84

The Complete Englifh Dijpenfatory. Part II.

thereof in many Inftances verygreat and furprizing; and the mollviolent Pains fometimes arilingfrom pent up Wind, which imme-diately ceafe upon its Difperiion:For thefe Reafons, I fay, fuchMedicines as ' give' Relief in thiscalé, are more particularly term'dCarminatives, as if they cured byInchantmcnt ; the Complaint re-moved by them being fo liidden,

may be which fuch Medicines giveto the Fibres ; which cannot but in-vigorate their tonic Undulations fomuch, that by degrees the obftruc-ted Wind is diilodg'd, and at ladquite expell'd. But if the Obftruc-tion is not great, as it ièldom is inthe Bowels, by reafon of the largeVent both upwards and down-wards, the Rarifaâion of the Windupon taking iuch a Medicine is qftenthat the ordinary Means of the Ope- . fo fudden, and likewiiè its Difcharge,

ration of a natural Caufe are notealily imagin'd to take place foloon.

But howfoever this Term cameinto the Profeffion, its commonUfe has fufHcienily determin'd itsMeaning; fo that by it every oneunderftands fuch things as conduceto expel Wind. How they do fo,may be conceiv'd, when we'«mil-der that all the Parts of the Bodyare perfpirable. Sanûorius, in hisMedicina. Statica, determines allwe call Wind in the Bowels, tobe fuch perfpirable Matter as makesits Efcape thro' the 'Coats of theStomach and Inteltines. Betweenthe lèverai Membranes likewifeof the mufcular Parts may fuchMatter break out, and lodge foriome time. Now what&ever willrarity and render thinner luch Col-lections of Vapours, muff con-duce to their utter Difcharge out ofthe Body, and ccnièquently removetholè Uneailnefles , which arilèfron', neu Detention. And asaii thofe Things in Medicine whichpais under this Denomination, arewarm, and coniift of very lightfubtile Parts, it is' eafy to conceivehow a Mixture or iuch Particlesmay agitate and ratify thole Fla-tulencies, lb as to facilitate theirExpulfion : and efpecially when weconilder what a Help to promotetHis Ena thofe grateful Seniàtions

that it goes off like the Explofionof Gun-powder.

All the Things under this Clafs,being warm and dilcuffive, aremuch uled in the Compositions ofCathartics, of the rougher fort efpe-cially. For the Irritation occafion'dby thofe, would be fcarce tolerablewithout the Mitigation of fuch grate-ful Ingredients. Many likewiie ofthis Sortment are in the Compofi-tions of difcuffive Topics, as theywarm, rarify, and attenuate the ob-Itruéted Humours.

Folia Herbs :

49. Angelic«, Angelica.

There is of this ---------- Sylvefiris, a

wild Angelica, which is alfo divi-ded into major and minor Monta-na ; but the only kind uièd inPharmacy is the Sativa, feu Cofiusnigra of Cafpar Bauhine, called al-io by fome Angelica odorata, andSmymium. It flowers in July.This is a warm, fragrant, aroma-tic Plant, in great efteem with ma-ny Authors. Schroder will have itto be a mod: noble Cordial, Sudo-rific, and Vulnerary, and alfo topromote the Menfes, forward De-livery, and ftrengthen the Womb ;and that it is efficacious againftall manner of Poifonous and Pefti-lential Contagions. But at pre-fent it is regarded little otherwifethan as a Carminative, and there-fore