Magnesia in Calculous Complaints. , 1 1 



On the 30th of January 1 809, he left Loudon, and re- 

 turned on the 6th of March following. 



During his absence he had voided rather less uric acid 

 than usual, but had had one severe attack, in conse- 

 quence of which, twenty drops of the solution of pur© 

 potash were added to each dose of the soda water : this, 

 however, had not the desired effect ; for on the 10th of 

 March, having taken more wine than usual on the preced- 

 ing day, he was attacked with pain in the right kidney, 

 and voided with his urine a considerable quantity of uric 

 acid, in the form of minute red crystals. During the suc- 

 ceeding day, he made but little water, which deposited a 

 copious sediment of red sand. 



For the removal of ibis symptom, he was directed to take 

 magnesia, in the dose of twenty grains every night and 

 morning, in a little water; for three successive days his 

 bowels were unusually relaxed, but. afterwards became re- 

 gular. He persevered in its use for six weeks without in- 

 termission : his urine was several times examined during 

 that period, and contained no superabundant uric acid; and 

 he has not had the slightest return of his complaint, al- 

 though he has put himself under no unusual restraint in 

 his mode of Jiving. 



Case III. 



About the middle of October 1808, a gentleman, forty- 

 three years of -age, after talcing violent horse exercise, was 

 seized with pain in the right kidney and ureter. In the 

 course of the night he passed a small uric calculus. For 

 some months previous to this attack, he bad felt occasional 

 pain in the kidney, but had never voided either calculi or 

 sand. His urine was now always turbid, and occasionally 

 deposited red sand. 



On the 28th of October he began the use of soda water, 

 and for a time his urine was much improved in ap- 

 pearance, but the uric acid gradually returned, and at the 

 end of December, notwithstanding the. continued use o£ 

 the soda water, he voided more sand, and his urine was 

 more loaded with mucus than it had ever been before. 



In consequence of these symptoms, on the 3d of January 

 1809, he was directed to take twenty grains of magnesia 

 every night. 



The urine was examined after the third dose, and the 

 deposit of red sand was diminished in quantity, but it 

 did not disappear entirely, ai:er the magnesia had been 

 taken for three weeks. 



About. 



