1814.] On the Sea Water on the Coasts of France. 207 



Utility of Sea Water in a Medical Point of View. 



The advantage of a sea voyage in the cure of consumption has 

 been boasted of with reason. 



Russel, an English physician, has written a treatise in which he 

 has enumerated all the advantages of sea water taken internally to 

 procure periodical evacuations. He shows lhat it is of the utmost 

 importance in affections of the glands, whether of the lungs or the 

 mesentery; and likewise against all cutaneous diseases, provided 

 they have not come the length of abscesses. His method of pro- 

 ceeding is to make it act as a laxative, and to attenuate by degrees 

 the humour in the vessels ot\the glands, in order afterwards to get 

 rid of it altogether. He recommends the use of sea water to faci- 

 litate the evacuation of biliary calculi, in cases of obstruction of the 

 liver and jaundice. In such diseases he advises the use of sea water 

 along with soap ; but he prohibits the use of this remedy as long as 

 inflammation exists. He thinks he has observed the good effects of 

 sea water in hectic from disorders of the alimentary canal, in 

 scrofula, in the bilious colics with which sailors are afflicted, when 

 we are certain that no inflammation exists ; because in that case we 

 must bleed, give laxatives, nitre, and every thing that has a ten- 

 dency to prevent the formation of an abscess. 



Sometimes, when the case is very serious, it may be necessary to 

 apply caustic, blisters, and to keep the bowels open by a quantity 

 of sea water. About a pint of sea water will be sufficient. When 

 this practice is followed by fever, loss of strength, &c. it must be 

 .-uspended, and asses' milk and absorbents administered; but such 

 cases are of rare occurrence. 



When necessary, Kthiop's mineral, cinnabar, antimony, and 

 cooling salt?, may be given along with sea water, to facilitate its 

 action. 



The ancients were likewise acquainted with the advantages of sea 

 water. Pliny Bays, Aquam maris effkaciorem disaitiendis tumoribus 

 putant media, quidam ii quartanis, dedere cam bibendam in tenes* 

 mis. (lib. ii. cup. I'J.) 



Celsus says, Acrii autem est aqua marina, vcl alia sale adjeclo et 

 vlruuue decoctn commodior est. (Lib. iii. cap. 24.) And in 

 another place, Asclepiades aquam quuquc salsam et quidam per 

 biduum purgationis causa bibere cogebat. Hildanus says, that sea 

 water was successfully used in the pestilence. 



Hippocrates has recommended injections of sea water. Pliny 

 tt] i, that iea water is good for removing tumors, especially of the 

 parotids, when barl«y meal is boiled in it. 



Al to sea water as a bath, we may consider it as a complex bath, 

 as its action must depend upon the properties of the pure water, 

 and of (he salts dissolved in it. Y\ e may conceive that they pene- 

 trate with the water into the tissue of the skin, and produce a 

 greater tonic, operative, and diuretic effect, than pure water 

 would do. 



