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Medicine. — Though numberless medicines are extolled for ex-pelling and killing worms,* yet no disease more frequently bafflesthe physician's skill. In general, the most proper medicines fortheir expulsion are strong purgatives, and, to prevent their breed-ing, stomachic bitters, and now and then a glass of good wine.
The best purge for an adult is jalap and calomel. Five-and-twenty or thirty grains of the former, with six or seven of the lat-ter, mixed in syrup, may be taken early in the morning for a dose.It will be proper that the patient keep the house all day, and drinknothing cold. The dose may be repeated once or twice a-week,for a fortnight or three weeks. On the intermediate days thepatient may take a drachm of the filings of tin, twice or thricea-day, mixed with syrup, honey, or treacle.
Those who do not choose to take calomel, may make use of thebitter purgatives ; as aloes,t tincture of senna and rhubarb, &c.
Oily medicines are sometimes found beneficial for expellingworms. An ounce of salad oil and a table-spoonful of commonsalt may be taken in a glass of red port wine thrice a day, oroftener if the stomach will bear it ; but the more common form ofusing oil is in clysters. Oily clysters, sweetened with sugar orhoney, are very efficacious in bringing away the short round wormscalled ascárides,^ and likewise the teres.
The Harrowgate water is an excellent medicine for expellingworms, especially the ascarides. As this water is impregnated withsulphur, we may hence infer, that sulphur alone must be a goodmedicine in this case, which is found to be a fact. Many practi-tioners give flour of sulphur in very large doses, and with greatsuccess. It should he made into an electuary with honey or trea-cle, and taken in such quantity as to purge the patient.
Where Harrowgate water cannot be obtained, sea-water may beused, which is far from being a contemptible medicine in this case.If sea-water cannot be had, common salt dissolved in water may*be drank. I have often seen this used by country-nurses with verygood effect. Some flour of sulphur may be taken over-night, andthe salt-water in the morning.
But worms, though expelled, will soon breed again, if the stom-ach remain weak and relaxed; to prevent which, we would recom-mend the Peruvian bark. Half a drachm of bark in powder maybe taken in a glass of red port wine, three or four times a-day,after the above medicines have been used. Lime-water is likewisegood for this purpose, or a table-spoonful of the chalybeate winetaken twice or thrice a-day. Infusions or decoctions of bitterherbs may likewise be drank; as the infusion of tansy, water tre-foil, camomile flowers, tops of wormwood, the lesser centaury, &c.
doing much mischief. They find worms in eTerycase, and liberally throw in their an-tidotes, which generally consist of strong drasfic purges. I have known these givenin delicate constitutions, to the destruction of the patient, Where there was not theleast symptom of worms.
* A medical writer of the present age has enumerated upward« of fifty British plants,all celebrated for killing and expelling worins.
t Take Powder of Common Aloes, I drm.
• Water Gruel, thin, 10 oz.
Make a »lyster — to be given occasionally.
Í Take Mixture of Asafœtida, 8 oz.
Milk. 5 oi.
Make a »lyter.