VIRGINIA SNAKEROOT. 89 
country, to resort to a strong infusion of this 
article with a view of exciting perspiration. Ca- 
tarrhs, rheumatisms, and other winter complaints, 
incident to rustic life, are managed in the same 
way. In that species of pleurisy which is properly 
enough designated by the epithet bilious, he has 
repeatedly had occasion to recur to the Serpen- 
taria, and always with more or less utility. This 
bilious pleurisy he considers as having all the 
characters of pneumonic inflammation, with the 
addition of some of the symptoms incident to au- 
tumnal fever, such as headach, great gastric dis- 
tress, and almost always violent vomitings of bile. 
It differs also from ordinary pleurisy in having less 
activity of inflammation, and consequently in not 
bearing the same extent of depletion. ‘The sys- 
tem, indeed, will often be very evidently depressed 
by one or two bleedings. In this case the practice 
which has been commonly pursued is, after the 
removal of a comparatively small portion of blood, 
and the thorough evacuation of the alimentary 
canal; to administer very freely draughts of the 
infusion of the Serpentaria in order to excite’ 
copious diaphoresis. “a ws 
Dr. Chapman concludes his remarks on” this 
article, by stating, that it is admirably suited to 
check vomitings, and to tranquillize the stomach, 
12 
