1919-20.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 3 



oil) ; Collecting and Curing Herbs, Barks, and Roots ; the 

 Manufacture of Decoctions, Def usions, and Syrups ; the 

 Steam and Vapour Bath (borrowed from the Indians) ; 

 the Medical Treatment of George Washington's last ill- 

 ness (he was attacked with croup, a bleeder took 12 to 

 14 ounces of blood from him almost at once, and then two 

 more copious bleedings followed — some 20 to 25 ounces 

 each ; a physician came and administered two doses of 

 calomel ; next morning another bleeding, making in all 

 80 to 90 ounces of blood drawn, then 10 grains more of 

 calomel and 5 or 6 grains of tartar emetic, then blisters 

 to the extremities and a cataplasm of bran and vinegar 

 to the throat — and, after all that, the stubborn Father of 

 his Country was so ungrateful as to die) ; a chapter on 

 Cleanliness follows, and one on the Pernicious Effects of 

 Mercury ; a satirical chapter on How to get Dyspepsia, 

 and a chapter on Fevers (which ends thus — " There is 

 no other way to cure a fever but to increase the heat, 

 drive out the cold, open the pores, clear the stomach and 

 bowels, and bring a proper balance in the system ; then 

 the patient is in health with no torment left behind," 

 which is as sententious and about as valuable as anything 

 Sydenham ever wrote). 



As with the Vermont practitioners whose treatise was 

 discussed in the later of the papers already mentioned, 

 little attention is paid by this author to Thomson's Courses 

 of Physic — Emmons does not even give the formula for 

 the celebrated " Six Numbers " ; his system is based to a 

 great extent on Thomson's, but it has a right to the title 

 " Reformed Thomsonian" at all events, if the rather common 

 definition is applied here to the word " Reformed," making 

 it synonymous with " changed." 



In the following list Nos. 1-58 are given by Thomson him- 

 self ; Nos. 59-128 by the Vermont Thomsonian Physicians : 

 Nos. 129 sqq. are given by Emmons— those in the former 

 two lists, but not used by Emmons, ai-e placed in paren- 

 thesis. The name given by the author to a plant is in 

 italics, the nomenclature is that of Dr. Asa Gray's Field, 

 Forest, and Garden Botany ; for convenience sake all the 

 plants named in the three lists are here classified. It will 

 be seen that Emmons does not employ Nos. 26, 28, 29, 36, 



