132 PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



soon fallen into neglect, that they have been either inert or per- 

 nicious, and therefore I make no inquiry after them ; and shall 

 now remark only upon one or two known remedies for the gout 

 which have been lately in vogue. 



DLVII. One of these is what has been named in England 

 the Portland Powder. This is not a new medicine, but is 

 mentioned by Galen, and, with some little variation in its com- 

 position, has been mentioned by the writers of almost every age 

 since that time. It appears to have been at times in fashion, 

 and to have again fallen into neglect ; and I think that this 

 last has been owing to its having been found to be, in many 

 instances, pernicious. In every instance which I have known 

 of its exhibition for the length of time prescribed, the persons 

 who had taken it were indeed afterwards free from any inflam- 

 matory affection of the joints: but they were affected with many 

 symptoms of the atonic gout ; and all, soon after finishing their 

 course of the medicine, have been attacked with apoplexy, 

 asthma, or dropsy, which proved fatal. 



" It is possible that several persons may have taken the 

 Portland powder, and other bitters, with seeming great advan- 

 tage ; but I have not had opportunity to know the sequel of 

 the whole of such persons 1 lives, so as to say positively how far 

 in any case the cure continues steady for a life of some years 

 after ; or what accidents happened to their health. 



" But I have had occasion to know, or to be exactly inform- 

 ed, of the fate of nine or ten persons who had taken this medi- 

 cine for the time prescribed, which is two years. These persons 

 had been liable, for some years before, to have a fit of a regular 

 or very painful inflammatory gout, once at least, and frequently 

 twice in the course of a year : but after they had taken the 

 medicine for some time, they were quite free from any fit of 

 inflammatory gout and, particularly when they had completed 

 the course prescribed, had never a regular fit, or any inflamma- 

 tion of the extremities for the rest of their life. 



" In no instance, however, that I have known, was the health 

 of these persons tolerably entire. Soon after finishing the 

 course of their medicine, they became valetudinary in various 

 shapes, and particularly were much affected with dyspeptic, and 

 what are called nervous complaints, with lowness of spirits. In 



