ON THE SCROPHULA, OR KINGS EVI

2M

bear. This is of the utmost importance. Children who have sufficientexercise are seldom troubled with the scrophula.

MEDICINE.------The vulgar are remarkably credulous with regaid

to the cure of the scrophula ; many of them believing in the virtue ofthe royal touch, that of the seventh son, &c. The truth is, we knowbut little either of the nature or cure of this disease, and where reasonor medicines fail, superstition always comes in their place. Hence it is,that, in diseases which are the most difficult to understand, we generallyhear of the greatest number of miraculous cures being performed.—Here, however, the deception is easily accounted for. The scrophula,at a certain period of life, often cures of itself; and, if the patient hap-pens to be touched about this time, the cure is imputed to the touch,and not to Nature, who is really the physician. In the same way theinsignificant nostrums of quacks and old women often gain applausewhen they deserve none.

There is nothing more pernicious than the custom of plying childrenin the scrophula with strong purgative medicines. People imagine itproceeds from humours which must be purged off, without consideringthat these purgatives increase the debility and aggravate the disease. Ithas indeed been found, that keeping the body gently open for some time,especially with sea-water, has a good effect; but this should only begiven in gross habits, and in such quantity as to procure one or at mosttwo stools every day.

Bathing in the salt-water has also a very good effect, especially in thewarm season. I have often known a course of bathing in salt-water,and drinking it in such quantities as to keep the body gently open, curea scrophula, after many other medicines had been tried in vain. Whensalt-water cannot be obtained, the patient may be bathed in fresh water,and his body kept open by *Rall quantities of salt and water, or someother mild purgative.

Next to cold battling and drinking the salt-water, we would recom-mend cinchona (the Peruvian bark). The cold bath may be used insummer, and the bark in winter. To an adult half a drachm of the barkin powder may be given m a glass of red wine four or five times a-day.Children, and such as cannot take it in substance, may use the decoctionmade in the following manner:

Boil an ounce of cinchona and a drachm of Winter's bark, bothgrossly powdered, in an English quart of water, to a pint: towards theend, half an ounce of sliced liquorice-root and a handful of raisins maybe added, which will both render the decoction less disagreeable, andmake it take up more of the bark. The liquor must be strained, andtwo, three, or four table-spoonfuls, according to the age of the patient,given three times a-day.

The Moffat and Harrogate waters, especially the latter, are 'likewisevery proper medicines in the scrophula. They ought not however to bedrank in large quantities, but should be taken so as to keep the bodygently open, and must be used for a considerable time.

The fresh powder or the inspissated juice of hemlock may sometimesta used with advantage in the scrophula. Some lay it down as a general> ule, that the sea-water is most proper before there are any suppurationor syinutoms of tabes ; the Peruvian bark, -.vben there are running sores,