia herb, reduced to a coarse
powder ; add  one quart of spirit, and a pint of water ;
infuse for a week  or  ten  days, and strain ; it is then
ready for use.   This preparation is  a very convenient
one for children ; it is frequently given as an emetic.
  Dose—for a  child, a teaspoonful; for an adult a table
spoonful given in a tea of composition or pennyroyal.

             TINCTURE OF SCULLCAP.

  Pulverize two  ounces of scullcap, and add a pint of
spirit  ; infuse for eight or ten days, and strain.
  It is benficial  in  all nervous affections, such as  St,
Vitus dance, convulsions, hydrophobia, locked jaw.
  Dose—from  two to three teaspoonsful, more or less,
as the urgency  of the case may require.

             TINCTURE OF CAYENNE.

  Take of alcohol  one pint, cayenne two ounces, in-
fuse for eight or ten days and strain.
  This preparation is  a  valuable  external application
for rheumatic joints, bruises, or insensibility. 
144        VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.
             TINCTURE OF MYRRH.

  Take of alcohol a pint, gum  myrrh pulverized, one
ounce ; infuse for fifteen or twenty days, strain, and it is
fit for use.  Add to it an equal quantity of water, and
it may be used as a wash for sore mouth, spongy gums,
and ulcerated throat.   It is also applied to fresh wounds,
and offensive ulcers.

                   ESSENCES.

  These  ate generally prepared by adding the essential
oils to  alcohol.   The preparations generally, are one
ounce of the oil to a pint  of alcohol.  Those mostly
used, are peppermint,  spearmint, pennyroyal  and  win-
tergreen.  <


    PILLS, LINIMENTS AND SALVES.

                STOMACH PILLS.

  Take of scullcap one ounce, lobelia seed pulverized,
three ounces, cayenne half an ounce.  Mix the ingre-
dients  in a mucilage of elm, or buckhorn brake, and
form into pills.  These pills  may  be employed with
advantage in asthma, difficulty of breathing, consump-
tion, indigestion, and pain in the stomach or head.
  Dose.—One may be taken  before each meal during
the day.

                 SUMACH PILLS.

  Take  fir balsam and sumach gum, equal parts, and
loaf sugar sufficient to form them  into pills.  These
pills are beneficial in those complaints which females
are subject to.
   Dose—take one or two at a time as circumstances
may require, 
VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.         145
               VEGETABLE PILLS.

  Take gamboge, extract of butternut, and mandrake,
each four ounces, black root and  blood root, each two
ounces, lobelia seed one ounce, cayenne half an ounce,
finely pulverized, sifted, and well mixed, boiled molasses
one gill.  After the molasses is sufficiently boiled, add
the butternut, and  dissolve them together ;  while warm
add the powders and mix.  Form into pills  about the
size of a pea, and roll them in cinnamon.
  Dose—from four to six in ordinary cases.

            STIMULATING LINIMENT.

  Take pure white soap six ounces, camphor two oun-
ces, oil hemlock one ounce, tincture cayenne four oun-
ces,  alcohol one  quart.  Infuse  in a closely  stopped
bottle a week or ten days, shaking it well together, two
or three times a day.

                 PILE OINTMENT.

  Take of  marshrosemary root and nut galls, each one
and a half ounces, lard  eight ounces, mix and  simmer
well together,

           MEADOW  FERN  OINTMENT.

  Take of meadow fern burrs and balm of Gilead buds,
equal parts, and  moisten them with water, and  simmer
in lard, until the strength is extracted ; then  strain and
put into some convenient  vessel for use.

                  HEALING SALVE.

  Take  of white pine turpentine,  fresh butter,  and
beeswax, each three ounces, fir balsam one ounce, melt
and mix  well  together, then strain  and  cool  for use.
This  salve is applied  to burns  and sores,  after they
have been cleansed by poultices.
                         13 
146        VEGETABLE COMPOUNDS.
                 COMMON SALVE.

,   Take of beeswax, mutton tallow, and Venice turpen-
tine,  equal parts, a  small  portion of honey, and the
yolk of an egg may be added, and melt them together.
This  salve  should  be applied to fresh  wounds, bad
cuts,  &c.  It will exclude the air and favor the healing
process.

           STRENGTHENING PLASTER.

   Take four ounces white rosin, hemlock gum, burgun-
dy pitch, beeswax and fresh lard, each one ounce ; melt
them  together, and pour them into a vessel of cold wa-
ter, and work them with the hand as a shoemaker works
his wax.  It should be spread on soft  leather, and may
be applied to a weak back or any  other part of the
body.

                CATARRH SNUFF.

   Blood root, bayberry, bitter root, sassafras, and cin-
namon, each one ounce.   Pulverize fine, sift, and mix
well.   This snuff may be used in catarrh, headache, &c.

               CANCER PLASTER.

   The most approved cancer plaster is  the extract of
clover.  This is obtained by the usual way of obtaining
extracts ; take a desirable quantity of red clover heads,
put them in  a kettle, and  add water  enough  to  cov-
er them ; boil over a gentle fire until their  strength is
extracted, and strain the  liquid through a coarse cloth ;
press hard enough to get out all the liquor : put this in
some  suitable vessel, and  place it in a kettle of water,
and boil it over a slow fire until it becomes as thick as
tar.  This may be spread on soft leather or stout  linen
cloth.  This plaster is applied to cancers and indolent
sores. 
LIST OF TEAS.
147
               LIST OF TEAS.

                PENNYROYAL TEA.

  Take of pennyroyal a suitable quantity, boiling water
a pint; steep in a close covered vessel until the strength
is extracted.   It should not be boiled, for it injures the
medical properties of the  tea.  This tea is given dur-
ing a course of medicine.

                 BAYBERRY TEA.

  Take  of bayberry two teaspoonsful, nerve  powder
one teaspoonful, cayenne  one fourth of a teaspoonful ;
steep in half a pint of boiling water, and add sugar to
suit the  taste.  This tea is active and may be given in
violent or critical cases of disease.

                DIAPHORETIC TEA.

  Take of bayberry and scullcap each one teaspoonful,
white root, cayenne,  green lobelia,  each half a tea-
spoonful,  and  steep in a pint of boiling  water.  This
tea is used in  sudden colds, croup, cramp, colic, nerv-
ous affections, and pain  caused by wind.  It is benefi-
cial between courses of medicines ; also in scarlet and
typhus fevers,

                   NERVINE TEA.

  Take of scullcap or nerve powder and motherwort
each one  teaspoonful, powdered, water half a pint, and
steep in a covered vessel.   This tea is a valuable rem-
edy in all  nervous  affections ; it should be kept warm,
and employed as a drink, sweetened to suit the  taste.

                   CANKER  TEA.

   Take of raspberry and witch hazle leaves, equal parts,
bayberry two  teaspoonsful, hemlock  one  teaspoonful, 
148         POULTICES AND ENEMAS.
water half a pint, and steep until the strenglh is extract-
ed.   This tea  is beneficial in all cases of canker, and
should be freely used as a drink.

                 DIURETIC TEA.

  Take of poplar, juniper berries, cleavers,  princes'
pine, each a small handful, boiling water a pint ; steep
and sweeten to suit the taste.  This tea may  be used
in cases of strangury, gravel, or any  disease of the
urinary organs.

                POULTICES.

               COMMON POULTICE.

  Take of  fine elm two parts, indian meal and ginger
each one part; mix  with hot water to the proper con-
sistence to form a poultice.  This is applied to biles, and
to cleanse old sores and tumors, allays inflamation, &c.

           POULTICE FOR SWELLINGS.

  Take of fine elm and white pond lilly, each two parts,
lobelia, bayberry, wake robin  and ginger, each one part.
Mix in hot water to the proper consistence for a poul-
tice, and apply while warm.   For white swelling, whit-
lows, felons, carbuncles,  and all painful tumors  and
swellings.  This is highly beneficial.

        ENEMAS, OR INJECTIONS.

               COMMON ENEMAS.

  Take of  pennyroyal or any herb  tea, two  teacupsful,
nerve powder, fine elm, each  one teaspoonful, rheumat-
ic drops half a teaspoonful.   This may be administered
at any time to produce an evacuation of the bowels. 
PROPERTIES OF PLANTS.         149
               ENEMAS FOR PILES.

   This enema may be made by steeping a small quan-
tity of witch hazle, red raspberry, scullcap, and sumach
leaves, in a suitable quantity of water, to  which may be
added a small quantity of bayberry, and  a teaspoonful
of fine elm.  If there is much  soreness of the parts,
the liquid should be strained, as the sediment frequently
occasions pain.

             STIMULATING  ENEMAS.

   This enema may be made of the following articles ;
one fourth of a teaspoonful of composition, half a tea-
spoonful of nerve powder, rheumatic  drops and  fine
elm, to which may be  added  two  teacupsfull of warm
water, and administered about blood warm.

         PROPERTIES OF PLANTS.

   In  order that the reader may readily  find the various
plants possessing the same properties, we  give the most
prominent ones under the head of Emetics, Anti-Spas-
modics, Stimulants, Antispeptics, Expectorants, Tonics,
Astringents, Laxatives, Demulcents, Nervines, Diur-
etics, Vermifuges, Carminiatives, Cathartics, Aromat-
ics, and Antiacids.  This arrangement  will enable  the
reader to become acquainted  with the various plants
which are used for a specific purpose/, without being to
the trouble of looking  over the whole list of medical
plants.   If  he wishes  to know what the prominent
Emetics,  Stimulants,  Nervines, or any other  class of
medicines are, he  will only have to turn to the head of
that  class of remedies.

  Emetics.  These are  medicines which produce vom-
iting, and free the stomach from its morbid or vitiated
contents.  The most efficient emetic  used is Lobelia
Inflata.   It acts in perfect harmony with the laws of the
                          13* 
150         PROPERTIES OF PLANTS.
human system, and is not attended with any dangerous
results.   The  secondary emetics are  blood-root, bone-
set, skunk cabbage, and Canada snake root; a tea  of
composition, if the stomach is very much disordered,
will  operate as  an emetic, but not otherwise.  All the
secondary emetics cannot be  employed  with  safety;
some of them  are harsh and dangerous.
  Anti-Spasmodics.  These are  remedies employed  to
alleviate spasms, locked jaw, delirium tremens,  hydro-
phobia,  apoplexy,  hysterical  attacks, and  suspended
animation.   The anti-spasmodic tincture, is one of the
most powerful  agents  used, in this class of medicines.
The others  are lobelia, scullcap, cayenne and lady's
slipper.
  Stimulants.   Stimulants are  medicines  that produce
perspiration, and excite action  in the living body.   The
purest stimulant is cayenne ; the milder stimulants, are
prickly ash,  ginger, cinnamon, bayberry, fleabane, pep-
permint,  spearmint,  Virginian  thyme, pennyroyal and
summer savory.   We should always select the pure and
healthy stimulants, avoiding those which are acrid, pois-
onous or narcotic.
  Antiseptics.   Antiseptics are  medicines  which are
employed to prevent  or  arrest  the progress of mortifi-
cation, and are applied  externally o* internally  as the
occasion may require.  Among  the various antisep-
tic  remedies are gum myrrh, rheumatic drops, cayenne,
vinegar,  wormwood, smartweed, and white  ash bark.
A  tea made of white ash bark, applied to the parts
affected, has  been known to  arrest severe cases  of
mortification.
   Expectorants.  Epectorants  are medicines that loosen
and promote  the  ejection of  mucus, and other fluids
from the chest, that is, from the windpipe, air-cells, and
 passages of the lungs.  They  are beneficial in croup,
asthme, inflamation of the lungs, consumption, whoop-
ing cough and catarrh.  They include honey, liquorice, 
PROPERTIES OF PLANTS.         151
cough syrup, cough balsam, cough jellies, lobelia, slip-
pery elm, buckhorn brake, Irish moss, fir balsam, liver-
wort, hoarhound, boneset, comfrey, elecampane, spike-
nard, skunk cabbage, wake robin and cayenne.  The
three last should be compounded with some of the mild-
er ones.  These compose the principal expectorants.

   Tonics.   Tonics or restoratives, are a valuable class
of medicines ;  they  promote the appetite, strengthen
the digestive organs, and restore a weak or debilitated
system.  They  are  generally  resorted  to in recovery
from sickness, to  give a firm  tone to the system, and
to assist nature, whereby the living powers are enabled
to perform  their functions.  The  leading  tonics are
American aspen or  poplar bark, goldenseal, unicorn,
barberry,  balmony,  peachrneats, boneset,  chamomile,
ginseng, gold thread hoarhound and wormwood.

   Astringents.  Astringents are those medicines which
pucker the mouth, and contract the parts to which they
are  applied, or render it more dense and  firm.  They
include beth root, evans  root, white pond lilly, marsh
rosemary,  bayberry, hemlock, witch hazle leaves, red
raspberry leaves, sumach leaves, myrrh, fleabane, hard-
hack, wintergreen and  yarrow.

   Laxatives.   Laxatives are those medicines which will
remove costiveness, and are distinguished from cathar-
tics, inasmuch  as they regulate the bowels, without
purging.   The principal laxitives are bitter root, black
root, golden seal, balmony, barberry and American as-
pen.
   Demulcents.  It is supposed that mucilages enter the
 mass of the blood, and impart to it mucilaginous quali-
 ties, and  also  make  soothing impressions upon  the
 stomach  and bowels, communicating to  other parts of
 the system, their qualities ; hence, they are beneficial
 in coughs,  diarrhea, dysentery and  inflamation, and are
 extensively used in the form  of poultices  for external 
 152         PROPERTIES  OF PLANTS.

 applications.  Among them are hollyhock  blossoms)
 slippery elm, comfrey, buckhorn brake and Irish moss.

   Nervines.  Nervines are  agents which act directly
 upon the nervous system ; they quiet the nerves, with-
 out  stupifying or deadening their action or sensibility.
 The principal  nervines are purple lady's slipper, scull-
 cap, wild lettuce, lobelia, and yarrow.

   Diuretics.  Diuretics are those medicines which act
 upon the  urinary organs ; they  enter  the  system by
 absorption, and come in contact with the kidneys, which
 increase the urinary secretion.  Diuretics consist of
juniper berries,  cleavers, wild lettuce,  princes' pine,
coolwort, fir, halsam, featherfeiv, and American aspen.

   Vermifuges.   Vermifuges  are  medicines which  are
given to destroy  or expel worms from the system.   The
articles most commonly used, are Jerusalem oak, bit-
ter root, poplar,  balmony, wild cherrytree bark, golden
seal, and wormwood.  Indigo is frequently used,  but
we think it unsafe, and do not recommend its use.

   Carminatives.   Carminatives  are  those  medicines
which will expel wind from the body.  White or pleuri-
sy root, fennel, annis seed, peppermint,  spearmint,  Vir-
ginian thyme and sage.  All of these articles are more
or less valuable in removing pain caused by wind.
Pleurisy root, however, is the most active, and  may be
freely used in most cases of disease.

   Cathartics.  Cathartics or purgatives act by stimula-
ting the intestines with greater force than their natural
contents, and increase the quantity of secretions from
their  inner coat.  They include  butternut,  mandrake,
black or culvers  root, yellow dock, senna, elder flowers,
and sumach bark.

   Aromatics.  Aromatics are those articles which  dif-
fuse an agreeable odor, and have a pleasant  aromatic
taste.   The most diffusive ones,  are peppermint, spear- 
COURSE OF MEDICINE.          153
mint,  fir balsam, camphor,  golden  seal, black birch,
summer  savory, Virginian thyme, tansy, cloves, penny-
royal, featherfew,  wintergreen, ginseng,  and meadow
fern buds.

  Antiacids.  Alkaline substances  are generally used
to neutralize the acid or  sour  stomach,  as  it is often
necessary.   The following alkalines are  generally em-
ployed ;  salseratus, pearlash,  magnesia, bi-carbonate
soda.

         COURSE OF  MEDICINE.

  The importance of emetics  in the treatment of dis-
ease will readily be seen, when we take into consider-
ation the intimate sympathy existing between the stom-
ach and  other organs, and parts of  the body.  As the
stomach is the common centre of sympathy, it possesses
to a great degree,  the control of every other organ  in
the body ; and it is only through its influence, that the
system is enabled  to overcome the disease.   As the
stomach  often  becomes  diseased, it  is  necessary  to
administer  a course of medicine to cleanse it of its
morbid or vitiated  contents.   This,  says  Dr. Mattson,
is the "  one remedy for all disease" which the  diploma-
tised physicians have condemned as  being unphilosoph-
ical and absurd.   We do not hesitate to  say, however,
judging from what  we daily see of the regular  practice,
that  a course of  medicine will do  more in a few
hours, towards the removal of disease, than is  often
accomplished by the old  school practice in days and
even weeks.  It equalizes the circulation, removes ob-
structions, invigorates the system, and restores every
organ to its natural and healthy  condition.   When these
results are produced, it matters not  what may be the
type of the disease, it tends to perfect a cure.
  A course of medicine consists of a series of remedies,
which are peculiarly adapted  to the removal of disease ;
and unlike the lancet, calomel,  arsenic, blistering, dig- 
154
COURSE OF  MEDICINE.
italis,  opium, and the like poisons, employed by the
regular faculty, they act  in haimony with the laws of
the human system, and are not attended  with any dan-
gerous consequences.

  A course of Medicine in severe  attacks.—In giving
a course of  medicine in severe  attacks of  disease,
where an emetic is immediately to be taken, it is usually
given without much preparation, excepting  a free  use
of  composition,  bayberry or  pennyroyal tea, with  a
heated stone placed at the feet.   When the patient
is sufficiently prepared for the reception of the emetic,
it may be  prepared by  adding  half a  teaspoonful of
lobelia seed to half a teacupful of pennyroyal or any
other herb tea, to be taken at one dose.  If vomiting
does not ensue in  fifteen or twenty minutes, the second
dose may be administered, prepared in the same man-
ner as the first ; if vomiting is not  likely to be effected
in  fifteen  or  twenty minutes, the  third dose  may be
given ; three doses is  the usual number required, but
sometimes one is sufficient, and  at other times six or
seven are required.
  Whilst taking  the emetic, and during its operation,
the patient should drink freely of warm  pennyroyal, or
some other herb tea, which has  a tendency to  promote
vomiting, as well as to make  it more easy.  It  may be
regarded as a general rule, that the more a person drinks,
especially if vomiting be difficult to excite, or  is labo-
rious, the more readily and easily he will vomit.
  A course of Medicine in chronic complaints.—In
chronic complaints, or cases of long standing,  such as
dropsy, consumption, liver complaints, rheumatism, &c.
the patient should  take, four or five times a day, a dose
of composition powders, or spice bitters ; in constipa-
tion, the stimulating enemas should be used to evacuate
the bowels, before the application of the vapor bath.
  When the  patient is  sufficiently prepared for the
course of medicine,  he should be placed in bed,  and
the vapor  bath administered  by means  of  the steam 
COURSE OF MEDICINE.         155
pipe,  or  heated stones  wrapped  in damp cloths, and
placed at the sides and feet.   When tho patient gets in
a profuse perspiration,  the emetic  may be  given  by
adding half a teaspoonful of lobelia  powder, in half a
teacupful of pennyroyal or any herb tea, sweetened, and
repeat the dose every twenty  or  twenty-five minutes,
until the stomach is effectually cleansed.  The quantity
must  be governed by the judgment of the  individual
administering ; remembering  during the operation  of
the emetic, to give freely of nervine or stimulating teas.
  In  treatment  of children, the  tincture of lobelia is
usually given, in the quantity of  a teaspoonful in pen-
nyroyal tea, sweetened  to suit the  taste.  The  vapor
bath may be administered in the  same manner as  re-
commended above.   Emetics  should never  be given,
unless in extreme cases, without  the patient taking
freely of warming medicine to produce perspiration.

         APPLICATION OF VAPOR BATHS.

  The application of steam or the vapor  bath, to promote
perspiration, is highly beneficial in all forms of disease ;
the vapor may be applied to the  system in various forms ;
the  most efficient way of obtaining vapor, is  by means
of a tin or copper boiler of a convenient size ; it  may
be so constructed as to set on a furnace or stove, with a
pipe issuing from the top, about three-quarters of an inch
in diameter, with a knee and stop  faucet, to admit of a
horizontal pipe-   The pipe may be made of tin or cop-
per, and of any desirable length;  it is  generally  made
in pieces from twelve to eighteen inches long, one end
being the  largest, to admit the end of the other, so that
by this means the pipe may be lengthened or shortened
as circumstances may require ; the last length of the
pipe should have a cup attached to it about three inches
across and two inches deep, with numerous small holes
in the cover, which will admit the  vapor to pass out in
a slow manner.  The  steam  may be  obtained in this
manner and conveniently administered according to the
circumstances of the patient. 
156         COURSE OF MEDICINE.
  Baths with Blankets.—The vapor bath  may  be ad-
ministered, if the patient is not too  weak, by placing
him in a chair, divested of his clothes, and surrounding
him  and the  chair by one or two blankets  reaching to
the floor, leaving his face uncovered that he may inhale
fresh air ; the end of the pipe containing the cap should
now be placed beneath the chair, the vapor  gently  let
on by  means of the faucet, and should be regulated
according to the feelings  and circumstances of the pa-
tient.   Composition or stimulating teas should  now be
given.   If the individual complains of being  faint, the
face and breast may be sponged or wet with cold water ;
when  he  has perspired sufficiently, which will be in
fifteen  or twenty minutes, he should be thoroughly wip-
ed off with a coarse towel, without being exposed to
the cold  air ; he  may  then be dressed or put in bed as
the circumstances may require.

  Vapor by Steam Box.—A  very  convenient  mode of
administering the vapor bath, is by means of a wooden
box two  and a half feet square, and seven  feet high,
with a platform fitted in about two inches from the bot-
tom, and  bored  full  of small holes ; the steam  pipe
should be  introduced  between  the two bottoms, so as
to cause  the  vapor to pass up equally through the plat-
form on which the  patient stands ; a seat is fitted of a
convenient height  in  the  back part of the  bath, and a
door is placed in front with two circular  openings, one
above the  other, which  enables the'patient to breathe
the external air  either in an erect or sitting position ;
a curtain may be placed over each opening and remov-
ed at pleasure.  The  vapor should be regulated  by
means of  the faucet, and the temperature may be raised
from one, to one hundred and twenty degrees, according
to the feelings of the patient ;  stimulating drinks may
be freely  given  as above.  The main  object  in  this
treatment to  be kept in view, is  to keep  the  internal
heat of the patient,  the  highest ; if faint,  part  of a
tumbler of cold  water may be dashed in the face ;  if 
COURSE  OF MEDICINE.        157
this revives him, the patient should remain in the bath
until a free perspiration is produced, and then  be wiped
dry with a coarse towel; he should be warmly dressed
or put in bed, and use precaution, and not expose him-
self suddenly to cold air, for a sudden check of perspir-
ation  is attended with more or  less serious derange-
ment of the system.

  Bath in Bed.—In  many  cases it is necessary  to ad-
minister the vapor bath when the patient is too weak to
stand or sit; in those cases the bath may be administer-
ed while the patient is in bed ;  the bed should be placed
as circumstances may require, and the steam  pipe in-
troduced beneath the  bed-clothes, and  the cup  placed
near the feet of the patient, or near the  seat of pain in
any part of the system, the steam  then  let in, and the
temperature regulated according to the feeling  of the
patient ; the patient in the meantime should drink free-
ly of  composition or stimulating teas ; if the patient is
faint, his face and breast may be  wet with cold  water  ;
the vapor should be  continued until the patient has per-
spired sufficiently, which will  generally be effected in
ten or fifteen  minutes ; the patient, then, should be
thoroughly  wiped with a coarse towel wet in  warm  wa-
ter, in order to remove the glutinous or gumy substance
which is thrown out upon the surface of the body while
perspiring; if permitted to remain on  the  surface of
the body, it deters  the insensible perspiration,  which
tends to derange the system, and increase the existing
malady.  Care should be taken  not to  expose the pa-
tient  to the cold air,  the  hand may be passed  in bed
beneath the bed clothes,  by  which means it  may be
prevented,  and the patient briskly rubbed, as  friction in
some  cases  is  of  much importance ; the linen then
should  be  changed, and  bed-clothes removed,  or he
should be put  into a bed previously  warmed  and pre-
pared  for the occasion, which  is preferable ;  no gar-
ment, however,  should  be put  on the patient without
being thoroughly aired or warmed by the fire.
                          14 
158
COURSE OF MEDICINE.
  Bath by heated Applications or  Stones.—When it is
not convenient  to  obtain a steam-pipe  and  boiler, it
may be administered  as  follows :  take  two  or  three
stones or bricks heated  quite hot, immerse  them  in
water till they have  done hissing, and wrap them  sepa-
rately in  damp  cloths, placing them at the sides and
feet of the patient; stimulating teas should be used as
above.  When the  stones become  cold,  if the patient
has not perspired sufficiently,  they  should  be  removed
and their place supplied with hot ones, and continued
until free perspiration is produced.   This is a conven-
ient way of administering the vapor bath in milder cases
of disease, and is generally used while giving an emetic.
It is also administered in severe colds, and light attacks
which the system is subject too, and will  generally ar-
rest a fever in its early  stages : a  stone  placed  at the
feet will generally relieve  headache.  Persons who are
troubled with cold feet or  rheumatism,  will  find it high-
ly beneficial by  placing a heated stone at  the  feet on
going to bed, and drinking freely of composition tea ;
it tends to allay inflamation, equalize  circulation, and
gives  tone and  vigor to  the  whole system, by which
means, when he  rises  in the morning, he finds his joints
limber, the system  vigorous, and ready to  perform its
daily task. 
PART VI.
                     ^989^


           CAUSES, SYMPTOMS,
                       AND

       TREATMENT OF DISEASE.

   As a general thing, the cure of disease does not de-
pend so much upon scientific treatment as many imagine.
If we  acquaint ourselves with the structure and func-
tions of the human  system, and by attending the sick,
and carefully  observing the various  occurrences in dis-
ease, a great degree of accuracy may be acquired, both
in distinguishing their symptoms, and in the application
of medicine.   Every disease is attended  with an  as-
semblage of symptoms, and must be distinguished from
each other by those which are  the  most  obvious and
prominent.
  If we pay proper  attention to  the patient's age, sex,
temper of  mind, constitution, and manner of life, it will
greatly assist  us, both  in  the investigation and treat-
ment of disease.  In children the fibres are lax  and
soft, the nerves extremely irritable, and the animal fluids
are thin ;  but  in old age the fibres are rigid,  and the
nerves become almost insensible.  The effects of dis-
ease  are different on different constitutions.  Delicate
persons, for example, with weak nerves, who are mostly
confined  within doors, should not  be  treated in any
disease precisely in the same manner, as those who are
more  exposed to  the open air, and  are of a hardy,  ro-
bust  constitution.   The  quantity of medicine, and the
frequency  of the courses given,  must  be regulated ac-
cording to the age  and circumstances of the patient. 
160           REMARKS ON FEVERS.

