22 TURNBULL ON RANUNCULACE&., 
sist from his duties for two or three months at a time: his bowels 
are regular, and his digestion generally good. 
He was ordered to take small doses of tartar emetic, and to have 
a blister applied over the chest; and this treatment was pursued 
with considerable advantage for the time, but when it was remitted 
he soon returned to the same state as before. As this seemed a fair 
case upon which to make trial of the Veratria, it was ordered to be 
rubbed on in the manner already described. By making use of the 
frictions once every night he became gradually better, and at the 
end of a week considered himself quite well ; he was advised, how- 
ever, to continue the ointment for a little longer, and then to leave 
it off by degrees: this was accordingly done about a year and a 
half ago, and he has remained ever since in excellent health, free 
from his old complaints, and able for the discharge of the functions 
of his office. 
CASE V. 
Mr. W., aged fifty-eight, has been affected for seventeen years 
with palpitation, which, during the last seven of that period has been 
attended by great difficulty of breathing, occurring in paroxysms, 
and coming on especially whilst taking exercise on foot. The dysp- 
noea at these times has been so severe, and has been accompanied 
by such extreme pain across the chest, as to compel him to lay hold 
on the nearest object for support. The pain, during the fit, extends 
down the left arm ; and is of such intensity, that in the words of the - 
patient, “no language can describe it.” 
For these and other symptoms he has, during the last ten years, 
applied to all sources for relief, and almost every possible remedy 
has been tried without procuring for him any ease. At the time 
he came under treatment, he had, besides the symptoms mentioned, 
a purple blush upon his face, and more particularly over his nose 
and lips ; his voice was weak and quivering. Upon applying the 
ear over the region of the heart, a tremulous, confused, irregular pul- 
sation was heard ; the pulse was irregular and very intermittent : 
the left side of the chest appeared much larger than the right, and 
the ribs over the cardiac region seemed pushed out as if to afford a 
larger space for the heart’s action. There was considerable disten- 
sion of the abdomen, along with a very evident degree of enlarge- 
ment on the right side, immediately under the margins of the ribs; 
his bowels had been for some time in a very torpid state, and re- 
quired active medicines to operate upon them ; the lower extremi- 
ties were a little swollen, and the urine deficient in quantity. His 
sleep was unrefreshing, and often disturbed by fits of coughing, which 
generally ended in great exhaustion. — 
_ As it was evident, that in a case of such severity and duration, 
little more could be done than merely to relieve the sufferings of 
the patient, by endeavouring to mitigate the symptoms as much as 
possible, the treatment followed was addressed to thatend. A course 
