414 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



before dinner, and fometimes in the even- 

 ing. Some patients have a cuftom of 

 drinking it with their viduals : But^ I 

 don't approve of this ; as it may retard, 

 or, in fome meafure, hurt digrftion. 



The quantiiy to be drunk is to be de- 

 termined by the age, flrength, and other 

 circumftances of the patient : They ought 

 to begin with a fmali dofer.t firft:, and in- 

 creafe it gradually : Such as are very weak 

 and much extenuated, fliould begin with 

 a gill or lefs ; this quantity they may take 

 twice a-day j and, by degrees, increafe it, 

 jn proportion as they recover their flrength 

 till they come to drink an Englifh pint a- 

 day ; a pint and an half, or two pints, 

 which is about a Scotch chopin, and is 

 the largeft quantity ufually drunk of this 

 water in twenty four hours. If the wa- 

 ter fhould be uneafy on the ftomach, the 

 patient may mix with it an equal quan- 

 tity, or lefs, of new milk, or fuch a pro- 

 portion of it as may be found moft 

 convenient: It may aifo be proper to 

 warm the water. 



As 