  In the treatment of disease,  it would be  proper  to
know whether it is constitutional or accidental, or wheth-
er it has been of a long or  short  duration ; whether it
proceeds from any sudden exposure, or from the man-
ner of living.  The state of the  patient's  body, and of
the  avocations ought to be enquired into.  We  may
be much assisted by knowing what disease the patient
has been subject to, and what medicines have been most
beneficial to him.
  Persons that  know  no  better,  imagine that  every
thing which goes by the name  of medicine, possesses
some wonderful power or secret  charm, and think if the
patient swallows drugs enough, he must get well.   This
mistake has led to many serious consequences ; people
trust to  drugs and neglect their own endeavors  ; and it
often discourages all attempts to relieve the sick, when
proper  medicines might be  obtained.  Medicines  no
doubt are useful in their places,  when of a proper kind,
and administered with prudence and care may do much
good;  but when  they are poisonous, and  administered
at random, which is frequently  the case, they do more
hurt than good.   We wish,  therefore, to  call  the  atten-
tion of  our readers from the pursuit of secret medicine,
to such as they are acquainted with.   A proper admin-
istration of these often does much good,  and there is no
danger  of their doing any harm.

   Remarks on Fevers.   Fever, as  we have  remarked,
is an eftbrt  of  nature to  free  herself of  an offending
cause.   It should be the  business of those who have
the  care of the sick to observe  with diligence, which
way nature points, and endeavor to assist her operations.
Our systems are  so constituted  as  to have a  constant
tendency to expel, or throw off  whatever is injurious to
health ;  this  is  generally  done  by urine, sweat, stool,
expectoration, vomiting, or some  other  evacuation.
 There  is reason to believe, that if the efforts of nature
 at  the  beginning of a fever were duly attended to, and
 assisted, the cause might be  easily removed.   But 
      MODE OF ADMINISTERING MEDICINE.   161

when it is not assisted, but even counteracted  by pois-
onous medicines, it is  not to be  wondered at  that this
disease proves fatal.   Fresh air is highly beneficial to
patients in fever ; it removes his anxiety, revives his
spirits, and proves  a benefit every way ; nothing spoils
the air of a sick person's chamber, or hurts the patient
more, than a number of people  breathing in it.   When
the blood is  inflamed, or  the humors in a putrid state,
air that has been breathed repeatedly, greatly increases
the disease.

  Mode of administering  Medicine.   In the treatment
of disease, we  shall not in every case give the precise
mode of administering a  course  of medicine, as we
think it is a matter of great importance to every individ-
ual, at least those  who are heads of families,  to make
themselves acquainted with the properties of medicines,
and  different modes of administering them ;  we have
been concise in giving directions in our course  of med-
icine, vapor bath,  emetics, &c. ; it would be  but little
trouble for people to commit it  to  memory, and  would
greatly assist them in the treatment of disease.
  In the treatment of disease, where a course of medi-
cine is to be  given, the same course  may be  pursued
as directed under the head of a  course  of medicine,
followed with enemas, stimulating teas, &c.  When we
speak of giving an emetic, it is to give pennyroyal or
stimulating teas, and  lobelia sufficient  to  cleanse the
stomach.   By  tonics, it  may be  understood  that we
mean any of those strengthening  medicines which are
given under  the head of  tonics.   Judgment, however,
must be used in administering them, as there cannot be
any definite mode laid down for that.  The quantity of
medicine  should always be regulated according to the
age, circumstances, or strength of the patient.  When
we use the term diaphoretic tea, we mean the one given
in the list of teas  ; but when we  speak of stimulating
teas, we  mean any of a stimulating nature, and may be
selected according to the choice of the patient; but we
                           14* 
162
LUNG FEVER.
wish to have the diaphoretic tea distinguished separately
by itself, as it is a stimulant, nervine, and  anti-canker
medicine, and it will be considerably referred to in most
cases of disease.   With these directions, if judgement
and discretion is used, we think persons will be able to
treat most of the diseases to which the human family are
subject.

                   LUNG FEVER.

  Lung fever is generally attended with more or less in-
flamation on the lungs.   The patient is generally seized
with cold chills or shivering, succeeded by heat, flushes
of the face, dryness of the skin, intense thirst, tongue
thickly  coated with white fir,  which generally grows
darker as the fever advances.   The breathing  soon be-
comes hurried or laborious ; a pain more or less acute,
is generally felt in some parts of the chest, increased by
breathing and  particular positions of the  body ;  the
pain is commonly fixed, but  sometimes shoots towards
the shoulders or upper part of the chest.  It is general-
ly  accompanied by a short distressing cough, by which
the pain  is increased.  The pulse  at first is most com-
monly full,  strong,  hard  and  frequent;  but in a more
advanced stage, it usually becomes weak, soft, and of-
ten irregular.
  In  severe or violent attacks, the  countenance often
becomes livid, the lips  purple, attended with stupor, and
sometimes delirium, with much difficulty of breathing,
acute pain, and a  dry harsh cough ; if there  be any
expectoration, it  is  usually of a  glutinous  substance,
and adheres  to the  sides of the  vessel  in  which it is
contained.
  This disease is most prevalent in the spring and fall,
during the cold and changeable weather.  It generally
attacks those of weak  lungs and slender constitutions.
If  the  animal  functions are weak, cold or changeable
weather has an injurious effect upon the system ; hence
persons of weak habits, should be  suitably clothed and
be very particular to avoid wet feet. 
LUNG  FEVER.
163
   Treatment.  As this disease often proves fatal, effec-
tual means  should  be immediately resorted to for its
removal.   In severe attacks a thorough course of med-
icine should be immediately resorted to, and  repeated
as the symptoms  seem to require ; it is sometimes ne-
cessary to administer  a course twice a day, but usually
once a day or every other day.  In severe cases, where
there is much congestion of the lungs, advantage  may
be gained by applying onion drafts to the stomach and
feet ; and in the treatment of children  and  feeble  per-
sons, they never should be dispensed with, as they have
a soothing effect upon the nerves, and  assist  in  equal-
izing the circulation,  which takes the determination of
the blood from the lungs, which is of great importance
when diseased or inflamed.
   We should commence by giving stimulating drinks,
such as the diaphoretic, or composition and  cayenne
tea, a  teacupful or less, according to the age  ; the va-
por  bath  should  be  applied, either by means of the
steam  pipe and boiler, or by heated applications being
placed at the sides and feet; stimulating teas should be
freely used until perspiration is produced.   As soon  as
the patient perspires  freely,  lobelia  emetic  may be
given, by taking half  a teaspoonful of the pulverized
lobelia seed, or emetic powders, added  to half  a teacup
of warm water, or any herb tea, and administer to the
patient, and repeat the dose every fifteen or twenty min-
utes until  vomiting is  induced ; pennyroyal  or some
other stimulating herb tea should be freely drank, during
the operation of the emetic.  The dose should be re-
peated until the stomach is thoroughly  cleansed .   Af-
ter the patient has had a little repose,  and the excite-
ment of the system a  little subsided, a  stimulating  ene-
ma should be given, care being taken not to expose the
patient to the cold air.  A course should be given twice
a day, or once a day, or every other day, as the severity
of the case may  seem  to  require.  It  should always
be  borne in mind,  that  the doses should be regulated
according to the age and  circumstances of the  patient. 
164
LUNG  FEVER.
  Between the course, the composition  or diaphoretic
tea should be given  to  keep the skin moist ;  if the
breathing be difficult, and the cough troublesome, a
couple of teaspoonsful  of tincture of lobelia may be
added to the diaphoretic tea, and drank whenever there
is an inclination  to cough, or one  or two stomach pills
may be taken at a time, two or three times a day.   This
treatment, if timely and properly administered, will gen-
erally arrest the most violent attacks of this diease.
  During recovery, if the patient  is nervous, a free use
of nerve powder, or any of the nervine teas should be
used ;  if constipation of the bowels  exist, one or two
enemas  should be given every day;  if this  does not
prove sufficient,  the laxative syrup may be  used, or half
a teaspoonful of  bitter root may be given in half a tea-
cup of composition tea, two or three times  a day.  The
patient's  strength  should be assisted by  proper tonic
medicines, such  as spice and wine bitters, restorative
eordials, and  the like  medicines, which will strengthen
the digestive  organs and promote the appetite.   Light
and  nourishing food  should  be taken ; those articles
only should  be eaten  which  are easy of digestion, and
great care should be taken not to overload  the stomach,
and  shun all  other causes that are likely  to produce a
relapse.
  We have been particular in giving the precise manner
of administering a course of  medicine, in order that the
reader may  know  what  course to pursue  in  all cases
where a full course of medicine is recommended.  It
should be distinctly borne in mind,  that an emetic should
never be given except in extreme cases, such  as  fits,
locked jaw, croup,  &c, without the patient  being placed
in bed, and drinking freely of stimulating or herb teas,
and being got into a free and profuse perspiration, as
this  relaxes the  system, which increases  the  nervous
influence, and loosens  the  morbid or vitiated  matter
from  the mucous  membrane  that lines the  stomach,
which enables the emetic to operate  more easily, and
more effectually cleanses the stomach from the morbid 
BILIOUS FEVER.
165
or vitiated contents.   If these rules are strictly observ-
ed, much of the severe or harsh effects of emetics  on
weak or nervous persons would be obviated.

                 BILIOUS FEVER.

  Bilious or Remittant Fever is most prevalent in low
and  marshy countries,  which abound with wood  and
stagnant waters, and is very  Common in  the Western
and Southern States, prevailing the most in hot weather
near  lakes and  rivers ;  when  their waters are low it
often rages  to  an alarming extent.   No  age, sex, or
condition is exempt from an  attack of this fever ;  but
it generally  attacks  persons of a lax habit, who live in
low  and dirty habitations, breathing impure air, using
stagnated water, exposing themselves to night air, and
partaking of unwholesome food.

  Symptoms.   The first symptoms of this fever is lan-
guor, drowsiness,  bitter  taste  in  the  mouth, nausea,
aversion  to  food,  and often  vomiting bilious matter.
The patient  generally feels a heaviness  over  the eyes,
giddiness in the head, with  alternate fits  of heat  and
cold ; there  is a severe pain and sometimes a swelling
about the region of the  stomach, the tongue covered
with a white or dark brown coating, eyes and skin  fre-
quently  presenting  a yellow  appearance, pulse some-
time a little hard, but seldom full.
  The bowels  are  generally  costive, and  the tongue,
during the paroxysm of the fe\er, after the disease has
continued for sometime, becomes dry and covered with
a whitish or light  brown fir.   There is at the  same
time 'considerable thirst, and sometimes delirium.   The
fever generally continues from eight to twelve hours,
when a slight moisture may be observed on the surface,
but more  generally the  skin  continues dry  after the
heat has declined.   A paroxysm of fever generally  oc-
curs once every day, and sometimes twice in the same
day. 
166
BILIOUS FEVER.
   Treatment.  In bilious fever, the stomach, liver and
bowels, are each more or less affected.  The  most
natural  course of treatment would be to administer a
full course of medicine, in order to restore as soon as
possible  those organs to a  healthy action.  After the
stomach is  thoroughly  cleansed,  stimulating enemas
should be given to evacuate the bowels, and should be
used several times a day, as long as the stool  is offen-
sive or unnatural.  If this does  not  produce a healthy
action of the bowels, laxative medicine should  be used,
or from four to six of the vegetable bilious pills may be
given.  Courses of medicine should be continued until
the violence of the disease  has subsided.  Care should
be taken after each course to keep up a gentle perspir-
ation, by diaphoretic and stimulating teas, and heated
applications to  the feet.   The  quantity  of medicine,
and the frequency of the doses must be regulated  by
the individual administering, judging from the effect it
produces on the patient.  The object is to keep  up his
strength, and a moist state of the skin.
  After all of the unfavorable symptoms and remissions
have subsided, we should endeavor to assist the patient
to regain his strength.   A tea  may be given composed
of Virginian snake root, ginseng,  chamomile flowers,
raspberry leaves, and bayberry ;  this should be steeped
in a suitable quantity of water, and half a teacupful of
it may be taken three or four  times a day.  If the pa-
tient is thirsty, composition or diaphoretic tea should be
used, which has  a tendency to keep up an action in the
system ; spice bitters,  also, may be  taken  once a day.
As the patient's strength increases, he may take of the
spice bitters two or three times a day ;  if this does not
increase the strength  and appetite  sufficiently, any of
the tonics or restorative medicines may be used.  The
patient should  avoid fatigue, or exposure to cold or
damp air, and a strict attention paid to diet.
   If the appetite should be too strong for the digestive
powers, and the patient eats too much, it will be almost
sure  to bring on a fatal relapse.   If the patient should 
TYPHUS FEVER.
167
find  himself pressed  at  any time, from food, or any
other cause, he should immediately take a light emetic.
If this does not remove it, a full course of medicine
should be taken.

                  TYPHUS FEVER.

  This disease is the most  prevalent in the  winter ;  it
generally attacks those who are  exposed to  damp  and
unwholesome air.  Hence  it is very common in rainy
seasons,  and proves most  fatal  to persons that live in
low and  dirty houses, crowded streets, and large man-
ufacturing towns ;  those who are confined in damp jails,
and hospitals, lying on damp ground, and excessive fa-
tigue, are most liable to its attacks.   Persons whose
constitutions have been  broken by excessive  tight la-
cing, frequent  salivation, and a free  use of purgative
medicines, are  also liable to this  disease.

   Symptoms,   When  this  complaint first comes on, a
person will feel  depression of spirits, want of appetite,
weakness, weariness after exercise, pain in the back and
head, great  dispersion  and loss  of muscular strength,
universal weariness  and soreness of  the limbs ; the
eyes appear full, heavy,  yellowish, and often a little in-
flamed.  Respiration is  commonly laborious,  hot, and
offensive ; the tongue is dry and parched, and covered,
together with  the mouth  and teeth,  with a brown or
dark sticky fir ; delirium arises and the patient mutters
much.   The pulse usually small, quick, hard, and oc-
casionally fluttering.
   When the sinking stage comes on, the pulse is very
quick and feeble ; the patient  catches at imaginary ob-
jects, picks the clothes, and a twitching of the lips, eye-
lids, and hands are perceived ; the countenance becomes
livid or sunken, tongue rough and black ; hiccuping,  a
low muttering delirium, and deathlike stupor, are among
the most unfavorable symptoms. 
168
TYPHUS FEVER.
   Treatment.   When a disease is  characterized by tho
 above symptoms, and is  ascertained to be of a typhus
 or putrid kind, the most active means should be resort-
 ed to for its speedy removal.   The patient should drink
 freely of cayenne, diaphoretic, composition and stimula-
 ting teas ;  and the vapor bath should be  administered
 by  means  of the steam box, provided it can be obtain-
 ed,  and the patient is sufficiently strong; he  should
 remain a sufficient length of time  to produce a copious
 sweat,  which  will be in ten or  fifteen minutes, and
 should then be rubbed with a coarse towel, and put into
 a bed suitably  warmed for the occasion, with  heated
 applications at the  feet ; a lobelia emetic should then
 be given, with all the other remedies requisite  for a
 course of medicine.   This will throw off the waste mat-
 ter  contained  in the system, which has a tendency to
 run to putrefaction.
  If this  bath cannot be  obtained, it may be given in
the usual manner of  applying the vapor in bed ;  two or
 three courses may be given if the  strength of the pa-
 tient is  not too much  exhausted, at intervals of twelve
or twenty-four hours.  Between the courses we should
 endeavor to keep up a gentle  and equal perspiration
over the whole  body, as  this is very necessary in all
cases of fever ;  for  this purpose, diaphoretic, cayenne,
and bayberry teas should be freely  used.   If this does
not check the violence of the disease, medical aid should
be immediately procured.
  But if the symptoms should indicate that the violence
of the disease be removed, means must be  employed
to keep  up  the  strength of the  patient.   Nervine and
diaphoretic teas,  should be  freely  used, together  with
mild stimulating  tonics.   Dr. Howard remarks, that a
patient recovering from typhus fever, should have nour-
ishing food, easy  of  digestion, soothing  and refreshing
drinks, while the room should  be well ventilated—that
is, have  a free  circulation  of air through it, but never
allowed  to come in a  current upon  the patient, and eve-
ry means used to keep the  apartment clean  and sweet; 
YELLOW FEVER.
169
and to render it more pleasant both to the patient and
attendants, the floor should  be sprinkled several  times
a day with warm vinegar and  camphor.  The clothes
of the patient, as well as of the bed, ought to be chang-
ed and kept clean.

                 YELLOW FEVER.

  Yellow Fever is a disease peculiar to warm climates ;
it is  more prevalent and more fatal in excessively hot
seasons.  That alone, however, is  not sufficient for the
production of yellow fever.   It is more commonly gen-
erated by an impure state of the air; the want of clean-
liness is a very general cause of putrid fever ;  hence
it prevails, more generally, among the  poor inhabitants
of large cities, who breathe a  confined and unwhole-
some air, and neglect cleanliness.  Sailors, also, who
are confined in ships for a long voyage, and mechanics
who are  employed in  dirty  shops or cellars, as is  the
case in large cities, are very liable  to this disease.

  Symptoms.  This disease is attended with  a  great
diversity of symptoms  in different  cases ;  in some pa-
tients the symptoms are very  mild ;  others it attacks
suddenly, with a remarkable weakness,  without  any
apparent cause ;  the  system  is so affected that the pa-
tient can scarcely walk or even sit upright without being
in danger of fainting.   He is seized  with chills, pain
in the head, back  and limbs, and occasionally with
nausea or vomiting  ; the eyes appear red and inflamed,
with a pain at the bottom of the orb, noise  in  the ear,
breathing, laborious and often,interrupted  with a sigh;
the patient complains of a pain about the region of the
stomach, back and  loins ; the tongue is at first white,
but afterwards it becomes black and thickly coated, the
teeth covered with a black crust, and he is affected with
tremors or shivering, and often becomes  delirious.   In
the last stages of this  complaint, the  pulse sinks and
                        15 
 170   INTERMITTENT OR AGUE AND FEVER.

 becomes small and quick ; the black vomit commences,
 the extremities become  cold, and  a  profuse  diarrhea
 sets in which soon reduces the patient very low.   The
 black vomit consists of blood almost  in a putrid state ;
 it resembles coffee dregs in appearance.

   Treatment.   The violence of this disease seems to
 require active treatment.   In  order to  arrest putrefac-
 tion, the system should  be cleansed by administering a
 thorough  course  of medicine, and warm stimulating
 enemas should be freely used ;  if these do not afford
 relief, they may be repeated  as soon  as the  skin be-
 comes hot and dry,  or  other  unfavorable symptoms
 arise.  The patient should be kept  in a gentle perspir-
 ation between  the  courses  of medicine, by  drinking
 freely of cayenne  and bayberry  tea, to which may be
 added a small portion of  tincture of lobelia
  We  presume no person, however, who  has  not  had
 considerable  experience, will attempt  to treat a severe
 case of yellow  fever, as it is one of the worst  forms of
 disease that is met with in  the practice  of medicine.
 If any person, however, be under the necessity of  tak-
 ing medicine  himself, or administering to any of his
 friends in this  form  of disease, and should succeed in
 arresting its progress, and the patient begins to recover,
 the same tonics or restorative medicines may be  given
 as recommended in typhus fever.

     INTERMITTENT OR AGUE AND FEVER.

  Intermittent or Ague and Fever, is a disease peculiar
to low and flat countries, with  hot  climates, abounding
 with fresh rivers and  marshes, and  is very prevalent in
the  Southern and Western States.   People that  move
to the west and south, from the high northern countries,
 are  exceedingly liable to its  attacks.   Many things,
 however, are calculated to bring on this disease, such as
poor diet, great fatigue, long watching or doing without
sleep, intemperance, grief, great anxiety, exposure to 
INTERMITTENT FEVER.          171
 cold, lying in damp rooms or beds, wearing damp clothes,
 and breathing a vitiated or  noxious atmosphere ;  the
 last is by far the most universal and  common cause of
 this complaint.  Each paroxysm of this fever is divided
 into three different stages, which  are  called the cold,
 hot, and the sweating stages or fits.
   The first or cold stage, commences with a chill in-
 vading the back, and the rest of the body, with a sensa-
 tion of creeping  or tremor.   This state  of the  chill
 when perfect, is marked by extreme cold, which requires
 an immediate application of warmth to  raise the tem-
 perature of the  body.  At the same time there is a de-
 gree of tremor or  shivering usually more  violent than
 the  impressions of external cold-   The patient  may
 continue in this  state for  a few minutes only, or  for sev-
 eral hours.  When the  chills  abate a fever  succeeds.
 The chills generally  return daily, or every other day,
 according  to the severity of the disease.  In this stage
 the pulse is frequent, small, and irregular, the breathing
 anxious and sighing, attended occasionally with a cough.
   The second or  hot  stage comes  on with a sense of
 heat over the whole body, redness of the face, dryness
 of the skin, increased thirst, pain in the head, throbbing
 in the  temples, anxiety and reslessness; the respiration
 is now more free, but still frequent, the tongue furred,
 and  the pulse  more regular, hard and full, and increases
 in those qualities  till  the perspiration begins to break
 out, the respiration becomes  more full,  and  continues
 frequent and anxious ; if the attack has been  severe,
 delirium, perhaps,  will  come on.
   In the third, or  sweating stage,  the sweat appears at
 first about the head and breast, and thence gradually
extends over  the whole  surface of the body.   As  the
 sweating progresses, the  heat abates, the thirst  ceases,
 breathing becomes free and full, and most of the func-
 tions are restored to their ordinary state ; the patient,
 however, is left in a weak and  wearied condition,  the
 pulse  becomes  soft and less  frequent, returning grad^ 
172   INTERMITTENT OR AGUE AND  FEVER.

ually to its natural state, and the anxiety  and  difficulty
of breathing are removed.  This  constitutes  the  third
stage, and completes the paroxysm of fever.

  Treatment.  In the cure of intermittent  fever, the two
leading indications are, first, to shorten the paroxysm,
and render the  intermission perfect ;  and  secondly, that
which is to be employed during the  intermissions, ;and
upon  which the radical cure of the  disease  depends.
In the  cold stage, medicine is  not only proper, but es-
sential to the safety of  the patient.  In the cold  stage
of an intermittent, the  patient  should be kept moder-
ately warm, and as there is an urgent thirst, warming
drinks should be freely used, such as composition, bay-
berry, or the diaphoretic tea.   Too free use of stimula-
ting drinks and heated applications, with the view of
moderating the sense of  cold, is  improper  ; it seldom
gives relief, and often tends to increase the violence of
the succeeding hot stage.
  During the hot stage, care should  be taken to  keep
the body in as quiet condition as possible ;  stimulating
tea should be given, together with stimulating enemas.
If the case is obstinate, this should  be   followed  by a
thorough course of medicine, using cayenne, bayberry,
and scullcap freely, which  will arrest the  paroxysm, or
greatly diminish its violence.   After  this and the suc-
ceeding stage have subsided, the tonic treatment should
be commenced, and it  is  highly important that the sys-
tem should be  kept under  a due degree of stimulation
without remission.

   Best yellow Peruvian  bark,  collombo, each  one
ounce,  cayenne,  bitter root, and nerve  powder, each
one table spoonful, water  half a pint.   Take a  large
table spoonful every two hours.  If this   is  not laxative
enough to produce the desired movement  of the bowels,
mandrake or bitter root may form a  suitable  combina-
tion to accomplish that purpose. 
SCARLET FEVER.
173
                 SCARLET FEVER.

   Scarlet Fever may be distingushed from other fevers,
by the  bright scarlet appearance of the patients skin.
It sometimes  attacks aged people, but more commonly
young people and  children ; it is  contagious  like the
measles, or small pox, and seldom attacks persons more
than once  during  life.  Scarlet fever may be distin-
guished by the rash, which is accompanied with a de-
gree of fever, and the throat is generally slightly affect-
«d ; the rash first  makes  its appearance in small red
spots about the neCk and face ;  the second or third day
it  may be seen over the whole body ; the fourth day the
eruption is generally at his height, and on  the fifth or
sixth it begins to decline.   There is sometimes con-
siderable swelling  about  the face ; the throat becomes
swelled and very much  inflamed,  and the patient be-
comes hoarse, swallowing difficult and painful, the skin
excessively hot, tongue red and dry, with intense thirst.
The throat often  becomes cankered if the inflamation
be not checked.   The more unfavorable symptoms are
vomiting, soreness of the bowels, delirium or stupor,
copious flow of urine, involuntary  discharges from the
bowels, purple spots on different parts of the body, ex-
tremities cold, a full, irregular pulse.

   Treatment.  In mild cases of scarlet fever,  it will
only be  necessary  to give  an  emetic, followed with a
free use of saffron, bayberry and  stimulating teas, to
promote perspiration, and to bring out the rash, which
is  a matter of great importance  in the treatment of this
disease ; stimulating enemas also should be freely used.
If the disease should assume a more putrid form, thor-
ough courses of medicine should  be administered, in
order*to  throw the putrid matter from the system, and a
free use to  be made of the stimulating drinks ;  copious
sweats  should  be produced in order to  throw off the
waste matter, which, if retained in the system  cankers
or runs to putrefaction.
15* 
174
MEASLES.
  This treatment should be repeated until the violence
of the disease  is subdued.   In case of canker or swell-
ing of the throat and glands, strong canker tea should be
freely used as  a gargle and drink, such  as is given un-
der the head of teas.  If it should assume the form of
putrid sore throat, it should be treated the same as re-
commended in the treatment of that disease.
  Persons  recovering from this disease, should not ex-
pose themselves  too soon, and should eat  lightly of
mild nourishing diet, as over-eating and exposure to the
cold  air, is always attended  with dangerous consequen-
ces.   It brings on an inflamatory state of the system,
which is commonly accompanied with a swelling of the
feet and limbs, resembling  dropsy ; and if it spreads
over the whole body, it generally proves fatal.  After
the patient is sufficiently recovered,  and  if none  of
those inflammatory symptoms ;re perceivable, he should
take the usual  method to bract- up the system; he should
commence by  using  some of ihe mild  tonics, nervines
and stimulating teas, and all other  remedies necessary
for the restoration of health.

                    MEASLES.

