of the Digitalis Purpurea. 53 



by sickness ; but it is equally true, that this effect 

 took place long before the medicine affected the sto- 

 mach ; and then the sickness and salivation bore no 

 kind of proportion to each other, which would have 

 been the case, had it been owing exclusively to that 

 cause. 



I forbear saying any thing at present, on the addi- 

 tional advantage derived from the Digitalis acting as 

 a salivant, on this patient, in removing the dropsical 

 complaint. 



This woman did not, to my knowledge, take a 

 single grain of mercury, in any form ; neither did she 

 make use of any external application, which could 

 have induced the salivation. I do not recollect par- 

 ticularly what appearance the gums put on, nor whe- 

 ther there was any foetor of the breath followed the 

 use of our medicine, for I have not noted any thing 

 in these respects. 



I should have mentioned, that this patient com- 

 plained much of a prickling and itching sensation of 

 the skin, at the time when her size was greatly less- 

 ened ; but this was probably owing partly to the re- 

 turning sensibility of the skin, and partly to the in- 

 temperate use of opium. 



P. S. It is to be regretted, that the subject of the 

 foregoing case, after showing such favourable symp- 

 toms of recovery, fell a victim, most probably, to her 

 using opium in so great profusion, notwithstanding 



