304 PHARMACOPEIAL DRUGS 



Darwin, Rush, Cullen, Physick, Coxe, etc. These were 

 analytical and discursive, involving the cause, progress 

 and treatment of the disease. But though very interest- 

 ing, they are not here relevant. 



Chapters XIII and XIV of Thacher's book deal with 

 the many nostrum cures for hydrophobia that have 

 been celebrated both popularly and in the medical pro- 

 fession, such as "the liver of the mad dog broiled," 

 "cray fish burnt with twigs of bryony," the famous 

 "East India Remedy," "Sir George Cobb's powder," the 

 famed "Pulvis Antilyssus" of Dr. Mead, the renowned 

 "Omskirk medicine," and a host of such that had their 

 day and passed into disrepute. Among these was 

 "Grouse's Remedy," once so celebrated as to have in- 

 duced the New York Legislature, 1806, to purchase the 

 formula, for which it paid one thousand dollars. It was 

 found to be as follows: 



"Jawbone of a dog, bruised and powdered, one ounce; 

 false tongue of a newly-foaled colt, dried and powdered, 

 one ounce; verdigris on an old copper coin (coinage of 

 George I or II preferred), one scruple. Mix the ingredi- 

 ents and give a teaspoonful at a dose." 



Seventeen pages of Thacher's book are devoted to the 

 record of scutellaria, in which the names of Dr. Van 

 Derveer, "a physician of eminence in New Jersey," and 

 the "Lewis's" use of scutellaria play an important part. 

 Out of a large number of cases but one failure was re- 

 ported, that of a Dr. Bartlett, who began the use of the 

 drug eight or ten days after several animals were bitten, 

 six of which died of hydrophobia. This lapse of time led 

 Dr. Thacher to say: 



"The facts offered by Dr. Bartlett, although deserving 

 of serious consideration, are not to beiaccounted sufficient 



