PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



in diarrhoea ; so that, upon the whole, it is a remedy which may 

 be very generally useful in this disease. 



MD. Purging has been supposed to be more universally ne- 

 cessary, and has been more generally practised. This, however, 

 in my opinion, proceeds upon very mistaken notions with re- 

 spect to the disease ; and such a practice seems to me for the 

 most part superfluous, and in many cases very hurtful. It 

 goes upon the supposition of an acrimony present in the intes- 

 tines, that ought to be carried out by purging ; but if that acri- 

 mony has either been introduced by the mouth, or brought 

 into the intestines from other parts of the body, purging can nei- 

 ther be a means of correcting nor exhausting it ; and must ra- 

 ther have the effect of increasing its afflux, and of aggravating its 

 effects. From whatever source the acrimony which can excite a 

 diarrhoea proceeds, it may be supposed sufficient to evacuate it- 

 self, so far as that can be done by purging ; and as in cholera, 

 so in the same kind of diarrhoea, it will be more proper to assist 

 the evacuations by diluents and demulcents, than to increase the 

 irritation by purgatives. 



MDI. If, then, the use of purgatives in diarrhoea may be 

 considered, even when an acrimony is present, as superfluous, 

 there are many other cases in which it may be extremely hurt- 

 ful. If the irritability of the intestines shall, from affections 

 in other parts of the system, or other causes, have been already 

 very much increased, purgatives must necessarily aggravate the 

 disease. In the case of lientery, nobody thinks of giving a pur- 

 gative ; and in many cases of diarrhoea approaching to that, they 

 must be equally improper. I have already observed, that when 

 diarrhoea proceeds from an afflux of fluids to the intestines, 

 whether in too great quantity, or of an acrid quality, purgatives 

 may be hurtful ; and whoever, therefore, considers the numer- 

 ous and various sources from which acrid matter may be poured 

 into the cavity of the intestines, will readily perceive, that, in 

 many cases of diarrhoea, purgatives may be extremely perni- 

 cious. 



There is one case in particular to be taken notice of. When, 

 from a general and acrid dissolution of the blood, the serous 

 fluids run off too copiously into the cavity of the intestines, and 

 excite that diarrhoea which attends the advanced state of hectic 