   Measles is a disease most prevalent among  children ;
it is an  eruptive disease, and the  symptoms  resemble
that of scarlet  fever.   There are several things however
by which it may be  distinguished  from scarlet fever ;
the eruption  rises above the skin more, and resembles
somewhat a flea bite, and makes its appearance  about
the  third  day on  the  chin  and  breast, and  does not
reach the  hands till the third or fourth day.

   Symptoms.   The first attack of measles is  generally
ushered in by dullness and shivering, succeeded by
heat, thirst, anxiety,  pain in the  head, back and loins,
heaviness, severe cough,  drowsiness,  running  at the
 nose,  heat and inflamation in  the eyes,  often  great
acuteness  of  sensation, so  that they  cannot bear the 
SMALL POX.
175
light without pain.  The eyelids frequently swell so a3
to occasion blindness, and the patient complains of his
throat;  vomiting,  or  looseness of the bowels, often
precedes the eruption.  The eruptions generally turn
about the seventh day ;  they turn pale  on the face, and
afterwards upon the body, and by  the  ninth  day  they
entirely  disappear.  This  disease if improperly man-
aged, often leaves the patient consumptive, or in a drop-
sical state.
   Treatment.   In  the  first attack of this  disease, but
little  h necessary, except to  give stimulating drinks,
such as safl'ron, snake  root, pennyroyal, spearmint and
bayberry, or a tea may he made by taking half a pint of
gin, half an ounce of  saffron, half an  ounce of snake
root, to which may be added a tea  cup of hot water;
one or two table  spoonsful may be given three or four
times a day.  This will turn  the  determining powers
outwards, and  generally throw out the eruption.  If it
does not make its appearance, however, in three or four
days, a  thorough  course of medicine should  be given,
followed with  a  free use  of stimulating teas ; if this
does  not bring out the eruption, the course may be re-
peated.
   If the cough should be troublesome or severe, slip-
pery elm, comfrey, buckhorn brake  or spikenard teas
may be given, cough balsam, or any of the cough mix-
tures ;  tincture of  lobelia dropped on sugar, will also
loosen and relieve a cough.  When the violence of  the
disease abates, and the patient begins to recover,  the
common tonic preparations should be  prudently used.
The patient should not expose himself too  suddenly to
currents of cold  air, as it will affect  his eyes, and have
a tendency to debilitate his system.

                    SMALL POX.

   This  disease  is supposed to be the highest state of
 putrefaction, or canker, that exists in  any eruptive dis-
 ease, and is probably  the  most contagious of any dis- 
176
SMALL POX.
ease known, and has been a scourge to the human fam-
ily.  Since the discovery  of vaccination,  its ravages
have been much less.  We think, however, that if prop-
er attention were paid to the system, its effects  would
be milder, and if proper medicines were always admin-
istered, no more difficulty, we presume, would be found
in removing this than any other eruptive disease.

   Symptoms.   The patient is seized with  coldness or
shivering, which  is  succeeded  by fever  or  heat, ac-
companied  with  great uneasiness, pain in the region
of the  stomach, soreness of the throat, pain in the head
and back, vomiting,  great thirst, stupor and sometimes
delirious.  The tongue is at first covered with a white
coat, but gradually assumes a scarlet or brown color ;
the pulse is quick and weak.  With proper  treatment
the eruption  makes  its appearance about the third or
fourth day ; it commonly appears first on the face, neck,
and breast, and extends over the whole  body in the
course of the fifth day, when the  eruption is fairly  out,
the fever, sickness, vomiting and other oppressive symp-
toms abate, and leave the patient quite at ease.
   The eruption appears  in small red spots, raising a
little above  the skin, and by degrees  forming pimples,
which generally enlarge, and on the fifth and sixth days,
are found to contain a yellowish  fluid, which appears on
the top of each pimple.   These  enlarge  considerably
during the seventh day, and about the eighth are  raised
to round  pustules, and their intermediate places become
red.  The ninth and tenth days, the face often becomes
swollen,  the eyes  frequently closed, and the  matter in
the pustules becomes thick ; the  swelling of the  face
on the eleventh day, subsides, the pustules appear quite
full, and dark spots  appear on the top, from which mat-
ter oozes, drys on the surface and forms a crust.  After
some days, the crust and the hardened  pustules fall off,
leaving the skin which they covered, of a brown  or red
color, and it is several  days before it regains its natural
complexion. 
SMALL POX.                177
  Treatment,  In the treatment of small pox, we are
not to expect that the sickness, vomiting, heat, thirst,
and fever, which occur before the  eruption appears, to
be totally escaped by the use of any class of remedies  ;
but they may certainly  be  very much alleviated, and
their influence on the subsequent disease much  dimin-
ished.  When the  type of the disease is ascertained, a
thorough  course of medicine  should  be immediately
given, to relieve  the  system of its oppression, and to
assist in bringing out the eruption.  Diaphoretic and
canker teas should be given to bring out the eruption,
and to keep the surface of the body moist.   A stimula-
ting enema should be given once or twice a day, and if
the patient should be  thirsty, he should drink freely of
composition tea, to which may be added a small portion
of tincture of lobelia.
   If  the  patient becomes  feverish, and  unfavorable
symptoms  appear,  the  course of  medicine should be
repeated, at proper intervals,  until  the violence of the
disease is abated.  The patient should  abstain from all
animal food, and should subsist on vegetable diet, such
as gruels, jellies, sago, rice, &c.  Between the courses
of medicine, pains should be taken to keep the patient's
skin in a moist state ; if he should become restless, the
stimulating or scullcap teas may be given, or the nerve
powder may be added to any other medicines.
   After the eruption is removed, and the patient begins
to recover, he should  be assisted by the  use of mild
tonics, the  administration of which  must be left to the
judgment of the individual administering them.  Venti-
lation of the room where a  patient is confined with the
 small pox, is of great importance, not only to the pa-
 tient, but is actually necessary for the comfort of the
 attendant.   Care however, should be taken not to have
 too strong a current of air come upon the  patient; his
 bed clothes also, should be regulated according to the
 season, and should be  changed  every day, or every
 pther day, at least, as  there  is usually an unpleasant 
 178      INFLAMATION OF THE BRAIN.

odor arising  from the  body of the  patient during  the
latter stage of this disease ; hence the greatest degree
of cleanliness should be observed.

          INFLAMATION OF THE BRAIN.

  Infla-nation or dropsy of the brain, may proceed from
an injury  done to the  brain itself, but more  generally
arises in consequence of other diseases.   In acute dis-
eases, such as fevers  and inflamatory affections, that
have been treated by regular physicians, and been dosed
during treatment with  poisonous  medicines, it  is often
said that the patient died  with dropsy  or inflamation of
the brain.   As this is  known to be a fatal disease, it
generally satisfies the parents or friends of the  individ-
ual who thus falls a victim to it.  We  think in such
cases, however, it oftener arises from  poisonous drugs,
than from the disease that the patient is afflicted with.
  Inflamation of the brain, however, may proceed from
injuries  inflicted upon  the head, or it may proceed from
an original laxity  or weakness of the brain, or a drop-
sical collection, or excrescences within the skull, a thin
watery  state  of the blood, a diminished secretion, sud-
den  check of perspiration, or indigestible  and poison-
ous substances taken  into the stomach.   Inflamation
also, may be  extended to the brain, from  the  eyes, in-
ternal cavity  of the nose, or from  the scalp, and other
affections  which throw an  undue quantity  of blood to
the head.

  Symptoms.   Inflamation of the brain is  generall at-
tended,  at first, with slow fever ;  the patient complains
of a dull pain in the  crown of his  head, or  over  his
eyes, sickness at the stomach, and sometimes vomiting;
the pulse is irregular and generally low ;  the  patient is
sometimes delirious, and  frequently sees  two things at
once.
  If the inflamation is  not checked, and the disease
progresses, the pulse  becomes frequent  and  hard, in- 
INFLAMATION OF THE BRAIN.      17g
tense pain in the head, and becomes fixed about the
forehead ; these pains are generally accompanied with
heat, dryness of the skin, with redness of the face and
eyes, a fixed, dull, or ferocious  expression of the coun-
tenance, laborious respiration, a red and pointed tongue,
deep colored and scanty urine, constant agitation of the
body, and convulsive movements of the limbs, which
terminate in violent convulsions of the whole body.

   Treatment.   Inflamation of the brain should be  treat-
ed with due caution and care.  The great end  to be
obtained, is to restore an equilibrium to the  circulation,
and check the determination of blood to the head, which
is actually  necessary  to allay the inflamation.  This
may be  accomplished  by applying  mustard or  other
strong drafts to the feet,  with the  usual heated applica-
tions.   Diaphoretic tea, also, should  be freely used, to
assist  in equalizing the circulation.   After a suitable
action is produced in the system, the vapor bath should
be given, by placing the pipe at the feet,  and compress-
ino-lhe clothes about the waist  of the patient, to prevent
the action of the vapor upon the chest.   At  the same
time the head should be kept  cool, by applying  cloths
wrung out in cold  water, or the head  may be bathed
with vinegar and water.
   After  we get the determination of blood  from the
head,  and the pressure somewhat relieved, a full course
 of medicine should be  given, and repeated as often as
 the urgency of the symptoms seem to require.  Stimu-
 lating enemas should be administered two or three times
 a day.   Between  the   courses,  a gentle  perspiration
 should be kept up by the use of diaphoretic, cayenne,
 and the stimulating teas, to which may be added a small
 portion of tincture of lobelia.  This treatment will gen-
 erally arrest the disease in all  curable cases.
    After the  inflamation is  checked and  the disease
 abates, the mild stimulants and tonics  should be used,
 to  restore the strength of  the  patient: the  feet and 
INFLAMATION OF THE STOMACH.
limbs should be kept warm, and care taken to avoid too
sudden exposure to cold air ; the food, also, should  be
of a very light and nourishing  kind.

        INFLAMATION OF THE STOMACH.

  All inflamations are nearly the same, but the syrup*
toms vary according to its location.  The stomach is ex-
ceedingly liable to become inflamed, as it  is the common
receptacle of numerous substances ; many of them are
liable to produce inflamation ; those that are poisonous,
or excessively hot or cold  substances  will disease the
stomach, unwholesome food, or a free use of spiritous
liquors ;  or  it  may  arise  from  diseases of the  other
organs.

  Symptoms.   In this  disease there  is  a fixed  acute
pain, and a sense of  burning in the region of the stom-
ach, with great soreness, much difficulty of swallowing,
nausea, especially after eating, and occasionally, vomit-
ing.   The tongue is  mostly red, and sometimes cover-
ed through the centre with a  brown  coating, intense
thirst, short and painful cough, hiccuping, restlessness,
costiveness, and  cold clammy sweats ;  the  pulse  is
contracted, frequent and hard, and the patient often be*
comes delirious.
  Treatment.   In the treatment of this disease, all pos-
sible care should be taken  not  to administer any thing
in substance, which has a tendency to irritate the stom-
ach.   Mucilages and mild  stimulants should be used to
allay  inflamation.  Heated applications  should be ap-
plied to the feet, and enemas administered two  or three
times a day, to evacuate the  bowels.   Ten or fifteen
drops of fir balsam may be taken ; also fifteen or twen-
ty drops of tincture of guaic, three  or four times a day,
and a free use to be made  of slippery elm  tea , two or
three teaspoonsful of tincture of scullcap may be taken
two or three times a day ; if the cough is troublesome,
a teaspoonful of the cough balsam should be taken. 
         INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER.       181

  After this treatment, if the violence  of the disease
does not abate, a course of medicine should be given,
by  adding  half a teaspoonful of lobelia seed to the
enema, and repeat  until vomiting is induced.  The
courses should be continued until the violence of the
disease is subdued.   Between the  course, the patient
should  drink  freely  of slippery elm, diaphoretic, and
weak composition tea, in order to keep in  a gentle per-
spiration.    In this disease, the patient should refrain
from all animal or solid  food, or any  substance that
would irritate the stomach, until a permanent recovery ;
arrow root,  custards, sago, slippery elm and milk, chick-
en broth, and the like  food, may be moderately  used
during recovery.

          INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER.

   Acute inflammation of the liver, is of more frequent
 occurrence in hot, than in temperate or cold  climates.
 It more frequently attacks adults, than children.   The
 most general causes are excessive heat, sudden expos-
 ure of the body to cold or dampness when heated, sed-
 entary habits, luxurious  living, frequent salivations,
 which  powerfully affect  the  liver, compression  of the
 chest by tight lacing, severe  blows or injuries  of the
 right  side, violent passions,  rage, anger,  and  excessive
 use of ardent spirits, are all calculated to derange the
 system, by which the liver often becomes affected.

    Symptoms.  They vary according to  the  degree of
 inflammation, and that part of the liver which is affected.
 In acute inflammation of  the liver, the patient is gener-
 ally seized with a chill, which  is soon succeeded by all
 the symptoms of fever; he soon feels a severe  pain in
 the right side, and a sense of weight or  fullness in the
  region of  the liver.   The pain commonly extends  to
  the breast, collar bone and shoulder of the  right side ;
  the pain is increased by pressure on the side, difficulty
  of breathing, loathing of food, and great thirst.
                             16 
INFLAMMATION OF THE LIVER.
    Chronic inflammation of the liver, says Dr. Mattson,
  is usually accompanied by a morbid complexion, loss
  of appetite and flesh, costiveness, indigestion,  flatulen-
  cy, clay  colored  stools, pain in the  stomach, a yellow
  tinge of  the skin and eyes, high colored urine,  which
  deposits  a red sediment,  and  ropy mucus, an obtuse
  pain in the region of the liver, extending to the should-
  er, and  not unfrequently with a considerable degree of
  asthma.

    Treatment.   Inflammation of the liver is the same as
  that of any other internal organ,  and  should be treated
 nearly the  same.   Acute  inflammation  of  the liver, is
 often very  difficult to cure ; sometimes, indeed, it is be-
 yond the  reach of medicine, especially if too far advanc-
 ed.  A chronic form of this disease is often very mild,
 attended only with heaviness and pain in the side.   No
 time, however, should be lost in checking its progress ;
 this may be done by making use of the  diaphoretic tea
 sufficiently to keep the skin moist ; one or two of the
 stomach pills  may be taken two  or three times a day ;
 stimulating enemas should  be used once or twice a day,
 and laxative syrups, or bitters, may be used in moderate
 doses  once a day ; the spice  bitters  should  be taken
 three times a day before eating ; the side  should be
 bathed  once a day with  rheumatic liniment, if there is
 much pain, otherwise a strengthening plaster may be ap-
 plied to the side.   A dose of the  vegetable bilious pills
 may be given once a week  ; the   best time  for taking
 them is generally on  going to bed, and  in most cases
 they will produce a movement by  morning.   In twenty-
 four hours  after they  have  done   operating, a course of
 medicine should be given, and repeated,  together with
 the pills, once  a week or  fortnight, as the  symptoms
 may indicate.  Tincture of scullcap or nerve  powder
 may be used to strengthen the  nervous system, and
proper tonics  should  be used to assist  the digestive
powers ;  light  and  nourishing food  should be used,
avoiding all fat and animal substances. 
        INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.    i83

   In cases of acute inflammation of the liver, a tea of
composition, cayenne and bayberry,  may be  taken, to
which  may be added a small portion of tincture of lo-
belia ;  if the patient be in bed, heated  applications may
be placed at the feet, and when he is sufficiently pre-
pared for its reception, a full coarse of medicine should
be given, and  repeated as often  as the urgency of the
symptoms seem to require, and the intermediate  treat-
ment regulated as directed above ; great care should be
taken to keep  up the strength of the patient.

        INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS.

   Inflammation of the bowels is  similar  to that of the
stomach.   It  is,  however, attended  with more  acute
pain, and is  considered very dangerous, and if not ar-
rested, soon terminates in death.
   Symptoms.  At the  commencement of this disease,
there is felt a sharp pain in the bowels, which is increas-
ed by pressure; a chill  sometimes invades the  body,
succeeded by a burning pain near the  navel, short and
laborious breathing, great thirst, generally nausea, and
often vomiting ; the tongue is usually  covered through
the centre  with a brown coat, pulse  quick, small and
hard.  As the disease progresses, the whole region of
the abdomen  becomes extremely painful, and appears
as if drawn together in a knot;  in this case the urine is
passed with great difficulty and pain.
   Treatment,  In the treatment of this  disease, a free
use  should  be made  of stimulating  enemas, and  the
bowels bathed with rheumatic drops, or anti-spasmodic
tincture ; heated  applications  should be placed at the
feet.  A flannel may be wet in a preparation made of
one part of the drops, and one part of vinegar, and ap-
plied to the bowels as  warm as the  patient can bear it.
After a thorough movement of the bowels, a full course
of medicine should be given, and repeated according
to the urgency of the case. 
184    INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS.

  Between the  courses, cayenne,  diaphoretic, or any
of the stimulating  and nervine teas, should be freely
used  to  keep up a lively  perspiration ;  the enemas
should be continued, of which a good part should be
slippery  elm, and a suitable quantity of nerve powder.
When the violence of the disease  is checked, the pa-
tient should use, during recovery, mucilages  and mild
tonics, or any of the restorative medicines.  Care should
be taken not to over act, as in this complaint the patient
is exceedingly liable to a relapse, even from the slight-
est causes.   The  patient should confine himself to a
light and nourishing diet, the feet  kept  warm, and ex-
posure to cold or dampness avoided.

         INFLAMMATION  OF THE KIDNEYS.

   Of this disease Dr. Buchan speaks of two kinds; one
arising from a general cause of  inflammation, and seat-
ed principally in  the external membrane of the kidneys ;
the other occasioned by the stimulus of the gravel  or
stone in  the pelvis or cavity of it, and the inflammation
occupying the internal part. It is the first  that is  here
noticed; the other will be referred  to under the head of
Stone or Gravel,
   It may be produced by wounds or bruises of the kid-
neys, strains or wrenches of  the back, lifting heavy
weights, violent  motion, intemperate habits, the use of
spirits of turpentine, tincture of cantharides, and other
mineral and vegetable poisons ; gravel or stone in the pel-
vis or cavity  of the kidneys, also produces inflammation.
   Symptoms.  In  this disease  there is  a sharp pain in
the  region of the  kidneys, invading the small of the
back, and a frequent desire to pass water, which is of a
red color and generally scanty.  If both kidneys be-
come inflamed,  the urine  is entirely suppressed, and
the patient feels  great uneasiness  when he  endeavors
to walk or sit upright.  It is also attended   with vomit-
ing,  costiveness, difficulty of breathing, and cold ex-
tremities. 
       INFLAMMATION OF THE BLADDER.    185

  Treatment.  In the treatment of this disease, it is im-
portant to arrest the inflammation of the kidney, and ap-
ply  proper remedies for its removal, at  an early a period
as  possible, for if neglected or  mismanaged it often
proves fatal.  In the first attack of this disease, diaphor-
etic and diuretic teas should be given ; the diuretic tea
to be  made by  taking juniper  berries, poplar, princes'
pine,  cleavers  and  wintergreen, each a small handful,
to be  steeped in a pint of boiling water, and  should  be
freely used ; a tea made by taking a teaspoonful of fine
elm, and a teaspoonful of gum Arabic, and  steeping in
two teacupsful of water ; two table  spoonsful to  be
taken at a time, five or six times a day ; heated applica-
tions  should  be applied  to the sides  and  feet.  The
back and  side should be bathed  with  rheumatic drops
or stimulating washes ;  if the pain is  severe, an Indian
meal  poultice, to which  may be added a small quantity
of  slippery elm and ginger, should be  applied over the
region of the kidneys ;  enemas should be used compos-
ed  of slippery elm, composition, and  nerve powder.
After this treatment, if the violence of the symptoms do
not abate, a full course of medicine should be given.
Between the courses, the same treatment should be fol-
lowed as  directed  above,  During  recoverv, the spice
bitters,  restorative  cordial, or any of the mild tonics
should be moderately used.   All  possible care  should
be  taken to prevent a relapse of the disease.

        INFLAMMATION OF  THE BLADDER.

  Inflammation of the  bladder may proceed from the
same cause as that of the kidneys.  It most commonly
attacks aged people, and is usually brought on by ex-
posure to cold, or a damp atmosphere, strains and over-
exercise, or in consequence  of inflammation of some
of  the adjacent parts, or it may arise  from stone in the
bladder.
                           16* 
 186    ERYSIPELAS OR ST. ANTHONY'S FIRE.

   Symptoms.  The systoms of this disease are similar
to those of inflammation of the kidneys.  It may be
distinguished however, by a severe buring  pain  in the
bladder ; the abdomen generally becomes swollen, with
a frequent desire to pass urine, which  discharges with
great difficulty, and  is generally  scanty ;  from being
loaded with a mucus substance, it becomes thick, of a
deep  color, and  very frequently tinged  with  blood.
These symptoms are generally accompanied with fever,
sickness  and vomiting, great  anxiety and restlessness,
sometimes  delirium, coldness  of the extremities, and a
cold  clammy sweat ensues.
   Treatment.   In the treatment of this disease, the same
course should be pursued, as recommended in inflamma-
tion of the  kidneys.  Instead  of Indian meal  poultice,
burdock or mullen leaves may be applied  to the abdo-
men, over  the region of the bladder, or the  fermenta-
tion of hops may be used, and the bowels  bathed with
rheumatic drops ; a free use must be made of the diur-
etic teas ; the stimulating  enemas, in this case,  should
be freely used, as they have a powerful influence over
the bladder ; a small portion of tincture of lobelia may
be added to the enemas, not enough, however, to occa-
sion  distressing  nausea.  Heated applications  should
be continued at the feet, as the extremities are exceed-
ingly liable to become cold, and great care should be
taken to keep the patient's skin suitably moist.

       ERYSIPELAS OR ST. ANTHONY'S  FIRE.

   St. Anthony's Fire is a disease known to most people,
and may be brought on by sudden exposure to heat and
cold, the use of unwholesome or indigestible food, living
in cold and damp  places,  the  application of blisters,
mercurial ointments, and the like  substances, that irri-
tate the skin.  It often affects the  whole body, but most
generally appears on the face, feet and legs.   Children
are liable to an  attack of this disease, but it is more
common among old people of sedentary habits. 
      ERYSIPELA8 OR ST. ANTHONY'S FIRE.    187

  Symptoms.  In this disease a person may be attacked
with a pain in the head and  back, shivering  and thirst,
succeeded by flushes of heat, loss of appetite, occasion-
ally sickness and vomiting, restlessness, and a burning
sensation of the skin ; it becomes  inflamed  in  small
spots, which gradually spread, and in some instances
cover the entire surface.  When the face is attacked, it
swells and becomes inflamed, and is  covered with red
blotches ; one  or  both of the eyes generally become
closed, if the swelling or inflammation is not  checked.
There is often difficulty of breathing and  swallowing ;
if the patient's  nostrils and mouth become very dry, and
the patient stupid and drowsy, there may be  reason to
suspect inflammation of the brain.

  Treatment.  In severe attacks of this disease, a course
of medicine should be given, and repeated  if necessary,
at proper intervals.  But in  ordinary cases, it will be
only  necessary to keep a determination to the surface
of the body.  To effect this, we should give  composi-
tion, cayenne, and bayberry tea, sufficiently to promote
gentle perspiration.  Enemas should be used sufficient-
ly to keep a regular action of the bowels.   In all cases,
the sarsaparilla syrup should be taken twice a day, and
the spice bitters once a day;  also a tea may be made of
Cyprus and poplar barks, to which may be added a hand-
ful  each of  wintergreen and princes' pine.
  If  the surface should become  inflamed,  it should be
bathed  with a tea  made of raspberry and  witch hazle
leaves, to which may be added a small portion of green
lobelia ; if this  should not allay the inflammation, a poul-
tice may be applyed to the  swelled parts ;  the slippery
elm poultice may be used, to which a little ginger  may
be added, if it  can be borne.  At the renewal of each
poultice, the inflamed or sore part should be thoroughly
washed with a decoction of white ash bark, witch hazle,
pond lilly, or any of the mild astringents.  If the inflam-
mation is in the face, or upper extremities, heated ap-
plications should be applied to the feet, and the stimu- 
 188    QUINSY OR PUTRID SORE THROAT.

 lating drinks should be freely used.   In  this  disease
 the patient should avoid all food of an oily substance.
 During recovery,  the patient should continue the use of
 the sarsaparilla syrup and spice bitters.

        QUINSY OR PUTRID SORE THROAT.

   Inflammation of the throat is often brought on  by
 sudden exposure to cold, obstructed perspiration, or by
 omitting some of  the  usual  covering about the neck,
 and by  riding or walking against the  cold  northerly
 winds, speaking loud  and long, sitting in warm rooms,
 singing with violence,  and going out into the cold with-
 out being suitably wrapped up, sitting with wet feet, or
 by  an open window in a current of cold air, are all lia-
 ble to bring on this disease.

   Symptoms.  Quinsy or inflammation of the throat gen-
 erally comes on by a sense of fullness of the throat,
 swelling of the glands, dryness of the mouth and throat,
 difficulty of  swallowing, laborious  breathing,  tongue
 Bwollen and covered with  a  white  or dark coat, great
 hoarseness of the voice, and some degree of fever, and
 the pulse hard, full and frequent.
   Putrid sore throat  may be  distinguised from  the
 quinsy,  by  its commencing with dullness, vomiting,
 stiffness of the neck,  and there may be  seen in the
 mouth,  dark  looking  ulcers.  The more  unfavorable
 symptoms, are an obstinate purging, extreme weakness,
 dimness of the sight,  dark colored  spots on the neck
and face, frequent shiverings, with a  weak, faltering
pulse.   If the eruption upon the skin suddenly disap-
pears, or becomes of a livid  color, with a discharge  of
blood from the nose or mouth, the danger is very great.

