266 PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



etables is more useful than the fossil acids, as it can be given 

 in much larger quantities, and may also be given more safely 

 than vinegar, being less liable to excite coughing. 



DCCCCXXII. Though our art can do so little towards the 

 cure of this disease, we must, however, palliate the uneasy symp- 

 toms of it as well as we can. The symptoms especially urgent, 

 are the cough and diarrhoea. The cough may be in some mea- 

 sure relieved by demulcents (DCCCLXXIII.) ; but the re- 

 lief obtained by these is imperfect and transitory, and very 

 often the stomach is disturbed by the quantity of oily, mucila- 

 ginous, and sweet substances, which are on these occasions taken 

 into it. 



DCCCCXXIII. The only certain means of relieving the 

 cough, is by employing opiates. These, indeed, certainly in- 

 crease the phlogistic diathesis of the system ; but commonly 

 they do not so much harm in this way, as they do service by 

 quieting the cough and giving sleep. They are supposed to be 

 hurtful by checking expectoration ; but they do it for a short 

 time only ; and, after a sound sleep, the expectoration in the 

 morning is more easy than usual. In the advanced state of the 

 disease, opiates seem to increase the sweatings that occur; but 

 they compensate this, by the ease they afford in a disease which 

 cannot be cured. 



DCCCCXXIV. The diarrhoea which happens in the ad- 

 vanced state of this disease, is to be palliated by moderate as- 

 tringents, mucilages, and opiates. 



Rhubarb, so commonly prescribed in every diarrhoea, and all 

 other purgatives, are extremely pernicious in the colliquative 

 diarrhoea of hectics. 



Fresh subacid fruits, supposed to be always laxative, are often, 

 in the diarrhoea of hectics, by their antiseptic quality, very use- 

 ful. 



" When we are industrious in stopping the purging by opiates, 

 we bring back the sweating. Opiates promote sweating, and for 

 this they have been blamed in phthisical cases. There is some- 

 times ground for this, but it is uncertain also, whether we do 

 more good by alleviating the cough, than harm by increasing 

 sweat. In the case of purging I have no hesitation in stopping 

 it, even with a hazard of increasing the sweat." 



