of the Hypericum Perforatum. 57 



The gentleman who favoured me with the me- 

 dicine, and another with whom I also conversed 

 concerning it, had, I found, invariably used it with 

 success, in their own cases, of the like nature. 

 The former told me, he had recently taken three 

 glasses, in the course of a night, when afflicted with 

 a violent diarrhoea ; and that he was cured by that 

 quantity. In my own case, the fact is, that I have 

 had but one slight attack of the diarrhoeal symptom, 

 since I took the medicine ; and that was in the eve- 

 ning of the first day on which I used it. Since that 

 time, I have been recovering my appetite, strength, 

 and spirits, and my natural state of body seems now 

 restored. I firmly believe this medicine has pro- 

 duced these effects. 



The St. John's-Wort grows abundantly in our 

 neighbourhood, and, probably, in most parts of this 

 country. It seems to be pretty generally known to 

 the people here, of German extraction, by whom it 

 is considered as a specific, in cases of diarrhoea, 

 both for adults and children. The season in which 

 it is gathered and dried, is from the end of June to 

 the end of August, when the flowers disappear. It 

 is in bloom on St. John's (Baptist's) day; when, our 

 people say, it ought to be taken in. 



I am informed, that your correspondent, the learned 

 Dr. Muhlenberg (of this borough), with whom I have 

 not yet had an opportunity of conversing on the sub- 

 ject, was the person who first brought this plant into 



VOL. I. PART II. H 



