NAT. ORDEH. PAPAVERACE-«. 139 



patient, without leaving those abdominal obstructions which have 

 been ascribed to the bark. But in these fevers we think the 

 best practice is to unite Opium with the bark, which enables the 

 stomach to bear the latter in larger doses, and adds considerably 

 to its efficacy. 



In inflammatory diseases, the use of Opium has been much 

 condemned ; and by some has been established as a general rule, 

 that Opium is improper in all those diseases in which bleeding has 

 been thought necessary : this, however, has been much disputed ; 

 and there are certainly numerous exceptions to it, which we will 

 recite in the words of Dr. Cullen. " Such are those cases in which 

 the inflammatory state arises from irritation in a particular part, 

 producing spasm, and supervening inflammation. Tlius, in cases 

 of jaundice, I have found a biliary stone, in passing the biliary 

 ducts, give such an irritation, as to produce a considerable inflam- 

 matory state in the system ; and though I have found it necessary, 

 for moderating this, to employ blood-letting, yet, as I considered 

 the passage of the stone to be chiefly interrupted by a spasmodic 

 constriction of the ducts, I have employed Opium for taking off 

 this, with great advantage. Similar circumstances have frequently 

 occurred in the case of urinary calculi passing the urelers, 

 in which I have found it necessary to employ Opium, and suitable 

 medicines for equalizing the blood, at the same time. 



In like manner as Oi^ium is useful in moderating excretions, 

 so when the irritation occasions an increase of these excretions, 

 which is attended with affections which irritate the whole system, 

 Opium becomes especially useful. Hence it becomes so generally 

 useful in catan-hal affections, and the cough attending them ; and 

 I^robably it is this analogy that has brought the use of Opium to 

 be frequently emjiloyed in pneumonic inflammations. It is possi- 

 ble that there may be cases of sucli inflammations wherein the 

 Opium may be more useful in taking off the cough, than hurtful 

 by aggravating the inflammatory state of the system ; but I have 