   Treatment.   In mild cases of this disease, a  cure
may be effected by the use of the  diaphoretic and can-
ker teas ; gargles should  be used, composed  of one
table spoonful of bayberry, half a teaspoonful of cay- 
QUINSY OR PUTRID SORE THROAT.     189
enne, to which may be added a small portion of marsh
rosemary, steeped in half a pint of boiling water, and
the throat gargled as often as it becomes dry and pain-
ful.   The throat or neck should be bathed with rheu-
matic liniment, and  a flannel wet  with  the rheumatic
drops, and applied to the neck.   If this treatment  is
not likely to effect a cure, no time should be lost in ad-
ministering a thorough course of medicine, and repeat
it at  proper intervals, until the violence  of the disease
is subdued.
  In  ease of putrid sore throat, it is generally necessa-
ry to administer a course of medicine at the commence-
ment of the disease, and repeat it as often as the symp-
toms seem to indicate.  The treatment between  the
courses to be used as directed above.  If the patient's
throat should become swollen so as to be  unable to
swallow, half a teaspoonful of the emetic powder may
be added to the enemas, and repeated  until  vomiting is
induced, and the throat and glands  properly  relaxed,
All the teas and  drinks should be used without the sed-
iment.
   Poultices are beneficial, if the throat is much ulcera-
ted ;  it may be composed of slippery elm and crackers,
and  made very  stimulant by a plentiful use of ginger,
and a small portion of cayenne ; this  should be applied
to the throat, and renewed as often as it becomes dry ;
at the renewal of each poultice, the  throat should  be
bathed with equal parts of rheumatic drops and vinegar,
and applied as warm as the patient can bear  it; the
throat should be rubbed with it  two or three minutes.
Care should be taken in this, as well as in all other pu-
trid diseases, to guard against canker ; the internal heat
should be kept up by the use of stimulants,  sufficient to
keep the  skin suitably  moist.  During recovery, the
patient   should  use  proper tonics and  restoratives to
strenghen and invigorate the system. 
190
MUMPS.
                      MUMPS.

  This disease is contagious, and is mostly confined to
children, and often prevails epidemically and  generally
the most in  winter and spring.   It commences  with a
pain and swelling of one or both sides of the neck,
near the angle  of the jaw ;  the tumor or swelling is
moveable at first, but soon becomes hard, and diffused
to a considerable extent ; it generally  increases until
about  the fourth day, when  it gradually declines.  In
case the patient takes cold, the disease often becomes
transferred to the breast of females, or  the testicles of
males, or it may become fixed in the head ; in this case
the swelling subsides, and fever increases, attended
with delirium.   These symptoms are often attended with
fatal consequences, and  great care should be taken to
avoid exposure.
   Treatment.   In all cases of this disease, the patient
should avoid exposure to cold, and keep  the feet and
limbs warm.   But little more than this will be necessa-
ry in  mild  cases, except  a free use  of diaphoretic or
composition tea, and  occasionally to bathe the face and
neck with rheumatic drops, pepper sauce, or tincture of
cayenne, and the face and neck should be kept  covered
with a flannel wet with rheumatic drops.
   If the symptoms should indicate a fever, or the swell-
ing transferred to the parts which we have spoken of,  a
course of medicine should be given and repeated if  ne-
cessary.  The breast or testicles should be bathed three
or four times a day, with a decoction of white ash bark,
and elm  poultices applied ; if the parts  should be pain-
ful, heated applications may be applied to them ; proper
attention should be paid to the bowels, and the recovery
of the patient assisted by proper tonics.

                    SCROFULA.

   Scrofula  or king's  evil,  consists  of  hard,  indolent
 tumors,  or swellings, in different parts of the body, 
SCROFULA.
191
This disease is most common with children between
three and seven years of age ; it may come on howev-
er, at any period before puberty;  it prevails in those
climates where the atmosphere is cold and moist, the
seasons and weather varible.  Scrofula generally comes
on during the  winter or spring, and  very often disap-
pears or becomes much  relieved during the  summer.
Children most liable to an  attack of this disease, are
those of a soft, fair skin, fine  hair, and delicate complex-
ion ; it  sometimes, however, attacks  those of a darker
temperament.   Children that have a tendency to rickets,
which is marked by large joints, prominent forehead, and
tumid or  swelled  abdomen, are frequently of a slow,
scrofulous habit.  Those who  live in damp, uncomfort-
able dwellings, badly clothed,  exposed  to many priva-
tions, living on scanty and unwholesome food, deprived
of exercise in the open air, and inattentive to cleanliness,
are those that are most subject to this disease.   Hence
it is common in children who are confined in cotton fac-
tories, or other oily and dirty mills, where they are much
confined, and breathe unwholesome air.
  Symptoms.  In the first appearance of this disease,
there is commonly felt small tumors,  or knots, under
the skin ; they generally  commence on the neck, and
chin, or behind the ear, which gradually  increase in size
and  number, and form  large,  hard tumors.   In some
cases the joints become  affected ; in such  cases, the
swelling surrounds the joints, and impedes their motion.
After a short time the tumors acquire a larger size, and
the skin which covers them becomes more purple, livid,
and inflamed,  suppurates  and breaks into little holes,
from which a pus-like fluid, intermixed with curdy look-
ing matter at first proceeds, which soon changes into a
thin serus discharge.
   The  ulcers spread unequally, in various directions ;
some of them heal, and other tumors form followed by
ulcers.  In  this way the  disease sometimes continues
for a number of years, and at  last  the  ulcers heal up, 
192
SCROFULA.
leaving behind them disfiguring scars.   Other parts of
the body, likewise, are liable to scrofulous attacks, as
the arm-pits, breasts, eyes, groins, hands and feet.  The
internal  organs  are not  entirely exempt from it; the
lungs, liver, and spleen, are often affected in scrofulous
disease.  Ulcers which break out on the feet and hands,
swell, and  attended with little  or no  redness, are of a
scrofulous  kind ; they seldom  discharge good matter,
and are exceedingly difficult to cure.  The white swell-
ing of  the joints are of this kind ; they are with difficul-
ty brought to suppuration, and  when opened  they only
discharge a thin watery fluid.  A very common symp-
tom of scrofula, is a swelling of the upper lip and nose,
and  the  toes or fingers,  which continue swollen for a
long time,  without any degree of pain.

   Treatment.  In  all  scrofulous diseases, courses of
medicine should be given and repeated once or twice a
week,  or as often as the urgency of the symptoms seem
to require, as they will check the formation of tumors,
purify  the  fluids, prevent suppuration,  and excite  the
different organs to a healthy action, which  will have a
tendency to throw off the disease.   Between the cours-
es the  canker and diaphoretic teas may be used ;  the
spice bitters made laxative by the addition of one fourth
of a teaspoonful of bitter root at a  dose, may  be  taken
once or twice a day,  and the  sarsaparilla syrup two or
three times a day.
   The tumors or swellings should be bathed with rheu-
matic  drops, or stimulating washes and  liniments.  In
severe cases, the vapor or warm baths are highly bene-
ficial, and ought to be used as often as every other day,
until the urgency of the symptoms  are removed.  If
ulceration  should take place, a poultice may  be  appli-
 ed, composed  of slippery elm, ginger, pond lilly, equal
 parts,  and  lobelia  powder half a part ;  at  the renewal
 of each poultice, the ulcers should be washed or bathed
 with an infusion of sumach, raspberry, or witch hazle
 leaves,  with the addition of rheumatic drops, if it can 
WHITE SWELLINGS.
193
be borne; the cavities and surface should be thoroughly
bathed with these washes.  When the inflammation sub-
sides, and the ulcers have discharged sufficiently, they
should be thoroughly cleansed, and the healing salve ap-
plied.   Scrofulous  persons, in their diet, should avoid
fat meat, butter, tea, and coffee, as all mixtures of a sim-
ilar kind, are injurious.  If the above course be pursued,
and the patient pays particular regard to  his clothing,
diet, exercise, and  is careful to inhale pure  air,  scrofu-
lous complaints in most, if not in all  cases, might be
removed.   If the patient, however, should be living in a
low, damp situation, he should be removed to one more
elevated and airy.

                WHITE  SWELLINGS,

   These swellings generally come upon the joints, and
are called white swellings, on account of the skin not
being materially altered.   They frequently come upon
the knees, ancles, wrists, or elbows, and is a distressing
malady ; it occurs  most  frequently in  scrofulous con-
stitutions.   It  may be  caused, however, by sprains,
bruises, frequent exposure to wet  and cold, and very
often by the use of mercury.

   Symptoms.   At the commencement  of this disease,
there is a fullness at the  depression of each side of the
joint, which gradually spreads until  the  swelling sur-
rounds or covers the joint.   It soon becomes  painful,
and the patient is unable to  bear  his weight, or  use the
limb affected.   If  the disease is not arrested, suppura-
tion takes place, and painful ulcers form about the joint.
The health becomes  impaired, the appetite poor, and
the patient gets little or no sleep, profuse night  sweats,
and a copious diarrhea soon exhausts the patient.

   Treatment.   In  the treatment of this disease, if the
general health is impaired, courses of medicine  should
be administered at proper intervals, and the same treat-
                         17 
194
HIP DISEASE.
ment may be  pursued as recommended in scrofula.
The poultices and bathings should be freely  used.   If
this  does not  afford  relief, the affected part may be
steamed over a decoction, made in the following  man-
ner ;  take of mayweed, wormwood, mullen, catnip, and
hemlock  leaves, each  a  double handful, boil in four
quarts of water until the strength is  extracted.  Then
place the affected part  over the steam arising from the
liquor ; it should be covered  with  a blanket  so  as to
confine the vapor to the diseased part, and it should re-
main some ten or fifteen minutes ; a hot brick  or stone
may be put into the decoction, occasionally, to raise the
steam if necessary.
   After this the affected  part should  be bathed with
stimulating washes, and  a poultice applied, composed
of catnip leaves, dandelion root, green  lobelia, each a
double  handful, bruised fine, boiled in sweet milk, and
thickened with  equal parts of  pulverized elm, and pond
lilly  root, to the proper consistence  of a poultice, and
applied about blood warm.  The poultices  should  be
renewed twice a day, and the  steam once a day until
suppuration takes place, and a free discharge of matter
is  effected, and inflammation  subsides ;  then the ulcers
should be dressed with suitable liniments and salves.

                  HIP DISEASE.

   This painful disease  is most common to children un-
der fourteen years of age, and frequently attacks per-
sons of scrofulous habits ; it  is caused by the  use of
mercury, severe labor while children are growing, or by
strains, and the like injuries.

   Symptoms.   This disease, at first, attracts  but little
attention, and is only attended with a dull pain in the hip.
As the disease  advances, the socket or cavity which re-
ceives the head of the thigh bone, becomes affected and
is  exceedingly painful,  which is increased by the slight-
est movement of the limb.  If the inflammation is not 
BILES AND ABSCESSES.
195
timely arrested, suppuration  is liable to take place, and
often causes a destruction of the bones and cartilages,
which will terminate in death or an incurable lameness.

   Treatment.  In the  treatment of this disease, the pa-
tient's system should be cleansed with a course of med
icine and a healthy action kept up, by the use of spice
bitters, diaphoretic  and composition tea.   If the case
is an obstinate one, the courses of medicine should  be
repeated, once  or twice a week.   The  affected part
should be bathed  several times a day, with stimulating
liniment or rheumatic  drops ; a flannel may be wet with
rheumatic drops and vinegar, warmed by  the fire, and
laid over the affected part.  Vapor applied  to the  affect-
ed part will be found  to be  highly beneficial.  Proper
attention should be paid to the patient's diet;  it should
consist  only of light and nourishing food, avoiding all
oily and fat substances,

             BILES  AND ABSCESSES.

   Biles are small painful tumors, common to any part
of the body, and acutely tender to the  touch ; when
suppurated, they have  a hard core in the centre.   They
most generally afflict persons of a full  habit; when
this is  the  case, they  should be put on low diet; they
are sometimes met with in weak or  debilitated persons.
   Abscesses generally form on some  external  part of
the body, which has previously been the seat of  inflam-
mation.  When inflammation  does occur, it  would  be
better to remove it by  proper remedies, before it causes
suppuration, or an  abcess is formed.  But if suppura-
tion  cannot be prevented, we  should  endeavor  to for-
ward its progress by warm fomentations and poultices.

   Symptoms.  When inflammation terminates in absces-
ses,  there is usually a  sense of itching, dryness, increas-
ed, heat of the parts, succeeded by small  tumors or
swellings,  throbbing, and shooting pains are  commonly 
196
FELONS AND WHITLOWS.
felt; the pulse often  becomes full, hard  and quick, the
skin hot and dry,  with  considerable thirst,  and  other
feverish symptoms.

   Treatment.  At first we must endeavor, if possible, to
put a stop to inflammation and prevent suppuration.   If
we cannot  relieve inflammation, we should endeavor
to promote  suppuration, and get a discharge of mat-
ter as quick as possible.   This may be  done by using
any of the poultices  given under the head of scrofula,
or white swellings ; if there  should  be feverish  symp-
toms, a course of medicine may be given.
   Biles are smaller and form nearer the surface, than
abscesses, and the  patient is often affected with several
at once.   In this case a free use should  be made of
spice bitters, and composition tea, to produce a healthy
action  in the system.  Biles may be readily  brought to
a head, by the use  of common poultices.
   Carbuncles  are  a large species of biles, and  should
be treated in the same manner, ;  they are  of a  purple
color, and seldom rise but little above the skin.

            FELONS AND WHITLOWS.

   Felons have their seat of inflammation near the bone,
and generally make their appearance near the last joint
of the finger.   In  some few cases, however, they have
been known to come upon the toes.
   Whitlows are distinguished from felons, by not being
so deeply seated ;  they form directly under the skin,
and do not reach the bone.   They often commence at
the root of the finger  nail, and  extend  nearly or quite
around, and are  commonly termed runrounds.
   Treatment.  Various  experiments have  been tried,
and  modes of treatment adopted for the  cure of  this
painful disease.  Deep  incisions are  made  by some,
with a lance or knife,  or  powerful caustics applied j
others shave the parts  very close, and  apply powerful
salves or liniments. 
WOUNDS.
197
   But the  best  plan of treatment is, the  early applica-
tion of active poultices, such as Indian meal and flax
seed, or Indian hemp root, bruised, boiled in milk, and
applied warm ,•  or a poultice composed of equal parts
of slippery elm  and pond  lilly, to which  may be added
one fourth part each, of ginger, and lobelia powder, and
applied warm ;  at the renewal  of each poultice, the fin-
ger may be soaked in white lye.  This will soften and
relax the skin, and cause a more immediate suppuration;
in the  mean time, the  patient should drink freely  of
nervine and diaphoretic tea.  These applications should
be continued until it is brought  to a head ; if it should
continue too  long, however, or be too painful, it may be
lanced, and  the  same  treatment pursued, until it be-
comes thoroughly cleansed, and  then the healing salve
applied.
   Whitlows or runrounds should be  treated in the same
manner as felons ; it is  not generally  necessary, how-
ever, to lance them.  The patient will often  find much
relief, by keeping his hand slung up, which will prevent
a too free circulation of blood  in the hand.

                     WOUNDS.

  Wounds  are generally divided into  four classes, ac-
cording to the nature of the instrument with which they
are inflicted, and the  effect  produced.   They  are in-
cluded  under the head of cuts, lacerations, punctures,
and what is termed gunshot wounds-  By cuts we mean
wounds  made with a knife, or  any sharp  instrument or
edged tool ; they may be considered the most favorable
kind of wounds.

   Cuts.  In light cuts, nothing more will  be  necessary
but to bind it with a cloth or bandage, and  occasionally
wetting it with rheumatic drops, or some  healing salve
may be  applied.   If the  wound, however,  should be
large, and much  discharge of blood, it should  be washed
clean  with  cold  water, and the edges of the  wound
                           17* 
198
WOUNDS.
brought as near together as possible, and  confined  by
strips of adhesive plaster, and  bound up  with  suitable
bandages, and occasionally wet with tincture of  myrrh
or water, to which may be  added a small portion of
rheumatic drops.   If an  artery should  be wounded, it
will  generally be  necessary to procure  medical aid.
When an artery is cut,  the  blood  flows rapidly in jets,
and  always downward, and is of a bright red  color.
Blood that flows from the veins is of a dark color.
   If large arteries  are  wounded  so as to  endanger the
life of the patient, we should endeavor to  stop the flow
of blood, as much as possible,  until  aid can be procur-
ed.  This may be done by placing some hard substance
above the  wound, directly over the artery, and tying a
handkerchief around the  limb so as to press  the sub-
stance hard upon the  artery.  This  should be  drawn
sufficiently tight to suppress the excessive flow of blood.
The  substance  under  the bandage  should be moved
until  brought to bear directly  upon the artery.  A
quantity of spider's web applied to wounds, rarely fails
to prevent bleeding.
   Lacerated   Wounds.   Lacerated  wounds are  those
caused by a bruise, or where the flesh is torn ;  they are
far more difficult to heal than cuts.   In lacerated wounds
if there is any  probability of  the parts uniting  again,
we should replace them again in their natural  situation,
and  sustain them  with suitable plasters, or bandages ;
but if there is no likelihood of the parts uniting  again,
the lacerated parts should be removed.  If inflammation
should arise, it should be diminished by the use of slip-
pery elm poultices.

   Punctured  Wounds are those which are  inflicted with
pointed instruments, such as  nails, gravers tools, or
the  thrust of a  bayonet,  sword,  &c.   These  wounds
generally affect, more  or less, the nervous system, and
are most always attended with more or less inflamma-
tion, which renders them exceedingly painful, and quite
dangerous.  To these  wounds, there should be applied 
SPRAINS AND  BRUISES.
199>
Indian meal, or elm  poultices, and renewed as often as
they become dry ; at the renewal of each  poultice, the
inflamed parts should be bathed with tincture of myrrh,
or rheumatic drops.
   Wounds inflicted with  Fire Arms depend very  con-
siderably upon  the  weight, bulk, and  velocity of the
substance impelled.   A shot may  pierce  through  and
through, or it may lodge in some part, or  large  ones may
take limbs  entirely  off.  The danger of these wounds
depend upon the amount of flesh torn, or  lacerated, or
a bone shattered, or wounding of a vessel, or the lodg-
ment of substances  in the body.   Medical aid in these
cases, will generally be  necessary.  But  little is  to be
done however, except to extract the substance lodged
in the flesh, and guard against inflammation, by the use
of appropriate  remedies.   Nerve powder,  or strong
nervine tea should be given, to quiet  the nervous  sys-
tem, and the diaphoretic tea  sufficiently  to  keep the
patient's skin moist.
   The manner of dressing wounds should be according
to their nature ;  the  treatment, however, is nearly the
same ; to guardtagainst inflammation, and if suppuration
takes place they should be thoroughly cleansed with
cleansing  washes, and healing salves  applied.   Care
should  be taken of the patient's system, and proper
action of the bowels  kept  up, with  enemas, and the
usual stimulants and tonics should be  given  to retain
the patient's strength.

              SPRAINS AND BRUISES.

   Sprains are caused by severe wrenches, or  strains of
the ancles, knees, wrists, or any of the  joints, and are
generally  caused by a slip, sudden or violent exertion,
m which  the tendons  or  ligaments  become injured.
 Sprains are commonly productive of painful inflamma-
 tory  swellings ; we  should endeavor to prevent the
parts from swelling, and check the  inflammatory ten-' 
200          SPRAINS AND BRUISES.
dency.  This end  may be obtained by  freely bathing
the part with  rheumatic drops, and a  flannel  wet in
vinegar, to which may be added one fouth part of rheu-
matic drops, or a suitable quantity  of cayenne, and ap-
plied to the swelling or inflamed part.  These applica-
tions should be renewed as often as they become dry ;
the affected part  should be kept still, and in  such a
position as to favor the flow of blood from the wound.
   Bruises are caused by falls, or blows;  the part affect-
ed generally  turns dark, or of a  purple color, or be-
comes inflamed, and  frequently mortifies.   If  the in-
juries are not of a serious character, nothing more will
be  necessary  than to  occasionally bathe the bruised
part, with rheumatic drops, vinegar and  cayenne, rheu-
matic liniment, or tincture of myrrh.
   But if the injuries should be severe, or any internal
part injured, active means should be taken to guard
against inflammation ; composition, or  diaphoretic tea
should be  given,  sufficiently to produce perspiration,
and the vapor bath given by means of the steam  pipe,
or by heated  applications.   Care should be  taken to
keep  up an equal  circulation  in the patient's system,
and prevent an undue  proportion of blood being thrown
upon the injured part;  the same bathings should be us-
ed as recommended above.
   An application may be made of hemlock  or  mullen
leaves, bruised and wilted, to the affected part.  If there
should be  much inflammation, the Indian meal or elm
poultices should be applied.   This treatment should be
continued according to  the judgment of the attendant,
until relief is obtained.   If the general system, howev-
er, should become affected, it will be necessary  to give
courses  of medicine.    Stimulating teas, and  restora-
tive medicines should be used, until a permanent cure
is effected. 
          BURNS, SCALDS  AND FREEZES,       201

         BURNS, SCALDS,  AND FREEZES.

  Burns are wounds or injuries made from heated solids,
as iron, fire, and the like solids, and frequently burn
deep, and are attended with more or less danger.
  Scalds are injuries which  are  inflicted by heated li-
quids and vapor,  as water, oil, steam, and their danger
depends upon  the extent and location of the wound.
Those inflicted upon the chest or abdomen, are attend-
ed with considerable danger, and are  frequently  obsti-
nate and hard to  cure.
  Symptoms.  The first effects of burns, are acute pain,
inflammation of the skin, raising of the outer skin in one
or more  blisters, which immediately fill with a watery
fluid.   These appearances are according to the violence
or extent  of the burn.   More  severe burns, however,
entirely destroy the skin, and burn deep into the flesh,
or entirely destroy a muscle.
  Scalds'are generally more extensive, although not so
deeply seated, as burns.   In bad cases, inflammation is
not merely local, but gives rise to general  inflammation
or fever.   In this case, strong constitutional  remedies
should be used.   In such cases, the patient is general-
ly afflicted with great  nervous irritation, violent trem-
bling, faintness, and sometimes vomiting.
  Burns which only irritate  the skin,  and  raise blisters
without destroying  it, are  similar in  their  effects, to
the substances used in medicine, for blisters, and rube-
facients.

   Treatment.   On the first occurrence of burns or scalds,
cold applications should be immediately applied ; if on
a limb, it should be immersed in cold water, and with-
drawn  occasionally ; if the  burning  sensation  should
come on again, it should be replaced ;  this, if timely
applied, will frequently prevent blistering.  If the scald
or burn should be on any part of the  body, where water
cannot be applied in  this way, cloths should be wet in 
202
CANCER.
cold water and laid upon the affected part, and renewed
as often as they become warm, or  the affected part be-
comes painful.  In  the mean  time, the patient  should
drink freely of stimulating or composition tea ; this part
of the treatment  should never be  dispensed with, and
may be pursued until the smarting or pain ceases.  The
healing salves and ointments should then be applied; if
there should be much  inflammation, the slippery  elm
poultice may be applied, and continued until it  is re-
duced ; the salves  may then be applied,  which  will
generally affect a cure.
  If the wounds are deep, and the part become  raw, a
poultice may be applied, composed of slippery elm and
Indian meal, to which may be added a small quantity of
emetic powder, and  the surface of  the  poultice  spread
over with fir balsam.  The poultice should be renewed
as often as it becomes dry, and continued  until  the in-
flammation subsides, and then healing  applications may
be applied.   At the  renewal of each poultice, the  sore
may be washed with an  infusion  made of  witch hazle
and raspberry leaves, or with weak soap suds.  If the
injury should be near the vitals, as on the chest or abdo-
men, or in case the system becomes deranged, he should
take a course  of medicine, and  make a  free  use of
stimulating drinks.
  Freezes.   To frozen limbs cold water should  be ap-
plied, in  the same manner as recommended above for
burns, until the frost is extracted.  Instead of the  ap-
plication of poultices, the parts should be  bathed  with
rheumatic drops, tincture of cayenne, or anti-spasmodic
tincture. If inflammation should arise, the  slippery elm
poultice  may  be  applied,  made somewhat stimulating
with ginger, or rheumatic drops.  If fever or other un-
favorable symptoms appear, a course of medicine should
be given.

                     CANCER.

   Cancer is  a disease of  much importance.  When
we consider the dreadful sufferings which  attend these 
CANCER.
203
distressing ulcers, and that the female sex are its most
frequent victims,  we are prompted to devise some ade-
quate means for its  removal.   This,  above all  other
disorders, has called forth numerous impostors, who by
their extravagant  prices, have unblushingly imposed up-
on its victims, some with their powerful caustics, others
with their lance  and knife, have  attempted to extract
the dreaded monster from the  system, but all to little or
no purpose.
  As to the actual cause of a cancer, physiologists dis-
agree.   It is apparent, however, that people of a gross
habit  are  most  liable to  this  disease,  and  persons
who make a continual use of stays or  corsets, which
compregs their breasts, and  occasions injury ; it may
also be occasioned by a continual use of indigestible
food of an acid  nature,  barrenness, indolence, colds,
internal injuries,  or it may occur from  suspended evac-
uations.

   Symptoms.   The organs most  frequently attacked,
in females, are the breasts ; it frequently, however, at-
tacks other parts, as the lips, face, arms, and occasion-
ally other parts of the body.   It generally  begins  with
a  small spot,  which  spreads in  every direction:  its
progress  is more or less quick, in different cases ;  as
the swelling increases, it  becomes knotted and uneven
on  its  surface,  and  extends  itself to  the neighboring
parts, and sends  off branches or limbs, resembliug spi-
der's legs, or claws of crabs.   The skin at first is red,
afterwards  purple, blueish, or livid, and at last turns
brown  or black.   When it breaks, it discharges a thick
acrimonious matter, streaked with blood.
   The patient, at the first commencement of a cancer-
 ous tumor, feels a sense of heat, with a twingirig, gnaw-
 ing, or shooting  pain, in the affected part;  as the tumor
 advances,  the pain  becomes  more fixed and  severe.
 As the cancer becomes ulcerated, the patient's strength
 is exhausted ;  if its progress is not arrested, the system
 becomes deranged, and  wasted ;  fainting and convul-
 sions follow, which generally ends the  life of the patient. 
204
CANCER.
   Treatment.  At the first commencement of a cancer,
active means should be  taken to produce a healthy ac-
tion in the system,  as they generally  proceed from  a
constitutional  derangement, and cannot be cured until
the general health is restored.   This end  may be ob-
tained by  giving a  thorough  course of medicine, and
repeating if circumstances should require it.   Between
the courses the patient should drink cayenne, bayberry,
or composition teas, and also should use the  spice bit-
ters once a day, and the sarsaparilla syrup twice a day.
If a tumor begins  to form, and is supposed  to  be  a
cancer, immediate  application should be made of the
elm or Indian meal poultice, to  which may be added
one fourth each of cayenne  and  emetic  powder, and
wet with rheumatic  drops.  This is to be worn contin-
ually, and renewed as often as it becomes dry, until the
tumor disappeas or  ulcerates.   At the renewal of  each
poultice, the cancer should be bathed with  equal  parts
of water and  rheumatic drops.
  If the cancer should proceed to  ulcerate, the extract
of clover, or cancer plaster, spread on a thin, soft sub-
stance, may be applied, and renewed every, or  every
other  day, as the circumstances may require ; the  sore
should be washed  every day with a decoction, made of
pond  lilly, witch hazle, and bayberry or white ash  bark.
When the inflamed  or hard part is sufficiently  removed,
the sores  should  be thoroughly cleansed with slippery
elm poultices, and the healing salves applied to effect a
cure.   The patient in the  mean time, should use the
above stimulants and  tonics,  and enemas to evacuate
the bowels.  In severe cases, it will be necessary for
the patient to take a course of medicine every week or
fortnight,  to regulate the general system, and guard
against canker, which always attends, more or less, this
form of disease.   The patient should  pay strict atten-
tion to his diet, and  confine himself mostly to vegetable
substances, and  partake of those sparingly, avoiding
tea, coffee, butter, fat meat, or any substance hard of
digestion. 
INFLUENZA.
205
                   IFFLUENZA.

