;,;j BRUISES—ULCEUS.

Bruises.

Bruises are generally productive of worse consequences thanwounds. The danger from them does not appear immediately, bywhich means it often happens that they are neglected. It is need-less to give any definition of a disease so universally known ; weshall therefore proceed to point out the method of treating it.

In slight bruises it will be sufficient to bathe the part with warmvinegar, to which a little brandy or rum may occasionally be added,and to keep cloths wet with this mixture constantly applied to it.This is more proper than rubbing it with brandy, spirits of wine,or other ardent spirits, which are commonly used in such cases.

In some parts of the country the peasants apply to a recentbruise a cataplasm of fresh cow-dung. I have often seen this cata-plasm applied to violent contusions, occasioned by blows, falls,bruises, and such like, and never knew /t fail to have a good effect.

AYhen a bruise is very violent, the patient ought immediately tobe bled, and put upon a proper regimen ; a sufficient number ofleeches ought likewise to be applied to the part. His food shouldbe light and cool, and his drink weak, and of an opening nature ;as whey sweetened with honey, decoctions of tamarinds, barley,ercam-tartar-whey, and such like. The bruised part must be bath-ed with vinegar and water, as directed above ; and a poultice madeby boiling crumb of bread, elder-flowers, and camomile-flowers, inequal quantities of vinegar and water, applied to it. This poul-tice is peculiarly proper when a wound is joined to the bruise. Itmay be renewed two or three times a-day.

As the structure of the vessels is totally destroyed by a violentbruise, there often ensues a great loss of substance, which produ-ces an ulcerous sore very difficult to cure. If the bone be affected,the sore will not heal before an exfoliation takes place ; that is,before the diseased part of the bone separates, and comes outthrough the wound. This is often a very slow operation, and mayeven require several years to be completed. Hence it happens,that these sores are frequentlymistaken for the king's evil, andtreated as such, though in fact they proceed solely from the injurywhich the solid parts received from the blow.

Patients in this situation are pestered with different advices.Every one who sees them proposes a new remedy, till the sore isso much irritated with various and opposite applications, that it isoften at length rendered absolutely incurable. The best methodof managing such sores is, to take care that the patient's constitu-tion does not suffer by confinement or improper medicine, and toapply nothing to them besides simple ointment spread upon softlint, over which a poultice of bread and milk, with boiled camomileflowers, or the like, may be put, to nourish the part, and keep itsoft and warm. Nature, thus assisted, will generally in time oper-ate a cure, by throwing off the diseased parts of the bone, afterwhich the sore soon heals.

Ulcers.

( iX'ers are divided into local or constitutional ; it is only, how-ever, within certain limits that this distinction is well founded ; for