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DIABETES, &c.

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It may be taken in the dose of fifteen or twenty drops, twice orthrice a-day, in a glass of wine or water. Habitual vomitings aresometimes alleviated by making oysters a principal part of diet.

A vomiting which proceeds from acidities in the stomach, is re-lieved by alkaline purges. The best medicine of this kind is themagnesia alba, a teaspoonful of which may be taken in a dish oftea, or a little milk, three or four times a-day, or oftener if neces-sary, to keep the body open, or any of the cretaceous mixturesrecommended in diarrhoea.

When vomiting proceeds from violent passions, or affections ofthe mind, all évacuants must be carefully avoided, especially vomits.These are exceedingly dangerous. The patient in this case ought tobe kept perfectly easy and quiet, to have the mind soothed, and totake some gentle cordial, as negus, or a little brandy and water,to which a few drops of laudanum may occasionally be added.

When vomiting proceeds from spasmodic afFections of the stom-ach, musk, castor, and other antispasmodic medicines are of use.Warm and aromatic plasters have likewise a good effect. Aro-matic medicines may likewise be taken inwardly, as cinnamon ormint-tea, wine with spiceries boiled in it, &.C. The region of thestomach may be rubbed with œther, or if that cannot be had, withstrong brandy, or other spirits. The belly should be fomentedwith warm water, or the patient immersed up to the breast in awarm bath.

I have always found the saline draughts, taken in the act of ef-fervescence, of singular use in stopping a vomiting, from what-ever cause it proceeded. These may be prepared by dissolving adrachm of the subcarbonate of potash, in an ounce and a half offresh lemon-juice, and adding to it an ounce of peppermint-water,the same quantity of simple cinnamon-water, and a little whitesugar. This draught must be swallowed before the effervescenceis quite over, and may be repeated every two hours, or oftener, ifthe vomiting be violent. A violent vomiting has sometimes beenstopped by cupping on the region of the stomach, after all othermeans had failed.

As the least motion will often bring on the vomiting again, evenafter it has been stopped, the patient must avoid all manner of ac-tion. The diet must be so regulated as to sit easy upon the stom-ach, and nothing should be taken that is hard of digestion. Wedo not, however, mean that the patient should live entirely uponslops. Solid food, in this case, often sits easier on the stomachthan liquids.

CHAP. XXIV.

DIABETES, AND OTHER DISORDERS OF THE URIN-ARY ORGANS.

The diabetes is a frequent and excessive discharge of urine. Itis seldom to be met with among young people : but often attackspersons in the decline of life, especially those who follow the moreviolent employments, or have been hard drinkers in their youth.