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Domestic Medicine : or, a Treatise on the Prevention and Cure of Diseases by Regimen and simple Medicines
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80

OF JNTEItMlTIlNG FEVERS.

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medicine. One method of rendering this medicine more palatable, isto make it into a mixture with distilled waters and syrup, and afterwards to give it an agreeable sharpness with the elixer or spirit ovitriol. This both improves the medicine, and takes off the nauseoustaste. In cases where the bark cannot be administered, the salintmixture (see Appendix) may be given with advantage to children, towhom cinchona (Peruvian bark) may be administered in form of clys-ter when they will not take it by the mouth.

Wine-whey is a very proper drink for a child in an ague; to halfan English pint of which may be put a teaspoonful of the spirit ofhartshorn. Exercise is likewise of considerable service; and whenthe disease proves obstinate, the child ought, if possible, to be re-moved to a warm dry air. The food ought to be nourishing, andsometimes a little generous wine should be allowed.

To children, and such as cannot swallow the bark, or when thestomach will not bear it, it may be given by clyster. Half an ounceof the extract of bark, dissolved in four ounces of warm water, withthe addition of half an ounce of sweet oil, and six or eight drops oflaudanum, is the form recommended by Dr. Lind for an adult,and this is to be repeated every fourth hour, or oftener, as the occa-sion shall require. For children the quantity of extract and lauda-num must be proportionably lessened. Children have been cured ofagues by making them wear a waistcoat with powdered bark quiltedbetween the folds of it; by bathing them frequently in a strongdecoction of the bark, and by rubbing the spine with strong spirits,or with a mixture of equal parts of laudanum and the saponaceousliniment.

We have been the more full upon this disease, because it is verycommon, and because few patients in an ague apply to physicians,unless in extremities. There are, however, many cases in which thedisease is very irregular, being complicated with other diseases, orattended with symptoms which are both very dangerous and verydifficult to understand. All these we have purposely passed over, asthey would only bewilder the generality of readers. When thedisease is very irregular, or the symptoms dangerous, the patientought immediately to apply to a physician, and strictly to follow hisadvice.

To prevent agues, people must endeavour to avoid their causes.These have been already pointed out in the beginning of this section :we shall therefore only add one preventive medicine, which may beof use to such as are obliged to live in low marshy countries, or whoare liable to frequent attacks of this disease.

Take an ouce of the best Peruvian bark; Virginian snake-root,and orange-peel, of each half an ounce; bruise them all togethe;and infuse for five or six days in a bottle of brandy, Holland gin, o.any good spirit; afterwards pour off the clear liquor, and take awine glass of it twice or thrice a day. This indeed is recommendings dram; but the better ingredients in a great measure take off the illeffects of the spirit. Those who do not chuse it in brandy, mayinfuse it in wine; and such as can bring themselves to chew the barkwill find that method succeed very well Gention root, or calamus

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