AND FAMILY DISPENSATORY. | 165 
urine may be greatly promoted by nitre. Brookes fays, he knew a young woman 
_ who was cured of a dropfy by taking a drachm of initre every morning in adaught - 
of ale, after the had beengiven over as incurable; and a Jarge {poonful of unbruifed 
_muftard-feed taken every night and morning, and drinking half a pint of the de. 
coction of the tops of green broom after it, has performed cures when other power- 
ful medicines have proved inefieCtual. When the difeafe does not evidently and 
fpeedily give way to purgative and diuretic medicines, the water ought.to be let off 
‘by tapping. This i is a very fimple and fafe operation, and would often fueceed, if 
dt were performed in due! time; but, if -it be delayed til] the humours are vitiated, 
cor the bowels {poiled by long foaking in water, it can hardly tbe expected that any 
permanent relief will be procured. After the evacuation of the water, the patient 
is to be put on a courfe of ftrengthening medicines ; as the Peruvian bark, the 
elixir of vitriol, warm aromatics, with a due proportion of rhubarb npn in wine, _ 
‘and fuch ees ow 
Oe pars OO U e eieerree re 
uF "THERE i is sodiiee which fhews the imperfection of inedicine, or to the ‘a 
vantages of temperance and exercife in a ftronger light, than the gout... Excefs and 
idlenefs are the true fources from whence it originally fprang, and all. who would 
avoid it muft be active and temperate. As there are no medicines yet known that 
~ will cure the gout, we fhall confine our obfervations chiefly to regimen, both i in and 
out of the fit. In the fit, if the patient be young and ftrong, his diet ought to be 
thin and cooling, and his drink of a diluting nature; but, where.the conttitution i is 
weak, and the patient has been accuftomed to live high, this is not a proper time’ 
to retrench. In this cafe he muft keep nearly to his ufual diet, and fhould take 
-quently a cup of ftrong negus, or a glafs of generous wine. Wine-whey is a 
very ‘proper drink in this cafe, as it promotes the perfpiration without greatly heat- 
ing the patient. Ar will anfwer this purpofe better if a tea-fpoonful of fal volatile 
oleafum, or fpirits of hartfhorn, be put into a cup of it twice a-day. Tr will like- _ 
wile be proper to give at bed-time a tea-fpoonful of the volatile tincture of 
jn-a large draught of warm wine-whey. This will” ‘greatly promote 
perfpiration through. the night. As the moft fafe and efficacious methed of 
difcharging the gouty matter is by perfpiration, this ought to be kept up’by alf : 
‘means, efpecially in,the affected part. For this purpofe the leg and foor the id 
be wrapped i in {oft flannel, fur, or wool, The laft is moft readily obtaine , and 
feems 10 Soren te. purpofe better than any thing elfe. The people of Lanca- 
fhire took \ vpon wool asa kind of fpecific i in the gout. They wrap a ‘great quar ! 
ty of itabout the leg and foot affeéted, and cover it with a fkin of foft dreffed | les 
The wool which they ufe is generally ereafed,.and carded or combed. They 2c 
37. ~ ys 
