Class II. i. *. 7. OF SENSATION. 249 



JL , a corpulent man, who had for fome weeks laboured 



under a cough with great expectoration, with quick pulfe, and 

 difficulty of breathing, foon recovered by the ufe of digitalis 

 taken twice a day *, and though this cafe might probably be a 

 peripneumonia notha, or catarrh, it is here related as (hewing 

 the power of pulmonary abforption excited by the ufe of this 

 drug. 



Since the publication of the above, fome fuccefsful cafes of 

 the treatment of confumption by the tincture of digitalis are re- 

 lated in Medical and Phyfical Contributions, edited by Dr. Bed- 

 does, Longman, London. Two of the fuccefsful cafes are from 

 Dr. Drake, who obferves, " that by gradually increafing the dofe 

 of the faturated tincture of digitalis from 20 drops to 100 twice 

 a day, all the fymptoms of fever, cough, pain, and dyfpncea, daily 

 grew better, and at length totally ceafed, and that on the quanti- 

 ty and quality of the expectorated matter the digitalis foon exert- 

 ed a very remarkable effect, either promoting its abforption, or 

 diminifhing its fecretion, or perhaps both, in a rapid manner ; 

 while at the fame time it deprived it of its fetor." Many cafes 

 with great relief, or with profperous event, are related byDr. 

 Fowler, and by Dr. Beddoes. One I have alfo lately feen my- 

 felf, whom I believed to be confumptive, and who is of a con- 

 fumptive family, and after having ufed the faturated tincture 

 about fix weeks, or two months, in various dofes, is now believed 

 by herfelf and friends to be perfectly reftored to health, but there 

 has not been time enough yet elapfed to determine, whether fhe 

 may not relapfe, now fhe difcontinues the medicine. 



Neverthelefs as the digitalis has been given in many cafes 

 without fuccefs, there is reafon to believe, that it mould be taken 

 early in the difeafe, before too great ulcerations are produced, 

 and too great debility exifts. As thefe patients are fubject to 

 flatter themfelves more than mod others, and are liable, on that 

 account, not to apply foon enough for proper ailiilance, they 

 mould be warned that a cough attended with a*pulfe, that beats 

 120 times in a minute, is always a difeafe of danger. 



Another method of inducing ficknefs, and pulmonary abforp- 

 tion in confequence, is by failing on the fea ; by which many 

 confumptive patients have been faid to have received their cure : 

 which has been erroneonfly afcribed to fea-air, inftead of fea- 

 ficknefs ; whence many have been fent to breathe the fea air on 

 the coafts, who might have done better in higher fituations, where 

 the air probably contains lefs oxvgen gas, which is the heavieft 

 part of it. See a Letter from Dr. J. C. below. 



A third method of inducing ficknefs, and confequent pulmo- 

 nary abforption, is by the. vertigo occasioned by fwinging j which 



Vol. II. I i ; 1 



