360 DISEASES OF THE INTESTINES. 



its efficacy. I have commonly given drachm doses of it 

 for several days together, and then administered a full dose 

 of physic. 



French Remedies. — Chabert, who has experimented by 

 plunging worms of various kinds^ taken out of the body alive, 

 into different medicaments, has come to the conclusion that 

 nothing destroys them so speedily and effectually as the 

 animal oil of Dippel, which he calls empyreimiatic oil ; next 

 to this, he ranks winter savoury, an infusion of which he 

 used by way of a vehicle for the oil. He exhibited this 

 combination of his two most powerful vermifuges to animals 

 who manifested signs of worms: it did not in all bring away 

 worms; but he concluded, nevertheless, that it had destroyed 

 them, from the circumstance of the animals from that period 

 recovering their health and embonpoint. The dose of the 

 oil is from half an ounce to one or two ounces, according to 

 the age and strength of the patient : and this is given every 

 day on an empty stomach. 



A NEW View of the Treatment. — Hurtrel d'Arboval, 

 with some reason, remarks, that those who have written 

 treatises on, and presented us with remedies for, worms, 

 have — Chabert among the rest — neglected to notice the 

 condition of the passages co-existent with the worms, and on 

 which their presence, for au^^ht they knew, might depend. 

 To complete the pathology of the case, this undoubtedly 

 ought to be taken into the account. For, should there be 

 reasons for supposing that the worms, by long and constant 

 ii'ritation, had created much or extensive inflammation of the 

 mucous membrane of the intestines, it would certainly become 

 a question, whether we should be warranted in giving 

 anthelmintics at all; or, at all events, such of them as were 

 of a nature in the least stimulant or irritative. Aloes, in 

 an especial degree, and also calomel and antimony, and even 

 castor oil, would become, in this point of view, inadmissible. 

 Wliat, then, is to be done? D'Arboval sagaciously re- 

 commends that we should look to the apparent origin or 

 cause of the worms, and see if we cannot, by adopting 

 another mode of living, feeding, &c., enable Nature herself 