  This complaint is generally caused by  checked per-
spiration,  causing more or  less inflammation of  the
wind-pipe, bronchia,  throat and  nostrils, too sudden
exposure to cold, when the body is heated, or in a state
of perspiration, or  sitting in cool apartments, wearing
lighter dress than usual, and this during the summer as
well as in the winter.

  Symptoms.  Influenza is characterized  by a sense of
fullness and pain over  the eyes, frequent sneezing, stuf-
fing of the nose, and difficulty of breathing through the
nostrils,  a watery discharge from the  nose and eyes,
loss of appetite, hoarseness, difficulty of breathing, hot
and dry skin, increase  of thirst,  soreness of the  throat,
quick, hard pulse, with fever, hard, dry  cough, with ex-
pectoration of mucus  at first, but generally becomes
thicker, and is raised with less violent coughing.

   Treatment.   In the treatment of influenza, little more
need be done, than to make a free use of the diaphor-
etic, or composition tea, and put the  feet  into warm
water, to  cause perspiration, and avoid exposure.  But
in severe cases, where the  skin is hot and dry, quick,
hard pulse, difficulty of breathing, pain in  the head, and
soreness  of the throat, a full course of medicine should
be given, with other  appropriate remedies,  and  repeat
if the violence of the  disease should require it.  The
stimulating enemas should be used, which will greatly
assist in the cure of this disease.
   If the  cough  should be severe or troublesome, the
 cough balsam, or any  of the cough preparations, should
 be used  to promote an easy expectoration.  Between
 and after the courses of medicine, the composition, or
 any of the stimulating teas, should be used, to keep up
 a gentle  perspiration.  During recovery, the mild ton-
 ics or restorative  medicines should be used, and avoid
 a sudden exposure to cold air ;  a strict attention should
 also be paid to diet.
                            18 
206
COUGHS.
                      COUGHS.

   A cough is generally the  result or effect of a cold
which has been neglected or improperly treated.   When
improperly treated, it may terminate in consumption, or
some other difficulty ; or it may  proceed from  various
other difficulties, such as compressing the chest by tight
lacing, which produces a weak state of the lungs, irrita-
tion and inflammation, and is always attended with more
or less cough, accompanied with expectoration of mat-
ter.  A severe cough is often attended with pain in the
chest, side and head, difficulty of breathing, soreness
of the throat, loss of appetite, debility, &c.

   Treatment,   In ordinary cases of cough, the compo-
sition tea,  with a small quantity  of tincture of lobe-
lia  added  to it, should  be freely  used,  as it  will great-
ly assist in perfecting a cure.   The cough balsam, also,
should  be  used several times a  day, as it will loos-
en  and cause  an easy expectoration of matter from
the lungs, which is of great importance in the  cure of
this complaint.
   In severe  cases  of cough, it will  be necessary to
administer a course of medicine, and  enemas to evac-
uate the  bowels, followed  with  the use of  the  cough
mixtures, such as cough balsam, and cough powder, or
a stomach pill may be  taken  once  or  twice a day.   In
case of debility, and loss of appetite, the spice  bitters
may be taken two or three times  a  day.  The patient's
diet should be of a light and nourishing kind, avoiding
all oily or  greasy substances.

                      CROUP,

   This is a disease peculiar to children, and  is  an in-
flammatory affection of the mucus membrane, lining the
windpipe, which frequently extends to the air  passages
of the lungs.   It is very common upon the sea  coasts,
and in low marshy districts, and prevails  the most in 
CROUP.
207
cold and wet seasons, and in the spring and fall.   Chil-
dren of weak lungs and lax habit, are  most liable to
this disease.   In case children are attacked the second
time, it frequently proves fatal.
   Children that live  in  damp houses, wear thin shoes,
wet or thin clothes, or are much exposed to dampness,
or cold easterly winds through the day, or any thing that
obstructs perspiration, are liable to the croup.

   Symptoms.   In  mild  cases of this disease, the  pa-
tient is  affected with hoarseness, and  a harsh  cough,
with other characteristics of a severe cold, and experi-
ences  alternate sensations of heat and  cold, lassitude,
and an  inclination to sleep ; the eyes are  somewhat
suffused and heavy, and the  cough has a peculiar shrill
sound, which in the course of a  day or two, becomes
more violent and troublesome,  loud  and shrill, and the
face becomes  flushed and swelled.   If the  disease is
not arrested, it soon  advances  to all the aggravating
symptoms that characterize the croup.
    More severe attacks, however, generally  come  on
during the night ;  the child goes to  bed somewhat un-
 well, perhaps with a slight fever, goes' quietly to sleep,
but during  his sleep  respiration becomes difficult, loud
 and laborious ; he is awoke by a fit  of coughing, which
has a peculiar sound, his  voice hoarse, face red,  and
 skin very hot.  The agitation continues, and  he com-
 plains of a constriction of the throat; as the disease
 advances, the respiration becomes wheezing, and more
 hoarse, great oppression, with a sensation of  suffoca-
 tion, or of strangulation ; the patient's eyes have a wild
 look,  his  face swollen, pulse  hard  and frequent, voice
 hoarse, the  cough convulsive, and of a loud croacking
 sound.
    If the disease advances, it is soon characterized by
 the presence of all the  signs of  approaching death.
 The paroxysms have between them, but a few moments
 of an imperfect remission ;  the voice is nearly or quite
 lost, the respiration convulsive and  extremely  difficult, 
208
CROUP.
and a frightful suffocation every moment threatens the
life of the little  sufferer ;  his eyes are without lustre,
face covered with a cold clammy sweat, and becomes
pale and livid, his system weak and exhausted, his agita-
tion in a measure abates, and he has little or no cough ;
the expectoration is  almost entirely  arrested,  pulse
scarcely  perceivable,  irregular and  intermitting, and
most of the  animal functions appear to be exhausted.
The intellectual  faculties, however, are frequently pre-
served even  to the last moment, and death finally comes
to terminate the  painful scene.   The  patient sometimes
dies in the greatest agony ; at  others he sinks without
a struggle.   Croup is a dangerous disease, and some-
times mild cases become suddenly aggravating, and soon
ends the life of the patient.   If children should  have
any of the  common symptoms of croup,  especially if
they are subject  to the complaint, should never be left
alone, or without the attendance of some person capable
of taking care of them, and applying suitable remedies
in case of an attack ; many instances have  occurred,
where children have been lost  for the want of timely
remedies, or in consequence of parents being absent.

   Treatment.  In mild cases of  croup, a free use should
be  made of diaphoretic tea, and heated applications
applied to the feet, stimulating enemas given to evacuate
the bowels,  and half a teaspoonful of tincture of lobelia
should be given at a dose, and  repeated until vomiting
is induced ;  pennyroyal and composition lea  should be
drank freely,  or if the attack should be  of a serious
character, a thorough course  of medicine should  be
given.
   In severe cases, it is always  necessary to use  active
means, in order  to remove the disease.  The following
is a case that I had in my own  family, of a child about
four years old ;  the disease was so far advanced before
any medicine was  given, that it became affected with
spasms or fits.   I commenced by taking two teaspoons- 
CROUP.
209
ful of tincture of lobelia", two teaspoonsful of rheumatic
drops, four teaspoonsful of water,  sweetened to null
the pungency, and  poured a teaspoonful  at a time into
the child's  mouth, between his  teeth, his jaws  being
closed, repeating it every minute or two ;  this brought
him out of his  fit, and then heated applications were
placed at his feet, followed with a free use of penny-
royal, diaphoretic and composition  teas ;  onion  drafts
were applied to the feet and neck.
  In the meantime active means were taken to produce
vomiting ; this however, was hot easily affected ;  a tea-
spoonful of lobelia seed  was  mixed in  a tea cup of
warm water, and given at four different  times, at in-
tervals of ten minutes ;  this however, did  not  produce
vomiting ;  the second teaspoonful was mixed  and  ad-
ministered in the same manner ; the third and part of
the fourth teaspoonsful was administered before vomit-
ing was produced ;  the case was a very obstinate one ;
it seemed every moment as though the sufferer would
be overcome with strangulation.
  Stimulating enemas were given, and  every means
used to relax  and  free  the system ; this however, did
not relieve the breathing, which continued loud and la-
borious, and it was only by continuing the  emetics,  and
other active means, that  the disease was subdued.  Lo-
belia was continued sufficient to produce vomiting once
in half, or three-quarters  of an hour; heated applications
were placed at the feet and sides, and stimulating drinks
given sufficient to produce a copious sweat; this course
was  pursued until  the  sharp  whistling sound abated,
and respiration became more easy.  Stimulating drinks
were given less frequent, and other active means reduc-
ed, and the patient's system permitted to cool gradual-
ly, as it would be liable to a relapse, if cooled suddenly.
In five or six hours after I commenced giving the medi-
cine the difficulty  was  removed, and the  patient easy.
Some  unfavorable  symptoms,  however, returned  the
next  day, and I gave him a course of medicine, which
                           18* 
210
CROUP.
entirely conquered  the  disease ;  by giving  the  usual
tonic medicines, in four or five days the child was well
and able to attend school.
  Another case came under my care, in which  the
child's system was  so much  convulsed, that his jaws
became firmly  set, and  the inflammation was so great
that the glands and  passages of the  throat became  so
much swollen, that medicine could not be administered
in the usual way.   In this case I administered an emet-
ic by  adding  the  lobelia to a suitable quantity of dia-
phoretic tea, and gave it by way of an enema.  A suit-
able  quantity of  anti-spasmodic tincture, however, is
preferable, provided it is at hand.  This, in five or  ten
minutes, relaxed the system ;  after the first vomiting,
medicine  could be  administered in  the usual manner.
By pursuing the same course  as given above, the diffi-
culty  was soon  removed,  and the  child restored to
health.  Numerous severe cases have been cured  by
similar treatment, while  ipecac, antimony, squills, hive
syrup,  castor oil, and the like remedies  often  fail to
effect a cure.
  I have  spared  room  to give these  cases, only, be-
lieving that they were more severe ones, than are gen-
erally cured,  and think  that  it  will  be some guide to
those who have  to treat this distressing complaint.   In
severe cases, there should be  no  cessation of effort,
until the laborious  breathing, and the  shrill whistling
sound are  broken up ; the longer it continues, the harder
it will be to break it up.   Many other things, however,
are recommended by different authors, in the treatment
of croup,  such as butter and  honey, steeped together  ;
a tea made of seneca  snake  root  ; also of common
mullen root; hive syrup ; tincture of lobelia added to
composition ; onion syrup ; the two  last are excellent
articles in mild cases ; none of the medicines, however,
will  so effectually  remove the disease, as a thorough
course of  medicine. 
ASTHMA.
211
                     ASTHMA.

  Asthma  is known by  a quick, laborious breathing,
which is generally performed  with a kind of wheezing
noise.   Sometimes the difficulty of breathing is so great,
that the patient is obliged  to keep in an  erect posture ;
otherwise he is in  danger of being suffocated.  It is
attended with a frequent, difficult  and short respiration,
together with a tightness across the  breast, and a cough
attended with such a peculiar crackling noise, somewhat
similar to wheezing, that a person who has seen several
patients with this complaint, will readily recognize it.
When the disease is  attended with an accumulation
and discharge of humors from the lungs, it is called the
humid ; but when it is unaccompanied by any expector-
ation, it is known by the name of the dry or spasmodic
asthma,  A fit  or  paroxysm of the asthma, generally
happens after a person has been exposed to  cold easter-
ly winds, or has been abroad in thick foggy weather, or
gets wet, or continued long in damp places. The wheez-
ing sound which accompanies the breathing, frequently
occurs among children, and is generally  called phthisic.

,  Treatment.  In ordinary attacks of asthma, persons
will generally find relief by taking one or two teaspoons-
ful of tincture of lobelia alone, or in a tea of composi-
tion, and the patient is often enabled to breathe freely
in a few minutes.   Where the symptoms  are  urgent,
lobelia  should be  employed in a sufficient  quantity to
operate as an  emetic, for the paroxysm is generally
preceded by an extremely disordered state of the stom-
ach ;  if constipation of the bowels exist, a moderate
dose of bilious pills will be beneficial.
  Lobelia appears to act as an anti-spasmodic and ex-
pectorant ; if the patient is fearful of an attack of the
asthma during the night, he should take two or three
stomach pills, on going to bed, and heated applications
placed at the feet.  The diaphoretic tea should be drank
during the day, sufficient to keep the system warm, and 
212
CONSUMPTION.
in a gentle perspiration ;  the  patient must  exercise in
the open air, dress warm, wearing flannel next to the
skin, using the cough mixtures, and by paying particular
attention to his diet,  will generally obtain  relief.  A
young lady called on me, who was severely  afflicted
with asthma, and had  taken  expectorant balsam, and
the like remedies,  and continued to grow  worse,  I
gave her vegetable composition, and tincture of lobelia,
which effected a cure in three days.   I have  known se-
vere cases to be cured by a tea being made of the emet-
ic herb alone.

                  CONSUMPTION.

   Pulmonary consumption  is characterized  by a wast-
ing of the whole  body, caused by the formation of ul-
cers, tubercles, or contraction and decay of  the  lungs.
Women it is said are more subject to this disease than
men.   It is most frequently  met with in the circles of
gaiety, fashions, and folly, and generally attacks  per-
sons between the  ages of" fourteen and thirty.   Those
of a slender make, long necks, high shoulders,  and flat
breasts, are most liable  to its attacks.   Females be-
tween the ages  of forty and fifty, are frequently attack-
ed with  it.   It may be caused also, by inflammation, or
bleeding from  the lungs, scrofula, small  pox, measles,
or by a severe cold if it is not  timely removed, bad air,
inhaling  the  fumes of metals and  gases, the  use of
arsenic or mercury as a medicine, going  with wet feet,
tight lacing, or  by wearing corsets  so as to compress
the chest, being out at night with thin dresses, lying in
damp beds, and the application of cold  to  the  body
sufficient  to  produce a sudden check of perspiration,
are exceedingly liable to bring on this disease.

   Symptoms.  In the early  stages  of pulmonary con-
sumption, the  patient  is  affected  with  a dry hacking
cough, and supposes he  has a cold  ; the cough  is in-
creased by  exposure  to cold or variable weather, and 
CONSUMPTION.
213
the patient  complains of an unusual degree of heat, a
pain or oppression of the  chest is felt, especially after
exercise, or taking a deep and full  respiration, and is
increased by coughing; his appetite  is poor, and  his
thirst  great, spittle of a  saltish  taste,  and frequently
mixed with blood, the  breathing is rendered difficult by
unusual exercise, or bodily motion ; there is generally
a quick, soft, small pulse, but sometimes,  however, it
is rather full and hard ; these are the common symp-
toms that characterize the commencement of consump-
tion.
   As  the disease advances, the  patient's tongue  and
lips are unusually red, and his countenance presents a
peculiar hollow and loathsome or ghastly appearance ;
he is troubled with cold sweats during the night, which
exhausts  and  debilitates  the system, and emaciation
generally increases ;  there  is a burning  heat  in  the
palms of the  hands, and soles of the feet, and the face
is generally quite flush after eating ; the patient raises
a thick purulent matter, and an acute pain is felt in the
breast and side, swelling of the feet and legs, total  loss
of strength, eyes are sunken and remarkably bright and
expressive, difficulty  of  swallowing, breathing quick
and short, and the body wasted to a mere skeleton, and
extremeties become cold.   When these symptoms are
present, the patient may  be considered  near the ap-
proach of death, although the  patient himself, may not
 believe  that he is  so  near his end.  Such is the usual
progress  of this disease, and  if not early checked, it
 sets all medicines at defiance.

    Treatment.   At the first attack of consumption, if the
 patient lives in a city where the air is impure, or in low
 marshy districts, where the atmosphere is loaded  with
 moisture, he should be removed to a high country situ-
 ation, where the air is pure and  free, and avoid every
 thing which tends to irritate the system, more especially
 the respirative organs ; great attention should  be paid
 to the perspirative functions.   The  patient should  take 
214
CONSUMPTION.
proper exercise in the open air, and should in all cases
wear  flannel  next  to the  skin, and otherwise protect
himself by proper  clothing,  against  the  changes  of
weather ; and his diet ought to be calculated  to lessen
the acrimonious humors,  and to nourish and support
the system, and it should be easy of digestiou, consist-
ing chiefly of  vegetable substances and milk.   Milk,
says Dr. Buchan, is more valuable in this disease, than
the whole materia medica.
  Patients in early stages of consumption, before the
system  become  weakened, will be benefited  by gentle
exercise In the  open air, when it is mild  and uniform ;
it tends to invigorate the system, and lessen  its morbid
irritability.   The best mode  of taking  exercise, is by
riding on horse  back, as this gives the body  considera-
ble motion, without much  fatigue ; those who are too
weak to take this  kind of  exercise, a carriage  must be
made use of.
  During the above treatment, if the cough  is trouble-
some, he should make use of the cough balsam ; the
diaphoretic tea made weak is also  beneficial  ;  if there
is constriction or tightness of the lungs, one or two of
the stomach  pills  may be taken daily, and  the  spice
bitters and composition may be taken to strengthen and
invigorate the system.  The warm bath should be used
every  other day, followed with friction by  the  flesh
brush or flannel, and care should be taken not to expose
the patient to the cold air.   If he  should be too weak,
the hand bath may  be used, by means of a coarse  tow-
el wet in warm water, and the surface thoroughly rubbed,
Courses of medicine, however,  are the most  to be reli-
ed  upon in the treatment of this  disease, and upon
which a radical  cure depends.  Lobelia  given  in small
doses has  been found to be beneficial.  The above
treatment should be continued, together with the courses
of medicine.   Between  the courses, care   should be
taken to keep up the strength of the patient;  the  usual
tonics and soothing medicines should be prudently used.
By the  early adoption of  the above  treatment, and by 
COLIC.
215
observing the usual precautions  neceesary in the treat-
ment of disease, a cure may generally be  effected, or
at least, a consumptive patient may enjoy a comfortable
share of health.

                      COLIC.

  Colics are variously denominated, according to their
causes, and are generally divided into four classes, and
treated according to the severity of the different cases.
  Colic of Indigestion, is that produced  by articles of
food which are taken to an excess,  whereby the stomach
is loaded  beyond what it should  be, which  deters its
bealthy performance, or it may be produced  by  eating
indigestible food, or by deleterious substances.
  This is generally removed, by  giving an  emetic to
cleanse the stomach of its offensive matter, and by giv-
ing laxative and stimulating  medicines to produce a
healthy action of the bowels ; a free use should be made
of the stimulating enemas.
  Flatulent or Wind Colic, is caused by an accumula-
tion of wind in the  bowels, attended with a severe pain
and griping in the region of the  navel.   The pain gen-
erally comes on in paroxysms, followed by intervals of
ease or rest.
  In this  form of colic, a cure may generally be affect-
ed with a free use of the diaphoretic tea, to which may
be added half a teaspoonful of white  root  at a  dose ;
the stimulating enemas also, may  be used, and  heated
applications placed at the feet.   If this does  not effect
a cure, a course of medicine should be given.
  Painter's Colic, is a disease peculiar to  people  who
work among paints, such as grinding white lead, paint-
ing ships, houses, &c, inhaling gas into  the system,
which  acts as a poison and in time produces colic.  The
patient at first is affected with constipation of the bow-
els,  foul  tongue, bitter taste in the  mouth, sense of 
216
COLIC.
weight at the pit of the  stomach and abdomen.  The
pain at first  is dull  and  remitting, but as the  disease
progresses, the pain becomes more violent and seated
at the pit of the stomach ;  as it increases in violence,
however, it frequently extends to the  navel, back, loins,
bladder, and  rectum.  In  severe  cases, it often shoots
with great violence to each side of the patient, as though
something  was piercing or cutting,  and  the  parts be-
come sore.
  In this disease, active means must  be taken to cleanse
and free the system of its offending cause.   Thorough
courses of medicine  should be  given, and repeated,
until the violence of the disease is overcome, and other
treatment as given below in bilious colic.
  Bilious Colic, is a disease that frequently occurs in the
summer and  autumn,  and prevails considerably in the
Southern and Middle  States.  It is  a febrile affection,
and is attended with an acute pain about the region of the
naval ; the patient  complains  of great  thirst, and  is
affected with nausea and vomiting bilious matter, which
is of a yellowish  color,  and is brought on  by  eating ex-
cessively  of unripe fruits, lobsters  and  round clams,
drinking of wines, beers, and soda waters.
  In  this disease,  there is a violent irritation of the
bowels, which throws them into a state  of spasmodic
contraction, caused by the vitiated  secretion poured into
them from the liver, and surrounding glands.
   Treatment. In the treatment of bilious colic, a thor-
ough course of medicine should be immediately resort-
ed  to ; stimulating  enemas should be given, to which
may  be  added a teaspoonful of tincture  of lobelia.
Stimulating  teas must  be  used,  and a  flannel wet in
equal parts of rheumatic drops and vinegar, heated and
applied as warm as the patient can bear it.   The vapor
bath should be given by means of  the steam pipe, or  by
heated applications applied to the sides and feet.  After
which a course of medicine  should  be given, and dia-
phoretic  and composition  teas, and rheumatic drops
should be freely used. 
CHOLERA MORBUS,
217
  This course should be  repeated and  continued  until
the pain  abates, and the disease is overcome.  After
the first course of medicine, if a movement of the bow-
els is not produced, a teaspoonful of mandrake  may be
given.  In this, as well  as all other acute diseases, a
cure  depends upon the  perseverance  of proper  treat-
ment.  After the disease is overcome, the patient's sys-
tem should be braced up  by the usual tonics.

                CHOLERA MORBUS.

   In  cases of cholera  morbus, the  patient is suddenly
attacked with violent  vomiting  and  purging of bilious
matter.  It frequently occurs in hot climates at all
seasons of the year ;  but in cold climates, it is most
frequent in summer and autumn, arising from indigesti-
ble food, and  the  use  of unripe fruit, copious draughts
of cold water, and the like injurious substances.
   Symptoms.   This disease comes on with  great  op-
pression in the region of the  stomach, severe  pain in
the bowels, followed by nausea or vomiting, and purg-
ing of a green, yellowish, or black colored bilious mat-
ter, with great prostration, intense thirst, a quick  une-
qual  pulse, and frequently with an acute pain about the
region of the navel ; the discharges are thin and  wa-
tery.  If the  disease  is not  checked, the patient be-
comes  exhausted, the extremities cold, the  legs  and
abdominal muscles cramped, and are frequently covered
with  a clammy sweat ; violent hiccuping, fainting  and
convulsions, are the signs of approaching death,  which
frequently takes  place in  twenty-four hours  from  the
 commencement of the disease, and often  in  much less
 time.

    Treatment.  In the  early stage of this disease,  active
 means should be  taken to check the vomiting and purg-
 ing,  and turn the determining powers to the  surface,
 and re-establish the circulation.   Bayberry and compo-
 sition teas may  be freely given, stimulating  enemas
                          19 
218
CHOLERA.
used, and heated  applications applied to the feet ; the
bowels should be  bathed with rheumatic drops, or pep-
per tea, and a flannel wet with  the same and applied
warm.   This may be followed by the vapor bath, a free
use of the  stimulating tea,  and a thorough course of
medicine, which will generally check  the vomiting and
purging ; after which the patient should be  kept in a
gentle  perspiration  for several  hours.   The spice bit-
ters, or any of the  usual tonics, may be given to keep
up the strength of the patient, and  improve the diges-
tive  organs.  During this treatment, the dysentery cor-
dial, with  the addition  of a teaspoonful  of rheumatic
drops,  to a teacupful of  the  cordial, may be used with
much  advantage.  If the  purging is severe, a decoc-
tion of fleabane,  also, may  be  used ; during  recovery,
the patient should pay strict attention to his diet, avoid-
ing all solid and indigestible food, using those articles
only which are light and of  a soothing nature.

                    CHOLERA.

   Spasmodic or Asiatic Cholera, is a fatal disease which
has  slain its thousands, and is supposed to be  very con-
tagious ; we think, however, very much depends upon
the state of the system, and  the fears or alarms of those
people that are  exposed, or are  obliged to witness  its
work of mortality.
   Cholera has usually proved most fatal in  large cities,
towns, and  villages, situated  in low, marshy districts,
with narrow, dirty streets,  impure air,  and  the want of
cleanliness.   It  most frequently attacks the vicious and
intemperate, and those  who reside in low, damp, filthy,
houses and  cellars.  It sometimes, however, attacks
persons  in easy circumstances, caused  by intemperance
in  eating  or drinking,  excessive  use of  intoxicating
 drinks, exposure to cold or  dampness, indigestible food,
 debilitated constitutions, broken down by the  use of
 poisonous medicines in previous disease. 
CHOLERA.
219
  Symptoms.  This disease is usually divided into two
stages, the premonatory and the collapsed.   The pre-
monitory symptoms are attended with looseness of the
bowels ;  the discharges are frequent and copious, slimy,
and usually thin, attended with a severe pain in the in-
testines,  dizziness in the  head, and sickness at the
stomach.   These symptoms are common to a premoni-
tory attack of the cholera.
  In a collapsed stage, it frequently comes on so sud-
den that it prostrates the  person to  the  earth; he is
seized with spasmodic twitchings  of the fingers and
toes, and the blood frequently  settles under  the nails ;
coldnes of the extremities,  which gradually  extends to
the body, sickness, or burning pain in  the stomach,
nausea and vomiting, violent  cramps  or spasms, great
thirst,  anxiety, oppression,  and  distortion of the fea-
tures.   If the  disease is not speedily removed, a uni-
versal spasm  puts a period  to  the  agonies ot tne ufi>
happy sufferer.
   Treatment.  In this  disease we should  endeavor to
re-establish the circulation ; this may be effected by
administering the vapor bath, and making a  free use of
the diaphoretic tea ; the body and extremities should be
rubbed  briskly with tincture of cayenne, or some other
stimulating wash, and heated applications applied to the
sides and feet.   This  will  restore  warmth  and action
to the surface of the body, equalize circulation, and
take  off the determination of the blood to the bowels,
which will have a tendency to check the watery  dis-
charges from them, which is of much importance in the      i
cure of this distressing malady.  The most powerful
stimulants must  be given ;  a tea of bayberry and cay-
enne, with the addition of tincture of scullcap or nerve
powder,  given freely.  If the patient is much prostra-
ted, we should give but a table spoonful of the tea at  a
time, and repeat as often as every two or three minutes,
or  oftener, as  the case demands ;  stimulating enemas
must be administered frequently ; they will  warm the 
220        DIARRHEA AND  DYSENTERY.

system, control the  diarrhea,  and determine the blood
to the surface.   Tincture of myrrh, bayberry and  dys-
entery cordial,  with the addition of  a teaspoonful  of
rheumatic  drops at  a dose, and  many other astringent
articles are highly beneficial.
   This treatment should be  followed with a thorough
course of medicine, and  repeated at  proper  intervals,
until the violence of the disease is checked.  Between
the courses, fleabane tea should be freely drank.
   In the collapsed  stage, active means should be em-
ployed to invigorate the system, and restore the circula-
tion ; the anti-spasmodic  tincture should immediately
be given.   Tincture of  cayenne, rheumatic drops, and
stimulating tea, should be  freely used ; a  teaspoonful
of anti-spasmodic tincture added to the enemas, should
be  administered as soon  as possible, and continued
until  vomiting  is induced.   In the mean time, heated
applications should be applied to the  sides and feet,  to
produce  a profuse  perspiration.  If this  treatment  is
sufficiently persevered in, it will generally effect a cure.
During recovery, the  patient should observe the usual
precautions, in  order to  prevent a relapse ;  the usual
tonics and restoratives should be used, and his diet of a
light and nourishing nature.

