DYSENTERY ; OR BLOODY FLUX.

1

The most proper drink in this disorder is whey. The dysenteryhas often been cured by the use of clear whey alone. It may betaken both for drink, and in form of clyster. When whey cannotbe had, barley-water sharpened with cream of tartar may be drank,or a decoction of barley and tamarinds ; two ounces of the formerand one of the latter may be boiled in two English quarts of waterto one. Warm water, water-gruel, or water wherein hot iron hasbeen frequently quenched, are all very proper, and may be drankin turns. Camomile-tea, if the stomach will bear it, is an exceed-ingly proper drink. It both strengthens the stomach, and by itsantiseptic quality tends to prevent a mortification of the bowels.

Medicine. — At the beginning of this disease it is always neces-sary to cleanse the first passages. For this purpose an emeticipecacuanha must be given, and wrought off with weak nomiletea. Strong vomits are seldom necessary here. A sen.', .¿, or atmost half a drachm of ipecacuanha, is generally sufficient for anadult, and sometimes a very few grains will suffice. The day afterthe vomit, half a drachm or two scruples of rhubarb must be taken;or, what will answer the purpose rather better, an ounce, or anounce and a half, of Epsom salts.* This dose may be repeatedevery other day for two or three times. Afterwards small dosesof ipecacuanha may be taken for some time. Two or three grainsof the powder may be mixed in a table-spoonful of the syrup ofpoppies, and taken three times a-day.

Should the medicines here prescribed not procure copious stools,stronger purgatives must then be employed.t Some practition-ers are in the habit of combining emetic and purgative medicines;such as some of the mild neutral salts with tartarized, and oftenwith very good effect.^

These evacuations, and the regimen prescribed above, willoften be sufficient to effect a cure. Should it, however, happenotherwise, the following astringent medicines may be used :—

A clyster of starch or fat mutton-broth, with thirty or forty dropsof liquid laudanum in it, may be administered twice a-day. Atthe same time an ounce of gum-arabic, and half an ounce of gum-tragacanth, may be dissolved in an English pint of barley-water,over a slow fire, and a table spoonful of it taken every hour.

If these have not the desired effect, the patient may take, fourtimes a-day, about the bulk of a nutmeg of the extract of catechu,drinking after it a tea-cupful of the decoction of logwood.

or four, and sometimes not so many. He used the other fruits as they came in, andwas in a few weeks so well as to leave that part of the country where I was, with aview to return to America.

" Take Epsom Salts, 1 oz.

Manna, £ oz.

Warm Water,Peppermint Water,

of each, 2¿ oz.

Dose, four table-spoonsful occasionally.

orTake Castor Oil, 1 oz. for a dose.

t Take Submuriate of Murcury, 3 grs.

Jalap, 1 ecr.

Syrup of Buckthorn, enough to form thtmass into five pills for a dose.

i Take Infusion of Senna, 5 oz.

Tartrite of Potash. 1 oz.

Tartarized Antimony, 2 grB.

Make a mixture, of which take four table-spoonsful every three hours, until thebowels are sufficiently moved.