{ apo) ). 
This plant has 4 ftrong ungrateful {mell, refembling that of opium, 
and a bitterifh acrid tafte; it abounds with a milky juice, in which 
its fenfible qualities feem to refide, and which appears to have been 
noticed by Diofcorides, who defcribes the odour and tafte of this 
Juice as nearly agreeing with that of the white poppy; its effects are 
alfo faid, according to Haller, to be powerfully narcotic. 
Dr. Collin, at Vienna, (whofe name has been frequently men- 
tioned in the courfe of this work) firft brought the Laétuca virofa 
into medical repute," and its charaéter has lately induced the College 
of Phyficians at Edinburgh to infert it in the catalogue of the Materia 
Medica, More than twenty-four cafes of dropfy are faid by Collin 
to have been fuccefsfully treated, by employing an extra@t prepared 
from the expreffed juice of this plant; which is fated not only to be - 
powerfully diuretic, but by attenuating the vifcid humours to promote 
all the fecretions, and to remove vifceral obftru@ions. In the more 
fimple cafes, proceeding from debility, the extra, in dofes of eigh- 
teen to thirty grains a day, proved fufficient to accomplifh a cure; 
but when the difeafe was inveferate, and accompaiiied with vifceral 
obftru€tions, the quantity of extraé&t was increafed to three drams : 
nor did larger dofes, though they excited naufea, ever produce any 
other bad effe&; and the patients continued fo {trong under the ufe. 
of this remedy, that it was feldom neceflary to employ any tonic 
medicines. = 
Though Dr. Collin began his. experiments with the La@uca at the 
Pazman hofpital, at the time he was trying the arnica’in 1771, yet 
very few phyficians, even at Vienna, have fince adopted the ufe of 
this plant. _ oe 
Plenciz indeed has publifhied a folitary inftance ® of its efficacy, while 
Quarin ‘ informs us that he never experienced any good effet from 
its ufe, alledging that thofe, who were defirous of fupporting ite cha- 
racter, mixed with it a quantity of extraétum {cillx, Under thefe 
circumftances we fhall only fay, that the recommendation of this 
medicine by Dr. Collin, will be fearcely thought fufficient to eftablith 
its ufe in England. : ies 
. * Obferv. circa Morb. P. vi, es 
» Jofeph de Plenciz. Aa. & Ob: Med. p. 107. 
* Animadv: Praé. a isk ; re 
‘The | 
4 