           DIARRHEA AND  DYSENTERY.

   Diarrhea is a disease of  frequent occurrence, and  is
attended with frequent and  copious discharges from the
bowels, of a thin, slimy fluid, which  is of  a  brown or
yellowish  green color,  and generally very  offensive,
and  often mixed with particles of undigested  food, ac-
companied with tenderness  and griping  pain  in the
bowels, and occasionally vomiting.
   This disease  may be  caused by any thing which has
a tendency to irritate the mucus  membrane, of the in-
testinal canal, whether it be  substances taken into the
stomach, which passes into the  intestines  undigested^ 
DIARRHEA AND DYSENTERY.      221
or whether by checked perspiration, the fluids are thrown
internally to the intestines, by which they become unnat-
urally excited.

  Dysentery.  This disease is of most frequent occur-
rence in autumn, or the latter part of summer, although
it is met  with, at other seasons of the year.  It is most
prevalent in warm climates, particularly during rainy
seasons.   It is  frequently caused by an injudicious use
of unripe fruit, indigestible food, exposure to dampness,
and obstructed perspiration, which brings on inflamma-
tory  affections  of the lining membrane of the large
intestines,  which  produces frequent and  painful  dis-
charges from the bowels.   The stool is composed of a
frothy or mucus fluid, streaked with blood.   A6 the dis-
ease  advances, the  stool becomes  more  bloody,  and
other symptoms are present, which characterizes inflam-
mation or  fever ;  if the  discharges are not checked, it
soon exhausts and reduces  the patient.

   Treatment.  In  mild  cases of this disease,  a cure
may  be  effected  by  making a  free use of dysentery
cordial, bayberry and nervine teas, and rheumatic drops ;
and a free use may  be made of  fleabane tea ;  the ene-
ma  used for piles,  may be  administered,  and heated
applications applied to the feet.  If this does not arrest
the discharges, or if an attack should be severe, a full
course  of medicine  should be  given, and repeated if
necessary.   A tea made of blackberry root, two parts
beth  root, hemlock and bayberry one part, steeped in a
suitable  quantity  of water,  and sweetened  with loaf
sugar ; a table  spoonful of this may  be given every
two or three hours,  as the  severity of the case may be.
   The above treatment should be followed up between
the courses of medicine ;  the enemas should be freely
used, to which may  be added a small portion of tincture
of lobelia ; they should be  strained, or the sediment will
 occasion pain.   If there is much pressure  or  soreness
 of the bowels, they should be bathed with rheumatic
                            19* 
222
DROPSY.
drops, and  a flannel wet with the same, warmed, and
spread over the abdomen,  and the  enemas  rendered
quite mucilage with slippery elm.   Stimulating teas and
heated applications should be continued  sufliciently to
keep the patient in a gentle perspiration.  The above
treatment should be continued until the disease is over-
come.   Particular attention should be paid to the pa-
tient's diet  until a permanent cure is effected.
  Diarrhea may be treated  in the  same  manner  as is
recommended  in  mild  cases  of dysentery :  it will not
generally be necessary to  administer a  full  course of
medicine.  If the  general  system should become de-
ranged, however, a course of medicine may be given.

                     DROPSY.

  Dropsy is caused by an accumulation of watery fluid,
in any part of  the body.  It is distinguished by different
names, according to the part affected.  The fluids  are
mostly contained in the cellular membrane, caused by a
weakness of the absorbent  vessels, which become una-
ble  to take  up the fluids, and discharge them  from the
system  by  its  natural  evacuations.   It  frequently at-
tacks the thorax, and is called hydrothorax, or dropsy
of the chest.   When  the  cavity  of the  abdomen is
affected, it  is called ascites, or dropsy of  the abdomen.
  Dropsy  of most common  occurrence, is  a general
affection of the cellular membrane, which commences
by  a  swelling of the feet  and ancles, towards  night,
which  at first,  disappears  by  morning ;  the  swelling
gradually ascends to the trunk of the body, and as it
advances, the arms and head are affected ; in this case
the breathing becomes difficult, urine scanty, great thirst,
bowels become inactive, perspiration obstructed,  which
brings on torpor, heaviness, and a slow wasting  fever.
If the disease is not timely  arrested, there is frequently
a large accumulation of water, which often proves fatal. 
      DISEASE OF THE URINARY ORGANS.   223

  Treatment,  The great end  to be obtained in the
treatment of this disease, is  to  throw off the accumu-
lation of  water, and to  prevent  its future  collection.
This may be done by making a free use of stimulating
and diuretic teas,  which  should be  followed by a thor-
ough course of medicine. The vapor bath should be
used every,  or every other day, sufficiently to produce a
profuse perspiration ; in the mean time,  the patient
should drink  freely of composition tea.  The course
may be repeated once or  twice a week.
   Between  the courses of medicine, the patient should
drink  freely of diaphoretic  tea ; stimulating enemas
should be occasionally used,  and  diaphoretic tea used
sufficiently to  keep the patient in  a gentle perspiration ;
the spice bitters should be taken before each meal, dur-
ing the day, and  the  patient's diet  should be of a light
and nourishing nature ;  animal food should be entirely
avoided.  If this treatment does not throw off the accu-
mulation of water, and  it  should become  necessary
to draw it off  by tapping, medical  aid should be pro-
cured.

       DISEASE OF THE URINARY  ORGANS.

   Excessive flow of urine, is characterized by an unu-
sual discharge of urine ; and it said by medical writers,
to have a saltish taste, and is of a strong, violent  smell,
caused by checked perspiration, intemperance in  eating
and drinking, immoderate  use of  acid drinks, such as
 cider, vinegar and water, beers,  and  the use of strong
 diuretic  medicines, or any thing  which  has a tendency
to debilitate the system.
   Symptoms most commonly present in  this disease, are
 excessive flow of urine, which immediately  effects the
 whole body, and is attended  with  a  sense of weakness ;
 the bowels  become costive, great  thirst,  loss of appetite,
 oppression of the stomach, pain in the head and loins,
 extremities cold, followed by gradual emaciation of the
 whole body. 
224   DISEASE OF THE URINARY ORGANS.

   Treatment.  In the treatment of this disease, means
should be taken to produce a healthy action in the  sys-
tem ; diaphoretic tea should be drank, sufficient to pro-
duce  perspiration ; nervine tea, also, should  be used ;
on going  to  bed, the feet put into  warm water,  and
heated applications applied ; stimulating  enemas  also,
should be used.  If the  case is  an obstinate one, a
course of medicine may be given, and the vapor  bath
administered, and repeated if necessary.   The patient's
system  should be  strengthened with the use of the
spice bitters, tonic  powders, or restorative cordial, and
he should be particular about his diet, and avoid expo-
sure to cold or dampness.

  Retention of Urine.  This is brought  on by obstruc-
tion in the urethra or neck of  the bladder, or  by inflam-
mation.   The distinguishing  symptoms, are a swelling
of  the lower part of the  belly, occasioned by the dis-
tended bladder, a frequent desire to pass water, attend-
ed with excruciating pain in the region of  the bladder.

  Treatment.  In retention of urine, stimulating  ene-
mas should be given, rendered  quite mucilage with  slip-
pery elm, to which may be added a teaspoonful of tinc-
ture of lobelia,  Mucilages and stimulating teas should
be given, and heated applications applied to the feet and
sides.  If the  case is severe, a thorough course of med-
icine should be given.  If this does not produce a suffi-
cient discharge of urine, the catheter or bougie should
be  introduced through the urethra into the bladder, by
which means  the water  may  be drawn off, and the op-
pression of the bladder relieved.   This, with the above
treatment will generally effect  a cure.

  Suppression of Urine.   This either arises from in-
flammation, or from the  kidney's not secreting urine ;
consequently, there is little or no urine conveyed to the
bladder.   It comes on with a  sense of pain in the back
and lower part of the  abdomen, and a  frequent desire
to pass water; if the  patient is  able to pass any urine, 
HEMORRHAGES.
225
it is  attended  with a scalding  sensation, and a violent
burning pain, perspiration is produced; it frequently has
a strong urinous smell.

   Treatment.   In the treatment of this form of disease,
active means  should  be taken to allay inflammation,
and restore the kidneys to  a healthy  action.  Stimula-
ting and  diuretic  tea should be  freely  used, and the
stimulating enemas administered  three or four times a
day ; nervine tea,  also will be found  beneficial.  A de-
coction may be made of Indian  hemp and milkweed
root, and a teacupful drank four or five times a day, and
heated  applications applied  to the feet.  If this does
not  effect a discharge of  urine,  a course of medicine
should be given, and  repeated if necessary ; the inter-
mediate  treatment followed  as recommended  above ;
the above teas should be rendered mucilage by the use
of slippery elm:   This treatment should be followed up
until the difficulty  is overcome, and the patient restored
by the usual tonics.

                  HEMORRHAGES.

   Bleeding from the Lungs.  This frequently comes on
without any  warning.  Sometimes,  however,  previous
to its attack, there is a sense of weight about the chest,
difficulty  of breathing, palpitation  of the heart, and a
dry, tickling cough, and a long train of other symptoms
too numerous to mention.

   Treatment.   If  the case is a  mild one, a cure may be
effected by  the free  use  of a tea made of raspberry,
witch hazle leaves and white  root, and heated  applica-
tions applied to the feet; the diaphoretic  tea, made
weak, may occasionally be taken to produce a gentle
perspiration ;  this will equalize  the circulation,  and
generally check the hemorrhage.
   In case, however, the  hemorrhage  is not checked,
half a teaspoonful of beth root may be given, repeated 
226
HEMORRHAGES.
once in three or four  hours, and  one of the stomach
pills may be taken as  often.   If this  does not check
the flow of blood, the vapor bath may be  administered,
followed with a course of medicine ; the  above treat-
ment to be continued  until the  discharge of blood is
stopped.  The  system should be  invigorated with ap-
propriate remedies, and the irritation allayed by the use
of mucilages, such as slippery elm and gum arabic tea ;
the cough balsam should be used to relieve the cough.
If this  treatment is prudently  administered, hemorrha-
ges may generally be arrested, and the patient restored
to health.
   Bleeding from the Stomach.   This disease is  usually
termed vomiting of blood.  It may be occasioned  by
external wounds,  as  blows, bruises,  strains or lifting
heavy  weights,  introduction  of poisonous substances
into the stomach, which produce inflammation.  If the
biood  is not discharged by vomiting, it passes On  Dy
the bowels, which causes black and offensive stools.
   This disease usually comes on with nausea and vom-
iting, preceded by cold  chills, a sense of weight  and
pain in the region of the stomach.  The  blood which
is discharged, may be distinguished from that which is
discharged from the  lungs, by its being thicker  or clot-
ted, and of a dark color.
   Treatment.   In the treatment of this  disease, an effort
should be made to equalize the circulation, and relieve
the stomach and  bowels from  the clotted blood, which
if retained has a  tendency to  derange the  general sys-
tem.   The same course  may- be  pursued as  recom-
mended in the  treatment for bleeding  from the lungs ;
stimulating enemas  should be freely used.  Take of
yellow dock root, bruised, and boil in sweet  milk ; a
gill of it may  be taken three or four times a day ;  this
is a laxative, and is beneficial to cleanse  the  bowels.
During recovery, the patient ought to use light and mild
substances as  food, easy of digestion, and be exceed-
ingly cautious to avoid exposure. 
WHOOPING COUGH.
227
               WHOOPING COUGH.

  Whooping  cough  is  mostly  confined  to  children ;
adults, however, are by no means exempt from  its at-
tacks.   It  prevails epidemically, and  seldom attacks
the same individual more than once; it is very common
in the winter and spring.  It comes on  with  the symp-
toms of a common cold, a dry harsh  cough, and slight
fever, which by degrees becomes more harsh, and as-
sumes a peculiar sound ; a fit  of coughing  frequently
occurs, which is  quite  tedious, and  continues until  a
copious expectoration of mucus substance, or vomiting
takes place, by which the fit is terminated.
   Treatment.  Whooping cough, under ordinary circum-
stances, is  more troublesome than dangerous.  Its dan-
ger, however, is in proportion  to its violence, and the
strength of the constitution of those it attacks.  The
object to be kept  in  view, in the treatment of this dis-
ease, is to  loosen  the cough, and allay the  spasmodic
irritation ;  to  accomplish this  end, a free use of cough
balsam and composition should be made ; slippery elm
and diaphoretic tea, also, will  be found beneficial in al-
laying irritation.   If the phlegm should collect  in the
air passages of the lungs, and the breathing oppressive,
a lobelia emetic should be given ; if feverish, or other
symptoms  arise, indicating a derangement of the sys-
tem, a thorough  course of medicine  may  be given,
and repeated if it should  be necessary.  If the patient
should become restless, or irritable, the nervine tea may
 be given,  to which may be added a quantity of tincture
 of lobelia.

            DYSPEPSIA OR INDIGESTION.

    Dyspepsia may be  caused by poison being  taken
 into the   stomach,  or  any substance  which is hard of
 digestion,  intemperate  eating, the  continued  use  of
 spiritous liquors, mercurial  salivations, excessive cold
 or hot substances taken into the  stomach ;  white vitrol, 
228        DYSPEPSIA OR INDIGESTION.

antimony, arsenic, and the like  poisonous substances,
used in the regular practice of medicine, are all calcu-
lated to disease the stomach.   Hence people that have
had  severe fits of sickness, and  been dosed thoroughly
with mineral  medicines, are exceedingly liable to this
disease.
   Symptoms that characterize this disease, are  loss of
appetite, pain in the stomach, nausea, heart burn, sour
stomach, poor digestion, a sense of weight, or distress
in the  stomach after eating, followed with  trembling or
fainting,  constipation  of the .bowels, cold hands  and
feet, and general debility of the whole system.
   Treatment.  It is necessary in the treatment of this
diease, to regulate the general system.   This  may  be
effected by taking diaphoretic and composition powders,
and  paying particular  attention  to diet; all articles of
food should be light, and easy of digestion ;  unbolted
wheat  bread,  rice pudding, and light  vegetable food
should be sparingly used.   The patient should make a
frequent use of the warm bath ;  if this  is not conven-
ient, the  hand  bath may be used every morning, and the
surface of the  body rubbed with a flesh brush, or coarse
towel ; great  care should be  taken to keep the feet
warm and dry ; flannel should be worn next to the skin,
and other clothing according to the season  and climate.
   Spice  or wine bitters may be taken half  an  hour  be-
fore eating each  meal ; a stomach pill may be taken
night and morning, or oftener according to  circumstan-
ces.  Stimulating enemas should be used once or twice
a day.   If this should not  remove  the costiveness, a
fourth  of a table spoonful, or more, of bitter root may
be given with  the spice bitters.   If sourness or  acidity
of the  stomach should exist, a small quantity of sale-
ratus, magnesia, or bicarbonate of soda, may be taken.
   After pursuing this course for a few days, if the  pa-
tient does not  feel benefitted, he  should  be carried
through a course of medicine ; or,  if the general  sys-
tem is much deranged, and the patient's health  impair- 
JAUNDICE.
229
ed, a course  may be  given at the commencement;  it
will be found beneficial to carry the  patient through a
course of medicine, every  week or fortnight until his
health  is  restored.   Between the courses  the  above
treatment should be followed up ;  the  great object is to
invigorate the system, and restore the  animal functions
to their wonted tones.

                    JAUNDICE.

   This disease is generally known by the yellowishness
of the  skin.  It may be caused  by  whatever  checks
the flow of bile from the liver, such as inflammation of
the biliary duct ; or gall stones lying  in  the passages ;
or it may be produced by disease of the liver, in  which
case the bile becomes too thick to be discharged by the
biliary  duct.

   Symptoms that most usually characterize this disease,
is yellowishness of the eyes and  skin, whitish or clay
colored stool, and  urine  of a light saffron  color ;  it
comes  on with loss of appetite, bitter taste in trie mouth,
pain in the right side, sense of heat or prickling of the
skin.   In  severve cases, it becomes  of  a  dark color,
which has given it the name of black jaundice,

   Treatment.  In the  treatment  of this disease, we
should endeavor to remove the obstructions, and  invig-
orate the system.   A course of medicine given at the
commencement, will be found  beneficial, followed with
a free use of tonic powders, or wine bitters.   The dia-
phoretic tea  should be taken  once or twice a day, and
stimulating  enemas used to  evacuate the bowels ;  if
much  constipation  of the  bowels should exist, a dose
of bilious pills may be taken once a week or fortnight  ;
as a laxative, half a teaspoonful each of bitter root and
barberry,  may be taken once a day.  The  course of
medicine  may be repeated once a week, and the same
treatment pursued as  given above, until  the disease is
removed and the'patient restored.
                          20 
230
PLEURISY.
                    PLEURISY.

  Pleurisy is an inflammation of the membrane, called
the pleura, which lines the thorax or chest.   It may be
caused by taking cold, checked perspiration, drinking
cold  liquids when the  system  is hot, wet  clothes and
feet, going out of heated rooms into the cold air, drink-
ing strong liquors, or any thing which has a tendency
to throw an undue  quantity of  blood upon  the internal
organs.
  Symptoms.  The symptoms in this disease are simil-
ar to  other  inflammations and  fevers.   It generally
comes on with chills and shivering, followed by heat,
and a severe pain in the side, which is greatly increased
by couching, or taking a full respiration, breathing diffi-
cult, and the patient finds great difficulty in lying on the
side effected ; the pulse is hard, full and strong.

   Treatment.   An  attack of this  disease  is generally
severe, and if not arrested it soon terminates in death.
Active  means should be taken  for its  removal ; we
should commence by giving the patient large and  fre-
quent doses of diaphoretic and composition tea ; heated
 applications should be applied to the feet, and the vapor
bath given as speedily as possible, followed with a thor-
 ough  course  of medicine, and making  a  free use of
 stimulating enemas.   After the emetic has done opera-
 ting, the side should be bathed with rheumatic  drops or
 liniment.
   If the pain  should  continue severe, burdock leaves,
 wilted, should be  applied to the side, and a  free use
 made of the  diaphoretic tea,  to  which  may be added
 half a teaspoonful of pleurisy  root at a dose.   Mustard
 draughts applied to the feet, have proved highly benefi-
 cial.   The courses of medicine  should be repeated, in
 from  two to six hours, according to the violence of the
 case, and  the  other  treatment continued.  Thorough
 means should be used until the  disease  is overcome.
  The treatment in lung fever is applicable in this case, to
  which the reader is referred* 
MORTIFICATION.
231
                 MORTIFICATION.

  When any part of the body looses all motion, sensi-
bility, and natural heat, and  becomes of a brown, livid,
or black color, it  is said  to be  affected with gangrene
or mortification.  Mortification most frequently  takes
place in putrid complaints, such as fevers, sore  throats,
cuts, bruises, ulcers,  dysentery,  inflammation of the
bowels, &c.
  When  mortification takes place, the  circulation  of
blood stops, and  the part looses  its vitality, and soon
becomes insensible.  Hence we see patients who have
been in excruciating pain,  arising from inflammation,
all at once become  free  from pain ; this  indicates that
mortification has taken place.

   Treatment.  Whenever any  part of the system  is
affected with inflammation, and becomes inactive or de-
bilitated, great care should be  taken to  guard  against
mortification.   This is  best prevented by keeping up
an active circulation in the  parts  affected ; courses of
medicine should be given to regulate the general sys-
tem, and repeated if necessary, which will reduce the
inflammation.   If the internal parts are affected, rheu-
matic drops should  be taken in teaspoonful doses ;  bay-
berry and diaphoretic tea  may be freely drank.  Stimu-
lating enemas should be frequently used, to which  may
be  added a teaspoonful each of tincture of myrrh and
scullcap.
  For  external  applications, where mortification has
taken place, the parts should be bathed with equal por-
tions of rheumatic  drops, anti-spasmodic tincture, and
tincture of myrrh,  and  the  parts  thoroughly  rubbed.
A poultice made of smart weed, bruised,  and boiled  in
a decoction of white ash  bark, and thickened with In-
dian meal;  this should be spread on suitable cloth, and
the surface sprinkled over with  cayenne, and applied to
the affected part.   Charcoal  and  yeast poultices, also,
are highly recommended.   The poultices  must be re- 
232
RHEUMATISM.
newed frequently, and the affected part washed at  each
renewal, with a strong decoction  made  of white ash
bark, or any  of the astringent  and cleansing washes.
If the mortification is  so far advanced, that the  parts
become dead,  the poultices  must be continued  until
suppuration takes  place, when the dead flesh should be
removed,  and the common  elm poultice  applied, and
renewed, until the parts are sufficiently cleansed.  The
parts should be washed  daily with a decoction of witch
hazle and  raspberry leaves ;  when  the sores  are  suffi-
ciently cleansed, the healing  salves should be applied,
and the patient's  system invigorated  with diaphoretic
and nervine tea, and  the usual tonics.  The  wine bit-
ters  are highly beneficial and should be freely used,

                  RHEUMATISM.

   Rheumatism is divided into two species, acute and
chronic ; they differ some in their character and symp-
toms, but are treated nearly the same.  Acute rheuma-
tism is generally produced by taking cold, checked per-
spiration, excessive labor, exposure to cold, going with
wet feet, &c, and comes on with  inflammatory swell-
ing of the joints, with  a severe pain in the back, hips,
knee joints, and other  parts of the body ; the parts fre-
quently become red and swollen.
   Chronic rheumatism differs  from  acute  in its being
attended with little or  no fever  or  inflammation.  It is
frequently caused by  the  use of powerful  medicines,
such as mercury or mercurial salivations, wearing thin
clothes, sleeping in  damp  beds or rooms, suddenly
cooling the body when  hot, or anything which obstructs
perspiration.   Rheumatic difficulties affect  the system
the most in wet or rainy weather.

   Treatment.  In  mild forms of this disease,  a cure
may be effected by making a free use of  diaphoretic,
cayenne, and composition teas, and  the affected  part
thoroughly bathed with rheumatic  drops and  liniment; 
SCALLED HEAD.
233
stimulating  enamas  should be used  to  evacuate the
bowels, and heated applications applied  to the  feet on
going to bed.
  In more obstinate cases, where it is attended with acute
pain, besides the above treatment, the vapor bath should
be administered, and  followed with a thorough course
of medicine, and repeated as often as necessary.  If
the feet and limbs are the seat of pain, they should be
washed in a decoction of wild cherry bark, to which may
be  added a suitable quantity of hemlock boughs, and
the affected part steamed over it, in the usual  manner
of steaming a limb or joint.
  In  chronic forms of this disease,  courses of medi-
cine are necessary, in order to produce a healthy action
in the system.   The other treatment the same as above.
The patient should not expose himself to cold  or damp
air, and his  diet should  be of a  light and  nourishing
nature, avoiding animal food and  spiritous liquors, and
using suitable tonics to invigorate the system.

                 SCALLED HEAD,

  This is  an eruption which usually appears on  the
head and face, and frequently attacks  children, who are
kept  on improper food,  and  neglect cleanliness.  It
commences  with dark spots on the head, followed with
a troublesome itching, which soon discharges an offen-
sive matter.  The eruption continues to  spread, and
if not checked,  the whole  head becomes  covered with
scabs.
   Treatment. In the treatment of this disease, means
should be taken to  purify  the fluids  and to produce  a
healthy action in the system.  Diaphoretic and compo-
sition tea  should be taken sufficiently  to produce  a
slight moisture of the skin.  Spice bitters and sarsa-
parilla syrup should be taken daily.   Meadow fern oint-
 ment should be applied to the head ; or hogs lard sim-
 mered with the green of elder, may be applied.  On
                            20* 
234
AGUE IN THE FACE.
going to bed, the head should be covered with burdock,
mullen, or horseradish leaves, and bound on with a cap
or handkerchief; this will favor perspiration and bring
off the scabs.  They should be renewed  when they be-
come dry, and the parts washed clean with a decoction
of witch  hazle and raspberry leaves,  made into a weak
soap suds.
   After the scabs are removed, if there  is much  sup-
puration, elm poultices may  be applied, and the parts
frequently washed  with a decoction composed of rasp-
berry leaves,  pond lilly, and bayberry.  After the parts
become  thoroughly  cleansed,  meadow  fern, or some
other soft ointment should be applied to  favor the heal-
ing process.  If the patient's system should at anytime
become deranged, a course of medicine should be given,
and repeated if necessary ;  proper attention should be
paid to the bowels.   The diet  should be of a light and
wholesome nature, avoiding all fat or  salt substances.

               AGUE IN THE FACE.

   Tic Douloureux, as this disease is  frequently termed,
is one of the most  painful  of chronic  complaints ;  it
is chiefly confined to the face, and is a  nervous affec-
tion.   Those nerves running  over the  cheek, and ex-
tending  to the teeth, temples  and forehead, and to the
corner of the eyes, are the ones most commonly affect-
ed.   It generally comes on  with shooting pains about
the eyes, temple's, forehead, cheeks, and  frequently the
whole nervous system becomes irritated.  The  acute
pain occurs in paroxysms of the most excruciating char-
acter, succeeded by longer or shorter intervals, and the
face frequently becomes swollen.

