Sec. 32. Sydenham asserts, that the bark did not more certainly cure an intermittent, than riding did a consumption. We must not deny the truth of an assertion, from such authority, but we must conclude that the disease was more easily curable a century ago than it is at present.

Sec. 33. If the Digitalis is no longer useful in consumptive cases, it must be that I know not how to manage it, or that the disease is more fatal than formerly; for it would be hard to deny the testimony cited at page 9. I wish others would undertake the enquiry.

Sec. 34. When phthisis is accompanied with anasarca, or when there is reason to suspect hydrothorax, the Digitalis will often relieve the sufferings, and prolong the life of the patient.

Sec. 35. Many years ago, during an attendance upon Mr. B——, of a consumptive family, and himself in the last stage of a phthisis; after he was so ill as to be confined to his chamber, his breathing became so extremely difficult and distressing, that he wished rather to die than to live, and urged me warmly to devise some mode to relieve him. Suspecting serous effusion to be the cause of this symptom, and he being a man of sense and resolution, I fully explained my ideas to him, and told him what kind of operation might afford him a chance of relief; for I was then but little acquainted with the Digitalis. He was earnest for the operation to be tried, and with the assistance of Mr. Parrott, a very respectable surgeon of this place, I got an opening made between the ribs upon the lower and hinder part of the thorax. About a pint of fluid was immediately discharged, and his breath became easy. This fluid coagulated by heat.

After some days a copious purulent discharge issued from the opening, his cough became less troublesome, his expectoration less copious, his appetite and strength returned, he got abroad, and the wound, which became very troublesome, was allowed to heal.

He then undertook a journey to London; whilst there he became worse: returned home, and died consumptive some weeks afterwards.

PUERPERAL ANASARCA.

Sec. 36. This disease admits of an easy and certain cure by the Digitalis.

Sec. 37. This species of dropsy may originate from other causes than child birth. In the beginning of last March, a gentleman at Wolverhampton desired my advice for very large and painful swelled legs and thighs. He was a temperate man, not of a dropsical habit, had great pain in his groins, and attributed his complaints to a fall from his horse. He had taken diuretics, and the strongest drastic purgatives with very little benefit. Considering the anasarca as caused by the diseased inguinal glands, I ordered common poultice and mercurial ointment to the groins, three grains of pulv. fol. Digitalis night and morning, and a cooling diuretic decoction in the day-time. He soon lost his pain, and the swellings gradually subsided.

THE END.



BOOKS,

Printed for G. G. J. and J. ROBINSON, Booksellers, Paternoster-Row, London.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE Scarlet Fever and Sore Throat, Or, SCARLATINA ANGINOSA;

Particularly as it appeared at BIRMINGHAM in the Year 1778.

By WILLIAM WITHERING, M. D.

Price 1s. 6d.

Also, Price 2s. 6d.

Outlines of MINERALOGY, Translated from the original of Sir TORBERN BERGMAN; with NOTES,

By WILLIAM WITHERING, M. D.

Member of the Royal Medical Society at Edinburgh.

In the Spring of the Year 1786, will be published, by the same Author, a New Edition of the

BOTANICAL ARRANGEMENT.

With very great Additions; in Three Vols. large Octavo.



TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

Obvious printer's errors have been fixed. For the detailed list, please see below. The frontispiece has been moved from the beginning of the book to the section explaining it.

Errors fixed

page xvi—typo fixed: changed 'afterterwards' to 'afterwards' page 029—typo fixed: changed 'apetite' to 'appetite' page 043—typo fixed: removed an extra 'in' after 'and she died' page 062—typo fixed: changed 'Dovers' to 'Dover's' page 095—typo fixed: changed 'ef' to 'of' after 'whilst the rest' page 098—typo fixed: changed 'harrassed' to 'harassed' page 103—typo fixed: changed 'Shiffnal' to 'Shiffnall' page 106—typo fixed: changed 'Fox-glove' to 'Foxglove' page 110—typo fixed: changed 'suceed' to 'succeed' page 111—typo fixed: changed 'atttention' to 'attention' page 114—typo fixed: changed 'disgreeable' to 'disagreeable' page 115—typo fixed: removed an extra 'the' in front of '7th of April' page 123—typo fixed: changed 'susspended' to 'suspended' page 135—typo fixed: changed 'vomitted' to 'vomited' page 141—typo fixed: changed 'contiued' to 'continued' page 148—typo fixed: changed 'praecordia' to 'proecordia' page 158—typo fixed: changed 'spoonfulls' to 'spoonfuls' page 163—typo fixed: changed 'mecine' to 'medicine' page 164—typo fixed: changed 'slighest' to 'slightest' page 166—typo fixed: changed 'ipecacohana' to 'ipecacoanha' page 170—typo fixed: changed 'meridiaana' to 'meridiana' page 196—typo fixed: removed an extra 'the' in front of 'viscera' page 200—typo fixed: removed an extra 'and' after 'from asthma'

THE END