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Ohjervations on the comparative Purgative and Ajlrift" 

 geiTt Effects of thejeveral Kinds of Rhubarb. 



[By Dr. Parry.] 



FROM the firft clafs of thefe experiments it appiai's, that 

 the Turkey rhubarb operated more than either of the 

 two others^ in one cafe only. No. I. operated moft fre- 

 quently in four cafes. No. II. moft frequently in two 

 cafes. The Turkey operated leaft frequently in two cafes. 

 No. I. in three. No. II. in three. In two cafes tlie 

 Turkey and No. II. operated equally; while ii> one of 

 thefe No. I. acted more powerfully than either, a|id in the 

 other not at all. In one cafe No. I. and No. II. afted 

 alike; .and both more than the Turkey. One exhibition 

 of each kind of the rhubarbs produced equal effeds in the 

 cafe of Jane Middleton's child; but neither the Turkey 

 rhubarb, nor No. I. in two other experiments on the fame 

 patient, operated at all before twelve the next day, when 

 her mother called on me. 



So far as thefe few experiments go, we may infer that 

 the fpecimen of Englilh rhubarb -No. I. was fully equal in 

 its purgative effects to the Turkey, and that they are^both in 

 quality fomewhat fuperior to No. II. This conclufion 

 is farther ftrengthened by the fxperimefits in the cafes 

 of Greenaway, Rolf, and Stuarf, Clafs II. In the laft of 

 thefe, the Englifli rhubarb No. I. was more powerful than 

 the Turkey, and in all'three than No. II. It muft alfo 

 be obferved that in the two firft experiments with No. II. 

 in the cafe of Gore, no effeit was produced by the quantity 

 it there exhibited. 



The aftringent effects of rhubarb may be divided into 

 two kinds: thofe which feem immediately to arife from 



the 