   Treatment, As this is a nervous disease, a free use
 should be made of nervine teas ; nerve  powder added
 to the diaphoretic tea may be drank, and the affected
 part bathed with anti-spasmodic tincture, or rheumatic
 drops.  A flannel  wet  with equal parts of rheumatic 
WORMS.
235
drops and vinegar, should be warmed and bound on the
affected part ; heated applications should be  applied
to the feet, and also laid  near the  face.   If  there is
much  inflammation  or  swelling of the face,  an elm
poultice may be applyed, to which  may be added a suit-
able quantity of ginger,  Lobelia emetics frequently
prove beneficial.
   Toothache usually proceeds from decayed teeth, when
the  nerve becomes  exposed ; sometimes, however, it
proceeds  from other causes.  A person must  use his
own judgement as to the propriety of having it extract-
ed.  If decayed, the pain  is sometimes  relieved by
wetting a piece of lint with rheumatic drops, and apply-
ing it to the decayed tooth ;  or the face may be steamed
or bathed,  as directed above, which is probably the
best thing  that can  be done  for common toothache.
But if teeth are  much decayed, they should be  extract-
ed, as they frequently affect the adjoining teeth.   Those
who wish to preserve their teeth,  should keep  them
clean, and free from tartar or scurf.

                      WORMS.

   There  are several species of worms  which infest the
intestines of animals and men.  There are three kinds
frequently found in man ; the small white, or pin  worm,
the round, long, and the tape worm.   Dr. Howard re-
 marks, that worms  choose different  portions  of the
 intestines to live in ; for instance, the small white worm
 selects the  rectum ; the round worm the small  intes-
 tines, and sometimes the stomach ;  and the  tape worm
 the whole intestinal tube.  They proceed  from various
 causes, but are  seldom found except when the  stomach
 is weak and relaxed, and the  digestion bad.   Children
 who  eat great quantities of unripe  fruit, or raw herbs
 and roots, are exceedingly liable to have worms.
    Symptoms.   Symptoms most common to  persons af-
 fected with worms, are paleness  around the nose and 
236
LOCKED JAW.
lips, flushes of the cheek, starting  and grateing of the
teeth when asleep,  swelling of the upper lip,  loss of
appetite, offensive breath, great thirst, swelling of the
abdomen, griping or colic pain, dry cough, choking, and
frequently fits.

  Treatment.   Bitter tonics, and laxatives, are the most
efficient remedies to remove worms.   The  worm  pow-
ders may be given two or three times a day ;  tansy and
wormwood, and the like  vermifuges, are beneficial.  A
decoction  made of Jerusalem oak  and  wild  cherry, is
very good ; half a pint may be drank during the  day ;
also, a strong decoction made of butternut bark, and
sweetened with molasses, given in half teacupful doses,
or less, according  to  circumstances, until the bowels
are thoroughly moved.  If the symptoms indicate that
pin worms infest the rectum, stimulating enemas should
be freely used.

                  LOCKED JAW.

  Locked jaw is  a spasmodic contraction of muscles,
which firmly sets the jaws, and is generally caused  by
severe wounds in the  flesh, such as punctures, lacera-
tions, and  amputation of limbs, when a proper action
is not kept up in the system.

  Symptoms.   The  first symptoms  are stiffness in the
back part of the  neck, which extends to the jaws, and
roots of the tongue, the speech falters, swallowing be-
comes difficult, pain in the breast, jaws  become  more
stiff, and finally are set or clenched together,  and  re-
main firm.  Other parts  of the  body,  however,  have
more or less spasmodic motion, until the  whole system
becomes stiff and motionless.

  Treatment,  Locked jaw seldom  occurs in the bo-
tanic practice, if proper treatment is persevered in.  If
symptoms of locked jaw should arise, a thorough course
of medicine, with vapor bath, and  stimulating enemas, 
CONVULSIONS OR FITS.
237
with the addition of anti-spasmodic  tincture, should im-
mediately  be resorted to,  and repeated if necessary.
If in any case, the jaws should become firmly set, stim-
ulating  enemas  should be given, to which should  be
added two or three teaspoonsful  of  anti-spasmodic
tincture, and repeated every ten minutes ;  at  the  same
time  two  teaspoonsful added  to  half a teacupful  of
composition  tea, and a spoonful poured into  the mouth,
by placing the finger inside of the  mouth, between the
lip and  teeth, drawing the finger outwards, which will
enable it to pass into the mouth between the teeth ; this
will assist in  relaxing the jaws ;  this course should be
pursued until vomiting is produced ; heated applications
also, should be applied to the sides and feet.
  After a short interval, the patient  should  be carried
through a course of medicine, and repeat if necessary.
The  patient  should make a free  use of nervine and
stimulating tea ; if  the difficulty should  grow  out  of
wounds  or bruises, stimulating  washes, and other ap-
propriate remedies should be used, to keep up a healthy
action,  and other treatment as  the  circumstances re-
quire.   Cases have been cured by this treatment, where
the jaws have been  set for  days, and the patient given
over by the M. D's. to die.

              CONVULSIONS OR FITS.

   Convulsions or fits, are a great  degree of irritability
of the muscular  system.   They are often  caused  by
exposure to cold, and increased  determination of  blood
to, or an irritated state of the vessels of the brain, over-
loading the stomach, breathing vitiated or impure air,
irritation  of the  bowels, want of cleanliness, costive-
ness, worms, external injuries, incisions  or cuts with
ed^e tools, and various other irritations.

   Symptoms. The  most prominent symptoms  in this
disease, are  distorted  features, violent agitations of the
body, breathing  quick and laborious, the eye lids opena 
238
ST. VITUS' DANCE.
and the eyes fixed in  their sockets, or rolled about in
every  direction, the pupil dilatated, the body bended
back, the  fists  clenched, and  foaming at the mouth ;
sometimes the  convulsions prove  suddenly  fatal, and
at others  they last a considerable  length of time ;  the
pulse is small and irregular.

   Treatment.   The most energetic means  should  be
employed  in the treatment of this disease ; two or three
teaspoonsful of anti-spasmodic tincture should immedi-
ately be given, and repeated as the urgency of the case
requires ;  stimulating enemas, also, should be adminis-
tered to evacuate the bowels.   As  soon as the fits abate,
a free  use should be  made of cayenne  and bayberry
teas, to produce perspiration, nerve powder and tincture
of scullcap to quiet the action of the muscles,  and a
thorough  course of medicine to cleanse  the  system of
its obstruction.   When the fits have subsided, mild
stimulants and tonics should be given to invigorate the
system, and to  prevent an occurrence of the  fits.  If,
however, symptoms of the fits are  perceived, the  same
treatment  should be thoroughly followed, until they are
broken up.

                ST. VITUS' DANCE.

  This complaint is most confined to young people ;
those of a weak constitution, and  are much confined,
living upon scanty and improper diet, are most frequent-
ly attacked with this disease.   The males between the
ages of ten and fifteen,  who  expose themselves by
wetting their feet, or  labor beyond their strength,  are
liable to this disease.
  It usually comes by  nervous  excitement of the limbs,
such as twitching of the  fingers, and muscles of  the
face ; the  legs are so much affected, that it produces
awkwardness in walking.   As the disease  advances,
the patient's arms become unmanageble, moving  about
in an ungraceful manner, and he finds it difficult or im- 
CHICKEN POX.
239
possible to convey food to his mouth ; his  speech fal-
ters, and the patient  is unable to stand, and a general
excitement pervades the system.

   Treatment.  In  the treatment of this disease, means
should be taken to relieve the spasmodic  affections, in-
vigorate the general system, and tranquilize the nerves.
Diaphoretic tea should be taken sufficiently to produce
a gentle perspiration, and the nervine tea drank freely ;
stimulating enemas should  be used, and if much con-
stipation  exists, a dose of bilious pills  may  be  taken.
If this treatment does not  relieve the nervous excite-
ment,  a few  courses of medicine should  be given at
proper intervals.  The  spice or wine  bitters may be
taken  two or three  times a day ;  the diaphoretic and
nerve  powder may be  taken occasionally, and half a
teaspoonful of bitter root every, or every other day.  If
patient's pay attention to their diet, avoiding tea, coffee,
butter, and all oily  substances, and  follow this  treat-
ment closely, they seldom fail to obtain relief.

                   CHICKEN POX.

   This is an  eruptive disease, similar to measles.   It
 commences  by flushes of the  face, thirst,  restlessness,
 and pain in the back and extremities ; about the second
 or third  day, small pimples  may be  seen  about the
 breast and face, which spread downwards to the feet,
 and become filled with a whitish fluid ; in four  or five
 days they become dried up, which form a crust or scab.

    Treatment.  If the patient does not take a cold, little
 more is  necessary than  to make a free use of diaphor-
 etic or composition tea, and  keep  the system  warm,
 and the bowels properly evacuated by enemas.   If un-
 favorable symptoms  arise, a course of medicine may
 be given, and the treatment adopted,  as given under the
 head  of  measles. 
240
SCURVY.
                      SCURVY.

   Scurvy is  a term applied  to that disease which  is
produced by a long abstinence from vegetable diet, ex-
posure to dampness, long sea voyages, and  the contin-
ual use of salt provisions.   It generally commences
with lassitude, dejection of spirits, anxiety, faintness,
oppression at the breast, nausea and vomiting, gums be-
come spongy,  the  teeth loose, livid spots appear  on
different  parts of the body, and  stiffness of the  joints
and  feet.  As  the disease  advances,  bleeding  takes
place from the nose, lungs, stomach, intestines, &c.

   Treatment.   Persons who are afflicted  with this dis-
ease, should abstain from all salted animal food, and
live as much as possible upon vegetables ; if any meat
is  eat, it should be  fresh, such as  roasted lamb, beef
steak, without any gravy, fresh soups, onions, carrots,
pickles, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, &c.   The like ve-
getable diet is regarded as a specific in  the treatment
of this  disease.
  If the joints become stiff, and the general health im-
paired, and digestion poor, a course of medicine should
be given, and the vapor bath  administered every other
day ; the courses  of medicine  should be repeated  as
the urgency of the case seems  to  require, and  proper
attention  paid to the bowels.   Wine bitters and  sarsa-
parilla  syrup  may  be taken two or three times  a day.
Lemon juice  is also highly recommended ; a suitable
quantity  put into a glass of water, sweetened, may  be
taken several  times a day.  A tea may be made of
narrow dock root, and half a teacupful  drank several
times a day, between taking the bitters and syrup.   This
is of great service, and should always be used when it
can be  obtained.

                      PILES.

  Piles arise from a diseased  state of the rectum, and
anus, attended with  tumors, most  commonly situated 
PILES.
241
within the anus, or at its verge.   Sometimes the tumors
form a ring around  the internal surface of the rectum,
which renders the passing of the faeces exceedingly pain-
ful and difficult.   Those tumors or swellings are forced
down when the patient goes to stool, and frequently re
turned with  considerable  difficulty.  When the  dis-
charges are  accompanied  with blood, they are termed
bloody piles ; otherwise  they  are  termed blind piles.
Pregnant  women  are  exceedingly  liable to  this com-
plaint, and people at middle age of life ;  it seldom at-
tacks youth, or troubles aged people.
  Purgative  medicines are a  frequent  cause  of  this
complaint; or it  may  be  caused by exposure  to cold,
continued costiveness, strains,  or  carrying heavy  bur-
dens, eating unwholesome food, and a continual use of
fresh meats, or any substance that has a tendency to
weaken the intestines,  more particularly the rectum.

  Treatment.  In mild cases of piles, little more  will
be necessary than to occasionally  give a dose of laxa-
tive  syrup, and  the enema  given for piles, administered
twice a day ; the  spice bitters  should be taken two or
three times a day ;  vegetable food should be used, such
as Indian  meal puddings, unbolted wheat bread,  &c.
  In more severe cases,  where the parts  become swol-
len,  enemas should be  frequently used, made by steep-
ing a suitable quantity of witch hazle,  sumach, rasp-
berry leaves and scullcap, in  half a  pint of water, to
which may  be added,  a  teaspoonful  of fine elm, and
half a teaspoonful  of  tincture  of  lobelia ; a teacupful
of this may be administered at a time ; a small quantity
of rheumatic drops may be added to the enemas as
soon as it can be  borne ; the pile  ointment  should be
used daily.   If the parts become much swollen it should
be spread on a  piece of linen, and  secured to the parts
by a bandage.  The laxative syrup and tonic medicine
should  be given to regulate  the  bowels, and  general
system.   This  course should  be continued until a cure
is affected.  If the general system, however, becomes
                         21 
242
PALSY.
 much impaired, a course of medicine may be given, but
 the  most dependence is to be placed on the enemas, in
 the cure of this disease.

                       PALSY.

   Palsy generally comes on with a sudden loss of mo-
 tion and sensibility of some part of the body.   It fre-
 quently attacks one entire  side of the body ; at other
 times, it only attacks the hand and arm, or a leg, or it
 may extend to the head  and tongue, which causes stam-
 mering, or loss of speech.   In case of the whole body,
 or a vital  part becoming attacked, such as the brain,
 lungs, or heart, it very soon  proves fatal.
   This  complaint may arise from  any  thing which has
 a tendency to deaden the action of the  nervous  influ-
 ence, from the brain to  the organs of motion ;  disease
 of the spinal marrow, and other important nerves, are a
 frequent cause of this complaint.   The aged and infirm,
 or the young of a weak, lax habit, who  lead a sedentary
 life,  are most liable to its attacks.
   Treatment.  In  the treatment of this disease, our
 first endeavors should be to produce  circulation, and
 restore  sensibility to  the affected part.   The  patient
 should drink freely of strong  diaphoretic tea, and the
 vapor bath administered, followed with a thorough course
 of medicine, and  the  affected  parts bathed  with rheu-
 matic drops, or liniment; also stimulating enemas should
 be freely administered.
   Between  the courses  of medicine,  diaphoretic  and
 nervine tea should be given, and the  parts frequently
bathed with rheumatic liniment, and thoroughly rubbed ;
 a flannel wet with  rheumatic drops, warmed by the fire,
 should be laid on the insensible parts, and heated appli-
 cations  applied to them and to  the  feet.  The spice
 or wine  bitters may be used two or three times a day.
 This treatment should be continued until sensibility is
restored, repeating the courses of medicine  every other
day, or once a week, and other means taken to strength-3
 en and invigorate the system. 
CORNS.
243
                      CORNS.

  Corns are  chiefly brought  on by tight shoes, which
compress the feet, whereby the  thickening of the  cuti-
cle or outer skin is produced,  which forms bunches of a
hard, horny substance, that make their  appearance  on
the toes and sides of the feet.   They are very sensitive,
when pressed upon, and walking increases the  pain.
They are frequently very difficult to cure.

  Treatment.  If the corns are very painful, relief may
be obtained by soaking the  feet in warm  water, until
the corn becomes soft, and shaving it down thin, taking
care not to wound or produce pain or bleeding of the
living flesh ; a piece of strengthening  plaster,  or any
adhesive salve may then be applied.  A plaster of shoe-
maker's wax, also, has been found beneficial.   A strip
of suet  skin,  or bladder, soaked  in rattlesnake's oil,
nerve ointment, or lard, rubbed until it become  pliable,
and wrapped around the toe, and properly secured ; this
application was  extensively used by Dr. Thomson.  It
should remain on until worn out, and repeated if neces-
sary.   The object is to keep the skin soft and moist.
The cure of corns, however,  mostly depends upon per-
sons wearing large and easy shoes.

                    DEAFNESS.

  Deafness may be caused  by diseases affecting the
head, such as scarlet fever, measles, inflammation, or it
may be  caused by the hardning  of  the wax,  or by some
foreign  substance  in the ear, debility or relaxation of
the auditory nerve, violent colds, which affect the head,
two much moisture, or  great  dryness of the ear, or  by
any thing which  proves injurious to the internal organs
of the ear, or sense of hearing.

  Treatment.  When deafness  is  caused by hardning
of the wax, the ear should be syringed once or twice a
day with warm  water, or milk  and water;  after  each 
244
EARACHE.
washing, a little oil may be dropped into the ear, keep-
ing it stopped with cotton.  If the deafness is caused
by too much  moisture of the ear, it should be  syringed
with an infusion of raspberry leaves, with the addition
of a small portion of rheumatic drops, used warm, and
the ear to be cleansed with it, and  then  used  cold  to
strengthen or brace up the internal parts.   When  deaf-
ness is caused  by a severe cold affecting  the  head, it
should be kept  warm, and a free use  made of the dia-
phoretic or composition tea ; if feverish symptoms arise,
a course of medicine  should  be given, with other ap-
propriate remedies, and repeated if necessary.

                     EARACHE.

   Earache may proceed from any cause which produces
inflammation, as sudden exposure to cold when heated,
or it may proceed from insects, or any hard substance
in the ear, or from ulcerations, which  frequently follow
measles, scarlet fever, or putrid sore  throat.   Inflam-
mation of the ear, is usually attended with  excruciating
and throbbing pain ;  the  patient is  often delirious, and
sometimes convulsions  ensue.  If inflammation  is not
checked,  ulceration follows, and there is a discharge of
offensive yellowish matter from the ear.

   Treatment.   In severe cases of earache, active means
should be employed to allay the inflammation, and pre-
vent suppuration ; roasted onions  should be applied to
the ear, and two  or three drops of olive oil  may  be
dropped into it, and the ear filled with  cotton,  saturated
with tincture  of myrrh, to  exclude  the  air.   Also, a
free use should be made  of the diaphoretic or  composi-
tion tea, to produce perspiration.   Relief may be ob-
tained by applying heated  applications to the  sides of
the head, to warm and relax the affected part.
   If feverish  symptoms, or delirium should  arise, a
 course of medicine  may be given, and repeated if ne-
 cessary, and Indian  meal  poultices applied in case of 
          FALLING OF THE FUNDAMENT.      245

suppuration.  If there should be any  hardening of the
wax in the ear, it should be  syringed  several times a
day with a tea of raspberry leaves,  and a few drops of
tincture of lobelia, or rheumatic drops added  to it.  In
case of insects getting into the  ear, and causing  pain,
if they cannot otherwise be got out, a few drops of anti-
spasmodic tincture, or tincture of myrrh, may be  drop-
ped into the ear to  destroy them, and the  ear  syringed
with warm water, or milk and water, to extricate them.

          FALLING OF THE FUNDAMENT.

   The cause of this complaint,  is the  frequent use of
purges, which particularly affect the large intestines ;
it is also caused by habitual costiveness, and the result
of  small worms, hemorrhoids,  and  chronic dysentery.
It  frequently  affects  children  that are troubled  with
summer complaint,  excessive  irritation of the rectum,
and also those of a weak habit, whether young or old,
and is  very troublesome.
   Treatment.  In the treatment of  this complaint, the
parts should be replaced, previously anointed with lard,
to prevent irritation, and the parts  washed  with  a tea
made of hemlock bark and witch hazle  leaves, two  or
three times a day ; enemas should be used several times
a day, by making an  infusion of sumach, witch  hazle
leaves, pond lilly, and hemlock, and  adding  a small
quantity of fine elm to the  enema when  administered.
The washes and  enemas should be continued until a
cure is effected, and great care should be taken to pre-
vent costiveness.  Tonics  and astringent medicines,
should be taken to strengthen and regulate the  bowels
and general system.

                    SHINGLES.

  This complaint is generally caused by sudden expo-
sure to cold, when heated, violent passions, over-exer-
cise, intemperance, and unwholesome food.
                           21* 
246
FAINTING.
  Symptoms.   This disease generally makes its appear-
ance by elevations and itching on different parts of the
body, headache and sickness ;  rings  or  patches  form
around the body, sometimes running over the should-
ers, succeeded by pimples or blisters, which  contain a
clear fluid.
  Treatment.   In the treatment of this complaint, but
little is necessary to be done, except to make a free use
of the diaphoretic and composition teas, spice  bitters,
or any of  the tonic preparations ;  in  case of constipa-
tion of the bowels, enemas  should be used to regulate
them.  The clusters, or  patches, may be bathed with
vinegar and water, or rheumatic drops, and occasionally
washed with  warm water  and  tincture of lobelia.   If
the system should become  much deranged, it will be
necessary to administer a course of medicine, with oth-
er appropriate remedies.   If inflammation  takes place,
or ulcers form, they should be treated the same  as  di-
rected under that head.  The diet  should be of a light
and  nourishing kind, avoiding all oily and  greasy sub-
stances..

                     FAINTING.

  Fainting is frequently caused by fear, grief, joy, and
other violent  emotions of the mind,  breathing impure
air, tight lacing, loss of blood, or any thing which has a
tendency to weaken the action of the heart; hence aris-
es the paleness of the face, and the suspension of ani-
mation.
   Treatment.   If a person becomes faint, he  should be
laid  on a bed, or his head otherwise brought on  a level
position  with the body, in order   to favor the  flow of
blood to the brain, and cold water sprinkled in the face ;
vinegar, camphor, or  hartshorn, put on a handkerchief,
or a suitable cloth, and applied to the nostrils, or it may
be applied by holding a vial of it near the nose.  Eve-
ry thing  tight by  way of  dress,  or otherwise,  about the 
CHILBLAINS.
247
waist, should be lossened.   If this  does not bring the
patient too, a suitable quantity of rheumatic drops may
be given, stimulating enemas administered, and if ne-
cessary a course of medicine.

                   CHILBLAINS.

   This is a painful swelling of the toes, heels, fingers,
nose and lips, and becomes of a red or  blueish  color ;
the person is annoyed with an  obstinate itching, and a
sense of twingeing in the affected part; if the swellings
are  neglected, they  frequently  ulcerate.   People  are
very often  affected with it in cold weather,  arising from
continual exposure to cold, or from a suspension of an-
imation ; persons  of a cold weak habit are most com-
monly afflicted with this complaint;  the severity is fre-
quently increased  on going to the fire when the body is
chilled, owing to a conflict between heat and cold.

   Treatment.   People subject to chilblains, should take
equal  parts of cayenne and ginger, and sprinkle a small
quantity in the feet of their stockings, and should be
worn  daily,  especially  if exposed  to  cold ;  or if the
 affected parts become swollen, they should be bathed
 with rheumatic drops, or liniment, and anti-spasmodic
tincture, and  washed on going to bed,  with a decoction
 of smartweed, wild  cherry, or cayenne  added  to the
 water, and bathed with the above liniments, and  heated
 applications applied.

                    COSTIVENESS,

    Costiveness  frequently attends  various disorders, or
 it may proceed from errors in diet.  People of sedenta-
 ry habits making use of high seasoned  food, strong tea,
 or coffee, and get insufficient exercise  in the open  air,
 are exceedingly  liable  to this complaint.  If a person
 is costive, he is affected  with headache, sickness at the
 stomach,  want of appetite, flatulency or wind in the 
248
HEADACHE,
 stomach and intestines, swelling of the  abdomen, bitter
 taste in the mouth, parched tongue, and offensive breath,
 with some degree of fever, general dullness and melan-
 choly, or dejection of spirits.
   Treatment.   If constipation of the bowels arise from
 disease, it will be necessary to  invigorate  the general
 system.   This may be done by making use of stimula-
 ting teas, and enemas ; spice bitters may be taken twice
 a day, rendered laxative by one fourth of a teaspoonful
 of blackroot.   If constipation occurs, and  the patient
 is otherwise in good  health, a couple of bilious pills
 may be taken on going to bed, or the  laxative  syrup
 taken sufficiently to produce a looseness of the bowels,
 and  enemas used once  or twice a  day ;  sarsaparilla
 syrup  is an excellent  article  to  remove costiveness ;
 boneset, golden seal, barberry,  bitter root,  dandelion,
 elder flowers,  and yellow  dock, are  all  laxatives, and
 may be used with advantage.  Much, however, depends
 upon a proper regulation of the  diet; fat meat, butter,
 and all greasy substances, and high seasoned cake, must
 be refrained  from ; vegetable substances, or unbolted
 wheat  bread, hasty  pudding, potatoes, rice, gruels, jel-
 lies, and ripe, wholesome fruits, may be eat in suitable
 quantities.

                    HEADACHE.

  The most common cause of this complaint is a foul
stomach.   It may arise, however,  from  a cold settling
in the head, or for want of proper rest, exposure to the
rays  of the sun, constant application to hard study, or
any thing which  throws  too great a determination of
blood to the head ; hence, it often attends symptoms of
fevers, and other diseases.  If it arises  from some ob-
stinate nervous affection, the patient will be liable to a
frequent return of it, and it will be more difficult to cure,
than in most other cases.

  Treatment.   If headache arises from a nervous affec-
tion, a free use should be made of nervine and diaphor- 
ITCH.
249
etic tea, and  two or  three  stomach pills taken in the
course of the day ;  stimulating enemas should be ad-
ministered, to which may  be added  a teaspoonful of
nerve  powder ;  on  going  to  bed,  heated  applications
may be applied to the feet.   If it should arise from cos-
tiveness, the same treatment may be pursued  as  given
under that head.
   Whenever it arises from a foul stomach, which may
be  ascertained  by  a bitter taste in the mouth,  and a
sense of weight or oppression at the stomach, and fre-
quent distressing nausea or sickness, a thorough course
of  medicine  should be given to regulate  the  digestive
organs.
   I was much afflicted in early life, with severe attacks
of sick-headache, and never escaped more than a week
or fortnight,  without an attack, from  which I obtained
no permanent relief, until I resorted to thorough courses
of medicine, which so effectually removed the malady,
that I have been six months at a time without any se-
rious attack.

                        ITCH.

   Itch is a  disease of the skin, and  rarely effects the
 general health.   It is generated by personal uncleanli-
 ness, and impure air, or improper diet, and is frequently
 contagious.   It has its origin  in the  skin, and  shows
 itself in the  form of small pimples, or watery pustules
 between the  fingers, and upon the wrists, arms, legs and
 waist ; those pimples are attended  with intolerable itch-
 ing, and is increased  by  the  heat of the body,  which
 induces the  individual  to  rub or scratch, which breaks
 the pimples and frequently produces large sores.

    Treatment,   Many things are known  to be good for
 the cure of this disagreeable  disease ;  among them are
 the meadow fern ointment, or an ointment  made of yel-
 low dock root, and  applied externally.  The  composi-
 tion and diaphoretic teas should be used,  and  the body 
250
RINGWORMS.
washed daily with soap and water, and bathed with tinc-
ture  of lobelia ;  after the surface becomes dry, the
ointments may again be employed.   This course should
be'pursued until a cure is effected.

                   RINGWORMS.

  Ringworms make their appearance by an eruption of
the skin, forming in a circular patch, consisting of small
red pimples, which contain a thin acrid fluid ; the patch-
es or circles spread, forming  a ring, and the inner skin
appears quite healthy.  In most cases they are not very
troublesome, being  only attended with a slight twinge-
ing or itching.

  Treatment.  But little  more will be necessary in the
cure of ringworms, than  to keep the parts thoroughly
clean ; it should be washed daily with castile soap and
water, after which it should be bathed with rheumatic
drops, or bayberry tea, and the meadow fern ointment
spread on a linen  cloth, and applied over  the parts ;
this will exclude the air, and favor the healing process ;
an ointment may be made of yellow dock, or the healing
salve applied, and the person  may drink the spice bit-
ters and sarsaparilla syrup.   These remedies  in  most
cases will effect a cure.

                    SORE EYES.

  Inflamed or  sore eyes,  arise  from  various causesi
as exposure to cold, acid  fumes, too strong light, intem-
perance in eating and drinking, or going too long  with-
out sleep, riding  in  cold, dry winds, and  is  supposed
sometimes to arise from an acrimony in the blood ; it is
also  thought to  take place from  contagion, and  some-
times prevails  as  an epidemic ;  in  this case, it  must
proceed from a vitiated state of the atmosphere.
   Treatment.  In case there is not any inflammation in
the eyes, they may be washed several times a day, with 
POISONING.
261
the preparation given under  the  head of eye-water ;
milk and water, also, may be used, avoiding every thing
which has a tendency to weaken the eyes, such as strong
light, or exposure to cold damp air.  If the eyes should
be very sore, and attended  with much inflammation, a
course of medicine should be  given, and slippery  elm
poultices  applied, or an alum curd;  a thin piece  of
gauze may be laid over the poultice before it is applied ;
these should  be renewed as often as they become dry ;
at each renewal, the eyes should be thoroughly washed
with warm milk and water, or with raspberry and witch
hazle tea, and bathed  with the eye-water :  if the poulti-
ces become too warm and cause much pain, they may
be occasionally wet in a cold  infusion of gold  thread.
If the  case is an obstinate one, it will be  necessary  to
repeat  the courses  of medicine,  at proper  intervals.
During the course of medicine, the pain  may be much
relieved by laying a cloth upon them, previously wet in
cold water.  Between the courses the  patient should
drink freely of diaphoretic and composition tea, and take
of the  spice or wine  bitters two or three times a day,
avoiding  exposure, and  subsisting upon vegetable diet.
                    POISONING.

  Poisons are generally divided into three classes ; An-
imal, Mineral and Vegetable.  Animal poison proceeds
from bites of the rattlesnake, or of the  mad dog, fox,
wolf, cat, and  also from the bites and  stings of various
animals and insects, peculiar to different countries.

  Mineral poisons may be distinguished from vegetable,
by  their action on the  system ;  the  former corrodes,
stimulates  and  inflames ;  while the latter  generally
stupifies, without leaving  any marks of inflammation.
Mineral  poison seldom proves  fatal, until after most
excruciating pain  or  convulsions are experienced, for
at least two  or three hours.  Some  of the  vegetable 
252
POISONS.
 ones, however, terminate life  in a few  minutes.   Min-
 eral poisons  consist of arsenic, mercury or quicksilver,
 corrosive sublimate, antimony, saltpetre, nitrate of acid,
 or aquafortis, sulphuric acid, or oil of vitrol, white vitrol,
 or sulphate of zinc, blue vitrol, or sulphate of copper.

   Vegetable poisons consist of prussic acid, digitalis,
 or fox glove,  deadly night  shade, stramonium, or thorn
 apple, cicuta, opium, morphine, ipecac,  and numerous
 others of a less poisonous nature.  The above articles,
 both  mineral and vegetable,  are  more or less used in
 the regular practice of medicine, although  they are ad-
 mitted by medical writers, to be deadly poisons.  When
 taken by accident, or  in over doses, it is expected that
 death will  immediately follow ; consequently,  medical
 writers give the symptoms and treatment to be  pursued
 in case of  poisoning from each article.  As strange as
 it may appear, those very articles are given to us with
 the pretension to cure  our  aches and ills.   It is not to
 be  expected, however, that those  who  obtain a knowl-
 edge of  a more safe and certain way ot curing disease,
 will make  use of  those  poisonous substances  ; there-
 fore there  will  only be  given a general treatment of
 poisoning by  accident.
  The symptons  which arise from all the mineral poi-
 sons, are very similar ; in large doses they excite vom-
 iting and may be discharged from the stomach  without
 doing much injury, but when  retained  in the stomach,
 it destroys life in a few hours.   The  patient feels  a
 burning sensation in the throat, great thirst, griping pain
 in the stomach and bowels, violent hiccuping, breathing
 and swallowing difficult, bloated  or  livid countenance,
 delirious, fainting, coldness of the extremities, quick,
 small pulse, stiffness of the limbs, and a universal con-
 vulsion generally  ends  the scene.
  Vegetable poisons are characterized by stupor, drow-
siness, acute pain in the throat, extending to the stom-
 ach and bowels, nausea, and frequently  vomiting,  loud
 and  laborious respiration, pale or livid countenance, 
EXTERNAL POISON.
253
dimness of sight, shivering and delirium, great restless-
ness, convulsed motion of the face and limbs, and great
prostration of strength.  If the poison  be not speedily
ejected from the stomach, the scene soon ends in death.

   Treatment.  If it is known or suspected  that poison
has been taken, it should be immediately ejected from
the  stomach, by a thorough emetic;  anti-spasmodic
tincture is the  most convenient, and probably the most
effectual remedy that  can be used.  It should be  given
inllarger quantities  than usual, and repeated every five
minutes until vomiting in induced ;  stimulating  enemas
also should  be  administered, to  which may be added
two  teaspoonsful of  tincture of lobelia,  The patient
in the mean  time should drink freely of  diaphoretic and
composition tea.  This course should be pursued, and
the vomiting continued until the stomach is thoroughly
cleansed  from the poisonous substances;  after which
the diaphoretic  and stimulating  tea  should  be  drank
sufficiently to keep  the patient in a lively perspiration.
If he should be stupid or too much inclined to sleep,
vinegar and  water,  or lemon juice may be given, which
will  have a tendency to neutralize the narcotic proper-
ties  of the poison.  After three or four hours repose, if
the patient is effected with soreness, or  inflammation of
the stomach, a thorough course of  medicine should be
given ; after which, mucilages and  nervine teas should
be freely used, and spice bitters or other tonic prepara-
tions used sufficiently to enable the patient to regain
his strength.

   External Poison.   It will only be  necessary for the
patient to drink diaphoretic and nervine teas, and wash
the  surface of the body, or the part affected, with tinc-
ture of lobelia, red raspberry, or princes' pine tea, salt
and water, milk and water, or any of the cleansing  and
soothing washes*
                         22 
254
MENSTRUATION.
                 MENSTRUATION.

  Menstruation is a monthly discharge from the womb
of females, which generally commences about the four-
teenth or fifteenth year, and continues  until they are
forty-five or fifty years of age ; it is however suspended
during pregnancy, and frequently  in disease.   The
health of females depends very much upon their regular
monthly evacuations ;  a great  number of the distress-
ing difficulties which afflict a large portion of females,
might be avoided, if proper information on this  subject
was accessable to the heads of each family.  We have
not room, however, in this  work,  to speak  at suitable
length on all those diseases peculiar to the female sex ;
neither would it be proper in a work like this, designed
so  exclusively for family  use.  We would therefore
recommend to the  heads of each  family, to obtain  the
small work, entitled, the Woman's Friend, or the Mid-
wife's  Practical Directory, by Thomas  Hersey.   It
comes at a low price, and is a book of great worth, and
ought to be owned by every family.   We shall, howev-
er, give the treatment  of a few of the most common
female complaints.

          SUPPRESSION OF THE MENSES.

   If menstruation is checked by any unnatural cause,
as  taking cold, severe labor, going with cold and wet
feet, or mental agitation, active  means should be taken
to re establish a regular discharge.  Women should be
exceedingly careful not to expose themselves to cold at
any time, but particularly near the time they expect their
monthly  evacuations,  and  especially after they have
commenced.   Many a  good constitution has been ruin-
ed, and  the happiness of many a female destroyed  for
life, by  carelessness at this critical period ; indeed, a
very considerable number of the diseases of women,
arise from this one cause.
   Treatment.  In case of non-appearance of the men-
ses, in the young female, or its retention in older per* 
PAINFUL MENSTRUATION.        255
sons, owing to a lax or feeble  constitution, diaphoretic
tea, spice bitters, or  female powders should be taken
several times a day, and occasionally a course of medi-
cine, taking proper exercise in the open air, keeping
the feet dry and warm ;  the vapor or warm bath should
be occasionally taken, and the surface of the body rub-
bed  night  and morning with  a coarse  towel or flesh
brush ; light and  nourishing food should  be used, and
other active means taken to  invigorate the general sys-
tem.   Near the time the return of the  discharge is ex-
pected, cohosh, or rattle root tea may be drank ; compo-
sition  and  other  teas  as recommended above ; it will
generally answer the desired end.
  If, however, it should arise from cold taken at, or near
the time of monthly discharges, active means must be
taken for its  removal, or serious consequences will fol-
low.   If any feverish or unfavorable symptoms arise, a
thorough course of medicine should be given, and re-
peated if necessary, and a free  use made of diaphoret-
ic, cayenne, and  bayberry teas ; the  female powders
should be  taken three  or four times a day, and  rattle
root also, may be used.  After the discharge is effected,
if it should be too profuse, the patient may drink witch
hazle and  raspberry tea, and if necessary, a small por-
tion of beth root may be added.

             PAINFUL  MENSTRUATION.

   The  suffering  of women, who are  subject to  this
complaint, is often of the  severest character, resem-
bling in point that of pain in labor.  In cases of  pain-
ful  menstruation,  the breast frequently appears to sym-
 pathize with the womb, and becomes swollen and very
painful ; there is  pain also, in the hip, back and loins,
headache,  sickness at the stomach, vomiting, and many
other unpleasant and distressing symptoms.
   Treatment.  The most effectual means  in curing this
distressing malady, is making a free use of stimulating
 teas ; composition and diaphoretic tea should be freely 
256         PROFUSE MENSTRUATION.

used ;  warm fleabane tea is  also  highly beneficial ;
stimulating enemas should be freely used, and the parts
over the region of the womb, bathed with warm rheu-
matic drops and  vinegar, and  a flannel wet with  the
same laid  on the abdomen ; fomentations of hops  or
herbs, are frequently used with much advantage ; heated
applications should be placed at the  sides and feet, and
stimulating teas  given sufficiently to produce perspira-
tion.  If this does not afford relief, a thorough  course
of medicine may be given, and repeated if necessary.

            PROFUSE MENSTRUATION.

  This  complaint may  arise from general debility of
the  body, or a  particular weakness  of the  uterus, or
womb ;  it may be profuse, either from its too frequent
occurrence, or from too great a  quantity,  when  at a
proper period ; there is fequently attending this disease,
a discharge of real blood, which proves very debilitating.
  Treatment.  In the treatment of this disease, means
should be taken to strengthen the general system, more
especially  the womb.  A tea of raspberry  and witch
hazle leaves, and a small quantity of beth root added
to it, may be freely  drank ; diaphoretic and bayberry
tea may be drank sufficient to keep the patient in a gen-
tle  perspiration ;  stimulating enemas should be used,
and heated applications applied to the feet.  A tea made
of  witch hazle,  raspberry and scullcap, and injected
into the vagina, about blood warm, will  strengthen  the
womb, and have a beneficial effect in checking the  dis-
charges ; the  above treatment  should be  thoroughly
followed up.  If this should not sufficiently check the
discharges, a course of medicine should be resorted
too, or any of the treatments for  hemorrhages, are  ap-
plicable in this case ; the female powders  and spice
 bitters should be used to strengthen the general system.
   Fluor Albus or Whites, is a discharge from  the womb
 and vagina, of a white or milky color, and  is a very
 offensive, as well as weakening or debilitating complaint.
It may be treated the same as  recommended above. 
CONCLUSION.
257
                   CONCLUSION.

   In bringing this work to a close, it may be  proper to
remark, that the reader should bear in mind the general
principles  on which diseases  are treated ; in sudden
attacks we  should  not stop to find a name  for the dis-
ease, but administer medicine at  once, either by stimu-
lating, steaming, physicing, vomiting,  or by giving a
thorough  course of medicine, in order  to  remove the
obstructions, purify the  fluids,  and re-instate  the  gen-
eral system.   If this end is obtained, it is of  but  little
consequence whether we know the name, or  fully un-
derstand the nature of the disease ; with the description
we have given, however, the different diseases may be,
in most cases, readily known.   In  the  treatment of
children, the same course should be pursued as  in adults;
medicines, however,should be of a milder nature and the
doses regulated according to age and circumstances.
   It may be thought that we are somewhat limited in
the list of compounds and  remedies  for disease ;  but
this  idea  will  vanish, upon  the application  of these
which are  given ; they  will  be found adequate  to re-
move all curable diseases, when properly administered.
Hundreds of cases might be given, in which they have
been administered with success, which would  not  only
be useful,  but  interesting to the reader, but the want of
room obliges us to omit them.   The work is already
larger than was anticipated at its commencement.   We
find  in its perusal, a few typographical errors, and oc-
casionally a misuse of small words, which were over-
looked in  the proof sheets,  owing to the multiplicity of
business  in which we were engaged.
22* 
GLOSSARY.
  Abdomen, The belly.
  Absorbents, Small delicate vessels, which suck up substances.
  Absorption, The taking up of substance by absorbents.
  Anus, The fundament, or extremity of the large  intestines.

  Caloric, The matter of heat, or that which produces sansation
of heat.
  Constipation,  Costiveness.
  Capillaries, Small blood vessels  which connect  the arteries
and veins.
  Cerebrum,  j The brain.
  Cerebellum, )
  Chyle, Milky fluid which is seperated from the chyme and en-
ters into the formation of blood.
  Congestion, Too great an accumulation of blood in any part.
  Convulsion, A violent contraction of the muscles by spasms.
  Contagious, Disease communicated from one person to another.

  Diaphragm, A muscle which separates the chest  from the ab-
domen—the midriff.
  Duodenum, The upper portion of the small intestines connect.
ed with the stomach.
  Delirium, An alienation of mind, or wandering of the senses.
  Digestion, Dissolving of  aliment or food in the stomach.

  Emesis, Vomiting,
  Enema, Injection or clyster.
  Exhalents, Small vessels which  carry off the perspiration or
waste fluids from the system.
  Excretory ducts, Small vessels iq the fabric of the glands.
  Epigastric region, That part of the abdomen that lies immedi-
ately over the stomach.

  Febrile, Indications of fever.
  Faces, Discharges from the intestines.
  Febrifuge, A medicine that has the power  of arresting the
progress of fever.

  Gangrene, Mortification.
  Gastritis, Inflammation of the stomach.
  Gastric, Relating to the stomach. 
GLOSSARY.
259
  Hypochondic region, The right and upper portion of the abdo-
men.
  Hemorrhage, Bleeding from any internal organ.
  Hectic, A slow habitual fever.
  Lacteals, The vessels which absorb the chyle from the intes«
tines, and pour it into the thoracic duct.

  Morbid, Diseased, sickly, unnatural.
  Mucus, A slimy fluid secreted by the mucus membrane.

  Narcotic Poisons that destroy the sensibility of the nerves.
  Nausea, An inclination to vomit.

  (Esophagus, The gullet or meat pipe.
  Ossified, Changed  into bone.

  Paroxysm, A periodical  attack of disease, which lasts  for a
limited time and then ceases.
  Pericardium, The  membraneous sack surrounding the heart.
  Pulmonary, Relating to the lungs.
  Pylorus, The lower or intestinal  orifice of the stomach.

  Retching, Straining to vomit.
  Respiration, The act of breathing.
  Remittant, Ceasing for a limited time,

   Stranguary, A difficulty in voiding urine.
   Spasm, Cramp or convulsion.
   Secretion, The  act of separating from  the blood, substances
 different from the blood itself,  as bile, &c. &c
   Synovia, A white fluid peculiar to the joints.

   Thorax, The chest.
   Tepid, Warm in a small degree,  luke warm.
   Torpid,  Stupid, inactive, numb.
   Trachea, Windpipe.
   Tissues, The texture which composes the different organs.

   Vena cava, The two large veins through  which  the  blood is
 poured into the heart.
   Vertigo, Dizziness or giddiness  of the head.
   Viscera,  Contents of the thorax and abdomen, as the lungs
 heart, stomach and intestines.                     \
   Viscid, Sticky, gummy, glutinous. 

   BOTANIC REPOSITORY,   j


FIRST  DOOR SOUTH  FROM COURT-STREET,:
                NEW-LONDON, CONN.,                  j
  Where is kept for sale, wholesale and retail, at the low- j
est cash price, a very extensive stock of pure vegetable ;
Family Medicines.  Among them may be found the fol-
lowing :
Vegetable Composition,
African Cayenne,
Nerve Powder,
Emetic Powder.
Female Powders,
Wine Bitters,
Spice Bitters,
Canker Powder,
Diaphoretic Powders,
Worm Powders,
Cough Powder,
Tooth Powder.
Catarrh Snuff,
Poplar, coarse and fine,
Bayberry,  do   do
Slippery Elm, do    do
Hemlock,     do    do
Barberry,  do   do
Balmony,   do   do
Golden Seal,
Beth Root: White
Unicorn Root,
Black Root,
Bitter Root,
Virginia Snake Root,
Lobelia Seed and Herb,
Senna,
do.
Conserve of Hollyhock or Bread
      of Life,
Compound Syrop of Sarsparilla,
Laxative Syrup,
Cholera  do
Rheumatic or Hot Drops,
Restorative Cordial,
Dysentery  do
Mother's  do..
Anti-Spasmodic Tincture,
Tincture Lobelia,
Emetic Tincture,
Tincture Cayenne,
Tincture Scullcap,
Tincture Myrrh,
Cough Balsam,
Cough Drops.  Eye-Water.
Cough Lozengers,
Cancer Plaster,
Strengthening Plaster,
Rheumatic Liniment,
Meadow Fern Ointment,
Pile Ointment,
Vegetable Bilious Pills,
Stomach Pills,
Cough Pills,
Healing Salves,             i >
Syringes and Nurse Lamps.
«P 5 Saffron

**    VEGETABLE COMPOUND MEDICATED COUGH CANDY
■* i

•3?
     Also, Pressed Herbs, Pennyroyal, Boneset, Hoarhound,
   Indian Posey,  Golden Rod, Canker Lettuce,  Fleabane,
% j Sage, Thyme  Elder Flowers,  Tansy, Red Raspberry,
* | Witch Hazle, Sumach  Leaves, Wintergreen, Pipsisewa,
^i Juniper Berries, One Berry, Cleavers, Gold Thread, Corn-
el sfrey Root, Prickly Ash  Bark, Marsh  Rosemary, Black
41 Cohosh, Cranesbill, White Pond Lilly, Meadow Fern, and
^j Indian Hemp.  The above articles are collected fresh ev-
jjHery season, and are warranted pure and unadulterated.
* Medicines are put up in small packages and  vials, with
t| | printed directions for family use.
^|ag                   J« TAYIiOH, Medical Botanist.
vyCft>_____j..,.t ,.,.,■ i n^-v h.tv. ..nT" n-.>o.,i.......■■n^WWMWl1ULLL  oiiiull l____________   * 
INDEX.
Page.			Page.
Anatomy and Physiology	59] Bilious fever,		165
Animal fluids,	67 Burns,		201
Absorption,	92	Bilious colic,	216
Advantages of wearing		Bleeding from the lungs,	225
flannel,	96	Bleeding from the stomach, 226	
Anti-spasmodic tincture,	142	Bruises,	200
Antispasmodics,	150	Biles,	195
Antiseptics,	150	Cartilages,	62
Astringents,	151	Cellular membrane	65
Aromatics,	152	Checked perspiration	89
Anti-acids,	153	Cayenne,	119
A course of medicine in		Cleavers,	132
severe attacks,	154	Cinnamon,	135
Asthma,	211	Cloves',	135
Application of vapor bath	155	Chamomile flowers,	136
Abscess,	195	Composition,	137
Ague and fever,	170	Cough powder,	140
Ague in the face,	234	Cough balsam,	41
Bones,	62	Cancer plaster,	146
Blood vessels,	67	Catarrh snuff,	146
Brain,	72	Common salve,	146
Bladder,	78	Canker tea,	147
Bathing,	96	Common poultice,	148
Benefits of riding,	100	Common enemas,	148
Bayberry,	120	Carminatives,	152
Be'h root,	122	Cathartics,	152
Balmony,	123	Course of medicine,"	153
Bitter root,	125	Course of medicine in	
Barberry,	125	chronic complants,	154
Butternut,	126	Cancer,	202
Black root,	126	Coughs,	206
Balm of Gilead,	127	Croup,	206
Blood root,	129	Consumption,	212
Burdock,	130	Colic,	215
Beech drops,	131	Cholera morbus,	217
Bitter sweet,	131	Cholera,	218
Boneset,	133	Corns,	243
Bayberry tea,	147	Convulsions or fits,	237
Bath with blankets,	156	Chilblains,	247
Bath in bed,	157	Costiveness,	247
Bath by heated applica-		Chicken pox,	239
tions,	158		
 
262
INDEX.
Page.			Page.
Digestion,	76	Heart,	68
Dress,	94	Hemlock,	128
Diet,	111	High blackberry,	132
Dandelion,	136	Hoarhound,	133
Diaphoretic powders,	138	Healing salve,	145
Dysentery cordial,	140	Hip Disease,	194
Diaphoretic tea,	147	Hardhack,	134
Diuretic tea,	148	Hemorrhages,	225
Demulcents,	i5y	Headache,	248
Diuretics,	152	Introductory remarks,	13
Diarrhea,	220	Intestines,	75
Dysentery,	221	Influence of the mind on	
Dropsy,	222	health,	108
Diseases of urinary organs	223	Indian hemp,	132
Dyspepsia or indigestion,	227	Indian posey,	136
Deafness,	243	Inflammation of the brain	, 178
Evils of compressing the		" of the stomach,	180
chest,	81	" " liver,	181
Evils of checked perspir-		" " bowels,	183
ation,	90	" " kidneys,	184
Elecampane,	129	" Bladder,	185
Evan root,	130	Influenza,	205
Eye water,	142	Itch,	249
Essences,	144	Juniper,	128
Enemas for piles,	149	Jerusalem oak,	136
Expectorants,	150	Jaundice	229
Erysipelas,	186	Kidneys,	77
Emetics,	149	Ligaments,	62
Emetic powder,	138	Lymphatic glands,	67
Earache,	244	Lachrymal Glands,	67
External Poisons,	253	Liver,	76
Fainting,	246	Lungs	78
Falling of the fundament,	245	Lobelia inflata,	119
Function of the lungs,	79	Lady's slipper,	124
Function of the skin,	86	Lung fever,	162
Fir balsam,	129	Laxatives,	151
Female powders,	139	Lacerated wounds,	198
Felons,	196	List of teas,	147
Freezes,	202	Locked jaw,	236
Flatulent or wind colic,	215	Muscles,	63
Fleabane,	133	Membranes,	64
Flour albus or whites,	256	Mucus membrane,	65
Glands,	66	Mucus glands,	67
Golden Seal,	122	Muscular action,	102
Ginseng,	125	Marsh rosemary,	122
Gold thread,	133	Mayweed,	135
Ginger,	135	Mother's cordial,	141
 
	INDEX.		263
	Page.		Page.
Meadow fern ointment,	145	Sleep,	113
Mode of administering		Sumach,	121
medicine,	161	Suppression of the mens	es, 254
Mumps,	190	Scurvy,	240
Measles,	174	Scullcap,	124
Mandrake,	127	Slipperykm, Skunk Cabbage,	127
Meadow fern,	127		129
Mortification,	231	Sarsaparilla,	130
Menstruation,	254	Spikenard,	131
Natural laws,	39	Spearmint,	134
Nerves,	71	Saffron,	135
Nervous influence,	93	Sassafras,	135
Nettle,	136	Summer Savory,	135
Nervine tea,	147	Sage,	135
Nervines,	152	Solomon's seal,	136
One berry,	133	Smartweed,	136
Perspiration,	87	Spice bitters,	138
Poplar,	123	Sarsaparilla syrup,	142
Prickly ash,	128	Stomach Pills,	144
Pipsisewa,	132	Sumach pills,	144
Pennyroyal,	134	Stimulating liniment,	145
Peppermint,	134	Strengthing plaster,	146
Pile ointment,	145	Stimulating enemas,	5 149
Pennyroyal tea,	147	Stimulants,	150
Poultice for swellings,	148	Scarlet fever,	173
Properties of plants,	149	Small pox,	175
Piles,	240	Scrofula,	190
Pnnctured wounds,	198	Sprains,	199
Painter's colic,	215	Scalds,	201
Palsy,	242	Suppression of urine,	224
Poisoning	251	Shingles,	245
Pleurisy,	230	Sore eyes,	250
Painful menstruation,	255	Scalled head,	233
Profuse menstruation,	256	St. Vitus' dance,	238
Quinsy or putrid sore		St. Anthony's fire,	186
throat.	188	Treatment of disease.	159
Rules for exercise,	105	Tincture of lobelia,	143
Red raspberry,	121	Tincture of scullcap,	143
Rheumatic drops,	140	Tincture cayenne,	143
Remarks on fevers,	160	Tincture of myrrh,	144
Retention of urine.	224	Tonics,	151
Ringworms,	250	Typhus fever,	167
Rheumatism,	232	Tansy,	136
Serous membrane,	64	Unicorn,	122
Salivary glands,	67	Voyages at sea,	101
Stomach,	74	Vegetable materia medica, 117	
Skin,	84	Virginia snake root,	131
 
264
INDEX.
                       Page.
Vegetable compounds,     137
Vegetable pills,           145
Vermifuges,              152
Vapor by steam box,       156
Vegetable poisons,        252
White pond lilly,          120
Witch hazle,   '           121
Wild cherry,              128
Wake robin,              129
White root,              131
Wintergreen,             135
Wormwood,              , 136
                       Page.
Worm  powder,           138
Wine bitters,             139
White swellings,          193
Wounds,                 197
Wounds inflicted with fire
    arms,                199
Whooping cough,         927
Worms,                  235
Whitlows,                196
Yellow dock,             130
Yellow  fever,            169 
 
 
 
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